[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Evenin, sunshine."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Oh, handsome! How are you? I have missed you!!"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Doin all right. Busy like erryone else. You?"

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Oh, I am grabbing quick dinner, and then I am coming right back tonight to work on...well, you probably know, if you have seen orders."

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Sure have. Won't pick up dinner fer ya, then."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "I am at Ruby's, would you like something?"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Burger an a chocolate shake, please. Ah'll pay ya back later."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Your company is the payback."

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "*laugh* Ah can handle that."

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "When should Ah expect ya back?"

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "I will be in Research Wing at the Light Labs. I have your dinner!"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Be thare shortly."

You enter the Light Labs - Research.

Light Labs - Research

The research section of Light Labs/Maverick Hunter HQ is naturally one of the largest in the base. It is within this suite of labs that Hunter scientists develop and construct their inventions, including the ocassional new Reploid. There are strict rules kept here however, including the golden rule of not touching someone else's experiment, and casual observers are rare.

Kalinka [Work] [MH] Maverick Intellispy

Reinforced Door <East> leads to Light Labs - Corridor 3.

Kalinka is, at the moment, working very diligently on a number of baseball-sized satellite devices. They are all lined up in various stages of assembly, along the counter. On the counter is her radio, which is tuned into Moscow's Radio Retro. She bops along, humming when a familiar part of a song comes on. Near the baseball-sized satellites, and on the same counter, is a take-out box from Ruby's and a drink cup.

Ding! The door chimes just before opening, admitting Bowie inside. His smile, while not entirely absent, is rather weak. Of course, having Starhaven in orbit would make anyone concerned. Escpecially a damaged one. He makes his way over to Kalinka, being careful not to touch any of the current works-in-progress.

Kalinka puts down her work on the satellite in front of her, then steps over and gives Bowie a warm hug. "Mmmmmm...hello...I have missed you a lot. I was scared on the night that the Stardroid ship came. I did not think I would see you...or anyone else, ever again."

Bowie returns the hug, a bit more tightly than usual. Though he can't admit it in words, he feared the same thing. "Ah've missed ya too, sunshine," he says as he releases her. "Ah wus tryin t'get that Skinner plan in gear...though it looks like that's on hold 'till we find out whut's goin on in orbit."

Kalinka smiles a little bit, gazing up at him. "Yeah...well there is good chance we can get a better look! Daddy has plans...and also, I am making tiny spycams, as you can see..." she gestures toward the spherical satellites on the counter. "They should be ready very soon. I have one of them about 95% finished. Oh, I did get you dinner..."

Bowie looks over at the spheroids as she points them out. "Good. Don't like all a us bein in the dark. Whut's Doc Cossack plannin?"

Kalinka picks up a very tiny tool, and begins making careful wire connections within the 'guts' of one of the ball-sized satellites. "Well, he is still analyzing the bio samples from those creatures that came before the Stardroids did. Also, he is working on...something. You know he works on some big freaking project. This is probably no different. Big gun...SOMETHING to defend us against Stardroids...if there is such a thing, he will figure it out."

Bowie's smile (such as it was) has faded over the talk of Stardroids. He picks up a lab stool and moves it over to where he can observe without being in her way or accidently getting food into any of the delicate equipment. "That's a tall order. Considerin jus how powerful thay are..." He pauses as he rummages around in the bag for a straw and napkins. "...but whut wurries me is that thare might be somethang out thare that's bigger than them."

Kalinka nods, clearing her throat. "You know, is that not an old saying? There is always another bully, bigger than the one bothering you? I think the Stardroids have at last discovered...their bully."

Kalinka sends a radio transmission to Dr. Cossack.

"'Xactly. That's whut wurries me," says Bowie between sips of milkshake. "We jus did beat back the Stardroids. Whut if thair new bullies followed 'em here?"

Kalinka continues to work delicately on the satellite in front of her on the table. "I would think that if they were THAT powerful...they would not even take notice of us. For example...take the bully-kid. If bully kid wanted to cause trouble that was 'fun' for him, he would bother smaller and weaker kid, right? What is the fun in stepping on ants?"

Kalinka receives a radio transmission.

Bowie gives a small shrug. "Cause we're here. Sometimes a bully will beat up on cats an dogs, even ants, if he finds it amusin."

Kalinka pauses for a moment to sigh uncomfortably at the thought of some powerful creatures pushing Earth out of its rotational orbit, just for the amusement of observing global genocide. She pauses in her work, rubbing her temples.

"Or, fer all we know, thay might jus be puttin the Stardroids back in thair place," Bowie continues, trying to bring in at least a little optimism to the conversation.

Kalinka bobs her head, looking back at the satellite and flipping it over carefully to make an adjustment to the bottom of it. "That is what I think happened," she mentions. "Would it not make sense that they did bite off more than they could chew? And you notice...no one came back. No bullies. No Stardroids. Only the ship..."

Bowie points out, "We don't know that fer sure. Jus because we haven't seen 'em doesn't mean thay aren't thare. Might be thay're too busy lickin thair wounds t'pay attention t'us." He digs into his hamburger, paying no attention to the fact it's started to get cold.

Kalinka nods. "Yeah. Well, we need to get better look, that is just the thing...we...need." Finishing whatever it was she was doing, she snaps a panel shut on the spherical device with triumphant finality. "Ta-daaaaaah."

Bowie smiles again. "Beautiful, sunshine..." Not that he has more than the vaguest notion as to what it does. That's why Kalinka is always nice enough to explain to him what her latest projects are, and so he expects an explanation to be forthcoming.

Kalinka grins, holding up the tiny satellite. "What you are looking at is combination spycam and satellite. Very tiny...its only purpose is to GET CLOSE to Starhaven to take pictures and sensor readings. Any information will instantly relay to our database. So, if it scans -- and then the ship detects it and blows it up -- already, we will have some information and energy readings. It will not be in vain."

Bowie nods slowly and appreciatively. "Good idea. More we can find out without riskin our necks, the better. Will it be able t'transmit directly to us, or will it have t'relay through a satellite?"

"It -should- be able to instantly send right to the main computer. I have installed in each one a transmit device. I just hope that it survives long enough to...get close, or get through. It is worth a try."

"Right," Bowie agrees. "Whut about those thangs over thare?" he asks, gesturing towards the spheroids with his cup.

Kalinka chuckles. "Well you see, this little satellite's drawback is that it is very, very delicate. So...I know it will probably not last very long. Daddy wanted me to make five of them, so we can just like, send them up there, pow-pow-pow, one right after the other. Those ones are...eh, about halfway done. But I am not going to stay up all night to finish them...that will be the job of BORIS units." She winks.

Bowie nods again. Makes sense to him. "So that one's the prototype, an the drone can follow yer design. Sounds good."

"Well hopefully it works," Kalinka says, carefully placing the finished satellite into a mylar bag and sealing it. "I am hoping it is just too small for their notice. Maybe they will think it is space junk."

[OOC] Bowie says, "Just how big is it?"

[OOC] Kalinka says, "About the size of a softball or grapefruit. 8)"

"If ya built it, Ah'm sure it'll werk." Such is Bowie's confidence in her ability. "An thay're so small, ya'd hardly notice em. Some radar systems won't even pick 'em up."

Kalinka crosses her fingers, and holds them up. "It is going to take some faith," she admits. Grabbing the mylar bag, she mentions, "I should run this down to Daddy."