BeyHop Chpt 43

Beyond Hope

- Chapter 43 - When you see me running…

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Star League Council Meets

Spider's Moon Governance Hall
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
3061

//////[Begin Record, Star League Council meeting, 20 May, 3061]\\\\\\

"The reason we're still running rotations, is to avoid something much more catastrophic." Duchess Elizabeth Ngo-Steiner-Davion faced the Council once again. "We're looking at the future, thus, why we're still rotating troops from active front line operations, to rear area roles, while cycling rear echelon and new troops forward to replace them. Helena justified this based on the experiences of nations going back to the nineteen forties, but I'm going to suggest something else."

She tabbed up an inset window. "These, are documents recovered from Clan territory, they consist of copies of service records from the original SLDF. Kerensky's army had, with very few exceptions including MY people, spent the entire time of the Amaris War, some starting during the Periphery suppression campaigns in active service, to the point they were incapable of functioning outside of that combat environment. Traumatic Stress disorders are common among veterans and survivors of other violent, abusive or hazardous conditions. Treatment and processing of those traumas, is something we owe the men and women who serve. While it's fine to claim to be limiting it by limiting the number of exposures, the general gist is that once you stop fighting, how do you stop them from fighting?"

"The answer, though none of you asked, is through a process of re-adjustment, and limiting the intensity, duration, and exposure over time. This also limits the potential damage to Veterans, their families, and the environment around them once the guns go silent…and the readjustment is also a good period to allow the passage of information between veterans, and those brought in to replace them. Returning soldiers transmit useful information to recently enlisted soldiers, which helps the recently enlisted to better cope with the environment into which they are being sent, which reduces the traumas they will have to deal with when they have returned. It also reduces mission-compromising incidents including but not limited to abuse of civilian populations in occupied areas, conflicts with locals, and the dangers that come from soldiers feeling abandoned by their governments in a foreign land."

She straightened, "As we begin to cope with the influx of refugees from the Clan Homeworlds, it is important not to forget our own personnel, and their quite reasonable expectation of returning home. The Crimson Road is a key lifeline, because it is a promise that the soldiers sent to garrison Huntress, Londerholm, and other places in the Clan Homeworlds will not be left there as forgotten toys. Therefore, I am asking the Star League Council to approve this budget, and the requisitions and requests in this bill, in order to uphold our duty to our service members and thus, avoid a Kerensky-Exodus situation in the future. Thank you all, and good night."

//////[End Record]\\\\\\

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Defending against Marauders

Base Echo, Crimson Road

It was inevitable, she supposed.

"Ice Hellion warship CIH Impaler, this is SLS Ia Drang actual, stand down, those are refugee vessels under Star League jurisdiction and control, and I'm not going to let you attack them, Acknowledge" Kapitain Giao Pham released the transmit switch.

Lola III Class Destroyer, CIH Impaler

Civilian ships floated, sails extended, under the watch of Task Force Nine at Base Echo, a fairly isolated length of the Crimson Road, the facilities here were a charging station and not much else.

<<"You dare deny the prize! With what you have? Your pathetic ship is less than a Fredasa! I will meet your challenge and destroy you!">>

"Well ****** you too." she muttered, switching to the O1C, "All hands, all hands, this is the Captain, set to depressurize in ten seconds! We are at battle conditions, I repeat, we are at battle conditions."

She matched her words, by closing her helmet. The familiar 'tug' as the CIC vented atmosphere and her suit's support systems engaged helped keep her focused.

The Ia Drang had been the second prototype of the Landmark series, and to the outside observer it was visibly smaller than the Lola III. This isn't helped by also being far less massive than the old, terran machine, but the Landmark class isn't just smaller-it's a 'cleaner' design, more like a ferrosteel and armor wrapped cigar with no obvious projections beyond the turret mounted weapons systems-even the sail's retraction mechanism was 'shrouded' between drive nacelles, pulling the charging sails into a compartment below the maximum depression of the aft turrets.

