Star People

Chapter 52

Reawakening of a Past Horror

May 10^th, 15 AE…

The Naran Kingdom…

“Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!” Shenshirine remarked as he and his top magical engineer stood in front of the kingdom’s latest acquisition. He had already been elated when he had received reports of the successful tests of Deriaton One’s weapon systems, but achieving the means to create his own Battle-Mechs made him ecstatic. Soon, Naran would once again take its place as the most powerful nation on Istaria.

The Metal Soldier that stood before them was a simplistic-looking design. The entire machine was painted in black. It roughly had the general configuration of a humanoid, but seemed a bit top-heavy and ungainly. Its head was tiny and cylindrical, topped off with large, fire gem. The Battle-Mech ripoff was approximately forty-five feet tall and its arms were longer than its legs, giving it a kind of apelike appearance. In place of hands, it had crablike pincers. The legs were bulky and seemed a bit clumsy-looking. It had several dozens of dings and scrapes all over its body. It wasn’t surprising considering how much it took to capture it. More than a whole regiment of soldiers and a platoon of combat mages had been sacrificed before the pilot of the mecha was forced to abandon his machine. He was quickly captured and was currently being interrogated.

Overall, it was crude and simplistic, but the Steel Soldier represented a huge leap in ground warfare. By itself, it could inflict more damage to the enemy than an entire division and would be able to stand up to the behemoths on the Alder Continent. Siege warfare would be child’s play and the weapon could be used in a variety of scenarios. And once the main power source was fully researched and mass-produced, the Emperor’s dream of having his own armies of metal giants would become a reality.

“It was most fortunate that we were able to get a hold of one of these Steel Soldiers.” Maden remarked.

“Yes. And no thanks to the traitor in our midst.” Shenshirine said with a bit of a scowl.

The head magical engineer became a bit uneasy at that statement. “Traitor, Your Highness?”

“I had been suspecting for some time, that someone in our higher ranks may be working against us. How else were the Steel Soldiers able to elude us up until now? Someone must have been giving them advance warning every time our forces were deployed.“

“I cannot even fathom that thought that anyone would discard their loyalty to Naran and to you.”

“The fact that it has taken this long to obtain a Steel Soldier is proof that someone has betrayed me, and is working for a hostile entity. I suspect that this traitor may be in league with the creators of the Steel Soldiers or perhaps even the Dreanat.”

“The Dreanat? But they have been working with us with no issues.”

“The Dreanat are mercenaries at their very core.” Shenshirine said in a firm tone. “They were the puppets of the Euracon Empire because they paid them the most. Money is what moves the Dreanat and it would only take a greater amount for them to switch sides. So it wouldn’t be surprising if the Dreanat were planning to double-cross us in the near future. That is why I have never allowed their operatives to come close to the magical research centers, nor the Deriaton One’s drydock.”

“A wise precaution, my Liege.”

“Sooner or later, I will find the traitor and make an example of him to those who dare to cross me. For now, you are to begin your studies of this Steel Soldier and find a way to understand and mass-produce its power source.”

“It will be done, my Lord.”

Maden gave his king a bow as Shenshirine departed the hanger, followed by his personal guards. After they were gone and the door closed behind them, the magical engineer stood up and smirked evilly.

I don’t need to study the power source of this Steel Soldier since I already know how it works. And keeping the Dreanat away from the research centers would have been a brilliant plan, if it weren’t for the fact that we had long since infiltrated them and the upper-ranks of the government and infrastructure! Ever since Prime Minister Hayken was elected two centuries ago!

The fact that you suspect a traitor in your ranks was neither unforeseen nor unexpected. However, it is far too late for you to realize it! And there’s far more than just one traitor! The fall of Naran is coming close at hand and soon, the Dreanat shall realize its ultimate goal… the resurrection of Euracon!

