Super Robot Quest

1352, 15 August A.D. 2072
Carlson Laboratories

"...so anyways, that demonstration is how I lost my Unity Station researcher privileges!"

Sam blinks. "Huh. So that's how that sorted out. I kind of figured they would've canned you before the-" He stops as he sees you approaching. "Heya, John! Come check this joker out." Grabbing at the man's shoulders, Sam pulled him in to introduce him. "Victor Forge, John Devin, John Devin, Victor Forge."

"Charmed!" Victor Forge is a portly, but sharply dressed man. He strikes you as typical of the 'jolly old man' type - broad smile, bright cheery eyes behind a pair of spectacles, and a constant grin on his face. Yet as you move to pull away from shaking his hand-

-the hand not only refuses to release its grip, it all but pops out of his wrist!

You just blink, holding the hand up as you look at it calmly. "...uh." The hand, on closer inspection, seems made out of what feels like a strange mix between plastic and metal, yet it feels reassuringly solid. The wrist at the end, however, seems to be constantly in flux, almost like pixels constantly fading in and out of visual range. A moment later, the whole hand disappears, only to reappear on Victor's previously disattached wrist.

"Oh, you're no fun!" Yet Victor is still chortling heartily, even as his other hand is already passing credit bills into Sam's extended hand. "That party trick usually gets a stronger reaction out of people!"

"He's used to it," Sam says. Well, he's not wrong, you kind of are.

"I take it these are the nanites at work?" you ask.

"Very, very, very tiny version of it," Victor confirms, holding his fingers slightly apart from one another for emphasis. "This is a very limited version of the Polymorph Nanites." He holds out his hand again, and only now do you realize that he seems to have to think about it before the hand begins to move. It grips, then releases slowly as he twists it about. "It's about what you expect - enough small machines are pre-fed materials, and are pre-programmed into specific functions. Fairly energy intensive, and both inflexible and the most flexible thing you'll ever find. I had hoped to market it, but..."

"Incident. Got it." By now, you're realizing this is just a common trend, and you just roll with it. "But this seems really solid, and I know a few engineering officers that would've killed to have something like this on demand."

"There's the rub, isn't it?" Victor simply shrugs and spreads his arms apologetically. "There's also practical limitations I have. Once you have it all set up, it's fairly plug and play. But it's really energy intensive, both for setup, and for actual use." To demonstrate, he pulls up his sleeve, and reveals a somewhat bulky battery strapped to his forearm. He flicks it off, and the nanites all disperse, leaving a clawed prosthetic arm in its place. "It also requires a solid frame to build a skeleton off of."

"How strong is it?"

"How strong do you want it to be?" he counters. "And how much energy are you willing to put into it?"

You pause, thinking that over. "Giant robot-grade limbs?"you ask. "Changing components? Engine parts, moving pieces?"

"Entirely possible. But also probably enough to suck up a years' worth of power for a rural town." He holds up a clawed finger. "Like I said, though, it's really durable and tough. If you're willing to put in the investment for it, you could probably create preprogrammed setups for regenerating hull strength. Actual regeneration would depend on how much power is available, mind - and I'd love to experiment with more powerful computer systems to see if more complex formations could be possible."

"So long as you're not going to prank the faculty staff again," Sam jabs at him.

"Lies and slander, good sir!" All seriousness fades away as Victor turns towards Sam in faux indignation. "I have a rock solid alibi for that incident, and they can never prove that I preprogammed that many drones to specifically play-!"

You simply back away while the conversation picks up again before you can listen to something possibly incriminating, and you just shake your head towards Anna as she raises her eyebrows. No you don't want to know.

---

You have some time after everything calms down. The impromptu party at least was fun, but now you have to knuckle down and figure out what your final decision would be. You can probably get away with poaching one or two of the experts, but you owe Lenora Jenkins the unorthodox expertise she needs to make her brawler Super Robot a success.

So, what will it be?

Choose One from each category!

[] Faedium: DFRI
[] Faedium: Ground Pound

[] Fulgur Particles: DFRI
[] Fulgur Particles: Ground Pound

[] Polymorph Nanites: DFRI
[] Polymorph Nanites: Ground Pound