Star People

Chapter 49

Buccaneers

April 17^th, 15 AE…

Kingdom of Naran, Royal Palace…

Prime Minister Haykin nodded as he stood at the balcony in his room and gazed upon the splendor of the capital city Vartelles. Until three years ago, he had thought that there was no other city in the world that could compare. Not in the Empire of Sath. Not in the Dwarf Nations. Not even in the Kingdom of Atlans. Vartelles had been considered the shining jewel of Istaria.

And then came Free Land, with its hyper-advanced scientific technology. Now Vartelles was no more than a country hamlet next to cities such as Polaris, Andromeda and Triton. Exports of Naran magitech products were at an all-time low while demand for Free Land imports had skyrocketed, especially after the Zedan war. As a result, research into unraveling more of the magical technology of the First Ones had quintupled. Furthermore, the Emperor had been trying to pressure Free Land into giving Naran some of its advanced technology in restitution for the accused Mech-Frame attacks. Never before had the magitech nation been pushed to such extremes. And Haykin knew that things were going to get worse.

Today marked the 250^th anniversary of Haykin being appointed as Naran’s Prime Minister. Two hundred and fifty years ago, he had been elected as Shenshirine’s closest ally and right-hand man. For well over two centuries, he had been working with the Emperor in order to learn the secrets of the First Ones. What they had achieved so far was just scratching the surface of the long-lost knowledge and technology of their predecessors. It had been enough to achieve the status of the greatest superpower nation of Istaria. However, after achieving that level, research and motivation to learn more about the First Ones’ technology seemed to wane and stagnate. After all, there was no reason or hurry to do so. True motivation did not appear until the Star Alliance landed on the planet and displayed knowledge and power that far eclipsed anything Naran had achieved at present.

Now there was a competitor. Now there was a reason for Naran to uncover all of the First Ones’ secrets and improve on the nation at a greater rate. Previously, it would have been unthinkable to send out Naran’s only operational magical battleship from the First Ones, especially since they did not know of its full capabilities or how those systems operated. It had been quite humiliating to see the greatest weapon of the First Ones perform so poorly. What was even more humiliating was seeing the Dwarf Nations and Free Land succeed in creating a far superior version of the Divine Gate.

That blow to the Emperor’s ego and that of the upper nobility led to their current status quo. The other nations have steadily been losing faith in Naran’s magitech capabilities, and its prestige as the topmost nation in the world had dwindled. Virtually everyone now looked towards Free Land as the future of Istaria. Currently, Naran’s political power and national pride was at its lowest point.

The improvements to Deriaton One and the other magitech weapons of Naran’s arsenal had been steadily increasing with the invention of the Psion Storage Battery. It still took a long time and a complicated ritual to charge each battery with magic, but on the upside, if one had a good supply of ready-made batteries on hand, one could reload his magical weapon faster during battle.

The batteries also extended the range of the Sky Blade II fighters in addition to carrying external fuel tanks. Furthermore, weaponry had larger payloads and greater potency. In addition to creating larger batteries for cannons and other artillery pieces, there have been examples of smaller, disposable versions to be used on Pursuer Rockets and other magically-guided munitions. As a result, the user no longer had to keep concentrating on the target to guide the rocket. The miniaturized PSB would provide enough magic to keep the rocket focused on its target separately for about 30 seconds. That by itself gave the rocket the same capability as a first generation Sidewinder missile. That same guidance system was also being implemented into their Swimming Bombs.

The one big hurdle that the magic engineers and mages faced was that they needed to prove their advancements in battle, in order to be taken seriously by the other nations, and especially by Free Land. However, after defeating the Empire of Sath, the Planet Ravager and the Empire of Zedan, the Star Alliance had pretty much ushered in a time of peace as no other country was suicidal enough to challenge them.

What was the point of building up one’s military with no enemy to fight?

At that moment, one of Haykin’s aides approached him.

“Prime Minister!”

“Yes, what is it?”

The human aide nodded as he handed his superior a report. “We have just received word of increased pirate activity in the oceans off the northeastern coastline. They have been disrupting our shipping lanes to Redjarn and Versten for quite some time.”

Redjarn and Versten were large island nations that still traded heavily with Naran. Their populations were more mystically-inclined and didn’t trust mechanical technology all that much. Consequently, they maintained limited contact with Free Land and the other nations. Furthermore, both Redjarn and Versten were very important for obtaining raw magic materials. Redjarn was a treasure trove of mystic herbs, while Versten specialized in imbuing magical properties into materials such as ores, wood and cloth. As such, the trade routes between these two nations and Naran were vital.

