'City of Fresno'

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Probably, but perhaps not replaceable for multiple years to come, and may be required more urgently by others...

This consideration applies to Jake, too. Something of which he is very much aware...
quote:
I cued both my Med-augments. One spun my pulse etc up towards 'Fight or Flight'. The other began pumping pheromone-specific anti-toxins into my blood-stream. I knew the metabolic price I'd pay for my urgent double-header. Still, push come to shove, this was gonna hurt 'Mater' Harris and her crew a lot worse than it hurt me.
/

[jemhouston]

Jake is smart enough to know that limited resources are on hand and doing his best to use them wisely. He's also trying to more resources.

'Mater' Harris doesn't realize that and thinks the old rules apply.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #81

Before reaction set in, I was able to complete the 'familiarisation' session, guide those trundling my re-crated 'Big Mac' back to the corridor outside our suite. After thanking my delighted volunteers, I dragged in the crates, closed the door. Then I took two fast steps, up-chucked in the nearer hand-bowl. Again. Rinse and spit. Rinse and spit. Gargle and spit. By slow, wary stages, drink a half-litre of water.

Having bought time, I down-loaded my recording, attached a copy of file to a terse text-mail I hastily composed, sent them to Doctor Meredith, marked 'Medical Confidential: URGENT'.

I could not spare medical augment resources to ease this adrenalin 'crash', I'd have to 'tough it out'. So, slump on crate, put head in trembling hands. Sob.

Which is how Anne-Marie found me, about half an hour later.

"I heard," she said. "Your 'Harris' take-down is all over 'Fresno' ! Now, Jake, you need some serious 'TLC': Strip, lay on the lower bunk. Face down.."

Slowly, carefully, my beloved partner drove strong fingers into my skinny shoulders, nape, spine, ribs, pelvis and thighs. Nerve centre by nerve centre, muscle group by muscle group, she reduced my trembling body to limp jelly.

Then she rolled me onto my back, touched me *here* and *there*. She hard-docked, clenched her strong abdominal muscles. Coherent thought fled...

My adrenalin crash thus purged, Anne-Marie half-carried me into our en-suite cubicle. The shower revived me enough to tenderly wash-cloth her familiar curves. Dried, dressed, we spooned together on the bunk.

"Did you record Harris' take-down ?" She thought to ask. "As evidence ?"

"Oh, yes. Given CCTV coverage was, um, uncertain, and Harris' followers might only confirm her version of events. Would you like to hear the file ?"

"You have to ask ?? Play it, Jake !" She laughed then, after my, 'Now, go away: I have a essential training session to run...', bid, "Again ! And again !!

"Oh, Jake ! 'Aboard which ship, you are currently a reluctant passenger' ! And, yes, 'Have you considered 'Food-Taster' ?' " She segued into giggles. "Then you hack her 'stink-pot' !"

"But I didn't," I gently corrected. "That would be un-ethical: I just secured its 'Admin' access. Info's gone to Fresno's Doctor Meredith. His problem, now..."

"You're too kind." Anne-Marie shook her head like a barn-cat with a rat, reminding me of Kipling's timeless caution about, 'Deadlier Than The Male'. "Much too kind..."

"While I have such options," I allowed. "Funny thing: Her 'User' menu took a long, vocal password--"

"One of those standard phrases she uses to open prayer meetings and sermons ?"

"Probably..." I sought wary words. "But it also takes an eight-digit code."

"That's logical," Anne-Marie agreed. "In case of vocal incapacity. So, what's the significance ?"

"Well, just struck me that the Admin sys-log showed that code often gets used. Which is a bit odd, as neither 'Mater' Harris nor her Acolytes have anything to do with comms or tech beyond the bare minimum."

"Hmm," Anne-Marie muttered. "Yes, before their cabins and meal-times switched, I noticed Harris' utter aversion to the Diner's menu system. Her Deputy ordered, collected..."

