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Chapter 64 - Self Configuring Modular Robot[]
"She wants to publish!!
...and that material should be Classified!" Nondi Steiner might not be the Marshall of the Armies, she might be retired, but she's still a member of the royal household, and a bit of a fixture on Tharkad, serving in a sense as the voice of the politically conservative Lords and Ladies of the Commonwealth.
"I know." Her Majesty said, "and I understand the desire to keep an advantage..."
"Then you'll classify it?" Nondi prodded.
"No." Melissa states
"Melissa! That material is potentially a weapon-", Nondi begins to argue
"It's pure science." Hans Davion, the Royal consort when he's here on Tharkad, but still First Prince of the Federated Suns state, interjected. "Pure Science, Nondi...and according to Banzai, it could be a fluke, or fail in peer-testing, only guess who has the only facility that can run the necessary experiment?"
"Who?"
"We do." he said, "Elizabeth's extrapolation of Kearney and Fuchida's equations can't be tested on something smaller-at least, not yet, and we're the only realm or alliance of realms that has the necessary equipment. She publishes? So what?? Takahashi's being invaded by the Clans. The Leaguers might be able to attempt it-in ten or twenty years, depending on how many civil wars they have. Their also facing other factors such as; How long they can pay attention to building it, never mind staffing it. Need I go on? They can look at the pretty equations and theorize, but we're the only nation with the means to test and develop it."
"Eros." Nondi said.
"Blew up when they tried it." Hans reminded her, "They didn't rebuild that site, Jumpships already worked well enough for the colonization boom. as it sits, it's a nice piece of theoretical high-energy physics that exactly ONE player in the Inner Sphere-the Federated Commonwealth- is actually capable of developing anything out of. I agree with Mel, we let her publish, it's a piece of significant National Prestige." He gave a sardonic smirk, "Cheer up, Ardan thinks we should classify the hell out of the data too."