BtH86

==Chapter 86 - By the Horns==
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Royal Palace, The Triad
Tharkad City, Tharkad
Lyran Commonwealth
March 8th, 3026
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Simon Johnson, Chancellor of the Lyran Intelligence Corps, stepped into the private office of Archon Katrina Steiner, one of the guards posted outside closing the door behind him. Katrina looked up from her conversation with her daughter Melissa and saw the gleam in his eyes. He was happy and he was excited, that gleam meant—even though otherwise his outward countenance did not change from his normal stoic expression—and the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth smiled.
"Good news, Simon?" she asked. 
"Very good news, Archon Katrina, Lady Melissa." he answered. "A priority message from First Prince Hanse Davion on New Syrtis—the one you have been expecting."
"About the Core?" asked Melissa in a shocked voice. "I thought we were not sending information about that through ComStar—and there hasn't been enough time for a courier JumpShip to have made the voyage."
Simon's lip trembled for a moment, but then that slight movement ceased. "Your Highness." he said softly, "we used a one-time encryption for the transmission. It would be all but impossible for ComStar—or anyone else—to break it." He turned back to face Katrina. "It is just as you said it would be; you and Hanse Davion think much alike, Archon."
Katrina took the message pad and slowly scanned through it, line by line. She scrolled back up and re-read a section, jotting down a few notes on an old-fashioned legal pad—pen and paper!—and then she sat back and nodded.
"Fifty billion a year for ten years—half a trillion C-Bills, all told." she said softly. "The rest is just icing." she said, and then she frowned as Melissa started and smile and the Archon took out a 20-Kroner note from her pocket and handed it across to the sixteen year old. As Simon raised one eyebrow, Katrina shrugged. "I thought Thomas would insist on more—Melissa set half-a-trillion as the high mark. She won the wager."
Simon snorted. "Only if you discount the Free Trade Agreement and upcoming plebiscites on former Taurian worlds—factoring those in . . .." he began but was interrupted.
"Our wager was on what Thomas would insist on in cash or commodities, Simon." Melissa replied with a smile. "Not all that other stuff."
Simon shrugged. "If that was the terms, then that was the terms. But Hanse added the provision for a Free Trade Agreement with the Lyran Commonwealth as well."
"Damn it." Melissa said, and she handed back the 20-Kroner note to her mother.
"Just as I said he would—which is why, dearest daughter, always listen to your mother."
"He didn't have the authority to do that!" Melissa insisted.
"He knew I would back his play—just like I and the Lyran Commonwealth are going to help him meet this payment schedule."
"But." Melissa began and then she stopped. "We aren't buying our own copy of the Core, are we?"
"No, Melissa, we are not. We are going to—with all grace and diplomacy—thank Thomas for his generous and kind offer and turn him down. And we will be obtain the Core information from the copy that Hanse Davion has purchased for the Federated Suns. And in return, we will agree to this Free Trade Agreement and pay half of what he offered the Taurians."
Simon nodded. "NAIS is far more able to integrate the knowledge in the Core than any of our institutions. Rather than spend twice the money and duplicate efforts, we are going to throw our resources behind the NAIS teams that will be downloading and distributing the accumulated knowledge contained within the Vickers Core." 
"Won't Thomas see that as cheating?"
Katrina smiled. "My dear sweet girl; at this level of politics, if you are not cheating you are not trying—and you certainly are not winning. Thomas will understand—he may even admire at how we are getting a copy of the information for probably one-quarter what Janos Marik and Takashi Kurita will be paying for it."
She paused. "And besides, we are still going to be doing a lot of trade with the Concordat over the coming decades, especially after Maximilian Liao gets what is coming to him."
Simon nodded. "And perhaps we can discover just which of our barons of industry gave the Taurians schematics and designs for so many Lyran 'Mechs, vehicles, and Aerospace Fighters."
"That is one of our goals as well, Simon. Whoever did it—selling our designs without government permission or licensing—fits the textbook definition of espionage and arguably treason. And they probably did so for money."
Katrina paused again, and then she nodded. "Of course, given the data that Hanse and his people have already supplied on these new 'Mechs the Concordat has been fielding . . . what are they calling this design upgrade and consolidation, Simon?"
"Project 3000, Archon Katrina. At the moment, they have five light-class BattleMechs—all 30-tonners—that are replacing the Locusts, Stingers, Wasps, and Commandos being produced currently. Very effective designs, and even more so because of the commonality of equipment. Of course, when the Vickers Core is fully deciphered, I am certain that the TDF will be redesigning them to incorporate CASE and Ferro-Fibrous armor, perhaps TAG systems as well."
"Just light 'Mechs, Simon?" Melissa asked.
"So far, although according to my sources, they are planning on reintroducing an updated version of the Talos later this year that will serve as the basis for a series of 50-ton Medium-weight 'Mech designs as part of this Project 3000. Those plans were already in the works before the Taurians gained their WarShip and this Data Core."
"Not mention those new light tanks—the Rattlesnake, right?" Katrina added.
"A very nice light tank and one the LCAF could certainly make use of." Simon agreed.
"If we can convince those true-believers in the Cult of the MechWarrior that armored vehicles are a force multiplier." Melissa said in a sour voice.
"Some we will never convince, but the new training programs at the Nagelring and Sangalmore will make certain that our newest officers value what other branches can contribute. Until then." Katrina shrugged. "We will make do with what we have." And she smiled. "As we have always done."
She turned back and looked at Simon. "Tell Hanse that I agree. I am almost certain he already knows I will, but let us end the suspense, Simon."
"It will go out today, Archon." the LIC chief answered simply.
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