by John Ringo
One of them was a Leopard tank with a very strange gun. Very long, longer even than the original cannon and decidedly . . . wide. He was unsure what it might be but wasn't going to ask, yet. But the tank looked like something that would be put on parade, glittering under the lights as if it were armored in chrome.
"It's very pretty, but . . ."
Etari raised a small wand and pointed it at the Leopard, which abruptly faded from view.
"The system is not the same as the one the Hedren and Himmit use," Etari said dismissively. "I found their system to have . . . flaws. They use a projection field that warps light around the cloaked device. Simple enough, but not exactly . . . robust. A strong enough hit, even one that does not take out the vehicle, can disrupt the projector. And the Hedren design is much less effective than that by the Himmit. There is a noticeable warping if you are looking closely enough."
"And this?" Mühlenkampf said, walking over carefully and reaching out. Yes, the Leopard was still there. He could see that it, too, distorted the background slightly but it was very much as if the entire tank was transparent. He hoped the crew would not be viewable sitting in their seats. It would be humorous but not exactly stealthy.
"Actually, humans were on the cusp of it during the Posleen War," Etari said. "But they hadn't put the pieces together. One group was working on biochemical transistor design, another on a thinner, flatter projection system, another on the base theory of a cloaking system and the last an actual produced paint used for holographic art primarily on personal wheeled vehicles."
"So this is a hologram?" the Generalmajor asked.
"Not at all," Etari said, thumbing off the cloak. "The vehicle is covered in a dual-layer paint. The outer layer of paint is from the thinner, flatter projection system, a paint that lays down plasma reactor nodes, very small bits of material that fluoresce in a particular frequency when energized. The inner layer is a biochemical processor. Each of the plasma reactor nodes binds to the processor at a particular point. The overall sheet acts as the computer, to put it in terms you understand. When the paint is dried the vehicle is run through a laser designation system that tells the processor which nodes are directly opposite each other. One node picks up a signal from reflectance and transmits it to its polar opposite which then energizes—"
"Making a picture of what is behind the vehicle," Mühlenkampf said, nodding. "I suppose for you this is child's play."
"Sometimes the simplest way is the best," Etari said. "Short of being hit by a large-scale plasma burst, the paint is very redundant. And if it gets scratched, all you have is a bit of the base, which is a mottled green-brown, in view. Repainting requires a facility but it is easy enough. It creates a bit of a flicker when in movement, but is quite effective when still. And in movement, the secondary effects of the vehicle are, after all, noticeable."
"Invisible units," Mühlenkampf said. "Very good."
"And there is an interesting item to it," the Kobold said. "Ask me."
"What is the interesting item?" Mühlenkampf said, trying not to growl.
"The technology is not the sort the Hedren are used to facing," Etari said. "Their counter-cloak technology is designed to detect cloaking fields. This, General, is not a cloaking field."
"So we may be invisible to the normally invisible Hedren?" Mühlenkampf said, nodding.
"Possibly," Etari said, not appearing to care if he'd impressed the human or not. "You shall have to see in combat. Visible on thermal certainly. The gun is a railgun capable of firing a variety of rounds. The Hedren vehicles are not only heavily armored but incorporate a shield system which is . . . extremely robust. It may take more than one round to destroy even one of their relatively light armored vehicles. There are several types of shield penetration systems but given that we have not had a Hedren vehicle to test them against. You may have to decide which works best in combat."
"Joy," Mühlenkampf said grimly.
"We recognize this as being suboptimal," the Indowy replied making the grimace that equated to a shrug. "Nothing we can do about that. On to the next piece."
The next piece was clearly tracked artillery, but Mühlenkampf had never seen the system before. As with the Leopard, it was shiny "chrome" all over. And it was big. Very big. It also had a boxy appearance that must have caused the Indowy, who were big on curved surfaces, conniptions. He finally twigged to its purpose when he noted that the cannon was very clearly designed as artillery, not a tank cannon.
"After looking at the inventory we determined that there were insufficient mobile cannon for your proposed organization," Etari replied. "There were more than sufficient towed weapons systems. However, it had been impressed upon me that mobile was better."
"In general, that is the case," Mühlenkampf said.
"We determined a method to use bodies from Marder fighting vehicles and the suspension, drive, and tracks from Russian T-62s to create a tracked artillery system. We ended up scrapping most of the towed artillery systems, however. Chemical rounds are so . . . inefficient. These use a railgun-based drive system that has significantly more range than the original 155. The system has an auto-alignment system based on the American MLRS, an auto loading system and an automated reloading system. There is a separate but similar vehicle for that. We've improved the barrel design so that it has a top rate of fire of sixteen rounds per minute and with the auto-loader and sufficient support it can maintain that all day. Moreover, by adjusting elevation and propulsive force, and thus time of flight, it can do up to nine round time on targets from a single system. Top road speed should be right at one hundred kilometers per hour. We somewhat improved the engine, transmission and track system. Among other things, the second is now automatic and the controls are similar to a Leopard tank. Oh, and we installed ground-effect drivers so that you can cross boggy terrain and for march-order movement to reduce damage to the track systems and the roads. We considered installing full antigravity but the reengineering requirements and training requirements were considered suboptimal. All of the vehicles, however, have similar improvements."
