In 2199, the GEO continues to massively ramp up its military presence on Poseidon in an effort to quell the spread of violent conflict on the colony world.
The Incorporate States involved in and sometimes even driving these conflicts, thus feel a need to seek alternate strategies, without giving up their actual goals, though.
While flashpoints are spread all over Poseidon, one of the major hot spots is the island of Westcape.
Here, Hanover Industries is in the process of carving out its own territory, subduing natives and other colonists alike. As softer tactics began to fail in the face of stiffening resistance, they started using ever increasing amounts of force.
The denizens of the independent colonial and native settlements see themselves as the victims of unprovoked Incorporate aggression.
The Incorporate, threatened with the immediate loss of autonomous rule over its eponymous city enclave in Germany on Earth, though, sees this as part of a struggle for survival as a state entity.
The GEO yet has not taken significant overt action on Westcape. The coterminous Sierra Nueva war is premier on the minds of the responsible authorities. This may change, though, as both the violence and the available military capabilities of the GEO increase.
Even though Hanover can probably expect the Peacekeepers to not engage Hanover forces due to the Incorporate’s status as a member state, their presence could still effectively curtail Hanover’s bid for expansion and eventual domination over all of Westcape.
For the moment, this means that Hanover Security is escalating the amount of force it brings to bear in an attempt to wrap up the campaign and make their control of Westcape a fait accompli before the possible arrival of a substantial GEO Peacekeeper contingent.
At the same time, the Incorporate also prepares for the eventuality of a failure to accomplish a military solution on time. For this back-up plan, Hanover has settled on a classic strategy of divide and conquer – not militarily, but rather in the economic and political sphere.
The strategy calls for extending economic ties to the still neutral elements of the independent population, increasing trade with local businesses, without outright trying to buy them out or otherwise bring them “into the fold”, thus creating a sympathetic section within the population.
Seeing that with the previous – and ongoing – military operations the number of potential targets for this approach might be limited, Hanover also encourages and supports the settlement of additional independent, but friendly, newcomers.
Their poster boy success story in this so far is KARAT, a small manufacturer of quality diamond blades which has recently established itself on Westcape.
The company, founded by a pair of German colonists without ties to Hanover, has already integrated itself well within the local economy, their products being in high demand on the local market and across Poseidon, thus bringing additional jobs and prosperity to the region.
Their friendly attitude towards Hanover, the Incorporate making a point of buying from them, is starting to affect the outlook of others who value or even depend on KARAT.
Hanover already sees the situation as a win-win, regardless of how it develops.
If KARAT is allowed to continue acting as a growing kernel of colonist sympathies, the gain is immediate and obvious, leeching the strength of the opposition to Hanover.
Should the hostile locals take action against KARAT, this is bound to produce a rift in the colonist community also to the benefit of Hanover and it might even allow the Incorporate to present a case before the GEO colonial administration to sanction an effort by Hanover Security to “guard the re-establishing of order” in the region.