NationStates Jolt Archive


Launch of the HMAS-Justicator: The First Aether Flyer.

Londamand
05-10-2005, 00:54
//OOC: You will notice that I make mentions to some rather false notions of physics, which might not quite fit with the current view of the world by NS standards. But they should not be conflictive in any way. Just think of them as parallel laws that exist, but do not really affect you (unless you are using them as well, of course).

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The sun shone brightly on the clear cerulean vault, bathing the wide, green flatlands in warm golden light. A crowd composed mostly of wealthy gentlemen, brilliant scientist and other illustrious members of the society gathered around the most recent marvel of technology: The Aether Flyer, a ship capable escaping Newton's grip and plunging into the vast unknown of Aetherspace. They all gazed in awe at the two hundred feet long structure of blazing orange metal and polished wood, lying over six heavy steel supports. Excited crewmen went forth and back through the Flyer's glass-covered deck, checking the dauntingly complex mechanisms of the contraption. The ship's name, HMAS Justicator, was engraved in large letters over the brass hull. In the ship's stern was entirely occupied by a large, semi spherical brass structure, it's flat side pointing outward, composed of eight triangular hatches pointing inward, all of them closed.
Suddenly, they were all interrupted by a loud humming sound, followed by a rush of static. Then the voice of a middle-aged man flooded the place, although a bit diminished by a constant scratching bottom sound.

"Fine ladies and gentlemen, welcome" The voice came from a series of large cone-shaped speakers all around the site, which amplified what the exposition's host spoke through a small metallic cone. Everyone seemed a bit confused at first, unaware of where the voice was coming from. But they finally realised that it was the man standing atop a small roofless tower "As you all can see, our Empire's greatest invention, the Aether Flyer, is now a reality: A ship that can travel beyond the boundaries of the world and into a new realm of unexplored marvels, Space, where the stars and planets float, awaiting to be discovered" Slowly, the crowd began taking seats in the area between the host's tower and the ship, in an angle that allowed them to see both the speaker and the Flyer at the same time. The host rose its arms toward the ship "This marvel of technology is the culmination of decades of investigation, on which the greatest minds of the nation worked tirelessly in an effort to break the barriers of the previously thought as impossible. Now, let me tell you how this miracle of science works: In order to lift from the ground and escape gravity, the ship is equipped with a series of vats that, upon activation of the mechanism, fill with distilled phlogiston, a substance so light that it defies the pull of the planet. Once the Flyer reaches the upper layers of the atmosphere, where the gases that block sunlight are almost non-existent, the hatches you see on the back of the vehicle open, revealing the interior of what we call the Sun Boiler, which is the ship's heart and source of it's power. By reflecting the much purer sunlight through series of potent mirrors, it generates a massive amount of heat that in turn generates steam from the liquid conducts, which empowers the ship's engines. The pneumatic pressure empowers the mechanisms of the ship, most importantly the air recyclers and the Aether Engine, which serves to move the Flyer through Space" Although most of the crowd was a tad confused by the explanation, they all clapped with enthusiasm "Now, I think I have bored you enough, and it is time to see this marvel doing what it should. I give you... the HMAS Justicator!"
He then moved his arms, pointing toward a small platform that came close to the ship. Above it, a pair of renowned gentlemen, James Wanderwick, Minister of Interior -who came in representation of Queen Gloria-, and Nicholas Towerton, Head Technologist of the Aether Flyer Project, carried a large bottle of champagne, tied to a tall post. Saluting the crowd, they smashed the bottle against the HMAS Justicator's hull. And it broke in a thousand sparkling pieces. An auspicious start for a grand adventure.

The crowd rose to perform a standing ovation, but the sound of the clapping was soon muted by overwhelming hissing sound of superpressurised steam, as the innards of the Flyer became alive. A dense, cloudy substance began seeping through the long, crystalline phlogiston vats that ran all across the hull's bottom. As they filled with the weightless phlogiston, the ship slowly rose and, as it did, the steel supports that held it on the ground began retracting. The filler the vats were, the higher the ship went.
All those present witnessed in awe as the HMAS Justicator rose into the clear skies. After twenty minutes, all they could see was a tiny orange star, gleaming at noon.
Tsaraine
05-10-2005, 01:50
OOC: That's OK - there are plenty of nations who have magic operating simultaneously with technology, and technology can explain most everything. Elaborate tag!

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Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth ...

Orbital space was crowded with the ships and satellites of a thousand nations, active and derelict, shattered wrecks or gleaming warships.

