The beginning of a mare's internship working with a bunch of space ponies, what more could you want?Previous Thread: >>39908136Surprise, I'm not dead! Just got busy with shit, my bad spacefrens. Thought I'd be able to get back to this sooner, but life had other plans it seemed. Even if updates get slow, my adoration for space pones will never let this CYOA go into permanent hiatus.Previously:You are Selene Endymion, a nerdy space enthusiast that was hired by the space ponies to help out with their needs, preferably engine work. After conversing with Boeing, you've been guided to the test facilities operated by various space pones. More specifically ULA and Blue Origin, both you've gotten the pleasure to meet with and interact. After doing a short task of designing a rocket engine and simple rocket schematic, you've received some new supplies from ULA! Blueprint paper, pencil, a clipboard, and saddlebags to carry them all in. Currently you've made your way over to Blue Origin to see what she's up to, and have been guided over to her BE-4 engine to view up close!
>>40006363>The rocket gods have blessed you with such an opportunity, to boop the engine.>You proceed to go right for the boop, feeling the cold metal up against your hoof.>It feels amazing, and not because of the cool sensation while standing out here in the midday heat.>Ok maybe it is a little bit, but regardless it's always a perfect moment to experience.>Might as well take an extra step to it, you are free to touch as you may after all.>You proceed to flop your body onto the engine with a soft thump, aww yeah.>Now this, is bliss.>"Jeez Selene, you sure do love engines do you?" You hear Gimbal say to you, and look over to see him staring. "You've been hugging that thing for a bit now, it almost feels like you've been at it for months now.">"She better not be doing what I think she's doing up there!" You hear Blue Origin shout from down below.>You chuckle bashfully and peel away from the engine. "Haha... what? Come on, it's only been a couple seconds.">He shakes his head at you with a smirk. "Yeah, a couple seconds away from who knows what if I wasn't standing here right now.">"Everything all sorted out now?" The two of you hear from Blue. "There's daylight still left to spend and I need the team to keep things moving!">Gimbal looks over the railing and nods at her. "Don't worry! All is good up here!" He yells down to her, and looks over to you next. "Alright, engine touchy time is gonna have to be cut short, gotta get other tasks done! Things are never too slow paced in aerospace you know!"
>>40215462Oh, right! Err, what is it you want us to do again?
>>40215462Alright, anything we can help out with?
>>40215462I forgot what we were doing.
>>40216334Going around checking out space pony facilities mostly
>>40216933
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>>40215694>>40215936>>40216334>Alrighty then, time to get to...>to... what were we doing again? You sorta phased out there for a moment from engine bliss.>"Sorry, but uh... I sorta have lost track of what we're doing exactly. Well, what you and Blue were doing specifically." You say to Gimbal, who chuckles in response.>"Well, I'm just giving you a view of the engine. Although my role was to initially check up on the engine after testing to ensure it looks alright at first glance. Considering it hasn't fallen apart in your hooves... I think it held up it's test firing well." He points out to you, and you smile.>"Sweet! So then... what do I do next?" You ask him, and he simply shrugs.>"Oh, that's not my responsibility to decide, but Blue Origin is down there if you wanna ask her yourself.">Looking over to the railing, you make your way over to it and peer over to glance down at the space pone, who in return looks up at you.>"Hey, is there anything that I can help you out with by any chance?" You ask, her ear flicks as she goes into deep thought.>"I'll see if I can think of something your hooves will be pleased to work on! But first, I need you two up there to get down from there, I'm going to send the team to get the engine lowered for further inspections!">You nod accordingly. "We'll get to it ma'am!">"Perfect! Here at Blue Origin, we get things done! Reaching orbit can't come soon enough you know!" She says with enthusiasm, although with the resources she has... it feels like she should've reached orbit at this point. Who are you to judge though, right?
>>40218807Down we go
>>40218379
>>40218807It's cause the space pones don't share info.
>>40218807I want to boop this.
>>40219675ITAR won’t let em I bet
Bump
>>40219145>>40220241>You look over to Gimbal and inform him of what you two have gotta do at the moment, get down from there!>"Blue wants us down there with her, says she's gonna get the engine lowered for further inspection.">He nods, "As procedure requires, of course.">You shortly make your way over to the stairs, Gimbal following behind as you two make your way down to the ground level, quickly meeting up with Blue Origin, who is pleased to see the two of you now present.>"Perfect! Now I can get the team sent in a jiffy!" She says with glee, wide eyes of delight.>Now, you gotta stay professional Selene. >But Celestia be damned, is she very boopable right now.>You may be on your own sort of side quest mission thing to boop every space pony you meet...>Is it a good idea though? What would she think?>Why do they all look so cute? No homo though...>"Selene, you're staring a bit too intently, what's going on in that pointy noggin?" Blue asks. Fuck, staring off into space is one thing, staring off into space pone eyes is another.>You shake your head as you snap out of it. "Oh uh, my bad. I was just wondering... what you have for me to do. Yeah! That.">Saved it.>"Well, since you're quite the persistent mare..." Blue responds. "Hmm... engine development huh? Aside from the blueprint you made, has there been anything else in mind you wanted to design or dig deeper into? A passion project perhaps? Whatever idea you have, I think I may be willing to provide a bit of assistance, for science of course."
>>40221106She wants us to design more rockets?
>>40221992What sort of assistance do you have in mind, ma'am?
>>40224282
>>40222744>>40223032>You raise an eyebrow at her, slightly confused.>"Are you suggesting me to design more rockets?" You ask.>"Well, I'm a mare who's always eager for more innovation, especially from my team!" She says with a smile.>"Hmm... I dunno, aren't you content with the current rocket you're working on right now?" >She nods, "Of course! Who ever said that I wasn't? I'm just... open for ideas, you know?">You nod back in agreement, "I suppose... but do you have anything else in mind by chance?">She thinks, before her eyes widen with an idea in mind.>"Oh! Why didn't I think about this sooner? ULA likes to host model rocket events for everypony to participate in! I think it's something that would be right up your alley! ">Your eyes light up with surprise. "That's a thing you all do!?">"Duh! Well, I'm sure you've heard of events like this before, but I bet you haven't seen one with space ponies, and the most competent crew of team members showing off their best designs! Maybe you'd care to join my team per chance?" >You scrunch your snoot a bit. "Oh? I mean, does that mean I can't just do it solo?">This makes her scrunch at you in return, "Hmph... yes, you could do so, or have your own independent team under your hooves. You'd certainly lose out at having the expertise of a space mare on your side though!" >She rubs the back of her neck with her hoof, brushing her mane a bit. >"Welll... another alternative could do is for me to just let you be on your merry way to some other space pony instead... if you so wish, that is.">From the look on her face, that seems to be all the options her head can come up with. >"Sooo... what do you think?" She grins, her hooves together as she awaits your decision.
>>40225293Are we ready to actually bend metal? Sounds like a huge step. Then again, we have to start at some point and we've checked out quite a few space poners by now. I say let's do it. Joining a team is probably best so we can get pointers.
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>>40226809
>>40225771>It doesn't take too much thought to consider your decisions, of course you'd be happy to join in!>"I'd be glad to join in the events too! It'll certainly help with getting a bit of experience with rocketry a bit more." You say to her, and her mood becomes one of delight.>"Great! So... does that mean you'll be on my team then?" She asks, the question making you scrunch a bit in awkwardness.>"Uhh... I'm not quite sure really. I mean, I'd like to be part of a team of course. It'd be too much work into doing it solo, but I'd like to consider my options first before I decide on a team to join in on." You explain to her, her ears flop in minor disappointment before they perk back up.>"W-well, my team is always available for new members if you wish to be in it!" She replies.>"I'll keep that in mind, but what are the teams involved in all of this?">"Heck if I know Selene, I think that's a question you should be asking the host of the event instead... ">"Each space pony pretty much has their team don't they?" Gimbal speaks up, butting in on the conversation. "I know there's some independent groups out there, but pretty sure every space mare has got one. I know Boeing, SpaceX, ULA, and the others have their own teams.">Blue sighs, "Yeah, I don't really know one that doesn't have a team of ponies taking part in launching model rockets when you think about it. Who wouldn't though? They're pretty fun to do!">Gimbal nods, looking over to you. "Yeah! It's either that or you could somehow gather a rag tag team of ponies willing to work with ya to compete with everypony else!">Blue shakes her head. "Now now Gimbal, that's being too ambitious. If it makes life easier for you Selene, you could get more info about all this by going to ULA and asking her about it instead. She's hosting after all, she might know all the teams taking part.">You nod, now having received all the info you can get your hooves on so far. Plus the extra time getting to ULA can be spent thinking about what team you'd be willing to take a gander in joining.
>>40228842I'd be fine with joining Blue's team.
>>40228842Oh no, options! I’m getting choice paralysis!
So, any ideas on where we should go next?
>>40228842Well, we could track down ULA to find out who's participating or we could just impulsively join Blue.
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>>40229116>>40230677>>40231145>>40232017>Oh goodness, so many options to choose from!>I mean, you're pretty sure you haven't met all the space ponies, imagine how many teams there could be!>You sorta blank out as the gears in your head turn trying to decide, it's almost tempting to just join Blue Origin and see how it goes.>But do you really want to jump right into it without further thought into it?>"Uhh, Selene... you're doing the stare thing again." You hear Blue say to you, snapping you out of your daze.>"O-oh! My bad, I was just... thinking." You reply, and she nods.>"Can't decide for yourself huh?" She says, and you simple nod back in response.>"Yeah, though I could go and find ULA to see who's participating." >Blue nods, "That's a good idea, you're gonna have to go to her to get yourself applied to participate anyway.">She grins and points towards one of the facilities, well the one you were at earlier actually.>"I'm sure she's still where you must've went earlier, whatever went wrong with her Centaur I'm sure she's still in the process of fixing it all up!">"Thanks Blue, I'll get to it right away!" You thank her for the info, and she chuckles a bit.>"It's no big deal, just do what you need to do. Once you're done, you can go on your merry way to do other things if you wish. Once my team comes by to get this engine lowered, I'm gonna treat myself with something nice! I'm sure you understand." She says, grinning adorably.
>>40232654Back to ULA, then.
>>40232654Thanks again Blue, for the opportunity to see your engine!
>>40232654Are we really gonna head out and not boop the mare?
>>40233271>>40233848>>40235773>"Yeah, I see what you mean. Thanks for the opportunity you've given me! And showing me your engine, it was really cool to look at!" You say to her with a smile.>"Hah, it's a pretty cool engine alright. But yeah, do what you need to do, have a good afternoon!" She says with a smile.>Oh wow, it's noon already? Time sure moves by quickly.>Just as you're about to just walk off to get in touch with ULA, it comes to mind that you haven't booped the mare yet.>I mean, you considered doing so but hesitated... but at this point, what would she do then? Plus, you got a side goal in life to do, and by golly will you fulfill that mission eventually.>With a reach of your hoof, you aim right for her snoot and...>Boop! We have contact!>Her nose scrunches once booped, appearing to be rather confused to what you did.>As you now walk off, Blue and Gimbal discuss with each other about it, although it's more of Gimbal explaining what booping is all about.>Walking back the way you originally came from, you retrace your hoofsteps back to the facility you and ULA were in earlier.>Waltzing right in like you've been working your whole life here, you open those entrance doors and trot in looking for that space mare.>You soon stumble across ULA standing next to some hardware set up on a stand for it. She seems to be pretty focused on it, must be something Centaur related.>Good thing she hasn't really gone anywhere since your last interaction, originally finding her was a bit of a pain in the flank to go through, and that was to just thank her for a lanyard!
