- Location
- Poland
Neither the current king nor T'Challa strike me as power hungry or cunning enough but it would be a good excuse to remove the current Council Memebers and promote actually competent people in their place.
The Iron Sith V2 (SW/MCU AU)
- Thread starter Illuviar
- Start date
- Crossover
It's the same thing with the sequel trilogy of SW. It's just that, if I ever write something about it, I would have to either rewrite it in a way it would be totaly unrecognizable, or literaly shit all over it, because it simply breaks everything we knew about SW in the name of cool. Solo's stunt in the end of the movie with the Falcon? If that was possible at all, no one would ever need to build super weapons or worry about breaching planetary shields. Grab a bunch of light freighters, put a droid in charge, load them with your WMD of choice and launch them at the desered target. if that was at all possibl, we wouldn't have SW as we know it, because galactic civilization would have likely been wiped out in one of the ancient galaxy-wide wars.
Don't get me started on that hyperspace skip-chasse, or how they wasted what could have been an incredible storyline with a remorseful Sormtrooper trying to find his way in the larger universe. Instead, he became a comedic relief. And to add insult to injury, the actor was black.
I'm not American, at least some of the racial issues that are a big thing in the US sometimes fly right over my head without noticing them, but this was just messed up all around.
And that's why I avoid posting in discussions about the ST....
Tony and Earth in general, will need resources from Earth, tons of them, before they're in any position to substitute the bulk of what Earth needs with asteroid mining. The infrastructure simply isn't there and has to be developed from scratch. Further, at least for years after asteroid mining is a thing, the whole output will fuel further space infrastructure adn orbital industry to build things that aren't feasible to build in a gravity well.
Those two aren't. They aren't as dumb as some of the Councilors, much less many of their people. They've both have been out around the world often enough to have much more open minds. However, they aren't exactly absolute rulers, can't ignore the Tribal Council on a whim, and can't guarantee that people in the War Dogs with close ties with various Councilors would stay put instead of getting ideas.
Finding reasonable Councilors, who can enjoy enough support from their Tribe to make more reasonable policies, like opening up and trying to help the world, when it needs it most, likely won't be in the cards. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but Wakanda as portrayed gives off some very concerning and dark vibes as far as their society and mindset are concerned.
Phase 5: Changing World III Part 2
Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Stark mansion
New York, US
Hannah pouted and poked the housing of a disassembled drone. That was the first one that heroically died under her control. Fans or not, I still wasn't sure how she managed to entangle it in two tree branches. Yanking it out of the tree top with the Force didn't favor it either.
"This one is fit only for spare parts." I tapped the partially disassembled drone in front of me with a screwdriver.
I pushed it in front of my daughter. She sat on an expensive office chair which could rise quite a bit.
"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked.
My mother's eyes looked back at me. Hannah poked the drone's housing again and pushed it aside. She grabbed a small screwdriver, scrunched her nose, and tried to open the drone. After two unsuccessful attempts, she huffed at me and pushed the drone back to me.
"It's a bit tight, isn't it?"
"Bad drone!" Hannah offered her conclusion.
"Yes, they don't make it as I remember anymore." I agreed.
The small screws holding the housing together were quite tricky to get loose. I unscrewed them halfway through so they were all easy to move and gave the small machine back to Hannah.
"Try it now."
My daughter looked suspiciously at the drone. She poked it once again, then began to slowly take it apart.
Yesterday, a few hours of sun in the afternoon led to a breath of fresh air and the demise of three more drones. One turned to be flimsier than the rest, died heroically after failing to make a sharp turn, and crashed into a bullet-resistant window. Number two busted a fan after flying through the branches of the same tree that was the nemesis of Hannah's first drone.
The third one proved that this model wasn't waterproof enough after it managed to land in a pitcher with orange juice. The fact that Hannah wasn't a big fan of orange juice might have had something to do with that 'accident.' She certainly didn't look or feel as concerned as when she lost the other two drones.
A sense of triumph washed over me from Hannah. She cracked open the housing and was busy taking apart the components inside.
An integrated circuit met a screwdriver.
"Hannah, dear, that's not how you take apart this piece. Here, look." I quickly opened the casing of another drone. I carefully demonstrated how to detach the wires connecting the different pieces inside without damaging the components.
Some of them were attached in a sturdy enough way that a six-year-old was unlikely to manage it without using something for leverage, thus breaking the drone. Well, it was certainly not meant for kids to disassemble it, but at best, fly it around as a toy.
"Do you want to try with another one?"
Hannah beamed at me and waved her screwdriver happily.
"Careful with that, dear."
That evening I finally had all parts needed to assemble a kludged-together blaster rifle. It was a large, ugly thing. A thick barrel of reinforced alloy gleamed in the lab's cold light. A large, unwieldy gas canister would provide ammunition. The compression chamber was where much of the magic happened. It had more in common with a combustion chamber for a rocket than anything else. It was also one of the most expensive and complicated to get right parts of the design.
The long stock contained a bank of the best batteries on the market, and even they would be able to power the weapon for only a handful of shots. That was all right. This blaster was a proof of concept, not a weapon anyone would use in combat.
I spent a few hours assembling the blaster and ensuring everything was correctly aligned. Only then did I put the battery rack into the stock and closed it with a loud snap. The small display to the site lit up, and internal diagnostics soon came in green. I smiled and picked up the hydrogen canister. Various gasses could be used in place of Tibana. However, they were less efficient and made for less powerful and focused bolts. That also wasn't an issue. The tech we would use in the foreseeable future would be crude enough that it wouldn't matter.
By the time I got to the backyard, almost everyone on the security detail guarding the mansion had gathered to watch the show.
Major Woods was among them and looked at me with disapproval.
"Mr. Stark, wouldn't it be better if someone else tests the weapon?" He looked critically at the contraption in my hands.
"I know better than to order others to do something I'm not willing to do."
"We're supposed to keep you alive and intact, Mr. Stark."
"You're supposed to be a backup and support for me and keep my family intact." I shot back.
Woods still felt uneasy every time I reminded him of that unusual fact.
The staff already had a folding table set up at the far end of the garden with a watermelon on it. Besides a block of synthetic cement, the trade marked market name of synthecrete.
"If it makes you feel better, get a few steps back, folks," I told them and carefully attached the gas contained to the blaster. A beep soon followed, and two more green lights came to life. "Here goes nothing." I aimed and carefully squeezed the trigger.
A loud crack echoed over the backyard just as a bright bluish bolt lit it up. A wave of heat washed over me, and the weapon in my hands warmed up a lot.
A steam explosion obliterated the watermelon and threw a thin film of boiling fruit all over the reinforced wall behind it.
"Fuck me! We've got ray guns now!" An enthusiast exclaimed.
Woods stared at the weapon with worry. Its barrel let out visible smoke due to the cool night.
I aimed again and shot at the synthetic cement block. The second shot made the weapon in my hands uncomfortably hot. Smoke and dust obscured the table.
I removed the gas canister and put the blaster on a nearby table, letting it cool down.
"That's not a practical weapon, even if it has some punch," Woods noted.
"It's not supposed to be. This is merely a technology demonstrator. We need better materials science, ways to focus the beam and to insulate and cool it safely." All in small enough packages to be wielded by regular infantry.
Either that or energy weapons would be exclusively vehicle mounted or wielded by people wearing armored and insulated exoskeletons.
