A Hayes-ing Experience

[Blacknova]

A Hayes-ing Experience
This is an alternate timeline, which diverges from canon shortly after the taking of Terra by the SLDF in 2779.

Prelude to War
The liberation of Terra, in 2779, marked the end of one brutal series of battles, which had plagued humanity for the best part of twelve years, and began the inexorable slide towards a new war.  Though many across the Inner Sphere held out hope of a full restoration of the Star League, those with a greater understanding of the situation, or a more cynical outlook, believed the Star League Civil War was only a prelude to greater woe.

Although the Star League Council had appointed Jerome Blake as Minister of Communications in 2780, an apparent step forward, their avarice and jealousy in stripping SLDF Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky of his rank and titles the same year, following endless bickering over even minor matters, was a huge step backwards.  The writing on the wall, so soon after the final victory in the war against Amaris, was rapidly becoming clear, even to those who still lived in hope.

A further blow to those who sought a peaceful restoration of the Star League came in 2781, as the Council Lords, more interested in their own gratification and convoluted schemes, managed to agree on only one point: That the dream was over and the Star League was to be disbanded.

As the House Lords departed to pursue their petty schemes and prepare for their won Ragnarock, those within the Hegemony began their own preparations.  Three leaders would emerge from within the chaos swirling within the cradle of mankind: Former SLDF Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky; General Lauren Hayes, Commander of the 151st Royal BattleMech Division; and Jerome Blake, Minister of Communications.

Tensions began to arise between the trio shortly after the disbandment of the Star League, as each saw differing paths to the future.  Although Kerensky wished to see the League survive, and he would shuttle from capital to capital for the next two years trying to get the House Lords to come back to the table, he was also preparing behind the scenes to remove the SLDF from the Inner Sphere.

General Hayes, rapidly becoming the focus of Hegemony loyalists in the SLDF, wanted Kerensky to either declare himself First Lord, or if he would not, release the Royal Command to become their old incarnation and reform the Hegemony Armed Forces, as Hayes believed that no one, not even General Kerensky, whom she deeply respected, would look after the Hegemony.  Hayes found she had little time for Jerome Blake, who appeared to be building an alternate corporate structure to manage the Hegemony, one at odds with the Hegemony Charter and Hayes’s vision.  Blake’s apparent willingness to focus on Terra and certain core worlds first, though practical, offended the Hayes’s sensibilities.

Blake, however, was a pragmatist and saw that Kerensky was not long for the Inner Sphere.  Blake also knew that the massed armies of the House Lords would quickly dismember any force that tried to hold the entire Hegemony together, especially as most already had strong footholds on Hegemony border worlds.  Blake saw communications as the key to some sort of future influence, namely the HPG network, and worked towards securing those vital systems, whilst doing what could be done for the Hegemony worlds that had the most to offer.

As 2782 dawned, Jerome Blake endeavoured to assume full responsibility for the reconstruction of the Hegemony, however, General Hayes, suspicious of the Minister’s intentions and desiring a broader effort to restore the Hegemony, put forward the name of Jens Pinera, former Director-General of the Terran Hegemony and current President of the Hegemony Congress, as the rightful leader of such an effort.   Though Blake was opposed to raising the old guard of the Hegemony up again, with Kerensky and his aide, General deChavalier off world, Hayes was able to strong arm the situation and see Pinera and those still in the Hegemony Government lead the effort, with the full support of Hayes’s “loyalist” forces.

When Kerensky returned to Terra, though he was displeased at Hayes’s meddling in civilian politics and her subversion of elements of the chain of command, he could not argue with the results.  The site of Royal Regiments, displaying Hegemony standards and leading a frenzied push to rebuild and reconstruct, infused many of the Hegemony’s worlds with renewed hope.  Though the Kerensky thought that much of it would be for nought, the success of Hayes, as his own plans fell apart and he began full planning for Operation Exodus, provided him with a means of ensuring that those who might stay behind would have a home.

Relations between Hayes and Blake further deteriorated the following year, when Blake sought to seal the Court of the Star League.  Seeing an opportunity to further undermine the man she was rapidly coming to view as her primary rival, as it was clear Kerensky was planning to leave the Inner Sphere.  Hayes opposed an action she saw as an attempt to prevent the SLDF from rebuilding and standing guard over the seat of the League, which they had given so much.  Many former troopers jumped at the opportunity to keep the site open, even if they would only be guarding an empty monument to a fallen order.  The effect was electric, with masses of serving and demobilised SLDF personnel swarming the former Court and driving the contractors off the site.  Over the following years, demobilised SLDF troops, led by the Corp of Engineers, would restore the entirety of the site, which remains open to this day, guarded by the reformed Royal Black Watch Regiment, who remain at the Court, awaiting the return of the First Lord.

Throughout 2783, as the House Lords increased the pace of their informal occupations of Hegemony worlds, and Hayes and Blake fought a war of influence and politics, Kerensky planned the Exodus, announcing his plans to the upper ranks of the SLDF in mid-February 2784.  Over the following months, as Kerensky planned his grand departure, the SLDF fractured into three camps.  The largest, 80% of the remaining forces of the Regular Army, remained loyal to the Commanding General, however, the remaining 20% of the SLDF split in an unusual way.  Although General Hayes spoke eloquently to the troops who would remain, her pro-Hegemony stance alienated many soldiers hailing from other realms.  Of the troops of the SLDF which would remain and the “Hegemony Irregulars”, as many reformed regiments were being called, more than half would depart the Hegemony for employment by other states, as mercenary or regular troops, over the coming years.  However, approximately 100 regiments would remain loyal to Hayes and the dream of the Hegemony, though less than half of these would be considered effective combat formations, the remainder made up of ad hoc reservist or temporary units.  Though time and further trials would erode some of this support before and during the early Succession War, the massive facilities still active on Terra and the inner Hegemony, along with many newly raised troops, would form the core of the defence forces for Terra and the primary support for Hayes’s aims.

