Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Challenge FDK and Challenge Reponses: Lois' Explanation

Now, Hatman, you made the question plenty of people had when they saw the pilot.


Lois answer: "Flying of course." As soon she said this, she beagan to float slightly and in a flash she disappeared from Clark's view.

Jose (Hidding from rotten tomatoes, or any other thing the gentle audience decide to throw.)

Whoops - seems I was more asleep at the time than I thought - because I got hold of the wrong end of the stick entirely.

LabRat (Yes, the fact that it was titled Lois's Explanation might have been a clue indeed... )

LOL Paul ... *the* unanswered question of the show!


"So, how, exactly, were you planning to get back down?"

"Er, yes, well ... you see, I had that all planned out. Really. No, I did ... I mean, I even left a message for my sister to feed my fish. This was, after all, the story of the year ... major Kerth material! So, you know, if I had to stay up there for six months -- or however long until they got another ship up there -- then I would have just been able to get that much more material. 'Life on the Space Station'. It would have been a series! Hey, forget Kerth; we'd be talking Pulitzer here!"

"I ... see."

"Well, that ... or I just hadn't thought that far ahead."



Kathy

<snicker>

Excellent question It's possible to come up with an answer that doesn't strain credibility *too* much, but the show didn't give us much to work with

PJ

Hm... I'm reviewing the pilot for another fic I wanna do - wonder if I could either incorporate this idea into that fic, or write a separate fic around it. Any *real* authors out there wanna try it, too?

Well, I just gave my challenge response above. Guess I'm not a *real* author ...

LOL!

Kathy (who thinks these challenges are a ton of fun -- I'm so glad we added a special folder for them. )

I don't know, Kathy. I thought your response was hillarious


Ok here's mine - even though I am probably not a real author:

"I planned this perfectly. I always knew that a man in blue tights was going to rescue me. You see, I'm psychic."


- Alicia

lol, kathy. liked your response. and you're definitely a real author in my book.

i like yours, too, alicia, but there's still a problem... they're up in space. he flies out with her in his arms, she'll be breathing vacuum (not to mention some other messy problems with being out in space without sufficient protection... though i suppose you could maybe make an argument for his aura of invulnerability. maybe). unless someone wants to loan her a spare space suit...

Paul

The short answer is...

"Well, I figured that they'd want to get rid of me once they knew I was there, so they'd send me back down on the next crew exchange flight."

That, I think, would be typical Lois reasoning. Of course, it shows blissful ignorance of the reality of spaceflight, even at the advanced level shown in the series.

It also assumes that the lab module she's on gets to Prometheus, and that will be less likely since the ship is carrying an extra passenger. I would hope that the EPRAD guys have enough reserve fuel and manoeuvring propellant to cope with the unexpected additional mass, but I'd want to see the figures to be certain. Most definitely, the planned trajectory will be off by a small amount, and that can have big effects in space -- even LEO.

And then there's the additional food, water and oxygen she's consuming while she's on the station, not to mention the person who will have to be bumped from the return trip in order for her to get down, and the food, etc., that person will consume while waiting to get back to Earth, and the mess Lois has made of the crew schedule, with all its implications for the research program... And then there's the would-be astronaut who won't get into space at all due to Lois' presence -- oh, they're going to hate her at EPRAD!

Someone should give Lois a copy of Algys Budry's (? -- I think; also sp?) The Cold Equations and insist she read it; she'll think twice before doing the stowaway act again. Or she would if she didn't have Clark to rely on...

Phil

Wow, Phil ... I've never read the book, but I do know that Dr. Smith messed things up in this exact same way for the Robinsons in "Lost In Space" ... does that count?



Kathy (who edited the topic header to reflect that fact that challenge responses (as well as feedback) should go here ... keep them coming, people! )

Not really, Kathy. As much as I enjoy Jonathan Harris' work, "Dr" Smith was the main reason I loathed LIS -- that and the Space Pirates, Gunslingers, Valkyries, etc., etc. :rolleyes: Of course, Smith's effect on the trajectory of the Jupiter 2 was one of the plot devices from the early days of the show, when they were still trying to keep it vaguely realistic scientifically -- which didn't last.

On a more serious note, The Cold Equations is a short story, and a very good one -- but not at all a happy one. I won't spoil it for anyone who may care to read it, except to say that the title has nothing to do with temperature; "cold" is used in the sense of merciless, pitiless, inflexible -- and thereby deadly. I shall say no more, other than that the story may make you see Lois' stowaway idea in a whole new light...

Phil

Oh no no, Kathy, I'm sorry - I didn't mean to imply that any of you who had tried your hands at this mini challenge aren't *real* authors. Sorry!



What I mean is, I guess, I would love to see some vignettes or longer stories that deal with this theme - what in heck Lois was thinking, stowing away on the Messenger like that. And how she was planning on getting out of space, etc. Sorry, sorry, open mouth, insert foot. Not implying that *anyone* isn't a real author, except perhaps yours truly...

Melisma ( under her Rock)

Cute Paul
merry

The Cold Equations was written by Tom Godwin (although there are discussions of where the idea actually came from). Last month Baen Publishing released a collection of Godwin's short stories under the title "The Cold Equations." It is a very chilling story, and it's freshly published for everyone to check out. The retail price is $14.00, but those familiar with Baen's WebScription program can get a softcopy version for $4.00 (all figures U.S. currency).

Paul, nice story.