DAY 19 MONTH JELLY

[sciencegirl]

Video

[Entrapta plants herself in front of the screen, holding eight tools at once in various locks of hair with her protective bug-mask pushed up on her head. She's got gloves now and her orange hoodie is accompanied by a purple shirt (she traded for one early on). Because she's the height of fashion, obviously.]

Hiiii! I know there are some very competent builders and makers out there. I'm still finalizing my chores robot-

[Two little robot clampers reach into the bottom of the screen. They make little 'grabby' motions, then withdraw.]

-Everyone, say hi to Sandra! Sandra, beep hi to everyone.

[Sandra beeps. That probably means 'hello'.]

I collected some data from the last stop we were at, thanks to both on-site observations and salvaged scrap, and I've started to get a better handle on hard-light technology! Think of all the applications! We could make temporary protective shields when you don't have someone with those abilities around. Or even drones that can carry a holographic generator into a place where you wouldn't normally be able to access, and you could work on something through a VR headset. Or you could generate an illusion to hide a location while you rest and plan! And that's just a few examples. The potential for mobile field generators is endless.

But I need some help working out some of the missing information. Some of you even have your own version of that technology or have ways to adapt it to be compatible with magic.

[The links two tools together, because that's the way to symbolize compatibility here one would guess.]

I also wanted to ask some of the fighters what they'd want out of practice, if I were, say, to build something with very specific specs. I was talking to someone about that sort of thing and she's not wrong about training resources.

Comments

[subcircuits]

[Devero covers his mouth and chuckles when he sees the undergarment go sailing past behind Entrapta.] Looks like you've still got some calibrating to do, huh? I'll make sure to stop by.

Well, I don't make them, they're just everywhere on my world. And I've modded my share of companion drones, I mean, who hasn't? But we use them in serious applications too, of course-- filmmakers mount their cameras on drones, the Reclamation Corps will scout out ruins from Before with remote-piloted rigs, all the biodiversity people use them to work with wildlife in the field...

[Yeah, he's ticking things off on his fingers as he lists them.]

Hell, even Babysitter has a remote piloting function, it just has an absurdly limited range.

[sciencegirl]

Familiarity is still great! It means that you've seen lots of examples of streamlined function. I'm sure there's some parts in this scrap that would work for a preliminary model.

[She's so pleased.]

What are the Reclamation Corps?

[subcircuits]

[Her enthusiasm is infectious.] No doubt! The trick for me is going to be figuring out operational controls that don't require an implant to work, since I'm pretty much the only person here who has the kind I'm used to, but that shouldn't be too hard.

Oh, they're the folks who go out salvaging stuff out in the derelict cities on my world. Way back in the beginning, they tried to locate tech and machinery that was still intact enough to save, but these days they mostly just pull whatever they can out of the ground for recycling.

[sciencegirl]

We might even be able to make use of magical items. Think of it as freeform energy programming.

Ooooh, that sounds neat though. You talked with me a little before, but I had no idea it was an organized effort.

[subcircuits]

[He snaps his fingers.] We could! I wouldn't even have thought of that! [...He probably would have, eventually, but he likes to give himself as little credit as possible.]

...There are a lot of derelict cities on my world. [He fidgets a little, shifting in the frame of the screen.] And no one really wants to start mining again unless it's really necessary, so we. Reclaim.

[sciencegirl]

Oh, come on! I've seen how much time you and Koumyou spend together. You would have thought about it.

[Dev's a smart cookie and has a chi user close to him much of the time.]

What's the coolest thing they've found?

[subcircuits]

[She's right, and something inside of him knows that, but he reddens anyway.] Well... Eventually it might have occurred to me.

I can't say if this is the coolest thing ever, but the coolest thing they've found recently was an intact, hermetically sealed deposit vault. The Preservation Society went bonkers over that once the rec folks got it back to the nearest city.

[sciencegirl]

OooOOooh

[She says it like a flamboyant person shown pretty jewelry might say.]

Sounds interesting! I bet the contents were incredibly well preserved. Did you get access to them?

[subcircuits]

Who, me? [He barks a startled laugh.] No way, they wouldn't let a nobody like me anywhere near something that important. I think they're still curating the collection and they dug that thing up years ago. They don't want to risk anything falling apart or getting damaged before it can be fully documented.

[sciencegirl]

I'm sorry to hear that, it sounds like it would have been so fascinating.

Maybe we'll get to turn up something super unique during a mission!

[subcircuits]

I watched some of the streams they did talking about stuff they were able to reconstruct about Before. It really was fascinating.

[He smiles at her, eyes bright.] Maybe we will! Hopefully on a planet that doesn't have local laws about removing things.

[sciencegirl]

That's what recorders and scanners are for.

[The data, Devero. They must collect the data.]

[Or sometimes steal things anyway but y'know. That part is better left unsaid and done spur of the moment.]

[subcircuits]

[He laughs, mostly at himself.] That's a, uh, much more responsible suggestion, right there.

[You know, the one that doesn't involve stealing things.]

As long as we get the information we need, right?

[sciencegirl]

[Source materials are always best for extended research.]

[Steal things.]

I'm very excited for it! If we obtained this many resources for hard light technology just from scraps at one place, imagine what the next ones might provide!

[subcircuits]

[Her enthusiasm makes him smile.] I can't wait to see! And to see what you do with it-- no, what we do with it?

[Don't mind his uncertainty, he wasn't planning on giving this self-esteem thing a try, but here he is.]

[sciencegirl]

Of course I'd ask for your input! You've been brilliant.

[Silly, how would she not? Dev's a good bro!]

[subcircuits]

Me? No, I-- I'm just--

[He stops himself. He actually stops himself, and swallows any further protest over his inadequacy. Who's he to tell someone as brilliant as her that she's wrong about him? Especially now that he's starting to come to terms with how wrong he's been about himself? So he ducks his head a little and smiles again and actually accepts the compliment, holy shit buddy.]

Thanks, Entrapta. You mind if I stop by later today, maybe?

[sciencegirl]

Yeah! Sure. Just forgive Sandra if she's rude and throws socks at you. She's gotten good at rolling them, just not putting them in drawers.

[He understands what she says, so that makes her extremely happy. She doesn't have many people she can easily communicate with.]

I'll be in the luggage carriage for a few hours later, I need some space to spread out parts.

[subcircuits]

[Oh, how delighted he looks. About the mental image of the robot hurling socks? About getting to sit down and talk tech with this inventor he admires so much?

Well, por que no los dos, eh?]

I'll come find you there a little later, then!

[sciencegirl]

Please do!

[She's got all kinds of ideas to discuss. Especially this drone and hard light tech.]

I even saved you some of the hologram emitters! I figured you'd be able to tell me more if you had some expendable ones.

[subcircuits]

[Devero gasps, delighted.] Oh Entrapta, you're so good to me.

[From someone else that comment might have been over-the-top, but Devero... really means it, actually. He's genuinely touched.]

[sciencegirl]

[She believes him, because she knows she'd get equally excited over robot parts. She did when she got here, even.]

Can't wait to hear all about those drones. I'm glad that the train has so much time between missions.

[subcircuits]

It certainly gives us plenty of time to get stuff done, even if it doesn't really give us much of anything else we'd need.

[Like supplies, or equipment, or a suitable space to work, or a reasonable level of technology to start from, or--]