SEED has high magnification cameras-- they took pictures of you before.
Emma dips you a nod, smiling at you. "It's okay. I understand where you're coming from...some of the techs I've seen of [Empyreal] design is...amazing. Our's doesn't come close though; I don't think. What we have here, in this house, is more efficient than most factories. The last time I went to a las-gun workshop, one person assembles a single las-gun, from start to finish, from a pre-made kit that SEED sends. Same thing with Hovercraft--" Emma pauses at your latest idea, but dips a nod.
"...now that could work. Cameras aren't hard to find, or magnify, or to set on a timer. The construction of towers would be difficult...but you could try and press SEED into it. It wouldn't require our scientists to work on it, just a few engineers and a spare hovercraft...I"ll get them started on it if that's what you want."
"Sure. It'll happen right after the lesson, though. Part of the reason why William is doing one-- that, and...well, I'm sure he'll explain what happened during the ... 'dispute.' It was an embarrassment, and showed how little experience our so-called Warmachines had with using Cutters when facing another human."
She stands, leaning forward to give you a parting kiss. You head out the door, pausing to look over the workshop. Each person who assembles is sitting in a line. They do one task, then pass the helmet over to another person. One person solders in a piece, then they pass it over to another, who puts in another section. It eventually reaches the end of the line, where a person attaches a patch of cloth to cover the more sensitive parts of the radio. There is no mechanization, no conveyor belts, nothing more advanced than soldering irons and human hands.
The Cutter Training session is being held in the courtyard-- you can see that by the gathering of the Thornton Warmachines. When sixty of them congregate, its hard to miss. You press through, towards the ring in the center of the courtyard, where William stands, a Thornton Cutter hilt in hand. He smiles when he sees you, cutting himself off, "Hey Phebe."
"So, lets start with how a cutter works, shall we?" William begins, "It works, by sending out condensed hydrogen through a very thin pipe, usually extended by this dial." He adjusts the dial, and a razor-thin pipe does indeed rise and fall out of the hilt. "Now, having a huge flaming sword is really cool, right? Yeah-- but you -don't- need it for people." He dials the cutter down until the razor-thin sits a foot out from the hilt. "This can kill you much more easily than the full five feet this bastard goes out to."
"We use the biggest setting for bugs since we want to stay as far away as possible-- examine your range! Adjust accordingly. Now, the other stupidest thing I've seen is someone trying to block a Cutter Blade with another cutter blade. These things are built to withstand the heat of a single cutter-- not two of them. Which is hotter? [3000* celsuis] or [6000* celsuis]? Which one is bigger. Use those heads of your's-- we let you keep them for a reason!" He flicks the blade on, and gestures you out of the crowd. You lift your weapon in what you think is a good defensive position. "Now, watch what happens--" His cutter sings through the air, hissing as it goes-- and impacts your's with a weak thump. The fire between them grows hotter and hotter.
Then, William's cutter begins to melt, the pipe that already glows a bright cherry red suddenly warping, then bending. The top half of his weapon curls, starting to spit fire awkwardly. He switches it off and pulls the magazine out. "...usually they both start doing that, but let's move on."
He explains safety protections-- keeping it clean, checking for warping, replacing the piping if there's cracks or damage. If the 'blade' does warp, remove the power cell to stop it from...exploding. "And no matter how strong you might be-- don't. Touch. The. Pipe. Warmachine hand components can stop a blow-- but it'll start to melt right through after a few seconds. The pipe will bend and warp-- bad things happen. Thomas.."
"So, what's the best option for dealing with a Crusader or some junkie armed with this. Tommy." William asks, barking the name sharply and rounding on a young, male, Warmachine.
"Stay back and pump as many bullets into them as possible, Sir William!"
"Good! You've learned!"
"What do you do if a Bug, barker, or another Warmachine is charging at you?"
"Keep shooting. Use a Cutter if no one else is or if you are the designated melee. You should never, ever, drop your gun and try to have a one on one duel with the opponent."
William nods and steps out of the ring with a final, "Good lads." He comes to stand beside you with a smile on his lips.
Emma emerges from the Villa, followed by laborers carrying modified helmets for all of the Thorntons.
"Right, so, red is for squad commanders only!" She begins-- and then launches into safety, maintenance and how to activate them.
You listen intently, that is, until William speaks to you in a murmur, "Thank you Pheobe. I'm...I'm sorry it came to that. I never wanted Emma to get hurt like that."
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Topic: McCreary's Planet -- (FINISHED) (Read 259235 times)