Through it all the satellites of the Tsarainese Setnet moved in precise orbits. Very little escaped their gaze; the world below and the heavens about were constantly built up through a continual stream of images.

The programs coordinating the Setnet were "smart" enough to notify their own watchers, should something unusual arise, as they did now.

Men and women (their bodies ensconced in deep couches far away) sent their minds aloft on the SuperPlexus network, and stood giantlike in virtual space around this newest addition to their cosmos.

>> Setnet Officer keiGharen: How quaint. Any idea how it works?

>> Setnet Officer Kajerakhi: Not a clue, Hari'. I'm guessing early industrial from the look of it, though.

>> Setnet Officer Erakharaz: Probably some kind of negative-mass. Like an airship but not. See that bit at the back? Solar heating module - not a solar thermal rocket but probably a solar-powered steam boiler. If you have negative-mass and electricity you can make an effective diametric drive.

>> Setnet Officer keiGharen: Lucky sods. I wonder where they got it? Anything we need to notify Command about?

>> Setnet Officer Erakharaz: Probably not. It's not exactly a superdreadnought.

>> Setnet Officer Kajerakhi: Right we are, then. Now what else has the Setnet to show us today?
Londamand
05-10-2005, 03:14
//OOC: Ah, thank you, Tsaraine. Then I guess I will keep using these Victorian weird science explanations for some of the mechanics behind my technology (one of them being the previously mentioned Aether). My thanks for taking interest in this topic.

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"Quite a view" Said Captain Abraham Masterson, while gently picking up his profusely carved porcelain tea cup with his right hand, while he held a small plate with his left.

William Brownfield, recently named First Space Lord of the newly formed Royal Space Navy, nodded "Indeed, Abraham. And I thought the landscape of Wintercastle was unsurpassable. Simply marvellous"

Masterson lowered his cup and smiled, while his eyes glanced at the spectacular picture before them "Wintercastle, my most esteemed First Space Lord, is no better than a Carlson's picture of dead nature when compared to this"

"Oh, please, Abraham, call me William. First Space Lord is such a convoluted title" Laughed Brownfield.

"Ah, but you will have to become acquainted with it sooner than later, good friend" Masterson smiled, his brownish teeth finding their way out from his bushy white beard "The success of this experiment will certainly bring forward more than we can expect"

"Yes, yes, the Royal Space Navy" Brownfield took a moment to sip some tea from his cup "It is still hard to believe, however. For fifty years I have sailed far and wide through the oceans of this world, and even dared to take some trips on those bloody aerial sausages. But this goes far beyond my wildest dreams"

Masterson laughed "They are called dirigibles, not aerial sausages. Although I must admit the charm of the name"

"That is how my grandson William calls them" Noted Brownfield.

"Ah, young master William. I have not seen him in quite a few years. How is he?"

Brownfield smiled "Very good, very good. He has grown healthy, and his education is developing in quite a pleasant manner. He is expected to follow the family trade and join the Royal Navy, but since he heard about the HMAS Justicator, all he dreams of is to pilot an Aether Flyer. Now I can see why"

The two gentlemen were interrupted by the Chief Mate, Gregory Miller, who apparently walked more silently than they though. He stood firmly next to the tea table "Captain, sire!"

Both Masterson and Brownfield turned to him "Ah, Miller, what brings you here?" Asked the first one.

"We are ready to commence testing on the ship's engines. Waypoints have already been selected. As soon as you give the order, sire!"

"Wonderful. Shall we go then, First Space Lord?" Said Masterson, with a moderate but certain tone of joking in his voice.

Brownfield sent a disapproving gaze at his friend "Certainly, Captain, certainly"
Londamand
06-10-2005, 03:19
The functioning of the HMAS Justicator, labelled as the AF-3 (for Aether Flyer 3, as it is the third model of this kind of vessel, although the first capable of lifting itself up) is rather cumbersome, if we compare it with the strange foreign technology -londamains have always been far too proud to accept any technology not of their own-. Here I will explain the basic principles behind it:

The AF-3 model uses three main mechanisms to properly function: The Phlogiston Lifting Vats, the Sun Boiler, and the Aether Cycler Propelling Engine. Let’s see each one of them in detail:

Phlogiston Lifting Vats: The substance known as Phlogiston (that comes from a Greek word meaning "flammable") is one that can be found within flammable materials, such as oil or iron, and it is what make things burn. Thus, distilled Phlogiston can be used to greatly increase the flammability of materials. However, the most interesting property of Phlogiston is it's absolute lack of weight; in fact, it has negative weight. This explains the phenomenon detected on certain materials -particularly metals-, which gain weight when they burn. This makes Phlogiston the ideal mean to defy gravity. Through certain, highly complicated scientific processes, this substance can be distilled into it's purest form. The Phlogiston Lift Vats, then, take advantage of this unique quality: They are filled with pure Phlogiston, which, as it is incredibly condensed, makes the ship lighter than air, thus pulling it upward. Since there our technology has not yet been able to find an effective way to keep Phlogiston contained while nullifying it's negative weight quality, the ship must release it in order to land, thus loosing the precious substance. However, it is also equipped with a Phlogiston Distiller, which is able to quickly extract the substance from the surrounding gases -air, for instance, has been proven to be particularly charged with Phlogiston, which explains why most materials are unable to burn in vacuum-. Thus, the ship can manoeuvre within atmospheres by filling and emptying its Lift Vats.
The current AF-3 model has it's Phlogiston Lift Vats fairly exposed, running through the lower parts of the hull, by the outside. This makes it extremely vulnerable to an external impact, since the Phlogiston is easily ignited, and in large quantities it can be catastrophic.

Sun Boiler: There are currently two versions of this contraption, although only one -the primitive version- is currently installed in the AF-3. The Sun Boiler used by the HMAS Justicator, called the Chamber Sun Boiler, is composed of a large, semi spherical chamber, with an interior completely covered in a highly refracting glass and steel alloy. The flat side of the chamber is occupied by series of movable hatches, that can be opened, closed, or left in various degrees of intermediate aperture. This allows regulating the amount of sunlight received by the boiler. Inside the chamber, several liquid conducts -filled with Blastwater, a special chemical with properties very similar to those of water, but with a much higher pressure output when vaporized- run straight through it, allowing the Blastwater to travel through the whole interior of the boiler. Now, when the chamber's hatches open, sunlight fills the chamber, which is in turn concentrated upon the conducts by the refracting surfaces, heating the liquid to impressively high degrees. This liquid evaporates, becoming high-pressure steam, which is then transferred to the rest of the ship to empower the various mechanisms. The whole Sun Boiler is mounted upon a spinning pivot, which allows it to be turned toward the Sun when the ship moves.
The more advanced model, called the Dish Sun Boiler, uses the same principle of gathering sunlight to boil the Blastwater, although with a much more intelligent design: Instead of a closed chamber, it uses a large dish -or more than one, depending on how much liquid has to be heated- of refracting lenses, that is pointed toward a liquid tank. This allows a much more efficient gathering of sunlight, and an easier regulation of the mechanism. The lenses can be adjusted for different angles, thus giving the dish a wide range of movement.
There are, however, two main limitations for the Sun Boiler: A) They are less effective within an atmosphere, as sunlight is less intensive (they can be used for domestic power generation, though) B) As a ship travels further away from the Sun, the intensity of sunlight decreases, until reaching a point where no more light can be gathered for an effective heat output. Until its maximum range has been tested, however, it will remain unsure of it's current maximum capabilities.

Aether Cycler Propelling Engine: Space, nay, the whole Universe is filled with an incredibly interesting "substance" known as Luminiferous Aether. It exists around and within every pound of matter and every inch of vacuum. More interestingly, it has a rigid structure, much like one we could find in solid objects, although it is incorporeal and devoid of any colour, texture, odour or taste. Luminiferous Aether is the mean through which several types of energy, such as light, gravity, and electromagnetism are transmitted, much in the same way sound is transmitted by air. Thus, without Aether, these forces are unable to affect bodies.
In a certain way, Aether can be compared with the water of the ocean, in that currents can be generated within it by disturbing the properties of it. An Aether Cycler Propelling Device, as it's name indicates, moves the ship by taking advantage of the Aether itself. The engine is composed of two main parts: An Electromagnetic Pulse Generator and one or more Pulse Conducts. Series of steam-powered electromagnets are used to produce, at a continuous rate, strong electromagnetic pulses. These are transmitted through the Pulse Conducts, which go from fore to aft. A single electromagnetic pulse generates but a faint disturbance in the Aether. However, when many pulses are generated at a fast rate, a Current-Effect takes place: The Aether is continuously pushed backward by the electromagnetic pulses, which accumulate against the more stable Aether in the back of the ship. This "clogging" of Aether reaches a point when no more Aether can be pushed backward by the electromagnetic pulses, and thus the ship begins to advance, literally pulling itself though Space -instead of being pushed by, say, a matter-combustion engine-. The acceleration process is a tad slow, and current engines are not capable of reaching high speeds -it is estimated that the current generation of Aether Propeller Engines can reach a top speed of 3.000 miles per hour- but research on aethermechanics is advancing quickly, and a better propulsion method might be encountered soon.