Haykin was a bit puzzled as he read the report. According to eyewitnesses, the marauders were no longer using wooden vessels, but had switched to metal ships that weren’t powered by oars or sails. Furthermore, they were better armed with cannons and rapid-fire guns. They were even equipped with fighter aircraft.

The Naran Prime Minister began to wonder where those raiders had gotten such technology. It was most unlikely that the Kingdom of Atlans had sold the pirates weapons and ships and it was a sure bet that Free Land had nothing to do with them as well. Then he got an idea.

We were wondering how to go about testing our new magical weapons and equipment in battle! Subjugating these pirates who are in possession of advanced technology is the perfect opportunity!

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April 29^th, 15 AE…

Pirate Captain Lograns smiled as his ship quickly began closing in on his latest prey. He loved the speed and power of his new vessel and gave thanks to the sea gods he prayed to for giving him such a potent weapon. The captured Zedan destroyer made raiding extremely easy.

More than 18 months ago, he and his pirate crews had come across the Zedan vessel when it had gotten lost during a storm on a scouting mission. It had been attacked by one of the many giant krakens that frequented the area and most of the Zedan crew had perished while fighting off the beast. The surviving members were in no shape to defend themselves when the pirates spotted them. After a brief battle, the Zedan destroyer Vigart fell into the hands of the raiders and the Zedan sailors were forced into teaching their captors how to run the vessel and operate the weapons. Once they had learned everything, the pirates then mercilessly slaughtered their prisoners.

After several months, the ship was repainted in a red and black color scheme and was renamed the Steel Shark. The pirates had also found a hidden, but abandoned Zedan base on a small, uncharted island that had been set up during the war. With a sizeable cache of fuel, ammunition, spare parts, and even a few Rakerat fighters, the pirates began raiding the shipping lanes between the continent of Vados and the northern chains of islands. So far, no one had been able to stop them and the seafaring brigands renamed themselves as the Iron Corsairs.

At present, the Steel Shark had been credited with attacking and raiding 20 cargo ships from Naran and the other island nations. The pirates had even built a makeshift carrier to launch fighters in order to scout for targets and to give the Steel Shark some air cover. They would never linger very long in one place as they ruthlessly plundered other ships, killed their crews and sent their vessels to the bottom. And with their prey being woefully underpowered and armed with more primitive weaponry and inefficient magic, there seemed to be no one who could stop them as they robbed, murdered and ravaged across the sea lanes.

Today would be no different as the Steel Shark closed to within 6 miles of their intended prey, which happened to be a Versten trading ship. Despite putting as much magic as they could into their Divine Wind Sails, their wooden vessel simply could not outrun its pursuers. At that moment, things became direr as a loud booming noise was heard in the distance.

KA-BOOM!

Two seconds later, a huge spout of water appeared ahead of the bow of the Versten ship. The near-miss achieved its intended purpose as the Versten ship had to slow down or be swamped. Then the vessel was bracketed by several more near-misses, forcing it to stop completely.

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On the bridge of the Steel Shark, Lograns smiled evilly and rubbed his hands as they neared their helpless prey. Versten ships always carried valuable magical artifacts and resources. All that was really needed were one or two shots from the 5-inch guns and most of their targets either stopped running or were disabled. As they came in closer, he could see the national flag of Versten on its mast. He wasn’t expecting much resistance as his crew was preparing to board the ship and plunder it for all it was worth.

It was then that he got a signal on the non-magic communicator aka the radio. He picked up the receiver and spoke into it.

“This had better be good! We’re about to score some major magic treasure!”

“Captain! This is Argin! We’re under attack!”

“What?!” Lograns exclaimed. Argin was one of his lieutenants and was the leader of the Rakerat squadron that the Iron Cosairs used for scouting, forward observation and to strafe targets. He had sent them out earlier to look for more prey after they had spotted the Versten ship.

“It’s the Naran Navy and those magic planes! They’ve got some kind of weapon that can move by itself! I can’t shake it…. AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!”

There was a loud noise before the radio connection was cut. Lograns felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that he had just lost one of his closest subordinates.

Just what the Hell happened?

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Flashback to about 10 minutes earlier…

Argin looked about at the wide expanse of ocean below him as he and his squadron of six Rakerat fighters flew high over the water. The only thing that could be heard at that time was powerful roar of their engines of the Zedan planes. After spotting the Versten ship and sending its coordinates to the Steel Shark, the airborne pirates continued to search for more prey.

They were just about at the edge of their maximum range and were about to turn back to their carrier when one of Argin’s men shouted out.

“What’s that over there at one o’clock?”

All the pilots looked about at that direction and were shocked to see several silver specks diving towards them. One of those specks let off some orange-red flashes, which became streaks of light.

