"It's not a glorified...
...Limousine, or a semi-martial personal yacht." Victor listened with half an ear as the AFFC admiralty looked at the holoimagery and breakdown of the Landmark class Heavy Cutter.
"No. It's a destroyer." Admiral Perthwaite from the Fedsuns member state asserted, "I mean, it's light for a Destroyer. I don't get the weapons fit-why??"
"Manufacturing time and resources." Secretary Ngo of the Coast Guard asserted. "We only have to manufacture eight light naval gauss rifles per hull, instead of thirty two, to get the same single-target coverage. this means the targeting systems don't have to work as hard to manage them, and the mass can be devoted to other mission requirements, same for the boxed missile launchers-we had to put those on a fixed orientation relative to the core, but that's because the concept is a ship that can outrun what it can't outgun, and outguns what it can't outrun, all without crossing half million hydrogen tons mass or volume."
"There's no dropship collars..."
"because Transport is not the intended role." she asserted, "In normal operations you don't need to dock a dropship to conduct health-and-welfare or maintenance inspections on commercial ships, we've proven that with the Sampan series cutters, for Search and Rescue, often a dropship isn't as useful as a good comm array and better sensors. The Landmarks are designed purposely to provide immediate, temporary relief in peacetime until a collar-capable ship can arrive, to conduct customs inspection and provide minimum necessary assistance to spacers in distress, while providing an adequate policing role against Pirates and other spaceborne trash. the Invader or Tramp class vessels already in inventory can carry dropships for roles that require them, this is not about hauling an RCT to a surface target, a role in which the advanced detection grid, smallcraft support vessels and embarked fighter wing are really overkill."
"What if your 'heavy cutter' runs into more than one enemy capital ship?" Generalleutnant Steiner-Herzinger asked, "Won't the turreted mounts be a handicap?"
"In that case you either withdraw and call backup, or advance as part of a line of battle that has your wingman covering your flanks, Herr General. Wall of Battle scenarios are unlikely unless or until the Clans bring the rest of their pilfered fleet. It takes four years from initial forgings and core casting at Galax or Alarion to produce one RX-78 Fox class, the RX-79 and 80 programs are presently two years, and five years behind schedule...and we have two of these and a production line that can turn them out on one per year per final assembly structure, It's not sexy, it isn't a shuttle for 'mechwarriors and it doesn't have the largest array of guns concieved of by man...but we can build these in quantity, it can fill roles the 'sexier' warships in the approval process cost too much and are too manpower intensive and complex to fill economically, and the fleet needs expansion now. among the roles the Landmark class was designed for, are border security, interception, interdiction, and escort operations for regular naval units."
"escort missions?" someone asked from the far end of the table.
"The backbone of the Federated Commonwealth Fleet, like it or not, isn't the Mjolnir program, or the Avalon Cruiser-those, are still behind schedule and well over approved cost." she stated, "The backbone is the RX-78 Fox class-in other words, a troop transport with some guns and a lot of armor plate."
There were a few angry mutters around the room, and furtive, offended glances at the First Prince.
"Which is fine!!...for a naval situation seven years ago." Elizabeth growled as she rapped her Cane on the table. "SEVEN YEARS AGO!! Seven years ago, nobody had a fleet. Seven years ago, nobody had the kind of fleet that we have today, which is a SHADOW of the fleets that left with Kerensky and the fleets that savaged most of the Inner Sphere for the first two succession wars!!"
That got their attention. "Seven years ago, when the RX-79 was a design study, Navies consisted of a few stick-and-ball jumpships, nobody even remembered the words 'lithium fusion battery', and 'clan' was synonymous with a tribal family grouping most often encountered on NORTHWIND."
She limped along the table. "I read the strategic analysis of the battle of Tamar, the analysis that led to the decision not to reinforce. Herr General, We had to let that world fall, because the Clans had a fleet that could engage in combat, and we had a speculative design study as a response...a design study, not for a ship designed to combat other ships, but instead, an armed troop carrier and landing support vessel...which is now the backbone of the Warship branch of the Federated Commonwealth Navy." she aimed her stare at his FedSuns counterpart, "It's a good troop carrier. we need something to keep it alive when the enemy shows up with proper Phek'ta WARSHIPS to destroy it!!"
she halted, and turned to Victor, "Am I in any way incorrect, Your Majesty?? Have I overstepped my boundaries? stated anything known to the men in this room to be untrue?"
"you did fine Liz, have a seat, you're going to topple if you don't."
"Ayeh Sirrah." she said, and hobbled-limped back to her chair, as Victor stood and paced the chamber.
"You men, are the men in charge of several key areas of the Armed Forces Procurement, Strategy, Tactics, and Training commands, as relates to Naval issues. I expect your eager and total cooperation, to include intelligent obedience to the Secretary's very, very, very reasonable requests. In Two years, This nation, allied with other Star League states, will embark on an offensive against the Clans. In two years, the largest multinational force since the SLDF will be embarking on a mission of Liberation, and then, a mission to bring the war back to the Clanners at their home. Some of you have tolerated foot-dragging, malicious delays, profiteering, nepotism, and incompetence in your ranks, because you don't think the Operation will be launched, and you don't anticipate, as a result, that will succeed."
he stood, arms akimbo, then brought his hands together, "Allow me to make something absolutely, perfectly and completely crystal clear here...I will not accept less than the best. I will no longer tolerate waste, fraud, delays or abuse of assets. our Nation's Soldiers will not go to war with less than the best we can provide them with, they will not hang out there unsupported, they will not be sent out merely to die in order to prove a point." he sneered.
they sat staring, stunned at the turn from affable prince Victor, to this Lord of War before them. "SO...here's what you're going to do, Leyton, Grassley, Gibson-you are going to ****** the Avalon Cruiser's program. I do not care who you fire, demote, promote, or throw out the airlock, I want my Cruiser fleet. Rossman, Luvon, Steiner-Herzinger? Fix the Mjolnir class. Again I do not care whose toes you step on or whose feelings you hurt, if those contracts need to be canceled, you cancel them and put them back up for bid with the previous holder blackballed, you will, in particular, Luvon, go through the personnel lists and you will remove all the Nepotism hires, anyone who can not do what his job title says he is supposed to do, is to be canned, their career destroyed, their finances ruined and their reputation in tatters." his eyes burned, "AM I UNDERSTOOD??"
some faces paled, the faces of the officers not yet named. "as for the rest of you...Guards, escort these...'officers'... I have not named to cells to await trial, assure they have their personal legal counsel notified after their interrogations."
"Victor!! Why are you doing this! My family is LOYAL!!"
Victor turned to the General being restrained by MI-9 officers, and he said, simply, "We are at war, Michel, and your...personal enterprises have been and will be detrimental to winning that war...so you have to go, and I need examples to prevent the next crop of men like you from rising to the rank you hold...and I'm sorry, but you earned this. You stole when you were supposed to build."
He turned to Elizabeth, "Madame Secretary, inform your people I expect adequate progress on my destroyers, or you will be next."
