“OK, Sean,” I say, “our resupply operation is both a relief and a plan setter. Our Field Center will be ready to land in 24 to 48 hours. We need to retrieve it and make sure it doesn’t get blown out of the sky. That is a priority part of our joint plans.
“The second part is if possible to prevent this contest from becoming a coalition war, with a shitload of allies on both sides, that turns into a long, drawn-out affair. Failing that, we must get one more important player on our side before the sides coalesce and freeze. There’s time at the beginning of a war for leaders to make choices. But once made, those choices will become harder and harder to reverse.
“You probably know enough to make some strategic choices. So get a piece of paper and let’s outline who’s on what side.”
Sean makes a list of the major players in three columns: Us, Them, and Fence-Sitters.
I start with the top of the Them list. “Tell me about the government of Concordia.”
“What do you want to know about it? It’s a constitutional monarchy and the Concordians have been the world’s leading country for the last fifty years.”
“The government is stable?” I ask.
“Yes.” He answers without hesitation.
“OK …” I cross out Concordia. “Danago.”
“That’s a religion, the heart of the xenophobic movement.”
“A new religion or an old one?”
Sean thinks for a moment. “It’s ten years old. It’s a splinter group inside Gontal.”
“Why isn’t Gontal on this list?”
“Gontal supports plural views. The leadership rarely casts out sects. The religion has made no decision on the implications of the Interstellar Age and is unlikely to do so before this crisis is resolved. So not a player.”
“Tell me about the leadership of Danago.” A target is rising before me…
“The leader is Jackov Martin. He’s a forty-year-old priest of Gontal … totally devoted to the religion…”
“Charismatic?”
“Very!”
“OK … now the hard question: Who is his financier?”
Sean looks at me blankly.
“This type of leader is common on other worlds, Sean. Xenophobia is a standard reaction of planetary inhabitants to discovering they’re not alone in this galaxy. Some aspiring leaders will harvest that xenophobia and often one or two will become world leaders and symbols of it.
“But they’ve all been shouting in the wilderness for years before, and usually their rise finally happens because they attract two things: A wealthy patron and an able administratively-oriented second-in-command. Charismatic leaders are rarely wealthy or good administrators themselves.
“If we touch Martin we create a martyr and his second-in-command will rise to do much damage to our cause. But … we can touch his administrator and his financier, and if we do the Danagons will be headless. The organization will survive but grow disjointed and ineffectual in influencing current events.”
Sean considers this, then grins. “I like it!”
“OK. Tell the governor I want to meet him, and find out what you can about that financier and administrator. Specifically, I want to know where they are so we can bring them here.”
“OK!” He starts to rush out.
“One more thing.” He stops.
“Yes?”
“This is a secret operation. Don’t forget that! So to disguise our intentions research the leaders and second-in-commands for everyone on that list as well as some other kind of information on them. In truth we may need that other information in the future.
“Ah … good idea,” he grins and resumes his rush.
“Oh, and find out more about that base where our equipment was taken to.”
Sean waves.