Project LEGION: Into the Shadows

[Kasaga]

Forgotten Treasures: Into The Shadows

Prologue

Alpha Team, OP 1
Harrisburg City, Gibson
Federation of Gibson
Free Worlds League
17 April 3060


         “Hurry up on that bypass Hitome.” Master Sargent Todd Hunt grated out as he pulled security on his cyber specialist who was busy bypassing the buildings security in order to gain access through an emergency escape door.
         Hitome without missing a beat. “You know boss, you can always take over if you want?”
         Hunt snorted. He had no idea how to do half of what Hitome Tetsuhara did. “How long do you need?”
        “Ten minutes.” Tetsuhara responded.
        “You have five.” Hunt ordered.
        The eerie face of Tetsuhara’s helmet looked up at Hunt and he knew he was getting one
of her scolding looks as the door like pulsed green and the lock cycled. “I thought you said ten minutes?”
        “I like to keep you all thinking I’m a miracle worker.” She replied as she stowed her cyber gear.
        Snorting quiet enough that his team radio didn’t pick it up he looked around and took stock of his situation. “Ma’am, doors open let’s go.” He watched as Captain Natasha Romanoff and her wingman Sergeant Mitch O’Connor moved from their positions at the corner of the building to enter into the emergency exit quickly followed by Tetsuhara and himself.
        The team quickly transitioned into a rolling T tactical formation as they proceeded down the hall to the T intersection. The team paused and Hitome checked the layout schematic on her Heads-Up Display. “Left.” She said.
Romanoff nodded, and the team split into two dominating both passages of the hallway before reforming into the rolling T and continuing on to their objective.
        It took nearly twenty minutes of movement through the building’s corridors and stairwells and
two close calls with personal moving through the building before the team reached its target. With Tetsuhara and Hunt pulling security, Romanoff and O’Connor opened the office door and entered. Quickly sweeping the office for security devices and other monitoring equipment.
        Once clear Hunt and Tetsuhara entered and went to work scanning for hidden compartments and other accessways. The room was clean minus the saferoom built in to the book shelf behind the desk. Tetsuhara quickly disabled the locking mechanism so that their target couldn’t use the room.
        “How much time?” Romanoff asked.
O’Connor who had been running a countdown to when their target would be arriving at the building glanced at the timer and said. “Elven minutes.”
       “Ok people Phase Two.” They all activated their mimetic systems built into their tactical uniforms and phased into the walls.
       

Exiting his ground car Trent approached the doors to the building currently serving as his temporary office while in the city. His guards flanking him, they approached the entrance his guards holding the door and the internal security systems automatically scanning him to allow initial entry.
         Stopping in front of the security desk where two ROM Guards sat he paused on the mark on the floor and announced. “Precentor Martial Trent Arian.” The ROM Guard continued to look at him for a second until a symbol in his smart glasses turned green.
        “Good morning Precentor Martial. Lift one has been held to take you up to your office.” The Guard greeted.
        “Thank you, Acolyte.” Arian said as he and his guards moved into the designated lift for the trip up to his office.
        When they reached the third floor of this small building located in Harrisburg City. The others all criticized him for his choice of such a common and small building for his offices. Most of the Word of Blake leadership were either on one of the many Word of Blake bases spread across the planet, the planetary HPG station or in one of the many Highrise buildings in downtown. Arian preferred the non-descript building he currently occupies for several reasons. It did not draw a lot of attention, it was low to the ground so if he needed to escape from his office he could jump from a window and it was near a hidden ‘Mech bay so he could quickly mount his Grand Crusader if needed.
        Arian and his detail exited the lift and walked down the hall to his office. Two of his four Guards remained outside and two entered to sweep the office for bugs and boobytraps. As one of his Guards was sweeping a wall he stopped and stared at a spot on the wall that was confusing him. A visual distortion.


Captain Natasha Romanoff watched as the Militia Guards swept the office for bugs while their target was reading from a tablet on a sofa in the sitting area of his office. One of the guards was passing close to Romanoff when he paused in front of her staring intently. Romanoff remained completely still.
        After several long heartbeats the Guard reached forward to touch the spot. Romanoff smiled under her helmets shield as she saw his right hand reach up and the Guards sidearm was secured in the Guards right hip holster. As the Guards hand was within centimeters of making contact with Romanoff she struck.
        A lightening quick strike from Romanoff’s left hand grabbed the Guards right arm while her left flashed up as two prongs extended from gauntlets on her wrists making contact with the Guards neck and a flash of azure electrical light arced out and the Guard began convulsing. After a full two seconds the pulse ceased, and the Guard fell to the ground unconscious.
       On the other side of the room, Hunt slapped a tranq patch on the neck of the other Guard activating it as soon as it made contact and catching the Guard before he hit the ground.
       All around the room the four members of the entry team burst into blurred movement as their camouflage systems deactivated and they became visible. Both Romanoff and O’Connor were aiming their suppressed carbines at Arian as he sat on the sofa with his hard copy report in his hand. Hunt and Tetsuhara trained their suppressed weapons on the door in case the Guards outside came in.
      Romanoff moved forward and stood in front of Arian. “Good morning Precentor Martial.” Romanoff said.
Arian looked up from the report he was finishing trying not to let the situation overwhelm him. “Good morning, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” He said as he finished reading the paragraph he was on and then looking up.
       “Oh, names aren’t important. What important is what brings us here today.” Romanoff stated.
       “And that is?” Arian inquired.
       “You.”
       “Me?” He asked with mock surprise.”
       “Yes, you.” Romanoff said as she took a seat across from him and removed her helmet.
       “Your people want you dead.”
       “Let me guess for Odysseus?” He asked half-jokingly, but mostly serious as he had his own concerns.
       “No, Sixth of June.” She stated. She saw his eyes light up. So, he does know. “They want you out of the way.”
“Yeah I figured. So, what brings you here?” Arian inquired.
       Natasha opened a pouch on her kit and pulled a warn and weathered scroll from a hard case held within. She stared at it for several seconds before looking up and handing it across to Arian. “This is what brings me.”
       Arian accepted the parchment and looked at it for a second before unrolling it. He got one look at the seal and his eyes went wide with shock. “Am I holding what I think I am holding?” Arian asked almost accusatory.
      “Yes.”
      “Oh, shit.” Arian looked back down at the old weathered document. “After all these years.”

[Kasaga]

Chapter 1

THS Regents Honor
Orbital Approach Terra
Terran System
29 June 2788



The view below brought back memories of her childhood in the Sierra Nevada mountains of North America. The time was a pleasant memory and one she badly wished she could be real right this moment. Instead here she was, about to land on the birthplace of humanity to meet with a man who had either clearly lost his mind or had a plan to save the world from the inevitable destruction at the hands of the Great Houses.
        “Ma’am, we are about to make orbit. Traffic control is denying the Honor’s request to land. Instead we have been cleared to send a shuttle down escorted if need be.” Commander David McClellan her personal DropShip Captain.
        “Fine let’s get the shuttle warmed up and alert Lieutenant Smith that I need an escort to the prom.” Duchess Alexandra Ryan commanded as she left the observation deck.
        Alexandra made her way through her ship to the small craft bays. Boarding the Mk VII landing craft with her escort of Marines. The Shuttle cleared the small craft bay thanks to the Electro-Magnetic Catapult and was quickly joined by two EGL-R6b Eagle aerospace fighters launched from the Honor’s aerospace fighter bays. Together the three craft descended into the atmosphere of Terra.
        Sitting in the jump seat between the pilot and co-pilot Alexandra watched as eighteen aerospace fighters surrounded her shuttle and their escort and the radio crackled.
       “Shuttle Regent 1, divert to beacon 271 Hilton Head Island. Be advised that your escort will return to your DropShip in orbit or they will be destroyed. You have 1 minute to comply.”
       This came from one of the aerospace fighters surrounding her shuttle. Alexandra looked towards her pilot and then back to her escorting Marines. “Why did I accept that Man’s invitation.” She said to no one in particular. “Alright James tell Smith to head back to the Honor and change course for the beacon.”
       “Yes Ma’am.” Lieutenant James Ericson her shuttle pilot responded. “Escort Lance 1 return to the Honor orders from the boss.”
       “She does know what she is doing. Roger Regent One, Returning to base.” The voice of Lieutenant Smith replied.
       Smiling to herself she looked back at the marines again in the hold. “Captain break out the armor I don’t think I’m going to like what Blake has planned for us.”
       The Captain in charge of her marine contingent smiled a feral smile and replied. “Yes Ma’am, if he has any other ideas than to shake your hand and toast Stellar Peace then he will have a surprise coming to him.” He turned back to his Lord. “Alright Marines suit up. Possible Hot LZ.”
       As the cargo hold became a flurry of action as the three squads of Marines jumped into action. Two squads suited up in Night Hawk Mk XXII Powered Armor while the third squad strapped on additional body armor over their dress uniforms. One Marine approached Alexandra and handed her a laser pistol which she could conceal within her formal attire.
      “Thank you Marine.” She said with a smile after accepting it.



Jerome Blake stood in the viewing gallery of the Hilton Head landing pad. With him General Lauren Hayes and Conrad Toyama.
      “Why are we waiting on this woman? Who is she Jerome?” Toyama stated. “Someone very important.” Was all the General Hayes had to say.
      “Then why have I never heard of her?” Toyama seethed.
      “Because it’s a secret of the Hegemony going back to the formation of the Star League.
Something so secret that if the other Houses had discovered it they would have withdrawn from the League.” Blake said placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
      “We found out about Ryan’s people during the war. They approached Kerensky just before the coup. Told him that they were going to reveal themselves to the First Lord as was tradition upon Richards coronation but saw what Amaris had done and instead left after offering him a gift. After that they approached Kerensky through contacts within his own command group revealing their existence.” Hayes elaborated.
      “Then who are they?” Toyama insisted.
      “You will find out in a minute my friend.” Blake said with a smile. “We still do not know who they really are. Just that they command an army in hiding and have for a very long time.”
      “Here they come.” Hayes said as the shuttle appeared in the distance as it began aero braking maneuvers bringing the shuttle into a more controllable speed.


As the shuttle came into a hover and set down on the landing pad the engines cycled down and began to cool. After a few minutes the ramp lowered, and an escort of uniformed Soldiers descended the ramp and took up honor guard positions on either side of the ramp. At the same time the gallery doors opened and out marched a platoon of infantrymen in SLDF battledress.
       Once both parties were in position Blake, Toyama and Hayes all walked to the edge of the pad and awaited their guest. Alexandra descended the ramp flanked by a half dozen Marines in the traditional dress of the Terran Hegemony Marine Corps. This caused General Hayes to gasp.
       “What is it?” Asked Blake.
       “Those are Hegemony Marines.” Hayes lifted her communicator and spoke. “Overwatch do not, I say again do not engage unless they fire first. Do NOT fire unless they fire first. No matter what happens.” A ripple of confirmations from the over watching Jump Infantry and snipers satisfied her.
       “What is going on?” Asked Toyama and Blake in unison.
       “I don’t know. But we are about to find out.” Hayes replied.


Alexandra after a brief pause continued moving towards her hosts. As she approached she noticed that the group was nervous but chose to leave things as they were. She approached the group. She recognized Blake and Hayes from intelligence reports and the Asian man with them she saw a glint to his eye and he would have to bear watching.
      “Minister Blake, General Hayes. It is good to finally meet you.” Alexandra said extending her hand and shaking both in turn. “I am afraid that I have not had the pleasure Mr.?” She asked turning towards Toyama.
      “Conrad Toyama, Chief Administrator of the Dieron HPG.” Toyama said trying his best charm on Alexandra.
      “Well you’re a long way from the home phone.” She said rebuffing his charms.
      An increasingly enraged Toyama was about to lose his composure when Blake interjected. “Why don’t we step inside, so we can discuss what brings you to Terra.”
      “Very well, lead on.” Alexandra followed the group inside.


With the group inside one of the conference rooms and guards at her flanks with a pair of Hayes’ guards on either side of the doors inside of the room. The group watched each other for several long moments.
      Blake was the first to speak. “So, what brings you to Terra Ms. Ryan?”
      “You invited me.” Alexandra said stunning everyone.
      Conrad spoke next. “We invited you, how?”
      “Emergency protocol 7. The Space Defense System sent out a coded message alerting
me to the fall of Terra. This makes the second time this alert has been received by my people. The first being the Amaris Coup.” Alexandra said.
      Conrad and Jerome were both confused. General Hayes spoke first. “You were the source of those mysterious Divisions and Warship squadrons assigned to General Kerensky’s personal command.”
      “Yes, my Father sent them to fight at the Generals side.” Alexandra confirmed.
      “Who are you?” Jerome finally asked.
      Alexandra looked around the table and noticed no one had a clue as to whom she really
was. With a shrug and her command voice used to lead her troops alongside those of the Commanding General. “I am Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan, Duchess of Nova California, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province, Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces and Regent of the Terran Hegemony.”
      The looks she received shocked her and the two guards at the door exchanged glances.
Jerome sat back in his chair for a moment contemplating. “You are telling me there are other worlds of the Hegemony out there hidden?”
      “Yes, as part of Ian Cameron’s insurance policy in case the League backfired, and he lost control of it. It was later expanded by Jonathan Cameron in his vision inspired expansion of the Star League Defense Force and the hidden worlds of the Terran Hegemony.” Alexandra explained.
      “You are full of shit.” Conrad exclaimed. “Jerome do you really believe this story she is telling us?”
Jerome sat there for a long moment. “Yes. It makes so much sense now.” He turned to Conrad. “Conrad. Remember our meeting not so long ago about the shadow addresses in the HPG network that wouldn’t allow us to manually access them but would allow for a remote connection and routing from those addresses?”
       “Yes, but those must have been SLDF protocols.” Conrad countered.
       “No, they are not because we have all of the SLDF protocols passwords while they would function like this we could still block them. These are buried much deeper and would not allow us to lock those commands out of the system. They are hardwired into the system not software.” Jerome looked back towards Alexandra. “You can control the entire HPG network currently in place if you wanted to.”
       “More than that Director.” She chimed in. “I have people working alongside yours rebuilding the destroyed stations to include this facility. We have already installed the equipment needed to override and channel message traffic as needed.”
      “You can cut us out of the system.” Conrad said.
      “I could, however I do not plan to do such a thing. Nor will I threaten to do so in the future. I will sign your Communications Protocols along with the other House Lords. I will sign the same document as them not a new one to be hidden.” Alexandra looked around the table. “My people do not have the power to hold the Hegemony and if we try we will simply lose everything not just the current Hegemony. We will lose our hidden worlds as well. We will use our back door into the HPG network for our needs only not to undermine you in any way.
      “Should you step out of line and begin harming those you have sworn to be neutral to. We will make our presence known and set the record straight. Remember we are out there and will be watching.” Alexandra said. “My people will be watching, we are everywhere, and we are going to protect as many Hegemony citizens as we can. If that means working with you or against you that is just what it means.


Two days later Duchess Alexandra Ryan, Regent of the Terran Hegemony and Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces signed the Communications Protocols of 2787. Taking her copy, she boarded her shuttle and lifted for the Regents Honor holding station in orbit.
         As Alexandra watched the blue atmosphere fade to black she knew she would never come home to Terra again. Her home was now on Nova California. While Blake was easy to deal with his friend Conrad Toyama was a problem. He creeped her out and would need to be watched. Thankfully she had Lauren in place as head of their Armed Forces to keep them in check. With the two Divisions “destroyed” in the Amazon “resisting” Blakes takeover of Terra Lauren had cemented her place within the new ComStar Organization.
        As her Shuttle was secured in the small craft bay of her Lee-class DropShip THS Regents Honor it maneuvered and made the long burn towards the nadir jump point and the waiting Merchant-class JumpShip from the Intelligence Bureau to take her back to Nova California.

*              *              *

Court of the Star League
Unity City, North America
Terra, Terran System

Master Sergeant Carlos Fitzgerald held against the inner perimeter wall of Unity City. Not in a million years did he expect to be creeping through the rubble of Unity City in his Night Hawk Mk XXI armor trying to avoid Star League Defense Force Infantry patrols. His twelve man A Team was split into two teams moving on two separate objectives. His team was moving towards the city’s data core while Captain Reynolds team was moving on the Throne Room complex and the SLDF Royal Command center located on that floor.
        As the infantrymen passed by his position and disappeared out of sight he stepped from the shadows and continued on.
       “Fitz, the entrance is just around the corner.” His wingman stated as they approached the corner in question.
       “Terry take Wil and get to the high ground. I need eyes on the objective and overwatch.” Fitzgerald ordered Terry Yamaguchi his weapons expert to take a spotter and get to the high ground with her suppressed sniper rifle.
       “On it.” She reported as her and the armored suit following crashed through a door and made their way an overwatch position.
       Holding position until his sniper was in position Fitzgerald looked around at his three other team mates located with him. It was their job to breach the data core and extract the information required. What a sad day we have today. Fitzgerald thought to himself.
       It took about four minutes before his radio keyed up and Yamaguchi’s voice came over the net. “In position. Two guards. No patrols.” Was all Yamaguchi reported.
       With a resigned sigh Fitzgerald spoke. “Take them.”


