Crisis (episode II: conference)
a continuation of this which dropped off on a cliffhanger when I was called away by real life.[CSFSTRAT Briefing re: issue #24, May 11th, 2150, 08:00 hours]
{Pertinent Participants: Concordant Taylor Storey; Duke William Freeman, Colonial Guard; Major Reynoldo Prescott, allied spaceforces; CENSORED}Freeman: Briefing is called to order. Major Prescott, you've been called to deliver a report on Maidensong, and respond to several strategic scenarios offered by the Concordant and his intelligence advisors.
I realize the timeframe we've given you to prepare was a little...unrealistic, but regrettably there is a crisis of immense consequence surrounding that system. the particulars are currently classified but may be made known to you at the concordant's discretion
Prescott: Concordant, sir, at your request I am providing information regarding the Maidensong, an independent, sparsely populated planet in the Kapteyn's Star system.
Maidensong is a small, relatively hot planet with a thin oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere just barely capable of supporting human life. Water remains liquid year round throughout the planet's surface, with temperatures as high as 36 degrees at the equator,
nevertheless the planet is home to approximately 16 million inhabitants that left terran space following the signing of the third articles of concordance in 2033. Like the inhabitants of the slightly
larger colony on freeside, they have no national or colonial affiliation. They are also predominantly devout roman catholics.
Freeman: yes, that issue caused...well, significant confusion. The concordants opinion was that this...well...flavored the crisis considerably.
Prescott: I'm afraid I don't understand
Freeman: It's the conclusion of the Concordant's intelligence officer that...
Storey: Thank you duke, I am of course, here, as you can see. I can speak for myself.
[10 seconds of silence]
Storey: perhaps Major, you can tell me what you know of this 'catholicism', and my Intelligence officer can explain the particulars of why I'm supposed to be concerned about it. Frankly, i'm encountering far too many people today who seem to know what I think, already. This is greatly distressing because...well....major, please tell me what you know.
Prescott: ...well, sir, Catholicism is a relatively obscure sect of mainline christianity that predates the protestant revolution, your researchers have no doubt dug this up already. The sect and its assocated churches and rites were largely exterminated in the European wars of the 2050s, it's influential enough in the history of earth that noncolonials still learn about it in school, but outside of some enclaves on tiamat and mars, they have virtually no presence in space
Maidensong's population largely comes from emigrants from Earth's Southern American continent, who left terran space three decades ago during the elections of 2018 and 2022 when it looked like there would be a military backlash against brazilian adventurism in deep space.
Storey: A situation that was resolved by my predessessor to nearly everyone's satisfaction.
Prescott: Ah...um...yes...well, nearly is the critical word there, I'm
Storey: I'm aware...
[5 seconds of silence]
Prescott: ...the concordance that you now control was largely built on the back of the Brazilian and NATO-RUSSO combined spacefleets, constructed at brazailian shipyards, Franca himself was a brazilian admiral. This pleased certain parties but annoyed others
who feared brazilian supremacy was being appropraited by the now-defunct united nations. As such, the concordance of worlds is not particularly popular on maidensong.
_____: if I may speak up...
Storey: you may
_____: this is precisely our concern. Concordance spaceforces are currently prohibited from operating in anything but a scientific capacity inside the Kapteyn's Star system. If anything, the Concordance is less popular there than on Freeside.
Prescott: indeed. However, Maidensong has virtually no strategic or commercial value, I believe that's why it was selected as a refuge in the first place. The ruling class on Maidensong are largely Benedictine catholics who...well...value privacy.
Storey: Kapteyn's strategic value changed, rather quietly, last year, following several routine systemwide surveys conducted at the request of the Three Synods last april.
_____: Sir, if I may, I'm not entirely sure it's prudent to...
Storey: The major has come all this way and I can see he's confused. I'd like to help the man out a bit _______. Please do keep in mind that you're here in an advisory capacity...and that this information is going to leak in 16 hours anyway. That's why we've called you in.
Storey: These are the results of a minerological survey of the system done last year, employing 3 concordance starships. The results were disclosed to several colonial scientific societies and political committes on Monticello and Mediterrania, but as far as we know, no politicians from Earth proper have seen it...yet.
Prescott: I'm not really qualified to interpret...
_____: The Jerimiaha Dixon discovered, late last year, that Maidensong and several neighboring planets contain deposits of Duranium, Gallicite, and geotectate Sorium in excess of all other bodies in known space...combined. The mineral wealth of this system could determine the balance of power in terran space...if not this section of the galaxy, for centuries.
Prescott: well...at least according to Concordance law, those minerals are flatly unaccessable. They reside outside terran space, no nation or corporation could...
_____: attempts were made to bury the findings but they were leaked to several corporate heads, including pretty much the entire executive council of the Patel corporation. They've known for at least a year. Certain key members of patel, myself included, plan to leak the discovering sometime in the next day or so.
Prescott: patel means to construct illegal mining colonies?
_____: not exactly. Patel's affiliation with the old NATO-RUSSO nations makes them even less popular than us, among the Maidensongi. The concern is rather more complex. Maidensongi geologists have, under local laws, optioned off most of the prime mining sites to small corporations for decades. these corporations still own the options, they simply haven't exploited them due to the
open legal question of whether corporations can operate spacecraft outside Terran space.
[optioned mining sites in red. Synod-designated habitation areas in green]Freeman: you may be surprised to know that we have legal briefings on this earlier today. Such is the age we live in. It's our estimation that Patel cannot possibly place infrastructure on the planet directly under interstellar law....though they will suffer immensely if their far smaller competitors are allowed to mine Maidensong's crust. We can't possibly know what the Maidensong will do once this leaks.
Prescott: You haven't told them?
Storey: I'll take responsibility for that one. Delaying tactics. Prior to running this outfit I was one hell of a surveyor. I know how to tie up grant disclosure agreements.
Prescott: well sir, from what little I know, the actual synods themselves would be unlikely to allow construction on any significant scale. They may renege on their contracts entirely. What I can tell you is that colonial law going back more than a century will shield Maidensong from Patel, and that...
Storey: As you've said, the primary underpinnings of colonial law were written more than a century ago. They were made for a different age...and age when corporations like Patel did not financially dominate China, India, and half the Monticellan surface. Major Prescott, I've been in briefings all morning, and we have collected evidence to suggest that Chinese space elevators are moving troops and supplies to orbital docks, ultimately, I'm certain, into the holds of patel cargo ships.
Prescott: Sir, you're talking about a planetary INVASION
Storey: That's about the size of it, yes. legally Kapteyn's star is unclaimed terratory. Once this leaks you're going to see motions to expand terran space. Patel has enough politicians to push it through...and legally, I can't move to shoot down a patel commerical ship...especially if the three synods won't actually let me field ships in their system.
Prescott: mother of god
Storey: I have no idea what that means, however, you do, which is of course why I called for you in the first place. Major, I want an assessment on a classified strategic option _____ has creatively named "issue #24". I want to know what happens if I act ILLEGALLY. Freeman and the officers of the 4th fleet estimate I could move a light carrier, and several light cruisers, into the system without causing much fuss, they could likely orbit the star itself somewhere out of range of the Synod's deep space tracking systems.
What we do after that is of course an open question. I can't blockade a planet with that kind of spaceforce...but I can combat drop several marine companies to reinforce Maidensong's garrison. What I need from you is an assessment of whether that will have any impact at all...and if we'll be as unwelcome as the chinese.
Prescott: I may need more time...
Storey: you have 2 hours.