"I put it down to 'Mater' Harris craving personal service," I worked through the logic. "But the Deputy has a generic, belt-slung data-pad. Must use it for scheduling and other administration."

"Hmm ?" Anne-Marie had a fair map of my wits' oft-wry workings. "You think there's more ? The Deputy's been playing Harris and her stink-pot like ruddy bag-pipes ??"

"I hope not. But..."

"Fook." Anne-Marie put more venom into that one word than a dojo strike. "Jake, I can't even begin to figure the implications. The Gillespies might, but..

"Jake, you gotta warn Doc. Meredith ! And Lt. Richards ! The Deputy --I don't know her name, either !-- could be some sick mix of 'Dark Triad' and full-on 'Psycho' !"

[jemhouston]

Another unneeded problem just popped up.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #82

Our 'evening' meal was a thoughtful affair. I needed the fuel. Anne-Marie was trying to figure the consequences of 'Mater' Harris' Deputy possibly being her puppet-master. Well, we'd warned Doc. Meredith and Lt. Richards, it was their problem now. Awed looks and whispers from other Diners proved I'd made the news again. We took an early night, close-cuddled pleasantly...

About 'midnight' our time, my Nav' augment half-woke me with report that Fresno was no longer braking. We'd arrived at the iceteroid ? I smiled, rolled over, re-spooned...

Breakfast was, of course, un-inspiring. The gossip, though, was all about 'Mater' Harris. After my clinical 'take-down' yesterday, 'something' had happened over-night in her crowded suite. Just after Fresno's gentle braking had ceased, there'd been a loud commotion. Duty Steward, two urgently called assistants, then Doc. Meredith and a Paramedic had attended. A 'slight' figure had left by gurney, oxygen mask attached. Much speculation ensued...

Almost un-watched, one of the Diner's display screens showed the vigorous out-gassing as the first of two 'Cwm Fahr' ice-slices was briskly cooked. Seems the gleaners had shaved my default template's wary margins, cut this juicy pair a bit longer, a bit wider. The sub-text claimed each massed about thirty-seven kilo-tonnes so, combined, would likely yield twenty-five kilo-tonnes of water.

Exceedingly pleased, Anne-Marie went off to her 'Ponics. I mustered some of this morning's 'Hard Suit' students as 'Big Mac' porters for what proved an un-interrupted familiarisation session. There'd be a second class after lunch, so the makings could wait in the room. Steward Ms. Lindstrom was happy. She'd compounded 'Mater' Harris' woes by registering a formal complaint for incitement of yesterday's 'Disgraceful Behaviour'. Citing 'Medical Confidentiality', though, she politely declined to detail over-night developments.

According to my terse log, I then alternated one and two training sessions each day. The 'twos' were 'Hard Suit' basics, for familiarisation and future 'Support Staff'. The 'ones' got serious: Although I had to 'bump' several down to the 'second echelon', at least for now, the rest of the lead team were rapidly progressing towards 'vac-rated'.

Meanwhile, the iceteroid gleaners were keeping both large and small processing plants at full capacity. As soon as any pair of 'catch tanks' became available, a Rock Tug would scoot off, return later that day with another pair of chunks. The 'slicers' were progressively honing their skills, further crowding my default template's ample margins: Each chunk was now nearing forty kilo-tonne so, with deeper gleans even 'juicier', a pair delivered between twenty-five and thirty kilo-tonnes of water.

This wasn't going to the 'Ponics, as Anne-Marie now had more than enough. In fact, she'd refilled most of the metre-cube 'bedding' IBCs with water to provide a local reserve. No, Fresno was pumping much of our bounty to storage tanks. This created its own problems. Water is 'strange': It is one of the few fluids that, at 'human-tolerant' temperatures and pressures, is denser as liquid than solid. Which is why drink-cubes and ice-bergs float. Yes, under cryogenic and/or mega-pressure conditions, water played by other, very different rules, forming a bizarre zoo of variously crystalline and amorphous forms. But, just brim-filling a tank and letting that freeze was so not a good idea. The 'benign' liquid would freeze and expand unevenly, strain, even burst the tank...

