035. Alessandro and Iris handle their issues.

December 2991, Tharkad

Alessandro Steiner, Archon of the Commonwealth sat in the guest booth of the Estates General. 

Or rather, he sat and listened. 

He sat, he listened, and he was not happy with how the discussion had been going. 

The offensive on Kalidasa had been ongoing for the last six months. Due to the reprieve that the revolt of the Rasalhague Kingdom had bought the Commonwealth. Alessandro had decided a push onto Kalidasa to secure the vital mech parts production facilities for House Steiner. 

Six regiments, freed up from the defence of Hesperus II and a few border worlds, due to the arrival of a mass of cheap retro-tech had been thrown at the Marik world.

The Mariks were unable to reinforce as quickly as the Commonwealth was. Unable to match the economic might of the Commonwealth. Unable to fortify as fast as the Commonwealth. Or so he had thought. He had planned it all out, had war gamed the scenarios, had input the variables. 

In actuality, they had, the fortifications more than enough to grind down the Regiments. LIC had failed, not been able to provide him the information that he needed. Failures everywhere he looked!

Something that only the long ranged retro-cannons that the Defiance provided for their refits had prevented from turning into annihilation. Now, it was a matter of a stalemate, more reinforcements were arriving, but the quick promised victory that he had promised turned out to be nowhere in sight.

The failings of the regiments on the ground, failures in intelligence, failures everywhere he looked. Now he was here, a guest of the Estates General, placating the masses, so he could do actual, important work.

While it was not custom for the Archon to sit in on the debates, indeed, usually the Archon only appeared if asked to appear in the face of a submitted bill. Alessandro was here because he was about to submit a bill in favour of a reform to the nobility system. To elevate one Huu Eggers and the Dukes of the Provinces of the Commonwealth to the rank of King. 

Why? Because of the need to reward him for his unwitting service... and to create a divisive point of contention in the Estates General. The war-like border worlds, led by the Tamar Pact and bolstered by the Homeless, those representatives that had lost their worlds to enemy aggression. would support the appointment. Seeing it as a means of using the new beachhead of the Rasalhague Kingdom to pummel the Combine into submission. Placing a war-like creature such as Huu Eggers in charge of Rasalhague would only please such a faction. That the Rasalhague natives welcomed the idea of Eggers being in charge mattered not.

The more commerce focused internal worlds would be instead seeking to pursue peace. Which Huu Eggers represented the anti-thesis of. A creature of war such as he, would disrupt the economy. Ruin everything they would say. Both sides would come into conflict, and uselessly debate the topic until the end of days, allowing him to get on with what he needed to as Archon. 

Hell, when this worked, he would be able to elevate the Kelswas, the Lestrades, and the Steiners would be elevated to Kings for their rule of the Tamar Pact, the Federation of Skye, the Protectorate of Donegal. It would see more authority revert back to the nobility as worlds petitioned their kings or archdukes. Less power in this useless rabble of politicians, who only had to do the courtesy of listen when he spoke! 

Further, they would owe him favours. Favours he needed to get the regiments he needed to push the Mariks of Kalidasa. One more push, one more major offensive and he would have the world!

Instead, he got to listen to the Estates General, useless politicians, bicker about the success of his offensive. So, what if the regiments had been ground down? They had the reserves now that defence could be done by infantry on the front line. It was not as if it were his fault they were incompetent! Were they not reading the same papers that he was? Did they not understand the need for modern and retro-armour? It was not as if it were difficult to acquire, either.

These idiots speaking as if they knew the realities on the ground had Alessandro furious, but he couldn't simply dissolve parliament without causing even larger issues. 

As furious as he was with them, he wasn't stupid enough to forget the lessons of previous Steiners.

Still... this was ridiculous. 

How dare they question his strategy when they didn't even have the intelligence briefs he had, didn't have the generals he had? 

"Representative of Launam requests to speak."

Oh, what now.

"The floor is granted to Representative Launam."

"Thank you, Speaker. I am here to speak on an important matter. Specifically, the fact that the Smialy and the Armsman have been seen in use in the Free Worlds League? On Kalidasa in particular?" 

The room started to shout.

Of course, it was something that the was seen there, the Regulars and Arcturus troops were equipped with them, he wanted to say. Stupid, sanctimonious fool.

