Act 3 - Depression[]
With A Bared Sword[]
Chapter 58[]
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Castle Davion, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
19 June 3058
David Sandoval looked much better than he had back on Terra Firma. Kate knew the doctors had been concerned that taking back his responsibilities would have set back his recovery, but he was one of those men who was most energized by having something constructive to do.
He and his brother both looked good in the new uniforms. They looked very much like the traditional AFFS dress uniforms, with the bottle green jackets and pants, set off by the golden half-breast plates. The main difference was material, with Kate having authorized funding for fabrics that would have been deemed lostech when the old uniforms had been retired. The capes had also been maintained, dark blue with a crimson lining. These were reinforced too and apparently NAIS swore blind that the fabric wouldn’t burn even under the heat of a military flamer.
Kate certainly hoped not, since she was wearing one as well and would be trusting her life to that in public in the future.
“You made good time, Field Marshal,” she greeted David.
“Thank you, Field Marshal,” he replied with a smile. “And belated congratulations on your promotion.”
“Yes.” Kate was sure her ears were a little red. She hardly felt like a real Field Marshal - although how would she know what that was like? “It was unexpected, but well timed.”
“As was your intervention at Sarna,” Leah Thomas noted. “The Sarnese have been extremely receptive to receiving a diplomatic visit now that it’s possible.”
“The victory was won by Admiral Buchwald’s preparations,” the First Prince said firmly. “An excellent first performance by our warship forces.”
Everyone in the room nodded in appreciation. The Capellan blockade of Sarna had required that their warships be spread out, and the arrival of three corvettes along with their task forces had caught them entirely by surprise. CCS Xizang had taken heavy damage before her two sister-ships arrived to reinforce her, and faced by the prospect of losing one of the precious ships even in the event of a victory - and perhaps a second given the balance of aerospace numbers - the Capellan commander had thought better of pressing his luck.
“It will take some months to make good the damage taken by FSS Fox,” Stephen Davion pointed out. “The navy can’t win a fight without an eye-watering repair bill.”
“Better than losing that fight,” the Marshal of Sarna pointed out. “If the Supremacy accepts the offered mutual defense treaty, that will make it a great deal easier to hold back Sun-Tzu Liao. I doubt his ambitions fall short of reclaiming every world his grandfather once ruled.”
“I think he would be willing to ‘compromise’ with every world Barbara Liao once ruled.” Kate got a few chuckles at that joke. The Capellan Chancellor before the outbreak of the Succession Wars had ruled a far larger realm than her current successor did. “We will need more warships. I’ve authorized the laying down of the next three Avalon-class cruisers now: Camelot, Caliburn and Camlann. Whether any are purchased by the Lyran fleet or not will depend on future discussions with my brother - I know Alarion are working on a light cruiser but reportedly that’s bloating into something larger than the Capellan’s Feng Huang.”
That got an eye-roll from Ardan Sortek. “Lyrans don’t always go for the largest and most expensive option.”
“Not always, but in this case… they might be. I’ve seen the proposed numbers for that thing,” James Sandoval admitted. “It does look good, but I can’t call it a light cruiser.”
Leah Thomas leant forwards. “The New Syrtis shipyards are already thinking about warship construction as well as being available to repair them. If we need to expand production further…”
“More construction in the Capellan March?” the elder Sandoval asked archly.
The Capellan marshal shrugged. “I don’t control where we have the infrastructure, James.”
Kate raised her hand for peace. “In the short term, that is the situation. If we do ever have the resources to build a shipyard from scratch I will be eyeing the Draconis March, but that is all I can promise.”
“It would be a very large endeavor,” the duke admitted.
Ardan Sortek cleared his throat. “Moving to the topic we are actually assembled to discuss?”
All eyes turned to where Kate’s champion sat facing her from the bottom of the table.
“After discussions with Caesar Steiner and Morgan Hasek-Davion, we have had a proposal from Jackson Davion to continue the AFFC as a third, shared, service for some regiments,” Sortek told them. “This would significantly reduce the burden of reorganizing and -” he touched his half-breastplate, “- providing fresh uniforms, stationary and the like.”
