Chapter 77: Chapter 59

Star People

Chapter 59

Target Practice

Aug 7^th, 15 AE…

Polaris City, Research and Development Lab #13…

“So it really does exist?” Jeremy asked.

“You mean the counter to the foundation of magic itself?” Farena said. “In short, yes, the anti-psion does exist. You can’t have a positive without a negative. For every proton, there’s an anti-proton. For every meson, there’s an anti-meson. For every quark, there’s an anti-quark. Matter and anti-matter are the most well-known of pairs. Since we, the Kyteeri, are able to manipulate psions, it would make sense that we would also have countermeasures to it.”

“So if what you’re saying is true, then this might cause a major shift in the balance of power on this world. Just about every nation on this planet uses magic.”

“Well, there are things that are considered as anti-magic on this planet.” The Kyteeri pointed out. Incidentally, she and Jeremy were currently dating. “Have you ever heard of orihalcum?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about it.” He turned around and opened a nearby drawer. He took out a sectioned tray which had various mineral samples on it, along with labels for each one. He put the tray on the table and pointed to a yellow-colored pebble. “These are mineral samples that our dwarven friends dug up. This one is called orihalcum.” He then began point to various other samples. “This one is called mithril, this one is called adamantite, this one is called magical iron, and this one is something they call Nth metal. Due to their innate properties with psions, the dwarves can’t use magic to obtain those metals. They have to mine and forge these ores through physical labor or machines. It’s no wonder they’re jumping for joy after developing their own mech-frames.”

“You have put those samples through the subatomic analyzer, right?”

“Oh yes, we did the usual, atomic structure, density, energy output, ductile strength, the works.” He pointed to a bluish-colored metal. “Mithril is highly conductive to psions and tends to store them to be released at a later time.” He then gestured to black-colored metal. “Magical iron does the same thing, but it’s not a naturally-occurring mineral. It’s basically iron that’s been artificially-induced by the dwarves and it doesn’t quite have the same properties as mithril. The products made from magical iron are not as durable but the material can be molded much more easily. Both mithril and magic iron are key materials to making magic swords, wands, arrowheads, and other stuff.”

“And on the other hand, orihalcum and adamantite have a kind of immunity to magic. Orihalcum will deflect or repel psions.” She then pointed to a greenish metal. “Adamantite will cause psions to lose their energy-integrity patterns. Both are good for creating shields. Due to its increased density, the dwarves used orihalcum for their armor-piercing rounds.”

“And Nth metal is the joker of the bunch.” Jeremy added as he pointed to a silvery metal. “This stuff hates psions so much that it will chaotically disrupt all magical fields within a two-foot radius or shut them down completely, even though this is about the size of a lima bean.”

“So why don’t we just use Nth metal for the anti-magic countermeasures against those three fake Planet Ravagers?”

“There are several reasons why we can’t. First and foremost, Nth metal is the rarest of all the metals found on this planet. We were just lucky to find this much. It would take way too much time, manpower and resources to find enough Nth metal to do the job. Second, this stuff’s molecular structure can’t be synthesized. It doesn’t follow any specific pattern and a small part of it keeps on phasing in and out of reality. Sometimes the sample weighs more, sometimes it weighs less. And don’t get me started on how this thing sometimes doesn’t like electricity.”

“So using Nth metal is a dead end.”

“Pretty much. However, you did say that the anti-psion exists and that the Kyteeri have developed ways to counter magic. So how exactly did you do it?”

“Well, when we were using magic more frequently on our home planet, we discovered that psions worked on a certain wavelength. Once we found the correct modulation, with a little bit of quantum-energy manipulation, we then discovered the direct opposite of the psion, the anti-psion.” Farena worked the control panel on the table and brought up an image on the holo-projector. “We found that the anti-psion was able to completely counter the effects of the psion and disrupt, if not totally nullify spells. However, it was a proportional ratio. The more psions used, the stronger the spell, and the more anti-psions was needed to counter it. Now, it wasn’t too much trouble to create enough anti-psions to counter a single individual but…”

“But we’re talking about something the size of a Planet Ravager, and there are three of them no less.”