"I mean, specifically, that brand new Smialy Automachines, and the Armsman Exosuits, have been seen in the service of House Marik." 

A deathly silence filled the room.

"Yes. Current export bans include anything twenty tons and over from being exported beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. This, notably, does not include the sale or the licensing of designs that are under twenty tons. Designs that include the Smialy and the Armsman."

"What are you saying!? That the Mariks just... bought our inventory!?"

"No. What I am saying is that the Mariks, walked into the Commonwealth... and bought the production rights of the Smialy and the Armsman... as well as retro-tech weapons designs because they weren't covered in an export ban." 

"No Lyran company would sell weapons to our enemies! Are you saying, that one of the companies was a traitor!?"

"What I am saying, Representative Cameron, is that the Mariks formed a trade company in the Commonwealth. Using the same loopholes that Gienah Automotive uses to sell its combat vehicles to the Free Worlds League. This trade company, registered in the Commonwealth, purchased the rights of unlimited production, regardless of location... for quite the sum. 10 billion C-Bills from what I understand. And have, quite legally, returned to Marik space to begin their own domestic production. All, quite, legally. Because the laws that I brought up last year to combat this very situation, was shouted down by this very chamber."

Alessandro clenched his fists. 

Yet could not do anything about it. Commerce was the lifeblood of the Commonwealth, to strangle it would be just as deadly as any Combine raid. And yet, there was a middle ground. Instead of simply banning all trade, it would be possible to ban the sale of strategic rights and goods. Clarify existing legislation regarding export bans.

Yet, the question remained.

The rights were sold legally, fairly. 

What could they without causing the corporations to erupt in fury?

"Further, the Combine, using the same loopholes that Rastaban Agricultural uses to sell grain to third parties, who sell it onto the Combine proper... have gained access to the same rights. Rastaban, I might add, has been encouraged to do so by this very chamber. For we fear a Draconis Combine collapsing in on itself because half its population is starving, and so we hand them the tools they can use to cut our throats!" 

"Oh, you old fool! You're just raising this up because your pet company tried to sell the rights directly and was sanctioned for trying to sell to an enemy state! You're just angry you couldn't make profits from the designs, and you're taking it out on Rastaban and Gienah! I say, kindly, fuck off sir!"

The room erupted into roars of anger and bellows of indignation.

"Order! Order in the room I say! Representative Gienah, you are out of line!" 

The room gradually fell to a more peaceable quiet. Still filled with angry mutterings, of course.

"Representative of Sudeten would like to speak."

The voice cut through the shouts and agitation of the crowd.

"The floor is granted to Representative Sudeten." 

"Thank you, Speaker. The reason that we export grains to the Combine is quite simple. While the Dragon may starve, in its desperation, it will lash out. Seeking to steal what it cannot purchase, ravaging the worlds of the Commonwealth. Or have you forgotten the first and second succession wars? It was this very chamber that approved those measures! If there is anything that needs changing, it is the tightening of the restrictions on what can be exported. Do not act as if we must close all exports out of the Commonwealth."

The war of words continued but, Alessandro was impatient. 

"The Archon will speak." He called out into the chamber. He had better things to do with his time.

"I am here to announce the addition of new ranks to the Commonwealth's nobility. Continuing from my ancestor, Katherine Steiner-Mardsen's reforms, I will be expanding the ranks of the nobility accordingly. These will include, but are not exclusively, Kings, Archdukes, Grand Dukes, Counts, Burgraves, Ritter, and Lords. The specifics will be included in the bill. This bill will be passed soon and the adjustment of noble ranks and titles will take place accordingly. That is all." 

As he left, he could hear the room erupting into chaos. Not that he cared, he had more important things to worry about. Like how on Kalidasa he had new threats to the operation. 

It may be overtime and over budget, but he was Alessandro Steiner.

He knew what he was doing. 

As he strode out of the chambers, he wondered, in the back of his mind, what was it that he had forgotten? 

No matter, it wouldn't be important if he couldn't remember it.

+_+

January 2992, Blackjack III

Iris Steiner sat on the roof of the Eggers Section. The picnic table under a shelter of cockpit glass. 

In front of her was a platter of foods from Furillo. A sign of... well... trade. 

