Ring of Fire II(48)
He wonder how much ransom the USE would ask for him if he surrendered.
He was pretty sure that Duke Maximilian would not be in a mood to pay it.
Matt wasn't sure just how much he was in a position to promise, but de Melon was in a mood to dicker.
"Let me draw up a proposal. Everything we've talked about. I think that this is even way beyond Steve Salatto's pay grade, though."
They paused for an explanation of pay grades.
"Vince can radio it to him. He can radio it to the prime minister and emperor."
De Melon nodded agreement.
* * *
Matt spent the whole evening writing. He figured that he had an ace up his sleeve. Now he needed to finish up what he'd leave for Bachhausen at the drop-off point tomorrow morning—well, later this morning, given the time—in a thoroughly sealed envelope.
"So de Melon is worried about Duke Maximilian and pretty sure the Bavarians won't ransom him if he surrenders the city. We can open the gates. The plague has tapered off and the doctors from Padua did pretty good. They're congratulating themselves pretty hard that only a fifth of the people died instead of two thirds."
Which really was something for them to be proud of, all things considered. But anyway . . .
"Now what we know, and what de Melon doesn't, is this stuff about Don Fernando and what de Melon did later in the Netherlands."
He started a new page. "So I was sort of thinking, and I know it's no business of mine to be suggesting foreign policy, but still, I've been stuck here at Kronach a long time and I'd really like to see the end of the siege."
He crossed that out. Nobody up at the level of Stearns was going to care that one up-time lieutenant was to the point that he'd be happy to cast himself down on a sword if that would just finish up the siege of Kronach.
"My recommendation, based on the current local situation, is that the State Department ought to make a copy of what the Research Center found out about de Melon and send it to Don Fernando. It makes de Melon look like a good enough catch that maybe he'll reimburse him for his expenses here. I don't know whether the USE is doing ransoms or not. If it is, Don Fernando might even ransom him and ask to have him come to Belgium."
Matt crossed that out. Damn. I know it isn't Belgium down-time. I'm up way too late.
". . . to the Spanish Netherlands, which would get him out of Franconia."
Matt crossed that out, too.
". . . which would . . ." Well, what would it?
". . . to the Spanish Netherlands, where he might find a useful and constructive outlet for his undeniable talents."
Bingo! Mr. Piazza and Ms. Mailey would be proud of him. Mr. Piazza and Ms. Mailey had spent a lot of time talking to him about useful and constructive outlets back in his high school days.
He pulled out another sheet of paper and started on the clean copy.
Kronach, Franconia
September 1634
"There's not going to be any real fall-out from the Ram Rebellion for Kronach, one way or the other, directly," Matt pointed out to Cliff Priest. "Since the whole city was closed up by the quarantine for the crucial months, they weren't really involved on either side. Except . . .".
"Except?" Scott Blackwell raised his eyebrows. His expression said that the worst was yet to come. Just because it always was.
"They've come out to find out that their peasant 'subjects' in the hinterland have taken severe exception to being 'subjects' and have acted upon their convictions. Never mind. They'll just have to learn to live with it. I've told Bachhausen that if they try to use their militia to restore the old order, it's his job to stand up for the citizens of the State of Thuringia-Franconia."
"One could say that the Kronacher are SoTF citizens, too."
Matt grinned. "Not till they take the oath of allegiance, they aren't. Which they missed last winter because of the siege and this summer because of the quarantine. Which I somehow just haven't gotten around to administering yet. The farmers, on the other hand . . ."
"You didn't used to be like this," Stew Hawker said.
The grin turned a little bleak. "Let's just say that Kronach's been an educational experience and leave it at that. Okay?"
Cliff looked at his former high school student and said, "Okay."
Bamberg, Franconia
September 1634
Matt was sitting on the floor of the Real Estate Titles office. "So that's the plan. I'm going to Padua as soon as I finish up here in Franconia. Marcie and me . . ."
Janie winced.
"—okay, Marcie and I—are getting married in December. She's coming down to Würzburg and we'll leave from there."