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Minister Simowitz was smoking a cigarette when I arrived for our meeting. He stared out the window at the City of Ny Roskilde, the Planetary Capital of New Ålborg. Ninety-eight-thousand people lived in Ny Roskilde, making it the largest city on the planet. The second largest city, Nowy Gdansk, had less than a third of Ny Roskilde's population at thirty-thousand people. Nya Visby was a distant third at only nine thousand people sitting on the most fertile land on the planet. Ny Roskilde had the spaceport, the majority of the factories, the Palace, and the planetary communications hub. Compared to that, Nowy Gdansk mostly just had a large amount of heavy metals and a few refineries. Nya Visby was almost entirely a farming town. The rest of the population was scattered amongst various small mining and farming settlements of one-to-two thousand people each.

"This City is tiny. The whole population of it, of the entire Barony, could fit inside Rasalhague more than thirteen and a half thousand times over. Luthien is even larger than that, and that's to say nothing of the rest of the Combine." Began Minister Simowitz.

"You're saying they could overwhelm our security measures? So what? It isn't like we didn't already know that. Our biggest shield is going to be remaining beneath notice. I've asked you to meet with us so that we can figure out how to do that." I shot back.

"It is good you already know that. Saves us some time. Iron Land needs to remain off the maps of the Inner Sphere. A hidden stronghold that only we know exists. You have recently found a number of jumpships and dropships, I suggest you keep some back specifically for trips to Iron Land. I have here a list of candidates whose discretion and loyalty can be counted on to run such a hidden freight line. In the meantime, any expansion needs to be away from Iron Land. If we can draw attention elsewhere, others will be looking there." Informed Minister Simowitz, holding up a datachip.

"How do you think we can accomplish that?" I asked.

"By going West. Last Chance, Botany Bay, Cryfder, Battaraigi, Koskenkorva, and eventually, Gotterdamerung. Altogether, that's a hundred-forty-thousand people. Battaraigi and Koskenkorva are ideal colony sites as well to encourage immigration. If the Inner Sphere believes you to be attempting a Project to Stabilize the Periphery in the West, they'll never think to go looking near Iron Land for hidden bases. After all, everyone knows that Periphery States can't do two large projects at once." Advised Minister Simowitz.

"And Periphery Stabilization Projects happen all the time. Usually, they fail in a few years, you're thinking of using the Inner Sphere's sense of superiority over the Periphery against them?" I questioned.

"They'll be waiting for the inevitable aircar crash, watching the west like some sort of holo-program. Their attention won't fall on the rest of the Barony while they do. After all, they have better people to be watching, like the other Successor Houses." Agreed Minister Simowitz.

"What happens when our efforts there start to actually pay off?" I frowned.

"That is where the next part of the plan comes in. It comes in two parts, the first is diplomatic. You have friends in Lyran Space, your Academy Friends, the Duke of Apollo, and assets and allies throughout the Tamar Pact your father cultivated. A Lyran Alliance should not be too difficult at that point. With the Lyrans as a shield, everyone in the Inner Sphere would need to think twice before moving to snuff us out." Nodded Minister Simowitz. I thought about Katrina, she'd definitely be on board for an alliance. Even if her father wasn't inclined, she could talk him around. I was curious about these other assets and allies that Minister Simowitz spoke of. As far as I knew, my allies began and ended in the Duchy of Apollo.

"What allies and assets in the Tamar Pact are you talking about?" I queried.

"The Duke of Trell is an ally of your father's. Your father managed to acquire a license for Trellshire Heavy Industries to Produce the Charger Assault Mech, something that earned him the friendship of Duke Yves Killa. Duke Yves has been taking a wait-and-see approach to you, but we have a number of intelligence assets among the minor nobility of the Duchy. Beyond that, Duke Michael Olivetti, the Duke of Sudeten is another Ally, though our network in his Duchy is smaller than our Network in Trell. We also have a number of Counts and Barons on Apolakkia, Alyina, Devin, Baker Three, and Leskovik who are friendly. We have turned some of their people into assets. I believe your father was working on Baron Truder of Waldorff with the Jomsborg Hussars Contract there. Your trade of Water Filters with Csesztreg will also help make Duke Horvath friendly as well." Laid out Minister Simowitz.

"That's more than I anticipated. If we succeed in stabilizing part of the Periphery, they'll speak on our behalf?" I pressed.

"Even if not, we have enough assets in Trell, Sudeten, and on Apolakkia, Alyina, Devin, Baker Three, and Leskovik to pressure them into doing so. Waldorff and Csesztreg remain to be seen." Answered Minister Simowitz.

"Right, so what's the second part of this phase of the plan?" I asked.

