The Last Man

[Wayne23]

August, 2173: Freezing temps night and day. It often never gets above 10-12 degrees for a week at a time. Both girls mostly stay in the HC, but Amy comes out to paint the weather, especially when it’s snowing. She gets in the pilot house, which is heated, but which provides an excellent view, but at times she feels she needs to be out on deck to get a completely unobstructed view. She dresses very warmly but her hands freeze, and so do the paints. The oils don’t freeze but they thicken and are very hard to work with. Still, she wants the authenticity so she deals with all of that. I don’t let her stay out there for too long at a time, and bring her tea or hot chocolate regularly- in a capped bottle or jug. Otherwise it would cool very quickly.

I need to supervise the robots on the ship, and even need to go over to the new backup boat. I hate the cold, but I have to do it. I wear thermals and layers and the whole bit, but I still feel the cold. I have no idea how much colder it will get. Now I’m concerned about freezing. Will we need to be careful of large chunks of ice in the water? Could be. Will everything freeze up? Who knows.

This is raising hell with the equipment and with the robots. Repairs and replacements take up a great deal of time and resources.

I’ve started stockpiling robots, especially the “specialty” robots. There’s plenty of room on the ship, so why not. I am also printing extra copies of the parts that break down most frequently and stockpiling those.

The cold has seemingly put an end to the violent storms. We get snow all the time, but high winds are rare. When they come they put us in blizzard conditions, of course, and the three of us try to stay in the HC until the storm passes.

Next: Colder still, birthdays.

[Wayne23]

3/7: #9 seed Penn ST, 17-12, 8-10, won the play in. We won by only 8 there.

3/8: 81-57. 21, 13, 4 for Gost, 17, 3, 3 for Sand, 14, 3, 5 for Maso, 13 for Bobb, 13 RBs for Arri. +25 RBs, 6 TOs.

#5 seed Purdue, 18-12, 10-8, in the semis. They’re strong outside.

3/9: 77-56. 17, 11 for Gost, 15, 8 for Wood. 5 TOs.

#23 Maryland, 21-8, 13-5, upset #4 Michigan., We play them for the title. They’re tough inside.

3/10: 78-71. 16, 11, 2, 4, 4 for Gost, 16, 9 for Wood, 13, 7 for Bobb. 8 TOs.

3/12: 29-2, 17-1, #1, RPI #1. Everyone else in the Top 25 has at least 5 losses.

#1 overall. We play 19-13 Coppin ST.

3/16: 73-52. 31, 11 for Gost, 18, 10 for Wood. +11 RBs, +9 TOs.

#9 seed Syracuse, 19-12, in the 2nd round. We won by 18 there in December.

3/18: 85-64. 23, 12 for Gost, 14, 5, 5 for Maso, 8, 10 for Bobb. +18 RBs, 9 TOs.

#4 seed, #5 ranked BYU, 28-8, in the Sweet Sixteen. They beat us by 11 there.

3/23: 64-58. Tough team. 6 was our biggest lead; 4 was theirs. 17 lead changes, 6 ties. They shut down our inside game. Fortunately, Maso (17, 4, 5) and Sand (13, 2, 3) were hitting. Ban Mihm had 12 and 9 from the bench. 17 RBs for Wood. +17 RBs, but 17 TOs.

#3 seed, #6 ranked UNLV, 29-8, in the Elite Eight. They’re good and deep outside, and they have a very good C. They could be a challenge.

3/25: 88-71. All 5 starters had 11 or more. 6 TOs. We led all the way.

We’ll play #2 ranked North Carolina, 32-5, in the national semifinal. Their leading rebounder and #2 scorer broke an ankle in today’s game. Their other starting big man has been out since November with an ACL tear. Their SF is considered the best player in the country. Troy Gost is #2.

On the other side it’s #9 Cincinnati, 29-7, vs. #11 Marquette, 28-6.

4/1: 75-68, but a costly victory. Our C and best player Troy Gost broke a toe and is out of the title game. 23, 12 for Wood, 17, 5 for Maso, 13, 8, 3 for Gost. 40 RBs, 11 TOs.

We’re trying to figure out our lineup. With both our starting C and starting PF out, that’s a challenge. Zach Wood moves to C, Mihm will play PF, and Bobb SF. Cris Arri gets the rest of the minutes.

#4 seed, #11 ranked Marquette, 29,6, beat Cincy by 2. We beat Marquette by 25 at our place in November, but we were healthy then. As I told the press, we are conceding nothing. We’re going into the title game planning on winning.

We’re only a 2 ½ point underdog.

