By Ada Herschel, Science and Technology

15/4/282- When Argathal Gladstone first began showing up in the news nearly two years ago, you couldn’t be blamed for not taking him seriously. His claims to take down what he called the ‘Blackwood Tyranny’ and subsequent failed attempt to cross into Nor Easter for the Industry and Innovation Conference, only to miss it by several months, are the things humorous scientific foot notes are made of.

Gladstone’s newest invention, however, is no laughing matter. Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s still kind of a laughing matter, but has the potential to be something serious.

“We received word that the wayward inventor had returned to Crowndon at the beginning of spring,” said Captain Marshal Warden, an officer with the Crowndon infantry division responsible for policing the region known as the Middle of Nowhere. “I figured we should head on out there, to check and make sure he wasn’t building an anti-matter engine or some such thing.”

What Captain Warden found wasn’t anything of the like, but Gladstone was working on a new contraption.

“It was a little ball, with a propeller. Doesn’t sound very fancy, I know, and when he demonstrated it to us it lifted up into the air and crashed, setting a nearby bale of hay on fire. A tiny robot with a water hose tried to put the fire out, but that malfunctioned as well and we ultimately had to intervene to extinguish the flames. Still, despite this catastrophic malfunction, the tiny flying ball intrigued me.

“There are all sorts of applications that such a device, provided it was functional, could fulfill. Gladstone told us it was his intention to attach a spade to the device, so he could pilot it up and clean out the gutters of his home. I, however, am thinking much more militarily in nature.”

Captain Warden returned to his garrison, where they informed the commanding officer of their discovery.

“Colonel Donovan laughed at the story,” Captain Warden said. “But once I told him a few of my ideas, he started listening. We are currently in the process of trying to secure Mister Gladstone’s original plans for the device, as well as a military patent. Mister Gladstone, however, is proving to be more litigious than we would have thought at first glance. He wants to be brought onto the development as chief engineer. We’ve agreed…to an extent.”

The Captain added that they plan on showing a prototype at this year’s IIC.