Chapter 283 — Practical Value
Several weapon engineers and military analysts gathered inside one of ONI's research facilities, their attention fixed on the large display dominating the center of the room.
Only a short time had passed since Dr. Halsey forwarded the complete lasgun technology package.
As soon as the data arrived, multiple research teams had begun dividing the work.
Some examined the manufacturing documentation.
Others reviewed the engineering specifications.
Another team immediately focused on reproducing the weapon itself.
Thanks to the remarkably complete documentation Gaius had provided, they had already manufactured a physical prototype as quickly as possible.
Now they were reviewing the results of its first live-fire test.
The firing-range recording played across the display.
The lasgun fired.
A brilliant crimson beam crossed the range almost instantly before striking a row of armor plates.
One plate.
Then another.
Then another.
The beam punched cleanly through every layer before finally dissipating several meters beyond the final target.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
The room remained completely silent as the recording looped.
Finally, one of the engineers leaned back in his chair.
A faint grin spread across his face.
"Well."
He folded his arms.
"That's definitely not a flashlight."
A few quiet chuckles spread through the room.
The joke briefly lightened the atmosphere before everyone returned to the data.
Another scientist enlarged the impact analysis.
Dozens of numerical values appeared beside the recording.
Residual energy.
Penetration depth.
Material deformation.
Thermal effects.
He compared the figures against the UNSC database before speaking.
"Penetration is impressive."
His eyes continued scanning the numbers.
"Far beyond standard MA5 assault rifle performance."
Several heads nodded.
At this point, that conclusion had become difficult to dispute.
The testing data was consistent.
The beam weapon simply penetrated armor more effectively than the standard rifles currently issued to Marines.
A third analyst opened another projection.
Several familiar weapons appeared side by side.
MA5 Assault Rifle.
BR55 Battle Rifle.
M7 SMG.
He examined the comparison for a few seconds before giving his opinion.
"The average Marine would absolutely want one of these."
Then he raised a finger.
"But let's stay realistic."
The display shifted once again.
The previous rifles disappeared.
New weapons took their place.
The Spartan Laser.
The Gauss Cannon.
Several anti-vehicle weapon systems.
He gestured toward the projection.
"The UNSC already possesses infantry weapons that hit harder."
Nobody argued.
There was no point.
The Spartan Laser alone was capable of destroying targets that a lasgun had never been intended to engage.
The Gauss Cannon occupied an entirely different category of firepower.
Raw destructive capability was not where the lasgun would dominate.
Everyone in the room understood that.
The discussion naturally shifted elsewhere.
A logistics officer reached forward and enlarged the lasgun schematics.
"That's exactly why this thing matters."
The display zoomed in.
Maintenance procedures.
Internal construction.
Manufacturing requirements.
Power-pack specifications.
He pointed toward the internal mechanism.
"This rifle is absurdly simple."
He continued listing each observation.
"No ammunition feed."
He highlighted another section.
"No moving bolt."
Another.
"No extractor."
He continued.
"No cartridge failures."
"And no jamming."
Several engineers exchanged glances.
The more they examined the internal structure, the more attractive the weapon became.
Compared to conventional ballistic firearms, there were remarkably few moving components.
Less maintenance.
Fewer failures.
Simpler manufacturing.
Another researcher switched the projection to the power-pack documentation.
"And according to the data," he said, "the power packs are rechargeable."
The room became noticeably quieter.
One analyst looked over.
"How rechargeable?"
The researcher looked down at the report.
"Solar charging."
He continued scrolling.
"Thermal charging."
Another page.
"Generator connections."
He kept reading.
"Standard electrical infrastructure."
Several analysts immediately began running calculations.
Datapads lit up across the room.
Various logistical simulations appeared.
One analyst slowly lowered his datapad.
"So the ammunition is reusable."
Another researcher nodded.
"Looks that way."
That statement attracted even more attention than the weapon itself.
Years of fighting the Covenant had taught everyone present the same lesson.
Building weapons was only part of the challenge.
Keeping soldiers supplied was often much harder.
One logistics officer folded his arms.
"If we'd had something like this during the war, it would've changed a lot of planning."
Several people quietly nodded.
Entire colonies had once been isolated.
Supply convoys had been destroyed before reaching their destinations.
Manufacturing facilities had been lost.
Conventional ammunition constantly required replacement.
A lasgun changed that equation.
As long as electricity remained available, the weapon could continue fighting.
Another analyst pointed toward the power-pack diagrams.
"No cartridge production."
He moved to another note.
"No propellant."
Another.
"No brass."
He looked around the room.
"A soldier carries thousands of shots in rechargeable packs."
