Fractal Essence

[Sebastian Thel]

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Within the depths of the industrial sector on Bastion, blinking lights from the windows of office buildings surrounded a thriving core. Craft soared beyond the window separating Sebastian from the structural frame outside. In the engineering department of the sector, he sat behind his desk with his eyes immersed in the algorithms strewn across the surface.

Voices chattered on either side of Sebastian from booths surrounding his own desk. The crowded space and confined regime pressed his nerves as he tried to block out all external noise. Focusing on the numbers, his pen traced the frame of the design of a machine called the Retina, which was to be built aboard a space station. While the job did not fail to fascinate him, the scene behind the construction was less than exciting and Sebastian would have liked to see the project up close.

"Thel, that prototype is due in twenty minutes." The manager of the department strode by the desk and demanded. Not bothering to look upward, Sebastian adjusted his glasses and continued to write.

Tracing lines with his protractor, the seconds ticked by as communicators beeped and footsteps ran back and forward along either sides of his desk. The Sith were present and pressure amounted for all working on the project. Imperial officers marched across the length of the corridor outside, surveying the content attitude of civilians and making sure all employees were working smoothly.

Sebastian completed the final algorithm on his graph paper, which he set beside the design. He held up the graph and checked his work for any inaccuracies or missed details. He found nothing. With the manager standing behind his chair, he rolled up the design and slid his notes into a briefcase. Rising to his feet, he followed the manager without a word as they walked past the guards stationed outside of the office.

"You have a guest from the Sith temple, Sebastian." The manager informed. With his coat underneath his arm, Sebastian wore a plain white shirt with the top button undone, along with puffy trousers tucked into socks and lace-up shoes. Setting down his briefcase and the design of the machine, he took a moment to slip into his coat and make himself presentable.

Fastening the buttons on his coat, he held the design under his arm and carried his briefcase into the elevator. While Sebastian appreciated the stability of the Empire, the presence of the Sith always made him uncomfortable and he wondered if the day would come when his attitude changed. He stood beside the manager in the elevator, which pinged upon arrival in the heights of the building.

"Darkstar is waiting, I believe he has an offer for you." The man in the suit said to Sebastian, who appeared much less sharply dressed. Wearing a coat which was too long for him, his thick-rimmed, rectangular glasses still sat on his nose. He was lead into a secluded room, where the Sith named Orion sat at the head of a table.

"My Lord, this is Sebastian Thel, he is the mathematician you requested." The manager of the department introduced Sebastian and exited, leaving him alone with the Sith.

"My Lord, the prototype is complete." Sebastian said in a quiet voice, his Imperial accent eloquent and refined. "I hope you are satisfied with the design." Imperial guards stood at either side of the doorway, before a chair waiting for Sebastian. He did not dare sit down without being asked. Behind Orion, a window overlooked the inner workings of the core, where speeders and craft flew by.

Sebastian placed the design on the table, with the algorithms on the graph paper. He rolled out the chart and allowed Orion to inspect the prototype constructing the enormous piece of equipment to be built on the Imperial space station. The purpose of the machine remained a mystery known only to the Sith. Time would only tell if Orion cared to elaborate on the details to Sebastian.

[member="Orion Darkstar"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

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Patience wasn't a common trait among the ranks of the glorious Empire. Luckily, Orion was a different breed of acolytes that came before him. He had a knack for creating things, which in turn, revealed his above average intelligence. Orion surpassed most in his own bracket, flaunting his knowledge to impress the masters above him. It was rare to see the same breed, but they existed. In his travels, he crossed paths with very few, who were capable of understanding methods behind his genius. Although at times, it pleased him. To know you weren't the only one in the galaxy that saw formulas and algorithmic opportunity, over regular, everyday semantics, comforted him in a way. Almost understanding that when he was put to rest, the galaxy would have others to lean on for innovation. ​

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In time his own creations would become obsolete, but today he would grant the imperial station a revolutionary concept. Having laid the ground work and finding the correct funding, Orion had full control over the project. Retina was to be completely secretive. Thus, the team that was hand picked, for the first initial steps, only came from academies of the best and the brightest that Bastion had to offer. It had been weeks since the construction of the project. Finally, it was time to see the fruits of the young civilians labor. One civilian was brought to his attention, [member="Sebastian Thel"], a young man with an incredible affinity for numbers. Orion was interested to see his progress in particular and requested his company. Orion expected the boy to be a vital asset to Retina. However, the last time someone whispered promising things in his ear, he made a pact with a entity named Fovos Trogon. ​

