Sonja Hemphill

cthia wrote:

Weird Harold wrote:...Sonja's "Horrible Hemphill" is the mostest bestest statement ever immediately after Shannon's "Oops". These two deserve their names emblazoned on board their brainchilds.

The RHNS Oops

It would be appropriate, but I don't think so...

Yow wrote:
Face palm!!! No, no, no. I misspoke.
RHNS Shannon Foraker
"Oops"
You're so dead (not you Weird Harold)

I don't know, you were on to something with that "Oops." Just needs a slight adjustment from Blupers ................ RHNS Citizen Oops.

There, now it's perfect, and Shannon remembered to say it this time.


.

Of course, Shannon would disapprove of such a thing. If you managed to blackmail her into approving a ship(maybe mentioning some early career incidents in Silesia), she'd threaten to hack you if you named it RHNS Citizen Oops. I'd also see a secret RHNS Shannon Foraker hard to get past her, because Shannon, as the R&D nerd will know (she may have hid a bit of code in the database that lets her and some trusted nerd minions know to stop such a project), or will have smart nerd minions that will tell her, and give her all the intel on who dared to do such a thing. When she finds out, you better keep her away from your hardware, and make it all wired, unless you want to get hacked, and even so, you're still living dangerously, moreso if you arranged for Eloise to put it on the RHN's List of Honor for ship names.

If it survives to get christened, and Shannon grabs it as a flagship, expect her to crack down on people using the nickname, by hacking people who thought their computer systems were secure. Shannon's only comment.
"Oops, I did it again."
or
"I wonder how that happened. I know nothing. Here, give your datapad to me. I'll fix* it."
* Fix being her euphemism for hack it some more. It was just a very tragic accident that Captain Five got something resembling malware on his datapad, that changed his password, and makes it spy on him and play music at random hours. Shannon knows nothing, right? And, she says she quit hacking people before she made flag rank, and sticks to Mantie hardware now. No one really believes those claims.

Shannon's thoughts: They made a big Oops by naming the ship after me in the first place, and another one by having Admirals Tourville and Theisman encouraging the usage of the "Oops." or "Citizen Oops." or "Oopsie Daisy." nicknames everytime the ship messed up during the working-up period, and making the awful nickname stick.

biochem wrote:

Yow wrote:I wonder if there will ever be a short story set during her stint as a starship captain which was mentioned in House of Steel?Replete with tactlessness. “She’s just being Sonja,” Adcock sighed. “Tactless, brilliant, opinionated, tactless, irritating, energetic, tactless, bouncy, confident, tactless, over enthusiastic, overly focused—did I mention tactless?”

In this case patronage was actually a good thing. In Sonja's early career the RMN was much more political than it is now (the requirements of war do a wonderful job of pruning that particular problem). With her tactlessness, she is bound to have offended any number of politically minded superior officers and for those types that counts far more than technical competence. Without her family connections, all those negative efficiency reports could well have seen her stranded on half pay before she cleared ensign! As it was, no political type would want to risk offending her family and thus wouldn't scuttle her career over offended dignity in the same way they would scuttle the career of an ordinary unconnected officer.

I could see her getting to Lieut. Junior Grade, before going on half-pay, starting her own software development company (having someone else talk to the people, she just codes, if she realizes she needs to have someone else do the talking), and recalled when someone realizes they need a tech nerd, and she might end up promoted when her tech works (if she survives the gray lance project), and ending up promoted, mainly because the new tech saved the life of someone senior, and/or they saw the brain hidden behind the face.

biochem wrote:

Yow wrote:I wonder if there will ever be a short story set during her stint as a starship captain which was mentioned in House of Steel?Replete with tactlessness. “She’s just being Sonja,” Adcock sighed. “Tactless, brilliant, opinionated, tactless, irritating, energetic, tactless, bouncy, confident, tactless, over enthusiastic, overly focused—did I mention tactless?”

In this case patronage was actually a good thing. In Sonja's early career the RMN was much more political than it is now (the requirements of war do a wonderful job of pruning that particular problem). With her tactlessness, she is bound to have offended any number of politically minded superior officers and for those types that counts far more than technical competence. Without her family connections, all those negative efficiency reports could well have seen her stranded on half pay before she cleared ensign! As it was, no political type would want to risk offending her family and thus wouldn't scuttle her career over offended dignity in the same way they would scuttle the career of an ordinary unconnected officer.

"Shannon_Foraker wrote:I could see her getting to Lieut. Junior Grade, before going on half-pay, starting her own software development company (having someone else talk to the people, she just codes, if she realizes she needs to have someone else do the talking), and recalled when someone realizes they need a tech nerd, and she might end up promoted when her tech works (if she survives the gray lance project), and ending up promoted, mainly because the new tech saved the life of someone senior, and/or they saw the brain hidden behind the face.

