Shard Phantom Liberty
The mass-driver provocation. NCX today and tomorrow
"The mass-driver provocation. NCX today and tomorrow" – shard from Cyberpunk 2077 (Phantom Liberty). Night City International and Translunar is touted as the crown jewel of our city and one of North America's technological wonders.
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Night City International and Translunar is touted as the crown jewel of our city and one of North America's technological wonders. However, one look under the surface is enough to realize that the shine of this purported gem has been tarnished throughout the years. Despite the steady rise in demand and number of passengers, Orbital Air did not invest a single eurodollar in its development since the spaceport opened back in 2047. The current renovation of the Tycho Terminal is nothing but a drop in the ocean of what is necessary to halt the spaceport's gradual demise. While the megaports in Nairobi and Mombasa continue to grow, NCX falls into obscurity to the point of becoming a third-grade, backwater facility. African spaceports add mass drivers – NCX representatives make a big deal out of replacing toilet handles.
Ever since Orbital Air's legal team managed to find a loophole in the construction contract that allowed the company to wiggle out of building an electromagnetic Earth-to-space catapult, Night City continues to wait for a modern mass driver. Is it a question of frugality? Orbital Air certainly isn't a down-and-out business. Maybe negligence, then? We could recognize it as that if it was a matter of few years, not three decades. Exploring this subject leads to the only logical conclusion – it must be a deliberate strategy on the company's behalf. Let us consider the facts: the Night City spaceport is losing global significance and that in turn causes public discontent to grow. Night Corp, Orbital Air's main rival, could smell blood and be tempted to try and push OA out of Night City. It isn't difficult to imagine everything OA does – or rather everything they don't do – is a deliberate provocation and an attempt to force Night Corp's hand.
All Orbital Air needs is one false move. Their worst-case scenario – they accuse Night Corp of unfair competition. But should everything go well, they would able to accuse their rival of a coup attempt. As the old adage goes, history has a habit of repeating itself, and considering today's political climate, the odds of another corporate war – one sparked by a mass diver that never was – don't seem so cosmic after all.
Ever since Orbital Air's legal team managed to find a loophole in the construction contract that allowed the company to wiggle out of building an electromagnetic Earth-to-space catapult, Night City continues to wait for a modern mass driver. Is it a question of frugality? Orbital Air certainly isn't a down-and-out business. Maybe negligence, then? We could recognize it as that if it was a matter of few years, not three decades. Exploring this subject leads to the only logical conclusion – it must be a deliberate strategy on the company's behalf. Let us consider the facts: the Night City spaceport is losing global significance and that in turn causes public discontent to grow. Night Corp, Orbital Air's main rival, could smell blood and be tempted to try and push OA out of Night City. It isn't difficult to imagine everything OA does – or rather everything they don't do – is a deliberate provocation and an attempt to force Night Corp's hand.
All Orbital Air needs is one false move. Their worst-case scenario – they accuse Night Corp of unfair competition. But should everything go well, they would able to accuse their rival of a coup attempt. As the old adage goes, history has a habit of repeating itself, and considering today's political climate, the odds of another corporate war – one sparked by a mass diver that never was – don't seem so cosmic after all.
