Res Publica Christiana - 9. Vignette of Progress

1. Creating Chemical Compounds

Inside an innocuous workshop in the middle of Bristol, England, a series of bottles containing the usual apothecary ingredients were displayed. However, the workshop above was merely a shell, among many other shops along the street. Below the street was an underground facility, where additional material was being created.

Inside the room was a solitary industrial engineer. The first was a young woman who wore a white coat, and glasses and had her dark hair tied in a bun. She was currently sitting in front of an old wooden desk with a piece of paper filled with chemical equations, provided by senior members of the Coven. As a fair folk with special knowledge in the area of chemical engineering, she was picked by their divine leader, Eli, to work on special tasks. During the fall of 1549, Eli had assigned her the task of creating solid nitroglycerin, a gel with explosive properties meant for certain weapons.

The woman, whose name was Charlotte, was still working on the exact formula needed for this explosive substance. In the previous month, she was able to successfully make a liquid substance, but it was very unstable, as the slightest impact would set off a reaction. Liquid nitroglycerin was being created through a series of chemical compounds, chiefly nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and glycerol.

She used the Haber and Oswald process to create nitric acid. The combined process involved using a catalyst to force nitrogen and hydrogen to react, which then made ammonia. The ammonia would then be exposed to pressure and heat, causing it to combine into nitric acid. The purity level of the nitric acid could reach up to 98% according to Eli. She also used the Contact process for sulfuric acid production, which involved a mixture of sulfur dioxide and Vanadium catalyst. For glycerol, she had to first use the distillation process, separating water from the other substances. The resulting material was then treated with sulfuric acid, followed by the addition of charcoal.

The sulfuric acid would be treated first to create "fuming sulfuric acid" or Oleum, then a 70% nitric acid to 30% water mixture would be added to the solution. Finally, glycerol would added slowly into the mixture with a cooling solution due to the exothermic reaction. What results in the end is a Nitroglycerin compound. However, creating this industrial compound in large volumes was merely the beginning of making what Eli desired. The second chemical compound is nitrocellulose, which the Coven's leader Oberon, who had an affinity with combustive compounds, was responsible for mass production.

Nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin were explosive chemical compounds that combined can manufacture something extraordinary for the 16th century, smokeless gunpowder. With this innovation, high-capacity magazines for firearms and explosive shells were now possible. Items such as machine guns, anti-air explosive flak rounds, and portable mortars for infantry could be produced.

2. Will of Steel

In the spring of 1551, several new orders were sent to various towns and cities in western England by Duke Eli Tudor, along with a contingent of troops loyal to the Duke. One of the most important of these towns was Aberafan located in Southern Wales, where Duke Eli had established economic and military control from the stronghold of Bristol. The town was unremarkable, the historian John Leland in the 16^th century had remarked that it was a poor village with a port at the mouth of its river with barren wooded land.

When Eli's men came to town, they began to build several buildings out of a substance called concrete, which was composed of a mixture of sand, gravel, lime, and water. To build with this new material, Eli had brought several people from Bristol who were familiar with the technology. The townspeople were shocked at how quickly the new buildings were constructed, but they were told to keep the method of these buildings' construction secret. While concrete may build structures up to a mile in height, these structures were built low with specialized chimneys that allowed air circulation without dispersing too much carbon debris in the form of black smoke. To achieve this, a filtration system within the chimneys gathered the debris, which was stored for processing into other materials.

These buildings held electric arc furnaces, powered electric generators that were constructed by Lord Robert Dudley. These electric arc furnaces were created for the sole purpose of melting iron and other materials to be formed into refined steel. When Eli had created designs for machines and buildings to turn iron into steel, he sent Lord Robert Dudley the designs of the furnace and worked with this nobleman to oversee the creation of these furnaces.

Other buildings became workshops, where men would strip their earthly clothing for bodysuits that protected them from the molten steel. Using steam-powered pressing machines, steel would be molded into various forms and thicknesses. Some men were responsible for molding the steel in conical shapes, meant to be used as bullets and shells for weapons. Other men were forming pipes and plates for other uses yet to be known.

This entire project was overseen by a man named Henry, who was an associate of the Duke. While the duke was in Bristol, Henry was left to oversee the construction of the concrete buildings and the steel factory. He would later oversee the production of steel tools upon Eli's elevation to a sovereign.

3. Ruling the Waves

By 1553, with steelworks and the establishment of both iron and coal mines in South Wales, the next stage of the plan was about to be put into motion. Through the aid of Robert Dudley and the fair folk, the designs for ships and naval cannons were drawn up, and a new shipyard was established near the Bristol River.

While the first step in steel production was the creation of refined steel, the second step was the process of steel casting or the process of pouring molten steel into molds to produce parts for specific items. Once the shipyard was constructed at Bristol, molds were placed on the ground to hold the steel in place. This allowed the steel to cool down to its hard, durable form. This formed the skeleton of the future warship before the addition of steel plates and wooden decks for the decks and rooms.

In addition to the outer structure, the prototype ship was based on the SMS Scharnhorst, one of the first German armored cruisers. With 3 screw propellers and 3 diesel engines, the ship would be able to achieve 20 knots at cruise speeds. This ship was meant for intense sea battles, like its forefather, Eli expected it to be able to fight several tiers above its rank of cruiser. While the ship itself was 149.7 meters long and 23.3 meters wide, it could accommodate a crew of 480 sailors. It was also fitted with 8 BL 5.5 in. naval cannons, 8 anti-air flak guns, and 6 torpedo tubes.

The prototype warship was named the Dauntless. In a test, the ship was able to achieve maximum speeds of 24 knots for three hours, while maintaining maneuverability. It could launch torpedoes from its bow and port tubes, while simultaneously firing its naval cannons covering both medium and short-range targets. However, it was unable to handle the recoil of its cannons, causing misfires and inaccurate alignments 60% of the time.

However, the Dauntless was deemed a success and the design would be improved. The ship would be lengthened to 168 meters and have more room to accommodate more crew members. This would also allow for more cannons and a larger engine room. To increase the power of the ship's engine and turn radius, it was redesigned with 4 screws, rather than 3.

4. Wireless Secrets

In 1555, the Duke moved on to the next task at hand: developing a radio device that could scan and pick up signals through different electromagnetic wavelengths. While the technology was developed during the late 19th and 20th centuries, it was not used within England except by individuals connected with the Holy Roman Empire or Papal State, who possessed these advanced technologies.

This task was assigned to the fair folk researcher Harold, a specialist in electromagnetic theory, who was given the designs by Eli. In addition, Harold was asked to develop a wireless receiver that could receive transmissions and send messages back to the sender. Harold was a skilled scientist, who spent years hypothesizing the theory behind this type of machine Eli had designed.

The receiver and transmitter were created using vacuum tubes, coils, and transformers. This would allow for the conversion of the electrical currents into radio waves, which could travel across a large distance. This device would be the foundation of wireless communications for military use at first, but it would be the first tool to eliminate the distance between individuals.

However, what no one expected was that Harold's radio receiver was able to intercept radio messages from Aachen, Rome, Lisbon, Paris, and even as far as Nanjing and Kyoto. Upon discovering this, the Duke immediately ordered that no messages be sent until the encryption could be established in the background of radio sequences. This discovery allowed the forces of Western England to gather intelligence and develop counter strategies for the next three years until the order was given.