The Exploration of Science and Magic (IC/@Dyste)

[Planeia]

Promethean Research Center,
Calberona,
Dyste

"Oh, I just love the smell of a new laboratory!" A Planeian man shouted as he 'swung' from tractor beams across the lab, dabbling about with one science apparatus to the next. "Fresh with the instruments of science, just waiting to be used!"

"Gort, get down from there!" An older Planeian man shouted, who was wearing a white jumpsuit worn by Planeian scientists.

"Come on, Keelweh, there are experiments to be done."

"How many times have I got to tell you? The gravitational manipulators are not swings."

"Well, in these halls built for people who are 3 meters tall, how else are we supposed to get around?" As Gort said this, he clumsily fell from his tractor beam and on to a platform of an apparatus. He must have triggered something, as the computer chimed: "INITIATING QUANTUM COMPRESSOR"

"Gort!" Keelweh immediately scaled the wall and jumped up, using his holowrist to control a tractor beam and use it to pull him forward towards Gort. He dove into Gort, pulling him clear from the apparatus as a field of light grew and shrunk on the platform that Gort was on just a second before.

On the floor, Keelweh looked at Gort with an expression that signaled his annoyance. "Have you taken your meds today?" He asked.

"W-well I-I-I-"

"Go take your meds." Keelweh interrupted as he got up from the floor.

Gort, nodded and got up, heading for the door.

"I want you to be on your best behavior today. It was hard enough to convince the administrator that you're qualified here, we don't need to scare off those mages when they get here. The administrator would have my head, and send you back to Planeia." Keelweh explained as Gort walked through the ten foot high sliding doors and left the lab. Keelweh turned to the apparatus that almost killed Gort. He looked at the holographic screen of the console next to it. Instead of compressing Gort, it compressed microorganisms from the dirt on his boots, and their quantum entangled particles were displayed. Keelweh set the apparatus to decompress them, the same field of light appearing on the platform. He scanned the platform with his holowrist, and sure enough, the microorganisms were dead. Keelweh slammed his fist on the side of the console and sighed. "Hopefully the mages will teach us something." He said to himself.

[Dyste]

Outside the Jarlsberg Institute
Calberona
Dyste

The walled city of Calberona was home to the island nation of Dyste's main research centers. For the most part, studying magic was the focus; the Jarlsberg Institute was one of these centers, focused on creating spells for everyday use. However, science and technology were also researched here; sadly, these fields were nowhere near as focused on. Hopefully, their new guests would be able to change that...

A purple-scaled Draconid was heading towards the new building, built in a surprisingly short time, alongside a human (rare as they were in Dyste) and three kobolds, wearing white coats. While Draconids, with their large frames and great strength, seemed more of warriors, they considered their greatest gift was a natural aptitude for magic, and this one was no exception.

"It will not be too long before we reach that eyesore," the Draconid said; the new building did really stand out from the rest of the city, though he had to admit he'd probably get used to it. "Some of the other Sages may join us soon, but as I am the closest, it falls to me to be the first to visit our new neighbours."

"Lord Sage, You sure I'm the one you want for this?" The orange-haired human, wearing a brown coat and goggles, was to the Sage's right. "I'm not exactly a scientist, more of an inventor..."

"James, if anyone can figure out the creations of the aliens, it is you. After all, those airships you made helped revolutionize traveling to other lands."

Sure enough, when they reached the new research center, James already saw something that piqued his interest, "Are those... tractor beams!? I've been working on that kinda stuff for a while! He and the kobolds happily ran to one to try it out.

The Sage had to admit, the technology was nice, but he had a more efficient way of moving; with a mere thought, he suddenly teleported to the nearest of the aliens. "I trust you are settling in nicely? I am Karmak Eclipso, Sage of Diligence; I believe you wanted to meet a mage, correct? Well, I am here to assist in anything you need."

[Planeia]

Keelweh eventually left the laboratory and proceeded to one of the administration desks in the lobby. He was followed by a worker who was transporting a crate using the tractor beams integrated in the corridors of the whole facility. The worker merely used his holowrist to navigate the crate, walking behind it as if he were pushing it.