The departure of the majority of the SLDF was a bittersweet moment for those leaving and those remaining.  Those joining the exodus saw themselves freed of war, whilst those remaining were now able    to pursue a goal of a renewed Hegemony without restraint.  A second, smaller exodus followed the first, as the remaining loyalists politely asked those who wished to seek their fortune with the House Lords to depart the Hegemony, lest their presence be taken advantage of by the circling vultures.

The House Lords saw the departure of the Regular Army and the opening of an interstellar smorgasbord, however, General Hayes had determined that a set menu, once she could force her guests to choke on, was a far more palatable option.

Exit Kerensky Stage Left, Enter Hayes Stage Right
As part of the General Hayes’s move to consolidate power in the Hegemony, the General was forced to make two decisions, one easy, the other difficult.  The swift removal of Jerome Blake and his most ardent supporters was carried out swiftly in early January 2785, with SLCOMNET placed under the charge of Herman Schweps, who reported to both Director-General Pro Tem Pinera, and newly minted Commanding General Lauren Hayes of the reborn Hegemony Armed Forces.  That was the easy decision.

The second decision, the one Hayes agonised most over, came from Blake himself.  With less than fifty front line regiments to call upon, Hayes conceded that much of the Hegemony would not be defendable.  Therefore, Hayes decided that only those worlds within 30 light years of Terra would be held, the remainder would be given up, however, the manner of their loss would be dictated by Hayes, not the House Lords.

Wasting no time, Hayes spent the following five months closeted with Pinera, Schweps and other high officials of the Hegemony and on February 21st, invited the leaders of the Inner Sphere and periphery to Terra.  Hayes’s communiqué stated intention was “…to ensure the peaceful transfer of parts the Terran Hegemony to the Successor States, and to ensure uninterrupted interstellar communications for all parties.”

Hayes did not simply sweeten the pot for each of the competing Lords and the masters of the periphery, she plainly stated what would happen for those who did not attend.  Those choosing to remain aloof would have communications cut off, and would have to fight their way into the Hegemony, whilst others received their territory peacefully and with full interstellar communication capabilities at their disposal.

The message to the Lords of the Great Houses and the leaders of the various periphery realms was clear: Make your way to Terra by April 2nd 2785, or face the consequences.  Though not the most distinguished of motivations, fear and greed are useful tools when seeking to motivate those divided by mistrust, and Hayes played her hand to the fullest.
The five great states of the Capellan Confederation, Draconis Combine, Federated Suns, Free Worlds League, and Lyran Commonwealth, were joined by the three remaining old periphery powers of the Taurian Concordat, Magistracy of Canopus, and Outworlds Alliance.  In addition, the remnant states of the Rim Worlds Republic, which were the Oberon Confederation, Rim Compact, Circinian Fiefs and the Illyrian Palatinate, the latter of which had absorbed the short lived Lothian League, were invited as well.

The arrival and equal diplomatic standing offered to the major periphery powers was bad enough to the House Lords, however, the diplomatic recognition of the successors to the Rim Worlds Republic incited much anger, especially from the Lyran Commonwealth.  However, there was method to Hayes apparent madness, method that would reset the balance of power within the Inner Sphere.

[PeacMaker03]

Yes, the hook is set.....waiting to be reeled in.

[DOC_Agren]

Interesting   More Please

[snakespinner]

A very interesting alternative.
Looking forward to seeing where you take it. O0

[Blacknova]

Thanks guys, it's been in my head for a while now.  The only thing I can promise is that is will move slowly, as I have a lot on at the moment.

[David CGB]

Thanks guys, it's been in my head for a while now.  The only thing I can promise is that is will move slowly, as I have a lot on at the moment.

As long as there is some movement, slow is good

[Iron Grenadier]

Sounds interesting and looking forward to where you take it.

On another note - any plans for your "Of Wolves and Falcons" story line?

[Blacknova]

Thanks, and I do plan to continue OWAF, I just hit a block on where to take it and I don't like forcing stories.

I find writing in character fiction mentally exhausting, and as I am so busy right now, this style of histotical overview is easier to do.

[Blacknova]

The Hegemony Devolution
The Concord of Terra, as the agreement hammered out became known as (or more correctly hammered into the other states by Hayes), was not a single document.  There were for sub-treaties, each of which relied on aspects of the other treaties to ensure the overall application of the Concord.  This interwoven complexity was to ensure that Hayes could build a future in which the Hegemony core could survive.  The negotiations over The Concord of Terra would last for more than three months, being signed on July 17th 2785, but Hayes’s gained the room she needed to protect the core of the Hegemony, however, enemies were made, enemies who would cause great harm in the future.

The Hegemony
The Hegemony Holdings Treaty (HHT) was the bait which had lured the House Lords to Terra, and specified what Hayes’s and the Hegemony Government, such as it was at the time, were willing to concede and the manner in which territory was to be ceded. 

The first element of the HHT recognised existing conquests of former jointly held systems and worlds within the Hegemony proper occupied by the House Lords.  Along the Hegemony borders, this ratified the loss of all or part of sixty-five systems (LC 12, DC 9, FS 12, CC 16 and FW 16). 

Hayes then offered each House Lord any system that lay beyond thirty light years from Terra, and which was within lines drawn from Terra to the 2765 tri-state borders around the Hegemony.  This ceded a further fifty-eight systems (LC 10, DC 12, FS 8, CC 22 and FW 6) and opened the bickering.  The Steiners, Mariks and Kurita’s complained about worlds which they saw fell “rightfully” in their corridor as held already by other states, whilst everyone complained about the number of worlds the Capellans would hold, nearly twice that of the other states.  Hayes’s answer was simple “Take what you are given or get nothing. You can take what you can after that at your own discretion.”  Both the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation were quick to follow through on the latter, seizing Rio and Mandal respectively by the end of the year from their neighbours.  Hayes intention was to focus each realm on the others, and not what was left of the Hegemony. Hayes also wished to bolster the weakest of the five, the Capellan Confederation, to ensure some kind of balance within the Inner Sphere.

