BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Player Boards => Fan Fiction => Topic started by: Davout73 on 24 June 2011, 14:05:33
-
My Interview with a Mercenary thread will be winding down soon, but in addition to that, I've been working on another side project. The format of this tale will be a little more different, some parts will be a timeline; others chapters, I'll throw in a few maps and the like as well. I have no timetable for updates, but they should be pretty regular.
Hope You enjoy,
Davout
-
20 August, 3028
Terra
His leg was hurting again, a dull reminder telling him all the standing up, sitting down, and walking without the cane was going to come back and haunt him for the next week. It would be worthiness it though. He watched the assembly before him, the muted conversations rolling over him. A door of to the side opened up, and the cake came up, two ComStar acolytes taking great care to maneuver it to the center of the dais. Other ComStar acolytes flittered throughout the room, removing plates, refilling glasses. He stood as gracefully as he could, and without any apparent pain or discomfort moved around the table, descended the stair a bit slower than normal. Melissa, moving almost as slow so as to preserve the hem of her gown, reached the top of the stairs and gave him her hand, her eyes glancing down at his leg. He met her with a smile and a quick shake of his head, which was returned by the briefest of frowns. She knew his leg was hurting him, already she could read him as well as some of his oldest friends.
Ian, he thought to himself, I wish you were here to see this.
Precentor Avalon, Huthrin Vandal, handed him a sword used earlier in the ceremony. Melissa's hand closed around his, firm and confident, and with three quick strokes the first two pieces of cake were cut. The acolytes quickly plated them, and with the same firm grip she helped him back up the stairs. They were supposed to have sat down while the remainder of the cake was cut and divvied, but he kept standing. Melissa, still holding his hand, leaned in close, and he bent down to listen.
"How bad is it?" she whispered
"I promise you, whatever pain I feel now will be nothing but a memory in a few moments." She glanced up at his cryptic reply, but he was smiling. With a brief squeeze of his hand she smiled and looked back out over the guests.
The cake was all served, and the guests quieted down by mutual acclaim. Reaching down, Melissa picked up her plate, took the piece of cake off, and with a smile that more affection but still had a hint of mischievousness in it, raised it to him.
"Husband, in honor of our marriage, I give you a regiment of BattleMechs and the means to support them in perpetuity." She fed him the piece, and with a few quick bites it was gone, and with a brief smile and bow of his head he acknowledged her gift
"I thank you for the gift, beloved." He smiled at her, with genuine love and affection, releasing her hand. He picked up the piece of cake with his right hand, and with his left picked up the plate it had been on and shook the doily off. That's when he felt it, the surge of confidence. Sixteen years, he thought. Sixteen years I've been waiting to see the look on his face.
"Wife, in honor of our marriage, in addition to this morsel, I give you a vast prize."
Holding the plate aloft, Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, twisted slightly, so he was looking directly at Takashi Kurita. Their eyes met for the briefest instant, until the brief shake of the plate in his hand drew the Coordinators eyes to the crest on the plate, and his smile grew bigger as he saw the recognition flare in Takashi Kurita's eyes.
Yes, Halstead Station, where it began.
Turning back to his wife, still holding the plate aloft, his voice booming across the audience.
"Here, my love. I give you the Draconis Combine!"
-
Well done! I like you twist to this !
-
:o
Waiting eagerly for more, especially with how greatly I loved Interview with a Mercenary.
-
tag
-
Now that was a twist.
Sake anyone. }:)
-
*bugged for further surveillance*
-
We had heard the Dracs were expanding the depots on Halstead Station. It made sense, that was far enough behind the border that it would take some effort to get to, the majority of the population lived underground in huge warrens, which would mean getting to any depot would be tough. There were already plans being made, and something tells me that had Ian made it off Mallory's World, he would have jumped immediately to Halstead Station...then we heard about the University Library discovery...
Instead, I was there. I'd be lying if I said I was not conscious of the fact that nothing stood between Michael and the throne other than my Battlemaster, but you don't join the AFFS to stay safe.
They say no plan survives contact with the enemy, and this was certainly the case...
-From the Unpublished Diaries of Hanse Davion
The lasers fired, and the paper quickly caught fire. Slowly at first, then with a growing intensity, the flames leapt from book to book, then from shelf to shelf. Once the blaze was going, the Victor moved away from the door, leaving him to look upon what had been done. Three hundred plus years of lost knowledge, gone...
With as start, Hanse Davion woke up. The neurohelmet was heavy on his shoulders, which throbbed with a dull pain. The comms were coming to life, reports were coming in. His mouth was dry, a few sips from the water bottle were just enough to remind him it had been awhile since he had last eaten a good meal.
"Note to self. Lock head of Commissariat in room and force them to eat Field Rations...that will teach them."
"Sorry Sir, Did you say something?" Major Deutsch, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Davion Guards, had moved his Thunderbolt over a little closer. The paint scheme was wrecked, the bright new armor plates standing out, signs of the last few weeks recent activity.
"No Major, just thinking aloud. Whats the ETA on the drop ships?"
"Four Hours Sir."
"Good. Priority is those units carrying the cargo. I don't care about loading order, or who gets on what ship. They march in, they lock down, and the ship boosts. Sauve que peut. Anyone who has a problem with that gets left behind."
"Understood sir."
"Contact! Contact at Point Warren, estimate Battalion plus of mechs, with armor and infantry as well."
Hanse closed his eyes and though for a moment, pulling up a map from memory. That area was a natural choke point, as long as the Captain in charge there didn't get to overzealous and stayed on the defense they could hold out. Disengaging could have been tricky, but the engineers had planned for that.
The minutes ticked by slowly, the sounds of combat filtered through the comm systems, a snippet of information caught Hanses attention.
"Which unit is that fighting D company?" he asked.
"Sir, 27th Dieron."
Hanse closed his eyes, thinking hard.
"Wheres the 2nd Sword?" he asked, moving the Battlemaster into a slow trot.
"Lost contact with them two days ago at the river. It's been 27th Dieron chasing us since then." replied Major Deutsch.
What would I do? I don't know where the dropships are going to land exactly, but I have a general idea. There's only a couple of locations, but enemy has not tipped his hand by claiming a DZ yet. So, what do I do? I use my lesser unit to pin down and attract my enemies attention while I..merde.
"Move on all three DZ's....Colonel Pruitt!"
"Sir!"
"Were moving out ASAP. Recon companies and fast movers out ahead of main force. Special Cargo in the Center. You've got front, I've got rear. As soon as the dropships begin their final we set up a perimeter, and the dropships cover us while we load."
"Yes Sir. Playing a hunch sir?"
"Educated guess, Colonel. 2nd Sword broke off two days ago. Kurita knows we've got limited choices to land, and he's force marched the 2nd to cover them. Major Deutsch, tell D company to blow Point Warren and fall back best possible speed."
"Sir!"
Pruitt and the 1st moved out smartly. The 1st Davion was an elite unit, and it showed. Despite the weeks of hide and seek, combat and stress, they moved with alacrity and purpose, and no complaining. The end was close, the dropships had broken through the ASF cover and were getting ready to land, and they knew it. Now all they had to do was survive the next few hours.
*******
He ducked, but not quickly enough, and the PPC blast from the enemy Warhammer took off the Holly Missile launcher on the Battlemasters left torso. Not that it mattered, it had fired the last ammo a few minutes earlier. Stabbing the mechs right arm out, he fired his own PPC in return, watched as the beam dug into the Warhammer's hip joint. With a short tremor, the Warhammer tottered, then fell over. Backing his mech up, Hanse looked for cover as he watched the approaching heavy company. A loud roar echoed through his cockpit, and he glanced up and saw Leftenant Mowbray's Victor sail through the air on a short jump, twisting to avoid the energy beams fired at him. The Warhammer, lacking hands and lower arm actuators, would have had a hard time standing up without the damage to it's hip, as it was the Kurita pilot managed to get his mech into a sitting position, but it didn't matter. Mowbray landed a few meters short of the sitting mech, and the Pontiac 100 roared directly into the Warhammer's cockpit. Scores of LRM's reached out, but with a deft touch Mowbray sidled out of the path of most of them, the few that hit exploding with little effect on his left torso.
A Kurita Awesome stepped out from behind an outcrop, the three PPC's atomizing much of the rock Mowbray was using to shield himself. Stepping out, Hanse fired his PPC and medium lasers, taking little notice of where they hit, he just wanted to distract the Awesome for a moment. It worked, the Awesome turned towards him as Mowbray bounded away again. Hanse stepped back in time to avoid the Awesome's return fire, then watched with satisfaction as Sgt. Hawkins Archer blanketed the Awesome with 40 LRM's. The Awesome retreated, its armor now pockmarked and pitted.
"Dropships in five!" Pruitts voice was strained, he had his own problems to deal with on the other side of the DZ.
Five more minutes.
Fall back, move around, fire. The Awesome made another appearance, but ducked back again when confronted by Hawkins and the Prince. The LZ was a warren of rocks and gully's, and the mag sensors were going off the chart. It came down to who saw what first, and who fired first and best. Hanse wheeled his Battlemaster around one outcropping, and ran full on into a pair of Sword Panthers that were trying to work around the flank. One of them literally bounced off his mech, falling backwards. The other snapped off a shot with the SRM and PPC, but both missed wide. Hanse was better, his medium lasers reaching out and hitting the one panther in its already damaged chest. With a shudder, the Panther shook, then fell backwards as a stream of smoke and metal worked its way through the holes in the armor, the gyro shredding itself as it fell. With a quick step back and a twist, Hanse kicked the other Panther in the hip with not only enough force to warp the actuator, but to bounce the humanoid mechs head off the rock as well. Checking to make sure it was unmoving, Hanse stepped back again. The Awesome made its presence known, the three PPC beams blasting the outcropping Hanse was standing next to. Intentional or not, several boulders flew off and struck his mech, one of them with enough force to bend the barrel of a medium laser. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Mowbray sailed again through the air, only this time he wasn't so lucky, as a pair of PPC beams and several LRM's caught him just before he landed. One of the missiles hit the cockpit, and it jarred Mowbray enough that instead of landing properly, he landed feet first then pitched forward, the mechs momentum digging a furrow in the ground.
He was getting ready to step out from cover again and fire, when the ground a hundred meters in front of him exploded. Scores of missiles and beams traced an imprecise line between the Davion and Kurita mechs, but it was enough to stop the Dracs from advancing. Hanse glanced up, and saw the Overlord class dropship descending. Slightly above it were Four Unions, a Fortress, and a heavily modified Mule. All showed signs of damage, one of the Unions in particular had several columns of smoke coming from one of the weapons bays.
The firing slowly died down. A Kurita Marauder tried closing in, but several beams from the Overlord took it's legs off in a surgical manner. As long as the 1st was under the dropships guns, they were safe.
*****
The minutes ticked by. One by one the mechs of the 1st Davion Guards moved into a dropship bay. As if by unspoken agreement the Heavy and Assault lances were the last to move.
A Kurita Battlemaster stepped out of the line, stopping at just beyond the dropships effective weapons range. With a smart salute it raised it's PPC in the air. Hanse zoomed in, focusing on the mech. The coiled dragon on the shoulder confirmed his suspicion. He maneuvered his own mech forward and returned the salute, broadcasting in the open.
"Konnichi Wa, Coordinator."
"And to you Lord Davion."
"It has been a well fought series of battles Coordinator. I salute you and your men."
"And I salute yours, Prince. I must say your battlefield reputation precedes you."
He was tired. Two days of living in the cockpit had sapped his strength, and the last four hours of battle had drained what was left. He had no time to play the game of obfuscation and little entreaties. He could endure this small loss of face, after all, he won.
"Coordinator, you can see that your troops cannot advance. My troops are embarking, and then we are leaving. You have lost this battle, but it is one you have fought with honor. There is no shame in this loss." It was good timing, but to emphasize his words one of the Unions lifted off in a blaze of ion plasma.
There was a pause, a moment of time that seemed to stretch out between the two.
"You and your men have fought well, Prince Davion. Until we meet again." With surprising grace and agility, the Kuritan Battlemaster bowed. Hanse hoped his return bow was equally graceful. When he returned to a full standing position the second Union was lifting off. He turned his comms back to the Guards frequencies.
"Contact, contact coming in fast, looks to be two ASF's, range 10 clicks and closing fast!"
They were closing in fast, two teardrop shaped Slayers. The second Union, the Jonesboro was still in the process of lifting off, a slow, fat target that was to good to pass up.
"I've got 'em." Sergeant Jess stepped forward, the Garret radar on top of his Rifleman spinning furiously. Stepping forward he raised both the Riflemans arms to the sky, loosing a steady stream of autocannon and large lasers. Jess was as good as his word, the first Slayer flew threw a stream of shells, shuddered in the air, and changed course, trailing black smoke. Hanse heard Pruitt screaming on the radio for ASF cover of their own, but he was to busy following the second Slayer. It came in at high speed, jinking up and down, but not fast enough for Jess. The second Slayer shrugged off a few autocannon an laser hits, until one of them appeared to hit near the cockpit. The plane, trailing smoke and pieces of structure, flew straight and narrow for a moment, then pulled up and at its best possible speed, flew into the lower side of the Jonesboro.
It was a morbid fascination, watching the event unfold. The Jonesboro hung in the air for a few seconds, trying to right itself. From within the interior of the ship was a sympathetic explosion, and one of the bay doors exploded outwards, followed closely by a Quickdraw that was tumbling end over end. There was even more debris...paper, floating in the air.
The Jonesboros engine stuttered, then stopped, and then slowly began to fall back down.
It was the paper that caught his attention, the remains of the books they had fought the past four weeks to save.
Close, so close.
Several mechs dodged and jumped out of the way as the Jonesboro fell back to the ground. If there was a saving grace, it was that it was too close to the ground to achieve terminal velocity on the way down, and the impact could have been much worse.
He wasn't sure who fired first. He knew it wasn't him, but the next thing he knew the comms were alive with people screaming and cursing, and then the air was filled with missiles and laser fire as the 2nd Sword charged.
He screamed, the stress of the last few days, the sight of the books falling back to earth. A war cry, inarticulate with rage, escaped from his lungs. Turning, he raised his PPC and fired, watching as the fire of the nearest dropship reached out over him to try and stave off the advancing horde. They couldn't fire for long, in a few moment they wouldn't be able to tell friend from foe. He advanced firing as he went, caught up in the tunnelvision of rage and bloodlust.
He fired, he punched, he kicked, shrugging off the hammerblows of the enemy mechs. He saw his target, the Battlemaster, standing and firing, a Marauder on one flank, an Orion on the other. Missiles and lasers flew by him on all sides. A Victor, maybe Mowbrays, flew through the firestorm and landed a few meters in front of the Battlemaster. The Pontiac roared just as the Orion fired at it, jerking it away from its intended target and into the Marauders leg, which collapsed, taking the Marauder to the ground. What armor remained was not enough to save Mowbray, his heat shielding gone, he ejected. Hanse watched as the prone Marauder tracked Mowbrays chair then fired...
A barrage of missiles enveloped the fallen Marauder and the Battlemaster. When the dust and debris cleared, the Marauder was immobile, black smoke escaping from the seams and joints. The Battlemaster looked sandblasted, its armor pocked and dented, leg fused at the knee.
Hanse raised his PPC, the Battlemaster blinked under his reticle and he fired. Nothing happened. He pulled the trigger again, still nothing. He risked a glance, and saw that half of it was missing, the remains a melted mess.
"When did that happen" he though to himself. He tossed the remains aside, risked another look at his screens. Voices filled his comms, the loudest was Pruitt's, cursing him and calling him back, urging others to go to his aid. The Orion stepped in front of the Battlemaster, autocannon flashing,. Hanse ignored the mech, moving closer to the Battlemaster as fast as he could. The missiles had rattled the coordinator, maybe one or more had hit the cockpit and shaken him up some. So much the better.
The Orion turned to tracked him, then recoiled as it was shoved aside by Hawkins charging Archer. Despite its missing arm, the 70 ton mech rocked the heavier mech backwards, then fell under the Archers torso medium lasers and a couple of well placed punches.
"TAKASHI!" He screamed. He was close now. Rearing back, he punched, but the coordinator recovered in enough time to pull back, enough to avoid most of the damage. The return punch was a hammerblow, crushing the remaining medium laser on his right torso.
He didn't know how long it lasted. Kicking, punching, firing. His gyro screamed in protest, the feedback from his neurohelmet was overwhelming. Kurita punched and missed, over extending himself, and seeing an opening, Hanse returned with a punch of his own. He smiled in grim satisfaction, saw the Coordinator looked out the cracked cockpit to see his fist coming towards it, maybe it would be the last thing he saw.Just as his own fist hit the "neck" joint of the Kuritan Battlemaster. Something struck the side of his mech, throwing him against his seat restraints hard enough that his head bounced off the side.
*****
Pain, unbelievable pain.
*****
Blackness.
-
:o [drool] [rockon] More more more! [applause]
-
From interview with a Mercenary to this
Excellent.
-
Superb.
-
You truly are a master with the words.
-
I never want to see that again. As long as I live. I watched Yorinaga Kurita kill Ian, and the way he fought for those 10 minutes I know Hanse would have taken both of them on and killed them both. And he may have ended up in better shape than he did on Halstead.
Giles Mowbray, AFFS, retired.
******
Losing most of his upper right leg was not the biggest obstacle he had to overcome. Sure, he could have amputated and replaced the leg, or augmented what was left with myomer, but he refused it. And it wasn't the lung damage either, although he did have those replaced. That's not what hurt him most, it was the books. We took six, maybe seven thousand from the Library. Maybe half of those were lost on the Jonesboro, the rest were taken back to New Avalon, used to help found the Institute. If your lucky, you can get a tour, watch them work on the books, catalog them, translate them. Your behind six inches of glass, and they're in a clean room...There's a reverence to it.
All but one book. He carries it with him everywhere.
Private Diary of Quintus Allard
******
At a best guess estimate, elements of the 1st Davion recovered 6,555 units of information from the Library on Halstead Station (A unit refers to a book, either whole or portion thereof, or electronic storage device in which some data is recoverable). By the time the 1st reached the LZ, a little over 300 had been lost, most due to wear and tear. Approximately 3,100 units were on the Jonesboro when it crashed. 878 were recovered by AFFS forces before lifting off. At the time it was assumed that the hostile environment of the Halstead Station atmosphere would degrade and/or destroy the remaining units on the planet surface, but it is known that Kuritan elements were able to recover close to 1500 units of information from the wreck of the Jonesboro. Initial reports show that the majority of these are medical in nature, though it is known that several engineering and industrial texts are included as well.
From the Daily Briefing, MI3 section. Declassified, 3066
******
Why couldn't that bastard just die already...damn his luck!
From the Private Diary of Michael Hasek
******
July 15th, 3014
The sound of the cane hitting the table was like a gunshot, and the conversation in the room immediately died. Several participants around the table made an effort to look offended, but their efforts paled at they looked at the source of the sound.
Hanse Davion, six months removed from the Battle of Halstead Station, six weeks out of hospital, looked pale and tired, but his face was mask of anger and disappointment.
“Enough.†The word hung over the assembly. Business Leaders, Academics, planetary nobility of New Avalon, all were there to voice their protests against his latest proposal.
“This is ridiculous. This petty, internecine squabbling is over. The Halstead Collection represents the biggest recovery of Lostech information of the past 300 years. It will not be broken up and parceled out, it will not be restricted, it will not be hidden from sight.†A few people, mostly from the Academic representatives, began to protest, but stopped when Hanse looked at them with a hard stare.
“The Science Institute of New Avalon will be built. I do not care what it costs to build, because I will personally pledge the privy purse of the Davion family to ensure its construction and completion on time. Any delay in its completion will not only incur my public disappointment, but my private wrath.
Yes, the Institute may draw away the best and brightest of business, but the simple fact of the matter is that the students they turn out, and the research the conduct under one roof instead of many, will lead to a bigger pool of talent to draw from, and mean faster discoveries of new technology and faster implementation of old, rediscovered technology. It does this nation no good if Business A and Business B are working on the same technological goal but do not share information. You say you are worried about lost revenue from technologies produced, from license fees, from the lack of monopoly on being the first to bring a new item to market. Oppose me and I guarantee I will bring the full force of the Ministry of Ways and Means down on you, and if that means parking a Sheriff in your office to question everything you do as a CEO, I will. I do not care if you're GM or Federated Boeing. You can explain to your stockholders why you thought it was better to go it alone, spend billions of C-Bills for Millions in returns over 20 years when cooperating would net you Billions of returns on Millions invested in 5 years.†Several business representatives stare in open mouth shock. This is a side of the Prince not seen before, in public or private.
“This is a matter of National Pride, of National Prestige, of National Honor. The Institute will be a beacon for everyone, not just those of us in the Federated Suns, and I will not have it sullied anymore by this bickering.
“Is that clear?â€
The tapping of the cane on the tabletop was the only sound in the room.
******
December 1st, 3015
With great fanfare, the Coordinator officially opened the Luthien Kenkyūjo no Kagaku to Gijutsu (Luthien Institute of Science and Technology) today. While many of the Combines best Scholars and Scientists have been here for the better part of year, repairing, translating and cataloging the tomes rediscovered at Halstead Station, today is the first day of School for the first class of students. Brought here from all corners of the Combine, these are the best and brightest stars in the Dragon's Constellation, and in only a couple of years time they will further strengthen the Pillar of Teak, and in doing so further strengthen the Dragon.
Partial excerpt from Press report, Imperial Press, Luthien.
-
Dude that is more of how I saw Hanse Daion as the leader of Federated Suns. But there was never anything written of him that deep in the books I read!
[rockon]
-
Hanse, F.P.
-
"When a Zibler is born, a new mech leaves the proving grounds" - Attributed to First Prince Melissa Davion, 2888.
September 19th, 3015
He had been to the Fox's Den before, but never to these private offices. He stood outside a door, save for the hulking armored infantryman standing in front of it, would have been as nondescript as the others in the hallway. Trying not to fidget, he checked his uniform one more time as best as he could. The alarm on his watch beeped, and he knocked on the door. Even before the second knock had landed, a loud voice called on him to "ENTER!"
Opening the door, he marched in smartly, stopping three steps away from the desk, and snapping off the smartest salute he could. "Sir, Colonel Thomas Zibler reporting as ordered."
"Thank you Colonel. Sit."
"She looks more like my grandmother in person than on the vids." He thought. The Princes Champion, Marshall Yvonne Davion, did indeed have a matronly look about her. She was perhaps the most powerful grandmother in the Inner Sphere, with the entire Armed Forces of the Federates Suns at her beck and call. "She'd as soon drop an RCT on your head as she would feed you a cookie."
She smiled briefly at him, finished shuffling through some documents, and then looked at him squarely, hands in front of her.
"So, Colonel Zibler. How do you like Strategy and Tactics?"
"It's fine Sir."
"It does give you a lot of free time, doesn't it?"
"Well, truth be told sir if I had my choice, I'd rather be doing than thinking, but at the moment, thinking is what they pay me to do. If this is what I have to do to advance my career then I will do it to the best of my abilities."
Marshall Davion smiled at him, then picked up a folder, opened it and began reading.
"Thomas Andrew Zibler, born April 1st, 2978. Entered Albion Military Academy at 16 in 2994. Left Albion in 2996 and entered Sakhara, where you missed graduating with honors due to a large number of demerits incurred. Assigned to the 1st Ceti Hussars as a Sargeant for 2 years, transferred to the 7th Crucis, where you fought at Lincoln in 3001, earning the Silver Sunburst Medal, a promotion to Leftenant, and three months in the brig. Transferred to to 1st Chisholm's Raiders in 3005, promoted to Captain. Demoted to Leftenant again in 3006, promoted to Captain again in 3008. Promoted to Major 3011 as a reward for the fighting on Delacruz. Transferred to New Avalon that same year, assigned to Strategy and Tactics, and you've been in a cubicle ever since. Recent Promotion to Colonel six months ago was under the board and quite out of the ordinary. Do you know why?"
"Sir, I wouldn't presume to know-"
"It wasn't your fathers influence, or your Uncles for that matter. Or your Aunt the Countess."
"Janene?" he asked with surprise.
"No, I was referring to Agatha, your other Uncles, never mind, it's not important. You got that promotion for you work with the Ministry of Foreign Relations Department while you were seconded to Strategy and Tactics. I have a memo here from Sub-Minster Felsner who praises your forthrightness and ability to think outside the box, while at the same time bemoaning your lack of tact where certain individuals and topics are concerned. General Davies is of two minds on the matter, on one hand he is very impressed with you and your abilities, and he'd like to see you as part of his team. His big fear is that he may use his other hand to strangle you while your there."
"I think I understand, Sir." His voice was quiet.
"I know your a lifer, but let me ask you something. Do you think your ready to spend the rest of your career as a colonel stuck in some middle office here on New Avalon? I won;t deny you would do some great things, I've seen your first drafts of the proposed Gauntlet curricula for NAMA and if they are just the tip of the iceberg as it were for you. They tell me that mentally you are very capable of doing great things, but some reason the mental filter that you need to become a success in the AFFS is just not there. How soon do you think it would be before you said the right thing to the wrong person? How long before you find yourself in charge of some depot on the ass end of the Outback asking yourself "Where did I go wrong?"" She looked at him, waiting for an answer.
He sat and thought about it for a moment, but only a moment. It was a conversation he had with himself many times since he joined up, especially after that first demotion. He wasn't married, he knew his one and only mistress would be the AFFS, but the thought of withering away at a desk was not what he wanted, but still. He couldn't explain it really. His reputation for honesty was well known, as was the
"Sir, if that's what the AFFS thinks I am best suited to do, nothing will stop me from giving it my all."
The Marshall sighed, and sat back in her chair, steepling her hands under her chin. He suddenly felt like a wayward child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She stood up.
"Follow me Colonel," she said, standing up. She exited a side door and he was right on her heels. Past another hulking trooper, down a hallway, through a series of corridors, and he found himself in a small conference room, with a holotank in the center of it.
Sitting down at the chair at the head of the table, typed in a few commands. The holotank came to life, zooming and twirling into focus. He saw a few planets come into focus.
"The Point Barrow PDZ," the Marshall said. "Oh, sit down Colonel, please." She gestured to a chair, which he took.
A Few more taps of the keyboard, and several planets in the region came into the center of the screen, Kettering in the middle.
"Kettering. Defiance, Perdido, Minette, Xenia, Weldon, Bluford. These worlds will make up the Kettering Proving Grounds. This is going to be the training area for the AFFS."
Zibler couldn't help it, he leaned forward.
"The core unit of this area will be the Kettering Proving Ground RCT. However, with only a few exceptions, there will be no mechs or vehicles assigned to this unit."
"Sir?"
"You don't have the clearance for this yet, but one of the discoveries at Halstead Station was a holoprojector network series of manuals. Essentially, you rig an industrial or agromech with one and it can emulate any mech out there. Throw on some dummy weapons, tie them into the computer networks, and you have a walking, running Battlemech. And there are some decent customizable agro and industrial mechs out there that we can emulate probably 98% of anything in existence. Vehicle's are even easier, a couple of wooden panels and your good to go there.
"Each training area is going to be watched and monitored by several systems, audio, video, satellite, all recording, all capable of being integrated and replayed. The Kettering RCCT is going to be an aberration, as an Opposing Force Unit it may be emulating a Capellan Unit one cycle, a Kuritan unit the next, a Taurian Unit followed by an Outworlds unit. It needs to emulate those countries doctrines and way of fighting better than they do, but doctrine only goes so far. I want a thinking, devious Davion trained mind behind those doctrines, because the idea is that a unit will come to Kettering and fight, and in the process get its tail kicked from pillar to post. After the fighting comes the grading and that needs to be done as openly and honestly as possible, without the possibility of recrimination. I don't want any shortcuts or ass kissing, if the son of Duke So and So can't tell down from up, then I want to know about it."
"Sir, may I ask why your telling me this?"
"Colonel Zibler, I've spent the past six months looking into your past and your record, and a few things have always cropped up. You're an innovative thinker, an excellent teacher, and while you respect and tolerate the chain of command, when you do have a difference of opinion, those opinions have been made forcefully, factually, and without cruelty or malice. Your knowledge of the CAF and DCMS is excellent, as are your organizational skills. I need someone who can kick a person in the teeth, and do so with a smile, and then tell the victim what to do to avoid getting the same treatment the next time." With a hard stare the Marshall looked at him, and with a few keystrokes the holotank shut down.
"Colonel, I am offering you Command of the Kettering Proving Grounds and Training RCT. You get your pick of personnel, mostly;a fairly open budget, and a chain of command that goes from you, to my deputy, to me, and then the First Prince himself. It's the closest thing to a blank check and dream chain of command that anyone in this Princes Army would kill to have."
"Are you ordering me to take this job Sir?" he asked. His mind was already reeling with the possibilities, but part of him was sure this was a joke on the cosmic scale.
"Son, the depot on Maran needs a new laundry officer. But then I'm not ordering you to take the Kettering command either. You have a choice, those are your two options."
"Yes Sir, thank You Sir!" he said, standing up.
"Sit back down Colonel. For the next three months this is your home. You have access to 99% of the personnel files of the AFFS. While you may request anyone, I have final say, is that clear?"
"Yes Sir."
"Excellent. Initial groundwork and construction on Kettering is already underway. Assembly and Training of the Kettering RCT begins in January, the unit will officially activate in February of next year. Your first Cycle is September, against the 17th Avalon Hussars. Each Cycle is going to be 6 weeks. 1 Week for the unit to assemble on planet, 4 weeks of combat exercises and review, 1 week for them to leave. Your RCT then gets 6 weeks of repair, rest and preparation for the next unit, which should be 2nd Chisholm. Both those will be scaled down to battalion size, we're still trying to figure out how to move a full RCT on the without causing to much fuss.
"Yes Sir. With your permission?" Zibler indicated the keyboard at his chair.
"Of course Colonel." she replied. He stood up and removed his jacket, then rolled up his sleeves, and sat down. A few minutes later he was ensconced in his own world. With a wry chuckle, Yvonne Davion, Marshall of the AFFS and Princes Champion, let herself out of the room and found one of her aides, a bright young Captain at his desk.
"Make sure he eats and sleeps on a regular basis Greg. In fact, consider yourself his aide from this moment on. He will frustrate you to no end, but it will be worth it."
"Yes Ma'am." replied Greg Sanromea-Davion, trying not to sound sullen.
"Cheer up Captain. He's either going to make your career or break you while trying." Her smile was nothing short of terrifying as she said those words.
-
Timeline
3014
January - While fighting on Halstead Station, Hanse Davion is severely wounded and almost dies. Takashi Kurita is also wounded, but not as severely. Davion troops retreat with the majority of the cache, Kuritan troops also recover materials.
May – Anton Marik declares himself Captain-General of the Free Worlds League, precipitating the Marik Civil War. Wolf's Dragoons are contracted to fight for Anton.
July – The founding of the Science Institute of New Avalon (SINA) is announced.
August – The Luthien Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is founded in the Imperial City.
3015
February – Anton Marik's forces kill 26 of Wolf's Household staff (and supposedly family) on New Delos, including Joshua Wolf, Jaime's brother. In retaliation, Alpha Regiment and the newly formed Black Widow company assault Anton's Ducal estate, killing him and essentially ending the rebellion. A few weeks later Janos Marik offers the Dragoons a 5 year contract.
April – Maskirovka agents capture several geneticists from a Davion research Station on Sanilac.
May – DCMS forces invade Mara, pushing the defenders off in August.
December – The official openings of SINA and LIST are announced
3016
January - Marshall Yvonne Davion announces a limited expansion of the AFFS, and the creation of the Kettering Proving Grounds. The newly constituted units are the 4th, 5th and 6th Ceti Hussars, but for the moment, they are nothing more than cadres.
February – Construction of the Kettering Proving Grounds begins. Assembly of the Kettering Training RCT begins as well.
March – Operation PINPRICK begins. AFFS units begin raiding the Capellan Confederation, averaging one raid every two months for the next three years.
August – An unknown team of assailants attacks one of the hospitals attached to the Luthien Institute of Science and Technology, starting several minor fires that are soon contained and put out. ISF investigates and pins the attack on the MIIO, who denies any knowledge of the attack.
September – The Kettering Proving Grounds are officially opened. The first unit to participate, the 2nd Battalion and assorted infantry and armored units of the 17th Avalon Hussars RCT, are severely humbled in two months of mock combat.
-
Thank you for share this, keep it coming!
-
Timeline
3017
February – Luthien Institute of Science and Technology announces new cancer treatments and therapies based on materials found at Halstead Station.
April – Capellan forces invade Spica.
May – After a weeks long running battle Capellan forces are forced off Spica. Candace Liao is severely injured in the campaign.
July – Science Institute of New Avalon announces breakthroughs in Myomer grafts and cybernetics.
November – The pace of Operation PINPRICK slows down. Davion raids on Capellan Space still continue, but at a reduced rate.
3018
March – An assassination attempt is made on Hanse Davion and Michael Hasek-Davion's life while both are meeting on New Avalon. Privately Hanse suspects that Michael was behind it all, but an intense investigation by MIIO reveals that Michael knew nothing about the attempt.
June – Hansen's Roughrider's are hired by the Lyran Commonwealth.
July – Hanse Davion begins a tour of the Outback Region.
November – Planning begins in the Free Worlds League for an attack into Steiner space.
December - Janos Marik presents the plan to Wolf's Dragoons.
3019
January – Wolf's Dragoon's cross the border into Steiner Space. Over the next six months they conduct a dizzying array of raids deep into Steiner Space, culminating with the drop on Hesperus.
By the middle of July, despite facing overwhelming numbers, the Dragoons are within sight of the entrance to the battlemech factories, but carefully hidden Lyran reinforcements, including Hansen's Roughrider's, force the Dragoons to retreat off planet with heavy casualties at the end of June. Retreating back to Sterling, the Dragoon's exercise their escape cause and disappear into the Periphery again.
August – At a meeting on Filtvelt, Hanse Davion and several business leaders announce the recreation of the Outremer March. The business leaders are there to announce expansion plans on several planets in the Davion outback. In a series of backroom deals, Hanse Davion has given them financial incentives to expand in the Outback, related to tax breaks and “other†incentives.
December – Wolf's Dragoons return to the Inner Sphere, and accept an offer from the Lyran Commonwealth.
3020
January – Maximilian Liao starts secret negotiations with Michael Hasek-Davion
March – Katrina Steiner sends her peace proposals to the other Successor Lords of the Inner Sphere.
April – The Outremer is officially incorporated in the Federated Suns. Hanse Davion reads the Archons proposals and is intrigued by the possibilities presented. An honest answer in May starts a slow dialogue between the two nations.
June – Retired DCMS Colonel Lloyd McGavin forms the Night Stalkers.
August – Maximilian Liao and Michael Hasek-Davion conclude a neutrality pact.
November – 1st Battalion of the 1st New Ivaarsen Chasseurs becomes the first unit to tie the Kettering Proving Ground RCT. It is the first time the Kettering RCT has not won.
-
September 29th, 3017
Fort Blaine, Defiance
Kettering Proving Ground
"No, No, No, No, and for the last time, No Captain." Major Jasper Hathaway's voice was beginning to lose its patience. "Watch the replay again."
The lights were dimmed, the holotank came back to life. The planet rotated, and zoomed into the Profitt Valley. A column of mechs on route march advanced. There were flankers out on either side, but there was a certain, sloppiness to unit. A couple of enemy tanks appeared over the ridge line, and fired some LRM's, an ineffective spread but one that caught the column by surprise.
"Contact Left! Two Saracen's at 400 meters!"
A series of confused commands came down, and the column slowly reoriented itself and began to move after the hovertanks. A few more hovertanks popped out and fired, what appeared to be two lances of Saracens executed a perfect fighting withdrawal further into the valley. A few minutes later, as one mech moved up the hillside, the ground erupted in a column of flame and smoke, followed closely by others. A simulated minefield and artillery strike rained down, the computers incapacitating damaged and destroyed mechs by locking their systems down. All the mechs in the column were damaged to some degree, some destroyed outright. The comms came to life again briefly, until the computers and referees shut down their comm systems. A lance of heavy Mechs, painted in Capellan colors, came over the hill and made short work of the remaining damaged mechs. A couple of Davion mechs were able to disengage, but in less than 10 minutes the majority of a company was damaged or destroyed.
"Captain, did you ever consider that the tanks were a lure, a decoy?" asked a referee, hidden by the dark?
"Yes Sir," Captain Angus Macaffee.
"How Captain?" asked another referee.
The silence was heavy.
"Lets face facts," said Major Hathaway. "If you thought this was a decoy, why not have your recon element investigate?"
"Sir, I -"
"You didn't think to have them investigate." interrupted the Major. "You heard the shots, and directed everybody towards the sound of the guns, full speed, against a unit that was smaller and more maneuverable than you. You became so locked on those tanks you ignored the tactical reality of the situation, right?"
The silence lasted for a few seconds.
"Right?" This time Major Hathaway was on the verge of yelling.
"Yes Sir." If Captain Macaffee could have sounded more dejected, he would have.
"Excellent Captain. Accpetence is the first step on the road to improvement." There were a few chuckles.
"Whose the Leftenant who managed to retreat?" It was a question Hathaway already knew the answer to, but he wanted to see if Macaffee would volunteer it.
"Leftenant Rodgers sir."
"Leftenant Rodgers, what would you have done differently?"
"Reconned the area a little more aggressively sir. We were to lax in our march, and we failed to utilize our supporting elements to their fullest extent."
"That's true. Win the recon battle and you have the advantage. Go in blind and you just might find yourself on the wrong end of the stick, right Captain Macaffee?"
"Yessir," came the still dejected voice.
"Lights," called out Major Hathaway, shutting the holotank down.
The Mechwarriors of Delta Company, 2nd Battlion, 33rd Avalon Hussars were a dirty, grimy lot. They had come out of the valley, back to the makeshift mech bays and directly into the review room, with barely enough time for a drink and a quick bite. The referee's had found out early on the quicker the review began, the quicker a resolution began.
"Look Captain," said Hathaway, coming to the center of the floor. "We've all screwed up at one time or another. The good thing is you and your company walked away from this with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. It's a lesson you need to learn from. If you don't learn from it one of two things is going to happen. You'll be cashiered from the service, or you be killed while serving. Remember that the next time you're out there, which will be in about six hours. You're OpOrd will be sent then."
Major Hathaway smiled, and it wasn't friendly. "And the Warriors of House Jomamma look forward to beating you on the field of battle again. Dismissed."
* * * * * *
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, House Master," Major Hathaway said with a smile. He himself was dressed in a very good facsimile of a CCAF House Battalion leader.
"I wasn't expecting to be here, either. How go the travails of House Jomomma?" Colonel Zibler said with a grimace. He didn't like the name, one of the first OpFor captains had come up with it.
"We have added many glorious victories to the House of Liao, captured many banners, and shamed many Davion Dogs." was the smiling reply. "On a lighter note, kicking butt and taking names. How go things on Perdido?"
"The 1st Dragon Regiment of the Draconis Combines Misguided Soldiery do well, but that's not why I am here. Listen Jasper, I've got some good news and bad news."
"Oh. Well, hit me with the bad news first."
"Words come down from On High. After the next cycle, we stop training for 9 months, equipment upgrades, and we need time to integrate the new members."
"New members sir? That's ahead of schedule."
"I know, which leads me to my good news," replied Zibler, reaching into his pocket. He handed over a pair of Leftenant Colonel epaulets to Hathaway, who stared at them in silence for a minute.
"When, Where?"
"After the next cycle. Your being transferred to the 6th Ceti Hussars, they're being moved to Bromhead. You're the new CO of Combat Command Beta. In a way I envy you, I served in the Ceti Hussars, I miss it...its a great opportunity."
"Yes Sir, Thank You, Sir." They started walking down the hallway again.
"I am sorry to lose you Jasper, you're a good referee, and a top commander. I'm on my way to find Captains Shore and Jarvis, they're getting transferred out as well."
"And Captain MacIntyre?"
"She gets your job, and well deserved at that."
"Yes Sir, I do agree with that. I know where she is, I think it might be more appropriate to tell her first."
* * * * *
November 23rd, 3019
Location Unknown
"You look tired."
"The death of a brother will do that to you."
"It is more than just his death..."
"You have my sympathies, as alien as they are to me on this manner. I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I have never lied to you in the past, and I am not going to start now."
"In time. In time. At this point there needs to be a strong leader, and there are very few who have been with us since the beginning willing to step up. I've asked, and the one person who came close to agreeing said they could never do it while I was still there, looking over their shoulder. And she was right."
"I can understand that point of view. I still get my elbow jogged from time to time, its enough that I want to declare a circle and get it over with, but that would be rash."
They walk in silence for a minute.
"I have a change of orders for you."
"Oh?"
"The Council is becoming...agitated. It's becoming more and more difficult to reign in the Crusaders. Three, maybe five generations, and they will be ready, and I cannot guarantee which way the vote will go."
"I understand. What do you wish us to do."
"Unless circumstances warrant it, you are to stay behind. Fulfill your original mission, serve each House, and when that is done, prepare."
"For?"
"The coming storm. You and I both know what could happen when the crusaders get their way. You and I know that's not the way it should be. So we want you to prepare."
"That...could be difficult. There has been a complication."
"What complication?"
"Something is not right with Blake's creation. We heard a name on New Delos. One I cannot place, but one that is troubling to me."
"What name?"
"The Blessed Marillier."
A few days later.
"I will do what I can to find out the source of the name for you. My orders however remain unchanged. This is your new charge: Serve the remaining Houses, then find a new home, and do what you can to prepare. If I can warn you, I will. Unless it is an emergency of the highest order, this is the last time you and I will probably see each other. So long my friend. Tell Natasha she is welcome back with open arms."
"Your getting better at lying Kerlin."
-
The following conversation was recorded on June 10th, 3020 in the Office of the first Prince of the Federated Suns. Present are the First Prince Hanse Davion, the Minister of Intelligence Investigations Quintus Allard, and Foreign Minister Olivia Fenton. Released to the public on June 10th, 3070.
June 10th, 3020
New Avalon
Hanse Davion: Good morning Olivia, Quintus.
Both replying: Good Morning Hanse.
HD: I take it you've both had the opportunity to go over the Archon's reply.
QA: Backwards and forwards. I must admit it has me a little worried, but that's entirely due to my own paranoia.
HD: How so?
QA: Well, lets be honest, her Peace Proposal was nothing more than a cease fire writ large, essentially maintaining the status quo.
OF: Which is what, in your opinion, Minister?
QA: That things are slowing down. The tempo of operations has slowed to such that large scale operations that were the hallmark of the First and Second Succession wars are no longer possible. Wait, I shouldn't say impossible, but rather improbable. Everyone is ground to a halt, or nearly so. Sustaining offensive operations on a long term scale is no longer plausible or feasible. Something is going to have to change. She knows that. We know that. Any leader worth his or her salt knows that. And to be honest, the economic proposals in her message are heavily weighted in her favor. If sh were serious, why negotiate like that?
OF: I think her proposal is a starting point. She set the bar high, but not so high, I think there's room to negotiate. But what if her proposals go beyond what she sent. Reading between the lines of course.
HD: How so?
OF: I am reading her differently of course. I think she truly meant what she sent out, as much as you truly meant your reply to her, and the next two communiques are nothing short of astonishing, at least to me. There's a real opportunity here.
QA: For what? A dialogue?
OF: Yes. Look, I don't want to have to point out the obvious here, but the fact of the matter is these last three months of communications are the first time in over a century two House leaders have talked to one another without threatening some sort of military action, and I think there is some real opportunity here.
HD: For what?
OF: More talking. Whats the damage, short and long term, if we build on the small dialogue we have here?
QA: True. Talking doesn't hurt either of us in the long run, at worse we sound each other out.
HD: And best case, in your opinion?
OF: Formalized trade Trade and Tariff agreements? Technology Transfers? The Lyran Market and Economy could be as much a boon to us as ours could be to them, and they know it. The fact that we share borders with a common enemy can't hurt our cause either, especially if we frame the discussion that way as well when the time matters.
QA: I agree. It will be years before we see a return on the investment in the Outremer, at last two decades before we break even on just out initial investment, Lyran currency and equity would go a long way in redressing that balance.
HD: I Agree. What's your read on your counterpart Olivia?
OF: I think she's intrigued by the possibilities as well.
HD: OK. Let's take a chance here. Olivia, next message tell the Grafina that your willing to conduct a face to face series of meetings, if you have to agree to do it on one of their coreward worlds, New Earth perhaps. Set it up for three, four months from now. In the meantime I want a team to study the potential effects of a series of economic agreements, ranging from the limited to the unlimited, maybe if we can sell them on the idea of mutual economic treaty, we can get some more out of it as well.
OF: Yes Sire. With your permission then? <Minister Fenton leaves>
* * * * *
“Billions of C-Bills are being invested, on what? Infrastructure, they say. In order to build an economy in this “Outremerâ€, they first have to prepare the planets to be able to support an economy. So I ask, why invest Billions in building infrastructure to prepare for an economy when there is already an economy languishing here in the Capellan March. Has the Outremer suffered the depredations we have? No. Do they live under the threat of the Capellan Sword as we do? No. In fact, were it not for the sacrifices of the Capellan people, it could be that the Outremer would be worse of than it is now. But your still going to tell me that those worlds need the help more than those of the Capellan March?â€
From an editorial in the New Syrtis Times, widely reputed to have been written by Duke Hasek-Davion.
* * * * * *
“There is only one thing worse than a clever man trying to be devious, and that is a devious man trying to be clever. Duke Hasek-Davion is either blind or ignorant, and I know he's a smart man. Building up the Outremer means more of our industries and wealth away from the front lines, where they cannot be raided, stolen, or destroyed. When Hasek has to fight the Capellans to take his planet back, then he can complain.â€
From the Private Diary of James Sandoval
-
November 24th, 3021
Fort Ian
Kettering Proving Grounds
Kettering
He was sitting at his desk, eyes deep in paperwork, when he heard the door open.
"Be with you in just a moment," He muttered. He read the latest report from Major Dupree, who commanded his 3rd Battalion. They had just kicked 2nd Battalion, 2nd New Ivaarson Chasseurs in the teeth, hard. Really hard judging by the accompanying comments the Battalion commander has attached in his own defense. The door shut, and he assumed whoever had stuck their head in had left. His aide probably saw the look on his face and was doing his best to cover for him. He was very good at that.
"Rough Day Colonel?" asked a voice.
He knew that voice. Dreaded that voice. He looked up from his notepad, and sitting in front of him was Yvonne Davion, Marshal, Princes Champion.
It didn't happen to Thomas Zibler often, but when he froze, he froze. Hard.
"Don't get up Colonel. It's not as if you knew I was coming."
So this is how the axe fell. With a grandmotherly smile and an offer of cookies...
"Uh, No Ma'am. Thank you Ma'am, I was unawares of your travel plans."
"Well, to be honest, this is a brief visit, I am on my way to Broken Wheel for a meeting and a tour of the PDZ. I must say Colonel, that you have exceeded even my expectations. Not a cycle goes by now when my deputy doesn't get a message from the last CO who came through complaining about something you said, or did."
"Are those something I should be apologizing for Ma'am?'
"Good gracious! No!" Great, he thought, even her laugh was matronly. "That's one of the reasons he's there, so I don;t have to listen and or read them out right. I should also tell you that I have another folder, albeit one not as thick, with messages from others who have participated saying it's on of the better things to happen to them. And to be honest, we're seeing an uptick in requests to transfer to the unit."
"I've seen those too Ma'am." It was a new phenomenon to him, actually having outsiders request in. Since the Proving Ground RCT had been created he had vetted all the members, approved them all, and with only a couple of mistakes, had done very well. That those previous members of his unit had gone on to do some very good things obviously had caught the attention of others.
"I will say though, a number of feathers have been ruffled in some of the After Action Review Sessions. Mostly CO's and XO's who feel they are being to harshly judged in front of their troops."
Zibler, couldn't help it. He groaned and put his head on his desk, and would have banged it more than a few times had not the Right Hand of the First Prince been sitting there. He sat back up.
"You know Ma'am, when we first started doing this, that was one of our primary concerns. And the first couple of rotations, we had the Commander's sit in a different AARS, but we found out petty quickly it devolved into a "My CO told me to do this" and "My troops misunderstood/ignored/didn't hear me." It became a bitch session where every0ne was blamed, no one took responsibility, and nothings going to improve that way. No, AARS where everyone is present is the only way to go. If your ego gets bruised, it gets bruised. But better bruised here then dead on the battlefield."
If she was at all disturbed by his physical actions she didn't show it. Yvonne nodded her head.
"I fully agree with that point of view Colonel. And I and the Prince will continue to endorse that point of view. If a commander cannot willingly admit his mistakes in front of them men and women he commands, then he shouldn't be allowed to send him into battle."
"Well, to be honest Ma'am, that sounds a lot better coming from you than it does from me."\
"How so?"
"Apparently I'm just a Colonel with an ego problem and no tact."
Marshal Davion looked at him for a brief moment, then reached into her tunic.
"What if I could solve that?"
"I'm afraid you can't Ma'am, the tact thing will always be an issue."
"I didn't mean that." She tossed something on his desk.
Zibler was obviously tired. When he looked at them they were Marshal's tabs. He was buried on the list.
"I didn't take you for the practical joker Ma'am."
"It's not. I had an interesting communique from Marshal Nicholas Stephenson, after his units rotation here. He thought that you and your subordinates made a lot of good points, did a lot of good things, had a lot of things to teach his unit. But then the RCT XO piped up and said that you were getting to much time and consideration, especially as, and I quote "A Colonel in command of an RCT that exists on paper only."
Thomas picked the tabs up in one hand, holding them. A Marshal. He never thought he'd make it past Major, not after that incident.
"Ma'am, not to belabor the point, but isn't this just a dodge. An end run around the critics?"
Yvonne Davion smiled, which was disarming.
"It is. But the fact of the matter is Marshall Stephenson has a point. So he raised the issue. And it was passed along."
Zibler, despite his best effort, sighed, and picked the tabs up.
"Some people will still think it's a dodge."
Smiling, Marshal Davion reached into her tunic again and pulled out a piece of heavy paper, and handed it to Zibler. He opened it, read it once, then dropped it on the table.
"I'd frame it, put it behind you or keep it close, so the next time someone tries to discount this, they are put in their place." She glanced at her chrono. "No rest for the wicked Marshal Zibler. You have my congratulations, and my thanks. However, I do have a request for you."
"Yes Ma'am?"
"I understand that next years rotation has the 5th Syrtis Fusiliers coming?"
"Ah, yes Ma'am, that's true."
"Make sure they leave with their tails tucked between their legs."
"Yes Ma'am!"
The Princes Champion stood, and Zibler shot to his feet as well. His half baked attempt at a salute was met with a laugh and a wave. "Good Day Marshal Zibler. Congratulations on your recent promotion, and good luck to you and yours this coming year." She shut the door behind her as she left.
Zibler, unsteady on his feet for a few moments, sat down, then picked up the paper again, and read:
June 15th, 3021
Be it known to all, on this 15th Day of the Month of June, in the year Three Thousand Twenty One, Thomas Andrew Zibler is hereby promoted to the rank of Marshal, date effective immediately, by my order, signed by my hand.
Hanse Davion.
The veriagraphed signature was just icing on the cake...
-
Time Line 3021- 3025
3021
March – Comstar and Janos Marik finalize an agreement that allows Marik's youngest son Thomas to become the heir of the Free Worlds League.
May – The LIST announces a breakthrough in cancer treatments. The SINA announces a new treatment in the regeneration and regrowth of bone.
September – Wolf's Dragoons attacks Dromini VI. Infighting among the Kuritan commanders allows the Dragoons to decimate the DCMS defenders. During the campaign Minobu Tetsuhara encounters Jaime Wolfs damaged Archer and allows him to leave the field of battle unhindered.
November – After encountering difficulties from the commanders of units whose performance has been revealed as lacking at the Kettering Proving Grounds, Princes Champion Yvonne Davion promotes Thomas Zibler to Marshall and gives him overall command of the Kettering Proving Grounds Zone.
3022
January – Smithson's Chinese Bandits raid Sian.
May – The Federated Commonwealth Accords are signed on Terra. Galtor III is captured from the Draconis Combine.
October – The Initial Proclamation of the Concord of Kapteyn is announced.
November – McCarron's Armored Cavalry begins its raid into the Federated Suns, hitting Kathil. Maximilian Liao meets with Michael-Hasek Davion on Lee.
December – Wolf's Dragoons exercises its escape clause with the Lyran Commonwealth and enters into contract with the Draconis Combine
3023
March – The 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry becomes the first unit to win a Kettering Proving Ground Campaign, with a record of 5-4-1.
March – While out on a tour of the region, First Prince Hanse Davion and his escort of Heavy Guards encounter McCarron's Armored Cavalry during their raid on Beten Kaitos. In a week long running battle, the AFFS forces whittle down the MAC forces, injuring McCarron on the last day of the battle. The MAC retreat off planet, and although injured, McCarron is still able to coordinate his now infamous raid.
May – Taking advantage of the massive tax breaks being offered by the Exchequer, Several companies announce expansion plans in the Outremer. Federated Boeing announces the construction of a new manufacturing center in Filtvelt. General Motors of Kathil announces a new civilian motor vehicle factory will be built at Broken Wheel. Already 30 other companies have set up divisions on Zolfo, where recent mineral and oil deposits have led to a booming system. In addition, the AFFS and Department of Education begin constructing the Outremer Academy System. With the primary campus, also doubling as a Military Academy on Filtvelt, and Satellite campuses on PDZ command worlds, the Outremer should see improvements in a very short while.
June – In a rapid campaign, AFFS forces retake Tancredi, ending a 10 year Combine occupation of the Planet.
August – Wolf's Dragoons raid David, and the next four months go on to raid Elidere and Cimmaron.
October – The MAC attack the Listowel Depot.
3024
February – The Dragoons raid Breed, starting a trend of almost 1 raid every six weeks on a new Federated Suns Planet planet for the year.
March – The MAC attack Kathil again, surprising the local units.
June – The first Lyran students start attending the NAIS.
July – MAC hits Mira and Mesartim, then cross back into Capellan space in October.
August - September– The Kettering Proving Ground RCT defeats the 10th Lyran Guard in a series of closed games on New Earth.
October – While traveling back to the PGZ, the Kettering Proving Ground RCT stops briefly on New Avalon. While there, Marshall Zibler is reassigned. The Kettering Proving Grounds Zone is now commanded by Marshall Erik LeFarge, former CO of the 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry.
November – Elements of the 12th Star Guards arrive in in the Lyran Commonwealth, commencing a new contract.
December - Lyran troops defeat the Combine on Severn.
3025
January – Two Regiments of Wolf's Dragoons hit Deshler, beginning a bloody four month campaign.
February – Operation SWIFT LANCER commences, as AFFS units begin several raids on the Combine border. Marlowes Rift, Delacruz, Capra, Thestria, and Al Na-ir are hit in rapid succession the rest of the year. On Thestria, the 1st Chisholm Raiders, a recent “graduate†of the Kettering Proving Grounds, soundly defeats Epsilon Regiment of the Wolf's Dragoons.
April – Capellan Forces invade and conquer Redfield.
May – Acting on what was supposed to be false intel, the Combine invades Galtor III in search of a Star League cache, setting off one of the most brutal, contested campaigns of the early century. By September, more than 20 different units on both sides will have rotated through combat on the planet Serious infighting between the two Combine commanders prevent them from coordinating together.
July – Taking advantage of an AFFS High Command distracted by the Galtor Campaign, Capellan units jump to Stein's Folly, and in a swift campaign eject the Davion troops from the planet.
August-October A curious time for the Federated Suns, after celebrating the victory over the Draconis Combine on Galtor and Deshler, the AFFS moves to blunt the Liao troops on Steins Folly, and do so in a swift campaign. Soon after the battle, Hanse Davion begins to openly repudiate provisions of the Federated Commonwealth Accords, going so far as to remove several people from their posts and jail others. It is eventually discovered that Hanse Davion has been kidnapped while on a working retreat on Argyle, and replaced by a body double.
August – The LCAF 2nd Royal Guard beats the 3rd Ceti Hussars in the Second Alliance Games, held on New Earth. It is later revealed the 2nd Royal has done noting but train the past 9 months in preparation for the Games.
November – By mutual exhaustion, the Third Succession War ends.
December – Takashi Kurita announces the formation of the Ryuken.
-
Very interesting.
-
Very interesting.
Actually, what's interesting, to me anyways, is that with exception of the KPG, some operation names and the POD changes, 90% or more of the timeline is Canon
Davout
-
It is by far better than My own book!
-
A good read so far...
-
From an Intelligence briefing in September, 3022.
AFFS units are stretched to the limit. With constant raids on the Draconis Border, and the aftereffects of the Tancredi Operation, and tensions on the Capellan border still at an all time high, something has to give, and soon. And if this present raid by McCarron is a sign, we are in no position to do much.
It's telling that Kurita is using Wolf's Dragoons for these raids, as they must use their own supplies, and then buy replacements from Kurita, Is this an attempt to try and force them into the company store approach? With regards to current operations, something has to change soon. Years of Low Intensity Conflict have taken their toll. We all have reached a breaking point. And the question before us is: Who will break first?
June 3023
So what, they announced new investments. I don't care what he spends, or how he spends it. I know for a damned fact I ain't seeing any of the results in my lifetime. Unless he's putting extra bodies in my fields so I can harvest the crops faster, I could care less who's coming here and why.
From the trivid series Interview in the Outremer
September 3023
Look, we're no slouches. Next time you run across the 8th Sword of Light or the 3rd Prosperina Hussars, you ask them “Hey, are the 22nd Avalon Hussars walkovers?†They'll give you the straight stuff.
Anyways, everybody's heard of Kettering. We had a company Commander in the unit who was part of the unit there for a year, and the Colonel picked his brains but good. And we practiced as well, blew through our training budget in almost 5 months. Heck, we had guys in the sims on weekends and holidays practicing...May rolls around and we are ready.
So we get there, we pass and review, and we go to the first briefing. And this room, it's like something out of the movies. Holo display's and graphics everywhere, manipulative video feedback, sensor tie ins. I thought that stuff only existed in the movies, it was that shit hot. Anyways, we sit down, and across the room is the Kettering folks, and they looked, I don't know...bored. Marshal Zibler, he was on the ball though. Spent three hours talking about what the next six weeks were going to entail, but it felt like 20, 30 minutes tops. I loved the line about “After Action Review Sessions are not the place where you air out your grievances with your current command. They are not the place to belittle and attack those you serve with. What happens on the Training Ground is recorded and played back, without any edit. So when you screw up, and you will, everyone will see it. This is a learning opportunity ladies and gentleman. Learn here, bleed less when its real.â€
So that night were at one of the local watering holes, shooting the breeze. The Kettering Guys are playing it pretty close to the vest, and I notice there's a sign above the bar, that says 23-1-4. I ask one of the Kettering guys what that is, and he says that's the scoreboard. Since 3016, they've averaged 4 cycles a year, fought 28 different units, and in that time they've gone 23-1-4, with the average score being 7-2-1 out of ten missions on the rotation.
So, I ask him. “So, who was the 1?†And he says “2nd Battalion, 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry.†And I'm thinking, those guys are tip man, no wonder Kettering lost. And the troop I'm talking to sees it in my face, and says “Final score was 5-4-1. They had to win the last battle on the last day to pull out the win. And they deserved it.â€
I'm thinking to myself, man, that's gotta smart. RUMINT said the Kettering troops were a bunch of insufferable prancing ponies because they never, ever lost. They were good, they knew they were good, you knew they were good and they were still going to wipe the board with you. So anyways, we're drinking and shooting the breeze, and I know I had to many cause I say “Man, I would have hated to be the unit that came in after the FSAC. I know you guys must have been angry about losing for the first time, and just itching to take it out on whoever is next. Guy smiled, and set his beer down.
“You could say that,†he says.
“So, who was the next unit?†I ask, ordering another beer.
“Why Troop, that would be you guys.†And the guy pats me on the shoulder and walks out. And I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach like I'm going to throw up.
And they cleaned our clocks. We went 2-8 against them, and one of those was a gift.
From “Damn, I Volunteered for This?â€, the memoirs of Mechwarrior Cody Jones, 3018-3048.
Look, I know a few things after “fighting†the 10th Lyran on New Earth. One is that we train more than any unit in the Inner Sphere, so it stands to reason we're going to be good. Two. I ran into a Colonel who had seven years in uniform. Seven. And he had two rows of medals, one of which he earned by jumping into a system and then out again because the local ASF patrol fired at the dropship he was on. Third, if the 10th Lyran is a good Elsie unit, they're in trouble. Given the proper jumpship and supply support I have no doubt I could make my way to Tharkad and beat any unit, or any three units, there with next to no trouble. Four, When I told Duke Frederick that, I think he was ready to join me, but not for the same reasons. The Man's brave, but lord, he's a sledgehammer, and not every problem, strategic or tactical, is a nail waiting to be hammered. That said, God help whomever they face should they get competent.
From a communique to Marshal Yvonne Davion, from Marshal Thomas Zibler.
-
New Avalon
November, 3025
"Who is he?"
"We have no idea. He know from his bloodwork that he is from one of the Rasalhauge planets."
"How so?"
"He has antibodies in his system to fight Harkung's Disease. Which is only found on a couple of planets in the Rasalhauge district. Plus there is his DNA itself. It compares quite favorably to certain Scandinavian stock found in Rasalhauge."
"What about his DNA."
"We believe parts of it have been changed, in particular those strands and segments that relate to eye color and hair color."
"And his memory?"
"His original memory? Wiped. We don;t know how, other than it was aggressive. His mind was basically emptied and filled with yours highness. He believes he is Hanse Davion."
"Well, he certainly came close enough. Do we have an idea who did this?"
"Well, we don't have the technology, at least the DNA change technology. That to me speaks of Kuritan influence, many of their recent medical breakthroughs are based on DNA, RNA and amino acid manipulation. The mind wipe could be any of the houses really, but judging from the evidence proffered by the other conspirators, that was Liao's doing."
"So we have a Kuritan citizen who was mindwiped by Liao into becoming me?"
"It would appear so, Highness."
"And the leg?"
"They did that, medically speaking. It appears they even broke his arm and reset it so it would reflect the injury you suffered when nine."
"Monstrous, simply monstrous. To think what he could have done had he succeeded."
"To be honest Sire, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish much."
"What do you mean."
"He's dying sire. Or at least his brain is."
"WHAT!? How?"
"The changes in his DNA have caused his body to reproduce T-Cells and attack elements within his body, in particular several areas of his brain, those that were wiped. I would like to call it unintended consequences of what happened, but there is a certain, elegance...to whats happening to him that makes me think this was intentional."
"So whats going to happen to him?"
"In effect sire he has the effects of rapid onset Alzheimers. In three years, five tops, he will no longer be able to function beyond autonomic body control, but that's just guessing. It is not something I would wish on my worst enemy."
"What about your two worse enemies?"
"Excuse me Sire?"
"Nothing. Do what you can. Spare no expense."
"As you order, Sire."
-
New Avalon
January 15th, 3025
The nice thing about being underground was the warm air. The not so nice thing was you forgot what the sun looked and felt like, although judging from the reports of local weathermen no one had seen or felt the sun in a few days. You also forgot to what time it was. If it weren't for the attendants, and the meal schedule, a person could quickly lose track.
Of course, a few weeks of inactivity meant losing track of the days was the least of many things to worry about. Losing his mind over inactivity was another. On the surface he had a nicely appointed apartment he never spent any time in. In the Den he had been given an office, a small staff, and nothing else. Various memo's came across his desk, he read them, then usually threw them away. The only ones he did save were regarding the Kettering. LaFarge and the new officers had picked up where he had left off, drubbing the 8th Crucis Lancers.
The other memo's he had studied dealt with the recent raid by MacCarron's Armored Cavalry. He had gone so far as to appropriate whatever information he could, and with a Marshall's Rank and security clearance so high it was almost stratospheric, that was quite a bit of information, and he was studying it intently. It was bold, daring, took more than a few risks, but the planning and logistics behind it were what impressed him. It was long thought that coordinating an RCT on a planet taxed a commanders resources, and here McCarron had done it across two years and several star systems. He had detailed maps and after Action reports printed out, covering one wall, and when he wasn't standing in front of them studying them, he was at his desk, studying them from afar.
When the knock on the door occurred, he was standing in front of the wall again, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, eating a roast beef sandwich, admiring again the coordination McCarron pulled off with his jumpships.
"ENTER!" he half yelled,taking another bite. He heard a soft curse from his much put upon aide, but paid it no mind.
"Are we interrupting something, Marshal Zibler?"
Dammit, he knew that voice. He had to stop impressing her like this.
"No Sir," he said turning away from the wall. Marshall of the Armies and Princes Champion Yvonne Davion stood looking at him, arms crossed, a slight smile on her face. That's when he realized she was not alone.
"Marshal Zibler, it's a pleasure to meet you," Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, walked forward, cane in one hand, other hand outstretched.
Zibler momentarily went into brain lock. Do I say Hi? Do I shake his hand? Do I salute? Deciding that when push came to shove, the military way was the only way, He assumed a position of attention and began to salute, then realized he was still holding the sandwich in that hand.
"Sir!" he barked. "Um, sorry, My Prince, if you'll forgive me..." he raised the hand with the sandwich in it almost apologetically, stepped over to his desk, put it down, grabbed a napkin and wiped furiously for a second, then turned back around. Both the Prince and the Marshall were looking at him with something bordering on amusement. Beyond them he could see his aide hanging his head, shaking it.
The Prince proffered his hand again, and the Marshal shook it.
"Please, Sirs, sit," he gestured to a pair of chairs in front of his desk. "Would you care for any tea? I do have a pot of water ready." Marshall Davion went and sat down, declining his offer. The Prince went over and stood in front of the wall, looking over many of the charts he had.
"This," Hanse Davion said with a sweep of his hand, "Is most impressive." Marshall Zibler couldn't help himself, he went and stood next to his Prince, and started talking.
"I agree sir. A most impressive campaign run by a very capable commander. Hard to believe that this level of coordination was pulled off in this day and age." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Marshall Davion wince.
"Actually, Marshall Zibler, I was referring to your display of information. You have data from three different intelligence branches and six different working groups organized in a clear, cognizant manner that I suspect very few people would have trouble following." The Princes voice was very matter of fact, he waved his cane at a few printouts.
"Yes Sir, thank you Sir. If anything it's a teaching moment for us sir, one that I think we can learn from."
"And that, Marshall Zibler, is why I am here. Lets go to my office."
"Uh, yes sir." They left quickly enough that Zibler forgot his jacket. The walk to the Princes office was quick, with next to no small talk. Once inside behind the double doors, Prince Davion keyed a device that sat on his desk, then sat down quite heavily, favoring his leg.
"Weather playing hell with your leg sir?" Zibler asked. Davion returned the question with an arched eyebrow.
"My Uncle had a similar injury, said he always knew when the weather was going to be bad because it would hurt like a mother"”well, it would really hurt. I never really believe him till I spent the summer with him once and he predicted every day it would rain."
Hanse smiled apologetically. "I'll manage Marshal, although I thank you for your inquiry." He sat back in the chair, thinking for a minute, just long enough for Zibler to start contemplating exactly what the hell minefield he had gotten himself into this time.
"Marshal Zibler, first of all I wanted to congratulate you on your performance and the Kettering Proving ground commander. You did yeoman's work in getting that up and running, and your record speaks volumes to you and your troops capabilities and efforts. I have been very pleased with the results."
"Thank You Sir," Zibler couldn't help it, he smiled. Praise was one thing, but praise from Hanse Davion was something else entirely. "and thank you for the promotion, it did cut a lot of the chaff at the end of the day."
"You earned it Marshal, I was more than happy to sign that particular piece of paperwork. Now, what exactly can you tell me your working on now?"
Zibler paused. "Well, to be honest sir, nothing really. At the moment I seem to be "without Portfolio" as it were. I've done some Gauntlet work for SINA, but other than that, not a lot. I'm presently attached to Strategy and Tactics, but I have no official duties as of yet. I know Marshal Karrendal at SINA wants me to give a couple of lectures this semester, I am looking very forward to that." And he was. Teaching was one thing he found he had a knack for.\
"Well, Marshal, I have another assignment for you. He hit a button, and one wall slid away to reveal a flatscreen display. A Map of the Federated Suns was prominent, and it zoomed in. Hanse Davion stood up, and with a small arm movement beckoned Zibler over.
"Watch, and tell me what you think, Marshal."
Zibler did. Hanse hit a button on the display, and data began to flow. RCT locations, jumpship timetables, then slowly, lines began to appear, units moving from the core and edge towards the interior. Ten, Twenty, Fifty, soon some 75 Mech regiments had wound their way across the Federated Suns and to the Capellan and Kuritan border.
"Impressive Sir. The basic work looks good, and the movements are well planned, but there are some underlying issues I think were missed."
"Thank you Marshal, it's nice to know my planning skills haven't eroded over the years." The Princes smile was genuine. In her chair Yvonne Davion almost choked on the tea she was drinking. Inwardly Zibler felt his stomach knot up. "Christ man, one of these days just keep quiet!" his inner voice was telling him.
"Uh, you welcome Sir. If I may point out a few things?"
"Of course. Excuse me." Hanse turned around and sat back down in the chair next to his Champion.
"It's ambitious, but there are several flaws. The first is that this sort of movement has never taken place before. Which means that something will go wrong, and judging by the time table in place I would say that bottle neck would be the transportation assets involved. Looks as if a lot of the jump ships are assigned double and in some cases triple duty. One failure would cause a ripple effect that would set the whole thing back."
"Solution?" asked Marshal Davion.
"If this is what you want to do, temporarily seize civilian assets. It's the only way this has a chance if succeeding. The second issue I see is that this is overly ambitious. 75 mech regiments moving is going to play havoc with the system, and then set off our neighbors."
"What if that's the final plan?" Asked the Prince. Zibler blinked.
"This is the "Run" part of the plan, Sir?" he asked.
"If you are referring to Crawl, Walk, Run, then yes."
"Ah, well, that does make sense. Well, There are always going to be logistical issues involved with such large maneuvers. But, as long as your willing to give local commanders the leeway to get things done the best way they see fit I suppose, and the bullets and butter guys are up to speed, that shouldn't be a problem. But to be honest, until we do it, there's no telling what issues are going to arise. I could do my best forecast and still miss stuff."
"So how big would the crawl phase have to be in your opinion Marshal?" asked Yvonne.
Zibler thought for a few minutes. "At a minimum. 10 RCT's, with accompanying units. If those were moved to the Terran corridor, it would be enough to set of alarms everywhere, which can be good and bad." He Paused. "Plus it will give us a good idea on what needs to be done in terms of supply and the like. There's going to be enough snafu's moving 10 RCT's, I can imagine the headaches moving more than 50. No, 10 RCT's is a crawl. Next we do 20, maybe 30 RCT's. After that we see what we can really screw up..." Zibler stopped talking. He felt it the right thing to do before further embarrassing himself.
Hanse nodded to his Champion. "I can see why you like him, Yvonne." He stood up, walked next to Zibler, and swiped the deployment map away. It was replaced by an Org chart, one that did it's best to show the AFFC high command and its departments. Rumor had it if you stared at it long enough and relaxed one eye, various images would jump out of the jumbled mess in 3-D. Hanse zoomed in, to where his name was at the top, followed by Marshal Davion's, then a line leading to Strategy and Planning. Off of that line was a dotted line, leading to a box, with his name in it. The pit in his stomach grew tighter.
"Marshal Zibler, what you've just seen is the basis for what I am calling Operation GALAHAD. It is now your responsibility. You answer to Marshal Karrandal in theory only, for the time being you talk to noone but myself and Marshal Davion about this. I want preliminary plans and OpOrd's generated for a 10 RCT movement to these PDZ's."
"Uh, yessir. Thank You sir."
"Marshal Davion and I will help assemble your staff. This is going to be codeword clearance only, and I suspect we'll be spending quite a bit of time going over a few things related to this."
Zibler tried not to gulp.
"Thank you sir."
"Excellent. Marshal Zibler, I thank you for your insight and opinions. The guard outside will escort you back to your office." Hanse Davion stood, proffered his hand again, and this time, Zibler took it. Than hand shake was just on the right side of bone crushing, and the look in his rulers face was determined, to say the least. Suddenly, the knot in his belly went away. Zibler could never explain why, but looking into Hanse Damion"™s eyes, seeing what burned within, made him want to succeed, lest he be on the receiving end of that anger.
Marshal Davion shut the door behind him, laughing quietly to herself. A guard in body armor waited outside.
"Where to Sir?" he asked politely.
"You know Sargent, I haven't the faintest idea."
-
Double Posted the timeline.
But for those who like to follow thee nitty gritty details:
RCT movement for Galahad, 3026:
5th Crucis Lancer RCT from Kathil to Mira
1st Argyle Lancers from Broken Wheel to Helen
1st Capellan Dragoons from Wernke/Talon to Errai
1st Kestral Grenadiers from Kestrel to Errai
6th Ceti Hussars from Elidiere IV to Errai (not a canon unit)
1st New Ivaarsen Chasseurs from New Ivaarsen to Towne
2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs from New Valencia to Nopah
1st Davion Guards from New Avalon to Demeter
3rd Davion Guards from Kesai IV to Errai
42nd Avalon Hussars from Fallon II to Elbar.
Davout
-
Nice!
-
Poor Marshal Zibler, never a foot so deep in his mouth he can't fit the other one in there as well... :)
Only to find out that he gets more feet assigned to him to make thingsworse in bigger scale. Good thing he thinks fast with his feet... :D
-
A Couple of basic maps for everyone's perusal.
-
Probably better to give each map it's own post...
-
Operation THOR, 3027...
-
And Operation Thor, 3028
-
June 2nd, 3028
Marshal Thomas Zibler stood in front of his wall, looking at the various charts and graphs that he had put up there. To an outsider, they were a random arrangement of charts, graphs, and movements that on a good day, might make half sense and force a migraine. His phone rang, but he ignored it, lost in a back and forth conversation in his own head.
After the tenth or so ring, the phone stopped, and a few minutes later a pounding came on his door.
“Enter!†he called, not looking away.
The door opened, and he heard a sigh.
“Tom,†Colonel Greg Sanromea-Davions voice was soft, but it had the effect of breaking the Marshall out of his metal feedback.
“What, oh, Sorry Greg, what's up?â€
The colonel pointed at the phone, which began ringing again. “Pick it up,†he said with a smile, and watched as Zibler went over and picked it up.
“Zibler speaking.â€
“Catch you at a bad time Marshall?†asked the Princes Champion.
“No ma'am. What can I do for you?â€
“In two hours the dropship Amelie Rose is lifting from New Avalon, your going to be on it. The Prince is sending you to Harrow's Sun.â€
Thomas felt his stomach drop a little. He new the deployment of the entire AFFS at the moment, down to the individual regiments. Other than a militia garrison, there was nothing on Harrow's Sun.
“Yes Ma'am. Can I ask why Ma'am?â€
“Your are going to be our Liason with our new addition to the AFFS. The Prince wanted to send General Sortek, but he is needed elsewhere in the short term. Your the next best person to send IMO, so you go. You get to take Colonel Davion with you, and that's it. Swing by my office before you leave, there's a couple of other details I want to go over with you.â€
“Yes Ma'am, of course. May I ask who I'm meeting?â€
He could almost hear the smile over the phone.
“Wolf's Dragoons have left the Combine, Marshall. The Prince wants someone to welcome Colonel Wolf back to the Federated Suns, and potentially brief him on upcoming events. General Sortek is out. You're it.â€
The Dragoons!
“Yes Ma'am, thank you ma'am. Be there in Five.â€
Fort Belvoir, Harrow's Sun
July 15th, 3028
He waited a respectful distance away from the landing pad, watching as the Overlord Class Dropship Chieftan landed in a plume of fire and smoke. A few minutes after landing, as the dust settled, he made his way to the main landing door. It opened up as he got with a few yards of it, and a few minutes later a few officers appeared. Upon reaching the bottom of the gangway, they stopped. As one, they saluted in the Federated Suns fashion.
He returned it as crisply as he could.
“Colonel Wolf, welcome back to the Federated Suns.â€
Colonel Wolf, looking tired and haggard, smiled.
“Thank You Marshall Zibler.†Thomas felt a little shock, but it quickly passed. He looked behind him and motioned, and a couple of GPV's made their way to the drop ship.
“Sir, if you'll follow me, we'll go to the briefing area.â€
“Of course,†said Wolf, “Let me pass a few orders of my own on first. He turned to the group of officers with him, speaking softly. A minute or so later, they scattered in several directions, only a few accompanying Wolf.
Fort Belvoir wasn't the most lavishly appointed post in the Federated Suns, but it was adequate enough.
The only change Zibler had made was to find a round table to fit in the conference room, and the MIIO team that had tagged along with him had swept and safed the room to a fare the well. Zibler couldn't help but notice that as a whole, the Dragoon personnel were on the edge of exhaustion. He knew that look well, he had inflicted it many a time on opposing warrior's while at Kettering. After introductions, and an offer of refreshments, Zibler spoke.
“First things first Colonel. Your dependents have arrived safely on Robinson and are being watched and cared for.
He watched closely, Wolf's shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly, as if a weight had been lifted off them. The look on several of the other assembled officers was more revealing, from relief to gratitude.
“Secondly, starting tomorrow I have several Tech teams arriving, with some supplies as well. Once here, they are essentially yours to do with as you please. In about a week there's a companies worth of replacement mechs arriving as well, compliments of Hanse Davion. Now, that's out of the way, tell me what you need from me and what I can do to make that happen.â€
If Jaime Wolf was surprised he didn't show it, but he paused before speaking.
“Having our families safe and secure was our primary concern Marshal, thank you very much. The only request the Dragoon's have is a frontline assignment.â€
Zibler blinked. That was one thing he wasn't expecting. He had yet to receive a full accounting of the Dragoons present state, but RUMINT said they lost upwards of half their mechs on Misery.
“I think Colonel, that's something we can discuss in detail in the coming days.â€
Wolfs response was a look Zibler knew well. They would be discussing it, in depth and detail.
Fort Belvoir, Harrow's Sun
July 16th, 3028
Marshal Thomas Zibler was on the verge of tears. It wasn't the wind blowing across the battered parade ground that caused it, for the first time in a long time it was emotion. A pain he had not felt in a long time.
Colonel Wolf had insisted on a parade, a Pass and Review to acknowledge their new employer. So the stands had been pulled out of storage, the band tuned, and at 0900 the pass and review began.
Zibler knew the Dragoons had suffered casualties at Misery. Five Regiments against Eight, on some of the most hostile terrain in settled space, he knew casualties were going to be heavy. But this, this was something else.
The Dragoons had been Five Regiments with supporting units. Now, Alpha Regiment and Beta Regiments were barely five companies. Delta, Gamma and Epsilon four each. Twenty Two Companies out of Forty Five. Fifty Percent losses. On several instances, a lone mechwarrior marched carrying his company's guidon, but the salutes were perfect, the marching impeccable. The pride and determination in their faces, their steps, their carriage was evident for all to see.
The last company of Epsilon Regiment passed, and marched into place.
Zibler moved to the microphone, turning it on. There was a brief moment of feedback, and then he spoke.
“I cannot begin to imagine the hell you have gone through, of the friends you have left behind, the pain of your families being attacked yet again...†He had to stop for a minute, a deep breath to steel himself. “The Dragoons have long History of excellence in service, of professionalism and battlefield prowness, duty served with Pride and Honor. I have followed your exploits since 3010, know the names and details of the many of those campaign ribbons those guidons bear, but I want to say, that today I have seen the true heart and mettle of the Dragoons. Today I am most proud to stand in the presence of group of warriors whose skill, courage and determination, exceeds not only my expectation, but your own as well. And for that courage, that skill, that determination, I salute you.â€
Standing at attention, Zibler ripped off a salute that would make have made even Marshall Yvonne Davion proud.
“Do you trust him?â€
“Yes, I do. Zibler's well known in the right circles, and despite his...impediments...he's a top notch soldier and tactician. You've seen his work with the Kettering Proving Ground. Plus the people he brought with him are doing wonders for us. I trust him, so far.â€
“But he's not a politician.â€
“Which is why I believe him. The man has no reason to lie, and he's got the pull to get things done.â€
“Which means what exactly?â€
“We've got a front line assignment. Gamma, Delta and Epsilon are going to Glenmora. Alpha and Beta are going to Wapakoneta. Plus the 10th Deneb is moving to Bennet III, from there they can reinforce as needed. Not a seasoned unit, but they can help if need be.â€
“And the Widows?â€
“Wapakoneta, I need you there to give Kelly a hand. From what Zibler has shown me we're going to be busy.â€
“You not going?â€
“Not right away. I have a wedding to attend.â€
-
Timeline 3026 – August, 3028
February - Jamie Wolf is awarded the Order of the Bushido Blade, one of the few non combine officers to ever receive the award. In successive months starting in April, elements of the Dragoons raid David and Cylene, but the Professional Soldiery Liaison begins to slow, and in some cases stop, the flow of supplies to the Dragoons
April – Initial plans for Operation GALAHAD are formulated and finalized.
June – Orders for Operation GALAHAD are sent out by Jumpship.
August – Operation GALAHAD begins. The movement of such a large number of troops to the Addicks DMZ, in particular Errai, both the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine go to a high state of alert.
November – Justin Allard is wounded while fighting on Kittery.
3027
January – Takashi Kurita orders Yorinaga Kurita out of exile to command the Genyosha.
January – Following a claim made by Duke Michael Hasek-Davion, Justin Allard is brought up on charges of treason.
February – Found guilty of Treason, Justin Xiang, nee Allard, is exiled to Solaris.
April – Hampered by the inefficiency in the DCMS supply system, the Dragoons raid an AFFS supply depot on Ubidi. Several Dragoons are captured, but the remainder escape with a good amount of supplies.
April – The LCAF starts adding “Blitz†companies to several line RCT's. Comprised of mostly light and fast medium mechs, many of these companies are commanded by LCAF graduates of the NAMA exchange program.
May – Justin Xiang beats Phillip Capet on Solaris, then disappears shortly thereafter.
May – Traveling incognito to the Federated Suns, Melissa Steiner is almost kidnapped by Kuritan forces after her jumpship misjumps into Combine territory. Only the arrival of the Kell Hounds prevents her capture at the hands of the Genyosha. Patrick Kell is killed by Yorinaga Kurita during the battle.
June – Throughout the summer Kuritan civilian protests against the Dragoons increase.
July – Justian Xiang appears on Sian, apparently having been appointed to a senior intelligence position by Chancellor Maximilian Liao.
August – Operation GALAHAD II moves 30 Davion Units around the Capellan Kuritan border. At the same time, the Lyrans undertake Operation THOR, which moves several of their units to the Kuritan border.
October – The announcement that Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner will marry shocks the Inner Sphere, but not as much as the personal invitations to all the major House Lords that follow.
3028
January – After several riots on An Ting and other Dragoon posts, a general uprising against Wolf's Dragoons begins, starting with the capture and destruction of their space station and deadlier riots on An Ting. Mover the next two weeks, general fighting breaks out as elements of the Dragoons begin fighting Kuritan Units.
February – Dragoon Units begin assembling on Misery.
March – The AFFS announces GALAHAD III and releases partial details of troop movements.
April – Wolf's Challenge to Takashi Kurita is received. On April 23rd, the Dragoons contract expires, and they are officially at war the the Draconis Combine
May – The last battles on Misery take place. The Dragoons have destroyed the 17th and 21st Galedon Regulars, Two Ryuken regiments and have bloodied the 8th Sword of Light. Dragoon losses are nearly as horrendous. Alpha and Beta Regiment are reduced to 5 companies, Delta, Epsilon and Gamma are reduced to 4. The Dragoon dependents arrive on Robinson.
June – The Dragoons arrive on Harrow's Sun.
July – Jaime Wolf leaves Harrow's Sun, the Dragoons redeploy to Wapokoneta and Glenmora. On Marshal Zibler's authority, the 10th Deneb moves to Bennet III.
August 20th Hanse Davion Weds Melissa Steiner on Terra. The AFFS launches Operation YELLOW BIRD, the LCAF launches Operation VALKYRIE against the Draconis Combine. A smaller Operation, Operation SPIKE against the Tikonov Commonality of the Capellan Confederation. The 4th Succession War begins.
-
Good update. Also, a little feedback for whoever made the map: The Rim Collection is an anachronism, it was founded in 3048, so it does not really belong on the map.
-
;D very nice update!
-
Sweet! [drool]
-
And Operation Thor, 3028
Where's the link ? .....................
Thanks for these they are Great [notworthy]
Dave.
-
Missed it somehows...
Anyways, Operation THOR 3028
-
Operation YELLOW BIRD, Wave 1
-
Operation VALKYRIE, Wave One, North
-
Operation VALKYRIE, Wave One, Central
-
Operation VALKYRIE, Wave One, South
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20Operation%20Valkryie%20%28S%29%20Wave%201.pdf
-
Last file was a bit to large for the forum, hence the direct link.
My plan is at the end of the war to put all the maps and that into one big document, I'll probably go through and clean most of them up. There's enough small things wrong them to drive me up a wall, but I wanted to make these available as I got them done. Am working on some AAR's and maps for the planetary campaigns as well, but those are a work in progress.
Thanks,
Davout
-
AFFS Operation YELLOW BIRD Wave One Units
1st Argyle Lancers from Helen to Al Na'ir
2nd Ceti Hussars RCT from David to Junction
6th Ceti Hussars RCT CCA to Fellanin
6th Ceti Hussars RCT CCB to Sadalbari
6th Ceti Hussars RCT CCA to Homam
1st New Ivaarsen Chasseurs to Al Na'ir
Davion Assault Guards RCT from Mara to Cylene
Davion Light Guards RCT from Mara to Cylene
17th Avalon Hussars RCT from David to Tannil
41st Avalon Hussars RCT from David to Tannil
12th Deneb Light Cav RCT from Galatia III to Al Na'ir
Blue Star Irregulars (3 Regts) from Ozawa to Murchison
Eridani Light Horse (3 Regts) from Dobson to Reisling's Planet
Lexington Combat Group (3 Regts) from Klathandu IV to Proserpina
AFFS Operation SPIKE, Wave 1
1st Capellan Dragoons from Errai to Fletcher
2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs from Nopah to Bharat
20th Avalon Hussars RCT from Rio to Ronel
33rd Avalon Hussars RCT from Nopah to Tigress
8th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT from Angol to Tybalt
Redfield Renegades from Demeter to Algol
Illician Lancers, 59th Strike from Holloran V to Poznan
Illician Lancers, 9th Rangers, from Holloran V to Poznan
Illician Lancers, 21st Rangers, from Holloran V to Pleione
Illician Lancers, 4th Rangers, from Holloran V to Pleione
Crater Cobras (2 Regts.) from Deneb Kaitos to Tigress
Davout73
-
LCAF Operation VALKYRIE, Wave 1
3rd Lyran Guards from Baxter to Marfik
19th Lyran Guards from Baxter to Marfik
26th Lyran Guards from Tamar to Weingarten
30th Lyran Guards from Icar to New Caledonia
23rd Arcturan Guard from Carse to Satalice
24th Arcturan Guard from Dell to Basiliano
25th Arcturan Guard from Severn to Basiliano
4th Donegal Guard from Chateau to Kirchbach
10th Donegal Guard from Chateau to Kirchbach
14th Donegal Guard from Carse to Satalice
1st Lyran Regulars from Romulus to Harvest
3rd Lyran Regulars from Planting to Harvest
4th Skye Rangers from Ryde to Marfik
12th Star Guards, 1st Regt from New Earth to Sabik
12th Star Guards, 2nd Regt from Zollikofen to Sabik
12th Star Guards, 3rd Regt from Lyons to Ko
12th Star Guards, 7th Regt from Lyons to Ko
Narhal's Raider's (2 Regts) from Rastaban to Wheel.
Winfields Brigade from Icar to New Caledonia
Davout73
-
Very Interesting.
-
OK, I'm attaching an example of a battle report and a situation map, appreciate some feedback on either one.
The map is in 7zip, but any unzipping program should be able to open it.
Thanks,
Davout73
-
The map is similar to the 4th SW Atlas. Easy to read and effective.
The battle report needs either to go with a map or slightly simplified. But overall good.
-
OK, Proof that I have slightly to much time on my hands. The nice thing is the more I do to shake the first part of this out the easier it becomes, so hopefully the rest of it comes together just as quickly. And if it doesn't, what the heck, I'm still having fun doing it.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20TEST.pdf
Thanks for reading, feedback welcomed!
Davout
-
Nice book! ;D
-
Well done.
Whenever i comment that i have too much time on my hands RL kicks me where it hurts, very hard. ::)
-
My company is finally starting the project that's been on hold for 9 months, so I know what free time I've had at work will diminish.
But this has been pretty fun to work on. I'm glad I mapped most of it out before I started working on it though, that's been a lifesaver.
_____________________________________________________________
New Avalon
May 30th
Despite his best efforts, Thomas Zibler was nervous. He had given briefings before, had taught classes before, had conducted After Action Reviews in some of the most hostile rooms after a weeks worth of battles in Kettering, but this.
Fourteen Field Marshal's and Marshal's sat around the table, against the wall a bevy of Leftenant and Major Generals sat or stood, chatting amongst themselves. Zibler doubted anyone under the rank of Major General was going to get through the doors. Zibler glanced at his watch. Soon now.
The heavy doors opened, and the Princes Champion walked through. Most of those sitting came to their feet, someone in a corner called "Attention!" but Yvonne Davion had waved it away as she sat down.
"Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust you all had good trips?" She smiled, checked her notes, then set them down.
"In a few minutes we are going to begin, but first lets get the usual out of this way. Anything said in the room falls under the Official Secrets Act, the penalty for breaking is Treason. Clear?" There were silent nods all around. The Princes Champion motioned him forward to the lectern in the corner.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, some of you know Marshal Zibler by reputation, some of you know him from experience. He is the senior planner for what you are about to see, direct any questions and concerns you have to him. Ready to go Marshal?" The way she asked the question suggested there was only one answer. He nodded.
"Lights!" he said, and the room dimmed. The Holoprojector came on.
"A bit of background first," he voice was a little shaky, but it grew with confidence as he spoke. "GALAHAD '26, 10 full RCT's moving to the coreward theaters." Lines snaked out from the realms interior, spreading to the coreward PDZ's. "GALAHAD '27, the equivalent of 30 RCT's." Again, the lines worked their way across the Federated Suns. "The plans for GALAHAD '28. Not as big as '27, but enough..." More line started to work their way through, then stopped. A few mumbles were heard, several officers thinking maybe the holoprojector had stopped working.
"This is not an error," said Zibler. "What you are looking at is a chimera. Marshal's, I give you Operation SPIKE." Zibler typed in a couple of commands, and this time the lines snaked their way into the Capellan Confederation. The mumbling stopped. Liao, Pleione, Poznan, Styk, the Tigress-Tybalt-Ronel thumb, all blossomed as the lines reached them.
"Sirs, the goal of Operation SPIKE is to forcibly separate the Tikonov Commonality from the Capellan Confederation. If you'll look at your briefing papers," he nodded to the pair of Major Generals who began passing out hard copies to everyone.
"What we are anticipating is a three wave attack. The First wave will hit eight worlds, the second wave will hit three worlds, the Third Wave right now is theoretical, but should we need to we can hit up to four more additional planets.
"You'll notice a couple of things here. One is that in each wave we are not hitting an undefended world. Our goal here is twofold, we want to cut off the Commonality, and we want to destroy what Capellan Combat power we can while doing that. Sending an RCT, or even part of an RCT against a world such as Azha does not get us any closer to achieving that goal. There are at present a total of 20 Regiments and 4 Warrior Houses in the Commonality. Some planets may only have a battalion on them, but it is believed that if we take certain worlds and hit certain units, we can affect not only the morale of the CCAF, but potentially alter the political landscape as well." He was really starting to get into to it now.
"Question Marshal Zibler," a voice came from one of the walls.
"Ask Away."
"Am I reading this right, all 8 Crucis Lancers Regiments are to hit Tikonov?"
"Yes. As we all know, Tikonov is one of the most defended planets in the Inner Sphere. It has to be, considering its importance. Latest intel had 6 plus regiments of mechs on planet, supported by 80 conventional regiments. In 3026 Senior Colonel Ridzik assigned sectors of the planet to a mech unit, then assigned conventional units to that mech unit, creating something akin to our Regimental Combat Teams. So we are going to hit them with a hammer.
"Forgive me Marshal Zibler," another voice interrupted. "Something is not adding up here. You have 12 mech regiments assigned to Wave 1. By my count 7 of them are Mercenary Regiments. What exactly are the other RCT's in the Addicks and Raman March doing while this is going on?"
Zibler smiled, and typed another set of commands in.
"They will be doing this," he said, hitting enter.
"Somebody, he couldn't tell who, gasped. The mutterings began almost immediately. Again, several golden tendrils worked their way across the combine worlds in Dieron and Benjamin Districts.
"Marshal's, this is Operation YELLOW BIRD. Many of the same principles I talked about concerning SPIKE are also in play here."
"Do we even have the transport capabilities for this?" asked a voice. The Princes Champion spoke before he did.
"We will. At the present time the AFFS is...borrowing...several jumpships and dropships from civilian firms in AFFS space. Also, the standard practice of returning to home territory for repairs and refit after an invasion jump is going to be put on temporary hold. Unless it's an extreme emergency, jumpships will be staying in system and continuing from there."
"That's a lot of civilian assets your talking about Ma'am," a voice said.
"At a minimum, were looking at temporarily requisitioning upwards of 50% of the civilian fleet to accomplish this." The room exploded in chatter, which Zibler let continue for a few seconds.
"MARSHAL's!" he didn't exactly yell, but it quieted everybody down. "First off, let me assure you that we took care and consideration in figuring out who to...borrow from. There will be no Jesup's during these Operations. Food and medical have priority, followed by military supplies, including mail. Let me be very clear here, if the Prince finds out some Duke is getting an Avanti aircar shipped to him when that cargo space could be taken up by food, he will not be happy."
"Some of those troops movements are audacious to say the least Marshal." another voice. Zibler recognized this one, Marshal Felsner.
"Yes Field Marshal, they are. And they are not without some risk, but at the same time, McCarron's Raid showed us how a well planned and coordinated deep strike can be effective. They do not have to do any material damage to be effective, if we can affect their political and military thinking, get them react to threats that are not really there, sow enough confusion-"
"Why do you think that will work Marshal?" asked Field Marshal Lawson. She was sitting at the table, and he could see the look of, well, not exactly disgust on her face.
"Because it worked against us." he replied. The room got quieter. Everybody remembered the panic McCarron had created in those two years, jumping from planet to planet, raiding, retracing his steps. Hitting Kathil had gotten everybody's attention, and escaping from the First Prince had been a feather in his cap as well. Yes, Archibald McCarron had shown that even the best had their cracks and chinks in the armor.
"Plus, if there's one thing I learned while at Kettering, it was that by giving an opponent to many options to consider, they either froze up trying to cover them all, or chose poorly. And if we can influence our enemies into choosing poorly, then we come out that much further ahead." He smiled, and there were a few chuckles, including Felsner and Yvonne Davion.
"And if they choose well?" Lawson asked pointedly.
"Then we take it in the teeth. Let's be honest, these plans could fail miserably. YELLOW BIRD in particular has been planned in such a way as to fully exploit the weaknesses in the Combine Command and control. The Capellans could really hurt us on Tikonov and other worlds. At most, we have eighteen months, maybe twenty four tops, to accomplish our goals."
"Why the short time frame?" asked someone on the wall.
"Because this war is going to ruin our economy in the short term if we win. And its going to ruin our economy for decades if we lose." said the Princes Champion. The room sobered up quickly at the Champions words.
"What if Liao counterattacks in the Sirdar PDZ or Alcoyne PDZ?" Lawson's question was pointed. Those were her areas of responsibility.
"We expect Liao counterattacks to come against those worlds we've taken in the Tikonov Commonality." replied Zibler. Lawson frowned. "If the Capellans do attack in that region, truth of the matter is we lose some worlds, but frankly considering what we gain if they focus their efforts elsewhere, those rewards outweigh the risks." The look on Lawson's face said she didn't agree.
"What if we have issues with some of the deployments?" she asked.
Zibler paused, looking at her. There was a right way to answer her and a wrong way, and although one option was clearly the more prudent, it also wasn't the most effective.
"Marshal Lawson," Yvonne Davion's voice had a hint of anger in it. "While these plans are not set in stone, their deployment is. The fact of the matter is orders are going out tomorrow via Pony Express to all commanders. At this point, it is to late to redeploy. Should the strategic or tactical situation demand a change of plans, we will change them, but at this time we are locked into this plan of action. Are we clear?" She looked around the room as she asked the question, the look in her eyes and on her face enough to communicate what she meant.
"Yes, Field Marshal, very clear," replied Lawson, with a look of her own that said she was not happy.
The briefing continued for another forty five minutes, with a very good question and answer session at the end. When the light came back on Zibler was surprised how calm and collected he had been. Then he looked and realized his pitcher of water was empty. A few people stood around chatting with each other, Zibler was collecting his notes when Field Marshal Felsner came over.
"That was a very good brief, Marshal" he said, sticking his hand out. Zibler shook it, then went back to gathering his papers.
"Thank you sir. It wasn't as combative as I thought it would be."
Felsner leaned in closer. "In here it never is. The backstabbing comes later, usually. Although if I were you I'd invest in a stab proof vest myself."
"Why is that sir?" Zibler asked with a smile.
"For years we've heard the Sandovals claim we never paid enough attention to the Combine, and the Hasek's say that the Capellans are the true threat. And you have managed to come up with a plan that is not only bold and daring, but has the added effect of making neither the Sandovals or Haseks happy. Michael will scream for the units being sent into Drac space, and Aaron will scream about the units being sent to the sideshow in the Tikonov Commonality. With this plan you've managed to hack off the two most powerful Dukes in the Realm!" Felsner's eyes were laughing as he talked, and Zibler felt his stomach acid start to roil. The Field Marshal obviously saw the look on his face and sobered up.
"I wouldn't worry about it to much Marshal. You've got plenty of cover on this. I'm on your side, Yvonne is on your side, the majority of the High Command is on your side. And most importantly The Prince is. And at the end of the day that's what counts."
-
May 17th, 3028
New Avalon
Hanse Davion was sitting behind hid desk, frowning at a report when there was a knock on his door.
"Bad Time?" asked Ardan Sortek, walking in and sitting down in front of the First Prince.
Hanse sighed, set his papers down and with one hand, rubbed his temples. "Let's just say it's never a good time?"
"I can understand that. How's the leg treating you these days?"
In response Hanse leaned over and picked up a cane, one that Sortek had given him in fact. "Reminds me I am human, lets me know when I am overdoing it, which seems to be quite a lot these days." He chuckled briefly.
"I've got a proposal I want to run by you, that could really affect whats coming up," said Hanse, leaning forward. Sortek was a Leftenant-General in name only, if anything he was the closest person the Federated Suns had to a "Minister without Portfolio." He could go almost anywhere, do almost anything, and do it with his Prince's blessing. "Read these over and tell me what you think," said Hanse, tossing him a sheaf of papers. Sortek read the Intel labels at the top, then started flipping through them.
"How trusted would you say these sources are?" he asked fifteen minutes later.
"Higher than some. We know for a fact that the supply situation Chattan describes is real, and the fact of the matter is each regiment is moved every 18 or so months. And for the Highlanders, that's got to hurt them more than the 5th Deneb occupying their home world."
"You think you can play this to our advantage somehow?"
"I do. I think the upcoming events may help as well. But I believe we also need to set a great deal of groundwork in motion in order to achieve something that we both find equitable."
Ardan thought for a few moments. Bringing the Northwind Highlanders over, especially with the current plans progressing would certainly be a coup.
"And what's you definition of equitable?" Sortek asked. Hanse told him, and a few minutes later Sortek stood up.
"I think I can make that work. When do I leave?" Hanse looked at the clock on his desk.
