C.O.N.T.A.C.T. Instant Messenger
Conversation Log: July 10th, 2258
* Ernest Hart (EGSA Engineering) has made contact
* Dan Hawking (EGSA Operations) has made contact
Conversation is being recorded.
Ernest: Hey, Dan. You there?
Dan: Greetings!
- What can do do for you?
Ernest: It's about secure file 'Nightcrawler'.
Dan: What about it?
Ernest: Is it authentic?
Dan: The file? Yeah, as far as I know it's authentic.
Ernest: Open it up for me real quick then. I have to show you something.
Dan: I have a meeting with Bobby in ten minutes. Can this wait?
Ernest: This might just make the cornerstone of your meeting, so... No.
Dan: Okay, I have Nightcrawler open. What do you want to show me?
Ernest: Take a look at O-scope data point one, at the 24 second mark.
Dan: Okay... got it.
- What am I looking for?
Ernest: Look at that waveform. Are you seeing what I'm seeing.
Dan: I don't know ernest. What am I supposed to be seeing?
Ernest: Okay... I forget you're not engineering sometimes. My bad.
- At 24s, and 480ms, you see that wave? The one that looks like a sideways S-bump?
Dan: I see it.
Ernest: That's not normal. That's a positive AND negative voltage curve occurring at the exact same time.
- There's only one other natural electromagnetic signature known that does that. Displacement flux.
Dan: Wait... Displacement flux? Are you sure?
Ernest: Yeah, I'm pretty sure. When you use a displacement drive, there's some simultaneous stretching and squeezing of spacetime involved. Usually that produces small electromagnetic waves in the UHF band. One wave from the stretching produces a negative voltage flux. Another from the squeezing produces a positive voltage flux.
Dan: Shouldn't that cancel them out?
Ernest: The waves are out of phase by a few pico-seconds. One occurs at the departure point, the other occurs at the destination point. When they hit the o-scope, they arrive slightly apart. Think of it as digging a hole. In order to dig a hole, you invariably have to create a small mound of dirt next to it.
- We call them 'digger-waves' and they're unique to displacement drive flux.
- I thought I was seeing things at first, but I checked every recorded instance of this 'teleport'.
- Every single time it occurs the o-scope picks up the digger-wave.
Dan: So what you're saying is that the teleport isn't a teleport, but a subspace displacement hop?
Ernest: Well, yes and no. As far as we're concerned, the mechanics of a subspace displacement drive is effectively teleportation occurring 64,000 times a second. But very simply put, the creature being catalogued in this file is a living subspace displacement drive.
Dan: Is that even possible?
Ernest: Nobody said it wasn't. If you have a means to curve space, the amount of curvature depends on what energy you have available. A ship like the Arrow covers 22,000 miles in a single pulse of the SDD. Theoretically, a creature can do the same at much smaller distances.
Dan: Here's a question then. Could a subspace displacement affect things other than point to point travel?
Ernest: Like what?
Dan: Like moving external objects, levitation and that kind of thing.
Ernest: Well... if you can sustain the curvature in a small enough area, it could create a pseudo-gravity well strong enough to overcome natural gravity. Then all you do is move that point, and the object merely 'falls' into it.
- Unlike teleportation though, the precision needed for such a thing is like the difference between a human's ability to walk while remaining balanced, and teaching that to an early robot.
- So far, we've only managed to succeed at hurling bobble-head dolls across the room at half the speed of sound. That wasn't pretty.
Dan: But it's possible?
Ernest: Theoretically, yes. But it's not easy.
Dan: How large can you scale something like that?
Ernest: How much energy do you have?
Dan: I see...
* Bobby Brookshire (EGSA Operations) has made contact.
Bobby: Okay Dan, I'm here. What's so important that we're pushing this meeting back?
Dan: Ernest, tell Bobby what you just told me.
Ernest: Which part?
Dan: The whole thing, but shorter.
Ernest: Oh boy...
- Well, I was going over the data from secure file Nightcrawler when I ran into digger-waves on the o-scope readings.
Bobby: Digger wave?
Ernest: The telltale signature of a subspace displacement. It's all over the o-scope recording. All instances of this creature, Twilight Sparkle, 'teleporting', give off a digger-wave.