>>40235901Heyy ULA, we're back. How's the Centaur lookin?
>>40235901Hi, something to help?
>9
>>40236765
>>40235901Cute
>>40238309
>>40235966>>40236147>"I'm baaaack!" You yell out as you walk over to her, getting her attention rather quickly in surprise.>"Oh, hey there! Thought you headed off to check out other things?" ULA says to you, curious over your sudden reappearance.>"I did actually! Got to see Blue Origin's engine up close! Was pretty neat!" You say to her, making ULA smile with glee.>"Oh how lovely! Very nice to hear, did she sent you over here for any reason?">You nod. "Sorta, but I'd say that would be the case. What 'cha doing at the moment by the way? Is this the Centaur you're working on? How's it looking?" >ULA nods in response, "Yup! This is the one that'll undergo more testing to ensure that it'll go well this time. Then it'll get sent it's way to be prepped for launch... hopefully!">You tilt your head, "So what's different this time compared to the previous design?">She gestures to it, "Oh, I'm giving it some more welding to it, the thicker welds should prevent any leaks from occurring when the hardware is under pressure.">A thump is heard within the Centaur, the noise reverberating off it's interior.>"Yeah... the welding part is being worked on right now, don't mind the noise." She explains.>"Ahh... alright then?" You respond, and you perk up as you remember what you were here for. "Oh, speaking of rocket building! I came here to take part in rocket model events... something like that. Blue said you host activities like that.">Her eyes widen as she ooo's, "Oh yes! I do indeed!">"What the fuck, that's a thing?" A voice is heard coming from the Centaur, making ULA scrunch. "Shush, you never asked about it." >She turns back to you with a smile. "Anyways... so you'd like to be part of the rocket modeling activities then? Any ideas on what teams you'd like to join, or are you doing it solo? Any questions regarding everything? I'd be happy to fill you in with any info before you sign up!"
>>40238774I'm looking for a group to join. Could you tell me about the participants and whether any of them might be looking for new members?
>>40238774Who's the poor pony you're keeping inside Centaur and not even telling about model rocket competitions?
Rump
Pump
>>40239601>>40240236I don't believe Selene can do that.
>>40238955>>40239053>Important questions first Selene, this one should be pretty easy!>"Who's got a team, and is there any looking for members by chance?" You ask, making ULA ponder in thought for a moment, but appears mildly frustrated at the lack of a proper answer..>"Oh, well... I can't quite think of them at the top of my head, I'll go grab a sheet of the list real quick!" She says, happy to make her way to grab what she needs, but you quickly stop her for a moment.>"Wait! Quick question though... who's the pony inside the Centaur, and haven't informed about fun model rocket competitions?" >She raises her eyebrow at you, glancing over to the Centaur before looking back to you. "Oh, him? That's just Stick Joint, he's one of my welders. Centaur isn't gonna reinforce itself you know?" She says with a chuckle, before making her way to get the list.>As you patiently wait, you hear thumping sounds inside the Centaur. The hay is going on in there?>Suddenly, a face pokes out of the opening! That must be Stick Joint.>A unicorn with a welding helmet, mane pulled back as he peers through the hole curiously.>You wave a bit, as friend making protocols require.>He stares for a moment, before speaking up.>"Are you new around here?" He asks, and you simply nod at him. "I figured, never seen a mare like you around these parts.">ULA returns with a sheet of paper, appearing to be that list she was looking for. "I found it!">She clears her throat as she skims through the list.>"Pretty much every space pony has a team, including me. I know, shocking isn't it? Anyways, every space pony have members in them, but I can see Blue Origin, JAXA, Virgin Galactic, Spinlaunch, and... BSA? Interesting... oh, yes, those are ones that are in need of a bit more members at the moment. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
>>40242500BSA? I don't think I've heard of them before.
Is Spinlaunch going to propel their model rocket with a mini centrifuge?
>>40242500>Black Sky AerospaceInteresting, hadn't heard of them before. With that name they better resurrect Black Arrow though>>40242522kekwould be funny
>>40242500Cute welding nerd
>>40242517They're apparently Aussies and decently competent
>>40242517>>40243379>You tilt your head at the list of space pones listed in need of members. Some you've only vaguely or never have heard of before.>"Who's BSA? I've never heard of them before. Are they ponies from across the pond, as they would say?">ULA shakes her head and chuckles. "No Selene, they're a space agency from another continent. They're from Brayzil specifically.">Ahh, that makes...>What? Of all places?>"They have a space agency?" You ask, somewhat skeptical of the acronym.>ULA looks at the sheet and reads it again, "That's what the acronym spells out." She points out, squinting a bit as you make her feel like she might be wrong for a moment there. "Wh... who else would I be referring to?">You stand there for a moment before you sorta shrug your hooves at her. "I dunno... but you think it'll be a bit confusing when ponies start having the same acronyms as one another?">ULA thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I might make contestants write their full names out next time. Or scribble their cutie mark beside it, JAXA is gonna kill me when I tell her to write her whole name out for me." She says with a chuckle.>"Hah." Stick Joint butts in, "The Japonese mare? She won't do shit, besides, what are the odds of there being another pony named JAXA that'd wanna sign up for this anyways?">"Hmm... I suppose you may be right." ULA says with mild worry. "I'll see what I can do later, right now I gotta get Selene all signed up." She looks over to you, smiling. "Well, I hope I've satisfied in answering any questions you may have, do tell if you've already decided on a team to join in on!"
>>40245877I'm still fine with joining Blue's team.
>>40245817
>>40246167>You think about your choices.>Or is it more reassurance? You sorta already had a team in mind, but you were really just making sure if there was any better or more interesting options in mind.>"Hmm... I think I'll go with my first gut feeling option for Blue Origin." You say to her, and she nods.>"Alright! I'll get that written down and get ya in the system!" She says with a happy smile.>"Pssst... ULA. Can I join the events too?" Stick says through the hole, in desire for rocket fun.>ULA nods, "Of course! What team would you like to be a part of?">"...Are you looking for new members by chance?">ULA shakes her head, "I'm afraid not, I have a good amount of members.">He scrunches, "Fuck, I'm gonna have to think. First, can I uh... am I free to get out of here?">"Did you get all the welds done?">He scoffs, "Yeah! My welds are top notch! Celestia didn't give me this horn for nothing!">She chuckles with an eye roll, and gestures with her hoof to get out from the Centaur. "You're free to go.">"Sweet!" He says, climbing his way out of the hole, falling out with a thud as he flops onto the ground.>You wince, that's gotta hurt right?>"A mattress would've been nice to fall on..." He says, just laying there on the ground, and you get to see the rest of his body. >He is a bit shorter than you thought he'd be, but in hindsight... a pony your size would have a bit of difficulty squeezing into that opening.>"Goodness, be more careful!" ULA tells him. "I'll go get something to help with that. Selene, make sure he doesn't do anything crazy." She says to you before running of to get some supplies, Stick reaching out at her with his hoof.>"W-wait! I'm fine!" He yells out, but the space mare is already off to the races. "Ugh, Celestia dammit. I'm fine, really.">He rubs his head, whether it's from pain or frustration, who knows. He stands there for a moment and looks over to you.>"So... what brings you here?" He says, trying to make some sort of small talk in the meantime. "I don't mean the whole signing up thing, like what's your job is supposed to be?"
>>40249451Hi! I'm Selene, the new intern! This is my second day here! So far none of the spaceponies who hired me have assigned me on a specific job yet, right now they seems to be content just letting me wander around and helping out wherever I can.
>>40249451I don't really have one yet, I'm just meeting space ponies and seeing what they're up to. How did you come to working for ULA?
>>40250047
>>40250976
>10
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>>40249613>>40250274>"What brings me here? It's my second day on the job! I'm an intern though, so I've been just going around and checking what the other space ponies have been up to, and just helping out whenever the opportunity arises." You explain to him.>"Ahh, neat." He says, before pausing for a moment. "Wait... checking out other facilities?">You nod, "Yeah, I can visit the other facilities to get a feel of them. I've been to a few already.">"Let me get this straight, so you're allowed to visit any space pony facility... just waltz right in? Like it's nothing?">"I... yeah? A pony did nag at me for not having a hard hat on early in the day, so not quite walking in unrestricted, but close enough I guess.">He stands there dumbfounded for a moment.>"...You lucky mare! I'm only allowed to work with ULA and her facilities, and occasionally Blue Origin. Only reason for that being, because they're partners, work partners I mean.">It certainly does make you feel a bit special that you seem to be the only one with such clearance, despite being an intern.>"Heh, I suppose being an intern has it's perks. Once I'm genuinely employed though, I think that perk will get taken away, might as well make the most of it, right? So what made you decide to work for ULA anyway?">He shrugs, taking off his welding helmet as he responds, his mane flopping back into place. "It's a steady paced work environment with good pay, more than enough for me. ULA tells me what to weld, and I let my horn do it's work.">"Like, welding with magic?" You question him, and he nods.>"Of course, shoot high energy beam into the right spot, and that concentrated magic turns into heat, and when you do so along with a welding rod, that'll get you one conjoined piece of metal in no time!">You look up at your horn, and back to him. "So you can insert high levels of magic into objects?">He scrunches, "Ehhh... I wouldn't put it like that, but if there ever was a need to do so, I could be up for the task if one really wanted me to.">"So you're fine with how things are for the time being then? ULA sure has been treating you well huh?">He shrugs. "She's a good mare. She treats everypony well, maybe a bit too much at times as you might have noticed. Acts like my mom back when I was younger at times, so silly! But I know some ponies wish they had a boss like that, so I can't complain too much about that, don't you think?"
>>40252659Is welding using our magic something he can teach us? Seems like a useful skill for us to pick up.
Boop
Beep
>>40252835I want to pick him up
>>40253906this is off topic but now I'm thinking, if a unicorn picks up another unicorn who's also holding something heavy telekinetically, will the first unicorn need to exert more force to account for the additional mass?
>>40252835>>40253906>Such is life for a pony welder it seems.>Hmm, it does give you a thought, can you weld? Or, at least be able to do so? Sure, it's nothing to do with engine designing, but who knows if such knowledge can be useful later?>"Can you teach me how to do that welding stuff with your horn?" You ask him. "Since I'm a unicorn too and whatnot, it seems like something that'd be pretty helpful to know in the future.">He stands there as the question goes through his head, a bit taken back at the interest you have for welding.>"Oh, so you want to see if you could weld with your horn? Uh... I've never really done any teaching before, but I guess I can make an attempt at doing so?" He replies, making his way over to you.>It gives you a bit of scale that he is indeed, a bit short.>You almost feel compelled to pick him up for some reason, maybe it's just from his height?>No Selene, don't think about it! You shouldn't pick up your potential coworkers, that'd be pretty weird, and maybe a bit insulting.>"Like I mentioned, it involves making a beam of energy from your horn, so you just gotta... like, use your head." He explains, trying his best to describe the process of creating magic beams, the basis of doing magical welding.>You scrunch your snoot, "I've used my horn as a light before, is that something?">He looks up at his horn. "I suppose that's the first steps to doing so, but every unicorn knows how to make their horn glow. The next step is trying to get that glow more concentrated, and shoot it out from your horn onto an object...">Seems a bit more complicated than it looks, but could it still be doable to learn it? Shooting lasers from your head does sound pretty cool after all.