The marshal of the Crucis March snorted. “It didn’t take long for them to buy him off.”
“Shut up, Stephen,” Sortek said without changing expression at all. “A considerable number of officers and men facing the Clans want more than lip service for the idea that we will continue to support the war against the Clans. Victor’s win on Coventry has helped rebuild some of his credibility - everyone loves a winner, and he’s the sort of fighting Archon that is popular with men on the sharp end.”
“We were already looking at the Federated Commonwealth corps remaining a shared force,” pointed out James, who had raised the first RCT in that corps and then commanded the entire body of them until his father’s retirement elevated him to head of the Draconis March. “This would be an expansion of that?”
“Essentially yes,” agreed the champion. “The option would be there to scale them back down later, or if at some date in the future the armed forces are fully reunified then they would serve as a nucleus to build from. We would have options.”
“What units are we looking at?” inquired Marshal Thomas pragmatically.
“The Deneb Light Cavalry on our part, plus the Republican Guards and on the Lyran side, the Arcturan Guards.”
David straightened. “That would mean pulling forces out of my area!”
“No,” Kate corrected. “At this time those units would not be getting transferred, or if so it would only be to exchange them for other commands. We aren’t talking about the AFFC being focused on the Clans exclusively. They would remain as a supporting force for both sides of the alliance.”
James waited until his brother relaxed. “And who would be in command of this? Morgan Hasek-Davion?”
“That’s correct. He would also serve as Supreme Marshal of the Federated Commonwealth, coordinating all our military operations,” Sortek confirmed. “That is going to be necessary.”
“Isn’t this going to lead to overlapping chains of command?” asked Stephen. “That’s the entire reason the AFFC was formed in the first place.”
“One of the reasons we’re going to have to hammer out the exact boundaries for everyone’s positions,” Sortek told him. “And there were other reasons, which you are well aware of.”
The one-eyed marshal subsided again. He was intensely tiresome but his energy made him invaluable, Kate had been assured. She was beginning to think that it might be best to put all that energy to work somewhere else though. “Speaking of command roles…?”
Ardan nodded. “Yes. I have decided to retire as of the end of this year.” He paused and looked around the table. “I am not as old as Hanse was, but I don’t want to go as young as he did either. It’s time for fresh blood, since we’re making a fresh start.”
“I hope you’ll be available for consultation,” James said drily. “Whoever takes over from you will have a hell of a job, the new AFFS is barely a skeleton at the moment.”
“I’m only going as far as my family’s home, but please don’t knock the door down every day. When I say retired, I mean it.”
James’ brow furrowed at the phrasing, “Wait, are you…?”
Kate leant forwards and captured his attention. “I was hoping that you would be willing to take over the AFFS as my champion, uncle James.”
“Me?”
“No one here doubts your ability or loyalty,” she told him. “Your experience is exactly what we need in building up an AFFS that can defend our realm and support our allies.”
He reached up and ran one hand over his topknot. “But who would take care of the Draconis March?”
She pointed at his brother. “I was thinking Field Marshal Sandoval, Field Marshal Sandoval. If you think he’s up to the job.”
“He’s a bit young…” James muttered and then his brother punched his shoulder. “I suppose he’ll do.”
“Which then leaves the Sarna March vacant,” pointed out Marshal Thomas.
“No.” Kate shook her head. “It doesn’t. I’ve decided to divide the region up between the Draconis and Capellan Marchs. We don’t even control Sarna any more, and leaving those worlds with their own separate identity left it open to be defined by people whose loyalty has proven… questionable. The Epsilon Eridani region will be added to the Draconis March, leaving you responsible for our end of the Terran corridor, David. The rest of the area will form two new command areas for the Capellan March under you, Leah. I know that won’t be a quick hand-off, but I want the framework in place so that we can formally dissolve the Sarna March’s structures by the time Ardan retires…”