“As June faded into July, the plight of the Confederation deepened, and five Capellan worlds, Relevow, Geifer, Cordaigr, Glasgow, and Imalda fell into Allied hands with barely a shot fired. Most of these worlds were wracked by a collapse of Capellan authority even before the arrival of Allied troops, and often it was sufficient for the allies to install a company-sized garrison, change the flags, and drive on to the ultimate prize: Sian.”
pp. 197, “The Defense of the Sarna and Capellan Marches and Active Panther” by the Federated Commonwealth Office of Military History, Government Press, New Avalon, 3060.
“I do remember that things at the main command center were chaotic by the beginning of July. Sun-Tsu hardly took our briefings anymore. Our section’s bosses spent more of their time burning or shredding documents, or making false identity documents for themselves. There was a thought most of us could flee to Marik space. That was until we saw troops massing in the Concordat and Andurien. I think that’s when we all knew it was over. We had twelve suicides that day alone. Me? I packed my bags, grabbed my false Augrian papers, 35,000 C-Bills and made a run for the Periphery border. Of course, I ran into your troops first?”
“Capellan Perspectives Project” Federated Commonwealth Office of Military History. Interview No 191, Interview of Maskirovka Commander Ling Po-Tsien, Age 30, formerly of the Analysis and Intentions Section, AFFC Desk.
Caeme Falls
Yuris
Capellan Confederation
July 17th, 3057
The LRRP team had been out for five days, and had done little more than spend their time dodging Capellan infantry and helicopter patrols for most of the patrol. So far, they hadn’t seen more than the Home Guard, but they’d seen evidence of Capellan ‘Mechs about, as they’d found tracks and remains of FARPs all over their patrol AO, but so far, they hadn’t actually seen a single Capellan ‘Mech.
And this was beginning to get on Corporal Ander’s nerves. That, and that weird thing Pappy did with his damn lower bridge. Sounded like a dancing skeleton. And the ****** thinks it’s a laugh riot. He’ll get us all killed because of that stupid lower bridge of his. He isn’t fit to be out here. Can’t be quiet enough to do the job. But, the rest of the lads trust him. So, I gotta trust him.
And sure enough, Pappy, also known as Private Les Winningham, was expertly scanning his sector with his Federated Light Machine Gun, his assistant gunner, Private Danni Lesko, was behind him, and a little low to the left, the entire patrol was at a listening halt. Daylight was waning in the sky, and the setting sun cast everything in a red-orange hue, making everything seem on fire. It would be beautiful, if not for the circumstances.
Anders looked again at the rest of his squad, and passed another hand and arm signal to set out, slow, then pointed an azimuth that paralleled a trail up the looming hill ahead. It was some 100 meters to the left of the falls, and the falls were loud enough to make it hard to think, let alone hear. Shit this would be a damn good place for an ambush. A real good place.
The walk up the hill was challenging, as the hill had a gentle, but steady grade, but the 40-50 kilogram loads the LRRPs were carrying, plus the fact they’d already covered close to 40 kilometers already was conspiring to make the climb far harder than it would be normally. The squad was tired, and all most of it could focus on was the next step, let alone their sectors. They tried, oh they tried, and discipline warred with sheer exhaustion.
It was inevitable that the second man in the file missed the whine of an actuator. The poor private, a replacement from Archenar, didn’t miss being torn apart by half a dozen .50 caliber rounds as tracers reached out to him from a position some 200 meters in front of him as a bird-like shape rose from the hilltop like a moss covered preshistoric monster, belching fire and death.
Anders screamed “SCATTER!” as he snapped off a long burst at the ‘Mech. It was a Locust, but the attached foliage made it impossible to tell which Capellan unit they were a part of. The LRRPs expertly executed a “break contact peel”, each emptying a magazine or belt into the advancing ‘Mech. But it didn’t matter, as it shrugged off most of the small arms file like the buzzing of flies. Pappy soon went down as he stopped to fire on the Locust with a V-LAW. A beam of light from the ‘Mech’s torso soon connected killer and victim, and Pappy simply ignited like kindling, not even having had enough time to scream.