The first of the Providence Class Retro-Jumpships had been symbolically gifted to Huu Eggers at the close of December. The first primitive jumpship produced in the Inner Sphere since the 25th century. 

It had opened the blast doors.

As a native of Furillo, Iris had experienced the sensation of how air could rush through the tunnels, dragging with it all the loose rocks and materials that had piled up from the mining machines. 

This was not dissimilar. 

The Primitive Bounty concern had, upon discovering how little Germanium was in use with the primitive jump cores. Germanium mass, that scaled proportionally to jump distance, had opted to create an even tighter jump radius jumpship. One that could jump 15 light years instead of the 22 of the Providence. 

One that was armoured to the gills, with weapons to fight off raiders... and a truly cavernous hold space. Itself possible because of how the jump core didn't run the entire ship like a standard jumpship, being much smaller to fit the 15 light year requirements. 

At 200,000 tons, with a tiny core of 70,000 tons versus the Providence's 142,000 tons, enormous internal capacity, armour, and weapons...

Each was almost a mobile city. 

Even better, the Germanium did not have to be of as high a quality as standard cores. They weren't jumping the full 30 light years after all, imperfections were accepted... even encouraged. It would, after all, reduce the amount of Germanium needed.

The proposed design had been immediately deemed vital. Work had immediately started on another series of shipyards, dedicated solely to the production of these Diplomat class vessels. 

The first would be delivered within the month, given how the slips were essentially space-Sections that could be shifted in and out by tugs to provide the space needed.

For Iris, what the arrival of the jumpships had meant, was the jumpship routes had been increased dramatically in number. Both messages and material were flowing at even greater rates, with Blackjack being used as a jumpship hub. 

The Primitive Bounty Concern was radiating out trade journeys with the Eggers Orbital Construction shipyards as their base, sending out and delivering goods and messages using Eggers Shipping as inspiration. The Section design had been inspired, with many of the Concern establishing their own works elsewhere in the Commonwealth. All the better to make use of local Germanium deposits.

Wotan Mining Systems had just been purchased by Huu. Under the same deal as that of Tolsand Warworks, he was driving them to produce more drills with an enormous investment for expansion. His stated goal was to increase the supply of materials to reduce the costs of aerospace production. The newly created subsidy, Wotan Orbital Mining, was for the same purpose, but in space. 

All of this interconnectedness meant food from worlds as distant as Solaris were making themselves known on Blackjack's markets. Which had, in turn, led to this picnic in a roundabout way.

Bringing the food of Furillo to her betrothed's family so that everyone could share in it was important. Being able to share her culture, that of her world now that jumpship production was rising? Even better. 

Not that it was cheap mind you, not when the jump routes hadn't even reached out beyond 60 light years of Blackjack, but her mother had charted a dropship to celebrate the betrothal becoming official. 

Being able to do repeat this on a regular basis due to the jumpship route that Huu said he was establishing? Iris was certainly looking forward to it.

Sitting in front of Huu now was her mother and herself. The picnic table they had brought up looking anachronistic in the face of the sheer... insanity they could see around them. 

Clan Wolverine, Huu's personal guard were already intimidating. The Veelvraat? Even more so. 

Dedicated to him in a way that surprised Iris, the Veelvraat spent their waking moments with the intention of either protecting their liege, or training to do so. Numbering just 200, they were some of the most capable fighters, in Battlemechs, Aerospace, hand to hand, and now, Exosuits that Iris had ever seen.

Some were now wearing Estocs. The size of a great sword, but with a thin tapered point. Not for hacking, but for sliding in between the gaps of armour... like the gaps in the lobstered plate on the Armsman suits. It had taken less than a week for them to identify a new threat, and establish the means to end it. 

Her own guards, for when she was outside of the Blackjack School of Conflict, were working themselves into a frenzy to match them. Her mother's guards looking slightly discomforted by the zeal that her own trained with. 

Sipping her tea and taking a bite of the horned cabbage and knife tuna sandwich, native fauna of Furillo, she took a look at Huu... who looked like he had no idea what to do with the finger food in front of him.

"I had them tested for allergens and none will react with your body." She said, pushing the finger snack plate closer. 

Her mother looked a little discomforted, possibly because Iris had never done something like this at home. It's not as if she were a tyrant, but, really. It wasn't like she never did nice things for people... usually! 

