Re: [GZG] Fiction -

Cross tab?  have you tried a Pivot Table?

Michael Brown
mwsaber6@msn.com

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Doug Evans" <devans@nebraska.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2010 8:26 AM
To: <gzg-l@mail.csua.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Re: [GZG] Fiction -

> Can't give a precise pointer, but a good place to start is the
inestimable
> Mister Han's web presence:
>
> http://www.warpfish.com/jhan/ft/gzgpedia/
>
>>From there, you can also check the out the star lists and maps
> created/hosted by that impressive Nyrath the Nearly Wise, aka,
Winchell
> Chung.
>
> As with all things Tuffley, there's plenty of room to play fill in the
> blanks.
>
> The_Beast
>
> PS Can anybody tell me if you can do crosstabs in Excel, or if I have
to
> export to Access, how to do so relatively painlessly? I've been trying
to
> mash Winchell's star lists into lists of 'closest' stars distance to
each
> star near Sol, and the process is ugly, and fraught with error. Have I
> mentioned my strong personal distaste with Mr. Gates?
>
> tagalong wrote on 01/29/2010 02:45:27 PM:
>
>>
>>
>> So whens the book out. :]
>>
>> Stupid question but where did you get the place names for Mars from.
>>
>> Does anyone know of a List of the planet and system names for the
> Tuffeyverse.
>> Doing a campaign. tar
>>
>> james
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 29th, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:
>>
>> > G'day,
>> >
>> > Latest story from Jock. Its a wee bit of a filler before we get
back
>> > into
>> > the campaign proper.
>> >
>> > Cheers
>> >
>> > Beth
>> >
>> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>> >
>> >
>> > In Memoriam
>> >
>> > After the recent attack in Marin most of the 2/34 had been pulled
>> > back to
>> > San Juan and from there evacuated to Henna Dimashq, a large Martian
>> > city to
>> > the north of Coprates Chasma. Like many Martian settlements it is
>> > built in a
>> > crater, with the original settlement right in the centre and
>> > agricultural
>> > land in a ring around that. This city had become a hub for local
>> > commerce
>> > however and there were extra urban districts in large notches in
the
>> > crater
>> > wall both east and west. A smaller area in the southwestern rim had
>> > become a
>> > fairly well established military base. It wasn¹t the wholesale
>> > requisition
>> > that had effectively occurred in Nirgal, but it was still an
>> > extensive
>> > presence.
>> >
>> > Here many of the worst of the wounds could be patched up and
everyone
>> > could
>> > get some R&R. Some of the most critically wounded would never be
>> > returning
>> > to combat, though the Seige of Sol meant they wouldn¹t be shipping
>> > straight
>> > home either. They could help out in a desk position or try and find
>> > some
>> > other job. Young Gary Lewis was talking about becoming a VR pilot
now
>> > some
>> > of the booster stations along the new Margaritifer Line were up and
>> > running
>> > again. I didn¹t think he¹d live let alone be thinking of still
>> > fighting the
>> > Kra¹Vak, but the fight in these kids is amazing.
>> >
>> > As for me I¹ve chosen to return too. I was given the option of
>> > calling it
>> > quits after I took the slug to my throat. It went in just under my
>> > chin and
>> > came back out through my cheek. Busted my jaw up. It still aches a
>> > bit, but
>> > all is ok now. They even grew me some new teeth. So I¹ll be going
>> > back in
>> > with the 2/34 when they return to the Tokalau Isthmus.
>> >
>> > Today however, we have a more solemn purpose. We¹re here to
remember
>> > the
>> > fallen.
>> >
>> > We¹re sitting at the top of the parade ground in Camp Henna. I can
>> > see
>> > crowds of civilians snaking back down the crater wall to the big
>> > cathedral
>> > down in the old quarter. Martians have such a different take on
>> > things. At
>> > home there would be black and flowers and tears. Not so here. Well
>> > not
>> > completely. There will be tears, but the place is a riot of colour.
>> > These
>> > people come from families used to battling the elements, scraping a
>> > living.
>> > They celebrate life no matter how short or how it ended.
>> >
>> > ³Jock.² Iron George nods, as he pulls up a chair by me. He plants
his
>> > feet,
>> > legs spread akimbo, his walking stick balancing across his knees.
