onemorebounty | Radio Free Tamriel

Entry tags:

samus,
stratos

Radio Free Tamriel

*Two weeks can pass surprisingly quickly with a project (and the malleable relationship with time that access to the Nexus makes possible). Samus had acquired a large storage container and assorted life-support equipment, and set about installing the one in the other, before burying the whole affair deep beneath the surface of an airless planetoid in an unpopulated system in some random universe. It wasn't the first such bunker she had built or installed somewhere, but it was the first time she had intended one for demonstration purposes.*

*She had partitioned the container's interior into two rooms, one a small booth overlooking the other, which takes up the bulk of the container's interior. It may be noted that shipping containers for interstellar freight come in some fairly large sizes. The booth has been extensively rad-shielded and outfitted with some basic computers and interfaces, while the larger area has been stocked with the implements for a series of experiments: emitters for various wavelengths, movable screens with a radio-florescent coating, and armatures for holding objects in place. Passage between the booth and the larger room is managed by a wire staircase along what might be considered the back wall of the container. Rad-shielded containers tucked under the booth house a miscellany of other supplies, essentially anything Samus could imagine needing for any further experiments along the lines of the initial set--including her idea of an "extensive" first aid kit.*

*With everything as ready as she can think to make it, she PINpoints back to the Nexus, lingering in the forum to wait for some sign of Stratos.*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He manages a brief nod to the auxiliary before Samus closes the portal. It's reassuring to feel his abilities working as normal. Stratos wouldn't admit to trepidation at the speed and ease with which he finds himself alone on a foreign plane with a woman he barely knows... but nonetheless. It's perturbing to see his exit vanish like that.

Stratos makes himself relax, and turn his attention back to the room at hand.

"Of course." He steps over to examine one of the computers. Without touching the odd machine, of course. There's a faint hint of electricity in the air: it could be sensitive. "I'm very keen to learn what I'm looking at here."

That's one of the control consoles. It'll let us turn the radiation on and off from safety.

*Striding into the room, she gestures to some of the free-standing panels.*

These have been treated with a paint that fluoresces when it's exposed to most bands of radiation. We'll set up our test objects between the emitters and these screens, and anything that blocks it will cast a shadow.

*Surrounded by the screens is a small box on an armature.*

And this is the emitter. It can produce different bands of radiation, which I'll explain in a moment, and adjust the beam focus. So: what would you like to see first? A basic proof-of-concept experiment, or straight to the things in the crates?

Stratos listens attentively. He's done enough teaching to appreciate the way she explains - simple enough for a novice to follow, without being condescending.

"Perhaps a demonstration before we unpack. I'd like to see how it works without interference." And so he can fix it in his mind before he starts explaining their target objects.

*She nods, taking a moment to set a screen where they'll have a clear view of it from the console Stratos found. When they're testing the magic things, she's going to insist they retreat to the booth, but for one quick demonstration this should be safe.*

*With the scene set to her liking, she strides back to Stratos and waves a hand near the console to wake it. A diagram of the room is displayed in wireframe on a black background, with icons labeling pictures of several buttons and sliders. Samus demonstrates each as she explains them.*

This is for the lights in the room, here. We'll dial that down so we can see better.

*Deed is suited to word, and the ambient light in the room, which had been coming from glowing panels in the ceiling, dims to a faint gloom. The glow of the console is still clearly visible, however, and it seems to react to Samus' mere proximity--controls grow as her finger draws near, crowding others away, and shrink again and are crowded in their turn when her proximity drifts elsewhere.*

We'll set the aperture fairly narrow, to start, and then turn the emitter on.

*Adjusting the aperture slider adds a green wireframe cone to the wireframe of the room, indicating where the radiation is going to go and how widely dispersed it will be. She slides it down to a narrow beam, then presses the small white button that turns the emitter on (the companion button, to turn it off, is much larger, bright red, and flashes dully to attract attention while the emitter is running). Over on the indicated screen, an oval of light has appeared, glowing a bright green. Stratos might recognize that it's intersecting the cone of radiation at an angle rather than straight on, resulting in the oblong shape.*

Stratos stands at her shoulder with folded arms and intent look, just far enough to respect personal space while he follows her adjustments. He's aware he's the wide-eyed foreigner at this point, blinking at how easily Samus can manipulate their surroundings - how even this control panel reacts to her intent. It may not technically be magic, but in practice this machinery really isn't dissimilar.

Once in a while he glances over at the detection screen, so he catches when that oval of light appears. He still takes a minute to look between it and the on-screen diagram, confirming the link.

"You may not be a wizard, but your laboratory could shame some of the finest," he remarks. Really, she has a machine that simply displays where the invisible flows of energy? With which she can control them? It seems too easy. "Is there a purpose in angling the screen like that?"

*Stratos' respect is met with a smile.*

As the writer said, "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

*She adjusts the aperture slider, widening the cone in the diagram and the oval of glow on the screen, the latter to a couple feet across.*

Mostly so we could see it from down here. The booth has a better vantage point, and cameras, but it's good to see it with your own eyes, first.

