This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in the most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
David Bowie - Space Oddity
In the Crimson Kestrel's cargo bay, the resident inventor otonoko candyman worked on cobbling together a machine with a bunch of parts he ordered from various scrap companies. He'd made some decent progress, with the machine frame, wiring, and conveyor belt all in place. Mostly.
At this time, he was plugging in a graviton projector just to see whether it'd work with the machine.
In addition, a different machine entirely was being worked on and maintained in a different section of the Kestrel with a very different brain behind the wheel. With the apparatus on his desk, he was replacing wires, oiling mechanisms and running small tests. To his right was a hastily written sketchbook and notebook co-written by the resident candymaker and himself, bristling with the plans for the item and possible future ideas.
It was at this point Luca Pavone realised that he had little idea of what to do next with his beloved Grapple Stunner aside from just making sure it worked another day.
Meanwhile, several shockings awaited Seiren as he assembled his strange machine. The purpose of which was to design new candies through unusual experimentation. Of course, the problem with assembling machines from scratch is that they tend to be a little. . . dangerous.
As he'd find out.
Very shortly.
As Luca was holding the Grapple Stunner and double checking how articulate the whole mechanism was in the hands and at the elbow to ensure that it had full mobility, he noticed the lights in his room flickering a few times. He mumbled somewhat because there was a list of things that this could've meant.
The order of probability on that list was Vita, Echelon, Seiren, Allison, John, then anyone else in that order.
He tapped his intercom and sent a message to the cargo bay. "Seiren...?" He asked.
Seiren's voice crackled on.
"S-sorr-ry! Machine a little. . ."
A VWOOMPF noise was heard and the message was cut off. The lights went out for a few moments before coming alive again. Concerned, Luca got off of his chair and started heading down to the Cargo Bay, using the emergency stairs in the Kestrel. He was carrying the Grapple Stunner with him.
The door to the cargo bay opened and Luca took a look around and sniffed the air, looking for his pint-sized inventor.
A slight burnt scent would invade Luca's senses as he spotted the simple-looking machine frame with wires sticking out of it.
Seiren was busy nursing his hand and fastening a small rope to his ankle at the same time.
Wait, was he. . . floating? Upside down?
Luca's head tilted as he tried to right-side Seiren's image. He ended up giving himself a pain in the neck and then stated the most obvious thing about the inventor. "You have a terrible case of upside down gravity screw," he then looked to the machine and smelt sugar in the air and said: "It'll probably sell well in Yamatai."
"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Seiren snickered, applying salve to his hand. "I was investigating a graviton projector's capabilities. I investigated too hard."
He gestured to something that looked a little like a cannon made by a toy company that was trying to look serious.
"And the machine won't be for sale. It'll be for experiments!" the inventor added, fishing a piece of candy out of his pocket and holding it out. He then attempted a toss, but the candy was under the graviton's effect too, so it sailed slowly in midair towards Luca.
"Coincidentally, it's called a Gravity Well."
Luca reached out to try and grab the candy and held it in his fingers curiously. "Gravity Well then," he said before popping it into his mouth. He was licking it and stroking the candy with his tongue, sweet tooth appreciating the taste before an odd sensation happened and the flavour began to multiply exponentially. "Seiren, is it shrinking?"
The floating individual nodded.
"Candymaking magic!" he said, gesturing wildly with his arms. Luca kept on feeling the candy shrink and become more flavoursome before disappearing entirely. A frown crept across his face as the taste faded away in his mouth.
"I wanted to chew on it at least." He crossed his arms, including the Grapple Stunner, which was pressed against his chest, hand balled into a fist.
Seiren giggled, "I'll make Phoenix! Candies eventually. Because when you want to taste lightning, you don't want to eat a battery!" Luca nodded in reply before grabbing the Grapple Stunner by the wrist and and slipping it into his right arm. He slid it all the way down to the hand and filled out the glove before reaching under his right arm and closing it shut on his right arm. He aimed the device at Seiren and a smile came across his face.
Seiren appeared nonplussed.
"This machine is ready to generate strong magnetic pulses, you know. Like. . . those old cartoons where a character is holding something metal, and they're pulled like a ragdoll? Kinda like that. With a limited range. Anyhow, how is that thing still running with all the crap you put it through?"
