Royal Palace
Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia, Royal March
Arcadian Federation
14 March 3037
The holo-viewer signal was from ComStar, but it was merely relaying a broadcast from Harsefeld media services trumpeting the defense of Sorunda and the surrender of the Arcadian troops trapped there. Sara-Marie watched the procession of survivors of the 3rd Regiment being marched past the camera, hands on their heads, while the media broadcaster made promises of future counter-attacks to "punish Arcadian treachery".
"We knew something like this might happen," Lord Alexander intoned from beside her, seated in another chair in her office. With General Harding's retirement the prior year, her cousin was now the Chief of Staff of the AFFM, or rather, the AFRF. "The risks were deemed acceptable for strategic reasons."
"The families of those in the 3rd will not find that comforting," she murmured. She felt the pang on her conscience again. "We could have waited."
"And our new allies would have suffered, and rightfully resented us," Lord Prestwick said from his seat across from them. "And if you're still concerned about the coronation matter, we observed all proprieties…"
"Proprieties?! We allowed the Grand Duchess of Oriente to attend the coronation even as we planned the invasion of her worlds, what part of that sentence brings to mind propriety!", Sara-Marie retorted angrily. "I agreed to it because you convinced me it was a chance to eliminate a potential threat before it became too great, but don't you dare speak to me of it being proper. This is war, and my people are being humiliated like this, they are dying, there is nothing proper about that, just as there was nothing proper about what was done to Grand Duchess Eris!"
"That is your own misplaced guilt speaking, Majesty, nothing more." The words from Sir James were ice cold compared to hers. "Eris Halas is quite unworthy of your concern, I'll add. She is a high-functioning sociopath. Aside from Director Masako of Galedon, she may be the most ruthless ruler in the entire Inner Sphere. Truth be told, I feel a little sorry for Jonah Allison-Liao."
The stern look Sara-Marie leveled at her outspoken spymaster would have once sent her children scurrying for their bedrooms, and had made a number of Cabinet officers wither in their chairs over the years. Sir James returned it with quiet certainty. Only after several seconds did he lower his eyes. "My apologies for speaking out of turn."
Knowing they were as sincere as any other flattery the man gave her, Sara-Marie settled back in her chair and reached for the control. She changed the channel, not bearing to see her soldiers marched about like that, and found herself watching footage of heavily-armed men and women stomping around a government building somewhere. The caption at the bottom read "Hill City, Gallatin, Concord Free State" in bold lettering. "...protestors against new government regulations on the distribution of chemical fuels reached record levels in the planetary capital today. The Duke of Gallatin's Counsel insisted it is a minor adjustment to fit Federation minimal regulations, but representatives of the Propane Grillers' and Cookers' Association insist that the new regulations will cost millions of pound sterling to implement for local manufacturing companies and make most home propane grills on Gallatin illegal under Arcadian law."
The image flashed to show a man of light mocha-toned coloration with a bandana on his neck and crows' feet on his face. An assault rifle was nestled in his arms. "This is nothing more than big government on Arcadia trying to dictate our lives, and we have a right to make our voices heard. The people of this here planet are free men and women and we'll demand that even the High Queen herself guarantee our rights. THat's what she promised to do, after all!"
"While police have maintained a respectful distance, many in the crowd continue to encourage the carrying of firearms…"
Sara-Marie lowered the volume. "What is going on there?"
"Gallatin's population is fiercely devoted to political libertarianism of a sort," Sir James said. "They gave the Mariks a little trouble before Elias Marik foisted them on us in exchange for Autumn Wind and Midkiff in '33."
There was a time I could be assured I knew something of the character of a world's local populace. No more. "And this fuss is over… cooking supplies?"
"Gallatin's laws are very loose, and so many of their manufactured goods don't meet standards set by law." For the first time her new Lord of the Privy Council spoke. Duke Robert E. Lee of Dixie continued to wear his military overcoat and hat, the light gray and white of the two items contrasting to his dark brown complexion. Her appointment of the ruler of Dixie, a world that only recently joined her realm, was not just recognition of his own skills as a statesman, but a gesture to the new worlds of the Arcadian Federation that they stood in equal stature to the original worlds of the Free March. "As you may recall, my own world is very sensitive to the issue of government power being excessive, and even we find the Gallatine folk to be downright strange on the matter. But I wouldn't worry much about it, Majesty. The case is winding its way through the courts, as it should, and in the meantime I've promised the Duke some share of our domestic reserve budget to grease some wheels on this issue. Whatever folk say about the government, they'll take the government's money when it comes right down to it."
