It still felt odd using the brain implant though. While Wietse knew he was in control, that the augmentation was now part of him, that (change) by using the quantum trinities, the M-Brane grid was now (change) effectively an extension of of his own body, it still felt foreign. Wietse knew how this tech was used by PUPR agents in the war. PUPR agents, the cruelest and (add) most effective soldiers, spies and executioners this world had ever known. Something about the tech created a disconnect with their humanity but while Wietse feared for 'his' humanity using this tech, (swap) today, quite possibly, this tech could be the only thing that could save humanity as a whole.
Once (change) a part of (change) the proud European Space Agency, this ESA research institute today basically was an archive. A museum and library of (suggestion - antiquated / outdated) old space tech.
As Wietse (suggestion / change– was scavenging the area for anything that could be of potential use to him) looked around for usable stuff, he noticed a small window (change) through which he saw the snow-covered dunes that he remembered from long ago. The Dutch dunes had been a big part of Wietse's childhood, of his life before ….. While the image brought back memories, it just didn't feel right. But what was it that was wrong here? Then it hit him, it never snowed in September, not here? The snow-covered dunes were a familiar sight, but it was (change) a scene that belonged (change) in winter and early spring, not (change) in the final days of summer! Could this be related?
Then Wietse noticed a glass cabinet in the middle of the room. A space suit, or rather a 'moon' suit. Wietse remembered his granddaughter. She was on the moon now. Reestablishing contact would have to wait until he figured out why things had gone so (suggestion / add - terribly) wrong during their last contact, figured out how he could prevent another m-fold accident like that, especially at this distance. The M-fold exit spheres were increasingly more difficult to control at larger distances, and the moon was at the very edge of what Wietse was able to control. Before Wietse could think it through, a black sphere formed at the bottom of the cabinet. The moon suit dropped through it and the sphere disappeared. The advantage of the brain augmentation was that it allowed for quick, natural, gut responses. Responses at speeds that would be impossible at full cognition. A drawback to this, however, was that with untrained reflexes, some responses could actually bypass conscious decisions. Wietse was startled by what he just did. He might just have put her in danger. But chances were she might have a good use for a moon suit where she was at.
He was looking for something else though. Something specific. A space telescope! If his intel was correct, ESTEC owned an old space telescope.
Then his eye caught a floor plan on a (suggestion / change) large screen on the wall, spanning roughly three meters.
"Map, show me where I can find the biggest space telescope."
No response. Was this old tech? Wietse noticed an index next to the floor plan. As he quickly scanned the index, his eye spotted what he was searching for: Hubble Telescope D5. Wietse touched the word Telescope with his index finger. Nothing happened.
"Damn, not old tech: 'zero' tech."
The screen didn't even respond to his touch.
"Why in heaven's name? ..."
This didn't make sense and Wietse had no time for this. Who would create a non-interactive map for a bleeding museum? D5, Wietse remembered and looked back to the floor plan that was divided up into a grid. In cell D4 there was a large room with the inscription 'Hubble Zaal'. That had to be it. With quick strides, Wietse made his way to the room in question.
As Wietse opened the door, there was a huge telescope laying there. It was absolutely huge. Much larger than Wietse had anticipated. Twelve, thirteen meters long at least. Wietse moved over to the side marked as 'aperture door' on the narrower side of the telescope, then looked up at the ceiling of the room.
"Damn, the bastard is huge!"
Wietse took a power cell and a radio transmitter out of his backpack and started installing it where the fake replica solar panel was connected to the telescope.
"Sir! You are not allowed to touch the exhibits! Verdomme, shit ..."
Another guard dropped down an instant fold into the nearby sea with Wietse hardly having to give it more than a volatile thought.
The power was up now. Wietse took out his radio receiver and started scanning for the signal (change), then took a few quick steps back. A huge (change) half-sphere about seven meters in diameter filled half the room emerging the broader side of the telescope. Then the non-emerged part of the telescope started tilting up, picking up in (change) momentum rapidly.
"Shit, no, no, no!
The backside of the telescope hit the ceiling. Not really hard but not in a way that felt safe for the delicate alignments of the mirror system either. Then the tilted telescope disappeared into the sphere. The sphere shrank to a size of about seven centimeters and hovered in front of Wietse's receiver.
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