[X]Plan: Hit the ground running
Resources/Workforce: 73/32 Reactor
-[X] Deneb Veight wants to miniaturise a Penning-Mayuga plant. (14 Resources) -[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser. (12 Resources) Black Box -[X] Analysis: Acquire Neptunian black boxes from the Galatean refugees and compare them to Quaoar's methods. (5 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...in deep space, on your ship. (Must deploy Belogradchik)
-[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
--[X] Coordination: 2 Resources, 2 Workforce to automatically integrate results of other Analysis/Experiment actions this turn. Mobile Suit -[X] Experiment: Test existing stable suit equipment for military applications. (6 Resources, 4 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Test current generation neurohaptic interfaces under simulated battle conditions. Administration -[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Gradually. (3 Workforce occupied for the next three turns; only requires an action this turn) Personal -[X] Compile your notes and journals from your work on Belogradchik. It might sell, or prompt more interest in dedicated research ships.
-[X] You feel something strange at the edge of your mind - and there is only one response when a scientist is confronted with the unknown. Study yourself, and see where it leads.
Resources/Workforce: 26/1
Using a lot of our inicial budget, but it gets shit done and we can take it easy after this turn.
Overcomiting a little to black box, but I waanted to get it out of the way fast.
Scheduled vote count started by fishsicles on Aug 3, 2023 at 9:02 PM, finished with 13 posts and 9 votes.
[X] Plan In the Black of Space
-[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser.
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...in deep space, on your ship. (Must deploy Belogradchik)(Belogradchik attached, +2 Resources)
-[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
--[X] Coordination: 2 Resources, 2 Workforce to automatically integrate results of other Analysis/Experiment actions this turn.
-[X] Analysis: Develop a doctrine for a Palomar to deal with mobile suit attacks. (1 Resources, 7 Workforce) [Orbital]
-[X] Analysis: Evaluate the conversion of a Kilauea-class destroyer into a mobile suit carrier. (2 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Immediately. (5 Workforce)
-[X] Assist in an official action.
--[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
-[X] Work on your personal skills and knowledge.
--[X] Study power generation and distribution systems.
[X] Plan: Superscience After Fundamentals
-[X] Deneb Veight wants to miniaturise a Penning-Mayuga plant. (14 Resources)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...in deep space, on your ship. (Must deploy Belogradchik)
-[X] Analysis: Select a paradigm and create an initial design for an in-house reactor prototype. (2 Resources, 9 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Test existing stable suit equipment for military applications. (6 Resources, 4 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Evaluate the conversion of a Kilauea-class destroyer into a mobile suit carrier. (2 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Immediately. (5 Workforce)
-[X] Assist in an official action.
--[X] Mobile Suit Production Analysis
-[X] Work on your personal skills and knowledge.
--[X] Study power generation and distribution systems.
[X] Black Box Rising?
-[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser. (12 Resources)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...on Quaoar, at a secure site your office controls outside Toypurina. (2 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Perform simulated maneuvers to try and recreate the Titanite trajectories. (7 Resources, 6 Workforce) [Orbital] (+2 Resources, attach Belogradchik)
-[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
--[X] Coordination: 2 Resources, 2 Workforce to automatically integrate results of other Analysis/Experiment actions this turn.
-[X] Analysis: Evaluate the conversion of a Kilauea-class destroyer into a mobile suit carrier. (2 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Immediately. (5 Workforce)
-[X] Assist in an official action. (This will add your personal characteristics to any relevant rolls for that action, and give more involved votes about its progress.)
--[X] Black Box Development / Coordination.
-[X] Work on your personal skills and knowledge.
--[X] Cultivate a different skill. (Black Box Understanding / Creation?)
[X] Black Box Rising? + Asset on True-Grav Issue + Official Action Increase
-[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser. (12 Resources)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...in deep space, on your ship. (Must deploy Belogradchik) (2 Resources)
-[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
--[X] Coordination: 2 Resources, 2 Workforce to automatically integrate results of other Analysis/Experiment actions this turn.
-[X] Analysis: Evaluate the conversion of a Kilauea-class destroyer into a mobile suit carrier. (2 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Immediately. (5 Workforce)
-[X] Attempt to recruit more administrative staff. (Spend 1 Influence to potentially increase Official Action count.)