When Karmak and those following him entered the building, they were met by a security scan that scanned them like a copy machine scanning a paper as they entered through the entrance. The scan detects everything from weapons and armor to pathogens (though they're ineffective against the impenetrable immune systems of Planeians) and even the material of your skin. It definitely took note of Karmak's scales. When the scan was complete, a robotic voice was heard. "Welcome, [INPUT VARIABLE MISSING], to the Promethean Research Center." Of course, the identification systems still needed access to city records.

It came without warning when the human and the kobolds swarmed the worker and his crate, dabbling about with the tractor beams. "Hey, hey! The gravitational manipulators are not toys. If you want to look at them, use the ones in the testing labs." The worker said, trying to get them away from the crate containing materials hazardous enough to explode.

Keelweh had reached the administration desk, when suddenly: *POOF* "I trust you are settling in nicely? I am Karmak Eclipso, Sage of Diligence; I believe you wanted to meet a mage, correct? Well, I am here to assist in anything you need."

Keelweh was startled when Karmak teleported in front of him. He was stricken not with fear, but extreme fascination. "Do that again, do that again!" Keelweh asked frantically as he brought up his holowrist's analyzer app. The scientist very desperate for a breakthrough in his research had forgotten all about the impoliteness of not returning an introduction in Dyste, when presented with a chance to study perfected teleportation.

[Dyste]

Despite the worker's best efforts, it looked like the crate was on a collision course for the group. The kobolds fled, but James was too late to dodge it; the crate was going to crash! The human tapped a spot on his coat, where a red square glowed; suddenly, a round bubble surrounded him, making the crate harmlessly bounce off. "When you're a human in a world of dragons, you gotta be prepared for stuff like this, eh? Shame it didn't explode; I kinda wanted to see if I could use it in my next rocket launcher. But, I suppose it can wait..." Getting off the tractor beam, he still admired it, "Good to see ya got this working; I want to do some research of my own..."

Karmak, meanwhile, feeling slightly offended at the failure of an introduction, sighed, "My teleportation is not a parlor trick; it requires tapping into the world's elemental planes, visualizing one's destination, and dissolving oneself to reform elsewhere. Regardless, I shall do as you ask, for the sake of research, I shall indulge your wish." With a blink on an eye, he disappeared, only to reappear a mere half a second later a few metres away.

"How was that for you? That is one of a few different methods of teleportation we have invented; perhaps we can discuss more of this? Bear in mind, if I am to teach you about teleportation, I expect you to honour our laws; going into another's home without their consent, for example, is strictly forbidden." Having co-written the laws on Teleportation with the well-titled Sage of Law, Karnak was a bit touchy on the subject.

[Planeia]

When Karmak teleported, Keelweh recorded his action with his holowrist. "Yes, yes!" Keelweh exclaimed. The analyzer confirmed that the teleportation was the same type that Keelweh was studying. "Dissolving oneself and reforming elsewhere? It's called Quantum Entanglement, where two entangled particles are separated from each other only to rejoin later. One particle is placed elsewhere, and the other appears at the new location of the first particle. It's one of the most complex aspects of the universe. There's a theory that every one particle is entangled with every other particle, and when two nearby particles are separated rapidly, they immediately rejoin at the new location. It ties in somewhat with string theory. It's also safe to say that the whole universe is teleporting, as it's expanding faster than the speed of light, so much so that it doesn't need quantum decompression or tachyon signals to do so." Keelweh dismissed his holowrist display, then made a realization of how rude he was being. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Dr. Keelweh Tarsoni. I am the head of research in Quantum Entanglement at this facility. It's very good to have you here. It's good that you have been able to use subnatural phenomena to perfect Quantum Entanglement so that teleportation can be done without harming organic lifeforms. This is something we have been trying to perfect for very long. You cannot imagine the applications your assistance would produce."

[Dyste]

Karmak was no scientific expert, as quite a few of the terms mentioned went completely over his head, "Hm, right... I do believe that our teleportation skills will be useful to you. Just because your culture has greater scientific advancement than us does not mean there are not several things we could teach you. For example, did you know that a single Lightning Draconid would have the power to keep this place's energy running? The human who came with me devised a machine to take that magic and make it safe for powering electrical devices, much like a battery. This is just one of the many things our skills are able to accomplish."

