09.02.3013: Forging on With Science
Summary: Ariana visits Brigham at his lab to give him a report on Sarah 113 of 158.
Date: 1 September 2013
Related: Hostile Relations
Ariana Brigham 


Brigham's Laboratory — Nether Keep, Khar-Mordune
Brigham's scary lab with far more science things in here than anyone can imagine.
02 September 3013

The door to the lab is cracked open today, and the rhythmic Bongtinktinktinktink, Bongtinktinktink, of a hammer and anvil can be heard from that crack. From her previous visit Ari will know the forge is all the way across the lab, which means nearly a hundred and fifty yard walk before she would likely be able to get the lab's owners attention with a shout. Forge work isn't quiet work after all.

Obviously, Ariana rings first, though with Brigham so engrossed in his work and she knowing full well that he would found in his lab, rather than turn away, she simply enters through the already opened door. The sounds of hammering is what leads her all the way back towards the forge, but not without her giving a curious look to this and that at various science things she must pass by on her way there. Standing politely near the entrance to the forge area, she calls out, "Lord Brigham?" Like always, when she ventures into one laboratory or other, she is dressed in her science whites.

Brigham is dressed in a leather apron and elbow gloves, a pair of goggle like things over his eyes as he hammers away with a steady almost meditative pace at a length of pink glowing steel. The first shout isn't heard, nor is the second, but the third makes a pause in the hammering and he turns his head to look about curiously. A grin splits his soot stained face when he spots Ari and he turns back to quench his work in a tough of oil before moving it over to water, filling the air with steam and the hissing sizzling sounds. After a few seconds of that he sticks the metal back in the coals of the furnace to keep it warm but not HOT and then pulls the goggles up over his head, his sweat dampened hair sticking up every way imaginable as they find a place to rest atop his skull. "What brings you down under the mountain?" he asks gleefully, reaching out to snag up a rag which he uses to start wiping down his face.

Ariana knows all to well the importance of wearing goggles during experiments such as this, so as a scientist, she comes prepared. Lowering her own goggles down for a moment, she simply watches as Brigham pounds away at the glowing steel. Though it seems that her words have caught his attention. "I am curious as to what creation you are working on today, My Lord." She then gives the laboratory a once-over with her eyes when she states in a monotone, "Obviously, I'm not here to sight see." Yes, to her, this place is still just a mountain! "I've brought some news regarding Doctor Hadrian Orelle's findings. I thought you may find this interesting."

Brigham nods his head and pulls the apron off and tosses it onto a nearby hook affixed to a stone spur. He then continues to wipe the sweat from himself. For a small guy he's remarkably… um… formed. All lean sinewy muscle like fine cables stretched under his skin. Blacksmithing seems to do wonders for him, "I'm crafting a mace for myself. It's been brought to my attention that I don't take self defense seriously enough," he pointedly turns to look at the almost thirty foot tall rocket casing for a missile sitting upright in the center of his lab, "so I have to train more or Father is threatening to cut my allowance." and then who's going to pay for all his toys?!? Well… prolly his patents, but he doesn't really want to find out if that'll be enough. "So." he says, looking more excited and trying to find a shirt, "What have you got for me?"

Unlike some other women, perhaps, Ariana doesn't seem to really notice a man's physique overly much. In fact, for the most part, her eyes are kept diverted as she continues to study all of the interesting things that can be found within this single lab. "Self-defense..?" That even gets a lift of her brow and those judgmental eyes finally do seek Brigham out to gauge how well he would do in melee combat. "Well, it wouldn't do to have your allowance cut, now would it? How else are you going to complete any of these things?" She subtly gestures with a hand to their surroundings, but soon enough, her tone sobers when he asks of what Hadrian had found. "It seems that our guest, Sarah One-One-Three of One-Five-Eight could very well be a possible… clone of an Ibrahm Sergeant who was MIA in the Second System War. Her name was Sergeant Sarah Owens. They have a near identical genetic match."

Brigham isn't aware he /has/ a physique, so that works out well. "I could rely on my patents, but honestly I'm not very good at finances. People seem to apply to much value to things or no importance and no value to things of great importance. Which I suppose is what comes of letting politicians runs things." he laments the eternal scientists lament. Cloning she says…. He perks up instantly, "Fascinating." he says, pulling down an eye sore shirt from a hook that he has to jump up a bit to reach. He manages to get it without tearing it, though why there's a hook that high to begin with is a question for another time, "If their biological sciences out strip our own as much as their cybernetic sciences, we're in greater danger then I would have thought." he waves a hand for her to continue.