A key requirement of the HHT was that each state was required to peacefully occupy each world and undertake to reconstruct all damage from the war with the Usurper within 20 years.  Several of the Lords balked, notably the Kuritas and Liaos, but the tying of the HHT to the Interstellar Communications Treaty, through activation of Communication Blackouts for failure to comply with the HHT, left the House Lords with little option but to agree.
 
With the stroke of a pen, nearly every territorial gain the Terran Hegemony had made from 2316, including the worlds along all the Inner Sphere borders, was reversed, leaving little more than the old Terran Alliance’s holdings free from the House Lords.

Interstellar Communications
The stick that General Hayes and her Hegemony politicians used to repeatedly beat the House Lords with at every turn, was the control the Hegemony had over the interstellar network of HPGs.  Hayes had absolutely no intention of giving up this monopoly and candidly stated this to the gathered lords, much to their chagrin.  Hayes declared that the Hegemony would remain neutral, providing cheap interstellar communications to all parties and that any attempt to steal from or damage any aspect of the network, including personnel, would be viewed as an act of war.  Any act of war committed against the Terran Hegemony would see a Communications Blackout initiated against the offending state, crippling its economy and military.

The stick was not necessary for the Periphery realms, as the carrot of fully restored communications had the each of the three major and four minor realms lining up to agree with Hayes’s agenda.  The Periphery was, at that time, little more than a shambolic mess, rapidly approaching a point of general disintegration along its outer regions.  The offer of cheap and reliable communication would allow these states a fighting chance at holding themselves together, something Hayes’s wanted, in order to keep the House Lords looking over their shoulder.

The five Inner Sphere powers were less than impressed with the Interstellar Communications Treaty (ICT).  They were effectively letting a potentially hostile, if small state, control access to and transmission of most of their communications.  However, as so much of The Concord of Terra hinged upon the ratification of the ICT, the House Lords had two options: either accept the treaty; or try and survive the coming wars blinded and with one arm tied behind their backs.

Ares Conventions
Commanding General Lauren Hayes was something of a utopian thinker, despite appearances to the contrary, and although trained by the SLDF in total war theory, Hayes was a student and great admirer of the Ares Conventions.  The historical discarding of the Ares Conventions prior to the Reunification War and the brutality of the war against Amaris, had made clear to Hayes just how destructive unfettered Inner Sphere wide warfare would be.

With that in mind, Hayes demanded the reinstatement and adoption of the Ares Convention by all parties as a sub-clause of the ICT.  Whilst some saw the wisdom in Hayes actions, notably John Davion, Allyce Avellar and Barbara Liao, others, notably Nicoletta Calderon and Jinjiro Kurita, the latter whom had taken an instant dislike to Hayes and her requirements of the Combine, saw the Ares Convention as a hindrance to the proper conduct of war.  However, in this matter Jinjiro’s father Minoru was more circumspect.

Despite opposition from some corners, the threat of a war like that waged against Amaris, which would span the entire human sphere, along with the enticements Hayes was offering to each state, meant that the discussions went in the manner that Hayes wished.  The Ares Conventions were re-signed by all thirteen states.  However, the style of warfare practiced under the newly resigned conventions would be vastly different from that of the Age of War, more akin to the Canopian Campaign of the Reunification War, which was partly the inspiration for Hayes resuscitation of the Ares Conventions.  High tempo warfare, waged with modern technology and communications, and large WarShip fleets would be the new standard.

Trade with the Periphery
The loss of holdings on 164 words across the Inner Sphere, representing 85% of the Terran Hegemony’s territorial holdings, was potentially crippling to the reformed state.  Knowing this, Hayes and the Hegemony leadership drafted the Outerworlds Trade and Support Treaty (OTST), which aimed to import raw materials from the Periphery to the Terran Hegemony.  With Terran neutrality guaranteed as part of the larger Concord of Terra, the trade would be protected and wih the Periphery realms were desperate for hard currency, Terran technology, and the promises of a functioning communications system that came with it, the ground work was laid for a ground breaking deal.

However, the negotiations over the OTST were still fraught, as the history of Terra and her far-flung children was coloured by hostility and atrocity on both sides.  The clinching of the deal for the Periphery, was the provision that Terran companies would not be allowed to establish operations within the Periphery, though they could be minority shareholders in joint ventures.  Though opposed by some in the Hegemony, there was still much to be done at home, and the thought of investing on the fringes of known space was not an enticing prospect for many.

The flow of materials one-way and technology and later capital as the Hegemony completed its rebuilding going the other way, would be of benefit to both sides of the OTST.  However, it would take many generations for the bad blood to ease to merely cool relations, with no one convincing themselves that relations between Terra and the Periphery would ever be friendly.  The OTST was an agreement of necessity for the survival of both parties, not something either truly embraced.

The Hidden Provisions
The four pillars of The Concord of Terra: the HHT; ICT, the Ares Convention; and OTST were the framework in which Hayes built the future of the rump Hegemony, and laid the long term framework for one day reuniting the full Terran Hegemony.  As the Hegemony withdrew into its smaller borders, it assured the protection and rebuilding of its lost worlds, forcing the House Lords to finally make good on previous promises.  This buffer, still Terran and inundated over the HPG network with Terran propaganda, would not be comfortable territory to hold.  Though the Hegemony ensured it undertook no actions within the ceded territories that could be misconstrued as breaching its neutrality, it did not have to.  Those on the occupied systems were Terran and rightfully proud of it, and created their own brands of dissidence and havoc as they awaited what they came to call The Reunion, which would occur at some unknown date in the future.

The Hegemony Intelligence Bureau (HIB), with access to the HPG network and with massive penetration of each major realm through the ceded territories, had a massive advantage over its foes.  With the ceded buffer and its sympathetic populace, the HPG network and penetration into the Periphery, the HIB was able, in most cases, to remain a step ahead of its rivals.  This would come to be a critical factor in protecting the tiny state, which lacked any kind of strategic depth and for which any major losses would likely be unrecoverable.

Hayes had built a structure in which the Hegemony had its most required need realised, that of time.  The HAF could be rebuilt, the Hegemony Navy expanded and reinforced and the worlds of the core reconstructed, something that only six months earlier had not seemed possible.

