The Restoration

[Shan Revan]

Several years had passed since the harrowing return to the world of light. It had taken a lot of help and hard work but the people of Naboo had found a new home and had begun to prosper in these new lands. Although even now many problems still plagued the nation, many still lived in refugee camps and it was taking longer than expected to deploy rural infrastructure upgrades, the nation finally had the capability to look back to the runined home they once lived in - a great artificial island, the largest man made structure ever created, displacing 16 petalitres of ocean. The people of Naboo, under the Realm of have created a large industrial base and have rapidly adopted new technologies and advanced their own. In fact they had reached a level similar to that at which the structure was originally created.

Until now only a population had remained in the sunken island - mostly assessing and repairing what little they could, A few years ago rescue teams and excavators had also been added to the skeleton crew and had begun opening access to new areas and exploring areas that had been abandoned for decades. They had discovered that much of the top had collapsed in over the years and some of the area below it had thoroughly flooded but it remained remarkably intact all things considered.

It was time to begin the restoration of their homeland from its ruinous state to something worthy of its name. It would probably take decades and engineers were having difficulty dealing with the shear magnitude of the task, it seemed almost impossible, and often wondered how it was even done in the first place. Whilst they pondered whether or not they could restore it to its original specification or if alterations were necessary, specially trained demolition crews and large heavy deep sea submersible machines were being brought to "Waypoint Station", a large oil rig with several large elevator shafts burrowed down through the rubble into the island complex. A much easier method than utilising submarines required to use the ad hoc submarine doc used for their escape. Before they could even begin construction they had to remove the tonnes of rubble and debris and then dismantle any damaged sections.

Back on the Asian continent, material engineers were going over old documents detailing some of the exotic materials that would be needed. The super-hydrophobic exterior coating was an advanced polymer based substance exhibited a minimal coefficient of friction with mild self-healing capabilities and a very mild elasticity. It appeared as a glossy black rubber like material and when two coated surfaces are forced together it forms a formidable seal, quite capable of keeping the deep pressures of the ocean depths out. This substance was doped with yet another exotic anti-microbial to prevent degradation.

On the inside of the great walls, to supplement the supporting superstructure, the advanced marine barrier walls were filled with something called EEPEF - extreme expansion piezoelectric foam. It filled the walls and absorbed the natural energy from waves and tectonic movements. It also provided excellent thermal and sonic insulation from the freezing depths and would moderately harden and become strong after expanding to provide considerable assistance in load bearing. Nothing was simple of cheap, even the concrete panels that made up much of the superstructure and framework features exotic steel alloys and depleted uranium reinforcements. Material engineers were unsure how they were going to produce this. New dedicated facilities would be required.

So great was the demands that a new wonder city was announced - "la Forge", a great factory city and port from which everything that the island needed would be constructed. At the heart of the city would be a massive factory complex which would produce the main components including the massive coated concrete panels. Many other smaller factories would also be built, to create every other exotic item or material. the production lines all ended at a vast storage yard that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Massive panels, giant tanks of liquids and foams. It was a new national project. Even with extensive use of robots, thousands of workers would be required to operate the factories. Just to get the new city complete in time, the vast industrial capacities of the neighbouring nations would be hired at great cost.

No one was really sure if they could even do it, but dammit the people insisted that they try. It was a matter of national and cultural pride.