Chapter 382: — A Way Home

Malen placed the report from the recent commando exercises beside the armour plans.

“My lord, assigning a mage to every squad has helped, but the exercises have shown that we still need a better way to move the men.”

Lucien drew the report closer.

“What held them back?”

“Our original teams consisted entirely of knights. The mages were added to counter magical threats and help with movement and withdrawal. Each squad has one now, but he cannot perform all those tasks at once.”

Malen opened the report to a marked page.

“The teams usually have seven to ten members. When they divide into smaller groups, the mage can be occupied protecting one group just as another needs to change position.”

The weapon assignments made keeping the teams coordinated especially important. One or two members served as machine gunners, one as a sniper, and three specialised in close combat with runic melee weapons. The other warriors provided additional firepower, with a rocket launcher carried when the mission required it.

Malen tapped the exercise notes.

“In one exercise, part of the squad needed to reposition while its mage was countering the opposing caster. The men had to wait until he could spare the attention and mana. Their planned movements no longer happened together.”

“And repeated teleportation drains him,” Gandalf said. “Moving armoured men and their equipment already takes considerable mana. He cannot carry an entire squad over long distances with the reserve available to him.”

“Which also leaves less for countering enemy magic,” Cedric added.

Malen nodded.

“That is why I want a reusable directional teleportation device integrated into the suit, my lord. The men need to split, move independently, and regroup under command while their mage continues supporting them.”

Lucas rested his quill against the ledger.

“We already have magical pacts for teleportation.”

“Most cheaper ones are non-directional,” Maerath replied. “They can remove a man from immediate danger, but they do not let him reliably choose where he arrives.”

“That is no good when he is supposed to join the rest of his team,” Malen said. “And the directional ones cost a fortune to use repeatedly.”

Lucas glanced at the exercise report.

“I have seen those expenses. At that price, I would expect the pact to carry the man home, polish his armour, and apologise for the inconvenience.”

A brief smile crossed Lucien’s face before he looked back at the plans.

“Then the requirement is controlled movement between chosen positions, powered by the suit, with the means for members of a squad to coordinate their jumps.”

“Yes, my lord. The exercises made that necessary. A man should be able to reach his assigned position without asking the squad’s mage to stop countering an enemy spell.”

Gandalf nodded.

“The mage can still assist with difficult conditions and movements the equipment cannot manage. The suits would take much of the routine burden off him.”

Lucien rested a hand on the armour plan.

“Why can we not build it from what we already know?”

“We can, my lord,” Gandalf replied. “But when I teleport someone, I make the adjustments myself. An apparatus operated by a knight must perform that work without a mage attending every activation.”

“And the directional pacts?” Lucien asked.

“They show that it can be done,” Maerath said. “Copying their workings into the armour would also carry their expense with them. We need an arrangement that can be used repeatedly without consuming the power intended for the rest of the suit.”

Lucien glanced between the two mages.

“So we could develop it ourselves.”

“Yes, my lord. We would have to work through the controls, power demand, and repeated operation. I cannot yet promise how long that would take.”

“Then we are looking for knowledge that shortens that work.”

Gandalf nodded.

“Methods for building and controlling the equipment would help us considerably, my lord. Another collection of teleportation spells might add very little.”

Lucas turned his ledger toward a clean patch of the table.

“Please remember that distinction when the shop begins praising its merchandise, my lord. We already own several shelves of impressive things.”

Ironbreaker folded his arms.

“I would also like it to take the whole suit, my lord.”

Brakka glanced at him.

“Planning to leave anything behind?”

“Only you, if the load is excessive.”

Lucas wrote a fresh heading.

“One hundred and ninety-two thousand points remain, my lord. Master Dray still has a request.”

Dray tightened his grip on his rolled drawing.

“I had wondered whether anyone remembered.”

“I remember every request that has not yet acquired a price.”

Lucien opened the first collection.

PERSONAL DISPLACEMENT AND TELEPORTATION — ARCANE THEORY COLLECTION

Origin: Forgotten Realms — Dungeons & Dragons Universe

Contents: Principles of personal displacement, movement to visible destinations, longer teleportation, group transport, destination knowledge, magical restrictions, and related spell studies.

Requirements: Trained arcane practitioners and the ability to reproduce or adapt the relevant casting methods.

Milestone Price: 190,000 → 38,000 Points

Remark: Includes methods for reaching a chosen destination. Choosing somewhere sensible remains your responsibility; apparently, that portion of the curriculum was neglected.

Brakka grinned.

“That last part should be printed on the officers’ maps.”

Malen ignored him.

“Would this work for us, my lord?”

“It gives us the spell theory. Some methods permit a rapid movement to an unoccupied place the caster can see. Others allow different kinds of destinations. However, we would still have to develop the equipment that lets a knight use them.”

Gandalf considered the entry.

“Useful knowledge, my lord. But we would be doing much of the work of turning the casting into a controlled function of the suit.”

“And coordinating several wearers?” Cedric asked.