-[X] Assist in an official action. (This will add your personal characteristics to any relevant rolls for that action, and give more involved votes about its progress.)
--[X] Black Box Development / Coordination.
-[X] Work on your personal skills and knowledge.
--[X] Cultivate a different skill. (Black Box Understanding / Creation?)
[X] Military Focus, Laying Groundwork
-[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser. (12 Resources)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Select a paradigm and create an initial design for an in-house reactor prototype. (2 Resources, 9 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Evaluate the conversion of a Kilauea-class destroyer into a mobile suit carrier. (2 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Develop a doctrine for a Palomar to deal with mobile suit attacks. (1 Resources, 7 Workforce) [Orbital]
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review.
--[X] Immediately. (5 Workforce)
-[X] Attempt to recruit more administrative staff. (Spend 1 Influence to potentially increase Official Action count.)
-[X] Assist in an official action. (This will add your personal characteristics to any relevant rolls for that action, and give more involved votes about its progress.)
--[X] Analysis: Develop a doctrine for a Palomar to deal with mobile suit attacks.
-[X] Get to know a subordinate.
--[X] Ishak Rennet-Dawson, the Galatean professor.
[X]Plan: Hit the ground running
-[X] Deneb Veight wants to miniaturise a Penning-Mayuga plant. (14 Resources)
-[X] HIEDS wants to develop an experimental wake particle condenser. (12 Resources) -[X] Analysis: Acquire Neptunian black boxes from the Galatean refugees and compare them to Quaoar's methods. (5 Resources, 8 Workforce)
-[X] Analysis: Thoroughly review current black boxing technology, production lines, and security protocols. (3 Resources, 6 Workforce)
-[X] Experiment: Authorise aggressive penetration testing on a factory spec TrueGrav unit... (6 Resources, 5 Workforce)
--[X] ...in deep space, on your ship. (Must deploy Belogradchik)
-[X] Development: Harden existing black box technology currently in production. (9 Resources, 3 Workforce)
--[X] Coordination: 2 Resources, 2 Workforce to automatically integrate results of other Analysis/Experiment actions this turn.
-[X] Experiment: Test existing stable suit equipment for military applications. (6 Resources, 4 Workforce) -[X] Experiment: Test current generation neurohaptic interfaces under simulated battle conditions.
-[X] Prepare for the House's budget review. --[X] Gradually. (3 Workforce occupied for the next three turns; only requires an action this turn) -[X] Compile your notes and journals from your work on Belogradchik. It might sell, or prompt more interest in dedicated research ships. -[X] You feel something strange at the edge of your mind - and there is only one response when a scientist is confronted with the unknown. Study yourself, and see where it leads.
Imagine if Carl Sagan at his popular height had gone on to lead the Boston Tea Party - that's pretty much where Ngunaitponi sits in Quaoar's popular perception.
Any chance of getting a glossary / FAQ post? I know it took me a few posts before I figured out what exactly a stable suit was as compared to a mobile suit.
A brief summary of what the capabilities of our existing Corvettes and destroyers are would also be welcome. I've been neck deep in the topic for my own game and so the questions resonate through my brain when I take a look at this.
Obviously this is a low priority but if you manage to find the time I think it would be valuable information for the players.
There's a few lore posts that are percolating - I'm working on different parts of the update in parallel, so it's a question of which one is finished first.
Since this one in particular is probably the most important piece of terminology for this turn, here's the Doylist version while I work on the in-universe writeup.
"Mobile suit" is locked in. It's Gundam, it's been there from the beginning, as is the more general term "mobile weapon". In the UC timeline, mobile suits were developed from mobile workers, but that leaves the in-universe origin of "mobile" up in the air. Since it describes the entire class, their mobility needs to be a distinguishing trait.
