Chương 145: CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE: BRIGGS'S TIMELINE

Briggs came to the study in November with the sketch — the same sketch from January, the breech-loading mechanism — and a revised annotation on the timeline. He had been running the metallurgical tests for eight months. The blast furnace's output from the deeper ore sections was better than the surface ore, and the quality had been improving as the extraction depth increased. The annotation said: Three years. Not five. The ore quality at depth changes the metallurgical timeline. Marcus looked at it for a long time.

"Three years," he said.

"To a working prototype," Briggs said.

"Not production-ready. The prototype will require extensive testing, and production readiness is another two years after that." He paused.

"But the prototype in three years changes what we can do in five."

"The ethical framework," Marcus said.

"Is it ready?" It was the question Briggs had told Marcus to answer two years ago, when he had first shown the sketch. Build the framework before the capability. That's the lesson. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"The principles are in the charter," Marcus said.

"The specific weapons protocols are in Washington's documentation from the original device program. The council precedent on weapons development is established." He paused.

"What's missing is the specific application of those frameworks to a capability of this scale. That's what the council needs to do before the prototype is ready."

"Two years of development before the prototype phase begins," Briggs said.

"Two years of framework work in parallel."

"Yes," Marcus said.

"Schedule a full council session in January. I want the weapons capability framework as a primary agenda item." Briggs took the sketch back and added another annotation: Framework development begins January. Do not begin prototype phase until framework is complete and ratified. He wrote it with the specific emphasis of a man who understood that the annotation was the constraint and the constraint was the ethics.