B48

As I gathered my council for the end-of-month Meeting, I was practically vibrating in my seat. This would be the last meeting I had before I was off to Rasalhague to press my claim to the Throne of the Principality in front of the Regentskapsråd. Hopefully, this wouldn't be anything more than an update on various ongoing projects and so on, but you never knew. I'd heard that the protests on Apsalar had broken out into something more violent a few days ago, so hopefully Minister Jonsson's Team was able to help the locals handle it.

Eventually, my Councilors all trickled into the Council Chamber one by one, starting with Minister Simowitz, who always seemed to be at least one of the first to arrive if not the actual first, and ending with General Jorgensen, who arrived last owing to some last minute thing or other involving the special forces we would be sending to Callinius at the start of the next month. Once everyone was finally gathered, I started the meeting.

"All right, you all know the drill by now. Let's get updates out of the way first. Minister Jonsson, I've heard the protests on Apsalar turned violent last week? How did your team cope?" I questioned, starting the meeting.

"Well, My Lord, it wasn't easy. It turns out that Baron Apsa's local police are sort of hit or miss. Some precincts are solid, others not so much. One of the precincts that handles the Balza Hills where the Olive Groves and Minerals are was solid, the other one not so much." Answered Minister Jonsson.

"How do you mean?" I queried.

"Well, the Precinct handling the Town of Ripetto was mostly fine, that's where the groves themselves are. It was the Precinct of Pedamontano that was lacking. Pedamontano's a small city at the base of the hills, the local Police Chief seemed to be taking bribes from multiple sources for different things." Responded Minister Jonsson.

"The Local Mafia?" Asked Minister Huber.

"And Apsalar Greens Incorporated, and a few other sources. The man was so corrupt that he even took bribes from contradictory sources to accomplish contradictory aims. He took a bribe from the agitators to slow police response to any riots that might occur while also taking bribes from Apsalar Greens Incorporated to safeguard the groves and their equipment. When you throw in the fact that the local Mafia uses gunrunning as one of their big money-makers, well, then you get a recipe for disaster." Informed Minister Jonsson.

"So what happened? I haven't been complained to by Baron Apsa, so things must have been handled." I pointed out.

"They were, though it was touch and go, we had to bring in and deputized some of Apsalar Greens Incorporated's Security and we still wound up with a number of wounded members of the Special Tactics Team I sent over, but we have the leaders of the Riots in custody. The problem is that now we have to help out Baron Apsa's people in building a corruption case against the Police Chief of Pedamontano, which is going to involve dealing with Baron Apsa's internal affairs department and will likely also dovetail into a racketeering investigation of the local Mafia." Sighed Minister Jonsson.

"Is that necessary?" Questioned Minister Kovar.

"The Agitators had to get their weapons from somewhere. Best to nip it in the bud while we can. Unfortunately, my Interior Agents are fairly busy at the moment and I'm not just speaking of the upcoming assignment to Callinius to deal with the Consul and Senate there." Admitted Minister Simowitz.

"We'll get to that next, don't worry. Right now, I want to know what you'll need from me to make this upcoming caseload a success?" I queried.

"An advance on the funding increase we were promised will help, even just a few hundred million C-Bills will help us get a head start." Requested Minister Jonsson.

"Can we do that, Pauliina, or will Minister Jonsson have to wait until his scheduled funding increase?" I asked.

"The budget has some slack, but we also managed to get that loan from the Lyrans I was speaking of, plus another billion C-bills from the Bank of New Avalon. Two Billion C-bills in loans, of that, we can give a quarter billion to Minister Jonsson as an advance on his promised funding increase." Answered Minister Kokkonen.

"The Davions are willing to lend to us?" I questioned.

"It was a surprise to me too, but the Davions are friendly with the Steiners, even if they aren't allied. It might be an investment in a friend of a friend as a way to open up trade." Hedged Minister Kokkonen.

"Speaking of which, I've been getting inquiries from the AFFS Department of the Quartermaster about purchasing Rifleman Twos, LRM Carrier Twos, Sabre Twos, and Scorpion Twos. I've also received inquiries from someone I'm fairly certain works for procurement in the Outworlds Alliance Aerospace Arm looking into purchasing Sabre Twos and our Upgraded Leopard CV Models." Added Minister Huber.

"Our factories are already running at full tilt, there's not much slack in production for extra orders right now. There are a few facilities on Jápminboddu, Skiland, and Centaurus we can renovate but those will take time to get online." Chimed in Minister Kovar.

"I can delay them for a month in negotiations, but that's it. They want our tech, but not enough to go through multiple months of negotiations for it. Our pedigree with them isn't as powerful as it is with the Lyrans." Admitted Minister Huber.

