Who you gonna call? Science! Discussion/suggestion for new scientist duty related to bluespace

[NerdyVampire]

Bluespace. I remember it as something mysterious and exciting on the Aurora, but for some reason it feels like it has lost its charm on the Horizon, to me at least. Maybe it's because we've stepped away from some of the things that made it chaotic on Aurora, maybe it has just been a bit eclipsed by other things lately, but I miss something 'new' with bluespace. I also feel that our science department could use something 'new', so here's a suggestion for a new job. I am hoping people can help iron out what is mechanically possible, what will be fun to play with and all that, this is not a finished plan, it is very much open to change.

Proposed Premise:

Our constant journeys through Bluespace have begun to attract unwanted anomalies to our vessel. They are invisible to the naked eye, and most of them are harmless, but we have begun to dedicate our scientists to find and nullify them regularly, and more importantly, to move out and quickly nullify anomalies that are growing abnormally. We haven't quite reached the point where we can explain them yet, whether some sentience have placed them on us, or whether they will have any long-term benefit or not, but the anomalies that have grown too large have affected us adversely, hence why they must be nullified.

Proposed new equipment:

1. Anomaly locator: Based on the Alden Saraspova it can help point the way to an anomaly on the ship, working exactly the same. When activated within 2 meters of an anomaly, it becomes visible (however such might look).
2. Anomaly attractor: A bit more powerful, I imagine it akin to a field generator in size and installation, except it runs on a cell to avoid wiring issues. Its purpose is to slowly draw anomalies through structure towards the attractor from a wide range (20-25 meters?). Necessary for scientists to handle anomalies they can see lies beyond their reach physically, when no access can be granted.
3. Anomaly nullifier: When used on an anomaly, it nullifies it. Might be based on the portal-nullifier we got for the Revenant gamemode.

Regular work:

Scientists, aided by their lab assistants, may choose to 'hunt' for anomalies onboard of Horizon equipped with the above, limited in essence to what areas they can legally access and what other departments might be lenient to grant them. When they find an anomaly, they use the nullifier on it if they are close enough, or use the attractor to pull it closer. When they successfully nullify it, they might be rewarded with some sort of effect or some residue bluespace-related material. The idea is to give scientists more of a reason to walk around the Horizon, and the event will make it reasonable for departments to allow them some supervised entry to avoid an enlarged anomaly.

Event:

Akin to the biohazard event, this might trigger only when scientists are on staff. One of the anomalies that have clung to the ship have begun to grow too large and have triggered the sensors we use to detect unwarranted unusual containers. The announcement should inform which deck it is on, but nothing more precise. I imagine it will escalate, like the biohazards, growing and affected gravity around it, either pulling creatures towards it or undoing gravity. The longer it grows, the more forceful it becomes until it harms people by pulling them (or pushing them away).  Nullifying should of course still be possible, perhaps by exhausting its force temporarily by throwing objects with mass at it to affect.

Edited December 13, 2022 by NerdyVampire