Skip to content
  • Home
  • Archive
  • About
  • Characters
  • World
  • Support
    • Patreon
    • Store

Chapter: Chapter 3: History

  • Eel asked: Bip, why does it take 3 days to transfer back onto your shipboard servers if the original transfer to the phones was presumably a shorter period of time? Bip: Hmmm... why does a direct wireless transfer from a 20 rig server dedicating almost all of its processing power to an upload not compare to the speed of 841 phones attempting a clandestine transfer over a spotty satellite network... Maybe if we put our heads together, we can figure this one out...

    RttS Reader Questions 11

    Dec 26, 2024

  • Montydragon asked: Cheevwut, how do you get ready for the day? Do avians take showers? Clean molted feathers off their beds? Cheevwut: Ugh, I HATE showering. It takes soooo long to dry. I do it like every other week break. I do the powder bath like every morning, though. If I don't I'm chafing by the end of the work day. My feathers I preen out after I get home from work, while I'm watching a show. Sometimes I miss the trash can, but I get them with the hand vac. Eventually.

    RttS Reader Questions 10

    Dec 24, 2024

  • Zuorai asked: Tod and Killian, do you two hang out outside of work? What do you like to do for fun? Tod: Oh, sure. Occasionally. Killian: Pff, occasionally? You invite me over practically every night. Tod: Just when 3D racquetball has a new match. Which reminds me. You still owe me 5 dollars for Enkhee's loss. Killian: Yeah, yeah, yeah. ...I'll pay you back if Rosenbaum's still winning tonight. Tod: Uh huh.

    RttS Reader Questions 9

    Dec 21, 2024

  • Zaratustra asked: Talita, is there a particular reason why do you think Mel is unhelpful? Talita: Well... so... Mel used to work as a regent at the university I attended. Their help was how I was able to get a scholarship that covered most of my cost of living. Which is... pretty expensive in a human colony like Nexus Jovia, and which I definitely couldn't afford at 18 straight out of the foster system. I owe Mel a lot. But... In my freshman year I was getting harassed by this group of kids who... I guess were mad I had a larger room than anyone else in the dorm building? Which was so stupid because like— I am large. It was not a large room for me. Whatever. Teenagers are idiots. But I talked to Mel about it because I was hoping they could do something to help. Mel basically just scolded them and called it a day. The next week, I got back from class to find my room lock had been broken and they'd poured over a dozen gallons of acrylic paint on the bed and desk. I ended up being moved from the dorm to a room connected to a faculty building. Because I could never prove it was those specific kids who did it to Mel, I don't think they ever faced any consequences.

    RttS Reader Questions 8

    Dec 19, 2024

  • TeethBurglar asked: Idrisah and Gillie, what exonyms do Tiiliitian and BFL-2 speakers have for humans? Like how English speakers call them Avians and Bugferrets. Gillie: BFL-2 has an ordered system for naming aliens. Humans are "second alien" or "third person," since bug ferrets encountered us after avians. Though informally I see the name "five fingers" used a lot. Idrisah: Tiiliitian usually refers to us, as uh, "chew eswii." "Chew" just means "person," and "eswii" is an animal from their homeplanet that, um... Gillie: They're so terrible to look at. Idrisah: Don't be mean!! They're a LITTLE cute...

    RttS Reader Questions 7

    Dec 17, 2024

  • Anonymous asked: Yao, Since you use xe/xem pronouns, are you from Mars or a place with lots of tailed spacers? Yao: Oh, both. I grew up on the Deimos loop.

    RttS Reader Questions 6

    Dec 14, 2024

  • LOG 3.1: The Launch Loop Talita: The launch loop is an active structure maglev cable transport system. The upper rail is held 80 kilometers above Dirtball's surface by the momentum of dozens of rotor belts that circulate through the structure. The circulation transfers the weight of the structure onto magnetic bearings at the grounded ends, which support it. Diagram of the end of the launch loop: 30 km wide rail loop radio dome berm wall surrounding rail loop magnetic bearings attached on each side of loop loop access rails ground access rail Talita: In total, it's about 2,700 kilometers long and 80 kilometers tall, and the support rail width is about 60 meters. Quite large! Diagram of a cross section of the launch loop rail: central maglev rail 2 maintenance cables and personnel maglev rails below main rail 7 active support stands support rails for stabilizing payload Diagram of a cross section of an active support strand: 5 rotors per strand Talita: This megastructure was created as an upfront investment by a Tiiliitian mining company, and it paid for itself in ease of exporting billions of tons of metals, rare gases, and heavy water. LOG 3.2: The Skyhook Orbital Tether Diagram: counterweight satellite body 600 km tether The hook, which may be swapped out to pick up different kinds of payloads. orbital direction (path around planet) spin direction (rotation of the entire structure) Attachment Process Diagram: payload accelerates on launch loop rail to the speed of the passing attachment point both traveling 3,800 m/s relative to surface "basket" grapple points extend from hook The RCS (reaction control system) positions baskets over “hitch” attachment points on the payload sled. basket tightens Diagram of Dirtball (aka Ixion III, Shikaviil III): Path of satellite body: a circular orbit around Dirtball Path of hook: A three-lobed path following around the path of the satellite body Talita: Incoming payloads give some of their kinetic energy to the skyhook, which slows them down enough to be safely transferred to the loop’s rail, and the skyhook uses that borrowed kinetic energy to fling outgoing payloads into higher orbit. Talita: The skyhook orbits Dirtball about every 2 hours, and the entire structure slowly spins as it does. The 600 kilometer tether extending from the satellite body passes 80 kilometers above the surface at 3 different points, most importantly over the rail of the launch loop. Payloads are put into support sleds with hitch spurs and are sent up the rail of the launch loop to accelerate up to 3,800 meters per second, the speed of the passing skyhook's attachment point. Idrisah: It's so scary. Talita: (visibly delighted) Everything in aerospace is!

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 109 and 110

    Dec 12, 2024

  • Talita stops speaking abruptly, staring wide-eyed at the ship below as the elevator silently raises her away from it. The empty starry sky fills more and more of the background. Sorrow enters her expression and she brings a hand to her throat, looking back up. Talita: I... I'm sorry. Bip: It's fine. The panel shows the dark puncture wound that ripped through the side of the habitat module. Bip: I didn't expect any of them to make it.

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 107 and 108

    Dec 10, 2024

  • Talita climbs back out of the hole in the habitat wall, carrying her equipment. Talita: How long will the transfer take?  Bip: About 3 days. Any thoughts on other repairs? Talita:  …I'm going back to work. Talk to you later. Talita packs her stuff into a large cart and gets back on the industrial lift. Bip: Talita, can I ask one more question? Talita: (annoyed) What. Bip: Is the emergency boat still docked? She looks down at the ship below, and sees the small spaceplane still attached to one of the docking ports. Talita: Yeah? Wh—

    Runaway to the Stars: Page 106

    Dec 07, 2024

  • Runaway to the Stars: Page 105

    Dec 05, 2024

1 2 3 4
Promotional Banner
© Jay Eaton 2024