Perhaps realizing that Brigham does look surprisingly strong for who he is, Ariana mildly comments, "If one can wield a hammer, one could very well be deadly with a mace." That said, she does find it a bit amusing when the wee scientist has to actually jump up to secure an ugly shirt for himself. She could very well have offered to help with that, but eventually, he gets it without too much of a hitch. Ah yes, cloning. The tall Larent scientist nods slowly for a moment, "Yes, that is one of our concerns and Doctor Hadrian Orelle has voiced his opinion that we need the freedom to run more invasive tests. Even collecting more specimens to work on. However, Sir Victor Khournas wasn't too enthusiastic about this, especially the idea of keeping the Hostile alive rather than slaying them outright on the battlefield."

Brigham nods his head, "My thought exactly, and I also think the lethality of a mace is greatly underestimated, especially against an armored opponent." he then scritches his chin, "I admit to being emotionally compromised originally, a new state of being for me. I did not approve of it at all. I'm better now. I see the wisdom in keeping it alive but only so long as it provides us useful information. Eventually it's secrets will be stripped from it and at that point it will have out lived it's usefulness."

Still observing the small scientist through the lens of her goggles which she continues to wear, Ariana's lips purse tightly in a moment as a sign of displeasure. More than likely, she is not displeased by anything which Brigham had said, but merely at one of her own thoughts. This she then shares, "I believe that Doctor Hadrian is working to put together a petition for these invasive studies which should be brought forward before the Crown Council. However, I do not know if they will approve of it or not, so I have been trying to gather some support and backing for this project in the hopes that such permission actually gets approved." Taking a few pacing steps to the right, she pauses there before she speaks, "Sergeant Sarah Owens has at least one living relative who remains."

Brigham nods his head, "If it would help assign my name to the project, though my reputation is somewhat…. shakey." he smirks. He's not /completely/ unselfaware. He then blinks, "What does that have to do anything? Sergeant Owens is long dead."

"I shall pass your name along to Doctor Hadrian then. He does have other plans that may be considered biological and technological warfare in regards to the Hostile and their cybernetics, perhaps." Ariana relays. "I thought that such a project may be of great interest to you as well." When Brigham looks surprised by her bringing up the missing soldier's relative, the Larent maiden shakes her head, "Usually, when such a thing is brought up, it draws out some anger within people. Sometimes apprehension as well. Though, I am curious as to what Sarah One-One-Three would think if it knew that there might be a human amongst us who could very well be 'family' to them." Her shoulders lift in a non-chalant manner, "Though I'm sure that they very well know this and simply do not give it much thought."

Brigham shakes his head, "Biological warfare would be counter productive, not only would it escalate the war exponentially but anything that would attack them would attack us as well. And frankly, I'm not certain I wish to attempt a bio-war with a culture that's already mastered the art of human cloning. We would be bringing rocks and sticks to a blaster fight." he starts to pace as he considers.

Ariana ponders this for a moment, "Doctor Hadrian is hoping to work on disrupting and… then some, the Hostile through their cybernetics. Of course, this may be a topic that you are more familiar with than I." Curiously, she toys with some gadget on a nearby table, though makes certain as to not press any red buttons! "What do /you/ think of cloning, My Lord? If we ever get that point, where we have the ability to clone ourselves, these clones…would they ever be considered an actual person or merely used as fodder in our military?" She turns slightly to view Brigham as she awaits his response.

Brigham eyes her, "A man is a man no matter how he came into being." he says simply, "What difference does it make if he was grown in a tube, altered by genetic science, implanted in a woman, or thrust into being in some primitive sweaty mating ritual? It doesn't." he answers his own question, "Cloning by it's nature is a flawed science however, every copy of a copy of a copy will have a continual waterfall effect of flaws, each generation less then the one that came before it. DNA is remarkably resilient however, so likely these flaws wouldn't be worth mentioning in the first generation, or even the first four. But by the fifth DNA degradation would be to great to overcome. Assuming they don't have a massive store of Originator DNA kept on hand, there can only be so many runs of a clone line." he continues to pace and waves his own words away, "Irrelevant, there's no solution there. They've more then enough POW's to clone entire races of warriors at this point, we can't hope to win a war of attrition in that manner. Useless line of thought. Moving on. Cybernetics…" he has that 'tone', the 'I'm thinking aloud now and lost in my own head' tone that indicated either she needs to leave or shake him back to the here and now.

"Hmmm." Ariana murmurs to herself, listening to Brigham explain his own theory on cloning to her. Returning back to her prodding and tinkering, she then states, "It's a little odd that they do possess some sort of family unit, with the selecting their 'offspring' by genetic makeup and caste genomes." She could go on and on without realizing that Brigham is in one of is 'states'. Though, when there is no response, she finally takes pause to look upon the man. "I see that you are busy, My Lord." Lowering herself into a quick curtsey, she begins her journey out of the large laboratory, finally lifting her goggles when she draws further from the forge. "We shall speak again."

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