Landmark Class Destroyer, SLS Ia Drang

A steel cigar to the rather blunted, modern-artwork-airship shape of the Lola she was up against.

"Five minutes to extreme range at their current thrust and vector, Kapitain."

"Launch fighters." she ordered, “CAP, Intercept, and Strike wings, launch ESM support small craft."

The Landmark class would be considered by ancient SLDF naval architects to be a combination of bad ideas. The armament package initially looks very, very light, with eight Light Naval Gauss in multi-angular turret configuration-a mounting that the Terran Hegemony abandoned as a bad concept before the Star League even formed, having never built one when simulations showed such mounts would have massive cooling problems via the high-heat weapons common in pre-Star League shipbuilding.

This was exacerbated by the minimalism of the actual design-the Ia Drang simply didn't look threatening when compared with first Star League era brutes that went with Kerensky, it didn't even look like a dropship, it just looked like a cigar with a cone on each end.

But…

But, it has, thanks to its bizarre layout, the effective throw weight of a vessel several times its size, and the narrow, simple profile makes it hard to get an engagement lock, especially at minimum profiles.

"Fighters away."

The Landmark class Destroyers have a large fighter complement for a vessel of its size, and the ability to support them…and it has something else.

"Reading enemy missile launches."

"Gunnery, arm point defenses, set to bracket one fire only, helm, adjust our course one five degrees negative zed axis, two degrees to the positive port, no reason to give him a bigger lock than dead-nose-on."

"Ayeh, mum."

"Entering extreme range, DDL to the flight for angular correction is established."

There were elements of the design that benefited greatly from Helena and Jane Cameron's presence in the Kowloon system. This was one-the fighters were flying with ESM support small-craft-basically taking an Mark VII and cramming the cargo bay with electronic warfare and sensor gear, then adding antimissile systems to the hull.

Mark VII Landing Craft

"Vector and velocity lock, Kapitain."

"Well…fire." it was fair, the enemy's Lola III had fired first.

Each gun turret adjusted angle slightly to compensate for range, distance and movement vector, then the gun commander triggered the fire order.

Eight light naval gauss fired as one, from an angle that a normal, 'bay' type vessel would only be able to fit at most four.

The shots passed through her fighter screen without risking a single one of her fighters or small craft, as the enemy's missiles passed through it.

Sparks lit on the hull of the Impaler, and a puff of something venting came from their port forward.

"Correct, and fire again."

The trick to winning a naval gunfight, is not to fight a naval gunfight. Barring that, hitting first with something painful usually works pretty well, but if you can't do that, then focus on hitting at all, while avoiding being hit.

The holodramas loved to play up that once weapons were firing that fights were these drawn out duels where the captains and crews of each ship would exchange banter, and sometimes it was even actually witty or funny. The reality however was that it was rare for a real fight to last more than a minute or two once weapons started actually hitting. The scale of the firepower involved in modern naval weapons ensured that even operating depressurized a good strike could still end most vessel’s ability to fight.

"Slew angle fifteen degrees positive zed axis, roll us portside ninety." she ordered.

"Fifteen positive Zed, ninety degree roll clockwise complete."

"Guns, put fish in the water. All the fish portside, Helm, evasive maneuvers, try not to let that son of a bitch get a lock on us!!"

The walking fire from the main guns softened armor, but it was the full complement of missiles that sealed the deal.

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After Reports and new Careers

Governing House - Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth
3060

“It’s no surprise that the Clans are figuring out where the stations are. Not exactly easy to keep something like that a secret. What is troubling is just how aggressive they are becoming in trying to hunt down the Nova Cats.” Kapitain Linda Sithers was running this portion of the brief.

"The good news? They're more interested in chasing refugees, than trying to take the stations when they find them. That's not going to last."

“No it is not, and they are already starting to figure out that the Nova Cats are using them as safe harbors. But the bulk of their refugees are now at the assembly point and thus in turn are being forwarded and integrated into the populations of their final homes.”

"How is that effort going, then?" Duchess Elizabeth prompted.

