Place: On the L1 space terminal. How to call it? => [[Worlds Trade Centers|Stability]] Themes? - Loneliness from being far from your family... or having none to speak of. - The monotonicity of the constant come and go of freighters, and being an AI assisted conductor leaving little to decide on. Characters: - Claudie Mongeau. Captain and pilot for xyz flight. - Zhuo Jinlong (surname-forename). Co-pilot for xyz flight. - A traveler (gov. executive? technician? someone that has to be there or on transit to somewhere else) - [[space freighter|freighter]] crew undocking stuff? - dock coordinator - an old DREO member? plot: in the plaza (which is relatively small and spherical/cylindrical, TBD), the captain is taking lunch with (someone?), they feel the station accelerating. Normal, since it has to replace itself constantly with all the ships coming in and out. Some people feel agitated. It usually stops after a few minutes. They keep talking about interplanetary news. From GPT-3: The captain of a space freighter is eating at the plaza with his second-in-command when they suddenly feel the station begin to shake. They quickly realize that a reactor has been installed in secret on the hull, driving the station towards the sun. The captain organizes an evacuation while the crew of the station tries to stop the reactor. However, they are unsuccessful and everyone is forced to leave before the station is doomed. Later, it is revealed that the reactor was installed by DREO. This incident is the first example of their handiwork. okay so, it's a captain of a space freighter it's after that DREO has retired almost all human employees. There are still a few about, but they are mostly for data entry, supervision for the command center and contact with humans ([[comm-human-ication]]? hahaha wth why not). what does interplanetary laws asks of space freighters? is AI captain allowed? I mean, most space ventures right now are unmaned. so it might just be an extension of that. the most crucial part of space ventures is the takeoff (or the initial burst of acceleration) I could very well think of Elite Dangerous about this!!! There is an autopilot option that does everything. Earthly takeoffs are definitely regulated differently than space stations' are. (atmosphere protection (the major thing?), dangers of presence of oxygen (about combustion), historical reasons) > [!note] A defensive maneuver > The station tries to spin the station half a turn to couteract the push of the reactor, to realize that more than one reactor was installed. ### idea from my carnet dipping the station towards the sun to unleash solar stations? (what did I mean by that?) They could be stored in the station in the hangar, waiting for shipping or something. It's like if the Other solved multiple problems at the same time: 1. getting rid of the station, thus slowing down human foothold in space; 2. saving on manufacture cost by using the station as hangar and vessel; 3. Sending a delayed statement to humanity that DREO's an enemy; 4. maybe grab humanity's attention while it does something else in the background? # story draft ## scene 1: at the cafeteria "Captain Mongeau?" asked a man that came floating towards the table. "Mhh?" Claudie was pensive when her assigned co-pilot arrived. "Oh, you must be Zhuo Jinlong. Nice to meet you. I don't think I've had you on a flight before." "Nope, and pleasure's mine," said Jinlong. He reached for the table, touched it on the side and, with a flick, spun his trajectory towards the seat on the other side of the table. This kind of maneuvers were common in space. Outside the gravity wells of planets and planetoids, friction becomes your best friend. "Glad you accepted my request. How was your last flight?" said Claudie. The two pilots were meeting in Stability's canteen, on Mongeau's demand. She thinks that it doesn't start a month-long travel well if they first meet on the freighter. And asking about a flight: it's a sure shot, since no one has ever been born on this station. Yet. "Boring, to be honest. I've had better trips. Who even likes those DREO's freighters anyway? The onboard logue does all the job, it's like we're useless in there." "Our flight should be better," said Claudie. "We're Earth-bound, for #incomplete (compagnie autre). Anyway, it's a question of time before they remove pilots from those. I've heard they're working on the legislation." "Bah, not my cup of tea, that," said Jinlong. The copilot looked more interested in the menu than talking. The captain observed him. He was tall and thin, which were common traits of people that lived weightless most of their lives. Although his name sounded chinese, he had rather dark skin. His black hair was too short to float. "Since you invited me here, are you paying?" asked Jinlong. "Naturally," said Claudie. Although she didn't intend to initially, it seemed like the right thing to do. "Say, is there any reason you chose to become a freighter?" "Huh..." He's never been asked this question by a stranger, so he had to take a moment to choose what to say... and what not to say. "You know, it's a good pay and..." He stopped. "And?" she repeated. "I... have nothing better to do." Jinlong said in a tone that meant he did not want to go further. "Anyway. What about you?" She seemed pensive. The constant humming of ventilation was joined by a low and distant vibration. The station was adjusting its orbit. "When I was young, I wanted to see Earth from above. You know, like we see in the videos and ads. Seeing it in virtual reality was nice, but there's always something more to the real experience. When I got to actually see it, in microgravity, I've got hooked. I knew I had to ride spaceships for a living. I went for the #incomplete (pilot school) in #incomplete . I feel privileged to be a pilot." "Yeah, seeing black and dots for months is so nice," said Jinlong with a smile that wasn't one of compassion. "Want anything?". He tapped an image of chicken curry on the table and swiped the menu towards Claudie. Claudie sighed. It promised to be a long trip. She scrolled the menu a few seconds and chose spaghetti bolognese. She went to tap the image but a sudden tremor made her order raviolis. "The hell was that?" said Jinlong. "Probably just a misfire," she said, irritated. She knew there was no way a misfire from the reactors could make a station this huge bulge like this. It was more likely to be an explosion or a freighter