CYTM86

=Chapter 86=
==Can you tell me where can we start over?==
Coast Guard Base Vin Drin Lap...
Kowloon, Lyran Alliance
3067
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"There's going to be pushback over this."  Elizabeth noted.  
Marthe Pryde tossed her hair arrogantly, "I know that. However, it is strategically the most effective means of advancing the Crusade and shutting down the Warden movement. We then begin consolidating gains and restoring the Star League."
"You understand, my people aren't exactly the biggest fans of that organization. Even when we were fighting Amaris on their behalf." Liz pointed out.
Marthe regarded her, and quoted, "We have lost so much knowledge we have forgotten the names of what we have lost...you said that, quiaff?"
"Yes." Liz answered, chastened.
"Yes, you have.  This age of darkness must end, quiaff?  A Renaissance after the fall, quiaff?"
"I said those things." Liz admitted.
"Well, how did you think this could be accomplished, without significant changes?" the Jade Falcon Khan asked.  Then she turned to Peter, "Tell her."
"This ends a major threat on the Commonwealth's border, Liz, and it may ring in the end of a future threat, Sun Tzu Liao is leaving office, since he's gotten what he wants. Victor might be fooled, but I think the Star League needs protection from opportunists. We need time to rebuild after the civil war. To restore civil service, and with it a civil society.  THAT gets a lot easier if we're not running the risk of a new Clan Invasion while also being deprived of allies thanks to Katherine's machinations.  The Clans want to go to Terra. This arrangement means they won't be conquering their way through the Commonwealth to get there.  The Clans want to restore the Star League. After seeing both how well it worked under Theodore, and how thoroughly dysfunctional it's been under Sunny? Sponsoring Clan Jade Falcon to membership in the Star League and recognizing their holdings as legitimate territory of a nation state. Isn't much different from what mom and dad did with Rasalhague. Except this time it won't be a weak and vulnerable buffer state kept that way. It reopens trade with those worlds, and it stabilizes the situation so I can devote some of the national budget to something other than hunkering down for the next round of invasions and foreign wars."
"It's not like it's unprecedented, is it?" Liz muttered.
"No. it is not like something 'unprecedented', except that Clan Jade Falcon is stronger than most of the Homeworld Clans. We will not be giving up our rights on the Grand Council so easily." Marthe stated, "I will be bringing in additional Clans as part of this, which will forestall any talk by our enemies of abjuration or annihilation, since it will prevent the vote from taking place."
"Your 'special guest'." Liz stated.
"Aff."
"When did you two work this up??" Elizabeth asked.
"On Blair Atholl, during the discussions around the Accords, Adam did the initial legwork, then sold it to me." Peter told her, "The other invaders will want to follow suit. I think...except maybe the Wolves, but they won't be able to launch punitive attacks on the falcons without being exposed on two other fronts. They won't be able to make a hard push on Arc Royal if they have to worry the Falcons will eat them from the flank.  Once the Star League Council has agreed to this proposal, the Wolves will likely fall in line anyway, because that puts them in a bad spot on Three fronts. They'll be given a choice of joining the SLDF willingly or as prisoners of war at that point, and the other Clans, including the Homeworlders, will have a similar option-which satisfies the need for peer or near-peer opposition to keep OUR clans sharp."
Elizabeth shook her head, "I see holes in this plan, Highness, Khan.  Big ones.  This can go bad so fast."
"It's something nobody has tried." Peter stated, and Marthe nodded agreement.  
"Never do what the enemy expects." Liz sighed.  "Okay...why are you telling me?"
"Well it's your fault, Liz." Peter told her.  "You married one of them and put them into the succession for a legitimate position in the Peerage. One that can't be easily dismissed by lawyers on either side of the border...which will now actually be a border."
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