Chapter 343 - 336 — The First Four

High Forge Complex, Central Continent

Karrek received the final blueprint package shortly after midday.

The transmission chamber beneath the High Forge had been cleared of all non-essential personnel before dawn and sealed under high-priority military security. By the time the final encoded sheets came through the receiving array, four immense sets of technical documents from Elarion covered the long granite worktable at the center of the chamber.

The first bore a stark designation.

Mauser 98k.

The second:

MG-34.

The third package was heavier in both size and intent.

AMR-20.

The final set belonged to the Lancer-40, a forty-millimeter multipurpose infantry launcher accompanied by four separate ammunition packages.

Karrek stood over the table with both calloused hands planted against the granite.

Around him waited six men he had personally selected: two senior forge-masters, the director of infantry production, the master of military runeworks, the head of ammunition manufacture, and a senior logistics officer from Venn’s staff.

No assistants or scribes beyond the two security-cleared record keepers operating behind the sealed inner door.

The master copies would not leave this chamber casually.

Karrek looked across the four packages.

Elarion had not merely transmitted engineering drawings. At the front of each set was a shorter document covering the weapon’s intended role, operating characteristics, practical engagement ranges, ammunition, maintenance requirements, and the limitations Elarion considered important enough to state plainly.

That was where Karrek began.

He pulled the first operational sheet free.

Mauser 98k

Karrek read the heading, then continued down the page.

"Elarion classifies this as a mature standard infantry rifle."

Darek, the senior forge-master at Karrek’s right, leaned slightly closer.

Karrek continued.

"Manually operated bolt action. Five-round internal capacity. Fired one round at a time. Practical effective range of approximately five hundred meters for ordinary infantry."

He turned the page.

"Primary employment: general infantry combat. Designed for reliability under mud, dust, poor weather, rough handling and inconsistent maintenance. Intended for mass issue rather than specialist formations."

Karrek lowered the operational sheet and looked at the actual weapon drawings.

His first reaction was almost disappointment.

There was no mana crystal hidden inside the receiver. No runic reinforcement traced the stock. No heat-dispersing glyphwork covered the barrel. No enchanted firing assembly required a mage to maintain it.

Steel,Wood,Springs and Mechanical components.

That was all.

"It is almost insultingly simple," Darek said.

Karrek turned another page.

Then another.

His expression slowly changed.

"No."

Darek glanced toward him.

"No?"

"The simplicity is deliberate."

Karrek tapped the tolerance sheet.

"Look here."

Darek leaned closer.

"Every vital dimension is tightly controlled, but anything that does not need absolute precision has been given enough clearance to tolerate dirt, wear and rough handling. They have stripped away everything that does not directly help the weapon function."

He flipped back to the operational summary.

"Five hundred meters. Minimal specialist support. Ordinary infantry."

The logistics officer nodded.

"That is how Elarion intends it to be used."

Karrek looked toward him.

"Standard line infantry first?"

"Yes."

"Then garrisons, reserve formations, escorts and replacements?"

"Exactly."

Karrek looked back at the rifle.

The Alliance possessed weapons considerably more sophisticated than the 98k. Some were stronger, some were magically assisted, and some could accomplish things this plain mechanical rifle never would.

But four and a half million soldiers on Avarran did not need every weapon to be a masterpiece.

They needed weapons that worked.

Weapons that could be issued to an ordinary soldier instead of a trained artificer.

Weapons that could be manufactured again and again without requiring a master smith to personally bless every receiver that came off the line.

Karrek turned toward the director of infantry production.

"How much can we produce?"

The director already had a tally sheet prepared.

"If we committed every currently compatible military work to the design, thirty-seven facilities could begin without major structural changes."

"I asked how many rifles."

The director adjusted immediately.

"Once the first production problems settle, between sixty-three and sixty-eight thousand per month from those thirty-seven facilities."

Karrek’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"And if everything went perfectly?"

"The theoretical figure is approximately eighty-two thousand."

"Then forget the theoretical figure."

"Yes, High Smith."

"How many additional works can be converted?"