“We’re talking about some pretty major culture clash, so there are expected growing pains but so far nothing majorly violent has broken out. To be honest I’m still expecting that particular shoe to be dropped. Since most of them want to go to the Combine because of their prophecy we should also assume the possibility that the ISF is suppressing reports, even from Theodore. His Black Dragon Society troubles are not unknown.”

Elizabeth made notes while Sun Tzu spoke up, "What of other issues, I have been told there are others besides the Nova Cats…"

"Admiral Steiner-Davion has better information on the progress there, she's been in repeated contact with someone named, and I shit you not, McKenna among the Snow Ravens. They're looking for, so the scuttlebutt is, 'greener pastures'. They might pose a real threat, their naval component is 'significant' enough they may even be able to fight in the black."

“Clan Ghost Bear and the Free Rasalhague Republic have established a framework for the merging of our governments. I want to be clear that a task of this magnitude is still going to take some time before completing. But this is likely going to be my last conference.” Mansdotter added.

"We'll miss your input." Elizabeth told him, "You have a lot of insight, Christian, I hope it's retirement and not something serious or medical?"

“I will spend my last few good years still helping my people but it is demanding I return home. Then I should be able to retire.”

"Well, while you're here…I take it Ragnar's going to be handling your duties?"

“Yes. It has been decided Ragnar will take over as our representative to the Star League Council.”

“Any other business?” Liz waited a moment for any responses. “Then I think we’re done for today.”

As the delegates filtered out of the chamber she subtly indicated for Linda to hold back.

“You okay?” Elizabeth asked. “You and Moshe…”

“You know I think he saw this coming, at least something like it. He insisted rather than jumping into having kids right away that we both put our halves on ice just in case for later. Part of me doesn’t want to wait, another wants to focus on hunting those bastards down, making it clear what happens to people who think it is a good idea to erase innocent civilians like that. But I have a job to do while Vu Dao is out on maternity leave and Li is still taking point in the anti-piracy operations.”

Elizabeth laid a hand on Seether's shoulder, "Thank you. When Helena gets back, she'll thank you too-your writtens have been clearer than anything I've been getting from my sister-in-law."

"Really?" Seether answered with surprise.

"Yeah, really. Kate's got a mind for rhetoric and she loves using it. The Base Echo incident report read like a Marik Opera, but then you sent me a much, much, clearer version."

"When is Helena coming back?" Seether asked.

"I don't know, soon I hope." Liz said, "I mean…soon. I'm having to pull twenty two hour workdays and I want to have some of my life back."

Seether laughed. "Twenty-two? Slacker I remember when you were pulling Twenty-six hour days."

"I was fifteen, and some of the drugs I was on were the kind with 'insomnia' as a side-effect." the Duchess laughed.

A senior Cadet was waiting in the transit corridor from the Star League's annex. "Seether, this is Cadet Nicole Minh, seeing as Helena's indisposed, she's been assigned as an intern."

"Ma'am, I've got your coffee, the morning's reports, and the sorted communiques." The girl had a Sol-Belta accent hiding under her school-proper Viet.

"What's your graduation date, Minh?" Seether asked.

"My class graduates in March of next year, Ma'am."

"Hm. March of next year…where you from, Cadet?"

"Martinside Metis, Ma'am."

It clicked in Seether's memory, and she gave her Duchess a side-eye look. "So that's why she was assigned, huh?"

"I have no clue what you mean, there is nothing about family ties and possible Auntie duty for Cadet Minh." Elizabeth confirmed without confirming. "None, whatsoever."

"What's your Major, Minh?"

"Jumpship Navigation and operations, Kapitain ma'am." Nicole asserted.

"Command track?"

"So they tell me, Ma'am. I've still go to do my SERE credits and finish Ground School."

Ground School…for Rockjacks and Belters, it means 'operating on the ground, at the bottom of the gravity well' not 'the class you take before they let you sit next to a flight instructor'.

"Your grace, I've got work to be doing, my ship's still under repair."

