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[schmott_guy]

[In the background is a research lab, though not Gil's. There's various other people in lab coats swarming around some kind of strange rusted hulk in the background. And he's filming it because RP. Don't ask questions.]

Work continues on the artifact we found in the Old City, but at the very least I think we have a good grip on what it was.

It is a large, motorized vehicle of some kind. The configuration suggests it was built for hauling cargo, probably within the confines of some government facility or one belonging to a powerful corporation.

I can't imagine vehicles like this were very common. The infrastructure you'd need to maintain them and use them would be so immense it boggles the mind. Thousands of miles of high quality roads. Massive refueling stations everywhere. Thousands of mechanics who's whole purpose was specifically taking care of them, for such a large machine would need a lot of care. You'd need to build your entire civilization around supporting these vehicles.

And people said MY ideas were outlandish.

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[stop_cannontime]

[And someone else happens to be there.]

Well, in theory, it's possible. Bear in mind that it's been centuries. For all we know, remains of these things are simply buried and forgotten.

[schmott_guy]

Possible. But why would they bother to make such an elaborate transportation infrastructure when they had armies of enslaved Pokemon to ride? The ancients were clearly more advanced than us, but by all accounts they were also harsh and cruel people.

[stop_cannontime]

Careful that you con't turn them into a caricature of what they really were. You'll do an injustice to their victims if you do.

At any rate, they couldn't rely on Pokémon for everything. Everything has its benefits and drawbacks, and mechanical vehicles had some that compensate for Pokémon's drawbacks. Protection while riding, for example.

[schmott_guy]

Hmph. I'm an inventor, not a historian.

Either way, that's neither here nor there. I'm interested in your thoughts on building a working replica.

[stop_cannontime]

[Either way, someone may be having a talk with the school staff about the curriculum they're using.]

Now that's something I can agree with. If we can get a working version of it, it could be the first step toward an exciting new tomorrow.

[indy_wannabe]

Wouldn't it be grand though? It's the kind of human civilization legends talk about.

[schmott_guy]

Maybe they had some kind of elegant solution to it that I just haven't thought of yet. Let me tinker with it for a few more days. I'll strip every secret left in that pile of rust.

[indy_wannabe]

Just remember the guild permission I got for you only goes for twenty four hours, you'll have to renew it after that.

[schmott_guy]

Twenty four hours!? That's hardly any time at all!

[indy_wannabe]

This is where being on the relative good side of the guild and the academy come in handy. I hear the Seekers will get a week with it.

Video.

[ladyofluminosity]

You had better be taking good care of it, Gil! No affixing explosives or anything like that to it!

[ Is she jealous? She is totally jealous. Not that she would know what to do with the whatever-it-was if she had it, but even still.

Also she's heard the stories from Ezreal, she knows how you roll. ]

[schmott_guy]

I've got so many better things to affix to it than explosives.

Hypothetically, at least. It'd be far easier to make a new one from scratch than to repair this one back up to functionality.

[ladyofluminosity]

I don't think I want to know.

[ She paused, sighing a bit. ]

Ezreal said as much. I figured as well, given how rusted it was. Were you at least able to figure out how it worked, or what it might have been used for?

[schmott_guy]

Of course I figured out how it works. Once you get past the damages of time and the complexities of the machinery, down to the very basic concepts that make it work, it's actually incredibly simple and elegant.

[ladyofluminosity]

Really? Care to explain?

[Video]

[sparkofgenius]

So that's the machine you were talking about?

[See, Lucca is probably peering right at the camera, sticking her face into the feed. She's not drooling or anything, but she's close.]

Fascinating. Like some kind of self-propelling wagon, you think?

[schmott_guy]

That's what its looking like.

[sparkofgenius]

Did you figure out what fueled it yet?

[Right beside her is a robotic eye, a Magnemite peering in, curious as well.]

Or is that still a mystery?

[schmott_guy]

There's so much damage from rust and abuse it's hard to tell, but I'm betting on a highly volatile liquid fuel. Maybe a highly refined oil of some kind.

[sparkofgenius]

You know that would make sense. Sort of like how animal fat works to power a lamp, since all the oil in there burns nicely. Harnessing heat is a pretty basic way to make a lot of energy really quick, after all.

It'd be a lot easier than using a Rotom, at least.

[Action]

[outtahere]

[Banzu's in a chair nearby, with a rusted component in one hand and a caliper in the other, trying to take measurements without causing it to disintegrate any further. He's been here as much as he can, considering he has a business to run.]

If they were common you'd think we'd have come across one before now, so you're probably right. Still, be interested to see if we can get this thing working. [A glance at the rusty metal in his hand, then at the rusted hulk.] ...Or a working replica. Very least, maybe the basic technology could be applied to something more practical.

[schmott_guy]

[There's an unholy light in Gil's eyes right now.]

Oh yes, even if we never start building our own, there's some ideas at work here that will revolutionize technology in certain fields. Just the engine alone is miles beyond anything we've put together ourselves!

[outtahere]

Still need a fuel source. I remember someone mentioning that there was some residue that they thought was from the fuel; has the chemical analysis come back yet?

[He finishes his measurements and sets down what he's holding, then picks up a small steel bar from the workbench next to him.]

[schmott_guy]

Not yet. They're taking their sweet time with it.

[outtahere]

They prolly have a different idea of how important it is. Should get on their asses about it.

[He points at Gil with the bar. As he gestures the bar flows, reshaping itself as it moves through the air. As he finishes the gesture the bar finally assumes the form of the component that he'd been measuring, the duplicate on the end of a thin rod that he's now holding it by. He picks up the caliper and starts confirming the duplicates measurements as he continues.]

Can make some conclusions at least, from the design. For one, the fuel's a fluid, probably liquid but I wouldn't rule out a gas - it's damaged enough that it's hard to be sure.