by Jeremy Dwyer
“I understand that. You’ll need extra time to do that work, and you’ll need the larger sapphires, which will be supplied,” Lady Onora said.
“No! That’s just it! I’m not going to need extra time – or the larger sapphires – after all! I thought of a way I can configure the constructor with these smaller sapphires. They already have everything I need – the whole design is etched into them. It’s just a matter of magnification and angular adjustments to scale it up to full size. Let’s go, right now, and build this city!” Fantine said.
“That’s amazing! Now, you’re the one in a hurry!” Niven said.
“It’s time to be bold. Follow me,” Fantine said.
“Lead the way,” Lady Onora said. She suspected that the Divine Will of God inspired Fantine. This was meant to happen. This was going to happen. And it was going to happen both soon and fast.
Fantine placed the small sapphires into different pockets in a leather satchel and then folded it up, placing the strap over her shoulder. She left the workshop, followed by Lady Onora, Ximenez, Farley and Niven.
They went to the docks where the Sandstone Cutter was anchored. Captain Arata was standing on deck and saw Fantine’s approach.
“Requesting permission to come aboard, Captain Arata,” Fantine said.
“Please do,” Captain Arata said.
Fantine, Lady Onora, Farley, Niven and Ximenez all boarded the Sandstone Cutter.
“So good to see you, Captain. Please take us to eastern Meridianus. I’ve got some innovative new work to do. I want everyone to see it. A whole new city, unlike any other,” Fantine said. She was beaming with enthusiasm, more excited than she had ever been. Lady Onora was impressed, and sensed that some sort of miracle had taken place, and that a far larger one was about to occur.
“My pleasure. Right away,” Captain Arata said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened to the sounds of the stars and learned their positions and movements. From this information, he charted a course and sailed the Sandstone Cutter southwest across the Medathero Ocean until reaching the land bridge of Emeth. He converted the ship to its airship configuration, elevated it to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude, traveled south over the land bridge and returned to sea level in the Pirovalen Ocean. From there, he sailed southeast until reaching the eastern coast of Meridianus.
~~~
When the appointed day was near, Romana and Judith left the castle of the military academy in Revod, traveled by inland riverboat toward the northeastern coast and then booked passage on a ship, heading southwest across the Medathero Ocean. When the ship reached Emeth, they paid for transport on another ship, heading south across the Pirovalen Ocean toward the eastern coast of Meridianus. There, they waited as Lady Onora told them.
They didn’t wait long, however – less than a day – before they saw a pair of ships approaching.
“It’s them,” Romana said.
“How do you know?” Judith asked.
“I know. The time is right,” Romana said.
“There are two (2) ships. Fantine is likely on one of them. Is the other one from the central bank?” Judith asked.
“That’s what I would expect,” Romana said.
~~~
Within a few minutes, the Diversifier dropped anchor near the coast. On deck, Governor Lux looked out and saw that two (2) women were standing on the shore, seeming to be waiting for his arrival. However, what interested him was the other ship that sailed nearby, and also dropped anchor.
“I believe that’s her ship. Bring us closer, Captain,” Governor Lux said.
Captain Koloman had his crew raise the anchor and he steered the Diversifier closer to the other ship. He soon saw its markings revealing that it was the Sandstone Cutter.
~~~
On board the Sandstone Cutter , Fantine stood on deck and began planning out the maneuvers.
“We need to plant fourteen (14) pillars, all clustered on the land. They’ll project their beams outward, to form the oblong city shape. Usually I form a perimeter, but this time, it’s much more asymmetric, and not centralized,” Fantine said.
“We’re going to need to hire some people for the heavy lifting. You had them before,” Captain Arata said.
“I believe we can hire them here,” Fantine said.
“Another ship is approaching,” Captain Arata said.
Lady Onora did not have extraordinary vision but the other ship approached closely enough that even she could see it was Governor Lux standing on deck. “It’s Governor Lux – that’s his ship. He’s standing on deck,” Lady Onora said.
“He probably wants to oversee the work,” Fantine said.
“The way you were talking about it – as excited as you were – we all want to see it,” Niven said.
“It looks like the Governor wants to come aboard,” Fantine said.
“I’ll extend the boarding ramp outward,” Captain Arata said. He gestured toward his crew and they extended the boarding ramp toward the other ship.
Governor Lux accepted the invitation, but was preceded by his guards, some of whom were under the cover of darkness from the Ikkith Tar waters they drank. Also under the cover of darkness were Fulvius – who likewise drank the Ikkith Tar waters – and Erlend, over whom he extended his powers of darkness.
“Thank you for having me aboard, Captain,” Governor Lux said as he stepped on to the deck of the Sandstone Cutter.
“We’re ready to build, Governor,” Fantine said.
“Ready? I’m here to oversee your preparations for the design phase. You’re still on the ship and you’re already done preparing the plans for the city and actually ready to build it?” Governor Lux asked.
“Yes, Governor. Not only do I have design, but it’s etched into these sapphires,” Fantine said. She took the leather satchel strapped over her shoulder and opened it, revealing the sapphires inside.
