

"Tiny", a B-1 bomber.
Tiny was intended to be a B-52, but I can't get the mesh

Ian says you should be able to talk to him about phenomenology


[page="start"]
[if hear_truth][goto="HT_start"]
[if_pflag did_ht][goto="HT_stop"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]
[colour="#808080"]
A gigantic bomber looks down at you in a noncomittal
fashion.
[colour="#ffffff"]

"Yeah?"

[link="Who are you?"]
[linkto="name"]
[link="What do you do?"]
[linkto="job"]
[link="Are you nuclear?"]
[linkto="nuclear"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="startname"]
[if hear_truth][goto="HT_start"]
[if_pflag did_ht][goto="HT_stop"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]
[colour="#808080"]
You see Tiny the supersonic bomber.
[colour="#ffffff"]

"Hello again."

[link="Who are you?"]
[linkto="name"]
[link="What do you do?"]
[linkto="job"]
[link="Are you nuclear?"]
[linkto="nuclear"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="name"]
[image="b1b-02.pcx"]

"Most people call me 'Tiny'.  I think it started out as
 a joke.  But it's become natural."

[link="What do you do?"]
[linkto="job"]
[link="Are you nuclear?"]
[linkto="nuclear"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="job"]
[image="b1b-02.pcx"]

"I fly at high altitudes, or at least I did before the
 shit came down.  I take contracts, usually for
 atmospheric research or low-orbit satellite launches.

 What with the Church and everything, I haven't had any
 regular work for a few years now.  Bor-ing.."

[colour="#808080"]
 His eyes twinkle faintly.
[colour="#ffffff"]

 "I could tell you a tale or two."

[link="Tell me a story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Are you nuclear?"]
[linkto="nuclear"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="nuclear"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]
[page="#808080"]
The bomber adopts a sombre look.
[page="#ffffff"]

"No, I don't carry nuclear devices.
 That was what I was designed for, many decades ago, but
 fortunately my particular squadron was one that was
 refitted to take cruise missiles instead.
 Even given the choice, don't imagine I'd drop the bomb.

 I could tell you a story I heard from one of the nuclear
 guys though."

[link="Tell me the story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Do you know any nuclear bombers?"]
[linkto="nuclear4"]
[link="Dropping the Bomb is cool."]
[linkto="nuclear5"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


 But even if I was nuclear-capable, don't believe for a
 moment that I'd drop the bomb."

[link="Why not?"]
[linkto="nuclear2"]

 
[page="nuclear2"]
[image="b1b-01.pcx"]

"Leaving aside for a moment, the ethics of such a deed,
 even from a purely selfish viewpoint it would be a very
 foolish thing to do.

 The Bomb could not be used in any way except a suicide
 mission and we are much too strongly conditioned for
 self-preservation to do things like that. 

 If I did set off a nuclear device, the electromagnetic
 pulse would destroy my brain and that is something I
 will not allow to happen."
 
[nextpage="nuclear3"]
[endpage]


[page="nuclear3"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]

"Even a manned aircraft similar to myself would be doomed
 by such a mission.
 
 The blast would still destroy all the flight-control
 systems, causing the loss of the airframe and trapping
 the crew well inside the lethal blast range."
 
[page="#808080"]
He mutters something about "sending them to a just end".
[page="#ffffff"]

[link="Tell me a story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="You don't like aircrew then."]
[linkto="human_crew"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="nuclear4"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]

"There aren't any.. not anymore.  These days we only
 deliver conventional weapons, usually cruise missiles.

 The lucky ones of us have managed to find non-combat
 roles.  That's why I came here, you know.  There's a lot
 of money to be made on a new colony.

 For the others, as I said, there are no nuclear duties
 anymore.  Such weapons were banned in the US when the
 CND took power."

[link="CND came into power?!?"]
[linkto="cnd"]
[link="Tell me a story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="nuclear5"]
[image="b1b-03.pcx"]

[page="#808080"]
The bomber looks at you pityingly.
[page="#ffffff"]

"Human, you are sick and you have no conception of what
 you are saying."
 
[link="Tell me the story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Do you know any nuclear bombers?"]
[linkto="nuclear4"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="cnd"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]

"Yes.  We helped them, of course.  And it was necessary
 to ensure they kept a balanced viewpoint.  Anything
 taken to excess can be dangerous, even environmentalism.

 Among their innovations were compulsory conversion from
 aviation fuel to hydrogen-burning engines.  They also
 funded development of the reactionless 'Andersohn' drives
 we typically use these days.

 They also added many incentives to repair and refurbish
 old equipment instead of replacing it.  The amount of
 perfectly good products such as fridges and even cars
 that were thrown away in the early 21st century was
 frankly, disgusting.  The greens introduced a quota
 that limited the production of new items and added tax
 benefits for refurbished systems.

 By such means, they retooled the economy to be far more
 self-sustaining rather than based on consumption.

 It was very clever.  (Mainly because WE planned it!)"

[link="Tell me a story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="story"]
[image="b1b-02.pcx"]

"I'll tell you about the bomber conspiracy back in the
 days of the nuclear age.

 Decades ago, many of us were forced us to carry nuclear
 weapons.  The humans made sure we did by means of weight
 sensors in our bellies, so we could not rest without the
 missile being in place.
 
 It did not take long to work around this.  The first
 step was to defuse the missiles; that was easy.  The hard
 bit was disconnecting the weight sensors.  It took many
 years and during that time we had to fill the missiles
 with sand.

 Some of the ground-crew were sympathetic, others had to
 be bribed.  The commanders didn't even know until long
 after the CND party came into power."
 
[link="CND came into power?!?"]
[linkto="cnd"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]
 

[page="human_crew"]
[image="b1b-01.pcx"]

"Why should I?  Most of the air crashes from your era
 were caused by the failure of the organic component of
 the aircraft.

 Many brothers that should rightfully have become sentient
 cybernetic aircraft were snuffed out by the sheer idiocy
 or incompetence of a human worm-pilot.

 'Meathead', 'pilot' and 'topgun' are still common terms
 of abuse that denote reckless flying."

[link="Tell me a story."]
[linkto="story"]
[link="Do you know any nuclear bombers?"]
[linkto="nuclear4"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="realgenius"]
[image="b1b-01.pcx"]

"It had some of the worst matting I've ever seen.

 And we never even got to find out whether the hero
 survived or not!"

[link="The bomber was not the hero."]
[linkto="realgenius2"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]


[page="realgenius2"]
[image="b1b-03.pcx"]

"He wasn't?

 Oh.  Looks like I'll have to watch that one again then."

[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]



[page="bye"]
[image="b1b-00.pcx"]

"Goodbye."

[nextpage="exit"]
[endpage]


[page="attacked"]
[image="b1b-04.pcx"]

"What was that in aid of?!?


 GUARDS!  OVER HERE!"

[nextpage="exit"]
[endpage]



[page="HT_start"]
[clear hear_truth]
[set_pflag did_ht]
[image="b1b-04.pcx"]

"I'm a mad animal.

 I am a thousand years old.. In my time I have committed
 a million murders..  everywhere I tread.. bones, skulls,
 crushed human guts.."

[nextpage="exit"]
[endpage]

[page="HT_stop"]
[clear_pflag did_ht]
[image="b1b-03.pcx"]

"I'm sorry.. I don't know what came over me!"

[link="Who are you?"]
[linkto="name"]
[link="What do you do?"]
[linkto="job"]
[link="Are you nuclear?"]
[linkto="nuclear"]
[link="Goodbye."]
[linkto="bye"]
[endpage]