He slowly shook his head.
"That's a logistical dream."
The room fell quiet again.
Finally, one of the senior ONI scientists spoke.
"The rifle isn't the most important thing here."
Several heads turned toward him.
He pointed directly at the rotating hologram of the power pack.
"This is."
The holographic image enlarged until it dominated the room.
The compact energy cell slowly rotated in the air.
The scientist folded his hands behind his back.
"Look at the energy density."
Several researchers immediately opened fresh calculations.
Energy storage.
Charge efficiency.
Output stability.
Power capacity.
One researcher stared at the numbers for several long seconds before quietly speaking.
"That's ridiculous."
Another researcher nodded without taking his eyes off the display.
"If these specifications are accurate, this power pack stores significantly more usable energy than comparable UNSC infantry batteries."
Silence returned.
The implications rapidly spread through the room.
The lasgun was only one application.
The power pack could potentially be adapted for countless others.
Portable shield generators.
Combat drones.
Medical equipment.
Field communications.
Sensor systems.
Vehicle electronics.
Virtually every military platform depended upon portable power.
One energy specialist slowly leaned forward.
"If we can reproduce this technology..."
He looked around the room before finishing.
"We may not just improve infantry weapons."
"We may improve nearly every system that relies on batteries."
Several researchers nodded almost immediately.
The excitement in the room had begun shifting.
The lasgun itself remained an excellent weapon.
It surpassed standard UNSC infantry rifles.
It was reliable.
Easy to maintain.
Simple to manufacture.
But the rechargeable power-pack technology might influence the entire military.
A senior analyst finally summarized what everyone had gradually concluded.
"The UNSC already has weapons that are stronger."
He gestured toward the Spartan Laser and Gauss Cannon still displayed beside the lasgun.
"So this isn't replacing our heavy weapons."
His hand then shifted toward the lasgun.
"But for ordinary infantry."
He paused.
"For planetary defense forces."
"For garrison troops."
"For mass mobilization."
"For colonial militias."
"For frontline Marines."
A small smile appeared.
"This may be one of the most practical military technologies we've ever acquired."
The room remained silent.
Nobody disagreed.
The consensus had already formed.
Meanwhile, back in Cascade, the atmosphere inside Tony's workshop was far quieter.
The major negotiations had already concluded.
Gaius mentally reviewed everything that had been accomplished.
The exchange involving the lasgun technology had been completed.
The Imperium now possessed Slipspace technology for study.
An agreement regarding Titanium-A had also been reached.
For now, there was very little left for him to do except wait until Halsey delivered the promised information.
Gaius sat quietly nearby while Tony and Halsey continued discussing artificial intelligence and shield technologies.
Although his transhuman mind as an Ultramarine and one of the Emperor's Chosen was capable of processing extraordinary amounts of information, Gaius knew his own limitations.
He had never been trained as a scientist.
He was a warrior.
A commander.
His purpose had always been leading armies and winning battles.
Scientific research belonged to others.
So he simply listened.
Occasionally, his eyes drifted toward the holographic displays floating above the table before returning to the ongoing conversation.
As he sat there, another thought surfaced.
His armor.
More specifically, removing it.
He remembered Tony had it mentioned before.
There was nothing preventing him from removing his Auramite power armor manually.
The problem was that the process consumed a considerable amount of time.
Repeatedly doing so by hand also risked unnecessary wear on some of the armor's components and connection points.
It was possible.
It simply wasn't efficient.
What he needed was a station.
Something compact.
Something mobile.
Something capable of quickly removing and re-equipping his power armor while minimizing unnecessary strain on its components.
His gaze slowly shifted toward Tony.
Out of everyone he currently knew, Tony Stark was probably the most qualified person to help.
Still, out of everyone Gaius knew, Tony was probably the best person to ask about such a thing.
After all, Tony had already worked with his Primaris armor before Gaius received the Auramite armor. He was at least familiar with how its components and mechanisms fit together.
More importantly, he was an engineering genius.
As Gaius considered the idea, Tony noticed him looking over.
He turned his chair.
"What's up?"
Halsey also glanced toward Gaius.
Gaius spoke plainly.
"Tony. I want your help creating a station that can quickly remove my armor and equip it."
Tony's face immediately brightened.
"I knew this would happen eventually."
He pointed directly at Gaius.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you lasted this long."
Gaius raised one eyebrow.
Tony laughed.
"You're walking around in tons of power armor all day."
"At some point you're going to want an easier way to take it off."
Gaius simply nodded.
"Yes."
Tony leaned forward, already thinking.
"That's easy enough."
