DVH Chpt 2

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==Davion Heir (BattleTech CYOA)Chapter 2==
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===A frank talk with the Lord of the Draconis March===
Davion Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
20th February, 3014
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“Princess Imperial Davion, thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” says Aaron Sandoval as the Duke of Robinson holds out a hand to Victoria.
 
“Call me Victoria, Duke Sandovalm” replies Victoria as she clasps his outreached hand and shakes, “And it was the least that I could do when you are showing me the support that you are.”
 
The room that they are meeting in isn’t the most grandiose room in the Davion Palace, but it is still far more than what Victoria is used to. Its furnishings, furniture and works of art are all high quality as befitting House Davion’s center of power, but at the same time, the room is modest in what it has in it compared to some of the more opulent rooms in the palace.
 
And yet it is so far above what Victoria grew up with that it feels excessively lavish to her sensibilities. At least the chairs are extremely comfortable.
 
“I am only doing my duty, Victoria, and you can call me Aaron if we are going to be using first names.” says Aaron with a grim smile, “You are the rightful heir to the Federated Suns and I would be amiss in my responsibilities if I didn’t show you the support that you deserve and you certainly deserve it after all you’ve done for the Draconis March and the Federated Suns as a whole.”
 
“Nonetheless, I am grateful for it, Aaron says Victoria as she gives him a grin in turn, “It is more than what I can expect from certain other quarters.”
 
“Michael is a rat, isn’t he?” mutters Aaron, “It has been obvious since he didn’t just take his wife’s surname to his own, but forced his rivals to do the same despite not even being married to the woman.”
 
“I won’t comment on my half-sister’s choice in men, but I don’t intend to give Hasek the chance to disrupt my ascension. Not when he has been so fortunately delayed.” replies Victoria.
 
“It was rather fortuitous for you and perhaps the Federation that Michael’s command circuit was broken like that.” agrees Aaron, “Tell me, is Minister Butcher really free of blame for that?”
 
“I have no doubt that Mark had something planned, but this wasn’t it.” answers Victoria, “It seems that it truly was an act of God.”
 
“I for one have no doubts that the Lord would favor you over Michael,” says Aaron, “Now, I have not been privy to the plans of certain individuals, but I would have to be a fool to not see that schemes are afoot.”
 
“Mine is to declare myself First Prince and start running the Federated Suns before Michael can show up to contest my claim.” replies Victoria, “I’ll get the High Council to rubber stamp it later, but I want to hit the ground running when it comes to my ascension to the throne. I was hoping for your support in that. Those that I spoke with on my way to the palace were optimistic about my chances of receiving that.”
 
“They aren’t wrong that I’ll support you over Michael or his son, but I would like to know what you plan to do as First Prince before I go an extra step.” says Aaron as the older man peers down at Victoria, “I trust you, Victoria, but I would like to know your plans as First Prince and some details about them.”
 
“Right now, I have two things I want to achieve beyond the usual business of protecting the Suns from Dracs, Cappies, and pirates.” answers Victoria, “The first is that I want to do something about the Outback. I am fully aware that I am quite biassed when it comes to Periphery and our less developed worlds, but the state of the Outback is a disgrace and embarrassment to the Suns. There has to be something that can be done about it and I intend to try. I’ve been informed that Joan Davion is already planning to improve the economic status of the Outback and would support my plans.”
 
“Joan certainly has her opinions on the matter.” agrees Aaron, “That is one thing. What is the second?”
 
“I want to get an alliance with the Lyran Commonwealth and Free Worlds League.” answers Victoria before pausing both for dramatic effect and to let Aaron process her statement.
 
“Good Lord, you do not dream small do you.” exclaims Aaron, “Do you have a shot?”
 
“Olivia says that it depends on Katrina and Janos being open, but the circumstances right now give me a shot at success instead of being borderline impossible.” replies Victoria, “Part of the reason that I want to start acting as First Prince as soon as possible is to take advantage of the situation before it slips away.”
 
“What’s the situation?” inquires Aaron.
 
“Anton Marik is going to rebel against his brother with under the table support from the Capellans.” answers Victoria, “We have spies in Anton’s ranks which we can use to help Janos defeat his brother and earn some gratitude from him. My plan is to try and convince Archon Katrina to not take advantage of Anton’s rebellion to attack the League and then use that combined with Janos’ gratitude to arrange a ceasefire and peace talks. It isn’t guaranteed to work, but if it does, we can ally with the Commonwealth against the Kuritans and with the League against the Liaos.”
“You might be biting off more than you can chew, but if it works…” says Aaron, his voice trailing off, “You don’t dream small that is for certain, but dreaming big and taking a risk is sometimes what you need to do. Alright, you have my support, but I have one last question.”
 
