Bands of mourning *Spoilers*

[Random1000x100]

The Primer Cube. Any idea how it functions? The Cube can only extend allomancy for a few seconds, eg during the fight at the warehouse where Marasi throws the cube at the hazekillers attacking Wax, and yet it can power the flying ship for such a long distance?? How does that work?

[Pagerunner he/him]

It will work for as long as ettmetal is providing power. There's a small amount of it in the cube, enough to power a few seconds worth. The ships have larger stores, which will continue to provide power. The ettmetal in the cubes is just enough to hold the 'charge' between the Allomancer or Feruchemist and the larger ettmetal power source.

[natc]

As I understand it, judging from the name "primer cube", you steelpush with the cube on you to make it start steelpushing itself, then you stick it into the slot where it contacts the actual block of ettmetal that powers the ship, which then starts steelpushing too.

Don't want water on the engine and all, gotta keep it covered. I'd imagine that the primer cube only does short bursts due to some sort of built-in timed shutdown to stop it from being burned away too fast. The ship itself can be shut off at will, so there must be a way to do that. Raw ettmetal possibly goes on forever.

Edited May 9, 2016 by natc

[kenod]

Please put this in the BoM sub forum the next time.

[Nyali she/her]

It's like the starter for a car. You don't want it to keep going, you want it to provide the burst needed to start the engine and then stop. If it keeps going, it'll waste the starter material to not useful effect. As natc said, that's why it cuts out quickly. And why it's relatively safe in water.