Star People

Chapter 44

Refugees

September 17^th, 14 AE…

The Vados contienent…

It had been more than a year and half since the end of the Zedan War, and the refugees who had decided to immigrate to the former Euracon territories, had managed to settle on the southern tip of Vados. Thankfully, it was a region that had not been claimed by any country, and had recovered enough from the Planet Ravager to support a small population. With the Pre-Fab Domicile Kits and Instant Ration Packets, the Zedans were able to survive and build a settlement within the first six months, which would later become a small town.

The nearby Euracon city-states were wary of their new neighbors, but most decided not to try to antagonize them. Those that did try learned the hard way that the newcomers were armed and dangerous. There had been a few bandit groups that tried to attack the Zedans, but they were quickly turned back by superior firepower. Zedan small arms may be considered antiquated by Free Land standards, but World War Two level weapons were more than enough to drive away ruffians armed with melee weapons and crude magical items.

The bandits had been after their Instant Ration Packets, since food was still very scarce over the majority of the former Empire of Euracon. The few city states within the continent that had survived the collapse of the nation, had managed to produce and maintain low level, but stable food supply lines. It was basically an ongoing battle just to survive to the next day. The ones on the coastlines fared a bit better since fishing was an option.

The Zedan immigrants had brought a few advantages with them. This included a large amount of building materials, tools, seedlings, farming equipment, and a number of engineers, farmers and scientists. After months of hard effort, they had managed to make their region viable for growing crops again. After a year, a small town had sprung up, which they had named Zedan Town.

The immigrants themselves were composed of disenchanted civilians and former military officers. Many embraced their hard new life, as they were no longer interested in the politics and madness of their old home under the insanity of the Emperor and his government. Certainly, they still had a long way to go, but at least they were no longer involved in the idiocy that had nearly destroyed them all.

Even though they only had technology equal to the late 1940s to early 1950s, it was still enough to conquer their primitive surroundings. Zedan Town had its own electric power station, as well as a fresh water supply, and even a few radio towers. And they were receiving supplies, fuel and materials from the Zedan Archipelago and Free Land. Though it was not their responsibility to look after the immigrants, the Council of Prime Directors had decided that giving aid to the refugees in Vados and Merdov would be a wise diplomatic move. As they did with the Empire of Sath, Free Land offered a hand up to their defeated foe.

Of course, they had to limit the level of technology that was exported to Merdov and especially to Vados. Though many of the city-states had claimed to have turned over a new leaf and conducted business honestly, there were still those who clung to the old ways of cheating one’s neighbors. And there were members of the Dreanat still out there.

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City State of Verigon, 50 miles north of Zedan Town…

“So the people of Zedan Town still refuse to trade their Instant Ration Packets or guns with us?” Mayor Vilus Shang said as he read the reports.

“They say that we have nothing that they want to trade for.” His surbordinate Valkus Shinra replied.

“Do they not realize that we can offer them protection from bandits?”

“Unfortunately, they seem to be well-equipped to deal with raiders on their own. Especially the ones that we hired and sent to them four months ago.”

The mayor winced at that memory. That had not been one of his better ideas. Using what precious resources the city had, he had hired some Dreanat members to stage a raid on Zedan Town, in order to get some of their Instant Ration Packets and convince the people to join with Verigon. However, the people of Zedan Town were not only equipped with superior small arms, but also had a few artillery pieces that turned the raiding party into a one-sided slaughter. They may not be as advanced as Free Land, but their machine guns and portable cannons were no joke.

Verigon was currently just managing to sustain itself, but it was a battle for each citizen to eke out a meager living for themselves. They had little in terms of natural resources and were completely dependent on the magical gemstone reserves for light, heat and power. Once, Verigon was a major trading hub city, but after the Planet Ravager, the Euracon Civil War and the complete collapse of the Empire of Euracon, the city’s financial wealth disappeared and now it was just an independent city state trying to survive. The population had been steadily dwindling over the last year, with many deciding to move to the coastal cities or out of Vados completely. At this point, the mayor was considering abandoning Verigon and letting the city die.

He had tried to do things honestly, he really did. It seemed to be the best option as the old ways of cheating others would not be enough to sustain a city. However, with virtually nothing to offer to other city-states, plus the lack of transportation routes, there was no way Vilus could do good business with anyone. It seemed hopeless.

And then came the Zedan refugees with their technology and materials from Free Land, specifically their Instant Ration Packets. At that moment, Vilus saw a way out for himself and his declining city.

