KnightofTempest
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Chapter 43
🕑 Added 2024-09-09 09:37:17 +0000 UTCMelissa Steiner was dressed in a white gown with gold accents, tailored to look like part-ball gown and part-military uniform. It was also tailored to show off the great beauty she was reputed to have. Honestly, she was a little young for my tastes. I was twenty-six, I didn't need to be canoodling with a sixteen-year-old and I especially didn't need to be canoodling with the sixteen-year-old Heiress to the whole damned Lyran Commonwealth. I did, however, need to get her approval for my candidacy for the throne of Rasalhague.
Funnily enough, Melissa looked like she was hiding uncomfortableness with a major gathering. She was hiding it well, but I could tell because I'd lived it in my dreams. That other life in twenty-first-century Terra where the Inner Sphere was a board game that I dreamed about regularly put me in the shoes of a man who was introverted by nature. He'd learned to hide his discomfort through years of long practice, but I suspected the Archon had hired her daughter a tutor instead. She was too young to have figured it out the hard way.
As I approached, however, a large Man in the new, dark blue, dress uniform of the Third Royal Guards interposed himself between Melissa and I. I'd heard that the LCAF was switching to Dark Blue from Pike Grey for their Dress Uniforms, but I hadn't realized that they'd switched over already. I'd have thought that other things would take priority.
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait a moment. Her Highness is currently busy." Informed the Man.
"Gebhardt, it's all right. Do you not recognize the Grand Duke of New Ålborg?" Questioned Melissa, as she waved off her bodyguard. That was when the uniform and the name clicked for me.
"Gebhardt? Not Gebhardt Stieglitz-Bradford? Kommandant of the First Battalion, Third Royal Guards? I've heard of you. They say you managed to hold off an entire Battalion of Wolf's Dragoons at Kochab Four by bogging their raiding force down in attritional combat. I heard that allowed the Twenty-Fourth Lyran Guards to escape the trap that Wolf's Dragoons set for them. My compliments." I remarked.
It was true, thanks to my father mucking about with the timeline, the Mariks had been knocked out of the fighting early and Hesperus Two hadn't come under assault. Instead, Wolf's Dragoons had taken a contract with the FedSuns and helped them take Tikonov before being snapped up by the Combine in thirty-twenty-one when their contract ran out. The Combine used them to attack Kochab Four to try and take pressure off the Rasalhague Front. The Third Royal Guards, Twenty-Fourth Lyran Guards, and Hansen's Rough Riders had defended the mountainous world.
The Battle of Kochab Four had essentially taken the place of the Thirteenth Battle of Hesperus and would have likewise resulted in the destruction of the Twenty-Fourth Lyran Guards if it hadn't been for Gebhardt's defense of the Morhen Heights. People were calling him the Swamp because of how he'd bogged down Wolf's Dragoons' Alpha Battalion of Beta Regiment long enough for the Twenty-Fourth to withdraw back to Stenton and avoid encirclement.
"I had a good Battalion serving under me and two companies from Hansen's Rough Riders helped. It's nothing compared to the Red Devil's conquest of the Coreward Periphery." Refuted Gebhardt.
"Don't be so modest, Gebhardt. Your accomplishments certainly earned you Mother's esteem. I wouldn't be shocked to find a Colonel's Insignia waiting for you back on Coventry and an appointment to Lead First Regiment when Third Guards transitions over to a Regimental Combat Team in the coming year." Praised Melissa.
"Thank you, Your Highness, but I did only what I could to ensure the mission's success." Demurred Gebhardt.
"Gebhardt is a stoic, so unlike his father and uncle. He has difficulty taking praise when it is earned. I know him very well, however, I do not know you at all, save from what reports we hear about goings on in the Periphery. It occurs to me that as you are a key ally of ours in the region, it might do me some good to rectify that." Smiled Melissa.
"Well, how can I refuse an opening like that?" I grinned, rakishly.
Gebhardt's frown deepened fractionally as I said that, but Melissa proved that her tutoring in social situations had done more for her than just allow her to hide her frustration with large crowds. She had clearly picked up on Gebhardt's discomfort and moved to assuage his concerns.
"It's all right, Gebhardt. I'm sure the Grand Duke meant nothing untoward by his statement. After all, Katrina did call dibs." Mused Melissa.
"Dibs? I was unaware that you could do that to a person." I frowned.
"Katrina Watson is one of the most driven women I've ever met. You should know when she sets her mind to something, it's best to simply step aside." Smirked Melissa.
"Hence dibs." I nodded in recognition.
