Time to blow open the secret of Fenwick. Not the last story I will tell in this system but perhaps revealing a couple of secrets and explaining their initial secretive nature.
The last part is from James Tanaga continuing to expand the Fire Mandrill story
Bannister Cameron’s Quarters
Fenwick City, Fenwick
Star League Protectorate
3rd August 3109After nearly a month of getting to know the people of Fenwick Duke Bannister Cameron was feeling accomplished as he packed preparing to leave the system the people of Fenwick had officially agreed to join the Star League Protectorate and they had agreed to the free travel rules of the Protected Worlds. He still hadn’t met with Duchess Gloriana Fenwick but her daughter had said that the Duchess would not stand in the way of Fenwick’s return to the Inner Sphere. There was a knock at the door “please enter!” Bannister called turning towards the doors moments later one of the palace guards opened the door and in entered who could only be Gloriana Fenwick. She was perhaps in her early eighties, perhaps older, and wore a navy and silver gown with a purple sash across it. “Duchess, you honour me” Bannister Cameron said bowing his head slightly in respect.
“Don’t patronize me, Duke Cameron, I have ignored your presence at every step you know this despite my daughter’s insistence I was unwell? I am correct?” She asked Bannister nodded she was unlike her daughter, who had trained as a MechWarrior and routinely undertook trips across the system, Bannister was sure that she had lived a comfortable life here for most of her life and she didn't care about his position in relation to her. “Good then you are not an idiot.” She said walking into the room looking around “I hope you have found your accommodations comfortable during your stay?”
“I have, Duchess, I understand your reluctance to invite outsiders to this world it is quite idyllic. We have no intention of installing new leadership here no forcing you to accept masses of new immigrants.”
“I know this…” she said crossing the room again “I do worry Bannister Cameron this world was founded as a retreat a place where civilization could be forever protected and the weapons that were created out there could not reach.”
“I am aware” Bannister said remaining where he was “we will not volunteer the location of Fenwick that I have already promised your daughter…”
“I am aware” she said repeating him cutting him off “however perhaps you are not fully aware of our reasons for wishing this system not to become too crowded…”
“Am I not?” Bannister already knew Fenwick had secrets, secrets he had been willing to wait to be answered.
“I believe not” she said suddenly stopping her pacing looking at him “I need you to trust me. You must accompany me to the Cavalier and until I show you what we must protect beyond everything. Your WarShip must remain clear, at least initially.”
“And where are we going?” Bannister asked more curious than worried if these people wished to hurt him they would have already done that.
“Not far” Gloriana Fenwick said calmly
“I agree” he said making his decision showing trust in this woman he had just met regardless of the risk he planned to see this through, he immediately through of Andrea and his children but duty came first, a contingency was in place should he never return the Star League would prevail.
***
Duchess Gloriana Fenwick’s ‘not far’ had been ten days onboard the Cavalier. During that time Bannister Cameron had been given complete access of the WarShip and found exploring the huge WarShip an adventure all on its own. The crew were perhaps a little more lax than what he had come to expect from the crews on SLDF vessels but then these crewmen had been locally trained and never faced an enemy who was willing to engage them in combat sight of the SLS Warlock was probably the first ‘enemy’ WarShip they had ever encountered. That wasn’t to say that the crew was anything but polite with him still not the military officers and crew he’d need them to be before he could ever deploy the vessel as an asset of the Star League Defence Force.
Entering the command bridge Bannister saw that Duchess Gloriana already awaited him there. The room was a little unconventional all of the consoles faced into the room’s centre while at the far ‘forward’ end of the room was helm, while down the starboard side of the room was weapons command, communications, internal security and sensors while at what the crew referred to as the ‘aft’ was engineering and damage control. The entire port side of the command deck was taken up by a massive holotank, which was easily larger than any Bannister had seen on a WarShip, which detailed everything about the ship and the space around her. In the Duke’s personal opinion while grand the holotank was a little overpowering. “Duke Cameron, we are about at our location” she said as Bannister came alongside her she indicated for him to hook onto the console suggesting that the ship’s engines would soon stop. He slipped his boots into special holders which would hold him down. Very quickly the engine’s ceased their forward thrust and Bannister felt the lack of gravitational force slowly move over him, he hated zero-g and microgravity environments, but tried to ignore it as he looked over at the Duchess who also seemed to dislike it. “Captain, if you please” she directed the ship’s commander suddenly the holo-tank pulled out from the Cavalier and began to show several items close to them. First was the last planet of the Fenwick system then its nearest moon, which they were now behind according to the holo display in the dead space behind the planet he saw nearly three dozen objects and one larger one probably a space station. As the resolution cleared he realized it wasn’t just a space station but it also appeared to be a shipyard.
