Chapter 57: Chapter 45

Star People

Chapter 45

A New Year and a New Cold War

December 31^st, 14 AE, 2330 hours…

New Pearl Harbor, the Missouri’s main observation deck…

“Cheers!” The crewmembers of the star battleship said as they raised their glasses and waited for the countdown for the New Year to begin. In addition to the Terran, Kyteeri, Velor, Catian and Nemonian members, the gathering now included a few individuals from the newest race to join the Star Alliance, the Dwarves.

Clurke and his family had been given special invitations to the New Year’s Eve party on board the Missouri. This time around, the Council of Prime Directors was also going to attend, which also included the latest addition to their ranks, Sierg Mortiz.

“I must say, it’s been a very eventful year for us.” Benjamin commented as he took a sip of champagne and stood near one of the large windows. With him were Nasaak and Sierg.

“Indeed.” The big feline Director remarked as he held up a mug of Catian rum and took a swig. “We started the year with another war, made a great advance in teleportation technology and welcomed a new member race.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Their dwarven colleague stated as he held up a large glass of Jack Daniels and drained it in a single swallow. “Ahhhhh!”

“Begging your pardon, but to be honest, you’ll drink to anything.” The Terran Director said with a smirk.

“I’m a dwarf! I’m not going to deny it!” Sierg stated as he turned toward a nearby table and refilled his glass with Velor brandy this time. “However, I do have some news that might be worth celebrating.”

“Oh? What is it?” Nasaak inquired.

“Thanks to the success of the updated Neo-Psion Reactor, there has been an increase in research and development for magical technology or magitech. Not just in Free Land, but in other nations as well.”

“Have you been exporting the reactor to other countries?” Benjamin asked with concern.

“Oh no! The reactor and its runes are and shall remain, as dwarven secrets. However, the reactor has inspired other nations to begin combining technology with magic. Naran is no longer, as you say, the only game in town. I’ve received some reports from the country of Gillenside.”

“Gillenside?” Nasaak repeated. “Isn’t that an elven country in Merdov?”

“Yes, I remember reading about them.” Benjamin remarked. “I believe they are composed of the fair-skinned forest elves and the so-called dark elves or mountain elves.”

“That is correct.” Sierg nodded. “They’re big customers of Free Land’s fertilizers and agricultural technology. I believe they are now trying to use their earth and plant magic to create a new form of super-seed.”

“Super-seed?” Both Benjamin and Nasaak said simultaneously.

“It’s an enhanced, multipurpose grain that they say, can grow in any environment, including zero-gravity.”

“What gave them the idea for that?” The Terran Director asked with interest.

“A few months ago, several Gillenside ambassadors were given a tour of one of Free Land’s space colonies and they were very interested in the botanical gardens. When they came back down to the planet, they were inspired to begin developing this new type of seed.”

“A crop that can grow in zero-gravity would be quite the boon for the space colonies. They wouldn’t need to duplicate the environment of a planet’s surface, particularly the gravity.”

“There’s another thing.” The Catian Director pointed out. “Creating a crop that can grow in such extreme conditions is not too far off from another dream of Free Land’s… terraforming.”

“I’m not familiar with that concept.” Sierg said.

“It’s was the dream of all members of the Star Alliance when we lost our homeworlds to the Cryterians. There are trillions of planets in this sector of the galaxy alone. However, very few can support life like Istaria. If we had the ability to transform a dead planet, a moon, or even a large asteroid into a life-sustaining world, we would have done so a long time ago. That is what terraforming is.”

“But you have colonies in space and on the Moon!”

“Those are small-scale examples of life in the vacuum of space and those take massive amounts of resources and energy to sustain. Even the Nemonians, who are talented enough to grow crops in reduced zero gravity, must use a lot of energy and resources to provide a suitable environment for agriculture.” Benjamin stated. “Many of the crews of the Star Alliance Fleet have petitioned to settle on the planet and we are planning to expand Free Land’s territories in the Alder continent.”

“I see. So if you were able to turn, say our Moon, into a world that can sustain life, then you can reallocate those resources for sustaining space colonies toward other ventures.” The Dwarf Director surmised.

“Exactly. Now you can understand why you’ve piqued our interest with the elves’ experiments with this super-seed. To have a food stable be able to grow in space without outside help would be a tremendous asset. Although I have to ask. How are they able to make this super-seed if magic doesn’t work in space?”

“Well, that’s where we dwarves come in. We’ve decided to lend the use of our Neo-Psion Reactors to them, just as Free Land lent us the use of the Scrappers. Now of course, the elves cannot copy the reactors, since they cannot decipher dwarf runes and they have no access to Free Land advanced technology and methods. However, if they succeed in their experiments, then it will be a boon not only to them but to the Star Alliance as a whole.”

