We explore the history and science surrounding levitation within Ovelia, through a chief gravitational technician briefing his successor.
Leaving my duties as a chief gravitational technician has been a difficult decision, especially as I believe people do not adequately value the work being done here. However, the romantic ideal of serving the public diligently even at the risk of my own life isn't one I really feel I can embrace any longer. With civil war tearing the city apart, I understand that few are willing to take responsibility for this heavily fought-over system and that enthusiasm may triumph over expertise. As it appears my duties will be handled by a young lady by the name of Xia Bernard with her background in communications technology, my extensive library on gravitational technology may be of some use in her impromptu mastering of the subject.
I suggest working through the data in somewhat chronological order, beginning with Dr. Adams' texts on the properties and manipulation of the graviton from the 2090s. Although this may seem a bit theoretical, a solid understanding of the theory behind gravitational manipulation will be necessary to operate the system, and Adams has a pleasant and accessible way of writing. I also strongly suggest reading her later conceptual work on using anti-gravity systems on an extremely low-orbit space station - although imagined for extra-terrestial use, the system used on Skycities like this one is in practice very similar to Adams' space stations. However, our city uses a thorium nuclear reactor, since the solar panels from the space station concept did not have the needed power efficiency when the city was built.
The groundwork for more practical technical knowledge is mainly found in the writings of Aaronson and Abramsky from the 2110s and Fung's expansion on these engineering principles from 2134. They introduce the concept of gravitational anchors, which is the principle by which the Skycity can stay in one place relative to the Earth. This city's anchor in no longer fully functional, which is the reason for the "drifting" that has lately caused a lot of inconvenience. Fully repairing the anchor would require supplying additional power, but with the thorium stockpile waning this would be a disastrous course of action.
Miss Bernard, if all goes well and you read this, I hope you understand that what you are attempting would not be a reasonable option under normal circumstances. While I don't doubt your courage or your skill as a communications technician, this is the most important system in this city, and it's already operating on a shoestring energy budget. I will leave whatever instructions I can for keeping it in working order, but they depend on your ability to learn quickly. Many may like to pretend everything is here automated, but anyone who has looked under the hood knows that without people like you or me understanding what they're doing, this city will literally fall.
For more Letters of Ovelia, read Part IV: Information is Power or Part VI: The Sky Cities !. Also, if you haven't already, follow us on any of the social networks below through their icons.
