But, as with the rest of the book, it's questionable if it's the truth or disinformation 8)
.
very questionable and I don't answer questions like that O0
I'm wondering what Star the Wolves will ask for
They didn't so they'll get what they are given O0 my guess is the Nova Cats will send a bunch of merchant ships or something just for giggles it is the Wolves after all.
Enough from the Wolves time for an update my thanks to the authors of XTRO Most Wanted you've given me some awesome ideas for the future. >:D
Downtown Zanzibar
Tamarind, Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey
Former-Free Worlds League
10th February 3096 The Bounty Hunter, Aoife O'Kyan, had been given an invitation to Tamarind by an unknown source. She'd been told to take her BattleMech with her into the downtown area of the planet's capital at a certain time and to tune her comms systems frequency into that of the local militia. She'd found that Tamarind's BattleMech laws were quite lax and with a lick of paint her Marauder looked like any other mercenary Mech. She'd waited in the same spot for nearly two hours and was about to call quits when a call came over.
“All commands Apache Wing aircraft a modified Hawk Moth VTOL, codenamed Verwandlung, has just launched an unprovoked attack on Colonel Newblood” the message came through “the Colonel is dead... the rest Apache Wing are under house arrest. Hawk Moth is to be considered at large and dangerous hunt down and destroy.” The voice said moments later the modified VTOl flew over the Bounty Hunter's position opening fire on a Tamarind Militia vehicle with its rotary autocannon peppering the vehicle with hits.
“A good enough introduction?” Suddenly the Bounty Hunter was asked over the same frequency.
“Introduction!! You murderous bastard prepare to die!” Another voice called as a pair of Aeron Strike VTOLs flew into view firing their lasers at the Hawk Moth both shots went wide.
“What are your terms?” Aoife O'Kyan replied ignoring the new aircraft for a moment watching as the first VTOL jinked and avoided weapons fire.
“Equal share of operations I participate in, which will not be all operations that you have an interest in, and transport” the pilot replied as the Hawk Moth pulled up into a loop-the-loop drawing down behind the Aeron's moment's later the Hawk Moth's rotary autocannon barked back to life tearing through one of the craft. Aoife smiled inside her BattleMech's cockpit watching the other craft attempt to turn away straight into her crosshairs.
“Agreed” she said not caring who heard her as she fired a single gauss rifle shot through the air from the Marauder's torso. The hypersonic slug flew rapidly into its target tearing the rear stabilizing fin from the aircraft's body sending it into an unrecoverable spin. As the craft spun to the ground striking a group of houses the Bounty Hunter began to move having no intention on getting caught in this introduction. “Docking bay ninety-four “R” the Overlord-class vessel land within the aerospace fighter bay. Brigand” the Bounty Hunter said her ship was in fact in bay 49 but if the pilot knew what was there then they may gain the “R” reference which Aoife had meant as “reverse.”
“I understand” the pilot said changing course obviously planning on leading the militia on a merry chase before joining them.
Avoiding the patrols the Bounty Hunter herself slipped into the Mule-class Transport DropShip and waited for nearly three hours before sign of her new recruit. Surprisingly instead of arriving at the DropShip's cargo deck was a single Galaport Ground Tug pulling with it a cargo trailer using the cargo name of “Brigand” the Bounty Hunter's code. This assassin was not stupid at least Aoife noted as she approached the vehicle. Once the outer door of the DropShip had closed the side of the trailer opened to reveal the Hawk Moth VTOL folded inside the trailer along with tons of spare parts and two support crewmen, the tug itself had a crew of three more including the pilot made six she thought. “More than I expected” she said as the pilot stepped down she was a young woman, perhaps even younger than the Bounty Hunter herself, she had long red hair tied back into a pony-tail “Kafka” Aoife said quietly “not what I expected.”
“Speak for yourself, Bounty Hunter”
“Tradition is a grand thing” the Bounty Hunter replied smiling.