“What is this?” Bannister asked looking at what he was seeing.
“The Great Father commanded that Fenwick become a bastion for the Star League the last holdout for a past civilization all alone in the dark.” Gloriana Fenwick explained “you didn’t think we would be that hold out with a couple of nuclear weapons and a single WarShip?” She asked Bannister suddenly looked back at the holo-display and realized that the smaller objects were actually WarShips, more than three dozen of them!
“Great Father?” Bannister asked having a good idea about who she was referring to but wanting to be sure.
“Aleksandr Kerensky, father of the Star League Defence Force, he made what is at Fenwick possible.” She explained nodding towards the ship’s commander and the display forcused on the smaller vessels. “Initially the population believed that Kerensky was withdrawing to an SLDF Depot in the near Periphery so they concentrated on refurbishing as many ships as possible repairing four corvettes, two destroyers and three heavy cruisers in a short period of time.”
“I only count seven ships?” He said not trying to sound ungrateful but not understanding why her count was out.
“Three Aegis-class Heavy Cruisers were sent into the Draconis Combine during what the Inner Sphere refers to as the First Succession War. Nuclear weapons were employed against them and only the Tsesaevich returned heavily damaged after that the people began to strip the remaining weapons from the rest of the ships, drain them of their fuel and make their hulls air tight.”
“Putting them into preservation…” Bannister whispered stunned as the holo display pulled out again “and the shipyard?”
“A plan made by the founder of this system Sir Roger Fenwick created.” Gloriana Fenwick explained “while the work to strip the remaining WarShips kept the population employed and most of the ground equipment is stored away from people who could cause harm it they still needed a focus. There was a single Stefan Amaris-class Battleship among the old hulls stored here, one that Kerensky had found at the back end of the Rim Worlds Republic, it was the largest and most capable hull left in this cache.” She explained signalling to the ship’s commander and the holo-tank focused on a group of a dozen identical vessels. “He tasked his people to repair the ship which was completed by the time his son was born. Seeing what his father accomplished his son William ordered the people of his generation to build another grand vessel for his first child. Over the years it became something of a tradition.”
“A tradition to build Battleships…” she whispered stunned now the reason why the mines and the factories continued to operate made sense to him. “This is a gold mine if it had ever been discovered during the Succession Wars they would have burned this entire system to gain access to it.” He said still surprised that no-one had ever discovered this system and exploited its secrets.
“Which is why we have been so secretive about what is in this system and taken measures to stop anyone who discovers us leaving” she said her voice finding a new menacing edge “those who have refused to surrender have died and those who have surrendered but remained a threat to us have been sectioned.” She explained Bannister nodded he knew from speaking to Major Rosberg that the people of “The Section” were a mixed bag of thrill junkies who wanted new experiences and prisoners he could believe that many had died mining the asteroids. “We have also seeded the entire area with nuclear weapons” Gloriana warned “they are still there to this date.”
“This is when you expect the rest of my people to jump in and try and seize control?” Bannister asked
“The thought had crossed my mind. Your Warlock may be still in Fenwick’s gravity well but we detected what we believed was a Hyper Pulse Generator aboard the vessel.” She explained “the battleship’s sensors are powerful enough to find all the open space in this system and find the places that you could jump into.”
“We have no plans to invade Fenwick.”
“The more you say that the more I believe you.”
“However I do believe we have found the first place that the Star League Defence Force would like to put some resources.” Bannister said looking at the ships and the shipyard. “We have a Newgrange-class Yardship and a Fleet Support Vessel we could deploy to this system and kick start the refit process bringing the first visitors to this system and bringing new work to the system.”
“That could be acceptable”
“How did you find the germanium to construct the K-F cores for those Battleships?”
“Some of the ships we built using salvage taken from some vessels that were too badly damaged to be made safe. For others I will need you to send a message to the Warlock so they don’t panic when they see us jump away from Fenwick.” She explained as she did the Cavalier’s engines activated once more turning the WarShip away from the ship depot.
