Plan 311: Building a Dream (Part 2)

Part 1 | Part 3

Mirrai Connection, continued

Attempting to employ the primary architects of Rasoon proved futile since all were settled with large families they did not wish to move, and were skeptical about their ability to survive the far drier climate in Aludra. In the end, the best candidates were two graduate students from the prestigious Seldivna Architectural College, Lei Uwari Aris and Hana Uwari Kiyna*, both of whom were among the many promising young architecture and city planning students who had participated in the Rasoon project and both of whom were curious about the world outside Mirrai.

Since Mirrai at the time did not have a single embassy on the Continent, negotiating their passports required a Representative of the Mirrai city-state of Seldivna be sent to Aludra. The Empress was unsurprised that the only Representative willing to attempt such a journey was young and inexperienced and did not regard it as an insult, and after much consultation, Representative Kawai Uwari Isenka made the journey in a climate-controlled container in the back of a military transport aircraft.

Initially, at her own request, she was greeted as any dignitary would be, but after a short time the young Mirrai was visibly uncomfortable and looking like she was ready to faint. Soon Empress Lana sat with her in the Imperial Palace's sauna as the much happier but still nervous Kawai stammered her way through a list of requests, and the Empress was surprised at the final one: that Aludra be host to the first colony of Mirrai to live outside their homeland. The young salamander looked down at her notes as she did her best to suggest it would enrich Aludran culture without implying there was anything wrong with how it was now, drooping her gills by the end as she was certain she was about to be ordered to leave.

Instead, the Empress accepted; such a unique population would be a way of showing that Aludra was not just for Alun as Etrusean propaganda tended to claim. Kawai remained in the Imperial Palace to act as liaison while the city-state governments of Mirrai set about selecting the agreed-upon eight thousand families. The process was complex and intended to present the best side of Mirrai culture, with the final selections including a rather disproportionate number of priestesses, teachers, scholars, scientists, musicians and artists.


Final Plans

Lei and Hana's first plan submission surprised every Aludran architect who studied it, a tiered city with up to five ground levels and vehicle traffic kept to sub-levels using ventilation and automated fire suppression systems based on those developed for use on Air Destroyers. The only aboveground roads were strictly reserved for the deployment of emergency service vehicles.

This would be less challenging than in some Continental countries since most Aludran citizens do not own a personal car. As well as incorporating a similar subway rail system to Alurna and the tramways beloved of Aludran city-planners, above-ground monorails were to be used for the first time; great efforts were made to design rails and trains which would not look out-of-place, with the final designs aesthetically similar to old steam locomotives. The subway trains would be the same type used in Alurna: electrically driven, but fitted with cosmetic steam engine connecting rods driven by the wheels rather than the other way around.

Like all Aludran city rail systems, the subway trains would use 4'11 gauge (considered the minimum acceptable for twin-deck passenger cars designed for Alcacians) rather than the gigantic 6'6 gauge used on Aludran standard railway lines**.

Over fifty percent of the plan's land area was to be parks and open spaces, with cascading vertical gardens and carefully engineered multi-level waterways creating beautiful waterfalls designed to flatter the forms of their surroundings. For the first time accessibility and comfort for Chiran species was considered too, with external climbing paths included for many buildings.

The latter reached the attention of the Chiran ambassador to Aludra and through her the Chiran government. This was at the height of a period of good relations between Aludra and Chira under Empress Lana, and it was hoped a cultural exchange between the two nations would foster greater understanding between their peoples. In the end it was agreed that Aqua City would become home to five thousand Chiran families, while the same number of Aludran families would be accommodated in Chira.

The two Mirrai had worked with a dozen Alun architects to keep quirks like the Mirrai love of swamps and mushroom-like forms in check, and the Central Planning Authority, Old Aqua City Representatives and Aqua City Provisional Civil Authority all felt the plan had potential when it was presented to them. In particular they were impressed by the use of what they learned was the standard system of waste disposal in Mirrai, using a system of pneumatic tubes connecting all homes and businesses to a central disposal facility rather than collections, since underground Mirrai cities cannot accommodate vehicles of any kind.

The fixtures of the new city were modern, but still styled to make it clear it was an extension of Alurna. Cosmetic wrought iron was used extensively, particularly for streetlamps. As in Alurna, the central district was to be lit by gas lamps since Aludrans consider such lighting romantic. Unlike Alurna, though, which is notoriously dark for species with poor night vision, the lamp spacing used the Etrusean all-species standard. The remaining lighting was to use the "electric gas" system developed eighteen years earlier, lamps designed specifically to replicate the appearance and ambience of real gas lighting.

While Lei and Hana assumed Mirrai's preferred solution of nuclear fission power would not be a problem, they were told on the presentation of their first plan that Aludra's uranium was all reserved for military purposes, while their molten fluoride thorium reactor program was not yet ready for large-scale civil use. The two were unhappy with the Aludran solution of using natural gas and coal power plants on the reactor sites, arguing it would make the city less pleasant, particularly for their people. Aludran city planning still retains some ideas from fortress-cities, including locating power plants within a close radius; modern planners hold that this localisation of the power grid prevents large-scale attacks on major power plants that would affect industrial output in multiple cities.

