Ravens of Eternity

312 The Council of Sovereigns, Pt The councilors erupted in a great amount of discussion once Mathilde had finished her arguments. Many agreed with her, of course. But some still had too many misgivings. Risking a sponsorship for a nation of a hundred thousand people was easier to make, simply because of their numbers.

“As you noted,” said one of the dukes, “the House would incur significant costs while the nation-state enters a period of growth. But why should we choose to sponsor them over, say, a second merchant fleet?

“Sponsoring two merchant fleets would ensure a greater return on our ledger far faster than anyone else. And they would help ensure the ducat’s galactic domination. Certainly that’s far more important than anything else.”

“The strength of the ducat is certainly critical,” Mathilde answered. “However, consider the strength of our influence over the other houses as well. There’s no single value that could possibly encompass that, but I’m certain that we all agree on its importance.

“In my opinion, buying a house’s loyalty is nowhere near as effective as having them owe their loyalty. And the Ravens have more than proven their ability to further indebtedness towards the de Jardins.

“And to help allay any fears, keep in mind that nothing stops them from adding mercantile ships to their fleet. Or any other kind of commercial endeavor. We would personally benefit from another trading partner who is also a discreet operator.”

After hearing Mathilde’s arguments, it suddenly became clear to Eva the real reason why Eris insisted on their nation-statehood. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the cleverness of it, and wondered if the pirate queen had double UR traits.

The Ravens would definitely grow exponentially. And because some of them were immortal, they could literally grow as large as they wanted. They could be around long enough to become a Great House themselves.

And with both of their fleets allied right from the beginning, it meant an eventual consolidation of power within the Hegemony itself.

.....

Eva now understood the true value of the Ravens, just as Eris saw it. It was the potential for growth stretched across eternity, the slow takeover of power decade after decade.

“That would still take an inordinate amount of time,” the duke rebutted. “Let’s imagine it would take them a decade to reach the point of significant profitability. What would that mean? A billion ducats in investments over that time?”

“All investments take time,” Mathilde replied. “And ‘inordinate’ is the wrong word to use here. They began with seven and grew to over a hundred in two months. What will they be in another two months? Two hundred? A thousand?

“Their potential is massive, and that’s something we can’t ignore. Especially if their end product is galactic influence.”

The dissenting duke sighed with slight exasperation.

“You posit potential as a good thing, but all I see is uncertainty,” he said.

“All due respect,” Mathilde replied. “I’m Duchess of the Intelligence Branch, and Minister of Clandestine Operations. I operate on mass amounts of data and the analysis of it all. Uncertainty has little place in my life.”

“Duchess, if I may,” said another duke. “I have concerns regarding this Omnicast of theirs. Particularly that it’s available in Imperial space. You tout that as a positive, but how do we know that these women aren’t beholden to some Drogar technocrat?

“I understand that your team has vetted their activities in the Federation, but I highly doubt that you’ve done the same with the Empire.”

“I can’t deny that,” Mathilde replied. “Information gathering inside of Drogar space is close to impossible. We simply can’t slip spies into their ranks as physiology prevents that. Their technology is also a half step better than ours, which prevents digital espionage.

“However, I beg you to look at it another way. The viewership analytics that the Ravens receive is a datapoint we simply do not have otherwise. The data itself might not seem important – who watches it, and when, or where, or why.

“But when combined with our other datapoints, helps paint a far greater, and more nuanced picture.

“We were able to determine, for example, that their primary viewership also greatly prefers the current ruling party in the Empire. Understanding their motives and desires will go a long way in our own intelligence efforts.”

“I also have reservations about this Omnicast,” said a duchess on the other side of the chamber. “How can a clandestine group also operate publicly? Wouldn’t having an omnicast completely defeat the purpose? And the same goes if they also start trading – why would anyone deal with them, knowing that they’re a Hegemony Omega-Tau?”

“Your reservation and apprehension is certainly valid,” Mathilde replied. “But they won’t be announcing themselves as an Omega-Tau nation-state. They’ll be seen as an entertainment state, or a trade state.

“In fact, many spies and operatives all throughout humanity’s history have been entertainers and merchants. Playwrights and performers and singers and dancers. Tradesmen and brokers and shippers and exporters.

“Who else would have such access to different routes? To different nations? Because they are who they are, they have access to travel to many places most others simply can’t.”

“If these Ravens are so skilled,” countered the duchess, “why not simply absorb them into the de Jardins? Offer them an official bloodline and have them improve our House ledger directly. There’s no need to invest in their independence as a nation-state if their status as operatives is going to be hidden anyway.”