“Those small gemstones are for your small scale design, I should think. I would have to provide you with larger sapphires to actually etch the full scale design to operate the constructor and build the city,” Governor Lux said.
“Actually, I have an idea for how to magnify the design etched within these smaller sapphires so that the constructor can be operated using just them,” Fantine said.
“That is a substantial improvement…if your idea works,” Governor Lux said.
“I’m ready to make it work…after the pillars are put into place, of course. I’m going to need help with that,” Fantine said.
“You have the funding for the design work. I haven’t even seen the city’s design, so I can’t yet approve the construction. Until then, I cannot authorize payment for additional labor,” Governor Lux said.
Fantine handed Lux her documents sketching out the city’s design so that they could be understood by anyone, even if they did not drink the Kazofen waters that enabled them to peer into the low-level structure of the sapphires.
Governor Lux examined the documents and said: “This is unusual, and quite exotic. Multi-level designs requiring airship docking entail risk. I thought we specified that a conventional design would be used. This only compounds the risk incurred by operating the constructor in an unproven way.”
“I did conduct small scale tests to prove that multi-level can work, with the properly weighted loads. Heavier ships would use sea-level docking only. Lighter vessels can airship dock,” Fantine said.
“I trust your testing, only based on several successful past results. Yet, what are the architectural risks? If this city is improperly formed and collapses, causing damage to the ships or their cargo, it will all be worse than useless,” Governor Lux asked.
“The risks will be obvious immediately – if the constructor cannot magnify the design etched in the small sapphires, it will not produce a full scale city. I will have to deconstruct it and make another attempt,” Fantine said.
“There is also the risk of airship docking mishaps. Th
e ship captains could lose the ship and the cargo, which is their own liability, but still a loss of revenue in terms of port access fees paid to the central bank. I am also concerned about damage to the city itself,” Governor Lux said.
“The city’s design, if you look closely, is made more robust around the piers and they are beveled to protect against damage to the city or to other ships,” Fantine said, pointing to the sketches on the document that she had given to Governor Lux.
“I am intrigued, nonetheless, by the opportunity to reduce our investment in larger sapphires for the constructor. That, alone, will reduce operational costs, given their high price. What additional funding do you need to conduct the full scale test?” Governor Lux asked.
“Some labor – strong people to lower the constructor pillars into position, all clustered on the shore, to create the oblong city design,” Fantine said.
“You said you were ready. Does that mean you can begin now?” Governor Lux asked.
“Yes. If we get started putting the pillars into place, and attaching the sapphires, we can have this city built today,” Fantine said.
Governor Lux turned to Lady Onora and asked: “Did you goad her into this? You are a clever woman – very persuasive in your arguments. I have not seen this level of enthusiasm from Fantine about any prior project, nor this level of willingness to take risks on unproven methods.”
“I asked her to build a new city – the largest possible port city. Fantine is the leading expert in architecture – there is no question of that – so she can mitigate the design risk,” Lady Onora said.
“You assume all responsibility for failure or damage. If this does fail, you will provide a new design – of a conventional port city – at no additional cost,” Governor Lux said.
“Obviously,” Fantine said.
“Then sign here,” Governor Lux said, writing his terms down on the page of a book he took from his jacket.
Fantine read the terms and signed using the pen Governor Lux handed her, which he then promptly took back.
“Farley, keep this document with you,” Governor Lux said, seeing that his courier had dutifully remained in the company of Lady Onora. He handed the signed page having the acceptance of liability over to Farley, who placed the page into his jacket pocket, but not before the Chronicler Ximenez was able to see and copy the signed page into his own book.
Governor Lux gestured for some of his guards – the ten (10) who drank the Nabavodel Ocean waters – to come closer. They drank anew of the waters from their vials and were energized.
“They will provide the strength for the labors you need. This is your moment. Impress me,” Governor Lux said.
“Captain Arata, let’s move the ship into position,” Fantine said.
Captain Arata raised the anchor on the Sandstone Cutter, converted the ship to its airship configuration and raised it to ninety (90) feet of altitude, to match the heights of the pillars. Fantine pointed to him where the ship should be moved. The assigned guards applied their strength to lowering the fourteen (14) constructor pillars, one (1) pillar at a time, using heavy ropes to place them onto the shore of eastern Meridianus.
As each constructor pillar was placed, Fantine drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial and was energized. She modified each of the sapphires, molding the crystal geometry of their outer surfaces to have a magnifying effect. She then fused one (1) modified sapphire into the socket atop each pillar.
~~~
Under the cover of darkness provided by Fulvius, Erlend drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized. He then inspected the sapphires and the constructor pillars, noting the techniques that Fantine had used to alter their low-level structure.
~~~
Ximenez recorded all of Fantine’s actions into his book, although he could not see precisely what she was doing to the sapphires, because he could not see their low-level structures.
During this time, Lady Onora quietly prayed, awaiting a miracle.
