steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Jul 28, 2024 11:08:57 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Day/night cycle, THIRD attempt."
"Ancient Terrans lived on Earth, above ground, and were obviously adapted the day/night cycle of the sun and the Moon. Great for them."
"We live below ground (and on another planet) and so all of those conventions are gone."
"Yes, you can still use ancient Terran measurements if you want and, technically, IT'S LEGAL in a few circumstances. However, no one really uses them anymore outside of Terra and, even then, only in a very limited capacity."
"Universal Standard Time (UST) is the legal time used if you live in the Federation. Period. However, it's a pain to actually use from a practical, pragmatic sense. There's a huge tradition of using 'hours, minutes & seconds' and that has carried over to modern times. Every planet has their own LST (Local Standard Time) and that's what everyone uses and that is translated into UST."
"Forget it. I give up trying to explain this. I'll try again later."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Jul 30, 2024 11:47:24 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"OK, training for potentially going into Star Fleet can be fun. I don't want to go into Star Fleet but, as I wrote, it can be fun."
"For instance, going to the bridge of a Star Fleet vessel is very strict. VERY STRICT. You just don't *go to the bridge* for any old reason. Even if you're on a tug, the bridge is highly cordoned off to only those people who absolutely, positively need to be there. Ever."
"First, a lot of times, you don't even NEED to go to the bridge to tell something to someone there. Suppose you need to tell the Chief Science Officer something. You tell the Science Department and the Science Department tells the CSO. No need to go to the bridge."
"Suppose that it's a bit more urgent. Most ships have a bridge liaison that is outside the bridge (sort of like a secretary) and you would tell them and then THEY would tell the CSO."
"Suppose you absolutely, positively, need to go to the bridge. First, they need to invite you up there. You can't just *go there*. So you go to the bridge liaison, tell them that you're there to go to the bridge and for whatever reason, and then they clear you to go up there. Even if you're part of the ship crew, you're still given a security check before you go up there. No joke."
"You are escorted to the bridge by security. It is a 1:1 deal; One visitor to the bridge, one security guard escorting you. Once you are on the bridge, you're handed off to the bridge security guard (most ships have one) and then THEY escort you to where you need to go and THEN they escort you back to the elevator AND THEN after you leave the elevator, security frisks you AGAIN to make sure that you didn't take anything from the bridge."
"It's an unbelievable amount of security."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 1, 2024 9:36:27 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"We have a 'bridge' in our underground community. Two, actually."
"OK, one of the 'bridges' is our political center. That's where the political authority is. However, the other 'bridge' is the actual bridge, the one that controls the operation of the community. Remember, the community lives in what is essentially a big, underground spaceship."
"I've never been inside the operations room. Ever. Not many people have. Visitation is just as strict as a Star Fleet starship bridge."
"The procedures there aren't very different than the ones we're practicing now for Star Fleet Academy."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 3, 2024 10:38:26 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"I don't know why I get depressed whenever we get prepared for Moonside. I think I know why. Kind of."
"Moonside means people leaving. Moonside means people that you've grown up with leaving and not returning."
"Next time, it could be me. Likely, it will be me."
"You'll see them on a screen. You'll hear their voice on a speaker. You'll read their words. But... They're gone. They won't be HERE."
"I hate Moonside."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 5, 2024 11:54:27 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"The transition to Moonside has begun. Five consecutive 'days' where the temperature outside has been lower. Not low enough to go outside, mind you, but lower."
"The older kids are beginning to pack up their stuff to leave for the Moon. It won't be for a little while longer but better to be prepared now. Once the temperature outside is low enough, we'll extend the antennas and then they'll be in contact with Star Fleet Academy and..."
"Next time, it's me. Next time, it's me and all of my classmates."
"I can't write anymore. Maybe later."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 7, 2024 12:35:31 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Everything is work. If you're not dealing with school work, you're helping out the adults in one way or the other. If you have any spare time, you're prepping for the day that they ship you off to Star Fleet Academy."
"It's not like we're the only colony where the kids prep for Star Fleet Academy from the time they no longer need diapers. There are actually 'prep schools' that train kids for Star Fleet Academy. However, I'd like to think that places such as our own colony have a leg up on even those schools because our entire colony is such a school."
"I've never known a time where I haven't lived inside of a 'starship' of one kind or another. Trees? Yeah, I've seen them in a video. Grass? I've read about it. An open sky? I've walked through a simulation with that."
