4.07 - Helping

“Rachel, the second that thing hits us, fire up the Quantum drive,” Daniel said.

“Sure, why not,” Rachel-7 said.

With the ship still shaking under his feet, Daniel said, “Trak, I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“You also had a good feeling about working for Alitma,” Rachel-7 said

“And buying this ship,” Trak said.

“And hiding out at the hospital.”

“And tracking down Jeska.”

“Neither of you is helping,” Daniel said.

“I thought I was,” Trak said, confused.

Stuck On: The Kep Effect (Part Two)

The Kep Effect is difficult to explain because no one knows why or how it works. There are theories. No good ones.

Scientists, however, can easily describe what the field does.

Once spawned by a Quantum engine, the Kep Effect is visible as the rapidly growing Kep Sphere. When the Kep Sphere reaches 11.5 miles in diameter it becomes the hazy Kep Wave, which expands an additional 11.5 miles before disappearing.

There is little to no difference between the two Kep Effect stages, except that the first  is impermeable to visible light.

Whatever its appearance, the Kep Effect randomly adds energy, order, or some combination of energy and order to any matter it touches. For exactly 23 seconds.

Here's an example:

If you push five granite wheels one at a time down a steep slope that ends in a small ramp—assuming you stand on a medium-sized H7-rated world—the wheels will pick up speed, jump the ramp, and eventually roll to a stop.

However, with the Kep Effect, the same experiment could result in any of the following outcomes—all at the same time:

• The first wheel gaining enough speed to achieve orbital velocity.
  (Addition of kinetic energy)
• The second wheel transforming into a helical column of granite molecules.
  (Addition of structural order)
• The third wheel liquefying into a pool of molten stone.
  (Addition of electromagnetic energy)
• The fourth wheel shattering into a pile of radioactive granite crystals.
  (Addition of multiple types of order and energy)

• The fifth and final wheel simply coming to a stop after jumping the ramp.
  (Because of its random nature, sometimes the Kep Effect adds nothing.)