[b]Iron Lady, Part Three, The Agriculturist, Part Four, and The German Exile, Part Three[/b]

As Ludwig and Archibald were ushered into Priscilla Aglipay-Rizal's modest house by Irene the armed housekeeper, they would find the Lady President of the Philippines fussing over an accountant's ledger as she sat in her study; when she registered the door opening, the middle-aged woman would greet her peers with a warm smile and a wave before saying: 

"I heard about your job in Bataan; you both did well. However, disturbing news has come up from our trade union contacts in Japan; we have less time than we thought we did." 

"How much less?" Ludwig's voice was matter-of-fact, secure in the knowledge that nothing was to be done by panicking and losing oneself in fear. "And what is the nature of this news? Long-suppressed Trade Union workers don't exactly have eyes and ears in the Japanese Military."

Priscilla's calm but weary reply was, "No, but they are the ones tasked with producing the high-quality steel that goes into submarines and building the submarines themselves. Guess what the Japanese are churning out, along with planes, tanks, artillery, and all the arms and ammunition that their money can pay for?"

"We've always known that the Japanese have superior machines than we do," Ludwig replied. "But this news is disconcerting. Is 'The Contingency' still viable?" He knew it was; the Filipino people would fight to the end to preserve their hard-won freedom, but it required that their Lady President be safe to lead them. "Your safety will be paramount in the coming trials; same for your military staff."

"It is," the Lady President said. "But my people's lives are paramount. There can be no victory without them, especially in a war of attrition like I plan to wage. Which brings me to my next worry."

She then took out, from a desk, a sketch of a Japanese Zero fighter. "Japanese Aircraft outnumber and outgun us; if we don't have a way of taking them down, our cities and troop concentrations would be reduced to rubble; even tunnels can be starved out in time. So we need Anti-Aircraft Guns, but as the French have not responded to my requests for aid in exchange for a base yet..." 

A sigh; the implication was that she knew a way out of the problem they faced, but it required a solution that was not hers' to provide. Or was it? 

Ludwig would then respond, "And I know where you can get one. I still maintain some contacts back in my old homeland; weapons manufacturers that managed to avoid the purges that followed the German Civil War. Right now, I heard from an old friend, [i]Dietrich Kessler[/i], that a few perfectly servicible flak guns are about to be scrapped for parts. However, in exchange for, say, Rubber..."

"We have plenty of it," Priscilla caught on. "Very well, I will commission the relevant co-operatives and smallholders to increase the production of that stuff. As for you and Archibald, the two of you are to arrange the deal with Germany through third parties and the implementation of new techniques to maximize rubber production and quality." She turned to the Agriculturalist, who had been quiet for most of the talk. "I would also like your team to begin developing new dry rations; carry my requests to them. In the meantime, I am sending a message to my ambassador to Japan; he is to return home with all due haste lest he become a hostage or worse. Feelers are also to be sent to the Trade Unions in that country; they are sacrificing much for us, and so the least we can do for them is to provide a safe refuge in our country should things there go south."

Archibald finally spoke; "You are generous, Lady President. Very well, I shall begin the preperations as soon as possible." A sigh. "But I have to ask; is it really coming to war? Can't you make an alliance with China and frighten them off?" 

Priscilla pursed her lips. "Hou's Navy has not been refitted to match Japan's. No help will come from China even if they are willing to give it. And while Hou himself is a good person, I risk asking too much of him, and him becoming my master as repayment for the debt I may accrue." A sigh. "An alliance with Socialist France and the Market Socialist Dutch should have been my best bet; but they are slow to respond even when peril is knocking at my gates. No, we have to do what we can, or perish."

"That may have to be enough," was Ludwig's response. "I will contact Deitrich as soon as possible; you [i]will[/i] have the Anti-Air Guns."