View source for 3891/Psychic Beacon: Some Assembly Required

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2020/10/22
|Location=Labs - Titan's Tower
|Synopsis=Nadia helps Kian solve the problem of converting his measurements and they attempt to develop Psychic Radio!
|Cast of Characters=1598,348
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>An hour passes after Nadia seems to disappear into the crystal pendant that she left on the work bench, then two, then a third. Enough time for most of the gathering to give up waiting and just assume she'll be back eventually. Keeping track of time is not Nadia's strong point after all, especially when SCIENCE! is involved.<br><br>Eventually though she does reappear, carrying a stack of worn looking bound scientific treatises under one arm and an odd looking metal cylinder under the other with various antennae , sensors, and an input interface affixed to its surface. All of which is dumped on to the workbench as she retrieves her necklace and replaces it around her neck.<br><br>Finally, emerging from her hyper-focused state, she remembers there were at least at one time other people waiting for her and she quickly looks up and around the lab space to see who might still be present.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As it happens, there is someone still puttering around the lab -- the birdman.&nbsp;&nbsp;And he looks... frustrated, really.&nbsp;&nbsp;He's laboriously keying in something at one of the terminals, one keystroke at a time, referring back and forth between the keyboard and some handwritten notes.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once in a while Kían says something in his own language.&nbsp;&nbsp;Judging by his tone of voice, a translation will be declined, if requested.&nbsp;&nbsp;And then sighs, and starts typing again, one key at a time....<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh Kian, you're still here!" Nadia beams a bright smile at the birdman, "What are you doing?" She asks curiously, leaving her things on the table as she walks over.<br><br>"I found one of my Dad's original treatises on the interaction between Psion particles and Electrons and another set of schematics from something Hydra was making during World War II that seems relevant, a sattelite that could supposedly operate on mental frequencies, though the notes on it were incomplete but I started tinkering with a prototype based on hymenopteran communication trying to make it work with the satellite broadcast mechanisms. But I'm not sure how to adapt it to broadcast the brain engrams of a human." Once she starts talking about the science she has been doing it just all comes out in a torrent.<br><br>Was she really only gone for a few hours? What she is describing sounds like a minimum of several days of work.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I am... failin' to make sense of hyour com-puter," Kían says sourly.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Even hwen I convert from our numbers to hyours, I do not know your scales an' measures.&nbsp;&nbsp;An' I still do not know how hyour time is counted agains' ours."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He takes his hands away from the keyboard and closes his eyes and takes a couple slow, deep, calming (maybe) breaths.&nbsp;&nbsp;"An' I am so /qokh/ tired of bein' under-es-timate because I can not ta'k easy yet, and can not under-stan' your numbers, an'... an'... an'...."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another deep breath.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"An' this is not hyour faul' and I shoul' not be talkin' to hyou like this.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am sorry."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia waves off the apology with an expression of understanding and warmth, "It is okay to be frustrated, I don't know what I would do if I had to try and science but all of my measurements seemed wrong.<br><br>There is a long pause and she looks thoughtful as if pondering something. "What we need are diagnostic tools that take measurements in your system. Do you think you could make some? If we could measure the same phenomenon with two sets of diagnostic tools we could compare data and determine conversion values, even set up a program to translate values from one to the other. The key though would be being able to get measurements for the way you record time and scales and measures. Rather than simply converting numbers, establish scales and values and make a translation system for the measures themselves."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"An' that iss the problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;I haf no way to ac-curate know how lon' a /son/ iss com-pare to hyour 'hour', or /kar/ to hyour 'day'.&nbsp;&nbsp;I thin' a /kar/ iss lon-ger than a day, but I do not know by how much."&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían has dispensed with the purple Kool-Ade -- nothing but water right now, and he takes a long drink from his cup.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"An' while I can make a guess at any of them, that iss all it can be, an' will be use-less for exact work.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, here I am, gettin' more frus-trate the lon-ger I sit here."&nbsp;&nbsp;He shrugs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Feathers rustle.