“Shoot.” replies Victoria.
 
“What if your ambitions don’t pan out?” asks Aaron, “If you have to choose between the Lyrans or the Leaguers, which do you go with?”
 
“In the absence of specific context, I would prioritize the Commonwealth.” answers Victoria after a moment’s thought, “House Kurita is a bigger threat to us than House Liao so the Suns benefit more from an alliance with House Steiner than we do from an alliance with House Marik. Also, there is the fact that Ian has already made headway towards an alliance with the Lyrans. We might have traditionally been on better terms with the League, but right now, we have a closer relationship with the Commonwealth.”
 
“I was already satisfied with your answers, but I am pleased to see that this is a thought out endeavour and not a dream without thinking of failure,” says Aaron, “Victoria, you can count on my support.”
“Thank you, Aaron.” replies Victoria.
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=== An Contentious Meeting ===
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The Privy Council meets in a larger room than the one that Victoria met Aaron Sandoval in and not only is it larger, but it is significantly more grandiose to the point that Victoria has a momentary worry that she has entered the wrong room. Six of the other seven ministers are also here along with a dozen or so officers, the Field Marshals and regular Marshals currently on New Avalon.
 
Victoria wishes that she could have Tahmina here for her friend’s support and wisdom, but bringing a Leftenant Colonel to a Privy Council meeting will need to wait until she is actually the First Prince. As things are, Victoria will just have to make do with her supporters here.
 
“Welcome to this meeting.” says Victoria, trying to ignore the discomfort that comes with wearing her new skirt suit that Mark insisted she wore to this meeting instead of her service dress, “While I am sure everyone here is aware of the fact at this point, First Prince Hanse Davion died in battle at Halstead Station, slain by the DCMS during the extraction of AFFS forces.”
 
Apparently she needed to emphasize her non-military credentials for this meeting. Colonel of a ‘Mech regiment and a Diamond Sunburst to her name were more than enough to show her ability to fight for the Federated Suns, but Victoria needs to convince the Privy Council that she is up to running the Federated Suns. Being the Minister of Administrative Services was supposed to help with that, but with Hanse dying so soon into his reign, Victoria needs to play up her courses at Kilbourne and her foreign connections.
Knowing all that and accepting it as true doesn’t stop her from wishing she was wearing more familiar attire though.
 
“I called this meeting because there are opportunities that we cannot afford to let slip through our grasp due to a lack of a First Prince.” continues Victoria after a moment when nobody else speaks up, “As the Princess Imperial and next First Prince, I will be taking up the responsibilities of being First Prince until a quorum of the High Council can be assembled and my ascension confirmed.”
At her words, the mild tension in the room increases by a few notches. No doubt most of it is due to the supporters of Hasek realizing that she intends to take the throne before their patron can show up to contest her, but part of it is from the fact that Victoria is attempting to undercut Michael and everyone here knows it.
 
“Colonel London,” starts one of the Field Marshals, making sure to emphasis his usage of her last name, “I don’t believe you have the authority to do that.”
 
“Princess Imperial Davion does have that authority provided we, the Privy Council, choose to support her,” cuts in Yvonne as she gives her fellow Field Marshal a glare that he refuses to back down from.
 
“The High Council is responsible for deciding who becomes First Prince when there is a contested succession.” says a Marshal.
 
“What contested succession?” scoffs Aaron as the Duke of Robinson comes to Victoria’s aid, “Victoria Davion is the only remaining sibling of the First Prince who has a claim and is the Princess Imperial. She has done more than her five years of service, during which she earnt a Diamond Sunburst, the highest award available to her given that Davions aren’t eligible for the Excalibur.”
 
“Both Duke Hasek-Davion and his son have a claim to the throne.” says the Field Marshal from before.
 
“The succession is clear, Lukas.” says another Field Marshal, addressing the first, “The Princess Imperial is next in line. It isn’t like this is the first time that a First Prince has gotten to work before their coronation. The rest of the Sphere isn’t going to pause so we can have a ceremony.”
 
“Speaking of which, we have time-sensitive situations to take care of.” cuts in Mark as he leans forward, “Hanse would already be dealing with it, but he’s dead so now it falls to his chosen heir to pick up the job.”
 
