Star People

Side Story 7

Road Trip

Sept 28^th, 11 AE…

The Royal Palace of Sath…

“What did you call this again?” Empress Lexina asked as she and the Free Land engineers stood in the courtyard. In front of them was a certain vehicle that had not been produced for more than two centuries.

“This is the Volkswagen Beetle. This is based on the 1963 model.” Head Engineer Donald Stagers replied.

“A beetle? Well… I suppose I can see why you call it a beetle, but what is it for?”

“This is for transportation. Specifically, it will be affordable transportation for the masses.”

In front of them was a reproduction of the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, complete with fabric sunroof top and the 1192 cubic-inch engine in the rear. It could seat up to four people and was simple to operate. It had a top speed of 55 mph. Instead of using petroleum, the Free Land engineers had come up with a safer Neo-Fuel that worked just like gasoline, but with none of the environmental hazards. They were going to introduce it to Bisra, Excra and Vados later.

“This is transportation?” Lexina inquired. “You mean like a carriage? Do you mean it can be pulled by horses or oxen?”

“Oh no. This doesn’t need anything to pull it. The engine will provide 40 brake horsepower or bph.”

“So, it has the same power as forty horses?”

“It’s roughly the same.”

“So how does it work?”

Donald smiled as he walked over to the passenger side and opened up the door, inviting the Empress to sit in the passenger seat. Once she did so, he closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side. He got in and instructed the Empress to fasten her seatbelt. He then started up the Beetle.

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Fifteen minutes later…

“Amazing! I don’t feel any shaking or bumping. And I’ve never gone this fast before!” Lexina remarked as she and Ronald drove across the pavement. Flying above them at low speed were two Star Hawks accompanying them on their journey.

“The ride is made more comfortable, due to the suspension underneath.” Donald explained. “It’s called a torsion-axle suspension. The car itself is easy to maintain and repair. The reason why we want to introduce this vehicle to the public is because of the new highways and paved roads we’ve implemented after the war. A fast and cheap mode of transportation can help people get to places further than a horse and carriage. It would also help your economy if we teach the people how to manufacture these cars on their own.”

“I’ve heard about these horseless carriages from Atlans and Naran. I never thought we could have our own.”

“You have to admit, it’s more practical to have a vehicle such as this, especially for long-distance travel. We’ve already built highways between major cities and towns in order to increase your infrastructure and economy. We’ll also be setting up fuel stations, repair shops and rest areas. What we want is for the people to begin traveling and increase business potential. The further people can travel, the more you can profit from tourism. It would be a real boost in the economy, don’t you think?”

“Yes. I can see how this… Beetle… would be a great boon for the people. The bicycle has already been well-received for short trips to the market, but this horseless carriage would make traveling long distances less of a chore and more of a pleasure.”

“So do you approve?”

“Indeed I do.”

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Nov 12^th, 11 AE…

“So all I have to do is just this one job?” Ardori asked as he was being shown the station where the cars’ engines were to be installed. He was one of the many dwarves, beastkins, elves and humans that had been hired to work at this new ‘automobile assembly factory.’

“That’s right.” The factory manager nodded. “This is a process that is called the assembly line. Now if we had a group of people work on putting together a single car, it would take them three hours to complete a single vehicle. The assembly line will streamline that process so that each person only needs to contribute one or two components as the cars move down the line. By the time they reach the end of the line, they will be fully-functional cars, ready to be sold and used by the consumers. Instead of one car every three hours, you can have 20 cars ready in half an hour.”

“Amazing! But what about the parts that makes up the car? Where do they come from?”

“They’re manufactured at a different plant and shipped to this factory every month or so. They are created by using another principle called standardization or interchangeable parts. In other words, each component is made exactly the same, every time. I could take the door off one Beetle and put it on another and it will fit perfectly. Because of this principle, cost is driven down and replacing broken parts is easy.”

“I see! So is this the reason why people with modest means can afford to buy a car?”

“Very good! You understand! By lowering costs, we can lower the price of the finished products. We may not make as much profit per item, but we sell more items! Furthermore, by lowering costs, we also lower our overhead and are able to pay the workers a more decent wage. It’s simple economics.”

Ardori nodded as he began thinking about putting the ‘assembly line’ and ‘interchangeable parts’ ideas toward other endeavors, such as shipbuilding and consumer goods.