“Yes it is” the pilot agreed
“They are all with you?” She asked looking at the crew who looked at Aoife outside her armour and were just as surprised as the pilot.
“Yes, a problem?”
“Not if you keep them in line” Aoife said “if they are a problem you will deal with it. You will pay them from the cut you receive. Agreed?” She asked the pilot didn't look completely happy but she didn't have much of a choice the Bounty Hunter had not sat on her laurels since gaining the position she now had six other MechWarriors supporting her as well as a very competent support crew.
“Yes”
“Good you will be shown the areas that you are allowed in. There are areas that for now you will not be given access to. We need to gain each others trust first, you understand?”
“Yes I do” Kafka said “do we now learn your name? Or does that come with trust also?” She teased.
“You know my name, it's Bounty Hunter” she said turning walking away Kafka's people were now hers but they would be trusted so far and not any further for now they were an unknown element to this new world for Aoife O'Kyan. After reading the previous Bounty Hunter's notes she knew some of the pitfalls to avoid, hiring an assassin was perhaps not her best move but it should make things interesting and now that they had seen her face without its armour they would leave only when she allowed them or in a body-bag.
Several hours passed and the militia search for Kafka and the “unknown” BattleMech that had assisted them had ended. Their DropShip had been checked by launch control however no-one bothered to visit the Mule-class Cargo ship as everyone knew that the ships were not designed to carry combat elements. Aoife had heard that the Apache Air Wing, who Kafka had betrayed, had been released from house arrest and allowed to continue with their contract after being cleared of any involvement in the militia commander's assassination. Two days later DropShips at the spaceport, including the Bounty Hunter's, were allowed to resume normal operations and leave the planet to their next target.
Command Bridge, Chancellor's Destiny (Du Shi Wang-class Battleship UPGRADE)
Shennong, Sian
Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation
13th February 3096 Dragging himself through the hull of the massive WarShip Kong-jiang-jun Chang Uong entered the command bridge of the Chancellor's Destiny. “Attention!” He called out gaining their attention “for years this ship has remained hidden as our Capitol's last line of defence. Today we finally have our unveiling” he said, he'd left out that since the First Succession War the Chancellor's Destiny hadn't been able to navigate or move on its own. Only recently with the return of WarShip production facilities had the Capellan's been able to repair and upgrade the Du Shi Wang to modern standards. Instead of trying to move the vessel to the shipyards of Necromo to repair the ship the Capellans had spent nearly thirty years upgrading the facilities carved into the moon of Shennong before they had even began work on repairing the Battleship. Now once the vessel was clear of the moon the facilities here could repair any of their WarShips and possibly even build new ships.
“Now we have been tasked with protecting our homeworld from five heavily armed DropShips which we believe have come from the renegade St Ives worlds they have avoided the Wudang Jian. We will stop them from getting anywhere near Sian and destroy their ground forces in space. Prime all engines and take us out of this bay.”
Nearly two hours later the Chancellor's Destiny, the last Capellan Confederation Du Shi Wang-class Battleship, fired its thrusters and slowly slipped clear of Sian's smallest moon tearing through the giant tarps which had concealed the ship and its repair facility for so long. Now the Capellans were revealing the WarShip they would need to protect the facility too. The attacking DropShips were within a couple of hours of Sian which had been defenseless to their approach now however they had a nine hundred thousand ton WarShip in their path. “Particle cannons and lasers only people we don't need to reveal too much about her.” Uong said quietly the Chancellor's Destiny's original weapons had been repaired fully however the new weapons systems that had been added to the craft still needed live firing testing which would take a little longer.
As the DropShips charged in the forward battery on the Chancellor's Destiny came to life with the forward particle cannon array opening up on the first DropShip, an Overlord-class troop ship, the craft took a Naval Particle cannon shot to the front of the ship which set the craft out of control a second tore through the middle of the ship as it spun splitting the ship in half.