A holographic projection immediately appeared beside him.
Simple framework sketches rapidly began taking shape.
"I can build a mechanical platform."
He pointed toward the emerging design.
"You step onto it."
"It removes the armor section by section."
"It stores everything on a rack beside the platform."
"And when you need it again, the system puts everything back on automatically."
Gaius listened carefully.
Tony continued refining the concept.
"It'll be fast."
"It'll prevent unnecessary wear on the armor."
"And it'll save you a lot of time."
Then another idea suddenly occurred to him.
His eyes brightened again.
"Actually, it'll work even better because of the parcel system."
That immediately caught Gaius's attention.
Tony pointed toward him.
"Just store the whole station in the parcel system when you're not using it."
"we already use that thing as inventory space anyway."
"When you need your armor, take the station out, set it down, and suit up."
"No permanent armory needed."
Gaius considered the proposal.
A portable armor station.
One that could be deployed nearly anywhere.
One that could simply disappear back into the parcel system afterward.
It was practical.
Very practical.
He gave a single nod.
"That would be useful."
Tony grinned.
"Useful?"
He laughed.
"That's going to be one of the best quality-of-life upgrades you've gotten since arriving here."
Halsey quietly listened to the conversation.
She found herself agreeing with Tony.
The concept was undeniably practical.
A portable system capable of removing and re-equipping powered armor could prove useful for almost any military organization.
One detail did catch her attention, however.
The parcel system.
Both Tony and Gaius referred to it as though it were completely ordinary.
Yet neither of them had ever properly explained what it actually was.
She briefly considered asking.
Then decided against it.
For now, she simply continued listening.
As Tony mentally refined the design, another thought crossed his mind.
He looked toward Gaius.
"Let me scan your armor again."
Gaius met his eyes.
Tony explained.
"It might have been modified since the last time."
"Or there might be details I missed."
"If I'm building a custom station, I want the removal arms fitted exactly to your armor."
Gaius nodded once more.
"Understood."
Tony gestured toward the large platform positioned near the center of the workshop.
"Go stand on the platform."
"It isn't just for designing things."
"It can perform full scans too."
Gaius stood from his chair and walked toward it.
Tony followed.
Curious to see the process, Halsey rose from her seat and joined them.
When Gaius reached the platform, he paused.
Before stepping onto it, he retrieved his helmet from the parcel system.
He lifted it into place and secured it.
Then particles of light appeared behind him.
Another item emerged from the parcel system.
The Iron Jetpack Tony had previously built slowly materialized before attaching itself securely to the back of his Auramite armor.
Normally, Gaius did not wear it.
Instead, a crimson cape hung beneath his pauldrons, giving him the appearance expected of a champion of the Imperium.
The jetpack was unnecessary whenever flight was not required and would only become an inconvenience during ordinary movement.
For that reason, he usually stored it away.
Today was different.
Tony required a complete record of every currently equipped system.
The crimson cape disappeared back into the parcel system.
The jetpack remained attached.
Only then did Gaius step onto the platform.
The towering Ultramarine stood motionless in his gleaming Auramite armor. With the black-and-gold jetpack still mounted to his back and the crimson cape removed, the suit's imposing form was fully visible.
Even Halsey paused for a brief moment.
She had seen the armor many times before.
Even so, the sight remained undeniably impressive.
Tony looked upward.
"JARVIS."
"Scan Gaius."
Immediately, the platform came to life.
Thin beams of light emerged from emitters positioned around the workshop.
They swept across Gaius's armor.
Across the helmet.
Over the pauldrons.
Down the chestplate.
Along both arms.
Across each leg.
Finally, across the newly attached jetpack.
Layer after layer.
Section after section.
Beside the platform, a three-dimensional holographic model gradually formed.
Halsey's eyes narrowed slightly.
The scan resolution was extraordinary.
Every armor plate.
Every servo.
Every locking mechanism.
Every connection point.
Even the interfaces linking the jetpack to the armor were being mapped in remarkable detail.
The holographic model slowly rotated while becoming increasingly complete.
A calm electronic voice echoed through the workshop.
"Scan in progress."
A brief pause followed.
"Updating armor schematics."
Another pause.
"Comparing with previous records."
A second holographic model appeared beside the first.
Tony studied both displays before raising an eyebrow.
"Well."
He smiled faintly.
"There are definitely some changes."
The newly attached jetpack immediately stood out.
The cape attachment points were highlighted.
Several recent modifications glowed yellow throughout the projection.
Tony folded his arms and looked over the updated model.
"Perfect."
A confident smile appeared.
"Let's see what we're working with."
~~~
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