Fascinating--and narrowing the biological difference down that much is already helpful, I should think. If you would part with a minimal sample of your current supplies, replicating it should prove entirely possible. [Viktor frowned slightly, eyes darting around without really seeing anything as he almost immediately lost himself in a train of thought.] Analyzing a chemical structure is a little beyond the rudimentary lab I have here, I'm afraid, but rest assured reverse-engineering such a thing should not be a serious obstacle to surmount one way or another.
A month? [He seemed to visibly relax, taking the protein bar with a small sigh.] You had me worried we were operating on a much shorter timeframe. I can, eh...'borrow' a couple of resources at work to break down the chemical composition and have a resolution for you within a couple weeks. I'm afraid I'll be out of the country for a short time after that, but I will make this a priority first.
[His head pulls back, his mandible flaring off his jaw. It's clearly an expression of surprise. Even on an alien.] That's - damn, I thought it'd take a lot longer.
[But apparently he's run into this world's version of Mordin.]
I appreciate it. Can't say that enough - if there's anything I can do, tell me.
We have a very wide range of specialties in this city, Garrus. [The smile that flickered across Viktor's face was pleasant, with just the smallest edge of pride to it.] I think something as minor as determining the necessary composition can be done underneath the table with Zodiac resources, so to speak--if that proves an unnecessary risk, I can just as easily ask my friend Varian if he has the necessary equipment. Regardless of method, this is not a difficult task to see accomplished with help.
And there is no need to worry for compensation, if that was indeed a concern. I owe Lycaon more than can be repaid with prosthetics, and if he sent you to me then it is my sincere pleasure to assist in solving whatever problems you may have.
[Viktor paused briefly, with a slight tilt of his head in thought.]
...But if it would set your mind more at ease, I would gladly accept payment in the form of hearing about your technology. Spacefaring travel seems in its scientific infancy on this world, and a complete nonfactor in my own.
Minor, he says... [It comes with a shake of his head, and a definite hum of humor in the echos under his words.] You remind me of someone, talking like that. And it's a good thing. He was probably the best scientist I ever ran into. Maybe best in the galaxy.
[Viktor is a lot more intelligible than Mordin, though. But the intelligence, and the apparent ease he says he'll have solving this problem stands.]
He did. Said I should talk to you, and Varian, actually. I'd just feel better contributing something. [Then Viktor says that about tech and space travel, and Garrus' eyes brighten.] Then it's a deal. You're talking to a tech guy. More specifically, weaponry, but I've been known to handle a rover or small craft too.
You do not have to flatter me, I already agreed to help. [That time his smile carried the hint of a joke as Viktor set aside the protein bar for the moment.]
You have only just arrived, no one would ask much of you in return. But I admit I am incredibly curious. [Adjusting the grip on his crutch, Viktor turned towards a door down the hallway.] As I said, my laboratory is rudimentary at best, but it's over here in the garage if you would like to speak there.
[Viktor opened the door and stepped into the garage; as implied it held all the carefully organized chaos of an engineer's workspace, tools arranged on a wall and shelves over an expansive workbench covered with blueprints and and various half-built or half-dismantled metal frames. Against the far wall, a large and ominous shape some five feet tall and nearly as long stood covered by a cloth. Which was probably nothing.]
[Viktor made a slight gesture with his hand that seemed to cause a chair and a rolling stool to shuffle over to them; he took the latter, leaning his crutch against the workbench.]
I am sure it is unimpressive, considering the level of technology I imagine you have. But by all means, make yourself comfortable.
[He glances around, taking it all in. Sure, it's kind of humble. But given the rest of this world, it's nothing to sneeze at. As the saying goes. The blueprints are definitely interesting. His fingers practically itch to take a look at them. The ominous shape is definitely fine - he's more interested in what's being built.]
[Can he calibrate them-]
Considering the level of technology in this city in general, I don't think you're doing half bad here. I - [What. Did that. Did the furniture just move. Gesture controlled?] - am actually interested in what you've got working.
Anyway. [He'll take the stool because lol his anatomy.] What do you want to hear about?
Eh, well, electrical engineering took a while to comprehend. But once I managed a rudimentary understanding of the field, the rest fell into place rather easily. This is just where I keep my personal projects; things to keep my hands busy, designs I may or may not find uses for, that manner of thing.
[The fact that he'd also learned to manipulate metal through magic was left out, for now.]
If you do not mind, I would like to hear about your world--eh, universe, I suppose--your methods of space travel. The idea has always proven a little hard for me to even conceptualize, I have to confess.
I can understand that. I've never really had the space for projects... but if I ever do? [He shakes his head. He's going to go crazy with tools and gadgets. He'll make his own things to calibrate.]