However, General Hayes successful negotiations, brought about by arm twisting, threats, bribes and back room politicking, earned the Hegemony several key foes.  Jinjiro Kurita came away from Terra seething at what he saw as the indignities imposed on the Draconis Combine.  John Davion, who viewed himself as the rightful heir to the Star League, was made feel like a naughty school boy and this led him to distance the Federated Suns from Terra.  Kenyon Marik viewed Hayes as another Kerensky, and though galled by The Concord of Terra he was, through sheer practicality, forced to abide by it, though he would do what he could to destabilise the Terran position.  The Periphery, looking toward the Taurian lead, accepted what they had to and put up walls elsewhere, not trusting Terra or Hayes any more than they had to.

[Blacknova]

Map for your enjoyment.

[Shadow_Wraith]

 O0 cool

[Chris OFarrell]

I'm really liking this so far.

[snakespinner]

Nice.
Will you be doing a listing of what SLDF forces stayed behind. O0

[Blacknova]

Nice.
Will you be doing a listing of what SLDF forces stayed behind. O0

As per Historical: First Succession War.

[Dragon Cat]

The Reunion... >:D

[Blacknova]

Reactions and Replanning
The Concord of Terra changed many plans, however, one accomplishment which remained beyond the Concord was preventing the coming war.  The war for the rights to the empty throne of the First Lord of the Star League was inevitable, however, the nature and course of that war had been inexorably changed by the actions of General Hayes.

Terran Hegemony
July 18th, now known as Devolution Day, a day of introspection and mourning across the worlds of the former Terran Hegemony, was marked on its first occasion by General Hayes Devolution Address.  This was the day when the General announced the withdrawal into the core worlds, and the measures taken to protect the Hegemony worlds which could not be held.  Legends would later arise stating that Hayes visibly aged during the speech, despite all evidence to the contrary.  However, what was clear is that from that day, is that General Hayes’s manner of dealing with those opposed to her took on a darker and harder tone.

The Devolution Address cost Hayes more than just the ceded worlds of the Hegemony, it cost her much support, most notably the defection of an entire brigade of troops to the Free Worlds League, where they became the Pollux Lancers, part of the Pollux Province, formed from eight of the ceded worlds.  This loss of support was partially offset by the announcement that new elections for all offices of the Hegemony would be held by the end of the year, with Hayes accepting the will of the people and reporting to a new Director-General.  Hayes also announced that if a new Director-General did not require her services, she would stand aside.

In the meantime, planning was put in place to make sure that the future could be secured.  Plans for the expansion of the HAF were accelerated, with the aim of retraining and integrating the reserve and temporary formations into the new HAF as rapidly as possible.  The regimental numbering of the SLDF was put aside and regiments were redesignated, for two reasons.  Firstly, to create a fresh base to work from, with traditions tied to the Hegemony and not the Star League.  The new brigades: The Terran Guards; the Line Regiments of the Heavy Assault, Assault, Battle and Striker Regiments; and the Mobile Regiments of the Cuirassiers, Dragoons, Hussars and Light Horse were provided with new standards and parade colours.  Secondly, Hayes wanted to spread the SLDF veterans across her new formations, to stiffen them and provide both battle experience and loyalty to the Hegemony.

On the 21 worlds surrounding Terra, Operation TRIPWIRE was put into place.  Short mixed divisions were stationed on each world, with multiple redundant communication nodes, all tied to the world’s HPG network.  With no WarShips stationed outside of the Terran system, the aim was for each Division to buy time and get the word to Terra, whilst collecting all possible information on the invaders.  In the Terran system were massed the HAF response force, with the fleet and three full mixed Divisions, which would respond in force to any incursion.  By 2788, Hayes planned to have a full division on each world and a many more in reserve.

The fleet inherited by the Terran Hegemony had finally been made good by early 2785, with plans in train to begin construction of new vessels.  With nearly eighty ex-SLDF and THN vessels, the new THN was a motley assortment, with a plethora of destroyers and a smattering of other ship classes and types.  A key aspect of the Hegemony’s future plans was the restoration of the THN, as the shield of the realm.

Capellan Confederation
The Concord of Terra was a boon for the Capellan Confederation, as the acquisition of Terran holdings, netted the Capellan State an increase of 10% to its overall population and a similar increase in military production.  Despite these gains, the Confederation remained the weakest state militarily.  The resigning of the Ares Convention was a hidden godsend for the Confederation, as it would protect its relatively weak industrial base from attrition and if husbanded, give the Confederation a fighting chance in the war to come.

This reality and the riches the Hegemony represented, would see the Jasmine Liao focus on a singular goal in the coming war; the further securing of the Capellan position close to Terra, by cutting off the Federated Suns Terran Corridor, via strike aimed at Galatia III from Tikonov, whilst also endeavouring to take Chesterton.  Additionally, the Chancellor saw opportunities in the region between it, the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus.  The Chancellor was willing to annex systems in this area, as long as if did not elicit a strong response from either Periphery realm.

Draconis Combine
The Draconis Combine was forced to swallow several bitter pills in the negotiations over The Concord of Terra, with Jinjiro Kurita taking many of General Hayes’s demands as personal affronts to his own, his father’s and the Combine’s honour.  This goading of Jinjiro’s inherently unstable personality, drove him to pressure his father, Coordinator Minoru Kurita, to allow Jinjiro to attempt to break the Hegemony once and for all.

Jinjiro made a compelling case to his father for such a rash action, one that would assuage the Combine’s honour, protect the Coordinator, and potentially net the Combine the prize of Terra.  Whilst his father utilised troops positioned in the Benjamin and Galedon Military Districts for protecting against Kerensky’s exodus to strike towards Robinson, Jinjiro would “go rouge” and strike with other forces massed in the new Dieron District towards Terra.  This action would allow his father to declare him Ronin and absolve the Combine of any wrongdoing, at least to Jinjiro’s way of thinking.  If the gambit failed, the Coordinator lost a Ronin traitor, if it succeeded, Jinjiro would be welcomed back as the Coordinator’s heir.  Though the spector of a Communications Blackout remained, the Combine prepared to requisition huge numbers merchant JumpShips, almost 40% of the Combine’s entire merchant marine, in order to act as courier vessels.