"But if I recall... this center is not just for you to learn our methods, but for us to learn yours. Obviously we would have to work our way up to your technology, but we would have to start somewhere. What ideas do you have to introduce to Dyste in the next few years?" Draconids were patient enough to not expect immediate results for this collaboration; living for centuries makes patience a necessary virtue. But Queen Sarisa was hoping for some results in the given time for the project to be considered a success; there were some members of Parliament who were wary of this collaboration, and she desired to alleviate their fears.

[Planeia]

"For example, did you know that a single Lightning Draconid would have the power to keep this place's energy running?"

Keelweh's eyebrows rose. "A single Lightning Draconid can produce 380 million Petawatts per second?! Wow, I didn't think anything this side of the galaxy could compete with our X-9 5000 Dark Matter Core. That's amazing! Your subject must be a champion to be able to produce an energy many times greater than the output of several of your stars, Sol, combined." Keelweh truly was surprised, Dark Matter was one of the biggest producers of energy in the universe, and it has been surpassed through the use of magic. "Thank Omnitet that you are a peaceful nation. You probably have the ability to vaporize this entire planet if you wanted to. Fortunately, our core has fail-safes engaged to dissipate in the event of a meltdown, so you don't have to worry about anything like that on our part either. Still, that is truly amazing, I can tell that we should expect to learn a lot from you."

"But if I recall... this center is not just for you to learn our methods, but for us to learn yours. Obviously we would have to work our way up to your technology, but we would have to start somewhere. What ideas do you have to introduce to Dyste in the next few years?"

"Ah yes. Of course. Well, you seem to be more advanced in my field than I, so you don't need my assistance, unless perhaps you want to learn more about quantum particle compression." Keelweh said. "We have a variety of fields being researched at this facility. For instance, the electrical engineers and the astrophysicists would love to find out how your Lightning Draconid doesn't ever spontaneously disintegrate. If you wish to learn about a particular field, you can speak to the heads of research. If you want us to help you advance, then that really depends on how much you already know, we need to know. We can't teach you something like Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics if you don't know basic physical science. Though I'm certain you at least know that, such as the difference between protons and electrons, and the laws of motion, I believe the one named 'Newton' helped this planet with that one. 'What goes up must come down'? (unless of course you isolate it in spacetime)." Of course, even if the Dystans didn't know it, the Planeians would be patient in teaching them. Planeians have a long lifespan too; an average lifespan of 1000 years. Keelweh himself was nearing his 500s. However, that doesn't mean they aren't able to get stuff done quickly. If they can build a high tech 20 story structure powered by a generator equal to several stars in energy in under a week, they can teach a few Draconids how to build a supercomputer out of mud in under twenty minutes.

[Dyste]

Karmak suddenly felt rather embarrassed about his mistake; sure, a Lightning Draconid was capable of producing energy, but not THAT much... he was thinking more of simpler machines, like televisions and game consoles, not the more complex works found in this research center. "Okay, perhaps I was exaggerating a bit... still, we could should you the way we convert magic into energy."

"I understand the basic idea behind the composition of materials like iron, gold, oxygen... I suppose you call them 'elements'. I also understand concepts such as gravity; after all, without the knowledge of gravity, one cannot use magic to make objects levitate." Closing his eyes, he raised his hand, causing the kobolds to suddenly float in the air. Rather than looking scared, the kobolds were excited ("Floatbold!") and began moving around by swimming, as if they were in a pool. Karmak's mouth curved into a smile, "Like that one? Just one of the many things one can do with magic."

Karmak recently celebrated his 629th birthday, making him around the middle of the Dystan Sages as far as age went. Both his elders (like Queen Sarisa) and juniors (such as Prime Minister Zihark Jemson) were expecting a report from him when they arrived. "Perhaps we can start with something basic on both our sides to show some progress to the other Sages?"

[Planeia]

"Yes, the composition of elements. With our knowledge of such, we have been able to do what alchemists strive to do: create new elements out of old ones. We use a process of synthesis or decomposition, utilizing particle acceleration as well as fission or fusion to adjust the number of protons in an atom, changing its atomic number. It is one of the basis of our recycling systems." Keelweh said. "And of course, gravity. One of the four fundamental forces. Through our understanding of its interactions in spacetime, we, too, have been successful in manipulating it."

