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Chris OFarrell wrote:Ah good ole Sharky Ward. 'Acting' Capitan indeed!

Our Harpy friend is about to get jumped by a fast response squad me thinks. I'm guessing the cop wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest, hence the paralyzing darts getting through? Even a stab vest would have to have a good chance of stopping penetration I would think, its unlikely the darts are going to have much penetration power...

The whole point of knife vests is that normal anti bullet soft body armor doesn’t work against sharp implements, and indeed many knife vests are heavier then typical soft body armor because of the extreme difficulty of stopping that kind of attack. Kevlar stops bullets via twisting them as they try to shove themselves in-between the threads of the fabric, a sharp, lower velocity implement will simply cut the threads and pass through the armor without much trouble at all. Knife vests use different materials, tighter fabric weaves and more layers and they still don’t work that well against really nasty things like ice picks. The problem is so bad that chain mail has actually made a comeback, and is incorporated into higher end knife vests.

As an aside, I used to know a Mr. McManus. He was a construction worker in Cambridge.

Cecelia5578 wrote:What I've always been interested in is: what would happen if you shot a rocket straight up in hell? I'm not really up on the science, but if there are no stars, and hell isn't a planet, where would the rocket go?

Well it was said that if you keep walking in hell you’ll end up back were you started. Perhaps a rocket fired straight up would eventually be inverted or warped or something, and sent back to crash into the ground.

Sea Skimmer wrote:

Cecelia5578 wrote:What I've always been interested in is: what would happen if you shot a rocket straight up in hell? I'm not really up on the science, but if there are no stars, and hell isn't a planet, where would the rocket go?

Well it was said that if you keep walking in hell you’ll end up back were you started. Perhaps a rocket fired straight up would eventually be inverted or warped or something, and sent back to crash into the ground.

Or it'd crash into the ground on the other side of hell, having gone dead straight the entire way. That's what they want to find out.

“That's perfectly fine,” said Dr Griswold. He was the head of the geology department, his size and beard making him one of the few people who actually looked the part. “Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the head of the table.

Its really true, the true geologists have beards

Starglider wrote:

Chris OFarrell wrote:Our Harpy friend is about to get jumped by a fast response squad me thinks.

Lakeenah is a gorgon, not a harpy; she's a harpy-ish gorgon as gorgons go, but she'd rip your heart out and eat it if you told her that.

Don't they tend to rip out and eat hearts no matter what you tell them?

Back on topic; it's kind of ironic that the most successful Baldrick attack was put in play by a group that's fairly low in the hellish pecking order (aren't Gorgons regarded as a failed experiment? also there's Belial's status as an exile). It doesn't really bode well for the long term chances of the Baldricks.

JN1 wrote:Did you spot the other members of UNIT past and present in there?

Yup.

Btw coincidentally Lalla Ward is married to Richard Dawkins.

Yeah, I know, that's why I said it. She's been mentioned in the story before.

I wonder if the Union Aerospace Corporation has been helping with the research into the portals and how to manipulate them.

That's a cameo I'd love to see in this story.

Gerald Tarrant wrote:

Starglider wrote:Lakeenah is a gorgon, not a harpy; she's a harpy-ish gorgon as gorgons go, but she'd rip your heart out and eat it if you told her that.

Don't they tend to rip out and eat hearts no matter what you tell them?

You never know. I suggest trying the line 'I love what you've done with your tentacles tonight'.

Back on topic; it's kind of ironic that the most successful Baldrick attack was put in play by a group that's fairly low in the hellish pecking order

Belial is getting results because necessity has forced him to think outside the box - most of the demons are in a very narrow box indeed. The general theme there is that even if we make generous assumptions about demonic capabilities, intelligence and geography they're still doomed by their essentially bronze-age culture.

Chris OFarrell wrote: Didn't we see a Demon appearing out of a portal in hell once? A special opps team was grabbing someone from a torture area, might have been Dawkins, and a portal opened with a Demon stepping out, promptly riddled with .50cal? I could be wrong of course.

Not quite; the baldrick in question was patrolling the circle in question on foot and arrived on the scene by foot as part of that regular patrol. That's when the marines stepped out of a portal and riddled him. Portal-to-portal shifts within Hell aren't practical for unknown reasons; to get from point to point in hell, somebody would have to portal to our dimension first and then portal back to the desired point - and have a beacon at the required point of re-entry.

It's important to remember that demons can't just open portals anywhere; they have to have a beacon (usually a nephilim) at one end. Humans are the same; they have to make contact with somebody at the other end first and then use electronically-amplified signals to turn that contact into a portal.

Gerald Tarrant wrote:Don't they tend to rip out and eat hearts no matter what you tell them?

Yes but if your behavior when you speak to them is conciliatory and submissive, they'll rip your heart out and eat it in a friendly manner.

