131 lines
7.9 KiB
HTML
131 lines
7.9 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> Telescope </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><svg class="hidden_filter"><filter id="crunchy_blur" x="0" y="0"><feFlood x="4" y="4" height="2" width="2"/><feComposite width="6" height="6" in2="SourceGraphic"/><feTile result="a"/><feComposite in="SourceGraphic" in2="a" operator="in"/><feMorphology operator="dilate" radius="1.4"/><feGaussianBlur stdDeviation="2.2"></feGaussianBlur></filter></svg><div class="home"><a href="index.html">⌂</a></div>
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<h1>Telescope</h1>
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<!-- perspective: unknown/neutral? -->
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<p>
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Jack grabs the map from the center console.<br />
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Michelle says: <span class="quote speech">I know the way.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Wanna drive?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Sure.</span><br />
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He puts the map back, hands her the keys, and the four get in the truck.
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James joins Michelle in the front and has Dora jump into the footwell at
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his feet, Annie and Jack take the rear seats. A few moments later,
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Michelle pulls onto the street in front of the bunker.<br />
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James asks her: <span class="quote speech">How far is it?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">A decent bit. Used to be about an hour on the
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highway. If it's in even somewhat decent shape, I'd say
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we're gonna make it there in about that time.</span><br />
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She turns right at an intersection onto the on-ramp, saying:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Gonna find out very soon...</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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The pavement is cracked and has potholes, and the highway is partially
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overgrown. Despite this, its condition is somehow good enough.
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Michelle floors it and the truck rattles and shakes as it accelerates
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on the uneven asphalt. James is occupied with calming down Dora for
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<!-- "calming down" / just "calming"? -->
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a moment. Eventually, even though she is really too big for that, he
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takes her on his lap so she can look outside. He looks back up.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">Holy shit! How are you not absolutely
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terrified by this?</span><br />
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Michelle responds: <span class="quote speech">You get used to it... Also,
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I know very well what I can or can't do with this car –
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I used to drive the same back then.</span><br />
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He holds onto the handle in the door with one hand while trying to hold
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Dora with the other.<br />
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Michelle glances over at him and adds: <span class="quote speech">Relax,
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that seat belt is gonna hold you, you gotta hold Dora.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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The ruins of the city outskirts fly by. Within a few minutes, they make
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it out of Ivydale, leaving its valley behind. The mountains make way for
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an area of plains and shallow hills. The large, rusty signs above still
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indicate the proximity of Sentinel Shores where they haven't
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faded completely. Following them, Michelle takes an exit onto another
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highway that leads north, around the western part of Ivydale's
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lower side.
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</p>
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<p>
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After a while, they approach what used to be the outskirts of
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Sentinel Shores and Michelle takes an exit, getting them onto
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a rural road. The observatory is located on a hill, now ahead of them
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– a small group of buildings in the distance.
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As they get closer, the buildings take distinct shapes. Two of them
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stand out: The one in the center holds a large geodesic dome and another
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one, off to the side behind it, is a smooth round dome with a slot cut out
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of it for a telescope to peek through. Well, it <i>was</i> smooth at one
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point – now, it has many holes with a tree growing out of the
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largest one. The geodesic dome is partially covered in vegetation hanging
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off its outside but looks otherwise intact. The other buildings look like
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mostly unremarkable ruins in various stages of decay.
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</p>
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<p>
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Michelle says:<br />
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<span class="quote speech">James, I'm sorry, but it doesn't
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look like you'll be able to look through that telescope – or
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anyone for that matter...</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Aww, what a let-down. Still gonna look for
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pictures there... Didn't you say you also need a telescope?</span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">There are two telescopes here: That one
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back there is the optical one, and that ball of triangles in the middle
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holds a radio telescope. That's essentially just a really big
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antenna.</span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">An antenna but you call it a telescope?</span>
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<br />
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<span class="quote speech">It works similarly, just for imaging a much
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lower part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Stars give off a bunch more
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than just visible light.</span><br />
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<!-- ChatGPT feedback (paraphrased):
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This sounds a little “author explaining astronomy” rather than
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Michelle naturally speaking.
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I just cba to rewrite it at this moment.
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-->
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<span class="quote speech">I have no idea what you just said but can we
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try that one?</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">A lot of things would have to go right for
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that.</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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She drives through what remains of an open gate, onto a large,
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overgrown paved area in between the buildings, going around
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the radio telescope and parking the truck between it and the optical
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one. They get out and look around. Trees and bushes grow all over
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the place, some even out of the buildings' walls. Dora runs up
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to one of the bushes and barks at it. A young fox jumps out and runs
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away.<br />
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James calls her back:
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<span class="quote speech">Dora, c'mere!</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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They start by exploring the optical telescope. The lower part of the
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building is filled with <span class="comment">some technology stuff,
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preferably not all computers</span> and filing cabinets. Most of their
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contents are rotting sheets of paper holding documents and logs.
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Annie finds a folder with photos that are partially stuck together.
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The ones in the front depicting the outside of the observatory but
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at least one shows a nebula.<br />
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<span class="quote speech">James, look what I found.</span><br />
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<span class="quote speech">Oooh thanks!</span><br />
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He takes it and puts it into a bag.
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<span class="comment">he quickly looks at it, then puts it away</span>
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</p>
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<p>
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Meanwhile, Jack has found a way upstairs. The stairs have partially
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collapsed so he drags one of the filing cabinets in their place and
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climbs to the next floor.<br />
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<span class="comment">Jack callout</span><br />
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</p>
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<p class="comment">
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Potential plot hole: Why is the telescope inside a geodesic dome?
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<br />
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Missing: exploring the rest of the optical telescope, not wasting too much
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time there
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<br />
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Missing: exploring the other telescope
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</p>
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