Around the corner at the non-descript section of wall stood two guards in Star League battle dress complete with full face helmet and charged laser packs for their Mauser 960 Pulse Rifles. As they stood there guarding a section of wall both guards had thought was the dumbest thing they had ever heard of. Eric one of the two guards of the 151ST Royal BattleMech Division turned to look up the street when he heard a cough and the sound of a sack of potato’s hitting the ground. Eric turned his head back to where Rachel was standing just as he saw her crumpled form on the ground he saw a flash of white and then nothing...


“Targets neutralized.” Yamaguchi reported after firing her second shot killing the last guard.
        “We have fifteen minutes until they are scheduled to report in or a patrol comes
through let’s move.” Fitzgerald reported. With that his team broke from cover clearing the distance to the hidden access hatch in seconds.


Switching his view from night time image intensifier flipping through the different viewing mode looking for the entrance. Settling on thermal imaging he was able to see the heat escaping from the seams of the hatch leading down to the core. Pointing to an access panel he motioned his cyber expert over to it. “Connor, you’re up. Bust this lock.”
        Sergeant Connor Sprague stepped up to the hidden panel and swiped his RFID transmitter over the hatch and watched as the hatch recessed into the wall sliding up. Pulling a digital probe from his suits arm and plugging it into the data port on the access panel he went to work running standard Royal Command overrides. When those were not successful he tried the Intelligence Commands overrides, again with no luck. He had one more GOLD level access code to use without having to run a bypass or brute force attack on the system and possibly alerting the defenders.
        Connor accessed the secure data bank within his suit tied to the self-destruct. The code labeled S.C. GOLD. The system accepted the access codes of the long dead First Lord Simon Cameron. The panel turned from red to green and began blinking.
        “Got it.” He reported as he removed his probe and watched as the panel resealed itself and the door slid downward into the ground.
        “Move.” Fitzgerald ordered.
The four vanished into the void that opened up. Descending the stairs into the bunker Fitzgerald used his image intensifiers to guide his path into the bowels of Unity City. Four minutes later they arrived at the core. “Connor run the package.”
        “On it.” Connor reported as he moved up to the terminal. Snaking his probe into the slot on the side of the monitor he accessed the data core and the operating system. “Installing the package.”
It took thirty seconds before the program was on the system. “It’s on the server and extracting.” He was checking the mirror display in his suits HUD. “Looking for a transmitter.” A couple of eye blinks and flicks of his fingers later.               

[Kasaga]

         “Got it. I routed a ground-based microwave transmitter to track the DropShip. The transmitter is sending the core data now and will overload after transmission.”
         Fitzgerald watched as Connor removed his probe and sent an encrypted burst to Captain Reynolds with the go code. “Let’s go. We need to be in position to cover Reynolds.” The team moved as one approaching the exit. “Terry, are we clear?”
         “Roger, come on out. I’m about to take out a roving patrol.”


Captain Henry Reynolds moved through the rubbled Star League palace equipped with his advanced sneak suit armed with a laser pistol and several other hand to hand weapons. His prey, the Guard at the end of the hall was unaware of his presence and he hoped to keep it that way. He and his wingman Sergeant Gary Collins hand gone around the palace to approach their objective from the other hall way. This put them each behind one of the two Guards.
        Two other teams of two were making their way through the palace eliminating Guards and closing on their own targets. His just happened to be down the hall from the Throne Room where Richard Cameron and the Cameron family were slaughtered.
        Now only just out of arms reach of the infantrymen, Reynolds extended the garrote cable from his left wrist holding the toggles tight in both hands. The guards inside the palace while wearing body armor did not wear their combat helmets and Mauser’s, instead they carried laser pistols. Quickly Reynolds flipped the garrote over the guard’s head and crossed the ends pulling tight. The Trooper reached for his neck gasping as the garrote cut into his neck slicing into his esophagus and crushing it. With his knee in the Guard’s back he took him to the ground while pulling back on his neck. Within thirty seconds the Guard was dead.
        Across the hall Collins dispatched the other guard with equal efficiency. Together the two commandos entered the office of the last Commander of the Royal Command General Tamerlan Stefannson. Sliding the chair away from the desk he ran a coded RFID tag over the floor revealing a hidden compartment. Inside was a hardened data archive which Reynolds recovered.
        Securing it within a large utility pouch built into his sneak suit Reynolds watched as it phased away after it was sealed and blended back in with his active camouflage. Turning to Collins he nodded, then the pair exited the room making their way to the link up point.
       

Warrant Officer Stacey Gwynn moved through the building a suppressed SMG in hand with her laser pistol on her hip. As she approached the Intelligence Command liaison office she was on the hunt for any guards. Already having dispatched two roving patrols she was on a time crunch to secure her objective.
         Covering her was Sergeant Akiva Lipman moving ahead of her he reached the corner and froze. Five meters ahead were two guards moving his direction. Slowly he began to raise his arm. In his hand was a suppressed pistol firing subsonic ammo. There was a slight cough to the firearm and the trailing guard dropped first with a quick follow-up shot taken by Akiva he delivered a controlled pair into the Guards incapacitation box. The First shot landed high in his sternum with the following shot impacting between the eyes and exiting out the back of his head. The second Guard only had a quick moment to register the confusion of the flash ahead of him and the sound of something hitting the ground next to him and his death.
        Gwynn reached her Objective. The office was non-descript. The Unity City working office of one “GEN. F. Abfelbucher INTCOM” was all that was labeled on the door plaque. Lipman flashed the lock and the two entered the office.
        Gwynn went to the desk and like Reynolds removed the chair. On her knees she swiped the RFID tag she carried over the floor watching as a panel popped open swinging up and out of the way. Inside was another hardened data archive. Retrieving it the two made their way out of the room and to the link up point.


A blur of movement caught the Guard in the throne room unawares. He missed the second ghost moving up behind him and stabbing his blade through the back of his neck severing the spinal cord. The second guard was in the latrine just outside the throne room, or he had been before Sergeant Ørjan Rosten broke his neck. His wingman for this Phase of the mission Sergeant Jessica Steinhäusl had just killed the man in front of him with her combat knife.
       The two quickly moved to the Throne and waved the RFID tag they carried along the wall behind the Throne. When the panel opened Rosten reached in and carefully removed the two glass encased documents. The first document with the Cameron Star upon it was signed by Ian Cameron. The second, older document tinged with the yellow of age was more valuable in this moment. They quickly transferred them to map rolls and secured them within their sneak suits. Exiting the Throne room, they made for the rooftop link up point.
       It was time to leave.


Three pairs of Commandos made their way to the rooftop. When they all made linkup on the roof Captain Reynolds counted his team and activated his COM system.
       “Ghost Seven this is Ghost One, over.” Reynolds said speaking into the throat mic. Several seconds passed with no answer before a response came in.
       “One, this is Seven.”
       “Seven, we are in position ready for Exfil.” Reynolds said.
       “Roger, One. Bravo is in position and will signal the bird.” Fitzgerald reported.


Fitzgerald watched from another rooftop as the ghostly shape of the VTOL approached. Not any normal helicopter this one was equipped with an experimental Vehicular stealth system. The Helicopter opened its side doors and the unarmored Commandos of Captain Reynolds team boarded the chopper. The bird lifted off and moved towards the rooftop Fitzgerald and his team were set on. Without waiting the crew chief opened its side door again and six armored Commandos boarded the craft and it turned on its tail and sped off into the night.
        Warrant Officer Samuel Turner followed the Exfil flight path planned out days in advance as he flew nap-of-the-earth dodging buildings guard towers and population centers racing towards the extraction point. After nearly an hour in flight the bird slowed and landed in a clearing. Once on the group the Commandos were met by their Operational Detachment Bravo, which began pulling netting off of a grounded shuttle and cleared the VTOL of anything useful or Classified.
        Reynolds, Gwynn and Fitzgerald were standing together with the pilot of the Shuttle getting updated on the next chain of events.
        “We lift in 10 or we will miss our ride home people.” Major Tom Gleeson announced as he walked up. Gleeson was not the mission commander that was Reynolds. Gleeson was the Royal Guardsmen who was assigned to the LZ security along with a platoon of his Troopers. He was simply stating the realities.
        “Yes sir. The VTOL will be ready to blow in 5 and everyone’s almost aboard the shuttle now.” Fitzgerald reported.
        “Good, good. Your people did damned fine work tonight. Now let’s go for the hat trick on our mission to Terra.” Gleeson said with glee.
        The others all exchanged looks. Every aspect of this mission was compartmentalized. Only Gleeson and the Duchess knew more than anyone else.
The group of Operators all exchanged looks before muttering some half assed. “Yes sir’s.” The teams quickly sanitized the VTOL and other equipment they couldn’t fit aboard the shuttle.


Reynolds sat watching the unfolding events checking his kit one more time as he looked over the documents stored in the map cases. While the one with the Cameron Star was important it wasn’t overly so to his people. It was the other one that was the prize. It would have just looked strange to take one and not the other.
         Warrant Officer Gwynn and Master Sergeant Fitzgerald approached Reynolds sitting on a felled tree. “What’s our status?” Reynolds asked.
         Gwynn spoke up first. “Equipment is loaded, the suits are locked down and stowed.” Reynolds nodded and looked towards Fitzgerald.
         “The teams aboard the shuttle. We are waiting on you to collapse the security perimeter.” Fitzgerald reported.
         Reynolds looked around, reached down and scooped a handful of dirt up. He looked at it for several long seconds. He would miss his Homeworld. Taking a plastic bag from his kit he went to dump the dirt into it.
         Reynolds hesitated. Staring intently at the soil in his hand and looking around the wooded Landing Zone, at the troopers in the woods, at the team he commanded. The look of determination entered his eyes. His team knew it well. His eyes set on the dirt again. He released his grip, letting it all fall to rejoin Mother Earth. “We shall return...”

END CHAPTER 1

[mikecj]

Sloppy.  Someone should have wiped Simon's codes long ago

[DOC_Agren]

Sloppy.  Someone should have wiped Simon's codes long ago

Yep, but then again that honestly not unusual that odd access codes get left unwiped

and TAG

[mikecj]

True, its happened to me before.

[Kasaga]

So think about this. Simon died and Richard was sketchy. So the Duchess’ Hegemony faction kept his codes in play Incase anything happened until the First Lord reached his majority.

[mikecj]

Its an older code but it checks out...


That makes sense, thanks.

[Kasaga]

Chapter Two

   



HPG Network Command Center
Hilton Heady Island, North America
Terra, Terran System
30 June 2788



Jerome Blake sat at his desk going over reports of HPG reconstruction within Taurian Concordant when his office door chimed.  He indexed the report and let the privacy screen activate on his display.
   “Enter.”  He called out deactivating the door locks and cycling the doors open. 
   In strode a very harried Conrad Toyama.
   “What is the matter Conrad?”  Jerome asked.
   “Someone has attacked Unity City.  They hit the Palace and other locations within the Court of the Star League.”  Toyama reported.
   Concern washed over Blakes face.  “What did they do?”
   “Mainly we can only discern at this time was the very effective neutralization of our guards throughout the area.  General Hayes is traveling there now to find out what has happened in more detail.”  Toyama reported.
   “No one attacks the Court of the Star League and does nothing else.”  Blake stated as he leaned back.
   A Chirp sounded from his desk alerting to an incoming communication.  Activating it a holo of General Lauren Hayes folded into existence on his desk.  “General Hayes, what do you have for me?”  Blake asked.
   “Sir, it looks like that whomever attack hit the command offices of the Royal Command and Intelligence Command.  We do not yet know what they had taken at this time but compartments in the floor below each of their desks were left open and that is all that has been touched inside.  In the throne room the Hegemony’s copy of the Star League Accords is missing along with several other documents of importance belonging to the First Lords.”  Hayes looked off screen and then back again.  “It also looks like we missed a data core which was hidden in the City.  A number of Troopers were found dead nearby and only the fact that the locking mechanism was damaged during the Amaris Coup is what alerted us to its presence today.  It didn’t seal after whomever raided it left.”  Hayes looked saddened for a moment before picking up her head and setting her jaw.  “It looks like the entire core was uploaded someplace off planet last night.  It took nearly eight hours to send all of that information and then once everything was uploaded the core erased itself.”
   Jerome was in shock of this knowledge.  He thought they had secured all of the backup cores of the Star League with the help of Kerensky and his people before they left.  “What could have been on that core?”
   Conrad was pacing now.  Unsure of what to do.  Hayes looked off screen towards someone talking in the background.  She nodded after several seconds and returned her attention to the screen.  “My people think it has something to do with the Hegemony Research and Development Group and possibly logistics branch.”  She was thoughtful for several minutes before continuing.  “Sir, I think that whatever was on the core.  Combined with the information taken from the Commanders of the Royal and Intelligence Commands that they may know the locations of all hidden Star League Instillations within the Inner Sphere and possibly beyond.”
   “Good God.”  Blake gasped.  “I don’t even think Kerensky had all of that information.  That was all lost when the High Command was taken out by Amaris.”
   “Yes sir.”  Hayes looked out of view again.  “I think it was the Duchess’ forces that did this.  We are tracking a shuttle on a High-G intercept of her DropShip now.  I am launching DropShips and fighters from Lunar Base to intercept.”
   Blake thought about that for a minute before responding.  “Do it.”


The Mark VII Landing Craft burned hard to make linkup with the Regent’s Honor.  Duchess Ryan watched as the LIDAR contact closed with her DropShip.  Already she was seeing DropShips rising from the surface of Terra and Luna. 
   “Most likely a carrier and a couple of Assault Droppers.”  Came the report of Chief Tanaka the Sensor operator.  “They will intercept in seven hours at this rate.”
   Captain John Hernandez smiled and turned to Alexandra.  “Ma’am they will intercept us as we reach the rendezvous coordinates.”
   “Well, won’t they be in for a surprise.”  Alexandra said with a smirk. 


“Sir, the Honor reports numerous DropShips inbound on intercept.”  Warrant Officer Edger Winters reported from the controls of the Mk VII Landing Craft as he set the ship onto its flight path and activated the autopilot. 
   “How long until we rendezvous with the Honor?”  Captain Reynolds asked.
   “About an hour out sir.  Once we get within about ten minutes, the Honor will cut acceleration and then we will dock.”  Winters reported.
   “Alright, well now we wait.”  Warrant Officer Jessica Gwynn stated as she watched through the hatch into the small cockpit. 
   Reynolds snickering turned to look at his Intelligence Warrant.  “Alright Gwynn, let’s go strap in then.  I don’t think Winters here needs us hovering?”  He said half asking and looking over his shoulder.
   “No sir.”  Winters replied with a smile back at them. 
   “It’s ok Chief.  I think Major Gleeson will be up here to ask you all kinds of useless questions.”  Reynolds said causing a string of swear words to escape the Chief Warrant Officers lips and causing Reynolds and Gwynn to laugh hysterically as they made their way back into the cargo bay to strap in. 


The Mark VII Landing Craft drifted into the small craft bay aboard the Regent’s Honor mooring clamps extended and latched on.  Bay doors cycling closed atmosphere began pumping into the bay.  The shuttles landing struts extended and settled down upon them. 
   Alexandra watched from the access hatch as the readout showed the atmosphere rising in the bay beyond.  The light above the hatch shifted from red to green and Alexandra hit the access button on the side of the hatch.  The Door cycled open and she entered. 
   Already the ramp was lowering on the shuttle.  Walking down the ramp Captain Reynolds and his team carried their gear.  “Welcome back Captain Reynolds.”  Alexandra greeted.
   The team of Commando’s halted and bowed.  “Highness, mission accomplished.”  He said handing over the map cases.  “They were exactly where the records indicated.” 
   “And the command codes?”  Alexandra asked.
   Unhooking a small pack from his kit he extracted the small data storage device.  Handing it over to Alexandra.  “Highness, here is the SOI drive for the Royal Command.”  Looking to his Intelligence Warrant Officer.
   Warrant Officer Jessica Gwynn likewise removed a small device from her kit handing it over to Alexandra.  “Here are the Intelligence Commands’ codes.  Combined with the copied data core Master Sergeant Fitzgerald and his team transmitted we will have access to all remaining SLDF Intelligence Command and Hegemony Central Intelligence Bureau personal and facilities.”
   “You all did well.  We will be at the pirate point soon.  Not before Blake’s people catch up to us but soon enough.  It’s going to be close.”  She looked around at the gathered Commando’s.  “You all get some rest before we get to the rendezvous point.”
   The Commando’s all saluted and moved past her into the heart of the DropShip towards their quarters. 
   I just hope we can make it in time.  Alexandra thought to herself.

[mikecj]

Oops... somebody has got the keys to the candy store!

