Mew and the Battle of 1999. Guest starring Mentat
Wernerus glanced around the room, putting away his scanner. "Grinding trees into pulp, shaping that pulp, and then using ground rock shaped into a fast-drying fluid to draw words onto that shaped and dried pulp, again and again. Books."
He shook his head as he drew a light, and a small bit of rope. "Give me a computer, advance it, and I look forward to the day when no one really knows why anyone ever did this."
He checked his light, and this time he tied it to his rifle. "Physics are physics, ma'am, no matter where you are. It's all about trying to figure out why they line up the way they do. If your...what is that, an old fashioned kinetic firearm? Very nice - reliable, if you've got nothing better. Runs out of ammo too fast for my tastes, but some sportsmen use them when they want to make every shot count."
"The point is, if it isn't firing, it's because of something logical, not because 'the magic won't let you.' That thing should never fail, unless you fail it. Maintenance and practice are your friends." Warnerus was clearly not grasping this idea of things outside of science.
He stayed close to the wall as he moved his light across the gloom, trying to see threats or movement before it could get too close to him.