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He sat at the large table, observing the empty seats that lined the outside of it. The room was secured, guards manning the door a full twenty-four hours. If the project was leaked to the wrong people, particular backers that were denied may cause issues for the whole thing. It was imperative to keep it under wraps. Orion leaned forward, his pale arm cupping his face with his lengthy fingers. Looking down at the papers in front of him he observed the projects beginning formation. The design wasn't quite right and the tiny notes displayed key points that were no longer vulnerable to attack. Orion smiled, they had come further than he expected in a weeks time. Shifting his attention to the wandering guard slipping through the door, Sebastian had arrived. ​

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"My Lord, this is Sebastian Thel, he is the mathematician you requested."​

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A simple nod was granted to the uniformed man. Orion's emerald eyes transferred to the young man. Patiently he waited for the man to slide into his coat. He made note of the briefcase, but ignored it. Orion wasn't entirely sure what to think. The man was fairly short, but for some reason his natural appearance gave off an innocent vibe. ​

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"My Lord, the prototype is complete."​

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The voice was soft and quiet, holding a accent that evaded him for a moment. The boy continued. ​

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"I hope you are satisfied with the design."​

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Orion knew that the kid was nervous, being in the presence of a Sith could be difficult to understand. He cared little for it, the pleasantries and orderly structure. In fact, he hoped that making the kid more comfortable would create a smoother conversation. ​

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"My Lord? Please, save the pleasantries for someone that deserves it. I'm your equal here, at least, that's what they tell me." Orion pushed his chair backwards, standing to make his presence more apparent. His outfit was a nicely fitted dark uniform that cupped his neck. A steel pin rested just below his collar bone. A medal that clearly held some significance. His complexion was without his iconic mask, normally worn in all instances, he remained formal. The delicate intricacies of his youth still showed. The only other visible form of skin crept out from the long sleeves that hung tightly around his forearms. His height made him the taller of the two. ​

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"Feel free to sit." Orion said, waving his hand toward the open chair nearby. "These algorithms, are they capable of upmost success. I'll only give you this one chance to double check your work, you will find that I am gracious. When it comes to endeavors that require people like us, I need to trust your work." ​

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Orion turned away from him, looking out into the heavily lit scope of the industrial core. Fast paced instruments of transportation zoomed by. Close to his right was another tiny table. A stack of unorganized papers filled the surface. Orion went to turn back around, catching an old sketch of his very own. Grabbing it he walked toward Sebastian. ​

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"What do you think?" Orion asked, placing the sketch on the table. ​

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[Sebastian Thel]

Waiting beneath the frame of the door, Sebastian only moved when Orion gestured towards the chair. He managed a coy smile when the Sith refused the use of formal title and referred to Sebastian as his equal. Fear and anxiety seemed to be confused as he took a breath, maintaining his composure while he sat down before Orion. There was only one person he needed to address, which caused his habitual unease to subdue.

"Certainly, Mister Darkstar... I mean Orion." Shaking his head as he tried to think of the most appropriate way to address the Sith, Sebastian simply went with his given name as Orion had offered. He watched the reflection of his brown eyes glisten in the medal on Orion's chest.

When Orion gestured towards the design and offered Sebastian the chance to refine the design, he swallowed a gulp and nodded. The words of the Sith weighed on Sebastian's mind and he knew that the opportunity was not one idly bestowed. He watched Orion as he left the table and procured a sketch on a sheet of graph paper. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Sebastian eagerly surveyed the design as Orion slid the sheet across the table.

Cupping his chin in his hand, Sebastian contemplated the design as he reached over for his briefcase. He opened the latches and procured his notebook, which he splayed open on the table with a pen in his hand. Considering every angle of the model, he began to scribble equations at a rapid pace as he calculated the necessary changes to the algorithms. Leaning over the notebook. he shifted his eyes between the model and his equations, taking estimations and evaluating figures.

"According to my calculations..." Sebastian said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. "There is a discrepancy in the programming of the deflector shield, which I have corrected by adjusting the rate at which power is released." Bringing his pen to Orion's design, he corrected the algorithm for the energy shield on the piece of machinery and lowered the effect time to avoid overpowering the generator.

"I'm transferring power from the energy shield to the turbo-lift, to allow for smooth traveling within the vessel and to lessen the chance of any malfunctions." The figures rolled through Sebastian's mind as he affirmed the calculations at a computational level. "The shield generator will function more effectively at a lower rate, with a decreased chance of overpowering at a steady release." As Sebastian switched his hand from his notebook to the chart, he scored out numbers and wrote new figures.