"Four Hours," he said with a smile.
June 14th, 3028
Northwind
The meeting was as secret as Sortek and the Clan Elders could make it. The past week had been tense, all of Castle Northwind had been on virtual lock down.
He stood in front of the elder's, respectful, calm. Despite a few harsh comments directed at his house and leader, for the most part the Clan leaders had been at best courteous with him. He felt the major details had been hammered out over the previous days of negotiation, now there were the finer details to work on. Sortek had spent the previous evening mulling a few ideas over, and felt he had hit on a solution.
"I believe I have a resolution for us all," he said, getting the elders attentions. They had been talking amongst themselves for the past few minutes. "What I propose is this: Should the Highlanders choose to leave, here is what is required. You must renounce any allegiance to the Capellan Confederation, and swear allegiance to the Federated Suns, and you enter the employ of the Federated Suns as Mercenaries, with a long term contract. With the signing of that contract the Highlanders get title to the Planet Northwind, with the stipulation the one regiment of the Highlanders remain on planet at all times. The Final stipulation would be that when the initial contract with the Federated Suns runs out, the Highlanders may choose to sign with any power they want, but should they choose someone else other than the Federated Suns, their regiments cannot be used against the Federated Suns."
There was silence from the elders.
"How ken we trust ye?" asked Miles MacKenzie. By far he had been the most obstinate of the elders, the most argumentative.
Sortek smiled, and walked to the council hall doors. Opening one, he chatted briefly for a moment, then came back in, lugging a case. Setting it on a table, he keyed open the latches. Reaching in, he pulled out a broadsword, not exactly aware of the tension in the room. Holding the Claymore with reverence, he brought it forward, laying it in front of the Senior Elder. He went back to the case, removed yet another claymore, and set that in front of the senior elder as well. Finally, with one more trip, he removed two flags from the case, and set them both down in front of the elders. They were staring at him in shock and surprise, all except MacKenzie, who glared.
"The swords and standards of the Third Kearny Highlanders and the Stuart Highlanders, a-"
"Bribe?" MacKenzie made the word an accusation.
Sortek smiled. "A gift," he replied. "A show of good faith and my Princes willingness to allow the Highlanders the freedoms they desire."
August 15th, 3028
Terra
"My Prince, you look quite dashing," Ardan Sortek said with a smile as he entered the small dressing room. Hanse Davion was decked out in his wedding uniform, last minute alterations taking place. With a silent nod from the prince the tailor withdrew.
"Thank you Dan, but I suspect you aren't here to compliment me on my dress."
"No Hanse. I've a report from Marshal Yolis, via Pony Express." The CO of the 5th Deneb had long been a partner with the Highlander Elders, when he left Sortek had made it clear any communication would go through the Marshal, to him, to the Prince.
Hanse couldn't help the eagerness that showed, reading the communique as Sortek spoke.
"They'll put it to a vote, but Chattan thinks that with the conditions agreed upon earlier they will go for it. The hard part is going to be getting away clean, they're worried about what the Capellans might do to stop them."
"What time line are we looking at?"
"Three months, minimum." replied Sortek.
"Well, assure the Highlander Elders that in three months time Maximilian Liao is going to have his hands to full to worry about following them out of Highlander Space. Make sure it goes by Pony Express Only."
"Yes Sire."
-
“She gives him a mech regiment. He tries to give her half the Inner Sphere. What's that mean if they get a divorce? “
Anonymous soldier, AFFS
“The division of effort cannot last, the AFFS does not have the transportation assets available to continue further operations against both the Draconis Combine and the Capellan Confederation (see attached index 3). The Federated Suns main effort appears to be the Draconis Combine, as evidence by the new military operation directed against it (see attached index 4). While the Confederation has been surprised, and has lost several worlds, we must also admit that many of those worlds were exposed, and their loss does not adversely affect the economic infrastructure of the Confederation. If the AFFS wishes to continue it's offensive, it must slow down its pace of operations against the Combine, and that does not appear to be happening. We therefore must conclude that the initial attacks against us are the only major attacks, and while raiding and other spoiling attacks may take place, another major advance is improbable and unlikely.â€
Maskirovka briefing report, delivered September 30th, 3028
“Shoot whoever prepared that report.â€
Chancellor Maximilian Liao, on hearing the news that Tikonov, Liao, Styk and New Hessen had been invaded.
“They say that if we win we will be stronger. I ask how? How much money is being spent on conquering worlds, repairing the engines of war, rebuilding those planets. Could that money have not been better spent here? How is destroying something in the name of conquering it and rebuilding it more effective than building and expanding here?â€
From an anonymous posting, Filtvelt, the Outremer.
“Why he divides our strength I do not know. Yes, it hurts the Capellans, but more could be done against them. More needs to be done against them.â€
Michael Hasek-Davion
“My fathers warlords fight amongst themselves, he fights his own personal war against Wolf. We are beset upon all sides, from within as well as out. The Coordinator has not coordinated anything, unless something changes we are headed for disaster.â€
Colonel Theodore Kurita
“Two Zeus, an Atlas, and a Warhammer are standing-â€
“Wait, whats a Warhammer doing in a recon lance?â€
Popular LCAF joke of the day.
-
And so it begins. Good going so far. Regrading the story itself and supporting documents and maps, I prefer to read the story first, and study the non-story info later.
-
Following is the link to the 1st part of the 4th SSW in my alt-universe. Operation SPIKE deals with the Invasion of the Capellan Confederation.
For the most part, this is complete. The only thing really lacking are the battle maps, and thats because those take the longest time to do. Go figure. Anyways, am working on the FedSuns/Wolfs Dragoons - DC Front, could be a bit before thats up, but wnated to put this out there. Have a few more snippets in the works as well.
Thanks,
Davout
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20TEST.pdf
-
Enjoyed the write up.
Just wondering, on page 15 you had the AFFS high command pleased with the mercenary nits.
Were you talking about their state of hygiene or a spelling mistake. ;D
-
Should be "units"
Further proof that no writer can be their own editor....
Davout
-
Well look on the bright side, there were not that many mistakes for something of that length.
-
Awesome story! Hope you have time to publish more soon (really soon I WANTS MOOOOOOOOOORE!!!!)
-
“Operation SPIKE wasn't just a military Operation, it was a political and moral operation as well. Look at the attacks. Hit a world that has a garrison, and do so with overwhelming numbers. And with the exception of Bharat, all the worlds had some sort of significance to the Capellan Confederation, either culturally, militarily, economically, or some combination of those. Liao, Tikonov, Styk, Tigress, hitting anyone of those worlds would have caused the Chancellor to have a fit. Take all four of them? And there was Operation PAVISE. Either High Command has gotten inside the Capellan Command Council's collective mind or something else is going on. As it stands, the war is five months old, the AFFS has destroyed or captured nearly 15 regiments worth of Capellan mech regiments, and spooked the rest of the Capellan High command into abandoning worlds they had defended for years. The AFFS took more planets in the “Third†wave than they did the first two waves, and with barely a shot fired! The Tikonov Commonality is essentially cut of from the rest of the Confederation, something I thought I''d never live to see. 3029 is looking to be an excellent New Year for the Federated Suns.â€
Garret Wolsley
Pundit, Good Morning New Avalon
December 21st, 3028
“ARISE loyal sons of the DRAGON! Warlord Samsonov has been murdered by agents of the COWARDLY Dragoons! By their actions on AN TING and MISERY, and now this, the DRAGOONS have shown themselves to be nothing more than RONIN, undeserving of the fate that awaits them. ARISE loyal warriors, AVENGE your WARLORDS DEATH in the name of the COORDINATOR!â€
Anonymous Flier posted throughout
the Galedon District after the death
of Warlord Grieg Samsonov
“Initial reports from AFFS Operations are troubling on several levels. With one exception, Capellan defenders were outnumbered at least two to one, and in some cases even three or more. Whatever recent gains made by the CCAF as a fighting force seemed to have been erased, especially when you consider that Davion units such as the 2nd and 5th Crucis Lancers have performed beyond expected results.
"Equally troubling had been the Capellan Armed Forces performance. Several of their best units have been destroyed, others savaged, leaving open the intruiging possibility of how they might fare against a Free Worlds Offensive...
“However troubling the reports about the AFFS are, the performance of the LCAF is what concerns us most. Lyran gains against the Kuritan's are both surprising and troubling for a multitude of reasons, they least of which is what they might do against us. With the current pause in Operations, it remains to be seen if the LCAF can continue is successes, but for the present moment it appears that the issues that have plagued the LCAF have either been resolved or minimized.
Excerpts from a precis prepared by
SAFE, February, 3029.
-
I can't decide if this or Riding the Dragon are the best story to come out of the new forum. Keep up the good work.
-
Excellent revision of the 4th Sw.
-
Excerpt:
The Draconis Front
The enmity between the Federated Suns and Draconis Combine goes back centuries, some of the bloodiest fighting of the Succession Wars has occurred on the ever changing border of these two interstellar states. In 3012 it became personal on Halstead Station, when First Prince Hanse Davion and Coordinator Takashi Kurita fought in a duel reminiscent of old Terran Middle Age Knights Errant. Both were injured in the fight, and while both gained a measure of respect for each other, Hanse Davion became convinced that if progress was to be made in uniting the Inner Sphere, the Draconis Combine had to be reduced in strength.
The Federated Commonwealth Alliance gave both Prince Davion and Archon Katrina Steiner the answer they were looking for. Having lost many worlds to House Kurita since the Succession Wars began, the prospect of a two front war against the Combine had great appeal to the Archon and her General Staff. Their only concern was that the resources the AFFS had set aside for Operation SPIKE may have been put to better use against the Combine, but the First Prince was adamant that SPIKE be a part of any upcoming campaign. Planning began in earnest on both sides.
The last campaigns of the Third Succession War gave Davion planners some insight into their opponents thinking. On Tancredi, Kuritan commanders fought amongst themselves as much as they did their enemies. This high level infighting amongst Kuritan commanders became even more pronounced on Galtor III, when the Warlords of the Dieron and Benjamin Districts fought amongst each other for the right to take and hold the planet. When the tide turned against the DCMS forces, Warlord Dieron, Vassily Cherenkoff, politically outmaneuvered his fellow Warlord behind the scenes and militarily refused to support him in such a way that much of the blame for the failed campaign did not dishonor Warlord Dieron. This sort of infighting was not only tolerated, but encouraged by the Coordinator, who felt that if his Warlords were spending much of their time fighting each other, the less time they would spend trying to overthrow him.
YELLOW BIRD was planned as a three wave invasion. It's primary goal was not just to gain territory, but to destroy the capability of the DCMS to fight. To that end the AFFS planners came up with a plan that was audacious as it was risky. Much of that plan was thrown out when a much more personal and deadly war broke out on the Federated Suns Combine border, between the Coordinator and Wolf's Dragoons.
YELLOW BIRD
Unlike its Lyran counterpart, YELLOW BIRD was not conceived nor planned as a massive wave attack. The First Phase was intended as a limited thrust against the Dieron District, to give the appearance that the main thrust of operation was going to be against the Capellan Confederation. AFFS Planners intended the worlds to be taken as jumping points for the larger, second wave, and hoped that by focusing on the Dieron District early on, the Combine would focus its efforts there as well, which would mean greater success for the planned second and third waves in the Benjamin/Galedon Districts. In order to ensure the success of the First Phase, the AFFS High Command planed on using overwhelming military power on the planets being targeted. The second and third phases of YELLOW BIRD were not set in stone, but rather a set of contingency plans based on the results of the first wave. To many in the AFFS, and their LCAF counterparts, such a plan was madness. Many felt that the First Prince could not make up his mind on who to attack more, and settled for attacking both enemies with a divided force.
While at face value this looked to be true, the coming months would show what sort of sleight of hand and gamesmanship the leader of the Federated Suns was playing.
-
Operation YELLOW BIRD, 1st Wave:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20YELLOW%20BIRD%20Wave%201.pdf
Thanks for reading,
Davout
-
There's just enough of the little things wrong with that map the inner geographer in me is grinding his teeth, but I will admit they are fun to make.
Davout
-
You sir are a confounded tease. Excellent mini update.
I discovered this excellent story the other day andenjoyed it so much I read it all in one sitting to the detriment of my sleep.
Keep up the good work.
-
A Couple of YELLOW BIRD Wave One excerpts:
Tannil
Very few Marshall’s in the AFFS hate the Draconis combine more than Marshal Adderly Verner, commander of the 17th Avalon Hussars. A native of Mallory’s World, her parents were killed on one of the numerous Kuritan raids on planet while she was still a little girl. Sent to live with relatives on David, they were killed a few years later in a Kuritan backed terrorist bombing during a soccer event she was playing in. An Emancipated Minor at 16, she graduated secondary school and was at college on David, where she met Josh Holcomb and fell in love. Holcomb was also a member of the David Militia, and when the 3rd Proserpina Hussars raided the planet he was killed when his Manticore tank was destroyed. Enough was enough for Adderly, and the day after she buried her boyfriends remains she walked into the AFFS recruitment office and began a curious career that always saw her on the right edge of completely losing control when fighting the Kuritan’s. While not a gifted mechwarrior, she is a solid pilot and capable gunner, and possesses a quick military mind, until she saw a Kuritan mech on the battlefield and it was “Katie bar the door”. Her Victor has been rebuilt so many times there are few, if any, original parts on it. As her climb through the ranks reached higher, her attitude did not soften, but became more focused, her rage against the DCMS a little bit more controlled. Three years ago, after a successful stint as executive officer of the 3rd Crucis Lancers she was promoted to command the 17th Avalon Hussars.
It was a match made in heaven. The 17th is famed for its ability to deploy and attack while under fire, and its posting on the Draconis Border has given it plenty of opportunities to display that skill. The sight of Marshall Verner’s Victor, with it’s light grey paint scheme and dragon skull insignia, has become renowned in the March.
Tannil was once a Federated Suns Border world, taken during the First Succession War in Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita’s first offensive. It had always been a goal of the Davion’s to retake the planets lost in the first waves, and although several raids and skirmishes had occurred over the centuries, it wasn’t until YELLOW BIRD that a concerted effort was made on the part of the AFFS. While politically Tannil was a goal, from a military point of view the vast warehouse complex’s on the planet were also a priority.
Defending the planet was the 2nd Arkab Legion, a veteran mech unit new to the planet but were fairly well equipped and supplied for a long campaign. The 41st Avalon Hussars landed on Tannils Southern continent, where they faced the Legions 3rd Battalion and several conventional regiments. The Legion attempted a fighting withdrawal, trying to pull back and meet up with the rest of it’s unit, but Marshall Graham used his aerospace assets effectively, herding the Battalion away from it’s planned crossing point. 3rd Battalion attempted to move through the Koenga Valleys, but were cut off when the LAM company of the 41st flew ahead and established a blocking position. Unable to fight their way out, the remaining 2 companies of the 3rd Battalion surrendered after a weeks worth of fighting.
The 17th had a harder time bringing the other two Battalions to battle. The coastals regions of the planets northern continent were gripped by a series of monsoons, and rather than risk her unit being spread out piecemeal and vulnerable Marshall Verner dropped en mass in the center of the continent and march to the coastal region. The remaining two battalions were pinned against Tannil’s turbulent seas, but they made a fight of it, striking and retreating in a series of rearguard actions. On one occasion, a company of mechs broke through the 17th lines, and in conjunction with a Kuritan Infantry Regiment that had been lying in wait, hit the 17ths Headquarters unit during a downpour. The fighting was bloody and protracted, the Kuritan units were eventually killed or driven off, but not before they had killed the 17ths executive officer. Marshall Verners Victor had been struck in the head by an autocannon round, and she was knocked unconscious. The Marshall recovered a few days later, and the march towards the coast began again, but even her closest friends in the nit agreed something was just not right.
The remaining units of the Arkab Legion had retreated to Kennerly, Tannil’s capital city, but could not lift off due to the monsoons. While not a heavily fortified city, Kennerly could withstand the 17th until the monsoons stopped and lift off. Both units began preparations for a siege, but on September 10th, Marshall Verner left the lines of the 17th and marched to the city gates, and challenged any Kuritan mechwarrior to a duel for control of the planet. The Legions commanding officer, General Cho Sok, marched his Grasshopper out to to meet the Marshall in battle, but was unnerved by a psychological trick Verner used on him. The dual did not last long, an autocannon shot from Verner early on badly damaged the Grasshoppers leg, then General Sok lost control of his mech on the wet muddy ground and fell, leaving his mech open to a devastating volley of fire from Verner. Badly wounded, Sok surrendered his unit and the city, but died before he could commit seppuku.
The remaining legion warriors surrendered, and when the monsoons cleared ten days later Marshall Verner surprised everyone by allowing the remaining Kuritan Mechwarriors to leave with their mechs, almost five companies worth.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Yellow Bird of Davion
It was no coincidence that the AFFS named it’s offensive against the Combine after the tiny creature that the Dragon fears the most, it was indeed a psychological operation, but Marshall Adderly Verner of the 17th Avalon took this image one step further on Tannil. Marshall Verner’s Victor is a well known mech on the Draconis March, for it sports an image of a dragon skull on it, and the Marshall challenged any Kuritan mechwarrior to a duel for control of the city and planet. When responding to the challenge, Brigadier General Cho Sok marched out and recited his heritage, as was proper custom. Marshall Adderly responded by dropping her mechs hand, which had been covering her torso, and reciting her lineage.
Flying above the stylized Dragon skull was a Yellow Bird, but somehow it had been drawn in such a way as to appear defiant, righteous, and or malevolent according to Kuritans who saw it. When finished reciting her lineage, Marshall Adderly recited hers, uttered her now famous haiku:
I, the Yellow Bird
Come to give the Dragon his
Honorable Death
The duel made the vids, as did the haiku, and the image began proliferating throughout the ranks, unauthorized but not discouraged by the AFFS High Command. By YELLOW BIRDS third wave, every Davion unit had a stylized image of a Yellow Bird of its own somewhere on it.
Marshall Verner has never reveled what led her to doing such a thing, and her doctors at SINA have refused any interview requests on her behalf.
Terrance Woodley, excerpted from a “Concise History of the Fourth Succession War, Volume 1”
Davout73
-
Very good writing. However, your history of Tannil does not agree with the maps in HB:HD.
-
Very good writing. However, your history of Tannil does not agree with the maps in HB:HD.
Hrm, I'll doublecheck, but I am using the original house books as primary sources, need to dig up my copy of the updated davion one.
Thanks,
Davout73
-
That annoying Yellow Bird. It seems to get into the most unusual places.
Good little write up.
-
Watch Your Border!
I hated parties. Capital H Hate. About the only thing I hated more than a party were the damned Snakes. How on Earth I ever managed to get on the invitation list to the Princes wedding I am not sure, but when your Prince invites you along, you go. Luckily I didn't have to alter the dress uniform to much, I had managed to keep the weight off, and I sounded like a glockenspiel when I came to attention, but then most every other military man there. There were quite a few there I'm surprised didn't have a permanent lean or spinal damage, all the hardware they were sporting. Lyrans. To much folderol there...
Anyways, I'm doing my best to hob nob. You get in a group, people gather with them that's like them, especially if your uncomfortable in social situations like I am. So I'm in a corner talking shop with a Marik and a Lyran, when all the sudden the chatter dies down, and everyone is looking in a certain direction.
I'm lucky I am tall or I never would have seen it all happen.
“You are welcome here, Colonel Wolf,” the head guy in the robe says. And there, standing still, surveying the crowd is Colonel Jaime Wolf, wearing a dirty everyday uniform. I'd've thought he'd be taller myself, but he spied who he was looking for, and walked right up to him. Now, I know our Prince fairly well, we're on the first name basis where he calls me “Mick” and I call him “Sire” and it works for us, but even I wouldn't have the big brass ones it would take to walk up to the Snake Coordinator like that, and then your going to stare down Yorinaga Kurita? I didn't think Wolf had a death wish, but Yorinaga stepped aside when old Takashi put his hand on his shoulder. Then Wolf takes this bundle of his shoulder and throws it down at the Coordinators feet, and a couple of Swords come out, then Wolf starts speaking in this fast, angry voice. At first old Tak is angry, you can see it on his face, but then he gets calm, which if you know Dracs mean they have their emotions under control and its going to get bad.
“These are all that's left of Minobu Tetsuhara, a good man, a good father, a loyal samurai. He stood by his honor until the end. Return them to his family with the honor they deserve. Be satisfied with what you arranged. You are a fool for forcing him to this end.”
Now, I have no idea who this Tetsuhara is, but I do know that calling the Coordinator a fool is not the best thing in the world to do. As much as I hate to say it, old Tak kept his composure. He started to speak but Wolf cut him off.
“Anton Marik tried and failed. You tried and failed. The blood you have spilled is on your hands, the property you destroyed is on your hands. We Dragoons set great store by our people. No one touches them and gets away clean. You and your plans have failed. The Dragoons honored their contract to the letter, and we are clear of the Combine. Your puny schemes and over rated military have been no obstacle, your Warlord is licking his wounds. You need a better, smarter type of thug to do your dirty work.”
Wolf stopped talking, clearly waiting for a response.
Takashi gestured to the swords. “This was never my wish. I valued Minobu Tetsuhara, I value his service to the Dragon. I warned you that others would take independent action. Samsonov did not act with my approval-”
And then it happened.
My First thought was “Holy Jesus Christ Mother Mary Mercy of God, did he just slap the Coordinator of the Combine?”
And he had. Jaime Wolf stepped in and with a right hand slapped the coordinator. When I realized that, the pucker factor went to 11. There was a collective gasp from the room, and several Snakes stepped forward. I started looking for the nearest exit.
“No!” cried Takashi, throwing his arm out to stop Yorinaga Kurita. Old Tak never took his eyes of Wolf though.
“You are not in a mech Yorinaga, you can be hit here.”
Morgan Kell's voice rang out clear and true, and half the crowd turned to look at him.
Talk about conflicted. Yorinaga Kurita took a step, stopped, then stepped back. But his posture told everyone that he was on edge.
“Do you think we're that gullible” snapped Wolf. “Samsonov is a Warlord of the Combine. Either he acted with your approval, or your grip on your domain is such that men like that can rise to power and get away with such things, or attempt to. You've paid a high price for what you've wrought already, and it does not begin to cover what you have bought. If you were an honorable man I would meet you in the Circle of Eq-”
Wolf paused. Maybe he realized he had crossed a line. Maybe physically hitting the coordinator and then calling him a dishonorable coward would be, as they say: A Bad Thing.
“From this day on, the Dragoons are at war with the House of Kurita. We'll see you in ruins. No kokkyō o kanshi suru!”
Watch your Border.
Wolf stopped speaking, but his rage was still evident.
Takashi stood there and absorbed it all, must have been one of those “Reed in the Wind” things, but when he realized Wolf was done speaking, he did the one thing I didn't expect him to do: He bowed. Not a deep bow by any means, but everyone saw his head move. His eyes never left Wolf, but he bowed.
Wolf did do one thing I thought he would. He snorted, turned around and stalked off. For a few seconds his boots on the floor were the only noise. The crowd chatter picked up as Wolf made his way to Morgan Kell. I kept my eyes on Takashi and the Dracs. There was a series of hushed conversations, but old Tak never took his eyes of Wolf.
No kokkyō o kanshi suru.
Watch your Border.
Oh, there was going to be some interesting times ahead.
From the unpublished Memoirs of Sergeant Major Michael Folly, 1st Davion Guards, Retired
-
DUDE!!!!!
Jaime pimp-slapped Taki?????
holy crap you know how to start a war
-
DUDE!!!!!
Jaime pimp-slapped Taki?????
holy crap you know how to start a war
Indeed. (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/jawdrop.gif) I'm reminded of a certain motivational macro featuring Kitchener, but I'd have to Warn myself for posting it. :o
-
“Two Zeus, an Atlas, and a Warhammer are standing-â€
“Wait, whats a Warhammer doing in a recon lance?â€
Popular LCAF joke of the day.
XD LOL i loved it! [applause]
-
Takashi gestured to the swords. “This was never my wish. I valued Minobu Tetsuhara, I value his service to the Dragon. I warned you that others would take independent action. Samsonov did not act with my approval-”
And then it happened.
My First thought was “Holy Jesus Christ Mother Mary Mercy of God, did he just slap the Coordinator of the Combine?”
And he had. Jaime Wolf stepped in and with a right hand slapped the coordinator. When I realized that, the pucker factor went to 11. There was a collective gasp from the room, and several Snakes stepped forward. I started looking for the nearest exit.
OMG! how classy! XD lol, i couldn't stop laughing for a few minuets, it was perfect! O0
-
Great way to make friends and influence enemies.
Slap down the coordinator. [rockon] [watch] [cheers]
-
Chapter 17 _Why interrupt a Good thing?
November 15th, 3028
New Avalon
He couldn't remember when he last saw the sun. Although given the weather reports it had been a few days since anyone else surface side had seen the sun either. Reading the reports that had trickled in through his desk, and looking at data compiled on his wall, Marshall Thomas Zibler was a conflicted man.
“No plan survives contact with the enemy” was a military aphorism as old as time. Lord knows he was certainly a proponent of doing what he could to inflict that sort of result on his opponent's. But now, he was staring at it from the other side of the window. The First Two waves of Operation SPIKE were unqualified successes. The Capellan Military was reeling, Tikonov had fallen, Pavel Ridzik had surrendered. YELLOW BIRD had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams as well. He hadn't expected those battles to be over as fast as they were. And on the Lyran side, VALKRYIE was just as successful.
And Wolf's Dragoons were getting pummeled. It appeared as if Takashi Kurita was ignoring everything else going on in his realm to redeem his honor.
And despite that...well, Everything was going well. Everything was on schedule. Usually the enemy was the one who forced you to change. You didn't change them unless you had a compelling reason to do so.
And he didn't.
He waited for a half hour, pacing back and forth, looking at the Intel reports, the printouts, the maps. Ran a couple of ideas through the computer. Then he stood in front of his wall for five minutes, taking it all in. Making his mind up, he made a call.
“You want to do what!” Field Marshal Lawsons face was shocked. It was no the only one.
“I am proposing we change the direction of the 2nd Wave of YELLOW BIRD.” Marshal Zibler replied as calmly as he could. His hands gripped the sides of the rostrum tight enough that he feared the cracking of the wood might soon be heard.
“May I ask why, Marshal?” asked Yvonne Davion. Her face was composed, but you could see the concern in her eyes.
“Because I have come to the conclusion that our goals on the Draconis Front have been driven by the wrong set of data. With Operation SPIKE and the Capellans, our goal has been territory, with the qualifiers being that territory has to be important to the Confederation in some tangible fashion. Planets like Tikonov and Styk were military goals, Bharat and Liao were moral goals. In looking at YELLOW BIRD, the targets we have chosen in the first wave were geared towards those similar goals. Beyond that, I think we've made mistakes.”
The Marshals were quiet, but he could tell several had questions.
“Lets be honest,” Zibler said, “This war is about much more than destroying the ability of our enemies to fight, it's about destroying his will to fight as well. It's about giving them pause, to confuse them and mark them react to us. We've already got people asking “Is that it?” for YELLOW BIRD. Was the Princes declaration at the wedding a misdirection? Is the Confederation our primary target? Anyone with half a military can look at our transportation assets and see why we've structured our attacks this way. And to be honest, we've always known that additional waves of YELLOW BIRD would be predicated on what happened after the first waves.”
“But not the first wave.” stated Marshal Davion, with some interest on the word first.
“So what do you propose?” asked another Marshal. Zibler didn't notice who, he was busy taking a drink of water, trying to calm himself.
Zibler took a breath and typed in a few commands. The holotank spun and wheeled to the Combine Border. Planned second wave moves dissolved, to be replaced by new arrows.
Zibler looked out over his audience. Quite a few were looking on with interest. He could see the wheels working.
“That move is just a preamble for your proposed third wave, right?” Marshal Tronly asked, a smile on his face. He had thought he had figured out what Zibler was up to. Thomas smiled, and typed in a few more commands. This time more arrows came up, transportation lines, attack lines, a schedule of troop movements.
Even Yvonne Davion gasped.
“What sort of fantasy world are you living in Zibler?” Field Marshal Lawson's voice was hard.
“Well, it's certainly audacious.” replied another Marshal.
“Look,” Zibler started, then paused, taking a breath. “I am not saying this plan isn't risky. I'm not saying there are potential pitfalls to this plan. But I have to say I am not looking at this from just a military perspective. There's the morale side of it as well. It's not just the lands we take from our enemy that hurts them, it's what on those lands as well. The current iteration of YELLOW BIRD does that, but not as well as this version does.”
“In your opinion.” replied the Princes Champion.
“Yes ma'am.”
“And what of the Capellan March?” asked Marshal Lawson. Zibler sighed.
“What of it Field Marshal?” he asked.
“If anything the success of SPIKE has shown that they are a hollow force. SPIKE was a good kick in the door. We should capitalize on it and bring the whole rotten house down!” Lawson pounded her fist on the table for emphasis. It was a common theme with her. Zibler suspected had he been in her position it would have been one of his as well.
“We've always maintained that SPIKE was going to be an offensive with limited goals,” he replied. “Also, the transportation is just not there. The First Prince has always maintained that the Combine is the primary target, as such it will ultimately receive the bulk of the assets.”
Marshal Davion chimed in. “This is old ground Marshal. The decision's been made.” Lawson was silent, but her face was hard.
“A Question,” asked Marshal Tronley. “In putting together this new proposal, why do you think that the Kuritan Forces will not see it coming and prepare accordingly?”
Zibler paused a moment before answering. “It is my belief that the Combine is currently hobbled by its present situation. It is being assailed on both sides, and it's losing, in many cases badly. There are reports that several high ranking Combine commanders have committed seppuku because they've lost minor skirmishes against the Lyrans, which has hurt them even more. The only DCMS commanders who seem to be doing anything constructive at the moment are Theodore Kurita and Warlord Dieron, but I suspect the Warlord is going off on his own, the actions on Northwind do not seem part of any plan. Intel agrees with me on this more than they disagree.”
“And what about the Combine offensive against the Dragoons?”
“That's...personal.” Zibler's voice was soft. He had seen the slap on the vid, known why Jaime had done it. But it was a severe breach of Kuritan honor, one that demanded retribution. “That is a private war, between Takashi Kurita and the Galedon District versus the Dragoons. Colonel Wolf's actions shamed the Coordinator in public, and to remove that shame The Coordinator has to make Wolf pay. The Combine knows what we have in the region, at least they have a good guess. Yet they bypassed other worlds to hit Wapokoneta and Glenmora. The Galedon District is chomping at the bit, and their only target is the Dragoons. They've jumped to worlds we have left ungarrisoned, recharged, and continued on to where the Dragoons are. There are certainly higher value targets to hit in the Region. Which in a round about way brings us back to the proposed changes.
“Whats ultimately important is that we not hold just any piece of territory, but key territory. We don't need to destroy just their industry, or their military, or their planets in order to win. Yes, those things help, but ultimately what we need to do is destroy their will to fight. We need to Destroy their morale. We can not afford a War to the Bone. We have to end this, sooner rather than later. And the best way to end this is to convince them...to make them believe...they've already lost.”
-
Nice story once again.
-
Looks like the DC is going to be really hurting soon. >:D
-
I doint think they will outright die, but i sure think they will be a MUCH diminished threat. I wounder though, will the Free Fasalhague republic still be reborn though?
-
All will be revealed. :-)
I've got a rough sketch of what I am going to do out to 3067 done...getting there...well, that's the fun part ;-)
Davout
I doint think they will outright die, but i sure think they will be a MUCH diminished threat. I wounder though, will the Free Fasalhague republic still be reborn though?
-
Snippets
“If there is one thing I fear, it is that we are letting the Capellans of too lightly. SPIKE has shown what a hollow force they are. We could end the Capellan Tyranny for all time, yet Hanse is to blinded by his hatred of the Combine to see this. Why sting both enemies? Pick one, smash them, then turn around and smash the other in due time. We have already demonstrated the weakness of the Confederation, we should concentrate our efforts there.”
From the Journal of Michael Hasek-Davion
“Guilty? Good. Now all he has to do is track down all the relatives of the boys and girls he got killed and tell them how sorry he is. And until he's finished with that, he should watch his back.”
Colonel Jack Esteves, 8th Crucis Lancers, commenting on the guilty verdict of former CO Marshal Wargo
“Has any military in recent memory ever suffered the shocks and reverses of the Capellan Confederation? Almost 20 regiments worth of Mechs destroyed, including several Warrior Houses. The loss of Tikonov, Styk, Tigress and Liao? A counterattack brutally repulsed? It's as if the Confederation has suffered such a series of body blows that it will take some time to react. Which is perhaps what the planners at the AFFS wanted. Now that the CCAF is reeling, the AFFS is shifting its attention.
Or is it?”
Garret Wolsley
Pundit, Good Morning New Avalon
December 28th, 3028
“On September 3rd elements of the 3rd Proserpina Hussars jumped into Barlow's End. There, they made no attempt to engage the planetary defense forces, nor did they move towards the planet. Once their jumpships had recharged they jumped out, I do not know where”
Intel report filed by MIIO agent on Barlows End, Sept 8th ,3028
“All this tap dancing around, this maneuvering back and forth, stabbing at the enemy like a picador of old, it's...unbecoming. There is your enemy, hit him with your fist, let him know you are there, make sure he feels it. This trying to inflict death on our enemies by a thousand papercuts will cost us. You mark my words.”
General Frederick Steiner, February 3027
“I've been in a Commando since I joined, but this new Wolfhound, if it could cook...anyways...Sure, they laughed at us. Made fun of us. It's a Lyran thing, unless your surrounded by at least 70 tons of machine you feel naked, or so they say. Then we saved their bacon on Harvest, the laughing grew less. Then we saved them on Kirchbach, and it stopped altogether. Last week someone mentioned it was nice to have some excellent intel to act on. I told them that for 300 years we've always had the ability, it was the institution that was blind to what it was seeing. Maybe that will get me a black mark in the personnel file, but the fact of the matter is its true. And by the silence I encountered after I made it, they knew it as well.”
Kommandant Peter Model, CO, Blitz Company, 4th Donegal RCT
-
SECOND WAVE
The first wave of Operation SPIKE took place from August 19th to September 15th. The second wave luanched September 23rd and ended on October 31st. The Capellan Operation RIPOSTE was launched November 28th, and is generally considered to have ended on December 3oth, when the Northwind Highlanders arrived at the Northwind jump point. The so called “Third” Wave of Operation Spike took place from January 5th to February 15th. The longest the Capellan front went without combat was the Four weeks of November, as the AFFS prepared Operation PAVISE.
On the Draconis Front, the timeline was much slower, for a variety of reasons. The first wave of YELLOW BIRD started August 19th and ended September 20th, but the second wave did not launch until December 1st. There were several reasons for this, many of them minor, but the most important reason was transport. As ambitious as the AFFS High Command was, it required a great degree of coordination and timing between jumpships and dropships, and for the most part, the plan succeeded. The majority of the transportation assets not tasked to Operation PAVISE at the end of the sseocnd wave of Operation SPIKE were moved to the Draconis border, and this took some time.
The lull also had the added effect, intentional or otherwise, of giving both the Capellans and Kuritans pause. Who was the main target? Was the AFFS dividing it’s effort? Was one attack merely a diversion, while the other was real? And if so, which attack was the diversion?
With the Lyran’s Operation VALKYRIE proceeding on or ahead of schedule in many respects, some felt the AFFS would increase the tempo of its operations as well, and there were several debates about this in the High command meetings. The first wave of YELLOW BIRD had gone exceedingly well, in fact every wave thus far had exceeded expectations, and there were some calls to slow things down, and not overreach. There was a series of debates during the Novemeber 3028 AFFS High Command meetings about what to do, but ultimately the First Prince and his generals decides to stick to the basic framework of each plan. However, with the apparent paralysis of the DCMS, several target worlds were changed.
Little did observers know what those changes meant, but it can be safely assumed that on December 1st few in the DCMS High Command were thinking about the future. Instead, the second wave of YELLOW BIRD was launched, as 14 regiments attacked 10 worlds.
Davout73
-
General Steiner at this time still the ultimate Lyran social general.
A Lyran complimenting a light mech. Heresy. ::) [cheers]
-
Well, there is good news and bad news.
First, my hard drive crashed. Hard.
However, in a moment of brilliance (of which I only get a few of a year according to Household Six), I had backed up probably 90% of the Battletech stuff I owned.
Most of the 10% were the maps and files I was using for this. InDesign still has them "embedded" in the file, but no longer "linked to the originals" so the first few maps look like crap.
Apologies on that. That said the maps were the hardest most time consuming thing to do, so I didn;t lose a lot of sweat equity in this.
Anyways, Merry Christmakwannzakuh to everyone, and enjoy!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori%20S-YB2.pdf (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori%20S-YB2.pdf)
Davout
-
It was good reading! Hopefully you can in time get the story going!
-
Enjoyed how you used the mercs in your version.
Also noticed you transferred Delta Co to the DC front, but still the same result.
Your version is better than the original in some ways.
Excellent work and have a Merry Xmas, enjoy the spirits. [cheers]
-
Irurzun
The Irurzun Campaign to date has been the bloodiest battle of the 4th Succession War for the Federated Suns. One of the many reasons both YELLOW BIRD and SPIKE had been successes was that intelligence used in both operations was good. Irurzun was one of the few intelligence failures on the Federated Suns behalf. Nominally home to the 3rd and 6th Benjamin Regulars, DCMS High Command had ordered the 3rd to Matar in early 3028, but for some unknown bureaucratic reason the move had been postponed. In addition, the 1st and 2nd Amphigean Light Assault Group regiments had retreated to Irurzun as well. As a regional capital of the Benjamin District, it was well fortified and prepared for battle.
Attacking Irurzun were the 3rd and 4th Davion Guards RCT’s. Arriving in system Marshal’s Hobaugh and Drivers expected a fight, but their approach to the planet was uncontested, as was the landing on the continent of South Umbiran. Three days after landing, while marching up the coast towards the planetry capital of New Gotham City, the leading elements of the 4th were attacked by elements of the 2nd Amphigean, whose presence was unexpected. After some minor skirmishes, the Kuritan unit retreated. Marshal Drivers slowed the pace of his attack down, unsure of what he was facing.
On the plains west of New Gotham City, the 3rd was moving up in support when it ran into the heavy mechs of the 3rd Benjamin Regulars at the Junichko Cooperative Farm. Although the Kuritan heavy mechs were an unwelcome surprise, the 3rd Davion reacted swiftly, maneuvering quickly to try and pin the main force of the 3rd Benjamin in place while its hovertanks and infantry began to outflank the Benjamin troops. Instead, the flanking force ran full on into a battalion of 1nd Amphigean mechs, who brushed them aside and ho\it the 3rd Davion’s flank. Reeling away from the attack, Marshal Hobaugh ordered a retreat to the southeast, towards Marshal Driver and the 4th Davion Guards.
After consulting with each other both commanders realized that instead of attacking with numerical superiority, they were now outnumbered, and the Kuritan units they were facing not only had the skill to keep up with them, but the ability to destroy them as well should they be caught. Rather then be pinned against the coast, both units retreated south towards the Rensaaler Peninsula. Seeing what the Davion units were doing the Kuritan forces endeavored to slow them down.
At the city of Ithaka, the 1st Amphigean established a blocking position that held up the Davion units retreat for more than few hours. The situation was dire, and the heavy mechs of the Benjamin Regulars were just beginning to arrive and contribute their weight and firepower to the battle. Calling in for close air support, Marshal Drivers ordered the Davion ASF’s to make several bombing and strafing runs on the combine defensive positions. Although the Davions ASF’s suffered tremendous losses, they were able to disrupt and force the Amphigeans back, letting the two RCT’s escape further down the Peninsula.
The Rensaaler was an ideal defensive position for the two Davion units, and they began to dig in. Several defensive trip lines were established, designed to slow down any Kuritan advance, allowing the Davion units to counterattack. The Kuritan’s tested these lines of defense twice, each time losing a company of mechs to a furious Davion counterattack. For a week, the front lines were quiet, the Davion troops concentrating on improving their position, then the Kuritan troops attacked again.
The 3rd Benjamin made a demonstration attack against the defensive lines, but their effort was so desultory both Davion Marshal’s expected something was up. What they did not expect was a pincer attack by the remaining Amphigean mechs coming off the water. Utilizing hover craft and other transport, a Battalion from each Amphigean unit and supporting conventional Kuritan units landed behind the AFFS positions and began to advance. The 3rd Benjamin also picked up their demonstration, forcing the quick reaction units to make a choice, stay and reinforce the line, or retreat and possibly leave the line open to a breach. With bad weather denying them air support, the Davion RCT’s were left to fight a 3 front battle.
With many of his conventional units decimated by earlier Kuritan attacks, Marshal Hobaugh attacked the Kuritan units near Oranje Township. Although outnumbered numerically, the Amphigean mechs fought hard, maneuvering well and forcing Hobaugh and the 3rd to hunt them down. In one unnamed saddle outside of the township, Hobaugh and his command lance were attacked by Kuritan infantry and light armor elements. The lance drove the units of, but the Marshal’s Enforcer was hit about the head by several missile rounds, and fell down. When he didn’t respond right away, the assumption was that the impact of the missiles, or the the impact of falling, had knocked the Marshal out. When a company of Davion Infantry showed up, they investigated. Marshal Hobaugh was dead. Apparently one of the missiles hit his canopy, and the resulting explosion shredded the cockpit glass inward. While his vest and helmet protected his chest and head, the standard issue mechwarrior shorts and shirt provided little protection against the slivers that cut into him, one of which severed his femoral artery. The Marshall bled out so fast that even if medical staff had been nearby its uncertain if they could have saved him. News of their commanders death aroused the 3rd Davion to a nearly uncontrolled fury, and they rapidly drove off the remaining Amphigean Units.
Marshal Driver and the 4th Davion had a harder time, the ground on their side of the Peninsula wasn’t as hilly, but was marshier. The light mechs of the Kuritan and Davion units had a hard time exploiting their maneuverability and speed as several units became bogged down. In one instance a Kuritan Assassin tried executing a Death from Above maneuver, missed his target, and disappeared under the water never to appear again. Eventually it was the 4ths Light Armor units that were the deciding factor. The fast hovertanks were not as impeded by the ground as the mechs, and they managed to destroy or force the surrender of almost two companies worth of Amphigean Mechs.
Since then, several probing attacks have been made to keep the Davion units in place. Marshal Drivers finds himself and the units under his command besieged and unable to move forward, but the Kuritan units have been unable to breach his lines. The outcome of Irurzun may depend on who can reinforce their side first.
-
Comstar First Circuit Compound
Hilton Head Island, North America, Terra
15 January 3029
Primus Julien Tiepolo could not stop the grimace from crossing his face as the motion was made. A quick glance at the faces of his fellow members of the First Circuit showed that their reactions were varied as well.
“The impetuousness of youth,” he thought. He sighed briefly, then folded his hands within his robe.
“Precentor Dieron has made the motion that House Davion, it's allies, vassals, and agents be placed under complete Interdiction.” Looking at the other members, he chose the one natural respondent to Precentor Waterly. “Precentor Tharkad.”
Ulthan Eversons balled fists were seen by all. They were not the only outward sign of his anger.
“What reason do we have to act so precipitously. House Davion has done nothing to warrant Interdiction. This motion is made without any basis in fact. Interdicting House Davion would also cut our ability to monitor their actions and plans.”
Precentor Dieron laughed. “You argue that we not strangle the wolf at our door because we could not then hear his howls? Why monitor his messages piecemeal when Hanse Davion's intent is obvious: He means to conquer the whole of the Successor States!”
Tiepolo shook his head. “He has neither the mandate nor the resources to do such a thing Precentor Dieron, and such an accusation borders on the nonsensical.”
Waterly's eyes flashed with anger. “Six Years ago you told me that there would be no change to the Davion-Liao borders in our lifetimes.” Pointing at the holo projection on the rooms rear wall, she continued. “Davion has not only severed the Tikonov Commonality, he takes worlds from the Combine as well. As a fortune teller you lack true vision Primus.”
Precentor Sian answered before Tiepolo could. “It may well be we misjudged the Fox. In fact, it is likely. But it is also likely that you misjudge this situation as well. House Liao is already under great stress, Interdicting Davion would shut down the flow of information from Michael Hasek-Davion to the Confederation.” Precentor Dieron grimaced, but not in pain.
“That information has hardly been useful to the Liaos. And my bill would stop Alexi Malenkov from sending his information out. Months ago you argued against interdicting House Liao because it would lead to their military collapse. How can the same not be true for Interdicting House Davion?”
Precentor New Avalon jumped into the conversation. “Because the First Prince has done what he can to cut us out of the loop as it were.” His smile was predatory. “If you had spent any amount of time going through the communications coming out of New Avalon you would realize that very few orders are going out. Ostensibly this is because the First Prince does not want to pay the fees associated with doing business, but the vast majority of the order for SPIKE and YELLOWBIRD have been carried out by courier. For all intents and purposes, the invasions have been self contained. They experimented with such things during the GALAHAD exercises, now they have implemented them for real.”
Precentor Dieron opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Precentor Tharkad again. “You still have given no reason to Interdict. What has he done that prompts you to ask?”
Her face clouding with anger, Waterly pointed at the map again. “Do you not see, Precentor. Adding the Tikonov Commonality increases his industrial power. Adding the Dieron worlds does the same while hurting his most powerful foe. Your own Commonwealth has been tricked into fighting the Combine as well, draining resources from both sides.”
“How much of this is you being upset the Combine is getting thrashed Precentor?” Vandel's question was asked with an arch eyebrow.
“You fool!” Waterly's anger finally bubbled to the surface. “You arrogant idiot! If this was anything related to Nationality I would resign my position and enlist in the DCMS. Nationalism has nothing to do with this. I belong to Comstar....YOU belong to Comstar, not the Davion court. The Federated Suns success is our doom!”
“How?”
The Primus's question hung in the air for a moment. Precentor New Avalon started his reply, but Tiepolo cut him off.
“The Word of Blake predicts these wars. Their conflict and destruction is necessary, for without them Comstar cannot fulfill its mission.”
Precentor Waterly paused. “I daresay that I understand Blakes Word as much as you do Primus. The Blessed Blake spoke of wars that would fragment mankind. They key word there is fragment. Davion's War is not fragmenting, but uniting.”
“Precentor Sian shook his head. “We should not let the boldness of the Princes plan and it's successes intimidate us. As this war continues, the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth hurt themselves as much as their opponents. Logistically their troops are on a tether, and it grows shorter each day.”
“He's winning the War dammit. If there is a tether, there is no slack. I see Davion laughing at Maximilian Liao and Takashi Kurita, and if we do not take action, he will be spitting on their graves.”
Her protest did not slow Precentor Sian down.
“It has become apparent that House Davion has no further designs on the Capellan Confederation. The Federated Suns simply does not have the transportation assets required to prosecute a two front war, and the troops in the Confederation are settling into garrison routines, many of the dropships have been shifted to the Combine border. The Combine is now Davions only target. Also, no Capellan March troops have participated in the Invasion. Even with Duke Michaels support conquering the Confederation would be hard. Likewise, because of Michael's thirst for the throne, Hans cannot weaken the Crucis March to much. Lower troop levels would give Michael a chance to revolt and attempt to depose Hanse.”
“Why doesn't Michael strike now,” asked Precentor Dieron.
“Why should he?” responded the Primus. “Hasek-Davion may be many things, but he is smart enough to know that the longer Hanse bleeds himself against the Combine and and Confederation, the weaker he will be when Michael does rise up.” Narrowing his eyes, he focused on Waterly. “We know Morgan Hasek-Davion will oppose him, which will split the Capellan March, further weakening the Suns. Similar results are taking place in the Combine and Commonwealth. Theodore Kurita has rallied several units and led a vigorous defense. His leadership is already putting the Coordiantors actions, or lack thereof, under further scrutiny, which Marcus Kurita and the other warlords will attempt to use to their advantage. Rasalhauge will attempt to secede again if they think the military and political climate gives them any chance of success. Also Lestrade waits for a Kuritan soldier to show up anywhere in the Isle of Skye so he can proclaim it's independence.”
Waterly stared at the Primus for a few seconds, then began clapping, slowly, mechanically.
“Bravo, Primus. A prophesy that most convincingly fits the entropy seen by Jerome Blake. You speak of such events as if they are already motion, inevitable. Yet you were wrong six years ago, and you are wrong now. The Emperor has no clothes here Primus. You spin tales of civil wars and nations breaking apart, yet all I see is Hanse Davion and his allies moving like reapers through their old enemies. If we do not act to stem the tide now, when will we act. At one point will it be to much?”
The Primus looked over at Precentor Sian.
“The current pace of operations can not be sustained beyond another wave. Both the AFFS and LCAF will have to pause and buildup resources again to continue, and that pause will only help the combine. We also know that Colonel Ridzik has been advocating the formation of an Independent Tikonov Commonality. We should do what we can to aid and ensure his success in that venture. “
“Do you concur with Precetor Sian's Assesment Precentor New Avalon?” Tiepolo asked.
“Yes. One more wave, then a cessation of hostilities. I also support an independent Tikonov-”
“You avoid my question still!” Precentor Dieron's anger was in full force. “How much is to much. When do we take action?”
Vandal looked down, then grinned. Swiping his hand across the display, a line appeared on the proection, cutting across the Benjamin District.
“If Davion Forces cross this line, then we act.”
Tiepolo watched the fury in Waterly's eyes subside as she reacted to the other Precentor's assent to Vandals suggestion. “Very well then. Primus, I amend my motion as follows: Should Davion troops cross Vandals Line we place House Davion, it's allies, vassals and agents under Total Interdiction.”
The Precentor's nodded their agreement, and then one by one left the room, until Tiepolo sat alone. Staring at the wall, he looked at the line Vandal had drawn. Starting at Gram, it went through Aix-le-Chapelle, Tok Do, Shibukawa, Peacock. Havdhem and Silkeborg were just outside the 60 LY radius of Luthien. Was that his goal? Would the Fox dare strike that far? If it was, it would only lead to his downfall. Sighing, Tiepolo stood up, walking out of the closed conference room.
Blake's will be done, he thought. No matter how hard it might be.
-
Interesting that you have the FS possibly advancing that far into the DC.
This story is becoming very interesting.
-
Interesting indeed. On the other hand, a strike at Luthien is not beyond possibility, if there is suitable reason to go there, remember that Sian was raided (if only to retrieve assets) in the Canon.
Of course, if Waverly has her Total Interdiction, it might give Hanse something to think about, and if it is without 'valid' reason, it will make others think about ComStar's position again.
-
Excellent update.
I agree with the above by the way. Should the AFFS attacks breach that line, and Comstar interdicts. Well whoops. That might be.....revealing.
-
Or he could have ComStar "help" the DC to "find" a Warship someware >:D
-
Or he could have ComStar "help" the DC to "find" a Warship someware >:D
No, no Warships yet. I am trying to stay as relatively close to 'canon' as possible. he things that happen in universe will be a lot more plausible that way.
The nice thing is I have a rough draft of the events of the next 30 years done...the bad news is the file I used for most of my OOB Bookkeeping was....adjusted.....by my genius of a three year old, and I need to get that current. There "Will" be some significant changes to the established timeline, but alot of the major events the we know (and like, or hate), will be there.
I've also got a decent amount of spare time on my hands so I'll have some more updates and a map or three soon.
Davout
-
Just a teaser...
SECOND WAVE OVERVIEW
The second wave of YELLOW BIRD was confusing to many people. Where the Federated Suns had hit the Capellan Confederation with a concentrated plan, it appeared that the plan for attacking the Combine was meandering all over, with very little impact other than taking some worlds. Some suggested that the Fox had been “playing all along”, that his declaration and attacks against the Capellans were merely diversions while the LCAF did most of the fighting, a meme that was quickly picked up by Duke Lestrade and other agitators in the Isle of Skye.
However, the results couldn’t be argued with. Despite the setback on Irurzun, the Federated Suns had taken nine more worlds, defeated some of the best troops in the DCMS, and were poised to advance further in the Combine than anyone had before. In many cases, personnel and material losses were below expected levels, and within two weeks, most of the units that participated were ready to proceed with the third wave.
On February 1st, the Third Wave of YELLOW BIRD was launched, and it proved to every observer that the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns was taking what was now being called the Fourth Succession War to a whole new level, with consequences reaching far into the future.
-
Just a teaser...
no kidding
:(
-
Interesting to see you have a 3 year old doing your bookkeeping for you. ::) :D
-
Interesting to see you have a 3 year old doing your bookkeeping for you. ::) :D
He was trying to pull up you tube and ended up...well, I'm recreating from a back up, but still.
He's lucky he's cute.
:-)
Davout
-
He must have scored a crit hit on u with his cute look canon. dame clan tech!
-
This is how the 4th should have gone, yes very much so
-
This is how the 4th should have gone, yes very much so
Agreed. The cappies were the weakest state, and why go after someone you know you can beat first, when you have a foe you have been stalemated with for centuries, that you could successfully sneak attack, AND have allies threatening them from another flank? It blowws my mind completely, even knowing how much Hanse hated Max for the clone incident.
-
Agreed. The cappies were the weakest state, and why go after someone you know you can beat first, when you have a foe you have been stalemated with for centuries, that you could successfully sneak attack, AND have allies threatening them from another flank? It blowws my mind completely, even knowing how much Hanse hated Max for the clone incident.
A knife at your back is still a knife at your back, no matter how small the knife is. Given the choice of who to fight first: an strong enemy with a sense of honor, or a weaker one with a leader who is bat-crap crazy, the latter gets it first.
-
Agreed. The cappies were the weakest state, and why go after someone you know you can beat first, when you have a foe you have been stalemated with for centuries, that you could successfully sneak attack, AND have allies threatening them from another flank? It blowws my mind completely, even knowing how much Hanse hated Max for the clone incident.
While I am not going to disagree with the sentiment of the statement, I will say from my point of view many of the views taken on the 4th Succession War and the military prowess of the combatants involved use facts obtained after the war as evidence of what was going to happen no matter what, and you just can't do that.
Per canon, the Capellan Military was small, but competent, and had been improving since the late 2900's, and had several recent victories over the AFFS to show it wasn't going to be a pushover. It's primary problem was that its doctrine was unsuited to the type of war that was on the horizon. Both sides had a huge amount of information from their previous fighting experience, and based their post 3rd SSW doctrines on that. The problem that happened was that when the 4th SSW started, the CCAF was prepared to fight it the same way they fought the 3rd SSW, and the AFFS said "We've found a different way to fight, deal with this," and the CCAF couldn't. To use a historical parallel, from a military strategy point of view, the Capellan Confederation was post World War One France, and the AFFS was post World War One Germany. And there is a passage in one of the books where Hanse addresses such a state of affairs, and how RAT was tailored to exploit the Capellan Startegic weakness.
Consider these for a few moments (and yes, I have :-) )
1. What if Takashi hadn't been so focused on the Dragoons?
2. What if the LCAF's performance wasn't as good? To be honest, one of the details that surprises me about the 4th is not how bad the Capellans did, but how well the LCAF did. If I were a post 4th SSW military historian/writer, my first book would be about the transformation of the LCAF from the time Archon Katrina took the throne to the end of the 4th. Your talking about one of the most entrenched military bureaucracies undergoing a radical and mostly effective transformation in less than 20 years, less than 10 if you use the FC Treaty as a staring point. As a Real World historical parallel, look at the post Vietnam US Military.
3. A lot of things, well, lets be honest, almost everything, went right for the AFFS during RAT. It's only major defeat was on Sarna, and even the they took the world. There were plenty of battles where it was a close run thing, what if the AFFS had lost those instead of winning them?
To be honest, I've been ruminating on such things for the better part of fifteen plus years, and its always fun to play "What-If" and change things, but I will say it's a personal pet peeve of mine to say "The Capellans were always going to lose."
But then, that's just my interpretation of things. :-)
Will have a 3rd Wave map in a couple of days. What I need to do is put together a map for the LCAF front as well, the 3rd Wave YELLOW BIRD map will make much more sense then.
Thanks for reading!
Davout
-
I think the biggest reason why Hanse had to take out CapCon first in 4rg was because it was Personal with capital P and bold letters.
After all, the Operation Doppelganger had been aimed at him. And it had entirely ruined someone's life. Remember Hanse's message to Max in the end?
The biggest thing making this what-if work so well for me was that there -was- the Personal aspect provided for Hanse to go after Takashi.
-
I think the biggest reason why Hanse had to take out CapCon first in 4rg was because it was Personal with capital P and bold letters.
After all, the Operation Doppelganger had been aimed at him. And it had entirely ruined someone's life. Remember Hanse's message to Max in the end?
The biggest thing making this what-if work so well for me was that there -was- the Personal aspect provided for Hanse to go after Takashi.
:-)
-
“I've done more fighting in six months than I have in ten years. I haven't had a letter from my family in almost nine months, the food sucks, the weather sucks...Now we're loading up and boosting again. I swear, the next time I land, it had better be for R and R, or for combat. Either way there will be drinking involved...”
From “Damn, I Volunteered for This?”, the memoirs of Mechwarrior Cody Jones, 3018-3048
“Military and Civilian Analysts had long feared the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. It’s performance in the first three Succession Wars made it clear that it was a tough, competent opponent, and several of its mech regiments were often counted as some of the best in the Inner Sphere. However, it’s performance in the first part of the Fourth Succession War was surprising as several DCMS units were not only beaten, but shattered. Some of these results appear to be systemic in nature. Several Combine Officers in command and leadership positions have committed seppuku - ritual suicide - to atone for their defeat at the hands of their “inferiors”. The actions of General Kanuchiwan on Jabuka are a prime example of the results of such actions.
“There are several other underlying factors which appear to play a role as well. One is the political infighting amongst the Combine warlords and other senior staff. Another is the lack of cooperation amongst the other arms of the DCMS. The mechwarriors have long treated their conventional brethren with something just slightly above contempt, and this has undoubtably soured their view on their opponents conventional units as well. The AFFS and LCAF RCT’s have shown what conventional units can do when integrated into the whole, and there is little doubt that those DCMS units that have done well have excellent rapport with their conventional counterparts.
“However, pre-Fourth actions on both fronts, Sevren, Galtor, Tancredi IV, showed the rest of the Inner Sphere that the DCMS was not as invincible as it believed itself to be. At present the primary sin of the DCMS appears to be that not only did it create the aura and propaganda of it’s invincibility, it believed it more than anyone else.
From an Internal Memo prepared for the AFFS High Command, April 3029
“I'm going to give you a name. Marshal Jisosa Miller. Doesn't ring a bell, does it? Shes the one in charge of Transportation and Resupply, and has the boffins to help her. You want to know why retention bonuses are highest for those officers and enlisted in Transportation? She's why. It's one thing to be a military planner, hell, any kid with a crayon can be a military planner, but it takes someone special, a whole group of someone specials to make it happen. I mean, look at that field repair kit. Your looking at 20 plus parts from fifteen different factories spread across 300 light years of space, and somehow they all got here, where they were needed, when they were needed. You think that's easy? I love my logistics guys, they've done everything I've asked them to and more. We wouldn't be where we are without them, and getting to where were going would be next to impossible. You want a feel good story about the front line solider struggling in the face of the enemy, that's fine. I suppose that's what makes good trid these days. You want a story about the heart and soul of this war. Go talk to my Logistics Captain.”
From an televised Interview of Colonel Callan Pendergast, Commander Combat Command B, 6th Ceti Hussars, Location Blacklisted.
"Smoke and Mirrors, obfuscation, call it what you will. There's always risk involved. No such thing as a safe, foolproof plan, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is selling something, and it's not experience. Was YELLOW BIRD a risk? Hell, it was a huge risk, and anyone who says otherwise is ignoring more than a few things. One of the more popular courses at NAMA today is refighting the Fourth, selected cadets get to play the AFFS, and the command staff plays the OpFor, and keep in mind the Command Staff now was actually there, planning and fighting in it. And the Command Staff wins more often than not. I was in a class Field Marshal Zibler taught, and I asked what he thought about some of the books and articles that appeared after the fact, and he gave me an answer that rings as true today as it did then: You play the hand your dealt. You get a pair of five's, then you play that pair of fives like you have a Royal Flush, and leave it to your opponent to figure it out. And have a plan for when he does."
From an Interview published in "Boots and Saddles, Spring Edition, 3047", of Colonel Margary Hatcher
-
And a basic Wave Two Map. Yay! O0
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20after%20Wave%20Two.pdf
Davout
-
Yay, an update. And a Map no less.
Very interesting Davout.
I note there are no Lyran waves shown on that map. Forgive me, I've lost track. Are they attacking too?
-
Very impressive penetration of the DC so far.
Looking forward to the next wave write ups. [cheers]
-
Yay, an update. And a Map no less.
Very interesting Davout.
I note there are no Lyran waves shown on that map. Forgive me, I've lost track. Are they attacking too?
Yes, they are. They way I am approaching this is essentially "Front by Front". After this Third Wave of the Davion front it will be onto the Lyran Front, with maps. I'll post some overall wave maps at the end of that.
Davout
-
January 23rd
New Avalon
“We've just received word that the Lyrans have landed on Shimosuwa and Tsukude. Not a lot on either world to stop them from taking either one, but as things go..”
Hanse Davion leaned back in his chair as Marshal Zibler gave him his report.
“How much longer can we sustain this level of operations?” the First Prince asked.
“We can't,” responded Zibler, leaning back in his chair.
Hanse smiled.
“Don't sugarcoat it Marshal, please,” Marshal Sortek laughed in response.
Zibler smiled himself and sat back, then rubbed his temples briefly.
“We're running into the problems we though we would. Troop fatigue, supply issues, jumpship fatigue. We can't keep this pace of operations up. Wave Three is it, we have to stop and regroup afterwards, or we're asking for more trouble. Besides, if we hold off on launching Wave Three Junctions orbit mught be permanently altered by all the additional weight.” He smiled, the others in the room chuckled.
“Then a slower pace of Operations?” Quentin Allard's question was not challenging, just inquisitive in his normal manner.
“We could,” responded Zibler, “But that defeats the purpose. If we want to keep tickling them with a finger here or there, then we can do that. As opposed to hitting them with a fist. And if the Lyran reports are true,” he glanced at Allard, who nodded in reply, “The DCMS is bucking up on their front as well. Theodore escaping has given troops in that particular region a boost, but at the moment, he's isolated and can't do much. Whatever shock we've inflicted they are recovering from. And on more than a couple of planets, the natives are getting restless. And the deeper we go, the more pronounced that's going to become.”
“And on the Capellan Side?” the First Princes question was directed at Allard.
“Progressing. Our latest intel says they are looking at a Summer offensive. There are some internal difficulties that are slowing things up, plus their supply net is being rebuilt. Plus it appears that Duchess Liao is refusing to use St. Ives troops in an offensive.”
“And the “Little Tsar?” Hanse directed his question to Marshal Sortek.
“Why he chose to surrender instead of would going out in a blaze of glory...” Sortek's statement was more than a little biting. “He's acting like a spoiled four year old. I want, I want, I want.” He sighed, then sat back. “And as much as I hate to say it, he's right. His arguments make a lot of sense, and we can certainly use him.”
“Would it helped if I meet with him again?” asked Hanse. He didn't exactly cherish that thought, but than again...
“I think that would be best. If he hears it from the Horses Mouth...”
“As opposed to someone he thinks is the Horses Ass?” laughed Hanse. Sortek frowned as the others in the room chuckled, but then he smiled and raised his glass in a small salute. An alarm beeped, Zibler looked at his watch and stood. “I'm afraid I have to go, the newest reports are due within the hour. With your permission my Lord?” Hanse smiled again and waved his hand in a shooing motion. Zibler bowed briefly, said his goodbyes and left.
“I daresay, you ask that man to charge the gates of hell for you and he'd figure out a way to do it.” Sortek's compliment was quiet in the room.
“What do you think he's doing now?” replied Hanse, arching an eyebrow.
“True. Very True.”
-
Wave Three Movements
A Note, several regiments involved have moved from a previous location to their jumping off point in the interim.
YELLOW BIRD WAVE Three
1st Crucis Lancers
3rd Crucis Lancers
From Errai to Dieron
1st and 2nd Davion Guards from Altair to Dieron
Blue Star Irregulars, Two Regiments on Murchison, 1 Batt each on Biham, Ancha, Sadachbia to Ashio
Davion Light Guards
Davion Assault Guards
From Junction to Benjamin
6th Ceti Hussars
One Combat Command each to
Lapinah
Kurhah
Chichibu
17th Avalon Hussars
Algedi
2nd Ceti husars
One Combat Command each to
Shimonita
Waddesdon
Kitalpha
1st Chisholm Raiders
2nd Chisholm Rangers
Kajikazawa
7th Crucis Lancers
Nashira
-
And a map.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT-YB-WV3.pdf
I promise this will make a bit more sense when the Lyran gains are mapped out as well.
After Third Wave write up comes the Lyran Front.
Davout
-
There is no invasion of the Galedon district, right?
-
There is no invasion of the Galedon district, right?
No. But Galedon is fighting its own personal war against the Dragoons.
Davout
-
Just doing some fooling around. Am planning on doing something similar for each front:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20SPIKE%20review%202.pdf
or
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20SPIKE%20review.PDF
I sort of prefer the first one myself, YMMV
Thanks!
Davout
-
A summary of the first 3 waves.
The first is a better way of doing it.
-
A summary of the first 3 waves.
The first is a better way of doing it.
much agreed
-
This is an entry I've been fiddling with for awhile, any suggestions on improving it/them would be appreciated.
Davout
Ashio
If there is anything that can be described as a turning point in the current conflict, surely Ashio must be be considered one of them. The Combines view of the mercenary has been well documented, and its current fight against Wolf's Dragoons had made things worse. Given the Coordinators “Death to Mercenaries” pronouncement, and what has recently transpired on Ashio, the Combine has indeed reached a turning point, one that future historians will be debating for years to come.
If it weren't for the 10 kilomter high cone of Mount Vesuvius Majoris, Ashio would be an unremarkable world. A border world that had seen its share of conflict, Ashio was now a Prefecture Capital, well defended by two Dieron Regular Regiments, the 12th and 27th. With the transportation assets at breaking point, the AFFS sent the three mercenary regiments of the Blue Star Irregulars to attack the world. Although it's conventional units were understrength, the recent losses on Halstead Station having not been made up, the mercenaries were almost at full complement in mechs and mechwarriors. Knowing Ashio would be their next target, General Troy and her officers came up with several plans of actions, depending on what they would encounter.
The initial landings on the northern continent of Rhodesia were unopposed, with only a few passes by Kuritan ASF's attempted. After a weeks worth of patrolling and extending the Landing zones, the first skirmishes were fought towards the Irregulars moved towards the planetary capital of Iscariot. Company sized elements of the 12th Dieron began a series of hit and run attacks, but the green Dieron troops were repulsed easily. As the Irregulars marched closer to Iscariot, the attacks became more numerous, and instead of retreating after the first initial pushback the 12th Dieron mechs fought harder, doing what they could to bring down one or two Irregular mechs. A low grade insurrection had also broken out in the rear areas the Irregulars had previously secured, and General Troy's depleted conventional forces were hard pressed to contain it. Three weeks after landing, the 27th announced it's presence as two battalions slammed into the flank of the 21st Rim Worlds 'Mech Regiment as it made it's way through the Calderan Passes. General Troy and her Command Lance had been accompanying the unit that day, and soon found themselves in the thick of the fighting, an action that soon turned into a series of rearguard actions and withdrawals. The General's Zeus was hipped in one of the battles, and unable to withdraw at full speed she ordered the rest of the regiment to fall back. With her command lance arrayed around her,the General turned to face the company of Dragons, Phoenix Hawks and Light mechs headed her as the 21st Rim Worlds retreated and regrouped. Three days later, under heavy ASF cover, the 21st went back into the Passes. What they found has literally changed the tone of the Fourth Succession War.
It's obvious that the HQ lance fought long and hard. At least four DCMS mechs that had been to damaged to salvage completely had been stripped and left behind. The blasted hulks of the HQ Lance lay where they had fallen, untouched. A few tens of meters away, in the shade of a small copse of trees that had survived the battle, lay the trussed up and decapitated bodies of the three of the HQ lance members, including General Mona Troy. Attached to each of their cooling vests was a proclamation: Death To Mercenaries. It was the first time on Ashio that the Blue Star Irregulars had come across the now infamous order from the Coordinator. It would not be the last.
Reaction among the Irregulars went from shock and horror to hatred and revenge in a short period. Colonel Brian Jellicoe, commander of the 1894th Light Horse, made more than one impassioned plea for his troops to remember not only who they were, but what they were fighting for and why. His visits to every company in the Blue Star Irregulars the next week helped calm the situation down, the next few weeks of fighting helped the Irregulars grieve in their own way. After consulting with the other commanders, Colonel Jellicoe pulled all three units closer together, then in one big triangle formation moved on Iscariot at a slow, deliberate pace. When the first Kuritan counterattack hit the flank of the 21st Rim Worlds, the entire formation stopped, and the 21st fell on the attacking Battalion of the 12th with a fury. Combine mechwarriors who ejected watched as the Irregulars continued to pound their mechs into scrap metal, those pilots who didn't eject died in their machines. For a week the Irregulars moved on Iscariot, crushing the 12th Dieron units as they attacked. Attempts by the 27th to attack met with the same response, in one battle General Fassen Koutri, the commander of the 27th, was knocked unconscious when his Grasshopper took a hit in the head, he came to only when an Irregular Archer had ripped the mechs head (with the General still inside it) off to set it down next to the dismembered remains of a mech that had been in his family for 100 years.
The culmination of the campaign came on the outskirts of Iscariot. Throwing caution to the wind the executive officer of the 27th (General Koutri having committed seppuku shortly after he came too) attacked one side of the Irregulars triangle while what was left of the 12th attacked the other side. The fighting was heavy, with no quarter given on either side. The battle was over when General Yawatono Kurita, a distaff relative of the ruling family, was captured while trying to escape. Hogtied and taken to the Command Center of the Irregulars, he had a closed door meeting with Colonel Jellicoe. The next hour, he was released, and a few days later the General and remaining units of both Dieron regiments boosted off planet. The 12th was shattered as an effective unit, the 27th lifted off with less than a Battalion of mechs, but nearly two battalions worth of now dispossessed Dieron Regular mechwarriors accompanied them.
The death of General Troy, and other incidents related to the Coordinators order, had soon made its way across the entire Inner Sphere. A new dimension to the War had been opened.
-
I don't know how you could hold back Mercs after their commanding officer was executed.
-
That's one thing I find rather scary in that order, from a rrather loyal COmbine player. With ALL mercenaries antagonized like that, sure, you migth scare few to not face you, but they sure won't work for you either. In the end, what that means that those mercenaties you face are going to be more than a bit fanatical in their resistance, either while they are attacking or when you are raiding some of your neighbours who retain the use of mercenaries.
Not to mention that any small one-lance unit currently working for your industry to keep your production safe is now either getting the hell out of Dodge, or possibly taking the industry's output and THEN boosting the hell out of Dodge.
-
I don't know how you could hold back Mercs after their commanding officer was executed.
There's a snippet about that coming up.
:-)
-
Yawatono Kurita had no idea why he was on Moore. They weren't supposed to retreat “West” from Ashio, their fallback position had been Algedi, but it had been attacked as well. When he arrived at Shitaraa, there were orders for what remained of his unit to report to the Provisional HQ on Moore. He had never heard of the Provisional HQ, but the order was official, so he and his unit, what was left of it, went.
Now he was in an office building, its occupants either having left or been removed. The planet itself was bustling with activity, several mech units and conventional regiments had retreated here from the Steiner attacks. An aide had escorted him to this office, and then shut the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts for a few seconds.
The door opened, and Yawatono began to brace himself to attention, but stopped when he saw who it was.
Tired, bedraggled, wearing an everyday uniform covered with dirt and grime, Theodore Kurita walked in and shut the door.
“Well, Cousin,” he said, the words coming out of his mouth in a sour fashion, “I had thought it impossible for this situation to get any worse, but it appears my father not only found a way to make it happen, you were it's handmaiden.” The look he gave was of one encountering soured milk.
Yawatono bristled, and decided to go on the attack. “Isn't it proper to acknowledge and salute a superior officer, Colonel?”
Theodore smiled. “When I see one in front of me, I will.” There was a firmness in his voice that caught Yawatono offguard. Rumors had it Theodore was weak, incapable. Where was that Theodore now? Certainly not in this room.
“You have a package for my father?” Theodore asked.
“I do,” replied Yawatono, a bit of caution in his voice.
“I will have it.” Theodore held his hand out. Yawatono hesitated. His word to Colonel Jellicoe had been given.
Theodore sighed. “Cousin, you know whatever honor you had was lost on Ashio following my fathers ill advised directive. And don't you start with how my father the Coordinator is above reproach.” His eyes and voice had grown hard. “It was my fathers policies that left us in this state, my fathers policies that have let our enemies take almost forty worlds from us, my fathers policies that have waged war against only one opponent instead of all of them. By following those policies, you have forsaken not only your honor, but any common sense. Your life is forfeit, and you know it. But you have a choice. You can let me read what Colonel Jellicoe gave you and choose the honorable way out on Luthien, or you can die here without honor and I will read it anyways.”
“You brazen whelp of a-” Yawatono's retort was cut off my the sound of Theodores hand hitting the desk top, the sound echoing like a shot. A bare second later the door opened, and a head poked in. The mans Asian features were offset by the shock of red hair. The man looked first at Theodore, then at Yawatono, and back to Theodore again. An eyebrow arched in question.
“Not as yet Ninyu, there are still matters to discuss.” The man at the door simply nodded and shut the door behind him.
“The package.” Theodore's outstretched, waiting.
After a few seconds, Yawatono reached into his own jacket and removed a heavy package. Receiving it with a tight smile, Theodore sat down, opened it and began to read. There were no other chairs in the office, Yawatono was forced to stand. It was while waiting he noticed the maps on the wall, of both the Lyran front and Davion front. There was a third map as well, one with just the mercenary Ronin on it. Once he realized what he was seeing, his eyes opened in surprise.
Theordore glanced up from his reading and saw the look on Yawatono's face.
“Shocking, isn't it?” he stood up and looked at the maps for a second as well. “This,” he said, his hand sweeping the Lyran border, “is what my father has wrought. This-” he indicated the Davion border “is what happens when the realities are ignored, when personal honor replaces that of the state.”
Yawatono's shock grew deeper. How could Theodore talk like that? He saw what Wolf had done to the coordinator on Terra. The Coordinator was the state, his honor was the states honor! Yawatono said as much, and in reply Theordore just smiled and sat back down.
“And this, this,” he said, picking up the package, “may well be the icing on the cake. My father insists on making more enemies, enemies we cannot fight at the moment.” Yawatono began to reply, but a hard look from Theodore left him sputtering. Pulling out a piece of paper from the desk drawer, he wrote out a short quick message, and put it back in the envelope. He handed the package back to Yawatono, who took it with a careful hand.
“The drop ship Aether is boosting in an hour, it is going to Luthien. You will be on that dropship, and you will personally deliver that message to my father. This note,” Theodore was scribbling out another message, “will ensure that you are not delayed in that mission.”
“But my troops, my men-”
“They are no longer yours. What remnants you have managed to bring here will stay here with my forces, I need them here more than you need them.”
Yawatono began to speak, but stopped when he saw the look in Theodore'e eye.
Bowing imperceptibly, Yawatono accepted the proffered letter, folding it into his uniform pocket. Without another word, the office door opened, and Yawatono left. While the red haired aide steered him towards a side door, Yawatono's rage at what just happened began to bubble over. Son of the Coordinator or not, there were protocols to be observed. They were in the stairway before Yawatono realized where they were.
“Why are we not taking the elevator?” he asked. So caught up in his thoughts he did not notice the red haired man had stayed behind him.
The powerful kick to his back caught Yawatono off guard, and sent him crashing down the stairs in a jumble of arms and legs. His head hit one of the stairs hard enough for him to see stars, and he stopped on the landing in a crumpled heap, gasping in pain. The aide had followed his progress down, and was standing a short distance away as Yawatono gathered himself, only to cry out in pain as a kick to his solar plexus immobilized him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the sword being drawn from its sheath.
“Because my master does not wish it,” was the mans response.
The sword fell.
The bag containing the head of a relative he barely knew lay at his feet untouched. Takashi Kurita sat at his private desk, the package from his son and that ronin in his hands.
Opening the package, he was slightly surprised when a small, heavy object fell out. It was not a bomb, his son would not be so arrogant as that. It was a medal, a Blue Star medal. He pulled out a letter, taking a few seconds to read the words.
Coordinator,
General Aleksandr Kerensky created the Blue Star award to reward those Warriors whose devotion to duty and loyalty in the face of overwhelming obstacles was more than noteworthy, but exceptional. Only thirty seven of these were awarded before the Exodus, and all thirty seven remained behind to uphold the honor and ideals of the Star League.
The medal you hold was awarded to Johnathon Simpson. While you may not know that name, you should know Simpson was not from the Terran Hegemony, he was born and raised on Pesht, the minor son of a minor noble whose lineage is gone. He joined the SLDF at the beginning of the Amaris War, and fought in the campaign to free Terra from the Usurper. He was awarded this medal for fighting a rearguard action, an action in which well over a thousand civilians who were trapped behind the lines were able to escape, an action in which the three other members of his lance were killed, an action which almost cost him his life, and cost Lieutenant Simpson a year in the hospital recovering.
Lieutenant Simpson answered Colonel Brighton's call in 2788, and died while fighting in 2792. His medal has been passed down to those deemed worthy of it, and each recipient has done their utmost to live up to the standards Johnathon Simpson set.
Mona Troy was awarded this medal in 2999, and there has hardly been a warrior more deserving. Her death, at your order, has caused a great deal of anger and resentment amongst my men and women, an anger I have only been able to keep in check by reminding them of what the Blue Star Irregulars stand for, fight for, and honor.
I loan you this medal, although you are the least deserving of it. Keep it in a place of honor, for the actions of those that have worn it, starting with Johnathon Simpson, demand no less.
The men and women of the Blue Star Irregulars will be back for it in due course. That is a promise we are honor bound to keep.
Signed,
Brian Jellicoe, CO, Blue Star Irregulars
With a snarl Takashi set the letter down, and stared at the medal for a few seconds.
“What do they know of honor?” he asked himself. With a quick swipe he had opened a desk drawer and swiped the letter and medal into it, closing it with a bang.
There was another letter, from his son. With a snarl as equal to the first one, he set to reading it, but only got halfway when the pounding in his head became so great he had to stop. He was reaching for his medicine when he blacked out.
-
Now that was an interesting development...
-
wounder what theador said :/
-
wounder what theador said :/
I bet it was better then what Jamie Wolf said. Jamie pissed him off, Teddy gave him an aneurysm.
-
Teddy might have given him an Aneurysm, but a lobotomy would have been better. ::) >:D
-
Teddy might have given him an Aneurysm, but a lobotomy would have been better. ::) >:D
The way he's acting (poor desicions, fixating on one thing), maybe he's already had one.
-
There's a line in one of the books (maybe Book 2 of the 4th Succession War, I am away from them at the moment) that speculates Takashi had some sort of stroke type event at the start and it hindered the combine the first few months.
I am following the same path here, mostly.
Davout
The way he's acting (poor desicions, fixating on one thing), maybe he's already had one.
-
Just a quick update:
Got a new job that has very odd hours, and being a stay at home dad as well has made it an interesting few months.
Anyhows, am getting restarted on the LCAF front, will have something soon. Feel free to bug me if you don;t see anything in the near future.
Thanks for reading,
Davout
-
better see something soon
-
Stay at home dad.
You get lot's of bugging without any help from us. >:D
-
The Lyran Commonwealth Forces in 3028, a Quiet Revolution
When the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces are mentioned, the first image that comes to mind is a heavy or assault mech emblazoned with the Steiner Fist, moving ponderously across a landscape to engage the enemy. The second is a military mired in bureaucratic red tape, graft, and self centered officers whose concept of tactics doesn't seem to go beyond “There is a brick wall, let me run my mech through it.” While the LCAF had its bright spots throughout the Succession Wars, much more was made of its failures. The LCAF Archon Katrina Steiner inherited after deposing her uncle Alessandro Steiner was on the verge of falling apart. The former Archon's doctrine of “Concentrated Weakness”, coupled not only with with the peculation and incompetence of some of the LCAF Command, had done more damage to the morale and well being of the LCAF than the previous hundred years of warfare. Having seen, and suffered from, the effect of Alessandro's policies in person, the new Archon had a huge task in front of her: rebuild and reform the LCAF from the inside out before its enemies could take even further advantage. Starting in 3010, a quiet revolution began.
First, the curricula at the service academies were changed. Regarded as excellent schools, and they were, Sanglamore, the Nagerling and other academies spent a great deal of time on personal weapons skills, and not enough on tactical and organizational skills. While they graduated as excellent marksmen, new leutnants in battle had little concept of what was happening around them and how to influence it, and as any soldier will tell you, combat is a brutal teacher.
Secondly, regulations were changed, the bureaucracy became more efficient, or less cumbersome noted some observers. Promising officers found their careers being shepherded by more powerful patrons, soldiers of all ranks found themselves being rewarded more for their skill and innovation on the battlefield than their political status. Many officers who were incompetent were cashiered outright, or moved to out of the way positions and posts.
They key to the successes of these changes was in their implementation. The Archon, and those officers in the High Command who agreed with her, knew that wholesale changes outright would be fought and challenged by the old guard. By making changes a few at a time, and behind the scenes, the LCAF was slowly starting to reform from within. In 3022, the reforms went into high gear.
The signing of the Federated Commonwealth Accords gave the Archon and her supporters a useful tool. Subtle manipulation and propaganda comparing the AFFS and LCAF soon had most of her troops ready for change, if only not to embarrass themselves in front of their new allies. Wholesale changes were made to the service academy curricula. The Archon herself wrote “A Battlefield Guide to the Uninitiated”, a tactics primer that was soon being used in the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth. What resistance reforms faced collapsed in mid 3023, when the 10th Lyran Guards were soundly beaten in a series of games against the AFFS Kettering Proving Ground training unit. Than at same year, the first Lyran cadets began attending NAMA and other Federated Suns Academies. In 3025 the first steps in forming Regimental Combat Teams were started, by 3026 almost every mech regiment was training with Infantry, Armor, Artillery and Fighter units. Recent successes against House Kurita and House Marik showed many that the changes were working. The overall success of Operation THOR in 3027 proved to all but the indignant of detractors that the Archon's changes were for the better.
The most notable effect of the LCAF's changes was to its arsenal. The Archon ordered several mech production lines retooled to produce lighter, quicker designs. With the signing of the Accords, proven Davion designs like the Valkyrie and Enforcer were soon licensed to Defiance Industries, and in 3025 the first Lyran produced models were marching off the lines. The advanced and controversial Hatchetman design was also entering mainstream production. Rumors of a Lyran light mech to counter the Kuritan Panther also surfaced at this time. New tanks, the Rommel and PAtton, were also being produced, and dropship and aerospace fighter production was also increased.
Instead of disbursing the newly produced mech designs to fill in vacancies existing regiments, many of units were gathered into companies, and some of the best pilots and officers in the LCAF were assigned to them. Many of these were newly graduated from the Davion academies, and soon found themselves and their units back in Davion space. Gathering at the Science Institute of New Avalon, a intense six month training course in Light Mech tactics was undertaken. Instructors from the Davion Light Guards, the Federated Suns Armored Cavalry, the Eridani Light Horse and other units that specialized in light mech tactics drilled the units, which then rotated back to the Commonwealth. Assigned to RCT's as an independent attached unit, the Blitz companies, who received their name from an officer who remarked his troops had been “Blitzed by the unit” in a training exercise, were tasked with scouting and acting as a mobile reserve.
Rumors of a secret mech regiment also reached their height in 3027. Made up of women, of disgraced Combine mechwarriors, of disgraced Lyran mechwarriors, the rumors flew fast and furious about who was in the unit. What was known for certain was that entire regiment was comprised of Assault mechs.
In retrospect, many of the changes instituted by the Archon might seem obvious, the result of a common sensed individual assessing the situation and making the required changes. However, once the scope of the changes became apparent, they were considered radical and dangerous by “Traditionalists” who opposed them. However, since 3022, the performance of the LCAF noticeably improved to observers within and without the Commonwealth, even those who felt that their prestige as a mechwarrior was being lessened by them.
A Gathering Storm
Some say the ink was barely dry on the Accords before Hanse Davion began discussing a joint military action against House Kurita. At first, they were merely musings about possibilities, which the Archon was reluctant to act upon in the short term. With the rapid ongoing changes to the LCAF, committing it to action before it was ready could be disastrous.
In 3025, an change came over the First Prince. He no longer considered a joint offensive idle dreaming, and was very serious about embarking on a new military offensive. The scope and tones of his communications with the Archon became less idle and very serious. Katrina's reluctance to act was still present, after all the Combine still had plenty of troops on the Lyran Border, and the last effects of the Marik Civil War were wearing off, the FWLM was becoming more active. She proposed that the Commonwealth could lend limited support, but it would be a minimum of five years before any sort of joint action could be considered. Despite numerous entreaties from the First Prince, the Archon refused to change her mind.
In 3026, the situation began to radically change. A surge of discontent gripped the Rasalhauge District of the Combine. A new underground movement, named Tyr after the Norse God of War and Justice, had coalesced several smaller movements into one. A sudden upsurge in demonstrations and strikes began to paralyze the District, and several important mid level officials, such as Prefect Lowell of Kirchbach, were assassinated. The District Governor, Mies Kurita, was just as surprised by the changes occurring around him, and more frightened. He requested more troops from Luthien, a request that was denied. For years the Governor had been overstating the unrest in his area of responsibility, to the point where Luthien no longer believed him. More shocking to LIC agents investigating the insurgency was the inaction of local DCMS commanders in district, who ignored the pleas for help.
Taking advantage of the situation, the LIC and Military Intelligence section of the LCAF infiltrated the Rasalhauge District and soon established contact with Tyr. Soon, smuggled Lyran weapons were being distributed, and by 3027 Tyr members were crossing the border to train with Loki, the LIC's unconventional warfare specialists.
In 3026, a low level analyst began to notice a pattern in the DCMS deployment schedule. Passing the information along, it was confirmed in 3027, the DCMS had fallen into a deadly pattern: predictability. With few exceptions, units up and down the border began receiving supplies, organizing leaves, and receiving supplies in a rigorous schedule. How it happened, and whether or not it was intentional is unknown.
The most egregious failure on the DCMS side was the adoption of the Replacement Schedule. In July, all regiments discharged their retiring soldiers, received transfers and replacements. Yearly bulk supplies were also ordered from the Procurement Division. Due to distance and available transport space restrictions, Supplies ordered in July did not start arriving until September at the earliest. This meant that in August, DCMS units was full of green troops and their supplies were at their lowest level.
Armed with these new reports, Archon Katrina began to reassess the LCAF situation, and began to believe that an offensive could be launched. The performance of the LCAF in Operation THOR in 3027 reinforced this change of heart. Despite the difficulties encountered, the units involved overcame issues that in the past would have paralyzed them. Communicating her change of heart to Prince Davion, the Archon began to prepare the LCAF for a new war.
Operation VALKRYIE
While designed to operate in conjunction with Operation YELLOW BIRD, the Lyran offensive was a different operation altogether. VALKYRIE was designed as a “Broad Front” offensive, as opposed to the deep strike design of YELLOW BIRD. There were several issues that arose as the plans began to coalesce between the two High Commands. VALKRYIE was to attack along most of the border, meaning supplies would have a huge net to travel through. Once specific targets were chosen, several “thin” areas of the front line were exposed. An enemy counterattack through one of those areas could be devastating. For the most part, the planners of VALKRYIE, including the Archon, weren't overly concerned with these weak areas. They knew the overall goal of their operation was modest in scope, they were to tie down as many DCMS units as possible. While taking worlds in the first waves was a goal, it was secondary to tying down as many DCMS units as possible. Planners in both High Commands knew that whoever the DCMS reacted to the most, the other would have to be prepared to exploit it.
Several units were moved from the Marik border, which bothered those generals tasked with guarding the border. Although worried about an invasion from the Free Worlds League, the Archon and her advisers felt that the latest set of internal troubles would prevent the Free Worlds League from acting.
On August 20th, as Prince Davion was toasting his new new Bride, jumpships of the Federated Commonwealth were appearing in Kuritan and Capellan Systems. The Archon's sister, General Nondi Steiner, was chosen to be the overall commander of VALKRYIE. General Jerry Troka. Margrave of the Trellshire Theater, Kommandant-General Mitch Felspar, Assistant Margrave of the Tamar Theater, and General Jack Spire, Margrave of the Ryde Theater, were the regional commanders. Watching her battle computer, General Steiner saw that well over 250 jumpships and 1000 dropships carrying 600 plus conventional units and 20 mech Regiments were making planetfall on 13 planets. In setting their goals for Operation VALKRYIE, the Archon and her Generals felt that the offensive would be a success if they held or contested those 13 planets and dealt out more punishment then they received by the start of the new year.
Little did the know, or expect, how VALKRYIE was to exceed their expectations.
-
Excellent
-
Glad to see the story continue!
-
Only niggle in that bit was spelling error you kept repeating. Unless VALKRYIE is an acronym and not intended to read VALKYRIE... :D
-
Its a spell check error with Open Office, if you save the word wrong, as I did, it skips over the rest of them...need to head to the forums to figure out how to take it out of the dictionary...
Davout
Only niggle in that bit was spelling error you kept repeating. Unless VALKRYIE is an acronym and not intended to read VALKYRIE... :D
-
Nice update. However, the Valkyrie and the Enforcer are hardly what I would consider quicker designs, especially when designs like Firestarter, Phoenix Hawk and Griffin are already in production.
-
Not so much quicker as they are lighter.
The Commando is the only homegrown Steiner light mech, and while there are a couple of variants I like, the fact is you sneeze at it and the ammo blows up. :-)
The issues confronting the Lyrans in this regard are more institutional/doctrinal than anything else IMO, giving them a few more tools to help change thing certainly didn't hurt in canon, and it won't here either.
Davout
Nice update. However, the Valkyrie and the Enforcer are hardly what I would consider quicker designs, especially when designs like Firestarter, Phoenix Hawk and Griffin are already in production.
-
I agree. The Valkyrie gives a much better light support element for the Lyrans also. The Enforcer, a hard hitting Trooper.
-
The Commando is the only homegrown Steiner light mech, and while there are a couple of variants I like, the fact is you sneeze at it and the ammo blows up. :-)
You are forgetting that the Firestarter is a Lyran developed and constructed mech, even if it is in use around the Inner Sphere.
-
They also produced Stingers, Wasps, Locusts. Griffins and Phoenix Hawks as well, but those are produced by most everyone. But I wasn't forgetting about the Firestarter, but by 3025 it was a pretty rare mech from what I recall reading. In fact, I suspect they were one of the mechs talked about in the "less common designs of the 35 to 55 ton range" comment in the original housebook. Most of my timeline is predicated on the original housebooks and "first time" information, and doesn't always take into account stuff that was retconned in later.
Davout
You are forgetting that the Firestarter is a Lyran developed and constructed mech, even if it is in use around the Inner Sphere.
-
Dieron
Dieron was once an important administrative center for the Star League, an economic and military powerhouse that was stripped to the bones by the retreating Star League Regular Army. In a fit of pique, arrogance or hubris, Coordinator Minoru Kurita made Dieron a Combine District Capital, thus attaching not only significant military value to the world, but personal honor as well. As the headquarters for the entire district, Dieron was dotted with military forts and installations, the biggest of which was the Dragon's Roost, where Warlord Cherenkoff “led” his forces.
Defending the planets numerous mountain ranges and valleys were several conventional regiments. Mech wise, The 5th Sword of Light had retreated back to Dieron after it's actions on Northwind, and was preparing to leave on a raid against the Lyran Front when the AFFS jumpships appeared. The 18th Dieron Regulars had recently retreated from Altair, and in the interim had fully repaired it's damaged mechs, but was still a battalion understrength. Also present was the 9th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, a light mech regiment comprised of recent graduates from the Combines elite Military Academy whose fervor and valor in battle could not compensate for their lack of experience. Also present on planet was Warlord Dieron himself, General Vassily Cherenkoff.
Attacking Dieron were the 1st and 3rd Crucis Lancers, and the 2nd Davion Guards RCT, with Marshal Jessica Davion of the 2nd Davion in overall command. All three Davion RCT's landed on the northern continent of Mataeo, home to the larger cities and spaceports on the planet. The initial advance of all three RCT's was slowed by several minor tremors (Dieron being an active world renowned for the number of earthquakes it endures), horrendous weather, and hit and run attacks by the 9th Sun Zhang that were easily repulsed. As the Davion units marched closer to the capital city of Tahlwynn, Kuritan resistance stiffened.
Leading elements of the 1st Crucis Lancers encountered heavy resistance in the Karendaal Valley, as General Kingsley and the 18th Dieron counterattacked in a fierce battle that lasted most of the day, as Marshall Powell fed more of his units into the battle in an attempt to dislodge the 18th. As nightfall settled, the 18th launched a vicious counterattack that sent the leading Davion units back in disarray. Unable to pursue, the 1st Crucis units dug in for the night, and in a stroke of luck intercepted several communiques between General Kinglsey of the 18th Dieron and General Conti of the 5th Sword of Light. Apparently the battle in the Karendaal was to be an ambush, with the 18th acting as the blocking unit and the 5th as the flanking unit. However, the 5th never arrived, with General Kinglsey going so far as to accuse General Conti of cowardice in the face of the enemy. In reply, Conti was using a series of minor skirmishes against one of the 1st Crucis Lancers conventional battlegroups as the reason for his delay.
After the Karendaal battle, cooperation between the Kuritan units dissolved, even as Warlord Cherenkoff took the field to command personally. Several times the 5th Sword or 18th Dieron refused to come to one another aid, and in one instance at Goliade two battalions of the Sun Zhang were almost wiped out when neither the 5th Sword or 18th Dieron moved up to help them. Taking advantage of the disarray and lack of cooperation between the defending Kuritan units, Marshall Davion launched a daring plan. Using her own 2nd Davion as a central force, she sent both the 1st and 3rd Crucis Lancers on wide flanking march. Each Davion RCT was numerically superior to any Kuritan unit choosing to attack by itself, but should the Kuritan's lay aside their animosity and concentrate on any unit en mass, it could be disastrous. As events came into play, both sides almost suffered from catastrophe.
Marshal Powell's flank march was virtually unopposed, as his RCT brushed aside what conventional unit resistance there was, within a few days he and his unit were withing striking range of Tahlwynn. As he was preparing to assault the city, a series of tremors shook the area. Of the three approaches to the city General Powell was planning to use, two were completely cut off by mountain slides, and the third narrowed in such a manner that the defending battalion of 5th Sword of Light Heavy mechs would have little problems in holding of the frontal attacks the 1st would have to use to break through. General Powell began looking for another path to the capital city, keeping a large battlegroup in place to keep the opposing Kuritan forces honest. On the other flank however, Marshall Jesse Pedroza and the 3rd Crucis Lancers encountered some of the stiffest resistance in the campaign, as several conventional Kuritan units gave a good accounting of themselves in holding their own against the numerically superior Davion forces. When Pedroza's 2nd mech Battalion launched a flank attack through one of the more numerous valleys in the area, it in turn was attacked by the remaining companies of the 18th Dieron, whose heavier mechs took a terrible toll on the lighter Davion unit. The 3rd Lancers 1st and 3rd Battalions entered the battle in a piecemeal fashion, the broken terrain and communication issues inherent in the area made coordination difficult. Only when Marshal Pedroza arrived with the Lancers 4th Battalion did the 18th Dieron break off. Reluctant to follow the enemy in such challenging terrain, Marshal Pedroza and the 3rd Crucis held their positions and waited. Both sides had lost well over a Battalions worth of mechs in the day long fight.
The hardest fight of the week belonged to the 2nd Davion. Taking command of the 5th Sword of Light personally, Warlord Cherenkoff led three of the units Battalions in a night march that took the lighter mechs of the 2nd Battalion by surprise. Falling back slowly and using the terrain to their advantage, Marshal Davion and her troops were giving the Kuritan units a dose of their own medicine: defending against an advancing and fighting through heavy terrain against a capable opponent. Once again the 2nd Davion's Artillery Regiment played a key role in the battle, raining down accurate fire on the advancing 5th Sword Mechs. In an event that Marshal Davion put down to “Cosmic Karma”, her intelligence officer had just asked if their had been any sightings of the remaining 9th Sun Zhang mechs, when in a hail of missile and laser fire, the remaining battalion of cadets announced themselves.
Having used the 5th Swords approach as a cover, the light mechs of the 9th had worked their way around the 2nd Davion, destroying an infantry battalion and tank battalion in the process. Breaking into the rear area of the 2nd, the Sun Zhang cadets found themselves in the midst of the Davion repair yards, Artillery emplacements, CASH and Tactical Operation Center. The only units available to oppose them were Marshall Davions security lances of 8 mechs, a companies worth of tanks, several damaged vehicles, a Battalions worth of Infantry without heavy weapons, and the artillery emplacements themselves. In a swirling battle that Marshal Davion later remarked resembled a bar room brawl, the light mechs of the Sun Zhang were soon within the Davion perimeter and firing on anything they could. The true hero's of the battle were the Davion conventional tank units, both damaged and undamaged, as they stood their ground and gave every bit as good as they received. One Vedette tank crew killed three Kuritan mechs and damaged two other before being destroyed. Several vehicles in the repair bays were hastily crewed by mechanic's and walking wounded, and while not at full strength or combat capability their presence helped out immensely. In one instance, for about 15 minutes several tubes of Sniper artillery guns became anti mech guns, with gunners firing over open sights at the Kuritan light and medium mechs in their midst. One gun crew destroyed one Panther and damaged another before their gun was destroyed. A half hour into the battle, the 9ths commanding officer was killed when he walked in front of a disabled a Demolisher tank, whose quick thinking gunner cored his Centurion with two AC/20 rounds. What cohesion the green troops had soon fell apart, and when a company of Davion mechs appeared over the ridge line as reinforcements, they broke off, chased down by reinforcing Davion units.
Two weeks later all three Davion RCT's had reached Tahlwynn, and began to invest the city. Of the three Kuritan units on planet, the 9th Sun Zhang was in name only, the 18th Dieron was reduced to 5 companies of mechs in various states, and the 5th Sword had lost a battalions worth of mechs, but being an oversized unit to begin with it was, on paper, at full strength. Also in their favor was the 5th Sword and 18th Dieron's expertise at city fighting. Wanting to minimize civilian casualties as possible, the Davion troops had settled in for a siege. After a weeks worth of probing and skirmishing, Marshal Pedroza thought she had found a gap in the Kuritans defense, and was preparing her troops for an assault when the sounds of battle erupted from the center of the city. Unsure of what to do next, Marshal Davion ordered a hold on the assault. Three hours later, Kuritan dropships began boosting into the sky. When it was confirmed the last of the dropships had boosted off, the Davion troops began a cautious entry into the city, and found that all the Kuritan mech units had retreated off planet. Sporadic resistance from the militia was quickly overcome, and the large ISF presence on the planet was neutralized by a population tired of fighting under the Kuritan banner. While no one accurate story of the fighting has been given, the most common story is that Warlord Dieron, wanting to spare the citizens of further bloodshed, ordered a retreat, and was attacked by the remaining cadets of the Sun Zhang. The veracity of the story is is dispute though, as no one from the Kuritan side is really talking, and the only remaining Sun Zhang pilots on planet were dead, apparently by their own hand.
-
And a Waves One thru Three Map for YELLOW BIRD. Still a bit rough around the edges...
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20YB%20Waves%201-3.pdf
Davout
-
nice, hope they stop before comstar gets involved, and hope its smaller then at the hight of the SL >:D
-
With your write up i noticed the 18th was a battalion understrength before the battle.
After a number of combats and losing a battalion in the last fight it still had 5 companies.
The 18th should have only started with 6 companies.
