IS: Chapter 66

As I sat in my Council Chamber and waited for everyone to arrive for the Council Meeting, I had to wonder if Minister Simowitz would even bother showing up. There had been multiple intelligence failures during the invasion of Von Strang's World, after all. He had to know that I wanted an explanation for said failures. Would he send a minion in his place? Someone to take whatever tongue lashing or chewing out I was inclined to give for him? Perhaps some idiot whose career was already on the way to its death, so he didn't really lose anything? I didn't think he was the type to do that, but you didn't get to the position he was in without having a healthy political instinct and a heaping dose of paranoia to boot. I would find out shortly, at any rate.

Interestingly, it was Minister O'Neill who arrived first, looking somewhat less put-together than usual. On her heels was Minister Kovar, who was likewise looking somewhat less than her best. Minister Huber was next, a grin on his face as he entered and a spring in his step. I had known he had been negotiating a trade agreement with the Taurians, so he likely had good news. He was followed by Minister Macszek, who was calmer and collected. Minister Jonsson was next, a small frown on his face. He was followed by Minister Kokkonen, who had a slight smile on her face and a shiny new ring on her finger. I recalled that she'd recently gotten engaged to an Executive at GKT Enterprises, Erik Kinsley, and they were clearly happy. General Jorgensen was next, his face neutral. Lastly, Ministers Kowalski and Simowitz entered together, both stone-faced.

As everyone sat down to begin the meeting, I spoke up first with something that was overdue. I had yet to comment on Minister Kokkonen's engagement, after all.

"Before we begin, I must offer my congratulations to Pauliina on her recent engagement. Erik Kinsley is quite the catch, and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say I wish you both all the best." I offered.

"Yes, the Nephew of the CEO of Gorton, Kingsley, and Thorpe. Who knew you were so good at literal husbandry, Pauliina?" Questioned Minister Huber with a grin.

"Don't mind Viktor, Pauliina. He's just jealous because he can't seem to hold a stable relationship in the long term." Cut-in Minister Kovar.

"Indeed, our dear Minister of Trade and Commerce is something of a confirmed Bachelor. Pay him no mind and enjoy your engagement." Advised Minister Kowalski.

"Yes. Congratulations. I'll have to send a gift." Agreed Minister Simowitz.

"When is the wedding?" Queried General Jorgensen.

"Next Summer. We're both too busy for something sooner." Answered Minister Kokkonen.

"Have you picked a honeymoon spot yet?" Asked Minister O'Neill.

"Fomalhaut. We booked a suite at the Ohanau Resort on Ohanau Island in the Endless Sea." Nodded Minister Kokkonen.

"Good choice." Beamed Minister Macszek.

"Yes. However, I believe we have a meeting to get to, now that we have the congratulations out of the way. Let's start with Ellie. You look a bit more ruffled today than usual. I assume that means there's an issue?" I intoned.

"Yes, My Lord. It's Von Strang's World." Admitted Minister O'Neill.

"What about it?" I questioned.

"The Von Strangs had absolutely no investment in education and only scattershot investments in health. There's only one fully-sized, fully-equipped hospital on Von Strang's World, plus a handful of satellite clinics, all of which are within Amaris City. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the populace is barely literate. Sixty percent read below the sixth-grade reading level, and the percentage of people who are even worse off at mathematics is even larger. We'll need a massive investment in education to get Von Strang's World up to the standard of the rest of the Grand Duchy." Explained Minister O'Neill.

"I see. Minister Kovar, do you have something to add?" I queried.

"It seems that the Von Strangs kept their populace so incapable because they wanted them to just be cogs in their military-industrial machine. The Plains Towns are major producers of foodstuffs, but they have no Agrimechs and can only be considered mechanized in the broadest sense. They have tractors, threshers, and so on, sure, but not enough to cover the amount of land they have under cultivation. A decent chunk of the land they have under cultivation is still planted and harvested by pre-industrial methods, with scythes and ox-drawn plows. Meanwhile, in Amaris City, a lot of the plants that produce the most powerful technologies are only automated to the extent that the production of components is automated. The final products are often put together by hand using people as human automatons on a conveyor belt, assembly-line style." Informed Minister Kovar.

