Slice-o-thon

[Jessica Med-Beq]

While the research VP of Ringovinda StarYards was away doing her own things, Charzon was busy trying to negotiate the sale of Ultimas to Maersk Star Freight and Bluth Company, eagerly waiting to see whether Star Tours would actually be able to purchase Ultimas (and possibly other ships by the same token). By now Maersk Star Freight, Bluth Company and Star Tours have become the Big Three of the galactic shipping industry. Justice Shipping isn't part of that list because it mainly manufacture clones and privateering, and does mining to a lesser extent, more than any real shipping. Because the R&D budget was nearly exhausted after the development of the Ultima-class bulk freighter and the Nekogal as well as of the Gatling turbolasers were completed, Charzon called upon crowdsourcing expertise for the next project: a central computing system. Now, would Jessica become one of those called the bankable stars in the world of entertainment? Probably not. But a slice-o-thon would probably accomplish what she wants out of the software part, while only a major sale of ships from any one of the Big Three being able to generate enough cashflow for replenishing the R&D coffers.

"Welcome to the first Ringovinda StarYards-sponsored slice-o-thon. Today's aim is to produce a fully operational computer core for operating a starship and help reduce crew requirements or, for small craft that only require one pilot, making it more efficient. By crowdsourcing we hope to get the end users more involved with what they want out of starship controls and operation"

"I'm Marcia; if you're a person who is interested in the inner workings of targeting computers, I am the person for you"

"Unfortunately Jessica isn't here today but she would have been useful for navigation systems if so you wished. But even though the main aim is not so much to slice as you think a slice-o-thon is for, slicers are welcome to join, especially if they can test computer security. Just make sure not to attempt to slice through our systems even though you can still use the slice-o-thon to slice through other shipyards, especially shipyards in dark-sided territory"

[member="Lyth Meran"] [member="Drogh"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

Kami's robotic armor's shoulders drooped.
" Skev thats the last time i accept hollonet invertations" ite ancient droids pilot from her cockpit in the droids head.
"I demanded 50 Mon-cal prawn pizzas.,"
the AS-Aski tech said from her cockpit.
looking at te others who arrived. she approached waveing. " Hi names Lyth of the Meran Clan lets get building. Got to admit i've never done this before. sure makeing a ship is one thing. this is huge "

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

The slice-o-thon had a load of participants on standby. They were willing to commence work on various ship systems such as navigation, life support and whatnot. Charzon harbored little hope that the slice-o-thon would get the entire project completed, especially since the framework of today's slice-o-thon is software-centric; hardware will have to be done once the software is completed. Understandably a lot of memory would be required if one is talking about a capital ship's worth of computer core. While Marcia is busy putting the software from the targeting computers into the system, and also synchronize the individual targeting systems into the main system, so that each hardpoint would show up in the system alongside its readiness to fire and its mechanical condition, one of the Force-using participants in the slice-o-thon tips her off about Lyth as she arrived at the slice-o-thon location:

"Ma'am, some participants are asking for pizzas, Mon-cal prawn pizzas to be exact"

"The order from Pizza Hutt is coming right up. There will be one of those Mon-cal prawn pizzas. I remember your species: 50 Mon-cal prawn pizzas that would befit your species would be roughly equivalent to one Hutt-sized pizza at Pizza Hutt"

[member="Lyth Meran"] [member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

A man, clad in a dark cloak driving his Star Dog Light Freighter near the Ringovinda, what an impressive sigh of engineering, and he was impressed on how old it was, it had a past with the clonewars, although he was aware of the troubles it had recently had. Drogh had very little idea of ship building, but that didn't matter. He knew a few people back in the underworks of Coruscant that could easily lend a hand, willing or not.

As he docked, he found him self overwelmed with the amount of crew swarming around like flies, as if this was some robotic dead body. He didn't enjoy it and felt the need to hide back in his ship, but sighing he kept on going, then he witness some horrbile, horrbile creature waving about like a mad man.

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"] [member="Drogh"]

" Im half Gen- Dai blame the 1st order." Lyth partially joked about her horrific past. she dyed her hair purple to hide the grey as at 9 she was old but she was still the same as when she was 4 she still looked young. and that took a lot of protein.
it was also why she was so smart. while no genius she was smarter than the average As-Aski she needed cafine and Carbohydrates to run that thinker.
" It's complicated. "
She felt the Sith's presence before she saw the lump of dark darky brooding.
" Darth bugger with you?" she asked pointing over her shoulder

 

[Drogh]

Lyth Meran Charzon Loulanhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/11492-charzon-loulan/

Drogh didn't want any thing to do with this thing, he kept his voice to him self, after muttering a few words that may have been the most cruelist thing that ever left his lips. Drogh swiflty passed the mad crew, as they ran towards all sorts of places were they needed to be, he did his best to avoid contact with anyone, like a snake across sand he moved.