>>40256160Let's give it a try! But preferably somewhere away from the delicate, mission critical, aerospace hardwares.
>>40256160Even if we don't have the talent for welding in particular, the ability to use magic in a different way may be useful.
bump
>>40256212>>40256601>You ponder for a moment, but only a little bit.>After all, you're an intern, your role is to gain experience! And what better to make use of your internship than picking up the skills of fellow workers!>"Well, I'd like to give it a try! It's not exactly my talent per se, but it'd be useful if I could at least be able to like... zap something to be pretty hot." You say with a smile.>"Alright, I wouldn't mind giving it a go. At least it's something to pass the time for me." Stick says, more than willing to give this a shot.>"I'm baaaack!" You hear a familiar voice, looking over to see ULA trotting her way back. >She makes her way over to Stick, and proceeds to put a bandage on his head. "There! Feel better now?">He pouts, "I'm fine!">"You're welcome!" She says with glee, he simply sighs in defeat.>"Oh! ULA, you don't mind if he could take me somewhere to go show me how to weld?" You ask her, making her give you a funny look.>"Uhh... weld?">"Yeah! Together!" You say with a smile, she looks over to him for a second before moving back to you.>"Umm... You two only just met, but if you so insist." She says, giving you two the green light to do some weld practicing.>"Wooo! Thank you, I hope to learn something today!">She nods, "Yeah, just make sure to not make too much of a mess while you're at it.">"Don't worry, I'm gonna start things simple for her, shouldn't be too much of a hassle." Stick reassures her, whatever will happen from your lesson, he is sure to keep things tidy in the end.
>>40259311Imagine: Being able to design and assemble an engine by yourself.At a decreased scale obviously, a full size one is too much for a single pone.
>>40259311ULA said that strangely. Like she thinks we were talking about something else.
>>40260295kek, I didn't notice that
>>40258558
>>40259311Let's go zap some metal and maybe make it adhere. Does metal conduct magic?
>>40260811
>>40259521>>40260821>With your first lesson underway, Stick Joint guides you over to the portion of the facility where you won't cause any issues with sensitive spacecraft hardware.>As you follow behind, you think about the possibilities of your potential talent.>It'd be helpful in building a whole rocket engine! Albeit a small one, a large one would be too much work and resources for one pony.>Maybe the small engines would be appealing to those smallsat rocket mares? Spacecraft engineers too?>Stick looks over to you, "Alright, this is where I'm gonna test out your skills. Lemme get some things real quick.">He walks off for a moment, before swiftly returning with what he needed, bringing them in with his magic.>Magic sure does make things much easier at times.>He sets down two aluminum rods onto the floor, pointing at them with his hoof.>"Alright, the first thing you gotta do is get those two rods conjoined together. It might take some effort to do, if you're able to do so at all. If anything, just getting the rods hot with your magic should provide some proof of concept for you." He explains.>Fuse two bits of metal together, seems easy. Plus it's aluminum, you've seen videos of ponies melting soda cans in homemade furnaces. At least he's not asking to weld stainless steel together or some other material like that.>"So I just zap it then? Like that?" You ask, and he nods.>"Yeah, or at least try to make a beam with your horn. Like, make it glow bright, and just... think of where you want to aim that light at. And with enough focus, it should just... shoot that light out? It's hard to describe, but you know what I mean right?" He says, scratching the back of his head.>"Yeah yeah, I see what you mean. So it should work right? Metal doesn't conduct magic, does it? Or do I have to take into account of that too?" You say, and he sorta gestures with his hoof a 'kind of' movement.>"It is energy, and since we want it to be heat in particular, that's what we're putting into the metal. Metal is already good at that for the most part when it comes to heat ya know. I'm no thaumaturgist, but I do know that depending on the magic, it can be conductive. Pretty sure that's why swords and shit have gems and whatnot in them right? Crystals hold the magic, and it gets easily transferred into whatever it's for by the metal. At least, I think that's how that works?">He scrunches as he tries to go through the thought process, and simply points at the rods again. "Just... just try and zap the damn thing."
>>40263040Fire a beam of magic into the rods while making a PEEEEW sound effect with your mouth.
>>40263148 (me)Wait hold on, shouldn't we wear eye protection?
>>40263040Let's heat it up.>>40263149Probably not necessary for our skills yet. Don't ask too loud though because ULA will make us wear some just on the off chance we're instantly a master welder.
>>40263409It doesn't get bright without flux
>>40262722
>>40263804boop to you too.
Bumping
>>40264514boop
>>40263148>>40263149>>40263409>Your horn starts to glow as you begin to focus, but you stop for a moment, out of realization.>"Hold on a second." You say, looking over to Stick. "Shouldn't we use eye protection?">"Oh, getting confident now are we?" He says with a smirk.>You scrunch at him. "Shush, I know how welding is like.">"Not yet at this point. And keep it down will you, if ULA hears you say that she's gonna come over and put protection on us. The helmets already give me a bit of a headache as is... or I'm just tired of wearing them after so long.">Well, if he says it's fine for now, might as well take his word for it.>Horn glowing once more, you stare intently at where the two rods are touching, focusing on building up your magic to conjure a beam.>It's laser beam time! This is gonna be so cool to pull off.>Do lasers make noise when they're fired? When in doubt, add the noise of it yourself when it happens.>"Peeew!" You yell out as you go all out on the beam.>Well, the idea sounded better in your head.>This throws Stick completely off guard. "What the fu-">Before having the chance to finish his sentence, a bright blue flash of light fills the room for just a split second, as a short beam indeed shoots out of your horn and onto where you focused at. It'd certainly would've lasted longer if your focus wasn't immediately shattered at seeing the beam actually shoot out of your horn, startling you greatly.>The two of you both jump and reel back in surprise at the results, oh shit, that worked?>As you look at what is left... not much changed. The rods don't seem to be conjoined together, but there's now a scorch mark on the concrete flooring.>"Hmm, that's interesting." Stick says, inspecting the results of your first attempt at welding.>"So... how did I do?" You ask curiously.>He stares more at it before giving you a quick nod. "Well, it definitely appeared to get pretty hot, but you gotta work on your beam concentration some more. Needs to be a narrow powerful beam, more like a laser pointer, and less like a flashlight, you know?"
>>40266455Hmm, focusing isn't our strong suit.
>>40266455Well let's try again and see if we could sustain the beam for bit longer
>>40266455>bright blue flashFuck, now I'll never be able to look at TEA-TEB ignition the same way again. Makes for a fire spooky space story, though.Concentrated heat, huh? Let's see if we can have that.
>>40266455Oh, we were super close.Let's try again.
>>40266455Snoot is close.
>>40268169Careful about booping this one. If you startle him he might accidentally discharge into your face.
>>40266489>>40266513>>40266903>>40267547>>40268169>More focus, got it.>"Focus Selene, focus!" You say to yourself. You were pretty close, it's certain you'll pull if off this time!>Stick nods, pulling his head away to give you the room for the beam safely. Don't want to accidentally boop him with magic lasers!>"Try not to flash the room this time, I know it's light from your horn, but if you did that in a room full of nuclear physicists you'd kill them all from purely heart attacks.">You roll your eyes at him. "Very funny...">Your horn glows brightly, brighter as you focus as much as you can into gathering that magical strength.>"It doesn't need to be that bright, calm down." He points out.>Doesn't matter to you though, he can judge your techniques later.>Once you feel like your ready, you give it your shot, firing a beam at the rods once more.>This time, now that you anticipated the beam itself, you managed to keep it going for a few seconds. Much more successful this time, but Luna almighty does it consume a lot of magic!>Once it ends, the both of you take a look at the results.>He perks up at the sight of the rods, taking a close look at them once again. "Woah, you got them to fuse! Nice, It's a bit melty, but I can let it slide since they're rods.">You see that the rods are indeed, fused together! The concrete is a bit more scorched, and the rods melted slightly from the heat, but for a rookie it's quite a feat!
>>40269769Well, it's definitely tiring
>>40269769Nice. It's pretty tiring, how much can you weld in a day? Does it get more efficient with experience or do you just have a lot of magic?
>>40271404
>>40269833>>40270158>"Woooo!" You cheer with excitement at your first achievement into a new skill! Wiping off the sweat off your forehead, you look over to him.>"Jeez, that's a bit of a workout for my head! Definitely tiring, and you do this all day? Does it not tire you as much as it does to me?" You question him, and he simply shrugs.>"Well it is my talent, maybe that has something to do with it? I can work all day if need be, but there's always breaks in between sessions, like right now. I dunno, maybe the more you work on it the more efficient you'll get with your skills.">You scrunch at him, "Oh... so you don't get tired doing this? I can see why ULA likes having you around, considering the bandage on your head.">"It's just my job, don't get your horn too twisted. Maybe you'll get better at it while helping out your rocket model team." He says, looking up at the bandage before yanking it off of him, wincing a bit as he does so..>You nod as you think about the possibilities of having more useful roles for your team. "Right! I could help out with this skill, after some fine tuning first! Thanks!">"It's uh, no biggie. I didn't think I'd be teaching a pony the basics of welding today, especially on my break." He responds.>"Speaking of which... I should really make some use out of it." He says, thinking about the time. "Since you worked up a sweat with all that magic usage, how about we treat ourselves with something to eat?" He asks. "Oh, and I guess you can keep the rods, you conjoined them together after all, and ULA wouldn't like it if I just let them sit there on the floor. Don't know what you'd do with them, but perhaps it can be a little souvenir?"
>>40272633Food would be great! And thanks for letting me keep the rods! I can use them to ward off any surprise vampire attacks, probably. Does it still work as a cross if the proportions are slightly off?
>>40272633>inviting us for foodHe doesn't know what he's getting himself into.
>>40272633Cute colt inviting us for food?Sounds like a date.
>>40274629Grammy is gonna lose it when she hears about this.
