James Tanaga's bit my thanks for the continued input
President's House
Gillfillan’s Gold, Rim Collection
Periphery
15th June 3093
Jerry Able sat in his study watching the newsvid from Arcturus. Earlier, the trial of Cantrelle Sherris, the former Duchess of Timbuktu, had begun. At the moment, a retired political general was explaining to the newscaster how the Collection, a relatively peaceful nation, had taken four Lyran worlds without a reply from the Lyran Commonwealth.
“I doubt we’ll be able to pull off that stunt again for a while papa,” came from his daughter Karen, the commander of the First Rim Lancers CCT who herself sat on the sofa next to him.
“I agree,” added his son Frank, ostensibly on leave from the Second Rim Lancers. “Next time we go to war or even decide to just take a border world, the Lyrans’ll ensure we actually have control over the world rather than assuming so. They won’t buy us cutting off their worlds again and they'll strike back with twice as much firepower as we can bring to bare.” And Jerry well knew the truth in that. While the Rim Collection’s strategy of capturing the HPGs and cutting off communication and then laying siege to the worlds with Titan DropShips at their Lagrange points, capturing any JumpShips that jumped into the system worked remarkably well, it also meant the Lyrans would not fall into that trap again, at least for a long while.
“That is presuming we do have another war with the Lyrans, lil brother,” noted Karen.
“No Karen. Frank is right. We need to be ready for any eventuality. Especially with those Spirits to our Galactic North,” Jerry corrected his daughter. “And that is why I asked the two of here to come here.”
“And what’s that? Dad,” asked Frank.
Picking up the three folders from the coffee table, he handed one to both of his children in the room, keeping one for himself. As the other two skimmed through the first couple of pages, he continued. “It is of vital importance we reform the Rim Collection economically, military, and politically if the Rim Collection is to survive with threats on every border.”
Karen, ever the dutiful one, nodded to him, yet it was Frank who spoke after both had skimmed through the proposal. “Dad, you sure we need all this nonsense right now? Putting these kinds of reforms will create chaos and disorder at a time when we need the opposite.” Having finished, Frank guzzled more beer from the bottle he had nursed for the last hour.
Jerry decided not to answer Frank for the moment. Instead he waited until Karen finished going through with her preliminary skimming. “It’s certainly ambitious, papa. I see the need why we need to reform the Rim Collection politically, what with more and more worlds screaming at us to allow them to join the Collection while the President’s Council refuses to discuss further membership to keep power for themselves-“. She was cut off by Frank.
“It’s not just that Karen. Militarily, we cannot protect any more planets. You know it. I know it. And the President’s Council knows it.”
“Then why did we allow two more planets on our border with the Lyrans membership only days after the Six Week War ended,” Karen rebutted her younger brother. Jerry knew where this conversation was heading and he wasn’t about to let it go there. He heard it enough in council meetings in the last month to not need it here between his children.
He interrupted them. “We are not here to argue about this. Rather, you two are here to sound out on my ideas before I present them to the council.” Seeing them calm themselves down, he waves his hand to Frank. “Frank already told me his opinion on the matter Karen. Now I need yours.”
Biting her bottom lip softly, Karen leafed through the reforms before deciding to focus on the ones she believed the Rim Collection needed the most. “Reforming the military to include additional ranks is a sure way to earn ire from our clanners, papa. That said, it should be easily doable and is an obvious answer to our need of centering our military leadership.”
“Easily doable until our pet clanners-,“ Jerry interrupted his son Frank then.
“They are not our pets Frank,” Jerry corrected him sternly, glaring at his son.
“Alright. Easily doable until our friendly, neighborly clanners,” Frank continued undeterred, “decide hell with us. Need I remind you what that clanner woman did to the duchess?”
“She left her alive. Beaten so severely she needed immediate medical aid to survive, yes, lil brother. But she honored our agreement,” reminded Karen. “So long as we sick to the agreement with them, they’ll stick with us.”
Jerry concluded the same. “Getting back to the matter at hand, any suggestions on how to handle our friendly clanners, as you put them, Frank?”
Frank paused to answer his father, obvious in thought. Just as Jerry thought his son wouldn’t answer him, he did. “Maybe make the ranks follow the clan-style leaning we already are is my suggestion father.”
“I agree papa,” added Karen.
