Transcript For Strip 2030

Panel 1
Same view as in previous panel, but the asteroid has popped away via Displacer.
Caption: After half a Standard Year of guided falling into the black hole's gravity well, the asteroid has built up a velocity of 1000 kilometers per second.
Caption: Then, while still 5 million kilometers out from the event horizon, it pops away using its onboard Displacement Engine ...
Panel 2
The asteroid pops back into view, now the black hole, is much more distant.
Caption: … only to re-appear more than 250 million klicks farther out.
Caption: One characteristic of the Displacement Engine is that an object retains its momentum (or lack of it) relative to the local gravity well, after Displacement.
Caption: So, it starts moving towards the black hole again at 1000 klicks per second, and also still accelerating.

Panel 3
Now the black-hole and its halo loom large in the panel again. Speed lines behind the rock are more intense.
Caption: After a good bit less than half a year, the rock is once again 5 million klicks from the event horizon, now moving at 3050 kilometers per second.
Caption: If it gets closer, time dilation effects from the gravity incline would become, well, inconvenient.
Panel 4
The asteroid pops into a position 250 million klicks away, and zooms off towards the black-hole.
Caption: But the drive systems, following their programming, pop the asteroid back out to a 250 million kilometer distance.
Caption: 'Rinse and repeat,' each cycle shortening in duration as the rock's velocity builds.
Caption: Eventually, the object is moving at close to nine-tenths of light-speed, relative to the local gravity well.
Caption: Time for the second phase.

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