Description
YZ Ceti's flaring is a nuisance for transit through the system. Are you up to the task of forecasting upcoming flare activity?
Start: Side Jobs, Cape Verde Stronghold
Introduction
You swipe to accept the side job. Syd Garrett is waiting for you in Local Shuttles.
New goals: "Visit Syd Garrett in Local Shuttles for flare forecasting work".
You have accepted the "Flare Forecaster" job.
Next NPC: Syd Garrett, Local Shuttles, Cape Verde Stronghold
- Talk to Syd.
Syd smiles as you approach, gesturing for you to share his appreciation for the magnificent sight afforded by the viewing pane.
He says: Isn't it wonderful? I've been forecasting for cycles, but I still ain't sick of seeing that view…
You gaze at the intense red ball of YZ Ceti, pulsing with energy and volatile color shifts caused by its violent surface eruptions.
Syd says: Sadly, nobody pays us to take in the view! What they do pay for is surface imaging analysis… Pretty simple really. Just run the scanner algorithm over an image, then check its report for signs of pending flares… We'll then update our travel advice for shuttle captains as required.
Syd ushers you into an office to the side where a desk terminal is loaded with recently-taken surface images of YZ Ceti.
- Analyze the first surface image.
(Intelligence check)
With a little trial and error, you manage to run a scan over one of the surface images of YZ Ceti taken earlier today. The algorithm spits out its readings for luminosity, temperature and color index. Everything seems within acceptable limits and you mark the image as "requiring no further action".
New goals: Analyze 3 more images of YZ Ceti's surface eruptions.
- Analyze the next surface image.
(Intelligence check)
Failure
You mistype the algorithm query for the next image scan and get a load of gobbledygook returned in the output. Try again.
Success
The next image is paler than the last one and you have a hunch just from looking at it that it's benign. With a quick tap of the fingers, you put the algorithm to work and the results confirm what you suspected: this patch of YZ Ceti's surface shows no signs of pending flare activity. As you mark another image for the "no further action" folder, a short instant message pops up on the screen from Syd.
SYD GARRETT: You're on a lucky streak, <name>! Most no further actions I ever got in a row was 112 though… You still got a ways to go to beat the record!
New goals: Analyze 2 more images of YZ Ceti's surface eruptions.
- Analyze the third surface image.
(Intelligence check)
The next image is somewhat obscured by the presence of belt matter, and the passage of one of YZ Ceti's beautiful but useless exoplanets in between the station and the star. But your coding skills are up to the challenge. You re-calibrate the algorithm to ignore these elements and digest the next output report. Spectral data suggests some mild flare activity, but the eruption's position should send the emission off into a harmless direction. You mark it as safe.
New goals: Analyze 1 more image of YZ Ceti's surface eruptions.
- Analyze the fourth and final surface image.
(Intelligence check)
The final image shows a section of YZ Ceti's surface that is a deep hue of burning red, with dark patches just below the surface. The algorithm confirms it: there's notable risk of flare activity here. Many readings are more than triple their tolerable upper limits. You take one more look at the beautiful but ominous contents of the hi-res image, before flagging it for "Immediate Attention". A message from Syd follows.
SYD GARRETT: Whoa boy! Could be a big one… Need to double-check the angles. If we're lucky, it'll miss. If not, we may end up on lockdown for a half-day or so. But that's the last one of the current image batch; your work is done, <name>. Come back anytime!
You have received 75.00 credits.
You have completed the "Flare Forecaster" job.
<— Return to Cape Verde Stronghold