I picked "stable" as the opposite (and predecessor) to mobile technology mostly because I think the sound of it lines up reasonably well. In-universe, a stable suit is a humanoid or near-humanoid machine that's reliant on a physical connection to a larger unit - almost always a space colony or capital ship - for power and supplies. A stable suit doesn't mount its own power supply, instead running a large cable (or in some cases a wireless power system, but that's seen as a gadgetbahn at best) that connects it to the parent colony's power systems. The root of the technology is in large-scale construction - a humanoid form better fits a non-invasive brain-computer interface, making it easier to train operators to a higher level of ability.
(The in-universe origin of "stable" is distinguishing them from EVA suits without a fully rigid structure - though it originated as a genericised trademark.)
What Titan did when they debuted the mobile suit was get rid of this reliance on a base station. They still needed a mothership for repairs and resupply, but were free of the inherent limitations of hauling a big honking cable around, and could run for several days from a full tank. Titan's elites were already good at working stable suits in dangerous environments - there's a debris field over Titan, long story for another post - so compared to the conventional fighter craft Saturn had, Titan's mobile suits were capable of more complex maneuvers, reacted more quickly thanks to their BCI, and were just generally better equipped for the knife fights that most of their rebellion came down to, because it turns out a welding tool for space colony composite has pretty nasty effects on the lighter stuff they use for spacecraft.
I do like the idea of going from tethered mecha to full mobile suits. It's a neat bit of world building.
If someone was going to catch a few episodes of Gundam, which series would you say is closest to the feel you are going for? With over 40 years of Gundam and a bunch of different timelines there is a lot to choose from. IIRC you mentioned something about the performance of the future Gundams being more or less along the lines of the early UC timelime VS some of the more out there stuff in other series.
If it's not a spoiler, I've found myself wondering if an early GM or Zaku showed up how would they compare to the early MS that are around. Far superior, 'better than what have but we'll match it soon enough, or underwhelming?
If someone was going to catch a few episodes of Gundam, which series would you say is closest to the feel you are going for? With over 40 years of Gundam and a bunch of different timelines there is a lot to choose from. IIRC you mentioned something about the performance of the future Gundams being more or less along the lines of the early UC timelime VS some of the more out there stuff in other series.
As far as tone and things go, I'd say the biggest influences on my plans here are Zeta and Witch from Mercury, since the internal tensions and power plays are going to have more of the focus than an outright split into two sides in open and full conflict. Maybe a bit of SEED Astray as well, since we're following a smaller group on the edge of the major powers.
If it's not a spoiler, I've found myself wondering if an early GM or Zaku showed up how would they compare to the early MS that are around. Far superior, 'better than what have but we'll match it soon enough, or underwhelming?
Inter-timeline powerlevels aren't something I've spent too much time thinking about, since in the end they would usually boil down to narrativium constraints. I've only made a couple deliberate "balance" decisions on that front; the major being that the wake effect is notably "weaker" than Minovsky particles. It retains the disruptive effect on electromagnetic radiation and unprotected circuitry - in particular, those nasty mech-infeasabling guided missiles - but doesn't also provide i-fields or easily portable fusion reactors. (Though reactionless propulsion is its own advantage, but that's as much a "how does this work at all" conceit as "no guided missiles", especially with more deep space/outer planets in focus. Gundam doesn't really go into how its propellant works, but I don't remember it ever being a narrative constraint and I just don't want to deal with it at large scale.)
That said, the Zaku II and GM are both significantly further along in their development than mobile suits are here; in terms of overall tech edge, even a Zaku I has things that haven't been fully worked out here; though the biggest two - the power source and automated AMBAC - both would have difficulties converting to an NSE tech base. With some kind of crossover levelling field in play, a generic OYW Zeon pilot in a Zaku II would have a tech edge but a skill deficiency against an equally generic Titanite pilot in a Dweorg, while they'd have a narrower tech edge but be about on par in skill with a generic Jovian in a Hauteclere.
If someone was going to catch a few episodes of Gundam, which series would you say is closest to the feel you are going for? With over 40 years of Gundam and a bunch of different timelines there is a lot to choose from. IIRC you mentioned something about the performance of the future Gundams being more or less along the lines of the early UC timelime VS some of the more out there stuff in other series
Honestly feels like an inversion of iron blooded orphan. The big man on top is Jupiter instead of earth, and instead of a struggling post mobile suit golden age imperium, we are at a start of the prologue to the age of the mobile suit. Instead of independent mercenary company made up primarily of child soldiers with just the barest understanding of the tech we rely on, we are a bunch of middle aged officials tied to the government with vast theoretical and practical knowledge.