My polite enquiry prompted chuckles. Seems there was an easy fix: Never mind wasteful air-bags, spacers or fusillade from monstrous ice-cuboid machine, the trick was to spray super-cooled water into a chilled tank. Meeting cold surface, it expanded to ice, stuck. In effect, forming a huge, inside-out hail-stone...

[jemhouston]

I like that fix, simple and elegant.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #83

My sessions of 'Hard Suit' training and support, plus refresher sessions on 'Soft' and 'Skin-suit' wear, reached the stage where we could 'Get Real'. Re-arranging some of the off-axis air-lock sections of a mostly-stripped evac pod gave us two micro-g vacuum 'Play Rooms'. They were big enough to move within, while Fresno's slow 'Barbeque Roll' gave them a whiff of 'Up & Down' comparable to surface conditions on our iceteroid. Also, they had little-enough volume for their multiple dump-valves to re-pressurise within moments: Faster, in fact, than all but the most catastrophic suit failure. Fast enough for even such to be survivable...

Rather than mess about with actual iceteroid material, due temperature, out-gassing and dust, each 'Play-Room' had three planters of 'Ponic bedding granules. Though not ideal, I reckoned the stuff 'near enough' to iceteroid surface texture and resistance to learn placement of safety flags and lines. I taught that every job could be different, that each hole might have very different characteristics. 'Due Care' was essential. Plus, yes, we'd watched, analysed all my suit-cam and tug footage of my work: We agreed even fifty metres separation could provide a significantly different 'Terroir', ranging from 'Amusing' unto 'Terror'...

Fresno's small shuttle-craft were a poor fit for iceteroid surface conditions. The work-pods, though very powerful, were too small to provide 'surface support' for several suited figures and their handlers. Another feature of those multi-ported evac pods now came into play. Rather than land one on the iceteroid, it had been noted that their fairly short axial locks were yet a sufficiently larger diameter and length than each 'off-axis' lock module. Such that, with a part-stripped evac module temporarily dismounted from its axial mounting between a pair of 'legs', a succession of 'off-axis' lock modules could be passed through. Linked end-on, these became a pair of 'mini-habs' which we then attached to work-pods, creating improvised crew-buses: Isn't modularity wonderful ??

For most of my students, it was their first time 'outside' beyond safety-suit training on stations, moons or 'minor planets'. Also, we were out in the 'Deep and Dark', more than a light-year from the nearest star. Yes, Fresno was 'overhead', lit like a star cluster. Still, that only made our spatial isolation so much more apparent. Remembering my rock-hopper training's initial awe, I gave the group ample time to move about, peer into the deep channels gouged by our rock-tug gleaning, accidentally bounce to the limit of their safety lines.

Then, very warily, we practiced using the 'Blaster' at low power, getting a feel for the oft-unpredictable results. Two 'zaps' found pockets of juicy volatile enrichment, their out-bursts harmless but educational. Rather than my 50-metre 'pylons' which broke into ground-car sized chunks, the students each cut several dozen-metre bergy-bits. And, as arranged, a rock-tug came along, scooped those into a collection tank. Beyond the always awesome sight of any 'looming' rock-tug, it meant my students had the satisfaction of seeing the process through. Though the quantity of iceteroid thus gleaned was minimal compared to Fresno's now-replenished stock, we'd resolved the risk of my loss as a 'Single Point of Failure'.

'Cwm Fahr', though well-handled, seemed less 'nimble' than with Ms. Betrys at the helm. I reckoned our surface outing was also being used as a 'Junior Tugger' training exercise. Certainly, initial hyper-wary manoeuvres rapidly became more fluid. Then, presumably after hand-overs, they thrice reverted to clunky before improving again. Yes, they surely had excellent simulations, but there's nothing quite like doing it for real...

