Schultaria Prime
18-09-2006, 02:10
OOC: This is a revival of a former thread I composed well over a year ago which ended in an outcome that, needless to say, felt unsatisfactory due to demands of excessive violence and not enough intrigue. If anyone wishes to participate in this role play, feel free to PM me or tag the thread.
IC:
Eldaimovey Advanced Research Laboratories: Project Block R-19
Amidst the din of computers and cooling equipment, half a dozen engineers and physicists paced nervously in the lobby of an anonymous research complex clustered on the south end of the expansive Eldaimovey campus. The anticipation of the group was quickly boiling from excitement to the point of fanaticism; after so many years working with nameless and faceless calculations, these twelve Schultarian scientists were eager to see the fruits of their labor come to life. Luckily for them, their patience and diligence had not gone unnoticed by the Schultarian scientific establishment and their patrons in the national government. What secrets awaited the group was surely the stuff of legend in Schultaria Prime, but even those brilliant twelve only had an inkling of what they had created.
Eagerly awaiting their colleagues while still deep within the recesses of Project Block R-19, Professor Douglass Kronsen and Director Sarnow Haarvekord took the time to reflect on their accomplishments. Nearly sixteen years and eight months had passed since Schultaria Prime's first great trial against academia was passed and in that time the nation had rebuilt its culture and scientific ethos. However, whatever progress had been earned over the last decade and six years was still tempered by the nine thousand families who had suffered from losing their loved ones. Even as the experiment of a lifetime was at hand, both professors weighed the situation heavily in their minds.
"If only Tomar was here to see what we've accomplished, he might have seen his lifelong dreams come true," sighed Haarvekord as he stared at the object which had taken nearly twelve decades of design and research to complete.
Kronsen let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, but he would have complained constantly about the money we poured into this device. He was a penny pincher and you know it, but at least you knew that once he had a goal in mind he set to it." Taking out a small flask, the elder academician took a hearty gulp and gasped in relish of his drink, "I swear this liquor gets even more potent every time I drink it."
"Probably because your liver's finally starting to cave from the alcohol."
While the two gabbed about times gone by, the remainder of the research team had already filed into the darkened laboratory. Unpacking their equipment, Haarvekord and Kronsen gathered to meet their colleagues. As the remainder of their equipment was being set up, Director Haarvekord pulled a chair and sat in front of the gathered research team.
"Let me just say for the record that without your efforts over the last fifteen years, this project might have never seen the light of day. The raw talent of this research team, coupled with our diehard work ethic and willingness of self-sacrifice, has made possible something that no one academician in this nation ever thought possible, save for my grandfather. This test today will finally bring to light whether or not Schultaria's last one hundred and twenty years of scientific development have proven sufficient enough to bring this device to light. However I digress; let Doctor Kronsen and I show you the fruits of our combined research."
With a careful flip of the wrist, a tarp hung on a far wall of the laboratory was removed. In a flash, the wall was covered in a giant computer display flashing a schematic unlike the research team had ever seen before.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/emschultz/Core1.jpg
"This device, the fortieth and final invention of Kevem Haarvekord, has finally been brought to light thanks to your diligent efforts. What you see before you is the basis for a device that manipulates quantum fluctuations on a macroscopic scale. In essence, we have built a device which could conceivably manipulate the processes of quantum tunneling to such a degree as to commute lengths of travel and sometimes negate spatial distances altogether."
Professor Kronsen cleared this throat, "Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is something thought nigh impossible by our knowledge of physics nearly a decade ago. With this device, we just might be able to commute the laws of space-time and develop machines with capabilities of traveling through the vastness of the cosmos at rates exceeding the speed of light."
An audible gasp filled the room...
-----
Recovering from their shock, the dozen scientists made their way around the spacious, if albeit spartanly furnished laboratory. Thick concrete walls and heavy gauge reinforced glass separated the experiment from its creators, and for good reason. Even after nearly a decade's worth of supercomputer testing all they were really able to determine about the device was that it would operate and could possibly manipulate space as well. Exactly what it would do once it was activated, nobody chanced a guess; for the science team this was a literal shot in the dark, but everyone knew no amount of pre-testing could substitute a proper experiment. Over the public address system, the voice of Doctor Kronsen pierced the air in a canned metallic voice.
"Capacitors have been fully charged and the test probe is in position. All maintenance crews please make your final analysis and evacuate the prototype room as soon as possible; science team, T minus three minutes to device initialization."
