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Space Station Hannerdad!

3 (1.8%)

Uh, were we supposed to pass it?

1 (0.6%)

Just one more orbit, I promise.

1 (0.6%)

BAD Spaceship!

14 (8.5%)

Docking completed...

2 (1.2%)

We just have to go up to the hub bridge...

0 (0%)

Race you there!

1 (0.6%)

Marten, no! You still have all your -

2 (1.2%)

- mass. BERF

15 (9.1%)

Hello, Station!

1 (0.6%)

Aren't there any, um, PEOPLE?

0 (0%)

128 researchers, security, and support personnel on board

0 (0%)

Station, Spaceship... notice a pattern

0 (0%)

Hannelore went through a descriptivist phase...

3 (1.8%)

I called my dad "Sceince Daddy" until I was 17.

12 (7.3%)

Notorious Marten Reed (ugh I hate MC Hammer)

3 (1.8%)

Lieutenant Potter.

5 (3%)

US Military takes their duties more seriously than they ought.

1 (0.6%)

Station, I'm just trying to do my job.

0 (0%)

Fine, fine... Okay... what?

0 (0%)

USAF Academy Graduation Party!

32 (19.5%)

Lots of solar interference all of a sudden.

3 (1.8%)

That was awful, Station!

0 (0%)

Don't apologize to me, go apologize to Lt. Potter. AND MEAN IT!

5 (3%)

And give Marigold a holo-pony!

38 (23.2%)

oh my god

22 (13.4%)

Total Members Voted: 59

[TinPenguin]

Okay, so I watched Starship Troopers the other day,

You poor unfortunate person.

What, because I got to spend two hours watching sexy people shoot at giant insects? I regret nothing.

Anyway, was just a throwaway comment because the whole 'military in space' thing was giving me a Troopers-ish vibe. Today's comic probably shows the less-glamorous reality of it, though. Being posted to space must be boring as hell. I don't blame the lieutenant for wanting to take every opportunity to actually do her job.

[Method of Madness]

I wonder if the military was invited or if they insisted.

[Black Sword]

Lieutenant Potter has a fantastic pair of hooters. It is my sincere hope we can see more of them.

I also think it would be great if Jeff could explore the mechanics of intimate relations in zero g. It has been too long since we've seen action, and it seems like it'd be fun.

 

I wonder if the military was invited or if they insisted.

It's the US military. They most likely insisted. Or perhaps they own the place and rent it to Hannersdad, rather like they did with GPS?

[kent_eh]

I also think it would be great if Jeff could explore the mechanics of intimate relations in zero g. It has been too long since we've seen action, and it seems like it'd be fun.

1) Who is Jeff?
2) the fist thing I thought when they went zero-G was Marigold: Zero-G boobs! (yes, I'm a horrible person. Still, Boobs!)

[DSL]

1) Who is Jeff?
2) the fist thing I thought when they went zero-G was Marigold: Zero-G boobs! (yes, I'm a horrible person. Still, Boobs!)

Speaking of correcting spellings, that's an interesting typo you've got there.

[Throg]

1) Who is Jeff?
2) the fist thing I thought when they went zero-G was Marigold: Zero-G boobs! (yes, I'm a horrible person. Still, Boobs!)

Speaking of correcting spellings, that's an interesting typo you've got there.

:golf clap: DSL wins the forum prize today. 

= = =

Total lunatic random theory: the reason why Hannelore's gotten samples from Marten is that he bears an uncanny resemblance to J E-C!  The slightly paranoid isolated scientist is worried that he's an illegitimate son / clone / unknowing AI escapee. So he sent his daughter to collect samples to verify that indeed Marten is in fact not genetically related. 

Also, this explains why Hannelore feels so comfortable with Marten: he is a close physical match to her own father, while being reassuringly different. 

= = =

Nitpicking: how exactly does the Station AI do a scan 'down to the molecular level' without zapping Marten and Marigold with a massive dose of ionizing radiation? 

After all the orbital mechanics / obscure computer science arcana discussed in this forum, I figure someone here will know. 

[Welu]

The title of this comic is one of my favourites in a while.

[Sorflakne]

So...is Lt Potter single?  Just curious...

NO SHIPPING.
 

I could easily see her getting drunk on duty (happens more often than you think) and hooking up with an equally drunk Marten as he's trying to drown his sorrows and forget Padma.  And since she's from the Academy and in security forces, you know she's in shape for...happyfuntime?