4/3: 76-67. It was close for a long time. Tied 41-41 at the half, and 55-55 with 10 to play. Then we went on an 11-1 run, and that did it. We won it at SF and PF, 22, 4 for Bobb, 10, 8 for Mihm. Cris Arri had 12 RBs. Both teams’ backcourts scored. 17 for Sand, 12, 7, 5 for Maso. +11 RBs, +8 TOs. This may be the most satisfying title of all, given the fact that we had two starters out.

Title #15!

4/4: Awards: Troy Gost was Final Four MOP, which makes no sense, given that he didn’t play in the title game. He was National Frosh OY, and 1st team All American. In conf., Gost was POY, Frosh OY, Defensive POY, and 1st team. Jay Maso and Dan Brem made 2nd team. I got both National and Big 10 COY.

4/9: I almost went to Iowa ST. It’s closer to my hideout in Wyoming. In the end I said no.

4/16: I had my #2 assistant retire so I’m hiring. I get someone who is not much.

4/23: I ask for a budget increase. Got $39,000.

35-2 and title #15. Overall, I’m 1394-237, .855.

[Wayne23]

5/1: The usual reports.

Preseason #1.

6/5: No one in the transfer pool.

6/26: 6 scholarships. We want 3 and 3. Looking at 18.

(Author’s note: I lost a save so I need to recreate the stuff between 6/26 and 9/25. My fault, not a glitch.)

8/7: PG Arch Hobs is #2, C Quin Vohl #3, and PG Key Dupe #4 on the Norton list.

8/21: We offer to 2 PGs, an SG, 3 PFs.

9/18: We get 2, both PFs, #3, #4.

Las Vegas Winter Jam vs. Geo. Washington.

9/25: We get an SG, #6, and a PG, #15. We’ve lost 4 recruits along the way. Still looking for a PG and a big.

10/2: We lose one.

1st day of practice.

10/9: We get a PF, #29. Still need a PG.

10/16: We get the PG. #216 but he was #80 last month.

11/6: Here’s the lineup:

Frosh Arch Hobs and Key Dupe start at guard with soph Cal Run backing up. We’re still thin at guard.

Senior Zach Wood starts at SF.

Frosh Ab Mase and Quin Vohl start inside. They are backed by seniors Sean Bobb and Neil Whit.

[Wayne23]

February, 2174: It’s just plain miserably cold now. Temps are below zero all the time, and at times as much as 30 below with wind chills of 50 below, and occasionally worse. The girls don’t leave the HC at all, and I do so only when absolutely necessary, and in a converted, enclosed, heated golf cart. I occasionally need to leave the cart briefly, but I can get most things done without leaving it. I no longer go to the backup boat. If an absolute emergency occurred I would, but so far so good.

We get almost continuous snow, sometimes heavy, and blizzards are all too common. The winds get up to 80 and even 90 miles per hour during these blizzards. The two ships both handle that just fine.

The equipment and robots are taking a beating, but at least so far we’ve been able to repair or replace everything that went down. I continue to stockpile extra equipment and extra robots. Every spare inch of space on both vessels is packed with stand by robots and equipment. When something breaks down and can’t be fixed I print another one, in order to keep the stockpile at the maximum.

A word about the HC. Obviously, we have lots of HCs. We rotate which one the girls and I are using on a regular basis, and make certain that all of them are functioning properly. So far the solar cells, panels, and batteries are doing fine, but those things have more issues with heat than with cold.

As to the robots, we work them in short shifts, and store them in heated facilities every moment they’re not in use.

So, again, we’re doing all that we can, and we’re keeping up.

Lacy is now 21, which I find very difficult to believe. She still listens to me, but she is an adult, so she makes her own decisions. I try to be here for her, and to act as an advisor, but I have set it up that unless I see her headed in a truly unwise direction I don’t offer advice unless asked. So far, no truly unwise directions, but she has always been pretty sensible. Yes, she took some chances on the spacecraft, but that was due to her devotion to her Ph. D. project.

Amy is now 17. She’s more independent than Lacy, and always has been. And she’s a risk taker, so I keep a closer watch on her, and I’m more likely to tell her that she isn’t allowed to do certain things. She insists that she will be a legal adult next year when she turns 18. It’s hard to argue that. I will exert as much influence as I can for as long as I can.

I had completely forgotten that Amy is my biological daughter and Lacy is not until it came up last week. The girls no longer ask about those people we lost. It has been just us three for so long, and they were so young when it happened that it has sort of been forgotten. But Amy was looking through some old data, and it reminded her of what used to be. I have never sought to hide any of this from the girls. Anyway, Amy asked about her mother. That got Lacy thinking and she got a strange look on her face, and remembered and vocalized that I am not her biological dad. I saw that she was thinking this through. She has not chosen to share her thoughts with me at this point.

Next: A bombshell

[Wayne23]

11/20: 2-0. We buried both #13 and #25. Ab Mase looks immense.

All 6 recruits signed.

