ebookland Chapter 81 Preparations
Chapter 81 Preparations
The space elevator, a near-sci-fi building in the 3k era, has become a reality in 40k.
Thanks to the almost mystical material strength of 40k, the Empire can easily build a space elevator hundreds of kilometers high that can handle the cargo of dozens of interstellar cargo ships at the same time, and build a disc-shaped airport at the end of the sky elevator with a diameter exceeding that of a planet's satellite.
The space elevator on Nat is directly connected to the hive city of Kalimdor, because it is the largest hive city on Nat and produces the most products.
In other words, it is precisely because of the existence of the sky elevator that the hive city Kalimdor must be tall enough and have a deep enough foundation.
Because another function of Kalimdor is to support the space elevator with unimaginable weight. Although Kalimdor is strong enough, there are still many places in the middle nest and the lower nest that collapsed because they could not support this heavy burden.
Then the workers will pour cement into the collapsed areas and use them as new pillars to continue making the wreckage perform its duties.
Looking from a distance, the space elevator that goes straight into the polluted clouds is like a giant straw, one end of the straw is deeply inserted into the shattered Nat planet, and the other end is a behemoth called "Empire". In front of this existence, even Nat planet as a cosmic celestial body seems too small and powerless, and can only allow this behemoth to suck away its last drop of blood and last drop of bone marrow bit by bit.
As a forge world, Natt was required to pay the Empire a vast amount of minerals, fuel, and industrial products annually. Due to these excessive demands, Natt's surface was no longer suitable for any natural life. While those in the middle and lower levels of the hives could survive on recycled food, the elite at the top relied on imports from other planets to maintain their luxurious lifestyles.
The Parasos is a spaceship that carries this function. It is a medium-sized cargo spaceship that shuttles back and forth between Nat and another agricultural planet in the star system. It brings mechanical equipment and fuel produced on Nat to the agricultural planet, and brings food and fine wine produced on the agricultural planet to Nat, as well as beautiful female slaves who are said to have been baptized in traditional culture since childhood.
In addition to the Pallasos, there are occasionally some unplanned spacecraft that temporarily dock at the Nat Star port for supplies, such as the Blood Angels' spacecraft. Some of these spacecraft also sell some goods, and these goods can be sold at a sky-high price on Nat Star.
And today is the day when the Parasos arrives at Nat Star, loaded with products from the agricultural world.
"Do you want to go to the airport to inspect the goods?" Arabelle asked Howard, who was still sleepwalking.
"Go, go, go!" Howard immediately became alert when he heard that they had to go to the airport to inspect the goods. He looked at the clothes Arabelle threw to him - a blue uniform, the same style as the one Arabelle was wearing.
This uniform looked familiar to Howard, and he suddenly remembered that when he got off the Angel Ship, the airport workers were wearing this uniform.
Howard understood that he was trying to sneak into the airport disguised as a worker.
Howard didn't care about being shy anymore. He hid behind the door and hurriedly put on his uniform and was about to go downstairs, but Arabelle stopped him.
"Don't be so anxious," said Arabelle, smoothing out the wrinkles on Howard's clothes. "I called you a little early. There's still time. Why don't you eat something before you go?"
"Yeah, yeah." Howard nodded obediently.
after an hour.
Arabelle brought Howard to the planned location on time - in front of the bar owned by Char's subordinates in Yoton.
There were several empty trucks parked in front of the bar. Today was also the day when Char and other leaders came to purchase goods, but their goods did not all come from the Parasos. More often, some of the forces they operated in the Upper Nest would resell the wealth already in the Upper Nest. Large quantities of intact goods were artificially scrapped, and then mixed into garbage trucks and transported to the Middle Nest to be sold at a high price. But these were not things that Howard needed to consider now.
Next to the empty truck in the front was a man wearing the same uniform as Howard, looking around. When he saw Howard and Arabelle approach, he quickly walked over to them and extended his hand. "Miss Arabelle, Mr. Howard, my name is Jesse, and the chief has sent me to help you."
Howard and Arabelle shook hands with Jesse in turn. Jesse asked them if they had anything else to say. After receiving a negative answer, he took them into the truck.
After a slight shake, the truck started.
In the car, Jesse took out two magnetic cards and gave them to Howard and Arabelle.
"This is an ID card. Only people whose ID card matches can legally ride the elevator." Jesse took out two small bags and handed them to Arabelle and Howard. Howard opened the opaque bag and found several things similar to Band-Aids and a small box filled with liquid.
"These are the fingerprints and irises for matching your ID card," Jesse explained. "Please place your fingerprints on your hands and put on the artificial iris. Be careful not to put the fingerprints on the wrong fingers, and don't put the irises on the wrong eyes."
Howard did as he was told. The artificial iris felt similar to contact lenses, but what surprised Howard was the artificial fingerprint. When Howard put the sticker on his hand, the sticker melted and his fingerprint changed.
"Can I rub my fingers together?" Howard asked Jesse. "Will that remove the sticker?"
"Of course not, Mr. Howard," Jesse replied. "This fingerprint sticker uses the latest technology and can completely change a person's fingerprints within 24 hours. Now the fingerprints on your hands are just like your original fingerprints. As long as you don't rub your skin too hard, your fingerprints will not be affected."
"Oh oh!" Howard understood.
The truck drove for nearly two hours before it stopped. Howard and the other two got off the truck. In front of them was a magnificent space elevator. Vehicles and personnel as dense as ants were carrying and sorting goods in an orderly manner. Truckloads of semi-finished industrial products were waiting to be sent to the airport. Everything was so busy yet orderly.
Howard finally understood why the city within the city of Jotun could exist. This was because Jotun was built on the largest exit of the space elevator in the Middle Nest. Any goods entering or leaving here could be sorted nearby, so gradually an abnormally prosperous urban area was formed here in the barren Middle Nest.
The prosperous urban area attracted competition among gangs. Capable gangs divided their spheres of influence and operated together, while more capable gangs began to infiltrate upwards and even to other planets. As a result, more materials that should not have been transported to the central nest were transported down through various excuses and means, making this city within a city even more prosperous.
"According to previous rules, we can't easily go up to the top floor of the airport. The people there will hide the goods we need in specially marked warehouses and deliver them down. However, the leader specifically asked me to bring you two up to inspect the goods. Although you are VIPs, you may not know much about the delivery channels, so I hope you can follow my instructions when necessary."
Arabelle and Howard both nodded, and then Jesse took out two more air filters from the driver's seat and tossed them to the two.
"In ten minutes, a transport hold half-full of ore will be delivered from the Lower Nest to the Airport. This is our elevator to the Airport. This hold will stop at the Middle Nest, our location, for five minutes for some minor repairs. We need to hurry up and get up there." Jesse said, "The ore in the warehouse is slightly toxic, so please wear your gas masks. Someone will take care of the transfer at the Airport. I'll handle everything. Please refrain from talking until I confirm everything is done."
Arabelle and Howard nodded.
"The airport is completely sealed, so you don't normally need to wear vacuum suits. However, when the spacecraft is docked, the docking post will be opened and the vacuum will be released. As long as you follow me and don't run around, you won't be in danger. So I remind you again, after entering the airport, please obey my orders and don't make any decisions on your own. Understand?"
Arabelle and Howard continued to nod.
"Okay, that's all I have to say for now. We still have some time. Does either of you want to go to the bathroom?" Jesse asked again.
Arabelle and Howard shook their heads.