"Thanks Iris. That makes me... feel a little... hmmm. Ooh, is that a cucumber?" Huu paused, finger indicating at a green tube-like organism in the sandwich.

"Yes, it's the Pantor Sea Cucumber, how did you know?" 

"It's green. And longish. Anyway, it should be safe to eat, right?" Picking it up, taking a small bite, he grimaced immediately. Chewing quickly and swallowing, as if trying to resist the urge to vomit the entire time. Perhaps... some of the foods she was used to were... acquired tastes.

"Why... why is there so much cartlidge? I thought this was a cucumber?" He asked, taking a big swig of the cider to his right.

"Yes, it's a sea cucumber. They catch them fresh from the aquaculture farms in abandoned mine shafts." 

"Catch?"

"Yes... sea cucumber is a type of animal."

He gagged. 

"I thought you meant cucumber, like the plant cucumber!" 

Iris rolled her eyes, who would put plant cucumber in a sandwich? What were they? Heathens? 

Glory, across the table from her, looked up and made a discreet eye roll. Someone who agreed with her, clearly, on her sandwich fillings. 

"Is there anything here that is normal in a sandwich? Like curried eggs, or ham and plant-cheese, or fried processed pork?" Huu sounded indignant. Pointing at the colourful display of fillings and black bread. 

His other hand lifting and allowing Voidy to delicately pluck it out of his hands. One tentacle daintily put one piece of bread on its carapace, just above the eyes. As if it were a pirate tricorn. The others, with immense grace, pushed the condiments and bread into its blender-like beak. Nibbling away with obviously great enjoyment.

The bright green of the crisp pickled sea cucumber, the orange of its roe turned into a cream, the purple intestines gently poached for a crunchy topping. 

The colours were meant to contrast the darkness of the charcoal bread. A reminder of the difficulties that Furillo had during its colonisation, in particular the need to survive in the mines. With the brightness of life, joy, and happiness that the inhabitants experienced together to get through the decades of colonisation.

Morning tea, therefore, was incredibly important to the people of Furillo, no matter their income level or social standing. 

As it was, Iris was fully partaking in the experience, beaming at those around her as she did so. 

"These are the normal fillings of a sandwich. I would ask what one would want with processed meat in their sandwich. Or curried eggs, whatever those are. For someone that is worried about allergies, you certainly are adventurous with your sandwiches."

He just pouted and continued to inspect the small triangles of black bread and colourful filling.

Finally, under the advice of her overwhelmed mother, quietly tried different sandwiches with their different fillings. Finding himself enjoying the experience immensely from the smile on his face. The ones he didn't enjoy were passed off to Voidy, who devoured with great speed, despite... arguably... having better table manners than Huu.

Or at least enjoyment was what she hoped she was seeing. 

Was it eating the souls of the deceased creatures somehow? She wondered, the scientific team from Furillo had finally established a laboratory and were petitioning for further scientific experimentation. 

That being said...

She lifted her head, and the reason for her mother's discomfort entered her eyes.

Behind several different dozen layers of cockpit glass... was the sight of several Smialies and Armsmen arrayed in a protective formation around the picnic. Itself... not exactly abnormal. Not when she could remember picnics as a child, with a lance of Atlas' providing security.

What was abnormal was their active deployment... and the ongoing nature of the picnic in the face of this.

In the distance, there was the sight of an Armsman utilising an experimental jumpjet configuration that used an air compressor and directional nozzles for... experimental hops or dashes. Blasting off as it was, to a location out in the distance from where a sniper round had just bounced off the glass to Iris' right.

Hunting assassins and general ne'er-do-wells.

From the other side, there was the sight of the Smialies hopping off the Section roof, a pulley cable allowing them to run down the side of the building. Off to provide close security as further Wolverines hunted down the assassins on that side of the building.

This had been going on for the last few days. 

Huu having asked Iris why hadn't he been told there had been 49 different assassination attempts on his life. 

Iris had been shocked. Eyes wide open, mouth gaping, looking for all the world like she had just been slapped in the face. 

Before, finally, acknowledging that she had known of 23... 

Her betrothed had been irritated before deciding to solve the issue once and for all. Hence, the morning tea, in the open. For everyone to try and have a go at him... so that his honour guard and everyone else on planet could have a go at them.