[member="Orion Darkstar"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

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The boy was peculiar, but so much so that he showed weakness. In fact, Orion could tell that the inner mechanisms of his brain tried to rack for the right answer. Trying to find the correct words to address him. If such thought was put into just a greeting, perhaps he lived up to the hype.​

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"Certainly, Mister Darkstar... I mean Orion."​

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"Orion." he said, waving off the extra discipline that came from the boy. "When you say Mister or Lord, I look for my father. I am not my father." His voice fell into a dead cold tone. A light twinge reached his lips, just the idea of being like the man that came before him, made him sick. Disgusted at the thought, he examined Sebastian. The boy was capable of much more than he had expected. Orion leaned over to read the tiny numbers in the notebook. The calculating factors stretching to the bottom of the page. He was fast, more so than Orion was when it came to numbers. It was impressive to see the mind of an exceptional human operate. Still, he was careful not to intrude on his personal space and stepped backwards slightly. He would be patient in the efforts to see results from the boy. ​

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"There is a discrepancy in the programming of the deflector shield, which I have corrected by adjusting the rate at which power is released."​

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"Discrepancy?" Orion questioned, allowing Sebastian to continue. He listened carefully to everything he suggested and calculated. In one glance the boy had found two flaws. This was what he needed, someone capable of filling in the cracks and crevices of such a large project. While the funding companies expected a success it was still his job to deliver. Something as complex as the Retina, could mean disastrous repercussions. Stepping forward he twisted the notebook sideways and checked the work. Looking back and forth from both the notebook and sketch, Orion knew Sebastian was right. Still, questions remained. ​

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"Your assessment is terrifyingly accurate. I trust you haven't been snooping in your cubicle with the packets of code that were sent out recently, have you?" Orion interrogated the boy. There were subtle attacks from within the working class on Bastion before. Orion couldn't be too careful. Regardless, it wouldn't matter. Orion would find out soon enough. "Ignore that last question. Instead, explain how a lower rate will make it more efficient. I assure you protecting this part of the station is going to be a dire necessity. The backers will want to see results Sebastian." ​

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Orion paused, looking into the brow eyes of the boy. ​

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"I've considered the ring, there are jets that will be installed on the inner ring to push it in motion. The gravitational lifts will force it to spin while the outside structure remains still. If we utilize the same concept, could we strengthen the start time of the spin? Or maybe even create a back up generator within the center of the eye." It seemed like a loaded idea, but Orion wasn't here for just simple practical thought sewing. He was here because of his mind as well. His risky, intuitive new ideas would curate invention after invention, provided he got the chance. ​

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This was his shot to show the galaxy what he could do...​

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With a little genius at his side. ​

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[member=Sebastian Thel"] ​

 

[Sebastian Thel]

The disgust lingering on Orion's tone resonated with Sebastian and he swallowed, stiffening his shoulders while remembering to refer to the Sith by his first name. He appreciated the modesty of the offer, which only subdued his unease towards the Sith by a small measure. The mathematician remained calm and only smiled in return, accompanied by a nod of understanding. He turned his head downwards to the design splayed across the table and continued to trace a curve with his protractor.

Whether from science fiction novels or comic books, many Sith seemed to have problems with their fathers. Wondering about the case of Orion, Sebastian managed to hold his tongue. He was far too immersed in the task at hand to waste time with personal questions. When Orion backed away, Sebastian received the gesture and lowered his head far over the graph paper as he continued to correct infinitesimal gaps in the programming of the deflector shield.

"Discrepancy?" The Sith questioned rather abruptly, making Sebastian think that his revelation had angered Orion. A pause held the air between them as Orion inquired about the code of the programming and whether or not Sebastian had encrypted his own intentional flaw. When Orion asked him to ignore the question, he sighed with relief and continued to focus on the numbers.

"My calculations reveal an unstable fluctuation throughout the generator of the shield at a higher release rate." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Sebastian produced the set of equations he had completed for previous tests of the deflector shield. "The shield will buckle under pressure when operating at a higher rate, possibly overheat and cripple the internal mainframe." He said as he surveyed the previous attempts to program the machine, which had been set aside for further analysis.

"I'm refining the fractals of the design and addressing gaps, although they are mostly infinitesimal." Working on the latest revision for the deflector shield, Sebastian corrected the roughness measure and smoothed out the programming, bringing the rate of the function to a steady decrease. "Bringing them together will relax the rate of release and smooth the function." He explained to Orion as he wrote, completing the algorithm and sliding the sheet of graph paper in front of the Sith.