Federated Suns
John Davion, despite being highly annoyed at his treatment by General Hayes during the negotiations, now saw the coming war with something close to avid anticipation.  With the Ares Conventions signed and no real desire to get involved in what he expected to be protracted campaigns around Terra, John Davion prepared to refight the Age of War.

Davion’s assumption was that with the threat of all-out war removed, he could launch simultaneous assaults at both his major foes, aimed at taking out key command and control centres.  For the Capellan Confederation, Davions thinking was to drive through St. Ives towards Capella, whilst in the Draconis Combine, troops would surge from the Galtor Salient towards Benjamin.

Free Worlds League
Kenyon Marik was a confused man on leaving Terra.  He had arrived expecting to contend with a new Kerensky, but was outmanoeuvred politically at every turn.  He had suffered numerous defeats in the negotiations, but the Free Worlds League emerged from his defeat enriched and its industry and people protected from all-out war.

The results of The Concord of Terra and the resulting changes in the Inner Sphere would affect The Marik’s thinking over the coming years, leading him to question himself at every turn.  In his confusion, he fell back on two constant realities of his existence: his opposition to Terra; and the need to bring Andurien back into the Free Worlds League.  Marik would shift huge numbers of troops towards Andurien, with the intention to drive through Capellan forces there and then turn Corewards towards Sian.  Meanwhile, he would make every effort to undermine the new Terran Hegemony short of starting a war.  As a tertiary aim, Kenyon sought also to complete what the FWLM had tried to do at the end of the Age of War, finish the encirclement of Lyran worlds near Circinus, by extending the Bolan Thumb to the Periphery.

Lyran Commonwealth
Jennifer Steiner saw the withdrawal of the Hegemony as a boon in ways few did.  The long association of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Terran Hegemony led Jennifer to create a new Province, led from Galatea, which incorporated the former jointly held worlds and all those ceded by the Hegemony.  The Archon opted for soft power in the Province and billed it to her Social Generals as the place to be posted to.  This, along with the Command Reform Act of 2786, would free Archon Steiner to use the LCAF as a full offensive weapon for the first time in its history.

The Command Reform Act of 2786 tied a General’s social standing not only directly to the success of his or her regiment, but also to the success of the of the regiment within the broader campaign.  A complex series of calculations were tied to a social ranking and access system, which meant that failures that once meant a sideways move before beginning one’s ascent through the ranks again, now meant social and political oblivion.  However, in order to ensure that every social butterfly who could not fight their way out of the ballet, or think more deeply on strategic matters than “hold and deliver”, would flock to the front lines and ruin the Commonwealth for good, the Command Reform Act allowed one to sponsor officers to act on one’s behalf at the front line.  Every ranking officer worth his tailor’s expenses began hunting for lower ranking officers with skills they could use and within weeks, these same sponsors were demanding the very thing they had long opposed – reforms to the LCAF to produce better combat officers and commanders for them to sponsor.  The Archon obliged, smiling quietly to herself the entire time.

With the LCAF rapidly morphing into a war machine that could think for itself, the Archon began to let hope and over confidence get the better of her.  Two goals were set for the LCAF, one was the cutting off and reduction of the Bolan Thumb, something the LCAF could realistically achieve.  The other, was to organise a drive along the Benjamin/Pesht border towards Luthien, in order to shock the Combine and gain the Commonwealth the time it needed to bring its industrial and economic might to bear.  The latter held promises of great success, but also the utter ruin for the Commonwealth of the Dragon turned and struck in protection of its nest.


The Periphery
The Periphery Powers held their own private sessions, or as private as one could expect, when the HIB is snooping about on its home world.  These sessions reaffirmed what little support they could offer each other, but little else.  The Periphery was exhausted, and as little as they might want to admit it, General Hayes’s actions had more than likely prevented a collapse in several of the states, with communications and regular trade now assured.  However, there were still abundant threats for each to deal with.

The wars that had swept across the Periphery and Inner Sphere from 2765 until 2779 had driven many into exile either through choice, or against their wills.  This had led to a spate of new settlements, especially close to the Taurian and Canopian spheres of influence.  This surge of Periphery settlement represented an opportunity for new worlds to join existing states, but also had the potential to create innumerable pirate havens.

The Taurian Concordat remained the premiere Periphery power and planned to rapidly rebuild the TDF, which mustered only nine line and three mercenary regiments at the beginning of 2785.   The TDF planned to rebuild several regiments a year, until its strength had been regained, a prospect much easier with Terran trade assured.  These new troops were to secure the frontiers, work with the Magistracy in integrating the colonial region between them into both realms, and bring the numerous new colonies on its borders into the Concordat.

Oddly, the Outworlds Alliance emerged as the second most powerful of the Periphery states, as its inwards looking economy, large holdings and relatively low level of damage from the recent wars, allowed the Alliance economy to rapidly rebound.  However, the perennial problem of the Alliance: Far-flung worlds, paying lip service to the central government, made making any sort of general progress as difficult as ever.

The Magistracy of Canopus had suffered through both war and the crippling effects of the collapse of trade, which was magnified by the outward focus of the Canopian economy.  Despite the setbacks of recent years, the Magistracy was rapidly rebuilding and eying several successful nearby colonies as potential short-term solutions to immediate internal issues.  This made the Magistracy potentially the most aggressive of the Periphery powers, at least in the short term.  The quite word in Canopus was that the Magestrix was also willing to take pieces out of any Inner Sphere nation that showed any sign of weakness.

The Oberon Confederation had been pulled together out of the ruin of the core of the Rim Worlds Republic, through a desire to re-establish stability, pride in themselves, and a none to small fear of the Lyran Commonwealth’s voracious appetite.  Though small, the Confederation held several industrial centres that were both a boon to the small nation, but also a dangling bait to the ever tempted Commonwealth.  The Confederation prayed for war, so that larger nations would look elsewhere as it built its own strength.

