Ma-tek
16-11-2003, 20:17
The young man cleared his throat, a little nervously. He had announced a great many policy shifts, or marketing strategies, or... well, the list went on and on. He was 'young', but he was Nenyan - and so the term 'young' was largely relative. "I understand a great many of you are curious as to the reason for this much-publicized press conference," he began as he took his chair to the silence of the trimensional recorders hooked into the walls, excepting the faint scritching of someone pressing pen to flexisheet, "so I shall begin quickly."
He took a breath. "The Imperial Trade Conglomerate, as not-too-many are aware, is completely funding the efforts of the Imperial Space Networking Co-operative - efforts to complete the Earth-Mars Highway. I will announce that the Highway is in fact more than 40% complete - although, I must admit, even I'm not entirely sure what '40%' means," a smile to a ripple of quiet, sometimes polite laughter, "so forgive my lack of explanation."
"However, the Earth-Mars Highway - also known as the Ambar-Carnil Tië - is not the entirety of this new drive into producing profit from space by the Imperial Trade Conglomerate and its subsidary, the Imperial Space Networking Co-operative."
He taps a button set into the desk before him.
A schematic wobbles into full three-dimensional (trimensional) glory; it appears to be a conglomerate of straight broken vertical lines, unbroken horizontal lines, scrawled Nenyan script, and a big triangle at the base.
"Uh, it's a bit basic, this one..."
He glowers at someone unseen off to the right.
"...but the gist is, what you're looking at is the early draft - we have later drafts, and those will soon be made available to the public - of the Tumnore into-Orbit Acceleration Device, or TOAD. The TOAD will essentially function as a elevator to orbit, from Mount Tumnore, and link up with the Earth-Mars Highway. - Now, what is possibly-"
At this point, the scritching of pen against flexi is rather louder than at the beginning. All heads are down, taking notes.
"-the most unique thing about the TOAD is its complete lack of a cable. Without a cable, all the risk for people on the ground is removed, and we will be quite truthfully able to claim that the TOAD is the only seamless Earth-Mars transfer system without the requirement of a ship."
"However, that is all that we wish to reveal at this time. - Thank you for your time gentlemen, ladies," the voices begin to rise, shouting questions in the hope of an answer; for the spokesman is no doubt about to say, "but no further questions."
He took a breath. "The Imperial Trade Conglomerate, as not-too-many are aware, is completely funding the efforts of the Imperial Space Networking Co-operative - efforts to complete the Earth-Mars Highway. I will announce that the Highway is in fact more than 40% complete - although, I must admit, even I'm not entirely sure what '40%' means," a smile to a ripple of quiet, sometimes polite laughter, "so forgive my lack of explanation."
"However, the Earth-Mars Highway - also known as the Ambar-Carnil Tië - is not the entirety of this new drive into producing profit from space by the Imperial Trade Conglomerate and its subsidary, the Imperial Space Networking Co-operative."
He taps a button set into the desk before him.
A schematic wobbles into full three-dimensional (trimensional) glory; it appears to be a conglomerate of straight broken vertical lines, unbroken horizontal lines, scrawled Nenyan script, and a big triangle at the base.
"Uh, it's a bit basic, this one..."
He glowers at someone unseen off to the right.
"...but the gist is, what you're looking at is the early draft - we have later drafts, and those will soon be made available to the public - of the Tumnore into-Orbit Acceleration Device, or TOAD. The TOAD will essentially function as a elevator to orbit, from Mount Tumnore, and link up with the Earth-Mars Highway. - Now, what is possibly-"
At this point, the scritching of pen against flexi is rather louder than at the beginning. All heads are down, taking notes.
"-the most unique thing about the TOAD is its complete lack of a cable. Without a cable, all the risk for people on the ground is removed, and we will be quite truthfully able to claim that the TOAD is the only seamless Earth-Mars transfer system without the requirement of a ship."
"However, that is all that we wish to reveal at this time. - Thank you for your time gentlemen, ladies," the voices begin to rise, shouting questions in the hope of an answer; for the spokesman is no doubt about to say, "but no further questions."