Okay, a few qualifiers. No, its not my thread. If Drakensis can do it, so can I! It was fun - easy for me to write, and at 3 pages, the right length, too. Feel free to ignore it. And I can always delete it if Chris doesn't approve. Win - Win!
GOLDEN PEBBLES
Sitting in one of the dozens of comfortable offices in the Palace of the Federated Suns, Melissa was unhappy with the state of things as she considered the reams of reports littering the top of the broad conference table, roughly sorted into categories; Urgent, Secret, and the smallest of all, Personal. Days had passed since the DEST assault, and the damage to the working areas occupied by the fanatic troops was nearly repaired, but she had chosen one of the smaller, unoccupied spares far enough from the repair work to provide peace and quiet with enough space to organize herself for the task ahead of her.
The décor of the tastefully wood-paneled room was similar to her husband’s day office, with raised platforms placing subtle emphasis on the large conference table with the practical wheeled office chairs and smooth hardwood flooring she preferred. A small kitchen laid out in bright white tile flooring and cabinets offset the lounge area with its ubiquitous dark leather furniture and low tables, the en suite bathroom serving both the office and adjoining suite for important guests working in the palace.
But no hidden servant’s passages, she thought dryly. A less scandalous method for her morning commute, certainly.
Placing her hands on the small swell of her belly and beginning to rub gently as she began to swing back and forth on her chair idly, she considered her own response to the situation. Military retribution, she knew, was in the capable hands of Hanse and her mother, preparing to bring the 4th War to a successful conclusion with the recapture of the Commonwealth’s lost worlds and the landslide victory over House Liao. Her own contribution would be overshadowed by the victories yet to be won, if LACTIC lived up to its expectations.
Beginning to swivel more violently, she brought her hands back to the armrests and narrowed her eyes in thought. Up to this point, her claim to an equal partnership with her new husband had been conditional on her brood mare status, carrying the heir to the Steiner and Davion dynasties.
And that, in her opinion,
has to end, the sooner the better.Yorinaga Kurita had dared to attack her family, her friends, and she
knew the arrogant son-of-a-bitch had never even considered the risk of infuriating the future Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth. If she was to ever show her independence and inspire the pride of her subjects, both old and new, then she would have to deliver a stinging reprisal of her own.
Getting up and grabbing her mug from its place to walk on sock feet to the small but well-stocked kitchen for the morning’s second cup of her favorite hot chocolate – coffee had been politely but firmly denied by the horde of pediatricians - she stopped to lean against the wall and sip her drink as she considered the table again. House Steiner traditionally trained its heirs in both the military and economic tradition of the most industrialized nation in the Inner Sphere. In wide-ranging conversations with her mother, Hanse, and Arden, Hanse and Arden had shown a willingness to hum along with the chorus while she and her mother had discussed the intricacies of manipulating the growing trade between their realms. If military force was best left to others, that left only her extensive education on trade and economics to fall back on.
Hanse’s best economic initiative, the NAIS, had provided a stunning return on investment, but had been hamstrung by Kurita’s deliberate attempt to destroy as much of the campus as possible. The spate of contract negotiations between NAIS and the eager corporations in both halves of the Federated Commonwealth had been the high point of her official activities so far, and she began to consider how to leverage that involvement.
The NAIS was a key piece of several puzzles, she realized.
Takashi had approved the attack because the NAIS was a significant strategic threat to the Combine, and his Kepteyn ally had agreed to the point of supplying the Genyosha with samples of their priceless ECM gear in the middle of a war for survival.
They were right to be wary, she decided, walking back to the table, returning the mug to the clear spot at its edge. Then she smiled.
But they have no idea how badly this failure will haunt them.She and Hanse had discussed how with the reintroduction of modern water purification technology alone, several of the worlds severely damaged in the Succession Wars could begin to reverse the long decline and become productive once more. She sat once again and taking the mug in hand pulled out another of the rolling desk chairs with a foot until it faced her before putting her feet on the seat and leaning back with a sigh of relief. Reports had so far confirmed her suspicions. The physical sciences and cadets of CMS had largely borne the brunt of Kurita’s attack, with minor damage to the light industrial areas surrounding the campus.