[OpacusVenatori]

Following  :)

[David CGB]

must have more

[Kasaga]

THS Regent’s Hope
Terra – Luna L1 Lagrange Point
Terran System


The Lee-class DropShip Regent’s Hope began maneuvering wildly as Aerospace fighters and DropShips from the Star League Defense Force remnants under General Lauren Hayes and Jerome Blake attempted to disable Regent Alexandra Ryan’s personal transport. 
   Commander David McClellan was strapped into his command chair on the bridge of the Hope.  Duchess Ryan seated just behind him in an auxiliary station where she could monitor all that was going on but not able to interfere with the operations of the ship.  He watched as an Achilles with a pair of Leopard’s maneuvered in to block his approach while a Leopard CV and two Union’s closed from behind.  Fighters from all of the SLDF DropShips were in space. 
   A ComTech reached up to his ear and turned to look over his shoulder at McClellan.  “Captain, we are receiving a hail.”  He reported.
   “Very well put it through.”  McClellan ordered.  The Signal was piped over the bridge speakers, so all could hear it.
   “Pirate vessel, this is Commodore Stanley aboard the SLS Mercer.  You are ordered to cut acceleration and prepare to be boarded.”  The voice ordered. 
   McClellan looked spun his chair around to face his Duchess.  “Highness, how should we respond?”
   Alexandra was tired of these amateurs.  “Hurt their feelings Commander McClellan.”  She stated with an evil glint to her eye.
   “Aye, Aye Ma’am.”  Rotating back around to face ‘forward’ on his bridge.  McClellan keyed open the net.  “Mercer, this is the Terran Hegemony DropShip Regent’s Hope.  You are to stand down from your hostile maneuvering and allow us safe transit.  Failure to do so will result in your destruction.  The Star League maybe no more but the Terran Hegemony remains.  I have the Regent aboard and failure to follow her orders will brand you as a traitor and call for your immediate destruction.  You have 2 minutes to comply.  Commander McClellan clear.”
   A slow clap was heard from the Duchess over his left shoulder as McClellan turned to his CAG.  “CAG put your people into space.”
   “Aye, sir.”  The Air Group Commander reported. 


The Regent’s Hope was not a standard Lee-class DropShip.  She was a modified version.  Carrying a Company of BattleMechs, a Company of Infantry – or in this case Commandos of the Special Armed Services – and a full Aerospace Fighter Group of 18 fighters.  Additionally, 8 small craft were aboard, 2 Shuttles and 6 Assault Ships.  This Lee was a hybrid between a BattleMech Transport and a Carrier. 
   As the fighters entered space and escorted by the 6 Ares Mk VIII Attack Craft launched from the ships small craft bays.  Two Ares with each squadron of Aerospace fighters maneuvered to protect the Hope.  The first squadron of fighters along with its two Ares pushed out forward of the Hope in an attempt to break up the DropShips and fighters ranged ahead of the Hope. 
   The remaining two squadrons maneuvered to the stern of the Hope to delay the Leopard CV the two Union’s and their fighters.  The space battle devolved into a fur ball as the Hope fought for her life against six DropShips and ten fighters with more Aerospace fighters closing from Luna.
   The rent and scorched armor of the Regent’s Hope was venting atmosphere as she tumbled and rolled to present fresh armor and weaponry to the Achilles-class DropShip Mercer which was rolling in from above the ship with a pair of Ares on its tail.  The Hope volleyed its weapons from all of its forward firing arcs into the Leopard-class DropShip SLS Panther breaching the ships armor and with it the ships reactor.  The Panther was lost with all hands.


McClellan watched his tactical repeater as the Hope maneuvered under the Mercer and up over the trailing Lynx.  “Tactical, target that Lynx all forward gun’s fire!”  McClellan ordered.
   “Aye sir.”  Replied the tactical raitting that had replaced the dead Lieutenant.  The Gauss rifles led off followed quickly by sever flights of LRMs.  The stabbed out of the Hope and into the Lynx as she passed underneath of the larger DropShip.  Lightning danced along its hull where the PPC’s connected and beams of ruby light melted off chunks of armor.  The LRMs pockmarked the hull searching out the breaches, the chinks in the armor as Aerospace fighters strafe the Lynx adding their own fire to the maelstrom. 
   Alexandra watched her own repeater and noticed the time.  A full regiment of Aerospace fighters would reach them in ten minutes.  When that happened, they would be swamped and even the two squadrons returning from their delaying mission against the squadron pursuing from Terra could not hold back the tide.  The gash along her cheek and forehead still bleeding and the burns along her neck reminded her that she was still alive. 
   It was amazing that McClellan had held out this long against the odds.  He was an able ship’s Captain as he maneuvered the Hope through the hell that was unfolding around them.  The Airwing had been reduced by nearly half, taking three DropShips and almost a dozen fighters with them. 
   “Commander McClellan, it is time!”  Alexandra called out from her station.
   “Yes, Your Grace.”  McClellan replied.  “Helm Bring us hard over and full braking thrust.”  Turning to his left.  “CAG recall the air wing.  I want them back aboard in ten minutes.  Tactical, lay down covering fire.”
   A series of affirmatives rang out across the bridge.  The Hope flipped one last time and began braking at full thrust.  Weapons alight with energy and fire of missiles, energy weapons and gauss slugs.  Pouring from the Hope’s weapons bays as her fighter bays opened to welcome home the birds of prey from their hunting trip. 


Aboard the Mercer Commodore Eric Stanley maneuvered his Achilles and the survivors of his squadron back into position to stop the crash deceleration of the Lee-class DropShip Regent’s Hope.  Stanley looked around the bridge trying to figure out what was happening.
   “Martin, open a channel to the enemy ship.”  Stanley commanded.
   “Channel Open Sir.”  His Communications rating responded.
   “Mercer to Pirate Vessel.  Stand to and prepare to be boarded.  You are surrounded and outgunned.  This is your finale warning.”  Stanley ordered.
   There was no response at first, and then.  “ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.” The laughing was ominous coming through the speakers.  “Outnumbered Commodore maybe.  Outgunned? Not hardly.” 
   As Stanley went to open his mouth when he was interrupted.  “EM spikes!”  Came the frantic report from the sensor tech.  “Counting three thermal blooms now.  Two midsized warship and one massive signature.  Expected arrival in thirty seconds.”
   “Are you still there Stanley?”  A pause.  “Well, it looks like my ride is here.  Do be a peach and clear my path out of here will you honey?”
   Stanley watched the external feed from the camera showing the area of EM buildup.  The Thermal bloom and emergence of azure waves of energy brought forth first one, then two Riga II-class destroyers.  Another thirty seconds brought forth a behemoth of the black seas.  The SLS Renewed Valor materialized into existence within weapons range of all of the Combatants.  The McKenna-class Battleship began targeting Stanley’s DropShips, unleashing a storm of lightning in the form of Heavy Naval Particle Projection Cannons, 55cm Naval Lasers and Class 40 Naval Autocannons.  The storm vaporized the Lynx in an instant with the Mercer taking a pair of PPC bolts followed by an autocannon round destroying the Achilles.  The finale pursuing DropShip, a Union approaching from the stern of the Hope received several glancing blows from Naval Lasers before cutting acceleration and emitting a surrender beacon.


The Regent’s Hope was locked into one of the two free collars aboard the Valor as the ship prepared to jump back out of the system.  The crew aboard the Hope exhausted from the ordeal they had just suffered through.  Alexandra looked around the bridge the bodies which had not been removed were now floating free as corpsmen were seeing to the dead and wounded taking them below decks to be stored. 
   She unstrapped herself from her observation seat and floated forward to Commander McClellan’s position.  Placing a hand upon his shoulder she startled him she squeezed it to assure him that everything was ok. 
   “You saved us all Commodore.  You saved us.”  Alexandra repeated.
   McClellan looked over his shoulder at his liege.  “But your Grace, I am only a Commander.”
   She smiled at him and winked.  “Not anymore David.”

[mikecj]

Timing is everything...

[Kasaga]

Chapter Three

Part 1

THS Renewed Valor
Scorpion Fleet Yard, Manticore
Nova California Province
Terran Hegemony
15 July 2788


The massive battleship settled into its slip already work was under way on the Valor from the light damage she had taken during the battle near Luna.  Duchess Alexandra Ryan watched as the tug moved her crippled DropShip from one of the docking collars to its own drydock in order to have repairs assessed to see if she was even worth the effort to salvage. 
   “Welcome to Scorpion Yard Duchess.”  A slim man in a modest utility jumpsuit greeted her.
   “Thank you, Director Bashir.  I wish my first trip here was under other circumstances.”  Alexandra responded.
   “Trust me I understand Highness.”  Director Oscar Bashir said.
   “I am not a Highness.  Simply the governor of this province.”  Alexandra said waving her hand to encompass everything around.
   “No Highness.  You are now the Regent of the Terran Hegemony.  You are the next in line of succession unless we find a living Cameron out there somewhere.  With the passing of your father last year it falls to you now.”  Bashir was adamant.
   Alexandra thought about it long and hard.  “No longer do I get to be a simple General do I?”
   Shaking his head Bashir answered.  “No Highness, you do not.  Now you get to be the hidden hope of all those citizens of the Terran Hegemony.  While we may be in self imposed exile for some time we can still effect the outcome of many.” 
   Alexandra thought long and hard on what was just said.  “Exile huh.  That sounds about right Director.  We need to get started before we are trying to find the scraps and stitch them back together.  The Hegemony outside of our province is already a shamble.  I can’t possibly see what the House Lords would want from them in their conditions other than more territory.”
   Bashir looked out the window thoughtfully.  He began speaking without looking at his Regent.  “They will pick the bones of the dead in hopes of gaining an advantage over their peers.  They will think that Amaris and Kerensky left treasures to be claimed.  They will find worlds dead and dying and on the brink of recovery and push them all into the abyss.”
   “And we need to be ready to pull them back out of the grave and make them what they once were.  It will take time and we need to rebuild.  Kerensky wasted our strength by making us the vanguard in so many assaults.  Our fleet is devastated, and our ground forces are anything but organized and at strength.”  Alexandra said contemplating.
   “But we do have assets Highness.  We can use them even sparingly to begin our work.”  Bashir suggested.
   “You are right Director.”  She said with a smile.  “I might just have a way to kick things off.”

*         *         *
Hours later Colonel Douglas Blair entered the Fleet Planning Room aboard the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards.  The massive intertwined giga-complex of about six Peterson-class stations was the heart of the Hegemony’s fleet efforts in the Nova California Province.  Blair saw the frame of a woman working at a terminal.  Several aids coming and going and bringing data crystals and hard copy.  It looks like a hive of bees hard at work.  And in the center, their Queen.
   Approaching a Brigadier General working at a station Blair reported.  “Sir, Colonel Blair reporting as order.”  He said at the position of attention.
   The general looked up.  From the insignia on his uniform he was from the logistics branch.  He pointed off in the direction of the Queen Bee.  “Not to me you don’t.  The Duchess requested you.”
   As Blair turned around he came face to face with Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan.  Bowing slightly as he could on a grav deck.  “Highness.”  He said.  “Colonel Blair reporting as ordered.”
   “I heard you the first time Colonel.”  Alexandra said with a dead pan look on her face.  “What is the infiltration requirements for the ISF Command?”
   “About three divisions Ma’am.”  Blair responded.
   She did not like that answer.  “ISF and Lyran intelligence will be two of our biggest problems.  Both have excellent internal security.  In order to infiltrate either location we would either need to seize the objective through force or cause a distraction and focus everyone’s attention elsewhere.  It also come down to what is the end state of the operation.  Is it collection or just want to degrade the organizations capabilities for further operations as destruction of the headquarters would not affect the LIC as much as it would the ISF with the overall control of the organizations.  The LIC can operate desegregated while the ISF only needs its leader to survive.  Then he becomes the ISF.”
   Alexandra continued to watch the Colonel carefully.  Then she smiled?  Blair couldn’t believe it.  The Duchess smiled and was now laughing.  “You were right Adam.”  She said still staring at Blair before turning to face someone whom Blair hadn’t noticed in the room.  “This one is bright.  As a nuclear flash.”
   Extending her hand.  “Colonel Blair it is good to meet you.  I see we will be working closely together for the next few months at the least.  We have a crusade to plan.”

[Kasaga]

And so it begins again

[Artifex]

Yay! Looking forwards to more!  :D  8)

[Kasaga]

Part 2

Regents Estate, Nova California
Nova California Province
Terran Hegemony
27 August 2788


Colonel Douglas Blair was pouring over dispatches and status reports.  While the SLDF had been slugging it out retaking the Hegemony, Intelligence Command had been keeping a watch on the Force’s rear areas.  Particularly the Combine.  A large force of SAS was left scattered across the Combine and the League as well.  Matter of fact not a single member of the Intelligence Command, those SLDF formations assigned to them or for that matter the Intelligence Bureau.
   “How many of them will answer if we tried to pull them in?”  Blair thought out loud.
   “I don’t know, why don’t you try?”  The voice started Blair.  He turned to see the Duchess standing there in a sweater and shorts that barely poked out from under the oversized sweater. 
   Standing quickly about to fall out of his office chair the Duchess waved him back to sitting.  “Highness.”
   “Sit down before you hurt yourself Doug.”  She said scolding him.  “What have you got?”
   He lifted a stack of spread sheets.  “It looks like almost the entire Intelligence Command and its civilian counterpart are still operating out in the great houses.  Most of the Hegemony based people are either dead, wounded or missing.  Honestly I think those people just need a break and if we put out the call they will come in from the cold.”
   She looked at the papers thoughtfully for several minutes.  “Why don’t you make the call?  Bring our Hegemony based people in?  We can start sending out transports for them.  We have already taken a number of JumpShips and DropShips and started a cargo and passenger line.  We can use that to move our people around.”
   Blair thought about that for a moment.  “I would like to rotate out those people with people we have here.  Now is the time.  Records are trashed and we can bring in the survivors and their families get them in from the cold.  Build up their lives and use them to train the next generations of case officers.” 
   “Do it then.  I’ll have Admiral Lector begin coordinating.”  Alexandra decided.
   “Ma’am.  We are going to need to change our identity some.  We need to keep our heritage and live up to it.  But if anyone gets caught and we are using Hegemony standards and ranks.  We will have a problem.”  Bashir suggested.
   “No, no one has seen the Hegemony rank system in centuries.  And with it we will get our anonymity.”  Alexandra stated.
   Bashir thought about that for a minute.  “Yes, but in some cases, it will be good to paint our equipment in Star League Colors and wear their uniforms.”
   “Without a doubt.”  Alexandra said dropping into a large couch across the office that was given to Bashir to work.  “So, what are we looking at for our first operation?”
   Bashir tapped a command into his computer and the holo-projector in the desktop fired up and began to show the Inner Sphere.  Zooming in on the Hegemony it showed the various thrusts from the League, Combine and the most disturbing the Confederation.  “Why have the Davion’s not invaded?”
   “They have.  Just not militarily.  The Suns’ have been reaching out to planets diplomatically trying to bring them in.  But At the rate everyone else is swallowing up our homes they will have to begin a military campaign if he even has a hope of securing anything more.”  Bashir said.
   “I always liked John.”  Alexandra thought aloud.  “So, what’s the plan you’ve come up with?”
   Bashir began highlighting star systems around the Hegemony and the Inner Sphere.  “There are a few sites within the Hegemony that we need to secure and evacuate.  Com Star hit the New Earth facility but not before we did at the same time you were on Terra.”  He said.  “We need to look at securing sites on all of the Provincial Capitals.  There are stores and other facilities that were missed during the war.  I would like to try and bring New Dallas into the fold as well.  However, the League caused some major damage to the world.  We need to figure out a way to make them think that it is a dead world.”
   “Well it is dying unless we do something.”  Alexandra said anger building.
   “Then we need to Highness.”  Bashir said somberly.
   “I want you to go ahead begin the necessary movement.  Bring our people in from the cold.  Get them replaced by those that are ready and I’ll begin the military reorganization and rebuilding.  Our factories haven’t stopped building war stock since the coup.”  Alexandra looked over the display a little more.  She reached out and began manipulating the display as it floated in the air.  After about five minutes of work she nodded.  “There, this is what we are going to do in the next couple of years.  We give everyone a warning.  Come home when we call, or you never do.”



