"Thanks again for this. I love my family, but sometimes you need to look at a different set of walls. Besides, I still have a job to do."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm glad someone else is joining me, I've actually been meaning to do this for a few weeks, and just haven't had the time." Keiren said with a chuckle as they walked. "Between caring for Maeve, managing the city, and researching all I can about these Sentinels, I need a break. And from what I hear, you do too."
"Zen got tired of me and Natani hovering over him. We all know that it's for the best that he has constant care, but I also understand he needs space." Keith's ears drooped as he talked. "He's really become like a brother to me. I should have figured this was inevitable, especially given my relationship with Natani."
"Well, maybe once he's feeling better, he could take a look at some of this stuff." Keiren led Keith well beyond the walls, where a stone building had been build, and then promptly reinforced with iron and steel plating. From within, clanking and banging came, as well as loud shouting and the scraping of metal. Just outside the door, King Adelaide stood, with Lynn nearby, paperwork in hand. "I hope you don't mind that I brought Keith."
"Not at all. If anything, it's better that he's here." Lynn said with a kind smile. "As a general, he should also know about these developments. Now, before we begin, I have some paperwork for you to sign. Nothing lengthy, just a written form that swears you to secrecy as long as the war goes on. A safety precaution is all this is."
"Is this really necessary?" Keiren asked as he scanned the paper.
"Of course. Beyond these walls, our science division is hard at work. Even I do not know what they are working on, and I will continue to remain blind to their work."
"You won't be joining us?" Keith asked, signing the paper. He noticed that Lynn hadn't forged his signature this time.
"No. This is beyond him." Jade said, watching them. "Remember, what we see in here is a military secret. None of what you are about to know never leaves this building."
Keith and Keiren exchanged glances, and timidly followed Jade into the building. It was hot, humid, and full of smoke. A dozen Basitins were doing various tasks around the large room. Four of them were measuring what appeared to be a niter mixture, while nearby two seemed to be debating some complex formula drawn on a large board. Four of the others were working at various smithing areas, carving and shaping barrels to new muskets, with the last one carving the wooden shoulder stocks that went on the end. Keith marveled at the strange sight, but wondered why it was so secretive. And then he saw the last one. The last one was standing at the far back of the building, with a heavy steel woven suit on, like a blacksmith would wear, but it covered them from head to toe, and they held several vials with outstretched tongs. "Not what I expected." Keiren muttered next to him.
One of the Basitins glanced over from his measuring and set down the weights, letting another fill his place. "Majesty, Duke, General. Welcome. What can we do for you?"
"I wish for them to meet the Director. As they are significant figures who will work close to us, it is important for them to know everything."
The Basitin nodded. "Right. He's in the back right now. Once he's done, I'll let him know you're here."
"The director?" Keiren asked. Jade didn't answer, but smirked at him, leaving both him and Keith confused. A moment later, the Basitin at the far back set down the vials gently, and clanked his way up to the front.
"Mmm mmm mmmm mmmmm." came a muffled noise from beneath the heavy mask.
"Mask Ptolmek!" someone shouted over the din, causing the man to suddenly realize what happened.
"Ah, sorry about that. I get so engrossed in my work I forget to take this off." Ptolmek [Toll-mech; the P is silent] as as he lifted the heavy mask off of his head. Keiren stared in disbelief as the white fox set the helmet down.
"I- You-" he stammered out.
"Uh… Hi. Wait, am I on fire again? Did I spill some?" The fox whirled around, trying to see if he was on fire, which he was thankfully not.
"You're a Keidran?" Keiren finally manage to spit out, and Ptolmek turned to him, before breaking out into a wide grin.