As far as tone and things go, I'd say the biggest influences on my plans here are Zeta and Witch from Mercury, since the internal tensions and power plays are going to have more of the focus than an outright split into two sides in open and full conflict. Maybe a bit of SEED Astray as well, since we're following a smaller group on the edge of the major powers.
Thank you. I watched the first few episodes of Witch from Mercury and I planned to watch the rest. This just gives me a bit more motivation to actually do it. They happen to all be on the official Gundam Youtube channel.
Inter-timeline powerlevels aren't something I've spent too much time thinking about, since in the end they would usually boil down to narrativium constraints.
Thank you. That does a good job to calibrate my expectations. I had some vague ideas for an omake for a bit later on, assuming that you don't object to those. Narrativium is the most powerful force in the universe, so I get how you can't really be more precise then that.
I am never going to object to people jumping on my bandwagons. The wagons are for bands, not one distractable goldfish who last touched their french horn fifteen years ago.
It was the third day of shooting, and the cast and crew of Humanity's Horizons were still finding their way around the labyrinthine halls of Kunwarland's primary reactor complex. Lana Juraeva knew her way better than most, having spent most of the last week painstakingly poring over blueprints and pacing down halls to find decent places to set up the show's cameras without filling the shot with conduits or warning signs - and whacking her head on every too-damn-short bulkhead door along the way.
The special wasn't meant to be shooting for four more months, but the fuckwit AGH suits decided the best way to "head off any economic uncertainty in the wake of the Mercurian crisis" was to shuffle some holidays forward - and if that meant fucking over any production schedules, that was her crew's problem. Jan had yelled himself hoarse at the exhausted secretary who handed him the new air dates, and it was only Dario stepping in that stopped him from throttling the poor man.
Jan was a great director and a decent friend, but he was a cunt some days, even when he wasn't fucking with his meds - and on this schedule, it was just a question of how long until she or Dario caught him.
The small office that had been turned into the crew lounge was eerily quiet as Lana pushed open the door. Dario was nowhere to be found - not unusual, he had old friends on the research staff, and wasn't really needed until the actual shoot started - but there was none of the barely controlled chaos of the crew before a shoot. Production staff were huddled in corners, speaking in hushed voices; the door to Jan's office was shut, and the blinds were down. When a few sharp glares saw no one speak up - or even meet her eyes - she rolled her eyes, crossed the room, and pulled the door open.
The office was a mess; papers were scattered everywhere, one leg of Jan's desk was broken, and the smell of alcohol was so strong that it almost bowled her over just stepping inside. Jan was slumped over his desk, a large flask of something cradled in his hand while the other hung limp by his side. "What the fuck, Jan?! I was gone for an hour and a half, and I come back to-" Lana frantically waved around the room.
He slowly looked up at her, eyes red and face pale. "News from Mercury; Bagong Maynila is gone."
And just like that, her anger evaporated; the empty space it left devoured her shock, and all she could say was a quiet, croaked "What?"
"Shuttle of loose cells hit it, took out the whole arcology. HIE says it was the terrorists, but..." he trailed off, but she'd been following the news. She'd been shooting the news last night; Bagong Maynila was a rebel stronghold, and HIE had orbital supremacy. "Paolo..." Jan's husband, a dour, lanky HIEDS suit who Lana had never liked, "look, Lana, I need you to keep your fucking mouth shut about this, I probably shouldn't be saying anything, but Paolo thinks it was HIE; he's called a vote of no confidence, and it looks like most of the board is behind him - but AGH isn't. Last I heard, they were waiting outside the boardroom with a SWAT team; he's going to be the next Pete fucking Veight."
Pyotr Veight's hearing had been delayed again. They'd cut to commercial early when Michelle brought him up. The producers took her aside - anything about Marlotown was off limits. Couldn't risk "destabilising the situation".
Lana ran through a thousand responses before settling on "Fuck."
"Fuck is right." Jan took another snort from his flask. "The board's meeting now."