Minister Mathilde sighed deeply. The rest of the council was still far too focused on the ducat, as though spending it somehow needed absolute scrutiny.

“Most of you trade with currency,” she said. “Ducat or krohn or credit. I understand your apprehension to spend it. As I’d mentioned previously, I deal with something far more intangible, and equally as important. Influence.

“The influence between houses, and the influence between galactic nations. Having the Ravens act as an independent nation who supports multiple Houses within the Hegemony can only help further our cause as a whole.

“If they went to any House with our flag attached, they’d automatically be on the defensive. They’d automatically think we’d be profiting more from their trade. It wouldn’t erode our alliances, but it would reduce our effectiveness.”

“You can’t guarantee they won’t see it like that regardless,” said the duchess. “After all, we’re the ones who would be sponsoring them into the Hegemony. They’d immediately see the returns benefit us most.”

“True,” replied Mathilde. “But that’s only a temporary suspicion. Once they receive assistance from the Ravens directly, they’ll come to realize their value and their independence.”

There was another moment of hushed debate and conversation among the council. Many among them discussed the importance of the Ravens’ independence after that round of rebuttal.

A handful switched sides from opposing to agreeing, and vice versa.

“I have a security concern,” said a powerful male voice.

When Eva turned to look, she noticed Max’s features on the man’s face. It dawned on her that it was likely Max’s father. His military uniform all but confirmed it. It was cleanly pressed, and had numerous decorations pinned to his breast.

Beyond that, he looked strong and proud, and very comfortable with wielding power.

What did they call him again? Eva thought to herself. Star Dragon, right?

“You mentioned that these people, who are professional operators,” the Star Dragon continued, “also escaped and defected from the Sol Federation, yes? And now they’ve come to the Hegemony, to the de Jardins seeking nation-statehood. Don’t you find that a touch convenient?

“How could these Ravens possibly be trustworthy in any sense of the word? How do we know that they aren’t members of the Helios Intelligence Bureau, or the Federation Security Division?

“Nothing stops them from being double agents designed to wreak havoc inside of the Hegemony. Or more simply, our House. Perhaps they have been sent by the Federation’s Chief Minister to unbalance our seat of power.”

Mathilde pursed her lips in annoyance. She knew that the Admiral was going to confront her sooner or later. But she wasn’t exactly unprepared.

“Are you perhaps implying that the MCO isn’t doing it’s job properly?” she shot back. “That our intelligence gathering is so weak as to not be able to uncover double agents? I’ll have to remind you that we’ve caught well over a hundred such agents in just the past year. We’re excellent rat-catchers, Admiral, and I urge you to remember that.

“In addition, the MCO has triple-vetted the Ravens. If there was even a slight possibility that they’re agents of the Federation, they wouldn’t be in this chamber. They’d be in an interrogation cell somewhere, and never be seen in the galaxy again.

“And besides, they didn’t come to the de Jardins asking for asylum – it was your son who brought them here. It was he who opened up the possibility of their nation-statehood in the first place. Are you saying I should’ve ignored the son of the Dregha Skeszha?”

The Star Dragon huffed slightly.

“While I appreciate my son’s enthusiasm,” he replied. “He’s too inexperienced in matters of state, and should not be taken seriously. I find the fact that you listened to him at all absolutely preposterous.”

“I don’t doubt his inexperience,” Mathilde sighed. “And he is certainly too exuberant when it comes to his leanings. But he has instincts from both of his parents. You of all people should know that we all revere the opinions of the Dragons, reduced as they are.

“And it’s that instinct that led me to listen.”

The Star Dragon grimaced then stood down, defeated by his own authority and the authority of Max’s deceased mother.

Seeing that, Mathilde pressed her advantage and finished him off.

“Besides,” she continued, “you of all people should know that these are the same Ravens who helped your son escape the Federation. If they were operatives, they would have known who he was, and captured him instead.

“That should be proof enough that they are the opposite of your suspicions.”

The Star Dragon looked to the side, and conceded to her argument.

“Then my concerns are relieved,” he replied. “Though I hold that my son is still too inexperienced, and that you shouldn’t leap to listen to his... proclivities.”

Lucifer looked at the Minister with awe, and was incredibly impressed with how easily she took care of the rebuttals.

It would have been easy for her to reveal the Ravens’ connection to Maximilian de Jardin early on, but held it back simply to rebut his father. Her counter argument literally trapped him inside his own sentiment for his family.

Her ability to deftly manipulate the flow of information was impressive.

Not that ze was too surprised. People who operated in intelligence communities had to be sharper than everyone else. Failure in that regard only meant ruin for those they served.

So, ze paid closer attention to Mathilde, who ze determined was the second or third most powerful person in the chamber.