Though Marcus motioned for C.C. to leave, the Witch stayed in the relaxation area in the workshop.
The Inventor Prince ignored her as he kept on walking, improving the systems and finalising the KK-Unit for his favourite little sister.
Euphemia will get an Artillery-type Mobile Suit named KK-61/DA01 Brigid. Based on the artillery types of Gundams. It has shoulder cannons and a heavy beam rifle.
The machine's special technology is the pulse technology. Based on magnetism that keeps plasma in place, Brigid can literally shoot plasma cannon balls, not just artillery beams.
Once all prep work was done, the orders were sent to the assembly lines, and the manufacturing began.
Meanwhile, Marcus checked the information Codes. He realised that there is a trigger for transition. This transition comes in two forms.
One is that it can be taken from another code bearer, but another is some sort of command triggering.
'Something has to send a command for Geass to evolve to the next stage.'
His eyes widened for a second.
'Thought Elevator…'
'Is that one of its true purposes?'
Marcus stroked his chin. He checked the map of Thought Elevators.
His eyes went to one in Kamine Island; he pondered on that one for a while, but then he looked at one in the South Pole.
"Legion, position satellites on Thought Elevator in the South Pole."
[Positioning a fly-by.]
The low orbit satellites have a moving orbit and can be used for periodical scans, just like he needs one right now.
Marcus waited for a bit as he spun in his chair and waited for it to fly by, which would happen in a few moments.
[Sir, this is the possible location for a Thought Elevator.]
All he saw was a lump of ice. However, a different rendering showed something wild.
Strong laser sensors and radio waves were able to dig into layers of ice, and what he found was a frozen-over city.
[Sir, my predictions are that this is a city of long-lost civilisation.]
Soon enough, he saw a possible 3d rendering.
'Piramids, arcs… and smaller houses like structures.'
He then ordered more scans and began allocating resources for an expedition.
'Prototype spaceships will do nicely for their maiden voyage to the South Pole.'
Marcus began to run some tests for the South Pole trip. He never tested some of his technologies for sub–zero temperatures inside Earth's atmosphere.
He did for void, but void is void; there is no atmosphere to measure temperature in the first place.
But the South Pole is a bit different.
Not long after, he got Leila's attention as she was responsible for logistics.
"I leave you for a couple of hours and you suddenly discover a lost civilisation at the South Pole?" She strolled into his workshop.
Her eyes soon enough ended up on C.C., who was lazing in the resting areas, eating chips and watching TV.
"Oh… you are finally here," Leila commented. The witch was still a lazy bum who didn't do a thing.
"It would seem you have been doing well. Got a bit tan?" C.C. noticed that Leila was a bit darker now.
"We live in an Equatorial Island, that much is given." The blonde replied before looking at Marcus, who was running simulations and rebuilding a 3d image of the city.
"Yeah. It could be that the city could be close to 100 thousand years old, if not older." He said randomly, quite into the whole idea of being an explorer.
"...Is that even possible for humanity to be that old?" The blonde walked over and checked the hologram screen.
"Much older, actually." He replied with a smile, remembering some information from the previous world.
"But it's hard to find some sort of fossils from 100 thousand or more years. Stuff like building foundations or even tools doesn't last that long." Marcus explained to her.
"That is why civilisation in the South Pole is a bit difficult, as you need to find a time when they could have existed." He hummed while saying that.
"And honestly… it could be even older." The Inventor mumbled that part to himself.
"The reason the South Pole is so cold is because of the cold current circulating around it. So before this, when the South Pole was close to another continent, this current didn't exist.
And that led to Antarctica being livable, but that was a very long time ago." Marcus stroked his chin. This made no damn sense to him.
"...Doesn't that mean… when Antarctica was closer to another… isn't that like millions of years ago!?" Leila recalled some of the studying she did back in the academy.
"Yeah, the last forest disappeared 15 million years ago. According to mud studies done in Antarctica in summer. But the last proper vegetation disappeared around 7 million years ago."
"...Then how can a city exist in such a temperature!?" She asked, confused, and even a bit terrified of what she might learn from this!
"The Thought Elevator, what else?" C.C. said from the side as she was laying a couch.
"They can be used as modes of transportation. How do you think Geass Order was built in the middle of a desert?" She reminded Leila of that!
"Oh, that is… very convenient." She slowly nodded, then looked at Marcus. "Then it could be less than 100 thousand years."
"No, it is. Because of how deep under the ice that city is."
"There are periods in history when the planet heats up and cools down. That period is around ten thousand years in between." He explained to her, showing a chart.
"It's potent enough to heat up Antarctica so that its shores are free of ice, good enough to build a city."
"...So what you are saying is that there was a colony of some sort that was built at the edge of Antarctica," Leila concluded. She was impressed that something like that was possible.
"Yes. But… It's most likely dependent on other cities for survival." He frowned as he checked and cross-referenced several things.
'...This is… this city could be older than supposed Atlantis…'
At least from the data he gathered from his satellites and geological formations.
'That city was long under ice when the last ice age collapsed.'