The pilot who had spotted the incoming specks let off a terrified scream as his plane was hit by several 20mm rounds. His fighter plane shuddered and seemed to float motionless in the air for a moment before exploding into a ball of fire. As his remains and that of his aircraft plummeted towards the ocean below, the five other marauders broke formation and scattered.

This desperation and panic played right into the hands of the attacking Sky Blade II pilots as they paired off and chose their targets. In the lead jet, Captain Visteria frowned as she recognized the overall shape of the pirate planes. She had some bad memories of enemy pilots shooting down her comrades during the Zedan war, despite flying technologically-inferior aircraft. How the pirates had managed to get Zedan warplanes was a mystery, but she swore to have every one of them shot down.

As she and her wingman closed in on what appeared to be the enemy squadron leader, she gazed upon the circular symbols on a transparent plane of glass in front of her field of view. This was the magical equivalent to a targeting sight. When the symbols lit up with a green light, that would mean that the target was within range of the cannons. However, her targeting sight lit up with a red light. That meant that the enemy plane was too far away for the cannons. However, that also meant that the enemy was still within range of the Sky Blade II’s other weapon.

The Pursuer Rocket Mark II.

Visteria used her right thumb and pressed the rocket activation switch on her control stick. This immediately caused the seeker spell runes on her targeting sight to lock onto the enemy plane. When she heard the telltale beep on the built-in headset in her helmet, she pressed the firing stud.

Under her jet’s port wing, the rocket’s head lit up as its motor ignited. The guided weapon was launched from its tube and sped towards its target, while the Visteria made her jet peel away. The enemy pilot desperately tried to bank to the left, but the Pursuer adjusted its trajectory and continued to follow. The Rakerat made another hard turn but the rocket kept on target. Inside the rocket, the miniaturized PSB continued to feed magical energy into the seeker spell runes of the weapon, allowing it to maintain a lock.

After two more desperate maneuvers by the Rakerat pilot, the magical missile came close enough for its proximity spell to detect the fighter and detonate the warhead. The explosion sent a burst of deadly shrapnel at the target, shredding through the fighter and its pilot. The Rakerat broke apart and was sent tumbling down in flames and debris.

High above, Visteria smiled in satisfaction. Unlike its previous incarnation, the Pursuer rocket performed flawlessly without needing constant concentration from the pilot. It was truly a fire-and-forget weapon. As she looked over to her starboard side, she saw her subordinates take out the remaining pirate fighters with Pursuer rockets and cannon fire. When the last of the enemy planes was downed, the elven pilot looked toward at her long-range magic radar and saw a large blip appear. Judging by its speed and profile, she reasoned that was the enemy pirate ship they had been looking for. She then radioed back to her carrier and requested for a strike force to be sent out to sink it.

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End of flashback…

Logran angrily slammed his fist on the console as he watched Argin’s radar signature and that of the Rakerat squadron fade away. He also saw that the new radar signatures, ten in all, begin to approach his ship’s position. Now he had to make a choice. Ahead of him, the Versten cargo vessel was practically dead in the water and was an easy target. He could order his crew to begin boarding and plunder the ship of all of its riches.

However, whatever had destroyed the pirate fighters, was now heading toward the Steel Shark at alarming speed. When he looked at the radar screen again, he was dismayed to see four more blips appear. With no air cover, he wasn’t that confident he could fight off a force of Naran Naval fighters and bombers. As much as he hated to do so, he and his crew would have to abandon their prey and retreat.

On the Versten ship, the captain and the crew were amazed to see the metal pirate vessel begin to withdraw. They had been bracing themselves for close-quarters combat against the marauders once they boarded, but now the pirates were retreating? Just what was going on?

As the Steel Shark started to accelerate away toward the horizon, everyone began to hear the distant drone of jet engines in the skies above. The Verstern sailors began pointing upwards as they saw more than a dozen arrowhead-shaped specks flying at high speeds. As they recognized the newcomers to be from Naran, they began cheering for their rescuers to blow the pirates out of the water.

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In her Sky Blade II, Captain Visteria was thinking the exact same thing as she signaled to the four Marine Assault jet bombers to begin their attack run with the improved Swimming Bombs. If the magic torpedoes failed, then the fighters would follow through and use their remaining Pursuer Rockets on the Steel Shark.

The pilots of the Marine Assault jets steeled their nerve as they began descending toward their target. All of them had taken part in Operation Star Point, during the failed strike against the Zedan ships at Sword Beach. Now was their chance at redemption as they sped toward the lone Zedan destroyer. All of their eyes were focused ahead as the warship turned sideways and its five-inch turrets began firing at them. The smaller machine guns and auto-guns also opened up.

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“SHOOT THEM DOWN! SHOOT THEM ALL DOWN!” Logran shouted as all the guns on the Steel Shark began pouring out deadly swarms of shells and shrapnel.

