CHAPTER 34: RINTALA’S DECISION
Yozef hadn’t seen the Fuomi leaders since he’d returned to Orosz City. They had preceded him by a sixday, and he now sent word asking Rintala to meet with him after evening meal. He and the Fuomi commander had each fulfilled his side of a bargain the two men had reached months earlier. The Fuomi had delivered thirty 30-pounder and sixteen 18-pounder cannon, plus a supply of powder and shot, all cannon and ammunition taken from transport/supply ships and a single sloop which had been dispatched back to Fuomon with Rintala’s report on the mission’s status, his rationale for decisions made to that point, and a recommendation for further assistance to the Caedelli. In addition, a small supply of poppy extract had been given, and Fuomi personnel had been training islanders to handle the naval 30-pounders, teaching elements of unit tactics to groups of clansmen, and providing advice when asked.
In return, the Fuomi were given a supply of both ether and kerosene that the sloop took back to Fuomon, along with detailed instructions on their preparation. Yozef also relaxed any restrictions he’d placed on giving the Fuomi medical and biological knowledge he’d passed on to the islanders.
Now, Yozef wanted more—much more. He had thought long and hard about inducements. He’d requested that Rintala come alone, while a third person at the meeting would be Balwis Preddi, who had come ahead to continue expanding his command to a mixed Preddi/ex-slave battalion based in Orosz Province. Balwis spoke fluent Narthani, as did Rintala, and Balwis would serve as interpreter, with instructions from Yozef that Balwis should give no comments during the meeting. Yozef wanted it to be as if only he and Rintala were in the room. Yozef also emphasized that nothing he translated was to be relayed to anyone without Yozef’s permission. Balwis agreed without making his usual sarcastic comments—leading Yozef to wonder at the changes in Balwis’s demeanor in the previous months. He’d come to trust the man’s discretion more the longer they knew each other.
Yozef opened the small room in the Orosz headquarters and motioned Rintala to follow him in. “Thank you for coming to meet on such short notice, Commander Rintala. Please have a seat.”
They both sat facing each other at a small round table with straight-backed chairs. Balwis sat between them, to Yozef’s right and Rintala’s left. For the next hour, neither man looked at Balwis.
“I’m inclined to get right to the point, Commander,” asserted Yozef. “It saves so much time, and I see no reason to dance around a subject I intend, and you likely suspect, that we would get to eventually.”
“I think you’ll find my people feel the same, Ser Kolsko. It’s interesting that our two peoples share this characteristic. If you haven’t experienced it already, you’ll find not all peoples are the same. The Landoliner who came with us, Rhanjur Gaya, can talk for an hour and not say anything. But then, he calls himself a diplomat, so possibly that’s a common feature of such people. Even Ambassador Saisannin can take too long on occasion, though her months of exposure to sailors and soldiers has moderated that tendency.”
“Then let’s get to why I asked you to meet me, Commander. I hope you feel that we both have fulfilled our sides of the bargain we previously agreed to. Your delivery of the cannon and willingness to advise and train our people in specific areas have been both timely and done with genuine commitment by all your men.”
Rintala smiled. “I’ll answer by saying I also am more than satisfied. The instructions for production of ether and kerosene were extensive enough that Saisannin and our surgeons believe there will no problem establishing production in Fuomon. They also appreciate being allowed to personally take part in several production runs—under the safety supervision of your workers.
“The surgeons are also still somewhat astounded, or stunned, depending on the individual, at their interactions with your medicants. While some of what they were told or shown was not initially well received, they tell me that what they will take back to Fuomon will revolutionize medical treatments. They’ve not yet all come to accept some of what you claim is knowledge about how the human body works, but even the most skeptical are admitting that based on everything else you seem to have introduced here on Caedellium, it’s likely they will come to accept the rest as true.