As he said this, he began typing a few things into his holowrist. The next thing that happened was Karmack levitating in the air, just like his kobolds. The tractor beams had caught Karmack, despite his heavy Draconid size. His weight did not matter at all for the tractor beams, and his mass barely did either.

Keelweh typed a few more things into his holowrist, and Karmack was gently put back on the floor.

"Allow me to escort you to the Testing Labs, located on Sublevel 20." Keelweh turned around and began walking to the elevator.

[Dyste]

Karmak's sudden lifting by the tractor beam broke his concentration, causing the kobolds the fall to the ground; they were not hurt, but they were upset at being unable to float anymore. The quickly ran up to the tractor beam holding the Sage, only to have it deactivate when they reached it. After they pouted, Karmak relented and uses his magic to let them float again.

"Oh, those silly little ones... fortunately, I have enough magic power to allow them to stay like that for days, provided I remain concentrating... you did understand that limit, correct? Magic requires energy just like most things in life. Usually food and rest can replenish it, so it not hard to power our spells."

The group entered the elevator, including the human known as James. "I've made a few machines that run on magic power; think of it like gasoline, you gotta fill it up every once in a while. The locals can make items charged with the energy, like the Levistones used to power airships. I'm sure I could see about making some of your stuff able to run on this energy!" James's methods worked for all sorts of devices, like using the cold element to power a fridge, or fire for an internal heater. Granted, not all of them were successes, lest his friends forget the time he tried to make a machine that slept for him so he could do more work...

[Planeia]

Karmak's sudden lifting by the tractor beam broke his concentration, causing the kobolds the fall to the ground; they were not hurt, but they were upset at being unable to float anymore. The quickly ran up to the tractor beam holding the Sage, only to have it deactivate when they reached it. After they pouted, Karmak relented and uses his magic to let them float again.

"Oh, those silly little ones... fortunately, I have enough magic power to allow them to stay like that for days, provided I remain concentrating... you did understand that limit, correct? Magic requires energy just like most things in life. Usually food and rest can replenish it, so it not hard to power our spells."

"Law of conservation of energy: energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Everything is bound by this law, it seems subnatural phenomena is no exception." Keelweh said.

The group entered the elevator, including the human known as James. "I've made a few machines that run on magic power; think of it like gasoline, you gotta fill it up every once in a while. The locals can make items charged with the energy, like the Levistones used to power airships. I'm sure I could see about making some of your stuff able to run on this energy!" James's methods worked for all sorts of devices, like using the cold element to power a fridge, or fire for an internal heater. Granted, not all of them were successes, lest his friends forget the time he tried to make a machine that slept for him so he could do more work...

"Hmm, yes. That does sound like a good idea. Speak to the Engineering department. Perhaps they can use dark matter extrapolators to reproduce your energy source on a large scale." Keelweh said as the elevator descended.

The elevator had a reference frame, a device used commonly on ships and vehicles that travel at FTL that modifies surrounding spacetime to make the interior seem as though no movement was occurring at all, as well as to correct dangerous issues related to special relativity. It's used on modes of transportation such as elevators to provide a smoother ride.

Within a minute, the elevator arrived at the bottom sublevel. The doors opened and Keelweh lead the group through a series of metal corridors with circuitry lining through them, visible lights flowing through the electroluminescent circuits. They passed by several testing labs, where various experiments were being performed, such as Field Time Contraction in which spacetime is used to "freeze" anything in a targeted spot, experiments involving Crude Elementary Function in which the effect of neutrinos on photosynthetic organisms is studied, and various other experiments in the many fields of science.

Finally, they arrived at the biggest lab, Testing Lab 01A. Large blast doors opened in front of the group. The group proceeded into the extremely spacious lab. It was separated in two parts, the testing area which was within a dome at the middle of the lab, and several observation and control areas around the dome, with countless computer terminals and apparatuses riddled with buttons, levers, gauges, and holographic screens, many of which blinked and flashed in various colors.