“Duke Hasek-Davion isn’t even here yet and we are already talking about cutting him and his own of their rightful claims,” protests the Marshal from earlier.
 
“Michael should have got here on time,” retorts Aaron, “I got here just fine and Victoria had to get here all the way from the Periphery with an incomplete command circuit.”
 
“That’s because she isn’t even a Davion!” shouts someone, but multiple people yell over them and Victoria watches as the Privy Council devolves into arguments.
 
Thankfully, it doesn’t last long as Yvonne starts into the fray.
 
“Enough!” roars the Prince’s Champion in a booming voice that outdoes the current racket, “This is the Privy Council of the Federated Suns and not the schoolyard! Act like it! Victoria Davion was legitimized by First Prince Ian Davion and First Prince Hanse Davion appointed her as his heir-apparent. She is next in line for the throne and if you don’t like that, you can either accept it and do your job or you can resign in protest. The coronation will take place later and the High Council can confirm it once it is gathered. Until then, the Princess Imperial will do her job because no matter what Duke Hasek-Davion has to say, this is not a contested succession because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
 
“You’re only saying that because you still hate the Haseks for putting you in your place,” says the hostile Field Marshal from before and Victoria makes the decision that he will not be retaining his position under her reign, no matter how competent he might be at his job, “Duke Hasek-Davion and his son-”
 
“Will not have the support of the Draconis March,” declares Aaron as he cuts off the insubordinate officer, “Victoria Davion is the rightful heir to Hanse Davion.”
 
“I also support the Princess Imperial.” says Olivia.
 
“As do I.” adds Joan Davion.
 
“And I.” says Mark, making him the fourth minister to support Victoria, which gives her a majority when it comes to the ministries.
 
“I also recognize Victoria Davion as the legitimate heir to the late First Prince,” says Field Marshal Joseph Davion, who Victoria places as being the new Commander of the Royal Brigade of Guards now that Christopher Payne is no longer running the Davion Guards.
 
Which is why he is only recognizing her claim and not supporting her. The Davion Guards wouldn’t tarnish their honor by getting involved in supporting one side of a contested succession. No, thinks Victoria bitterly, the vaunted Davion Guards would just sit by and watch as that weasel Michael Hasek undermines her rule and attempts to usurp her throne.
 
“You should leave, Lukas,” says one of the other officers.
 
“I am part of the Privy Council and you cannot make me leave, Meredith.” retorts the insubordinate Field Marshal.
“No, she cannot, but I can.” says Victoria as she glares at the man and he glares right back, “I am relieving you of your duties. I’m sure that as the Prince’s Champion, you can handle cashiering him from the AFFS on my behalf, Yvonne?”
“Of course I will, First Prince Davion.” replies Yvonne with a small grin.
 
“You cannot do this!” shouts the rebellious Field Marshal and Victoria needs to find out what his name is.
Or maybe she doesn’t. The man, wasn’t he called Lukas by one of the others earlier, looks around for support, support that is not coming. Some of the faces he sees are angry at his behavior or satisfied with this turn of events, others are neutral as they reveal no thoughts and a few are even sympathetic, but nobody comes to his defense. A couple of guards step in to remove the man by force if necessary, but their presence proves to be unneeded in the end as the soon to be former Field Marshal stalks out of the room.
 
“Does anybody else here wish to oppose my leadership?” asks Victoria as she looks around the room, locking eyes with everyone one by one.
 
The meeting doesn’t end after that and she receives more than a few questions that she answers, but nobody is contending her position. They either support her, have fallen in line or biding their time until Michael Hasek finally shows up as Victoria has no doubt that the weasel has more than just a Field Marshal after dominating Ian’s government for so long.
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==Author's Chapter Notes==
;Word from the Author: The second chapter and I’m not entirely happy with it. Filling out the government is harder than I expected because while I know the positions, a lot of them from the old house book are filled with people who only got the job in the 3020s or the late 3010s so I’m basically making OCs for a lot of the positions.Anyway, Victoria gets the support of Aaron Sandoval and she makes her first step to dealing with Michael Hasek-Davion’s men. Hanse started clearing house when it came to Michael’s people, but with only a handful of months, he was far from finished when he died in this AU. So it falls to Victoria to finish the job.Anyway, the next update will be Michael showing up, the Halstead expedition will be completing their return to New Avalon and Victoria might begin her diplomatic outreach. That last one depends on how much of the chapter the first two take up.
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