After many negotiations, the eventual solution was four smaller power stations, two coal and two gas with the latest filtering and rapid-quenching systems, supported with two solar power stations using Mirrai-designed high-output panels developed for the upper surface of Rasoon to decrease the load on the tower's reactors.

As it became clear the plan was practical, the Empress ordered the construction of two new bridges between Alurna and Aqua City, along with an ambitious plan to create a copy of the Galina Bridge alongside the original with both now featuring a retractable section of deck for the passage of what were cryptically termed "tall ships." This was actually the earliest sign of the plan that would eventually become the Grimalkin-class hybrid carriers.

Following surveys of interested noble families and a census of potential migrants to the new city, eighty-five major industrial plants were incorporated into the plan, mostly focused on servicing the new docklands.

Since Aqua City was modelled after Alurna, it would require the establishment of family businesses; Lana's mother, Empress Kiera, had already declared Etrusean-style shopping malls were Improper and her daughter shared the same opinion. The census of potential migrants was also for this purpose; those hoping to establish new businesses were questioned regarding their needs in terms of layout and floor space. Since even the Aludran military only used modular design grudgingly on the basis that it worked for their needs, it was determined that no two stores should be identical, and each was designed primarily with Aludran sensibilities in mind. Modest windows were used and full glass fronts forbidden since a Lady should choose if she wishes to view the interior of a building rather than having it waved at her uncouthly.

Larger businesses and entertainment venues, like industry, would mostly be the direct responsibility of nobility, though a few exceptions like burlesque houses were purpose-built based on existing structures: Park Avenue Burlesque, for example, is a near-replica of The Imperial in Alurna.

The school system, built around Aludra's ideal of five students to a teacher, would require a large number of new staff to be trained, including as many multilingual ones as possible. Accompanying the schools would be two new universities and twelve specialised colleges. Surveys were taken of staff in educational facilities throughout Aludra to find tutors and professors who were happy with moving, and substantial incentives were given for teaching programs.

As the Aludran education system heavily relies on offering voluntary education for early school-leavers, it would be essential to create dozens of museums and libraries, which would require the assembly of appropriate collections. The Alurna Board of Culture took responsibility for this, with its notoriously adorable junior representative Alicia sen Sievna tasked with negotiations. Creating military museums was a simple matter of asking nobles and the Central Historic Depot for equipment and building dioramas, but coming up with Proper collections for the other museums required delicate discussions. The curator of the Alurna Museum of Natural History, Genevieve di Alud, was particularly loath to part with any of its peerless collection of specimens and papers to start a new research department, to the point that the Aqua City Museum of Natural History was actually completed before a deal was reached.

Meanwhile, among the Old Aqua City residents, those who had worked as doctors and medics were offered training as hospital workers in the new one, joining with hundreds of new trainees who would be their colleagues.

The Mirrai habitation in Aqua City presented many challenges given the climate of Alurna, with the eventual solution being suggested by the Emera designers based on their recent experience in building concealed underwater submarine pens in the naval base at Halleck. The plan added a vast artificial cenote underneath the central park, with a hundred-foot opening in the middle of the main lake and the city's waterways altered to give the cavern six main waterfalls with sluices to control the flow and prevent flooding if the lower city's eight pump towers failed. In case of a failure of the sluices, the electrical supply to the lower city used a cutoff system based on the water level: Mirrai are incapable of drowning, so even the complete inundation of the lower city would not be a problem by itself.

A series of water-filled tunnels would allow Mirrai to exit the undercity in tree-shaded areas around the perimeter of the lake so that they could interact with citizens of the upper city; it was felt that it would defeat the entire point of the project if this was not possible. Since it was the main water source for the undercity, the entire lake already had to be clean enough for Mirrai to swim in it, making it technically the largest drinking water fountain in existence. Filter systems ensured the algae in the waters of the lower city did not end up in the lake.

One idea that appeared at this point was for a ring of mixed-use recreational facilities to surround the lake with access from the water tube system, so that Mirrai and other species could do things other than chat at the very edge of the lake. This led to a series of strange meetings for Lei and Hana as designers attempted to work out ways for Mirrai to participate in well-loved Aludran activities. Swimming was by far the easiest since the only requirement was use a disinfecting method that did not involve leaving chlorine in the water, but others, particularly allowing them to share in the inexplicable Aludran affinity for ten-pin bowling, took some lateral thinking.

Greater still was the challenge facing Aludran biologists and chemists, that of creating Mirrai nursery pools. Functional nursery pools were essential if the Mirrai population was to last more than a single generation, and nobody had ever tried to establish one anywhere outside of the Home Island.

