BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Player Boards => Fan Fiction => Topic started by: 2ndAcr on 12 January 2020, 14:17:50
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6 March 2766
Blommestein
The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division had been ordered to take Blommestein as part of the SLDF's offensive into the Outworlds Alliance. The Division had made the landings on 27 February and for the last week, they had been searching for the rebel forces known to be on the planet. At the Nadir Jump Point, a single Flotilla from the 152nd Escort Squadron, SLS Conroy - Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Rhodan - Luxor Heavy Cruiser. Commodore Barbara Coltrain commanded the Flotilla aboard the SLS Rhodan. Headquarted outside the planet's capitol of New Tamasi, Major General Joseph Bayne directed his Divisions movements as they searched for the rebel forces. This morning started like all the others, but little did he know, today would be much different.
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, XO of 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, was in the field with the troops. She did not really care for Major General Bayne's habit of staying in the rear. She was a graduate of the SLDF's Gunslinger School and piloted her Pillager, PLG-3Z with a grace that belied it's 100 tons. Prior to their deployment to the Outworlds Alliance, they had been stationed in the Draconis Combine and the Division had 31 Gunslingers in it. Currenty, she and her personal lance were overseeing a sweep of a small town by one of the Divisions Mechanized Infantry Battalions. She was contemplating turning the overwatch mission over to the Mech Company 20km away when gunfire and several small explosions erupted from within the small town.
"Contact, taking heavy fire from inside the town. I have men down. Request support." Came over her radio, she keyed her mic in response "Roger, hold what you have, we are moving to support." Flipping channels "Okay, let's get in there, we have found some rebels." She pushed her Pillager up to a run, heading for the town 5km away.
In minutes, she was manuevering her 100 ton Pillager down the narrow streets rapidly closing on the scene of the firefight, she could see 2 burning APC's with SLDF clad personnel down just inside the small town square. Reaching the edge of the square, she triggered her jump jets and leaped into the middle of the square planting a Gauss round into a small house spewing machine gun fire at the SLDF soldiers. The house literally disintegrated from the Gauss round. She was about to select another building when her radar detected enemy Mechs inbound. "Bravo One One, I have inbound enemy Mechs, current count 12 closing on my location, get over here." She ordered the SLDF Mech company as she turned her attention to the bigger threat. The lead rebel mech came into view and range at the same time, a Firestarter, she fired her Gauss cannons and the dense slug slammed into the Firestarter's left torso and left arm. She triggered her jump jets to shift positions. Another Firestarter made it's appearance on the battlefield quickly followed by 2 Stingers. When her Gauss cycled, she targeted a Stinger and watched the slug strike the Stinger in the center torso and the Stinger crumpled.
Just as quickly, she retargeted the damaged Firestarter and fired her remaining Gauss cannon and large laser. The large laser blew out the Firestarters left torso, but it was for naught as the Gauss slug ripped the head off the Firestarter. Several medium lasers slashed into her Pillager and she moved to engage the remaining mechs but saw a ERPPC from her wingman's Battlemaster down the remaining Stinger so she shifted again to engage the last Firestarter just as it was torn to shreds by 4 LBX/10 rounds from her Lance's 2 Emperor 6A's. There was no time to focus as the heavier Rebel mechs entered visible sight. Eight Talos entered the battle area.
Not the best equipped to be dancing with the SLDF, she thought as she triggered her jump jets to close the distance on the rebel Talos' inbound. A glance at her display's showed her Lance following her lead and moving to engage also, she quickly zoomed out and saw her reinforcing Mech Company was being engaged by rebel Mechs and Tanks. Her lance was on it's own for now. Her targeting indicators flashed gold and she fired both Gauss cannons, and the dense slugs ripped the left leg right off the lead Talos sending it face first into the soft ground. Her Lance's Emperor's continued their usual tag team and she saw a Talos pummeled by 4 LBX10 and 3 large laser strikes causing it to fall. Her wingman passed her Pillager in his Battlemaster, it's ERPPC reaching out to strike a Talos in the center torso. She did not hesitate and let fly both Gauss cannons watching both slugs striking true and the Talos' reactor detonating damaging it's neighbors. Her Pillager shuddered as it was peppered by LRM fire. Hitting the jump jets again, she moved into range of all her weapons, targeting another Talos and giving it a Alpha Strike the moment her Gauss cannons cycled. The poor Talos was immolated by the incoming mass fire. She hit her jump jets again, landing within almost touching distance from another Talos which she fired her large laser into it's head followed by a left hook, downing the rebel Talos. She searched for another target but the display was blank, all the rebel mechs were down.
Before she could her radio crackled "Zeus Actual is down, repeat Zeus Actual is down. The HQ took a car bomb."
She keyed her mic "Let's get back, I need to coordinate the Division." Swithcing frequecies, "This is Zeus Bravo, I am in command, activate the backup HQ, I am on my way." She pushed her Pillager to full speed checking on the Infantry in the town and seeing that a company of Turhan's had arrived to support them.
At the Nadir Jump Point, the SLDF ships detected the emergence wave and the Division's Jumpships plotted their emergency jumps to the Zenith Jump Point. When the 3 Vigilant Corvettes emerged at the Nadir Jump Point, the Divisions transports made the leap to the Zenith Jump Point while the SLS Rhodan and SLS Conroy engaged the massively over matched Vigilant Corvettes. At the Zenith Jump Point, the Divisions transports emerged and sensors detected a new emergence wave. With only 4 Pentagon Assault Dropships to protect them, they launched the Pentagon's and hoped the Cruiser's hurried up their fight. Every ship's captain cursed when the 2 rebel Pinto Corvettes emerged at the Zenith Jump Point and began burning for them, while the 4 Pentagon's moved to intercept them. Worse were the 2 Leopard CV both Pinto's carried and detached. Now 36 rebel Aerospace Fighters began launching.
At the Nadir Jump Point, the first Vigilant Corvette was quickly destroyed by the massed fire from the SLDF cruisers. Several White Shark missiles slammed into the SLS Conroy, but barely scratched it's dense armor as the massive Avalon Cruiser moved to engage another Vigilant Corvette. No one noticed that a Mako Corvette had come in at a pirate point and was moving into orbit of the planet, having it's emergence wave overshadowed by the one at the Zenith Jump Point. SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser hammered it's Vigilant Corvette into little more than scrap metal in short order, suffering light damage in return. SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser tore into the last Vigilant Corvette and held nothing back. Within 5 minutes, the hapless Vigilant was destroyed only landing a few NAC/10 shots into the armor of the SLS Conroy. Both SLDF cruiser plotted emergency jumps for the Zenith Jump Point.
At the Zenith Jump Point, the Rebel Aerospace Fighters were having some difficulty with the 4 Pentagon Dropships, losing 4 of their number as they merged and then blew by the SLDF Dropships on their way to the SLDF transports. The rebel Pinto Corvettes on the other hand, had little difficulty with the SLDF dropships as they opened up on them. As the Rebel Aerospace Figheters began engaging the SLDF Transports, they focused on the massed Star Lord Jumpships, leaving the 4 Tramp Jumpships for the warships. Very quickly, first one and then another SLDF Star Lord was destroyed by the Rebel Aerospace Fighters. Just as quickly, a third had it's jump core severly damaged. Another had it's bridge section destroyed. A few rebel Aerospace Fighters strayed too close to the SLDF Tramps and found themselves under fire from the Tramps ERLL's. But then the rebel Pinto's entered range and quickly 2 SLDF Tramps were destroyed by the rebel warships. SLS Conroy and SLS Rhodan emerged at the Zenith Jump Point just as the last SLDF transport was destroyed and quickly launched their Aerospace Fighters and moved to engage the Rebel Pinto Corvettes.
On the ground, fighting intensified for the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division as every Brigade was now heavily engaged by a seemingly unending number of rebel forces. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had tried to keep track of the fighting on her way to the Mobile HQ moving to meet her, but it was difficult to do. She reached the Mobile HQ as night fell and the rebel forces began breaking contact.
7 March 2766
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell now had a firm grasp of the situation on the ground and during the night, she had pulled the Divisions scattered units into a more easily supported formation. No one had detected the Mako Corvette now entering orbit, being fed targeting data from the force on the ground. As day began to break over the defensive lines of the 272nd Mechanized Division, fire from the heavens began streaking to the ground. Massive detonations tore into one of the Divisions Battlemech Regiments rendering it combat ineffective in minutes. As the Mako Corvette passed out of firing range, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division scrambled to redefine it's battle lines and evacuate the wounded. It took 45 minutes for the news to reach the Zenith Jump Point, where Commodore Barbara Coltrain had her Flotilla conducting SAR operations after destroying the 2 rebel Pinto Corvette's. Leaving the SLS Conroy, she had her navigator plot a jump to intercept the Mako Corvette.
Rescue operation were well underway as the Mako Corvette came back into firing range of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division an hour later. Again orbital fire streaked from the heavens seeking out targets, but Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had dispersed the Divisions forces enough that only a single Battlemech Battalion was immolated in this volley. Before the Mako moved out of range again, it's captain targeted the SLDF Dropships at the capitol's space port and let loose a parting volley, until next time anyway. The orbital fire destroyed the only 2 Overlord Dropships the Division had.
The Rebel Mako Corvette never got a chance to make another firing pass as the SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser had made the jump into a dangerous pirate point in very close proximity to the planet itself. As the Mako Corvette came around the planet, it suddenly found itself under attack from SLDF Aerospace Fighters and then came face to face with an enraged Luxor Heavy Cruiser. The Rebel captain ordered a massive speed boost of 4g's in a desperate attempt to flee the area. As the accelerating Mako zipped past the SLS Rhodan, it was hammered by the Luxor Heavy Cruiser leaving it a shattered hulk speeding thru space at high speed.
On the surface, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division found itself under heavy attack from rebel forces outside it's perimeter. At least 3 Rebel Divisions were attacking the hard pressed 272nd Mechanized Infantry. The Division's Artillery fired non stop fire support missions throughout the day in support of the Divisions combat elements. The attacks did not slack off until Commodore Coltrain moved the SLS Rhodan into an orbit to provide orbital fire destroying part of an attacking rebel Division.
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nice story. looking forward to more.
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Not looking good for the 272nd! :o
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Not looking good for the 272nd! :o
It just means that they will have a reason to clean up the battle field after they kick some butt.
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8 March 2766
Blommestein
In the very early morning hours, a nuclear weapon smuggled in somehow was detonated at the space port destroying 3 Mammoth Dropships loaded with the majority of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Divisions ammunition and spare parts. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, could not beleive the horrible luck suddenly cursing her Division. Even if she decided to withdraw her Division, with their transports destroyed, she only had 10 collars available to use. She called up her the Division's current TOE while her staff worked to come to grips with the supply situation and it was not pretty.
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
2721st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 1 Company
2722nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 1 Battalion
Light Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2723rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 1 Battalion
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Company's
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Battalions
Armor Brigade
Armor Regiment - 1 Battalion
Armor Regiment - 2 Battalions
Armor Regiment - 1 Battalion
Artillery Regiment
Long Tom - 1 Battalion
Thumper - 1 Battalion
Arrow - 1 Battalion
Cavalry Battalion
LAM Company - 1 Lance
LAM Company - 2 Lances
LAM Company - Destroyed
Cavalry Company - 2 Lances
Cavalry Comapny - 1 Lance
272nd Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Fixed Conv Wing - 1 Squadron
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division Killed - 2,093
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division Wounded - 1,831
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division Missing - 427
Dropships
Command Dictator - 1
Dictator - 9
Union - 6
Union CV - 2
Lion - 4
Triumph - 6
Colossus - 4
Leopard CV - 2
Czar - 6
Mammoth - 3
Mule - 2
She did some quick calculations in her head and it was quickly apparent that she had the transport ability to get her Division off the ground, but not nearly enough collars to transport all of her Dropships. Even before her staff had completed it's supply inventory, she estimated they had less than 1/2 of their ammunition and supply remaining. She turned to the duty officer "I am going to take a tour of the lines, call me if I am needed."
Three hours later, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell was piloting her Pillager around the Divisions defensive lines. Scattered fire fights around the perimeter sounded all day, but no major attacks came. In orbit, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser had joined on SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser and between them, they awaited a target for their weapons. When I get back, I will have to fire up the HPG and report to Corps for orders, she thought to herself. She never knew that she would never have the chance to make the call.
Before Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell could return to the Mobile HQ and it's mobile HPG, 48 Conventional fighters flying nape of the earth roared across the Divisions defensive lines. Anti-aircraft fire destroyed 8 of the fighters as they passed overhead. The Divisions Aerospace Fighters began lifting off from the runways to intercept the rebel fighters. They quickly destroyed 21 more, but then the rebels were over the Divisions main base and they rippled off their bombs as they fled the area. Not a single rebel fighter made it to safety, but they had completed their mission, for the Divisions last mobile HPG was on it's side and engulfed in flames. The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division was now cut off from communication with higher command.
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Don't the warships have HPGs? ???
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maybe the SLDF needs to look for the rebel dropships. finding the jumpships would be harder.
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Nice story like it.
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9 March 2766
Woogi (Taurian Concordat)
Colonel Bradley King, commander of the 509th Batte Regiment, watched as his command swept around the left flank of the rebel force while the 126th Dragoon Regiment held firm and delivered steady fire into the rebel force. His 1st Battalion was fully equipped with Crab, CRB-27sl, 2nd Battalion was equipped with 2 Company's of Guillotine, GLT-3N and a Company of Cestus CTS-6Y and 3rd Battalion was fully equipped with Lancelot, LNC25-01sl.
The massive amount of Large Pulse Laser fire from 1st Battalion tore into the rebel Battlemechs fully supported by the ER Large Laser fire from 3rd Battalion, between them, they ripped into the rebel force before them, mowing down enemy Battlemechs already damaged by fire from the 126th Dragoon Regiment. His 2nd Battalion was pushing steadily into the enemy's rear area. It was a picture perfect battle, with the SLDF forces taking minmal losses while sweeping the enemy before them. And then Murphy showed up and crapped all over everything.
At blistering speed, 2 Regiments of Rebel LTV-4 Hover tanks blazed into the rear of the 126th Dragoon Regiment tearing into the rear armor of the unit's Heavy and Assault Battlemechs with PPC fire and coating them inferno with their SRM-4's. Stunned by the devastation suddenly being wrought on their sister Regiment, the advance of the 509th Battle Regiment faltered. Colonel King watched as his 2nd Battalion turned and proceeded to advance to help their sister unit, when a hidden Regiment of Rebel Merkava MkVIII opened fire from hidden positions on the now exposed rear armor of his 2nd Battalion. Massive volleys of LRM-15 fire seemed to blot out the sun, while entire platoons of rebel Merkava's targeted individual SLDF Battlemechs for fire from their AC/5's. He watched in horror as a 2nd Battalion lost 8 Battlemechs in the opening volley. His 2nd Battalion turned to face this new threat, Guillotine's leaping on blasts of flame.
First Battalion, 509th Battle Regiment pushed to the 126th Dragoon's lines and their Large Pulse Laser's quickly began taking a toll on the speeding hover tanks. Third Battalion held the line against the rebel force, but the rebel's were regrouping and massing fire effectively taking advantage of 3rd Battalion's light armor. Then rebel artillery fire started falling, but it was badly aimed and landing to the rear of the 509th's Battlemechs. Two Lances of rebel Archer ARC-2R and a Lance of Catapult CPLT-C1 appeared and began massing fire on the 126th Dragoon Regiment's Battlemechs.
Colonel King watched as his 3rd Battalion began falling back from the rebel Battlemechs as their lighter armor began to fail. When the first Lancelot detonated a mine and lost a leg, he knew now what the enemy artillery had been dropping, a massive minefield. What had been a picture perfect battle was now a scene of absolute horror. He keyed his radio "Everyone fall back to the Dropships, it is time to save our butts."
What had once been such a promising career was now destroyed, Colonel King thought to himself as he throttled his rare Exterminator EXC-4C into a run for the Dropships. It was not his fault that the Quartermasters had screwed up and sent it to his command.
Three hours later, he had parked his Exterminator in his mech bay and was standing at the ramp of the Dropship as his 509th Battle Regiment staggered in. He recognized Major Jenny Davidson's Cestus as it approached, badly scared with battle damage. He only saw one other Cestus, limping on what had to be a bad hip. He keyed his portable radio "Major Davidson report." he ordered. He never saw the large laser fired by Major Davidson that vaporized him where he stood.
Inside the Cestus, Major Jenny Davidson keyed her mic "Everyone onboard the Colonel's Dropship, we are done with this crap." Hers was the last Battlemech aboard, she counted 2 Cestus, including hers, 13 Crab, 6 Lancelot and 9 Guillotine board the Dictator Dropship which lifted off almost the moment the ramp closed. Followed minutes later by the rest of the Dropships on the field.
As the Dropships reached orbit on their burn for the Jump Point, Major Jenny Davidson was horrified when the orbiting SLDF Destroyers began blindly bombarding the planet. Before she could ask the Dropship captain, he turned to her "Colonel King radioed them to blast the planet the moment the Dropships reached orbit Major."
12 March 2766
Woogi (Taurian Concordat)
With the 509th Battle Regiment's 6 Dropships now docked with the SLDF Star Lord Jumpship, Major Davidson made the rounds and spoke to the survivors of the 509th. Only 31 Battlemechs had made it back to the ships, but those 31 Battlemechs had recovered 19 additional pilots who had ejected. The surviving Mechwarriors along with the Regiment's technical personnel and Dropship crews were gathered in the vast cargo bay of the Mule Dropship assigned to the Regiment.
"I can only speak for myself, but I cannot serve in an army that willingly bombards a planet with blind orbital bombardment. It is one thing to use orbital fire when you have spotters, but that was sickening. The 126th Dragoon Regiment was wiped out except for their Dropships and support troops because Colonel King was an idiot and a coward to boot." Major Davidson said, she had noted the many nods as she had spoken
Captain Joshua Reynolds spoke next "I am with the Major. I say we take this Jumpship and get gone. Go far away from the Taurian Concordat." The chorus of affirmatives told how the survivors felt.
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division had been steadily pushed back by almost non-stop attacks from seemingly endless rebel forces. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell knew she had no choice but to evacuate the planet. Not even selective orbital bombardment had halted the attacks. The heaviest attacks were coming from the capitol city and attempting to push into the space port. She could not bring herself to target the city with orbital fire. She ordered a Mammoth unloaded, she would pack as much of the Diviions equipment into it. She ordered the Aerospace Wing loaded back onto the Union CV's and for them to be ready to boost for orbit. Already she had loaded a Czar Dropship with the Divisions wounded and sent it into orbit. Tomorrow would be an exciting day for everyone.
13 March 2766
During the night, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division had literally packed the designated Dropships. Only the Battlemech Brigade remained on the perimeter. All night long they had traded fire with rebel forces. At dawn, Dropships began lifting off for orbit and the Battlemech Brigade made for their Dropships. The furthest Battalion first, covered by selected orbital fire to hold the rebels at bay. During the night, while loading, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had ordered all of the Divisions equipment loaded, including the units remaining ammunition and supplies. Damned if she would leave the rebels anything. They would load as much into the orbiting warships cargo bays as they could. Then the warships would destroy the empty Dropships after the crews were transferred off.
As the last Battlemechs boarded the Dropships and were locked into their transport bays, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell gave the command to lift off. Without HPG communications, she had no clue where to head next.
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14 March 2766
Ambatomainty (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Thomas Wallace, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, had landed his Division almost 3 weeks ago. The mission was to relieve the 135th Mechanized Infantry Division. So far, all they had discovered was a massive amount of destroyed Battlemechs, APC's and a bunch of graves. A week ago, his warship escort had been pulled when reports of enemy warships in the Santa Ana system. Well, not all of them, not really, SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport was still in system and in orbit. He studied the holo display in his Mobile HQ on his Divisions search areas. Suddenly he heard gunfire and the screech of car tires before everything went a blnding white. The nuclear detonation destroyed the entire command staff of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division along with the Divisions Artillery Regiment.
Almost at the same time, the scattered Brigades of the Division came under heavy attack. Without guidance from above, each Brigade commander fought his own battle, unaware of what was happening anywhere else. The 1261st Brigade was the first to succumb when the rebels detonated 4 nuclear weapons destroying 7 of the 9 Battalions outright. The remaining 2 Battalions began pulling back at high speed. The Brigades Battlemech Battalion valiantly fought a rearguard action until the last Battlemech fell.
The commander of 1262nd Brigade was on the continent of Robson B and his Brigade was facing at least a full rebel Battlemech Division. Failing to contact Division HQ, he contacted SLS Mighty Lift in orbit and learned that no one had contact with Division HQ. He requested orbital fire in support of his Brigade to allow him to break contact and board his Dropships to reform with the rest of the Division. By the end of the day, 1262nd Brigade boarded their Dropships under the covering fire of the SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, they had not escaped unscathed for only 5 Battalions of Mechanized Infantry made it back to the landing zone. Their Battlemech Battalion had sold themselves buying the Infantry time to escape.
The Battlemechs of 1263rd Brigade utterly destroyed the forces arrayed against them, but they had lost just over 2 Battalions of Battlemechs in the process. Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, commander of 1263rd Brigade, having no contact with Division pulled his Regiments into a good defensive lines while he attempted to reach Division. Finally making SLS Mighty Lift came up on the Division net and everyone learned of the nuclear strike on both Division HQ and 1261st Brigade. Gathering his downed Mechwarriors, he ordered his Brigade to begin the march back to Division HQ. It would take 3 days to get back.
17 March 2766
Lieutenant General Colin McGregor and 1263rd Brigade finally reached the Division landing zone at the space port after a grueling 3 day march, conducting a fighting withdrawl the entire way. They had paid a heavy price, losing another 3 Battalions of Battlemechs in the march. He began the task of assigning his remaining Battalions to the Division perimeter while rotating his Battlemechs in for repairs. At least the Division was all together again and not scattered all over the place. During the evening, the 3 Brigade commanders argued over their next moves. When no consensus was reached, Lieutenant General Colin McGregor finally slammed his hand down on the table in the makeshift HQ.
"ENOUGH!!! If I have to listen to anymore bickering over who out ranks who, I swear I will mount up in my Thug and smash you both into paste. Lieutenant General Kline, your 1261st Brigade basically no longer exists, fold your 2 Battalions into 1262nd Brigade. You are now my executive officer of the Division. What is left of it anyway. I will assign the Cavalry Battalion to 1262nd Brigade, it will bring you up to as close to full strength as we can make it." He turned to Lieutenant General Oscar Cortez "Oscar, your Armor Brigade is almost full strength, minus the few losses you took in the nuclear attack. I want a full Regiment in the 1262nd Brigade's sector of the perimeter to back stop them. Your other 2 Regiments I want on each flank of the perimeter. I will assign my last Battlemech Regiment to the last side of the box and my 4th Battlemech Battalion will act as a flying reserve."
A chorus of Yes Sirs came from the gathered officers as they broke up the meeting and returned to their units. Now what the hell do we do, Lieutenant General Colin McGregor thought.
18 March 2766
Loikaw (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Barbara Coltrain and her Flotilla materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. After the many jumps her ships had made int he last year without much needed overhauls, she did not want to push the double jumps anymore than she had to. Attached to SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser were the remaining Dropships from the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, crammed to the gills with the Divisions equipment and personnel.
1 Dictator Dropships
1 Command Dictator Dropship
1 Union CV Dropship
3 Colossus Dropships
2 Mammoth Dropships
2 Czar Dropships
They had destroyed the remaining Dropships before departing the Blommestein system. Commodore Barbara Coltrain ordered her ships to begin recharge operations.
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Hmmm... so one unit retreating, one decapitated and still fighting, and one mutinying... interesting is an understatement! :thumbsup:
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Things they be going in interesting ways
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19 March 2766
Loikaw (Outworlds Alliance)
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the detected emergence wave turned out to be just a civilian Merchant Jumpship. Commodore Barbara Coltrain had taken a shuttle over the to the Merchant Jumpship and met with the ship's captain. After 4 hours, she had shuttled back to SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser with all the information the ships captain had on the current state of affairs.
"Well, things are pretty dismal out here according to the civilian captain. The rebels have made it a point to destroy as many HPG stations out here as they could. He just came from Maripa, but before that, he did a pass thru these 3 systems here, Pilon, Boulsi and Thazi. On Pilon, the rebels have the 322nd Armored Division and 277th Dragoon Regiment trapped on planet, but not the strength to defeat them, yet. They overran the space port and captured their Dropships and also the 277th Dragoon Regiment's Jumpships which they are holding at the Nadir Jump Point.
Boulsi is a hotbed of rebel activity. The captian says the Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point was charging jumpships like mad. He had been told to recharge normally. He is sure he spotted 2 Lola I Destroyers also. Before he jumped, he says there were drive flares from Dropships moving to the Zenith Jump Point. His guess is the rebels are moving to help out on Pilon.
Thazi is rebel held and they are not too friendly. They hold the Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point and are charging double rates for recharges, so says our captain. Our captain was delivering some raw ore there and picking up food for delivery to Maripa. He finally decided that the area is a little too hot for him to play around in right now." Commodore Barbara Coltrain explained
"Well, that gives a destination, we move to Pilon. We assist the 322nd Armored and 277th Dragoon Regiment. They are fellow SLDF and we will not leave them to die. Commodore Coltrain, start plotting us a course to Pilon." Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell ordered
Woogi (Taurian Concordat)
Major Jenny Davidson looked at Major Tony Grissom, commander of the 509th Battle Regiment's assigned Foot Infantry Battalion, and nodded her head. Major Grissom spoke into his hand held radio "Go". In less than 15 minutes, they had secured the SLS Jumping Glory, Star Lord Jumpship. Major Grissom and Major Davidson waited on the Star Lord's grav deck as the ships crew were brought in from the various sections. When they were all assembled, Major Davidson rose to speak.
"I am sorry we have had to do this, but we are tired of the fighting, at least this kind of fighting. We are tired of having worthless commanders appointed over us. So we have made the decision to take over this vessel. None of you will be harmed, unless you resist. Get us to where we want to go, and we will release you unharmed. We are not monsters, just very tired soldiers. Captain, when those warships join on us and we jump, I want us to come out in a totally different area than the one they tell you about. You understand? If they say we are going straight, I want you to take us left." Major Davidson said
"I understand, you know the SLDF will hunt you down. If they catch you, it will not be pretty." The ships captain replied
"We all fully understand the risk we are taking and are willing to take that chance." Major Davidson answered
"Well then, the good news is neither of those Essex Destroyers have LF Batteries, so once we jump, we will already have a head start on them." The captain replied
NP28 (Taurian Concordat)
Colonel Patrick Quieg sat on the grav deck of the ancient Star Lord Jumpship the rebels had provided them. For the millionth time he shook his head, how the mighty have fallen. He thought back to Mithron.
The 31st Infantry Division had been stationed on the Mithron when the Uprising started. It had begun with small terror attacks and then, during a meeting of the Divisions leadership, a nuclear car bomb had in one strike, decapitated the Division. The only reason he had survived was that his Infantry Regiment had been on patrol on the continent of New Solem. Learning of the attack, he had packed his Regiment on board their Czar Dropship and headed back to the Divisons base not far from the planets capitol.
He and his Regiment had arrived to a total mess. It was then that he had learned that he was the ranking officer in the entire Division left alive. When the rebels had gotten serious, the 31st Division put up a strong defense for 4 months. Dug in deep in the mountains, they had held. Waiting for the cavalry to arrive. It never did. As food reached a critical point, their saving grace was the rebel commander. Under a white flag, he had offered to allow the remains of the Division to depart Mithron safely, in recognition of the 31st Division's brave defense and avoidance of civilian deaths, but they would be allowed small arms only, all heavy equipment would be turned over. He had been tempted to tell the rebel commander to shove it, but sanity took over and he agreed to the idea.
When he had made a tour of the remaining unit's of the 31st Infantry Division, he had been surprised when most of them said they just wanted to get the hell away. The SLDF had abandoned them, so by god, they wanted to abandon the SLDF.
Now, here they were, crammed aboard 6 Czar Dropships. The heaviest weapons they had were light machine guns and their Mauser 960 rifles. But he had saved the lives of 6,021 of the 31st Infantry Divisions personnel. He pulled out the personnel roster he had carried since the departure and looked at it.
8 Battalions of Infantry - 2,016
2 Battalions of Mechwarriors - 72
3 Battalions of Armor crew - 540
Dropship Crews - 1,756
Division Support - 1,637
At least his Infantry were basically armed with their normal weapons of war. Small Arms. They were being transported to the Tortuga Dominions. No one knew what laid ahead.
Spitz (Taurian Concordat)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, ranking officer 359th Battlemech Division, was aboard the SLS Stellar Journey, Star Lord Jumpship. They had been lucky to survive the ambush. On December 9, 2765 the 359th Battlemech Division had boarded their Dropships after putting down the rebellion on Brisbane to travel to New Vandenburg to assist the 329th Battlemech Division which was under heavy assault by rebels. While docking with the Jumpships, a fleet of rebel warships had jumped into the same Jump Point being used by the Divisions transports. Their SLDF warship escort had moved to engage the rebels but not before most of the transports and Dropships of the Division had been destroyed. The remaining transports had made emergency jumps to a empty system 29ly away. Without warship escorts, he had made the decision to move deeper into the periphery to avoid running into any further rebel warships.
359th Battlemech Division
6 Battlemech Battalions
4 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
2 Armor Battalions
1 Cavalry Battalion (-1 LAM Company)
1 Artillery Battalion
1 Engineer Battalion
6 Dictator Dropships
2 Czar Dropship
2 Triumph Dropships
6 Confederate Dropships
4 Lion Dropships
1 Mammoth Dropships
4th Transport Squadron
4 Star Lord Jumpships
He had no communication with higher, and was not keen on attempting to even see a inhabited system right now. His main concern was his troops safety.
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272nd Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Fixed Conv Wing - 1 Squadron
That... is rather severe losses. 24 Fighters out of what would have been 108? 6 out of 54 conventional birds?
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This is damn good!
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20 March 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel, commander of the 322nd Armored Division, had seen better days, or even campaigns. Having his Division assigned to the 18th Army in 2764 instead of deep in the Inner Sphere, where his Division might actually see some action, had been a great thing. But now, for the last 7 months, he had watched his fine Armored Division pushed back from the small space port by the rebel forces and into the capitol city proper. Then the 277th Dragoon Regiment had arrived, they had pushed the rebels back from the space port, only to have the rebels resort to a nuke which destroyed a Battalion from the 277th Dragoon Regiment which allowed the rebels to once again take the space port and both units Dropships.
He compared his commands starting TOE with what he had left and it was almost enough to bring a tear to his eye. The SLDF did not have many full on Armored Divisions, so the 322nd Armored Division was given great latitude in their TOE.
322nd Armored Division
3221st Brigade
Armored Regiment - 2 Battalion Alacorn MkVI, 1 Battalion Von Luckner (sl) - now 4 Company's Alacorn, 2 Companies Von Luckner
Armored Regiment - 2 Battalion Von Luckner, 1 Battalion Manticore - now 1 Battalion Von Luckner, 1 Company Manticore
Infantry Regiment - 3 Foot Infantry Battalions, 1 Battalion Turhan - now 6 Company's Infantry, 1 Company Turhan
3222nd Brigade
Armored Regiment - 2 Battalion Von Luckner (sl), 1 Battalion Burke - now 5 Company's Von Luckner, 1 Company Burke
Armored Regiment - 2 Battalion Demon, 1 Battalion Chevalier - now 1 Battalion Demon, 2 Company Chevalier
Infantry Regiment - 3 Foot Infantry Battalions, 1 Battalion Turhan - now 2 Battalion Infantry, 2 Company Turhan
3223rd Brigade
Armored Regiment - 1 Battalion Beagle, 2 Battalion Zephyr - now 2 Company Beagle, 4 Company Zephyr
Armored Regiment - 1 Battalion Beagle, 2 Battalion Zephyr - now 1 Company Beagle, 1 Battalion Zephyr
Infantry Regiment - 3 Foot Infantry Battalions, 1 Battalion Maxim - now 2 Battalion Infantry, 1 Company Maxim
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 1 Battalion Thor - now 2 Company's Thor
Artillery Battalion - 1 Battalion Thor - now 2 Company's Thor
Artillery Battalion - 1 Batalion Chaperal - now 2 Company's Chaperal
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - 1 Battalion Engineer - now 2 Company's Engineer
Engineer Battalion - 1 Battalion Engineer - now 1 Company Engineer
Engineer Battalion - 1 Battalion Engineer - now 1 Company Engineer
Conventional Ground Aerowing
Conventional Attack Wing - 54 Meteor - now 16 Meteor
Conventional Attack Wing - 54 Meteor - now 14 Meteor
VTOL Transport Wing - 54 Cobra - now 22 Cobra
Jump Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalion Jump Infantry - now 5 Company's Jump Infantry
The 277th Dragoon Regiment had faired not much better, they were down to just 4 Company's of Battlemechs and 2 Company's Mechanized Infantry. Major General Rommel looked to the heavens at the bright moving spots, Dropships inbound, I wonder who's they are. He prayed they were his relief, they were getting low on ammunition. He had tried to send a HPG message from his Mobile HQ, but they had no luck getting a return signal off any HPG in range. The rebels had knocked out the planets HPG right from the start.
Luderitz (Taurian Concordat)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, had found herself in a very unusual position, actually outnumbered by the rebels who did not hesitate to use WMD's against her command. Not to mention the fact that the Navy did not really have control of the space in system. Even after 2 weeks of fighting, there seemed to be a never ending flow of rebel Pinto Corvettes and worst of all, a team of 3 former SLDF Aegis Cruisers that had mutinied and joined the rebels. They were the most deadly and had already teamed up and destroyed several SLDF warships in the fighting.
Her Division had already suffered 35% casualties during the campaign on this planet and the threat of WMD forced her to keep her command widely dispersed which allowed the enemy to inflict damage on her Division since she could not mass her forces. Major General Harold Inim, commander LXVI Corps had ordered her Division to secure Baltar and Luderitz. Baltar was fairly easy and the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division had met light resistance, but Luderitz had proved to be a much tougher fight than planned.
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Has Rommel not tried conventional comms? The dropships wouldn't normally carry HPGs, right? ???
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Nope, not much good, them ain't friendlies inbound.
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Oh... ouch! I thought it was Mitchell and her crew... :-\
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20 March 2766
Marantha (Magistracy of Canopus)
The 268th Royal Battlemech Division had been subjected to massive chemical weapons attacks during the beggining of the Periphery Uprising which had killed over 60% of the Divisions personnel before they had even known a fight was on. The remainder of the Division fought for 2 months until being destroyed by the rebel forces. The rebels wasted no time in making attmepts to use the advanced Battlemechs, but found the security systems extremely difficult to break.
Thus was the case when the 9th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment, 9917th Marine Regiment and 75th Light Horse Regiment had discovered on their arrival. Finding the 286th Royal Battlemech Division destroyed, both Regiments were able to force the rebels back and secure the 286th's Battlemechs, many still in their bays. Plans had been hasily made to remove as much of the advanced equipment as possible. Major Oscar Venezuela, commander of 2nd Battalion, 9917th Marine Regiment had found himself aboard the SLS Stellar Gypsy, Tramp Jumpship with 3 Lee Dropships loaded with equipment from the destroyed 286th Royal Battlemech Division. Not far away, he knew a like detachment from the 9th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment had been doing the exact same thing only they had brought up 3 Lee's, 1 Titan and 2 Mule's were docking with the SLS Stellar Nomad, Star Lord Jumpship.
When 4 hostile Lola II Destroyers made their arrival 150,000km away, the SLDF warship escort had ordered the transports to make emergency jumps from the system. Hastily, SLDF Jumpship captains made their calculations to distant locations. SLS Stellar Gypsy, Tramp Jumpship and SLS Stellar Nomad, Star Lord Jumpship, both transports for the 9th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment coordinated their jumps and in a instant, both leaped from the system arriving at an unhabitable system 29LY from Marantha but deeper into hostile territory.
That had been 4 months ago. Now, Major Oscar Venezuela and his little convoy were in the system Fronc. During their journey, they had met several independent traders who informed them that the entire Periphery was in flames with hostile forces all over the area near the Great Houses. This information had only pushed the small convoy deeper into the periphery. They were 3 days into their recharge cycle when the emergence wave was detected, which caused no small amount of anxiety. Virtually helpless, except by using the docked Lee Dropships for defense, they waited.
A single Tramp Jumpship emerged only 28,000km away and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the newly arrived ship's IFF indentified it as SLS Infinite Journey, Tramp Jumpship. Communications were established and the commander of the lone Jumpship boarded a shuttle for the trip over. Hours later, Major Venezuela met Colonel Irma Fuentes, commander 19th Hussar Regiment, or the remains of the unit as only 1 Dropship was docked with their Jumpship.
"Colonel, Major Oscar Venezuela, 9917th Marine Regiment. We are glad to see a friendly face." Major Venezuela said
"Colonel Irma Fuentes, 19th Hussar Regiment. Well, not much of a Regiment anymore. We got torn to pieces on Dunianshire and barely got away. Only my Overlord managed to make it to the Jumpship. I have 9 operational Battlemechs, but the spare space is filled with my people. We are short supplies." Colonel Fuentes said
"We have no idea what happened to our parent units. A small part of the 9th Royal CAAN Regiment is aboard the Star Lord. I have my Battalion aboard my ship here." Major Venezuela replied
"A small portion? You have 9 Dropships attached to your ships. That makes no sense." Colonel Fuentes stated
"Those Dropships are loaded with equipment from the 286th Royal Battlemech Division. We found everyone dead and most of their equipment intact. The Task Force commander ordered the equipment loaded aboard Dropships and removed from the planet. When enemy warships arrived, we were ordered to scatter with emergency jumps. We have been running ever since." Major Venezuela explained
"Well, how about that. I have 37 Mechwarriors and 14 Aerospace pilots without a ride. Your ships will join with me, until such time as we reach a safe place to contact higher and find out what the hell we do. Now, how about we go take a look at what is in those Dropships." Colonel Irma Fuentes said
"No need Colonel, I have the cargo manifests right here." Major Venezuela said holding out his datapad, which Colonel Fuentes took. She started looking at it.
286th Royal Battlemech Division Equipment Inventory
Battlemechs
24 Spector SPR-4F
16 Hermes HER-1Sb
16 Mongoose MON-66b
24 Talon TLN-5W
16 Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb
24 Griffin GRF-2N
12 Catapult CPLT-C1b
28 Archer ARC-2Rb
40 Warhammer WHM-7A
40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Aerospace
12 Stuka STU-K5b2
24 Sabre SB-28
18 Rapier RPR-200
"The Mules are loaded with ammunition and spare parts, I don't even know if the spare parts are for the equipment we have loaded. They were basically stuffing stuff on board the Dropships as fast as they could load them." Major Feuntes stated
"Well Major, we shall have to endevour to an inventory and figure out exactly what we have. But first, let's get my pilots over here and onboard that Titan. I will feel much better with some sort of defense while we are recharging." Colonel Fuentes said
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That's the happiest one yet... ^-^
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A slight quibble, the planet Marantha is in the Magistracy of Canopus.
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21 March 2766
Ambatomainty (Outworlds Alliance)
The rebels had been pushing the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division hard over the last week, but the 126th had managed to hold. Even with the SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport providing targeted fire support, Lieutenant General Colin McGregor his Division could not hold out forever. The last week had seen them loose another Battalion of Battlemechs, 2 Battalions of Infantry and 2 Battalions of Armor. A knock caused him to look up, Lieutenant General Kline, Division executive officer stood in the door. McGregor waved him inside and to close the door.
"What is the news XO?" McGregor asked
"The rebels are pushing hard from the city again, it prevents us from using orbital fire to slow them. We are holding, but unless we go all out, sooner or later they will breach our lines and pour into the space port proper." Kline said
"So, it is that time. We knew it was coming, either we destroy the city and kill a few million civilians or we need to start thinking evacuation. Well, I am not going to kill a couple million civilians. Start working on a evacuation plan. Load all the extra ammunition and supplies and get them up to Mighty Lift. The Battlemech Regiment holds the city side of the perimeter. We can have Mighty Lift fire on the other 3 sides as needed. After the ammunition and supplies, load the support troops. Then the Infantry and slowest tanks. Fastest tanks and the Battlemechs will load last and boost." McGregor said
"Yes sir, I will work out the nitty gritty details. I expect the rebels will push even harder once they see the first Dropships boost." Kline responded
"Oh, you can bet the farm on that. So plan for a very rapid fall back when the time comes, I am not losing anymore people than we have to." McGregor said
Fallry (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, acting commander 211th Hussar Regiment, thought back over the last 6 months of the campaign. It was not a very pleasant memory, one that had shaken his beliefs to the core.
Ordered to reinforce the 217th Mechanized Infantry Division on Dneiper in October 2765, they had arrived to discover the 217th already destroyed. Then they had their warship escort pulled and ordered to reinforce the 61st Royal Jump Infantry Division on Vangburg, all the way on the other side of the Alliance. On 9 January 2766, on of their Tramp LF Jumpships had blown out it's helium seals. This was bad enough, for it carried most of their ammunition and spare parts aboard the 2 Mule Dropships it carried. Colonel Namath had ordered 2 Confederate Dropships unloaded and then scuttled. The Mules had been transferred to the now free collars, crew transferred off the Tramp LF Jumpship and then it was scuttled. The worst was when they made the next jump after fully charging their drives and batteries, they had jumped into Tresspass and arrived at the Nadir Jump Point, almost on top of a damned rebel Pinto Corvette. Colonel Namath's Tramp LF Jumpship had been the closest to the enemy Pinto and had taken a hit that disabled the Tramp before a single calculation had been done. He had detached the 2 Union Dropships in an attempt to buy time and Major Nabokov had watched 2 Company's of 1st Battalion destroyed within minutes and then the now 5 Jumpship strong fleet made the jump to Johnson.
Now, here they were, without warship escort still, saying damned prayers before every jump. We are the Star League Defense Force. We are not supposed to be helpless to enemy warships. No one has a Navy that even comes close to ours, yet here we are, in the boonies, heading into harms way, totally defenseless to any damned ancient warship that appears. We are being sold down the river and hung out to dry by our glorious high command. Total BS. He had heard the complaints on every ship when he took a shuttle around the small fleet during recharge operations. But what could they do, they had their orders.
Loikaw (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell nodded at Commodore Barbara Coltrain who tossed a half salute "Nav, sound the warning, we jump to Maripa, fast calculation and then to Pilon. Let's go ahead and sound General Quarters." Five minutes later, the 10 second warning sounded and then everything blurred.
Maripa (Outworlds Alliance)
The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division emerged at the Zenith Jump Point and the navigators began working up their calculations. Commodore Coltrain had argued for recharging their drive to have the ability to jump out quick, but Lieutenant General Mitchell had reminded her that their were SLDF troops that needed help, quick. The moment the navigators had completed the calculations, Commodore Coltrain had given the order "Jump"
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Rhodan, Luxor Heavy Cruiser emerged at the Nadir Jump Point in the midst of what sensors indicated as 32 Jumpships of various types. "Sweet Mother of God!!!" Commodore Coltrain said in a raised voice "Launch everything!!! Helm close on those Jumpships fast as we can, send the same to Conroy. Comms, start broadcasting surrender calls and prepare to be boarded. Weps, the moment we detect jump emissions, pop the offending Jumpship. I would prefer a damage shot and not a killing one, but either way, it will send a message to the rest." Then to Lieutenant General Mitchell "General, I might need some infantry to help my marines in securing ships."
"I will give you 2 Battalions. Secure the Jumpships and then we head in system at best speed. I believe the books said it is 5 days to the planet." Lieutenant General Mitchell replied as Weps called out "Jump emissions, Invader Jumpship, firing."
The rebel Invader Jumpship that made the mistake of trying to make a run for it was quickly destroyed by 3 MNPPC hits. "Damn, I only expected a single hit, sorry Commodore."
"Commodore, I have 13 rebel Jumpships broadcasting their surrender, make that 17 now." The Comms officer said
Another Jumpship blinked off the sensor plot as the SLS Conroy destroyed a Merchant Jumpship. "Sensor's was that Merchant emitting jump emissions?" Commodore Coltrain asked. "No ma'am, it was just sitting there." Anger flashed inside Commodore Coltrain "Comms, tell Conroy that if they destroy another Jumpship for no reason, I might decide to fire on them. After that, send the infantry troops the 272nd are loaning us to the surrendered Jumpships, have our marines board any that refuse to surrender."
"Detecting a Merchant Jumpship emitting, barely in range, recommend the fighters handle that one, anything we have that hits is gonna probably kill it." Weps said
"Kill it Weps, no one runs for help." Commodore Coltrain ordered
"Firing" Weps called out and 4 NL/55 destroyed the rebel Merchant Jumpship with 2 hits. "More surrender calls incoming, Commodore, I think all of them have surrendered."
"Have the marines start boarding also, minimum of 2 squads aboard each Jumpship. We take the day and secure them all, lock them down tight. Have a shuttle carry an engineering team aboard each Jumpship, I want every ship disabled in a way that we can easily repair them. Lock the crews in their quarters." Commodore Coltrain ordered then turned to Lieutenant General Mitchell "General, I hope the boys on the ground can wait a day longer, but we cannot risk a run for help."
"Very well Commodore, please send out a message to the planet notifying the troops down there to hold on, help is coming." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
Eight hours later, Major General Heinrich Rommel was awakened by his duty officer and given the news that the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division was in system and to please hold while they secure the rebel Jumpship fleet. "Thank God, pass the word to the boys and girls, help is on the way and to hold fast."
22 March 2766
"Commodore, all engineering teams have returned and every rebel Jumpship is disabled and secure. I ordered the marines back aboard our ship and Conroy. Also we have returned 1 Battalion of the 272nd to their control, every rebel Jumpship has a minimum of 2 squads aboard." SLS Rhodon's XO said
"Very well, signal the task force, we head for the planet, speed of advance 1g." Commodore Coltrain ordered, very pleased, they had netted quite a haul.
12 Invader Jumpships captured
5 Scout Jumpships captured
2 Star Lord Jumpships captured
5 Tramp Jumpships captured
4 Merchant Jumpships captured
NP471 (Taurian Concordat)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, ranking officer 359th Battlemech Division, was awakened when the alarm sounded aboard the SLS Stellar Journey, Star Lord Jumpship. Not even taking the time to put his boots on, he moved for the bridge, and was there in less than 2 minutes. "What have we got captain?"
"Emergence wave inbound sir. Computer shows it's gonna come in close too. We are launching your LAM company now, it's all we got except the Dropships themselves."
"No chance we can make an escape?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked
"No sir, we need 2 more days to recharge. We are stuck here and there is no planet for your people to even run to." The ships captain responded
"Well shit. Guess I will go put my bots on and say a prayer." Lieutenant General Baxter said as the unknown Star Lord Jumpship appeared 2200km away.
On board the SLS Jumping Glory, Star Lord Jumpship, the entire bridge crew and Major Jenny Davidson knew they were screwed as the sensors came back online and quickly detected the 4 Jumpships very close and inbound fighters. "Captain, those ships are broadcasting SLDF identities."
"Comms, make contact with them." The ships captain said as he turned to Major Davidson "Sorry Major, I was going to keep the faith with you, but we got no chance."
"It's okay Captain Flaire. You had no way of knowing." Major Davidson replied
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Major Davidson is going to have some explaining to do...
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22 March 2766
NP471 (Taurian Concordat)
Major Jenny Davidson was led on the grav deck of SLS Stellar Journey where Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter awaited her. She pulled herself to attention "Major Jenny Baxter, 509th Battle Regiment".
"At ease Major, please take a seat. XLVI Corps correct?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked as she took a seat opposite from him
"Correct sir." Major Davidson replied, she was keeping her answers short, she did not want to let a slip of the tongue get them all tossed out an airlock.
"Okay Major, I will tell you my story, then you can tell me yours. My Division got ambushed by the rebels trying to dock with our transports and we lost over 1/2 the Division, including the Division Commander. We made an emergency jump from the system and I could not bring myself to drive the remains of the Division back into the teeth of this senseless slaughter. All I care about now is the safety of my people. Granted, we still consider ourselves members of the SLDF, but in this current campaign, at this time, well, I plan to take the long way back. Give this some time to settle down. So, you going to report me as the leader of a mutiny Major?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked
Listening to the General speak had caused Major Davidson to squirm some in her chair. "No sir, I feel you are doing what you think is best for your men. As for our story, we had a coward for a commander. We got butchered on Woogi, when we made orbit, our escorting warships began bombarding the planet. Our commander had ordered it before he was killed in action with the enemy. It made me sick, that the SLDF that I had loved and served for 10 years would slaughter innocent civilians like that. We are supposed to be above that. Like you, all I want is to get my people away from this slaughter house."
"Well then, it looks like we are both guilty of trying to save our people. So Major Davidson, exactly what did you have as a plan?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked
"Sir, to be honest, this was the first jump we made. The rest of the convoy jumped to Renfield, we went the other way." Major Davidson replied
"I don't have much of a plan either, so how about we put our heads together and come up with a working plan." Lieutenant General Baxter said
23 March 2766
Major Jenny Baxter was back aboard SLS Stellar Journey after spending the previous say with Lieutenant General Baxter. She still could not believe that neither her nor her people were in cuffs at this moment. During their discussion, they had decided that they would take a long curved route to Hope IV, there they would take on supplies and evaluate the situation. She ad been surprised to learn that most of the 359th Battlemech Division had no clue as to how Lieutenant General Baxter currently felt, unlike her people who knew full well how she felt. He had openly told her that once they reached Hope IV, he would call his people together and let them decide what they wanted to do, those that wanted to return to the SLDF fold would be allowed to do just that, those that chose otherwise, would be allowed to do that. He had honestly told her that he did not know how he would feel when they reached their destination.