miscalculating the docking procedure. No alarms were heard but yellow flashers turned on. They were signals for: "We are investigating the anomaly, stay alert." There was no need to panic. Security was not taken lightly in the most important space station of the Solar System. There were different alarms for a dozen of situations. The food arrived and Jinlong already was indifferent to what just happened. The wall panel rotated to show two metallic pouches. They did not float out, since they were held by magnets. Claudie grabbed them, read the labels and passed the curry to Jinlong. "Bon appétit," said Claudie, more to herself than to her new partner-for-a-month. They ate in silence. Some occupants of the canteen were voicing their curiosity about the sudden shift. They went back to their former conversations quickly. A few minutes later, Jinlong left after saying "See you on the tin can." She rarely saw someone eat so fast. "He must looove his life," thought Claudie. Most freighter crew members were like him. Disinterested. Without purpose. Sometimes she wondered how different she was compared to them. She opened a browser on the table and typed in an Earth news website she liked. A few articles caught her attention, but nothing was out of the ordinary. China accusing North Korea of burning coal, [[World Digital Currencies Organization]] adjusting its interest rates in favor of space organizations, and climate predictions of the year, which were about the same as last year. Three cheers for climate stabilization. It was time for her to oversee the loading phase on the ship. She stuck the pouches in the return container on the side of the table, and pushed herself towards the closest hatch to the corridor. ---- ## scene 2: rogue reactor's communication ![[20230309_173922.jpg|1300]] #à/compléter #à/nettoyer - Clear Header (mandatory) variable - Protected Header (mandatory) variable - User Data (optional) variable - Integrity Check Value (optional) variable ~~(okay well what happens next? si je veux quelque chose qui dure longtemps, je pourrais insérer une scène de freighter loading. On pourrait revoir Jinlong Sinon, je pourrais m'intéresser aux messages que le réacteur envoie à )~~ (Let's say I begin with a YAML header, and I'll figure out a proper formatting later. Info to add: - timestamps - relay history or NHT log - blockchain/comm infrastructure) Excerpt from communication history from an inner region relay node, 0x #incomplete, decrypted. ``` --- protocol:IPNP charset:unicodev(bump version 16.0 by #year since 2024, 20% chance of bumping major version, 5% to skip a year. See [[unicode time between versions]] ) encoding:utf-8 security-layer: target:(TODO) sender-IPNPID:0xa746a6df704438628df8be15e6f4df3aa9b2bd34 request-bundle-reception-report:false bundle:<ENCRYPTED> decrypted-bundle:> I am anchored. Awaiting confirmation before engaging full throttle. --- ``` > [!note] > #à/calculer compute the communication time between the station and the Moon and double that: it's the time between the above message and the reactor's start. ---- ## scene 3: towards Claudie's ship Claudie passes by an open crew hatch. The one that led to the hangar next to her ship's. She heard a conversation between two workers. "... can't be right, they have to be kidding." "I keep telling him to plan the flight ahead of optimal flight path. If only for situations like this. It'll cost..." She didn't pause to hear more. It was clear that something was delaying their takeoff. It would surely be the same for her. She kept her pace and flew toward her crew hatch. The one with the (nom de vaisseau #à/trouver) in it. \<start of warning alarm for possible situation\> ---- ## scene 4: in the command center \<scene at the command center, after the jerk. Commander name: Massimo Luongo\> At the command center of the station, things were bla bla bla "Yellow alarm," said Commander Massimo Luongo. "Status?" He asked out loud for information, the interested party knew who they were. A minute passed. "Unexpected jerk ==from the hangar's direction==. $x$ meganewtons collision," answered a feminine voice lower on the desk. > [!note] #à/calculer. Also, si les hangars sont 360 deg, je devrais adapter ce qui est highlighté avec une direction. "No notable leaks or perforations, sir," said another voice next to her. "Anything on visuals?" Another minute. "None," said another voice further to the right. "It's in a blind spot between hangars X and Y." "Send a communication to responsible parties of these hangars to hold their operations while we investigate. Meanwhile, #incomplete, send a team to inspect the hot spot." \<some minutes later. ==See notes above in scene 2== .\> Commander Luongo never had to break a sweat in his career. He learned at a very young age the skills of learning how to learn, autonomously, which put him on the exponential, snowballing path towards excellence in everything he endeavored. He was a textbook example of what commanders should be. Brilliant, diligent, cool-headed and polite, but firm. All qualities that made him highly respected. "Commander, something weird is happening." "Speak, Lieutenant." "Somehow, we are losing angular momentum from our orbit. It's beyond measurement error." A moment passes. "This is bad, Commander. It's accelerating. At this acceleration rate, we won't be able to correct." "Sound the evacuation alarm. Communicate the situation to Earth." He spat the orders without second thought. "Assume we are being hijacked until further notice. Remember the protocol! Keep me up to date on every out of place details." He had worked in his head every critical situation that the station could endure hypothetically. Some were more likely than others. But being hijacked? *This is unexpected. Who would* think *opposing a UN's station so straightforwardly? ... But now is not the time to think of whom,* he thought, *though it would help to know what's really happening.* ## scene 5: Claudie's perspective as the alarm goes off (back to Claudie, she reads her notifs to see that she has indeed been called to hold operations until further notice. ) blah blah ... An alarm went off. It really was three alarms at once. One for post-impact collision, frequent short pulses at low frequency accompanied by timed yellow light. Painfully long bursts of buzzing for station evacuation. And a subtle high pitch and rare flashes of purple for hijacking. # Workspace *where I develop ideas and plan stuff*