Expelled From Paradise

The Rocket

Chapter 4 Part 2

Lazlo’s office was located in an alley behind the market. This place was quiet and inconspicuous.

“That is fertilizer, but it can also be used as an explosive.”

Hearing this, Angela stepped away from the case. Having finished talking on the phone, Lazlo returned to them. Dingo said, “How do you get payed?”

“Bartering. When I collect enough, I go to the ruins up north. For this, I get well preserved integrated schemes and parts. I get many things, but everything can be sold.”

“I see.”

Showing a factitious interest, Dingo touched the case.

“And for how long have you been trading? Is it long?”

“Is it long? My grandfather also collected fertilizers. This is our family business.”

“Wow.”

Surprised, Dingo looked at Lazlo.

“In general, this has been going on for a very very long time. So you also need this?”

Dingo told Lazlo a rather believable lie but refused in the end. Outside Angela asked, “What’s going on? Does he secretly create a bomb somewhere?”

“I think it’s a bit different. Yes, ammonium nitrate can be used as an explosive, but mixing can turn it into a nitrous oxide. It is suitable for hybrid rockets on an oxidizer.”

“Hybrid rockets?”

On the way, Dingo explained about the injection system. Combustible oxidizers react with the fuel, this was what allowed the rocket to take off. The orbit launching system was done in three ways. Using liquid fuel, solid fuel, or hybrid engines. As the name implies, in a liquid fuel engine, the fuel interacts with a liquid oxidizer. In a solid fuel engine, ammonium perchlorate interacts with powder polybutadiene or aluminum. They use the so-called composite rocket fuel.

Despite the power of the liquid fuel engines, due to the complexity of the components, it was very difficult to store the oxidizer and fuel. So, they were only used inside of a country. In this scenario, solid fuel engines are much more convenient for use, but for the processing of composite fuel, a highly developed industry was needed. But after the nano-catastrophe, such productions didn’t become as easy as before to fulfill.

Finally, the hybrid engines. They were called so because they were capable of using a liquid oxidizer along with a solid fuel. The raw materials for such fuel could be well-known materials, besides they were easy to handle. But they have a weak combustible capacity, and a much weaker pull compared to the other fuel injection systems. Before the nano-catastrophe, these could have been found in low budget research centers and private enterprises. And under the current conditions, there was a chance of creating something similar.

“On this rocket with a hybrid engine, nitrous oxide is used as the oxidizing component. This is taken from ammonium nitrate.”

Dingo nodded in confirmation.

“And already three generations have been collecting this fertilizer. Which is rather unusual. Perhaps he works at an old factory for the production of explosives. But then, all of these explosives would get into the market. If so, I would have known, but I’ve heard nothing of this. Nitrous oxide is used as anesthetics. But why so much of it? He is buying materials from Lazlo’s family for more than one generation now.”

They came back to the land rover and headed for the ruins up north, of which Lazlo spoke.