Chapter 383: An airfield at sea

Dray spread a sea chart between the reference cases and held its curled edge down with his palm.

“My lord, with Bismarck approaching her sea trials, we need to consider how the fleet will operate farther from the coast.”

He pointed to the marked routes.

“Our aircraft can support ships within reach of the coastal airfields. Beyond that, we would have to rely on what the vessels themselves can see and fight.”

Malen leaned over the chart.

“Aircraft could search ahead of the fleet and intercept threats before they reached the ships. But they would need somewhere to land.”

Lucien followed the marked route and opened the naval section of the shop. He paused over an entry, then looked back at Dray.

“Then we take their airfield with the fleet.”

Dray looked up.

“An airfield aboard a ship, my lord?”

“It is called an aircraft carrier,” Lucien said. “The designs here are for ships built to launch, recover, and maintain aircraft at sea.”

Lucien drew a blank sheet toward him and copied the basic arrangement from the entry: a long upper deck, hangar spaces below it, and a narrow superstructure to one side.

“The aircraft operate from here. The ship carries their crews, workshops, ammunition, and everything needed to send them out again.”

Dray studied the outline, then moved the chart aside to make room.

“That would let us take the support with us instead of extending every patrol from the coast.”

“Yes but the ship and its aircraft must be designed to work together.”

Lucas placed his quill across the ledger.

“Bismarck has not completed her trials yet, my lord. They may reveal work that needs doing especially for such large ships.”

“Her completion and any changes required by the trials take priority. Dray’s design office can study the carrier while the yard crews remain available.”

Dray nodded.

“Yes, my lord. We should understand what the next vessel requires before asking the yards to build her.”

Lucas’s eyes returned to the size of Lucien’s sketch.

“What exactly would she carry, my lord? Because I can already see someone attempting to put the heavy bombers aboard.”

“Fighters and reconnaissance aircraft would be the first consideration,” Malen said. “The aircraft must suit the ship, and the ship must support the tasks we expect them to perform.”

Dray tapped the hangar spaces.

“And we need to maintain them at sea. Carrying an aircraft is easy compared with recovering it, moving it below, repairing it, and returning it to the deck without obstructing everything else.”

Gandalf examined the sketch.

“We could assist the launch and landing with magic.”

“We should examine that,” Dray replied. “But I still need to know what the deck, the aircraft, and the crews must do. A mage helping a pilot is useful. A pilot depending on someone to catch him every time he lands is a different proposition.”

Aurethar opened his eyes.

“I am unavailable for that position.”

“Nobody offered it,” Brakka said.

“I was preventing an expensive misunderstanding.”

Lucien returned to the shop and searched for comprehensive carrier references.

“We will need the construction knowledge and the methods of operating the aircraft together. A hull blueprint alone would leave most of Dray’s questions unanswered.”

Three collections appeared. Lucien drew a blank sheet beside him and began noting their requirements as he read the entries aloud.

NUCLEAR-POWERED FLEET CARRIERS — DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONS

Origin: Earth — Information Age

Contents: Carrier architecture, nuclear propulsion and support systems, launch and recovery equipment, flight-deck operations, aircraft integration, protection, maintenance, and fleet support.

Requirements: Advanced industrial infrastructure, nuclear engineering, specialised electronics, and extensive supporting facilities.

Milestone Price: 1,480,000 → 148,000 Points

Remark: Includes the knowledge to build a carrier. The industrial civilisation needed to build it remains your responsibility. Try not to confuse the two while announcing the launch date.

Lucas did not bother writing it down.

“We have one hundred and six thousand, my lord.”

“And we would have little immediate use for much of the propulsion material,” Dray said after Lucien explained the requirement. “We already have a direction for our own engines. Replacing the central machinery in a design built around something entirely different would create more work.”

Lucien moved on.

HELICARRIER ENGINEERING AND AVIATION OPERATIONS — TECHNICAL ARCHIVE

Origin: S.H.I.E.L.D. — Marvel Cinematic Universe

Contents: Airborne carrier architecture, powered lift, flight control, flight decks, hangars, aircraft handling, power distribution, structural requirements, and maintenance.