This seemed an insurmountable problem with test pools recording values hugely outside the range of acceptable nutrient levels, but negotiators finally persuaded the government of Seldivna to send Mirrai egg tissue cultures to the labs working on the project for more direct testing. It turned out even the Mirrai themselves had never identified all of the factors involved in creating a functional nursery, since several like nutrient leeching from specific types of stone had been dealt with by the traditional methods of building a temple's nursery. This research finally explained why attempts at creating "high tech" Mirrai nurseries had always produced tiny eggs with tadpole-like hatchlings who remained aquatic and totally dependant for over a year***.

Further challenges included the introduction of familiar species of Mirrai plants and animals to the undercity without damaging the ecology of Alurna or vice versa. It was quickly established that there would be a colony of Etrusean Honey Bees and Eastern Colonial Fireflies in the undercity within about a year and that steps would have to be taken to ensure they did not destroy populations of imported species****. This was ultimately handled by deliberately introducing well-fed populations into the undercity along with Mirrai-native species and continuing to feed the colonies well until they came to like having the imported species around. Competition for nesting spots on the roof between Aludran and Mirrai moth species was handled with carefully designed rock facings with "reserved" nesting sites designed to be unappealing to Aludran species.

Botanical studies suggested a minimal likelihood of any well-loved Mirrai species becoming invasive with the exception of luminescent bracket mushrooms that are a common feature of Mirrai homes since they grow on stone and provide more than enough light for the species to see. It was thought unlikely that spores would be able to exit the undercity, but a few structures in the city ultimately ended up supporting fungal colonies on their lower stories, thought to have been carried on construction equipment or workers' clothing.

With input from the Old Aqua City Representatives who were eager to preserve the positive aspects of their home, the final design sketches and 3D models showed an organised yet endearingly lived-in city designed to comfortably accommodate a population of around 3 million. The vision of what came to be called "Alurna's long-lost sister" won over even some staunch opponents of the project, and was declared to be Proper by Empress Lana during the Coronation Day celebrations two weeks after the presentation. The final plans credited everyone involved in the planning process, the list running to over eighty thousand names with commoners listed before nobility and including the names of foreign companies which had assisted in the project. A carved copy of this list would later be added to one wall of the Alurna Museum of Civic History*****.

*The same middle name means both women were hatched in the Uwari temple in Seldivna; indeed, the two were a hatchling couple (two girls who swam in their nursery pool at the same time after hatching at nearly the same time), a very special bond for two Mirrai to have.
** The latter gauge was that of the first Aludran freight railway line, constructed for the new Ruhm boiler factory to ship enormous complete Leviship boiler vessels to the fabrication yards at Blackridge Works in the north. It was standardised during Shri dio Alud's reign due to its suitability for heavy freight, armoured trains and railroad guns. 4'11 gauge was used by very early passenger trains in Alurna which were little more than a novelty, and was the first candidate when the Alurna Underground Rail project was suggested.
***Biologists concluded that this is actually the natural state of a Mirrai hatchling, with the colonian egg creating an environment that allows safe accelerated growth from the "tadpole" state to what the Mirrai consider a healthy hatchling. A "normal" Mirrai hatchling should be able to leave the water for short spells after a few months.
****Both species are Hawkinsae, with wild Eastern Colonial Fireflies a voracious predator of non-Hawkins bees; just three 12-inch-long fireflies can destroy a hive of 50,000 bees in half an hour. The "dual colony" is the result of a defensive adaptation in Etrusean Honey Bees: their soldiers, which are enormous compared to the three-inch workers and almost identical to fireflies, court firefly scouts, which are sterile queens. Success means the scout will return to her nest's actual queen and tell her they are not in their own hive, leading to a display of bafflement followed by the entire firefly colony relocating to surround the bee colony. This leads to an extremely nervous four-inch queen bee having to share her chamber with an 18-inch queen firefly who is still not quite sure if this is supposed to be happening, a relationship which gradually goes from the bee trying to hide in her chamber's side-tunnels to sleeping under the firefly's wing. There are benefits for both species; the soldier bees will help their carnivorous firefly "sisters" to hunt much larger prey than they would normally be able to since fireflies bite while soldiers have a three-inch non-barbed stinger that can dispense enough venom in a single sting to kill a horse. Bee queens also retain dormant viral DNA which results in larvae with almost no brain development, which they use to lay "sacrificial combs" if the fireflies are struggling. Equally, fireflies have the ability to secrete sugars if the bee colony is struggling; important since bees in a dual hive have their hibernating reflex disrupted.
While worker bees are exceptionally stupid for Hawkinsae, their soldiers and queen are not, and keeping them is a matter of earning the trust of the hive, whereupon they will gently shoo workers off of combs when their keeper comes. It is most common for keepers to be bipedal bees, since they have UV body markings that the bees recognise. Conventional beekeeping techniques are practically useless, and displacing a dual colony forcibly is regarded as outright insanity.
*****A decade later following the revelation that missile attack on an Aludran container ship that led to the Fourth Battle of Kythen Ocean was actually carried out by a Doran submarine using a copied Chiran hypersonic cruise missile built at Straugn Works, the words "Straugn Dynamics" were scratched out with the sign of the Seventh Kythen ("Murderers"). It was never clear if a vandal or the museum itself did this, but the panel was repaired a few years later.