After a satisfying lunch, news came down that the experts had dropped by to make some adjustments. The documents that Gemini had brought earlier were ones that focused on a more stable foundation for the mass driver, which turned out to be easier to handle than expected.
The solution, as it turned out, was to dump even more soil onto the struts that supported the tracks, before hardening them with a liberal application of qi. It wasn’t anything novel, but this was the first time that over two hundred thousand cubic metres of soil had been brought over from the area around Ark City.
“Looks like Chamberlain’s going to start cursing,” Degurechaff commented idly.
“Why?” Lila asked.
“Well, we just made Ark City a few hundred tonnes heavier, and it’s not spread out either,” said the general. “Those painstaking calculations he made to find out the minimum number of Thruster artefacts needed just got screwed over big time.”
“Maybe I should help,” said Gemini. “I’m rather good at these things, after all.”
“And help him slack off? No, I think not. Besides, Chamberlain’s excellent at these things. It’ll take him a day or two, but that’ll be it.”
Lila made an odd noise. “…you guys are monsters.”
“You’re not good with math?” Degurechaff asked.
“I don’t think this is math anymore,” she replied. “It’s just self-flagellation. And besides, there’s a reason I’m still a Scholar…”
“That’s why you should work hard and become a Lord or a Sage,” said Gemini. “These calculations become easier as you advance in the hierarchy of lifeforms. Generally, Paragons can solve dizzying equations in a minute or two.”
“Even for cheaters like you,” Degurechaff chimed in.
“Hey!”
The general sidestepped his grab. “I’m not lying, am I? Constellations are cheaters at life, right?”
“You don’t have to point it out in front of everyone!” Gemini straightened his face. “Let’s drop this topic. Want to watch the test, Lila?”
“Sure, but is it dangerous?”
The general exchanged looks with Gemini. After a moment or so, Degurechaff said, “Well, other than the first one, we haven’t had any injuries. Of course, even if it works, it’s the first maiden flight of the Acheron, so…”
“It might blow up, or fall apart in mid-air,” Gemini completed. “In all due seriousness, however, being by my side is probably the safest place. We have Lords on standby to prevent damage to the residential areas, but there’s still risk.”
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“Alright, then.” She reached into her bag. “There’s some snacks here. We can eat some while watching the show.”
Gemini considered her words for a moment. “Sounds good. Besides, I’m not aware of the safety measures here, so my participation might be an issue. Good luck, general!”
“You lovebirds…” The general muttered something under his breath, before storming off towards the launch site. Gemini pulled Lila along, and looked around at the place interestedly. He had been here a few times, but the scenery had a penchant for changing rapidly and in rather unexpected methods. In line with their new safety regulations, a shelter with an arched ceiling had been construction, but two renditions ago, the shelter for workers was underground.
And for the Mass Driver, First Edition, only General Degurechaff was within one kilometre of the entire set up. The track, back then, had been set up outside Ark City, but it had collapsed ten seconds in the first launch of the Acheron, and the whole experiment ended on the spot.
“I wonder if the track’s going to hold this time,” said Gemini.
“From the sheer amount of compact soil around the pillars…it might work!” Lila smiled. “And then we can sit in that!”
She pointed at the Acheron, which was essentially a spaceship in Earth’s fictional works. It was yet another brainchild of the Memory Sifter, a brainchild of hers that was a few years old. Gemini was surprised to hear that the prototype was constructed long ago, capable of holding around two hundred thousand people.
It wasn’t much, considering that there was, based on the latest census, twenty times that many people in Ark City. But in typical governmental fashion, a manufacturing line had been set up eagerly in the middle of the Second Extermination before any verification that the prototype could work as promised.
“Which was why,” said Gemini, “this Mass Driver thing was created. On its own, the Acheron could fly, but it would take days before it could reach a respectable speed. But with this Mass Driver…”
“But what’s going to happen to Ark City?” Lila asked.
“Beats me. Maybe the Memory Sifter has a way to make it really small.” Gemini shrugged. “But if the Congress could build one Ark City, they sure could build another one if push came to shove. It just depends on how motivated they are.”
Lila made a cute little noise that made Gemini want to hug her, but they were in full view of everyone else now, so he reluctantly restrained his urge. It wasn’t like they were living apart anyway.
The shelter began to fill up as the workers flooded into the space. Most of them were chattering, confident that nothing would happen to them, and soon, it was too noisy for Gemini’s taste. Scooping Lila up into his arms, Gemini took to the skies, where the Acheron was being moved onto the Mass Driver.
His gaze was on the end stretch, where the metal track would curve upwards. Most of the failures had happened there — the foundations had a tendency to break and give way at the curvature.
“Mass Driver systems nominal.” A voice sounded from somewhere, loud enough that even Gemini can hear it. Degurechaff nodded, and turned to the long metal track.
“Acheron systems normal. Awaiting directions.”
“Ground crew, prepare for launch.” General Degurechaff, who was floating above the Mass Driver, spoke out loud, his words echoing with raw power. “Acheron crew, standby for launch in sixty.”
Gemini stopped chewing, his eyes now focusing on the entire setup.
Whatever stragglers that hadn’t made it into the shelter made a mad dash as the general counted down. At the same time, the bulky ship, which looked very much like a silvery brick, lit up. The thrusters at its back glowed with a purple light, and red-hot air began to stream out of it.
“Three.” The thrusters flared up with a blinding radiance. Ear-piercing thunderclaps echoed throughout Ark City, silencing it for a moment.
“Two.” A roaring sound entered Gemini’s ears, and he pulled Lila backwards on instinct. Purple circles appeared around the metal tracks, exerting a force that began to pull the ship along.
“One, and launch!”
“Acheron, launching!”