[pwhodges]

Ahem!

Anyway, Marten is thoroughly distracted merely by being in space - I don't think he'll have time for moping in the immediate future.

[pwhodges]

But is the mere presence of a female a loaded gun?  That could be seen as a rather sexist way to look at it.

[TheCollector]

Anyone else really want a large image of the pic of Potter? Cause damn.

[sitnspin]

I find myself intrigued by the Lieutenant. I wish to get to know her better.



not a sucker for a woman in uniform...  really...



actually I am

[Earin]

Anyone else really want a large image of the pic of Potter? Cause damn.

I think you mean daaaaaaang.

[Is it cold in here?]

(moderator)
There is a difference between observing that characters are portrayed as being attractive, and wanting them for partners. Jeph has specifically objected to what he calls "creepy character fetishization".
(/moderator)

Dr. Ellicott Chatham doesn't seem like the sort who'd invite strangers on board. If it really is his own station, as Hannelore said it was, then we're looking at a Third Amendment violation.

Station was probably scanning them with terahertz radio waves.

Nobody knows who "Jeff" is? He invented Martin, Fay, and Hannelore.

[Vista]

New favorite character.

[pendrake]

After being far too long away due to family, illness (hospitalized), binfuls of work, gaming-guild "drama," and a late start to being able to Force-choke jawas (thankfully I had pre-ordered my Collectors' Edition box)...

(Thorin Oakenshield voice) I...have...returned!

And my gods, QC has apparrently jumped the shark so high in that time that it needed orbital booster rockets!


For comic #2114...

1. "Today's Special: Space Cake!"  Hopefully better than Astronaut Cake, because I have had the latter and it was terrible (vaccum-dehydrated neopolitan ice-cream cake...blech)

2. Aww...poor Lt. Potter, she (hopefully) did not deserve that.  Not that I am complaining about Station's action at a sense of humor, either...

3. Art-wise: it is also pretty cute & funny how much Lt. Potter is blushing (from bottom lip all the way up to her beret), so much so that Hannelore is to be somewhat subdued in the punchline panel for it.  Wonder if that was on purpose, since a blushing Hanners often takes center-stage among the fans?

4. I find it very uplifting to see that in Jeph's world, the space program and pure-scientific R&D is healthy and thriving, unlike their Real Life versions .  If the Arachnids ("bugs") of Starship Troopers were ever to find us now, when we cannot even get off our planet for any long period of time, Humanity would be extinct in a single generation, if not in a single year.

5. As for military presence, it was likely "insisted" (military speak for: "we ask out of courtesy, but you do not actually get a choice") rather than requested.  Especially if Professor Ellicot-Chatnam is a brilliant as been hinted at.  Genius is often looked upon closely by government &/or military, for good and bad.

6. @jwhouk... And don't you mean no Space-Shipping...? (baa dumm tssht)

7. Warning - While you were typing, pwhodges & Is it cold in here? had to put on their Moderator uniforms and berets.  You may wish to review you post, and tread lightly... (Nice to see some things have not changed that much while I was away )

[Carl-E]

...but when you introduce a loaded gun in the beginning of the story, it usually winds up getting fired by the end.  (Yes, that's a metaphor.)

No, it's Chekhov.  

[steveb]

Station was probably scanning them with terahertz radio waves.

Station  only says he can scan to the molecular level. Maybe he only scanned them to a less invasive level sufficient for security.

Never mind that though. I want to know about the SPACE CAKE!

[Is it cold in here?]

Doesn't Hannelore have anything to say about her guests getting searched and patted down in her home? Like "I vouch for them, do you have a problem with that, miss"?

I do not envy Lt. Potter, even if she does live aboard a space station. Living someplace where you're working at cross purposes to the provider of your life support sounds stressful.

EDIT: what about chemosensors? Station has to monitor the onboard air pretty closely anyway. Sampling the airlock and checking for explosives and gun oil seems feasible.

[Mr. Doctor]

But is the mere presence of a female a loaded gun?  That could be seen as a rather sexist way to look at it.

It's more than just a female. It's a pic of a female that got drunk and kind of nude which gives the vibe that it might happen more than just once.

It's not like I'm agreeing with Kugai. I'm just saying what I think he is saying because I didn't thought about sexism when I read his comment.