"Because it does." Luca said before firing the device at his leg. It wrapped around his leg and he gave it a firm tug to see how Seiren reacted inside the gravity well. No reeling machinery was in effect, he was just using muscle power to pull him in space.
The inventor was yanked forward like a fish to a fisherman, but he flicked a switch on the machine as he passed it, activating the thing. A loud "HUMMMM" buzzed through the air as it began pulling Luca into it. Or at least, his Grapple Stunner. "Warned ya!"
Luca's piton let go of the inventor and he reeled it back, but he still found himself sliding towards Seiren. He looked behind himself and grappled the floor behind him, anchoring himself to the ground.
Luca began dangling in the air as the machine powered up - then promptly shut off as another set of wires were fried. Everybody dropped, including Seiren.
"Ow. . . I guess the magnetism overrode the graviton particles somehow. . ." Seiren groaned, landing hard on his rear.
Luca landed on his side and clutched his kidneys for a moment before unhooking the stunner and standing up, walking over Seiren. He was about to say something when he looked at the machine that Seiren had built. He also made a mental note to get that body swap as soon as he could.
From where Seiren was lying, he could see gears turning in Luca's head as he stroked his chin and sideburns. His eyebrows rose and fell with each idea, his eyes flitted from Seiren's device to his Grapple stunner, occasionally tapping certain parts of it, like the upper biceps and elbow. He then grinned.
"Oooh, I don't like that smile. That's a bad news smile," the inventor mumbled getting up and unfastening the rope from his ankle. "Whatever it is, I'm not sure I wanna know."
Luca snapped his fingers and arcs of electricity danced between his fingers. "Prepare to know stuff, because it's awesome." He pointed to Seiren's machine. "Imagine if I could emit cones or fields of that gravity particle stuff. Can you imagine how annoying that'd be?"
He walked over to Seiren's desk and got some scrap paper and began scribbling stuff.
"Well, the gravity beam thing by itself just introduces antigravity. If you wanted to suspend somebody in midair, you'd have to add like. . . both that and a temporary gravity well or something," the inventor commented.
"How hard can it be?" Luca asked. "We," he spoke using a royal plural and puffing his voice up like a blueblooded Yamataian, "were able to put cat eared berserker fighting machines into space on ships powered by energy with which have no idea how it works - this should be like banging rocks together."
"It's one thing learning transdimensional physics, it's another thing entirely to apply the knowledge. But I'll. . . look into it, if it means that much to ya."
Luca reached under his right armpit and took the Grapple Stunner off, unfastening it and slipping it off his arm. "Careful, there are some undocumented retrofits to ensure that it punches straight." He pointed to the Bronzi-shaped imprint in the bulkhead some distance away, near the sparring area.
"Alright, alright. No guarantees, but I' give it a look and see what I can get out of it. . ." Seiren said, placing the Stunner next to one of several large crates.
"That reminds me, who do I talk to about purchasing land around Sargasso?"
"Karl, Lina and Takeyama meet once a week to discuss business, I think there's a meeting on later today. Mr. Neppie shows up too." He replied. "Mostly they're just keeping things rationed and going over each other's bookwork."
"Cool beans, I think. . ." the inventor said, "'Cuz I have a business proposal. I've got enough money to start up my company, now, and if there's an old factory around here, I'd love to buy it."
There was no shortage of old factories out in the industrial area of Sargasso to the south west, but whether they were functional was a different worry altogether. None of them had produced one thing in two years and any existing machinery would've been stripped or rusted into uselessness.
"I see. If we invest more in Sargasso the locals might take a shine to us." Luca observed. "One factory producing whatever it is you do won't bring too much attention." He meant attention from outside Sargasso.
"'Sides, it'll bring in a little extra work for the people 'round here, too! The best candy in the universe, shipped to every last corner!" Seiren cheered, hopping in the air. "I get all tingly with excitement whenever I think about it!"
"You've already got a customer base here," Luca said, making note of the children that roamed around Sargasso. "And a workforce ready to do stuff. Pitch your idea to the unofficial chamber of commerce and see what happens. Now - let's get working on this gravity stuff."
"Right, right. . ."