“Not to mention that each one carries a huge supply of Psion Storage Batteries and that Eldritch Enhancer. We’d need an exceedingly large amount of anti-psions to counter it all. The anti-psion might also be a dead end.”

Jeremy pondered for a minute, and snapped his fingers. “Hold on a moment. Maybe we don’t need that many anti-psions to do the job.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember back to when we learned about rune inscriptions and runesmithing. What do they both have in common?”

“They both use a runic alphabet as instructions to cast and maintain spells.”

“Right! And the same principle goes for verbal incantations and potions. They all have to follow a process to form and direct the magic. And those instructions may be the key. If we can disrupt the pattern or process in which a spell is formed…”

“… then the entire spell will fail!” Farena finished while snapping her own fingers. “I get it! We don’t need to counter every single psion! We just need to knock out a substantial amount!”

“The main issue is to penetrate that magical barrier of those pseudo-Planet Ravagers. We don’t need to disable it entirely, but just get past one area. Basically, it would be at the point of impact.”

“Well, why don’t we take a page out of the dwarves’ handbook? I mean, they do use orihalcrum in their armor-piercing shells. And I think they also use their runes to propel them at a higher velocity via electromagnetism.”

“Sort of like a magic rail-gun? That’s not a bad idea.”

----------

Aug 8^th, 15 AE…

Kingdom of Merin, 7^th Dwarven Armored Division Base Testing Grounds…

BA-WHOOM!

The projectile pierced through the target with ease and kept on going before it hit the dirt mound behind it and buried itself deep within it.

From the observation booth that overlooked the firing range, Jeremy let off a low whistle while his girlfriend was equally impressed. In front of them was a very ominous-looking weapon that was about the size of a small field artillery piece. The muzzle of the barrel was still smoking a bit after discharging.

“Damn! That target was 20 meters of pure iron, and that round sliced clean through it! Not bad at all!” Jeremy commented.

“Yep!” General Horkes said with a smile. “We’re mighty proud of our Kinetic-Accelerator Gun. Of course, we’re also beholden to Free Land for teaching us the basics on the technology. It was simple enough to add our Dwarf Runes and a bit of orihalcum to give it the kind of punch you just saw. Even if that target was magic iron instead of plain iron, the round still would have penetrated.”

“So the round already has some magic resistance?” Farena asked.

“Mostly in the orihalcum tip.” The dwarf general admitted. “That metal is able to push aside some magic so the round can momentarily dig into the aura, while the rest of the job is done by pure brute force.”

“My colleague told me that you use your Dwarf Runes to direct and accelerate the projectile while it’s being fired in the barrel. Is that true?” Jeremy asked.

“That right.” Horkes replied. “We don’t use rifling like a normal gun barrel, but line the inside of the barrel with runes. In addition to shooting the round at hypersonic speeds, the projectile is also enveloped in an aura so that it’s stabilized in flight. We don’t need fins like an arrow and we don’t need to spin the projectile like a bullet.”

“Interesting.” Jeremy imagined the inside of the barrel of the gun, imprinted with runes. A smoothbore barrel would have less wear and tear than a rifled one and would be easier to maintain. The runes would not only provide more power than normal chemical propellants, but would also cover the projectile in an aerodynamic aura. “So how good does this fare against barriers?”

You are reading story Star People at novel35.com

“I know what you’re thinking.” The dwarf commander said. “Yeah, we tried shooting at those fake Planet Ravagers as well, but their barriers were just too strong. I’d say there were almost as strong as the shields on the Missouri.”

“Not really, since the Missouri’s anti-proton guns were able to damage the Ravagers despite their barriers.” Farena amended. “The pulsar guns have a lot more punch than your kinetic-accelerator gun. The main problem is that if the Ravagers reappear near populated areas, we can’t fire the pulsar guns at full power. And since those monsters’ prime directive is to kill all organic life; then it’s very likely they will appear near populated areas.”