But still enjoyed watching the 5th being humbled.
Nice write up. O0
-
Combat repairs :-)
Plus I might have fat fingered a key on the spreadsheet I'm using, but they were supposed to leave with about the same amount they left with.
Thanks for the comments!
Davout
With your write up i noticed the 18th was a battalion understrength before the battle.
After a number of combats and losing a battalion in the last fight it still had 5 companies.
The 18th should have only started with 6 companies.
But still enjoyed watching the 5th being humbled.
Nice write up. O0
-
Chapter 21
Written on November 21st, 3025
It was a slaughter. There is simply no other word for it.
I was as surprised as the next officer when the Lyrans appeared at both jump points and began a hard burn for the planet. They could not have picked a better time to attack. 3rd Battalion was nothing more than raw recruits fresh out of the Academy. While they were blessed with the knowledge behind the theories of waging war, from a practical point of view they were next to useless. Our supplies were low, and we were spread out across the planet.
Brigadier Kurita was his usual confident self. I am not sure if it was bluster, but he was quite confident that we would run rings around the lumbering Steiner mechs, cut them off from their supplies, force them into a a hit and run series of battles they could not hope to win. If we could hold them off, we stood a chance of being reinforced. At this point in time none of us knew exactly what was happening across the rest of the Inner Sphere, the vid of that...mercenary...hitting the coordinator had just reached us. I was as shocked as everyone else when I saw that.
We had 3rd Battalion at Buson Bay, with the majority of the city militia there as well. 2nd Battalion force marched to our location, avoiding the Steiner landing zone with skill, but most of their supplies were left at Fort Korishta. The General had a good plan, we were to hit and run, retreat away from Buson Bay back towards Fort Korishta if necessary. It was a good plan, one the cadets were capable of if we officers could hold it together.
The first contact went as expected. General Kurita's heavy company and most of 1st Battalion hit the 26th Lyran Guards at Fokride Station, pinning them with the help of some militia armor. My recon company swung west, where we would hit them in the flank, and force them to retreat. The we would break off, fall back, rally, and do it again.
Cadet Yoshii's cry was the first sign something had gone wrong with the plan. His Locust went down under several laser beams. I fired my lasers at the woodline where the shots had come from, and was rocked by a swarm of LRM's coming from another location. One hit my cockpit, and I fell to the ground with such a ringing in my ears. When I levered my Phoenix Hawk up, I saw an apparition stepping out from the tree line, a Jigoku No Inu, something out the stories mother used to frighten me as a child with. It moved quickly, firing a large laser from it's right arm, and when it got closer three medium lasers from it's chest stabbed out. The one I saw destroyed Ushihara's Panther with ease, and then another one stepped out of the woods as well.
I would like to say I didn't panic, but that would be a lie. This new mech was easily better than the Wasps and Stingers in my Scout lances, and they moved quickly enough that Roji's Jenners could not speed by and outflank them. A Dervish, a mech I never expected to see in Lyran camouflage, hit me again with it's LRM's, the two new mechs focused their fire on me, large lasers flashing.
I called a retreat. It was the only thing to do, we lost the element of surprise, we had lost four, no five mechs in the time it took me to realize what was happening. We fell back, and the attack was called off. When I made my report to General Kurita he was surprised, thought maybe the hit against my Phoenix Hawk's head had addled my brain. Then we watched the recordings from the battle. Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Sho Sa Collins broke out laughing.
“New mechs with Lyran pilots. They'll be tripping over themselves before we know it!” he laughed. They all did.
The next week, we heard from the militia that the 26th was sending a flanking force through the fields at Goresten Hyrdrologics. Sho Sa Collins declared he and his company would meet and defeat this force, the rest of 2nd Battalion was moved in place to support him. The recordings the survivors brought back told the tale all to well. Collins led his troops into the attack, the enemy retreated, and Collins followed. Then he was attacked, and not only did these new light mechs show up, but a lance of Hatchetmen were there as well. We had heard of these, but had never seen them in action. Most of 2nd Battalion was destroyed when a heavy company from the 26th appeared over the dykes and cut them up with long range fire.
Collins did knock one of the new mechs out of the battle, his PPC took the leg off one after a brief firefight, but he was so focused on killing one of these new mechs that he didn't notice the Hatchetman jump behind him. I suspect Collins never knew what hit him, but that Hatchet surely works as designed, it almost cleaved Collins' Panther in half, from the head down.
After that, were we done for as a unit. What few lances we had were damaged and low on ammunition. We tried to retreat to Buson Bay, but these new Lyran Light units kept harrying us. We'd lose one mech, or a cadet whose unit was too badly damaged to keep up would turn to face the enemy himself. Chu-i Korrigan challenged one of the new mechs to a duel, in an attempt to stop the pursuit for a bit, give those of us left a chance to get closer to Buson Bay, but two hours later we were being harried again, and Korrigan never returned.
Do I think we had a chance? There was a slim opportunity that existed before the appearance of these new Steiner light units. There was a good chance we could have inflicted a fair amount of damage on the 26th before being forced off planet. Unless the Lyran's were truly incompetent, we were never going to hold the planet. They attacked at the right time, in overwhelming force, and with not only these light mechs, but the will to use them properly, we were doomed.
I believe Sho-Sho Kurita knew this after the battle at Goresten Hyrdrologics. But he was a true leader, he kept us together, kept the cadets from falling to pieces, especially after Korrigan failed to return. But he got us to Buson Bay, and the 26th stopped to properly invest the the city.
Kurita gathered the remaining troops together, and told us how what had happened was noone's fault but his. He apologized for not having prepared us better. He asked our forgiveness for his failings as a commander, and begged us to serve the Dragon to the best of our abilities. Then he committed seppuku, I had the honor of being his second.
That Wolfhound, we learned its name when we arrived at Thannhausen, stepping out of the fire, pointing its large laser at me, firing at my mech, that wakes me up sometimes at night. But that is only a vision, a dream I can banish if I think hard enough on it.
This new...competence the Lyrans are displaying though, is another matter altogether. There are still those in the DCMS who think that it is just temporary, that sooner rather than later they will revert to their massed wall of steel tactics that have served us so well. They were not at Fokride Station, or Goresten Hyrdrologics. Or Memmingen, Kirchbach, Basiliano, Harvest...
These new Blitz companies have been a shock, one I suspect we will be a long time in overcoming.
From the previously unpublished Journal of Tai-Shu Derrick Westridge, then a Tai-i, Company Commander, 1st Sun Zhang Academy.
-
Yippie it lives!!!
-
Good to see this again.
-
Circumstances permitting, I am looking to try and do two updates a month. I want to have the 4th SSW done by next year, after that my time gets really thin.
Thanks for reading!
Davout
-
“How serious were we about VALKYRIE? We had two waves planned. Two. A schedule of operations that most of us considered optimistic, goals some of us considered delusional. We built up for a long, slow campaign. Six months later the blockheads back on Tharkad are talking about a fourth wave, Nondi Steiner thinks she'll be landing on Luthien any day now, and Kelswa is so giddy I am not sure what the color of the sky in his world is. For the first time in a long time, we're winning. Now we have a very bad case of Victory Disease. And I suspect we will not like the cure.”
Colonel Ibrahim al-Fanudi, Strategy and Tactics Division, LCAF, from an unpublished interview on Tamar, 3029
“I knew something was up when we were restricted to quarters. And then they put guards, militia, on the outside of the compound..."For our safety". Uh huh, right. Then our supplies didn't show. McGrath offered to sneak out into town, find out what was going on. Three days later watching the news I see his body being dragged through the street, signs with the words “Murderer” and “Mercenary” around his neck. The militia made their move that same night, but we were waiting for them. Fought our way to the dropship, boosted off, “borrowed” a jumpship and went to the Lyran side. Was a bit touch and go when we first showed up, the Elsies thought we were some sort of counterattack, but the CO talked them down. Now were on Galatea looking for a new contract...Getting way from the Snakes as well as we did may count in our favor, maybe enough to cancel out the fact we had hired on with them in the first place.”
Major James Loade, Executive Officer of “Locke and Loades Heavy Armor Regiment”, in an interview with the Galatean New Network.
“Sure, the Vagrants were a small unit, but we done good over the years, we always honored our contract, and the Snakes were ok by us. We weren't being company stored...yet...I suspect. So Wolf gets mad at Tak and shames him, and Tak decides that it's not just Wolf that's bad, its all of us, and he's going to teach us a lesson...I ever meet Jaime Wolf, I am doing two things. First I am going to shake his hand, he finally showed everyone what depths the Snakes will descend to. Then I am going to deck him. Not because I spent four months fighting my way across an unfriendly planet, not because I had to leave my mech behind because the dropship we hijacked was commercial, not because I spent three months recovering from a wound that cost me my leg. I am going to deck him because almost all of my friends are dead, a lot of good Mercs are dead; because when he decked Tak, he wasn't thinking about any of them. He owes me for them, and I'm only taking payment in the one currency that matters...”
Captain Virgil Smith, CO of Virgil's Vagrants, a small mech unit under contract to House Kurita at the start of the the 4th SSW, in an interview with the Galatean New Network.
“A Full scale offensive is out of the question. We are not positioned or supplied to take advantage of the weaknesses on the Lyran border. Therefore we recommend a limited offensive with those troops already in place, while rotating units from the interior to take up their defensive positions. Currently there are three plans for this, SWORD, HAMMER, and POLEAXE. A Decision must be made within a fortnight so orders may be disseminated to the appropriate commands in time to take advantage of the military situation before it changes.”
From a briefing delivered to the Marik League Central Coordination and Command board by Colonel Trent Macafee, Intel Division, August 17th, 3028
-
Mercenaries whining about getting a raw deal.
That will teach them to sign on with the snakes. ::) }:)
-
Mercenaries whining about getting a raw deal.
That will teach them to sign on with the snakes. ::) }:)
Well, lets be honest, any unit that signs with Kurita knows what its getting itself into.
But then, lets say your a unit like the Lone Star Regiment or St. Cyr Heavy Assault group. You've served Kurita quite well (In Lone Stars case, almost 200 years). Then one night your unit is attacked by your employer, your transportation assets are compromised, you light years away from any help, and it's all because one man went and insulted to Coordinator to such a degree that he not only sullied his and his units reputation in your employers eyes, but yours too. Your guilty by association. How would you deal with that?
Davout
-
To be honest, no matter how long i had served the DC i would always prepare for a betrayal.
As a Merc you should always plan ahead. Betrayal can come from any employer for any obscure reason.
-
Now up to the First Wave of VALKYRIE. No maps for the LCAF front yet, still working on that.
Please let me know what errors/omissions you see. I appreciate the feedback!
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori%20TEST%20YB3LCAF1.pdf
Davout
-
Now up to the First Wave of VALKYRIE. No maps for the LCAF front yet, still working on that.
Please let me know what errors/omissions you see. I appreciate the feedback!
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori%20TEST%20YB3LCAF1.pdf
Davout
I did forget the Satalice writeup in the Lyran First Wave...
Dav
-
LCAF Front, Operation VALKYRIE, Second Wave
30th Lyran from New Caledonia to The Edge
4th Donegal from Kirchbach to Liezen
Tyr Regiment to Liezen
1st Lyran Regulars from Harvest to Feltre
3rd Lyran Regulars to Harvest to Unzmarkt
23rd Arcturan Guards from Satalice to Skandia
Blackhearts from Ridderkirk to Moritz
15th Lyran Regulars from Tamar to Memmingen
Waco Rangers from Bessarabia to Hyperion
Hansens Roughriders from Suk II to Buckminster via Port Moseby.
Mobile Fire from Kobe to Heiligendruz
The Bad Dream from Kobe to Heiligendruz
22nd Skye Rangers from Fatima to Camlann
3rd Donegal from Orestesto Buckminster
3rd Royal Guard from Port Moseby to Buckminster
3rd Lyran Guard from Marfik to Kessel
19th Lyran Guard from Marfik to Kessel
12th Star Guards 1st Regt from Sabik to Moore
12th Star Guards 3rd Regt. From Ko to Moore
-
VALKYRIE Wave One Upper Map
-
VALKYRIE Wave One Lower Map
-
LCAF Front, Operation VALKYRIE, Second Wave
30th Lyran from New Caledonia to The Edge
4th Donegal from Kirchbach to Liezen
Tyr Regiment to Liezen
1st Lyran Regulars from Harvest to Feltre
3rd Lyran Regulars to Harvest to Unzmarkt
23rd Arcturan Guards from Satalice to Skandia
Blackhearts from Ridderkirk to Moritz
15th Lyran Regulars from Tamar to Memmingen
Waco Rangers from Bessarabia to Hyperion
Hansens Roughriders from Suk II to Buckminster via Port Moseby.
Mobile Fire from Kobe to Heiligendruz
The Bad Dream from Kobe to Heiligendruz
22nd Skye Rangers from Fatima to Camlann
3rd Donegal from Orestesto Buckminster
3rd Royal Guard from Port Moseby to Buckminster
3rd Lyran Guard from Marfik to Kessel
19th Lyran Guard from Marfik to Kessel
12th Star Guards 1st Regt from Sabik to Moore
12th Star Guards 3rd Regt. From Ko to Moore
Typo on this, both Star Guards Regiments move to Lambrecht.
Also, Barret's Fusiliers move to Atria.
Davout
-
“What do you mean he got away?”
“He laid a trap for us, retreated into Sitka, and boosted of in a Union. The Union itself was lost in clutter, the 3rd Lyran had just finished it's drop. The Union went straight to the Nadir, docked with the Komoran, which then jumped away. We just got word from Intel that the Kormoran is now at Vega. The remaining members of the 11th have surrendered, several state that Colonel Kurita was on that Union.”
“OK, here's what I am going to do. I am going to lower my head and rub my temples, and when I get done you're going to have a good reason as to why the Op Plan your group came up with, the Op Plan you swore to me was foolproof, why that Op Plan failed.”
“Yes Ma'am.”
“Do you have an answer Colonel.”
“Yes ma'am. We forgot the Human Factor ma'am.”
“Meaning what exactly.”
“It was not Colonel Kurita's fault that the plan failed, it was ours. Rather, it was Hauptman-Kommandant Heany's. She did not follow the plan, did not work with her conventional units, tried taking out the 11th Legion with just her mech forces. Colonel Kurita suckered her in, gave her the slip, left her stomping through some woods, and tore the hell out of two tank regiments. Then led the 4th on a merry chase. Meanwhile the 3rd Lyran and 19th Arcturan ended up chasing ghosts for two weeks, then putting full civilian uprisings down in their area of operations. When the 3rd was able to quell what was happening in it's sector, it boosted to Sitka, and now here we are.”
“Seems we may have under estimated the good Colonel.”
“And over estimated our own ma'am.”
“We don't have anything tasked for Vega, do we?”
“At this time, no. At the moment that's good and bad. For better or worse we know the Legion is trapped on Vega, they don't have the transport, they're low on supplies and spares. We can add it to the target list for a Third Wave. If there is a Third Wave I mean.”
“If the second wave goes as good as the first, there will be. Won't be a fourth though.”
“Yes ma'am. Any recommendations on who we could task?”
“No one that's operating there now. And any unit with the word “Skye” in it is out. Do you have any ideas?”
“11th Lyran and 2nd Donegal. If need be we can also send one of the Merc units as well, preferably one with its own transport.”
“OK then, get those orders cut. And Colonel?”
“Yes ma'am?”
“No more plans for Vega. Colonel Byres orders are going to be to take Vega and defeat any DCMS units on it. No more piggybacking, got it?”
“Jawhol ma'am.”
“Good. Get out.”
“Yes Ma'am.”
-
You haven't had enough comments lately. Thanks for keeping this up.
It seems a bit odd that neither of the people in the scene have names.
I was going to say nameless Colonel is nameless, but so is the person he's talking to.
Edit: also you responding in seconds. :D O0
-
You haven't had enough comments lately. Thanks for keeping this up.
Your quite welcome! Given whats been going on lately, working on this has been the right sort of distraction.
Dav
-
Email notifications...what can I say? ;)
Lets say the Converstaion takes place between General Steiner and Colonel Namenlos.
O0
Dav
-
A VALKYRIE Second Wave Battle Report:
Kessel
Kessel was once a member of the Federation of Skye, and was taken early in the Succession Wars by House Kurita. A prefecture world, Kessel was defended by the 3rd Dieron Regulars and 12th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, with thirty regiments of conventional units in support. Like the other Academy units, the 12th Sun Zhang was severely understrength, almost half the unit was comprised of new recruits. Further complicating the Kuritan defense was an ongoing feud between the two Kuritan commanders over a local concubine.
Attacking Kessel were the 3rd and 19th Lyran Guards. Both units had participated in the taking of Marfik, however both did not see much fighting on the planet. The 19th spent most of it's time chasing down a company of the 11th Legion of Vega in a guerillas campaign that was also accompanied by an ISF backed rebellion of the local populace. By the time it had chased the rogue company down and suppressed the uprising, the battle for Marfik was over. The 3rd Lyran had also encountered its own troubles, but there were whispers that it had let Colonel Kurita slip through its fingers at Sitka. Both units were at better than 90 percent strength after the Marfik campaign. Vowing to do better the second time around, Leutnant-Generals Finnan and Walters landed their units on the northeast continent of Novgorod and began to move towards Sverdlosk, the planets capital city.
Brigadier General Ch'uan of the 3rd Dieron wanted to defend closer to the capital city, where the terrain was more advantageous to the defender, helping mitigate the inexperience of the 12th Sun Zhang. Declaring that the Brigadier wanted to claim all the glory for himself and his unit, Colonel DiLenardo marched the 12th Cadre out of Sverdlosk and moved south the engage the Lyran forces.
Radio intercepts between the two commanders gave the Lyran commanders enough of the picture to formulate a plan. Broadcasting in the open their own difficulties about sharing command, Generals Finnan and Walters gave the impression that they were splitting up their axis of attack, and would move independently of each other. The 12th Sun Zhang moved on the 19th Lyrans line of march, expecting to invest in the high ground near the city of Komsomnol and attack the Lyrans as they approached.
When the 12th approached the heights, they were surprised by a brief artillery barrage, which disoriented the lead units for a few minutes. The Blitz Company of the 19th Lyran came out of the heights, fired a few volley's and then beat a fast retreat. Enraged at being attacked and encouraged by the Lyrans quick retreat, the 12th Sin Zhang took a few minutes to organize itself, then began to march over the Komsomnol Heights. When the lead elements reached the crest, they disappeared in a barrage of laser and missile fire. Shock soon turned to dismay as two battalions of heavy mechs stepped over the crest, while a third battalion emerged from the woods to the west of the Heights. From the east two Blitz Companies appeared as well. It was a perfect ambush, less than a Battalions worth of Sun Zhang mechs managed to break of and retreat. Total Lyran losses were less than a company of mechs.
Back at Sverdlosk, Brigadier Ch'uan was slowly losing control of the situation. He changed his defensive plans almost daily, pulling one unit out of line and replacing it with another, only to have a change of mind and replace the unit again. The two Lyran units made unhurried progress from Komsomnol to Sverdlosk, taking about 10 days to advance the city. The Brigadiers plan had been for the conventional units to hold the defensive lines, while his mechs would reinforce as needed. If the lines broke, he would fight in the city, something the 3rd Dieron was quite good at.
Unfortunately for the Brigadier, his planning fell apart under the Lyran assault. Both Blitz Companies of the RCT's found there way through gaps in the defensive lines, one was large enough that an entire regiment of Lyran hovertanks sailed through unmolested and began wreaking havoc in the militia's rear areas. When the first Dieron mechs tried to reinforce the collapsing militia, they ran head on into a Blitz company working its way through the outer edges of town. Surprised at seeing Lyran mechs already in the city, the local commander lost his nerve and retreated after a brief firefight, broadcasting in the open about Lyran mechs already in the city. The effect of this was almost immediate, as the militia units outside the wall broke off without orders. Inside Sverdlosk the Dieron mechwarriors were so spooked about the radio messages they were hearing that a firefight broke out between two companies of the 3rd when one took a wrong turn and stumbled into the other.
Listening to the chaos on the communication nets, Brigadier Ch'uan called for the 3rd Dieron to retreat. The 3rd and 19th Lyran pressed their attack as best they could, engaging some of the Kuritan mechs as they boarded their dropships. Two companies of Kuritan heavy mechs held of the Lyrans in a desperate rearguard action, which cost each Lyran unit a company apiece. The only setback for the Lyrans was that the massive Diverse Optics factory in Sverdlosk was severely damaged by a large explosion and resulting fire.
With their reputations saved, both Lyran units prepared for further action.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Must have been an impressive concubine to distract both commanders.
Loki? >:D ;D
-
Must have been an impressive concubine to distract both commanders.
Loki? >:D ;D
Actually no. I had a short story in the works about this but just couldn't make it work to my satisfaction.
Kessel is a world run over run by the yakuza, my idea was that one of the local oyabun was playing the two commanders against each other to ensure as t least one of them would be more loyal to him should the time come....
Davout
-
Another error on my part...1st and 3rd Regiments of the 12th Star Guard do not move to Lambrecht, 2nd and 7th move instead.
Dav
-
A Brief excerpt:
EXPLOITATION, THE THIRD WAVE
The Lyran High Command was ecstatic at the results of VALKYRIE’s first wave, and the second wave was progressing just as well. At a meeting of the High Command at the end of November, several officers pressed for additional offensives into Kuritan territory. The DCMS was reeling under the combined hammerblows of the of the AFFS and LCAF, the Coordinator seemed more preoccupied with fighting Wolf’s Dragoon’s than in coordinating any other actions. General Nondi Steiner in particular seemed very eager to expand the breadth and scope of VALKYRIE.
Opposing her were General of the Armies Regis and another group of officers who were equally vocal about being cautious and not over reaching. The two waves of VALKYRIE had been planned in the hopes that the second wave would not find itself over extended, and that worlds that were conquered stayed conquered, and as of the meeting date they were already ahead of even the most optimistic of predictions for VALKRYIE’s timeline. Most of the jumpships that had participated in the first wave had taken part in the second wave as well, and while Reserve fleet and “borrowed” civilian jumpships ferried occupation troops to newly conquered worlds and repositioned some units from the interior closer to the borders, several had to replace frontline jumpships that had broken down or needed to be overhauled.. For the most part, Lyran troops on the front line were well supplied with food, ammunition and spare parts, and most of the units that had participated in the first two waves had received replacements to cover their personnel losses as well.
However, some units were clearly in need of a break from the tempo of operations. Lyran casualties, not withstanding the fighting on Buckminster, were heavier in the second wave because commanders were making more mistakes, and the Archon did not want to see that trend continue.
Another piece of information to take into consideration were reports of the Free Worlds League mobilizing for an attack on the Lyrans southern flank. Archon Katrina did not want her military to get so focused on the Combine that the Free Worlds League could have a free hand. She asked for a target list that met some specific criteria: A world had to be undefended, or underdefended; as much as possible a unit that participated in both or the Second Wave of VALKYRIE was not to be used if the target world was defended; and the world had to have some significance to the Commonwealth.
With those criteria in mind, a target list was put together and tentatively approved by the Archon. Thirteen planets, all currently undefended by frontline Kuritan units, were to be taken. Some, like Aubisson, were worlds with great economic importance. Others, like Gumium and Hainfield, were emotional because they had been Commonwealth worlds ages before. Some, like Tsukude and Shimosumwa, were chosen because of their tactical and strategic ramifications for a potential followup wave.
After a brief discussion behind closed doors with her older sister and General Regis, Nondi Steiner added one more planet to the list, Vega. Colonel Theodore Kurita had escaped once before, and General Steiner was determined to keep him occupied for as long as she could.
-
Hainfield, Karsten by 1st Regt, Narhals Raiders
Grumium by the 4th Lyran Regulars
Quarell by 1 Battalion of 19th Arcturan Guards
Thun, Galuzzo by 2nd Regt Narhals Raiders
Csesztreg by Winfields Brigade
Aubisson by by the 17th Donegal Guard
Kimball II by the 24th Lyran Guard
Komephoros by Always Faithful
Konstance by the 19th Lyran Guard
Shimosuwa by the 20th Arcturan
Tsukude by the 4th Skye Rangers
Vega by 11th Lyran Guards, 2nd Donegal Guards, 1st and 3rd Regt 12th Star Guards.
Yes, thats 14 worlds including Vega, i miscounted when I had typed out the above :-)
Thanks for reading,
Davout
-
Map for all three Wave Ones.
You can't see the Marifk sliver, but its there.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/OV%20-%20Wave%20One%20for%20All%20Three.pdf
Waves One and Two, including the Davion exploitation.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/OV%20-%20Wave%20One%20Thru%20Two.pdf
All Three Waves for the Davion and Lyran Border
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/OV%20-%20Wave%20One%20Thru%20Three.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
DCMS Counterattack preparations.
The Lyran Front
After each wave of VALKYRIE, Lyran commanders anxiously awaited word of a Kuritan counterattack. Even though the DCMS was fighting an essentially three front war, past expierence had taught the Lyrans that a Kuritan counterattack, authorized or not, could be expected.
Try as they could, the DCMS High Command could not put a coordianted plan of attack together. The transportation net, and as a result the supplies and replacement manpower chain, was a mess. The preparations for a counterattack on the Davion front, cancelled due to the second wave of YELLOW BIRD being launched, had deprived many units on both borders of supplies and transportation assets, and when many of those supplies were destroyed or captured in the Steiner - Davion Second waves, an already struggling Supply Department of the DCMS was further hobbled. The situation was further exacerbated by the constant, petty infighting amongst the departments of the Ministry of War and the High Command. For decades, coordinators including Takashi Kurita had fostered a hostile rivalry amongst the variouines departments and their commanders. One line of reasoning was that by praising one Warlord or Department, the others snubbed would be compelled to do better. The other line of reasoning was that if the departments and Warlords were to busy fightingg amongst each other, they would be unable to cooperate in any efforts against the ruler of the Combine. For Takashi Kurita, this method worked very well, but the side effect was that many units from different districts refused to coopeate with one another, his warlords seemed to have more concerns about fighting their counterparts than their enemies, and coupled with the decentralized nature of the Minsitry of War Departments led to a mutual mistrust that was not easily overcome. It often took a stern word from the coordinator for the various commanders and departments to “Get their House in order.”
Despite the lack of a corrdinated counterattack, several individual moves were made. The 6th Arkab was sent to Buckminster, once there it was supposed to have attacked Sahkalin. However, as it turned out it ended up participating in the defense of Buckminster.
On Volders, the Lone Star Regiment prepared to launch a counterttack at any number of Lyran targets, but the needed jumpship support from the DCMS was not forthcoming, so the unit kept preparing the planets defenses. On Kandis the St. Cyr Heavy Assault Group was in a similar situation. From August until November the Kuritan High Command was playing a game of catchup, and they were on the short end.
By December, most of the transportation net issues had been resolved, supplies and replacements were slowly making their way to units, and plans for a counterattack were finalized However, many of the available jumpships were tasked with bringing units from the interior to the front lines, as a result several attacks that initially looked promising were never carried out.
Another impediment was the state of the units that could participate in a counterattack. While a unit like the 4th Proserpina was able to cope with it material and personel losses to remain an effective combat unit, a unit such as the 5th Sun Zhang was effectively rendered combat inneffective by it’s losses.
Despite these many problems, at the start of the new year, several counterattacks were launched.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Chapter 22 - Der Mensch
Sevren
The meeting room was quiet as Kommandant Hart gave his briefing. A small man with a twitch that had become more pronounced since the Kuritan mercenaries had landed on planet, his normally thin and reedy voice was even more strained. He stood in front of a wall display, indicating some numbers scrolling across the screen.
“We have to assume Colonel Sturdee is dead or captured, we have been unable to make contact with him in the last six hours. Hauptmann Graham reports he has sixteen mechs heading towards us from Polganis, with a battalion of mechs and accompanying infantry and tank units as well as well in pursuit. Best guess as to the mercenary losses range anywhere from a company to a Battalion, I am tempted to believe the answer is somewhere in between on the side of the Lone Star Regiment, and less than a company to the St. Cyr-”
He stopped as the door opened. Several uniformed men began entering.
“I'm sorry gentlemen, this is a meeting for the-”
“Senior Officers of the RCT?” the last man through said, shutting the door behind him.
Kommandant Hart gritted his teeth. Rauss was supposed to be on patrol...
“Kommandant Hart, thank you for starting the meeting without me. I assume the intelligence precis has been delivered?”
Rauss was a thin man of medium height, thinning hair and glasses that gave him a professorial look. However, as he came around the table while the other officers were taking their seats, his eyes were anything but kind.
“Kommandant Rauss, I thought you were on patrol.” Hart's voice through clenched teeth was almost sibilant. There was no bond between these two men, everyone in the unit knew it.
“I was until I heard about the Colonel getting ambushed outside of Bronson Gap, and then the attack against 2nd Battalion at Polganis I came back here post haste. I've been on post about an hour, but was only informed of this meeting fifteen minutes ago by Colonel Teague here.” He gestured to the Infantry officer who had just sat down, scowling at Hart. In fact, most of the newer officers were scowling. “Any word on Colonel Sturdee?”
“Lost, and presumed captured,” replied Hart, jaw still clenched.
“Thank You. Take your seat Kommandant.” Rauss' voice was very carefully modulated. He stared down at Hart, who stared up at the taller man for the briefest of instants, then sat down.
“Any word on HC Ratham?”
“Killed at Polganis, verified, Zeus exploded when the LRM ammo went up.” replied one of the sitting Hauptmann. Rauss winced, lowered his head for a brief moment.
“So we have what, four companies here at Fort Owens and what, one from Polganis, Two from Bronson Gap?” He asked.
“Yes Sir,” replied the same Hauptmann.
“All of them damaged to some degree...well, there's enough techs and parts to go around.” muttered Rauss. “Can someone put up an overview with the latest intel on the board please?”
The intel Hauptmann typed in a few commands, the rooms lights dimmed, the holoprojector changed from the numbers to a satellite overview of Sevren, with units superimposed over them.
“How current is this?”
“Thirty minutes to an hour.”
“Thank you.” Rauss, in an uncharacteristic move, put both hands in his pockets and stared at the display for a minute.”
“What are you thinking Rauss?” asked Hart. His tone was not friendly.
“I'm thinking of how we can slow down these two mercenaries...Kommandant.” The emphasis on Harts rank was accompanied by a stare.
“We should be considering a retreat.” replied Hart.
“To where?” replied Rauss. “Breckenridge? Fortray?” Rauss gestured to a couple of the smaller cities to the north of their position. “Off to the Escarpment?” another gesture to the mountain range to the west.
“No, off planet!” replied Hart. His voice was quavering less now that the anger had crept into it.
“Why would we do that?” replied Rauss, staring at 3rd Battalion Commander.
“Because we can't win. Anything we do will only prolong the inevitable.”
“Your positive?”
“Yes I am.”
“Abandon the planet, abandon Fort Owens?”
“Yes, destroy the Fort before we lift off.”
Rauss was quite for a minute, facing the display . “Unacceptable,” he replied, turning to face the assembled officers. “Quite unacceptable.”
“Are you serious Rauss?” Harts voice was full of fury now. “We've lost almost two Battalions of mechs and pilots, we're outnumbered, we cannot win.”
“Kommandant Hart, the next time you address me you will use my rank, or I will have you brought up on charges.”
“Charges? Charges? For what, refusing to listen to a man who's obviously out of his depth?”
“Insubordination Kommandant.” Rauss' voice was eerily calm, they gray eyes behind his glasses were flint hard.
“You think you can win?” Hart kept going. “What, did going to class at NAMA give you an invincibility complex Rauss? That fancy Davion training is going to what? Get you a posthumous medal and all of us killed trying to prove some – urk”
Rauss moved cat quick, around the table in two steps to where Hart was sitting. His hand reached out and grabbed the smaller Kommandant by the throat, his foot against the back leg of the chair caused it to fall over, the momentum flinging Hart out of the seat and onto the floor. The Tank colonel sitting next to Hart scrambled out of the way just in time.
Harts hands scrambled towards his throat, where Rauss's hand gripped it in a vise.
“You finish that sentence,” Rauss's voice was a harsh whisper “and I guarantee that I will put my foot in your backside so far and so hard my spurs will tickle your ****** uvula. Do. You. Understand. Me. Kommandant Hart.” The last few words were delivered with a clipped menace.
“I realize that I am six years younger than you Kommandant. I realize I have not been in this unit that long, I realize that many of you think that my four years at NAMA and additional year of training on Colchester have made me somehow less...Lyran. For a person born and raised on Arcturus I'd like to say that offends me.” As he was talking, Rauss was looking around at the other officers, some who glanced away when he met their eyes. His hand remained around Hart's neck.
“I realize that I am 'only' the 8th's Blitz Company Commander, and that your are the commander of the 3rd Battalion. You, Kommandant Hart, may not like the fact that I am Lyran born but Davion trained, and you may not like the fact I am just a company commander. You may not like the fact that I am younger than you. I know you do not like the fact that I was promoted to Kommandant three months ahead of you. Be that as it may Kommandant, I know that my four years at NAMA imbued me with a respect for the chain of command, something that seems to be lacking from the curriculum at Sanglamore, seeing as you tend to flaunt that respect where I am concerned.”
Rauss stood up, moving his hand to the front of Harts uniform and dragging him to his feet as well.
“Sar-Major Prentiss!” He called. The door opened, and a short, compact man stepped through.
“Sor?”
“Take Hauptmann Hart to the brig, SarMajor. At this time he is charged with insubordination.”
“You can't do this,” rasped Hart, rubbing his throat.
“I just did, Kommandant.” Sergeant Major Prentiss had walked over to where they were standing, took Hart by the elbow and maneuvered him out of the room. An unknown soldier on the other side shut the door behind them.
“I apologize for that outburst gentlemen. Now...” Rauss walked back in front of the holoprojection, took his glasses of and stuck them in a breast pocket. Then he rubbed one hand over his head, turned and looked at the assembled officers.
They were quiet, a couple still did not look at him directly.
“We do not have to beat these units to win. We just have to hold on. From anywhere from three to six weeks before reinforcements arrive. I intend to do just that.” He paused, pulled out his glasses, and put then back on. “Dammit, we are the 8th Donegal Guards. This is I fighting unit, and I intend to put it in harms way. Any officer present that has a problem with that can speak up now before he resigns his commission. Anyone?” The room was quiet.
“Good. Whose the senior Hauptmann left?”
“Hauptmann Schillens sir, Bravo company of the 1st.”
“She still with us?”
“As of an hour ago, yes sir.”
“OK, she makes it out, shes XO. In the meantime, Hauptmann Gage, your acting XO. Colonel Rasmanjani, you are now commanding officer of Fort Owens. Sir, You've got ten days to do what you can to these fortifications. Draft any civilians you need, pull any equipment and items you need from the warehouses, if the quartermasters scream, let them.”
The Engineering Colonel nodded, then excused himself with Rauss's blessing.
“Next up is reorganization...”
Three Weeks later
Carrick Crossing
“On the left, on the left!”
“Got him. Take that Snake!”
“Nice shot Delta Two! Now fall back.”
“I can deal with this other Panther One-”
“Negative, the bridge is blowing in less than five. Your not over it, your stuck here, savvy?”
“On it One.”
Carrick Crossing was burning. Much of the civilian population had left the small city days before, as the Infantry and tanks of the RCT rolled in. Most of them crossed the bridges that 1st Company was now defending. With a loud crack! And the shattering of glass, the facade of on of three downtown highrises shattered, the humanoid shape of a Banshee stepped through.
“All Unit's this is Rock One, Bug Out, I say again, Bug Out.”
The radio net was filled with the acknowledgments. Soon the four spans over the Merrimack were filled with APC's and tanks retreating at best speed. All had some sort of damage on them.
“Ground Control, Rock One, which span can we use?”
“Far Right Rock One, no more than 200 tons at a time.” replied the harried Infantry Officer responsible for directing traffic on this side of the river. The sounds of the battle got closer. Small dots on the roofs of the buildings grew larger, jump infantry moving in.
“Got it GC, whats left?”
“Battalion of Armor, some Infantry. May be some units left in the city of the net, but they know the time line.”
“Copy GC. Remember, no last stands today, I want that-Son of a-”
The Ground Controller was left staring at his receiver as the sounds of combat replaced Rauss's voice. Less than six blocks away a building collapsed in smoke and ruin.
“CONTACT FRONT!” screamed a voice from outside the pillbox. It was followed quickly by the whoosh of LRM's firing from a nearby Manticore. The Ground Control officer hazarded a look outside his pillboxes thin vision slit. There they were, a Panther and a Jenner, several vehicles as well. There was still a train of vehicles and men waiting to cross the bridges. Those closest to the enemy mechs turned to face and fight them, a battle that was not currently in their favor. The men and vehicles closer to the bridge pressed forward. What semblance of order there was now was soon going to be lost in the panic that started when the mercenary mechs appeared. The Infantry Kommandant made a decision and ran outside, just as a Manticore was getting ready to cross the bridge. It had slewed its turret around. The vehicle was stopped, but the engine was humming in anticipation. Plugging is receiver into the vehicles jack, he winced as the tanks PPC fired. His teeth winced with the electric current.
“TC, this is Kommandant Barnes, whose in command of this unit?”
“What-Dammit Smythe kick the bitch if you have to! Get that loading mechanism up! Sorry Sir, that would be me sir, Hauptmann Grimes.”
“Expedient Order Hauptmann, I want every vehicle here blown in place. Authorization Golf Tango Hotel Two Two Niner.”
“Two Two Niner, copy that sir. Crap, I hate walking...”
Barnes unplugged his receiver and over to the next tank, a Rommel that was barely creaking along, its armor pockmarked and scarred with battle damage. The same order was received with a bit of incredulity, but a few seconds after it was given the driver and vehicle commander climbed out, personal weapons at the ready. A series of explosions rocked the water front, artillery fire coming in. The mass of soldiers on the bridge swarmed forward. Those vehicles closest to the far bank gunned their engines and made for the safety of the other shore. Those vehicles farther away stopped, hatches flying open, occupants scrambling for the safety of the far side as well. Barnes was running back towards his pillbox when the concrete erupted in a series of small explosions. Taking cover behind the Manticore he had just left, he saw a Lone Star Locust that had worked its way through the maze of buildings to the bridge area. Several soldiers screamed as they were hit by the large caliber bullets. Forty feet away the turret of the Rommel Barnes had just left swiveled smoothly and elevated. With a series of loud cracks the five 203mm shells fired from the Mechbuster Two erupted from the muzzle in a long tongue of flame. Barnes peeked over the vehicle deck of the Manticore, just in time to see the spindly legs of the Locust collapse upon themselves. Most of the mechs torsos were now impacting the building behind the Locust. Glancing behind the scene, Barnes saw the Panther and Jenner picking there way through the abandoned vehicles. Another mech, a Centurion came around the corner as well.
Barnes ran back to his pillbox, ordering the inhabitants out. Picking up the radio, he called out to Rock One.
“Rock One Rock One, this is GC, Cocked Pistol, I say again Cocked Pistol, lance of enemy mechs with infantry and armor approaching, am blowing the-”
The world spun, a hammer blow of heat and sound picked Barnes up and threw him against pillbox wall, knocking the breath out of him. Outside, the roar of battle was louder. Given the size of the explosion that had knocked him off his feet, the enemy must be very close.
Gasping for breath, Barnes grabbed his carbine, destroyed the radio with a short burst, pulled the slow tab on the pillbox and ran outside. The artillery had stopped, someone merc officer somewhere was smart enough to realize that it could do more harm than good.
The Jenner was landing, the roar of reaction mass louder than the flat crack of a Patton tank firing at it. A PPC beam from the enemy Panther hit the Rommel's turret glacis and bored through. A few seconds later, the Rommel exploded, Barnes could only watch in childlike fascination as the turret flipped end over end towards him, then over him, landing ten feet away.
The commo gear in his helmet finally came to life, that or his hearing finally recovered so he could here it. His exec was screaming at him, wondering where he was.
“Golf Charlie One, this is Golf Charlie Two, I am blowing the bridge in 30 secs.”
Barnes hazarded a look around the Manticore, then at the bridges. There was no way he could make it across the span unmolested. He had to blow them. At least here on Sevren there'd be a good possibility of parole.
“Belay that Golf Charlie Two.” Rauss's voice cut through the chatter. At the far end of the street the Centurion that had been directing the Kuritan advance was blanketed by a series of LRM's. It tottered on unsteady legs fora few seconds, before falling into the building behind it. A pair of Griffin-S came around the corner, almost skidding on the concrete. A Kuritan Bulldog fired it's large laser at one of the Griffins, missed, and was rewarded with a series of medium lasers that ignited the fuel tanks of the vehicle that destroyed it in a large fireball. A platoon of Kuritan jump Infantry that had landed nearby was scattered by the explosion.
“GC One, where are you?” Barnes filled Rauss in on the situation, just as another Rommel further down fired its AC at the approaching Panther. It was rewarded with a hit, but the Panther returned fire on the stationary vehicle quickly.
“Break for the other side GC, we've got you covered.” The roar of jump jets filled the air, a shadow crossed over Barnes head, then met the Panthers torso. Riding on white hot flames, Rauss's Thunderbolt SE soared over the buildings and hit the Panther with 65 tons of mass. It was an uneven contest, the Panther collapsed on itself in the blink of an eye and sound of screaming metal. The Kuritan Jenner had turned around to face the two Griffins suddenly found itself with another mech to it's rear. The pilot kicked his jump jets on, intending to soar away over the building, but the Thunderbolt and one of the Griffin]ens caught in it a crossfire, sending it spinning out of control.
More Lyran mechs crashed through buildings or came around the corner. Laser, missile and autocannon fire crisscrossed the intersection as unseen units fired at each other. A Hatchetman went running by at close to 60 kilometers and hour, a few seconds later its head floated to the ground, the mechwarrior climbing out in a daze but running towards the bridges. The approach was filled with columns of smoke from destroyed vehicles.
The first Lyran mech to cross the bridge was a Wolfhound, limping its way over on the fourth span. A few seconds later a couple of more Griffen's and a Hatchetman made their way over, picking their way through the abandoned vehicles. One of them almost crushed Kommandant Barnes as he moved from cover to cover.
Eight Lyran mechs over...ten...one Wolverine's leg snapped halfway across the bridge, the damage to much. The pilot opened up the cockpit, climbed out and ran to the other side. Twelve...fifteen. The spans began to crack and pop with the strain with the weight.
The approach to the bridge was nothing more than rubble now, the last few Lyran mechs and vehicles holding back a concerted effort by the Kuritan mercenaries...Four mechs left on the Lyran side, as one they all rose up, backing up and firing. A Wolfhound lost its right arm to a laser from an unseen mercenary mech, then turned and ran full speed over the one of the spans, picking its way through the abandoned vehicles.
Kommandant Barnes made it over to the other side, found his second in commands pillbox and plugged in.
“Break off Rock Three, I've got you covered.”
“Copy that.” On the far side a Phoenix Hawk that was crouched behind some rubble stood up, fired its large laser at an unseen mercenary, turned and ran across a span.
“On my count Rock Four,” Rauss's voice was calm. “Hit the Catapult on the left, then retreat, full speed.”
“Copy that.”
“One, Two, Three. FIRE AND BREAK ROCK FOUR!”
A few seconds later another Wolverine careened around the corner, surrounded by the missile trails of LRM's. Nearly tipping over, the pilot recovered the mechs balance and raced across the span. Several cables twanged as they separated from the stress.
“GC, GC Two, prepare to blow the bridge on my mark.”
Rauss's Thunderbolt, now looking a lot worse for wear, plodded around the corner, backing up along the way. When he was halfway down the street, he targeted one of the last buildings standing, a six story structure that was on fire from within. Whatever Rauss hit did the trick, it came down in a thundering crash that blanketed the street with dust and debris, slashing visibility and
Barnes waited, he didn't realize he was was holding his breath until he saw the Thunderbolt emerge out of the gray cloud at full speed, exhaling loudly at the sight.
“On my Mark GC!” Lasers and autocannon fire stabbed out of the dust, missing their target but hitting the bridge. Cables snapped, one whipped across the Thunderbolt, leaving a scar across it's shoulder.
Four Hundred Meters
Three Hundred Meters
Two Hundred...
One Fifty
“Blow it GC!”
As he gave the order, Rauss's jump jets flared to life, the 65 ton mech flying through the air like a wounded duck. The first explosions were small, the cable attachments at the road spans went first, then larger explosions as the roadway span charges went off. Given the sounds of the battle in Carrick City, they were relatively quiet. What they caused dominated the current scene. First one, then all four of the center spans of the bridges fell almost twenty meters into the Merrimack, a tangle of steel and concrete.
The Thunderbolt landed with a deft touch, moving further down the street.
“To close for comfort there GC.”
“I agree Sir.”
“Where's the laager?”
“Fifteen clicks down the road, Sir. Sir, 2nd Company reports a Battalion of mechs with accompanying infantry and tanks near Killillian sir.”
Rauss sighed, a brief wariness to his voice. “Copy that Kommandant. Nice work today.”
“Yes Sir, thank you sir. What next sir?”
“As we discussed Barnes. Blow the buildings here on the road after retreating. It's going to take a week for anything to get across, we can't spare any troops to leave behind and harass the engineers. Any word from Fort Owens on our reinforcements?”
“None sir.”
“Damn. OK, prepare these positions for destruction, then evacuate as planned.”
The Thunderbolt turned around, the dust cloud from the bridges destruction was disappointing. A kilometer away, a Banshee in Lone Star Colors stood, a few mechs moving behind it. It raised it's right arm in salute, then turned around and walked back into the dust and debris.
Three Weeks later.
The ground in front of Fort Owens was a charnel house of mud, destroyed mechs, vehicles, and men. A few columns of oily smoke rose into the morning sky, the last remains of vehicles that had not been recovered. They were matched by the columns of smoke coming out of several emplacements along the wall of the Fort.
From a kilometer away, a GPV left the mercenaries lines, driving towards the fortified main entrance. A white flag fluttered from it's antenna. When it was still a half kilometer away. The massive steel doors opened slightly, and a Lyran GPV came out. The two vehicles met a couple of hundred meters away from the main gate.
The two occupants in the Lyran vehicle saluted.
“Colonel Granger, Colonel deChevereau, I am Hauptmann Gage, acting XO for the 8th Donegal Guards.”
“I was under the impression we were meeting Kommandant Rauss?” replied Granger, returning the salute.
“Der Mensch is a bit occupied at the moment, and sends his apologies for not meeting you in person. He does however ask that you accompany me to his present location, where we can discuss...” Gage paused. There really were not words to describe what was going on.
“The situation?” Colonel Granger proffered.
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
“OK, lead on Hauptmann.”
“A Moment please,” interrupted Colonel deChevereau. “Der Mensch Hauptmann?”
The young Lyran officer flushed. “Sorry sir. It's a nickname sir. Means “The Man” in German sir. Kommandant Rauss is not a fan of it either. It's an nickname the troops inflicted on him.”
“Ah,” replied deChevereau, sitting back in his seat. “It's appropriate.”
The Lyran GPV led the way, once through the gate another GPV with MP's fell in behind the two Mercenary commanders. They drove by several wrecked buildings, saw the bustle of activity that was going on as engineers and soldiers did what they could to repair the the damage or clean the debris. Colonel Granger watched with sad eye as the remains of an Orion, painted in Lone Star colors, was being lifted onto a heavy vehicle trailer. He turned away from the scene, taking in the massive warehouses a kilometer away, and the squat spheroid shape of a Fortress Class Dropships occupying one of the drop ports. It's Long Tom Canon was pointed in the general direction of his troops.
They stopped at a small, nondescript building, with two MP's out front. Both saluted as the two mercenary Colonels exited the vehicle. Preceded by Hauptman Gage, they went into the building. Down one corridor, a left turn, and to another door with a soldier in front of it. Hauptmann Gage Knocked twice then went in.
“Sir, I present Colonels Samuel Granger and-oh damn.” His voice was quiet with surprise. The Hauptmann walked in, closely followed by the two mercenary colonels. Sitting in a chair, feet propped up on a desk, Kommandant Rauss was asleep, head tilted back, arms in his lap. He was still dressed in his mechwarrior gear.
With an apologetic gesture to the two mercenaries, Hauptmann Gage walked over, and shook the sleeping mans shoulder.
“Kommandant? Erich. Erich.” The last time was bit more forceful. Rauss's eyes snapped open, and his body jerked slightly.
“Sorry Erich. Colonels Granger and deChevereau are here.”
Rauss stifled a yawn and looked around his XO. Both mercenaries were looking back at him.
“Not a problem Geoff. Thanks.” He stood up as Hauptmann Gage stepped aside, and saluted the two officers, which was returned.
“My apologies Gentlemen. I'm Erich Rauss, Kommandant, Acting CO of the 8th Donegal Guards. Please, sit.” He sat back down. Granger glanced at deChevereau, then pulled out a chair and sat. The commander of the St. Cyr followed suit.
“Gentleman, there's no way to put this gently, so I am going to flat out say it. You are well and truly screwed. Yesterday 7/8ths of your transport left you behind, and due to our communications jamming yours, you don't know why. Well, this is why.” He handed over a sheet of paper to both commanders, who began reading. Colonel Grangers face was white as a ghost when he got done reading, Colonel deChevereau looked as if he forgot to breathe.
“He wouldn't.”
“He did Sirs. I am not sure why either, but that there is the communication between the dropship that arrived in system, the communications between it and the other Kuritan jumpships.”
“Two Hundred plus years my unit has served the Combine, and served it well, and we're cast aside like this?” Granger's voice was strained.
Kommandant Rauss voices was soft. “I cannot say it makes any sense either Colonel. What I know is this, one of your dropships tried firing away from the Lotus Moon without detaching, and that action destroyed not only the dropship, but the jumpship and other attached dropships as well.”
Both mercenary Colonel's were quiet.
“Colonel's, the strategic situation is this. You outnumber us for the next fourteen hours. At that time the 25th Arcturan will be landing, and then our numbers wnill be even. However, my supply situation is much better than yours, and your method of egress was just pulled out from under you. Yes, you can attack me, and chances are you might win, destroy the warehouses, but then what?”
He looked at the two colonels, who stared back at him.
“Colonels, I am not asking you to surrender. I know your situation is untenable, you know it, but you have done nothing but comport yourselves and your unit in an honorable manner. I have no desire to take you men and machines into custody and dispossess anyone.” Both Colonels flinched at that word. “You just got shafted, and I've no desire to make your situation worse.”
“A cessation of hostilities then?” whispered deChevereau.
“Yes Sir. Once we know the full scope of what just happened, I will entertain offers for a surrender. Personally, at the end of the day, I would expect both of you units to receive an offer from our Liason Command in short time. RUMINT says you are not the only units this has happened to.”
“My Family. My Wife and kids, my units families, they are all back on Volders...” Colonel Grnagers voice was strangled with grief.
“Yes Sir. And to be honest, I've no idea what to say or do about that sir. But rest assured, I will do what I can to help you with that.” Colonel Granger dropped the sheet of paper, and looked at Kommandant Rauss. Gone was the extremely tired person who had first addressed them, in his place was a warrior whose rage at what was being done to them was quite visible in his eyes.
“Then you have an agreement Kommandant. Colonel Granger stood up and proffered his hand, which Rauss took with a firm grip. DeChevereau did the same.
Rauss went over to the door and opened it. “Geoff, accompany our two guests back please. And warn the commo building I'm on the way over.”
“Yessir,” replied the Hauptmann, stepping in with a smile.
“Colonel's, as soon as I hear something I will let you know.”
“Thank you Kommandant.” Both mercenary commanders left. Rauss looked at his chrono. Time for a quick shower and change of clothes. Assuming he didn't fall asleep standing up. Again.
-
Very nice.
One gripe: second-to-last mention of Hart has him referred to as Hauptmann, not Kommandant.
-
Good catch! Missed that even after I read it aloud.
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Dav
-
Just a short chapter O0
23 - Request an Answer
Marik
November 20th, 3029
If it were possible for a person to feel any older, Janos Marik did not know how that would be accomplished. At 72 years of age, he felt much, much older. Walking back to his apartments, his posture was hunched, shoulders stooped, head hanging low. The meeting with his Minister of Defense and Director of Military Intelligence had gone nowhere productive. House Davion might keep going across the Tikonov worlds into the Free Worlds League, Steiner might be crossing his border any day now, Kurita would surely counterattack and drive the Lyrans back.
The walk back to his apartment was quiet enough, the jangling of his escorts equipment was a comforting noise these days. “I wish Bronwen had accompanied me.” he thought to himself.
Reaching the doors of his quarters, the two guards outside saluted.
“Good Evening Sir. We swept five minutes ago sir.”
“Thank You Sergeant. Unless it's an emergency, I do not wish to be disturbed until seven, at the earliest.”
“Yes Sir.”
The sergeant opened the door, and the Captain-General walked inside, raising his hands to rub his face. “A shower, a drink, a soft bed..that's what I need,” he muttered to himself.
The water was hot, the robe soft, the scotch appropriately smoky. As he walked out of his bedroom, something caught his eye. Walking over to his bed, he looked at his pillow. There, underneath what appeared to be an origami cat folded out of black paper, was a folded white piece of paper.
Picking up the cat and setting it aside, Janos opened the letter. It has handwritten, in short, sharp strokes.
Friend Janos,
I require your answer within seven standard days of your receiving this. If I do not, I will have it from whichever of your family sits on the League Throne next.
Takashi.
The rest of the drink went down in one gulp. It didn't stop the shaking in his hands. He walked over to the desk and keyed in a code.
“Sir?” The aide asked as soon as the image appeared.
“Send a message to every member of the LCCC as soon as I hangup. We meet tomorrow morning at 6AM. No excuses for being absent.”
“Yes Sir, 6AM Sir.” The aide replied. When Janos didn't immediately sign off, but stood there in the field of view, looking away, the aide cleared his throat.
“Is everything OK Sir?” he asked.
Janos tore his eyes away from where he had placed the Origami cat, looked back at the aide.
“Everything is fine Daniel. I just need another drink.” Janos cut the call, and headed back over to the wetbar. Yes, another Drink. Maybe two.
-
Uh-oh... Suspect cost of good whiskey to skyrocket after Janos' binge is going to be over... :D
-
Uh-oh... Suspect cost of good whiskey to skyrocket after Janos' binge is going to be over... :D
Heh, I was sitting down last night going over some notes, and realized that the "How and why" part of why the FWL went to war was never fully explained...I popped that out in about ten minutes last night and just posted it...course the fact I had my own scotch as well is what I am using to explain away any errors in it at the moment... ;)
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Dav
-
Just a map for now, the results of Operation POLLAXE and the Andurien Incursion.
I spent a half hour in Illustrator fiddling with the labels closer to Terra, but at some point even I just have to go "Gah!" and drop it.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
I spent a half hour in Illustrator fiddling with the labels closer to Terra, but at some point even I just have to go "Gah!" and drop it.
Try downloading the free maplex label engine for ArcGIS, eases alot of the problems in BT Star Mapping.
-
I use that too. Just seems that at some of the extended views you get some clutter no matter what you do.
Thanks for looking,
Dav
-
PM me with your issues and I might be able to help.
-
OK, here it is.
The unedited 1st Book of the Kiiro no Tori universe. I took most of the graphics out, as I have to redo them, and will slowly be incorporating them is as I get to them, but they take the longest time to do. I would say 90 to 95% of the details within will stay the same. A date may change, a name may change, but for now this is it.
Am working on the second book, more stories, snippets, et al, to come.
If you see any errors, or have a question, let me know please?
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Dav
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori-Unedited.pdf
-
Sian
February 14th
Duke Michael Hasek Davion strode through the heavy doors with assurance. Pausing for a second to readjust the map case and sheaf of papers he carried under his left arm, he walked forward as Maximilian Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, stepped down from his thrones dais to meet him on equal footing.
Smiling, Maximilian bowed respectfully, gesturing for the others in the room to do so as well. Michael noticed that Justin Xiang hesitated slightly before following his rulers lead.
This is not the Liao I was expecting thought Michael, standing back up. The Chancellor offered his hand, which Michael shook briefly. “Your visit is unexpected, Duke. Unexpected, but welcome. And providential as well.”
How much does he know? Hasek asked himself. Clearing his throat, he spoke.
“I am sorry your counteroffensive did not work as planned. Operation RIPOSTE, yes?”
A nonchalant spread of hands was his answer. “A setback. Most of the forces lost were those that should have been destroyed defender the worlds they were stationed on.” With another cryptic smile the Chancellor remounted the steps to his throne, turned to face his small assembly. “Those commanders begged for the assignment. They failed me with their previous actions, and to redeem their honor, they went. They failed, their karmic burden is greater, and they pass into a new life. The way of the universe in unchanged.” While he spoke, one of his hands reached up to play with his mustache.
It was hard to keep the look of relief of his face. Trying not to gulp in too obvious a manner, he turned and extended the map case to Alexi Malenkov. “You have a most interesting perspective on the this matter, Chancellor.” Pausing to get his thoughts in order, he continued “The plans I have worked up while in transit, I believe you will find they offer us the means for both of us to achieve our goals.”
A broad smile on the Chancellors face was his answer. “Splendid! Let us look at them now, and then we can refresh ourselves. Alexi, please stand over there where the Duke and I can both see the maps. Citizens Shang, Xiang, will you help the Duke? Hold his portfolio.”
“Davion,” the word was a curse in his mouth, “has left one RCT on Tikonov. By designating the Earthwerks factory as a Priority site, it will be the focus of the defense. One proposal is a joint operation between my Fusiliers and your Sung Curassier's”
“All three Battalion's?” asked the Chancellor, smoothing his mustache in an absent manner.
“To ensure success, yes, all three.” Michael pointed at the map, describing the various arrows and options. “Sung's unit swings in here, from the south, my fusiliers on the eastern flank can turn and crush them between us. Losing Tikonov will be a blow to Hanse. As focused as he on on Kurita, he will never see this coming. It will be the first in a series of blows that will cause his downfall.”
Maximilian nodded thoughtfully. “That is true.” he said in an absent manner. Pointing at the map, he asked “Your troops would travel to Tikonov as reinforcements, despite your flight?”
“The CO is loyal to me. Hanse trusts him, and that is but one step in his eventual downfall.” Gesturing to the maps, Michael continued. “In many cases, my troops will have to travel through your territory to arrive at their targets in secret. It will require a coordinated allocation of jumpships, if we start now, I believe my troops will be in position in to strike by April 1st.”
Maximilian's head came up. “All Fool's Day. An Omen?”
Michael nodded. “What better time to strike at a distracted enemy who thinks you harmless?” His voice was harsh with rage.
“An interesting turn of words, Duke Michael.” Standing up, the chancellor addressed one of the men standing nearby. “Citizen Malenkov, gather those maps up.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Burn them, and scatter the ashes.”
“WHAT!” Michael could not stop the cry from leaving his throat. The cry echoed of the teak walls. As he stepped towards a crouching Malenkov, Justin Xiang moved in and grabbed his arm. Michael swung wildly, but the younger man ducked his attempt, and with a short punch of his own artificial arm, doubled the Duke over.
“What is this Maximilian?” His words tinged with pain, gasping for breath, Michael fell to one knee, holding his side.
“You ask me to ship your troops to my worlds in my ships! You ask me to plant a dagger in my own back! You cannot possibly think that for one moment I would allow you and your thrice cursed brother in law to invade me with my own ships!” Liao's face turned purple as his voice rose, releasing the rage he had been holding in check. “Every move I have made since the war began has been countered, every thrust beaten back, every attack met with overwhelming force. Do you know why, my dear Duke?” His laugh echoed through the room.
It took a few minutes for Michael to work the process through his pain. When he realized what Maximilian was driving at, he recoiled in horror. “No! I would never....I...we....we have both been betrayed. He played me for a fool, and through me, played you!”
“Ha!” Maximilian had retreated back to his throne, crouching on its edge, leering at him. Michael was still in shock over the revelation. “How foolish do you believe I am? Do you believe me such a fool that I would fall prey to an obvious fabrication?” Gesturing to Xiang and Shang, he continued his rant. “They have shown me that your own estimates of your own troop strengths was low. How is that a mistake you can make? If you were being faithful to our agreement, how could that information just slip past?”
Michael stood up, unsteady on his feet, but his voice was harsh. He pointed at Xiang. “Quintus Allards son? You believe that man? He's most likely here as a plant.” He turned and lunged, reaching for Xiangs throat, only to watch Justin sidestep and drive his left arm into his midsection. Even with the breath driven from his body, Michael managed to point at Xiang.
“This man, a spy?” replied Maximilian, standing up and descending the steps. Crouching down next to Michael, he grabbed the Dukes braid in one hand and jerked it so that Michael was forced to stare at him. “RIPOSTE was not a complete loss. Xiang sent units off an an attack based on information he gleaned from various reports. Not only did his attack decimate an NAIS Training Cadre, they brought back several critical pieces of intelligence. Do you know what that means, you Judas.” Leaning in, Maximilian's voice lowered to a whisper. “It means he ignored your reports, and his attack succeeded.”
Letting go of Michael's braid, the Chancellor stood up and gestured to a guard, who stepped forward.
It cannot be, Michael thought, not even Hanse would do something like that. No, Hanse would do something like that, if it meant the survival of the suns.
“Citizen Xiang, I require a service of you.” Maximilian stopped and turned.
“I live to serve.”
“Execute this traitor.”
Walking over to the guard, Citizen Xiang took the proffered sidearm, then walked over to Michael. As he did this, Maximilian again retreated to his throne.
Justin Xiang walked over, the pistol at his side. Michael could do nothing, the realization of what had happened had crushed him. Wrapping Michael's braid in his left hand, he used it to haul the duke to his knees. Belatedly, Michael realized Xiang had positioned himself in such a way that his back was to the Chancellor, in fact no one could see him. Earing the hammer back, Justin pressed the gun to Michael's temple.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered. Michael's eye grew wide with shock.
The gunshot filled the room, Michael's braid slipped through Xiang's fingers, the body falling to the floor in a graceless heap.
Xiang safed the sidearm, handing it back to the guard as he walked back.
“Get that thing out of my sight.” Maximilian gestured to the other bodyguards, who moved quickly to the Dukes body. “Now, Citizen Xiang, refresh my memory of what you learned on Axton, and how it will allow me to destroy Hanse Davion and the Federated Suns.”
-
Missed this, but I missed the continuation of the interveiw more.
-
I've got plans for the Mercenary Interview, buts its going to be a few weeks before I can do anything with it. I've slowed down on this as well, there just doesn;t seem to be a lot of interest in it anymore. I'll keep working on it and posting maps and the like, but not at the same pace.
Dav
-
I would like to see how your time line ends with a map hopefully? Looking forward to reading some more updates!
-
Just read the entire thing and all I can say is wow! Keep up the great work!
James Tanaga
-
I keep following both this and the Interview, but I don't comment as much anymore, as I haven't got that much to offer.
You keep your yarns in order, you don't have much to correct in spellings, and I am usually rooting for the wrong side of the ****** IS to get too excited. :D
-
I've got plans for the Mercenary Interview, buts its going to be a few weeks before I can do anything with it. I've slowed down on this as well, there just doesn;t seem to be a lot of interest in it anymore. I'll keep working on it and posting maps and the like, but not at the same pace.
Dav
I'm still very interested in this story, but if your interested in drumming up interest. I'd suggest cross posting to the Spacebattles.com forums. Four or so writers from here have done that and they tend to get ridiculous amounts of feed back. Just don't post all of it at once. The wall of text bit drives people off.
-
I'll check that out Hellfire, thanks.
-
I can't help noticing that a full 10% of the prewar strength of the frontline mech regiments of the DCMS just happens to be mercenaries, mostly of the Veteran persuasion. I also can't help but notice that there are fifteen merc regiments in Davion employ who have yet to be utilized. Somehow I'm not seeing things going much better after the Lull for the Draconis Combine Misguided Soldiery.
Looking forward to future developments with extreme interest.
-
Following are the Mech units in the Capellan Armed forces that have either been destroyed, or rendered combat ineffective by losses. This list does not include the Northwind Highlanders, who "defected" to the Federated Suns. It also does not include the elements of the 4th Tau Ceti that surrendered, or Laurels Legion, who joined the AFFS as mercenaries.Capellan Confederation Military losses during Operation SPIKE and Operation RIPOSTE. You may see some of these units again under a different name.
The format is Unit Name, Skill, Planet based on, battle result. Apologies on the spacing.
Ariana Grenadiers (1 Batt) Elite Tikonov Destroyed
1st Chesterton Voltiguers Regular Tikonov 1 Batt Destroyed, 2 others retreat to Nanking, then destroyed on Nopah, Operation RIPOSTE
Vincent's Commandos Regular Liao 1 Batt Destroyed,remaining surrendered
Lothar Fusliers (3rd Batt) Regular Tybalt 1 coy. Destroyed, remaining surrender
Hamilton Highlanders 1st Batt Elite Tikonov 2 Coys destroyed, remaining surrender
2nd Ariana Fusiliers (1 Batt) Regular Poznan Moved to Tikonov/caught enroute, captured at Tikonov.
3rd Chesterton Voltiguers Regular Tikonov 1 Batt Destroyed, 2 others retreat to Alreshca, then to Elgin, then destroyed on Nopah, Operation RIPOSTE
Justinia's Cuirassiers (2 Batts) Elite St. Andre 5 out of 6 companies destroyed on Algol, Operation RIPOSTE
Cochraines Goliaths (1 Batt) Regular St. Andre 2 companies destroyed on Algol, Operation RIPOSTE
3rd Confed. Reserve Cavalry (3rd Batt) Green Fletcher 1 coy. Destroyed, remaining surrender
4th Confed. Reserve Cavalry (3rd Batt) Green Styk 1 coy destroyed, remaining surrender
Freemont's Curassiers (1st Batt) Regular Hunan Two companies destroyed, Operation RIPOSTE
Freemont's Curassiers (2nd Batt) Regular Jonathan Two companies destroyed, Operation RIPOSTE
Kerr's Intruders (2nd Batt) Regular Tigress Destroyed
1st New Hesson Irregulars Regular New Hessen Destroyed/survivors to Slocum, disband
2nd New Hesson Irregulars Regular New Hessen Destroyed/survivors to Slocum, disband
House Fujita (2nd Batt) Veteran Styk Destroyed
House Hiritsu (2 Batts) Veteran Tigress 1 Batt Destroyed, other retreats to New Hessen, destroyed on New Hessen
House Ijori (2 Batts) Veteran Aldebaran Destroyed on Liao, Operation RIPOSTE
House LuSann (2 Batts) Veteran Liao 1 Batt Destroyed, remaining retreats to New Canton, destroyed on Liao, Operation RIPOSTE
-
OUCH! Looks like Capellan military has been gutted. Four warrior houses completely gutted should tell everyone the state of things. Looks like Draconis Combine wont be the only state FedCom will neuter once this war is all said and done. Keep up the great work Davout!
James Tanaga
-
OUCH! Looks like Capellan military has been gutted. Four warrior houses completely gutted should tell everyone the state of things. Looks like Draconis Combine wont be the only state FedCom will neuter once this war is all said and done. Keep up the great work Davout!
James Tanaga
Well, keep in mind that I have not included units that may become part of the Tikonov Free Republic....thats another Post. :-)
Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for reading,
Dav
-
And the DCMS losses thus far.
Might be a couple of errors. but I've been looking over this long enough I can;t see them ;-)
-
Something to consider. Tomoe is travelling with Theodore like she did iotl, correct?
I ask since she should be pregnant with Omi at this time, giving birth to her in late december, 3028. And Hohiro is somewhere in the Draconis Combine, presumably Luthien. Also, theres Franklin Sakamoto. Both would be toddlers at this time. I foresee a lot of intrigue within the Draconis Combine coming up after the war.
And why do I get the feeling Theodore Kurita is going to get it at Vega? Though not without heavy losses of course.
And with the Kurita losses, is that just in the next wave or in the entire war? It seems a bit light if it is for the entire war.
Again, keep up the great and outstanding work Davout!
James Tanaga
-
I've taken the universe up to the Lull of the 4th SSW. There's a link to the pdf a few posts back. The losses are as of February 3029.
There's more madness, mayhem and destruction to come.
^-^
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Dav
-
As pointed out to me, in the DCMS file the Genyosha do not retreat to Styx. While retreating of planet to a Liao planet with five frontline AFFS units on it would be hardcore and cool in many ways, I meant Styk.
Thanks,
Dav
-
*Pssst* Other way around! ;)
-
Hrm...seems I have the names wrong in my GIS file...could be worse...
Thanks,
Dav
-
Map of the Inner Sphere during the Lull.
Bit rough around the edges, sorry about that.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20During%20Lull.pdf
Dav
-
Well, just to satiate a few enquiring minds, a snippet:
General Sortek's suggestion that he turn his attention to planning the military offensive the First Prince had “requested” freed Ridzik to concentrate on what he did best,. While he did that, General Sortek and a small clique of Tikonov functionaries tried to run the new state as best they could.
In a gesture of goodwill, the Federated Suns repatriated many units that had surrendered or been captured during Operation SPIKE. Many of them returned to the Republic and willingly joined the Tikonov Armed Forces. Several units decided not to join, and made their way back to Liao space as best they could. On New Canton, the remaining units of the Protectorate Guard fought their way to the space port and captured several dropships, then retreated across occupied space to Second Try. What remained were enough units to form seven battlemech regiments, whose ranks were quickly filled with graduating cadets from the Republics mechwarrior academies. While not the most experienced formations, they were augmented by 24 Armored regiments and almost 50 Infantry Regiments.
And the Tikonov Armed Forces Mech Units:
UNIT / SKILL / Location / SPIKE Wave 1 and 2 Results / Formation Location
1st Ariana Fusiliers Veteran Algol 2 Batt's destroyed, 3rd Retreat to Slocum, then to Nanking, loses 1 more company on Tigress, Operation RIPOSTE, retreats to Alderberan Alderberan 7
2nd Ariana Fusiliers (1 Batt) Regular Poznan Moved to Tikonov/caught enroute, captured at Tikonov. Repatriated to Alderberan Alderberan
2nd Ariana Fusiliers (2 Batts) Regular Tikonov 2 Coys survive, retreat to Alderberan Alderberan
Macgregor's Armored Scout (2nd Batt) Regular Alrescha Retreats to Arboris, loses 1 company on Ankaa, Operation RIPOSTE, retreats to Alderberan Alderberan
Forms the 7th Republican
2nd Chesterton Voltiguers Regular Tikonov 2 batt's destroyed, 3rd Retreat to Slocum, then to Elgin Elgin
4th Confed. Reserve Cavalry (2nd Batt) Green Elgin Elgin
4th Confed. Reserve Cavalry (3rd Batt) Green Styk 1 coy destroyed, remaining surrender, repatriated to Elgin Elgin
Hamilton Highlanders 1st Batt Elite Tikonov 2 Coys destroyed, remaining surrender, repatriated to Elgin Elgin
Hamilton Highlanders 2nd Batt Veteran Alrescha Retreat to Elgin Elgin
Forms the 1st Republican (4 Battalions)
Lothar Fusliers (1st Batt) Regular Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
Lothar Fusliers (2nd Batt) Regular Sirius To Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
Lothar Fusliers (3rd Batt) Regular Tybalt 1 coy. Destroyed, remaining surrender, repatriated to Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
Forms the 2nd Republican
Kerr's Intruders (1st Batt) Regular Ronel 1 coy destroyed, 1 coy surrender, 1 coy retreat to Achenar, then to Arboris, Repatriated to Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani 4th Republican
McCrimmons Light Cavalry (3rd Batt) Regular Pleione 2 coys destroyed, 1 retreat to Gan Singh. Sent to Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
Vincent's Commandos Regular Liao 1 Batt Destroyed,remaining surrendered, repatriated to Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
4th Confed. Reserve Cavalry (1st Batt) Regular New Canton To Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani
Forms the 4th Republican
3rd Confed. Reserve Cavalry (1st Batt) Regular Sirius To Hsien Hsien 3rd Republican
3rd Confed. Reserve Cavalry (2nd Batt) Regular Hsien Hsien
3rd Confed. Reserve Cavalry (3rd Batt) Green Fletcher 1 coy. Destroyed, remaining surrender, repatriated to Hsien Hsien
Forms the 3rd Republican
Trimaldi Secutors 1st Batt Regular Zurich To New Cantpn New Canton 5th Republican
Trimaldi Secutors 2nd Batt Regular Bharat 1 coy destroyed, remaining retreat to Arboris, then to New Canton New Canton
Trimaldi Secutors 3rd Batt Regular New Canton New Canton
Forms the 5th Republican
Justine's Grenadiers (1st Batt) Veteran Elgin To Sirius Sirius 6th Republican
Justine's Grenadiers (2nd Batt) Veteran Sirius Sirius
Kerr's Intruders (3rd Batt) Regular Sirius Sirius
Forms the 6th Republican
So, starting locations after all Regiments have been formed:
1st Republican, Regular, Elgin
2nd Republican, Regular, Epsilon Eridani
3rd Republican, Regular, Hsien
4th Republican, Green, Epsiolon Eridani
5th Republican, Regular, New Canton
6th Republican, Veteran, Sirius
7th Republican, Regular, Alderberan
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Book 2
Yōhei no shi
What has become known as “The Lull” started in February and ended in June, but there was still fighting. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in the Draconis Combine. However, despite fighting a two front war against the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth, the Combine turned to the “third” front for this portion of the war, inside its own borders.
The war between the Combine and Wolf's Dragoon's had been personal, until Takshi Kurita issued the now famous“Yohei no shi”, or Death to Mercenaries order. Beginning with the execution of General Troy of the Blue Star Irregulars on Troy, and continuing with the abandoning of the Lone Star Regiment and St. Cyr Heavy Cavalry was barely on Sevren, the DCMS turned its attention inward during the lull. Mercenaries had long been held in disregard by the Combine military, a necessary evil that was barely tolerated. With Takashi's edict, this disdain was was codified into outright conflict, and many mercenary units within the Combines borders found themselves fighting their former paymasters.
Bruben
Helmut's Hermits had retreated to Bruben with the 5th Amphigean and the 17th Rasalhauge Regulars. While the two House units slowly received replacement parts and troops, there was little if anything shipped to the Hermits, whose techs soon resorted to buying parts on the black market and outright stealing from Kuritan depots when the opportunity presented itself. On the evening of March 23rd Colonel Helmut Aufkopfen received a private communique from an officer in the 5th Amphigean, warning him what was coming.
When the mechs of the 17th Rasalhague arrived to demand the Hermit's surrender, they were met with a volley of missiles and laser fire. Not expecting a stand up fight, the 17th Rasalhauge quickly retreated. The Hermits fought their way to the main spaceport at Guldersun, doing their best to avoid civilian casualties, boarded their dropships, and left Kuritan space for good.
Ueda
General Hope Vandelay and the remaining two battalions of her Valkyries had retreated to Ueda, and were left to wither on the vine by the DCMS Logistics. Despite not receiving any orders, General Vandelay was preparing her troops for an upcoming counterattack when the planetary garrison and milita attacked her encampment in the early hours of March 27th. Although initially surprised by the attack, the Valkyries soon drive the conventional units off. Because they did not have enough jumpship support to transport their entire unit, the Valkyries destroyed two companies of mechs before retreating off planet.
An Ting
McGee's Cutthroats found themselves in a precarious situation at the end of April, 3029. Moved to An Ting in the wake of the Dragoons leaving, the long time Kuritan Mercenaries found themselves confronted by a hostile populace. As word of the Coordinators order and the results reached An Ting, the population reacted as violently as they did against the Dragoons, forcing the Cutthroats to retreat behind the walls of their base. An internal power struggle developed in the unit, as officers loyal to the executive officer, Andrew Simonson, advocated withdrawing from Combine space and seeking service elsewhere. The Cutthroats commander, Simon McGee, objected, believing that the units long service to the Combine would help them. Even after the rumors of what happened to the St. Cyr Heavy Assault Group and Lone Star Regiment on Sevren reached An Ting, McGee held out. An ISF commando unit infiltrated the Cutthroats base but were captured by an alert group of sentries, but for soe stubborn reason Colonel McGee still held out hope. Tthe ISF raid was the proverbial straw that led Simonson to revolt, many of the Cutthroat's company commanders supporting him. The remainder still supported McGee, and a series of small firefights took place in and around the fort. The fighting died down quickly after Colonel McGee was killed in an ambush. Stating that anyone who wanted to remain behind could, Colonel Simonson and the Cutthroats loaded up and boosted off planet to their jumpships.
As they were boosting out, the 7th Pesht arrived at the nadir jump point. The Cutthroats left An Ting before the Regulars could do anything, rumor has it the DCMS troops were sent to An Ting to force the mercenaries surrender.
Moore
Eight separate DCMS units had retreated to Moore, where Colonel Theodore Kurita was gathering equipment and supplies. Also on planet were the Kingston Caballeros, who had retreated there after being pushed off Sabik by Barret's Fusiliers. Stunned by his fathers decree, Theodore knew it would cause more problems for the Combine than it solved. Unwilling to have any unnecessary blood on his hands, Colonel Kurita summoned the Caballeros commanding officer to his Headquarters and told Colonel Villagua he was unwilling to enforce his fathers orders to the letter. Instead, he had the mercenary colonel choose 12 mechs from his unit to keep, “appropriated” the five remaining companies worth, and then gave Colonel Villagua a credit chit that covered almost 50% of the cost of the mechs he he just lost. The Caballeros boosted of planet under cover of darkness, and made their way in short order to Galatea, where they began to rebuild with the funds given to them.
Other Actions
On several planets, smaller mercenary units were surprised by the order, but there was little many of them could do. Many lacked transport, both dropship and jumpship, to escape their situation. Some fought as best as they could against what local forces were brought against them, a few managing to escape off whatever planet they were on by stealing what transport they could get a hold of. As late as September of 3029, the remnants of several small units were arriving into Davion, Steiner or Alliance territory. Its rumored that several units made their way to the Periphery and have become pirates, raiding their former employer's territory in revenge.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Any more updates? ;D
-
That order really damaged the DC standing.
A good way to lose a war.
-
Any more updates? ;D
I plan on two updates a month.
That plan, although it briefs well, is written in jello on a hot texas day...
:-)
Dav
-
Setting the Trap.
March 20th, 3029
The report crossed his desk with an urgent notice on it. Yawning, the analyst opened it and began reading, then paused, inserted the accompanying chip, and read some more. Documentation, photo's, video. It certainly explained a few inconsistencies in the Economics report. Making a quick phone call, he grabbed the report and chip and went to a briefing room, joined a few minutes later by several other analysts from various desks on the Combine floor.
An hour later, almost all of the analysts were convinced, and those that weren't were very much in the minority. The original analyst went back to his desk, typed up a new report that included the groups opinions, included a copy of the original report, and sent it up the chain with as many “Read Me NOW!” code words as he could.
“Well, it certainly explains a lot,” remarked Davis Rterry, Coordinator of the information gathering services division. “You'd think they'd want to do something like this closer to the Science Institute though?”
“That's what drove our thinking initially, but then it never occurred to us they would try something like this at an existing facility.”
“Well, lets be honest, the last time a mech rolled of this particular assembly line was nearly a hundred years ago. It's been mothballed ever since. We have a couple of those facilities ourselves you know...”
“And we trust this source?”
“His cover is as a merchant. Only reason he ended up there was because the jumpship he was on blew a hydrogen tank, and they had to manufacture a replacement on site. He got a tour of the factory, overheard some techs apparently, and followed it up. Pics he sent back are similar to what we came up with in '23, if a bit smaller.”
“That didn't answer my question...”
“He's been more right in the past than wrong, and even when he's be wrong he wasn't that far off. In this case, I'd go with it. The benefits outweigh the risks.”
Rterry sighed. “I'll kick this upstairs.”
“They have their own version of the Freezer in the works?” asked Quintus Allard.
“Yes Sir. Slightly smaller, maybe a little bit more efficient then ours as well.”
“How is that possible?” asked Hanse Davion.
“Maybe something they cribbed from an engineering text from Halstead? Maybe they stole the schematics from us?” replied Rterry, ignoring the look Allard gave him with that particular suggestion.
“How do you rate this?” asked the First Prince
“If it's a snow job, it's a good one. On the other hand, if it is a snow job, what do we lose by checking it out?” replied Rterry. “The garrisons been slightly increased from what we know it was, but it's mostly militia on planet, as far as we know there haven't been any reinforcements yet, although given where it is and whats on it, that could change.”
“Marshal Zibler?” asked the First Prince
“It's not on the list, to be honest with you. Weather, recharge time, the initial plan was to ignore it in the short term, despite the factory on it. The factory....nothings come out of that factory for 80 plus years. To be honest, its always been an opportunity goal, but there's never been an opportunity, until now.”
“How big a wrench would it throw in the works if we did go after it?”
“You want to knock on the door or blow it open, Sire?”
“Blow it open. If there's something there, lets do our best to get it. Failing that, we take the planet and a factory away from the Combine, and that's a good result.”
“I'll get on it right away sir. Aix-la-Chapelle will be a Wave Four target. With your permission?” Zibler stood up and bowed slightly to the small assembly, then walked out of the office.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Couple things, looks like you missed about half a line or something when Hasne asks Zibler for opinions, and that Rterry name sounds really awkward, but wouldn't surprise me the slightest if the names were getting weirder with more worlds for people to fill... :P
-
Couple things, looks like you missed about half a line or something when Hasne asks Zibler for opinions, and that Rterry name sounds really awkward, but wouldn't surprise me the slightest if the names were getting weirder with more worlds for people to fill... :P
Yeah, that's a typo.
Rterry's name is canon, from the first House Davion Book. If it's a typo, its been one for 20 plus years. :-)
-
So a friend asked me what program do I usefor the maps, how I keep this timeline straight, and how could I possibly have everything Planned out to the Clan Invasion?
So I showed him, and figured I might as well show my readers as well.
The maps are done in ArcGis 10, using files originally created by Blacknova at ourbattletech.com. I've had to add a few files of my own, but the basic set will get you 90 percent of the way there. Arc lets you export directly to .pdf, thats where all my .pdf's come from.
I do have a spreadsheet I use to keep track of OOB's.
In order to keep everything straight, track of my progress, what needs to be done and where it needs to go, I use Freemind, a mindmap program. Like all minp maps, Freemind works on a "node" style, you have parent nodes, sibling nodes, child nodes, it's pretty easy to use.
As an example, the 1st pdf is the KNT universe planned out to the Clan Wars.
The 2nd .pdf at the link is KNT universe planned out to the Clan War with some details revealed. :-)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori-mm-xplode.pdf
I write the battle docs in a seperate file, then copy/paste them into inDesign, which is what the larger .pdfs are published in.
What I like about Freemind is that I can link from a node to a file (Thats what the red arrows are next to some of the entries) so if I need a quick reference, I just click on the node and it takes me there.
So, yes, I do have a plan for up the Clan Invasion. Thus far, I'm about 80% on track. The whole second wave of Yellow Bird was a major departure for me, but it was worth it.
Feel free to ask any questions, and thanks for reading!
Dav
-
23rd June, 3029
Over Aix la Chapelle
“I've a question.” Leftenant Craon's voice was shaking.
“Ask only if you want the answer.” replied Captain Redburn. He lurched again as the dropship skewed in the rough atmosphere.
“Did we make somebody mad to get this assignment?”
Redburn stifled a smile, then winced as another jolt shook the dropship. There were a few other muffled curses on the net as well.
“No, the problem is we've been to good, we've done so well that now when there's a tough nut to crack they call on the Light Guards to be the hammer, and we're the face of the hammer.”
The responding chuckles were cut off as the drop ship lurched again.
“Now I know what it's like to be in a tornado,” he thought. He keyed the master comm switch, trying to listen in, glancing at his chrono as he did so.
“Five minutes till touchdown.” he broadcast.
“Two minutes till I lose whats left of my lunch.” came the reply.
There was another lurch, then a loud BANG!, the dropship slewing over on it's axis. The engines stopped for the briefest second, then fired at full thrust. It didn't help, the dropship still tipped over, past horizontal now.
“All mechs, this is Commander Hartley, eject now!”
“What's she talking about? We can't eject in this! As soon as that statement was made, the dropships engines cut off, their roar replaced by the winds now buffeting the ship. The dropship was now nose down, then began to tumble.
“Do it,” ordered Redburn, “Or we go down with the ship.” He smacked a button on his console, and the bay door in front of him blew off, twisting away in the dark grey clouds. A Flash of light momentarily blinded him, and then the dizziness struck as his inner ear could not reconcile what he he was seeing with what he was feeling. With a loud roar, the ejection pack fired, shooting his Centurion twenty meters out of the bay. When it cut out, the stormwinds blew him back into the hull of the drop ship with enough force to stun him. As the Union tumbled, he was pinned to its hull briefly. Pushing his hand and autocannon against the dropships outer hull lifted his mechs torso enough for the air to slip under, causing enough lift to blow him off and away from the now out of control dropship.
In theory, free fall in a mech was similar to free fall in person, you flare out, use the arms and legs to guide your descent, then when close to the ground, move to an upright position and fire the landing packs. It was something mechwarriors practiced weekly in the sims. Of course, the weather in the sims wasn't half as bad as what he was experiencing now. The winds buffeted him back and forth, flipped him sideways and downwards, and the visibility was such that he could only tell which way he was facing by the way he moved against his seat restraints.
In a blink of an eye, the shaking was over. He had fallen through the clouds, and was now in a rainstorm. The winds were less, the visibility was better, but the ground was coming up, and fast. He checked his status, and with a shock realized that one of his booster packs was missing, torn off in the tumble, or was just non responsive. Without it, he wouldn't be able to slow his descent to a “Book” safe landing speed. The ground was coming up quickly, and there was nothing but a sickly brown and green spread out beneath him.
He went through a mental checklist, reminding himself what to do in the seconds he had left. Hold the flare for as long as possible, transition as quick as possible, fire the booster at full power for as long as it would last. If you could land safely, then do it, if not, pull the lever and brace.
The ground was rapidly approaching. Three kilometers, two... At 1000 meters he transitioned upright and fired his one remaining booster at full thrust. A glance at his speed told him that it wasn't going to work. At 500 meters he had less than a quarter tank of mass left, at 200 the redlight on the jump pack came on, and he was still dropping in excess of 100 kph.
Cursing, he reached down, pulled the lever and braced himself.
21st July, 3029
New Avalon
The assembly watched the video again. Mechs in the Light Guard camouflage moving and firing, a building exploding, others on fire, the flames fighting the weak rain that was falling.
The Primus of Comstars voice, harsh and clipped, voiced over the scene.
“As you see, our facility on Aix la Chapelle did not die unnoticed. Thirty five of our followers were killed by your Light Guards, and the First Circuit will not let their deaths go unpunished. Under the laws stipulated by the Blessed Blake, by order of the First Circuit, the Federated Suns are placed under Interdiction. All communications in and out of the realm and its holdings are cut off. This Interdiction takes place immediately.
“May the Blessed Blake take pity on your actions, and may you see the error of your ways.”
With a sigh Hanse Davion hit a remote, and the screen shut off. “Each time I watch this, I get the impression he is just a puppet, and if that is true, who is pulling his strings?” He thought on this for a moment, then looked at the rest of the room.
“Comments?” he asked the small assembly.
“Those mechs may have Light Guard insignia and markings, but there's no way that unit did that, the whole of 2nd Battalion was scattered to the four corners when the Gallivant lost attitude control and hit the Bondurant.” Marshall Yvonne Davion looked quite angry. “That particular company was spread out over 150km marching to a rally point when this attack supposedly happened, and to be honest-” she glanced around the room “If we had attacked it, there wouldn't have been a holovid recording.”
Hanse responded to that comment with a smile.
“So why the decision to interdict?” he asked.
“Could be an act of Civil Disobedience,” replied Quintus Allard, who leaned back in his chair. “As a self proclaimed pacifistic organization, it's one possible answer.”
“If that were true, why not Interdict the Lyrans as well?” asked Marshall Zibler.
“Point taken,” replied the First Prince, sitting back himself. He reached to rub his leg, but stopped short. “To the best of your knowledge, have our advances interfered with Comstar in any way?”
A Colonel from the COC liaison spoke up. “No Sire. As a security measure, we cut off access to civilian populations once on a world, but have gradually eased back restrictions. Known and suspected agents have, to the best of our knowledge, been kept away by a cordon. Not to say that we haven't been one hundred percent successful...” he shrugged.
“Well then,” replied Hanse, standing up and walking to his desk. “Let's assume then this is a move in some game Comstar is playing with us. Maybe they assume that this Interdiction is a way of pouring oil into already troubled waters, but that doesn't matter. We're effectively without Comstar's services.”
He sighed and rubbed his face for a moment. “Marshal's, are the Black Boxes ready?”
“We've been using them for simple orders since the beginning of Operations,” replied Yvonne, “I think issuing the necessary orders to bring them out to the level we recommended earlier will not be an issue. With your permission I can order Case ZECHARIAH as soon as we are done here.”
“Do so. Quintus, what does this do for our intel.”
“It's a close to stopping it as you can get. All our agents use Comstar, and are most likely known to them, so the flow of information from them will cease. We might be able to activate sleeper agents, jump a ship in system, broadcast a message, and monitor, but both the Capellans and Kuritans are such repressed societies the only information that will come out is information they want out.”
“And our intel service agents?”
“ISF wise they are such low level any information they give above their grade would be automatically suspect. We have enough agents in the Maskirovka that I am sure if something like the Ridzik attempt were to be made, we'd know about it, but the planning for BAOYING is tightly compartmentalized, if Alexi were to somehow get that to us, the leak would be traced to him almost immediately.
“What worries me most is what this will do to our operations in the League. No communication means no money transfers, and that means we can't support them in any meaningful way. Once they are out of the way, Janos gets a firmer hand to deal with whats going on, and could expand his efforts, on all fronts.”
“Why the frown, Thomas?”
Marshal Zibler shook himself slightly. “If Marik decides to enter the war we could be in trouble. Most of the units we have in the Commonality are for all intents and purposes stuck there, we don't have much in the way of transport to move them. I'm more worried about any aggressive action the League could take against the Republic. I know Ridzik has been planning something, but all indications from Marshal Sortek are that he wants to go after Capellan worlds. What if we...redirect...his focus to the Marik border?”
Hanse smiled briefly. For a man who claimed to have no interest on the political side of things, Zibler was becoming proficient at using them.
“I will direct Ardan to do so as soon as practicable. Anything else?”
Zibler cleared his throat. “With the Interdiction, we need to requisition the PONY EXPRESS reserves. Its going to hurt trade, but the people can live without a luxury item more than they can live without communication from the front lines. I've seen reports of entire battalions volunteering for mail call protection duty.”
Hrm, though Hanse. One mad noble who doesn't get an Avanti aircar, or 1000 mad citizens who haven't heard from loved ones in months...that's an easy choice. “Lets do that then. And we need to work something out with regards to shipping. No exotics, more basic necessities. Have Ways and Means focus on entertainment products, clothes, the things people buy to make themselves feel happy. And let them know if I find out that one Avanti instead of 10000 holodiscs get shipped out, there will be...unhappiness.”
“Yes Sire.”
“Now, at the end of the day, was it worth it?” he asked.
“Yes and no.” replied Quintus, looking at his notes. “The Combine had a mockup, that's what the agent saw. Anyhow, the LIST engineers were about eighteen months away from having a prototype done, but their engineering and math was better than good. The prototype will be twice as effective at twice the size of a normal heatsink. We managed to capture almost all of the documentation and engineering specs, but the Combine engineers on site managed to escape.”
“And the Guards losses?” asked the First Prince.
“Just over a battalions worth of equipment destroyed, most of that was from the Gallivant. We lost eight mechwarriors to exposure, three to combat, and another eighteen are wounded.” replied Marshal Zibler.
“And Captain Redburn?” asked Quintus.
“One of the eighteen wounded. Severe lung damage due to exposure. He and the rest of the wounded are on a circuit back to SINA. He'll need new lungs, but he'll be back in a mech. Some of the others, I'm not sure.”
“Let's make sure we do right by him and the rest. Whatever they need, the Davion family will pick up the bill.”
“Yes Sire.”
-
Ouch. And wonder who was playing the jokers into that deck.
-
Will have a map for these out after the holiday.
Kuritan Lull Moves
Altenmarkt Militia to New Oslo
25th Rasalhauge to Rasalhauge
13th Rasalhauge to Alshain
Night Stalkers McGavins Regiment to Radstadt
7th Sword of Light to Alshain
Capellan Lull Movements
Sung's Cuirassiers to Highspire
Kamakura's Hussar's 1st Batt to Highspire
House Dai Da Chi to Yuris
Red Lancers to Ares
2nd Reserve Cavalry to Highspire
Blandfords Grenadiers to Necromo
YELLOW BIRD Wave Four Targets
1st Robinson to Irurzun
3rd Lexington Combat Group to Proserpina
2nd Lexington Combat Group
- 1st CT to Scheat
- 2nd CT to New Mendham
- 3rd CT to Barlow's Folly
1st Lexington to Ludwig
41st Avalon to Umijiri
Addicks DMM to Skat
Clovis DMM to Markab
2nd Davion Guards to Yorii
1st Crucis Lancers to Asta
1st Davion Guards to Imbros III
4th Crucis Lancers to Atherney
6th Crucis Lancers RCT to Styx
7th Crucis Lancers to Telos IV
1st Argyle to Nashira
Blue Star Irregulars
- 1st Regiment Dabih
- 2nd Regiment Albalii
- 3rd Regiment Piedmont
12th Vegan Rangers
Alpha to Shitara
Beta to Shitara
Davion Light Guards to Aix la Chapelle
Operation VALKYRIE
Wave Four
Winfields Brigade to Verthandi
10th Donegal to Lovinac
Tyr to Bruben
1st Lyran Regulars to Bruben
26th Lyran to Maetsu
Waco Rangers to Thannhausen
3rd Donegal to Fatima
14th Donegal to Gunzberg
8th Donegal to Volders
Grey Death Legion to Shionoha
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
-
My plans for this 'book' are to go front by front again.
The plan at the moment is
Wolfs Dragoons vs. Combine
Operation COSSACK, the TRAF offensive
Operation YELLOW BIRD Waves 4 and 5
Operation VALKYRIE, Waves 5 and 6
Operation NADELSTICH, the Lyran offensive against the FWL
Operation BAOYING, the CCAF offensive
Operation TAKO, Theodores Offensive
One off Operations, to include the Kell Hounds versus the Genyosha, Kathil, and Comstar.
That briefs well.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
An Excerpt from Book 2
Military Implications
The obvious effect of the Interdiction was that the flow of information from the frontlines slowed to a crawl. Although a series of command circuits connected New Avalon to the front, the minimum time required was seven days. These Command Circuits tied up a tremendous number of Jumpships, taking much needed resources away from the AFFS transportation effort.
During the planning of the Davion offensives, consideration had been given to possible Comstar intervention. One result of this particular avenue of planning was the AFFS 'relaxation' of Command Oversight. Regimental Combat Team commanders were not only expected to conquer a world with minimal feedback from High Command, but also administer a world with very little assistance from support units and few, if any, orders from above. Starting in 3020, NAMA began running a series of exercises known as DUFFERS DRIFT, in which senior RCT officers roleplayed and wargamed several potential situations. Though long considered the least “Command Bound” army in the Inner Sphere, one of the many goals of the GALAHAD operations and DUFFERS DRIFT exercises was to encourage more independent thinking. The First Prince and other high ranking officers stressed time and again that as long as the officer in question made what they felt was the best decision with the best available data at hand, there would be few questions from the higher ups. One noticeable effect from these efforts was the administration on many conquered planets was less troublesome than in times past, and in many cases the actions of an RCT commander defused a potentially dangerous situation.
No matter how independent a unit is though, it cannot be effective without supplies, transportation, Information and reinforcements. These were the primary reasons the Combine Operations Command was formed. Although four of the five Marshals that served as part of the COC were technically the highest ranking officers of Operation YELLOW BIRD, they only had advisory powers in the field.
Senior Commander of the COC was Field Marshal Jackson Dannick. Known as “The Hammer”, the former commander of the Davion Heavy Guards had been promoted to the First Princes Advisory staff in 3018. Despite his reputation in a mech cockpit, it was Marshal Dannick who came up with the first DUFFERS DRIFT curriculum, and his efforts with that program led to his promotion in 3027 as the COC commander.
Marshal Jisosa Miller was the commander of the Transportation and Resupply Command of the AFFS. Some of the best and brightest soldiers in the AFFS work in TRC, their efforts in coordinating the flow of supplies throughout the Federated Suns to the front lines are not well known to the general public, but greatly appreciated by those troops in the field. Marshall Rebecca Derwith from the Department of Military Intelligence and Marshal Melissa Maynall of the Department of Military Administration were the other two permanent members of the COC. The fifth 'chair' was a revolving door, filled by several Marshals who went back and forth between the frontlines and New Avalon. Before and during the Interdiction, these Marshals carried and disseminated information on what was happening in other areas of the war and updated any political, military and economic concerns that had arisen. After the Interdiction began, they began to carry direct orders from the First Prince and reporting directly back to him on New Avalon. The COC was initially headquartered on David, but as YELLOW BIRD moved deeper into Combine territory it moved as well, trying to stay within a reasonable distance of the “Front Line”. When the Fourth Wave of YELLOW BIRD was launched, it had moved to Junction.
Because of these and other preparations, the offensive against the Combine continued without pause through August despite the Interdiction. The AFFS also mobilized the last reserves of jumpships, which soon began ferrying supplies to the front. Marshal Miller also undertook an effort to reorganize the five command circuits connecting New Avalon, the COC and the Front, utilizing many of the recently acquired and privately owned Scout Class jumpships to replace the larger Merchant and Invader's, which were re-tasked for frontline use.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
My M.O thus far has been to give everyone a "Big Picture" idea of whats going on with the KNT universe. However, I do like to keep my readers guessing and surprised, and will from time to time leave out some details such as troop movements and the like, because I don't want to give everything away. The next post falls into this category.
What follows is perhaps the longest battle writeup I've written thus far for the KNT universe, it's close to 3000 words. Shocking thing, to me anyways, is that next battle write-up is probably going to be even longer.
My plan for now is to finish the Dragoons versus the Dragon part of the book, than 'release' that as a .pdf in a few days. The onto the next chapter.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Robinson
The Coordinators rage at being insulted by Jaime Wolf was not just personal, many officers in the DCMS were shocked and offended by the mercenary commanders actions, and several vowed to do what they could to redeem the Combines honor.
General Jagawen Torisobo, commander of the 8th Sword of Light, harbored a deeper animosity than most of these Combine commanders. The 8th Sword had been present on Misery, but had been held back from the majority of the fighting by the express order of Warlord Samsonov. When they finally entered the fight, it was to serve as a rearguard for the rest of the retreating DCMS troops. The 8th Sword lost a battalion of mechs in the fighting to Epsilon Regiment, then another two companies to Zeta Battalion during the rearguard action. Almost a year later, the 8th was still stationed on Misery. Though it's losses had been replaced by new machines and recruits, General Torisobo and the rest of his senior commanders chafed at the inaction. When word reached them of what was happening on Glenmora and Wapakoneta, they awaited orders to go and help out their sister regiments, but none came.
In June, according to observers, something snapped within the General, and he began issuing orders prepare the 8th and several of the conventional regiments to prepare to lift off. At the beginning of July, the 8th Sword of Light, two Armor and two Infantry regiments docked with their jumpships, and left the nadir jump point at Misery. When they appeared over Bennet III there was some concern, but the Combine Jumpships stayed at their pirate point, recharged and jumped out, appearing at Lima and recharging.
Duke Sandoval was concerned by the reports of a Combine unit transiting his realm. When reports of the 8th Sword being at Lima reached him, he immediately reacted by sending orders to the 4th Deneb to relocate from McComb to New Ivaarsen, which was an obvious target in the region. He also issued orders for the 1st Kestrel to move to Robinson, and sent a message to New Avalon asking for more assistance. The First Prince himself responded with orders for the 3rd SINA Cadre and Millers Marauders to move to Robinson as well, but it was going to take a couple of weeks to gather the necessary transport to move all the units. While Duke Sandoval was tempted to order one of his Robinson's Rangers units back, he knew they were needed as part of the next YELLOW BIRD Wave as well. Instead, he mustered the Voluntary Militia and put the rest of the PDZ on high alert, and then the ComStar Interdiction was enforced, and Duke Sandovals attention was dominated by this event.