"You mean we are going to bribe them to follow the law?" Sara-Marie asked, resigned bemusement.
"Don't we always?" Duke Robert answered, smiling. "More to the point, we're going to pay for them to be able to follow the law without hurting their own businesses. Duke Simon paved the way for that already, and I'll see it through. Let these folks air their problems out, in the end, it'll turn out alright, and freedoms are respected."
Empty Space
Pardeau System
22 March 3037
Lieutenant Commander Michael Koukis looked out the transparent port on the civilian DropShuttle at the sleeping metal figure drifting lazily through the uninhabited system. The young naval officer was with the Salvage and Reclamation Service, the small branch of the Navy that looked into reports of lost or crashed ships and investigated to see if any signs of old lostech or other valuables were present. Usually his missions brought him more boredom and frustration than anything. Charlatans insisting a rusty DropShip is actually a Star League Colossus or Lee, or just confused salvagers impressed by the remains of a pirate Leopard abandoned two centuries ago.
But today. Today was different.
Pardeau was a former inhabited system a couple jumps from Arcadia, on the old Lyran side of the frontier. A number of salvagers still sometimes talked JumpShip captains into dropping them here, convinced they had clues to Lostech riches in the ruins or chasing rumors of this or that. Supposedly Pardeau was high on the list of restorations planned for whenever the Free March - Federation he corrected mentally - was free enough from conflict and other necessities to fund restoration efforts.
Maybe this would bump those plans up.
Given the DropShuttle's spotlights could only extend so far, he couldn't identify the ship in question. It would take careful examination to determine current dimensions, class, and capability. The important part was to get back to an inhabited system and call in the Reclamation Service specialists to begin a restoration project. Thankfully it was a lot faster these days than in those days sixty years ago when it took five years just to get the K-F drives on what were now the AFS Liberator and AFS Guardian capable of jumping. They'd have the ship back by the end of the year, if everything went according to play.
Well, we have made those salvagers very rich people indeed… he thought, taking careful recordings with the DropShuttle external cameras while running a route around the drifting derelict. Of course, we'll have to see about posting a guard...
Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia, Royal March
Arcadian Federation
14 March 3037
The holo-viewer signal was from ComStar, but it was merely relaying a broadcast from Harsefeld media services trumpeting the defense of Sorunda and the surrender of the Arcadian troops trapped there. Sara-Marie watched the procession of survivors of the 3rd Regiment being marched past the camera, hands on their heads, while the media broadcaster made promises of future counter-attacks to "punish Arcadian treachery".
"We knew something like this might happen," Lord Alexander intoned from beside her, seated in another chair in her office. With General Harding's retirement the prior year, her cousin was now the Chief of Staff of the AFFM, or rather, the AFRF. "The risks were deemed acceptable for strategic reasons."
"The families of those in the 3rd will not find that comforting," she murmured. She felt the pang on her conscience again. "We could have waited."
"And our new allies would have suffered, and rightfully resented us," Lord Prestwick said from his seat across from them. "And if you're still concerned about the coronation matter, we observed all proprieties…"
"Proprieties?! We allowed the Grand Duchess of Oriente to attend the coronation even as we planned the invasion of her worlds, what part of that sentence brings to mind propriety!", Sara-Marie retorted angrily. "I agreed to it because you convinced me it was a chance to eliminate a potential threat before it became too great, but don't you dare speak to me of it being proper. This is war, and my people are being humiliated like this, they are dying, there is nothing proper about that, just as there was nothing proper about what was done to Grand Duchess Eris!"
"That is your own misplaced guilt speaking, Majesty, nothing more." The words from Sir James were ice cold compared to hers. "Eris Halas is quite unworthy of your concern, I'll add. She is a high-functioning sociopath. Aside from Director Masako of Galedon, she may be the most ruthless ruler in the entire Inner Sphere. Truth be told, I feel a little sorry for Jonah Allison-Liao."
The stern look Sara-Marie leveled at her outspoken spymaster would have once sent her children scurrying for their bedrooms, and had made a number of Cabinet officers wither in their chairs over the years. Sir James returned it with quiet certainty. Only after several seconds did he lower his eyes. "My apologies for speaking out of turn."