Reaching out and putting the mug back on the table, her hands resumed their gentle massage, her mind filling with half-finished thoughts as she considered the unfamiliar trade routes now being routed through the conquered territories. Those routes were tangled, losing the crisp, clear efficiency of more established traditional routes, avoiding abandoned systems in favor of those whose value benefitted the Commonwealth and Suns as a whole…
Abandoned systems… She sat up, dropping her feet from the chair as her intuition sharpened on the prospect.
Undefended worlds, that might be made prosperous again with the advances in water purification and the information of the Helm data core. Systems that would reduce travel time, provide resources, noble landholds, defensive depth in the most critical areas… And logistic hubs providing invasion routes with greater access to the Combine’s rear areas, stretching an already strained supply net, demanding more resources to secure their borders on both sides of the Terran corridor. Perfect! I’m going to need some help moving files and searching the secure database, she realized. Then she smiled wolfishly. Fortunately, she knew where to find some idle hands that could help her find what she was looking for.
* * *
“Should I be concerned?” asked Hanse.
“No,” admitted Quintus. “But she’s brought in a steady stream of logistic experts, military advisors, and professors from NAIS to work with her for days now, and just smiles and says the wait will be worth the investment.”
“I expect she’s right, then.”
He nodded. Since moving into one of the confidential offices on the Davion family floor, Melissa’s personal staff had ballooned, clearly oriented to the growing mercantile and strategic concerns of the corridor between the two allied realms.
“Then – let’s see what happens. ‘Golden Pebbles’. Is that a codename or operational name?”
He was saved from answering as Melissa burst into the room with her customary energy and several leather-bound books that looked vaguely familiar under her arm, directing a bright smile at her husband, who went immediately to her.
Then the three of them took their places at the head of the table while Melissa handed out the books and sat watching them begin to examine the contents.
“’Golden Pebbles’”, she began with a wolfish smile. “Operates on a simple concept; ‘She who has the gold, makes the rules’.”
“Analysts have identified seven previously abandoned worlds near what they expect the final borders with the Combine will look like – all seven will require a significant investment of resources, primarily in construction materials and the expertise of the NAIS. Along the ‘Northern’ border with the Commonweath, Glenlivet, Bushmill, Talisker, and Kingtribel…”
Reading the… Prospectus? - Headed simply, ‘Glenlivet’, Quintus was taken aback, unfamiliar with most of the technical jargon of the documents. Skipping ahead to the next tab simply brought him to another stack of financial documents presumably doing the same thing, and he skipped to the final tab hoping the summary would be something easier to understand.
“…show the most promise, with Killbourn, Okaya and Goldlure along the ‘Southern’ border. None of these worlds suffered military action, simply becoming economically undesirable due to cost and environmental factors. Factors the NAIS and Helm core can mitigate or compensate for. I’ve lost you, haven’t I?” she asked teasingly.
Grimacing and closing the book in front of him, Quintus tapped his chest in acknowledgement, Hanse immediately following suit. He felt a twinge of unease as Melissa
smiled.
“Most of these worlds provided raw materials. Now, they can provide invasion routes. These documents,” she said, indicating the books, “are the first official step to offering investments on these planets to investors, in effect publicly financing the military operations to garrison and develop those resources.”
“My God,” murmured Hanse. “You’re making war pay for itself!”
“A lesson in economics Takashi won’t soon forget, I hope,” said Melissa coldly. “In the meantime, we have time to send Scouts to ensure there haven’t been significant changes before releasing these documents publicly. Coordinate with Simon, if you don’t have the resources you need.”
He nodded. Although the number of Scout-class Jumpships were limited, they were designed for operations like these.
“Good,” Melissa said, with that unnerving smile. “A fitting revenge for the NAIS and House Steiner. And me.”
