the ideas pile (2)
The crew had been aware of the groaning and creaking for several minutes by now, but each of them had more important things to attend to. It was all the attention they could spare to merely comment on the matter - that they had known the propeller assembly wouldn't hold, and how they wished frivolous politics hadn't been allowed influence over the design of the submarine.
Light, for that was the name of the vessel, was expertly engineered, easily presentable as a fitting tool for the exploration underway. Only the best thought and materials had gone towards its functionality, and the crew had been chosen from among the most experienced and best trained. But the project was also a hot news item, and so some of the more appearance-minded team leads had decided that Light also needed to be showy. As the weeks of planning went by, small bits of the design would change: the shape had become sleeker and less bulky, a paint job had been given, parts had been chosen from the vendors that paid the most for the advertising. Those in charge had conducted the media-appeasing efforts very carefully, never compromising actual reliability, but the propeller decision - so said many opinions - was in error.
"Light needs to look like more than just a teardrop-shaped blob. We're going to add a propeller in the back - don't worry, it'll just be auxiliary propulsion - and rely on it mostly for stabilization."
"Why? There's no need for old-fashioned tech like that anymore. All the manoeuvrability systems can be embedded in the body itself."
"It's a matter of appealing to the public. Everybody who's interested in the journey we're about to make is gonna expect, well, they want something they can identify with. People want to watch something exciting, and if they just see a blank chunk of metal going through the water, well, that's boring."
"There's nothing wrong with how we've got it; I mean, the design currently has got the top-of-the-line stuff, we can't just throw it away."
"It's part of the spirit of the thing - adventure, discovery, those kinds of things. When you look at a ship driven by unfamiliar gizmos, it's intimidating, it feels inhuman. Besides - we'll be using some of the new stuff too, it's not like it'll rely on deprecated equipment."
And with that, Light had ended up taking its synthesis of doctored appearances and careful engineering into the unknown world.
Now it became obvious, though, what didn't belong. They had accounted for the water pressure, but the unpredictable currents added forces the propeller couldn't handle. Soon enough, the fixture tore off the back of the ship, and the crew steeled themselves as Light began a slow controlled tumble through the depths.
Light, for that was the name of the vessel, was expertly engineered, easily presentable as a fitting tool for the exploration underway. Only the best thought and materials had gone towards its functionality, and the crew had been chosen from among the most experienced and best trained. But the project was also a hot news item, and so some of the more appearance-minded team leads had decided that Light also needed to be showy. As the weeks of planning went by, small bits of the design would change: the shape had become sleeker and less bulky, a paint job had been given, parts had been chosen from the vendors that paid the most for the advertising. Those in charge had conducted the media-appeasing efforts very carefully, never compromising actual reliability, but the propeller decision - so said many opinions - was in error.
"Light needs to look like more than just a teardrop-shaped blob. We're going to add a propeller in the back - don't worry, it'll just be auxiliary propulsion - and rely on it mostly for stabilization."
"Why? There's no need for old-fashioned tech like that anymore. All the manoeuvrability systems can be embedded in the body itself."
"It's a matter of appealing to the public. Everybody who's interested in the journey we're about to make is gonna expect, well, they want something they can identify with. People want to watch something exciting, and if they just see a blank chunk of metal going through the water, well, that's boring."
"There's nothing wrong with how we've got it; I mean, the design currently has got the top-of-the-line stuff, we can't just throw it away."
"It's part of the spirit of the thing - adventure, discovery, those kinds of things. When you look at a ship driven by unfamiliar gizmos, it's intimidating, it feels inhuman. Besides - we'll be using some of the new stuff too, it's not like it'll rely on deprecated equipment."
And with that, Light had ended up taking its synthesis of doctored appearances and careful engineering into the unknown world.
Now it became obvious, though, what didn't belong. They had accounted for the water pressure, but the unpredictable currents added forces the propeller couldn't handle. Soon enough, the fixture tore off the back of the ship, and the crew steeled themselves as Light began a slow controlled tumble through the depths.