>> >
>> > ³Guday shir.² I slur, the mobility of my healing jaw still
hindered
>> > by the
>> > braces clamped around it to hold it in place as it knits.
>> >
>> > Turning to look at him I can see that Baxter¹s face is ashen, his
>> > eyes sharp
>> > edged and glittery, his jaw is rolling.
>> >
>> > ³Shir?²
>> >
>> > ³Shit start to the day.² He says quietly, eyes locked on to the
far
>> > distance. ³Lost Higgs and Al this morning.²
>> >
>> > ³But I shought Al wash doing well² I protested incredulously.
>> >
>> > ³Yeah I know. Why the fuck is it always ones with kids?² he
asked,
>> > raw grief
>> > evident in his quiet tone.
>> >
>> > I didn¹t know what else to say, so we lapsed into silence, there
>> > starring
>> > off into the distance, consumed by our individual thoughts.
>> >
>> >			     * * *
>> >
>> > I first met Sergeant James Wilson Higgs VC in the sandbagged ops
room
>> > in the
>> > compound at Marin. He had this way of leaning up against the back
>> > wall
>> > keeping a quiet but vigilant eye on everything. He also seemed to
>> > have this
>> > sixth-sense of when something was about to go wrong. He could read
>> > the real
>> > time 3D projections of the battlefield better than anyone else I
>> > knew. Iron
>> > George included.
>> >
>> > Some of the feed for the projections came from unmanned drones that
>> > roamed
>> > overhead, others from sensors on high altitude balloons. For the
very
>> > fine
>> > scale detail needed in close combat specialist handlers on site
>> > released
>> > nanite OEmotes¹. When I asked him how he knew he asked if I played
>> > music,
>> > when I said no, he asked if I water rafted. Again no. He asked if
>> > there was
>> > anything that I did that was especially my thing. Football is my
>> > thing.
>> >
>> > ³How long¹ve you been playing?²
>> >
>> > ³Nearly twenty years.²
>> >
>> > ³Any good?²
>> >
>> > ³Kinda. Not that skilled.²
>> >
>> > ³But can you read the play? Know that the opposition is going in
that
>> > hole
>> > or that your winger will be by the far post?²
>> >
>> > ³Yeah, I can do that ok.²
>> >
>> > ³Same thing. You can just read what¹s going to happen, it flows
past
>> > and you
>> > just feel it. Nothing conscious necessarily, you just know.²
>> >
>> > Zen battle fighting. ³Very Jedi.²
>> >
>> > ³Can tell you¹re a lit major mate. I had to watch those things in
>> > high
>> > school. Remastered but they never really got it, no holo depth at
>> > all. Not a
>> > patch on Khorramshahr Campaign series. Now that was story
telling!²
>> > Despite
>> > his disparaging words, turns out Sergeant Higgs was an avid vid
buff
>> > and we
>> > spent many hours breaking the boredom of deployment discussing vids
>> > or
>> > exploring the contents of each other¹s OEcasters.
>> >
>> > The laid back persona, soft drawl and easy smile hid a fairly
>> > serious
>> > combatant. A significant asset in the ops room he was also a very
>> > professional soldier in the field. I remember one action in the
core
>> > industrial district to the north of the compound. We would have
>> > walked
>> > straight into a major ambush if Higgs hadn¹t figured it out and
sent
>> > us
>> > roofward instead. He got us set up in amongst some energy vanes and
>> > put the
>> > snipers from recon platoon up on some water towers. Then by
>> > jury-rigging a
>> > field server he slaved the spec feed and coordinated fire down
along
>> > about
>> > 1500m of the Kra¹Vak¹s planned kill zone. Starting with
coordinated
>> > launches
>> > of grenades and IAVRs to flush them out of their forward positions
>> > and then
>> > using SAWs and machine-guns to OEwalk¹ the Kra²Vak back away from
>> > our
>> > position. When one of the gunners went down he took over that
>> > position and
>> > still didn¹t miss a beat in his directions. I have this beautiful
>> > still of
>> > him, feet braced against the building edge, intent expression,
>> > mid-command,
>> > eyes alive, arms tight as he wrestled the MG, casings collecting in
a
>> > small
>> > mountain around him.