"Oh! You didn't know! Thought it would be mentioned beforehand. You must be Keiren. Sorry I lost track of time, I got engrossed in my work. I'm Ptolmek, Director of the Basidian Military Science Division. Pleased to meet you. And you must be Keith. Didn't get a chance to meet you when you came back home, but I heard all about you from my dad. Come on, I'll show you around." he said with a smile. Jade gave a sideways glance, and followed Ptolmek through the building. Keith and Keiren slowly followed as well, listening intensely. "It's not much, but we do a lot of work here. Our primary goals right now are trying to perfect our Niter mixture and improving the base of our muskets. We have a good combination of ingredients, but there's always room for improvement. Tweaking the ratios we mix could give us better results in regards to force output when lit. We also experiment with how we approach our weapons, theorize about how to improve what we have, even try out entirely new weapons here, but none of those ready to go to active combat." He stopped briefly to take a look at the board, and scanned it. "What if it was spinning? That would reduce our air resistance, and could increase our accuracy exponentially. Let's find a way to test that, and make sure to record results. Oh, and use proper protection, no fires this time. Anyways, we also make our muskets here. Every single one is made by hand, so it takes expert skill and craftsmanship to work in here."
"I can see what you do, but I'm curious how a fox Keidran got to be the Director of the Science Division." Keiren asked as they walked.
"Well, let's take a step into my office, and I'll tell you, though I would personally rather get back to work." Ptolmek showed them to a small room at the back of the building, one of the only two areas that were actually walled off from the rest. Once inside, Jade closed the door, dulling the sounds outside. "Sorry about the mess, I got inspired this morning. It's fascinating how one piece of knowledge from one area can help another! Who would have guessed that my old experiments in wind, air speed, and angular momentum would be so crucial?" He scooped a dozen scrolls and books off of the table and set them on a shelf on the wall. "You really want to know how I got here?"
"This is a Basidian military. You are not a Basitin." Keiren said plainly. "It seems rather strange for you to be in charge. I wouldn't question it as much if you were just here to help, but to take command? That's a story I want to hear."
Ptolmek chuckled. "Well, my father runs the Basidian Science Division, though I earned this position on my own."
"I thought you did?" Keith asked, also curious.
"No, I only run this branch. Military Science. My dad, Ptolmek, is in charge of the Basidian Science Division as a whole. He oversees all branches of science, while I specialize in military development. And before you ask, he is a Basitin. I was adopted by him after I was shipwrecked on the north side of the island. He raised me as his own after he brought me in, and he taught me to look at the world differently. It's part of the reason I do so much science. I see things no one else can, because he taught me to look from all angles, both figuratively and literally."
"So why would you be in charge of military science?" Keiren leaned forward, glancing at a few of the diagrams that still lay on the table. They appeared to be charts showing various elements and their reactions to each other, as well as notes on the nature of air flow.
"I'm the one who discovered Niter. I was looking for a place to conduct an experiment involving the stars, when I stumbled across a cave on the south side of the island. It had a strange substance I'd never seen before. As a scientist, I just had to experiment with it. It took a while, but eventually I refined it into what we know as Niter. With dad's help, we realized that this was the thing we needed to shift the battlefield in our favor. As Basitins lack magic, we need a technological advantage, and this is it."
"But you aren't Basitin. Haven't you considered how much better it would be if you were to incorporate magic into your weapons?" Keiren asked.
"Sure, but then it wouldn't be as good. Or rather, it would be better for everyone except the people that actually need it. Yes, I use magic quite regularly, but it would only serve to cripple everyone who lacks magic, which is who we should be focusing on."
There was a gentle knock on the door, and a voice came through. "We're ready for our next mixture when you are."
"Ah, duty calls. Sorry I can't keep talking, but science needs to be done." Ptolmek said, standing up.
Keiren, Jade, and Keith also stood, waiting for Ptolmek to open the door. "Thank you Director." Jade said as she followed him out of the office. "I look forward to hearing and seeing the results of your work." As they left the building, the heavy door closed behind them and Jade turned to them. "Gentlemen, remember: none of what you heard leaves that building. Guard that work with your life."
"Of course. I'm just hoping I remember any of it with all of my other duties." Keiren said as he began walking back to Edinmire.
"I take my leave at your permission." Keith said with a light bow.
"When have you ever asked permission before?" Jade said with a smile as she walked away.