"I see. How can we fix this?" I asked.

"It'll take years to fix. We can maybe get something in place by thirty-thirty-three." Sighed Minister O'Neill.

"And that's if we get the funding." Added Minister Kovar.

"I want this fixed. Can the treasury bear the expense, Pauliina?" I questioned.

"Definitely. Last year's budget bottleneck seems to have largely been alleviated by the recent trade, partnership, and licensing agreements worked out during the second half of last year." Nodded Minister Kokkonen.

"Though there is the ongoing rebuilding of our forces we need to work on." Reminded General Jorgensen.

"Make it so, Pauliina. These people have suffered from inhospitable conditions long enough. General Jorgensen, since you mentioned rebuilding our forces, I trust you have a plan for it?" I intoned.

"We do, but it will also take time. By thirty-thirty-four, barring any unexpected budget or industrial shortfalls, we expect to have thirty-seven regiments equipped with the newest technologies, organized into twelve Regimental Combat Teams of Three Regiments Each, all except the First Guards RCT, which will have four Regiments in it." Answered General Jorgensen.

"I see. And the Aerospace Forces?" I queried.

"Five Flotillas, three Frontline, one Patrol, and one Reserve and Training Flotilla. Emma's put a plan forward that has each Frontline Flotilla equipped with six Mako-class Corvettes, twelve Pentagon Twos, six Achilles Twos, six Vengeance Twos, and Three-Hundred-Twenty-Four Vulcans." Listed off General Jorgensen.

"A full overhaul of the Military, plus Ellie and Viktoria's needed funding for an overhaul of Von Strang's World. It sounds very expensive." Mused Minister Huber.

"That being so, I hope you have good news?" I asked.

"Indeed, I do. The Taurians want everything we can sell them. Apparently, tensions with the Canopians are at an all-time high, and the skirmishes and deniable pirate raids going back and forth between them are likely to heat up into a Major War in that part of the Periphery soon. Taurian Industry is impressive, but still limited. I daresay we could out-produce them now if we leaned on Rasalhague. While it's still better than the Canopians, the Canopians are better about being friendly. The Taurians want to buy up as much gear as they can, just in case. In the meantime, the Canopians are also interested in buying several things from us, industrial machinery and licenses for medical tech are at the top of that list. " Informed Minister Huber.

"If we're going to be getting involved in trade in the Rimward Peripher,y you should be apprised of the situation there. That area of space is riddled with independent powers, big and small. The larger ones tend to compete for influence over the smaller ones. It's caused issues before." Warned Minister Kowalski.

"What would you suggest?" I questioned.

"If you are going to take Minister Huber's suggestion to trade with both the Taurians and Canopians, we'll need an actual presence in the Rimward Periphery. Fortunately, there's been a growing trend among the smaller powers there for some time, favoring closer integration as a counterbalance against the power games of the Taurians and Canopians. The worlds of Fronc and Detroit are spearheading the charge, but have run into roadblocks. I may be able to impart the necessary momentum to break through said roadblocks. The resulting state could be our proxy in the area." Informed Minister Kowalski.

"And with them guaranteeing the safety of our trade, we would have a free hand to sell whatever we wanted to the states of the Rimward Periphery." Agreed Minister Huber.

"I would be careful, though. There are hints that other powers are at play attempting to sabotage possible rising Periphery Powers in the Rimward Periphery. The Espinosa's may have received financial and material aid from the Capellans to launch their coup. The Arano Restoration seems to have gotten funds from the FedSuns to wage their Aurigan Civil War, making it a proxy conflict for the Successor Nations." Warned Minister Simowitz.

"Is this information reliable? Because the intel you got on Von Strang's World wasn't. I've had more than one group of peacekeepers wind up in the hospital or morgue because you didn't understand how brainwashed the Von Strang's had their people!" Accused Minister Jonsson.