"Go to it, Kaptain." Liz nodded, "Minh, check the tram schedule, I'd like to visit Cameron Cavern before I get more gray hairs."

"Ayeh, mum."

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Meeting between piers and Sisters

Governing House - Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth
May 3061

"I brought you a babysitter." Elizabeth told Helena, "and I brought her, because I need you to pretend you're at work to help me solve a problem I can't seem to wrap my head around."

“I’m at the point of almost going stir crazy anyway. As much as it is work to handle Jonathan in the lower gravity, I still find the need to be doing something.” Helena nodded.

“He handle the trip okay?”

“It was a little scary there, his heart had trouble with the escape velocity thrust.”

“He’s still adorable. You’re sure he’s my brother’s? My nephew is big for his age.” Nikki was making faces at her nephew as she tried to feed him.

“My mom’s side of the family was known to have big babies.” Helena smiled. “So he probably gets that from me. But also means he’s probably doomed to be less than two meters.”

Elizabeth was already laying out the portable holoscreen on the table while Nikki and Helena adored Helena's son.

“If he needs changed…”

“I’ve got it.” Nikki countered. “You take care of whatever it is the Star League needs.”

Elizabeth finished connecting to her portable, and powered it up.

Helena took her appointed seat.

“Ready whenever you are Liz.” Helena nodded.
"Arthur figured something out, but it's going to be expensive, and it might actually be…well…remember we were reconstructing the Snark IV experiment, which was a re-doing of the Eros Project that blew up a large moon-like body in the Sol system?"

"Vaguely, Liz, this is your mad science, and I'm not-"

"You're a strategist and a logistics expert." Liz reminded her, "You're also better at reading modern political tides than I am. I need someone who knows the hazards here…or at least understands them well enough to outline them out for me."

"So…what is it you found?"

"Hyperspace isn't a single wavelength dimension. Arthur thinks we can build a conduit on one of the higher wavelengths, it'll draw an enormous amount of power…but imagine hopping into a dropship, flying out into the outer system, pass through…" the image shifted "...a ring, and coming out in, say, The Taurian Concordat from Kowloon, probably in under an hour, and without needing to haul a proper Jump core."

“******. That… That is mind bending Liz. How much energy do we need to put into it to get it started?”

"Ain't it?" Liz nodded. "Arthur thinks we can manage with around twelve or thirteen 40,000 rated reactors-so twelve or thirteen battleships don't get built, but the math says he can keep it stable as long as it can be cooled."

“Honestly this could obsolete Battleships. At least significantly re-define their role.”

"I'm on a fork here, because the other thing we found out at the Herbania site, is that we can produce exotic matter states, as in the kind you need to make an Alcubierre space-warping drive. I don't think I can fund both, I'm not sure we should even approach the Star League Council with it until we've got a prototype of one, or the other…and the price tag is around three trillion C-bills to build either prototype."

“That little? Jeez Liz! Some of the R&D budgets I’ve seen for Aerofighters run nearly that much.”

"Remember, Victor effectively cut me off from Commonwealth funding outside the Star League's budget, I'm poor now." Liz said apologetically. "I might even need to take out a Loan."

“Uh huh. Ngo Enterprises still has lots of contracts with the Commonwealth, but I’ll invest. Least I could do for you after how much you’ve invested in me.” Helena chuckled.

"I need you to help me pick which one, Helena. They're both promising technologies with lots of possible unknowns, they both might fail, Arthur was working on them behind my back because of my TDS….he thinks either one could be a solution, but we can't afford the intellectual capital to pursue both at the same time."

“Well that’s hell of a decision. The portal from what I gather has better economic implications but the space warping drive has the bigger military concerns.”

"Yeah, it does. Imagine being able to retire the ferry service, or turn it over and I won't need a suction vac to visit you."

“Then as much as I’d prefer the civilian infrastructure to make trade cheaper and easier, we need to get a handle on the one with the greater military applications first so we can see how viable it is and what we can do to both use it and defend against it because if you and Arthur have figured this out someone else is likely to as well and I’d rather not be on the wrong side of that learning curve.”