Knowing they were as sincere as any other flattery the man gave her, Sara-Marie settled back in her chair and reached for the control. She changed the channel, not bearing to see her soldiers marched about like that, and found herself watching footage of heavily-armed men and women stomping around a government building somewhere. The caption at the bottom read "Hill City, Gallatin, Concord Free State" in bold lettering. "...protestors against new government regulations on the distribution of chemical fuels reached record levels in the planetary capital today. The Duke of Gallatin's Counsel insisted it is a minor adjustment to fit Federation minimal regulations, but representatives of the Propane Grillers' and Cookers' Association insist that the new regulations will cost millions of pound sterling to implement for local manufacturing companies and make most home propane grills on Gallatin illegal under Arcadian law."
The image flashed to show a man of light mocha-toned coloration with a bandana on his neck and crows' feet on his face. An assault rifle was nestled in his arms. "This is nothing more than big government on Arcadia trying to dictate our lives, and we have a right to make our voices heard. The people of this here planet are free men and women and we'll demand that even the High Queen herself guarantee our rights. THat's what she promised to do, after all!"
"While police have maintained a respectful distance, many in the crowd continue to encourage the carrying of firearms…"
Sara-Marie lowered the volume. "What is going on there?"
"Gallatin's population is fiercely devoted to political libertarianism of a sort," Sir James said. "They gave the Mariks a little trouble before Elias Marik foisted them on us in exchange for Autumn Wind and Midkiff in '33."
There was a time I could be assured I knew something of the character of a world's local populace. No more. "And this fuss is over… cooking supplies?"
"Gallatin's laws are very loose, and so many of their manufactured goods don't meet standards set by law." For the first time her new Lord of the Privy Council spoke. Duke Robert E. Lee of Dixie continued to wear his military overcoat and hat, the light gray and white of the two items contrasting to his dark brown complexion. Her appointment of the ruler of Dixie, a world that only recently joined her realm, was not just recognition of his own skills as a statesman, but a gesture to the new worlds of the Arcadian Federation that they stood in equal stature to the original worlds of the Free March. "As you may recall, my own world is very sensitive to the issue of government power being excessive, and even we find the Gallatine folk to be downright strange on the matter. But I wouldn't worry much about it, Majesty. The case is winding its way through the courts, as it should, and in the meantime I've promised the Duke some share of our domestic reserve budget to grease some wheels on this issue. Whatever folk say about the government, they'll take the government's money when it comes right down to it."
"You mean we are going to bribe them to follow the law?" Sara-Marie asked, resigned bemusement.
"Don't we always?" Duke Robert answered, smiling. "More to the point, we're going to pay for them to be able to follow the law without hurting their own businesses. Duke Simon paved the way for that already, and I'll see it through. Let these folks air their problems out, in the end, it'll turn out alright, and freedoms are respected."
Empty Space
Pardeau System
22 March 3037
Lieutenant Commander Michael Koukis looked out the transparent port on the civilian DropShuttle at the sleeping metal figure drifting lazily through the uninhabited system. The young naval officer was with the Salvage and Reclamation Service, the small branch of the Navy that looked into reports of lost or crashed ships and investigated to see if any signs of old lostech or other valuables were present. Usually his missions brought him more boredom and frustration than anything. Charlatans insisting a rusty DropShip is actually a Star League Colossus or Lee, or just confused salvagers impressed by the remains of a pirate Leopard abandoned two centuries ago.
But today. Today was different.
Pardeau was a former inhabited system a couple jumps from Arcadia, on the old Lyran side of the frontier. A number of salvagers still sometimes talked JumpShip captains into dropping them here, convinced they had clues to Lostech riches in the ruins or chasing rumors of this or that. Supposedly Pardeau was high on the list of restorations planned for whenever the Free March - Federation he corrected mentally - was free enough from conflict and other necessities to fund restoration efforts.
Maybe this would bump those plans up.
Given the DropShuttle's spotlights could only extend so far, he couldn't identify the ship in question. It would take careful examination to determine current dimensions, class, and capability. The important part was to get back to an inhabited system and call in the Reclamation Service specialists to begin a restoration project. Thankfully it was a lot faster these days than in those days sixty years ago when it took five years just to get the K-F drives on what were now the AFS Liberator and AFS Guardian capable of jumping. They'd have the ship back by the end of the year, if everything went according to play.
Well, we have made those salvagers very rich people indeed… he thought, taking careful recordings with the DropShuttle external cameras while running a route around the drifting derelict. Of course, we'll have to see about posting a guard...