Niven watched Fantine work, admiring her every move, and hoping for her to finally appreciate him.
When the work was done, Fantine directed Captain Arata to steer the Sandstone Cutter out over the water, and out of the way, returning it to sea level, near to the Diversifier.
“Are we ready, architect?” Governor Lux asked.
“Yes,” Fantine said. She took an additional sapphire – a different one – from her leather satchel and made modifications to it, releasing the solar energy stored within it. The sapphire had a very high density for storage – because of clever geometric cuts she made to it – and it emitted a beam of blue light toward the fourteen (14) sapphires atop the constructor pillars on the shore.
The sapphires atop the fourteen (14) constructor pillars each became bright blue, and beams of light were emitted from each of them, toward the others. These beams formed all seventy-seven (77) diagonals, although some were of unequal length, because of the oblong arrangement of the pillars.
~~~
On the shore, Romana and Judith watched the constructor pillars get placed and saw the beams of light form between the sapphires at their tips.
Judith recorded what she saw into her book. It was a familiar sight for her by now, reminding her even of the construction of Octavian’s castle in the Citrine Desert in Volaraden. His conceit had been unbearable – the man loved only himself, and murdered those who didn’t glorify him, not that he did anything to deserve glory: his castles were constructed for conquest. Fantine, though arrogant, was at least not inclined toward violence and was building something that would prove beneficial. Judith knew that Fantine’s denial of God was something that would be her own ruin, unless Romana and Onora could find a way to humble her pride while directing her talent.
~~~
The beams of light began to rotate and then the mists of the Pirovalen Ocean waters around them rose up, moved toward the beams and began to take the form of a large, walled city – extending seven (7) miles north-to-south along the eastern shore line of Meridianus, three (3) miles east-to-west from the coastline extending inward, and having a three-level system of piers each extending out half of a mile east into the ocean. There were seventy-three (73) such triple-decker piers, with the first deck at twelve (12) feet above sea level, the second deck at fifty-two (52) feet above sea level and the third deck at ninety-two (92) feet above sea level. The city itself was a luminous light blue, having buildings as high as eighty-four (84) feet tall with smaller buildings surrounding them, within the forty (40) foot high wall.
When the city was formed, the sapphires atop each of the constructor pillars turned dark once again.
Judith recorded a sketch of the appearance of the north side of the city – near to where she and Romana were standing – into her book.
“Let’s take a closer look,” Judith said to Romana, and then they both walked toward the city’s northern gate.
~~~
On board the Sandstone Cutter, Ximenez watched intently, drawing images of the city’s construction into his book.
Fantine placed the control crystal back into her leather satchel, closed it and hung it over her shoulder.
“The city is complete, Governor,” Fantine said.
“Then let’s inspect it at once,” Governor Lux said.
“I’ll steer the ship into the port,” Captain Arata said. He maneuvered the Sandstone Cutter toward one of the sea-level piers and dropped anchor.
“Follow me, and be ready to record everything you see with the lightkeepers,” Fantine said, looking to Niven.
Fantine and Governor Lux led the way off of the ship and into the port city, followed by Lady Onora, Niven, Ximenez, Farley and Captain Arata. The ten (10) assigned guards who did the heavy lifting returned to their primary duty – protection of Governor Lux, personally.
~~~
On board the Diversifier, Captain Koloman saw the newly constructed city and was more impressed with this latest project than t
he previous one at Yihartec Island. The scale was larger, and the three (3) level pier system would make for fast loading – assuming the airship captains were careful enough operating over top of other ships. He followed the Sandstone Cutter and moved the Diversifier near to one of the other sea-level piers. He and his crew waited on board the ship, prepared to return to the central bank when Governor Lux was ready.
~~~
Niven took a lightkeeper crystal out of his box and held it above his head, catching the light of the many suns. The sun light burned the image of the port city’s eastern wall into the lightkeeper crystal. He slowly rotated the crystal as he walked, capturing a full view of what was around him. After they entered the eastern gate, he took a second lightkeeper crystal out of the box and did the same, capturing a portion of the port city’s internal layout. After some time walking, observing and recording, they approached the center of the city and the tallest building, standing eighty-four (84) feet in height.
“I’m impressed, architect. But is it sound construction, given the innovations you made so quickly? Will this port city endure through time and tide?” Governor Lux asked.
Ximenez recorded all that he saw and heard into his book. He drew careful sketches of the city, and even watched Niven at work, capturing it as they walked.
“I will want to see those lightkeeper crystals for my records,” Ximenez said.
“I’ll copy them for you,” Niven said. He was following Fantine closely, going where she went and looking where she directed him.
“And I will pay for the copies, as well,” Fantine said.
Moments later, Judith and Romana met with them, having approached from the north.
“Onora! This is amazing! The city was actually built sooner than anyone expected, even me,” Romana said.
“The city is sound. It will stand, and people will come here to work, and to live,” Lady Onora said, looking to Governor Lux, answering his earlier question. Sound carried and she heard their conversation from a distance, because of the Pirovalen waters flowing through her.