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in the most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
David Bowie - Space Oddity
In the Crimson Kestrel's cargo bay, the resident inventor otonoko candyman worked on cobbling together a machine with a bunch of parts he ordered from various scrap companies. He'd made some decent progress, with the machine frame, wiring, and conveyor belt all in place. Mostly.
At this time, he was plugging in a graviton projector just to see whether it'd work with the machine.
In addition, a different machine entirely was being worked on and maintained in a different section of the Kestrel with a very different brain behind the wheel. With the apparatus on his desk, he was replacing wires, oiling mechanisms and running small tests. To his right was a hastily written sketchbook and notebook co-written by the resident candymaker and himself, bristling with the plans for the item and possible future ideas.
It was at this point Luca Pavone realised that he had little idea of what to do next with his beloved Grapple Stunner aside from just making sure it worked another day.
Meanwhile, several shockings awaited Seiren as he assembled his strange machine. The purpose of which was to design new candies through unusual experimentation. Of course, the problem with assembling machines from scratch is that they tend to be a little. . . dangerous.
As he'd find out.
Very shortly.
As Luca was holding the Grapple Stunner and double checking how articulate the whole mechanism was in the hands and at the elbow to ensure that it had full mobility, he noticed the lights in his room flickering a few times. He mumbled somewhat because there was a list of things that this could've meant.
The order of probability on that list was Vita, Echelon, Seiren, Allison, John, then anyone else in that order.
He tapped his intercom and sent a message to the cargo bay. "Seiren...?" He asked.
Seiren's voice crackled on.
"S-sorr-ry! Machine a little. . ."
A VWOOMPF noise was heard and the message was cut off. The lights went out for a few moments before coming alive again. Concerned, Luca got off of his chair and started heading down to the Cargo Bay, using the emergency stairs in the Kestrel. He was carrying the Grapple Stunner with him.
The door to the cargo bay opened and Luca took a look around and sniffed the air, looking for his pint-sized inventor.
A slight burnt scent would invade Luca's senses as he spotted the simple-looking machine frame with wires sticking out of it.
Seiren was busy nursing his hand and fastening a small rope to his ankle at the same time.
Wait, was he. . . floating? Upside down?
Luca's head tilted as he tried to right-side Seiren's image. He ended up giving himself a pain in the neck and then stated the most obvious thing about the inventor. "You have a terrible case of upside down gravity screw," he then looked to the machine and smelt sugar in the air and said: "It'll probably sell well in Yamatai."
"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Seiren snickered, applying salve to his hand. "I was investigating a graviton projector's capabilities. I investigated too hard."
He gestured to something that looked a little like a cannon made by a toy company that was trying to look serious.
"And the machine won't be for sale. It'll be for experiments!" the inventor added, fishing a piece of candy out of his pocket and holding it out. He then attempted a toss, but the candy was under the graviton's effect too, so it sailed slowly in midair towards Luca.
"Coincidentally, it's called a Gravity Well."
Luca reached out to try and grab the candy and held it in his fingers curiously. "Gravity Well then," he said before popping it into his mouth. He was licking it and stroking the candy with his tongue, sweet tooth appreciating the taste before an odd sensation happened and the flavour began to multiply exponentially. "Seiren, is it shrinking?"
The floating individual nodded.
"Candymaking magic!" he said, gesturing wildly with his arms. Luca kept on feeling the candy shrink and become more flavoursome before disappearing entirely. A frown crept across his face as the taste faded away in his mouth.
"I wanted to chew on it at least." He crossed his arms, including the Grapple Stunner, which was pressed against his chest, hand balled into a fist.
Seiren giggled, "I'll make Phoenix! Candies eventually. Because when you want to taste lightning, you don't want to eat a battery!" Luca nodded in reply before grabbing the Grapple Stunner by the wrist and and slipping it into his right arm. He slid it all the way down to the hand and filled out the glove before reaching under his right arm and closing it shut on his right arm. He aimed the device at Seiren and a smile came across his face.
Seiren appeared nonplussed.
"This machine is ready to generate strong magnetic pulses, you know. Like. . . those old cartoons where a character is holding something metal, and they're pulled like a ragdoll? Kinda like that. With a limited range. Anyhow, how is that thing still running with all the crap you put it through?"