A Week went by, the 8th Sword jumped from Lima, and disappeared. The first elements of the 4th Deneb arrived on New Ivaarsen and reported no enemy troops in the system, and when they landed were told that the 8th Sword had not arrived in New Ivaarsen at all. Marshal Fredrikson sent a message to Duke Sandoval and New Avalon informing them. Rather than start a “Wild Goose Chase” through the March, and dealing with the ramifications of the Interdiction as well, the 4th Deneb prepared to defend New Ivaarsen unless further orders were received. Duke Sandoval, well aware that the Marshal was following the protocols set up by the DUFFERS DRIFT exercises, had no problems with the decision, he knew how important New Ivaarsen was to the region. Not less than a day after he sent his approval, the 8th Sword appeared at a Pirate point four days out from Robinson, and the dropships began a 2g burn towards the planet.
Robinson had fought the Combine before, and for several years fought a war of occupation during the 1st Succession War until liberated. The planets conventional regiments were some of the best in the AFFS, and the Robinson Mechwarrior academy had a Battalion of cadets that would fight. Duke Sandoval was confident he could hold out until reinforcements arrived, but his confidence turned to horror when he realized that only one battalion of mechs and two conventional regiments were headed towards the continent of Caanan, home to the capital city and much of the planets industry. The rest were on a path to New Haifa, on the Meggido continent, where the families and wounded warriors of Wolf's Dragoons were recovering and convalescing.
After Misery, Jaime Wolf had formed the Home Guard Unit. Several members of the line regiments who wanted to retire were convinced to stay on by joining this unit, comprised of the several support units that served the Dragoons, including the Fire Support Group, the Orbital/Aerospace Group, the Support Battalion, the surviving companies worth of Mechwarriors from Zeta Battalion, and the new recruits of the Training Battalion. The condition of these units ranged from very good to poor, as did the warriors and aerospace pilots manning them. New Haifa was a fortified city, but there were doubts that it could stand up to the two Assault and one Light Battalions headed for it. While improvements had been made since the Dragoons landed, many were incomplete. The cities militia units were augmented by two regiments of Robinson Regular units, one armor and one Infantry, but as a port city, there was no area to retreat.
The Home Guards Commander, Colonel Jeremy Ellerman, was Beta Regiments Commander when the Dragoons first showed up in the Inner Sphere. In 3016, the horrors of fighting, the loss of too many comrades had taken its toll, and Colonel Ellman retired. Not wanting to lose his friends expertise and abilities, Colonel Wolf was able to persuade Colonel Ellman to stay on as the training commander, a role that suited Colonel Ellman well. Now, with only a few days of planning, Colonel Ellman had to prepare to fight again.
The 8th Sword of Light grounded at Kirkuz, a small town 50 kilometers away from New Haifa, with the rolling Golani Hills between the two. With an oversized Aerospace field, Kirkuz was a good base for the 8th Sword to anchor it's Operations from. After a couple of days of reorganizing, the 8th formed up and began it's march towards New Haifa. Overhead, the ASF's of the Dragoons and 8th Sword fought several battles, on more than one occasion a Kuritan ASF broke away from the fighting to strafe the city on a random run. It seemed that terror and damage, rather than a specific military goal, was at the forefront of the 8th Swords plan.
The first skirmishes took place in the Golani. The hovertanks of the Support Battalion skirmished with the accompanying Kuritan tank regiment and drove it back with heavy losses. The Support Battalion lost several tanks to damage, but many of the crewmen survived and were picked up by the Battalions VTOL squadron and taken back to New Haifa. At the village of Romany, the Special Recon Group encountered a company of medium mechs from the 8th Sword, and a vicious firefight ensued. Using his units superior mobility, Major Brubaker was able to stop the advance, but losses forced him to withdraw. This was repeated in several skirmishes the next few days, the 8th Sword was slowly but surely moving towards New Haifa, willing to trade mechs and units with the Home Guard. It was an attrition battle, and one the 8th could win on numbers alone.
At Gorden, a small town nestled in the Golani Hills, the first real pitched battle occurred. The Fire Support Group, backed by several companies of Robinson Infantry Militia, were opposed by Assault and Heavy mechs of the 8th Swords 2nd Battalion. Using the buildings as effective cover, the heavy and assault mechs of the Dragoons destroyed one company of Combine Mechs, and damaged several more. Forced to pull back, the Dragoons broke for New Haifa, and the Combine Warriors followed with reckless abandon. When the 8th Sword troops crossed the crest of one hill, they were surprised when they did not see any Dragoon mechs in the opening. A few seconds later their shock turned to fear, as the Artillery of the Support Group was finally brought into action, the Groups mechs retreat had brought the 8th Sword battalion into effective range of the Long Tom Artillery. Several more mechs were destroyed and damaged by the barrage.
A few days later, at New Ashkelon, disaster struck the Fire Support Group. While holding off another frontal attack by then 2nd Battalion, a flank march by a medium company of the 8th Swords 3rd Battalion hit the Fire Support Group, destroying two mechs, damaging two others and forcing the rest away from their line of retreat. Engaged in close combat, Captain Scruggs ordered the rest of his unit to break off as best they could, and while still fighting three Kuritan mechs, called in the Artillery on his own position. In addition to Captain Scruggs, three other Dragoons had been killed.
After ten days of skirmishing, hit and run attacks and a couple of standup fights, the 8th Sword was reduced to six companies of mechs, all of which were damaged to a degree. The rest of the units mechs were either destroyed, or lay damaged on the fields of battle, their pilots dead or too wounded The aerospace fighters of both units had fought to a standstill over Robinson's skies, very few were combat effective. The Home Guard had been reduced to six lances of mechs, several of which had been field repaired and jury rigged so they could remain in the field, two of which were piloted by the rawest of recruits. The conventional units of both forces were shadows of themselves, pillars of smoke from destroyed units dotted the landscape back to Kirkuz. The 8th Swords 4th Battalion had been destroyed by the Robinson Cadets and militia on Caanan, but it would be a couple of days before they could move to New Haifa.
The final few kilometers to the outskirts of New Haifa had been turned into a killing ground. Mech traps, minefields, had been prepared. Artillery was pre-spotted, but there were very few rounds left. Dawn on the 5th of August, the 8th Sword of Light began its advance, with General Torisobo's Atlas leading the way. Long Range fire destroyed a few mechs, and damaged others, and the first artillery barrage hit near the Generals mechs itself. Observers were stunned to see that despite a destroyed right leg, the mech pulled its way towards New Haifa with its hands.. When the first trip line was crossed, the hidden Dragoon mechs rose out of their hiding places and unleashed a devastating volley of fire. At the same time, the artillery struck all along the 8th Swords Line. As the Dragoon mechs retreated and jumped back to the next line of defense, the New Haifa 1st Armored Regiment left the city perimeter and started a flank attack. While it slowed down the 8th Swords advance, it did not stop it, in fact in several instances the mechs ignored the lighter tanks and kept up their march towards the cities main gate.
The second trip line was crossed, and again another massive barrage hit the 8th Sword mechs, who broke into a run to escape the falling shells, right into a series of well placed minefields. The Combines return fire was still effective, and several Dragoon mechs, already damaged, fell. Colonels Ellman and Jamison called a retreat to the final line, and only six mechs were able to make it. Three companies of Combine mechs were still upright and moving, perhaps another companies worth were emulating their commander, clawing their way towards the city. One mechwarrior, in a bravura display of piloting, hopped his Panther forward on one leg for 100 meters until his gyroscrope failed and he fell down face first onto a mine.
As the remaining 8th Sword mechs crossed the third trip line, the last shells of the Support groups artillery left the tubes. Behind the last line of defenses, the massive gates to New Haifa slid open, and out stepped the fifteen mechs of Omega Company.
Captain Charles Jager was a former company commander in Epsilon Regiment, whose experience on Misery led him and the three surviving members of his company to retire. Colonel Wolf prevailed upon the to stay with the Dragoons as members of the Home Guard, where they could teach the next generation of Dragoons. They were not the only members that Colonel Wolf convinced to stay on, many other warriors left their regiments to join the Home Guard, and these men and women followed the news of what was happening to their friends and comrades on Wapakoneta and Glenmora with anger and anguish. When the 8th Sword landed on Robinson, there was little they could do, having voluntarily given up their mechs as replacements for those that had been destroyed on Crossing.
The previous two weeks of battle had seen several mechs damaged and recovered, their pilots killed to wounded to continue fighting. Dragoon techs and mechwarriors labored day and night to get these units repaired to basic functionality, and as the sun was setting on August 5th, the self proclaimed Omega company, led by Captain Kinkaid, stepped out of New Haifa and into the battle. Accompanying them were the tanks of the 1st Heavy Battalion, New Haifa Militia.
The appearance of these new mechs shocked the 8th Sword of Light for a few seconds, but then relaizing the gate was open and victory was close at hand, they charged as best they could, ignoring the minefileds and incoming fire from the Dragoon mechs in the field. What they did not expect, and what Colonel Ellman certainly did not expect, was that Omega Company would charge headlong into the Combine troops either. The battle soon devolved into a series of one versus many combats and duels. The Manticores, Von Luckners and lance of Demolishers of the milita found themselves virtually ignored, and took the opportunity to attack as many Kurita mechs as they could, often saving a Dragoon from a fank or back attack. One Demolisher destroyed seven mechs protecting a Dragoon Archer missing one arm and a fused leg before being destroyed by a stray shot. One by one the mechs of Omega Company began to fall, but they often took two or mnore 8th Sword mechs with them. At some point in the battle, General Torisobo had clawed his way to the perimeter of the battle, only to be killed by headshot fired by a Von Luckner from the militia.
It was as if the Generals death caused a switch to be thrown. Those 8th Sword Mechs still standing broke off and retreated into the setting sun. The remaining disabled mechs tried moving away one by one, but then stopped as their pilots gave up and then to the surprise of the Dragoons and militia, began to commit suicide. One pilot ejected from a Centurion, landed, brandished a katana and screamed invectives at the Dragoons for well over a minute before uttering a Banzai and charging, sword waving. A brief machine gun burst from a nearby milita tank ended the last charge of the 8th Sword of Light. Less than two companies worth retreated back to Kircuz, and the Kuritan Dropships boosted off not to long after. The next day, as the residents of the city and company of Training Battalion mechs made their way to the landing field, they found the mechs that survived the campaign shut down on the edge of the runway, their pilots dead at their feet. All had committed seppuku. It is not know if any mechwarrior from the 8th Sowrd of Light lived to return to Combine Space.
Home Guard losses were severe, almost all of its mechs and vehicles had been damaged, more than one had been rebuilt. Personel wise, less than a companies worth of mechwarriors were able to pilot a mech, half of them were injured in some way. Of the 15 mechs of Omega company, only 5 survived the final battle. Captain Kincaid was not among the survivors, the next day a search team his and his lancemates mechs down on the field of battle, surrounded by ten destroyed 8th Sword Mechs. At some point during the fighting, the reactor shielding on the Grasshopper Kincaid was piloting, shielding which had been damaged in a previous fight, failed and the Captain died of radiation poisoning.
One more Dragoon death occurred on Robinson. Ten days after the 8th Sword Dropships had boosted off, Duke Sandoval went to New Haifa to visit the Home Guard. After visiting the wounded in the hospitals and inspecting what remained of the Home Guard in the field, Duke Sandoval apologized for not helping out more, and vowed that he would do everything in his power to make sure the remaining Dragoons and their dependents would be protected. The 3rd SINA Cadre would be landing in less than a month, and although comprised of newer troops and graduates from NAMA, the Duke hoped that the leadership of the Dragoons would help in shaping up the unit.
The day after Duke Sandoval returned back to Beuller, Robinsons capital city, Colonel Ellman was found in his bed, having passed on after suffering from a massive heart attack. Those that knew the Home Guard commander best said that the recent battles, combined with the previous horrors he saw that led to his retiring in the first place, and the probability that he would be training the next generation to go through the same horrors he experienced broke his heart. A note was found saying that he could not continue to serve, therefore he was retiring effective immediately. A message to Colonel Wolf for Colonel Ellman was rumored to have been found, but no Dragoon has revealed the existence or the contents of such.
With the Battle for Robinson over, the remaining Dragoons and dependents waited for word from Crossing.
-
Very nice, impressive end for many Dragoons.
-
An impressive show by the Home Guard.
The Coordinator will not be happy with the 8th SOL, especially any survivors.
Enjoyed the battle, looking forward to your longer ones. O0
-
The Coordinator will not be happy with the 8th SOL, especially any survivors.
Not Happy that they lived, or not happy because they failed?
;)
The intent is that there are no survivors. The post 4th SSW DCMS Order of Battle, and subsequent rebuilding, will be radically different in the Alt-U.
Dav
-
Both. ;D
-
Ok, attached is part 1 of Book 2 in its unedited form. Any errors you find are on me, but I would appreciate it if you dropped me a line about any you might find. Have a couple of more short updates coming quick, then its back to the "Main" Theaters of the war.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
“They did what?”
“They attacked Robinson. The 8th Sword of Light went after the Dragoons Home Guard on Robinson.”
“And?”
“Close run thing. At the end the 8th went in full frontal assault. Last of the Dragoon pilots available showed up in jury rigged mechs at the end. 8Th Sword retreated, then the survivor's killed themselves.”
“What in the name of God...”
“Sir, it's beyond fouled up. But the Dracs went after their families. Again. Avoided all the other cities on the planet except Beuller, and that was to tie down the units there. The main effort was against the city where the Dragoons are recovering.”
“And how do we have this information?”
“Sir, our friendly MIIO Liason brought us the information of the attack on Robinson, verified by Duke Sandoval. The 8th landed right after the Interdiction went into effect. The rest of the information is based on Intel developed right before the Interdiction. We also know Wolf's refused any and all help, and the AFFS brass has decided to let him fight it out his own way. RUMINT says Wolf's got less than a 100 mechs, and the Dracs are sending 4 plus regiments after him.”
“Their families...I swear Takashi Kurita will regret ever issuing that order.”
“That reminds me sir, we had three more perimeter attacks last night. No casualties.”
“Where are they now?”
“Who Sir? The insurgents that attacked the fenceline?”
“Wolf.”
“Um, Crossing sir. The Line Regiments retreated to Crossing.”
“Positive?”
“Yes Sir.
“Right. Okay then, is there anything going to Robinson?”
“Sir, Duke Sandoval ordered the 3rd SINA and Millers Marauders to the planet, but with the Interdiction there's no way to verify they are there yet, let alone know if those orders have been received.
“Any idea if Wolf knows what happened?”
“None sir. With the Interdiction, who knows. I know they don't have an MIIO Liason, but then again, it is the Dragoons were talking about.”
“I asked if he wanted help, and he said no, that this was a personal fight. But Robinson is crossing the line, this whole Death to Mercenaries is causing to much grief...We've felt that pain before. They've felt that pain before...”
“Sir, I know that look...”
“Yes, I know you know this look.”
“What do you want to do sir?”
“There's an old saying Captain: It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”
“I'm not sure I follow sir.”
“I'm going to ask a former honorable enemy for forgiveness.”
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Damn you Davout73! I wanna know who that was...
-
Damn you Davout73! I wanna know who that was...
I promise, read the .pdf I just attached and you'll find out. Plus once a certain number of downloads have been reached, I've a short story that follows events in the first part.
O0
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Snippets
“Look, I was there. I saw it all happen with these two Mark 1's right here, and I still have a hard time believing it. All you needed was some sort of dramatic, kick butt musical accompaniment, and it would have been right out of an Immortal Warrior holo. Better special effects though, let me tell you...”
Sergeant Roscoe Bowersock
Tanker, 10th Deneb Light Cavalry
From and Interview with ISN News, Crossing, 3030.
“Do I want to give the First Prince a piece of my mind? Why would I want to do that? He never listened to me before, now you think he's going to listen to me with the HPG's turned off? You went to school to learn how to ask a dumb question like that? I got better things to do with my day than answer that sort of Bulls-”
Unknown Interviewee
Recorded for “Your 28 Hours News, Channel 162 Person on the Street Segement”
Gillinghelm, Outremer, Federated Suns
“Look, anyone who says anything about the Lady gets a response from Gun One and Gun Two right here, and I don't care what damned rank or title they have. Tell you what, you go through what she's been through, you fight the fights she has, then you spend eight months on a planet where the sun not only never sets, there's no alcohol to boot. Then you be smart enough to recognize that there's a problem and you do what you need to do to take care of it. She didn't do that for her, she did that for us, and she knows we know it. And that's why any warrior would drop with her right on top the Coordinators throne room with her.”
From “Damn, I Volunteered for This?”, the memoirs of Mechwarrior Cody Jones, 3018-3048
“The next one of you who utters the words “Good for the realm” gets sent to the Black Nebula on a one way trip. I can abide a loyal opposition. I can abide a disloyal opposition who plays by the rules. This incident goes beyond that, and I swear to you, when I decide the time is right, that man will pay.”
Recently released transcripts from an Archon's meeting, recorded August of 3029, declassified May, 3052.
“Is it hubris? Is it Greed? The combine has lost close to 80 worlds in this recent conflict, and that's not enough for either the Archon or the First Prince. How many more Wives must lose husbands, how many fathers must bury sons and daughters, how many children will never see their parent again because of these...rulers choices?”
From an Anonymous letter to the Editor, Errai Press
“The sayings right, you don't know what you've got till its gone. We were worried there for awhile, the shelves started getting real empty, prices on the black market went through the roof of course. Then Consolidated and Markham got together, started producing goods together. Yeah, it wasn't the most tasteful stuff, and spices got real popular real quick, I know one guy who made a small fortune selling these tiny bottles of tabasco sauce.
“When the first lotteries started, I was pretty skeptical. But then like the rest of the planet, I tuned in. Then I watched as the Duke went to the winners house the next day, handed that woman her prize, thanked her for her patience and trust, and the man was sincere. Everyone could see it. They say that at some point more than 90% of the planet tuned into the lottery. Count me in. Hell, when I won I was flabbergasted, couple of days later, Duke shows up with his escorts, and hands me my prize. And I see the looks some of my neighbors are giving me, and I get nervous at first. I mean, all this trouble over a bag of coffee beans and some Holos, are you kidding me?
“Then I opened that bag. They could have been the crappiest beans in the world, hell they could have been the rejects from the dregs of a filter light years away, but man, did they smell good. Went down pretty good too. And I don't even like coffee.”
From an Interview with Aric Macon, conducted as part of “Reminiscing”, a series about the 4th Succesion War, first broadcast in 3035.
-
No Black Box in this AU?
-
Damn you Davout73! I wanna know who that was...
Can't quite explain why, but I want to say ELH.
-
No Black Box in this AU?
There is, and the MIIO Liasons are a reference to that, and I thought I had posted earlier mentioning them.
The 'problem' is I am treating this as a history of the war published after the war occurs, letting everyone know how Davion did what they did would be letting the "Fox out of the Bag" so to speak.
But they will play a more prominent role in some later parts.
EDIT: In the original scene where Hanse and the others are discussing the Comstar attack I had a couple of paragraphs discussing the black boxes, but it did't 'read' right if that makes sense.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
EDIT: In the original scene where Hanse and the others are discussing the Comstar attack I had a couple of paragraphs discussing the black boxes, but it did't 'read' right if that makes sense.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
Yeah, know what you mean.
-
No Black Box in this AU?
Cracking the enigma code was something they'd kill you to keep secret in WW2 and remained pretty much unknown due to the level of secrecy until the 1970s (30 year rule)... I'd expect to hear active disinformation too about the Black Boxes about the chaos and problems of the Interdiction
-
The 50th Cavalry ELH to the rescue instead of Zeta.
Nice touch. O0
-
Operation COSSACK, the Republican Armed Forces offensive against House Marik
1st Republican to Berenson
2nd Republican to Procyon
3rd Republican to Wasat
4th Republican to Talitha
5th Republican to Wasat
6th Republican to Van Dieman IV
7th Republican moves from Alderberan to Elgin.
Also at this time the Crater Cobra's contract is transfered to the Tikonov Republic. Both regiments moves to Nanking.
-
The 50th Cavalry ELH to the rescue instead of Zeta.
Nice touch. O0
Sometimes a trope is to good to pass up...and it fits the bigger storyline as well
-
Chapter 30 - The Thin Knife
Elgin
Sept 15th, 3029
Pavel Ridzik wanted to scream, wanted to kick, wanted to rage. The dart that the assassin had hit him with prevented any sort of action, and as he watched and listened, rage turned to fear. Three days before he had returned home, triumphant. Then came that meeting with that Davions lapdog, Sortek, who was filled with nothing but and more threats and demands. Then a godsend, the veriagraph from Elizabeth telling him she was waiting stoked more than several fires. Like a love struck fool he had walked into this trap. Expecting the arms of his former lover, instead the assassin had shot him with a paralytic, then propped him on the massive bed in the hotel suite. She was over at the table, fiddling with a bag and talking in a conversational manner.
“Lady Romano want you to know that Elizabeth did make the veriagraph. You know they cannot be faked, right? At least, noone in the Confederation has that ability, there are rumors that SINA has been working...what am I saying, I am getting off track, that news doesn't concern you. Anyhow, Lady Romano wants you to know that she told Elizabeth that if she renounced any claim to the throne and signed the veriagraph, she would be sent to you. Of course, I am not sure how dry the ink was before Romano had her shot, but still...”
Ridzik's throat constricted, and whether that was involuntary or not, his thoughts raced. Impossible. This cannot be happening.
The assassin finished whatever she was doing at the table, then came over to his side. Smiling, she leaned over and kissed Ridzik full on the mouth, then stood back up again, filling the syringe she held in her hand. I want you to know that under normal circumstances, I would not use this on such a person of stature, but Lady Romano was specific. She might be upset because the dart I hit you with will numb you somewhat. This-” she indicated the syringe “is made in the Combine. Rumor has it they use it on state traitors. It attacks the neuron sheaths of the brain like a slow acid bath, slowly nibbling them away. They say the four hours it takes to kill you will feel like four hundred years.” She caressed the side of his face, then lowered her hand to feel for the carotid artery in his neck, needle at the ready.
“Goodbye Colonel.” she smiled sweetly.
The hotel room door exploded in violent light and sound. The assassin, shocked by the explosion, looked towards the door, then flew back in a spray of blood and bone as several bodies came through the door. Ridzik could do nothing as some of it splashed across him. The assassin twisted as she fell, landing across his legs, the syringe flying out of her hand.
“CLEAR LEFT! CLEAR RIGHT! CLEAR CENTER!” Muffled voices screamed. Men in black uniforms charged into the room, sidearms at the ready. Facemasks their faces, Ridzik could not tell who they were. One took the assassin by a shoulder and pulled her unceremoniously to the floor, verifying that she was indeed dead. None of the men bothered to look at or help Pavel Ridzik. In a few brief minutes, one man took out and unrolled a body bag, then he and another man put the assassin in and left the room. Two other men huddled at the table, looking over the woman's kit, holding a hushed conversation. A few minutes later, another man came into the room, and glanced over to the bed.
Sortek...
After a brief conversation with the men at the table, Sortek disappeared and a few minutes later came back back with a towel in hand. With a few harsh swipes he wiped what blood and gore he could of Ridziks face.
“Found it sir,” The men at the table had begin searching the room, one of them had found the syringe the Assassin had dropped.
“Excellent,” replied Sortek. “Make sure that gets back to the boffins at SINA.”
The man acknowledged with a head bob, then left the room after carefully sealing the syringe in a hazmat bag. With a jerk of his own head, Sortek sent the other man out of the room, but not before being handed another syringe.
“Now...Pavel.” It was the first time Sortek had used his proper name. “Thinking with the 'Littlest Tsar' again, eh? One letter from an old lover and you think you can set aside the responsibilities of running the state you wanted? Tell me Colonel, do you truly want to lead, or is this all just a game to you?” Sortek stood up, arm sweeping the room.
“If you must know, before the Interdiction we received word that Romano Liao might try something like this. I've had you tailed by MIIO agents since you landed. In fact,” Sortek went and picked up the jacket Ridzik had hung over the chair. Tearing at the collar, he found what he was looking for, reaching in and removing a tiny bug. “I heard the entire conversation. I could have come in at any time.”
Inside his body Ridzik screamed with rage. Impertinent Bastard, I will see you dead! DEAD, and damn your Lord's response!
Sortek came back over and sat back down.
“Let's get one thing clear Pavel. This is not a game. What happened on Tikonov wasn't a game, what happened on Berenson was not a game, whats happening on worlds all across the Inner Sphere is Not. Some. Type. Of. Game.” Sorteks finger jabbed into his chest with those last words, and his voice went even harsher.
DEAD. I Swear it!
“Since my Lord agreed to your demands, and lets be honest, they were your demands, you've treated this realm like your personal plaything. The purges I can understand, the taunts to Sian I can understand. And look, I'll be honest, I hate being out of the cockpit as much as you do, I'd much rather be on the battlefield then cleaning up after your mistakes here. And that's what I have been doing, cleaning up after your mistakes.” Sortek swept his arm around the room again.
“So, Pavel, I come to you with a...suggestion. You want to be a leader, it is time to stop playing and start leading. Forget your petty squabbles, your minor revenges, get your act together, and start doing what the citizens of the Free Tikonov Republic want, no need, you to do. You want to play soldier now and again, that's fine, but its no longer a priority.
“Or don't take my advice. My Prince is more than happy to let you run your state into the ground, then he can step in and take over the remains, or better yet, we just let Liao and Marik fight over it. We've taken the worlds we wanted to take, and we're quite capable of keeping them.
What?! No, you wouldn't dare!
“This is the antagonist for the paralytic she hit you with earlier. Thirty minutes after I administer this, your back to normal, good as new.” Sortek stood up, and placed the syringe on the table next to the bed, just out of Ridziks field of view.
“Part of me says I should give it to you, but that's the easy way out I think.” Sortek checked his chrono. “Instead, I want to make sure you have enough time to think about the decision you need to make. The twelve hours or so its going to take for that drug to wear off should be enough time.” Standing up, Sortek looked around the one one more time then walked towards the doorway, and turned around before leaving.
“Think long and hard Lord Ridzik. Millions of lives are depending on your answer, including yours. After all, I might let the next one just finish the job properly.”
Sortek left with the barest hint of a smile on his face, leaving Pavel Ridzik, Lord of the Free Tikonov Republic, sobbing.
Thanks for Reading,
Dav
-
;D Wow very dramatic update! I like how Sortek left Ridzik time to think on how to be a leader or a bufoon! Keep it up!
-
Little bit different method this time, as I finish each chapter I'll post it. As always, you see any errors or have a question let me know. Once all the chapters are complete I'll compile them into one big file and post that.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
“Now...Pavel.” It was the first time Sortek had used his proper name. “Thinking with the 'Littlest Tsar' again, eh?
LOL!!!!
-
LOL!!!!
Was wondering how many people would catch that. O0
Dav
-
Operation YELLOW BIRD Wave 5 moves, and the Wave 4 Map
Wave 5
2nd Chisholm to Sutama
2nd Ceti CC to Minakuchi
33rd Avalon to Deneb Algedi
20th Avalon to Pike IV
3rd Crucis to Dyev
12th Deneb to Yance
6th Ceti to Yance
2nd Robinson to Junction
5th Ceti to Shitara
1st Ceti to Shitara
1st Lexington 3rd BG to Paris
This 'might' change a little bit, in looking at my map I am having one of those "Blink" moments and am not sure why...
The file is to large for this forum, maybe thats what's throwing me off.
Anyhow, dropbox link:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori-YB-W5.pdf
Dav
-
Probably the Littlest Tsar causing a blinking spasm. ::)
-
Nah, its actually a Malcolm Gladwell reference. :-)
Dav
-
Last Gasp of the AFFS, Operation YELLOW BIRD, Wave 6.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori-YB-W6.pdf
Last few writeups for the AFFS side to come, then the LCAF side, the Theodores offensive.
Then The Capellan Offensive, then the one off battles.
Hopefully.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Are the Lyrans going to launch a belated 'wave 4' of Valkyrie? Otherwise there is going to be a slight gap between FS and LC positions.
-
Are the Lyrans going to launch a belated 'wave 4' of Valkyrie? Otherwist there is going to be a slight gap between FS and LC positions.
Yes. :-)
My MO for this has been to go front by front. Its easier to keep track of things that way. Once I have the Fourth Done my Plan is to do a wave by wave map that includes all fronts.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Last two operational maps.
Chapters coming after the weekend.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Kiiro%20No%20Tori-BAOYING.pdf
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20-%20Operation%20TAKO.pdf
Dav
-
October 26th, 3029
The wind had picked up again, the moaning sounds it made slipping through the remains of the telescope had been unnerving the first few times he had heard them, but now it was little more than background noise. Brevet General Nathaniel Armstrong, commanding officer of the Eridani Light Horse, had taken the opportunity to step away from the paperwork, and was instead touring the battlefield. Damaged and destroyed mechs still littered the caldera floor. In several areas makeshift gantries had been erected, and techs were hard at work fixing what mechs the could. Noone could be sure if Crossing was the Combines last attempt to try and take out the Dragoon's, and with the HPG network being Interdicted, any news they did have was out of date. Across the Caldera he could see a company of Heavy Cav mechs on patrol, across the horizon were several platoons of hovertanks and Infantry, keeping a watchful eye on the Galedon dropships.
“Sir,” His comm buzzed. “Colonel Wolf wishes to know if you have a moment?”
It had been three days since the Combine troops had routed away. In that time Wolf had barely said three words to him. The man had be had spent most of the 24th sleeping, and the 25th issuing orders and following up on them. The only conversation General Armstrong had with Colonel Wolf was to tell him what had occurred on Robinson, the results, and what he knew of current DCMS dispositions. Colonel Wolf had thanked him, then left. It took less than ten minutes.
“Tell him yes, I'll be there in less than ten.” Motioning to the infantry platoon several meters away, General Armstrong began making his way back to his GPV.
The tent wasn't large, but it was practical. Outside, the Light Horse standard flapped back and forth at its half mast position, the other flagpole empty in the Light Horse tradition. On either side of the entrance a serious looking pair of sentries stood guard. Acknowledging their salute with one of his own, General Armstrong ducked into the tent.
Colonel Wolf and another person stood as he entered.
“General Armstrong,” said Wolf.
“Colonel Wolf,” replied Armstrong, sitting down. He motioned for Wolf to do the same, and both the Dragoons sat down. Armstong noticed the second Dragoon had one arm in a cast.
“My aide, Darnell Winngingham.” Wolf gestured to the younger man.
“Well, I regret having to meet under these circumstances, but welcome. Is there anything I can get for you? Bite to eat, bottle to drink?” Armstrong looked back and forth between Wolf and the younger Dragoon. There was something about him that seemed familiar.
“We're fine,” replied Wolf. There was a pregnant pause in the air, and then Wolf spoke.
“I came to formally thank you General Armstrong, for sending your troops to Robinson.”
“Well, formally and informally, your welcome. It was the least we in the Light Horse can do, and we're proud to have been of service, especially in this regard.”
“I have a question to ask, one I'm hoping you'll answer. Colonel Ditrickson of the 10th Deneb wasn't sure, and I hope your not offended by it.” replied Wolf.
“OK,” replied Armstrong, sitting back and folding his hands in front on him. This conversation just took an interesting turn.
“Were you ordered here?” asked Wolf.
“Excuse me?”
“Did you come here because you were ordered to?”
Armstrong blinked a few times.
“No. Why?”
“Because when I asked for our postings, I also asked that we be left alone, and not helped. They wanted to pull us out of the line when we came to Crossing, but we said no. I said no. There's a rumor going around that the AFFS ordered you here to help us, and if that's the case, I have a serious issue with that.”
Armstrong leaned forward, started to speak and stopped for a moment, trying to get his thoughts in order.
“The Light Horse did what it did because of what happened on Robinson. We came because we knew you needed the help, we came because we also knew you'd never ask for it. And to be honest, Colonel, if we had been ordered here it would have been because those people with a bigger picture of what's going on in these screwed up times might have an idea as to what they're doing.”
“This was supposed to be between us and the Combine, Brevet General.” Wolfs eyes grew as hard as his voice.
“That's the biggest blivet of information I've heard in quite awhile Colonel Wolf.” Armstrong's tone matched the other mercenary commanders. The younger Dragoon looked confused for a moment.
“A Blivet,” said Armstrong, “is ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag, Mr. Willingham.” Willinghams eyes grew as dark as the Colonel's.
“It wasn't your decision to make General.” Wolf said.
“It became my decision when the 8th Sword of Light attacked Robinson. It became my decision when I got the intel on how badly your regiments had been decimated on Wapakoneta and Glenmora, and what the Combine was going to throw at you here.”
“This was supposed to be between the Wolves and the Combine.” replied Winningham.
“That went out the window the minute your Colonel here slapped the Coordinator on Terra. And you damn well know it. Do you have any idea whats been going out there while you guys have been fighting your personal sideshow?” Armstrong stared at Winningham, who started to answer until Colonel Wolf put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know you know about General Troy and the Blue Star on Ashio. Do you know that the St. Cyr Heavy Armored and Lone Star were attacking Sevren, when their DCMS transport left them behind on planet, with no support. The Lone Star's been on the Combine payroll for close to two centuries. Last intel we had was the ISF had rounded up all their dependents on Volders and has them in 're-education camps.'” Armstrong reached into his desk and pulled out a slim stack of folders.
“You know what these are? These are the files of the men and women the Light Horse has lost since the Second Wave of YELLOW BIRD. All of them killed by civilians and ISF agents on Koping Chian, Monistrol and Apriki. Killed because these Combine civilians felt they were obeying their ruler by following his Death To Mercenaries Order.” He threw the files down on his desk. One slid off and fell to the floor. “Every Davion and Steiner Merc hitting the Combine has a similar file, and some of them are a bit thicker than this stack.
“Do you know that every mercenary unit in the Combine was attacked? And I mean every mercenary unit, from the smallest mech unit to the conventional boys and girls hired by some of the Kuritan Corporations. Units I've never even heard of have been swallowed up whole by this order. The ones making it back had to fight their way out, and frankly, if some of those survivors were on their way here to exact some measure of revenge I wouldn't be surprised.” He noticed Winningham's eyes narrowed at that last comment. For his part Colonel Wolf sat back in his chair, shoulders slumped.
“You think I'm kidding Mr. Winningham?”
“If not, then we'll fight them too.”
“A fitting epitaph as I've heard lately.” retorted Armstrong. Winningham started to reply, but Colonel Wolf stopped him.
“No, he's right.” He got out of his chair, picked up the file that had slid of the desk, handed it back to Armstrong and sat back down. The tent was quiet for a minute, then Armstrong spoke.
“Look Colonel, we've always respected the Dragoons. You've always been an honorable opponent, you've never broken a contract, your concern for noncombatants is as well known as ours. There's rules to this, and we've both played by them. The Combine broke those rules on Sendai, they broke them on Cassias, and they broke them on Robinson. That's why were here. You needed help, and your pride may have stopped you from asking for it, but mine would have not stopped me from intervening. With orders, without orders, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to apologize for why we're here, and if you don't want to thank the Light Horse, that's fine. Just know that I'd do it again if the situation warranted it.”
Wolf lowered his head as Armstrong spoke. When the General had stopped speaking, he looked up.
“After what happened on New Delos, I swore I would do what I could to whomever harmed a member of the Dragoons family. I'll be honest, I didn't think anyone would go to the lengths that Takashi Kurita and Grieg Samsonov would. They killed my friend, they killed more of my family, and I let that blind me on Terra. I'm not going to say I'm sorry for what happened on Terra, but your are wrong about one thing General Armstrong.”
“And what's that Colonel Wolf.”
“General..Nathaniel...thank you. For protecting our families. For coming here to help. For helping take the blinders off as it were. Your right, it doesn't matter why your here. I..we...the Dragoons are in your debt. Don't ever hesitate to collect on it.” Colonel Wolf stood up, stepped forward with a proffered hand.
* * * * *
November 26th, 3029
“One of these days, in the near future, I am going to ask you or your successor a favor.”
“Calling in the chip?”
“I wish Nathaniel. I really do. But no. I'll end up owing you even more if you answer.”
“What's going on Jaime?”
“I can't tell you. I don't know for sure myself. I can guess, but I could well be wrong. I know whatever I do to prepare, it's not going to be enough. I'm going to need help”
“Well, I'll do what I can, and I can make sure whomever follows me will as well. But operating in the dark is going to be tough.”
“Well, pass that bottle and I'll shed a little light. Last year, on Terra during the wedding, Yorinaga Kurita's son made a discovery, one that he shared with his father, Morgan Kell, and myself...”
November 28th, 3029
“No, we can't go back. Our mission isn't complete.”
“Damn the mission. We've fulfilled the original orders. There's nothing left for us to do here.”
“You know the Khan's last orders. We're to prepare the Houses for the coming storm.”
“We've got less than two Battalions of mechs and mechwarriors, and no idea if or when they will be back. What are we going to fight them with, rocks?”
“Harsh Language if we have to. We can rebuild in time. We can get back to where we were when we got here. And it's going to be easier with you around Tasha.”
“And if they get here before we're ready?”
“Then we call for help.”
“Help? Who's going to help us? What have you done Jaime?”
-
Interesting twist on the old tale.
-
Very interesting, especially someone hitting Wolf with just how much, it wasn't just between the Dragoons and Dracs. Gotta say though I'm really curious as to what Jamie did that has Natasha of all folks asking what have you done?
-
Sevren
September 13th, 3029
It was odd how much heavier two silver pips felt on is collar. Of course, it could have been the weight of official responsibility on his head now as well.
It had taken more than a few months of negotiations to get things taken care off. Well, that and a not so thinly veiled threat from Rauss to the Deskwarrior from Mercenary Liason who wanted the Lone Star to sign a long term before he did anything to help. “After all,” Rauss thought to himself, as he entered the hanger. “What good is a reputation if you don't use it from time to time?”
The sentry outside the door saluted and opened it for him, returning it the newly minted Colonel and Commander of the 8th Donegal Guards Erich Rauss stepped through.
The assembly came to attention as Senior-Sargeant Major Prentiss called them to, close to a thousand men and women standing up, watching as he stepped up to the podium.
Picking up the microphone, he clipped it on, and was rewarded by a squeal that made most everybody, including him, wince. When the squealing didn't stop, he turned it off and threw it back down on the podium with a disgusted look. Well, God gave us lungs for a reason, and the acoustics here aren't to bad.
“Take a seat.” he said as loudly as he could without yelling.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Last week Colonels Granger and deChevereau signed their new contracts with the LCAF. As you all know, they are going to their former home planets in the Combine to rescue their families. You all know the plans, you all helped with them, and you've all volunteered to go.
“There is a problem though.” The seated attendants began to stir.
“I have received a communication from Deputy Margrave Felspar, who in no uncertain terms has forbidden the 8th Donegal to help either mercenary unit in their endeavor. Apparently the wonks at 'Intel' believe Sevren could be a target again, if anything to come after the mercs again. Now, I know what my opinion of their opinion is, after all we weren't going to be hit in the first place, were we?”
“All of out planning up to this point has been predicated on the participation of the 8th in both Operations. Not going puts a serious crimp in planning, in particular on Volders.”
The assembly was quiet.
“I find that situation unacceptable. After consulting with Colonels Granger and DeChevereau, we've modified the plans somewhat. Colonel DeChevereu is confident that the St. Cyr can handle anything on Kandis. Volders represents a bigger problem. We know they have a good militia, there are additional ISF troops on the planet, and Intel has 9th Rasalhauge pulling of Maestu to Volders in less than four weeks.
“What I need...no, what I am asking for, are eleven volunteers for an ad hoc mech company, and three companies of Infantry to accompany the Lone Star on this mission. Now, before any of you volunteer, you should know that by doing so, your are in violation of an order from a Superior Officer. As such, when we return you may find a cell and an Article 35 waiting for you, at minimum. If you are killed on this mission, there's a distinct possibility that your benefits will be forfeit. If you are captured, it could be a long time before, or if, you are repatriated. At the very least I would expect a letter in your jacket that making career advancement...tough.
“If you choose not to volunteer, believe me, I understand. And believe me, I will not think any less of you if you choose not to. Now, I know that sounds a little two faced, that it's a peer pressure thing to force you into volunteering, but trust me, it is not. In some respects, if you decide not to volunteer, I will respect you just as much if not more than those of us who go.
“Now, you all are aware of the situation, I leave it to you to determine what you want to do.” With a short nod, he left the assembly and went back to his office.
Rauss had just set his Thunderbolt in the docking collar of the launch bay when his radio came to life.
“Uh, Sir, Colonel Markbright from the 25th Arcturan is here, and would like a word with you.”
Rauss waited a moment before answering, making sure his mech was properly shutting down before he answered. Taking of his neurohelmet and cracking the cockpit hatch, he took a few deep breaths before keying the mike.
“Tell Colonel Markbright I will be down in five. Is the Colonel alone Sergeant?”
“Uh, no sir. I'll tell him sir.”
“Thank you Sergeant. If you could call Hauptmann Gage and have him meet me where Colonel Markbright and I are meeting I would appreciate it,”
“Uh, Hauptmann Gage Sir?”
“Yes Sergeant.”
Colonel Brian Markbright was waiting outside the Presaria, accompanied by a squad of MP's with the 25th's Wolfhound patch on their shoulder. None of the MP's looked happy to be there. Colonel Markbright on the other hand , while not looking happy, was serious.
“Sergeant Prescott?” asked Rauss as he came down the gangway, looking at a technician who's team had stopped their loading activities. “Is there a particular reason you are not loading that ammunition?”
“Because I ordered him to stop,” replied Colonel Markbright, stepping down from the GPV. He wasn't a tall man, and his uniform was a little to clean for Rauss's taste. The creases were to crisp, the buttons a little to bright. Whatever Markbright had been doing since landing on planet, it wasn't hard work. They two had only met a few times before, and then briefly. It was clear neither was really impressed by the other. Rauss was wearing the standard shorts and light shirt, albeit it with two enlarged silver pips emblazoned on the front.
“I wasn't expecting a visit from you Colonel. I'm on a time table, so you'll forgive me if we have to talk and walk. Sergeant Prescott, continue loading, the window is closing.” He moved away from the ganway and the 25th's GPV.
“You will do no such thing Sergeant!” Colonel Markbright's voice tended to the shrill side, and it was in full effect here. He walked over to Rauss, standing almost nose to nose. “You are in direct violation of General Felspars explicit orders, and you damned well know it Colonel. I am hereby ordering you to stop this activity, cease any operational support and help for the two mercenary units, and confine yourself and you unit to Fort Owens.”
“General Felspar ordered the 8th Donegal to not support the mercenaries. The 8th is not. However, I am taking a company of volunteers on a training mission-”
“What fiction are you trying to pull Rauss. That will never fly”
“Colonel Markbright, I've got three chapters worth of rules and regulations I can quote to you about how what I am doing is perfectly legal and within my prerogative as commander of this unit.”
“I don't care what you say, Rauss, my JAG detachment has informed me that you are in direct violation of Section 226, 228 and-”
“Colonel Markbright, my JAG lawyer tells me your JAG lawyer graduated next to last in his class. And I'm familiar with Sections you are quoting, they have no bearing because this ship is not transporting any designated unit of of the 8th, but rather a group of volunteers from across the RCT.”
“Volunteers?” Markbright was puzzled momentarily.
“Yes, Volunteers. I'm told they had to resort to a lottery system to determine who wanted to go, as the Presaria only holds 12 machines, and not 63.”
Markbrights mouth opened and closed for a moment.
“Colonel Rauss whatever legal hoops you've managed to twist yourself into are immaterial at the moment. You have been given your orders, you will follow them.”
“Colonel Markbright, it is not up to you to determine how I interpret my orders. Let me ask you Colonel, on whose authority are you here on?”
“General Felspars dispatch dated three weeks ago-”
“So what your saying is you are here of your own accord. Noone has ordered you to undertake this current action path you are on, am I right?”
“Again Colonel Rauss, General Felspar's order's-”
“Colonel Markbright, I am well aware of the Generals orders, and to my knowledge, I am not breaking those orders. If for whatever reason the DCMS returns in force to Sevren it will find your unit, its attached units, and my unit less 1 ad hoc mech company and 9 training platoons of Infantry. Are you saying the 25th Arcutran and the 8th Donegal cannot hold Sevren against an attacking force of the supposed size the DCMS is sending?” It was the raised eyebrows that made Markbright's scowl grow deeper.
“Colonel, if you do not cease and desist I will-”
“What? Arrest me? Take me into custody, court-martial me? Go ahead.” Rauss held his hands out, wrists close together. Markbright simply goggled at him.
“Please. A Court Martial, especially a public one, would be a welcome change of pace.”
Rauss could almost see the wheels in Colonel Markbright's head turning. He had a reputation as a solid tactician, but not particularly innovative one. But the reasons for Rauss's willingness to go were obvious. Rauss was something of the fair haired boy at the moment, it wouldn't look good for something to happen to him right away, especially if it came with a public platform.
The MP's sitting in the GPV watched as both Colonels had moved away, their conversation lost in the flightline noise. Rauss had stuck his arms out, then pulled them back, smiled for a brief moment and leaned in to say something. What they did not expect was the commander of the 25th Arcturan to suddenly scream at the top of his lungs, lunge towards Colonel Rauss, and then hit the commander of the 8th Donegal Guard with several punches. As they fell out of the vehicle, Rauss blocked one of Markbright's punches, and with a short right fist of his own kidney punched Colonel Markbright, who fell to the tarmac in a graceless heap. As the MP's got closer the Colonel Rauss, bleeding from the nose and a cut eye, found the senior MP present.
“You,” Rauss pointed. “Your name Staff Sergeant?”
“Gronau, Colonel.”
“Staff Sergeant Gronau, you will place Colonel Markbright under arrest. The charges are conduct unbecoming an officer and assault.” The MP paused.
“Are you blind or deaf or dumb Staff Sergeant?”
“Sir?”
“Did you not see what just happened?”
“No sir, I mean yes sir, we all saw it.”
“Then I am hereby ordering you to place Colonel Markbright under arrest and take him to the Fort Owen Detention center. Now Sergeant.”
The MP's did their job fast, reading the still gasping Colonel his rights. As they were ready to drive off, Hauptmann Gage came racing up in his own GPV. A Brief discussion with Colonel Rauss, and he followed the MP's off to the detention center. Someone had called for an ambulance, the siren cut through the flightline noise, warbling as it got closer.
The detention room was a middling grey color, a table and chair bolted to the floor. Colonel Markbright sat, one wrist manacled to the other, the chain running through a ring on the table. The door opened, and three men stepped in.
“Colonel Markbright, I'm Hauptmann Gage, the investigating officer. With me are Hauptmann's Korinsky and Learmen, both from the JAG shop. Before I continue I am obligated to inform you that this conversation is being recorded and taped.”
“Hauptmann I am ordering you to release me this instant.”
Gage sat down and laid an impressive stack of papers on the table.
“Sir, I cannot do that, at this time your under arrest for-”
“****** it Hauptman if you do not release me this instant-”
“He can't.” said on of the JAG Lawyers, Learmen. They had both moved to the wall.
“Sir, these here-” Gage indicated the stack of papers in front of him “Represent the statements of twenty one of the twenty three people who saw you assault Colonel Rauss. Including, I might add, your own MP detail. With very few exceptions, all of the accounts are the same in their recollection, you and Colonel Rauss were talking, and then you hit Colonel Rauss multiple times, and then he defended himself.”
“That excuse of a jumped up Colonel goaded me into hitting him.”
“Well, that's why I am here at this time sir, to get your statement of the events on what happened. As investigating officer I've appointed Hauptmann Korinsky as your counsel at this time, should you desire new counsel we can wait?”
“No, lets get this over with, and then we can get this farce over with.”
“Fine sir. Now, in your own words, describe the conversation and what happened after Colonel Rauss came down the gangway?”
Colonel Markbright recounted his story, up until the point when Rauss had goaded him. Gage and the JAG lawyers took notes, recording devices having been known to fail before.
“And what did Colonel Rauss say sir?”
Colonel Markbright paused. “He called into question my ability as a commander and leader Hauptmann.”
“Can you go into more detail sir?”
“No.”
“No you can't, or no you won't?”
“No Hauptmann.”
“Fine Sir. Anything else to add at this time sir?”
“No, now get me out of these manacles. That's an order.”
“He can't,” replied Hauptmann Learmen.
“What do you mean?” replied Markbright.
“Sir, I have twenty one statements that all say the same thing. You threw the first punch. You threw the first three or four punches before Colonel Rauss defended himself. That sir is enough to hold you for an Article 45 hearing. Which will proceed as soon as we get the last witness statement.”
Markbright felt the pit in his stomach grow.
“And why hasn't Colonel Rauss given his statement.”
“Sir,” Hauptmann Gage replied, “Colonel Rauss needed medical attention. You fractured an orbital bone, and lacerated his jaw. After he left Medical, he had to proceed back to the Presaria, as the timetable had not stopped. They boosted off two hours ago.”
“What?! Then order him back!”
“Sir, mission parameters include total EMCON, anything we send to the Presaria will not be acknowledged. The only way they would return before the completion of the exercise is if the jumpship was unable to continue with the mission, or the planet was being invaded. Again.” Gage sighed.
“Then signal that's whats happening and get him back here!” Markbrights voice grew shrill again.
“Sir,” asked Hpt. Learmen. “Are you ordering him to lie about the planet being invaded?”
“Yes!”
“Hpt. Gage, that would be an illegal order, and I advise you not to do so.” replied Learmen. Next to him Hpt. Korinsky nodded. In a subtle motion the JAG attorney also flicked his head at the ceiling. It took a few seconds for the hint to register.
“Fine, then lets get the Article 45 over with, and then I'll be on my way.”
“Sir,” replied Korinsky, “I'd advise against that. At this time General McCotter would have no choice but to find you guilty, the preponderance of evidence is against you. Your only defense at the moment is based would be based on the testimony of an officer who was unable to give his version of events due to circumstances that have been recognized time in again as over riding.”
Markbright sat and fumed for a moment.
“So, let me see if I have this straight Hauptmans. If I press for a speedy Article hearing, I will be found guilty, because the testimony of the one man who can exonerate my actions is unavailable?”
“That about sums it up sir” replied Gage.
“And I am confined here until that testimony is available?
“Yes Sir.”
“And when will Colonel Rauss be back?”
“Minimum Six weeks sir. IF he comes back that is.”
“Sonofabitch....”
November 14th, 3029
Tamar
The stack of paper and chips on her desk was growing, but out of the corner of her eye General Nondi Steiner saw one of her many aides enter quietly, lay down a stack of folders, and beat a quick retreat. That was never a good sign. Picking the folder up, she began to read its contents. At first she was concerned, then angry, then reading the attached addendum, borderline murderous.
Walking to her door, she three it open and stuck her head out.
“Someone get on the com to General Felspar and tell him if he's not in my office in the next half hour he will be verdamnt sorry. NOW!”
General Felspar made it with minutes to spare. “What the hell is going on?” he wondered.
“What the hell is going on Sevren?” General Steiner threw the folder at her aide.
“Ma'am?”
“I'll save you the trouble of reading. Middle of September Colonel Markbright of the 25th Arcturan tried to arrest Colonel Rauss of the 8th Donegal, for insubordination. Apparently a communique went out with your signature in August that both units were to remain on planet?”
“That was rescinded on September 3rd Ma'am.”
“Well, somewhere the communication pipeline broke, because Markbright didn't get that particular memo. And neither did Rauss. So Rauss puts together a “voluntary training group” to accompany the Lone Star back to Volders. Markbright tries to order him to stay on planet. An “Incident”-” to her credit the general did not accompany that word with the usual finger gesture “left Markbright in the stockade for assaulting Colonel Rauss. Twenty plus witnesses all say Markbright threw the first punches.” Felspar groaned inside.
“Oh, it gets better. Because of the “training exercise” EMCON rules, Rauss couldn't be called back to planet. Colonel Markbright ordered the XO to lie in order to get Rauss to return, that's on vid. Six weeks later, Rauss returns the hero from Volders. It's a verdamnt 'feel good' story, the press is eating it up. Colonel Rauss gives his testimony, corroborates what Colonel Markbright says, and General McCotter has to find them both guilty of conduct unbecoming. You know what these are?” The general held up another stack of folders.
“I have recommendations for General McCotter, the Duke of Sevren, the commanders of the St. Cyr Heavy Armored and the Lone Star Regiment to further investigate what the hell happened. I also have the resignations of 57 Mechwarriors of the 8th Donegal and most of the senior commanders of the RCT's conventional regiments as well, contingent on the further investigation of the chain of events. This is a public relations disaster, one I do not have time to deal with. And it all started over a memo you wrote. Do you understand me General Felspar?”
“Yes ma'am. I Understand Ma'am. When do I leave ma'am”
“Pick any of the Scouts in orbit and get to Sevren. Get this verdamnt mess sorted out. And when I mean sorted out, I mean keeping everybody in the service happy. If Der Mensch resigns I will never hear the end of it, and my days and nights are already full. Sind wir klar?
“Jawhol, mein General.”
“Ser gut. Now get going.”
-
Behind every heroic military maverick, there is a long-suffering superior officer. ;D
-
I gotta remember this one for my next rpg
-
I gotta remember this one for my next rpg
Cool. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
As far as the 4th SSW goes, I don't have to much left to do. I've finished the AFFS front, and am almost done with the Lyran fronts. That leaves the writeup for Operation TAKO, BAOYING, and the one off battles. I *should* have that done by end of year. Depends on how the wife lets me spend vacation... ;)
Once those are done, I'll post a Master OOB update with losses and the like, and then it's onto the next part of the universe. Which is where more departures from canon are going to occur.
As always, any questions or comments are appreciated, and thanks for reading!
Dav
Oh, and here's the map for NADELSTICH. :)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KiiriNoTori%20-%20NADELSTICH.pdf
-
Ch 31 – Lot in Life
September 20th
Tharkad
Archon Katrina sat on her throne as Colonel Frederick Steiner entered the hall. The rhythmic tattoo of his boots against the marbled floor faltered for a brief moment when Ryan Steiner stepped out of the throne and dais shadow. A small smirk at the corner of the Archon's mouth was recognition of the struggle against the surprise he felt, the struggle he was losing.
Stopping at the base of the dais, Colonel Steiner clicked his heels and bowed, waiting for the hand of the Archon. Realizing it was not forthcoming after a brief moment, he stood up.
“You have summoned me Archon?”
From her height the Archon looked down on him, her eyes hard. “So I have.”
Frederick's unease grew, and he struggled not to squirm under that icy gaze. His right hand started to rise of its own accord to massage the scar at his temple, but he caught himself.
“What is it Katrina?” Fear became irritation. “There's a war on, I'm due to rotate back to the front with the 10th. What do you want?”
With a speed and grace that Frederick wasn't suspecting, the Archon stood swiftly and took a step down the dais. As he unconsciously backpedaled, Frederick saw Ryan Steiner jump as well.
“What do I want? You, you ask what I want?” With an imperious gesture she brought Frederick back to the base of the dais. Standing over him, she leaned forward, to whisper in his ear.
“What I want, what I desire, is your head. Preferably on a platter, but off your body, to be sure.”
Frederick drew a step back, at the same time one of the Household Guard Griffin-S that watched the throne room swung it's right arm forward. The maw of the Large laser in the humanoids mech hand seemed to grow bigger as Frederick stared at it. He realized he had raised his hand to push Katrina away, and lowered it as quickly as he could.
“What...What are you talking about?”
“The Archon ignored his question. “You Schwachkopf!” her voice echoed of the Throne Room walls. “It's bad enough the treason you plot with Aldo Lestrade, but now? Now you actively join him?” She gave Frederick a withering look. “Until now, I assumed the attempts on my life were of Lestrade's doing. Now, not this wiesal-” she gestured towards Ryan “-brings me a holodisk, the one you sent to Alessandro demanding his support. How could you be so stupid?”
Ignoring the pained look that crossed Ryan Steiner's face, Frederick tried to answer. His mouth worked up and down, but not sound came out. Behind the Archon, the Griffin's arm had not wavered.
“Aldo tried to have you killed?” he found his voice at last. “I know there have been attempts, but thought it was Kurita, or Heimdall...”
The look of betrayal in Fredrick’s eyes was of little comfort to the Archon. “Colonel, there are two things that have kept you in my good graces since I took the throne. One if you unswerving loyalty to the Commonwealth. The second is your lack of Imagination. Two months ago, assassins from the Federation of Skye, disguised as Federated Suns officers no less, nearly murdered me and Simon Johnson. If not for a member of Heimdall, you would either be sitting on this throne or fighting for it. Are you telling me that attempt was not the incident you refer to in your message to Alessandro?” Her voice was a chilled as the outside air.
His faced paled, the color draining as he realized what had occurred. His eyes now full of fury, he looked at Ryan Steiner, who met his gaze for a second then looked away. Frederick turned back to the Archon.
“Archon..Katrina...I swear on my honor as an officer in the LCAF-”
“You realize how much that honor means to me right now...Colonel?” There was a malevolence in her voice Frederick had never heard before, her nostrils flaring, eyes going cooler, if that were possible. Frederick fell to one knee in front of the throne, head bowed.
“I swear that I knew nothing about an attempt to kill you. Depose you as you did to Alessandro, yes. But this was a political fight, my ascending the throne would be legitimate if accomplished as bloodlessly as possible. Winning it in a fight would mean Civil War, and I do not want that, no matter how much I desire that throne.” He raised his head as he spoke, the abject truth on his face evident.
The Archon was silent for a moment, the leaned forward.
“Then what incident were you referring to?” she asked.
Any resolve Frederick had broke. The realization that Aldo Lestrade had betrayed more than once now was a sensation that made him nauseous. All this time he's been a puppet master.
He looked directly at her, still on one knee. “He planned to use any attack by the Combine into the Federation of Skye as a pretext for declaring independence. That action would restrict trade, cut the Commonwealth off from the Federated Suns...I was...I was to negotiate a settlement, and with his and Alessandro's support force you to share power, if not abdicate.” He looked at Ryan as he finished talking, murder in his eyes. Ryan Steiner looked anywhere but the Colonels face.
“The Kell Hounds on Lyons stopped that plan.” replied the Archon.
Frederick turned back to her. “No, he said the plan had been delayed, not stopped. He said he was working on a new plan. He cannot order the 1st Royal off of Skye, he won't order the 17th Skye off Summer. Richard's Panzer Brigade on Menkent, he has a plan for them, but I am not privy to those details. That said, he's just as afraid Morgan Kell is going to fall out of the Skye any moment now and come after him. He fears the Kell Hounds more than the Dragon.”
“As he should,” replied the Archon. “But Morgan Kell has more important business to tend to. After that, I'm not certain I could restrain him from going to Summer.” Her eyes grew thin again as she looked at Frederick. “I'm not sure I want to restrain him.”
Frederick Steiner stood, straightened his uniform jacket, and then tore the epaulets off the shoulder. Looking at them, holding them in his hand for a moment, he tossed them at his Archon's feet.
“I resign. From command of the 10th Lyran Guards, from the LCAF. Whatever you do, leave the 10th out of it. They're the best troops any officer could ask for.” He smiled for a brief second. “You know that, you were their commander once. Try me for treason, execute me, but they have no part in this, and I'll not have their reputation sullied.”
The Archon looked at the epaulets for a moment, then leaned over and picked them up, gently rocking them back and forth in her hand, watching the light flash of the two pips on each one.
Things were so much....easier...when all you had was the burden of this command, weren't they?
Standing again, she walked forward, pulled Frederick's hand forward, and put the epaulets back. A surprised Frederick Steiner’s hand stayed where she had let it go.
“If I could accept you offer, I would. Of course, had I the final say in the manner, the fall of your body after it had been shot would trigger the lever that opened the trapdoor beneath Aldo Lestrade's feet, and I would broadcast it from the tallest Triad tower. But, as I found out in 3005, and again in 3007, what I want to do and what I need to do are often not in agreement with each other. But I cannot accept your resignation at this time.”
Frederick could not keep the astonished look off his face. “I...do not understand.”
“Duke Lestrade's plan may come to fruition, sooner than he likes, and with more drastic consequences. Luthien was responsible for the Lyons raid, but Colonel Kurita has come up with a plan that is more than adequate for Duke Lestrades motive. Your familiar with what he has on Moore?”
Duke Frederick nodded. He had kept abreast of the strategic situation while rebuilding his unit.
“Yes, the remains of the Legion of Vega, the 3rd, 12th, 22nd and 27th Dieron, the 12th Sun Zhang.”
“And the 5th Sword of Light and Genyosha, but do not worry about the latter for the moment. Our intrepid Colonel Kurita has been hard at work during the Lull. Excluding the Genyosha, he has almost 5 full regiments of troops on Moore, and while half those troops are newly trained, they will have little trouble when they land summer, Skye, Alphecca, Ryde and Marfik. And the young Colonel has more than enough supplies to keep going after those planets fall.”
“With VALKYRIE and NADELSTISCH there's little left to oppose those moves,” replied Frederick, his mind aghast with the possibilities of the Kuritan offensive.
“Theodore has decided to attack in one great wave, and as yet does not have all the transport needed to support such a move. “”Nicht Kleckern sondern Klotzen” as it were.” The Archon allowed herself a brief smile.
“He'll have that transport by the middle of November, and will be ready to go at the end of November.” Standing up, she walked to Frederick Steiner, looking at him with...regret?
“I cannot stop his transportation, but I can destroy his supplies.” She leaned forward, dropping protocol. As one warrior to another, she spoke. “I need those depots destroyed. Can you do that for me Frederick, and redeem yourself?”
Fredrick rubbed his chin. 1 to 6 odds...could be worse. Could it? “I'd prefer to die a hero than be remembered as a traitor.” e replied. Raising himself up to his full height, he leaned forward and grasped her hand, raising it to his mouth, briefly kissing the ring before letting it go. Katrina kept it raised in front of him, looking into his eyes before lowering it.
“I only ask that the jumpship stay long enough to pick up any survivors. You do not have to worry that I will be among them, my Archon.” He bowed his head and softly clicked his heels. Old habits...
“That shall be done.” she replied, moving back to her throne. Behind her, the Griffin's armed lowered in smooth precision to its former resting place.
“And you,” Fredrick turned and looked at Ryan Steiner. The boy could afford to be smug, but only for a moment, thought Frederick. “This is what happens when you lose to a gracious victor, Ryan Steiner.” Looking briefly at his epaulets, he threw them down at the young Duke of Porrima's feet. “You remember that when it's your turn to stand in front of this dais.” He stared at the younger Steiner with a harsh glare, holding it until that smug smile was wiped off the young mans face, until Ryan Steiner turned away.
Turning smartly, Colonel Frederick Steiner, head held high, marched out of the Throne Room.
* * * * *
Moore
November 14th
Gasping in pain as the guard threw him down by his hair, Frederick Steiner struggled to get to his knees. They had secured his uninjured arm to his side with a length of rope, the broken one he held close to his chest.
“Stop. Do not treat the Duke so, his surrender brings him no dishonor. Help him to his feet, gently.”
Helped to his feet, Frederick swayed for a moment before everything steadied.
“I would have thought my surrender would be seen as an act of cowardice.” he said.
“By some, but then those people are not as concerned about Bushido as they appear to be.” Theodore indicated that the Dukes uninjured arm be freed, then turned to look out the plate glass window. Outside, the capital of Shizuoka burned. The guard left, another man in a Combine uniform stood in the doorway.
“We have most of the fires under control now.” With a wave Theodore acknowledged the news and dismissed the soldier.
Eight hours later and they all burn. thought Frederick. Can I believe we actually accomplished what we set out to do?
“You know Duke, this is not how I saw us fighting.” The flames lit Theodore Kurita's face, then he turned away from the view. Walking over to a small table. He poured two small cups of rice wine, handed one to Frederick, then indicated the chair at one end. Both men sat, quietly for a moment. Theodore sipped his wine first, but Frederick left is untouched. He was already unsteady, he didn't need any more help in that regard.
“How did you see us fighting Colonel Kurita?”
A smile was his first answer. “I imagined you and I waging war as the heads of our respective nations. In fact, there are those in the...hierarchy that are surprised you have not supplanted her yet.”
Frederick could not keep the disgust off his face. “Were I on the throne, I would have been nothing more than a puppet, the strings pulled by Aldo Lestrade. It took a long time for me to see what he was doing, but then that is my failing. I could have only assumed the throne with Aldo's....help and guidance, but then those puppet strings would have become a noose around my neck. The Throne, the Commonwealth would be poorer for that.”
“I am aware of Lestrade's machinations. Do you know that after the incident on Lyons he sent several representatives to me, here on Moore?” Theodore sipped his rice wine, Frederick did the same, it gave his free hand something to do.
If I had lived Aldo, I would have killed you myself.
“You should know that there are standing orders that Lestrade be killed if he succeeds in supplanting the Archon.”
Frederick did not choke on his rice wine as Theodore said this, rather he was surprised by the conversational tone the Combine Heir had adopted. “A Puppet with no puppet master is not a difficult thing to deal with.” Frederick replied.
Theodore smiled. “You underestimate yourself, Colonel. With you on the throne, their would have been a glorious war...Learning of Lestrades death you would sought vengeance, sent the Skye Forces after me. It would be spectacular, a contest of military might and skill against military might and skill....the ultimate fulfillment of Bushido.”
“And what would you call the last fifteen months, Colonel Kurita? Glorious?” Theodore frowned briefly at the barb, then set his cup down.
“There have been many glorious things about this current battle. But the actions that stain my honor, my fathers honor, my nations honor, those are what the historians will remember. General Troy on Ashio, the war against the Dragoons, New Freedom. That's what the historians and civilians will remember. That you led a crack regiment here, against such odds, will be a footnote. That your troops fought like the Akuma of children's tales will be lost. The others should be remembered, need to be remembered, but why should what happened here be forgotten? This was a Glorious fight, mechwarriors pushing themselves to the limit and beyond. I have never encountered such ferocity, such single minded determination. It was magnificent.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“You should know your surrender brings you no shame, Colonel. Your promise to the Archon has been fulfilled, your survivors are returning unmolested. Concern and Compassion for ones followers is a part of Bushido, and your actions bring you no dishonor.”
“If the roles were reversed, would you feel the same way Colonel Kurita?”
Theodore stood and looked out the window again.
“If the situation were reversed, there are those would insist I commit Seppuku to cleanse my families name of the dishonor I have brought to it. But that..path...has brought nothing but disaster to my house as of late. To many capable men and women are being destroyed because their superiors and nominal betters do not see what they did to overcome the obstacles in front of them, only that they failed. But, I fear if the situation were reversed they would be clamoring for my head.”
Turning back from the view with a frown, Theodore poured himself another cup of Sake.
“The Genyosha and 5th Sword of Light left they system three days ago, I expect the Sword to hit Skye within two weeks, the Genyosha have business on Nusakan with the Kell Hounds. Your jumpship moves from it's pirate point to collect your survivors, they should be collected in a day or two. You and you men inflicted a great amount of damage, but as brave as your assault was, there are enough supplies for the initial attacks. I dreamed of a followup, but this-” he swept his hand to the scene outside the glass, “-Will prevent that. I am sorry your were unsuccessful in your task.”
“Not as sorry as I am.” Lifting the cup to his lips, Frederick drank the remainder, then held the empty cup out for a refill.
“Spoken like a true Warrior Colonel Steiner.” replied Theodore, reaching for the cup.
* * * * *
They had been talking pleasantries, of their times at the Nagerling and Sun Zhang, when the conversation turned to more recent events.
“They say you took on two lances of mechs by yourself Colonel.” Theodore brought the conversation back to the days events. “Damaged three of them severely enough that they will need to be scrapped, destroyed two completely, damaged the other before being forced to eject. I am sorry to say very little remains of your Zeus.”
“I did what needed to be done.”
“Indeed. Such skill is not to be taken lightly. If I have a regret about this action it is that Yorinaga Kurita and the Genyosha were not here to participate. That would have been a duel for the ages.”
“I doubt that. Besides, Yorinaga Kurita has one target in mind. Ordering him to stay here and fight would have been just as impossible as ordering him not to seek out the Kell Hounds. I wish I knew what drove you Morgan. You traded your life for those of your people on Mallory's World, much as I've done here. But you lived. Embracing death, looking at it and confronting it, surviving it, does that give you your strength?
Theodore nodded slowly in agreement, but the buzzing from a nearby vidphone cut off the conversation. Putting the earpiece on, Theodore turned the screen so Frederick could not see, but the look on Kurita's face told him all he needed to know, the rage with which Kurita asked and responded to whomever he was talking to grew.
Katrina, what did you do? Whatever it is, I am glad I was here to see it.
Theodore tore the audio from his head, picked up the visphone, and threw it to the floor.
“Komno Yarou!” he screamed, pointing at Frederick. “You sit here and talk to me of honor while committing such treachery!” The vehemence in his voice was shocking, gone was the placid Bushido practitioner, in it's place was fury and anger, and it was holding a gun.
“I have no idea what your talking about.” Frederick was surprised by the steel in his voice. His gaze never wavered.
The gun lowered slightly, the lowered completely. “No, no you would not. This sort of trickery is beyond you.” Theodore starting pacing. “You cousin, the majyo, sent Loki agents to cripple the Jumpships of my fleet. Eight have blown Helium tanks, three have lost their station keeping engines, and the rest have had their solar recharge exchange systems damaged. One of those damaged is falling towards the fifth planet, and may not be able to stay in orbit. What you fail to do in honorable combat, she accomplishes by deceit.” The disgust in his voice twisted his mouth into a snarl.
Frederick could not help it, he laughed. It started out small, but then became loud and boisterous, until his arm and ribs began to hurt through the dullness the rice wine had inflicted.
With a snarl, Theodore stepped forward and swung his pistol, the blow knocking Frederick out of the chair and to the floor. He landed on his broken arm, but he ignored the pain. The heat across his face quickly dulled as well.
“What is so funny Colonel Steiner?” Theodore stood over him, pistol pointed at his head.
It hurt to talk between the gasps, but he did anyway, with a half smile on his face. “I do not know why you are so shocked Theodore. This is the way of things. You and I may be warriors, we may observe the rules and conventions of war, but in the end, we are nothing but a soldier to be used by one...or many. Our lot in life is to be betrayed, because while we may follow the rules and conventions of war, the politicians feel no need to. What we see as honorable and virtuous, they exploit as our weakness. It took fifty seven years for me to learn that lesson Theodore. I pray for you sake it does not take you that long to learn it as well.”
Frederick smiled, for the first time in a long time he felt unburdened. It was a good feeling, one that overloaded the rest of his senses and filled him with a calm as Theodore's raised his gun hand and stroked the trigger.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
nice!
-
You would think that Theodore having been involved in the politics of the DC would be used to the treachery.
-
You would think that Theodore having been involved in the politics of the DC would be used to the treachery.
I think what we would call "Treachery and Betrayal" The Combine calls "The Natural order of things, what time is lunch?"
IMO, the failing of Theodore in this case is the fact that he sees Katrina as nothing more than a mechwarrior on the throne, and expects her to behave in a certain manner, and is surprised when she does't want to play the same game he is using the same rules.
Dav
-
Oh well, he learned the hard way. >:D :D O0
-
Operation NADELSTICH
36th Lyran Guards from Cavanaugh II to Bella I
7th Lyran Regulars from Loric to Colfax
Snord's Irregulars from Clinton to Launam
10th Lyran Regulars from Rahne to Concord
Hsien Hot Heads from New Kyoto to Uhuru
10th Skye Rangers from Solaris to Kalidasa
17th Arcturan Guards from Cor Coroli to Phecda
Richards Panzer Brigade from Menkent to Milton
Operation CINQUEDA
2nd Free Worlds Guards from Bella I to Dixie
Lagendorf Lancers from Colfax to Dixie
21st Centauri from Nestor to Ford
31st Marik Militia from Launam to Gienah
20th Marik Militia from Concord to Hyde
30th Marik Militia from Phecda to Gacrux
Smithsons Chinese Bandits from Milton to Mizar
25th Marik Militia from Wyatt to Alioth
18th Marik Militia from Oliver to Chara
-
Battle write up...
Bella I
A SAFE agent posing as a merchant had left Cavanaugh II and arrived on Bella I, passing his information up the chain of command and warning the 2nd Free Worlds Guards that the Lyrans were on the way. Abandoning the loading of his unit, Colonel Kimbolton prepared for the coming attack.
When the jumpships of the 36th Lyran appeared, they expected to surprise the Marik defenders. Instead, in a reverse of what happened at Wyatt, as soon as the Lyran dropships were well enough from their jumpships they were attacked by several flights of Marik aerospace fighters. Several dropships were damaged and one Union was destroyed.
Pressing on, the Lyran RCT landed in good form outside of Damien, a small city southwest of the capital city of Port Isadora, the planets capital city. It was here that most of the 2nd Free Worlds Guard was normally stationed, but encountering only conventional forces, the commander of the RCT, Colonel Emily Stevens, realized that the 2nd Free Worlds had moved to the larger spaceport to embark. Leaving behind and infantry and tank regiment to hold Damien, she moved her unit parallel to the highway that connected the two cities. At Jacob's Crossing, a small village in the hilly terrain that led to Port Isadore, the left flank of her advance was attacked by a Marik hover tank regiment and the 2nd Guards Recon Company. Knowing her opponents skill and reputation as commander, Colonel Stevens decided the proper course of action would be to slow her advance and not make any rash decisions. Sending her own Blitz Company to counter the Marik advance, Colonel Stevens awaited developments.
While knowledge of the Lyrans Blitz companies had been common since the start of the 4th Succession War, Jacob's Crossing was the first Marik encounter with the Lyran company, and they did not fair well. Surprised by the Wolfhounds, Dervishes, and more than competently handled Griffin's. Phoenix Hawk and Commandos of the Blitz Company, the Guards company of Wolverines, Hermes II and Firestarter's found itself in a fast moving slugging match that they were losing. A timely attack by some Marik Saladin hovertanks allowed the 2nd's Recon Company to disengage, leaving four mechs behind on the field of battle.
As the Battle at Jacobs Creek was winding down, two Battalions of the Guards attacked the 36th Lyrans right flank. While the medium mechs of the Guards were more maneuverable than then heavier Lyran mechs, the terrain meant they could not use their speed to full effect. Beginning a phased withdrawal back to Damien, the 36th Lyran fell back in good order, frustrating the Marik advance. A day later the 2nd Free World attacked again at Booker Heights. The Lyrans again frustrated the Marik troops by holding their ground and giving as good as they received. When a Marik company of medium and heavy mechs pushed through a screening force of infantry and tanks, their attack was turned away by the Blitz Company and another Lyran mech company that was nearby. That evening, the 2nd Free Worlds disengaged and fell back to Jacobs Crossing.
The next day the 36ths Aerospace Wing, depleted by the fighting from the jump point to the planet, began a descent towards Jacob's Crossing. At the same time the 36th began another slow advance towards Damien. Scrambling its own Aerospace fighters to intercept, the 2nd waited at Jacob's Crossing, Colonel Kimbolton eager to take advantage of any disorder the 36th might be under. As the fighters came within engagement range of each other, a lance of Lyran Centurion ASF's broke from the main formation and headed straight towards Port Isadore at full speed. Surprised by this sudden turn of events, Marik ASF's gave chase, but were unable to catch the swifter Lyran planes. With only a few minutes of warning, Port Isadore was not ready for an aerial attack. Using the Isadore Broadcast Tower as their landmark, the two ASF's turned towards the Port Isadore Spaceport. Although met with some defensive missile and laser fire, the two planes streaked through and released their payload. Homing in on a beacon planted by a Loki agents, the bombs did not strike the heavily protected underground reaction mass fuel tanks, but the above ground pipe switching and control station. Although the resulting fire was easily dealt with (the valves at the main tanks were turned off at the source) there was now no way for the dropships, commercial and military, sitting on the pad at Port Isadore to fuel up.
Although both Lyran ASF's were shot down and destroyed after their bombing run, the damage had been done. Until the pipes and intricate valve systems were repaired, the dropships of the 2nd Free Worlds were planet bound. Although furious at his inability to stop what had happened, Colonel Kimbolton had little choice but to let the 36th retreat back to Damien and lift off planet. On planet, Mech losses on both sides were light, each mech unit had lost a little less than two companies of mechs, overall losses favored the Marik force. Conventional losses were higher on the Lyran side, as were the ASF loses, but the 36th had done what it had set out to do.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Hey everyone.
Just wanted to thank all of you reading for the past year or so, this project has been quite fun for me, and I look forward to finishing it.
I am starting a new job in January, so my schedule of two updates per month shouldn't change. I know I've been ahead of that schedule for now, but two per month after january is doable.
The one thing I am interested in at this point is what, if any, maps people would like to see. And I don't mean tactical maps, to be honest until i find a quick and easy way to do them that I like (which probably means Illustrator lessons from my wife in the near future), I was thinking more of wave maps, overview maps and the like.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a good holiday season.
Dav
-
Happy Holiday to you too! Looking forward to you updates!
-
A few maps for today. Went back and cleaned a couple of things up.
Any feedback appreciated.
Dav
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20Unit%20Start.pdf
-
Wave One Moves Map.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20First%20Wave%20Moves.pdf
Any errors let me know!
Thanks for looking,
Dav
-
Very impressive maps you have created.
One question the world Holloran V, i thought it was Halloran V.
Just a minor spelling error. O0
-
One idea I am fooling around with is a damage indicator based on the unit label.
The Colors might change, but I wanted to get some feedback on it.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/DamageMarker.bmp
Dav
-
The scales are probably not going to work very well. Better to use monochromes for the different levels or no more than two colors in a label.
-
The scales are probably not going to work very well. Better to use monochromes for the different levels or no more than two colors in a label.
Yeah, further experimenting has shown the previous effort to be dismal at best. Probabaly a half color, with a different color representing loss percenatge. Just have to find a set that works well withing the overall colors. Will have something new in the next couple of days.
Thanks for commenting!
Dav
-
I think this is what I am going to do. Just have to make sure I add this to the legend.
Next few maps will be wave and unit retreats.
Dav
-
Updated 1st Wave Results Map
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20First%20Wave%20Results.pdf
A few minor corrections from the 1st Map, if you see any other errors let me know. Thanks!
Dav
-
Updated 2nd Wave SPIKE map.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20SPIKE%20Second%20Wave%20Moves.pdf
I think I am going to keep updating the maps to the 'new' format the rest of this month, then pick up the narrative.
As always, feel free to point out any errors.
Dave
-
Updated Second Wave SPIKE Retreats and PAVISE moves.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20SPIKE%20Second%20Wave%20Retreats.pdf
As always, feel free to point out any errors.
Dave
-
Tamar
Colonel Lloyd McGavin was a retired DCMS officer who, against all odds, formed a unit and turned it into one of the premier light fighters.in the DCMS. Unfortunately for the Colonel, he and his troops were never high on the DCMS support and supply list, and he had to scrap a fight for every ton of armor and ammunition. Hit hard in the first wave of Operation VALKYRIE while on Basiliano, Colonel McGavin retreated to Kufstein, and waited. And kept waiting. As supplies for the 5th Sun Zhang came to Kufstein, very little came to Colonel McGavin. After months of waiting, through the Lull, and with the resumption of hostilities in June, Colonel McGavin was tired of sitting and doing nothing. He had recruited his unit with the intent of using it on the battlefield, and he was going to do just that.
Realizing that the LCAF needed to be distracted, or at least given a few more problems, with the news that the Lyrans were on the offensive, Colonel McGavin took his unit to their waiting jumpships, and left the system. Three weeks later they appeared at a Pirate Point in the Tamar system, and began a high speed drop to the planet surface. Despite being outnumbered, Coloenl McGavin was confident in his mechwarriors abilities. Knowing he could not fight a standup battle, Colonel McGavins troops instead fell back on what they did best, raiding. Landing in the massive Industrial parks outside of Tamar City, they moved towards the industrial section.
Colonel Steven Zaks of the 12th Donegal Guards was caught in a bind. An experienced officer who has served on both Marik and Kurita borders, the 12th Donegal was his first command. His unit, having rotated to Tamar from Barcelona, was quite green, and most of his troops had never fought a unit of the Nightstalkers caliber. Adding to his troubles was the Duke of Tamar, Simon Kelswa. Appearing at the Donegal command post as the Nightstalkers were landing, he demanded that he be placed in command of the defense, if not by his right as a noble but as leader of the Tamar Pact. When Colonel Zaks objected to the presence of the Duke in his command post, it started an argument between the two as to who was in command. Finally losing his temper, Duke Kelswa had Colonel Zaks arrested. While the stunned officer was led off by members of the Duke’s security detail, Duke Kelswa ordere the 12th to find and engage the Nightstalkers. The Nightstalkers had taken advantage of the confusion to charge into the Industrial section, destroying everything in their path. The lances and companies of the 12th moved in cautiously, the thick smoke generated by the burning buildings cut visibility, heat sensors were thrown off by the fires, magnetic sensors could not function because of the buildings.
The engagement soon became a disorganized cat and mouse battle. Lances would appear and disappear like ghosts, lasers and missiles would appear out of the murk in haphazard fashion. When the two sides did get involved in fight, the Combine troops almost always came out of top. Back at the command center, Duke Kelswa was slowly losing what control he had of the situation, issuing a stream of contradictory orders, ignoring situation reports, and generally causing more problems than solving. At one point a lance of Nightstalker mechs had blundered its way to within a few blocks of the command post, and the air was filled with the Dukes cries for reinforcements. The fighting continued throughout the night, the Nightstalkers laying waste to much of the northern sector of the district.
The next morning Lyran reinforcements arrived. Two regiments of armor and two of infantry had made their way to the battlefield. At their head was Kommandant-General Mitch Felspar, Assistant Margrave of the Tamar Theater. When he entered the command center and saw the disorganized chaos that was going one, he asked for Colonel Zaks. When Duke Kelswa appeared and told the General what he had done, Felspar went outside for a few minutes, came back in with a LCAF security detail, and physically pulled Duke Kelswa into a room. When the Duke started to protest his treatment, General Felspar quieted him by threatening to forcibly remove him from the premises.
In the closed room, the General lit into the Duke, making pointed criticism of his conduct during the previous day, including the obvious disorganization as the result of the commands issued. The Duke was not a military man, he was not schooled in the operational arts, he needed to get out of the way and let the men and women of the LCAF do their job. Duke Kelswa was livid at this treatment, and threatened to bring Felspar up on charges, to which Felswpar readily agrred to. Then he would have a public forum to lay bare the events that had occurred in the last day. At the very least the Duke would be put on trial for gross incompetence. Declaring he was looking forward to such a trial, General Felspar made to leave the room, but Duke Kelswa, realizing he had made an error, if not the enormity of it, made quick amends. A few hours later, Colonel Zaks was back in control of the Lyran side of the battle.
Using the low lying smoke to block key positions with the armor, the 12th Donegal began a series of sweeps in the sector. When they ran into a Combine force, they retreated, often enticing the Draconis mechs into a fire sac of tank fire. When the Kuritan troops stopped falling for that ruse, larger groups of combined units began a slow but steady advance, block by block. There was little fighting, but the Night Stalkers did pull back.
Three days later, having destroyed most of the District, the Night Stalkers retreated off planet. Neither side lost much in the way of men and material, the Kuritans left behind less than two companies worth of mechs. The 12th Donegal, which had heaver mechs than the majority of the Night Stalkers, lost less than a company of mechs destroyed, it had many more units damaged. The Night Stalkers had destroyed or damaged so much of the park that it would be cheaper and easier to destroy what was left and rebuild.
The Night Stalkers Raid on Tamar would be an event noone would forget in the near future, especially Duke Kelswa. A man whose reputation was already damaged by the war made no friends with his actions in the defense of his home planet.
-
Kalidasa
The Skye Rangers organization had not had a good fight. Colonel Theodore Kurita had figuratively and literally run rings around the 4th Skye on Marfik. The 17th Skye had been kept on Summer at the behest of Duke Lestrade, as paranoid as he was about being attacked he wanted a unit of unswerving loyalty to him there. The 22nd Skye had success on Camlann, but none of the other three regiments took much joy in their performance, as loyal as they were to the Archon.
When the orders for NADELSTICH were sent, not only was to the 10th Skye part of it, but their goal was to attack one of the more important worlds in the Free Worlds League, Kalidasa. The Free Worlds League and Marik Commonwealth had been fighting over the border world on and off the last three hundred years, and a large amount of trade between the two realms went through the planet. The planet had a thriving industry, and was also the home of Kali Yama mech factory, one of the largest suppliers to the League military.
Because of it’s location, its industries, and its history, the planets militia was well equipped and well trained. The Kali Yama Defense force was a battalions worth of Hunchbacks, Trebuchets and Orions that had been produced on site. Also defending the Planet were the Gryphons Regiment of the Silver Hawks Coalition. The Gryphons had a history of of bravery, but because of the byzantine procurement rules in the League, it was often the most poorly equipped and trained force in the FWLM. In fact, it was one of the few units the LCAF could reliably beat on a regular basis. Eager to show how well his troops could do, Duke Lestrade sent several reporters and holo crews to document the success of the attack.
The LCAF landing on Kalidasa was unopposed, with a dozen starports on the planet there was little the Free Worlds troops could do to oppose them. Keeping the Kali Yama Defense Battalion, two infantry and tank regiments at the massive industrial complex, Colonel Martha Zuritas, the Gryphons commander, led her unit and several conventional regiments out to meet the Skye troops. The very definition of “Hard Charger”, Colonel Zuritas had spent the past few years whipping the Gryphons into shape.
The 10th Skye’s Blitz company encountered a Gryphon company, starting a six hour fate that saw the Gryphon recon company lead the LCAF unit away from the field of battle. Using his light tanks as a scouting force, Colonel Enders of the 10th Skye was moving forward at a moderate pace, and when word reached his Command Post, and attached reporters, that a battalion of the Gryphons had been spotted near Booker Gap, he boasted openly of driving the Marik forces back. As the conventional forces fought for key terrain, the 10th Skye charged forward.
Booker Gap is actually on relatively flat land. No one is sure how it got it’s name, but for the most part it was unremarkable. The Gaston River, a large, winding slow moving body of water sat on the eastern end of the town, while the Dubauer Forest Reserve occupied the Western end of town. A Battalion of Gryphon mechs had made it’s way through the town, and were strung out in a defensive line, their flank anchored on the Gaston. Turning back the initial LCAF attack of conventional units, the Marik forces slowly advanced. A few kilometers in front of the town, the two mech forces met. For a half hour the fight was equal, then Colonel Enders started feeding more companies of mechs into the fight. The Gryphons center slowly gave ground, then broke off, Marik mechs retreating in haphazard fashion through the city, the Skye Rangers mechs on their heels.
While the reporters camera’s recorded, and Colonel Enders celebrated his and his units great victory, the Assault company of the Gryphons, lances of Awesomes and Stalkers, stepped out of the cover they were using in the city, and with a volley of fire staggered the Lyran pursuit. At the same time, another battalion of Gryphon Mechs stepped out of the Dubauer, Colonel Zuritas Marauder in the lead.
What had looked like a rout turned into a disaster in the space of fifteen minutes. Two companies of 10th Skye mechs were down, the unit was surrounded on three sides, and if not for the heroic actions of the units Blitz Company, would have been surrounded. The remaining Lyran mechs were able to extricate themselves after a hard fight. What started as a proper retreat soon turned into a rout, as Colonel Zuritas and the Gryphons kept the pressure on for the next 48 hours. It soon became a question of not when the 10th Skye might be able to retreat off planet, but if they might be able to.
The constant pressure applied by the Gryphons took a toll on both units. At Wahrfeld, an attack by the Marik mechs wasn’t properly supported, and the medium company leading the attack found itself cut off and surrounded by an aggressive Ranger counterattack. Realizing her troops could not keep up such an aggressive pursuit, Colonel Zuritas pulled back, shadowing the remaining LCAF mechs as they retreated back to their landing zones and boosted off planet.
The 10th Skye had lost four companies of mechs and pilots on Kalidasa. Two companies worth were destroyed, the rest salvaged by the Marik troops. Conventional losses were also very high on the Lyran side. For her efforts. Colonel Zuritas had lost 10 pilots and a battalions worth of mechs, of which slightly over a company could not be returned to service. However, the salvage from the 10th Skye soon put her unit back to full strength.
The failure of the Rangers attack was an embarrassment to Duke Lestrade. When his reporters came back with glowing stories about the skill of the Gryphons, and how a unit once thought of as incompetent thoroughly beat his own, he could not conceal his anger. To make matters worse, the Archon ordered that the Duke pay for his own troops reparation, an order that would leave many captured troops in limbo when Duke Lestrade was killed before paying.
-
One semi minor change to the time line, the invasion of Nirasaki is now taking place in the third wave.
36th Dieron was part of the Northwind excursion, and as such would not have been on planet when the 22nd Avalon arrived. Luckily I can just move that particular chapter in the book.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
An Operation RIPOSTE Map:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20RIPOSTE.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Put the wrong map in...lets see
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20RIPOSTE.pdf
Dav
-
Great job Davout! Keep up the great work!
Would be interesting if the FC captures Tomoe, but from what I read, that threat has largely passed.
Wonder how Comstar will take this larger and stronger FC. I doubt it would be very well.
James Tanaga
-
Yellow Bird and Valkyrie Second Wave Movements:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20LC-Dav%20Second%20Wave%20Moves.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Great job Davout! Keep up the great work!
Would be interesting if the FC captures Tomoe, but from what I read, that threat has largely passed.
Wonder how Comstar will take this larger and stronger FC. I doubt it would be very well.
James Tanaga
We'll have to keep reading to find out, won't we? ;-)
Appreciate the comments,
Dav
-
OK, this opens up fine in Acrobat and Foxit, but not so well in Nitro, so ping me if your having issues.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20Second%20Wave%20Results.pdf
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
“I hate the klaxon. A new jump, a new target, a new fight. Used to be I was spoiling for a fight, you couldn't hold me back. Now, that klaxon is a sign that there's a fight coming. Right now it's the twelfth round, and we're both staggering, and that klaxon is supposed to be the next knockout blow. I don't know how much more of this I can take.”
From a letter written by Mech Sergeant Timothy Baines, to his family New Aragon. Baines was one of the last AFFS soldiers killed in the 4th Succession War, during the fighting on Lee.
“Given the recent military events, there was nothing spectacular or revealing about Operation BAOYING. In fact, given it's scope, and the fact that the Capellans were able to pull of such an attack shows how dangerous they still are. As a nation they might be wounded, but they still have fight left in them.”
From an MI2 paper, written April 3030
“There is a particular species of reptile, that strangles its enemy with crushing force, then swallows it whole. The problem is after it swallows a large meal, it is slow, vulnerable, lethargic. This is the status of the new Federated Commonwealth, and how we can take advantage of it remains to be seen.”
Internal Comstar report, declassified in 3063.
“Millions dead. Billions homeless. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, dead or wounded. Shattered economies, worlds seething under the boot of a new overlord, waiting for the chance to throw it off, and every nation doing what it can to re-arm itself to go thru the spasms of war again. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you VICTORY!”
Colonel David Vexey, Commanding Officer of the 111th Galax Armored.
“Taking into account an unexpected event, it will be at least a decade before the AFFS and LCAF are ready to launch any sort of sustained offensive comparable to SPIKE. Raiding and limited strikes will be the most likely course of action. Larger actions will most likely be counter strikes. Given the present weakened condition of our opponents, and their present inability to mount a large offensive, a temporary respite appears to be the order of the day.”
From a briefing to the AFFS Marshalate on August, 10th, 3031.
“So we get back to Qunetin, back to the base, the barracks. The buildings were the same, the civvies on post the same, but it was different. There were a lot of empty bunks in the barracks, and getting back into the “peactime” routine was no fun at all. I'd wake up sometimes in a cold sweat, see that Panther flying towards my Centy with nothing between us but my cockpit glass...I was torn..I hated what I had gone through, but god, I miss it sometimes...”
From “Damn, I Volunteered for This?”, the memoirs of Mechwarrior Cody Jones, 3018-3048.
-
Some more maps for this weekend:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20LC-Dav%20Third%20Wave%20Moves.pdf
Thanks,
Dav
-
The Lyrans really want to do a thorough job on Vega.
-
The Lyrans really want to do a thorough job on Vega.
No Such thing as "Too much firepower..."
:-)
Dav
-
Valkyrie Wave 3 and retreats.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20VALKYRIE%20Wave%203%20and%20Retreats.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
SPIKE Exploitation moves and CCAF retreats:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20SPIKE%20Exploitation%20and%20Retreats.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Operation POLLAXE and Andurien Incursion
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20POLLAXE%20Andurien.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
POLLAXE results and Lyran retreats:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20POLLAXE%20Results.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Couple of More Maps. Almost caught up to where I am in the writing!
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/DCMS%20Counterattack.pdf
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/DCMS%20Counterattack%20Gains.pdf
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
At the Lull.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Start%20of%20Lull.pdf
Thanks for looking,
Dav
-
Looks like the mercs sent to Sevren got the rough end of the pineapple. >:D
-
Looks like the mercs sent to Sevren got the rough end of the pineapple. >:D
Those are the two units abandoned by Kurita as part of the "Death to Mercs" order. :-)
-
Snippets:
“On this field of battle Colonel Samuel Granger, commander of the Lone Star Mech regiment, died protecting that which he loved best: The men, women and children of his regiment. He fought well, he fought honorably, and after. two hundred years of faithful service to the Dragon the unit he commanded was betrayed. He came back to this planet to save those nearest and dearest to him. Behind the remains of the mech you will find the remains of the MV Corion. 12 Volunteer crewmen and 83 members of the Lone Star Regiment family were killed when it exploded after being hit during the course of the Evacuation of August 15th, 3029. Among those killed were Colonel Granger's wife, his eldest daughter, and his youngest son.
“Know that their spirits are here, that Colonel Granger walk a lonely, vigilant patrol to safeguard them, and that the Lone Star Regiment and 8th Donegal Guards think of their sacrifices often. Disturb these remains, and you disturb their tamashii, and they will not be happy. And they will not be the only ones seeking revenge.”
From a note found at the Fort Kytheria Space Port, August 17th, 3029, Volders. Left by the volunteers of the the 8th Donegal Gaurds, it was later replaced with a plaque by Theodore Kurita.
“It wasn't war, it was larceny on a scale not seen since the fall of the Hegemony,”
Political Commentator James Renshaw, on “Retrospectives, a History of the Fourth Succession War” First Broadcast on February 20th, 3040.
“Had it succeeded the direction of the war would have changed drastically. Thank the heavens Theodore wasn't able to pull it off. Thank the heavens he wasn't in charge of their defense, or we never would have reached the planets we did.”
Kommandant Alex Agata, Lyran Intelligence, in a precis delivered to the LCAF High Command on Operation TAKO.
“Kura Takahi Puni - a hi
Kura Takahi Puni - a hi
I te mea ka tu nga toa tumatauenga
Ki te pakanga Tena te tupato A hoariri Kia
Tupato Ratou e wawata kite pakanga kei hea koe
Tu Kanohi mai kia matou Ma matou koutou E patu ki raro e
Kia kaha kia toa o rua o tuatahi e Ka kapuhia matou o
nga hihiri o Papatuanuku Hei whakauaua I o matou
tinana Hei wehi atu e nga horiri e E nga toa (a hi)
maranga ra kite karanga O te pakanga e Ka whawhai
tatou i te hoariri Kia wehewehe Werohia ratou ki te rua
o te po Ka ru te whenua”
We are ready, yes we are ready. If we the warriors of the 21st
should go to war. Beware enemy, beware!
Those of you who wish to do battle with us, where are
you?
Come stand face to face with us, and we will strike you
down.
Be strong warriors of the 21st. We will gather the energy from
the earth to strengthen our bodies, to destroy our enemies.
Rise up, soldiers of 21st to the call of battle.
We will fight and destroy our enemies and send them to the
dark pits of hell.
The earth will shake!
The Funeral Haka of the 21st Illician Lancers, performed on their return to Jonzac.
“Heck, was I surprised the numbers went down? No, not at all. We provide entertainment, and to many people had seen what happened first hand to be entertained by what we provide. They'll bounce back though, they always do.”
Sidney Kupersteyn, Director of Programing, Solaris Gaming Network.
-
A Haka for the 21st, now that is impressive. O0
-
You can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI6TRTBZUMM
Thats the New Zealand 2/1 Infantry unit.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Lull moves:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/Lull%20Operations.pdf
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
The Resumption of War.
Map may be a bit busy, but the larger size makes it easier.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25017377/KNT%20Resumption.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
“Are you certain?” Hanse Davion's voice was quiet with shock.
“The code words are there. Liao is going to hit Kathil.” Quintus Allard's voice was just as shocked.
“I know Max is crazy, but that crazy? What does he hope to gain by doing this?”
“It will cripple our fleet for decades if it succeeds. And the code says this is not Max's idea, but Romanos.”
“This makes no sense. BAOYING has been quite successful for them, all things considered, diverting any unit from that to Kathil is folly.”
“The Death Commando's and the 15th Dracon can get the job done, depending on what there.”
“What do we have in the area?”
“I'm not sure, but I think finding out is our next priority.”
* * * * *
“There's two Battalions of militia on planet, but they are understrength. We took the best units from them to help form several of the provisional garrison units.” Marshal Zibler spoke from memory, standing in front of the holotank he typed in a few commands and brought the area into focus.
“Everything we have in that region is tied up, and any sizable movement will take time to coordinate. Plus, with the Interdiction, getting a message to a unit in the region is going to take time. There's no guarantee that the unit getting the order to move would be able to, and if they did, no guarantee they'd get there on time to prevent the attack.”
“Any chance the militia could pull it off?” asked Hanse Davion, knowing the answer before he even asked.
“If you buy a lottery ticket, your odds would be better. When I was at Kettering we often-” Ziber stopped mid-sentence, turned back to the console and sat down, rapidly typing in commands. Hanse Davion kept silent for a moment, by now, he was used to Zibler's train of thought going well off track.
“Son of a-how did I miss this?” Zibler muttered and stood up.
“Sir, I can get 28 of the finest mechwarriors to Kathil in six weeks. That put them on the ground three weeks before Liao gets there.”
“Who? How?” asked Allard.
“Kettering sir. The Proving Ground has been inactive since the War began. Some of them have been sent out as replacements, but the rest of the unit is there. More importantly, they've two Merchant class jumpships with them.”
“How is that possible?” Allards voice was tinged with anger.
“I set up Kettering sir, and with six worlds to train on, moving back and forth between them was something I didn't want to leave to the regular supply boffins. Plus Kettering is classed as a training unit, not a line unit, and it's not in the regular chain of command. In fact, the chain of command is quite short.”
“Who signed off on that idea?” asked Hanse Davion.
“Your Champion Sire.” Hanse bit back whatever reply he had to the unexpected response.
“A Battalions not enough, even if its the Kettering.” said Allard, looking at the unit dispositions flashing on the screen. “No offense Marshall.”
“None taken,” replied Zibler, still pecking away at the keyboard.
“What about Delta Company?” the Marshal asked.
“Most of them are still on convalescent, but they'll go.”
“OK, whose in command then?” asked Hanse. “The militia commander is out. I've two disparate units heading towards a showdown with the best Liao has to offer. Who's at Kettering?”
“Colonel Jocelyn MacIntyre, recently from 1st Chisholm. She's a Kettering plankowner, but..”
“But what Marshal?”
“Sir, she transferred in right at the start of the 4th; while I'm confident in her abilities the problems she's going to run into, she's a new Colonel. We need some seniority there.”
“Is that you volunteering Thomas?” asked Hanse Davion with an archer brow. Zibler opened his mouth, then closed it. After a moment he spoke.