Ambatomainty (Outworlds Alliance)
The last 2 days had seen frantic loading of dispersed ammunition dumps aboard the Divisions cargo transports along with the Divisons spare parts and supplies. But Lieutenant General Colin McGregor had cancelled the Dropships launch an hour before lift off. He had decided that once night fell, the entire Division would load and boost at the same time. He did not wan to risk the rebels throwing nukes at the remaining troops once they realized what was happening.
As night fell, a phased withdraw occurred all along the defensive perimeter. Every unit heading straight for the dropships and being secured for lift off. By 3am, the last troops boarded the Dropships. At 3:30am, the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division boosted for orbit and the safety of SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport.
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
1262 Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 1 Infantry Battalion
Cavalry Battalion - 1 LAM Company, 1 Armor Company
1263 Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
1264 Brigade
Armor Regiment - 2 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 1 Armor Battalion
Artillery Regiment
1 Battalion of Long Tom
1 Battalion of Thor
1 Battalion of Padilla/Chaparral
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Wing - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Wing - 2 Squadrons
Engineer Battalion
Jump Infantry Battalion - 2 Company's
Dropships (being taken)
Czar Dropships - 6
Dictator Dropships - 3
Union Dropship - 1
Colossus Dropships - 2
Triumph Dropships - 6
Titan Dropships - 3
Mammoth Dropships - 4
With only 25 collars available, the decision had been made to destroy the remaining Dropships of the Division after their crews and any onboard supplies were unloaded in orbit to prevent them from being captured by rebel forces.
Rest Stop (Deep Periphery)
Finally, mission complete, thought Commodore Trisha Delvaney to herself as she watched her 2 Elephant Tugs detach from the newly built and manned Olympus Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point for the short trip back to their mother ship, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship. She knew her escort, the 22nd Destroyer Flotilla of 2 Essex Destroyers, would be happy to get back to their Fleet assignments.
They had been out here for over a year, with minimal contact with higher command. Sent out here to establish this Recharge Station to faciltate SLDF patrols against pirate bands and exploration support. Only 1 supply convoy had been dispatched to them in that year and that was 6 months ago, it had delivered the last material needed to finish construction of the Recharge Station and the crew for the station. It was time to head home.
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Delvaney is going to be in for a rude shock...
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27 March 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Barbara Coltrain brought SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser into orbit around the second planet in the system. As the attained proper positioning, they began receiving targeting information of rebel concentrations on the surface from the 322nd Armored Division. She had ordered SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser to maintain position at a fairly steady pirate point in case the large cluster of captured Jumpships needed immediate support. The jump was already plotted and set up.
"Weps, you may accept calls for fire from the 322nd Armored Division, but only on targets outside the city. I would prefer no targeting within 30km of the city. Lieutenant General Mitchell has selected to come down on the space port proper, I show it to be 65km from the capitol city proper. We will attempt to maintain a geosynch orbit above the space port and capitol city. In 1 hour, we will launch fighters to escort the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division to the surface, they will also reprovide on scene targeting." Commodore Coltrain ordered
On the surface, rebel forces had heard the call's from their transports days earlier and knew that new SLDF troops had arrived. They had launched fresh attacks on the trapped SLDF forces but had been thrown back each time with heavy losses. No had missed the incoming drive flares from braking ships in orbit. General Paul Kilgorian, commander of all rebel forces on Pilon heard the sonic booms of incoming Aerospace fighters, he knew the SLDF reinforcements were on their way down and knew the battle on Pilon had entered a completely new phase. He could not even risk launching his grounded Dropships because the transports had reported SLDF warships.
The presence of a SLDF warship was confirmed when a orbital strike fell upon one of his Infantry Regiments that had been moving to reinforce the rebel forces on the furthest side of the capitol city. Reports quickly began coming in that that particular infantry unit was no more. He looked up at the heavens when louder sonic booms sounded and clearly saw the incoming Dropships in the distance. Looks like they are heading right for the over crowded space port, he thought. He turned to his radio operator "Tell 1143rd Mech Regiment to head for the space port, greet the incoming guests properly."
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division was in her Pillager, ready to disembark the moment the dropship grounded. She had vetoed the idea of a combat drop due to everyone's certification was currently expired and she could not afford losses. She just hoped her surprise worked. Two minutes until they grounded.
At the space port, rebel infantry were dug in ready to engage the SLDF as they disembarked. Supporting them were 2 Company's of light mechs with a full Mech Regiment on the way. Everyone kept their heads down as the SLDF Aerospace figters zoomed over the area strafing anything dumb enough to get spotted. Mixed in with the Aerospace fighters was the remaining LAM Company from the 272nd. Two lances of Stinger LAM STG-A1 and a lance of Phoenix Hawk PHX-HK1, after every pass, a LAM would make it's landing at the space port. Just before the Dropships carrying the 272nd grounded, the Company of LAM made their appearance, targeting the rebel light mechs moving to engage the soon to be disembarking SLDF mechs. Major Sissy Bruedan, piloted her Phoenix Hawk PHX-HK1, selecting a rebel Hermes as her first target, the second her targeting circle flshed, she pulled the trigger and watched her shots hot the rebel Hermes right in the center of it's back coring into the mechs engine dropping it face down. She quickly targeted another rebel Hermes and wsaw her medium lasers slash at the rebel Hermes, but her ERLL slammed cored another engine.
The rest of her lance had done basically done the same thing as her and within 30 seconds, 7 rebel mechs were down and out. Her 2 Lances of Stinger LAM's had different orders and were busy hunting rebel infantry or ganging up on any solo rebel mechs they happened to find. Major Sissy Bruedan watched the 272nd Command Dictator settled onto the space port and a massive Pillager exit the second the ramp was extended and door opened, it's Gauss Rifles cracking within seconds and her sensors showed an enemy mech suddenly go dark on her screen.
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had targeted a rebel Toro TR-A-6 the second it made itself visible firing both Gauss Rifles, one slug slammed into the Toro's center torso, but the other slug ripped the head off the light mech. She triggered her jump jets to clear the door quicker. Another rebel mech, Wasp WSP--1A appeared and she let it have a large laser and her bevy of medium lasers. Her lasers ripped into the rebel Wasp which could not maintain it's balance and fell. She landed almost next to the downed Wasp and allowed her left foot to crush the head of the enemy mech as she searched for another target. Behind her, 2 Company's of Battlemechs had exited the Command Dictator and were fanning out seeking targets.
Major General Heinrich Rommel, commander 322nd Armored Division, had been extrmely happy to finally have timely communication with the incoming 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division when they made orbit. Encoded communication informed him of the plan by Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell of the coming landing. He had offered to sortie his remaining forces to help, but it was rebuffed. Hold your ground and provide targeting information, we will come to you. That had been the response.
"Eagle 22 to Rhodon, target grid 112876-1176 enemy mechs on the move, estimated strength Battalion plus. Moving towards the space port."
Aboard the SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser, Captain Tiffany Lasmite checked the transmitted location, 26km from the space port, 31km from the capitol city. Good enough, she sent the information to the weapons bays and within 2 minutes of recieving the call for fire, the Rhodon unleashed hell on the rebel mechs. On the ground, orbital fire completely obliterated the 1143rd Mech Regiment. Massive explosions rocked the area surrounding the targeted coordinates. For 3 minutes, the SLS Rhodon fired on the area and when they stopped, nothing moved.
Back at the space port, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division's combat loaded Dropships were all on the ground and unloading their cargo of angry SLDF soldiers. Mechanized Infantry began the deadly task of clearing enemy infantry from trench works and securing grounded Dropships. Battlemechs of the 272nd fanned out around the space port, easily destroying anything they found. By mid afternoon, the space port was declared secure and the 4 Battalions of Tanks provided security for the space with the assitance of the 2272nd Brigade. Led by Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, 2723rd Brigade and 2721st Brigade pushed to link up with the 322nd Armored Division.
Like a guided missile, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division's lead units brushed aside any resistence and by nightfall had linked up with the 322nd Armored Division. Bringing her Pillager to a halt before the Mobile HQ, she brought her Pillager to a kneeling position and popped her hatch, scampering down the chain ladder. A lanky Major General was on the ground to meet her "Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infanty Division, reporting sir." She said, but not saluting
"Major General Heinrich Rommel, but let's dispense with the formalities. Just call me Rommel, I sure am glad to see you folks arrive. The rest of your Division in orbit still?"
"No sir, Call me Rita, this is all that is left. I have a Mammoth stuffed with equipment and people, but I am hesitant on bringing them down." General Mitchell replied
"Well, it was enough to get the job done, but there are a crap ton of rebels on this planet. And they have nukes and are not afraid to use them." Rommel said
"Well, they nuke the space port, they nuke their own Dropships. Of course, we have their Transports already, so they very well could take a swing at us. But first, let's get some supplies and repairs made to your equipment. Tomorrow, we start retaking this planet." General Mitchell said.
Sorsk (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, blinked his eyes as the SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. He was just a guest aboard the bridge but clearly heard "Commodore, we are being hailed by a Merchant Jumpship, 24,198km off our port. Says he met some friends of ours not long ago."
Commodore Sandra Gallonsa, commander SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, checked the sensors for any other contacts before ordering "Begin recharge operations. Launch 2 Titan's and get a CAP established. See if the Captain of that Merchant Jumpship would be willing to come abaord for a chat. I want to keep radio silent if we can. I will even send a shuttle for him."
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Could always be worse!!
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Hoping the rebels won't nuke their own (captured) dropships seems like a bad bet to me...
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Especially since they have been known to nuke their own cities...
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28 March 2766
Brisbane (Federated Suns)
Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, aboard SLS McKenna's Pride, McKenna Battleship, read over the reports from the various fronts. The losses suffered by the SLDF were staggering. On a portable notepad, he made notes on units that had reported losses so severe that they would be better off disbanded and their troops used to replace losses in other units than try to bring them back up to strength. He had selected several systems to act as replacement depots, under those headings, he listed units to be pulled off the line and disbanded.
Armington (Federated Suns)
129th Battlemech Division - 3rd Army - 35% Strength
263rd Battlemech Division - 4th Army - 30% Strength
238th Mechanized Infantry Division - 4th Army - 35% Strength
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division - 4th Army - 30% Strength
262nd Battlemech Division - 6th Army - 25% Strength
81st Mechanized Infantry Division - 7th Army - 30% Strength
36th Infantry Division - 19th Army - 35% Strength
161st Mechanized Infantry Division - 19th Army - 20% Strength
251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division - 19th Army - 35% Strength
192nd Jump Infantry Division - 19th Army - 25% Strength
Stratford (Federated Suns)
284th BattleMech Division - 15th Army - 30% Strength
208th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 35% Strength
165th Mechanized Infantry Division - 16th Army - 35% Strength
247th Heavy Assault Regiment - 16th Army - 40% Strength
298th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 35% Strength
201st Battle Regiment - 16th Army - 30% Strength
318th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 35% Strength
370th BattleMech Division - 20th Army - 40% Strength
335th Royal Dragoon Regiment - 20th Army - 30% Strength
200th Mechanized Infantry Division - 20th Army - 35% Strength
428th BattleMech Division - 20th Army - 30% Strength
Umka (Free World League)
48th Jump Infantry Division - 9th Army - 35% Strength
29th Mechanized Infantry Division - 12th Army - 40% Strength
200th Mechanized Infantry Division - 12th Army - 40% Strength
186th Mechanized Infantry Division - 13th Army - 35% Strength
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division - 13th Army - 30% Strength
38th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment - 17th Army - 35% Strength
605th Battle Regiment - 17th Army - 40% Strength
265th Mechanized Infantry Division - 17th Army - 40% Strength
108th Mechanized Infantry Division - 17th Army - 40% Strength
Orders would be generated for the listed units to be pulled off the line and to redeploy to the listed planets, there they would turn in their equipment and await reassignment to other units in need of replacements. Once he had finished his list of units to be disbanded, General Kerensky opened the file containing lists of units that no one had any contact with in months and presumed destroyed.
Outworlds Alliance
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division - 15th Army
126th Mechanized Infantry Division - 16th Army
322nd Armored Division - 18th Army
277th Dragoon Regiment - 20th Army
211th Hussar Regiment - 18th Army
9918th Marine Regiment - 10th Fleet
9919th Marine Regiment - 10th Fleet
Taurian Concordat
509th Battle Regiment - 19th Army
31st Infantry Division - 19th Army
359th Battlemech Division - 19th Army
Magistracy of Canopus
9th Royal CAAN Regiment - 10th Army
9917th Marine Regiment - 10th Army
19th Hussar Regiment - 13th Army
54th Mechanized Infantry Division - 12th Army
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division - 13th Army
Rondon (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore William Blythe, commander 101st Pursuit Flotilla, had spent the last 5 months chasing down individual rebel warships since the Uprising began. His current mission was to move along the edge of the Outworlds Alliance to disrupt any rebel transit of the region. Along with his SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Cruiser, he also had SLS Axe Handle, Kimagure Cruiser. Attached to them were 4 Dropships, 2 Elephant Tugs, modified to carry a Marine Regiment in each along with 2 Mule Dropships for supplies. His ships carried the 9918th and 9919th Marine Regiments for boarding purposes.
They searched every Jumpship they came across and also gleaned information from the ships crews during the searches. Reports of rebel shipping in the Thazi system had brightened the moods of his crews and embarked Marines. The 101st Pursuit Flotilla was on the hunt and hungry.
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Conferring with Major General Heinrich Rommel during the previous night, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had come to the realization that the space port needed to be cleared of Dropships, the number grounded here and the immediate area were just too tempting of a target. Between her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and the 322nd Armored Division, they detailed 2 Battalions of Infantry with 2 squads per Dropship to take the Dropships up to the captured transports. Today would be a spectacle, due to sheer number of launches. To maximize safety, she had pushed her perimeter out to 25km from the space port with assistance from the 322nd Armored Division. Today's launches would consist of the captured rebel Dropships:
36 Drost IIA Dropships
12 Triumph Dropships
15 Dictator Dropships
12 Lion Dropships
12 Union Dropships
8 Jumbo Dropships
They 322nd Armored Division, 277th Dragoon Regiment and 272nd Mechanized Infantry Divisions Dropships would remain to support the ground campaign.
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By the time the rebels are done counting all those launches, it'll be too late to nuke the spaceport.. good call by the SLDF commanders! :thumbsup:
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28 March 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Using the captured Dropship carrying capacity as a guide, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Divisions S2 personnel figured that the rebel forces on Pilon numbered:
13 Infantry Regiments
7 Battlemech Regiments
6 Armor Regiments
They then began the laborious attempt to figure out what remained for them to square off against. Counting destroyed rebel Battlemchs and Tanks was fairly easy and by nightfall they had come up with 362 rebel Battlemechs and 419 rebel Tanks destroyed. They estimated that 4 rebel Battlemech Regiments and 2 rebel Armor Regiments remained on Pilon. Aboard the various Dropships, repair crews were hard at work not only repairing Battlemech from the 277th Dragoon Regiment that had so far survived the battle, but also repairing another 16 recovered heavy and assault Battlemechs of the 277th Dragoon Regiment in an effort to return them to service. Under protection from 2 Engineer Companies turned Infantry, salvage teams were combing the many destroyed Battlemechs determining what could be salvaged. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had been convinced to bring down the Mammoth Dropship loaded with supplies and support personnel, but most important, the Divisions Battlemech recovery vehicles, 6 Wayland Mobile Bases and Company of Salvage Mechs. The moment the Mammoth had grounded, salvage teams had been formed to recover what they could.
While the recovery efforts continued, Aerospace fighters had swept continued to sweep the region around the space port and capitol out to 100km directing orbital fire whenever a large force of rebels was located in an effort to ensure the safety of the space port. The primary reason driving the slavage operation was that the 277th Dragoon Regiment, though down to 38 Battlmechs active, they had 68 Mechwarriors. The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division currently fielded 170 Battlemechs, but had 296 Mechwarriors available. Whenever a Battlemech was brought in, senior technicians evaluated the damage, and if need be, a salvage team would be directed to scour the various battlefields for the needed parts.
It did not take long to discover that while the majority of downed rebel Battlemechs were of "obsolete" designs like the Toro, Talos, Firebee, Pheonix and Gladiator there were also quite a few more modern designs.
29 March 2766
The growing number of recovered Battlemechs forced Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell to order her Command Dictator Dropship be retained to conduct repairs on fully operational modern Battlemechs of the 272nd and 277th. The technicians could use the Waylands and other Dropships as needed. The first repaired Battlemech left the repair gantry's by noon, a Guillotine GLT-3N from the 277th Dragoon Regiment after having it's head replaced with a salvaged Guillotine head who's engine was destroyed. Intel was recording serial numbers to determine where rebel equipment came from. Digging into their on hand data, it was noted that several recovered rebel Battlemechs and Tanks carried factory identifier's not recognized or recorded in their systems. Suspect Battlemechs all carried a "11 or 27" in the normal factory indentifier location, recovered Tanks carried a "7 or 4". Even studied ammunition, repair parts, infantry weapons, uniforms all carried the same identifiers. The only concensus the intel personnel could come to was someone had either gone to great lengths to hide the orginal factories or was operating previously unknown factoy complexes.
During the previous day's meeting between Lieutenant General Mitchell and Major General Rommel, they had both agreed that in their unit's current states, they would be hard pressed to completely subdue the rebel forces on planet. Though they really wanted to make an effort at it. Major General Rommel had been shocked to learn that SLDF command had not sent the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division to his aid, but that Lieutenant General Mitchell had taken it upon herself to bring her battered command to assist his troops. Medical personnel from the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division assisted the 322nd Armored Division and 277th Dragoon Regiment in treating their combined 2,328 wounded utilizing their combined MASH and 2 civilian hospitals in the capitol city. They also aided in treating another 4,539 wounded rebel prisoners.
Luderitz (Taurian Concordat)
Another week of heavy fighting had seen Major General Iris Carman and her 280th Mechanized Infantry Division being fought to a standstill. Her Division just did not have the needed strength to defeat the rebel forces and she had communicated that to Major General Harold Inim, commander LXVI Corps who had relayed to her that the 268th and 294th Mechanized Infantry Divisions were on the way to reinforce her Division. Until the new units arrived, she had ordered a halt to offenisve operations. The 280th Mechanized Infantry Division was down to 45% strength and had 1,328 wounded to care for.
Wildwood (Magistracy of Canopus)
Colonel Brandon Janees fired his Thug 11E's PPC's at a rebel Griffin that had strayed too close to the evacuating survivors of the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division boarding their Dropships. What had once been a fully staffed proud Division was now under a Brigade in strength. For 5 months, they had battled on this miserable planet, suffering several devestating WMD attacks in the process. As the ranking officer left alive, Colonel Janee's had finally ordered the Division to evacuate. Morale was rock bottom in the Division. Many felt that SLDF High Command did not care about them and had left them to die alone. Finally he recieved the signal that all survivors had boarded and they were ready to boost from the surface. He spun his Thug and pushed the throttles to max and ran for the Overlord Dropship.
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
4 Battlemech Company's
4 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
2 Artillery Company's
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The 173rd is in dire straits... hope they make it!
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28 March 2766
Sorsk (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, studied the small man seated before him. Ships Captain Martin Zuni was only 1.68 meters tall and weighed only 148lbs, age 46, he had been sailing the stars for 28 years, 16 of those as Ships Captain. He knew the Outworlds Alliance and Federated Suns Periphery border like the back of his hand, having travelled all the way to Mackolla several times during his years. Even carried cargo to New Delphi, but NEVER set foot on the surface of those cursed worlds.
"You said you met some friends of ours not long ago. Who and where did you meet them?" McGregor asked
"Why a couple of SLDF cruiser, carrying a load of Dropships, at the Zenith Point of Loikaw. Had a nice discussion with a Commodore Coltrain. Lovely lady." Zuni replied
"Commodore Coltrain give you any clue as to where they were heading?" McGregor asked, I am gonna have to pry the information from him.
"Nope, did not tell me where they were heading, not exactly anyway." Zuni responded
Taking a deep breath, Mcgregor asked again trying not to loose his temper "What does "not exactly" mean Mr Zuni?"
"Well, I told her that the rebels were pounding on some SLDF troops." Zuni said
"Please Mr Zuni, can you at least fill out the information you know I want so I don't have to pull it out of you?" McGregor said
"Pilon, them rebels were beating on the SLDF at Pilon. Three jumps from here. Told her about the rebels gathering a large force at Boulsi about to head over to Pilon and finish them off. Told her the area was getting a might too dangerous for me and my crew so we was heading to safer stars for a bit." Zuni replied
"Thank you Mr Zuni for elaborating." McGregor responded as his mind ran over several scenario's.
"Never been aboard a ship this huge. Boy, the cargo I could transport with this baby. Twenty-Five collars, I could make a fortune in one trip." Zuni said
"I doubt Commodore Gallonsa would part with her. We have lost contact with our highers, no longer any HPG's in range of us to relay messages, would you be willing to delver a message to the SLDF for me?" McGregor asked
"Them rebels been blowing up HPG stations all over the place. Not sure, I would hate to get caught with a message for the SLDF in my possession if boarded by them damned rebels." Zuni said bluntly
"I am going to take a huge chance with you Mr Zuni, just tell the SLDF we are going to Pilon and could use some help." McGregor said
"Be honest with you General, I am not doing a beeline with my ship. I am dancing all over the place trying to avoid any dangerous situations. It could be 6 months or longer before I get a message to the SLDF. Them rebels are thick as fleas along the border regions." Zuni said
"Just get word out to them. However long it takes. You and your ships safety comes first." McGregor responded
When Ships Captain Zuni had departed SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, Lieutenant General Colin McGregor made the long trip to the ships bridge. On arriving, he motioned for Commodore Gallonsa to join him as he moved to the displayed Star Map. When she arrived at his side, he pointed to Pilon "Set course for Pilon Commodore, best speed."
15 April 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
The past 2 weeks had seen light probing actions by the rebels along the long perimter that were easily thrown back by the SLDF defenders. The respite had allowed the SLDF forces to rest and rebuild their strength. Herculan efforts by the SLDF salvage and repair teams had seen the 277th Dragoon Regiment brought up to 2 full Battlemech Battalions with 4 volunteer mechwarriors from the 272nd MID joining the 277th Dragoon Regiment. The 272nd MID had added 3 full Battlemech Battalions to it's roster, allowing a full Light Battlemech Battalion to each Mechanized Infantry Brigade and giving the Battlemech Brigade 2 full Battlemech Regiments. Previously wounded soldiers had added 2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions back to the roster, transfering the 277th Dragoon Regiments Mechanized Infantry Battalion to the 272nd MID allowed 2721st Brigade to reach full strength.
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell now felt they had the strength to limited offenive operations against the rebel forces. At dawn, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser targeted a area identified by aerial spotting as possibly containing 2 rebel Battlemech Battalions and after a 15 minutes orbital bombardment, her 2723rd Battlemech Brigade led the SLDF push into the cratered area. As the Battlemech Regiments pushed thru the area seeking out targets, her 2721st Brigade followed close behind in their APC's along with their Light Battlemech Battalion. By nightfall, they had advanced another 34km when Lieutenant General Mitchell called a halt to the advance.
Maripa (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, blinked his eyes as the SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. One more jump to Pilon, he thought. Not knowing what they would find when they reached Pilon worried him. What of the SLDF forces there had moved on, what if the rebels had warships when they arrived, all of these questions pulsed thru his mind.
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16 April 2766
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, along with SLS Gareth and SLS Helmet, Essex Destroyers materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. With sensors clear, she ordered the ships to begin recharge operations. At least they were in occupied space which was much safer than in the Deep Periphery. She had attmepted a HPG message at the previous system but could never get a connection lock. Surely the small temper tantrum reported months ago in the Outworlds Alliance could not have disrupted the HPG grid, was all she had thought at the time.
It did not matter too much to her, all she wanted to do was get back to Quatra Belle and get some shore leave while her ship underwent some much needed maintenance. While she could perform any sort of maintenance on other ships, she could not dock herself. Per standard procedures, the ships navigator plotted an emergency jump, just in case, and transmitted the target information to both Destroyers.
Luderitz (Taurian Concordat)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, greeted Major General Harold Inim, commander LXVI Corps as he exited the shuttle that had delivered him to the space port where the 268th and 294th Mechanized Infantry Divisions were disembarking. "General Inim, I was surprised to get the message that you were coming personally."
"I thought it best I deliver the news personally Iris. Once the 268th MID relieves your Division, you are to embark your Division and proceed to Armington. General Kerensky has established a replacement base there. You will turn in your equipment and your personnel will await reassignment as replacements to other units that need them. The 280th Mechanized Infantry Division is being disbanded. Sorry Iris." Major General Inim said
The news hit Major General Carman like a sledgehammer. They were taking her Division away from her. "Sir, we are hurt but still above 40% strength. My people are like a family to me. I have had this Division for over 6 years. Can't we do anything to prevent this? Hell, ask to have my personnel transfered by sub unit at least, keep them together as best we can. Not this, not a damned replacement depot."
"Sorry Iris, there is nothing that can be done. I took the case up to 3rd Army and was told to send you to Armington. The orders have been given. Now, I think you had better prepare your Division for departure, I need to get the 268th and 294th Mechanized deployed. Dismissed." Major General Inim replied as he walked away.
Major General Carman just stood and watched the back of her Corps commander, who she had once thought of as a friend. A building anger was replacing her shock inside of her.
18 April 2766
She watched her Division board their Dropships for the trip up to their awaiting Jumpships. She could not, would not allow them to be broken up. In her left pocket was her written orders to report to Armington. In her right pocket was a set of orders for her Division to travel to Hope IV and that the transports were under her command until their mission was completed. She had worked for 3 hours the previous night making them perfect. No one was breaking up her Division.
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
2801st Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Mech Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 4 Lances
2802nd Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 5 Lances
2803rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Battalions
2804th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Armor Regiment - 1 Battalion
Artillery Regiment
Thor Battalion - 2 Company's
Chaparral Battalion - 2 Company's
Engineer Battalion - 1 Company
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 3 Squadrons
Aerospace Group - 2 Squadrons
Jump Infantry Battalion - 2 Company's
KIilled in Action - 3,011
Wounded in Action - 2,274
Transport
Colossus Dropships - 6
Czar Dropships - 6
Overlord Dropships - 6
Union Dropship - 1
Titan Dropships - 3
Lion Dropships - 4
Mammoth Dropships - 4
Star Lord Jumpships - 5
NP32 (Deep Periphery)
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division, was so sick of space travel. He knew his people felt the same way. They needed soem ground time. Over the weeks, the 2 squads of rebels acting as security had gotten lax. From the start, they had only allowed no more than 30 of his people onto the ships grav deck for 15 min each day. But the last 2 jumps, they had allowed the next group off their Dropship before the previous group was secured. All their small arms were locked down in the Star Lords cargo bays. Today, they would take the ship.
He led the his group of 29 infantry off the grav deck and headed for their Dropship, when he spotted the next group, again 30 infantry, he yelled "NOW!!" and the 14 rebels suddenly found the once complacent SLDF soldiers swarming them before they could bring their weapons to bear. Within a minute, all 14 rebels were dead. "Head for the cargo bay, get our weapons and arm our people. You 7, arm yourself with the rebel weapons and take engineering, you 6 come with me, we take the bridge."
It took 10 minutes before a member of the bridge crew finally opened the door to exit, and Colonel Quieg shoved his way onto the bridge armed with a laser pistol, followed by his 6 infantry. Before the ships captain could react, Colonel Quieg had the pistol at his head. "I believe you know what this means. We have the ship. Now, you behave yourself, and you live, misbehave and I will have you tossed out an airlock. We continue on course, but if we trip over a rebel ship, you all die before we do. Understand?"
"I understand. Look, we are just a civilian merchant ship. We got shanghaied by the rebels. We just want to get to safety, same as you." The ships captain replied
"Well, just to be safe, a squad will be on the bridge at all times and another in engineering." Colonel Quieg said
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Things are looking up for the forces on Pilon. Not so much for the 280th...
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Not saying much for the discipline in those units... then again the canon sources are pretty blunt about the "joined rebels", "unknown" (real unknown not joined ComStar, and destroyed units.
Nicely written so far. And a good explanation as to why the Periphery is so short of HPGs.
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Glad everyone is enjoying it. It always intrigued me on the number of "lost" units that just vanished, so it gave me the idea to try and make use of them in an AU.
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19 April 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
After several days of the limited offensive, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell called a halt to offensive operations. While touring the new defensive lines in her Pillager, a call over the radio brought her to a halt "Zeus Actual, this is Bravo One, we have a rebel party flying w white flag approaching our lines." She keyed the mic "Bravo One, Zeus Actual, I am on my way, send a party forward under white flag and see what they want."
Bravo One was Major Harry Estaban, commander 277th Dragoon Regiment. She pushed her Pillager into a run, she had just over 100km to reach the section of the perimeter the 277th was holding. Just over an hour later her radio called again "Zeus Actual, Bravo One, the rebels want to meet and discuss terms." Her mind ran thru several scenario's. One, they wanted to surrender, but why, we have hurt them, but have we hurt them that bad? Two, they want us to surrender, not going to happen.
"Roger, my eta is 18 minutes to your location." She responded as her Pillager kept up a steady 54km per hour speed.
She slowed her Pillager as she entered the rear area of the 277th Dragoon Regiment. She side stepped off the road to allow a small supply convoy to pass by. Entering the immediate area of the 277th Dragoon Headquarters area, she brought her Pillager to a stop and then knelt the 100 ton Mech. Popping her hatch, she descended the chain ladder with an agility that belied her 37 years of age. Reaching the ground, she spotted a small jeep approaching flying a white flag being escorted by a several Guillotine GLT-3N.
Bravo One, Major Harry Estaban, exited the small headquarters building he had been using and walked to stand beside Lieutenant General Mitchell. "Major, make sure you relocate your HQ as soon as this meeting is over. This could be a simple recon mission. Hate to loose you to a nuke. That jeep was searched I presume?" She said as the small rebel group dismounted from the jeep.
"Yes sir, the thought had already crossed my mind. I have a Infantry Battalion attached from the 322nd Armored, they checked it out before letting it close to our lines." He replied as both SLDF officers began walking to meet the rebel's. The oldest rebel pulled himself to attention "I am General Paul Kilgorian, commander of the opposing forces on this planet."
"Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander of 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. You wanted to speak General Kilgorian?" She responded, but not returning his salute.
"Yes, I would like to discuss surrender terms." General Kilgorian responded
"Well, the terms are quite simple, General Kilgorian. Your unconditional surrender. There are no other terms or conditions. Your people will be dsarmed and interned in prisoner of war camps until hostilities have ended and release terms are agreed upon by Higher Authorities. Your people will be treated according to the Laws of War." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"No negotiation then?" General Kilgorian asked
"None General. We have the strength to destroy your forces. It will take longer and cost more casualties to both sides, but your people will suffer much more than mine, that I promise you. I hold the high ground so to speak." She replied pointing to the heavens to make sure he understood her meaning.
"Your not giving me much to work with General Mitchell." General Kilgorian said
"I am giving you and your people life General. You obviously care for your soldiers or you would not be here talking with me. I care for my soldiers, and I will apply maximum firepower at my disposal to minimize my losses." Lieutenant General Mitchell replied
"No safe passage off planet?" General Kilgorian asked
"So that you and your command can go kill SLDF soldiers somewhere else? No General, that I will not allow. You and your people have but 2 choices, surrender and live or continue to fight and die. It is time to make a choice General Kilgorian." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
General Kilgorian was silent for a few minutes, he looked at the rebel officer to his left, they shared a look and Lieutenant General Mitchell thought she detected a "Please take the deal" look pass across the officers face in response to General KIlgorians look. Take the deal General, end the fighting here, she thought silently. Finally, General Kilgorian spoke.
"I formally surrender my forces to the Star League Defense Force. I propose a cease fire in place starting at 2300 tonight. Official surrender at 1500 tomorrow, if that would be acceptable to you General Mitchell?" General Kilgorian said
"That would be acceptable General Kilgorian. Cease fire in place at 2300 tonight and official surrender at 1500 tomorrow. But I will order my force to not engage any rebel forces not closer than 5km from my perimeter. A full cease fire will go into effect at 2300 tonight." Lieutenant General Mitchell said as both shook hands.
20 April 2766
As dawn broke over Pilon, SLDF Aerospace Fighters began their dailt recon sweeps. Quickly, radio calls came back announcing a column of rebel Battlemechs moving towards the space port estimated to be a reinforced Regiment in strength. Followed quickly by another sighting on the far side of the perimeter of an armored column also moving towards the space port. They continued to monitor, but had their orders to hold fire.
At 1500 hours, the rebel columns had reached the 1km range and halted their advance. Tense SLDF soldiers watched from their positions as the rebel Battlemech pilots dismounted their Battlemechs and formed into a semblance of a formation in front of their machines. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, alone, marched her Pillager across the small plain surrounding the space port and halted 200 meters from the assembled rebel Battlemechs. A rebel jeep moved from behind the Battlemechs and approached her Pillager, she could see General Kilgorian in the jeep, and though she sensed the surrender would go thru, she kept her weapons powered up and ready, just in case. Overhead, SLDF Aerospace Fighters loaded with ordanance circled at high altitude.
Lieutenant General Mitchell knelt her Pillager and descended the chain ladder. She confidently walked to General Kilgorian, even though deep inside she was not keen on being outside her Pillager this close to the enemy, reaching him, she returned the salute he gave her.
"Lieutenant General Mitchell, I hereby surrender my command to the forces of the SLDF." General Kilgorian said
"I accept your surrender General Kilgorian. Please have your people stand fast while I have my forces ready to recieve you people." She said and then she lifted her protable radio "Zeus Actual to all commands, execute Plan Alpha, I say again execute Plan Alpha." At her orders, the Mechanized Infantry from 2721st and 2722nd Brigades moved from their posisitions to secure the rebels. Within minutes, they had begun the process of securing the prisoners, searching them, recording names and moving them into formations for transport to 4 massive warehouses at the space port being converted into a makeshift holding area by Engineers until a proper detention facility could be constructed.
Lieutenant General Mitchell turned back to General Kilgorian "Now that the fighting has ended, tell me General Kilgorian, why surrender now?"
"Simple, we were almost out of supplies, your first orbital bombardment not only destroyed a full Battlemech Regiment but it also destroyed several convoys moving the majority of our supplies and ammunition from the space port as your ships were coming in. I was too confident and kept the supplies at the space port instead of dispersing them. When I did, it was too late." General Kilgorian stated
"I see. We all have learned some hard lessons during this war. If you would follow me in your jeep General, we will return to my headquarters to discuss other things over some coffee." She said and then turned to walk back to her Pillager.
Three hours later, after General Kilgorian had been processed, he was brought to Lieutenant General Mitchell's small command post and shown into her small office. Inside with her were, Major General Heinrich Rommel, Major Harry Estaban and both S2's from the 272nd MID and 322nd Armored Division. "Please General Kilgorian, have a seat. We have some questions for you." She said as she gestured to a chair.
As he took the seat, she continued "First, I want to thank you for the way your people have remained cooperative. I have not recieved any reports of resistence. The holding area is just temporary and I have better facilities being constructed right now. Are there any forces on the other continents?"
"No General Mitchell. After the initial attacks by the forces before my arrival, all SLDF forces were here at the space port and capitol. I saw no need in garrisoning the other continents." Kilgorian answered
"Good. Major Estaban, please take your 277th Dragoon's and attached Infantry and conduct a sweep of the other continents to be sure please. Also check and see what any civilians might need in the way of support and such." Then back to Kilgorian "Any idea what forces are in the surrounding systems?"
This made General Kilgorian squirm a little before answering "General Mitchell, I am afriad I must decline to answer that. Even if I knew, I would not tell you that. Same as you would not tell me the locations of SLDF forces if our positions were reversed. I will answer questions pertaining to this planet and this planet only. Surely you understand that."
"Very well General Kilgorian. If you would accompany my S2's, they would like the locations of any supply depots you might have established and such." She responded and pointed out the 2 waiting S2's. Once General Kilgorian was led away, Major General Heinrich Rommel took the now empty chair. She spoke first "What are your orders General. You gave me command of this campaign, it is over and you outrank me."
"Look Rita, I think in our current situation, my outranking you has nothing to do with anything. I am enough of an officer to know a better tactician when I meet one. You have handled this campiagn briliantly. But since you asked, I think we need to secure Boulsi and Thazi, both are good food producers that feed most of this region with their excess production, the fighting here has hurt food production pretty badly." Major General Rommel said
"Very well sir, I will ready my command to proceed to Boulsi. We will inventory the captured rebel equipment and draw what we need from there." General Mitchell replied
"Take the 277th Dragoon Regiment with you. I think my 322nd Armored Division can handle things here. Have the people bring down the captured crews and I will detain them on the surface. If you need them, I will attach some of my Dropship crews to your forces. Also, take my second HPG equipped Mobile HQ, at least once your on the ground, we can keep in touch." Major General Rommel said
"I will gladly use them sir. At least enough that I can properly combat load my Division. Do you think there is any way to repair the HPG station here?" She replied
"I am not sure, now that the fighting is over, I have ordered some of the people from the HPG station that survived to head over, with an escort, and take a look. We know there is no functioning HPG in range of us anyway. Not within 50LY anyway. Boulsi and Thazi both have recharge stations at the Nadir Jump Points, so be prepared for them. Or at least they did before all the ruckus out here." Major General Rommel said
"I will make sure Commodore Coltrain is ready for them. I will make sure both warships have a charge left to rapidly return here if needed. Until we reach higher command, I will limit my operations to only Boulsi and Thazi. I am not leaving you out here alone." General Mitchell stated
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23 April 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
The inventory of surrendered rebel equipment was finalized. Recovery and salvage of equipment continued across the now silent battlefields. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell was looking over the inventory lists.
Rebel Equipment Surrendered
24 Thunderbolt TDR-5S
12 Archer ARC-2R
24 Toro TR-A-6
12 Stinger STG-3R
36 Phoenix PX-3R
19 Talos TLS-1B
72 Merkava MkVIII
36 Marsden IIA
26 LVT-4 Hover
17 Ballista Artillery
46 Towed Sniper
63 Tracked Heavy APC
22 Jeeps
6 Sherpa Mobile HQ
30 Sherpa MASH
24 Sherpa Field Kitchens
122 Sherpa Fuel Tankers
244 Sherpa Cargo
66 Flatbed Trucks
16 Coolant Trucks
Prisoners
Mechwarrior - 177
Armor Crew - 957
Infantry - 8,960
Support - 11,257
Dropship Crew - 2,518
Jumpship Crew - 642
She was making marks on the list on what to send where. Most of the equipment would go to the 322nd Armored Division. The Coolant Trucks and the Battlemechs would travel with her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division (MID). A knock brought her head up, "Emergence wave incoming General, a really big one. Commodore Coltrain is making ready to intercept it. Coming in at the Zenith Jump Point."
"Alert all commands, possible incoming enemy forces, bring everyone up to full alert." She ordered, just what we need, another damned enemy force with 2 Battalions of Infantry guarding the prisoners. Numbers still to grow as the Jumpship and Dropship prisoners were still on their way to the surface from the Nadir Jump Point.
In orbit, Commodore Barbara Coltrain had ordered SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser to head for a pirate point 3 hours away while the SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser recalculated jump coordinates for the Zenith Jump Point. When the navigator nodded, Commodore Mike Henderson gave the order "Jump".
SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport emerged at the Zenith Jump Point and it's sensors registered a emergence wave. "General Quarters, launch all dropships. Weps prepare for possible action." Commodore Sandra Gallonsa, commander SLS Salvation, Potemkin Transport ordered
When SLS Conroy materialized 1500km away, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Hail them and find out what the hell is going on." Commodore Sandra Gallonsa ordered
Aboard SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, Commodore Mike Henderson studied the massive Potemkin Transport and the flood of Dropships on his ships radar screen. "Sir, we are being hailed by the SLS Mighty Lift." Comms reported
"Mighty Lift, this is Commodore Mike Henderson, SLS Conroy. Glad to see you, you gave us quite a stir. Please tell me your our relief?" He asked
"Negative Commodore, we are transporting what is left of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. We had to abandon our last station and heard you folks might need some help, so here we are." Commodore Sandra Gallonsa answered
"Roger that, the folks on the ground needed the help for awhile, but things settled down in a hurry a few days ago. We will escort you to the planet. I need to pass the information on to Commodore Coltrain in orbit." Commodore Mike Henderson said
28 April 2766
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell and Major General Heinrich Rommel greeted Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, as he disembarked from Dictator Dropship. He saluted Major General Rommel "126th Mechanized Infantry Division reporting in sir." Major General Rommel returned the salute.
"Glad to have you here. And judging by the Dropships not unloading, your Division has seen better days." Major General Rommel replied
"Yes sir, we got hammered pretty bad. We are down to 7 Battalions of Mech Infantry, a single Battlemech Regiment and 2 Regiments of Tanks. I still have 1,187 wounded being treated. I have 109 Battlemechs but 291 Mechwarriors. We managed to return enough infantry to duty to field 3 extra Battalions than when we boosted." Lieutenant General Colin McGregor answered
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell finally spoke "We might be able to help with that situation. We seem to have more Battlemechs than pilots. Why don't we head for my office and discuss things."
Once everyone was seated, each command told their tale. Finally, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell said the obvious "The damned rebels sure are effective at taking out the HPG's. Seems to be their very first target. Now, we are secure here on Pilon but we are currently preparing to head for Boulsi and clear that planet of rebel forces. Major General Rommel and the 322nd Armored Division is staying here on Pilon. I am taking my 272nd MID and 277th Dragoon to Boulsi. Is your Division ready to fight?"
"Yes, we would not be here if we weren't. We are understrength, actually below what regulations state as the level for combat ineffective and should be slated for disbandment." Lieutenant General Colin McGregor said
"We will hold off that for now. Folding you into my 272nd would make the Division way too unwieldy. Let's start distributing some equipment and see where your Division stands and then we will discuss things more. Let's get your command bedded down and tomorrow, we start issuing equipment." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
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1 May 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, Major General Heinrich Rommel, Major Harry Estaban and Lieutenant General Colin McGregor had gathered to work on the planned invasion of Boulsi. Many adjustments and troop transfers had been conducted and the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division into decent shape. There had been some disagreements, like Lieutenant General Colin McGregor protest when Lieutenant General Mitchell had "ordered" him to trasfer a full Battalion of Mechwarriors to the 277th Dragoon Regiment being the Regiment to full strength.
Major General Rommel had convinced Lieutenant General Mitchell to allow him to transfer most of his Infantry to the 126th MID, in exachange he would absorb the wounded Infantry from the 126th MID as they returned to duty. Walking wounded could guard prisoners almost as well as fully fit soldiers. Even with the small protests, eventually they all agreed it was for the best all around. Finally, they had a restructured force almost ready to deploy.
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
2721st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Merkava Mk VIII
Light Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2722nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Manticore
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Burke
Light Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2723rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battalions
Armor Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Long Tom - 1 Battalion
Thumper - 1 Battalion
Arrow - 1 Battalion
Engineer Battalion - 2 Company's
272nd Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Aerospace Wing - 2 Squadrons
Fixed Conv Wing - 1 Squadron
277th Dragoon Regiment
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battalions
Infantry Battalion - 1 Jump Infantry Battalion, 12 Heavy Tracked APC
Artillery Company - 12 Ballista
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
1262 Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 2 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Von Luckner (sl)
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's
1263 Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
1264 Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Artillery Regiment
1 Battalion of Long Tom
1 Battalion of Thor
1 Battalion of Padilla/Chaparral
Cavalry Battalion - 3 LAM Company's, 1 Infantry Company, 1 Hover Company (Maxim)
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Wing - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Wing - 2 Squadrons
Engineer Battalion
Jump Infantry Battalion - 1 Battalion
The 322nd Armored Division, much to the armor crews, transfered better tanks and got Merkava Mk VIII and Marsden IIA's in exchange. The 272nd MID transfered their LAM Company to the 126th to reform their Cavalry Battalion. Currently it was the best they could do, but it gave each command a decently powerful force. Not all of the Mechwarriors were happy with their rides, but at least they were in Battlemechs and not assigned to the Infantry, which what several were threatened with when they bitched a little too loudly about being assigned Toro and Talos Battlemechs.
With the captured Jumpship fleet disabled, the removed equipment had been sent to the planets surface, only the 3 Warships would make the jump to Boulsi, no one wanted to risk using any of the captured Jumpship crews, not even the ones that swore they were shanghaied merchant crews during questioning. The invasion of Boulsi was slated for 1 June 2766 to give the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division additional ground time.
Zetang (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, along with SLS Gareth and SLS Helmet, Essex Destroyers materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. Everyone had been surprised to find the Olympus Recharge Station at the previous system, Shira, destroyed and the systems HPG not operating. They had still not been able to get a lock on any functional HPG with their onboard HPG. This had alarmed all 3 ships captains. They planned to replenish foor and water stocks at Achnoly, where the 200th Royal Light Horse was stationed. Maybe then they could get some answers.
Brisbane (Federated Suns)
Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, aboard SLS McKenna's Pride, McKenna Battleship, was not in a very good mood. Even though the SLDF was slowly turning the tide on the Uprising, reports of desertions from the Replacement Depots on Armington, Stratford and Umka was disturbing. Many units reported entire sub units just disappearing when they arrived at a new Jump Point in a different system. He double compared the list of commands and their "lost" sub units.
Armington (Federated Suns)
129th Battlemech Division - 3rd Army - 18 Mechwarrior, 491 Inf deserted
263rd Battlemech Division - 4th Army - 22 Mechwarrior, 338 Inf deserted
238th Mechanized Infantry Division - 4th Army - 1 BM Company rogue
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division - 4th Army - 2 Mixed Regiment (2 BM, 3 Inf) rogue
262nd Battlemech Division - 6th Army - 1 BM Battalion declared TC
81st Mechanized Infantry Division - 7th Army - 2 Regiments (1 BM, 1 Inf)
36th Infantry Division - 19th Army - 1 Mixed Regiment (2 BM, 1 Inf) declared TC
161st Mechanized Infantry Division - 19th Army - 1 Battlemech Regiment declared for TC
251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division - 19th Army - 1 BM Battalion rogue
192nd Jump Infantry Division - 19th Army - 1 Inf Regiment rogue
Stratford (Federated Suns)
284th BattleMech Division - 15th Army - 2 BM Battalions rogue
208th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 1 Mixed Regiment (1 BM, 2 Inf) rogue
165th Mechanized Infantry Division - 16th Army - 2 BM Battalions rogue
247th Heavy Assault Regiment - 16th Army - 32 Mechwarrior deserted
298th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 2 Mixed Regiment (2 BM, 4 Inf) rogue
201st Battle Regiment - 16th Army - 1 BM Company rogue
318th BattleMech Division - 16th Army - 1 Mixed Regiment (1 BM, 2 Inf) rogue
370th BattleMech Division - 20th Army - 2 Inf Battalion rogue
335th Royal Dragoon Regiment - 20th Army - 1 BM Company rogue
200th Mechanized Infantry Division - 20th Army - 1 BM Battalion declared OA
428th BattleMech Division - 20th Army - 1 BM Regiment rogue
Umka (Free World League)
48th Jump Infantry Division - 9th Army - Mixed Regiment (2 BM, 1 Inf) declared MoC
29th Mechanized Infantry Division - 12th Army - 3 Inf Regiment rogue
200th Mechanized Infantry Division - 12th Army - 1 Inf Regiment rogue
186th Mechanized Infantry Division - 13th Army - 1 BM Regiment declared MoC
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division - 13th Army - 1 BM Battalion rogue
38th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment - 17th Army - 1 BM Battalion rogue
605th Battle Regiment - 17th Army - 27 Mechwarrior deserted
265th Mechanized Infantry Division - 17th Army - 1 BM Regiment rogue
108th Mechanized Infantry Division - 17th Army - 1 Mixed Regiment (2 BM, 1 Inf) rogue
The absolute worst the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division had simply vanished, never showing up at Baltor to link up with a warship escort. So far, searches had failed to locate any trace of them. He knew the orders to disband had been a very unpopular order, but never had it crossed his mind that this many soldiers or units would just vanish. He had no choice but to issue orders to destroy the rogue commands as they were discovered. He would focus on locating and destroying them once the Uprising was put down.
Argos (Periphery)
The 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, long suspected of black market dealings by SLIC, after a murderous fight with rebels on New Abilene in late 2765, had pulled out and voted to call it quits enmass. The 54th had been savaged in the fight, suffering multiple nuclear attacks. The survivors wanted no part of anymore fighting or the SLDF. With all senor commanders killed in a nuclear fireball during a ill planned briefing, they had voted Captain Olivia Daniels as acting commander. Charasmatic, tough, she was well respected within the command.
54th Mechanized Infantry Division
541st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
543rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Battalions
544th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 1 Company Thor, 1 Company Padilla
Engineer Battalion - 2 Company's
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Group - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Group - 2 Squadrons
Engineer Battalion - 1 Company
Jump Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
-
Just a heads up, I will be throwing some of the Canon Timeline off. Seems the writers sort of tossed the rule book out when comes to travel times. No way can the SLDF redeploy from the Tuarian Concordat in 3 months time. So I will be delaying the Rim Worlds invasion until roughly October 2767, possibly first of 2768.
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Mitchell is only 37? I suspect that was a typo for 47 (which is itself a bit young for Flag rank)...
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oops, yeah was supposed to be 47.
Course, I think Kerensky was in his 30's when he took over as Commanding General so I could leave it.
Yep, he was 38 when he took over Commanding General of the SLDF
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Oy... TPTW were obviously not very old when they wrote that. 38 was WAY to young to ascend that far...
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Well it explains how amateurish a lot of the tactics were...
