The Verdant Skies Sequel meeting (with doughnuts)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

and chocolate ? !

Hmm... well, Verdant is far from Earth, resources are scarce, and luxuries are in short supply...

...but I'll see what I can do.

[GeoffC]

But chocolate is the universal currency ....

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

But chocolate is the universal currency ....

And that's the problem: Universal currencies should never taste good. Eventually, you'll be bankrupt.

[LazyScot]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Hmm... well, Verdant is far from Earth, resources are scarce, and luxuries are in short supply...

...but I'll see what I can do.

Spoiler:

(Hey, I can dream, can't I!!)

I could have sworn that there were a small number of Theobroma cacao plants in the "Garden" section of Verdant, a bit like there were a small number of Coffea arabica hidden in there..

Also, in sure that the mysterious ordering performed by the Verdant AI would have arranged certain vital life supporting supplies to have been delivered. And if you don't think chocolate isn't vital to life and well-being, then you have some serious issues, my friend!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

"Ooooh, I like the way this is starting out."

"How's that?"

"Another short intro... shorter than Verdant Skies'. And then... BAM! Sex in chapter 1!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!"

"Is there gonna be a lot more of that, Steve? Huh?"

"Well... there is more sex--"

"YYYyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeesssssssss!"

"--but that's not all there is to the story."

"Who cares? As long as we got hot sci-fi sex!"

"With aliens!"

"Whoa... there's sex with aliens?"

"No, no alien sex! I told you--"

"Yeah, we know, 'no aliens'. Can't we discuss that?"

"Forget it, Wesley. No aliens. This story is realistic!"

"Arthur C. Clarke wrote realistic aliens in his stories."

"Arthur C. Clarke... my hero..."

"Claaarke..." "Claaarke..." "Claaarke..."

"Yeah, think of all the cool ways he thought of to depict non-humanoid, realistic aliens. If he could do it..."

"Claaarke..." "Claaarke..." "Claaarke..."

"But... no... I'm no Clarke..."

"I'll say."

"Shh. Shhh."

"It's okay, Steve. I'm sure you'll do the right thing for the story. And the fact that sci-fi with aliens outsells non-alien sci-fi about 30 to 1."

"It does?"

"According to the Forrest J. Ackerman Cheesy Sci-Fi Movie Handbook, it does."

"Forryyy..." "Forryyy..." "Forryyy..."

"Well? Whataya say, Steve?"

"You know... when I look at this doughnut... it makes me think of a... giant eye..."

"Hallelujah day! Somebody get that man a frapp, and stand back!"

The Verdant Skies sequel.
It may actually have big, doughnut-eyed aliens in it.
But don't quote me.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

"Hey, are there any raspberry doughnuts left... uh... say, why's everyone so glum in here? The doughnuts are gone?"

"Of course not, ninny! We can always buy more doughnuts!"

"Assuming, of course, we have any money to buy doughnuts..."

"True, too true..."

"Hey, will you all quit talking in circles, and tell me what's going on?"

"Well, we've heard from the market, and the market says it's going to continue to steal our books and put them on the torrent sites."

"...What?"

"Not only that, but they'll continue to fight against any laws that would protect our copywritten works."

"...We are royally, unstoppably, irrevocably f**ked."

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! I'm ending it now!..."

"Blake, wait! Not the window! Not..."

"... Oh, man... that was horrible..."

"Yeah. Imagine the mess he would've made if we hadn't replaced that with shatterproof glass after Hudsucker jumped."

"Oohhhh.... I think I landed on my keys..."

"Oh, get a grip, Blake. I am not holding your hand at the unemployment line."

"Unemployment?"

"Yeah, well, what choice do we have? No one will allow us to make a living here. We have to go get real jobs now."

"Like accountants."

"And paper pushers."

"And fast food workers. Better brush up on my Spanish..."

"And doughnut makers. Damn, I'm fat enough already!"

"Well, Steve, I guess this is it. I'm sorry you pinned so much on a freelance writing gig... it looks like the world has passed you by--"

"Yeah, and spit on you on the way."

"Shh, shh."

"--I hope you have something you can fall back on... y'know, something that will get you through retirement."

"Are you kidding? This was my retirement."

"Oh. uh, well. I hear there are still opportunities in waste management..."

The Verdant Skies sequel.
Indefinitely postponed due to market hostility.
And just when he was getting to the good part...

[Stormchild]

Ummm?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Here.

