Re: The Great Belligerency [Round 1: The Rainy Place]
10-14-2010, 05:26 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
The girl gave Reinhardt a Look.
"You'll have to be more specific. Or do you want me to give you over eighty thousand years' worth of history?"
Reinhardt scowled slightly at the girl's rudeness. "There is no call for disrespect, young miss. I merely seek to satisfy my curiosity."
The girl sighed. "Yes, sorry, you have a point. It is simply a difficult question to answer. I can give you a basic rundown of one of the things, early in our history, which we harnessed to jump-start our civilization. We went from stone houses to spaceships in less than two hundred years with this power; and that was only because we weren't ambitious enough to push things further.
"It is called 'electricity'. It is the same power which runs through the lightening you see during thunderstorms. We discovered a way to capture that power. The first inkling we had that such power could be harnessed was when we discovered that metallic objects, thrust high in the sky, would attract lightening. At first we had no idea why, but after a bare century, our sciences had advanced to the point where we knew all objects were made up of infinitesimal particles, and some of these particles carried an "electric charge". The... specifics would require hours more explanation, but suffice to say, we found a way to harness this charge, and transport it through copper wire, or any other conducting material. We could then use it to power lights, without gas or oil, and eventually, even power our vehicles, communications networks, and everything else. Even after fifty thousand years, everything in our galaxy-spanning civilization was powered by electricity; its source may have been different and much more complex, but the basic unit always was electricity."
She turned to the king, and gave him a level stare. "But this is not the most valuable thing I can teach you. No, the most valuable thing is the methodology by which we reached these conclusions. It is a process, which we call the "Scientific Method". It is a process of experimentation, failure, and discovery. Where one observes something in the world and asks, "why?" One then formulates a hypothesis about this phenomena, and designs an experiment around it. Here is the tricky part: This experiment must, as much as possible, eliminate all other variables except the ones you want to test. And you must be prepared for failure, or at least finding something you did not expect. The most important thing is to always be critical, to always doubt, and to realize that your own eyes can deceive you, and your own pride in what you believe to be true can lead you astray. The universe exists, and it does not care what you believe. Fact is always fact."
Reinhardt rocked back a bit, to consider the girl's words. As he considered, she continued.
"Now, on to the next order of business..." her eyes darted, as if she were examining an invisible checklist. "My brother has put me in charge of your safety, and I assure you, it is a job at which I excel. I will be your bodyguard, and a source of knowledge about other contestants, should you choose to use me as such. I have acquired many skills in my time, and I know people, and how to watch them. I will give you every advantage in this battle; but our goal is not to win or kill the others. It is simply to survive long enough for the Network to succeed. And on that subject, your earlier question about whom we could speak with..." The girl looked around, though no one was nearby; she seemed to... see into the distance...
"Phil Girnham. He is already slightly more trusting of me than the others. Frankly, I don't think he knows what to think of me. He is also feeling out of place; I believe his mission in life was completed shortly before this battle began, and now he is feeling... lost. Though he won't admit that to himself. You," she turned, fixing Reinhardt with a look once more, "can provide that purpose."
Reinhardt nodded. "Yes, I remember the man. A strangely armored warrior. I assume he is like you? Reliant upon only the strength of his own will and the might of his own, human-crafted tools?"
"Yes. He appears to use regular human technology."
"Very well." Reinhardt broke into a purposeful stride. "We shall waste no more time."
The girl frowned just a bit at his brusqueness, but followed quickly. She moved along side and, despite his much longer stride, still managed to look unhurried in keeping pace. "You will not see me until we reach Phil. I work better if people do not know my true capabilities; as such, as your bodyguard, I will be mostly unnoticed. I will reach Phil first, and prepare him for your arrival. To find us, use this." She removed a small device from... somewhere, and placed it on the broach holding his cloak around his shoulders. "This device is high technology; it emits a directioned electromagnetic field, which surrounds your skull, giving you invisible and completely undetectable hints about where to go. Just follow your instincts, and you will find us. Also..." Reinhardt looked down at her as her tone turned pensive, "... in not too much longer, I believe I shall be ready for us to venture into the multiverse, looking for potential contacts."
"Who will we be looking for?"
The girl gave a wry smile. "Anyone who will pick up."