“That would also be ours to develop.”

Lucas left the price unmarked.

“Then let us compare it with something intended for equipment.”

The next collection came from the Imperium.

PERSONAL TELEPORTATION AND ARMOUR INTEGRATION — TECHNICAL ARCHIVE

Origin: Imperium of Man

Contents: Personal teleportation principles, armour-carried apparatus, destination control, power and protective systems, operational limitations, construction, and maintenance. Includes studies of equipment used for rapid battlefield displacement.

Requirements: Advanced technical manufacture, specialised control equipment, and understanding of the Warp interactions used by the original systems.

Milestone Price: 1,280,000 → 128,000 Points

Remark: Why cross a battlefield when you can briefly leave reality? Customers are encouraged to consider whether the battlefield was truly the less hospitable option.

Lucas lowered his quill.

“My lord, I would like that explained before anyone develops enthusiasm.”

Lucien examined the summary.

“These designs include personal teleportation packs. The wearer can make rapid movements, but the method involves passage through the Warp.”

Gandalf’s expression sharpened.

“The otherworldly realm associated with that universe?”

“Yes.”

“Do we know whether those conditions can be reproduced here?”

“No.”

Maerath shook his head.

“Then the apparatus is only part of the problem. We would first have to establish what the method could connect to here and whether it could function safely.”

Aurethar raised his head beside the fireplace.

“You wanted to make retreat easier, Lucien. I recommend a destination that does not require its own invasion plan.”

Lucien closed the entry.

“We have enough work without beginning there.”

Lucas crossed out the price.

“A rare pleasure, my lord.”

Lucien moved past another collection of spell studies and stopped at a technical archive.

The image above its description showed a golden flying vessel. Sections of its hull unfolded around a bright central structure, and a field spread beneath it.

He recognised the name before finishing the first paragraph.

WARP PRISM AND MOBILE WARP-FIELD TECHNOLOGY — COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH ARCHIVE

Origin: Protoss

Contents: Principles and construction of Warp Prism transport systems, deployable warp fields, connections to supporting warp infrastructure, destination control, power management, psionic components, automated operation, and maintenance.

Requirements: Advanced precision manufacture, complex control systems, and compatible field-generating materials and power. Adaptation to local magic requires independent development.

Milestone Price: 430,000 → 86,000 Points

Remark: Delivers reinforcements without making them march. Officers determined to exhaust their soldiers before battle will now have to show some initiative.

Lucien read the entry aloud, then pulled a sheet toward him and sketched the vessel.

Malen studied the outline.

“My lord, that looks considerably larger than something we can put inside a suit.”

“It is. A Warp Prism carries troops and can deploy a field through which a supporting warp network sends reinforcements.”

“So it becomes an arrival point wherever it deploys?” Cedric asked.

“Yes. The original arrangement still needs the equipment sending those troops. The Prism does not provide the entire network by itself.”

Ironbreaker drew the paper closer.

“Then we would need both ends.”

“For that arrangement, yes.”

The dwarf rubbed his beard.

“My lord, perhaps we have been trying to put too much inside the armour. If we could build a support construct around the larger equipment, it could accompany the squad. Each man would carry the part needed to connect with it.”

Brakka leaned across the table.

“That depends on how much can actually be separated. We might discover that the little part is merely the handle.”

“Which is why I said ‘if.'”

Lucas looked at Lucien’s drawing.

“How large is this thing?”

“The original is a transport vessel,” Lucien said. “We would have to decide what size our version needs to be.”

Malen glanced at the armour drawing.

“My lord, every commando already has a personal space ring. The support unit does not have to hang from someone’s back. If it fits inside a ring, the men can carry it to the position and deploy it when needed.”

Ironbreaker paused, then nodded.

“Aye. Then we design around the storage space available and what the apparatus needs to function.”

“We might even put it in an armoured vehicle built for the commandos,” Brakka suggested. “If the rings have the room, something the size of a tank could carry more protection and a larger power supply.”

Lucas looked at him.

“We began with an addition to a suit. You have reached a tank before I finished writing the first price.”

“It was a suggestion.”

“They always are, until someone brings me the bill.”

Lucien tapped the sketch.

“Check the rings’ capacity before settling on a size. Keep a protected ground vehicle among the possibilities. First, establish what the transport equipment requires.”

“Yes, my lord,” Ironbreaker said.

Malen placed a finger on the sketch before the dwarves could answer.

“My lord, would this actually let separated men regroup, or would it only bring new soldiers from somewhere else?”

“The stock Prism’s warp-in function does not give us everything you requested,” Lucien replied. “Connecting men already in the field would require equipment at their end as well.”

Maerath had been listening with his hands resting on the exercise report.

“That is where our existing knowledge may help, my lord. We already establish spatial connections through spells and arrays. This archive concerns a civilisation that has made transport a controlled function of machinery.”

“Can we combine them?” Lucien asked.

“We can investigate it. Their psionic workings are not automatically interchangeable with ours. But the control methods, arrangement of the equipment, and management of the field could save us considerable work.”