"Take the day, Jan; I'll call Tony, we can keep the producers off you-"
"Fuck Tony, I can do my job. If I'm just sitting on my dick waiting for Paolo to call..." yet another pull on the flask, longer than the last; his hand is shaking. "I can do my fucking job, Lana."
She gave him a dry look. "Fine, I won't call Tony - if you can say that while looking Dario in the eye."
Jan laughed, or tried to; it was a half-choked sound. "Who do you think was the first to know?" He waved off in the vague direction of the door. "Professor ran out to raise hell as soon as he got me to sit down and shut up."
Something in the back of her mind clicked. The crew office was empty not just because the staff were so quiet, but because the cameras were gone.
"Jan, where'd he go?"
"Does it matter? I think he's quitting." Jan hissed, then took another gulp - or at least tried to, before tossing his empty flask across the room. "Fuck knows I am."
"He hasn't quit yet - that means I'm still DoP. I didn't spend hours crawling through tubes just for Dario to fuck up his own lighting." Lana choked out a laugh of her own, and forced her face into her best commanding glare - even if she was sure her makeup was running. With a last nod from Jan, she took off back down the hallways, following the trail of half-opened doors.
If Dario was going to run off and do something stupid and heroic and get them all killed, she was at least going to make sure he looked good doing it.
* * *
My friends, my country. I cannot find the words to convey my gratitude for how you have welcomed me into your homes, your schools, your families; to have such students is the dream of any teacher. But I do not speak to you today as an educator or a scientist; I speak to you as a human being, a simple man, hoping to be a good man.
Eight hours ago, the arcology of Bagong Maynila in the Caloris Basin of Mercury was destroyed by a weaponised antimatter strike. A city of eighty million souls, gone in moments - or to them, agonising eternities, as those who survived the blast would be scoured by the Sun and the void. Hermes Integrated Energy claims this was the act of the Mercurian Popular Front, who controlled the city in their ongoing uprising against HIE; this is a lie, as their own messages reveal - demanding silence, listing questions that were not to be asked.
We are not a people inclined to silence, to falsehood, to answers unsought. We chase the horizons, however far we must walk. In this spirit, Paolo Mbatha would not stay silent, and the people of HIE Deep Space joined him. They rebuked the monstrous acts on Mercury, and sought to reveal them to the people. Paolo is a dear friend, husband of thirty-nine years to Jan Mbatha, whose name you see even before mine at the end of our program. You do not see Jan on your screens, but you see his work in every moment of our time together. We have our differences, as all friends do, but in this matter, I will vouch unequivocally for the moral character of Paolo Mbatha.
As soon as the vote was called, the board resolved to speak out, they were arrested by AGH security and charged with fraud, incitement of revolt, sabotage, and theft of trade secrets.
Forty-three minutes ago, the executive board of AstroGrav Horizons ordered the scientists, engineers, and workers of the Primary Reactor Complex to transfer control of our antimatter stockpiles to AGH security forces, citing only a nebulous terrorist threat.
The staff of the Primary Reactor Complex denied this request, and initiated emergency lockdown protocols. It is on their behalf that I speak to you today.
This facility will remain locked down. We do not have demands; our only goal is preservation of life, all life, on this world and others. My show came here to honour the life and work of Carmen Mayuga; instead, we are called to honour her last words. She asked but one thing of humanity when she gave us her creation - that we not turn it upon ourselves in anger. On Mercury, that promise was broken; it shall not be broken here. The lights will stay on; you need not fear for your right to breathe or eat or drink. But none shall pass through these gates until we are certain they come in peace, for all mankind.
I ask nothing of the people but that they hold true to the spirit we all share; the spirit I have dedicated my life to, as best a simple man can. Seek the truth, ask questions, and teach each other - though I fear that not all coming lessons will be kind.
- Professor Dario Ngunaitponi, speaking on behalf of the Primary Reactor Mutiny
Ngunaitponi survived to be named to the first CoR seat on the Consulate, so he well outlived AGH rule on Quaoar.