“Interesting. Let’s see what happens.”

“By the way, where are Clurke and Vulkar?” Nasaak asked as he took another swig of rum.

“I believe they’re down in the Missouri’s engineering room. The moment they got here, they immediately requested to meet with Chief Engineer Shepherd.”

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The Missouri’s engineering section…

“So this is the heart of the Missouri?” Clurke asked as he and his son looked up in awe at the ship’s main powerplant from the observation booth. Both were holding glasses of Jack Daniels.

“This is actually an updated version to the original reactor. We went through a refit back in 7 AE.” Shepherd explained as he held a glass of scotch whiskey. “What you’re looking at is a Mark II, Stellar Meson/Anti-Meson Reactor.”

The machine in question was about 2 stories tall and as long as two diesel locomotives lined end to end. Its general shape was in the form of enormous twin cylinders. It resembled a huge pair of turbines, and gave off a quiet hum. On one side was the meson unit, while the other side contained anti-mesons. The reaction between the two sides supplied huge amounts of energy for all of the Missouri’s power needs, including propulsion, life-support, weapons, defense and the hyperdrive.

“You called it a reactor.” Vulkar stated. “Is it like the Neo-Psion Reactor we made?”

“Well, by definition it is a reactor.” The Missouri’s chief engineer stated. “However, instead of converting fuel into neo-psions for power, this device collects the energy when mesons interact with anti-mesons. The mesons and anti-mesons are created through the quantum condensers and combined in the reactor’s core.”

Both dwarves gave Shepherd a confused expression that literally said, “Huh?”

“Oh, right… I guess you haven’t learned quantum physics yet. Okay, in the simplest of terms, we’re using something that packs a whole lot more punch than psions; what you refer to as magic. “

“Really?” Clurk asked. “So if you are using these… mesons and anti-mesons for fuel, then… wouldn’t it stand to reason that we could create neo-psions from them?”

“Well, I suppose it’s possible. However, that would be quite a downgrade. Like I said, mesons and anti-mesons pack a lot more power than psions.”

As the three continued to discuss theoretical possibilities, the clock ticked closer to midnight.

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2355 hours…

“So the Kingdom of Naran has officially cut all ties with the Dwarf Nations and Free Land?” Anida asked as she stood with her fellow Directors near a large observation window.

“All because they still insist that the TPS was based on the Divine Gate and therefore, belongs to them.” Sierg grumbled. “Well, we’ve got 5,000 year-old documents and blueprints in the Merin Hall of Records that prove otherwise.”

“They had quite the nerve to demand for Star Alliance membership, based on their claim that TPS had used technology that wasn’t even theirs to begin with.” Viska commented as she took a sip of Nemonian mead.

‘I suppose they also wanted to cover up how poorly their forces performed during the Zedan War.” Nerto surmised as he looked over towards the chronometer and noted the time. “Now that they’ve cut ties with Free Land, they’re going to have to come up with their own innovations.”

“What about the technology that you gave to them during the Zedan War?” The Dwarf Director asked.

“Submarine, helicopter and hydrofoil technology are more advanced than most of the other nations, but they’re still considered outdated by Free Land standards.” Benjamin stated. “Once they reach the apex of those technologies, then they’re on their own.”

“Cutting ties with Free Land isn’t what I would call a smart move.” The Kyteeri Director stated. “The Kingdom of Naran is going to experience a period of technological stagnation, once they’ve mastered all the machines and devices we’ve given to them.”

“So you have no confidence that Naran would be able to come up with new innovations on their own?” Sierg inquired.

“Judging by their history, they seem to be dependent on technology that was previously created. Before we arrived, Naran had based all of its technology on reverse-engineering things made by their ancestors, the First Ones. And I must say, they’ve done a poor job.”

“Indeed.” Nerto agreed. “Take their Sky Blade fighters for example. I’ve read some history texts and the jets of the First Ones were capable of near-supersonic speeds. However, the magical engines of the Sky Blade I were over-engineered pulse jets. Quite inefficient. It wasn’t until we showed them the value of a turbine that their Sky Blade II fighters were able to vastly improve in performance.”

“Basically, the engineers and scientists of Naran are simply trying to copy the works of their ancestors, without fully understanding the fundamental theory and principles behind that technology. As a result, they can only come up with third-rate, sloppy versions of the originals. They’re creating devices without fully understanding how and why they work.”

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At that point, the crowd began to get noisy as the countdown to midnight began. The Prime Directors held off on their discussion as everyone prepared to celebrate the passing of old year and the emergence of the new one.