“I took an oath, Sire. I'll go wherever send me, but let's be honest, outside of New Avalon and some communiques I'm not that well known. Some Marshal from the AFFS shows up and starts issuing orders, they'll get followed. Something like this though, you need-”
“Firepower.” said Hanse. “And I have the perfect shell in mind.”
* * * * *
Thomas Zibler sat in the auditorium, lost in his own thoughts. On one hand, it felt odd to be sitting on this side of the lectern. On the other, he had to constantly remind himself not to twist around and look at the assemblage again. Youth and inexperience, tempered by fear, leavened by wounded warriors and a small elite that on paper, was not enough. Seeing the regiment again was bittersweet, very few of the original members were left. Colonel MacIntyre had managed to acquire some tact over the years, but his brief conversations with her made him wonder if they were leaning to much on the Proving Ground troops.
Andrew Redburn was all the faxes made him out to be and more. He was going to go far in the AFFS, even if the First Prince hadn't had a vested interest in his unit. Zibler liked him as soon as he met him, and they had some fine discussions over lunches and dinner, and a standing 100 C-Bill bet if/when Delta Company ever made it to the Proving Grounds.
The lights dimmed, and Morgan Hasek-Davion walked out to the lectern. He looked at his notes briefly, then stepped aside, took a breath, and began to speak.
“There are two ways to go about History,” he began. The capital H was obvious in his pronunciation. “You may read about it, the deeds and actions of our forebearers and our enemies, or you can make it. Here, this month ladies and gentlemen, we will be writing it. Battle and glory are not won on the Capellan or Combine borders alone. Worlds away from the front, such as Kathil, are often where history is made, and this time is no different. Kathil has been a target before, and it is a target again.
He indicated the center of the auditorium. “In this effort we have Captain Andrew Redburn and Delta Company of the Light Guards. They are experts in close in tactics, and as you all know, have fought the Combine numerous times, and won in a convincing manner. And that includes their firefighting abilities.” A small smile crept across his face, but disappeared as quickly. He pointed to the assembly of warriors on the right side of the auditorium. “These are the men and women of the Kettering Proving Ground, commanded by Colonel Jocelyn MacIntyre. Colonel MacIntyre is an original member of the KPG, and has fought more battles in the past ten years than a companies worth of warriors will fight in a lifetime. Everyone here knows their reputation, and you also know that their reputation has been earned, time and again. They are the best the AFFS has to offer because they have earned it. And we will need it.
“And we have you, the Third Battalion of the Kathil Miltia. As tested and proven as Delta Company and the KPG are, you are as untested and unproven. That is not your fault, and in the coming days I am going to ask you to give more than you thought possible.
“We know from impeccable sources that Liao has sent troops to Kathil. Their aim is not to conquer, but to destroy. To Pillage and burn what little we have managed to reclaim since the days of the 1st Succession Wars. We know there will be at least a regiments worth of mechs, including the Death Commando Battalion, on their way here. Their targets are the four geothermal generating stations. If they destroy these, the orbitals are useless. If they destroy these the ability for mankind to move between the stars will slide into oblivion. Our job is to stop them, no matter the cost. The upcoming battle is a crucible that well test us all, and we will not fail.
Morgan straightened his posture even more, placing his hands behind his back. Zibler knew what was coming, had talked about it with the Prince and Morgan, but he wasn't sure how it would go over.
“By order of the First Prince, you have all been relieved of your current assignments and positions.”
Zibler was surprised by the lack of movement and noise from the professional soldiery, but there was some muttering between the militia. On a closer look, he saw the narrowing of Colonel MacIntyres eyes and the color rising in her cheeks, but a few brief words from Sergeant-Major Hawker seemed to calm her down.
“By that same order, we are now a new regiment on the AFFS rolls. Officially, we are the First Kathil Lanciers, but we will be known as the Lions of Davion. We are a short regiment of mechs, in two oversized battalions. On paper, I am the Commanding Officer. In reality, Colonel MacIntyre will be fulfilling most of those duties. Papaerwork assignment is at her discretion.” Another brief smile. “Major Danielson of the Kettering is 1st Battalion Commander. He will have the remainder of the Kettering as his core, with half the militia.
“Major Redburn is 2nd Battalion Commander, with his Delta company and the other half of the militia.”
To his credit, Morgan waited for the muttering to die down before resuming.
“I know many of you resent this turn of events, and that you were not told about this earlier. There is a reason for that. Long ago, on Earth, a man called Cortes sailed to the New World. In a particularly dire situation such as this one, Cortes landed on the coast of Mexico, and to prove to his men that there would be no retreating from the upcoming fight, he burned his ships. You may take this announcement as my burning the ships. That is, there cannot be no retreat from where we are.
“We will use each others strengths to fill in our weaknesses. Delta Company here understands the weaknesses of various 'Mech designs, and how to exploit them. They have mastered the techniques of hitting without getting hit back. Three years ago they were very much like you former militia members, but through hard work, training, emphasizing the importance of working together, they have become a unit Combine mothers name when they wish to frighten bad children.”
Turning to the Kettering troops, Morgan continued.
“You men and women, without a doubt, are the finest troops in the AFFS. You know how our enemies fight, and often perform better than they do. It's this experience I am counting on you to share. We need to know how to get inside our enemies heads, how to beat them at their own game. To help share that knowledge we have Marshal Thomas Zibler. He is the founding commander of the Kettering Proving Ground, its success is a direct result of his efforts and abilities as a commander and teacher. In the next two weeks, the knowledge he and the rest of the Kettering troops have will be the firehouse we all try to drink from.
“Lastly, you militia members. Some will say you are the weakest link amongst us. I say they are wrong. You know this world, you know where the maps are wrong, the details we could never glean from the local sources without expending some serious resources. You have a love for this world, because it's yours. That love will be contagious, it will give us an edge and keep us going when all may seem lost. And when all will seem lost, it will be you who see's us through. You have the enthusiasm many of us veterans lack. Whereas we are cynical and resigned to our fate-” another smile, and some laughter from other veterans “The impossible is but an obstacle for you to overcome, because you have not tried to do it yet.”
Morgan stopped for a moment, then walked back to the lectern. Grasping the sides, he looked over the assembly. “We have, at a minimum, two weeks to train and prepare. The next fourteen days I will promise you three things: Three hot meals a day, your mail, and four hours of uninterrupted sleep.” A few nervous laughs went through the hall. “That is the most I can promise you from training.
“As your commander, I also promise you this: There will come a time when I will give you an assignment that could kill you. But I will never give you a suicidal order. I will never abandon you to the enemy. We will win because we must win. Liao's forces are coming here to claim victory for themselves. We are in a fight against wanton carnage and destruction for its own sake, on a level so great that it could suck mankind down into another Dark Age. We cannot allow it. We will not allow it. No matter the cost, the price we must pay in machines and men, we cannot allow this action to pass. This will not be a victory for just the Federated Commonwealth, but for all of Man. The Lions will be be one force, one power. And when we roar, the Chancellor himself will hear it, and quake on his Celestial Throne.”
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
motiviting speach! looking forward to reading the battle of Kathil!
-
Oooh, durned good speach!
-
After hearing that speech you would want to go out and kill some Capellans. ;)
-
Well hello.
Some of the gutsiest fighters in the AFS + the equivalent of the AFFS Top Gun + locals fighting to defend their homes.
Or perhaps I should say: Those who have read and know when to throw out the book + those who ripped up and rewrote the book + and those who have never read the book at all (cue craziness).
Yes......ouch they're going to cause a lot of hurt!
-
Well hello.
Some of the gutsiest fighters in the AFS + the equivalent of the AFFS Top Gun + locals fighting to defend their homes.
Or perhaps I should say: Those who have read and know when to throw out the book + those who ripped up and rewrote the book + and those who have never read the book at all (cue craziness).
Yes......ouch they're going to cause a lot of hurt!
Plus those nifty superhigh powered microwave transmitters that can cook a DropShip like a container of Jiffy Pop Popcorn. >:D
-
Plus those nifty superhigh powered microwave transmitters that can cook a DropShip like a container of Jiffy Pop Popcorn. >:D
POPgoes the cappies!
-
Microwaveable Cappies, the latest in high tech food coming to your door. ::) :D
-
Microwaveable Cappies, the latest in high tech food coming to your door. ::) :D
Or 'Not Fast Enough' food. >:D
-
Fried Capellan Dropship Taters..now in Death Commando and Red Lancer Flavors. :D. Get yours at your local Davion-Mart! If they don't have them, tell your Grocer to ask for them by name, and if he refuses, report him to MIIO! >:D
-
OK, some detail stuff.
Keep in mind some of this may change when its conglomerated into the final product. As always, feel free to point out any errors.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Kudo's to Ajax Wolf for finding a typo about five minutes after I posted.
For that you will be featured in a forthcoming snippet or story. Whether or not you live.....
O0
Thanks for the help!
Dav
-
Kudo's to Ajax Wolf for finding a typo about five minutes after I posted.
For that you will be featured in a forthcoming snippet or story. Whether or not you live.....
O0
Thanks for the help!
Dav
Geez, then its a good thing I didn't point out the their/there error at the end of your very first paragraph. You would have killed me off for that.
-
Geez, then its a good thing I didn't point out the their/there error at the end of your very first paragraph. You would have killed me off for that.
LOL..no, maybe a limb though.
If theres one thing I've discovered through the years its that no one person can be their own editor. Heck, I read everything out loud two or three times, and some of the stuff I let go by makes me cringe...
But seriously, I do appreciate the help.
Dav
-
LOL..no, maybe a limb though.
If theres one thing I've discovered through the years its that no one person can be their own editor. Heck, I read everything out loud two or three times, and some of the stuff I let go by makes me cringe...
But seriously, I do appreciate the help.
Dav
Having worked with CAWest on his story, The Diary of a Rim Worlder, as his proofreader, I'll second that. Even an editor needs an editor.
-
OK, some more detail stuff. :-)
As always, keep in mind some of this may change when its conglomerated into the final product. And As always, feel free to point out any errors.
Next up, a short book on Operation TAKO, then the Capellan Offensive, BAOYING, and then the one off events, Kathil and the like. Then the 4th is done. I Hope. :-)
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Hey all,
Had some real life issues crop up that required my attention, but I will have an update this weekend.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Dav
-
It is well known that Takashi Kurita, the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, has long regarded his only son Theodore as something of a failure. Upon his graduation from Sun Zhang, the younger Kurita was shuffled throughout the Combine in a variety of staff positions and assignments, including a stint as an aide to Vassily Cherenkoff, Warlord Dieron. Eventually, in an act that was either spiteful, or meant to teach the younger Kurita a lesson, Theodore was assigned to Marfik as the commander of the Legion of Vega. Home to many malcontents and disgraced mechwarriors, many saw Theodore’s assignment to the unit as a punishment. In Theodore Kurita, the men and women of the Legion saw him as one of their own.
The LCAF made capturing the young Colonel a priority with the first wave of VALKRYIE. Unfortunately for them , a series of errors, mostly human but also on the intelligence gathering side of things, allowed Colonel Kurita to run rings (in a both a literal and figurative sense), around the invading Lyran units. Intercepted Kuritan communications showed a young commander who not only led a spirited defense, but conducted a well fought campaign using every available resource to him. Escaping the LCAF forces on Marfik was a black eye for the planners of the Marfik attack, so much so the LCAF rotated two of its elite units from the interior and sent them along with two additional mercenary regiments to attack Vega.
The Vega campaign proved that Colonel Kurita and the Legions performance on Marfik was not a fluke. Against two to one odds, the Legion and Colonel Kurita fought a fighting withdrawal that should become part of any War Academies curricula. Although the losses suffered by the Legion were heavy, they managed to hold of the attacking Lyran forces and retreat off planet, to Moore.
The LCAF was happy to leave Colonel Kurita and his units on Moore. However, as the AFFS began its advance throughout the Dieron district, several DCMS unit’s found themselves being ordered to alter their retreat to Moore. Ultimately, when the Lull started, there were as many as ten different DCMS units in various states on the planet. Also on planet now were Warlord Dieron himself, forced to retreat to Moore after being ejected of Dieron by the AFFS. According to some reports, for several weeks tensions were high as Warlord Dieron sought to assert his command over the units on planet, only to be opposed by several other officers present. Eventually, as it became obvious the lull was going to wind down, Colonel Kurita and Warlord Dieron did everything they could to beg, borrow, and in some cases outright appropriate they supplies needed.
Both the LCAF and AFFS High Commands took risks when forming their plans. To some degree, the initial thrusts of both YELLOW BIRD and VALKRYIE were planned the way they were in order to force the DCMS high command to choose the effort they wanted to defend against. However, the second and third wave of YELLOW BIRD took everybody by surprise, most of all the DCMS. As the AFFS drove deep into the Combine, the LCAF pushed ahead in the Rasalhauge worlds. This left many of the worlds in the Dieron district on an island, surrounded and beset on all sides. However, there was one way out of the situation, and that was straight ahead. By accident (or design depending on who one listens too) the Federation of Sky was left virtually undefended. Only two Battlemech regiments were present in the entire Federation, one of which was a mercenary unit. The prevailing opinion is that Duke Aldo Lestrade did this deliberately to show that he did not approve of the war, and that by denuding his realm of military forces, he would not be attacked. However, given the course of the Fourth Succession War, and the opportunity it provided, Colonel Kurita was preparing to launch a broad offensive from Moore. Had it succeeded, it would have drastically altered the course of the Fourth Succession War.
Colonel Kurita called the operation TAKO, or Octopus. Six attacks were planned: Ryde, Marfik, Skye, Summer, Alphecca and Nusakan. The remaining Legion of Vega and 5th Sword were to hit Summer, Duke Lestrade’s residence, while other units that had retreated to Moore were to hit the other planets. On Nusakan and Alphecca, Kuritan strike teams took out most of the plantary militia’s command, while on Marfik a previously unknown resistance movement started a bloody campaign. While these were occurring, the last of the supplies and transport Colonel Kurita needed were arriving. However, shortly after their arrival, a LCAF Invader, carrying the 10th Lyran Guards, appeared at a pirate point and dropped the unit onto several of the Kuritan depots. Led by Duke Frederick Steiner, the men and women of the 10th went on a rampage few have ever born witness too, destroying megaton’s of supplies, and crippling two dropships at one of Moore’s spaceports. However, the two battalions of Lyran troops could not hope to destroy every depot and hold off the counterattacking Kuritan units. After a tenacious firefight which forced him to eject, Colonel Steiner offered himself as a prisoner in order to let his remaining troops retreat off planet. Accepting his offer, Colonel Kurita agreed.
Unbeknownst to the young Kuritan Colonel, the Lyrans had one more trick up their sleeve. Several teams of Lyran special operatives managed to board the orbiting Kuritan Jumpships and destroy several critical parts. One jumpship was destroyed outright when its station keeping engine could not be repaired before the planet it captured iby the nearby planets gravity well. The remaining jumpships had a variety of crippling but repairable damage: helium tanks blown, solar recharge systems damaged or destroyed, power transfer couplers destroyed. In one dangerous but brilliant stroke, Operation TAKO was over before it could start.
It took several weeks for the jumpships to be repaired. During that time the AFFS and LCAF troops were closing in on Moore, and Colonel Kurita ordered a retreat off planet. As the jumpships became available, the units on planet retreated, finding various ways back to combine space. Eventually, when Lyran troops landed on planet, they found almost everything of military value had been taken as well. Plans were developed in case DCMS units did appear in Skye, but when Colonel Kurita showed up on Baldur, the High Commands of the AFFS and LCAF relaxed.
No word from Duke Steiner has been received since he surrendered.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
If SPIKE was the right cross to the chin that staggered the Capellan Confederation, the results of RIPOSTE/PAVISE was a body blow that brought the CCAF to at least one knee. Several of the best units in the CCAF had been decimated, several key planets had been taken, and to pour salt in the many wounds suffered, Senior Colonel Pavel Ridzik had not only surrendered, but had formed the Tikonov Republic and with his newly formed army of defecting CCAF units and had then launched Operation COSSACK, which had ruined any chance of further cooperation between the Marik and Liao.
The Confederation spent the majority of 3029 recovering, rebuilding, and planning. Federated Suns activity on the Capellan Border, Operation MINCEMEAT, kept many Capellan units in place preparing to throw back another AFFS incursion, but when word of the strength and depth of YELLOW BIRD's gains became clear, the CCAF went into an offensive posture. Through the early part of 3029 MINCEMEAT had worked very well, but as the Maskirovka clamped down on spy cells, the AFFS efforts to misdirect the Confederation faltered, they braced for an attack. The AFFS had done what they could to prepare, rotating units from the Outremer and interior to planets closer to the Capellan border. Wary of a potential Federated Suns bluff, Chancellor Liao held back his forces, but then came the Interdiction. Declaring it to be a hand from Providence, the Chancellor ordered Senior Colonel Dvalilik to launch Operation BAOYING. Although weakened by SPIKE, RIPOSTE, and the defection of the Tikonov units, the CCAF had spent the six months planning and preparing, and were more than ready to show the Inner Sphere that they had plenty of fight left.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Nice update!
-
Lets see what the cappies can do this attempt. O0
-
The primary goal of BAOYING was not territory. There were plenty of under defended worlds on the Capellan border that a minimal effort could take, but holding so many gains would have been counterproductive. The Chancellor wanted the attack to hurt the Davions morale and affect any potential future operations they might have planned, and attacking some of the more important worlds in the Capellan March was a sure way to do that. The AFFS had rotated units from the interior and Outremer to bolster several worlds in the Alcoyne PDZ, in particular the Kittery thumb region, but transportation restraints prevented the AFFS from completing all of it's planned movements.
Taking a page from the recent LCAF and AFFS offensives, BAOYING had two goals in mind: The world must have a unit on it, it must have strategic value to the AFFS. If they were able to drive the enemy forces off planet, they CCAF were to defend in case they were counterattacked, but the Chancellor himself ordered that the last ditch desperate attacks and defensive actions that took place earlier in the Fourth Succession War were not to take place, the combat viability of the unit was to be first and foremost in any Capellan commanders mind.
Valexa
The Valexa CMM was down to two Battalions of mechs, three company's having used to form Provisional Garrison Units stationed in the recently conquered Draconis March Region. The depletion in combat power did not bother the units commander, Major General Killy Fren, as her unit had shown in previous actions against Capellan raids they could more than hold their own. When Capellan forces appeared at the nadir jump point of the planet, the Militia moved out to the Woomera Plains, outside of the planets capital city, and waited for the enemy to arrive.
1St and 2nd Battalions of Freemont's Cuirassiers had been savaged in Operation Riposte, and had been rebuilt to almost full strength with recent academy graduates and transfers. Jerome Freemont, promoted to Colonel and given command of the Cuirassiers, had drilled his new command as best he could, but the memories of what had happened to his unit, and his father, on Halloran V were still fresh. Knowing the Valexa CMM was down a Battalion of mechs evened the odds in that regards, but the Davion units reputation was built on the strength of its conventional units. To counter this, the CCAF attached twelve of it's best conventional units to the Cuirassiers for this attack.
At Gooloolong Heights, the mech units of each side fought a long skirmish action. General Fren had sent her Infantry and Tank units on a wide flanking maneuver, only to have it beaten back by the Capellan conventional units. A well placed and well timed attack by Colonel Fremont then drove the Militia off the Heights. As the Davion unit fell back to Onamampura, the planets capital city, it was constantly harrassed by the lighter Capellan tanks and mechs.
A few days after the battle, one of the many seasonal thunderstorms roared across the Woomera, cutting down visibility and limiting mobility. Using her units superior knowledge of the terrain, General Fren attempted an attack in the bad weather. The initial contact went well for the Miltia, they drove the Curassiers back several kilometers before their lines stabilized. However, the Capellan conventional units, in particular the heavy Hovercraft of the 10th Highspire Armored, turned the tide. Able to move over the muddy ground with ease, the Capellan units were able to hit the Valexa tanks in the flank, driving them back. Several were destroyed by their crews when they became mired in the muck and mud. Meanwhile, the mechs of the Curassiers had stiffened their defense, and were slowly pushing the Davion troops back. General Fren and her Command Lance were moving to the front when a company a Cappellan Condor tanks appeared out of the mist. In a short firefight General Fren's mech was brought down, the mechs reactor going critical. The General managed to eject in time, but the explosive bolts that were supposed to fire the cockpit glass out of the way malfunctioned, and General Fren was severely wounded when her chair ejected through the glass.
Now outnumbered, and with most of their conventional units severely under-strength due to combat loses, the Militia retreated off planet to Chesterton.
Axton
Axton is a world of extremes. Underwater volcanic activity keeps the planets oceans warm, and has created some of the most beautiful beaches in the entire Inner Sphere. The interior of the planet is an arctic wasteland, home to some excellent skiing venues and several heavy and precious metal mines. Colonel McCarron raided the planet during his now infamous raid, and Axton was the lone Capellan success in Operation RIPOSTE.
The 2nd SINA Cadre had remained on planet after RIPOSTE had ended, but it was a unit in distress. Several of its officers had been wounded during the fight at Fort Vanders during Operation RIPOSTE, and its commanding officer, Marshal Quentin Drathers, had been killed as the battle had been winding down. The unit suffered another blow when Marshal John Hodges, the units new commanding officer, was killed in a skiing accident during the Lull. Several of the cadre and experienced cadets had rotated out during the Lull as well, and when General Ian Rankin arrived to take command, he found a unit that was on the verge of a morale collapse. It took the efforts of General Rankin and his new officers to bring the cadets out of their funk, and several training exercises had started building the units confidence up. When the Interdiction came, General Rankin was wary, and put most of the unit on alert. When nothing happened the first six weeks, he finally ended the all unit alert. The next day, the 2nd Capellan Confederation Reserve Cavalry (CCRC) and nine conventional regiments arrived at the jump points.
The 2nd SINA fought a delaying action up the coast back to Fort Vanders and the capital city of Barros. The 2nd CCRC pressed their attack with vigor, driving the green cadets back. General Rankin knew he could not hold the planet unless he was able to stop the Capellan advance, but the one flank attack he launched was driven back with heavy losses. Unwilling to sacrifice more of his troops in an already lost cause, General Rankin pulled the 2nd SINA off planet, retreating to Tecumsah. However before boosting off planet, the 2nd SINA did a thorough job of leaving nothing of value behind at Fort Vanders.
Bell
The 1st Battalion of the Blackwind Lancers landed on Bell with six conventional regiments, and with the help of several Maskiroka supported riots and terror acts, soon had the green mechwarriors of the 1st Bell Training Battalion on the run. The Davion troops lone attempt at a counterattack was easily brushed aside, and they quickly retreated to Tecumsah, leaving a companies worth mechs behind.
Moravian
The 1st Battalion of Harloc's Hussars landed on Moravian expecting to face Markson Marauders, but found the planet defended by local conventional regiments only. With the appearance of the CCAF forces, several underground Maskirovka cells began to attack the militia depots and formations. By the time the Hussars mechs landed, the militias morale was already fragile, and it only took a few short, sharp battles to convince them to surrender.
Cammal
The 2nd Battalion of Harlocs Hussars found themselves in a similar situation to their sister Battalion, but the Cammal militia held out for three weeks, and in one battle managed to destroy or damage two lances of mechs with a combined Armor and Infantry assault. However, numerically superior Capellan forces recovered quickly, and forced the Davion militia units surrender two weeks later.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading, more to come this week!
Dav
-
Not hitting the front line regiments,yet.
Nice update.
-
He was tired. Not the bone crushing weariness of prolonged combat, or the fatigue that boredom entailed, but the tiredness that came with bureaucracy, the weariness of dealing with sycophants trying to curry favor, pedants who were trying to keep their own little kingdoms in line and upset at the recent changes to Section A, Paragraph 6, Subsection 12 of some legal act passed two hundred years ago. He missed combat, there was a...finality to what was decided there. If anything, the combat that was politics was inherently more dangerous than the battlefield, at least on the battfield you knew who was shooting at you.
Those twelve hours he spent on the bleed, the smell of death in the air, the quiet, were filled with terror, horror, scheming and acceptance. Plans were made, rejected, recreated. He had thought of a hundred different ways to kill Sortek, then humiliate him, send him back to his master with tail tucked between his legs, but no matter what plans he came up, how good they were, how foolproof they were, he had come to the realization that Sortek, (damn him to Sian and back!), Sortek was right. He was a leader, more than just a figurehead, and he would have to do more than satisfy his own whims if the Republic were to succeed. That Davion dangled Tikonov in front of him, a carrot attached to a very big stick, was a goal he felt he would forever be chasing, but it was the one piece he had attached himself to, the loadstone that was driving his ambition now.
The first explosion registered faintly, then there was another one, louder. His comm started beeping, and he answered.
“Sir, we're under attack!” The explosion in the background almost wiped out the voice.
“Who? Where?” he demanded.
“Sir, everywhere! A Cargo drop went off course, claiming engine failure, then started ejecting mechs all over the city sir. I can't raise the 1st -” The voice cut off, and a few seconds later a massive explosion buffeted the windows. He pressed another button on the comm, and as soon as a voice started to answer he interrupted.
“Set Case One, now. Alert the City Defense Forces, and alert Colonel Cheung, tell him to get moving or he will answer to me!”
He killed the comm and went over to the window. A Pillar of flames several hundred feet high was blazing away at the 'port, one of the fuel tanks or lines no doubt. All the rage he felt, all the anger he had kept bottled up inside him since that night came out as he saw another fireball light the night sky, a primal scream that made his throat raw. A vicious punch at the glass was rewarded with the cracking sound of a broken finger, and the spider webbing of the reinforced glass accompanied the scream, and when he was done, he stood, panting, smiling. This was something he knew how to counter, how to overcome. A smile, brief at first, feral, but growing across his face until it became one of joy, and accompanied by a laugh that bordered on comic accompanied him as he ran out of the office, down the hallway and into the elevator that would take him to the lower levels. He did not stop until the doors opened, and he saw his Orion, sitting in the docking cradle, awaiting him.
At last, Pavel Ridzik was returning to war he knew how to fight, and he could not be happier.
* * * * *
He hated city fighting. City fighting at night was even worse. The magenetics were screwed up, if you saw something move, did you wait for them to fire on you, or did you wait to fire on them? It made for a teeth grinding tension that would keep the unit dentist busy for weeks to come. He and two others, Brookes and Liankowski, had left the hanger and encountered their first advesaries a few minutes later working their way to the space port. The Sung Curaissier's Phoenix Hawk was clearly without support, but that did not stop him from trying to engage the three Republicans.
It gave him some comfort to know who he was fighting. He had wondered if and when Maximilian would try and do something, it appeared he had his answer. To their credit the city inhabitants had heeded the warning sirens and retreated indoors, taking cover in what shelter the could find. The streets, save for a few brave, scared souls trying to get to where they thought they needed to be, rather than trying to find some sort of cover, were empty of civilian traffic. The 'net was alive with the reports of combat between the dropping CCAF units and his own Republicans, and it appeared several civilian cells had crawled out of the woodwork as well, but the city constabulary seemed to have them well in hand.
“Contact Right-” Brookes cry was cut off as the two flights of LRM's crashed into his Vindicator. As it was falling, a Hunchback stepped out from behind its Crusader brethren and fired the boxy Kali Yama Autocannon on its right shoulder. Brookes Vindicator shook with the impact of the high velocity slugs, then completed its fall like a clipped marionette when the shells intersected the cockpit glass.
Pivoting, he loosed his own missiles at the Capellan Mechs, followed by autocannon fire. The Crusader bore the brunt of his fire, the left leg suffering the most damage. It's return fire was wide of the mark. Stepping out from behind the building that had been shielding him, Liankowski's Thunderbolt-SS fired its PPC and medium laser, hitting the Crusader in the legs. Jump jets flared and the heavy mech lifted off, it's pilot moving further back from the battle. Ridzk launched his own LRM's at the heavy mech, and while they missed, they distracted the pilot enough that his landing was harder than intended, and the damaged left leg snapped off at the knee. It fell off and behind the blowing, another explosion rocking the streets and blowing out glass as it's ammo exploded.
Ridzik's Orion shook under the hammberblow of the Hunchback's autocannon, the right arm hung useless, myomer bundles cut and smoking. The Hunchback pilot was too greedy though, trying to move in for the kill, when it was driven to the ground by a blue and gold Victor appearing out of the night sky, jump jets flaming. Eighty tons of Assault mech made for an impressive kinetic weapon, but somehow the Hunchback struggled to regain its feet. Its struggles were brought to and end when Sorteks own Pontiac Autocannon, now pressed to the back of the back of the Capellan mech head, fired.
“Senior Colonel,” came Sorteks voice. “What do you know about the situation?”
The two officers spent a few minutes discussing what was going on, as they did more reinforcements arrived. A pair of Enforcers and Phoenix Hawk in Davion colors arrived, and took up a loose patrol on a now established perimeter.
“Major Kincade reports the situation well in hand at the Military Grounds and the space port, but there are leaker's all throughout the city.” Colonel Chung was dead, killed by an Maskirovka team that had attacked the officers barracks at the military base. Why another one hadn't attacked him niggled the back of his mind, but he had other things to worry about. “What do you want us to do?” asked Sortek. Ridzik paused for a second, looking at the tactical display.
“We need to drive them out of the city,” he said, “like the beaters driving the pheasant's before them. Major....Colonel Kincade and what elements of the 1st Republican he has are the beaters, I want them on this line-” he traced a line of his display “and pushing Sung this way. What we can pull together on this line-” he traced another line “Are the Hunters.”
“Our left flank is wide open though.” replied Sortek, respectfully. If he had any other objections he kept them quiet.
“Leave that to me,” replied Ridzik. “You have your orders General Sortek, now let's get to it.”
Sortek's reply was to lift his mechs autocannon hand to his head in mock salute, then he turned and began walking down the street, his fellow Davion mechs following him.
“Lets go Liankowski.” He muscled his own Orion around, and began moving it down another side street.
* * * * *
When the first firetruck rounded the corner and came barreling straight at him, he was more than a bit surprised. This section of the city hadn't seen any fighting yet, there were no fires, and the commercial district they were working through was dark, so why were they here? He sidestepped at the last minute, cursing as the vehicle drove by. Turning to follow the vehicle, he watched in fascination as it veered left out of control, hopped the curb, and barreled into a warehouse. A second later, the building exploded in a fireball of yellow and red flame.
“That was to big, and to soon,” he thought to himself. Another vehicle, this one a construction tanker of some sort, came skidding around the corner. Rather than take any chances, Ridzik fired his medium laser. One hit the cab of the vehicle, and it slewed to a halt.
“Liankowski, watch out for irregulars!” There was no reply. Ridzik looked at his display, then wheeled his Orion around, Liankowski was nowhere to be found. Moving cautiously down the street, away from the flames, Ridzik's Orion swept left and right. Except for sporadic bursts of noise every now and then, his radio was silent, there was to much interference in the way. This particular route was Liankowski's idea, and he had led the way until falling back when Ridzik had turned the corner. Something tickled the back of his mind, and he threw his mech out of the way. The SRM's missed, but the PPC beam hit his already damaged right arm, snapping it off above the 'elbow'. Ridzik turned his mech around, saw Liankowski's mech stepping out of the warehouse he had used as coverage. Ridzik's own autocannon and SRM's fired, and he was moving again, sidling to the right before he could see what his own attack had done. As soon as the SRM launcher had cycled he fired it again, this time with the LRM's and remaining medium laser. Most of the LRM's didn't have time to arm themselves properly, but they smashed into Liankowski's mech, denting and punching through the armor.
The two heavies thrust and parried. Liankowski's right arm exploded in a flash of plasma and fire as Ridziks remaining medium laser found the PPC capacitor, knocking the weapon out. Liankowski's return flight of SRM's hit Ridzik' Orion in the upper chest and head, leaving the Orion's cockpit glass cracked.
Ridzik had no idea where he was, or where the fight had taken him. The comms were still down, all the calls he had made had gone unanswered. One of the missiles fired in the battle had hit a transformer, and all the lights in the surrounding area had winked out after it's spectacular explosion.
The next to last autocannon cassette Ridzik had struck Liankowski's mech in it's left leg, smashing the hip actuator to pieces. As it threatened to topple over, Ridzik advanced in, and threw a looping punch with his remaining arm that caught the Thunderbolt's cockpit on it's “jaw”. With a screech of metal and explosion of glass, the Thunderbolts cockpit opened to the night sky. Liankowski's return fire staggered the Orion, medium lasers and SRM's hammering its torsos. Ridzik could not stop his forward momentum, in effect he faceplanted the Thunderbolts chest, only by throwing his arm over the Thunderbolts shoulder did he manage to keep his mech upright. The rest of his cockpit glass shattered and fell away. Liankowski's mech bobbled for a few seconds, then the already damaged hip joint, trying and failing to support two heavy mechs weight, gave out with a snapping sound that pierced the evening.
As they fell, Liankowski flung his mech weight over, the two mechs landed on their side, then began rolling through some sort of industrial yard. Eventually they came to a rest at some sort of wall, Liankowski's mech on the bottom. Both pilots were rattled from the numerous collisions and banging. Ridzik, gritting his teeth through the pain, levered his Orion back up, standing over Liankowski. “If he looks like I feel,” Ridzik thought to himself, seeing the battered and bleeding body in the other mechs cockpit, “we're both up a creek.” The other pilot opened his eyes, shaking his head.
“Why Liankowski?” Ridzik yelled into the now quiet night. Liankowski's mouth moved, but Ridzik could not hear the words. Ridzik wasn't sure he wanted to. Liankowski had been with him on Tikonov, on Berenson had saved his life, twice. Nine years he had served by Ridzik, and now this?
Ridzik bent his Orion over, until their cockpits were a few feet apart. Now Ridzik saw the piece of metal, some part of the cockpit that had speared through Liakowski's midsection.
“Why Liankowski?” yelled Ridzik. Then softer, “Why Yuri?”
Yuri Liankowski smiled, then coughed, a gout of blood running down his face.
“Because my Lady Romano commands it.” He coughed again, and then with another weak smile, Liankowski triggered the flamer in his mechs right torso,
* * * * *
Sortek surveyed the scene with a dispassionate eye. Sung's Cuirassiers, the two battalions that had made it out of the city, were being pushed by Colonel Kincaid and the rest of the 1st Republican towards the Durandel Valley, where their dropships awaited them. Last nights fighting had been rough, but word of Ridziks disappearance had reached him soon after the Capellan troops had broken. When the Comstar Alcolyte had told Sortek where the 'Supreme Leaders' mech had been found, a myriad of thoughts went through his mind. Leaving his Victor behind, he had hopped into the trasnport and made his way across the city in record time. The constabulary escort had helped, only citizens essential to the recivery of the city had permission to break the curfew Sortek had imposed, the streets were mostly empty.
The Thunderbolt lay on it's back, leg missing, upper half scarred and melted. A couple of hundred feet away, Ridziks Orion had fallen backward over a wall. It's legs were pockmarked from numerous missile hits, and only after the small party had walked through an adjacent gate did Sortek find out there was not much left.
“The traffic cameras in the area caught some of it.” a constabulary officer was saying. “The last we have is the two mechs engaging in physical combat, then they move out of the pick up. Perhaps the Alcoyte can tell us what happened after?”
“I'm sorry Officer.” The Comstar representative was not wearing the traditional robes, but a jumpsuit that was blackened with grease and soot. “We're just a vehicle maintenance facility here, and when the sirens went off, we stayed indoors. As you can see, we have very few windows here, and the bay doors were closed. We heard the fighting of course, but the first time we saw anything of consequence is when the Orion fell over our wall. It was on fire, several of our adepts tried putting the flames out, but then the ammo exploded. As you can see, there is very little left.”
The bay doors were open, and several hose lines had been run out. As the adept said, there was very little of the Orion left from the chest up, just skeletal remains.
“And no sign of the Supreme Leader?” asked Sortek.
“No General. Several members were concentrating on the cockpit area when the ammunition exploded.” The Alcolyte paused, the members of the small party took in the shattered hoses and scorched concrete. “The only people we recovered were dead.” The Alcolytes head hung a little lower.
“Be that as it may, I would like a forensics team to go over the area-” the constabulary officer started.
“That will be the Precentors call Officer.” Sortek sighed. As much as he hated Ridzik, the man seemed to have turned a corner since the assassins attack had been thwarted. But with the Little Tzar gone, noone knew as much about the inner working of the Republic as he did. And he knew there was noon ready to step up to the leadership role. There were many willing, but those would be a different sort of battle. One which he was going to have to fight now. Damn and blast it.
“Thank you Alcolyte.” he said. “Please inform Precentor Schwan that we are willing to meet at anytime, and that the Republic will cover all the damages incurred to the facility.”
“Thank you General. The Peace of the Blake's Word be with you.”
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Monhegan
The light and medium mechs of the 1st SINA Cadre fell back before the two Battalions of Kingtons Hussars, conducting several skillful hit and run attacks. Colonel Martha “Big Momma” Matthias kept a steady hand on her two battalions and accompanying conventional regiments, using her heavier mechs to advance in slow but steady manner.
Disaster stuck the 1st SINA at Hemburol Station, when two companies of mechs were trapped by a skillful fake retreat. Cut off and forced to fight their way out of the battle, the Cadre lost more than 50% of their units, and all the remaining mechs were damaged to some degree.
A few days later, the Hussars launched a night attack against the SINA positions near Deveaux City. At the same time, several Maskirovka cells withing the city launched several loud and demonstrative attacks, sending the rear areas into a state of semi panic. When reports of Capellan tanks near the city arrived at the HQ, Marshal Iona had no choice but to respond to the report, pulling out two companies to deal with the new threat. However, the report was erroneous, and before the Davion troops could reform their lines, the Capellan troops attacked in a full frontal assault. Several SINA lances fought very well, but the unit as a whole was not able to overcome the better piloted, heavier mechs. Despite her efforts to hold, Marshal Iona was forced to retreat off planet.
Frazer
Leo's Demons of McCarron's Armored Cavalry and House Dai Da Chi landed on Frazer expecting to swiftly overcome the defending 39th Avalon Hussars. Although outnumbered, the 39th fought a well planned and executed campaign of hit and run raids and attacks. However, at Molvieneux Heights, the Infantry Battalion of House Dai Da Chi managed to slip through the Davion lines undetected. When the Capellan Mech units attacked, the Infantry did as well, creating a great deal of confusion behind the Davion Lines. The defending Davion militia and RCT conventional units were able to drive the House Warriors back, but not before they had destroyed a major supply depot in an explosion so large that was first thought to be nuclear in origin. Two of the Liao companies and a battalions worth of Davion infantry were killed in the explosion. Taking advantage of the confusion in the Davion defensive lines, the MAC attacked in a furious frontal assault that soon had the 39th retreating.
Several rearguards attempted to slow or even halt the Capellan mercenaries were attempted, but Capellan numbers and firepower was to much to overcome, and the 39th was forced to retreat.
Sirdar
Rob's Renegades of McCarron's Armored Cavalry had not built back to full strength, but landing on Sirdar they still outnumbered the CMM unit on planet. Expecting a quick victory, the initial attacks against the Sirdar CMM were repulsed with heavy losses. Although outnumbered, the March unit was defending territory it knew well, and it gave the Capellan mercenaries several bloody noses. Quickly realizing the Militia was not going to break easily, Colonel Heptig pinned them in place with a series of coordinated assaults with his mech and conventional assets, then led a flanking force of two heavy companies through the hills. Bulling through a defending armored battalion, the mercenaries fell on the CMM flank, driving it back. The rest of the CMM broke and began to stream away, with Major General Greigg and a rear guard trying unsuccessfully to slow the Capellans down.
With most of their senior leadership killed, wounded, or catpured, and cut off from their base, most of the CMM troops surrendered. However, several lances managed to break away, and have conducting quite an efficient guerilla campaign against the now garrisoning Capellan troops.
Verlo
Marshal Henry Quentin knew he and his unit were in a bind the moment two regiments of MacCarron's Armored Cavalry, accompanied by twelve conventional units, appeared at the Verlo jump points. Because of a logistical mixup, the unit's jumpships, which had be requisitioned to move critical civilian supplies throughout the Ziliang thumb, had not yet returned. In fact, there was some question as to when and if they would return, as noone was quite sure where they were. The interdiction had slowed information to a crawl, and given the quantity and quality of combat strength heading their way, holding the planet wasn't an issue, getting off it was.
Two things were working in the Davion troops favor. One was that they had spent the past two years since being elevated to RCT status training almost every day. While untested in battle, the conventional units worked well together. The second, and more critical factor, was the state of MacCarron's units. Since the start of the 4th Succession War they had been the equivalent of the Chancellor's Fire Brigade, traveling the length of the Confederation, fighting some of the best troops the AFFS had to offer. Most of the units had recovered from the material losses, but several lances of pilots were either new to the unit, or recently recovered from their wounds. The strain of fighting in between weeks and months spent on jumpships was beginning to show in some units.
Things started to go wrong for the Capellans almost immediately. Like all of the Deneb units, the 15th had an oversized aerospace wing, which he put to good use. Intercepting the MAC dropships while they were still two days out from dropping, the Davion ASF's damaged several dropships. McCarron's own ASF's inflicted losses on the Davion units, but the numbers favored the Davion unit initially. Knowing he had to do what he could to keep the Capellans off balance, Drather positioned his units near the projected Capellan drop zones. High winds and damaged dropships caused a few of the McCarron units to drift, but most hit their assigned drop zones. Almost immediately, most of them were attacked by the 15th Deneb. Two companies of mechs and several platoons of Infantry and armor were destroyed before the units of the 15th broke off. Another company of mechs was mauled when after reforming and chasing a retreating unit, it ran headlong into an ambush set by the heavier elements of the 15th Deneb's 4th Battalion.
Colonels McCarron and Barton recovered quickly, but rather than reform quickly and open themselves up to the type of attacks the Deneb excelled at, they regrouped, recovered, repaired their mechs. Light tanks and mech units from the Davion forces kept the under observation, but could not stop the two Capellan regiments from meeting up.
The next three weeks were some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire 4th Succession War. McCarron and Baxter, relying more on their numbers than any sort of tactical tricks, advanced in a slow march towards Keinter Heights, the planets capital city and home to much of its industry. The 15th, using hit and run tactics, judicious attacks, and the terrain to their advantage, bloodied the Capellan mercenaries the entire way. In the skies above the three units, the aerospace wings fought their own deadly duals. In one battle, twenty Deneb aerospace fighters took on twenty four MAC aerospace fighters, and in a raging 40 minute battle that saw most of the ground combatants staring up into the sky and watching.
It was the professionalism and numbers that saw the MAC through. At Verus Farms, two companies of MAC mechs accompanied by armor and infantry cut off and surrounded one of Marshall Drathers precious heavy companies from his 4th Battalion. Conventional elements from the RCT did their best to open a hole, but were forced back by the Capellans. At Shakerton another battlegroup from the 15th over extended its pursuit of a retreating Capellan unit, and was decimated by a flank attack from Bartons Regiment when it appeared out of the Donniger Woods. However, some MAC subunits, due to fatigue most likely, made mistakes on the battlefield that the 15th capitalized on as best they could.
At the Shoshone River, the last natural barrier to Keinter Heights, Marshall Drather was forced to use the last of his few heavy mechs to hold the rearguard while the remnants of his troops retreated over the river. Down to two battalions of damaged mechs, the Davion forces veered away from the city, heading towards their dropships. Hidden away in the Koush Valley, it would have been an excellent place to conduct a guerilla war from, except by this time the 15th had burned through most of its supplies. The MAC was content to let the Davion troops go their own way for the time being, preparing to invest the city. While under the cover of their dropships guns, the remaining units of the 15th were protected, but the lack of supplies, repair facilties and spare parts meant the 15th could not conduct any worthwhile attack either. Marshall Drather was preparing to conduct a guerilla campaign when several Davion jumpships appeared at a Pirate point and began a hazardous burn towards the planet. The 15th Deneb retreated off planet, its conventional regiments decimated, 5 companies of mechs, all damaged to at least a moderate degree. The few remaining Davion Aerospace fighters held off a desultory MAC attack on the dropships as they boosted.
With the Line regiments leaving, the planets government surrendered. Once again Colonels McCarron and Baxter took stock of their situation, and it was not good. Each regiment had lost a battalions worth of mechs, though many could be repaired. What was more concerning to Colonel McCarron was that his personnel losses, especially to combat related stress, were very high, several units reporting readiness levels hovering at 50%. If the AFFS was going to launch a counterattack, McCarron wasn't sure how long he could hold the planet.
Alcyone
Blandford's Grenadiers landed on Alcyone expecting to find and understrength CMM regiment. Their landing was unopposed, and the first few days was spent skirmishing with the militia conventional units. At Gresham Ridge, the first pitched battle between the Grenadiers and DMM took place. Because the were a “Militia Unit”, the officers of the Grenadiers did not take their opponents seriously, and their effort was at best lackadaisical and uncoordinated. Their first attempt to drive the Militia off the ridge was easily repulsed, and a second effort was also driven back as well. The militia retreated in good order before the Grenadiers could reform.
The fighting at Greshams Ridge did two things. First, it raised the morale of the defending AFFS troops. Secondly, it forced the Grenadiers, one of the best mech regiments on the CCAF rolls, to treat its opponent with a little more respect, which meant they were going to bring their “'A' Game” to the fight.
At Jeroup, a small farming community, two battalions of the Grenadiers had pinned the CMM in place, and Major Hardesy Blaze was leading his battalion on a flank march, when his leading elements were struck by long range missile fire. Deploying quickly, Major Blaze and his troops soon found themselves fighting mechs none of them had faced before.
Once word of Capellan pans had reached the AFFS High command, they moved what assets they could to the region. However, because Capellan Operational Security was very good, it became a guessing game as to where the CCAF attack. With transportation and logistical limits pushed beyond the breaking point, reinforcing critical planets didn't come down to troops available, it came down to troops available near assets able to move them. One such unit moved was the newly formed 1st Federated Commonwealth Battlemech Regiment. Formed from students and instructors from the NAMA and Albion military academies, a full third of it's cadet pilots were from the Lyran Commonwealth, and half the mechs were of Lyran origin, including several lances of Griffin-S, Hatchetmen and Wolfhounds. Davion built Griffin's, Enforcers, and Valkryies rounded out the unit. Marshal James Sandoval, commander of the 1st, had intended to introduce his troops to combat slowly, but the Grenadiers offensive action forced his hand.
Realizing there was more Davion troops Alcyone than they believed, the Grenadiers pulled back in good order. The next few days were spent skirmishing, as the Alcyone CMM, supported by the 1st Federated, sent out some probing attacks. The Capellans fell back in good order, refusing to be decisively engaged, causing the morale in the Davion ranks to soar even higher. Then, at Grierly Woods, disaster struck.
One battalion of Liao mechs, supported by most of the accompanying heavy armor, slammed into the Militia in the early morning hours. While prepared for a possible attack, the ferocity and precision of the assault threw the Militia back in disarray. A few kilometers away, in a wooded area crisscrossed by several streams, two battalions of the 1st Federated had stood too, and were preparing to march to the sound of the guns when the Grenadiers 1st and 2nd Battalions, having pulled off a night flank march, slammed into the unprepared students and teachers. Three hours later, the two battalions were shattered as an effective fighting force. It took a concerted attack by the 1st's Assault Company, with Marshal Sandoval in his Zeus, to stop the Capellans advance. The Alcyone DMM had suffered more in material losses, losing less than a companies worth of pilots, but their morale was shaken not only by the Grenadiers attack, but by the loss of their commander in the fight. The 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers had lost half of its combat power, but several mechs could be quickly repaired to fighting strength. The Grenadiers 1st and 2nd Battalions had lost about a companies worth of mechs each, but only a few were total writeoffs. Several pilots were wounded, and six had been killed in the fighting. By any measure though, the Grenadier's were clearly in better shape.
Realizing that he could not hold the planet, and unable to throw his remaining troops away in a fight they could not hope to win, Marshall Sandoval ordered the remaining Alcyone mechs off the planet with his own.
Not that much more to go in the 4th Succession War. Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
“I, Myndo Waterly, Precentor Dieron, call for a Vote of Expulsion against you Primus.”
Julien Tiepolo did not flinch, but folded his hands inside the sleeves of his robe.
“There is no need for the motion to be Seconded, Precentor. “ He looked around at the other Precentors, seeing the shock on their faces. This was clearly something Myndo had done on her own initiative. Her own smile irritated him, but he was careful not to let it show as he spoke. “No one challenges your right to speak first on this subject.”
“This call may be rash, and poorly timed. Comstar finds itself in the midst of a great crisis, but the crisis is of our own making, of the Primus’ own making, and if Comstar is to be the Flagship of Humanity, it needs a new pilot at the helm.” She looked up at the assembly, watching their faces closely. Wanting to keep their attention on her, she began to walk slowly, careful to stay within the circle around the Comstar symbol.
“Like Adrienne Sims before him, this man has warped the philosophy of Comstar. His mastery of the Word of Blake has allowed him to justify his actions again and again, but has led to the perversion that he now practices, a perversion that lets him crush his opposition without regard for what those actions might lead to.” She paused, making sure her thoughts were in order before she continued.
“Adreinne Sims created the Explorer Corps, which has made discoveries of incalculable worth, and it had been useful in bringing Comstar closer to its Destiny.”
Get on with it Myndo. You may be an excellent Orator, but we tire of your obfuscation, thought Tiepolo. He realized his hands were trembling, and curled them into fists.
“But she made changes, changes embraced by this council, changes perverted by Primus Tiepolo. Had he been more worried about the success and stability of Comtar, I have no doubt his 30 year reign would be seen as an age of unprecedented stability. Instead, Julien Tiepolo began to think of his place in history. He wanted to be a new Prometheus, the Light that led Mankind out of the Darkness, and in order to be that person, he needed to unite the Inner Sphere.
She watched as Tiepolo’s face tightened, a look of anger on his face. She noticed he was sweating now, and smiled inwardly in satisfaction.
“In ten years, I have opposed the Primus’s wild machinations and schemes in the very chamber. He believed uniting two nations would spur the downfall of the other states, and he may have been correct, but he chose those two states poorly. He has been blind to Comstars true enemy: Prince Hanse Davion. Before the First Prince assumed the throne, leaders before him believed the could force their enemies into submission, and be elevated as a new First Lord of the Star League. Maximillain Liao has long thought he could scheme his way into being elevated by his peers, blind to what centuries of war and hatred have done to the Inner Sphere.
“Hanse Davion operates under no such illusions. Unlike our Primus, he does not seek personal glory and gain. Instead, he unites the two largest economies in the Inner Sphere, not only attacks his realms most bitter enemy, but swallows almost a third of it up in conquest. Our Interdiction has not slowed his attacks in any measurable way. It is as if he knows our true purpose and is using that knowledge against us.
Julien Tiepolo ignored the burning his ulcer was creating, ignored the sweat beading on his bald head. Inside he seethed, mad that the choices he and Myndo had made, and not made, that had led to this moment.
Pausing briefly, Myndo held up a hand, and began ticking her points off on upraised fingers. “The Primus failed when he said there would be no significant border changes in our lifetime. He failed to maintain security during the Steiner-Davion wedding. Jaime Wolf not only managed to sneak two swords in, but revealed them in front of the Primus and the other leaders of the Great Houses. Three ROM agents died, a Liao assassin tried to kill Quintus Allard. The last act alone should have been cause to Inderdict the Capellan Confederation, but the Primus blocked it. When I asked for an Interdiction to stop House Davions attack in the early stages, again he blocked it. With Pavel Ridzik dead, Ardan Sortek is effectively running the Tikonov Free Republic, which is no more than a Davion Puppet state, but the Primus refuses to allow it to be Interdicted!”
Her voice rose in anger, hands tightened into fists. “Every time an action that will slow the unification of the Inner Sphere is proposed, he blocks it. In fact it appears he goes out of his way to speed up the reunification of the Inner Sphere. His actions have made him a Heretic, and he must be removed before he has a chance to block our most serious situation."
What is she talking about? thought Tiepolo. He winced slightly as his chest flared with a brief pain, and he searched his robes for the antacids he carried, but did not find the bottle. He looked back down at Waterly, who was gathering her thoughts again. The sooner you finish Myndo, the sooner I can tear you apart and put you back in your place.
“We all recall the gross failures of the Primus’s personal aide, Precentor Emilio Rachan. Under the Primus’s watch, and most likely with his approval, Rachan allied himself with renegade Marik Lords. He located but failed to recover a Star League Library memory core. In fact, he allowed it to fall into civilian hands, where it has been treated as lostech.
“For two years we have searched for every copy. We sponsored terrorism and let the blame fall on one of the Houses. Until now, we have been able to keep the information in that core away from the people who could best make use of it. But that is no longer true. My contacts in the Combine and the Federated Suns have informed me that the Science Institute of New Avalon received a copy of the core six weeks ago, and that Duke Ricol presented Theodore Kurita and the Luthien Institute of Science and Technology with a copy less then a month ago!”
The pain in his chest flared, and Tiepolo almost gasped aloud. “Impossible. She has to be lying. We have no agents at SINA or LIST, how does she know? Does she speak the truth? If she does…Blakes Blood, we are undone!”
Myndo smile was cruel, but not as cruel as the tone in her voice. Inwardly she noticed the shocked expression on her compatriots faces, and smiled. “The core has reached the two institutions capable of not only studying it, but exploiting it. How do I know? You ask?” She smiled in triumph. “I have placed an agent who seduced the son of the military research chief on New Avalon, and the courtesan the Director of Engineering research on Luthien is seeing is also in Comstars employ. Their recovery of the Library on Halstead Station has given both Houses a step forward. Now the core will give them both the knowledge to make quantum leaps in technology. We cannot let this happen! We must strike and destroy both the SINA an LIST!”
She turned in triumph as she spoke the last words. She saw the Primus begin to speak, a look of shock and fury on his face, then her own face fell into shock as she watched Julien Tiepolo, Primus of Comstar, clutch at his chest and fall to the floor in a graceless heap.
* * * * *
“We must vote.” Her voice was quiet in the chamber. Not less than a minute before the paramedics had wheeled the Primus away towards the infirmary.
“I will not sanction the removal of the Primus while he fights for his life!” said Precentor Tharkad, who was staring at her with open mouthed shock. Precentor Dieron fought back the urge to slap the look of his face.
“Not that you fool! I am not the heartless. As much as I oppose his actions and policies, I respect his office to much to strip of that dignity as he lays dying. No, we must vote whether or not to take action and destroy the core copies.”
“We cannot act openly,” said Precentor Sian.
“I know that!” sanpped Waterly. She took a breath, and clamped down on her emotions before speaking again. “Since our impersonation of the Davion unit in the holovid was so successful, I have gone one step further.” Briefly, she outlined her plan.
“When?” asked Precentor Tharkad.
“Five weeks for New Avalon, six for Luthien. Infantry to scour and destroy the facilities, mechs to protect the infantry and raze the facilities to cover our tracks.”
Slowly, Precentor Tharkad raised his hand. The others, some more slowly than their brethren, also raised their hands. Raising her hand last, Myndo made the vote unanimous. Smiling both inward and outwardly, she reveled in her victory. The New Age has begun, the Word of Blake be done!
-
It was a smell he wished he had been able to forget. Smoke, flames, industrial materials, all combined in an odor that was unique, and hard to forget. He sat at the foot of his Battlemaster, watching the men and women move back and forth in somewhat coordinated chaos. Other than the fires, the only other sources of light were the numerous flickers of the first responder vehicles. A shadow, surrounded by a trio of soldiers, moved towards the Battlemaster.
"What's the butchers bill Quintus?"
The MIIO minister had never looked so tired in the time Hanse Davion had known him. Looking around briefly, the Minister sighed.
"It' worse than it appears. Most of the damage to the structure is cosmetic. We lost several people to the Infantry that attacked, but the mechs were stopped short of the inner buildings. Allard glanced up at the Battlemaster. Missing one arm, the right leg fused, what armor left pockmarked and scarred. "The Core itself is safe. They weren't able to access the system directly. But I want to pull every computer system and mainframe in the building and have it replaced. It's expensive, but its the onlyway to make sure somethings not left behind in the system."
"And your daughter and Kym?"
"Both will be fine. Kym has a concussion, and they both have smoke inhalation issues, but those are minor."
It was odd Hanse thought, looking at what was going on around them. With the exception of the three guards now standing a respectable distance away, the First Prince and his minster were alone. Odd that it took something like this to get a few minutes of peace and quiet. Well, relative quiet anyways.
"Why would Liao attack the SINA?" asked Quentin out loud, finally giving into his fatigue and sitting down next to the First Prince. Thirty meters away a Centurion lay in a jumbled heap, it's back missing from the missile ammunition explosion that knocked it down, it's head now an empty ruin from the PPC blast that finally stopped it.
"I do not know the answer to that one. I am tired of trying to get inside Maximillians Liao's head. To be honest, I am not sure what the color of the sky on his world is at this point." replied Hanse. They two men sat in silence for a moment.
"They never stopped Quintus." he said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean they never stopped fighting. That Centurion over there, its gyro was obviously shredded when the remaining LRM ammunition blew up. But that happened two hundred meters over there." Hanses arm gestured off into the night. "That mech crawled to that point, until a PPC from on the the Team finally stopped it. None of them surrendered. They all died fighting, and the few left at the end killed themselves."
"Well, we always knew the Death Commando's were fanatics." replied Quintus.
Hanse was silent for a minute. Standing up, he winced as he put weight on his injured leg, then sat down again. A brief gesture from Quintus sent one of the guards running to ambulance parked nearby.
"This wasn't fanaticism Quintus. Any elite pilot, given the opportunity to surrender when the odds were this long, will at least consider it. And these pilots never thought about that. Once they realized what was going on, they started killing themselves. Heck, even a Kuritan will ask for time to compose a death haiku. And the way these mechs fought, it was off.."
"Off? Off How?"
"The ROM's from all our mechs will tell the full story I think, but...it's hard to explain." Hanse paused, watching as the medic began to move towards him. "Remember, in school, hand to hand class? Remember how when you got to your first real fight, how much different it was than in the practice sessions? How you may have had a plan, and how that plan went out the window when you got hit in the face?"
Allard nodded, but his expression was once of confusion.
"They fought well, they fought bravely, but something tells me this was the first real fight these pilots had been in." The medic arrived, and began looking the First Prince over.
"Well, unless Liao has been very sneaky, we know they only have one battalion of Death Commando's." replied Allard, stepping aside as another medic arrived. "Which means Morgan should have better odds on Kathil."
"From you lips, Quintus." replied the First Prince.
* * * * *
It felt good to be in the cockpit again. However, that feeling went away quickly when word from Orbital announced the Capellan Dropships were on their final approach. That good feeling was replaced by a mixture of feelings: giddyness, concern, sadness. Time had been short. The training sessions had been long and grueling, Morgan had been true to his word, and the mechwarriors of the Lanciers had spent almost every waking, and some sleeping, moments in their machines. He had spent more time in his Thunderbolts cockpit the last three weeks than he had the last three years. He wasn't as rusty as he thought he would be, but the skill of some of the mechwarriors he was now serving with was impressive. Given more time, he knew the odds of their success would have been even higher, but as he liked to remind everyone, no plan survives contact with the enemy.
"Final approach." A quiet voice said. Keying his monitor to an external camera, Marshall Zibler panned and scanned the sky. There, three Unions coming in on final approach. As they got closer, Zibler could make out the Deaths Head insignia. "When you care enough to send the very best."
The three dropships came down in tight formation, spreading out a few kilometers above the planet. As Zibler watched, the Unions fell even closer. Then it happened. At less than a kilometer high, one of the Unions seemed to stop in midair, then shuddered. Landing jets began to fire in a haphazard fashion, one of the PPC mounts exploded in the white blue arc of an electrical overload, and several of the missile turrets fired into the sky. With one last shudder, the Union, black smoke beginning to leak from other ports, tipped over to one side, the ion drive cutting off completely. Zibler felt the impact in his cockpit, tried to watch the screen with a dispassionate eye as the internal ammunition began to detonate. The spherical dropship split open like an over ripe naranji, with mechs being blown out of their bays. A Marauder spun through the air, and then hit the ground with such force that it's limbs all snapped off, leaving the cockpit session to roll across the landscape until the reactor went critical, exploding in a sheet of plasma.
"Delta One to Lancer One" Redburn voice had a slight tremble in it. Zibler couldn't blame him, having watched what just happened he was a little more than shocked himself. Noone could have survived a landing like that. "The Microwave hit and destroyed one Union. I have to more landing low and hot."
"Copy that Delta One. Kettle One reports Two Battalions of the 15th Dracon moving on the Median Power site. I am moving Mobile One to that location now."
Mobile one was the small reserve they had put together. Wary of splitting their forces equally, Morgan wanted to put the bulk of their fighting forces against the "heavier" opponent. The risk was weakening the other sites defenders by too much, but there was no good answer to the tactical problem at hand.
"Copy that Lancer One."
Zibler radio clicked to life.
"Any last minute suggestions Marshal?" Redburn's voice was quiet, they were both watching the two remaining Commando dropships deploy their troops.
"None Major." replied Zibler, watching with a detached professionalism. "It's a good plan. How well it works is up to them. Just call when you need me, otherwise I'll use my best judgement."
"Copy that. Thank you again. First drink is on me when this is over.
* * * * *
When the first Vindicator broke past the main line of defense, Zibler held. The Capellans had not been expecting an organized resistance, but had reacted quickly and effectively. The fighting had broken down into several smaller combats, but without a cohesive line of defense, there were going to be holes, and the Commando's were going to exploit them, the first Vindicator was a prime example. Another Capellan mech, a Centurion, followed closely by a Rifleman and Crusader, edged their way around the corner and began to advance. The dark buildings and shadowy side streets slowed their advance somewhat, but they covered their advance.
Killing the external link, Zibler watched as the mechs shadows ghosted across the front of the warehouse, and when the last one had passed, Zibler keyed his own microphone. "Rorke Lance, NOW!" Powering up to full, Zibler leaned his mech against the warehouse wall, and it gave way with a screech of metal.
Stepping out and turning, the back of the Rifleman was less than thirty meters away. Chastains Enforcer had blasted through the warehouse roof on it's jump jets, McGivery's Centurion and Blackmoore's Javelin stepped out of their respective cover. All three mechs on the ground had fired at the Rifleman, which staggered from the Autocannon and medium lasers fired at it from the front. Ziblers medium lasers found their mark, melting through the paper thin rear armor of the heavy battlemech. One hit the mechs gyro housing, the other nicked the engine shielding, but the last one found the autocannon bin. The Riflemans pilot stumbled, but recovered from the blows long enough to stand upright before the autocannon ammunition began to explode. One small explosion was followed by one large explosion, and Zibler turned his head away for a brief moment as the flare from the explosion partially blinded him. Stepping back down the street, he raised his arm and fired his large laser, clipping the Capellan Centurion as it moved around a corner. In the corner of his eye, he saw Blackmoore's Javelin shudder and fall down, the combined missile fire from the Capellan Crusader and Centurion driving it to the ground. As he watched, the Crusader lifted off in a blaze of plasma. Even before the computer could plot the mechs trajectory, Zibler knew what the Capellan was trying to do, and 65 tons of mechs landing on a prone 30 ton mech was not something that would end well.
"Not today," he thought, stamping down on his own jump jets. Most Thunderbolts weren't jump capable, but Zibler had long ago had his mech modified, similar to the 5SE version. He didn't think the Capellan mechwarrior saw him, but one of his lancemates must have warned him, only a few seconds before impact the Crusader began to twist away, but it was too late.
-
Zibler had timed his jump right, the Crusader was slightly below him as he hit it. His mechs legs hit the Capellan mechs in the chest, knocking it off course, bending the humanoid mech backwards at the waist. By accident or design, the Crusaders legs kicked up, one catching the Thunderbolt in the back, the other wedging itself underneath the left arm. Locked in an awkward embrace, both mechs began to tumble and fall. A warehouse block spun in and out of the viewscreen, then with a teeth jarring crash, the two mechs hit the roof. The first boounce threw Zibler against his straps hard enough to snap he helmet forward. There was no second bounce, with a screech the metal roof gave way, and both mechs, still locked together in their parody of an embrace, fell nearly 15 meters to the floor. The first impact must have knocked out the Capellan mechwarrior, as the grip he had on Ziblers leg was let go. The Crusaders leg was still pinned under the Thunderbolts arm, as a result the two mechs fell with the Crusader head first. Zibler felt the first impact, but could not stop his own mech from falling backwards. With his one arm still tangled with the Crusaders leg, he couldn't break his fall, and the impact knocked him out cold.
* * * * *
The auditorium was silent. Only the surviving senior officer were present, and all of them were slouched with exhaustion.
The side door opened, and Morgan Hasek-Davion stepped through, waving down Sergeant Major Hawker before the call to attention was made. His face was tired, but he moved with purpose to the lectern.
"Colonel Macintyre is currently at the CASH recovering from a broken arm and concussion. So, Major Danielson, status of 1st Battalion?"
"15th Dracon made a pincer movement on Meridian. Colonel Macintyre and her part of the Battalion stopped their 2nd Battalion, my command stopped the other, with the help of the reserve. Of 44 mechs and mechwarriors, 1st Battalion has 18 mechs operational. Another six can be ready in a week. 22 pilots ready for duty now, 27 in a week. We lost 12, and the remaining are going to be out of the cockpit for awhile."
Morgan digested the information without comment, then asked the same question of Major Redburn.
"Of 40 mechs, I have 18 operational. I lost seven pilots. Eight if you count Craon, which we should. He'll never pilot a mech again. De Molay was killed when his Jenner exploded, the others were militia pilots." He looked at his hands for a moment. "As soon as I get their names straight I'll let you know."
Morgan nodded, then left the lectern, walking closer to the assembled officers.
"Colonel Shimosa surrendered contingent upon repatriation to the Confederation after the present hostilities end. I have accepted, contingent on his letting us...borrow some of his transport." Redburn noticed the changed in Morgans eyes, and sat up a little bit straighter. "What is it sir?"
"We learned of this attack because an agent in the Confederation was able to get word to us. This person has operated in the highest levels of the Confederation for some time now, and when Maximilian Liao learns of this attacks failure, their life will be forfeit. The First Prince has commanded us to go to Sian and conduct a rescue operation."
"Sir, with all due respect we have slightly less than a battalion of mechs." Major Danielson was being respectful in hos comments, but his posture was tense. "We'll get slaughtered before we hit the ground."
Morgan smiled, briefly, but it was there. "I've ordered what repairs equipment that can be taken onto the dropships. We'll repair while en route. We're going to use the command circuit they have to get us there. The mission is a bust, they'll know that before we arrive, but they'll greet us with open arms."
"How can you be sure of that?" asked Redburn.
"The same way the jumpship captains will be convinced. Come now Majors, if you were the Capellan Chancellor, and had eceived word from the 15th Dracon that you had failed to destroy the power yards, but had captured Morgan Hasek-Davion, would you destroy the heir to the Federated Suns?"
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
-
"It' worse than it appears.
I think you mean: "It's not as bad as it appears.
-
Sorry for the slowdown with this. Life, both professional and personal, has eaten into my free time.
Anyways, the 4th is essentially over. I have a couple of stories to tie some things up, and then we'll be moving forward into the timeline. From here on out there will be some similar events to the established timeline, but there will be some big changes and surprises (I Hope).
Thanks for reading!
Dav
* * * * *
“How could this happen?”
Takashi Kurita's voice was quiet in the room. Seated around the table were the warlords of the Draconis Combine, and to a man, they were looking everywhere but at their leader. If there had been a window, they would see the funeral pyres of the Davion mechs in and on the Institute grounds. Several buildings had been damaged, but to those in the know the damage was mostly cosmetic. The infantry squads that had broken through the outer security ring had been contained and killed before they could inflict serious damage. The one fire that was started was put out quickly and efficiently.
“My Lord, we do not know how this happened,” ventured Warlord Sorenson. “In a day or two we will undoubtedly have more information -” His voice was cut off by the slap of the coordinators hand on the wooden table. To their credit, the Warlords of the Combine did not jump at the sound, but a few still did not look directly at their lord and leader.
“It happened because you were weak. Your inability to do your jobs has cost me, has cost the people of the Combine to much. The Dragon must be strong, but to be strong it must be healthy, and in you I see a sickness, eating away at the strength needed to keep our nation great.” Takashi's voice was still quiet, but as he spoke the quiet rage in it grew in intensity. He had just started to speak again when the door opened, and his son stepped through.
“Father,” said Theodore Kurita, bowing respectfully. Still dressed in his mechwarrior garb, his face covered with soot, shoulder bandaged from a shrapnel wound. His father did not say anything, but looked at him with an impassive face before nodding his head in a perceptibly small motion.
“The attackers were the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Chisholm Raiders. One of my techs was able to access the computer in one of the mechs not completely destroyed during the attack. According to our best intelligence, they were supposed to be part of the attack on Kajikazawa, but never appeared there.”
“So they come here, to attack us, to attack me?” asked Takashi, his voice trembling with anger.
“If they had wanted to do that, they would have dropped directly on the Palace. No, this was an attack on the Kenkyjo no Kagaku to Gijutsu, perhaps an attempt to destroy what was recently acquired...”
Takashi's eyes grew wider at this revelation. He stood quickly, the rest of the men around the table scrambled to attention as well.
“Walk with me,” he said as he walked by. Theodore fell in by his father as they walked out of the room, the silence heavy as they walked through the myriad halls. Several of the Otomo followed at a discrete distance.
“Why would he do this?” asked the Coordinator. “To deny us the knowledge that will let us defeat him?”
Theodore stopped walking. It took a few steps for Takashi to realize his son was not by his side.
“What do you mean by 'defeat him' Father? Maybe there is knowledge within the Core that will reveal lost technologies to undo what has happened the past sixteen months. But to defeat Davion? That will not happen in your lifetime Father. It may not happen in mine.”
“You dare-”
“Dare what Father? Speak the truth? Have you not looked at the recent border changes of our Combine? Hanse Davion did not just win this war, he has struck a grievous blow. And it is going to take more than empty threats and posturing to undo what has been done.” Theodores rage grew as he spoke, and he saw that same rage mirrored on his fathers face. “You go into that room, and you try to find a scapegoat. A room full of men so busy fighting each other that they took their eyes of the real enemies outside their border. Fights that you not only condoned, but encouraged. Because if they were busy fighting amongst themselves, they could not connive to fight against you. You want someone to blame for what has happened to us, you want someone to blame for why Luthien burns, you look in the mirror!”
“Enough!” roared Takashi. “I will not stand here and be lectured-”
“By what? What do you see when you look at me Father? A disappointment? Name one of those men back there not only willing but able to accomplish what I did. You've seen the messages, I know you have. If you want to lie Father, fine, go ahead. Lie to me, lie to them, but quit lying to yourself. The Dragon has been wounded, a blow that would stagger if not shatter a lesser nation. We must rebuild, we must grow strong again, but the path you have chosen will not lead us to victory.”
“My Path?” Takashi's face was mottled with fury. “I have debicated mi laff-” Takashi stopped speaking, a momentary look of confusion crossing his face. Theodore, his own rage still boiling, could only look on as his father started talking again, but only gibberish came out. Theodore watched as his father clenched and unclenched his right hand, then grabbed his head and winced with pain. Horrorstruck, Theodore leapt forward as his father collapsed.
* * * * *
“Our best guess is that he had an arterial embolism that caused a stroke. He has been put in a medically induced coma for the time being, bit to be honest much of the diagnostic equipment I would like to use is in the damaged wing. As soon as the technicians have verified that the machines we need are in top working order, we will run more tests.” The doctor, a small, slight man spoke with quiet authority to the assembly.
“Will he recover?” asked Constance Kurita, looking through the glass.
“Yes and no. I have no doubt that physically he will recover from this event. However, a stroke can do many different things to the brain. It is very possible that there is damage, but the type and severity I will not know until the Nuclear Imager has been cleared. However, what damage there is can often be overcome with therapy.”
“I would go to him,” whispered Jasmine Kurita.
“Of course,” replied the doctor, opening the door and following the Coordinators wife inside.
“What have I done?” whispered Theodore.
“Nothing,” replied Constance Kurita, sitting beside her cousin. “You told him what he needed to hear. Told him the truth.”
“And if it kills him?”
“The he does not deserve to be Coordinator.” Her voice was sharper than she intended it to be, but she did not apologize. “He is going to name you Gunji-no-Kanrei.” Theodore turned to her, shock on his face.
“Who else could he name?” she asked. “You were one of the few bright spots in the war, and he knows it. Part of me would like to believe that your success in spite of his actions made him proud.” Theodore did not speak, but watched as his mother leaned in and whispered into his fathers ear, holding his hand in her own.
“The Combine has been hurt.” said Constance, leaning in to Theodores bowed head. “The Dragon has been hurt. We will do what we need to to make the Combine strong again. We cannot fail.” She took his hand in her own, held it for a moment and squeezed gently before letting it go.
"Rest assured the Order of the Five Pillars will support you. The Draconis Combine must be restored to a position of strength"
Theodore looked up, an inscrutable expression on his face. "From anyone else, I might take that as an incitement to take his place on the throne?"
Constance hastened to cover hers words, frightened by his perception.
"I am the Keeper of the House Honor, and Kurita's spiritual well-being is in my hands. Despite Takashi-sama's recent actions, we cannot divide the clan. Civil war at this time would finish what Davion started."
"Indeed it would.” Theodore stood, a weariness evident in his posture. “But you have not denied that the Coordinator should be replaced."
Blinking, Constance was taken aback. Court speech was layered in its intent and meaning, words often hiding true agendas, and those long exposed to it could ferret the true meaning of such words without trouble. Theodore must have had his own revelation recently. Theodore had grown in more than body.
"You have done much to save the body of the Dragon," she said, still trusting to courtly speech. "Now you must fight to save its heart."
"So ka," Theodore said with a nod, walking to the door to his fathers room. "Though it cost me my soul, I will save it or perish trying."
* * * * *
-
That was an interesting update. I wonder how Theodore is going to handle the Combine now. Keep up the great work!
-
Takashi had a brain explosion, this one caused by his son not Jaime Wolf.
It had to happen. O0
-
"There was no "official end to the the war. You could argue it has never really ended, just slowed down. Those...people....out there talking peace, would have no idea what to do if peace broke put. I wouldn't."
From a unpublished series of letters by Professor Hollis Barnes, SINA.
"The hammer that fell on the Capellans in the Fourth Succession War hit hard. SPIKE was an apt name for the operation, as it drove one into the psyche of the Capellan leadership. Removing Tikonov from the Confederation is something the Confederation will have a hard time overcoming. However, due to the purges being undertaken by Maximillian, or more like his daughter Romano, in the military and intelligence arms of the Confederation, how capable the Confederation may be in stopping a subsequent attack in the near future is up in the air. Recent posturing by both the Federated Suns and Cappellans over the St. Ives Compact leaving forced the CCAF to back down quickly enough, although whether the AFFS could have prosecuted a further attack is debatable. Currently the Capellan Confederation finds itself in a curious position: weakened by internal and external events, but surrounded by nation states unable or unwilling, or both, to take advantage of it. How soon the Free Worlds League or the Federated Suns might be able to capitalize on this situation is again debatable..."
From a extract by the Strategic Forecast Group, New Avalon Military Academy, published January, 3031.
"Verdammnt Tyr bastards. First they want our help to throw the Snakes off, now they're upset we're here? How about we leave and let Teddy K come back? Is that what you want? Hell, I'd pay to see how long you all would last if that were to happen."
From an unnamed LCAF Infantry trooper, responding to a Tyr terror bombing on Kirchbach against an establishment frequented by off duty troops.
"You want a lesson on how to lose the peace? Document everything that idiot Kelswa is doing. Pass it around, and instruct everyone "Do the opposite of this!" and you will have peace and harmony for 1000 years."
Remarks from Leutnant-Colonel Jeptha Thomas to the Rasalhauge Working Group, Tharkad.
"Hanse Davion for a father, Melissa Steiner for a mother, Katherine Steiner for a grandmother...I feel sorry for this kid. Unless they conquer the remainder of the Inner Sphere before they turn 40, nothing will ever be able to fill the shoes left for it. The weight and pressure of expectation is going to be almost unbearable, and if the kids sane by the time it reaches the throne, it'll be a damned miracle."
Excerpts from a letter, Author redacted.
"Hell Yeah, we were feeling good. We did very good in the 4th, and anyone who cares to know such thing does. So we get to Kettering, and it's a mixed bag. All of RCT was new, well, mostly new, there were a few transfer from the Lanciers who wanted to go back to training, and Dumarest, the former CO of 2nd Company, Able was there as well. Marshal Zibler was back in command for the time being, and the eyepatch made him look, well, not sinister, but well...stories he told about Kathil and Sian were popular.
Anyhow..I was on Tikonov. Then I was on Styk, and then Dieron. So was most of the battalion that came with me. And we got it handed to us. They treated us like some red headed cadre fresh from SINA. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. It was eye opening. Its no wonder the Major got canned afterwards..."
Captain Evan Majahni, CO (Temp) 2nd Battalion, 1st Crucis Lancers, in a post battle interview on Ashio.
-
Sorry I've been slow on the updates, I am trying to get back on my two a month schedule.
I *should* have some updated maps, end of the 4th SSW, at the end of the month. I was an idiot, and screwed up my unit file that I use in Arc, and have to recreate it, which is not the bad part. I decided I made a mistake in the first iteration, and am remedying it. However, this is one of those situations where what you see on the map doesn't reflect the hours of work going into it, and frankly 49 plus label expressions with accompanying graphics is a bit cumbersome. The end product will look nice though. Additionally, I've finally scored a full time mapping job, which is great. And there's overtime, which is fantastic, but after 10 hours a day of using Arc at at work, I haven't been to motivated to use it at home lately.
End of the month though I will have an end of the 4th out.
Then the story gets interesting. ;-)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Congratulations on your new job.
We can wait for updates.
-
Congratulations on your new job. And can't wait for the next update!
James Tanaga
-
End of Fourth Political States map, mostly. :-)
Needs some cleaning up on the borders, which I'll get to eventually. There's some behind the scenes file stuff that's driving me up a wall, but I'll get over it. Will have a couple of more maps this week I hopem and then I'll publish the unit losses per house as well.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
And the map is 311K...
Dropbox Link :-) : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/End%20of%20Operations.pdf
-
Nice and updated map. Looking forward to your next installment in the series?
-
Impressive map.
The unit losses will be interesting. O0
-
Updated Border, region and province Map.
See any errors let me know.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/End%20of%204th%20Map%20Changes.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Great Work O0 :D
But in the other Map Niles in the Bryesland PDZ was captured by the DC
-
Great Work O0 :D
But in the other Map Niles in the Bryesland PDZ was captured by the DC
Yeah, thats a layer issue. I'll get it fixed, thanks for the heads up!
Dav
-
OK, a better Post 4th Map.
Did some tinkering with the borders and the like, finally managed to get all the files saved to a database and clean my file structure up.
The colors for the big houses and major periphery states here will be the base colors for awhile, when you see the new unit map, hopefully by Monday, they'll make a little more sense.
Next up, the Military losses list.
Link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/Post4th.pdf
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Helps if I post the right map...sigh...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/Post4th.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Excerpt from “A Military History of the 4th Succession War, Volume XXXVII”
Military Losses.
While each Major House suffered Military losses, it can be said without a doubt that the clear losers from a military point of view were the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine. However, the other Successor States did suffer losses as well, and while entire units were not destroyed, in many cases the military power of those surviving units was severely depleted, and took time, money and machines to be brought back to full strength.
Following is a brief overview of the Military losses of each House. A More detailed, in depth look can be found in Volume XLIII.
Cappellan Confederation.
Operations SPIKE and RIPOSTE took some of the best units in the CCAF out of action for quite a long time, either destroying them outright, or inflicting such losses that they were rendered “Combat Ineffective.” Further draining the CCAF rolls were the defection of several units to the newly formed Tikonov Free Repulic forces. While Operation BAOYING showed the Capellans still had some fight left, at the end of the 4th Succession War, few units may have been able or willing to fight.
The following units were destroyed/rendered Combat Ineffective during the 4th Succession War:
1st Battalion, Ariana Fusiliers
1st Chesterton Voltigeurs
3rd Chesterton Voltigeurs
Justinia's Cuirassiers (2 Battalions)
Cochraines Goliaths (1 Battalion)
1st Confederation Reserve Cavalry
McCrimmons Light Cavalry (2 Battalions)
MacGregors Armored Scouts (1st Battalion)
Kerr's Intruders (2nd Battalion) destroyed, the other surrendered to AFFS forces).
4th Tau Ceti Rangers (1 Battalion destroyed, the other surrendered to AFFS forces)
Laurel's Legion (Surrenders, and is then contracted to AFFS)
15th Dracon (1 Battalion destroyed, the other surrendered to AFFS forces).
1st New Hessen Irregulars
2nd New Hessen Irregulars
Rivaldi Hussars (1 Battalion)
House Fujita
House Hiritsu
House Ijori
House Imarra, rendered Combat Ineffective during the Lanciers attack on Sian due to the new myomer bundles, but will be close to full strength once refitted.
House LuSann
Death Commando's
The following units left the CCAF rolls during the 4th Succession War
The Northwind Highlanders, all 4 Regiments
The Following units defected to the Tikonov Free Republic during the course of the 4th Succession War.
Their status here reflects the damage inflicted on them before being consolidated into the Republican Armed Forces:
1st Ariana Fusiliers, 2 Battalions destroyed
2nd Ariana Fusiliers (1 Battalion), surrendered to AFFS forces at Tikonov after arriving at jump point
2nd Ariana Fusiliers (2 Battalions) Combat ineffective after fighting on Tikonov, surviving two companies plus retreated to Alderberan
MacGregors Armored Scout (2nd Battalion), lost one company
2nd Chesterton Voltigeurs, 2 Battalions destroyed
4th Confederation Reserve Cavalry (2nd Batt.)
4th Confederation Reserve Cavalry (3rd Batt.) lost one company
Hamilton Highlanders (1st Batt) loses two companies
Hamilton Highlinders (2nd Batt)
Lothars Fusiliers All three Battalions defect, 2nd Batt. Loses one company in fighting
Kerrs Intruders, 1st Batt
Mccrimmons Light Cav, 3rd Batt. Loses 2 companies and surrenders, repatriated after formation of TFR.
Vincent's Commando's, 1 Battalion destroyed in fighting, other two defect.
4th Confederation Reserve Cavalry (1st Batt.)
3rd Confederation Reserve Cavalry (All 3 Battalions)
Trimaldi Secutors, All 3 Battalions, less 1 company
Justine's Grenadiers, All 3 Battalions
Kerr's Intruder's, 3rd Batt
The units formed the 7 mech regiments of the Republican Armed Forces, their loses will be shown later.
Other units, such as House Kamata and McCarrons Armored Cavalry, suffered or exceeded 50% losses, but remain combat capable.
The Free Worlds League
The Free Worlds League Military did not lose any military units, but several suffered loses in excess of 50%, in particular those opposing the Tikonov Forces. However, given the robustness of the Leagues Industry, and the limited fighting the League participated in, recovering from these loses should not take long.
The Lyran Commonwealth:
The only Lyran unit fully destroyed in the war was the 10th Lyran Guards. Several units, such as the 2nd Donegal, 4th and 10th Skye, and 2nd Royal, suffered losses in excess of 50%, but remained combat capable. Every unit that participated in Operation VALKRYIE and NADELSTICH suffered losses, some as high as a 1/3 of their combat strength, and while replacement parts, mechs vehicles and troops were available, they could not replace all the loses suffered. At the end of the 4th most units involved in the fighting had an operational strength of about 75%, but this number was illusory at best, as the maintenance demands of almost every unit reduced this strength to varying degrees, in some cases to less than 50%
The Draconis Combine:
The following units of the DCMS were destroyed or rendered Combat Ineffective during the course of the 4th Succession War. In some cases, being Combat Ineffective mean that while the unit paper strength was somewhere around 50% of “paper” strength, it did not have the command structure to operate effectively. This was a result of many officers committing seppuku to atone for their perceived failures on the battlefield. In other cases, it means the unit was severely understrength from its authorized levels, and while capable of fighting, its performance in the field would be severely depleted. A Prime example is the 2nd Sword of Light. Its authorized mech strength was 16 companies, at the end of the 4th, it had 4 companies of mechs left, many of which were damaged, and its leadership ranks were decimated. While capable of fighting, it ability to fight was severely degraded, and would be until rebuilt.
2nd Sword of Light, 75% loses on Buckminster
5th Sword of Light, 75% total loses on Northwind, Dieron and Nusakan
8th Sword of Light, Destroyed on Robinson
8th Dieron Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
9th Dieron Regulars, Destroyed
12th Dieron Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
15th Dieron Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
27th Dieron Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
36th Dieron Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
9th Rasalhauge Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
17th Rasalhauge Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
22nd Rasalhauge Regulars, destroyed.
5th Galedon Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
8th Galedon Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
12th Galedon Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
16th Galedon Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
17th Galedon Regulars, destroyed on Misery. Survivors used to rebuild other Galedon units
21st Galedon Regulars, destroyed on Misery. Survivors used to rebuild other Galedon units
3rd Benjamin Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
6th Benjamin Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
9th Benjamin Regular, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
11th Benjamin Regulars, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy losses
1st Sun Zhang Academy, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
5th Sun Zhang Academy, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
9th Sun Zhang Academy, Destroyed
12th Sun Zhang Academy, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
2nd Legion of Vega, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
11th Legion of Vega, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
14th Legion of Vega, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
NOTE: All survivors of the Legion of Vega units retreated with Theodore Kurita to Moore. There they were combined into one adhoc unit, which became informally known as the 7th Legion of Vega. This is not an offical DCMS designation though.
2nd Arkab Legion, lost 50% strength, remainder surrendered on Kitalpha
4th Arkab Legion, surrendered on Camlann.
6th Arkab Legion, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
Ryuken-Ni, Destroyed on Misery
Ryuken-San, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
Ryuken-yon, Destroyed on Misery
Ryuken-go, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
Ryuken-Roku- rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
Brion's Legion, rendered Combat Ineffective after Heavy Loses
Tooth of Ymir, surrenders to LCAF forces
Lone Star Regiment, surrenders to LCAF forces
St. Cyr's Heavy Brigade, surrenders to LCAF Forces
The Federated Suns:
The 5th Davion Guards was the only unit removed from the rolls as a result of combat action.
The following units were rendered Combat Ineffective during the course of the War.
Team Banzai
1st Crucis Lancers
5th Deneb Cavalry
10th Deneb Cavalry
3rd Davion Guards
4th Davion Guards
Wild Geese
1st Bell Training Battalion
Alcyone CMM
Sirdar CMM
Robinson DMM
Valexa CMM
The Kettering Proving Ground RCT was combined the Kathil CMM into the First Kathil Lanciers, although it is expected new formations with the same name will be announced.
At the end of the 4th, those units involved in the fighting averaged 70% of their authorized strength in men and materials. Of course, some units were above or below this number, but it would be several years before every units on the AFFS rolls was back to its prewar strength.
* * * * * * * * * *
OK, having gone through my speadsheet, the above is pretty accurate. There are a few units on the CCAF, LCAF and AFFS side that are hovering around 50% authorized strength, but these are balanced out by the units that did not suffer as much damage.
So, what does this mean in the short term? Any expansion plans by the AFFC are going to be slow, as the need to fill out established units will take precedence over new formations. That's not to say there will not be any new formations, just not a lot of them.
On the DCMS side, there's going to be a lot of reorganizing, especially among the Dieron and Galedon Districts, especially since the Dieron District doesn't exist anymore.
Any feedback or questions appreciated, thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Chapter 30 (I think...its a nice round number...) Open Secrets
He hated the desk.
Hated wearing the suit.
And, if the last few months had been the final nail in this particular coffin, he really hated politics.
“How do you put up with this Hanse?” he asked yet again. Sitting in a mech cockpit was so much easier, at least you knew who to shoot then. Multiple times if necessary.
His com buzzed.
“Uh, sir, you have a visitor?” The voice on the other end did not have it's usual crispness of efficiency. His secretary/assistant/majordomo/jack of all trades was normally very on top of things, but this time the voice was different. Ardan frowned, his schedule was supposed to be clear at the moment, a few minutes of respite for the rest of his day.
“Who is it Jerrold?” he commed back.
In response the door opened, and a ghost walked through.
The only other time Ardan Sortek had felt such a clench in his test was when he was staring at two identical Hanse Davions, and he felt it again as he looked into Pavel...
No, it was not Pavel Ridzik. Ridzik had not been this young when he passed, nor had his beard been black. And Ridzik had been a little shorter than this man. If it was another clone job, it was horrible. Which, given the rumors swirling around the Chancellors mental state these day, could mean one of several things...
“Marshal Sortek,” the man said, coming to attention. “I am sorry to stop by without an appointment. My name is Kiril Rokhossovsky. I am here to talk to you about my fathers...throne.”
* * * * *
“No sir, it's all in order. He's got records going back to his birth, statements from his mother and doctor, and lets be honest, he's not the only bastard Ridzik trying to throw his weight around out there.”
“He just happens to be the oldest.”
“That we know of.”
“Yes Sir.”
It was several days later, and he desperately wanted a drink. A large one. For starters. At first glance, Kiril Rokhossovsky, his mothers last name, passed the eye test. Further questions and probing were both fruitful and frustrating. An aerospace fighter pilot, he was not a current member of the CCAF, but a test pilot for Earthwerks on Tikonov. Which meant Duke Ling had to know who he was. In fact, the jumpship and dropship Kiril used to get to Elgin belonged to the company.
He didn't go into his mothers background, She met Ridzik when he was a cadet, did not speak of him much, and only told him his father had been a military man who went off to fight the Davions.
“When I was on Tikonov, you heard the whispers.” he said, somewhat matter-of-fact manner. “Some of them, they acknowledge it. He never did though, officially anyways. Not that I know of. He never acknowledged me anyways.” A small shrug.
“So why step forward now?” asked Ardan, The two were alone in the office, the sun had long set.
Kiril paused. “My whole life has been spent in the Commonality. I've been to other planets briefly, but it has always been home, but there's always been a shadow over it, someone else's hand controlling it. I was on Tikonov during the fighting, and when it was over, we had traded one master for another.” There was no malice in his voice, just a statement of plain truth.
“When Tikonov declared its independence, when Lord Ridzik took it on its own path, there was a lot of joy and happiness in the Commonality. Then he was killed by that bitch...”
Kiril paused, standing up, looking out the office window.
“I know you've been asked by some of the nobles to stay on as Leader of the Republic. You've done a capable job, your well liked by many, but there are two things standing in your way.” He turned, looking at Sortek, who regarded him with an impassive stare.
“The first is that your are not of the Commonality. You would serve it well, do your best, but the ability to divest yourself of your heritage is not there. You are from the Federated Suns, and the danger is that you would take Tikonov under that banner.”
“And the second?” asked Sortek.
“You really hate politics.” Kiril smiled.
* * * * *
“He's got the support. With Duke and Lady Ling, Lord Hyung Li, he's got the political and monetary banking. And Comstar has offered to adjudicate the voting. If he accepts that, and we don't...”
“You know as well as I do that's no guarantee of the actual outcome...”
“True. But he's been on a three month charm offensive. Hell, even Dan likes the guy...”
“Is he a catspaw?”
“Whose? So far we haven't found any one pulling strings. Which could just mean we haven't found anyone yet.”
“My instinct is telling me we should support him, but something is just not right here...”
“Well, a neutral to friendly ally is better than an unfriendly to neutral occupied area. Given the problems were starting to see in the new March, maybe letting the Republic go it's own way wouldn't be a bad thing, especially if we were there to offer what help would could. And there’s nothing saying we can't go in and pick up the pieces if it all falls apart. Something to keep our eye on I suppose....”
“I agree, but at the moment, believe it or not, he's the least of our worries. Somethings going on in the League. Andurien is acting up again...”
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
:). Nice update! Never considered that twist of ridzik having a child? I can see ROM at work! More!
-
:). Nice update! Never considered that twist of ridzik having a child? I can see ROM at work! More!
Oh, he had kids. Lots of them apparently. Some of the goings on in the Chaos March in Canon were his kids doing...
And, truth be told, no Comstar involvement in this one.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
And next a regiment of mechwarriors with the only thing in common is the same father, Ridzik. O0
-
Elgin
November, 3030
“Colonel Wolf, thank you for agreeing to see me.”
“You welcome, Lord Ridzik. Congratulations on your recent election.”
Kiril Ridzik, he had finally started using the last name of the father he had never known, smiled briefly, finished shaking the smaller mans hand, then gestured to the smaller alcove in his office. With just a few tables around a small chair, it allowed for a much more informal, but more personal meeting.
“I will get right to the point Colonel Wolf.” Ridzik said, after offering his guest a refreshment which was turned down. “My nation is in a bind. We are small, but economically powerful, and my military is also small and powerful, but divided. While many officers of the Republican Army have their oaths to the Republic, more than a few have been grumbling. It would seem my...father, made them some promises which they expect me to keep. Promises that I am unwilling to keep.”
“And how can the Dragoons help you with that?” Colonels Wolf's voice was firm, but his features were tired. The events of the last two years had clearly caught up with him.
“To be honest, I am not quite sure. Despite the recent end to the 4th Succession War, the political situation is unsettled. Both the League and the Confederation have designs on the Republic, and I would be a fool to think the new Federated Commonwealth doesn't harbor some sort of nefarious plot and plans. I wouldn't expect the First Prince to follow up on them, but he'd be a fool if he did not have them filed away somewhere, and the First Prince is most definitely not a fool.” As he spoke, Kiril looked at Colonel Wolf with an impassive face. He knew he had a good poker face, now he knew the mercenary Colonel did as well.
“What concerns me the most is the military situation. With seven mech regiments, we've enough strength to hold of a raid or small thrust, but if anyone decides that we need the full on SPIKE treatment, the Republic is lost, and I will not see that happen in my life time.” His voice grew hard with the last few words. “I've a large force with next to no logistics tail, and that's worrisome. And I will not conduct any offensive operations until I am able to fully support them. Few realize how much we depended on the Suns in the Fourth, with much of that gone, were left to our own logistics, and the barrel is nearly empty there.”
“So what exactly are you asking for Lord Ridzik?”
“Advice Colonel Wolf. In a nutshell, I need your advice. I need your council. My officers are good, some of them are very good, but for the time being I do not know if they have and agenda other than the Republics as their priority.”
“And you think my agenda is any different? My first and foremost priority is to rebuild the Dragoons.”
“This I know. But I also know that if I were to ask you an opinion, I would get and honest answer. At last, I would like to believe that.”
Wolf sat quietly for a few moments. “What are you proposing Lord Ridzik?”
Kiril smiled, stood and went to his desk, his official desk, and came back with a sheaf of papers.
* * * * *
“The Republic? Look, I know our mission was to scout all the Great Houses, but first, the Republic is not a Great House. And second, it didn't exist when we started. I am not going to traipse all over the known sphere to fight for every two bit Lord-”
“Enough Tasha.”
“The contract has some merit. The pay is not as high as it could be, but it's offset by the fact we can purchase from Tikonov suppliers at a discount, and that includes mechs and vehicles.”
“And were tied to the Republic.”
“Not exactly,” said Stanford Blake, flipping through the pages. “As long as we keep one regiment in garrison, the others can be contracted out so long as they do take up arms against the Republic. I am sure Legal can fit some other language beneficial to us in that regard as well.”
“And what do we get to call home?”
“Outreach.”
The room was silent.
“How did you pull that off?”
“He offered Elgin. I countered with Outreach. He said no, I offered to let a third party inspect the planet and report to him. In the end, we both wrote five units on a piece of paper that we would agree could inspect the planet. We both had Snord's Irregulars on the list.” He smiled, and someone laughed, loudly.
“His comment, and I quote directly, is that if there was anything of value left on the planet, Snord would find it.” Wolf's smiled.
“And we'd have to send a few instructors every year to the War College as well. His other comment in that regard was that he wanted his troops to be nearly as good as ours. Which to him meant being comfortable at one to three odds...”
* * * * *
“And your impressions of him.”
“A mixed bag. He's loyal to the Republic, he's going to do what he thinks best, but there's something deep and dark hidden there. A dark side that he's taken great pains to hide and suppress.”
“Is this situation a trap?”
“If there is one, I could not see it. Stanford could not see it. It offers us a chance to rebuild, to grow again, and it puts us closer to the center of things than Davion was willing too.”
“And if he turns into another Takashi.”
“I don't think that's going to happen, but if it does we'll be a lot more....direct in how we handle it.”
“How long do you think we have?”
A pause.
“Twenty years. Twenty five tops.”
* * * * *
“Well, there's something you don't see everyday...” murmured Supervisor Kane, looking at his viewscreen. Orbital Control at Quatre Bras was not a busy place, but every once and awhile you got to see something original to the periphery come through. “Hey, Mikelson, come take a look at this.”
Jase Mikelson, a young, bookish looking type, came over and looked at his supervisors screen.
“Yes Sir?”
“Tell me what you think that is?” Kane pointed to a window that he had opened on a secondary monitor. Mikelson, young as he was, had an encyclopedic knowledge about jumpships and dropships. He was looking at a head on view of a jumpship that had appeared at the nadir point two weeks ago, and had then jumped out.
“That's a Tramp class jumpship sir.”
“That's what I thought when I first saw it, but tell me what you think it is now.” Kane rotated to a side view of the ship in question.
“Still Tramp class sir.”
“With four docking collars?”
“Sir?
“Look, one two three four.”
“Uh, yes sir. This one has to be three, four hundred years old, Looks to be in good condition, rare, most are still in the League Rim area-”
“Mikelson, dazzle me please?”
“Uh, sure. This is an original Selasys configuration. 4 Docking collars, and it had LF batteries as well. Cut down on internal storage space, but some thought the fourth collar would offset that. Anyways, there were apparently a lot of technical problems with the four collar versions, and Selasys was making a bunch of Star Lords, and it was easy to retro the Tramp down to three rings, they actually share a lot of the parts with a Star Lord-”
“Right, OK Mikelson.” Kane had to interrupt, or the young man would be talking about ring tolerance differences between the classes twenty minutes from now.
“I'll admit the jumpships pretty neat sir, but I'm surprised you didn't catch the Confederate on the first collar...now thats seen some wear and tear. Wonder if they salvaged that somewheres, the supposedly less than twenty still operating in the Sphere. You know it had an engine that was way ahead of its time, smaller, lighter, complete bitch to maintain, that's why you hardly see them anymore...”
Kane sighed inwardly, turning the screen off. MV Wards Gift was going to give Mikelson days, if not weeks of talking points....
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
So far looks like your keeping the Tikinov Republic alive and having the Dragoon's train their cadets! Looking forward to your next one if you can have Natasha K. teach a semester or two there!
Also the Dragoon's getting a last minute present from Mother Wolf?
-
Also the Dragoon's getting a last minute present from Mother Wolf?
Check one of the previous entries for your answer ;-)
-
33 - Not with a whimper, but a bang.
Excerpted from "Military Operations after the 4th Succession War, Volume 5, 3031-3033", Marshal Tobias Zaine, Professor Gerhardt Mueller, etal. Tharkad Press, 3066.
The Free Worlds League and the Fourth Succession War.
The announcement of Hanse Davions marriage to Melissa Steiner, and the founding of the political dynasty that resulted, sent shock waves through the Inner Sphere. While all the major political personalities were present for the nuptials on Terra, on the 20th of August, as the happy couple exchanged gifts, the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns was attacking the Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation.
While spared attack by the new Alliance, the League found itself called to arms by its Kapetyn partners. Attacking the Lyran Commonwealth, Operation POLLAXE, the FWLM had several successes, but several units were badly damaged. House Steiner bore the losses well, the Archon was prepared to lose a few border worlds in exchange for the huge gains being seen in the Draconis Combine. While Janos Marik prepared to capitalize on the gains made by initial FWLM operations, three things, all of which happened within a relatively short period of time, paralyzed the League into inaction.
Realizing that the League could become a serious impediment to their operarations, the Lyrans and Federated Suns acted as best they could. The first action undertaken was the Federated Suns leveraging the newly formed Tikonov Free Republic into attacking League worlds near Terra. Prior to the Republican attacks, there were serious talks underway for political and trade agreements between the two polities, but the attack and success of the the Republics Operation COSSACK stopped any further discussions.
