Saturday March 17, 2001
Book 1: The Tub of Happiness — Bounty Hunting
The "Dorothy System" of which Tagon speaks is a simple mechanical weapon. Click your heels together, and a carbonan cable will spool out between them. This ultratensile carbon wire will cut through just about anything. To wield the weapon, you simply arrange to have whatever it is you want cut pass between your feet.

The system was named after an ancient entertainment program in which the heroine, Dorothy, possessed a pair of magic slippers. She would click her heels together and say "There's no place like home." With this weapon you need not utter any magic words, although most folks who use the weapon end up saying "eeeww," or something to that effect.

Transcript

Tagon: Thank you for repairing my sidearm, commander. Would you care to look at my personal weapons, and see if they were damaged?
Kevyn: Sure, what have you got?
Tagon: well, there's a dorothy system in this boot.
Kevyn: He nailed it. Looks like the nanospool won't deploy. I can fix.
Tagon: what about my epaulet-grenade?
Kevyn: it's inert now. I'll recharge it for you.
Schlock: You get grenades in those little things? I'll wear a shirt for that kind of perk.
Tagon: You don't get epaulets until you reach lieutenant, sergeant schlock.