>> >
>> > That was an intense firefight. The Kra¹Vak came back in full
force,
>> > followed
>> > close on their heels by the telltale early signs of a major dust
>> > storm. We
>> > needed to extricate ourselves quickly. Amidst the clouds of dust
and
>> > enemy
>> > fire Higgs called in for an evac by VTOL. It felt like an age
later,
>> > but was
>> > really only minutes when a gunship took up position above us,
sitting
>> > up
>> > high trying to keep the way clear for a troop-carrying variant of
the
>> > Mantis
>> > to come in and get us. The Mantis couldn¹t land on the roof - the
>> > clear
>> > space between the clutter of towers and vanes was too small for its
>> > bulkier
>> > body. So it came in low and the able bodied had to leap onto a
cargo
>> > net
>> > they¹d rolled out the loading ramp and then clamber up. If that
>> > wasn¹t hard
>> > enough with the enemy still firing on our position, it was jinking
>> > to-and-fro to make it hard for any rocket toting Kra¹Vak. Even the
>> > few guys
>> > who were hit but still ambulatory went up that way. When it go to
the
>> > two
>> > seriously wounded though Higgs waved away the cargo net and pointed
>> > away
>> > back toward the compound. For a heart stopping second I thought he
>> > was
>> > telling them to leave him and the seriously wounded behind, but
then
>> > he must
>> > have been in direct link with the pilot because the VTOL slid over
to
>> > the
>> > camp-wise roof edge and hovered landing ramp down, backed into the
>> > building.
>> > Higgs shouldered the wounded gunner first and then sprinted full
pelt
>> > at the
>> > VTOL, slugs flying around his high profile, and as he reached the
>> > roof edge
>> > he kept right on coming, leaping into the VTOL with his final
>> > strides. After
>> > laying the man on his shoulders in the back of the VTOL, Higgs
turned
>> > round
>> > and went back for the other man. Sprinting back out of the VTOL,
back
>> > across
>> > the roof (bent double but still an attractive target), bloody body
>> > onto his
>> > shoulders and then back again for that final leap onto the VTOL.
Just
>> > as his
>> > boots hit the ramp we were rocked by some kind of hit and the VTOL
>> > whanged
>> > into the building hard. I thought we were going down and that the
>> > Sergeant
>> > would topple out. Instead Higgs hurled himself forward into the
body
>> > of the
>> > transport. He and the man he¹d been carrying ended in a bloody
mess
>> > by the
>> > rear seating, but he¹d saved them from a fall to their deaths. He
>> > was
>> > quickly on his feet though as it was clear something was badly
wrong
>> > with
>> > the VTOL, which was shuddering and grating against the building.
>> > Higgs slid
>> > his way back to the loading ramp where the loadmaster was perched
on
>> > the
>> > edge of the ramp, hanging one armed from straps above his head and
>> > pointing
>> > down off the ramp to the wall. He was obviously yelling, but with
the
>> > wall
>> > of noise that filled the VTOL I couldn¹t make out what he was
>> > saying.
>> >
>> > To my utter disbelief, Higgs grabbed the MG, slung his feet through
>> > the
>> > cargo net and then his upper body and the gun disappeared over the
>> > edge of
>> > the ramp. I could see his body judder, so I guessed he was firing.
>> > Five
>> > short bursts from what I could tell. The VTOL shot forward, nearly
>> > sending
>> > Higgs and the net careening out over the ramp, but we were free.
The
>> > loadmaster and Pancho pulled Higgs back in as we rose and then
>> > zigzagged our
>> > way between buildings back to the compound. Just watching that my
>> > heart was
>> > racing so hard I never thought it¹d settle again.
>> >
>> > When we were back in the relative safety of the camp and the noise
>> > was
>> > confined to the usual raucous discussions and the background thud
of
>> > explosions and mortar fire I sought out the loadmaster and asked
what
>> > Higgs
>> > had done. Turns out the VTOL had been snagged on a fire escape so
>> > Higgs had
>> > used the MG to shear the balustrade clean off. I asked Higgs about
it
>> > later
>> > too, he shrugged it off and simply said. ³You just get in and get
>> > shit
>> > done.²
>> >
>> > Losing Higgs meant that 2/34 was bereft of perhaps its finest
>> > soldier. To my
>> > mind at least they were all astounding, but Higgs was exceptional.
