[90: SPACESHIP!]
(A/N: Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Let's take a moment of silence.)
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Project Thor. Also known as "Rods from God," or "Rods of God."
A conceptual Cold War-era orbital weapons system. Studied by the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and later revisited in the early 21st century.
The idea was simple.
Dropping massive solid tungsten metal rods from Earth's orbit to hit ground targets using pure kinetic energy.
The solid tungsten rods were proposed to be about 20 feet long and one foot in diameter, and weighing about eight to ten metric tons each. They would be dropped from orbit, reaching a speed of up to Mach 10 at impact. The pure kinetic energy would be what did the damage.
It was supposed to be a satellite system that would cover the entire world.
However, this idea never came to fruition due to the immense material and financial cost needed to implement a global coverage of satellites with tungsten rods that big. And because missiles did a better job.
It was something that was supposed to be practically impossible, but a certain quirk could make the material and financial cost a non-issue. And it could make it better.
"Okay, Theodore, let's start Project THOR: Mjolnir System. This is going to maybe be the most ambitious and hardest thing I've done yet. Although hiding this from most governments in the world is going to be a big headache. This is going to require an entire system of satellites and drones for multiple parts in LEO and GEO." Eleanor could feel a massive headache approaching as she started to think about what it would require. At least the biggest hurdle of financial and material cost was gone. But the science and math behind it would be a massive undertaking for just one person and an AI.
{I recommend designing a system only for Japan at the moment. I would also recommend hacking satellites and space infrastructure belonging to JAXA to try to blend in.}
Eleanor was silent for a moment after hearing the bold advice from Theodore.
"You want me to hack JAXA? The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency? Look, hacking the HPSC is one thing, since it was easy at the time, but a space agency's network of satellites is a completely different beast. Look, let's just focus on making our own network and hiding it. If we never connect to the interplanetary or space network, or do any sort of meddling in it, then we'll be much safer."
{I will update plans. This will require a larger system, but it should be theoretically possible.}
"Alright, let's start setting all this up."
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Lady Nagant walked into Eleanor's workspace. More time had passed. Eleanor had mostly tried to balance her new…relationship with Lady Nagant after they kissed. They hadn't made anything official, but it was anything but.
Lady Nagant saw Eleanor sitting down and rubbing her head. Eleanor's head was hurting big time. Multiple papers were scattered. The only thing that was organized was the holographic screen, and only because of Theodore.
{Eleanor, Mjolnir variants have been updated.}
Eleanor sighed. "Man, the original Project Thor has so many more flaws than I thought. And that's ignoring the material and financial cost." She muttered to herself.
"Hey, Eleanor, you still holding up well?" Lady Nagant sat down next to Eleanor.
"Oh, hey, Kaina. Not great, but not bad either."
"I can see that. You had me worried at first until I saw how enhanced your body is. Do you ever get tired?"
"Eh…yeah, I do, but…it would take a lot to get me tired. Well, physically tired, at least. Mentally, I think I'm a little better. Though I can't be sure, since I haven't really compared or tested it. But considering it's been days now and each day with hours of thinking, I think I'm above average."
"Being humble?"
"Just trying to figure out where I place among the population."
"I see. So, what has your head hurting?"
Eleanor sighed and pinched her nose. "Tungsten rods dropped from orbit are certainly fast and powerful, but the atmosphere brings in a whole lot of issues."
Lady Nagant nodded along. She might not fully understand all of this, but she would at least let Eleanor vent whatever she needed.
"First of all, you can't 'drop' a tungsten rod from space, or anything from space. The rod will just float next to the satellite, which means there has to be a massive retrograde burn to alter its trajectory. Then there's the strike window. If something requires a rapid response, a single satellite can't do it unless you wait for it to hover over the target or use a massive amount of fuel to force it." Eleanor ran her hands through her hair.
"But I'm sure you've figured it out, Eleanor. If it's something with science and math, you'll figure it out eventually."
"Yeah, I guess. Though having a powerful AI helps a lot. And as it turns out, I did solve it. Or at least, it's getting somewhere." Eleanor stood up and approached the holographic screen. "Here, check this out."
The holographic screen changed, showing a model of a long and large projectile. "This is one of the variants for the satellite weapon. I call them "Mjolnir rounds." I think it sounds cool, and it expands on the original concept. Anyway, this is the precision variant. There's a heavy variant and a swarm variant," Eleanor said.
The holographic screen changed to a simple tungsten rod. Eleanor continued, "So, another one of the problems with dropping a tungsten rod is the atmosphere. When this enters the atmosphere, it would encounter intense heating, drag, and potentially destructive stress, which means the rod has a chance of not even impacting the ground. So what I did was this."
The holographic screen changed again. The simple tungsten rod changed into something that resembled a sleek projectile. "Now, instead of a metal rod, it's a 'self-contained, autonomous kinetic vehicle with advanced protective materials and onboard navigation.' That's the wordy version. Basically, the metal projectile is encased in protection that stops it from being affected by entering the atmosphere."
Lady Nagant nodded along. 'Smile and nod, Tsutsumi. Just smile and nod,' Lady Nagant thought to herself.