12/4: 5-0, #2, RPI #1.

12/16: 7-0 headed to the Jam. We play 4-3 GW first.

68-40. 23, 16, 4 blocks for Vohl, 20, 8, 6 for Dupe. +21 RBs.

#5 seed Texas Southern, 6-3, in the semifinal round.

12/17: 77-35, The D has been incredible. 15, 15 for Vohl, 17, 8, 6 for Dupe. +18 RBs, +14 TOs.

#2 seed, #8 ranked Iowa ST, 8-3 for the title. We beat them by 14 two weeks ago.

12/18: 82-60. 26, 7, 6 for Dupe, 20, 12 for Mase, 12, 12 for Wood.

12/25: 10-1, #1, RPI #1. +19.3 PPG, +10.7 RBs, +6.9 TOs. We lost by 6 at #12 Syracuse.

[Wayne23]

1/15/2075: 16-1, 6-0, #1, RPI #2. 1 game up on #25 Maryland, 2 up on 3 teams.

1/29: 20-1, 10-0, #1, RPI #2, +20.2 PPG, +9.9 RBs, +7.2 TOs, +5.9 assists, +6.1 blocks, +3.3 steals. 2 up on Maryland, 3 on Rutgers, 4 or more on the rest.

C Quin Vohl is #4, PG Key Dupe #7, and PG Arch Hobs #8 on the Norton list.

2/12: 24-1, 14-0, #1, RPI #2. 4 game lead in the Big 10.

Vohl is #5, Dupe #6, Hobs #11 on the Norton list.

2/26: We end the regular season at 28-1, 18-0, #1, RPI #1. +21.3 PPG, +10.5 RBs, +7.6 TOs. We win the Big 10 by 6.

16.9 PPG for Dupe, 15.8 for Hobs, 15.7, and 9.4 RBs for Vohl, 11.0 and 9.8 for Mase.

3/5: My least favorite day of the year is upon us: We lose 3 starters and a sub: frosh PGs Arch Hobs and Key Dupe, and PF Ab Mase, and little used soph sub C Ed Blen declare. We’re happily surprised that Quin Vohl is staying.

[Wayne23]

May, 2174: It’s still as cold as ever, and we’re still dealing with it. The breakdowns and such are also continuing, of course.

Lacy has had that far away, lost in thought look for three months. Today, after dinner, the shoe dropped. She told me she needed to talk with me. There’s a beautiful study in one of the holohomes that we use all the time, so we went in there.

She didn’t waste time.

“So, all this time I knew that you weren’t my biological father, but I guess it kinda skipped my mind, just cuz of the way you raised Amy and I as sisters.”

“In my mind you two are equally my daughters.”

“Yeah, I know, but in fact we’re not- well, I’m not.”

“That’s true, but so what? It doesn’t mean anything, it doesn’t change anything.”

“Actually, it does…”

“I can’t even imagine where you’re going with this, Lacy.”

“You fathered kids with two different women. Amy was one kid, Max was the other.”

“That’s right. And you had a brother, Adam.”

“Yes… But you and I have no biological connection at all.”

“That’s true, but again, so what? You’re my daughter and I-”

“But I’m not your biological daughter.”

“Get to the point, Lacy. I’m completely lost.”

“I want to have a child.”

“And I’m sorry that’s not possible. I understand how much that means to-”

“There’s no biological or genetic reason why you can’t father my child.”

“… Jesus! No, absolutely-”

“You’re rejecting this idea without giving it any thought at all.”

“I don’t need to give it any thought. You’re my daughter just as surely as if I had legally adopted you. In my mind I did legally adopt, you, there just wasn’t any need for the formality-”

“You are the one and only person in the world who can father my child.”

“No. Not a chance. No way ever.”

The discussion went on for a long time. At one point Amy joined us. Clearly the girls had talked, and Amy was completely on Lacy’s side. I try to be open minded and flexible, but in this case, no. There is simply no way this is ever going to happen. Case closed.

Next: Isolated

[Wayne23]

3/7: #9 seed Illinois, 15-13, 9-9, won the play in. They’re first. We won by 18 there.

3/8: 78-48. 27, 5, 4 for Dupe, 19 for Vohl. +20 RBs, 11 TOs.

#5 seed Indiana, 17-13, 10-8, in the semis. We beat them by 19 here, then 11 there.

3/9: 77-61. 20, 3, 7 for Hobs, 13, 10 for Mase, 13, 7 for Vohl, 15 for Dupe. 7 TOs.

#3 seed Michigan, 18-11, 11-7, for the title.

3/10: 87-63. 20, 10, 9 for Dupe. +23 RBs.

3/12: 31-1, 18-0, #1, RPI #1.

#1 Midwest. We play Radford, 16-14. This makes no sense. We’re #1 in both polls, #1 in RPI. I don’t get it.

