More murmurs of agreement. John’s newspapers had been publicizing exactly what that meant for years. Refugees from the Empire, and now from the Union, had been driving home the same message. Militia had had to be called out to put down anti-Chosen rioting when the pictures of the Bassin du Sud massacre came out.
Senator Beemody coughed discreetly. “General Farr”—the high command had confirmed his promotion as soon as he’d stepped back on Santander soil—”I gather you do not recommend an immediate declaration of war.”
“No,” Jeffrey said. McRuther blinked in surprise, his eyes narrowing warily.
“We’re not ready,” the younger Farr went on.
Beside him in his rear admiral’s uniform, his father nodded. The family resemblance was much closer now that there was gray at Jeffrey’s temples and streaking his mustache. The lines scoring down from either side of his nose added to it as well.
“We’re much stronger now than we were four or five years ago,” Jeffrey went on. “Military production of all types is up sharply, and now we’ve got field-tested models. Our latest aircraft are as good as the Land models, and we’re gradually getting production organized. The Freedom Brigades’ve given us a lot of men with combat experience, including a lot of officers; besides that, they’re thirty-five thousand veterans as formed troops, and if the Union falls they’ll retreat over the border. So will a lot of the Loyalist Army. But we’re still not mobilized, a lot of the new Regular Army formations are weak, and the Provincial militias need to be better integrated. Admiral Farr can speak to the naval situation.”
Jeffrey’s father nodded.
“We have a tonnage advantage of three to two,” he said. “More in battleships. The Land Navy has more experience, particularly in cruiser and torpedo-boat operations in the Gut, which could be crucial. Still, I’m fairly confident we could dominate the Gut. The problem is that operating further north, in the Passage, we’d be sticking our . . . ah, necks into a potential meatgrinder, with strong Land bases on either side and a long way from our own. If we lose our fleet, we’d be a long way towards losing the war itself. Furthermore, nobody knows what aircraft will mean to naval war. The Chosen have more experience, but only with dirigibles. We need time to finish the aircraft carriers and to train the fleet in their use.”
“Senators,” Beemody said, “the Republic of the Santander cannot tolerate a Union which is satellite to the Land. Are we agreed?”
One by one the men on the other side of the table lifted their hands. McRuther sighed and followed suit, last and most reluctant.
“Then that is the sense of the Foreign Affairs Committee,” Beemody said. “On the other hand, we are not yet ready for full-scale conflict. I therefore suggest that we recommend to the Premier that in the event of the fall of the Loyalist government in the Union, the Republic should declare a naval blockade of all Union ports pending the removal of foreign forces from Union soil.”
“But that means war!” McRuther burst out.
“Not necessarily. As Admiral Farr has pointed out, we do have more heavy warships than the Land. The Gut is closer to our bases than theirs; we can blockade the Union and they’d be in no position to retaliate without risking their seaborne communications across the Passage. And while losing command of the sea might be disaster for us, it would certainly be a disaster for them. They can lose a war in an afternoon, in a fleet action. With the Union blockaded, they’d be forced to pull in their horns. They can’t afford to isolate the expeditionary force they’ve committed to the Union. It’s our hostage.”
McRuther pointed to the map on the easel at the end of the table. “They can supply through the Sierra—and the Sierra is neutral.”
Senator Beemody looked to the three men sitting across the table, in naval blue, army brown, and the diplomatic service’s formal black tailcoat.
“Sirs, there’s only a single track line from north to south through the Sierra,” Jeffrey said. “Besides that, it’s narrow gage, so you’d have to break bulk at both ends, the old Imperial net and the Union’s.”