“Several of our surgeons might also be considered scholastics by Caedelli standards, in studying aspects of the world and the stars. They tell me the new knowledge they’re picking up here is as impressive, though they doubt the Caedelli appreciate it. I suppose you realize all this only deepens our curiosity as to your origin. As I said before, you can’t expect us not to probe for more information.”
“Probe all you want,” said Yozef in a tone conveying confidence that their probing would have little chance of succeeding.
“Oh, we will,” said Rintala. “However, back to why you wanted to meet with me?”
It was Yozef’s turn to smile. “You’ve seen our plans and preparations. I’m certainly impressed by the effort and commitment of the clans, and it would be futile of you yourself to claim otherwise.”
Rintala only nodded.
“So far, we’ve only identified three sites where we believe we can fight a battle against the new Narthani Army and have a reasonable chance to win. I’ll confess I hoped for more options, but I don’t believe any of the other possible sites are an improvement over simply meeting the Narthani in a general field engagement. However, we’ve now identified a fourth site.” Yozef continued with a description of the outline plan for a battle on the plain outside the Orosz City walls. “I hardly need point out one fatal flaw with what we can do, and that’s to prevent the Narthani Navy from sailing into the Normot Gulf. It comes to me that you have the solution to that problem.”
Despite his effort to remain impassive until he heard what Kolsko had to say, Rintala’s irises widened at hearing Yozef’s “go-to” phrase, “it comes to me.” Rintala was aware of the Septarsh rumors. The Fuomi had previous traditions of men with unusual insights, although the belief in influence from an outside power, usually attributed to God or gods, was fading within Fuomon. Fading, but not gone.
“You want me to use our navy to block the Normot Cut.”
“Yes. For now, the Glacier option is the one I favor, but if you could prevent the Narthani from resupplying or reboarding an army from Adris Province, then I’d put the Orosz option on equal footing.”
Rintala sat back in his chair and looked straight at Yozef. “Such an action would be well outside my orders. To even briefly consider such action, I would need to have overwhelming incentives.”
Yes! thought Yozef. I’ve got him! If the answer were absolutely no, he wouldn’t have opened the option. Now, it’s a matter of negotiating.
“Before we continue,” said Yozef, “there’s one more matter to settle, and I’m afraid it’s not optional. Anything that’s said from this point on must be kept confidential. My friend here will be the only other person to know what will be said, and I have absolute confidence in him.”
Balwis twitched slightly at Yozef’s words, and he cast a quick glance, as if to check the accuracy of what he’d heard.
Rintala didn’t indicate whether he’d noticed Balwis’s reaction.
“That’s quite a difficult condition,” said Rintala. “My loyalty to Fuomon may require that I report anything said between us.”
“I understand,” said Yozef, “but the condition remains, even if I sympathize with your dilemma. You may need to decide if what I might say is so important to Fuomon that you are willing to give your word that no details of what I say will be repeated until the day I tell you otherwise—which may be months or a few years away.”
“And how could you be sure I would keep any promise?” asked Rintala.
“Trust is ephemeral. It needs to be felt continually. Once lost, it’s lost forever, and no matter what actions are taken, it can never be the same. I believe I can make you believe that it is in yours and Fuomon’s long-term interests never to endanger my trust. And let’s be honest,
” said Yozef. “I could denounce anything you claim I said. No one on Caedellium will take your word over mine. However, it would raise problems I want to avoid.”
Yozef gave Rintala time to consider. After a minute, all the Fuomi said was, “Convince me.”
“I’ll start by noting that there are things you’ve gotten from us that were not covered in our previous agreement, such as manned balloons for observation, several types of mines, and the socket bayonet, to name only a few. Still, I’ll not claim you owe us anything in return, though such an argument could be made. Instead, let me tell you two things you don’t know about and won’t, unless I want you to. First, I can show you how to double your rate of musket fire without changing your muskets. Second, I know of a method of communicating long distance, such as we do now with the semaphore, which I understand is a widely used method. The method I know of would allow a message to go from the two farthest points apart on Caedellium in minutes, instead of hours. From what I see on Anyar maps, this method would allow messages to traverse the entire width of Fuomon in an hour.”