>> > This war
>> > was marked by any number of souls willing to put life on hold to
rid
>> > us of
>> > the Kra¹Vak, this saw a level of dedication and on-going morale
that
>> > made
>> > them the embodiment of professional soldiers.
>> >
>> >			     * * *
>> >
>> > ³Looks like we¹re on lad.² Baxter¹s words pulled me back from
my
>> > thoughts.
>> > The Lt Col had risen to his feet and was watching his troops form
up
>> > to lead
>> > the parade of mourners down to the memorial service in the
cathedral.
>> > I rose
>> > and turned to make my way over to where the civilian marchers were
>> > gathering.
>> >
>> > ³No son. Come and with us², I looked at Baxter quizzically. ³You
>> > earned your
>> > place.² I was humbled and honoured to the point my throat
constricted
>> > and I
>> > couldn¹t say a word.
>> >
>> > Following Baxter I moved over to the 2/34. He broke off to take up
>> > his
>> > position at the front, whereas I hung back intending to hide away
>> > amongst
>> > the rear ranks. I noticed a clutch of colt-limbed troops, laughing
>> > and
>> > wrestling over some hidden prize and darted over for a quick look.
>> > There was
>> > Turps, in a hover chair. He¹d been hit during the attack and had
lost
>> > both
>> > his legs to a direct strike from a rocket while he¹d been manning
the
>> > heavy
>> > MG in a sanger on the roof of the compound. He¹d been little more
>> > than a
>> > rag-doll torso when he¹d been airlifted out with almost no chance
of
>> > survival. While he was still a little pale he seemed a long way
from
>> > the
>> > maimed corpse-like body I had seen carried aboard the airship only
a
>> > few
>> > weeks before. The friends he hadn¹t seen since were coming up,
>> > clapping him
>> > on the shoulder or tousling his hair. As ever he was talking fast
to
>> > all
>> > around him, joking, showing off his new implants and graft points.
>> >
>> > ³They reckon it¹ll be about another seven weeks before the grafts
are
>> > fully
>> > prepped and then snap they just click in my new legs² he said,
>> > cavalierly
>> > clicking his fingers with a big grin. ³They reckon I could even do
>> > the carta
>> > course for the forward combat artillery corp, get some mecha-link
>> > points.²
>> > His excitement was palpable. Instead of death or becoming a
crippled
>> > shell
>> > he was actually turning his misfortune into an opportunity.
>> > OEGetting
>> > grafted¹ may be accepted part of some cultures now, but it¹s
still
>> > typically
>> > not a life style choice too many in the main stream opt to follow.
>> > For one,
>> > it is typically prohibitively expensive, unless you do it for a job
>> > or
>> > you¹re willing to run the risk of lower grade goods. However, the
war
>> > had
>> > created a demand for OEenhanced¹ bodies on the front line, in some
of
>> > the
>> > most extreme environments. Consequently if you were willing, and
>> > deemed
>> > suitable, the options before you ran from the full spectrum from
>> > OEminimal
>> > enhancement¹ to OEcomplete conversion¹.
>> >
>> > ³And see this?² Turps said leaning forward and showing off a scar
>> > running up
>> > the back of his shaved head and in behind his ear. ³Neural graft
and
>> > rear
>> > attachment for my new eye. How¹s this for freaky?² he glared
almost
>> > imperceptibly and his pupil dilated and took on the hint of a dull
>> > almost
>> > black-red glow. CEV. Cybernetically enhanced vision. It seems he
>> > wasn¹t
>> > missing a trick. ³Oh nice frilly bra Cath² he said with a grin.
>> >
>> > ³I¹ll still knock your block off Turps, if you don¹t behave
>> > yourself!² That
>> > brought hearty laughs all round. This is perhaps one of the moments
>> > that
>> > exemplify this current war with the Kra¹Vak for me. It has been a
>> > long hard
>> > war. Its not just a conflict on some far off world between
>> > mercenaries and
>> > career professional soldiers, all boxed up and nice. It is dirty,
>> > frightening, horrific and universal. Yet it appears that our will
is
>> > universal too. Despite all that they have experienced they can
still
>> > laugh,
>> > feel the exhilaration of survival. Yes they are mightily aggrieved
>> > over the
>> > mates lost or injured, but they get on more determined than ever.
