Star People

Chapter 28

Membership

Feb 8^th, 13 AE…

New Pearl Harbor, Testing Facility # 40…

“So this is the Gigaran, eh?” Nasaak asked as he and a Catian engineer walked around the machine. “Not bad overall. It’s crude but effective.”

“Pretty rough around the edges, but I can see the functionality in this machine.” The engineer named Sureka said. She was one of the lead engineers of the Battle-Mech Design Corps.

“I can tell that a lot of the superstructure was hand-forged. The craftsmanship is impressive. Those dwarves really take pride in their work.”

“The suspension is a bit outdated, but serviceable. This machine could probably benefit from a reflex coil and gel system.”

“What’s that big empty space in the back?” Nasaak pointed toward the rear of the Gigaran.

“Oh, that’s where the Neo-Psion Reactor was attached. I had my crew remove it and it is now being studied at the Number Four ERD Lab.”

The Catian Prime Director nodded. After leaving Euracon, the kidnapped dwarves were returned to the Kingdom of Merin, all save for two. Both Clurke and Vulkar were taken to Free Land, along with the Gigaran, as the Council of Prime Directors needed to question them about their captivity, the Metal Soldiers and the sudden advancement in magic-related technology.

The ability to create Neo-Psions.

At first, the King of Merin, Verso Cede, protested against Free Land taking two of his subjects and their invention to the Alder continent, but the Council would not brook any arguments. Both dwarven engineers agreed to be taken to Free Land. After all, they had broken their word not to take apart Free Land technology, despite the fact that the dire situation had forced them to do so. Furthermore, the Neo-Psion Reactor used several components of Commander Vandelin’s old Battle-Mech. Therefore, the reactor was considered, at least partially, Free Land property.

----------

Number Four Energy Research and Development Lab (ERD)…

“Man! I have seen some really strange MacGyver jobs in my day, but this one takes the cake!” Reactor Technician Warren Hikes said as he and his colleagues gazed upon the Neo-Psion Reactor that was on a large observation table.

“What’s a MacGyver?” A Catian technician named Pulara asked.

“It’s an old vid show back in the 20^th century on Earth about a guy named MacGyver. He solved problems by cobbling together stuff and improvising. And I gotta say, those dwarves did a number that would have made MacGyver blush. I can see about a quarter of this stuff was taken from a Battle-Mech.”

Pulara nodded as she began pointing out certain components. “That’s definitely a power coupling from an arm joint. And these relays have to be from the Battle-Mech’s primary panel. The fuses are definitely from the sensor arrays. And of course, this power cell that they used as an ignition device probably came from the Battle-Mech’s backup systems. And these capacitors are most likely from the Battle-Mech’s computer core.”

“I’m both surprised and impressed that they managed to cobble this stuff together and made it all work.” A Velor technician named Giral said.

“What really interest me are these dwarven runes.” Warren stated as he pointed at Clurke’s handiwork with a TIG-welder. “The scanners aren’t detecting anything unusual about these markings, but they seem to be the reason why this device is able to convert any type of basic fuel into psions.”

“Maybe we need to turn this thing on in order to determine how these runes work?” Giral suggested.

“Okay. Let’s hook this thing up to a plasma tank and fire it up.”

A few minutes later, the team of technicians and scientists were behind a transparent blast shield as the Neo-Psion Reactor was attached to a small tank of ionized plasma fuel. Using a remote control, Warren activated the pump and began feeding fuel into the reactor. And then he activated the reactor’s ignition system.

Almost immediately, the rune symbols started to emit a blue white light. Tiny, glowing particles of energy began to emerge above the runes as the fuel tank was steadily drained of its contents. Normally, these particles would be collected into a containment unit inside the Gigaran, but in this case, they floated freely.

Warren turned to his associate and asked, “What are the readings?”

Pulara held up a portable scanner and nodded. “Very interesting… I’m showing signs of matter-energy rearrangement and conversion. It’s very similar to what happens when the Missiouri’s Neo-Proton Wave Gun creates neo-protons. These aren’t the same psions that is found in nature, but they’re close enough to be used to create psion-events or spells. This reactor’s conversion ratio is low in comparison to our technology. We can create neo-protons at a ratio of 1000 units of neo-protons per 1 unit of base fuel. This reactor’s maximum seems to be 20 units of neo-psions per 1 unit of base fuel. It’s a lot better than its original, internal combustion engine but still doesn’t hold a candle to a Scrapper at reduced power.”

