Node Thirty-Six sat perched on the crest of the Southern Fault Ridge, four thousand feet above the fertile agricultural valleys of the south.
It was a crucial anchor point in the land-wide geodesic network, securing six huge silver-steel-aether struts that fanned out into the upper sky.
Around the foundation caisson, the scene was one of numbed heavy-duty tension.
Three major freight mainlines came together at the mountain pass below.
Dozens of heavy steam freight trains—laden with coal, iron ore, grain, and load-bearing steel—sat idling on the tracks, their smokestacks venting white plumes.
Giles Croft had ordered an immediate, total halt to all rail traffic across three southern provinces.
The sudden closure had brought the country governors, merchant guildmasters, and railway marshals rushing to the mountain ridge in light carriages.
Along the gravel sidings, two hundred train conductors and freight agents paced nervously, checking their pocket watches every two minutes.
