SCMR Chpt 95

<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
==Chapter 95 - Self Configuring Modular Robot==
----
"...artificial plants."
Yvonne and Sierra were showing Her Excellency, Katherine Steiner-Davion around the Bedevere lab. 
"Artificial...plants?"
"Sure, not enough sunlight, even reflected, to run normal photosynthesis in normal plants, and too cold near the surface for it-the water freezes...so, we worked out a process for a solid-state photosynthesis analog-it cracks oxygen and water from CO2 and Hydrogen, the hydraulic elements concentrate the carbons, which we can reconstitute as hydrocarbons with leftover H2, the main product is oxygen and nitrogen...and heat, of course...which is really a good idea to have this far out."
"It works??"
"We're breathing so...yeah?" Penny shrugged, "I mean, it's not as much fun as pretty explosions and energy release, but it's physically simpler to handle than standard scrubber assemblies and doesn't need resupply as frequently."
"Sometimes you have to do 'safe science'." Sierra added, "even if it's not the fun stuff. Otherwise you never get to where you can do the fun stuff."
"Yvonne, did I ever tell you your friends frighten me terribly?" Katherine asked rhetorically.
"Only every time we start working on something fun, now that we've got Lizzie back." Yvonne said it with relish, "You were okay with curing Joshie."
"That was a State Priority." Katherine observed. "This? This stuff is frightening."
"We're making air an' water."
"yes, and you've shown me a storage area with two hundred kilograms of dangerous black dust from Arthur's collider." Katherine stated.
"It's stable!" Penny insisted, "For a given value of stable, anyway. Setting it on fire would be a bad idea, but it's stored in hard vacuum and the molecular sheathing is self-contained and stable."
"Well, my report to Mom and Dad is going to be very long after all." Katherine decided, "How much of this will have to be classified is up for review."
"Awww! come on! We followed the rules!!" Penny scowled.
"And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep following the rules." Katherine stated, "Dad put me in this post, I'm not going to do a poor job of oversight!"
She laid a hand on Yvonne's arm, "You're my sister, Arthur is my brother, and I care about both of you too much to let you blow yourselves up in some enthusiastic lab accident!!"
"That was one time and nobody got hurt!" Yvonnie argued stubbornly.
"You both...you all were lucky!" She looked around, "Where's Jesse?"
"Uh, he's at NAIS this week?" Yvonne pointed out, "Helping Doctor Banzai?"
"Oh...right."
----
*Wiki Note: Joshie = Joshua Marik
----
<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
095, Chapter