Star People

Chapter 17

Let’s Catch Up to Free Land Someday

Sept 19th, 12 AE…

Kingdom of Atlans Space Research Facility Number 7…

“Five… four… three… two… one… launch!”

The two-story high rocket rumbled as its main thrusters fired off. It managed to lift off a few meters into the air, before the main fuel tanks burst open and the rocket toppled over and exploded. The entire thing came crashing down onto the launch pad. Various emergency and firefighting vehicles rushed over to quickly extinguish the flames.

“Damn!”

Captain Lenns Hodder made an expression of disappointment as he and several other people watched from a protected observation bunker. His subordinate Third Lieutenant Akar Jans shared his emotion at that point. This had been the fourth attempt to send an object into space.

The newly-formed Atlans Space Research Association or ASRA had only begun its work, and rocket technology was still in its infancy. This was far different than firing a 5-inch HVAR at a target. Since the g-force nullifier and other anti-gravity technology were not allowed to be exported from Free Land, the people of Atlans began to follow in the footsteps of mankind during the 1950s and 60s. After returning from space, both Lenns and Akar had been inspired, and had petitioned their government to begin its own space program. The government became enamored with the possibilities of space travel and the ASRA was quickly formed to begin developing technology to explore outer space.

However, as they soon learned, getting off the ground was one thing. Staying off the ground and escaping the pull of the planet’s gravity was quite another. Through a series of negotiations with Free Land, the technicians of ASRA were able to obtain the blueprints of ancient rocket technology that was capable of reaching sub-orbital altitudes. This was the V-2 rocket of World War 2.

Getting the right mixture for rocket fuel was quite the challenge. They were now experimenting with new compounds to make solid chemical rocket propellants, such as potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate. The engineers had also been given a crash course in chemistry and basic space aeronautics. There were more failures than successes as ASRA went through the long and often painful process of trial-and-error.

As the fires were being put out, Lenns and the other technicians began discussing their latest failure.

“I really wish Free Land would give us a little more help in perfecting this rocket technology.” One technician complained.

“According to Free Land, giving us the blueprints to the V-2 rocket already put us ahead of everyone else in this…?” Lenns turned to Ackar. “What did they call it again?”

“I think they called it a space race.” Jans replied. “I have heard that the Kingdom of Naran is also experimenting with getting into orbit. However, they’re using a more magical route to get there.”

“Last I heard, they managed to shoot an object up to an altitude of 10 kilometers. We’ve only managed to do 8 kilometers. Doesn’t that put them ahead of us?” Another technician pointed out.

“Not really.” Lenns shook his head. “They had to use a massive amount of magic stones and the incantations took almost forever to complete. Besides, I heard from Free Land that magic doesn’t work very well in space. Something about space having a lack of particles they called psions.”

“What’s are psions?” Ackar asked.

“According to what the Kyteeri women told us, psions are particles that are manipulated to perform magical feats. They even said that their people couldn’t use much magic in space without bringing a supply of psions with them.”

“So even if the people of Naran manage to get something into orbit, they can’t do anything else?”

“That’s pretty much the long and short of it. Getting into space is only part of the overall goal. Free Land has already shown us the applications of space technology in terms of surveillance, communication and exploration. Did you know that they already have 56 satellites orbiting this world? And each satellite is able to send back images and transmit messages from different parts of the planet! Think of how much our nation would advance, if we can get our own satellites in orbit! I know that it’s going to take us some considerable time, but it will all be worth it! Remember our new motto; Let’s Catch Up to Free Land Someday.”

After that impromptu speech, the technicians were all motivated again.

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The Kingdom of Merin…

“And there it is, our first prototype Mech-Frame.” The dwarven engineer stated as he and his assistant showed the king the fruits of the crew’s labor.

The machine in question was about the size of a skid loader. The central body had an open cockpit that was equipped with several levers and even a steering wheel. On its back was a large tank that was filled with highly-refined magic gemstone fuel. Since the dwarves had not been able to create their own version of Free Land’s fluid motors, they had to settle on a primitive, reciprocating engine that was mounted in the back. The dwarven Mech-Frame had two large arms and short legs, making it look like a mechanized orangutan. Each arm terminated in a tri-pronged manipulator.  

