SiVisPacemParaBellumSB: martin: Si vis pacem para bellumHe focuses on the holo image, willing contact. "It's Kieran;" he says once contact has been made. "Extend your hand and bring me through." And so Kieran disappears. After the rainbow afterimage fades, Martin says, "Right, so, I guess I should talk to Percy first. Did you want Godfrey to drop in for a word or two? He's perfectly good at protocol, and a little social experience with Family certianly wouldn't hurt." "So, basically a swap of Godfrey for you with your mother and Percy, then?" Brandeigh says, looking to Fiona. Fiona nods. "If you don't mind some rather pointed questions put to Godfrey." Fiona says. "I do not plan on using anything untoward on him. I would prefer to do any such investigations with the creator present." "Deirdre and Percy are three doors down with Godfrey" Brandeigh adds. "Unless they've decided to go practice together. In which case listen for the sounds of maces and axes." "Sounds like fun," Martin says, and rises. "I'll be back soon. In the meantime, I'm sure Godfrey will welcome the chance to talk. We all know that I do." "The creation follows the creator." Fiona replies, amused. And with a wave, Martin heads to the other group. In the other sitting room, Percy and Deirdre have converted a pool table, or the Keltic equivalent, into a series of black and white photo-styled maps overpaneled with glass that they have been using something like crayons to draw on. "Martin" Deirdre says, looking up and at the door. "Ah, you're done." Percy says, looking up when Martin comes in, finishing drawing a line. "I take it my son has gone back to the Throneworld already?" "I have recorded the entirety of their discussion and planning for review on high quality video, Martin." Godfrey says. Martin manages a grin. "Why am I not surprised?" he asks. "We'll review it shortly, I suppose. But first, Fiona and Brandeigh wanted to converse with you while I caught up in here. I think it would be good practice, myself. Percy - yes, Kiernan just Trumped out." "Yes, Martin." Godfrey says. "A pleasure." Deirdre says, as Godfrey clanks out of the room. Percy nods. "Thanks, Martin, My son will want to accelerate the project there, given this new situation from Uncle Benedict." He pauses a beat. "Speaking of which, I know you ran military intelligence and technical support for him during the War. Heck, I know a few members of the family who think you still *are*, covertly, doing it for him even to this day." "Not that we expect you to tell us." Deirdre adds. "Your reaction to the letter was well practiced if its true." "I was... detached," Martin says. "For what it's worth, I hadn't been doing anything for Benedict lately. Didn't last very long, though." Percy briefly looks skeptical. Deirdre just gives a nod. So," [Martin] says, rubbing his hands together, "What do I get to blow up?" "Now you are starting to sound like Caine's daughter. Not the Pirate, the crazy assassin one." Percy says. "I wonder how Swan took Caine's death. If he really is dead." Deirdre muses. "How do you think?" Percy says. "Probably had a party and decided he was faking it the morning after." "Anyway" Percy clears his throat and regards Martin. "Our war plans and you." He gestures Martin over to the map and glass table. The city and the layout of the countryside looks awfully familiar. Too familiar... "I made a trump call to Random." Deirdre says. "According to Random, Benedict is looking at a two stage conflict. Stage one, which my son and I were war gaming, is on the primary forward base we know the Omphalos have. It turns out while they have been shotgunning assaults at Amber and Chaos...Amber and Rebma just fought off one, today, my brother told me, they went and conquered a shadow, looking like Earth, but with a broken Pattern." "The possible kicker is, we think it might be a shadow of Corwin's Pattern in our realm somehow." Percy puts in. "For one thing, the Pattern is outside Paris, France." "We're going with standard maps of Paris from this shadow's Earth, Keltia has an Earth, too, until we have better intel. This shadow is probably different but we lack hard intel on it. I suspect Benedict is going to have you do that sooner rather than later." Deirdre says. "We're assuming it is low to medium mana, gunpowder works, the usual tech can work." "The usual tech, yes, but no telling how advanced," Martin says. "Corwin's Paris was all gears and clockwork. Chemistry and physics were a little, er, held back, even if this shadow isn't. Umm... what kind of guns are they using?" "No clockwork powered repeaters, or steam-powered machine guns if that's