One of the scientists in the room turned around and spotted the group. "Ah, you must be from the local universities." The scientist said in an accent that closely resembled British. He wore a similar white scientist jumpsuit to Keelweh, and was considerably elderly looking, with white hair and mustache. He approached the group. "I am Professor Bix Hason, head of Theoretical Physics."

[Dyste]

After they got out of the elevator, the kobolds looked curiously at the other labs. "Stay with the group!" The sage barked; the last thing he needed was for one of them to get caught in one of the machines. While well-meaning, the natural curiosity of kobolds could be rather troublesome...

Upon meeting the professor, Karmak put his hand across his chest and bowed his head. "Karmak Eclipso, Sage of Diligence and Head of Magical Research at the Jarlsberg Institute." Putting his hands together, he created a small mound of earth, before turning it into the shape of the island of Dyste. "A little basic, but I am not an artisan. Regardless, you can keep that; it is stable, and provided you do not try to deliberately break it, it should retain its structure. That is just a small demonstration of magic. ANd I believe you are to teach us a little more about science?"

[Planeia]

"Indeed." Professor Hason said, placing the island replica on a nearby table. "Of course, as a theoretical physicist, my forté is not much in experimental or applied science, which is what I believe you to be more interested in, but quantum mechanics, superposition, etcetera. I experiment with math and rationale. My purpose in Testing Lab 01A is to use the lab's supercomputer to calculate my formula: Σ_k=(Γma²{√βcλ³}/Ω²)/0.5x[0_4²], where 'a' represents Alaxin's consistency when cubed at base 4. I'd use the ones we have upstairs, but they're all occupied, and simultaneous interfacing with holowrists has not yet been integrated in those."

Keelweh chimed in to Karmack, "You still haven't told me how much your nation already knows. It would be easier, in fact, if you tell us what you plan to achieve, and we can help you progress to the level of being able to achieve that, then help you achieve it. You must walk, before you can run. For instance, we're very interested in learning subnatural phenomena so that we may one day perfect quantum tunneling and possibly transcend to the next universe, literally. What must we do to gain an expertise in subnatural teleportation? Mind you, this is totally disregarding the fact that science isn't about perfecting or advancing technology, but searching for relationships that explain and predict the universe around us, but I guess both of our governments are expecting results, so we'll have to forgo that purpose for now to be allowed to research in peace later."

[Dyste]

Karmak considered "Well, like with science, one must take the basics with magic before moving up to teleportation or the like. Of course, to someone like you who comes from a culture that does not know magic that well... ah, I know!" He remembered a technique devised by one of the other Sages to help teach other species who are not as innately talented as their own, "What I can do is, in essence, supercharge someone with elemental energy, making them more sensitive to it. Naturally, I cannot do this without the consent of the subject, but I suppose you would have someone willing to try and become the first Planeian Mage, yes?" This would certainly be a boon for convincing their government of results at least, though there was still the issues of Dyste's...

Karmak knew how much the Planeians wanted to learn how to teleport: they had a clear goal in mind, at least. He had no idea what he could showcase to his own people to show progress... "Well... one thing that we have been discussing for a while is the possibility of space travel. We have allies like yourselves who live on other worlds, but we lack the ability to get there under our own power. Perhaps if we can showcase this to my fellow Sages, they will approve your ideas?"

[Planeia]

At this point, Professor Hason returned to the computers and his pupils, he simply approached the group to acquaint himself, as the Dystans are sure to eventually show an interest in theoretical physics.

Keelweh thought for a moment. Really, their goal right now was to get teleportation perfected. Though who would be the one to become a practitioner of subnatural phenomena, or what the Dystans call a "mage"? He seriously considered it, then decided it would be him. "I'll volunteer." Keelweh said. "I'm head of the project to perfect quantum tunneling. If it means to bear the responsibility as the 'first Planeian Mage', then so be it." Keelweh said confidently.

Karmak knew how much the Planeians wanted to learn how to teleport: they had a clear goal in mind, at least. He had no idea what he could showcase to his own people to show progress... "Well... one thing that we have been discussing for a while is the possibility of space travel. We have allies like yourselves who live on other worlds, but we lack the ability to get there under our own power. Perhaps if we can showcase this to my fellow Sages, they will approve your ideas?"