Requirements: Advanced materials, precision manufacture, high-output propulsion, and sophisticated control equipment.

Milestone Price: 890,000 → 1,89,000 Points

Remark: This design allows the entire airfield to fly. Your treasury is unlikely to recover as gracefully.

Dray raised his head as Lucien explained the entry.

“The carrier itself flies, my lord?”

“Yes. This design uses enormous ducted fans to keep the vessel airborne.”

Brakka looked from the ship outline to Gandalf.

“Dray has been in charge of aircraft for less than a minute, and he is already taking the entire ship into your sky.”

Gandalf ignored him.

“Keeping a vessel of that size stable would require considerable power and control.”

“The archive covers those systems,” Lucien said. “We could study them, though reproducing them would be a substantial undertaking.”

Dray rested his hands on the table.

“My lord, we would be developing a flying base as well as learning to operate aircraft from it. Seastar has been building its experience around seagoing hulls.”

“Could you use parts of the collection?”

“Probably. The aircraft-handling methods may be valuable. But I would examine the remaining option before paying for flight machinery we do not presently need.”

Lucas wrote a small note beside the price.

“For once, someone has declined an additional engine before I asked what it costs.”

Lucien opened the third.

CONVENTIONAL FLEET CARRIERS AND NAVAL AVIATION — COMPLETE DESIGN COLLECTION

Origin: Earth — Late Industrial and Early Jet Ages

Contents: Hull and flight-deck design, hangars and aircraft lifts, launch and recovery systems, carrier aircraft requirements, deck organisation, maintenance, protection, ammunition handling, navigation, and fleet support. Includes construction studies and operating lessons from multiple carrier designs.

Requirements: Heavy shipbuilding, precision machinery, suitable aircraft, and trained naval aviation personnel.

Milestone Price: 360,000 → 72,000 Points

Remark: Teaches you to put an airfield on a moving ship. Captains are reminded that painting a stripe on a battleship does not qualify.

Brakka looked at the sketch.

“You’ll want more than the one stripe, then.”

“I was planning to ask you for a brush.”

“I charge extra for naval work.”

Lucas raised a finger.

“Neither of you is putting that in writing.”

Dray asked Lucien to read the contents more closely. He listened to the sections on deck arrangements, aircraft recovery, and the changes introduced as aircraft became heavier and faster.

“This is where I would begin, my lord.”

“Why this one?” Lucien asked.

“The hull stands through its structure. We can examine it using methods we are already learning at Seastar, then integrate our propulsion and protective workings. The collection also addresses the aircraft and crew organisation instead of treating the ship as a floating warehouse.”

Ironbreaker nodded.

“The launching and recovery machinery will still require development. But that is work we can divide between the yards and our workshops.”

“And our present aircraft?” Malen asked.

“Must be assessed,” Dray replied. “A machine designed for a long runway does not automatically become suitable because we give the ship a flat deck.”

Gandalf turned toward Lucien.

“Skyforge should work with Seastar from the beginning, my lord. Aircraft size, landing behaviour, and the assistance we can provide will affect the ship.”

“Agreed. Decide the intended air group before fixing the hull dimensions. I do not want one department designing a hangar while another enlarges the aircraft meant to fit inside it.”

Dray drew a line beneath the rough sketch.

“Yes, my lord. We will settle those requirements before preparing the construction plans.”

Lucas entered seventy-two thousand in his ledger.

“That leaves thirty-four thousand if we purchase it.”

Dray hesitated.

Lucas noticed immediately.

“What else?”

Dray turned back toward Lucien.

“Navigation, my lord.”

For a moment, Lucas simply looked at him.

Dray moved Lucien’s sketch aside and brought the sea chart back to the centre of the table.

“The carrier solves one problem. Our aircraft have somewhere to return to. But both the ship and the aircraft need reliable guidance when they are far from land and where are allied ships.”

