Facilities on Cloudbase

[Sage]

Yeah that'd be a good idea. No real need for water rationing (though I like the aside in one of the fanfic about the prompting them to show with a friend )

My vision of their quaters in similar to my friend's place in hall of residence. The room has bed, desk, storage space etc [mainly shelving] and an ensuite bathroom.
Guess that would just be the basics for the lower ranks. The Captains and Angels would have more space with a bedroom, living room area and maybe even a weeny kitchenette [no more than a hot plate and kettle].

I've induced in a couple of stories that they have a shared kitchen at the end of the corridor where the quarters are (as they have in halls) makes sense as they wouldn't have space for kitchens in their quaters, but need some place to cook. Can't be expected to trek all the way to the galley every time and the food might get cold on the way back. It'd also be good as a social thing.

[DartBrat701]

Here's a little thought, Cloudbase cruises at 40,000 ft. Above the cloud level. Clouds are water vapour. Does cloudbase have some means of sucking up clouds and purifying/processing the water?

That's possible. Another possibility would be that, they also recycle and purify as much water as they can. Of course, with that much chlorine necessary to re-process it, the taste would leave a lot to be desired! (No wonder the Cloudbase quartermaster is always having to order bottled water! )

[Sage]

Maybe they have a limited/rationed supply for drinking and such. Then the 'recycled' water gets used for other things like filling the pool, washing clothes or whatever.
So nobody has to drink the icky stuff.

[Prismatic Avatar]

I tend to give them more luxurious accommodations for several reasons. First, this is their permanent home. They're up there 24/7. You stick them in a box room and they'll have cabin fever in next to no time. I take the argument of Cloudbase being an aircraft carrier, but a lot of the space on a carrier is taken up by bulky machinery and large amounts of weaponry and fuel. I'm willing to project major advances on technology which means that a lot of stuff that's big now will be small then (if that sentence makes sense!).

There seem to be communal areas on board, but sometimes you want to have some privacy, even if it's only to watch your favourite programme/film without heckling from the bear pits. I think that the designers of Cloudbase, however, would have factored in a degree of enforced community spirit, to stop some of those nasty little fueds that can blow up in an enclosed society.

I like the idea of pulling water from cloud vapour. It's actually quite easy to purify water and chlorine is only used 'cos it's cheap. By CS time I would hope they'd have tossed it out on its neck. Yeuch.

My version of the high-ranking quarters (go on, you were waiting with bated breath, weren't you? ) is an outer room which contains desk, computer chair, easy chair (for a guest) or sofa, tea and/or coffee-making facilities, high-tech entertainment console and the all-important biscuit-barrel. Food is eaten at the cafeteria/mess hall and even sandwiches would be frowned on in the quarters (vermin problem). I have it that the people in charge of food are always agitating to lose the biscuit barrels and always lose dismally. That doesn't mean food isn't eaten in the quarters - just that it's not allowed.

The inner room contains a bed (single!!!!), a choice of tallboy or wardrobe, chest of drawers. There's an en-suite toilet and shower. If they want a bath, there are bathrooms that are shared. Er... one at a time, that is! The trend is for showers, since they are environmentally friendly, fast and efficient use of water. Every now and then, though, a nice long soak is sheer heaven!

I know there's a Room of Sleep, but I'm sure I've read that electronically induced sleep cuts out the REM cycle and that's dangerous in the long run. They'd have to insist the personnel sleep a proper cycle at regular intervals. I hope so, anyway, since I have Fawn constantly screaming at the Captains for abusing the Sleep Room!

There's a promenade, isn't there? And I figure there's probably a couple of places to eat, if only for practical reasons. I've given them a lecture hall that's often used for amateur performances and we've seen the Amber Room for the Angels and the Ready Room for the Captains. I've theorised gyms, swimming pools and a large space that can be a football pitch, cricket ground, basketball court, etc since the floor markings are created electronically. And they have a library, because books have come back into fashion, as well as the usual electronic media.

I hope that all sounds believable!

[Marion]

That sounds fine to me, P.A.
I think Doctor Fawn's aversion to the Room of Sleep has become part of 'fanon' - even if it was never mentioned anywhere officially. I tend to imagine the officers' quarters are fairly comfortable too - with some room for a little socialising - from time to time
There definitely has to be a library too

[Prismatic Avatar]

I think Doctor Fawn's aversion to the Room of Sleep has become part of 'fanon' - even if it was never mentioned anywhere officially.

I think anyone who researches induced sleep comes across references to the dangers of losing REM sleep for a while. To any fan writer, that immediately evokes a doctor of some description running up and down the corridors yelling 'the patients canna take it'! Or some such equivalent.

There definitely has to be a library too

I think so too. Electronic media is all very well, but there's something timeless and seductive about curling up in a chair with a book you've personally selected.

[DartBrat701]

.....and, with a cup of hot tea!

[Marion]

I was looking at Graham Bleathman's cut-away picture of Cloudbase, and that has several clusters of rather cell-like rooms labelled 'Crew accomodation', some rather more spacious ones labelled as ''officer's sleeping accomodation' (beneath the Officers' Lounge) and, across the base, close to the Amber Room, some unlabelled rooms (as far as I could see) that appear to be equipped with double-beds (2 pillows anyway!) storage furniture (I presume) and what looks like a dressing table - complete with a mirror!
So, maybe the Angels get the really snazzy accomodation after all? Incidentally, the Amber Room's very close to the 'Spectra-mart staff shop' - presumably for those last minute purchases and a speedy replenishment of the chocolate ration in emergencies!
There's no sign of the essential library, although it does mention books and magzines stored in the walls of the Amber Room in one of the annuals.
No sign of the swimming pool either, but there is a gym and a drill-hall labelled. I'm sure I read somewhere that they do have a pool. Can anyone remember where it gets mentioned? Is it only in fanfic?

[Sage]

I'm looking at that now and always thought those rooms with the double beds were the VIP/guest quarters. They are a bit out of the way though, so hmm not sure.

'The Complete book of Captain Scarlet' (by Chris Bentley) mentions a pool in the list of facilities in the bio of Cloudbase (heated swimming pool). Oh and it gets a reference in Grey's biography too("[he] spends many hours in the Cloudbase pool ...").

Can't find any sign of a library either, which is a shame.

[Clya Brown]

Concerning Cloudbase's capability for delivering a nice hot cuppa, the Mysterons appear to have played the old "Flight to Atlantica" card again and targetted Spectrum's liquid refreshments service a second time: check out http://www.geocities.com/nottv21/page2.htm#cloudbase for details. Regrettably, it does rather look as though tea's off until further notice.

[Carrie]

How DID you find this, Doc B? Assuming it isn't one of yours of course...In any case, I found myself rolling about floor in amusement...
Irreverent...yes..and funny....
Nice one!

[Clya Brown]

Hi there Carrie - no, it's not one of mine. "Not TV21" is actually listed on Chris's links page: I found it while I was researching the Troy/Atlanta/Marina love triangle exposé on Page 1 a couple of years ago. Did you also see the one about the Mysterons' complaint to the Office of Fair Trading about their billing, plus the stuff about their long-awaited Barry White tribute album (http://www.geocities.com/nottv21/page5), or for that matter Captain Black's photo-shoot for "Country Life" as reported on Page 6?