Well... for the most part, space travel's about as common as it gets. Regular transit between certain hub worlds, FTL drives, Mass Relays. Makes it pretty easy to get from one place to another. Other planets, colonies. Even major space stations.
Give it a little while here, I do not doubt you will find yourself with space and time alike once the initial acclimation begins to settle.
[Viktor listened with clear interest in bright gold eyes, quietly processing what he didn't quite understand (FTL was easy enough to grasp after a second of thought given the context, albeit a dizzying concept) and lingering on the few that completely escaped him.]
Standard travel on a planetary scale...incredible. Faster than light travel would surely be a necessity, but what exactly are Mass Relays?
[His mandible flexes on one side. It's as close to a smirk as he's really capable of, physically.]
We'll see. Survival first, though, right?
[They just need Tali here for this ultimate nerd circle.]
Travel and colonization. From what I've seen on the internet here, that's not in the cards just yet either. Your people have a whole research facility on Mars where I'm from, for example. [Not to mention the prothean archives there-]
A Mass Relay is... how do I put this. They're gateways, essentially, between star systems - a ship enters one, and they're transported to another. Almost instantly. I think the one for the Sol System is out by - what's it called. Pluto? The Charon Relay.
[He fell silent again, all the focus and attention of the Academy's brightest--and then he abruptly lit up at Garrus' elaboration, eyes all but sparkling as a wide and crooked smile came to his face.]
Wait-...wait, you're describing our teleportation system! [While he barely raised his voice in the sudden surge of excitement, Viktor was notably much more animated and intent all of a sudden.] Near-instantaneous travel from a central point to multiple designated endpoints on other continents, clear across the planet--you're describing our Hexgates on a massively wider scale.
Yours? [He straightens up for a moment, then leans forward, elbows on his knees.] You have a ground-based mass relay system? Or, something like it?
Only starships can use them, as far as I know. You have to have the systems capable of linking up, drive cores... they're all using eezo, anyway. Sorry, element zero? There's only one on a planet we know of, and that thing's a one way trip.
Yes--it was a system engineered by my partner and myself. [The leg not in the brace kicked off against the floor, Viktor wheeling with a practiced sort of chaos over to a shelf and searching through several leatherbound journals before pulling one out and wheeling right back over. Paging through it, he continued with the fervent excitement only a scientist could cultivate:] I do not know what kind of element that could be or if Runeterra even has an equivalent, but--here.
[Finding the page he wanted, Viktor scooted a little closer to show Garrus sketches of a tower and series of runic circles.]
My home has a form of magical energy that can be harnessed through crystals and the application of intricate runes--think of them as a battery and the requisite circuitry, respectively. We utilized this to engineer a form of fast travel; with this tower as the main anchor point, an airship can cross the ocean and back in a matter of seconds.
Just two of you? [Okay, they talked about flattery already but he sounds hella impressed regardless. Since he's so stupid tall, Garrus just kind of leans over to see the drawings. He can't really raise eyebrows like a human, but his mandible is doing a rapid series of flicks and taps that can only mean the same thing.]
They've got to at least be similar. Somewhat - eezo is energy, in the most basic explanation. Creates it, really. So that and your crystals... there has to be some kind of similarity there, if you could use them as batteries.
And launched a ship? Through that? How big? Any passengers, cargo?
Yes--well, obviously we did not construct it ourselves, but the concept and design were ours. My partner discovered the crystals and devised the principle of utilizing magic through machinery, and we greatly expanded on the idea together.
[Most basic principles of physics seemed to be universal constants. Mechanical, optical, thermal, he had yet to hear of a world where they were different. Maybe magic itself really was just another form of energy with its equivalents elsewhere.]
Our airships are not particularly impressive in size compared to most forms of long-range travel in this world, but either cargo or passengers could be transported all the same. The process did not change dependent on what was being carried.
Still. That's damned impressive. Usually it takes a whole team to accomplish something like this.
[Seriously - he's genuinely impressed by what he's seeing here. He'd love to see it in action.]
You don't have to compare it to anything else, I mean. You moved a transport through a ground-based relay with crystals and, what were they, runes? Did it take any more power for more cargo? Or was it always constant?
Does it? [From anyone else that question might have sounded arrogant--while Viktor was prideful to be sure, he really just seemed surprised.] I will concede it took a little time and a lot of effort to work out a functioning prototype, but it was not something particularly hard to accomplish between the pair of us.
[They are simply built different.]
The variations in energy and power are generally negligible; naturally, cargo would take a little more than passengers given the weight difference. But neither are particularly taxing on the structure or its power sources. Not more than one would expect, at least. The base function is simple enough; the tower extends deep underground, and at its base a core--an engine, in a sense--containing copious amounts of these crystals in a mechanism designed to channel and focus their power. This power is then channeled upwards through the entire structure- [tracing a line along the sketch before stopping at the tower's apex] -to be focused here, in a specific matrix built primarily upon application of the runes of stability and acceleration. The airship moves within the path of what amounts to a magical railgun, and arrives at its designated destination--one of several smaller towers which can relay back to this anchor point in turn.