King Verso Crede looked upon the prototype with awe. He had already seen the Scrappers in action and hoped that this newly-created device would be able to perform with similar results.

“Please do not expect too much from this prototype, your Majesty.” The engineer named Clurke warned. “It is basically a proof of concept.”

Verso nodded as walked around the machine, taking in every detail. “So it really works?”

“Indeed, your Majesty.” Clurke affirmed. “The real trick was to provide the power in order for the Gigaran to function.”

“Gigaran?”

“We decided to name our version of Free Land’s Scrapper Mech, the Gigaran.” The assistant named Vulkar stated. He was also Clurke’s eldest son and apprentice. “As you remember the ancient story of the clockwork soldier or golem, we decided to name our creation after that legendary character. Its main power source is a refined fuel that we created using red fire magic stones. However, the engine will need a bit of elbow grease to get it started.”

“What do you mean?” The king asked.

“Well, the starter to the Gigaran’s engine has to be manually operated.” Clurke replied as he took out what appeared to be a crank lever and handed it to his assistant.

They both walked up to the machine, with Clurke climbing into the cockpit while Vulkar mounted a raised platform beside the dwarven Mech. The chief engineer gave his assistant a wave, which made Vulkar insert the cranking lever into a slot on the engine.

“Starter on!” Clurke announced.

“Here we go!” Vulkar exclaimed as he began cranking away at a rapid rate.

The king watched with interest as he heard some grinding noises from the engine. At around the one hundredth revolution of the crank, the engine finally had enough power to maintain itself and the Gigaran chugged to life.

After pulling out the crank, Vulkar stepped back as the Gigaran Mech took a few steps forward. Hydraulic lines, servos and actuators whirred to life as Clurke pulled some levers and activated some switches. Since there were no electronics or computer controls, everything had to be mechanically-driven. As a result, the head engineer was kept quite busy as he had to manually direct each and every movement of the Mech.

Clurke made the machine walk about, turn, and raise and lower its arms, open and close its manipulators and rotate its upper body three-hundred and sixty degrees. Its overall movements were slow and forced, but the king was still impressed. After a few more minutes, the Gigaran stopped as its fuel supply was used up. That was another flaw to the prototype. It was extremely energy-inefficient at this point.

After the Mech powered down, Clurke climbed down from the cockpit and bowed to his king. His assistant Vulkar did likewise after coming down from the platform.

“As you can see, your Majesty,” Clurke stated, “The Gigaran still requires more testing and refinement, but the proof is there. It works! Right now, it doesn’t even come close to the Scrappers that Free Land loaned to us, but we are confident that we can improve upon our version. The Free Land engineers won’t let us disassemble a Scrapper in order to study it, but they are teaching us basic fundamental principles. We wouldn’t have even gotten this far without their aid.”

“I see. And do you think that you will be able to apply the Gigaran for practical use?” Verso asked.

“Yes! Once we have solved the problem of high-fuel consumption and refined the Gigaran’s controls, then I can clearly see this device being useful in mining, transport, construction and demolition applications!”

“What about military applications?”

“It’s a possibility, though even with improvements, I doubt it would be a match against a Scrapper, at least for now. However, we will keep on trying and someday; we might even catch up with Free Land.”

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The Kingdom of Naran…

“Astonishing! To think that adding such a simple device would give us a substantial improvement in thrust!”

The Naran engineer named Cleora and her assistants were in a state of shock after the new magic jet engine prototype was put through its paces. After learning the basics from a group of Free Land engineers, the Naran engineers were now experimenting with a device called a turbine. What they had been using previously was an over-engineered magical version of the pulse jet. With no turbines, they hadn’t realized how much energy they had been wasting.

A minute after turning on the prototype, there was a loud bang, followed by some grinding noises. The Naran engineers quickly shut down the engine and began using water and ice spells to put out the flames. After extinguishing the fire, they began to assess the damage done to the prototype.

“Looks like the turbine blades couldn’t handle the stress or increased temperature.” Cleora observed as the engine was opened up.

“So, should we make the blades out of a stronger material?” One assistant named Vergil asked.

“That’s a tricky issue. The more weight we put on, the slower the turbine will spin. We’d need a metal that’s lighter than steel but more durable.”

“There’s no kind of metal like that.”

