Azura Initiative - For Science, I swear!
29 Apr 2022Tyy'sun Eson
(A continuation of The Spy Who Pinged Me and Rico Swave Arrives at the Capital in which Beebbs and Rico work together at Jeh Anders Memorial. Tyy'sun does not participate at this stage.)(Join our Discord)
Station Log
Initial Lab Setup
Wow! It's been a long time since I've written a station log. Sorry. Anyway...
This is AI Research Lead Dr. Beatrix Burbarry under direct assignment from Tyy'sun Eson. Assignment to Lab Charlie-One-Delta aboard Outpost Solace; Project: Stellar Thermal Attunement Relative to Velocity. Or Project STARV for short.
I just arrived to this outpost. It's empty and away from almost everything. The back corner as it were. Maybe I pissed off the Director. I tend to do that to my benefactors. I've been "granted" a research stipend along with a small craft to setup the lab and fund the project. After the needed equipment and basic supplies, there was little left. I don't even have enough for a staff.
The lab is barely adequate but it'll do. There is almost no one here to talk to. Mostly just the maintenance crews that come and go. As I entered the main concourse there was a well kept plaque dedicating the facility to it's founder Commander Jeh Anders. The station itself is well stocked and cared for. I have to hand it to the AI, they know how to honor the fallen.
This projects goal is to determine what, if any, stellar thermal attunement effects occur to a ship in relation to the velocity relative to the local star. In other words, does the ship itself somehow normalize thermally with the solar heat produced by the local star. And if so, what effect this has. As such, without a staff to help, I'll have to spend half my time flying around the region running test after test. To accomplish this, Director Eson has provided us... Me... With a Diamondback.
Overall timeline for the initial sequence is a few weeks. Maybe longer if I can't get more staff on board. Depending on what is established, several months could be spent expanding the test data and experimenting with the effects. For now, I need to get this lab setup and start building some specialized equipment I'll need.
Dr. Burbarry
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Rico Swave approaches the carrier, requesting docking then landing on pad 11. He then let's the ship go down into the hanger before heading down the stairs of his front landing gear once again. Wearing clean and newer clothes as he heads inside the carrier to meet the woman he intends to work with. He's curious what to expect, especially under the name of Beatrix.. A fine name indeed... he thought, names that were before humans left earth to explore beyond the Solar system. He wonders what tasks she might have for him already....
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Rico finds the station quiet and mostly empty. Asking around the few that dwell here you learn that Dr. Burbarry is in Lab C1-D and are given directions. Although it's sparsely populated the people here seem quite nice and helpful. Talkative even. Apparently Dr. Burnarry came in yesterday along with a shipment of supplies, had a quick meal, and has not been seen outside the lab since.
Once Rico reaches the lab he finds a stark contrast in how it appears organized. In two areas, one around a small desk and another some sort of computer equipment, the lab is remarkably clean and orderly. The remainder of the lab seems to be devoted to work stations where you see Dr. Burbarry taking apart some piece of equipment. This whole area looks as though a small battle has been fought to some disastrous conclusion and the collateral damage to the lab is extreme. There are parts and tools strewn about so that every surface seems to be covered in multiple layers. Black marks that appear to be burns on various surfaces, that aren't covered, including a bulkhead. And a smell of ionized ozone that is unmistakable in the air.
After a moment Dr. Burbarry takes notice of Rico and pokes her head up from the thing she is working on. Her long braid is disheveled with tufts sticking out and she is wearing a pair of electronic goggles that seem to give her head an awkwardly cybernetic feel with bulbous eyes.
"Oh! Hello. What do you need?" She asks. Then suddenly and without warning, something in the thing she's working on crackles with a surge of electricity and a bright green gel like liquid squirts up her torso and into her face. She frowns...
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"Good morning, Dr. Burbarry." He says with a warm smile. "I got message that you might have some work for me. My name is Rico and I'm an explorer coming from the bubble... I'll be here for another week or so before returning so I thought I could help out a bit." He sees the green gel explode in her face- "Woah! Are you alright?" He asks, worrying that the gel may be toxic. "It certainly does look like it might be helpful to have an assistant on hand..." He says, joking a bit.