We walked to the table, and I smiled at what we saw. The blaster bolt left a relatively shallow but large crater blown in the synthetic concrete. This stuff was harder than steel-reinforced concrete used in bunkers.
A better compression chamber and focusing system would allow for more effective firepower.
I took out my phone. "Jarvis, inform our friends in the military that we have a working proof-of-concept particle weapon."
Phase 5: Changing world III
=SI=
Part 2
=SI=
=SI=
Part 2
=SI=
Stark mansion
New York, US
Hannah pouted and poked the housing of a disassembled drone. That was the first one that heroically died under her control. Fans or not, I still wasn't sure how she managed to entangle it in two tree branches. Yanking it out of the tree top with the Force didn't favor it either.
"This one is fit only for spare parts." I tapped the partially disassembled drone in front of me with a screwdriver.
I pushed it in front of my daughter. She sat on an expensive office chair which could rise quite a bit.
"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked.
My mother's eyes looked back at me. Hannah poked the drone's housing again and pushed it aside. She grabbed a small screwdriver, scrunched her nose, and tried to open the drone. After two unsuccessful attempts, she huffed at me and pushed the drone back to me.
"It's a bit tight, isn't it?"
"Bad drone!" Hannah offered her conclusion.
"Yes, they don't make it as I remember anymore." I agreed.
The small screws holding the housing together were quite tricky to get loose. I unscrewed them halfway through so they were all easy to move and gave the small machine back to Hannah.
"Try it now."
My daughter looked suspiciously at the drone. She poked it once again, then began to slowly take it apart.
Yesterday, a few hours of sun in the afternoon led to a breath of fresh air and the demise of three more drones. One turned to be flimsier than the rest, died heroically after failing to make a sharp turn, and crashed into a bullet-resistant window. Number two busted a fan after flying through the branches of the same tree that was the nemesis of Hannah's first drone.
The third one proved that this model wasn't waterproof enough after it managed to land in a pitcher with orange juice. The fact that Hannah wasn't a big fan of orange juice might have had something to do with that 'accident.' She certainly didn't look or feel as concerned as when she lost the other two drones.
A sense of triumph washed over me from Hannah. She cracked open the housing and was busy taking apart the components inside.
An integrated circuit met a screwdriver.
"Hannah, dear, that's not how you take apart this piece. Here, look." I quickly opened the casing of another drone. I carefully demonstrated how to detach the wires connecting the different pieces inside without damaging the components.
Some of them were attached in a sturdy enough way that a six-year-old was unlikely to manage it without using something for leverage, thus breaking the drone. Well, it was certainly not meant for kids to disassemble it, but at best, fly it around as a toy.
"Do you want to try with another one?"
Hannah beamed at me and waved her screwdriver happily.
"Careful with that, dear."
=SI=
That evening I finally had all parts needed to assemble a kludged-together blaster rifle. It was a large, ugly thing. A thick barrel of reinforced alloy gleamed in the lab's cold light. A large, unwieldy gas canister would provide ammunition. The compression chamber was where much of the magic happened. It had more in common with a combustion chamber for a rocket than anything else. It was also one of the most expensive and complicated to get right parts of the design.
The long stock contained a bank of the best batteries on the market, and even they would be able to power the weapon for only a handful of shots. That was all right. This blaster was a proof of concept, not a weapon anyone would use in combat.
I spent a few hours assembling the blaster and ensuring everything was correctly aligned. Only then did I put the battery rack into the stock and closed it with a loud snap. The small display to the site lit up, and internal diagnostics soon came in green. I smiled and picked up the hydrogen canister. Various gasses could be used in place of Tibana. However, they were less efficient and made for less powerful and focused bolts. That also wasn't an issue. The tech we would use in the foreseeable future would be crude enough that it wouldn't matter.
By the time I got to the backyard, almost everyone on the security detail guarding the mansion had gathered to watch the show.
Major Woods was among them and looked at me with disapproval.
"Mr. Stark, wouldn't it be better if someone else tests the weapon?" He looked critically at the contraption in my hands.
"I know better than to order others to do something I'm not willing to do."
"We're supposed to keep you alive and intact, Mr. Stark."
"You're supposed to be a backup and support for me and keep my family intact." I shot back.
Woods still felt uneasy every time I reminded him of that unusual fact.
The staff already had a folding table set up at the far end of the garden with a watermelon on it. Besides a block of synthetic cement, the trade marked market name of synthecrete.
"If it makes you feel better, get a few steps back, folks," I told them and carefully attached the gas contained to the blaster. A beep soon followed, and two more green lights came to life. "Here goes nothing." I aimed and carefully squeezed the trigger.
A loud crack echoed over the backyard just as a bright bluish bolt lit it up. A wave of heat washed over me, and the weapon in my hands warmed up a lot.
A steam explosion obliterated the watermelon and threw a thin film of boiling fruit all over the reinforced wall behind it.
"Fuck me! We've got ray guns now!" An enthusiast exclaimed.
Woods stared at the weapon with worry. Its barrel let out visible smoke due to the cool night.
I aimed again and shot at the synthetic cement block. The second shot made the weapon in my hands uncomfortably hot. Smoke and dust obscured the table.
I removed the gas canister and put the blaster on a nearby table, letting it cool down.
"That's not a practical weapon, even if it has some punch," Woods noted.
"It's not supposed to be. This is merely a technology demonstrator. We need better materials science, ways to focus the beam and to insulate and cool it safely." All in small enough packages to be wielded by regular infantry.
Either that or energy weapons would be exclusively vehicle mounted or wielded by people wearing armored and insulated exoskeletons.
We walked to the table, and I smiled at what we saw. The blaster bolt left a relatively shallow but large crater blown in the synthetic concrete. This stuff was harder than steel-reinforced concrete used in bunkers.
A better compression chamber and focusing system would allow for more effective firepower.
I took out my phone. "Jarvis, inform our friends in the military that we have a working proof-of-concept particle weapon."
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To be fair, Howard did go on to perfect the flying car concept later on. Of course, that's from the original timeline, and not this AU.
That's one of the issues which will bite Wakanda in the ass. The truth won't matter. You just need a good orator or two, who believes, or just wants to use, the possibility that Wakanda has been fucking with people all over the world to maintain, or even get their technological advantage in the first place.
It 'helps' that people, racist or not will likely think it's a plausible explanation to blame all kinds of issues on Wakanada.
You don't need super tech to build a car that can fly. Making it safe and practical is another question.
"That's cool Mr Stark... But why does the prototype particle cannon tank you deigned walk around on tall chicken legs? Treads seem far more practical."
Kaernetron
Feuergeist
- Location
- Weit, Weit dort Oben
Combined with repulsors (Stark or SW) as backup as well as for that unstable ground/rickety bridge/fuckoff steep incline normal tanks can't deal with. Makes for a much more maneuverable vehicle without introducing too many weak points. ESB has shown us how "indomitable" walkers are.
Just wait until the military realizes that fusion power supplies + repulsor jet propulsion means that the next generation of military aircraft are going to have a flight ceiling of "can dock with the ISS" and can pop out of atmosphere to reduce drag and do an "anywhere on the planet to anywhere on the planet in an hour" continuous thrust suborbital hop.
I have a question regarding time frame over how many years will all events stretch? I ask this cuz if I remember events in movies corectly all happened in relativly short period of time and it wont be enough for decent advancment of tech, resarch yes implementation not so much.