[Viktor let out a breathy, embarrassed laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as his pale face flushed a light shade of pink.]
Eheheh...that really is flattering. And I am proud of what we accomplished, but the Hexgates were never more than a means to an end. Proof that Hextech had value, and a way to secure funding for what we truly aimed to achieve. We sought to use the same principle of magic-powered machinery to improve quality of life where it was truly needed. Better tools, more efficient medical devices, I even had some blueprints for air and water filters I had hoped to put into practice.
Anyone who would deny you funding after building something like that... doesn't have a brain in their head.
[He shakes his head.]
You don't have much tech where you're from? If you're needing to invent whole filters for air and water. Medicine always needs some kind of advance - half my face is proof of that.
Mm, well--sometimes things are more complicated than they need to be.
[Brushing past that with a small frown, Viktor turned his attention to the question at hand.]
Runeterra is technologically behind this world; lacking the knowledge of how to harness electricity, our power sources outside of magic are primarily things like steam, gas, and oil. My hometown is heavily polluted as a result, hence the need for filters. [He shrugged with one shoulder, a thin finger tapping the metal brace covering most of his leg.]
But I am, as they say, right there with you on the constant need of medical advancements.
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[He'll even grab what looks like a space-age protein bar out of a compartment in his armor.]
Here. It's basic as hell, but it's what I've got. Supply should last - a month, if I'm careful.
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[His head pulls back, his mandible flaring off his jaw. It's clearly an expression of surprise. Even on an alien.] That's - damn, I thought it'd take a lot longer.
[But apparently he's run into this world's version of Mordin.]
I appreciate it. Can't say that enough - if there's anything I can do, tell me.
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And there is no need to worry for compensation, if that was indeed a concern. I owe Lycaon more than can be repaid with prosthetics, and if he sent you to me then it is my sincere pleasure to assist in solving whatever problems you may have.
[Viktor paused briefly, with a slight tilt of his head in thought.]
...But if it would set your mind more at ease, I would gladly accept payment in the form of hearing about your technology. Spacefaring travel seems in its scientific infancy on this world, and a complete nonfactor in my own.
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[Viktor is a lot more intelligible than Mordin, though. But the intelligence, and the apparent ease he says he'll have solving this problem stands.]
He did. Said I should talk to you, and Varian, actually. I'd just feel better contributing something. [Then Viktor says that about tech and space travel, and Garrus' eyes brighten.] Then it's a deal. You're talking to a tech guy. More specifically, weaponry, but I've been known to handle a rover or small craft too.
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You have only just arrived, no one would ask much of you in return. But I admit I am incredibly curious. [Adjusting the grip on his crutch, Viktor turned towards a door down the hallway.] As I said, my laboratory is rudimentary at best, but it's over here in the garage if you would like to speak there.
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[He's so good at this talk thing, isn't he. He is great at general conversation.]
Good thing I'm always willing to talk tech. [He inclines his head, with a little, "after you" sort of motion.] Sure. Right behind you.
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[Viktor made a slight gesture with his hand that seemed to cause a chair and a rolling stool to shuffle over to them; he took the latter, leaning his crutch against the workbench.]
I am sure it is unimpressive, considering the level of technology I imagine you have. But by all means, make yourself comfortable.
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[Can he calibrate them-]
Considering the level of technology in this city in general, I don't think you're doing half bad here. I - [What. Did that. Did the furniture just move. Gesture controlled?] - am actually interested in what you've got working.
Anyway. [He'll take the stool because lol his anatomy.] What do you want to hear about?
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[The fact that he'd also learned to manipulate metal through magic was left out, for now.]
If you do not mind, I would like to hear about your world--eh, universe, I suppose--your methods of space travel. The idea has always proven a little hard for me to even conceptualize, I have to confess.
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Well... for the most part, space travel's about as common as it gets. Regular transit between certain hub worlds, FTL drives, Mass Relays. Makes it pretty easy to get from one place to another. Other planets, colonies. Even major space stations.
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[Viktor listened with clear interest in bright gold eyes, quietly processing what he didn't quite understand (FTL was easy enough to grasp after a second of thought given the context, albeit a dizzying concept) and lingering on the few that completely escaped him.]
Standard travel on a planetary scale...incredible. Faster than light travel would surely be a necessity, but what exactly are Mass Relays?
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We'll see. Survival first, though, right?
[They just need Tali here for this ultimate nerd circle.]