>>40273177>>40273770>>40274629>Everything he's said goes right over your head, as you only focus on the words he uttered involving food.>F o o d.>Your eyes widen to the size of the dinner plates you'd be given for your future food, with a large grin.>His face goes from smiling to poker facing, mildly worried about the suggestion he has just given to you. He has no clue what he's gotten himself into, and he's starting to mentally wonder if he's made a mistake.>"Uh... that keen on souvenirs huh?" He asks with concern.>You shake your head as that message made it to your brain. "N-no! I mean, Yeah! Uh, I'm happy to keep the rods, for what ever use they could have. Ward off vamponies maybe, b-but I'm more eager to head out to get food!" You explain to him. Haven't eaten anything since breakfast this morning, you're practically starving!>He nods. "Ahh, I see... food. Better be quick about it, before my break time is up and I have to resume work.">"Yeah, so where do you usually go to eat around here? I haven't really seen a restaurant around here." You ask him, and he sort of chuckles.>"I'll point out the options we have, just grab the rods real quick and we can get going.">And with that, you pick up the rods with your magic and put them in your saddlebag, and the two of you start to trot.>It seems aimless, but you're sure he's at least guiding you to somewhere as he continues the conversation.>"Typically, I just go to the break room and munch on whatever snacks and drinks they got stocked that day. Sometimes I visit the vending machines and get something from there. I remember ULA telling me once that JAXA has some that give you actual meals and stuff, wish she gave us some of that to have here. I swear if there was an actual place to eat around here and I didn't know about, I'm gonna be peeved.">You just nod along as he speaks, soaking in your options.>"Maybe there's a place to eat outside the facility?" You mention to him, and he just looks at you funny.>"Are you suggesting to leave so we can eat out at an actual place? Hmm... that's... uhh." He pauses, scrunching a bit. "That might be pushing my scheduling, but maybe ULA can squeeze a bit more time for me just this once?">You shrug, "I was thinking of asking ULA if she knows any places nearby, or where to get meals around here. I'm sure she knows this entire place on the back of her hoof for food! A space pony's gotta eat too!">"Hmm..." He thinks to himself. "I never considered that, but I haven't seen ULA eat anything during my time around here. Guess her lunch break is at a different time than mine, or just she has some private office to herself to eat in. But hey, whatever you wanna do to get your snack on is fine by me, but just think of something quick."
>>40275639You already helped me with the welding, I don't want to eat up all your break time so snacks and vending machines are fine. Only problem is I might ruin myself... But I'm sure I can find something on the way back to Blue if it's not enough.
>>40275639ULA isn't feeding her employees? This shan't do.
bop
>>40277474
>>40276018>>40276782>"You've already helped me a lot today with the whole welding stuff, I don't wanna be a burden on your time. I'll be fine eating whatever's in the break room, although I know it'll burden me in a different way." You say to him, coming to a decision.>"Naah, you'll be fine." He says. "I've been on this job for years, and I'm still nimble enough to squeeze into a Centaur dome opening.">"Well duh, that's because you're... you know..." You trail off, stopping right there as you question whether you dare finish the rest of that sentence.>You think about it for a moment, would your weight really swell up when you only have snacks instead of meals?>Ay yo, hold up, something just came to realization into your head, and you address it to him.>"Wait, so ULA doesn't give her workers food? Isn't that a little... how do I put this... messed up?" You ask. Imagine working at a job without being fed a meal, couldn't be you! That's unthinkable!>He chuckles, "Well you're free to bring your own meals, and it's not like you'll be starving the whole time here, with the break room available and whatnot.">Seems... legit.>The two of you continue to trot, and he soon nudges you as he points to an open doorway.>"Ey, there it is. That's where all the goodies are at, take a look for yourself.">Well, might as well do what you're told. You poke your head into the room, and scan the area.>The break room seems about what one expects.>Yup, vending machines, water cooler, microwave, fridge, coffee machine, pantries, fruit bowl, and maybe a bit more.>Compared to some offices, this place isn't too bad! >"What do you think?" He asks, joining you in poking his head into the room.>"...Comfy." You reply.>"Neat, take a look around some more. Pretty much anything in here you can get for yourself, except anything in the fridge that's labeled for somepony. Don't be that pony who takes their coworker's lunch."
>>40278553I say we should go fruit bowl, pantry, fridge for unlabeled food, and than finally vending machine for our food while making constant use of the coffee machine. Maybe some water as well just to stay hydrated since we've been doing a fair bit of walking today.
>>40278553Time to raid the fridge!
boop
>>40278553F R U I TBOWL
>>40278592>>40278698>>40279992>You take mental note of the room before going in. It's showtime.>First things first, you head straight to the fruit bowl. Fruits galore of your usual variety, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, etc.>Grammy had always said something about bananas, and impressing stallions by eating them.>Don't know what the appeal is, but you go for the banana to show off your skills. Maybe you'll impress Stick Joint like you did with your first weld?>You devour it like it was nothing, and look over to him to see how impressed he was.>He did not look impressed, if anything he had a worried and baffled look.>Tough crowd you figured, and head over to the coffee machine to get it running.>It'll take a moment for it to finish, good time to start it is now, as you get more sustenance to consume in the meantime.>Opening the pantry, you see a variety of snacks and interesting looking packaging.>You poker face as you pull it out. "Why is there MREs in here?" You ask.>Stick chuckles at your question. "Sometimes the Space Force ponies dump some excess things and we just stuff it wherever it can be of use.">"But MREs? Really? Do you eat these?">"Sometimes I do. I mean, if you eat one of those then you'll never have to worry about bathroom breaks for the rest of the afternoon." He says, laughing a bit to himself.>"Okay..." You trail off, before setting it on the countertop as an option.>The fridge is full of beverages and brown lunch bags and Tupperware, most of the being labeled for somepony. Upon seeing one without a label, yoink! Might as well be yours.>Freezer section is about the same, but there's some microwave meals instead of beverages, as there's a note specifying to not insert drinks into the freezer.>You take a bottle of water from the fridge, might as well get some hydration while you're at it.>Glancing over to the vending machines, there's one for snacks like chips, pretzels, and candy. The other is for soft drinks. Costs bits to use though, so it's more to be used as a last resort.>So far you got everything you may need now on the countertop, luckily the coffee is almost done at this time! Best to make sure if this is all you plan on eating for lunch.
>>40281595Selene, you did remember to peel it first, right?
>>40281595I guess we didn’t know to bring our own lunch… what a shame. Somehow, we’ll learn to survive off this pittance.
>>40281595What kind of MaRE is that?
>>40281595>>40281595Mares ready to eat!
>>40283846>>40283792>>40282580>>40281856>It'd be nice to bring your own lunch, but you weren't aware of such things here at ULA until now.>When in doubt you could just walk off to another place for food, but for now this meal will suffice. Maybe Mom would be willing to make lunch for you in the future?>But hey, if nothing good comes out of all this, at least you ate a banana. Did you remember to peel it first though... right? Uh... I'm sure that doesn't matter. If anything, eating an entire banana should've impressed Stick more.>You look at the assortment of goodies, and the first thing you decide to open is that MRE.>After all, you gotta know what's in it before you come to terms to eating it.>Stick Joint walks over to you as you tear open the packaging. "You're actually gonna eat that?">You shrug, "Might as well give it a go, how bad could it be?" You say as you dump the contents out onto the counter, taking a glance at everything.>You see the labels of the packaging, things like crackers, some sort of jalapeno cheese spread, beverage powder, candy... and the entrée, veggies with noodles. How... appetizing? >You look over to him curiously. "Would you eat this?">He scoffs, "Of course I would, I'm not too particularly picky about what I eat. Why, can't handle a little military food?">You scrunch at him, "What? Of course I can! Err... I've never eaten this stuff before but... they don't taste that awful do they?">"That... depends." He responds, "It's a pretty mixed bag, but the worst ones I've heard of are in the past, thankfully. At least you don't have to worry about getting a veggie omelet.">You don't get the context behind it, but maybe it's for the best you didn't know.>Checking your other options, you take a peek into the lunch bag to see what's inside.>A hay sandwich, now that's a classic right there.>Your assortment of various foods are all laid out now, plus the coffee appears to be done and ready to consume, if you don't mind the burning heat.
>>40284006What? No instant coffee to add to our coffee?!
>>40284006Always wanted to try out one of those MREs
>>40284006eat mare
>>40284006Freeze dried Veg an Noodle?
But first, let's get this out onto a tray.
>>40284025>>40284091>>40284649>>40285326>>40285981>Stick looks at the goodies within the MRE. "Huh, don't see any instant coffee. Usually they have those.">Upon hearing this you groan in frustration. "What!? I don't get any to put into my coffee!??">"Yeah, a bit of a sha- huh, what." He manages to say before pausing to process what you said.>"No matter, I shall enjoy this meal regardless!">As you lick your lips as you prepare to open everything up, you feel a boop on your shoulder.>"Don't forget your tray." Stick says to you, passing one over to you, as you look over to him with a confused look.>"Wha, why do I need one?" >"Trust me, you'll need it.">Well, if he says so. You set the tray down and begin to prep the goods onto it.>You open everything up, laying them out onto the tray, in the best arrangement you can make out of it.>Nice.>Not the most appetizing thing you've seen, but hey, you can't complain.>You chow down on the stew, thankfully it truly is ready to eat! By that, you mean it wasn't freeze dried. Okay, maybe you would've crunched on it anyway if it was, but this was much more palatable. >"So... how is it?" Stick asks, watching you eat.>"It's... okay." You say to him. "It's certainly not gourmet but... it will do.">He nods, "Yeah, that's usually how it goes.">It may be mediocre, but that doesn't stop your ravenous appetite from scarfing it all down.>That's not just the stew, but quite literally everything else the MRE had inside it, dear Celestia how hungry were you?>You finish it off by mixing the beverage powder into your water bottle and taking a swig from it. Mmm, orange.>Stick seems to have no words to say over what he just witnessed, but it does leave him somewhat impressed.
>>40286363See me consume this MRE? Wanna see me do it again?
>>40286363This place is very big! I need energy to travel this entire place.
>>40286363Have we even touched our coffee?
>>40286919>>40287464>>40287848>"...So, just gonna stand there and watch me eat?" You ask, before he shakes his head.>"N-no... but what was I supposed to do when you just gobbled that whole MRE up like it was nothing!?">You think for a moment, and smile. "Wanna see me do it again?">He poker faces. "I'd rather not.">"Oh well, your loss. This place is big, and so is the treks between facilities. Gotta get all the energy I need!" You say to him, finishing up the bottle of now flavored water, and glance over to the coffee, still left untouched... for now.>"Speaking of which..." You say with a grin, taking out the coffee pot as you lick your lips.>"Wait, you're not planning to drink *all* of that coffee, are you??" He asks, and you nod eagerly in reply.>"Duh! Of course I am! Why, did you want some?">He simply nods his head a bit. "I wasn't planning to at first, but the smell is too captivating to resist getting a sip." >Your coffee making skills is very on point, nopony can resist the brews you make, this gives you a bit of a smug look.>"Figures, but sure, I can spare a cup just for you, my good sir." You say, getting a cup nearby to fill it up, and pass it over to him.>You, on the other hoof, don't use a cup at all, and just drink straight from the pot.>Stick shakes his head. "You really are something else, aren't you?" He jests, and looks over at the brown bag. "What's in there?">You look to it, and back to him. "A sandwich.">"Well, do you mind if I could have it? If you don't mind that is, I can get something from the pantry or freezer instead."
>>40288909Sure, have at it, we'll just have to consume more fruit then.
>>40288909Sure, but that orange over there is calling Selene's name.
>>40288909Eat the orange, just bite into it like an apple.
>>40289770Why, the pith tastes nasty?
>>40289848You underestimate Selene's power!