"Ah yes, space travel. We can show you what we use, and then begin teaching you the basics of astronomy, astrophysics, relativity, aerodynamics, and astrodynamics." Keelweh said. "Let us do this 'supercharge' later. For now, follow me to the facility's spaceport." Keelweh turned around and led the group back down the corridors and back on to the elevator.

([OOC] By the way, we already have teleportation, the science kind, we're just having trouble keeping lifeforms alive through it.)

[Dyste]

Karmak followed, considering teleportation before realizing he didn't know the destination well enough to do so. Sure, he had been around virtually all of Calberona, including the space that now filled by this 'eyesore', but while minor changes could be accounted for, he did not want to risk teleporting into a wall; while not fatal, it was rather painful, as he recalled many an overzealous student trying teleportation out for the first time.

"You are aware, Keelweh, oh the momentous undertaking you have decided on? I commend you for it; while you are not the first species we have introduced to magic, you are the first time I myself will be partaking in such an event. At the same time, I hope you understand that, were I teach it to to, you must not use it for unjust reasons? I do not mind using it for fun or entertainment, but harming others with this gift that do not deserve it is not why we were given these gifts." He recalled one time a human who learned magic and used it to become the dictator of his home country; it was only due to the aid of other Mages that the despot was brought to justice.

[Planeia]

Keelweh listened to Karmak's words and heeded them. "Of course. I am a man purely of science. I will use such abilities for research only." He said as the elevator ascended quickly, which the group would not be able to feel due to its reference frame. "However, I hope you know, that just like all the other collaborations here, we will thoroughly study these abilities. We would make observations, draw conclusions, and work to do what we do best: explain and predict the universe." Keelweh said. Eventually, the elevator reached a point where lights from the shaft darted from top to bottom, becoming the only indication that the elevator was moving.

"I'm not sure how you feel about this, but there will come a point in which you can no longer call it 'magic', but rather natural phenomena. Right now we classify it as subnatural phenomena, but I know of several who accept that term as accurately attributing magic as a phenomenon that manipulates the universe in ways of which its laws do not apply. Be it through quantum entanglement, spacetime manipulation, or some other phenomena, it will eventually be understood. Fear not, for such understandings will only help you harness your abilities further, I am sure."

The elevator finally reached the top floor, the spaceport. The doors opened to reveal a large room with several ships that ranged from bus-sized to yacht-sized. Several mechanics and engineers were working on these ships, some were being repaired, others fitted, and others being built from scratch. Sparks flew by as teams of engineers welded and cut pieces of metal and equipment, and several mag-lev vehicles drove around carrying various materials all across the room.

At the center of the room, a bus-sized, oblong shaped ship hovered, as at the roof of the room, a large aperture slid open, revealing the bright sky. The traffic controller in front of the ship signaled it to ascend, which it did. Once it reached the outside, a faint whirring noise was heard. At the blink of an eye, it seemingly vanished. A moment later, a sonic boom was heard, indicating that the ship had just entered a jump, an FTL hypervelocity, made possible by a jump drive, that Planeians utilize for interstellar travel. The long gap between the ship vanishing and the sound of it leaving serves to show just how fast the ship went. An observer would say that the ship teleported, when in reality it went incredibly fast beyond comprehension through bare observation.

"I just love when a ship makes a good jump." An engineer in front of the group said, with an accent resembling that of an American from Texas (namely Houston), facing where the ship just was.

"Ah, here is the man you are looking for. Allow me to present to you Motus Nox, our lead aerospace engineer." Keelweh said to the group.

Motus turned around and smiled. "Howdy? Welcome to the port, where all the real magic happens in this facility."

"Mr. Nox will help you with your space needs, and is the right man to help you understand how to effectively travel through space. I will leave you with him, as I must return to my lab to perform some research. Farewell all, I will see you later." Keelweh nodded to the group and then proceeded to the elevator.

"Now, from what I can tell, Dyste is interested in flyin' through the stars, right? Well you come to just the right man. I'll teach you everything from how to build a basic ship, to gettin' it into orbit, and then gettin' it to where you need to go. There any questions 'fore we begin today's lesson?"