Rintala raised his right eyebrow in skepticism before Yozef finished his second example. “Quite astounding claims, Ser Kolsko. Yet if you knew how to do all this, why haven’t you done it with the Caedelli?”
“Two reasons. Time and what I call ‘infrastructure.’ We don’t have time before the next battles will happen. We’re stuck with what we have . . . for the moment. Assuming we expel the Narthani, the Caedelli will have these things within one year, two at the most. It would come faster with more skilled craftsmen than exist on Caedellium and more support from a larger population, such as in Fuomon.”
Yozef paused and leaned forward with arms on the table. “And consider that if you decline to continue, and we successfully expel the Narthani, then any future transfers of knowledge from Caedellium will come at a much higher price and with much less goodwill.”
Rintala rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, then cast a jaundiced eye at Yozef. “You have put me in a very difficult position, Ser Kolsko. Nevertheless, my people believe someone who has risen to my rank is supposed to be able to make difficult decisions. The best I can do is give my word that nothing I hear will be repeated to anyone on Caedellium or any other realm of Anyar, with the one exception that if something I hear has a direct bearing on, or is a major threat to, Fuomon, then I must have the discretion to tell my superiors, although I would try to emphasize to them to limit its dissemination. Of course, once you start giving us what you’ve promised, secrecy will be moot.”
“Fair enough,” said Yozef. “You’ve already heard the first two innovations. All I will say further is that I can draw you a diagram that your artisans and craftsmen can use, which will result in a method to at least double your rate of musket fire. I’ll add that the same method can be used with rifles to also increase their rate of fire and allow accurate volleys out four hundred yards. I’ll also predict that by using what I’ll show you, the smoothbore musket will be obsolete within five years.
“The second example I’ve already given uses a mechanism called a ‘telegraph.’ It requires using copper wire, which is a clue that I suspect your scholastics could use to figure out long-distance communication within ten years. However, what I can tell you will allow it to be done within a year, if enough resources are put into the effort. It might take another ten years or more, but eventually the same technique can be used to send messages between major land masses.”
Yozef had thought hard about what he planned to reveal next, because it might sound too much like magic—or demonic arts, depending on the listener’s belief system. However, he had a gut feeling he had the Fuomi leader hooked, and Yozef wanted to reel him in.
“I’ll add one more thing. Although I can’t predict how long it would take to develop this one, I know the principles of how to communicate long distance without wire. To be clear, communication could occur between two persons hundreds or thousands of miles apart, as if they stood next to each other.”
Balwis hesitated in translating this and glanced at Yozef with a raised eyebrow. Without looking at Balwis, Yozef nodded toward Rintala. “Translate.”
Balwis did, and the Fuomi commander shook his head. “Now I don’t know if you’re merely testing my credulity or are outrageously lying for some reason.”
“Consider this,” said Yozef. “Why would I lie? How would you have viewed a description of the use and making of ether before you saw it used? The same with kerosene. What about making gunpowder from murvor shit? If you were forced to make a large wager, would you bet against anything I tell you here today? To close this example, I’ll give you my word, just like you gave me yours, that everything I’m telling you is true.
“But let’s move on. I’m feeling expansive, so I’ll give a few more enticements. I also know how to make smokeless gunpowder that is many times more powerful than black powder and whose production can be scaled up far more than can any current method the Fuomi, the Narthani, or the Caedelli know how to do.
“There is a tree here on Caedellium whose sap can be made into a substance that children dry and mold into a ball to play with. I understand that the same or similar trees exist elsewhere on Anyar. I know a way to prevent the sap from being sticky, and it will retain the resilient feature that otherwise is lost after a few hours of repeated impacts. The sap is turned into something called rubber, and it has the ability to be deformed and regain its shape enough to be used as cushioning in wagon seats. More important, and this would take time to work out the details, but this rubber can also be used to make wagon tires that last many times longer than wood and metal wheels and provide a smoother ride, which means a wagon can go faster over rough ground.
