[OOM] An Engineer's Challenge (For Adrian Shepard)

[dejah_thoris]

 She'd taken copious notes on his specifications for modifying the Buell RS1200 motorcycle, and even at this late in the design phase, she was still muttering under her breath about how much more sensible a light-skimmer would be.  But he'd been very clear. It had to maintain the original appearance and it had to remain in contact with the surface at all times.

She'd already converted the original engine to a radium drive, and now she was adding in additional features for speed, maneuverability and stability.  He wasn't always going to be running on the smooth surface of pavement or even a moss plain.  So it had to have inertial stabilizers.  And it had to have certain aerodynamic stabilizers so that it remained upright and travelling in the indicated direction at high velocity.  If that wasn't a challenge enough, he wanted to be able to do hair-pin turns and extreme course alterations at speed.

She'd already extended the capabilities of the onboard calculating engine to encompass the algorithms for these features.  She'd added a force shield that would only deploy when required, which required sensors to anticipate the vectors of incoming threats.

Now, she was in the process of modifying a test body, and manufacturing parts to be fitted.  She had the bike up on a test bench, stripped down to bare bones and with the radium drive already added in.  She had grease up to her elbows and a nice big smear across her cheek.  Her hair was piled on top of her head, speared through with a pencil.  Beside her, there were several bins of parts and tools clearly staged to begin the retrofit.

Now all she needed was a pot of tea and some music and she'd be set.  She wiped a rag across her brow, and squinted at the suspension units.  She had a holo of the original bike up so she could refer to it, and she reached a hand over to spin it 360 degrees.  Two fingers pinched and zoomed to blow it up so she could examine it closer.

Comments

[hecu_marine]

Shephard runs a gloved hand over his face. "Far as I'm concerned it's Sergeant or Sergeant-Major as long as I'm on land," he says. "I ain't Navy by training. I might be ship's CO, but I ain't gonna make nobody call me Captain less'n them'n me're both on board Borealis and they ain't one of my Marines. Wouldn't sit right at all."

[dejah_thoris]

She chuckled in the back of her throat. "Fair enough. I prefer Adrian, anyway."

She turned back to the test frame, lightly touching his arm as she passed.

"I think I'm a week away from having a working test model, and then another week of fine tuning before I'm ready to begin retrofitting the Buell."

[hecu_marine]

There's not many people in the world who use his first name. Shephard himself mostly just thinks of himself as Shephard. Even his family mostly uses nicknames.

Well, different strokes, and all that.

"'Preciate it," he says, and then, "Two weeks is fine by me. You need anything from me in the meantime? Spare pare of hands or anything?"

[dejah_thoris]

"If you like. Or you could run upstairs and get us something to drink?"

[hecu_marine]

"That, also, I can do," Shephard says. "Got a preference?"

[dejah_thoris]

"I would say tea, but I suspect a six pack of beer is easier to carry."

[hecu_marine]

"Li'l bit," Shephard allows. "I'll see what I c'n do."

[dejah_thoris]

"Thank you. I'll be right here."