"Considering it's University sponsored program? Yeah." Liz agreed, "of course, they'll have to figure out how to replicate the experiment without blowing up a moon…"

“Do we need to adjust the navmaps for Herbania too?” Helena furled her brow.

"Well, there's this phenomena that happens when someone tries to operate volatile, fragile, expensive scientific equipment without knowing how it works…" Liz suggested, "...so maybe? Just to keep some greedy fool from blowing up three quarters of a trillion Kroner in public property, along with themselves by shutting down the wrong subsystem."

“I guess I need to clarify Based on your earlier statement that the experiment needs to be replicated without blowing up a moon, did you and Arthur blow up a moon in Herbania as well?”

"Nope. we got it right that time. We're still working on what it was, exactly, we did right at Herbania that we didn't do at Snark IV…because honestly neither of us are entirely sure what we got right this time that we got wrong last time."

“Okay. Get the specs drawn up. I’ll do my best to wrap my head around them.”

“You’re too modest Helena. Besides I know what you’ve been doing with some of your time off.” Liz smiled as she dug into one of her bags. “Your certification. Nerd.”

“I have to keep up with you and Arthur somehow. You keep spouting all these things I used to barely comprehend. Now I do.” Helena chuckled.

"Mannsdottir is stepping down, he's going to let Ragnar represent both sides of Rasalhague next session."

“I’ll miss him in a way. But he is getting up there in age.”

"And now for the next bit of bad news." Liz said, "Next session, we're getting a delegation, Marthe Pryde, Vlad Ward, some of their allies. It's either going to be a declaration of war, or we're going to have multiple members from the Clans trying to get in. I'm not sure which is more dangerous."

“I know. I’ve been reading what reports are forwarded to me despite being on leave. They’re almost certainly heading for their own, well I don’t know if Civil War is quite the right term but they clearly are diving up based on who wants to move back to the Inner Sphere and who wants to stay and it’s already violent in regards to the Nova Cats. The Ravens are moving too. Any word on where they want to set up shop? I don’t get all the reports being officially on leave.”

“Avellar was cagey about it but we’ve confirmed that he’s in talks to host them. Kate's tried to talk them into continuing right into the Fedsuns, though-she wants them over by Filtvelt for some gawd awful reason. So far Lynn McKenna's been stringing her along, I think Avellar's going to get the nod instead. It's a shorter trip and safer region."

“So extra migraine medicine, check.” Helena nodded.

"Kate's family whether I like it or not, whether I like her or not, and she's talented." Liz concluded, "Which makes the fact she gives me the creeps every time I see her all that much worse."

“She’s just been given a direction to channel her ambition into. So she’s still just that little bit off.” Helena nodded.

“Like a fursnake that you’re not sure has been properly domesticated.”

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Sibling Assistance

Spider's Moon - Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth
May 3061

Helena had to ask Jane to interpret the mathematics. "You're using your big sister's brain! How cute!!! OF COURSE I'll help you with your home-work project…"

“Well I need like three more degrees before everything Arthur and Liz say makes sense to me. Plus I haven’t forgotten how you got me through calc 3. So I’ll owe you two after this.”

"This looks like an early 21st century proposal we still sometimes use as a 'bonus' assignment for the real troublemakers at the Academy."

“Well Liz and Arthur think they can actually make it work. And if those two are talking prototype…”

"It's either likely to work, or to explode…explosively. yeah."

“As long as we don’t have to actually redraw the map of the Inner Sphere because an entire system is rendered past tense. Or worse they summon some sort of interdimensional omnicidal kaiju.”

"Which would let me win my bingo."

“Same. So does it pass your sniff test?”

"They're underestimating the power requirement, not a lot, mind you, still within oh, .0041% of what they need, but they're underestimating it, maybe a rounding error."

“Which means we should add what, another ten thousand in fusion torus rating just so they can have a better reserve?”

"Two of 'm…" Bianh spoke up, "In case one is underperforming or fails or something."