“10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

All over the Alder Continent, and the space and lunar colonies, the people of the Star Alliance celebrated the beginning of 15 AE, or Fifteen Years After Earth. Champagne corks popped and balloons fell down from the ceilings. Fireworks went off in the skies, and even in space as the citizens of Free Land were in a state of utter jubilation.

After toasting each other, the Prime Directors decided to move towards one of the private conference rooms to continue their conversation.

“As I was about to say about Naran, I find their current technological level both strange and dangerous.” Nasaak stated as he and the others sat down at a table. “As I stated before with the Battle-Mech, coming up with a shoddy, incomplete version can be dangerous, especially in the hands of fools. Do they not have the blueprints or records of their ancestors?”

“Unfortunately no.” Sierg affirmed. “After the Great Disaster some 5,000 years ago, many of the surviving creations of the First Ones are either one-of-a-kind or far too complex for Naran to decently replicate.”

“Who and what are the First Ones? And what’s this Great Disaster?” Anida asked.

“Over seven millennia ago, the Empire of Naran appeared, governed by the First Ones. They were a race of Divine Elves. What separates them from other elves is that they have lifespans that range within four to five thousand years or more. Currently speaking, there are only a few thousand examples of divine elves left. One of whom rules the Kingdom of Naran. You know him as Vilgar Senshirine IX.”

“He’s really that old?” Viska inquired.

“He’s around 3 and half at this point.”

“Three and a half? That doesn’t sound very old.” Nasaak remarked.

“He only celebrates his birthday once every millennium, so in actuality, he’s well over 3,500 years old.” The Dwarf Director amended. “In any case, the First Ones were known to have highly advanced magical technology and were able to perform miracles. They were considered as the pinnacle race among all the people of Istaria. And then, a thousand years after the founding of their nation, the Great Disaster came.”

“And what was this Great Disaster?” Nerto inquired.

“It was a time of darkness and suffering. They say that the skies turned dark as a huge rock of enormous proportions came down and exploded into a shower of fiery stones! The entire word became covered in the ashes of the dead, causing the surviving races of the world, including the First Ones, to be driven underground. At the time, the benevolent rulers of Naran cast a deep sleep spell on all of the survivors. Istaria became a cold and desolate place for many centuries. It wasn’t until another thousand years later, that the spell ended and we were allowed to resume our existence on the surface. However, during that time, much of the knowledge and artifacts of the First Ones were lost, or buried far below the surface of this world, waiting to be uncovered again.”

“Hmmm…” The Velor Prime Director considered Sierg’s retelling of the Great Disaster for a minute, and then came up with a theory in which he posed to the other Directors. “A large rock… you don’t suppose that was an asteroid strike?”

“It makes perfect sense.” Benjamin agreed. “A large asteroid could conceivably break apart in the planet’s atmosphere upon reentry, and cause a meteor shower on the surface. The amount of dust and debris kicked up by such a calamity would cause a nuclear winter, killing off all plant and animal life on the surface.”

“And this sleep spell was probably the magical equivalent of suspended animation.” Nasaak theorized. “Now I can understand why the technology is so far behind us. They literally had to start over from scratch.”

“I don’t understand the term… nuclear winter?” The dwarf asked.

“To put in the simplest terms,” Anida replied, “It’s like having a huge Zedan Ender bomb explode and kick up enough dust and debris to cover the planet. With that much dust, there’s no way for the sun’s light to get through. No sun means no life for plants, and that causes them to die. No plants mean that there are no animals and no food for those who feed on those plants and animals, like yourselves. Also, no sun means no warmth, and so the planet starts to freeze.”

“Ah, now I understand the winter part. Such a terrible thing if the Zedan Ender bomb is able to create destruction on that magnitude.”

“Now you understand why we don’t want Atlans or Naran to learn about that bomb. They’re not ready for that kind of power, nor the responsibility that goes with it.”

“Indeed. And I think I understand that we needed to wait for the dust clouds to settle back down and allow the sun’s light to shine through again. Is that correct?”

“Correct.” The reptilian Director nodded. “Now, I am hypothesizing that you began discovering deposits of rare metals and minerals after this Great Disaster, am I right?”

“You are right. Many of the mines in Merin and other Dwarf Nations are actually places where the flaming stones struck. Mithril Mine Number Ninety-Nine is the biggest source of mithril that we have. In Mendoa, there are large deposits of orihalcum.”

“Again, it makes sense. A planet’s metal and mineral resources often come from meteor strikes, usually during the planet’s creation. Istaria just happened to have endured another deposit of outer space mineral ores.”

“So after the Great Disaster, what happened to the First Ones?” Benjamin inquired.