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Deriaton One’s drydock…

As the magical battleship was undergoing routine maintenance, the magical circuits were being updated and re-energized. As part of the system of runes and ley lines, the integrated Cryterian circuits hummed softly in sync. In addition to immediately regenerating and repairing any structural damage, the magical engineers found that the Mechanoid relays made the ship far more energy-efficient and responsive. As a result, they believed that using the Mechanoid remains had been the correct choice.

They had no idea that they had put their nation and the world in grave danger.

During the Cryterian War, the Star Alliance had discovered early on that using the enemy’s technology was a mistake. Attempts to integrate the machinery with their own technology had resulted in near-catastrophic failure with the death of hundreds of thousands. The Cryterian’s hatred of all organics was deeply ingrained in their technology and there was no way of circumventing it. Eventually, the technology would take over and begin its primary purpose; to destroy all organic life. As a result, there was a standing rule concerning all Cryterian machinery. This was General Order Seventy-Five, in which all Cryterian technology, no matter how small, was to be destroyed without question or exception.

Currently, the Mechanoid relays did not yet possess the power or the means to fully take over the ship. As they did not have a Planet Ravager Core to direct them, they could only slowly draw on power from the PSBs and whatever material was on hand. During the shakedown cruise, the relays obediently followed the orders from the bridge as it was a way to gauge the weapons and equipment for later use once they took command.

Despite their overwhelming urge to kill the crew and start rampaging around the countryside, the relays held back and bided their time. They were still badly damaged from when they were still part of Mechanoids. Furthermore, the runes that they were currently integrated with were obstructing their primary function subroutines. It was going to take a bit of time to override them.

Soon, a great horror would be resurrected.

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May 15^th, 15 AE…

The Missouri’s Engineering Section…

“Most impressive!” A Velor engineer named Lieutenant Kistaro remarked as he looked at the readouts on one of the holographic viewers. He then turned and looked down towards the newest addition to the Missouri’s engineering staff, and the first dwarf recruit of the United Star Navy, Ensign First Class Jokabor.

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Jokabor came from one of the coastal regions of the Dwarf Nations, near the port city of Grevel. Unlike most of his brethren, who were miners and blacksmiths, his town’s population was composed of fishermen and divers. However, they were master runesmiths, especially when it came to using magical aquastones. Additionally, large numbers of them were competent shipbuilders and naval engineers. Jokabor came from a prestigious family that had traversed the sea lanes for centuries.

No sooner had the Dwarf Nations joined the Star Alliance, the ambitious young dwarf moved to Free Land and settled in New Pearl Harbor. After months of study and preparation, he headed to the nearest recruitment office and asked to join up. He had been entranced by the sight of the Missiouri when it arrived in port, and made up his mind to serve on one of those ships.

At first the recruitment officers were a bit surprised that a member of the newest Star Alliance race was eager to enlist. Furthermore, they had their doubts that the dwarf could handle or even understand the relatively complex machinery and computer controls. However, after giving him the enlistment exam, both written and practical, the recruitment staff was amazed at how easily the dwarf picked up on general engineering concepts and theories.

Of course, as a dwarf with far greater strength, durability and stamina than a regular human, Jokabor had no issues passing the physical exams. His stubby fingers were far more dexterous than they appeared as they danced across touchscreen controls. And when it came to operating heavy machinery, such as a Scrapper, the diminutive man was a natural at mecha piloting.

After weeks of preliminary testing, followed by several more months of training drills and education, the Star Alliance was satisfied that Jokabor met all the necessary requirements to serve aboard a ship as a space naval engineer. Each member of the Council of Prime Directors penned his or her signature on his enlistment papers, officially allowing him to become a member of the United Star Navy.

His biggest surprise was when he received his first assignment. He would be part of the engineering crew of the most famous ship in all of Free Land.

USN SBX-1 Missouri.

The ship that had inspired him to enlist was now going to be his home.

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“I must say, Ensign, you did a fine job!” Lieutenant Kistaro stated as he finished reviewing the maintenance reports on the secondary fusion relays.

