TBntG-3 Chpt 51

=The Bull and the Genie=
==Chapter 51 - Book III - The Clan Invasion==
<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
==Perfidious Comstar==
----
===Negotiations===
Yalta Station
Wolf Khan, Ghost Bear Khan, Nova Cat, Snow Raven, and Diamond Shark. The more moderate clans—0r most notably, the more moderate and powerful clans.
 
And Primus Will Chang had requested a meeting and come to them under SafCon.
 
"Pardon me, all," he said, slumping bonelessly in a chair, "but It's been a long flight to this rendezvous, and I ain't getting any younger."
 
"Perhaps you might tell us why you called for this meeting?", Lynn McKenna asked.
 
"Well, General Cheng would probably shoot me, but here's how things are. The UMC is balls deep in the former Combine, with humanitarian and government crises galore. You know, the General was getting ready to curbstomp you, she had four corps on line, three more in reserve and now half of them have turned their mechs in for police batons."
 
"Now would seem to be the time to strike," saKhan Vlad Ward said. "If they are so—"
 
"Well, warships make shitty cops, so they're all ready. On the—"
 
"Forgive me, Primus," Frederick said. "In this spirit of openness… how many new corps is Mary Cheng expecting?"
 
"In the next year? Three, maybe four. I think two a year after that."
 
Vlad's face looked like he'd downed curdled milk, but he said nothing as he sat down.
 
"Oh, and some new naval builds, I think fifty or sixty frigate and destroyer class and ten or twenty cruiser class. Maybe a couple of battleships, but I don't keep track of stuff like that. I just run the phones."
 
"Aff." Frederick didn't bother to laugh.
 
"So are you here to threaten us?" Ulric Kerensky asked. The Wolf Khan frowned. "If you expect…"
 
"Nah, I'm here to give you an opportunity, something the Clans could never get by themselves, in return for a few minor concessions. I figured you're all the most reasonable sorts, and you know you can't take Terra by force. And I expect after what we've seen, nobody wants to bring out the nuclear party favors."
 
Party favors? One saKhan murmured to her companion.
 
"And you can give us Terra?"
 
"Part of it, but let an old man have his surprises. First of all, The Federated Commonwealth will accept nothing but the return of all captured worlds—and they have a couple of corps they've built up independent of the UMC. So you might want to ask your best strategist how to defend against it."
 
"You will, I trust, not expect me to give such an analysis while you're in the room," Frederick said.
 
"Of course not, youngster," Will winked at Frederick. "But see, the thing is, lots of stuff gets broken in wars. And unlike our former friends in the Combine, you lot don't tend to murder civilians, and there are some worlds that might be sorry to see the clans go."
 
"And yet you said, they wish the return of all conquered worlds.", Khan Leroux said.
 
"Well, yes, but there's returned and there's returned. The First Prince and Archon are willing to offer a ninety-nine year lease on certain cities, contingent on allowing all Inner Sphere residents to leave if they desire, and turning over anyone who decides to stay and is later charged with a felony to the Federated Commonwealth for trial. There would be freedom of immigration in both ways—you could show off the Clan way of life to the Sphere and they could show off the Inner Sphere way of life to the clans!"
 
"I have seen your chaos," someone muttered. "Maybe we should put limitations on how many spheroids can join the Clans, Quiaff?"
 
"Well, that's up to you, but we'd also offer trials to determine the precise cost of the lease—gotta do it acceptably for both sides."
 
"You offer us a lease on cities we have," Frederick said. "but I expect you have more."
 
"We do. The UMC doesn't want a single damned more world to garrison. They're willing to accept and formalize your holdings in the former Combine, and the periphery states you took, contingent on security guarantees. The Free Worlds League is salivating over Clan machine tools, or so I've heard."
 
Ah. There it is. They offer us all the worlds where the local populations would support us against them, while demanding the worlds that we hold only by force of arms. 
 
"Forgive me, Primus, but I am a mere Star Captain."
"Of course you are," Will said with another infuriating wink.
 
"Yes, but what of those who decided to assist us? Many of them suffered from your spheroid scavenger lords and I am unwilling to expose them to revenge."
 
"A full amnesty, as well as the right to relocate to Clan space, contingent on none of those factories you built exploding."
 
Ah. That is it. The UMC and Inner Sphere's technology was expanding but there were still secrets in the Clan industry not yet ferreted out.
 
"You offer us treasure, like a merchant bargaining," The Ghost Bear Khan said. "But we are not the only Khans, so you would depend on us to bring the others here. What is it you offer them?"
 
"Oh, I'm sorry, old man, slipped my mind… How about Terra, or at least part of it." Will reached into his robe and pulled out a flier.
 
UNITY CITY TOURS. "I'm prepared to offer you the right to trial for the city, prize, it and everything in a 100 mile radius being deeded to the Clans of Kerensky in perpetuity, as embassy and capital, in return for the above agreements, and a fifty-year truce. Gentlemen and Ladies, this is the only way you get the original capital of the Star League." He yawned. "Well, it's been a long trip and I've got old man issues, so if someone could direct me to a bathroom and comfy couch, I'll take a snooze while you chat over this."
 
Moments later, the room exploded.
----
===Logic behind the Offer===
"If they are bargaining, we should strike—they are—"
 
"No." The voice was new, and everyone turned to saKhan Vlad. "They are offering us Hegira." He sighed, and clenched his fists so hard they whitened. "The Sibkos are now sending us near children who are worse than a new Inner Sphere pilot, even ignoring the fact that too many come to us, their heads stuffed full of the Remembrance, rather than reality. Let us assume that he lies, and only a single new corps comes on line every year. Can we fight that? Frederick—" Vlad's lips twisted at the admission, "—is the most successful leader here. He planned our invasion. So, Star Captain, tell us. Can you defend against what is coming?"
 
"Neg. The Inner Sphere has limitless industrial and human resources. We do not, and quantity has a quality all its own."
 
"And their quality is now far better than what it was in the beginning," Khan Jorgensson muttered.
 
"They are tired of conflict. They would be sending newly trained soldiers against us," Vlad said. "But they do not want the casualties. So they are offering us a prize—Unity City, and the ability to claim that we were not driven entirely out of the Inner Sphere…"
 
In return for a few cities that could be snapped up whenever the Spheroids wanted. They are willing to let us keep our honor—because they take everything else that matters. Frederick shook his head. "My own intelligence is hearing rumors of a new body that will replace the Star League."
 
"Replace it?" someone said. "That is—"
 
"Logical," Frederick said. "We were isolated. We remember the Star League as it was. The Spheroids remember the wars that came after. The atrocities seeking to reclaim it. They may remember it as a golden age, but to return…No. But this will be a formality. An embassy and museum, maybe honored for what it was, but Unity City will never again be the humanity's crown jewel."
 
The room fell silent, and then the arguing started. Loud, quiet, appeals to logic and honor.
 
Frederick said nothing. Primus Chang had made his case. And there was no way to deny his truth. Frederick would wait for the decision and carry it out, but he had no doubt that this group, representing the most powerful collection of Clans in the Inner Sphere, and most importantly, the ones with the most to lose, the ones that had adapted most successfully, would come to the decision the Primus expected.
 
And soon enough, he was proven right.
 
None of our stories expected the crusade to end so… anti-climactically. 
 
And as for the possessions you will let us keep… I wonder, Primus Chang, did you also read about the fate of all those proud warlords who invaded China?
 
I expect you did.
----
<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
Book 3 - 51