However, unlike the trained Zedan sailors, the pirates were no experts at anti-aircraft operations and the relatively primitive fire-control systems were not enough to reliably down something as fast as a jet. Furthermore, the Naran bomber pilots were no longer limited to flying low and slow. As soon as their magical targeting sights locked onto the former Zedan destroyer, each pilot toggled the release switch, dropped their Swimming Bombs into the water, and then peeled away. Four self-propelled and self-guided projectiles headed toward their target.

Like the improved Pursuer Rocket, each Swimming Bomb now carried a small PSB that continually fed magical power into the Seeker Runes. The magic torpedoes increased in speed and made course corrections as their target desperately tried evasive maneuvers. The efforts were in vain as the Swimming Bombs put on a final dash of speed and detonated against the hull.

Two torpedoes slammed into the stern and destroyed the rudders and propellers. The other pair stuck the hull dead center and exploded. It wasn’t enough to destroy the ship immediately, but the impacts tore holes so large that there was no hope for it to remain afloat. Before Logran could give the order to abandon ship, several crewmembers were already jumping into the water. The ship began to list towards the starboard side. Deep inside, ammunition, ordinance and fuel began to spill out. When a small fire came close enough, it caused some ammunition to cook off and start a chain reaction. In seconds, a series of explosions began occurring all over the vessel, culminating into one final blast that split the ship in two.

The surviving pirates, along with their captain Logran, could only watch in shock as they floated in the water. The mighty Steel Shark had been sunk and their dreams of pillaging the shipping lanes sank with it. High above them, the Naran jets flew by in complete victory.

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Back at the Naran Royal Palace, Emperor Shenshirine was jubilant as he was told that the subjugation of the Iron Corsairs was a complete success.

They had done it! Instead of miserably failing and letting Free Land do the job, the Kingdom of Naran had stood on its own and defeated a powerful foe equipped with modern technology. No longer could the other nations scoff at his country for being incompetent. And the Psion Storage Battery proved to work in combat and there was nothing like it in all of Istaria.

Today was a great victory for the people of Naran and Shenshirine intended to let the whole world know about it!

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May 1^st, 15 AE…

The Council of Prime Directors….

“Well… this was a little unexpected.” Nerto commented as he and other Directors watched the magical video feed from the main holo-viewer.

This was the international news report of the pirate subjugation from the Kingdom of Naran. The magical island nations applauded Naran for its actions in destroying the Iron Corsairs and ensuring the safety of the shipping lanes around the Vados continent. It seemed that Naran had begun to regain some of its prestige as a top-tier and advanced nation as word about their guided Pursuer Rockets and Swimming Bombs started to spread. Announcements over their newly-developed Psion Storage Batteries also started to garner interest again among the magically-inclined countries. Naran’s new catchphrase was, Let’s Exceed Free Land!

“They’re certainly milking this pirate subjugation for all it’s worth.” Nasaak remarked. “This is quite the propaganda opportunity for them. However, I will give credit where credit is due. They defeated a foe that was relatively advanced in comparison to their country. That was a far better performance than what they did during the Zedan war.”

 “What concerns me is the fact that they now have guided munitions.” Benjamin pointed out. “This new Psion Storage Battery seems to be their way of overcoming the flaws of their magic-based weaponry and devices.”

“They’ve basically upgraded from the magical equivalent of muzzle-loaders to the self-contained cartridge.” The Velor Director stated.

“Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean?” Sierg asked.

“You’ve seen the Empire of Sath’s firearms before they switched over to the M1 Garand, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You know just how much trouble it was to reload the old muskets after every shot and how that compares to the semi-automatic rifle, right?”

“Ahhhhh, now I understand! You are correct. The Psion Storage Battery is like the self-contained cartridge. Instead of wasting time and effort in collecting and focusing psions with chanting, the battery already has a supply of psions ready for immediate use. It still does not compare to our Neo-Psion reactors, but if they can produce more PSBs beforehand, it will dramatically shorten reload time and lengthen usage.”

“Indeed.” Anida said. “With this development, the  Kingdom of Naran has significantly advanced its magitech and now requires a bit more caution to deal with.”

“With the invention of the PSB and the publicity from the pirate subjugation, several of the more advanced and civilized magical nations have begun to move towards strengthening their relations with Naran.” Viska stated.

“From a political standpoint, Naran seems to be on the rebound.” The Terran Director said with a bit of caution. “And as you are all aware, there are those who will take advantage of any new technology and try to obtain it for their own selfish purposes.”

“You’re thinking that the Dreanat might try to obtain a PSB, or the means to make their own?” The Catian Director asked.

“I’m almost certain of it. We need to keep a close watch on these things as they develop.”

To be continued…