The Rim Compact viewed itself as the true successor to the Rim Worlds Republic, in spite what it saw as the pretentions of the Oberon Confederation.  Paranoid since its inception, the Compact rapidly reintegrated whatever worlds it could coerce or conqueror racing, as the Compact saw it, to prevent a total Lyran takeover of the former Republic.  This schizophrenic outlook made the Compact difficult to deal with, especially for the Oberon Confederation and Circinian Fiefs.

The Circinian Fiefs had formed around the former SLDF enclave on Circinus and expanded as nearby worlds were offered, or asked, for protection.  The fiefs evolved to be the most pro-Terran of the Periphery powers, as many of its inhabitants and upper classes hailed from the Hegemony, or were of a pro-Star League outlook.  The Compact had no plans for rapid or militarised expansion, but also had no plans to turn away those seeking its protection.

The Illyrian Palatinate absorbed the short-lived and unsuccessful Lothian League in a peaceful takeover in the 2760’s, as the war in the Inner Sphere and Periphery broke the Lothian economy and seriously threatened the Illyrian economy.  The union was fortuitous, as it provided the impetus for recovery.  With several new colonies nearby, some of them settled as industrial settlements, designed to rapidly utilise easy to access ores, the Palatinate had a ready source of new trading partners and potential new members in close proximity.

[Kasaga]

Love what I have read so far.

[marauder648]

Same here, this is really good! :)

[Blacknova]

Thanks guys. 

Little delay until the next one, as I nut out 2785 and 2786 and the lead up to war.

[sepion]

Very interesting. Looking forward for more.

[Dave Talley]

watching

[Blacknova]

2785 - Running Up for War
Terran Hegemony
The Terran Hegemony had four primary focuses during 2785, the first being the election of a new Hegemony Government and Director-General to serve for the next 10 years.  The other three areas of effort boiled down to brigades, battle groups and big ships.

The election of the new Hegemony Congress went smoothly, albeit with 11 representatives from each world being selected to provide a larger body.  However, the complicated election of the new Director-General, saw thirty-seven candidates enter the field in June of 2785.  By late October, the field had narrowed to three candidates, each with realistic chances of election on November 12.  Marianna Althaus, Elton Riese, and Clare Sagucio were the three candidates who, more than the three dozen others, grabbed the attention of the citizens of the Hegemony.  Surprisingly, all three were from Terra, though their politics differed markedly. 

Clare Sagucio, from San Ignacio in Baja California, represented the expansionist faction of politics, which wished to take action in the short term to re-establish the Hegemony.  Sagucio was noted for her fiery tone and calls for General Hayes to do more than sit on her hands and let the outer Hegemony fall under “the oppressive yoke of the deceitful House Lords.”.

Elton Reise was raised on the Caribbean island of Curacao, and represented a more moderate expansionist party, one that recognised the reality of the times, but which desired firm plans for the full reintegration of the Hegemony, with a set time table over the medium to long term.  Reise’s views, like those of Sagucio’s, caused concern within the governments of the Inner Sphere, who had just signed a treaty with the Hegemony, recieving title to the very worlds both candidates desired to claim back.

Finally, Marianna Althaus, who called no one place on Terra home, having grown up in an SLDF family, represented those who saw the status quo as something to be worked with and not railed against, let rash action imperil what little remained of the Hegemony. 

In the end, the division of the expansionist vote saw Marianna Althaus elected as the 19th Director-General of the Terran Hegemony, with 52% of the vote.  The other two candidates split the remaining vote between them.  Although the moderates had prevailed for now, there was a sizable portion of the Hegemony desiring a more aggressive stance taken in interstellar politics.  Director-General Althus’s first move, was to confirm Lauren Hayes as Commanding General and them leave her to the work of defending the Hegemony, as Althus began the enormous task of rebuilding war damaged worlds.

The surge in focus with a new government in place and a functioning bureaucracy, saw production in all industries begin to increase across the Hegemony.  The massive military facilities on Terra began to expand their production as damaged capacity came back on line, with production of BattleMechs increasing by more than 30%, with close to 1,000 marching off the assembly lines in 2785.  The JumpShip yards of the system also expanded production, as twenty-five new WarShips began assembly.

The new WarShips under production represented a shift away from SLDF hulls to ships more akin, though generally more powerful than the WarShips of the House navies.  Though the new vessels would not start entering service until 2786, and the first Terra-class Battleships would not be ready until the end of 2787, the Hegemony was confident that the fleet could prevail until then.

Unfortunately, the plan to integrate the volunteer Hegemony formations into the front line proceeded more slowly than planned, with six regiments, not the planned twelve, added to the rolls of the HAF by the end of the year.  These units were largely posted to the border with the Draconis Combine, as the HIB was already developing intelligence that indicated the DCMS may move towards the Hegemony.

Capellan Confederation
The Capellan Confederation planned to get the jump on everybody, using surprise to maximise its opportunities and strike at the Federated Suns in early 2786.  To that end, the Chancellor focused on moving units into position during the end of 2785, and raised six new regiments across the Chesterton Cavalry and Tikonov Lancers to support the campaign.  The first of the Capellans next generation WarShips were also dispatched to Tikonov.

WarShip production was stepped up at the Cappella yards, as industrial centres across the Confederation rapidly expanded production, with Tikonov and Necromo particularly notable in the numbers of new BattleMechs and fighters they produced.  This final surge before the war was largely ignored by the Capellans neighbours, especially the Federated Suns, who did not expect immediate aggressive action from the defensively minded Confederation.

The plan for Operation BLAZING DRAGON, would see forces in the Tikonov and Chesterton Commonalities, twenty-eight regiments strong, reinforced by a further thirteen from the Sarna and Capellan Commonalities, strike directly for Chesterton and the surrounding words, as well as seeking to cut off and reduce the Federated suns Terran Corridor.  Twenty Warships from two of the three Tikonov Squadrons, supported by nine more from the Sarna squadron would cover the invasion.