*Stepping away from the console, she strides over to stand near the panel, and holds out her arm, into the path of the unseen rays. Predictably, she casts a shadow. Perhaps less predictably, it's only the shadow of her bones. She flexes her arm, her fingers, rolls her wrist--if it's a trick, or a puppet show, it's an extremely good one.*

For a moment he doesn't realize what she's doing. Understanding of the danger has been driven home enough that it's a shock to see her step into the poisoning beam.

"What are you-?" His eyes fall on her shadow, and now they are most definitely wide. Although the effect makes sense, considering all she's told him. He gathers himself. "...Very well, you've made your point. I sincerely hope you have some means to heal yourself."

Even when you're opening his eyes to an entire new facet of the world around him, he will take the time to scold you for not wearing gloves.

*Stepping away from the beam, her smile is bright (though not glowing, thankfully) in the dim light. Stratos' self-possession continues to impress her.*

I've taken precautions. Brief, low-intensity exposure is minimally harmful, and there are treatments and medicines to mitigate that harm. In fact, some of the early applications of radiation are medicinal, as I'm sure you can extrapolate from what you've seen.

*A couple touches to the console shut the emitter down and bring the lights fading back on, slowly enough that their eyes can adapt comfortably to the change.*

Now, what shall we set up first?

"I suppose, if one lacks other methods to sense internal harm, then I can imagine one use for it." From the sound of it, he'll stick to good old-fashioned detection spells. It's a relief to know there are some established treatments, so if anything goes wrong he's not just counting on his own methods.

With a blink at the returning light, he turns to the crates. Specifically, the one marked as containing calipers. A gesture and a flare of greenish light accompany the box cracking open as he approaches. "I had thought to begin with the mundane armor, before testing the effect of magical augmentation. After your demonstration, I doubt leather will be any obstacle, so perhaps we might start with the iron."

Does your magic realign bones, if a break forces them out of position, or fuse them where they are?

*Even as she teaches, Samus would like to learn. Not every system of magic is the same, she's found, and she only vaguely knows the capabilities of the ones she's seen.*

Leather without any magic on it wouldn't do much, no. There's room to set up several at once, if you're so inclined.

*Samus moves up a step behind, curious about the contents of the box and willing to help, but not wanting to crowd.*

"I'm given to understand it depends on the strength and skill of the healer. For my part, I would take care to align as many fragments as possible before applying any spell. But I must add that the art of Restoration is one of my lesser skills." Stratos doesn't mind explaining, not to someone who's genuinely interested. He does give her a curious look, wondering if there's a prompt for such a specific question and making a note to ask.

Lifting aside the lid of the crate, Stratos sets aside the leather cuirass on top, a twin to the one Felix was wearing earlier. Uniforms were the most readily acquired samples. Just below it are another couple chest-pieces of light armor bundled in cloth. Stratos unwraps them both and sets them aside: they're much shinier than the Legion gear.

"This is typical elven armor," he says of the gold-colored plate, all sweeping curves and feather-like designs. "Or rather, typical for Altmer of the Summerset Isles. I cannot imagine their expressions if they were to see a Dark Elf wear it, let alone an Orc.

"And this-" he sets it aside, along with his amusement, and retrieves the next set, "is glass armor." It seems to be made of similar stuff to the elven gear, but reinforced by the addition of translucent green plates. "Both rather light as physical armor, but they may be of interest for their composition."

I like to know the capabilities and limitations of various medical treatments, in case I should ever need to seek them. If you could see the number of breaks I've had in my career...

*Samus looks over the armor, hands hovering over the Altmer piece and tracing the contours without quite touching it.*

The aesthetics are interesting.

*Her appreciation of things feather-like is eclipsed, however, by her intrigue for the glass armor.*

I'm sorry, did you say glass? Is it, perhaps, some kind of magic glass more resilient than the sort one gets from melting sand?

"Commendable foresight. Which is no doubt half the reason you've survived." She's also observant enough to pick up on questions unasked, which is very much worth knowing.

He might be making note of where her interest falls. He's a little surprised when it turns to the subject of malachite glass. It's an odd material, true, but he takes it rather for granted.

"It's certainly more durable than that, yes. It's made using a malachite ore and, I believe, some of the same moonstone used in crafting elven armor. It's rather brittle compared to steel, but hard enough to resist a blade and relatively easy to reforge in case of damage. Smiths have some method for making it flexible enough to use in weaponry. They say it takes a remarkably fine edge."

*She acknowledges the praise of her foresight with a smile. Stratos certainly has the right of it, there--if she hadn't gotten good at finding proper medical treatment, her body would have given out long ago. But his answer to her question only prompts more confusion, demanding more questions.*

Malachite? Striated green stone? The kind I'm familiar with is an ore of copper, and sometimes cut and polished for ornamental purposes. I'd be interested in learning more about your smiths' methods, this could be something like wootz steel again.

*Thinking and speculating (she is definitely going to have to try to get scans of these materials, and the raw ones from which they're made), she places the armor on plastic armatures, setting them up within the circle of screens.*

"That sounds like our malachite, yes. We don't generally regard it as a gemstone in Cyrodiil." Probably they're too busy making arrowheads from it.