I ask this since I have not read OG and have 0 clue how things will be paced timiline vise if this have been asked & answered before I apologize
I ask this since I have not read OG and have 0 clue how things will be paced timiline vise if this have been asked & answered before I apologize
Repulsors in SW are knots of space time created in factories around black holes. I don't think we'll be seeing any of those for quite some time.
- Location
- Poland
I think you meant Holdo and the sole Mon Cala cruiser the Resistance had.
rise
Add 'only' after 'fit'
Remove 'the'
Doesn't blue mean it's ionised? Or does have a different colour because it was hydrogen instead of tibanna?
A decade or possibly two. Some of the events will happen over the next few years in universe time, others later.
It should be possible to get alternative, old ways to do it, however that would be bulky, power-hungry tech, compared to how tiny repulsors having that "element" as their core part. However, that would require tons of research, and realistically it would be more feasible to use other ways to get hovercraft if you need them.
Thank's, I'll get it fixed. Different gas, different color.
That too should kill planets. I meant Han managing to jump past planetary shield, and the skip race ignoring the fact that a strong enough gravity source should yank a ship from hyperspace, which was one of the reasons why you couldn't FTL into planets in the first place.
Informational: Technological limitations and the reasons behind them
Informational: Technological limitations and the reasons behind them
=SI=
First, general tech limitations with Earth's overall technology level. Materials science, power generation, and storage, related to them, ways to channel and dissipate heat, industrial capability, and capacity, among other things.
These are the core limiting factors in getting more of either the SW tech Tony MK Sith is developing, the Ark reactor, repulsors, and any other tech created on this MCU earth.
Materials that aren't good enough limit what you can do safely or at all with either fusion or Ark reactors, as I mentioned or implied in the story.
Heat dissipation and insulation are other significant issues. Even if small Arc reactors can produce the same amount of power we saw them trivially generate in the first IM movie, this causes other problems. The heat produced as a side effect of not frying Tony or outright melting the reactor housing is an issue in this story. The implications of the tech and metallurgy needed for such feats are staggering unless we write off the Arc rector as magic. That obviously doesn't work for this story.
The same goes for making tiny repulsors as deadly and valuable as we saw in the movie, while they don't fry Tony or outright blow-up.
Surviving the punishment, we saw IM MK 2 OTL tank trivially, or Tony not dying from breaking himself while flying the way he did? Those things look great on screen.
However, the implications of the technology allowing for such stunts are incredible. When we consider the small package such tech has to fit, the implications are beyond staggering.
Don't get me started on IM 2, where Hammer's budget suits implied that some of the critical parts of the IM suit tech were relatively easy to develop. Even without Stark doing anything to uplift the planet, Earth should have been transformed by the techs in Hammer's budget's suits alone.
We're talking about the kind of tech that interstellar societies thousands of years old would find more than impressive, built on a 21 century Earth.
Taken at face value, the tech demonstrated in the first two IM movies alone, Earth should be somehow a heavy hitter mostly on par technologically with the big players across the Milky Way Galaxy.
Ignoring these issues doesn't work, especially in a story where the implications and limitations of the available tech are one of the big plot threads. Taking the tech we saw in the movies as something that just one man working with Earth's tech level and understanding of the universe can build in short order at face value is beyond story-breaking. It doesn't matter how much of a genius Tony is. It gets even worse when we know that, according to the movies, Hammer and Vanko alone could recreate the critical components of the tech.
In a different kind of story, ignoring those issues and implications can work. That would be true for a story that doesn't focus on technological limitations and the problems of uplifting Earth, for example, but instead more traditionally focuses on the Avengers and their adventures.
I am explicitly not writing that kind of story.
What I'm doing, for what I believe is a good reason, is bringing the setting in general down to the ground. Tony, Vanko, Pym, Banner, and others are still geniuses. They, however, have to work within the limitations of Earth's technological base and understanding of the universe.
What does this mean in practice? Anything resembling mass production of IM suits and other power armor with performance close to what we saw in the first two movies would be a long-term goal for Earth and its militaries. That's endgame stuff, to use a pun.
Alien materials, like vibranium, can solve some of these issues. At least mitigate and sidestep problems allowing for limited production numbers of equipment that would be otherwise impossible due to critical supporting technologies not being there.
For example, with vibranium, Stark can build much better Arc and fusion reactors. He can get much more potent and smaller energy weapons, even shield systems. However, due to material scarcity, this would generally be bleeding-edge prototype technology demonstrators. While very useful in combat, they wouldn't have the numbers to make enough difference in a real war if the rest of the military backing them is not advanced enough.
That's likely how we'll see this story's first proper IM suits. They'll incorporate alien materials and possible alien tech to sidestep issues that would make them impossible for the time being. Even then, unless everything in it is made from vibranium in one form or another, heat from repulsors or the Arc reactor would be hazardous. If somehow not to the user, then to the various components of the suit itself.
Vibranium armor shouldn't help the person inside if they try maneuvers at high acceleration or have to suffer deceleration beyond what the human body can tolerate unless they're enhanced. The suit would be mostly fine in that case, the pilot not so much.
Another example of limitation: without inertial dampening tech, is if Hulk picks up someone and throws them hard. A vibranium armor might negate the impact effect of crashing into something. The sudden deceleration could still be lethal.
Now, for the reasons why I am bringing the story down to Earth, so to speak. Taking at face value, the feats of a handful of people in the MCU make everyone else useless. In the fights against Thanos before the snap, almost everyone who wasn't Asgardian, Tony in his super armor, or the Vision should have died as collateral damage. The rest of the crew and their efforts shouldn't have even registered to the other combatants going all out. It should have been like ants finding themselves in a fight between gods. And if the other participants mattered, then everyone else had to be slower, hit with less power, and be less durable. Otherwise, they would have smeared Thanos all over the landscape without an issue.
Instead, durability and other capabilities of everyone acted as the plot required them instead of being more consistent.
I'm going to square this and make most characters, including whole armies, relevant, by bringing the entire setting down to Earth in one regard or another. Thor, Asgardians in general, Thanos – they will vary from extreme, incredibly tough threats for the cream of the crop while giving more down to Earth feats to regular Asgardians.
However, they will not be in a position to make armies and militaries with good enough equipment across the board irrelevant. This isn't a story where just a handful of heroes can decide the fate of the universe or the world when the time comes. It will be a clash of titans supported by whole armies that will matter.
On the one hand, this means that a handful of Avengers can't do it all. They can't shine anywhere as brightly as in the movies. On the other hand, the rest of Earth, and the universe, so to speak, will be very relevant in stopping Thanos or failing to do so.
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
My biggest pet peeve with sci fi tech is hacking. How characters are able to hack anything in minutes, even using interfaces and OS they have never even seen before. Alien technology in alien language? Doesn't matter, hack it with some universal hack gadget, doesn't matter the computer architecture is incompatible as me and shippers, let alone software differences.
Biotechnologic computers? Doesn't matter, connect them with a cable to a tablet(SGA).
Biotechnologic computers? Doesn't matter, connect them with a cable to a tablet(SGA).
- Location
- Lake superior, Minoc
"But captain America!!!@!" Ya im thinking there's going to be a few funny colored stains on the ground with that first invasion. I don't think pointy stick man is going to help much. (even if the weird aliens are flying around on space forklifts of all things). Really should have ended up with walking tanks ironman and war machine with piles of bodies all over with hulk and thor. As they do a holding action for the army's/navy/airforce to hit the area.