As radiation failsafe mechanisms fell into place, the lights were dimmed in the laboratory to offer the group a better view of the test. With the seconds slowly passing by, the hum of electricity grew ever louder from the gargantuan device sitting just meters away from their consoles. One minute finally passed, and then the second came and went without much grandeur. All the while the machine, encased in thick concrete walls and lead tempered safety glass, seemed impatient; it looked as if it was a dog chained… yearning to break free yet held back by a firm invisible hand.
As the experiment timer ticked past the thirty second mark, the device began to hum loudly and steadily prepare for its inevitable test run. Deep within its bowels, the enormous power of eight nuclear reactors began to course through the drive's circuitry. As the charge began to grow, a deep purple aura surrounded the laboratory while parts of the device began to glow in bright shades of white. Above the researcher's heads, the public address system kicked in for one final time, "Automation controls set, duration of test has been activated for one minute and thirty seconds. Quantum flux to propagate in five, four, three, two..."
The device chamber was engulfed in a brilliant flash of white while the power of four billion watts of unbridled energy began to pour out of the machine. On the far side of the drive room a flat and hazy circular portal was steadily growing, much to the fascination of the scientists. As dozens of cameras recorded this event for posterity, a small probe no larger than a third of a meter across was gently eased into the flat blue disc. Propelled by forces of physics not yet understood, the probe instantaneously began to transmit data of its surroundings. Much to the surprise of the group, the probe's radio transmissions could pass through the barrier without any difficulty.
Somewhere in a remote section of space light years away from Schultaria Prime, the probe began to intensively photograph its surroundings and transmit the star fields back to the waiting science team. Meanwhile, the probe also contained several passengers designed to determine if traversing the unknown was safe for living creatures. All during this time, the bonds linking Schultaria Prime and this remote location in space slowly began to degrade. Rotating on its axis, the earth remained steadfast in its orbit much to the dismay of the machine. With more power being drained to sustain the connection, the Haarvekord drive began to shake violently along with the lab and the majority of Eldaimovey. Any seismometers would have instantly noticed a spike in normally stable Schultaria Prime; while moderate by earthquake standards, the vibrations were simply too much for the research team to handle.
Sarnow, waving his arms violently, yelled, "For god's sake, pull the plug! The rest of the test was a success, just abort the damn thing already!"
The rest of the team obliged, cutting the drive's power and ending the test prematurely by little more than twenty seconds. However, they knew their test had been a success; with the data acquired in those fateful seventy seconds, a wealth of knowledge had been gained that would take years to examine fully. Meanwhile an automated emissary of Schultaria Prime drifted through space, its mission done, but life far from over.
IC:
Eldaimovey Advanced Research Laboratories: Project Block R-19
Amidst the din of computers and cooling equipment, half a dozen engineers and physicists paced nervously in the lobby of an anonymous research complex clustered on the south end of the expansive Eldaimovey campus. The anticipation of the group was quickly boiling from excitement to the point of fanaticism; after so many years working with nameless and faceless calculations, these twelve Schultarian scientists were eager to see the fruits of their labor come to life. Luckily for them, their patience and diligence had not gone unnoticed by the Schultarian scientific establishment and their patrons in the national government. What secrets awaited the group was surely the stuff of legend in Schultaria Prime, but even those brilliant twelve only had an inkling of what they had created.
Eagerly awaiting their colleagues while still deep within the recesses of Project Block R-19, Professor Douglass Kronsen and Director Sarnow Haarvekord took the time to reflect on their accomplishments. Nearly sixteen years and eight months had passed since Schultaria Prime's first great trial against academia was passed and in that time the nation had rebuilt its culture and scientific ethos. However, whatever progress had been earned over the last decade and six years was still tempered by the nine thousand families who had suffered from losing their loved ones. Even as the experiment of a lifetime was at hand, both professors weighed the situation heavily in their minds.
"If only Tomar was here to see what we've accomplished, he might have seen his lifelong dreams come true," sighed Haarvekord as he stared at the object which had taken nearly twelve decades of design and research to complete.
Kronsen let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, but he would have complained constantly about the money we poured into this device. He was a penny pincher and you know it, but at least you knew that once he had a goal in mind he set to it." Taking out a small flask, the elder academician took a hearty gulp and gasped in relish of his drink, "I swear this liquor gets even more potent every time I drink it."
"Probably because your liver's finally starting to cave from the alcohol."
While the two gabbed about times gone by, the remainder of the research team had already filed into the darkened laboratory. Unpacking their equipment, Haarvekord and Kronsen gathered to meet their colleagues. As the remainder of their equipment was being set up, Director Haarvekord pulled a chair and sat in front of the gathered research team.
