From: noahidebooksforever@gmail.com   
      
   Cloud Ten   
      
   ‘Ok, Dan.  What next?  We’ve scrapped the entire catalogue of Oblivion   
   Tube projects, so something new dude.’   
      
   ‘They are in archive, actually, for later on Valley Boy.  But, as we have   
   agreed upon in our previous project sessions, to outsmart the competition we   
   play all our cards, set the agenda, then go buy a new pack.  So here we are,   
   at the start of a new    
   journey, and where the wind blows, God only knows.  A time to focus on past   
   mistakes and learn from them so as not to repeat them.  Sensitive skin.  I   
   think I’ve learned that.  Not everyone has the thick stuff.  Even the ones   
   with thick skin are    
   sometimes faking.  They don’t always like the sarcastic sausages we produce,   
   so time to focus on some quality deliver buddy,’ replied Daniel to   
   Valandriel.  ‘Time to go to Cloud Ten and produce an upgrade in our   
   performance.’   
      
   ‘Understood,’ said Valandriel, stroking his chin.  ‘Well, let’s get   
   off to our businesses and take stock of things.  Meet the workforce and do   
   extensive tours of our companies and personnel.’   
      
   Daniel stood, sipped on his can of coke, and belched.  ‘I’ll start   
   now.’  And he was off.   
      
   *   *   *   *   *   
      
   Gemstone was frustrated. Dealing with 23rd century typewriters was not her   
   idea of fun.  Complicated bits on them.   
      
   ‘It has this frikking extra key,’ she said to Daniel.  ‘I mean, what is   
   it?’   
      
   ‘It’s a Diatribe key,’ replied Daniel.  ‘It signifies in dialogue that   
   the character is waffling on, and a few strokes of this key indicates waffle.    
   It’s used in both fiction and business to indicate a big spiel on BS which   
   you don’t really    
   need to know the details of.’   
      
   ‘Oh.  Like your autobiography,’ said Gemstone, chuckling.   
      
   ‘Very funny, Gemmy,’ replied Daniel.  ‘Now, what is the problem?’   
      
   ‘I’m trying to put these keys back in their right slot and it’s a   
   problem co-ordinating that.  I took them all out to clean them properly, and   
   its time consuming putting them back where they go.  I occasionally get them   
   wrong.’   
      
   ‘I’ll help you,’ said Daniel.  And so Daniel sat down with Gemstone in   
   the head office of DanVal in Danielphon, helping her work on restoring a   
   typewriter.  He put Taylor Swift on the CD player, and they chatted quietly,   
   doing their work.  Outside    
   it was raining gently, and there was a good mood in Danielphon today.  Daniel   
   had been around with Valandriel here and there in the tower that morning, and   
   chatted with employees about life and their work, and what concerns they had.    
   Daniel had inquired    
   on wages and things, and most were satisfied, but happy to take a payrise if   
   anything was happening in that respect. Daniel just smiled at the suggestion.   
      
   ‘Boyfriend yet?’ Daniel asked Gemstone.   
      
   ‘Too busy with work,’ replied Gemstone.  ‘And my online adventure   
   clubbing.  Working through Ultima IV Adventure world with a team of 500 online   
   players. We’re on a major quest to find the Spear of Avraloxx at the moment,   
   competing with 5 other    
   teams.  Gotta solve all the mysteries and clues and bring it all together to   
   find the location to the Spear.  It’s very complicated, and you need good   
   teamwork to get the job done.  Very challenging stuff.’   
      
   ‘Ultima games are always a lot of fun,’ said Daniel. ‘So you are saying   
   you are content with things.’   
      
   ‘Mostly,’ replied Gemstone.  ‘You know, life goes on, and you get used   
   to it.  It has very good days, but a lot of ordinary ones from my   
   experience.’   
      
   ‘The secret is to find happiness in the ordinary,’ said Daniel.  ‘It   
   doesn’t always have to be special.  Keep at it, keep the faith, and work   
   through the challenges.  It breeds strength, and as that strength builds up   
   you find you like the living    
   experience.  It’s worth the effort.  I’ve always believed life is worth   
   the effort.’   
      
   ‘And you are obviously correct,’ said Gemstone, sliding the final key back   
   into place.  ‘Good.  Finished.  I need a snack.’ She smiled at Daniel, who   
   put the typewriter back on the desk, and got on with the rest of his tour of   
   duty of head office.   
      
   *   *   *   *   *   
      
   Valandriel was chatting with Aquamarine and Wormdog.  They were in the Zaphora   
   Ascension HQ in Danielphon, up on level 666.   
      
   ‘Why did you purchase the level 666 lease in the end, by the way?’ asked   
   Valandriel.  ‘Daniel had considered it would just be for his 666 humour   
   museum.  You asked for it specifically.’   
      
   ‘We have a 666 project,’ said Wormdog.  ‘The 666th level of Ascension   
   Understanding.  It’s got a bum reputation, but 666 is a regular and normal   
   number in the Numberbet also, so we felt we’d take the opportunity of this   
   space in Zaphora, and    
   grab it.  Saw that it was advertised on the website, and went for it.’   
      
   ‘So how many levels in Ascension?’ asked Valandriel.   
      
   ‘Limitless,’ said Aquamarine.  ‘But life lives in certain realities of   
   limitation for most souls. We usually climb only so high to levels of   
   experience we are comfortable with and our intellect can cope with.  At a   
   certain point it becomes too, I    
   don’t know.  Too spiritual to really have much grunt in it.  Like a pope who   
   is on a particularly pious prayer vigil, which is really too much for the   
   common soul.  Too out of touch.  In this sense Ascension Universe realities   
   concentrate on the 1200    
   levels, and don’t worry too much about trying to reach beyond our normal   
   levels of thinking and acting.  It’s too esoteric otherwise, reserved for   
   elitist thinking’s of ascetic humans who are so holy in their own thinking   
   they’ve forgotten they    
   still need to go to the toilet.’   
      
   Valandriel chuckled.  ‘So, what is level 666 all about then?’   
      
   ‘Connectedness,’ said Aquamarine.  ‘Similar patterns and ideas to the   
   Universal Faith Assembly, actually.’   
      
   ‘Of 7DF,’ said Valandriel.  ‘Surprising.  You take an interest in the   
   ANM, do you?’   
      
   ‘Occasionally.  But I’m old enough now, and I’ve learned a thing or   
   two.  The UFA have a core text which is their foundation, which level 666 of   
   Ascension has similar things which unite it with.’   
      
   ‘Right,’ said Valandriel.  ‘I’ll have to refresh on that I think.’   
      
   ‘You do that,’ said Aquamarine.   
      
   ‘Cards?  Fancy a game tonight?’ asked Wormdog.  ‘I think I can talk   
   Marckonyel into dropping around.  I’m at Senersphon Hotel at the moment, so   
   we could have fun at the card table, and see who gets lucky.’   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)