He was concered with only a few things, was there going to be a reward for building what ever the women wanted these people too, or not. He would try and apporch the women, his crude steel mask staring at her with empty eyes.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"I am Charzon Loulan, and I am the one behind the decision to crowdsource the computer software for the ship. Drogh, for the record, you're going to be paid the going rate for software engineers around these parts, about 300 credits a day, the same as the entry-level software engineers we have, and possibly a flying broomstick as well. You may leave at any time if you do not feel like slicing other companies' databases for their shipboard computer core software or doing any other computer engineering work"

At the same time, Marcia took care of the order the shipyard placed for pizzas at the local Pizza Hutt location, while the other in-house engineers worked on the remaining aspects of computer with the crowdsourced development team, like the reactor control. There were 80 Hutt-sized pizzas to be ordered for the day, and there were eight stacks of pizzas, 10-high apiece. Alongside the propulsion systems, she found it best to have proprietary computer cores for ships that big since the standard computer cores to which Ringovinda StarYards had access may not be a good fit for ships beyond 2000m. But if any one of the Big Three of star freight could get to the point where >2000m ships become a possibility, then Star Tours was the most likely. The hardware aspect of it was probably more of a redundant design but how many cores would such a ship need to have, Charzon did not - they venture into uncharted territory.

"I know, Lyth, the Mon Cal prawn pizzas are huge for your species, but to everyone else around here, they are about average. There are 80 pizzas total, with eight different flavors: pepperoni, vegetarian, Mon Cal prawn and all-dressed, each of which come with standard crust and in Ziro stuffed crust varieties"

[member="Drogh"] [member="Lyth Meran"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"] [member="Drogh"] ( don't know why i wasn't notified of the posts.)

" I took the liberty of calling in my Unpayed intern Deran to aid with this. try not to treat her like a himan it gived her lofty ideas." Lyth joked indecating her mecanic sister.
" we were talking o the way over here about utilising a group linked droid brain system with a slave linked overlay and VI programing. it'll be simelar to a AI with out the nasty componants "

 

[Drogh]

Drogh stared at the creature with curious eyes, what was it on about? He had lack of understanding about space works, but he knew some on that did. In the metalic chemical filled wasteland of the underground of Coruscant he knew a man that could aid him. And with 300 credits a day, although not as much as he would of liked, it was a good start.

"I will be back." A hollow empty voice said, that muffled against the metalic mask.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Group-linked droid brain systems provide as much redundance as there are droid brains in a group-linked droid brain system. As for VI, you may forward the information about AI vs. VI to Jessica; she worked on AI systems before - Jessica may not be here but she can always be reached in her HoloNet mailbox. If Deran also wants a broomstick, she will get a free one when the project ends; Lyth already have one"

VI? What nasty components would one remove from AI (say, the Hammurabi system) to get the VI? As much as Charzon would like to contribute to starship design, computer cores were outside her area of expertise, Charzon had no idea what went into AI let alone VI, but she knew that group-linked systems provided redundance and thus increased reliability. Plus at the sight of the gigantic piles of pizzas, from Pizza Hutt, that were individually larger than she was, Deran just flinched. Even as the other crowdsourcees ate a slice of the massive pizzas (with a Hutt-sized pizzas twenty slices were the norm; Charzon got a chance to eat one Ziro slice of each flavor but she was full afterward) Charzon realized something was amiss but that there was someone she knew would be able to put such knowledge to good use: Jessica. Then she turned to Drogh, knowing Lyth already had a broomstick:

"The question being: will there be any work left when you return? There are no certainties in development of new systems, one can never be too cautious, for 300 credits a day, and an extra broomstick for you and your help it's better than nothing"

[member="Lyth Meran"] [member="Drogh"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"] ( im trying to think of sw tech lol. i kmow the Melenium falcon had 3 droid brains.) [member="Drogh"]

" Nah im fine. just the chance to work on this stuff is payment enougth. Besides those brooms bairly have enougth tech to intrest me. i do have a proposal once we are done though. " Deran answered looking bored
" good news is i have acess to a metall you need and some cheep resorces but we'll need Vondium." Deran said being brutaly blunt.

 

[Drogh]

Drogh stopped in his tracks, spinning around rather quickly, narrowly missing a crewmember. His hidden eyes fixing on the women. He walked stating.

"What?"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Vondium? Is that a restricted material? That's not something available locally"

She knew phrik, beskar were, alongside void crystals, stygium, pyronium, songsteel, cortosis and other stuff like ultrachrome that many people raved but Charzon never got around to obtaining them, and Jessica was a lady capable of designing AI almost all to herself, even if her main area of expertise only secondarily takes on the form of what goes into AI. Charzon is, more than ever, tempted to consider Jessica as being as precious as a supply of any of these materials. And sometimes she is wondering whether the R&D budget could have been salvaged if Jessica decided not to foolishly go on Kashyyyk in an attempt to curry favor with the Republic? Or, as a side effect, to be playing in those Games? Or did she make the R&D budget assuming that the company would remain a tier-2 or a low tier-3? She obviously budgeted the entire thing based on Jessica not being the freakishly smart lady she is.