"Do so. Paullina, give Minister Kovar's office a billion C-bills from the loans to renovate the production lines on Jápminboddu, Skiland, and Centaurus. What facilities are there, Viktoria?" I queried.

"Mostly satellite facilities from Roe Weapons Systems, Diplass Technologies, and United Mechanics that were shuttered after the breakup of the Rim Worlds Republic in the aftermath of the Amaris Civil War and the Republic-Commonwealth War. They were seized by the planetary governments, but never really repaired enough to do more than produce spare parts in limited batches. Give me a month and a billion C-bills in funding, though, and I can have some of them repaired enough and switched over to our designs to start work on extra orders." Informed Minister Kovar.

"All right. Then I think that's the plan we'll be going with. Minister Simowitz, you mentioned you were stretched thin? Why is that?" I asked.

"It's partly due to the need to keep security at Iron Land going strong now that the first of the Lyran Hulks has arrived. They brought it in using a Tramp-class JumpShip, the Stahl Schneider.Unfortunately, that Tramp-Class JumpShip has thirty-three LCAF Officers that need to be managed in order to avoid tipping our hand that we don't simply have the ability to repair corvettes but make new ones. Combined with the preparations for Operation: Memento Mori on Callinius, and the normal issues of security, my men are stretched a tad thin." Insisted Minister Simowitz.

"What do you need from me to help there?" I questioned.

"Nothing, actually. This isn't a case where more resources would help thanks to the inherent bottleneck involved in training intelligence operatives. Every recruit needs to be thoroughly vetted and the number of people capable of doing the vetting won't increase with more funding, only with time and experience. It is, sadly, just how these things work." Shrugged Minister Simowitz.

"Right. Well, if there's nothing to be done, then there's nothing to be done. General Jorgensen, how fares preparations for Operation: Memento Mori and Operation: Gotterdamerung?" I queried.

"Our teams for Memento Mori are ready to go. We estimate an eighty percent chance of success in arming and raising a rebel force to overthrow the Consul and Senate along with a ninety percent chance of success in retrieving Minister Kowalski's people from the Consul's Palace. The chances of actually overthrowing the Consul and Senate are a touch lower, though. Seventy-six percent." Informed General Jorgensen.

"Why so low?" I asked.

"We can raise, train, and equip a force of freed debt slaves, but we can't make them stick to their training when faced with the Patricians unless they go along with things. Slave revolts are an inherently risky business that way. Just ask the Canopians how their attempts to do likewise on Islington last year worked out for them." Answered Minister Simowitz.

"How did that work for them?" Questioned Minister Maczsek.

"Not well. Marius O'Reilly showed up with the full might of the Marian First Legion to aid Governor Humphreys in crushing the revolt. They did so with extreme prejudice and wound up capturing two hundred of the slaves for crucifixion around the governor's palace." Informed Minister Kowalski.

"That's barbaric!" Hissed Minister O'Neill.

"That's the Marians." Shrugged Minister Kowalski.

"Still, the balance of power between us and Callinius is a lot different than it was there. I'm fairly sure that the Canopian attempt on Islington only had a fifty-fifty chance of success from the start. Ours is a lot better here, so my analysts tell me." Pointed out Minister Simowitz.

"My Special Operations Teams have worked with Minister Simowitz's agents to come up with a plan that will likely work. His people have already made contact with the Sons of Albano, they're an abolitionist group hoping to restore the Pre-Corvinus Legal Code that didn't have debt slavery. He's been having his men ship them weapons and my Special Operators are ready to provide the training to use them. Between the Sons of Albano and my teams, we'll have enough men and firepower to strike the Mines at Alba Breve. There are thousands of them there and that should cause things to snowball nicely. When the Cohors Callinius are busy dealing with that, we'll go in, assassinate the Consul, and retrieve Minister Kowalski's People while the Sons of Albano coup the senate. The whole thing should take two months at most." Laid out General Jorgensen.

"After which, the Sons of Albano have agreed to join the Grand Duchy." Pointed out Minister Kowalski.

"Which is where my department comes in. I've prepared a plan to roll out schools, hospitals, and other utilities in a phased manner starting from Capitalinus and rippling out from there. In four years, Callinius will have a fully functioning system of schools, hospitals, and utilities." Chimed in Minister O'Neill.

"I've also put together an investment plan, along with Pauliina to help stimulate the economy. Going from an economy based on debt slavery to one based on modern principles is going to take some very deft maneuvering, but we've conferences about it and think we can get the first stages done in a few years." Offered Minister Kovar.