With our 'Away Team' carefully de-dusted, the two 'crew-buses' ferried us back to Fresno. I would not say that Suit-wearers and Handlers were on 'Cloud Nine', but they were certainly thrilled. Yes, word would 'go around'. Suit-cam and other footage of 'spurts' and 'gleans' would soon be playing for all to marvel, applaud. Morale would gain a useful up-tick. And, yes, I'd be doing this again tomorrow.

Tonight, though, my beloved Anne-Marie was waiting for me with that certain twinkle in her eyes...

[jemhouston]

Good days work.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #84

Day after day, group after group, our suit-rated numbers grew. The 'B' team were brought up to speed, our 'Handlers' rewarded by wary outings. With those early training 'drop-outs' now kicking themselves and tug-crews' ice-slicer training apparently complete, the last glean from this iceteroid was processed to storage, my marker poles retrieved.

Fresno now had a lot of water-ice, assorted basic volatile chemicals and those fractal minerals tamed to granules or pellets. Although some materials had priority as 'Ponic supplements, most were just stored. Meanwhile, a dozen ad-hoc groups, progressively re-booting and extending varied levels of 'College Chemistry', were trawling Fresno's library for our gleans' potential uses. To her surprise, Ms. Betrys found herself tutoring people twice her age.

Process by process, reaction by reaction, these groups were slowly, slowly building a multi-dimensional map of what we could easily do with these primary, zero-tier chemicals. What key catalysts and/or processes would readily extend this range of first-tier products ? What could be done with such 'probables' and 'possibles' ? Though initially sparse, like assembling trails across a vast jig-saw puzzle, or a braided stream-front advancing across desert playa, they were building a wide 'web' of links towards complexity and useful materials. Also, if possible, flagging where waste / congeners from one process could be another's potential feed-stock.

I noted a fun analogy with cave geology: While stalagmites grew upwards from the floor, stalactites gradually grew down from the ceiling. The target was 'Just Connect'.

In parallel, other groups were studying the minerals. Beyond the major constituents, what else was there, and how to extract ? 'Cross-pollination' was encouraged: Some 'tier' syntheses could use such as catalysts, while some extractions required chemical solvents and/or reagents.

Plus a 'joker': Bio-leaching. Some bacteria / fungi / plants could bio-concentrate specific elements. Bacterial generation times being very short, such might be selectively bred, deployed...

At last, we were done with our iceteroid. Rock-Tug 'Cooberra' in 'Push-Me-Pull-You' mode led the way out, sending dust, grit and icy crystals wild and wide. Fresno followed at an appropriate distance. As the debris thinned, both craft could gently accelerate. Still, took three full days to near 'clean' space, then another to be sure. With 'Cooberra' returned to their docked hab, Fresno worked up to a ¼-g for a full day while the engineers again checked flight systems.

Fresno had left the iceteroid in the general direction of our next mapping leg. Lt. Svenson mentioned that lay towards a middle-distant 'Field Star', whose 'Line of Sight' spectroscopy showed no gas-clouds or other mascons en-route. So, the following morning, after the usual meagre breakfast, a 'net-down' was announced. Carefully, very carefully, Fresno engaged FTL-mode, gradually accelerated. Warily, velocity held far below the ship's maximum, this skew light-year leg would take more than three weeks.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #85

Anne-Marie and I both spent the transit time training our specialities. Both of us had far more applicants than course places. Her 'Ponics were growing well, with recruitment now down to 'Routine Operators'. Some, previously 'bumped' from higher levels, were humbly trying again. With time and demonstrated industry, even they would be eligible for promotion. Again, I alternated one and two daily sessions of 'Hard Suit' training. We had those extended locks for 'vacuum experience', the fun footage of those iceteroid gleaners 'finding their feet'.

Meanwhile, Fresno's Doc. Meredith and medical colleagues ran introductory and refresher 'First Aid' courses. Fresno's Engineers used their 'Bistro' machine-tool facilities to craft some 'basic' work-shop equipment. They began training the rudiments of semi-manual lathe and mill-drill-press operation. Part of the course was making both frame and precision components for more equipment. Yes, Fresno's tech 'boot-strap' had begun.