"Everyone keeps saying that I should visit Terra someday. I don't know why; I don't know what I'd do there. It's tremendously expensive to do so... And to just experience what? An open sky? I can already simulate that."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 9, 2024 10:02:32 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Want to know a secret? Moonside is when we fill up on water again. But, of course, it's not 'water.' It's just compressed cylinders of hydrogen and oxygen. We mix them together to get the water."
"It's not the ONLY way we get water but it's the main source of water. And, no, we don't covert urine into water here! That is so icky gross that I don't even want to write any more about it! I know that they've got those systems on Star Fleet vessels (we even have them here but we don't use them), though. Ugh. And, yes, I've 'tasted' that and... I know, I know... You can't taste it but just knowing what it once was... Ugh."
"Water is rationed here as with all of the colonies on the planet. It's not a strict ration but it's rationed, nonetheless. No one takes water showers or baths or anything like that. I mean, every month or so you might 'treat' yourself to one; It's supposedly 'good for you' and moisterizes the skin. I'm a little skeptical of that claim."
"I write all of this because I've just had to help lug up all of the empty canisters of hydrogen and oxygen so that we can get them refilled or replaced when we ship them to The Moon. You can only re-use the canisters so many times before they retire them and give you a new one. Even when empty, the stupid things are heavy. We never run out of water but it's not like we have a lot left, either."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 11, 2024 13:37:03 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"You know we're nearing Moonside when we start having irregular Pizza Nights."
"Look, a lot of our food comes from replicators and it's not bad food. However, some of our food is from food stock or it's pre-made and packaged. I'm not going to write that food from food stock or pre-made food is better than the replicators. It's just different. OK, some might be better because our replicators can't create truly complex foods. However, I'm not a food snob. If it tastes good, do you really care if it looks a little different than 'the real thing'?"
"Pizza Nights are a little social reward for the colony not having to deal with any sudden emergencies. It's mainly geared to teens and kids; Stay out of trouble and you get to eat non-replicator pizza & drink soda (it's not 'real' soda but it's close enough). And you get to socialize. And the grown-ups don't even mind if you dress up as though it really is a party worth going to (although you do have to be 'modest'; Grown-ups have an inexhaustible ability to ruin just about everything). What is there not to like?"
"However, there's some non-replicator food that you either have to use up by a certain time or throw away before we get to Moonside so that we can stock up on more things. After all, there's only so much space to store things and do you really want to store ultimately-perishable food for a whole other rotation? Therefore, towards the end when we're beginning to enter Moonside, we begin to splurge a bit on the luxuries. Not that I don't mind. Who doesn't like pizza and non-replicator pizza at that?"
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 13, 2024 12:29:13 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Towards the end of Sunside, you let the graduating class have whatever time they need on the bridge simulators and other starship simulators. They are, after all, leaving. For the most part, they aren't coming back. They can call, they can write... But this is pretty much it when it comes to physically being here ever again. They'll stop by once or twice and then... Well, that's it."
"There's a little tradition that the next graduating class watches the graduating class have their final turn at the simulators. It's more than a bit sad. It's hard not to get choked up. You grew up with them your entire life. You never knew a time when they weren't around. They've always been there."
"In only a few weeks, WE'RE going to be the top class. I... I don't even know what to write. I mean... There's ALWAYS been students older than us. There's ALWAYS been an upper class. And now... Now it's just... Us."
"I don't want to write anymore."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 15, 2024 13:08:33 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"It's been hard to write lately. So many of my friends are leaving soon. Just because they're a year older doesn't mean that they weren't friends. There's no 'moat' between us and the graduating class."
"There's an unofficial obligation to help them out as best as we can in order to get them ready for them to ship out to Star Fleet Academy. For instance, they normally have to clean up after they use the bridge simulators but we clean up instead so that they can get ready by doing other things."
"It'll be me next time. It'll be... practically all of my other friends. I've got a few friends in the lower classes, but..."
"We're shifting over to Moonside. They've begun to power down the shield because we don't need so much shielding. It's all in preparation for opening the entrance. We're not officially Moonside until we can open up safely. That's still a bit off but we're far more there than not there."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 17, 2024 13:40:36 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"I've been SO bummed out lately. I've been crying a lot more lately, thankfully in private."
"Grown-ups try to prepare you but there's no way you can prepare for THIS. I know I keep harping on it, but... They're all leaving. And some of them are excited and some of them aren't and some of them... I mean, you want to be happy for them and yet..."
"I don't know. Next time, it's my turn. Maybe. I hope not. But... Maybe."
"What am I going to do?"