3/16: 85-57. 29, 11 for Vohl, 17 for Hobs, 16 for Dupe. +16 RBs, +10 TOs.

Ab Mase hurt his calf, but he’ll play.

#8 seed Louisville, 18-11, in round 2.

3/18: 90-72. 25, 3, 8 for Dupe, 22, 5 for sub big guy Sean Bobb.

#4 seed, #11 ranked New Mexico, 28-7, in the Sweet Sixteen.

3/23: 74-71. 19 lead changes, 7 ties, never more than a 7 point gap either way. At the end we made our free throws. 13, 10 for Dupe, 13, 9 for Vohl, 13, 2, 4 for Hobs.

#3 seed, #10 ranked Oregon, 28-5, in the Elite Eight.

3/25: 85-73. 29, 16 for Vohl. +29 RBs.

Back in the Final Four where we face #2 ranked, #1 overall seed North Carolina, 35-2. We beat them by only 4 here in November. They still have that SF who is thought to be the best player in the country.

On the other side it’s #4 Kentucky, 32-4, vs. #6 Iowa ST, 29-7. All 4 teams are #1 seeds.

4/1: We blew a 15 point lead. Their SF had 30. +10 RBs. 18, 8 for Vohl, 17, 5, 7 for Dupe, 11, 16 for Mase, 16 for Hobs. We shot 25.9%, which was a huge part of why we lost. We didn’t make shots in the 2nd half.

4/3: #6 Iowa ST won it all.

4/4: Awards: Quin Vohl made 1st team All American, and Key Dupe made 2nd. In conf., Quin Vohl was POY, Frosh OY, Def. POY, and 1st team along with Key Dupe, Arch Hobs, and Ab Mase.

4/9: For the last time I’m sure, at least as far as a coaching job is concerned, I’m moving. The Iowa ST Cyclones offered, and I said yes. It gets me much closer to Wyoming, and that’s a big factor. The time when I’ll need to escape to my hideout there, is rapidly approaching. I’d love to get to 1500 wins first, but that will take three seasons. Not sure that it will happen.

This is a very good team, and they have 3-4 blue chippers coming back, and a good recruiting class coming in. I’m hoping they’ll be the 6th team I win a national title with. They’re my 9th team overall.

4/16: Looking for 3 assistants. Got 3 lousy assistants.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. No.

35-2, in my last year at Mich. ST, and a trip to the Final Four. Overall, after 47 seasons, I’m 1429-239, .857, with 15 national titles. #1 in wins, titles, pct.

Let’s see what next year brings!

[Wayne23]

5/1: We buy the national gold.

Preseason #6, which I think is very optimistic. It’s a rebuilding year. Hope the fans have a little patience.

6/5: Looking at an SG we really like.

6/12: Nope.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We need at least 3 guards, maybe 4. Looking at 16 guys.

8/7: PF Jam Door is #12 on the Norton list.

8/21: We offer to 3 PGs, 2 PFs.

9/18: Got 2, lost 2. Got a PG, #1, and a PF, #2. Lost one of each.

We’re at the Las Vegas Winter Jam vs. Baylor. Challenging schedule.

9/25: Got 2, lost 1. Got a PG, #9, and a PF, #16. We need one more PG.

10/2: Got the PG, #48.

1st day of practice. We’re a year away.

11/6: Here’s the lineup:

Frosh Chaz Brit and Kyle Peti start at guard, backed by frosh Gary Blae. We’re weak at guard and I expect to try lots of different people there.

Juco junior Bay Carr starts at SF.

Senior Jam Door and frosh Rod Mart start inside. They look like our best players. Frosh Greg Hart backs up inside.

[Wayne23]

August, 2174: I’m getting not only the silent treatment, but isolated as well. When I enter a room one of them is in she leaves. I find it childish and annoying. If anything it is making me more determined, but really, I couldn’t BE more determined. There is absolutely no way I am going to father Lacy’s child. I mentioned adoption. Adoptive fathers do not father children with their adopted daughters. It would be wrong on every level.

It looks like the girls are not going to let go, however, so there could be some rough times ahead.

I’ve been checking long distance weather patterns. It looks like the frigid temperatures and all but constant snow are a fact of life all over the planet. It is wearing- not just on the equipment and on the robots, but on the three of us as well. Despite the fact that the HCs provide every possible scenario, it is wearisome to spend nearly all of our time inside an HC. All of us want to be out in the “real world.” But a few seconds out there reminds us of why we only go when it is absolutely necessary.

I have no idea when this weather pattern will change but I hope it’s soon. Underwater ice is something we see more and more frequently. We have the technology to identify it in time to avoid it, but it seems like we’re constantly in avoidance mode.

Next: Still isolated, still frigid