"Military Buildup. The Rim Worlds Republic Equipment is a good start, but the Baronial Guards will need expansion. You should be able to get them up to six regiments, plus an equivalent amount of militia, and that's before immigration. Six Regiments might be enough to deter Hendrik Grimm, but you'll need more than that to deter an attack. Our most likely attacker is the Draconis Combine, which has the second-largest military force in the Sphere. There are Eleven Brigades based in the Rasalhague Military District Alone. That's thirty-three regiments before taking free-floating regiments and regiments from the rest of the Combine into account. Assuming that two-thirds of those will be attacking the Lyrans in any given war means we would need to have at least eleven regiments of fully-equipped Baronial Guards in order to deter aggression." Explained Minister Simowitz.

"Which means we'll need to double our population past what the West could give us. That means we either need to retake Butte Hold or convince Erewhon to join us." I pointed out.

"Erewhon won't join up with us if we only have a third of their population and less than half of their GDP scattered about eight worlds. We will need to retake Butte Hold. I anticipate that Erewhon will wait to join us until after we have defeated the Oberon Confederation. That is not important right now, though. Take Butte Hold, build up the Baronial Guards, ally with the Lyrans, and keep Iron Land under a veil of silence. These need to be the pillars of our strategy going forward. I have recommended tactics for accomplishing them on this datachip." Responded Minister Simowitz, passing me another datachip.

The rest of the meeting was filled with a discussion of how we planned to support the four pillars of our strategy using technology, resource allocation, intelligence assets, and so on. Minister Simowitz was mostly focused in on the Draconis Combine, and who could blame him? After all, if you didn't know how insidious the Phone Company was, they looked like the largest and deadliest potential enemy. Fortunately, I was able to steer his planning toward a more general approach that would help keep agents from everyone from sniffing around Iron Land. By the time that dusk began to fall over the skyline of Ny Roskilde, I felt that an appreciable plan had been worked out. It wasn't foolproof, but it offered a decent chance of keeping things under wraps, at least if we were careful about what we showed the Sphere and when.

I made my way back to the Baronial Suite in the palace for a working dinner, going over various paperwork that needed my signature or plans that needed my approval over a pretty decent Bone-Norman Porterhouse. Most of them were tedious. Approvals for this or that resource transfer between governmental departments that the various department heads couldn't hash out on their own. Being the supreme executive of an interstellar barony had a lot of this sort of thing. Settling arguments between bickering departments was just an outgrowth of the holding court that most established Nobles did throughout the Sphere. Fortunately, these requests were not the only things to cross my desk. I received some very good news from the Office of Minister Kowalski. Last Chance and Botany Bay had received our delegations and both had agreed to join the Barony in exchange for technology. They were hammering out the final treaty and everything should be worked out in two weeks.

It had only been a little over six months since I had become the New Baron and I'd already presided over expansion to two more worlds. I was certain my father would be proud of that accomplishment. I sent a memo to Minister Kowalski to appraise him of my plans to do the same to Cryfder, Battaraigi, and Koskenkorva. Then I turned in for the evening.

That would be the pattern for the next few months. Meetings during the day, notably to raise a fifth regiment for the Baronial Guards now that we had gained two new member worlds, followed by administrative work in the evenings. Occasionally, some good news would filter in, such as Cryfder and Battaraigi agreeing to bend the knee or Csesztreg purchasing the water purification filter license for a Jumpship full of C-Bills. There was bad news as well, however, Koskenkorva was being slightly stubborn about joining up, though. Apparently, they had received a similar offer from Maria Morgraine on Gotterdamerung. Minister Kowalski wanted to try and offer more than Maria Morgraine did, but General Jorgensen wanted to invade Gotterdamerung early so that we would be the only game in town for Koskenkorva to go with by default. My Baronial Council was all picking sides in the debate, which meant I had one option going forward.

I would have to call a council meeting to settle the matter. . .

XXXX

AN: Yeah, I know, I did a little bit of a time skip to the first big crisis at the end of the chapter. I just don't think folks care too much about bureaucratic procedures. If I'd kept going with individual meetings and paperwork for the next three months, things would get really boring really fast.

At any rate, Jozef has adopted a multi-layered strategy for avoiding destruction. Basically, it boils down to keeping attention away from Iron Land with misdirection and silence, allying with the Lyrans diplomatically, and building up the military to make conquest look like more trouble than it's worth. It's actually a pretty decent strategy, but only time will tell if it works or not.

This crisis over Koskenkorva isn't going to be resolved in just a single chapter. Even if Jozef goes with offering them more and even if Koskenkorva accepts, Maria Morgraine isn't the type of person to give up or take that lying down. One way or another, it will end in war. The setting is called BATTLEtech, after all.

At any rate, next up will be the second full meeting of the Baronial Council to see about resolving the Koskenkorva Crisis.

Stay tuned. . .