Echoes of a Fake Formula

"Black Iron Squad tactics project approved."

On the same day Lin Yuan signed off on it, the third batch of imitation Ceramic Steel emerged from the vacuum hot-press furnace at Grove Arms Laboratory in the Atlantic Federation's Alaska base.

April 14, C.E. 71.

The Grove Family's technical director placed the grayish-white material plate onto the impact test bench. Five people stood around it, two of them from the United Army Technical Intelligence Division.

"This is the third time." The technical director removed his goggles, unable to hide the irritation in his voice. "The temperature curve followed the intelligence formula exactly. The hold time during crystallization was accurate to the second."

The impact hammer fell.

The material plate split into three pieces down the middle. Its fractured surfaces displayed the typical patterns of brittle glass-like failure, with no ductility whatsoever.

"Scrap." The United Army intelligence officer crouched to inspect the fragments. When he rose, dust clung to his knees.

The technical director tossed his goggles onto the table.

"Mr. Grove spent 370,000 credits on this, and all three batches turned out to be brittle slag. Either the formula itself is flawed, or the East Asians never developed genuine Ceramic Steel at all."

The intelligence officer sealed the fragments in a specimen bag.

"Your conclusion?"

"My conclusion is that East Asia is heading down the wrong path. This material approach is fundamentally unsuitable for MS armor applications. The hardness is sufficient, but the toughness is not. One armor-piercing round on the battlefield and it shatters."

That night, a classified technical assessment report was sent through the Grove Family's private channels to the Atlantic Federation Ministry of Defense.

The report's summary contained only two lines.

Replication verification of the East Asian Republic 811 Institute's Ceramic Steel armor project has failed. The issue of brittle material fracture cannot be resolved. This technical route is assessed to hold no practical combat value. Recommend maintaining the current development priority of Phase Shift Armor.

Three days later.

Sheng Lan placed a copy of the report intercepted by Ye Qingluan's people from the Alaska route before Lin Yuan.

"Director, the follow-up feedback on the second fake formula has arrived."

Lin Yuan opened the report and read the summary.

"All three batches shattered."

"All three. The deviation in the rare-earth ratio in the fake formula caused excessive glass-phase inclusions during crystallization. The finished product met the hardness standard, but its toughness was zero. Grove's people won't be able to detect it, because the deviation is nearly invisible in laboratory spectral analysis."

Lin Yuan closed the report.

"Did Sykes see this assessment?"

"Intercept records show that the report was forwarded to the Defense Minister's Office that same day. Sykes's note was—"

Sheng Lan flipped to the final page of the attachment and read aloud.

"Maintain observation. Lower priority."

Lin Yuan's fingers lightly traced across the tabletop.

"Lower priority. Good."

Sheng Lan put away the attachment.

"Director, the fake formula's window of deception won't remain effective forever. Although Grove's technical director reached his conclusion, if the Atlantic Federation assigns another group to reassess it, or obtains comparative data on ceramic-matrix composites from PLANT, they'll eventually realize they're headed in the wrong direction."

"How long can we delay them?"

"Three to four months. The Grove Family has considerable influence in the United Army's technical intelligence system. Overturning his conclusion would require another negative report of equal weight. No one will take the initiative to embarrass themselves in the short term."

Lin Yuan rose and walked to the window. Outside were the lights of the 811 Institute's western workshop district. Even deep into the night, the incandescent lamps over the assembly lines had never gone out.

"Three to four months is enough."

"Enough for what?"

"To turn Black Iron from one unit into twelve."

Sheng Lan wrote down a number in her memorandum, her pen pausing for a beat.

"Director, Luo Qiming's matter has been wrapped up, but the internal noise hasn't fully died down. Some people in the National Defense Committee are still spreading word that Black Iron's first battle was against six mass-produced Short Swords, so it wasn't much of an achievement. Some among the old ground forces are saying the same thing—that heavy armor can't be mass-produced and is nothing but laboratory showmanship."

"Did you trace the source?"

"I did. It isn't external infiltration, but internal inertia. In the network Luo Qiming built up over six years, some people weren't directly implicated, but deep down, they still believe following the United Army is easier than building our own."

"Does Ma Chongshan know about these opinions?"

"He's an old military hand. No one needs to tell him about something like this for him to know. But his attitude now depends on the results of the next exercise."

"When?"

"Xu Yanqiu gave an estimate today for the final assembly progress of Black Iron Units Two and Three."

Sheng Lan turned a page.

"Unit Two will complete its power-system integration in another five days. Unit Three's external Ceramic Steel plates are all in place, and its joint actuators are improved versions, with their parameters adjusted using stress data from Black Iron's first battle. At the earliest, both units can enter trial operations in ten days."

"Ten days."

"Ten days."

Lin Yuan returned to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a blank exercise application form.

"Notify Ma Chongshan. Twelve days from now, at the 811 Institute Comprehensive Test Range. Three Black Irons, their first squad-level live-fire coordination exercise. Reserve him a seat in the observation area."

Sheng Lan accepted the application form.

"Director, has the pilot for Unit Three been decided? Han Zheng recommended two candidates for Unit Two. Both were transferred from the ground armor forces."

"Let Han Zheng choose. He leads the squad, so he decides."

Sheng Lan folded the form and tucked it into her inner pocket. She paused halfway through the doorway.

"Director, what if Ma Chongshan still isn't satisfied after watching the exercise?"

Lin Yuan picked up the copy of Grove's assessment report from the desk and tossed it into the shredder.

"Let the Atlantic Federation convince him for me. Every time they underestimate East Asia, Ma Chongshan's chair will move another inch toward the 811 Institute."