Warrior (The Key to Magic) by H. Jonas Rhynedahll Page B

days." 
    "Excellent.  Has any further progress been made with the segmented definition of the bolt thrower?"
    Pzieilng's face broke into a broad smile.  "Indeed!  Yesterday we completed the fourth major aggregation.  The breakthrough was achieved by the team from Amblehc."
    Traeleon made the sign of the Tripartite.  "They do great service to the Work.  Does this change the estimate on the completion date?"
    "Yes, Preeminence.  We now calculate that we shall have deciphered the entire modulation within another two to three days.  "
    "The practical experiments continue apace?"
    Pzieilng nodded.  "We should be able to switch to bolt thrower production as soon as we have the full modulation sequence."
    Traeleon swung around to face Whorlyr.  "Director of Forces, the status on your training regimens?"
    "Complete, Preeminence," the Director of Forces answered with confidence.  "We will be able to arm the platform teams immediately when the weapons are available.  All of the platform drovers have been certified as proficient and at least one member of each team has trained to an adequate level as a drover."
    "Very good.  Let us continue," Traeleon ordered.  "We have much to see today."
    Traeleon went through every section of the complex, including the side tunnels where the iron blanks for the devices were manufactured, the commissary, and the bunkrooms.  He made sure to spare time to stop on occasion to chat with the laboring brethren and to scatter the occasional praising benediction.  A good many of these lower ranking laborers had great faith in the Restoration and such empty solemnities encouraged their diligence.
    In the main gallery, Brother Szint'sl, an energetic young Preceptor, left the brethren working at a set of drafting tables and joined the Archdeacon's group.  Szint'sl had invented the original concept of the sequential assemblage operation that took the platforms, towed on frames supported by casters, from raw stacks of lumber and rolled steel to the finished three armlength wide by six armlength long armored vehicles that exited under their own power up the ramp at the distant terminus.  His exceptional skill and ingenuity had taken Traeleon's original concept of a shielded, Algaraemyr Device levitated wagon and translated it into the beetle-like, steel-sheathed firing platforms.
    "Preeminence, the new design is finished!" Szint'sl exulted immediately. 
    Traeleon smiled.  Szint'sl's blazing intellect sometimes leapfrogged mundane considerations such as an entire prefacing conversation.  "And what new design would that be?"
    "Oh, I beg your pardon, Preeminence.  A few days ago, Brother Whorlyr and I were discussing logistics and it occurred to me that the pace at which a battlefront driven by platforms will advance will far exceed the ability of normal horse drawn transport.  As I'm sure you understand, the speed of wagons is inherently limited by a number of physical factors, including the fact that horses must stop to rest, to be groomed, to be fed and watered, and so forth.  While a minor amount of rations and water can be loaded onto the platforms, the available extra space limits these provisions to a quantity that would permit only three to four days of operation.  Clearly, given the inherent speed differential, it would be inevitable that the platforms will outrun our ability to supply them, thereby negating their prime battle advantage of unrestrained mobility.  This led me to the obvious solution."
    "Platforms adapted for cartage?"
    "Yes!  The new design can be produced with only a few modifications to our existing process.  The supply platforms, which I have chosen to call cargo carriers, will be twice as long and be one-third taller than the standard battle platform.  To reduce construction time and conserve steel, only the drover compartment will be armored.  The majority of a cargo carrier's length will be a canvas covered hold.  Rather than follow after the advance, these