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15 May 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Aboard SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Cruiser, Commodore William Blythe shook off the effects of the double jump into the Nadir Jump Point. He had taken a zig zag course getting here, hitting 5 systems. It had covered a large swath of territory. As the ships sensors came back online, they quickly detected hostile inbounds. "General Quarters, weps fire as targets present themselves. Launch the fighters and kick the Dropships loose, tell them to head for the surface until this is over. Sensor, what do we have."
"No friendly IFF on any contacts. Magnifying now, I show 2 Dart Cruisers and 3 Lola II Destoyers." The sensor officer reported.
"Darts? Last one I ever heard of was destroyed over 40 years ago. Okay, we have a serious fight on our hands. We are outnumbered but not really outgunned. Better tell the Dropships to make the best speed they can tolerate in case something gets past us." He checked the ships plot quickly and keyed the secure laser comm to SLS Axe Handle, Kigamure Cruiser "Helen, Will, we take the lead Dart first, she's a short range brawler so let's try and keep our distance, pound her to scrap and take her out of the fight quick as we can. We have tp cover the Dropships, so nothing get's past us."
"Roger that Will, remember a week ago, you was griping about the lack of worthy foes and I told you to be careful what you wish for? Well I told you so."
"Yeah, me and my big mouth. We survive this, I owe you a big kiss and a beer. Now let's get down to business Helen."
"Roger that Will, you all take care. Let's do this." Commodore Helen Buros replied
Three hours later, the lead Dart Cruiser launched a 4 Killer Whales from it's nose launchers. All 4 Killer Whales were targeted on SLS Hatchet. Only a single Killer Whale made it past SLS Hatchet's point defense guns. It failed to penetrate but shaved some armor. "Helm, when weps gives that Dart our nose guns, boost us to 3g's to rapidly unmask our left broadside. Comm, relay to Axe Handle what we are going to do and to follow us. Arms reach people, we hold her at arms leangth and pound them."
The Dart launched another volley of Killer Whales as it passed into extreme followed by it's twin nose NL/45. Only a single NL/45 lashed the Kigamure Cruiser, the Killer Whales never made it past the point defense guns. "Firing nose." Weps announced. SLS Hatchet fired 4 HNPPC and 4 MNPPC at the incoming Dart. Superior training paid off as 3 HNPPC and all 4 MNPPC blasted the Dart's nose removing almost 70% of the Dart's armor. SLS Hatchet accelerated and began turning to unmask it's broadside. The Dart began to adjust course, desperately trying to close the distance.
"Firing broadside, there goes Axe Handle." Weps announced. SLS Axe Handle had cut loose with it's nose bays and it's 4 HNPPC and 4 MNPPC had scored 2 HNPPC and 3 MNPPC on the Darts FRS arc and removed a massive amount of armor. SLS Hatchet fired it's left broadside which would put incredible strain on the ships heat sinks. Eight HNPPC and 4 MNPPC lashed out at the Dart, scoring 3 HNPPC and 3 MPPC on the already heavily damaged nose. Two HNPPC blasted the remaining armor off the Dart while a single HNPPC smashed into the Dart's Bridge section, the 3 MNPPC burrowed deep into the Dart Cruiser heavily damaging it's K-F Drive. SLS Axe Handle, following the manuever of SLS Hatchet sent a broadside into the Dart Cruiser 3 HNPPC and 4 MNPPC lashed the Dart's right side heavily damaging the FRS and RBS.
"Helm, hard to starboard, let's keep the Dart's damaged side in our arcs, Comm signal Axe Handle to follow us around."
SLS Hatchet took 2 Killer Whales to it's ARS as the second rebel Dart entered the fight. SLS Hatchet let loose with it's right broadside at the heavily damaged Dart, multiple NPPC's penetrated it's already damaged armor, and the Dart's engines flickered out. Verifying the secure laser still had a lock, he keyed the mic "Helen, she's powerless, let's go chew the other Dart up, those Lola II are getting a little too close." He then said "Helm, angling us to port, we are shifting targets."
Another volley of Killer Whales came in with 2 making past the point defenses blasting armor from SLS Hatchet. SLS Hatchet shuddered suddenly as the heavily damaged Dart fired it's NAC/25 and NAC/30's at the very edge of their range, managing to score a single NAC/25 and single NAC/30 hit. In return, both SLS Hatchet and SLS Axe Handle returned fire on the heavily damaged Dart scoring multiple hits. Soon, escape pods began launching from the Dart. Returning attention to the other Dart, Commodore Blythe winced as he mentally calculated the closing distance and realized that his ship would pass well within range of the Dart's naval cannons. "Helm, give me everything we have, high speed pass, let's make his targeting as hard as we can."
SLS Hatchet cut loose with it's nose bays and NPPC fire lashed the Dart, scoring hits that ripped armor from it's nose and FRS arcs. A volley of Killer Whales launched from the Dart followed by it's NAC/20 in the nose. SLS Hatchet shuddered as it shed massive amounts of armor under the impact. Hatchet's return fire slammed into the Dart FRS arc, once again removing massive sheets of armor. Commodore Blythe was mentally calculating the the angles as the Dart started angling. Both ships passed by at high speed lashing each other with weapons fire. NPPC fire from SLS Hatchet hammered the Dart but the Dart's return fire with NAC/25 and NAC/30 slammed into the Hatchet. Commodore Blythe checked the damage control screen and saw the blinking light on his K-F Drive. Shit, went thru his head as they rapidly passed from range of the Dart, once again letting it have some NPPC fire which removed more armor. Fire from SLS Axe Handle pounded the damaged Dart, several shots burrowing deep into the wounded Cruiser.
Commodore Blythe keyed the engine room "Chief I need a damage report on the Drive, I am showing it damaged."
"It sure is, I think that last volley cracked the hell out of it. I know it damaged the Helium seals, we have a leak from hell down here we are working to contain. No jumping for us for awhile, better win the fight sir." Came the response
"Helm, start breaking us some. Looks like those Lola II's have poured on the coals and are closing fast. Start angling us to port and we will give them a nice welcome as they come in." He switched to the secure laser "Helen, I took some hits that took my jump drive out."
"Roger, I have some scratched paint so will take the lead on the Lola's inbound. Second Dart is launching escape pods."
"Lead Lola almost in range, coming on fast." Weps announced and a minute later "Firing."
Angled just right, SLS Hatchet overloaded it's heat sinks as it let loose with it's RFS and RBS arcs on the lead Lola II. Eight HNPPC and 6 MNPPC lashed out from SLS Hatchet reaching out for the onrushing Lola II. Commodore Blythe watched as the Lola II seemed to collapse into itself before breaking apart as the massive volley ripped the Destroyer apart. He caught sight of SLS Axe Handle passing by at high speed in an effort to shield her damaged sister ship, NPPC fire lashing out at the next Lola II. Missiles leaped from the Lola II and sensor's registered the signature "NUKES!!!" The sensor operator yelled. Both remaining Lola II had launched 4 Santa Ana at the onrushing SLDF Cruiser. Two made it past point defenses, but neither penetrated the dense armor but it they heavily damaged it. Commodore Blythe watched in horror as SLS Axe Handle plowed straight into a Lola II Destroyer and both ships were instantly destroyed, not a single escape pod launched.
Holding back the tear, Commodore Blythe ordered "Weps, please remove that Lola II from my sight." Without even acknowledging the order, fire was concentrated on the remaining Lola II until it was destroyed. "Comm, recall the Dropships, board the Dart's and secure them. Launch the shuttles, get SAR started. Helm, bring us around so that we can provide overwatch for the Marines. Then we go take that damned recharge station."
17 May 2766
SLS Hatchet was currently 800km from the Olympus Recharge Station which had 2 full Battalions of SLDF Marines onboard taking control of it. Yesterday, the Marines had secured both Dart Cruisers and the Elephant Tugs had brought both under control and they both were currently 1000km off SLS Helmet's starboard side. A voice made him turn "Commodore, damage report. Our drive is cracked bad, it must have been building up micro cracks from all the jumps, the helium seals have let go, but we have a spare and it is currently being replaced. But I would not advise any jumps. Probably shatter the core." Chief Engineer Whitney reported
"Thanks Chief. Looks like we are stuck here for now." Commodore Blythe replied
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Talk about a pyrrhic victory...
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19 May 2766
Tanz (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, acting commander 211th Hussar Regiment, sat aboard SLS Night Jumper, Tramp LF Jumpship. Months of space travel, most of it without warship escort, not here they were, still without an escort. They had arrived at Vangburg to find that the 91st Royal Jump Infantry Division had already put down the uprising on Vangburg and surrounding systems. Now they had orders to check on the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division on Blommestein and 126th Mechanized Infantry Division on Ambatomainty. After resupplying on Vangburg, they had set out on their new mission. Not a single soldier of the 211th Hussar Regiment was very happy about once again sailing around the Outworlds Alliance without an escort force. After losing the 2 Compnay's from 1st Battlemech Battalion, he had renamed the Battalions, 1st and 2nd Battalion. The 211th Hussar Regiment had an Armor Battalion and Mechanized Infantry Batalion attached. He had taken his Company and renamed it Command Company.
211th Hussar Regiment
Command Company - 1 Ostwar OWR-2Mb, 11 Flashman FLS-8K
1st Battlemech Battalion - 24 Lancelot LNC25-01sl, 12 Excaliber EXC-B2
2nd Battlemech Battalion - 24 Guillotine GLT-3N, 12 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Armor Battalion - 36 Zephyr Hover Tanks
Mechanized Infantry Battalion - 9 Mech Inf, 12 Turhan
5 Tramp LF Jumpships
6 Union Dropship
2 Lion Dropship
2 Mule Dropships
As a Gunslinger graduate, he had managed to get his hands on an old but fully upgraded Ostwar which he made sure was lovingly maintained. Even though Colonel Namath, RIP, had constantly bitched about how much it complicated the command's maintenance problems. He had always won the arguments, mainly because Colonel Namath could not fault his gunnery scores nor his companies. His company had maintained some of the highest readiness scores during evaluations.
Waitur (Outworlds Alliance)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni had finally managed to safely worm his way towards the Federated Suns. Two more jumps and he would have his Merchant Jumpship safely at Inner End in the Federated Suns. He would then fulfill his promise to Lieutenant General Colin McGregor by taking the shuttle down to the surface and hand delivering the encoded message to the SLDF troops there. They might not be regular SLDF, but virtually every planet had a reserve component of the SLDF on it. Sometimes just a Infantry Battalion of reservists. But they were SLDF all the same and his promise would be fulfilled.
Once his promise was fulfilled, he would be free to make some money. He figured he would play in or near the Federated Suns until things cooled off enough to resume traveling in the Outworlds Alliance. Maybe make a trip down to New Port Royal, he knew some beautiful women down there and it was basically anything goes out there.
Deep Space (Between Luderitz and Hope IV)
Once again, Commodore Richard Devall had summoned Major General Iris Carman to his small cramped quarters/office. After being let in, she took the offered seat, attaching the restraints to keep her from floating out. "General Carman, I have been in the SLDF 14 years and I have carried your 280th MID for 4 years. I know you too well. Tell me what is really going on. There is no way Command would send us way out here, not without a escort."
"You saw the orders Commodore, we are just following them. I don't question my orders." Major General Carman replied
Commodore Devall reached into a small drawer and pulled out the orders she had given him. "Yes, these very orders. Quite good fakes, but you missed one small important detail, the order number, it is exactly the same order number as the one ordering us to Luderitz. Now, exactly what the hell is going on?"
Major General Carman had dreaded this day, prayed it would never come, but here it was, today was the day. "They were going to disband my Division. Take my people away and scatter them to the winds. Not even fold them into our sister Divisions in the Corps. Just willy nilly toss them around. I could not let that happen. I have had the 280th for 7 years. Just get us to Hope IV Richard. That is all I ask, once there, I will inform the Division and even your people of what is exactly going on, any that want to leave, they will be free to leave. As much as it pains me, I will let them go. I cannot watch my people get fed into a meatgrinder again." A few tears floated from her eyes.
"Alright General Carman. I will get your Division to Hope IV. I cannot promise I will stick around after that. The SLDF is my home and I love it dearly." Commodore Devall stated
"It's all I ask of you. I to love the SLDF, but I love my troops more. I buried 60% of my Division on Luderitz, that weighs heavily on me every day. Thank you Richard." Major General Carman said
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25 May 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
All the rebel prisoners were secured aboard the Olympus Recharge Station under guard by SLDF Marines. For 3 days, engineers from SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser had been aboard the captured Dart Light Cruisers conducting damage surveys. Now, Chief Engineer Whitney was briefing Commodore William Blythe on what they had learned.
"Dart One, has a basically destroyed Jump Core. She will not jump again anytime soon. Entire Core has to be replaced. She has some serious armor loss and damage to her internal structure. Her CIC/Bridge took a good hit, but that could be repaired. Her engine room is a mess, looks like a shot burrowed all the way in and really messed things up in there. One reactor is totally fried. She lost 2 Docking Collars and no spares. Good news, she was carrying several spare reactors and roughly 9,000 tons of replacement armor. She was loaded for an extended campaign with little to no shipyard support. She is chock full of replacement parts, but alas, no Jump Core. We managed to get into her computer systems and we found that she is a new build. This is no left over, someone, somewhere is actually building new Dart Light Cruisers.
Dart Two, we detected some micro cracks in the Jump Core, enough to cause concern, and if it was a SLDF ship, she would be in the yards for replacement of the Core. Like Dart One, she lost a ton of armor, some structural damage, but fixable. She lost a few weapons, but she has spares aboard. One thing about the Dart, she has good cargo space, unlike our Kimagure which can barely carry the food we need for an extended patrol. She could jump in an emergency, but personally, I would not advise it. The damage is not as severe as on Hatchet, but I think any jump will probably end badly. Her engines took a few hits, but we think they can be fixed back up. She lost a single Docking Collar also. We also got into her computer system, unlike Dart One which is a new build, Dart Two was built in 2402. But she has seen some extensive refurbishing, there is a ton of new equipment aboard her. Her computer systems have all been upgraded. Like Dart One, her cargo bay is packed with spare parts and replacement armor, weapons and ammunition. Loaded for an extended campaign away from shipyard support.
Now, for my baby here. I already told you we cannot jump. Not without risk of destroying the Jump Core. In another 2 weeks, we will have the Helium Tank seals replaced. We can replace our armor, but without shipyard support, it will take a long while, 3 months at least. It will exhaust our stock of replacement armor and be a royal pain in the butt to do without shipyard support. It really is not something I am looking forward to. We have to rig up the portable cranes to maneuver the armor plates and those portable cranes are major headaches to use and assemble. They were one of the reasons the SLDF built the Newgrange Yardships. Not to mention forming the damned Ferro-Carbide sheets is a major royal pain in the butt, I cannot stress that enough, another reason the SLDF built the Newgrange Yardships. I am just thankful we are not clad in Lamellor Ferro-Carbide, talk about being difficult to work with. The only other damage is to one of our Docking Collars, it is not destroyed totally, but it is beat up bad enough that I would not trust it, but we ain't jumping anywhere soon so that is minor." Chief Engineer Whitney concluded his briefing
"Would more people help with the armor replacement?" Commodore Blythe asked
"More people are always better, but they need to know what they are doing, experienced working in Zero-G. I could put the Marines to use, but they are going to pitch a major fit about it, they know Zero-G, but I would bet big money not a single one of them have any experience repairing a ship." CE Whitney replied
"Well, we happen to have 212 rebel crew we captured. Surely we could put them to work." Commodore Blythe said
"Sir, with respect and all that, I would not trust a single one of them near my baby. We will handle the repairs. You will just have to put up with my bitching." CE Whitney said
"Fine Chief, I will just pray you complete repairs before we get into another fight out here." Commodore Blythe replied
Waitur (Outworlds Alliance)
The emergence wave caused Ships Captain Martin Zuni no small amount of panic when it was detected, they needed another 8 hours to complete recharging their drive. When the Tramp Jumpship materialized 12,000km away and began broadcasting SLDF IFF, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was not long before his ship was hailed by the SLS Forever Journey, Tramp Jumpship.
"Merchant Jumpship, this is SLS Forever Journey, how copy over."
"This is Merchant Vessel Daring the Odds, I have you load and clear Forever Journey." Ships Captain Zuni replied
"Roger Daring, we are looking for a intel dump of the area."
Ships Captain Zuni thought about this for a few seconds, "Forever Journey, how about you shuttle over to my ship and I can show you what I know."
There was a longer pause before the answer cam back "Roger Daring, expect our shuttle in about an hour. Forever Journey out."
Just a hair over an hour later, the SLDF shuttle entered Daring the Odds' shuttle bay where 4 SLDF officers exited and we led to meet Ships Captain Zuni. On the grav deck, Ships Captain Zuni introduced himself "Ships Captain Martin Zuni at your service."
"I am Major Stanton Emerson, commander SLS Forever Journey. This is Colonel Elizabeth McCord, Major Jose Ferrera and Major Tim Ronstein, 298th Battlemech Division."
"Your missing a bunch of ships Major Emerson. Only 2 Dictator and a Czar Dropship, that is all that is left of a Battlemech Division?" Zuni asked
There was a slight pause before Major Emerson answered "We are detached from the Division. Recon mission. So, what can you tell us about the immediate area?"
"Before we go there, I need to pass on a message." He pulled out the encoded message given to him by Lieutenant General Colin McGregor and handed it over "This was given to me by Lieutenant General Colin McGregor of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, I met up with them at Sorsk. When I told him about another SLDF unit I suspected was heading to Pilon to help out another SLDF unit trapped, he made me promise to pass on their location to the SLDF. I have now done so and can get back to my business."
Major Emerson tucked the message into his pocket "Thank you, we will make sure this gets to the proper people. Now, what does the immediate area look like?"
"Well, a few months ago, the rebels were kicking the crud out of the SLDF on Pilon. They also held Boulsi and Thazi for sure. I got searched by a Outworlds Pinto at Coyle. Talking to a few other Merchant Captains I met along the way, it looks like the rebels are pushing inward towards the center of the Outworlds Alliance. If the SLDF hugs the outer systems, they should be able to get to Pilon and the other SLDF troops there without much fuss." Ships Captain Zuni said
"Can you show me the exact route you took and systems you passed thru, it would be of great help to us." Major Emerson asked
"Sure" Captain Zuni said as he pulled up a Star Map on his portable pad. He traced out the route he took, rebel sightings for over 45 minutes.
"Thank you Captain Zuni, you have been a huge help. And on behalf of the Star League Defense Force, thank you for fulfilling your promise to relay to the SLDF the location of our missing units. You going to be in system long?" Colonel McCord said
"I jump in 6 hours. Now that the I have passed on the message, I will be heading into the Federated Suns. It is a little too hot out here for me to risk my ship and crew." Ships Captain Zuni responded
"Well then, you and your crew stay safe and again, thank you." Colonel McCord said
Twenty minutes later, after the SLDF shuttle had cleared the shuttle bay of Merchant Vessel Daring the Odds, Colonel Elizabeth McCord spoke up. "Well, now we have a damned problem. We stick our necks out and relay this message to the SLDF, we are looking prison time or worse getting shot for desertion. But I am not sure I can live with myself leaving those soldiers out there to die without help. So, let's here it, what do we do?"
"I almost had a panic attack when he handed that message over and gave us a brief idea of what it contained. Now we have the message and those folks out there are cut off from any help. Me and my people are not afraid to fight the rebels, we just refused to be broken up, just your Infantry folks Colonel. I say we head out that way, if the SLDF troops are still alive, we help them out. If not, well we continue on like we planned. We can always bail on them once the fighting is over" Major Tim Ronstein said
"I vote to go help them. When we accepted that message from Zuni, we tied our fate to those troops out there. I don't want to live with myself if we do not at least try." Major Jose Ferrera stated
"How about you Major Emerson, how long to reach Pilon from here?" Colonel McCord asked
"I cast my lot with you folks, as did my crew. I go where you tell me to go. If I remember that Star Map right, it is 9 jumps to Pilon, if I recharge off the reactor and bump the rate up some, I think I can get us there in 2 months time." Major Emerson said
"Then it is unanimous, we head for Pilon and try to help out the stranded troops out there." Colonel McCord said as the others nodded in agreement
Shrim (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, along with SLS Gareth and SLS Helmet, Essex Destroyers materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. Sensors quickly detected the Tramp Jumpship seconds before it jumped from the system. "Pull up the senor logs, see if we can identify that Tramp Jumpship." She ordered
"We got a single pulse from the ships IFF, SLS Seeker, Tramp Jumpship assigned to the 335th Royal Dragoon Regiment." Her sensor officer replied
"They wasted no time in leaving, but then again, being a solo Jumpship way out here, I can't say I blame them. Begin recharge operations." Commodore Delvaney said
Achnoly (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Seeker, Tramp Jumpship materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. Once the sensors declared the Jump Point clear, Major Kelsey Linnes ordered "Commence recharge operations." Then turning to Captain Xavier Poutry "That was a close one, not sure what was incoming, but it was a huge ass emergence wave, had to be SLDF warships. I doubt the sensors grabbed anything, we were too deep into the jump sequence. But we will take a look."
Captain Xavier Poutry nodded, he and his Battlemech Company (reinforced) were all that was left of his Battalion. SLS Seeker had 3 Union Dropships aboard, once belonging to 3rd Battalion, 335th Royal Dragoon Regiment. His Company actually was put together from the survivors of the Battalion. Loaded on the Union's were 9 Warhammer WHM-7A, 4 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb and 3 Archer ARC-2Rb along with 5 Mechwarrior with no rides and the full support personnel of the Battalion. After eating a few nukes, the 335th Royal Dragoon Regiment had been ordered to report to Stratford for disbandment. The order was greeted with hostility from the survivors of 3rd Battalion. After convincing Major Linnes to take them somewhere else after the 4th jump, they had broken off from the small convoy carrying the rest of the Regiment.
Shiri (Outworlds Alliance)
When the orders had come to depart Ictus and report to Stratford for disbandment, 1st Regiment, 4282nd Brigade, 428th Battlemech Division had been stunned. The 428th Battlemech Division had fought a hard fight on Ictus against very long odds and emerged victorious. As repayment, they were being disbanded, and this had not set well with anyone in the Division, but it was much worse in the 1st Regiment. They contained the remains of all 3 Battlemech Regiments in 4282nd Brigade. It had taken some time to convice Colonel Alberta Collins to make the leap with them, but finally they had done so. Taking control of SLS Blade Runner, Star Lord Jumpship, they had left the convoy carrying the 428th Battlemech Division to Stratford. No one knew their final destination, but at least they were still together. Loaded aboard the 4 Dictator, 1 Lion and 1 Mammoth Dropship were:
1st Regiment, 428th Battlemech Division
Battlemech Battalion - 22 Nighthawk NTK-2Q, 14 Lynx LNX9Q
Battlemech Battalion - 13 Shootist ST-8A, 17 Guillotine GLT-3N, 6 Bombardier BMD-12D
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Battlemech Company (Reinforced) - 10 Pillager PLG-3Z, 6 Thug THG-11E
Regiment Support
Wayland Mobile Repair - 12
Coolant Trucks - 36
Mobile HQ (4 standard, 2 HPG) - 6
Cargo Trucks - 68
MASH Trucks - 3
Dispossessed Mechwarriors - 27
Support Personnel - 2,592
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Man, desertion was a real problem back then...
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26 May 2767
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Barbara Coltrain, commander SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser escorted SLS Salvation, Potemkin Transport to the Zenith Jump Point to link up with SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. A gaggle of Dropships carrying the 272nd MID, 126th MID and 277th Dragoon flew with them. She was currently reading over the scathing report compiled by her Chief Engineer, Jennifer Meldom on the status of all 3 warships.
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser
Launched 2729
Jump Number 4,751
Last Overhaul 2763
Jumps Since 367
As can be seen, Rhodon has not had a overhaul in 3 years. SLDF Regulations state that ALL ships are to proceed for overhaul after no more than 225 jumps to properly maintain a ships jump drive. We have already detected a few micro cracks in our Jump Core. Added stress due to double jumps must be kept to absolute minimum. All weapon systems are online, but like the jump drive, are way past SLDF Regulations for overhaul.
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
Launched 2631
Jump Number 17,015
Last Overhaul 2764
Jumps Since 231
Conroy has not had an overhaul in 2 years. SLDF Regulations state that ALL ships are to proceed for overhaul after no more than 225 jumps to properly maintain a ships jump drive. No micro cracks have been detected, but they are sure to start showing up. Certified for double jumps using LF Batteries at this time. All weapon systems are online, but like the jump drive, are way past SLDF Regulations for overhaul. Though almost 100 years older than Rhodon, Conroy is still in excellent condition.
SLS Salvation, Potemkin Transport
Launched 2644
Jump Number 24,422
Last Overhaul 2762
Jumps Since 468
Salvation has not had an overhaul in almost 5 YEARS!!!! Heavy usage moving troops, combined with moving 16th Army to Outworlds Alliance has kept her from complying with SLDF Regulation that state that ALL ships are to proceed for overhaul after no more than 225 jumps to properly maintain a ships jump drive!!!! Several micro cracks have been found within her Jump Core. Without LF Batteries, double jump concerns do not apply. All weapon systems are online, but WAY past SLDF Regulations for overhaul. Engineer reports some issues with several docking collars that must be corrected via EVA after every detachment. Recommend caution be shown in all respects.
Commodore Coltrain put away the report. Not much we can do about anything right now, no way am I going to leave the ground pounders without warship cover.
1 June 2766
"All Dropships docked and secure Commodore. All ships report ready and jump calculations completed for Boulsi's Nadir Jump Point." Rhodon's communication officer reported.
"Very well, signal the Flotilla to begin jump sequence. Let's go take Boulsi." Commodore Barbara Coltrain ordered
Five minutes later, the invasion of Boulsi began as the SLDF Flotilla leaped from the system.
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser was the first to emerge at the Nadir Jump Point, followed 2 minutes later by SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser. Heavily loaded, SLS Salvation, Potemkin Transport would take 18 minutes to emerge from hyperspace.
Commodore Barbara Coltrain checked the surrounding area as the sensor's came back online. Docked with the Olympus Recharge Station were 8 Star Lord Jumpships, all broadcasting SLDF IFF codes and not far away were 4 Hoshiryokou Tugs, not broadcasting friendly IFF. This caused a few moments of doubt to invade Commodore Coltrain's mind as she reached for the intercom "Colonel Estaban, you know the name of any of the 277th or 322nd Armored's transports?". Major Estaban had been "promoted" to Brevet Colonel by Major General Rommel before they boosted for orbit.
"We had 2 Star Lords assigned to us, SLS Dream and SLS Weaver. Why?" Brevet Colonel Estaban asked
Commodore Coltrain got a thumbs up from her sensor tech "I do believe we are about to repossess them for you." With doubts now clear, she ordered "Helm, get us over to the Recharge Station. Alert the Marine to prepare for boarding action. Also alert Colonel Estaban that we will need that Jump Infantry Battalion to assist our Marines on the Station after they make the initial breach. Launch the Dropships, they wait until Salvation arrives, then Conroy and Salvation will escort them to the planet. Comms, start broadcasting surrender calls and for them to prepare to be boarded."
Two hours later, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser was 600KM from the Olympus Recharge Station and still attached Star Lord Jumpships. One of the Hoshiryokou Tugs had tried to make a run for it, only to be set upon by a squadron of Hellcat II Aerospace Fighters until it surrendered. She watched closely as her 4 shuttles loaded with both Rhodon and Conroy's Marines approached the Olympus Recharge Station, a Czar Dropship hovered nearby carrying the 277th Dragoon's assigned Jump Infantry Battalion.
Captain Franklin Venary, commander Combined Marine Company, pushed himself from the shuttle and crossed the short distance to the Olympus Recharge Station. Grabbing the handhold next to the airlock door, he attached a guide line for the rest of the shuttles Marines to use. As the Marines attached themselves to the guide wire, he opened the covered keypad and entered in the SLDF mandated security bypass code, 110596*, and got a green light and pushed on the airlock door which opened with no resistance. He watched as his Marines slid into the airlock effortlessly and once all were inside, he entered and secured the door. Once pressure was re-established, the Marines shrugged out of the bulky EVA gear and prepared for the actual breach into the Station proper. "Red team set." He called over his comm system. "Green team set. Yellow team set. Blue team set." Were the responses. "Go" he said. At that, the lead Marine hit the door release and the 20 Marines in the airlock poured into the Station. They immediately began moving for one of the Dropship docking stations to allow the Czar Dropship to dock and then they would flood the station with troops. Once they were aboard, he would then take his Marines EVA again and board the Jumpships.
While Commodore Coltrain and SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser oversaw the securing of the Olympus Recharge Station, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Salvation, Potemkin Transport escorted the mass of Dropships to the planets surface, just over 2 days away.
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Boulsi seems to be going well... that gives me a bad feeling for some reason... :P
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4 June 2766
Bousli (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell marched her Pillager down the ramp and onto the tarmac of the planets space port situated 45km from the capitol city of La Tapoa. Located on the largest continent of Gayeri. On the trip to the planet, she had decided to keep her forces together, for now anyway. Her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and 126th Mechanized Infantry Division landed at the space port while the 277th Dragoon Regiment grounded on the far side of the capitol city acting as a blocking force. Boulsi sported a population of just over 19 million people with 4 million of them in the capitol of La Tapoa. The rest were scattered in small communities mainly on the Gayeri, the only other inhabited continent was Marshalltown with about 3 million people. The continent of Charton's Madness was at the southern pole and ice covered wasteland while the continent of Nouveau Nord was extremely mountainous.
"All right people, we have discussed what we are going to do, so let's do it. 2721st and 2722nd Brigades, move to take the city. 2723rd Brigade, deploy and be ready to cut off any escape. General McGregor, please deploy your 126th MID to secure the space port. Once we have the city secured, we will consolidate and begin our sweep once we get some intel on what we face here." Lieutenant General Mitchell ordered
As the 272nd MID began moving for the caitol city of La Tapoa, a call rang out "Zeus, Dragoon Actual, contact, we have a Battlemech company exiting the city heading east, I am ordering my 2nd Battalion to engage them now."
"Copy Dragoon. Well, we know there are bad guys here. I would like some prisoners for questioning if possible, but not at the risk of casualties." Lt Gen Mitchell replied
"Do our best Zeus, no promises. Dragoon out." Brevet Colonel Estaban said
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell switched frequencies "Bullfighter, leave your short Regiment of Infantry and Aromor at the space port, move your remaining Infantry up to assist my Infantry in securing the city."
"Roger Zeus, we are almost complete in securing the space port anyway. Have my Battlemechs pushing out in a circle 20km from space port now. Should have my Infantry to the city in an hour." Lieutenant General Colin McGregor replied
Lieutenant General Mitchell returned to the command frequency and concentrated on maneuvering her Pillager down the narrow road following her Infantry Brigades while scanning for any threats. By nightfall, the combined 8 Infantry Regiments had secured 1/4 of the city of La Tapoa.
5 June 2766
As dawn broke over Boulsi, the SLDF Infantry once again moved out to secure more of the city of La Tapoa. So far, no resistance had been encountered inside the city. No one was liking the silence, for it usually meant really bad things were about to happen. At 10am, the bad stuff happened as machine gun fire cut down a squad of Infantry from the 272nd MID inside the city. As the SLDF Infantry returned fire and sought cover, several entered a house which exploded from a booby trap. Several more buldings erupted across the city as SLDF troops entered them. Supporting Battlemechs pushed forward to support the Infantry in suppressing the incoming small arms fire.
While the fighting inside the capitol of La Tapoa was raging, SLDF Aerospace fighters had been flying recon missions in squadron strength. One such mission was skirting along a fairly large mountainous area some 280km from the space port when a pilot spotted a Battlemech disappear at the last second along a steep cliff face. Banking hard to come around for another look, the pilot glimpsed a massive door closing, once closed, the door was almost invisible. "Zeus, this is Eagle Flight, think we found the bad guys. I am transmitting the coordinates now."
Inside the mountain complex, Colonel Xin Chou parked his Kyudo KY2-D-02 in the mech repair bay. He had his "new" Battlemech for only a year, aquirred when they had managed to destroy the 228th Striker Regiment based inside this large complex built into the mountain. At the very beginning of the Uprising, in the early hours, his 3 Infantry Regiments had managed to eliminate the posted guards and gain entry to the facility. After a 3 hour firefight, they had completely eliminated the 228th Striker Regiment and captured all of it's equipment virtually intact along with the SLDF Castle. He had spent almost a year watching the SLDF construct this base. Not only had they gained the main gate, but he had been able to rappel a full Regiment into the facility via the 4 unfinished SDS sites connected to the main facility via maintenance tunnels.
He had wasted no time in ditching his outdated equipment for the much better SLDF machines. His mechwarriors morale had shot thru the roof when he gave the order. It had taken his techs several months to break the security codes of the Battlemechs, but now his Battlemech Regiment was now equipped with all the SLDF equipment. His main regret was he did not have any pilots that could pilot the 18 LAM's here in the base. One had tried and one bad switch thrown and the LAM had started to convert damaging it. He had forgone any further experimenting.
12 Mongoose MON-66
24 Talon TLN-5V
24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
12 Kyudo KY2-D-01
36 Phoenix Hawk PHX-2
18 Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK1R
He had only a Company of Phoenix Hawk at the capitol of La Tapoa and had gotten the radio call that they were being engaged by the SLDF. He had 2 Regiments of Infantry inside La Tapoa, 1 Regiment of Infantry were here with him and he had a single Infantry Regiment consisting of trash as far as he was concerned scattered about the various small cities in Company sized garrisons. The last Regiment had been formed after securing the planet from the SLDF, they were ill trained thugs with guns. He had been tempted to sally the Battlemech Regiment in support of the lone Battlemech Company, but after watching the number of Dropships that had landed, he knew it would be suicide to do so. No, he would force the SLDF to dig his forces out of the mountain.
Inside the Mobile HQ, Lieutenant General Mitchell and Lieutenant General McGregor studied the corrdinates they had received. "What do you think Colin?" She asked
"Well, the Cobra we dispatched to pick up the captured mechwarriors from the 277th Dragoons will be here in about an hour. Colonel Estaban is pissed he lost a Battlemech and pilot when they hesitated because he Battlemechs running from the city were broadcasting SLDF IFF. They downed all 12 of them, but boy is he pissed. His Dragoons are closest to this location. I say send the 277th Dragoon Regiment to at least set up blocking positions. I can take my 2 Battlemech Regiments and link up with him there. I think it best if you stay here and support the Infantry fight in the city. Once have the city, we can discuss redeployments. Besides, we are going to need the Engineers to breach that door probably, but they are going to be needed in the city to find and disarm the booby traps. We lost 33 KIA and 71 WIA to those damned things so far today." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"Okay, I will send the orders to the 277th Dragoon. You grab your Battlemechs and link up with them." Lieutenant General Mitchell said with a nod. She had fought down the urge to argue, he was after all Infantry while she was a Battlemech pilot and the roles should be reversed. She needed him on her side out here.
By nightfall, the 277th Dragoon Regiment was deployed after a 6 hour march to the hidden mountain base. Lieutenant General McGregor and his 2 Battlemech Regiments were 2 hours away and closing fast. Inside La Tapoa, the SLDF had secured another 8 blocks of the city after heavy fighting.
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Only 8 more blocks? ???
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Bet that area is just rubble.
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Only 8 more blocks? ???
So, like Chicago, only less dangerous?
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New version.
6 June 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Chief Engineer Eric Whitney rang the door chime to Commodore William Blythe's quarters/office aboard SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser. The door opened in less than a minute and Commodore Blythe waved him inside. After taking a seat Commodore Blythe asked "What's up Chief?"
"Sir, I have been curious about that new build Dart Light Cruiser, so I asked Lieutenant JG Danny Martinez to take a trip over with me for a look see. He should be here any minute. Short story, he was able to dig into the ships navigation computer and we recovered some news." He paused when the door chime sounded and Commodore Blythe moved to open the door. Lieutenant JG Danny Martinez, SLS Hatchet's newest navigator entered the small room and took an offered seat. Chief Whitney continued "I will let Lieutenant JG Martinez take it from here."
"Sir, Chief Whitney took me over to Dart One and I dug into the ships navigation system. First some background which you probably already know, a ships navigation system has 3 different area's where it stores jump history. The first layer, is the one on the bridge, it stores the last 10 jumps a ship makes and the last 20 actual calculations made. As additional calculations or jumps are made, it begins transferring the oldest entries to the next level of storage, and finally, all actual jumps are automatically stored in the ships master computer. I dug into the ships master computer and managed to pull out the ships entire jump history. This Dart One made it's very first jump from a system on the far side of the Rim Worlds Republic. She has 285 jumps stored on her master computer." He pulled out a data stick and pulled out his own portable computer and inserted the data disk. "I downloaded the jump history and plotted the jumps over onto a Star Map. As you can see, Dart One took a very long trip all the way around the Inner Sphere to a point 713LY from New Delphi. She made her first jump on February 9, 2762 and began her long journey to this system here, arriving after a trip of some 2,737LY on March 12, 2764.
Dart One stayed there until November 9, 2764, 28 jumps later it arrived in the Outworlds Alliance and played around in different systems before ending here in Thazi where we found it. I checked every chart we have and nothing at all is recorded out there. We have no information at all on where she lingered for 8 months. Chief and I then travelled to Dart Two, I dug into her master computer and downloaded her jump logs. It goes all the way back to when she was first launched. I only focused on the jumps from February 2762 to present. But I did scan the list and found that she visited the exact same system that Dart One made her very first jump from on May 5, 2760 and departed there on December 9, 2761.
But, on February 8, 2763, she was in this system here. I could find nothing in the database for that location, but I did the math and it is roughly 1,837LY rimward from Terra. Dart Two departed there 3 months later and made a journey of 1,425LY to this system here. Nothing in the database, but rough math puts it roughly 600LY from Mauna Loa, which is on the maps. It stayed there for 2 months and then made this long journey to New Delphi where BOTH Dart One and Dart Two's jumps match perfectly. They linked up and have been together ever since we took them out here. I have marked all 4 suspect locations on our charts. But we have a perfect jump record with coordinates if the higher powers wants to pay them a visit." Lieutenant JG Danny Martinez concluded
Commodore Blythe sat silent for a few minutes studying the Star Map before him. Both of those Dart's put some serious distance on their drives. I am surprised either of them made it this far without any issues. "Excellent work and briefing you two. So, we have no clue what they were doing out there, but we know where they were. Okay, let's see if we can figure it out." Commodore Blythe called the bridge "XO, have a shuttle made ready, I am going over to the Olympus Recharge Station where we have all those prisoners." Once the message was acknowledged he turned attention back to his guests "Status on repairs Chief?"
"We have the portable cranes all mounted. Crews are just now starting the armor replacement. Damned portable cranes are a major pain in the ass. It could very well take longer than my estimate sir. We have not even started any work on the Dart's. Without a proper repair yard or Yardship, we are going to be here for quite a while. Sorry sir." Chief Whitney said
"Not your fault Chief. Just keep up the great work. If you think of anything that could speed up the work, let me know and I will see what I can do. Now, let me go catch my shuttle and start asking some questions of those Dart crews." Commodore Blythe said ending the conversation.
Two hours later, Commodore Blythe was onboard the Olympus Recharge Station, inside a commandeered office to use for his interviews. The senor surviving officer of Dart One was seated across from him, the ships engineering officer. "I want to know everywhere your ship has been. I know for a fact that you made a very long journey from the other side of the Sphere to a point a long ways from here, heck a long ways from New Delphi where you linked up with the other Dart Cruiser. First I want to commend you on some excellent engineering supervision, to keep a ship in such good condition on that long a journey, excellent work sir. Now, tell me what I would like to know. Feel free to start from the beginning, I would prefer not to turn you over to SLIC." The last part was a lie, he had no way of turning him over to SLIC, but he did not need to know that.
"Sir, I am engineering. Most of the time I have no clue where we are going or are currently located at any given time. I must respectfully decline to answer any questions of a military nature." The engineering officer replied
"Very well, I respect your honesty." Commodore Blythe looked at the Marine guards "Return him to the holding area, bring me someone else."
This continued for 3 long hours until finally, after running into a wall with the officers, he managed to get a simple crewman to give up some information.
"It was a long trip, we all about went stir crazy. But then we finally reached our destination, I am not sure where it is or called, but we got to have some ground time. It was a planet that had very low gravity. I mean really low. There was not much to do, but it was better than being cooped up on the ship. It was a big base, lots of troops, but all centered on a huge factory complex. Spent most of my ground time just hanging out watching them load up Dropships." The crewman said
"What were they loading up on these Dropships?" Commodore Blythe asked
"Tanks, ammunition, supplies. Thousands of tons of stuff." The crewman said
"No Battlemechs or anything else?" Commodore Blythe asked making notes
"No sir, just what I said, I literally watched them drive the tanks from the factory onto the Dropships. Never saw a Battlemech the entire time I was on the surface." He replied
"Thank you crewman Jessup, you have been a great help." To the Marines "Take him away and get him some good food, he will return to Hatchet with me when I leave."
When the crewman was led away, Commodore Blythe decided to try another lower rank from Dart Two. "Bring me a crewman from Dart Two." It took 15 minutes before a young female, no more than 24 years old was placed in the seat across from him. She looked very scared.
"Relax miss, no harm will come to you. Tell me your name." Commodore Blythe asked
"Trisha Demars sir." She said
"Trisha, I would like to know about your long journey aboard ship. What was your job aboard the ship?" He asked her
"My specialty is computer system maintenance, aboard ship I helped maintain the ships computer systems sir." Trisha replied
"Your ship made a very long journey with several long stops along the way. What can you tell me about them?" He asked
"Way too long of a journey. I enlisted for the job training, 8 year enlistment. No one said we would be in a damned war. The long stop we waited to escort a huge Jumpship convoy, 40 Jumpships, all Star Lords." Trisha answered
"How do you know the count and that they were Star Lords?" He asked
"I am a curious person, I have administrator access to our ships computer systems. I read the sensor logs. I get bored, we had completely new computer systems so not much broke down, I had a lot of time on my hands." She answered with a shrug
"Did you ever go to the planet's surface?" Commodore Blythe asked
"Thankfully, yes. Spent 2 weeks on the surface. Heavy gravity, over 1g worth, but the weather was nice. Not much to do, restricted to the immediate area of the space port and housing we were assigned." Trisha replied
"Any idea what they Jumpships were carrying?" He was getting tired of dragging the information out of her, but he had to let her answer in her own time.
"Battlemechs, ammunition, supplies. Big damned factory complex right next to the space port. Don't know the types, but saw 6 different types. I know that for a fact. Huge warehouses at the space port, but most of them were empty by the time I got down on the surface. The 2nd big stop we made another 30 Invaders joined our convoy, fully loaded along with 3 Lola II Destroyers. I did not get to go down to the surface on that stop. I got put to work fixing some computer glitches on board various Jumpships. Even worked on several Dropships systems. Lot's of ground troops on board the Dropships. Tanks, trucks, Aerospace Fighters all packed aboard Dropships." Trisha finally expanded her answers some unasked
"Think you could get back into the computer system and pull those sensor logs Trisha?" He had to ask
"Sure, that would be no problem at all, it is all stored in the master computer." Trisha answered
"What about aboard the other Dart Cruiser?" Commodore Blythe asked
"That would take some more time, but I am pretty sure I could get in. My admin access worked on the various Jumpships and Dropships, it might work there." She replied
"Well then, you will be accompanying me back to my ship and then we will get you on board the ships to let you do your work." Commodore Blythe said with a broad smile
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel had toured the prisoner compound checking on the wellfare of his prisoners. His S2 had conducted over 500 interviews with various prisoners and learned very little. Some refused to speak, others knew nothing, ships officers from the 4 captured Merchant Jumpships all professed to be civilian merchant ships shanghaied into transporting the rebels along with the crews of the 8 Jumbo Dropships. Major General Rommel was inclined to believe them. But beyond ordering them separated from the other prisoners, he erred on the side of caution. In his command post, he had the primary navigation computer control boards for all the captured Jumpships.
News on the HPG compound had not been good, the report by the surviving HPG personnel declared it a total loss. Other than a rebuild from scratch, it could not be fixed. But his primary concern was food for the civilians, Pilon could not support the population alone, it needed massive imports of food. He had met with the planetary governor and learned that there was less than 8 months of food stored without rationing.
Ype-Jhu (Outworlds Alliance)
Colonel Alberta Collins had grounded her 1st Regiment, 428th Battlemech Division (they still thought of themselves that way) at the very small space port near the small capitol city of Kuero Fresco Nueva. They needed food and water. She briefly watched her Regiment deploy for security with no small amount of pride, they still acted like soldiers. It had been a fear that she could face a mutiny of her own. At least on the surface of a planet, she could get a better feel for which way the wind was blowing among her troops.
Luckily, she did not have to travel into the small city, because a small delegation was approaching her. She watched them as they neared, wonder how they are going to react to SLDF troops, she thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted a lance of standing nearby, well if they get dumb, it will not last long. The leading man reached her "Welcome to Ype-Jhu. You may relax, there is no danger here. The rebels came past here several months ago, destroyed the HPG and have not returned. I am Jean Vinder governor of this small planet."
"Colonel Alberta Collins, 428th Battlemech Division. Thank you for the peaceful greeting, the last year has not been a pleasant one." She replied
"What can we do for you? Are you our new garrison?" Governor Jean Vinder asked
"We just need to replenish our food and water, maybe grab some ground time, then we will be moving along." Colonel Collins stated
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like. We have fine dining in town and even entertainment venues." Governor Vinder said
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I suspect Mitchell and Rommel will take issue with Blythe's tactics...
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Disregard post #58, I goofed and will be rewriting it.
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New version of post 58 now up.
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like the changes
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I think Mitchell and Rommel will have no problems working with this version of Blythe... :thumbsup:
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Main goof was got my systems confused, the Star Lords are in Boulsi not Thazi
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Heh... we'll have to agree to disagree on that point... :)
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7 June 2766
Eigerland (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, along with SLS Gareth and SLS Helmet, Essex Destroyers materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. Everyone was getting a little antsy, they were now 4 jumps from Quarte Belle. She was really looking forward to some extended ground time. Her Chief Engineer had a fairly long list of issues that needed addressing in a repair yard, not the least of which was a complete Jump Core replacement. She looked at her communication officer and was surprised when she got a differennt answer to the unasked question "We have alignment on the HPG and we have a a return signal. Praise the god's, we actually can send a message."
This was the first time in over a year that they could actually send a HPG message. "Stand by for message." Commodore Delvaney said as she quickly prepared a message to 10th Fleet, which was based out of Quatre Belle.
To: 10 Fleet
From: SLS Salvation
Completed mission at Rest Stop March 23, 2766. Currently Eigerland enroute Quarte Belle. SLS Gareth and SLS Helmet in attendance. Per Chief Engineer, SLS Salvation needs Jump Core replacement, many micro cracks appearing. ETA Quatre Belle 29 June.
"Send this with a priority acknowledgement request." Commodore Delvaney said
"On it." Typing furiously, he then encoded the message and hit SEND "Message away."
"Begin recharge operations. We are almost home people." Commodore Delvaney said
Spencer (Independent Periphery)
Colonel Brandon Janees, commander 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, or what was left of it, had bent to the vote made from the suvivors of the Division. They wanted to leave the fighting. Only 3 Star Lord captains had been willing to join them, so he had wished the other ship captains well and allowed them to attmept to return to SLDF command, along with 700 of the Divisions personnel that also wanted to leave. Over the last 2 months, many wounded had been cleared for duty. Currently aboard the 3 Star Lord Jumpships. The vote had been to head for the Tortuga Dominions.
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
Battlemech Battalion - 4 Company's
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions (only 1 Batt has APC, other 2 Batt foot)
Artillery Battalion - 2 Company's
Wayland Mobile Repair Bases - 6
Mobile HQ (Standard) - 1
Coolant Trucks - 11
Flatbed Trucks - 68
BFFL "Buffalo" - 22
Division Support Personnel - 3,852
Unassigned Personnel
69 Mechwarriors (No Battlemechs)
491 Infantry (not cleared for duty)
562 Armor Crew (No Tanks or not cleared for duty)
22 Aerospace Pilots (No Fighters or not cleared for duty)
Star Lord Jumpship - 3
Dictator Dropship - 2
Union Dropship - 4
Lion Dropship - 3
Czar Dropship - 6
Mammoth Dropship - 3
NP29 (Periphery)
"General" Olivia Daniels, commander 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, had been shocked and a little scared when the personnel of the 54th nominated and then voted her commander. She cursed the memory of Major General Tanner Hansen and his stupid command meeting for all officers Major and above that had completely decapitated the 54th. Where the fighting had been bad, it had gone to absolute crap after a tactical nuke took out the Command Staff of the Division. Now here she was, in "command" of a mutinied Division, trying to stay alive and reach the Tortuga Dominion's. She still thought of herself as a Captain, she knew she was not ready to command this large a force. Yes, she had assumed command of her Mech Infantry Battalion during the desperate fighting, and then her Regiment when no one else seemed up to the task, but a Division, she was out of her league and knew it.
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
The convoy carrying the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division had been at the Nadir Jump Point for 3 days. Today was the day Major General Iris Carman had dreaded. On the bridge of SLS Midnight Rider, Star Lord Jumpship, with Commodore Richard Devall watching, she depressed the radio mic already set to broadcast her voice to every radio and intercom on every vessel in the fleet.
"This is Major General Isis Carman, most of you must be wondering where we have been going and what is going on. Well, I have a confession to make. I lied to all of you. I forged those orders bringing us here to Hope IV, our actual orders had been to report to Armington for disbandment. All equipment to be turned in, all personnel to be sent to a replacement pool for reassignment as individuals.
