The glass tank leans forward, the ferrofluid rippling around inside it.
The ferrofluid pauses at the information presented before it.
Ulrich: So, they gave you this flyer at the sailaway party?
Regulus: Not just that one. There's a whole stack of them!
Ulrich: Alright, Researcher Regulus. I think I've got everything down.
Ulrich: Let's run through it again:
Ulrich: Researcher Regulus suffered horrendous mistreatment during the pre-sail event of the "Free Breeze," which has had a significant psychological impact on her. In order to recover from this traumatic event, she formally requests—
Regulus: A one-year advance on her salary and 15 days of leave. The funds are to be used solely to book passage on a cruise trip, with the goal of replacing her negative experience from the pre-sail event with a more positive one!
Regulus: I'm telling the truth! I ...
The ferrofluid remains still for a long moment.
Ulrich: sigh I can see that bottle of artificial tears in your hand, Regulus. Please put it away. There's no need for dramatics.
Regulus: Thank you, Ulrich. I knew there was a soft spot underneath all that metal!
Ulrich: Not so fast, Regulus. I never said I agreed to your request.
Regulus: No? Why? I'm a researcher just like anybody else, aren't I? Shouldn't Laplace be looking out for my well-being?
Ulrich: Regulus!
Ulrich: You've been working in Laplace for 11 months now, and you still haven't submitted your performance appraisal or published a single valid project result!
Ulrich: In other words, you haven't completed your probationary period. So, you can't get the benefits of a full-time employee.
Regulus: I ...
Ulrich: And to top it all off, you didn't even show up to register at the first "Storm" Research Group meeting!
In the face of such overwhelming evidence, there is no room for rebuttal.
Regulus: Well, I-I ...
Her protestation has grown noticeably weaker.
Ulrich: Please, save me the excuses.
Ulrich: There's still a chance for you to turn things around. You can take another assessment.
Ulrich: We'll use the results to make up for the assessments you've missed. It'll be crucial for your performance review and, consequently, your employee benefits.
Regulus: ...
Regulus: Bring it on!
Ulrich: Easy there, Researcher Regulus.
Ulrich: You're taking a test, not going to war.
Ulrich turns and reaches into a bookshelf. Clearly, he has prepared for such an outcome.
Document after document is pulled from the bookshelf and placed on the table, until Regulus can no longer see above them.
Regulus: I thought you said it was just a test!
Ulrich: I did. And I meant it. This is just some light reading—for you to reference during the test.
Ulrich: And this. This is the test.
Ulrich: The numbers on this paper may appear random, but they're actually an encrypted code. Your task is to figure out what the message is.
Ulrich: You can use the computer to help you, and you might find some useful books and papers in the second drawer on your left. The instructions for the computer and a guide on how it works are all in there.
Regulus: ...
Ulrich: Given its difficulty, there is no time limit for this test.
Ulrich: Best of luck, Researcher Regulus.
He exits, leaving Regulus to her mathematical prison.
Regulus: You better keep your word, Ulrich, or you'll be no different than those sailors.
Regulus: At least they didn't torture me with maths!
Regulus: Lend me your strength, Brian May, Jim Morrison, Frank Zappa ...
Regulus: Oh, God!
How much time has passed?
Regulus has lost all concept of it.
Endless numbers dance before her eyes, spinning and blurring together.
It's like she's descended into some kind of cursed land of numbers.
Ulrich: You're taking a test, not going to war.
APPLe: Captain, this APPLe has an impression on this.
37: Hmm. Maybe you were their target because you are an irrational number.
APPLe: Is it really a puzzle unsolvable?
37: Are you scared?
APPLe: Captain!
37: Follow me, Regulus.
Ulrich: Best of luck, Researcher Regulus.
Regulus: ...!
Regulus: Where am I? Who am I?
In her daze, she's brought back to her days in Apeiron.
Regulus: Why's this happening to me? Is this some kind of cruel joke from that Apeiron lot?
This realization seems to clear her mind for a moment.
There's no escape from those mathematical demons!
Regulus: Somebody! Anybody! Help me, please!!
COMBAT
The mathematical onslaught seems endless.
Ulrich opens the door and takes Regulus's scribbled piece of notepaper.
Ulrich: Glad to see you're still in high spirits, Researcher Regulus.
Ulrich: Hmm, but this doesn't add up. I gave you an encrypted code, not a Sudoku puzzle.
Regulus: Wh-What do you mean?
Regulus looks as though she's just been struck by lightning.
Ulrich: Come on. Get yourself together!
Ulrich: The ninth "Storm" has passed, Researcher Regulus. You've had plenty of time to brush up on your math.
Ulrich strides over, picking up a paper from the desk on his way.
Ulrich: Alright, let me explain. All you have to do is a basic decode and transcription of the result using the Laplace encryption key. See how the fourth from last digits have changed?
Ulrich: There are no numbers greater than 24 within the 17th interval, and those in the 18th interval don't exceed 59. So, if we make a bold assumption here—
Ulrich: These numbers have probably been coded using Laplace's nomenclature, where the codes of time are always placed between the 12th and 18th intervals.
Ulrich: You'll see this a lot here. We use them for ships, satellites, manpower arrangements, and such.
Ulrich: Finally, we input the result into the Laplace astronomy database to see if we find any matches and ... there.
Ulrich: A set of photos taken from space.
Regulus: Huh?
Regulus: Are you telling me I spent the whole day doing this just to find a few photos?
Ulrich: These aren't just any photos, Researcher Regulus. Take a closer look.
Ulrich: The first picture was taken on December 2nd, 1995, the day the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory was launched.
Ulrich continues to deliver a flurry of information.
Ulrich: The second picture was taken on June 25th, 1997, during a period of sunspot activity.
Ulrich: The third one is from November 21st, 1998. It's an image of the first satellite ever deployed from a space station.
Regulus: And the fourth is from December 28th, 1999. Is that a rugby game?
Ulrich: Yes. Looks like it was the last one held in that stadium in Melbourne. The place is just a commercial district now.
Her eyes wander over the next photos. Then, she freezes.
Regulus: But, wait. This isn't right!
Regulus: If you're suggesting what I think you are, then these next photos are ...
Her eyes widen.
Ulrich: That's right. From the fifth photo onward, we can't pinpoint their exact time or location, but it seems they involve Halley's Comet, 136199 Eris and the Kuiper Belt, the Uluru Games, and a rock festival.
Ulrich: And there are more. Take a look at these time stamps.
Ulrich: February 9th, 2001 ... October 21st, 2003 ... November, 2005 ...
Regulus: And the last one's from ... April 16th, 2007.
Regulus: ...
Ulrich looks out to the endless blue of the sky outside.
Ulrich: This proves one thing: Before all our struggles to study and control the effects of the "Storm" ...
Ulrich: This pioneer crossed the "Storm" unscathed and sent us these images.
The "Storm." That heavy topic.
Once again, it rears its ugly head, mocking anyone who dares to make sense of its absurdity.
Regulus: But ...
Thankfully, there will always be someone who doesn't bend to its desires.
Regulus: Why are you telling me all this? Did everyone else's assessments turn into some kind of top-secret briefing?
Regulus: All I wanted was an advance on my salary!
The ferrofluid gives a stifled pang.
Ulrich: ...
Ulrich: Just for once, could you see the bigger picture here? We've been presented with an amazing opportunity.
Ulrich: And all you can think about is your salary?!