C James

Ahh, but here's the definition of antagonize: So, what has Bridget done to antagonize Trevor? Trevor doesn't know what she's up to, so therefor she hasn't incurred his dislike, nor provoked hostility or enmity. She also has no So, I stand by my claim: Bridget has done nothing to antagonize Trevor. As for Bridget being the antagonist (which has a different definition) how can she be an antagonist without actually antagonizing anyone? BTW, yep, the Atlantis resort... That's ironic indeed! One of the lovable characters in LTMP and Changing Lanes had a grand love of irony. He would have been overjoyed at this development. I can say that there is more than one antagonist (in the literary sense) in the story, but I cannot confirm that Bridget is one, for that would be a spoiler and the Echidna would get me! Yep! Good find! That's what a Meltemi is.

Remember, we don't actually know yet whether she's actually an antagonist in the story; we've seen nothing to indicate that she plans to antagonize Trevor or Joel. . BTW, the next chapter is entitled "Meltemi". That's not a place name, it's a term for... something.

Yep, Mike Grenoulle is our very own MikeL! It was quite a surprise to me when I found out that he'd paid a visit to Trev and Joel, and gone on one of their charters. I was jealous! Well, except for the unexploded munitions part... :nuke: I really don't see how you can deny it... And I'm jealous! You were the first member of the team to set foot on Atlantis... Bondwriter was nearby, but he didn't get on Atlantis... You'd better pull him (and Trev and Joel) out of that artillery range... Mike seems to have a natural affinity for high explosives. :nuke: Hey now! I'm afraid of heights!

It is? That's news to me... And I'm sure it will be news to Trevor and Joel as well. Besides, how could you have paid a visit to fictional characters? Hrmmm, sorry, but that's an obviously flawed argument... It's far more believable that a frog would have an amphibious specialty. And, um, your user title? "Grenouille Gendarme ®"??? See, Grenouille... as in Mike Grenouille! And from Tennessee! Yep, it's you... and you led Trevor and Joel into the most dangerous of the unexploded ammo... And you DO have experience with artillery. Why won't you just admit it? That's you! This does not qualify me, because it was Mike, not me, who led the guys into the ammo.. That does, however, qaulify MikeL for the 2010 King of Cliffhangers award, if this is a cliffhanger. Don't give him any ideas! Oh, and I just noticed something... Wildone called this my FIRST cliffhanger... therefor, he's clearly saying that I've never used one before. (and this one, if it exists, isn't me doing, it was Mike's.).

As many of you have noticed, the character Mike, in chapter 31, is very familiar. His name is Mike Grenouille, and Grenouille is French for frog! Mike Grenouille (or, translated, Mike the Frog) is from Tennessee, and is a specialist in herpetology, focusing mainly on.. frogs! And he is trained in Amphibious Assault! Now, who does that remind you of? He's our very own resident amphibian, MikeL! So, unbeknownst to me, MikeL decided to drop in and see Trev and Joel. And what does he do? Why, he leads them towards the most dangerous area of unexploded munitions! This is why MikeL will not claim that this is a cliffhanger; it's because he can't! He caused any cliffhanger, so he'd only be blaming himself. So, I think the only reasonable thing he can do is to certify this chapter as cliffhanger-free. Shall we all call on him to do so? Ir should he, instead, admit that, if there is a cliffhanger, he's the cause? Hrmm, this question needs a poll. Added. CJ

Benji, thank you for seeing the obvious: that this cannot be seen as a cliffhanger! Bridget does indeed believe that Dirk killed Rachel (that's stated in both dialog and narration, and the narrator cannot lie). Bridget also said she believes that Jim and Dirk are lovers. And good catch; Detective Alfred has been spending a lot of time on the island runs... But, fear not; as a senior detective, he's not clocked in and out, so he's not likely to get into trouble with the department. Trevor isn't worried; he can't be, he doesn't know what's going on. Welcome to the forum and GA, watcher! BTW, don't let the others here corrupt you and mislead you into thinking that this was a cliffhanger. As I often say, I never use cliffhangers. 0:) Cliffhanger?!?! Cliffhanger!?!? ACK! But but but... you know I never use cliffhangers! However, though I am not responsible in any way for it, I will opine that there might possibly be one in this chapter. I'll explain in a thread I'm about to make, about MikeL. Please don't read what I'm about to say as pertaining to the plot, but just as some background: yachters tend to be a very friendly and welcoming community, so Bridget is most likely right about Trevor meeting more. Of course, Bridget is a yachter too, so might know a lot of people. We'll find out the answers to your questions in chapter 32:) As for not trusting Bridget... We still don't know, really, whether or not she's a bad person... She could simply be... misunderstood.