I could not take the thought of my Division being broken up, not after the hard fighting we had already done together. Not after all the years together. I asked for them to break the Division up by sub command and assign everyone that way, so that we could at least stay together that way and it was denied. Today you all have learned the truth. You are all my family, the only family I have left. The choice is now all of yours to make, I will not be returning to the SLDF. The next 3 days are yours. Any that wish to return to the SLDF, may do so with my best wishes. Those that would like to remain with me, well, our future is not clear, but we will be together and that is my greatest wish. Forgive me for lying to you all, you all know where to find me. Carmen out." She handed the radio mic to the ships communication officer and departed the bridge for her quarters. Only time would tell what her fate would be.
Albaracht (Uncolonized System)
After 2 weeks on the planets surface, they had replenished their water supply, run it thru their purifiers and basically just enjoyed being on solid ground. Now, Colonel Patrick Quieg watched the last of his people reboard the Dropships for the 6 day trip back to the Jumpship. A platoon of volunteers had remained on board to make sure the ships captain did not strand them here. Next stop, Hope IV and then the Tortuga Dominions.
NP32 (Periphery)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division and Major Jenny Davidson, commander 509th Battle Regiment had decided to make for the Torgtuga Dominions. Once there, they would allow the personnel of their commands decide if they wanted to continue or leave. They still had at least a 6 month journey to get there. Both had spent many days studyng the Star Maps. Major Jenny Davidson wanted to travel to Drachenfeld, a fairly new colony and possibly start a new life. Her 509th Battle Regiment had already agreed to go with her. Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter on the other hand, was not sold on the idea, not yet anyway.
Argos (Uncolonized Periphery)
Colonel Irma Fuentes, commander 19th Hussar Regiment, Major Oscar Venezuela, 9917th Marine Regiment and Major Cassien Thomas, 9th Royal CAAN Regiment were aboard Colonel Fuentes' SLS Heaven Bound, Tramp Jumpship. Their combined commands gave them enough defensive firepower that traveling the empty periphery did not worry them all too much, short of triping over a warship anyway. When the alarm sounded, they all headed for the ships bridge, on entering they saw Commodore Jack Helmsley looking at the ships plot board.
"What is happening Commodore?" Colonel Fuentes asked
"Emergence wave inbound, by the readings, picking up 2 distinct readings, each roughly 300,000 tons. So we could have incoming warships. We have 2 more days to complete recharge operations, so we could be screwed." Commodore Helmsley said
"Well, guess we better kick the Dropships loose and get what Aerospace Fighters we have launched." Colonel Fuentes said and then to Major Venezuela and Major Thomas "I guess you two should get your Marine suited up, at least you can fight the way you trained, I pilot a Battlemech so I am just a weakly trained grunt for this."
"Here they come!" Shouted the sensor operator "Should be about 14,000KM away from us."
Three minutes later, 2 Tramp Jumpships materialized at the Nadir Jump Point and everyone breathed a small sigh of relief that it was not warships. Each Tramp had 3 Jumbo Dropships attached and none were broadcasting SLDF IFF, so that made them hostile. Major Venezuela then spoke "I will take a company over and take out one Tramp, Major Thomas, care to lead one of your company's over and take the other?"
"Sure, it has been quite awhile since we did any boarding actions. I don't see the need to take both of my full Battalion." Major Helmsley replied
"Colonel Fuentes, have your Aerospace Fighters do some passes on those Tramps while we get suited up and make the trip over please. If we are lucky, they will surrender without a fight." Major Venezuela said as he and Major Thomas moved to leave the bridge for the hanger deck.
One hour later, both Major Venezuela and Major Thomas were aboard seperate shuttles heading for the 2 Tramp Jumpships. The 6 Jumbo Dropships had detached and attmepted to make a run for it, but were quickly shown the folly of that by the 14 Aerospace Fighters, Titan Dropship and several Lee Dropships. All 6 had surrendered after a few shots were landed on them and Major Venezuela had ordered another company of Marines into shuttles to board the Dropships.
With a Lee Dropship hovering within easy weapons range of each Tramp Jumpship broadcasting surrender orders, neither Tramp Jumpship responded to the calls for surrender. They would have to do it the hard way. As the shuttle's carrying Major Venezuela's marines reached their assigned Tramp, he watched as his marines went EVA and on reaching the Tramp Jumpship, they punched in the mandated SLDF security override codes and entered the airlocks. Fifteen minutes later came the call "Ship secure, we have 2 marines WIA, 4 enemy KIA, 6 WIA and 23 prisoners."
Major Thomas's Marines had it much easier as their Tramp surrendered once they knew boarding was about to occur. Two hours later, the Jumbo Dropships were redocked with the Tramp Jumpships and both Major's made a quick inspection of the Jumbo Dropships. What they found was surprising.
Jumbo 1
144 Stinger STG-3R
108 Firestarter FS9-H
3,000 Tons spare parts and ammunition
Jumbo 2
144 Phoenix PX-3R
2,000 Tons spare parts and ammunition
Jumbo 3
72 Battlemaster BLR-1G
3,000 Tons spare parts and ammunition
Jumbo 4
108 Archer ARC-2R
1,500 Tons spare parts and ammunition
Jumbo 5
144 Talos TLS-1B
2,000 Tons spare parts and ammunition
Jumbo 6
9,000 Tons combat rations
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looks like the 19th Hussar Regiment, 9917th Marine Regiment, and the 9th Royal CAAN Regiment can do some rebuilding.
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Definitely... and that much materiel wandering around the Periphery unescorted should really say something in and of itself...
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9 June 2766
Apollo (Rim Worlds Republic)
President Stephan Amaris would soon be boarding RWS Stephan Amaris, Stephan Amaris Battleship for the journey back to Terra. His plans were now in their final stages, most pieces were in place. He had made the decision to end all further support to the far flung Outposts. They had performed their mission, and now were just too big a drain on shipping and resources. He had already ordered shipments of material to Outpost #27 halted. Soon, he would have the Terran Hegemony in his possession and with all of it's production might, the 2 shipyards there would be a pebble in the ocean. It had accomplished it's task, producing 2 new Dart Light Cruiser's and refurbishing a third one. He would continue shipments of food to maintain the facility as a secret Fleet base.
Of the many Outpost's he had established, only 4 had any sort of manufancturing capability. Built in secret, at huge expense, both in money and resources. Now it was time to end the economic drain. Even though he hated to leave the Battlemech Complex on Outpost #11, he consoled himself by restating in his mind that soon he would have all the industry of the Terran Hegemony at his disposal.
Strategos Rubert Kominsky knocked on President Amaris' door and was waved inside and pointed to a seat in front of the broad desk. "Rubert, we will be ending support for all Outposts effective immediately. What do we have remaining in transit to the last 3 furthest Industrial Outposts?"
Stragegos Kominsky pulled the information up on his always present portable computer pad, found the relevevent data and said "One convoy dispatched 8 months ago for Outpost #11. Carrying just over 1.5 million tons of raw material and just over 300,000 tons of general supplies aboard 40 Mammoth Dropships and 16 Jumbo Dropships transported by 7 Leviathon Jumpships escorted by 2 Riga Frigates. They will be stopping at Outpost #4 and #7 after delivering their cargo to Outpost #11, loading all current Battlemech production and then picking up all awaiting Tanks and Aerospace Fighters at #4 and #7 for return to the Rim Worlds. Return trip will be around the periphery of the Draconis Combine to avoid detection. They should be 100LY beyond Detroit by now."
"Halt all further deliveries to thos Outposts. Current personnel at each Outpost?" Amaris asked
Consulting his portable computer Strategos Kominsky replied "Outpost #11 is the largest with 153,281 personnel, Outpost #7 is next with 88,122 personnel and Outpost #4 has 54,872 personnel. Shall I arrange pickup for the personnel?"
"No, they are no longer important. I was just curious. If I remember correctly, Outpost #11 grows some of their own food but Outpost #4 and #7 must import theirs, am I right?" Amaris asked
"Correct sir, there is a small chance that Outpost #11 could survive on their own, but those on Outpost #4 and #7 are doomed. All attmepts to grow sustainable crops has failed, there are some greenhouses on both Outposts but in no way can they sustain the populations." Strategos Kominsky replied, though he did not like abandoning trained technicians, he did not give them a second thought once their sentence had been announced by President Amaris.
"Very well, I will be separting for Terra soon. Make sure to erase all information on Outpost's #11, #4 and #7. As far as anyone is concerned, they never existed." President Stephan Amaris ordered
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
It had taken 5 days of fighting to finally secure the capitol city of La Tapoa, but it had finally been accomplished. In the house to house fighting, the SLDF forces had sustained 253 KIA and 1,210 wounded. The desire to keep damage to the city itself to a minimum had been the main cause of the casualties. Lieutenant General Mitchell now ordered the Light Battlemech Battalion attached to 2722nd Brigade to form with the Light Battlemech Battalion in 2721st Brigade and for them to begin securing the outlying towns on the continent. She ordered 2722nd Brigade to garrison the capitol city while the rest of the 272nd and 126th MID moved to take the mountain fortress.
Inside the mountain fortress Colonel Xin Chou exploded "What do you mean we do not have enough food to sustain a siege of more than 3 months?"
"I performed the estimate myself sir, at normal rations, we have exactly 88 days of food inside this complex. If we immediately move to 1/2 rations we can stretch it to 6 months." Major Kho Lin replied
"There must be more hidden, all SLDF defensive bases are stocked with enough food and supplies to last over a year under siege. Find them." Colonel Chou almost yelled
"There is no more. I have spent the last week conducting an inventory of everything in this complex. Water is pumped up from the aquifer and we have power from the fusion reactors installed here, but it appears that the SLDF unit here never got the complex fully stocked with food. We have enough ammunition and spare parts to last well over a year of heavy fighting, but not food." Major Lin stated
"And I never thought about transferring that mountain of combat rations from the space port into this complex. I cannot believe the bad luck that has suddenly befallen us. Unbelievable." Colonel Chou replied while staring up at the ceiling of the massive cavern carved out by SLDF engineers.
Outside the mountain complex, Lieutenant General McGregor, commander of the 126th MID, watched as Colonel Estaban provided the coordinates to SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser in orbit. They had pulled back 10KM and this would be the first attempt at breaching the massive but excellently concealed main doors to the complex. After 10 long minutes the radio sounded "Incoming in 10 seconds."
Seconds later, man made lightening slammed into the mountain face containing the massive doors. For 4 minutes SLS Conroy pounded the area with all she had before announcing "Mission complete, passing out of optimal firing angle."
"Well Colonel Estaban, shall we go see what kind of damage we did?" Lieutenant General McGregor
Ten minutes later, both stood 2Km from the blasted rock face of the mountain with open mouths "Son of a *****. We barely scratched that damned door. Whoever built that knew what they were doing. Pulverized the damn overhang though, made a mess of the area too." Colonel Estaban said
"We are going to have to rethink this. Shit." Lieutenant General McGregor said
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Heh... both sides are having to do some rethinking... ^-^
I almost feel sorry for those 300,000 or so Rim Worlders being abandoned at their outposts... That's going to get ugly real fast after the first missed shipment...
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thing about fortifications: the harder you make it to get in, the harder it is for YOU to get out. Pulverize the overhangs and bury the doors, then the gun ports and sally ports, then bring up the quickset concrete trucks and...bulldozers. bury them in their bolt-hole.
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13 June 2766
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
For 3 days, Lieutenant General Mitchell, Lieutenant General McGregor and Colonel Estaban had discussed an assortment of ways to breach the door. Not a single idea so far was feasable. They had brought engineers up for a look see and it was confirmed by one that the door was SLDF manufacture. On the 11th, they had ferried a Jump Infantry Battalion to the top of the mountain for a look see. They easily found the bored holes, quickly identified by accompanying engineers, constructed for emplacement of SDS weapons. The maintenance tunnels leading to each site had been filled with ferro-crete, the same substance used for space port's. They coud get thru is, but it would be noisy as heck and the tunnels were no where large enough for Battlemechs, it would be an Infantry fight all the way with this method. Brutal and costly. For they would not have any surprise at all.
"Well, anyone got any other idea's? Because I do not want to pay the price in blood going thru those tunnels up there." Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell said
"There is always just laying siege and starving them out. Might take a year or more, but sooner or later they are going to have to crack that door and come out. Short of detonating a nuke touching the door itself, which we do not have, and contaminating the hell out of the area if we did, I see no other way to go about it." Lieutenant General McGregor replied
"Well, then we keep thinking on it. The sweep of the smaller towns on this continent have met light resistence that so far, has been easily overcome. There has been no hostility from the civilians reported, and in the smaller towns, they have been down right thankful to see us. While we have been beating our head on this problem, I have also been giving some thought on Thazi. I don't like the thought of all of us sitting here laying siege to this complex while any rebel forces on Thazi dig in deeper and tighter. So Lieutenant General McGregor, I am going to take my 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division over to Thazi. The 277th Dragoon Regiment will take over sweeping this continent and then hop over to the others via sub orbital deployment by Dropship. I will leave SLS Rhodon here with you in orbit. I will take SLS Conroy and SLS Mighty Lift with me. Anything happens, I will send SLS Conroy back to support you here." Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell said
"Is that wise, splitting our force like that? It is not like we are at full strength." Lieutenant General McGregor replied
"I will leave my 2722nd Brigade with you. That will give you an additional full Mechanized Infantry Regiment and 2 Battalions at roughly 50% strength each. They will fill back out as wounded are cleared for duty. If I get into something I cannot handle, I can call on the 277th Dragoon Regiment to come bail me out. But this needs to be done sooner rather than later." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"Your the boss Rita. Take my Cavalry Battalion with you. I am not going to need them in a siege situation. Go clear Thazi." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"I plan to do just that. It will take a few days for 2721st Brigade to get back to the space port and for the 277th Dragoon to redeploy and take over. So I will plan on boosting on the 20th." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division had given the people a few extra days to decide things. Today, this was the day she found out how the people voted. A knock at the door brought her out of her staring at the wall. "Come" she called out.
Lieutenant General Curtis Skondale, Executive Officer 280th Mechanized Infantry Division entered her quarters with a large binder. "I have the totals sir."
Taking a deep breathe, Major General Carman held out her hand to take the binder "How bad is it Curtis?" She asked as he gave her the binder.
"From the Division, 121 Infantry, 16 Mechwarrior, 101 Armor Crew, 5 Aerospace Pilots and 487 support personnel have voted to return to the SLDF. From the Dropship and Jumpship crews, 162 total want to return to the SLDF. There is a Merchant Jumpship sitting at the Zenith Jump Point. Commodore Devall has already made contact with them and they are willing to transport a Dropship to Armington for the "SLDF". Those leaving also voted to leave their equipment with us. Most said the exact thing, better the 280th use it than any other unit." Lieutenant General Skondale said
Relief surged thru Major General Carman at the news. For days, she had been sitting in this room waiting for a squad of Infantry to appear and take her into custody. Now she felt vindicated. "Kick a Czar loose, load those that wish to return with plenty of supplies. Anything else?"
"You will find in the binder there, quite a few requests from those staying. They ask that when we reach where ever we are going if an attmept can be made to bring their families to them." Lieutenant General Skondale said
"I will make every attempt to reunite the families of those staying. I have no clue how, but I will move heaven and earth trying. Yours too Curtis?" Major General Carman replied
"No sir. I will be returning to the SLDF. I cannot risk losing my family. I have the utmost respect for you Iris, but I have to weigh everything. I am sorry." Lieutenant General Skondale said with sorrow in his voice
"I see. I will miss you and your advice Curtis. I will write up a letter for you to take with you to present to the SLDF. It will say that I and I alone made the decision to leave. That I forged orders and that only I knew what was happening in truth. Hopefully, that will sway the SLDF to accept you all back in the fold." Major General Carman said
"Thank you Iris. Either way, as far as those of us leaving, we are all that remained after getting jumped by a Taurian warship. That should hopefully throw the SLDF off your trail." Lieutenant General Skondale said "I will go see to the arrangements now sir. It was a pleasure serving with you Iris. Good luck."
NP31 (Periphery)
Colonel James Buchest, commander 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division "rogue", had no clue really where they were going. When faced with the order to disband, they had siezed control of the Star Lord Jumpship transporting them and made a break for it. The 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division had been chewed up on Tirabad by an estimated 3 rebel Divisions. Only by using orbital bombardment had the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division been able to defeat the rebels. The last month had been as scary as he could remember, always afraid they were going to bump into a SLDF or Taurian warship and get blown to bits. He had spent the month working on a new formation for his "Brigade" to deploy and fight if they had to.
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division "Rogue"
1st Regiment
Battlemech Battalion - 12 Lynx LNX-9Q, 24 Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company
2nd Regiment
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Lynx LNX-9Q, 12 Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Union Dropship - 3
Overlord Dropship - 1
Czar Dropship - 1
Mule Dropship - 1
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Brian Calloway, commander 3391st Special Forces Battalion, watched the rebel infantry platoon as from his hidden location 600 meters away. Idiots, even after 6 months of getting ambushed they still stick to the roads, of course entering the dense woods is a sure fire way to die. Any second now, A Company is going to decimate them. He thought silently. In the helmet of his Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI he heard the double click and laser fire from Mauser 960's lanced into the rebel platoon and in seconds they all laid dead or dying on the road. He watched as a platoon of Nighthawk suited troopers quickly emerged from the dense woods and began sweeping the enemy for anything useful. Within 5 minutes, they had completed their task and vanished into the dense woods.
Deployed to Thazi to assist the 2 SLDF Independent Infantry Regiments combat the uprising, the last 6 months had seen some hard fighting. His Battalion of Elite Special Forces had spent the last 4 years training with the Nighthawk suits. The SLDF High Command was still not sure of the best way to use or even transport the Nighthawk suits into battle. A year ago, his Battalion had been given 4 specially modified Confederate Dropships, each configured to carry a Nighthawk Company of 64 suits and 4 light vehicles with 498 tons of cargo, well equipped MASH, Ferro Aluminum Armor, Double Heat sinks and a nice battery of ER Large Lasers. He had convinced his superiors that 36 suits was just not enough in each Company, so they doubled his command size. He configured his Battalion with in a square configuration giving him 256 soldiers. Each Company had 4 modified Prowler Medium Tanks configured to carry a squad of Nighthawks each. But 6 months of combat had seen his Battlion take losses.
3391st Special Forces Battalion (Pre-Deployment)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
3391st Special Forces Battalion (2766)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 48 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 48 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI
He had his 4 Confederate Dropships grounded 18KM away from his current position hidden under special camoflage netting that shielded the Dropships from radar scans. It was a major pain to erect over the Dropships and prevented lift off until taken down. If they ever got off this planet, he planned to see if it was possible to equip the Dropships with something similar to the Null Signature and Chameleon Light Polarization Shield. They had disadvantages on Battlemechs, but a Dropship had space to spare. Though the Nighthawk suits gave them decent protection, you could still get killed in them. Even by regular infantry.
He gave the command for A Company to fall back and return to the Dropships. Help better get here soon, it was only a matter of time before that Battlemech Battalion on planet came a calling.
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28 June 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore William Blythe, commander SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser, looked at the incoming emergence wave displayed on the sensor readings. Two seperate readings, the smaller was Cruiser sized or a fully loaded Jumpship, the second one, well it was massive. He keyed the portable radio "Chief Whitney, we have possible hostiles inbound, get your people inside and secure everything you can. We are going to General Quarters."
Outside, supervising the installation of new armor, Chief Whitney began cursing up a storm that only the gods could hear. Gonna loose the portable cranes for sure the moment we start manuevering. Take too long to take them down and stow the damned things. "Listen up people, stop everything and get inside, we got trouble inbound. Move it people!!!" He turned and manuevered as fast as he could for the airlock. I just hope those portable cranes don't break anything when they break loose. Worthless pieces of crap.
Chief Whitney managed to get all of his work parties back into the ship in 8 minutes. The personnel assigned to the work detail, which was 60% of the crew, hurried to remove their EVA suits and get to their battle stations. The first enemy vessel to materialize was a Avatar Heavy Cruiser. Seeing this, Commodore Blythe swore, where the hell did the rebels get their hands on that. But then the incoming ships sensors and electronics came online and his plot board registered the SLDF IFF. SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser had arrived. Thank you General Kerensky, help had finally arrived. "Comm, get a secure laser lock on SLS Conroy and ask them where the hell they have been."
Aboard SLS Conroy, Commodore Vincent Zeibler was surprised to see a SLDF IFF identifying SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser along with 2 Dart Light Cruiser's. Before he could form another thought, his comm officer said "We have received a secure laser lock with SLS Hatchet, they want to know where the hell we have been and what took us so long to get here."
A thin smile crossed his lips "Tell them we have been busy kicking ass and taking names instead of loitering at a recharge station on extended shore leave."
Six hours later Commodore William Blythe was aboard SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport. Having told his tale and listening to the stories of the other officers, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell finally brought the discussion to the here and now. "Have you made any attmept at contacting any possible SLDF forces on the planet's surface?"
"No sir, with my ship so busted up, I wanted to get some repairs completed before broadcasting to everyone that I am here." Commodore Blythe responded
"Commodore Sandra Gallonsa, will you please have communications try and raise any friendlies on the surface. Be nice to have a secure landing zone or at least an idea on what we are about to drop into." Lieutenant General Mitchell asked in way no one could miss it as an order, then to the gathered officers "Let's kick the Dropships loose, Commodore Zeibler get back to Conroy and prepare to escort my 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division to the surface. Commodore Blythe, continue your repair operations but I am light on Infantry so I am stealing all those Marines but a single Battalion. They will move to the planet with me. Let's get moving people, there might be SLDF troops fighting for their lives down there." Lieutenant General Mitchell said as she made for the grav deck exit followed by her officers.
Commodore Blythe was about to protest when Commodore Zeibler caught his attention with a slight shake of his head. Once Lieutenant General Mitchell and her officers were off the grav deck, Commodore Blythe asked "What the hell? Since when do ground pounders give orders to the Navy and who does she think she is stealing my Marines?"
"She is one hell of a fighting General. That is who she is. Commodore Coltrain has said to me that she would follow her anywhere. She has rode to the sounds of the guns since we have been with her. Even when forced to withdraw from Blommestein, the moment she discovered SLDF troops needed help she did not hesitate, she gave the order to move out. She leaves the Black Water operations to us Navy, but when she gives an order, follow it without hesitation." Commodore Zeibler said then turned to head back to Conroy.
On the surface, Major Brian Calloway was shaken awake by a crewman from the Dropship he was aboard "Sir, captain needs you on the bridge asap. We have radio contact with SLS Mighty Lift carrying the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division."
In a flash, Major Calloway was out of his bunk and racing for the bridge in only his underwear. Entering the bridge, he saw Captain Thadius Hamilton talking on the radio "Roger Mighty Lift, we will await contact when you reach orbit, Hamilton out." He handed the mic back to the communication tech and turned to find Major Calloway in his underwear "You could have put some pants on Major. It will take almost 3 days for them to reach orbit."
"So we have help inbound?" Major Calloway asked
"Yes, we have help on the way. The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division along with warship escort." Captain Hamilton replied
"Excellent, I am going back to bed. Glad I did not take the time to put on pants, quicker this way." Major Calloway said
31 June 2766
Major Calloway had all 2 of his Nighthawk Company's just outside the perimeter fence of the space port. Directly opposite them, were 3 warehouses being used as barracks for a Regiment of rebel Infantry. His 3rd Nighthawk Company, along with all 8 Prowler Tanks were 8km away, just outside what used to be a long term storage area, but now a prison camp where they held the captured SLDF troops from the 2 Infantry Regiments. He had no clue where the damned rebel Battlemech Battalion was, but he planned on chewing up this rebel Infantry Regiment while his other Company freed the prisoners. Sonic booms announced the arrival of the SLDF relief forces, he gave the order "Move now".
At his command, his Nighthawk clad troops leaped the perimeter fence and began fanning out into the warehouse cluster. Rebel troops began exiting their barracks, looking up at the sky trying to get a glimpse of what made the noise. They made easy targets for his elite troops who mowed them down where they stood without mercy and then plunged into the barracks to slay the rest. In less than 3 minutes, the rebel Infantry Regiment was no more. Selecting the 272nd's command frequency, he transmitted "Space Port secure."
Minutes later, he walked to the lead Dictator that had grounded and watched a massive Pillager descend the ramp and walk towards him. His radio chimed as the huge Assault Battlemech halted only a few meters away "Major Calloway I presume. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. Sorry for the delay but we had to assist a few planets on the way here. How about we clear this planet."
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Nice update! Glad to see Mitchell making progress... :thumbsup:
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5 July 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, left the 5 Battalions of SLDF Marines to guard the space port and her Dropships while her Division secured the capitol city of New Ludell, population 3.4 million. She had Aerospace Fighters running recon flights in an attempt to locate the rebel Battlemech Battalion reported by Major Calloway and his Special Forces Battalion. It was a huge area to cover, Thazi had a single continent covering roughly 63,257,911 sq miles, or 163,837,241 sq km to search. Water covered 57% of the planets surface area with only a scattering of large islands with the largest being 785,753 sq km in size. Low level recon flights detected no inhabitation on any of the islands. Plus the space port contained their old Dictator Dropship.
The planet itself was quite with a average temp of 78.8 degrees, densly wooded in areas, many large fresh water lakes fed by Glaciers that covered the northern and southern parts of the continent. A massive mountain range cut the continent in half with several smaller mountain ranges which had been found to be righ in minerals and ores, several mining communities were dotted at their bases. Huge swaths of the continent were vast prairies with rich fertile ground with an almost year round growing season. Roughly 10 million people called Thazi home and they had discovered that the planet itself seemed to accept any crop planted in it's soil. Gravity was light at .75g, but overall a very nice planet. The highest form of life native to the, planet were amphibian, mostly small frog and salamander like creatures, but Major Calloway warned her that there was a very large amphibian, that was much like Terran crocodiles, only bigger that inhabited many of the swampy areas along the coastlines. Highly aggressive, they grew up to 30 feet in length but weighed a good 2 tons, though the average size was usually around 12 feet and 800 pounds. They did not have the skin of a crocodile but more like a salamander. Slow on land, but quick in the water.
Securing New Ludell went very quickly with no resistence met. Questioning the local's, they discovered that the Rebel Regiment at the space port had been the local garrison for the capitol and space port. But they mainly let the local police handle things. Major Calloway estmated that besides the Battlemech Battalion somehwere on planet, the rebels might have had 4-6 Infantry Regiments at the start. He estimated that 2-3 of them had been destroyed over the last 6 months of fighting. Lieutenant General Mitchell decided to form a Task Force of 1 Battlemech Battalion, 1 Armor Regiment, 2 Mechanized Infantry Regiments along with Major Calloway's Battalion to sweep the countryside and secure the next largest city of roughly 1 million situated on the eastern coast 1100km away. She kept 1 Battlemech Regiment at the space port ready to load onto Dropships when the rebel Battlemech Battalion was located.
Lieutenant General Mitchell dispatched the 126th MID's Cavalry Battalion to sweep west of New Ludell to a town roughly 140km away surrounded by massive fields of various crops. While she planned her Divisions next moves, was notified that she had a visitor. Exiting the Mobile HQ, she was met by a well dressed civilian. "Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and you ar
"My name is Harold Ludell, the planetary governor of Thazi. I was one of the first settlers here in 2748. I wanted to thank you in person for coming here,but alos to ask when we could expect the system to be safe for cargo ships. See, we provide a lot of the food for neighboring systems and we have warehouses and silo's filled with crops that have not been shipped and we are coming up on another harvest season." Harold Ludell asked
"Mr Ludell, I am not sure I can answer that question. I have already been informed that your planet's HPG was wrecked by the rebel forces, much like every other planet I have been on since the Uprising began. It seems to be one of the very first things they do is destroy a planet's HPG." She replied
"I see, that is not good news. It could very well cause many deaths on other worlds, there are a great many in the region that cannot properly feed themselves." Harold Ludell said
"Tell you what Mr Ludell, I will try and get some merchant ships in here. I cannot promise anything, but I will give it a try." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"That is good enough for me General. Any clue when the Star League will get around to rebuilding the HPG?" Harold asked with some hope
"Not a clue sir, probably not until the fighting stops to be honest with you." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"Then I will leave you to your duties General. Thank you for your time." Harold Ludell said as he turned and left. General Mitchell went back inside the Mobile HQ and moved to her communications officer "Fire up the HPG. Send a message to Major General Rommel on Pilon and have him do his best to verify those ships crews that claim to be merchants. Once he has done that, ask him to give me a shout. Leave the HPG online to receive communications.:
"Yes sir, I will send the message within the hour."
Quatre Belle (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney watched the Elephant Tug's manuever SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship into the the gaping maw of SLS Prometory, Newgrange Yardship. Her HPG message had been received and no sooner had SLS Prometory discharged the massive McKenna Battleship she had been overhauling had she been cleared to dock. One nice thing about Quatre Bell Naval Yards, they kept quite a few Jump Cores on hand for rapid change outs. The moment her old core was removed, it would be hauled over to a Germainum Processign Plant, ground down and seperated into it's individual components and then hauled a short distance away to be recast into a new Jump Core. Her people would have a 3 month down time until repairs were completed. She hoped their next assignment would not be another 2 years away from base.
NP24 (Periphery)
Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 291st Brigade, 29th MID "Rogue" counted his commands blessings. They had spent the better part of the last 2 months bouncing between uninhabited systems. After getting the news that the 29th MID would be disbanded and broken up as individual replacements to other commands, his Brigade had reacted extremely negatively to the orders. On the 3rd jump back towards Umka, while recharging, they had seized the Star Lord Jumpship and when the next jump was made, they went the opposite direction. On the 2nd jump as fugitives, as he thought of themselves, they had stumbled upon a Infantry Regiment from the 200th MID that had also decided against being disbanded and made the decision to decide their own fate.
Talking with Colonel Xander Janzet, they had agreed to join forces. They both decided that it would be best to reform the units, forming 2 Brigades of 2 Regiments each.
291st Brigade, 29th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue"
1st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
2nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Goblin Battalion
Star Lord Jumpship - 2
Czar Dropship - 4
Triumph Dropship - 2
Mule Dropship - 2
McEvans' Sacrifice (Uninhabited Periphery)
Colonel Bradley Montgomery, commander 3rd Battlemech Regiment, 265th MID, sat aboard his Dictator Dropship mulling his commands decision to make a run for it instead of being broken up as replacements. He still was not sure this was the right thing to do, it wnet against everything he had been taught in 14 years of service to the SLDF. But he could see their point, they had fought hard against long odds and won, only to be ordered to disband. It had been a hard punch to the gut for everyone. During the fighting, they had absorbed the other 2 Regiments of the 265th MID's Battlemech Brigade. Now here they sat, recharging only to delve deeper into the unknown.
3rd Battlemech Regiment, 265th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue"
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Warhammer WHM-6Rb, 12 Guillotine GLT-3N, 12 Shootist ST-8A
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Emperor EMP-6A, 24 Thug 11E
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Dictator Dropship - 4
Mule Dropship - 1
Independence (Uninhabited Periphery)
Major Sandra Barkley, commander 1st Battlemech Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division, could not believe their horrible luck. After 2 months of dodging around in uninhabited systems, now they had a busted Jumpship. For over a week now, the Jumpship crew had made attempts at repairing the damage, but nothing worked. Soon, she would have to make the decision to abandon ship and head for the surface. But the captain wanted 1 more week to try again to repair his ship.
1st Battlemech Battalion
Battlemech Company - 12 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Company - 4 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, 8 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Company - 5 Archer ARC-2Rb, 4 Marauder MAD-2R, 3 Stalker STK-3Fb
Invader Jumpship - 1 (navigation computer failure)
Union Dropship - 3
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It's beginning to look like a lot of "lost colonies" are going to be the result of all those rogue units...
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13 July 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Notified to be expecting Jumpships, Commodore William Blythe, commander SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser, still had his ship at General Quarters when the first Merchant Jumpship arrived, quickly followed by 3 more. Aboard each Merchant Jumpship was a full squad of Infantry from the 322nd Armored Division with a squad of Infantry aboard the 8 Jumbo Dropships they had transported.
On the surface, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell smiled when the news came in that the 4 Merchant Jumpships had arrived from Pilon. She remembered her HPG conversation with Major General Heinrich Rommel 3 days ago.
"Got your message General Mitchell. I was beginning to wonder when you would make contact and was starting to worry some. About the merchant crews, I am already ahead of you on that one. The civilian population here is already going into the planets food reserves. I culled out those crews who the civilian space port personnel could identify as legitimate civilian merchants. Dropship crews were done pretty quick, but the Dropship captians identified the Jumpship crews for us. The crews are already on the way to the Jump Point with the removed circuit boards. Of course, they are escorted by a squad of Infantry for each vessel, no since taking a chance. Would not do for them to bolt on us." Major General Rommel said
"That is really good news. I concur on keeping armed personnel aboard. We are making good progress here on Thazi, still hunting the primary defenders and have met some light resistance from Rebel Infantry, but they are nothing we cannot handle. We managed to rescue captured SLDF from the planets original garrison force, they are still being cleared for duty but when cleared, it should give me another Infantry Regiment. I plan to send them to your 322nd Armored Division. When we arrived, we found SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Cruiser in system along with 2 Regiments of Marines. I will be tasking the Marines to provide security for the merchants." Lieutenant General Mitchell responded
"Excellent news, but keep the Infantry. We have returned 5 Battalions of wounded Infantry to duty, so I am in decent shape here. I think we need to think about sending one of the warships to make contact with High Command. Not SLS Mighty Lift, we keep her here with us." Major General Rommel said
"We have been out of contact with High Command for almost a year. Be another 6 months at least if they left right now and then another 6 months or longer before relief gets here. We cannot risk sending SLS Rhodon back, her Jump Core might not last. Okay, I will send SLS Conroy to make contact with High Command. We will send them with all the intel we have gathered out here." Lieutenant General Mitchell replied
"Sounds good to me. Feels lonely out here all by ourselves. Maybe we can get the damned HPG's back in service out here. I will send you my replacement needs to relay to SLS Conroy, I can also contact Lieutenant General McGregor and have him send you his replacement needs. I will let you get back to your campaign General Mitchell. Rommel out."
She smiled slightly as she walked over to her communication officer "Notify Conroy that I am coming up for a visit."
Five hours later, Lieutenant General Mitchell exited the shuttle that had brought her from the surface to SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. She was conducted to Commodore Vincent Zeibler private quarters and shown inside. "General Mitchell, welcome back aboard. The message that you were coming up for a visit caught me off guard."
"I have a new mission for you and SLS Conroy. We need to make contact with High Command, I have selected your ship to make the journey. I cannot risk sending a standard Jumpship. Not with possible hostiles out here. I have one of my Mammoth Dropships being loaded with fresh food supplies, they will bring it up to you. I figure Quatre Belle is the most likely place to find the SLDF still in full control. It is Home Port for 10th and 12th Fleet's, so I don't see the rebels being able to take control of that system. How long you estmate to get there?" Lieutenant General Mitchell explained
Commodore Zeibler pulled up a Star Map and studied for a few minutes before answering "Single jumps only, 3 1/2 months. If I double jump some, I can cut the travel time to possibly 2 months."
"Good enough, make the trip safe. Better than I thought, actually." She handed over a envelope "Inside are the replacement needs of the 272nd, 322nd and 126th Divisions along with replacement needs of the 277th Dragoon's. Also inside is all the intel we have gathered out here in the sticks for SLIC. Also some of my own evaluations."
Commodore Zeibler took the envelope and secure it in his desk "I will make ready to depart as soon as possible. General Mitchell, in case 10th Fleet does not allow me to come back, it has been a pleasure and an honor serving with you. I plan to plead my case to return in as forceful terms as I can. I will not let you down and will make contact with High Command and deliver this information to the proper channels."
"It has been a pleasure serving with you also Commodore. Now, I do not know this Commodore Blythe, what is your estimation of him?" Lieutenant General Mitchell asked
"He is a good officer, aggressive, independent minded. Those are the ones they place in the Kimague Cruisers, the most aggressive ones. I am sure he will follow your orders. Tell you what, I will brief him on what he needs to know before I depart. I will make sure he understands what his mission is." Commodore Zeibler said
"That would help a bunch. With SLS Rhodon having a doubtful Jump Drive, I need a fast response ship. We are spread across 3 systems but easily within range of a LF equipped warship. Just in case all 3 systems have trouble at the same time, which I doubt." Lieutenant General Mitchell responded
"I will stress to Commodore Blythe what is expected of him." Commodore Zeidler said
"Good. If we do not speak again before your departure, safe trip Commodore Zeibler. Hope we see each other very soon. I must get back to the surface." Lieutenant General Mitchell said as she turned to leave.
Independence (Uninhabited Periphery)
Major Sandra Barkley, commander 1st Battlemech Battalion, was overseeing the loading of her 3 Union Dropships with everything they could haul from the busted Invader Jumpship. Captain Jinloo Chu, ships captain Invader Jumpship, wanted to keep a skeleton crew aboard the Invader Jumpship to monitor the ships systems and provide either a early warning for danger or contact any ship for rescue. She had grudingly agreed, but did not trust that they would wait for her Dropships to undock and then jump from the system. She wa debating on leaving some of her people aboard when the ships alarms sounded. Rushing to the bridge, as soon as she entered Captain Chu turned to her and announced "Incoming emergence wave, it's gonna come in pretty close roughly 6,000km from us. At least 2 ships inbound. If you want to undock, you better hurry, if they are hostile, and I have no reason to doubt they are anything but that, at least on the ground you have a chance to fight back."
Major Sandra Barkley started to leave the bridge for her Dropship when the first Star Lord Jumpship materialized followed shortly by a second Star Lord Jumpship. "Captain, they are broadcasting SLDF IFF, SLS Heaven's Gaze and SLS Orion's Gaze." She heard as she grabbed the bridge door frame to bring her to a halt. Better to face the music than starve to death. She floated back to Captain Chu's side.
"Contact them, we will take our chances with the SLDF. I will make sure they understand I took your ship by force Captain Chu." Major Barkley said
Two hours later, Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue" boarded the broken Invader Jumpship. He had been shocked to discover the Invader Jumpship here. When he was led to the Jumpships Grav deck, he met Captain Jinloo Chu and Major Sandra Barkley. After a few minutes of being told about the trouble with the Invader Jumpship, he held up a hand.
"That is all good and well, but how about telling me WHY you all are way out here alone." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said, he had detected the tension on both officers before him.
"It is my fault General Hanesworth. I took this Jumpship by force. Captain Chu had no choice but to follow my orders. I submit myself to your arrest. I mutinied against orders to report for disbandment. My people have no idea of my actions, they think we have been reassigned." Major Sandra Barkley admitted
"You understand mutiny is a capital offense during a time of hostilities? I could order you tossed out of an airlock and General Kerensky would porbably pin a medal on me." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
"I am aware of my possible punishment General. After all we have been thru during this campaign, I could not bear seeing my unit broken up and scattered to the winds. I alone made the decision to leave." Major Barkley replied
"Well, as long as you are aware of the possible punishment if we are discovered." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
This statement by General Hanesworth caught both Captain Chu and Major Barkley by surprise and it showed. Lieutenant General Hanesworth filled the stunned silence "So I guess we better get your Dropships loaded aboard my Star Lord's and leave this system for hopefully greener pastures."
The ships alarm sounded again, Captain Chu headed for the bridge much faster than either ground pounder. Arriving ahead of either officer, he turned to both "Another emergence wave inbound. Seems this is a popular place."
Ten minutes later a Star Lord materialized 65,000km away. "Broadcasting SLDF IFF, SLS Heaven Sailor. We are being hailed."
14 July 2766
Colonel Bradley Montgomery had not expected to find a SLDF flotilla this far out when they arrived in system. He could not risk not communicating nor accepting the invitation to join them abaord the Invader Jumpship. After being led to the ships Grav deck, he reported to the Lieutenant General before him. "Colonel Bradley Montgomery, 3rd Battlemech Regiment, 265th Mechanized Infantry Division reporting."
"A very long ways from Umka aren't you Colonel Montgomery? I do believe that is where the 265th MID was ordered to report to. Don't look surprised, I am a General officer, I see many things. SO, how about explaining what the hell you are doing way out here?" Lieutenant General Hanesworth asked
"I do not have a proper answer to your question sir." Colonel Montgomery replied, the jig is up and we are in deep shit.
"You do realize that your answer tells me you have gone rogue, deserted, mutinied against the SLDF?" Lieutenant General Hanesworth stated
"Yes sir, I do understand that. I would like a lawyer for myself and my personnel." Colonel Montgomery answered
"Sorry, we are all out of lawyers. Mutiny, desertion and worse rogue are capital offenses. The SLDF could toss all of you out airlocks if captured." Lieutenant General Hanesworth stated
This caught Colonel Montgomery off guard, he cut his eyes to look at the other 2 officers in attendance and thought he caught concealed smiles. What the hell is going on, he thought.
"Safety in numbers Colonel Montgomery, safety in numbers. There are still a bunch of hostile rebels running around out here. I think it would be best if for the time being you join our merry band of wayward soldiers and travel with us." Lieuteneant General Hanesworth said as he broke a smile
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That's getting to be quite the collection of rogue troops there... wonder if they're headed to Tortuga too... ^-^
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18 July 2766
Albaracht (Uninhabited System)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division along with the 509th Battle Regiment had been in system for 4 days recharging. Major Jenny Davidson had so far resisted the idea of folding the battered remains of the 509th Battle Regiment into his command. He was going slow and not pushing the issue. He just brought up the idea every now and then to her. He had decided not to set down on the planet to give the people some ground time bacause once they halted, it might be too hard to get them started again.
He was deep in thought about the unit's future when the ships alarm sounded and almost as fast the intercom in his quarters said "General, might want to get to the bridge, we have an emergence wave incoming."
Without even acknowledging the message he was out the door and on his way to the bridge. He arrived just as the Star Lord Jumpship materialized. "Sqawking SLDF IFF, SLS Deep Voyager. She's fully loaded sir." The sensor operator said
Ships captain Jorge Gonzalez looked at Lieutenant General Baxter who just shrugged in reply, Captain Gonzalez said "Comm, hail her."
Aboard SLS Deep Voyager, Colonel James Buchest, commander 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division "rogue", stared at the flotilla of Jumpships displayed on the plot board by the ships sensor's. Of all the damned luck, we run right into a SLDF convoy. When the flotilla called them, he knew prison or worse awaited him. "Answer them."
Four hours later, he exited the shuttle onto the SLS Shining Star, Star Lord Jumpship. Already tense, he was shaken to his core when 4 armed soldiers escorted him to the ships Grav deck. There he saw a very stern looking Lieutenant General along with a Major who kept her hand on the holstered laser pistol she wore. There was an evil glint in the Major's eyes that he could see even from 6 feet away. Willing himself to calm down he said "Colonel James Buchest, 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division, reporting."
Neither the Lieutenant General or Major said a word, they just stood there looking at him for several minutes. Finally the Lieutenant General spoke "Colonel, I am Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division and this is Major Davidson, 509th Battle Regiment. Since your arrival, we have been discussing what a unit this far from SLDF lines was up to. We have both come to the conclusion that your renegades, mutineers or possibly gone pirate. All of which are capital crimes punishable by death during hostilities. So Colonel, which one is it?"
Colonel Buchest thought his heart was going to explode in his chest. But he willed himself to answer "I alone am responsible General Baxter. After everything we had been thru together, alone, cutoff from any help, with none arriving until after over 50% of the Division were dead, I could not allow them to break us up. My troops are good soldiers, good fighters. I accept responsibility for disobeying orders."
He was even more worried when Lieutenant General Baxter seemed to relax and he thought he detected the hint of a smile flicker across the mans face. "Relax Colonel, we will just have to make sure the SLDF does not find any of us. So let's all sit down and discuss our futures on the run."
Mirfak (Uninhabited System)
"General" Olivia Daniels, commander 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, was tired of the long journey in space. She wanted to feel firm ground under her feet again. She was already hearing the grumblings among the troops, they too were getting tired of space travel. They had "elected" her, but they damn sure could also remove her. She had calculated that it would take another 5 month to reach the Tortuga Dominions.
Lastpost (Uninhabited System)
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division, was getting antsy again. Even with the 2 week layover on an uninhabited planet, he was still tired of seeing nothing but empty space. Just 3 more months to Tortuga Dominions.
Mackolla (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni had just delivered another load of cargo inside the Federated Suns. He made more money in the Outworlds Alliance, Jumpship traffic was much less dense there, but you could make a living in the Federated Suns. But first, he paid out a good sum of money to get his Merchant Jumpship into the Olympus Recharge Stations repair bay. It was past due for a overhaul at a proper shipyard, but he tried to make sure routine maintenance was conducted on her. Maybe when the "vacation" in New Port Royal was over he would make his way to Ramora and put her in a shipyard slip for an overhaul, it was cheaper there that in the Federated Suns, plus not near as long a wait line. They would spend 2 weeks here before moving on, enough time for the 2 Dropships to return with cargo for delivery to Bamburgh.
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Vincent Zeibler, commander SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, shook the hand of Commodore William Blythe, commander SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser. "Welcome aboard my ship Will. Come on, let's head for my quarters, there is something very important we need to discuss."
Once inside Commodore Zeibler's quarters and both had taken seats, he spoke "Will, I will be taking Conroy back to Quatra Belle. Your going to remain here and protect the SLDF forces in the region. I can see that repairs are still not completed on your ship from here. Commodore Coltrain and SLS Rhodon are next door at Boulsi, but her Jump Core has some serious micro cracks and only in a dire emergency will she make a jump. I need to make contact with Higher and get some relief out here." He held up a hand to stop Commodore Blythe from talking "Let me finish Will, I outrank you by time in rank. You are not to abandon these troops out here. Period. When I return, if I find out you gave Lieutenant General Mitchell any grief, I will personally have you brought up on charges. If I return and find out you left before I got back or the troops here were properly supported, I will personally hunt you down and destroy you. I am deadly serious about this, you are to obey Leiutenant General Mitchell or anyone she appoints over you as though they were a damned Admiral. No solo head hunting. I vouched for you, do not make me a liar."
"Look Vincent, I am in 12th Fleet and your in 10th Fleet. My orders were to hunt down enemy shipping and to destroy them. Those orders came from Vice Admiral Jean-Claude Detier himself. You cannot just....."He trailed off as Commodore Zeibler interrupted him.
"Shut up Commodore Blythe, you WILL obey my orders. Per SLDF Regulations, during hostilities, when no communication with higher command is possible, officer will obey the on scene commander until such time as proper communication can be re-established. That makes me the on scene commander. And when I depart in about 6 hours, Lieutenant General Mitchell is the on scene commander. That is final. No more argument, no more excuses. The next words out of your mouth had better be Yes sir or I will have my Marines toss you into the brig here, appoint your XO in command and transport you back to Quatre Belle to stand a court martial for disobeying orders in a combat zone." Commodore Zeibler said
Commodore Blythe's face flushed red, but when he opened his mouth all he said was "Yes sir. I understand my orders."
"Glad you agree Will. Now get back to Hatchet and get her battle ready as soon as possible." Commodore Zeibler replied
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Blythe is going to be trouble...
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is it just me are there very few carriers and assault ships in the SLDF.
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19 July 2766
Luikaw (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, acting commander 211th Hussar Regiment, sat aboard SLS Night Jumper, Tramp LF Jumpship at the Zenith Jump Point. After spending a month sweeping Blommestein in a effort to locate the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, Major Nabokov had finally called off the search and order the 211th Hussar Regiment back to their Jumpships. Though the Tramp's were all LF equipped, he was trying to keep their use to a minimum, though he had used them extensively getting to Blommestein. They were 3 days into their recharge cycle when the emergence wave was detected. They had gotten lax in their security and had failed to preplot an emergency jump location. This was not going to end well. It would take 15 minutes to plot a jump from the system. Estimates place the arrival of their unwanted guest at 12 minutes.
Commodore Vincent Zeibler, commander SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, watched as the ships sensors came back online and spotted the targets appearing on the ships plot board at the same time as he heard "Radar contact, 5 ships, range 54,000km to closest. Sir, they are transmitting SLDF IFF, SLS Night Jumper, Tramp Jumpship is closest target." He smiled as he spoke "Hail them." He had decided to push his ship as hard as he dared and executed a double jump at Maripa.
When the huge Avatar Heavy Cruiser had materialized 54,000km away, everyone had released the breath they had been holding even before they registered the SLDF IFF, SLS Conroy. When the hail from SLS Conroy came in, everyone shouted with joy. Major Nabokov accepted the radio mic "SLS Conroy, this is Major Nabokov of the 211th Hussar Regiment, we sure are glad to see you. We have not seen a friendly warship since our escort left us months ago."
"Roger that SLS Night Jumper. We will come to you, eta hour and half. Then we can talk in person. SLS Conroy out."
Two hours later, Major Nabokov exited the shuttle and was guided to an office and shown inside. "Major Nabokov, 211th Hussar Regiment reporting."
"Commodore Vincent Zeibler, SLS Conroy. Are you the lead element of an SLDF push into this area?" He asked
"Sir, I do not know anything about a push into this region. We just left Blommestein after looking for the 272nd Mech Infantry and are on our way to Ambatomainty to hunt down the 126th Mech Infantry." Major Nabokov said
Commodore Zeibler let out a laugh "Well, your search is over Major Nabokov. The 126th Mech Infantry are on Boulsi and the 272nd Mech Infantry are on Thazi. Battered but very much still alive and in the fight."