Above all else, other than water, food was the most important thing for survival. He had heard that Free Land had gifted each refugee with enough packets to last for a year. And they were still receiving supplies and material from their home country and Free Land. Furthermore, since the Zedans had made their region able to grow crops again, surely they would not need all those surplus packets, right? And perhaps they could share some of their Zedan technology such as their guns and equipment as well.

And so, Vilus tried to make a deal with the Zedans and offered whatever the city had left. He was immediately turned down. The Zedans were incapable of magic, so offering to trade magic stones for Instant Ration Packets did not make any sense to them. They were already capable of creating a power plant to take care of all their needs for light, heat and daily living requirements. Furthermore, they needed to keep the packets as an emergency food supply, should their harvests turn out poorly.

Vilus tried another tactic and stated that it would be best for the Zedans and Verigon to join forces against the marauding groups of bandits that frequented the surrounding areas. However, after demonstrating the power of their machine guns and rifles, it was obvious that they could defend themselves. As things started to become desperate, Vilus fell back on his old way of doing business, namely trying to trick and cheat his way towards a deal. That is what led to that ill-conceived plan to have the Dreanat pretend to be bandits and frighten the Zedans into dealing with Vergion. That turned out to be a disaster when the bandits were mowed down by machine gunfire.

It just wasn’t fair! Zedan Town was beginning to flourish with help from its home country and Free Land, while Verigon and some of the other city-states were on the verge of collapse.

Vilus crumpled up the report and threw it away in disgust.

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September 19^th, 14 AE…

Grevel, Merdov continent…

“Lousy Zedan! Why don’t they go back to where they came from?” One of the dock workers grumbled as he and a few others were busy unloading cargo from a supply ship. He gave the nearby group of Zedan immigrant workers a glare.

“Hey, back off a bit. They weren’t involved in the war.” Another dock worker said.

“Yeah, well I lost a few good friends in the White Dragon Fleet when their country attacked. If Free Land hadn’t blown those bastards out of the water, then we’d be under the rule of that Zendara guy.”

“I think we should be more grateful that we aren’t under the rule of Garres or that idiot son of his any more.”

“Point taken I suppose.”

“Look, the Zedan refugees haven’t done anything in the last year since they came, and they can’t go back to their country. They’ve been working hard and doing a decent job, so let them be.”

“Whatever.”

By this time, it seemed that the animosity between Zedan and Merdov had mostly died down and only a few traces still came up every now and then. Unlike the refugees in Euracon, the Zedan refugees were initially met with hostility from the people in Merdov, when they first came to the continent. However, as time passed, and Free Land keeping on eye on things, the resentment and hatreds towards the Zedan refugees had subsided. Since Merdov was in far better shape than Euracon, it wasn’t too difficult for the immigrants to acclimate themselves to living there. Most had decided to settle in Grevel, where employment opportunities were plentiful and people from other ethnicities were tolerated. Many of the Zedan immigrants were former sailors and officers from the navy, so working at a port city like Grevel seemed natural.

In addition to bringing along the Instant Ration Packets and PDKs, the immigrants had also brought along some Zedan technology. Though Grevel, the Empire of Sath, and rest of Merdov, had been receiving products and technology updates from Free Land every now and then; they didn’t object to adapting Zedan tech. Despite the fact that it was obsolete compared to the Star Alliance, the technology was still usable and could improve their standard of living… and their military.

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September 29^th, 14 AE…

Royal Palace of the Sath…

“I am sorry, General Harumes, but I am inclined to agree with Captain Larno on this matter.” Empress Lexina stated as she sat on her throne.

“With all due respect, Your Highness!” Harumes protested. “We cannot abandon the honor and traditions of the Wyvern Corps!”

“Honor and traditions didn’t help us against superior air power.” Captain Larno stated. “I lost nine good men against seven enemy fighters during the Zedan War.”

“But you still managed to drive them back!”

“It was too heavy a cost. We’ve pushed our Wyvern mounts as far as we can and it’s not enough. We simply cannot compete against a mechanized air force. Our battles with Free Land’s Starfighters should have made that point abundantly clear. It was only due to the higher ups refusing to modernize that we’re still using Wyverns. As much I love my Wyvern Knights, the era of mounted cavalry, both on land and in the skies, is done!”

“No! It cannot be!”

“That will be enough!” Lexina said in a stern tone, silencing General Harumes. She then addressed the other high-ranking officer in the throne room. “General Snee, as the supreme commander of all our military, what is your opinion?”

“I am also inclined to agree with Captain Larno.” Snee replied. “We had already realized the futility of facing the enemy with outdated weapons and obsolete tactics, during our conflict with Free Land. The White Dragon Fleet did a better job of holding its own against a Zedan naval force, due to updating its ships, weapons and tactics. The air forces must follow their example.”