"Indeed." Giggled Melissa.
"Well, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind giving Katrina and I a shot. We do tend to mesh rather well together." I mused.
"Yes, she mentioned a few of your stories from back on Blackjack. I particularly enjoyed the one involving the live chickens and the Five Bottles of Thannhausen Schnapps." Laughed Melissa.
"I hate that one. I come off looking like a Horse's Ass." I sighed.
"You're not the one they nicknamed after a bloody swamp." Grumbled Gebhardt from the side.
"Point. Everything worked out fine in the end, at least." I shrugged.
"And you even managed to retrieve your lancemate's lost box of cigars. It's a good story." Pointed out Melissa.
"I haven't thought about Schmitty in a while. I hope he's doing well." I sighed.
"Leutnant Erich Schmidt took part in the Battle of Heiligandreuz in the closing phase of the War after returning to the Tenth Skye Rangers from being seconded to the LCAF Proving Ground at Furillo as a test pilot for new Mech Designs. His Lance's capture of the DCMS Command Post in the City of Abtsteinach earned him a promotion to Hauptmann and an award of the Dragonslayer's Ribbon." Informed Gebhardt.
"Good to know. Schmitty was always a decent shot. He used to pilot a Hunchback during academy exercises and was always able to bullseye fast-moving targets with the Autocannon." I responded.
"Gebhardt likes to keep up with reports from a number of rising stars in the LCAF. He believes it will help him in his career." Explained Melissa.
"You might be interested to know that your entire Cadet Lance has done very well for themselves. Amelia Bex received a Hauptmann's promotion and was Awarded the Order of the Tamar Tigers for her actions during the Defense of Skokie and then gained promotion to Kommondant and the Dragonslayer's Ribbon for her part in the Battle of the Weingarten Pocket. Lady Katrina earned several promotions and decorations during the Battles of Moritz, the Draconis Salient, the Weingarten Pocket, and the Kirchbach Offensive. She currently holds the Rank of Colonel in the LCAF and has been awarded the Dragonslayer's Ribbon, Order of the Tamar Tigers, the McKennsy Hammer, and the Honor of Skye." Informed Gebhardt.
"Has she now? I'll have to ask her about it later tonight." I intoned.
"Indeed." Concurred Gebhardt.
"I find myself in need of some fresh air, the ballroom may be festive, but there are slightly too many people in here for comfort. Grand Duke Poniatowski, would you do me the honor of walking with me through the Garden?" Interjected Melissa.
"I'd be delighted." I agreed.
I offered Melissa Steiner my arm and she took it, then we headed out into the evening air on the grounds of the Ducal Mansion. Gebhardt, of course, followed after us, but he kept a respectful distance. Of course, contrary to what this looked like, this hadn't been some half-baked attempt at a romantic overture on Melissa's part. No, I'd find that out eventually. However, as soon as we entered the Watson Garden, Melissa guided me beyond the flowers, away from the statues, and past the water features to the hedge maze.
Here, a large series of hedgerows had been carefully cultivated into a towering maze. The hedges were tall, made taller by the fact that the labyrinthine paths through them were made up entirely of sunken lanes. It was the perfect place for a bit of off-the-record romance, and indeed, we passed a few couples more engrossed with each other's lips than they were cognizant of their surroundings. I couldn't blame them, this place did offer an astounding level of privacy.
Melissa guided me past several couples and through a series of twists and turns. I was beginning to sweat, metaphorically, at least, because even if this wasn't what it looked like and Melissa Steiner wasn't about to try and put the moves on me, the suspense was still quite a lot. I held my nerve, however, as only someone who'd fought in life-or-death battles could. Eventually, Melissa must have judged our location private enough because she turned to face me.
"I do hope this isn't an attempt at seduction, Highness. Flattered as I would be in such an event, I shudder to think what Katrina might do if she found out, now that she's called dibs, as you said." I smirked.
"As tempting as that might be, I'm afraid we have more pressing things to discuss." Grinned Melissa.
"I agree, though I'm sensing that my concerns and yours are somewhat different." I prompted.
"I've heard about the Mako-class Corvette you came here on. You might be able to fool most of the attendees into believing that's an up-gunned Dropship, but not me. Nor, I suspect, Duke Kelswa or Duchess Killa. Both have extensive experience with Dropships and military hardware and both would be eminently familiar with the Mako-class." Began Melissa.
"Do you have a question, Highness?" I queried.
"My question is do you have a shipyard capable of repairing derelict or damaged WarShips?" Asked Melissa.