Ah, but we know that there can be no cliffs on these islands! Why? Because it's mentioned that there are goats on the islands. And, as we all know, a goat would never go anywhere near a cliff, so therefor, there cannot be cliffs on the islands. So, the chapter ends with... ...and you want me to do what? And yes, I noticed someone very familiar. Not funny, goat. I'm only asking for the well-deserved amphibious declaration of cliffhanger-free. :snork: After all, unless you consider it a cliffhanger, you should declare if cliffhanger-free, right?

Great comments, HH5!!! Trevor has, in essence, stumbled into something big, that he knows nothing about. Now we know why Bridget told Trevor that the Bahamas were unsafe; she doesn't want him finding Ares. We find out the backstory there in the next two chapters. This is the major revelation I've been rambling on about. However... Don't assume that it's the whole story. Bridget and her friends are part of it, but there's more, that even she is unaware of. No one in the story knows all of it, yet. I can't comment on whether Bridget is an antagonist (Graeme would get me for giving spoilers) but I can say this; if she is, she's not the only one, and she does not know of the others. And now, a request for our resident Amphibian, MikeL: Could you please amphibiously certify this chapter as cliffhanger-free? Oh, and did anyone notice anyone... familiar in the chapter?

Thanks! Space hotels are probably closer than we think. My guess is that a space hotel will be the next manned space station after ISS. It's the best way to make a space station pay. It sounds nuts in some ways, but there are plenty of historical precedents; the massive hotels built by the railroads in the American and Canadian west, in what became national parks. Those were incredibly remote, and so expensive that only the very rich could afford them. They played a vital role in opening up the West, and something similar may be the route to space. Here's one company that's already building the modules for a space hotel. The only thing they are waiting for, really, is a lowering of the price per pound to low earth orbit. SpaceX's Falcon 9 might be enough to make this viable, in which case we'll see a small (one or two module) space hotel within about eight years. Something like Club Leo would be second generation, and require an even lower price per pound to LEO. Yep, cells drain quick, even in standby mode, when you're in marginal or no-signal areas. That's one reason why many people in my area carry then shut off, and only activate them for outbound calls. They're out of reception areas most of the time anyway. Cliffhangers!?!?! But, but, but.. I'd never use those! And tension? in one of my stories? never! Okay, a question for everyone; Did having the graphic of Club Leo in the text help visualize what it looked like? I tried hard to describe it, but it's complicated, and sometimes a picture makes things easier. That's what I was thinking, anyway. Any opinions? Thanks!!

Chas has sure made clear that she'd like to help Jake find some, er, relaxation. Poor Jake; he can't go out for sports at school, because they don't have a car-theft team. Jake is indeed feeling the pressure, in more ways than one. Here's something to think about; we haven't yet seen what Jake is like with guys. Poor Jake... He had to have a mental kitten massacre, and he still couldn't stand up. He's lucky he didn't send those pics... He and Corey are 17, so that would make those pics a major felony. Yep, Jake knows how to boost cars, and pick locks. All the procedures described in the story are quite real. Jake is indeed a survivor. He's had to be. He took up his criminal ways as a way to get out to the mess with his folks, but in some ways, he's his own worst enemy. Corey, though, keeps him grounded, and for that, JAke needs Corey. Lol! Yep, plenty of pool parties! BTW, I'm surprised that no one has zapped me over the bullets staying in, yet? Contrary to TV and movies, that's actually standard procedure in a case like this. Thanks!!! CJ

Wonderful theories and comments! Thanks!!! Hrmm! I'm really in a bind regarding what I can and cannot say. Let's just say that chapter 31, "Standing into Danger" will answer many questions as to some of what is going on. The next couple of chapters hold a lot of explicit revelations. As for chapter 30, there were, as Wildone said, a lot of details, and the Devil is indeed in the details. The final e-mail to Jim rather neatly fingered Sergent Pierson as the leaker. As mentioned in the narration, Gonzales believes it. But, we now know that the leaker is Detective Alfred. CJ

I'd just like to adress some E-mail I've received, in case anyone else is thinking along the same lines. I't's been suggested that my mentions of the Southern Ocean and its difficulties are a "copy cat" based on the rescue of Abby Sunderland (A teenager doing a solo circumnavigation) there. This is not true; I wrote chapters 29 and 30 quite some time ago, and in fact, 29 was posted before the emergency in the Southern Ocean. Goats cannot count, but nor can they time travel, so therefor my posting of 29 prior to real-world events proves I'm not taking the Southern Ocean issue from the recent news. CJ

She's safe, which is great... but it could have very easily been far worse. The storm she was in was not bad, by Southern Ocean standards. I'm waiting to see where the boat ends up...

All I can say is... stop staring!