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//OOC: By the way, if possible, could a moderator change the thread name to "HMAS" instead of "HSS"? My thanks beforehand.
Londamand
06-10-2005, 18:35
"The Aether should be stable as long as we stay within the Proximal Field" Noted Captain Masterson "That's, no further than Luna"

Brownfield nodded "I see. So you say that celestial bodies have a strong influence on Aetherspace?"

"Indeed I do. Just think of it as if it where a pond: If left undisturbed, the water will remain calm. However, if you pass your finger through it's surface, you will see how it leaves a trail. The effect of planets, moons and comets is the same, although in grander scale, and their effects last longer" Answered Masterson.

"And there is more to it" Commented Thomas Wilkinson, one of the technologists in charge of the project, and connoted Aether theorist "Around large concentrations of matter, such as our planet, the Aether tends to remain calm. However, there is a particularly problematic element that affects this, and that is our moon, Luna. Just as the movement of the planet affects the tranquillity of the Aether within the Solar System, so does Luna, disturbing the Aether around Earth. This is the reason because Earth's Proximal Field is so small: It does not go further than Luna's orbit"

"What would happen if we tried to exit this Proximal Field you speak off?" Inquired Brownfield.

Wilkinson shrugged "We are afraid that the AF-3 model is incapable of doing so" He pointed toward the cosmographic map extended atop a table, indicating the orbit of Luna "This section of the Proximal Field is what we call the Lunar Wake; every celestial body has one, and it represents the area of most unstable Aether, the region of disturbed Aether that exist behind the planet, on it's trail. These areas are populated by all kinds of eddies and vortexes, much like those one could see in the immediate back of a fast-moving water boat"

"And I assume entering them would be like entering a storm?" Noted Brownfield.

"Exactly, First Space Lord" Nodded Wilkinson "The region within the Lunar Wake is tightly packed with turbulences, and this ship would be unable to sustain them. Furthermore, our propelling system would be incapable of pulling us through the Aether, leaving us effectively stranded, and quite shaken, might I add"

"Let it be noted that scientist have already suggested two possible solutions" Said Masterson.

Brownfield looked at him with interest "Which would be...?"

"Either stronger propellers, capable of adding an 'extra punch' near the Lunar Wake, so the ship can cross it quickly, avoiding the trap, or the establishment of a launching site in the dark face of Luna" Answered the Captain.

"Launching site in Luna?" Brownfield was surprised "We have barely been able of escaping the planet, and we are already talking about setting foot on another!"

"Well, if we wish to ever see the jungles of Venus and the canals of Mars, we might as well begin paving the way now!" Laughed Masterson.

They were interrupted by the dissimulated coughing of a finely dressed servant "Dinner is served, gentlemen. Please, let me take you to the dinning room. If you would..." And he bowed slightly, with his hand extended toward the exit of the meeting room.

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//OOC: My thanks to the moderator who changed the topic's title.
Londamand
07-10-2005, 01:30
"We are at full pressure level, Captain, sire!" Announced one of the bridge officers.

Masterson and Brownfield stood a few steps away, hands crossed in the back, witnessing the frantic action that took place there "Send the order to the engines room to prepare the electromagnets"

"At once, sire!" Said the officer, and walked toward a large panel where many brass talk-tubes lied closed. He opened one and yelled the order.

"We are on it, bridge" Came back the answer "Steam is flowing correctly into the mechanism. The electromagnets seem to be behaving as expected" Upon hearing this, the officer informed the Captain.

For a couple of minutes, they could all feel how the ship's engines became alive, as a gentle but constant rumbling came from the hull. Everything seemed to be working correctly.
But all of the sudden, the HMAS-Justicator shook violently, sending all those who stood against the metallic walls. More than a few smashed their heads or extremities hard enough to fall unconscious, open wound bleeding profusely. Several valves exploded from the unexpected rise of pressure, sending metallic pieces all through the place as bullets. Although some reached the deck's crystal dome, the Steelglass alloy managed to resist.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Said the Captain, as he rose from the floor, while helping the First Space Lord to do the same.

The officer seemed a bit confused. A thin trail of blood came down from his forehead "I do not know, Captain"

"Then don't stand there and find out!" Ordered Masterson, clearly angry.

