Student II: That makes it one minute and eight seconds! I win!
Student I: Give me a break. That was one minute and one second! You were still on the ground when you started counting!
Student II: Yeah, because we agreed to start counting as soon as the engine starts!
Lucy: That would be unwise. It is more useful to count only after you have achieved lift-off.
Lucy: Otherwise, your records may not accurately show your progress, sending you down the wrong path.
The boys turn to the source of the stern yet encouraging voice.
Student I: Wait, it's that robot from before! Cool!
Student I: Hey, everyone! Ms. Joanna brought the robot here!
Lucy: Do you mean that your flight duration now exceeds a minute without aid from arcane skills? Simply astounding.
Joanna: You should be saying thanks. It was Ms. Lucy who gave us the original prototype for our wings.
Student I: Of course, thanks, Miss!
Student II: Yeah, thanks, Miss Robot!
Joanna: You've correctly guessed our biggest obstacle: fuel.
Joanna: We tried enlarging the tank, but the heavier the weight in fuel and material, the less efficient it became. We just can't find a solution that allows for prolonged independent flight.
Joanna: But we're still confident, aren't we, gentlemen?
Joanna: It's far from perfect now, but that's fine. As you said, it's only a matter of time, and these kids have plenty of that.
Joanna: Think how far they'll have progressed by the time they reach my age. The world could be completely different, even from our wildest dreams.
The march of progress has been undeniable, even contained to just the last century. From whale oil lamps and coal, to gasoline and atomic energy, it is hard to imagine what will come next.
Lucy: The television is a great example. It has only been around for 44 years. When it first released, it seemed as though it would never dethrone the cinema.
Lucy: Now it is a staple of modern life. People can hardly spend a day without their favorite shows.
Student I: Are you talking about TV shows? Hey Miss, do you know Captain James T. Kirk and Spock?
Student II: Why did you ask her? It's a TV show, not real life, doofus. She's a robot, not an actress!
Student I: Yeah, I know she's a robot! That's why I figured she'd have to know about the best sci-fi show of all time.
Joanna: Let's stop pestering Miss Lucy about her favorite shows, alright boys? Unless, you'd like to spend tomorrow cleaning out the school swimming pool?
Joanna: Sound like fun to you?
It is a half-joking threat, but enough to bring the boys in line.
Lucy: That would be quite a shame. You would very likely miss the broadcast.
Lucy: I am very proud to say it is LSCC technology that was pivotal in constructing the signal-boosting devices.
Lucy: But for now, let me see the problem that you have been dealing with.
The mechanical woman walks toward the metal construct lying in the sand.
Student I: Daniel and Annie and the others helped us move it out here.
Student II: Yeah. We promised them everyone would get a try after we've ironed out the kinks.
Joanna: We've hit a hard limit now; I've tried everything I could think of to help them.
Lucy: One minute is already a remarkable achievement. Is this why you invited me here?
Joanna: Well, that and I miss working with you, Lucy.
Joanna: The switch was worth it, believe me. Still, I do miss some parts of my career, and my colleagues.
Joanna: So, think you can lend us a hand?
Lucy: I will attempt to do so. Is it still powered by liquid fuel?
Joanna: Until recently it was. We've actually been getting it straight from the Space Center. So, it was about as high-grade as you can get.
Joanna: But, we've been toying with something else now. To cut the weight down, we switched to wired electricity.
Lucy scans over the beach, finding a long black cord connected from the machine back toward a nearby generator.
Lucy: A wire? That completely restricts your flight range.
Lucy: The length of the cord would determine your maximum radius.
Lucy: ...
Lucy: You have created an electric kite.
Joanna: At least we replaced the thread with a wire.
Joanna: But you're right. It's nothing more than a kind of powered kite. They even call it that sometimes. But what else can we do?
Joanna: This was the only solution that gave us any kind of stable flight.
Joanna: Once unplugged, the battery can only sustain the engine for less than a minute.
Lucy: I see. So, it is not a matter of fuel, but rather of capacity.
Lucy: A simple adjustment will resolve this issue.
She produces a silvery metallic block from her coat, an emergency power source, made from the miraculous fusion of arcanum and material science.
Lucy: If your design has a T-2 general slot, this battery may work as a substitute.
Lucy: Let me try.
She skillfully replaces the battery.
Then unplugs the wings.
Lucy: Try it again.
Student I: So, what is it? A new battery?
Student I: Is that going to be enough?
Lucy: I am confident it will dramatically improve your flight time.
Lucy: However, I suggest you do not fly too high or too far away from the beach, at least until we know the precise power draw.
Joanna and the students crowd around the wings to see the new component.
Joanna: I didn't know the Space Center had been working on battery technology.
Lucy: Actually, this is a product I developed with the LSCC in 1965.
Lucy: An arcanist colleague there helped me complete this project. The arcanum imbued in it should allow it to ignore the usual physical limits of its material.
Joanna: I can only imagine what could be done with technology like that. Has it been released?
Lucy: We have begun mass production. We are only waiting for official permission to make it publicly available.
Lucy: By harnessing arcanum, we were able to achieve a similar energy density to rocket fuel, but without the need for cumbersome tanks and piping.
Lucy: Petroleum was a marvel of science that laid the foundation for modern civilization. That being the case, I believe that if arcane skills could be studied comprehensively and replicated, they might be capable of supplanting fossil fuel entirely.
Joanna: I always thought you refused to use arcane skills to enhance technology?
Lucy: I opposed the use of arcane skill only because it was unstable and not replicable at scale.
Lucy: However, if it can be incorporated into technology in a controllable and generalized way, it can work.
Lucy: The gap between arcane skills and human technologies is really not so different, no more than that between a human brain and a computer.
Lucy: One is created through genetic coding, while the other is created by digital coding. They are essentially the same.
Joanna: ...
Joanna: If it were anyone else saying that, I'd have called them a nut job.
Lucy: Why?
Lucy: A fact remains a fact, regardless of who says it.
Lucy: And a mechanical device has the same function, no matter its user.
Joanna: That much is true. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We still need to see the results of our test flight.
In a short time, the first brave pilot takes off on his aluminum wings. The students cheer as the stopwatch counts up to 60 seconds and then beyond.
Lucy: It seems like a remarkable success.
Joanna: This will be the end of an era. No more competition. Just fun.
Lucy: I think we can call our project completed.
Joanna: Well, only thanks to you.
Lucy: Do you want me to report this achievement to the Space Center? Or maybe the LSCC.
Joanna: Not quite yet. There's still room for improvement. So how long do you think that battery can last now?
Lucy: We will need to do further testing to determine that; however, I suspect it is an improvement by orders of magnitude.
Joanna: Then maybe I should call him down. Just to be safe.
Joanna: Jack, get down here. Danny, Peter, please clear the beach off for landing.
Reluctantly, the young man returns from the sky, making a steady landing on the sand.
Lucy: Ten minutes and 48 seconds. That makes for quite a new record.
Joanna: I'm certain they'll have beat that handily before you know it.