"Either way, I'm excited to see how the new Varulv Commando Power Armor works. It took some doing, but we managed to get a workable design with the help of General Jorgensen's teams acting as testers while they trained." Grinned Minister Macszek.

"Good. What about Operation: Gotterdamerung?" I pressed.

"We're thinking no later than October of this year to begin that. First, Second, and Third Guards should be sufficient, along with First Flotilla. There are only two major objectives to seize there, Amaris City and the Farming Community of Strangburg in the Plains of the Rim Worlds Republic north of Amaris City. It's the city fighting that will be difficult. Minister Simowitz's Agents have done a bit of intel gathering and discovered that the place is a honeycomb of underground garages and hidden bunkers. It'll be hard fighting, but we have a few advantages." Answered General Jorgensen.

"The biggest of which is that most of the defenses are so old that we've been able to find records of their makeup in the databanks from the Operation Redoubt computer cores. Apparently, Stefan Amaris was keeping tabs on Colonel Von Strang's defensive works via remote spy programs in Von Strang's computers and had the information beamed to Project Redoubt databanks just in case. In this case, his paranoia works to our benefit. We have locations for around sixty percent of the estimated underground fortifications, cul-de-sacs, garages, and other traps and fortresses thanks to that." Continued Minister Simowitz.

"We'll be targeting those as a priority with Aerospace Assets before sending the Guards in. The Von Strang Guard Division is equipped with Rim Worlds Republic Vintage Equipment, a lot like we are, and can make more like we can, but they currently have less of it than we do. We intend to play our numerical and intelligence advantages to the hilt here." Finished General Jorgensen.

"Good. I plan to take part myself, if my schedule allows. Now, what else?" I queried.

"We've begun work on the Givrodat Mech Facility. We're mostly clearing the area and preparing the ground right now, but already the Sámediggi see their decision to join the Grand Duchy as being vindicated. Especially since we've been buying local materials when able." Reported Minister Kovar.

"Which brings us to your upcoming trip to Rasalhague. I've prepared dossiers on each of the members of the Regentskapsråd you'll need to win over. There are four of them you'll need to persuade if we want to have the votes to make you Prince. Jarl Andrews of Radstaadt, Hertig Fraga of Kirchbach, Jarl Shor of Trondheim, and the speaker of the Regentskapsråd, Vévoda Kolowrat of Satalice. Get those four on side and you'll be able to cinch the nomination. I would also come to some arrangement with Haakon Magnusson involving Alshain. The big issue will be if the Comte de Rochefort declares his candidacy at the same time you do. That could lead to a re-evaluation of some key votes and make for a closer race than you might otherwise have." Summarized Minister Kowalski.

"You have dossiers and reports on those four and the general situation for me?" I asked.

"I do, My Lord." Nodded Minister Kowalski.

"Then I shall read them on the journey to Rasalhague. If there is nothing else of note, then I believe we all know what we have to do to make this next month a success. Meeting adjourned." I intoned.

As the meeting broke up, I made my way down to the Palace Garage where an Aircar waited to take me to the Military Spaceport. I would then board the Pentagon Two-class Dropship Obertyn for the trip to Rasalhague. As promised, there were dossiers waiting for me aboard the Dropship. I would have some reading and strategizing to do before I arrived if I wanted to make sure my candidacy would be a success. I hoped that by the time I arrived at Rasalhague, I would be able to implement a plan to do just that, succeed. After all, once I had the throne of Rasalhague, enough opportunities would open up for me that I would be able to really kick things into high gear.

I just had to get there first. . .

XXXX

AN: The next chapter is already up on my Patreon, so check the link in the threadmarked post if you guys feel like throwing me a couple bucks to get chapters in advance. Everyone who does is super appreciated and I can't thank my patrons enough.

All right, so here we see the next council meeting and get insight on how various things are progressing. Two military operations, one covert and another in the open are proceeding apace, while a judicial clusterfuck on Apsalar is in the offing involving local corruption, political agitators, and Mafia gun-runners. Meanwhile, the first of the Lyran Corvette Hulks has just arrived for repairs and refurbishment at Iron Land.

At the same time, Jozef's tech is starting to find markets with more than just the Lyrans, as the Davions and even the Outworld Alliance have taken notice. Unfortunately, Jozef really does need more production facilities to keep up with the demand for his products. Thankfully, he'll be out of the bottleneck one way or the other soon enough, either by gaining the Throne of Rasalhague, taking control of Von Strang's World, or both.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude showing what's been going on with Frederick Steiner, which I alluded to previously. Then we'll be back with Jozef for the trip to and arrival at Rasalhague.

Stay tuned. . .