The officer nodded and quickly went to the talk-tubes "Engines! Report!"

The answer took a few seconds to return "Bridge! We've been sabotaged! Some kind of explosive device was placed within the Aether Propeller!"

"What on...?" The officer quickly turned to Masterson "Captain, apparently, a bomb exploded in the Engine's Room!"

Masterson thought the answer for a couple of seconds, and placed his hand over his short white beard [i]"Blast it!" He exclaimed "How bad is the damage?"

The officer repeated the question to the engine's chief mechanical "Seems to be holding up, but I can't tell how long it will last. The Pulse Conduct broke!" Came the voice through the tube.

"Is that dangerous?" Asked Brownfield, who was lying against a wall. He had broken his left leg during the blast.

"Not necessarily" Said Wilkinson, while he checked some of the still working barometers "Although it could be quite disastrous if the engine is still generating pulses, as it would create a severe disturbance on the Aether surrounding us..." He turned to the officer, his face quickly turning from surprise to fear "Is it?"

Clearly nervous, the officer asked through the tube. The answer that came after was enough to leave everyone holding their breath.

"Bloody hell..." Sighed Masterson "So this is it: The grandest of the Empire's achievements will go down in a spectacular ball of fire and wreckage!"

Wilkinson shrugged "Not precisely, Captain..."

Everyone in the bridge sent fearful gazes at the technologist "Say what you have to, Wilkinson" Spat the Captain.

"You see" He took off his glasses to clean them "Aether behaves in a rather strange manner when disturbed so suddenly in such a small area" He took the glasses back to his face "While in the wake of a massive body, such as a planet, it generates vortexes and eddies, but overall remains structurally stable. But in a case like this one, where the Aether is being pushed against itself in a very small area, and at a very high speed -in order to move the ship, the engine has to push the Aether at speeds well above the million miles per hour-, the rigid structure it has under normal situations breaks apart. This will then work just as a deflating balloon, and the Aether will collapse, generating what we call an Aethereal Supervacuum"

Everyone seemed to be expecting something else, but Wilkinson just shrugged.

"And...?" Asked Brownfield "What happens after that?"

"We don't know" Said the scientist, with a clear tone of impotence.

Masterson frowned "You don't know? Are you not supposed to be an imperial authority on matters regarding the Aether?"

Wilkinson leaned against a wall "Aethereal Supervacuums still lie in the field of high theoretics. Since an artefact like the Aether Cycler Propeller does not work within the immediate reach of a gravitic field, we have been unable to try it earlier. Thus, our practical knowledge of the Aethereal Supervacuum is close to none. However, I can risk to say that this will end far worse that in just fire and wreckage"

"I had enough with this scientific babbling. Benson!" The Captain was clearly bothered by the situation, but overall he seemed to be the less scared in the bridge.

The mentioned officer stood before Masterson "Captain, sire!"

"You will take both the First Space Lord to the escape module, and then order the crew to evacuate the ship. I only hope we have enough space within that module..." Ordered Masterson "Now, Wilkinson, is there any possible way to revert this collapsing effect? If there is anything to be done, we will save the ship, for the Queen's sake!"
Londamand
07-10-2005, 04:18
"We could explode in a million pieces if you do that, Captain!" Exclaimed Wilkinson, while he tried to keep up with Masterson's steps.

"Oh, and I suppose that would be far worse than being crushed into nothingness by the Aether" Said the Captain, sarcastically "Your cowardice is surprising, Mr Wilkinson"

"It is not cowardice, Masterson. You are talking of igniting pure Phlogiston!"

The Captain ordered one of the sailors that went with him to open the heavy hatch to the lower decks "If you can think of a better way to move this ship, given that our engines are useless, please, Professor, let me know" The hatch opened with a hiss of steam "But I dare to say you can not. Thus, I will carry on with my plan"

Wilkinson doubted for a moment, but decided to enter along with the Captain and his men "This is suicide, Masterson, suicide! Phlogiston has been proven to be chaotically destructive when in pure form. You can't expect this to work out!"

The Chief Mechanic, showing several wounds and burnt-out skin, walked alongside with them, although with some difficulty "Not if we... regulate the output. We could use the Lift Vats' regulators to expel the Phlogiston at a slow rate, remaining disperse enough as to not blow up, but condensed enough so it will serve as a propulsion system"

Masterson nodded "Exactly. In essence, it will work much like those experimental rocket engines shown the past year"

"But those propellers worked with gasoline, not Phlogiston" Noted Wilkinson, biterly.

