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Running in the direction of the screams, they rushed into the chamber to find Ameryst. On seeing them she stopped yelling. "I thought that would get your attention!" Looking around they could see they had struck gold. Well, not quite but! They were in a chamber that had obviously been, the main centre of mining operations. Visible though covered in dust, were hatches leading to several recline or sleep units. To the side of the main area a containment area that had supplies? Eager eyes scanned the units to discover to their delight, a reserve of foods, liquids and a food recon unit, water condensers.
OK so it might be wise to be careful, but food in those packs were completely sealed and bio enclosed, in special units to prevent any critters, such as might be, from getting to them. They had Kelawi whose family traded in foodstuffs and that included freeze dried products. She was asked to verify that it was safe to use. A quick look and she was smiling. "Good quality this. They didn't skimp on having some of the best!" All that was needed was some re hydration, maybe heating where necessary, to provide hot food or drinks?
"We have here." Bjoi pointed to the section to the left of them. "Heavily shielded fuel units, with Jenisis 5 sealed heating units. "Allowed them to cook without the risk of an explosion. All we need now is the power to them and we can have hot food. Hot drinks." "Anyone seen a power unit?" A lot of them shook their heads. Spread out, looking but nothing, had been found even resembling a power unit. They did find a secondary terminal where you could control systems such as lighting, heating from, but that had no power to it either.
Dario had fetched the others who were now viewing the chamber. There was air! Fresh air, albeit cold. That was a downside to the chamber, it WAS cold! Closer inspection of various pieces of equipment including warm air induction units and filtration units indicated that with some cleaning they would work. The only problem was POWER. Where was everything powered from? Claria had been feeling s much better. Essential resources, food, drink and a lot of positive optimism.
Van Ea had been with Sajani. A small alcove almost hidden from the other Kets, to discover a secured hatch. The lock on it was not that sophisticated, but still needed the abilities of someone who could bypass it. Dario they all knew as a Hafa, had the skills to get it open. Sajani returned some minutes later with him. He grinned. "Never ever, thought I would see one of these! The series 7 and 9 are similar but use more advance tech. A Hafa Ketlevling (child) could open this!" Within seconds he had flung the hatch open.
Inside was a smaller chamber. In the middle of the floor area? A core crystalline energy unit. Powered by? Sajani looked at it, moved closer and swore. The first ever any of them, had ever heard him swear.
Orini grinned, as she looked in his direction to see what he was cursing about. “Retro, would you believe this heap of junk. Must have been here when the mines were first opened up.“ He was about to say there would be little or no chance of getting it to work, when several other Kets, entered the chamber. Lilia and Doona, were stood in front of the unit. Lilia swept off, some of the dust. "A Kaisek Twin Crron unit." "Uhh?" Sajani nodded.
"Got that right! Series 4 I think, cept she missed out the words 'Retro junk'." He pointed to the oval shaped cover. He was corrected by Lilia. "Series 4 had a valve in that cover. Series 5 had just the plain cover and." She shifted to the opposite side, pointed at a small tube. "Has the emergence valve fitted here with breather pipe." She smiles. "You can laugh, call it Retro Junk all you like but these units were ultra reliable. State of the art in those days. Would have cost the equivalent these days of a Mrek Series converter." "That much? No way!" She would not be swayed.
"My father was restoring one of these. Amazing piece of simple technology and far more efficient than the newer tech we have today. To think it was shoved aside for stuff that is often unreliable and costs far more, to keep going, like those Mrek units.“ “Well it’s no good to us, considering it hasn't been used for decades, I doubt it will work.“ Lilia glared at Sajani, folded her arms and hissed at him. “Did you not hear what I just said?.“ She shook her head muttering. “Always the same, new tech rules, they never listen!“
She steps to one side and leaning down, picks up what looks like a rod? It has a curved shaft on it with strangely shape features? “This is the initiator. You don’t have power, until this is inserted into the unit, to start the fusion process. Unlike the newer tech that has power driver units to start the energy units, this one is manual. You have to 'crank the unit', to create a surge of energy across its crystals that will spark the system, causing the main power fusion reactors to initialize and hey! We have power! Well that is the theory anyway." Sajani was still not convinced.
"Look, when the system is working fully, energy is released that flows through the safety circuits here and here into the main conduits. This little darling." She went quiet, remembering her father's words when he called her that. She sighed. "Should give us more than enough power.” The look on some of their faces? That dumb sort of look?
“Well we have to crank the unit.“ Doona found the slot, inserted the rod. Looked around and found this huge bar, the crank handle! Now how did that fit? Lilia had Sajani lock it into place as she looked at them. All they had to do, was use some brute force, turn that wheel, hope it worked. There was a slight delay as Lilia insisted on doing one last check of the unit.
Still convinced she could see no reason, as to why it would not work. Two of the stronger Kets should be engaged in gripping hold of the cranking handle and turning it?
Van Ea and Dario took hold of it with Dario grunting that no way was this heap of junk going to work. Some of the Kets had to step back to give them room as they put their energies into the venture, somewhat, as Lilia screeched at them. “Half heartedly.“ Little Doona was seeing Lilia getting impatient with them? He growls at them. “Put your backs into it.“ They stopped stared at him, scowled.
"One more go?" Dario swore it would be the last one. Probably, because Dario was annoyed at Doona’s comments, let alone Lilia's abuse. He put all his energy this time, into the task in hand, just as Van Ea, not to be outdone by Dario re a physical demonstration of strength, did likewise.
There was howl. Not from them but the unit itself? “One more.“ This time, Lilia added a “Please.“ Dario had been surprised by the unit responding at all, so was somewhat compliant. Once again all their energy into it.
The howl turned to a fizzing crackling sound and as they stopped, the top of the unit illuminated, lit up and flared. Seconds later and the light died back to a steady glow. “Is it working?” Lilia had moved to hug Dario.
Turning to give Van a squeeze. She stepped back and moved towards another panel running her fingers over it to clear dust and then it happened. The entire chamber was flooded with light. Squeals from the other chamber indicated that it too now had light. There was also in the other chamber a hissing sound as something appeared to be kicking into life? A dust storm? Orini had been near one of the heat exchanger units with a venting unit that discharged heat into the chamber? It didn’t.
Well not at that precise moment in time anyways. NOPE. All that dust. that had been laying within the venting duct. was blown out. All over Orini. Black patches over her eyes gave her that Panda look! The other Kets fell about laughing.
The dust thrown out. was almost immediately sucked up by the extraction units, automatically filtering the air that had detected a high level of dust contamination. Howl after howl of laughter. Lilia and Doona were the last two Kets to see her, she glared at them both. “YOU DARE LAUGH.“
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