Jay barged onto the stage, awkwardly shoving Yinsar aside and cutting him off mid-sentence
"Thank you for that... enlightening presentation, Mr. Kine. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for."
Some more patiently than others... he added under his breath.
He then signalled to a technician and the room was bathed in a rich blue light while the windows were tinted slightly (to offset the flash). At the same time, a command was issued to the suited crew on the gun itself, and they all either moved away from it or dropped prone onto the nearest solid ground.
Then, finally, Jay and some of the crowd counted down the remaining seconds on the clock.
10... 9... 8... 7... 6...
Some of the technicians, including Jay, were sweating slightly.
5... 4.... 3..... 2...... 1.......
And then it fired.
First a huge flash, instantly justifying the extra precautions. Then, the whole building rocked as the shockwave passed by. And finally, the flame of a rocket motor firing as the shell shuttled into temporary orbit.