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Chapter 102 - Self Configuring Modular Robot[]
Spider Moon, Kowloon System...
The approach to the third moon of the gas giant Boojum revealed things that were surprising to the Clan visitors.
The shipyard orbiting the gas giant in 'free range' wasn't it.
It was the cold, previously stony ball of previously lifeless rock and dust, that was worth the attention.
"Terraforming?" Nelson asked, "You have enough slack to attempt terraforming?"
"It comes and it goes." Patrick said, "You're seeing one of Elizabeth's projects in action."
The highlands glittered with an almost farmed look, like ice palisades scattered in geometric patterns. "If you think this one is impressive, she's taken the second moon, and started farms." the Duke added, "Why fight for planets when you can make 'em, am I right??"
"Star League Technology?" Nelson hazarded.
"Nope, we didn't inherit Old Terra's technical libraries like your lot did. We've had to figure it out on our own. No looted knowledge to bolster us, just hard ass work with some of it at incredible risk." The Duke assured him. "She wanted to build a planetary ring structure over Kowloon, but it wasn't in the budget. You might want to tell your helm to start slowing, the tower's going to line up soon."
"Tower?"
"Space elevator. Makes docking a lot easier than managing hundreds of shuttles through traffic control. We're testing it in the outer system here, and at Hatter. Once the bugs are worked out, we'll probably set up a few on Kowloon itself...provided we're not fighting your cousins every few months."
He saw it then. The anchor station was lit. There was a thread, almost invisible at this distance reaching downward.
"One elevator?"
"The plan is one every few kilometers around the equator, joined to a ring-the farms down on the surface produce electricity through passive solar, and crack oxygen and gases for life support in the burrows. When she's done, Spider Moon will be able to support a population in the millions. It'll be a real city."
"The moon??"
"The ring." Pat said, "Spin gravity, at the right distance it'll be equivalent to one gee, and it'll have a continent's worth of open space for homes, parks, farms, and factories, the moon itself will be an anchor, partial powerplant, and resource base with its own population, making water, air, and soil...IF it all works like she thinks it will. nice thing about a ring like that? you can dock, and release, and the spin will add velocity to the release through centripetal force. makes it cheaper on the fuel."
"This is...impressive." Nelson commented. "WHy?"
"Half a billion of my citizens have only seen a habitable world through telescopes, or in media." the Duke said. "That half billion people produce better than sixty percent of our gross domestic product, including most of our trade goods...and they've gotten less than a tenth the investment from my predecessors for that, most of it centered on the Coast Guard. With this? It's really moving forward, out of the dark ages."
The airlocks lined up and the ship docked.
"Let's go down to the archive." the Duke commented.
"Dark ages again... you mentioned that at dinner..."
"What do you think we've been living in?" Patrick asked as they passed through into a service module. "Mind yourself, there's a little disorientation when the cabin flips. Three centuries, Khan Elam, of lost technology, lost information, lost worlds and lost lives. If this isn't an age of darkness I don't know what one is. You mentioned restoring the Glory of the Star League, well...for my people, it's the desire to meet and surpass those days...and make sure we can't be beaten into the darkness yet again."