***
An hour later the ship’s K-F Drive activated sending the Cavalier through a jump into deep space far from any star. “Welcome to Section Omega our most remote mining outpost” Duchess Gloriana Fenwick explained as the ship emerged back into real space near a converted JumpShip which had been turned into a space station which hung over what appeared to be a shattered planet. We believe this planet once belonged to the Fenwick system many millennia ago how it broke the way it did we do not know. We actually discovered it by accident one of our JumpShips miscalculated a jump towards another system which it believed was twenty-nine light years away in fact it was two hundred-and-ninety light years away.” She explained how such a mistake was made beyond Bannister “they were stranded in deep space for nearly eighteen days as their fusion engine charged the K-F core manually during that time they discovered Omega. Its core is made of pure germanium worth billions on the open market and priceless to Fenwick.”
“How do you get people to work out here?”
“Volunteers all of them, even the criminals who are sent here,” Gloriana said “a prisoner can work off ten years of his sentence at this facility in six months and they get to pilot some of the smartest IndustrialMechs ever created.” She boasted the lack of atmosphere meaning the prisoners out here probably piloted converted BattleMechs to do their work relying on the heat from its fusion engine to keep operating.
“Truly all of this is impressive.” Bannister Cameron said looking at the operation displayed on the holographic display. “I cannot believe that it has been hidden away for so long. Duchess I will be happy to accept you all into the Star League Protectorate, I am beyond happy” he said “I have one snag”
“A snag?”
“Yes, we cannot call the Battleships the Stefan Amaris-class. Across the Inner Sphere and beyond his name is reviled.”
“I understand” Gloriana Fenwick agreed “locally we call them the Aleksandr Kerensky-class.”
“Which is fine for Fenwick but beyond that name would likely also create conflict” Bannister explained thinking the Clans would hate that as much as Stefan Amaris while the Inner Sphere would question even more where they had come from. “How about the Fenwick-class?”
“While that may appeal to some of the younger generation those who have past would roll in their graves at the prospect and once Fenwick’s place became known I am sure that the Draconis Combine would wish a piece of what has been under their noses for so long.”
“Then how about we use the Otey-class? It means father in Russian Kerensky’s native tongue and given that it was the father of your family line who set you on this path.” Bannister Cameron suggested after a moment knowing that the Stefan Amaris-class could not remain in SLDF service.
“I accept” she said for the first time since Bannister had met her she smiled he hoped the first time of many now that Fenwick was part of the Star League’s Protected Planets.
Food Riots
Vega, Vega Prefecture
District of Dieron, Draconis Combine
9th August 3109 With the planetary HPG destroyed few realize how bad the situation on Vega truly is as food riots break out across the globe. In the city of Roccer an entire battalion of the Third Dieron Regulars is mobbed as rumours the DCMS have food stashed in their base spreads like wildfire. Unable to stop the hoards of angry, scared civilians the Battalion is massacred by the mob. Even as Morgan Christifori’s SLDF unit scrambled to try and maintain the peace the Third Dieron’s military commander Hojo Ujimasa commands his troops to open fire if further mobs form resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
With Vega’s primary spaceport destroyed aid shipments were landing at alternate facilities at Nasew were being stretched to their limit. Unfortunately when systems and people are pushed to and beyond their capacity accidents happen. The Fury-class DropShip Truant carrying medical personnel attempted a landing as the Buccaneer-class DropShip Maine attempted to take off. With neither vessel able to alternate their course a collision was inevitable causing the destruction of both vessels and closing the landing area for several hours as repair crews attempted to clear the wreckage and repair the damage.
At one of Vega’s jump points two Tramp-class DropShips arrive and deposit several DropShips worth of supplies for the people of the system. Several days later the Bear DropShips land on the planet’s surface and offload their supplies before leaving the ground before the remaining Dieron Regular troops can oppose the landing zones. The supplies left are made up of food, water and medical supplies enough to help several thousand civilians for a few days lessening the load being put on Vega’s spaceport.
Recovery Ward, Medical Treatment Facility Four
New Barcella, Nova Cat’s Den
Periphery
14th August 3109 Canin Rosse stirred as he laid on the bed the pain coming from his left side and more specifically his left arm slowly bringing him to consciousness. Looking around the room the Khan knew he was in a medical facility meaning the battle had not gone well. Closing his eyes he tried to remember the last moments of the battle with saKhan Katrine Devalis he remembered the weapon impacts which tore the left leg assembly from the saKhan’s Demios and her final particle cannon shots slamming into his Dragon Cat’s torso burning into the gyroscope and then his OmniMech falling.