You know from all those military bases the US has stacked like boxes all over the damn place. Not to mention just how well arm'ed NY would be on a block by block basis.. A chance to unload at something and not catch a 25-to-life rap.. well there would be plenty weight of fire I think.
You know from all those military bases the US has stacked like boxes all over the damn place. Not to mention just how well arm'ed NY would be on a block by block basis.. A chance to unload at something and not catch a 25-to-life rap.. well there would be plenty weight of fire I think.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Honestly, it bothers me too. Though, most people have no idea how hacking works. It's basically magic to them. So, like Doctor Who's Sonic screwdriver hacking a door, or a stone wall, hacking is the magical ability to assume remote control over machines. Regardless of any of the principles involved.
Writers mostly not being hackers themselves, hacking being mostly a very technical, boring profession in practice, fiction wanting quick exciting action, all together remake hacking into abbreviated technomancy. It's not a very fixable problem.
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Phase 5: Changing World III Part 3
Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Fort Drum
New York, US
Brisk, tiny raindrops poured down when we got to the firing range. Soldiers in dark-green raincoats held a perimeter around a large tent. A few Humvees were parked nearby – likely the transport of the people we were here to meet. The vehicle that guided us here from the base's entrance turned right and parked next to the others.
My security detail piled out, leaving their SMGs inside the cars. Woods went to the trunk of our SUV and eagerly pulled out a large case holding the blaster. He was just as eager as the rest of my security to try the new toy. They were like Children who had to wait to open their Christmas gifts.
I got out, ignored the rain, and walked around the tent's side. I could hear quiet voices coming from inside. A quick glimpse through the Force revealed two familiar signatures. Generals Danvers and Scudder were here, standing in a corner beside another signature.
Inside I could see the Generals I knew talking with a short man wearing an army uniform. He was built like a professional wrestler and almost looked too large for his uniform. A few civilians and a handful of specialists sat at folding tables monitoring military laptops or fiddling with recording equipment.
"Mr. Stark." General Scudder was the first to see and greet me.
"Generals." I nodded. "As promised, I'm here to deliver."
"So we hear." Danvers turned to look at me. "My new command has heard all kinds of interesting news from Stark Industries since we met."
"I aim to please and make an extraordinary amount of money."
"Mr. Stark." The third General spoke in a deep, bass voice. "I'm general Frank Miller, the commander of this base. The Pentagon has decided we'll be testing any infantry-scale weapons and armor you develop and build while in the area."
"Good morning, General Miller. Your base is certainly a convenient location from where I stand. Are you ready for the demonstration?"
"Captain Vance?" Miller turned to one of the specialists.
"We're ready, sir! We're just triple checking the equipment."
"You can do the honors, Woods." I finally let my Chief of Security off the leash.
"Finally!" Woods brought the case with the blaster while one of the troopers guarding the area carried a hydrogen canister.
Woods opened the case and stepped back, letting everyone see what was inside.
"That thing's ugly." Miller proclaimed. "At least it looks like a weapon and not like some toy for my grandchildren to play with."
Woods almost reverently picked up the weapon and opened the stock.
"Keep in mind, this is a proof of concept prototype, not something even remotely ready for field deployment," I warned.
"That's what we expect, Mr. Stark," Danvers noted.
A loud clack sounded when Woods sealed back the stock. The weapon lit up, and while it ran it's automatic diagnostic, the former Major picked up the gas canister. He waited until everything came out green and plugged it in.
"The weapon is live," Woods announced.
"By all means, proceed, Major." General Miller instructed. We went out of the tent, and two specialists with cameras followed us.
"Sadly, we currently lack the technology to create a single power pack that both provides the fuel for the particle bolt and powers up the weapon," I explained.
"Range is clear!" The Range Master announced after giving it one last hard look, just in case.
Woods looked at the set-up targets, smiled, and shouldered the weapon.
"Which first?"
"The ballistic gel dummy to the left, first. Service them left to right, Major." Miller said.
An atmosphere of eager anticipation surrounded me.
"You can open fire now!" The Range Master barked after Miller gave him a nod.
A loud crack-hiss echoed over the range. A bolt of blue light left a sizzling smoking trail in the rain, which quickly dissipated.
Woods hit the target center mass. The particle bolt burned into it before releasing its remaining energy. It boiled and then vaporized some of the gel, creating a steam explosion that tore a vast smoking hole into the target.
Despite what you could see on holo movies or Star Wars here on Earth, even "weak" blaster bolts could fuck up limbs and cause fatal wounds to unarmored targets. It wasn't just logistics that ensured everyone in the galaxy preferred blasters instead of slugthrowers.
Well, this wasn't entirely fair. I watched a New Hope a few weeks ago with Rhodey while we were chilling out one evening. That Rodian, the burned Javas, and Luke's aunt and uncle being burned to the bone? That's the kind of damage a shot from cheap mass-produced carbine could do to unprotected flesh.
The trick was that a blaster shot was more than the mere components of its parts – energy charge and gas to use as ammunition. Much of the magic happened in the combustion chamber. The gas turned into a highly energized plasma state before being shot out as a particle "slug." That was why the chamber was the weapon's most expensive and hardest-to-make component. Without the chamber changing the state of the fuel, we would need a much longer weapon's barrel even to approach similar killing power.
"Fuck me…" Woods looked at the blaster, then at the target. "Boss, I think I'm in love!"
"Service the next target!" The Range Master barked again. However, his voice sounded different – there was more than a hint of respect in it.
The Major aimed again. His second target was another dummy, this time one clad in what looked like an older model Kevlar vest.
Crack-hiss. A bright afterimage and a trail of vaporized water connected the blaster and the target. The dummy jumped up, obscured by a cloud of vapor and boiled gel.
"So much for Kevlar being fire resistant." General Scudder muttered.
"The particle bolt releases all its energy into the target at contact. Depending on the weapon's power, distance, and armor, a hit might be survivable. Even a primitive weapon such as this one will be lethal if it hits the chest or head without advanced armor to absorb the kinetic effect and distribute the energy. High-end military armor should have an ablative property if hit by an energy weapon of a magnitude that they couldn't simply distribute over the armor's surface and absorb safely. Of course, recreating such armor is much easier said than done."
"Close misses?" General Scudder asked.
"Can cause flash burns or worse. A hit into a stone or metal can boil and vaporize parts of the target. This means molten ejecta and overheated gasses washing over everything nearby. That's why armored weave clothing was popular – it could protect against grazing hits and, more importantly, near misses." I lectured.
"Target three. Fire!" The Range Master ordered.
"The prototype's safe for no more than three shots in succession. After that, it needs time to cool." I noted.
"One more shot then. There's no point risking injury." Danvers offered.
"I think the rain helps a bit in that regard." Woods pointed out. He rotated the smoking weapon, so rain could wash all over it and help cool it. "It's a bit too warm for comfort now. I don't believe that a fourth shout will be feasible."
"You're the one with the gun, Major. No one will force you to shoot again before it cools down." General Scudder looked pointedly at me.
"I want and need him in one piece, thank you very much, General."
"Shoot when you think it is safe." The Range Master said in a normal voice. He was squinting at the second target. From where we stood, the vest itself looked mostly intact, but the same couldn't be said for the torso within it.
"What's the third's armor?" Woods asked.
"Standard Level Three protection."
Woods aimed. Crack-hiss. A loud crack echoed alongside the predictable steam explosion.