Trevor does indeed have a perilous voyage ahead, and remember, though he's ammended the issue somewhat with purchases, he's equipped for charter cruising in tropical waters, not single-handing across one of the most difficult stretches of ocean on earth. That Southenr Ocean area mentioned, BTW, is not fictional... the south Indian Ocean is nasty, as seen lately by the dismasting and rescue of Abby Sunderland. Crossing the Atlantic at the latitude of the Azores is nothing compared to that... Actually, he's planning it well; his route is far more conservative that Sunderland's, and he's planning on waiting for weather windows and also crossing in the Austral spring, not winter. But, Trevor has something else going for him; he's in one of my stories, and we all know that nothing bad ever happens in my stories.

Wow, thanks!!!! This was my first try at sci-fi, and it was fun to write. I very nearly did blow the science though... I had to do a re-write when i realized that imparted velocity from centripetal force is not the apparent G but the angular momentum. Ooops. I'm just glad I caught that in time. I did cut some corners, otherwise the story would have been larger and mostly tech explanations. I was also, due to SWS (Stupid Writer Syndrome)on a very tight timeframe; I had procrastinated and left this way too late (had Graeme not prodded me, it would have never been written), and wrote it mainly over the course of limited spare time over a 48 hour period. Fortunately, I knew most of the tech, but I still had to do the calculations for how many feet per second would be needed to raise a perigee by a given number of miles, etc. This won't be my last sci-fi.. I had way too much fun writing it. @ Altimexis: yep, the suits, as described, are much akin to today's. I felt that was realistic, becuase the story mentions that the company cut a lot of corners, so they'd go with the cheapest things available. There's one glaring problem with the elastic confinement space suit; the shape of the human body. It would work great if humans were speherical, but on an object with varying curvatures and alternating concave and convex surfaces, you'd have varying pressures. For example, in a concave area, such as the armpits, the pressure differential would force the armpit out to meet the suit. You'd need variably-tensioned elastic as well as cavity fillers, and that would require a very complex and custom design for each astronaut. Right now, the only thing that needs to be custom are the gloves. My guess is that the current constant-volume-joint design suit will be with us for quite some time. You might be right about the low-power transmitters, but I've used a cell phone from a mountain peak when the nearest cell tower was 40 miles away. It was line-of-sight so vastly increased the range. Given a receiver dish at the ground stations, a transmitter the size of a cell phone could work just fine. (though, of course, it would only be line of sight, and so rather intermittent). I was thinking more along the lines of a receiver dish in GEO for the relay. Would they go wifi? I hope not, that sounds like a terrible idea to me. One of the big EVA risks is an astronaut floating away at a few FPS, and you'd need comms in such a case, and they'd be out of any local net range in a few minutes. You're right about checking all the escape pods first, but... that assumes they had enough personnel with the skills to do so simultaneously. Due to the corner-cutting, it was shown that they likely did not. I should have made that clearer. As for landing in the Gulf, they wanted to be in range of helicopter recovery. Landing mid-ocean would have been very bad indeed. That, incidentally, is why Apollo 13 didn't do the "Super fast return" abort option; jettisoning the dead service module and running the LEM's decent engine until the tanks ran dry when they were ready for the earth-return burn. The big argument against it; they'd have ended up in the South Atlantic, where the Navy had no ships at that time, in 48 hours. That was judged far too risky, so they went with a slower return, even though, at that time, they had no idea how to make the consumables last that long. As an example, look at the recent rescue of Abby Sunderland (there are some threads abotu this in this forum) from the Southern Ocean. Had a fishing bout not been nearby, they estimated a week to get to her for anything more than an overflight. Sure, they capsules in my story could have delayed re-entry by a few miniutes and plopped down off the US East Coast, but that takes precise timing or they're out of range. In the gulf, geography and oil platforms allow helicopter access to all of it. Anyway, That was my argument, but the biggest reason was I needed it for the story. Thanks!!! CJ

I thought it was "Goats cannot count."? Or maybe both?

I know I have threads to catch up and reply to here, and I've read them, but my internet connection keeps cutting out. I've lost three replies already, due to dropouts before I can hit "send". I managed to get the chapter up, but not the announcment, yet. Thanks you one and all for the posts, and I'll get this internet issue sorted out and reply ASAP. My appologies to those waiting for replies to posts or PM's. I'll get replies out soon as I can, hopefully within a day. CJ

What you endured is something many of us fear; and out of the blue catastrophic crash. But then, you had to make the decision of your life. And you did. The decision to lose a part of yourself... that took courage. You then had to fight your way back, regaining your life one bit at a time. You have been through so much, and you persevered. Well done, Steve, you're an inspiration, and someone I am very proud to know. CJ

I like the dilemma this raises. Thanks Mark, for a good and thought-provoking story.