"Now, it sounds simple, but oh my god, this thing is a massive headache. It's called an 'interior-thermal envelope.' This thing reduces the destructive thermal and mechanical stresses that would destroy the simple metal rod; it preserves structural integrity during extreme transitions between vacuum and atmosphere; allows the vehicle to make limited corrections to its motion without relying entirely on conventional aerodynamic surfaces; and protects sensitive onboard electronics and navigation systems," Eleanor explained.
Lady Nagant, although she wouldn't say it, found it boring to hear. 'I feel like I'm in a classroom. I think it's just me, though. Maybe someone out there would find this interesting, but maybe not for most people,' Lady Nagant thought to herself.
"So, the 'inertial-thermal envelope' works as a multi-layered and advanced structural defense. There's an outer primary hull and an inner hull. The space between them contains the envelope system. And in that space, there are dynamic fluid radiators; in this case, it's super-cooled liquid polymers that absorb heat and redirect it back into space." Eleanor sighed. "I can't begin to explain how crazy that is, because super-cooled liquid polymers aren't supposed to be this good or act like that, but here we are. It's theoretical at best, in my opinion."
"And…this is all for one projectile?" Lady Nagant asked.
"Yeah, this is for one. This same concept is applied to the three Mjolnir round variations. This is what's most important to even begin implementing this. The freaking things need to be able to reach Earth first and foremost," Eleanor said.
"So…how big is this thing going to be?"
"Big. Like, very big. And not even that; it's going to need an entire network of satellites and other space drones. Look, it's way too many details. The satellites and the network have the necessary protection and systems to operate in space autonomously, with the option for manual control should I need it. They'll be well protected against space debris, and they'll be hidden from prying eyes. Energy and heat management is a nightmare to deal with." Eleanor sighed. She mostly got everything out.
"I see. What's the end goal with this?" Lady Nagant asked.
"Global coverage with multiple orbital layers," Eleanor said.
"And…that'll work?"
"Assuming the massive breakthroughs needed for this kind of technology, even for this era, then yes, it's theoretically possible. This is basically in the realm of sci-fi, Kaina. I can't begin to explain how insane this is. But…my quirk should actually make this possible. The implications of this are…extreme," Eleanor said.
Lady Nagant hugged Eleanor from behind. "As I said, you'll figure this out, Eleanor. You got this." She whispered into Eleanor's ear.
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(Some Time Later)
"Breaking News! We have reports of a fire that broke out in a residential area!" A news anchor was talking quickly and urgently. "Authorities haven't arrived yet! But we can say that—" The news anchor stopped talking as a rather…strange scene started to take place on the live footage.
A group of people arrived at the fire scene. They weren't wearing the typical uniform for firefighters, but they were doing the same work. Firefighters went into burning buildings, finding and rescuing anyone inside. Hoses sprayed water onto the building.
And perhaps the most hopeful for those trapped in the fire. A hero. No, not a professional hero, but to the ones trapped inside, they might as well have been one.
The one using the quirk didn't have a flashy outfit; they were wearing the same firefighter outfit as the others. The fire in the building started to flow into the person's arms. The fire danced around them before it shot off harmlessly into the sky.
All of this was being recorded live on multiple news sites and on social media.
"What's…happening? They don't look like any firefighting group I know of." The news anchor on the screen was questioning what they saw. "Nevertheless, they are helping the people."
The fire was quickly put out. A few EMTs were providing treatment to those rescued from the fire.
A news reporter who was at the scene approached the firefighting team. Specifically, the one who used their quirk.
"Excuse me, uh…can I have a moment of your time?" The reporter had to look up just a bit.
"Huh? Oh, sure." The person, who was a woman, looked back and down at the reporter.
"Wow, uh, you're tall."
The woman chuckled a little. "Yeah, I get that a lot. What did you want to know?"
"Oh, right." The reporter took out a notepad. "Which group of firefighters are you? I haven't seen a uniform like yours." The reporter looked around the scene. "Actually, even the EMTs and ambulances don't look like the ones I would normally recognize."
"Oh, that's because we have our own style to separate us! We want the people to know who they should trust instead!" The woman suddenly started speaking with more conviction in her voice.
"I…see. So, who are all of you?"
"We are a part of the Meta Liberation Army! This is one part of our disaster response group! We've finally gotten the opportunity to show what we can do, that we can provide for communities better than the official government can!"
The eyes of the news reporter widened. They had probably just stumbled into the biggest scoop of the day. They quickly wrote everything down. "I see. Thank you for what you did for everyone here!"
"It's not a problem. It's what a trustworthy government should already be doing in the first place." The woman left, going to join the rest of her team.
The news reporter quickly went around to interview one of the saved victims.
"Hi, can I ask you a quick question?"
One of the victims, a young man who was standing near an ambulance, looked at the news reporter. "Sure, what is it?"
"Are you aware that the ones who saved these people are the MLA? What do you think of this?"
"Whoa, they're the MLA? Look, I don't exactly care who they are. All I know is that they saved me and everyone in that burning building! And they were a hell of a lot faster than the real ones who were supposed to show up!"
"I see. Thanks for your time; I'll leave you alone."
The news reporter did a few more interviews. Opinions were leaning toward the MLA. Some were just glad they were saved and didn't really care who they were. Others were convinced to join their organization.
The news reporter rushed back to their office. They were going to get this story out there.