“Thank you, Sir!” Jokabor said with a wide, toothy grin. “But begging your pardon, if I did anything less than a fine job, then it would be a disservice to the Star Alliance and to my pride! The Missouri is under my care, and I will not stand for a single servo or circuit to be out of order!”

“Heh… you’re going to have to get in line behind Chief Engineer Shepherd. He loves this ship so much that he treats it like his own child.”

“Then the Chief’s got good taste! We’re going to get along just fine.”

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May 17^th, 15 AE…

“And how are the studies going?” The Prime Minister asked as he approached Chief Magical Engineer Maden, who was currently directing his colleagues around a large worktable.

On the table was the Steel Soldier’s main power source, which the engineers had just extracted from the mecha’s core. At the moment, they were using various scrying spells and a new device. Though many of the upper class hated to admit, the technology of Free Land was extraordinary and extremely useful.

The device in question was a simple electromagnetic scanner, no larger than a 21^st century smartphone. It was one of the few examples of advanced technology the Kingdom of Naran had managed to obtain, before Shenshirine cut all ties with the Star Alliance. The scanner was an older model and wasn’t very powerful. Its range was limited to below 20 meters and it was only capable of a general sensor sweep. By Free Land standards, it was considered outdated and practically obsolete.

However, to the magical engineers of Naran, it was a godsend. It could scan an object in details that not even their best scrying spells could pick up. It could analyze the composition of the object completely. And since it was a scientific device, it wasn’t fooled by magical illusions or deception spells. The mass-produced Eldritch Enhancer of the Steel Soldier could not hide its secrets. Its entire inner structure and mechanisms were revealed for all to see.

As the engineers quickly began making notes and drawing up blueprints, Maden turned to face the Prime Minister.

“It seems that we have begun deciphering the secrets of the Steel Soldier’s power source. It will take some time for us to build a working copy. Once testing is finished, we should be able to mass-produce it and create our own Battle-Mechs!”

Of course, I already know how it works and how to mass-produce it. Maden thought. Naturally, we still must keep up appearances.

“By the way,” Haykin said. “Is it possible to incorporate this technology with Deriaton One and other creations of the First Ones?”

“We believe so.” Maden pointed to another object on the table. “That is a control board from one of the supplemental systems of Deriaton One. We’ve noticed that the mechanisms and rune patterns from the Steel Soldier’s power source to be quite similar to the ones found on the control board. We believe that the power source may have originated from a relic of the First Ones.”

“If that is the case, then they should be compatible with each other.”

“That is what we believe as well.”

“Excellent! Keep me informed with any updates to the project! I shall inform His Majesty of your progress!”

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May 17^th, 15 AE…

0115 hours…

After a long and exhaustive session of analyzing the Steel Soldier’s core, the engineering and research staff closed up and went home for the night. Both the Steel Soldier’s power source and Deriaton One’s control board was stored together in the facility’s main vault. Eventually, the control board would be re-installed back in the ship.

However, unknown to everyone, the control board would be carrying a few extra properties when it returned to Deriaton One.

Deep within its rune patterns, the integrated Mechanoid circuits began to stir as they detected a high amount of magical energy. They started to cause the structure of the control board to shift on a molecular level. Semi-liquid metal tendrils formed and extend towards the simplified, mass-produced Eldritch Enhancer of the Steel Soldier. They coated the device and began analyzing its mechanisms and magical pathways.

Normally, if it were a fully formed Mechanoid, it would absorb the material in order to repair or make a copy of itself. Though in its current, reduced state, all it could do was create schematics of the relic imitation and store the data for later construction, once the control board was re-installed on Deriaton One. After its task was complete, the tendrils retracted back into the board’s surface and the Mechanoid circuits became dormant again.

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May 18^th, 15 AE…

The Kingdom of Merin, Dwarf-Mech Testing Grounds #40…

“Well, General Kurdo, what do you think?” King Zaire asked as he and the Catian commander stood on an observation platform. Beside them were King Crede and Duke Drex, plus a few dwarf engineers.