[DSL]

It distracted me from noticing there's some curvature in this passageway. This must be a main corridor and not a transverse. If the Lt. ran in the direction of the spin, she probably felt a slight weight increase. She is not starting this encounter in the best frame of mind and DAMMIT STATION YOU ARE NOT HELPING.

Seriously, who wants to be defined by a mistake they made once? I once had the dubious pleasure of working with a fellow who seemed to think that Buzz Aldrin's alcohol problem outweighed anything else he might have done with his life, say for example that moon thing.

[Somebody]

I feel great sympathy for the lieutenant, though I had initially thought the grad party photo was meant to be from some cheesecake calendar she posed for while in school.

My first thought was that Station was using (& abusing) his "molecular level scans" to CGI up that picture.

[TinPenguin]

The title of this comic is one of my favourites in a while.

I hadn't noticed it before, but bahaha, yes indeed.

[gangler]

I'm pretty sure just about everyone's been drunk in a compromising position at some point. Certainly most of the cast has. The youtube video being pulled up probably doesn't have any greater significance.

[Throg]

Really, really overthinking things, but the political scene in the QCverse must be very scary / very funny, what with AI's that can dig up embarrassing photos and/or videos at the blink of an eye.

Come to think of it, it's just a matter of time before that comes to pass in the real world anyway. 

[Skewbrow]

Something tells me that this was not the first time Station used this pic.

Or at least he was prepared.

[DSL]

RE: Starship Troopers, the movie with the same name as a really good book:

First time I saw it, the best I could think of it was, "Eh, at least Virginia Heinlein gets some money and more people are reading the book, even if it has that friggin' Casper Van Dien poster as the cover." At least, I hope she got some money. The Grand Master was already deceased by then  ...

My younger self was, of course, offended by the complete lack of any of the book's political and social philosophy.

Now that my spinchter has relaxed with age and the stick has fallen out, I've come to see the movie, particularly the "newscasts," as satire on society's credulousness, fueled by a complicit media, yada yada yada yada.

As to whether Verhoeven meant to do that, or whether most people watching it get that ... I can't say.

[HiFranc]

I'm wondering if Station has spent too much time with the military -- the "interference" excuse is something that you would expect out of an indisciplined officer.  Similarly finding a mistake like that amusing is something that I would expect in a youth orientated testosterone fuelled environment.

{edit} I can think of several ways of scanning people without incurring radiation damage:

Magnetic sense: Dolphins can map the strength of magnetic fields around them.  Through that they can sense where rocks and other significant features are.  If an animal can do it it's only a matter of time before the technology exists to do it with technology.  The brilliant thing is that it is a completely passive system.

Other wavelengths: Another way of scanning someone passively is to scan them a multiple wavelengths (not just using light).  If you go right the way from ULF radio to gamma you could probably detect a lot.

Ultrasound: You could scan someone with ultrasound without causing any radiation damage.

I'm sure there are other ways as well.

[Blackjoker]

Station was probably scanning them with terahertz radio waves.

Station  only says he can scan to the molecular level. Maybe he only scanned them to a less invasive level sufficient for security.

Never mind that though. I want to know about the SPACE CAKE!

Well, I doubt it's the kind of space cake that you can pick up in the netherlands. Though if it is...wheeeee.

[kgbisouttogetme]

It bugs me that she doesnt have a rank insignia.... nitpicky i know. still it just annoys me that it isnt there.

[RyanW1019]

After being far too long away due to family, illness (hospitalized), binfuls of work, gaming-guild "drama," and a late start to being able to Force-choke jawas (thankfully I had pre-ordered my Collectors' Edition box)...

(Thorin Oakenshield voice) I...have...returned!

Ooh, a fellow TOR player! Might I inquire of your forum username and/or play server? I'm new to these forums, but the TOR forums have been my stomping grounds for literally years (over 4000 posts before the prelaunch wipe).

[jwhouk]

It bugs me that she doesnt have a rank insignia.... nitpicky i know. still it just annoys me that it isnt there.

Might not be practical to have pins on a station that occasionally could lose gravitational pull.

[Renewman]

As a current Air Force member, this entire comic threw me for a loop. I saw the camo maintenance jumper and black beret and thought: "Ok maybe she is Army." Then the grad picture came up and I was completely lost If she is a Lt, why no rank insignia on either uniforms? She can get away with the green flight suit/maintenance jumper suit but why the black beret? Only Security Forces are authorized to wear a black beret, etc. So much is wrong with this comic it's mind boggling.