“So be it. I hereby declare that the Wyvern Corps are to be decommissioned from active service, and will only be as a reserve force and for ceremonial duties. Furthermore, we are to begin rebuilding our air forces using modernized equipment and vehicles. And I will brook no further protest on this matter!” She gave Harumes a glare, which caused him to bow his head down in acceptance.

She then addressed Snee again. “Now then General, how do you propose we rebuild our air forces?”

“We have a couple of options. First of all, since the Kingdom of Atlans has completely transitioned from their biplane fighters to monoplanes, they have a surplus of their old planes, in which they are willing to export to us. They are considered easy to maintain and won’t strain the Empire’s treasury.”

“They are only a little better than our Wyverns and are still considered outdated.” Larno pointed out. “The smaller nations can afford to equip themselves with it for self-defense, but for the Empire of Sath, which is far larger, we need something with more speed and firepower. Otherwise we will fall too far behind the other major nations like Naran and Atlans.”

“Good point, Captain. This comes to our second option. We could ask Free Land for a fighter design. After all, both Atlans and the Kingdom of Naran have received improvements to their fighter designs, and Atlans have just received their first jet fighter.”

“That is a good idea, but the problem is compounded with an advanced design. We barely understand the basics of aircraft aerodynamics and the other principles. We may be forced to take the biplane if only to better understand those principles, and then move on to a newer design. Besides, we currently do not have the industry to build and maintain a newer design.”

“So it’s a choice between starting with an older design and falling behind the other nations, or going with a newer design, and all the problems that comes with it.” Lexina surmised. “If only we had people who already understood the sciences behind airplanes and could aid in upgrading our air forces.”

“I think we already have people like that.” Lando stated.

“Who?” Both Empress and General asked.

“The Zedan refugees. I’ve heard that among them are engineers, pilots and officers from their naval and army air corps. They were quite disenchanted with how their government got them into a non-winnable war with Free Land.”

“I could understand that.” Lexina stated with a bemused expression as she thought back to when her father and brother were in charge.

Lando continued. “They have expressed no desire to return to their home country nor do they show any loyalty to it. That was the main reason why they immigrated to Merdov. We might be able to enlist their aid by offering them employment in our rebuilt air forces. Many of them are eager to find work. The Zedan aircraft were about the same as what Atlans fielded during the war.”

“I see. So we can ask for a design from Free Land, similar to what they gave to Atlans. It will be something that the Zedan are familiar with and can improve on.”

 “Yes! And we can have the officers and former pilots begin training on how to fly the new planes.”

“Hmmm, I find it a bit ironic that we are going to ask a former enemy for aid in rebuilding our military.”

“No different than what happened after our war with Free Land.”

“Point taken.”

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September 30^th, 14 AE…

Council of Prime Directors Conference Chamber…

“Well, that’s interesting.” Nasaak remarked as he read the latest of petitions.

“What is it?” Sierg asked as he was also looking over petitions.

“It seems that the Empire of Sath is finally retiring their Wyvern Corps. They are petitioning Free Land to provide them with a fighter design similar to what we gave to Atlans.”

“Is that a good idea? I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that they tried to make Free Land into one of their vassal states.”

“That was only due to King Garres Locra’s and Prince Vexor’s idiocy. Empress Lexina has been quite amicable towards us, and I do see the need for her to upgrade her air forces, considering how poorly they faired against Zedan. The aircraft they have now is still an organic creature with all the frailties of an organic creature. They won’t be able to keep up.”

“Are you going to let them have a jet design?”

“No, I do not think they’re quite ready for that, both industrially and morally. However, I think they will like this one.” The Catian brought up an image of a particular fighter.

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October 10^th, 14 AE…

“What is this? It’s… wonderful!” Former Zedan Naval Aircraft Engineer, First Class, Mendar Vaskor asked as he looked upon the blueprints on the table.

“This is the design given to us from Free Land.” Empress Lexina stated as she, General Snee and several of her guards stood next to the Zedan engineer and a few of his colleagues from the Zedan Naval Air Corps.

“Really? It has quite a few innovations!” He began tapping various parts of the blueprints in front of him. “These are inverted gull-wings! We’ve had some theories about them, but this is first time I’ve actually seen them depicted! And in such fine detail!”

“A gull wing?” General Snee asked.