*         *         *
 
Castle Black, Nova California
Nova California Province
Terran Hegemony
26 July 2788


Lieutenant General Aldus Winterbottom was the most senior commander of the Terran Hegemony Army still alive following the return of the HAF home.  He sat in his office and admired the view out over the Imperial Valley.  Castle Black was located up in the Diablo mountain range.  One of the four ranges that surrounded the Imperial Valley and about an hour’s flight time from the capital. 
   Aldus had the unenviable task of rebuilding the HAF from the scraps that survived the invasion of the Hegemony.  “We should have acted sooner.”  Aldus said to himself.
   “Don’t I know it General.”  Alexandra Ryan said from the doorway into his office startling him. 
   Standing from behind his desk he walked around to greet his liege.  “Duchess, I wasn’t aware you were coming today.  I would have met you and the pad.”
   “I didn’t want to cause a fuss.  Besides I do still have an office here.  You know, since you haven’t moved in and taken over?”  Alexandra chided. 
   “You are still technically Commanding General Ma’am.”  He said.
   “You know better than anyone I was just the Expeditionary Force Commander.  There was only one Commanding General during that war.  Otherwise shit would have gotten real interesting.”  She paused.  “And enough of this Ma’am crap.  It’s Alex, you know like you’ve called me since the first time we served together.”
   Aldus thought about it for a moment.  “No it’s not like we first met.  You are the Duchess now.  Since the heart attack your father had when he found out about EXODUS.”  Aldus said sadly.  “You are now the Director-General in all but name.  There isn’t a Cameron to be found.  Or it seems a McKenna.  Kerensky didn’t stay and there goes his Army to back his claim.  Under the protocols of CASE SUNDOWN, you are the next leader of the Terran Hegemony.”
   “Even if we can’t save it because we gutted ourselves trying to retake it?”  Alex responded.
   “Especially now.  Now we need to plan to the future save those we can and prepare for our eventual return.”  Aldus was adamant.  “Our charter was to defend the Hegemony alongside the Royal Command and any of those forces in from the regular defense forces that sided with us.  Not fight everyone on our own.  Not without at least an intact although spread to hell Royal Command, some of the regular army and definitely not without the fleet.”
   Alex nodded to herself.  “Very well General.”  She said capturing his attention as she walked towards the large ballistic windows overlooking the valley.  “Build me an Army that can do it.”  She turned around.  “What do we need?”
   “We have it all.  We just need time and to make sure we keep ahead of the Houses on technology.  We will need allies and we will need to stay connected with the outside.  To build that combat experience.  We will lose all of our gained experience from the war before we rebuild our ability to go on the offensive.”  Aldus said.
   “What are you thinking?”  Alex said as she walked over to the offices sitting area and dropped into one of the oversized chairs located there.
   Aldus walked over.  “I call it PROJECT LEGION.  We build a force around an Infantry Division.  Capable of independent operations all the way down to brigade, even smaller if we need to.  Go mercenary.  Have a few independent regiments available to work with them.  We use our current gear because that’s what everyone is using.  I have a feeling that they will start going after infrastructure soon.  When that happens, we will need to begin fielding comparative tech levels and operate within those margins.” 
   Alex pulled out a stylus from her tablet and began twirling it in her hand.  She considered it for a while as she flipped it end over end through her fingers.  “We are going to need a home for our force.  Some place away from the front lines where we can recruit replacements from without raising suspicion.  What do we have now that can be committed to Legion?”
   Aldus walked back to his desk and grabbed a sheet of paper.  He handed it over to Alex.  “2ND Dragoons, 7TH and 10TH Light Horse regiments have all been rebuilt from veterans.  I’m already building the frame work of the expeditionary division.  The first brigade combat team is assembling and beginning to train together.”  He pointed down to the document to a couple of hand scribbled notes.  “I wish to reorganize the independent regiments like this after a while.  We will give them one more refit with fresh equipment before we start playing the long game.”
   As Aldus sat down on the couch Alex thought about the situation.  “I know what I’m going to do.  I need to get Doug in on this.”
   Aldus looked at her quizzically.  “Is that your new toy you are torturing at the palace?”
   “He’s a bright one.  I’m not going there with him.  Besides, since James died I just don’t know anymore.  Anyways.  Not my type.  Too smart.”  Alex said causing Aldus to snort.  “He can provide us with some analysis and put his new Intelligence Department to work.  I also want to approach someone and give us a little credibility out in the Inner Sphere.  I think we are going to go into the production business.”
   “Why not, you already own a shipping company from what Charles down the hall told me last week.”  Aldus said referring to Rear Admiral Charles Renault senior commander of the Hegemony Fleet following the retirement of the rest of the command staff following the sheer losses incurred against the Hegemony SDS’s.  It was the Hegemony that took Nirasaki and found the laptop of Professor Glimp.  Developed the SDS jamming system and installed it aboard their ships. 
   “Yes, we need a legit way to move about the Inner Sphere.”  Alex agreed.  “So we will have thirty JumpShips assigned to this effort to begin with.”  She got a look of shock from him.  “What its not like they would be doing anything anyways.”
   Shaking his head.  “You continue to surprise me Alex.  We can build up these merc units spread them around and use them for missions we need them to run in addition to gaining experience.”  He thought about it some more.  “We can get away with it now because of all of the confusion out there as to what’s left of the Defense Forces.  Let’s take advantage of that.”
   “We need to get on that.  I’m going to have a job for them soon.”  Alex said standing.
   “Where are you off to?”  Aldus asked.
   “Road trip.  Have three regiments ready.  Also, I want a Mechanized Infantry Brigade ready to move when I send the call.  Full support.  I want an aerospace group with fighters, assault ships and an assault escort group ready to move out and garrison a periphery system.”  Alex said.  “Now I just need to whore myself out a little."

[Artifex]

Whore herself out to whom I wonder ...  8)

I hope it won't be John Davion.  :-\

[Kasaga]

Part 3

Regents Estate, Nova California
Nova California Province
Terran Hegemony
01 August 2788


Alexandra walked through the main building of her family’s sprawling estate with her was Colonel Bashir who was briefing her on the success of pushing the Houses to think that New Dallas was dying and planting enough intelligence to keep everyone busy and to not go after it.
   “Good that will bring us up to four systems.”  Alex said. 
   “I have a few more prospects.  Systems which are worth saving and won’t cause us to reveal ourselves.”  Bashir said as they reached the large foyer before the door leading out to the back of the house.
   “Good send them to me when you narrow them down.  We can’t spread ourselves too much.  We still need to be able to operate.  If any of those worlds look to be dying and we can’t do anything about it, we need to get in gear and pull as many people off of them as we can.”  Alex said as she opened the door.  She could hear the engines priming of her VIP variant of the Mk VII landing craft for her trip to orbit. 
   “Yes Ma’am.  I will have everything ready for you.”  Bashir said.
   “You’re doing good Doug.  Keep it up.  Those operations that you have already overseen have been successful.  We never had to do any of this ourselves.  I’m just glad we have a good lot of Special Forces that were able to enact our emergency protocols.”  Alex said as they walked down the steps towards her ride.  “I’m giving you authorization to execute Noodle.  Slow them down a little.  We need that time.” 
   “Yes Ma’am, we will buy that time.  The people are already in place and we can go to work in about seventy-two hours.”  Bashir said.
   “Get it done Doug.  Send me updates.  We are activating Ghost Protocol now.  Nothing goes through the ComStar network from our end.  Send it through the backdoors and make it look legit.  It’s all in the books.”  Alex said as she walked up the ramp of her private shuttle. 
   “Yes Ma’am.  Safe travels Highness.”  Colonel Douglas Bashir said sending Alexandra off.
   “I’ll be back in a few months.  Good hunting.”  Alex said. 
   The ramp closing as she watched him moved back towards the safety of the arrival terminal built into the property.  Alex turned and strapped herself into the jump seat between her regular pilot.  “How are we doing today James?”  Alex asked.
   “Just fine Ma’am.  Ready for this trip out system.”  Lieutenant James Ericson said with a smile. 
   The Mk VII Landing Craft began lifting from its pad at the residence.  Lifting with its VTOL thrusters up above the third floor of the main building.  Retracting its landing struts the craft applied thrust moving forward and began to climb before the VTOL thrusters disengaged and the hatches closed.  The control surfaces moving as the pilot flew his craft up towards orbit.  The flight took around fifteen minutes before they broke into space and the mechanical control surfaces disengaged and locked in place as the cold-gas thrusters took over the maneuvering of the hundred-fifty ton craft.  In orbit waiting for her was her DropShip already loaded with her guards and everything else she would need.  The spare VIP variant of the Lee-class DropShip the THS Sovereign Promise replaced the crippled Honor as her new transport. 
   The Shuttle maneuvered into the small craft bay and was locked down as the pilot killed his maneuvering controls and the ships bay door closed.  Pressure equalized.  Then the light on the bulkhead turned green. 
   “We are good to disembark Ma’am.”  Ericson reported.
   “Thanks James.  We need to all get together and have dinner on this trip.  Its going to be awhile a long trip this time.  We don’t have a full command circuit in place.”  Alexandra said as she picked up her day pack and heading for the hatch.  “See you kids later.” 
   Stepping off of the lander she saw the side party assembled.  Four crewmen on one side and four of her Guards on the other.  Unlike the rest of the fleet the Duchess’ own craft were crewed and protected by the Guards.  At the end of the group was obviously the quarter deck officer and another familiar face.
   “Well isn’t it good to see you again so soon Commodore.”  Alexandra said in greeting extending her hand. 
   “And as always it is good to see you Highness.”  Greeted Commodore David McClellan. 
   “Are you commanding the Promise?”  She said with a questioning look. 
   “No Ma’am.  Hitch hiking.”  He said with a big smile.  “I’ve been bumped up to command of a Warship.”
   Looking at him approvingly.  “Oh, nice which one?” 
   “Princess Royal Ma’am.  She’s part of a group near the rally point before our last jump.  She just finished repairs and will be your back up when you arrive in system just in case.”  McClellan stated.
   “Looks like Aldus and Charles want nothing to happen to me.”  Alexandra said with a pained look upon her face.
   “No Ma’am.”  McClellan said tersely.
   Turning to the young Ensign in charge of the side party she saluted.  “Permission to come aboard.”
   The Ensign was caught off guard by his Duchess.  “Granted Ma’am, welcome aboard the Sovereign Promise.”
   “Thank you Ensign McDermont.”  She said dropping her salute and crossing the boat bay to the inner airlock.  McClellan joined her as they moved throughout the ship to her cabin. As they moved through the deck and into a lift which would stop on a deck dedicated to the Duchess and her staff she turned to McClellan.  “You know David.  One of these days I’m going to have to get a new ship.  Something that’s not as conspicuous.”
   “Considering most of the Lee’s left with Kerensky or are in the hands of house forces which absorbed Defense Force commands.  Yeah, we are going to have to fix that soon.  I have an idea to convert an Overlord.”  McClellan said.
   “Gawd, I hate those things.  So small.  I get it they are economical, but you have no firepower, no supplies and you lose your small craft bay.  Might as well convert a Dictator.”  Alexandra scoffed.
   Laughing McClellan tried to regain his composure.  “We will find something.  Even if its only for the last leg of trips.” 
   “I don’t care if we have to start manufacturing DropShips just so I can keep mine.”  She said seriously. 
   “But we do make them Ma’am.”  McClellan replied.
   “No for sale from some yard we build somewhere.”  Alexandra stated.
   “We will see what we can do Ma’am.”  McClellan said.
   “Good.  I’m keeping one of these damned ships.  They are going to have to shoot them down if they are going to take that away from me.”  Alexandra said heated.
   Reaching her stateroom Alexandra said her good by to the Commodore and entered.  In the anteroom her staff had already been here and was setup.  The Butler’s cabin was closed and she knew Martin was inside awaiting her summons.  Clarissa was no doubt in her office continuing the administrative work she was always doing.  The rest of the staff was most likely in their own Cabins as they had all lifted off Nova California with the Promise and was just awaiting the first day’s travel to be over with.  They had fifteen hours or so until they made their rendezvous with the JumpShip at the non-standard Jump Point and made their first few legs of their trip before they had to sit and recharge.  She wanted to stay hidden until she was clear of the fighting within the Hegemony.
   “This is going to be a long trip.  God I hope they are home.”  Alexandra said as she sat down on the couch.

[ovk8102]

TAGGED

[Kasaga]

Chapter Four

Part 1

THS Princess Royal
THAF Depot D-1
Uninhabited System
21 September 2788



Alexandra watched as the cargo DropShips attached to the Monolith-class JumpShip they were transiting with detached and maneuvered towards the large station.  Six Mule DropShips as they were being brought along to transport supplies to restock the facility following the war.  Those facilities had been emptied in order to support the SLDFs drive on the Hegemony.  Listed as a SLDF black site the equipment and munitions stored there were meant to supply the SLDF Army Group assigned to the region should war breakout with the periphery or with the house the Army Group was stationed.  In reality, the supplies were meant to support spoiling attacks and a sizable task force deep behind the lines in order to allow the Terran Hegemony to keep the houses off balance while Royal Command forces return home and defensive lines could be drawn. 
   The battlecruiser she had transferred to would make one more jump recharge its drives from a hidden recharge station while the duchess transferred over to another JumpShip for the finale jump to her destination.  Already at the last waypoint was the Princess Royal’s escorts.  With the DropShips detached and the Princess clear of the station she heard the ten-minute jump warning klaxon and moved away from her stateroom’s plasteel porthole and strapped herself into the chair at the desk.  She was thumbing through a tablet waiting on the finale alert as she read up on the place she was about to travel to. 
   “It is beautiful.  I hope the food is good.”  Alexandra said to herself as the klaxon sounded three more times and then she felt as if someone had reached into her stomach grabbed it and tossed it twenty-two lightyears away and just looked at her and dared her to go get it.  Well guess what she was on her way to get it.  The battle cruiser flashed into nothing leaving behind only the fading ripple of incoherent energy to bleed away.


THS Sovereign Promise
Recharge Station D-17
Uninhabited System

Twenty-two lightyears away the THS Princess Royal a Black Lion-class battlecruiser tore a hole in the fabric of space time and simply appeared from the ether.  Alexandra felt horrible.  Holding back the acidic buildup from her stomach and trying to calm herself.  Thankfully this wasn’t a combat jump and there was no need to maneuver wildly at this point.  The klaxon sounded three more times singling the jump was complete and after another thirty seconds the enunciator lights on the wall that had been red during the jump procedure were now flashing red and finally flashing green before holding solid. 
   Alexandra waited and did not unstrap herself.  She knew the Promise about to detach from the Royal and move over the waiting Tramp-class JumpShip MV Hot Ticket.  Alexandra laughed at herself for the Navy renaming all of the ships designated for the Trade Fleet as it was becoming known with gambling names.  Although it is fitting.  She thought to herself.  The Princess needed to let her drives cool and she was already unfurling her jump sail in order to receive the transfer from the recharge station.
   The Klaxon sounded again this time with five bells announcing detachment in one minute.  She secured her tablet in the magnetic mount on her desk.  Sixty-seconds later the klaxon sounding five bells again and the ship shuttered as it detached from the battlecruiser.  Maneuvering thrusters firing as the Promise pushed itself away and the main drives fired up for the thirty-minute trip over to the Hot Ticket.  Already she could see on the repeater display three DropShips burning towards the Princess.  They were all showing blue on the screens indicating friendly.  Most likely the Royal’s actual DropShip compliment.  One Assault ship had remained attached to the Princess when they made the rendezvous and she brought three with herself.  General Winterbottom had been insistent that she bring the Guards.  So, she now had her normal escort plus two heavy battalions of ‘Mech’s to escort her to the meeting. 
   “A Meeting no one knows I am coming to yet.”  She said to no one.
   Intelligence had them on site following a defeat in June.  The trip to the Hot Ticket was quick when it comes down to space travel.  They arrived and began docking with the JumpShip.  It took another thirty minutes to complete the procedure for all of the DropShips involved before they were checkout out and the wall light began flashing red while the jump klaxon sounded yet again. 
   Ten minutes later the MV Hot Ticket and her trio of DropShips were flung another ten light-years to their destination. 


MV Hot Ticket
Zenith Jump Point
New Avalon, Crucis March
Federated Suns


Commander Rachel Haskins watched as the FedSuns fighters raced in to challenge the Hot Ticket and her DropShips.  Also maneuvering in their direction was a pair of assault droppers.  Already the Captain of the Hot Ticket was receiving orders to stand down and identify themselves as this was an unscheduled translation into the New Avalon system.  The Sovereign Promise began transmitting a coded Star League authorization code and announcing they were escorting a diplomatic envoy to meet with the First Prince. 
   “Avalon control, Avalon control this is the Sovereign Promise requesting to approach New Avalon with three DropShips escorting diplomatic envoy requesting an audience with the First Prince.”  Commander Haskins said and hit send.  The message was sent directly to the closest defense station. 
         The reply took about five minutes to reach them. “Sovereign Promise maintain position do not detach from your JumpShip or power up weapons until we receive word from System Command.”  The voice on the other end of the radio responded.
        “Avalon control, Sovereign Promise confirm all will hold position until we receive further guidance.  Promise clear.”  Haskins stated.