"Fourteen within six weeks."

Karrek nodded.

He did not intend to convert all fifty-one immediately. The Alliance still had existing weapons to supply, and stripping every for a rifle line bare before the Elarion design had fired a single Alliance-produced round would be stupidity disguised as enthusiasm.

"First batch."

"Two thousand rifles in twenty days."

"Three thousand."

The director glanced down at his calculations.

"It will require five facilities instead of three."

"Then use five."

"Good the first completed rifles should be ready for individual inspection on Day Eighteen, with the full three-thousand trial batch finished by Day Twenty."

"Good."

Karrek placed the operational sheet beside the blueprint.

"If the trials pass, this becomes a mass infantry weapon. I want production judged by how many reliable rifles leave the works, not how decorative they look while doing it."

Darek gave a wounded look.

"I have never valued decorative work over function."

Karrek stared at the gold clasp holding Darek’s beard together.

Darek cleared his throat.

Karrek moved to the second package.

MG-34

Again, he ignored the engineering drawings at first and opened Elarion’s operational summary.

"General-purpose machine gun."

Darek frowned.

"That is their classification?"

"Yes."

Karrek read farther.

"Automatic fire. Crewed by two. Practical effective range approximately eight hundred meters , with greater effective reach when used from a stabilized support."

He turned the sheet.

"Designed for mobile infantry support, defensive fire and sustained suppression. High ammunition consumption. Requires trained crews. Sustained use requires careful management of barrel temperature and replacement."

Karrek stopped.

"That last part is written remarkably politely."

The master of runeworks smiled.

"It means fools will destroy it."

"It usually does."

Only then did Karrek open the engineering sheets.

The MG-34 immediately irritated him more than the rifle had.

The tolerances were less forgiving. The feed mechanism demanded greater consistency. Sustained automatic fire created thermal stresses the 98k never had to care about.

Karrek traced one section with a thick finger.

"The barrel requirements are unpleasant."

Darek nodded.

"The feed system is worse."

"And careless crews will ruin both."

Karrek turned back to the operational summary.

Eight hundred meters from the light mounting.

Mobile enough to accompany infantry.

Capable of becoming a heavier defensive weapon once properly supported.

His attention shifted toward the Avarran maps lying at the far end of the table.

"This goes where the pressure is highest first."

The logistics officer followed his gaze.

"Southwestern Army."

"Yes."

The Southwestern Army had already given up more ground than any of the other five major field armies, and the current demon offensive was driving against its third defensive belt.

"Northwestern second," Karrek continued.

"Central after that?"

"If the current situation holds."

The logistics officer made a note.

Karrek tapped the MG-34 sheet.

"I do not want the first issue buried entirely inside fortress positions. Elarion designed this thing to move with infantry as well as defend ground."

"Understood."

"Once the trials pass, the first production batch goes heavily toward the Southwestern Army. Formations holding the logistics approaches and the threatened defensive belts get priority."

The officer nodded.

Karrek returned to the production director.

"How much can we produce?"

"With the first six suitable forges, approximately four thousand per month once production stabilizes."

"First run?"

"Five hundred weapons."

"How quickly?"

"Twenty-four days."

"Twenty-one."

Darek sighed.

"There it is."

Karrek ignored him.

"And I do not want all six works making them the same way."

The master of runeworks looked up.

"How do you want the comparison structured?"

"Two conventional mechanical lines. Two rune-assisted precision lines. One dwarven forge-shaping facility. One hybrid line."

The production director frowned.

"That is inefficient for the first run."

"It is supposed to be."

Karrek turned toward him.

"I want rejection rates, labor hours, part interchangeability, thermal deformation and maintenance failures compared directly. We are not copying Elarion’s factories. We are finding the best Alliance method of producing Elarion’s weapon without changing the weapon itself."

The master of runeworks nodded.

"And once the best methods are identified?"

"We standardize them."

Darek folded his arms.

"Or steal the best part from each."

Karrek looked at him.

"That is what standardize means when mages are involved."

Darek smiled.

Karrek moved to the third package.

AMR-20

He pulled the operational sheet free.

