space oddity

[rockeye_stonetoe]

One day in fairyland, there is an immensely bright flash of light a about a mile above the ground. Something like a metal house is suddenly flying through as if it came through a portal, faster than all but the fastest fairies.

It's flying, not directly down, but still very much towards the ground. It does not take long for it to stop flying and start carving through earth and trees. Eventually it runs out of momentum near a certain lake. The thing seems to still be in one piece, which is rather miraculous considering the two miles of destroyed trees behind it.

After a few minutes, a mortal covered in unusually bulky clothes emerges from the thing. All that is visible is his face. He starts inspecting the outside of his space oddity.

Comments

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I'd appreciate de-aging, but it might not be worth it. I've only got three decades on me right now, so I'm good for another dozen or so. I somewhat doubt that you want to come with me when I leave the world, and I intend to never get within half a dozen jumps of this place again if I can help it."

[imeanforever]

"No. I just want a cutting of my tree and then to get as far away from Yellow and Thorn as possible without going somewhere where all the food is dangerous and sorcery doesn't work. Another continent would be good if you don't mind."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I can do another continent, but not much further than that. I only have so much fuel. Would you like a primer on how some of my stuff works in exchange for answering more sorcery questions, voluntarily this time?"

[imeanforever]

"May as well. What do you use for fuel?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Thorium, a deuterium/tritium mixture, and hyperium. Thorium and deutritium are somewhat interchangeable and power my normal-space engines, hyperium powers the jump drive that lets me hop between worlds. How much explanation do you need as to what these materials are? This world seems to use magic instead of science for most things."

[imeanforever]

"I'm not familiar with the substances. ...If you have any substances that are similar but cheaper I can try transmuting them into your fuel, though, given the chance to look at samples of both."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"How similar does it need to be? Deutritium fluid is basically water with extra neutrons. But thorium is a heavy metal with somewhat similar physical properties to some other metals, I have no idea if you can work with that. And hyperium is almost impossible to make without specialized facilities, I don't really have anything at all similar to it."

[imeanforever]

"Metal to metal and water to peculiar water should be close enough."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Great. Will my workshop be a good place to try transmuting things?"

[imeanforever]

"If that's convenient for you, I don't see why not. It will take me a few hours and moving me while I'm working on it will slow me down."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Conveniently, 'a few hours' is also the time it will take to get the ship back in working order. It would be a good idea to wear a radiation suit if you're going to work with thorium. Pure thorium is radioactive and catches on fire easily, you would be sick for a long time if you inhaled any even if it didn't kill you. We can skip it completely if you want, it's not even as useful as deutritium. Drinking deutritium could also hurt you, but not nearly as gratuitiously as thorium can. And just to be clear on the deal - you transmute some fuel and I'll take you as far away as the fuel will take us. And if you want, tech explanations for sorcery explanations once we're away from Mr. Yellow."

They arrive at the workshop. He produces a metal canister and a plastic bottle. "The deutritium is inside the metal thing. The bottle has water. Twist them to open them. I'll be working on the engines, call me if you need anything and I can hear you from anywhere in the ship."

[imeanforever]

"All right."

When he's left her be, she gets to studying the properties of the fluids and learning the parameters of this workshop in which she is to cast.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

The fuel-water is fractionally heavier than the regular water. The difference is very subtle, but it's there.

Various tool-ish and metallic sounds come from the rest of the ship. Other than that, she will be undisturbed in this room for about three and a half hours.

[imeanforever]

The sounds are an interference. She's not finished with the transmutation by the time Yellow comes home to a smoldering wreck.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Nick notices Yellow coming about half a mile off. He pops in and sarcastically warns the fairy, "Our lord and master is coming back."

A moment later, "I just realized we don't have nicknames for each other. Or I don't know yours, at least. What can I call you that doesn't spread the secret? Oh, and please order me not to tell anyone your name unless I believe it is in your best interest as I understand it to tell it. Did I word that right? I'd appreciate the reciprocal."

[imeanforever]

"I'm called Promise. Yellow mentioned, and you're nicknamed Liam. Do not tell anyone my name unless you believe it is in my best interest as you understand it to do so. You may order the reciprocal."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Do not tell anyone my name unless you believe it is in my best interest as you understand it to do so. Any progress on the fuel? And do you think we should leave soon? Ship's not in ideal shape, but it's close enough."

[imeanforever]

"I've made some progress but I haven't actually transmuted any of it yet. If Yellow's here there's no rush - if he leaves he might be getting help and then we should go immediately."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I'll watch him, then."

Over the next two hours, the ship will continue to sit there until and unless Yellow leaves.

[imeanforever]

Yellow puts out his house, yells orders at the ship, is very put out when they don't yield compliance, picks through his wreckage and finds nothing salvageable - and flies away.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

As soon as he flies away, Liam warns Promise, "He left, it's time to take off so make any preparations you need for imminent departure."

Three minutes later, the whole ship vibrates slightly, levels out from the slight angle it was resting at, and then proceeds to feel as though it's not moving at all.

[imeanforever]

Promise goes on working on transmutation.

About an hour's flight later, she presents him with extra transmuted fuel. "I can do more batches of this faster now," she says.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Liam is in the control room. "Excellent. There's a valve in the core room, you can only put things into or out of the tank with the metal container I gave you. It's not complicated, but you do need the metal thing specifically. Would you mind doing that when you've got the time? And I've been flying in the direction you indicated, we should be almost there - recognize any landmarks?"

[imeanforever]

Promise looks at the landscape below. "Those mountains. We're - about three quarters of the way there, if my mental map is right. When you see the large river running left to right as we're flying we're within a stone's throw."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I'll ping you when I see such a river. That tank can hold 800 gallons, but I'm not sure how long you're willing to keep transmuting. Or I could go back to trying to explain technology. Your choice."