Significantly, each student also made components for several weapons. These were more than our discussed 'spin' and 'air' guns. I'd expected those, but not cross-bows and 'harpoon' throwers, too. Seems there were others aboard Fresno with a wicked turn of mind...

A scheduled, post-breakfast 'net-down' returned Fresno to 'normal space' without incident. We were still a full light-year from any star, so it took careful comparison of accumulating scans to spot the local systems' modest parallax shifts. This direction, this skew 'leg' had been chosen to 'fill in' most of the coverage gaps from the first 'leg'. Fortunately, even this limited offset progressively resolved several ambiguities. Three mid-distance binaries flagged as 'very odd' were now clearly 'line of sight' due alignment of 'local' vs 'field' stars.

Lt. Svenson's formal report was un-exciting: Yes, those 'strange binaries' were now confidently resolved as 'Optical Doubles'. A few 'strange singles' had split to 'close' or 'spectroscopic' binaries. Given three angles, Doppler spectra' 'Sin(i)' variations confirmed several 'systems of interest' held 'Hot Jupiters' or close dwarf-star companions. Though not definitive, system variety being truly remarkable, such proximity probably excluded terrestrial planets in their habitable zones. As yet, such were below Fresno's sensor sensitivity threshold. There seemed no gas-giants or mega-worlds in said hab-zones that might harbour a terrestrial mega-moon. And, as yet, no evidence of civilisation, mega-industry or local 'exotica'...

Almost the only memorable feature of that 'hiatus' was an announcement by our Diner System's 'Reverse Engineers'. Rock-Tug 'Cooberra's excellent documentation and menu-editor for their older 'food printer' was indeed sufficiently compatible to readily adapt. Taken a while, significantly longer than hoped, to thrice cross-check and stress-test everything every-which-way, to be sure, to be sure, but we'd soon see significant improvements.

Now, to begin, the new option of a *very* small squidge of traditional, brown 'Onion Relish' ! Okay, such 'HP Sauce™' wasn't much, but Chapparal's two undelivered cargo pods of 'Gifts and Goodies' had several IBCs of concentrate, with no previous way to dispense: Bon Appetit !!

[jemhouston]

Things are looking up. I hope it will continue, but probably not.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #86

Another post-breakfast 'net-down' launched Fresno along the third mapping leg. As before, it provided time for training, training, training. Anne-Marie and I did refresher 'First Aid' courses to belatedly renew our certification. Doc. Meredith quizzed my Medical augments' facilities, and also my mention that I'd done some micro-g surgery as a 'Rock Hopper'. He chuckled at my comment that I'd the easy part, as 'hoovering' splashes and spillage took 'seriously nimble' foot-work by the rest of the crew...

In confidence, Doc. Meredith told us that 'Mater' Harris' benighted Deputy had succumbed to her injuries. Officially, Desinda Brown slipped in their second en-suite, suffered an unfortunate, most unlikely cervical mishap: Terrible bad luck !! In fact, she'd contrived to 'mostly' hang herself. Brain-damaged by that partial asphyxia, she did not regain consciousness, could not be questioned. However, foul-play was not suspected. Grief-stricken and, like the rest of her group, now slowly being 'withdrawn' from their benighted Deputy's pheromone addiction, 'Mater' Harris agreed to 'Donate The Body To Science'.

In practice, this meant the hapless young woman was totally dismantled, her organs, eggs, bones, marrow, corneas, skin, other tissues and blood stored 'against need'.

Oh, and while we were there, would we care to donate a 'Unit' each ??

In return for our discretion, Doc. Meredith pulled in a favour, got both of us onto an Engineers' 'welding' course.

Then, yes, it was back to training, training, training. I did not ask Anne-Marie how the 'Ponics progressed, simply speed-read spread-sheets and Gantt charts over her shoulder. Everything was 'safely on track', with a wary margin for 'Murphys'...

