2

"We have a problem." Colin told his father. "It looks like a new player has joined the game."

"How is that?" Albrecht said.

"We always counted on the defeat of the SLN and some events we are … encouraging … to break up the league and drive key systems into our waiting arms. But we always expected the vast majority of the current members of League to remain neutral until the Factor was established as the de facto successor to the League. Some were certain to oppose us, of course, but if more than a handful aligned themselves with Manticore, things could get very messy."

"And you think someone significant is preparing to do that?"

"A wormhole bridge was just discovered that effectively connects the Rivendell Republic with Manticore's sector capital in Talbott, which is what brought them to my attention. But once my people started digging, it's become clear that the elves are somewhat concerned about the future of the League."

"Go on."

"Point to the first – nearly 90% of the Frontier Fleet personnel in the Rivendell Sector are citizens of Rivendell itself or the other worlds that were members of the old Rivendell Republic. It's not unusual for a sector fleet to be mostly locals, but it is unusual for the percentage to be that high. And the sector's commanding Admiral is Rivendellian as well, like her father and grandmother before her. Which is to say that if there is no more Solarian League, that fleet is effectively Rivendell's. Not the best ships, but few have better, and for all its… difficulties… the SLN, especially Frontier Fleet, is a quite professional force.

"Point to the second – the Rivendell Navy has always been relatively large and modern, even after nominally being demoted to a self-defense force when the Republic joined the League. And they have recently taken delivery of the first units of their new Aes Sedai class dreadnaughts. None of our people have managed a good look at them, but they're clearly a pod design. The companion Warder class battle cruisers are not, but at the very least they're on the large side for battle cruisers from anyone but Manticore.

"And point to the third – after discovering this wormhole bridge, they decided to send a military and diplomatic mission through it. Which strongly suggests that they plan to ally themselves with Manticore."

"You're right, son. That very much suggests the elves are going to be a problem. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with it?"

"Maybe. Complicated operations that brush up against Manticore haven't turned out well for us, Oyster Bay excepted."

"But you're proposing one anyway."

"We don't have enough local forces to deal with them on our own or through the Alignment. The League has never liked self-defense forces that insist on calling themselves a navy, especially when they keep more than one or two squadrons of the wall around. It also occurred to me that our troublesome princess wasn't too far from Rivendell."

The Princedom of Sanderson was something of a sore point for the Alignment. The ruling dynasty had been targeted a few centuries ago as occupying a strategic position just outside the League and having enough strength to avoid becoming a Frontier Security protectorate. And indeed Prince Martin III and Princess Janet IV had been quite amicable to the Alignment's offer. But it had been clear enough that Jason II, star line genetics or no, could not be brought anywhere near as deep inside the onion as his mother had been. And Jason III would have approved of even less of the Alignment than his father would have (had he known it existed). Which meant that any pretenses of having any control over the Princedom had long been eliminated from Albrecht's plans, but it didn't mean they had been forgotten. With the very ambitious Princess Harriett II on the throne and doing her best to acquire the military advances coming out of the Haven Sector for her own empire-building, there might well be something they could do.