[Artifex]

Ah ... I guess there will be no whoring out herself for Alex here, because First Prince John Davion is said to be a very honorable man who has a wife whom he loves very much. Good. :thumbsup:

[Kasaga]

Part 2

Davion Palace
Avalon City, New Avalon
Crucis March
Federated Suns
01 October 2788


John Davion stood in a small anteroom just off the Grand Court of Davion Palace.  With him his son Joshua read over the extremely thin file intelligence had on their ‘guest’. 
   “What does it say Josh?”  The First Prince inquired.
   Joshua just shook his head.  “General Ryan, Alexandra Elizabeth.  Commander Terran Hegemony Volunteers.”  He skimmed through the file some more.  “It doesn’t go into any detail as to where she is from, where she attended any training or school.”  He pointed at a section in the file.  “Look here, it says estimated size of Terran Volunteer’s two Corps.”  He dropped the file into his lap and looked up.  “How did that many troops make it out of the Hegemony while it was being overtaken by Amaris?”  Now Joshua was on his feet and walking up to the window to stand beside his father.  “How did Kerensky get the combat equipment to field two who Corps?”
   “Too many questions Josh.  No answers.  I wonder why she is here.  I know we are about to find out.  Hell, if she could pull those troops out of a hat and throw them at either the Combine or the Capellan fronts we could turn this war around.”  John said.  “But if that file is right her Army was damned near destroyed itself.”  He turned to face his son.  “There was always something nagging at me as to where Kerensky got a lot of his supplies from as they were supposed to come from the Hegemony in a major conflict.  That’s where they were coming during the Periphery Uprising before that bastard killed Richard.” 
   John reached out and placed his hand upon his son’s shoulder and steered him towards the door that led not to the Court but to the small formal reception room.  Power plays were not his style.  Besides he was almost seventy, much to old to play games in these days.  “Come now, lets go and welcome our guest.”
   The two walked into the reception room to see a striking woman in a business suit with a man and woman similarly attired in formal business wear stood off to the sides.  John stopped short of the group and extended his hand.  “General Ryan it is good to meet you.”  He greeted.
   “First Prince Davion, it is an honor to formally meet you as well.”  Alexandra said.
   “What brings you to New Avalon?”  John inquired.
   “I need a favor, and in return I will earn my keep.”  Alexandra answered.
   Both John and Joshua exchanged looks before Joshua spoke up.  “What favor would you need General?” 
   “First its no longer General.  That hat was quite forcibly put up for me.  Second, we can help each other out.  However, I need to get started right away.”  Alexandra responded.
   “Get started with what?”  John asked.  “I did have to cancel quite a lot on my schedule to accommodate you.  And if it wasn’t for Marshal Zibler vouching for you I wouldn’t even be entertaining this meeting.”  He held up a hand.  “At least not at the expense of the other business of state I have going on at the moment.”
   Alexandra nodded.  “Touché my Lord.”  She agreed and shifted her stance.  “I need access to the Federated Suns data centers, the Armed Forces centers and the Intelligence services.  Along with all of the backups.”  The two men almost laughed.  “Everywhere.”
   “What in Gods name do you want to do?”  Joshua stammered out.
   “I need to erase some things from the record.  Locations and some names mainly.  Other things will be altered.  Namely make people dead according to official records.  And I need the Hegemony Ambassador brought to me.  He has been dogging my calls.”  Alexandra stated in such a commanding tone it unsettled the Davion’s.
   “What would I want to do that for?”  John found himself saying. 
   “Because everything I know about you and have observed of you says you’re a good man John.  Simon was a good judge of character and I agree.”  Alexandra answered almost saddened.
   “You knew Simon?”  John asked.
   “No but my father did.  He told me if there was ever someone, I needed to help me it would be you.  It was one of the last things he said to me before he died.”  Alexandra softened some more.
   “Who was your father?”  John asked.
   “Patrick Ryan.”  Alexandra said. 
   “Patrick was your father?”  John asked again.
   “Yes sir.  He served as an aide to the First Lord and was there when he died.”  Alexandra answered.
   “He was the one that suggest I be Richards God Father and pushed for Kerensky to be Regent following Simon’s death.”  John said flatly.  “Simon always referred to him a little higher than his station suggested.  Now Simon was always about making those people he trusted feel more valued then they should but this was different.”  John said and looked at Alexandra hard for a moment.  “Who are you really?”  He asked finally.
   “I am Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province and Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces.  Formally I was Commander Terran Expeditionary Forces for Operations CHIEFTAIN and LIBERATION.”  Alexandra said to the amused looks of the two Davion’s.
   “You are trying to reform the Hegemony?”  Joshua said.
   “Josh, you didn’t hear everything she said.  She said she was Lord Governor of the Nova California Province.”  John interrupted.  “Where and how long has that been around?” 
   “Oh, Ian Cameron established the Nova California Province as a fall back position if the Star League idea came back to bite him in the ass.  He also rebuilt the Hegemony Armed Forces following their absorption into the SLDF.  When Jonathan Cameron pushed for a major build up of the Defense Force so did, he build up the HAF in hiding.  We mirrored the First Army in size.  Raised from people who immigrated to the Province as a reward by the First Lord.”  Alexandra just blurted out.
   It was all or nothing now.  If they didn’t believe her it wouldn’t matter she would have to fight them like they were fighting across the Hegemony and the other Houses.
   “You want to hide.  Why?”  John asked.
   “Because the war broke my Army and Kerensky and EXODUS killed my father.”  She said again losing steam.  “When he challenged Kerensky over his plans to run away, he was rebuffed and my father suffered a heart attack.  He died in front of Kerensky.”
   “I can’t defend the Hegemony or I would be doing it right now.  But I can help one or two houses.  None of the others deserve it right now.  You are the only one trying to peacefully integrate Hegemony worlds.”  Alexandra went on after turning to an aide and receiving a sheet of hard copy.  “This is a contract that states that Ryan Heavy Industries and Ryan Interstellar will base its headquarters and establish manufacturing centers within the Federated Suns spin-ward periphery region.  With this we will sell our products to the AFFS and we will also subsidize the cost of hiring mercenaries to be at the call of the AFFS at all times for the next twenty years.”
   “For this you want access to our data centers?”  Joshua asked seeing a deal to be made. 
   “No, this is actually to provide me cover.  See that nice sweet DropShip I came riding in on.  I don’t want to have to swap it out for something local when the yards are either destroyed or fall into someone else’s hands.”  Alexandra joked.  “No for letting us into your data centers to do our magic.  We will assist the Federated Suns in anyway we can short of compromising our position until we are ready.  We will not provide overwhelmingly advanced technology.  We will provide what is available to the Inner Sphere as a whole.  We will provide you with war materials to as much as we can dedicate during our rebuilding.  And should there be a point where things turn for the worse, we will be there.”
   John thought about that.  “For how long?”  He asked.
   “Until your nation tries to stab us in the back.”  Alexandra said flatly.  “We are in this for the long haul.  I plan for this to be the only treaty I sign.  I don’t expect my descendants to sign any as well.  But if they do, they will have to consult with the current First Prince beforehand.”  She held up a hand.  “Consult not gain approval.  This is an Alliance not a takeover.  I could still cause you trouble and even if you knew where we were it would take the power that doesn’t exist in this neck of the galaxy anymore to break my defenses.  Or all of these squabbling successors to join forces before you all beat yourselves into submission.”
   John thought about that hard.  “You are the reason the HCIB and HCID elements went to ground and why our intelligence people lost track off all of those special forces that didn’t leave with Kerensky aren’t you.”
   Alexandra smiled and turned to her aide.  “See Clarissa I knew he would be smart.”  Turning back to John she gave him and approving nod and then set here face into one of all business.  “I need to know now.  Before we all leave this room.  If you can’t say yes now, then I walk and will unfortunately have to remove it by other means.  Once that is done, I will not continue operations against you or the Federation.  This is because of my respect for you.  The other nations are not so lucky.  Tossing nukes around like mortars are about to cost them a lot.”  She extended her hand.  “So, what’s it going to be Sir?”
   John Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns and now a man trapped with the Draconis Combine hammering away at his core-ward border and the Capellans trying to take the other one did not seem bothered by his next words.  “I don’t want anyone to think I entered into this decision because I have enemies on both fronts, but I am entering this agreement because I think it is the right thing to do.”  John accepted Alexandra’s hand.  “I accept the terms of this treaty Duchess Ryan.”

[Kasaga]

Part 3

NAMA, Camelot Region
New Avalon
Crucis March
Federated Suns
11 October 2788


The Davion Guardsmen’s SHD-2H Shadow Hawk stalked through the low range forest in search of his prey.  A tank platoon had been sighted by scouts an hour before.  Leftenant Ramirez was leading a company of 2ND Battalion, 1ST Davion Guards as they hunted down the rest of the battalion they knew to be operating in the area.  The exercise had been arranged by the First Prince to validate these new Mercenaries and to test the planetary defenses. 
   Well the orbital defenses while impressive did nothing to slow them down.  Arriving via a pirate point with only an estimated fifteen-minute window they managed to with warship support disabled or destroy space defenses quickly forcing warships assigned to the exercise to reposition rapidly to intercept.  They arrived late and the sky was filled with nearly eighty drop pods and a wing of enemy fighters escorting assault landing shuttles to the surface.  Infantry quickly seized two landing zones for DropShips to touchdown and deploy their armor before lifting hard for orbit and leaving nothing but smoking fields of burned earth for the Guardsmen to find.  A third battalion landed near the Ronde Tableau and deployed a combined arms force of ‘Mechs, infantry and armor and that was the force his battalion was assigned to hunt down. 
   1ST Battalion had already been taught a very terrible lesson.  Do not separate.  Reinforcements were brought in from the New Avalon Crucis March Militia in order to reinforce the struggling 3RD Battalion near the academy proper.  His parent battalion, 2ND was now deep behind enemy lines moving on what they thought was the mercenaries command post.  That was when the world fell in.
   AFFS Observer Controllers known throughout the military as OC’s began dropping signaling smoke all around their positions indicating they had just begun to receive indirect artillery fires from somewhere.  Throttling up his Shadow Hawk Ramirez key’d the lance net.  “Gold lance move fifteen hundred meters west now!”  He shouted into the pickups.  Switching to battalion he sent another quick burst.  “Sword, this is Gold.  Enemy artillery grid CR 27 92 displacing fifteen hundred west out.” 
   Ramirez waited for a response but got none.  Then he heard it.  Static on the net.  His radios were being jammed.  He switched to laser links and hoped his Hawk’s computers could track all of the members of his lance as he was running west at a sprint.  “Gold, we are being jammed switch to line of sight and…”
   “Oh Leftenant, why spoil the surprise?”  Was the voice he heard over the all hands frequency.  No wait it wasn’t it was his internal lance net.  “I think you will enjoy watching the rest of this from the sidelines.”
   Ramirez was looking everywhere for the ‘Mercs yet he couldn’t find them.  Then he saw it.  A BattleMaster the assault machine lifted its arms and unleashed both of its particle cannons at his Shadow Hawk.  Side stepping quickly Ramirez replied with a flight of LRMs at the massive machine.  Charging forward he fired a second flight of missiles as soon as the launcher reloaded.  Firing his shoulder mounted class 5 autocannon the Shadow Hawk took a pair of particle cannons to the torso and was followed up by a large pulse laser hammering his hip actuator. 
   The enemy BattleMaster was moving now and poking up over the hill was a pair of Highlander’s as they began firing into the rest of his lance.  As he rushed forward trying to get under the guns of most of the enemy assault ‘Mechs his sensors alerted him as he was actively locked from his right.  Looking that way he saw it two LB-X Carriers unloaded both of their LB 10-X autocannons each into his Shadow Hawk the dummy rounds impacted his BattleMech and the control collar locked his ‘Mech up sending him crashing to the ground.
   The rest of the battalion came rolling in at this point expecting to find a company of BattleMechs and some tanks.  What they found was an ambush.  The mercenary command company along with a company of heavy armor supported by infantry held the high ground around a forest and as the battalion broke through the forest cover into the open for the attack they were hit from the rear by a battalion of heavy ‘Mechs which forced the Guardsmen to scatter.  The mercenaries first battalion and broken off contact leaving second battalion, and two combined arms armor and infantry battalions supported by artillery to hold the Guards 3RD Battalion and New Avalon militia at bay long enough for the combined force in the west to crush the Guards 2ND Battalion. 
   As the battle raged Ramirez watched his friends’ BattleMechs fall one by one as the heavy fighting ragged.  The BattleMaster and the two Highlanders were joined by a Shogun and they went to work taking apart Major Galloway’s command lance apart.  The Major’s Marauder was quickly overwhelmed by the combined fire and locked up when the computer assessed enough damage had been received to constitute a reactor breach.
   Fighting raged for another fifteen minutes as the Guardsmen tried to scatter only to be hunted down by VTOLs which had deployed during the landings and were scouting out the terrain.  When the last of the organized 2ND Battalion formations were defeated the combined force in the west moved east towards the Academy and set in another ambush this time allowing their 2ND Battalion to fall back and pass through friendly lines in good order.  When 3RD Battalion and the battalion of the New Avalon militia arrived to find not just the combined arms force they had been fighting but a full combined arms brigade had taken up defensive positions and encircled the remaining defenders.
   The First Prince in an airship over watching the exercise turned to the Mercenary Colonel standing nest to him.  “Your people did outstanding Colonel.  The Duchess didn’t have to partake in the event as well.  I think Colonel Reuchlen is still rattled about Cartago and getting nuked there.  He doesn’t like to concentrate his forces.”
   Colonel Thomas Mathews nodded solemly.  “Nukes will make anyone weary of concentrating forces.  I’ve had my share of encounters during the war.”
   John turned to look at Colonel Mathews.  The commander of the Dark Storm Dragoons who were one of the first two regiments being assigned to the AFFS as mercenaries.  The Dragoons were in fast the 1ST Dragoons of the Hegemony Armed Forces and were wearing Star League duty uniforms and battle dress without the insignia.  The Blackhawks as they were called were a proud regiment, brigade really.  Operating with a hint of combined arms.  The Blackhawks deployed three battalions of ‘Mechs with command lances, two battalions of armor, two battalions of infantry, an attack helicopter battalion and an artillery battalion.  All supported by a wing of twenty aerospace fighters and a assault and transport squadron of DropShips.
   The other regiment that had arrived was a true Light Horse regiment.  A battalion of ‘Mechs, two battalions of fast hover craft and a battalion of infantry in a Colossus-class DropShip and escorted by assault ships and a carrier provide a fast recon element able to force its way into a system ahead of an invasion or to take systems without dedicated warship support or heavy ‘Mech presence. 
   John walked over to the airship commander.  “Alright Leftenant take us down to the OC’s.”  He ordered.
   “Yes Highness.”  The Leftenant responded and the ship banked slightly as it descended down to the landing zone near where the OC’s had gathered in their VTOLs, ‘Mechs and ATVs.
   As the First Prince and Colonel Mathews exited the airship and moved over to the senior OC for the training center and the academy itself.  “So how did they do Dan?”  John asked as they join up.
   An older man in the field uniform of a Marshal turned around.  “The Guards were beaten up like a third string lacrosse team in the galactic cup.”  Marshal Daniel McCaffee swore.
   Shaking his head John pushed.  “No, not the Guards.  The Dragoons?”
   “Bloody marvelous.  Like they may have done this once or twice.”  McCaffee exclaimed.
   “Or a couple of dozen.”  Mathews said under his breath causing McCaffee to look at him with renewed interest.
   “What you boys chatting about?  And what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?”  Alexandra said as she walked up.  The others turned and greeted her.  John warmly, Mathews with a salute and the other Suns officers with various interest.
   “Apparently you have to take apart take my best unit apart like they were youth scouts trying to fight in the Martial Olympiad.”  John said producing a flask from his pocket and tossing it to Alexandra.  “The rest of the ten cases will be sent to your DropShip Alex.”
   “Why thank you.  And I will still honor my bet with you and you will have that case of Cheval Blanc 47.”  Alexandra said causing John’s jaw to drop. 
   “Hell I have a dozen cases of that 2747 vintage you can have.”  McCaffee said.
   “No Dan, this is 1947, old Terra.”  John said.
   Alexandra looked at the Marshal.  “I’m not a wine lady and the case was for the Prince anyways from my father.  We just never had a chance to deliver it due to the war.  I’m here now.  I couldn’t resist trying to get a case of that Davion bourbon you all are so proud of.”  Alexandra took a pull off of the flask and handed it back to John.  She savored the taste and how it gently burned as it went down.  “Damn that’s smooth.  Damn that’s good.  I’m going to get into trouble with this.”
   John Davion laughed.  “your people did good Alex, they haven’t lost a thing.  I just wish I had more of them.”  He said disappointed.  With the attacks from the Combine and the Confederation ramping up he was going to have to deal with them soon enough.  He knew the Hegemony troops he would have to throw at the Combine.  His agreement with Alexandra meant that they got to choose their battles and command the forces involved.  The Dragoons were going to form the core of a combined arms force of militia ‘mech battalions and regular army free brigades of armor and infantry.  The Dragoons and other hegemony mercenaries would hit the planet and secure it with the help of AFFS armor and infantry and then the militia combined arms forces would come in and garrison the planet as the strike force bounded forward. 
   The Dragoons were going to be the core of the hegemony group assigned to the suns.  Around them would be a pair of Light Horse regiments which over time would be expanded to brigades each like the Dragoons.  Rounding out the force would be a Hussar brigade once they finished training.  Four more regiments weren’t much in the grand scheme but those were just the first group.  Another group of three mechanized infantry brigades to be known as Ryan’s Hoplites would begin to arrive and take up garrison duties in the Crucis March allowing for AFFS formations to move forward.  A Fourth brigade would be stationed on St. Cyr where Alexandra would establish a factory complex to build war materials for the AFFS.
   John and Alexandra walked to a waiting VTOL that would take them back to Davion Palace.  Boarding the craft it lifted off and settled into the twenty-minute flight.  “Thank you John, for letting my people into the data centers they are done with their work.  I will be leaving in a few days to head back home.  I promise I will do what I can for your nation.  I need to rebuild my army, but I will have warships staged around the Suns in order to support if something happens and you will already have about two divisions at your disposal in all but name.  Use my people wisely.  They’ve been through a lot.”  Alexandra said looking at the man her father trusted and now she must trust.
   John Davion nodded solemnly.  “I just hope I can live up to your expectations.”  He turned to look at her.  “If something happens to me look after them.  Only Joshua and Thomas know of this should anything happen to me.  Do what you did with the Cameron’s let us know who you are only when we are dead or request it.  We will support you in any way we can.  If we don’t then we don’t deserve to rule our people for we are part of the failure of the Star League.” 
   John’s impassioned statement struck a cord with Alexandra.  She nodded.  “We will do all we can when we can.  I can’t promise the Regents after me will always live up to it but we need to build this relationship now and it needs to be cemented in blood.”  Alexandra almost laughed at that and held up a hand.  “Not the blood of marriage but the blood shed on the battlefield.  We will fight along side you.  As mercenaries” she said with air quotes, “and as militia battalions to an extent.  We won’t always be the best and brightest, but I will rotate my people through your staff collages and hopefully we can develop common operational principals in order to look ahead.  There is nothing we can do during this first war but minimize the casualties.  The other states are using atomics, chemicals pretty much everything that was banned is coming out.  My freight company will move goods for all nations, and this will allow us to move our people around the Inner Sphere and periphery.  ComStar will bear watching.  I will keep an eye on them.  They don’t own as much of Terra as they think they will.”
   Alexandra and John finished the rest of their flight back to the Palace talking about family, lost friends and hope for the future.  The future could indeed be bright but first the storm and darkness would shake the foundations of those that stayed out of the campaign to retake the Hegemony.