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

City of Fresno #87

Our fourth mapping location was again a clear light-year from anywhere. The skew parallax made scant difference to most of Lt. Svenson's prior findings. It certainly tightened the 'Sin(i)' envelopes on several 'interesting' stars' Doppler variations, gave narrower ranges for their 'Hot Jupiters' and 'close companions'. These, in turn, shifted the orbital constraints on those systems' possible 'mid-distance, mid-sized' planets, potentially in hab-zone but currently below Fresno's sensor threshold.

As planned, Fresno would continue mapping from this fourth location rather longer than our stays at the second and third. Non-systematic errors due to 'observational noise' tend to cancel as the 'square-root' of sample count. Down-side, each incremental 'confidence sigma' takes much, much longer to accrue. But, with a bit of luck, some of those systems might show a 'transit'. This would 'nail' the 'inner' orbital plane, collapse 'Sin(i)' envelopes, firm-up much other data. Such included star rotation and activity, both 'sensitive' issues...

And, yes, all such data gradually narrowed the parameter envelopes of possible / probable sub-Jovian / sorta-Saturnian gas-giants that would suit gas-mining...

To much applause, Diners' menu options added a 'small' portion of 'Chive and Garnish Salad'. This gave a long awaited, near-wondrous upgrade to texture and flavour. The FAQ mentioned 'Chive and Potato Salad' would 'soon' follow. As yet, though, the 'Ponics still had too few 'Little Potatoes' for a full 'Side/Carb' serving. Plus, yes, there was the vexing issue of size variation...

Unlike a 'standard' City-class 'Spin Drum', these shorter, slimmer berthing modules did not have 'traditional' Diner provision. We had no 'Cordon Bleu', 'Short Order' or even fast-food facilites, never mind the necessary ventilation systems. Trust me: With access to Joe MacDonald's 'ported' plans and blue-prints, we'd looked...

Yes, yes, we could craft 'fume-hoods', smoke and grease filters for 'Trad' cooking ranges, adapt ventilation to mostly re-circulate through such rather than merely extract / replace. We could contrive radiant hobs and grills. The Engineers' familiarity with induction heating for welding, annealing and stress-relief meant even such hobs would not be a problem. Pots, pans, skillets could be spin-formed, handles rivetted and/or welded. We even had a short-list of people who could work such.

But portion and supplement sizes ? Currently, Fresno crew and evacuees did not use 'money'. Yes, Chaparral residents had up-loaded their 'savings'. Yes, us 'Last Train' workers had similarly up-loaded our savings and accrued 'Hazard Pay'. Yes, crew members had their 'employ' logged, credited, as did both Rock-Tugs' family teams as 'Sub-contractors'. Yes, the 'Ponics workers Anne-Marie and her team trained, the 'Evac Pod' strip/build workers etc were like-wise logged. As 'Consultants', Anne-Marie and I were similarly credited although, as yet, the benefits were neither agreed nor apparent. Kudos and 'Goodwill' such as our double-suite seemed the limit. Given Fresno's 'life-boat rules' situation, this was brutally sensible. A 'formal' collapse of our numbers into 'Doers' and 'Dolers' would be disastrous.

With Diner systems now warily 'Reverse Engineered, Tamed and Tethered', that team turned their attention to portion and supplement size variation. Their logical, yet ingenious solution took advantage of un-used vend-machines, currently stored in each Diner's 'Back Room'. There were also 'microwave' ovens with scan-readers, provision for zapping those still-shunned MREs. The team reasoned that slightly 'Under-Weight' portions of eg 'little potatoes' could come with a 'food credit', to be set against future portions that were slightly 'Over-Weight'. How different food types might be credited for each gram or ten above / below 'nominal', even how food-credits might be bought, sold or traded, were better left to cleverer minds and, yes, a 'Mature Bourse'...

Meanwhile, there was the interesting logistical problem of responsibly packaging such variable portions. Urgent searching of 'Berthing Attic' and 'Gifts & Goodies' manifests ensued...

[jemhouston]

Getting interesting