Gandalf nodded.

“We would begin with a working we understand and examine how their methods could control it. We need not reproduce every part of a Protoss vessel before learning anything useful.”

Ironbreaker tapped the larger shape on the page.

“And a separate construct gives us room for the first apparatus. We can establish what it needs before trying to fit it around a man’s ribs.”

Malen considered that, then drew two groups of marks beside the vessel.

“These are parts of one squad. One holds a passage while the other moves around the position. Can the construct help them move separately?”

“That would be a requirement for our version,” Maerath said. “Each suit would need its own connection and a way to identify the selected arrival position. We would first test movement between prepared points before attempting destinations chosen during a fight.”

“And the two groups would have to remain within its working area?”

“Yes. How large that area can be is something we must establish.”

Malen looked toward Lucien.

“My lord, that could still help. We could coordinate movement through it while the mage deals with the enemy. But I do not want every man stranded because one construct gets shot down.”

Cedric nodded.

“It would be a valuable target as soon as the demons understood what it did.”

“Then we build a shield into it,” Gandalf said. “We have already been examining protective systems for the armour. Some of that knowledge should help us protect the construct.”

Ironbreaker nodded.

“With power reserved for the shield. I would rather it did not drop its protection halfway through moving the men.”

“And if the shield fails with it?” Malen asked.

“We still have the squad’s mage and the traditional teleportation methods,” Maerath replied. “The construct would take much of the routine work off him. He should retain mana for an emergency withdrawal.”

“He may still be fighting an enemy caster.”

“Then we must account for that reserve during training. He cannot be expected to spend everything and move the entire squad afterwards. An emergency jump may also be shorter than the distance the construct could manage.”

Lucien looked toward Malen.

“Keep the existing teleportation pacts as a further fallback. Their cost is a reason to avoid using them for every change of position. It is acceptable when they are needed to save the men.”

Lucas nodded.

“I would rather pay for a pact that brings someone back, my lord. We have already spent a considerable amount making him difficult to kill.”

Aurethar shifted beside the fireplace.

“And keep teaching them to run. The method has survived several civilisations and requires remarkably little paperwork.”

Brakka grunted.

“Easy advice from something with wings.”

“Then run faster, Shorty.”

Lucien waited for the laughter to pass.

“The shield and the fallback arrangements belong in the first design,” Lucien said. “No squad will depend on an untested construct to bring it home.”

“Yes, my lord,” Malen said.

Lucien looked back at the entry.

“The original Prism must deploy to provide its warp field. Our first version may have the same restriction. It cannot be assumed to maintain the connection while fleeing with the men but try to sort it.”

“Then it needs a protected position during use,” Cedric said. “And the last man must be accounted for before it shuts down.”

Malen added a note beside his two groups.

“The leader should know who has arrived and who cannot move. Otherwise, this merely lets us lose someone faster.”

Maerath drew the sheet toward him.

“We will also have to establish what happens when the field is disrupted during preparation. It must refuse an unusable destination before beginning the move. Enemy wards and the continental shield remain restrictions,i doubt it will be able to pass through.”

Lucas had been following the discussion with his quill poised above the price.

“My lord, we have agreed that this will need local development. What makes this collection worth eighty-six thousand?”

“The equipment research,” Lucien said. “It includes the theory behind the field, how its controls operate, and how the components are built and maintained. The cheaper collection would leave us turning spell knowledge into equipment ourselves.”

Gandalf glanced at Maerath, who nodded.

“We would still have to adapt the methods, my lord,” Gandalf said. “But this addresses the work we have yet to solve.”

Lucas wrote the figure down.

“Then the first estimate should include the construct, the suit equipment, and what it costs to keep both working. I would rather discover an expensive requirement while it is still a drawing.”

“Aye,” Ironbreaker said. “And we will compare it with putting the complete apparatus in each suit.”

Lucien confirmed the purchase.

Knowledge Purchase Confirmed.

Warp Prism and Mobile Warp-Field Technology: 86,000 Points.

Milestone Grant Remaining: 106,000 Points.

A broad reference case appeared beside the armour studies. Ironbreaker caught the nearest rolled drawing before the case pushed it off the table.

Maerath opened the first volume while Gandalf examined its contents list.

“Malen, prepare the requirements with Cedric,” Lucien said. “Include separated teams, wounded men, and the loss of the support construct. Ironbreaker and Brakka will work with the mages on a first arrangement. Begin with controlled tests first.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And keep the armour team involved. We should know what the suits must carry before their design is finished.”

Ironbreaker nodded and moved his chair closer to Maerath’s.

Lucas drew a line beneath the remaining balance.

Lucas closed the purchase column and looked toward Dray.

“Your turn, Master Dray. Before someone decides the armour should sail.”

Dray picked up his papers.

“My lord, Bismarck is almost finished. She will soon be ready to undergo sea trials.”

Lucien lowered the reference in his hand.

“Then tell me what you have planned for after her.”