Benjamin Rix's Circulus Station Residency card - Concept Art for my novel, "DEEP ORBIT: Zero Margin".

Found this in our galley. Ben’s a Master Mariner and Dale’s old mentor, but the "Senpai" can't remember where he left his credentials—or socks.

The Ulysses has well-maintained three-drive fusion clusters, but its Captain can't find his ID for launch burn.

Now he owes me the next round on Circulus.

ISF-approved Coupler unit.

UPA/ISF-Spezifikationen... "Systemintegrität garantiert", am Arsch vorbei.

In 1,2g Schwerkraft sind Theorie und Praxis Welten. Ich brauche keine 10-Millionen-Credit-Versprechen, sondern Hydraulik, die hält, und echten Sauerstoffdruck.

Alles andere ist nur Beilage.

#DeepOrbit #HardSF #sci-fi

Circulus Station, Amsterdam Docks, Bay 12. Current resting place of the Ithaca and other freighter vessels.

Amsterdam Docks.
Sometimes I think I breathe more coolant than oxygen down here. With Dale still stuck on house arrest, we're grounded. At least it gives me time to inspect the new magnetic containment seals on the plasma manifold.

This place never sleeps.
#HardSF #SpaceEngineering #SciFi

Maya’s worried about moss. I’m worried about 1.2g shearing the intake valves. Soon, your “green zone” might not have the power to filter a single drop. How about spending less time making eyes at Dale and more time on the atmospheric scrubbers? Priorities, people.
#HardSF #DeepOrbit #SpaceRomance

Agri-Ops and Greywater Processing Facility on Zethera

Strategic Asset Log: Bio-Regen 🍄

Zethera's 1.2g is crushing our biomass. Agar-based algae reactors are settling too fast, and mycelium scaffolds can't support their own weight to filter greywater.

Without more synthetic spores, the "green" zone is a graveyard by mid-cycle. #HardSF #DeepOrbit

Ithaca Drive Specifications: Fuel-Containment Status Schematic

Engineering Log 092: Fusion Flux ⚛️

60/40 D-He3 mix. Neutron flux spiking 3%. If we don't source more Helium-3, the engine bell will be too brittle for the 1.2g insertion at Zethera. We’re burning the expensive stuff just to keep the hull from turning into glass.
#HardSF #DeepOrbit

Technical Log 084: Structural Integrity 🛠️

1.2g isn't just "heavy." It’s a 20% increase in structural fatigue on every load-bearing strut and a recalibration of every cooling pump.
Gravity doesn't care about heroics, only the stress-strain curve.
#HardSF #DeepOrbit #IthacaSystems

Monolith-Class freigther, The Ithaca repair invoice.

Dale Ransom? Don't get me started.

To the Interstellar Science Federation, he’s a tool. To his daughter, he’s free hugs and ice cream. To me, his engineer and business partner, he’s the guy who's never around when the invoices are due. 💰

#DeepOrbit #HardSF #SciFi #Amquerying

Freighters like the Ithaca aren't pretty, but they're built it to survive. My job is to make sure this crew doesn’t end up as a smear on a moon’s surface.

And trust me: the physics never matches the mission profile. 🚀🛠️

#IthacaLog #PilotLife #HardSF