"Boss, may I humbly request you get proper armor into production before putting those things on the market?" Woods tapped the blaster. He quickly pulled his fingers away from its side and waved his hand. "It's much more fun not to be the one on the receiving end."
"An inadequate armor can melt and fracture from a direct hit. A soldier might survive such an injury with prompt and good medical attention. In practice, this means said soldier being hit in front of one of the best trauma centers in the country. Such an injury almost certainly means a protracted gruesome death in the field. That won't change until someone develops better options to treat injuries in the field. That's not something I can help with. In some regards, no armor is better than bad armor when facing particle-beam weapons. If you don't have armor that can stop a direct hit, the next best option is armor that can protect you from a close miss." I shrugged. "That won't likely be a feasible option until and unless everyone on Earth transitions to use energy weapons."
"I can see where you're coming from, Mr. Stark. Some ways to die are better than others." General Scudder nodded grimly.
"Is this enough of a demonstration, Generals? If so, I have a weapons design team who would love to work on turning the prototype into an effective combat weapon." I inquired.
"Defensive emplacements with a larger version and dedicated cooling system." General Miller suggested.
"That's one of many options we'll be exploring. That said, it will be some time before we have particle weapons effective, reliable, and cheap enough to be anything but prototypes for testing."
"The weapon works." General Danvers smiled. "More importantly, this is not a mature technology but a taste of what's possible. Our existing weapons systems are largely mature and sophisticated technology. Improvements there would likely be incremental at best instead of paradigm shifts. This, on the other hand?" she waved at Woods. "This combined with what your company is currently developing?" the General smiled at me. "In my mind, you just proved yourself. I will explicitly point it out in my report." Her smile died down. "Prototype or not, this weapon is close in firepower to the alien sidearms I saw used back in eighty-nine." She jabbed a finger at my chest. "You and your weapons, Mr. Stark, just might give us a fighting chance the next time."
"That's the plan, General Danvers."
"Whatever you need, Mr. Stark, we'll ensure you get it if it's up to us," Scudder added in a deadly serious tone.
"Good. Now we can begin bringing this world into the future."
Phase 5: Changing world III
=SI=
Part 3
=SI=
=SI=
Part 3
=SI=
Fort Drum
New York, US
Brisk, tiny raindrops poured down when we got to the firing range. Soldiers in dark-green raincoats held a perimeter around a large tent. A few Humvees were parked nearby – likely the transport of the people we were here to meet. The vehicle that guided us here from the base's entrance turned right and parked next to the others.
My security detail piled out, leaving their SMGs inside the cars. Woods went to the trunk of our SUV and eagerly pulled out a large case holding the blaster. He was just as eager as the rest of my security to try the new toy. They were like Children who had to wait to open their Christmas gifts.
I got out, ignored the rain, and walked around the tent's side. I could hear quiet voices coming from inside. A quick glimpse through the Force revealed two familiar signatures. Generals Danvers and Scudder were here, standing in a corner beside another signature.
Inside I could see the Generals I knew talking with a short man wearing an army uniform. He was built like a professional wrestler and almost looked too large for his uniform. A few civilians and a handful of specialists sat at folding tables monitoring military laptops or fiddling with recording equipment.
"Mr. Stark." General Scudder was the first to see and greet me.
"Generals." I nodded. "As promised, I'm here to deliver."
"So we hear." Danvers turned to look at me. "My new command has heard all kinds of interesting news from Stark Industries since we met."
"I aim to please and make an extraordinary amount of money."
"Mr. Stark." The third General spoke in a deep, bass voice. "I'm general Frank Miller, the commander of this base. The Pentagon has decided we'll be testing any infantry-scale weapons and armor you develop and build while in the area."
"Good morning, General Miller. Your base is certainly a convenient location from where I stand. Are you ready for the demonstration?"
"Captain Vance?" Miller turned to one of the specialists.
"We're ready, sir! We're just triple checking the equipment."
"You can do the honors, Woods." I finally let my Chief of Security off the leash.
"Finally!" Woods brought the case with the blaster while one of the troopers guarding the area carried a hydrogen canister.
Woods opened the case and stepped back, letting everyone see what was inside.
"That thing's ugly." Miller proclaimed. "At least it looks like a weapon and not like some toy for my grandchildren to play with."
Woods almost reverently picked up the weapon and opened the stock.
"Keep in mind, this is a proof of concept prototype, not something even remotely ready for field deployment," I warned.
"That's what we expect, Mr. Stark," Danvers noted.
A loud clack sounded when Woods sealed back the stock. The weapon lit up, and while it ran it's automatic diagnostic, the former Major picked up the gas canister. He waited until everything came out green and plugged it in.
"The weapon is live," Woods announced.
"By all means, proceed, Major." General Miller instructed. We went out of the tent, and two specialists with cameras followed us.
"Sadly, we currently lack the technology to create a single power pack that both provides the fuel for the particle bolt and powers up the weapon," I explained.
"Range is clear!" The Range Master announced after giving it one last hard look, just in case.
Woods looked at the set-up targets, smiled, and shouldered the weapon.
"Which first?"
"The ballistic gel dummy to the left, first. Service them left to right, Major." Miller said.
An atmosphere of eager anticipation surrounded me.
"You can open fire now!" The Range Master barked after Miller gave him a nod.
A loud crack-hiss echoed over the range. A bolt of blue light left a sizzling smoking trail in the rain, which quickly dissipated.
Woods hit the target center mass. The particle bolt burned into it before releasing its remaining energy. It boiled and then vaporized some of the gel, creating a steam explosion that tore a vast smoking hole into the target.
Despite what you could see on holo movies or Star Wars here on Earth, even "weak" blaster bolts could fuck up limbs and cause fatal wounds to unarmored targets. It wasn't just logistics that ensured everyone in the galaxy preferred blasters instead of slugthrowers.
Well, this wasn't entirely fair. I watched a New Hope a few weeks ago with Rhodey while we were chilling out one evening. That Rodian, the burned Javas, and Luke's aunt and uncle being burned to the bone? That's the kind of damage a shot from cheap mass-produced carbine could do to unprotected flesh.
The trick was that a blaster shot was more than the mere components of its parts – energy charge and gas to use as ammunition. Much of the magic happened in the combustion chamber. The gas turned into a highly energized plasma state before being shot out as a particle "slug." That was why the chamber was the weapon's most expensive and hardest-to-make component. Without the chamber changing the state of the fuel, we would need a much longer weapon's barrel even to approach similar killing power.
"Fuck me…" Woods looked at the blaster, then at the target. "Boss, I think I'm in love!"
"Service the next target!" The Range Master barked again. However, his voice sounded different – there was more than a hint of respect in it.
The Major aimed again. His second target was another dummy, this time one clad in what looked like an older model Kevlar vest.
Crack-hiss. A bright afterimage and a trail of vaporized water connected the blaster and the target. The dummy jumped up, obscured by a cloud of vapor and boiled gel.
"So much for Kevlar being fire resistant." General Scudder muttered.
"The particle bolt releases all its energy into the target at contact. Depending on the weapon's power, distance, and armor, a hit might be survivable. Even a primitive weapon such as this one will be lethal if it hits the chest or head without advanced armor to absorb the kinetic effect and distribute the energy. High-end military armor should have an ablative property if hit by an energy weapon of a magnitude that they couldn't simply distribute over the armor's surface and absorb safely. Of course, recreating such armor is much easier said than done."
"Close misses?" General Scudder asked.