It bugs me that she doesnt have a rank insignia.... nitpicky i know. still it just annoys me that it isnt there.

Might not be practical to have pins on a station that occasionally could lose gravitational pull.

.

I understand that but if you are going to start throwing military into the story at least do it right. Just my take.

[akronnick]

...Only Security Forces are authorized to wear a black beret...

Station: Please excuse the intrusion, the US Military has a security presence on board...

I think there's your answer.

[jwhouk]

IOW - she's an MP assigned to Ellicott-Chatham AFB. Total staff: 8.

[Kugai]

Which would also account for the lack of Rank Insignia if the Military is trying to maintain a 'Mid-low Profile'.  Easily recognisable in their Uniform with a small enough contingent that it's easy to recognise who's who and what rank they are.

[jwhouk]

Hannerdad John may have insisted that they refrain from using rank insignia while on his station.

[Renewman]

...Only Security Forces are authorized to wear a black beret...

Station: Please excuse the intrusion, the US Military has a security presence on board...

I think there's your answer.

Yes thank you for pointing out the obvious but you would never see a Security Forces personnel donned in a maintenance jumper/flight suit. I'll let it slide for the sake of the comic but this is generally a big no-no.

[jwhouk]

Budget crunch. The post on SSJEC might not be the "best" the USAF or military has to offer. Especially if they have to deal with the holo-AI's all the time.

[akronnick]

...Only Security Forces are authorized to wear a black beret...

Station: Please excuse the intrusion, the US Military has a security presence on board...

I think there's your answer.

Yes thank you for pointing out the obvious but you would never see a Security Forces personnel donned in a maintenance jumper/flight suit. I'll let it slide for the sake of the comic but this is generally a big no-no.

How many Security Forces personnel have you seen embarked on a Space Station?

[FunkyTuba]

Plus, the military is probably among the best if not the best of hannerdad's customers... he probably goes a long way to keep them happy, including acceding to rules n regs that would otherwise be considered asinine or stupidly inappropriate given the locale and technologies involved. He knows which side his bread's buttered on.

[TinPenguin]

you would never see a Security Forces personnel donned in a maintenance jumper/flight suit.

Maybe not in this world.

Maybe in QCverse that's what all the hip Security Force cats are wearing these days.

[jwhouk]

...Only Security Forces are authorized to wear a black beret...

Station: Please excuse the intrusion, the US Military has a security presence on board...

I think there's your answer.

Yes thank you for pointing out the obvious but you would never see a Security Forces personnel donned in a maintenance jumper/flight suit. I'll let it slide for the sake of the comic but this is generally a big no-no.

How many Security Forces personnel have you seen embarked on a Space Station?

The next time will be the first.

[DSL]

So much is wrong with this comic it's mind boggling.

I know, right? Private space stations, the USDoKYA, passenger-carrying HOTOL/SSTOs with Boeing Business Class seating and absent-minded AI pilots, interdimensional robotic dinosaur coffeemakers, little robots running around causing trouble ... it ain't real, I tells ya.

[jwhouk]

By the bye:

Friday's comic (2115) will be the 1,600th comic "anniversary" since our blonde heroine first appeared in the comic.

[jwhouk]

So much is wrong with this comic it's mind boggling.

I know, right? Private space stations, the USDoKYA, passenger-carrying HOTOL/SSTOs with Boeing Business Class seating and absent-minded AI pilots, interdimensional robotic dinosaur coffeemakers, little robots running around causing trouble ... it ain't real, I tells ya.

Well, my AnthroPC is on order right now.

[akronnick]

Um... the Pintsize and Winslow plushes are only cuddly, not sentient.

[DSL]

Um... the Pintsize and Winslow plushes are only cuddly, not sentient.

Don't feed them after midnight, and don't ever, ever get them wet.

[Is it cold in here?]

It bugs me that she doesnt have a rank insignia.... nitpicky i know. still it just annoys me that it isnt there.

Might not be practical to have pins on a station that occasionally could lose gravitational pull.

You mean like being despun for maintenance?

[jwhouk]

It bugs me that she doesnt have a rank insignia.... nitpicky i know. still it just annoys me that it isnt there.

Might not be practical to have pins on a station that occasionally could lose gravitational pull.

You mean like being despun for maintenance?

Something like that. Hannerdad might not like pins, either; he might have some sort of OCD or Aspergers-like affixation to them.