FSRB Chpt 262

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 262==
----
 <<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
----
April 3072Interlude: A Khan and a President
----
Office of the President
Famindas 
Alpheratz System 
Outworlds Alliance 
----
Looking over his desk at Khan McKenna Mitchell Avellar even now was forced to remember that the slight, almost elfin woman in front of him was probably one of the most dangerous people on the planet in a purely physical sense and was an order of magnitude more deadly when you factored in her control of the troops and WarShips of her Clan. Her handling of the situation on Dante last year had proven that. Although the solution to the WoB base there had resulted in even more problems within Parliament because of the way her Clan forces had dealt with it so brutally. All of which meant he had to be particularly careful in how he responded to her proposals. Picking up one of the data pads she had presented to him to buy himself time to think, he privately marveled at the sleek and modern finish of the thin pad as well as it's data capacity. Thumbing through some of the figures he had already read he finally looked up at the waiting Khan and chose his words with great care. "Khan McKenna... The figures you are putting forward make a compelling case for further rapid integration of our two peoples and of course a diversion of resources to expanding your present military forces. For defensive purposes of course."
The Khan smiled coldly at that last addition, knowing that it's inclusion was a necessity for the pacifistic Outworlds Alliance. Although it had pained her to have to include so many references to defense in her proposals, her political acumen had made their inclusions obvious.
"However, I feel that you are missing two things in your analysis." Avellar continued.
Long years of not only her own Clan's internal politics but also representing one of the weaker Clans in the politics of Strana Mechty kept her tone curious and friendly as she asked. "And what is it that I and my people have missed, Mr President?"
"The nature of the people of the Outworlds." He held up a hand to forestall any rebuttal. "I realize that you have no doubt attempted to factor in the well known pacifism of much of the population of the Alliance, but I don't think you and your analysts have understood the root of that pacifism. No doubt you assume that they are like your Laborer Caste or Merchants. Yet that doesn't the religious and social reasons for my peoples aversion to violence and military service. It is not that they have abdicated their defensive requirements to a Warrior caste, they have not met them at all. Which is very different."
Forced to consider what had been said the Khan nodded slowly. Perhaps she had been guilty of assuming that the vast bulk of the people of the Outworlds Alliance were little more than the Laborers and Merchants of her own Clan. "And the second?"
"It is simple. If I were to implement the "industrial realignment and integration" that your plan entails... The Alliance would collapse into a dozen small civil wars and independent movements by the end of the week." Avellar explained. "I am already fighting to put out the fires of said issues on Baliggora and Raldamax and a number of other worlds. And before you again offer the use of your troops to quell these attempts, that would only make a bad situation worse."
Khan Lynn McKenna considered the Presidents points and throttled back the instinct to overrule them. "So what would you suggest? Because, Mr. President I must be clear. My Clan's Touman or forces as you would call them, are not sufficient to meet our current defensive requirements. While the Dragon is humbled at the current time, they will soon be looking for an easy victory to reassure their public and soldiers. One that at the current time the Alliance is the best candidate for. Moreover the growing might of the Federated Suns will pose a potential threat. Perhaps not now, but who is to say that Burton Davion's eyes might not be drawn to the same easy victory that might attract the Dragon's attention in order to compare to his father's conquests? I... and you... need these military expansions if we are to safeguard our peoples."
President Mitchell Avellar was now himself forced to nod. "I accept your point, Khan McKenna, And I have supported your Clan's settling in my realm for that very reason. However, we cannot simply ride roughshod over the people of the Outworlds Alliance in an attempt to force them to accept your... our... proposed Raven Alliance. The very attempt of forcing them would doom the entire project before it begins. We have to go slowly."
"In fact the very proposal you have brought to me shows the way forward." He continued before she could interrupt in frustration. He held up the data pad. "This shows us the the way. Khan McKenna, there isn't a single producer of data pads within the Alliance. We import them from a company on Woodbine. We could make them, at least on a handful of worlds, but it is simply cheaper to buy the better quality ones from the FedSuns. So I have to say even the best of those don't compare to the ones you have brought to my office today. I am explaining this as an example. My worlds, our worlds, are poor and backwaters. Most are barely subsistence level agricultural worlds. There is little domestic industry and most of that is based on a handful of worlds. What little trade there is between worlds is often in the hands of Combine or FedSuns tramp freighters. Who bleed much of the profit for themselves. Simply put the Alliance cannot afford to divert the resources to your planned expansions, not out of it's current industrial output... So we increase the output."
"Increase the output... How?" The Khan asked.
"For a start, you have a large number of JumpShips. If you were to allow your merchants to begin to integrate them into the limited trade network we have you would quickly supersede the foreign firms that dominate the trade. The profits would be marginal, but you could then invest them into your Clan's infrastructure. Indeed you might, were we to come up with a trade deal with the FedSuns be able to expand those JumpShips routes into the nearby Davion worlds." The President continued. "Joint projects between your Clan and local Alliance producers to increase production on various worlds of items that could be valuable for trade or just to help bootstrap our economy upwards. Even just parking one of your industrial plants within your transport warships in orbit over a world would massively help a number of worlds economic growth. There are a number of other projects we could try. If there are expansions in our economic output, even without increasing the percentage we divert to your proposals the actual amounts would go up, and I have reason to believe that if economic production increases we could potentially afford to increase the amount as a percentage that we are able to divert to say the shipyards at Quatre Belle - particularly if they are also producing JumpShip and DropShips to help our economic growth..."
"Also producing... So you would support warship construction?" Khan McKenna asked pointedly.
"I would." President Avellar nodded. "Admittedly, small scale at least at first. My people aren't ready for you to begin construction of behemoth Battleships like your allies the Ghost Bears are known for. But Corvettes? Even Destroyers-Carriers like your York class? I could sell that to my people as for anti-piracy patrols and border patrols. But the funds for those warships have to come from economic growth, not squeezing my people of the little they already have..."
For a long minute the two leaders sat in silence testing each others wills. Finally the Clan leader nodded. "I will go back to my ship. Redo the numbers. I will call in Merchant caste and even Scientist caste leaders to help come up with a series of proposals to do what you suggest. Who knows... It might even work." 
----
 <<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
0262, Chapter