Reinhardt glanced back down at the girl, but she was already gone.
The girl gave Reinhardt a Look.
"You'll have to be more specific. Or do you want me to give you over eighty thousand years' worth of history?"
Reinhardt scowled slightly at the girl's rudeness. "There is no call for disrespect, young miss. I merely seek to satisfy my curiosity."
The girl sighed. "Yes, sorry, you have a point. It is simply a difficult question to answer. I can give you a basic rundown of one of the things, early in our history, which we harnessed to jump-start our civilization. We went from stone houses to spaceships in less than two hundred years with this power; and that was only because we weren't ambitious enough to push things further.
"It is called 'electricity'. It is the same power which runs through the lightening you see during thunderstorms. We discovered a way to capture that power. The first inkling we had that such power could be harnessed was when we discovered that metallic objects, thrust high in the sky, would attract lightening. At first we had no idea why, but after a bare century, our sciences had advanced to the point where we knew all objects were made up of infinitesimal particles, and some of these particles carried an "electric charge". The... specifics would require hours more explanation, but suffice to say, we found a way to harness this charge, and transport it through copper wire, or any other conducting material. We could then use it to power lights, without gas or oil, and eventually, even power our vehicles, communications networks, and everything else. Even after fifty thousand years, everything in our galaxy-spanning civilization was powered by electricity; its source may have been different and much more complex, but the basic unit always was electricity."
She turned to the king, and gave him a level stare. "But this is not the most valuable thing I can teach you. No, the most valuable thing is the methodology by which we reached these conclusions. It is a process, which we call the "Scientific Method". It is a process of experimentation, failure, and discovery. Where one observes something in the world and asks, "why?" One then formulates a hypothesis about this phenomena, and designs an experiment around it. Here is the tricky part: This experiment must, as much as possible, eliminate all other variables except the ones you want to test. And you must be prepared for failure, or at least finding something you did not expect. The most important thing is to always be critical, to always doubt, and to realize that your own eyes can deceive you, and your own pride in what you believe to be true can lead you astray. The universe exists, and it does not care what you believe. Fact is always fact."
Reinhardt rocked back a bit, to consider the girl's words. As he considered, she continued.
"Now, on to the next order of business..." her eyes darted, as if she were examining an invisible checklist. "My brother has put me in charge of your safety, and I assure you, it is a job at which I excel. I will be your bodyguard, and a source of knowledge about other contestants, should you choose to use me as such. I have acquired many skills in my time, and I know people, and how to watch them. I will give you every advantage in this battle; but our goal is not to win or kill the others. It is simply to survive long enough for the Network to succeed. And on that subject, your earlier question about whom we could speak with..." The girl looked around, though no one was nearby; she seemed to... see into the distance...
"Phil Girnham. He is already slightly more trusting of me than the others. Frankly, I don't think he knows what to think of me. He is also feeling out of place; I believe his mission in life was completed shortly before this battle began, and now he is feeling... lost. Though he won't admit that to himself. You," she turned, fixing Reinhardt with a look once more, "can provide that purpose."
Reinhardt nodded. "Yes, I remember the man. A strangely armored warrior. I assume he is like you? Reliant upon only the strength of his own will and the might of his own, human-crafted tools?"
"Yes. He appears to use regular human technology."
"Very well." Reinhardt broke into a purposeful stride. "We shall waste no more time."
The girl frowned just a bit at his brusqueness, but followed quickly. She moved along side and, despite his much longer stride, still managed to look unhurried in keeping pace. "You will not see me until we reach Phil. I work better if people do not know my true capabilities; as such, as your bodyguard, I will be mostly unnoticed. I will reach Phil first, and prepare him for your arrival. To find us, use this." She removed a small device from... somewhere, and placed it on the broach holding his cloak around his shoulders. "This device is high technology; it emits a directioned electromagnetic field, which surrounds your skull, giving you invisible and completely undetectable hints about where to go. Just follow your instincts, and you will find us. Also..." Reinhardt looked down at her as her tone turned pensive, "... in not too much longer, I believe I shall be ready for us to venture into the multiverse, looking for potential contacts."
"Who will we be looking for?"
The girl gave a wry smile. "Anyone who will pick up."
Reinhardt glanced back down at the girl, but she was already gone.