That is so funny, because the private sector is where I think they recruited Shannon. And when I say private sector, I mean her family's dungeon where she tinkered and toyed and caused a major power outage to the entire city when she was 12. She didn't even see all of the different agencies with weapons drawn on her. She was too busy dancing and screaming, "It works!"

I wouldn't be surprised if both of the evil minxes were self-taught prior to their formal education and rehabilitation. It was simply expunged from their files upon joining the navy. LOL

Being raised by a computer doesn't a social creature make. And tactless would never be applied to talking to a computer.

cthia wrote:

biochem wrote:I wonder if there will ever be a short story set during her stint as a starship captain which was mentioned in House of Steel?Replete with tactlessness. “She’s just being Sonja,” Adcock sighed. “Tactless, brilliant, opinionated, tactless, irritating, energetic, tactless, bouncy, confident, tactless, over enthusiastic, overly focused—did I mention tactless?”

In this case patronage was actually a good thing. In Sonja's early career the RMN was much more political than it is now (the requirements of war do a wonderful job of pruning that particular problem). With her tactlessness, she is bound to have offended any number of politically minded superior officers and for those types that counts far more than technical competence. Without her family connections, all those negative efficiency reports could well have seen her stranded on half pay before she cleared ensign! As it was, no political type would want to risk offending her family and thus wouldn't scuttle her career over offended dignity in the same way they would scuttle the career of an ordinary unconnected officer.

"Shannon_Foraker wrote:I could see her getting to Lieut. Junior Grade, before going on half-pay, starting her own software development company (having someone else talk to the people, she just codes, if she realizes she needs to have someone else do the talking), and recalled when someone realizes they need a tech nerd, and she might end up promoted when her tech works (if she survives the gray lance project), and ending up promoted, mainly because the new tech saved the life of someone senior, and/or they saw the brain hidden behind the face.

That is so funny, because the private sector is where I think they recruited Shannon. And when I say private sector, I mean her family's dungeon where she tinkered and toyed and caused a major power outage to the entire city when she was 12. She didn't even see all of the different agencies with weapons drawn on her. She was too busy dancing and screaming, "It works!"

I wouldn't be surprised if both of the evil minxes were self-taught prior to their formal education and rehabilitation. It was simply expunged from their files upon joining the navy. LOL

Being raised by a computer doesn't a social creature make. And tactless would never be applied to talking to a computer.

Yes! If it wasn't removed by someone else, they hacked it out to get promoted.

Or could Sonja have been raised by a computer? I know it's not realistic, but read my reasoning.

1. This makes sense with

cthia wrote:Being raised by a computer doesn't a social creature make. And tactless would never be applied to talking to a computer.

2. She's smart (see tech dev work), but lacking social skills.
3. She seems to understand tech very well (see textev (I accidentally typed techev, Oops) of her figuring out the basics of almost, if not all of the RMN's new tech).

I love reading this thread! Let's keep it up!

cthia wrote:

biochem wrote:I wonder if there will ever be a short story set during her stint as a starship captain which was mentioned in House of Steel?Replete with tactlessness. “She’s just being Sonja,” Adcock sighed. “Tactless, brilliant, opinionated, tactless, irritating, energetic, tactless, bouncy, confident, tactless, over enthusiastic, overly focused—did I mention tactless?”

In this case patronage was actually a good thing. In Sonja's early career the RMN was much more political than it is now (the requirements of war do a wonderful job of pruning that particular problem). With her tactlessness, she is bound to have offended any number of politically minded superior officers and for those types that counts far more than technical competence. Without her family connections, all those negative efficiency reports could well have seen her stranded on half pay before she cleared ensign! As it was, no political type would want to risk offending her family and thus wouldn't scuttle her career over offended dignity in the same way they would scuttle the career of an ordinary unconnected officer.

"Shannon_Foraker wrote:I could see her getting to Lieut. Junior Grade, before going on half-pay, starting her own software development company (having someone else talk to the people, she just codes, if she realizes she needs to have someone else do the talking), and recalled when someone realizes they need a tech nerd, and she might end up promoted when her tech works (if she survives the gray lance project), and ending up promoted, mainly because the new tech saved the life of someone senior, and/or they saw the brain hidden behind the face.

That is so funny, because the private sector is where I think they recruited Shannon. And when I say private sector, I mean her family's dungeon where she tinkered and toyed and caused a major power outage to the entire city when she was 12. She didn't even see all of the different agencies with weapons drawn on her. She was too busy dancing and screaming, "It works!"

I wouldn't be surprised if both of the evil minxes were self-taught prior to their formal education and rehabilitation. It was simply expunged from their files upon joining the navy. LOL

Being raised by a computer doesn't a social creature make. And tactless would never be applied to talking to a computer.

Shannon_S wrote:Yes! If it wasn't removed by someone else, they hacked it out to get promoted.

Or could Sonja have been raised by a computer? I know it's not realistic, but read my reasoning.