“Actually, there might be.”

“Where?”

“Right here in the Vados continent.” Cleora explained. “I was with a Free Land survey team and they were surprised that our lands had very high deposits of an ore they called nickel.”

“Nickel? What’s that?”

“It’s that ore that’s silver in color and is mostly found with iron. It’s part of the slag that we throw away after we finish smelting the iron.”

“Okay, I know what you’re talking about. We never bothered with that stuff since it has no magical qualities and it’s not very strong.”

“Well, apparently it has more value than we thought. The surveyors told me that mixing in nickel with iron or steel can actually increase its resistance to heat and pressure.”

“Really? That’s interesting. Did they tell you the process in how to do this?”

“No, they weren’t alchemists or blacksmiths, but they did say that the process can be determined with enough trial and error, or you can go to Free Land and look it up. They even gave me a sample of what a nickel-based alloy is.”

Cleora reached into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a small, rectangular piece of silver-colored metal.

“I’ve even had this sample tested and its heat-resistance is remarkable.”

“So you’re saying that if we can coat our turbine blades with this material, then they should be able to handle the extra temperature and pressure?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try. Our magic jet technology at this point has stagnated, so in addition to what we learned about turbines, this nickel-alloy might be the key for our jets to perform on par with Free Land’s Starfighters.”

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The Merdov continent…

Mirona sighed in comfort as she rode the passenger train from Ardelous to Garres. What would have taken the average traveler over three weeks by carriage, now only took a few hours. And the rates were quite affordable. Since the Empire of Sath was now more focused on commerce, rather than its military and expanding its territories, domestic travel and tourism was encouraged. With the newly-developed infrastructure and transportation made available to the public, the Empire of Sath and its neighbors began to see this as a golden age of prosperity.

With her occupation of prostitute and underground spy against the Sath behind her, Mirona had decided to travel and see the miracles of Free Land. She would first go to Garres, as she had heard there were many new Free Land companies setting up branches. She wanted to try that Big Mac meal that people were talking about. From there, she would transfer to the port city of Grevel. There was talk that the flying battleship Missouri often docked there. She wanted to see it. And from there, she would board the aqua-transport for tourists to Free Land itself.

Before the arrival of the Star Alliance, such long-distance travel would have been a dream for the common folk and quite difficult, even for royalty and the nobility. However, with cheap and safe transport now available to the masses, even people with modest incomes could afford to take a trip to distant locations.

After Ardelous had regained its independence, Mirona had gotten a job at the Free Land Embassy. It was there that she had heard about all the wondrous things about the civilization that had appeared in the Alder continent. After a few months, she had earned herself some vacation time and decided that she was going to see the people that Ardelous owed its freedom to.

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Sept 28^th, 12 AE…

Kingdom of Atlans Space Research Facility Number 7…

“Five… four… three… two… one… launch!”

The rocket smoothly lifted off the launch pad and hurtled into the sky. On the ground, the technicians and engineers cheered as they tracked the rocket on their radar systems and verified that it had in fact passed the outer stratosphere. They had finally done it.

The Kingdom of Atlans was the first nation in Istaria to have sent an object into space.

----------

Out in distant planetary orbit, the Star Alliance cruiser Atlanta was just making a supply run to one of the space colonies, when the navigator noticed a tiny blip appear on his monitor.

“Captain, there’s a small, unidentified object coming up from the planet’s surface at just under escape velocity.”

“Is it one of ours?”

“No sir. The launch origin is from the continent of Bisra. And I detect no g-force nullifier field, plasma thrust or ion trails. It seems to be moving via chemical propellant. Sensors indicate it is some obsolete rocket design.”

“Any danger to the ship?”

“None sir. The rocket is not carrying a warhead and it’s moving too slowly to even scratch our hull with the deflector shield down. In fact, it seems to be running out of fuel.”

Sure enough, the thrust of the Atlans rocket petered out and vanished, leaving the device to coast on its own momentum. However, the rocket did not achieve enough velocity to escape the pull of the planet’s gravity entirely and settled into a shallow orbit. Eventually it would drop back down toward the planet’s surface, where it would burn up while entering the atmosphere.

