Star People

Side Story 13

Technology Boom

March 19^th, 15 AE…

ASRA Testing Facility #8…

“It works! It really works!” One researcher exclaimed as he read the figures on the monitor.

“We have increased the calculation power and speed by more than a factor of 1,000!” Another researcher stated.

“Goodbye vacuum tubes, hello transistor!”

As the group of engineers and scientists applauded their latest achievement, Lenns Hodder let off a long sigh as he stood in the background. His subordinate and friend Akar Jans noticed that Lenns wasn’t as excited as he usually was whenever Atlans made a monumental technological achievement. Today should have had him jumping for joy, as they had made their first, fully-transistorized computer. After studying a captured Zedan transistor and getting some assistance from Free Land, the Kingdom of Atlans was now taking its first steps toward a major computer revolution.

The new Ultra-Computation Device (their term for a supercomputer), was about the size of a standard living room and could do tens of thousands of calculations simultaneously. Its main job would be as the computer core to their bid to land on the Moon and visit the Free Land Lunar Colonies. The Atlans engineers had also finished a working version of the Saturn Five rocket and were preparing for the first manned mission into space under their own power.

Lenns let off another sigh and quietly exited the lab.

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A little later, outside the main research building…

“Captain? Is something wrong?” Akar asked as he saw his superior leaning against a wall and looking away at the sunset.

Lenns sighed again before answering. “No… yeah, there’s something wrong.”

“What is it? In addition to being your subordinate, I’m also your friend. You can tell me anything, on or off the record.”

Akar’s superior was quiet for a long time before he spoke again. “The thing is... I just received the latest report from High Command and…”

“The Star Alliance turned us down for membership again, right?” Akar guessed.

Lenns could only nod as he spoke in a slightly frustrated tone. “It’s really embarrassing sometimes. Before they came, Atlans was the number one nation in terms of mechanical technology. After the Star Alliance arrived, our greatest achievements were nothing more than child’s play to them.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. They’re from other worlds with technologies that they’ve cultivated over hundreds if not thousands of years. The race that’s closest to us, the Terrans, had invented the biplane 270 years ago. We should be glad that they’re willing to give us technology to help us advance. Not to mention that we are able to skip over a few instances of trial-and-error that they encountered.”

“Yeah, we should be grateful that they’re giving us obsolete scraps.”

“Weren’t you the one who said it was okay that it’s obsolete to them, but advanced to us? I mean look at us! A few years ago, I would have never believed we’d have the capability to fly ourselves to the Moon!”

“Yeah, and all Free Land has to do is drive to the Moon! Do you remember the new Star Cars they’ve just developed?!”

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Flashback…

“Hello Captain Delan!” Lenns saluted as he and Akar met Mark and his family at a shopping mall in Polaris City. Reelan had their two daughters standing with her; nine-year-old Rachel and two-year-old Rebecca.

“Good day to you, Captain Hodder, Lieutenant Jans. Are you here on official business?”

“Well no, it’s just a bit of a vacation. And you?”

“My family is just doing a bit of shopping. We’ll be heading off to Lunar Colony 19 now.”

“I didn’t know that the Teleportation Portal System reached that far.”

“It doesn’t.”

“So are you taking a shuttle transport or will you be taking the Missouri?”

Mark shook his head. “There’s no need to take an entire star battleship for a family road trip. And I’ve been wanting to break in the new Star Car.”

“Star Car?”

“Over there.”

Mark pointed to a vehicle parked nearby. It was silver in color and resembled a futuristic-looking hatchback sedan with angular spoilers.

“She’s a nice one, right? I had it designed to look just like the one in the Last Starfighter.”

Taking out a small device, he pointed at the vehicle and pressed a button. This caused the two front doors and the right passenger door to open up vertically.

“I’ve never seen automobile doors that open upwards before.” Lenns said in awe.

“They’re called gull-wing doors.”

“Ah! I can see the resemblance. But I have to ask, do you really intend to… drive to the Moon in this… Star Car?”

“I don’t see why not.” He then nodded to his family to get into the family vehicle. Reelan placed their children in the backseat while she got into the front passenger seat.

Mark shook hands with the Atlans officers, and then got into the driver’s seat. The doors automatically closed as he started up the engine. With a quiet hum, the Star Car took off and sped down the road. And then to the amazement of both men, the vehicle lifted off the ground and began to shift in its appearance. The wheels rotated into their wheel wells and sealed themselves inside the body of the craft. Twin panels in the rear opened up to reveal a pair of powerful ion engines. The Star Car accelerated into the sky and disappeared into the clouds above.

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End of flashback…

“It will cost us several tens of millions of Zylens to send three men to the Moon and we won’t be ready for launch for another three months!” Lenns stated as he made a rough estimate of the amount of Atlans currency needed for the lunar project. “For Free Land, going to the Moon is about as easy as taking a family road trip!”