“Unfortunately, the generation that had cast the sleep spell and saved us, died out by the time we all woke up.” Sierg continued. “Furthermore, most of the following generations were not as skilled in magic and magical technology. As a result, they couldn’t recreate the innovations of their ancestors. You do recall that scenario with the Divine Gate, right? The reason why they asked the dwarves to create it was because they couldn’t perform the Instant Transfer spells of their ancestors. So they contracted my ancestors to create a large-scale Gate Magic portal and… well, you know the rest.”

“So they really did have a teleportation system.” Nerto commented.

“Yeah, they did, but it wasn’t based on same method or technology of the Gate Magic portals or the TPS. Therefore, their claim that we stole their technology is completely invalid. And right now, I don’t see the Kingdom of Naran heading towards a bright future with Senshirine at the helm.”

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Jan 1^st, 15 AE…

The Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Naran…

Vilgar Shenshirine IX growled as he sat on his throne, while his Prime Minister read the latest quarterly economic reports. They were not good at all. Naran exports had reached an all-time low while demand for imports from Free Land and now the Dwarf Nations, had increased. Many of his advisors had warned him not to rashly cut off ties from the Star Alliance, but it had been a matter of pride. Not only had they stolen the ancient Transfer Magic technology of the First Ones, but they had also refused to give the Kingdom of Naran membership.

Damn it all! How the Hell did those dwarves do it?

“My liege?”

Vilgar was brought out of his contemplation as he addressed his Prime Minister.

“So tell me, Haykin… what’s your best suggestion to bring us out of this technological and economic slump?”

The Prime Minister took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. He had to tell his king of things he most certainly didn’t want to hear.

“My liege, it pains me to say this but…”

“Spit it out already!”

“As you wish, my liege. To put it simply, by cutting ties with the Dwarf Nations, we had lost our biggest customers.”

“We had already lost them as customers when they started using Free Land products.”

“True enough, but some of the Dwarf Nations were still ordering a few of our imports out of customer loyalty. When we cut off ties with every dwarf country, they had no choice but to switch over to Free Land products. I do not wish to blame anyone, but we had driven away those who still bought our imports. Furthermore, since we have cut ties with Free Land, they have taken back the Battle-Mechs called Scrappers that they had loaned to us.”

This caused Vilgar’s temper to rise, but he took a deep breath and nodded. There was no denying that his impulsive and rash decision had caused this dilemma. He then spoke to Haykin in a controlled tone.

“I will admit that perhaps… I was a bit hasty. And yes… I think it is time to admit that Free Land technology is quite advanced. Perhaps even more so than the magical technology of the First Ones.”

The Prime Minister let off a small sigh of relief as his king was finally starting to let go of his pride and ego. However, the fact still remained that the Kingdom of Naran was in dire straits, both economically and politically. Free Land was seen as the world’s mightiest country. With the Dwarf Nations now a member of the Star Alliance, the diminutive race now had access to that advanced technology and had improved on its magical might as well. Something had to be done to even the playing field and get Naran back into position as the top nation of Istaria.

“The dwarves have shown a considerable leap forward in terms of magical technology, and I believe it is because of the development of the Neo-Psion reactor.” Haykin stated. “They’re about to begin mass-producing their own Mech-Frame.”

“Tell me more about this… Neo-Psion reactor.”

“According to what our spies tell us, it is a device that will convert any kind of fuel into magical power, even in places where magic levels are low or non-existent.”

“Hmmm, that is quite an advantage. We could have used such a device during our little space race with Atlans. Furthermore, to be able to create magical power from an alternate energy source would certainly cut down on preparation and reloading time.”

“We believe that this is the main reason why the dwarves were able to build a working Mech-Frame and how they could extend the range of their Gate Magic portals.”

“Then perhaps we should acquire one of these reactors, in addition to increasing our research of the artifacts left by the First Ones?”

“That will be a bit difficult. The reactor does have some Free Land components, and therefore, the device is seen as belonging to the Star Alliance and its members. Furthermore, it makes use of Dwarf Runes and we have yet to unravel the secrets to that mystic dialect.”

“We will crack that code eventually. And I think there is one more option.”

“What is it?”

“The Zedan Ender bomb. I hear it is not only capable of great amounts of destruction, but it can also create enormous power, like a miniature Sun. At least, that is what our spies have been able to glean from the scraps of information that Free Land did not destroy.”

“But… we have no way of knowing how to build such a weapon.”

“We just might. After all, there is a settlement of Zedan refugees on the southernmost tip of the Vados continent. I believe they call the place, Zedan Town. And I hear that there are some scientists and engineers among that population that were involved in the Zedan Ender Program.”

To be continued…

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