>> > They say
>> > their own kind of goodbyes, tell the odd joke, clean their weapons
>> > and get
>> > ready to go out and kill some more of those xenobastards.
>> >
>> > With a whistle from the CSM, all grew quiet and solemn and lined up
>> > ready to
>> > move out. The parade moved slowly down the ribbon of onlookers, who
>> > clapped
>> > and cheered, augmenting the beat of the military band. Then one of
>> > those odd
>> > Martian song-chants began - the words indistinguishable, but
>> > beginning low
>> > and maudlin, but slowly growing to fill you with a thrumming buzz
of
>> > excitement.
>> >
>> > Once down in the Cathedral a familiar mix of funeral rituals were
>> > played out
>> > in honour of the latest group of fallen, to provide safe passage
for
>> > their
>> > spirits and solace to the living. For some there were songs, others
>> > dances
>> > or symbolic rites, for many there were eulogies. Some sorrowful,
some
>> > darkly
>> > humourous, most delivered by steel-eyed, rigid-jawed friends who
>> > chokingly
>> > tripped over feelings that went unspoken in life. People who had
>> > been
>> > inseparably tight knit, eating, sleeping, drinking, laughing
together
>> > now
>> > dealing with being the remaining individual. Many hinted at grief
to
>> > come
>> > when the fighting was all done.
>> >
>> > By the end of the service there was a strange mix of celebration
and
>> > hard
>> > knots around your heart. I had been crying and looking to my left I
>> > saw that
>> > even Baxter had let a single tear run down his lined face. Looking
>> > right I
>> > spotted the CSM as he rose to speak, but his eyes were dry and his
>> > face was
>> > set in a mask of anger. He walked stiffly to the front, back ramrod
>> > straight. Turning sharply he gripped the podium straight armed,
>> > white
>> > knuckled, looking fixedly at his page before raising his head and
>> > explaining
>> > how this was the ³campaign of their lives², that he was
³immensely
>> > fuckin¹
>> > proud of the courage they¹d all shown², that ³each death is a
hole in
>> > our
>> > hearts that would never heal² and finally that ³they have not
left
>> > us, they
>> > will be with us on each patrol and will stand behind us a silent
>> > source of
>> > inspiration as we keep fighting the Krek scum². Until then I¹d
>> > forgotten
>> > that Private Mitchell Clarke, killed by a Kra¹Vak slug to the
throat,
>> > had
>> > been the already much decorated teenage son of the CSM. The lanky,
>> > blonde
>> > maned and always smiling kid had been so different to the
>> > bull-necked,
>> > tattooed and severe CSM, but he was a son who wouldn¹t be going
home;
>> > a son
>> > who would be mourned deeply.
>> >
>> > The last to speak was Iron George, his deep gravely voice
forcefully
>> > filling
>> > the cathedral. "They died as soldiers choose to die. Boots on, guns
>> > hot,
>> > shoulder-to-shoulder with their mates, defending our homes from an
>> > enemy
>> > that would consume us and end us once and for all. In the years to
>> > come, in
>> > the quiet moments of the day we will remember them. We will mourn
>> > them
>> > properly. For now though we have to continue the fight. We must
>> > continue to
>> > walk out and fight so that those who died did not die in vain. Our
>> > mission
>> > to clear the Kra¹Vak paitya from under every rock on Tokalau and
from
>> > there
>> > the solar system and form there the Outworlds. The fallen we honour
>> > today
>> > would not have wanted it any other way. "
>> >
>> > I stayed in the background the rest of the day, watching, listening
>> > to the
>> > men and women, young and old, share their stories, share their
grief.
>> > What I
>> > heard confirmed something I had long suspected. I had heard tales
>> > from my
>> > own father, who¹d served on Bradley in 2179, and I was on Kayleigh
as
>> > a
>> > young TSNN correspondent in 2181 when Vortsheimer was over run by
the
>> > LLAR
>> > mercenaries. Neither was a patch on this fight. This was a new kind
>> > of war.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Gzg-l mailing list
>> > Gzg-l@mail.csua.berkeley.edu
>> > http://mail.csua.berkeley.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/gzg-l
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
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