"Well, at least now we are not stumbling around blind. My orders are to locate them and assist them against the rebels. So you say both of them are in a fight?" Major Nabokov asked
"Very much so, but they both have the upper hand against the rebels. If your moving to link up with them, head for Thazi. Lieutenant General Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division is in charge out there. Report to her and she will direct you where to go. You said your escort left you? Why?" Commodore Zeibler asked
"They got orders to go after some spotted Alliance warships, then we got jumped by probably those very warships and we lost some good people before escaping. We have spent the last 6 months bouncing all over the Alliance praying we don't trip over any more enemy warships. One reason I came to you is because I got some seriously pissed off people with a grudge against the Navy. And I will admit, I harbor some bad feelings also, not just against the Navy but also in how Higher Command has bounced us all over the place, never letting us catch our thoughts. Seems every system has had it's HPG destroyed, so we have no clue what the hell is happening." Major Nabokov replied
"We have noticed the same thing, HPG's seem to be the first targets the rebels hit. One reason I am out here and not with Lieutenant General Mitchell, trying to make contact with higher. Your not alone now Major Nabokov, take your Regiment to Thazi, SLS Hatchet, Kimigure Cruiser and SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin are there, and at Boulsi is SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser. They could use the help, your Regiment might be the tipping point in the campaign out there." Commodore Zeibler said
"I will do that Commodore. We have 4 days left to recharge our drives." Major Nabokov said
"We will be here until you jump. So since we have a few days, you can tell me all about what you have seen and I will tell you what we have seen and done." Commodore Zeibler said
Ype-Jhu (Outworlds Alliance)
After a month on planet, Colonel Alberta Collins and her personnel were in no hurry to leave. Ype-Jhu was a pleasant planet to be on, the people actually very nice and the food was great. She had deployed her MASH units to provide medical care for the population as payment for the hospitality they had been shown. The capitol of Kuero Fresco Nueva contained the majority of the planets population with 655,000 people. Situated on the coast of the only continent of Estacion Costa they fished the large ocean extensively. The remaining 200,000 people were spread out in 6 other towns. All situated within 400km of the capitol city.
She was giving serious thought on just staying here with her command.
30 July 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore William Blyther, commander SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser, wait for the inbound ships to materialize. His ship had 60% of it's lost armor replaced and he had to listen to Chief Whitney curse up a storm when his work was once again interrupted. "Weps, all weapons hot and ready?"
"Yes sir, everything is warm and ready to go. All stations manned and ready." Ships weapons officer announced
"Very well, weapons tight until we have confirmed the identity of the inbounds. Sensor, how do things look?" Commodore Blythe asked
"First should be arriving any minute. Computer projects the closest to arrive at 1500km range." The sensor operator said
Before Commodore Blythe could answer, the first Tramp Jumpship materialized followed seconds later by 4 more Tramp Jumpships. "Reading SLDF IFF Commodore. SLS Night Jumper, Sprinter, Star Runner and Void Runner, Tramp LF Jumpships." The sensor operator stated
"Roger Sensor, Comm hail them." Commodore Blyther ordered
Aboard SLS Night Jumper, Tramp LF Jumpship, Major Yuri Nabokov, acting commander 211th Hussar Regiment, looked at the massive Cruiser displayed on the ships plot. When the hail came in, he nodded to the ships captain. "SLS Hatchet, this is SLS Night Jumper carrying the 211th Battle Regiment. Commodore Zeibler send his regards." Major Jordan Wirth, commander SLS Wind Runner said
"Welcome to Thazi Night Jumper. You are cleared to release your Dropships and they are cleared to head for the surface. Report to Lieutenant General Mitchell on arrival in orbit for final landing instructions."
Mackolla (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni watched the tugs ease his Merchant Jumpship from the Olympus Recharge Stations repair bay. They had finished the maintenance checks 2 days ahead of schedule. He had watched every move the Stations Techs had made, along with his Chief Engineer. He might sail the Periphery, but he tried to keep his Merchant Jumpship in the best condition possible. Built in 2624, she was 142 years old, but in top notch condition, he spent a ton of money keeping her in this shape. His grandfather had first bought her, then his father had paid her off. Now she had been all his for 18 years. He figured another 2 years and he would be able to afford either another Merchant or a 50% down payment on a Star Lord Jumpship with some cash left over. His father had never gotten around to expanding his operation beyond this one ship, but Martin had bigger plans, he wanted to grow, maybe one day actually settle down and just run the show from a nice planet somewhere.
Dilk (Uninhabited Periphery)
Sergeant Mathew Hollister was young, only 23 and on his first tour with the SLDF. Assigned to the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division, he had been blooded in battle over the last year of fighting in the Periphery Uprising. It had troubled him greatly when his Battalion had voted enmass to leave when the order to report for disbandment had come. He had been one of the few dissenters, but after 2 days of near constant "badgering" by his fellow Mechwarriors, he had gone along with them. Now months later, he still felt the pain inside from his decision. After 2 months aboard the Dropship, he had found that the only place he could have any sort of privacy was in his Phoenix Hawk PXH-1b's cockpit. He had enlisted in the SLDF at 16, with his parents blessing's, and after almost 6 years of training, had graduated. In his only battle campaign on Tirabad, he had scored 6 Battlemech kills and come away with his Phoenix Hawk relatively unscathed. He knew he was a good pilot. He had learned to pilot a Crosscut Loggermech at 12, with his father on New Earth. By 15, he could do things in that Crosscut that most deemed impossible. When they had placed the "skullcap" on him during testing, he had not only moved the small Battlemech, but had made it stop, move, turn and stop. Most others could only get it to move a little bit.
I should have said no and went to the replacement depot, he thought to himself, alone with his thoughts.
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Hollister is not wrong...
Glad to see the 211th hooking up with Mitchell! :thumbsup:
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5 August 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, acting commander 211th Hussar Regiment, contacted Lieutenant General Mitchell as his Dropships made orbit around Thazi. He wondered what kind of commander she was, would she be the typical SLDF commander that pushed men and equipment to the breaking point, the type of commander that just shoveled troops at a problem until the problem went away, without a care in the world? He was about to find out.
"Nabokov calling ground command. Looking for Lieutenant General Mitchell over." Several minutes passed before an answer came back.
"This is Lietenant General Mitchell, go with your traffic."
"Major Nabokov, 211th Hussar Regiment. We have entered orbit around Thazi proper. Where would you like me to ground my troops and what is our mission."
"Glad to have you with us Major. Ground your Regiment at grid 112985-457, that is the last sector I have not put any ground troops into, we been hunting a rebel Battlemech Battalion. The area is densely forested, so air recon is not much use. Once on the ground, start sweeping the area best you can. I have a Mech Infantry Regiment and special troops here at the space port. They will sub orbital to your position and they will assist in your sweep. SLS Mighty Lift is on call for orbital fire support if needed. Restrcted use to no closer than 50km from any town or city. But that should not be an issue, we have no indications of any inhabitation in that area, over."
"Roger, ground at grid 112985-457, sweep area for rebel forces. Will be on watch for your troops. Good copy on fire support restrictions. We should be ont he ground in 3 hours.
"Contact me if you need anything Major. My 2 Battlemech Regiments are pushing in that direction, but this is a massive continent to try and clear with only a single Mechanized Infantry Division and we are not full strength."
By 5pm, Major Nabokov had his 211th Hussar Regiment on the ground and deployed. With nightfall not far away, he issued orders for limited patrols and they would move out at dawn to begin their sweep of the area.
Rim Worlds Outpost #11
Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye walked along the assembled Battlemechs awaiting transport. He had been out here for ten years and had overseen the construction of the massive Battlemech Factory complex along with supporting factories and some mining. Under his command were 153,281 personnel. Only 1 of the planets 3 continents had any inhabitation. The small capitol city of Haye City housed 101,098 people. Not far away, 15km was the Battlemech Factory Complex and adjecent space port. The Battlemech Factory Complex itself housed all of the needed machinery and sub-factories needed to manufacture Battlemchs.
Battlemech Factory Complex
Stinger STG-3R - 2 Lines producing 30 per month
Firestarter FS9-H - 1 Line producing 15 per month
Phoenix PX-3R - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Talos TLS-1B - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Archer ARC-2R - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
Battlemaster BLR-1G - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
The primary on planet support, was the mining community of Devil's Rock located 320km away serviced by 2 old but functional trains which hauled 5,200 tonnes of raw ore per day each on the 5 hour trip each way. Devil's Rock housed 52,183 miners and their families. Three mines operated from Devil's Rock, each with a Corx Mobile Tunnel Miner and 6 Dig King Mining Mechs. Security was provided by a single Battalion of Battlemechs and 2 Infantry Regiments. Local farming barely could meet the minimum needs of the population.
Rim Worlds Outpost #7
Taxiarchos Christine Palmer was in charge of the this Outpost, having taken command 4 years ago after an industrial accident claimed the previous commander during an inspection. Under her command were 88,122 personnel who worked in the Tank and small Aerospace Factory Complexes. The only city on the planet was Snell's Gulf City where the space port and both factory's were located. The planet itself could not support life without outside imports.
Tank Factory Complex
Merkava Mk VIII - 2 Lines producing 48 per month
Marsden II-A - 2 Lines producing 48 per month
Ballista Artillery - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Heavy Tracked APC - 2 Lines producing 72 per month
LVT-4 Hover - 2 Lines producing 36 per month
Sherpa Armored Truck - 2 Lines producing 72 per month
Sherpa MASH Truck- 1 Line producing 24 per month
Sherpa Fuel Truck - 1 Line producing 36 per month
Sherpa Canteen Truck - 1 Line producing 36 per month
Aerospace Factory
Typhoon TFN-2A - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
Star Dagger S-2A - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Rim Worlds Outpost #4
Taxiarchos Waylon Hazot commanded Outpost #4, he commanded with a iron fist and was known to have unproductive workers lashed with a whip. The smallest of the Outposts with production facilities, he strived to impress President Stephan Amaris with the output with limited resources available. For 8 years, he had exceeded production quota's. A single city of 54,872 people serviced the planets Tank Factory. Without outside imports of material and supplies, the planet would be uninhabitable.
Tank Factory Complex
Merkava Mk VIII - 1 Line producing 30 per month
Korvin KRV-3 - 1 Lines producing 40 per month
Ignis Infantry Support - 1 Line producing 36 per month
Heavy Tracked APC - 2 Lines producing 80 per month
Sherpa Armored Truck - 1 Line producing 48 per month
Sherpa Fuel Truck - 1 Line producing 36 per month
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Hopefully Nabokov is appreciating sane orders...
I wonder how long Hazot will last once they realize no more supplies are coming.
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6 August 2766
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
First Lord Richard Cameron looked at the small infant in the intensive care room. His wife Elise had given birth to twins, but the second infant had been kept a secret when it was quickly discovered that the infant had a heart defect. Only machines kept the 6 month old infant alive. He wanted to end this, but his wife Elise refused to even entertain the idea. First Lord Richard Cameron had ordered all records of the second child's birth to be expunged from all records. He made a visit to this secret intensive care room at least once a week to stare dispassionately at the infant hooked to life giving machines. When Stephan Amaris returned to Terra, he would ask him what should be done. Turning away from the small viewing window, and without a word, exited the small room and walked down the long corridor with only 2 members of the Royal Black Watch accompanying him.
16 August 2766
Unknown (Empty Space)
Commodore Vincent Zeibler, command SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, could not shake the idea that he had condemned his crew to death. I should have listened to Lieutenant General Mitchell, take it slow and safe, but no, I had to push the limits too far. I gave the order for the second jump way too soon and now I have destroyed our field initator. Not only have I doomed myself and my crew to certain death out here, but I have possibily doomed everyone else counting on him. He thought to himself for the millionth time. He hovered over the navigator, who had spent the last 6 hours trying to work out their exact position in Commodore Zeiblers locked quarters, when finally the navigator looked up.
"I think I have it Commodore, and it is not good. We misjumped, from my calculations and working with the Star Maps, we are not even in the Outworlds Alliance anymore. Best I can calculate is we are a minimum of 240LY from Ammon our target, closest inhabited system, as far as I can tell is Novo Franklin, and that is 80 to 90LY away from us." His navigator said
"Great. My stupidity might have killed us all. If Chief cannot cobble something together, we don't even have a damned planet to shuttle down to. We have food and water for a year. No way of calling for help. If my fuzzy math I just did is anything, even a 1g burn for Nova Franklin would take us over 600 years to reach. Shit." Commodore Zeibler said
"I will keep working to better determine our exact location, just in case Chief works a miracle, we will need the information for a jump anyway." Ship's navigator said
"I am going to head down to engineering and try to do something worthwhile. Let's keep this quiet as long as we can, everyone knows we got a broke ship, but they don't know how screwed we are." Commodore Zeibler said
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, commander 211th Hussar Regiment, watched the 3391st Special Forces Battalion swiftly move among the dense forest, seeking out any hostiles in their weird armored suits. He had never seen anything like them, but the commander of the 3391st, Major Brian Calloway loved the things. Even if they find the rebel's, this dense forest will make fighting a very close range affair. They had spent the last 2 weeks sweeping the area until finally reaching a long narrow peninsula. His radio chirped "Contact, we have a Stinger in sight. We can only see it's upper torso and head, looks to be dug in deep and tight. Grid 121571-301. We will start working down the line in an attmept to find the enemy's flank."
He keyed the mic "Roger, grid 121571-301. Proceed with extreme caution Major Calloway, I am not as confident your armored suits will take much Mech scale weapons fire."
A chuckle came back "They won't take any Mech scale weapons fire. Even standard infantry weapons can kill us. We live by not being found."
Major Nabokov switched channels "Zeus, this is Geronimo Actual, we found them. Grid 121571-301. You want us to dig them out the hard way?"
Lieutenant General Mitchell responded quickly "Negative, determine the exact alignment of the rebel's. I am not going to lose people digging them out, not in that dense forest. We would be fighting at point blank range. I will head down there with one of my Battlemech Regiments to assist and evaluate the enemy positions. See you very soon Major Nabokov, good work."
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominions)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, was glad to be on solid ground again. They had grounded 3 days ago and quickly set up a perimeter. Late yesterday, one of the many pirate bands in the Tortuga Dominions had come a calling and quickly found out that there was still a lot of fight left in the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division after they had 3 Battlemechs and 5 tanks quickly destroyed. Major General Carman had forbid any pursuit of the pirates. She had left her Aerospace Wing with her Jumpships to safeguard them from any hostile attempts. If the pirates made anymore trouble, she would consider removing them from existence, right now, she just wanted a few weeks of surface time while they decided their next move.
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Ooooo… a secret Cameron heir! :o
Zeibler is so screwed. His best bet is to aim the ship toward Novo Franklin with as much data recorded as possible. Eventually someone will get the message...
If Nabokov doesn't realize he's in good hands by now, he's an idiot.
Carman should have pursued those pirates. She might just regret that...
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16 August 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Yuri Nabokov, commander 211th Hussar Regiment and Major Brian Calloway, 3391st Special Forces, watched the Command Dictator settle to the ground along with 3 Dictator Dropships and a single Mule Dropship. The first Battlemech to descend the Command Dictator's ramp was a Pillager. It paused at the bottom for a few seconds before moving towards them. Major Calloway spoke "That's Lieutenant General Mitchell in the Pillager."
Both watched as the Pillager halted barely 10 meters away and then knelt. A chain ladder dropped from the cockpit and Lieutenant General Mitchell descneded the chain ladder with ease. She paused as her feet hit the ground, taking a quick scan of the area before continuing towards the waiting officers.
"Major Calloway, you must be Major Nabokov. I am Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. Glad to put a face to the voice. So, show me the location of the rebel's." She said and the 3 officers moved to a map generated from aerial recon photos.
"The Rebel Battlemechs are deployed in dug in positions across the peninsula. They have some Infantry with them, estimate a full regiment. They are literally stretched from coast to coast, the penisula is only about 3km wide where they are deployed at. The forest is extremely thick, the thinner areas are obvious kill sacks. It will not be easy to get at them and the fighting will be point blank range." Major Nabokov said as he traced out the positions on the map.
"Well, I am not going to lose people needlessly. I brought my Long Tom and Thumper Battalions along with one of my Battlemech Regiments. I want a 1km wide area cleared from here to here. I don't want a raging forest fire to get away from us. Any tree that is too big to rip out with Battlemech hands, whack it down with weapons fire, after ground cover is cleared away. Once that is done, we will commence shelling the rebel poistions. The rebel's have few choices, leave their positions and come to us, across the cleared area, sit and take the pounding, pull back from their defensive positions. Before we begin shelling I am going to have a squadron of Aerospace Fighters come along and dump a load of Inferno bombs behind the rebel lines, they pull back, fine they can do so by going thru a raging fire." Lieutnenat General Mitchell laid out her plans
"No engineers General?" Major Nabokov asked
"They are on Boulsi with the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. Wish I had them right now, but we make do with what we have." Lieutenant General Mitchell replied
"Well, we better get started, that is a lot of ground to clear of foliage." Major Nabokov said
19 August 2766
The roar of Aerospace engines woke everyone not already awake as they screamed overhead. Those exiting tents looked in the direction the noise had come from and could see a evil looking glow on the horizon. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell leaned against the foot of her Pillager drinking a cup of coffee, a casual glance at her watch caused a smile to flicker across her face as she watched the cannoncockers ready their guns a short distance away, any second now.
A volley of booms echoed across the small base camp that had sprung up as the artillery barrage began. "So, how much ammunition do those artillery pukes have?" Made her turn her head to see Major Nabokov walking up.
"Quite a lot actually. The Mule that brought the artillery units has 3,000 tons of shells on it. I have another 4,000 tons at the space port. Or I can have SLS Mighty Lift shuttle down some, nice thing to have access to. She has almost 10,000 tons of artillery reloads in her cargo bays." She replied with a smile
"Better the rebels than me." Major Nabokov said as the next volley was sent down range
"Don't worry Major, I am a firm believer in firepower before blood. If the artillery does not flush the rebel's, well I have much bigger artillery in orbit. One way or another, they will come to us. But if fate casts us an evil dice roll, and we do have to go in and dig them out, I will be the first one going in." Lieutenant General Mitchell responded
This caused Major Nabokov to cast her a sideways look, a rare bird, a true fighting General. So often General officers, once promoted to that rank, forgot what it was like in the trenches. He glanced up at her Pillager, kneeling, like some silent assassin awaiting the order to go forth and wreak havoc on the enemy. He could see the repaired armor plates and further up the General's kill markers painted on the Pillager's left torso. Twelve painted in red and 14 more in gold in much fresher paint. Very impressive and Major Nabokov said as much which caused Lieutenant General Mitchell to look up at what Major Nabokov was looking at.
"The 12 red ones are duels, from the Combine. The gold ones are from since the Uprising began." She replied before turning back to watch the artillery crews in action, taking another sip of coffee.
22 August 2766
For 3 days the artillery pounded the rebel positions relentlessly before Lieutenant General Mitchell called a cease fire. The artillery crews were exhausted and the guns needed a rest. Fires burned all over the peninsula and the smoke was thick in the air. Inside the Mobile HQ, she said "Try to make contact with the rebel's, open channel unsecure. Tell them to surrender." As the communications tech began broadcasting across the radio frequency, she exited the Mobile HQ.
"I would prefer them to surrender. But they have a few hours to think it over, then I will have SLS Mighty Lift give them some love taps. Maybe they just need a bigger kick in the pants to see the error of their ways." She said to the gathered officers "In other news, outside of this group here, I think we can call this planet secure. There has not been any shots fired outside of this area in 36 hours."
"So after we take out these rebels, what are your plans for the future General?" Major Nabokov asked
"To be honest, I have not given it much thought. With no contact with Higher, I have been sort of flying by the seat of my pants. Guess I better start figuring it out. I do know we will go into a low state of alert, do some serious maintenance, let the troops relax some. We been on constant combat ops for almost a year now, the troops need it." She replied honestly
Three hours later a communication tech stuck her head out of the Mobile HQ "General, the rebel's have finally answered. They are surrendering."
"Order them to dismount any Battlemechs or vehicles and walk out of there. Send weapons tight to all commands here. Major Calloway, take your Battalion in and secure the area please." Lieutenant General Mitchell said and got a lazy salute from Major Calloway as he moved to where his troops were camped. "Major Nabokov, have your 211th Hussar move to cover Major Calloway's advance."
In orbit, Chief Engineer Whitney had completed all repairs aboard SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser and had declared her 100% combat ready. He had ordered the portable cranes dismounted and once again stowed in the ships cargo bays. Hope I never have to use those pieces of junk again, he thought to himself. Before re-entering the airlock, he took another glance at the Olympus Recharge Station 800km away with both Dart Light Cruiser's not much further away, still battle scarred. If only the damned thing had a decent repair bay, 150,000 tons was not nearly big enough. With that, he turned and entered the ships airlock.
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division could see light at the end of the tunnel now. They were only a month from the Tortuga Dominions now. He was almost afraid all his personnel would vanish the moment they made it on the surface, but then again, that would be their right. They had been thru so much. If they scattered, he would not ay a word, hell he just might join them.
Lastpost (Uninhabited Periphery)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division, wished the recharge operations would speed up. They had at least another month until they reached Hope IV. His convoy now consisted of his 359th Battlemech Division, 509th Battle Regiment and 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division. Supplies were running low, mainly fresh water. They had combat rations, but those were not the tastiest things around. He figured they would ground on Hope IV for resupply before heading to the Tortuga Dominions.
Bartrock (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni watched the undocking of the 2 Mule Dropships as they prepared to head for the planets surface. That was another 100,000 in the bank. With no Dropships waiting for transport, he had made the decision to head direct to New Port Royal. Might as well start my vacation sooner. Should put me there around late September. He wondered how the SLDF troops were doing in the Outworlds Alliance. News said fighting was still raging across the periphery. He wished it would stop, so that he could get back to normal business.
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I think Mitchell has Nabokov fully on side now... took the rebels long enough to surrender.
Zuni is going to be waiting a LONG time for the fighting to stop... ::)
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1 Septmeber 2766
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
With no more fighting on Thazi, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had ordered a stand down to her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and 211th Hussar Regiment. Normal patrols were still being conducted, but for the majority, they had actually moved to a more Garrison type atmosphere. Much needed maintenance was being conducted on the equipment, but most importantly, rest for her soldiers. She was hopeful that within the next month, SLS Conroy would arrive at Quatre Belle and within the next 3-6 months replacements and equipment or better yet relief forces would arrive from the SLDF. She had conducted several HPG meetings with Major General Rommel on Pilon and Lieutenant General McGregor on Boulsi. Outside of the still ongoing siege on Boulsi, all 3 systems had seen no more fighting.
The downtime had also given Lieutenant General Mitchell time to reflect on everything. Her husband and son were still on Multan, in the Draconis Combine, along with all the rest of the 272nd Mech Infantry Divisions dependents. Her husband was a Colonel in the SLDF's Reserve Command, currently, as far as she knew anyway, still in command of the 4917th SLDF Reserve Armor Regiment. Her son, Daniel Mitchell, would be 5 years old now and it had been almost 2 years since she had seen either of them. She put the only family picture she had brought with them back into her breast pocket and stood up from her small desk. She had a commanders meeting to attend. She walked the short distance to the small mess hall at the space port and entered. Master Sergeant Conor Mackenzie, the senor enlisted in the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division yelled "ATTENTION!!" as she entered.
"At ease everyone. Please return to your seats." She said as she continued to the small podium setup at the front of the mess hall. She glanced at the assembled officers, so many new faces, she thought before continuing "I called this meeting because I have no clue what to do now. Outside of the siege on Boulsi, there seems to be no further enemy action on the 3 worlds we have visited. That is one of the reason's I have stood us down outside of some light patrolling. Talking with Major Nabonov with the 211th Hussar Regiment, we know that the 61st Royal Jump Infantry Division was still on Vangburg as of May of this year. And that is the only confirmed SLDF command that we know of anywhere in this region.
I have ordered Colonel Killian Jorgeson to fold his Infantry Regiment into our 2722nd Brigade. For those that do not know him, he was the senior officer of the 2 Independent Infantry Regiments originally stationed here that got overrun. Major Calloway liberated them from the prison camp on our arrival. We do not have enough transport to Mechanize them, but it at least brings us up to strength in Infantry, well a little over, as his Regiment now has 4 Battalions.
Major Calloway, until directed by higher authority, your 3391st Special Forces Battalion is now attached to the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. You will report to me directly.
Major Nabonov, your new rank is for now Brevet Colonel but I am, until directed by higher authority, placing your 211th Hussar Regiment under my command. I have not yet decided if I will fold you into the 272nd or leave you as an Independent Regiment yet. No more stumbling around alone in the badlands Colonel Nabonov.
Now this brings me to Colonel's Faraday and Bannister, commanders of the 9918th and 9919th Marine Regiments. Until directed by higher authority, as senior commander on scene, I am placing both of your Regiments under my command. Now, before you both try and throw a fit, I am well aware that you technically belong to the Navy. Well, these are trying times and I don't have the luxury of really giving a damn anyways right now. Once we reestablich contact with SLDF High Command, you will be returned to your proper commands, until that time, you answer to me. I have discussed this with Commodore Coltrain, the ranking naval officer in this region and she concurs with my decision.
Commodore Coltrain is dipatching one of the SLDF Star Lords over here to pick up the rebel prisoners. Colonel Bannister, detail one of your Battalions as escort please. You will escort the prisoners here on the ground to the Olympus station, there you will pick up the rebel prisoners aboard it and then return with them to Boulsi, collect any prisoners there for transport to Pilon. There they will be interred with the the other rebel prisoners guarded by the 322nd Armored Division. You will then have your Battalion return here.
We will continue our current rotations for patrols and maintenance until further notice. SLS Conroy should be back with help in 5 months or so. Then we go where we are ordered. Let's make the most of the downtime. Dismissed."
Quatre Belle (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship was aboard SLS Drakon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser, Flagship of 10th Fleet meeting with Admiral Isla Firova, commander 10th Fleet.
"Repairs are going well on your ship Commodore?" Admiral Firova asked
"Yes sir, we are on schedule. All issues beside the jump core have been addressed and repaired. We should be installing the new jump core within the next 2 weeks and then a week to button the ship back up tight. Test jump and then we should be ready for deployment around mid November." Commodore Delvaney replied
"Excellent. Your next mission will probably be another long one. Well, several missions really. We have a Essex Destroyer with a busted core at Onverwacht, once repairs are completed, you will take your ship and repair the Destroyer. To make repairs quicker, you will remote jump a complete core with you. Place the old core in a safe orbit for later recovery. Once repairs are complete, you will then move to Ambatomainty. We have several ships MIA, SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Cruiser, SLS Conroy, Avatar Cruiser and 12th Fleet has also lost contact with a few, SLS Hatchet and SLS Axe Handle, Kimagure Cruisers. I am sending SLS Borneo, Volga Transport with 4 Mammoths loaded with material to effect needed repairs. Primary escort will be SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer.
You will not be going in blind per se, I am dispatching a Division from the 101st Reconnaissance Squadron to assist in locating the lost ships. Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka aboard SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer will be in over all command of the search and rescue operation. Her Division consists of:
SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer (Flagship)
SLS Sneak, Bug Eye Surveillance
SLS Dominator, Vincent Corvette
SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette
SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Corvette
SLS Trinity River, Vincent Corvette
This Division is very unique in that, except for SLS Sneak, all have been fitted with LF Batteries for rapid deployments and mobile HPG's to aid in their rapid deployments. I selected it for this very reason. Seems the rebel's have been extremely effective at destroying the HPG's on many planets out here. Communication is very spotty out there. Complete your repairs and go try and find my ships if you would." Admiral Firova explained
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominions)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, had finally had enough of the pirates on the planet when they ambushed one of her patrols and inflicted casualties. For the last 2 days, her 280th MID had been increasingly expanding their zone of control. She had issued orders to shoot first and ask questions later on any pirates located. She had brought 2 Squadrons of Aerospace Fighters down to assist in locating and prosecuting any pirates located.
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+1 for Admiral Firova… she's definitely doing the right things. Her actions might actually save the Conroy…
Sounds like Carman is on her way to becoming a Pirate Queen... ^-^
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28 September 2766
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Colonel Xin Chou finally had no choice but to attempt a breakout, his personnel were down to half rations and he feared he would have a mutiny on his hands. An hour before dawn, the massive doors opened just enough to all a single Battlemech to pass between them at a time. He ordered his company of Mongoose to exit the fortress and scan the immediate area with their Beagle Probes. Once they had passed thru and declared the immediate area safe, he passed the rest of the Battalion out into the dark, 2 Company's of Talon. They expanded their perimeter to allow the rest of the Regiment to exit the fortress.
After 30 careful minutes, Colonel Chou exited the fortress and he ordered his Regiment to begin the advance. As dawn began to break over the area, Beagle Probes began detecting Tanks, lots of them. Colonel Chou ordered the Regiment to attack. The rebel Battlemech Regiment pushed their speed up to maximum.
In the siege lines of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, the Armor crews had awakened and manned their vehicles an hour before dawn. The historically perfect time to launch an attack. Two complete Armor Regiments manned the siege lines backed up by 2 Battlemech Regiments and the 277th Dragoon Regiment 10km behind the forward siege lines. Even if the armor crews had not been awake, the trembling ground from over a hundred Battlemechs at a run would have awakened them. "Toro Actual, Zulu Bravo, we have Mechs to our front and coming fast. We are going to need some backup."
"Roger Zulu Bravo, we are advancing to assist. Break, Condor Actual, Execute." Lieutenant General McGregor replied
On his command, his Jump Infantry Battalion, stationed high above the fortress' massive doors began descending on jump packs and upon landing rushed the now open doors. Making entry, they began engaging the few armed personnel inside while fanning out to secure the complex. Spending a couple of months camped on a rocky mountain waiting for this very moment, had made the Jump Infantry troops extremely irritable and they did not hesitate to put down anyone that did not respond quick enough to commands.
At the 126th MID siege lines, 5 rebel Talon's were already down along with several Mongoose's. As the rebel Battlemechs engaged the dug in tanks, the 126th's Battlemechs began appearing. Now the fight really went down hill for the rebel Battlemech Regiment as the 2 Battlemech Regiments of the 126th MID not only outnumbered them but outmassed them also. As the fight became a massive brawl, the 277th Dragoon Regiment sent a Battalion of 24 Guillotine and 12 Archer to block any retreat of the rebel Battlemechs, while the other 2 Battalions of the 277th Dragoon slammed into the rebel flank. In a furious 30 minute fight, most of it at close range, the last rebel Battlemech fell. It took another hour to completely secure the fortress.
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division had grounded his Dropships at the planets space port on 24 September. They had finally made it, but now he had to fear any pirate band that might be on planet. He had 2 Regiments of Infantry with only small arms available for defense. He half expected his people to break ranks and fade into the city a short distance away, but was surprised that the stuck close to the Dropships and his armed Infantry setup a perimeter without him giving any orders. Maybe they would survive this after all. If the pirates stayed away, a single Lance of Battlemechs would rip his command to pieces.
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division, watched as the 506th Battle Regiment Dropships returned and docked with their Jumpship after spending a week planetside. He had learned that his was not the first SLDF command to pass by here in the last few months. This put him on guard, they were so close everyone could almost taste it. This was one reason why he had cut the ground time and ordered everyone back to the Jumpships. Another month and they would be int he Tortuga Dominions.
New Port Royal (Tortuga Dominions)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni patted his breast pocket verifying that the ships navigation computer's main circuit board was still in place. It was one of the habits he had picked up when visiting the Tortuga Dominions. No sense tempting a good boy to go bad, most of his crew were long time hires, but he had a few new ones aboard. Most of his crew were on the surface with him, and had scattered to the winds the moment they got off the shuttle. "Be here on October 8th or I leave you behind!" he had shouted at their rapidly departing backs.
He was currently in one of the nicer bars in Fort Ringor City, the planet's capital city. It was easy to pick out the spacers from the ground dwellers. The noise level was fairly loud, but he could still hear the tables around him pretty good. It was one of the ways he stayed current on the goings on, a little eavesdropping never hurt anyone. He only keyed in when he heard something that interested him and the table next to his perked his radar.
"I am telling you, the damned SLDF is on New Haiti in force. I was at the Zenith Jump Point when they arrived. Five Star Lords loaded with Dropships, they all burned for the surface except a crap load of Aerospace Fighters that established a CAP around the Jumpships. A squadron even buzzed my Jumpship for a look see before I quickly departed the area." The old guy said
"Well, if they are on New Haiti, I feel for McCory's Mustang's because that is their stomping grounds. And that fool is too stupid to keep his head down. I think I might pack up and get gone from this region for awhile. If the SLDF is conducting a sweep of the area, it is not the place to be. I don't want to have to answer questions about anything if they board me." Another at the table said
"Hey Jorsh!" The old guy almost hollered "Where did you come from?"
Ships Captain Zuni caught sight out of the corner of his eye a fairly obese man sauntering to the table. "Came in from New Gascony and the damned SLDF is there now. But they came in on a single Star Lord. Not their typical way of doing things, but I damned sure did not hang around any longer than I had to." He heard.
"See, now the SLDF is on 2 different planets. They are sweeping for pirates and smugglers, we all damned sure fit the smuggler profile and lord knows we go along on raid and such for a cut of the action. It is time to pack our bags and run like hell boys."
Very interesting, maybe I will pay a visit on the SLDF when we get back aboard ship. See what they are really up to. Information is gold, plus the faster he let the SLDF know he was in the area and submit to an inspection, the easier he could get back to his vacation. Ships Captain Zuni thought to himself as he nursed his drink.
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
The unannounced emergence wave caused many moments of near panic aboard the civilian Merchant Jumpships that had been hauling food between the 3 planets. When the Tramp Jumpship loaded with 2 Dictator and a single Czar Dropship emerged at the Nadir Jump Point. Everyone breathed a little easier when the ship began broadcasting SLDF IFF, SLS Forever Journey. When the dropships detached and began a burn for the surface, Ships Captain Tiffany Jones handed the radio over to Lieutenant Gwen Uvalde, the Marine commander on board her Merchant Jumpship.
"Desert Fox, this is Lieutenant Uvalde aboard the Merchant Jumpship Rainy Day, be advised you have company inbound. Two Dictator and single Czar Dropships on burn for the surface. All flashing SLDF IFF. They did not attempt to hail us at all." It took 19 minutes for a reply to come back.
"Rainy Day, Desert Fox actual. Thanks for the heads up. I will greet them on the ground properly."
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Hanni Schmitt, commander Royal Black Watch Regiment, looked at the small infant in the intensive care room especially for him. The infant's attending doctor stood beside her. "It is really sad Colonel. The child has no chance at all. There is nothing our fancy medical equipment or knowledge can do for her. She does not even have a name, the First Lord's wife just calls her Angel, that is what we have on all the charts."
"How long would the child live off of life support Doctor?" Colonel Hanni Schmitt asked
"May I ask why you need that information Colonel?" The Doctor asked
"Security reasons. If we have to evacuate the area, I need to know how long I have to get the child back on life support." Colonel Schmitt replied
"Hard to tell, no more than a week. Probably less than that. I would be loathe to even put the child back on support. It is past time for her to be let go." The Doctor replied
"It is not our call to make Doctor. How close is her DNA to Amanda's?" Colonel Schmitt asked
"Almost an exact copy, they are identical twins. There are some differences but a quick DNA test would register as Amanda. It would take a much more detailed DNA test to see the difference." The Doctor answered
"Thank you Doctor. I will leave you to your charge." Colonel Schmitt said as she turned and walked away. Inside her mind, a plan was forming. She did not trust all the Rim Worlds troops on Terra. Not in the slightest.
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+1 for a properly conducted siege!
It'll be interesting to see who's visiting Pilon...
And another +1 for proper paranoia on Schmitt's part... :thumbsup:
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Wooo clever clever Hanni
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3 November 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel waited at the space port as the grounded Dropships slowly lowered their ramps. Hidden in several nearby warehouses were a full Battalion of Von Luckner tanks, just in case. A Highlander HGN-732 walked down the ramp of the lead Dictator Dropship. He recognized the markings of the 298th Battlemech Division, but something was not quite right with this situation, he could feel it deep inside of him. He just could not put a finger on it at the moment.
His eyes shifted from the Highlander to a woman in SLDF fatigues coming down the ramp behind the Highlander. She strode to him and reported "Colonel Elizabeth McCord, 298th Battlemech Division reporting. We heard that you had a fight out here and could use some help."
Major General Rommel returned the salute "Major General Heinrich Rommel, 322nd Armored Division. Glad to have you, but your a little late to the party. Tell me Colonel McCord, is this all that is left of the 298th BM Division? Surely, 18th Army would not send this small of a relief force."
"We were all that could be spared sir. I have 2 Battlemech Battalions of 69 Battlemechs and 4 Mechanized Infantry Battalions. My Battlemech is missing a leg and we have no spares at the moment." Colonel McCord stated
"Very well, get your people settled in for the night. You and your senior officers are invited to dine with me in this evening. I will have a jeep pick you up and brought to my headquarters. We can then decide how to deploy your command Colonel. I will have soem hot food run out here for your people." Major General Rommel said
"Thank you sir, we will be waiting. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go see to my people." Colonel McCord said
Major General Rommel turned and walked to his jeep, this will give me some time to figure out exactly what is making the hair on the back of my neck twitch.
Four hours later, he sat on a camp chair outside his small headquarters sipping water as he watched the jeep carrying Colonel McCord and 2 other officers come to a halt. Before Colonel McCord could salute, he waved her off "I am not real big on formality before dinner Colonel. Please, have a seat, there are ice cold water bottles in the cooler. Help yourself."
"Thank you General, this is Major Jose Ferrera, commander of my 2nd Battlemech Battalion and this is Major Tim Ronstein, commander of the Infantry Regiment." Colonel McCord introduced as all three officers pulled water bottles from the cooler and took seats.
"Tell me, how did you learn of our predicament out here Colonel?" Major General Rommel asked
"Just following orders sir." Colonel McCord replied
"Cut the crap Colonel McCord. No one knows we are even alive out here. Every HPG in the region has been destroyed. We have been cut off for a year from 18th Army. So how about you come clean and tell me the truth before I lose my temper." Major General Rommel said harshly
"Sir, I am not sure what you mean. We came to assist you per orders." Colonel McCord protested, but it was obvious she was getting nervous
"Alright Colonel, let me tell you what I think. The 298th Battlemech Division was stationed on Cerberus, on the other side of the Outworlds Alliance. I know for a fact that there are closer commands in 18th Army, plus 15th, 16th and 20th Army are all in the Outworlds Alliance. In all my years in the SLDF, I have never, not once seen them break off an ad-hoc command from a Division, that is why we have Independent Regiments. It just flat out is not done. If this is all that is left of the 298th Battlemech Division, you would have been disbanded and folded into another unit. Personally, I think your deserters." Major General Rommel said
When he finished, he clearly saw Major Ronstein's hand drop a little closer to his holstered pistol "I would not do that Major Ronstein. I am no fool, you have quite a few weapons aimed at you right now. But thank you for confirming my hunch. Master Sergeant Kellerman, you may come out and relieve these people of their weapons now." Major General Rommel said
When the 3 officers were disarmed, Major General Rommel said "In about an hour we will disarm the rest of your people and confine you to a holding facility until I decide what to do with you. And before you say anything, I had the food we served your people laced with a quite powerful sleeping agent. They will all be fast asleep very soon. Take them away Master Sergeant and please tell Colonel Geller that I want her to try not to kill anyone unless it has to be done."
Colonel McCord could not believe the turn of events that had just occurred as flex cuffs were placed on her wrists.
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division, was laying flat on the ground on a small rise above the space port. He brought the binoculars down from his eyes and passed them to Colonel Dennis Xeng, commander 2nd Infantry Regiment. "I count 12 Battlemechs out there. Looks like they are waiting on more friends to arrive. Pitched a few small tents."
"Yes sir, we have been watching them all morning, just after they arrived. No Infantry support that we have seen. They don't even have a guard posted in the Battlemechs." Colonel Xeng said
"Well, that is just sloppy. Someone should teach them a lesson on proper security." Colonel Quieg responded
"I think it is only proper to pass on our knowledge to those less fortunate to have been blessed with good training. We will hit them about midnight. I have quite a few very skilled night hunters in my Regiment. I have secured a truck, we will use that to bring out some of our Mech jocks and techs when we have secured the location." Colonel Xeng said
"Very well Colonel. If their friends show up, pull back, I don't want a bunch of dead soldiers." Colonel Quieg ordered
"Bet your butt Patrick. Not out here in the open, but let those strutting roosters come after my folks in some heavy woods or urban and I will teach them that even us lowly grunts can sting their walking metal beasts." Colonel Xeng replied
At just after midnight, only 3 pirates were still awake and sitting around the small fire. They never heard the platoon of SLDF infantry silently creep up on the encampment. Another 2 platoons covered the designated platoon from 200 meters away. One of the pirates got up and ambled towards the row of Battlemechs and disappeared into the darkness. A soft thump was heard which brought soft laughter from the remaining 2 pirates at the campfire. "Jules, you trip and fall out there?" One called out, but was met with silence in return. "Jules?" The other pirate said as both slowly stood from where they had sat. Laser fire lanced into them and they dropped instantly, and then the tents became the target of 28 Mauser 960 which were quickly shredded. Two minutes later, Colonel Xeng's radio spoke "King, site secure, no survivors."
"Roger, set up security. I have been informed by the Techs that those Battlemchs might need some security breaks. Rolling the Mech Jocks and techs now."
Twenty minutes later Warrant Officer Bella Napster stuck her head of a Thunderbolt TDR-5Sd "Someone should tell the Fed Rats to be more careful with their equipment. Not as good as some of our stuff, but these pirates are quite well equipped. Security system has already been hacked and never reset, same as all the other Battlemechs. Tell the pilots to get them fired up and back to the space port."
Within ten minutes, Battlemech pilots from the 31st Infantry Division were moving the captured Battlemechs back to the space port. Now, let the pirates come play, every single one of them thought.
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sd - 4
Dervish DV-6Md - 4
Night Hawk NTK-2Q - 4
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Hanni Schmitt, commander Royal Black Watch Regiment, looked at the officer before her, Major Ian MacIntosh. "Major MacIntosh, what we are about to discuss is classified above top secret. I will personally shoot you if you ever reveal this to anyone without my express permission. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir." Major Ian MacIntosh replied
"You better. As you and everyone else knows, we have Rim World troops running all over the place. I don't trust them, not one nanometer. I think they are up to no good. So, in the event that the worst happens, you will take your lance and secure Amanda Cameron and swap Angel in her place. Once secured, you will board SLS Abyss, Colossus Dropship, which I have arranged to be kept at the local space port here at Unity City and boost for a rendezvous with SLS Tripitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser. Take her to safety. Protect her with your life. Do you understand your orders?" Colonel Schmitt said
"Yes sir. But one question, who is Angel?" Major Ian MacIntosh
"Angel is Amanda Cameron's twin sister. No one knows about her, except a very select few. She is currently on life support in a special intensive care room beneath the First Lord's private quarters. This data disc contains all the information you need to know, memorize it and then bring it back to me for destruction." Colonel Schmitt said
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Rommel shouldn't have tipped his hand about the drugged food, but at least he was able to get them to surrender.
Schmitt has a good idea, but I thought the doctor said Angel wouldn't last very long off life support? ???
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Rommel shouldn't have tipped his hand about the drugged food, but at least he was able to get them to surrender.
Schmitt has a good idea, but I thought the doctor said Angel wouldn't last very long off life support? ???
Schmitt said "in the event that the worst happens". If that happens - i.e. if Amaris orders his troops to kill the Camerons - I doubt that Angel would live long enough for lack of life support to be an issue.
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4 November 2766
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel, Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell and Lieutenant General Colin McGregor were on a 3 way HPG link up. Major General Rommel had brought the other 2 Generals up to speed on what had transpired with the arrival of a portion of the 298th Battlemech Division.
"I am not going to fault you with arresting them General Rommel, but I think we should consider the fact that they DID come out here to assist us. That alone counts for something. My advice, for what it is worth, talk to this Colonel McCord again. Find out exactly what happened, how they came to be in their current situation. In my opinion, without being there in person, is that they are not afraid to fight. I have talked with Colonel Nabonov, the commander of the 211th Hussar Regiment, and his people, including him, have some hard feelings with how they have been treated during this campaign in the Periphery.
I have even heard my own people talking the same way, how we have been out here for almost a year basically on our own, with no support from higher. There is a under current of resentment running among the troops. Scuttlebutt has it that it against Higher Command, not so much us, since we are out here with them. Or at least that is what is being relayed to me." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"I have to agree with General Mitchell. I have heard the same stuff from my people also. Some have started calling our little group out here the Forgotten Corps. To them we no longer belong to XLIV Corps (44th Corps) but have formed our own Corps out here, on our own. With little to no support from outside except ourselves. And honestly, I cannot really blame them. I have expected to see several Divisions and a big part of 10th Fleet come riding to the rescue since all of this began and I have been a little irritated that it has not happened. It was not supposed to be this way. I will second what General Mitchell suggested, talk to Colonel McCord and let's see what is going on behind the scenes. Worst case, we keep them detained, best case, we make use of them." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"Okay, I will speak to Colonel McCord again and this time, I will keep a much more open mind. I will send for her now and once I am done, I will give you both a bump and fill you in. I have to agree, this is not how it is supposed to work. We are supposed to have massive support not being out here all alone, fighting on a shoestring." Major General Rommel replied
"Sounds good. I will be awaiting the outcome of the talks. Oh, nice work on the siege General McGregor. Did we come out ahead?" Lieutenant General Mitchell asked
"Not too bad. We are still conducting assessments, but my Chief Tech thinks we might be able to salvage roughly a Battalion worth of Battlemechs, the base has ample repair parts strored along with quite a ammunition stockpile. In addition, we recovered 17 LAM's in excellent condition and 1 LAM slightly banged up. Seems the rebel commander tried to put them into operation and it did not go so well. I don't have any pilots for them though, you stole all my LAM pilots." Lieutenant General McGregor said with a small laugh
"I will be dispatching the last of your recovered wounded this week to you both. They are already aboard a Dropship on the way to the Jump Point. If I remember the breakdown correctly, the 272nd is recieving 19 Battlemech pilots, 183 Armor crew and 288 Infantry. The 126th is recieving 22 Battlemech pilots, 219 Armor crew and 311 Infantry. The doctors tell me that roughly 472 of the wounded from both Divisions, though no longer in need of continued medical care, cannot be cleared for duty due to injuries. SLDF regulations normally would medically retire them. Currently I have them assigned to the prison camps as guards, for those able anyway. Others are helping out where they can." Major General Rommel said cutting in
"Might need to send us whatever equipment is left that was surrendered at Pilon. I already have 4 Battalions of Infantry with no tracks to put them in." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"Get me your equipment needs and I will have it transported over to you. You to General McGregor, we don't have any Battlemechs left, but support vehicles and such we have quite a few left. Not quite SLDF quality, but we cannot be picky in our current situation." Major General Rommel said
"Will do, in a week, let's all meet on Boulsi and have a sit down. We need to discuss our next moves." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"Agreed. It has crossed my mind. If there is nothing else we need to discuss right this second, let me go have a chat with Colonel McCord." Major General Rommel said
Three hours later, Colonel Elizabeth McCord was brought into Major General Rommel's office and was a little surprised when he ordered her cuffs removed. "Please have a seat Colonel McCord, it is time to have a serious talk. I might have over reacted and would like to hear your side of things." Major General Rommel said
"You did not over react General. We deserted, simple as that. When the order came down to report for disbandment, well we did not take the news very well. They were not going to just fold us into another unit, they were going to break up up and assign us as individual replacements. That really did not sit well with the troops. Most of us have been together a long time. We broke off from the convoy and went a different way. We met a Merchant captain, who told us about the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division heading this way and we decided to come out here and help.
Me and my people are not afraid to fight. Hell no, we will fight, we showed up here on our own free will, ready to fight. We just coud not take the thought of being split up and scattered to the winds. I am sorry I lied to you General. Maybe I should have come clean with you from the get go. Told you that the Merchant captain gave us the message for High Command and now no one knows your even alive out here. I am really sorry for that screw up General." Colonel McCord said
"Thank you for telling me the truth Colonel McCord. It seems I have a dilema now. It is my duty as a officer of the SLDF to detain you and your command until such time as transportation to a rear area for trial. But since we have no clue when that might take place, it would be foolish of me to keep your command out of any fighting. The 126th Mechanized Infantry Division is under strength, I need an honest answer here Colonel, how is your command going to react if I fold your troops into the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division?" Major General Rommel asked
"Sir, we can live with that. We would accept that willingly. We just want to serve and fight together. We have spent over 2 months talking about it. If the SLDF had even said we are disbanding the 298th BM Division and will be assigning Battalions to different commands to fill them out, we would have carried out the orders. We would stil be basically together, with people we knew. Assign us to the 126th Mech and we will not let you or the 126th Mech down." Colonel McCord replied
"I am going to take a chance here. It might cost me my rank, but in our current situation, I feel it would be the wise thing to do. Welcome to the Forgotten Corps Colonel McCord. That is what some of the 126th Mech troops are calling us and the name seems to fit." Major General Rommel said holding out his hand.
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Glad to see Rommel coming to his senses, even if it had to be prodded. They need to find a way to promote Mitchell... ^-^
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you can't always be a rulebook soldier.
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Now you're thinking like the Navy... ^-^
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getting about time for the lost corps to start looking around to see what is out there to help support the war effort. mmm that is a might nice hover truck line you have. can you make hover APC'S or hey Burro dealer, how many trucks do you have on the back lot?
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Now you're thinking like the Navy... ^-^
Regulations exist for the guidance of a commanding officer. They're not absolute for a reason.
