IC Memoir, Alexander Marcion
The following is an excerpt from a lecture by Lt. Alexander Marcion, Ph.D., to the Basic Flight Candidates at the Caprican Flight Academy, on the new E-Class FTL Drive.
Moderator: …in addition to several awards for achievement in the fields of FTL research and advancement, it is my great pleasure to present to you, Lt. Alexander Marcion, currently assigned to the Battlestar Cerberus.
Audience: polite applause
Marcion: Thank you, thank you. Applause much appreciated, as is honesty in reception. Not most exciting part of Flight School, lectures on engineering. Rather be flying, I know, so will be brief. You have all read my papers on FTL Drives, I am informed? Good. Was told it was assigned. Takes a drink of water.
Sorry for nervousness. Much prefer brainstorming session to large crowds and lectures. Met many pilots in OCS and never felt quite at home. Anyway, FTL. Wonderful subject. Fascinating. Reminds us we're in the future. Anyway, E-Class. New design, prototype on board the Cerberus. Red line extended nearly 25% further out then next best Colonial Drive system, the Dasco Sciences Mercury Drive, and at only a fraction the fuel cost.
Primary Design advancement in single spinner configuration. Previous drives all used dual-spinner config. More energy efficient but less accurate, and more prone to mechanical failure. Spin up time slightly faster… 15.9 minutes from cold start. Fastest yet, with an FTL Bubble of that size. Yes, question?
Cadet: Yes, sir, I was curious about what you wrote in your paper about FTL Bubbles. Our textbook on FTL Drive…
Marcion: What textbook?
Cadet: Excuse me, sir?
Marcion: Which textbook did you study from? Rupert? Jasda? Moretti?
Cadet: Uh, Rupert, sir.
Marcion: Figured. Horrible book, Academy should have replaced years ago. Told them, ignored. Spend money on other things, like flying out Engineers in the middle of important projects to lecture a bunch of cadets who don't care. Sorry. Continue?
Cadet: Uh, yes, sir, as I was saying, our textbook never made any mention of an FTL "Bubble," and tended to speak in terms of folding space…
Marcion: I see. Yes, according to Rupert, the process of FTL travel is managed by folding the fabric of spacetime and boring a hole through, layman version. No need for Bubble. Takes another drink of water.
Cadet: Well, what do you…
Marcion: Unsure of what to say. Textbook old, outdated. Foldspace theory in vogue a few decades ago but now largely replaced by Wormhole theory. Bubble newer, my own. Fits data better. Hope to write conclusive paper on subject based on how E-Class performs.
Cadet: But, sir… don't you know how it works? I mean, why all the debate?
Marcion: Laughs. Not how it worked. FTL discovered by accident centuries ago. Expose Tylium to a negative charge in a centrifuge and generate a reaction that, apparently, allows teleportation. Futher research made FTL Drive possible, and navigable. Didn't know WHY it worked. Just knew that it did. Theoretical Science still catching up to practical realities. Now, on to Specs on E-Class…
Lecture edited for length. Recommend minor Discipline to the Lt. for questioning wisdom of Academy protocols and for instilling doubt in Cadets. Also Recommend classifying any paper written based on the E-Class. Lt. Marcion is a member of the Colonial Fleet, now, not some Ph.D. in a university, and he will release his findings to the general public when we want him to, and not before.