He unpacks the next layer of armor: iron and steel plate, oddly small-looking when the plates are folded up. Packed beside them is the imperial type of steel, the individual segments making it fold much more tidily.

"'Wootz' steel?" he adds, glancing up to see if there are enough free armatures before bringing the armor over.

On a world called Earth, in the middle of an iron age, some metalworkers accidentally produced steel with carbon nanotube lattices. Imagine a sword with the durability and sharpness of a diamond, but not so brittle. That's without any magic.

*She works as she talks, and will take the armors Stratos has uncovered, setting them up as well.*

When the ore with the right blend of impurities was tapped out, the method for making the steel was lost, and it was nearly a thousand years of technological advancement before anyone was able to produce small quantities of it again, intentionally. At which time, it was still a few steps ahead of contemporary alloys in some respects.

*She pauses, realizing she's been somewhere between lecturing and rambling.*

Sorry. I picked up historical metallurgy as a hobby in the Nexus.

"You needn't apologize. I have an interest in the loss and rediscovery of knowledge myself. Military knowledge in particular, of course."

The remaining armor samples require opening a second crate which, shockingly, does not contain the cheese it claims. There's a decidedly inedible ebony cuirass though. "And I have spent much of my life in the company of wizards. You at least have a knack for explanations one can follow."

Mm, military future-history can be terrifying, when you think about it.

*No cheese? Crate, I trusted you! The ebony gets another interested look; the sleek black panels appeal, although again she wonders about the material.*

You can thank the Nexus for that. Years of talking with people whose frame of reference is completely removed from my own has forced me to think about phrasing.

"It's difficult to imagine our descendants will manage to do much worse than our ancestors, but warfare in your home seems to be far more... technical."

He sweeps a look around the assorted screens and control devices for emphasis. Alongside the ebony is one last material for testing. Stratos wasn't able to locate daedric body armor, but he has procured a shield. It's as black as the ebony, but there's a subtly different aura to it as he pulls it from the crate. And of course, some very unsubtle spines that sprout like horns from the upper edge, the lower one curving to wicked points.

"That's a more beneficial sort of education than one usually expects from such places," he remarks.

*Samus can't help it--Stratos' belief it can't get much worse surprises her to laughter, and it's a long moment before she can stop.*

Oh, I don't know whether to leave you in the dark and spare you the nightmares, or tell you and have you not believe me.

*She can't deny that warfare is technical, in her era. Even the most lightly-equipped soldiers where she's from have more technology in one gauntlet than is likely to be found in a city of Stratos' era (she doesn't know about the dwarves).*

*The daedric shield is getting side-eyed a little. Samus finds something about it off-putting, and she rarely finds much but her enemies off-putting. Still mostly amused, she teases him a little while she rigs up the ebony mail.*

Careful, Stratos, your prejudice is showing. Aren't you getting a beneficial education today, courtesy of the Nexus?

Stratos isn't the type to get aggravated when he's laughed at. It's a trait he's cultivated. Nevertheless he gives her a hard look. "I think comparing ancestral follies is a contest better avoided."

He hefts the shield and brings it over, holding it away from his body. He's touched things that felt less pleasant, but he has a few thoughts on the kind of person willing to shelter behind this. Speaking of which...

"Perhaps I've simply been lucky," he says. "I'll concede that I found more useful discussion in the forum than I had expected. But I read the leaflets there, after all. It is a lawless realm just short of pure chaos."

You're probably right. I'm sorry, it was just... the scale of it struck me as incredibly funny for some reason.

*She notices his aversion to the shield, and gives him a curious look as she sets up the armature to hold it.*

It's been my experience in the Nexus that people tend to find what they deserve. Alright, what's the matter with that one?

Now he just looks puzzled at her. "The scale?"

But yes, let's talk about the slightly horrible piece of armor. He sighs, quite happy to relinquish it as soon as the armature is ready.

"It's daedric armor. Made using ebony just as that cuirass is, but infused with the flesh and blood of a daedra - that is, an immortal being from the Oblivion planes."

*She'll edge away from that first topic; he'd suggested she not tell him, after all. Instead, she'll look at the shield with all appropriate horror.*

There's a person in that thing? How do we get them out?

*Because Samus will blow a planet to dust to kill her enemies, but she isn't going to let a stranger spend eternity as a shield. Her ethics are all over the place.*

Yes, save the mage from himself. He'll be grateful later, but asking questions is very near a reflex. Currently he is safely distracted.

"...Ah." He's a bit nonplussed - not least by the concern for a daedra. But he manages to lift a placating hand and also not glance back at the crates now solely containing enchanted items. "No, it's- not quite so despicable as that. Daedra, as I said, are immortal spirits. When their bodies are destroyed their spirits return to the Void, later to reform a new body. Their flesh still has magical and- ah, otherworldly power. But using it does not bind the daedra's soul to the armor."

Discussion of soul gems, on the other hand, is being quietly nudged to the back of the table and hidden under some economics lectures.

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Mun reaction: wow! Stratos found calip-oh.

XD He's a very very serious Imperial officer, but he will still troll you.

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