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Oct 7th, 12 AE…

Richlike Airbase…

“So that’s the new P-40 Warhawk Mark IIB, right?” Captain Lenns asked as he watched the modified fighter being put through its paces in the skies above.

“That’s right.” Lieutenant Jans confirmed. “The revised engine can now output up to 1,500 hp and the two-stage turbocharger gives it enough power to fly altitudes up to 30,000 feet. It can reach speeds of up to 580 km/hr. We’ve also developed new oxygen equipment and the plane is composed of the stronger, lighter composites that we made after learning the processes from Free Land.”

“Hard to believe how fast the Warhawk has been improved.”

‘We have to thank Free Land for that. And it’s not just the Warhawk. Our Justifier tanks have gotten better. Our whole navy has been given a major upgrade in terms of propulsion, firepower and navigation. And it’s not just our military. Stuff such as computers, simulators, satellites, etc; we never even considered that those kinds of things were possible! Even though we haven’t a clue as to how they work, Free Land has proven that such things are not only possible, but to them, are just routine.”

“It’s all so overwhelming. I never thought I’d see the day that we would be able to launch something into space. Then Free Land decided to give us the plans to that V-2 rocket and the basics on rocketry. Without Free Land pointing us in the right direction, we’d still be struggling with the biplane.”

“The other nations are just as impressed with all the improvements they’ve made to their daily lives and their economies.”

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The Elven Nation of Merillo, southwest of the Empire of Sath, Merdov continent…

“Amazing! I have never seen such sturdy, yet smooth cloth!”

“Indeed! Thanks to the new techniques, looms and sewing machines that we got from Free Land, we’ve been able to produce better textile products at less cost and greater quantities!”

The two elven seamstresses marveled at the bolts of cloth that they had just received from the fabric manufacturer. In addition to the new technology and techniques in cloth manufacture and production through natural means such as cotton, wool and silk, they were also introduced to synthetics such as polyester, nylon and latex. As a result, both function and fashion of the clothing industry exploded exponentially. Clothing from Merillo was now in high demand in the Merdov and Vados continents.

At present, the elves of Merillo were experimenting with waterproofing their fabrics for rainwear and other applications. They had been working with the territory of Veen and their improved rubber products, especially in making boots. And most importantly, the elves were now working with a synthetic they had just been introduced to, Kevlar.

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Oct 19th, 12 AE…

“So, how did it feel, Commander?” Gracs asked as Jerry exited the cockpit of his new Star Gladiator Battle-Mech.

Jerry shrugged as he took off his helmet. “The controls are a little stiff, but that’s what one would expect with a brand new machine. It’ll probably do better after I break it in.”

As the two walked down the boarding platform, they were met by an attractive young woman in uniform. She had her blonde hair done up in a short style and her figure was lithe and athletic.

“Commander Vandelin, Lieutenant Gracs!” Corporal Illana Vasanov saluted them.

Both officers saluted her back as she handed Jerry a datapad. “Begging your pardon, Commander, but you need to fill these forms out in order to fully register this unit. Did you find it satisfactory?”

“Oh… well, overall it’s a good machine, Corporal. I-I didn’t find anything to complain about it.”

“That’s good to hear. I made certain that the engineers fine-tune the micro-sensors to your bio-rhythms for less lag times.”

“Oh really? I wondered why the controls seemed to attune to me faster than usual. T-Thank you.”

At this point, Gracs gave his superior and best friend a slight nudge in the back. He gave Jerry a knowing look, before saluting him and the corporal and left the area.

After much hemming and hawing, Jerry finally asked Illana out for a dinner date.

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Oct 25th, AE…

In a testing facility in the Kingdom of Merin…

“Try it now, Son!”

Vulkar nodded as he began cranking up the dwarf Mech prototype again. Much to his delight and relief, it only took 25 revolutions instead of 100 before the Gigaran’s engine turned over. The improvements they had made to the ignition system had worked.

Clurke again put the prototype through its paces as it walked, turned and moved its arms. He was pleased that the motions weren’t as clunky and had better response times. It was now capable of picking up relatively heavy objects and carrying them for short distances. Once it was perfected, he could easily see the Gigaran being used for mining, construction and demolition purposes.

After 10 minutes of operation, the Gigaran exhausted its fuel supply and stopped moving. Clurke shut down his control panel and then climbed down from the cockpit.