"Can cause flash burns or worse. A hit into a stone or metal can boil and vaporize parts of the target. This means molten ejecta and overheated gasses washing over everything nearby. That's why armored weave clothing was popular – it could protect against grazing hits and, more importantly, near misses." I lectured.
"Target three. Fire!" The Range Master ordered.
"The prototype's safe for no more than three shots in succession. After that, it needs time to cool." I noted.
"One more shot then. There's no point risking injury." Danvers offered.
"I think the rain helps a bit in that regard." Woods pointed out. He rotated the smoking weapon, so rain could wash all over it and help cool it. "It's a bit too warm for comfort now. I don't believe that a fourth shout will be feasible."
"You're the one with the gun, Major. No one will force you to shoot again before it cools down." General Scudder looked pointedly at me.
"I want and need him in one piece, thank you very much, General."
"Shoot when you think it is safe." The Range Master said in a normal voice. He was squinting at the second target. From where we stood, the vest itself looked mostly intact, but the same couldn't be said for the torso within it.
"What's the third's armor?" Woods asked.
"Standard Level Three protection."
Woods aimed. Crack-hiss. A loud crack echoed alongside the predictable steam explosion.
"Boss, may I humbly request you get proper armor into production before putting those things on the market?" Woods tapped the blaster. He quickly pulled his fingers away from its side and waved his hand. "It's much more fun not to be the one on the receiving end."
"An inadequate armor can melt and fracture from a direct hit. A soldier might survive such an injury with prompt and good medical attention. In practice, this means said soldier being hit in front of one of the best trauma centers in the country. Such an injury almost certainly means a protracted gruesome death in the field. That won't change until someone develops better options to treat injuries in the field. That's not something I can help with. In some regards, no armor is better than bad armor when facing particle-beam weapons. If you don't have armor that can stop a direct hit, the next best option is armor that can protect you from a close miss." I shrugged. "That won't likely be a feasible option until and unless everyone on Earth transitions to use energy weapons."
"I can see where you're coming from, Mr. Stark. Some ways to die are better than others." General Scudder nodded grimly.
"Is this enough of a demonstration, Generals? If so, I have a weapons design team who would love to work on turning the prototype into an effective combat weapon." I inquired.
"Defensive emplacements with a larger version and dedicated cooling system." General Miller suggested.
"That's one of many options we'll be exploring. That said, it will be some time before we have particle weapons effective, reliable, and cheap enough to be anything but prototypes for testing."
"The weapon works." General Danvers smiled. "More importantly, this is not a mature technology but a taste of what's possible. Our existing weapons systems are largely mature and sophisticated technology. Improvements there would likely be incremental at best instead of paradigm shifts. This, on the other hand?" she waved at Woods. "This combined with what your company is currently developing?" the General smiled at me. "In my mind, you just proved yourself. I will explicitly point it out in my report." Her smile died down. "Prototype or not, this weapon is close in firepower to the alien sidearms I saw used back in eighty-nine." She jabbed a finger at my chest. "You and your weapons, Mr. Stark, just might give us a fighting chance the next time."
"That's the plan, General Danvers."
"Whatever you need, Mr. Stark, we'll ensure you get it if it's up to us," Scudder added in a deadly serious tone.
"Good. Now we can begin bringing this world into the future."
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You know... I wonder how effective a blaster would be against an armored target like a tank. I suspect a lot more effective than the tank would like it to be. The first shot would set off the reactive armor, likely being fairly useless. The second shot would dump heat into the armor. It's the fourth or fifth shot that would start to dig through even the front armor of a tank as the armor heats and loses it's ability to resist damage.
And the tank has the problem that the infantry shooting it are not going to be aiming for the front armor. They are going to shoot it in the treads. I would not be surprised at ALL to see a standard blaster do bad things to the treads of a tank. Once the treads are cooked the tank is a sitting duck.
And 5-6 guys with blasters can repeat fire at a tank rather quickly.
Though from the looks of it the initial blaster put to infantry scale use is going to be a SAW. Squad Assault Weapons would be large enough to include adequate cooling. It would be an middle ground between anti-infantry weapons like machine guns and anti-tank weapons like shoulder missile launchers.
Though they could go the other way and make a particle lance anti-armor weapon. I am imagining a shoulder mounted weapon much like a Stinger, but instead of a single use seeking missile you have a single shot particle weapon that looses a powerful enough shot to slag a tank or level a small building in one hit. It would potentially struggle with air targets, but the ability for the weapon to cool and be trivially reloaded with a new power pack and fuel would simplify a lot of logistics.
And you could potentially have multiple shots in fairly rapid succession if you went with an open ended cooling cycle. Sure, you would need to expend coolant like ammo, but if you have a single shot power pack ANYWAY, it's not that hard to include a little water reservoir that the gun drains to flash boil off the barrel and bring the weapon back to reusable rapidly.
The US military has been keen to get away from recoilless rifles because there are signs they are causing CTE in soldiers who use them repeatedly, and brain injury is not OK. A replacement that doesn't create the massive concussive back blast when used would save a lot of soldiers an impossible to treat injury.
And the tank has the problem that the infantry shooting it are not going to be aiming for the front armor. They are going to shoot it in the treads. I would not be surprised at ALL to see a standard blaster do bad things to the treads of a tank. Once the treads are cooked the tank is a sitting duck.
And 5-6 guys with blasters can repeat fire at a tank rather quickly.
Though from the looks of it the initial blaster put to infantry scale use is going to be a SAW. Squad Assault Weapons would be large enough to include adequate cooling. It would be an middle ground between anti-infantry weapons like machine guns and anti-tank weapons like shoulder missile launchers.
Though they could go the other way and make a particle lance anti-armor weapon. I am imagining a shoulder mounted weapon much like a Stinger, but instead of a single use seeking missile you have a single shot particle weapon that looses a powerful enough shot to slag a tank or level a small building in one hit. It would potentially struggle with air targets, but the ability for the weapon to cool and be trivially reloaded with a new power pack and fuel would simplify a lot of logistics.
And you could potentially have multiple shots in fairly rapid succession if you went with an open ended cooling cycle. Sure, you would need to expend coolant like ammo, but if you have a single shot power pack ANYWAY, it's not that hard to include a little water reservoir that the gun drains to flash boil off the barrel and bring the weapon back to reusable rapidly.
The US military has been keen to get away from recoilless rifles because there are signs they are causing CTE in soldiers who use them repeatedly, and brain injury is not OK. A replacement that doesn't create the massive concussive back blast when used would save a lot of soldiers an impossible to treat injury.
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- Location
- Poland
Humvee is fine but if you really want to go with the official name it's HMMWV
Remove the s
holo
can sounds better
Thank you!
That's true. Modern blasters against modern SW building materials, even cheap mass produced ones can blow up fist-sized chunks in solid metal. Even crappy early generation blasters are going to be a threat to tanks at close range, especialy before we see new designs built with new alloys. That's especially true for the tracks, which by necessity would have smaller surface and volume to absorb and dissipate energy even if build with new alloys. Infantry support for tanks will become even more important, because sooner rather than later, Earth infantry will not need AT weapons to mission kill tanks. Lighter vehicles will be even more vulnerable, if still tough nuts to crack.
Yes, SW was known to have such infantry portable heavy weapons. Earh first effective equivalent will likely be less like like missile launchers, and more like heavy guns for people with exoskeletons and backpack power source.