Travel and colonization. From what I've seen on the internet here, that's not in the cards just yet either. Your people have a whole research facility on Mars where I'm from, for example. [Not to mention the prothean archives there-]
A Mass Relay is... how do I put this. They're gateways, essentially, between star systems - a ship enters one, and they're transported to another. Almost instantly. I think the one for the Sol System is out by - what's it called. Pluto? The Charon Relay.
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[He fell silent again, all the focus and attention of the Academy's brightest--and then he abruptly lit up at Garrus' elaboration, eyes all but sparkling as a wide and crooked smile came to his face.]
Wait-...wait, you're describing our teleportation system! [While he barely raised his voice in the sudden surge of excitement, Viktor was notably much more animated and intent all of a sudden.] Near-instantaneous travel from a central point to multiple designated endpoints on other continents, clear across the planet--you're describing our Hexgates on a massively wider scale.
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Yours? [He straightens up for a moment, then leans forward, elbows on his knees.] You have a ground-based mass relay system? Or, something like it?
Only starships can use them, as far as I know. You have to have the systems capable of linking up, drive cores... they're all using eezo, anyway. Sorry, element zero? There's only one on a planet we know of, and that thing's a one way trip.
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Yes--it was a system engineered by my partner and myself. [The leg not in the brace kicked off against the floor, Viktor wheeling with a practiced sort of chaos over to a shelf and searching through several leatherbound journals before pulling one out and wheeling right back over. Paging through it, he continued with the fervent excitement only a scientist could cultivate:] I do not know what kind of element that could be or if Runeterra even has an equivalent, but--here.
[Finding the page he wanted, Viktor scooted a little closer to show Garrus sketches of a tower and series of runic circles.]
My home has a form of magical energy that can be harnessed through crystals and the application of intricate runes--think of them as a battery and the requisite circuitry, respectively. We utilized this to engineer a form of fast travel; with this tower as the main anchor point, an airship can cross the ocean and back in a matter of seconds.
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They've got to at least be similar. Somewhat - eezo is energy, in the most basic explanation. Creates it, really. So that and your crystals... there has to be some kind of similarity there, if you could use them as batteries.
And launched a ship? Through that? How big? Any passengers, cargo?
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[Most basic principles of physics seemed to be universal constants. Mechanical, optical, thermal, he had yet to hear of a world where they were different. Maybe magic itself really was just another form of energy with its equivalents elsewhere.]
Our airships are not particularly impressive in size compared to most forms of long-range travel in this world, but either cargo or passengers could be transported all the same. The process did not change dependent on what was being carried.
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[Seriously - he's genuinely impressed by what he's seeing here. He'd love to see it in action.]
You don't have to compare it to anything else, I mean. You moved a transport through a ground-based relay with crystals and, what were they, runes? Did it take any more power for more cargo? Or was it always constant?
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[They are simply built different.]
The variations in energy and power are generally negligible; naturally, cargo would take a little more than passengers given the weight difference. But neither are particularly taxing on the structure or its power sources. Not more than one would expect, at least. The base function is simple enough; the tower extends deep underground, and at its base a core--an engine, in a sense--containing copious amounts of these crystals in a mechanism designed to channel and focus their power. This power is then channeled upwards through the entire structure- [tracing a line along the sketch before stopping at the tower's apex] -to be focused here, in a specific matrix built primarily upon application of the runes of stability and acceleration. The airship moves within the path of what amounts to a magical railgun, and arrives at its designated destination--one of several smaller towers which can relay back to this anchor point in turn.
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[Two guys who built what was basically a mass relay on their own? Yeah, the Crucible Project would have been finished in a week.]
That's amazing... The tower's basically the drive core, then. And the crystals keep it online. Then you just... shoot the ship where it needs to go.
Yeah. Yeah, that's - you made a mass relay. I can't stress enough how impressive that is.
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Eheheh...that really is flattering. And I am proud of what we accomplished, but the Hexgates were never more than a means to an end. Proof that Hextech had value, and a way to secure funding for what we truly aimed to achieve. We sought to use the same principle of magic-powered machinery to improve quality of life where it was truly needed. Better tools, more efficient medical devices, I even had some blueprints for air and water filters I had hoped to put into practice.
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[He shakes his head.]
You don't have much tech where you're from? If you're needing to invent whole filters for air and water. Medicine always needs some kind of advance - half my face is proof of that.
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[Brushing past that with a small frown, Viktor turned his attention to the question at hand.]
Runeterra is technologically behind this world; lacking the knowledge of how to harness electricity, our power sources outside of magic are primarily things like steam, gas, and oil. My hometown is heavily polluted as a result, hence the need for filters. [He shrugged with one shoulder, a thin finger tapping the metal brace covering most of his leg.]
But I am, as they say, right there with you on the constant need of medical advancements.
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