“What about the Battle-Mech components? How are they holding up?”

Giral also held up a portable scanner and shrugged. “Oh they’re fine. They were designed to handle stresses far greater than this reactor’s output. However, I would say that it’s fortunate that those dwarf engineers used Battle-Mech parts rather than try to make them from scratch. This reactor might have blown up in their faces if they attempted with homemade parts.”

“So how would you rate this reactor to anything we have in Free Land?” Warren inquired.

“Well…” The Velor said as he considered the readouts. “… if I were to be honest, the power output of this reactor doesn’t come close to our micro-fusion or meson/anti-meson power cells. However, for practical applications, this would probably be equivalent to a D-class, Mark II series thermoelectric generator. Considering that the dwarves came from an era of blacksmiths and hand-forging, this is quite a big leap forward in their technological advancement.”

“Is it possible to improve on this reactor’s conversion output?”

“I have no idea about dwarven runes, so we’d have to ask the creator. However, all things considered, I don’t see why not. Psions have less energy potential than mesons or quarks but they’re still better than fossil fuels.”

----------

The industrial area of Polaris City, near New Pearl Harbor…

“I trust the two of you are enjoying Free Land hospitality?” Benjamin asked as he and his guest rode in a diplomatic shuttle.

“Yes, very much so Prime Director Rodera.” Clurke said as he and his son watched with great interest through the viewports, at the city streets below them.

“Please, we can dispense with the formalities. You can just call me Ben.”

“Very well… Ben. You may just call me Clurke.”

“And I am Vulkar.” Clurke’s son added.

Clurke let off a sigh of admiration as he continued to look at the technological cityscape below. “I can never get over just far ahead of us you are. Flying skyways… moving sidewalks… buildings as tall as mountains… it’s even grander than I remember.”

“You’ve been to Free Land before?” Ben inquired.

“Yes, we took a trip here last summer.” Vulkar replied. “We only saw parts of New Pearl Harbor that was open to tourists, but we were really impressed by your technology. We even took a… what did they call it again? Oh, right… they called it a ‘fissics’ course in basic engineering.”

“Oh? So you’re familiar with basic physics? So you used that knowledge to create that device for the Gigaran, correct?”

“Well… to be honest, it was mostly my father’s idea.”

“Really? If you don’t mind me asking, Clurke… what gave you the idea to create a Neo-Psion Reactor?”

“Neo? I’m not familiar with that term.” The elder dwarf said in confusion.

“In our language, neo means ‘new’ or ‘fresh.’ That’s basically what you did. You converted base fuel into brand-new psions, hence the term neo-psion.”

“Ah, I understand now. I suppose that’s a good enough name for the device… a Neo-Psion Reactor. In any case, there’s an old saying that desperation can drive innovation, and I have to admit, we were very desperate at the time.”

“I can imagine that Garres Locran’s hospitality was quite lacking.”

“That’s putting it mildly. With the threat of killing my family, friends and countrymen, we both knew that we couldn’t keep stalling Garres. I also knew that the Gigaran wouldn’t be able to stand up to a Metal Soldier with its smaller engine and size, so I needed something that could give the Gigaran more power. That’s when I decide to; as you would say in Free Land, think outside of the box.”

“So that’s when you decided to fall back on your magical roots?”

“The internal combustion engine is good and in most cases, I would prefer to use that rather than magic.” Clurke admitted. “It’s solid, reliable and doesn’t take much preparation time like magic does. The problem was the power output. I didn’t have the time to work out a stronger engine and fuel mixture. Then I remembered back to the ‘fissics’ lessons and when we saw what you call a micro-reactor. So I thought, if they could change regular fuel into energy, then why can’t I do that with magic?”

“Does this have to do with those engravings you put on the reactor?” Ben asked as he was becoming more intrigued.

“That’s right. Those were dwarven runes, and I would appreciate it if you don’t ask too much about them. Those runes are my people’s most precious secret and we are forbidden to teach them to anyone but other dwarves.”

“I understand. So would I be correct in assuming that these runes are what make it possible for fuel to be converted into neo-psions?”

Vulkar’s father nodded. “Runes are very useful in imbuing objects with magical effects. And there are certain symbols with a boosting effect. So I used a sequence which allowed me to transform the fuel into magic and increase the effect.”

“Very interesting. And the Battle-Mech parts?”

Clurke gave a sheepish grin. “Well, the runes may do the work of converting fuel into magic, but I still needed relays, capacitors, and other components to start the system, direct the magic flow, regulate the intensity and store the magic. And as I said before, we didn’t have the time to build these things from scratch, so…” He then bowed his head in shame. Vulkar did likewise.