He placed a finger on an open stretch of water.

“A pilot returning to the place where he departed may find that the fleet has moved. Meanwhile, the fleet itself must know where it is, rather than merely knowing where it intended to go.”

Gandalf nodded.

“We can place a magical beacon aboard.”

“That would help the aircraft find the ship,” Dray said. “It would not tell the captain whether his ship was following the correct course.”

Maerath drew the chart closer.

“He is right, my lord. The vessel’s position and its position relative to a returning aircraft are separate questions.”

Lucien marked several points along the coast.

“We could use fixed stations at places we have surveyed.”

Dray looked toward Gandalf.

“Could we adapt the radars and detection arrays we already have?”

“For part of the equipment, probably,” Gandalf said. “They can tell us where a detected object lies relative to the ship. If we identify a surveyed landmark, that observation helps locate us. In open water, there may be nothing suitable to measure.”

“And another ship may be just as uncertain of its position,” Maerath added.

Lucien tapped his marks.

“Then these stations send signals the equipment can recognise. A receiver aboard the ship compares measurements from several known references and calculates its position on the chart.”

Maerath considered the arrangement.

“We already have ways to receive signals and measure their direction. We would need the means to make sufficiently accurate measurements, distinguish each station, and calculate the result reliably.”

“So the existing arrays give us somewhere to begin?” Lucien asked.

“Yes, my lord. The receiving and detection methods should be useful. Turning them into a positioning instrument would still require development.”

Dray moved his finger farther out to sea.

“How far would those stations reach?”

“That is one of the first things we must test,” Gandalf said. “Our communication workings may help extend the coverage, but we cannot promise a dependable position wherever a ship happens to sail.”

“Outside that coverage, the navigator would still need independent observations and an estimate of the vessel’s movement,” Lucien said. “The instrument must show when it has lost a reliable fix.”

Dray nodded.

“Then the captain can judge the uncertainty. I would rather see an estimated position than an exact-looking mark in the wrong place.”

Lucas glanced at the dots along the coast.

“Do those dots require buildings?”

“Stations, power supplies, and maintenance,” Ironbreaker replied.

“Of course. We have found a way for the navy to spend money without leaving the harbour.”

Lucien opened the navigation references.

“Then we need the methods for building the instruments and establishing the references they use. Let us see what the shop offers.”

Lucien opened the first navigation collection.

OCEAN NAVIGATION AND MARITIME AIR-APPROACH SYSTEMS

Origin: Earth — Industrial and Information Ages

Contents: Ocean surveying, celestial and instrument-based position finding, movement estimation between observations, navigation beacons, approach instruments, and the production and calibration of supporting equipment.

Milestone Price: 240,000 → 24,000 Points

Remark: Includes methods for finding your position without a convenient tower on the shore. Pointing at the horizon and saying “that way” remains unsupported.

Dray studied the list.

“The navigation principles would be useful. Some are also covered in the carrier collection, though this goes further into the instruments and approach equipment.”

“And the aircraft guidance?” Lucien asked.

“We would need to develop and manufacture the appropriate equipment for our aircraft and ships. We would also need local charts and measurements before using these methods here.”

Gandalf looked toward Maerath, then back to the chart.

“We may have another route for that part. What is the magical option, my lord?”

Lucien read the second entry.

OCEANIC POSITIONING AND MOVING-BEACON GUIDANCE — COMPLETE NAVIGATOR’S COLLECTION

Origin: Orinthian Concord — World of Therys

Contents: Maritime surveying, fixed reference networks, signal identification and measurement, position calculation, celestial observation workings, movement estimation, moving-vessel beacons, aircraft return and approach guidance, interruption procedures, and instrument manufacture and calibration.

Requirements: Surveyed local references, trained navigators, precision artificing, and compatible shipboard and airborne arrays.

Milestone Price: 315,000 → 31,500 Points

Remark: Finding the ship is only half the job. Pilots who mistake the ocean beside it for a landing deck are advised to read the remaining chapters.

Lucas stared at the price, then checked his remaining figure.

