After the experts departed, their conversation continuing down the hall as they discussed technical details, Tanya slumped in her chair. She was mentally exhausted but oddly exhilarated. The meeting had revealed just how much she didn't know, but it had also shown her that her core concepts were sound. It was that they just needed the kind of refinement that only came with experience and collaborative expertise. It was a Reminder to her that she was still new to the craft.
Despite her exhaustion, Tanya grinned. Building the pathfinder was going to be even more challenging than she'd expected, but with expert guidance and her steadily improving skills, it was starting to feel possible rather than merely theoretical.
The question was whether they could solve all the integration challenges in time to be useful for the mission to Eden-Three.
The days blurred into two weeks of intense collaboration, leaving Tanya feeling like she was drinking from a firehose of engineering knowledge. Each session with the experts revealed new problems she hadn't considered and elegant solutions she never would have found on her own. It was the most gruelling cram session of her life. Yet she was happy to receive the help.
Elizabeth, finally tired of crowding around holographic displays in the cramped meeting rooms, made an offer that surprised everyone.
"Come aboard my ship," the elderly master builder said with characteristic directness. "If we're going to finish this properly, we need proper tools."
Tanya didn't hesitate to agree, seeing a master workshop would allow her to compare it to her hidden workshop. She, too, was missing her design tools and advanced simulator.
Elizabeth's vessel was a marvel that made Tanya gasp the moment she stepped aboard. It wasn't just a ship but a floating laboratory that pushed the boundaries of what she'd thought possible with human technology. The design workshop at the ship's heart featured systems she'd never even heard of in university. It highlighted the power of credits and connections.
"This is incredible," Tanya breathed, running her hands over fabrication equipment that looked more like art than engineering.
//Impressive technological integration. Some of these systems approach theoretical maximums for human engineering,// Sage observed with what sounded like genuine admiration.
The centrepiece was a full-scale holographic projector that created a perfect 1:1 model of their pathfinder design. Every component floated in brilliant detail, allowing them to walk through the ship as if it were already built.
"Seventeen-point-three meters in diameter," Klein said, manipulating the display to highlight the sphere's dimensions. "We can fit a ten-meter cube in the centre as the primary living area; it will be tight, but functional."
The cube was divided into three levels, each cramming essential systems into a space barely larger than a modest apartment. Six crew stations that converted from beds to chairs, a compact kitchen, facilities, and the piloting station. It had everything they'd need to survive the mission.
"It's cramped," Garret admitted, "but the life support systems fit into the spherical space around the cube like a three-dimensional puzzle."
Tanya studied the design floating before her, feeling a complex mixture of pride and uncertainty. "I'm not sure I can call this design mine anymore. You three have changed so much."
"Nonsense," Elizabeth said briskly. "The core concept is yours, such as the sphere, the pathfinder methodology, the integration philosophy. We've simply helped you refine the execution."
"It's time to build a prototype," Klein announced. "My facilities can handle the construction. Full fabrication capabilities, experienced crew, completion in three weeks."
"Same offer here," Garret added. "My shipyard specialises in vortex drive integration. We could have this operational within a month."
Elizabeth nodded. "My manufacturing division could produce components to tolerances you've probably never seen. Consider it a professional courtesy."
All three master builders looked expectant, clearly assuming she'd accept one of their generous offers. Tanya surprised them by shaking her head.
"Thank you, but I'd rather build it myself."
They exchanged glances, clearly finding this an odd request given the resources they were offering.
"Since there is a chance I'm going to be flying in this thing and potentially dying in it," Tanya explained, "I want to be absolutely certain it's built right. Plus, I'll be the engineer on duty, so if something breaks in the middle of a vortex storm, I need to know every component intimately enough to fix it in the dark."
That reasoning, they accepted or at least pretended to accept, though Elizabeth muttered something about young people learning everything the hard way. Either way, she got her wish.
Tanya grinned. Building the pathfinder was going to be even more challenging than she had expected. Still, with expert guidance and her steadily advancing capabilities, it was starting to feel possible rather than merely theoretical.
Back in her workshop, Tanya couldn't wait to explore what the newly unlocked level 2 workshop could do. Sage had mentioned unlocking additional equipment for her projects, which only added to her anticipation. However, her enthusiasm waned slightly when she found that the new addition was an industrial recycler. It was basically an atomic disassembler designed to break down existing equipment and reduce it back to its base components. Highly advanced but still boring.
"Really?" she said to the imposing device, patting its smooth surface. "This is my reward? A fancy garbage disposal? I was hoping for something with more wow factor, maybe some lasers or something that goes 'whoosh' and a new piece appears."