&nbsp;&nbsp;"But there is not much else I *can* do."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia's brow furrows in thought as she listens and nods, "That is why we need tools. Though getting them say atomic clock accurate would probably be difficult. We could start with something more crude and refine it, though without some sort of timepiece from your planet we will probably never get an exact measurement, which I guess leaves us with the technology that we can get measurements for, which would go back to numbers, is math not universal? I thought math transcended language and while numeric symbols might be different, math is... math. Or you can just describe your ideas and theories to my and I can try to execute them, though I really do want to help you overcome this."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían nods.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yis, math iss the same, even with differen' countin' systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;But the measurin' systems iss the problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss... nnh."&nbsp;&nbsp;He shuffles through some of his notes.&nbsp;&nbsp;"This iss problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hyu haf measure for speed of light, yis?&nbsp;&nbsp;Mine is about /ranól-ne teth ak téi/, hyours iss--"&nbsp;&nbsp;He refers to his notes again.&nbsp;&nbsp;"--three hun-red million meter per secon'.&nbsp;&nbsp;/Ranól-ne/ iss a differen' number from three hun-red million, hwich means we need to know how many meters iss in a /teth/, how many secon's iss in a /téi/.&nbsp;&nbsp;Solvin' for two variables iss... very difficul'.&nbsp;&nbsp;Change one and hyu haf to change the other.&nbsp;&nbsp;An' the two measures *haf* to be the same because speed of light is con-stan'."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He sighs heavily.&nbsp;&nbsp;"That iss the prob-lem."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia leans against one of the larger lab machines. "That is difficult, I might know some people who can help though, what it really sounds like we need is a super computer and a learning algorithm that could go through the process far faster than either of us could think of, pouring through the various calculations until it arrives at a distilled set of potential values and then you could see what seems closest with physical measures. Distance should be feasible to determine and from distance we should be able to correlate time and once we have that time value we could extrapolate the other time units. The speed of light is brilliant, I think we can crack the whole thing with that, we just need enough raw computing power."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But how?&nbsp;&nbsp;I can only es-timate how much time iss a /téi/, how much distance iss a /teth/.&nbsp;&nbsp;We can take measurements off me, but that too iss not exac'.&nbsp;&nbsp;We can get close, but will never be exac'.&nbsp;&nbsp;I even thought about measure my pulse to get an estimate for a /téi/... but Eart' grafity iss higher, and I do not know about air pressure an hwat effec' that might haf."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían gives the computer a dirty look.&nbsp;&nbsp;"I will wan' to try, but it will be difficul' either way -- try to trans-late Akiár measures, or me learnin' hyours."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia ponders Kian's words, the girl just loves a SCIENCE! challenge and right now she is devoting her formidable mind fully to Kian's difficulties. "If the speed of light is the same, if math is the same, then physics should be the same and if physics are the same then the rate that elements decay should be the same. If we take an element along with our individuals measures for the span of its decay then we should be able to solve for time to a near exact degree and if we can solve for units of time then we can use the speed of light to solve for units of distance since it will then only be one variable to solve for once we have time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That relies on how well I remember details about the ha'f-lives of radioactive elemen's."&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían blinks.&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can thin' of a couple, and if I probe my own min' I can come up wit' more.&nbsp;&nbsp;A researcher had me slow down decay rates so they coul' study really fas' decay elemen's before they fell apar'.&nbsp;&nbsp;I will not haf full scientific accuracy, but it shoul' be enough."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He beams at Nadia.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hyu iss smar'.&nbsp;&nbsp;Or clefer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Or bot'."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia smiles brightly at Kian, quite pleased to have achieved even a small breakthrough on this problem. "It can be refined with time, at the very least it is a start. If you can put together data for us to work with, we should be able to come up with a serviceable conversion device."<br><br>She glances back to the lab papers and strange prototype sitting forgotten on the work bench. For now though can you try to describe to me how your telepathy works and broadcasts? Beyond modifying a broadcast device and tuning this beacon probe, if I can figure something out I may be able to develop some wearable tech for others to allow you to communicate with them more easily mind to mind. But one step at a time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían beams brightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;"/c'Rhys'yw/, that will be good.