The Terran Prime Director gazed upon the father and son pair for a full minute before addressing them again, this time with a smile.

“Clurke… Vulkar… it’s all right. The Council of Prime Directors had already decided to forgive you for breaking your word. After all, you had no choice.”

Both dwarves’ heads came up in surprise.

“You forgive us?” The younger dwarf asked.

“I just said that we forgive you, didn’t I? However, that still leaves us with quite a few issues to resolve. First of all, because you were forced to dismantle and research the Battle-Mech, you and your son now possess knowledge of some core Free Land Technology. It’s also considered military-level technology, which makes the situation even more precarious.”

“I see. So, in order to protect military secrets, does that mean that we are not allowed to return home?” Clurke asked with a bit of apprehension in his tone.

“Well, I’ll admit that you two do pose a security risk. And even though you managed to escape from Garres Locran, there might be others who could target you for your knowledge about Battle-Mech components. We’ve already experienced the machinations of certain would-be conquerors from Euracon.”

Both dwarves nodded in understanding as Ben continued.

“And there’s also the fact that dwarves tend to share whatever new technology you come across. Normally, that would be considered as a good quality, but as I said, we’re not too eager in letting potentially destructive technology spread among the dwarven nations. And third, since you built that reactor with Free Land components, we could declare it as Free Land property.”

“I see your point.” Clurke admitted.

“So what can we do?” Vulkar inquired.

“Well, we do have to thank you for a couple of things.” The aged Terran pointed out. “First of all, you foiled Garres’ plans for world domination by destroying his Metal Soldier prototype and all of his facilities. That’s one less headache for us to worry about. And secondly, you also destroyed the remains of that Battle-Mech, so we don’t have to worry about someone else trying to copy its mechanisms. We thank you for that as well.”

 “So does that mean…?” Clurke’s son began but was cut off when Ben held up a hand.

“Those acts contribute positively in your favor, but the fact still remains that you are in possession of knowledge of advanced Free Land technology and that’s something that we cannot ignore.”

“So is there nothing we can do?” Vulkar asked with a bit of desperation in his tone.

“Well… there is one option that the Council has been considering.”

“What is it?” Clurke inquired.

“You are aware that all the dwarven nations are petitioning Free Land for membership into the Star Alliance, are you not?”

“Yes, we are.”

“We’ve been waiting for some time for an answer.” Vulkar pointed out.

“That is correct. And there are a few reasons why we’ve been delaying our response. Our current war with the Zedan Empire is one of the reasons. First of all, a little bit of a history lesson. How much do you know about the Star Alliance?”

“Well, I know that it is composed of five different races, and that you all came from the stars. You had fought some terrible enemy and came to Istaria to settle down.”

“Well, that’s basically an overview as to who we are, but here’s a more detailed summary. Now you may think of me as a human, but I’m actually called a Terran and I come from a world called Earth. A little more than 13 years ago, our world was attacked and destroyed by the Cryterians. We were forced out into space with the enemy expecting us to die a slow death among the stars. A few years later, we met up with the Kyteeri, who had also encountered the Cryterians and had their homeworld destroyed by them. We joined forces against a common enemy and that was when the Star Alliance began.”

“I see.”

“After several long and hard-fought battles, three more races that had their worlds destroyed by the Cryterians, eventually came to join with the Terrans and Kyteeri. These races were the Catians, the Velor and the Nemonians. On Istaria you’d probably label them as Cat Folk, Lizard or Dragon Folk and Fairy Folk.”

“This is quite interesting, but what does this have to do with the dwarf petition to join the Star Alliance?”

“I was just getting to that.” Ben stated. “The Star Alliance was formed out of necessity and to fight a common enemy, which were the Cryterians. However, it was also formed to share technologies in order to benefit the Star Alliance as a whole. We Terrans contributed the hyperdrive and computer technology. The Kyteeri were the ones who improved our starfighter designs. The Velor enhanced our data storage and communication systems. The Catians were the creators of the Battle-Mechs. And the Nemonians are unrivaled when it comes to medical and healing abilities. So let me ask you, what would the dwarf nations bring to the table if we allowed them to join?”

