Unity City, Terra...
"To be honest, Victor, we haven't seen much improvement with your new programs." Sun Tzu Liao spoke softly in the chamber, "When will the Confederation get the kind of considerations you've given to the provisional states? WE are also members of the Star League."
Victor sighed, "Chancellor, what do you want?"
"The same thing everyone else wants, I guess? Prosperity, Respect? My people walked into this alliance with hope, Victor-Hope for peace, for prosperity, for respect. Hope that our grievances would be heard. I am not seeing much of that, and the cross-border actions of House Marik-"
"We didn't do those." Thomas Marik insisted. "Hell, I wish we had, it would let me bring the perpetrators here in front of you for punishment!"
"-and your cousins, the Hasek-Davions, these must be answered. we know, everyone knows!" He stood up, clenching his fist, "My people, Victor. What will you do for them? Your own Elizabeth Ngo famously said without justice, there is no peace. I want these raids to stop, I want the perpetrators brought to justice, I want what every man who has ever been responsible to his people desires. we need the ability to protect our selves. I see the Free Worlds building warships, I see new warships coming from yards in the Federated Suns, I even see new warships serving in the Concordat and the Magistracy-our yard..."
"Was raided by someone, recently." Victor filled in.
"Yes. Ten thousand of my people died." Sun Tzu stated, "I can't help thinking we are being kept weak while our neighbours grow stronger."
Victor knew, it was taking a lot for the young Chancellor to speak this way. to admit weakness, to admit need openly, even in a closed meeting like this one, was a terrible loss of public dignity, of 'face'.
He wouldn't do this if he didn't have a real need. was Victor's first urge, followed by he will never accept an SLDF garrison with foreign troops-it would destroy the Confederation to need that level of outside help...or to be seen needing it.
"Give me everything you have on the attackers." Victor said, "And I need the rest of the council to please clear this room? Primus Mori, you should stay."
Candace Allard Liao, Sun-Tzu's aunt, remained seated for a moment. Victor looked her in the eye. "Sorry, but you as well, Milady Candace."
she rose to her feet and followed everyone else out.
"I'm going to help you, Sun-Tzu." Victor told him, "Because you're right, and because you're smart and because the alternative is dealing with your sister after she's deposed you and Kali is blitz-raging nuts like your mother."
Sun Tzu laughed faintly and nodded. "She is. you're well informed."
"I don't have to be THAT well informed, remember Outreach four years ago?" Victor said easily, "We're going to help you-but you have to do the tough part and take the credit."
Sun Tzu blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"You have to take credit. I know what kind of precarious position you're in back home-I deal with nobles too, only mine are kind of...dumber than yours, less effective at killing their way up the ladder. I need you to be successful and popular in the Confederation, and I kind of need you to have a strong international presence."
"Why?"
"Stability." Victor admitted. "we can't afford another Succession War-we couldn't really afford the first four, but we really can't now." Victor turned to the Communications Minister, "Red Phone." he said, "Put it on the big screen and I don't care if we're interrupting her during sex or sleep."
"Red Phone?" Sun Tzu asked
"When it's your turn in the chair, you'll treasure it." Victor told him, as the screen lit behind him.
a little girl's face loomed two meters high, catching both men by surprise. "Amanda, get your mother please?" Victor said.
"Oh..." the girl stood up, "MOOOM!!!"
Elizabeth Ngo, in spattered overalls and a teeshirt came running from a room just out of view.
"Oh holy shit, Victor? what??"
"Liz, this is business." Victor told her, "How are you doing with the financial project?"
"Decent returns. If this is about the tax reform bill Kelli sent you-"
"It isn't...at least, not directly. I need a financier, and an infrastructure company." Victor told her.
she peered into the screen on her end, and snorted, "You want me to work with House Liao?"
"as a personal favor." Victor said.
"It's one hell of a favor, Victor, last time some of my people were there, Romano had them shot." she said grimly.
"My mother is...no longer in power." Sun Tzu said.
"You, or Kali?" Liz asked.
"I am the Chancellor."
she rested her chin on a paint-spattered hand, "Hm. Victor said you're intelligent and sensible...Okay. What can Ngo Industries help you build, Mister Chancellor? and do you need a catalogue update?"
"that easily?" Sun Tzu asked.
"You have to understand, Mister Chancellor-you're a referral client, this is a business transaction, and Cappellan money is as good as anyone else's-or it will be, by the time my people are done, because it means you'll let my people work in your realm without screwing them over, because Victor vouched you as intelligent and sensible. We're going to put a big old supercharger on your economy, and the bleed off includes a bunch of stuff we don't normally export."
Sun Tzu realized she was reading a secondary screen. "ANd I do need you to commit to something besides hard cash."
"What?"
"Purchase of a group of warships." Liz told him, "Not big ones, mind, they're pretty cheap to run and we build them here, because your total warship fleet as of this morning is zero, and that won't do. You'll be getting one division of Cutters, that's one hundred and six vessels, plus support ships. You provide the fighters and the crews, if you need training options, SLDF has a fine naval academy available right there on Earth, but that's an interim force. by this time next year, you'll be able to build your own. I'll let you lease-option the hulls, but you need them and i won't start putting up the infrastructure for shipyards until you've got a navy that's worth a ******, savvy?"