Then stopped.

"Twenty millimeters?"

The logistics officer wisely remained silent.

Karrek continued reading.

"Elarion classification: heavy anti-materiel rifle. Single-shot. Intended for trained specialist teams."

Darek leaned over his shoulder.

"Single-shot?"

"Yes."

Karrek read farther.

"Practical effective range against large material targets approximately one thousand meters under favorable conditions. Recommended engagement distance against Warhound: six hundred to eight hundred meters."

That got the attention of everyone around the table.

Karrek continued.

"Primary targets: light armor, heavy weapon mounts, exposed equipment, optical systems, communication equipment, running gear and vulnerable mechanical components."

Then came the warning.

"No expectation of reliable penetration against primary Warhound frontal armor."

Darek grunted.

"So it is not a tank killer."

Karrek turned the page.

"Limited penetration against weaker rear sections and favorable side aspects at shorter ranges."

He looked at the target diagrams Elarion had included.

A harsh smile slowly appeared.

"It is not supposed to kill the Warhound."

The logistics officer nodded.

"No."

Karrek tapped the diagrams.

"It is supposed to blind it, damage its weapons, break its running gear and make everything else’s job easier."

"Precisely."

Karrek studied the weapon itself.

The twenty-millimeter rifle was monstrous by infantry standards, but its purpose now made sense.

It was not supposed to stand in front of a Warhound and duel it,instead it was supposed to make the Warhound worse at being a Warhound.

Karrek looked toward the logistics officer.

"These go to trained teams."

"Yes."

Karrek traced the Southwestern front with one finger.

"First field issue goes to the Southwestern Army."

"How much of the first batch?"

Karrek looked toward the production director.

"How large is the first batch going to be?"

The man checked his figures.

"If we use every heavy-gauge facility physically capable of producing the weapon, one hundred and twenty in thirty days."

Karrek’s expression hardened.

"I did not ask every facility capable of producing it."

The director paused.

Karrek tapped the AMR blueprint.

"This does not leave controlled military forges."

The logistics officer nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

Karrek looked back toward the production director.

"How many fully protected heavy-weapon works can manufacture the AMR-20 without the complete drawings ever leaving secured grounds?"

The answer took longer.

"Seven."

"Seven?"

"Eleven can physically build it. Seven meet the security conditions you are asking for. Permanently guarded, fully warded, controlled worker access, internal component production, and secure final assembly."

Karrek leaned over the AMR drawings.

"How much can the seven produce?"

"Once the process stabilizes, six hundred to seven hundred per month."

"And the first batch?"

"One hundred in thirty days."

A moment of calculation followed.

"One hundred and fifty is possible if three facilities concentrate on barrels and heavy receiver work while the remaining four divide component production and final assembly."

"Do it."

Karrek turned back toward the logistics officer.

"Good of the first one hundred and fifty. Eighty to the Southwestern Army."

The officer began writing.

"Forty to Northwestern."

"Yes."

"Twenty to Central."

Karrek nodded.

"And ten remain here for instructor training, destructive testing and comparison against captured Warhound components."

"Northern and Southern receive none from the first batch?"

"Not unless their Warhound pressure changes before shipment."

Karrek looked toward him.

"I am not dividing new weapons evenly because the map happens to contain five armies. Put them where the problem actually is."

"Understood."

"When production rises, Southwestern remains first priority until the current crisis stabilizes. Northwestern second. After that, allocation follows Warhound concentrations."

The logistics officer wrote the instruction down.

Karrek turned toward the ammunition director.

"The twenty-millimeter ammunition stays inside the same security network."

"Yes, High Smith."

"Distinct identification, storage markings and No confusion with our existing heavy- ammunition."

"It will be done."

Karrek placed the AMR operational sheet beside the others.

"Nothing leaves those seven works except finished weapons, finished ammunition and authorized maintenance components."

The security rule was written down immediately.

Then Karrek reached the final package.

Lancer-40

The operational summary for this one was noticeably thicker.

Karrek read the first line aloud.