what you mean." Percy says with a grin. "Pretty ordinary looking guns. Cartridges, some sort of propellant similar to gunpowder. Similar stuff to what Corwin was using, but not quite up to the level of his assault rifles. Pistols, rifles, tripod mounted machine guns." "Early Second World War tech, on Earth." Deirdre says. "Definitely nothing like caseless ammunition or some of the even more advanced stuff you're familiar with." "Mmm," Martin says, pondering. "I guess I always think armaments first. I'm confident whatever they're using, I can probably top it on our side. The problem is, I'll probably be under some serious time constraints." He smiles, then, and brushes a spot on the map with his fingers, where an airplane hanger stands in a similar shadow. "An aerodrome." Percy says. "I had forgotten you and your father's interest in aircraft. I think I begin to see some of the scope of your ideas. Gliders at the very basic will work there no matter if the laws of chemistry and physics are off." "To say nothing of more advanced aircraft." Deirdre looks at Martin. "Given your new focus on weird tech, are we going to wind up with a clockpunk-steam augmented dirigible from you?" "Wouldn't be the worst idea, especially if we need fire support and don't want to bother with sorties, or want aerial command and control for troops. Or were you thinking fixed-wing aircraft, cousin?" Percy asks. "Dirigibles," Martin says. "We probably won't need too many planes, I've already got the perfect ornithopters in mind. It's like what Ive said about Godfrey, once or twice: generally, the less advanced the tech, the more shadows where it will function. If we've got a big mobile flying platform to work with, I can fit it with all kinds of ideas." "We don't have one yet. Benedict might be counting on you to bring it, or might be expecting someone with air experience to." Deirdre says. She looks at her son. "Cyllene, perhaps." Percy says. "If Benedict had the gumption to ask her to this little party. Can't see him asking Swan, but she's more assassin and less pilot anyway." "What about Kieran's spacecraft?" Deirdre says. "Too high tech, and it doesn't have a dirigible form. No, we need something lower tech." Percy looks at Martin. "Consider it done there will be a mobile air platform, its too good of an idea not at the very least for me to get one." "Awesome," Martin says. "Well, if you're looking for a simple version of what my plans will be, that's it. I'm going to a shadow I know, and I'll pick up troops and steam-powered tech and the framework for the Trump station there. Then I'll meet the flying platform on the way to Benedict, retrofit the weapons, then it's hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps all around." "I thought it would be oohing and ahhing, followed by running and screaming." Percy quips back. "Well, then, I think we have an actionable plan. You certainly have the trump capability to meet me, my mother and ship wherever it will be at that point, a rendevous will be silly. But if you should know, we'll likely head toward Benedict this way..." Over the next few minutes, Percy and Deirdre review some routes through shadow with Martin on the big table. Their slight uncertainty of where Benedict's shadow shows. However, the region of shadow to find the airship is pretty clear to Martin. "So that is settled." Deirdre says. "Do you need anything else from us before you go grab Godfrey and head off to War?" "Besides making sure the airship can carry your ornithopters?" Percy adds. Martin chuckles. "Sorry, that was a pun on my part. The ornithopters will be troops. With wings. That flap. Lots of 'em. Come to think of it, you might want to find a steady crew. That isn't allergic to bee stings." Percy presses the fingers and thumb of his right hand and shakes it in disbelief and self reproach. "A pun open in plain sight." Deirdre says. "Just like your father." She pauses a moment. "So you are going for giant insects." She looks at her son. "There is that shadow we wargamed a few decades ago that might do for crew. Man, or close enough to man, mystically connected and having an affinity to large insects. No real mammals of any other kind left in the world, just insects and Man." "The Kinden, right" Percy says, lowering his hand. "They might do for crew, then, if you're bringing giant insects to the party, Martin. I can't imagine the Omphalos will see *that* coming." "They'll range in size, but none should be more than man-sized," Martin says. "Then again, no telling what they've done since I've seen them last. There should be plenty of time to see if the two acclimate, but I'm