Both Clurke and Vulkar became silent as they tried to think of what their people could contribute. The dwarves were a race of blacksmiths, artisans and miners as a whole. In comparison to what they saw in New Pearl Harbor, their skills in metallurgy were far behind. Free Land had already come up with metal alloys that put mithril, orihalcrum and even adamantite to shame. They possessed tools that could handwork to the finest of tolerances. And they were certainly no slouch when it came to mining and refining raw ores on a scale unimaginable. The dwarves simply couldn’t compete in that area.

The dwarves also had a talent for invention and innovation. Dwarven devices were previously considered to be ingenious and efficient. Even the Kingdoms of Atlans and Naran were hard-pressed to rival them. The dwarves were the first to come up with aqueducts, indoor plumbing and complex gear-controlled devices. They harnessed the power of steam long before anyone on Istaria did. And they even came up with the first accurate timepieces. It wasn’t until the invention of the internal combustion and magical jet engines that the diminutive race began to feel the competition.

Then Free Land appeared and blew all of their notions of machinery completely out of water. Nowadays, the dwarves would pounce on any new technology that Free Land would allow them to have. And with every new device or equipment, they would always have the same thought.

Why didn’t we think of this?

The two inventors began to understand Free Land’s reluctance to let the dwarves join the Star Alliance. What could they possibly give to Star Alliance that they didn’t already have? What could they contribute as a member? Aside from their metalworking and mining backgrounds, the only other thing they could offer was magic, and the people of Free Land were hardly interested in that. Even the psion-sensitive Kyteeri were not very enthusiastic about learning how to chant spells and reading ancient tomes. After all, they could perform feats of magic just by thinking about it. And in comparison to Free Land science and technology, magic seemed slow, wasteful, inefficient and less powerful. Magic took too long to prepare and can’t even be used in some places such as outer space and…

“The Neo-Psion Reactor!” Clurke exclaimed as he snapped his fingers.

Ben nodded in agreement. “Now you’re starting to realize the potential of your invention, right? If you thought that Free Land wasn’t too interested in learning magic because it was inefficient and didn’t work in outer space, then you’d be correct. What takes fifteen seconds to launch a low-grade fireball; we can fire a plasma bolt in milliseconds. Naran needed an hour of chanting to launch something into high altitude. We can launch something into orbit in ten seconds or less. Yes, we have a lot of preparation initially, but we can repeat the process as many times as we wish while traditional magic takes a long time to prepare every time it is invoked. And since magic cannot be used in certain places, then that compounds the problem. That’s why our research and applications for magic are at a virtual standstill.”

Ben then gestured to Clurke. “Now your reactor solves those two major problems. You can generate a large amount of neo-psions in a short time period and you can do so anywhere you want, so long as you have the fuel to power the reactor. Now, advanced magic-based technology is feasible. Now you’ve caught our interest. You may have something to contribute to the Star Alliance. We’re always on the lookout for alternative energy sources. And your reactor also opens up new possibilities in both research and applications. Now we had a process to create neo-protons, so we’re a little embarrassed that we didn’t think to use the same principle to create neo-psions like you did.”

“I can’t believe that my reactor is something that Free Land is interested in. Why aren’t you interested in the magic-technology of Naran?”

“The main reason why we aren’t very interested in Naran magic-technology is how they apply it. Their magic-technology is not very innovative. To put it simply, they’re working harder, not smarter.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll give you an example. Take their magic jet engine. Now it may seem to be an advanced piece of magic-technology, but overall, it’s just an over-engineered pulse jet. It has poor energy efficiency and a lot of that potential energy is wasted, resulting in a very low thrust ratio and power output. They were attempting to increase the speed by adding more magic gemstone fuel and longer chants, but that’s not a good solution. It wasn’t until we showed them that adding a turbine that they realized they could make their jet engine more powerful, without needing more long-winded chants or wasting resources.”

“So they were basically doing more work and making it harder than it should have been.” Vulkar surmised.

“That’s right.” Ben nodded. “And not only that, but Naran’s inefficient magic-technology is the reason why we haven’t invaded Zedan as we had planned.”

“What?” Both dwarves said in surprise.

-----------

Flashback

Jan 27^th, 13 AE…

“You want us to move back the invasion date?” Ben exclaimed in disbelief.

Captain Retora nodded as her image was being transmitted to the main holo-viewer of the Council Chambers. “In order to fully utilize Deriaton One’s abilities, we need some time to implement the chants and rituals required to unlock the ship’s magical arsenal cores. You’ve already moved back the invasion date by a week. Another ten days isn’t going to make much of a difference. I assure you that this delay is necessary. You cannot defeat the Zedan without the full power of Deriaton One.”