"Because it does." Luca said before firing the device at his leg. It wrapped around his leg and he gave it a firm tug to see how Seiren reacted inside the gravity well. No reeling machinery was in effect, he was just using muscle power to pull him in space.
The inventor was yanked forward like a fish to a fisherman, but he flicked a switch on the machine as he passed it, activating the thing. A loud "HUMMMM" buzzed through the air as it began pulling Luca into it. Or at least, his Grapple Stunner. "Warned ya!"
Luca's piton let go of the inventor and he reeled it back, but he still found himself sliding towards Seiren. He looked behind himself and grappled the floor behind him, anchoring himself to the ground.
Luca began dangling in the air as the machine powered up - then promptly shut off as another set of wires were fried. Everybody dropped, including Seiren.
"Ow. . . I guess the magnetism overrode the graviton particles somehow. . ." Seiren groaned, landing hard on his rear.
Luca landed on his side and clutched his kidneys for a moment before unhooking the stunner and standing up, walking over Seiren. He was about to say something when he looked at the machine that Seiren had built. He also made a mental note to get that body swap as soon as he could.
From where Seiren was lying, he could see gears turning in Luca's head as he stroked his chin and sideburns. His eyebrows rose and fell with each idea, his eyes flitted from Seiren's device to his Grapple stunner, occasionally tapping certain parts of it, like the upper biceps and elbow. He then grinned.
"Oooh, I don't like that smile. That's a bad news smile," the inventor mumbled getting up and unfastening the rope from his ankle. "Whatever it is, I'm not sure I wanna know."
Luca snapped his fingers and arcs of electricity danced between his fingers. "Prepare to know stuff, because it's awesome." He pointed to Seiren's machine. "Imagine if I could emit cones or fields of that gravity particle stuff. Can you imagine how annoying that'd be?"
He walked over to Seiren's desk and got some scrap paper and began scribbling stuff.
"Well, the gravity beam thing by itself just introduces antigravity. If you wanted to suspend somebody in midair, you'd have to add like. . . both that and a temporary gravity well or something," the inventor commented.
"How hard can it be?" Luca asked. "We," he spoke using a royal plural and puffing his voice up like a blueblooded Yamataian, "were able to put cat eared berserker fighting machines into space on ships powered by energy with which have no idea how it works - this should be like banging rocks together."
"It's one thing learning transdimensional physics, it's another thing entirely to apply the knowledge. But I'll. . . look into it, if it means that much to ya."
Luca reached under his right armpit and took the Grapple Stunner off, unfastening it and slipping it off his arm. "Careful, there are some undocumented retrofits to ensure that it punches straight." He pointed to the Bronzi-shaped imprint in the bulkhead some distance away, near the sparring area.
"Alright, alright. No guarantees, but I' give it a look and see what I can get out of it. . ." Seiren said, placing the Stunner next to one of several large crates.
"That reminds me, who do I talk to about purchasing land around Sargasso?"
"Karl, Lina and Takeyama meet once a week to discuss business, I think there's a meeting on later today. Mr. Neppie shows up too." He replied. "Mostly they're just keeping things rationed and going over each other's bookwork."
"Cool beans, I think. . ." the inventor said, "'Cuz I have a business proposal. I've got enough money to start up my company, now, and if there's an old factory around here, I'd love to buy it."
There was no shortage of old factories out in the industrial area of Sargasso to the south west, but whether they were functional was a different worry altogether. None of them had produced one thing in two years and any existing machinery would've been stripped or rusted into uselessness.
"I see. If we invest more in Sargasso the locals might take a shine to us." Luca observed. "One factory producing whatever it is you do won't bring too much attention." He meant attention from outside Sargasso.
"'Sides, it'll bring in a little extra work for the people 'round here, too! The best candy in the universe, shipped to every last corner!" Seiren cheered, hopping in the air. "I get all tingly with excitement whenever I think about it!"
"You've already got a customer base here," Luca said, making note of the children that roamed around Sargasso. "And a workforce ready to do stuff. Pitch your idea to the unofficial chamber of commerce and see what happens. Now - let's get working on this gravity stuff."
"Right, right. . ."
