It might mean that he intended for it to be easily reparable. Maybe he wanted to be able to fix it easily later. It does seem pretty dangerous. If it got turned around on him in your little game of chess he might need to reverse it quickly.

It might also means that he's planning on taking over the ship and using it for something. That would be a good reason to keep sabotage easily repairable.

Nod 2011/09/02(Fri)13:28 No. 344938 ID: 363774
File 131499530669.png - (16.21KB , 441x616 , 221.png )

The care taken here is surprising considering the mess in the Maintenance Bay. Assuming solder means he did both, then the whacking at the walls probably happened later when he was less concerned about reversibility.

A good thief, assassins, or kidnapper would want to leave as little evidence of a visit as possible.

Anyway, with nothing else outside I might as well shut the door... works perfectly, but makes things awfully dark.

"Are the Storage Bay lights working?"

"Yes."

"Turn them on."

Oh. I've been in this exact spot before... and I remember the captain's voice.

I closed the door after I'd unloaded the skiff with its Waldo and was getting a basic interview. She's listening to music, something with a heavy beat, and she's sharing some inside joke with someone else in the room. He keeps making fun of her questions and it always sounds like she's just about to laugh. I feel like I remember it all but the details are gone, like waking from a dream.

Uhm, anyway. What's next?

Next is fixing the vacuum issue.

>>344938
Fan room?

fan room

Fan room!

Nod 2011/09/03(Sat)09:40 No. 345190 ID: 363774
File 131506805289.png - (20.49KB , 441x616 , 222.png )

There's no issue with recharging safety in a Mitsubishi since she checks composition anyway and would reject a bunch of neon, carbon monoxide, or hydrogen cyanide. Plus it'd be a big hassle to change the gas in a recharging station takes since it's hooked into the oxygen system rather than some other series of tubes.

Oh handy, there's a screen by the Fan Room door: "Display the maintenance map here."

Alright, assuming Ekaatma is honest and correct about the open airlock being the sole breech in the hull, I could theoretically start re-pressurizing now, but it'd be slow without mechanical assistance.

Alternately I could try to fix whatever is wrong with the vent (he was unclear) and then pressurize the Fan Room and use its power to re-establish circulation, refilling the Storage Bay a lot faster.

All of which assumes there's not something wrong with the machines themselves. He said these other two problems were just vacuum warnings, but there's no easy way to test a fan when it hasn't got any air in it.

>>345190
The worry wasn't so much messing with the gas mix, but rather foreign objects hidden in the valve. Foreign objects such as a small quantity of shock-activated adhesive, for example.
>(he was unclear)
Ask him to clarify. No good trying to fix the wrong problem.

Nod 2011/09/03(Sat)22:07 No. 345344 ID: 363774
File 131511285526.png - (12.36KB , 441x616 , 223.png )

He doesn't theorize very well, but I can get him to run some tests... or I could go check it out myself. Or both.

"Ekaatma, close the vent between the Fan Room and the Storage Bay."

"That vent mechanism is closed, but its seal is incomplete."

"Cycle it open and then closed again." That might dislodge something.

"Seal remains incomplete."

Hm, the cover is removed... and missing. Ah yeah, I can see the valve from here. Looks like it got whacked with a pole or something and the edge is bent. I could probably fit through this duct if I didn't have the helmet and airpack, but for now it's beyond my reach.

Examine the "?" labelled note behind you.

>>345344
So, the fast way of doing things has been sabotaged... Would just plain welding something over the vent help things?

check that shit out.

Nod 2011/09/06(Tue)10:52 No. 346025 ID: b5c9ce
File 131533155718.png - (15.77KB , 446x616 , 224.png )

There's no welder here, so I'd have to go find one in Maintenance and haul it out here with an extension cord. I guess I could stuff the hole with something instead, but without an adhesive the air pressure's just going to blow it out...

...well wait, from the other side I could just lay a panel over the vent and let the room fill until the pressure holds it. So I just need to find something wide enough and strong enough to use.

Plenty of supplies around here if I knew where to check. Oh yeah, another flatnote and a symbol I recognize. Writing on the back isn't mine and it looks like Hindi script... which I used to be able to read pretty well. Must have been some curiosity about this box.

>>346025
Well let's use our handy dandy computerized reading glasses on it.

get that note read then open that shit up.