Phase 5: Changing World III Part 4
Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Stark successfully tests an energy weapon! Pentagon is negotiating a contract with Stark Industries to develop practical energy weapons from infantry scale to vehicle mounted!
US Army Magazine
Stark Industries shares prize skyrockets after recent developments. Tony Stark consolidated control over SI by buying many of the shares on the market after the government investigation of the company commenced.
Forbes Magazine
Italy backs the EU fusion initiative! Green parties across the continent are in arms against nuclear power's 'despicable' and irresponsible proliferation. The German government is in a deadlock over the issue. French President and Parliament both pledge to support fusion proliferation and European energy independence.
Euronews
Stark Industries revolutionizes construction! Synthetic Concrete has been confirmed to significantly exceed any available building material's structural strength and durability!
Financial Times
US Senate and Congress passed a historical Infrastructure Bill pledging two trillion dollars to refurbish and reinforce bridges, dams, nuclear power plants, and airfields. Senator Mich Colins from New York and Congresswoman Natalie West from California are preparing a second Infrastructure Bill to finance the building of multiple fusion plants across the continental United States and Overseas Territories.
Washington Post
Coal Lobby offers full support to any citizens afraid of thoughtless nuclear proliferation. It offers to finance lawsuits aimed at blocking fusion reactor construction!
USA Today
Greenpeace activists rally people for 'Save our future' protests in front of a dozen Stark Industries corporate offices and Tony Stark's home in New York. The demonstrations are scheduled for this Friday afternoon.
New York Times
Green parties across Europe are ready to stage protests in twenty-seven capitals in support of Greenpeace's efforts in the United States.
BBC News
Radical Islam leaders across the Middle East and North Africa declare fusion power a temptation any true Muslim has to resist! Tony Stark, the Merchant of Death, is now the most hated person in the region.
Al Jazira
Syria and Iran sign up trade deals with the Russian Federation. Moscow ignores protests from the US and regional allies.
Associated Press
A devastating attack against a Coalition outpost in Afghanistan! Firebase Guardian overrun before reinforcements could arrive! Twenty-five Coalition soldiers are confirmed dead, and sixteen are declared Missing in Action! This is the worst defeat of Coalition forces since the invasion of Afghanistan.
New York Times
A C-5 Galaxy was lost in Northern Iraq last night. Missile strike suspected.
CNN Morning News
camera recording recovered from Private Allen, James;
1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion; Charlie Company
Firebase Guardian, Afghanistan
Status: KIA
The world shook and lit up with brilliance rivaling the sun at high noon. The camera caught streaks of light sharply cut down from the dark sky and slammed into the defensive positions at the perimeter of the small base. Blinding light and barely visible shock waves washed over Allen. The picture went wild, then showed a starless sky. The Marine shook himself up and rolled on the ground. The camera caught dark, almost invisible figures running through the smoking craters where the heavy weapons were.
Allen aimed, and his laser sight ran over one of the advancing figures. He shot it twice, and it stumbled back. Return fire shattered the rocky ground around Allen, who kept firing. His first target got up and opened fire as well. Something wet and dark splashed over the camera, and Allen grew still.
Two Coalition soldiers moved forward, going from cover to cover and shooting at the attackers. A Combat Medic ran at Allen, using the covering fire to reach him. A burst brought the medic down, and he slumped off-screen.
Five, then ten figures in heavy dark armor rapidly advanced through the base, firing in short bursts. After them came at least twice their number of clearly recognizable Taliban wearing a mixture of clothes and looted equipment.
An RPG struck the cover of the soldier to the left. The bright explosion sent him spilling to the ground, where the Taliban cut him down. The other trooper reloaded and tried to retreat before being overrun before someone shot him in the back.
Stark Industries HQ
California
Sadly, I couldn't stay away from California forever. That was especially true while the corporate HQ was still here, alongside many of our labs and R&D centers. A gradual move to the other side of the country, closer to home and where the climate was more pleasant, was going to be a long process.
"Pepper, Happy! It's great to see you in person again!"
For the past few months, Pepper was my face and voice in front of the Board of Directors and various SI Department heads in California, while Happy got assigned as her bodyguard. Now he was nominally in charge of three units of my security detachment, meant to keep them alive and intact.
I briefly toyed with Stark Global Operations or Executive Decisions, but that would be too on the nose. Instead, we went with Aegis Defense, which made Woods happy.
"Tony, you look good!" Pepper beamed at me. "And who do we have here?" She cooed and leaned forward to look at Hannah.
My daughter looked curiously around and did her best to hide behind my legs. Despite the therapy, she was still exceptionally uncomfortable around strangers and in new places.
"Hannah, everything is fine." I turned around and ruffled her hair. That earned me a pout and a glare. However, it helped her relax a bit.
"Auntie Pepper?" Hannah asked and squinted at the redhead. "You have pretty hair!"
"Your hair is pretty too!" Pepper cooed again.
"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!" Reporters screamed from behind a heavy police cordon backed by a loose line of soldiers.
"The natives are getting restless. Let's get out of the sun." I squinted at the scorching menace in the sky. It was early winter, but this damn place kept refusing to get the memo.
Security teams fell in formation around us, and we headed for the main entrance.
"Joanna, the cafeteria is left and to the right. I'm sure Hannah can use something cool to drink."
"No orange juice!" My daughter demanded.
"No oranges."
"Sure thing, sir. Let's get you something tasty to drink."
"I want apples!"
"How's fatherhood treating you, boss?" Happy asked happily.
"It's good. Odd but good. Sadly, we're not here to catch up. Pepper, dear, what do you have for me?"
"For a warm-up, you've got a metric ton of contracts to review and approve with Legal, then sign. You'll observe exoskeleton testing in the early afternoon and then have meetings with multiple design and research teams. Then it's back to paperwork. Tomorrow at ten, we're having a Board meeting, and you'll be there in person." Pepper consulted her tablet. "Late afternoon, you're meeting with Toshiba and General Dynamics representative to discuss fusion energy development…."
"The day after tomorrow can wait. Did you manage to get a visit to Disneyland cleared up?" I certainly wouldn't let Hannah step in such a place without heavy security or out of my sight. Such parks and the distractions they offered, combined with the inevitable crowds, were good places to assassinate people or take someone hostage. They were not ideal places to abduct people from and get away clean.
I should know. Back in the day, I killed three people in amusement parks and similar establishments all over the galaxy. At the same time, they were distracted enjoying time with their children. Imperial Intelligence and Baras certainly appreciated the irony.
"Disney's security is open to negotiating a reasonable compromise, if possible." Pepper informed me.
"Make sure to find me time to talk with them. Now, lead the way. There's paperwork to vanquish."
Phase 5: Changing world III
=SI=
Part 4
=SI=
=SI=
Part 4
=SI=
Stark successfully tests an energy weapon! Pentagon is negotiating a contract with Stark Industries to develop practical energy weapons from infantry scale to vehicle mounted!
US Army Magazine
Stark Industries shares prize skyrockets after recent developments. Tony Stark consolidated control over SI by buying many of the shares on the market after the government investigation of the company commenced.
Forbes Magazine
Italy backs the EU fusion initiative! Green parties across the continent are in arms against nuclear power's 'despicable' and irresponsible proliferation. The German government is in a deadlock over the issue. French President and Parliament both pledge to support fusion proliferation and European energy independence.
Euronews
Stark Industries revolutionizes construction! Synthetic Concrete has been confirmed to significantly exceed any available building material's structural strength and durability!