"...so when will we be going there for research?" Leila asked curiously. The girl's curiosity has been piqued!
"In a couple of days. Our first warship is launching soon."
He showed her the Sirius Class Mobile Suit Carrier and Centauri Class Light Destroyer Frigate.
The Carrier is built around Mobile Suit support, and the Light Destroyer Frigate is for anti-mobile suit combat and Carrier protection.
The Carrier was built in a similar style to Turian ships from Mass Effect. The central piece is where the crew is, and on the sides, there are two hangar bays. These ships are powered by three Ion Thrusters and two float engines.
Float technology is something Lloyd and Cecile brought to the table for Anaheim. It's what allows these spaceships to operate inside the atmosphere.
"...Sirius and Centauri. You named them after stars close to our Solar system?" Leila concluded after seeing the names.
"Indeed."
Marcus nodded as he sent a message to his staff.
He didn't need to wait long when calls poured in.
The Inventor Prince and the blonde next to him chuckled.
"It would seem everyone is excited to explore ancient civilisations' ruins." She said with a small smile.
"I want to go there as well." C.C. walked over; she looked serious.
'Maybe, I can learn the origins of this curse I carry.' The Witch thought to herself.
"Sure, just don't doze off and oversleep." He casually commented, making her frown at him.
"I won't, you can be sure of that." C.C. looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"I heard that before." He shrugged at her and reminded her that she was stuck in his old workshop for a month, trying out pizzas.
~~~
In space, Anaheim, at Lagrange 3, on the opposite side of where Earth is, the Asteroid field that Marcus and his crew brought over. This is where most of the 'secret' development is happening.
However, when the colonies are finished, they will be much closer to Earth at Lagrange 2, next to Earth and closer to Mars.
This is where industries are located and are visible from the planet's surface.
The shipyards that Anaheim built are standalone hollow structures where Legion Bots are working 24/7 to construct enough firepower to conquer the Earth.
Soon, three ships will set out on their maiden voyage.
The Sirius Class Mobile Suit Carrier, by the name Voyager and two Light Frigates, Defiant and Defender.
The crew for it has been drafted from actual sailors who sailed for the Britannian Navy. The men just needed to adjust to the concept that these ships were spaceships and that they would need to deal with the lack of gravity.
"Captain, it would seem we will be serving under the Prince directly." One of the officers floated over and showed the tablet with the details.
"...deployment to the South Pole?" The Captain looked confused. What the hell will they do in that place?
"...Yes. For research purposes… no less. These people are obsessed with their technology," he commented with a sigh. While it is a good thing, a very good thing, that they are serious with their technology and human advancement. He followed Cornelia because he believed that he was doing the right thing.
But sometimes… like now, going to the world's biggest wasteland…
Well…
Sounds crazy, a waste of time for the newest warship… for the biggest warship humanity has ever built to this date.
Their first trip is to the South Pole.
~~~
Marcus, accompanied by Liela, Kallen, C.C., and a group of their researchers, was looking at a considerable size meteorite-like fireballs entering the orbit.
These were the warships that were descending from space.
"I would be worried if not for the fact that I know what these machines are." Lloyd casually commented on the fact that the surroundings turned orange-red from the warships entering Earth close to their place.
It was like a scene from an apocalypse.
"You don't say. The Sirius class is close to 500 metres long. It's considerably large… It can carry an entire battalion of Mobile Suits.
Not to mention it's a partially self-sustainable floating city. It can carry botanic gardens for long voyages." Nina began to rant at the majesty of the newest warship Anaheim has released.
"And yet. This is not the cream of the crop." Lloyd smirked while saying that. It was a borderline tease.
Making her pout a bit.
"Yes. True capital ships are a bit away… considering we don't need them, yet." Anna added her bit with a small smile.
"...I know. All I wanted to say is that these are amazing ships." The nerdy, green-haired girl complained. She was annoyed that she was the only one who was feeling the hype.
"Don't get me wrong. We do think these are amazing ships, only that we show it differently." Cecile smiled at the fellow scientist.
The group continued to watch the floating warships smoothly move next to the base. The sheer size of these vessels was blocking the sun.
"Shall we?" Marcus turned to his group and motioned for them to move into the shuttles. At the same time, their KK-units were moving by themselves into the warships.
~~~
The three warships soon left Solomon's base as they began to climb up to leave the atmosphere, as they needed to cross close to 6000 miles.
Marcus got into the throne in the bridge as he began to adjust some of the stationery satellites for this.
He never considered having something permanently in such a low area. The closest he thought of having was at the level of Australia and what was known as Argentina; now it's just one of the areas of Britannia.
"Captain, set course for Ellsworth Land, just south of the Mainland of Britannia." The Prince instructed the captain of Voyager.
"Understand, my Prince." The man instructed, and a few moments later, he couldn't contain his curiosity.
"May I ask what we are looking for?"
"A hundred thousand-year-old city frozen under a kilometre of ice." The Inventor dropped the bombshell.
"!!!"
The captain, alongside the crew, gawked when they heard that!
~~~
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