Bobby: Are you saying she's displacing rather than teleporting?
Ernest: More like displacing and teleporting are the same thing, but yeah.
Dan: Ernest also said that levitation might use the same mechanic, but with more precision.
Bobby: Really? Scalable?
Ernest: If you've got energy, you can move it.
Bobby: Ernest, I want you at our meeting. Dan, can he be in this meeting?
Dan: Ernest, drop what you're doing and meet us in room 403 in five minutes.
Ernest: You realize I'm four miles away in the assembly building, right?
Dan: Oh... yeah. Well, get to room 403 in the main complex ASAP. I think you're on to something.
Ernest: Nice. Consider me there.
* Dan Hawking (EGSA Operations) has suspended contact
* Bobby Brookshire (EGSA Operations) has suspended contact
* Ernest Hart (EGSA Engineering) has suspended contact
*Sub note:
3750 ly = 22 quadrillion miles. (To be precise: 22,044,845,779,681,532)
6 months = ~15,552,000 seconds
Thus Arrow travels 1,417,492,655.5 miles a second.
OR: 7,609.4 times C
Divided by 64 kHz SDD cycles = 22,148 miles per pulse.
Yay update
My face when I saw an update
My face when it was 887 words.
Awesome.
Really enjoy this story with all the science tech and etc.
Really feels like I am somehow got the clearance to learn about the first human contact with a.... for lack of better words.
Alien.
You sir, are amazing and I really enjoy getting to know all the characters involved.
science, ho!
1422557 Agreed.
love it, keep up the awepic work!!! :D
SCIENCE! Good night.
I haz a sad cuz update is so short.
Why do all of the really popular HiE fic update like every 6 months?
Article 2 is longer then that most of the time.......
PONY MAGIC EXPLAINED!
Sweet.
Now I want to see an explanation for number 25.
887 words!? Gah...
Okay, so I was ready to leave a bitter comment about the super-shortness, but now I'm not. I love the 'explanation' of unicorn teleportation, (And possibly levitation) even if it is being related to another fictional device. It's still nice to see something that makes sense about unicorn magic.
However, now I feel worried that the pencil-pushers on earth are going to start devising some nefarious pony-unfriendly schemes with the goal of taking control of their amazing abilities. It's very concerning, and seems... very likely, from my point of view.
In short: Chapter = Well written as always, and very intriguing.
Now it's time for me to sit patiently and wait for the next continuation of the main story. I'm eager to read more about the trip into space, which still looks like it might go south for any number of reasons. (With a certain rainbow maned mare being a recurring subject on said list.)
your technobabble is AWESOME. it is technical, yet it is dumbed down via the method they are communicating by. i love it
1422593 Nanoscale construction via unicorn SDD.
1422596
Why must everyone assume that humans are going to be like some evil alien invasion force every time they show up?
Is our Faith in Humanity really that low?
Hm, I can't tell where this is heading. i have no idea what they're talking about but I have the feeling that batty science nozzles examining twi's magic means rough sailing ahead for everyone. or maybe not but still, I can't help but be paranoid about where this all comes in to play...
1422620 Compare Equestria and the real world, and tell me we (as we are now) wouldn't do that. If this was the Star Trek universe, sure, but you've given no indication that the humans in this universe are that much more enlightened than we are - they appear very similar to us.
Also, script format? Yes, it does add a little to the realism here, but isn't that stuff disallowed by site rules?
1422620 You bet your ass it is! *enthusiastic arm swing*
...
Okay, in all honesty; I more expect it as a source of extra tension in the story than a standardized usage of 'Humans Are Bastards'. I myself would actually be more than happy if there wasn't any major plot-centric conflict in this story, as it seems to have found a wonderful niche by looking at Equestrian Society and the workings of their magic in a much more scientific light. (The HiE aspect is also wonderfully done, but that's not relevant at the moment.)
Anyway, I'm going to take your comment as a reassurance that humanity isn't going to senselessly rip Equestria apart for scientific study or capital gain. Excellent!
Keep up the good work, my friend.
Dan: How large can you scale something like that?
Ernest: How much energy do you have?
An energy of an immortal goddess? Moving a whole star maybe?
1422620 It's because they're confusing the human species that you're writing with the one that they have an immediate physical familiarity with.