Nod 2012/01/06(Fri)21:43 No. 378064 ID: ab2f34
File 132591501334.png - (14.33KB , 441x616 , 225.png )

"Read this to me."

He does. Apparently the writer thought it was a practical joke by -- weird name "Selsesham" -- and it's listed on the cargo manifest as resistor couplings. Isn't sealed, of course, since somebody already opened it...

...and those aren't electronics.

>>378064
Well that's interesting. You could probably do some work to make a long zipper chain or loop out of these things but that's not too useful.

Are there any zippers in the manifest? Maybe a box got switched. Then again if someone found the zippers to be strange and put a note there, they would've found the switched box and put a note there too.

Are any of the box covers sturdy and big enough to cover the vent? If not we may have to go looking around for other supplies. Or heck, switch tasks to something we can complete.

Um, how about a quick reminder of our task list?

>>378064
>innocuous objects made of fabric & metal
Are there any valuable metals or fibrous materials that someone may wish to smuggle?

>>378064
Dig about in there for anything that isn't zippers.

Nod 2012/01/07(Sat)11:29 No. 378192 ID: ab2f34
File 132596457779.png - (18.53KB , 441x616 , 226.png )

Well if this box lid is reinforced for vacuum seal then it ought to be able to handle the kilopascals. Assuming I can get to the other side of the broken vent, it's just a matter of making sure I've got the right side facing against the pressure.

Don't want to make too much of a mess in the cargo bay, but I might as well give the zippers a little search. No reason not to be thorough.

Sure there are all sorts of metals and fibers one might want to smuggle, but why would you make zippers out of them? Materials aren't illegal, they're just valuable. The extra cost of manufacture would cut into your --

-- this bit isn't a knot of zippers, it's a bag. There's a solid box inside. It won't unzip, though. Essentially one piece of heavy cloth.

Well that's no problem. We just need to get some sharp cutting implements in close proximity your environment suit. Those must be dime a dozen out here in the vacuum of deep space.

>>378192
We should get that open to see what's being smuggled. And yeah, let's try using the box lid. Do we have a clear route to the other side of the vent? Oh wait, we'll need some way to hold the lid in place while the air is pumped too... Won't need much. A magnet maybe?

Anything useful in these nearby boxes?

Nod 2012/01/07(Sat)13:53 No. 378227 ID: ab2f34
File 132597318666.png - (14.04KB , 510x616 , 227.png )

The cutter I brought with me is more suited for struts or paneling. Using it would probably damage whatever's inside. Better to wait and find a razor or some shears back in the Kitchen. It'll wait until then while I try to block up the other side of the vent.

The Fan Room door unlocks and opens, but even though it's dark inside I can feel a wave of infrared before the suit adjusts. Something in there is hot.

"Turn on the lights in the Fan Room."

"The lights are on."

Oh good.

can your suit track it?

>>378227
Stand in the doorway and swivel that palmlight about. Any sign of burn damage?

>>378227
Ask Ekaatma if they can tell what's hot- wait no that is unreliable due to sabotaged systems and such.

...if something in there is really hot, and the room's been vented of air, maybe it was vented of air to keep a fire from spreading. We'll need to make sure fixing this issue is a good idea before we actually fix it, I think.

Would there happen to be any infrared goggles on board? Laser-pointer thermometer?

Nod 2012/01/07(Sat)17:25 No. 378311 ID: 7f7745
File 132598594617.png - (7.99KB , 510x616 , 228.png )

Looks like some large machinery and a lot of ducts. I can feel the heat on my face through the globe. It's coming from almost directly in front of me.

Yes, a fire would explain a lot -- opening the airlock, for instance -- there's no scorches on anything. In fact, nothing seems out of the ordinary at all. There's even a few activated emitters on the controls.

Bah. Ekaatma may not be completely trustworthy, but I should at least get his opinion.

"What is currently the hottest point in the Fan Room?"

"The interior of the primary bearing casing."

"Is it a hazard?"

"Never touch the bearing casing while the fan is in operation."

Thanks, dad. I still don't think it should be radiating like this.

tell it to shut off power to the bearing casing, however that would happen.

>>378311
I can't see how you can do anything about this even vaguely safely without a much better light source.

...don't suppose there are any cargo boxes labelled "glowsticks, 1000 pcs." :V

The heat is probably being caused by a secondary problem. Perhaps the lack of air circulation is not allowing the bearing casing to cool properly? Personally I think it's odd that you're getting so much heat but you can't see anything glowing from the heat.