"I see," the Generalmajor said. "Very good."
"You can feel free to 'field test' it," the Indowy said. "It is, after all, not a standard system. However, I assure you they will work."
"Somehow, I don't doubt that Indowy Etari. We will need—"
"Field manuals have been produced for all the systems, in your Deutsch as well as Hebrew, Swedish, Norwegian and several Slavic languages," Etari said. "They are formatted upon Bundeswehr field manuals since many of the methods and systems were unknown at the time of the Wehrmacht. The one point I must stress is that these are not Indowy devices. They require . . . maintenance."
The last was said in a tone of very clear disgust. Had Mühlenkampf had more experience with the little, fuzzy, bat-faced creatures, he'd have seen the equivalent of a sneer.
"I assure you we will perform that maintenance diligently," Mühlenkampf replied. "A training area has been set up near the former city of Hamburg. Transportation—"
"Shuttles will begin lifting systems as soon as we have sufficiency to provide for one brigade," Etari said, cutting him off again. "That will be within a week. The field manuals will be sent out today so that you can begin book training on the systems. We debated for nearly a day whether to convert all the engines to fusion-electric systems but decided against it, again for training reasons. However, all those that formerly ran on . . . 'gasoline' are now converted to diesel, reducing your logistics complexity. But you will have to assure a supply of diesel for support. Future systems will be converted to fusion-electric."
"I will admit to being impressed," Mühlenkampf said stoically.
"I am one of the few senior mechanists in my clan who has been interested in Posleen and human manufacturing techniques," Etari said, just as stoically, walking outside the manufacturing plant to where the majority of the vehicles were sitting. "I also was a mechanist during the Posleen War and had, I thought, a number of wort
hwhile concepts that I was, alas, too junior to present. I relished the opportunity to prove the effectiveness of my concepts. But this is but the first step. By the time you need to be reorganized after Gratoola we will have real systems prepared. I believe the human phrase is 'better, stronger, faster.' "
"That is an important point," Mühlenkampf said. "The Hedren field heavy armor is the equivalent of a SheVa Four or a Tiger III. Actually, better than either. There is nothing I have seen in this valley that can take them on."
"Ah, those," Etari said, dismissively. "Come."
Etari walked down the rank of tracks, tanks and trucks to a cluster of vehicles. Mühlenkampf, for all his experience of military vehicles, was not sure what he was looking at. The base may have been the Russian T-62 again. Many of them were used by forces in the Vienna pocket, mostly those who had survived the debacles in Eastern Europe. They may have ended up in the valley.
The upper, however, looked more like a bastardized Amerian M-1, with the exception of the gun, the barrel of which was thick and short.
"The round fired is actually a high-velocity missile," Etari said, climbing up on the tank. "It tracks on Hedren heavy armor so it is 'fire and forget.' When it hits, it uses a system similar to the Posleen heavy-armor penetrator, a smart bot that finds the weakest point in the Hedren armor and drills an antimatter breaching charge into the interior. There are various countermeasures, some of which the Hedren use, but there are counters for the counters and so forth and so on. But this is your primary antiarmor system. We're leaving the naming to you.
"Primary tanks will be modified Leopards, tentatively designated Leopard Vs. Slightly more robust drive train, more or less the same speed, heavy railgun based on the Posleen designs but with the same firing system and layout as the Leopard III. Improved communication and ground-effect drive for march-order movement. Sights work in thermal imagery and "cloaking reveal." The latter is not perfect, but as good as anything that is out there. Secondary guns 3 and 5 mm rail guns.
"Primary infantry fighting vehicles will be a modified Marder, improved layout, improved communications and tracking system, improved drive train including enough speed to keep up with the Leopards while in track mode and, of course, ground-effect drive. Primary weapons system is a 5 mm railgun, secondary is a smaller version of the smart-bot gun. Much the same sight system as the Leopard.
"Primary heavy support vehicle is based on the Marder fighting vehicle. Armored against shrapnel and light weapons rounds as well as mines. Sealed, as are all the other systems, in case the Hedren use poison gas or nuclear weapons. Ground-effect drive. Primary light wheeled vehicle is a Mercedes design with same modifications. Light scout vehicles are designed around those with the 5 mm rail gun. Heavy scout vehicles are based on the Marder, again. All vehicles are equipped with blue-force trackers and sub-space communications systems that are at least hard to intercept or jam. And all are, of course, cloaked."
"Three weeks?" Mühlenkampf said, finally shaken. "Three weeks? It would have taken the general staff three years to design all this! And then nothing would have worked first time out."