>>40289853We're like a walking talking garbage disposal
>>40289848Only on Grapefruit
>>40288927>>40288966>>40289770>>40289848>>40289853>>40290552>Looking at the bag, you give him a nod, nudging the bag over to him as he pulls out the sandwich with his magic.>Luckily for you, you're aware that the sandwich wasn't the only food source around, as you look to the fruit bowl once more.>Having eaten a banana already, you reach for another fruit. This time, you get your hungry hooves on an orange.>Unlike eating it like an orange however, you proceed to bite into it like an apple. The outside is just as edible too right? Might as well not let it go to waste.>He gives you a very look upon seeing your behavior, it's a very familiar look.>"You know, that's about the same expression three space ponies gave me yesterday when we ate at one of their restaurants." You mention to him, while still not at all phased from biting into the orange.>"Ma'am, are you alright?" He asks with concern.>"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." You respond, unsure why he'd ask. You feel at most tired from all that magic welding, but that coffee sure will kick in real soon.>"No no, I don't mean physically." He clarifies, taking a bite out of his sandwich.>"I don't see what's the issue." You respond, biting into the orange again like an apple.>He sighs, not bothering to question it any further, just accepting that you're apparently a living garbage disposal... but with food, not garbage. >Ew, you still at least have some standards. >"This is probably the most eventful lunch break I've had in a while." Stick mentions to you. "I mean, there's been some moments, but this really takes the cake in terms of bizarreness."
>>40291251There's cake?
>>40291251Check if you can peel orange with magic. Some oranges are nice to open and some are throwing juice all over the place.
>>40291251That snoot is looking mighty boopable...
>>40292837
>>40291326>>40291981>>40293346>Your ears perk at the sound of the word cake instinctively.>"Wait, is there cake around here?" >He scoffs, "Maybe in one of those MREs, if you're very lucky.">You pout, and continue munching on your orange, as he in turn, eats his sandwich.>Looking at the orange, you get curious whether you could peel off the skin with your magic. Easier now that you've bitten into it, imagine trying to do so with an orange with it's skin fully intact. Where would you start peeling it from with magic?>You get to peeling, a bit rough around the edges but nonetheless you manage to take the peel off. Slightly messy too, the juice dripping off the orange from where you've bitten >"Oh wow, you got around to peeling it I see!" Stick says to you. "A little late to do so, but better now than never I guess?">While he finishes his sandwich as he most likely is mentally judging your eating habits... that snoot looks pretty boopable right now. >You recall this detail earlier, but you kept yourself from listening to those intrusive thoughts.>It's very tempting, how bad could it turn out? After all, you gave him a sandwich. That's something that'll keep a stallion happy right?>Boop!>He is very taken back by the boop, it being quite the sudden surprise.>"Wh- what was that!?" He exclaims.>"A boop?" You respond, wasn't it pretty obvious what that was?>"Selene! You can't just boop ponies! That's public display of affection!" He points out, and you roll your eyes.>"Come on, it's not that bad. I've booped a few of the space ponies by now, and they never fussed about it.">He sighs, "You can't be serious right? Don't tell me you're like, a serial booper, are you?">You scrunch. "What's wrong with booping? I'm sure those pones enjoyed the boops. I mean, if I went up to ULA and booped her, I take it that she wouldn't mind, maybe enjoy it too.">He gasps. "ULA? Enjoying boops!? How scandalous that'd be!" >"Are boops really that much of an issue?">He scrunches his snoot at you. "This is a professional work environment! We can't just have coworkers slacking off on the job because they're touching each other's snoots all day! How would you like it if I went and booped you right on the snoot, hmm??"
>>40293812(Leans forward with a smirk)Wanna find out?
>>40293812I think you're forgetting what we just told you. And come on, we have restraint, only one boop every few hours per pony and when they look especially boopable.
>>40293812Silly colt.He's lucky he's cute.
Enboopen
>>40293812Being such a stiff is torture itself. Why should we force ourselves to be serious for the sake of being serious.
>>40295731
>>40296349
>>40293831>>40294022>>40294034>>40295137>"If... you were to boop me?" You ask, looking around the room before leaning in towards him. "I mean, do you wanna find out?">He shakes his head, "N-no! Why should I do such a thing? What if ULA walked in right this second? She'd think we were fooling around together in the break room!">"What do you mean? We kinda are already, you got to see me eat an entire MRE and more!" You point out, and he facehoofs.>"That's not... nevermind." He says, giving up on elaborating further.>You chuckle, "You're so silly! Why so serious, life on the job wouldn't be fun if we got to be stiff as a board all the time! Besides... you're on break! What we do now, quite literally, wouldn't affect your shift one bit ">He scrunches his muzzle, planning to make a retort at your statement, but your argument is pretty solid.>"Uhh... look, I mean... fuck. Alright, fine. Just you know, not boop everypony that you meet?">You scoff. "Of course I won't boop everypony that I meet! I have some restraint, you know! If I didn't, I'd have booped you at our first introduction to each other! Plus, I totally had an opportunity to boop ULA multiple times by now, but didn't get around to doing so. Especially when she looked quite boopable!">He rolls his eyes. "Alright alright, I get it. Not a serial booper, but if any of those space ponies have anything to say about it, can't say I didn't warn ya!">You nod in response, "Noted." Smiling at him, you nudge your eyebrows at him. "So... are ya gonna boop me? I won't bite, I promise!">"Ugh, really?">"Consider it your one free break boop! Better make use of it before break time is up!">He sighs in defeat. "So persistent aren't you? Fine, I will give you a single boop. Just one!">You grin, "Sweet! My snoot awaits your boop!">He lifts his hoof up, you eyes glancing at it as he puts it up to your face, and with hesitation, proceeds to give you a boop, right on the snoot!
>>40296731I see somepony's peeping on us
>>40296731Can't wait to tell grandma how we booped with a stallion during break!
>>40296731Give him a look of smug satisfaction while proceeding to nibble the remains of the orange and peel.
>>40296731Oh no, I see a tail..
>>40297624I think that's a mane.
>>40296731The ritual is complete and the pact sealed.
>>40296731Better finish the orange.
>>40296753>>40296761>>40297062>>40297937>>40298525>You give your snoot a lil scrunch at the boop, and grin with smug satisfaction. "That's what I thought, hmph." You say to him, putting the rest of the orange into your mouth to finish eating.>As you do, something catches your eye, as a pony peeks around the corner.>"What's this I'm hearing in the break room?" A voice calls out from the pony, it's ULA herself.>"Oh hi there! Stick Joint and I were just booping each other-" >"No no no no!" He quickly interrupts. "No we weren't!">"Wait, you two were giving each other boops?" She asks.>"N-no! W-wait, I can explain!" He pleads to ULA. >"So you two spent some time welding together, and are now here to boop one another?">He gets on the ground, begging ULA to not punish the two of them for their actions.>"She made me do it! I swear, I'd never do such displays of affection in such a work environment!">ULA giggles and snorts at the stallion's pleads, finding it very amusing.>"You... do know boops aren't considered to be PDA, right? It's just a boop." She explains.>"See!? I told you!" You yell out, boasting about how boops were fine to do all along.>"What!? It's clearly a display of affection!" He says to her, and she makes a silly grin.>"Yeah, it is. But when I refer to 'Public Displays of Affection'... I mean stuff like, you know... making out? A hug or boop isn't gonna get in the way of things. I expect my employees have some restraint on keeping tomfoolery on the job to a minimum, right?">He nods. "Of course!">"Good, take your newfound knowledge as you will." >You look over to him. "You know what this means right?">"Wh-what?" He asks.>"The boop ritual is complete, the pact is sealed." You say with a smile.>ULA looks over to Stick with a raised brow. "Seriously, what in the hay were you two doing in this break room?"
>>40299487Gesture to the leftover food and MRE packagings."What do you think? Welding's hungry business, doubly so when it's not your special talent."
>>40299487I was just showing Stick how to eat.
>>40299487The MaRE we got didn't have any instant coffee in it, did somepony figure out how to remove the coffee or did we just get a mispack?Imagine how sad a pony would be to open their MaRE only to discover there's no coffee in it.
>>40300274
>>40299587>>40299722>>40300672>"Why, the answer is pretty simple!" You say to ULA, and gestures her to the leftover food and packaging. "What do you think we'd be doing here? Welding is hungry business, especially when it's not your special talent!">She looks over to the wrappers. "Ahh, lunch break huh?">"Yeah! Plus I showed Stick how to eat-">He shakes his head and points at you. "Do not believe this mare, she absolutely does NOT give a good example of how to eat... anything, really.">She tilts her head, glancing over to you. "Oh? I vaguely recall a few ponies mentioning this.">Wh- huh?? Was lunch time yesterday really that eventful for the space ponies you were with to gossip to others about it?>What do space ponies gossip about anyway?>"Uh... yeaah. Oh, um... by the way, I opened one of the MRE packages, and I didn't get any instant coffee in it. Don't these things always come with one? How is it missing, did somepony managed to steal it? Please, ULA, I wish to know how could such a thing happen to a pony." You say to her, widening your eyes to give her the cute mare stare.>Stick shuffles over to the pantry, opening it and looks at the MREs all stowed inside it.>"Come on, there's a fuck ton of these stashed in this pantry, what are the odds you find one that got messed up- oh what, there's cookies in here? Sweet.">ULA simply shrugs. "I guess it was pure luck... not good luck, but pure chance. We do have a coffee machine if you wish to use that instead.>Stick shouts out from the pantry "She already has, drank the whole pot other than a cup full that I took.">"O-oh..." ULA says as she pauses for a second. "Well then, once you two finish up here make sure to clean all these leftovers before you head out, alright?"
>>40302263Cookies, you say? And let's not be an ass and warm up a new pot for the next pony to use.
>>40302263Oh there are more MREs in the pantry? I hope ponies won't mind if we take another pack or two with us.
>>40302263Let's clean up our mess, then.
>>40302263Would like a cookie to nibble
>>40302570>>40302643>>40302816>>40304272>"Don't worry ma'am, we'll get this place nice and tidy when we leave!" You say to ULA with a gleeful smile.>"Great! I'm heading off to Centaur all certified and ready for flight!" She says, waving farewell to the both of you.>"Alright, take care ULA!" Stick says with a wave.>"See ya, and I'll be sure to see you back on shift once your break time ends." She says to him before walking off to be elsewhere.>"Yeah, I'll be sure of that..." He says, rummaging through the pantry, you lean over a bit towards him, looking over his shoulder into it.>"Can you pass me a cookie?" You ask, and he scrunches.>"Jeez, and I thought you were full. If you say so... and heck, might as well get one for myself." He replies, and so he pulls out a cookie for both you and him.>You turn to the counter, and start picking up all the leftover trash and wrappers to throw them away into the bin.>You look at the empty coffee pot, and put it back into the machine, and begin to make another batch of coffee.>"Selene, what are you doing?" Stick asks, poking his head out of the pantry, cookie in mouth.>"Making more coffee, for whoever else walks in after us." You explain to him.>"Oh... that's actually pretty considerate of you.">"I know... also, how many more MREs are in that pantry? You said a lot of them right?">He nods. "Oh yeah, there's a lot more of these in here.">"Can you pass like, two of those to me?" You ask, and he obliges, grabbing two of them as he hoofs them over to you.>"Why do you want these? Don't tell me you're gonna eat these too.">You shake your head. "No... I mean yes, but ya gotta have something to munch on when the time calls for it. They are made for that are they not?" You say as you begin to nibble on your cookie.>"Hmm, yeah you're right. It'd be pretty useful on the go. Looks like we got things all cleaned up at this point, time for us to head out of this room shall we?"
>>40304704sure thing! where to now?
>>40304704Is there anything we're supposed to be doing next?
>>40304704Emergency lunches!
