Posted Jan. 26, 2021, 3:13 p.m. by Fleet Captain Drudoc Andone (Commanding Officer) (Robert Archer)
[snip]
As the test concluded a few minutes later the computer had little to reveal how the Boridium asteroid had been made naturally. It could confirm the process had been seemingly done naturally but it could not connect the dots how that was possible. It theorized that the laws of matter creation might react differently in this galaxy for reasons not yet known but otherwise it had not much else to give on that front. Further testing on this front and evidence of this theory was needed though.
That said were the crew to devise a Boridium based generator they had a rock to process power through it for quite some time, roughly three months or so assuming they didnt put undue strain on the ship. While they couldn’t go to warp with it they could move the ship at their usual clip at sublight.
GM CockRoach
Claude returned to the geology lab and its most unassuming occupant, the big piece of boridium that had decided to join them on their trip to… well, wherever they were.
Fayth had said not to waste anything due to limited energy supplies. Maybe this rock was a blessing in disguise. In the Alpha Quadrant boridium was stable in its inert form but it was discovered that in its radioactive form could be used to power small devices.
A seed of an idea was being planted. Claude would need to do some research and run some simulations to be sure if it was viable, …but maybe this rock could help them out here.
- Genard
Caelian stepped from the turbolift, nodded politely to the pair of waiting officers. His mind still whirring, he almost bumped into a woman as he turned into the main corridor. He muttered an apology, of course, before moving on. His mother would have had no less. Caelian swallowed around a pang of loss at the thought. So far away, he sighed. But no less far away than yesterday. He paused at a display, had the computer queue up the route to the science labs. That needed to be his focus right now: what he could do.
Plenty of time to worry about what you can’t do after you’ve done all you can, he sighed wryly to himself. We haven’t even been here a full day yet. Still plenty of possibilities.
It was possibility that had dragged him down to the science labs, had pushed him through the door into the sterile space. There was at least one person that he could see hard at work. What displays he could see from the doorway flickered as they processed whatever query they’d been given, information flowing like amber water down the screens. He’d always been fond of the sciences in his own way, more of a hobbyist than a part of who he was. Caelian preferred to know what he could do with the universe, wasn’t merely content to know how it worked. Yet there was a synergy there that he had to accept, applied himself well enough that the two worked in harmony to get things done.
He stepped up to a polite distance behind the man he saw, enough in his peripheral that he wouldn’t startle him. Hopefully. Caelian thought he’d recognized him from the corridor where his team had repaired the breach. His smile slipped a bit, but only just. Shifting the toolkit in his hand into a more comfortable position, he cleared his throat politely.
Sensing the presence behind him, Claude turned as the young officer spoke.
“Excuse me, sir. I was told this was where our boridium guest is staying. If you folks don’t need the whole thing for analysis, I’d like to take a sample down to Engineering to run some tests.”
—Caelian Weir, Engineer—
“Engineering?!!” Claude’s face brightened considerably at the news of the newcomers role aboard the ship. His expression and demeanor totally changed from intense introverted researcher to excited child. “You’re just the person I need to talk to.”
Snapping his fingers his face scrunched as he attempted to recall the Engineering’s name. “Wiggings…Wondo…Where…Weir! Weir that’s it” Motioning with his hands he called the man over to his station. “Please come over. I need your input. I think I understand this but it’s not my field of expertise.”
“I was asked to research this asteroid and in doing so I had a wild idea that might just help The Ark Angel while we are…well where ever we are.” Pointing to the images and diagrams on the wall monitor, Claude continued his theory, “In the Alpha Quadrant, boridium is used as a power supply component usually in small scale devices and applications. But the concept is the same. Boridium has similar radioactive qualities to uranium, and as such it can be a more safer substitute for the highly radioactive uranium.”
“Our impulse drive is powered by a fusion reaction using deuterium as the main fuel source. This heavy hydrogen mixture is the main source of the fusion reaction, but it still needs the basic uranium 238 to create the fusion reaction. My idea is to supplement this natural boridium instead of the uranium. I have been running simulations that look promising but I don’t know the quirks or side effects of this ‘natural’ boridium. As you know, our power reactors not only power our Impulse engines, but supply a reliable back up power through the ship. Heck, with all of the boridium on that asteroid field, we might be able to power the impulse engines solely on them. If I can figure out the variances…”
Finishing his soliloquy Claude anxiously looked over at Weir; “So, Weir, as and Engineer, am I just spitting into the wind or can this work?
- Genard
Looking at the run of simulations processing across the screens and feeds, Weir could see the foundations of ideas for power generation. It was certainly doable for impulse reactions with proper modifications and appropriate energy compensators and shunts. The biggest hurdle really was finding the right flow and reaction pattern to avoid blowouts.
GM CockRoach
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