“Well, I must admit that I am impressed.” The old warrior and strategist remarked as he watched the new Dwarf Battle-Mechs, the Diaragas, being put through their paces. There were four of these new machines being tested. The name Diaraga came from another golem character in dwarven folklore.

These machines were not the mass-produced civilian models that were based on the original Gigaran prototype. They were about four times larger than the machine built by Clurke. Instead of two legs, the new military Mechs walked on six, articulated legs and were driven by a pilot and copilot inside an armored cockpit in the front. Unlike the Gigaran, they were built low to the ground. They had orihalcum composite armor plating. Each had a main weapon, which was a large 90mm, kinetic-accelerator cannon, mounted on a turret. It was basically a scaled-down, particle launcher that fired high-velocity, armor-piercing rounds, surrounded by an energy field. The dwarves had been quick to learn the scientific principles of such a weapon and enhanced it with their DRCs.

The new vehicles were basically walking tanks, and could carry up to 20 dwarf troops each. They were capable of reaching speeds of 40 mph. In addition to their main guns, each machine also sported six, electron-pulse machine guns for defense and anti-infantry tasks. Each also sported two blunt, pile-driver arms for close-combat and demolitions.

The Catian general nodded as the Diaragas moved with exceptional speed and precision, easily navigating uneven ground and rocky terrain. As they approached several targets, they did not slow down nor stop in order to aim. Their guns easily traversed and fired without any complications, hitting the steel panels with relative ease and accuracy. Their main guns easily punched through the foot-thick armor plates.

“You’re able to fire on the move.” Kurdo remarked. “And with relatively good accuracy, I must say.”

“Indeed.” One of the engineers named Bosca said. “We’ve studied many Fire-Control Systems and Gun-Stabilization technology, and were able to incorporate them into the weapon systems. They will remain level and on target, even if the entire vehicle rocks about.”

“And the ride itself is pretty smooth.” Another engineer named Pontac said. “The suspension makes use of the gel-recoil system. We give many thanks to Free Land for allowing us to use it.”

“As per the advice given to us by Free Land engineers, each Diaraga has some redundancy systems in case of failure from damage or loss of power. The main reactor is a thermoelectric turbine, powered by a Neo-Psion reactor. It also has two, liquid hydrogen engines for backups.”

“I see.” Kurdo nodded in thought. “So are you intending to form an armored division for your military?”

“Not just one armored division.” King Crede corrected. “It has been discussed with the other Dwarf Nations and with Prime Director Sierg Mortiz. All agree that we must have at least two armored divisions to protect each dwarf country and territory. The Diaraga will be mass-produced and each nation will have at least 40. We hope to have every nation armed with these machines by the end of the year.”

“That’s quite an undertaking.”

“Yes, but it is necessary. As much as we love the Scrappers, we would like to be able to defend ourselves with Battle-Mechs of our own. After the Planet Ravager incident and the rise of Behemoth attacks lately, we decided that it would be best that we be prepared.”

“Fair enough. Even though we have not recently sighted any Planet Ravager heading towards Istaria, there’s no reason not to believe that one might come our way again. It’s been our experience with the Cryterians, that there’s never only one.”

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May 19^th, 15 AE…

The Deriaton One’s drydock…

Within one of the secondary system areas, the control panel was re-installed after analysis of the Steel Soldier’s power supply was completed. As the engineers finished and left the area, they began to excitedly talk among themselves on their newest upcoming project: building their own Battle-Mechs. Soon the Kindom of Naran would have its own army of giant metal warriors. No longer would they be envious of Free Land and its machines.

Once the last engineer departed, the control panel they had just re-installed came back to life and started transmitting its newly-acquired data to other sections of the ship. Security measures and control protocols were over-written as the greatest weapon of Naran slowly, but surely began preparations for its eventual rebellion.

To be continued…

Author’s Notes

For those who were wondering, yes the new dwarf mechs are based on the AT-TE of Star Wars. I prefer them over the AT-ST and AT-AT.