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Exactly... "turning a blind eye" comes from the Navy, after all... ^-^
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19 November 2766
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominion)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni and his Merchant Jumpship had arrived at the Nadir Jump Point on 16 November. After being visually inspected by a flight of SLDF Aerospace Fighters, but no communication, he had boarded his shuttle for the 3 day trip to the planet's surface. After a smooth landing at the space port, he could see the SLDF Dropships lined up on the ground, patrolled by SLDF Battlemechs as his shuttle taxied to a parking slot on the space ports ramp. Exiting the shuttle, he decided to just head on over and see if the SLDF commander would talk to him. It took 30 minutes to cross the massive runways until he was halted by a SLDF Infantry squad and asked his business. After a short conversation, he was led deeper into the SLDF perimeter until they reached a cluster of Mobile Headquarters. After a short wait, a SLDF Major General appeared "I am Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, I am told you wanted to talk to me. What can I do for you sir."
"General, my name is Martin Zuni, I own a Merchant Jumpship as an independent merchant. Mainly, I am curious as to the SLDF presence in the Tortuga Dominions. First you arrived here on New Haiti, and a short time later another SLDF unit arrived on New Glascony. If there is a threat big enough to warrant this big of a deployment of the SLDF, well it is only smart business to find out about that threat." Zuni said
Another SLDF unit on New Gascony? That could be a little worrisome, Major General Carman thought to herself before speaking again. "There is no specific threat, we are conducting a sweep of the area. Purely routine Mister Zuni."
"Well, that is a relief to hear. I could not help but notice you came in on 5 Star Lord Jumpships, not nearly enough ships to carry an entire SLDF Division. More than once I have seen SLDF Divisions on the move and they usually make a jump point quite crowded. You must have seen some heavy action." Zuni replied
"We have seen our fair share of combat in the last year. Are you former SLDF?" Major General Carman asked
"No General, never served in the military. But I have been around a long time. I usually haul freight in the Outworlds Alliance, but it was a tad too hot out there. Met up with a couple of beat up SLDF Divisions though. At different times, told both of them about another SLDF unit on Pilon having a really hard time with the rebels and they both seemed quite interested in learning that bit of news. I know for a fact that the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, or what was left of it, was heading there to help out. The commnader even asked me to deliver a message to the SLDF on where they were and such. I passed off the message to another SLDF unit, the 298th Battlemech Division, or a very small part of it, because they were on a single Tramp Jumpship. I am sure the SLDF has sent help to them by now though, cause that was months ago." Zuni said
"They asked you to deliver a message? What of the HPG's in the region?" Major General Carman asked
"The damned rebel's have been extremely good at destroying the HPG's in the Outworlds Alliance. That entire region was totally off the air. They had been out of contact with the SLDF for at least 6 months when I tripped over them." Zuni replied
"Please come with me Mister Zuni, show me on a Star Map." Major General Carman said heading into the Mobile HQ.
Once a Star Map had been pulled up, Martin Zuni was amazed at the holographic projection. "Pull up Pilon and the surrounding systems for Mister Zuni please." Major General Carman ordered. The holographic display changed as the tech punched in the requested information, zooming in on the selected planets. "Captain Tranier, please pull up the last intel dump we had on SLDF deployments in the Outworlds Alliance and overlay them on the projection please." Again the holographic projection changed as unit deployments began appearing on the map. Major General Carman studied the map silently. The 298th Battlemech Division was last reported on Cerberus, way the hell on the other side of the Alliance from Pilon, she thought. The 126th Mechanized Infantry last reported on Ambatomainty, that is not far from Pilon, she thought.
"Mister Zuni, do you know what the other Division was?" Major General Carman asked
"I think they said the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. I met up with them at Loikaw I believe." Zuni replied
The last intel dump we got is almost a year old now, the 272nd Mech Infantry was reported on Azur then, she thought. She could see the 322nd Armored Division stationed on Pilon and the 228th Striker Regiment on Boulsi. Before she could ask another question, Captain Tranier spoke "General, we got another emergence wave being reported from the fleet."
"Keep me posted Captain. Zoom out the display, show our current position and mark a route please." Major General Carman ordered and once again the holographic projection morphed and zoomed out, a route in red being displayed. "Almost a year."
"General, if your thinking of heading to Pilon and check on them folks, there is a much quicker route to get there from here. Six months tops, but your going to be traveling thru uninhabited systems to get there." Zuni said as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his ships master navigation master control board "If there was a way to access the information on my ships navigation control board, I could show you really quick. I use them only when I have high priority cargo. The faster I get a cargo to it's destination, the more money I make on priority stuff."
Captain Tranier took the board and looked it over "No sir, no way to do that here." Then handed the board back to Mr Zuni as he reached up and pushed the headset he wore tighter to his ear "General, fleet reports Merchant Jumpship, ID is Hyperspace Cowboy."
"Hyperspace Cowboy, Ships Captain Martha Pruitt. Good captain, takes good care of her ship and crew. Usually sails the Federated Suns down to the Taurian Concordat hauling cargo. Must be taking a vacation like me until things calm down some." Zuni said
"Mister Zuni, would you mind taking me back up to your ship with a few techs and allowing me to download your star map?" Major General Carman asked
"Sure, the SLDF is going to foot the bill for my extra fuel?" Zuni asked
"Of course." Major General Carman said, they just don't know it yet.
"Well then, let's go General. I cannot be idle too long, and this will be a 3 day trip to get back up there." Zuni replied
"Tell you what Mister Zuni, for your assistance, the SLDF will gladly hire your vessel for say 3 months. I promise you, there will be no danger involved to you or your ship." Major General Carman again lied, well, they would be long gone before he submitted the invoice for payment.
"I want an escape clause written into any agreement General, the first sign of danger, I get to haul butt and get paid in full. I own that ship outright and am not about to lose it." Zuni said
"Very well Mister Zuni. I will even let you write the contract yourself." Major General Carman said
22 November 2766
Major General Carman had contacted SLS Midnight Rider, Star Lord Jumpship and requested Commodore Richard Devall and his navigator meet them aboard Mister Zuni's Merchant Jumpship. On the trip, Major General Carman had talked with Martin Zuni quite a bit, but kept her "plans" to herself. She was sure the SLDF had already pulled the other units ass out of the fire, but if they hadn't, she could not let them just die alone without trying to help. If they had been rescued, they probably have been pulled back to refit, if they are beaten up as Zuni says. Those were some pretty secluded planets. When the small group made it onto the bridge of Martin Zuni's Merchant Jumpship, his communication officer said "Geez captain, old Pruitt has been calling for you like 5 times a day since she got in system."
"Thank you Harvey, show these folks to the navigation computer please while I call her and get her off your back." Zuni said as he handed over the navigation control board. Taking the communication headset, he called Pruitt's ship.
"Pruitt, wake up woman, this is Martin Zuni." He said after making sure the headset was set for him only
"It is about time you old fart. I was surprised to find you here." Pruitt said
"Yeah, decided to take a vacation until things calm down in my normal stomping grounds. How about you?" Zuni replied
"Same. Just came from Hope IV. I left a day after a big damned SLDF fleet came in and started heading for the surface. Then I get here and find the SLDF is here too. You got any clue what is going on?" Pruitt asked
"Security sweep. I actually have a few SLDF folks on my ship right now. Being quite friendly. You say a large SLDF unit arrived at Hope IV huh." Zuni replied
"Pretty damned big, had to have been one of their Independent Regiments or maybe a Regimental Combat Team, not enough ships to be a Division and no warship escort." Pruitt responded
Seems to be a common theme lately, Zuni thought. "Thanks for the intel Pruitt, I will call you before I leave system." Zuni said
"Roger that Martin, I will do the same. Might be time to head into the Fed Suns proper and take my lumps against the bigger freight companies for a bit, pays the bills at least." Pruitt said
"I hear that. Zuni out." Zuni removed the headset and headed over to join the SLDF people studying the 2D Star Map his Merchant Jumpship had, not nearly as fancy as that holo-projected map he had seen them use. He pointed to a line of uninhabited systems on the map. "If you take this route, your will reach Pilon in 6 months using standard recharge times. I would not advise any fast recharges out there, I have never encountered another vessel, so rescue would probably not happen."
"What do you think Commodore Devall?" Major General Carman asked
"It's doable. His map is quite good, but most of these systems are stars only or no inhabitable planets in them." Commodore Devall replied, still not knowing exactly what Major General Carman had in mind
"Thank you Mister Zuni, can we make a copy of your Star Map?" Major General Carman asked
"Sure why not. How about we got write up that contract though. Make me feel a little better if I am on the payroll so to speak." Zuni said
"Lead the way Mister Zuni." Major General Carman replied following Zuni off the bridge leaving Commodore Devall and his navigator sharing a look of disbelief "Contract, what the heck are we going to pay the man with?" both thought.
Once inside Zuni's small quarters/office, while Martin Zuni typed up a standard contract, making sure to include his escape clause and paying his ship 150,000 per week for 3 months time, plus 150,000 for his up to date star map. He decided to tell Major General Carman what he had learned from Pruitt.
"Pruitt just came in from Hope IV, said a large SLDF unit jumped in system and headed for the planet. Sure is getting busy in this region of space. Not Division strength and no warships. She would know, she served 10 years with the SLDF running Jumpships." Zuni said
Sure is getting crowded out here. I thought the area would be safe, at least for awhile. That puts them a month from here roughly. She thought before answering "Must be the rest of the Division catching up."
"Uh huh, well, here is the contract. Just need your signature and purchasing card number. I have done small jobs for the SLDF before, and went thru heck getting paid because I failed to get that card number. Took 6 months while they tracked down that Colonel and verified my invoice." Zuni said
"A little higher than normal shipping rates I see, but I guess these are trying times for everyone." Major General Carman said after reading the contract and filling in her purchase card information, she had used it quite a bit while stationed in the Federated Suns to get essentials from local sources. Won't the SLDF be surprised when he submits this bill for payment. She felt a little bad about this, but the SLDF would pay the invoice, because it was not Zuni's fault that he had no clue she was no longer properly in the SLDF at the time of the contract signing.
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel exited he shuttle followed by Colonel Elizabeth McCord to find Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell and Lieutenant General Colin McGregor waiting at the bottom for them.
"Rita, Colin, nice to see you both healthy. It has been a while. This is Colonel Elizabeth McCord, formerly of the 298th Battlemech Division, now folded into the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. Those are her Dropships landing now. Colonel McCord, this is Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, of the 126th Mech Infantry, your new boss and this is Lieutenant General Mitchell, 272nd Mech Infantry." Major General Rommel said
After greeting both officers, Colonel McCord asked "What are your orders General?"
"Get your people unloaded. I will have an aide get you settled in and then tomorrow, we will discuss the best way to integrate your people into the 126th." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"Very well sir. I will go see to my people and await instructions." Colonel McCord replied, saluted and departed for her grounding Dropships
"Seems eager enough. Tomorrow we will see if she gives me any trouble as we discuss how we make this work." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"She's loyal to her people. I can relate. Might not have been the best decision, or way to go about things, but she cares enough to put her head on a chopping block. Her coming out here on her own free will to help us speaks volume's in and of itself. Give her a chance Colin, besides, no telling how many more fragments are out here, we learn from this just in case we run into anymore like her." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"I hear you Rita. These sure are some interesting times. I just wonder what higher is going to say when they find out we are taking in former deserters instead of arresting them?" Lieutenant General McGregor replied
"I am the ranking officer out here, my decision. After a year of being cut off, no communication, no help, I will gladly rake the SLDF over the coals at my court martial." Major General Rommel said firmly
"I am sure Rita will be standing right beside both of us during the proceedings. But let's get out of the sun and discuss our next moves." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"You know I will. I dare the SLDF High Command to even attempt a court martial after all we have been thru. I will make sure the press hears every word." Lieutenant General Mitchell said as the 3 officers headed for Lieutenant General McGregor's headquarters.
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Looks like Carman might be coming to her senses...
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1 December 2766
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominions)
Major General Iris Carman had communicated with her 280th Mechanized Infantry Division on the ground and informed them of her decision to move for Pilon to assist cut off SLDF forces there. She informed them that SLDF forces were moving into the region and they had no choice but to relocate or face possible capture and prosecution for deserting. A day later, her entire command voted to go help the cut off SLDF troops and boarded their Dropships. She had Commodore Devall patch her into all of the vessels in her small fleet.
"This is Major General Carman, I am honored by the faith you all have placed in me. We left because we felt we were being discarded by the SLDF. I know all of you feel the burden of some shame in what we chose to do. But today, we depart this system for a 6 month trip to help other SLDF forces that have possibly been cut off and left to die by the SLDF. Today, we begin earning our honor back. Thank you." She handed the mic back to Commodore Devall and said "Commodore, you may jump when you are ready."
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
The pirates hit the 31st Infantry Division with 2 Company's of Battlemechs and 2 Battalions of Infantry. The mechwarriors of the 31st Infantry Division, piloting the captured pirate Battlemechs, outnumbered 2 to 1, hammered away the pirates. Though outnumbered, they were vastly more skilled and all combat veterans. Massing fire on individual pirate Battlemechs and with cover fire from the weapons on the grounded Dropships, after 2 hours of fighting the remaining pirate Battlemechs, roughly 2 lances, retreated. The pirate infantry never stood a chance against the 2 Infantry Regiments of the 31st Infantry Division.
Colonel Patrick Quieg, acting commander 31st Infantry Division, surveyed the small battlefield where salvage teams were hard at work under the supervision of Warrant Officer Bella Napster. He had already been informed that she thought they could return 8 of the downed pirate Battlemechs to service by stripping parts off the Battlemechs deemed to far gone, if they had proper repair bays, which they did not have, so he had ordered her to have the downed pirate Battlemechs dragged back into their perimeter.
At the Zenith Jump Point, Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division and his much enlarged fleet materialized. Dropships began undocking and heading for the planet 18 days away. He wondered how many troops he would have after they hit the surface.
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
"General" Olivia Daniels, commander 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, was glad to feel firm, solid ground under her feet after months in space. They would spend 2 weeks on the surface before continuing their journey to the Tortuga Dominions. As she walked around the small space port, she could see the smiles on "her" Division's personnel, they too were glad to be back on firm ground, if even for a small time.
Gant (Uninhabited Periphery)
Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue", allowed his joint commands spend a week on the planets surface while they resupplied their water and fuel reserves. He calculated another 8 months to get to the Tortuga Dominion. There they could finally decide what to do then. Maybe they would make their way to the Federated Suns and offer to join them, but that entailed some serious risks, since the Federated Suns was a member of the Star League and great pressure could be applied to return the deserters to the SLDF for prosecution.
Argos (Uninhabited Periphery)
Colonel Brandon Janees, commander 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, had allowed his people to get some ground time as they replenished their water and fuel supplies. But today, they boosted for the Jump Point to continue their journey to the Tortuga Dominions.
NP32 (Uninhabited Periphery)
Colonel Irma Fuentes, commander 19th Hussar Regiment, Major Oscar Venezuela, 9917th Marine Regiment and Major Cassien Thomas, 9th Royal CAAN Regiment had all finally agreed to head for the Tortuga Dominions. What they would do once they arrived was still up in the air. But at least they would be relatively safe while they made up their minds. Colonel Irma Fuentes was confident that they could handle any pirate force that made a serious attempt at taking them on.
12 December 2766
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Hanni Schmitt was admitted into the throne room where First Lord Richard Cameron was awaiting them. With her were General Tomohiro Musuibes, SLDF Chief of Staff, Admiral Ignacio Blake, Naval Command, General Tamerlan Stefannson, Royal Command, Paolo Varellas, Planetary Governor of Dieron and Count Frederick Oldenhof, President of the Terran Congress. For the next 3 hours, the group of officers and nobles tried in vain to convince First Lord Richard Cameron that Stephan Amaris was plotting something and that his presence at court along with his Rim World forces on Terra was intolerable. With no proof, only gut feelings, First Lord Richard Cameron ordered them all out of his sight, when they protested, he had them all forcibly removed from his sight.
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Colonel Schmitt should switch Amanda and Angel and follow his gut. An save at least One Cameron. Maybe give a heads up to his Commander of the Black watch.
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Colonel Hanni Schmitt is a she and she is the commander of the Royal Black Watch. She has the plan in place, but no proof yet. Until something happens, I doubt she can convince Elise Cameron to give up Amanda for "Angel". Not yet anyway.
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27 December 2766
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Stephan Amaris entered the Throne Room of First Lord Richard Cameron with only a few of his most loyal bodyguards. In his hands he carried a gift wrapped in expensive wrapping paper. First Lord Richard Cameron rose and moved to greet his mentor and most trusted advisor. "Stephan, it is so good to have you back on Terra. I have missed your council over the last months. What is that you have?"
"My Lord, it is good to be back. Why it is a Christmas present for you, I am sorry it is a little late." Stephan Amaris said as he handed the wrapped gift to First Lord Richard Cameron.
"A gift, you know you do not have to give me anything Stephan." First Lord Richard Cameron said as he began unwrapping the gift. Opening the ornate box, he gazed at the exquisite and ornately decorated laser pistol inside. Reaching in, he brought out the laser pistol and examined it closely. "It is so beautifully crafted. This is the best Christmas present I have ever gotten."
"I am so glad that you like it My Lord. If you will allow me, I will show you some extra fine features it has." Stephan Amaris said as First Lord Richard Cameron handed the laser pistol over. Stephan Amaris took the laser pistol and said "There is a very little Cameron Star situated right here on the barrel, it is inlaid with diamond." First Lord Richard Cameron bent to look and in a flash Stephan Amaris flicked the laser pistol a couple of inches and shot First Lord Richard Cameron in the forehead, the shot causing First Lord Richard Camerons head to explode violently. First Lord Richard Cameron fell to the floor of the Throne Room.
At the shot, sensors detected the discharge of the laser and alarms sounded in security stations throughout Unity City. At the barracks of the Royal Black Watch, the alarm caused Colonel Hanni Schmitt to order the Royal Black Watch into action. She called Major Ian MacIntosh, who she had ordered to keep his Lance inside Unity City at the Royal Black Watches immediate response compound "Get your Lance and execute your orders Major. Good luck and God Speed."
Major Ian MacIntosh along with his dismounted Battlemech pilots of his Lance rushed down the extremely long hallway with pistols drawn. Reaching the secluded intensive care ward, Major MacIntosh barged thru the door. "Angel's" Doctor rose in protest but seeing the pistol and alarms, bit his tongue. "Doctor, you are to remove the child from life support for evacuation. Once that is done, you are to erase all information about this child from any computer and destroy all paper records. Quickly Doctor, there is no time."
Angel's Doctor quickly removed the breathing and feeding tube, unhooked all the remaining equiment. Wrapping the infant in a blanket he handed Angel over to Major MacIntosh. "She currently has a stong rythym, but I suggest you hurry. You have maybe a week to get her hooked back up Major." With that he dumped all paper records into a waste basket and brought out a lighter.
Major MacIntosh, his Lancemates and Angel hurried down another corridor that angled upwards. Opening a door, they emerged just across from the First Lords sleeping quarters. Wasting no time, they barged into the First Lords chambers, Elise Cameron had Amanda Cameron in her arms. "What is going on Major? Why the alarms?" She almost shouted.
"Ma'am, you must come with us right away. We are evacuating you and your children from Terra." Major MacIntosh said
"What, where is my husband, where is Richard? I will not leave without him!" Elise Cameron said
"I do not know, he is not my mission. You and your children are my mission. Please come with us now." Major MacIntosh said, gunfire much closer than expected announced that they were out of time.
The gunfire startled Elise Cameron into action "Take Amanda, get her to safety. Give me Angel, I will join you when I have found Richard. GO NOW MAJOR, save my child." Elise Cameron ordered
Taking Amanda Cameron in his arms, Major MacIntosh hesitated until the next burst of gunfire, much closer, jolted him and he turned and rushed from the room with his Lancemates right on his heels. "Parker, take point, get us to our Battlemechs."
After reaching their Battlemechs, Major Ian MacIntosh made sure Amanda Cameron was securely strapped into the infant safety seat that had been placed into the Spartan SPT-N2's jump seat. Once complete, he slipped on his neurohelmet and began exiting the Mech Bay, his Lance forming a wedge in front of him as they moved towards the space port at a run. Explosions rocked the near distance as Parker unleashed his MPL's into a Rim World APC that suddenly appeared from around a corner. The four 80 ton Battlemechs continued pounding down the broad avenue, Major MacIntosh could see the space port, only 10km away, fires burning in places. "Parker, continue the lead, take us to the Colossus on the ramp. We don't stop for anything or anyone. Forget the main gate, take us right thru the chain link fence."
I just hope the damned Colossus followed orders and kept the engines warm for immediate lift off, Major MacIntosh thought as he followed the 3 other Spartan's down the avenue and then down a grassy incline where Parker plowed right right over the chain link fence. A Rim Worlds Banshee BNC-3M appeared moving in their direction and all 4 Spartan's unleashed their ERPPC's at the oncoming assault Mech. Multiple strikes caused the Banshee to falter some, but it remained on it's feet. "Parker, you and Curtis handle that Banshee, Kelly, your with me, we keep moving for the Colossus."
Accelerating to max speed, Major MacIntosh and Kelly pounded across the runways towards the Colossus Dropship. As they got near the Colossus, a ramp descended and armed Marines covered the now open hatch. Major MacIntosh did not slow as he pounded up the ramp and into the Colossus. "Parker, say status?"
"Banshee down, we are right behind you and about to reach the ramp." Parker replied
Major MacIntosh moved his Spartan into a Mech Bay where technicians quickly secured the Battlemech for launch. Unstrapping the infant safety seat, Major MacIntosh carefully exited his Spartan and rode the lift down to the deck. He saw the ramp close and a technician said "This way sir, we need to get you strapped in for launch."
Five minutes after entering the Colossus Dropship, SLS Abyss lifted off on a pillar of flame. Under cover from Terra's SDS stations, SLS Abyss docked with SLS Tripitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser on the far side of Luna. The Black Lion Battlecruiser wasted no time and headed for a safe point to jump from the system.
28 December 2766
Stephan Amaris looked over the gathered Cameron bloodline, 79 Camerons had been captured and ushered into the Throne Room where First Lord Rchard Cameron still lay. "You have one chance, swear loyalty to me or die. Make your choice now."
Elise Cameron said nothing but defiantely spat in Stephan Amaris' face. Not bothering to wipe it off, Stephan Amaris raised the same laser pistol he had shot First Lord Richard Cameron with and shot Elise Cameron dead. She fell, still cradling "Amanda" in her arms, the child was silent.
One after another, the gathered Camerons refused his offer and were killed. Finally the remaining Camerons rushed Stephan Amaris but we cut to pieces by his bodyguards. Stephan Amaris strode towards the door and without looking back said "Seal this room for all time, let no one ever enter it."
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Glad to see the whole lance made it...
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Just letting readers know that I will not be covering the Amaris Coup in any detail. There will be time jumps ranging from 3 months to even years coming up very soon.
This story does not revolve around the Amaris Coup though. I just had to setup the background.
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That was enough for the Coup, nicely integrated.
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19 January 2767
Sheridan (Terran Hegemony)
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser, had run into several Rim World warships at New Stevens after jumping into the Nadir Jump Point. Fleeing to the Zenith Jump Point while recharging their jump drive, SLS Tirpitz had managed to destroy a Lola I Destroyer, but had sustained some damage in the fight. Reaching the Zenith Jump Point, they had jumped to Sheridan's Zenith Jump Point and once again finding Rim World warships had repeated what they did at New Stevens. Sustaining more damage during the run for the Nadir Jump Point.
Commodore Walter Namathien, commander of SLS Tirpitz, made the snap decision to alter their planned course. Instead of heading for New Vandenburg, where General Kerensky had his headquarters, they would move towards the Outworlds Alliance before curving back. But first they had to get out of the Terran Hegemony. "Nav, plot a course towards the Outworlds Alliance. We have already taken more damage than I would like so let's use as many uninhabited systems as we can to clear the Hegemony."
Turning, he looked at Major Ian MacIntosh "Sorry Major, but we have no choice but to alter course. We will angle back once we clear the Hegemony. Once in Fed Suns space, we can send a HPG to General Kerensky."
"No Commodore Namathien. No communication. My orders were clear on that. No risk is to come to the child. Not if it can be helped. Right now, I do not trust anyone. Not John Davion, nor any of the other House Lords. We remain silent until we can be assured we are safe." Major Ian MacIntosh replied
1 February 2767
Uninhabited System 15LY from Schedar (Federated Suns)
SLS Tirpitz had almost completed recharge operations. Commodore Namathien had tried unsuccessfully in convincing Major MacIntosh of starting their change of course for New Avalon and then on to New Vandenburg. But Major MacIntosh insisted on heading deeper into the Federated Suns before even discussing the matter further.
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division, had initially landed his forces on the continent of Thiouville instead of the main continent. After 2 weeks, he learned of a SLDF command on the main continent being pressed by various pirate commands. After consulting with Major Jenny Davidson, 509th Battle Regiment and Colonel James Buchest, 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division, they all agreed to risk it and go help the SLDF command. Using sub orbital deployment, they landed at the space port to find the 31st Infantry Division holding strong but being hard pressed by several pirate bands estimated at several Battalions of Battlemechs. Once Lieutenant General Baxter and his commands entered the fight, the pirates quickly abandoned the fight and fled the area as fast as their Battlemechs could run.
Listening to Colonel Patrick Quieg, commander 31st Infantry Division, tell his unit's story, Lieutenant General Baxter had taken a chance and also admitted that all 3 commands in "his" Task Force had basically done the exact same thing. Now, over a month later, none of the 4 officers had agreed on where to head next. Even if they had agreed, no one had any idea what they would do once they got there. Lieutenant General Baxter was losing his patience with some of the bickering between the commanding officers. Outside, he looked out over the tarmac and saw a samll man talking with one of the assigned perimeter guard points. He watched as the small man was let inside the perimeter and escorted towards where Lieutenant General Baxter was standing, not waiting, he walked to meet them and find out what was going on. Upon reaching them, the small man spoke up first.
"My name is Martin Zuni. Owner Operator of a Merchant Jumpship currently located at the Nadir Jump Point. But currently I am under contract to the SLDF, when I heard of the arrival of a overly large convoy here, well I decided to come over." Martin Zuni said
"Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, 359th Battlemech Division. What can I do for you Mr Zuni?" Baxter asked
"Well, it might be more what I can do for you. I was hired by Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division under very favorable terms I might add. Her Division was much like yours here, beat up and no where near full strength. The 280th departed New Haiti on 1 December 2766 heading to assist some cutoff SLDF on Pilon in the Outworlds Alliance I knew about. Since I was on the SLDF's payroll so to speak, I gave them a route that would only take them 6 months instead of almost a year. When they left, well she really did not give me any instructions, so I headed over here when I heard of your arrival. Figured you might want the information also so that you could join her. It seems this part of the Tortuga Dominions is becoming quite a gathering location for beat up SLDF troops." Martin Zuni said
I wonder if the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division has gone rogue also. If so, it seems awfully suspect for them to travel that far to help SLDF commands that have probably been rescued already. There has to be some other reason. Lieutenant General Baxter thought before speaking "Mr Zuni, how about coming inside and answering some questions while I call up a Star Map. I have no clue where Pilon even is."
"Not a problem General Baxter. I even downloaded my Star Map onto a data stick so you can upload it onto your systems with me." Martin Zuni said as he followed General Baxter inside the large cluster of Mobile HQ vehicles.
Entering behind General Baxter, he heard "Major Davidson, Colonel Quieg, Colonel Buchest this is Martin Zuni, seems he is curently on the SLDF's payroll, guess he is acting as a welcoming commitee. He has some information that I think we should look over and maybe discuss. Mr Zuni, would you give my aide here the data stick so that we might view your map?"
Handing the data stick to Lieutenant General Baxters aide, he watched as the aide inserted it into the holo projector and start typing. As he did so, the holo projector began forming a Star Map. "Select Pilon and show surrounding area's please." Lieutenant General Baxter said
Once the selected system and surrounding area was displayed, it took Lieutenant General Baxter about 3 minutes of study before he thought he knew what the 280th was up to. Pretty secluded area, if the SLDF units there have been rescued, which is almost a sure thing, they probably been pulled back for refit. That means they had a chance to get to an out of the way place and settle down if that was true. "Mr Zuni, you said you gave them a route that cut many months of travel off their trip?"
"Yes, if you type in Zuni Priority Route Bravo it will be displayed." Martin Zuni said
Lieutenant General Baxter's aide typed in the instructions and the Star Map flickered as additional systems were highlighted on the projected map. "These are all uninhabited systems. I use them whenever I have a high paying priority cargo. Almost all of them are simply a star with a few astroid belts in them." Martin Zuni explained
"Thank you Mr Zuni. I think we need to discuss some things in private. How may we reach you if we have further questions?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked
"I will be staying at the Royal Gascony Hotel, it is just outside the space port's main gate, about a mile down the road towards the capitol." Martin Zuni said
"Thank you again. If you need a ride to the hotel, I can arrange transport for you." Lieutenant General Baxter offered
"Thank you, but I have a aircar already standing ready to take me there. I am at your disposal General." Martin Zuni said as he exited the Mobile HQ.
"Well, this is a turn of events we did not predict. If those SLDF troops are still fighting for their lives, I am not sure I can live with myself to hang them out to die like what happened to us. Mr Zuni told me the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division headed that way beginning of December. I am pretty sure the 280th is NOT under SLDF orders any longer. Same as us. But if they arrive and find no SLDF troops there but a crap ton of rebels, well they are going to be hard pressed to survive. I say we follow right behind them and maybe give them a hand. It gives us a purpose, maybe some pride back, besides, that is a pretty remote area. Probably a good area to maybe settle down and keep our heads down." Lieutenant General Baxter said
The discussion continued into the wee hours of the morning before they called it for the night. They would discuss things more after some sleep.
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Baxter at least has the right idea...
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8 February 2767
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division, looked at each of the other commanders gathered with him. They had finally agreed that they should make the journey to help the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. They had even allowed the personnel of all 4 commands decide their own fate. Every combat soldier agreed to make the trip, but 10% of the support personnel wanted to remain on New Gascony. They wanted no part of months of space travel. They had spent the last 2 days working out a new force structure. Major Jenny Davidson had finally agreed to fold her 509th Battle Regiment into the 359th Battlemech Division. Lieutenant General Baxter designated the Battlemech Battalion from the 509th Battle as the 359th's Headquarters Battalion. The 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division and 31st Infantry Division merged together for this mission under the 31st Infantry Division.
359th Battlemech Division
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 31 Battlemechs (ex 509th Battle)
3591st Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
3592nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Armor Regiment - 2 Armor Battalions
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company, 1 Hover Armor Company
Artillery Battalion - 3 Chaparrel Company's
Engineer Battalion - 3 Engineer Company's
31st Infantry Division
311th Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
312nd Brigade
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Jump Infantry Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Lieutenant General Baxter had sent a jeep after Ships Captain Martin Zuni, and it had just returned to the commands Headquarters. Lieutenant General Baxter greeted Martin Zuni as he was shown inside "Welcome back Mr Zuni. We will be following the path that the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division took. We boost tomorrow. You said Major General Carman had hired you and your ship, but never gave you any missions to carry out, is that correct?"
"Correct, my contract is actually about to expire. It was for 3 months." Martin Zuni said
"Would you be willing to extend that contract?" Lieutenant General Baxter asked
"If the price is right, and the terms remain the same with my escape clause, yes I would be willing to extend that contract." Martin Zuni responded
"Excellent, there may be other stragglers coming into the region. Your mission would be simple, if any more arrive, point them towards Pilon. You do not have to force the issue, I have even recorded a holo message you can give them. Your mission would be to make contact with any stragglers, deliver my message and if they decide to proceed, provide them with the route to take." Lieutenant General Baxter said
"Sounds easy enough. Major General Carman was paying me 250,000 per month for 3 months. I would like 300,000 per month of the contract." Martin Zuni said, what he does not know will not hurt him, might as well make a little extra he thought.
"I can agree to those terms, not much more than what she had already paid you. I will even hire you for a year." Lieutenant General Baxter agreed, I almost feel bad for the guy, the SLDF is gonna deny his funds bigger than crap, but you take your chances in this game, he thought.
"I will draw up the contract and will need your purchase card number to seal the deal sir." Martin Zuni said, heck, this is going to pay better than hauling freight, he thought to himself.
"That will be no problem sir. Bring me the contract this afternoon." Lieutenant General Baxter said
Uncharted System (Deep Space)
Commodore Vincent Zeibler, commander SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, looked at his Chief Engineer "So, your telling me that you THINK you got a fix that MIGHT work."
"Yes sir, we have spent a few months working on the field initiator. I am 90% sure we have managed to duplicate the fried boards by modifying extra boards we had aboard ship. Mechanically, the field initiator checks out fine with the control computer, all tests show in the green. But there is only one way to find out and that is to actually make a jump." Chief Engineer Christopher Brown said
"Okay, we will give her a try. I want the entire engineering space evacuated, just in case. But what have we got to lose, if it works, great. If we die, well we will never know it and it is better than slow starvation out here in the void of space." Commodore Zeibler said
Three hours later, Commodore Zeibler got a thumbs up from the ships navigator and then a thumbs up from Chief Engineer Brown. "Sound the alarm, navigator, jump when ready."
"Jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1......" Alarms sounded all over the ship and the ships damage control board lit up in red. "Holy ****!!!! The entire after section of the ship is gone sir, it looks like the field initiator only took part of the ship with it."
Commodore Zeibler did not have to even give an order before Chief Engineer Brown was sailing off the bridge to oversee damage control efforts. Well, this sucks worse than before, Commodore Zeibler thought.
Onverwacht (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship watched as the Elephant Tug slowly pulled the massive Jump Core from the Essex Destroyer inside the massive repair bay of the SLS Salvation. The new Jump Core was standing by with her other Elephant Tug 200km away. In 2 weeks, they would have the new Core installed and the Essex Destroyer back in action. They would then move to Ambatomainty until the Division from the 101st Reconnaissance Squadron located one of the missing ships.
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Barbara Coltrain had convinced the gathered ground commanders to allow her to use the 5 Tramp Jumpships from the 211th Hussar Regiment as picket ships since they all were LF equipped. If an enemy was coming, she wanted some kind of warning. So she had selected 5 systems to place her pickets in.....Ddraig, Waini Point, Puttalam, Loikaw and La Ligua. This would give them possibly a 2 week warning of any enemy approach, plus they could provide intel on the systems they were stationed at. A platoon of Marines was being placed aboard each Tramp Jumpship for security.
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Bummer for Zeibler! :-\
+1 for pickets! :thumbsup:
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3 March 2767
Puttalam (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Night Runner, Tramp LF Jumpship, sat at the Zenith Jump Point. Part of Comoodore Coltrain's picket line, the crew spent their time soaking in radio traffic from the inhabited planet. They had been on station for 2 weeks and were already getting bored. Most bored was the embarked Marine platoon. Without any daytime duties, they had nothing to do but sit around and twiddle their thumbs. That changed today when the incoming emergence wave was detected. Major Winston Janix ordered the Jump Drive warmed up for an immediate jump, just in case.
When the Vincent Corvette materialized broadcasting SLDF identification, the cheers througout the Tramp Jumpship were deafening. Major Janix breathed a sigh of relief "Comm, get a secure laser lock established please."
"SLS Night Runner, this is SLS Trinity River." Came over the comm net.
"We read you loud and clear Trinity. We have been waiting for someone friendly to show up." Major Janix said
"Say status and have you seen any other SLDF shipping in the area?"
"We are secure. We have a picket line established in 4 other systems. Most ships are located Pilon, Boulsi and Thazi. Several need repairs before they can jump." Major Janix reported
"Good copy. We are sending the information out now. We will recharge our drive and escort you back. There is a Yardship at Ambatomainty, we just sent the message, they will head that way to commence repairs."
"We are LF equipped Trinity, we can head back and gove them the heads up." Major Janix said
"So are we, once we complete recharge, we will accompany you. Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka will be rounding up the rest of the Division and move to Pilon area."
"Roger that Trinity. We will wait on your recharge to complete. Night Runner out." Major Janix said
15 March 2767
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
When SLS Night Runner and SLS Trinity River emerged at the Zenith Jump Point and made contact with Major General Heinrich Rommel on the planets surface, everyone would later swear that they did not need a radio to hear the cheers on the planet surface. New information was relayed to SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship who altered course for Boulsi to begin repairs on SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser. Her ETA was 3 April.
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division, had ordered her spread out Division to pass thru the identified picket line systems and round up the Jumpships before making their way to Boulsi. She and SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer, would arrive at Boulsi on 23 March.
Major General Rommel contacted both Lieutenant General Colin McGregor and Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell with the news and all planned to meet at Boulsi again on 23 March to meet with Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka when she arrived.
23 March 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division, arrived aboard SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer at the Zenith Jump Point. Major General Heinrich Rommel, Lieutenant General's Rita Mitchell and Colin McGregor were aboard SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser to meet her. Two hours later, Rear Admiral Tanaka exited her shuttle aboard SLS Rhodon.
"Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division. Sure am glad we found everyone clustered up out here. Makes my job that much easier." She said
"We have been waiting quite a while for the SLDF to begin pushing back into this region. I assume you learned of our location from Commodore Zeibler and SLS Conroy?" Commodore Coltrain said
"We have not seen or heard from SLS Conroy. We expected her to be here with you. So she is still missing?" Rear Admiral Tanaka responded
"We dispatched her to Quatre Belle some months ago. If she never arrived, then we need to find her." Commodore Coltrain said
"We will need to hurry, General Kerensky has ordered all SLDF forces to being into marshaling area's. Most ground forces have already been pulled back from any isolated positions. We have a much bigger war to fight now. Stephan Amaris and his Rim Worlds have siezed control of the Terran Hegemony in a coup. We have no idea on the status of First Lord Richard Cameron, or anything at all really. We got that information a month ago, so it is dated. My orders are to locate our missing ships and then to report back to 10th Fleet. We passed out of reliable HPG range over a month ago with 10th Fleet." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"The Terran Hegemony has fallen? To Amaris and the Rim Worlds? How the hell did that happen?" Lieutenant General Mitchell asked
"I don't have all the information. I have told you everything that I know." Rear Admiral Tanaka responded
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Well, then! At least there's acknowledgement they need to find Conroy...
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5 April 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship watched her Elephant Tug's ease SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser into her massive repair dock. She already posseseed the ships Chief Engineer's report on the ships overall status. Once inside the repair bay, her own experts would conduct their survey. She hoped she would not have to grind the Jump Core down and recast it, because just to grind down the 402,725 ton Jump Core would take 2 months and recasting it would require another 5 months. Minimum of 8 months to complete that kind of repair.
She had also dispatched several survey crews to evaluate any repairs needed on SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport and SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Cruiser that had been brought to the Boulsi system. A voice caused her to turn "Commodore Delvaney, there is a Commodore Coltrain, Commodore Blythe and their Chief Engineers on a shuttle inbound. They say they would like to speak with you. 15 minutes out."
"Very well, when they get aboard, bring them to the Conference Room. Mister Fenroy, you have the conn. Please do not bang up my ship while I am away." Commodore Delvaney said
Twenty minutes later, Commodore Delvaney greeted her guests in the Conference Room, situated on one of the many Grav Decks aboard the Newgrange Yardship. "Commodore Trisha Delvaney, my XO said you wanted to speak with me." She said as she gestured them all to seats.
"Commodore Willian Blythe, SLS Hatchet. My Chief Engineer Whitney, well he has an idea that he thinks might help everyone." Commodore Blythe said
Chief Engineer Whitney stood and walked to the drawing board "During our stay in the Thazi system, I have been mulling over an idea in my mind. From what I have heard from SLS Rhodon's Chief Engineer, we are looking at possibly 6-9 months to fix her. I would like to have SLS Hatchet checked out before we leave. Mainly a really good repair job on our armor patches. Plus I suspect all the standard Jumpships will need a good going over also.
I have run the numbers and I believe they chack out. My idea is to rip the storage batteries out of a Olympus Recharge Station. That will free up about 800,000 tons. If we then cut the access door to the 150,000 ton pressurized repair bay larger, and extend the hull along here, your Newgrange Yardship could easily and quickly manufacture the needed material to extend the repair bay and enlarge it to handle 1M tons. I calculate less than a month's work if we use your Newgrange. You could actually make the modifications on the Olympus while you grind down the Jump Core from SLS Rhodon.
If we wanted to go further, we could even do the same thing to the 2 50,000 ton repair bays. We could then have 3 additional yards to assist your Newgrange with any survey's and repairs. We would not have to install any manufacturing on the Olympus beyond what it already has. Anything major we have your Newgrange produce, but we can install it by using the other 3 repair yards. I ran the numbers for that modification also, but we cannot make both as big as the main one. One we limit to 250K tons and the other can be a 1M ton yard. That would allow us to service all the standard Jumpships and possibly run the Dart Light Cruisers into them. My estimates show adding the extra 2 yards would take an additional month of work. I would suggest the Olympus in the Thazi system, because the Dart Light Cruiser's are there and in my estimation not jump capable.
I am willing to volunteer my engineering team to help in the modifications. I already know SLS Rhodon's Chief Engineer has volunteered his people. The Olympus will never be able to recharge ships, not without major repairs, but I am sure this would aid the efforts. Most of these ships have not seen a maintenance cycle in over a year probably closer to 2 or 3 years." Chief Engineer Whitney said, while he was talking, he had been drawing out the proposed changes on the wall mounted drawing board.
Commodore Delvaney studied the Chief's drawing, I never would have thought of anything this radical, it sure would help speed everything up. Call it 3 months work, we would be recasting the Rhodon's Jump Core by then. I could cycle SLS Mighty Lift into our repair bay for a quick maintenance cycle while recasting Rhodon's Jump Core, she thought to herself before speaking "Chief Engineer Whitney, I must admit, this idea never would have crossed my mind. We will have to push Rhodon back out, Commodore Coltrain, is Rhodon capable of making a jump to Thazi?"
"Yes, we are still jump capable, we just have enough micro cracks froming that my Chief Engineer does not trust multiple jumps." Commodore Coltrain said
"Very well, we will move this operation to Thazi. Once there, we will bring Rhodon back into the repair bay, remove the Jump Core, push you back out of the repair bay and commence work on the Olympus while we grind up your Jump Core for recasting. Don't worry, we will reseal your ship back up. You will be able to manuever and fight if need be, but you will not be able to jump. In the meantime, I will have my onboard engineers go over Chief Whitney's numbers, just to be sure of things. Thank you for bringing this idea to my attention. Is there anything else?" Commodore Delvaney asked
For the next hour, they discussed the status of their ships, and tried to wrap their minds around how the Rim Worlds had managed to conquer the Terran Hegemony.
On the surface, Major General Rommel, Lieutenant General Mitchell and Lieutenant General McGregor were inside the headquarters of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division discussing the new developments.
"It does not matter how the Rim Worlds managed to conquer the Terran Hegemony. But it is our duty to return and liberate them." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"I understand your reason's Rita. But my 322nd Armored Division has their dependents out here on Pilon. There are also dependents here on Boulsi from the 228th Striker Regiment, plus dependents from the Infantry Regiments on Thazi. Last count I had put the dependents alone at over 19,000 people. We cannot take them with us, and I will not abandon them out here. My 322nd Armored Division will remain behind to safeguard the dependents. My duty is also to see to the safety of all those dependents." Major General Rommel said
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell sighed "Okay, your 322nd Armored Division stays behind. But not alone, that I will not allow. The 277th Dragoon Regiment will remain also as a rapid deployment force. From Boulsi, they can respond to either Thazi or Pilon if need be."
"No Rita, take the 277th Dragoon and 211th Hussar Regiments with your 272nd Mechanzed Infantry Division. I will keep my 126th Mechanized Infantry Division here. Cut the Grunt Infantry from your 272nd. I will replace them with my Mech Infantry. Plus I will transfer any other troops you need to bring your 272nd up to full strength. Along with the 277th Dragoon and 211th Hussar Regiments. It should leve me with a Brigade of Infantry and a reinforced Regiment of Battlemechs." Lieutenant General McGregor said
"I can see that I am not going to win this argument. Okay, I will get you a complete list of everything I need to reach full strength. I don't like the idea, not one bit. Leaving you both out here like this." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"We are not exactly alone now. It could take a year to repair Rhodon from what Commodore Coltrain says. I will keep her out here with us. She might not like it, but I am sure that until Conroy is located, she will not want to leave anyway." Major General Rommel said
9 April 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney and SLS Salvation were holding position 500km from the Olympus Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point. Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had tossed a wrench in her plans, but not a horrible one as she watched SLS Mighty Lift being pushed into her repair bay. She wanted any repairs to the Potemkin Transport expedited along with any repairs to SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser which would be accompanying her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division.
She had already put over 300 people onto the Olympus Recharge Station to begin preliminary work on the Olympus Recharge Station for the upcoming modifications. Her onboard engineers had confirmed Chief Engineer Whitney's calculations and even worked up much more detailed blueprints for the modifications. Too bad he would not be here to see his idea come to fruition, she thought.
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No word on the search for Conroy? ???
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It's preparing right now. Has not launched yet. Next write up.
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Cool... I can wait... :)
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Me too!
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yep I keep checking back about every hour to see if the next part is posted.
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Heh... you have more self control than I do... ::)
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6 April 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division, had gathered her ship commanders aboard SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer for a planning session. She stood at the head of the table, behind her was a Star Map being displayed on the screen. "Okay, the last reported sighting of SLS Conroy was at Luikaw. We know this where she met with the 211th Hussar Regiment. Now, from there, if we trace a direct path to Quatre Belle, we have this. Now we overlay our own search path until we reached our current location and it is obvious that we have already passed thru the exact systems she would have taken herself.
So, I can only surmise a couple of things. 1) Conroy was using uninhabited systems to make the journey. I have an issue with this for several reasons. She was trying to locate SLDF forces, this would prevent that. It added a level of risk to a very important mission.
2) Conroy ran into hostile forces and was destroyed. Again, I have some issues with this theory. First, I cannot think of very many enemy forces that could deal with a Avatar Heavy Cruiser. Not with the light combatants we have seen the rebels using. Second, I am pretty sure Commodore Zeibler would have cut and run before engaging any hostiles, his mission was too important for the risk. Three, we detected no debris fields during our search as we passed thru the very systems she would have passed thru.
3) Conroy suffered a major failure, busted jump drive or worse a misjump. I doubt she suffered a busted jump drive, for the same reasons above, we did not find here on our sweep to here. That leaves the worst possible option, misjump. That means she could be anywhere. There have been reports of misjumps carrying a ship hundreds of light years from their destination or starting point.
We now have the intel SLS Hatchet recovered from the rebel Dart Light Cruisers. This one worries me quite a bit, for it confirms several transit routes being used by rebel forces into the Outworlds Alliance. Commodore Delvaney is confident that they will be out here for almost a year. Despite orders, I am not keen on leaving them out here with only SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer as an escort." Rear Admiral Tanaka switched the displayed Star Map to new version before continuing.
"As you can see on this Star Map, there are literally hundreds of uninhabited systems out in the void of deep space. Over 90% of them are just a star and no planets at all. Within this 300LY radious around our current position are 482 uninhabited systems. Within 30LY of our current position are 31 uninhabited systems. Those are our first targets. I am going to put those LF equipped Tramps to use, that gives us an additional 5 search ships. Commodore Padowski, your Bugeye does not have deep enough cargo bays for a detailed search. I want you to push down the reported route the rebel forces have been using, setup a picket line. You do not have a HPG, so I am detailing 2 of the captured Scout Jumpships as relay ships. That will push you out 90LY maximum. If the rebels are spotted, you will jump out and relay the information to a Scout which will then relay to the next back to here.
Everyone else, we start searching the immediate systems that are within HPG range at all times. Maximum distance is 40LY circle. I will give us 2 months and then we will broaden our search range. I doubt we find her, but we have to give it a try."
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Well, they might find Conroy in time... :-\
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18 April 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, could not believe that for the first time in almost 2 years, the 272nd was at almost full strength. Her only shortfall is she did not have her full Ground Aero Wing. She had refused to take the 3 squadrons from the 126th Mech Infantry Division. They had to have some kind of air support. She looked up at the chalk board mounted on the wall of her quarters, it listed her full TO&E.
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's
3391st Special Forces Battalion - 3 Company's Nighthawk PAL (160 suits)
2721st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Battlemech Company's
2722nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Battlemech Company's
2723rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
2724th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Long Tom
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Thor
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Chaparral
Cavalry Battalion - 3 LAM Company's, Mech Infantry Company, Hover Company
Engineer Battalion - 3 Engineer Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group (reinf) - 4 Squadrons Aerospace
Conventional Group - 3 Squadrons Conv Fighters
Conventional VTOL Group - 2 Squadrons VTOL Transport
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company's
Transport
Dictator Dropship - 9
Czar Dropship - 8
Colossus Dropship - 3
Titan Dropship - 2
Triumph Dropship - 6
Confederate Dropship - 3
Mammoth Dropship - 4
Her current plans were to use SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport and 2 Star Lord Jumpships to transport her 272nd Mech Infantry Division. Two Star Lord Jumpships would carry the 3 Dictator's transporting the 277th Dragoon Regiment and 9 Union Dropships carrying the 211th Hussar Regiment. A single Tramp Jumpship would carry 2 Mule Dropships and a Czar Dropships carrying the supplies and support for the 277th Dragoon and 211th Hussar Regiment. Both commanders had agreed that they would work together as a mini RCT to ease transport needs.
On her personal portable computer, she pulled up a Star Map and loaded the route transmitted to her from Commodore Coltrain. They would hug the edge of the Outworlds Alliance until they reached Waitur, then they would make a jump to an uninhabited system before arriving at Inner End in the Federated Suns. It was estimated to take 3 months to reach Inner End and then another 20 jumps and 5 months to reach the Schedar system on the edge of the Terran Hegemony. But Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell planned to use the HPG at Inner End to try and contact General Kerensky for proper orders and destination.
Uncharted System (Deep Space)
The incoming emergence wave caused major anxiety for Commodore Zeibler, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. His wounded ship could not jump, nor could it maneuver, since the defective field initiator had taken the ships engines with it. But she still had her weapons systems active. "Sound General Quarters, start launching the Aerospace Fighters. Weps, get the weapons warmed up. We will go down fighting."
