THB-035: Calorie Seed
Based on: The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi - source: Pump Six and Other Stories (2008).
- POV is getting fuel via a strange/weird MECH. FB: Gets a quest (get, deliver, retrieve, steal) job/task/gig, is reluctant because it’s dangerous, but sold on the stakes.
- On the way to the destination of job, POV is searched, chased, hunted, fights, overcomes traps. FB: POV reflects on how stakes affect this world’s MECH. How we got here. Who’s to blame. Can it be fixed?
- POV arrives at location to do job. FB:POV reflects on how they screwed up before, and contributed to today’s mess, which leads to use of MECH.
- The job unexpectedly requires a higher cost. Extraction? We need to take someone else. Assassination? Dilemma, target is actually X, and not Y. Destroy/Sabotage? Equipment doesn’t work, more defense than expected, less time than needed, etc. FB: reflect on more mistakes.
- The job reveals how big this mission actually is and how it could potentially change the world forever (maybe back to the way things were before MECH)… but something goes wrong (there’s seeming failure).
- HOWEVER – the job leaves a small clue, key, map, recipe, plans, seed, intel, whatever that survives and gives the POV hope.
Story Tags
| TAG | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| DSR | dsr: WHITE ELEPHANT | accepts one last job |
| QST | qst: FETCH | Needs to bring a dude home |
| INQ | inq: ORACLE | Employer hinted at importance |
| NTW | ntw: FOLLOW | PROT just doing job |
| ARC | arc: GET UNSTUCK | maybe there’s hope |
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