>>40305355>>40305777>You give Stick a nod, putting your MREs into your saddlebags for safe keeping. "Yup! I'm ready to head out now!">"Neat, lets get going then!" He says, trotting his way out of the room, and you proceed to follow along behind him.>As you trot with him, you start to ponder where exactly you're going... or what you're going to do next.>"Umm... where are we going? At least, you in particular.">He turns to you. "Well, I'm gonna see if there's anything more ULA wants me to weld. Oh, and maybe sign up for that model rocket event, that'll be fun to spend time on.">Ahh, the rocket model events. Can't forget about that, as you're now officially part of the event, being on Blue Origin's team.>"Oh, right! I can't wait to help out my team!" You say with a squee.>"I'm sure you are Selene. In the meantime, what kind of things you gotta do as an intern?">You scrunch, and shrug. "I... dunno. I'm not sure if I was told what to do next after your lunch break.">"Hmm... when in doubt, ask ULA. Oh, maybe practice some more welding on your own free time?">"That is an option, that is true...">He smirks a bit, nudging you a bit. "I mean, if you're in a competition type event now, maybe you could also try to snoop around at the other facilities? Get some intel or something, who knows? You're the only pony that I know who could even do such a thing.">You nod. "Yeah, lucky me huh? Wonder why that is.">"Because they want more ponies in their line of work, duh. They get somepony to help along, and one of them gets a worker once that internship turns into proper employment. Just a way to convince you to work for them." He explains, giving you a boop on the last sentence, emphasizing the 'you' specifically.>"I suppose that makes some sense.">He nods. "That's just a theory of mine, so take it as you will Selene. Those space mares can be pretty mysterious in their ways at times."
>>40307855Aww yeah, we can be like a spy. Time to wear a tight outfit and crawl into some vents.
>>40307855Oh no, corporate espionage! We'd totally never infiltrate their food supply chains.
>>40307855Sounds kinda unethical, doesn't it?
>>40310120
>>40308033>>40308400>>40308924>You give it a thought.>Seeing what other ponies are working on for the event? Like... a spy?? Tight ninja black suit and everything? Crawling through vents and sneaking around in bushes, most certainly!>Your presence would certainly affect their food stock upon infiltration.>Although, the idea gives you a bit of an uneasy feeling.>"Uhh... snooping on the other teams? Isn't that a bit unethical in a way?" You ask, and he puts his hoof to his chin in thought.>"I mean, even if you knew what the other team was making, what would you even do with that info anyway? We're all rocket scientists in some way, shape, or form, I think every team is capable of building anything the other team can create." He says.>"Hmm... I guess? Not sure what snooping can provide other than what kind of rockets we'd be dealing with.">"Plus, it's a competition Selene! Nopony is making their rocket for mediocrity, they're making their design expecting it to be the best! Now, I wouldn't recommend copying any design from others, where would the fun be in that?">You nod. "Duh, the whole point is making a design of your own. Also, I'm sure Blue Origin already has her own plans on what the rocket should turn out.">He nods in agreement. "Yeah, I think everypony would be doing so. Think SpaceX makes her rocket models land too?" He says with a chuckle.>"You know, I wouldn't doubt it Stick. She sure loves reusability." You respond.>"Hah, yeah she does! But yeah, peeping a bit won't hurt much in my opinion, just don't you know... do any sabotage? Now that would be fucked up to do, and if you get caught, those rockets are gonna go somewhere other than the sky...">You chuckle nervously, "Yeah... I wouldn't attempt to do such a thing on anypony! Being nosy already feels like I'm doing some sort of corporate espionage.">He laughs. "It's a model rocket event, not exposing space pony secrets. You think these space ponies haven't done such questionable things before? How else do you think that cute space mare with a hard hat is even around to begin with?">You wiggle your snoot, not really understanding what he's referring to. "I uh... I don't know much about any of their history per se..." >He shrugs. "Yeah, I figured. Just don't mention that to ULA, she gets awkward about it." He looks around for a second before he leans in to you. "Don't bring it up to Boeing either, you'll hit a nerve. Not pretty to see, trust me."
>>40310802Oh yeah, I wonder where Lockheed mare is, probably holed up in Skunk Works.Let's, uhh, see if ULA has anything interesting to do I guess. Then we can go give Blue the good news.
>>40310951This.
>>40310802So you think she’s cute huh? And after we let you boop us and everything. Typical stallion. Grammy isn’t gonna like this.
>>40310951>>40311993>>40313210>"Can you elaborate?" You say to him.>"Uhh... when a Boeing likes a Lockheed very mu-">You shake your head. "N-no... I don't think that's how espionage works.">He shakes his head as well, but in amusement. "It is if you're fond of getting secret details. At least let me my sentence finish next time hmm?">"Fiiine... say, where's Lockheed? Is she around?">"Hay if I know, she's probably doing... something. But she's definitely not doing nothing, seen her before a couple times in the past around here when she visits.">You nod, and as the two of you stroll together towards where ULA is, you glance over to him as something clicks in your head.>"So, ULA... you think she's cute? Tsk tsk Stick, and to think you booped me and everything." You say to him in jest.>He jerks his head to you. "Huh!?? What do you mean! Do you not think the space mares are cute? If it makes you feel better I can say the same to you.">"Oh, so you think I'm cute too?">He shakes his head with a groan. "Ooh, no no! I'm not answering these questions, you're not gonna make me feel all flustered over this!">You simply laugh, what a silly lad. Just wait till Grammy hears about this!>With your conversation passing the time, you two arrive back to the Centaur in the works, and beside it is ULA, as expected. She is not alone however, the inspector sitting beside her along with SpaceX. Wonder what she's doing here.>Seeing the two space mares babbling to the inspector, it's definitely just them trying to get the inspector to have their way.
>>40313471Hello Miss Inspector, I hope you're doing well.Fancy seeing you here SpaceX, aren't you a bit far from your facilities? I don't think looking at this tank is going to help you much, the steel's far too thin for your purposes. And I don't think ULA is going to let Stick here go.
>>40313471that looks like a donut from this angle.mmmmm...
>>40315345>toggles Selene-vision>"Wait, it's all food?""Always has been."
>>40314775
>>40313579>>40315345>You trot a bit faster, hoping to not miss out what's going on near the Centaur.>Heh, from this distance it looks like a donut...>Sort of... the hole that it originally had, the one Stick Joint was originally inside, has been welded shut. >Too bad there wasn't any real donuts around.>Going up to the trio of ponies, you look over to ULA to mention the two familiar ponies currently standing nearby.>"Oh hey, it's the Inspector, so what brings here her by chance?" You point out to ULA, who points over to the Centaur.>"Well, I've called the inspector over here to verify that Centaur is ready for flight. Or at the very least, show that I've been working on ensuring that the errors it had has been patched up." ULA explains to you.>"That makes sense." You say to her, looking over to SpaceX standing nearby. "Aren't you a bit away from your facilities? What brings you here?" You ask her curiously.>"She's been following me around." The inspector speaks up. "She's hoping that I'd just give in and give her a launch permit for her second test flight." The inspector says to you, standing up and glaring at SpaceX.>"It's called negotiating, madam." SpaceX says to her.>"Riiight..." The inspector says, unimpressed.>"Inspector please, the launch pad is fixed up, the rocket is tested, I even put a giant bidet so there won't be another giant hole in the ground again!" SpaceX pleads with her.>The inspector groans, "If I decide to say yes, you better mean what you say.">Stick Joint looks over to ULA. "Does this all mean I'm free for now?">ULA giggles. "Haha, no. I'll still need you to help out with a few tasks here and there.">"Shoot." He says. "Really thought my shift was gonna end early. Oh well, at least I won't get stuffed into a fuel tank again anytime soon.">"Soo..." You say to ULA. "Gonna be busy with the inspector for the time being then?">ULA nods. "I'm afraid so, this may take a moment to go through."
>>40315826Good luck then, we'll be on our way to Blue Origin. Thanks for all the advice!
>>40315826Give Stick a goodbye boop in front of everyone
>>40316536
>>40317888
>>40316019>>40317265>"I see..." You say, watching the mares negotiating with the inspector. "Well, in that case, I'm gonna go over to Blue and tell her the news regarding the rocket model event.">ULA perks up. "Oh! Yeah, that's a good idea Selene! Should mention it to her as soon as you can, otherwise I can just tell her myself. Though, it'd be much faster if you just went and told her yourself.">"Yeah, thanks for letting me be here and the advice you've given me, I really appreciate it!">The mare giggles. "It's no problem Selene, stay safe!">You smile and nod, and you look over to Stick, who looks over to you. "It's been... quite an experience, interacting with you. Hope we meet again sometime soon!">"We'll see, until then, see ya later!" You say to him, reaching your hoof out to give him a boop on his snoot. A goodbye boop if you will.>He scrunches his snoot, now booped in front of everypony. The space mares pay no mind to it, however the inspector gives the two of you of an unamused look.>With that you turn around and start to head off, if the inspector had anything to say, best not stick around and find out.>You open the exit and walk right out, trotting off towards Blue Origin's engine stand.>That's the last time you saw her, she's probably still there. >As you make haste towards the site, you can spot out an engine laid out on it's side, tied down to a trailer, as if it's ready to be sent off somewhere.>Blue did mention taking the engine from the stand for further inspections, perhaps this is what's happening right now?>Either way, you can already imagine the look on her face when you give her the news!
>>40318569Continue traversing the endless white expanse. Think about how hard it is to tell the time. Did we have an early lunch or a late lunch? Was it right on time? How long does our shift go? Do we even have a timetable, or do we just work until everyone goes home for the day? Who do we report our time tables to? Are these walks in-between buildings being counted as breaks? Are we a paid intern?So many questions... and nobody but the wind is around to answer.
>>40320833
>>40319696>As you trot, the random thoughts that pop up in your mind resonate within your skull.>Are we being paid for this? Hope there's bits involved...does all this walking count as being on the job? You've heard about using the bathroom on company time, but what about walking?>So many questions, but there's nothing but yourself and the sounds of the wind rustling in the air.>Either that or the faint rumbles and crackles of engine testing and perhaps actual launches in the distance...>Oh, you're here.>Thank goodness, don't think you could handle the thoughts any longer.>Luckily your intuition was correct, Blue has indeed been overseeing the process of engine transport to one of her facilities for inspection, she looks over to you as she notices you trotting over to her. "Oh hey, I take it you chatted to ULA about the whole rocket model thing?" She asks, and you nod accordingly.>"Good news Blue, I've decided to join your team for the rocket model competition!" You say with a big smile.>She gasps, and squees in delight. "Oh, that's great to hear! I knew you'd be on my side! >"Yeah! I hope it'll be fun as I imagine it being!" You tell her, squeeing back to her.>"It definitely will Selene, I've already have the designs to construct our rocket. Having new peeps like you on the team will make this much more smoothly, and makes for an easier workload for everypony involved!"
>>40321190Cute little sunglasses
>>40321190Tell her that we were also able to get welding lessons if it will be helpful.
