Chapter 235: The cost of ignorance
Chapter 235: The cost of ignorance
Einar took a deep breath and tried to calm down “Father, this that I have in my hand is a mineral called Uranium, which is in its purest state that can be obtained from nature.
Holding it in my hands is like having a poisonous snake that can release venom from its skin. “
With great care, Einar put the jewel in the sand and looked at his father with some concern “I want you to help me by waking up all the blacksmiths in the town because it is necessary to use all the lead we have to make some boxes.
I also want you to bring all the clothes you can. It does not matter if it is the most simple or complex; I require a lot of soap too.
These people have to bathe and use soap to remove possible radioactivity from their bodies. “
Sven, who was already more serious, looked with some care at the jewel in the sand “Is the poison of that mineral so dangerous?”
Einar nodded. “Usually uranium ore has small concentrations of radiation, which is what the ore’s poison is called.
But if you can see the stone carefully you will realize that it is a completely green stone that looks like an emerald.
It is very rare to find a uranium mine and even rarer to find one with a mineral as pure as this; the problem is that in this state it can burn the skin just by touching it.
I can assume that the gray stone is a lead mineral because of the characteristic shape and color that they have, although I am surprised that they have been able to know that lead is a mineral that prevents radiation.
The state in which this mineral is found continues to produce radiation, so it is very likely that many of these people die young or suffer complications in their bodies.
Ignorance is sometimes a blessing, but in this case, it is a way to end up dead without knowing what killed you. “
Sven, who was already more upset, wanted to keep asking about radiation, but decided to save his questions for the future because he had to wake up all the blacksmiths so that they would start forging lead boxes.
Seeing his father walk away, Einar looked at the jewel quite seriously, while holding his chin.
‘As I can remember in my nuclear emergency course, all this material must be placed in lead boxes.
While the clothes will have to be burned, although due to the danger we will have to place them on some canoes and take them deep into the sea to be able to burn them without danger.
As for what to do with this uranium mineral, the best we can do is place it in the lead boxes and keep it in a place away from moisture and water.
The last thing I want is for it to contaminate water sources with radiation. Even the best thing would be to leave it on a small island away from any kind of life and abandon it.
I can think of carrying out slaughters using smallpox as a weapon but I will never use something like uranium to do the damage because it is to open the door of Pandora to the early destruction of humanity.
Since unfortunately, all humans learn by trial and error, sooner or later they will realize that uranium can kill silently and it will become a weapon.
In this age, without Geiger counter or any knowledge about the danger of radiation will only cause the slow and agonizing death of all life.
It is better than this material is hidden and that no one ever uses it … ‘
Einar closed his eyes and stroked his nasal septum ‘Although perhaps I should save it and leave it together with the equation of equivalence between mass and energy.
As well as some things I remember about the making of the first nuclear bomb and what little I know about physics, to make the process of producing the weapon easier.
They may not be able to interpret the equation and my words in at least 1000 years, but at some point, they will be able to do so.
But I really want to leave Pandora’s box in the hands of my people.
What right do I have to carry out such an action and become the man who left the key that turns the human being into death and destroyer of worlds? ‘
Einar opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder when he opened his eyes he turned his head and he could see Natukt, who was somewhat worried.
“Einar, I heard from a woman that the first green is a dangerous thing. Is that true?”
Einar nodded “It is a mineral called Uranium and you could find it in too pure a state.
So it is possible that all of you have shortened your own life span, not to mention that you may have problems in the future as diseases and other ailments will occur in your bodies.
Your children may have problems and have a life full of suffering.
The best thing I can do for you is to clean them using soap and water. Your clothes and other belongings that have been in contact with the uranium will have to be burned.
As the poison released by Uranium remains impregnated in objects, you cannot throw uranium mineral into water or soil.
Because it will destroy any kind of life where it is placed. “
Natukt, far from looking worried, simply sighed and looked at the Uranium jewel on the ground.
“As a leader, I must have realized that is why no plants grew where the greenstone was.
It is sad to know that something as simple as a stone can cause so much damage, but there is not much you can do to avoid the damage it did. “
Einar shook his head “The best I can do is give them a kind of seaweed shake because they contain iodine.
Which is good for helping to block radiation from the body but sadly all I can do.
The damage that was caused is impossible to eliminate, but I can assure you that as long as you live in the tribe, I will help as much as I can to alleviate the problems.
But for the moment that all those who have been in contact with the uranium ore separate from those who did not have any contact.
That all the pieces of uranium ore are placed in this place, meanwhile when the soap and hot water arrive they will have to bathe.
Later their clothes and belongings will be separated because they have to be burned in the deep sea.
I hope you can help me do that; we have to work fast because radiation continues to affect their bodies. “
Natukt just nodded and turned around to prepare so he could coordinate all of his people.
Einar, for his part, only looked at the jewel of Uranium.
“Lieutenant Max, we have found the stolen nuclear material but there is a problem inside the house.”
Max, who had a special radiation suit, entered the house and did not see anything strange until he reached the small hall where the rooms were.
Upon entering the room on the left, his face was filled with sadness when he saw the corpses of three children in an almost unrecognizable state.
Their bodies were full of blisters, and on their faces, you could see the suffering they had to go through before they could die.
They were only children no more than five years old, who suffered a horrible fate from their father who had stolen some nuclear material from the nuclear plant.
According to his testimony, he planned to sell the material to a man from the Middle East, but he never thought that leaving it at home without any protection could cause the death of his family.
Not to mention that it made a hundred meters around his house full of radiation, luckily for all the subject lived in a remote area.
So it did not affect people other than his own family.
When he saw the other room, the disfigured face of a woman was looking at him, as if in his last moments of life his only concern was to know about his children.
With some sadness, Einar left the room and looked at Colonel Ana, who through the glass of her protective suit could be seen quite angry.
“I imagine this event will be silenced and will never go public, right Colonel?”
Ana nodded “The Americans do not want panic to spread among their people and the president does not want a scandal before the elections.
Their bodies will be buried in lead coffins in nameless graves, away from anyone who wants to use them as dirty bombs because of the amount of radiation inside them.
As for the house, we will burn, and on it a small concrete sarcophagus will be built where all the dirt and contaminated material will be placed.
The headquarters order has already been given to block this place as a pretext. The locals will be told that it is a place belonging to the army.
I am not happy with this arrangement but neither you nor I can do anything to prevent it; we are only members of the army and we have to follow orders.
Perhaps the only good thing about all this is that the stupid who caused all this will spend his life in some high-security prison in Israel.
One of the Mossad informants promised us that the damn bastard will suffer for what he did, so at least we know he won’t get away with it. “
Einar stopped remembering a somewhat sad moment from his video and began to coordinate the best he could with the people, to be able to finish the decontamination work quickly.