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Nov 28^th, 11 AE…

“Okay, the gas pedal or accelerator is on your far right, and the brake is in the middle. The pedal on the left is the clutch.” The instructor said as he pointed out the pedals on the floor in front of the driver’s seat. “

 “What’s the clutch?” The student driver asked. He was a wolf-kin named Artorio.

“It allows you to shift gears. As you increase speed, you’d want to shift to a higher gear. The brake is to slow down and stop. When you slow down or stop, you downshift to a lower gear. You see that lever on the right? That’s your gearshift.”

Artorio looked over and grabbed hold of the gearshift lever.

At that point, the instructor then started the simulator as he pointed to the key in the ignition slot.

“Okay, let’s get you started. Turn that key.”

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Dec 7^th, 11 AE…

“Smile!” The instructor said as he pressed the switch on the device and took Lexina’s picture. A few seconds later, the process was complete and a small tray opened up. In the center was the Empress’ new driver’s license.

Lexina trembled a bit as she was handed her certification to operate a motor vehicle. It had taken her three weeks of driver’s education classes to obtain the right to drive. In addition to introducing the Beetle to the masses, new motor vehicle laws and regulations were set up to ensure the safety of the drivers and the public. Traffic lights, speed limits and other highway signs had been introduced as well.

With the people now taking to the roads in greater numbers, businesses began to lean towards capturing the profits to be made from customers now traveling longer distances. Inns and taverns began to appear alongside stretches of highway. Restaurants followed suit as drivers would often stop to eat during extended road trips. Merchants also plied their trade next to refueling stations.

It seemed that the Empire of Sath and the other nations of Merdov were experiencing an automotive revolution.

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Jan 24^th, 12 AE…

“Things sure have changed in the last few months.” Lenns commented as he and Ackar drove down the highway towards the dwarven city Redigra.

Unlike the multitudes of Beetles that were driving on both sides of the highway, the car they were in had been made in Atlans. The vehicle resembled that of a 1925 Studebaker Convertible. They had their car shipped over to Merdov to take advantage of the newly-built, intercontinental highways that now connected all the major cities and towns. The horse-drawn wagons and carriages were currently only seen on country roads and dirt pathways.

“I’ll say things have changed.” Ackar concurred. “Ever since Free Land introduced those Beetle cars to the people of the Merdov continent, there have been a lot of people on the roads.”

“Did you get a good look at those Beetle specs? They’re pretty advanced. Especially that torsion-axle suspension.”

“It’s a bit frustrating that we’re still using a leaf-spring model and Free Land gave the Sath a more advanced design.”

“At the very least, we now have access to Neo-Fuel. The engineers and politicians back in Atlans were a bit concerned with our petroleum reserves. Free Land has made Neo-Fuel available for all nations who have adopted the internal combustion engine. The air around the urban areas have gotten cleaner. I hear the dwarven territories have completely retired the horse or beast-drawn carriages. They’ve also adopted the Beetle’s engine for other applications, like powering small boats and the like. I’ve even heard rumors that they may even attempt to use a bigger version of that engine to power a prototype version of Free Land’s Battle-Mech.”

“It’s a bit scary that the dwarves have advanced this far. It wasn’t too long ago that they were trailing behind us in terms of technology.”

“This only means that the Kingdom of Atlans has got to up its game. If we fall behind, Free Land might give more of its older technology to the other nations.”

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June 7^th, 12 AE…

“Hey Father, can I drive?” Vulkar asked.

Clurke shrugged his shoulders as he glanced down at the fuel gauge, and then looked at some road signs. “I suppose. Might as well make use of that driver’s license you just got. We’re about 20 km from the next fuel stop so I’ll let you take over after we fill up the tank.”

“Great!”

The Beetle they were riding in was a modified version so small-bodied races like dwarves could operate them. The pedals were extended so they could be reached by the dwarves’ shorter legs and the driver’s seat could be raised a little higher so they could see the road through the windshield. After purchasing their cars, the dwarves began making their own customizations to them and modifying them to suit their needs. Some had been converted into makeshift cargo carriers, while others tinkered with the engine to give it more horsepower.

“Hey, look over there! Don’t see many of those nowadays!”