"That was not my fault. Von Strang's World was a difficult nut to crack, especially when you only had ancient computer systems from the time of the Amaris Coup to go off of!" Defended Minister Simowitz.

"That's no excuse! Even I know you need both Elint and Humint to successfully invade a world!" Scowled Minister Jonsson.

"Enough! I will have decorum in this Council, or I will fire you both and find Councilors who will not devolve into petty bickering!" I snapped, cutting through the argument.

That got both men to stop their sniping at each other, forcing the brewing argument to die out before it could truly begin. The problem was that Minister Jonsson was right. There were massive intelligence failures on the part of the Ministry of the Interior. However, bickering about those failures wouldn't accomplish anything. On the other hand, leaving the argument to fester would do nothing but engender ire and would be counterproductive to moving forward with the meeting. That being so, it was time for me to step up, be a leader, and settle the issue. If I did so, neither man could continue their grudge without being borderline treasonous. I turned to Minister Simowitz, a frown on my face as I began to try and cut to the heart of this issue.

"Minister Jonsson has a point, however. There were a number of glaring intelligence failures regarding Von Strang's World. What does the Ministry of the Interior have to say for itself?" I queried.

"My Lord, because of the penetration we had into the computer systems of the Schloss Von Strang, and the difficulty of achieving penetration of Von Strang society in any reasonable way, we decided to limit our intelligence gathering to Elint measures only. A mistake, as is now plainly evident." Explained Minister Simowitz.

"Yet those Elint Measures should have picked up on the nuclear weapons that were used in Orbit, shouldn't they? What happened with that?" I asked.

"They did, My Lord. Unfortunately, the analyst assigned to pour over the information dismissed such rumors. The Von Strangs have been in power for a long time now. He reasoned that if they had nuclear weapons, especially the fifty-megaton devices seen in the invasion, there would have been some information about them that had leaked by now. We had no idea of the Project: Redoubt Cache the Von Strangs raided. Not until it was too late." Sighed Minister Simowitz.

"And why was that?" I questioned.

"The details of that cache being opened were kept in a separate database. One we hadn't cracked until the invasion was underway. We only found out about the Nuclear Weapons because they had to be converted into mines to be useful. Otherwise, we would have never even found out about them." Admitted Minister Simowitz.

"And yet your analyst dismissed the information regardless. What steps have you taken to correct this issue?" I queried.

"Well, first off, that Analyst has been fired and brought up on charges of gross negligence. We're conducting an ongoing internal investigation and drilling our analysts to ensure their skills are up to snuff and that no other such problems occur in the future. Also, we have implemented a policy of fresh eyes, pairing analysts up to go over each other's findings and conclusions to hopefully catch issues like this going forward." Nodded Minister Simowitz.

"I want that Analyst transferred to the custody of the Ministry of Justice and damn your internal investigation!" Demanded Minister Jonsson.

"Do it, Adam. I require my Ministers to work together, not be at odds." I ordered.

"It will be done, My Lord." Agreed Minister Simowitz.

"Now, Minister Jonsson. Your peacekeepers had to deal with riots on Von Strang's World, yes? How is that going?" I asked.

"As well as could be expected given the circumstances, My Lord. We've had several hospitalizations and a number of deaths, but the unrest has largely been quelled for the time being. I would appreciate it if you could set funds aside for the widows and orphans of the Peacekeepers who were killed, though." Opined Minister Jonsson.

"Done. Those who have given their lives in our service deserve to have their loved ones cared for. In fact, I will institute that policy across the board if we have the funding, Pauliina?" I questioned, nodding.

"We should, barring problems." Informed Minister Kokkonen.

"Which brings us to Research and Development. What are your technicians working on, Natalia?" I queried.

