fh_trips | Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

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field trip 2009: arrakis

Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

It was around dawn when the scent of food began wafting up from the kitchens. Fresh baked bread, coffee, and the lilting tones of Fremen chattering in a mixture of Galach and Chakobsa as they went about their lives.

If they were a bit more outgoing and less-wary of the visitors than they had been the day before, well, going out into the desert to meet with Shai-Hulud had shown a certain daring and respect, and those were two traits that the Fremen held very dear.

The portal would arrive to pick them all up around three, but until then, the visitors from Fandom had the run of Tabr.

Although it still didn't make you safe from the Aunties.

[OCD UP]

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"But that still doesn't account for the distances," Ender noted, thoughtfully. "Although again, it might just be a universe that corresponds to its own laws of physics." He smiled wryly. "It's come up now and again."

Dinah grinned. "Yeah? So, what, the speed of light isn't a multi-versal constant? Or there's more gravity here?"

"According to the laws of physics, we can't approach the speed of light without bending time," he explained, "Actually going the speed of light would be impossible - but there's worlds connected to Fandom where spaceships can jump from one end of the galaxy to another in under a few days."

Dinah listened, frowning in concentration. "Soooo, where does the actual time travel that some people have done work into all of this? And the portal we used to get here? Are they breaking the same laws too?"

"Very little in Fandom makes sense if you apply physics." He nodded, slightly. "Generally, it's better to blame the island's sense of whimsy. Although you could appear to be time travelling, in a sense, if you took a ship out near the speed of light, and travelled forty years, and returned; back home, that would at best mean you gained eight years, yourself, because time within the vessel works differently."

He paused.

"Unless I've just horribly confused you."

Dinah gave him an 'eep!' face and admitted, "More than a little. Does light slow down time or something?" She shook her head, kind of impressed that Ender knew this stuff so well. "Although, I guess I don't need to know it, since back home in 2009 New Jersey, it isn't going to make much difference. But I'd like to know when things are going pear-shaped."

"The closer you get to the speed of light, the more space-time folds on itself," Ender said, making a little gesture of his hands to illustrate a reverse mountain, slowly folding in on itself. "Time in and on the moving object is pulled 'tighter', so to speak. When you reach a certain speed, one year within can become ten outside, or more than that. You don't notice the time compression because you're inside the vessel. If you put a ship at a relativistic enough speed, and you kept going, you could be a century ahead and have barely a decade on you."

"Hunh." That actually made sense ~~unlike most explanations the mun has heard~~, so Dinah said aloud, "So you're right, kind of like time-travel to the future, but mostly it's just that you didn't notice. Neat. But I guess there'd be limits, because ships only go so fast. Sooo... forty years, and four hundred years?" she checked.

"Something like that," he said, nodding. "That's why they've developed stasis systems, too-- that way there's no wait at all, except for the captain."

"So you guys, you could go out to the new planets, and it could take a couple years or so to get there, but you'd only maybe notice a couple days on the ship anyway." Dinah blinked, thinking of that. "No way to get rescued if something goes wrong, hunh? Just have to trust that the ship's in good shape and the pilot knows what he's doing."

"The autopilot systems we have on board usually pick up the slack," he said, wryly. "But it takes a lot of maneuvering to get ships where and when you want them to be. Back home they'd be interested in dissecting anything from Fandom if I was inclined to give it to them."

Dinah gave him a curious look. "You're not?" She remembered what Val had told her about their future; Battle School, insect-invaders, and the Hegemon. "You think they should work for it?"

"I think some things are best kept out of the International Fleet," he said, shrugging lightly. "When I go along, I might take some schematics with me, and see if I can't set up something more local."

It sounded like a feasible story.

"Hmm," Dinah said, thinking of what Val had said about their future; how Earth had just barely stopped fighting each other. "I guess if you can do that, you could have a lot more control over who gets it, being further away. No chance of it being a used in wars or something." She smiled. "What would you take with you? The engines, or stasis stuff?"

"Engines," he said. "We've got stasis handled, but whatever it is that transcends physics in, say, Ben Skywalker's universe, I'd like to figure out."

"Coooool." Dinah grinned at him. "Interstellar Space Drive, Patent Pending, Ender Wiggin." Way smart. Well, they'd sent him to that Battle School when he was really little, so not a big surprise. "Next stop, interdimensional portals. Though I think those are magic and not science. Which I guess is another kind of science? But with really really weird rules."

"I don't think my world is quite ready for magic yet," Ender replied, wryly. He'd have to remember this story for next time anyone came asking difficult questions. "But who knows. We've got instantaneous communication now; that's a little like magic for some."

"Especially if you're Arthur, and someone gave you a Blackberry." Dinah's face lit up in a grin. "Did I tell you how hilarious that broadcast with him was? 'Cause I almost died laughing."

"I was just trying to help him," Ender pointed out. That could have been a straight face, or he could've just not cared.

Dinah wasn't sure she knew Ender well enough to judge on that; although he *was* a good actor, from what she'd seen at the Boards. "Well, helping him or not, if the squirrels ask you to help him again? I'll give you rum to give them and any ice cream you want for you. He needs to be poked in his ego more often."

Edited 2009-07-02 19:33 (UTC)

"He's the kind to fight for his pride and honour," Ender said, shrugging lightly.

It kind of reminded him of Bonzo, but Arthur hadn't been as malevolent; it was just another case of pride versus his need to win.

"It doesn't take a lot, but thanks."

"The honor part is great, the pride part makes me want to bribe squirrels." Dinah grinned. "Anyway. Have you taken the Flight Class at all?"

"Next term," Ender said, quirking half a smile. "It's been a year, time to throw myself back into Anakin Skywalker's waiting arms."

"You make it sound like cliff-diving," Dinah said, laughing. "Half the people I know really like him, and the other half are scared to death of him. You've had his class before?"

"I took ethics," Ender said, wryly. "He's overly attached to his rank, and overprotective. Another pride thing. But I'm not scared."

He also knew a fair bit more about Anakin than most, but he wasn't about to shop that around, and it had little to do with why he wasn't scared, anyway.

Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

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