Wave 1 would seek to take Chesterton and eliminate the Demeter salient, whilst at the same time the drive across the Terran Corridor would be launched from around Tigress towards Ronel.  Wave 2 would seize a series of worlds to act as a shield for Chesterton, whilst the drive to cut off the Addicks Combat Region from the rest of the Draconis March was completed.  Wave 3 would secure a series of worlds to mask Tikonov from direct assault, whilst Waves 4 and 5 would see the reduction of the Addicks pocket.  All together, the CCAF planned to assault a total of twenty-four worlds.  One quarter of the CCAF’s BattleMech regiments and a fifth of the fleet would be tasked to the operation, representing most of the offensive capability of the Confederation.

Draconis Combine
Minoru Kurita was a patient man.  The Coordinator of the Draconis Combine knew that his enemies may rush to establish themselves quickly, and though he saw the benefit in such actions, he instead decided to be prudent, allowing events to begin developing, whilst guard his strength, and striking once the other realms were involved on other fronts.

In the meantime, the Combine built its strength.  Chatham expanded its WarShip construction capacity, whilst select facilities expanded their production of BattleMechs and other war materials. Eight additional regiments were added to the roles of the Galedon Regulars, to offset the diversion of troops into the Dieron District to support the planned offensive against Terra.

To that end, Operations ODA, TOYOTOMI, and TOKUGAWA were planned for 2788, allowing the DCMS to reinforce its strength and properly apply its military might to the problem of its enemy’s continued existences.  Operations ODA and TOYOTOMI (December 2788) were the twin arms of a strike aimed at Robinson, the Federated Suns Draconis March capital, commanded from Benjamin and Galedon respectively.  Operation TOKUGAWA (May 2788) was the invasion, to be led by Jinjiro Kurita, of the Terran Hegemony.

Operation ODA was the arm of the assault into the Federated Suns to come from the Benjamin Military District.  The first wave aimed to punch a hole through the AFFS front lines and drive rapidly into the Clovis Combat region.  At the same time, Operation TOYOTOMI would strike from the Galedon District deep into the Fairfax Combat Region.  The second wave of each assault would seize staging worlds for the assault on Robinson, worlds that would also assist in ensuring the cutting off of the Galtor Salient.  Wave 3 would assault Robinson and complete the envelopment of the Thumb, with Wave 4 concerned with the reduction of the worlds around Galtor.

Operation TOKUGAWA, launching slightly earlier, would seek to capture Dieron and four other Terran Hegemony worlds and then await the counter strike, one which Jinjiro was sure would come from Terra itself.  With the counter strike seen off, the DCMS would secure additional worlds close to Terra in Wave 2, before assaulting the birthplace of humanity in Wave 3.

These three audacious assaults were planned to go off under a complete communications blackout across the HPG network, with the DCMS planning to requisition over 6,300 JumpShips for courier duties, forty percent of the Combine’s merchant service.

Federated Suns
The Federated Suns prepared for war by building a new brigade from scratch, one which would be the point of both its planned invasions, as well as focusing on strengthening naval and aerospace production to support the ground forces.

WarShip production a Delevan doubled, whilst two huge Aerospace fighter production facilities at Galax and Delevan, both capable of producing over 250 fighters per year, began production.  Whilst these industrial projects were ramping up, the First Prince announced the formation of a handpicked brigade of troops, who would act as pathfinders for future AFFS operations.  The Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry came together quickly across the course of 2785, with seven regiments stationed to key posts by the end of the year.

All these efforts were in aid of Prince John Davion’s two grand campaigns, both of which, on close examination, appeared to be based more on high hopes than solid planning, unlike Minoru’s Kurita’s more developed and achievable goals.  Operation STARSLAYER, the invasion of the Benjamin Military District of the Draconis Combine, and Operation GALLANT, the invasion of the core of the Capellan Confederation, were audacious when considered on their own, let alone as a combined operation.

Operation STAR SLAYER (November 2787) was considered by those not devoted to the plan as a simplistic attempt at a singular drive into the Draconis Combine, based on the strategies utilised by the SLDF in its drive on Terra.  However, unlike the SLDF, the AFFS faced a foe that would trade space for time, and would launch spoiling assaults or its own counter-invasions.  Additionally, the depth of the penetration threatened the entire operation with being cut off deep in enemy territory, if large numbers of troops could not be found to hold the long lines of advance, troops that may also be needed for later assaults.  John Davion brushed off most of these concerns, believing that the “New Model” of warfare he saw as coming would nullify existing strategic doctrine.  The initial wave of STAR SLAYER aimed to cripple both the Proserpina and Irurzun Prefectures, before Waves 2, 3 and 4 made an orthodox advance towards Benjamin.  Questions were asked regarding the potential of linking up with Lyran forces, or at least driving to the Lyran border to create havoc in the Dieron Military District, however the Prince brushed these suggestions off as unnecessary.

If STAR SLAYER was audacious through overuse of optimism, then Operation GALLANT (May 2787) was pie in the sky.  Using a similar stratagem, though hitting more critical targets early in the invasion, Operation GALLANT would elicit a savage response from the Confederation.  Although GALLANT aimed to take St. Ives quickly, thereby shocking the Confederation, the operation then followed the lead of STAR SLAYER, by undertaking a staggered advance that in no way hid the end goal of the operation.

Free Worlds League
Kenyon Marik, still unbalanced from his experience on Terra, began his planning for the operations against the Capellan Confederation and Lyran Commonwealth in a manner that did not generate great respect from his subordinates.   Industrial output increased, though not to the extent it could have, and although five new regiments and two WarShips were raised and sent to the Andurien front, little else was accomplished during 2785.

Operation INDIGO (August 2787), the invasion of the Capellan Confederation did not lack for the Captain-General’s failings, as the combined will of the Allison and Humphrey’s clans drove the LCCC planning for the massive undertaking.  With INDIGO planned for August 2787, neither felt the need to rush, despite pressure from those close to The Marik, and a carefully orchestrated plan for the gutting of the Capellan Confederation was put onto paper.