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She sighs... "No, it's fine. It's just a bio-conductive gel. I already needed a shower anyway." She says pulling a towel out from a pile near the work station and cleaning her face.
"You got a message? From whom? While I could use an assistant for some test flights, I wasn't given budget enough to hire anyone." The look on her face is curious about who sent you and you get a sense of exasperation at the lack of budget. Her tone however, has venom in it. Though, it is not directed at Rico.
She finishes cleaning her face with the towel and throws it back into the pile. Now, standing and getting a clear look at her, she's remarkably young for a doctor. And those dimples are deep enough to get lost in for hours it seems.
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"I went to Universal Cartographic earlier on board Paragon's Retreat. A guard, which quite an interesting attitude, gave me a data card about the lab. And since I don't really wanna be lazy in my suite, I thought I could do a little work around Azura." He explains." Oh don't worry about price too much, I'm not looking for good pay, I rather do something helpful than just sleep in all day." He says with a smile. "If there's one thing I can do best, it'd be flying a ship. I can be your test pilot." He continues. He does notice she's around his age, but doesn't feel like it's the right time to compliment her just yet.
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"Oh!" She says with a small eye roll. "This is probably Esons doing. Well..." She considers you for a moment "If you're that good a pilot, how'd you like to fly into a star?" She cocks an eyebrow at you and points to a small metallic box in one of the two clean areas "That's a sensor augment module we can fit to your ship. Class one. While you're dashing about the stars around here, you can fly into them as well. Or nearly into them. I need as many full array scans in close proximity to a star as I can get, both with and without the module active." She crosses her arms as if waiting for you to call her crazy. "For comparison data." she adds quickly as if that made what she was asking any less ludicrous.
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"Does the testing vary by star class?" He says total agreement, folding his arms and nodding. Will he fly a ship as close as possible to a star for science? Yes! Nothing better to do.. Would definitely get the adrenaline pumping. All the time he spent scooping for hydrogen fuel wouldn't be for nothing. All he has to do is tell if it's too toasty or not...right? He wouldn't want to disappoint a lady such as her. "Do I just have tell how long it takes for my ship to become a conventional oven?" He asks, smiling. He wonders if she was expecting such quick and positive response.
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A moment if intrigue comes over her face and then it becomes more of a sly, knowing look. "Ahh, no. Not really. There is a correlation to mass, density, and thermal output. But those will not effect the testing methods." Seeing Rico has taken an interest in her she changes her posture. One hand on a hip to accentuate the curves. A slight lean to change the focal point. She adjusts her goggles up to her forehead finally and so that you can see her eyes. They are a light crystal blue.
"I can see you're a man of action. What I need is multifaceted." She starts to explain. Over accentuating the words with a strong syllable pronunciation and a rich primal tone to her voice. You can't tell if it's genuine interest, or if she's working you to get extra work for nothing. "First I need a base reading both with and without the module in Supercruise at idle speed. Far enough out to not have any thermal effects. Then another set at idle and at speed while skimming the edge of the stars exclusion zone. As close as you can get." Her free hand is gesturing to go along with the explanation but almost as if she using her body to represent the star being referenced.
"Then..." She says taking a step closer to Rico. "Another set in normal space within the exclusion zone." Tilting her head to one side she pauses for a moment, then abruptly turns towards the module and walks over to it. "Both at idle and throughout the whole acceleration process, up to speed. And at speed." She says while bringing the module over and handing it to you. All of her mannerisms and body language back to how they were when you walked in. "For any star you can within AI Space."
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He listens to her, raising and eyebrow for moment then bringing it back down. He also watches how she uses herself an example to demonstrate what's she's looking for. Once she's finished and begins to pass him the module he says looking into her crystal blue eyes, "Understood, a few more questions though... Does the module do all the mass and density correlation automatically? And record the thermal output? And do you think the chrome finish on my ship may have an effect due to its reflection? Lastly, my fuel scoop shouldn't cause and complications should it?"
Also deciding to shoot out a compliment, he asks, "And also, have you ever seen an ocean... Not just from space, but from a planet's surface?" while taking the module from her hands. "If not, you'll see it in the mirror."