[Kasaga]

Chapter Five

New Samarkand
New Samarkand Prefecture
Draconis Combine
05 September 2789



The two Ripper VTOLs buzzed past overhead on their standard patrol route.  The Objective’s patterns of life had been determined months before and for the reputation of the target one would think they would randomize the patrol schedule and routes.  Captain Isaiah Nelson – Nels to his team – watched as the retreating forms of the VTOLs receded.  The entire A-team was scattered throughout the area operating in low power mode in order to minimize the signature of their equipment.  The twelve members of the detachment were hunkered down in their Nighthawk Mk. XXI infiltration armor equipped with suppressed ballistic and Mauser 960 rifles per two-man element.  Each team of four commando’s had a specific objective.  His team was to go after the Director’s offices and attempt to sow as much confusion as possible.  Warrant Officer Olivia Mitchell – Oli to the others and the team’s intelligence officer – was positioned with her team ready to storm the entrance to the data center she was escorting a pair of cyber warfare expects from Special Operations Command who were in specially modified suits that would allow them to remotely link in with any computer within five meters no matter how secured it is with lack of peripheral access.  Once they had gained access to the bunker network that would take them down the four members of her actual team would sow chaos throughout the analyst department and try and grab anything they could of value.
   The last team was overwatch, Master Sergeant Ava Lopez was the Senior NonCom for Special Operations Detachment Alpha 3251.  Her team had setup light weight artillery systems centered on the main gate fortifications.  With magazines of four rounds each, the four deployed tubes would allow for a major distraction when the teams bounded over the walls with their jump jets.  Once the fireworks started she was to aggressively intercept various patrols operating throughout the area.  Each team and deployed some kind of support weapons on the infiltration and the Detachment Bravo’s or the support team as they were called had exfil ready in the form of several VTOLs and a waiting DropShip.
   “Phantom Six, this is Crypt Keeper.  Distraction will be in play in two hours.   I say again distraction will be in play in two hours.”  The voice of the distant support team reported.
   “Crypt Keeper, Phantom Six confirmed 2 hours to show time.”  She replied.  Now she just needed to wait for the show to start. 


They started their days like most other flights taking off from various airport and spaceports from across the continent.  It was the daily air traffic normal to a busy industrialized world.  Today some of the flights were delayed due to weather, maintenance on an engine for another flight.  One flight was delayed due to an executive demanding the company’s commercial passenger service should delay for thirty-minutes until he could arrive and make the trip to the capital from his resort.  Whatever the reason, New Samarkand Air Traffic Control was tracking all delays.  Everything was going good today.  The controllers managed to deconflict the airspace for all of the delays and pushed the information over to the planetary defense network.  The systems automated procedure’s matched the flights with the origins and destinations and overlaid everything with the military traffic expected throughout the day in order to make sure nothing was going to interfere with the operations of the Dragon’s Claws.  Everything matched and there would be no confliction of civil and military aircraft throughout the day.  Just a note that at around 13:29 hours six various commercial cargo and passenger aircraft would be within fifty kilometers of restricted airspace at roughly the same time. The operator flagged the time to make sure the system would alert him in four hours when the time would approach so he could monitor the airspace to ensure nothing amiss would happen.


13:19Hrs, Samarkand Air 272-Heavy
New Samarkand
New Samarkand Prefecture
Draconis Combine


Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Cox held his hand to his helmet to listen to the report from the flight crew.  Standing up he looked to his Jump Master on this bird and nodded flashing his finger’s showing all ten.  The Staff Sergeant stood up checked his own report and moved to the center of the aircraft.
   “Ten minutes.”  He yelled.
   “TEN MINUTES.”  The Troopers onboard repeated.
   The Sergeant raised both his hands.  “Outboard personnel stand up.” 
   “OUTBOARD PERSONNEL STAND UP!”  They repeated.
   “Inboard Personnel stand up.”  He called.
   “INBOARD PERSONNEL STAND UP!”  They repeated.
   Making his fingers into a hook the Jump Master raised it up and down vertically.  “Hook up.”  He called out.
   “HOOK UP!”  Was the shouted response.
   Holding his arms out to his sides and waving them to his front then back to his side the Jump Master called out again.  “Equipment Check.”
   “EQUIPMENT CHECK!”  Every trooper including Colonel Cox called back. 
   The Jump Master watched as every trooper checked themselves and then the trooper in front of them’s backside.  Once they all received a pat on the shoulder, they turned to face the front of the aircraft and did the same to the trooper behind them.  When the check was complete, they slapped the shoulder of that trooper and then turned around to face to the rear of the aircraft.
   “Equipment Check sound off.”  He called out.  The entire stick aboard the modied commercial passenger plane counted down “EQUIPMENT CHECK OK!”  And slapped the bottom of the trooper in front of them from the front of the aircraft to the rear where the jump master was standing on both sides of the plane.  “Equipment Check Ok!”  He shouted back.  “Five minutes.”  He said and watched as a light above the door on both sides of the aircraft light up red.
   “FIVE MINUTES!”  Was the repeated response.
   The special forces aircrew which had stolen the aircraft and gutted it in hours turning it into a airborne delivery platform went to work cracking the doors and checking them to ensure they were still safe for the mixed company of parachute infantry aboard to jump.  Each company in the battalion had a platoon aboard the aircraft to ensure that someone survive the jump from each company they were spread between all of the aircraft in the operation in some cases at the Squad level depending on the Objective.  Called LGOP’s or Little Groups of Paratroopers, they would insure that the mission was still conducted.
   The aircraft was rapidly descending to jump altitude and turning into their designated Drop Zone racing in they were being challenged by Samarkand ATC and by the DCMS network.  All across the airspace nine other aircraft were forming up on Samarkand Air 272-Heavy as they raced in to conduct the MASTAC or Mass Airborne Tactical Assault. 
   The Jump Master tied into the flight deck received the warning.  “One Minute!”  He called out holding up one finger.”
   “ONE MINUTE!”  Everyone repeated.
   “Thirty-Seconds!”  He called for the last warning. 
   “THIRTY-SECONDS!”  They repeated and primed themselves for the jump.  Their aircraft was the lead bird and they were jumping two kilometers from their objective with a low hill between them and the defenses along with a wooded area.  Thermal scans from scouts who had been observing the area reporting fighting positions automated sentry positions and mines.  The paratroopers had everything they needed for this target.  This had been planned for decades and revised every five years or so like all plans in the vault.  Six months before this operation it was updated to include the use of the jump infantry battalion in an airborne assault role. 
   The light began flashing red and then held solid green.  “GO, GO, GO!”  He shouted and watched as the sixty-four troopers jumped clear of the doors one at a time from either side of the aircraft.


The scene was one of utter horror for Gunsho Seiji Nakayama.  He was watching dozens of paratroopers exiting numerous commercial passenger planes and heavy equipment falling out the backs of planetary cargo transports.  Palatized ATVs and even light tanks.  There was even one aircraft dropping some portable artillery.  They were out of range of all of their weapon systems.  The garrison was too far away and the DEST guards were scrambling to get to their BattleMechs.  The rest of his company was racing out of the guard houses and into their fighting positions.  Another company was being roused from their sleep having been on night shift.  1ST Company was off duty and some had gone into town, the rest were gearing up and joining 3RD Company on the perimeter as soon as they could get everything sorted.
   The first he saw of the troopers was the first squad bound to the top of the hill and drop prone.  Setting up their support weapons and waited.  Thirty-seconds later the world exploded.  Weapons fire from everywhere.  Artillery began falling most likely from the guns they just dropped onto the field.  ATVs came rolling through draws avoiding sky lining themselves as the infantry support weapons began opening up searching out targets in the tree line.  The infantry kicked off jump packs and bounded forward closing the distance and making it difficult for the defenders to use the cleared fields for their intended purpose of killing an attacker.  The Jump Infantry were just too fast, too well disciplined.
   The first squads were landing amongst his defensive positions almost as fast as they had popped up.  It took them three bounds to close the distance all while being covered by heavy support weapons and artillery.  Nakayama took aim at an enemy trooper and fired his auto-rifle striking the trooper in the side where its body armor was weakest.  The enemy Infantrymen clutched at its side as it fell over screaming in pain he hoped through its enclosed helmet. 


Corporal Melba Reeves watched as her Platoon Leader was just killed.  The young trooper raised her Mauser and fired a burst of coherent light into the torso of the Combine defender as she kicked off her jump pack and bounded into the tree line to join first squad which was now down Sergeant Colter.  “Johnny, get in here with the PPC.  We have a bunker up ahead.”
   The two-man support weapon team arrived at her position and deployed the particle cannon.  John Higgins aimed his semi-portable particle cannon at the slit in the pill box and fired.  Muffled screams could be heard as another squad landed and slapped a shaped charge over the weapons slit.  Bounding away the bunker was rocked when the front of the bunker was blown into the series of defensive tunnels arrayed throughout the forest.  Another trooper tossed a grenade in.  The thermobaric weapon collapsed the tunnel killing nearly a dozen Combine soldiers in the tunnel system moving around to reinforce various positions.
   “Guide on’s, this is Hammer Six.  Thunderbolt, execute, execute, execute.”  The voice of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Cox ordered over the battalion all hands net.  He wasn’t going to take the chance that all of his leaders were still alive.  Execution Check – or EXCHK – THUNDERBOLT was the arrival of three independent regiments of the Dark Storm Legion arrived in orbit and began dropping BattleMechs all over the planet.  The 2ND Dragoons were designated to engage the Eleventh Galedon Regulars and the Fifth Sun Zhang Cadre directly breaking up into three battlegroups and doing everything they could to cause as much damage as possible against both units.  The 7TH Light Horse was sent after the ISF Academy itself to insert the virus into the network there.  While the 10TH Light Horse was designated to land in support of the attack on the Internal Security Force headquarters where the 1ST Battalion of the 501ST Jump Infantry Regiment were already in the attack.  The light armor was now in play and the artillery was hammering away at the auxiliary gates trying to force entry into the Fortress.


Captain Nelson watched his HUD and saw a new icon appear and begin to flash.  They had all been monitoring the fighting between the Jump Infantry battlegroup and the Combine defenders.  Now it was their turn to execute their mission. 
   “All teams let’s do this.  Lopez, hit it.”  He ordered with a smile on his face.
   There wasn’t a response, but he heard the thumps of the four light artillery systems as they began lobbing rounds at the gate complex.  Another position setup bean firing a mix of heavy support lasers and particle cannons on remote weapons stations set with specific targets and engagement criteria hooked up to external battery packs to triple their normal engagement window.  Fourteen armor clad troopers sprinted clear of the tree line for the anti-mech fortifications ahead of them after they got out into the open, they began bounding by teams.  Two four-man and one six-man team.  It took five bounds before the special ops troops reached the wall and bounded up and over landing on a parapet on top.  One team cleared an auto turret, and another kicked in the armored door to a defense substation and tossed in a few grenades killing everyone inside and damaging the equipment.
   The distraction and overwatch team setup on the wall while Captain Nelson and his team jumped down and bounded over to the command building.  They began killing everyone they could find.  Everyone who worked here was a Soldier or Spy.  Even the janitors.  The damned janitors.  Nelson shook his head between bounds after he just fired his Mauser into the chest of a man pushing a trash cart from cover to cover.  When he landed next to the man he looked inside and sure enough a damned laser rifle. 
   Chief Mitchell led her six-man team to the bunker they were supposed to breach.  They blasted their way in and once inside breached another door that led deep inside the analyst section while the cyber nerds used their suits to hack the door locks to another path leading them down inside the data center where all of the ISF primary servers were stored.  The two experts found the chink in the ISF armor and exploited it.  They stood one on the ninth floor and one on the tenth subfloor.  They activated their systems and obtained access to the storage.  They both input the commands necessary and off went the virus.  In no more than eighteen months the bug would have propagated throughout the ISF and within twenty-four months would have wound its way throughout the entire Draconis Combine data infrastructure.  It wasn’t designed to cripple the Combine nor was it designed to leak any information out of it.  Both sure ways to get caught.  No this was selectively removing and rewriting information.  Specific information contained to a list of a few hundred-thousand people and removing the locations of several locations in the Inner Sphere from the data banks.  The 7TH Light Horse was determined to destroy the only other on planet back up of the information while the Destroyers in the system had already nuked the locations on Chūai after the surface facility was breached.  Another destroyer had by now caused enough EMP damage to a specific hidden asteroid in the inner belt to render any data stored useless.
   The rest of Mitchell’s team arrived in the crypt where all of the analysts spent their time building their link diagrams and other annoying but required tasks of intelligence work.  The went to two designated offices and snatched the computers the other two members of the team tossed incendiary grenades and white phosphorous grenades in order to start as many fires as possible.  Mitchell key’d her net.  “Let’s go.”  Was all she said. 

Captain Nelson had a squad of guards pinned down as two of his men flanked them from another hallway.  He could probably take the hits from them with their armor, but they didn’t want to spoil the surprise and less damage they took now the longer they lived later.
   “In position.”  Sergeant Potter reported. 
   “Hit them.”  Nelson responded. 
   Behind the guards the hallway flashed with light and then the screams.  Always the screams.  Two Kurita Soldiers fell into the hallway clawing backwards at the floor to get away.  Nelson and Goodwin stepped into the hall and finished them off with quick bursts from their suppressed carbine and laser rifle.  The thump, thump of the suits armored foot impacting the ground was all that was heard as Potter stepped around the corner and fired his carbine down the call into a distant guard.
   “Clear.”  He reported.
   “Let’s go.  Down the hall next left turn and then at the end. 


Colonel Melvin Roberts led two of his battlegroups against the Eleventh Galedon Regulars.  Having recently returned from the front to Galedon they didn’t expect the war to follow them back.  The Dragon was winning after all, they were just to refit and prepare for the next phase of the invasion.
   His command company was over watching the maneuver.  These idiots think they are feudal nights of old.  He thought to himself.  The Kurita BattleMechs were arrayed for a charge like the ancient armored knights and cavalry from the twelfth century and earlier.  They began their charge quickly outpacing their conventional infantry and armor.  Roberts just shook his head.  Selected one of his battlegroup commanders.  “Three-Blackhawk-Six, This is Six.  Hit their conventional troops and then lets roll them up from the west.  I will hold with One and we will watch them slam into our defensive line.” 
   “Blackhawk-Six, this is Three-Six copy all.  Four minutes and we will be within weapons range.  Going to start this off with artillery.”  Lieutenant Colonel Gordon reported.
   “Is there any other way Three-Six?  Lets do this.”  Roberts joked.
   Robert knew that somewhere to his North the 7TH Light Horse was driving the 5TH Sun Zhang mad with their slashing hover craft attacks and the ‘Mech’s light cavalry tactics.  Sweeping in striking and fading under the cover of Arrow IV missiles and artillery.  Aerospace fighters were busy keeping the skies clear of enemy fighters while the raids were being conducted.  The 10TH Light Horse reported they were mission complete and were mopping up a determined militia command that was doing everything they could to keep them away from their DropShip.  The Colossus’ Long Tom was already being used to soften up the combined arms regiment for the Buffalo Soldiers as they maneuvered the militia into a position to finish them without exposing the regiment to more damage than needed.
   Roberts stood his ground in his Black Knight waiting.  He saw a CTS-6Y Cestus step into the range of his particle cannon.  His targeting reticle glowed red and he pulled back on the trigger for his second target interlock circuit.  The extended range particle cannon reached out and smashed into the already damaged Cestus another Knight joined in with its particle cannon.  A flight of long-range missiles streaked in from one of the tracks.  Light autocannons joined in from one of the IFVs.  The Cestus withered under the barrage.  The Cestus reached back out and hit a Marauder somewhere down the line.  His mistake.  Roberts thought.  Pulling on the primary TIC he unleashed his paired large pulse lasers knocking the heavy Cestus off balance.  A Gauss rifle from the Dragoons reached out and hammered the Kurita ‘Mech into the ground.