Masterson dismissed him with a hand gesture "Stop complaining. You had your chance to board the escape module..."

"Chance? Captain, you practically forced me to stay here, good God!"

"Technicalities, Professor, technicalities"

The group finally arrived at the hull's bottom. Here, the large crystalline conduct that composed the Lift Vat of the ship connected to the Phlogiston pump. Several large engines -the substance's containers and the distiller devices- still hummed. Apparently, they managed to survive the explosion without a scratch.

"Now, Gallagher" Masterson gazed toward the Chief Mechanic "How should we do this?"

The alluded went close to a large, cone-shaped machine, composed mainly of heavy pressure chambers "This... is the main pump. Although it is... designed to work with steam, we can... control it manually... to regulate the Phlogiston output" He took a pause to breath deeply "I will need two... men here to move the mechanisms... however"

Masterson nodded "Very well. Baker and Chapelton will stay here and help you. What else should be done?"

"You must release the... other end of the conduct" Continued Gallagher "It is attached to a receiver, that... pumps the Phlogiston... back to here" He pointed to a thick tube that travelled through the roof, and went into a large humming machine that connected to the pump "If you do... we can use the vat as an exhaust...canal..." A cough access forced him to pause for almost a minute "Once done... we can ignite the Phlogiston and... blast us toward the planet" He continued, once he calmed down.
Londamand
13-10-2005, 03:30
Two months later...

The HMAS Justicator had crossed through the night skies of Londamand as a bright shooting star - a doomed shooting star. The first Aether Flyer exploded in midair, as Captain Masterson attempted to crash it as far from land as possible. The resulting effect allowed the entirety of Vardendall, Londamand's capital city, to witness how its hopes of future expansion beyond the boundaries of Earth dissipated into nothingness.

Despite the catastrophic failure of the project, there were already some individuals interested in exploring new ways to establish the name of the Empire and Queen Gloria in the darkness above. The fall of the HMAS Justicator was just a bump in the long road ahead...

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"You do realise, Professor, that this project goes far beyond anything ever constructed by the Empire" Noted Harold Rumbottom, Vault Minister, an overly fat man with skin red as wine.

Professor Hillwater nodded "Certainly, my good Rumbottom. But, is there not always a making that is the grandest of its kind?"

Rumbottom arched an eyebrow "We are speaking of a tube the size of bloody Dustenland!"

"It is far more than just a tube! It is a space catapult, our ticket to the conquest of Aetherspace!" Responded the Professor "Just imagine how easy it would be if we could construct a machine capable of sending vehicles from Earth to Luna in just a few hours! We could establish a permanent outpost in our only satellite, from where our ships would travel far and wide through the Solar System!"

"You dream too much, Professor. Have you even thought of how costly your deliriant project would be?" Inquired the Vault Minister "Well over two thousand million pounds*!"

"And...?" Hillwater did not seem to be very surprised by the amount "The Empire can surely afford such a sum"

Rumbottom grumbled loudly "The Empire will not throw a gigantic sum such as that to the pit!"

"To the pit?!" Hillwater was annoyed by the Minister's pejorative comment "This catapult is a marvel! It will blast us into success!"

"It will blast us into bankruptcy!"

"Now, now" The calm voice came from behind. It was the Minister of Interior, James Wanderwick, who had been hearing the whole conversation while standing next to the smoking room's window "I must admit that there is a certain charm to the professor's proposal"

"Charm? It is a bloody stupidity!" Exploded Rumbottom.

Wanderwick smiled "I also must add that you seem to have taken too much brandy, most esteemed Minister" He left his cigar on a nearby ashtray and turned to Hillwater "Professor, how long would this project take?"

Hillwater was a bit shocked at first by such a sudden question, but he answered anyway "Seven years, give or take. Although we could speed up the process by installing a factory in the construction site"

"I see" The Minister of Interior nodded "I will tell you what we will do: You will send me a full report on the project the following week. Nothing too fancy; just enough for me to have the means to convince Queen Gloria and the Cabinet of the viability of this endeavour"

"I... I must say that this would be just part of the project, the easy part" Added Hillwater.

Wanderwick dismissed him with a hand gesture "We will see those details during a meeting next week. Now, I certainly must take a taste of that bottle of Chansea Brandy I see standing on that shelf. Care to join me?"



*: A pound in Londamand is based on the value of the pound sterling of the late XIX century. Approximately, one pound of Londamand would be 5 US Dollars.