Stuart wrote:

Chris OFarrell wrote: Didn't we see a Demon appearing out of a portal in hell once? A special opps team was grabbing someone from a torture area, might have been Dawkins, and a portal opened with a Demon stepping out, promptly riddled with .50cal? I could be wrong of course.

Not quite; the baldrick in question was patrolling the circle in question on foot and arrived on the scene by foot as part of that regular patrol. That's when the marines stepped out of a portal and riddled him. Portal-to-portal shifts within Hell aren't practical for unknown reasons; to get from point to point in hell, somebody would have to portal to our dimension first and then portal back to the desired point - and have a beacon at the required point of re-entry.

It's important to remember that demons can't just open portals anywhere; they have to have a beacon (usually a nephilim) at one end. Humans are the same; they have to make contact with somebody at the other end first and then use electronically-amplified signals to turn that contact into a portal.

Fair enough, I must have misunderstood when I read this bit:

“Get a poncho over him fast. Damn these blasted flakes, what the hell is this place?” Madeuce was angry and hurried, this was nothing like what had been described to them.

“Hell boss. Sir, stay still Sir, we’ll get you out of this. Just hold still.” The tool-steel bolt-cutters sliced easily through even the thick bronze shackles.

“Shit we’ve got company!” A figure, tall and black had suddenly appeared. Madeuce squeezed off a burst from his carbine at him and saw the figure lurch with the hits. Then a streak of fire shot across the burning desert and the baldrick exploded. “Well done Frankie. They don’t like them AT-4s.”

Behind them the other two members of the team had freed Dawkins and dragged him through the ellipse. Madeuce and Frankie Portello followed them out and the ellipse closed behind them.

It just sounded like a Demon materialized in from nowhere at point blank range, the area being described as a large flat sort of sand plain without the sort of cover you'd expect for a Demon to be able to sneak up on the SpecOps team.

Chris OFarrell wrote:

“Get a poncho over him fast. Damn these blasted flakes, what the hell is this place?” Madeuce was angry and hurried, this was nothing like what had been described to them.

“Hell boss. Sir, stay still Sir, we’ll get you out of this. Just hold still.” The tool-steel bolt-cutters sliced easily through even the thick bronze shackles.

“Shit we’ve got company!” A figure, tall and black had suddenly appeared. Madeuce squeezed off a burst from his carbine at him and saw the figure lurch with the hits. Then a streak of fire shot across the burning desert and the baldrick exploded. “Well done Frankie. They don’t like them AT-4s.”

Behind them the other two members of the team had freed Dawkins and dragged him through the ellipse. Madeuce and Frankie Portello followed them out and the ellipse closed behind them.

It just sounded like a Demon materialized in from nowhere at point blank range, the area being described as a large flat sort of sand plain without the sort of cover you'd expect for a Demon to be able to sneak up on the SpecOps team.

It's also apparently quite stormy with those burning flakes and, presumably, wind-blown dust. I'd think those would be enough to restrict visibility. Especially given Hell's murky lighting conditions and the baldricks' dark coloration.

Lakheenahuknaasi is treading on thin ice. All it takes is reinforcements to arrive or somebody to squawk into a phone and she's as good as dead. I'm guessing she won't make it very far.

Eulogy wrote:Lakheenahuknaasi is treading on thin ice. All it takes is reinforcements to arrive or somebody to squawk into a phone and she's as good as dead. I'm guessing she won't make it very far.

Depends, as I'm not sure whether the first cop is dead and she seems to plan to keep the second alive, and she would be the first confirmed gorgon detainee (assuming that Abigor's retinue was all "standard" baldrick types, mates and kidlings).

Wow... now that I've read all fifty chapters is it not time to lock this thread and start Armageddon?? MK II thread?

Chapter 50 added to the "cleaned up" version. As for Mr. Bean's query, I figured we might as well just let Stuart start the second thread with Chapter 51, and then we'll lock this one, rather than locking it now. If we lock this one now, then people will have nowhere to comment unless we start the second thread for him, and I figure the second thread should start with Chapter 51, not a bunch of people commenting.

Excellent idea Mike. Chapter 51 will be coming either late today or tomorrow.

Stu, I have an idea for a couple of short scenes in Sheffield to expand on the mention of looters and the survey team, though I don't know if I would be treading on any one's toes.

On the issue of stab vests, it's been a long time since I've seen a cop on duty without one.

Lakheenahuknaasi is treading on thin ice. All it takes is reinforcements to arrive or somebody to squawk into a phone and she's as good as dead. I'm guessing she won't make it very far.

Indeed, should the survey team and its RMP escort just happen to come past at the right moment...well it could get nasty for her.

I wonder if anyone heard the gunshots.

They might just be written off as more looters being shot.

JN1 wrote:On the issue of stab vests, it's been a long time since I've seen a cop on duty without one.

When you're armed with an MP5 and are authorised to shoot first when facing threats to public order, stab vests become a little less relevant.

AFAIK they're normal part of an officer's kit. Or I have I been watching The Bill too much?

Locking for sheer length. This thread is continued here.