At the same time, the followup FWLM Operation against the Lyrans, Operation CINQUEDA, had its operational details revealed to the Lyrans by several well placed spies. In response, the Lyrans launched Operation NADELSTICH, which attacked many of the staging planets the FWLM was using. Although the Lyrans did not retake any territory, and in a couple of instances were severely beaten by defending League units, many League members were shocked by the outcome. Lost in all of these incidents was the resumption of hostilities between the Duchy of Andurien and the Capellan Confederation. While noone is clear on who fired first, it is agreed the incident was escalated by Dane Humphries when her troops bombed a hospital the Captain-General had established for Capellan troops on Scarborough. This attack soon had several local CCAF units protesting, and when the 4th Defenders of Andurien moved in to stop these protests, general fighting broke out. Using these incidents as a causus belli, the Andurien troops swiftly invaded Sigma Mare, Palladaine, and the long fought over and critical border world of Betelgeuse.
The fighting on Betelgeuse was particularly fierce, the long time hard luck Capellan unit Rivaldi's Hussars was nearly shattered by the fighting, and House Kamata lost 50% of its troops before both Capellan units retreated off planet. Since the Fourth Succession War fighting had, for all intents and purposes ended, Comstar was adjudicating the peace talks, and the major bone of contention between the Capellans and Free Worlds League was the return of Betelgeuse to the Confederation, something Dam Humphreys vowed would never happen while she was still alive.
Fractures
The Fourth Succession Wars repercussions were felt far and wide in the Free Worlds League Parliment. Motions of Censure were proposed, and several polities threatened to invoke the Home Defense Act, which would cripple the Leagues military, if House Marik tried to take advantage of their neighbors. Some saw Janos Mariks actions, or lack of action, as a sign of weakness. Talks of unilateral action to protect their holdings became commonplace. Loudest amongst these calls was Dame Humphreys for Janos to “Grow a damned backbone!” She not only wanted the worlds lost to the Tikonov Republic retaken, but in her eyes, and as she eloquently put it in a parliamentary speech “The Capellans are a sick, weak animal, and it would be best to put it out of its misery now.”
She had a point in some respects. While not the focus of the Federated Suns main effort, Operation SPIKE had hurt the Capellan Confederation badly. Losing the Tikonov Commonality was an economic body blow, and on paper, the CCAF losses were severe. Before the start of the Fourth Succession War, the CCAF numbered 150 Battalions, now it numbered 59, and a third of those were at less than full strength. Several of the best Capellan formations had been destroyed, others badly damaged. And, in the Duchies favor, several of the best remaining Capellan units were on the wrong border, having participated in Operation BAOYING, the Capellan counterattack against the Federated Suns. The Capellan supply net was in disarray, their military leadership was at best questionable, and there was some concerns about the political stability of the Confederation as well, especially with the withdrawal of the St. Ives worlds. There were even questions as to who was running the Confederation, Maximilian or his daughter Romano.
Arguments in Parliament went on for weeks, especially concerning the Captain-Generalcy of the League. Derick Cameron-Jones, Prince of the Regulan Principality, went so far as to propose a motion that would remove the Mariks from power and install a non-Marik Captain-General. Like the Andurien motion, there was considerable vocal support for the measure, but when it came time to count votes, actual support seemed tepid for Catherines proposal, but the Regulan Proposal fell short only by a few tens of votes.
The votes led to several behind the scenes talks between Humphreys and Cameron-Jones, several of which took place through the end of 3030. On February 3rd, 3031, Humphreys patience with the Parliamentary process ran out. She declared the Act of Incorporation was null and void, declared the Duchies independence from the League, and entered into a quasi political-military alliance with the Magistracy of Canopus.
* * * * *
When news of the Andurien Secession reached Atreus, political battles in Parliament stopped. A change in the political leadership of the League was no longer just theory, but the Andurien Secession threatened the very basis of the Act of Incorporation. Several smaller provinces also began to make moves towards the same end. All eyes turned to the Marik family, how would they react? Which Janos Marik would show up to the fight?
Many were stunned by the new, reinvigorated Janos Marik. Addressing Parliament only a few days after news from Andurien was received, he promised swift, decisive action. However, it was a promise made outside of reality. The FWLM was in disarray at the end of the Fourth Succession War, most of it's military stockpiles had been moved to the Lyran border, and much of it's transport fleet was also on the Lyran-Tikonov border. The military was in the process of reorienting itself to meet a Lyran-Tikonov threat axis, and was unprepared to deal with the new situation. It would be six months, minimum, before any Federal move towards Andurien could be made. During this period of reorientation, Janos, aided by his sons Duggan and Paul, and his nephew Duncan, waged a political campaign. Their primary focus was suggesting that it was unpatriotic to resist Janos' rule, and the Mariks worked hard to undermine the opposition. For Janos, this was not enough. The legal infrastructure of the league was full of loopholes and conflicting laws, gaps the states could exploit. He was also very aware that the Home Defense Act, if enabled by any of those states, would effectively cripple and efforts to reincorporate the Duchy back into the league.
A few weeks after his initial speech to Parliament, Janos presented the Internal Emergency Act of 3031. Allowing minimal debate of its provisions, he presented it as a fait accompli, and moved for a quick vote. Oriente and Regulus were to be spared its most onerous provisions, but the end effect of the Act would be removing the sovereignty of most of the Leagues political entitites. If it were to pass, the League would essentially become four bodies: Marik, Oriente, Regulus, and the Federal Authority. Every other state would be reduced, at best , to an advisory role.
On April 20th, the vote was called. When it came time for Derrick Cameron-Jones to vote, he instead stood, and gave a most impassioned speech about the rights of each state, about how the Act would effectively neuter them, and make them all vassals of the Mariks.
“Even though my own realm has been spared the harshest of these provisions, who is to say that at some point in the future, Janos or another Marik can try and enforce these same rules on Regulus? They say that accepting this act is your patriotic duty? To Who? The Mariks? Your own people? Voting for this...Act means losing your voice in this body. Voting for this Act means your opinion, and your constituents opinion, no longer matters. You are subject to the wills and whims of a family that has shown its ability to lead is tenuous at best. We all deserve a voice in this body, and it is political maneuvering of the highest degree to give the Regulans, Oriente and the Mariks that voice, while denying yours! To that, I say not only no, but never! We all must have a voice, and if we do not, then this is a League that the people of Regulus will not be a part of, and neither should you. The Principality votes no on this resolution!”
The uproar was immediate, and loud. Stunned by this turn of events, Duggan and Duncan Marik, who had been on hand to watch the vote sail through, tried to hustle as many remaining votes as they could, but Cameron-Jones speech forced many of them to reconsider what they were voting for. When the votes were tallied, the Internal Emergency Act had failed to pass.
The first casualty of the voting result was Janos Marik. A few hours after the votes failure, he was meeting with his sons, nephew, Duke Halas and Shane Eastwick when he suffered a massive stroke. Medical experts believe that this was not the first stroke he suffered, but unlike the others, this was fatal. After a long, tumultuous rule that mot likely would have broken a lesser man, Captain-General Janos Marik, aged 74, died.
The Free Worlds League as known died with him.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Helps if I post the right map...sigh...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/Post4th.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
Just caught up with this one. Your mapping has really improved, looks good.
-
Just caught up with this one. Your mapping has really improved, looks good.
Thanks, I finally got more than a few quirks sussed out for my own tastes. Using the topology editor at work (we have a better license there) really helped clean things up.
Dav
-
I found the topology editor more effort than it was worth, but that is just me.
-
The one in 10.1 and 10.2 is nice. You can select what layers you want to modify, so as an example, I had the DCMS take Niles. I drew the New Kuritan border to include Niles, then used the 'Align Edge tool' on the topology toolbar to move the other border lines. Lot easier the using the 'Redraw/Trace' option for me.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
3030-3038 has several moving parts.
There is the Free Worlds Schism, the Andurien-Capellan War take place from 3031 to 3038ish. In the same time fram you have the Ronin War of of 3034-3035.
My intent is to do this region by region, starting with the Marik Schism, and ending with the Ronin Wars. I may go back and forth between the two, I'll have to see how it goes.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Thanks, I finally got more than a few quirks sussed out for my own tastes. Using the topology editor at work (we have a better license there) really helped clean things up.
Dav
Doint suppose you could post a link or tell me wich tool that is could you? Been trying to find a good mapping tool i can use for BT maps.
Thx
-
Doint suppose you could post a link or tell me wich tool that is could you? Been trying to find a good mapping tool i can use for BT maps.
Thx
Are you looking to do the type of maps myself and Blacknova do?
Dav
-
Are you looking to do the type of maps myself and Blacknova do?
Dav
basically, trying to get a fiction going ware a remnant of the old RwR is there and how history would be just a lil different cuz of it. so need a map but havent been able to find any way of doing it so cleanly as u guys have.
-
Ah, OK.
Well, I use a program called ArcGIS. It's pretty involved, but theres a free GIS program called QGIS which is very good as well. I've played around with it, and there are some differences between the two programs, and the initial learning curve is steep, but once the basics are down, it gets better. Not easier perhaps, but better..
Or, if you have knowledge of Illustrator or Inkscape, an exported .emf file or similar format can also be manipulated.
Failing that, I can always gin up a map for you if you like. :-)
PM me and we can can chat.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
The one in 10.1 and 10.2 is nice. You can select what layers you want to modify, so as an example, I had the DCMS take Niles. I drew the New Kuritan border to include Niles, then used the 'Align Edge tool' on the topology toolbar to move the other border lines. Lot easier the using the 'Redraw/Trace' option for me.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
Have not tried the one in 10.1, 9.3 made me cry enough. I'll have a look.
-
Update coming next week. Lost my old job, started a new one, and needed to figure out a couple of details.
Thanks for the patience,
Dav
-
Excerpted from "Too Many Seats at the Table, A Short History of the Second Marik Civil War", by Professor Gideon Hoffschutz, Tharkad University Press, 3103
For two weeks, from the outside, the League was calm. Janos Marik may not have been an effective leader, but only a fool did not acknowledge what the man had done and lived through. On the inside, several wheels were moving in the political Goldberg mechanism that was the League's Parliament. And because they moved in often opposed positions, the gears were eventually torn apart.
The first attempt to seize control of the Captain-Generalcy came from Duggan Marik. The eldest surviving son of Janos Marik, and the Minister of Trade since 3022, rumors had been spreading for years that Janos was going to name him heir. That many of these rumors originated from Duggan, and later his lover Bronwen Rafsani, did not go unnoticed by many, including Janos himself. The Captain-General had never seriously considered naming his son heir, and Duggan's machinations behind the scenes did little to change his fathers mind. However, shortly after his father had been laid to rest and the vast majority of the parliament met for the first time, Duggan's claim to the title was quickly shot down. Parliament could probably abide an appointed heir, but one who tried to seize the reins for himself and then tried getting their approval would have no chance. Duggan was particularly incensed when the Regulan and Gibson delegations, whose favor he had been encouraging for years, did the political equivalent of slapping him down, especially in such a public forum.
Duncan Marik, to the surprise of many in the political arena, was more subtle. The son of Janos Marik's sister, the flamboyant commander of the Marik Militia had never been circumspect in his desire for the Captain-Generalcy, and quite a few pundits and politicians suggested that had the events of the last 20 years been different, Duncan would have been a perfect heir. Janos however, saw Duncan as another Anton waiting in the wings, and many speculate he kept Duncan where he did to keep a closer eye on him and his activities. For all his faults, though, Duncan was a capable commander, and he turned his strategic talents to Parliament, working behind the scenes to get votes. Parliament swiftly became deadlocked. Several members supported Duggan, several supported Duncan. Prince Cameron-Jones carved out his own power-block amongst the votes, not enough to get him the title he so desperately wanted, but enough to play “Captain-General Maker”. Several independent systems had banded together to put Theresa Marik-Brett's name up for consideration, but the disowned (and for all intents and purposes discarded) eldest surviving child of Janos Marik expressed little interest in assuming the title.
Everyone was shocked when on September 3rd, Christopher Halas, Duke Oriente, presented Thomas Marik, Precentor Son Hoa, with the documentation from his father designating him his heir. Equipped with veriagraphed documentation, and supported by MP Shane Eastwick and the director of SAFE, Thomas made his claim. Parliament openly broke into it's voting blocs. Thomas, supported by the Duchy of Oriente and Orloff, and some smaller systems, erred grievously when he announced that the Internal Emergency Act provisions must be enacted upon his assumption of the title. While he and his political allies worked behind the scenes to amend and change them before another vote, the perception that he was another Janos in waiting was swiftly made by his enemies, including Duggan and Duncan Marik. Prince Cameron-Jones, whose own power block grew with Thomas' announcement, did little more than promise his allies he would be a different better ruler than the Marik's, but his unpopularity outside the Principality, and the appearance of his repudiation of the Internal Security Act of 3031 as the final knife in Janos Marik's back, made him unappealing to many Marik loyalists. Duggan's power base was small, and while not as coherent, Duncan could rely on, as much as any Marik could, of the loyalty of the Militia should things fall apart.
And fall apart they did.
At a nearly full session of Parliament, several squads of Infantry, smuggled in via trucks delivering supplies to the building, assaulted the chamber. Duggan Marik was caught in the crossfire, and was severely wounded. Thomas Marik was shot and wounded, but made his escape escorted by an elite platoon of Oriente infantry Special Forces. Prince Cameron-Jones, who was legitimately running late to the meeting, heard of the attack, and immediately made his way to the spaceport, where he left for Regulus post haste.
Duncan Marik and his own guards fought back, as did several other security contingents, and when the fighting was over, it was Duncan Marik who revealed to all watching the attackers uniforms, those of the Defenders of Andurien. A day later, with bodies still being found in the smoldering rubble, and meeting before a Parliament less than a quarter full, Duncan Marik announced he was assuming the title and role of the Captain-General. The vote by acclimation was not particularly strong (and to many observers not even in the majority), and was immediately denounced by many of the major members of the League, including Duke Halas, who proclaimed Thomas as the Captain-General; Prince Cameron-Jones, who also declared himself Captain-General, and several of the smaller polities as well.
The second Marik Civil War of the 31st Century had begun.
* * * * * * * * *
Rumors abounded after the attack on Parliament. How did the terrorists get there? How come so many security units were present? How was it Duggan, who was seated next to Duncan, was hit five times, yet Duncan only received a minor wound? How is it Prince Cameron-Jones was not even present? If the citizens of the Inner Sphere love anything, its a conspiracy theory, and the Parliament attacks provided many with fodder.
It is known that the attackers arrived via several delivery trucks, from several companies who had contracts to deliver supplies to the building. All of the trucks had been hijacked that day, and many of their occupants left unharmed, except in two cases, which will be addressed later.
The presense of so many security forces was an open secret amongst many members or parliament. Each MP had at least one member of their staff who, in addition to other duties, was a bodyguard. While it was the charge of the Diplomatic Services Protection Detail to provide outer security for the MP's, a task which they did quite well until overwhelmed in the initial attack, inner security was left to the discretion of the MP's. Given the volatile nature of the proceedings, and the fact Duchy of Andurien was embroiled in a full scale war with its Canopian Allies against the Capellans, tensions were running high among many members, and several “minor” functionaries of many MP's soon found their jobs were being taken by very fit men and women whose competence went well beyond typing 80 WPM.
Anyone who knows the vagaries of war knows that strange and weird things occur on the battlefield. There are several events in the past war alone that defy all scientific scrutiny, yet they happened. There are plenty of vids that show Duncan trying to stand as the first shots are hired, but his feet are caught in his chair, and he falls over backwards. The bullet that does hit him spins him to the left, and simulations show that had this bullet not hit, he would have been struck at least three more times, including once through the neck. In the same sequence that shows Duggan Marik being struck, forensic evidence shows a bullet that missed Duncan hits the metal frame of his chair, and ricochets into the back of Browne Rasfani's head, killing her instantly. Has Duncan not been struck, she would have lived.
While many theories abound as to why Prince Cameron-Jones was not present, in this case, the truth is indeed stranger than fiction. One of the trucks hijacked obviously fought back against it's hijackers. The two drivers bodies were found not a short distance away from where the attack took place. The Atreus City Police Department had begun it's initial investigation of the scene of the crime, and had closed off the surrounding blocks. One of these avenues was on the route that had been randomly chosen by the Regulan security program, and Prince had been caught in traffic. Wary of the trap, the local Regulan Security commander was working with the Atrean City police commander on scene when a third party entered the scene. Twenty minutes prior, an armed robbery had taken place, and the two thieves in question had commandeered a vehicle and were attempting to make their getaway. Their mental capabilities not being the brightest, and after making several other attempts to 'lose' their pursuers, the driver of the stolen car attempted to lose his pursuers in a nearby construction area. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your bent), he lost control of the vehicle, crashed through two barriers, down and embankment, and into the far parking lot, where the outer perimeter of the crime scene had been placed. That was more than enough to send both the Regulan Security Commander and local Atrean City PD commander into paranoid overdrive, and an additional escort from the onscene units was given to the Prince as he made his way to Parliament. It was then the first news of the assault was known, and then the Regulan Prince made his way back to his residence, where he boarded an armored VTOL and made his way to his private dropship. Afterwards, further investigation of the robbery showed it to be a crime of convienence, the three men went into the store to buy drinks, and after the shopkeeper insulted them over their appearance, one of the men beat the shopkeeper, then raided the till. While walking out they saw a local beat cop making his way towards them, and they panicked, hijacking a passing vehicle and beginning the chase. Diligent efforts by Atrean City PD and SAFE show no connections between the events of the shop crime and the hijacking.
There is however, one mystery of the Parliament Assault. At one point during their escape, Duke Oriente, Thomas Marik and their security team found themselves caught in a crossfire between two squads of attackers. Trapped in an office, several members began doing what they could to break through an adjoining wall, while the rest held the terrorists off. As their efforts to break through the adjoining wall succeeded, both terror squads were advancing towards the Oriente position, laying down heavy fire. Waiting to return fire, the Oriente detail heard additional heavy fire, which crescendo'd then slackened. Risking a glance, a member of the Oriente detail saw one squad of terrorists had been wiped out by heavy fire coming from behind it, and the other squad was beating a rapid retreat. While Duncan's investigation of the attack was at best perfunctory, which led to many of the theories floating around out there, interviews with surviving MP's and their details do not put any of them in a position to attack those squads coming after to Oriente detail. The MP of Kalidasa and his detail were barricaded in a nearby office, and they also heard the firing, but did not see who was responsible for it. As one of the first steps the attackers undertook was to damage and disable to security systems of the buildings, we may never know what happened.
While there are many theories behind who was responsible the attack, Prince Cameron-Jones, House Davion, House Steiner, the Hanseatic League(?), decades after the fact, one can assemble a good circumstantial case that it was Duncan Marik, or allies of Duncan Marik, that were responsible. However, there are just as many holes in that case as there are in other theories put forth.
Excerpted from “Oh, Please. Seriously? Debunking the Debunkers”, edited by Marc Andrees, Published 3088, New Avalon Press
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
The FWL, the ultimate jigsaw puzzle.
Great update.
-
“You can't do this!”
Colonel Millicent Toromov looked at the minor functionary with more than just exasperation. Next to her, Master Sergeant Kapinski gave her a look that said he was more than willing to deal with the current problem. And he wasn't referring to the Logisitcs screwup. Around them, the 'port was the organized chaos of a unit packing up.
“Men can't fly, Men can land on the moon, Men can't land on Mars, Men cannot travel the stars, yet they did,” she replied, looking studiously at the dataslate. “There's nothing keeping us here.”
“Orders from the Marik High Command-” began the politico, only to be cut off by a snort from the Sergeant Major.
Colonel Toromov finally lost her patience, and gave the slate to the Sergeant Major.
“Get. Lost. Now.” The man in front of her visibly swelled up and looked as if he were about to say something else, but then he saw the Sergeant Majors hand resting on the butt of his weapon, and the look on both the Orienters face made his close his mouth with an audible click. He turned and disappeared into the ports activity.
The knock was polite, and the aide let the governor in without a word. If anyone looked as bedraggled as she did, it was Governor Stern. She stood, shook the proffered hand, and sat back down.
“Drink?” she offered, gesturing to the small set of decanters. He smiled, sad, no joy behind it. “If we both were to start drinking, the results could be bad.”
“I don't disagree.”
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment.
“I wanted to apologize for the actions of General Mears and his staff the past ten days.” Colonel Toromov shook her head, waving it away with a small gesture.
“It's understandable. Given whats going on, if the roles were reversed I would do the same.”
“So it's final then?”
“We've been ordered to Dalton, and the Duke wants us there in twenty weeks. Which means a least time course, through Marik and Regulus.”
“And if the Captain-General tries stopping you?” asked Governor Stern?
“Which one?” replied Colonel Toromov, her face grown hard. “I will have you know Govenor, I am reporting to Dalton on the Order's of my Duke, who was so ordered by the rightful heir and ruler of the League. Duncan Marik can go-” She was stopped by the Governor, who held up both his hands in a placating gesture. She stopped for a minute, gathered her wits and thoughts, then visibly exhaled.
“I apologize for that outburst. As you know things have been...” she stopped, at a loss for words.
“Yes, they have indeed,” replied Stern. They sat again in silence for a few moments.
“You should know that there are ten mechwarriors of the unit who are staying behind. Captain Markus is the senior commander, I highly suggest that he be commissioned into the militia as soon as we leave. Some of the techs are staying behind as well, but as you know most of our support was from the planet. Markus is solid though. He'll serve you well.” The Governor nodded his head in support. His next stop was going to be to the Captains quarters.
“RUMINT from the last couple of merchant skippers say the Circinus is going to get a lot more active given the...confusion of the border. If they make a play for us, can Colonel Markus and the rest of the militia hold them off?” Colonel Toromov smiled at her subordinates sudden promotion, then replied.
“Maybe. It depends. Most of the units staying behind are light. Markus Thunderbolt is the heaviest of the lot, and they can't cover everything vital. A raid, sure, they can mitigate what could happen. Something more...concerted, I don't know. But honestly, if I were in your chair, I'd hire a Factor on Galatea, and see what's available there. Offer them a land grant, higher salvage rates, get some of the local Industries to split the cost, you could get a battalion plus of mercs here long term. Plenty of units looking for money there.”
The Governor nodded, he had come to the same conclusion a few weeks ago as well.
There was little love between the planetary population and the 5th, and more than a few people were glad they were leaving. Governor Stern wasn't quite sure what the color of the sky was in their world most days though. Standing up, he paused and looked out the window.
“I know we haven't treated you well since you arrived, and much of that is my fault. No, don't say anything, it's true. For what it's worth, there are more than a few of us sorry to see you go, and I hope that whatever events happen the next few months, things will get better and settle down. And should the 5th find itself back on Sierra, I guarantee you a more...receptive welcome.”
With a brief smile and a shake of hands, the Governor left. Before she sat back down, the Oriente Colonel made sure to get herself a drink. A strong one.
-
“The 4th Succession War was, with the exception of the Lull, two years of near constant fighting. And while major combat operations between the “Great” Houses of the Inner Sphere for all intents and purposes came to a halt, fighting still took place. In fact, from the end of the 4th Succession War, to the final shots of the Ronin War's and Rasalhaugian War of Independence, the pace of Combat Operations throughout the Inner Sphere was high. Armchair strategists and theorists call these “Operations other than War”, but anyone who served on the Andurien-Canopian Front, or in the Rasalhauge worlds, or during the Marik Schism, will tell you that war was what they were fighting.”
Excerpted from “Lessons Lost, a Retrospective Look at Post 4th Succession War Conflicts, Colonel Thomas Crane, editor at large, Tikonov War College Press, 3072.
“The mercenary trade took off after the 4th, and why shouldn't it? Most mercs who found themselves unemployed at the end of the 4th soon had more opportunities then they could fire a laser at, and in some cases the bidding and contracts for quality units got way out of hand. The only thing more volatile than some of the conflicts being fought were the composition of some of the units. Units were formed and fell apart on Galatea within the space of weeks, days even, as guys left for a bigger paycheck. And there were plenty of options and opportunities out there.
“The one thing that didn't change was the evanescent nature of the trade. Several units existed for only a contract or two, before circumstances forced their disbandment. Some units made their reputation in the wars that followed, Gruppe Blucher on the Marik Periphery against the Cirnicans, Thorstens Hammer's in the Andurien War's, Krieg's Heavy Cavalry against the Marians, Regulans and Marik's on Kendall are some of the better examples. Some unit reminded the Inner Sphere that they may have been down, but were certainly not out, the Tooth of Ymir in the Andurien area, McCarron's Armored Cavalry, and of course, Wolf's Dragoons, rather the Black Widow Battalion, on Nathan.
“As always, some units disappeared without leaving much of a mark. Meriadoc's Malcontents are a prime example, and countless others exist as well. Then you have those units who have crossed the line from mercenary to Pirate or Outlaw. Gunn's Slingers treatment on New Bergen by the FRR command was thoroughly denounced by the Bonding Commission, but by the time that decision reached New Bergen the mercenary unit had already destroyed much of the Industrial district and left the planet, settling somewhere near the Oberon Confederation.”
Excerpted from “Soldiers for Fodder, a look at the Mercenary Trade Post 4th Succession War”, Post 4th Succession War Conflicts, Colonel Thomas Crane, editor at large, Tikonov War College Press, 3072.
“Periphery Attacks definitely picked up at the end of the 4th Succession War. Some of it was clearly opportunity, especially in the Marik Periphery. With the Schism going on, there were plenty of opportunities for Pirate Bands, both large and small, to be active. But Pirate attacks as a whole picked up markedly during the 30's and 40's. The rise of Tiburon Khanate around Kupang, Cirnicus raids against the Lyran and Marik borders, the Oberon Confederations “Expansion”, and the attacks against the Federated Suns Outremer regions from bands based in the Tortuga Dominions also picked up. While not coordinated, that many of these minor Periphery Nations suddenly found the money, resources and wherewithal to pick up the pace of their operations is troubling. The only border not to see a rise in Periphery attacks was the Kuritan border. Rorke's Drifters, a combined Arms unit that was under contract to the DCMS and escaped during the “Death to Mercenaries Days” to Antallos, conducted several raids against the Outworlds Alliance and Combine until wiped out by the newly reformed Ryuken-yonnear the end of the Ronin War.”
Excerpted from “Smoke on the Horizon, Periphery Military Operations 3025-3049” by Colonel Taddeuz Kramnik, Retired. Published 3068.
-
It's back! I'm still wondering whats going to happen in the Andurian Succession.
-
Working on it. :-)
My knowledge of that region in general has always been minimal, so I've had to educate myself on what happened in canon, and then figure out a way to bend it to what I want to do without doing anything to outlandish. I want the "Small Wars" following the 4th to be just as detailed, which may be asking to much.
So now I'm in the midst of figuring out how to fight a Regulans versus Marik versus Oriente Civil War while figuring out an Andurien-Canopian versus Marik versus Regulan (Briefly) versus Capellan War.
But it should be fun to figure out. :-)
Dav
-
Quick question, all in all what is the status of the Capellan Confederation after this all?
-
Quick question, all in all what is the status of the Capellan Confederation after this all?
They lost the Tikonov worlds, gained a few Fed Suns worlds, lost three worlds to Andurien, and I have yet to get to the Andurien-Canopus-Liao front. Which right now does not look to pretty for the Capellans.
Hope that answers your question!
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
They lost the Tikonov worlds, gained a few Fed Suns worlds, lost three worlds to Andurien, and I have yet to get to the Andurien-Canopus-Liao front. Which right now does not look to pretty for the Capellans.
Hope that answers your question!
Thanks for reading,
Dav
Xin Sheng needs to happen, or they gonna get their butt kicked, hopefully Sun-Tzu takes over.
-
Xin Sheng needs to happen, or they gonna get their butt kicked, hopefully Sun-Tzu takes over.
Well, currently its 3032, so that could be awhile...
:-)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Betelgeuse
The Fourth Succession War, as short as it was,, was brutal in temrs of lives lost, displaced, and number of worlds that switched hands. However, the one world that had the power to throw two Successor states into full out conflict again was far removed from the “main” theaters of War, Betelgeuse.
A large world. Betelgeuse is home to twenty plus factories that are responsible for almost 80% of the Capellan Confederations Luxury and consumer goods. Many of these factories had been re-purposed to produce military goods during the early part of the 31st century, many of which went to support the products made on planet at the massive Aldis plants scattered about the two continents.
The planet had long been coveted by the Humprhies family of Andurien, and when the Fourth Succession War started, especially in light of the CCAF's performance against the AFFS became clear, Dame Humphries again agitated for attacking the planet. After the incident on Scarborough, in which Capellan troops attacked an Andurien cantonment after a hospital treating wounded Capellans had been attacked, Dame Humphries declared war on the Confederation and attacked. The 5th Defenders attacked Palladaine, which surrendered within hours of the Duchy Troops landing. Sigma Mare fell almost as quickly to the attacking 3rd Defenders. Betelgeuse, on paper, looked to be a harder nut to crack, and Dame Humphries sent her best unit, the 6th Defenders, commanded by her daughter Mildred, to conduct the attack.
At the time, Betelgeuse was defended by Warrior House Kamata and a Battalion of Rivaldi's Hussars. A hard luck unit, even by Capellan standards, the Hussars were shattered when a battalion of Defenders dropped near their marshaling area and routed in short order. House Kamata fought better, holding off determined Andurien advances for several weeks, until a daring low orbit drop by a company of heavy mechs, accompanied by two battalions of jump infantry, landed in the rear of the Capellan forces while another battalion of Defenders conducted a pinning attack. One company of Capellan troops, and the remaining House Infantry, held off the Anduriens long enough for the remainder of the Warrior House to retreat. House Master “” was more than willing to conduct a guerilla campaign against the attackers, but his supplies had been severely depleted, and there was little in the way of material support, as the accompanying Andurien conventional units had taken control of almost all the supply routes and factories. What remained of the Hussars and Warrior House retreated to Kasdach, under the impression that they would soon be returning to Betelgeuse with help, but with Chancellor Liao's focus on Operation BAOYING and the Federated Suns. The Sixth Andurien had suffered heavy material losses, especially in the accompanying conventional regiments, but many of these were made good with product from the now Andurien controlled Aldis plants.
At the end of the 4th Succession War, representative from all the Houses were present at a Comstar sponsored Peace Proposal. While a return to “Status Quo ante bellum” was impossible, there were several affairs between the Successor states that had to be taken care of. What protests between the factions were usually settled by the threat of Comstar Interdiction, but the one surprise out of the Hilton Head proceedings was Comstars refusal to enforce a joint Marik/Capellan proposal to return the now Andurien controlled worlds to the Confederation. It is presumed the Captain General may have pushed further, but the Andurien Succession soon pushed the status of these worlds to the back of his political problems.
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
-
And the initial Marik Schism map:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchism1.pdf
Thanks for looking, comments welcome!
Dav
-
And the Initial breakdown of how the various FWLM units broke up
1st Free Worlds Guards, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik
2nd Free Worlds Guards, joined the Tamarind-Abbey Armed Forces. Having been stationed on Bella I, and after a personal appeal from Therese Brett-Marik, the 2nd wavered until orders from Duncan Marik, who the commanding officer had issues with, came through.
3rd Free Worlds Guards, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik
4th Free Worlds Guards, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik
Atrean Hussars, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
1st Atrean Dragoons, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
11th Atrean Dragoons, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik
12th Atrean Dragoons, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik
1st Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
2nd Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
4th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
5th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik. Colonel Allyce Verschwunden had no respect for Duncan Marik, and the units long service on Les Halles and appearence of Thomas Marik led the unit to declare for Thomas.
6th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
9th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik.
10th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
13th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
15th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
18th Marik Militia, remained independent, leaving Zavijava and moving back to Oliver. Rebuilt after Antons Revolt, the 18th had long been on the bottom of the priority list of the Marik Militia. Several members of the unit did not want to partake in a second revolt, and when the corporate boards of Brigadier and Quikcell offered to help defray their costs and expenses if they stayed on Oliver, the 18th stayed.
20th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
23rd Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
25th Marik Militia, having suffered heavy losses during the fighting on Wyatt, and with the 5th Regulan Leaving, Colonel Ochambo did not want to leave Wyatt, feeling that doing so would mean the men and women under his command who had died in the fighting had done so in vain. Instead, the Colonel posted a proclomation saying he and his unit would garrison the planet in the Captain General's name until duly relieved. That he did not specify which Captain General was not lost amongst all observers.
30th Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
31st Marik Militia, joined the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
Marik Guard Duncan Marik's criticism of Colonel Bryce-Marik's ability during the 4th SSW were salt on an already open wound, and the Guards found themselves scrounging for nearly every piece of vital equipment they needed. When ordered by Duncan to leave Connaught and make for Kalidasa, still defended by the Silver Hawks, Colonel Bryce-Marik refused. His removal, by order of Duncan, was ignored by the members of the unit. First Minister Richards of the Silver Hawks offered the unit repair parts and a home, asking the to garrison Connaught while he negotiated that planets entry into the Coalition.
Ducal Guard
1st Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente
2nd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente
3rd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente
4th Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente
5th Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente
All the Oriente units declared for Thomas Marik. Colonel Selim Halas, commander of the Ducal Guard stationed on Tamarind, thought of arresting Therese Marik-Brett for "Insurrection", but when his small party arrived that the Palace they found the Palace Guard and militia surrounding it unarmed. Told that they only way he would get to Janos Mariks Daughter would be to fire on and disperse on the unarmed and nonresistant "protestors", Colonel Halas left the planet.
Iron Guards
Steel Guards
Both units decalred for the Marik-Stewart Faction of CG-Duncan Marik
1st Sirian Lancers
2st Sirian Lancers
3rd Sirian Lancers
All three units joined the Silver Hawks Protectorate
Silver Hawk Irregulars Falcons
Silver Hawk Irregulars Gryphons
Joined the Silver Hawks Protectorate
1st Oriente Hussars
2nd Oriente Hussars
3rd Oriente Hussars
4th Oriente Hussars
5th Oriente Hussars
All the Oriente units declared for CG Thomas Marik
1st Defenders of Andurien
3rd Defenders of Andurien
4th Defenders of Andurien
5th Defenders of Andurien
6th Defenders of Andurien
All Andurien units stayed loyal to Dame Humphries.
Home Guards
Juggernaut
Both units declared for CG Duncan Marik.
1st Orloff Grenadiers,joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik.
6th Orloff Grenadiers,joined the Marik-Oriente-Orloff faction of CG Thomas Marik.
8th Orloff Grenadiers,ordered to leave Lesnovo and make their way back to Oriente space, the members of the 9th Orloff refused. Knowing there was no unit on the way to replace them, and unwilling to leave their area of the Periphery unprotected, especially in the wake of rising attacks from pirates in the region, the 9th Orloff declared it could best serve the Captain-General by protecting those who could not protect themselves. As a result, they have remained on Lesnovo, but have received nothing in the way or replacement supplies or personnel. Dame Candace Silver has enjoined the other members of the Commonality in helping acquire the necessary parts to keep the 8th in good order. There are also rumors, most likely true, of the commonality rejoining the Principality of Regulus.
1st Regulan Hussars
2nd Regulan Hussars
4th Regulan Hussars
5th Regulan Hussars
9th Regulan Hussars
All Regulan Units decalred for CG Cameron-Jones
21st Centauri Lancers, signed a contract with CG Duncan Marik's faction
Caesar's Cohorts, signed a contract with the Duchy of Andurien
Smithson's Chinese Bandits, was signed by the Silver Hawk Protectorate
Clifton's Rangers, Signed by the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey
Lagendorf Lancers, signed a contract with CG Duncan Marik's faction
Fuchida Fusiliers, signed a contract with CG Duncan Marik's faction
Head Hunters, signed a contract with CG Duncan Marik's faction
Carson's Renegades, signed a contract with the Duchy of Andurien
Martian Cuirassiers, signed a contract with CG Duncan Marik's faction
Hopefully this all makes sense. Will have a new unit map out sometime in the new next week or so, I have to create 5 new sets of labels. Yay! :-)
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
nice update!
-
I always enjoy a good civil war in the FWL.
Now the Space Romans can start expansion. :D >:D O0
-
Great updates Davout!
Looks like all the other Great Houses are crippled, leaving FedCom the lone superpower. That has to be SCARING ComStar right now. If I remember correctly, at this point, the ComGuards are a laughing stock, excluding ROM.
Wonder how Morgan is going to extract Justin. Hopefully with a certain Duchess ;)
Keep up the great work!
James Tanaga
-
Justin got out the same way here as he did in canon, the remains of the Lanciers (Uhlans) saving him and Candace from Sian.
There's some behins the scenes stuff going on in the new Fed-Com, but I haven't published any of that yet.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Initial Moves of the Schism.
Marik Moves:
Atrean Hussars from Ling to Holt
4th Marik Militia from Park Place to Bernardo
1st Atrean Dragoons from McKenna to New Delos
2nd Marik Militia from Hassaa to New Delos
30th Marik Militia from Chertan to Kalidasa
20th Marik Militia from Concord to Sheridan
Martian Cuirassiers from Concord to Launam
Steel Guards from Kosciusko to Poulsbo
31st Marik Militia from Launam to Shasta
13th Marik Militia from Irian to Augustine
Juggernaut from Payvand to Atreus
23rd Marik Militia from Merak to Keystone
Oriente Moves:
5th Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente from Sheridan to Sophie's World
12th Atrean Dragoons from Vanra to Hassaa
Ducal Guard from Tamarind to Paradise
1st Oriente Hussars from Alula Borealis to Paradise
3rd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente from Promised Land to Paradise
1st Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente from Griffith to Paradise
5th Oriente Hussars from Sierra to Home
2nd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente from Maxwell to Home
4th Free Worlds Guards from Orinte to Calloway VI
Regulan:
9th Regulan Hussars from McAffe to Regulus
5th Regulan Hussars from Wyatt to Diass
4th Regulan Hussars from Tiber to Hellos Minor
Tamarind:
Clifton Rangers from Epsilon to Silver
2nd Free Worlds Guards from Bella I to Tamarind
Battles:
Atreus, between the 4th Oriente Hussars and the 1st Marik Militia
Paradise Militia vs. 4 Attacking Oriente units
Kalidasa, between the 30th Marik Militia and the Gryphons
Augustine, between the 13th Marik Militia and the 1st Free Worlds Guards.
And a Map:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchismInitialMoves.pdf
This map includes the initial Andurien and Canopian deployments for Operation COURSER. The eagle eyed among you will not that several units have rebuilt somewhat, and that a few mercenary units have changed paymasters.
I did not plot the merc moves, or the Canopian moves, because at this point they seem kinda superfluous.
I've included the labels for the Black Hand and for the Marian Legions, I am guessing that the Hegemony had all but 2 Legio at this point. For the time being, it can be assumed there are several small (less than a Battalion sized) pirate bands forming and somewhat active.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
I always enjoy a good civil war in the FWL.
Now the Space Romans can start expansion. :D >:D O0
Unless I am looking at the wrong books, I believe the Marians had two mech legions, and one of those may not have been full strength. Post 4th Succession War OOB's, heck, Minor State OOB's pre Clan area, are sparse.
Dav
-
You are correct on the 2 legions, but they had numerous auxiliary units and privateers around the time of the 4th SW.
They conducted numerous successful raids during and after the 4th SW.
Sean was the one who expanded the regular military.
They would have been able to seize one or two worlds with what they could have raised.
-
Continuing on:
From Houses Divided, a Concise History of the Marik Civil War, 3030-3036
General Danielle Stimson, Primary Editor
Allison Press, 2nd Edition, 3088
At first glance, the military situation looked to be decidedly in Thomas Marik's favor. The Duchy of Oriente, and House Orloff, have always been solid supporters of the Marik family, and the Duke's proclamation from Janos Marik's own hand convinced every Oriente unit to declare for the former Comstar Precentor. However, because of the fractured nature of the Free Worlds League Military, at the start of the schism, many Oriente troops found themselves far from the Duchy, and it took time and resources to get them moving. Ten Oriente units, including several of the better ones on the Oriente rolls, found themselves on the “wrong side” of the League.
Conversely, Duncan Marik's situation was marginally better. Most of the units that declared loyalty to him were closer to the 'traditional Marik worlds, and Duncan showed a surprising degree of foresight by moving several units back to traditional Marik stronghold planets. Knowing that a quick strike against Oriente worlds would be foolish in the short term, Duncan pulled back units to critical planets near the Duchy as well. However, both faction leaders soon found out that not all their subordinates agreed with their initial actions.
First and foremost was Colonel Selim Halas, first cousin of Duke Christopher Halas. Seeing an opportunity to strike quickly, and more than likely a little incensed after Theresa-Brett Marik faced his down on Tamarind, he countermanded the orders of several Oriente units on the Periphery and Lyran border, ordering the to Paradise. Once there, he intended to use Paradise as a jumping off point to attack Duncan's forces on Atreus, his announced intent was to “Take the planet in Thomas Marik's name, and if he could not kill Duncan Marik he would capture him, then put him against a wall.” Thus began a race to see who could reinforce first before the other moved.
Colonel Halas was not the only commander to ignore the orders of a superior officer. Colonel McCall of the 30th Marik Militia, in an effort to assert Marik control over the fractious Silver Hawks worlds, moved his unit to Kalidasa and attacked, an action that had the unintended consequence of driving the newly formed Silver Hawks Protectorate away from Duncan Marik. The 18th and 25th Marik Militia's declaration of Independence (IE Non-Support for any of the factions) were on their face interesting, but both units lost members who made their way to fight for Duncan Marik.
From a political point of view, the most surprising military actions involved Orloff troops. Given their history of fighting on the Marik Periphery, the 8th's declaration that it was staying out of the fight to protect the border worlds was admirable, and as we shall see later, events on the Marik Periphery could have gone much worse had the 8th not been there. The other involved the 6th Orloff, a unit that had also served on the Periphery for a long time, and had taken Poulsbo during the recent Fourth Succession War fighting. Unwilling to abandon a planet the League had a long coveted, and knowing that Lyran troops would move back into to retake it once they had word his unit was gone, Colonel Chilung initially resisted Colonel Halas's order to move to Paradise. Threatened with dismissal and court-martial, Colonel Chilung eventually began to move his units to their transports. When the vast majority of his forces had been loaded and boosted off planet, several jumpships appeared in system and detached their dropships. While several officers began to panic, Colonel Chilung ordered them to stand down. When a Steel Guards Union landed at Bangor base, it was met by Colonel Chilung, who after a brief conversation with Colonel Stroud, saluted and left the planet to the Steel Guards. That the Guards had declared their loyalty to Therese Brett-Marik was not lost on the observers, and it was later revealed that Colonel Chilung had worked the transfer out ahead of time, believing that Poulsbo in any Marik's hands was better than losing it again so soon after taking it. However, waiting for the Steel Guards to arrive delayed the 6th joining the rest of Colonel Halas's command on Paradise, which would have far ranging consequences in the future.
FIRST COMBATS
Atreus
While Duncan Marik wokred as quickly as he could to consolidate his powerbase, his reign as Captain-General was almost over before it began. While Duncan Marik may have been anticipating such a move, the only unit he was able to bring to the planet before his uncles death had been the 1st Marik Militia. The 4th Oriente Hussars was stationed on Atreus, and once Duke Halas pronouncement of Thomas Marik as the true Captain-General of the League was made, and Thomas's speech calling all loyal units to arms was heard, Colonel Eve Hansi gathered her unit together and moved on the Capital City. While qualitatively better than the Oriente troops, many of the Militia mechs were lighter. The first battles were minor skirmishes, as both units sought to take the measure of the other. A week into the “fighting”, a company of light mechs slipped through the city defenses (there is some speculation they were, 'allowed' in), and made for the Militia HQ where Duncan Marik was supposedly coordinating the defense of the city.
The battle was short and violent, with several defending vehicles and mechs destroyed and damaged, and the bunker was destroyed as well. However, the command center was a fake, one of several Duncan and his commanders had setup through out the area. Trying to take advantage of the Militia's apparent confusion, Colonel Hansi led a battalon of troops into the city, only to run into several roadbloakcs thrown up by the Militia mechs. When Duncan Marik and his Command Lance appeared and joined the fight, Colonel Hansi retreated.
The tipping point proved to be the 1st Militia's aerospace wing. Flying through severe weather, the Marik ASF's caught several Oriente supply columns in the open, and destroyed many of them. With Duncan Marik's control over the local League bureaucracy, including the military commands, tightening, Colonel Hansi found her supplies and repair parts dwindling. When a Battalion of motorized infantry loyal to Duncan Marik made it's way to the 4th's primary depot and destroyed it, Colonel Hansi and the 4th retreated off planet, heeding Thomas Marik's call to return to Oriente space.
Paradise
The Oriente Ducal Guard, the 1st and 3rd Brigade of the Fusiliers, and the 1st Oriente Hussars had been ordered to return to Oriente Space by the fastest means practicable, and to avoid any confrontation with Duncan Marik's forces. Both Duke and Captain General Thomas Marik felt that concentrating their forces, conducting a fully supplied campaign from interior lines would be the best military strategy. At the same time, the Captain General's political supporters were doing what they could to convince the Zion and Ohren Provinces (and the Protectorate) to support Thomas.
Colonel Halas, commander of the Guard and Duke Halas's cousin, who on his best days was known to be a man of mood swings, felt that a swift strike against Duncan Marik, known to be on Atreus with just one Regiment, would end the Schism, and in the process earn him the accolades he thought he deserved. On his own authority, he ordered the Oriente units to rendezvous on Paradise, and from there he would advance to Atreus. Landing on Paradise with his own unit, followed shortly by the 1st Brigade, Colonel Halas encountered a population that was as indifferent as it was hostile. The Paradise militia had remained in it's cantonments, the Planetary government had “surrendered” to the Duke, then pointedly ignored him. There were few supplies on planet, Colonel Halas was relying on the supply ships that had accompanied the 6th Orloff to fill the massive depots on Poulsbo, ships he had assumed were on the way to meet him on Paradise.
As the weeks went by, Duke Halas was joined by the other units he had ordered to the planet, all except the 6th Orloff. At some point the waiting would be detrimental, news of the 4th Oriente Hussars failure to take Atreus and its subsequent retreat reached Colonel Halas, and it was known that Duncan had called several more Militia units to Atreus to aid in it's defense. It was quite possible that if he delayed further, Duncan Mariks troops might outnumber his own. A decision would need to be made, and soon.
Augustine
The lone offensive action in the first phases of the war that Duncan Marik ordered was as much for personal reasons as it was military. Augustine had long been the landhold of the Marik family, and the new Captain General wanted to assert his control over it as soon as his could, if only for political and morale reasons. Merely claiming the title of Duke of Augustine wasn't going to be enough. In Duncan's favor was a planetary population that, for the most part, backed him. The legion of SAFE agents on planet, both overt and covert, kept the dissidents (political and religious), quiet if not in line. Against Duncan though, was the presence of one of the preeminent units in the Leagues military, the 1st Free Worlds Guards.
Duncan had wanted to use the 6th Marik Militia to attack Augustine, but faulty intelligence (something that was to plague every side in the Schism) had convinced him to send it and the 10th Marik Militia to Marik, in anticipation of an Oriente attack on that planet. Instead, with the 15th Marik Militia having retreated to Irian to refit and rebuild, Duncan ordered the 13th Marik Militia, his best raiding unit, to attack Augustine. The 13th was not to get mired in a long campaign, but to keep the 1st Free Worlds occupied until reinforcements arrived. It was to retreat if forced to. To help the 13th, a company of heavy and assault mechs from the 15th Marik was also sent as a reinforcement.
The landing on Kabuko, the planets northernmost continent and home to most of the planets industries, was uneventful. For the first ten days, the mechs and conventional units of the 13th spread out, searching for signs of the 1st Guards, but only a few skirmishes with rapidly retreating conventional troops took place.
The first battle took place at Tierence Heights, part of the Lorrances Plains, and it was to set the tone for most of the rest of the campaign. Tierence Heights was the gateway to Francis City, one of the primary industrial cities on the planet. Entrenched near the city were several conventional regiments, with a Battalion of 1st Guards supplementing the defenses. The quick light and medium mechs of the 13th were able to scout the positions with relative ease, but any attempt to overcome the defenses was met with heavier mechs and superior firepower of the defenders. At Duvall, the 3rd Battalion of the 13th found a weakness in the defensive lines, and was able to penetrate them and destroy a few value targets, but for the next two months, these skirmishes were the only significant battles that took place. Then, inexplicably, the 13th Marik units began to withdraw, and hastily. Word reached Colonel Alcala that the Overlord Class dropship N.B. Forrest, the command dropship of the 13th Marik, had suffered a major engineering casualty, and would not be able to lift off planet until repaired, which could take some time as repair parts were not readily available.
Seizing the opportunity, Colonel Alcala left screening elements behind in many of the defensive positions, and with the bulk of the 1st Guards began to advance towards the 13th's landing zones. This time, the roles were reversed, as the heavier mechs of the 1st Guards were unable to keep in contact long enough to pin the mechs of the 13th in place. The two companies of light mechs that Colonel Alcala had brought along were roughly handled by their counterparts in the 13th. At Saint Martins Pass, the 13th stopped running, and dug in for a fight.
Colonel Alcala admitted after the battle that he had walked into a trap, and a well laid and well executed one. While Saint Martins Pass was not as narrow, or it's sides as steep as some of the other terrain, it did limit his ability to maneuver his larger elements effectively. The 13th had been able to construct what appeared to be three defensive lines of varying quality, a determined assault by the Guards 2nd Battalion broke through the first line without heavy losses, but things began to fall apart as the Guards mechs approached the second line, long distance indirect missile fire began to fall around them. The 13ths heavy support company's, nearly two full companies of Archers and Catapault's, made their presence known, followed minutes later by the Long Tom rounds fired by the 13th Marik's Artillery Brigade. The 1st Guards stopped, wavered, and began to fall back in order, but when the Awesomes, Battlemasters and Stalkers from the 15th Marik made their appearance, Colonel Alcala withdrew. Losses on both sides were not that heavy, maybe a company of mechs each, with several more damaged, but the 13th was able to make it's repairs faster. As good as the techs of the 1st Guards were, the fighting had sapped most of their supplies. It looked as if the fight was going to settle into a stalemate, until the 13th retreated in good order, and lifted off planet. The damage to the dropship had been a ruse, and one that worked very well.
Colonel Alcala and the 1st Free Worlds remained on planet, doing what they could to rebuild and rearm, but even techs as good as the Guards could only work so many miracles with so few resources. Several smaller incidents of sabotage from SAFE agents loyal to Duncan Marik also began to take their toll, and the populace itself started to turn against the Guards. With dwindling supplies, and no replacements for the units lost, Colonel Alcala made the decision to leave Augustine only four weeks after the 13th Militia had departed. The decision was fortuitous, as the 6th Marik Militia appeared at the nadir jump point, and began burning in system as the 1st Free Worlds was moving to the zenith jump point.
Kalidasa
The Silver Hawks Coalition had begun as an informal mutual Defense Pact, ratified in 2966 as the Concord of Danais. It came about in response to the Captain-General Stephen Marik's intrusion into small world politics after his Operation Killing Stroke had been throttled by by twelve other principalities invoking the Home Defense Act. A loose organization, the planets often split their votes in Parliament, but the Treaty of Kapteyn united them in opposition to many of Janos Marik's plans. His death, and the political machinations that filled the vacuum that followed, led the Coalition to question the Marik's hold on the Captain-Generalcy. Because of their strategic location, the Silver Hawks worlds had long been fought over, and while many were not exactly tired of the fighting, the independent Peace Treaty signed by First Minister Richards and the Lyran world of Solaris in 3025 was seen as a step towards further independence. When he was 'elected' Captain-General, Duncan Marik knew that many of the smaller states and Principalities would not join right away, and undertook diplomatic efforts to bring them into the fold, believing that he could always conquer by force what he couldn’t by persuasion. The Silver Hawks was one of his primary diplomatic targets, and all the hard work was undone by Colonel Forrest McCall.
When the 30th Marik arrived at the nadir jump point and began to make it's way towards the planet, Colonel McCall broadcast his intentions to hold the planet in the name of Captain-General Duncan Marik. This was certainly a surprise to Colonel Zuritas and the rest of the Silver Hawk Gryphons on planet. The unit had acquitted itself quite well in the last phase of the Fourth Succession War, defeating the 10th Skye Rangers, capturing many Lyran pilots and machines. In the months since the end of the Fourth and the start of the Marik Schism, the Gryphons had been brought to full strength with mechs fresh off the massive Kali-Yama lines on planet. Colonel McCall had broadcast his intent to land and hold the factory complexes, and Colonel Zuritas arranged her troops accordingly.
The aerospace battle battle was brief and brutal, the Gryphons previous ASF losses had yet to be made good, and the 30th soon had control of the skies over the landing zones. It was the only thing that went well for Colonel McCall. Almost immediately upon landing, the 30th was attacked by a heavy mech battalion, supported by several conventional units, including a company of Hetzers so fresh of the production lines they only had their base primer coat of paint. The mostly light and medium mechs of the 30th recoiled in a disorganized manner, and it's possible that the Gryphons could have pressed their advantage, but Colonel Zuritas withdrew the battalion as the 30th's defenses stiffened. The next three weeks of battle saw the 30th try and outflank the Gryphon troops, only to be stopped time and again. Colonel Zuritas kept pulling her unit back, giving the impression of retreating, but Pulhman City the Gryphons stopped running, and a probe by the 30th Marik soon became a pitched battle as Colonel McCall fed more of his troops into the grinder. When the Gryphons 3rd Battalion, supported by two tank regiments, broke through the thinly held flank of the 30th, the Marik units began to recoil and fall back. Coloenl McCall and the command company of Heavy mechs moved to stiffen the defenses, but when the Colonel's Orion was decapitated by a well aimed Hetzer autocannon shot, the 30th's troops were shaken. Twenty minutes later, when the Assault company of the Gryphons made it's appearance on the battlefield, the 30th broke. By ones and twos, then lances and companies, they 30th streamed back towards it's landing zone, continually harassed by the Silver Hawk forces. Two battalions of broken troops were able to lift off and retreat.
Politically, the actions of the 30th Militia galvanized the Silver Hawks into opposing Duncan Marik. They also compelled the Sirian Concordant worlds to join the Coalition as well, and the Silver Hawks Protectorate was declared. Whatever influence Duncan Marik was currying with the smaller League polities was also horribly damaged by the actions of the 30th. Duncan Marik was so incensed with the actions of Colonel McCall and his subordinates that he cashiered many of the surviving senior officers from service, then broke the unit down to cadre status, sending the remaining members to other Militia units as reinforcements. While technically still part of the FWLM military roll call, it would be decades before the 30th was brought back up to full strength again.
Other Actions
The only other significant action of the early phase occurred at Hassad. The 2nd Marik Militia had left the planet to retreat to New Delos, and join up with the 1st Atrean Dragoons. Duncan's hope was that both units would keep several units at 'home' in the Oriente Duchy with the threat of possible raiding. The 1st Atrean Dragoons were also moving to New Delos. As the 2nd Marik was leaving Hassad, the 12th Atrean Dragoons, who had declared for Thomas Marik, appeared at the nadir jump point. A fierce day long battle between the two units aerospace forces took place, with the Dragoons Stingrays and Eagles getting the upper hand over the Militias Cheetah's and Shilones, but the 2nd's Heavy wing of Reiver's did severely damage two Unions, a Seeker and Intruder before being destroyed.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
And a map.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchismCOURSEROne.pdf
I'm tinkering with some of the planet labels, more for my ease than anything else, so they might change the next few maps until I fins something I like.
More to come in a couple of weeks, maybe over the Christmas break.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
August 23rd, 3031
Colfax
She woke up with a start, just in time to see the hand that covered her mouth. Another arm, taut and powerful, held her down.
“Quiet, it's me,” hissed the voice. Cooper, Kristen Marik thought. What's he doing?
“Remember the RUMINT mill? Don't speak, just shake, yes or no?” She shook her head, yes.
“Its true. Duncan Marik's put a price on your head. Smitty heard it straight from his brother on Atreus. Your worth more dead than alive, but the price for dead is still pretty high. And I just got a message from Kirilenko, there's a team on there way out here right now. And I'll be honest, you know as well as I do Roland will take this opportunity.” Kirilenko, head of the Five Pillars, old school mafiya that ran the larger part of the Colfax underground. “Apparently Doshkin is trying to make his bones. I'm going to move my hand, understand?” She nodded. Cooper took his hand away, and Kristen Markus, nee Marik, took a deep breath, and sat up.
“How long do we have?” she asked. The phone rang, and they both stared at it. On the six or seventh one she picked it up. “Markus. Yes Sir. Yes Sir. Right away sir.” She hung up, Cooper looking at her with a quizzical eye.
“That was Colonel Roland. I've been ordered to report to the TOC, he's sending an escort.”
“Crap, not long at all then.” muttered Cooper, glancing at his chrono. “Going to be close.”
They were walking down the barracks hallway, when a figured turned the corner ahead of them and started walking towards them. “Breur,” thought Kristen, who was walking behind and to the right of Cooper, whose larger body partially shielded her. “Look in the dictionary under lickspittle, and there's his image.”
“Good Morning Sargeant!” Coopers voice was cheery. To cheery for this time of morning.
“Sargeant Cooper...” Breur voice had an oily quality, and he stopped when he saw the two of them walking down the hallway. “I wasn't aware you had the duty shift tonight.” His eyes narrowed.
“Couldn't sleep, figured I'd get some laundry done, met the Lieutenant here,” cooper jerked his head over his shoulder “and told her I would escort her to the TOC. It's on the way to the base laundry anyways.
“Yes Sergeant,” she said. “Lead on.”
Breur didn't move. Neither did Cooper or Kristen.
“Doing laundry Cooper?” asked Breur.
“Yes Sargeant,” said Cooper, stepping forward.
“Carrying it in the Lieutenant's ready bag?” Breur voice was acidic, and his hand went for his sidearm. Cooper reacted in an instant. Tossing the Lieutenants bag with one hand at Breur, he shoved Kristen to the floor with the other. Breur cried out and tried to side step, but the heavy duffel caught him in the shoulder and spun him around. As Breur turned back to face the two, Coopers fist smashed into his nose. Before Breur was done crying out, his chin caught another blow, and then a vicious overhand knocked him out cold. Cooper looked behind him, saw Kirsten pulling herself up. Leaning over, he picked up Breur, walked to a nearby supply closet and tossed the unconscious man in. The clang his head made on the sink as he went to the floor ensured he would be out for a long time. Shutting the door, he turned around and saw the officer picking up her bag. He reached for it, but she shook he head and shouldered the heavy load. He noticed her own sidearm was unholstered as well.
“Sorry about the shove,” he whispered. She shook her head, put one arm to his shoulder, and told him to press on.
Five minutes later, they were behind one of the many auxiliary buildings on post. With her and Coopers arrival, there were twenty people present, fourteen mechwarriors and six techs, all who had expressed interest in leaving with her when the time came.
“Any problems?” asked Cooper, putting her bag in one of the running GPV's.
“We ran into Howard and McCorkle, but we took care of them.” came the whispered reply.
“And we ran into Breur. He's out,” replied Cooper.
“What's the status?” asked Kristen?
“The Kormoran is at the 'port. Loaded up and ready to go. There's three jumpships at the nadir, we can hitch a ride on one of them once we get away.”
“And the Krusher?” she asked.
“Sorry Sir. Couldn't get it moved.” She sighed, closing her eyes. Getting it was not worth the risk.
“OK, lets get going.”
The four GPV's made little noise as they made their way to the gate. They were less than a hundred meters away when the base alarm went off.
“Floor it Cooper!” She said, hanging onto the roll bar. Cooper did, and the GPV lept forward. The guards at the gate were tired, and the alarm shook them. Unsure of what was going on, and what to do, they looked around for a moment, then had to leap out of the way as the small convoy blazed by. One guard raised his rifle to fire, but lowered it as the GPV's disappeared into the night.
Thirty minutes later they were on the 'ports perimeter. Kristin used her ID and some fast talking to get the barriers opened. Leaving the GPV's behind some revetments nearby, they were making their way to the Union, when three pairs of headlights snapped on from the shadows, freezing them in place. Kristen found herself in the center of the mass of people, unable to see.
“Who is it?” said Cooper, voice loud. There was no way they were all going to get out alive, Kristen thought. There was the sound of a car door opening and shutting, multiple footfalls on the ferrocrete.
“I know she's in there Mr. Cooper. You can let me see her.” the voice was cultured, smooth. Kirsten muscled her way to the edge. Silhouetted against the harsh light stood two very big men, with a not so big man between them. The bodyguards were dressed in civilian version of the local militia uniform, toting assault rifles. Andrew Kirilenko, head of the Five Pillars was in bespoke, straight from New Savile Row on Skye, stood between them. He had a smile on his face.
“Young lady, a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last.” he stepped forward, but paused when Cooper stepped in front of Kristen he paused.
“Come now, you would not be here if not for me.” His face was not hard, his eyes on the other hand.
“Walk with me if you would?” Kirilenko proffered his arm. It hung there for a few moments, before Kristen took it. She tried not to goggle. Using his free hand to cover hers, he started walking her towards the dropship.
“You should know your identity has been an open secret here for sometime now. But be that as it may, we have a few things to discuss.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes before continuing.
“Getting you here took a lot of effort and money. I did not think Duncan would be so rash-”
“Clearly you do not know him as well as I do” interrupted Kristen. She hazarded a quick glance over her shoulder. They two groups, hers and Kirilienko's, were following, but they were all tense.
“To true my dear. Too true.” His hand patted hers, and she looked down. Manicured nails, the edges of a tattoo just visible at the cuff. “Be that as it may, you do owe me, whether you realize it or not, and I would like to make what arrangements are necessary.”
“And if I disagree?” she replied, her voice sweet with irony. She looked up at him. He was tall, but his guards loomed.
“Well, you should know these things.” They were close to the boarding ramp, and he stopped, turning to face her.
“First, I am the one who alerted Sergeant Cooper, who alerted you and those with you. One of my men and his followers stopped Doshkins first team. My men here stopped his second team. There were bribes to pay, to the authorities, to the police, to the militia. There is a Merchant Class dropship in orbit, the Narym Poni, whose captain and crew are mine. You will use them to go wherever you need to, within reason of course. Whether you realize it or not, your life, and the lives of your friends, are in my debt. And I wish to know how I will be repaid. I would not be a good businessman otherwise.”
“As opposed to the bad businessman who enters a deal without knowledge of the consequences?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.
“My dear Lieutenant Marik, Duchess Augustine, I know you have the ability to repay me. I would just like to know when and where I can expect it. We-” his hand gestured to the assembly “Know your good for it.” He smiled.
Kristen Marik smiled as well, and sighed mentally. Duncan could try and do what he wanted, but her fathers will was inviolate. She was sitting on a huge sum of money, and a title. And Kirilenko was right. There was a game afoot, and Kirilenko had always played by the rules.
“Munro,” she called out. “You have a slate on you?”
“Yes ma'am.” Kristen Marik held her hand out, a few seconds later one of the techs put a slate in her hand.
She typed in a few commands, and then rolled her eyes. They hadn't revoked her permissions yet, and a few more taps, she pressed her thumb to the screen, then proffered it to Kirilenko. He gestured to one of his goons, who stepped forward. Kristen pulled the slate back.
“My deal is with you, not him. Trust for Trust, Vor Kirilenko.” She smiled at him, steel in her eyes.
Kirilenko looked at her for a minute, then stepped forward and pressed his thumb down, not even looking at the slate.
“Congradulations, Mr. Kirilenko. You are now the proud owner of the Krusher, an HBK-4G model Hunchback. When last assessed three months ago by the MBRC it's value was calculated to be 3,146,000 C-Bills, as you will see in appendix A, attached. I trust we are good?”
Kirilenko stood still for a moment, then his jaw fell slightly then he caught himself, and laughed.
“Oh, that covers most of it. Come, let us repair inside, and we can haggle in some comfort.” He proffered his arm, and in they went.
Two hours later, arrangements made, Kristen walked with Kirilenko back to his air car, a sleek machine whose paint job ate the light near it.
“You bargain well Duchess.”
“As do you. Once we get to Galatea, the arrangements will be made.”
“I trust you, implicitly...almost.” He smiled again. One of the goons opened the door, but then left after Kirilenko gave him a look. He reached inside his pocket, and withdrew a card. On it was his name, a series of symbols, and a pair of numbers.
“I know something about family squabbles, but whats happening now goes beyond that. There have always been rules to these sorts of things, and those who break them should pay. I know you will do well in whatever you do, but should you find yourself in need, and your in a position where the organization I belong to can help, you show them that card. If they don't help you, I will hear of it, and it will not be pretty.”
Kristen shuddered inside. When Gregor Doshkin had made his move against his Vor, they found Ilyanovich naked in the middle of a field, an iron spike driven through his mouth and out the back of his head.
“Mr. Kirilenko, thank you.”
“Think nothing of it my dear. Doing nothing would profit, doing something would pofit even more.”
His phone rang, and he answered it.
“Yes?” he said. Thereafter a short conversation followed, consisting of three yes's and two no's. Then he hung up.
“Well my dear, it appears Colonel Roland finally got his act together, and will be here in about fifteen minutes. Go.” He made a shooing motion with his hand, the smile on his face telling her it was in jest. She looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank You,” she whispered into his ear, using the Russian she barely remembered. When she stepped back, the look on his face was one of shock.
He bowed his head, and when he looked up she was running back to the dropship, whose engines were rumbling to full life.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
15 June, 3030
I do not know if she is mad. I only know what she has ordered me to do, and that is prepare for a war. While I know out troops are confident, the pluses are vastly outweighed by the minuses. Our transportation is minimal, our supplies are not enough to fight a prolonged war, and while yes, the Capellans have been severely wounded, that is also the time when many creatures are the most dangerous. She says we will have help, but I can only hope that myself and Senior Colonel Gladwell can persuade her to wait as long as we can. A year would be good, two years better. She wishes to meet again in a month, and I'm supposed to have an initial plan outlined. Now is not the time for fancy, now is the time to be practical. I have been a solder all of my adult life, and now comes the fight I have dreaded the most. And it's my duty to plan for it. I do not know which will be worse, it's success, or it's failure.
5th July, 3030
On paper, the initial stages of this plan look good. Of course, all things look good on paper. She was most pleased with my initial presentation, and though Colonel Gladwell and I impressed upon her the need to wait, if only for a little while, she brushed our concerns aside. There must be a way to persuade her. We can do this, I am confident that in the correct circumstances we can be successful, but we have to put what things we can in our favor before we start.
21August, 3030
It's a gamble, lowering production at this point. But instead of fully assembled machines, we're stockpiling parts, and ammunition. Simulator time is being increased three fold amongst as many units as we can, and were purchasing as many spare parts and ammunition as we can from Taurian factories as well. We've looked into purchasing from Andurien, but they are either unable or unwilling for the moment. The first of the training exercises takes place in three months on Luxen, we'll see how it goes then. Training and Doctrine can be sound, but when the bullets start flying, it goes out the window. I am not positive who we will be fighting, but with these measures in place, I do know tese aren't pirates were going to be facing.
1st December, 3030
To say I am shocked is an understatement. Today it was revealed of our impending Alliance with the Duchy of Andurien. We are to attack the Capellans when the time is right. Which according to her could be next month, which is just impossible. However, the troop movements have been successful. I worry about leaving our border so bare, the latest reports from MIM say Pirate Activity is on the rise. I cannot lose sight of the big picture though. There may be resources to help alleviate that issue, Finance would know for sure. But now I must pack, as I go to Fanardir to meet my counterpart.
3 February, 3031
I have never in my life, met a military man as pedantic a stickler for detail as Major General Coker. I know Cory took great pleasure in adjusting his glass “Just So”, and I will admit a guilty pleasure in seeing his distress over it. I'm not sure the man has had an original thought in his life. I don't think he's failed upwards, but is he suited for what might be coming ahead? The Duchy troops have a good reputation, but then, so did the DCMS, and we've all seen what happened to them.
5 April, 3031
To say I am shocked is an understatement. Yesterday an Overlord landed, bearing “Gifts to our new allies.” Six Stalkers, Six Marauders, Twelve Wolverines, Twelve Hermes. All have been used, all have been refurbished somewhat, but they are ready to go. Also accompanying this bounty was several hundred tons of ammunition, much of it from factories on Betelgeuse. A drop in the bucket to be sure, a small gesture, but still welcome.
12 June, 3031
He is dead. Janos Marik is dead. I hope whatever peace he was looking for can now be found. I know that were he still alive, peace would be a dream still. Messages are flying fast between Andurien and Canopus. The vacuum created by Marik's death could be a long time in being replaced. Many think Duncan is next in line, but I am not so sure. What I do know is that the small fractures in the League are now growing larger, and starting to shatter.
15 August, 3031
Operation COURSER is a go. Regardless of the goings on in the League, the start of the new year will see us on the attack. I've been over the intelligence reports, backwards and forwards. While not as enthusiastic about our possibilities as my Andurien Counterpart (I swear my dog has more imagination than that man), if we stick to what we can do well, and do not over extend ourselves, we can be successful. We cannot be Hanse Davion, striking deep into enemy territory, but we can certainly knock the door down.
23 October, 3031
I have seen madness and incomprehensible actions, but the events on Atreus last month put those to shame. Duncan Marik says he is Captain-General, Cameron-Jones says he is Captain-General, Duke Halas says Thomas is Captain General. The parts of the body have begun to eat the host, but can they live if it is truly gone? The last rounds of talks on Terra is over, Dame Humphries has declared them to be at an impasse. There is something going on behind the scenes in the Confederation, a power struggle between Romano and Maximilian perhaps. Meanwhile, she sits on her thrones and cackles about the grandiose future for her and her people, and here I am, the futures handmaiden in trying to make it happen.
15 November, 3031
The orders have been given. I could not call them back if I wanted to. Six weeks, give or take a few days. It's a good plan, they are good troops, it's an honor and privilege to command them. I cannot let them down.
Excerpts from the unpublished Diary of Senior Colonel Michael Knightsboro, Senior Planner, Magistracy Armed Forces, MCC.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
So the MoC is not a Capellan ally, but an adversary......
Man the Capellans are definitely the red head step child in your AU
-
So the MoC is not a Capellan ally, but an adversary......
Man the Capellans are definitely the red head step child in your AU
No, that would be the Combine, :-)
And the MoC and Andurien did fight the Capellans from 3030 to 3035 in canon...
Dav
-
No, that would be the Combine, :-)
And the MoC and Andurien did fight the Capellans from 3030 to 3035 in canon...
Dav
For some reason I believe I purged that blasphemy from my brain, MoC adversaries one day, allies the next, then basically Capellans by 3145. Oh so how the Sphere turns.
-
Schism Second Phase Moves:
Marik-Oriente:
Ducal Guard from Paradise to Atreus
1st Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente to Atreus
3rd Brigade, Fusilers of Oriente to Atreus
1st Oriente Hussars to Atreus
1st Orloff Grenadiers to New Delos
5th Marik Militia to New Delos
2nd Oriente Hussars to Andurien
6th Orloff Grenadiers to Home
2nd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente to Dayr Khuna
5th Oriente Hussars to Dayr Khuna
Marik:
31st Marik Militia to Atreus
20th Marik Militia to Atreus
23rd Marik Milita to Atreus
6th Marik Militia to Augustine
Silver Hawks:
Marik Guard to Kalidasa
Smithsons Chines Bandits to Shiloh
3rd Siran Lancers to Graham IV
Andurien-Canopus COURSER Wave One:
4th Defenders of Andurien to Westerhand
5th Defenders of Andurien to Ito
1st Canopian Light Horse to Andermax
2nd Canopian Light Horse to New Roland
Ramilles Raiders to New Roland
Richard's Panzer Brigade to Cavalo
McGaws Marauders to Herotitus
Long's Light Lancers to Herotitus
Harcourts Aliens to Detroit
Drummond's Destroyers to Detroit
Pirate Attacks:
Bloods Basatard's (?) on Campoleone
Swift Knives on Hazeldean
-
The Capellan Confederation of 3032 was a state in flux. The separation of the Tikonov worlds and the Andurien capture of Betelgeuse had deprived it of almost half it's industrial might. The military was still recovering from the disaster the befell it in Operations SPIKE and RIPOSTE. While BAOYING can be considered a success, conducting it took up a great deal of the Confederation reserves in terms of manpower and other military expendables. Complicating matters were the conflicting orders coming out of Sian. With hindsight, we can now see that Maximillian Liao's grip on reality was slowly slipping, but he commanded enough loyalty that his grip on the Celestial Throne, although shaky, was still his. Romano Liao, who in hindsight also had a grip on reality that was charitable at best, was doing her best to undermine her fathers rule and take the throne for herself. However, the defection of her sister Candace, the reappearance of her brother Tormano in the Federated Commonwealth had stacked the odds against her, as the Chancellors efforts in rooting out enemies of the Throne became widespread, a vast net catching innocents and guilty alike. Additionally, the calming influence of her consort Tsen Shang, injured in the Lanciers Sian raid and comatose until late 3033, would lead Romano to rash actions on more than one occasion, one of which saw her close to being executed by her father in 3033. Despite her fathers, Romano maintained a small cadre of officials, Maskirovka agents and Capellan Armed Forces Commanders loyal to her.
At the conclusion of the 4th Succession War, the remaining Capellan industries stayed in full military production. Training courses were reduced at most institutions, and engineers at the four remaining Battlemech factories on Sian, Capella, Ares and Grand Base, did what they could to ramp up production. Around this time, construction of a new Earthwerks factory on Victoria began, and a trickle of mechs came from the Ceres plant on St. Ives. Many of the units damaged in the Fourth began to rebuild as best they could, but the Warrior Houses were still very particular in their recruits. Those Warrior Houses destroyed in the Fourth were slowly being rebuilt, in 3032 they were cadre size at best.
The infighting, although behind the scenes, came at an inopportune time. The death of Janos Marik could not be capitalized on, and Liao's influence with elements inside the League were small at best. If anything, overt Capellan support for a faction could change things for the worse, much as the League citizens saw Anton Marik as nothing more than a lapdog for Maximillian. Most importantly, they missed the Canopian moves in 3031, and when the Andurien-Magistracy Alliance was announced, and the Andurien Capellan War began, the Capellan's were taken by surprise.
Further investigation behind the scenes though, shows the situation for the Confederation was not as bad as it appeared. Yes, the CCAF's performance in the Fourth can be charitably described as abysmal on the whole, but individual units fought well. However, more often than not, these units were fighting overwhelming odds and were working within a strategic plan that had been thoroughly compromised by Justin Allard and Alexi Malenkov. While the Andurien-Magistracy Alliance could project numbers in one area, they could not do it on the same level as the AFFS, and where the CCAF was often outclassed by the quality and quantity of the AFFS in the Fourth, the sides were very much equal in 3032. The Capellan interstellar infrastructure, which had been shattered by the Fourth, was being rebuilt, and the one benefit (if it can be called such) was that supplies now had a shorter distance to travel, and military units could be moved faster.
The biggest question facing the Capellan leadership in 3032 was the resolve of its own people. There is no doubt they were weak in 3030, and it's probable that an Andurien-Magistracy attack in 3030 or early 3031 would have been very successful, the populations ego was already fragile and an attack then might have shattered it to beyond a point of no return. Instead, the delay between then end of the Fourth Succession war and the Andurien-Magistracy attack, the Confederations citizenry had gone from a ragged edge, to dismay and anger. The infighting between Romano and her father kept the vast majority of the citizens quiet, and many were waiting for the next disaster to befall them with a mixture of anger, acceptance, angst and determination. How the Capellan citizenry would react in the war would be a key to the success of the Andurien-Magistracy attack.
Dr. D J Andrew, An Analysis of the Alliance-Cappellan Conflict, Charbydis Publishing, 3065.
-
This is going to be interesting!
I wonder if the Andurien-Magistracy Alliance will be stable enough to last. As well as form a power around the strength of the Capellan Confederation.
And how did the Capellans gain mechs from St Ives? I thought the planet wasnt a part of the Capellan Confederation at this point.
Cant wait to see what happens in the Andurien Capellan War.
James Tanaga
-
Ceres Metals existing contracts. Plus its one of those cases where Candace will look the other way as long as everything Ceres-St.Ives does is above board. It actually happens quite a bit in the Inner Sphere, as an example, Nimakachi Fusion is based on Tematagi, in the League (It's near the periphery, two or so jumps away from Astrokazy). Per the House Marik handbook, it produces 17 Warhammers, 16 spiders and 13 vulcans a year, and they all get shipped to the Combine (and that was before the Kapteyn Accords).
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
This is going to be interesting!
I wonder if the Andurien-Magistracy Alliance will be stable enough to last. As well as form a power around the strength of the Capellan Confederation.
And how did the Capellans gain mechs from St Ives? I thought the planet wasnt a part of the Capellan Confederation at this point.
Cant wait to see what happens in the Andurien Capellan War.
James Tanaga
-
I wonder how well an attack would go.
With Limited objectives it would be interesting.
-
Always an interesting read Devout O0. This is a toss up as unlike the cannon conflict the CCAF wasn't dealing with two nutcases at the top competing with one another.
-
And Part 1 of the "Small Wars" book, which should encompass the next ten years in universe time. As always, please feel free to point out any errors or omissions.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchismPt1.pdf
-
Fun update. Sounds like the Andurien-Canopian Alliance is going to break the Capellan's back if successful. I wonder if we are actually watching the birth of a new power here. If they succeed, I don't see the CC lasting as a major power after this. Possibly the strength of the Marik states, if a bit larger.
And can we get a map of what a planned Operation Courser looks like?
Keep up the great work Davout!
James Tanaga
-
Well, I can do a map of what the "Best Hopes" for COURSER are, but the reality is a bit different. :-)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Man, i need to quit editing at midnight instead of 130AM...
Dav
-
Well, 7 months is to long a break. And I like doing these maps and all, so I'll keep going.
Not sure I am going to stay as detailed now as I have in the past with the .pdf books and the like though, we'll see. Only 24 hours in a day, but that time between 1 and 3AM is open.....
:-)
This maps and the next few are just going to focus on the Andurien-Canopian-Cappellan Conflict.
Tooth of Ymir, 1st Batt to Prix
Tooth of Ymir, 2nd Batt to Primus
3rd Defenders of Andurien to Kasdach
1st Canopian Light Horse to Sax
2nd Canopian Light Horse to Jacomarle
1st Canopian Fusiliers to Droznan
Richards Panzer Brigade to Columbine
Longs Light Lancers and MacGraw's Marauders to Ward.
And a link to the new map:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchismCOURSERTwoCCArea.pdf
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Nice seeing this continue Davout.
Can't wait to see what happens next in this timeline! Great map by the way.
James Tanaga
-
Exceprted from "Lessons Learned for the Wrong Test" Marshal Gabriel Mountjoy, Ret. SINA Military Press 3072
As happens after every major military conflict, those involved directly or indirectly took them time and spent the energy trying to divine any great revelations from the events that happened. Often there are two results from these studies:
1. The first result is to plan for the last war.
2. The second result is to plan for the wrong war.
Neither of these results happen in a vacuum. Its is often possible, and indeed has happened, where two sets of military experts, planners, fighters and administrators can look at the same data and come away with two different conclusions. The CCAF and the AFFS after the 3rd Succession War is perhaps the best, most recent example. What many outsiders overlook when considering these issues are the strategic, tactical, political, logistical and administration concerns that were involved in these decisions. As an example, Maximillian Liao, in an effort to undercut any potential plots from military rivals, and in an effort to protect as much of his realm as he could with his depleted military, broke regiments up into their component Battalions, then proceeded to maneuver them throughout Capellan space. As a result, when the AFFS attacked, many Capellan units were logistically unprepared, and when the time came for them to fight as part of a greater whole, there was severe friction.
The reorganization of the Defenders of Andurien was based on tactical and strategic necessity. The Andurien alliance with the Magistry covered many large details of how two nations would work together, but when it came down to the smaller details, there was much left to be desired. COURSER was designed knowing the two component military's would have, or had, any expierence in working together. As a result of the Schism, the Defender's found themselves fighting a three and four front war. As Capellan resistance stiffened against the Canopian thrust, and the CCAF began fighting back, Oriente and Regulan incursions forced the Duchy to dilute the combat strength of it's main fighting arm. Each Defender unit save the Sixth took one Battalion of mechs and a similar amount of conventional units. The remaining Defender units now comprised, usually, of two 36 mech battalions, each with its own command lance, and an overall command element of anywhere from lance to company in strength. At the time this offered the Anduriens the best of both worlds, as each formation was large enough to hold of units of similar sizes and smaller, and forcing their opponents to commit more troops to achieve parity on the field of combat.
Reorganization in the AFFS was more subtle. The abilities and exploits of the Ceti Hussars showed the value of small, well trained combat groups. One of the first acts that occurred was the reorganization of the Ceti Hussar Combat Commands into Light Combat Teams. Additionally, the Avalon Hussars, Federated Suns Lancers, and many of the March Militias also adopted a LCT structure within the RCT.
The DCMS was forced not necessarily by necessity into adopting a smaller unit size as its base unit, but by the efforts and wishes of Theodore Kurita in rebuilding and remaking the DCMS meant a gradual, almost exponential growth of the DCMS. A prime example of this was the reorganization of the Dieron Regulars into the Xinyang Oyoroi. The 3rd Dieron and 22nd Dieron became the 1st and 2nd Xinyang Oyoroi. Each unit lost a Battalion of mechs, that became the nucleus of the 3rd and 4th Oyoroi. The 2nd, 18th, 24th and 27th became the 5th through 8th Oyoroi. As replacements came in, a company of the existing unit was split off to form the nucleus of the 2nd or 3rd Battalion. Because of the haphazard replacement schedule of replacements, in men and machines, some units grew faster than others. In many ways, the smaller mech unit sized forced the DCMS into intergrating and cooperating more closely with its conventional counterparts. The smaller unit size also enabled Theodore Kurita to conduct a series of raids on the FC, gaining each unit valuable experience. How well the new DCMS would perform in a standup fight was a matter of debate, which was settled in the Ronin Wars of 3035 and the 3039 conflict.
However, these reforms were not with their own set of problems...
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Defender of Andurien Reorganization:
The 4th and 5th Defenders each lose one Battalion. The 7th Defenders are formed on Scarborough.
The 3rd Defenders and 1st Defenders each lose one Battalion, the 8th Defenders are formed on Andurien, but are quickly moved to Shiro III
The DCMS reorg will be more detailed when I get to the Rsalhauge Independence and Ronin Wars.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
And a wave Three Map.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/MarikSchismCOURSERThreeCCArea.pdf
I couldn;t figure out what was wrong with it, the I turned the def query on the planets back on and lost a couple of hundred planets, and all was right. :-)
More to follow in awhile.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Excerpt from “They Called it a 'Small War'”, by Colonel Boyce Makintosh, AFFS, retired, published 3066
The Andurien-Canopian advance was not filled with daring thrusts , or misdirection. With the exception of Whitman's Panzer Brigade raid, it was a very methodical attack. While some pundits have asked why the Alliance was not more aggressive, driving immediately for Grand Base (or Sian), there were several handicaps the Alliance was dealing with.
First was the breakup and infighting amongst the Free Worlds League. Andurien, who was prepared to fight in the political arena, was unprepared for the political vacuum that followed Janos Marik's death. Oriente, Regulus, and Duncan Marik all tried to take advantage of the situation, and what should have been a one front war was now, on a given day, four. The second was military. Neither the Duchy or Canopian forces had any recent experience with a long, protracted campaign. While there is evidence that Duchess Humphries wanted a bolder attack, a slower, more planned advance was taken. While a few daring thrusts may have been in order, they also could have led to units getting cut off and surrounded deep in Capellan territory. A slow, broad advance that let Duchy and Magistry forces consolidate their gains as they went was a safer option.
The political situation on Sian was also a factor, as Romano Liao fought her father for control of the realm, the Maskirovka also began to “keep closer tabs” on the remaining military units, often removing officers and others suspected of disloyalty to Maximillian. Until the Chancellors death in mid 3034, the military now found itself with another level of interference, as a local Maskirovka officer could override the local military commanders authority. The first example of this was on Ward, when the 2nd Battalion of Ishihara's Grenadiers was prevented from withdrawing in time because the agent attached to the unit, who had little military experience, arrested, the units commander for wanting to withdraw, which was the correct military action at the time. Instead, the unit was surrounded, and forced to surrender. Capellan units now found themselves forced to fight in situations they would have withdrawn from, the consequences of which would be felt on both sides.
By mid 3033, after COURSERS third wave, Capellan High Command felt they had an idea of the Alliances overall goals. Whereas SPIKE had forcibly removed the Tikonov worlds from the Confederation, the loss of Grand Base, Homestead and Holloway would cut of the southern Sarna Commonality worlds. While the Alliance forces were not strong enough to conquer the entirety of the southern worlds, the strategic/military implications of supporting the area if it were forcibly separated.
Despite these impediments, throughout 3032 and early 3033, the CCAF had rebuilt its supply chains, had repositioned several units, and brought some units damaged in the Fourth back to full strength. The limited Andurien-Canopian advance gave the CCAF time to to regroup, and in the CCAF launched Operation ZHANMA.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
CCAF moves, prior to and including Operation ZHANMA
Freemont Curassier's, 1st Batt, Hunan to Sarna
Freemont Curassier's, 2nd Batt, Johnathon to Sarna
Blackwind Lancer's (2 Batt's) Overton to Frondas
Blandford's Grandiers Sian to Grand Base
Lockhardt's Ironsides (1 Batt) Claxton to Scarborough
Shepards Mounted Fusiliers (2 Batts) Claxton to Ito
Stapletons Iron Hand Homestead to Wright
House Dai Da Chi Frazer to Homestead
Bullards Armored Cav (1 Batt) Zanzibar to Columbine
5th Confederation Reserve Cav (2nd Batt) Larsha to Frazer
Ishihara's Grenadiers (2nd Batt) Hurik to Ward
-
CCAF pre and Initial ZHANMA moves.
In an effort to cut back on some of the clutter I've only displayed the units of those nations fighting.
Any errors are mine, thanks for looking
Dav
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/ZHANMA_One.pdf
-
Thank you for an enjoyable read
-
Very enjoyable read, any new on when a new update will occur?
-
Probably next week. Ive a nice little vacation with thanksgiving. Of all the irons I have in the fire I have really neglected this. At the very least I need to get some maps and a basic timeline out.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
I'm changing things up, less stories, more timeline oriented. Lot of proverbial irons in the fire, but I've had a couple of people ask if I was continuing this, so away we go!
ZHANMA Wave One, Late Spring 3033
The CCAF attacks were expected, Andurien High Command had prepared their forces as best they could, but the recent reorganization of the Defender units had left them in less than optimal condition. The one thing working in their favor was the degree of coordination between the mech and conventional units.
SCARBOROUGH was a stalemate, as the Battalion of Lockhardt's Ironsides landed, fought a series of skirmishes, then broke off to support an increasing civilian resistance.
ITO saw the 5th Defender's of Andurien and Shepard's Mounted Fusiliers fight a series of running battles. At the Chung Kang Xiao mining complex, a Defenders Battlegroup caught and destroyed or captured almost two companies of Capellan units. However, the remaining CCAF units have been ableto keep the Andurien troops busy.
On COLUMBINE, Bullard's Armored Cavalry landed without trouble, but found that the Panzer Brigade had ransacked and destroyed almost every military installation.
On WARD, the 2nd Battalion of Ishara's Grenadier's was pinned in place by Long's Light Lancer's, and then forced to retreat with heavy losses when MacGraw's Marauder's hit it in the flank. A few weeks later, when the units commander wanted to retreat off world, the local Maskirovka senior officer had him and most of the units senior commanders arrested. The resulting confusion amongst the remaining Grenadier's prevented them from reacting to the Canopians aggressive advance, and the Capellans were surrounded and forced to surrender.
Meanwhile, on BUENOS AIRES, the two Capellan units were unable or unwilling to work together, allowing the 1st Canopian Light Horse to keep both units off balance with repeated hit and run attacks.
When the two units did decide to work together, the result was the Light Horse losing a company of mechs to a well coordinated pincer attack. However, during the attack Colonel Kincade was wounded, and the two Capellans units have rarely cooperated together since.
On VIKTORIA, Richard's Panzer Brigade and Harlock's Warrior's played a cat and mouse game, as the Capellan Mercenaries refused to be pulled into any standup battles. Several skirmishes were fought with inconclusive results.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
ZHANMA First Wave Map
-
Good to see you updating. [cheers]
-
I missed Wright in my last post:
Stapletons Iron Hand was under a cloud of suspicion. As Pavel Ridzik's personal unit, many of its members were closely watched by the Maskirovka, with several being transferred out. A Company of the 4th Defenders was shattered during the Hands initial assault, but meddling by the attached Maskirovka officers allowed most of the 4th to retreat in good order from the initial Capellan landings. The Hands advace has been slow and methodical, and other than half hearted skirmishing attempts, the Andurien troops have not engaged.
-
Some of the unit labels may not display, this is a spacing issue more than anything. Well, that and the fact I've moved all the relevant files from one computer to another, and I'm not in this frame of map making.
Anyhow, for thee purpose of this phase of the universe, I am only showing the units of the parties involved.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
ZHANMA Two and Reaction Moves
2nd Batt., Blackwind Lancers from Frondas to Andurien
3rd Batt., Blackwind Lancers from Frondas to Shiro III
Devon's Srmored Infantry from Overton to Grand Base
Blandford's Grenadiers from Grand Base to Betelgeuse
Caesar's Cohorts from Andurien to Wright
Ramille's Raiders from New Roland to Buenos Aires
2nd Canopian Light Horse from Barras to Decatur
1st Canopian Fusilers from Drozan to Decatur
Harcourt's Aliens from Detroit to Cavalor
-
Awesome update and map! Glad this is back! 8)
-
FedCom not going to make some noise to keep the Cappies honest - stop them concentrating against this attack?
Hell, even just quietly hiring, then turning over the contracts to a number of merc units to the MOC to give their offensive a shot in the arm, would do a lot to make the Crappies just that much more miserable - and making Romano miserable is something I approve of!
Or, what about the TC? They have a world or two the Cappies took right? Seems to be the perfect time to take them back for good!
-
The one big problem with this location and time is that there are so many moving parts, the Marik Civil War, the Andurien Secession, there's also a escalation of pirate band attacks along the Marik frontier as well.
Trying to do all those at once was to much, so I'm trying to go conflict by conflict, year by year.
There will be some involvement from Tikonov, Marik and Oriente polities, but the rest of the big Successor states are sitting this one out, trying to recover and rebuild from the Fourth Succession war.
The Taurians always struck me as a "Don't bother us and we won't bother you" type.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Some important timeline events:
3030
The Fourth Succession War Ends
April 11th Alexander Victor Steiner-Davion is born. He spends the first year of his life in and out of the hospital, fighting for his life.
June 3rd Kai Allard-Liao is born
August 26th George Hasek II is born
September 5th Theodore Kurita named Gunji-no-Kanrei
October Talks between the Anduriens and Canopians begin.
3031
Internecine behind the scenes fighting between the polities that comprise the Marik Commonwealth break out into the open. At the head is the Duchy of Andurien, who wants to hold onto the gains it made in the Fourth. In response, Janos Marik drafts the Internal Emergency Act of 3031, which would finally bring the smaller political states of the Commonwealth under direct Control.
February 3rd Dame Humphries of Andurien declares the Act of Incorporation "Null and Void" and formally secedes from the Marik Commonwealth. This is generally accepted as the beginning act of the Marik Schism
April 20th Derrick Cameron-Jones, Prince of Regulus, denounces the Internal Emergency Act during the roll call vote. With his speech, much of the support for the Act, which was tepid at best, disappears and the Act is not passed. Upon hearing this news, Janos Marik suffers a fatal Heart Attack and dies.
May 30th Duggan Marik tries to assume the mantle of Captain-General, but is rebuked by the Parliament.
July Thomas Marik leaves Comstar to try and assume Captain-Generalcy of the League
August Sun Tzu Liao is born. Also at this time the struggle between Maximilian and Romano Liao begins to escalate behind the scenes.
September Thomas Marik is presented to Parliament by Christopher Halas. A confirmation vote is scheduled for the end of the month. When the debate opens, a large group of armed men attack Parliament, killing several MP's, including Duggan Marik. Duncan Marik Declares himself Captain-General of the League shortly thereafter. However, Thomas Marik, with the support of the Duke of Oriente, also declares himself Captain-General. Prince Cameron-Jones also declars himself Captain-General, and the League breaks up into Civil War.
September The Andurien-Canopian Alliance is signed.
October Theodore Kurita announces the "Fukkatsu Ryu" initiative. The Dragon Reborn is a sweeping change to the organization of the DCMS, which upsets many of the DCMS Old Guard.
-
If there were any doubts about the fighting ability of the CCAF, most were put to rest with the second wave of Operation ZHANMA. The Capellan Attacks stopped the Andurien advance in it tracks, and forced the Duchy to halt it's advance and regroup.
On SHIRO III, the newly formed 8th Defenders of Andurien, commanded by Dame Humphrey's second eldest son James, were attacked by the 3rd Battalion of the Blackwind Lancers. Humphrey's originally deployed his unit to protect the Irian mechworks on planet, but was taken by surprise when Major Arson instead veered away from the sprawling but heavily defended complex, and instead hit the lightly defended and supposedly hidden supply depots that had been built up for the next wave of Andurien advances. Leaving two companies of mechs behind at the factory, Colonel Humphries advanced and caught two companies of Lancers near Bougan Heights. In a short, but fierce fight, the Andurien troops drove back Capellan troops, but Colonel Humphrey's was severely injured in the fighting. The remaining Capellan troops avoided contact for the most part and retreated off planet.
ANDURIEN had seen it's fair share of fighting during the ages, but it was not prepared for the attack by the Blackwind Lancer's 2nd Battalion. Landing on the outskirts of Jojoken, the capital city of the Duchy, the Lancers went on a spree of destruction that saw a great many civilian and military target destroyed. One company of Liao mechs made it's way through the city to the Citadel, home of the Defenders Command Staff, but was turned back by recently arriving units of the 1st Defenders. The Lancers were only on planet for 48 hours, and while the damage they caused wasat best minor, the psychological effects were great. In another tragedy for the Humphrey's family, the wife and kids of James Humphries were killed when the vehicle they were in was hit by a bus as they attempted to get away from a lance of Capellan Mechs.
The Sixth Defenders of Andurien had not rested on it's laurels after driving House Kamata of BETELGEUSE. General Mildred Humphrey's unit, augmented by several militia units, was prepared for an eventual CCAF attack. What they were not adequately prepared for was the uprising that took place as the Grenadiers appeared in system. Forced to deal with a civilian uprising and enemy troops, General Humphreys declared martial law, and several Andurien Infantry units were quite brutal in putting the uprising down. The Capellan and Andurien troops skirmished for a month, then a large battle erupted at New Verdigris when a Capellan Armor group encountered an Andurien Armored column. The skirmish soon became a general engagement as both sides began to feed available units into the battle. After three days of fighting and losing about a company of mechs each, both sides broke off. Forced to defend several factories, General Humphrey's cannot bring a large amount of troops to fight the Grenadiers, who are likewise hampered because they lack the combat power to break through the defenses without incurring heavy losses. Both sides have called for reinforcements.
On SCARBOROUGH, a 7th Defenders Battlegroup caught and ambushed a company of Ironside mechs, wounding the Capellan commander in the process. With morale at a low point, the remaining Capellan units retreated.
On ITO, neither side could gain the upper hand. At Chi Lao, a 5th Defenders Battlegroup encountered the 2nd Battalion of Fusilier's, but was thrown back after a running fight turned into a moving ambush. A few weeks later, it was the Capellans turn, when a company of Fusiliers fell for a feint attack by the Defenders and was draawn into a Fire Sack that destroyed most of the company.
On WRIGHT, continued Maskirovka interference in the units decision making led to several units being damaged, and two lances being captured when surrounded after not being able to withdraw in time. The situation may have been resolved, as the Capellans performance in recent skirmished has improved quite a bit. General Nogales is wary of these new developments, and has scaled back his patrolling.
On BUENOS AIRES, the arrival of Ramiles Raider's in system finally brought the two Capellan units together, as they attacked the 1st Canopian in the hopes of driving off the MAF unit before the arrival of the reinforcing unit. However, the lack of previous cooperation between the two units began to show, and Major Evans took advantage of this by attacking the juncture of the two units, driving a wedge between them and forcing them back. Depleted in supplies and morale, both Capellan units retreated off planet.
On DECATUR, the 2nd Canopian Light Horse attacked and drove of battalion of Ambermarle Highlanders with relative ease. The 1st Canopian Fusiliers broke into it's traditional smaller commands to harass and defeat the 15th Dracon, but Colonel Shimosa's troops, although battered in the Fourth Succession War, proved equal to the MAF troops, using their own tactics against them. The meeting engagemennt that did tuen into full battles often went in the Dracons favor. However, the retreat of the Highlanders left the 15th in an untenable and outnumbered position. After a daring night raid destroyed some of the Canopian supplies and slowed their pursuit down, the 15th retreated off planet.
After receiving information that additional Capellan troops were heading towards VICTORIA, Colonel Whitman and his troops retreated back to Bellatrix. The Brigades communication specialists hacked the planetary communication system, and assisted by the units combat engineers and infantry, had the defending Harlock Warriors running from "Battle" to "Battle" in an effort to pin the Brigade down. When the Brigade retreated almost untouched, and the ruse was discovered, Colonel Viele swore to get his revenge.
-
Winter Moves of 3033
Thorsten's Hammer's to Wright
Carson's Rengades to Sax
Harcourts Aliens to Cavalor
On ITO, the remaining Capellan Companies retreated off planet after an Andurien night attack destroyed most of the Capellan Supplies.
Thorsten's Hammer's land on WRIGHT, and in a six week campaign the mercenaries and the 4th Defenders shatter the Iron Hand as a combat unit. The Capellan unit retreats to Houskarle, where it is disbanded and removed from the rolls, the surviving members sent to other units.
Blandford's Grenadiers lack of supporting units begins to hamper it's efforts on BETELGEUSE. The Capellan Armor and Infantry units are no match for the Andurien counterparts, and their losses mount quickly, forcing Colonel de Salvo to break off some lances to support his conventional battlegroups. Caesar's Cohorts land in support of the 6th, and General Humphrey's uses them as a raiding force.
The 2nd Canopian Cuirassier's move to New Roland.
-
Maximilian Liao's death in January of 3034 ended the sometime open warfare between the father and daughter. Romano Liao consolidated her control, reorganized the Maskirovka after Chandra Ling's death, and worked to end the organizations interference in the daya to day operations of the CCAF. With Operation ZHANMA at an end, the CCAF prepared for it's next attack.
Operation ZHANCHE, (War Chariot) was intended to drive the Andurien/Canopian forces back. While not a "Last Gasp" effort, the Capellan war industry was reaching it breaking point. A war of attrition could be won, but the cost would be great, and leave the Confederation in a weakened state surrounded by enemies. Most of the participating Capellan units were not at full strength, but it was believed their superior numbers in local battles would be a tipping point. The Operation was launched in April of 3034.
Harlock's Warriors from Victoria to Bellatrix
2nd and 3rd Regiments, McCarron's Armored Cavalry from Menke to Decatur
4th Regiment, McCarron's Armored Cavalry from Menke to Buenos Aires
5th Regiment, McCarron's Armored Cavalry from Menke to New Roland
House Kamata and House Fujita from Grand Base to Betelgeuse
2nd and 3rd Battalions, Blackwind Lancers from Altorra to Ito.
House Dai Da Chi from Homestead to Wright
During this period, the Duchy also moved some of it's troops.
4th Defenders from Wright to Ito.
3rd Defenders from Nihal to Betelgeuse.