The unit did its best to try to hold off the monster in their midst, but it was useless. If you stopped, you were dead, and if you didn’t, you couldn’t do anything substantial to stop it. The four survivors of the squad half ran and half tumbled down the hill, and that’s when another monster rose from the forest on their right. It was of a different shape, more humanoid, and less alien, but just as large, and just as faceless. Another beam of light shot out and blew Cho, the squad’s radio operator to ash. Her scream was cut like a knife. Ander’s mind snapped, he hit the quick release on his ruck and took off at a dead run, machine gun rounds tearing apart the ground all around him as he ran, to get as far from the monsters as he could. He was so intent on running he missed the large branch that hung low in front of him, the one that he ran into full force, and knocked himself unconscious.
Seven hours later, he was the only survivor of First Squad, LRRP Company, 41st Avalon Hussars RCT. He wouldn’t manage to report in for three additional days, and by then, all of the FC forces on Yuris already knew what Anders knew. The Capellans had been reinforced by the Metal Phalanx Mercenary Battalion, and Warrior House Diadachi.
Zenith Jump Point
Sian System
Capellan Confederation
July 27th, 3057
Kai Allard-Liao looked on from the viewport of the Phoenix Rising. She was one of four Union-C dropships attached to the Jade Phoenixes, and had proven the most difficult to acquire from the Federated Commonwealth for the unit. It helps being a friend of Victor’s as well as having the bank account I do. But this wasn’t cheap, but it’s worth it. So worth it.
Kai looked on as Sian loomed ever larger in the viewport, it was a dull blue green orb some distance away, but every day, it got a little bigger, since their entry into the system three days before. They’d been travelling at a stately one gee, the Fedcom force commander had decided that it was probably best not to tire the troops out by burning hard for Sian itself. We have a tomorrow, they don’t. Strange to see this as a battle. It’s going to be a damn execution. All the Capellans are doing to prepare, it won’t mean a damn thing. We’re just going to be forced to kill more people who have no business being on a damn battlefield in the first place. And why? Because Sun-Tsu won’t see reason. Not that he ever did. Mom was right. We’d be having a reckoning one day. And where we are. Mom, why the hell did you not let Hanse Davion settle things ten years ago?
Kai felt a large hand settle gently on his shoulder. “So, ovKhan. Are you trying to intimidate all of Sian by yourself?”
Kai didn’t turn to face Taman Malthus “No, I am trying to get my thoughts together before we ground. Before I have to kill a bunch of people who have no business holding a damn rifle.” He then turned to face Malthus. “Taman, tell me you are bothered by this?”
Taman nodded “We all are, Kai, we all are. The Fedcom’s patched in what passes for entertainment and news from Sian…and its contents are unsettling. They have children’s shows teaching how to emplace magnetic mines on our ‘Mechs. Kai, I did not agree with putting our sibkos into harms way to face the Federated Commonwealth. I was captured in the first wave, but had I known, I would have faced Chistu in a circle of equals myself. And I would have made sure he never left that circle alive. To arm sibkids as young as ten and expect them to stop ‘Mechs is wasteful.”
“What will we do, Taman?”
“Fight according to our ideals and what you established this unit to be. Redemption for us, and all the Clans. We will not willingly murder children and non-combatants. On this, you have my rede.”
“Selya, Malthus, but I think the Capellans get a vote there.”
“Seyla, trothkin. But you are Kai Allard-Liao, and if anyone can find a way, you will. Of that, OvKhan, you have my faith, and the faith of every warrior and tech in this unit. You gave us a way to be warriors again, Kai. And we will never forget that, in a cause truly worthy of us. Worry not. We will liberate these poor people from the lies and delusions of this Celestial Wisdom.” Malthus spat the last comment as if it was poison.
Kai smiled. “Perhaps we will, Taman, perhaps we will.”