The upside of locking yourselves inside a main reactor complex is that arcology reactors do not fuck around with lockdowns. The biggest issue that the Long Sunday mutiny had wasn't actually all the AGH cops outside - what were they going to do, try and force a breach of a facility built to house antimatter? - but their internal supplies of food and water, which weren't really designed for what amounted to space-age siege warfare.
The Colonial War on Quaoar (and the outer worlds in general) was mostly a question of "how willing are the local managers willing to stick their necks out for their bosses in the Earth Sphere/the fancier parts of Jupiter or Venus", and while that list goes farther than a lot of people would like, they weren't willing to risk blowing themselves up in the name of stock options. Not to say that things were bloodless by any means, but no one was risking structural damage.
It also helps that while AGH were one of the more authoritarian colonial ventures in terms of how much control they wanted over their settlers, they were one of the relatively less exploitative ones; they were more focused on an ideological "we want to build the perfect community, where everything runs like clockwork and everyone is productive and we can showcase the Miracles of Modern Ingenuity" than extracting every drop of profit they could from their labour monopsony. This gave the local unrest a different character from e.g. Mercury's or Venus's.
(Part of the reason that Jupiter is so dominant in the Union logistically is that the Jovian colonial leadership took one look at how the situation was going on Venus and Mars and said "yeah we're not dealing with this", then threw in with the moderate local independence movements well before things started going to hell elsewhere - giving them the least political and economic rebuilding to do once things finally settled.)
So begins Belogradchik's first mission under my command. The Director – and calling her that is almost as strange as hearing Beltane call me "Captain" – saw us off from mission control on Toypurina; she couldn't fit on a the shuttle that deposited a team of navigational engineers and every imaginable model of computer in Belo's cargo hold. What little space is not occupied by computers is filled with extra supplies, in case the testing runs longer than expected.
We are joined on this voyage by a large cohort of engineers from QPIC, and several observers from Institutes "with pertinent interests" – though it's clear the QPIC team didn't want them here. My main contact with the QPIC team is Dr. Rochelle bint Hasan, a former acquaintance of Chief Maxwell's; there is clearly no love lost between the two, but both have assured me that their disputes are strictly personal, and will not meaningfully impact their mission.
Fortunately, the bickering seems to have equally frustrated the crew and the QPIC contingent, who have built some genuine camaraderie out of one of oldest Navy traditions – grumbling about the officers behind their back.
The test units are a comprehensive collection of QPIC's offerings, with everything from fist-sized fighter computers to a mainframe sized for a damn L'Ouverture – which would more than fill Belo's whole bridge – sit in crates under the watchful eye of our own engineers and an ever-looming Dr. bint Hasan.
MacNeill reports that most of the test units can be integrated into Belo's power and coolant loops in a matter of hours, though any experiments on the larger unit will require rerouting power from the shuttle bay. XO Chaudhary and I agree that we should avoid drastic modifications unless absolutely necessary, and have requested a more thorough report from Engineering before signing off on anything.
A loud beeping sound echoes. An electronic voice rasps "Orbital transfer in five minutes. Care impulse. Captain to the bridge."
Duty calls. End log.
* * *
Navigator's Log; Senayet Pruthi; June 17, 133 NSE
Chief Maxwell and Dr. bint Hasan have been barred from the navigational console.
Karpiel has declined my request to replace my coffee from Chief Maxwell's pay. Please forward attached invoice to QPIC.
[Secretarial Addendum: I am not doing that.]
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; June 22, 133 NSE
We have entered our target orbit. MacNeill's team has begun integrating the smaller test units; the QPIC team was going a bit stir-crazy, to say nothing of the Institute "observers", half of whom seem to expect a corvette to have the same amenities as a habitat.
I've had Chaudhary lay down the law – any "observers" who want to "observe" my bridge can consider themselves volunteered for whatever MacNeill works out to get that battleship navigator up and running.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; June 25, 133 NSE
The representatives from YUN and Axial came up with a proposal for our L'Ouverture-sized problem, with MacNeill's bemused but enthusiastic support. A team from Engineering is going to spacewalk the damn thing over to one of Belo's lateral docking points, and trick the computers into thinking it's the bulkiest strike fighter ever built. We'll still need to do some work in her guts to make it work, but it keeps the improvised hot pipes outside the hull.