All across the planet war was ravaging the surface of one of the Combine’s most protected worlds.  The raid of the ISF headquarters was winding down.  The 7TH Light Horse arrived to reinforce the attack with a company of ‘Mechs now the entire strike force was falling back to pickup zones or PZ’s and landing craft were streaming down from orbit to recover the infantry and special forces.  The light tanks and ATVs were being rigged with demo chargers by their operators and they too abandoned them and climbed aboard the Mk. VII Landing Craft for the trip up well to the warships and transports.  The Dragoons had engaged a force with a third more BattleMechs than they arrived with but the balance was more than made up for with the addition of four companies each of armor and mechanized infantry.  The Dragoons second battlegroup was in full retreat from the academy as the cadet regiment proved just to much for the battlegroup to take on.  Before Lieutenant Colonel Harold was killed in his Thunderbolt he gave the order to his artillery battery to conduct a barrage of the academy before falling back to the landing zone to board the DropShips there.


Captain Nelson and his team were all on the wall and jumping clear.  They raced away to the South and made it to the clearing where a lance of Vector VTOLs landed to recover the team.  When all fourteen troopers were back aboard alive although two of Master Sergeant Lopez’s team had locked up joints and scarred armor from engaging vehicles brought in with the last push to retake the wall they were holding.  With the VTOLs racing off to an unseen landing zone the team felt a little safer when a lance of Legion fighters joined to escort them clear of the active fighting.  The Dragoons were selling themselves to allow both Light Horse Regiments, the Jump Infantry Battalion and the Special Forces team to get clear.  The ground vehicles were being loaded aboard their transports and the ‘Mechs were conducting a fighting retreat into three separate landing zones keeping the surviving Kurita forces thinned out and with their arrogance unable to concentrate and hammer just one of the Dragoons’ landing zones. 
   With the survivors of the regiment aboard Colonel Roberts order his troops off of New Samarkand.  His Black Knight being one of the last ‘Mechs off of the field.
   In order the assault force joined a squadron of Hegemony warships painted in Davion colors docking with the ships they vanished into hyperspace and OPERATION CLEANSING had begun…

[Kasaga]

Chapter Six

St. Cyr
Broken Wheel Combat Region
Crucis March, Federated Suns
25 February 2790


Duchess Alexandra Ryan walked along the catwalk overlooking the production floor.  The assembly line was producing lasers in this particular block.  The factory was a temporary setup like all of the others built around the area in order to build up stock piles of components to go into the machines to be built in the main factory that was just now being excavated by a ‘hired’ construction firm to dig out the tunnels and caverns that would make the first Inner Sphere site of Ryan Heavy Industries.  This factory would begin by building five lines of BattleMechs, two aerospace fighters and a half dozen combat vehicles in two factory wings.  Two additional wings would be constructed when the first production lines went online.  One would be dedicated to aerospace fighters and small craft while the other would build all of the components and other subsystems that would go into the various designs. 
   3RD Brigade of the mercenary command known as Ryan’s Hoplites was assigned to the defense of the factory complex.  A medium weight BattleMech battalion, three regiments of mechanized infantry and a support armor regiment of two heavy armor battalions, a battalion of artillery and an air defense battalion supported by a full battalion of attack helicopters completed the Hoplites combat strength.  Holding at the St. Cyr L-3 LaGrange point was a collection of forges, factories and refineries being used to build the infrastructure for a shipyard complex.  Already tugs were moving asteroids to the location from the inner belt.  In a surprise that had been missed previously a few germanium rocks had been identified during the survey mission and one was being towed in system to be mined and refined for construction of JumpShips in addition to the small craft and DropShips.  The primary product of the factory was to be DropShips.  A full Squadron of eighteen assault DropShips and Carriers were located there in order to protect the site from any possible attack. 
   A Division of ships would rotate around the system between being the ready division protecting the shipyards, patrolling St. Cyr itself and in standby maintenance cycle where they could be surged in order to protect the yards but were otherwise not primarily responsible for anything.  A small station with several docking collars and some repair bays were located within the belt itself or would be once Hegemony engineers could complete the construction of the facility there for a dedicated division to protect mining operations. 
   Alexandra continued her trip through the facility watching where stuff would be produced.  She picked her list of designs from the Terran factories destroyed during the coup and the campaign to retake the Hegemony.  With her was one of the plant managers from one of the main factory complexes on Nova California.  He had volunteered to establish the St. Cyr branch of Ryan Heavy Industries and in return she rewarded him with one hell of a pay raise.  He would receive five percent of all profit from the entire RHI operation within the St. Cyr system once every five years on top of his regular pay. 
   “So Spenser, what is your plan to get DropShip production underway?”  Alexandra inquired.
   Spenser was ready for this from the first days of living in prefab temporary shelters as the engineering regiments began building the company town to today he knew how he wanted to do it if he had a chance to build up a company from scratch.  He started with the easy part.  That was building the refineries, forges and factories in space and then building the scaffoldings to build JumpShip and DropShip production slips.  Already six hundred kiloton slips were taking shape.  He could build a thousand of them if he had the component production and the manpower to build ships in those slots.  The goal was also to remain a low value target.  The JumpShip production will be the hardest to hide.  With the numbers of JumpShips being destroyed during this war it was going to make JumpShip production critical.  He planned to build another facility in the belts to build more JumpShips but for now he would simply state he could build six Jumpers a year or eighteen or more DropShips. 
   Two five-hundred kiloton slips were being built to allow the construction of JumpShips up to an including the Monolith.  The RHI yards would build on average six to twelve Droppers and two to four JumpShips at a time depending on security of the site and orders.  He was going to make damned sure that he had the production capacity dormant in system to produce twice what he had if needed. 
   “I can start building them now.  The yards are not complete but there is enough equipment and other materials in position to begin building the Lee-class along with the smaller Fortress-class for now.  I plan on introducing a few newer designs HRAD had been working on for the civilian market and for military contracts.  This will allow us to have the other designs in production without very many questions being asked.”  Spenser Donnelly reported director of Ryan Heavy Industries St. Cyr. 
   “I hope this system is distant enough to become a target for the Combine or the Confederation.  I am not too worried about pirates as we will have the defense force established in the next year or so.  Until then the Hoplites will handle security.”  Alexandra thought out loud as she continued walking through the facility.  In five years, all of this will just be excess production.  She thought to herself as the main factories would be built underground in a Castle Brian. 
   “Me to Duchess, I really hope we can expand this facility without drawing too much attention.  Also basing the corporate headquarters of Trans-Star Shipping will explain the extra slips to be built at another of the La Grange points.”  Spenser conceded.  “It will give us the official front we need to continue to move about the Inner Sphere and such.  What are your plans in the other states?”  He asked.
   “Well don’t you worry about that too much Spenser.”  Alexandra said with a wink.  “Although Trans-Star will have hubs built in both the League, Commonwealth and eventually the Combine as well.  The Confederation might be the recipient of a hub but with their size I don’t know.”
   The pair reached the headquarters building and walked in passing the reception booth and back into the offices.  Everything was single story to cut down on complexity and due to their modular nature.  They all had bunkers installed underground to protect the people working within should there be an attack.  They reached one such bunker that doubled as a SCIF – sensitive compartmented information facility – so they could continue their conversation without worry of being recorded.
   “Spencer, I need you to keep this rolling.  When you want to come home let me know and I can have someone out here within a year to replace you.  I plan to start up a couple of other small concerns around the Inner Sphere.  This is going to be the most visible with the war going on.”  Alexandra laid out.
   “Of course Your Grace.”  He said thinking.  “We will build up a potent defense force and we have already sponsored the militia.  They will receive equipment from us at production cost in addition to the equipment we are giving them as part of our deal with House Davion.”
   “Good, you have warships on call at the local depot.  They will only come in should our cover be blown or a major Naval attack be spotted.  Right now you have a cruiser and a pair of destroyers out there that will rotate out every year or so.”  Alexandra stated.  “We will work this out.  I don’t like the situation on the front with the Combine right now but Cleansing is going well across the rest of the Sphere.  Most of the HCIB and HCID have fallen inline with us.  Out of the Terran SAS units that didn’t depart with Kerensky we have about sixty to seventy percent of those.  The rest either joined the Commonwealth or the Suns.  The 77TH SOG will bare watching as they went mercenary.” 
   “Yes, I was aware of that.  We got most of the strike teams and recon people but the larger ‘Mech equipped forces are a no show.”  Spenser said shaking his head.
   “Actually, we got a bit more than we hopped.  The survivors of about six groups.  Together they form two but it’s a start.  Together with the Special Forces we already had we should see an increased capability over most of the Houses.”  Alexandra said to Spenser’s surprise.
   They continued to talk for another few hours about the particulars of the construction and the expansion plans.  Alexandra then left for her Shuttle to take her to the JumpShip holding for her at the Shipyards before jumping away.


THS Sovereign Promise, Recharge Station D-19
Broken Wheel Combat Region
Crucis March, Federated Suns
02 March 2790


The faces around the table were grim.  “Say that again Major.”  Alexandra demanded of her intelligence aide.  The officer was clearly not happy about the situation.
   “The bulk of the Davion fleet is planning to jump into the Cholame system which is currently the staging site of the entire Combine fleet on the Suns front.”  He looked her dead in the eyes.  “And Admiral Jones has no idea what he is about to jump into.”
   “Are they not in the middle of a major naval campaign against the combine with the bulk of the fleet split into separate battlegroups?”  Alexandra asked.
   “Yes, Your Grace.”  Major Drummond answered.
   “What can we do?”  She asked her voice chilled by the news.
   “Admiral Bennet has a task force at Depot D-3.  He was on standby to execute offensive operations against the Combine if they threatened New Avalon.”  Drummond said.
   “Order them in.  We don’t have the communications links in place for us to coordinate with the AFFS this far out.  We haven’t even started building the HPG on Galahad yet for the First Prince to communicate with us.”  Alexandra stated shaking her head. 
   “Yes, Your Grace.  They can jump to the D-13 station recharge and jump straight into Cholame with a full charge.”  Drummond reported. 
   “Ok let’s get home.  Dispatch a courier to New Avalon and inform the First Prince of our plans.”  Alexandra ordered.


TASK FORCE 5.1
Recharge Station D-13
Crucis March
Federated Suns
09 March 2790


Rear Admiral Katrina Stavros watched the clock ticking down, fifteen minutes until they jumped.  The Communications team was already sending a CRITIC message to Admiral Jones with the Sun’s fleet informing him reinforcements were inbound.  He didn’t have a clue as to what could be coming and requested clarification.  The fleet was transmitting with current code of Field Marshal Thompson having been secured by the Duchess and relayed through the Hegemon’s HPG relay network.  Admiral Jones was already so busy with Vice Admiral Stone’s group jumping into the system. 
   When her Task Force received the SITREP package from Admiral Jones’ flagship the FSS Golden Lion, Stavros made the decision and launched her reinforced squadron into the fray.  Four Whirlwind destroyers jumped first.  Those four ships were secretly kept separate from the SLDF ships after several years of accepting the first Davion I’s into League service.  Following them in were two Congress frigates.  The group would sweep the jump in point of DropShips and light warships expected to be found.
   Five minutes later in jumped the heavy hitters.  Twenty-four warships comprising two understrength squadrons.  The twelve ships of the ships of Admiral Stavros’ squadron centered on the four Black Lion II battlecruisers and supported by six Essex II and two Lola III destroyers were the core of the task force.  Right on the heels of the first squadron was Rear Admiral Jean-Claude Dubois squadron of four cruisers and eight destroyers.  Split between a pair of Aegis and Avatar heavy cruisers each and a mix of Essex II and Davion II destroyers all resplendent in House Davion colors began jumping their way into the system. 


FSS Golden Lion
Cholame System
Crucis March
Federated Suns


Admiral Kenneth Jones watched the holo-tank wondering how bad he had screwed up. “Six ****** ships?”  He said in exasperation.  “I guess its better than…”  He began saying as more ships began jumping in.  He was two light minutes away from where this battlegroup was jumping in at so in reality they had already been jumping in but they had detected the emergence waves already anyways.  With so much energy being tossed around local space he wasn’t surprised no one spotted it before hand, let alone cared as everyone was fighting for their lives at this point.
   “Status change!”  Shouted one of the ratings working a sensor repeater on his flag bridge.  “four heavies, six…no wait eight destroyers.”  The Spacer looked up at him from the display.  “They are still coming.  I have another two… three… make that four heavies.  We now have another way of destroyers jumping in sir.”
   In the end another thirty warships had joined the fleet.  Eight of them being cruisers. 
   “Flash traffic from the Black Prince they are going in to try and break up their fleet before coming out on the other side and linking up with the Black Bear.”  Commodore Joan Harris reported from her station.  She was Jones’ chief of staff and was handling most of the traffic between the two forces.  She looked up at her commander.  “Kenneth, they plan a zero zero link up with the Marjorie’s battlegroup before moving back through the Kurita fleet to make link up with us.”  The color had drained from her face.
   “Where did these people come from.  We don’t have a Black Prince in the fleet.”  Jones stated.  They watched as the eight cruisers flanked by twenty destroyers and a pair of frigates began their dive through the Kurita fleet.  The Black Lion battlecruiser identified as the Black Prince along with her sister ship the Princess Royal targeted a Kurita Cruiser and between the two of them unloaded their entire starboard broadside into the poor ancient ship.  The port broadsides selected a Lola I and unleashed their store of superheavy autocannon upon the ships.  The battlecruisers forward guns along with missile tubes picked out a Samarkand carrier and tore through the little carrier as if it had been an abandoned hulk for target practice. 
   The Aegis cruisers Centurion and Warspite combined their fire on a Kurita Black Lion I and a Vigilant as they dove in.  Jones was watching in horrid fascination as the new ships paired up and picked lanes to move through.  Every ship moving through above and below one another offset to one side or another.  This allowed both ships to engage in all directions with all of their weapons and able to poor fire into four separate ships at a time.  The new destroyers were doing likewise as well while not causing as much damage they were trying to eliminate lighter ships and kill the many assault and carrier DropShips mixed in with the fleet.  Swarms of fighters were belted from the fleet as they made their way through the ship although instead of racing off to find their counterpart in the enemy fleet they kept close to the heavy combatants and guarded them against fighter and missile attacks. 
   These are Star League ships.  Jones thought to himself.  Those Davion I’s have got to be Whirlwind’s.  Those Aegis’ were League refits.  Essex II’s not older Block I’s.  “Where in the hell did they come from?”  He said aloud to the shrugging shoulders of Harris.


The Black Prince shook hard as she was bombarded from all sides.  Their assault dropships and other fighters and assault craft buzzing around them as they went.  Katrina watched as the numbers built up and as each flotilla began cutting the Kurita fleet into manageable sections.  She watched as the counter ticked down and Task Force 5.1 continued its burn into the middle of the maelstrom. 
   Two minutes on the clock… She watched as the THS Renault began to flip end over end following a strike from a Kurita Sovetskii Soyuz the old Whirlwind breaking up as it collided with an Intruder exploding and sections of both ships crash into several nearby Combine ships and the THS Mystic the Renault’s sister ship.  Crippling the drive system and causing the destroyer to begin to drift weapons still ablaze.  A pair of Combine destroyers swooped in on the stricken Mystic and pummeled the ship until there were no signs of fight or power left emanating from her hulk.
   One minute on the clock… The destroyers Hamilton and Mountbatten both crossed the T of a Narukami the Essex’s hammered the destroyer cutting her drive out and detonating her reactor.  Two thirds of the destroyer vaporized with the rest left as flotsam.  The Mountbatten was the primary target of an Aegis and Baron as they replied in kind to the Hegemony’s naval tactics. 
   Time… “Flip ship begin deceleration burn all batteries all ships salvo fire one on the fleet targets.”  Katrina ordered.  The plan was for the Task Force to make a reckless charge through the Kurita ships.  Then decelerate and join with the second Davion battlegroup before while selectively attacking only a single ship with all of the fleet’s forward guns at a time as a sort of fleet alpha strike.  The broadside batteries were still free to independently target ships as they came to bare during the deceleration phase of the attack.  Katrina felt the massive engines burning hard and slamming her into the acceleration couch as the ship continued belting out fury at the Combine warships.  She noticed the fleet roster and saw that both the Philippine Sea and Gallipoli were nothing more than drifting hulks and expanding vapor that would cut her strength quite a bit with the loss of those two cruisers. 
   The ship rocked hard.  They had just become the primary targets of what looked like a squadron of corvettes and destroyers as they maneuvered into position on her flagship.  The Black Prince continued to fight as part of the fleet going after all of the Combine heavies.  The last ship to experience the ire of the fleet was an aging Aegis.  The ship was blotted from existence with the fury of the gods unleashed by the hegemony warships.  With the ships now moving backwards while the engines struggled to slow their pace a Combine Vincent could not clear the incoming fleet fast enough and with the stern guns on the Black Prince firing they manage to cripple the corvette cutting its drive as it was burning towards the Prince.  The THS Black Prince while trying to maneuver clear clipped the smaller corvette and disabled the fragile drive system the class was known for.  The Black Prince spinning, and venting atmosphere collided with a Combine destroyer and broke up. 

