"Maybe. ...should we work on this—large scale, that is—before or after you turn?"

"Research and prototyping before, maybe start buying real estate and doing paperwork, go big after."

"Sounds like a plan. What sorts of paperwork would we need?"

"Incorporate as a company. Buy real estate. Start arranging employees. Publicity. Sign on to a trade guild, shipping and store contracts, regulatory work to try and get computers classed in our favor, building contacts."

"Problem is that if we do all that before you turn it'll all be frozen for about a year—perhaps less, I heard the Empire was managing newborns better and they said it was because of advance notice, but."

"Doing things in person isn't as necessary as you might think. But I see the point. Maybe just, get a solid run of research and a couple prototypes and use the adjustment period to refine, refine, refine. When we're not enjoying each other anyway."

She giggles. "It's going to be great."

"Okay. So let's brainstorm on how to make a transistor. We need silicon and a way to P and N dope it and we probably need precise metalworking tools and various chemistry things, you have way more detail in that eidetic noggin than I do at this point."

"Yeah. How would one go about getting those resources here? Like, silicon and stuff? Back where I'm from computers are already an established industry, so..."

"We'll probably have to ask a mining company. Or a Fate. I don't really want to try the second thing."

"Is silicon mined for anything, here?"

"Glass. Ceramic and brick additive, apparently it makes good thermal properties."

"Right, glass, should've thought they'd get it pure rather than just melting sand."

"Melting is involved. I'm not sure of the details."

"Oh well. We can figure it out, and I can become a multimillionaire using magic and all will be well."

"Yep! For today though - let's go show this to Kale, close enough to done, and he'll want to chat about it for a couple hours probably and after that I should probably relax and sleep."

"Oh he's still around? I thought we were gonna show him it tomorrow. Sure, let's do that."

"Office hours from six to eight. Let's go."

He starts walking, heading upstairs.

She follows, naturally.

Professor Kale looks tired.

After saying he's got something new and interesting, and two minutes of explaining the dynamic memory concept, he looks utterly fascinated.

"And you say more advances like this have been made where you're from, Sadde?"

"Yyyep, this is barely scratching the surface."

"...Do you two know about our graduate student program?"

"I know basically nothing about your education system other than what I've been able to extrapolate from what Terel has told me," and when saying Terel's name her face momentarily melts into an expression of complete adoration, "and what analogous systems we have in my world."

"Essentially, the department gives you honorifics and resources like the library and lab space and lets you into advanced classes more easily if you produce sufficiently academically promising results. Which these are."

"There's industry startup assistance programs too, yes?"

"Yes. I don't know a whole lot about those off the top of my head, you'd need to talk to Debra."