Northern California Views

The Spiders 'study' was much like him. It was tidy and cool.
The chairs around the big round table were made of hardwood and had no cushions. They were a dark red color.
The wood on the shelves was also of the same wood.
The desk was unadorned as well. The only note of personality was a picture of the Spiders wife.
Bruce rather liked it. He was a tidy man and the color scheme had a certain elegance to it.
Robert the Brute on the other hand found it uncomfortable. He was not a tidy man and used his study for reading more then business. It was filled with comfortable chairs and footstools.
The Dragon didn't care one way or another and wished they could get to business.
"The Greyeye has asked all of here to confer on matters he describes as 'critical' to the security of the Black Forest." Said the Spider.
This must be reflected Bruce the first time that a Brute and Spider had been meeting outside of a government forum.
"Lets start with one Word: Republic!"
"The situation there looks ominous. The ruling Great Deal Party that made peace with us 10 years ago looks set to lose. I had hoped that RKO Smith-my old enemy- would win another term as secretary of war but the returns indicate he won't. His opponent along with all the executive offices will be filled with members of the Sacred Banner Party."
"But does this mean war?" asked the Spider.
"Not necessarily," said the Greyeye. "But it makes it far more likely. FAR more likely."

+++
Metropolis, Vega 5, The Republic
The results were in and they were bad.
RKO had lost. Not by much but still he had lost. Other candidates of the Great Deal party had done worse and the number of congressional seats had gone to the bare minimum of safe seats.
There were still returns to come in and in theory they could change the result but RKO knew that was unlikely. He was beaten and his supporters and the press were waiting.
He sat up in bed and looked down at the woman in bed with him. A groupie. He didn't even remember her name. He'd have to correct that.
She was Arcturian. Arcturians had minimal hair so she was quite bald. Other wise she was quite human and buxom.
Nice ass as well he thought.
He had a huge following among the Arturians based on his promotion of them when head of the Navy and later when he head of the War Department.
He remembered her name.
He stroked her head and leaned down and kissed her eyelids then letting his lip sink down to her lips.
She accepted the kiss and ran her hands across his shoulders and into his hair.
Her broke the kiss. Her eyes had a amber color
" Maria, We have to do business. The results are in and I have lost. I must now acknowledge that and bow out."
The girls eyes went wide and she looked at the Holocast. The she began to cry.
"We have lost. This mean war, poverty and discrimination for the nation." She said between sobs.
"Yes, exactly. It my duty to issue one last warning before I leave the stage." He said. "So let get dressed and do our duty."
He hugged her and then got himself up from the bed. He began dressing.
Maria did the same.
He was dressed as a 'professional' in a tuxedo. The pants and coat were a dark blue while the shirt was a brilliant white offset by the "party colors' of a red bow tie.
"Do you want me to leave first for discretion?" she asked.
Most of the time he had to explain why it was necessary to the groupies.
He smiled as he looked at her. She was dressed as a pleb in a part of work pants and pullover shirt. The parts were orange and the shirt a bright yellow. She had placed a visored cap on her head. It had the party symbol and picture of him on it.
He was about to say yes please leave first when a sudden impulse came over him.
"No lets leave together. May I ask a favor of you?"
She nodded.
"Could you stand on the stage with me?" He asked her.
Her face lit up and she embraced him.
'Are you sure? Wouldn't hurt our cause?" she asked.
"It  might but my divorce is final and everyone knows I am not a monk. Without offense Maria mounting the stage with an Arturian pleb might send out my message that racial and class discrimination should not be tolerated and must be fought."
Her smile was radiant. She may have been a pleb and a groupie but like most people in the Republic she understood politics.
'Of course I will!" she told him.
They left the room and took a elevator down to the ballroom.
Her presence may a little stir buty when he took her hand and led onto the stage he could hear excited murmurs from the crowd. The press looked like they were on drugs they were so excited.
He  led her over to the position next to the speaker and went back to greet the local congressman and the mayor of the borough. He shook their hands warmly and then moved to his own staff on stage.
He moved back to the mike and put his arm around her shoulders as the crowd chanted party slogans.
"What is your last name?" he asked her.
"Renault." She answered.
"My faithful supporters."  He began and had to repeat it several times before the quieted down.
"You can read the results as well as I can. We have lost."
"The other party is now in control of congress and all the executive positions. It's control is unchecked.
We have lost.
A dark cloud hangs over our beloved nation.
In national security they refuse to believe the balance of power is against them. While we have armed so have the K'kof and the Black forest. Even before fully mobilized they have parity with us and our lunar allies.
Fully mobilized they will crush us.
Then there are the Trilar. They hate our ally Id. They have improved their technology and have a growing fleet of 14 points. Moreover they are vastly bigger then we are. Imagine them with Lunar technology!