-
Harlock's Warriors had revenge in their eyes when they landed on BELLATRIX, Richard's Panzer Brigade in their gunsights. Challenged to a stand up fight on the Fields of Absalom, Colonel Viel led the Warriors in a slow advance. For the first time in a long time, the Panzer Brigade was not pulling any tricks or schemes, and a series of meeting engagments began, the Warriors slowly driving the Brigade back. Colonel Viel was so focused on the Brigade, he forgot about the Iron Hand. The Canopian unit executed a flank march to perfection, attacking the Warriors landin site and main supply base, quickly destroying a company of mechs and forcing the other two to surrender. When first informed of this disaster by Coloenl Whitman, Colonel Viel thought it was the ruse the Brigade had been waiting to pull, and instead ordered a full out attack. The Canopian mercenaries held their ground, until word reached Colonel Viel that indeed, his unit was essentially surrounded and stranded on planet. The Warrior's surrendered, and retreated off planet a few days later, leaving a company worth of mechs behind as a ransom.
Both the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of McCarron's Armored Cavalry were about a battalion understrength when they landed on Decatur, but were more than able to take the fight to the Magistracy forces. The 2nd Canopian Fusiliers were shattered in a series of engagements against the MAC's 2nd Regiment. However, the 2nd Canopian Light Horse stopped the advance of the 3rd MAC cold at Bainbridge Heights, destroying several mechs and capturing two lances worth in a series of running battles. A few days later, disaster hit the 3rd Regiment when Colonel Chandresekar "shut down" in the middle of a fight, and went into a semi catatonic state. Her executive officer had been wounded earlier the fighting, and confusion broke out among the other officers. When Major Bragg was able to assume command and take control of the situation, the unit was a disorganized mob, retreating back towards the 2nd MAC. The Magistracy troops kept up the pursuit for a few days, but broke off and retreated when a linkup between the two Capellan mercenary units was imminent.
The remaining troops of the 1st Canopian Light Horse bore the brunt of the 4th MAC attack on BUENOS AIRES. In danger of being over run by the MAC, the Raiders forced marched their way to the 1st Canopian, but were then caught up in the retreat. A rearguard stand by Captain Nicholas Ramile's company of Raider's allowed the Light Horse and Raider's to disengage, consolidate and regroup. With Major Evans wounded, Colonel Ramile assumed command of both units, and began a successful hit and run series of attacks, slowing the Capellan troops down. It is obvious the remaining Canopian officers that the Colonel is despondent over his eldest sons death, and is starting to take more risks on the battlefield himself.
Thorsten's Hammer's was a relatively new mercenary group, founded by Sigmund Thorsten on Galatea in the aftermath of the 4th Succession War. Thorsten himself had run a company sized mech company under contract to House Kurita, which fought it's way off Tarnby, "Borrowed" a scout class jumpship and made it's way to Lyran Space, and then to Galatea. A year later, Thorsten had a regiments worth of mechwarriors, many from smaller units that had escaped the "Death to Mercenaries" order, under his command, as well as a combined arms regiment of conventional troops. Accepting a contract from the Duchy that was low paying, but made up for it with command rights and battlefield salvage, the Hammer's soon found themselves in the thick of the fighting. With the 4th Defender's being sent to Ito, the Hammer's found themselves facing House Dai Da Chi on WRIGHT.
The most aggressive of the Capellan Warrior Houses, the Cappellans were surprised when the Hammer's dd not break under their advance, but held fast, and in a couple of instances, counterattacked. At Scofeeld Valley, Colonel Thorsten used the Capellans aggressiveness against them, luring the House troops into several ambushes. The talent and training of the Capellan troops was shown in their ability to extricate themselves, but at great cost in damaged mechs in many instances. The one area the Warrior House had the advantage was in it's aerospace assets, which were used to great effect. However, three months into the fighting, the warriors of House Dai Da Chi are realizing that the Hammers are giving as good as they get.
Fresh of their successful raids of Andurien and Shiro III, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Blackwind Lancers Landed on ITO looking to repeat their past success. Catching the understrength 5th Defenders out of position, the 2nd Blackwind drove them back with heavy losses. 3rd Blackwind did not fare as well as their sister battalion, their attempt to outflank the recently arrived 4th Defenders was rebuffed, and a swift counterattack by a 4th Defender Combined Arms group drove them back. However, the Anduriend supply situation was tenuous at best, and with recent activity from Oriente and Regulan troops near the Duchy, both Defender units were pulled off planet, the 4th going to Palladaine, and the 5th to Shiro III to refit and rebuild.
NEW ROLAND had become the main supply point for the MAF in Capellan Space, and the 5th Regiment of McCarron's Armored Cavalry dropped close in to several of the depots. The 2nd Canopian Cuirassiers were the planets primary defenders, but it was the Magistracy conventional forces that saved the depots, and the day, for the MAF.
Emma Centrella, daugher of the Magistracy Ruler and Commander of the 2nd, wanted to blunt the advance of the Capellan forces, and threw out several battlegroups, centered around a mech company, with an attached armor battalion and infantry assets. The 2nd Canopian had been training together since it's inception in 3028, and all the units worked well together. The same could not be said for the Capellan units accompanying the 5th. Many of their members were new to the units, having just come out of training, and in some cases their coordination with the mechs was non existant. In several skirmished and minor battles, the 2nd Canopian conventional units were constantly better than their Capellan counterparts, and several spoiling attacks by the 2nd Canopian mechs also slowed down the Capellan advance. The once concerted effort the MAC troops made to attack a major supply point was driven back when a flank attack by a MAF armored group beat back the Capellan conventional defenders and threatened to cut off the Capellan MSR. Realizing that a full scale attack would succeed only with heavy losses, the Capellan troops withdrew. Mech losses among the MC were light, but the accompanying conventional units were decimated. A few days after the last of the Capellan troops had boosted off planet, Emma Centrella received orders from her mother to report back to Canopus.
-
BETELGEUSE was turning into a meatgrinder for both warring sides. The Sixth Defender's and Caser's Cohorts had done an admirable job in holding off Blandford's Grenadiers, but the arrival of House Kamata and Fujita tipped the balance of power in the Capellans favor. The understrength Warrior Houses began a series of hit and run attacks on the Andurien lines, forcing General Humphrey's to spread out her defenses. There were several instances where concerted attacks by the Grandiers, supported by a House Unit, came close to breaching the Sixth defenses. In May, one such attack over ran a 6th Defenders Battlegroup, and only a desperate defense by Andurien conventional forces allowed General Humphrey's to recover. The situation was looking dire for the Anduriens, when the arrival of the 3rd Defenders stabilized the Andurien Defenses. The Andurien defensive efforts were also helped when Colonel de Salvo, commander of the Grenadier's, and his second in command, Major Macao, were killed by an Andurien Special Forces Infantry Squad. Taking advantage of the confusion generated by the Capellan deaths, A series of spoiling attacks by the 6th Defenders threw back the Capellans, giving the Anduriens some much needed breathing space.
-
Wow, very nice update!
-
3032
March: The Hiring Hall on Outreach is opened by Wolf's Dragoons
April: Vassily Cherenkoff is removed as Warlord of Dieron, and is brought the Luthien to join Marcus Kurita's staff.
November: Cassandra-Allard Lioa is born
Andrew Ian Steiner-Davion is born.
Other events:
MTC Incorporated is founded on Menke by Archibas McCarron
The AFFS returns all but 10% of the jumpships appropriated in the Fourth Succession War
The finals details of Operation Rosebud are made between Myndo Waterley and Theodore Kurita.
3033
May Kali Liao is born
August Theodore Kurita announces his marriage at a state dinner.
The Dragon-Yakuza Renritsu (Alliance) is formalized. The first Yurei units are formed.
-
By the Fall of 3034, the Andurien-Canopian Alliance was under sever strain. Operation ZHANMA had stopped the Alliance advance, Operation ZHANCHE was well of the way to pushing them back. The Canopian Periphery was under attack by several small pirate bands, and both the Regulan Principlaity and Oriente had conducted raids on Andurien worlds.
The rest of the Inner Sphere was also in a stage or turmoil. The Skye Crisis began in the fall, as the Free Skye movement began to protest the Federated Commonwealth. Now led by Ryan Steiner, the Free Skye movement was agitating for greater autonomy within the Federated Commonwealth, and several riots and protests broke out. On Glengarry, a protest was put down by the recently arrived 42nd Avalon Hussars, with several civilian and soldiers killed. The situation threatened to spiral out of control, until Ryan Steiner stepped in and negotiated a settlement. During the Crisis, the HPG station on Menkent was attacked by a Free Skye militant group, which led to Comstar troops being stationed on several Skye Worlds.
At the same time, the Rasalhauge worlds were a tinderbox waiting for a spark. Theodore Kurita had agreed to let the orlds go as part of Operation Rosebud, but would not do so until he was sure the situation was politically viable. Given the current situation between Theodore and the hardliners resisting his military reforms, he dd not want to throw more fuel on his own fires. Meanwhile, Selvin Kelswas actions and policies regarding the newly conquered worlds were causing the Lyran Commonwealth a great amount of grief as well.
As all this, the Federated Commonwealth was rebuilding, and growing. Knowledge taken from the Helm Core was being decoded by SINA, and spreading throughout the realm. The Lyran and Suns industries, strained to the breaking point by the Fourth Succession War, were recovering, and growing. It appeared as if a new Golden Age was ready to bloom from those quarters.
Meanwhile, the Marik Schism was still being fought. The forces of Regulus, Marik, Oriente and Andurien were fighting across the length and breadth of the old League. Pirate Bands were erupting along all the Successor states borders, and the Circinus Federation and Marian Hegemony were particularly active in going after former League Worlds.
-
As Romano Liao consolidated her control of the Confederation, she had a great many concerns. Instead of being surrounded by two implacable enemies, the Confederation now found itself surrounded by no less than nine potential enemies. While the military and economic power of of the Federated Commonwealth was growing, and while none of the smaller political states could outright destroy the Liao State, they could bleed it dry. The Capellan economy was in ruins, and unless the bulk of the fighting stopped, it would be ages before it recovered, just in time for a revitalized, bigger, and more aggressive Federated Commonwealth to finish what it started with Operation SPIKE.
In stepped Comstar, or rather Myndo Waterley. Having successfully negotiated with Theodore Kurita and Ryan Steiner, the wily Comstar Primus turned her help towards the Confederation. Meeting in secret on Capella, the Primus laid out in detail what Romano Liao already knew, that the Confederation was in dire straights without help, and Comstar would provide it. The new Chancellor agreed in principle to help the Confederation with lower HPG rates and some military help, similar to what had been provided to the Combine with Operation Rosebud. Dubbed Operation Peony by Waterly, the first Comguard units began deploying on worlds adjacent to the Tikonov Republic.
At the same time, the CCAF stepped up it's efforts to retake the worlds it had lost, but soon found it's bellicosity would hurt it own cause.
-
Great to have all these updates again. [cheers]
-
4th of July weekend. Bad week and work. Burning off some steam creatively.
:-)
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Operation ZHANCHE Retreats and Reaction Moves
1st MAC from Menke to Canopus
5th MAC retreats back to Menke
2nd Battalion, Tooth of Ymir from Primus to Kurvasaa. Intel had the 5th MAC retreating through this area, it was wrong.
1st Canopian Fusiliers from Drozan to Decatur
Little Richards Panzer Brigade from Bellatrix to Menke
The Killer Bee's arrive at Wright, having signed with the Duchy earlier in the year.
-
O0 cool update!
-
On WRIGHT, the Warriors of House Dai Da Chi had begun to respect their opponent on the battlefield, but still underestimated their abilities. Late in September, the House Mech companies maneuvered their way into position, awaiting the infiltration attack by their infantry counterparts to begin. It was believed that the Infantry attack would sow confusion, allowing the House Mech's to attack. In many cases, that plan would have had a great chance of suceeding. However, the Infantry component of the Hammer's had learned it's lesson well in escaping House Kurita. Colonel Eric Foster had spent ten years building the Guardsmen into a respectable mechanized Infantry unit. Stationed on Valentina, the Guardmen were surprised in their lager by DCMS conventional units, but managed to fight their way out. A "Last Stand" defense by the units 3rd Battalion allowed many of the troops to jump away, but they left most of their heavy equipment behind. Also left behind was the Colonel younger brother David, commander of the 3rd. Foster had known Thorsten from a previous contract, and readily agreed to join the Hammers, ad drilled his unit to the point of exhaustion, but the Guardsmen proved themselves more than once in fighting the Capellans.
The first House Infantry infiltrators were met well short of their goal, and quickly pinned down and destroyed. Already on alert, the rest of the Hammers began to fight back. The Guardsmen destroyed or forced the surrender of the Capellan Infantry, and the Dai Da Chi mechs ran into a wall of enemy fire. Local superiority in some places allowed the Capellan unit to advance. The plan now nothing but a memory, the Capellan commander threw his trump card into the battle, his aerospace assets. The arrival of the House ASF's briefly turned the tide, then the Killer Bee's arrived over the battlefield. The newly signed Andurien mercenaries soon achieved local dominance over the battlefield, driving the House troops back. Colonel Thorsten sent a few lances to harry the House Warriors as they withdrew, but was otherwise content to hold his position.
On BETELGEUSE, the fighting continued. Caesar's Cohort was doing a better than expected job in acting as a raiding force, but in late August it's 3rd Battalion was caught in a running battle with House Fujita. The Battalion broke under the Capellan attack, and left half it's units on the battlefield as it retreated towards the Andurien lines. In October, the veterans of House Kamata infiltrated the Andurien lines, and in concert with the Grenadiers attacked. General Humphrey's was able to rally the troops of the 6th, but several military warehouses and factories were destroyed. The 3rd Defenders were able to hold and drive back the Grenadiers assault, but most of the House Kamata units were able to extricate themselves. General Humphrey's and her command lance caught one lance of Kamata Warriors, and in a running firefight destroyed one and crippled two others. The last Capellan Mechwarrior fought with a desperate abandon, and one of his Warhammer's PPC's hit the General's Stalker in the head. As her mech fell, the Liao mech's other PPC hit the Stalkers SRM ammunition. If the General was not killed by the first PPC hit, she surely was by the second one. A few seconds later, the House warrior himself was killed when a 6th Defender Wolverine hit his Warhammer with a Death From Above attack. The fighting died down, November and December saw some probing attacks and minor skirmishes, but BETELGEUSE remained a bloody stalemate.
On BUENOS AIRES, Colonel Ramilies led his mercenaries on a roundabout flank attack, while the remaining companies of the 1st Canopian Light Horse threw themselves at the 4th MAC to hold it's attention. The flank attack was a surprise, but the veteran Capellan mercenaries reacted well, a successful counterattack forced the Light Horse to break off. While this was happening, the Raider's managed to push back the defending rear companies of the MAC to it's main supply base and landing site. The Colonel took a potshot at a building, the resulting explosion blew his Marauder a couple of hundred feet through the air, severely wounding him killing Colonel Hickney, commander of the 4th, as his command company was approaching the battle. Almost two companies worth of CCAF and Canopian Mechs were destroyed or damaged. Major Kincade, the brevet commander of the 4th MAC, appeared willing to regroup and refight, but a spoiling attack by a battalion of the 1st Canopian, the only three combat worthy companies, and word from Menke, forced him to reconsider, and in Mid November the Capellan mercenaries retreated.
Captured documentation from NEW ROLAND suggested the 5th MAC would be retreating through Kurvasa, which was rumored to be home to several depotshe Tooth of Ymir's 2nd Battalion landed on planet, and quickly defeated the planets militia. Several old abandoned depot sites were found, and when it was discovered the 5th MAC had retreated back to Menke via Renown and Egress.
There was skirmishing and minor fighting on DECATUR through October, when the 3rd MAC attacked the 2nd Canopian Light Horse and drove it back and away from its sister unit. The 2nd MAC executed a series of frontal attacks that pinned what was left of the 2nd Fusiliers in place. A week long series of battles broke the 2ndand although losses in the 2nd MAC were light, the 3rd MAC itself was almost broken by the 2nd Light Horses attack to save its sister unit. The 2nd MAC disenageg from it's sector, and marched back to rejoin its sister unit. As the end of October neared and the two Capellan units were beginning to coordinate against the remaining Canopian Unit, the 1st Canopian Fusiliers arrived in system an executed a series of close in, staggered combat drops. Although Fusilier losses were high, they quickly broke the MAC units into a series of smaller units unable to mutually support themselves. The 3rd MAC finally broke under a concerted 2nd Light Horse attack, and when word of the Panzer Brigades Menke raid reached Colonel Barton, he took both MAC units back home.
The Panzer Brigades MENKE raid was a great example of the lengths the unit would go to in order to win. There was usually one unit of the MAC on planet, but Operation ZHANCHE and Romano Liaos thirst for punishing the Canopians left the planet undefended by a frontline MAC unit. The units training command was on planet, and the worlds militia was well trained and well equipped, augmented by the Ceres Metal and Star Corps Self Defense Units. Hearing that four of the MAC units were off planet, Colonel Whitman left his conventional units behind on Bellatrix, and jumped to Menke. Arriving at a pirate point, Colonel Whitman gleaned what intelligence he could from the local sources, and when it came to his attention that the planet was relatively undefended, the Colonel began to plan. A couple of days later, a Union class dropship with Harlock Warrior's color on it requested permission to land at one of the larger repair facilities on planet. Claiming to have been ordered to Menke for repair and refit, the Capelan techs and ground troops were more than surprised when the captured Warrior mechs, Panzer pilots at their controls, began firing on the repair facilities buildings and shops. Although the damage was not that major, the amount of confusion was. The Brigade took advantage of this confusion by dropping several formations all over the planet, raiding depots, repair facilities, and other military targets. The new headquarters building of MTC was destroyed, but the Brigade stayed well away from any armaments and munitions factories. The training brigade tried to enagaged the largest Panzer Brigade formation in a series of running battles, but broke off after being brought to a standstill near the Obregarros Forestry Complex. The Brigade spent three weeks on planet raising hell, and only retreated when the 5th MAC arrived back from it's raid on New Roland. Colonel Whitmans avarice caught up to him at the CeresCom manufacturing plant, when one of his raiding companies was caught and destroyed by the 5th MAC's 3rd Battalion. Another company was mauled while retreating to its dropships, but the rest of the Brigade, spoils of war in hand (including several Cataphract mechs if the rumors are to be believed), left Menke.
Romano Liaos desire to punish the Canopian leader for her ations came to the forefront with Operation ZHANCHE. Increased pirate activity forced the MAF command to send the Magistracy Militia to Bass, leaving the 1st Canopian Cuirassiers on the Capital planet. When the 1st MAC showed up at a pirate point in mid November and dropped almost on top of the Canopian defenders. Stunned by the elite troops audacity, the Cuirassier's initial defense and counterattack were brushed aside, and the units commander, Major Alexandra Vakirrov was wounded early in the fighting, and later died. The Canopian defenses were in disarray, when Emma Centrella stepped in.
Forced to return to the capital to meet with her mother, Emma found herself isolated and kept out of several planning meetings. In order to pass the time, she went on a goodwill tour of local hospitals, to meet and greet injured soldiers wounded in the present conflict. While touring the University of Canopus Hospital (one of the best medical facilities in the Inner Sphere), she met James Humphrey's. Severely wounded on Shiro III, the second eldest son of Dame Humphrey's had been in personal freefall when he found out about his wife and childrens death on Andurien, and while maniacal in his recovery work ethic, he had remained alone and aloof since the myomer grafts on his legs and arm had been made. As part of the Alliance Agreeent between her mother and Dame Humphrey's, Emma was pledged to the Duchesses youngest son Richard. The meeting between the two did not go well, and a mutual hatred between the two was made well known. Rumors that this mutual hated was a ruse have never been put to rest. Emma herself was in quiet mourning, as news of Nicholas Ramilies death made it's way back to Canopus. After an initial meeting, James and Emma began spending more time together, and despite being 24 years older than Emma, James clearly felt something for the young woman.
Taking control of the Cuirassier's, Emma Centrella asserted her command and began to fight back. Colonel McCarron was a skilled and wily opponent, and his feints and counterattacks kept the Canopian defenders reacting. A week after the initial landings, Colonel Centrella attacked what appeared to be an isolated MAC unit, which began to withdraw. Realizing it was a trap, the colonel tried to withdraw, but was counterattacked by a group led by Colonel McCarron's command company. Forced back on three sides and then surrounded, McCarron called on the Colonel to surrender when his Battlemaster was all but destroyed by volley's of long range lasr, PPC and LRM fire. A scratch company of Andurien Mechs, piloted by recovered and Andurien walking wounded sent to Canopus for medical help, and led by James Humphreys in his Marauder, slammed into the Capellan troops, forcing them back. Colonel McCarron ejected from his mech, and although shaken, was recovered and spirited away. With the Canopians starting to fight back, and his employers point made, the Nightriders of the 1st MAC left planet three days later with minimal losses.
-
I don't think the Big MAC will take it well having to leave Menke lightly defended and then having it raided in return for some minor damage on Canopus.
Good for Romano, bad for the Big MAC.
Interesting update. O0
-
The fighting did not completely stop as the negotiations began. Several skirmishes occurred, on Wright and Betelgeuse in particular as negotiations dragged on. The key sticking points between both sides were planets currently occupied by both troops, and potential losses and gains. Dame Alice was adamant that the Duchy retain control of Betelgeuse. The Capellans were equally forceful in their claims on Betelgeuse and Wright. In addition there were concerns on both sides over Confederation Planets now cut off by the Andurien-Canopian gains: Dicon, Shiba, Niomede, Principia, Turin, Borden, Gunthar, Latice and Renown.
Comstar finally made a proposal that both sides grudgingly agreed to, although rumors abound that several behind the scenes deals were made. In exchange for 8 surrounded Capellan planets, the Duchy gave up control of Wright, the Canopians gave up control of Decatur and Columbine and agreed to have Betelgeuse administered by Comstar. Before the ink had dried on the treaty,Com Guard units were landing on the planet, and assuming control.
Privately and publicly, all three rulers were unhappy with the deal, which meant it was probably the best all three could expect.
While both sides in the conflict made noise about the inequality of the settlement, the treaty took hold. Any doubts as to how it would be enforced were put to rest when elements of the Com Guard 1st Division caught and destroyed a company of Capellan"Mutineers" that attempted to infiltrate and destroy one of the many armament facilities on planet.
-
A note on the Final positions map, somehow one of the layer files I use, the Units file no less, was corrupted, and my last save did not open properly. Luckily my previous backup was only four weeks old, but it did not have the unit moves of the last couple of maps. As a result, the newest map may not be entirely accurate, but I am pretty sure its correct. Because of the space constraints involved, multiple units on a single planet may not display all display, which is why the units displayed look different this time around.
-
The ComGuards have barely started to really form at this point - I don't know if they can afford to deploy anything like this much in the way of forces.
Especially with the hardware to fight real peace keeping actions as opposed to just light defensive forces protecting their HPGs.
This intervention may raise a lot of awkward questions they really don't have good answers for.
-
And the Capellan-Andurien War is over...well, mostly over. :-)
Up Next is the Marik Schism, which will take us to 3038.
Then the Ronin Wars, the 3039 Insurrection, and then....
Well, I'm not sure really.
Anyhow, thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Cool map BTW, man the poor Cappies, despite not getting as brutally hammered as in the OTL by the AFFS, still took a beating...
-
Ok, picking up with the Marik side of things...
The next few maps are going to be hybrids politically speaking. Because I chose to go region by region, instead of chronologically, changes have been made to layers that going back to fix would be time consuming and just annoying really. If I had chosen to do everything chronologically from the beginning, the maps would make a little more sense, but keeping the various threads tied together would have been an awful headache. So, thats why the Capellan COnfederation and Alliance look like the do. :-)
This map is the initial political growth of the various Marik factions. As the Schism began to progress, the various entites began to try and expand their influence as best as they could. Bribery, force, political favors, whatever the various rules could do to try and enlarge their various realms, and at the same time bringing more seats in Parliament under their control.
Thanks,
Dav
-
The ComGuards have barely started to really form at this point - I don't know if they can afford to deploy anything like this much in the way of forces.
Especially with the hardware to fight real peace keeping actions as opposed to just light defensive forces protecting their HPGs.
This intervention may raise a lot of awkward questions they really don't have good answers for.
1st Com Guard is the premier Unit at this time, formed in 2933, and having fought more than a few times, although not always successfully. Six years after the 4th ends, a decent sized ComGuard unit, on a world such as Betlegeuse, wouldn't be out of the ordinary IMO, espcially as ComGuard units are now garrisoning several major planets in varying strength.
The big question, at least in my mind, is what sort of mechs are they deploying? We know they senf SL equipped units to the DCMS, are they depolying those same units as well? I'm tempted to say no, but I can also see the arguments for yes.
Dav
-
Star league equipped units is less of a big deal than an extinct design. Who can tell a PPC from an ER PPC until they shoot at you... but a brand new whatever... that'll get noticed.
-
Star league equipped units is less of a big deal than an extinct design. Who can tell a PPC from an ER PPC until they shoot at you... but a brand new whatever... that'll get noticed.
Thats just it, I don't recall if the Comguard were deploying any new mechs, but a lot of the equipment thay did have were designs that had gone away during the Succession Wars. At least thats what I remember, I'll have to do some more reading.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Most Star League mech would not attract that much attention.
The numbers that the 1st Division would be using would attract a insane amount of attention from different intelligence services.
But I believe Comstar would probably make sure the designs used would still be known and in use to some extent in the IS.
The royals and unusual designs would be kept hidden from prying eyes.
The Capcon just looks so tempting now, especially Holloway and Grand Base.
Has the FedSuns got anything planned for this weekend. ::)
Great update. O0
-
The Capcon just looks so tempting now, especially Holloway and Grand Base.
Has the FedSuns got anything planned for this weekend. ::)
Great update. O0
Not untill 3039, which is still a ways away.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Marik Schism Phase Two map.
Some of the moves from message #399 were already made, this map takes care of the rest.
Dav
-
The Circinus troops attacking FWL worlds, are they pirate raids or for conquest.
-
The Circinus troops attacking FWL worlds, are they pirate raids or for conquest.
The black background with red letters are pirate troops.
The light grey with black lettering are Cirnicans.
Independent units are darker grey with black letters IE the 18th Marik Militia on Denebola.
So, here's a little fun for you:
Each unit has six possible damage ratings, Undamaged, 25%, 33%, 50%, 66% and OOC (Out Of Commision)
Each political entity (and I'm currently up to nineteen) with a unit, has to have all six of those labels created.
And this is before the Ronin War, which is three more (at minimum) political entities.
That's 114 labels (and associted SQL expressions and whatnot) to define them. Fun times when you delete that layer before saving it. Which I've done. Once.
Lesson. Learned.
-
1st Com Guard is the premier Unit at this time, formed in 2933, and having fought more than a few times, although not always successfully.
As I recall, they NEVER fought or deployed publicly, ever. The 1st Com Guards were 'officially' the defensive force that protected Terra, as far as the Inner Sphere was concerned. And that was mostly presented as units of infantry - the whole shock at the wedding when Akira discovered ComStar was training mechwarriors strongly suggests that officially at least they had no Battlemech program. Their forces at this time never left Terra (as far as the Successor States were concerned) - and in the OTL, they only times they did were the Jolly Roger cleanup (which was an entirely black operation) and The Tirpitz affair where again, the 1st division assets deployed were deployed entirely covertly.
They had a little experience (but as noted in the Jolly Roger cleanup the Pirates scored over a 2-1 kill ratio despite their inferior equipment because they were all rookies) but not much.
Now that was all in the OTL, its far from impossible there were some butterflies earlier on in this universe which caused ComStar to bulk up earlier, but otherwise the REAL work expanding the ComGuards didn't start until after the 4th Succession War and it took time to pull it off without raising suspicions. The initial path was publicly hiring mercs to build up a protective force for their HPGs, then slowly replacing them with their own troops over the coming decades as they trained up people. When Focht was switched over to the ComGuards, one of his first actions was to essentially stand down the Merc commanders and formally have the ComGuards take direct control.
As for this timeline; I'd in fact suggest that their simultaneous raids on New Avalon and Luthien probably wasted a lot of ComGuard ready assets in this timeline. Even then, they didn't cover themselves with glory. Sure they had decent gear, but we saw that even a scratch force of genuine Combat vets from an Elite unit pretty much had their way with the attackers in the OTL despite being grossly outnumbered and outgunned.
The fires of the 4th Succession War have barely been put out, the ComGuards deploying a force significant enough to smother any issues across this many worlds?
It just, to me, seems waaaaaayy out of scale.
Six years after the 4th ends, a decent sized ComGuard unit, on a world such as Betlegeuse, wouldn't be out of the ordinary IMO, espcially as ComGuard units are now garrisoning several major planets in varying strength.
Mostly Merc units as I understand it and even then their presence is very limited. The ComGuards as this point in the OTL are very much a paper army without a fraction of the personnel needed to man them and Fochts reforms to turn them into the combined arms divisions we all know and love are decades away.
But it could just be that Myndo is rushing things and taking silly risks.
The big question, at least in my mind, is what sort of mechs are they deploying? We know they senf SL equipped units to the DCMS, are they depolying those same units as well? I'm tempted to say no, but I can also see the arguments for yes.
Dav
If they had ANY brains, if they HAD to deploy their own forces you'd think they would at least go through their stocks and pick Mechs that are still in moderate service, even downgrading them if needed. Even if only say 20% of their total Mech Force is made up of Mechs that are still active on the Successor States battlefields, that 20% should be more than ample to outfit this peacekeeping force.
But honestly, this kind of showing of force should be having ComStar ambassadors hauled in for a curt 'explain, now' chat. Myndo only at the end of the 4th Succession War announced that she would be forming the ComGuards as a force beyond the Terran garrison to protect their HPGs, and now they can deploy multiple regiments of trained and well equipped Mechwarriors??!!Its not like Battlemechs grow on trees after all! And definitely none of the pilots! As offically they had no training program for Mechwarriors, it should take years, probably a decade, to build up a training program from scratch, setting up an academy and so on. Again, in the OTL, the ComGuards painstakingly took 20 years to build up to the 12 armies they had by the Clan Invasion.
-
The fires of the 4th Succession War have barely been put out, the ComGuards deploying a force significant enough to smother any issues across this many worlds?
It just, to me, seems waaaaaayy out of scale.
Well, its five years after, so there has been some growth. Probably Level II and maybe a level III on most planets, I'm looking at the 1st on Betelgeuse as starting as a level III, and then growing.
Mostly Merc units as I understand it and even then their presence is very limited. The ComGuards as this point in the OTL are very much a paper army without a fraction of the personnel needed to man them and Fochts reforms to turn them into the combined arms divisions we all know and love are decades away.
Fifteen years away. The 1st comes the Betelgeuse in 3035.
3035 was alos the year Focht took control of ComGuard in OTL. Tukayyid was 3052, only 23 years after Brahe discovered the first Comstar depot on Terra, and in 23 years the ComGuard went, publicly, from zero combat units, to 15k plus. If the IS hadn't been fighting the clans, and had some accurate numbers on the size of the ComGuard, I think they would have been very concerned with those numbers.
If they had ANY brains, if they HAD to deploy their own forces you'd think they would at least go through their stocks and pick Mechs that are still in moderate service, even downgrading them if needed. Even if only say 20% of their total Mech Force is made up of Mechs that are still active on the Successor States battlefields, that 20% should be more than ample to outfit this peacekeeping force.
That's what I am thinking as well. Plus maybe an incentive or three to some of the newer nations to buy some mechs from them from time to time. "Hey Dam Alice, hows about 10% off for three months if we can get a lance of Stalkers from you?" sort of thing. I don't know how needed that is though, especially as the manufacturing capabilities of Comstar have never fully been laid out (and if they have, I've not read them).
Again, in the OTL, the ComGuards painstakingly took 20 years to build up to the 12 armies they had by the Clan Invasion.
I don't think it was painstaking at all, your looking at 775ish level I's a year from 3030 to 3050 to get 12 Level V's worth of equipment, and that's if they start from scratch, which they didn't. I woud bet they have at least 3-5 level III's worth of equipment ready to go, to my mind it's more a question of deployment. Your not going to get a series of Level III's all deployed in the same year, probably more like a bunch of Level II's deployed throughout, and then the more important planets will be gradually reinforced.
Betelgeuse is also meant as a show of force for the Guard, and given its size and industry, and importance to both the Alliance and Confederation, a show of force seems to be in order.
I think 3035-3045 is when the Guard will expand to its 3050 numbers, but Comstar is good enough at the shell game that it's true strength wouldn't be known until the clans,,and by then everyone in the IS has to much else to worry about IMO.
Dav
-
It's good to this again. Thank you for getting back to this.
-
This post expanded into what might have become a far too in depth running argument - which I hate happening in fanfic threads, deleting it.
-
TLDR version :))
Unless ComStar are essentially emptying the cupboard to deploy all these forces (and be seen to effectively leaving Terra completly open for attack with only Interdiction to fall back on) this level of deployment SHOULD be raising a lot of eyebrows. And they will have to come up with some kind of public story to justify all the hardware and where it came from, because purchases on the open market would have been noted. Of course its not impossible ComStar just went ahead and brought the equipment for the units seen so far on the open market, but throwing that much cash around when they keep bemoaning how almost all their money goes back into maintaining the HPG network would be very awkward to sell.
So while I don't think this breaks the setting TOO badly, I seriously think it needs to be addressed directly at some point.
On a slightly related tangent, I'm not sure I get the ComStar forces deployed in the CapCon screening the FTR. ComStar is supposed to be totally neutral in Successor State squabbles, period. If they are coming in as co-beligerants with the Capellans, the Davions, Lyrans, Leaguers and Combine are going to have every right to demand they GTFO. If they are just there to guard HPGs, I can't see why Romano would go for it, because she aint really getting anything of value as I see it??/
Oh and your Avatar still makes me shiver, there is just something ... wrong ... about that.
-
Um, you DO mean on these planets right? Not 'most planets' as in the entire Inner Sphere?
Even so, the ComGuards have BARELY had enough time to run even one training cycle for new Mechwarriors, crews and support personnel at this stage. This things do tend (so long as you can fund it all, have the equipment and find the raw personnel) to expand along a not-quite exponential scale as you pull cadres and backfill, like cell division, but we're a looooooooong way from that! At this point, they are very much officially hiring mercs for guard duty with an eye to eventually build their own forces as they try to build up their forces as quickly as possible.
ComGuard has been training troops since 2933, if not a little earlier. If the sourcebooks are to be believed, Comstar started training infantry and vehicle crews in 2933, and in 2983 started training mechwarriors, and in 3005 had 50 regiments of SL era Battlemechs. Now, I think the 50 is a typo, because the very next page there's talk of a compromise, as originally proposed there would be 8 regiments, and instead they ended up with 5, which sounds about right to me.
So, 5 regiments is 60 companies, or 120 Level II's. In 3030 you lose 6 Level II's on New Avalon, and 6 on Luthien. That leaves you 112 to build on. Assume you hire mercs for a lot of the A level Stations, and start replacing them with one or two level II's at a time over the next five years. At the same time your training troops up thru Sandhurst, you have 200 former SLDF bases to train on, not to mention all of the rebuilt Castle Brians, and manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America ready to come back online if need be. Comstar expansion problem isn't equipment, but mechwarrior training, and I would bet they could really crank out those numbers if need be. In fact, they would almost have to really start cranking them out to achieve their 3053 strength.
I'm just honestly not seeing how you can pull this rabbit out of your hat without every House Lord demanding to know how the 'peaceful will of Blake phone company' can snap its fingers and suddenly have multiple regiments of fully equipped heavy combat formations coming out of nowhere. When in the OTL they had to play a decades long game of 'building up' their capacity and shell games around the same. And even by the Clan War, while the scope of the ComGuards in raw numbers was understood, no-one really knew how well equipped they were until they opened the caches on Terra and issued their Battlemechs for Tukayyid which had remained hidden.
I think they House Lords knew Comstar had something up it sleeves with the troop deployments, the big question is how wrong they were in guessing?
The equivalent of a half dozen battalions being deployed all over the Inner Sphere (if I've been keeping track of their deployments thus far) is going to raise a LOT of eyebrows. Not in the least with everyone asking 'okay, where the hell did they get all this hardware? And trained personnel, in 4 years?!'
I think your assuming they're starting from scratch, which they aren't. It's not like Waterly woke up one morning in 3028 and decided Comstar needed Mech forces. :-)
And given the historical growth of military's in the past, and given the industrial potential of Comstar on Terra, not to mention the stores its drawing from, going from 5 regiments (2 1/2 Level Level IV's) in 3030 to 12 Armies in 20 years tells me there's a decent amount of growth going on. Six Level III's of ComGuard deployed over 5 years isn't going to bat that much of an eye IMO. I suspect the actual growth would be faster, given the final numbers they reached.
Two points; first they knew the numbers but they were scattered all across the Inner Sphere. The size of the Comguard was well known, Phelan himself casually told Ulric that he best estimates he had heard about their strength was 50 regiments of Battlemechs, which was pretty much spot on. But most of that was not deployed on HPG stations but on Terra (its the only way the events of Tukayyid make any sense) without giving ComStar tens of thousands of jump-ships sitting around doing nothing until Tukayyid kicked off.
IIRC from the books, Focht as drawing troop from all over the Innser Sphere. And 50 regiments in 30 years is 1.6 regiments a year. I would bet they were a lot less than that until about 3040 or so, and then you'd really see the numbers go up.
Second, military growth isn't linear, it ramps up - but only over time. Worse, because in TTL the ComGuards were deployed against both New Avalon AND Luthien in force to try and smash the Helm Core copies, the initial seed force from the 1st Division who should have formed the initial cadres has probably been slashed in half, so you'll have to build that capacity.
5 regiments in 3030 less two battalions to whatever ComGuards strength is in 3035? Doesn't seem that much of a leap really. Especially if you consider the Level III the base unit ComGuard units grew out off, 5 regiments is 15 Level III's. Assuming even a low graduation rate of 100 mechwarriors a year, thats 3 level III's a year, which is another 15 by 3035.
They did it in the OTL by taking their sweet time to slowly build up their presence. This is only 3034 - and ComStar already have deployed units IIRC to Skye, next to the Tikonov Republic as a bulwark which is going to drain even more and then finally, a full LIV on Betelgeuse (it has to be something on that order of force if they crushed a Capellan renegade Mech company).
No ComGuard troops in the republic, except for Tikonov itself. A Full level IV is 216 Level I's...I doubt the Capellans were that good. The unit on Betelgeuse is a Level III at the moment, and will grow to a level IV by 3050.
ComStar going from no military to suddenly being able to put in a very visible and powerful presence across three theaters like that in less than 4 years ... that SHOULD be ringing alarm bells in every intelligence agency. Of course, ROM + Godmode...
If they were starting from scratch sure. But they aren't. Also, SAFE is fractured by the Schism, The Maskirovka is recovering from the Maximillian-Romano fighting, and dealing with the Tikonov Republic as well (The Okhrana, coming to a snippet near you.) MIIO is engaged in Operation FLUSH, the ISF is already working with Comstar as part of Operation Rosebud, and I'm not sure what the Lyrans were doing t this time. Probably too engaged with whats going on in Skye and the recently conquered Rasalhauge worlds?
I don't mind these sorts of discussions at all, i think they do try and explain a lot of the "handwavium" that was used in the books to justify things. I think ComGuards growth is going to be on a bellcurve that peaks around 3045, 3035 is just the beginning. I think your on the mark with the smaller mercenary units joining up as time goes on.
And the avatar isn't photoshopped. :-)
Dav
-
On a slightly related tangent, I'm not sure I get the ComStar forces deployed in the CapCon screening the FTR. ComStar is supposed to be totally neutral in Successor State squabbles, period. If they are coming in as co-beligerants with the Capellans, the Davions, Lyrans, Leaguers and Combine are going to have every right to demand they GTFO. If they are just there to guard HPGs, I can't see why Romano would go for it, because she aint really getting anything of value as I see it??/
Betelgeuse is essentially an "Open World" under Comstars protection, with the planets production split between the two states. The Alliance gets some lowered HPG rates, the Capellans get some behind the scenes help that will come into play in 3039. The threat of Interdiction hangs over the side that breaks the peace treaty.
The one thing I never agreed with in OTL was the concentration of so many industries on one world that were so critical to the state as a whole. Betelgeuse is a prime example of this.
-
Hey Chris,
Check out this:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/general-discussion/comguard-deployment-map/msg1102697/#msg1102697
:-)
Dav
-
The battle for ATREUS in the first part of the Marik Schism is hotly debated among historians. Other than being the capital planet of the League, there's not a lot of heavy industry or war materials on planet. What Colonel Selim Malas was thinking when he ordered his own Ducal Guard, the 1st and 3rd Brigade of Fusiliers and the 1st Oriente Hussars to the planet. Duncan Marik received intelligence on Malas' actions, and ordered what reinforcements he could to the planet, but against four of the preeminent units that were part of the Oreinte forces, he could muster his own 1st Marik, Juggernaut, and the 20th and 23rd Militia. Two things worked in Ducan Marik's favor. First was his control of the situation, and his knowledge of the troops under his command. The second was that Colonel Malas had next to none of the same things with the units under his control, in fact tensions between his unit and the 1st Oriente Hussars were longstanding and legendary.
From the beginning of the Oriente units drop, things went wrong. As soon as they touched down, several companies from the 23rd Marik Militia hit the 1st Hussars, destroying several mechs and sowing confusion among the landings. On the opposite flank, the troops of the 3rd Fusiliers found themselves facing the Assault and heavy mechs of the 20th Marik Militia. Although they recovered and reformed quickly, almost two companies of Oriente mechs were destroyed or captured before the Marik unit was forced to withdraw. Shaken by these events, Colonel Malas did what he could to recover, but for a month the Marik forces hit the Oriente units and forced them to retreat. The 23rd Militia mechs conducted several raiding attacks on the 1st Hussars and 3rd Brigade, while the 1st Marik Militia and the 23rd were just as effective in pressing forward their attacks. However, the Oriente troops, taking advantage of a storm that forced a halt to combat operations for a week, regrouped and began to fight back.
The 1st Oriente Hussars caught and destroyed two companies of the 23rd in a week long running battle, and while the Ducal Guard held the 1st Militia in a pinning attack, the 1st Fusiliers caught a Battalion of the 20th Militia at Indira Valley. The Marik unit sold itself dearly, withdrawing only when elements of the Juggernaut arrived in relief. Both sides left two companies of mechs behind on the battlefield. After this battle, the next month saw more maneuvering and scouting attacks. Following yet another storm related lull in the fighting, the 1st and 3rd Brigade fell on the 23rd Militia, rendering it combat ineffective in a week long battle. Colonel Sullivan, CO of the 23rd, did a masterful job in conducting the retreat, stringing out several of the advancing Orient troops. On the Plains of Avram, the heavy and assault mechs on the 20th stood as the anvil, while its lighter units acted as the hammer. Cut off and surrounded, several lances surrendered rather than fight it out.
By this time, the Oriente troops were in a poor position. While numerically superior to their Marik counterparts, they were low on supplies, and several subordinate commanders were beginning to question Colonel Malas's judgement in attacking Atreus. Perhaps in response the these questions, Colonel Malas led the Guard on a flanking attack. While the other units were going to pin and hold the Marik forces in place, the Guard would sweep around and hit the Militia unit in the flank. However, Duncan Marik had the same plan, and was with the 1st Marik when they ran headlong into the Ducal Guard. The fighting was fierce and swift, and althogh it is known Colonel Malas fell early in the fighting, the Guard still tried to break through the 1st Marik. However, the pinning attack was running out of steam, and a counterattack by the 20th and Juggernaut soon began to drive the Oriente troops back. The Oriente troops began a general retreat, and while Duncan Marik pressed them hard, when Juggernaut lost a company's worth of mechs to a well laid ambush by the 1st Fusiliers, he was content to let the Oriente troops retreat off planet. Tactically, the battle for Atreus did not amount to anything. Strategically, Duncan MArik was the clear winner. Although one unit of the Militia was decimated, and the other three units on planet were damaged to varying degrees, he had the industrial capability under his control to rebuild. For Thomas Marik, the actions of Colonel Malas were a disaster. Four of his realms most well equipped and best trained units were damaged to varying degrees, and it would be years before they were all at full strength again. The 31st Marik Militia, which had arrived on Atreus near the end of the campaign, was not involved in the fghting.
On NEW DELOS, the 1st Atrean Dragoons and 2nd Marik Militia put up a perfunctory defense, withdrawing off planet with minimal losses. The 1st Orloff and 5th Marik, were not that aggressive in their pursuit of the Marik units.
The 2nd Oriente Hussars raid on ANDURIEN was meant to distract the Duchy from its war with the Capellans, not as a favor to the Confederation, but as a reminder that Dame Alice had to watch her, and her realms, back. While they landed unopposed, and initial skirmishes against the 1st Defenders were inconclusive. Two weeks later, at Coleridge City, a battlegroup of the 1st Defenders lured in and ambushed a company of Oriente mechs, destroying several and capturing the rest. An Oriente battlegroup that was racing to relieve it's fellow troops was itself hit by an artillery barrage, wounding the 2nds CO, Colonel Covaleski, who was later captured. Despite the turned tables, the rest of the 2nd Hussars conducted a skillful retreat back to their dropships. Fearing another trap, and wary of the potential for maore attacks, General Garibraldi held the 1st Defenders back, shadowing the 2nd Hussars until they retreated off planet.
-
On CAMPOLEONE, two comapny's of Pirate Mechs, supported by several infantry platoons, landed. After sweeping aside a hastily organized milita regiment, the commander of the unit, a man calling himself Armand Blood, demanded a ransom from the city of McKinnon. Givwn 48 hours to come up with the ransom, the city elders did what they could, but fell short. Blood accepted what ransom there was, and then led his troops in an orgy of destruction, leaving a third of the city in flames and ruin. The pirates retreated off planet a week later.
On HAZELDEAN, the Swift Knives, a Pirate group that had been been flitting around the edge of Marik Space for the better part of two decades, landed and made for the industrial area of the planets capital city. The planetary militia, a company of mechs, with a regiment of infantry and armor in support, deployed to stop the company. The initial skirmish went the milita's way, until radio reports of additional mechs attacking the flank of the supporting conventional units came in. The Swift Knives, which had never numbered more than a few lances of mechs, were attacking in battalion force. After savaging the militia units and raiding a few warehouses, the Pirates withdrew.
-
A note:
Somehow, since the beginning, I've missed Swann's Cavaliers. I think what happened is that when I started the 4th SSW and was looking at the Wild Geese, and assumed Swann's was the cover unit in the original House Book. So when I needed the Wild Geese, I just changes the old Swanns label. Imagine my surprise when I fins out not only are the Cavaliers an active mercenary unit, they're stationed on Galisteo of all places. Not important to what I am doing at this time. At All.
Sigh.
The Swanns are still on Galisteo, under contract to Duchy of Tamarind.
Marik:
The Steel Guard moves from Poulsbo to Thermopolis.
The 21st Centauri Lancers move from Nestor to Keystone.
The Atrean Dragoons retreat to Holt.
The 2nd Marik Militia retreats to Bernardo.
Marik-Oriente:
The Ducal Guard and 1st Brigade retreat to Kiyev
The 1st Oriente Hussars and 3rd Brigade retreat to Emris IV
The 2nd Oriente Hussars retreat to Ipswich
Regulan:
4th Regulan Hussars from Hellos Minor to Gibson
Other Moves:
3rd Battalion of the 8th Orloff moves from Lesnovo to Tematagi.
End of Phase Two Retreats and additional moves
-
ComGuard has been training troops since 2933, if not a little earlier. If the sourcebooks are to be believed, Comstar started training infantry and vehicle crews in 2933, and in 2983 started training mechwarriors, and in 3005 had 50 regiments of SL era Battlemechs. Now, I think the 50 is a typo, because the very next page there's talk of a compromise, as originally proposed there would be 8 regiments, and instead they ended up with 5, which sounds about right to me.
Yeah that's a known typo IIRC.
Keep in mind though;
First, note that the strength of the ComGuards waxed and waned a lot since its foundation. It was founded with 5 mixed regiments of troops in total, with the core of that being a Merc unit ComStar hired. That gave them a core of experienced troops to then form around as a Cadre without needing to build up a force from scratch. Primus York however pissed off ROM by trying to replace them with the ComGuards and having ROM work for them, so he was promptly killed and the reverse done, with the Guards falling backwards quite a bit in strength. Next was the Tripitz Affair where the 1st Division made its first combat deployment (such as it was). This apparently led to an increased profile and support for the ComGuards.
But as we saw them cleaning up the Jolly Roger affair, they didn't exactly cover themselves with glory in a real fight, which isn't surprising at all. It really doesn't mean that as an institution they had even a fraction of a fraction of the capacity of training needed for THIS massive expansion on a short timeframe. All they would need would be enough training capacity to cover natural attrition.
Second, note that until the aftermath of the 4th Succession War, the ComGuards were officially a light infantry force without any heavy support. This is emphatic and the main reason the Successor States tolerated them, which does suggest that their attached heavy support was probably limited and mostly kept under wraps making it very limited in effectiveness. And hell, given how ROM recruited, its far from impossible that ComStar made up its numbers simply by absorbing Mercs or other undesirables they could convert. We know they did this with the Bandersnatches for example, as well as the Clinton's Cutthroats. And in the OTL, they did exactly this (using Mercs that is, not absorbing them) to get the ComGuards military arm up and running. Myndo specifically in Ripost gives a 10 year timeframe before the ComGuards will be to a level that they can start to be deployed, with Mercs covering until then and an expectation of another 10 years after that to roll them out across the Inner Sphere in full.
So, 5 regiments is 60 companies, or 120 Level II's.
In 3030 you lose 6 Level II's on New Avalon, and 6 on Luthien. That leaves you 112 to build on.
IIRC Focht was the one who introduced the level system to the Comguards wasn't he? But lets say 5 Regiments = 20 Battalions. We can probably say we're looking at each Regiment having a Mech Battalion, an Aerospace battalion, a vehicle battalion and an infantry Battalion given that they were always said to be combined arms forces. Beyond that; its not simply numbers, its also capability.
The raiders (at least in Ripost) seemed to mostly be Battlemech forces as they impersonated the DCs, with very limited infantry support. Loosing them could have hurt a lot more than numbers suggest. They were also probably the best of the best ComGuard had to offer to be tapped for this raid given the extreme difficulties they were going to face pulling it off and loosing them could really hurt. Its like if a FedCom RCT lost its Mech Regiment; while it still on paper would have 8/9 Regiments and probably better than 95% of its personnel intact, its combat capacity would arguably be cut in half.
Now there is no question at all that they can rebuild this capacity and expand it, given time, but if their training systems are setup to meet natural attrition and hold the ComGuards force where they are ... its going to take time. A LOT of time.
Assume you hire mercs for a lot of the A level Stations, and start replacing them with one or two level II's at a time over the next five years. At the same time your training troops up thru Sandhurst, you have 200 former SLDF bases to train on, not to mention all of the rebuilt Castle Brians, and manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America ready to come back online if need be.
Um ... not sure what former SLDF military bases and castle Brians have to do with training new troops? Thats what Sandhurst is for after all and was built by ComStar to do. Training troops is about qualified instructors, teachers, ancillary staff and specific training facilities. Most Castle Brians are not exactly Facilities are part of it for sure, but thats not the bottleneck. The bottlenecks are;
1. Initial screening of raw personnel. Which is a far bigger problem from ComStar than the Successor States. They need to weed out all the possible spies, ensure they have the suitable mindset to become part of the Cult Mechanius ComStar and all that. Plus the usual washing out of people who don't make the grade or are otherwise found to be unsuitable.
2. Qualified instructors. This is a very specialized skill that will take time to train other people to be able to do. Again, Sandhurst will only be set up and equipped to meet current ComGuard needs, it'll take time to increase that capacity, unless ComStar were to hire externally for the positions (and I doubt they would do that!).
3. Number of cadres you can put together. Pulling apart existing units to get the senior officers and NCOs for the new unit will take ComStars existing regiments offline until they are rebuilt with new recruits.
So in short, you need to build the capacity first to build you capacity. I would have thought by 3035 they would be smack in the middle of the first expansion cycle, with most units in a non-deployable state as new units are raised, with what they do have left held in reserve for the defense of Terra. And certinally I wouldn't be at all confident in their ability to conduct serious military operations against hardened veteran troops.
Now its far from impossible Myndo just shrugged and ordered the units deployed anyway, irrespective of if they were really ready. Or stripped some of the defenders of Terra itself and sent them out. But there were plenty of other ComGuard deployments in the years leading up to this so that cuboard might be bare.
Comstar expansion problem isn't equipment, but mechwarrior training, and I would bet they could really crank out those numbers if need be. In fact, they would almost have to really start cranking them out to achieve their 3053 strength.
Very much so - but this is an exponential process, it builds upon itself through iterations, starting slow and increasing steadily. Remember it takes something like 4-6 years IIRC to train a Mechwarrior along a rough line of recruitment -> basic training -> advanced training -> Mechwarrior school -> Mechwarrior. There has barely been enough time for one cycle to have gone through at this time, if you really push it. And there will be all manner of teething problems of course that build, plus the problem that ComStar has to play something of a shell game to hide its true capabilities for a while, it can't just snap an army into existence without getting a lot of awkward questions.
I think they House Lords knew Comstar had something up it sleeves with the troop deployments, the big question is how wrong they were in guessing?
I think your assuming they're starting from scratch, which they aren't. It's not like Waterly woke up one morning in 3028 and decided Comstar needed Mech forces. :-)
Knowing Myndo...
I'm not trying to claim they are starting from scratch, not at all. What I'm trying to say is that where they are right now is very much in the 'building the tools to build the troops' stage of expanding their capacity. Then once that is done, they can ramp up the army. There is a really significant lead time on this, what capacity they have is set up to hold force levels steady against natural attrition. Expanding to 10 times that strength ... that's something else!
And given the historical growth of military's in the past, and given the industrial potential of Comstar on Terra, not to mention the stores its drawing from, going from 5 regiments (2 1/2 Level Level IV's) in 3030 to 12 Armies in 20 years tells me there's a decent amount of growth going on. Six Level III's of ComGuard deployed over 5 years isn't going to bat that much of an eye IMO. I suspect the actual growth would be faster, given the final numbers they reached.
To be honest, he ONLY way that works is pretty much if they completely gut the ComGuards for the first 5-7 years. Use the existing forces as the framework for say 20 Regiments that they fill with new recruits over that timeframe as the newly promoted people train and integrate (although 3/4 of your troops will be completely green). All the while continuously expanding your capability to train more people. Then a good chunk of those units will filter out to replace Merc units in the field, as you start the process again. But there are limits because you simply cannot force experienced leadership for senior NCO and Officer positions. Plus of course you want to keep at least some of your army actually active as an army in case you need them :p
IIRC from the books, Focht as drawing troop from all over the Innser Sphere. And 50 regiments in 30 years is 1.6 regiments a year. I would bet they were a lot less than that until about 3040 or so, and then you'd really see the numbers go up.
He drew personnel from all over the Inner Sphere yes, but its implied in Lost Destiny that ComStars Battlemechs were mostly stored on Terra (and presumably most of the rest of their equipment) which Focht had to get Myndo to agree to release.
So with some exceptions, I'd presume most HPG stations were guarded purely by infantry backed up with some vehicles.
I mean hell, otherwise we're supposed to think that in 5 months ComStar was able to move a force that big around the entire Inner Sphere without causing complete economic chaos? You MIGHT be able to get away with it if most of what you were moving were personnel who can be crammed into troopships or passenger liners while setting up freighter circuits from Terra to Tukayyid. But presuming that the units had their full equipment and were scattered around the Inner Sphere, it would have been a logistical nightmare to try and actually move full units from all around the Sphere.
5 regiments in 3030 less two battalions to whatever ComGuards strength is in 3035? Doesn't seem that much of a leap really. Especially if you consider the Level III the base unit ComGuard units grew out off, 5 regiments is 15 Level III's. Assuming even a low graduation rate of 100 mechwarriors a year, thats 3 level III's a year, which is another 15 by 3035.
No ComGuard troops in the republic, except for Tikonov itself. A Full level IV is 216 Level I's...I doubt the Capellans were that good. The unit on Betelgeuse is a Level III at the moment, and will grow to a level IV by 3050.
Its about what you said earlier;
The rest of the Inner Sphere was also in a stage or turmoil. The Skye Crisis began in the fall, as the Free Skye movement began to protest the Federated Commonwealth. Now led by Ryan Steiner, the Free Skye movement was agitating for greater autonomy within the Federated Commonwealth, and several riots and protests broke out. On Glengarry, a protest was put down by the recently arrived 42nd Avalon Hussars, with several civilian and soldiers killed. The situation threatened to spiral out of control, until Ryan Steiner stepped in and negotiated a settlement. During the Crisis, the HPG station on Menkent was attacked by a Free Skye militant group, which led to Comstar troops being stationed on several Skye Worlds.
So ComStar is deploying units to Skye to guard its HPGs here. And;
In stepped Comstar, or rather Myndo Waterley. Having successfully negotiated with Theodore Kurita and Ryan Steiner, the wily Comstar Primus turned her help towards the Confederation. Meeting in secret on Capella, the Primus laid out in detail what Romano Liao already knew, that the Confederation was in dire straights without help, and Comstar would provide it. The new Chancellor agreed in principle to help the Confederation with lower HPG rates and some military help, similar to what had been provided to the Combine with Operation Rosebud. Dubbed Operation Peony by Waterly, the first Comguard units began deploying on worlds adjacent to the Tikonov Republic.
And more ComStar units being deployed here. The problem here is that Comguard units deploying on worlds adjacent to the Tikonov Republic ... I don't see what this gets either ComStar OR the Cappies. It ties down a lot of limited ComStar units on relatively unimportant worlds when they have much better things to be doing. They won't act as a shield against the TFR or FedCom, because neither side is going to attack ComStar units anyway (unless as I said they are declaring themselves there as co-beligerants to the Cappies). It doesn't gain Romano anything either, because its just ComStar troops guarding their HPG stations.
I mean if Romano had agreed to ComStar units on Sian and other critical worlds; that might be something worth the deployment. But...
Still you have several ComStar units in the Skye region, others in the FTR border regions, now another major deployment down South - plus whatever units they have deployed to protect Terra and any other deployments. Its just not leaving very much for training and sounds to me like Myndo is really overstretching her forces. Which wouldn't surprise me.
If they were starting from scratch sure. But they aren't. Also, SAFE is fractured by the Schism, The Maskirovka is recovering from the Maximillian-Romano fighting, and dealing with the Tikonov Republic as well (The Okhrana, coming to a snippet near you.) MIIO is engaged in Operation FLUSH, the ISF is already working with Comstar as part of Operation Rosebud, and I'm not sure what the Lyrans were doing t this time. Probably too engaged with whats going on in Skye and the recently conquered Rasalhauge worlds?
Well Intelligence agencies are perfectly capable of multi-tasking. SAFE I was not coutning because ... you know, SAFE! But otherwise they generally tend to be highly decentralized with various departments looking after various threats. of course, you can hand wave this away as ROM = Godmode which is pretty much what the writers did through the OTL, and really the only way a lot of ComStar schemes work. That ROM is near omnipresent and invincible.
I don't mind these sorts of discussions at all, i think they do try and explain a lot of the "handwavium" that was used in the books to justify things. I think ComGuards growth is going to be on a bellcurve that peaks around 3045, 3035 is just the beginning. I think your on the mark with the smaller mercenary units joining up as time goes on.
And the avatar isn't photoshopped. :-)
Dav
Which is even more disturbing!
-
Fall and Winter Moves of 3032
Silver Hawk
1st Sirian Lancers from Pollus to Oliver
Marik
13th Marik Militia from Irian to Holt
Marik-Oriente
1st Free World Guards from Second Chance to Asuncion
11th Atrean Dragoons from Matheran to Sophie's World
12th Atrean Dragoons from Hassad to Sophie's World
Regulan
9th Regulan Hussars from Regulus to Dalton
Gravewalkers 1st and 2nd Regiments arrive on Wallis
Independent
Kriegs Heavy Cavalry arrives on Kendall, under contract to Kali-Yama/Alphard Corp
Gruppe Blucher arrives on Sierra.
Several new pirate bands on the Peripheries are spotted and tentatively identified.
-
For Oriente to get serious they really need to capture a major factory world.
I wonder if Keystone may be invaded next.
-
Factories were one of those "Frop back ten yards and punt" situation for me.
The 1st Ed. House books have some details, but not a lot, and then theres mentions in the 4th SSW Atlases about factories on planets that weren't mentioned in the House books (Tao Mechworks on Styk is a prime example).
Then theres the planetary data avalable on Sarna and other places.
So, essentially what I did was combine all three.
If you look at the latest maps planets names:
Underlined names have mech factories on them, producing something that was available (in my judgement) in 3025. So, s an examle, Bernardo and Asuncion both have undelines, because they both produce mechs (the Flea and the Crusader).
Italicized names have ASF factories on them.
Bold have Space foactories (Dropships and jumpships)
So, a planet that is all three, Tharkad for example, will be all three.
So, in the Oriente, there is Emris IV, which going from Sarna, probably makes 3025 era Warhammers and Longbows (and maybe an Emperor or two) in small amounta, and Calloway VI, which has an Earthwerks factory on it. Oriente itself has a factory that made retrotech Riflemans and Dervishes, it *cough* might make them again with some help.
:-)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
For Oriente to get serious they really need to capture a major factory world.
I wonder if Keystone may be invaded next.
-
A little catching up/houseclening map.
Whats going on in the rest of the Inner Sphere?
This map has some of the details....but only some.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
A little catching up/houseclening map.
Whats going on in the rest of the Inner Sphere?
This map has some of the details....but only some.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
more battlecrack please, must have fix
-
Ionus (FWL)should be made Bold on the map I believe
-
Ionus (FWL)should be made Bold on the map I believe
I looked at that, but from what I can tell from the sources I have, Ionus made warships, and then switched to jumpship parts. It started refitting ships in 3054, which is a few years away in this timeline.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
WOW!!!
Nicely done as always with this timeline Davout! Especially the pdfs! I knew the Combine was hit hard but this last pdf shows HOW hard! Great job!
James Tanaga
-
How have I managed to miss this, cracking work Davout, off work sick and just read the entire thing, can't wait to see the next update.
-
Be sure to read some of the attached PDF's, some nice fill in the blank stuff there.
Appreciate the kind words, thanks for reading!
How have I managed to miss this, cracking work Davout, off work sick and just read the entire thing, can't wait to see the next update.
-
Spring-Fall Battles and moves of 3033
On ASUNCION, the planetary militia stood by as the 1st Free Worlds Guards landed, claiming the planet for Captain-General Thomas Marik. Since they have landed, several "low grade" incidents have occurred, small attempts to foment some sort of uprising. Little have come of these efforts, although in late April a battle erupted at the Earthwerks plant between the security infantry and several unidentified groups of attackers. Several outbuildings were damages or destroyed, but none of the attackers mad it inside the complex. Rumors abound that it was a commando team sent by Duncan Marik to try and disrupt the production lines of the factory.
On DALTON, the 9th Regulan Hussars limited themselves to landing near the Nimakatchi Fusion and Garrett SatCom Industrial areas on Dalton, and prepared to defend the planet. The populace has not put up any resistance to the Regulan troops, but has been very vocal in their love for the Thomas Marik Faction
Several world declare their allegiance to the various factions.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Summer-Fall Moves, 3033
Marik:
31st Marik Militia from Atreus to Aitutaki
Atrean Hussars from Holt to Nova Roma
Marik-Oriente:
5th Oriente Hussars from Dayr Khuna to Dalton
11th and 12th Atrean Dragoons from Sophie's World to Keystone
5th Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente from Sophie's World to New Olympia
Other Moves:
Marian Hegemony
I Legio from Alphard to Kendall
Pirate attacks:
Blood's Bastards attack Gatchina
Swift Knives attack San Nicholas
Drake Dreas attacks Maxwell
The Black Flagg attacks Halifax
Deaths Handmaidens attacks Qurayyat
The Black Swann's attack Lackland
Dav
-
The two things that stand out to me here are the Marian invasion and the Lyrans getting hit by the increased pirate activity. Might we see some FedCom pirate suppression activity in the periphery near the FWL border. That would give the FWL even more to worry about.
-
And the Map for Summer-Fall 3033
-
One of the bigger surprises in the initial stages of the Marik Schism was the declaration of the 4th Marik Militia for Duncan Marik. The 4th's commanding officer was despised by the Captain-General, and the unit was filled with malcontents and other Duncan was not fond of. Duncan was content to let the unit sit on BERNARDO, where it split itself garrisoning the Earthwerks and Kallon Industries facilities. The 2nd Militia had retreated to the planet, but Colonel Phillip Ortega despised the commander of the 6th as much as Duncan Marik did, and there was little, if any,contact between the two units. The 2nd received orders to move to Oceanea, and was in the beginning phase of loading up when the 3rd Free Worlds Guards appeared.
The Guards dropped one battalion on top of the battalion of the 4th guarding the Kallon plant, and in two hours of combat in close quarters shattered the defending troops. Amongst the dead were the commander of the 4th and two of its better senior officers. The other two battalions landed between the two defending Marik units, preventing a linkup between the two. The 2nd made a half hearted attempt to breakthrough, but retreated after sustaining light casualties. Abandoned by their allies, the remaining two battalions of the 4th retreated off planet, but did not arrive at Augustine as ordered.
The Atrean Hussars landed on NOVA ROMA expecting to find a Brigade of the Fusiliers defending, but encountered only militia troops. Nova Roma was devastated during Anton's Revolt, many of its large farms and concerns had been destroyed and painstakingly rebuilt in the intervening years. Colonel Wansi, trying to curry favor with the planets populace, did not stay long, retreating to Oceanea.
Things went wrong for the 11th and 12th Atrean Dragoons almost immediately upon landing on KEYSTONE. A heavily industrialized world whose thin atmosphere was polluted with heavy chemicals and other industrial toxins, it was also home to one of the largest Earthwerks Mech factories in the former league. Duncan Marik had rotated the elite 21st Centauri Lancers to the planet to garrison it, and they had spent the last six months acclimating themselves to the hostile environs. The 11th Atrean Dragoons landed, and found out almost immediately the air filters they were using were the wrong ones. Several pilots were killed and injured without firing a shot, and many of the 11th accompanying conventional troops were stuck in environemental cantons, waiting for resupply to provide them the proper filters.
A Battalion of the 12th Atrean had the misfortune to land near a battalion of the 21st and some of the planetary militia., and in a running 4 hour battle managed to destroy one companies worth of mechs, force the surrender of another companies worth, and left the last company damaged. The 21st captured the battalion commander, who Colonel Kusaka later released with a missive to the Oriente units overall commander, Colonel Julian Langsdorf, stating that the 21st considered the domes protecting the hydroponic plants, factories, and cities on the planet were off limits. Since then the Lancers have conducted several probing attacks against the 12th, preventing it from linking up with the 11th Atrean.
The 5th Brigade of the Fusiliers arrived at New Olympia, but upon discovering that the 20th Marik Militia had not arrived on planet as expected (another intelligence failure that all sides suffered), Colonel Pavel Bolton declined to land, and the unit jumped away. Several subordinate officers felt that the 5th should have landed and gone after the Allison Mechwarrior institute and Llyod-Stanley Aerospace school, but Colonel Bolton overruled them and the 5th retreated back to Sophie's World.
Duncan Marik's plan was to conquer the "rebelling" states one at a time, but the actions of Colonel Halas, and Thomas Marik's willingness to conduct offensive operations put a hold on them. His first target was always going to be the Regulan worlds, conquering them would give him more seats in parliament (even if they were bought and paid for), and force both the Duchies of Andurien and Oriente to spread out their defenses. The first step in Duncans plan was to weaken his opponent in small ways that would have bigger consequences down the road, which led the the 31st Militia's raid on AITUTAKI. Home to the Aitutaki Academy, it was the premier training Mechwarrior and Armor training facility in the principality. Damaging it would deprive Derrick Cameron-Jones of a premier training facility and highly trained teachers.
The 31st Marik Militia landed and ade their way towards the facility, harassed by the planets conventional forces.. The continuous attacks slowed the 31st advance, until about 25 kilometers away from the institute, two companies of mechs hit the 31st in the flank. As Colonel Anson reacted to the appearance of these new mechs on one flank, another company hit her opposite flank, and a fourth company hit her front before breaking off. The Marik troops soon discovered the unit hitting them was comprised of most of the senior officers and cadets of the academy. Although most of their mechs were lights and mediums, what they lacked in skill, they made up with in enthusiasm and their knowledge of the terrain. Colonel Anson halted and regrouped her units, and a few days later they advanced in an arrowhead formation. As the cadets attacked one flank or another, the battalion in question would hold and react accordingly, and the other two battalions would also slow down. While the cadets and their teachers would break off before getting decisively engaged, they could not stop the Marik advance.
A few days later, the 31st could see the buildings of the Academy in the distance, but as it advanced it came under a concerted attack from the planets lone heavy armor regiment, augmented by several lance of cadets, and several companies of jump infantry. At the same time, the planets small ASF force made it's appearance, but it was quickly driven away by the 31st own ASF forces and AAA fire. The ASF attack did distract the 31st enough that the Aitutaki cadets attack in Battalion strength found a hole between two of the 31sts battalions, and the swift mechs were soon engaged with the 31sts command group. Colonel Anson was knocked out early on in the battle, and her XO was also wounded. The third in command, Force Commander Ronald Lipitsky, lost control of the strategic and tactical situation, and ordered a general retreat. Harried back to it's landing zones, the 31st had several lances of damaged mechs, but lost less than a companies worth to the cadets.
The training battalion was nearly gutted in the combat, almost all of its mechs were destroyed or damaged, and half the cadets and officers involved in the fighting were seriously wounded or killed. The events on Aitutaki spurred Prince Cameron-Jones into opening a second training facility, the Paika School of Conflict was founded on Gibson in the summer of 3034. It was named after Arun Paika (whose father was from Regulus), the Aitutaki Senior Cadet whose Lance held of a concerted attack by a company of troops from the 31st during the final hours of the fighting. Severely wounded, he refused to give up the fight, and died shortly after the 31st left the planet.
The 5th Oriente Hussars landed on DALTON, and were clearly surpised to find the 9th Regulan Hussars already on planet. Taking advantage of her units ability to work in battlegroups based on mech company's, Colonel Toromov and the 5th were soon engaging the 9th in a series of hit and run battles. After six weeks of attacks, the 9th had retreated to a series of defensive positions around Nimikatchi Fusion. A night time probe by a battlegroup of the 5th found a weakness in the Regulan defenses, and the breach was soon widened with a coordinated assault. Sacrificing a company of troops to hold of the Oriente troops, the 9th retreated off planet to Camlann.
Blood's Bastards attack on GATCHINA was similar to its attack on Campoleone, except this time the cities of Prossers Bay and Viliokan were able to find/raise the desired bounty within the time limit. The Pirates left without inflicting any more damage.
-
Imperator Marius O'Reilly of the Marian Hegemony was a man with grand dreams, with visions of growing his realm, taking up the pieces of the surrounding states as they fell. The Schism offered him a golden opportunity to expand, and he set his sites on KENDALL.
A Marik periphery world, Kendall was also home to the KaliYama-Alphard trading Corporation plant. Currently the only active line was producing Orions, but there were two inactive lines that might be brought to production status. Kendall was also an Agrarian world, and exported much of what it grew. Additionally, it had a small militia, and other than a company of mechs that guarded the Production Facilities, there were no other forces on the planet. If he could add Kendall to his realm, Imperator O'Reilly's dreams could be that much more real. He launched what he called Operation GLADIUS, which consisted of two battalions of the I Legio, a regiment of armor, and two regiments of infantry.
There were two thing's the Imperator did not fully take into account for Operation GLADIUS. First was the world itself. Kendall's surface gravity was only 75% of standard, and the Legion had very little training in low gravity combat. The second was the presence of Krieg's Heavy Cavalry on planet. Viktoria Krieg was a former LCAF officer who left the 3rd Donegal Guards at the conclusion of the 4th Succession War. An Armor officer who became a mechwarrior, she had become disillusioned with the LCAF . One of the officers who stood with Colonel Hipper when he stood up to Colonel Lestrade on Orestes, she performed well, but when Colonel Lestrades court martial resulted in a hung jury, she resigned her commission in disgust and made her way to Galatea. There she found some kindred spirits, former AFFS and LCAF members who didn't want to answer to incompetent senior commanders anymore, and in mid 3032, the men and women of the as yet unnamed unit nominated her as commanding officer, and Krieg's Heavy Cavalry was formed. At one point the unit was in serious negotiations with House Marik, but the Schism put those on hold. Just when it looked like things were going to fall apart financially, she was approached by Colonel Markus Bryant, commander of the Stalking Lions. The Lions were a short regiment of hover tanks and a regiment of mechanized Infantry that were garrisoning Schyuler in the Combine at the start Fourth, and were in transit to Rodigo when the "Death to Mercenaries" order was issues. Easily overcoming the dropships crews attempts to subdue them, Colonel Bryant "convinced" the jumpships to take them to Tamar, where they landed without trouble, and released the jumpships back to the Combine. Although Duke Kelswa offered them a contract, the Lions instead made their way to Galatea, and were in deep negotiations with a representative from Kali-Yama about garrisoning Kendall, but Kali-Yama wanted a unit with mech support. The two Colonels had known ech other for a few weeks now, and Bryant sough Krieg out with the offer. While they pay wasn't as high as other contract offers, Kali-Yama was offering technical support and higher salvage. It was an offer both officers liked, and when they approached the Kali-Yama representative the next day, they were signed in the fall of 3031. The Marik Schism forced the unit to take several detours on the way to Kendall, but the unit arrived with little fanfare or trouble in mid 3032, and began training.
The arrival of the I Legio was a surprise to everyone on Kendall, but the defenders had 10 days to prepare before the Marians made planetfall. The mercenaries were arranged in three Kampfgruppen, a company of mechs, with a two comapanies each of Armor and Mechanzied Infantry in support. A Command Groups, consisting of the over sized command lance and the remaining armor a mechanized Infantry company, were stationed at the Kali-Yama plant. The Marians landed in good form, and approached in a slow, methodical manner. After ten days of observing the Marian advance, Colonel Krieg unleashed two of her sub units, which began a series of hit and run attacks on the Legion. At first surprised by the quick moving hovertanks, which were now even faster in the lower gravity, the Marian forces took light losses and repelled the conventional attacks. When the heavy and medium mechs of KG Albrecht hit the I Legios's 1st Battalion in the flank, they recoiled in shock, driven back almost ten kilometers, before recovering and forcing the mercenaries. The legion left a lance of mechs behind, and had several others damaged. The Marian troops halted in place, forming a defensive position while the commander figured out what to do. The next two weeks, the Heavy Cavalry conducted a series of hit and run attacks, which caused more damage to the Marians morale than anything else. Determined to make the best of the situation, when the next probing attack occurred, the Legion lashed out at KG Clausen, driving it back with heavy losses. This led to a general advance on the production facilities, but the Legion soon found itself strung out attempting to deal with more flanking attacks. Calling another halt, the Marian commander took stock of the situation and realized he could do no more. The Marians were not prepared logistically for an extended campaign, and more than a few vehicles and pilots had been damaged and wounded when they lost control of their machines in the low gravity. Although he might be able to make a push to the production facilities, there was no guarantee he would win that fight, and in the meantime the Marian troops were being bled dry. Knowing he had the best troops in the Hegemony under his command, rather than lose them in battle, the Marian commander called for a cease fire. Colonel Krieg agreed, and after brief negotiations let the Marian retreat off planet. They left behind four lances of mechs, which were soon part of the Heavy Cavalry.
The return of the I legio to Alphard in defeat was unexpected, but after hearing what happened the Imperator could not fault the units commander for his actions. However, that did not stop O'Reilly from halting the mans suicide. Friend or not, commander of the premier unit in the Hegemony, the man had failed, and rightfully paid for it.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
One of the bigger surprises in the initial stages of the Marik Schism was the declaration of the 4th Marik Militia for Duncan Marik. The 4th's commanding officer was despised by the Captain-General, and the unit was filled with malcontents and other Duncan was not fond of. Duncan was content to let the unit sit on BERNARDO, where it split itself garrisoning the Earthwerks and Kallon Industries facilities. The 2nd Militia had retreated to the planet, but Colonel Phillip Ortega despised the commander of the 6th as much as Duncan Marik did, and there was little, if any,contact between the two units. The 2nd received orders to move to Oceanea, and was in the beginning phase of loading up when the 3rd Free Worlds Guards appeared.
[...]
A Battalion of the 12th Atrean had the misfortune to land near a battalion of the 21st and some of the planetary militia., and in a running 4 hour battle managed to destroy one companies worth of mechs, force the surrender of another companies worth, and left the last company damaged. The 21st captured the battalion commander, who Colonel Kusaka later released with a missive to the Oriente units overall commander, Colonel Julian Langsdorf, stating that the 21st considered the domes protecting the hydroponic plants, factories, and cities on the planet were off limits. Since then the Lancers have conducted several probing attacks against the 12th, preventing it from linking up with the 11th Atrean.
This sounds like the 12th got the better of the 21st, might want to change that
-
Nice update! Hope to see more soon!
-
On SAN NICHOLAS, the Swift Knives made short work of the defending militia troops, looted and then razed the industrial zone of Port Elisabetta, the planets second largest city.
On MAXWELL, A pirate group known as Drakes Dread appeared at a pirate point and made a quick drop on several of the larger agricultural depots. Renown fo its food exports, the warehouses were filled with grains waiting to be sent off. Defending the planet was the Legion of Boom, a wodge of smaller mercenary groups that had banded together after the 4th Succession War and signed with the Duchy of Tamarind shortly after the Marik Schism started. There was no one overall commander, rather a "Council" of the Senior officers of the various units that made the units decisions. A the Dread approached, there was little consensus among the commanders. Maxwells mountainous terrain limited the effectiveness of the Legions mechanized troops, and it's heavier battlemechs were also limited. One commander, Colonel Steven Percy of the War Horde, a demi-battalion of mechs and two companies of armor, wanted to meet the Dread in "the open field", and took his forces out of the cantonment to do just that. The remaining commanders spread out their forces to cover what they could.
Jeremy Drake, self style rouge and bandit, was a former Taurian officer who somehow made his way to the Marik Rim, and there into the Periphery around the Cirnicus around 3010. Starting with a lance of mechs a a Leopard that was held together by mostly prayers, he began raiding planets around the Circinus/FWL/Illyrian borders. A company's worth of former Marik pilots from the 3rd Marik Militia brought his force to about two companies in 3015, and the Dread were active until bout 3030, when they disappeared. Rumors abounded in 3033 and 3034 that the Dread were back, and their appearance and actions on Maxwell were just the beginning.
Colonel Percy arrayed his forces on the Mariniers Valley, one of the few relatively flat pieces of terrain in the area. Scouting reports had at least a company of mechs approaching, and as dusk fell a long range battle began. The pirates began to pull back, and Colonel Percy and his company surged forward, leaving the other company of mechs and armor behind. When the two Horde units were no longer able to support each other, the real attack began. The remaining two companies of the Dread, each light and medium mechs, had slowly been working their way along the paths and ridges of the hills and mountains on either side of the valley. Percy had loudly discounted the possibility of units of any type being able to traverse the terrain, and when his rear units were suddenly hammered by the combined flank attacks, he panicked, order a retreat. Dreads own company of Heavy mechs, which had played the role of bait, stopped their retreat and attacked, and with the hour those units of the horde that had not escaped surrendered. Colonel Percy had been the last to surrender, and listened and watched as Drake made an offer to his troops, those that joined the Dread would get a fair share of the spoils, a promise not to cause needless civilian casualties and death, and a promise that the days of serving under incompetent officers would be over. About two lances of men and mechs decided to join up, and when Drake made his speech one more time to make sure, Percy spoke up and speaking for the others, and said they would rather be hostages and wait to be ransomed back.
"Ah," replied Drake, stepping away from the group. "Well, that presents a problem, because the Dread doesn't take hostages. Ever." Drawing his side arm, he shot and killed Colonel Percy, and a squad of Drakes men opened up on the remaining Horde members. The situation became further confused when two of the recent "recruits" somehow obtained weapons (reports say they were given their personal sidearms back as a sign of respet when they joines, others say they overpowered a nearby guard) and opened fire on the sqaid of Drakes men. One shot hit Drake in the arm, a superficial wound, and in the general confusion, several Horde mechwarriors managed to slip away into the night, and lose their pursuers in the terrain. Making their way back to the main Legion camp, when they told their story of what happened, Colonel Bryce Wheeler, commander of Wheeler's Cavalry, moved his own unit out. Taking care not to leave anything to chance, there were platoons of jump troops screening his flanks, and his approach was methodical. Entering the Valley, they found the remains of the Horde. Those mechs to heavily damaged to be easily recovered and/or repaired had been stripped. Several were nothing more than piles of scrp. Anything useful had been taken away. The murdered Horde members had been crucified along the Dreads retreat, one for every kilometer, each with a sign that said "This is what happens when you stand against the Dread."
On the Lyran Periphery, a new pirate band, the Black Flagg, made its presence known when it attacked HALIFAX. Fortunately for the planet, it was undergoing a yearly militia training exercise, and two companies of the 11th Arcturan Guards, led by Kommandant Maria Esteban, were on planet to help. The Black Flagg made an attempt to move towards Scotia City's industrial zone, but were ably screened by the defending militia and the 11th troops. Realizing that the planets defenses were more than equal to the task of stopping them, the pirates retreated with little damage, and none were taken prisoner.
Death's Handmaiden's, a previously unknown Pirate Band, attacked QURAYYAT, razing several small agricombines and destroying much of the Al Kabir Mining complex before retreating off planet.
The Black Swann's, another unknown Pirate Band originating from the Tortuga Dominions, raided LACKLAND in the Fall of 3033. Lackland, a water planet with only a few populated islands, had never been attacked before, and it's militia was in no condition to repulse the attacking company of mechs and battalion of jump infantry. The pirates destroyed or damaged several small fisheries before retreating.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
And a map. Redoing some background things, plus there wasn;t a lot retreat wise, so the information box is left blank.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Reorganization of the Regulan Military
While not exactly the "Red Headed Stepchild" of the FWLM, the Regulan had been scraping by for some time, which did not bode well for the Hussars when Janos Marik dies and the Schism began. With only 5 mech regiments to defend a realm surrounded on three sides by potential enemies, Prince Cameron-Jones and his military leaders found themselves trying to solve several problems.
On the Diplomatic front, Prince Cameron-Jones affected a "Don't bother us and we won't bother you." stance, instead focusing his efforts on those worlds anti-spinward. Bringing Gibson and the other Principality worlds into the Regulan fold was not exactly a coup, but the addition of the Free Worlds defense Industries and Brigadier Corporation Mech works would have an immediate effect on the Regulan Mech forces. Bringing both Clipperton and Mackenzie into the fold also helped. However, as 3032 became 3033, Prince Cameron-Jones began doing what he could to strengthen his realm. This was harder than it would appear. While the "Death to Mercenaries" order and the end of the 4th Succession War would flood the market, finding reputable units to was proving hard. Several conventional regiments were hired, and while several mech units were interested at first, ultimately they went else where. When Narhals Riders signed on with the Federated Commonwealth, despite the interest Prince Cameron-Jones showed in signing them, it was the final straw for the Regulan Leader. After some investigating, he soon found out that the terms being offered to mech units were just not that good. Regulus couldn't pay well, and many terms mercenary units used to help defry their costs, including supply costs and salvage, were highly restrictive towards any mercenary units. And, for some reason, the Regulan military was insisting on either Liason or direct house command, which many established mercenary units would not do.
Taking a direct hand on the issue, the Prince issued a new set of directives. One was to increase the salvage percentage to any unit that signed, the other was to offer independent commands. While the Principality could not pay as much, what it could do was provide parts and technical support for those units that did sign. As many mercenary units had a hard time maintaining their transport assets, this was a boon few could afford to pass up. While there was some grumbling in the Regulan ranks, they soon stopped when the Prince, and others, pointed out that without the help, the Principality would be doomed.
Cameron-Jones efforts soon came to fruition in early 3033 when the Grave Walkers left Lyran service. The addition of two regiments of heavy mechs would soon prove very helpful, and when the Bad Dream would arrive in early 3034 (with the Prince paying off their debt to the Lyran Commonwealth), the Regulan situation improved.
The 9th Regulan Hussars "Invasion" of Dalton raised tensions between the Principality on Thomas Marik, but it looked as if Duncan Marik and Thomas Marik were willing to try and pound away at each other. Duncan Marik's invasion of Aitutaki soon proved otherwise, and the combat on that planet, in particular the defense of the school by the training battalion, was a catalyst for the realm. Volunteers were soon pouring in, and recruitment offices, while not exactly turning away potential recruits, were soon full of prospects. The Regulan Military still had a problem, though, and no matter how many different ways Prince Cameron-Jones and his military leadership looked at it, there was no obvious solution. Efforts to bring more mercenaries into the fold were increased. The situation changed in late summer when the Prince was at a dinner honoring the Defenders of Aitutaki, and was asked by Colonel Tomaso Kinchuhara, commander of the 1st Regulan Hussars, what he thought about the Colonel's most recent proposal to reorganize the Hussars in the current military environment. When the Prince declared he had not read any such report, and was interested in what the Colonel had to say. Three hours later, aides found the two in an anteroom, where the Colonel was giving his presentation to the the Prince from memory.
The Colonel had long admired the Andurien Combined Arms organization, and the recent exploits of the Federated Suns units in the Fourth Succession War, in particular the Ceti Hussars and other RCT's, proved to him that greater cooperation between the various military units was required. Bolstering his opinion was the just as recent examples that those military's that did not have such cooperation, the Capellans and the Combine, had been thoroughly trounced. What Colonel Kinchuhara's superiors objected to was his reorganization of the Hussars as a whole. The Hussars, like almost every other military in the Inner sphere, had a 3 company to a battalion, 3 Battalions to a regiment organization. The Principalities problem was that it had to few units to accurately cover all of it's expanding space, and breaking the units up into their component Battalions for defense would leave them vulnerable if attacked in strength. Many Capellan units had found this out the hard way during the 4th SSW. What the Colonel was proposing was a "realignment" of the Hussar's. Each regiment would give up two companies, and the remaining 10 companies would be grouped into a new organizational unit, the Phorasa, the Punjabi word for Force. Each Force would be comprised of Five companies of Battlemechs, with a lance or two of command mechs, two armor regiments, and three Infantry regiments. Each company would work with its own tank and infantry units. Each Phorasa would also be deployable as it's own unit, allowing the Hussars to cover more ground. The hope was that as the Regulan Industry grew, the Hussars could return to a full 12 company strong regiment, but for the foreseeable future the new arrangement. There would be some fallout with this plan, several battalion commanders would lose their command. Several became Phorasa executive officers, others were promised the chance for a Phorasa command when available. Or if they were impatient, they could always challenge the new commanders to a duel. It was, after all, the Regulan way.
As 3033 came to a close, 2 companies from each Hussar unit was ordered to Cameron, where the 6th Regulan Hussars was formally reconstituted as a unit. In their place, Armor and Infantry units started arriving, and the Principality began preparing for 3034.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Great updates Davout! Love how this is going.
James Tanaga
-
Winter of 3033 Moves:
Marik:
Fuchuda's Fusiliers to Giausar
1st Marik Militia to New Olympia
20th Marik Militia to New Olympia
10th Marik Militia to Oceana
13th Marik Militia to Holt
15th Marik Militia to Holt
Regulus:
2nd Regiment, Grave Walkers to Harmony
The Bad Dream arrives on Regulus
Silver Hawks Coalition
2nd Sirian Lancers to Bondurant.
Marik-Oriente:
2nd Brigade, Fusiliers of Oriente, to New Delos
On KEYSTONE, an attempted breakout and linkup by the two Atrean Dragoon units is fails when neither side properly coordinates with the other. The 3rd Battalion of the Hussars is able to keep the 12th in check, and the other two battalions turn back the 11th Atrean with minimal losses. However, during the combat, several resupply dropships are able to land in the 12th's Zone of Control, leading Colonel Kusaka to believe the attack was more of a ploy than anything else
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
"Kristen Marik may have been content to sit on the sidelines. Duncan Marik's attempted attack on her on Colfax at the beginning of the schism may have been a half hearted, foolhardy attempt at best, but in a sense it worked, Kristen Marik fled the League, and in May of 3032 she ended up Galatea, where she formed the Krushers, a mercenary unit comprised of members of her former unit who fled with her, and several Marik expatriates joined up in short order. Within a few months, she had a short battalion of mechs, some infantry and tanks, but no contracts to speak of. The mercenary market post 4th Succession War was flooded, and being a Marik left few employment opportunities. The Federated Commonwealth was wary, The Capellans wouldn't go near her, nor would any of the various Marik's polities out there. Kristen Marik was done with politics, but it wasn't done with her. The unit stayed on Galatea, training, looking at any and all contract offers. In the fall of 3033, ComStar stepped up to the plate, offering the unit a Garrison contract on Chahar, to help train the new ComGuard unit to be stationed there.
"First, on the way to a unit party celebrating the contract, the car Colonel Marik was riding in was rear ended in an apparent traffic accident. As her vehicles occupants were recovering from the impact, a team of armed men spilled out of the truck that had rear ended them, unveiled several weapons, and opened fire. The cars armor held, but it wouldn't for long. Things turned against the attackers in short order, when another hover truck came in at high speed and side swiped into the attackers. The trucks speed carried it into the original truck that had crashed into Kristen vehicle, sending it skidding into the other team on the opposite side, scattering them. Taking advantage of the confusion, one of the Krushers in Kristens car ran her to safety, while the other three stepped out and engaged the attackers. The driver of hover truck also got out of his vehicle and began to engage the few living on his side. Within a minute, the firefight was over. Kristen Marik was slightly wounded, two of her men were injured, one severely, and all but one of their attackers was dead.
"The third party in the firefight was James DuVall, an former AFFS mechwarrior from the 1st Davion Guards who had come to Galatea. Walking down the street and seeing the truck rear end the car, and the armed men that followed, he commandeered a parked supply truck and rammed it into the attackers. The investigation into the attack was short. Information found on one of the bodies led the police to the attackers base, a hotel room. While investigating the hotel room, the police themselves were surprised by a team from LIC. After the shouting and threats had died down, it was soon discovered that the LIC were keeping the room under observation because the inhabitants were thought to be a SAFE team. How they had escaped observation from the LIC observers was unknown, until a bolthole cut though the hotel floor beneath one of the beds was found. It led to a Maintenance crawlspace on the floor below, which in turn led to any number of rooms to exit from. Upon interrogation, the surviving member of the attackers admitted the orders had come from Duncan Marik.
"The second incident occurred a couple of weeks later, when the the remainder of the 4th Marik Militia arrived at Galatea. Long the dumping ground for those men and women Duncan Marik considered rivals or malcontents, the 4th surprised many when it declared its support for Duncan as Captain-General. Ordered early in the Schism to take control of the Meh Factories on Bernardo, the 4th languished. The 3rd Free Worlds Guards attack on Bernardo shattered one battalion of the 4th, killings it commander and two senior Battalion commanders. Already fractured and disenfranchised by their treatment, there were several rumors of mutinies building. Taking control of the situation, Force Commander Aaron Radetzky confronted them head on, and after listening to the grievances of remaining unit members, put the situation to a vote. Those wanting to forgo service to Duncan Marik were free to leave. Those wanting to leave the FWLM were free to leave. Those that stayed behind would go to Galatea, and there either stay with those who wanted to do something together, or go their own separate ways.
After the vote, those that wanted to leave, for whatever reason, were dropped off on Miaplacidus, well away from any settlement. The remainder of the 4th made it's way to Galatea, where it arrived only a couple of weeks after the attack on Kristen Marik.
"A few days later later, Force Commander Radetzky and Kristen met, and what began as a short conversation turned into a night long conversation. Many commanders in the Marik Militia were wary of Duncan Marik. While they respected him as a commander, as a political leader, he was failing on several levels, the least of which was keeping the league together in the first place. Some were looking at the long game, what would the League look like with a Duncan Marik Victory? What would happen if the League were still fighting when the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns recovered from the Fourth Succession War? If the Andurien-Canopian Alliance were to hold, or worse, beat the Capellan's, the conflict to bring them back into the League was just as bloody. Some of Duncans actions, his personnel decisions, his political decision, were cause for concern.
"Rumors of such had reached Kristens ears on Galatea, but she paid them little attention. For whatever reason, Radetzky's words, including communiques from several officers in other Militia officers he had brought along with him, began to convince Kristen that Duncan Marik was not the answer to the Leagues problems. The question of how to handle Duncan was pretty straight forward, declare herself Captain General, gather political and Military Support, and, if necessary, fight Duncan for control. Rebuilding the League would have to follow once Duncan were removed. Could Kristen Marik do that? Could she afford not to?
"Two weeks later, as 3033 came to a close the Krushers (now including most of the 4th Milita who had decided to join), left Galatea.
Three months later, the Inner Sphere had the young woman's answer."
Excerpts from "Wheels within Wheels, a story of the Marik Schism", by Dr. Morris Bedgely, University of Augustine, Augustine Press.
-
You forgot newlines in the last few posts, they come across as a wall of text. I also think we don't need quite as much information on unit movements and battle outcomes
-
If Davout73 does not provide all unit info people complain.
If he does provide unit info people complain.
I am very happy with the way with the way the thread is written, it has been one of my favourites for a long time.
Davout73 does an excellent job with the info supplied at a strategic level which very few other writers bother with. O0
-
O0 Always happy to see an update!
-
Not sure why that happened. When I am back in front of the laptop I'll go back in and edit it. Doing it in the phone causes more trouble than it solves.
:-)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
You forgot newlines in the last few posts, they come across as a wall of text. I also think we don't need quite as much information on unit movements and battle outcomes
-
"A Favorite pastime of Historians, members of the military, and other Armchair Generals, is playing "What If?". Some are major: What If Jiniro Kurita hadn't been killed on Kenatres? What if Kerensky had not left the Inner Sphere. Some are Minor: What if The Kell Hounds had been unable to recover Ian Davions body? However, any changed event, no matter how small, can ultimately lead to larger changes. Operation HAMMERDOWN certainly falls in this category.
"It is clear that Duncan Marik had been planning this for some time, but his previous strategic maneuvers were, at best, disorganized. Attacking the Regulans a few months prior to the launching of HAMMERDOWN did little more than antagonize the Price of Regulus, and more than a few have postulated "What if HAMMERDOWN was directed at the Regulans, or the Silver Hawks?". But, the fact remains Thomas Marik and the Marik-Oriente-Orloff Faction was Duncan Marik's biggest rival, politically and militarily, for control of the Free Worlds League. On a per unit basis, more FWLM Battlemech regiments supported the Thomas Marik Faction, but the actions of Colonel Halas put a crimp in what Thomas Marik and Duke Orloff wanted to do militarily. The faction was further hobbled by its lack of military production, the mech factories on Emris IV and Calloway VI were unable to keep pace with the losses suffered thus far, and getting spare parts for those mechs not manufactured in the the region were equally hard to come by. "Convincing" Ansucion and Bernardo to join the faction helped somewhat in that regard, and while the attack on Keystone would have helped had it been successful, that adventure cost Thomas two more heavily damaged battlemech units. If the troops loyal to Thomas Marik were able to be rebuilt, adequately supplied and supported, and if Thomas Marik's political overtures to the Duchy of Andurien and Principality were any sort of successful, the course of the war would have gone much different. Yet another "What If".
"As it was, Operation HAMMERDOWN was a gamble on Duncan's part, and he knew it. What he was banking on was his troops ability to hit fast, hit hard, damage those defending units, and then move on to their next targets. Conquest was not the reason behind HAMMERFALL. Duncan MArik needed tim to rest and rebuild his troops, and if successful, HAMMERDOWN could give him almost a years worth of time to rebuild, re-equip and raise new troops.
"As with all plans, HAMMERDOWN had it's flaws, and as with all plans, it did not go as Duncan Marik wanted. However, the first battles of HAMMERDOWN were very much to Duncan Marik's liking, with several goals achieved. However, three months into the operation, news reached Duncan's ear that stopped HAMMERDOWN cold in ins tracks, and left him scrambling to meet the new threat.
"As far as planets go, Colfax would not be one high on anyones list for one of the pivotal moments in Inner Sphere History,but then, what planets are? However, for a variety of reasons that will be addressed later, it was on Colfax, in 3034, that the Inner Sphere rocked on it's axis once again. "What If" indeed?"
From "History as we make it, Case Studies from the 31st Century, Volume V", edited by Dr. Pietr Sobell, University of Thorin Press, 3rd Edition, printed 3076.
The map has the details you need. :-)
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
-
Their supply problems had not been entirely taken care of, but the 11th and 12th Atrean Dragoons were in much better shape when the new year began on KEYSTONE. The 21st Centauri had undertaken a series of lance and company sized raids to keep both Oriente units off balance, but the scales began to even out when one of those companies was very nearly destroyed after a well coordinated counterattack by the 12th pinned and then trapped it. A couple of weeks later, a concerted effort by both Oriente units forced Colonel Kusaka to abandon his plan of keeping both units separate and to consolidate his own unit. They Keystone militia played an instrumental role in turning back the Dragoons conventional units during these series of battles. A few weeks later, the Dragoons began a series of attacks against the Lancer positions. The units were still unable to coordinate very well, but they were inflicting losses on the mercenary unit. In mid april, a new fleet of jumpships and dropships arrived, and began to make their way to planetside. The incoming dropships announced themselves as the 5th Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente, sent by CG Thomas to facilitate the capture of Keystone. The 21st Centauri dug in and waited, while the Atrean Dragoon regiments prepared to attack. Five days later, as the dropships began their run, the Dragoons attacked, forcing the Lancers to retreat. One battalion of Lancers staged a counterattack that stopped the 11th Atrean attack for a time, but the chance of Colonel Kusaka being able to drive off the other two units was looking slim.
When the Oriente reinforcements began to drop, quite a few were off course. Many observers felt the new arrivals had failed to take into account the planets thin atmosphere, but when the reinforcements landed and began firing on the Oriente mechs, the ruse was up.
The 20th Marik Militia, sent by CG Duncan to reinforce the 21st Centauri, did indeed land off course, but enough of its heavy units landed near the 12th that an immediate attack was possible. In the next half hour, the heavy mechs of the 20th, plus a counterattacking 21st Centauri, had the 12th Atrean in a vise they could not escape. Colonel Langsdorf, the 12th's commander, was killed early in the fighting, and the units cohesion, already tenuous, fell apart. In a couple of hours the majority of the unit had surrendered. Colonel Sandusky and the 11th Atrean made a hasty retreat to their own dropships, and lifted off planet.
The battle on Keystone wasn't over as quickly. Colonel Dombwosa was under orders from Duncan Marik to keep any prisoners on planet, but the 12th had not surrendered to the Militia, but the the Lancers. Colonel Kusaka protested this order, and the two commanders nearly came to blows. Colonel Dombwosa planned to take over the camp from the Keystone Militia, but the morning his troops were to move out, they found themselves surrounded by the 21st Centauri. Colonel Kusaka allowed the 11th to retreat off planet, but before anything else could happen on Keystone, frantic orders for the 20th Militia came. Within the week, the Militia unit had loaded and lifted off, leaving Colonel Kusaka and the 21st wondering what had happened.
-
On BERNARDO, the assault mechs of the 6th Marik Militia pinned and destroyed one of the defending 3rd Free Worlds Guards Battalions, and then began marching towards the Earthwerks and Kallon Industries plants. Colonel Kiel, the 3rd's commander, had some success conducting it and run attacks against the slow moving assault mechs of the 6th, but was prepared to retreat off planet instead of fighting to the end. However, when the 6th was about 50 kilometers away from the Kallon plant, it stopped its advance, then began a slow retreat. The 3rd Free World followed closely, but avoided any pitched battles. A week later, the 6th's dropships landed, and the unit loaded up and boosted off. A fierce Aerospace fight took place as the unit was leaving, with both units ASF forces being bloodied.