"Let me just say for the record that without your efforts over the last fifteen years, this project might have never seen the light of day. The raw talent of this research team, coupled with our diehard work ethic and willingness of self-sacrifice, has made possible something that no one academician in this nation ever thought possible, save for my grandfather. This test today will finally bring to light whether or not Schultaria's last one hundred and twenty years of scientific development have proven sufficient enough to bring this device to light. However I digress; let Doctor Kronsen and I show you the fruits of our combined research."
With a careful flip of the wrist, a tarp hung on a far wall of the laboratory was removed. In a flash, the wall was covered in a giant computer display flashing a schematic unlike the research team had ever seen before.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/emschultz/Core1.jpg
"This device, the fortieth and final invention of Kevem Haarvekord, has finally been brought to light thanks to your diligent efforts. What you see before you is the basis for a device that manipulates quantum fluctuations on a macroscopic scale. In essence, we have built a device which could conceivably manipulate the processes of quantum tunneling to such a degree as to commute lengths of travel and sometimes negate spatial distances altogether."
Professor Kronsen cleared this throat, "Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is something thought nigh impossible by our knowledge of physics nearly a decade ago. With this device, we just might be able to commute the laws of space-time and develop machines with capabilities of traveling through the vastness of the cosmos at rates exceeding the speed of light."
An audible gasp filled the room...
-----
Recovering from their shock, the dozen scientists made their way around the spacious, if albeit spartanly furnished laboratory. Thick concrete walls and heavy gauge reinforced glass separated the experiment from its creators, and for good reason. Even after nearly a decade's worth of supercomputer testing all they were really able to determine about the device was that it would operate and could possibly manipulate space as well. Exactly what it would do once it was activated, nobody chanced a guess; for the science team this was a literal shot in the dark, but everyone knew no amount of pre-testing could substitute a proper experiment. Over the public address system, the voice of Doctor Kronsen pierced the air in a canned metallic voice.
"Capacitors have been fully charged and the test probe is in position. All maintenance crews please make your final analysis and evacuate the prototype room as soon as possible; science team, T minus three minutes to device initialization."
As radiation failsafe mechanisms fell into place, the lights were dimmed in the laboratory to offer the group a better view of the test. With the seconds slowly passing by, the hum of electricity grew ever louder from the gargantuan device sitting just meters away from their consoles. One minute finally passed, and then the second came and went without much grandeur. All the while the machine, encased in thick concrete walls and lead tempered safety glass, seemed impatient; it looked as if it was a dog chained… yearning to break free yet held back by a firm invisible hand.
As the experiment timer ticked past the thirty second mark, the device began to hum loudly and steadily prepare for its inevitable test run. Deep within its bowels, the enormous power of eight nuclear reactors began to course through the drive's circuitry. As the charge began to grow, a deep purple aura surrounded the laboratory while parts of the device began to glow in bright shades of white. Above the researcher's heads, the public address system kicked in for one final time, "Automation controls set, duration of test has been activated for one minute and thirty seconds. Quantum flux to propagate in five, four, three, two..."
The device chamber was engulfed in a brilliant flash of white while the power of four billion watts of unbridled energy began to pour out of the machine. On the far side of the drive room a flat and hazy circular portal was steadily growing, much to the fascination of the scientists. As dozens of cameras recorded this event for posterity, a small probe no larger than a third of a meter across was gently eased into the flat blue disc. Propelled by forces of physics not yet understood, the probe instantaneously began to transmit data of its surroundings. Much to the surprise of the group, the probe's radio transmissions could pass through the barrier without any difficulty.
Somewhere in a remote section of space light years away from Schultaria Prime, the probe began to intensively photograph its surroundings and transmit the star fields back to the waiting science team. Meanwhile, the probe also contained several passengers designed to determine if traversing the unknown was safe for living creatures. All during this time, the bonds linking Schultaria Prime and this remote location in space slowly began to degrade. Rotating on its axis, the earth remained steadfast in its orbit much to the dismay of the machine. With more power being drained to sustain the connection, the Haarvekord drive began to shake violently along with the lab and the majority of Eldaimovey. Any seismometers would have instantly noticed a spike in normally stable Schultaria Prime; while moderate by earthquake standards, the vibrations were simply too much for the research team to handle.
Sarnow, waving his arms violently, yelled, "For god's sake, pull the plug! The rest of the test was a success, just abort the damn thing already!"
The rest of the team obliged, cutting the drive's power and ending the test prematurely by little more than twenty seconds. However, they knew their test had been a success; with the data acquired in those fateful seventy seconds, a wealth of knowledge had been gained that would take years to examine fully. Meanwhile an automated emissary of Schultaria Prime drifted through space, its mission done, but life far from over.