[Dyste]

Karmak was assured that Keelweh would keep his word; despite the difference in title, the Sage was a researcher just like this alien was. "Indeed, much of what we do in Calberona is discovering new ways to use our abilities. And as for the term 'magic', well, it is just that, a term, what
matters is what it does. Either way, I doubt most people will be actually be calling it 'natural phenomena'; it is rather... clunky."

Any talks of what magic would be called ended when they reached the spaceport. James and the kobolds looked on keenly at the launch, the human taking several pictures on one of the devices attached to his coat. When Motus introduced himself, James was up front and center, "How fast do these thing go? Have you perfected zero-gravity? Is it possible to have craft suited for a single person? Can you arm them with-" The kobolds had to pile on the human to allow the engineer some time to actually answer.

Karmak said his goodbyes to Keelweh before voicing one of his own concerns, "I am wondering something as well... how safe are these crafts? I mean no offense, but with such a complex device, certainly things can go wrong..." He was willing to risk himself, but may Bahamut help him if he risked the lives of the Prime Minister or the Queen when they arrived...

[Planeia]

Motus tried answering each of James' questions, "That one that left tops at 100 astro-units per-, uh, yes, we use spacetime manipula-, well yes, you're talkin' 'bout shuttles-, er." Motus eventually just could not keep up with his inquiries. "Slow down there, lil' tachyon. I'm sure all them questions will be answe'd by the end of the lesson." He said with a chuckle and a smile.

"I am wondering something as well... how safe are these crafts? I mean no offense, but with such a complex device, certainly things can go wrong..." Karmak asked.

"Ah, good question. It's precisely 'cause of the fact that it's complex that nothing will go wrong (we Planeians strive for that approach). Safety is among the highest priority durin' the design process. You take three things into account: debris, radiation, and interior. Virtually all ships are fitted with discharge shields which protect the hull against space debris, deflectin' it. However, that still leaves the hazard of solar and cosmic radiation. In order to deflect radiation, you'd need a thick hull. Thing is, unless you got one of our motherships, which are 'bout the size of what your planet calls 'Texas', the thick hull won't leave you with much room left over. So we instead flow dark energy through the hull, provided by the ship's dark matter core, 'cause dark matter has a large density yet we can accumulate it in a low volume. I'll cover cores later, by the way. Finally, we've come to the safety of the interior. As a ship approaches speeds faster than light, its interior becomes unstable, with increasin' pressures and objects shootin' at you at light speed. We've remedied this by inventin' what's called a 'Reference Frame'. It utilizes spacetime manipulation to, much like an Alcubierre Drive, bring a point in space along with the ship. It also helps reduce motion sickness, as it makes the ship feel like it's not even movin'." Motus finished explaining. "We as a species have spent eons travelin' the stars and had countless- I'm talkin' billions of deaths in space, and we have come too far in improvement to make any fatal mistakes. Our ships are as safe as safe can be, trust me."

[Dyste]

Karmak would like to have said he understood what Motus was talking about, he really was. But some of the terms were still alien to him: Dark Matter? Alcubierre Drive? He was certain he heard about cosmic radiation in one of those books imported from overseas... Fabulous Five, was it? "I suppose I will have to do some more research into some of this, but I am at least assured that you are telling the truth. Your people claim to have some issues with teleportation, so I presume you came here on a spacecraft yourself."

James popped his head out, still having one of the kobolds sitting on top of him, "Ever tried working on these machines with magic? Well, I guess you couldn't have, seein' as you all are just learning about it yourselves. We talked to that other guy about using Lightning magic as a source of electricity, it's possible the dark energy used by Dark Draconids may work as dark matter as well!"

Karmak held up his head, feeling a bit prideful, "As it so happens, I am a Dark Draconid; I presume your people are not superstitious to think that means 'evil', especially considering His Majesty is a Dark Draconid as well... we merely use dark energy, which if I am hearing it right is very valuable for your ships. Naturally tests would have to be done, but that is why we are here... but I digress, we are here to learn learn of spacecrafts from you... I think there have been enough questions for now, let us get on with the lesson..."

"But I-"

"No. Further. Questions." Karmak cut off James before he would make another barrage of questions. They would be there all day if he kept it up.