[LazyScot]

Reya charged throught the door to Julian’s office with a vindictive disregard for its existence rooted in her belief that any barrier was a personal affront.

“Julian, we’ve got an emergency. Dr S—“

“I’m reading. And I’m sure it can wait.”

“No it can’t. Listen—“

“Yes it can. We’ve got huge spare resources after that trade with the Frazlagii for Marx Brothers’ movies, and we’re currently orbiting an isolated star that the N’gyot assured us both uninhabited and never visited.”

“Actually, thats---“

“So I’m taking some moments to do some reading.”

“Oh god, you’re not off on another history trip are you?”

“Yes. And I’m going to use this to help educate you in the fine art of wordcraft and diplomacy.”

“Julian, you know me – in a situation requiring gentle diplomacy, I’ll head-butt the diplomats and pick up the pieces later.”

“I know. But fortunately for us the N’gyot considered the head-butt as something between a formal greeting and foreplay. But I don’t want to rely on that sort of serendipity in future. And you might not have to spend a week standing up.”

“If you don’t listen to me now, we won’t have a future. You need to—“

“So, I’d just like to read something written in the early twenty-first century.”

“Julian, I’m really not kidding. We—“

Julian stared at Reya. No-one else could have achieved what Julian managed with that stare (though helped by years of respect): Reya fell silent.

“Thank you. Now, pay attention.

“When in the course of technological advancement one people is disenfranchised, it becomes necessary for them to request and assume the moral authority to regain and reinstate that which they have lost. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they declare the causes which impel these requests.

“We hold this truth to be self-evident, that all humans are created equal, and from that equality spring unalienable rights. Chief among these rights is the right to choose derivation of fair recompense from the fruits of labour. And that the manner, form or representation of the fruits of the labour shall not affect this right.

“There, what do you think?”

“It sounds familiar, but we—“

“Reya, Reya, you need to think about these words. They formed part of a debate that created the world we inhabit, and their story shows the power of words and diplomancy, of compromise and conciliation, of value and trade. They are your past, but they are also your future.”

“Great. But call Dr Silver right n—“

<To be continued. If we can afford the lawyers to agree terms for use of copyrights, royalty payments and profit sharing with RB Productions.>

[LazyScot]

The following has some spoilers for Verdant Skies, hence it's hidden in spoiler tags. If you haven't read Verdant, you should have.... So drop Steve a line to let him know!

Spoiler:

“You seriously need to relax, Reya,” said Julian Lenz, “for the first time things are under control. That’s why I wasn’t in CnC when we had our last jump about two hours ago. And has anything happened. Nope.”

“Yes, it has, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. Unless, of course, you’ve decided to resign and let me take over as CEO. You see—“

“Collision with moon in approximately 36 hours and twelve minutes,” announced GLIS, as if on cue.

“Okay, now you’ve got my attention; the debates of intellectual rights of the early twenty-first can wait till later. But you’re not getting out of studying them with me. Now talk.”

“The early twenty-first century?” said a clearly shocked Reya.

“I meant about this Moon that we shouldn’t be anywhere near. What went wrong with Dr. Silver’s drive?”

“You’ll need to speak to Dr Silver about that – what she’s saying doesn’t make sense to me. She claims we’re in exactly the right position.”

“Then why is GLIS shouting out about a Moon, and why did it take so long to tell us about it?”

“It seems the last jump has caused GLIS somewhat more of a headache than usual; I’m guessing it has only just got itself untied.”

“So what confused GLIS?”

“I’m guessing the fact that according to Dr Sliver we’re in the right place, and according to the moon and planet out there, we’re not.”

“You’re not making sense.”

“That’s my point. Perhaps you should come to CnC. But I should warn you to be ready for something of a shock.”

“And that would be?”

“You won’t believe me if I tell you, so I won't. Consider this payback for the little joke you played on me involving the G’Pruch and an electric toothbrush,” said Reya, smiling for the first time since she entered Dr Lenz’s office.

With a sign that admitted defeat, Julian Lenz got up and, followed by Reya, walked into CnC. A CnC that was eerily quiet. He stopped dead on entering and just stared.

All the screens where displaying one thing, even the huge holographic screen in the centre. That one thing was leaving everyone in awed silence – against a black backdrop was a planet. A blue-green marble on a black cloth.

And through the scattered white clouds could be seen continents and oceans. Oceans and continents that were painfully, achingly familiar.

A near perfect, unblemished Earth.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Oops... too late.

LazyScot, feel free to continue your writing in this thread, with my permission.