Clurke glanced over to where his son was indicating and glimpsed a human farmer driving his horse and wagon on a dirt road parallel to the highway.

“Yep.” He agreed. “Ever since the Beetle was introduced, a lot of people have been trading or retiring their horses and wagons. Remember, we put old Laceybell out to pasture after we got the car. I mean, that horse deserves an easy retirement after all the hard work she did for us.”

“Speaking of the work she did, what are we going to do now that she’s retired? Get another horse to do to the pulling and stuff?”

“Nah. I’ve been getting some ideas and I think we can find Laceybell’s replacement in the place we’re heading.”

“Come to think of it, you never told me where we’re going.”

“To Free Land, boy!”

“Free Land?! Are you kidding?! I know it’s possible to drive all over the Merdov continent with the new highways and cars, but there’s no way we can drive across the ocean!”

“That’s the thing. We don’t have to, son.”

“What do you mean?”

“All we got to do is drive to Greval, and take the next auto-ferry to New Pearl Harbor.”

“An… auto-ferry?”

“It’s a big ship that will allow you to drive your car onto it, and then it will take you to Free Land. All you have to do when you reach your destination is to drive your car off it and there you go.” He reached into a pocket and took out a slip of paper, which happened to be a boarding pass to the Greval Automobile Ferry. “This is our ticket to the promised land.”

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June 9^th, 12 AE…

“There it is! It’s Free Land!” Vulkar exclaimed as he and his father stood on the observation deck of the automobile ferry.

“Yep!” Clurke agreed as he motioned for his son to follow him to the parking hold. “Come on. We got to get ready. As soon as they dock, we need to get the car prepared to drive off. I’m anxious to see Polaris City.”

“Right…. oh, look up there!” The younger dwarf pointed up toward the sky on their right. “Is that the Missouri?”

The elder dwarf looked up to where his son was indicating and his eyes widened as he saw the star battleship leisurely fly through the skies, 2 kilometers above them. He took out his pocket telescope and squinted through the eyepiece. He made out the registration number and name on its hull near the bow.

USN-SBX-01 Missouri.

Every other tourist on the observation deck, including Vulkar, took out another new innovation that had been introduced to the people of Merdov. It was a reproduction of the Polaroid Instant Camera of the 1950s. Everyone began snapping photographs of the famed star battleship under the command of Captain Delan.

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June 10^th, 12 AE…

Polaris City…

Clurke found it very hard to keep his eyes on the road as he and his son drove through Polaris City and looked about the sights in awe. Even though the Beetle was currently the most advanced vehicle in Merdov, it didn’t even hold a candle to what was being used in Free Land.

There were three levels of traffic. For land-based vehicles such as the Beetle, other wheeled transports and those that used low-level, anti-gravity repulsor fields; there were smooth and well-maintained, concrete roads. At about 20 meters above the roads, were a series of transparent tubes that acted as a mass public shuttle system. Unlike the old subways and monorail systems, there were no tracks and each shuttle could carry up to 100 passengers at speeds up to 350 km/hr. And some 40 meters above the mass-transit shuttles were the free-flying cargo transports and larger shuttles. There were also pedestrian moving sidewalks, hover-cabs, and personal transportation utilizing anti-gravity belts.

The buildings were taller than any Clurke and his son had ever seen. In their home kingdom of Merin, they had trees that were over 2,000 years-old and reached heights of 120 meters or better. The buildings in Polaris easily dwarfed them. The architecture and engineering skills needed to build such structures completely boggled his mind.

For dwarves, the desire to create things was ingrained into their very beings. To a dwarf, Free Land was truly the country of invention and creation.

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June 28^th, 12 AE…

“That was an amazing trip!” Vulkar remarked as he and his father drove off the ferry at Greval and headed for home.

“Indeed! We have gained much on our little road trip to Free Land!”Clurke agreed. In the back seat of the car were several blueprints and mechanical components. The trunk in the front also contained various items and souvenirs, which included several cases of Jack Daniels.

“It’s a pity they wouldn’t let us take home some more advanced components.”

“What we have now is more than enough to get started on a new project I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“What is it?”

“You remember the story of Gigaran the Golem, right?”

Author’s Notes

Another little side-story to tide my readers over as I work on the next chapter to the main storyline.