not worried. They're made to follow orders. Your airship will need an extra deck, though, plenty of open space and raw materials so that my little friends can build a couple of hive engines." "Flight decks and repair decks, right." Percy says. "I better tell Brandeigh almost as soon as you're gone, to make sure we get this all prepared. A week is not a long time, even in fast time shadows, to make it to Benedict's party." "Quite" Deirdre agrees, looking speculatively at the map again. "Such haste from Uncle Benedict is uncharacteristic." Percy adds. "He must have decided decisiveness and a quick strike is needed. Or do you think he has a shadow prepared and is waiting to plug and play us into his army and plan?" "Who, Benedict?" Martin shakes his head. "There's no tellin'. I've never been able to stay ahead of his plans, he's always five or six moves ahead of me. But knowing him, I would hazard a guess at the latter. We may find this Cincinnatus all prepped and ready for us." "And here I thought we'd have the inside scoop on Uncle Benedict." Percy says, with a slightly crestfallen tone in his voice. "Ah, well." "A futile gesture." Deirdre says. "My brother is not infallible--Corwin proved that. And then there was that wargame exhibition with Bleys when..." She stops in mid sentence and shakes her head. "However, given preparation and time to arrange things, Benedict is the most dangerous strategist anywhere or anywhen. We'll find out what he has in store when we arrive." She looks at Martin. "Anything else you need from my son or I, Martin?" "I... don't think so..." Martin ponders. "I always forget stuff, later, but I can't think of anything right now. I'll meet up with you by Trump then, or arrange a place to meet. Good luck..." Deirdre nods. "If brother Benedict has truly invited a quarter of the family or more, the logistics of this will have us all running into each other, whether we like it or not, on the way there. I wouldn't put it past him for that to be part of the point." "And thanks for coming to Keltia, Martin." Percy says. "Although its only been a couple of months, its been two decades for Brandeigh and I since we've seen any family. You grow to miss it, even the quasi dysfunctional Royal family we seem to have." Martin looks over his shoulder back at Percy and smiles a little. "Only quasi?" he asks. "Your Dad's efforts." Percy says with a grin. He waves a goodbye, then, and it is only in the hallway that he realizes how rare it is that he's ever joked about Brand and the Pattern. Reuniting with Godfrey at the sitting room inhabited by Fiona and her daughter is relatively straightforward, and he is not any worse for wear. "A pity Benedict's timetable has accelerated matters." Fiona says. "Well, after this is all over, we will have a long conversation about Godfrey, and other things. I do have some...data to study in any event. I assure you that he remains whole and unharmed." "Hello Martin" Godfrey says, as if on cue. "Functionality is at full working capacity." "I mostly just watched my mother's work" Brandeigh adds. "Although there wasn't a terrible amount to actually see." She pauses a moment. "I suppose this is where our roads diverge, until whatever crazy scheme Deirdre and her son come up with unites with yours. And my son's." "Won't be that long, either," Martin says. "I won't have much time to gather troops and material before I'll be rushing off to rendezvous with them, on the way to Benedict. Good news is, I'll have Godfrey here to have a word with some computers, and that'll speed up the process. Over and above all the talking I'll be having with the network, that is." Brandeigh wipes her brow. "Matters here may mandate the Mistress of Scots, rather than both Percy and I, stay here rather than joining the expedition. Being the head of a polity is more work than anyone mentioned, not my father, not Random, either." Fiona just smiles slightly. "With that eventuality, do take care that my husband and son don't get themselves killed on some cursed bad idea they come up with on the spur of the moment?" "Until we meet again, Martin. As always, it has been...educational." Fiona says. "You want _me_ to stop someone from following some inspirational idea?" Martin smiles and shakes his head. "Farewell... I'll see you both soon. Real soon." "The barriers will be down for a little while, cousin." Brandeigh says. "You should be able to shadow shift out of Keltia without difficulty for the next hour." And with that, Martin leads Godfrey out. Godfrey follows Martin out of the room and into the corridors of the Castle, and hence out of Keltia altogether... Backlinks |