I don't like this. I think we need to get some better light in here or something. ...would turning on the fan at this temperature result in a lot of extremely hot air being circulated?

Nod 2012/01/08(Sun)12:02 No. 378511 ID: 7f7745
File 132605292791.png - (11.47KB , 440x616 , 229.png )

If I start searching boxes I'll be here for hours. Especially if I need to ask Ekaatma to read everything. Huh. Wasn't he reading the manifest in the Rec Bay?

Oh wait, how could I be so... air circulation! The poor thing's still on.

"Ekaatma, turn off the fan."

"Done."

It doesn't connect to an external radiator because it thinks it'll be pulling enough enough air to keep the bearings cool. Without any resistance the blades are almost certainly moving faster than normal and they've got nowhere to lose that heat except into the machinery itself. For hours. It probably is red hot in there, even if the exterior panels aren't glowing visible spectrum. Still, it wasn't worth an error or a warning it was still apparently within operating norms.

Or the diagnostics computer is an idiot.

Nod 2012/01/08(Sun)12:04 No. 378512 ID: 7f7745
File 132605305558.png - (7.79KB , 440x616 , 230.png )

Oh and while I'm here... yeah, another missing vent cover but this box lid should fit pretty well. So long as nothing dislodges it while the air comes into this room, the air pressure should hold it. Ready to give that a try or am I missing something else completely obvious?

you sure air will push it IN and not OUT from this side? if so then no, nothing else i can think of.

>>378512
You might want to make sure the bearings are cooled down before you turn on the fan again to start pushing around air.

>>378511
What, and it wasn't screaming with vibration through the floor?

Don't suppose you could do something like start off repressurising with a pure nitrogen mix before enriching with oxygen, just in case it is above autoignition temperature? Should cool it down without any risk of fire.

Nod 2012/01/08(Sun)22:15 No. 378633 ID: 7f7745
File 132608970172.png - (15.46KB , 440x616 , 231.png )

Okay, a little adhesive reinforcement in case Bernoulli wants to play games... then it's just a matter of getting outside and shutting the door.

Only very large equipment has mechanical bearings, and only because of the risk of catastrophic seizure in the event of power loss. Everything smaller, including the mechanical bearings themselves, are suspended by magnetic bearings. Vibration is death to structural materials, and so long as they're responsible for holding the air in they cannot be allowed any opportunity to deteriorate.

Still, they should be allowed to cool gradually instead of being exposed to a full stream of the frozen air from outside... wouldn't want anything to crack.

And yes, oxygen might be unwise. Based on the sound of my voice, I think this ship uses neon instead of nitrogen. It's a little cheaper, a little more inert, and theoretically safer from gas narcosis. I'll bet Ekaatma's got a big supply somewhere.

"Complex request. Slowly repressurize the Fan Room with neon from interior tanks. Add oxygen percentage last. Do not allow access until ten minutes after fan circulation is reinitiated, standard override. Execute request."

"In progress."

"Oh, inform me when the fan bearing temperature is within operating norms."

"Alice, the fan bearing temperature is within operating norms."

Thanks.

I'm going to refill my air supply again because I may have a bit of a wait. What do I want from these boxes?

>>378633
Well if you do have access to a manifest, light sources.

Nod 2012/01/15(Sun)11:59 No. 379960 ID: f8e3b7
File 132665756568.png - (9.67KB , 443x562 , 232.png )

Ekaatma will be no good with generalizations, so I'd have to be able to sort the manifest myself. Which means -- unless he can display its contents as pictures -- he'll be reading it out for hours. Probably safer to imagine what sorts of lights which a ship like this would require.

Most of them are going to be spare emitters, strong but not self contained. The particular uses of personal light sources are rare: Awkward spaces behind equipment, power failure, and the necessity of more than starlight brightness outside.

Bam. That last one's probably my best bet. Exterior repair is an inevitability, as is emitter failure in cargo bays of this size. Sometimes you just need more light.

"Where is the nearest supply of lanterns?"

"By lanterns do you mean night lamps?"

Oh right, ISA. "Yes."

"Check the secondary equipment locker near the mechanical panel at the exterior door to the Supply Bay."

Ah, perfect. Might be overkill, but I'd rather see too much than too little.

Shall we check the Filter Room next?

