At seventy-five thousand feet, Austin reached Level 72.
The twin cores sent out stronger gravity waves. Bolts rattled in their trays, and the transit’s red dot shook on its target.
Austin added ballast and steadied himself. “How am I supposed to shoot a plumb line when space won’t hold still?” The test crew was waiting below with Tie Kuang’s revised connection.
They gathered in the pressurized test bay at fifty thousand feet. Tie laid out a joint that looked different from Austin’s original splice.
Paired spring washers sat beneath each bolt head. A mechanical collar stopped the nut from backing off. The spring stacks kept pressing the plates together when the joint stretched. Small slots in the outer cover allowed movement without letting the main shear pin carry every cycle.
Beside it stood a new damper. Instead of one heavy block tuned to wind, it used two lighter weights and adjustable oil passages. One responded to the fast gravity pulse. The other still handled the slow sway.
Tie pointed to the parts with a grease-stained glove.
“The bolt should not have to fight the whole movement,” he said. “Let the joint move a little. Keep the clamp on it. Use the damper to take energy out instead of pretending we can hold the tower perfectly still.”