“Do not go back to sleep my Khan.” A female voice said off to his right bringing him around once more. He looked over and saw a battered saKhan Katrine Devalis sitting on the chair.
“I congratulate you on your victory, Khan Katrine” he said weakly
“Neg, it has been decreed that it was a draw.” She answered “My OmniMech was downed at the same time when you severed my left leg” she explained remaining at the side of his bed. She did not sound one bit angry about the battle's result.
“But I was left unconscious” he said looking down at his own left hand realizing that the lower part of his arm was gone and budded over with thick bandages “and obviously I was badly injured” he said he felt further pain down his left side but everything else was intact. “You were victorious you are now, Khan.”
“Neg, I refuse the position, our battle was over a disagreement it was not over the leadership of our Clan, you maintain the support of the council and of me you are the right man to lead our Clan.”
“I am seventy-one years old perhaps it is time for my rule to end…” He said despite his current injuries Canin Rosse’s body was as healthy as a man twenty or thirty years younger.
“Neg, we disagree once more Khan Rosse” she said interrupting him “you have the drive and vision to see where our Clan should be in the universe more so than anyone else.”
“Perhaps it is time for that vision to change.” He said glancing away from her he had been in command for a long time, perhaps too long, many Nova Cats jumped at the challenge to strike at the Draconis Combine perhaps his peaceful attitude towards the Federated Suns was slowly strangling his Clan. The problem was he didn't know if he was the man who could change that.
“That is your choice my Khan but you are still the leader of the Nova Cats and me.”
“A leadership you have weakened.”
“Aff, weakened but not broken” she reminded him “you are still Khan of our Clan" she repeated again as if she intended on convincing him of the fact herself. "Another left hand and lower arm are already being grown” she said stepping forwards leaning forward over him “you can still be Khan if you want to be. It is your decision” she said finally “and it is mine to continue to command our operations against the Combine and the Ravens with your public support and without interference.” She said taking what she wanted from the victory.
“If you became Khan then you will not need support” he reminded her challenging her once more “you have always wanted to be Khan why now when you have this golden opportunity you are not taking it?”
“My vision” she said quietly “it continues to inform my decisions daily and for now I know that my future is not Khan of the Nova Cat Clan.”
“What is your future?” Canin asked wondering is Katrine knew herself
“That has not been decided” she half joked turning to leave “I wish you well my Khan and hope you decided to continue to serve our Clan.”
“And if I make choices as Khan that threatens what you believe is in your best interests?”
“I came close this time to beating you Canin Rosse, next time I will make sure that you do not recover from your wounds.” She promised him finally before leaving him on the bed to contemplate his future.
In the coming weeks and months Canin underwent several operations to repair the damage done to his left arm and to heal other wounds. Once he had recovered sufficiently the Khan was challenged three times by ristars in the Clan’s Touman who wished to lead the Nova Cats and saw a weakened vulnerable Khan. Each time Canin faced his challenges in single combat and in each case he was victorious showing that although Katrine Devalis had come close to beating him he still had fight.
While many had been swayed by Katrine’s battle against him as it had been classed as a draw few could use it to show he was unfit for command. By the end of the year Canin Rosse had successfully defeated an additional two challenges to his rule and cemented his continued control over the Nova Cat Clan. These distractions keep Canin Rosse focused on maintaining control over the Nova Cat Clan for the remains of 3109 while Katrine Devalis continues her own path.
Border Conflict
Draconis March, Federated Suns
Military District of Benjamin, Draconis Combine
21st August 3109 On Robinson Duke Duncan Sandoval free from his obligations to lead the Draconis March is seen in downtown Robinson City with Major Ariana Steiner, of the McCarron’s Armoured Cavalry, despite the age gap the two appear completely comfortable in each other’s company. Media agencies in the Federated Suns question whether the Duke should be stepping up to his heritage instead of trying to bed a mercenary.
While Sandoval enjoys Steiner’s company the Draconis Combine raid Sadalbari, Fellenin II, David and Raman while the Federated Suns itself raids New Mendham, Barlow’s Folly, Ludwig and Junction. The Seventh New Avalon Guards RCT and the Fifth Robinson Rangers LCT successfully capture Barlow’s Folly and New Menham destroying two Benjamin Regular units while the DCMS capture Sadalbari, David and Raman only failing to capture Fellenin II as the Second New Ivaarsen Chausers LCT.