*         *         *


Admiral Jones failed to look away from the carnage unfolding.  The battlegroup that had arrived while taking casualties drove through the Combine fleet inflicting more damage than they received before the slowing and accelerating back through the force to approach his battlegroup.  At the last moment the various DropShips and fighters began recovery operations as they reached his group before they began to vanish from the area one at a time jumping away to whence they came.
   “What in the hell did we just witness Joan?”  Kenneth demanded. 
   “Our salvation sir.  The Kurita fleet is breaking formation and running in-system.”  Joan Harris responded while pointing to the holo-tank. “Shall we pursue?”  She asked. 
   “No, reform the fleet recall fighters.  We need to reconsolidate before we give pursuit.”  Jones ordered.  “This fight isn’t over yet but there is a chance we may have just salvaged this thing with that action.”

[Kasaga]

Chapter Seven

Part 1

Regents Estate, Nova California
Nova California Province
Capellan Confederation
22 August 2791


It was midday at the Regents Estate on the outskirts of the Capital of San Diego.  The breeze felt good on Alexandra’s face as she sat on the veranda overlooking the Baja Ocean.  Sea birds flew around and squawked as they searched for food.  Nova California was special to her.  One of the few places where the seasons matched Terra almost to the day.  One of the few worlds in the Province that wasn’t terraformed by the department of mega engineering. 
          The native wildlife was out in full swing today.  She thought to herself as she slapped a large winged insect that she swore had to have clearance to Limburg approach to even fly.  She enjoyed days like this.  After returning to Nova California from her trip into the Federated Suns the Inner Sphere had changed.  The Capellan Confederation had overtaken the area of space where Nova California resided.  It had been over a year since she met John Davion and promised an offer of support to the Federated Suns in anyway she could.
          Within a few short months that alliance was put to the test.  The Battle of Cholame saw the Hegemony Navy jumping into a major fleet engagement and causing enough damage to the Combine fleet to allow the FSN to carry the day.  They still lost fifty-eight Warships – including the Suns flagship the FSS Golden Lion – along with nineteen JumpShips, seventy-four DropShips and three quarters of its fighter wings.  The Combine on the other hand took a beating with the loss of eighty-three Warships, twenty-six JumpShip transports, and 105 DropShips destroyed.  Tai-Sho Khalfani’s fleet also lost more than eighty percent of its fighter force in the battle. 
           What went without saying was the losses to the Hegemony Fleet.  Today’s meeting would be to decide what our next course of action would be with regards to the fleet.  She watched as the various department heads approached her poolside retreat.  Shaking her head, she stood and walked towards the long table which overlooked the pool so they could have their working lunch. 
           As Alexandra approached the table the gathered officers and civilians stood or moved behind their chairs.  “As you were ladies and gentlemen.  Take your seats.”  Alexandra said waving her had at the table as she walked around to the head.  “Well we all know why we are here.  Go ahead Charles lets here it.  Where do we stand?” 
           Admiral Charles Renault leaned back in his chair and blew a long slow breath out before he began.  “Well Your Grace.  As you know one of our only operational fleet formations took a major beating at Cholame.  They did cause an outsized trade for the losses suffered but now without completely stripping the Province of defenses and relying on the SDS alone, which after the coup I’m hesitant until some more time passes and those with knowledge of its operations disappear or are made to.”  He said opening.
         “Go on Charles.”  Alexandra bade him to continue.
         “The loss of the Black Prince hurt.  We can build more warships but the Black Lion’s were the easiest to explain away as being from another faction.”  Renault looked at the desk and continued counting ships.  “Together we lost a Black Lion, two Avatar’s, Congress, seven Essex II’s we had to scrap the Ridgeback she is being dismantled at D-1 by the Charleston and will be transported back to Manticore and recycled as needed.  A ship that did better than I thought would was the five Davion II’s.  Two were scrapped due to battle damage but the other three are still out there protecting the salvage operations in Cholame with the Terran Resolve.”
          Those gathered around all thought about that most were still numb to fleet losses due to the coup.  The sheer destruction of fleet units just to get close to a planet to land troops and the fear of the Casper drones getting close to them to gut the ground troops before they ever set foot on the planet.  Alexandra remembered those days.  The terror of the jump into a system with an SDS.  The fear of if this would be the end.  Will the drones kill me today.  Will they take the last of my troops?  Will we run out of bodies and ships to throw at the grinder.
         “Alright Charles, you have a chance to build a navy.  What do you want?”  She asked. 
         Everyone around the table looked from Alexandra to Charles.  “Well, we need a solid destroyer as a base for the fleet.  I want to retire all of our corvettes and the last of our frigates.  We only have three left and I am not bringing the old Riga’s out of mothballs besides we only have four of them and they were crap.  I do recommend we trade them to the Suns for something.  It will give the Davion’s a minor boost in their fleet and they won’t be out of place with the other older Hegemony designs they are fielding.”
        Alexandra nodded.  “Ok and for the future?”  She asked.
        “That depends on a couple of factors.  Are we still going to make targeted strikes around the Inner Sphere?”  Renault asked.
       “Expect it.”  Alexandra said nodding.
       “Ok then I want a few ships common in each of the houses that they are capable of building.  Say some Narukami and League destroyers.  A few Commonwealth light cruisers maybe a Tharkad we still have some Mako’s in storage we can break out and use as recon and observation ships within the Commonwealth or Combine and League space.  Nothing from the Confederation I don’t like their home built craft.  The Soyal might as well be a League design and we don’t need anything like that.  Maybe rebuilt as a battlecruiser or battleships, maybe.”  He said holding up a hand.  “Now I say we build a New Syrtis or two load them with Suns style fighters or put ARTS bays on them and Voidseeker’s.  I also want a few of the Davion II’s.  I was very impressed with those ships.”
       Charles flipped the page.  “We could use a couple of the Robinson’s and we can sell some to the Federation Navy as well.  Call it a total of fifteen or so foreign ships.”  Charles decided.  “Now I want to revamp our fleet.  We need a new destroyer possible a frigate or light cruiser.  With the rate of losses throughout the Inner Sphere I am not sure if we need to build any new heavy combatants.  Although I want to commission a handful of Ark Royal’s and load them up with Voidseeker’s  as well.  I want to retire all destroyers in service except the Lola III’s and some of the Riga II’s.  I don’t like the Riga’s but the DropShip and fighter capacity is needed.”
       Charles paused and nodded to Director Martin Fitzpatrick the head of the Hegemony Research and Development Department.  “We want to design a new class of destroyer to take lessons from the coup and what is happening out there now.”  Martin said.  “Until we can build enough of these they can be used as the core of our manned home system defenses.  We can quickly build some more Davion II’s to be a stop gap which I would recommend in the interim as anything new being seen out there will cause a panic amongst the Great Houses.  We are also proposing a sweeping refit of the entire fleet.  New armor, weapons refits and the like.  This will take considerably longer as we still need to finish researching and designing the system but we are looking at the long game.  Nothing within my life time at least.”  The older man said with a laugh.
         “Martin, I think it will be longer than my life time.”  Alexandra said as she took a drink of water.  “I like the ideas everyone we will see what we can do.  Operation Cleansing is moving along at a good pace.  Our biggest issue is honestly the League with their desegregated organization.  All of the fiefdoms throughout the League keeps us busy.  The Combine and Confederation were the easiest as we are already seeing our computer worms working their way through the networks and being retransmitted around the nations via ComStar spreading.”  Setting the glass back down after taking another drink Alexandra looked over at Colonel Bashir. 
         “Doug here says we are getting some spillage over into the League from the Confederation but it will still take, how long again Doug?”  Alexandra asked.
         “Another eighteen months to two years before we are done in the League.  We have to send people after every damned center because not everyone trusts SAFE’s internal security.”  Bashir said.
        “I mean I wouldn’t, and we are the one’s who have the assistant director as a member of your intelligence service Doug.”  Aldus said with a laugh. 
       “Ok so the fleet is in good hands, ground forces are already building back up.  We have three regiments under contract to the Federated Suns with another three mechanized infantry brigades contracted as garrison troops.  I want to send one Hoplites to the Lyran
Commonwealth soon to expand our base if we have to wait until the RHI defense force on St. Cyr is formed and certified we can.  But the Lyran’s are asking for service though ComStar and we can use them to begin other operations in the region.”  Alexandra said. 
      “I think we can cut the fourth regiment assigned to the Legion to the Commonwealth.  They weren’t to come online until 2793 for the Federation but we can move them into the Commonwealth and have them contracted separately from the rest of the brigade.  This will allow us to begin working both sides of the Sphere with military force.”  Aldus explained.
      “Do it.  I want to be operating in the Commonwealth by this time next year.”  Alexandra said.
       Just then the household staff arrived with trays for their lunch allowing the working lunch to well, live up to its name.

[Kasaga]

I just want to say that this "prequel" is almost over.  We are in the last chapter or so of the story before I take a pause to update the FM for 3065---> and then I'm dropping the full equipment and manning list.  I'm also building the planetary Database for the Exiled Nova California Province along with the systems that eventually join it.  I want to thank everyone who have commented or reached out to give me encouragement.   I think you are going to see some interesting things happen.

[Kasaga]

Part 2

Lunch was fantastic good old pulled pork barbeque with all the trimmings.  Alexandra was as happy as she could be right now.  Her guests were still present, and they were still talking over the situation of this War of Star League Succession as it was turning into with almost every leader outside of the province claiming to be the next First Lord of the Star League.  It was time to begin planning for the future. 
   “Alright Doug, I’m just going to go ahead and make this official you are now the head of Hegemony intelligence.”  Alexandra stated to the gathered nods of approval from the various department heads. 
   “Surely there is someone more senior Your Grace?”  Colonel Douglas Bashir asked.
   “There probably is but you have been running operations for three separate agencies for the last few years anyways.  They may stay in charge of their individual departments as I don’t believe anyone has been doing a bad job.  However, you will command the overall intelligence organization of the Terran Hegemony.”  Alexandra said.
   She heard someone clear their throat and looked over to one of the people who was politely waiting with a questioning look.  “Go ahead Ranjit what is it?”
   Ranjit Singh was her chief of staff for the civilian government of the Province.  He looked uncomfortable as for what he was about to say would shake the very planets from their orbits.  Alexandra waved for him to spill it.
   “We need a modification to our name Your Grace.”  He said in hushed tones.  “We are no longer a member of the Terran Hegemony.  We are the Terran Hegemony.”  Ranjit said and his face looked sullener as he continued.  “Although, without Terra.  We cannot be the Terran Hegemony.  We are a government in Exile.” 
   Those gathered for the meeting all looked around and it just then seemed to hit them for the first time.  Alexandra had seen this coming.  She knew this day would come when the ghost would come collecting.  Expecting to carry on as if there was a complete Terran Hegemony to draw on, the coffers to pay for projects and the manpower to equip and field its military in hiding.  No, now the Nova California province spread between multiple realms would operate as an insurgency.  A long-term fight for the very soul of the nation for which birthed her, groomed her and taught her how to defend its people from the very situation they were now facing.  The whole purpose of the Nova California Province was to protect the entire Hegemony from the threats of a Star League turned on itself. 
   “You are absolutely right Ranjit.”  Alexandra began.  Looking around the table she gathered all of the eyes onto her.  “We need to make it official.  There are many who will think that this will pass and will want to go and search for their loved ones.  This cannot come to pass.  We will be trapped on our worlds only venturing out to ensure our protection.  We have already swept up another three worlds and are simply waiting for the last of them to disappear from the charts.  We are playing the long game.  Hoping to recover the lost homeland we all yearn to return to.”  She looked back at Ranjit.
   “Ranjit Singh, I invite you to form a government in my name.  To serve faithfully as my Prime Minister between the Regency and the peoples of this Terran Hegemony-in-Exile.”  Everyone around the table knew this was it.  This was the turning point.  The political drive to move forward to one day either reclaim the Hegemony or to form something new, something better.  “Will you help me build a society with the purpose, drive and motivation to rebuild ourselves into a nation able to move forth in the future and be the beacon of hope for humanity?” 
   Ranjit Singh was taken aback.  He had not thought of this when he broached the subject.  He only wanted to provide insight on the status of the Hegemony and how they were no longer really a part of it.  Standing from his seat he moved over to the Alexandra’s side.  Kneeling he looked up at her as she stood herself.  “Duchess Alexandra Ryan, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province and Regent of the Terran Hegemony-in-Exile.  I Ranjit Singh accept the honor of assisting Your Grace with the establishment of a Government in Exile.”


Castle Orcus, Nova California
Nova California Province
Capellan Confederation


Alexandra stood in the ‘Vault.’  Around here the seven deadly sins as she called them.  An arsenal of nuclear, neutron, chemical, biological and radiological weapons and a mix of everything in between.  Castle Orcus quite literally Castle Death or Underworld was the Hegemony’s gateway to the Underworld.  Containing the weapons to reduce the capitals across the Inner Sphere to uninhabitable wastelands in order to protect the Hegemony.  The door buzzed and a loud clank was heard as well as felt.  Swinging out towards her the entrance to another vault was revealed.
   Alexandra turned to the man with her.  “Well, now you get to see the prize Doug.”  She said.
   “What have you dragged me to Alex?”  he said as he looked around at the racks upon racks of pure evil spread around.  Worse thing was, he knew there were more of these sites.
   “Remember when I went to Terra after they tripped the automated alert system?”  Alex said as she laughed to herself.  “They still haven’t found it by the way.” 
   “I remember.”  Bashir said.
   “CAG HALO’d into Unity City and secured all of those drives and the memory core we got the Royal and Intelligence Commands codes from.”  Alex revealed receiving a nod.  “They also raided the throne room and secured some important documents.”
   Bashir walked in and his eyes were immediately drawn to the document with the Cameron Star upon it.  “You have the Hegemony copy of the Star League Accords?”  Bashir asked raising his eyebrows.
   “That’s not all.”  Alex said from the center of the room.  The document she was looking at was old, weathered, and the focal point of the vault. 
   Bashir stepped up beside her and began reading to himself.  Pausing, then continued reading.  “This is the original isn’t it?”  He asked stopping to look at Alex.  Receiving a nod, he continued reading.  He froze and looked up again.  “How old is this document?”  Bashir asked finally.
   “Look at the signatures at the bottom.”  Alex said in a soft voice as she placed a hand upon his shoulder. 
   The color drained from Bashir’s face.  He looked up.  “This has got to be a lie.  There is know way they could have known then.”  He said in denial.
   “Read the preamble again and then look at the names of those who signed it.  They knew Doug.  They ****** planned it.”  Alex said in anger.  “Simon tried to break the cycle.  To stop them before they could go through with it.” 
   “They did indeed.”  Alex said shaking her head.  “When Michael Cameron signed the pact he committed everyone to the greatest slaughter we have ever seen.  Johnathon and Jocasta tried to stop it.  I did my research and found out it was Johnathan and Jocasta that increased our presence.”  She walked around the room some more.  “Simon tried to end it.  Thought he had actually.  Then they killed him.”  Alex said.  “They used Kerensky to kill his dreams of breaking the cycle.  Then he took the one thing that could have held it all together by the one person who would have commanded the respect to do it and left.”
   She was now standing facing Bashir so close that he could feel her breath.  “Arabella Rowe is signed onto that Pact along with Geraldine Marik.  I don’t even have a clue as to whom the others are.  But it looks like the Terran Hegemony, Free Worlds League and the Rim Worlds Republic all conspired to destroy the Inner Sphere.  With no end goal mentioned within the document we can only guess at madness.”
   Alex turned away and walked towards the vault entrance.  Pausing to look back at Bashir.  “The only thing I can think of is those other names are the real power brokers and the ones whom would know the end game.”