Jans was silent for a moment as he understood his superior’s frustration. Despite all the technological advancements their nation had achieved in the last few years, it was all due to Free Land giving them obsolete technology and teaching them how it all worked. Even the most talented and brilliant engineers and scientists in Atlans had to go back to school, and learn these new scientific principles and fundamental laws.

And this was just for the obsolete technology Free Land had given to them. At this point, the Kingdom of Atlans had reached the technological level of the late 1960s to early 70s of Earth. Once the fundamentals of the transistor had been mastered, Atlans scientists theorized that their nation’s technology would double within a year or two. And they would still be far behind Free Land.

“What’s even more frustrating is the fact that a country that was behind us, actually managed to become a member of the Star Alliance!”

The country he was talking about was of course the Dwarf Nations.

“Well, we can’t exactly blame them. They did have a technology that no one, not even Free Land had. And because of the TPS and the Neo-Psion reactor, Free Land is interested in magic now. Remember they weren’t very interested in magic before. Now they’re actively researching it. You have to give the dwarves props for that.”

“I suppose. I’ll say it again with no offense, but lucky little bastards.” Lenns then changed the subject. “So the Star Alliance turned down our latest application for membership and our proposals?”

“Yes. It seems that we still don’t have anything that Free Land wants or already has. Although, this time was a bit strange.”

‘What do you mean?”

“The Council of Prime Directors was very agitated when we revealed that we were studying a new source of energy by utilizing radioactive material. Since we don’t have the resources or technical know how to handle such material, they will provide us with all we need to build and maintain a nuclear reactor. We’re talking blueprints, knowledge, shielding elements and even a huge upgrade to our computer technology. We may not have Star Alliance membership, but we do have Star Alliance aid in utilizing nuclear power. So that means our technological levels will increase even further.”

Lenns thought for a minute before smiling and nodding.

After the Zedan war, all atomic weaponry and research had been confiscated or destroyed by Free Land. The last thing they wanted was for the nuclear genie to be let out of its bottle before the inhabitants of Istaria had matured enough. Though they had been meticulous in restricting nearly all of the technology and knowledge needed to build and Ender bomb, they couldn’t account for random chance.

More than a year ago, an unexploded Micro-Ender bomb had been discovered by Atlans in the waters near one of the major islands of the Zedan Archipelago. At the time, they had been testing their newest submersible vehicle, which was an updated version of the German U-Boat. They had also been experimenting with scuba gear and other underwater exploration devices, courtesy of Free Land of course.

Naturally, the Atlans military and scientific communities were excited to find an example of Zedan’s greatest achievement. However, they also knew that the Star Alliance would not allow them to keep a weapon of mass destruction. So the discovery and transport of the Micro-Ender bomb was kept top secret. After moving the Ender Bomb to the Bisra Continent, the greatest minds in the Kingdom of Atlans began to slowly but surely unravel the secrets of nuclear energy.

Fortunately for them, the detonating device of the bomb had been damaged and therefore, it would not reach critical mass and explode. Using what primitive measuring and analyzing instruments they had and whatever knowledge concerning chemistry and nuclear physics they obtained from Free Land, they gradually began to understand the fundamentals of the element called Zedanium, which was basically another name for an isotope called U-235.

Once they had determined that the key element of the bomb was an isotope of uranium, the possibilities began to expand. The continent of Bisra did have a sizeable deposit of uranium after the Great Disaster. At first, it was thought to be some kind of cursed element that made magic unstable and people sick, so any exposed uranium was quickly covered up and sealed away with heavy materials such as lead. However, in recent years, the scientists of Atlans had begun theorizing that this cursed element was actually a possible new source of energy.

After carefully dismantling the Micro-Ender bomb and studying its payload, the scientists were astounded that such a small mass had so much potential energy within it. And if such a small amount of radioactive material could cause destruction on a massive scale, then why not harness that power for other uses?

Could that not be something that they could utilize to advance their own nation? Furthermore, could this potential new energy source be something that could give Atlans membership into the Star Alliance?

After extensive research and experimentation, the Kingdom of Atlans felt that they were ready to present their findings to Free Land in their latest bid for Star Alliance membership. Of course, they kept the fact that their discoveries were due to finding an unexploded Micro-Ender bomb. The cover story was that the Kingdom of Atlans possessed a huge deposit of uranium and that researchers had been studying the element for years. Free Land had no reason to doubt the explanation and the government had high hopes that they had finally had the means to become part of the Star Alliance.

Only to be disappointed when Free Land turned them down again.

Despite the enormous potential of nuclear energy for civilian usage, there was also an equal if not greater potential for destruction. And it wasn’t something that Free Land wasn’t already familiar with.

The diplomats whom Atlans had sent to petition Free Land for membership were shocked when the Council of Prime Directors simply informed them that they were already familiar with the concept of nuclear fission and that they had already considered it to be outdated. Additionally, the Council was very concerned that Atlans was now in possession of technology that could theoretically destroy the world. Though they had turned them down for membership, the Council had also decided that leaving Atlans to figure out nuclear energy on their own was a potentially dangerous idea.