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 19, 2024 16:24:02 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"You help the upperclassmen as much as you can to prepare. You pack their stuff. As much as you're crying, they're crying that much more. And it's not just us girls but a lot of the guys are really bent out of shape as well."
"And it doesn't help that we're Moonside enough now to begin having independent communications with The Moon. We still can't open up the entrance but we can unveil the antennas and other communication devices. Star Fleet Academy is in direct communications with our colony and they're coordinating with The Moon for shuttle transportations and all of that."
"Nobody is stupid; A lot of the parents are also getting upset. As much as Moonside is awesome, this part of it... This part of it sucks. A lot of grown-ups get snippy and 'snippy' is being polite. Sometimes, grown-ups just snap at you and it's like, 'woah.' Whenever something like that happens, you report that immediately to your IR [Ed Note - IR means "Incident Reporter" or "Adverse Incident Reporter" which, in this context, is sort of like a Guidance Counselor at a school; They are a staff member who is impartial and it's their job to channel these types of concerns to authority figures and to be an advocate for those who report such incidents.]."
"So far, no one has gotten snippy with me but it hasn't been for a lack of trying. The oldest advice is the best advice: Moonrise, run and hide; Moonset, nothing to fret. [Ed note - There's a lot of futuristic slang that we had to translate that wouldn't translate well for contemporary audiences. We did our best to find words that made it rhyme as intended.]"
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 21, 2024 12:18:53 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"In another day or two, we can open the entrance. We're just waiting for the temperature outside to be cool enough consistently enough."
"It's not as though, the moment that the hatch opens, we throw all of the upperclassmen out. But it would be the start of that process."
"'Star Fleet Academy' isn't this one gigantic university. It's many facilities scattered around the UFP. And they all operate on their own schedule mainly because they have to. Also, it just makes sense to have a constant flow of new recruits rather than one large glob of recruits graduating all at once. Sure, there's the 'main' facility on Terra itself but there's absolutely no sense in going there unless you live near there (and it's ultra-mega expensive). It's like a gas station; Why would you drive an hour in order to get to a gas station when you can only drive five minutes instead?"
"Therefore, recruiters and organizers don't have to force people to get to SFA by a certain time. Sure, you can't just walk in whenever and start training but it's not like an ancient college that ONLY starts in the autumn or spring."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 23, 2024 13:38:48 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"I've never really thought about hang-out spots before. I guess, when your time winds down, you begin to think about them a lot more."
"We live in a big, cylindrical, underground spaceship. In that spaceship, kids and teenagers congregate in spots that are semi-exclusive to them. Hang-out spots. Kids in ancient times had them, too. So do we."
"The grown-ups tell us where their hang-out spots used to be and so the locations of the hang-out spots tend to change over time. Part of that is social, part of it is structural (layouts of levels change, the functions of rooms change, etc.)..."
"I walked past the hang-out spot where all of the upperclassmen would go and it was just empty. Deserted. Silent. There's always been someone there. Always. A couple of kids. I mean, it's not like it was always occupied all day, every day but... It's just empty now. I mean, eventually, a group of kids will take it over but... Well, anyway. It was empty when I walked past it."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 25, 2024 9:06:03 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"And now the entrance is open."
"It's not open to the public just yet but it is open. There's all sorts of procedures and stuff that has to be done before just any old person can go through. And, of course, some traffic has priority over others."
"One of the many things that I haven't written about yet are spacesuits. Obviously, you can't go outside without one. Fun fact: Until you stop growing, you're always *borrowing* a spacesuit or *renting* one but not *owning* one. I mean, technically, you could buy one but it would be really stupid because you would have to sell it after you outgrow it."
"I need a new spacesuit because I've outgrown my last one. Therefore, I need to find a new one before I can leave the colony and go topside."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 27, 2024 11:49:24 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"There's no reason to invest in a spacesuit unless your job requires a lot of outdoor work during Moonside or if you just really like the outdoors."
"Therefore, even adults tend not to own spacesuits. They're just not something that you use often. I mean, some adults do own one but, also, even if you own one, you may have to be forced to scrap them because, after a while, the safety standards change on them and you can't really upgrade spacesuits in those ways."
"My Mom and I went to the rental facility for spacesuits to get fitted for one. When you rent, you don't get exact matches to your height and shoulder width and whatever but you can get fairly close and that's all you need. I tried a few test ones on and most of them were good. I don't need to run a marathon in them so a little looseness or tightness isn't a deal breaker."
