“I’m just happy I didn’t break anything. ROVer 1 did a great job. I thought that with the weight of everything we put on the platform, the sub would lumber along instead of zipping right to the site without breaking a sweat.” It was more than she could say for herself. Stefanie wiped her palms on her pants, which accomplished very little since the pants themselves were already damp from the ocean spray. While some companies preferred to lower their research equipment from a ship-mounted crane, their custom research sub could place their sensitive equipment with a high degree of locational precision and relative ease. Even someone new to the business like her could do it. Stefanie moved her sunglasses so they perched on her head. “Thanks for all of your help.”
Nash shrugged. “You can thank me if everything still works in a couple of weeks. Saltwater is brutal on equipment if there is even the slightest imperfection in the seals.” Because of Nash’s tendency to consider every possible way their product could break, Stefanie didn’t share his trepidation. Nash had likely double- and triple-checked everything. When they came back to check the data in a couple of weeks, Stefanie had no doubt their little research lab under the sea would still be in perfect working order.
ROVer 1’s twin, ROVer 2, hadn’t yet returned, giving Stefanie some time to ensure she could also pull up the feed of data streaming to the screen on her cell phone. The data continued to update in real-time, the readings changing only by decimal places. She showed her phone to Nash. “Looks normal to me. No leaks.” Salinity meters, small sample collectors, cameras, a Geiger counter, and a seismograph – it was hard to imagine what else they could have squeezed onto their platform. Their customers, a small college that planned to use the custom platform for teaching and research, would be thrilled. They had requested that it be filled to the brim with all of the sensors the OEG could fit on it. She and Nash had successfully turned their request into a huge and complex reality.
The wind picked up and Stefanie pulled her stocking cap down just a little lower. Contrary to popular belief, working as a marine biologist wasn’t all exploring reefs in tropical locales where fancy umbrella drinks were easy to come by. The Bay Area could be sunny and beautiful for sure, but warmth was far from guaranteed, particularly out on the open water. Fortunately for the company’s deployment schedule, it was mild enough they could go out on the open water year-round. However, Stefanie had wisely heeded Nash’s advice to bring a stocking cap and scarf along. Her phone buzzed with a notification. The GPS tracking was now active. A little yellow buoy icon representing the research platform showed on a stylized map with OEG branding. They could still see the buoy, just barely, in the distance. Nice. Everything was now working perfectly. Due to battery size and power requirements, the range was more limited than was ideal, but their solution of using a transmission buoy and cell phone was much cheaper than maintaining a satellite link. She squinted at her phone when she saw another yellow buoy icon at the edge of the map, just a little farther away from where they’d deployed their latest research platform. Stefanie squinted at the horizon but saw no other buoys in the distance. “Nash, we got another platform close by?”
Nash tilted his head. “No, boss. This is the first drop we’ve done anywhere near here.”
Stefanie leaned into the screen. Sure enough, two buoys were showing on the map – could it be an echo of their signal somehow? She was a marine biologist, not a communications expert, but maybe that was a thing? She’d picked up countless Wi-Fi signals that weren’t hers from her house. She zoomed into the map, but the yellow buoy icon disappeared, then reappeared. Trying to select it just made her phone freeze up. Well, there was one quick way to get her question answered. Stefanie slipped the phone in her pocket so she could grab the railing on the ship while she went below deck.
At the bottom of the stairs, Stefanie took a moment to get acclimated to the motion of the ship. While not new to the ocean, she generally preferred to be topside with fresh air and a view of the horizon. ROVer 2’s camera was projected on a large monitor. They were mapping a previously restricted area of the seafloor that had only recently opened up to scientific exploration with the proper permits. Rumor had it, the newly-opened area was formerly used by the Navy for testing, but whether that was fact or fiction, she didn’t really know. She took a moment to watch its movements, then pulled her phone back out. She didn’t know most of the operators well, but they’d been friendly enough to her.
Terry, the operator who had trained her to dock the remotely operated vehicles, was just handing off the controls to another operator. Perfect. She tapped her phone in her hand. “Hey Terry, got a sec?” Terry eyed the coffee carafe over her shoulder. She lifted an eyebrow. “Coffee on me?”
“You got it, newbie.” He smiled, making the laugh lines in his face even more pronounced. He was graying and about the same age as her favorite uncle. He had boundless energy and more patience than most when teaching new employees. “Nice job getting the sub back to the surface. Looks like our driving lessons paid off. What can I help you with?”
“I have a question. How many platforms does the OEG have in this area?”
“Counting the one you and Nash just dropped?” He made a show of counting on his hands, then looked up with a smile to accept the coffee. “One.”
Stefanie frowned and pulled out her phone. “Is it possible that our app would pick up a