"Nothing larger than Three-Hundred-Thousand Tons, but yes. I have that capability." I informed.
"And would you be willing to allow the LCAF to use that shipyard to refurbish ships?" Pressed Melissa.
"I was under the impression that all such ships had been junked in the first Succession War and the Amaris Civil War before that?" I questioned.
"Officially, yes. Unofficially, there are a few badly crippled Mako-class corvette hulls sitting in LCAF Boneyards that had been towed back to port to be scrapped for parts to fix up other Mako-class Corvettes that were less badly crippled that the LCAF never got around to scrapping. Of course, then the shipyards we were going to use for this were destroyed. Accordingly, we no longer have the capability to repair these hulks and they've been sitting around in various supplemental Boneyards gathering dust. If you have a shipyard that can, however, the Lyran Commonwealth will pay dearly for the use of it." Explained Melissa.
I frowned, this could be huge. Honestly, it was likely that this was the case for a few of the Successor States, they just no longer had the shipyards or technical knowledge to repair crippled Warships from the early Succession Wars. It also gave me the opening I needed for my Quid Pro Quo. I could trade the LCAF this and get Lyran Backing for my bid for the Rasalhague Throne in the process. I had to get more information first, though. If there were enough of these crippled Mako Hulls to delay my production of a Fourth Aerospace Flotilla significantly, that might be a problem.
True, it wasn't just the one shipyard in the Iron Land Cache anymore and there was a pair of supplemental Planetary Shipyards on Iron Land Itself, but only one of those could manufacture JumpShips and that was a slow process. It created a knock-on effect for other ship production. The Iron Land Cache shipyard had been used to speed that process along significantly. If it was going to be used to repair ancient, crippled, Lyran Makos instead, though, the knock-on effects would get even worse and my timetable for my new Aerospace Flotilla would get stretched out further.
On the other hand, if I became the Prince of Rasalhague, there was a major Shipyard on Rasalhague owned by Gorton, Kingsley, and Thorpe that manufactured Dropships for the Principality. If I could offload some dropship production onto them, and maybe get them to invest in a JumpShip Yard as well using the know-how I provided, then the knock-on effects could be ameliorated and maybe even eliminated altogether. I still needed to know more, though. Even if I was leaning towards making this deal on those terms, only idiots rush into agreements without knowing what they're in for.
"How many of these crippled hulls would I be repairing?" I queried.
"We had twenty-seven Makos in service during the Amaris Civil War, with thirteen destroyed in the war, and the rest destroyed in the First Succession War. Of those, we towed around eight back to port for scrapping in the hopes we could use parts from one half to fix the other half." Informed Melissa.
"So you want me to fix up the crippled hulks of roughly a third of your Pre-Amaris War Fleet? I'm going to warn you, that won't be cheap." I cautioned.
"We'll need them. LIC has managed to penetrate the Free Worlds Technical Institute. Apparently, the Tristar Alliance has been pooling its efforts to research LosTech. LIC has mentioned that something is going on involving information pulled out of an old SLDF Data Core that the Mariks stumbled onto during the recent survey that Janos Marik ordered of various irradiated worlds from the Early Succession Wars. A place called Helm in the Stewart Commonality. Apparently, they've been looking into a bunch of technologies and the Kuritas have offered a pair of ancient Block One Robinsons they captured in the First Succession War." Admitted Melissa.
I frowned at that. The Tristars pulled the Helm Core? True, I'd butterflied the Grey Death Legion's formation, which meant that Grayson Carlyle wasn't going to find it, but had I saved Trellwan only to give the Helm Core to the Tristar Alliance? And it sounded like the Kuritas were pushing a project to speedrun the Kyushu-class, or at least something like it. I doubted that they'd come up with anything with the same capabilities before the Clans invaded, but you never knew what the research priorities of an alliance with Maximilian Liao as one of its chief members would be.
"It sounds like you really will need them." I frowned.
"The Commonwealth will pay a premium for use of your dockyard. Name your price." Insisted Melissa.
"I don't want your money, Highness. I will do this favor for you in exchange for you doing me a favor. Allies help each other out, after all." I mused.
"What favor?" Asked Melissa.
"Are you by any chance familiar with the situation in Rasalhague right now?" I questioned.
"I'm familiar with most of our ongoing concerns. Mother insisted. Why?" Queried Melissa.
"What you might not be aware of was the fact that, by the Act of Land Restitution adopted at the start of the Rasalhague Regency Convention, I am technically a Szlachta of the Second Principality of Rasalhague, entitled to a seat on the Riksdag and a voice at the Regentskapsråd." I began.