Therefore, they had decided with great reluctance, to assist Atlans in harnessing this power. They couldn’t stop the people of Bisra and Excra from studying and advancing nuclear technology, but they could help them avoid the potential hazards and restrict the level of nuclear power they could possess. However, the damage had already been done. The nuclear genie was out of its bottle.

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Flashback to March 19^th, 15 AE…

The Council of Prime Directors…

“I can’t believe the Kingdom of Atlans have the means to build an atomic bomb.” Benjamin stated as he looked over the latest petition to join the Star Alliance.

“Well, we did do a geological scan of the Bisra continent and it does have considerable amounts of uranium.” Nerto pointed out. “It is plausible that they would eventually begin to study and harness the potential energy from nuclear fission and radioactive decay.”

“I don’t buy that explanation that they gave to us about studying nuclear fission for years.” Anida stated. “From what I’ve read about their history, any uranium deposits they discovered were usually sealed away due to the environmental and radiological damage that element caused. It’s only been a year since the end of the Zedan war, and we know they were curious about the Ender bomb. It’s too much of a coincidence that they now have the means to create an atomic weapon and understand the fundamentals of nuclear reactions.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Nasaak agreed. “They’ve spent centuries sealing away or avoiding their uranium deposits. Why focus on them now? If I had to guess, I’d say they either came across some Zedan atomic tech or research that we missed or had gotten the information from a Zedan atomic scientist.”

“What’s done is done.” Viska stated. “We all knew that once the Zedan started using their Ender bombs, it would only be a matter of time before the other nations would start looking into nuclear technology. I have read some reports that the Zedan population in Euracon is making plans to create their own nuclear reactor.”

“Viska is right.” Benjamin concurred. “It’s best that we start monitoring and giving aid to both Atlans and Zedan Town in harnessing and controlling nuclear power. As much as I hate to advance those nations to higher levels before they’re mentally and morally ready, it is necessary. I don’t want another Chernobyl.”

“What’s Chernobyl?” Sierg asked.

“It was a large nuclear accident that occurred on Earth during the late 20^th century.” Nerto explained. “I read about it in the Terran History Archives. I agree with Benjamin on this matter. The Chernobyl incident was the result of inadequate safety measures, cutting corners in design and construction and almost no contingency plans. They basically only knew half of what they were doing. And now we have Atlans and Zedan planning to create their own nuclear reactors with even less knowledge? That’s just begging for trouble.”

“After the fusion process was made practical, plus the discovery of meson technology, nuclear fission was abandoned.” The Terran Prime Director stated. “We do have the option of introducing them to those alternatives, but… “

“We again run into the problem of raising their technology level before they’re mentally and morally ready for it. Even more so with fusion technology, rather than fission.” Nasaak let off an annoyed sigh. “What a headache this has become.”

“I suppose there is no other option but to aid Atlans and Zedan in controlling nuclear fission. We cannot leave them to their own devices and we can’t keep a lid on this nuclear genie any longer.” Anida let off a tired sigh as well.

“Even though we all have our reservations on this matter, we must put this to a vote.” Benjamin said as he raised his hand. “All those in favor of giving Atlans and Zedan the means to control and contain nuclear fission, in order to prevent nuclear fallouts and radiological damage?”

Slowly but surely, the other Directors raised their hands. First was Nerto, followed by Anida, Sierg and Viska. Finally, Nasaak raised his hand, making the decision as unanimous, but reluctant.

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End of Flashback…

April 20^th, 15 AE…

The Atlans Capital City…

“All right, switch it on.” Chief Engineer Shepherd said after all the preliminary safety processes had been completed.

He was on special assignment from the Missouri and had been in charge of designing and constructing Atlans’ first nuclear plant. Unlike the relatively primitive 20^th century technology that was used to contain and harness nuclear fission, Shepherd had opted for 22^nd century materials as a much more efficient and safer alternative. The entire containment apparatus and shielding was made from hyper-durlenium and had a failsafe TPS to send the core into space in case of an emergency.

The process was simple as the nuclear rods would be immersed in water and causing it to boil and turn into steam. This would cause the turbines to spin, and produce massive amounts of electrical energy to power the entire city and several branching towns. The condensers would turn the steam back into water and the cycle would repeat. All computer and manual controls had been upgraded to the level of the late 1980s.

The population of the Atlans capital let off a cheer as their homes became inundated with power. The entire continent of Bisra would soon follow as other reactors came online. The Kingdom of Atlans possessed a total of six new reactors, while in Vados, Zedan Town would have one. In the Zedan Archipelago, there would be six reactors, one for each main island. The Star Alliance then warned Atlans and Zedan, that there would be no processing of weapons-grade uranium or any other radioactive material. Any attempt would be detected and the offenders would be swiftly dealt with should they violate that restriction.

 In the conference chamber of the Prime Directors, the six representatives read the reports that all nuclear reactors were functioning normally and without issue.

“It seems that Atlans and Zedan are enjoying their new technology boom.” Viska commented.

“Let’s just hope that is the only kind of boom we get from this.” Benjamin said with caution.

To be continued…