"Would you care to inspect our newest developments, Herald Chan?" the man asked with an ingratiating smile and another bow.
"Of course, Colonel Bokhin. The Fire Lord is always interested in anything that may strengthen our people. Lead the way. Hm, speaking of strength—how large is your garrison?"
"Two thousand three hundred and twenty soldiers and officers, including one hundred firebenders, as well as fifty tanks modified by our engineers," the officer answered proudly.
Yeah… that was a very sizable force, to put it mildly.
"Impressive."
"Alas, Herald, even those numbers are barely sufficient to hold the territories entrusted to me. The North is simply too vast. But even with limited resources, we keep it firmly in our grasp, and our watch constantly intercept enemy infiltrators."
"Winter is Coming."
I couldn't help myself. The words just slipped out on their own. The associations with the North and the Watch had apparently done their work. Still, no White Walkers were scheduled to appear in the local cultural program, so life went on.
"Erm… yes, well, in a couple months everything will be covered in snow. Though in the mountains the snow never melts anyway… but…" The officer looked at me cautiously, apparently suspecting that something might not be entirely right with my head. "May I ask what you meant by that?"
"Oh, nothing. Just remembered an old story. Pay it no mind, Colonel. So then, what exactly are you planning to show me?"
"Of course! Right this way!"
He led me onto a balcony overlooking the parade ground below. And on that parade ground stood tanks. But what kind of tanks!
The treads had been enlarged and fitted with spikes capable of biting into ice and stone. There were fewer of them than usual, and their arrangement now resembled that of ordinary steel wheels. The hull itself had been raised higher, and even visually the entire machine looked lighter and more elegant.
But that height…
Wouldn't the thing tip over from the slightest sneeze? Earthbenders, after all, were especially fond of "sneezing" stone spikes right beneath a vehicle's underside.
Which, in fact, was precisely why all Fire Nation war machines were heavy, low-slung, and wrapped in extremely thick armor. Sure, nobody praised their speed, but flipping one of those tanks over remained a difficult task even for a pair of earthbending dirt-diggers.
"Hm… This design seems… rather unstable," I finally pronounced.
"Oh, Lord Chan," Bokhin replied with a sly smile, "believe me, this design is far more stable than you could possibly imagine. Observe!"
He waved a hand, and one tank rammed another hard enough to flip it over… hmm… Well, it didn't land on its roof. The massive wheels continued biting confidently into the ice, and a moment later… With a soft hiss, the tank's hull rotated like a drum, until the machine stood upright once again, looking exactly as it had before the rollover.
I still didn't understand how I managed not to let my jaw hit the floor right then and there. The engineer inside me was openly weeping tears of blood and screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs.
What the hell kind of rotating system was that? How did the thing not collapse under its own weight with such a mobile base? It should have turned into a pile of scrap from the slightest impact!
And yet the tanks apparently hadn't gotten the memo. They rolled calmly across the parade ground without the slightest issue. Quite quickly, too.
Not only that, they scaled sheer walls using grappling hooks attached to steel chains. Climb a vertical wall? Or even an overhang? No problem! Cheerfully puffing smoke from burning fuel, the tank continued its assault on gravity itself.
"How?"
"Oh, the entire secret lies in the hydraulic assembly and balancing system. This mechanism not only allows the tank to rotate freely, but also distributes incoming impacts across the entire armor surface. That proportionally reduces the force of the blow and allows the tank to ignore the majority of attacks while also performing extremely sharp maneuvers," the colonel declared with enormous self-satisfaction.
And I thought.
No, it was obvious that these machines were several times less durable than the "classic" Fire Nation models. A weight difference of three—or even five—times over naturally resulted in an entirely different class of armor protection. But dirt-diggers rarely tried to punch through armor directly. Against our tanks, they were used to fighting with pit traps and jutting stone spikes designed to overturn the vehicles.
And this roly-poly monstrosity was practically immune to all of the above.
"This is simply magnificent, Colonel Bokhin. Who created such a marvel?"
"Without false modesty, I must admit that I personally had a hand in bringing this tank into existence," the commandant replied with a pleased smile.
"Brilliant. And how did you solve the issue of impact compensation? After all, the fluid used in hydraulic systems is, as we know, incompressible and therefore incapable of functioning as a damper…"
"Er… someone else handled that particular aspect. If you wish, I can show you the blueprints and technical specifications."
Oh-ho…
So that's how it is. Looks like this "man who personally contributed" knew barely more than nothing about the actual operating principles of the tank.
"That's very generous of you, thank you. I'd also like to inspect the surrounding area. Perhaps accompany one of the patrols."
"I believe I can arrange a proper escort and show you anything you wish to see."
Mm-hm. More likely whatever you wished me to see, dear colonel.
Still, I let it slide. For the moment, there truly was nothing concrete I could pin on him.
(End of Chapter)
🙌Bonus chapter for 100 power stones!
🔥The next bonus chapter will be for 200 power stones.