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[hecu_marine]

Sergeant-Major Shephard is not a closed-minded man. He's more than happy to entertain all kinds of new and interesting ideas from all kinds of people and places, even if they clash severely with his original worldview. He'd only have one hand if he didn't, after all.

But, see, the thing is that last time he was open to a new and interesting idea and he got the hand in question, he only realized afterwards just what it was capable of, and he'd rather not have that happen again. Which is why he's brought his motorcycle, complete with glowing blue bits where the engine used to be, to the Milliways outdoors. Yes, the speed trials in the garage were pretty entertaining, but he'd like to get an idea of what Barsoomian engineering can do to his ride in open air conditions before taking this thing home.

Wanna come see what a radium drive can do?

Comments

[tesla_bot]

Yes please!

"I'm betting the glowing bits are after market?"

[hecu_marine]

"Courtesy of the Regent of the Royal Helium Academy of Sciences, a-yup," says Shephard. "Dejah's people call it a radium drive, but I'll be fucked if it's anything at all like any fuckin' radiological I ever had to learn to deal with. Sure as shit don't turn a dosimeter black, that's for goddamn certain."

[tesla_bot]

"Well that's a nice change from something with an innocent name that's actually trying to kill you," says Robo, "You looking for someone to explain what happened to your next of kin when you try it out?"

Robo's flown aircraft designed to operate in the 'not exploding - yet' portion of their performance envelope and pushed them up against the second part. He's not judging, he's just asking.

[hecu_marine]

"Did some preliminary testing downstairs, so I know it ain't gonna explode straight off," says Shephard, "but I reckon I ought to get better idea of just how much it's capable of before regrettable shit starts happening. My next of kin don't come here, but my commander in chief does. You know a Ms. Alyx Vance at all?"

[makesthings]

Sameth's tired when he comes into Milliways and heads outside as he's had a long day in court.

When he sees Shephard's motorcycle he stares and then smiles, "That's beautiful."

[hecu_marine]

"Ain't she just?" Shephard looks up, grinning. "This here's 'bout the second or third time she's been rebuilt. I got to say, she's sure as fuck takin' it mighty well."

[makesthings]

He gets closer to look but doesn't touch, "A fine machine wants to be the best they can be."

[hecu_marine]

"Damn straight," says Shephard. "Now, that ain't the engine she came from the factory with- it ain't even Earth make. Woman I met here designed that whole fuckin' thing and showed me how to put it in'n do maintenance on it."

[runningred]

Jay has the batbike back up and running and pulls it up next to Shephard's bike. "Be still my beating heart! What's running that beauty?"

[hecu_marine]

"This," says Shephard, "is what happens when you start talkin' shop with the Regent of the Royal Helium Academy of Sciences. They make fuckin' impressive shit on Barsoom."

He grins and adds, "Only ever tried her out down in the garage. Reckoned I'd better give it a try up where the ground ain't all perfect and there's wind and shit to contend with."

[runningred]

"You're not kidding! Man, it's beautiful! What sort of speeds do you get out of it?" He crouches next to the bike, tilting his head back and forth to take it all in.

[hecu_marine]

"Ain't too sure yet," says Shephard. "Roads back home're shit and I live in mountain country with a fuckton of forest. All the open ground's got late season crops in it. Garage don't count, that's indoors and no wind. Reckoned this's likely to be as close as I git to salt flats for testing."

[mix_it_up]

Asami is making an effort not to stare at ... whatever is there where she thinks the engine should be.

But she's not doing that great a job of it.

"That's an - interesting motorcycle." She can be sure of that much, anyway.

[hecu_marine]

"Ain't it just?" Shephard grins crookedly. "Used to be a respectable li'l 1989 Buell RS1200. Seventy horsepower, twelve hunnert cubic centimeter air-cooled engine, top speed around a hunnert'n twenty. Used to be."

[mix_it_up]

"Does that make this an upgrade?"

Because that's not the engine she's seeing.

[hecu_marine]

"Not just an upgrade, a complete and total replacement," says Shephard. "This here's engine technology from a world name of Barsoom- folks back home call it Mars, but that's their problem. The lady who got me set up with it calls it a radium drive, 'n says most everything they got in the way of vehicles on Barsoom runs off of this kind of thing."

"You familiar with bike engines at all, ma'am?"

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah had gone for a walk down by the lakeside when she recognized the sound of the radium drive spun up. Shep was testing the bike, which of course, meant she had to come and watch. She wasn't sure the dirt track here possessed the proper qualities for a top speed test run, but no matter.

She raised a hand and waved to him as he came in from the latest pass.

"You're having fun. What's the top speed so far?"

[hecu_marine]

Shephard's learned a bit more about his stopping distances by now, so he doesn't overshoot Dejah's position by too much. He shakes his hand out as he says, "Somethin' close to a hunnert-forty, hunnert-fifty. Speedometer ain't what you'd call up for speeds much beyond that, so I been doin' what I can with a stopwatch."

[dejah_thoris]

"Miles per hour, yes?" She's already doing the calculations in her head, her gaze cutting up and to the left. "Yes, that's acceptable for this terrain. How's the stability?"

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck's seen Shephard running around on his glowing blue motorcycle; hell, he even yelled him some encouragement while tinkering on Tacit Ronin. (He'd only picked up it was a motorcycle from conversation. From Tacit's Conn-pod, it's just a glow-y blue streak.)

This is the first time he's seen up-close, though.

"Huh," Chuck says. "It's flash-y, I'll give it that."

[hecu_marine]

"Ain't it just?" says Shephard, grinning. "Quieter than I like, but shit, I c'n make up for that later if I got to. It just don't feel the same if I ain't got a proper engine roar goin' on. Radium drive like this just hums."

[andinfluencepeople]

"I feel real bad for you," Chuck offers, but there's no bite to it, as he crouches down to look at the engine. He's going to be very pleased if Shephard drives around making 'vroom' noises, though, no kidding. "You're sure this thing isn't radioactive?"

It's glowing blue, and is called 'radium,' he's just a little fucking suspicious.

[abitofawildman]

"Shep," Bumi says as he makes his way over towards where Adrian is standing next to the...glowing blue bike.

"I don't want to alarm you, but I think your motorbike is attempting to enter the Avatar State."

[hecu_marine]

"What, this?" Shephard looks down. "Naw, it's supposed to do that. Friend of mine from a whole 'nother world called Barsoom's been helpin' me overhaul it. They call it a radium drive."

Pause.

"I ain't too sure what they got in the way of spirits or such on Barsoom, tell you the truth. Reckon Dejah would've told me if that was gonna be a danger."

[abitofawildman]

Bumi looks at Shep, then down to the bike, and then back to Shep again...only this time he has a single bushy eyebrow raised in question.

"How close are you with this Dejah?"