The Mechanical Era



There was silence in the meeting room in which the ministers and the king occupied. The three had no idea what an airship was and required further elaboration from their king, who in their eyes, always managed to come up with wacky, yet revolutionary inventions.

"Excuse me, sir, but I am afraid we do not understand. What is a Hot Air Balloon?" Carl, the director of the CIA queried the king, in a polite and friendly tone.

"A Hot air balloon is an aircraft we can use to fly," Kant claimed. Another moment of silence. Kant allowed the words to be processed by their brains. 

"I bed your pardon, sir?" Alan asked, unable to believe his ears. Their jaws slightly drop, and their eyes widen. Kant, noticing the bewildered expressions on the faces of his ministers, realized that the concept of a flying machine was entirely foreign to them. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to explain this revolutionary idea in more detail.

"I understand that the idea of a flying aircraft might seem strange and unfamiliar, but let me explain further," Kant began.

"A Hot air balloon is a large, bag-like structure made of fabric, called an 'envelope'. The envelope is filled with heated air through an opening called the 'mouth'. The principle behind it is quite simple.

As the air inside the balloon becomes warmer than the surrounding air, it becomes less dense, creating buoyancy that lifts the balloon off the ground."

He paused, giving the ministers a moment to process the information. Kant then gets the ministers all closer together, so that they all can observe the blueprint while Kant continues his explanation. He pointed to the blueprint, illustrating the different components of the hot air balloon.

"Here you can see the envelope, which is the main body of the balloon." Kant then moves his finger down, to the bottom of the envelope. There appeared to be a large hole just underneath the envelope. 

"This large opening at the bottom here is called the 'mouth'. This is where the hot air is blown in during the inflation process." He then points his finger to two vertical rectangles, painted black.

"These two rectangles right here represent the burners. It is the component that generates the heat needed to fill the envelope with hot air." Kant then moved his finger to the drawing of the basket. It was connected to the burners with a metal frame of some sort, which also connected the 'envelope' using some kind of rope.

"This is the basket. This is where the passengers or cargo be. As you can see, the basket is attached to the envelope, so it moves along with the balloon." Kant paused once again, ensuring that all the ministers were following his explanation. Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and awe, as if they were little children, listening to their parents answering their questions.

"Now, the key to controlling the hot air balloon's altitude is managing the heat inside the envelope. To ascend, the burners release a larger flame, heating the air more and increasing the buoyancy.

On the other hand, to descend, the pilot can allow some hot air to escape through the mouth, reducing the balloon's buoyancy. As for navigation, it is largely determined by wind currents," he stated. 

"Wind currents?" Armstrong asked.

"Yes, Sir Armstrong. Wind Currents." Kant gestured towards the sky outside the window. 

"Winds blow at various speeds and directions at different altitudes. The balloon can be maneuvered horizontally by ascending or descending to catch the wind currents blowing in the desired direction," Kant informed.

The ministers exchanged a few glances before turning back to Kant. They were all very much intrigued by the contraption but still had some concerns and skepticism in the back of their mind.

They weren't sure whether a device such as this could work, but then again, they knew that they could have never expected engineering marvels such as those steam engines, trains, steel mills, and such. They knew very well who Kant was, and his capabilities, but not sure where his capabilities end.

"Do you all have any questions?" Kant asked the ministers. They all raised their hands, leaving Kant to decide who to answer first. He pointed his finger toward Carl and called him out.

"Speak, Mr. Carl." 

"This invention is undeniably fascinating, but are there any risks or challenges associated with flying a hot air balloon?" he questioned.

"Indeed. As with any form of air travel, there are many significant challenges when it comes to this device. A few had come to mind.

First is the dependence on weather conditions.  Balloon flights must be conducted during stable weather with minimal wind.

As it is designed, strong gusts can make the balloon difficult to control and land safely. This could have the potential to cause a lot of damage to property, and casualties on human life," Kant admitted.

"Also..." Kant continued,

"There's the issue of altitude. As the air balloon goes higher, the air becomes thinner, which could affect both the efficiency of the burners and the health of the passengers.

There are limits to how high a hot air balloon can safely ascend, and we will have to try to figure out by how much. Furthermore, there might be an issue with landing.

Due to its dependence on wind currents for navigation, it might be challenging to predict precisely where the balloon will land." Kant explained. 

"Any other questions?" he asked. While Armstrong and Carl had their hands down, Alan lifted his arm, still having an unanswered question.

"Yes, Minister Alan?"

"What materials will the envelope be using? For such a device, surely we might need some sort of miracle fabric that could resist the heat?" he asked. 

"No. It does not. I have evaluated some fabrics for what I should use and concluded that Hemp can be used. As for the frames and such, we can use steel," he stated.

"What about the basket sir? Surely we might not have the proper materials to construct a strong, yet lightweight basket?" he added.

"For the basket, we can use plywood for the job. I heard that there was a factory being set up in Industrial District 1. It should be strong and lightweight enough for the job," Kant replied.

"Any more questions?" he queried the ministers. They all kept silent, with their hands underneath the desk. Feeling as if he cleared out all their questions, he moved on with the meeting. 

"Despite the problems that the hot air balloon may possess, I can see many uses for this device, and what it could provide for the Army, the CIA, and the kingdom as a whole." Kant boldly claimed.

"Like what sir?" Alan asked. Armstrong immediately replied to his question, feeling as if he knew the answer Kant was about to give.

"Maybe it can be used to create maps? The hot air balloon could give a proper view of the landscape for Cartographers," he answered.

"That is correct, Sir Armstrong," Kant affirmed, nodding in agreement. 

"The hot air balloon's ability to ascend to various altitudes and maneuver horizontally could indeed provide cartographers with a unique and comprehensive view of the landscape.

Mapping unexplored territories or areas with challenging terrain could be made easier and more accurate with the use of hot air balloons.

This would mean our maps could become much more accurate. This invention could be employed for reconnaissance purposes. We could equip a hot air balloon with observational instruments high into the sky to survey enemy territories or monitor the movements of opposing forces.

It would give us a significant advantage in gathering intelligence in case the kingdom and the Empire go to war," Kant averred. 

"However, we should try to keep this project a secret from the greater public, and the kingdoms around the continent as well.

We shouldn't go around flaunting these new innovations. That might draw unwanted attention, especially from the queen. This goes to other projects as well, such as the BLBA-18 Rifle, BBIC-18XX, and CRR-18.

These projects should be tested out in secret, in the middle of a dangerous forest if they have to."

"That is right sir! We cannot have them find out that we are making these miracle weapons," Alan stated, while the others nodded.

"However, that brings up a question. Where should this place be?" Alan asked. Kant turned towards Alan and gave off a smile.

"That involved the final request I have for you, Minister Alan. I want you to get someone to find a great place to set up this base of operations. Can you do that for me?" he asked. Alan nodded.

"Not to worry sir. I already have a bunch of guys I know and trust. I will have them scout a good area to build this base. I can even have someone design a blueprint for the place!" he replied. 

"That is wonderful. Thank you, minister. Now..." Kant turns to the rest of the ministers. 

"That is all I have to show you all today. I humbly thank you all for coming to this meeting. I presume you all remember your tasks?" The ministers nodded, before replying "Yes" in a confident tone.

"Good. Well, in that case, there is no longer a reason for us to stay here. Meeting Adjourned."