Kairos vs a unicorn who thinks they're clever with their TK:

It's easy to say that Gideon thawed out at the perfect time to rebuild, but for him, personally, it took a while to see it that way. From his perspective, he was on ice 180 years longer than he was supposed to be. He'd hoped to reconnect with people, friends and loved ones, who made it into Stables as soon as the rads mostly died down, but now they're all long dead. He woke up to a new world he was completely alone in. Everyone he knew was gone.

So he's very detached for a long while, focusing on what he can do in his current situation. Essentially becomes a workaholic. It takes years for him to start developing personal relationships with anyone beyond business partners and subordinates. Eventually, he does start thinking about the future, his own mortality, what will become of his legacy... He decides to start a family. Gideon does his best not to be pushy about it, but he does encourage his children to be Talons so one might take his place as Major some day.
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She'd never get to look at the Icarus cannons up close, unless she became a thoroughly vetted full-time lead engineer at Ashfall, but Leigh might be interested in working on the Archimedes heavy laser turret grid as a private tech. Its targeting system, specifically. A complicated mix of S.A.T.S., radar, thermals, and even biometric acoustics. Those guns can lock on to a squirrel's heartbeat.

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It really is due to Wash being an abnormally principled and self-sacrificial person, but she does realize it's unfair of her to expect that from others. She'd legitimately choose starving in the wastes over being part of Fillydelphia, purely because that is the moral option. She'd struggle to at first, but she'd come to accept that Kaz and so many others just couldn't do the same, so long as they at least admit it was wrong.
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If those NCR scientists learn the connection between the ever-burning Raptor and Yangtze, they'll probably take even greater interest in her. Replicating her powers into some sort of necromantic reactor, akin to what Red Eye's engineers were trying to make, would be an irresistible proposition for the New Canterlot Republic and its constantly expanding energy needs.

Though, Yangtze would try to argue that the NCR is shooting themselves in the foot by industrializing at all. That the more they rely on machines and the resources they consume, the faster history will repeat itself.

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Even if Oasis didn't have anything to offer the NCR, the NCR might be tempted to annex them anyway if their borders were expanding that way or would envelop Oasis. That would make things complicated I'm sure, though if it turned out to be a losing proposition for both parties then the NCR could always leave them as an independent but encircled territory or protectorate. Military protection and trade would be things that the NCR could offer them if nothing else, but whether they'd get anything useful back from the trading is a different question I suppose.

I can imagine that NCR scientists would also be quite interested in that raptor...

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Oh boy, that opinion about volunteers in Fillydelphia would be unpopular with most of the Talons, though it's understandable from an outside perspective and arguably not wrong. Even Kaz would probably be upset by hearing that in a "you weren't there so what do you know?" sort of way. I'm actually not sure what Kaz would have done if he knew what he was really signing up for and could go back and redo that part of his life. At a purely moral level he'd have to agree that joining Talon Company was almost impossible to justify, but at the same time he really had no other realistic options. He might have ended up dead out in the wasteland if he got kicked out of Oatsfield for being a deadbeat with no money and no prospects for getting any.

Or he'd have possibly ended up like Masque at best. Not much of a way to live, though having a clear conscience is worth something.

And I could see that being true, regarding what the Daisies say about MEWs being one of the most painful ways to die. Akin to being burned alive, I'm sure. It would be over briefly as a small mercy, but that's a small mercy indeed.

Masque sneaking into Fillydelphia with Daisy:
i.imgflip.com/8qfdmn.jpg
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I really wish I had made Rosegold way more of a sarcastic smartass.

"I love work. I could sit and watch it all day."