//This device provides molecular disassembly capabilities far beyond human capabilities. Educational value: significant resource optimisation and precision manufacturing support.//
"If you say so," Tanya muttered, but she was already too focused on the pathfinder project to argue. She had a ship to build, and she could finally work without anyone looking over her shoulder.
She began with the central cube as it was the heart of the ship where six people would live, work, and hopefully survive whatever they encountered at Eden-Three. Each wall panel required careful alignment to maintain the structural integrity of the sphere while providing access to the systems wrapped around it.
"Alright, you beautiful panels," she said to the support pillars as she positioned them, "let's see if we can make you play nicely together. I know you want to be part of something amazing."
As she worked, something subtle began to shift in her approach. Her hands seemed more confident, her adjustments more precise. When she reached for the atomic welder, it settled into her grip with satisfying balance. When she positioned components, small tweaks in angle or pressure made noticeable differences in how the assembly felt.
"You know what?" she said to the half-assembled wall section, "I think you're trying to help me here. Is that weird? That feels weird."
//Observation: your construction intuition demonstrates advancement. This suggests improved understanding of structural relationships.//
She lost herself in the rhythm of construction, each piece fitting together with growing satisfaction. The atomic welder didn't just join materials. It created seamless bonds that felt stronger than the sum of their parts. Hull plates didn't just cover structure; instead, they integrated with it, sharing loads in ways that made the entire assembly more robust.
Each day seemed to pass without her noticing the flow of time. The central cube took shape around her, walls rising with increasing precision and something harder to define, it was a sense that everything was exactly where it needed to be.
The atomic disassembler proved its worth when she realised a power coupling was slightly off-specification. Instead of starting over, she broke it down to its component atoms and rebuilt it with better tolerances.
"Okay, okay," she said to the recycling machine, giving it an appreciative pat, "I take back what I said about you being a fancy garbage disposal. You're more like an expensive do-over button. That's actually pretty great."
//Molecular disassembly enables iterative improvement. Educational benefit: understanding optimal component integration through practice.//
Day blended into night and back into day as Tanya worked, driven by a determination to create something worthy of the equipment she had been gifted. This wasn't just building, it was crafting something that had never existed, pushing her skills to match her ambitions.
When she finally sealed the last hull plate and stepped back to admire her work, the pathfinder sphere gleamed under the workshop lights. The curves were clean, the systems well-integrated, the overall construction solid and reliable.
"Well, hello there, you gorgeous thing," she said to the completed ship, running her hands over the hull with satisfaction. "You might not be perfect, but you're definitely the best thing I've ever built."
But as she stepped back to admire the overall construction, something caught her eye. The external hull looked... different. Not just well-made, but somehow more substantial, more real than it should have been. The material seemed to have a depth to it that went beyond mere physical properties, as if she was looking at something that existed more completely than ordinary matter.
"Sage," she said, tilting her head as she studied the hull plating, "why does the exterior look like that? It's the same materials I used everywhere else, but it looks... I don't know, more solid somehow?"
//Observation: You have begun instinctively aligning materials quantum states during fabrication. Like with Element 126, proper alignment in the higher-dimensional quantum state enhances their structural properties and visual coherence.//
"I'm doing what now?" Tanya blinked, running her hands over the hull again. It did feel different under her touch. It was more responsive, more alive. "Are you telling me I'm accidentally upgrading materials just by building with them?"
//Correct. Your extended exposure to advanced materials science has developed intuitive quantum alignment capabilities. Educational outcome: enhanced fabrication resulting in materials that exceed their baseline specifications.//
"Huh." She knocked her knuckles against the hull, listening to the clear, resonant tone it produced. "So, I'm making better stuff without knowing how I'm making better stuff?"
//Accurate assessment. This represents a significant advancement in the practical application of fabrication methods.//
//Assessment: Good craftsmanship achieved. Construction quality demonstrates competency with room for future improvement. Fabrication grade: B.//
"B grade?" Tanya grinned despite her exhaustion. "Not bad for someone who was building toy rockets in the barn just a few years ago. What knocked points off this time?"
//Minor stress concentrations in secondary joints and fabrication tolerances that meet specifications but do not exceed them. Interior components that aren't perfectly aligned//
Tanya nodded, already seeing the areas where she could improve next time. The instinctive material enhancement was encouraging, but it was just the beginning of what was possible. She could understand now that Sage's target was for all the systems to be enhanced. She wondered if different improvements could be made than just structural.
"That's fair," she said, patting the hull affectionately. "But you're still going to be an amazing ship, aren't you? We're going to do great things together. And apparently, you're made of slightly impossible materials now, which is a nice bonus."
The ship seemed to communicate back at her, its quantum-enhanced hull catching the workshop lights in ways that seemed to suggest hidden depths. She couldn't wait to show it off to the master builders and test it out.