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Side Story: The Good Scientific Team
It had been a month since John McGill and his platoon had settled into their new roles within the Kingdom of Dandelions. The kingdom had begun to stabilize under John's leadership, with the raiders driven back and the borders secured. But while the kingdom's defenses were strengthening, there was still much to be done to bring the kingdom into the modern age—or at least, something resembling it.
And so, the "Good Scientific Team" was born. It was a motley crew, consisting of Private Ramirez, Corporal Jenkins, Sergeant Aiyana, and Lieutenant Elysande. Their mission? To take the knowledge they had brought from Renoa and apply it to the resources of this new world, blending modern science with medieval technology to give the kingdom a fighting chance against the looming threat of The First Irons.
They were stationed in a makeshift laboratory—an old stone building near the royal palace that had been hastily converted into a workshop. The walls were lined with shelves filled with strange, newly discovered minerals, ancient scrolls, and the remnants of Renoan technology. It was here that they would embark on their grand experiment.
Corporal Jenkins: (rubbing his hands together with a grin) "Alright, team, let’s get to work. We’ve got a kingdom to industrialize, and we’re starting with this stuff." (He pointed to a pile of shimmering, blue-hued ore on the table.)
Private Ramirez: (scratching his head) "What did the locals call this again? 'Blæwenstan'? I’m guessing it’s some kind of copper derivative, but with the way it shines… it’s got to have some interesting properties."
Sergeant Aiyana: (examining a chunk of the ore) "Blæwenstan, indeed. We should test its conductivity first, see if it can be used to make wiring. If it’s stable enough, we could potentially use it in some of our old equipment."
Lieutenant Elysande: (nodding thoughtfully) "And if it reacts well to heat, we might be able to forge it into stronger tools, maybe even weaponry. The First Irons won’t know what hit them."
As they began their work, Ramirez couldn’t help but feel a bit out of his depth. He had always been more of a soldier than a scientist, but Corporal Jenkins had insisted that everyone pull their weight in this new world. So here he was, trying to make sense of Anglo-Saxon terminology while figuring out how to industrialize a kingdom that still relied on horse-drawn plows.
It wasn’t long before the first round of clumsiness struck.
Private Ramirez: (fumbling with a piece of equipment) "Uh… Jenkins, is this thing supposed to spark like that?"
Ramirez had been attempting to rig up a makeshift generator using Blæwenstan and some old Renoan parts. Unfortunately, his wiring had been less than perfect, and the generator let out a series of sharp sparks before giving off a puff of smoke.
Corporal Jenkins: (rushing over) "Ramirez! What did I tell you about double-checking your connections? We can’t afford to waste any of this stuff. Start over, and this time, pay attention to the polarity!"
Ramirez grumbled as he began to rewire the device, under the watchful eyes of Aiyana and Elysande. The two women, both far more experienced in the technical aspects of their mission, couldn’t help but share a knowing look.
Sergeant Aiyana: (smirking) "You know, if you keep this up, Ramirez, we’ll have to start calling you 'Sparky.'"
Private Ramirez: (sighing dramatically) "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just wait until I get this thing working. You’ll be begging me to show you how it’s done."
Despite his bravado, Ramirez knew he had a lot to learn. But that was the point of the "Good Scientific Team"—they were all learning, adapting their knowledge to a world that was both familiar and alien. And slowly but surely, they were making progress.
YOU ARE READING
Exploring Unknown Terrain
Science Fiction(Static sound from the radio)... It's betrayal, it's sorrow, it's dark. But, hasn't it ever seen like this before? No, there must be some kind of bizarre events that are going on in these two worlds!