1422634
I doubt modern humans would just up and start attempting to conquer a place like Equestria. This isn't like the the age of sail where 'see land, MINE!' is our mindset. Especially considering modern economics. There's more to gain on the capital standpoint by being friends with ponies than by conquering and destroying them. It's not so much that we're enlightened but that we more readily understand long term gain and have learned a lot of lessons in our history about how short-sighted kneejerk reactions can bite us in the rear.
As for the format. The chapter is the transcript of an instant message conversation. Unless far future instant messaging programs somehow convert chat conversations into third-person prose, I don't see it being anything other than a transcript.
And transcripts/logs are part of the presentation of this story. None of this story will be presented in straight prose.
To...To.....TOO MUCH SCIENCE
*head explodes*
....AND MATHS
*head explodes twice*
1422638
Careful, you might get close to figuring out how they do it.
1422652
img.photobucket.com/albums/v430/admiraltigerclaw/science2.jpg
mindfuck with the numbers
Gasp! A new chapter! And... you explained magic? Wow.
Well, on the one hand I really like your explanation of magic, but on the other I was really hoping to see some more of Rainbow's introduction to space.
So very glad to see this still updating.
YESSSSSS! An update! YaaaaY!
MOAR!!!
Aww, no YouTube links this time.... I've always loved those in your chapters.
No matter! I'll post one myself, in the spirit of this chapter's gratuitous SCIENCE!
Nice! Although, I hope that not every aspect of Equestria's magic can be explained using science.
1422620 I work security for a living so... Yes, yes it is that low.
1422557 Same here
?
Dat Science
I saw that this updated and got really excited. Then I saw it was only 800 words and died a little inside. I really want to slap you for the bait-and-switch ATC...
1422717
I worked as a soldier in the US Army, which means I had contact with the portion of humanity that is truly evil, and yet I have the opposite view. Humans, much like ponies, have our assholes and heroes. It all depends on which side of the spectrum you focus on.
1422716
Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from SCIENCE!
Everything can be explained. Eventually.
1422620 I have all faith in humanity. It's [individual] humans that worry me.
1422745 It's a sad sign when the military has a more positive view on humanity then event security does... Then again most of the people I deal with are either drunk or "entitled"
1422762
"Entitled" takes on a whole new meaning once you've dealt with a hostile news reporter. They're the kind of people you want to frag, but you know you'll get in deep trouble, and if they die due to enemy fire, you'll be in even deeper trouble. Also, if you try and protect them, and they get injured due to your protection, you're just royally fucked. Best advice I've ever received about dealing with reporters is to just stay away from them.
1422746
Counterpoint:
It's also really cool how humanity is much closer to figuring magic out than Randy and Twilight think they are.
1422762
That's the thing. Most of the people you deal with are the handful of troublemakers out of a group of a couple thousand who know how to behave themselves (generally speaking).
1422787 Yup been there. But if your want difficult, try keeping 3,000 teen girls away from a boy band. Or spend five minutes dealing with Lady Gaga...
1422745
Amen to that brother, amen to that.
this is the best and most realistic HIE fic i've ever read.
1422799
...I probably would have taken my sidearm and shot someone (either myself or Lady Gaga) if she's as bad as I've heard. As for the boy band, well... They are on their own. That's a tactical position that I would declare indefensible without CAS and several MG bunkers with overlapping fields of fire.
We're on to your facy teleportation magics.
static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Fuck_96145c_2794786.jpg
1422815
Gonna' need more than mere CAS for 3000 screaming teen girls. That's like Orks. They gots da WAAAUGH!!!!
1422820
Yeah, by CAS I mean CAS on the level of "Rolling Thunder", and heavy gunship support. And a minimum of two AC130J's.
There is no such thing as "overkill" in my mind. Just ask about the time I gave the order (during training) to use an AT4 during an ambush of an enemy patrol. Those were four "very-dead" tangos as the range walker said.
1422828 The MG's would be quieter then the girls... just saying
1422820
OI!WHYZ YOU NOT FIGHTIN'? QUIT MUCKIN ABOUT YOU ZOGGIN GROT!
ORKSES ARE THE TUFFEST! WAAAAAAGH!!!! Orks. Sorry about tha- BLAM. Heresy!