“Kivalian tells me you and the Narthani have tried using rockets in place of artillery, but neither of you has been successful in making them efficient enough to rely on. I can solve that problem for you. Imagine a barrage of hundreds, even thousands, of rockets being rained down on a concentration of Narthani troops at a distance of a thousand yards or more.
“I know how to treat iron and steel objects to slow rusting, even if left exposed to the weather for months at a time.
“There is a method to illuminate a battlefield, no matter how dark the night.
“I’ve mentioned increasing the rate of fire from smoothbore muskets. That can be done in a relatively short time, if enough resources are put to it. Longer term, I know three ways to increase your troops’ rate of fire by another three- to ten-fold. It would take two to ten years. I can’t give a better time estimate, because I don’t know any details about craftsmanship in Fuomon, but it can be done.
“Those are enough practical examples. I also have knowledge whose uses even I cannot predict but which I know would revolutionize people’s understanding of the world. My wife, Maera, tells me that Eina Saisannin knows that in my homeland I was a student of what we call chemistry. I’ve used this chemistry in many of the innovations I’ve brought to Caedellium, but the island doesn’t have the people or the environment to utilize even a fraction of what I know. I could share more with Fuomon, and while I can’t predict the exact outcomes, I can guarantee acceleration in the Fuomon economy.
“Similarly, I’m aware of the general state of mathematics as is known throughout Anyar. I can help advance the entire field of mathematics enough that it will make what you currently know seem trivial. If you are not aware of the value of mathematics, I suggest you talk with Saisannin. From Maera, I know that one of your ship’s surgeons is also a mathematician who’s frustrated because he hasn’t been able to learn the more advanced mathematics known here on Caedellium. The same with Rhanjur Gaya, who was a mathematician before becoming a diplomat. I’ll confess I arranged to dangle a few morsels in front of them without their being able to learn more. I can release that block.
“Medical knowledge. Although I wasn’t trained as a medicant or a surgeon, I have knowledge that the Caedelli are not able to utilize yet. Having Fuom
on medical people available would probably allow me to introduce much more.
“Speaking of dangling, I think I’ve provided enough temptations. What is all I’ve said worth to Fuomon?”
Yozef awaited Rintala’s response. He saw no need to go into details such as identifying by name processes such as vulcanization and galvanization, increased rates of fire by metal cartridges and percussion caps, breech-loading rifles and cannon, Gatling guns followed by recoil- and gas-operated machine guns, Congreve and Hale rockets, parachute flares, and eventually radio. As much as he hated the thought of introducing so many weapon innovations to Anyar, he and his family, people he cared about, and all of the clans were coming to a precipice, and they needed every speck of help to draw back from an abyss.
Rintala Surprises
The Fuomi commander was nothing if not decisive when presented with enough facts to support his existing inclinations. He had already prepared what he would tell Yozef, even before they’d gone halfway through the list of lures.
“If you deliver all you promise, in exchange, I will agree to deny the Narthani Navy entrance to the Gulf of Normot. Commodore Kyllo will need to examine the Normot Cut, but if it’s as has been described, I imagine he can station three or four frigates on spring anchors and face broadside to the channel. No Narthani warship, no matter what size, could present a broadside while trying to traverse the channel. Even the Narthani’s biggest warship couldn’t survive being pounded by sixty cannon at point-blank range while only being able to respond with its chase guns, because they wouldn’t be able to turn in that narrow a channel. I doubt they’d try to send more than one ship through at once, in hopes that one large ship could get through and clear the blockade.
“I expect Kyllo will want your help in preventing them from trying to get around the blockade via launches and longboats and taking one or more of our frigates by boarding them. Possibly sets of swivel guns could be added to some of your fishing boats, which would provide protection from boarding attempts.”
Forged in Fire (Destiny's Crucible Book 4) Page 45