"Father, since these are new materials, how would you feel about prefixing them with 'neo'?"
Seeing Jin lost in thought, Reiko offered a suggestion.
"Neo-adamantite, neo-mithril..." Jin mused.
If it were gold or silver, they would become neo-gold and neo-silver. It sounded natural enough.
"That should work..."
Jin had considered naming the materials after the satellite itself—Alpha—but he kept that idea to himself. In metallurgy, "alpha iron" was already a specific state of high-purity iron; using the name for these new substances would only lead to confusion.
"Alright, we'll go with those names for the materials." Jin looked up at satellite Alpha on the large magi-screen. "Now, we need to decide how to position it on Hale."
This part of the plan had remained undecided. They couldn't have known the satellite's exact shape until they reached it, so there had been no way to finalize the details.
Currently, they were about 15 million kilometers from Hale. At a speed of 100 kilometers per second, they would arrive in less than two days, though the necessary deceleration would likely add some time.
"Breaking it into several pieces... seems like the most practical approach," Jin said.
Alpha was 400 kilometers long and 150 wide. Jin was thinking it might be best to split it into three pieces and place them in the Central Basin.
“My Lord, would those not still be too large?” Taisei interjected. “I believe they would protrude from the stratosphere.”
"Ugh... y-you have a point."
“Might it be better to leave it in satellite orbit? We could mine the resources as needed and transport them to the surface.”
"That would also prevent any potential dangerous pathogens from being scattered across Hale," Reiko added.
"That’s a good point. And if we do that, we can use the Central Basin for something else." Jin imagined a research facility for various experiments or a central command base for the entire planet. "Alright. We'll take Taisei's advice. For the time being, satellite Alpha will remain in space as a satellite of Hale."
With that settled, Jin began to think the Central Basin might be a better spot for their primary base than the East Coast.
"Whether we hollow out the ground or level the surface, that basin has already seen so much activity that I don't have to worry about preservation."
"I should take it slow," Jin muttered, leaning back into his seat and relaxing his shoulders. He realized the sight of the massive satellite had made him feel a bit rushed.
"Father, would you like some tea?" Reiko appeared instantly, carrying a tray.
"Oh, thank you."
She had brought soy sauce rice crackers to go with the tea.
"Mm, delicious."
The crackers had a satisfying crunch and a savory aroma, and the sencha had been cooled to exactly the temperature Jin preferred. After the frantic pace of the mission since leaving for space, he finally felt a sense of peace.
＊ ＊ ＊
Since he had a moment, Jin decided to call on No. 700672. Using the Warp Gate, he returned to Hourai Island briefly before heading to No. 700672’s location. Naturally, he brought the customary gift of Persica juice.
"Ah, Jin-dono. You have come at a fine time," No. 700672 greeted them.
Neige and Rouge were there as well, looking as healthy as ever.
"It’s been a while. I’ve come to invite you to Hale."
"Oho? Does that mean you have secured the necessary resources?" No. 700672 was well-versed in Jin's project; after all, Jin had consulted him during the initial planning stages.
"Yes. We’ll be arriving at Hale very soon." Jin went on to explain the recent developments in detail.
"I see. So it was not mere noise, but an area of abnormally high free ether concentration."
"Exactly. It took everything the Atlas had just to tow it out."
"No, no—do not say 'just.' You have achieved something even my Masters could not. You should take pride in that, Jin-dono."
"Thank you," Jin replied, a bit embarrassed by the high praise.
"To think the plan has progressed so far already."
"It has. Would you like to come and see?"
"Hmm, yes. I believe I shall take Rouge and Neige with me this time."
"An outing with Father! I can't wait!" Rouge exclaimed.
"I would be happy to go, Father," Neige said calmly.
Traveling via Warp Gate meant the trip took almost no time at all. No major preparations were needed. While No. 700672 had visited Hale before, this was the first trip for Neige and Rouge. The environment on Hale was equivalent to the "White Room"—or rather, the White Room had been modeled after Hale's environment—so there were no safety concerns.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Wow! So this is Hale!"
The moment they stepped through the Warp Gate on the East Coast, Rouge was off, running around the landscape. Though she was a homunculus modeled after Arshel the Puppet and usually seemed mature, she clearly had an unexpectedly innocent, energetic side.
Neige, who appeared younger, remained composed, though she looked around with intense interest.
"Hmm. There is more greenery than during my last visit. Perhaps because of that, the air feels more humid," No. 700672 noted.
"How do you find the humidity?" Jin asked, concerned they might find it uncomfortable.
"It is quite pleasant. I suspect the White Room was simply kept at a lower humidity to protect the machinery."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Indeed. I never questioned it before, but this level of moisture is very comfortable."
To Jin, this was proof that they were living beings in their own right, despite being artificial.
"Father, is this the planet where your masters used to live?" Rouge asked, having returned from her sprint.
"It is. Though I was born here, I was sent to Ars without ever knowing the world outside the facility. Even so, I find this environment very agreeable."
"I feel the same way, Father," Neige added.
They’re growing too, Jin realized. Even if a homunculus didn't grow physically, they could mature mentally. Neige's way of speaking was becoming noticeably more adult. Meanwhile, he hadn't realized how energetic Rouge could be until she was placed in such an open environment.
These observations would surely help him when it came to developing the "will" of future automata and golems.
"If you were to build a home here on Hale, where would you want it?" Jin asked No. 700672, wanting to get started on the designs.
"I have actually given that some thought. What about the basin in the center of the continent?"
"I thought you might say that." Jin agreed; if they weren't using the Central Basin for resources, it was the perfect location for a residence.
"We'll have plenty to discuss, then."
"Indeed."
The second chapter of Hale's development was about to begin.