"Vondium could be available from Saleucami. How much vondium is necessary, Lyth?" Marcia told Lyth.

"Yes, Lyth, before we order vondium, tell me where the vondium enters the construction of a droid brain or a computer core"

[member="Lyth Meran"] [member="Jamila Elahad"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"]

" It is used in behavioral chips. it is used in high end electronics im thinking we may need custom parts here." Lyth began.
This wasn't relay Lyth's field of expertise she was a Microengineer not a programmer but Deran was if she said...
" It's only needed in small amounts. around only 5 pounds all in. it will act like a super conductor in the droid brain links. " Deran said as she began to get to work. building the custom pices.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"That doesn't sound too expensive"

"Using vondium means that you need a smaller cross-section for circuits, you can even have a microscopic cross-section for your droid brain links"

Saleucami was one of the main sources of vondium in the galaxy, and five pounds of vondium was worth a fraction of what ultrachrome would cost. Vondium was, as Marcia said, a way to reduce the mass of the resulting computer system. Now that Marcia ordered the vondium from a supplier on Saleucami, a small quantity, about 5 pounds or so, should arrive on the next Star Tours flight as a rush order, after all Saleucami was a planet to which there were several daily departures from and to Ringo Vinda, once in every four hours or so. That would cost about 1000 credits or so: vondium was expensive and, as Lyth said, high-end electronics were the main application for vondium, the everyday would be happy with silicon alone, which was far more common on a lot of those planets considered telluric.

"Just two or three hours and you'll get the vondium. There is no vondium for sale here, Saleucami is the closest source. Codex the Hutt would have given us a better price but his establishment is too far away from here, in Mando space actually"

[member="Lyth Meran"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"]

" Realy? i can have my sister swing buy and buy it if you need we can get her to bring a few Astromech parts too if you like? " Lyth said trying to think on a way to reduce cost. that was the motto of the Meran Clan " the best for less." top line stuff for rock bottom prices.
CPU's were simple the droid brains were to be a brute force program it would be a solid state system.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Astromech parts I'll accept to buy from you at a discount. Get your own source of vondium, if you can do it faster than 2-3 hours, then the vondium we just bought would be for the next set of droid brains if we build more than one of these things"

There will be more than one set of droid brains. They are severely constrained by the amount of weapons that can be fitted: knowing that ship won't have more than 3 squadrons - and the number of weapons that can be fitted on large noncombat ship is about 1 turbolaser equivalent for each 10 meters in its largest dimension. But they have to take into account the limitations of the slipways, which, even for a fully-extended Sacul, would mean that it would have to be at most 1 km wide. Or high. The Ultima was already pushing the limits of width, but the main difference is the cross-section: as with its ancestor the Tormentor on Jabiim, there was a lot of potential to make better use of the volume. While useful in combat, for freight the wedge shape of the Ultima was a liability.

[member="Lyth Meran"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"] ( can you link me to what you want?)

" No you are paying us for a job we gave you a quote we won't stiff you on our quote. " Lyth admitted " We want to keep cost to a minimum. im getting a slicer to work on the programming. I have a savant back home doing this. for a yo yo. "
Malask Meran was a Togruta born blind and lost both legs had a talent for this.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Charzon didn't have a clue what her plan of crowdsourcing entailed, and she didn't have a clue anymore as to the progress the crowdsourced programmers actually made on the software. Marcia was too busy assessing the progress of the entire group. But she had to admit, Lyth made good progress on the hardware part. And well within budget, too. The R&D budget was running low, she wanted to make sure every credit in the remaining budget counted. She knew that crowdsourcing work was best done when it's done from the beginning, from a financial standpoint; if crowdsourcing was done when the actual coding work was well underway, that could prove to be a financial disaster. High bus factors was the main advantage of crowdsourcing early in the project, that is, you can lose a lot of the crowdsourcees and still get the project to completion. But when Jessica is around - in her current form, she knows the bus factor shrinks almost instantly - and taking her out of the equation would spell disaster.

"I'll take your quote. It seems reasonable for building a prototype. I expect perhaps a few sets of droid brains to be built, and the amount of vondium you talked about is enough for one set. I'll have the accounts payable team process payment for these items at the prices you just gave us"

[member="Lyth Meran"]

 

[Lyth Meran]

[member="Charzon Loulan"]

" Sorry im kind of used to doing things on a small scale. " Lyth apologized as Deran rolled her eyes.
" We will stick to you're specifications regarding this. we can add a few redundancies to help run things at a smoother rate. " Deran said trying to recover the situation.