So we have lost.
The opposing party wants to tax the pleb by a new retail tax while lowering the taxes on the rich. They want to stop the public works programs we started to built and rebuild vital parts of our economy. Roads, bridges and power plants will have maintaince slowed down and new acquisitions.
This in turn will lay off citizens who will go on the dole and have greatly decreased incomes and that will reduce demand in the economy.
So we have lost.
"There is a long queue of nobs and snobs ready to take over positions in the government. Out with racial minoritys!  Out to those were not born with a silver spoon. Out with uppity greenhorns.
The new President, Mr Hana, has promised his followers to eliminate the civil rights act that prevents job discrimination.
So we have lost.
So I have lost it for you. I take responsibility for my defeat. No one else is responsible. Certainly not any of you! You have fought this campaign with vigor. You have fought against a tough and ruthless enemy. You have fought against fools have been seduced by a seductive Jingoism that the other calls patriotism.
The crowd of campaign workers cheered this but voices came from the crowd.
"RKO is not to blame."
Stay with us RKO!"
He smiled at them and raised his hand asking for silence.
"And I will stay with and fight. We must be sad we have lost but must now fight for the future.
We must fight for boroughs, we must fight for the States, we must fight for the congressional elections in two years time.
We must never give up! We must continue to fight for the Republic! We must continue to fight for the people! We must never quit the fight!
The cheers rose up and a chant began.
Never-give-up! Never-give-up! Never-give-up!

He acknowledged the cheers and then began following the crowd in the chant.
Then he stepped back and taking Maria's hand he walked off the stage.
He was mobbed by the press and supporters.
"Who is she! Is she your girl friend? What's her name."
Other reporters crowded around Maria asking the same questions.
RKO slipped a hand around her waist and whispered to her. "Well are you?"
"YES!" she shouted.
"Her name is Maria Renault and yes she is my girlfriend." He told them.
This is silly he thought. I have talked with the woman for maybe thirty minutes and had a roll in the hay.
Still he was going to do it.
+++
Jenny was escorted into a sitting room by an aide and offered a seat. She figured she was about to be fired though it was nice they decided to do it face to face instead of an impersonal eviction notice.
Seated in the other chairs were the members of the cabinet and the President.
President Hanna had hired her back when she had been laid off in Legena. She had not talked to him at all now for eight years.
He was big florid man with a balding head. Rolls of fat could be seen around his midsection.
Next to him sat her new (at least for the moment) boss the War Secretary.
Theodore Rose  was a man of medium height but with a stocky build. He had powerful looking shoulders and arms. His hand were large and in public were always moving as he spoke.
"Admiral Jones." Began Rose in a high reedy voice after she had been seated. "We are considering keeping you on as Commander in chief of the Fleet."
Jenny cocked her head looking rather surprised.
"Why?" she asked.
"You have a reputation for competence and obedience." Said Hanna.
Rose gave him a reproaching look for the interruption.
"Your training regimes and promotions have greatly improved the fleet. The soldiers are said to be greatly attached to you. Removing you would mean the fleet would have to brought to be accustomed to a new commander and likely be retrained to his specifications."
"You are non-partisan and a professional." He finished.
"What about Promotions and for that matter demotions. Don't you have people you need to place." She asked.
Rose and Hanna exchanged a look. Hanna's seemed to say 'I told you so'. Rose' s looked of amusement.
"Yes we do but the Republic will be expanding it's fleet. As we do you will given a list of officers and allowed to choose. In the meantime a number of them will attached to your staff for training and so you can observe them." Said Rose.
"May I ask how you plan to increase the fleet. Our shipyards are a maximum capacity." She said.
"Our twenty point shipyards are being used for tenders and troops ships. We plan on using future production to making Battleships. More immediately Luna has arranged a contract with the EIC for use to buy stockpiled equipment. We should be able thus to add a new wing within a year and a second one next year."
"May I speak freely?" she asked.
Rose nodded. She had noted his motions were all jerky. He was like a terrier eager for the hunt.
"It may be difficult to enlist enough soldiers to fit two new wings. The pay of the fleet can't compete with private enterprises."
"Wel'll get them for you Admirel. All you have to do is train them" said Rose.
"A conscription bill will be Issued right after I take the oath of office. We have a majority in Congress so it face a Veto from them. Ninty days and you'll have your pick of soldiers and officers." Said Hanna.
She nodded. "I would estate gentleman I can effectively train a wing to combat status in 180 days. They won't be as good as the present fleet but they will be ready to fight. Is that acceptable?"
'More then acceptable!" said Rose practically hopping about his chair in excitement.
"Do we have a war plan to invade Haven?" he asked.