On NEW DELOS, the 2nd Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente were surprised by the appearance of the 15th, but recovered quickly enough to contest some of the landing zones the Militia was using. At one of these landing zones the command lance of the Fusiliers was accompanying the two companies of the 2nd defending it were unprepared for the two companies of Assault and Heavy mechs that landed close by. The 2nds Commander, Colonel Ricardo Fuentes, was killed when his Orion was bracketed with long range LRM fire from a lance of Militia Archers. Cohesion among the two defending companies, and they retreated with heavy losses. Major Keirnan Morales, the senior battalion commander of the 2nd, took control off the unit, and started a series of hit and run attacks to try and keep the 15th off guard. However, after one of his companies was caught and destroyed when it did not break off in time, Major Morales gave the order for the unit to retreat. The 15th Marik Militia was more than content to let them go. Three days later, as the 2nd was well on it's way to its own jumpships, observers were surprised to see the dropships of the 15th boosting towards their own orbiting jumpships.
VANRA is the landholding of the Orloff family, the capital of the Grand Duchy, and the target of the 13th Marik Militia during Operation HAMMERDOWN. Landing of the Amaravan Plains, outside the planets capital city of Orloff City, the 1st Orloff Grenadiers found themselves parrying several flanking attacks, but were holding the line. A counterattack by the Grenadiers Strike battalion had stopped the advance of the 13th, and was beginning to drive them back, when alarms from the city were raised. During the attacks the 13th was making, a few lances of light and fast medium mechs had broken off and made their way into the outskirts of the city. Destroying a power substation was actually a stroke of luck for the infiltrating Marik troops, the programs regulating the cities grid were unprepared to deal with the sudden loss of power on that scale, and the resulting power spikes up and down the lines as other substations struggles to fill the gap caused a cascade effect of failure as stations shut them selves down or pulled out of the network. The cities emergency and military services channels were affected by these failures, and as a result, the first reports of Marik mechs inside the city were not taken seriously at first. However, as explosions and other alarms began to fill the air, and as the power network was slowly brought back online, the reports were taken much more seriously. The Vanra Militia, in particular the Orloff City Armored Division, performed yeomans work in driving the infiltrating lances off, inflicting heavy losses. After these incursions, the 13th made a few other attempts to sneak a few lances into the rear areas of the 1st Orloff, but the next three weeks was mostly maneuvering and skirmishes. During a particularly heavy storm, Colonel McDowell managed to reposition his forces for a flank attack, but when the weather cleared, the 13th was no longer defending its positions. Having used the cover of the storm to retreat, the Militia boosted off planet a few days later.
On CARBONIS, the defending 9th Marik Militia found itself out maneuvered by the attacking 2nd Marik as soon as the fighting began. Wanting to avoid a stand up fight, Colonel Ortega conducted a series of hit and run attacks that infuriated the defenders. The one occasion a Company Commander from the 9th ignored Colonel Van Castilles orders to not pursue, he soon found his unit cut off and surrounded by the recon battalion of the 2nd Marik. For Four weeks the 2nd Marik struck and moved, avoiding close combat for the most part. That changed when one of these hit and run attacks ran headlong into two companies of heavy mechs. Two lances of the 2nd were destroyed or captured before being able to break off. A week later the 2nd Militia made a push for the IMB System Industrial Area, but were checked by several local counterattacks by the 9th. The attacks however, proved to be a ruse. The night before the battle, several teams of combat engineers had been lifted to the four dams on the Danuvius River Valley. Quickly overcoming the small forces protecting the dams, the engineers planted several sub kiloton weapons within the bowels of each dam, and the retreated. During the battle the next day, all four dams were destroyed, and the resulting torrent of water damaged or destroyed 50% of the IMB industrial area, and left most of the city of Budapest with a foot or more of water to deal with. The dams also provided most of the power to the region. Its main goal accomplished, the 2nd broke contact and retreated to its drop zones. The 9th's pursuit was perfunctory at best, but many of the units members were vowing revenge on their former comrades in arms.
Almost nothing went right for the 1st Atrean Dragoons assault on LES HALLES after they landed. The 5th Aerospace forces, which were in the process of being rebuilt before the Schism started, was able to destroy or severely damage almost half of the 1st Dragoons own Aerospace assets. Already practiced in air to ground support, the 5th's aerospace fighters were able to slow down and stop several probing attacks the Dragoons made. Three weeks after landing, an all out effort by the remaining 1st Dragoon aero forces ensured the ground forces were fighting under a neutral sky, and they were driving towards the Refit Station when the attack was stopped in it's tracks by a large artillery barrage. This was swiftly followed by a counterattack, delivered with more enthuisiasm than skill, that drove the Dragoons back. With losses in her attacking companies already running as high as 50% in some cases, Colonel Denichuck ordered a retreat off planet. Harassed by both air and ground forces, the 1st Dragoons finally lifted off. While it's total losses were low, quite a few lances worth of mechs were badly damaged.
The 1st Oriente Hussars and 3rd Brigade of the Fusiliers had both been heavily damaged during the fighting on Atreus. Retreating to EMRIS IV gave both units the opportunity to rebuild damaged machines, but the personnel losses both units suffered had yet to be remedied. With the arrival of the Atrean Hussars on planet, both units turned their attention to defending the two Mech Factories on planet. The Hussars moved towards the StarCorps plant, with the 3rd Brigade taking up blocking and defensive positions. Disaster struck the 3rd Brigade soon after the fighting started, when a defending company inexplicably retreated, leaving a hole in the Oriente units defensive line. The Hussars Fire Battalion found the gap and poured through it, splitting the defending Oriente battalions. The 3rd Battalion of the 3rd put up a gallant fight, but after a desperate attack by its remaining companies was turned back, the few remaining lances surrendered. What was left of the 3rd Brigade retreated back towards the defenses of the Star Corps plant. However, the tables were soon turned on the attackers. The Oriente Hussars, which had thus far been held in check by a battalion of the Atreans, undertook a night attack that pinned the Atreans in place, then forced it to retreat after a series of running battles. Rather than advance towards the Star Corps site, Colonel Mondou instead sent the majority of his unit after the Hussars landing zone. A heavy company of the Atreans, with two tank and an infantry regiment, sold itself dearly, slowing down the Hussars long enough for Colonel Wansi to extract the rest of her unit to the Landing Zones. A series of running battles between the combatants took place, with the Atreans finally reaching a point where they could block the Hussars and bring their heavier firepower to bear. After the retreat, both sides pulled back to regroup and reassess the situation. By now, both Oriente units had joined up, and were in position to block any advance the Atreans wanted to make towards the factories. After a week of maneuvering, the Atreans suddenly broke off, retreated to the landing zones, and then boosted off planet.
The Ducal Guard of the Fusiliers had fallen out of favor with the Oriente High Command, the actions of its former commander tarring the whole unit. How far they had fallen out of favor was apparent after the unit had retreated to KIYEV, where very few of it's material losses had been replaced. While the Orientes lack of mech production may have played a factor in this, but other units had received replacements after their arrival back in Oriente space. The arrival of the 10th Marik Militia on Kiyev was unexpected, the only thing of any military value on the planet were the two units on it. The 10ths landing was uncontested, but the Aerospace fighting was fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides. Colonel Garibraldi split his unit up, with one battalion shadowing the Guard, while the other two moved on the 1st Brigade positions. The commander of 1st Brigade, Colonel Barksdale, had a reputation for unorthodox tactics and strategies, but after two weeks of skirmishing and countermoves, the Brigade commander realized Colonel Garibraldi was no slouch in that area either.
Colonel Blake Standish, newly appointed commander of the Guard, was actively trying to join up with the 1st Brigade, but found his attempts thwarted by the 10ths Recon Group. A month after landing, the storm season on Kiyev began, and disaster struck both groups. Colonel Barksdale planned a pinning attack with a flanking maneuver through a series of valleys and washes, using the storm to cover his unit movements. Colonel Garibraldi had anticipated such a move though, and when word reached him that the rains had turned the valley's into nearly impassable fields of mud and water, he counterattacked the pinning force of the 1st. The Heavy and Assault mechs of the 10ths Condition Red Assault Battalion decimated a defending company of the 1st, brushed aside a counterattack by another company, and began to make fight its way to the rear areas of the 1st Brigade. When it seemed a local victory was at hand, word reached Colonel Garibraldi of the disaster the befell his own battalion. The heavy storms had turned the terrain into a mudfield, negating the speed and maneuverability advantage of the Recon Group. Colonel Standish ordered a general attack, and although his medium and heavy mechs were just as hampered in their own movements, the lighter units of the 10th were unable to break off and regroup. Several lances were heavily damaged, and several mechs had to be abandoned when they could not be recovered after falling down. Reacting quickly, the 10th went from assault to rescue. At great risk, the 10ths ASF fighters conducted several strafing runs against the advancing guard. Several lighter ASF's of the 10th were brought down not by enemy fire, but by ground mircobursts and other weather effects over the battlefield.
The Guards pursuit of the Recon Battalion was stopped when a Stingray ASF on a strafing run was hit by AAA fire and crashed into the communications array Colonel Standish was using to coordinate his troops movement. With the powerful transmitter destroyed, and the storm interrupting other communication methods, Colonel Standish ordered his forces to hold back, fearing a potential trap by the 10th.
By the time the 10th had regrouped, all three units were not in the best of shape. There was a two week respite as all three units did what they could to rest and repair before the next battles. Colonel Garibraldi was conducting a skillful retreat back up the Koryev Valley when orders to retreat off planet were received by a recently arrived jumpship. The defending Oriente troops pursuit was perfunctory at best, and the 10th was able to boost away unopposed a week later.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Is there anywhere I can get a word or text version of the story to-date?
-
I can put together something that has the posts from the forum, but incorporating the maps and other PDF's I've done would be a project and a half.
-
Is there anywhere I can get a word or text version of the story to-date?
Whenever I want something like, usually to put on my Kindle, I use the Print feature from the forum posting, it will contain all the text info from the postings that can then be copied into a word file.
-
I can put together something that has the posts from the forum, but incorporating the maps and other PDF's I've done would be a project and a half.
But if you did something like that in txt or word, then I could just grab that stuff from the forum, here, right? Unless you have some kind of online dropbox?
-
All the big files are in my dropbox. Let me see what I can wrangle up. Couuld be a few weeks before anything substantial though.
Dav
But if you did something like that in txt or word, then I could just grab that stuff from the forum, here, right? Unless you have some kind of online dropbox?
-
OK people. Check out http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=48902.new#new if your interested in at least a Master unedited version of book 1 of the KNT universe.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
O0
-
Colone Wayne Roland, Commander of Langendorf's Lancers, was a mercenary commander straight out of Tri-Vid type casting, bold, brash, arrogant, and just on the wrong side of competent. Promised a lifetime of riches by Duncan Marik if he delivered Kristen Marik to the new Captain General, the mercenary Colonel instead found himself forgotten on COLFAX, the best part of his unit having defected with Kristen Marik, the remaining best part of is unit increasingly frustrated with his command of the unit, and an ever dwindling coterie of sycophantic followers willing to follow him. When an unknown unit appeared at the Colfax nadir jump point and began burning it way towards the planet, Colonel Roland prepared his unit to meet them.
On the Schulte Plains, three days later, Colonel Roland and the rest of the Lancers were profoundly shocked when Kirsten Marik, Captain General and commander of the 1st Marik Legion, announced her presence. On an open broadcast, she laid the truth out to all those listening, that Colonel Roland was in the pocket of Duncan Marik, and his failure to capture her was the reason they had been "Forgotten" since the Schism began. A few minutes later, several lances of Lancer mechs fired on their comrades, while others began to break off. In the general melee that followed, most of the Lancers fell back and surrendered to the 1st Legion, while a small group fled towards the Ironite Hills. Kristen Marik and her command company gave chase, and a week later came back to the Legions main laager, with some damage to their mechs. The command lances of the Legion did not speak of it, but Colonel Roland and his closest followers and supporters had gone into the hills, and none had come out. Rolands personal mech, an Orion, was given to James DuVall, but required some extensive rebuilding and a complete head replacement. A few weeks later, the MRBC received notification of the disbanding of Langendorfs Lancers, and the registration of the Cataphracts, under the employ of Captain-General Kristen Marik.
* * * * *
Word of Kristen Marik's announcement spread quickly. Several officers loyal to her had left Galatea at the same time she did, arriving on Kalidasa, Wyatt, and Denebola. After some brief negotiations, the 25th Marik Militia and 18th Marik Militia both declared for Kristen Marik. On Kalidasa, Colonel Bryce-Marik and the Marik Guard were a bit more cautious, but when word reached him of Kristen Marik's agreement with the leaders of the Silver Hawks Protectorate to a non-aggression agreement, and word from the Protectorates leadership council that they would bear no ill will towards the Marik Guard if they chose to leave was also given, the Marik Guard was more than happy to declare for Kristen Marik.
* * * * *
The commander of the 8th Orloff, Colonel Andracar Shikovitch, had refused every call to return home to Oriente. As one of the few units with long time service on the Marik Periphery, the 8th had seen its fair share of pirate raids and combats, and with the increased activity of the various pirate bands in recent years, the colonel and the rest of the 8th was not going to leave the worlds the 8th had called home for such a long time undefended. Intelligence had reached the 8th Orloff that Blood's Bastards were planning on hitting Tematagi, home of the Nimakachi BattleMech factory. Nimakachi was an oddity in the Inner Sphere (One of many actually), although based in the League, almost 90% of the products it made were exported the the Combine. These exports included the nearly 50 battlemechs (Warhammers, Spiders, and Vulcans) made on Tematagi every year. Complicating matters was the fact that Tematagi itself was woefully unprepared for any sort of attack, the militia was underfunded and ill equipped, and the Nimakachi Defense Force in theory was two companies of mechs, but in reality was barely a company commanded by a Senior Test Pilot with no military training. Colonel Shikovitch was compelled to divide his unit, sending the 3rd Battalion to Tematagi, and keeping his other two battalions on Lesnovo, rotating them on active alert. Blood, somehow catching wind of of the 8ths preparations, appeared with is band at Karachi. There, after a brief battle with the hastily assembled militia, which he brushed aside with ease, a two week orgy of destruction and violence ensued, in which most of the city of Bin Qasim was destroyed. The Pirates left a few weeks later after raiding several other communities.
On KENDALL, Krieg's Heavy Cavalry was recovering from its recent fight against the Marian Legion when the Swift Knives appeared at a Pirate Jump Point and made for the Brooks Factory. The Swift Knives were not expecting any resistance, as evidenced by their lack or of march discipline, failure to put forth any recon elements, and general unpreparedness. That all changed at Richeirdts Valley, when Kampfgruppe Henrici slammed into the Swift Knives. In a running day long battle, the hover tanks and fast mechs of the mercenaries routed the pirates off the planet. The Swift Knives lost most of their conventional forces, and almost half of their mech forces before they were able to disengage and retreat off planet.
On SIERRA, the Militia incorporated several lances of mechs and conventional units from the 5th Oriente Hussars at the beginning of the Schism, but it was the arrival of Gruppe Blucher that calmed the populations nerves. Major Alois Blucher was a former member of the New Hessen Armored Irregulars, and after both those units were decimated during Operation SPIKE, he found himself, like many others, on Galatea searching for work. Quite a few other Liao affiliated mercenaries found their way to Galatea as well, and Blucher soon found himself in command of a reinforced mech Battalion, with supporting conventional units. Entertaining offers from the Federated Commonwealth, Blucher instead accepted a contract from a group of industrialists on Sierra. A Marik world on the border with the Circinus, it had been garrisoned 5th Oriente, who returned home at the behest of Thomas Marik. With the political situation in flux, the Sierran's had pooled their resources to hire a defending unit to augment their militia, and while they pay was low, the other terms were more than acceptable to Blucher, and the unit arrived on Sierra in the winter of 3032.
When Jeremy Drake and the rest of the Dread arrived on Sierra, the atrocities he had inflicted on the Legion of Boom on Maxwell were fresh in everyone's mind. Colonel Blucher kept tght control over his units, refusing to be drawn into any of the traps Drake set. Adopting a Fabian strategy, Gruppe Blucher frustrated the Pirate Band, who resorted to destroying several abandoned farming communities before retreating off planet.
The Black Flagg spent a month on VIBORG, raiding several small cities until the arrival of a detachment from the 8th Lyran Regulars forced them to retreat off planet.
On ORMSTOWN, Death's Handmaidens defeated the militia when they attemoted to engage the pirates in open combat. Although the cities were not that well protected, the pirates were to small to attack them. Instead, the pirates attacked the Millivery Mining operation, and made off with several hundred tons of metals.
On ANJIN MUERTO, General David Trime and the Anjin Muerto Crucis March Militia had little trouble keeping the Red Scorpions away from any target of value. The Pirates did destroy a company of hovertanks that did not retreat fast enough, but the Pirates left ten days after that small victory without accomplishing anything else.
On SHERWOOD, Roger's Renegades destroyed several small mining operations before retreating off planet.
On GILLINGHAM, the Buccaneer's and planetary militia fight a series of running battles that leave most of the militia units heavily damaged. Surprised by the tenacious defense of the planets defenders, the pirates leader, Jason Cortes, resorted to destroying several small farming concerns before retreating off planet.
On SODERTALJE, the Black Swann's held several small town hostage, demanding ransoms in exchange for not destorying them. Most of the towns were able to pay, but Dechenes could not pay the entire amount. The mercenaries took the payment, then destroyed the towns water pumping station and set fire to the small industrial district before they left.
On ARMINGTON, the Bloody Damned spent six weeks raiding the countryside and running rings around the defending militia units. The pirates one attempt to take a city hostage was rebuffed by a proactive Armored officer from the local militia, who had pulled his unit back into defensive positions rather than chase the pirates light units about. After a few days of threats and little action, the pirates left.
The Sicario's, a pirate band who had recently been assembled by Jorge Ramierez, a former Taurian officer cashiered from service in 3020, raided June. One of the more developed worlds in the Outremer, it's not clear why Ramierez attacked the planet. With the exception of a few skirmishes they rapidly broke away from, the pirates avoided combat, destroyed nothing of value, and left a month later.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Pirates are getting active.
Something in the water. ::) O0
-
"On Paper, it was no contest. Kristen Marik, for a variety of reasons that were mostly self imposed, had next to no political clout. At best, she had four mech regiments and maybe thirty conventional units loyal to her, not including the Cataphracts. And those units loyal to her were not the best the FWLM had to offer. The Guard was a solid enough base, but it's losses in the 4th had just been made good. The 18th and 25th Marik Militia were both, at best, units fit for garrison duty, and not much else. The 1st Marik Legion had some veterans at its core, and it performed well enough against a mercenary unit that was poorly commanded and supplied. Its logistical tail was next to nonexistent, the units loyal to her to spread out. Duncan Marik had all the advantages, better troops, better supplies, interior lines. Operation HAMMERDOWN had taken and already reeling Oriente warmachine to the breaking point, but if you were to look closer, not everything was going Duncan Mariks way.
"Politically speaking, events were catching up Duncan Marik. What interest he had shown in ruling was minimal at best, preferring to leave such things in the hands of subordinates was a move many rulers in the past had done, and if one had capable subordinates, things could be okay. Duncan Marik did not have capable subordinates, and what political power he had was soon lost by his attitude and treatment of those he felt were doing their best to "stab him in the back". As a military commander, he could get away with yelling and screaming, ranting and raving and threats. Most politicians just shrugged them off, many realized there was little anything Duncan could do. Any attempts at putting the League back together again in some semblance was lost in mid 3034, when several communiques Duncan had made to his sister Theresa, Charles Smith of the Silver Hawk Coalition, and other major planetary leaders, were made public. Filled with invective, threats, pleading, cajoling, and desperation, they showed the Free Worlds Public the man Duncan was some of the time, and made it appear he was that way all the time. Even the staunchest Duncan Marik supporters could do little to stem the rising tide of resentment against him.
"Militarily, things were not better. Duncan appeared to be going from one plan to the next, without consideration of what those changes would do. His attack on the Regulans, which was presented as a massive effort, was called off after its initial attacks. HAMMERDOWN was an operation that will be studied well into the future, as it showcased what a military with certain obstacles can accomplish. But it will also be talked about for what could have been. The Oriente military was on the ropes, and most military analysts have found it hard to explain how it would would have survived another wave of attacks. But Kristen Mariks announcement and appearance on Colfax changed all that. A savvy political ruler in the field with competent subordinates would have trusted them to handle it. A competent military leader would have been able to look at the situation, and realize that leaving an enemy on the ropes to recover to deal with the lesser threat was not the right move.
"Duncan Marik had wanted to lead. And when it came time for him to do so, to be a leader, he locked up. Like many throughout history, he had wanted power, and when he got it, he either had no idea of what to do with it, was incapable of wielding it, or found out he just didn't respect what having such power would do to his life, and he forgot about it. At his core, Duncan was a military man, and he forgot there's more to being an effective leader of a star nation than covering oneself in glory on the battlefield."
Excerpts from "Opportunities Lost, a Look at the Marik Schism" by Prof. Tyler Arun, University of Regulus, 3067.
"In 3046, during the summer between our Junior and Senior Years, Marshal Zibler and Duke Hasek-Davion put together a wargame, PHOENIX RISING. It was an all encompassing effort, with working teams from the diplomatic, economic, and military side of things. Marshal Zibler played the role of Duncan Marik, Duke Hasek-Davion played Thomas Marik, there were quite a few others there as well. I was on the Regulan team, with Marshal Rauss. From a military standpoint, we were all over the barrel. Marshal Zibler and his team lost a few battles, but in the space of three "years", the majority of the Oriente and Regulan worlds were taken. His Version of HAMMERDOWN turned into a sweeping maneuver that led from Oceanea and Holt through the Oriente, through the Regulan worlds, and into the Tamarind Duchy. Incursions by the Lyrans and Republic were pushed back, and the Silver Hawks were next. But we had learned from 3039. We couldn't fight them head up, so we revolted. Soon, most of Marshal Ziblers forces were spread out, garrisoning worlds with populations in open revolt. The Battlemech factories on Irian and Stewart were sabotaged, and in 3039 the Republic and Alliance attacked. Oriente was lost, Regulus was lost, soon they were fighting on Marik, New Olympia, Atreus...We fought it again in 3047, and they fought it again in 3048 after I graduated, and the results were always the same, though the path there was somehwat different: Duncan Marik could win the battles, but he would lose the war. He would have to have been a better politician, and not make the mistakes he did, to have any chance of winning. Same could be said for quite almost any conflict in history though. RUMINT says they were going to run it again in '50, with Prince Ian as Duncan, but the Clans changed that plan."
From "Fighting for Peace, a Memoir" by Hauptmann-General Kenneth Umayr, retired. Printed by the Melissa Steiner Martial Academy Press, 3081.
-
I'm not seeing the map I make for the last Marik moves, so here it is again.
Thanks,
Dav
Gah, And because I screwed up the map window on the Upper right, the second map is the pirate attacks in the Marik Periphery
-
HAMMERDOWN Retreats:
Oriente Forces
11th Atrean Dragoons retreat to SOPHIES WORLD.
12th Atrean Dragoons surrendered after being surrounded on KEYSTONE.
2nd Brigade retreats to VANRA
Duncan Marik Forces:
The 6th Marik Militia retreats to AUGUSTINE.
The 15th Marik Militia retreats to HOLT.
13th Marik Militia retreats to HOLT.
2nd Marik Militia retreats to OCEANA.
1st Atrean Dragoon retreat to DRUISBACKEN.
Atrean Hussars retreat to ABADAN
10th Marik retreats to DRUISBACKEN.
Lagendorf's Lancer destroyed on COLFAX
-
"There have been some...rumors...that concern many of the troops."
Kristen Marik sighed, while internally she fought a battle between her desire to lean across the table and slap Colonel Stroud, or pulling her sidearm and just ending it. Stroud had all the charm of a snake oil salesman, no doubt he was trying to play all the sides to ensure his best angle.
"Surely your not talking sales of equipment on the black market, inflated payroll numbers, possession of stolen goods and the like?" She leaned back in her chair, and studied the nails on her hand in a disinterested manner. Glancing up, she saw Strouds face had gone a shade of red that wasn't very healthy looking.
"In this case, colonel, the rumors are true. I have received some help and assistance from certain elements some would find...unsavory shall we say?" She smiled a tight smile at him. The other occupants in the room were quiet, wathcing the interplay between the two officers. "The people your doing business here on Thermopolis with are associates of my associates, and it was very easy to ask a few simple questions and get some answers. Any one of these schemes you are part of could be revealed at any time, and I doubt Duncan would do much of anything to help you. If he wanted to help you that is."
"And if I don't help you you'll what?" Stroud's response wasn't exactly a sneer, but he had lost most of the charm he had been trying to affect since the meeting started.
"Colonel, you've obviously misunderstood some of my previous communications. If you don't want to help me take my fathers place, I am fine with that. I'm not going to force you into something you are unwilling to do. What I am asking is that if you do not support me in this endeavor, you also do not support Duncan. Stay here on Thermopolis, protect the planet and the factory from any incursions from any...foreign power, and when the dust has settled you can stand up tall and proud and say you and your troops did your duty to the League."
"And if choose not to?"
"That's not something I'd like to see happen. Nor should you Colonel. And frankly, some of our....associates are chomping on the bit for you keep cheating them out of their percentage."
Kristen Marik didn't think Strouds face could get any redder, but she stood with a tight smile and a nod, then went to the door.
"Do you think you can do a better job then Duncan?" Stroud asked.
She paused in the doorway, looking back the commander of the Steel Guards. Whatever sense of sureness he had when she came into the room was gone, replaced by an anger she had been expecting to deal with.
"Colonel Stroud, you have to admit, I couldn't do worse." She smiled again, and then left.
-
It's hard to get away with something if your possible future ruler uses the same people.
No honor among thieves. O0
-
You wrote Prince Ian. Did you mean Prince Hanse, by chance?
-
You wrote Prince Ian. Did you mean Prince Hanse, by chance?
Referring to the previous excerpt, about gaming the Marik Schism?
No, I meant Prince Alexander Victor Steiner-Davion, first born son of Hanse and Melissa. He has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters: Ian Frederick Steiner-Davion, Katherine Jennifer-Steiner Davion, Peter Andrew Steiner-Davion, and Morgan Yvonne Steiner-Davion. I was looking at my timeline when I was typing that, and I mistyped.
Thanks for the double check!
Dav
-
Referring to the previous excerpt, about gaming the Marik Schism?
No, I meant Prince Alexander Victor Steiner-Davion, first born son of Hanse and Melissa. He has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters: Ian Frederick Steiner-Davion, Katherine Jennifer-Steiner Davion, Peter Andrew Steiner-Davion, and Morgan Yvonne Steiner-Davion. I was looking at my timeline when I was typing that, and I mistyped.
Thanks for the double check!
Dav
So the Demon Butterfly has caused its first hurricane, I see. It's interesting that they will think enough of Alexander's abilities, both military and political, to game out Duncan's position to a favorable conclusion.
Btw, I sent you an unrelated PM.
-
Well, sixth hurricane, maybe 7th...
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
The last six months of 3034 were filled with posturing, both political and military. Kristen Marik moved slowly, with perhaps and over abundance of caution. The 18th and 25th Marik Militia left their enclaves in the Silver Hawks Coalition and moved to Savannah. Home to Technicron Manufacturing, the two Militia units were able to make good their few remaining equipment issues. There was an additional boon found on the planet, almost a battalions worth of Quickdraws and Awesomes that had been waiting to be shipped to Duncan Mariks forces. However, because the Leagues logistics were at best chaotic in the wake of HAMMERDOWN, they had yet to be picked up. Both Marik units incorporated these units into their own roster. The Marik Guard and the Cataphracts moved to Merak. Kristen Marik and the 1st Marik Legion followed, arriving a month or so later. Kristen was seen on Thermopolis and Stewart during that journey, it's believed that she went and talked to the commanding officers of the units stationed on both planets (the Steel Guards on Thermopolis, and the Home Guards on Stewart), trying to win them over to her side. As neither unit has moved from their respective garrison, it would appear the she was unsuccessful in her endeavors.
Duncan Marik was coming across as a man pulled in to many directions at once. Never the most patient of men, he seemed to go from plan to plan at a whim. The few capable subordinates he had in both the political and military realm had their hands full, dealing with his demands and the repercussions of his actions. His logistical nightmare was only just being sorted out, reinforcements and replacements were slow in coming, but by force of personality and some good decision making, Duncan was able to surpress most of the criticism against him in the military realm. Politically speaking, he was still a neophyte, but the few friends he had back on Atreus in that arena were well placed to do his bidding for him. By this time parliament was a deadlocked shell of itself, with barely enough representatives to have a quorum for most meetings, and even then was still so divided any bill or proposal was sure to be deadlocked.
Thomas Marik, Christopher Halas, and Vincente Orloff continued to curse Selim Halas. In his one action on Atreus, he had done more to undermine Thomas Mariks claim to the Generalcy than anyone else in the Oriente or the League. Although they had performed well since, the Oriente military was battered. The production lines on Calloway VI, Emris IV, Bernardo and Ansucion could make up some of the unit losses, and engineers from both Kallon and Earthwerks were doing what they could to rebuild and restart production at the long mothballed Oriente Weapons Work mech facility, but any production there would be years down the road. From a personnel point of view, the pipeline for replacement mech pilots was so small it was causing problems. Princefield Academy had seen it's membership drop precipitously with the outbreak of the Schism, with most of it's classes now comprised of just students from the Oriente. Despite the problems the Duchy was having with replacements, the Commandant of the Academy insisted on keeping the the grueling 42 month mechwarrior training program intact. Rumors abound that Duke Halas may have to personally intervene and change the Commandant opinion. The only other source of trained mechwarriors at the moment is from the newly relocated Hero Training Institute on McKenna. A dispute with the authorities on Sorunda, and apparently some money changing hands on the Oriente side of things, led to the Institute packing up and moving less than 30 light years away. Although long derided for their poor training, bad equipment, and cost cutting measures that would make any credit pincher proud, the Institute "schools" did provide a modicum of education. However, after the school had been relocated on McKenna, most of its "instructors" found themselves out of a job, replaced by recently serving members of the Fusiliers. The curriculum has improved, the tuition has gone way down, and rumors abound that if a graduate pledges to serve seven years in the Oriente Military, the Duchy will cover all tuition fees. Ronco Morrall, the Institutes founder, has been justifiably upset at this strange turn of events, and has threatened to sue, but with the League in such a state of flux, and the fact that most of his Institutes are on worlds not affiliated with a major League political entity, its unlikely he will be able to do anything in the near future. Further complicating matters is that the Institutes Headqaurters and "Main Campus" is located on Maxwell, and rumors abound that Jeremey Brett, commander of the Duchy of Tamarinds Military Forces, has apparently been considering doing something similar to help address his own military's weakness.
The Principality of Regulus finds itself in a curious position. The Mech Factories on Gibson and Wallis are running full out, producing close to 72 mechs a year, and if the rumors are to be believed, should the Rim Commonality join the Principality, another 50 or so mechs would be added to the production queue. The Irian yards on Clipperton, and the yards on Gibson and Mackenzie are also at full production on the dropships and small craft, indeed the big reason the Prince was able to get the Grave Walkers to sign a long term deal with the Principality at lower than market cost in return for increased logistical support, including the ability to refurbish their own dropships and buy additional ones. Regulus finds itself with a military machine it cannot effectively crew, and whether or not that machine may become fully staffed is a bet noone is willing to place at the moment. After the abortive offensive Duncan Marik launched was beaten back, the mood of the Principalities inhabitants quickly grew to fever pitch levels, and recruitment offices on many planets found themselves swamped with volunteers. While most planets local militia centers were able to give the volunteers a modicum of training, training mechwarriors, aerospace pilots, and other technical ranks was going to be hard. The exploits of the Aitutaki Training Group were certainly noteworthy, but lost in the heroics was the fact that fully three quarters if the schools staff was either killed or wounded, and fully half of those who survived and recovered were sent to Gibson as staff for the Paika School of Conflict. That institutions first class will start its first classes in the beginning if 3035, and it will be mid 3036 at the earliest for the first graduates to join. There are rumors that there are Regulan factors on Solaris vetting dispossessed mechwarriors, offering them a position in the Regulan Military for a period of time in exchange for a new ride. This rumor has gained ground because one of the new senior instructors at Paika is Major Adam Morand, formerly of Justinia’s Cuirassiers, one of the premier CCAF units destroyed on Algol during the 4th Succession War. Wounded during the fighting on Algol, repatriated back and then kept from serving by the Maskirovka and other officers in the CCAF, the Major had made his way to Outreach, possibly to join the Republic of Tikonov forces, but was now on Gibson, terrorizing new cadets and junior instructors alike.
If it were up to Therese-Brett Marik and her husband, the Duchy of Tamarind would be fine if everyone left it alone. Both husband and wife are realists though, and with the Federated Commonwealth to their Galactic North, the Circinus to the Galactic west, and pirate attacks on their borders, they know they have troubles. Whether or not they will be able to solve them is another matter entirely. Most of the Tamarind worlds are resource poor, there are no dedicated mech or Aerospace production facilities in the Duchy. The Vankateswara BattleMech Refit Facility is one of the best in the Inner Sphere, in fact one of the reasons the Duchy was able to get Swanns Cavaliers to accept a contract was to rebuild and refurbish many of their mechs. The biggest target in the Duchy is one they cannot afford to lose, the Technicron shipyards above Tamarind that produce Invader class jumpships. The escalation in pirate attacks has also put a severe strain on the Duchy's small military. They have had some success in hiring a couple of mercenary units to contracts that are lower paying but higher in salvage, but their record in combat thus has has been spotty at best. Further complicating matters for Marshall Brett are the large number of formerly unaffiliated worlds joining the Duchy. Almost all of the time when this happens, the local planets militia is now subordinated to the Duchy's overall command, which has severely tasked the Duchy's command, not to mention the snarl logistics has become. If the Duchy is to survive long term, its going to have to find short term solutions.
From a Geopolitical point of view, the one former League polity that would appear to be in the most precarious position is, for the time being, the most stable. The Silver Hawks Coalition is surrounded by three potential enemies: The Commonwealth, the Tikonov Republic, the League, the ruling council of the Coalition has been treading careful ground. Raymond Richards, First Minister of of the Silver Hawks, and sitting Chairman of the Coalition Council, has walked the fine line between all three, playing a combined game of cat and mouse/carrot and stick that's paid dividends so far. First there were Duncan Marik's demands that production on Oliver and Kalidasa go to League units and depots. Richards agreed, and sent 75% of the units produced to those League units within the borders of the Coalition. That none of them had declared their support of Duncan Mariks Captain-Generalcy was beside the point, by the letter of the law the contracts were met. Richard's lowered tariffs on Lyran merchants going through Coalition worlds, but kept Federated Suns tariffs the same. Negotiations with Duke Kiril Ridzik have also been promising. If the Coalition does have a problem, its internal. The worlds of the Coalition have long been neglected by the League, and the fact many of them have been battlegrounds since the days of the Star League has not been helpful either. Richards home planet of Amity has been invaded 23 times since the start of the Succession Wars, and most of the member worlds have a deep distrust of central authority. Richards main politcal opponent this far has been Primus Louis Grise of the Sirian Worlds has been very vocal about recovering the "Homeworlds" of Sirius and Procyon, however his political support is small at best. While he could order the Sirian Lancers to attack those worlds, he lost most of his supporters when the 2nd Lancers were beaten off Procyon. The commanders of the 1st and 3rd Lancers do not support him, and would most likely ignore any orders he issued at this point. Or they could over throw him, Grise has already escaped one attempt on his life.
Those worlds unaffiliated with any major polity are playing a waiting game. Those on the interior are debating what to do, join or stay independent. Those on the Rim are screaming for help, especially with the rise in Pirate attacks but noone is in a position to provide any. Those planets that can fend for themselves are doing as best they can, but the rise in activity on the rim, especially from formerly "quiet" neighbors such as the Marian League is troubling. Countess Montcalm of Kendall has been in talks with rulers of surrounding worlds, it remains to be see what if anything comes of this.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
The most invaded but the most stable the Silver Hawks, I like how they have someone with brains in charge.
For the rest of the FWL, all I can say is it's good and profitable to be a merc. :D O0
-
You've got tense problems with this latest post Davout, please fix them as they make these piece unreadable
-
"Morning Sir." Master Sergeant Henrici's salute was just on the right side of lazy, but Henrici was an old timer, so he could get away with it.
"Morning Master Sarge," replied Hauptmann Mikel Haye. He had been on his morning 10 kilometer run when he saw the Master Sergeant standing under a tree, clearly waiting for him to come by. "Fine day for a run."
"At this point sir I only run when chased." Henrici smiled. It was the usual banter for the two.
Haye smiled as well. One look at the older man showed he could more than hold his own with the younger crowd. The sergeant gestured to a GPV that was down the hill side a little bit.
"Colonel Weichs has called a staff meeting, requested you to be there. It's in thirty minutes sir."
"Even I'm not that fast," Haye smiled.
"Depends on whats chasing you sir."
"Indeed Sergeant. Lets not keep the good Colonel waiting."
Colonel Harriet Weichs was one of "Der Neu Zuckt", the New Breed of officers that were the result of Archon Steiners reforms. She was not a mech jock, but her demeanor, acid tongue, and a blue eyed stare that seemed to hit harder than a Pontiac autocannon had rendered more than a few egomaniac pilots helpless. People often took her short stature and normal quiet manner as indicators she was just a paper pusher, and if her verbal takedowns didn't change a persons opinion, her ability to throw people around on the judo mats often did. Whipsmart, with a memory that if it wasnt eidetic was darned close, she had risen through the logistics ranks quickly, and then was assigned the the 11ths staff. Those that thought her rank and responsibilities were the result of "outside" influence were quickly silenced. The one officer who had voiced as much at an officers dinner had soon found himself cornered by the Colonel, who was reciting from memory his last fitness reports, his units last fitness reports, and the multiple errors he had made in his reports. When the Hauptman, a minor nobleman from Rahne by the name of Trotter, had replied he was a fighter, not a paper pusher, the Colonel had just smiled and walked away. Six month later, when Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion of the 11th Arcturan had been put on Alert, it found itself critically short of consumables, repairables, and lacking transport space. When Hauptmann Trotter had complained up the chain of command, he found a seventeen page statement from the good Colonel detailing not only his failures, but seeing as how everything that was wrong with his unit was something he should have addressed before hand, then detailed how he could have and should have addressed them, including completed forms. It was a report she had started to deliver orally in front of the Board, and after speaking clearly and concisely for twenty minutes, completes with slides apparently, and without error, the 11th's XO had put a stop to it. That Trotter's own XO and Senior Enlisted had said the same things to him on numerous occasions was salt to the numerous paper cuts Colonel Weichs had delivered. That his XO and Senior Enlisted didn't fully cover for him also spoke volumes. Those that thought her addressing him as "Hauptmann Trottel" in her report was an error soon realized that after the third instance, it was just one more thin blade piercing the mans ego. Hauptmann Trotter had little recourse, even Colonel Timmons couldn't save him if he had wanted too. Trotter had rotated out to a militia command somewhere in the interior, and every other officer in the 11th had learned a valuable lesson: Colonel Weichs not only knows her stuff, she knows yours too, probably better than you. Also, Do not make Colonel Weichs mad.
Haye had time for a quick shower and change into his everyday uniforms, and arrived in the conference room just in time.
"Morning Colonel." Haye said, taking an empty seat. Weichs hated being called "Ma'am".
"My Oma June is a 'Ma'am. She's eighty six. When I am her age, you may call me "Ma'am". Until then, it's Colonel. Please." She had only said it once, but it stuck.
"Hauptmann." Weichs replied in a disinterested voice. She was busy reading through a tablet and paperwork, stopping every once an awhile to underline something or make a note. The remaining officers of 3rd Battalion filed in, as well as several infantry and Armor officers from the conventional units.
A Chrono beeped an alarm. Still reading, Colonel Weichs turned it off without looking at it, set her paperwork down, stood up and surveyed the room.
"Hauptmann Fields?" she asked?
"Hospitalized Ma'am" one of the Infantry officers replied. He probably missed the slight narrowing of the Colonels eyes, but then he also didn't interact with her as often as everyone else in the 11th did. "Went camping over the weekend, had a violent allergic reaction to something in the field. Had to be airlifted out. He's in isolation, sends his regrets for not being able to attend."
Colonel Weichs nodded. "Thank you Hauptmann Oliva. Lets begin." She walked back to the front of the room, the lights dimming, screen turning on.
"With the increase in Pirate Activity on the Periphery Worlds, that powers that be have authorized changes to the TO&E of 3rd Battalion, 11th Arcturan. This is the first step of the unit as a whole becoming a Regimental Combat Team. We will officially be designated as such on June 1, 3036. However, in their infinite wisdom, the 11th is also going to reorganized within the unit as well, into a Light Combat Team."
The screen came on, and the 11th Arcturan Org chart displayed. Colonel Weichs made a few movements on her lectern, and the 3rd Battalion detached, and enlarged. Soon it was joined by an Armor Regiment, the 223rd Timbuktu Armored, and three Infantry Regiments.
"Taking lessons from the smaller unit actions in the 4th Succession War, the LCT is similar to the structure of the Combat Commands of the Ceti Hussars. We have three mech Companies, a mech command element of two lances, three Armor Battalions, nine Infantry Battalions, and engineer battalion, a support battalion, and two artillery companies. Transport is also being reorganized, we will have dedicated transport, including jumpships, for all elements of the LCT.
"However, because of our location, and the nature of our mission here on Timbuktu, we have been further authorized to adopt a looser organizational structure within the LCT as required. Officially were are now 3rd LCT of the 11th Arcutran Guards. Unoffically, as Kommandant Ingraham is the mech battalions CO, we are now Kamfgruppe Ingraham. However, it is expected within the next two years, many of you will be operating in smaller, more independent commands. As a result, the org chart you see is a guideline. It is expected that as the nature of our mission changes, the composition of our combat commands within the LCT will change as well. As a result, greater cooperation between all of the units comprising the Kampfgruppe will be paramount."
She reached down to her tablet and typed in a few commands. A few seconds later, everyones mail beeped or buzzed.
"I've just sent you the new training schedule for the Kampfgruppe. We begin in ten days. Questions?"
Haye tried to pay attention as others in the room asked questions, taking notes where possible, looking at the training schedule. It was intense. As much, if not more, than the unit did before the start of the 4th.
"Any more Questions?" Colonel Weichs asked? "No? Then your dismissed. Thanks for being prompt and attentive. Hauptman Haye, need you to stay behind for a second."
There was an almost silent chuckle that went through the other officers in the room, and they filed out.
"Distracted Hauptmann?"
"Concerned by the training schedule Colonel. Not sure if the equipment is going to be up to it, especially if we're going to be deployed from Timbuktu. Plus both my Leutnants are due to rotate out in the time frame. As the Battalions Heavy Company, I've got some issues to deal with."
"True," Colonel Weichs said, leaning back on the desk. "Just make sure you take care of them before those issues become full on subscriptions."
"Your coming with the Support Battalion, right?" he asked.
"As much as I would love to, no. I'm needed here to help integrate the RCT elements and training. Battalion Command would mean either a demotion, or kicking an officer out of their slot. And for Kommandant Greniers faults, he's a more than capable admistrator, and he's what the Kampfgruppe needs."
"Aunt Elise is going to be crushed." He smiled.
"Mother will learn to live with it." She smiled back, briefly. "Now Hauptman, I want you to keep Leutnants Markus and Shriver in the loop until they leave. We aren't the only unit going through such a reorg, and their experiences here may be valuable in their new units."
"You do realize the yelling and screaming thats going to result from this. Heaney and the others complaining about "Der Neu Zuckt" screwing with things that already work." He smiled as he said "The New Breed", shaking his tablet for emphasis.
"Thats Hauptmann-General Heany, Hauptman. And she's more than able to express her opinions, her performance in the 4th means they'll be ignored."
Haye smiled, put his tablet in it's pocket, and straightened out his uniform top.
"Yes Ma'am." He didn't exactly smirk, but he knew he was needling her.
The Colonels eyes narrowed. "I'll see you on the mats Friday. Hauptmann."
"Colonel." Haye left, heading back outside.
"Looks like the scuttlebutt was mostly true, sir," Henrici said as he climbed back into the GPV.
"Possibly, were going to be busy Top."
"Keeps the young ones out of trouble sir."
"Indeed top. To the laager, then call a company meeting. We're going to be busy the next six plus months."
-
A little something to look forward to.
My plan (hah) is that in 3040 I will do a universe overview book. Using Data Driven Pages in Arc, this is actually pretty easy.
I plan on doing a Region by Region overview, with each region taking up one page.
These are an example:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25017377/T1.pdf
Now, the blank space on the left above the smaller map is going to have some dynamic tables, one for the worlds, which will list System Name, Factory Types on planet, and then Units in the Region. Because of space issues, with the polygon clipping, labels and the like, there will be times when not unit will display, so a list would be nice.
There's a way in Python to create Dynamic Tables so that every page will automatically generate it's own table from the given region, but I am not a programmer, so slogging through that is going to take some time.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Cracks
While the supporters of Duncan Marik were openly supportive of their leader, behind the scenes there were grumblings, especially among the senior officers. As 3034 came to a close, and intelligence reports filtered back from the Oriente, many realized what opportunities had been lost when HAMMERDOWN was called off. The Regulans were rearming as fast as they could, and troop movements on the Lyran border were troubling. Add in the fact that the Andurien-Canopian Alliance was fighting an even battle against the Capellans, reforming the League as a whole looked to be a long term goal, one that would taken even longer as the Schism dragged on. Some units had begun ignoring Duncans orders. The Home Guard on Stewart claimed transportation problems when ordered to move to Lancaster, and Colonel Strouds death on Thermopolis in a training accident left command of the Steel Guards in flux. A hereditary command, Strouds eldest child, Marilyn, had neither the experience or confidence of the rest of the unit to take the reigns. Additionally, Lyran and Davion troop movements on the border were cause for concern, and the interim commander felt he could not in good faith leave such a strategic world undefended. Additionally, several of the mercenary units on the Lyran border that had pledged their services to Duncans faction were now complaining about lack of replacement parts, and increased prices on what was available.
3035 was not getting off to a good start for Duncan, but he and many of his supporters felt that a quick campaign to force Kirsten Marik to surrender would be both a political and military victory, and it had been awhile since Duncan had one of those. Order went out in early January, and the tide of the Marik Schism turned, although few people noticed it at the time.
More coming soon.
Dav
-
I like the region overview that you are doing, an excellent idea. O0
-
Moves by CG Duncan Marik:
13th Mariki Militia from Holt to Marik
15th Marik Militia from Holt to Marik
2nd Marik Militia from Oceanea to Lancaster
20th Marik Militia from Ariel to Lancaster
10th Marik Miltia from Druisbacken to Angell II
31st Marik Militia from Atreus to Kendall
Moves by CG Kristen Marik:
The Cataphracts from Merak to Bainsville
1st Marik Legion from Merak to Marik
Marik Guard from Merak to Marik
25th Marik Militia from Savannah to Marik
18th Marik Militia from Savannah to Nathan
Moves by the Regulan Army:
5th Regulan Hussars from Diass to Wallis
9th Regulan Hussars from Camlann to Mackenzie
Gravewalkers 1st Regt. from Wallis to Hindmarsh
Gravewalkers 2nd Regt. from Wallis to Camlann
-
The 25th Marik Militia had arrived on MARIK without any fanfare. Although Thomas Marik was his fathers successor as the Duke of Marik, his relocation and support of the Oriente worlds had not endeared him to much of the planets populace. Duncan Mariks claim as Duke of Marik, by right as his taking the title of Captain General, was ignored by most of the populace as well. However, the CEO of Imstar Aerospace, Donald Vandiver, was one of Duncans more outspoken supporters. This may have been due to several backroom deals the pair had made before Duncan claimed the title, but based on the relationship the two had while Duncan was CO of the Militia, Vandiver's support was not temporary. Not wanting to alienate the populace any more than necessary, the 25th Marik landed well away from Dormuth, the planets capital city and home of the Imstar Complex. Liaisons from the 25th and the plants militia were held, and rumors that Kristen Marik was coming to make her case to the planets populace spread like wildfire.
However, two weeks after the 25th landed, the 13th and 15th Marik Militia's arrived. The 15th landed at Dormouth, and began to invest in the city. The 13th Marik landed close to the 25th, who had taken up defensive positions in the Bornemouth Hills area. The first engagements did not go well for the 25th. Despite being a defensively minded unit, and deployed in good terrain, the 13th expertise in reconnaissance and hit and run attacks drove them back. At Ferrand Station the 2nd Battalion of the 25th was defending against the probing attacks of two companies of the 13th, when long range LRM fire, coupled with an artillery barrage, threw one of the defending companies into disarray. The fast movers of the 13th, mostly Hermes and other light mechs, drove the company back, eventually forcing the other two companies to fall back as well.
Three more weeks went by, and the 13th, now augmented by a battalion of medium and heavy mechs from the 15th, drove the 25th back across the Falstaff Plain. Victory seemed close at hand, and then Kristen Mariks forces arrived at the nadir jump point, and began a hard burn towards the planet. The 1st Marik Legion landed between the retreating Battalion of the 15th Marik and Dornmouth, and in three days heavy fighting destroyed one company and forced the other two to surrender. Losses in the Legion were heavy, almost two companies of mechs were destroyed.
For the Marik Guard, the fighting on Marik was a form of payback. There was no love between Takei Bryce-Marik and and Duncan Marik, many in the Guard felt Duncan had hung them out to dry in the Fourth Succession War, and his perceived abandonment of them after the Fourth ended only added fuel to the fire. The Silver Hawks Coalition had tried to add the Guard to its own forces, but Bryce-Marik had held out. At one point the unit considered turning mercenary, which while on paper looked like a good idea, the units...unique...support problems did not lend itself to that option. When Kristen Marik announced her claim on the Captain-Generalcy, most of the Marik Guard could not accept her claim fast enough.
Within a few days, the elite light mechs and LAMS of the Guard had run circles around the 13th. A night march allowed a combat group of the 25th to sneak through the 13th lines, and in a surprise attack most of the 13ths Artillery assets were destroyed. A counterattack by the heavier elements of the 13th drove the 25th Militia off with heavy losses, but the 13th's units also suffered heavy casualties as well. The fighting between the the Guard and the 13th ended a few days later, when the command lance of the 13th was caught and trapped by elements of the Guard. Colonel Chang Janewicz, the 13ths popular commander, was killed during the battle when his Hermes II autocannon ammunition exploded. Although he was able to eject before the engine on his mech went critical, he was apparently knocked unconscious by the the ejection, and landed a few meters away from another downed Hermes II, whose own engine went critical and exploded a few minutes later, killing the Colonel. With most of the unit low on supplies, and it's command and control for all intents shattered, the 13ths surviving senior officer led it away from Dormuth. A screening force of the Guard followed them, until 13th reached Coucheval City and left the planet.
The Marik Legion was not fairing as well. Despite their ardor and support of Kristen Marik, there were few experienced pilots in the unit. The Legion had also not been able to spend a lot of time training together, which meant the the Captain-General and her Senior officers had to keep tight control over their units. Losing control meant mistakes would be made, and it was by no means certain that she would be able to recover from a major error.
Colonel Hawkins, commander of the 15th, had been marching towards his 3rd battalion when word of it's surrender reached him. Rather than attack, Hawkins dug his unit in along the western branch of the Amirash River, which was on the approach to Dormuth. Although now outnumbered numerically, the heavy mechs of the 15th were more than able to repulse the first few attacks the lighter mechs of the Legion made. The arrival of one battalion of the Guard turned the course of the battle, as the light mechs and LAMS were able to penetrate the 15ths defensive lines and force one of the remaining battalions to retreat. A concerted attack by the Legion against one of the conventional units on the other flank of the 15ths line soon sent most of the 15th retreating back to Dormuth. A Company of LAMS from the Guard attempted to fly to the city and set up a blockade, but were themselves enagaged by ASF fighters. It was soon discovered that these ASF's had come from Imstar Aerospace, on the order of Vandiver himself. While running a business may have been Vandiver's forte, secure communications wasn't, and the Legion was able to intercept his orders. While there wasn't enough time to warn the LAM's, who suffered light losses before retreating, a public rebroadcast of Vandiver's order soon had most of the city in riot. The matter was made worse when a lance commander of the 15th fired on a militia unit blocking his path. With the Legion slowly advancing towards Dormuth, Hawkins found himself in a city whose populace was rioting, and there was no end in sight. When several of the local conventional units ignored his orders, and in two cases publicly declared for Kristen Marik, Hawkins ordered the 15th to retreat. More than one crisis was averted by the commanders personal intervention on the way to the spaceport. As the 15th was boosting away, accompanied by Vandivers personal shuttle, Kristen Marik and the Legion entered the city. While there was little cheering, a well produced hearts and mind campaign, interspersed with several interviews, soon won most of the planets population over. Subsequent events would put it firmly into Kristen Marik's pocket.
Rumors of a complex of underground depots on NATHAN being built post Fourth Succession War had been lost in the noise, but the 18th Marik's commander was given permission to take her unit for a look. Colonel Alvarez and her unit did find several small underground complexes, but those that were finished were empty. Several more were also found in various stages of construction.
The Cataphracts arrived at Bainsville and found a planetary population that was at best disinterested. The Cataphracts cleared out several small FWLM depots on planet without a fight, then boosted off.
One of the more curious incidents of the Schism is the 31st Marik Militia's attack on KENDALL. After her units attack on Aitutaki was repulsed, Colonel Anson found her unit and herself in Duncan Marik's doghouse. Left on Atreus, the 31st found itself left out of HAMMERDOWN, and its supplies and replacements slowed to a trickle. Trading with the Juggernaut allowed it to make good most of its material losses, but the unit found itself almost two companies short of replacement pilots. Boosting off planet at the beginning of the year, many observers felt the 31st was on it's way to fight Kristen Marik's forces, but its arrival on Kendall almost two months later shows that some preparations had been made well before hand, especially the command circuit from Atreus to Kendall.
Countess Montcalm, a politician who could give wily and crafty and run for their money, knew the political situation was not going to resolve itself anytime in the near future, and even then was not sure who she wanted to win. Increased pirate activity had forced Kali Yama to hire Krieg's Heavy Cavalry, but the more recent attack by the Marians was equally troubling. If the Marian ruler was getting visions of his legions planting the Marian Eagle on worlds far and wide, Kendall's role as a regional breadbasket would make it a huge target. The presence of the Brooks and Kali Yama plants only made the bullseye bigger. Using the threat of pirate activity, and her planets role as regional breadbasket, Montcalm was able to coerce, browbeat, and bribe several surrounding worlds into signing the Kendall Compact, a regional self defense treaty. In return for reduced costs on food, the ability to buy weapons, parts and vehicles at reduced costs from Brooks, world of the Compact would dedicate a percentage of their GNP towards a common military budget. The Countess attempted to hire the Heavy Cavalry on full time, in effect making them a "House" unit, but Colonel Krieg demurred, instead suggesting that hiring conventional regiments and smaller mech units would be more effective in the short term. While a few planets were still on the fence about joining, the arrival of the 31st soon pushed those conversations to the side.
Colonel Ansons call for the Countess to openly declare for Duncan was rebuffed, like wise Ansons call on both Brooks and Kali Yama to fulfill Duncan Marik's requests for parts and units (without payment no less) were also rebuffed.When Anson informed both factory manufacturers that if they didn't turn the requested parts over she would come get them, they all but laughed at her and cut off communications. Strategically, it made sense for the 31st to take care of Krieg's Heavy Cavalry before moving on the factories. Colonel Krieg knew this as well, but because of the factories locations could not defend both ably. Compounding the matter was that from a contract point of view, Kali-Yama was her employer, and they wanted their own property protected before anyone elses. It took some wrangling and coercion by the Countess (turning of the water, electric and sewer lines to the Kali Yama grounds had the desired effect) to get the Mech producers to "see the light", and Colonel Krieg soon had a Kamfgruppe at each factory, with her own KG in a central location to reinforce either.
There were several options available to Colonel Anson. One was to land all her forces near one of the factories and take it, establishing a base that would allow her to operate against the other. Another option was to land near Kriegs mobile Kampfgruppe, defeat it before it could be reinforced, and then move on the other Kampfgruppes accordingly. It's possible Colonl Anson chose the option to attack one of the production faculties first and use it as a base, but for whatever reason, almost all of her unit dropped in between the Brooks factory complex and KG Krieg. Realizing the mistake, Colonel Anson directed her heavier companies to advance on the Brooks factory complex, while she attacked and held back KG Krieg.
Once again the planets light gravity played a factor. While computer simulations were helpful, experiencing the effects first hand were troubling for many of the 31sts pilots. The vehicles and mechs of KG Bryant, defending the Brooks complex, were by now well adjusted to the planet, and their slashing hit and run attacks soon slowed and then blunted the 31st attack. A counterattack by the Heavy Mech Company of KG Brooks shattered the commanding company of the 31st attacking battalion, and it was soon in full retreat.
Colonel Anson had done yeomans work in holding off KG Krieg, but the defeat of her heavier companies, and the arrival of KG Jacobs fast mechs and vehicles soon had her forces in full retreat. Most of her conventional units were forced to surrender when cut off at Kielgess Pass, and most of the 31st would have been trapped if not for Colonel Ansons command Company sacrificing itself at Gerais City. The Colonel fell early in the fighting, but the rest of her command fought until the very end, allowing the remaining companies to escape. Losses among the Heavy Cav were light.
3035 was not going Duncan Mariks way, and as spring changed to summer, and word of what happened on Kendall and Marik made its way through the former League, many began to doubt Duncan's ability to overcome the situation.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
The force orgs for the Periphery states pre-clans are in the 3025 Periphery sourcebook, and some info in the original mechwarrior...
-
For the "Major" periphery states, they are. For the minor ones it's a bit of a guessing game. At this point in the Alt-U I think as long as I'm reasonable with what they have, I'll be OK.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
The force orgs for the Periphery states pre-clans are in the 3025 Periphery sourcebook, and some info in the original mechwarrior...
-
I am really enjoying your work. Thanks for all the time and effort you have put into it. I have really been intrigued by the way you have fleshed out the Marik politics. Looking forward to the Ronin Wars and 3039!
-
Thanks. Theres a few more details in some of the pdf downloads as well. Ive been having a lot fun with this. Should get some more stuff up here in a week or so
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Excerpts from "A House Divided, a concise History of the Marik Schism" by Dr. Umberto Rinconi, University of Stewart, 2nd Edition, 3085
"The lack of adherence to an overall plan, changing strategic targets on a whim...while Duncan Marik may have had personality to spare, what he lacked was control, especially of his emotions. The birth of his son in 3034 was, at first, a calming influence, but then Duncan began to talk of leaving a legacy for his son, an inheritance greater than than the one he received. General Samuel Garibraldi, Duncan Marik's right hand through out the schism, noted in his own recollections that one publicly Duncan would be a charismatic man, filled with confidence, chatting up the troops, making promises about returning the traitors and backstabbers to the fold, while in private he was often withdrawn and solitary, and often filled with despair. He feared his wife and son being seen as political targets, and went to great pains to hide them. He rarely saw them in person, and when he did, it was only for a day or two at best.
"The first cracks began to appear in the spring and summer of 3035. The abrupt cancellation of HAMMERDOWN after its initial success had made many of those officers supporting Duncan angry. They felt victory had been in their grasp, only to have it snatched away at the last minute by the man they supported. Kristen Marik's victory on Marik against the 13th and 15th Militia was an eye opening event, and the political campaign she was waging on Marik and the surrounding planets was proving effective as well.
"Not surprisingly, the first units to switch their allegiance from Duncan to Kristen were mercenary units. Despite his promises the them, many found that despite the money still being deposited, spare parts were harder to come by. In the Summer of 3035, taking advantage of the turmoil, the Stealthy Tigers attacked Giausar, the Long Striders attacked Launam, and the Hsien Hotheads attacked Uhuru. All three planets were lost in brief campaigns, and when Duncan Marik heard the news, he was livid. Even worse, SAFE was unsure if the attacks were the first stage of an Lyran offensive. Build ups has been observed, and there were clues that something was in the works, but it was obvious that Duncan was being Pulled in too many directions at once. He immediately ordered all three units to counterattack immediately, an effort doomed to fail because none of the units had time to effectively repair and replace losses. Martian Cuirassiers, the only unit that did counterattack, was surrounded and forced to surrender. Fuchida's Fusiliers claimed Duncan Marik was in breach of their contract, and bunkered themselves on Megrez. The Head Hunters reaction is well known, and are handled in a subsequent chapter.
"The first crack amongst Duncan's Regular troops came when the 6th Marik Militia on Augustine did not respond to Duncans order to join the attack against the 18th Marik Militia on Nathan. Colonel Ames-Marik, who at best could be described as "stolid" instead kept his forces on Augustine. That Augustine was nominally ruled by Kristen Marik now was not lost on anyone."
-
Summer of 3035 Moves
LCAF Attacks:
Stealthy Tigers to Giausar
Gregg's Long Striders to Launam
Hsien Hotheads to Uhuru
Marik Moves:
2nd Marik Militia to Bainsville
20th Marik Militia to Nathan
10th Marik Militia to Nathan
Atrean Hussars to Marik
6th Marik Militia to Augustine
Regulan Moves:
1st Phorsa of the 9th Regulan Hussars to Westover
-
The LCAF "Offensive" against the Free Worlds border in 3035 was more about taking advantage of an opportunity than the result of in depth planning and preparations. The supply issues of all three units that were attacked had been noticed by the LIC in early 3035, and General Joss approved a limited offensive.
Since transferring to GIAUSAR, Fuchida's Fusiliers had spent a lot of their time and energy preparing their defenses in and around the capital city of New Munich. Skilled in Urban combat, the Fusiliers felt they were prepared for any attacks that might come their way. The Stealthy Tigers landed unopposed, and then advanced quickly on the planets capital city, New Munich. The Fusilier's made no real effort to slow the Tigers advance down, instead retreating back into the city. The Tigers initial assault into the city was beaten back, as several lances fell prey to the traps set by defending Marik mercenaries. Realizing that coordinating an urban assault against a capable defender was going to impossible, the Tigers commander instead came up with a plan that gave many of his company commanders a great amount of leeway. Additionally, several members of a Lyran backed resistance group, which had been in the early stages or organizing, volunteered to act as guides. The next few days, the Tigers began a series of attacks that relied on maneuver and speed. Although equipment losses were heavy in some attacking lances, the speed of the Tigers allowed them to outflank the defenders and force them back. When the Fusiliers final defensive line was broken by a determined attack led by the Tigers heavy units, the Fusiliers retreated off planet in good order. Losses among both units were heavy, about two companies each.
There are quite a few stereotypes of Mercenary Units in the Inner Sphere. Those who will cheat to win at all costs (Richard's Panzer Brigade), the steady, reliable type (Any number of units, the 12th Star Guards being a good example) to the otherwise motivated (Knights of St. Cameron and Snords Irregulars). In order to stand out among such stereotypes, a unit would have to be unique, the Martian Cuirassiers fit the bill, for they are a Merc unit who appears to be unwilling to fight. Initially formed as a private unit, rumor has it the Cuirassiers have a contract that promises them high salvage, a large combat bonus, and supply perks should they be in combat. Balanced against these rumors are the ones where the units commander, Major Webb, has found several reasons why his unit could not participate in Operation POLLAXE, requests for facility upgrade and better equipment. There is enough evidence to support the rumor that the only reason the Cuirassiers were on LAUNAM was the result of being "bribed" by the LCCC. Colonel Greg Carr, commander of the Long Striders, knew of the Cuirassiers reputation, but did not want to leave anything to chance. Landing unopposed, the Long Striders made a methodical approach towards Port Ashe, the planets main spaceport and industrial center. Carr's prepared approach proved prescient, when the Long Striders were subjected to a night attack by the Cuirassiers conventional units. Despite their reputation, the Marik mercenaries were giving a good accounting of themselves, slowing the Striders advance down. No matter what he did though, Major Webb knew he was outnumbered, and made plans to retreat. However, an attack by Carr's Recon Battalion, escorted by a a regiment of hover tanks, shattered the Cuirassiers defending armor unit, and forced the rest of the unit to retreat in disorder. Rumors of the Lyran merc infiltrating the city ahead of the Cuirassiers sent many of the unit into a panic, and an orderly retreat became a rout. Most of the Cuirassiers damaged mechs and supplies were left on planet. Despite its reputation, the Cuirassiers gave a good accounting of themselves in battle, but it would take more than one short campaign to rehabilitate their image.
The commander of the Head Hunters, Colonel Bruce Chu, found himself in an unenviable position when the Marik Schism started. Most of its members were affiliated in one way or another with the Orloff Military Academy, which had helped rebuild the unit when it was first hired by House Marik in the early 2900's. With the Schism, the unit found itself with divided loyalties. Many felt their allegiance should be to Thomas Marik and the the Duchy of Oriente, while others felt their contract was with House Marik,and it's ruler, whomever that might be. The unit took a vote, and although close, decided to stay under contract to Duncan Marik. A contributing factor was the prevailing opinion that f they declared for Thomas, they would be ordered away from UHURU and the Lyran border, which they had served on for a hundred plus years.
Whatever misgivings Colonel Chu had went out the proverbial window when the Hsien Hotheads arrived. Colonel Morgan landed her forces as three separate combined arms groups, a mech battalion with supporting Infantry and Armor. Realizing he was outnumbered, and that fighting would only prolong the inevitable, Colonel Chu and the Headhunters retreated. A Hothead blocking force at Hull was brushed aside with little effort, and once Colonel Morgan saw her enemy was retreating, her pursuit was perfunctory at best, and the Head Hunters left Uhuru.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
Great job! Really enjoying it!
-
Davout, is there a downloaded that isn't missing everything for a time period? From what I can see the PDFs contain all the battle reports, but not all the story segments. Also there's no download for pre-4th war stuff
-
I don't have one pdf that contains everything. It's a project that's been at the bottom of my to do list for some time, but it's not been a priority, and it won't be for be time.
Dav
-
OK then. Is there one that contains the the pre-4th stuff then? And how much is missing from the PDFs you have published, for the time period they do cover.
-
I don't think I have one that contains all the pre 4th stuff. I'd have to check the big compilationone I put together and earlierposted it might have some but not all.
Dav
-
"Still no word from Colonel Ames-Marik?" Duncan asked.
"No Sir. Communications have been marked as received, but the 6th Militia has not moved from Augustine." General Garibraldi's voice was quiet in the TOC. Around the pair soldiers and civilians worked at their stations, attempting to keep track of and coordinate the movements of the units on planet.
"Damn it," muttered Duncan, making his way over to a table. A map had been printed and rolled out, grease pencils marking the locations and movements of the units on planet. The 18th Militia had landed anticipating bunkers full of supplies, and had they been filled Kristen Marik would have been able to sustain her forces in the field much longer. But the bunkers were empty, a a honey trap to attack the unsuspecting, and the unit loyal to Kristen had fallen for it. The 10th Marik had taken its former companion unit by surprise, appearing at a pirate point and landing in less than four days. The 18th had been spread out, searching for other supply depots and sites, and had already lost two companies to well laid ambushes by the 10th. Communications intercepts had shown that Colonel Alvarez, the commander of the 18th, was losing control of the situation, the orders she was issuing were often contradictory and confusing. However, they 18th was withdrawing in decent order, and if it managed to get to the Schoeller ridges, it could hold out for a long time. Which is why Duncan had ordered the 6th Marik Militia to the planet as well, that units assault mechs would be the wall the 18th would either break itself on, or surrender too.
"What's this here?" asked Duncan, pointing to a small group of units on the extreme left flank of his lines.
"That's Captain Herrick's company, with a battalion of armor and mechanized Infantry. The 18th sent out a flanking unit about the same time those dropships landed, Herrick is out there to scout and keep track.
"Still no word on the dropships?" A week ago, three Unions had landed on the left flank of his lines. Duncan wanted to assume they were reinforcements, maybe from the 6th.
"No Sir," replied Garibraldi. There was a minor commotion behind them, both men looking up from the map.
"Sir, 319th Armor CP just went off the air, mid sentence."
Garibraldi looked at the map, put a finger down on a series of armor symbols close to where Captain Herrick was.
"I think it's safe to assume that whatever Herrick is screening, it's not friendly. Do we have a QRF?" asked Duncan, looking up at Garibraldi.
"There's two lances here," said Garibraldi, pointing to another area southeast of the Armor units CP. Dumarest's Company, resting and refitting. Heavy mechs mostly, they can't get there quickly, but they are the closest."
"Do it. Contact Captain Herrick, till him to disengage and withdraw towards-" Duncan looked at the map, and read off a series of coordinates. Tell Force Commanders Berwick and Shaw to kick it up a notch, keep the 18th running. I want Force commander Jasco to form a line from here to here. Tell Force Commander Benoit as soon as the weather clears I want recon flights ASAP." Duncan sketched a line on the map. "And let's get the Guard mounted up and ready, if this goes pear shaped there's not a lot between there and here." Garibraldi nodded, and the TOC became a whirlwind of activity.
An hour later Duncan and his oversized lance of mechs were moving at 54 kph towards the sound of the guns. Captain Herrick had been engaged by a heavy armor unit at long range and had broken off to the east, trailed by a battalion of hover tanks. His communications had been jammed early in the fight, a scout lance of tanks had seen him retreating in good order. Dumarest had acknowledge the order to move out, and then hadn't been heard from again, communications were being jammed. Duncan cleared a small hill, and saw a line of armor in defilade positions behind the ridge in front of him. An Ontos and Partisan were on each flank, Scorpions and a few Hetzers holding the center. A couple of kilometers ahead the twilight sky lit up with a series of flashes and explosions.
"Contact Front!" the call came out of the radio. A kilometer or so away, a Hermes and a Locust sped over a hill, followed by a Griffin. All were damaged to varying degrees. A Crusader appeared, back to Duncan. It was retreating up the hill backwards. Arms raised, it was briefly enveloped in smoke as it fired it's LRM's. A few seconds later the Crusader stumbled and then shivered, and then series of lasers and explosions appeared around it. Those were the misses, as the Crusader had obviously been hit by more than a few. It's fell backwards in a graceless heap, crashing to the ground, it's pilot not ejecting. Duncan switched over to the General command circuit, getting an earful of screaming static in return. Jamming, he thought, switching to the secondary. It was also full of static, but broken words were getting through. Thirty seconds later the Hermes and Locust were close enough the jamming didn't matter.
"She's here!" a panicked voice nearly screamed. "She's here!" The channel was filled with a series of questions from various people, with a curse Duncan hit his over ride and spoke.
"Who is here, mechwarrior. Kristen Marik?"
She can't be, he thought. She's with her "Legion" on Marik, fighting the 20th and the Atrean Hussars.
"No, it the-"
There was a scream of static, then nothing. The quick change and silence almost hurt his ears.
"Well, Hello there Duncan," drawled a decidedly feminine voice.
"No!" though Duncan, shaking as he heard it.
"We wondered if we were ever going to get an invite to this...party....your family is throwing over here in this part of the Sphere, and then finally my employer said 'To hell with it, they don't want to invite us properly, we'll just crash it.' And if there's one thing I do like it's crashing a Marik party."
He saw the shape as it crested the ridge two kilometers away, stepping over the smoking ruins of the Crusader that had fallen not less than a minute before. The torso mounted Holly SRM launcher had it's missile doors opened, and Duncan's computer showed him that the mech was slightly damaged. The black paint scheme made it darker than the twilight sky, silhouetting it for all to see, and the Donal PPC's swung back and forth easily, searching for any nearby targets.
Duncan saw the shape and outline of the mech, but his eyes, and he suspected every set of Marik eyes on the battlefield, was drawn to the bright red, almost luminescent, spider on the mechs center torso.
"You don't mind if I break into this dance, do you Captain-General?" Natasha Kerensky asked, a hint of humor in her voice.
Thanks for Reading!
Dav
-
Oooh... plot twist. ;D
By the way, did you ever explain what the words "Kiiro no tori" mean?
-
It's Japanese for "The Yellow Bird"
:)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
It's Japanese for "The Yellow Bird"
:)
Thanks for reading!
Dav
Ah. *That* yellow bird. How fitting.
-
Natasha is so good at gatecrashing parties. O0
-
Dunc, Dunc, Dunc... You really should learn how to pray, or beg for mercy. Then again, Natasha probably won't feel to merciful towards a Marik. Bad day to be part of that family.
-
More! More! I wish to see the handiwork of the Yellow Bird! :D O0 8) [drool] [drool] [drool]
-
This weekend. Wrapping up the Marik Schism, and then onto the the Ronin War, and then 3039 after that.
Dav
-
Awesome! Thank you sir! Glad to hear it!
-
On BAINSVILLE, the Cataphracts avoided any pitched battles, disengaging from several skirmishes, and refusing to attack even when the odds were on the mercenaries side. This tactic served two purposes, it prevented the 2nd Militia from leaving Bainsville to reinforce Duncan, and it drive Colonel Ortega to the brink of madness. After three months of skirmishing, Ortega thought he had out maneuvered a company of Cataphracts, forcing the to retreat into a box canyon with only a few ways out. However, the 2nd Militia was surprised when the Cataphracts carefully husbanded ASF forces drove here own from the skies, and in a series of strafing runs savaged the two companies that had pursued the mercenaries into ground with very little cover. At least one lance of mechs was destroyed when a strafing run collapsed part of the canyon wall onto them. Colonel Ortega was preparing an full on assault against the mercenaries, when orders from Duncan Marik arrived, ordering the 2nd to retreat to Lancaster.
On MARIK, the Atrean Hussars landed and easily brushed aside the company of 25th Marik Militia that tried to block their advance. However, a week into the pursuit, the Hussar slowed their advance, and then stopped, assuming defensive positions around and old abandoned military facility on planet. Communications intercepts soon showed why, the 6th Marik Militia was also supposed to be part of the attacking force, but they had not arrived yet. The Heavy and Assault mechs of the veteran unit would be almost unstoppable on the battlefield, there would be very few lances on Kristen Marik's side that could stand up to it. However, the unit had not yet arrived, and until they did the Hussars would be outnumbered. Several probing attacks were made against the Hussars defensive lines, but were easily repulsed.
On NATHAN, the 10th and 20th Marik had landed in good order, and in several short, sharp battles had destroyed a companies worth from the 18th Militia. The 18th had been spread out across several hundred kilometers of land, searching for supply depots, and while the Marik units loyal to Duncan did outnumber the one loyal to Kristen, the 18th was retreating in just good enough order to frustrate Duncans pursuit. Another battle at Kilamegaro Heights had destroyed another another company of 18th mechs, but the rest of the light and medium units were able to stay ahead of the pursuing forces of Duncan Marik. After three weeks of pursuit, Duncan was so incensed by the lack of progress he ordered the 6th Marik to change its destination to Nathan, and ordered the 2nd to retreat to Lancaster, where several depots and refit facilities were in the process of being assembled. However, another two weeks went by, and no word from the 6th was received. A few days later, a Star Lord Jump ship arrived at a Pirate point close to the planet, disgorged a series of dropships, and jumped out soon after.
A few days later intercepts from the 18th showed they were under attack, and that Colonel Alvares was close to losing control of the situation. Pushing his troops hard, Duncan Marik pursued, assuming they were part of the 6th Marik. He could not have been more wrong, as a THUNDERBOLT from the east ruined his plans.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
THUNDERBOLT
Since assuming the throne of the Tikonov Free Republic, Kiril Ridzik had been a busy, busy leader. Several assanation attempts, two of which came from other children Pavel Ridzik had sired, had been thwarted. The Tikonov Intelligence Service, the Okhrana, was involved in a very bloody, sometimes public war against the Maskirovka, and the Marik Schism threatened to spill over his borders at any given moment.
The Republic did have several successes early on. A Non Aggression and Trade Pact with the Silver Hawks Coalition was proving to be an economic boon, and Lyran bank loans had allowed the Republic to rebuild several factories damaged in the Fourth. Mech production on Tikonov was nearing pre 4th levels of production, and several long dormant production lines at the Tao Mekworks were also being brought back online. Last but not least, in a bit of political maneuvering that had many people surprised he was able to pull it off, Ridzik convinced Hanse Davion to return Tikonov to the Republic, which was done in a very public ceremony in early 3033. Much of Tikonov production was sold to the AFFS at a discount rate, but for many in the Republic, having Tikonov in the fold was a great accomplishment.
Another coup was the hiring of Wolf's Dragoons early after the 4th Succession War ended. Decimated by the conflict against the DCMS, it would be years before all five regiments of mercenaries were back to full strength, but in the four years the mercenaries had been on Outreach, the planet had become a bustling center of commercial activity. It's population also grew by leaps and bounds, as several hundred orphaned kids were brought to the planet and adopted by members f the Dragoons. Blackwell Industries, once a small weapons contractor, had set up shop on planet, and Dragoon technicians were also spotted on Talitha, working with Gilmour MilTech to upgrade the refit facilities on planet there, and possibly expand them into production facilities.
If one thing did worry Kiril Ridzik and his advisors was the Schism. The Free Worlds League was the one successor state least affected by the Fourth Succession War, and if united under a strong leader, it could become an economic and military powerhouse.
The Andurien and Regulan worlds were lost. While down the road the Andurien-Canopian Alliance could be a problem for the the Republic, from a military point of view there was little to worry about. From a political view, having left the League it was highly doubtful it would ever return, unless somehow it managed to conquer the former league worlds on its own, a goal th Humphrey's had never esposed publicly or privately.
For all his claims of the Captain Generalcy, Prince Cameron-Jones had no political support outside his own realm. It was certainly possible that in a couple of decades, the Regulan economy would be a regional powerhouse, something the Prince could use as a powerful tool in negotiations.
Because of its location, the Duchy of Tamarind was considered a non factor by Ridzik and his advisers, which left three the three Marik siblings to consider.
Politically, Thoas arik was a wild card. Overtures made to him had been rebuffed, and to Ridzik and others while he may have been a capable leader, he had done himself little favor by staying in the Oriente worlds and issuing decrees from there. The Orientes military had also done itself few favors in the Schism.
Duncan Marik ad the military skill to put the League back together, but politically speaking he was turning into a disaster. Several officer of the Republican forces openly admired his battles and plans, and there were some grumblings in the halls of the Military Academy about how HAMMERDOWN was an opportunity thrown away, but it was becoming clear that if Duncan didn't win soon, he wasn't going to, which left Kristen Marik.
To some degree, Kiril felt a kinship with the young daughter of Janos Marik. She hadn't wanted to be a leader, but instead fond the role thrust on her, and she was fighting a losing battle from a militaary point of view. Whether or not she was able to reunite the League remained to be seen.
At a meeting of advisors in early 3035, Ridzik put forth the question of what the Republic should do. He had already been approached by agents of the all three sides, wanting the Republics support in return for various considerations. Alex von Hesse, son of the Duke of New Hessen and a minister in the Industrial Bureau, asked why they should suport any of them, at least openly. They already had one large tiger at their back in the form of the Federated Suns, to be the the Federated Commonwealth. It would be easier to play the pieces of the League off against each other, rather than advocate for a ruler who might be able to reunite the league, and in turn look to the Republic for possible future gains.
It was a political reality many had avoided looking at for a long time, but it was also the most realistic sense. As a result, Ridzik ordered General Jasmine LeSalle, head of the STAVKA, to come up with a plan that would put all parties on notice.
THUNDERBOLT was a very straightforward plan.
CONNAUGHT was a world that had tried playing all sides against each other. Home to what remained of Kong Interstellar, the planets ruler had reneged on a deal to join the Silver Hawks Coalition, and had been playing the agents of Duncan and Kristen Marik off against each other. When the 5th Republican landed, brushed aside the militia in a weeks worth of fighting and raised the Republican Flag, few believed what was going on at first. When those politicians who had vacillated and reneged on previous deals were lined up against a wall and shot, the rest of the population soon came to heel.
On BERNARDO, the 3rd Free Worlds Guard was slowly rebuilding, and was more than a little shocked when the Dropships of the 1st Republican detached and made their way to the planet. The already weak ASF forces of the Oriente unit were brushed aside, and the Guards were forced to withdraw from several battles after numerically superior Tikonov forces outflanked them. One company of Guards mechs was destroyed in a holding action at Flores, but the 3rd could do very little to stop the Tikonov troops from advancing on the Kallon Factory. However, just when it appeared the TFR troops would take possession of the sprawling Industrial complex, they veered away, and three days later met their dropships and boosted off. The message was clear: "You couldn't stop us, we left because we wanted too."
The 1st Free Worlds Guards met the 1st Regiment of the Crater Cobras on the Plains of Schakondra, and initially drove the mercenaries back in a series of counterattacks. However, things soon turned againstthe Oriente troops when the mercenaries own conventional units routed the Orients conventional units on the right flank, and several lances of Crater light mechs began to wreak havoc in the rear areas of the Oriente unit. During the battle at Schnelling Heights, the commander of the Guards 2nd Battalion and two of the senior company commanders were either killed or knocked out of action, and the resulting retreat opened a huge hole in the Guards lines. The Tikonov mercenaries poured through, bottling up the Guards while moving on the Kallon plant. However, when their path was unobstructed, they also retreated away from the facilities, and the units holding the Guards at bay also moved off. An attack by the Guards 3rd Battalion was met with a fierce counterattack that almost overwhelmed it, but again the Cobras allowed the Oriente troops to break off. Unmolested after that, the Tikonov mercenaries left planet a week later.
The Okhrana had placed both Duncan and Kristen Marik on NATHAN, but a faulty jump drive had prevented the 1st Marik Legion from leaving Marik. Instead, Duncan Marik and the 10th and 20th Militia found themselves chasing after the 18th Militia, waiting for the arrival of reinforcements to finish the disloyal marik unit off. Instead, they ran headlong into Natasha Kerensky and the Black Widow Battalion of Wolf's Dragoon's. Savaged in their battles against the DCMS, the once proud 5 plus regiments of the Dragoons had been reduced to just under a combined regiment of troops. The one unit that had suffered the least personel losses was Kerensky's famed Black Widow company, and it soon swelled to a Battalion in size. On Outreach, it was used as the OPFOR against those Dragoon units slowly being brought to full strength, and as a result was home to best mechwarriors in the mercenary unit.
Kerensky hit the flank of the 10th and 18th Marik at the same time, breaking the battalion of green troops in the 18th, and savaging a heavy company of the 10th. The Black Widow engaged Duncan Marik in a long range battle until a furious counterattack by the a company of the 10th drover her and her company back, however she was able to defeat that company in a few hours of battle, and then began a head long pursuit after Duncan with two of her three companies. Her 3rd company maintained a pursuit of the 18th (which admittedly was not as aggressive as that of the 10th). The Widows brushed aside one blocking force of mechs from the 20th, but were slowed long enough for Duncan to join both his units and establish a fairly strong defensive position. After a few probing attacks, Keresnky seemed content to conduct several hit and run raids. A week later though, another fleet of Dragoon dropships arrived, and a regiments worth of Dropships were soon headed towards the planet. Intercepted communications showed that Alpha Regiment of the Dragoons was getting ready to join the battle. Rather than stay and fight, Duncan ordered his troops to retreat.
In the end, the arriving dropships were a ruse, empty of troops Duncan did not know this until well after he had left though, and Kerensky added another piece of lore to her already growing legend.
Thunderbolt was over in less than four months. For their efforts, and in the grand scheme of things minimal losses, the Republic gained another world, and put Kristen, Duncan and Thomas Marik on notice, take the Republic seriously, or else suffer the consequences.
Several consequences of Thunderbolt were felt immediately.
First, many former League worlds in the region of Silver Hawk-Marik-Oriente space that had not formally aligned with one of the political entities were soon clamoring for membership.
Secondly, the Dragoon's returning to the field of battle showed the Inner Sphere that the 4th Succession War had knocked them down, but not out. That an oversized Battalion of mechs (The Widows used a curious arrangement of 5 mechs in three lances in each of their companies, in addition to the two lances that made up Kerensky's HQ element) could drive off not two but three Marik regiments with minimal losses spoke to their battlefield prowess. The Dragoon's were back, and they were out to prove their doubters wrong.
Thirdly, more cracks began to appear in the rule of Duncan Marik. The inability to put down his sisters forces, bring the other rebellious elements of the league to heel, and the fact more units that had declared their loyalty to him were now ignoring his commands did not ode well for him. His political allies were also starting to abandon him as well. If he was not able to take the reins of an increasingly desperate situation, Duncan would find himself in more trouble than he could handle.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
-
DAV, thanks buddy! I am really enjoying your tale. I had wondered what would happen with Free Tikinov in this storyline. Now i know and i like it. Great job! Keep up the awesome work!
-
Was looking at the map.....It would make so much sense for the Lyrans to put a little effort in taking Tamarine and pushing into Marik area and creating a salient up to Loyalty.They could own 3/5 of FWL jumnpship production. Just saying..... The Davidian's might want to come out and play
-
They are going to have their own problems to deal with, mostly periphery related. Plus they are still recovering from the 4th SSW.
Thanks for reading!
Dav
Was looking at the map.....It would make so much sense for the Lyrans to put a little effort in taking Tamarine and pushing into Marik area and creating a salient up to Loyalty.They could own 3/5 of FWL jumnpship production. Just saying..... The Davidian's might want to come out and play
-
Sykes Mountains
Cambelton
Marik-Stewart Commonwealth
15th April, 3036
The cockpit was his second home, and this one was one fire. Multiple warning lights and alarms were going off, an acrid smoke was coming out of one of the panels. A shadow appeared out of the snowstorm, with the targeting computer offline he couldn't be sure of a lock, but fired anyways. The sound of the autocannon firing was a small comfort, but if there was something out there, he had missed. He tried his coms again.
“Eagle One to all Chicks, how copy?”
Static.
Damn that bitch, he thought, I should have had her on Colfax. And on Galatea. And last week.
He looked at a flickering monitor. Nothing. He was supposed to have reinforcements, but where were they? He had fought them all to a standstill. Thomas, Cameron-Jones, all were now licking their wounds. He had outlasted them all, had brought them to the brink, was getting ready to launch his final assault when she made her announcement. Half his troops, the politicians he had bullied and cowed, the newscorps he had bought off...all for nothing. His allies, known and unknown, deserting him. He would have to rebuild from the start, all over again.
The Orion swung to the side, lasers hammering it. The gyro whined madly, another alarm screamed, and he turned to see a Warhammer, it's own armor battered and holed, moving towards him. He turned and fired a snapshot with his last autocannon round, wincing internally as it missed. The gale force winds tore his SRM and LRM's off course, they exploded against the rocks and crags. The Warhammer turned and raised one of its arms, firing. Duncan let loose with everything he had left at the same time.
The PPC bolt stabbed deep into his mechs chest. He did not notice it at first, until the heat bloomed in his cockpit,taking his breath away. He took one look at his panel, then at the enemy Warhammer, which was staggering under his own fire. He looked at his gauges, then kicked his engine to full throttle. The Warhammer saw him coming, fired of a snap shot, but missed. He did not fire, but instead ran his Orion as fast as he could towards the other mech. Forty meter's, twenty. At ten meters, he pulled his ejection handle.
It felt as if his hips were fighting with his ears for space on his head. He felt the rockets firing, the howling snowstorm drowned out the noise. There was a brief moment of weightlessness as the seat rockets cut out, then another brief pop. One second he was falling back to earth, the next minute he was whipsawing from side to side as the fierce winds dragged his canopy back and forth. He could not see the ground, the howling wind and snow created a whiteout condition. He braced for impact, swaying in his chair, but the expected impact did not happen. Just when he thought he might be landing in a nearby lake, the ground smacked him, hard.
He was only out for a few seconds. It was the explosion that woke him up. He looked through the blowing snow, a hundred meters away his Orion had hit the Warhammer, both had fallen to the ground. The Orion had fallen on top of the other mech, pinning it. Then the reactor had exploded, taking both mechs in a flare of yellow and blue plasma. Bits and pieces of armor pinged to the ground around him. One had bounced off his helmet, bringing him back to the present.
The heat was brief, quickly replaced by the biting cold. He realized he was shivering, the skimpy shorts and shirt he wore in the cockpit were completely inadequate for the weather. His fingers were shaking so much it took him three tries to rip the seals on the emergency kit open. The lightweight jumpsuit was better protection then he was wearing, and after fumbling it on, he felt a little warmer. Of course it could have been the shivering as well. He looked around, trying to get his bearing, then looked at the compass that came in the kit. Magnetic North was...that way.
So Gilverry Base was that way. He thumbed the powerswitch on his kits transponder, then stuck his hands under his armpits and struggled forward.
He didn't know how long he walked. He checked his bearing as best he could every few minutes, but the swirling snow prevented him from using any landmarks. Once, he dropped it into the snow, and spent a frantic few minutes trying digging through it before finding it. He couldn't feel his fingers when he found it.
As he walked, his mind went in several directions. He cursed Dame Catherine, who started it all. It was she who started this mess. He cursed Duke Halas and Thomas. What did that Comstar whelp know of power and rule? Thomas may have wanted to soft talk the Silver Hawks, Regulans and others back into the fold, but Selim Halas had undone all of that on Atreus. And I showed him what happens when you confront a Marik who knows how to wield power. Keep your enemies off balance, show them your left hand and smack them with your right. It had cost him, good men and women, loyal men and women, but
the best of Oriente had died on the Atrean Plains. He had almost died that day, almost. His thoughts turned to other things for a brief moment.
Carlos.
Part of him rationalized that he was doing
this for Carlos. He wanted to leave him a League that could stand up to Alexander Steiner-Davion when the time came. Now, the League was just pieces, waiting to be picked off one by one.
He heard it first. The metal on metal sounds of a mech moving, and fast, being carried on the wind, which was blowing towards him. It was getting louder. There was little cover, but between two rocks, if he huddled down just so, he was hidden, and thankfully out of the wind. He turned his transponder off, it was possible to track those things if you had the right equipment. Yes, it was a mech, maybe more than one. Light mechs. He risked a glance towards the sound of the noise, and saw the birdlike form of a Locust making it's way across the snow. It stopped, it's torso sweeping back and forth, before moving on again, this time in a line that was going to take it near him. As it got closer he could see the 10th Marik crest on its torso.
His breath, which he did not realize he was holding, came out of him a huff. Behind the Locust he could see another shadow,which became a Hermes. Both mechs tried staying within visual range of each other. He stood up, waving his arms, jumping up and down, yelling at the top of his lungs. Just when he thought the Locust was going to disappear into the swirling white, it turned, paused, and then came back at him in an easy, loping stride. Once it stood over him, the hatch opened. A rope ladder was thrown down, and a helmeted mechwarriors face appeared.
“Compliments of General Garibaldi sir. Hurry up please, there's enemy mechs about.”
The first time he tried climb the ladder, he found his fingers wouldn't grip the rope properly, and he slipped off before he was three rungs up. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to grip the rope, ignoring the needles of pain shooting up his arms.
He was about halfway up, when he heard thunder, then a wall of heat and flame threw him off the ladder and back into the snow below. Duncan didn't realize he had blacked out until he woke up with a start. He could not hear anything, and when he touched his head the hand came back bloody. He realized he was shivering again, and looked down. The jumpsuit was mostly charred fabric, there were real burns on his arms and legs. Groaning with effort, gasping with pain, he sat up.
He was maybe ten meters away from what remained of the Locust. The mechs torso had been devastated by something big and powerful, there was not much of it left. The hip mechanism that held the mechs left leg to the torso gave way with a crack he felt more than heard, and the remains of light mech toppled backwards. Through the swirling white he could see the Hermes retreating, lasers stabbing out at the Victor that had appeared out of the swirl. Right arm thrust forward, the huge Pontiac Autocannon roared, and the Hermes folded in on itself, then fell backwards into a huge snow drift. Duncan shook his head, the ringing in his ears had not gone away. As he watched, the Victor disappeared into the snow. He stood up, turned around, and froze. Thirty meters away a Thunderbolt stood, left arm pointed at him.
He knew it was over. It's not supposed to end like this!
He though, as he painfully raised his arms. Victory should be his,could be his.
“My name is Captain-General Duncan Marik.” he yelled.
His voice was hoarse, but the wind carried it. “I surrender myself to the forces of Kristen Marik!” His body swayed in the wind, and he waited for a response.
After a few seconds, the Thunderbolts arm moved, just a little bit. Duncans eyes grew wide as he realized what was about to happen.
Carlos he thought.
The machine guns fired.
* * * * *
"The Marik Civil War didn't exactly end. With the death of Duncan Marik on Cambelton, a few of his hard core supporters proposed his young son Carlos be names as Captain-General, with several vying to be Regent in his name. Those proposals quickly dies though when Carlos and his mother went into hiding. Most talk of the military continuing the fight against Kristen Marik ended when General Garibraldi surrendered the militia loyal to Duncan to her. Yes, the following pardons for most of the soldiers in the militia, absolving them of the crimes of unlawful insurrection, mutiny and the like, may have been political theater, but it was effective political theater.
"As one of the main proponents to the Rule of Law within the commonwealth, Kirsten Mariks call for a vote of the issue of Captain General fell on a mostly empty parliament. Without a quroum, and the extreme unlikeliness of one occurring, the Schism looked to be permanent. A proposal for a new version of the commonwealth, one where each state had its own rulers but contributed to a Federal government that would be responsible for most Interstellar trade, military and political agreements gained some traction early on, but soon fell apart when it became aware to its most ardent supporters that it wouldn't go anywhere without the support of the Regulans and Tomas Marik. The Prince had made it clear he would rather be Prince of the Independent Principality of Regulus, and Thomas would not agree to anything until he was confirmed as Captain-General.
"In the end, as most things politcal do, it became a matter of numbers. Kristen Marik had the support of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth, and maybe Tamarind. Thomas Marik had the support of the Oriente. The Regulans were their own politcal entity. The Kendall Compact was growing in size, but economically was still trying to grow. The Periphery was ablaze in pirate attacks, and in the Andurien-Canopian Alliance, Dame Humphries seemed content to sit and watch the League fall apart.
"Janos Marik was certainly no Alexander the Great of Old Earth, but his death left a similar result, a series of small Successor States, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, each powerful in their own right but not strong enough to do much without the cooperation of a neighbor,cooperation that was not forthcoming.
For all his and his families faults, Janos had held the League together, and his family had proven incapable of the same thing. It would be decades before anything similar to it would appear again."
Excerpted from "All the King's Horses - A Brief overview of the Marik Schism, 3030-3035" by Professor Gerald Perry, University of Marik Press, 3091.
-
Ah the FWL, the entertainment never stops. O0
-
End of the Marik Schism Map.
Thanks for looking!
Dav
-
Nicely written, thanks.
-
I find it hard to believe I started this almost six years ago.
What I need is a few more hours in the day...and I'm not going to get it.
There are a variety of reasons I am not continuing this as I want to.
First and foremost I had to get a second job, which has taken away a lot of my free time. It's not a hard job, just takes me away from the computer.
Second is my current job has also gotten a lot busier. If you havent watched the news lately, US Oil and Gas is booming, and getting bigger, and as a result, my work is usier, and the last thing I really want to do after working on maps all day at work is to come home and do them for this.
Thirdly, I bought a new laptop. A Very nice laptop. A Gaming Laptop with a kickass chip, graphics card, SSD and the like. I put my ArcGis on it, brought my database over, and everything is broken.
Now, when I say broken, I mean it in this way:
Your Arcgis map is an .mxd file. In that mxd file are shapefiles and tables. Those shapefiles and tables have a location. Move that shapefiles location, change your folder structure, and that breaks the link to your mxd. You can repair it, if you know where your file is. And because i put everything on a new system, even though my base folder structure is the same, all the data links are broken. I am not sure why, but I am sure I know who's at fault.
Me.
My problem is years of bad data management on this project have caught up with me. Because when you repair one layer in your mxd, if there's a similar file in the same location that's also broken in your mxd, it will point to that similar file.
So, say I have the following layers in my mxd, and they are all broken:
X
Y
Z
If I try and repath X to folder/folder/DB1 and there is indeed an "X" shapefile, it will fix that link, and Layer X will now display. If theres a Y and Z in that database, those links will also be repaired and display.
My problem, purely self inflicted, is that X pointed to a file in DB1, Y pointed to a file in DB2, and Z pointed to a file in DB3, and in a couple of cases I am not sure where it pointed. And because I, in a fit of idiocy, did not look at my pathing on the old computer before I reformatted it for my kids, and did not fix my folder structure beforehand, I am not sure which files are the ones I need exactly. I am not sure which OOB file I need. I have 9 of them. And I am not doing up to 154 label expressions, I'm just not.
And frankly, after working with oracle tables and dealing with engineers all day, I have no desire, time, or enough alcohol, to sit down and pick this up from sqaure one. Maybe I will in six months, but not anytime soon.
So, I am putting this on somewhat of a hiatus. if you have a question about something in the future, about how a certain event will happen, or want the broad details on whats going to happen next, please feel free to ask and I will answer you as best I can. I have all the big details worked out until 3067ish, and some small ideas I think would be cool to work out too, and am more than happy to answer them.
But for the foreseeable future, no more maps, no more pdf's.
I cannot thank you all for the kind words and responses to this. I like what I've created here, and your responses and feedback have made it an enjoyable place to live in and come back too, and I hope I can come back again. It certainly became something much bigger than I ntended it to be, and I hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did doing it.
Thank you all ever so much,
Todd
-
I'd suggest in the future putting the whole project on a USB key, don't know if it'll help but.
-
Hey, stories are always good! the maps can be forgotten, stories Please!
-
SCC,
It's not a storage issue per se, but a data arrangement issue. I have the DB on a USB, and Mega, and DropBox, thats not the problem (well, it is, but not for reasons you think).
Say you have five text files in folder 1: A, B, C, D, E
And 5 text files in folder 2: A, B, C, D, E
and then 5 text files in Folder 3: A, B, C, D, E
Now, at one point in time A-E were all the same file in the same folder (Files in 1 were the parent but 2 and 3 were created for reasons), but changes have been made to each one since their creation and copying, so 1A has different over data than 2A, which has different data than 3A
Now, Folder 1 is in Folder I, Folder 2 is in Folder II, and Folder 3 is in Folder III.
Before I copied everything to my new computer, I had an mxd whose file structure may have been I//1/A, II//2/B, II/2/C, III//1/D, III/3/E.
When I moved my mxd, all those locations pointed to null.
If I try mapping I//1/A, it will also map I/1//B-E, and so one. I'd have to load each file individually, or inspect it individually, to make sure it's the right one. And at this point thats well over 70 different files and their variants.
I have noone to blame but myself. On more than one occasion I would say "I need to get this taken care off."
I can do it, its just not going to be a quick, easy fix.
Thanks for reading,
Dav
-
Enjoyed the storyline immensely so I am grateful for the time and effort you put in.
If you can ever consume enough alcohol to continue writing that would be great, but real life will win out every time. O0
-
You have done incredible work my friend and it has left an indelible mark on the community.
-
So, I am putting this on somewhat of a hiatus.
More story even without the maps would still be great. It sounds like you have so much on your plate now that even that would be hard. Thank you for the amazing story.
-
Davout?
Know this thing is in long term storage, but I was trying to download the "4th War Books" and a lot of the links are dead, can you post links to the "definative versions?"
-
Hi All,
Sometime back dropbox changed how you can access anything in their "Public" folder, and I missed that update.
If you would like the ability to read any of the pdf's whose link are now broken, send me an email to Davout 73 @ geemale dot com with the Subject of "KNT File access" request, and I'll send a link to the folder they are all in back to you.
For a project I started 7 years ago, and shut down in early 2017, even I am surprised it has stood the test of time on rereading. Formatting issues with some of the posts aside of course...
And I'm quite surprised it has 90K plus views, and is top 5 in popularity on this sub forum.
Thanks to everyone who has read or will read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Dav
-
Also, it looks like some of the files have been taken off of Dropbox. I am going to copy all the files I have over, and then delete any duplicates, that way everything should be there.
Thanks Again,
Dav