>>40321190Bump
>>40322827
>>40322050>Sweet, she considers you to be a helpful mare!>Even though the main focus of your rocketry knowledge is in engine development, maybe spot any engine issues during testing?>Maybe not, model rockets tend to use solid fuel for a reason. Although... you recall that it may not be the only skill you can do while on the team.>"Speaking of skills, I got to dabble a bit into learning some new things while I was away!" You inform her.>"Oh? What skills are you picking up on then?" She asks.>"I got to do some lessons recently with welding!" You tell her, her ears perking up.>"Ooo, welding lessons you say?" She questions with interest.>Nodding, you elaborate further. "Mhmm! One of ULA's employees was willing to teach me a bit with some impromptu lessons.">"Well, do tell! Did you manage to weld something?">"Yeah! Just two aluminum rods, but it's a decent start, I think.">Blue Origin nods approvingly. "Indeed, that kind of skill will be pretty helpful once you get more improvement out of it.">Aww yeah, there's gonna be plenty of work she'll provide you once things are underway.>"So Selene, did you learn anything else while you're at it?" She asks, and you shake your head.>"Nothing more quite yet, but I learned that boops are fine in the workplace and that if you babble long enough you might eventually get your way.">She laughs, "Pfft, did SpaceX taught you that?">"No, but she was there earlier with the inspector.">"Oh, that explains things then..." Blue snickers for a moment, before she scrunches her snoot. "I sure hope I can get New Shepard back up and running again. Gotta get that revenue flowing again! But I think I've done enough for the inspector to allow me to continue my flights back to normal operation. If Virgin Galactic can get her suborbital craft flying again, I'm pretty sure I can get rocket into the skies just as well!"
>>40323918Ask Blue what her next stop is now that the engine test is wrapped up
>>40323918>Virgin Galactichehe...galactic
>>40324782>>40325397>Ha... she said galactic. Get it? Because space... every space pony always has some sort of name based of something space related. Well, they usually do.>Before you raise any suspicion from Blue of what you're thinking about, you clear your throat a bit to subdue any giggles and smirks you might've done.>Glancing at the engine currently strapped down, you turn to Blue to question her about it.>"So what are you planning to do next with this engine here? I got to see it nice and up close after it's test firing, and now that it's off the stand, where are you gonna take it to?">Blue simply chuckles. "Uh, it's going to get further inspections." She answers, pointing at it with her hoof. "If that engine in particular passes the inspection, then it'll be ready to be used for flight! Whether to give it to ULA for her Vulcan, or keep it for my personal use for New Glenn, I haven't quite decided yet.">You tilt your head in curiosity. "So either for ULA's rocket or... yours? I don't think I've seen you with any rocket around here, how come?">She appears to be stunned at the question. "W-what, what do you mean Selene?">"Like, I got to see some space mares making progress on their rockets, or parts of it at the very least. You got engines, but I've yet to see any rockets being assembled.">Blue laughs nervously. "Haha... C-come on Selene, making a rocket takes a lot of time and effort to get done! Can't just slap some things together and expect it to fly right!? It's not that easy in rocketry...">As Blue babbles on, in the far distance by the horizon something seems to catch your eye, just barely noticeable to the typical viewer. A glimmer of something metallic, and you could've swore it moved! Just a teeny bit, maybe this expanse of land just messing with your mind a bit perhaps?>Your attention snaps back to Blue however, as she notices your face appearing to lose focus on her. "What are you even looking at? You're doing the daze again, I think... ">She sighs, and takes a breath. "I'm building a rocket, no lies in that whatsoever. I assure you that it'll be done when it's ready. Step by step is what I'd like to say! And trust me, when it's all set and prepped for launch, you're gonna love it!"
>>40326912Ok, I trust you. I will wait for it.Is there any way to check what it was or was it just our imagination?
>>40326912Maybe we should think about getting some glasses. We'll ask mom to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.
>>40326912Space X proved that getting it to fly isn't that hard, just to get it to stay together afterwards.
>>40327540>>40328742>>40329570>You just nod along to her speech, might as well take her word for it. After all, she has to have spent all this time on something right?>"Yeah, I hope to see it sometime soon! From what I've learned from SpaceX, and the other space ponies as well, is that getting things to fly isn't hard but uh... getting them to stay together afterwards is a different challenge.">Blue snickers at the remark. "Hah, that does seem to be true now that you point that out. How my rocket's first flight will go, is uncertain all things considered, but I simply wish it the best when it's time!">You nod along to her as usual, but you still can't take your mind off what you saw... er, maybe have saw, earlier. >Wait... you already have glasses... maybe new ones? You take off your glasses and take a quick look at their condition, confusing Blue as to what you're doing.>"Uhh... If you're thinking about wanting to try out my shades, no... I'm not letting you do that." She says, and you shake your head.>"Oh, no no... was just checking my glasses real quick. Thought I saw something in the distance just a minute ago or so.">"Ah... wait, is this why you were zoning out for a second there?" She looks at you with a raised eyebrow, and you nod.>"Yeah, unsure if it was all in my imagination though. Is there any way to go check out what it was by chance?" You ask her, and she scrunches her snoot.>"What, like... trotting over there? If you wanna investigate feel free to do so you know. I don't know much of what lies over there aside from random startup facilities, and I don't mingle with those ponies too often, except for a few of them." Blue explains to you.>You perk up from her explanation. "Oh, maybe there is something then! From whatever is going on over there, it must've been space pony activities right? Know anypony that does their testing there?">She rolls her eyes. "Hay if I know, I only do my interaction with Virgin Galactic. She's trying to tap into the tourism market like I have. Every now and then there's also this one pony named Stoke. Says that I'm an inspiration for her or something. Flattering, isn't it? I don't keep up with what she does though. After all, it takes quite some time before an upcoming space mare actually launches something into the air.">You sorta gesture in agreement, slightly sweating at the need to point it out to her.>No Selene, don't mention the launch Relativity made the other day to her... or ABL's launch attempt... >You cough to clear your throat, as well as cutting off any potential rambles from Blue as you look over to her. "Sooo... wanna check it out with me then?">Putting a hoof to her chin, she thinks and sighs. "I'd prefer to be doing other things right now, but if you really want me to come with... no harm in joining along, right?"
>>40330639Onward to adventure! If it wasn't just a hallucination.
>>40330639Time to find out what that mystery vehicle was
>>40331830
>>40332677
>>40330668>>40330845>You grin, clapping your hooves together in delight. "Perfect! Let's go check it out then!">Before Blue even has time to react, you grab her leg with your magic and begin trotting towards the source of the glimmer.>"Oh wait, you're actually taking me with you?" Blue remarks in surprise. "Hold on a sec here maybe you don't need to- aaand you're taking me... fine, alright, I'll come with..." She says, being dragged across the ground as you continue to bring her along with.>Eventually you do let go of her, being able to only drag her with your magic for so long until you get tired of it. Getting up, Blue brushes herself off before trotting along with you, curious to see if what you said was true.>And lo and behold, you might've been onto something, as you see a metallic structure in the distance, Blue seems rather surprised that you might not have been losing it this whole time.>Upon closer look, it appears to be a metal craft of some sort, currently placed at what seems to be a test facility of some sort. Minor debris is littered around the ground, along with some fresh scorch marks on the concrete pad.>A mare is seen attending to the craft with a broom, waving it around for some reason. The moment her eyes spot the two of you, her eyes widen, and she quickly races over with joy, appearing to be very eager to see you and Blue. Blue tilts her head and squints, appearing to recognize the mare walking over.>"Stoke, is that you? What... are you doing?" Blue asks her, prompting her to spit the broom out of her mouth.>"Was just checking for fuel leaks, can't ever be too sure you know!">"Why, you look a bit... different, compared to the last time we met." Blue says to the mare, and she giggles.>"Yeah, you could say I had a bit of a phase there! But I figured black suited me better, so... tada!">"Interesting..." Blue mutters, and the other space mare turns her attention to you now.>"And who's this cutie you brought right here? Her mane looks so sparkly!">"Oh, that's Selene." Blue says, pointing at you. "She kinda dragged me here, said she saw something. Selene, this is Stoke Space. Stoke, meet Selene."
>>40333306This one's a silly one, she reminds me of a filly.What's the broom for?
>>40333306Hello!
>>40333306Fuel leaks? Uhhh... that thing doesn't run on hydrazine, does it?
>>40333306How do you check for fuel leaks with a broom? But more importantly, what the fuck is that thing?
>>40333765perhaps a lander, or a hopper test article?
>>40334259Yeah, but still what the fuck is that thing?
>>40333306Relativity?
>>40333622>>40333653>>40333656>>40333765>>40334259>>40336103>You wave hello to the space mare, "Hello there!" You say with a grin, and tilt your head as you get a good look at her. She looks pretty familiar too! "You look a lot like Relativity.">She laughs, "You're silly! She's got light blue eyes, and a funky cutie mark. Pretty splotchy compared to mine, pretty hard to miss. Got a pony tail too on her mane, we don't anything alike in that case!">Uh... seems legit. You cough to clear your throat, and change the topic on hoof.>"I see... so, the broom, what is that about? How do you check for fuel leaks with a broom? It's not running on hydrazine, is it? Should we even be standing here right now?" You ask her, and she picks up the broom with her hooves.>"Oh, no no! No hypergolics here! Hopper here runs on hydrogen, and since it just flew, any leaks it may have could be burning. Easy to tell there is one if the broom randomly catches fire." She explains to you.>"Ooooh..." You say with awe. Use brooms to detect burning hydrogen leaks... noted.>Blue shakes her head, "Hold on, wait a second. Are you saying that thing... flew??">Stoke nods with rapid excitement. "Yeah! It flew! It was amazing, and it did so without blowing itself up, all in one try too!">Blue stares at it with stunned silence before speaking up, "I almost find that hard to believe...">But it must be true, that's probably what you saw in the distance after all.>"Yeah, it's a miracle it worked flawlessly! It did have a bit of a bumpy landing, but I've gotten all the data I need from it, so not like I'll ever do anymore hopping with it at this point now.">She gallops towards her creation, looking back to see the both of you still standing in place.>"Come on! Let me show you up close! It won't bite, I promise!" She yells over, inviting you and Blue to get up close alongside her.
>>40336473>HydrogenDoes she know? Is it only an upper stage at least? Although actually Blue uses it too, so I guess we're in H2 territory right now.Love the excitement, though.
>>40336473She doesn't need to ask us twice.
>>40336473Can you tell us more about its design? How does it fly? I don't see an engine anywhere.
>>40337504
>>40338272
>>40336663>>40336689>>40336830>Come closer? Oh, she doesn't have to ask you twice to convince you.>You follow Stoke over to her >Walking up to it, the craft appears to be a pretty decent size. It sure appeared a lot smaller from a distance, but most rockets tend to be that way until somepony goes right up to it.>"Woah... this thing is a lot bigger closer up than I thought it would be." You say out loud, Stoke nods in agreement.>"Yup! 3.65 meters... or precisely 12 in hoofball units, wide! This isn't a subscale prototype you know, it's the real full size! Not full height though, there isn't a payload fairing on it yet, for obvious reasons.">You nod. "Ah, payload fairing? So this is an upper stage then huh? For a moment, I thought you were gonna try to build a hydrogen powered booster of some sort.">She snorts, and shakes her head. "No no, Selene. I haven't gotten around to do any work on the booster, but that's planned to run on methane. Hydrogen is much more useful as a fuel for an upper stage, gotta make some use of that efficiency it has!">As you stare at it's surprisingly large size, you notice one interesting aspect that just tickles your mind.>Where... where's the engines?>Clearly it must've had some if it flew, but there's a distinct lack of an engine bell anywhere on the craft.>"Interesting. So... Stoke, you know this thing. where are the engines? You ask curiously, a glimmer in her eyes hearing your question.>"Great question! See that segment that sorta overhangs to fit with the rest of the tank section? Poke your head below it and you'll see the engine components!" She says, patting the underside of the hopper.>Obviously, you take her advice, and duck your head down to take a look.>Between the tank wall and dome there's noticeable holes that appear to circle around the whole thing. >"Oh what, you got engines all around this craft! Without any need for a nozzle either...">Stoke chuckles, joining you in ducking her head as she points at the engine holes. "They aren't engines... well, yes, they are part of an engine. There's technically only one engine in the whole system. One turbine, one pump, one exhaust port, but it powers 30 combustion chambers instead of just one! Bet you've never seen anypony do that before!"