Nodding to both, he had also concluded the same thing earlier when he wrote the proposal. Only reason he didn’t include the idea into the proposal was to see if either of his two closest children would think of it. He was glad both saw the need for it. “Very well. I will amend the proposal to the military reforms to make the new ranking and command systems sound more clan-like. Any problems with the command system I am trying to establish, by the way?”
Both of his children leafed through their folders until they could study what he had in mind more clearly. “It would depend much on getting your political reforms through papa, but makes sense to use your proposed political districts for the military as well.”
“Only thing I see that is slightly distressing is that the separate brigades seem to follow the Davion and Steiner models a bit too closely for our clanners, dad,” added Frank. Brigades need to be changed to match the clan-styled system as well. Probably just rename the brigades to galaxies will be enough for the clanners to buy into the reforms.”
Interesting, Jerry thought to himself, for he did not think about that to be honest. Still, it made complete sense. “What you think, Karen?”
Karen openly grimaced. “I would worry if I was the Lyrans if their so-called intelligence report that started the war actually had some grain of truth with us leaning more and more into clan teachings. Still, they should know the clanners make up for most of our front-line forces and we have to accommodate the Children of Kerensky. That said I rather not follow clan language laws, thank you very much.”
“Ditto sis,” Frank added, grimacing as well.
“Don’t look at me, you two. Clan law can stay exactly where it stays now, as far as I’m concerned. And that is within all-clan units and the clan enclaves,” Jerry spoke seriously. After a few moments to gather themselves, Jerry continued the conversation. “What about the political and economic reforms?”
“The President’s Council will want to protect themselves and keep what power they already have,” Karen supplied. Cutting Frank off before he could speak, she added, “Of course and keep our military from being too stretched until we can afford to protect the proposed larger Collection.”
“If we dedicate the districts to being about military control, they could buy into it,” added Frank a moment later. “Especially if we somehow keep our present members in some kind of control as well. Perhaps keep them on a ‘special’ advisory board and have your proposed Congress be more of a legislative power, akin to the Marik states perhaps?”
“Makes sense papa. Allows the primary members to remain important while allowing the new members their say, though you might want to let each district also have membership on this special advisory board as well, papa.”
For another two hours, the three spoke animatedly with each other on these reforms in detail. The adding of Galaxy Martial to command the former brigades turned galaxies and Star Major to command the former battalions turned supernovas. The Fire Mandrill clan-only units would be kept in their own galaxy as well, just as the Rim Guards and Rim Lancers were to be kept in their own galaxies.
On the political reforms, the three had turned the districts into much more then what Jerry had originally planned. Economically, they had all agreed to continue with what was already underway for the underdeveloped members, and push Clan Fire Mandrill into opening its eugenics program to the Rim Collection. That would be an extremely touchy issue, the three all knew and so decided to merely suggest it for now and not actually push the friendly Clan. They also agreed Clan Fire Mandrill enclaves contributed as another district.
Economically, all three could only agree to continue putting resources into Able’s Glory and to sharing some of the wealth back to the other members. Frank suggested getting a Marik or Lyran shipbuilding company to invest into the Rim Collection, while Karen wanted to use the large Fire Mandrill JumpShip fleet in a manner reminiscent of Clan Sea Fox trade fleets. That was mute until the clan agreed to the suggestion, but Jerry decided to include it into the proposal, again merely asking the powerful Collection member.
As his two eldest children were leaving, he had Karen stay after. Closing the door, he walked to his desk, taking out a newspaper dated a month before and set it on his desk. “Explain,” he informed his daughter as he relaxed into his chair. He didn’t have a need to explain why to her, for the cover page explained it all in bold words, calling for House Able to lead the Rim Collection back to the glory days of the Rim World Republics.
A moment’s silence passed between the two as Karen visibly thought of how to answer her own father. “I thought the other houses and nations would take us more seriously if the Rim Collection was led by one family, father.”
“I expect this from Frank, Karen. Not from you,” he admonished his daughter.
“I stand by the article sir,” Karen answered back, straightening into a parade stance he had long identified as a defensive reaction to him.
“Very well Karen. Just know this move by you is not what I want, but I won’t stop you and remember not all those Rim Worlds out there are unoccupied. Your ambitions could bring a devastating war on this nation, and it will be all down to you,” he finally answered warning her. By his answer they both knew what he meant. He wouldn’t fight her view with the rest of their family, nor would he stop her from pushing it in council, but he wouldn’t help her with it either. “Dismissed Galaxy Commander.”