"Forty-millimeter multipurpose infantry launcher. Single-shot. Intended for general infantry support."

He turned the page.

"Four standard ammunition types."

His finger moved down the list.

"Anti-armor."

"Fragmentation."

"Smoke."

"Demolition."

Darek leaned over the drawings.

"One launcher fires all four?"

"Yes."

Karrek continued reading.

"Recommended anti-armor engagement distance: approximately two hundred meters. Trained operators may extend that toward three hundred under favorable conditions."

Another page.

"Fragmentation and smoke can be employed at greater distances where exact impact placement is less critical."

Then the limitations.

"Unreliable against primary Warhound frontal armor. Significantly improved effectiveness against side and rear aspects. Capable of damaging tracks, running gear and exposed components even without hull penetration."

Darek looked toward him.

"So this one is their infantry anti-tank weapon."

"No."

Karrek turned the ammunition sheet around.

"That is exactly what Elarion is telling us not to reduce it to."

He tapped the anti-armor round.

"If a Warhound appears, the infantry has something dangerous enough to answer with."

Then fragmentation.

"If the problem is a mass of demons, they use this."

Smoke.

"If they need to cross exposed ground or withdraw under pressure, this."

Demolition.

"And if the problem is a wall, bunker, fighting position or fortified building, this."

The logistics officer nodded.

"A single launcher with four roles."

Karrek looked at the weapon again.

"Now this is clever."

Darek smirked.

"The rifle did not impress you, but a steel tube does?"

"If the tube is practical."

Karrek tapped the Lancer drawings.

"This is a logistical nightmare disguised as simplicity."

"For the enemy?"

"For everyone."

A quiet laugh moved around the table.

Karrek continued reading.

Unlike the AMR-20, the Lancer did not require a rare target to justify carrying it. A unit could use it whether armor appeared or not.

That alone made it valuable.

"This spreads more broadly than the AMR."

The logistics officer nodded.

"Agreed."

"Southwestern Army receives the first operational concentration."

"How many per regiment?"

Karrek looked toward Elarion’s recommendations.

"Twenty-four for the initial field evaluation."

The officer considered it.

"That gives enough launchers to test employment without immediately restructuring the regiment around them."

"Good."

Karrek looked at the Avarran map.

"Twenty-four Southwestern regiments first."

The logistics officer wrote.

"Then eight Northwestern?"

"Yes."

"Four Central?"

"Yes."

"That makes thirty-six regiments in the first operational group."

Karrek nodded.

"Eight hundred and sixty-four launchers."

The logistics officer did the multiplication.

"Correct."

"The rest of the initial production remains for instructor schools, replacements, ammunition trials, reserve issue and destructive testing."

Only then did Karrek turn toward the production director.

"How much can we produce in controlled enviroments?"

The man checked his figures.

"Ten"

"Ten fully protected?"

"Yes."

Karrek considered that.

"Use eight for the first run."

The production director nodded.

"Keep two free as reserve capacity until we know which production method performs best."

"Exactly."

"How large a first run?"

"Two thousand launchers."

The director looked back at his figures.

"Manageable."

"And the ammunition?"

The ammunition director stepped forward.

"Fragmentation and smoke are the easiest. Demolition requires different casing work. Anti-armor will take the longest to stabilize."

"All four ammunition families remain inside protected production for the first phase."

The man nodded.

"How much do you want?"

Karrek looked at the issue recommendation.

"For every launcher in the first production allotment: eight anti-armor rounds, twelve fragmentation, six smoke and six demolition."

The ammunition director calculated silently.

"Sixteen thousand anti-armor."

Karrek nodded.

"Twenty-four thousand fragmentation."

"Yes."

"Twelve thousand smoke."

"Yes."

"Twelve thousand demolition."

"Correct."

The ammunition director looked unhappy already.

"Thirty-five days."

"Thirty is what we can afford."

"Start preparation."

The director blinked.

"Before the proving-ground trials?"

"Yes"

"First review in seven days."

He planted one fist against the stacked files.

"I want completed components on this table. Not promises, revised estimates or drawings explaining why somebody needs another week."