Advancement
13 Aug 2023Ryuko Ntsikana
Advancement.
Earth Like World. Dryooe Flyou KN-A d14-57 System
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Yatziri strolled past Rex, who stood with his arms folded and was shaking his head. His attention was fixed on a pair of disembodied legs protruding from between a set of large conduits.
'I'll never understand it. There's a beautiful, pristine Earth-like planet below, and this is her idea of relaxation,' Rex muttered, clearly amused by the situation.
Yatziri stopped, a smirk dancing on her face. Suddenly, two loud bangs reverberated from the conduit area, followed by a string of curses and even louder clanging sounds. Yatziri's eyebrows shot up, and her smirk morphed into a full-fledged smile.
'Wait for it, it gets even better,' Yatziri remarked, glancing over her shoulder at the now-wiggling legs.
A popping and sizzling noise followed, accompanied by more colorful commentary. Thin wisps of smoke began to snake out from between the conduits, filling the air with the acrid smell of burnt ozone.
'Hey!' Yatziri yelled. 'Before you electrocute yourself up there, are you planning to come down later and join everyone, or will you keep chasing your gremlins?'
'Nah, dang it,' Xochitl's voice echoed from behind the conduits, while Rex looked on with a bemused Yatziri. 'No, no, not that one. Route it through the bus–' Another pop sounded as the legs wiggled again. 'No, wait. Let me connect it.'
Yatziri shook her head, her smile unwavering as she looked at Rex. 'Chasing gremlins, as always.'
Rex glanced towards the legs, which were now retracting deeper into the conduit space. 'I still don’t get her. The Beluga is brand new with cutting-edge engineering, and she still wants to modify it?'
Yatziri nodded in understanding, her smile still broad. 'Like father, like daughter. It's always been in their nature. They want to make it uniquely their own.'
Rex hummed in agreement. 'Chief Bowen mentioned that her father was an engineer beyond his own abilities, and once he started a project, he wouldn’t give up until it was done.'
Yatziri chuckled. 'Hey, this bucket of bolts isn't going anywhere. Why not come join us?'
'Hold on. I'm almost there,' came Xochitl's muffled voice in response as another pop and a flash of light emanated from the conduit area.
A buzzing sound filled the corridor as Yatziri rolled her eyes, glancing at Rex. 'Let me guess. She wants to enhance the magnetic field to channel plasma flow more efficiently through the conduits, right?'
'Bingo,' Rex confirmed, a grin forming on his face as Yatziri playfully rolled her eyes once again.
'Connection confirmed. Field efficiency optimizing,' Avery's voice resonated throughout the corridor, causing Yatziri to glance around before remembering that Avery was the ship’s AI, though not physically present.
The buzzing evolved into a steady hum, followed by a brief vibration and then silence.
'Field optimization established. 120% increase in previous capacity,' Avery announced as Xochitl
emerged, wiping her hands and flashing a grin at both of them. 'Now she can outmaneuver the Orca in
roll, pitch, and yaw, but she won't beat its top speed. She has the power but lacks the nozzles for that.'
'Let me guess, you're planning to rebuild the aft section?' Rex quipped.
Xochitl looked down the corridor, then shook her head. 'I'd love to re-engineer it, but that would
compromise the current thermal efficiency, and this beast needs all the efficiency she can get.'
Yatziri feigned fainting, grabbing Rex's arm. 'I don't believe it.'
Xochitl narrowed her eyes. 'Oh, shut up.'
Rex chuckled, surveying the two women. 'We're about to head down to the planet. Join us?'
Xochitl turned around, resting a hand on one of the conduits. 'She needs a proper test flight and a
chance to clear her systems.'
Yatziri rolled her eyes yet again, throwing her hands up dramatically. 'I knew it!'
Rex burst into laughter, while Xochitl's sly grin widened as her eyes gleamed mischievously.
The advantage of larger ships, especially ones like the Beluga designed for passenger comfort, was the inclusion of inertia dampeners. While anti-gravity technology was still a concept, inertia dampening was feasible. It required a level of power that only the largest hydrogen fusion reactors could provide.
For ships like the Beluga, Cutter, and Corvette, inertia could be dampened but not completely nullified.
Only capital ships had the energy output necessary for that.
In the case of the Beluga, inertia dampening was considered essential for ensuring the comfort of passengers. However, this feature didn't prevent modifications and engineering that repurposed the frame for tasks it hadn't been initially designed for. As the heavily armored behemoth pitched its nose past vertical during a gravity-assisted descent and then fired its powerful engines at an angle of more than 90 degrees against its descent and velocity vector, the benefits of this engineering became clear.
Rex’s eyes began to roll backward under the crushing force of gravity, as his Remlock flight suit constricted around his lower body, attempting to counteract the tendency of his blood to pool away from his brain as the world around him darkened.
‘Saud Kruger’s founder is rolling in his grave,’ Yatziri grunted, fighting against the encroaching darkness that was creeping at the edge of her vision.
The corners of Xochitl’s mouth curled upward. Her cybernetic systems pulsed rhythmically, straining to keep her conscious. As the massive ship's nose pierced through the upper atmosphere, generating large condensation clouds that were visible to those on the ground. Their eyes turned skyward as a rolling series of drum-like sonic booms reverberated across the landscape.
‘You've created a monster, you know that,’ Chief Bowen commented to Carlos, who grinned in response. Both of them stood watching as the ship vanished from sight.
Off to the side, Miahuaxihuitl—Xochitl’s mother—stood with a stern glare fixed on Carlos and Chief Bowen. She was far from amused.