“You know, like the wing of a gull or sea bird? In this scenario, the wing has the kink on the bottom rather than the top. It’s like flipping a gull’s wing upside-down. Ah! I see now! That gives the propeller more clearance and allows for a larger propeller to be used! The bigger the propeller, the more power you can extract from the engine! More bomb and rocket space under the wings too! It gives the pilot a better view of what’s below and you can have a shorter, stronger undercarriage! It will minimize drag and I can see the bend can also allow the pilot to enter and exit the cockpit easier. Very good!”

“So you’re saying you understand the design theory of these blueprints?”

“Indeed. The rest of this aircraft is quite remarkable. I can see a radial, twin-row engine with 18 cylinders. If I’m reading the specifications correctly, this engine can produce up to 2,400 horsepower. Most impressive! A top speed of over 700 kilometers per hour? I must say, this plane could give our own Rakerat more trouble than those Atlans Mustangs. It can be armed with six, fifty-caliber machine guns or four 20mm cannons. It can carry up to 1,800 kilos in bombs or eight, high-velocity rockets. It has all the capabilities of a fighter and fighter-bomber! It can be used on land or on a carrier! I have to admit, this plane is a beauty! If we didn’t build the Rakerat, we most certainly would have built this one!”

“Well then, you will have your chance.” Lexina declared. “We wish to employ you and your colleagues in building this aircraft.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We would like to offer you and your fellow engineers and airmen an opportunity.”

As the Empress and engineer continued to discuss things, Lexina’s personal guard and best friend, Rosani Carille, looked over the plans and read the heading at the top.

Vought F4U Corsair.

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November 10^th, 14 AE…

Triton Colony…

This place is Heaven! There’s no doubt about it!

Former Ensign Hents Warkins of the Zedan Navy took a sip of coffee as he and his wife and son enjoyed breakfast. He had to pinch himself every morning to make certain he wasn’t dreaming. It had been over 18 months since he and his family had immigrated to this Free Land colony. He had petitioned for them to be allowed to move to the Alder continent, but was turned down. However, the Council of Prime Directors was willing to allow his family and the other refugees to settle in one of Free Land’s colonies.

This was the marine island-city of Triton. Named after the colony ship Triton, the huge settlement was actually a huge, floating, artificial island. Unlike most of the other colony ships, the Triton did not land on the Alder continent, but in the ocean some 200 miles from the southwest coast. This was not due to accident but by choice. Most of the colonists consisted of marine biologists, oceanographers, deep-sea divers, fishermen, sailors and a good number of a subspecies of Velor. These were the Aqua-Velor, and they were perfectly suited for life above and below the waves.

The Aqua-Velor were amphibious and possessed both lungs and gills. And their hands and feet had webbed digits, while their tails were finned. They could withstand the great pressures of the deep and therefore were quite a bit stronger than their land-based brethren. They were superb hunters, but many of them also possessed the gift for raising underwater crops. These crops included a very versatile, delicious and highly nutritious form of seaweed. Once it was harvested and processed, it was the key ingredient in the majority of Triton’s menu. And Hents had landed a job as an underwater harvester and surveyor.

After finishing his breakfast, he kissed his wife and son goodbye as he headed off to work. Taking the nearest TPS station, he arrived at one of the ports at the sector he was currently assigned to. After entering the main building, he went to the changing station to get into his work clothes. After stripping down to his undershirt and boxers, he reached over towards a shelf and took out what appeared to be a high-tech wristwatch from its charging station. After checking the gauge and making certain that the device was fully charged, he strapped the device onto his wrist, entered his access code into the keypad and pressed the activation switch.

The watch let off a ping as it released billions of nanofibres, which interwove with each other, forming a skintight, rubberized suit over Hents’ body. A kind of clear, glasslike bubble formed around his head. He then reached into a locker and took out a technological backpack and strapped it on. The device, which was a water-propulsion unit, fused with the aquatic bodysuit. Finally, he grabbed a pair of swimfins and headed toward the docks. Once he got to the edge, he sat down, put on the swimfins and jumped into the water.

After sinking down ten or so meters, he engaged his backpack’s buoyancy controls. The bubble over his head was actually a highly-efficient re-breather system, which would allow him to stay underwater for three days on a single charge. Once his suit’s heads-up display told him that everything was functioning normally, he then turned on his water-jets and began his descent towards the underwater seaweed farm. On the way, he waved at some of his coworkers swimming nearby, which included other former Zedan citizens and a few Aqua-Velor.

The technology is unbelievable! These people don’t care that I came from Zedan! My life is better than I could ever dream! Immigrating to this Free Land colony was the best decision I ever made! Hmmm, maybe I should consider applying for Free Land citizenship…

To be continued…