>>379960
Well if we're done here, let's go find something sharp yet delecate enough to slash open that zipperbag. Kitchen?

>>379968
Oh, yeah, that's something we can do real quick.

As I recall there are still some alerts we were putting off until after we fixed the fan room. Were any of those serious? If not, my choice for next major job would be the obstruction in the vent shaft cutting us off from crew quarters.

For now though, we should get that bag open.

Nod 2012/01/17(Tue)10:54 No. 380423 ID: b5c9ce
File 132682649032.png - (20.12KB , 441x616 , 233.png )

I can't do much of anything until the fan's ready to refill the Cargo Bay and I can take this helmet off and get back to real work.

In the meantime, let's review: "Redisplay the shipwide maintenance and error map, no labels."

Several of these things are either unimportant or outside my control... like that mess in the Maintenance Bay. Yes, there's a lot of damage but it'd take forever to patch up and besides the lighting there's nothing seriously wrong.

Other unimportant stuff... the filter room has some bad wiring that, based on the logs, has been a problem for weeks. I'm not using many fluids or gasses, so unless Ekaatma upgrades it I can ignore that. Also the kitchen, which is just a broken mixer. And I don't need to worry about the vent here since I shouldn't need to be using the cargo airlock again.

Oh, and the thing in the cargo bay is a captain's order to inspect a set of cameras, but they seem fine now so that's not an immediate concern either.

Of the important stuff, I can group some of them since they're common problems: The sleeping crew (minus the obvious), security, the computer, and all the crap back at the reactor. Those are functionally single issues and will probably need to be dealt with as groups.

That leaves the door to the filter room corridor, the airlock I woke up in, the broken medical bed, vent problems in the Hazard Bay, the Computer Core, and the Crew Compartment.

Bluh.

Ok, well, I would keep RASHNU offline lest he start locking you out of things. A security program is more likely to recognize two people with the same identity as a problem. The reactor sounds important, but I'd start with the computers. Having Ekaatma back up to snuff should help things along.

The captain asked that the cameras in cargo be checked? If they're working now then there's likely nothing we can learn from them, but I wonder why he wanted them checked. Does it have something to do with him deleting those logs? We should look into that at some point.

Our map seems to be rotating, is that because of your current position, or is the ship referencing some outside location? Also, is that your ship there on the side? It looks enormous. Cargo haulers usually that big? The time involved getting there seems like another good reason to leave anything at the back of the ship for later.

>>380423
Vent problems in the hazard bay, you say? I would like to handle all air-related problems at once.

Nod 2012/01/18(Wed)10:38 No. 380678 ID: b5c9ce
File 132691191425.png - (10.10KB , 441x616 , 234.png )

I've been rotating the map to see it better, and I'm all for keeping RASHNU out of the loop.

This is a fairly large ship -- I'm guessing two kilometers with a twenty meter beam -- but all these space needles are big. Physics and economics: It's easier to keep a comparitively small hole open than make a large hole in the first place, and it's cheaper to send out the tugs once for a long ship than to do it ten times for ten short ones. Just gravity sling the speed up to 50,000 km/h and the empyrean rift is only open for a fraction of a second: fewer tidal stresses, less power, more precision.

The captain left two unfinished repair tickets: Do a manual check on some cameras and degauss the aft sensors. According to the logs, I was sitting in Ops looking at camera feeds when the other Alice came aboard so I didn't close the tickets before the scalene jump. The sensors are reading a little off and degaussing is easy so I thought I'd keep that one in mind, but the cameras? A few failed back then, but they're operating normally at the moment. Maybe I'll give them a peek on the way to the reactor.

The large vents to the Crew Compartment, the Computer Core, and the Hazard Bay are all clogged or broken. Guessing it was an attempt by one (or both) of us to prevent (or assure) air loss in those areas. The smaller vents are still operational so they shouldn't prevent normal circulation. Figuring out what's up with all of that is probably a reasonably major safety concern.

Speaking of which, adding air should provide enough friction to stop the fan and that's probably a good guess for when it's cooled a bit: "When the fan stops, restart air circulation and start refilling the cargo compartment from auxilliary vents. Let me know when it would be safe to take off my helmet."

>>380678
>Figuring out what's up with all of that is probably a reasonably major safety concern.
==>

Yeah, let's check the vents next.

Ok, so safety would be important. Vents first then. I still think computers are a concern, and I do want to get a look inside that bag when you get the chance.