Sorry about the delay, been dealing with a major migraine for most of the day. Wife's been insisting I rest, and I've done so, but still want to get some game time in tonight. Think I've recovered from the worst of it now. Sorry if it's a bit short tonight, but we're back!
>>5435258You tell everyone you’re gonna have a quick look around the island as you think some things over, and take off, trailing Lapis a bit. Okay, looks like the place is supposed to be abandoned. And shouldn’t brute force a problem… maybe Pantea could help a bit? Oh, oh, you should check with Trip for more information!
Spotting some large bovids grazing peacefully as you fly, you get in touch with her and explain what’s up. She’s intrigued, and takes a moment to go over things. ‘Merkez is nominally abandoned and set to let the fire burn out naturally, though as you heard before there are still a few living there. The primary issue with it is that the coal seams spread out quite substantially underground, and as the fire spreads through it it leaves hollowed out spaces that can only barely hold what weight rests on top of it, growing weaker and weaker as cracks form to release the smoke and gas trapped under there. A previous attempt was made to stop the fire… that did not go well.’
You get a mental image of… one giant flaming pit, like the gateway to an actual subterranean flaming hell. “Did not go well indeed.” you mumble aloud. “What happened there?”
‘Attempts at rapid cooling led to further fractures, causing a massive and growing sinkhole. It began about 40 meters wide and 12 meters deep, and currently has reached a size of 75 meters wide and 35 meters deep. Because of the dangers of the area, most animal life has avoided it, though some plants attempt to take advantage of the year-round warm soil. It should take about a century before the fire burns itself out at this rate.’
“Well, that’s tricky…” you think aloud, pondering on how to handle this. Sudden stops to it might just turn the place into one big sinkhole, more closely resembling a crater from one of the wastelands Earth’s seen as battlefields, or even a meteor impact. “So… would you suggest something like a slow, deliberate cleanup process?”
‘If you do intend to take on this task, I would recommend caution first and foremost. Some form of protection against the toxic fumes. Once you have that, you can try that plan. It might be helpful to, in some way, reinforce the ground that was damaged as well.’
“Okay, thanks Trip!” Now you’ve got the start of a plan. You check with Pantea on this idea next, and after explaining it…
(cont.)