When the first Star Lord Jumpships materialized, followed quickly by 4 more, each broadcasting SLDF identification, the exhale of held breath aboard the SLS Conroy was audible. "Comm, get me a secure laser channel to the lead Star Lord if you would please."
The sight of a badly wounded Avatar Heavy Cruiser out here in Deep Space had shocked Commodore Richard Devall and Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. Even more shocking was when the ships communication officer said "We have a secure laser channel from the Avatar."
Commodore Devall and Major General Carman shared a disbelieving look between them, someone is still alive on that wreck?
"This is Commodore Zeibler, SLS Conroy. Are we glad to see you folks."
"To say that we are surprised to find you here is an understatement Commodore Zeibler. I am not even going to ask if you need assistance, because that is obvious."
"Well, we could use a ride. A tow is out of the question, but I am not above hitch hiking, not at the moment anyway."
"I will launch some Dropships to dock with your ship. They will take on your crew and as much cargo as we can. No sense leaving it out here anyway. Do you have a shuttle or do I need to send one over for you?"
"I will take a shuttle over to your ship. See you in an hour. Zeibler out."
It took 2 hours for Commodore Zeibler to board SLS Midnight Rider, Star Lord Jumpship. He shook both Commodore Devall and Major General Carman's hands. "Commodore Vincent Zeibler, commander SLS Conroy. I cannot say thank you enough for finding us."
"I am Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division and this is Commodore Richard Devall, commander 331st Transport Flotilla. Your lucky as hell and way the hell off the beaten path, so Commodore Devall tells me."
"We figured we were, we were having a very hard time locating out exact position. But tell me, if we are that far off the path, what the hell are you doing way out here?" Commodore Zeibler asked
"On our way to Pilon. Heard there were some SLDF troops taking a beating there. Decided to head over and give them a hand." Major General Carman said
Decided to head over, no SLDF unit just decides to do anything on it's own, Commodore Zeibler thought. The change in Commodore Zeibler's manner was immediately noticed by both Major General Carman and Commodore Devall.
"You heard me right Commodore Zeibler. We are sort of free lancing right now. Not operating under SLDF orders. But be damned if I will have the deaths of SLDF soldiers on my conscience, not if I have the ability to help them. When we learned of the SLDF on Pilon being trapped, and then a shorter route to reach them, well we set off." Major General Carman said
"Well, in my current position, I am not going to pass judgement. But I will go ahead and tell you, the SLDF forces on Pilon have not only secured it, but also Thazi and are in the process of securing Boulsi. Or they were when we left there for Quatre Belle for help. Who told you about us anyway?" Commodore Zeibler explained
"Martin Zuni, merchant captain. I even sort of hired him, had to hire him, to get the needed information to reach Pilon quickly." Major General Carman said
"The name is familiar, but I cannot place it right now. Well, either way, I owe the guy a big one." Commodore Zeibler said
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Well, at least they were found!
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"But in case signals can neither be seen or perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy." Horatio Nelson
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How very post-Byng Royal Navy... ^-^
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1 May 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, watched as the last Dropships docked with SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport. It was going to be a long journey and they had literally packed SLS Mighty Lift with as much provisions as her cargo bays would hold. Work had slowed some on the Olympus Recharge Station while SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, cycled the ships now carrying the 272nd MID, 211th Hussar Regiment and 277th Dragoon Regiment in for a quick maintenance check. But now work had resumed on the modifications on the Olympus Recharge Station.
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka had at the last minute ordered SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer to accompany the convoy carrying the SLDF forces as an additional escort, not wanting to depend on just SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser as an escort for them. She figured that with SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser, SLS Borneo, Volga Transport and her 55th Reconnaissance Division in the vicinity that they could provide the needed protection for SLS Salvation during the repair operations.
Aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, Commodore Trisha Delvaney monitored the ongoing modifications to the Olympus Recharge Station. In the back of her mind, she went over her engineers survey on the 2 Dart Light Cruisers. One had a destroyed Jump Core that would have to be ground down and recast, the other had enough cracks in it's Jump Core that it too would need to be ground and recast. The modifications to the Olympus Recharge Station was estimated to chew up 35% of her available raw material. One of her engineers had spouted off that it would be quicker to manufacture a damned Germanium Processing Factory with a Core Grinder attached and a Jump Core Factory than to just use the Salvations onboard facilities alone. Her mind kept playing the words of her engineer over and over again. What would SLDF command say when they found out that they had basically built a Fleet Support Base out here in the boondocks that could do everything except actually build a warship from scratch if she moved with her engineers idea? It would be on par with Quatre Belle, only with 2 fewer slips.
After the idea had been planted in her head by her engineer, Commodore Delvaney had pulled the specifications for her onboard facilities. Her onboard Germanium Processing with Core Grinder could grind 5,000 tons of Jump Core per day but only process 3,000 tons per day back into raw material. Her onboard Jump Core manufacturing could only use 2,500 tons per day as it recast a new core. All of her onboard equipment to grind, process and recast a Jump Core weighed almost 150,000 tons. 50,000 tons for the grinder and processing equipment and almost 100,000 tons for the Jump Core manufacturing equipment. She tasked her senior engineer with working to see if the idea was feasible and then doable. It had taken 8 days, but he had come back and said that though they could manufacture all the equipment needed to duplicate their onboard machinery, they would not have enough raw material on hand to actually build the stations. He had worked up a design for each station and doubled the size of the Germanium Processing and Grinder Assembly, which would require a 150,000 ton station. The Jump Core Factory would also have to be 150,000 tons. The advanced Factories in the Terran Hegemony, could process and manufacture a Jump Core twice as fast as their onboard equipment, which was built more for reliability than speed, since they went on long deployments far from replacement parts.
Commodore Delvaney had mentally sheleved the idea, but it kept nagging at her.
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni had busied himself with transporting the odd cargo Dropship around the Dominions over the last few months. No since just depending on the SLDF contract to carry him, even though the extra money was welcome. He had just detached a Jumbo Dropship to the surface yesterday and was currently conducting recharge operations when the SLDF convoy arrived. A Star Lord Jumpship and 4 Tramp Jumpships loaded with Dropships. Well, time to earn my money from the SLDF, he thought as he reached for the radio.
"Ships Captain Martin Zuni calling SLS Heaven Bound, how copy." Martin Zuni said
"This is SLS Heaven Bound, go with traffic." Came the response
"I was wondering if I may come aboard. I have information to pass to the commanding officer." Martin Zuni said
There was a pause that lasted several minutes before an answer came "A single shuttle sir, you will be escorted by Aerospace Fighters."
Two hours later, Ships Captain Martin Zuni was led by several stern looking SLDF Marines to the ships grav deck. There he found several officers in SLDF uniforms waiting for him. "I am ships captain Martin Zuni, normally a simple merchant but lately, I have been under SLDF contract. I have this data stick which I am to present to the commanding officer of any SLDF command that passes into this region. It is from Lieutenant General Baxter of the 359th Battlemech Division."
"Colonel Irma Fuentes, 19th Hussar Regiment, I am in command of this flotilla. Have you seen what is on this data stick?"
"No sir, it is encrypted with SLDF encoding. Lieutenant General Baxter told me that you would be able to decode it easily so that you can listen to it." Martin Zuni said
"Well, then let us find out what the General has to say." Colonel Fuentes said as they all moved to a portable computer and inserted the data stick. The video began to play, Lieutenant General Baxter appeared on the small screen.
"My name is Lieutenant General Baxter, commander of the 359th Battlemech Division. I have entrusted Mister Zuni with delivering this message to any SLDF command that appears in this region of space. I am going to assume anyone listening to this message have made the same decision as me and my command and are no longer following SLDF orders. Though no longer officially following orders, I am also sure that everyone listening to this message still feels for the individual SLDF soldier. I and my command have undertaken a relief effort to assist trapped SLDF troops on the planet Pilon. We do not have any idea what we will face or find when we arrive at our destination.
The decision to not answer SLDF orders was a hard one to make and has weighed heavily on my mind since I made the decision. I am sure it also weighs heavily on yours. I removed my command from the senseless bloodshed we saw, but that does not mean we are cowards. Going to aid trapped SLDF troops is a worthy mission. I ask that you join us on this noble mission. Since we made the decision to embark on this mission, the heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I once again feel I have earned my honor back. I hope it helps you also."
The video ended and the SLDF officers shared looks between them. Colonel Fuentes turned to Mr Zuni "Sir, you would not happen to know the route they took do you?"
"It just so happens that I do have the exact route they took." Martin Zuni replied
"Excellent. I think we will be following the General. It is an honorable thing you have been doing Mr Zuni. We have emptied one of the Jumbo Dropships during our long journey, we had to drop off most of the crews, they became a problem, but I am going to transfer that Jumbo to you as payment for a job well done." Colonel Fuentes said
Martin Zuni had been about to remind the Colonel that he was under SLDF contract but slammed his mouth shut "That is most generous of you Colonel Fuentes. But you must also hand over a written statement with witness' that the Jumbo Dropship was transferred to my ownership as payment. I would not like to run afoul of any regulations or laws and be thought a pirate."
"Of course. I will write up the transfer myself and my officers here will witness it. The Jumbo was captured hauling contraband and legally siezed and previous ownership was forfeited at that time." Colonel Fuentes said
"In that case, I gladly accept the Jumbo Dropship. I am sure I can round up a replacement crew for it." Martin Zuni said with a broad grin
Morgan's Holdfast (Tortuga Dominions)
"General" Olivia Daniels, commander 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, and her troops had landed on Morgan's Holdfast on 7 April. The 54th MID had quickly pummeled the pirate group that actually had the nerve to challenge them. But after several protests by the population, she had pulled her forces back to the space port until they decided what to do next. After all they had seen and done, the 54th MID wanted no part in putting down civilian protests.
Hope IV (Independent Periphery)
Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue", once again allowed his command a few weeks of rest on the planets surface. Another month and they would reach the Tortuga Dominions. Normal people avoided the Dominions as they were infested with pirates, but his people were not normal. Each and every one of them were hardened combat veterans. Though none wanted to deal with civilians, they would gladly pound pirates into dust.
Deep Space (2 Jumps from Hope IV)
Colonel Brandon Janees, commander 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, was looking forward to some more ground time. Plus they needed to replenish their supplies of water and food after months in space. Another 3 months and they should be in the Tortuga Dominions. What they would do once there was still up in the air.
Quines (Outworlds Alliance)
Captain Xavier Poutry, commander 3rd Battalion, 335th Royal Dragoon Regiment, really just over a company in strength, cursed his luck for the millionth time. I knew I should have left armed troops aboard the damned Jumpship. They had set down to replenish supplies and when they had boosted back to the jump point, they had found their ride had left them. Now they had been on the surface for over 2 months and resigned themselves that they were stuck. At least the natives were nice and actually seemed thankful to have a "garrison". If you could call 16 Battlemechs a garrison.
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Total win for Zuni! Proof being a nice guy doesn't always end badly...
Bummer for the 335th... maybe they'll eventually catch a ride...
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29 May 2767
New Vandenberg (Taurian Concordat)
Aboard SLS McKenna's Pride, McKenna Battleship, Commanding General Kerensky ordered the encoded transmission of his orders. All SLDF forces were to leave the Periphery and make their way to the designated staging points, Point Kappa (Romulas) and Point Epsilon (Alarion) both in the Lyran Commonwealth. The Rim Worlds Republic would be the first to feel the wrath of the SLDF.
The message would not reach the 55th Reconnaissance Division.
6 June 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
The incoming emergence wave at the Zenith Jump Point caused no small amount of anxiety for the SLDF. Commodore Barbara Coltrain aboard SLS Rhodon, Luvor Heavy Cruiser, began heading for the Zenith Jump Point along with Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka aboard SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer. Rear Admiral Tanaka had already issued an immediate recall for her entire Division.
The first of 5 Star Lord Jumpships materialized and began broadcasting SLDF identification. Before Commodore Coltrain could order her communication officer to make contact, over the radio came "Commodore Coltrain, this is Commodore Zeibler aboard SLS Midnight Rider. I have returned with some friends who saved our butts."
"Zeibler, where is Conroy? What happened?" Commodore Coltrain asked
"How about we talk about that when we link up. I will say that I screwed up bad and almost got my crew killed." Commodore Zeibler responded
"Roger, we will be to you in 2 days. Coltrain out."
8 June 2767
Aboard SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser, Commodore Vincent Zeibler recounted his story to Commodore Coltrain and Rear Admiral Tanaka, who was still mad as hell at the total lack of an easy way to get from one ship to another since her Whirlwind Destroyer lacked any shuttle or even docking collars. She had never been fond of conducting EVA operations just to travel between ships.
"I swear to god, if I ever get my hands on the idiot who designed the damned Whirlwind Destroyer I am going to strangle him. So, you are Commodore Zeibler, commander of SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. I am Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division tasked with finding some missing ships and yours is the last one. You can now explain where she is while I finish calming my nerves." She said continuing to mutter under her breath about idiots designing ships.
"It is my fault. I pushed Conroy too fast, too hard. I ordered our next jump too soon and the static electricity was too much. We misjumped out into Deep Space, about 250LY from here. SLS Midnight Rider has the exact location plotted and saved on her navigation computer for possible recovery. We blew out the field initiator, spent months repairing it, but the first jump, the damned field initiator took the entire aft section of the Conroy with it, but nothing else. Transit drives are gone, Jump Core is shattered. If Major General Carman and the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division had not come along, well, let's just say it was not going to be a pretty thought." Commodore Zeibler explained
"Well, you know Admiral Isla Firova (Commander 10th Fleet) is going to put a big black mark in your record for losing Conroy like that. Not to mention what Vice Admiral Petra Levanon (Commander 102nd Escort Squadron) is going to do to you for losing one of her precious Heavy Cruisers. Maybe it is a good thing your stuck out here, Petra would probably throw you out of an airlock personally." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"Sir, if they would have properly supported us instead of leaving us out here on our own for so long, maybe it would not have happened. We have been pushing the ships way too hard out here for almost 2 years without proper relief. I will take my punishment like a man, but will exact a pound of flesh in return when it happens." Commodore Zeibler responded
"Well, at least we know where Conroy is. I can quit pushing my own ships so hard now. I damn sure do not want to explain to Vice Admiral Oskar Petrovich how I managed to lose a ship. I want you to get your Chief Engineer over to SLS Salvation and have him brief the engineers over there on the damage inflicted on Conroy. Once Salvation has returned Rhodon to full status, we will be recovering Conroy and I want her prepared to make the repairs as quick as possible." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"Yes sir, right away sir. Sir, there is something you need to know about the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. I think they deserted." Commodore Zeibler said
"I am sure that they did. The 280th Mechanized Infantry Division was assigned to 3rd Army in the Taurian Concordat. They were reported missing May 2766. This entire campaign has been a total cluster jerk. They are not the first, and I doubt they will be the last. But they travelled all the way over here to help cut off SLDF forces. I think they have atoned for that major error in their judgement and I for one will not hold that against them. I will leave up to Major General Rommel who I have already summoned from Pilon. Technically he out ranks me anyway." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
Aboard SLS Midnight Rider, Star Lord Jumpship, Major General Iris Carman was nervous and so was Commodore Richard Devall. There was no escape now, not with all the SLDF warships gathered at the Zenith Jump Point. When the order came for them to detach Dropships and head for the planets surface, they shared a look of dread between them. "Good luck General. At least on the ground you have a chance. Up here, well I will await the Marines to arrive and preapre myself to get tossed out of an airlock." Commodore Devall said
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominion)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni was aboard his Merchant Jumpship studying the newly arrived SLDF convoy. After listening to Lieutenant General Baxter's message, he had some serious doubt that he would ever get paid for his "SLDF" contracts. Even though selling the Jumbo Dropship would more than compensate him for it, the mere thought that he had been snookered by both Baxter and Carman irritated him. But, he at least had integrity, he at least would uphold his word.
"Ship's Captain Martin Zuni to SLS Heaven's Gaze, how copy over?"
"This is SLS Heaven's Gaze, go with your traffic sir." Came the reply
"Request to come aboard and talk with the Commanding Officer. I have a message to deliver to him." Martin Zuni said
"This is Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division, what message sir?" A new voice said
"I cannot broadcast this sir, it is to be hand delivered." Martin Zuni said
"Come ahead. I will meet you in the shuttle bay." General Hanesworth said
While the conversation had been ongoing, Martin Zuni had seen a new ship arrive, Hyperspace Cowboy, Ships Captain Martha Pruitt had returned. He quickly signed off with the SLDF Jumpship and got a secure laser lock on her Merchant Jumpship. "Pruitt, you old hag, you still alive over there or did you finally die of old age?"
"Damn Zuni, your still out here too? The damned SLDF is thick as thieves out here now. I figured with the damned coup they would all be gone." Pruitt answered
"What coup? What are you yapping about woman? You going senile on me?" Zuni asked
"You have not heard? That sneaky Amaris from the Rim Worlds done gone and took over the Terran Hegemony. Declared himself Emperor and all. They's going to be a big assed war, that's why I hauled butt back out here." Pruitt explained
"Ain't that a bitch. What else you heard?" Zuni asked, I wonder if General Hanesworth has heard this information and should I tell them, he thought.
"Met one of King Killer's ships at New Port Royal. Said a SLDF unit landed on Morgan's Holdfast and kicked the crap out of King Killer's band. MUst be a good sized unit cause King Killer was one the biggest pirate bands out here in the Dominions." Pruitt said
Another SLDF unit on Morgan's Holdfast? Where did they com from I wonder, Zuni thought before answering Pruitt "Seems to be a busy place, the Dominions. I have to go, my presence has been requested by the SLDF."
"Shit, good luck Zuni. I am going to pray I don't get boarded for an inspection. I have some goods in the hold that I would prefer not to have to explain. Pruitt out."
Three hours later, Martin Zuni was aboard SLS Heaven's Gaze. True to his word Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth met him in the shuttle bay the moment it was declared safe by the Jumpships crew. "Mister Zuni, Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth. Not sure why a Merchant Captain is hand delivering messages for the SLDF, but I will say it made my curiosity peak. Shall we head to my temporary quarters?"
Soon they were inside Lieutenant General Hanesworth's quarters "I was given this data stick to present to SLDF units as they appeared in the region. It was recorded by Lieutenant General Baxter when he passed thru here a few months ago." Martin Zuni explained as he handed over the data stick
Lieutenant General Hanesworth took the data stick and inserted it into his portable computer. The video began to play:
"My name is Lieutenant General Baxter, commander of the 359th Battlemech Division. I have entrusted Mister Zuni with delivering this message to any SLDF command that appears in this region of space. I am going to assume anyone listening to this message have made the same decision as me and my command and are no longer following SLDF orders. Though no longer officially following orders, I am also sure that everyone listening to this message still feels for the individual SLDF soldier. I and my command have undertaken a relief effort to assist trapped SLDF troops on the planet Pilon. We do not have any idea what we will face or find when we arrive at our destination.
The decision to not answer SLDF orders was a hard one to make and has weighed heavily on my mind since I made the decision. I am sure it also weighs heavily on yours. I removed my command from the senseless bloodshed we saw, but that does not mean we are cowards. Going to aid trapped SLDF troops is a worthy mission. I ask that you join us on this noble mission. Since we made the decision to embark on this mission, the heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I once again feel I have earned my honor back. I hope it helps you also."
When the video quit playing Lieutenant General Hanesworth looked at Martin Zuni "How many other units have you shown this to?"
"One, about a month ago. I just learned there is another unit on Morgan's Holdfast. I planned to go see them next." Martin Zuni said
"You happen to know the route Baxter took?" Lieutenant General Hanesworth asked
"Yes sir, it passes right thru Morgan's Holdfast as a matter of fact." Martin Zuni said
"Good, I will save you the trip and deliver the message myself. You have a copy of this I presume?" Lieutenant General Hanesworth asked
"Yes sir, quite a few actually. General Baxter gave me 15 data sticks." Martin Zuni said
"Good. Thank you for the information Mr Zuni, it does help me out." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
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Zuni continues to be the hero of the hour... I wonder if the folks at Pilon can pay his contracts... ^-^
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18 June 2767
Rim Worlds Outpost #11 (Deep Periphery)
Polemarchos Emerson Dragonovich, though a naval officer, was actually glad to have firm ground under his feet. It took 221 days to reach Detroit from Rim Worlds territory, but it took a year and 44 jumps to reach this far flung Outpost. He had taken great care to maximize recharge time to lesson the risk to his Task Force so far from any sort of help. He absently watched the massive Mammoth Dropships unloading their cargo of raw ores. He already had the manifest to be loaded back aboard the Mammoth's delivered by Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye.
Stinger STG-3R - 390 (7,800 tons)
Firestarter FS9-H - 195 (6,825 tons)
Phoenix PX-3R - 312 (15,600 tons)
Talos TLS-1B - 312 (15,600 tons)
Archer ARC-2R - 156 (10,920 tons)
Battlemaster BLR-1G - 156 (13,260 tons)
Though a huge quantity of Battlemechs, their overall tonnage would barely fill 2 Mammoth Dropships. It was enough Battlemechs to fully equip 5 Battlemech Divisions or 14 Battlemech Regiments. Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye had already taken the opportunity to tell him how this 1.5 million tons of raw material would be enough to keep his factory in operation for 3 years and that the quantity soon to be loaded was but 13 months of production.
"Seems a huge waste, 1.5 million tons of raw material to create only what, 240,000 tons of Battlemechs?" Dragonovich said
"This Factory is not nearly as effecient as the ones in the Rim Worlds itself or any of the other Periphery Nations. And a far cry from the effeciency of those in the Teran Hegemony. Where we have to use 7 tons of raw ore to create 1 ton of usable material, the more effecient Factories probably use probably 3-4 tons of raw ore to create 1 ton of usable material. I am working hard to improve overall effeciency of the Factory here to get that number down. In 4 years, I hope to have our effeciency improved to where we use 5 or better yet 4 tons of raw to 1 ton usable." Taxiarchos Haye explained
"How do you propose to accomplish this?" Dragonovich asked
"It will not be easy, but before I was sent out here and given rank in the military, I was a lead supervisor for Diplass Technologies. Building Battlemechs is what I do. Most of the savings come from personnel training, but I have some improvements to the actual machinery planned that should help cut down on the waste of raw material." Taxiarchos Haye said
"Still seems a huge waste to me, this amount of raw material could build another 2 Riga Frigates." Dragonovich said
"Possibly, but Riga Frigates cannot take worlds Polemarchos." Taxiarchos Haye replied
"No, but a single Riga can sure destroy an entire world in a months time Taxiarchos Haye." Polemarchos Dragonovich said as he walked away, he needed to prepare for the next leg of his journey, 1,400LY to Outpost #7, another year of travel before he set foot on firm ground again.
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Iris Carman, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, paced nervously as she watched the inbound shuttle land, that would be Major General Heinrich Rommel she was sure of it. She had been notified that he was inbound by Rear Admiral Tanaka. She had no clue what she would say. How do I explain how a Division just up and decides to travel a thousand light years to help another command, in another Army without orders, she thought for the millionth time.
She stopped her pacing as the shuttle came to a halt not far away. A hatch opened and she watched as 2 men in SLDF uniforms descended the roll away stairs and began heading towards her. She began walking to meet them, there was no avoiding this. As she reached them, she halted, came to attention and reported "Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division reporting."
"At ease General Carman. I am Major General Heinrich Rommel, commander 322nd Armored Division and ranking officer in this region of space. This is Lieutenant General Colin McGregor, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. I must admit, I am surprised at your appearance so far from where 3rd Army was stationed. Care to explain how you came to be here?"
"I am not going to even try to explain it General Rommel. Hell, there is no way to explain it rationally. We both know the SLDF would not even entertain the idea. If the local forces could not reestablish contact with a command, they would just write the command off. We both know it. They might go to extraordinary efforts for a warship, but from what I have seen and experienced, us ground pounders stand or die on our own. I received information that you needed help and here we are." Major General Carman said
"Well, we are glad to have you General Carman. I can read the writing on the wall as good as anyone. But I am here to inform you that you and your command are back in the SLDF. Welcome to the Forgotten Corps, or that is what the troops have been calling us. Some day, I will figure out how to explain this to High Command, but until that time, I will just continue collecting lost sheep into my wayward flock out here. Is that going to be a problem General?" Major General Rommel said
The words spoken by Major General Rommel shocked her "Sir, we never wanted to leave the SLDF. We just wanted to fight as a united command, not be split apart and scattered to the winds. There will be no problem at all." They were not under arrest, she still had her Division, she wanted to do a back flip.
"Good, excellent even. Your new assignment is to garrison Thazi here. So get settled in. I am told the population is not hostile, so I don't expect any trouble. There could be hiding rebels, so I would advise regular patrols. We have no way to resupply material or even ammunition, so be ready to make due with what you have." Major General Rommel said
"We have no immediate critical issues except food and basic supplies. I can assume that the local's can provide for those needs?" Major General Carman asked
"I am pretty sure they can handle those needs. Come, let's go see if we can find Lieutenant General Mitchell's old headquarters building. She departed a month ago to assist General Kerensky in retaking the Terran Hegemony." Major General Rommel said
Those words brought Major General Carman to a screeching halt "Retake the Terran Hegemony? What the hell happened? When did it happen?"
"Come on General Carman, I will explain all that we know, but let's get out of the sun." Major General Rommel said
Morgan's Holdfast (Tortuga Dominions)
Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division, descended the ramp of his Dropship. Waiting at the bottom of the ramp was "General" Olivia Daniels, commander 54th Mechanized Infantry Division. He could tell she was nervous, I bet if I said boo she would faint, he thought to himself. A few sideways glances confirmed his hunch that her troops were just as nervous and tense. I need to defuse this before I get myself shot, he thought.
"Relax General Daniels, I am Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth and I did the exact same thing as you did. I am not here to arrest anyone. I am here to deliver a message and see if you would like to tag along." He said
"Sir, Capt....General Olivia Daniels. What is it exactly you think we did?" She said, but some of her nervous tension had eased
She is a Captain, no wonder she's is as skittish as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but she must be a damned good one to get all these troops to follow her, he thouht before responding "Deserted, mutiny, cut and ran, but not cowardice. How am I doing?" General Hanesworth said
"You said you were delivering a message, who from?" "General" Daniels asked, some spine reappearing
"Best I let him tell you himself. You have a protable computer handy?" General Hanesworth asked
"Yes sir, please come with me." "General" Daniels said
As they walked towards a Overlord Dropship, Lieutenant General Hanesworth asked "Tell me something, how did a mere Captain manage to become a Division commander?"
"Simple, have an idiot for a Division Commander. He called a damned officers conference for all Major's and above, in a combat zone where we had already suffered a nuclear attack. They all got vaporized sir. Every last one of them. The troops sort of elected me to the position after we evacuated the planet. I have company's led by Lieutenants and Battalions by Captains. But we know how to fight and survive." She explained as they entered the Overlord Dropship and made their way to what he assumed were her quarters. He inserted the data stick and sat back as the video started to play:
"My name is Lieutenant General Baxter, commander of the 359th Battlemech Division. I have entrusted Mister Zuni with delivering this message to any SLDF command that appears in this region of space. I am going to assume anyone listening to this message have made the same decision as me and my command and are no longer following SLDF orders. Though no longer officially following orders, I am also sure that everyone listening to this message still feels for the individual SLDF soldier. I and my command have undertaken a relief effort to assist trapped SLDF troops on the planet Pilon. We do not have any idea what we will face or find when we arrive at our destination.
The decision to not answer SLDF orders was a hard one to make and has weighed heavily on my mind since I made the decision. I am sure it also weighs heavily on yours. I removed my command from the senseless bloodshed we saw, but that does not mean we are cowards. Going to aid trapped SLDF troops is a worthy mission. I ask that you join us on this noble mission. Since we made the decision to embark on this mission, the heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I once again feel I have earned my honor back. I hope it helps you also."
When the video ended, Lieutenant General Hanesworth watched "General" Daniels carefully. As she ejected the data stick, he thought he detected some relief coming from her, her words confirmed it "Hell yes we will join you sir. None of us want to become pirates or mercs. We enlisted in the SLDF for a higher purpose, well this is that higher purpose. You just let me get my troops loaded up and we will be on our way." Then she paused for a few seconds "You going to take my Division away from me sir?"
"Not unless you think I need to. Your troops are following you. That in itself speaks volumn's as to your ability. I might offer you advice and will issue you orders, which I expect you to carry out, but the 54th Mechanized Infantry Division is yours until I deem you cannot handle it. Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
"Thank you for that sir. We will not let you down, that you can count on." Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels said
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Baxter's trust in Zuni continues to pay dividends... :thumbsup:
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I'm real curious where this all ends up. Lots of possibilities...
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do you have a list of units in "The Forgotten Corps"?
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Current
272nd Mech Infantry Div
126th Mech Infantry Div
322nd Armored Div
280th Mech Infantry Div
211th Hussar Reg
277th Dragoon Reg
Those are the current Forgotten Corp SLDF ground units. Not counting the naval commands at this time.
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i am just waiting for Scott to find these folks descendants
calmly living on a nice quiet planet that rarely gets hit
by raiders, and when it gets hit none get away
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i am just waiting for Scott to find these folks descendants
calmly living on a nice quiet planet that rarely gets hit
by raiders, and when it gets hit none get away
And Amanda's ancestors.
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Er, you mean descendants, right? ???
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29 June 2767
Inner End (Federated Suns)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, stared at the plot display aboard SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, so far so good, we have all made it this far, she thought. It felt sort of weird being in the Federated Suns, safety, no need to put out a CAP, not having to panic everytime an emergence wave was detected. Currently the communications officer was downloading the latest news from the relay satelites at each Jump Point, placed for the convience of Jumpship crews.
"General Mitchell, Commodore Gallonsa I think you both need to hear this. It is from General Kerensky, dated 22 May 2767." Comms said
"Put it on the speakers Comm, no sense trying to hide anything." Commodore Gallonsa ordered
"For those who do not recognize me, I am Aleksandr Kerensky, Commanding General of the Star League Defense Force. The actions by Stephan Amaris are unconscionable, I have very little hope for First Lord Richard Cameron nor for the SLDF forces stationed inside the Terran Hegemony. Through his actions, Stefan Amaris has abrogated his right to rule. A State of War now exists between the Star League Defense Forces and the Amaris Empire, the SLDF will take a measured approach to liberating the Terran Hegemony. We will put aside our anger and allow rational thought to dictate what we must do.
Humanity's home is now our priority. To the Periphery States, our ceasefire is still in effect. You now hold your own destiny in your hands to shape your own futures as you have long desired. Except for the Rim Worlds Republic, we are coming for you first."
"Well, do we chase Kerensky all the way to the Rim Worlds Republic General Mitchell?" Commodore Gallonsa asked
"We continue on our plotted course Commodore. I have already sent a message to the planets HPG for relay to General Kerensky asking for orders. We will continue on our course and check for HPG messages as we pass thru systems." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
7LY from Courtney (Uninhabited System, Federated Suns Space)
Commodore Travis Oldenson, commander SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion II Battlecruiser, swore at the 2nd breakdown they had suffered. This time the jump sail had tangled on jagged debris suffered during their escape. His Chief Enginner had taken a work party out via EVA to cut it loose. They would be on reactor charging from now on. He had once again pleaded with Major Ian MacIntosh to allow him to alter course and head for New Avalon or at the least, enter a inhabited system in the Federated Suns. Major MacIntosh had finally relented but he would only allow them to reveal themselves when they jumped into the Junior system.
9 July 2767
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
The incoming emergence wave caused a HPG message to be sent to Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, who ordered her 55th Reconnaissance Division to immediately plot a jump for Pilon. As the flotilla of Star Lord Jumpships materialized at the Zenith Jump Point and their Dropships cut loose and began for the planets surface, warships from the 55th Reconnaissance Division began materializing at the Zenith Jump Point.
Rear Admiral Tanaka's ships began detecting the SLDF indentification being broadcast from the newly arrived Jumpships and Dropships and had her communication officer begin hailing the ships on a open channel. The response that came back caused her to shake her head, this place is like a magnet for stray's.
"This is Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division and commander of this Task Force. Permission to land on the surface, it has been a long trip."
"Permission granted General Baxter, I will have 2 of my Vincent Corvettes escort you to orbit. I will notify Major General Rommel that you are inbound." Rear Admiral Tanaka responded, still not completely at ease with all the stray SLDF commands showing up out here.
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Er, you mean descendants, right? ???
Barring another misjump, yeah.
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Tanaka is properly paranoid, but is really going to have to get used to it... ^-^
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what the current strength of the 29th and 54th?
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54th Mechanized Infantry Division
541st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions
543rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 2 Battalions
544th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 1 Company Thor, 1 Company Padilla
Engineer Battalion - 2 Company's
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Group - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Group - 2 Squadrons
Engineer Battalion - 1 Company
Jump Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
29th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue" (Task Force Combined)
1st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
2nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Goblin Battalion
Star Lord Jumpship - 2
Czar Dropship - 4
Triumph Dropship - 2
Mule Dropship - 2
3rd Battlemech Regiment, 265th Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue"
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Warhammer WHM-6Rb, 12 Guillotine GLT-3N, 12 Shootist ST-8A
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Emperor EMP-6A, 24 Thug 11E
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Dictator Dropship - 4
Mule Dropship - 1
1st Battlemech Battalion, 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division "Rogue"
Battlemech Company - 12 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Company - 4 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, 8 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Company - 5 Archer ARC-2Rb, 4 Marauder MAD-2R, 3 Stalker STK-3Fb
Union Dropship - 3
Forces from 265th MID and 181st RMID are traveling with the 29th MID.
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i can see the 29th folded into the 54th honestly.
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That is to be determined....Currently, they are separate commands.
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Yes very true
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15 July 2767
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel watched the Dropships landing across the space port. I wonder just how many more fragments of units will show up, he thought to himself as he watched a tall officer jog towards him. "Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter, 359th Battlemech Division. I also have elements of the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division, 31st Infantry Division and 509th Battle Regiment with me. Though I have the 31st and 191st formed into a joint command, while my 359th has semi absorbed the 509th Battle."
"Major General Heinrich Rommel, 322nd Armored Division. This is becoming something of a normal occurance, units arriving from all over. I am going to cut to the fat of the matter General Baxter. Your sins for desertion, mutiny and all else are now forgiven. Don't look so shocked, of course I know. Your not the first we have had link up with us. Major General Iris Carman and the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division arrived just over a month ago. But you all have now rejoined the SLDF, your mere presence here speaks volumn's. You may inform your people and those commands with you that they are now a part of the Forgotten Corps. That is what our troops started calling us, and well it seems to fit.
For now, I will leave your current force structures intact. There may come a time, maybe sooner than we expect that we will need to realign the units. I do not see the wisdom in fielding a bunch of partial commands. Now, I am going to assume none of you have heard of the Coup, am I correct?" Major General Rommel explained
Lieutenant General Baxter had been caught flat footed by the blunt statement and then swift dismissal of what would normally be a capital offence. "What Coup sir?"
"Seems Stephan Amaris has managed to take over the Terran Hegemony. We do not know for sure how, but Lieutenant General Riat Mitchell took her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division along with the 277th Dragoon and 211th Hussar Regiments to assist General Kerensky. We managed to bring those units up to full strength before they departed, but we had to pretty much gut the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division and a large chunk of my 322nd Armored Division." Major General Rommel explained
"Well, I doubt we will be able to hang onto the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division when they hear this. Pretty sure they are going to go nuts when they hear this." Lieutenant General Baxter said
"I will not stand in their way, if they so desire to head out. Even though we could use them out here, the Hegemony is their home, every one of them. Now, let's head to my headquarters and you give me a good run down on exactly where your group stands on personnel and equipment." Major General Rommel said
An hour later, inside Major General Rommel's headquarters, Lieutenant General Baxter began running down the status of every command he had brought with him. He handed Major General Rommel a list with much more detail while he did a quick summary of things, but first he gave Major General Rommel a few minutes to look it over.
359th Battlemech Division
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 31 Battlemechs (ex 509th Battle)
3591st Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
3592nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Armor Regiment - 2 Armor Battalions
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company, 1 Hover Armor Company
Artillery Battalion - 3 Chaparrel Company's
Engineer Battalion - 3 Engineer Company's
Mechwarrior w/o Battlemech - 39
Aerospace Pilots w/o Fighter - 16
Armor Crew w/o Tank - 291
Division Support - 11,512 (includes support from 509th Battle)
31st Infantry Division
311th Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions
312nd Brigade
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Jump Infantry Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Mechwarrior w/o Battlemech - 66
Armor Crew w/o Tanks - 540
Division Support - 2,937 (includes 191st Royal)
Dropship Crew w/o Ships - 1,756
"As you can see on the rosters, I have almost a Regiment worth of Battlemech Pilots with no rides and almost 4 Battalions of Armor with no Tanks. The combined 31st and 191st ranking officer's are just Colonel's, but they have done quite well and am loathe to break them up unless absolutely neccessary. Spare parts and ammuntion is in pretty good shape for what I have but well short of what a full Division would normally bring. The 31st Infantry only had 6 Czar Dropships but they have anough crew to man enough Dropships for a full Division. Seems the rebels took them all away from them." Lieutenant General Baxter explained
"Dropships are no problem. We have more Dropships up at the Nadir Jump Point than we have crews. Just nothing to put in those Dropships. But at least now I know where we stand. Now, let's get comfortable and you tell me the story on how you came to be here." Major General Rommel said
Alktral (Outworlds Alliance)
Former SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier, commanded by Commodore Nicholai Sursansonov sat at the Nadir Jump Point recharging it's drive. After witnessing the SLDF navy unleash it's awesome firepower on a city THOUGHT to contain rebel forces, Commodore Nicholai Sursansonov had jumped his ship to another system and then led a fight aboard ship against parts of his own crew that remained loyal to the SLDF. For almost 2 years SLS Independence had sailed along the outer systems of the Outworlds Alliance lending it's firepower to cover rebel advances. After the revelation that Emperor Stefan Amaris had openly ordered the SLDF to destroy the rebel forces in the Periphery, many rebel forces felt betrayed, some even moved to join the SLDF to fight against the forces of Amaris.
The rebel commander in the Outworlds Alliance had ordered SLS Independence to head for Boulsi and link up with a supply convoy that should be arriving September 2767. While in the area, they were also to try and make contact with several rebel Divisions that had not been seen or heard from since the Uprising began. His on board Fleet Aero Wing normally had 72 Aerospace Fighters, but they were down to 41 Aerospace Fighters, only 23 of them were the advanced SLDF models. The advanced SLDF Fighters were piloted by the surviving original pilots that had joined him in rebeling. The remaining pilots were rebels, but good pilots.
1375th Fleet Aero Wing
Independent HQ Squadron - 5 Zero ZRO-116b
87th Aero Group - 12 Sabre SB-27b, 6 Hellcat II HCT-213C
88th Aero Group - 18 Star Dagger S-2B
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any word on putting captured damaged enemy mechs, tanks and fighters in the hands of the SLDF? Are they setting up any production on the cleared planets?
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They have already disbursed the captured rebel equipment after they secured Pilon.
No production setup at all. Currently they are operating as part of the SLDF, but cut off. Things might change soon, but production might be down the road some.
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Sounds like everyone is in for a surprise when Independence arrives...
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1 August 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, was pleased to finally be completed with the modifications on the Olympus Recharge Station. She looked at it from her bridge, sure is an ugly damned design, with a 1M ton pressurized bay sticking out of it. But, at least it will help keep my repair bay clear for critical needs, she thought as she watched an Elephant Tug maneuver one of the Dart Light Cruisers into the bay. She checked her own ships status and saw that they were 18% done with recasting SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser's new Jump Core. Another 4 months and they would have the new Jump Core installed and SLS Rhodon would be back to 100%. Then they could plan the recovery of SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, from damage estimates, they would need to haul at least 100,000 tons worth of ground down Germanium to recast the Conroy's Jump Core to replace what the faulty field initiator took with it. The ships interplanetary drive's were destroyed, but she already had her people manufacturing replacements. She had already made the decision that they would restore Conroy to Jump Status and get her back here to Thazi for final repair. The replacement transit drive's would be stored here until they returned.
The last couple months, her senior engineers had refined the "design" for a Jump Core station with onboard grinding. They had boosted the amount that could be ground and reprocessed to 15,000 tons per day. Which would have allowed them to grind up the 402,725 ton Jump Core from SLS Rhodon in a hair over 26 days instead of the 88 days it took using the Salvations onboard grinder. They had not been able to come up with a way to speed up the actual casting process, Jump Cores were just too delicate, at least not without the much more advanced but sensitive equipment used by the various Shipyards in the Terran Hegemony and such. Salvations onboard recasting equipment was built for maximum durability and reliability, not speed. They had searched their database which contained all manner of plans and specifications, but they did not have any designs for shipyards, germanium processing or even Jump Core casting, not the advanced designs anyway. They had worked off Salvations onboard equipment specifications and to boost the amount of grinding, they had just added additional grinding equipment, tapering it down as the Jump Core being ground was pulled inside while increasing the size of the powerplant and gear ratios to accommodate the faster speeds.
They had taken care to pull SLS Rhodon's Jump Core data, which actually told them the exact day casting began and when completed, 44 days. Quick number crunching told them that the advanced casting equipment had to capable of at least spinning and casting 9,000 tons or more per day.
"Commodore, Rear Admiral Tanaka is on the comm for you. Set up secure laser with a solid lock."
"Commodore Delvaney sir, what can I do for you?" She asked
"I was wondering Commodore, can you have your engineers check and see how long it would take to install some damned shuttle bays on SLS Windego? I am sick and tired of having to go EVA to catch a damned shuttle ride somewhere or between ships. Hell, even 2 shuttles would be nice, I don't need a squadron of them, just a section." Came the reply.
"Yes sir, I can have my people pull your ships specifications and have them take a look. Not sure what Naval Command will say when they find out we made some change's without their approval." Commodore Delvaney replied
"Your let me handle that problem if it comes up Commodore. I will gladly give them an ear full of grief on how the hell they approved a design that required someone to either dock their ship in a slip of go friggin EVA to travel to a meeting. Hell, the original Davion Destroyer before they were modified had 2 damned shuttle on it, why they removed them, well it makes no sense what so ever." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"I will pass the word to my engineers Admiral. I will contact you as soon as I have an answer." Commodore Delvaney replied
"Thank you Commodore. I will be waiting on your call. Tanaka out."
25 August 2767
Junior (Federated Suns)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell and her Task Force had been at the Nadir Jump Point for 2 days recharging. No word had been heard from General Kerensky, even with repeated HPG messages being sent. Now, on the bridge of SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, she stared at the battle scarred SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion II Battlecruiser that had just materialized. SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser and SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer had already placed themselves between the transports and the incoming ship before it materialized. "Get a secure laser communication with them Commodore."
It took a few minutes to get a lock but finally they heard a weak "...ift, this is SLS T....tz, ow..opy."
"SLS Tirpitz, this is SLS Mighty Lift, we have you weak and unreadable. Say again."
".....static and garbled.....ver"
"Tirpitz, say again last, completely unreadably."
Nothing came back and finally Lieutenant General Mitchell said "Obviously, their radio is shot. I am taking a shuttle over. Commodore Gallonsa, take command of the Task Force until I return. Have Major Calloway kick his ships loose and to follow me over to the Tirpitz. Just in case."
Thirty minutes later, her shuttle was holding station just off the Tirpitz's bridge and the pilot was communicating with the Tirpitz via short range communication. "Shuttle Alpha One to SLS Tirpitz, how copy over?"
"We got you loud and clear Alpha One, sorry but our communications array has finally died."
"I have the Task Force commander aboard, request docking permission for Alpha One and 3 Confederate Dropships?"
Several minutes passed before an answer came back "Alpha One, you are cleared into shuttle bay. Negative permission on docking the Confederates at this time. Please have them hold well away for their own safety."
"Now that is very unusual and make the hair stand up. Patch me over to Major Colloway please." Lieutenant General Mitchell said and when the connection was made "Major Calloway, pull your Dropships back some. Something is not right here. Make contact with Commodore Blythe and have him bring SLS Hatchet and SLS Solomon a little closer, but no hostile moves. Then contact Commodore Gallonsa kick the Aerospace Fighters loose and to form up a strong CAP."
Back to her pilot "Take us in, I will have a hand radio with me. You don't hear from me within 30 minutes of our landing, you sound the alarm. I don't know what is going on, but something is not right."
Fifteen minutes later, Shuttle Alpha One was docked aboard the SLS Tirpitz and Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell exited the shuttle and was led by several Marines until they reached a office and shown inside. Inside she saw a SLDF Major and Commodore waiting.
"Commodore Walter Namathien, commander of SLS Tirpitz and this is Major Ian MacIntosh of the Royal Black Watch."
Royal Black Watch? What the hell were they doing way out here? Who was aboard this ship, the First Lord? Lieutenant General Mitchell wondered before answering "Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, commander of this Task Force. Major MacIntosh's presence now tell's me why the strange wave off's of my Dropships."
"Sorry General, but protecting my charge comes before anything else. May I ask what your doing out here?" Major MacIntosh asked
"I am not in the habit of answering the questions of a Major, Major MacIntosh. The First Lord might ask that question of me, but I think your letting the Royal Black Watch thing go to your head. So, how about you tell ME what exactly your doing out here?" Lieutenant General Mitchell responded a little more forcefully than she wanted
The response caught Major MacIntosh off guard "The First Lord is not aboard General. I apologize for my previous question, it has been a difficult trip. I have had no word on the First Lord's status nor the status of anyone on Terra since we left the system. I was charged with taking and protecting Amanda Cameron, the First Lord's daughter. We have been taking a long route to throw off any pursuit until we reach General Kerensky on New Vandenberg."
"New Vandenberg? You most definitely have taken a long route to get there, but General Kerensky is not on New Vandenberg any more. I don't even know where he is. Last message we heard was his speech relayed by news networks. I suspect he is near the Rim Worlds Republic right now." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
She saw that her response seemed to deflate Major MacIntosh "No way am I taking my charge in that direction, besides, I doubt the Tirpitz could make the trip."
"What exactly were your orders Major MacIntosh?" Lieutenant General Mitchell asked
"Colonel Hanni Schmitt, commander of the Royal Black Watch, ordered me to take my Lance, collect Amanda Cameron and get her to a place of safety until it was safe for her to return. I figured the safest place would be with General Kerensky. I only have my Lance, no way can I protect her for what could be years, not just us." Major MacIntosh replied
"I see. No, you and your Lance will not be able to do it alone. But, I know of a place, about 5 months from here that would suit the conditions of your mission. My Task Force and I was heading to link up with General Kerensky, but I think protecting what could be the heir to the Cameron Throne takes priority of that mission. She will be quite safe where we would take her. There are 3 SLDF Divisions there plus some additional warships. It is out of the way, and totally secure. We even have a Yardship that could repair the Tirpitz." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"I don't know General. My orders were pretty clear and I do not want to face the wrath of Colonel Schmitt." Major MacIntosh said
"Your full filling your orders Major. Your taking her to a safe place. What could be safer than being surrounded by 3 Divisions and warships in an area the SLDF seems to have completely forgotten about? Worst case, we get Tirpitz fixed up and I assign you additional security and you set off on your journey again. I could make it an order, but I would prefer not to go that route." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
While Major MacIntosh thought this over, Commodore Namathien spoke up "Major, my ship needs major repairs. If the General has access to a Yardship, that is exactly what we need. We can at least get her repaired and continue our mission."
"Alright, we will accompany General Mitchell and her people back to where ever they came from, get Tirpitz repaired and that will at least give me some time to decide our next move." Major MacIntosh finally relented
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MacIntosh finally saw sense... good for him. :thumbsup:
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Caught a bug that laid me out for a couple days, sorry for the delay, still recovering.
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Just glad to see a new post!
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same here. hope you feel better.
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welcome back. Hope you regain your strength, this year's bugs have been extra nasty.
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On SO many levels, yes...
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4 September 2767
Uninhabited System, 88LY from Thazi
SLS Sneak, Bug Eye Surveillance hovered silently at the very edge of the systems Zenith Jump Point, her sensitive equipment had detected the emergence wave and her commander, Commodore Maria Padowski, had ordered the ship made ready to jump. At this range, her jump would be detectable by only equipment as sensitive as her own. The Bug Eye's super sensitive camera and sensors identified 4 Invader Jumpships, each fully loaded with 3 Dropships each. The sensor operators were 80% sure that the Dropships were all Jumbo Class.
Finally, with the best intel they could gather without getting closer, Commodore Padowski ordered her ship to make the jump from the system to their fallback position where the intel was passed to the waiting Scout Jumpship for relay back to Thazi.
5 September 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
The Scout Jumpship arrived delivering the message of the approaching Jumpship Flotilla. Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division and ranking naval officer ordered her Division to a heightened alert level. With the information, she was sure they had 3 weeks to prepare for the convoy's arrival. "Comm, get me Commodore Delvaney and if possible, find me Commodore Zeibler and get him on the channel also."