&nbsp;&nbsp;I haf been more than a little frus-trate at knowin' I know this, but not able to under-stan' the way Eart' talk about the same thin's."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The second question, Kían sits there and considers a moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;"I do not know in detail.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss biology, not physics.&nbsp;&nbsp;It iss radio wave, from a center in the brain.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss a standar' wave len't, but more than that.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss phase and polarity too.&nbsp;&nbsp;I do not know those, but I know the main wave iss low fre... fre-quen-cy, between about forty an' one hun'red."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He adds after a moment, "Forty and one hun'red in our countin', not in hyour."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia taps the side of her chin in thought, "Low frequency radio waves, so I just need to isolate these waves and then figure out transmitter and receiver devices." The gears are turning in her head as she ponders this. "I might be able to modify an MRI machine in the medical bay to try to detect and isolate the low frequency radio waves within the electromagnetic field."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían nods.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Iss no reason hyu shoul' not be able to detec' them, even if hyu can not tell hwat I am thin-kin'.&nbsp;&nbsp;An' if hyu are wan-tin' to broadcas' my thoughts, iss jus' a relay, no trans-late iss needed.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shoul' be almos' easy to do."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He folds is hands in front of his face and bows his head slightly, thinking very hard.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Iss un-known hwat effec' space warpage will haf on the signal.&nbsp;&nbsp;I haf been thin-kin' har' about hwat happen hwen hyu open a hole inside a hole.&nbsp;&nbsp;The math gets very com-plicate, very fas'.&nbsp;&nbsp;An' I do not know the exac' way Téri's holes work.&nbsp;&nbsp;But at leas' one solution says it may create a kin' of baby universe one dimension to the side.&nbsp;&nbsp;If they are in such a place, I do not know how to get them back out again."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia seems completely undaunted, but she does at least acknowledge the difficulties. "It wouldn't be the first time I crossed into a parallel universe to rescue someone important to me. The real question is how to locate wherever they are in multi-dimensional space. Without a precise target even a trans-dimensional portal won't open to the correct reality. We need to know more though, we need linger spatial distortion and energy readings and the only place we're going to get those is in space."<br><br>She glances at the beacon again, "Hopefully we can figure out how to get the beacon into a similar hyperspace dimension to the one that wormhole was using and maybe even we are ultimately unable to reach them, they will be able to find their way back."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Space, I am use to.&nbsp;&nbsp;An' yis, need much more data."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unexpectedly, Kian's feather's bristle and he shivers.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Spatial distortion, that worries me.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss how I end up on this worl'.&nbsp;&nbsp;I do not wan' to fall into another hole in space.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iss not sure I woul' go back home, an' I woul' haf to go through everythin' I did here all over again, excep' with another language an' culture I do not know.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am afraid of gettin' los' *again*," he admits, folding his wings tight against his back.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1598|Nadia Pym-van Dyne (1598)}} has posed:'''<br>Nadia smiles at Kian, "Don't worry we won't let you fall through any holes in space, at least not alone." She winks, "And if we do, we'll find our way back together!" Ever the very picture of optimism.<br><br>She then hefts up a box of tools, no doubt to make the necessary adjustments to the MRI machine in the medical bay. "Okay, let's go find those telepathic radio waves!" There is a glint in her eyes, no doubt thinking of all the possible ways psychic radio waves can be applied to other things and also likely pondering how they interact with Psion particles.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:348|Kian (348)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kían smiles a little.&nbsp;&nbsp;"If I fall in wit' frien's, it woul' not be so bad maybe," he says, following along.&nbsp;&nbsp;"An' hyu do not haf to fin' them, I haf a head full of telepathic waves.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hyu jus' need to /see/ them, yis?&nbsp;&nbsp;I will thin' very clearly for hyu so you can," he says agreeably.&nbsp;&nbsp;Let's go do science!<br> <br>
}}