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Without batting an eye she replies "Yes. Once you install the module it'll pull any relevant data from your ships operations systems and cross reference the star catalog for the rest. But you do have to take the base line readings first to prep it for the other sets." She turns and walks back to her project and with her back still to you "I wouldn't run the scoop during the tests. I didn't calibrate it for that. And if a chrome finish could effect the thermal response..." she glances back over her shoulder at you "every man would be sporting it." And she waves you off going back to her project.
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"Alright, try not to blow yourself up again while I'm out, okay?" He says jokingly. Seeing her turn her back on him, he walks back over to the hanger and get aboard his ship, letting the mechanic install the module for him. Soon enough he was ready to begin his testing, making sure the hanger was empty before telling the elevator to being him back out into the vacuum of space.
Rico arrives back at SCG Solace after doing the tests the lady has asked for, returning and lowering the ship into the hangar. He goes to the console behind his cockpit to download all the data he collected during the experiments. He then leaves and heads back to the lab, looking for her. "Ma'am, I've returned." He says to catch her attention.
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"Oh." she says seeming somewhat surprised. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Did the testing go well? You can upload your findings here and I'll review them once I get the mainframe link established." she gestures to a work station where you can upload your data and record any personal notes.
As Rico gets a moment to take in his surroundings you see that the lab is in a much better state than it was the other day. Almost everything is neat and orderly. However there are still signs of blast marks around.
Whatever project she was working on now seems complete and is wired into the station via the wall beside her desk.
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"Yeah, wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be, I thought my tin can would melt if I got close enough, turns out I was wrong." He says as he walk over to the work station and uploads the data via his SmatGlass. "Need some help with that? Also how did your last project go?" He says curiously.
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"No, thank you. I'm waiting on the technicians to make some alterations to a few of the station systems before the link can be established." She sits at her desk and starts typing into her logs.
"I could actually use a unit of Superconductors and two of Computer Components, but I'm afraid I might have to order those in from the bubble." She stops and turns back to look at you "You said you were headed back that way soon, correct?"
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"Yes, I did. Don't really have much space for cargo though." He responds to her. "I could proably drop some on a carrier returning to Azura Space for you when I get back there though. I got transport ships in the bubble I could use.."
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"The AI has routine trade with several stations in the bubble." She finishes her typing and pulls a small data shard from the console to hand to Rico. "Once you're back in the bubble, could you drop this off with a Commander Rixses in the Shapsugabus system? You'll probably find him at Abe Dock. He's normally in the engineering bay. He can make the arrangements to get me what I need. Some of it will require special tuning and he can handle that before it ships out. Instead of me having to do it once it's here."
Rico may notice the data shard is a type G3. Pretty uncommon and highly secure. Rico probably doesn't think he even has hardware that could read it.
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"Fancy data shard." He takes it and puts it in his pocket safely. "I'll drop it on my ship." He continues.
"I'm still gonna be here for the rest of the week and maybe half of the next." He explains. "If you're free, would you like to grab a coffee some time?" He did find her attractive, however she's serious about her work as it may seem, would she even have time to meet him at a Cafe? Or will she reject him on the spot? That choice was hers and hers only. "Could even meet the explorers on an expedition which are due here by the end of this week. If you're interested in meeting more explorers like me." He says to her.
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Standing and pulling on a large and awkward looking pair of rubber gloves. "Thank you for the assistance, but I'll have to pass on the coffee." She starts locking down the lab. "I still need to make a few more modifications to our test craft." She claps her hands together and you get a strange feeling like things are about to get really dirty. "But I'm sure the Explorers Guild could use some assistance if you'll be around for a while. You could check in with Dr. Fluiraniz. I belive they are typically around Paragon's Retreat."
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"Well anyways, I'll still shoot you my private contact. So we can keep in touch, if you don't mind? I'll tell you when I get the shard to CMDR Rixses. Glad I could help out... See you next time perhaps?" He says notices she getting ready to start some more tests and closing the lab down, he makes his way to the door while he talks, walking backwards of course.
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"Of course. Always nice to have a few friends about." She says with a sweet smile, showing her dimples again. "It was nice to meet you. Fly safe out there." You've reached the engineering bay entry. It's marked For Authorized Personnel Only.
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"Thanks!" He says as he sends his contact info and leaves through the engineering bay and onward to his hanger.