Red raises a good point; dropping supplies would be near impossible because there is no way for her to retrieve anything from the sea (she can't maneuver). Looks like the current charter is a long range air freight plane. The plane and fishing boat should be arriving any miniute now. The nearest runway to the location is on Rodreguez island, about 1500 miles to the NW. The only closer inhabited islands are Amsterdam, about 200 miles NE, but it has a research station and no runway. The same is true of the Kergulian Islands about 400 miles to the SSW of the rescue. Some of the press coverage makes me roll my eyes... For example, one report is referring to the PC-3 Orions as "jets". Another is suggesting that the fishing boat can drop Abby off on St. Paul island, as it's the closest at 200 miles away (a bit problematic; it's uninhabited). I guess reporters don't know how to use Google. LoL. I don't think its fair for the Australians to have to foot the bill for what they've done. In Arizona and some other places in the US, you get hit with a bill for your rescue if you're doing anything adventurous.

I wish they would say what kind of a plane it is... At that range, there are very few aircraft that can do it. Maybe another run by the Qantas jet?

An interesting development... There was a reality TV show about the family in the works. I find that disturbing, given the extremely perilous move of going deep in the Southern Ocean in winter. (or very late fall, to be exact)

Getting her aboard the fishing ship won't be easy in heavy seas, and there's the matter of what to do with her boat. My guess is they'll have to try to sink it (it's a hazzard to navigation), but if it has foam flotation tanks, that won't be easy. Multiple incompatible version of events are sadly the norm for a fast-breaking news story like this. The issue of her parents is an interesting one... Personally, I see nothing at all wrong with letting a teen circumnavigate, PROVIDED they are properly equipped, advised, and have extensive experiance. Sadly, I do not believe that to be the case here. The boat, Wild Eyes, and open 40, was extensively modified to make it capable of a solo non-stop around the world sail. That entailed major changes and additions to electrical and mechanical systems. However, Abby set out on her voyage with NO shakedown cruise at all. As a result, she had to put in to Ensenada, MExico, for extensive reworking of her electrical system, and Cape Town South Africa (thus ending the "unasisted" part of her attempt) due to autopilot issues. It is sadly common for solo circumnavigators to buy a boat, refit it, and then sail off on their attempt, and thus run into problems. These issues could, in most cases, be brought to light with a three day shakedown cruise. Abby, like her brother (who completed a solo circumnavigation a year ago) had zero solo long range experiance before setting out, and in both cases, there was no serious shakedown cruise. The other issue I have is with her route. Her route planning (we've seen some of how this is done in Circumnavigation) is done for her, by a team that includes her parents. Why on earth anyone would think it is a good idea for her to be below 40 south in June (about the worst month, the southern ocean tends to have its worst storms in late fall, which it is down there) is beyond me. A far more prudent move would have been to wait in South Africa, or even Rodreguez, for a weather window; a chance to cross when the westerlies were further north. This is basically what Trevor was advised to do in chapter 29 of Circumnavigation. So, while I think it is fine for a teen to Circumnavigate solo, I do have major issues with the preparations and routing. I suspect they were racing the clock so she'd still be young enough to claim the unofficial record when she completed the trip, and that's not a supportable motive IMHO. For the SAR opps, the problem in this case was distance (approx 2400 miles each way). A C-130 would have been good, but the issue is range; a C-130 would not have had enough fuel to fly out to her position and return (and there is nowhere else it could have landed within 200o miles). Air-to-air refueling would be an option, if the Australians had any air to air refueling tankers in operation, which they currently don't. Theoretically, they could have rigged a buddy transfer from one C-130 to another, but that would have been risky as hell. They do have P-3 Orions (anti-sub and maritime patrol aircraft) that do have the range, but they are slow, and we don't know if they had one in the area. So, to get there the fastest (they had to get there in daylight), the airliner was the best option IMHO. That airliner, even though carrying just a few people and no cargo, only had a max two hour loiter time over her position, and that would be reduced further by their need to descend at her location (which they did). I fully agree that adventurers need to take more responsibility, and accept adverse consequences. There was a major debate over this when a yacht, part of the Vendee around the world race, overturned in this area a few years back. It took an Australian Friggate 5 days to reach the boat and save the sailor, who was inside. It put a lot of AU navy lives at risk (those seas are bad enough that even US Navy Aircraft Carriers avoid them) both from the seas, and getting the guy out. Incidentally, the Vendee around the world race, a yearly event, has a 4.5% fatality rate for participants.

On behalf of G.A, I'd like to thank Graeme for this superb anthology, and for doing all the many tasks he did to make this possible. I'd also like to thank Joe and Steph for their technical help. I have also heard that Tarin, Corvus, Renee Stevens, Nephylim and Cia helped other authors, and thus helped make this anthology possible. Thanks also to the participating authors and their editors and betas. Thank you one and all. CJ