“So we need weapons strong enough to punch through the Ravagers’ defenses, but not enough to endanger innocents. That sounds like more of a focused attack. That’s quite a balancing act.” Horkes surmised. “So you’re thinking of upgrading our Kinetic-Energy Guns?”

“Not so much the gun, but the ammunition itself.” Farena stated. “We do have a method of disrupting the spell that creates the barrier, thereby allowing your gun’s projectile to penetrate. However, the main issue is to prevent that same disruptive method from interfering with the magic that propels the projectile.” She then began explaining about psions and anti-psions.

After a minute, the dwarf general nodded in comprehension. “I get it. So instead of trying to brute-force our way through that barrier, we simply mess up the spell causing it. It’s not a bad idea. I’ve seen spells and counter-spells; it makes sense that this anti-psion could be the reason behind the counter-spells.”

“Here’s what we’re thinking about.” Jeremy took out a portable holo-projector and began showing some proposed schematics for a new shell. “Energy is still energy, whether created by science or sorcery. The anti-psion can also affect energies created by our own projectile weapons, so we need to test the new shell with our guns as well as yours. If it works, we’ll be able to give the Star Alliance Battle-Mechs, including the Diaragas, a new weapon against the Planet Ravager.”

Horkes grinned as he continued to gaze upon the schematics. Oh yeah… the gunsmiths are going to going to have FUN with this one!

----------

Aug 12^th, 15 AE…

Arms Factory #7, Dwarf Territory of Munsen…

“So how’s the progress on that new shell?” The head foreman named Idayan asked.

“We’re able to fabricate the basic components at a good rate.” Another supervisor named Cligar replied as both watched the assembly line hum with activity. “As for anti-psion production, we’re mighty thankful that those blue elf women gave us the means to create them.”

“They’re not elves.” Idayan corrected. “They’re called Kyteeri. In any case, how soon do you think the first batch will be ready for testing?”

“At the rate we’re going, I’d say about a week to ten days at least. It’s not so much the anti-psions, but the fact that we have to dig up enough orihalcum to do the job. I’m really glad we got new Mining-Mechs to speed things up. It would have taken us decades to mine the required amounts of orihalcum by pick and shovel.”

Ever since the commercial version of the Gigaran was developed, there was a huge surge in mining and construction operations, as the economies of the Dwarf Nations were given a tremendous boost. By attaching several pieces of drilling and excavator equipment, the so-called Mining Mech was able to dig faster and deeper than 100 dwarves doing it manually. This also allowed them to get at the rarer ores that were buried deep within the planet’s crust. The territory of Munsen was part of the Kingdom of Mendoa and was on top of the largest deposits of orihalcum in Istaria.

With the help of the Star Alliance and its advanced technology, the Dwarf Nations were also able to refine newer alloys that were lighter and stronger. It wasn’t just their military that had been getting upgraded after joining with Free Land. Infrastructure, manufacturing, and their standards of living had vastly improved. Exports of their products were now highly sought after, especially by the Sath and Atlans. Not only did their products advertise dwarven craftsmanship and quality, but also Free Land’s advanced technology.

The Anti-Psion, Armor-Piercing round or APAP round, was going to be the newest weapon against the Planet Ravagers and could even be used against Behemoths. The idea was to create a shell composed of two section. The first section had a shaped-charge warhead to disrupt the magical barrier upon impact. The payload of concentrated anti-psions would be released in one focused area. An attosecond later, the rear section of the round would drive the projectile through the armor with no decrease in velocity. No matter how strong the barrier was, it wouldn’t be able to stop the round from penetrating.

At least, that was the general theory.

It was going to take some time to refine and shape the orihalcum tips and create the shaped-charge warheads. And creating a space to contain the anti-psions was no easy task. However, the dwarves found it to be a challenge that they couldn’t resist. With their usual perseverance and dedication to hard work, they were able to create a batch of the new shells for testing in under a fortnight.