"Renting is weird because you're really just reserving them for when you need them. It's like an old-time library book; Everyone kind of takes a turn reading it and you can reserve when you can read it and work that out with others so that no two people want it at the same time."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 29, 2024 16:29:30 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Moonside is construction time. Welcome to your colony being invaded by outside workers."
"Every day is valuable time for construction and renovation. The construction crews always arrive as early as possible because you never know how long construction or renovation will take. While they don't arrive here on Day 1 of Moonside, they do arrive once it is deemed 'safe.'"
"And why are some of the earliest days of 'Moonside' not deemed 'safe'? It has to do with solar flares. Being Sunside means that you're exposed to fluctuating temperatures and the same hold true as you transition to Moonside. Some days are hotter than others. Some days are too hot to bring down equipment and outside workers aren't going to take the chance. Who can blame them?"
"Depending upon the construction company, the level of renovation or construction, they either set up camp just outside the colony or they reside within it. Their equipment and material depots are definitely outside, though. Obviously, when they need to use the equipment or material, they bring it inside, though."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Aug 31, 2024 11:25:52 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"We don't have tourism. No strangers are traveling from Terra to visit our colony. We'll have former residents visit us and people from The Moon but there's no one waiting for us to get Moonside to tour our colony. It just doesn't work like that."
"Even if we did have tourists, they would only see a colony with anywhere from two-to-five work crews working on various things around the colony at any given time. Not every place is under construction or renovation here but a lot of it is. So much during each Moonside that there's a committee that maps and plans it all out."
"And even if there is a place in the colony that isn't being worked on, that doesn't mean that there isn't something being done. If you want *ANYTHING* coming in from the outside, *NOW* is the time for it to arrive; When you're in Moonside and, especially, at the *beginning* of Moonside. You never want to wait because shipping delays mean that the window of being in Moonside might close before you get your stuff or before it can be brought down to the colony."
"And everyone works. Everyone not in diapers. Everyone who isn't bedridden. If you can work, you work. Moonside can go pretty quick."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 2, 2024 11:38:46 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"So I went outside today. It's always freaky being outside of the colony."
"Being outside wasn't for leisure. I was helping people move stuff *ALL DAY LONG*. As I wrote, the moment that stuff can move back-and-forth from our colony to The Moon, it will. And it won't stop until we slip into Sunrise. OK, hardly anyone ever uses 'Sunrise'; In the colony, there is just 'Moonside' & 'Sunside' but, technically, there is a phase called 'Moonrise' and 'Sunrise.' They're short phases but phases nonetheless."
"Mom always stresses out about me being outside. It's not like I'm going to willfully puncture my suit or anything like that. She always thinks that I'm going to do something stupid."
"I did slip, though, when coming back into the airlock once, though. Stupid surface dust was all over my boots. I didn't hurt myself. Don't tell Mom, though; She freaks out about everything."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 4, 2024 13:33:02 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Today I helped out with moving stuff to the outside that needs to be incinerated. You just put it into a big pile away from the entrance to the colony. Somewhere between Sunrise and Sunside, the pile will burst into flames and incinerate down into charred ash. Environmentally-friendly? No. But it does work. That's why we do it."
"The stupid suits get so filthy from surface dust so quickly, it's pathetic. There's no point in having a spacesuit with your favorite color or design because if you spend any time on the outside (and especially if you handle anything for any length of time), it'll just be covered in a tan-gray layer of dust."
"And that dust is ridiculous to remove. First, it's electrically-charged (static cling) and you need to pass through a gate that demagnitizes it and then you go through a sort of 'car wash' to get most of it off. Even after that, you still have to inspect the suit to get excess dust off of it because it's corrosive after a while if it stays on the material for long enough."
"Working outside easily adds an extra hour to your day just going through the clean-up and de-suiting process. I can understand why people who do this all of the time are so tired at the end of the day."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 6, 2024 12:43:21 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"Today almost felt like a 'day off'; I helped out educating the younger kids on how to operate inside of their spacesuits. I wasn't the instructor but I was an instructor's assistant."
"Obviously, you don't trust younger kids to do any work when they're inside of their suits. You put them in a suit for transport from the colony to The Moon. However, at some point, you do have to show them how to walk around and do things in low-grav and no-oxygen environments. Inside of the colony, there are areas where you have to wear spacesuits. And, of course, you can't go outside without a spacesuit on."