His reasoning being that this needed to be done before his siblings were born. For all his general passivity to life outside business investments. When it came to family, he was almost Steiner-like in his protectiveness. 

Iris remembered the almost legendary pre-space story that had been passed down. One that told a Steiner, one of six brothers that had been accused of a crime. The other five had immediately confessed to it, to prevent their sibling being sent to prison. Not being able to bear the thought of them rotting away in a cell. 

In the end it turned out none had been guilty. 

Huu was just displaying his familial loyalty in a different way. That being the annihilation of those stupid enough to try and take a shot at him. By culling the herd, in his words, the intelligent would be left, the ones who wouldn't try anything on the rest of his family lest they end up... permanently deceased.

Iris had watched with horrified fascination as an assassin who had purloined a suit of Armsman armour, moving with surprising skill, had rushed in to crush Huu's skull with the amplified strength of the suit. The unarmoured Veelvraat had stepped in between the assassin and her charge, a small, long knife in hand. Slipping in between the armour plates of the armpit and into the assailant's heart, the blade had claimed the assassin's life before he had even been able to whimper.

It was smooth, as if it had been practiced a hundred different times in a hundred different ways. 

That wasn't the first, just the most memorable. Save the one that involved an orbital drop of a lance of mechs... which had been shot out of the sky by thousands of retro-guns. 

For some reason, the mere presence of Huu had led to a rather sharp uptick in the sheer number of people that wanted him dead. Well, Iris said 'some reason', but after being read into the Comstar problem when the betrothal had become official... well, that someone was rather obvious. The communications business was a rather direct slap in the face. A gloved hand indicating he wanted a duel, to battle for supremacy. 

Why he had done it, she didn't know, but... despite Iris, Glory and Mairi Mackay's objections, he had gone through with the plan. One that set him, rather effectively, up as a target. He clearly knew who was behind it, so why was he picking a fight with them? 

Why do this instead of waiting? She didn't know, but Iris had made some peace with the fact that when it came to war, Huu was a master in strategy. How experiencing a potential Comstar blacklisting or even an interdiction played into that... she didn't know, but she was sure he knew what he was doing.

It had worked in the end. All of those that might be causing problems... well, they were spotted acting out of turn when her idiot-savant of a betrothed exposed himself on the rooftops. LIC, the Wolverines, LCAF-MI, even LCAF-Naval Intelligence were operating. 

The LCAF-Navy having achieved a new lease of life with the projected jumpship increase.

With so many ready to pick up any who stuck their heads out too far... the rate at which the assassination attempts had occurred dropped dramatically. Not until several thousand had been caught, from all works of life. Corporate spies, Marik spies, Combine spies, Capellan spies, Davion spies, Comstar spies, pirate spies, perverts, exhibitionists. Half were non-issues, but the other half? Those had been dealt with... with prejudice. 

Huu, having acted with great fear in the beginning. Looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Holding on, understanding that in doing this... the chances of assassins targeting his family reduced. 

Or so his thinking had been.

For someone who had never had military training, Iris found it rather shocking how fast he acclimated to the feeling of being shot at. Which shouldn't be a surprise. For someone who craved war as he did, this was just... normal. 

For her part, Iris' mother was clearly shaken, unable to reconcile just who Huu, Huu was. The nice, charming teenager who shook her hand and gave her a tour of his part of the section. Or the cold-hearted chess master, willing to use himself as bait.

Iris was only able to handle it because she had been through nearly a year of the Blackjack School of Combat at this point. Having made peace with the nature of her fiancé. That he had been willing to do this behind cockpit glass? She chalked that up to her persuasion. Initially, he had been planning to just walk up here, utterly confident in himself. Such a success gave Iris much hope for the future.

In any case, they were in no danger the entire time. Unless the enemy decided to drop a nuclear weapon on their heads, at least. In which case they could just go down a few levels and be safe. Such as the nature of being inside an Eggers Cradle.

Deciding she might as well enjoy the finger food, Iris continued quietly snacking, Glory humming as she picked apart the one sandwich she had been working at for a while now. Plasma urchin was a rather acquired taste, even for those on Furillo.

The roars of jumpjets were muffled behind all the glass, but the flashes of lasers and explosions certainly were not. 

Another idiot.

She just hoped the assassins would all die before they ran out of cockpit glass.