" Of course we do." She answered.
"What is your opinion of it?" asked Hanna.
She looked at Rose. "May I speak freely, Sir."
He blinked in surprise and then beamed at her.
"Yes you may."
'There are a couple of problems with it and while we have tried to compensate for them I am still wary of the Plan."
"What are the problems." Asked Rose.
"Supply lines are long and easily open to Huns raiders. The relative proximity of the Trilar would make an intervention by them a distinct possibility. Their military is known to be quite taken with Greyeye," she said.
"So you won't do it?" asked Rose looking like he was about to get angry.
"Of course I'll do it!" she snapped back. "I just think the problems with the plan could result in a defeat."
'There it is Teddy." Said Hanna. "As I told you. The Lunar Military aide and several of our own people told us the same thing."
Rose was silent as he seemed to struggle to control his emotions. Was it anger? Or severe disappoint ment?
The flickers across his face moved to fast for her to tell.
'What do you advise then."
"We call it plan red." She said. "I didn't bring a chip as I didn't expect to need such files but it operates on the principle of direct attack."
+++
BlackCastle, Black Forest
The Spiders study
"There is something else." Said the Dragon. "Francine Grady the Mongoose has informed that her spies have confirmed that the new President will issue both a conscription act and a big bond issue. Further she tells me that she believes they are planning Contracts in the EIC."
Greyeye nodded. "My intelligence is the same. We gain some time because they'll fire a bunch of the officers to put party hacks in but I think we can expect a considerable increase in their capacities within a year."
'Francine tells me they are going to buy off the shelve equipment from the EIC stockpile."
"That's what I gathered as well." Said Greyeye.
There was silence for a moment.
"So war within a year." Stated the Brute
"So Warmaster," said the Spider. "I assume you have a recommendation."
"We must begin mobilization immediately." Said the Dragon
"Hmmmmm..." said the Spider. "That's going to be controversial. Many of the new settlements in the other systems are not going to like it much. They are afraid of Luna. Moreover the Queen may be difficult to persuade as well."
"She has the same information I do." Said the Dragon. "I suspect she will reach the same conclusion if she knows the four of us are for it."
"Are we all in favor of it?" asked Greyeye glancing at the The Brute and the Spider.
The Spider remained silent.
"Couldn't a mobilization just provoke war sooner?" asked the Brute.
"It could." Said the Dragon. "But mobilization takes a while to get rolling and we need to do it sooner rather then later."
The Brute and the Spider exchanged a glance. It was a 'friendly' one.
Six hours ago such an exchange would have shocked every one. The two men had grown up as enemies but now they were linked by marriage.
"You go first." Said the Brute with a smile.
The Spider nodded. There was no smile but the look on his face was pleasant.
"Very well Robert."
Greyeye and the Dragon were both surprised. They were using each others first names!
"I agree with you Warmaster. I will talk to the Queen and my vassals."
"I agree as well." Said the Brute.
"Now" said the Dragon. "I have another proposal. I want tobegin to move existing units to near the border and within clear striking range of the fleet. I have prepared some secret bases to move these units to. When they are assembled I will propose a preemptive attack to the Queen."
There was silence in the room as this was absorbed.
+++
"We would just be provoking them." Stated The Arrow.
"I agree. What do you think of a Lunar voice restraining the Repubic?" asked The Arrow.
The two men sat together in a crowded cocktail lounge.
It had just been announced that The Queen was proposing to start mobilization pending advise from the (noble) conference.
"Very little I suspect. The Republic makes up over 40% of Luna's trade. That gives them an enormous amount of influence. Most of their Lords will regard it as fighting to support an ally like they have in past." Said Arrow.
He was a young man with the blond hair of a Banter but dark black eyes inherited from his father of the Rayban family.
"They are badly outnumbered even with Luna so I see a build up over the next four years. It wouod be easier to simply for us during that time to add new units as we build rather then replace older ones as we have been doing. Mobilization is simply provocative." Declared the Bear.
He was a big man with a square stolid face with blue eyes, a ski slope nose  and blond hair.
'It will provoke mobilization on their part but also from Luna and perhaps even the EIC. These fools forget that we are in two other clusters!" said the Arrow in a bitter voice.
He was from the Expanse (sometimes called the Center) and fought mostly in vain for more money to go to his region.
"Three actually with the new settlements in yukon bit Understand what you saying." Said the Bear.
"So we are opposed? I think I can pull Rayban and perhaps even Visorbroke along with me." Said the Arrow.
"I can pull my own Vassals and try to persuade those in the East cluster who have contracts with my shipyards. In a mobilization those hulls would be taken by the navy." Said the Bear.
"If could get the lords of all the new regions to advise against it perhaps the Queen would change her mind."