"There's an area just inside of the hull doors of the colony where we've set up an education space for young kids to train with their suits on. Pick up boxes, stack boxes, turn valves, etc. so forth. It's all elementary school stuff but it still needs to be taught. The most important thing is to know what you want to do on the outside, have two evacuation plans set up in case of an emergency, monitor your suit and know your surroundings at all times. When you're a little kid, though, that's kind of hard and intimidating to handle."
"Anyway, all of the usual stuff happened and we had to end the exercises a bunch of times because... Well, kids are kids. If this had been the outside, they'd all have died several times over. It's kind of frustrating to deal with but I know that I was making the same kind of mistakes when I was their age."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 8, 2024 11:09:46 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"I really don't want to help out a teacher, helping out kids with their spacesuits but that's what I did again today."
"Some kids are catching on that you aren't supposed to have fun in a spacesuit and others aren't. There were all sorts of activities, such getting in and out of your suit, inspecting your suit for obvious damage, going through the automated check system... All of the really basic stuff. Are all of the seals good? Can you see out of the visor? Can you access the HUD (Heads Up Display) inside of your helmet?"
"One of the really stupid things about spacesuits is that kid spacesuits always have to have a see-through visor. Not making this up. You'd think it would be the opposite; That, for maximum protection, you'd want a visorless helmet. However, kids tend to freak out when you put them in a visorless helmet. So do their parents. For some reason, parents 'need' to 'see' their child's face or whatever. Therefore, all spacesuits that are specifically made for kids MUST have a visor on them."
"Kind of stupid but I'm not in charge."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 10, 2024 12:20:01 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"OK, I should clarify things about spacesuits for a moment."
"Suppose that you're stupid enough to buy a spacesuit (at least, it would be stupid HERE to buy a spacesuit). Believe it or not, the most popular choice of a helmet would be a visorless helmet. In ancient times, helmets for space had this glass front that you could see right through. I'm not joking; Look it up yourself. There was a sun visor that you could pull down to lessen sun glare."
"Modern helmets have long ditched that whole 'glass' thing entirely. It's just not necessary with modern technology; You can have full 360 degree visibility inside of your helmet thanks to cameras on the outside of the helmet. The helmet can be better shielded; The cameras can instantly adjust for light flares or darkness; The camera lenses are less prone to dust and can be cleaned off faster... It's just all-around better to wear a visorless helmet."
"HOWEVER, kids and people who aren't used to visorless helmets freak out for some reason. It has something to do with enclosed spaces or whatever. It's really stupid and so the law is that, if you're a kid, you go outside with a fish-bowl-styled helmet. It's completely stupid and counter-intuitive because the regular helmets are so much more safer."
"Don't blame me; I'm just a teenager. Complain to the adults on this one."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 12, 2024 12:49:00 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"The colony is in full construction-mode now. There are work crews all over the place. The work crews from the outside know that some levels are off-limits because, you know, there are still 20,000 people living here. Some levels can only be worked on at certain times in order to avoid causing sleep loss and general quality of life. No one wants to hear a jackhammer go off at in the early morning or late evening."
"Something that is a stupid adult thing is that the level where the Worship Room had to be moved because that level is being worked on in all sorts of different ways."
"So this is going to get me cancelled but a Worship Room is basically an all-purpose generic room for religious worship. I suck at ancient Terran religions so don't quote me on this but ancient Terran religions used to be at each other's throats until around the 22nd century or so until secularism began to take hold. There are still religious people but they're not the majority and most of them aren't as fanatical in those ancient times. I know that there are some big differences between them but it's all the same to me."
"Anyway, I've been helping out wherever I can. Not that I'm that big of a help; It's not like I'm an adult or anything."
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steve
Commander
Posts: 613
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Post by steve on Sept 14, 2024 12:26:19 GMT -7
CONFESSIONAL - FROM A FEDERATION COLONIST
[Note - The text has been edited for clarity and context. It has been edited with contemporary Terran audiences in mind. Idioms and local references have been changed to the most appropriate Terran equivalent.]
"There's an old saying that Moonside goes fast and Sunside goes slow even though they both last the exact same time. As I get older, I'm beginning to understand that more clearly."
"Moonside used to be fun when you're a little kid; You get to go the Moon, you could even visit another colony, there isn't really school (but there were school-related activities)... Now Moonside is just... Annoying. Inconvenient."
"So much stuff is blocked off in the colony due to construction. Can't go here. Can't go there. Can't do this. Can't do that. When you're a little kid, though, you don't notice any of that. Now you do."
"And now, of course, this is the last Moonside for me until... Well, I graduate. And get shipped off to Star Fleet Academy. Yeah. It's kind of bittersweet."
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