"Yes, I think I remember Mother saying something about Krakow, the Moon of Predlitz belonging to your family before the Combine annexed the First Principality. You should be able to claim your ancestral landholding. I don't see why that requires our help, though. What's the issue there?" Asked Melissa.
"The issue is that the Regentskapsråd can't decide on a Prince. Those with the most votes are Voivoda Ilyana Sorenson of Radlje and Haakon Magnusson of Alshain, but neither has the required majority to be elected. Ilyana Sorenson is too tied to the Combine while Haakon Magnusson's tactics during the resistance years made him few friends." I continued.
"I'm aware. Voivoda Sorenson is actively being supported by the Combine. My mother has been using our influence in Rasalhague to stymie their efforts." Nodded Melissa.
"But not by supporting a candidate of her own. At this juncture, an outside candidate might be just what the Regentskapsråd needs to break the deadlock." I stated.
"Ah. And you want our support to be that candidate?" Questioned Melissa, realization dawning.
"Why not? I am a Szlachta of the Principality, but my primary holdings are outside the borders. My designs equipped the forces that liberated the Principality, I am a proven commander and statesman, and only recently, I defeated a force of DCMS Soldiers acting as volunteers on loan to Hendrik Grimm of the Oberon Confederation. I'm the ideal candidate to break the deadlock." I pointed out.
"And you want our help to aid your campaign in exchange for repairing our Mako-class Hulks to full functionality?" Queried Melissa.
"It's a good deal for both of us. I get to be Prince of Rasalhague, you get your Makos and an Ally on the Throne of Rasalhague. We both win here, Highness. I am certain your mother would see it the same way." I intoned.
"Very well. You have my support. Final approval needs to go through mother, however." Warned Melissa.
"Naturally." I agreed.
"You'll have your answer within the month. Now, I think this is quite a bit more skullduggery than I am used to. I'd very much like to return to the party." Confirmed Melissa.
"Of course, Highness." I concurred, offering my arm once again.
Melissa took it and we made our way out of the hedge maze, past a few couples still engrossed in their make-out sessions and through a series of twists and turns until reaching the entrance again. As we stepped out into the gardens once again, Melissa Steiner and I arm in arm, Gebhardt trailing behind discreetly, we looked as if we'd just had an intimate conversation. We had, mind you, but the nature of the intimacy was likely quite a bit different than what most people were thinking. I had to hand it to Melissa, nobody who might have seen us would have suspected that we'd just plotted a major shift in the political landscape of the Inner Sphere.
I guided Melissa back into the Ballroom and over toward the Buffet Table, where she picked up a canape and another glass of Champagne. I grabbed another glass of my own and raised it to Melissa in a toast. She did the same and we both took a sip. Then Melissa Steiner left me there at the Buffet table, Gebhardt trailing behind her. I'd accomplished the business that I was here to do, now it was time for pleasure.
As I grabbed a rissole of fried and breaded chicken, I scanned the ballroom. I found my target moments later as Katrina Watson entered the ballroom. She had a look on her face like she'd taken a bath in that trade deal her father had wanted her to negotiate. I suppose that meant it was up to me to soothe her wounded pride. I finished my Rissole and grabbed a champagne flute.
Nodding to myself, I made my way across the ballroom toward Katrina to hand her a drink and hopefully, lighten her spirits. . .
XXXX
AN: All right, so here we have the next part of the party. Jozef gets a tentative yes to his wanting Lyran Backing for his run at the throne of Rasalhague in exchange for using his shipyard to fix up a handful of junked Mako Hulls that the Lyrans had lying around in various boneyards due to various circumstances. Meanwhile, anyone who watched Melissa and Jozef go into the Hedge Maze would think very different things had gone on in there than actually had.
As to the bit about the Helm Core and the Tristar Research Agreement, it turns out that thrashing your enemies as badly as the Dracs, Capellans, and FWL got thrashed is a great motivator for changes in the national priorities of said enemies. Helm being in FWL Territory and the canon bit about the Kyushu-class Frigates coming from studying the captured Robinson-class ships the Dracs captured in the First Succession War, in addition to said thrashing, have combined into a perfect storm of frantic reverse-engineering and attempts to catch up technically.
One thing is certain. The next Succession War is going to be a lot more even than the Third Succession War wound up being.
At any rate, the next chapter will be the next part of the party, including Jozef catching up with Katrina.
Stay tuned. . .
Comments
Lorn von Darkmoor
Comstar when they see the warships... *heart attacks for you and you and you*