Salvatore Incorporated (Rim Motors), Space-station Michael
Layover, Tikonov Operating Area
Crucis March, Federated Suns
28th August 3109Countess Vicki Famito of Layover floated in microgravity as she silently looked out the window with pride, as both Fulcrum prototypes begin to dock to the Michael the huge space-station she was currently aboard hovering above Layover as the world spun below. The Fulcrums were beasts, weighing sixty thousand tons, with speed matching a destroyer, and their weapons systems and onboard aerospace assets allowing them to compete with smaller warships. Something both her nation and the Rim Collection had demanded.
And the staff here delivered. While she knew the Federated Suns Navy would still need to approve the design for their use, she smiled, for the Rim Collection Touman representatives had already approved the design for the Collection’s own use and they were willing to stomp up the money to pay for the craft. They only requested a minor design change to allow for the inclusion of one of their mobile HPGs.
She smiled as she thought about the fortune that had finally shone on them. Layover had once been a major industrial concern for the Federated Suns in the First Star League, providing for much of the Federated Suns’ heavy naval manufacturing, until its fall and the First Succession War which had seen the world invaded by the Draconis Combine and pillaged by their troops. Afterwards, however, the world and her family’s company, along with its fortune, had met near-nonstop misfortune time after time after time.
Four and a half years ago, Vicki had been forced to declare Salvatore Incorporated, the economic life blood of Layover, bankrupt. She was in despair yet she had little choice the company, her house and family had little to offer and could not pay debts owed from loan after loan over the last few years.
What she expected happened. The Ministry of Commerce and Trade sent feelers out to other companies as they begun the process to disassemble the company and sell its assets to the highest bidder. What she wasn’t expecting, though, was Rim Motors’ public call for the return of Layover’s Golden Age and in doing so, riled up not just the population of Layover, but also of the Federated Suns into supporting their proposal. Rim Motors who originated in the far off Rim Collection had attempted to purchase companies across the Federated Suns as the small periphery nation attempted to broaden its base of suppliers and extend its reach far beyond its borders.
And now, she was glad for their intervention. Though Salvatore Incorporated was no more, Layover was now bustling with excitement, as the Rimmers and their Monkeys continued their methodical approach to return Layover to its Golden Age. She’d found it strange when she first found out that members of the Rim Motors team were actually Clansmen members of Clan Fire Mandrill that resided inside the Rim Collection. Technically on visitor passes to enter the Federated Suns they shouldn’t be working for any corporation but because the Mandrill’s did not treat money the same way as the people of the Inner Sphere so there was that tiny loophole that Rim Motors made the most out of.
On Layover the transformation had been slow but was already making an impact. In the last year three separate companies had been brought online bringing manufacturing of weapons, vehicles and DropShips back to Layover transforming the world’s economy and bringing new blood to the world. The Federated Suns had already placed certain restrictions on what could and could not be sent out of the nation and in what quantity, and had deployed an entire New Avalon Guards RCT to the world to enforce this, but even with these restrictions and over watch from the AFFS the Rim Collection was coming out well ahead of what they could produce in their own nation. One of the Rim Motors “Rimmers” had explained to her that a world like Layover had a population three times that of some Rim Collection worlds they had access to trade routes with dozens of systems and because much of the weapons went to the AFFS they had the support of the Federated Suns Government which added together far outstripped what could be produced at home.
The news on Layover conveyed that on a daily basis reminding people that while Salvatore Industries was technically a name of the past and while some of their weapons were being shipped out with the Federated Suns their world was once more contributing to the gross product of their nation instead of living on handouts from other worlds. During this little enterprise the Collection had unveiled its first two home-built Odyssey-class JumpShips to the Inner Sphere sending them across the Inner Sphere to show how far they had come and how far their ambitions extended. As part of the deal to transport weapons out of the Federated Suns Countess Vicki Famito knew that the Rim Collection, and Clan Fire Mandrill, had agreed to sell one of the Odyssey’s to the Federated Suns Military but it seemed like a small price to pay especially considering the new levels of defence the Fulcrums would bring to the nation. Famito suspected that the Rim Collection must also be making similar agreements with the Star League Defence Force and Lyran Commonwealth so they could travel through their space but she knew that such agreements could only be good for the system of Layover. Finally its name was being spoken on a dozen different worlds not because they needed help but because finally the system was beginning to return to its routes.