Pruthi spent a shift looking over the documentation, and has sworn off working on anything heavier than a Kilauea.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; June 28, 133 NSE
We've had our first successful boot of the battleship navigator, though it's not anywhere near running a test load. I doubt our stations have half the sensors this thing's looking for, but QPIC's keeping their hands close to their chest. It's not enough to feed in dummy data – though as Dr. bint Hasan is quick to remind me, if it was, we'd see a lot more RKVs – and half the interface is black-boxed even from MacNeill.
The Axial representative has proposed using one of the cruiser-grade machines to play fake sensor for the L'Ouverture, but MacNeill doesn't like how the power draw would be distributed.
Considering some of MacNeill's conduit crimes when I was XO, when that man says he's worried, I'm terrified.
* * *
Ship's Log; Belogradchik; June 30, 133 NSE
Power irregularity.
Fire detected: primary hold.
Plasma discharge detected: primary hold.
* * *
Notice of Official Reprimand; Ashraf Maxwell; June 30, 133 NSE
Performed unauthorised modifications to power systems of research vessel Belogradchik. Insufficient shielding from primary impeller caused disturbance in auxiliary power line. Wake-induced capacitance overloaded conduit, resulting in plasma discharge, injuring Maxwell and three others, and damaging sensitive research equipment.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; June 30, 133 NSE
Maxwell and bint Hasan's petty rivalry found the L'Ouverture navigator the perfect centrepiece, and his zeal for proving his pet theory has cost him a leg. At least nobody's dead – and the QPIC team is confident they can salvage the cruiser nav he was trying to wire up, if they had proper facilities.
Dr. bint Hasan wanted us to turn around and burning back for Quaoar, though it seemed that any repairs were second to getting rid of Maxwell. While Pruthi talked – or shouted, really – her out of it, morale in the QPIC contingent is flagging; most of them aren't blaming the whole of Belo's crew, but Maxwell has few friends on either side of the now-growing rift.
Two junior QPIC engineers were apprehended after painting a cruiser kill marker on the side of the battleship nav. I'm surprised that Belo had the right stencil.
* * *
Personal Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; June 30, 133 NSE
Children. I am surrounded by children.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 2, 133 NSE
Planned testing has completed on the corvette-weight systems. The QPIC team seems disappointed with the result – no positively identified vulnerabilities, despite a week of nearly 24/7 testing. Fortunately, the tests have ruled out most of the absolute worst-case scenarios, and while a small team will keep on the corvette navs in case of new insights, it has freed up a chunk of researchers for the larger, trickier boxes.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 4, 133 NSE
Romão has forwarded me a proposal from a penitent Chief Maxwell. Rather than use the cruiser nav, he proposes a method for networking the corvette grade systems together, controlled from Belo's own navigation suite to imitate the sensor suite on a L'Ouverture.
The actual paper is packed with impenetrably dense navtech jargon. I've forwarded it to Pruthi and Dr. bint Hasan, without mentioning its origin to either.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 6, 133 NSE
Pruthi has gone through most of her allotment of stimulants, but she's put together a coherent version of Maxwell's plan, and set up Belo's nav to run the program. Hodges and Terbish escorted her to the medbay; Romão has her on bedrest until she finishes flushing the stims out.
* * *
Personal Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 6, 133 NSE
For fuck's sake, Senayet.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 8, 133 NSE
Connecting the corvette navs together has finally been completed, and we're ready to link up with the L'Ouverture box. I want this thing off the side of my ship.
* * *
Ship's Log; Belogradchik; July 8, 133 NSE
Central navigation error.
Central navigation error.
Central navigation error.
Central navigation error.
CentrCentral navigation error.al navigation error.
Navigation systems compromised.
Central navigation error.
Engaging black box lock: [!] Interrupted: Null system.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 11, 133 NSE
We have regained access to the auxiliary computers, including the captain's log. Our attempt to connect to the L'Ouverture navigational system caused a cascading failure in Belo's computers, as the nav tried to lock down systems that didn't exist – and in the process, locked down the network infrastructure and several vital systems.
If we were still Fleet, Beltane would be due a commendation. I may still put her up for one.