----------

Aug 25^th, 15 AE…

“So you’re saying that the target is heavily magic-enhanced?” Jeremy asked as he and his fiancée Farena stood in the observation booth. During the time they had spent together, researching the new APAP round, the Terran engineer popped the question.

“That’s right.” General Horkes confirmed. “What you’re looking at is 20 meters of reinforced magic iron, with the best magical barrier that we could come up with. That target could stand up to a horde of Behemoths and not budge an inch!”

“Well, we’re about to do more than make it budge.” Farena stated as she began making the final adjustments on a console that controlled the test gun.

The test gun was a two-hundred millimeter dwarven field artillery piece, jokingly nicknamed Big Bertha by the Terran engineers. The dwarves actually liked the name, and some even thought to rename their daughters as Bertha. The weapon was more than twice the size of an ancient M777 howitzer. Within the breech was the first of the newly-made APAP rounds. The inside walls of the barrel begin to glow as the dwarven runes were activated. The gun began to swivel to the right and pointed its muzzle at the target’s center. The block of magic iron was more than 5 kilometers away.

“Target lock-on completed.” Farena announced. “Now charging test gun to maximum payload level.”

“We’ll either break the target or break the gun… or maybe both!” The dwarf general remarked as Jeremy began the countdown.

“All clear on the firing range… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… FIRE!”

The muzzle flashed like a miniature sunburst as the projectile rocketed out at hypersonic speeds. A thunderous roar was heard as Big Bertha was pushed back by the excessive force of the recoil. The kinetic-gel shock absorbers were barely able to keep the gun from being blasted off its mountings as the APAP round sliced through the air. Surrounding the shell was a thin, blue aura which stabilized it in flight. In less than a picosecond, the round reached its target.

The tip of the round hit the barrier, causing a momentary, but violent storm of eldritch energy to appear at the impact point. This caused the shaped charge of anti-psions to blast forward, detonating against the barrier and made it shudder. The barrier lost its integrity in that moment, which was long enough for the rest of the APAP round to shoot through and slam into the magic iron. The target’s integrity was also compromised as the projectile continued through it. Nearly a millisecond later, the shell exploded out the other side of the target and hit the dirt mound behind it, burrowing deep into the ground before finally stopping.

Jeremy and the other observers looked in awe at the devastation a single APAP round did to the target. Despite losing some momentum and potential energy from the barrier, the APAP shell was still able to rip through the target and nearly split it in half. Then everybody looked back at the test gun. Farena winced as she saw the damage it had sustained.

The muzzle of Big Bertha was badly warped and had splintered a bit. There were several panels that had blown out and circuits were sparking. Several dwarf engineers were spraying those areas with fire-retardant. At the other end of the barrel, the rear of the gun bulged out a bit near the breech. The turret mountings were loose and almost falling apart.

“Well, looks like you were right, General.” Jeremy stated. “We broke both the target and the gun.”

“Not too bad for a first test.” Horkes shrugged his shoulders. “What was that old Terran saying… you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs?”

“I wonder if the people up in the Transmat Station are doing any better.” Farena mused.

----------

Up in far-planet orbit…

“Well, that could have gone better for a first trial…” The Missouri’s captain remarked as he and his bridge crew watched the repair crews scurry about the damaged station. The new Matter Transmission Emitters were badly scorched and falling apart, with debris floating all over the place. The station’s main power core had been taxed to its limit and was currently operating on low levels.

As for the test vehicle, it had been successfully teleported a distance of 612 kilometers into space… or at least half of it was. While they had been able to create the exit portal, only half of the vehicle had emerged before the portal collapsed and cut the test vehicle in two.  The test vehicle was an empty Vanguard destroyer hull to simulate the size and mass of a Planet Ravager. Now its rear half was missing in subspace. Even though the process could potentially destroy the Planet Ravagers, the Star Alliance still needed to have the long-distance Hyper-Gate, (as they called it), working properly for commercial and military use.

The long process of trial-and-error had begun.

To be continued…

You can find story with these keywords: Star People, Read Star People, Star People novel, Star People book, Star People story, Star People full, Star People Latest Chapter