Dray was watching the contents.

“That covers the fixed reference stations, the instruments aboard the ships, and the beacons returning aircraft would follow.”

Maerath nodded.

“We would still have to survey the station positions and calibrate the equipment here. The collection can teach us the methods, my lord. It cannot supply a chart of our own ocean.”

“Could we begin with a ship near Seastar?” Lucien asked.

“Yes, my lord. We could compare the instrument’s result with positions our navigators establish independently, then extend the trials farther from the reference stations.”

Gandalf indicated the instrument section of Lucien’s notes.

“I would begin by examining which receiving and ranging components we can adapt. The navigation equipment should work alongside the radar watching for threats.”

“And the aircraft?” Malen asked.

“The carrier carries its own beacon,” Gandalf replied. “Within its working range, the aircraft can use that to find the moving ship and approach it. That serves a different purpose from the shore references used to locate the fleet.”

Cedric leaned forward.

“If a signal is interrupted?”

“The equipment must show the loss,” Dray said. “The navigator can continue from the last reliable position using other observations and movement estimates. Aircraft crews will also need agreed procedures if the carrier’s beacon fails or the deck cannot receive them.”

Lucien nodded.

“Put those requirements in the design. We will begin with a regional positioning network and establish its actual coverage before extending it.”

Gandalf examined the entry once more.

“My lord, I favour this collection alongside the carrier reference. It gives us methods for developing the positioning network around equipment and magical workings we already understand.”

Lucas completed the subtraction and leaned back.

“Seventy-two thousand for the carrier collection. Thirty-one thousand five hundred for navigation.”

Lucien looked toward him.

“And the remainder?”

“Two thousand five hundred points from the entire milestone grant, my lord.”

Brakka whistled.

“We left something.”

Lucas turned his ledger toward the dwarf.

“I have written it quite large so nobody mistakes it for permission.”

Lucien looked around the table.

“Any objections to these two collections?”

Dray shook his head.

“No, my lord.”

“They address the request,” Malen said. “The carrier still needs a proper development programme, but the knowledge will let us define one.”

Lucien selected the two collections and confirmed the purchase.

Knowledge Purchases Confirmed.

Conventional Fleet Carriers and Naval Aviation: 72,000 Points.

Oceanic Positioning and Moving-Beacon Guidance: 31,500 Points.

Total Deducted: 103,500 Points.

Milestone Grant Remaining: 2,500 Points.

The new volumes arrived in two heavy cases. Dray caught the carrier reference before Lucas could move his ledger out of the way, then drew it toward himself with both hands.

The edge of the case covered his carefully marked chart, and Dray was too occupied with the contents to straighten it.

Lucien waited until the cases were settled.

“Bismarck’s completion and sea trials remain Seastar’s immediate work. Keep the people and facilities needed to deal with the results available.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Prepare the carrier study alongside that. Work with Skyforge on the aircraft requirements. Gandalf and Maerath will work with you on the positioning equipment and its reference stations. Begin the navigation trials near Seastar aboard an available vessel.”

Dray nodded.

“That would let the navigators gain experience while the ship design is being prepared.”

“And begin training for deck operations ashore,” Malen added. “The first time our men work around arriving aircraft should not be on a deck moving beneath their feet.”

“Include it in the plan,” Lucien said.

Lucas finished the final entry.

The table that had begun the meeting with reports and a ledger was now crowded with references, drawings, and open cases. Brakka was reading a machinery index over Ironbreaker’s shoulder. Gandalf and Maerath had already separated the navigation volumes from the carrier plans.

Lucien looked toward Lucas.

“Two thousand five hundred remain.”

“Yes, my lord. I have circled the number.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I am preserving evidence of our restraint.”

Dray laughed first. Brakka followed, and even Malen’s attempt to hide his smile failed when Aurethar lowered his head beside the hearth and began to chuckle.

Lucas waited until they were finished.

“Now close the shop, my lord.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

“Before someone asks whether the last two thousand five hundred can buy some trinket.”