"As I said, I have had several of the concepts for some time," Etari replied. "Expect the first brigade's delivery of equipment to begin one week from today, Generalmajor. Is there anything else?"
"Nein," Mühlenkampf said.
"I believe you asked for 'anything but time.' I hope this is to your satisfaction."
"Very much so."
"Do what you must do and do it well," Etari replied. "I do not wish to become the clan leader of a remnant. I much prefer my current job."
"I shall do what I can, Kobold," Mühlenkampf promised. "Now I must go. There is much to be done."
There are things which must not be done.
Any seventh level mentat could contact any other seventh level mentat, or any other being, via a form of telepathy. The contact was as close to instantaneous as the reality of the polyverse permitted and effectively unlimited in range.
It was not mind reading, or at least the method the Sohon used was not mind reading, but rather small modifications of brain chemistry that had the words "heard" without being spoken. Admittedly, if a being can modify brain chemistry, and can read it properly, both mental modification and mind reading were possible. The Sohon expressly did not do this. Had not done this. It was forbidden experimentation.
Which was what the meeting was all about.
There are things which must be done, Michelle thought back and via ripple linking her thoughts permeated throughout the entire metaconcert. Somehow, she had become the spokesperson for the human mentats. Which meant that if things went against them hard enough she would be repudiated, again, but this time stripped of her powers. She would, voluntarily, strip herself of her powers. Because the whole point was that the Wise must choose the greater Path.
I would present my logic, she continued.
I would observe your logic, the distant Indowy replied. Her primary debater was the Mentat Treelu, an adept who had been a master for longer than she had been alive.
Our purpose is to advance upon the Path of Enlightenment, Michelle said. To bring our species—all species—to a higher state of being, to abjure the reality of this condition. It is a slow path, but one that must be taken if our species are to grow.
This is the Path, Treelu replied. How can war, which deviates our feet from the Path, assist in this?
I do not see a way, Michelle thought, telling a little white lie. It was a good thing it wasn't mind reading. What I see is that the Hedren have deviated, horribly, from this Way. Yet they use Sohon. The necessities of Sohon therefore, of themselves, are not necessities of the Path.
That was a bit of a shocker, something that most of the mentats had probably considered but had not been willing to admit. Certainly publicly and probably to themselves.
The whole concept of the Uprising Path was that Sohon was the Way. First of all, for purely mundane reasons the methods of Sohon would permit the wielders, eventually, to rise to a different state of being and consciousness. The Aldenata had shown the way. Second, the mental discipline necessary for Sohon meant that emotional distractions had to be minimized. The disciplines received from the Aldenata stressed that emotionlessness was one of the cornerstone necessities of Rising.
What Michelle had said, in essence, was that the Aldenata, gods to most of the Indowy but more like senior mentors to the Indowy mentats, were wrong.
I reject that logic, Treelu replied.
Argue it, Michelle thought.
The Aldenata require abjurement of this state of being to Rise, Treelu replied. His tone was one of a slam-dunk.
The Hedren apparently do not, Michelle thought. I am not saying that I accept the Way of the Hedren. I do not, nor do any of my human brethren. But the Hedren example teaches us that strict removal of all things of this essence are not necessities of Sohon. By extrapolation, they are not necessities of Rising.
The Way of the Aldenata is, therefore, but one choice upon the Path. The question therefore becomes, are we willing to support the Way of the Aldenata. Or are we to succumb to the Way of the Hedren? Failure to support the actions against the Hedren Tyranny will mean accepting the Hedren Way. This is a binary solution set. If there is a third resultant that I have not considered, I will accept that resultant. However, failing a third resultant it is not a question of simply continuing on the Way of the Aldenata. It is elimination of the Way and substitution by the Way of the Hedren.
This is the logic of war. It is as cold as any in the Universe.
There is no consensus, Treelu thought. We must not take any action until there is consensus.
The metaconcert had broken up, reformed, broken again as the masters of Sohon across the galactic arm wrestled with the question of whether to support something they abhorred.
Metaconcerts were extraordinarily rare and Michelle had not been a part of one before. The last one had been on the subject of whether to support the Pos
leen War effort. But she had quickly learned that it was possible to taste the flavor of feelings broadly held by one group or another. Having tasted the various factions, she only partially agreed with Treelu.
There is consensus, Michelle argued. Sohon must not be used for aggressive action. That is fundamental to the Way. The sense I get beyond that is that there are masters who refuse to support the action in any form beyond continuing to build and study. That is acceptable. But there is a large faction that feels more direct action is acceptable. Certainly to defend against the Hedren and their Imeg slaves' use of Sohon for evil. On Diess, did not our junior brethren build defenses for the soldiers to fight behind? We do no more in this.
You are either blind to reality or dissimulating, Treelu replied. To learn to defend, someone must learn to attack. Masters who enter battle against the Hedren must be trained, no? And the only master in this concert who has engaged in direct battle, master to master, happens to be you, no?