Malakaus nodded his head as Sharee said her part, however there was some points that he wanted to clarify. [b]"While I will defer to your expertise when it comes to alchemical formulas, like you mentioned with the ebony, I'm working on the premises that I don't have an infinite budget. I thought the Fire Salt and Charcoal powder was a break through because Charcoal is dirt cheap, and I have a steady source for Fire Salts. I don't know where we can get a steady supply of those other materials you've mentioned, and at best they would be saved for much higher quality ammunition rather than what I'd just give to the crew."[/b] He'd have to get notes from Three-Horns about the exact properties of the blasting powder he made, but the point was that making it was cheap and wouldn't require too much specialized knowledge to have say, Fletcher make it. Still, if Sharee can improve the blasting powder, than Malakaus would have reason to create better Boom Sticks to accompany the stronger mixture.

When Sharee mentioned trying to combine the Boom Stick with a blade, Malakaus cringed. [b]"I suppose I could try to figure out a way to attach a dagger or a short sword to the end of the stick, but to make the entire Boom Stick into a.... Boom Sword... It's hard enough to teach a man how to handle a normal sword for self-defense, making the Boom Stick into a Boom Sword sounds rather cumbersome. I assure you captain, while I can't say we'll have access to ebony, I can make due with lesser materials. Of course I'll have to look over the design much more thoroughly in order to perfect it's full ability, but the point here isn't the melee, but the range. With these Boom Sticks, I can give to anyone in the crew regardless of their experience, and they will be able to kill from afar with it. We wouldn't need to board ships or teach everyone how to use bows and arrows. If I can figure out how to do this, I may even be able to create smaller versions that can be held in a single hand, allowing a fighter to use two of them, or one of my Boom Sticks with a sword. I'll just need access to the right materials and more research on the bullets themselves. Which I've hoped that you can help me with."[/b]