“I’d tell you to go home to your consort, except that it’s the middle of the day, and we both have to get back to work.”
“I’d tell you the same, except you don’t have a consort.”
Tyrsal looks down.
“Don’t tell me there is someone?” Lorn grins again. “After all those years of telling me you’d never find anyone?”
“Perchance…I don’t know.”
“Do I know her?” Lorn waits.
“You know of her…but don’t ask. If it works, you’ll be the second to know.”
“After your mother?”
“I have to tell her first.” Tyrsal smiles boyishly once more.
Lorn nods, asking, “Do you want to bring her to dinner next sixday? The only one who I might ask is Jerial, and she won’t say anything.”
Tyrsal frowns, then smiles. “Why not?”
“I’ll check on the day with Ryalth. I might have to move it one day or so.” Lorn frowns to himself. “Best I let you know tomorrow.”
“That’s fine.” Tyrsal blots his forehead. “If we want to get anything to eat…we’d better hurry.”
“According to the outside board, there’s a stew at the Kettle.”
“It’s better than going hungry…”
“But not much?” asks Lorn as he follows Tyrsal toward the washroom.
“Not much at all.” Tyrsal laughs.
XCVI
Commander Shykt and Commander Muyro sit across the Majer-Commander’s conference table from each other, Muyro on the north side, Shykt on the south. Each has a document before him. Lorn is seated in the armless chair to Rynst’s left.
The door to the study opens, and a commander unfamiliar to Lorn steps inside. He has rugged features, a pockmarked face, and iron-gray hair. He also carries some form of document under his left arm. “Greetings, Majer-Commander.”
“Commander Dhynt,” Rynst announces. “Majer Lorn is my new adjutant and assistant.” He remains seated as he continues. “Commander Dhynt is in charge of the fireships…such as they are.”
Dhynt nods brusquely in Lorn’s direction and sits down in the chair beside the brown-haired Shykt, inclining his head to the swarthy Muyro and then to Shykt. He places the thick set of papers on the polished table before him.
Rynst studies the iron-haired and square-faced commander. “This is the fifth meeting we have had over the last year about the problems with the chaos-towers. Each of you is supposed to have a report for me.”
A round of nods follows the words of the Majer-Commander.
“I will study the documents, but I expect a summary from each of you.” Rynst glances at the most recent arrival. “You may begin, Dhynt.”
The gray-haired commander clears his throat. “The chaos-towers which provide the power systems for the fireships came from the Rational Stars, somewhere beyond chaos itself, and cannot be built on our world. In the more than tenscore years since the creation of Cyador, no chaos-tower has ever been successfully restored, even when it appeared identical to those still functioning. Further, the power projection systems employed by the Magi’i and Mirror Engineers cannot be used except with the concentrated chaos-power supplied by a tower. The Magi’i have attempted to use a number of the most powerful Magi’i in concentrating naturally-occurring chaos, but that chaos was either somehow different or not powerful enough to make the projection equipment work. Since the projection equipment is required to fabricate new chaos-cells, such as those used in the firewagons, and those used in the firecannon, while firecannon could be mounted on sailing warships, the Magi’i estimate that such cells will last only for one- to twoscore years after the failure of the last chaos-tower.”
Lorn writes as quickly as he can, hoping that he can convert his notes into a credible report without forgetting anything important.
Dhynt clears his throat and glances at Rynst.
Rynst nods for him to continue.
“That means we can neither repair nor replace the fireships and the firecannon. The most feasible option would appear to be the immediate construction of a fleet of fast sailing vessels of comparatively narrow beam, with deep keels, and extensive sails, capable of carrying conventional cannon powered by cammabark or some form of black powder.”
“I understand we now have but a quarterscore fireships left with full function. How long before we have none?” asks Rynst.
“As I have told you before, ser, ten years at the longest, more probably five, I would say. The Magi’i and the Mirror Engineers tell me one of the ships might last a score of years. I think not. Each firecannon must be disassembled and cleaned and the arming cells and the cables replaced almost every voyage. The strength of the firebolts varies from discharge to discharge even so, and that variation is increasing with each voyage.”
Rynst nods evenly and turns to the swarthy commander. “Commander Muyro?”
“Yes, ser. I am not so eloquent as Dhynt, ser. You asked the Mirror Engineers what new devices we could develop to replace the firelances. As Commander Shykt has already noted, the most feasible replacements for the firelances are cupridium lances, such as those already used by the District Guards. We are also looking into the fabrication of cupridium mirror shields. They have a more advantageous strength to weight proportion, so that a lancer will have greater protection but carry a lighter burden than with either a wooden or iron-sheathed shield. Also, the smooth surface will deflect an iron blade…”
As he continues to take his notes, Lorn represses a frown. Mere deflection might not always be good, since it could easily send one of the Jeranyi edged bars into a mount, or a lancer’s legs.
“You might wish to make several of those shields and see how they work,” suggests Rynst. “In actual combat.”
“We will have a score ready in an eightday, and they could be issued to a squad in one of the companies along the Grass Hills.”
Rynst glances at Lorn. “Majer, you have had the most recent combat experience. Where would you suggest that the shields be tested?”
“I would suggest at Isahl or one of the outposts in the northeast out of Syadtar, ser. There are likely to be more raids there this summer.”
Rynst nods. “Do you have any observations on the lances and the shields?”
“When I was at Biehl, I did command some District Guards against the barbarians. The cupridium lances worked fairly well, but some of the lancers had trouble knowing when to drop the lances and switch to their sabres. There might need to be some training on that. The shields could be useful, but I don’t know whether the entire surface should be polished. If they are designed to deflect a blade down, lancers could lose their legs or their mounts. Perhaps several designs should be tested.”
“Those are good thoughts. Have you considered them, Commander?” asks the Majer-Commander.
“The deflection had been raised, ser.”
“And? Did anyone determine whether it was a possibility?”
“No, ser.”
“Before our next meeting, you are to have someone conduct trials to see if the design you are using will deflect a blade into the lancer and the mount. If this is a possibility, you are to develop alternative designs.”
“Yes, ser.” Muyro nods, his face impassive.
“Commander Shykt?”
“We were tasked with determining whether the defenses of the ports, compounds, and outposts would need to be changed if firelances and firecannon were no longer available to the Mirror Lancers. In simple terms, the answer is no. All the facilities were initially designed so that they could be defended without the use of chaos-powered weapons. We did discover one weakness, but that is not with the defenses. Because horse-drawn supply wagons are both slower and more vulnerable to attack, and with all provisions coming by such teams, it might be prudent to increase food and supply storage areas in some of the more exposed outposts, and to schedule somewhat more frequent reprovisioning.” Shykt nods that he is finished.