The remaining DropShips scattered however they had no chance. Kong-jiang-jun Chang Uong watched as his relatively inexperienced crew slaughtered the remaining four DropShips with capital weapons fire. Several aerospace fighters attempted to launch from the vessels to engage the Chancellor's Destiny however the Battleship's crew quickly and efficiently switched their naval lasers to anti-fighter fire. The lasers blanketed the area in laser fire tearing multiple aerospace craft to pieces in rapid succession.
Announcement
Avalon City, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
20th February 3096 The leader of the Federated Suns First Prince Victor Steiner-Davion stood on a podium with two other officers both of whom had recently served in the fighting against the Draconis Combine. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Marshal of Armies Galen Cox has served the Federated Commonwealth and Federated Suns since 3042. He has defended the Inner Sphere and the Federated Suns from many many threats and he returned to us from retirement following the death of his and my friend Reinhart Steiner.” Victor announced “Galen step forward please” he said Galen immediately did “today on your second retirement I announce your membership into the Order of Davion” he said presenting the man with a blood-red shield with a black fox crouched on it. “You were not born to any of the worlds we hold but you have served us well.” Victor said Galen was originally from the Lyran Commonwealth's side of the now defunct Federated Commonwealth. He like many others had felt a personal loyalty to the First Prince and joined the AFFS following the dissolving of the AFFC with the removal of Katherine Steiner-Davion, a woman that Galen had once been engaged to, he had been allowed to return to the Lyran Commonwealth to see his family but each time he had returned firmly stating that New Avalon was his new home.
“Thank you, sire” Galen said saluting crisply Victor returned the salute and the man stepped back Galen may be stepping down as Marshal of Armies but Victor knew that he would be going nowhere.
“In his place a hero of the recent conflict with the Draconis Combine and the commander of the Crucis Lancers Brigade Sora Higginson” Victor said turning back to the crowd “Field Marshal please step forward” he said the young woman did as she was asked. Many would question just how Sora Higginson had gotten to where she was while being so young but Victor had seen her record and spoken to people who had commanded her and who she had commanded in twenty years of service with the AFFS she had not stepped a foot wrong she had fought against House Liao and Kurita and won against both she knew how to use her troops and which fights she could and could not win. “You are now Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns your duty is to everyone who serves the Federated Suns and everyone who resides on our worlds. Do you understand and accept these duties?”
“I do sire” she answer looking him in the eye Victor suppressed a smile he was glad to see she was willing to look right at him.
“Then your first duty is upon you” Victor said stepping aside allowing Sora to take the podium.
“People of the Federated Suns we have been harmed in our recent conflicts, many of our people have been lost in a war that we did not ask for. However we now have a chance to rebuild.” She said speaking calmly “pending approval from the High Command today I announce that the Third Davion Guards RCT will return to active duty within the AFFS” she said immediately gaining a cheer from the crowd both Victor and Galen exchanged a glance and a small smile but Sora continued. “The Third Davion Guards RCT were deactivated as an AFFS unit following the Clan War, the end to their time in the shadows has been long overdue, the Tenth Deneb Cavalry which was destroyed in the recent fighting will be rebuilt to its former strength.” She said gaining another cheer “while the First Robinson Strikers will be reformed as an LCT and placed on the rolls as an independent formation under the direct direction of New Avalon.” She said gaining some applause most people knew the unit's history and Jerome Sandoval's attempt at seizing power on Robinson. “Now is a time to forget our mistakes, to remember our loses and rebuild from our defeats” she said “for tomorrow, tomorrow is a new day.” She promised them stepping aside as Victor retook the podium the crowd cheered and applauded again instead of interrupting them Victor Steiner-Davion turned to his new Marshal of Armies and joined the crowd gaining an even stronger cheer. A new dawn for the Federated Suns had begun, a new generation of leadership Victor thought now he just needed his son to return to them to continue to shape the future of their nation. For the last two months there had been little to nothing from Burton Davion or his people who were still within the Raven Alliance. Victor was worried, another war, even a war to save his son was not what his nation needed.