Financial Times
US Senate and Congress passed a historical Infrastructure Bill pledging two trillion dollars to refurbish and reinforce bridges, dams, nuclear power plants, and airfields. Senator Mich Colins from New York and Congresswoman Natalie West from California are preparing a second Infrastructure Bill to finance the building of multiple fusion plants across the continental United States and Overseas Territories.
Washington Post
Coal Lobby offers full support to any citizens afraid of thoughtless nuclear proliferation. It offers to finance lawsuits aimed at blocking fusion reactor construction!
USA Today
Greenpeace activists rally people for 'Save our future' protests in front of a dozen Stark Industries corporate offices and Tony Stark's home in New York. The demonstrations are scheduled for this Friday afternoon.
New York Times
Green parties across Europe are ready to stage protests in twenty-seven capitals in support of Greenpeace's efforts in the United States.
BBC News
Radical Islam leaders across the Middle East and North Africa declare fusion power a temptation any true Muslim has to resist! Tony Stark, the Merchant of Death, is now the most hated person in the region.
Al Jazira
Syria and Iran sign up trade deals with the Russian Federation. Moscow ignores protests from the US and regional allies.
Associated Press
A devastating attack against a Coalition outpost in Afghanistan! Firebase Guardian overrun before reinforcements could arrive! Twenty-five Coalition soldiers are confirmed dead, and sixteen are declared Missing in Action! This is the worst defeat of Coalition forces since the invasion of Afghanistan.
New York Times
A C-5 Galaxy was lost in Northern Iraq last night. Missile strike suspected.
CNN Morning News
=SI=
camera recording recovered from Private Allen, James;
1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion; Charlie Company
Firebase Guardian, Afghanistan
Status: KIA
The world shook and lit up with brilliance rivaling the sun at high noon. The camera caught streaks of light sharply cut down from the dark sky and slammed into the defensive positions at the perimeter of the small base. Blinding light and barely visible shock waves washed over Allen. The picture went wild, then showed a starless sky. The Marine shook himself up and rolled on the ground. The camera caught dark, almost invisible figures running through the smoking craters where the heavy weapons were.
Allen aimed, and his laser sight ran over one of the advancing figures. He shot it twice, and it stumbled back. Return fire shattered the rocky ground around Allen, who kept firing. His first target got up and opened fire as well. Something wet and dark splashed over the camera, and Allen grew still.
Two Coalition soldiers moved forward, going from cover to cover and shooting at the attackers. A Combat Medic ran at Allen, using the covering fire to reach him. A burst brought the medic down, and he slumped off-screen.
Five, then ten figures in heavy dark armor rapidly advanced through the base, firing in short bursts. After them came at least twice their number of clearly recognizable Taliban wearing a mixture of clothes and looted equipment.
An RPG struck the cover of the soldier to the left. The bright explosion sent him spilling to the ground, where the Taliban cut him down. The other trooper reloaded and tried to retreat before being overrun before someone shot him in the back.
=SI=
Stark Industries HQ
California
Sadly, I couldn't stay away from California forever. That was especially true while the corporate HQ was still here, alongside many of our labs and R&D centers. A gradual move to the other side of the country, closer to home and where the climate was more pleasant, was going to be a long process.
"Pepper, Happy! It's great to see you in person again!"
For the past few months, Pepper was my face and voice in front of the Board of Directors and various SI Department heads in California, while Happy got assigned as her bodyguard. Now he was nominally in charge of three units of my security detachment, meant to keep them alive and intact.
I briefly toyed with Stark Global Operations or Executive Decisions, but that would be too on the nose. Instead, we went with Aegis Defense, which made Woods happy.
"Tony, you look good!" Pepper beamed at me. "And who do we have here?" She cooed and leaned forward to look at Hannah.
My daughter looked curiously around and did her best to hide behind my legs. Despite the therapy, she was still exceptionally uncomfortable around strangers and in new places.
"Hannah, everything is fine." I turned around and ruffled her hair. That earned me a pout and a glare. However, it helped her relax a bit.
"Auntie Pepper?" Hannah asked and squinted at the redhead. "You have pretty hair!"
"Your hair is pretty too!" Pepper cooed again.
"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!" Reporters screamed from behind a heavy police cordon backed by a loose line of soldiers.
"The natives are getting restless. Let's get out of the sun." I squinted at the scorching menace in the sky. It was early winter, but this damn place kept refusing to get the memo.
Security teams fell in formation around us, and we headed for the main entrance.
"Joanna, the cafeteria is left and to the right. I'm sure Hannah can use something cool to drink."
"No orange juice!" My daughter demanded.
"No oranges."
"Sure thing, sir. Let's get you something tasty to drink."
"I want apples!"
"How's fatherhood treating you, boss?" Happy asked happily.
"It's good. Odd but good. Sadly, we're not here to catch up. Pepper, dear, what do you have for me?"
"For a warm-up, you've got a metric ton of contracts to review and approve with Legal, then sign. You'll observe exoskeleton testing in the early afternoon and then have meetings with multiple design and research teams. Then it's back to paperwork. Tomorrow at ten, we're having a Board meeting, and you'll be there in person." Pepper consulted her tablet. "Late afternoon, you're meeting with Toshiba and General Dynamics representative to discuss fusion energy development…."
"The day after tomorrow can wait. Did you manage to get a visit to Disneyland cleared up?" I certainly wouldn't let Hannah step in such a place without heavy security or out of my sight. Such parks and the distractions they offered, combined with the inevitable crowds, were good places to assassinate people or take someone hostage. They were not ideal places to abduct people from and get away clean.
I should know. Back in the day, I killed three people in amusement parks and similar establishments all over the galaxy. At the same time, they were distracted enjoying time with their children. Imperial Intelligence and Baras certainly appreciated the irony.
"Disney's security is open to negotiating a reasonable compromise, if possible." Pepper informed me.
"Make sure to find me time to talk with them. Now, lead the way. There's paperwork to vanquish."
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- Location
- Pale Blue Dot
Yeah. I can see the army being VERY interested in equipment that means they actually have a chance at protecting their homeland, instead of just getting rolled up like native tribals in anything resembling an open battle.
Hit and run with snipers is well and good, but being able to meet the enemy without crippling losses practically a guaranteed result is probably very much appreciated.
...and the Generals are going to go for squads of power armored people with crew served weapons and direct energy weapons. Fair enough, it looks like a serious upgrade to have available. Infantry that doesn't just melt is always appreciated.
At this point I suspect parts of the army are willing to bend the rules more than a little to safeguard vital strategic resources, if neccessary. Having a history of supplying said army for years probably makes said safeguarding more... helpful than it otherwise might have been.
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Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
Agh those green idiots, they are actually like that IRL. Germany shut down their nuclear plants. Unimformed crazy people pressing the government to choose inefficient enviroment ruining "clean" solar and wind power, instead of clean, the most efficent and very safe nuclear.
Why? Coz they think, nuclear waste is barrels of green stuff and plants are just waiting to explode.
Why? Coz they think, nuclear waste is barrels of green stuff and plants are just waiting to explode.
- Location
- Poland
There is something missing here.
Remove the comma
Add 'in' after 'fell'
Remove the s
Well, at the very least I can tell you that once you point out that fusion power means not being dependent on Russia for gas and oil will make it a lot easier in former Warsaw Pact and Soviet Republic countries.