“It went on for a full two minutes more than the last time.” Clurke’s son commented.

“We still need to improve on its fuel consumption rate.” Vulkar’s father said. “And it was still a rough ride in that seat. We need a better shock absorber design.”

As they were inspecting their handiwork for any signs of stress or damage, Vulkar wistfully gazed upon a machine that was parked nearby the hanger. It was a Scrapper unit that was loaned from Free Land to Merin.

 “Son? What is it?”

The younger dwarf let out a sigh before replying. “I really wish they’d let us disassemble that machine and study its parts. It would make building the Gigaran a lot easier.”

“It might, but you know the rules.” Clurke admitted. “Free Land is letting us borrow the Scrappers to fight off mechanoids, behemoths and for emergencies. And we promised them that we wouldn’t try to take the Scrappers apart to find out how they work. A dwarf ain’t worth his hammer, if he goes and breaks his word, especially to a friend.”

“I guess.”

“Besides, Free Land has already given us a lot of know-how, which we never even dreamed of. They’ve given us arc-welding, hydraulics, the Bessemer process, pneumatics, electroplating, new metal-smith processes, the vacuum tube, radio… the list goes on and on. And look at us now. We’re taking all that knowledge and building our own Mech. Virtually everyone is seeing that our nation is at the beginning of an INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION! Yes, I’ll admit that Free Land Is leagues ahead of us, but let’s follow the motto of Atlans.”

“What motto is that?”

“Let’s catch up to Free Land someday. Now, go get me the arc-welder and some soldering irons. We’ve still have much work to do.”

Newly inspired by his father’s words, Vulkar ran toward the hanger to get the equipment. Unknown to both of them, several pairs of sinister eyes were watching them from afar, using a magic crystal viewer.

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Nov 2nd, 12 AE…

The Conference Chamber of Prime Directors…

“I have to admit, those dwarves are quite the industrious people.” Nasaak commented.

“Indeed.” Nerto agreed. “We only had to show them the basic principle of a device, and they almost immediately begin implementing all sorts of uses and functions for it. Their innovative nature is quite remarkable.”

“Remember when we introduced the simple hand pump to draw up water?” Anida pointed out. “We thought we had shown them an easier way to bring up water from a well. They immediately began applying that principle on a larger and more complex scale, and before we knew it, they’ve drastically improved their waterways and indoor plumbing.”

“If it’s anything of a mechanical or physical nature, they’ll catch on quick.” Ben remarked. “Basic physics are a snap to them. They also easily grasp the concepts of thermodynamics, chemistry, and metallurgy.”

“Not at all surprising, considering their extensive backgrounds as blacksmiths.” Viska said.

“It’s not just the forge.” The Velor Director stated. “They’ve begun to branch out. Some dwarves have started taking classes in electrical engineering, aerodynamics and the railway and automotive industry. In addition to making the usual hand tools and weapons, they’ve embraced the steam engine and the internal combustion engine. They’ve already begun mass-producing one particular World War Two machine that we provided the plans for.”

“Which one?” Nasaak asked.

“On Earth, it had the military designation of G-503, but it was more commonly called the Jeep. The dwarves absolutely adore that four-wheel drive and are discovering the joys of off-roading. In terms of the automotive and railway industry, they’re almost equal with the Kingdom of Atlans.”

“They’ve already exceeded Atlans in one category.” The Catian Director stated.

“The Mech-Frame?” Nerto inquired.

“Indeed. The reports indicate that their prototype isn’t anywhere near the level of the most basic of Mech-Frame, but the general concept is there. The dwarves are limited to their current materials and they have no access to the energy sources that we have. They’ve kept their word and didn’t try to dismantle the Scrappers that we loaned to them. However, the progress they have made on their own is impressive. The prototype is clunky, wasteful and has no computer controls. However, in terms of basic robotics and engineering, it’s not half-bad.”

“That does raise a few concerns though.” The Kyteeri Director said with some caution. “If they are able to create a functional Mech-Frame, even a low-grade version, wouldn’t the other nations see the Kingdom of Merin as a potential threat?”

“It’s not just Merin.” The reptilian Director added. “Just about all the dwarven countries and territories are developing at the same rate. Merin is just the largest among them. When one dwarven area learns a new form of technology, they eagerly share it with the others. Proliferation of technology becomes inevitable. And there’s one more thing.”

