RidOv Chpt-34

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==Ridiculously Overboard!! (A Captain Roberts Tale!!)Chapter 34 - Loop Holes in Treaties==
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Office of the President, World of Alpheratz - Raven Alliance, Periphery
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"This was...
...unexpected, Mister President." Khan Alberto Crow noted. "You made her an officer."
"And you weren't grooming her for that yourself?" President Avellar observed, "part of doing this job, is recognizing when someone is doing a job you want done, and needs resources and authority to do the job."
"Delegation."
"I saw the reports." Mitchell Avellar scowled as he turned around, "Your Clan has been mothballing fleet units, and we've got a growing parasitic, vicious, evil bandit kingdom at our back door. Enter a seventeen year old girl who's managed to steal or salvage a Warship, recruit a crew, get your people to drop a top intelligence agent on her staff, and organized a plan to deal with the problem. I want to keep that kind of talent for the Alliance, Khan Crow, so yeah, I formalized what she's already doing, bringing her in before she decides to hare off and join the ****** bandits. Doing it this way keeps her pointed at the monsters and it gives us a measure of control-a measure she's openly embraced without being prompted to do so."
"I was not disagreeing with your outcome, Mister President." Alberto said, "I was surprised at your initiative doing it. I expected to have a harder time convincing you."
"Oh...sorry. I'm still...still absorbing what they found, and what it means." Mitchell said, "It's right on our border, less than a jump away from some of our major worlds! Her information suggests it's worse further out."
"I have dispatched a small unit to provide the support your memo requested." Alberto said.
"Good...good. We need to get the docks and base in the Northsun system up and operating, and manned."
"What?"
"I said, we need to get a garrison in that system, cooperative with the locals. Fueling and maintenance facility up and running, and maybe look at a salvage and rebuild on the wrecked Bonaventure class Corvette that's still sitting in slip three. That's a Navy thing, which makes it largely YOUR area of responsibility, but as president?"
"Aff..."
"I'm going to suggest that while I can't ask or tell you to bring the warships you already have in storage out, that it might be good for your successors and our future, if we have something to maintain training and crewing of Naval units, and patrols active in the Unincorporated regions to prevent something like The Sons of Plunder from growing, or happening again. A look at your Clan Doctrine suggests that maybe an outlet to develop your Naval warriors and technicians that isn't explicitly forbidden in the Republic Treaty-for example, a reserve force, with ships optimized for anti-piracy and independent patrols, well away from our foreign borders, could be of value in maintaining and developing skills...and also good for improving the economy here in the Outworlds, by increased lawfulness and the physical safety of our citizens...and the knock-on increases in trade connections, industrial growth, and so on-and there's something to be said for fighting bandits away from OUR systems and citizens."
"That all makes sense, why are you bringing it up the way you are?"
"because you have the experience, and the reputation, to make it work." Mitchell told her, "Experience with compact core vessels, experience in naval operations, experience in expeditionary logistics, reputation as 'The Naval Clan'-I do read intelligence briefs from time to time, Khan Crow."
"You have a preferred layout, quiaff?"
"Uh, yeah, 'Aff'. Clan Snow Raven signed a treaty limiting the WarShips you can field. These won't be Snow Raven warships, because that would make you a liar, and by extension, US. This service will, however, benefit from getting Clan personnel from both 'fresh out of sibko' and 'too old for front line service', but the rest of it will be recruits from the unincorporated areas and the Outworlds themselves. it will be a reserve organization under a peacetime charter centered on commerce enforcement and colony protection. You feel me?"
"Technically no violation of our existing treaties."
"Correct. We should make this happen, and the first step, is the Northsun system, and Director Amanda Roberts, because we need a 'face' that isn't an obvious play to circumvent a beloved treaty with a galactic hero. The second ship should be 'captained' by one of yours, someone competent, but not outstanding...because?"
"It would draw too much attention."
"Bingo. We'll use it as a test-bed for better anti-dropship and counters to Pocket Warships, but with the same core mission of anti-piracy and commerce protection-including hostage rescue and search-and rescue missions to keep the crews 'sharp'. In the meantime, it gives your upcoming warriors the experience they need if the treaties break down and we suddenly need to bring your fleet out of mothballs." Mitchell handed the Khan an offprint of his full proposal. "I don't expect it to ever become big, Khan Alberto Crow, most of my civilians are pacifists, but it gives us a hard counter if we need it immediately a few generations down the line, and right now, we can do it."
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===Looking for a Ride Out===
The handoff to the...
...Regular military was handled quietly, and another couple of ships joined Taskforce Desmond for the Joan's Post leg of the trip.
"What happens to the prison complex?" Larry asked.
"The Snow Ravens are garrisoning the site." Captain Roberts noted, "They've taken Doakes into custody for trial, he probably won't last the night...but that's fine."
"You're still angry." Larry observed.
"Furious," she said, "but they're right. I could torture him for centuries and it wouldn't undo what he did to those people. What he enabled, what his boss is still doing."
"An eye for an eye not working?"
"Yeah. It feels empty, so I'm focusing on what matters." she stated. "In this case, Joan's Post has a company of 'mechs and an Infantry battalion with vehicles, along with a captive population of serfs...but the Bandits don't know about the fueling station in the outer system, and what might be parked there."
"Another one?"
"OWS Illusive." she said, "Formerly Rims Worlds Republic Ship, the database listed it as a Corvette, but I doubt it's another Bonaventure, that would be too damned cool."
"Cool?"
"I know how to run a Bonnie." she said, "I'm not sure what I'd be able to do with a Pinto or something more advanced." she sighed. "I can HOPE, right?"
"So...this one's going to be a Liberation operation."
She nodded. "Yeah. Hope the abused victims don't side with their abusers." she said. "We're hitting the jump point in fourteen days, I've got planetology reports and a system chart with the algorithms to update for stellar drift and time of year, I want to hit them like the fist of god, Larry. Can we figure out how to do that?"
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