“May I ask why these rituals were not performed before bringing the Deriaton One to New Pearl Harbor?”

“Actually, we had performed the rituals and chants before setting out from Naran. However, when you postponed the invasion date by one week, the magic potency of the rituals and chants began to wear off and we must renew them now. So begging your pardon, but the fault lies with Free Land.”

The Prime Directors all felt a big headache coming on. Yet another reason why magic wasn’t pursued much in the Alder continent.

-----------

End of Flashback…

“You can understand our frustration at that point.” Ben let off a sigh. “When we started to look into magic, we tried using the traditional methods, but we quickly realized just how inefficient they were. It didn’t make sense to put in twice as much work, only to get a one percent increase. We had all but lost interest in magical research until you invented the reactor.”

“So are you saying that it’s because of my reactor that Free Land will allow the dwarves to join the Star Alliance?” Clurke wondered.

“I didn’t say that.” Ben corrected. “I said that you have now caught our interest. You might have something to contribute to the Star Alliance. The Council is still debating over whether or not your reactor is worth the effort of further research and development. In a society that uses magic extensively such as yours or Naran, the reactor does have practical applications. However, can we say the same in a society of science such as ours? It is possible since you used Battle-Mech parts and thereby bridged the gap between magic and science.”

“So will we know soon, whether or not the dwarves will join the Star Alliance?”

“At this point, no. We are at war with the Zedan Empire after all and we will be invading the Zedan continent in a few days. We don’t expect the war to last much longer. Afterwards, the Council will make their final decision on whether or not to accept the dwarven nations as members of the Star Alliance. Furthermore, you have to consider the consequences for us if we do allow the dwarves to join. This may cause resentment among the other nations and they might get the idea to petition for Star Alliance membership. I’ve heard rumors that the Kingdom of Atlans is considering applying. It’s a shame that we’ll have to turn them down if they do.”

“You’re going to turn them down? But they’re a very advanced mechanical nation!” Clurke remarked.

“The Kingdom of Atlans may be advanced by your standards, but not by ours. We still consider them as good allies and will continue to give them technological improvements, but there is virtually nothing in Atlans that we don’t already have or could achieve. And conversely, there is nothing Atlans could contribute to the Star Alliance. They don’t have a Neo-Psion Reactor like you. That is key to Star Alliance membership. In order for us to share our core technology and methods with others, they in turn must be willing to at least share their core technology or methods with us. Now I’m not saying you have to teach dwarven runes to us, but you must be at least willing to allow us to study and research the concept of generating neo-psions.”

“I see.”

“As I said, we’re about to begin the invasion in a couple of days, so until then, please enjoy Free Land’s hospitality and consider what I have discussed with you today. You may want to inform your king as well. Once this conflict with Zedan is over, we will be giving you our final decision.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

----------

Feb 11^th, 13 AE…

New Pearl Harbor, 0400 hours…

USN-SBX-1 Missouri…

“All Free Land ships have reported in and have given the green signal, Captain.” Lieutenant Visera announced.

“And our allies?” Delan asked as he took a sip from his coffee cup.

“The Kingdom of Atlans signaled that they’re ready to move out. The Kingdom of Naran has also informed us that the Deriaton One is fully charged and is ready to move out with the rest of the Naran fleet.”

Captain Delan nodded to his First Officer. Reelan gave her spouse a small smile before addressing the helmsman and navigator. “Ensign Taichen, begin plotting a course to Point Alpha One. Ensign Gatsbu, forward ahead 15 knots. Once we’ve cleared New Pear Harbor, ascend to 15 kilometers and accelerate to 40 knots.”

“Aye, Commander!”

“Aye, Commander!”

----------

USN-SNB-1433 Iowa…

General Kurdo and Admiral Kajor watched on their tactical display as the Missouri began moving out, along with the Yorktown, Johnston and all other Star Alliance ships. This was a bigger invasion force than the one that had been sent out to crush the Empire of Sath. Heading out in a different direction, the Naran and Atlans forces moved out, accompanied by a substantial number of Star Alliance destroyers and cruisers, plus the Lexington.

Admiral Kajor nodded to his helmsman. “Ahead fifteen knots, Ensign Criti!”

“Aye, Admiral!” A young Velor replied.

General Kurdo nodded as the Supernova-class battleship got underway.

Operation Star Point had begun!

To be continued…

Author’s Notes

Wow. I really got this chapter out fast. In any case, the invasion of Zedan has begun. I’m currently working on another side-story in the mean time.