“What’s that?” Viska asked.

“All the dwarven nations have come to a consensus, and they see us as the pathway to the future. We have just received a most interesting petition, from all the leaders of every dwarven nation, including the Kingdom of Merin. They wish to apply for membership in the Star Alliance.”

This statement put all the other Directors in a state of shock. They really didn’t know how to reply to such a request.

The Star Alliance had been formed during the war with the Cryterians, a time of necessity. Banding together and sharing technologies to defeat a common foe had been logical and beneficial between the five member races. And that unity had only grown stronger throughout their journey through space to find a place to settle down. There had been thousands of intermarriages between the species, especially between the Terrans and the Kyteeri. Deep friendships had formed and it was now very difficult for the member races to see each other as anything but as one large nation. And they had never thought to add other races to the Star Alliance.

The dwarves have shown themselves to be honorable, trustworthy, hard-working, intelligent and very creative. To allow them to become part of the Star Alliance would give them more access to advanced technology. Of course, they would have to learn all the fundamental principles, but the dwarves had proven themselves to be quite studious and learned quickly. Despite being from a medieval background, they had already mastered the basics of World War 2 era technology, which also included vacuum-tube electronics such as radios, television and radar. It would only take a small nudge for them to enter the age of jets and the transistor.

However, exposing the dwarves to such technology so quickly also had its downsides. The era after World War 2 also ushered in the nuclear age. The atom bomb and the invention of nuclear power also meant the potential for mass destruction on a continental to planetary scale. The people of Earth had just managed not to destroy themselves during that time. Although the dwarves have shown themselves to be a united people, there was always the chance that a few could cause the destruction of their civilization and the world itself. Having an ancient 15 kiloton uranium bomb like the Little Boy was no joke.

For the time being, the Council had decided to table the dwarves’ application for Star Alliance membership for a later date.

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Nov 3rd, 12 AE…

In a darkened, secret place…

KA-BOOM!

A large, misshapen object fell to the ground, bursting into flames.

“Damn it! It’s just not working!”

“We went through all that trouble to dig out those Mech parts and we can’t even make a working model! What the Hell are we doing wrong?!”

“According to our studies of the remains, all the vital components of the Battle-Mech were destroyed, most likely due to some kind of self-destruct device. We can’t even begin to discern how they functioned without any examples of those components intact. We’re basically just guessing at this point.”

“Damn those Free Landers! They just couldn’t leave an intact Battle-Mech could they?”

Both figures looked over to their left and gazed upon the burned-out remains of Jerry Vandelin’s Star Gladiator. Immediately after the battle with the Planet Ravager, the Dreanat had been hired by their new benefactor to retrieve as much as they could of the wrecked war machine. They had managed to steal the torso unit; both legs and an arm before Free Land came looking for their missing Mech.

Euracon was in a state of terminal decline as the ongoing civil war was intensifying. Just about every citizen was planning to leave the country and the Dreanat were now freelancing their services to whoever wanted them. With no Emperor and the Euracon government fragmented, the special ops group was just barely surviving as mercenaries.

The Dreanat would have left the country as well, if it had not been hired by a mysterious group of people to steal the damaged Battle-Mech, and to spy on other countries who were developing their own versions of Free Land’s ‘Metal Soldiers.’ They had been taking particular interest in a band of dwarven engineers in the Kingdom of Merin, led by a father and son duo.

Clurke and Vulkar.

“Well, it’s obvious that without those components, this Metal Soldier is nothing more than a statue.”

“Indeed. I hear that Free Land had loaned the other countries the use of smaller Mechs called Scrappers. Perhaps we could try stealing one of those?”

“Not a chance! The Dreanat tell us that those units are kept under lock and key and possess the same anti-theft countermeasures as their larger models. The spies learned that those machines can’t be operated by any unauthorized people and they possess self-destruct mechanisms as well.”

“Damn it! So what can we use to power our Metal Soldiers?”

“There’s a possibility. I’ve heard that there’s a pair of dwarven engineers in Merin that may have solved the problem of powering their own version of the Battle-Mech. Perhaps we can persuade them to share that secret with us?”

To be continued…