As Orion described the problem involving the main ring of the structure, Sebastian took a moment to stand and consider the question. He took a long sip of a glass of water beside him and relaxed his eyes while he stretched his wrist. Suddenly, the thought came to him and he immediately sat back down, unable to resist placing his pen on the paper once again. Using a new sheet of paper, he shifted his eyes between the design of the ring and his pen, noting the figures and taking estimations.

"The mechanics of the ring are not as delicate as those operating the deflector shield." Taking another sip of water, Sebastian spoke to Orion as he prepared another equation. "Applying more power to the starting time of the spinning function is possible, but I do recommend installing a back-up generator to avoid the risk of a power shortage in the lift." He repeated the explanation in his mind, analyzing the answer for any incorrect conclusions.

[member="Orion Darkstar"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

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The boy scribbled quickly enough to get the concept across. Sebastian's evaluation wasn't just accurate, but even more so, stable. Of course, Orion had his doubts. Usually, when direct changes are made at the last minute things can get delicate. Constructing such a massive addition, on Bastion's space station, would mean several important things. One, Orion would take the fall for the errors, if any. Two, once the construction began, he had to shut off certain sectors to the upper, east side bays. Which could prevent many normal civilians from getting to and from particular areas of the space station. Making the changes could mean a better project than the last. Taking the risk could be dire for his reputation, but more ideas had to be smoothed over. ​

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Peering down at the paper, he cross checked it with his own inner working gears of his mind. The pseudo code gave a basic analysis of what and why, the rate had to change for the deflector shield to remain stable. Orion already had his doubts about the stability of the mainframe, adding extra suspension could fix it, but it would add a longer construction date. Even if the backers threw more money at it, Orion couldn't ask for more. Pulling all the right strings and getting the green light from the Empire, was like pulling teeth. He manipulated each political and rich figure against one another, until all their rightful earned money, or worse, stolen money; was in his hands to make something incredible. Sebastian had no knowledge of the projects true cause. Hell, at the end of the day, Orion was told to keep it tight lipped. At least, until, he found his core group. ​

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Greedily, Orion refused to find a group. Instead, most of his code carried the concept till now. He needed a brighter mind when it came to internal differentials, formulas, and advanced angles. Someone with the know how, to approach certain outcomes throughout the course of Retina's growth. ​

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"Applying more power to the starting time of the spinning function is possible, but I do recommend installing a back-up generator to avoid the risk of a power shortage in the lift."​

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Orion shifted his attention back to Sebastian, his emerald eyes watching closely. He was sharp, but Orion had his own ideas. ​

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"How about we feed more power to the lifts. That way, if the deflector shield ever reaches a higher rate, we'll remain stable for a longer period of time. Once we break that maximum threshold, we're dust. This way, the back up generator can still assist the inner ring if we lose power." Orion smiled, Sebastian had sparked new ideas in him. It was truly exciting. "Which brings me to my next question..." Orion grabbed a different clear cup, squares of ice clinking as he rose the golden liquid to the air. Taking a sip, his lips parted. "The elevators, two in separate directions are necessary. I fear there will not be enough power, given the support systems we've already internally built around the previous concepts we've discussed. What do you think of an entire different system for the hubs? Completely tailored with their own integrated fusion generators, it could even give back up power to the core rings, if ever necessary. Of course, we would need to stabilize all three links. Is this feasible Sebastian?"​

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Orion toyed with the idea, but feared having separate systems so close could cause bigger problems. Although, if the mainframe was adjusted correctly, he may have found an answer to his fears. He took another sip and placed the glass on the table. Quickly, he sat down in front of a invisible screen, before it emerged from underneath the slit of the table. ​

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"Oh, forgive me. You have one too. If you'd like." Orion said, pointing at the small blue, blinking light.​

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His fingers stretched to the partially lit keyboard below. It was time to implement some code. The fingers tapped alongside the table in a repeating motion. It seemed as though Orion's fingers began to move faster and faster the more he went on. His eyes zipped back and forth as he accessed the back door. He grinned, the simulation that stared back at him showed the results of Sebastian's recommendation about the deflector shield. ​

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"Take a look for yourself, Sebastian." Orion said, motioning to the computer in front of the boy.​

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Orion scanned the schematics, everything seemed perfect. Except one thing grabbing his full attention. A tiny alert warning him of a potential intrusion. ​

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The project was being hacked! ​

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[member="Sebastian Thel"]​