"it's all wrong. wrong, wrong, no, that wouldn't work, wrong.."
Katherine found Elizabeth in the study again. Her suggestion for rolls of butcher-paper had been taken seriously, and the entire library-like space was now draped in diagrams, more equations, and hand-drawn images.
3 AM and Elizabeth was still hard at work since Hanse had given her the 'puzzle' two and a half days ago.
"oh, hey Katrina." Liz didn't even look up, "Did you know that stupid people can still write naval doctrines that nobody is willing to challenge generations later? even after it fails catastrophically?"
"Mad scientist to Admiral now?" Katherine teased.
"Um, no. Admirals have to be able to lead people and I can barely comprehend people." Liz said absently. "This doctrine is all wrong. It not only does't make sense based on supply and costs, but it also doesn't make sense because it relies on your enemy doing what you want him to do instead of doing the smart thing."
Elizabeth was chewing on the end of a roll of cinammon bark-raw cinammon, straight from the tree, as she worked.
"care to show me?" Katherine asked.
"here-see? six chapters centrally located in these training manuals, SLDF, Terran, and Federated Suns, all about how to conduct a ramming attack." Elizabeth looked up, meeting Katherine's eyes, "Only, this isn't the 12th century BCE, these aren't galleys, cornered in a narrow inlet, powered by oars an sails, and it's not North American in the 1860s either, fighting on rivers with narrow channels and steep banks...so at least half these operational manuals are wrong. a fleet that follows this doctrine will destroy a fleet, sure-itself, and cripple the Nation that built it. I can't believe people entrusted with billions of Kroner in public property would be that stupid-that they could get to that position while being that stupid."
"I...didn't know you were editing training manuals now."
"Oh, I'm not." Liz said, "not officially. the main problem His Majesty your father gave me to solve was a simple logistics and engineering problem-the solution's on the table over there, along with a list of contractors to use, and contractors to refuse."
"To...refuse?"
"Too much waste in overruns and delays, not reliable, don't use them." Liz said with a shrug, "simple math-if someone has the capacity, and expresses the desire, and then screws you for more money? don't use them again. It's cheaper to build up a new company that wants to fill the contract, than it is to keep dealing with an old company that's mastered the art of screwing the taxpayer. It's all in the datastic. I've sent a couple copies to the archive and of course, the hardcopy backup, but it's all mostly there. Simple task, hard to accomplish but simple."
"How do you mean hard?"
"Ever had a bad relationship?" Elizabeth asked. "I've been looking into human psychology and got into looking at abusive relationships-the simple answer is to end it, but the ending it gets super-complicated because of feelings and dependencies. same thing with business relationships-your suppliers are screwing you, but they're political supporters because you've let them screw you for a long time and they want to keep screwing you. sever the relationship, you lose the political supporters, which is objectively a long-term good, but it's a lot of short term pain, and maybe cost/benefit doesn't favor it if there's any weaknesses in your political position-you end up having to either eat the pain of lost supporters, or keep enduring the constant screwing over."
"Human relationships...you were looking at your relationship with your parents."
"Nah, but it does fit. Nope, it was more me looking at why didn't Dad dump my mom when it became obvious they couldn't stand each other, didn't share the same values, and so on." Liz sighed, "Dad kept mom on because he needed the connections with the Russel family for his career, and he didn't want to go back to being a one-horse border lord on the periphery of the Commonwealth."
"Is that how YOU see it?" Katherine asked, intrigued in spite of herself.
"Nope, but then, I'm actually proud of my people, and my big brother's proving me right." Elizabeth stated, "He married Evvie Mosovich, I got pics in the mail, they've turned things around back home, and AFFC is getting the return of the 171." she smiled, an expression rarely seen.
something caught Katherine's eye. "What's this?" she asked.
"navy." Liz stated, "Even once we have the RX-79 program going full bore, the problem's goin to be staffing and crewing, developing a WORKING doctrine, and having replacements and training in the pipe to keep it going. Also escorts and ships that can handle smaller jobs...so I...well, copied someone else's work a lot, and made some refinements and calculations. We can build those sloops for the cheap, using lower tech yards meaning more suppliers gearing up for better in the future, and use 'em to develop doctrine and crewing for the bigger ships so they aren't commanded and staffed by greenies who just dropped out of 'mech school."
NOW Katherine understood, "You're editing the doctrine manuals as part of that proposal!"
"Ja, Mein Herr." Liz said, "Working doctrine, not stupid doctrine. The Clans can't crush our ground forces if they can't land."
Katherine pushed aside a pile of butcher paper and sat down on a couch, facign Liz. "You do know who the Clans are?"
"I read the report." Liz said, "They're the bastard descendants of Kerensky's Deserters, they're trying to take what their ancestors threw away and abandoned for themselves."
Katherine sighed, "and how do you feel about that?" she asked.
"I want to kill them all." Elizabeth stated, "They embrace blood libel, the practice of laying the sins of the father on the children. held to their own standards, we should be doing everything we can to exterminate them root and branch as the traitors their ancestors proved to be. I have some fun ideas for doing that, if you want to take a look?"