“So the total is now 60,000. Do it as a cluster of six units rated at 10,000 each so if one fails there will be five others to take up the slack.”

“Yeah. It’ll be a little more to balance and manage but that should give more than enough redundancy.” Jane nodded.

“Well it sounds like I have some calls to make to arrange financing.”

“Stay for dinner?” Jane asked.

“Sure. I’ll even have Jakob bring Jonathan and Nikki over.”

“She’ll be meeting some of the in-laws for the first time. Should be fun.” Bianh laughed.

“Nikki’s a smart woman. She probably already knows what I am.” Jane smiled. “Lenny, Phoebe be dears and let your siblings know we’re going to have guests. So I expect everyone to be washed up and at the table in time for dinner.”

Helena watched and almost understood Phoebe's signs. "Jane, I thought you were going to help get her ears fixed."

"I am, we're scheduled for August of next year, Helena, the specialist is all the way over in the Magistracy."

“Dang. I wish Majery could help but she’s not a specialist of that sort.”

"Majery helped find the right specialty, and she's trading instructor hours with the foreigner doc." Bianh commented, "But she's also the one who said standard implants won't work on Phoebe, something about her congenital defect meaning she's missing key nerve paths, not just eardrums and vocal cords."

“Which makes me glad that talks are going so well that the Magistracy is willing to help out with one of their valuable specialists.”

“I don't know about that, we had to go through a private agent, but the trade in skills sharing and the actual fees aren't bad, I ran numbers last week after we signed the contract, Helena-their doctor's not charging more than around fifty percent of what it would have cost for one of your checkups as a child. Expensive by modern standards, but cheap by the standards we grew up with."

“Which means it’s a subtle gesture. Trust me, they’d be blocking and hard balling a lot more even through a private broker if they were not feeling like meeting at least part way.” Helena shook her head.

"You're not going to tell her, Jane?" Bianh scowled. "FINE, I'll tell her. The 'consult' is Majery's work with the doctors from NAIS…on Elizabeth." she crossed her arms, "THAT is hardball, Lizzie had to intercede with Victor to get the documents cleared for release, she did that while she was still coping with having to audit the Naval services, and she did it because we asked her to."

“Sounds like I owe Liz a favor too then.” Helena shook her head again.

"Add it to Victor, and to Magestrix Centrella…or just accept the gift for what it is-a gift, not an exchange, and be grateful." Bianh scolded, "Sometimes people do things for you, because they're nice, or they care, or the intangible rewards are intrinsic! It took me years to figure that out!!"

“Fine. But I think I know exactly what to give Liz for her birthday.”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Jane asked.

“Yup.”

“Someone going to clue me in or do I have to get Sithers in here to do an interrogation?” Bianh scowled.

“I want it to be a surprise. So I’ll tell you if you promise to keep it a secret from Liz.” Helena smiled.

"Oh gawd, you're going back to work." Bianh speculated."You're going to give her time with her kids, aren't you?"

“That too. But before we parted ways Tranh Truk Ngo gave me a bottle of ijeroo we were supposed to share on Terra. He had to go home and well, I took the long way. So I still have it. So I’ll share it with her.”

“You know you’re one of the few people I know from elsewhere who drinks that stuff.”

“What can I say, I know I shouldn’t have because alcohol actually counteracted the meds I was on at the time but it was how we spent a few evenings. He was my first Liz in that he helped me quite a lot in those early times. So I think she’ll appreciate the gesture.”

“Helena…” Jane started.

“I know what you’re about to say, sis. I’m going to be fine going back to work. Instead of it being a tool to hide from my traumas, this time it will be a tool for me to face what remains of them.” Helena smiled. “I’m doing it. One day at a time. No shortcuts.”

“Good. Just don’t be afraid to ask for time whenever you need it. Still shouldn’t rush this.”

“I will.”

“I’ll hold you to that, little sis.”

“Seconded. I don’t want to have to explain to my daughter why her aunt is in a nice padded room wearing a starched white jacket with straps and buckles because she had another mental break.” Bianh nodded.

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