INDIGO used the deception of the lure of Andurien, as the central tenant in pulling the CCAF out of position.  The initial invasion from the Duchy of Andurien into the Andurien Commonality would seek to draw the CCAF down to defend Andurien itself, as well as the surrounding systems.  Once the CCAF was over extended and engaged, hopefully counter-attacking as well, forces from Oriente would begin their own assault.  Follow up waves would link to the two invasions and hopefully begin the drive towards Sian, with the overarching goal the crippling of the Confederation for the foreseeable future.

Operation ROMANESQUE (June 2787) on the other hand, the cutting off and subduing of the Lyran worlds dominated by the Bolan Thumb, was seen as a far more straight forward campaign, albeit one that would be undertaken with more limited resources.  Initial waves would seek to complete the thumb by reaching to the Periphery, then reducing the remaining pocket of worlds step by step.

Lyran Commonwealth
The Lyran Commonwealth kicked its industry into high gear in 2785, no mean feat for a nation already running flat out industrially.  The key worlds of Alarion and Hesperus II benefitted most from the expansion of industry, with Alarion’s capacity to launch ships of war expanding, as Hesperus II spewed forth an ever growing torrent of ground based war machines.  At the same time, the LCAF added ten regiments to the rolls of the Lyran Guards and placed these new regiments into areas guaranteed to see action over the coming years.

As the planning for the Command Reform Act was being put into place for the following year, the LCAF High Command, under the direct supervision of Archon Steiner, began preparing for war.  Three main actions were planned for: the invasion of the Draconis Combine; the reconquest of the Bolan Thumb; and ongoing acquisitions along the Periphery frontier.

The Periphery was seen as a cheap source of territory and the Archon gave free reign to local commanders to take advantage of the situation as they saw fit, as long as two conditions were met.  The first was that no major operations against established Periphery powers were initiated, with the second being Main Street Salient was to be driven through to its Coreward maximum, ensuring no Periphery power could cut the Lyran Commonwealth off from future outwards expansion again.

Operation PITHIA, planned for March 2787, was aimed at the reclamation of the Bolan Thumb, and as combat planning went, it did not strain the limited creativity of the LCAF High Command.  The plan was simple, the Thumb would be cut and Bolan assaulted, then the remainder of the now cut off worlds would be reduced.  Once this was accomplished, it was anticipated that a large number of Lyran troops would become available for use in combat operations elsewhere.

Operation ASGARD (February 2787), was another matter entirely.  Though Archon Jennifer was initially hopeful that the planed campaign would give the Commonwealth the respect it needed militarily and the room to breath and build on its industrial advantage, the scope of the operation began to hit home after two months of planning.  The reality of the LCAF’s limitations, even with the planned improvements under the Command Reform Act, became readily apparent and what had started as an ambitious and rather complex plan was reduced to a series of frontal assaults aimed at Luthien.  In the end, the Archon was not displeased with such a plan, as it played to the LCAF’s strengths, whilst limiting her General’s need to think too deeply.  However, despite maps which showed the Commonwealth marching all the way to Luthien, the Archon was secretly happy if the LCAF even made it to Krenice.

The Periphery
The Periphery, though desiring to move quickly to secure its interests in the face of increasing belligerence and military posturing from the Inner Sphere, was limited in its capacity to quickly adapt to the now highly fluid political situation.

Within the Taurian Concordat, the fallout of the effects of the SLDF’s crushing of resistance meant that economic recovery was proving to be an almost abortive effort kept afloat, if barely, by the beginnings of trade with the Terran Hegemony and held together across the fragile HPG network.  The high points for the Concordat were Protector Calderon’s announcement of the reformation of the Concordat Chasseurs, and the launching of TCS Wildcat.

The Magistracy of Canopus reacted quickly to the opportunities trade with Terra offered, leveraging capital to expand BattleMech production on Canopus, whilst raising a 3rd regiment of the Canopian Light Horse and resurrecting the Magestrix Guard.

Within the Outworlds Alliance, industrial expansions on Alpheratz was the order of the day, as the Alliance government saw investment on the capital world as far easier than trying to get the provinces to cooperate.  A key aspect of pulling the Alliance closer together would come from wider deployment of the military, two new regiments, one old and one new, were added to the rolls, the Pitcairn Guards and Santiago Carabineers.

The remainder of the Periphery continued to struggle, with each nation doing what it could to expand it economy by whatever methods were available.

[Blacknova]

Link to operational planning maps:

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/h7tubqze25dr3/1SW_Alternate

[Daryk]

As a heads up, when I tried to download one of the maps, my anti-virus blocked an attack (and the file with it).  I don't think your file is the problem.

[Blacknova]

Ok, thanks, I'll let the hosting site know.

[Daryk]

Here's the details on the attack (since the site will probably want them):
An intrusion attempt by 178.175.130.163 was blocked.
Web Attack: Fake Browser Update 3
Attacking URL: hw.zqjuyunlearned.download/855/133/gohkao6/109fp/5370

It happened when I clicked the "Download" button on the site, so it looks like their button has been hacked.

[snakespinner]

I liked your take on the Lyrans, The Archon was happy to limit her generals need to think too deeply. Nice. ;D
The Fed Suns is going to get slaughtered with that sort of planning, sort of what happened in the original first SW. O0

[Blacknova]

Thanks, the hard part is making each faction play both smart and dumb.

[marauder648]

Wow thats a LOT of military movement, and thats gonna be one hell of a series of clashes.

[Blacknova]

HIB FLASH ALERT 17 FEB, 2786.

URGENT DISPATCH TO ALL REGIONAL COMMANDS

Scattered reports from Chesterton indicate a large scale Capellan invasion. Breif intercepts before the world went silent said a large Capellan fleet had defeated the FSN force in system. One source claims the CCAF invasion was like being hit by a SLDF BattleMech Division. The appearance of the badly damaged FSS Joseph Davion over Ulan Batar 24 hours later may be confirmation of these earlier reports.

Contact was also lost with Demeter and New Florence, with a Capellan fleet said to be over the latter.  CCAF forces are also down and fighting on several other worlds in the Federated Suns Terran Corridor.

MORE TO FOLLOW - ALL STATIONS ON BORDER TO UPDATE ON THE HOUR.