"Something called the Varulv Mark Two. Thanks to studying the Nighthawk Power Armor we captured, we've begun correcting the flaws in the Mark One Varulv Power Armor Suits. The Mark Twos will be a heavier suit, but also be able to take more punishment and increase strength and speed beyond what the Mark Ones could handle. We've even begun to develop an integrated Jump Pack and Power Armor Weapons Mount. When completed, the Mark Two will mount an integrated heavy grenade launcher mount capable of firing all manner of payloads from EMP and Concussion Grenades, to High Explosive and Fragmentation Grenades, plus have the sensor baffling and stealth capabilities of a Sneaksuit." Explained Minister Macszek.

"I see. Anything else you're working on?" I asked.

"We've cracked Naval PPCs and have a fresh research slot that we've been using for an Infantry-Scale Gauss Rifle. Currently, the Technicians believe they can get it down to a seven-kilogram prototype, but need time to work on it." Answered Minister Macszek.

"Good. If this is feasible, between that and the power armor design, I think infantry combat will be revolutionized. The Naval PPC is also good news. We've been substituting Naval Lasers on our Mako-Designs because we didn't have the technology for Naval PPCs worked out yet. Now we can put together fresh Makos at Iron Land like factory models rather than converted ones." I beamed.

"That was our thinking as well, My Lord." Grinned Minister Macszek.

"All right, is that everything?" I questioned.

"Just one more thing, My Lord." Interjected Minister Kowalski.

"What is it?" I queried.

"You're aware of the border we now share with the various worlds of the Chainelaine Isles, yes?" Asked Minister Kowalski.

"I am." I affirmed.

"The two nearer nations, the Barony of Vannes and the Paran Free Systems, have signaled that they wish to open trade. Apparently, Castle Vannes has a Merkava Plant they cannot use and are willing to allow us control of it so long as we reserve a certain percentage of production from the restored plant for their army. Meanwhile, Paran is willing to negotiate a normal trade agreement." Informed Minister Kowalski.

"I agree to Vannes' proposal, but we'll need to send one of Viktor's people to Paran to negotiate." I nodded.

"I know just the one, My Lord." Concurred Minister Huber.

And with that, the meeting was adjourned. We had covered a decent amount of ground here today, and I was pleased with the results. As I headed back to my apartments, I couldn't help but feel like I was making progress. Especially since those power armor designs would go a long way towards helping take out any massive fortified complexes like had been on Von Strang's World. Plus, Minister Simowitz was clearly taking steps to rectify the intelligence failures that had caused so many casualties, and we had plans for expansion of everything from trade to industry to the military. Things were looking up after the debacle of the Invasion of Von Strang's World, now I could get some rest. It was a good thing I was able to rest, too.

If nothing else, Susie would be a right terror if I broke our agreement. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we get the first Council Meeting of Thirty-Twenty-Eight. If those power armor designs sound like battle armor to you, that's because they sort of are. They'll be a rough equivalent of the FedCom's Infiltrator Battle Armor from the thirty-sixties. The same for the Infantry-scale Gauss Rifle and the FedCon's Thunderstroke Gauss Rifle. Minister Macszek had her technicians switch to working on stuff that would help infiltrate or assault fortified positions after hearing about the slog that the campaign on Von Strang's World had become. At the same time, getting the industry, education, and health infrastructure on Von Strang's World is going to take time and funding, given how most people there are peasants.

Speaking of Von Strang's World, Minister Simowitz has been taking steps to ensure such a series of intelligence failures doesn't happen again. Meanwhile, Vannes is making the deal it originally made with Clan Goliath Scorpion regarding the Merkava Plant with New Ålborg now, while Minister Kowalski is trying to get the Fronc Reaches to form early so they can act as a proxy in the Rimward Periphery with an eye toward having them guarantee the protection of New Ålborg's trade interests in the Rimward Periphery. Yes, by the way, this also means the Aurigan Civil War happened differently in this fiction.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude on the Lyrans, before one of the FedSuns, before we see Katrina Watson showing up on New Ålborg, and you get to see the reason why she wanted to come over.

Stay tuned. . .