According to Dr. bint Hasan, the L'Ouverture system had been infected with some kind of viral program, engineered specifically to target QPIC infrastructure – or rather, a very specific set of it.
Her analysis suggests that the program was built to target a vulnerability in the internal sensors of cruiser-weight ships and above, and while Maxwell and Pruthi's emulated battleship was acting correctly, it wasn't acting accurately – Pruthi's work was too thorough, replicating the actual specs and not including a subtle flaw in the cruiser-weight nav that would have allowed the virus to insert itself as an extra "layer" of black-boxing. Without that flaw, the system got stuck in some kind of verification loop, and then the black boxes started locking.
The exploit used by the virus doesn't give it the sort of access that would be needed to make a KKV, but it's given us a way in: and somewhere to look.
If we can find what that virus was trying to hide, we can find our flaw.
...as soon as we get the nav working again. Pruthi's substitute is a competent officer, but is clearly out of his depth.
* * *
Navigator's Log; Senayet Pruthi; July 11, 133 NSE
Give me my fucking stims, Xiaoyun.
* * *
Chief Medical Officer's Log; Rhisiart Romão; July 11, 133 NSE
I have scheduled another assembly to remind the crew that medical supplements are intended for emergency use only.
In the background, a woman's voice can be heard shouting "narc".
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 15, 133 NSE
We have finished detaching the corvette navs from the impromptu network, and have begun a complete reboot of Belo's own nav. With the systems once more isolated, and analysis on the virus well underway, the QPIC team is confident that they will have actionable results to integrate into any final patch after our return to Quaoar.
No meaningfully large program can ever be said to be fully free of bugs, but at the very least, the QPIC navigation suite will be a bit more robust; both in terms of security, and response to esoteric failure scenarios.
I doubt that any real scenario would ever see the measurements that kicked off the cascading failure of our network. Though if someone ever does fly a Palomar through the gap between a highly energetic pulsar and a black hole, now their nav will last as long as the rest of the ship.
Now it's a matter of cleaning up the last few tests, and keeping as tight a lid on these papers until the team back home can push out a fix.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 20, 133 NSE
I'd thought we were done with excitement.
A member of the Axial team has suffered a severe stroke; while she paged Medical, she was dead by the time Romão arrived. He's still finalising his autopsy, but all evidence points to a faulty peristaltic implant. The poor woman's six years younger than me.
I wouldn't trade the stars for anything, but sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't have left Earth.
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 20, 133 NSE
RECORD EXPUNGED
* * *
Captain's Log; Xiaoyun Karpiel; July 20, 133 NSE
Romão has completed his autopsy. The implant's failure was due to the researcher's overuse of stimulants, facilitated by the use of non-regulation equipment to bypass the ship's medical systems.
Romão's delivery of his report was punctuated with somewhat unsubtle glares at Pruthi, who remains unrepentant and on bed rest.
* * *
Code:
TO: Hypatia Khwarizmi [research@quaoar.ntb.gov]
FROM: Tadgh Kaspichan [security@quaoar.ntb.gov]
As part of an ongoing investigation, we found compelling evidence that Dr.
Ruiha Burkhalter of Axial Labs PIQ was an asset of the National Reform
Sandinista League of Terra Meridiani.
Our asset aboard Belogradchik had been intended only to observe, but
discovered Burkhalter illegitimately accessing the ship's transmission system,
likely to forward the results of your analysis. She attempted to activate a
suicide device, but was successfully resuscitated by my operatives and is now
in our custody.
A search of Burkhalter's effects revealed a number of single-use data sticks,
containing copies of the virus which infected Belogradchik's computers. We
believe the intended function of the virus was to introduce false
vulnerabilities to the cruiser-class system and confound your analysis, but an
independent review of the virus by Research would be welcome.
Burkhalter herself is contained, and her backers are as much your concern as
they are Martian.
I've been focusing my after-work hours on either exhaustion or nonfiction Serious Person work, but I'm also trying to get back into the habit of writing for Fun rather than to be serious again.
Thank goodness we assigned the ship to this action. Narrowly avoid a critfail. That would not have been pretty. Instead we get a hundred on intrigue and learning both.
