TGoaW-24

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==Chapter 24 - The Glow of a Worm inside a Child's Eye==
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Fox's Den
New Avalon, Federated Suns
3037
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"We need to finish off the Draconis Combine. I'm not comfortable letting Takahashi have more time to plan his counter-move." The First Prince stated.
Katrina looked at the projection, then at her son-in-law. "We're not ready."
"You're not ready?""
"We aren't ready." She repeated. "You're plan has the Commonwealth forces coming in on the Dieron front, with the intent to cut off Combine forces...and we're not ready. Nondi had the same idea. So, I ordered a staff analysis using LIC's sources inside the region...and we're not ready.""
"What do you need to 'be ready' then?" he asked."
"Time, mostly." Katrina stated, "We've been working on something that will actually work for tying down the Combine entirely on our shared border, but it's not ready yet.""
"So..how much time do you need?" He asked."
"Three to five years." Katrina stated."
"Will the Combine be ready for it?""
"The people I have working on it are paranoid." Katrina smiled, "Also loyal. Everyone not familiar with Project Cantaloupes, should leave the room." she pointedly looked at Ardan Sortek."
"Do it." Hanse stated."
Most of the staff stood up from their positions, and left the room, along with most of Katrina's people."
"Now, anyone unfamiliar with Mahan, please." she added."
Ardan looked helplessly at his First Prince.
"Can my Champion stay?" Hanse asked."
"I suppose so." the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth said amiably."
"So what is 'Cantaloupe-Mahan?' anyway?" Hanse asked."
"Back in '07, some Kowloonese found a working Caspar." Katrina stated, "Dinh's been working with it, redeveloping technology and doctrines. We're close to a field test, but it's three to five years away still, and I will be sincerely no-shit-willing-to-disinherit-my-daugther pissed if a whisper of this goes out over HPG, even coded. Are we clear?""
"So what's 'cantaloupe', I assume it's not the killer robot." Ardan asked."
"No, it's the logistics preparations for the force we're building. Publicly it's an initiative to build up the Transport Command with JumpShips from secret yards in the periphery...yards that are going to be going public next year. We started restoring them back in '25." she explained, "The main barrier is trained crew and officers that can be trusted, because we're re-inventing Naval Warfare doctrine based on lessons that weren't properly learned or analyzed during the first three Succession Wars.""
"And...Jesus, Dinh Ngo??""
"He's in my pocket." Katrina stated. "He won't leak, and his people are good at keeping secrets. The proof is that they've been sitting on an operational M-5, D-series drone for decades to work this up.""
"So, you're building a navy...you got a Warship program?""
"Well, something like it." she allowed, "Its not as advanced as most of the iron we lost in the First and Second Succession Wars, and not particularly good for the usual. Th traditional roles of flying command post or surface bombardment position. Task force One is working up by working over the Oberon Confederation and the Greater Valkyrate right now. Shifting that force to the combine front directly could be problematic.""
"Are they drones too?""
"God, no!" Katrina shook her head, "We still don't have half the understanding to replicate a Blackwasp, never mind an M-5!!""
"But you're working on it.""
"I might be, but not for the purposes that the Camerons did in the Hegemony. Artificial Intelligence don't handle hyperspace travel very well. Give me six years, and we'll have the ability to cut the Combine off at the knees."
"What kind of capability?"
"Have you ever heard of a strategy known as 'commerce raiding' or deep space blockade?" Katrina asked. "If we do this right, the Draconis Combine can be reduced to a collection of disconnected planets instead of an interstellar nation. It won't matter if Takahashi's army is growing, because he won't be able to deploy or supply them."
"Defeat in detail." Ardan mused.
"Exactly." Katrina leaned on a console. "We need time, give me time, and we can break any rival nation you want to point at."
"I see some immediate flaws, Archon." Sortek said, "The Federated Suns has a naval tradition of it's own. We've never been able to make the kind of operations you're describing work, it's why everyone's doctrine revolves around either securing the Jump Points or planetary orbitals."
"Hence needing to prove my point with the periphery bandits, Mister Sortek." Katrina stated, "Which in turn, requires the extra time. We're going 'off the script' written back in the age of war here, if it proves out, it will save thousands, maybe millions of friendly lives...and if it doesn't, then we still need to keep it bottled until we know it either works or doesn't."
"I want to have a look at this." Hanse said, "Or have someone I trust have a look at it, at the very least. If we're going to change strategic plans, I need to know what I'm working with."
"Agreed." she said, "Screen your people VERY carefully, Hanse. Comstar leaks like a damned sieve and I would just as soon not have an errant transmission error turn up on Luthien."
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