By this point, Eisen French looked troubled too. "Actually, you want us to use this paint formula to develop follow-up products, right? But our firm's strongest fields are engineering and control systems. We've only just started in chemical materials."
"What did Shi AA and the others say?"
"They're very interested. They even said the formula's structure is a work of art. But that's precisely why it's hard to make changes to it. If we had more information, we might be able to run more thorough simulations using mathematical models."
"Couldn't you just simulate it in the field?"
"Wouldn't that make us look like we were trying to save money?"
Well, Shi AA and his little space-slug buddies really were good kids who knew how to live within their means!
"Since it's called New Jade Gate Special Coating No. 16, doesn't that mean there were fifteen before it?" Eisen asked.
Yu Lian couldn't help sneaking a glance at Little Gray, who was watching the show nearby. At some point, she'd changed into a shabby T-shirt and jeans, tied a headband around her head, painted her face with war paint, and even put on a pair of sunglasses. She stood by the control console, vigorously waving a wooden placard.
It prominently displayed slogans like "Down with war profiteers," "Technology nurtures civilization," "War destroys civilization," and "The fertile soil of technology has given rise to the evil flower of war."
...A scrolling subtitle on a wooden placard was a bit jarring.
Also, what kind of first-generation white-left social activist were you supposed to be? That look was way too on the nose.
Yu Lian replied with a perfectly straight face, "No. There's only this one. I just wanted our enemies, and anyone else with ulterior motives, to make the same mistake you did.