1. This makes sense with

cthia wrote:Being raised by a computer doesn't a social creature make. And tactless would never be applied to talking to a computer.

2. She's smart (see tech dev work), but lacking social skills.
3. She seems to understand tech very well (see textev (I accidentally typed techev, Oops) of her figuring out the basics of almost, if not all of the RMN's new tech).

I love reading this thread! Let's keep it up!

I agree.

You know what may explain both of their social awkwardness? The truth!

The truth is that they entered the navy having being told to keep to themselves. They couldn't let on that they were admitted in the Navy at 12-yrs-old. Not just the Academy, they were doing field work. But there was no choice. They were too dangerous to society, and much too valuable to lock up and throw away the key.

As a matter of fact, both Shannon and Sonja's personality are more like Terran cats. Which may explain why they may never be bonded. Treecats might not want to bond with Terran cats. Terran cats as a whole, are never going to get an Oscar for being sociable with humans.

How does Shannon know so much about reactors and things that go boom? She built a reactor in her basement that shut down the power grid to an entire city. This girl has a need. A need for power to power her toys.

Can you imagine Shannon when she first went out to Bolthole?

Holy hotwire! High capacity capacitors! Cascade relays! Gravity devices! Reactors! Plasma accelerators! ... ... ... ... OUT! EVERYBODY OUT!!!"

cthia wrote:Can you imagine Shannon when she first went out to Bolthole?

Yes, though I'm not sure it's the same you're imagining or alluded to. It wouldn't be like a kid in the candy factory.

Before her, Bolthole would have been a massive shipyard, yes, but primitive like most of what the PRH had managed to put together. Possibly even more primitive than the other, official ones, because of its unofficial status, lack of experienced manpower, and limited shipping. She's the one who turned it into the candy factory (and by candy I mean electronic toys... big ones, circa 9 million tonnes).

So I imagine her reaction was both of awe, trepidation, and anger. Awe at the size of the shipyard, trepidation at the complexity of the task that was bestowed upon her, and anger on the diversion of resources under the PRH as well as the exploitation of the native Sanctuarians.

ThinksMarkedly wrote:

cthia wrote:Can you imagine Shannon when she first went out to Bolthole?

Yes, though I'm not sure it's the same you're imagining or alluded to. It wouldn't be like a kid in the candy factory.

Before her, Bolthole would have been a massive shipyard, yes, but primitive like most of what the PRH had managed to put together. Possibly even more primitive than the other, official ones, because of its unofficial status, lack of experienced manpower, and limited shipping. She's the one who turned it into the candy factory (and by candy I mean electronic toys... big ones, circa 9 million tonnes).

So I imagine her reaction was both of awe, trepidation, and anger. Awe at the size of the shipyard, trepidation at the complexity of the task that was bestowed upon her, and anger on the diversion of resources under the PRH as well as the exploitation of the native Sanctuarians.

I agree on her anger on the exploitation, given textev of IEH (she saves Nimitz).

cthia, can you give me more ideas about Shannon (Miss I-built-a-reactor-in-the-backyard (Oops, I'm so sorry that I took out the power to the area by using a diy resistance system to create fusion, and powering my diy welding system at the same time, I won't do it again (If you know her at all, you know that will be a complete lie.))) and Sonja's past? I love reading them!

Today, I plugged in a Windows ME or 2000 system (Dell Dimension 2100), and heard computer noises when I pressed the button. I'm getting a monitor+keyboard with the right ports for another old desktop computer (from 2012, with an i5 CPU), so I may need to try messing around with the 2100.

Shannon would love to do this type of stuff, and even be able to help put Linux on a computer (the 2012 Dell OpticoPlex 390) via Bootable USB every time, first try.

roseandheather wrote:

Roguevictory wrote:I wonder if there will ever be a short story set during her stint as a starship captain which was mentioned in House of Steel?

*squeaking noises*

I need this like I need air.

Me too! Of course, a just post-Oops (timeline wise) Shannon being given ship command would make things even better!

Shannon_Foraker wrote:cthia, can you give me more ideas about Shannon (Miss I-built-a-reactor-in-the-backyard (Oops, I'm so sorry that I took out the power to the area by using a diy resistance system to create fusion, and powering my diy welding system at the same time, I won't do it again (If you know her at all, you know that will be a complete lie.))) and Sonja's past? I love reading them!

Today, I plugged in a Windows ME or 2000 system (Dell Dimension 2100), and heard computer noises when I pressed the button. I'm getting a monitor+keyboard with the right ports for another old desktop computer (from 2012, with an i5 CPU), so I may need to try messing around with the 2100.

Shannon would love to do this type of stuff, and even be able to help put Linux on a computer (the 2012 Dell OpticoPlex 390) via Bootable USB every time, first try.

Does anyone else besides cthia have any good ideas for the Duo's backstory prior to joining the Navy (or offscreen moments of them in the Navy)?