>>40340000Must have excellent insulation inside then.
>>40340000Wow that's wild. I take it this is your solution to second stage reuse? Will the fairing be reusable too? What's the planned mass to orbit?
>>40340000nice digitsHoly fuck and I though the R7 engines were crazy with their four chambers, this is just madness. Respect for trying such an unconventional design, I love it. Honestly I want to drop whatever we were doing and find out how this is plumbed. Getting this to equal combustion levels must be a nightmare. Damn.
>>4034000030 combustion chambers?That's as many as three tens.
Endymion bump
>>40343046
>>40340025>>40340095>>40340670>That many combustion chambers, all in one stage??>It's mind boggling to even come up with such a design, yet what stands before you, is a functioning prototype. For a youthful space mare, she's worthy of respect for doing something so unique that seems genuinely plausible.>"I can't imagine 30 combustion chambers on a single rocket in general, it's so many! It certainly doesn't look like it either!">She puts a hoof to her chin, "Well, 30 is the number in the official version of the craft. Though, I think there's 15 on this prototype for the time being. But hey, if it can fly with only 15, then there's at least a bit of engine out capability with the full design when I get around to building it!">You look to her in fascination, eyes sparkling in the sunshine. "Really though, please give me more info on this rocket, I really like how... this all works in general. This is meant to be reusable isn't it?">She nods. "Yup! A fully reusable rocket it'll be! No waste made in space for this mare! As you might have figured, this rocket isn't going to be a massive rocket or anything. Hopefully it'll be able to send up to around 7 tons into orbit like I planned it to!">You look at the hopper, and back over to her. "Really? That's a decent amount of payload for a rocket this size. Especially with uh... unconventional engine design.">She giggles. "Well, the first stage will have 7 engines on it. Methane powered and full flow! I know many will say that I'm too ambitious, but it's either go big or go home! Luckily I actually can focus on that more now that this machine has fulfilled it's purpose.">You feel your mind about to explode. "Feels like you're pulling my leg here, but I know you're serious about that statement. And I thought this 30 chamber engine design was bonkers. Wait... you said it's bleed cycled, where's the exhaust hole?">She gives the heat shield dome a pat. "Right in the middle of the heat shield. In flight and landing it makes the whole system act like a sort of aerospike. Plus, I can run the turbine during reentry so it can use the exhaust as heat shield cooling, and as protection against the plasma! Kinda crazy nopony has attempted to try this method out yet..."
>>40343605Mare, you are crazy. Positively bonkers. In a good way definitely, but still, Luna be damned, you're stacking mad and hard ideas on each other. That second stage and full flow methalox on the first stage? Fuck me, I don't even know what to say.I think we found where Selene would want to work, this has to be a young startup-minded propulsion engineer's wet dream. Holy fuck.
>>40343605That's sounds kind of ridiculous.What if it runs out of energy, or something goes wrong? What's it's fault tolerance?
Fear
>>40343605Well miss, I think I can safely say I've yet to meet any other startups that has a proposed rocket design as radical as yours.Except maybe for ARCA, lmaoStill, I shudder to imagine what the eventual plumbing for an expander cycle with 30 combustion chambers is going to look like.Will you be relying on the RCS thrusters for roll control? Or maybe have one set of engine nozzles angled slightly clockwise, and the other counterclockwise?
>>40344463>>40345028>>40345966>You poker face at the mare.>It all sounds literally insane, but she says it with a cute and straight face, and it makes some sense that gives it some legitimacy.>"Ma'am, you're the most wild mare I've met so far. Literally nopony I've met so far has came up with anything like you've designed. Except maybe a reusable first stage, but that's only started to be a trendy thing for space agencies to design.">She grins. "Thanks! I certainly take pride in taking a new and out of the box approach to achieving full reusability for my rockets!">You nod. "I bet you do. It's almost ridiculous, don't you worry if something may go wrong?">Stoke simply shrugs. "Well, in that case, you just figure out what happened, why it happened, and take measures to prevent it from happening again. It's as simple as that really. For a pony like me you keep trying to get it to work or go bankrupt doing so, but I don't expect that to happen anytime soon... I hope.">"Yeah, it'd be a shame if you did. I really like the novelty of your rocket, it'd be so cool to see it take flight! But goodness, all that plumbing though, and that's not even taking account for the thrusters.">She snickers. "Oh yeah, that plumbing is going to be wild! Luckily it'll be simple since there's no gimbal system to the engine. In the traditional sense I mean, it uses differential thrust in the combustion chambers to induce a gimbal motion.">She puts a hoof to her chin. "It can't roll with the engines in a system like that however, so yes the RCS will have to do the task of controlling roll. Good thing I got to do this rocket hop to test all those avionics and hardware out huh?">You nod along to her words. "Mhmm, I wouldn't even think a space mare would've had made something like this already! You seem pretty young, and you've already got all these ambitious ideas piled onto each other. Do you really think it'll work out?">"Come on, as I mentioned earlier, I'll try until I can't anymore. If SpaceX can build full flow engines and hop stainless steel tubes, then so can I!"
>>40346332Good luck, you're genuinely going to need it. Hope to keep seeing you around.Damn I need a breather after this. How about you, Blue, did you know she was working on all this crazy stuff?
>>40346332At least the explosion will be big and pretty. Not that I think you'll fail, just... something cool happens either way.
>>40347750>>40348913>"Well, if anything goes wrong, at least the explosion will look pretty! Not that I want the rocket to fail or anything, but you know... there's two ways a launch goes, and it's visually cool either way." You say to her, but also making sure to not hurt her feelings or anything. Just a bit of reality grounding, all her wild plans is making your mind go up into the clouds, it almost makes you dizzy!>She chuckles, scratching the back of her head. "Hah... yeah. It will be really interesting how it'll play out. I'm not a naïve pone, I've gotten quite acquainted with the thought that the first launch mostly never goes well. It's a bit of a miracle how well this hopper did on it's first test hop, without tethers whatsoever. The craft blowing up in some way was definitely a possibility. Suppose I was pretty lucky, or maybe I did a good job building this prototype?">You simply shrug. "Who knows? But personally it's a great sign to see such fast progress going on! Really hope to see more from you. Really, what you're doing is amazing work, and I hope I get to see you and your progress around some more!">She blushes and grins. "Aww, it's no problem! Since I'll be focusing on the first stage at this point, perhaps you'll see some progress on my engines real soon?">"I hope so! I wish you the best of luck, you're really gonna need it, you silly mad mare.">You turn to Blue, standing there patiently watching the two of you squabble about Stoke's rocket.>"Did you know about the crazy stuff she's been working on the whole time? You do know her after all!">Blue nervously laughs. "Well... I mean, not exactly. It's been quite some time since I interacted with her. I had an idea of what she wanted to make, but I never expected to see a prototype already built.">Stoke pouts, eyes widening at her. "But I did tell you what I was working on! I mentioned that I was building a hopper and that I wanted to have one do a hop at some point! Do you not remember?">Blue sweats visibly, "I remember we had a discussion but uh... I think it's been a while, my memory may be a bit fuzzy..."
>>40349292lol why is Blue getting so nervous?
>>40349587Cause she's getting left behind in the rocket assembly area.
>>40349292Looks like she actually made what she told you about, then. Pretty cool, huh?>>40349587Everypony else is going faster. There's more and more space ponies younger than her that have beaten her to orbit.
>>40350643
>>40349292Butt bump Blue.Calm down, it's not a race. I'm sure your rocket will be just as grand.
>>40349645>>40352104>You ooo at the response Blue made. "So you had an idea that she was making this? It's pretty cool to see it come to fruition isn't it huh?" You ask her, and she nods.>"Yeah, it's quite a big milestone for a space mare like her, it usually takes quite an amount of time to get actual hardware built, let alone tested.">You can almost sense the insecurity in her voice.>Before she does any contemplating, you figure to do something to lift her spirit up a bit, and make your way beside her as you ready yourself.>You give her a bump with your rump, making her almost stumble a little from it. Too much force? Maybe, but you did take her mind off of any negative thoughts, so it worked! "Hey now Blue, calm down. You know it's not a race to space right? Not that I know of at least, your rocket is gonna be grand once it's done! Literally, it's quite bigger than what Stoke is making, isn't it?">She nods, "Heh, yeah. It will be huge! And just as reusable as SpaceX's rockets are at the moment! It'll be great.">Stoke goes up to Blue, giving her a bit of a nuzzle. "Yeah! You're gonna do great with time! I believe in you!">"W-woah there, easy now. There's rules about this kind of behavior I'm pretty sure of..." Blue says to her, a bit uneasy from such affection.>"Not booping though, ULA said those are fine." You say to Blue, who raises a brow at you.>"Really now?" She says. "Well, guess you learn something new everyday.">"Well, it's only against the rules if you make it so." Stoke points out. "Sorry for the over affection though, I'm just happy to get to see you again! Sometimes it can get a bit lonely around here. That may change though, I got a launch pad at the Cape to eventually use for my rocket! It's so nice to see Missile Row be filled with active launch sites once more!"This will most likely be the last update for the time being, currently getting myself prepped to go to Mare Fair this week, if ya wanna find me I'll be wearing space company/agency shirts. Hope to see you there!
>>40352411Aww.Alright, have fun! I'm not going to be there, but I hope you all have a great time. Maybe someday I'll be able to meet you and get me some space pony stickers and perhaps taste some peppers. Come to GalaCon so I don't have to be the one to do the ocean crossing lol
>>40352411Hope you have a good time, QM!
>>40352411Join the hug?
>>40354859I don't think this thread will last the potential week+ it would need to.
>>40354869It's possible.
>>40354869Sounds like a challenge
>>40355780>>40356838>>40357968Dude, give QM a week off to not having to worry about their pending quest.
>>40358041I was only one of those.
>>40358041>>40358462Same I was only one of those too.
>>40359511I wonder if the third anon is still around
>>40360792I am a third anon and I am still here.
>>40360979But are you THE third anon?
>>40361830The world may never know
>>40361830I'd say, yes, since I am 16334
Wtf y’all still got this thread up? I’m both surprised and impressed, I’ve been leaving some nasapone stickers here and there throughout the con, and feel free to say hi if you happen to be here.
>>40364668Dare we hope to one day meet the fabled space pone?
>>40364668Hope you're having fun at the con
>>40364668I love this Nasa poni
>>40364668Yeah we bumpin, keep scrolling