It took almost 20 minutes to get them both on the communication channel. "What took so damned long?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"It took us a bit to locate Commodore Zeibler, he was in the Dart Light Cruiser's engine room assisting on repairs. We thought he was aboard the station itself, but searches came up blank. He has his crew aboard assisting in repairs." Commodore Delvaney responded
"Okay, well then he will have the information that I want. Commodore Zeibler, what is the status of the Dart Light Cruiser?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"We have replaced all of her damaged armor plates, she cannot jump, but she can burn on all engines and fight. All weapon systems check out and her magazines are fully stocked, we transferred ammo over from the other Dart Light Cruiser. I figured that until we got Conroy back and repaired, me and my crew might as well help out with modifying the Olympus Recharge Station and on repairs to the Dart Light Cruiser. She never even had a name, just a hull number, I have corrected that mistake and have christened her SLS Dark Brawler. Commodore Blythe told me about his fight with her and she went down swinging all the way before her capture. Seemed appropriate." Commodore Zeibler said
"Get her manned and out of the repair yard. You have 2 weeks to get her ready for a possible fight. We have an inbound convoy, standard Invader Jumpships. But that could change at any second. You and SLS Dark Brawler will have the mission of protecting SLS Salvation and the Olympus Station. Commodore Delvaney, status on SLS Rhodon?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"She has been gutted like a fish Admiral. No way I can get her buttoned up and ready for a fight in time. We have her completely prepped for the installation of her new Jump Core when it is ready. Without her Core installed, any movement will crush her hull like a tin can, the Core acts as part of her keel Admiral. And Salvation cannot move while we spin her new Jump Core. We are dead in the water, if we stop the spin, we will have to re-grind the core and start all over again." Commodore Delvaney answered
"Then we better keep any hostiles away from you then. That is your first and only mission Commodore Zeibler, protect Salvation at any and all costs." Rear Admiral Tanaka ordered
13 September 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Former SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier, commanded by Commodore Nicholai Sursansonov materialized at the Nadir Jump Point and was surprised to see several SLDF Star Lord and Tramp Jumpships leaping from the system. He ordered his ship moved to the Olympus Recharge Station to accept a quick recharge of his Jump Drive and refueling of his ships fuel reserves. As they maneuvered towards the Olympus Station, communications reported "Commodore, we are being hailed by the station."
"This is SLS Independence, Commodore Sursansonov speaking."
"This is Nadir Recharge Station, we were not notified of your intended arrival. But we are glad to see another SLDF ship in the area."
This caused Commodore Sursansonov to pause, what other SLDF ships, he thought suddenly. Before he could respond, sensors detected incoming emergence waves. As Vincent Corvettes began materializing followed by a Whirlwind Destroyer, he suddenly had to make a snap decision, fight or surrender. When 2 Tramp Jumpships carrying 2 Titan Dropships and 2 Elephant Dropships arrived, he knew the odds were stacked against his ship. His communication system announced "This is Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander 55th Reconnaissance Division. Prepare to be boarded. Any launching of Aerospace Fighters or further maneuvering will be considered hostile actions. Your vessel has been identified as rogue and you are guilty of mutiny."
As sensors began detecting the SLDF forces launching Aerospace Fighters, Commodore Sursansonov knew the time to make a decision had arrived. "Launch the fighters, Helm let's get some speed, Weps you are free to engage."
Rear Admiral Tanaka swore to herself as the Samarkand Carrier began launching fighters and thrust. "Comm, signal the Division to engage the Samarkand at will. Weps you are weapons free at this time. I would prefer to capture this ship."
SLS Windego's weapons officer sent several Naval Light Gauss rounds at the Samarkand Carrier, one managing to slam into the front left side. The Vincent Corvettes stayed at long range and peppered the Samarkand with NAC/10 rounds from their forward weapons bays. Managing to land shot along the port side of the rebel carrier. Return fire from the Samarkand caught SLS Dominator, Vincent Corvette shattering the armor on her front left side. While the warships duked it out, the opposing Aerospace Fighters slashed at each other. Several SLDF squadrons of Sabre SB-28 tore into the rebel Star Daggers quickly outclassing the more numerous Star Daggers and savaging thier ranks with their ERLL's. The remaining SLDF Aerospace Fighters had a much harder time against the Royal Fighters deployed by the rebels.
Commodore Sursansonov knew it was only a matter of time, the Independence was almost out of fuel having less than 30 tons remaining in her bunker. She had been deployed for far longer than anyone who designed her had ever predicted. Without adequate fuel deliveries and running constant CAP's she was also low on everything else. But he took some measure of pleasure in seeing another Vincent Corvette taking several hits that seemed to knock it out of the fight. He watched as 2 squadrons of SLDF Hammerhead HMR-HE entered range and began lashing at his ship with their PPC's chewing armor off. Yes, it is just a matter of time before I will be forced to surrender or be destroyed, but which one do I choose, he thought.
"Comm, contact Rear Admiral Tanaka and inform her that we are surrendering. I cannot have all of your deaths on my conscience. I face certain firing squad, but most of you will do some prison time. Weps, cease fire and power down the weapons."
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Score one for Tanaka! :thumbsup:
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18 September 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka was aboard the Nadir Recharge Station, Olympus Recharge Station, where she had deemed the prisoners from SLS Independence would be held for trial. She was still in a foul mood since she still had to go EVA just to get off her Whirlwind Destroyer. She walked along the cargo bay, where the prisoners were being held watched over by a full company of armed Marines. They all disgusted her. Though she still did not fully agree with Major General Heinrich Rommel taking in all of the units that had mutinied, at least they had never fired upon SLDF forces. The prisoners before her, they had not only rebeled or mutinied, but had actually aided the rebel forces by raiding SLDF convoy's, actually taking hostile action against the SLDF.
She had sent for Major General Heirish Rommel, Major General Iris Carman, Lieutenant General Colin McGowen and Lieutenant General Nathon Baxter. There would be a General Court Martial held for these prisoners. She had refused to even hear any excuse from Commodore Sursansonov or any of his crew. She floated in the cargo bay looking at the prisoners, chained to cargo holding shackles with long chains. They numbered 321 prisoners. It would not be a long trial, for they had found and secured not only the ship's computer log but also Commodore Sursansonov's hand written log. While the computer log had been partially deleted, the master log was intact, showing intent to destroy evidence but the written log contained detailed write ups of 5 attacks on SLDF supply convoys, 3 air support missions against SLDF ground troops and 5 missions escorting rebel convoy's.
Commodore Barbara Coltrain had sent part of her crew over to take control of the SLS Independence and on completion of recharge operations, they would jump her over to Thazi to await repair. Both damaged Vincent Corvettes had already returned to Thazi to await repairs.
25 September 2767
Emergence waves caused alarms to sound aboard the various SLDF warships at the Nadir Jump Point. When the 4 Invader Jumpships materialized, they found themselves sitting ducks for the Whirlwind Destroyer and 2 Vincent Corvettes. They quickly surrendered to the SLDF warships and Marines from the 9919th Marine Regiment quickly secured the Invader Jumpships and 12 Jumbo Dropships. The rebel jumpship crews were loaded aboard a Mule Dropship still under Marine guard for tranport to Pilon's prison camps while the captured Jumbo Dropships were taken to Boulsi's surface for inventory.
28 September 2767
The General Court Martial was convened on the large grav deck aboard the Olympus Recharge Station. Major General Heinrich Rommel was the ranking member of the assembled Flag Officers. Each Flag Officer had complete copies of both the computer logs and hand written logs. In addition, Rear Admiral Tanaka had provided written statements from many of the prisoners to the convened Court Martial board. Commodore Barbara Coltrain had been named prosecuting officer while Commodore Sursansonov would be the defense counsel.
"If it pleases the court, the act of mutiny is a capital crime during hostilities. But there are always extreme examples and causes which should be taken into account. The crimes we are going to hear before this court are extreme in their nature. If it pleases the court, I will forgo formal reading of each instance listed in the Independence's own logs you each have copies of. You will note that there are detailed accounts of 5 attacks on SLDF supply convoy's, 3 air support missions launched on SLDF ground forces. The convoy attacks equal 6 Jumpships destroyed and 31 Dropships destroyed. Not a single one of these attacks account for a single survivor being recovered from the attacked vessels. We can safely say, by the Independence's own logs that those vessels were lost with all hands, equaling hundreds if not thousands of deaths to SLDF personnel.
There is not one mention in either Independence's computer log nor Commodore Sursansonov's own hand written log of any resistance or even dissent among the crew of the Independence or the embarked Air Wing to any of these actions or the orders to conduct these actions. We can therefore only come to the conclusion that every prisoner currently held are guilty of the crimes listed before you. Exhibit 44 in your briefings detailing the action on 13 September 2767 here at Boulsi's Nadir Jump Point which resulted in the death of 131 SLDF personnel and 273 wounded. We the prosectution are asking for the death penalty in these proceedings and to speed things up, we ask that the Court Martial try all prisoners at once instead of individually." Commodore Coltrain said
Commodore Sursanaonov studied the faces of the assembled General Officers sitting before him as Commodore Coltrain made her opening remarks. As she spoke, he saw the faces of the General Officers tighten and harden as some studied the briefings she was refering to, the exact same briefings sat on the table before him. There would be no mercy for him or his crew, not among these officers.
Commodore Sursansonov spent an hour trying to make the case for mercy for his crew and embarked air wing. As he spoke, he knew he was wasting his breath. The logs were too damning, hell they had his own words before them written in his own hand detailing the attacks and even his own estimates of casualties inflicted. When he rested his case, he sat back down.
"The Court will adjurn until tomorrow morning at 9am local time. At which time we will render verdict and sentence. Marines, take the prisoner back to detention." Major General Heinrich Rommel ordered
Once the prisoner was removed, Major General Iris Carman said "Not once did we ever entertain the thougbt of attacking SLDF troops or even resisting if we had gotten caught. The first attack on a SLDF convoy occured roughly a month after hostilities began in the Outworlds Alliance. I will lead a firing squad myself if you want me to General Rommel."
For 3 hours the General Officers discussed the case and not a single one voiced opposition to a guilty verdict nor any mercy. Finally, Major General Rommel stood, "We are all agreed on a guilty verdict and agree that death is warranted for all prisoners. Rear Admiral Tanaka, verify the cargo in the cargo bay is fully lashed down and secure. When that is done, evacuate the Marines and I want you to vent the cargo bay to space. Carry out the sentence immediately, this way we avoid the prisoners attempting a riot. I will not lose another trooper to this band of creatures. Everyone agree?"
A chorus of "AYES" was sounded by the gathered General Officers. At 0400 hours on 29 September 2767, the sentence was carried out.
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The contrasting treatment of actual rebels and the mutineers is striking, and appropriate, I think.
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Highly appropriate punishment for what they did.
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that was a lot of intel they just dumped into space. penny wise but pound foolish.
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that was a lot of intel they just dumped into space. penny wise but pound foolish.
it's only intel if you can extract it in time to make use of it.
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that is only one part of intel. another major part is patterns. you take what has happened like supplies lines, supply points, and past habits. then you try predict (guess) what might happen. when things have been safe they tend to fall back when things go bad to stick to "safe" ways.
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Remember, they only executed the crew from the SLS Independence. The captured from the supply convoy were transported to Pilon and are in the prison camp there.
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Remember, they only executed the crew from the SLS Independence. The captured from the supply convoy were transported to Pilon and are in the prison camp there.
good point forgot about those.
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5 October 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
With the matter of the Court Martial over, Major General Heinrich Rommel, Major General Iris Carman, Lieutenant General Colin McGowen and Lieutenant General Nathan Baxter all took their shuttles down to the surface to view the contents of the captured Jumbo Dropships which had been unloaded for inventory.
216 Marsden II-A
324 Merkava Mk VIII
72 Ballista Artillery
108 LVT-4 Hover Tanks
216 Heavy Tracked APC
144 Korvin Tank
210 Sherpa Armored Truck
108 Sherpa Fuel Truck
108 Star Dagger S-2B
84 Typhoon TFN-2A
12,600 tons ammunition and spare parts
Major General Iris Carman whistled "Man, someone somewhere is going to be pissed when they don't get re-supplied. There is enough equipment here to equip 9 Regiments of troops. Not the best equipment, but good enough to inflict some pain on someone."
Major General Heinrich Rommel studied the print out if the complete inventory "Well, actually we know exactly where these items are coming from. Problem is, they are a long damned ways off. The closest is roughly 1,000LY from where we stand. Almost a years travel from here one way. And before either you or General Baxter ask, no we are not going after them. Now, let's figure out who needs what from this haul. My 322nd Armored Division gave up a full Armored Regiment to the 272nd MID, but I don't have the crews to man them, nor pilots for any Aerospace. General Carman, what can us man and use?"
"I currently have 2 Infantry Battalions with no transport, so could use 72 of the Heavy APC's. If I can get those, it will give me 3 Mechanized Infantry Regiments fully equipped. I have enough crews to equip 2 Armored Battalions, that would bring me to 2 Armored Regiments fully equipped. I have 18 Aerospace Pilots without fighters, so I could use some of those." Major General Carman said
"Okay we can handle that. General Baxter, how about your command?" Major General Rommel asked
"I can use 72 of the Korvin, that would give me 2 Battalions of them. I can also use 36 of the Heavy APC's and have 16 Aerospace Pilots, so I can use some of those. Plus a bunch of the support vehicles, I am short on those. The 31st Infantry Division can easily man 108 of the Merkava, that would give them a full Armor Regiment." Lieutenant General Baxter responded
"What about you General McGowen, I know we hit you pretty hard filling out the 272nd MID?" Major General Rommel asked
"Yes, but we transferred entire units. I really don't have spare bodies. I am short a bunch of forces, but unless we fold one of the other units into my 126th MID, there is not much we can do about it. Not right now anyway, not without a ton of personnel replacements. But that brings up something I been meaning to talk to your about. Ever since word of the Coup was announced, I have been getting asked by the locals if we are recruiting. It might be something we need to think about. They will in no way be as good as our own SLDF troops, and we have no way of training for advanced stuff like Aerospace or Mechwarriors, or even Technicians, but for Infantry and basic support troops, those we could train here. Maybe it would be enough to fill out our Infantry commands. I am sure if we put out the word on Thazi and Pilon, we could probably gather quite a few recruits." Lieutenant General McGowen responded
"What do you all think?" Major General Rommel asked
Both Major General Carman and Lieutenant General Baxter nodded agreement, "Sounds like a good idea to me. God knows we could use the Infantry, they take a pounding in battle." Major General Baxter said
"Okay, Lieutenant General McGowen, put out the call. Get a training regime setup. General Carman, you put out the call on Thazi upon your return and I will do the same on Pilon. We ship the recruits here to Boulsi for training." Major General Rommel said
Stratford (Federated Suns)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell had remained aboard SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion II Battlecruiser and had enjoyed taking care of an infant again. Major Ian MacIntosh had relented after a few days at Junior and allowed her to finally meet and begin caring for Amanda Cameron. Lord knows neither he nor his Lance had a clue how to care for an infant properly. They had been in system for 3 days at the Nadir Jump Point.
She was bottle feeding Amanda, they had secured several tons of tons of baby formula at Junior, using the excuse that they had SLDF families in the convoy. She reached for the intercom when it chimed "Mitchell"
"Sir, we have several Jumpships in system that have made contact with us. 3 Star Lords and a Tramp to be exact. All are broadcasting SLDF indentification codes. They want to speak to the commanding officer." Commodore Walter Namathien, commander of SLS Tirpitz said
"Well, have them shuttle themselves over for a chat, commanders only. I will handle Major MacIntosh, lord knows he will have a fit about it. He still is not keen on my having Major Calloway and his SF troops aboard." She responded
Three hours later, 45 minutes of which was arguing with Major MacIntosh before he relented knowing he was going to lose the argument, but she promised to keep a firm control on the people coming aboard, Major Calloway led 4 officers onto the Grav Deck, Major MacIntosh was keeping Amanda company on the other Grav Deck.
"I am Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 280th Mechanized Infantry Division and overall commander of this Task Force. You all wanted to speak to me?" She said
"Yes sir. My name is Major Andrew Shangsmere, formerly of the 208th BattleMech Division, I say formerly because we refused to disband when we got orders to do so. We got word of the Coup and, well our desire to serve took back over, so we headed back here to Stratford where we had been first ordered. Only to find that the SLDF had pulled out. Then your convoy showed up and after a few days talking, we made contact. We made a big mistake and are willing to pay the price." Major Shangsmere said
"I take it you all made the same dumb decision? But now want to come back into the fold now that the crap has truely hit the fan?" Lieutenant General Mitchell asked
"Colonel Killian O'Dare, formerly 370th Battlemech Division. Yes sir, we are all in the same boat. I also have a group of 32 Mechwarriors from the 247th Heavy Assault Regiment that, well sort of walked away when they got to Stratford, I picked them up 4 days ago here."
"Colonel Tiffany Renalde, formerly 284th Battlemech Division, we screwed up bad, I also have aboard my Star Lord a mixed Regiment from the 318th Battlemech Division that got stranded in the Outworlds Alliance when thei jumpship took off on them."
"Major Desire Maxwell, formerly 165th Mechanized Infantry Division, I also have picked up a Company from the 201st Battle Regiment aboard my Tramp Jumpship."
"I am going to be honest with you all. You screwed up badly. But we are not rejoining General Kerensky, we have a more important mission. That is classified. We are heading to rejoin our fellow SLDF forces in the far reaches of the Outworlds Alliance. If you choose to accompany us, I will tolerate no desertion or mutiny. You all screwed up once already, do so again and I will track everyone of you down and see you all tried and executed for desertion. Do you all understand me?" Lieutenant General Mitchell stated
The 4 officers shared looks between them, Colonel Killian O'Dare spoke for the group "We understand General Mitchell. Though we and our people voted to rejoin General Kerensky, rejoining the SLDF, even a part of it is the same thing. You lead and we will follow, we will not let you down sir. We know we screwed up bad and your giving us a second chance, well, we will follow your orders to the letter. You have a mission, it is now our mission too, even if we do not know what it is."
"Then get back to your ships and have your ships captains contact Commodore Namathien via secure laser link for destination. We have a long trip ahead of us." Lieutenant General Mitchell said.
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Wow! That's quite the haul there... I suspect every piece of that rebel gear is eventually going to see service...
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Post 41 has a quick breakdown on what the new commands joining are bringing to the table.
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And here's a link to post 41, for those who are wondering: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=67981.msg1576993#msg1576993
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22 October 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
The incoming emergence wave caused Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanakato curse under her breath, I am never going to get my upgrade for my Whirlwind Destroyer at this rate, damned area is busier than Terra herself. "Sound General Quarters. Get a HPG message off and have SLS Yangtze River and Trintity River (Vincent Corvette's) get back over here."
A Star Lord Jumpship followed by 4 Tramp Jumpships materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. The Star Lord and 2 Tramp Jumpships broadcasting SLDF identification caused soem relief, but the 2 Tramps not broadcasting SLDF identification still caused some alarm. Rear Admiral Tanaka ordered "Get a secure laser lock and let's see who we have."
"SLS Windego, this is SLS Stellar Nomad, stand by for Colonel Fuentes." Several minutes passed before a new voice said "SLS Windego, this is Colonel Irma Fuentes, 19th Hussar Regiment. We heard there was some fighting going on over here and thought you could use some replacement equipment."
"This is Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, 55th Reconnaissance Division, I am sure the ground pounders will be happy to see you. Myself, I am getting tired of all the damned arrivals. It's cutting into my beauty sleep. Detach Dropships and your cleared to the surface, we will escort you to orbit for landing instructions."
On the surface, Lieutenant General Colin McGowen, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division had thrown himself into the task of building the best Infantry training center they could. Two weeks had passed since they put the word out that they were accepting recuits and already they had just over 3,500 undergoing physicals. He had created a training cadre from senior sergreants with more than 10 years of service from his Infantry Brigade. Word from Thazi was that Major General Carman had recruited just over 3,000 recruits and Major General Rommel on Pilon had almost 4,000 recruits. To help in the training, the 31st Infantry Division with the attached 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division would be traveling to Boulsi with the recruits once they had passed their physicals.
Lieutenant General McGowen had selected an area 25km from the capital city for the new training facility. Firing ranges had already been laid out by his engineers, barracks were being constructed along with mess halls and several gyms. Planned obstacle courses were being laid out, but not built yet. Armorers were going over the 1,638 captured rebel rifles and those captured on Thazi and Pilon were being brought over as well. Not as good as the SLDF Mauser 960, but good enough for what they were going to be used for.
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel stood and watched his senior Infantry sergeants get the new recruits that had passed their physicals into something ressembling a formation. So far, 1,250 recruits had passed their physicals but there were a couple thousand to go yet. A voice caused him to turn away "General Rommel!" he saw Major Nancy Yates jogging towards him. "What is it Nancy?"
"The rebel general, General Kilgorian has asked to speak with you sir." Major Nancy Yates said as she drew to a halt near him
"Know what it is about?" Major General Rommel asked
"No sir, he came up to the fence line and asked for you sir. I do know that the prisoners have been holding a bunch of meetings ever since we released the recorded speech from General Kerensky where he played the message from Stephan Amaris calling for General Kerensky to destroy the rebels and all who resisted the might of the Star League a few months ago." Major Yates said
"Okay, bring him over to my headquarters in about an hour." Major General Rommel said
Just over an hour later, Major Nancy Yates led General Paul Kilgorian into Major General Rommel's small office. "General Kilgorian, I hope we are treating your people okay."
"Yes, the treatment has been better than what we expected General Rommel. I asked to see you because we have learned that you are recruiting local's for infantry training." General Kilgorian said
"That is correct, it will not be up to what a normal SLDF trooper would go thru, but we are going to do the best we can." Major General Rommel replied
"Well, ever since we heard that fat pig Amaris call for our destruction, my people have felt betrayed. Over the last few weeks, we have had many talks about it. My people would like to enlist in the SLDF. We want our revenge on Amaris for the betrayal. Serving in the SLDF would be our way of getting that revenge for betraying us." General Kilgorian said
"That is well and good General Kilgorian, but as long as there is a state of war between our forces, there is no way I will authorize this. And as far as I know, that state of war still exists. Besides, I would have to canvas my other officers and even all the SLDF troops. I am not about to try and integrate your people into SLDF units only to have a mini civil war break out over bad blood." Major General Rommel said
"I understand General. I promised my people that I would make the attmept. I have another request, could we have another compound constructed but attached to the main compound, say 1KM square?" General Kilgorian asked
"And this new compound would be for?" Major General Rommel asked
"An exercise compound. Our current compound is not big enough for a proper PT routine. We currently might not be allowed to join the SLDF, but we would like to get back into shape, just in case. We are soldiers after all, PT would also help work off the excess energy my people have." General Kilgorian explained
"I will discuss this with my officers. I have no objections, but proper security must be maintained and I will not stretch my people too thin." Major General Rommel said
28 October 2767
Boulsi (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Colin McGowen, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division watched the incoming Dropships settling to the ground at the space port. He wondered what all was contained inside them. The lead Dropship's ramp descended and he saw a Thunderbolt walk down the ramp, halt and then start walking towards him. It halted roughly 30 meters from where he stood and knelt, a female scrambled down the chain ladder and quickly moved towards him. "Colonel Irma Fuentes, 19th Hussar Regiment reporting for duty sir."
"At ease Colonel Fuentes. Lieutenant General Colin McGowen, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. What exactly have you brought with you?" He asked
"Well sir, my 19th Hussar has seen better days, we are just over a Battalion in strength with 2 squadrons of Aerospace. I also have a Battalion of Marines from the 9917th Marine Regiment and a company of Mechwarriors and a company of Marines from the 9th Royal CAAN Marine Regiment. But best of all, I have roughly 7 Regiments worth of Battlemechs. Roughly 2 Regiments of the finest Hegemony technology and 5 Regiments of brand new Battlemechs we captured." Colonel Irma Fuentes said
"Really. That has got to be a story to hear. But first, let me get some people gathered and let's get this equipment unloaded so that I can get an accurate inventory done. We have several units out here short equipment." Lieutenant General McGowen said
30 October 2767
It took 2 days to get everything offloaded and sorted out. It was an awesome sight to behold, it had been a long time since many had seen this many Battlemechs in one spot. He knew from previous talks that they would not be able to man even half of the assembled Battlemechs. Arrayed in neat rows along the space ports perimeter were:
24 Spector SPR-4F
16 Hermes HER-1Sb
16 Mongoose MON-66b
24 Talon TLN-5W
16 Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb
24 Griffin GRF-2N
12 Catapult CPLT-C1b
28 Archer ARC-2Rb
40 Warhammer WHM-7A
40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
144 Stinger STG-3R
108 Firestarter FS9-H
144 Phoenix PX-3R
72 Battlemaster BLR-1G
108 Archer ARC-2R
144 Talos TLS-1B
18 Rapier RPR-200
22 Sabre SB-28
14,500 tons ammunition and spare parts
In his mind, Lieutenant General McGowen ran the numbers that he could remember of Mechwarriors without Mechs. It was almost 2 Regiments in total.
126th Mechanized Infantry Division - 23
280th Mechanized Infantry Division - 82
31st Infantry Division - 66
359th Battlemech Division - 39
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Well, having MechWarriors without 'mechs won't be a problem anymore... ^-^
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hmm i can see the rebels being used to reform several of the heavily damaged units. they have a lot of prisoners. and right now with them being out in the boonies and without reinforcements to restock and replenish the Divisions its a good deal. Heck theyve already gave many of the rogue units a second chance, why not give the prisoners a chance.
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Maybe eventually, but certainly not in large numbers, and not into the units that were formerly rogue.
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9 November 2767
Fugeres (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni was pissed. He had traveled to June to try and get paid by the SLDF and they had denied his payment for the first contract and when he had them check the second contract, they informed him that it was also not valid. Of course he had the Jumbo Dropship and that more than compensated him for both contracts, but the fact that without the Jumbo Dropship, he would be out several millions of dollars.
Against his better judgement, he had picked up a large group of SLDF troops, 869 of them plus their cargo which was containered and tightly sealed 4,000 tons of it on Mararn. The SLDF troops never left the cargo alone, there were always guards around the cargo bay where it was stored. He really wanted to know what was in that cargo. But the "leader" of the group had paid in advance and in cash for transport to the Tortuga Dominions. He knew exactly why they asked to be taken to the Dominions, for months ago, he had asked several of his "friends" that might happen across SLDF troops that seemed out of place, to tell them to head for the Dominions. After June, he silently wished he had not done that at all.
At least with the SLDF gone, the Periphery was getting back to normal, some what. There had been an uptick on pirate raids though. Either way, in another month he would be at New Port Royal and he could get back to business.
Fletchers Feast (Tortuga Dominions)
Colonel Brandon Janees, commander 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, had grounded his unit at the space port just outside Yeo City, the capital. He had also left 2 Lion Dropships and a company of infantry with the Jumpships, a platoon on each ship, to protect against pirates attempting a boarding. He quickly set a perimeter and tried to figure out what was next.
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominions)
Colonel Joshua Crandal, commander 81st Mechanized Infantry Divisions "Rogue", had been on planet with his command for 3 weeks. On arrival, he had learned that other SLDF commands had passed thru the area in the last year, but left after talking with a Martin Zuni. So far, he had been unable to locate this Martin Zuni. The local pirate band had been giving his command a wide berth since their arrival. But he could halfway understand it, his command had 2 full Battlemech Battalions with another 41 Mechwarriors without Battlemechs and a full Mechanized Infantry Regiment. He just wanted to find this Martin Zuni.
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Lieutenant General Katrina Johannsen, commander 36th Infantry Division "Rogue", had been on planet for only a week. The 2nd day, they had hammered a pirate attack on their small perimeter and it had been quiet ever since. She had learned from the space port workers that other SLDF commands had been here in the last year and had left suddenly after speaking with a Merchant Captain Martin Zuni. She had been unsuccessful in locating this Martin Zuni. She saw Colonel Francis Vaniroy approaching, he commanded a Jump Infantry Regiment from the 192nd Jump Infantry Division and with him was Major Terrence Travedo who commanded a Battalion of Battlemechs from the 251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division. He had picked up Colonel Vaniroy and his troops at Hope IV after their Jumpship left them stranded. Major Travedo and his Battalion had actually been at the Jump Point when he had arrived and they had thrown in with them.
"Still no luck General Johannsen?" Colonel Vaniroy asked
"No, no one knows where this Martin Zuni is. Hell, he could be anywhere for all we know. I did learn that the units here previously pounded on some pirates same as we did. Also learned that quite a few SLDF commands passed thru the Dominions over the last year and that every single one of them packed up and took off after speaking with this Martin Zuni character. I just wish we could find him." Lieutenant General Johannsen said
"Well, what do we do in the meantime? Busting pirates is fine and all, hell mostly target practice for my people, but I would prefer not to make the Dominions a home. Sooner or later we are going to run low on the ammunition for our weapons or repair parts. My Battlemechs are Royal's and need stuff we are not going to find out here in the Periphery." Major Travedo said
"That is not the plan. I just want to find this Martin Zuni and find out what was so important that several SLDF commands that I assume did the same as we did and jumped ship, that they just packed up and took off. Where the hell did they go, that is the million dollar question. I mean hell, we are big enough to look out for ourselves, but we also all know that we got the crap kicked out of us barely a year ago and we were full strength. I would feel much better if we found more commands to link up with. Strength in numbers." Lieutenant General Johannsen replied
36th Infantry Division "Rogue"
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q, 12 Mongoose MON-66
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Talon TLN-5V
Infantry Battalion - 3 Foot Infantry Company
Support - 550
192nd Jump Infantry Division
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Jump Infantry Battalions
Support - 158
251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Crockett CRK-5003-1b, 12 Highlander HGN-732b
Support - 252
1 Star Lord Jumpship
1 Tramp Jumpship
1 Lee Dropship
2 Dictator Dropships
2 Czar Dropships
2 Mule Dropship
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Zuni is more popular than he knows... ^-^
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And he'll be avoiding those people like the plague.
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12 December 2767
New Port Royal (Tortuga Dominions)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni and his Merchant Jumpship had finally returned to the Dominions. Checking the ships plot, he was surprised to find Hyperspace Cowboy, Ships Captain Martha Pruitt sitting a few thousand kilometers away. Before he could hail her, she hailed him.
"Where the hell have you been Zuni, you old fart?" Martha Pruitt asked
"Made a trip to the Suns to conduct some business. What are you up to you old hag?" Zuni responded
"Made a run to the Concordat. Talked to Travis Malone, he said he sent one of those wayward commands this way. Said you asked him to pass the word." Pruitt said
Dammit, just what I needed, more SLDF to deal with. He had planned to just dump this band of SLDF here at New Port Royal, but he might as well go ahead and dump them with their own kind, he thought "That's good to hear, any idea where they are?" Zuni asked
"You have a couple, there is a group on New Gascony, New Haiti and Fletchers Feast. Take your pick. Lord knows I gave up trying to guess what your doing messing with this Star Leaguers. But you need to get rid of them, I am hearing some rumors that the local pirates are thinking of putting a price on your head. Seems word is getting around that the SLDF folks keep asking about you by name." Pruitt said
AW SHIT, someone got my name and now the locals might be after my hide. Time to leave the Dominions while the getting is good. Then it hit him, maybe I will personally take the SLDF to Pilon, at least I will have an armed escort to get out of the Dominions. "Thanks for the heads up Martha, you want to team up and head for greener pastures? I have asked before, and you said no before but I could use a good captain and crew." Zuni asked
There was silence for a few minutes "Sure Martin, the Concordat is still a little too dangerous to run around in. Me and my ship will tag along with you. You planning on heading back to the Alliance?"
"Sure am. But we are going to have an armed escort. We are going to convince these SLDF to accompany us, for a price, a steep price. Once we get them to their destination, we will cut out and make some real money." Zuni said
"Your crazy Martin, but damned if you don't normally come out on top. Get recharged and I will take a shuttle over and we will talk over dinner about how much money we plan to make in this new joint venture. Pruitt out."
Two hours later, Ships Captain Martha Pruitt found Martin Zuni on the Grav Deck waiting for her. He looked up as she entered the Grav Deck and smiled. Damn, she is still a looker. She looks real good for being 39 years old, Martin thought then smiled, here I am 47 years old talking about her like she is 100. He stood to greet her "Martha, you get more beautiful every time I see you."
"Martin, your so full of crap I am surprised you can float in zero G. So, what exactly do you have in mind for this joint venture?" Martha Pruitt asked as she sat down at the table across from Martin Zuni.
"First, we head for New Haiti, I will talk with the SLDF there and then we take the with us to New Gascony, we get the SLDF there and we all head for Fletchers Feast. I scored my Jumbo from one SLDF command, and I am going to demand another cargo dropper in exchange for leading them to Pilon. Once we get them to Pilon, we will scrounge up some information and then decide what we do. We will need to find a more permenant base. I been saving to buy a Star Lord Jumpship and if I sell the Jumbo, I have enough. Heck, maybe we start our own little shipping company out there. I would be willing to bet that the fighting scared all the other merchants from the region, maybe we can corner the market." Martin Zuni explained
"Damn Martin, you dream big. I don't think it can be done, but I am willing to take a chance on you." Martha Pruitt said
19 December 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
The emergence wave caused a short moment of panic, but Commodore Barbara Coltrain quickly settled down, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser was finally fully repaired and battle ready. So when the Jumpships began materializing, she was ready for them. She cracked a smile when they began broadcasting SLDF identification. I have to agree with Rear Admiral Tanaka, this area is busier than Terra herself, she thought. "Comm, hail them and let's see who we have joining the Forgotten Corps today?"
Aboard SLS Heaven's Gaze, Star Lord Jumpship, Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth stared at the Luxor Heavy Cruiser. Damn, did not expect to find that out here, this is not going to end well, I can feel it, he thought as he prepared to answer the hail.
"SLS Rhodon, this is Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division and this Task Force. We are on our way to help Pilon and Major General Carman and the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. But with you here, I am going to assume that the fighting is over." He said
"The fighting is over in this area General. Major General Carman and the 280th MID are here on the surface. You are cleared to detach your Dropships and head for the surface, we will escort you to orbit where you will receive landing instructions." Came the reply
"Roger, cleared to head for the surface. SLS Heavens Gaze out." He turned to the bridge crew "Now we have to figure out how to get our asses out of this fire we just landed in. If I cannot find a way out, I am very sorry for leading us to our doom."
22 December 2767
New Haiti (Tortuga Dominions)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt winced some at the harder than normal landing on the space port runway, but both could not help but notice the SLDF Dropships with Battlemechs walking around the space port as they taxied to their designated parking slot. When they descended the folding stairs and reached the tarmac, Martin Zuni wasted no time and led Martha Pruitt across the runway to where the grounded SLDF Dropships were staged. Beside him Martha said "I sure hope your right about this Martin, the SLDF takes a dim view on smugglers and we both are guilty of doing it."
"Relax Martha, this is not my first rodeo here. I have done this quite a few times." Martin Zuni said confidently
When they were finally challeneged by several armed SLDF infantrymen, Martin said "My name is Martin Zuni, I believe your commanding officer is looking for me. If you would be so kind as to announce my arrival, I would be grateful."
The infantryman spoke into his radio and got a reply "If you both will follow me sir, Colonel Crandal is expecting you."
When they reached a Czar Dropship, a SLDF Colonel was coming down the ramp to meet them "Mister Zuni? I am Colonel Joshua Crandal, commander 81st Mechanized Infantry Division, you are one hard man to find. I am just glad you returned."
"Correct sir. I am Martin Zuni and this is Martha Pruitt, my partner. Sorry for my delay but I was not in the Dominions and just returned. I came as soon as I could." Martin replied
"I met up with a Travis Malone and he said to look you up when we got here. Then I heard another SLDF unit passed this way and after talking to you departed. You would not happen to know where they went to would you sir?" Colonel Crandal explained
"I know exactly where they went. I am actually planning to head to that exact location myself if you would like to accompany us." Martin said, he had already seen that they only had combat Dropships with them and no way they were giving one of those up "But we have to stop at New Gascony and Fletchers Feast first, seems you have company on both of those worlds right now. I plan to collect them also."
"Let me get my troops loaded up and we will boost for the Jump Point. Be nice to rejoin some SLDF forces. Just a matter of time before this pirate band gets ballsy enough to try us. I would prefer to avoi that." Colonel Crandal replied
"We will be waiting at the Jump Point Colonel Crandal." Martin Zuni said as he led Martha Pruitt back to the shuttle
On the walk over Martha said "You did not demand any payment Martin, what gives?"
"They only have combat dropships Martha, no way they are going to give one of those up. We have 2 other commands out here, one of them is going to have a cargo dropship. If they don't, well at least we stil get an armed escort to our destination." Martin Zuni replied
23 December 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Iris Carman watched the incoming Dropships land across the space port, having been alerted by Commodore Coltrain of their arrival in system. Until Major General Rommel arrived, it would be up to her to feel this unit's commander out. But, Lieutenant General Baxter had told her about leaving a message behind with that Merchant Zuni to deliver to any other SLDF commands, hopefully this was another of them. She spotted a man heading for her with a very young officer beside him.
"Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, 29th Mechanized Infantry Division reporting. This is Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels, 54th Mechanized Infantry Division. We have been following you and General Baxter." He said
"Well, you finally caught up with us. General Baxter is on Pilon right now. Your a little young to be even a Brevet Lieutenant General, there has got to be a story there." Major General Carman stated
"Yes sir, have a complete idiot for a Division Commander, he got every Major and above nuked during a full commanders conference. I sort of got elected by the survivors to lead." Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels replied
"Well, until Major General Heinrich Rommel arrives, let's get your people settled in. I know what he is going to say, so I will give you a short version. Your past sins are forgiven, but your back in the SLDF now. Welcome to the Forgotten Corps." Major General Carman said
"Forgotten Corps, that sounds pretty bad." Lieutenant General Hanesworth responded
"It's what the troops out here named themselves and it caught on. But they, we, have held out and even gotten stronger. We just started a Infantry training center on Boulsi to train new recruits. We, for the time being, have to look out for ourselves." Major General Carman said
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Hmmm... she didn't mention the coup...
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That's upcoming, I needed food. LOL
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Heh... let there be dinner! :D
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That's upcoming, I needed food. LOL
Your tank must have been running on crumbs, the typo and misspelling count spiked.
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Yeah, it got me pretty bad. I for one will never claim to be an expert typist. Hen pecker extreme.
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31 December 2767
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel sat beside Major General Iris Carman at the conference table, they were awiting the arrival of Lieutenant General Gregory Hanesworth, Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels, Major Sandra Barkley and Colonel Bradley Montgomery. "So, what is your evaluation of the new people Iris?"
"I think they will hold their own. They came out here to render aid on their own free will, just like all the others, myself included. I have serious doubts about Olivia Daniels though. She is way too junior to command a Division, hell too young to command a Regiment in my opinion. But that is why they pay you the big bucks, you get to make that decision. General Hanesworth told me she was a mere Captain, she performed well enough to gain the trust and respect of her troops, but I think that trust is misplaced." Major General Iris Carman said
"All valid points. All these troops following a Captain speaks volumns for her abilities, but even though I have not met her, I agree with you that she is out of her depth. Question is, does she realize that?" Major General Rommel replied
A knock at the door interupted them "We are bout to find out Heinrich." Major General Carman said as the door opened and the officers filed in. "Please have a seat, and we will get started." She told the newly arrived officers. Once they were seated she spoke again. "This is Major General Heinrich Rommel, you have all met me, but this is his show, not mine."
"Thank you General Carman. As General Carman has already told you all, as far as I am concerned, any actions prior to your arrival here no longer apply. Once we are back in full contact with SLDF High Command, I will fight as hard as I can to stress the extreme conditions that arose that caused you to make the decisions you did. But, you are all now back in the SLDF, or our little part of it anyway. But this brings me to a few problems I currently have.
First, we have quite a few commands already that are at or below 50% strength. That now includes all of your commands. Normally, we would begin disbanding and folding commands into others, but that very decision was what drove you all to choose the path you took......" General Rommel said but paused as Brevet Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels raised her hand "You have a question?"
"Sir, everyone here knows that I am nothing but a Captain. I have no clue how to run a Division or even a Brigade. As long as we are folded into a command as a whole and not broken up as individual replacements, I can guarantee there will be no problems from my troops. Nothing against Major General Carman or yourself, but I will volunteer my 54th Mechanized Infantry Division to be disbanded and folded into Lieutenant General Hanesworth's 29th Mechanized Infantry Division. That will bring the 29th MID up to full strength in Infantry and probably an overall of 50% strength." Brevet Lieutenant General Daniels said
"That is admirable of you, not often will you have an up and coming officer admit that they are in over their heads. Would this be agreeable to you Lieutenant General Hanesworth?" General Rommel stated
"Yes sir, I would like to ask that she retain the rank of Brevet Lieutenant General. She has great promise and I think I can get her up to speed and make a very good Brigade Commander out of her with a little work. If Colonel Montgomery would agree to fold his Regiment into the 29th, I would like to promote him to Brevet Lieutenant General and place him as my XO and in command of the Battlemech Brigade. Between our 3 commands, we would be close to 75% strength and a viable combat command. If Major Barkley folded in, that would make it even better." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
"I have other plans for Major Barkley's command, if she agree's to them that is. The 19th Hussar is short over a Battalion of Battlemechs, but they are currently equipped with Royal Battlemechs. I would prefer to fold her command into the 19th Hussar Regiment, that would bring them up to 100% strength and have all of the advanced Battlemechs in a single command. So, how about it Major Barkley, will you go with that idea?" General Rommel asked
"If that is what would be best sir. At least we would all be in the same unit. My Battalion has a varied selection of Battlemechs, that will complicate maintenance issues though." Major Sandra Barkley responded
"I think we can work on that little problem, we have some left over Royal's that arrived a few months ago." General Rommel said as he stood and walked over to a chalkboard and began making out a TO%E. Copying off a roster he had in his hands.
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
291st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
292nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Goblin Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
293rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
294th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - Thor Battalion
Artillery Battalion - Arrow Battalion, 2 Company Chaperral, 1 Company Padilla
Engineer Bataalion - 3 Engineer Company's
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Group - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Group - 2 Squadrons
Jump Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
Once he had finished, he turned around "Does this look accurate Lieutenant General Hanesworth?"
"Close sir, but if General Daniels will correct me if I am wrong, we don't have any Chaperral and think we are short Thor Artillery." General Hanesworth said
"Well, I am going to transfer Artillery from my 322nd Armored Division to fill those holes in your TOE. But if my math is correct, you should be close to 80% strength. Which is much better than 2 Divisions at under 40% strength." General Rommel said
"In that case, everything looks correct sir." Lieutenant General Hanesworth said
"Good. Now, Lieutenant General Hanesworth, your now a Brevet Major General. I am going to be promoting quite a few officers that way very soon, might as well start now. Colonel Montgmoery, your now a Brevet Lieutenant General and XO of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division. Captain Daniels, I am going to allow Major General Hanesworth to run his Division his way and will allow you to retain his appointed rank of Brevet Lieutenant General. You have much to learn and hope you do well. My advise, pick both General Hanesworth and General Carman's mind while here on Thazi. Major General Carman is in command of the Thazi defenses.
Now, if you have not heard yet, it seems Stefan Amaris had mananged to take the Terran Hegemony by coup and had declared himself Emperor of the Amari Empire. We have no word on the status of First Lord Richard Cameron or his family. We are not sure even how it happened, just that it did. Part of the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division is on Pilon right now straining at the leash to run to the Hegemony. I have not yet granted them permission. Currently Lieutenant General Mitchell and the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division is leading a Task Force to assist General Kerensky in retaking the Hegemony.
I expect your troops, or some of them will want to run off and join General Kerensky also, but you must stress to them that they place themselves at great peril in doing so. Until General Mitchell or myself can explain to General Kerensky how you have paid for your bad decisions, your all under a death penalty and it would be wise to stay out here. At least for now." Major General Rommel said
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I hope Mitchell gets back before the 191st breaks their leash...
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1 January 2768
New Gascony (Tortuga Dominions)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni, Ships Captain Martha Pruitt and Colonel Joshua Crandal landed at the space port just after dawn local time. Only this time, Martin Zuni could clearly see 2 Mules bearing SLDF markings among the grounded Dropships. He glanced at Martha Pruitt beside him and winked at her as the door to the shuttle opened. The 3 passengers exited the shuttle and began walking towards the SLDF perimeter around the grounded Dropships. When they were finally challenged by the sentries, Martin Zuni said "Could you please inform your commander that Martin Zuni and party would like to see him. I think he is expecting us."
It took 20 minutes before a woman wearing the rank of Lieutenant General swiftly walked down a Dropships ramp and towards the waiting group. Colonel Crandal snapped to attention while Martin Zuni just said "Martin Zuni at your service General. I have a message for you to see, if you have a portable computer handy."
"At ease Colonel. Mister Zuni, you are one hard man to find. A message? Okay, come this way." Lieutenant General Johannsen said
Once they reached a portable computer, Martin Zuni porduced the data stick and it was inserted.
"My name is Lieutenant General Baxter, commander of the 359th Battlemech Division. I have entrusted Mister Zuni with delivering this message to any SLDF command that appears in this region of space. I am going to assume anyone listening to this message have made the same decision as me and my command and are no longer following SLDF orders. Though no longer officially following orders, I am also sure that everyone listening to this message still feels for the individual SLDF soldier. I and my command have undertaken a relief effort to assist trapped SLDF troops on the planet Pilon. We do not have any idea what we will face or find when we arrive at our destination.
The decision to not answer SLDF orders was a hard one to make and has weighed heavily on my mind since I made the decision. I am sure it also weighs heavily on yours. I removed my command from the senseless bloodshed we saw, but that does not mean we are cowards. Going to aid trapped SLDF troops is a worthy mission. I ask that you join us on this noble mission. Since we made the decision to embark on this mission, the heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I once again feel I have earned my honor back. I hope it helps you also."
Lieutenant General Johannsen looked at Martin Zuni "Where the hell is Pilon."
"Outworlds Alliance. I know a shorter route to get there, it will shave 6 months off our journey." Martin Zuni said
"Our journey?" Lieutenant General Johannsen asked
"Yes, I am going to lead all of you to Pilon myself. I have learned that I have had a price put on my head by the local pirates due to my dealings with the SLDF recently. It is no longer safe for me here in the Dominions. I will even arrange for fresh food and supplies for your commands before our journey, because I highly doubt the locals have been willing to deal with you. They have to live here and the pirates probably have been applying pressure on them." Martin Zuni said
"And what would you require as payment Mister Zuni?" Lieutenant General Johannsen asked
"Well, I already know your purchase card is no good. Seems 2 previous units suckered me with that, so I have lost quite a bit of money already. I, on the other hand have honor and am full filling my promise to them even if they played me for a fool. Once we reach Pilon, I would like to have one of your Mule Dropships. I think that is a fair deal." Martin Zuni said
Lieutenant General Johannsen was silent for several minutes before answering "Only after we reach Pilon and we unload our supplies off the Dropship. The Mule Dropship will pay the debts of the 2 previous commands in full sir. And we will need supplies for the journey."
"Agreed, you are an honorable person General Johannsen. I will make all the arrangements and take care of the payments. I will leave Colonel Crandal here with you while myself and Ms Pruitt go make the arrangements." Martin Zuni said leaving the Dropship
2 January 2768
Starting at dawn, a seemingly nonstop parade of trucks began arriving at the SLDF Dropships to be unloaded. Thousands of tons of food, water and basic needs were transferred onto the Dropships. Lieutenant General Johannsen looked at Martin Zuni "How did you get this much so fast?"
"Easy, the locals are not fools. They began stockpiling supplies the moment you set down at the space port. The local pirates told them to not sell to you, but they did not say they could not sell to me. It cost me an extra 10 million dollars in planetary cash so that they could pass it onto the pirates, as their cut you see. Things operate differently out here in the Dominions, you better be very specific when you say something, the folks out here will find a loophole in a nanosecond to exploit." Martin Zuni explained
"Quite a bribe you had to pay Mister Zuni. Thank you for the supplies." Lieutenant General Johannsen said
"All in the course of doing business General." Martin Zuni replied, not nearly as much as you think, I spent roughly 4 million in Star League script, but that is almost 30 million in planetary dollars. If we were in the Federated Suns, this amount of supplies would have cost me double that IN Star League script.
Rondon (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell played with Amanda Cameron on the Grav Deck. Taking care of Amanda made her long for own son. It had been too long since I have seen him. She promised herself that when she got back to Thazi, she would convince Major General Rommel of the need to begin prepping to bring the dependents of the various SLDF commands to Thazi. This had to be done for morale purposes. But the most troubling to her had been the radio calls from Sornath and Kent, both worlds had asked for aid. Seems that neither the Outworlds Alliance nor Independent traders had made any deliveries since the Uprising had begun. How many more worlds were hurting, she thought.
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Zuni's still going to make a killing... ^-^
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13 February 2768
Fletchers Feast (Tortuga Dominions)
Martin Zuni had said a million thanks that he would not have to make the 18 day journey to the planets surface. On arrival, Lieutenant General Katrina Johannsen had made contact with the SLDF Jumpships at the Jump Point and they had in turn contacted the SLDF unit on the surface. A day later, the SLDF Dropships had boosted for the Jump Point with little fanfare from the local's. They were now 2 days from the Jump Point and eager to depart the Dominions. It amazed Martin Zuni that they had barely asked any questions at all, almost a "Wait we are coming, don't leave without us" type of conversation. A few more days and they could finally leave the Dominions.
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, checked on Amanda Cameron, as she had done after every jump. Surprisingly she tolerated the jumps extremely well. She picked her up in her arms and made her way to the bridge of SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion II Battlecruiser, not even paying any attention to the 2 troopers from Major Calloways Special Forces Battalion that were always in attendence wherever Amanda Cameron was.
Reaching the bridge, she saw Commodore Namathien on the radio. Out the view screen, she could clearly see SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser very close by. "Let me have the radio Commodore. Commodore Coltrain knows it's us because but will be leery of you and the new additions to our little fleet." Commodore Namathien handed over the mic "SLS Rhodon, this is Lieutenant General Mitchell, nice to be back, is there a problem?"
"Glad to hear your voice again General Mitchell. No problem, just did not expect you back so soon and with additional friends. The war over so soon?" Commodore Coltrain said
"Not that we heard. General Kerensky was heading for the Rim Worlds Republic first. Should be there by now. We had a much more important mission sort of fall into our lap. If Commodore Delvaney and SLS Salvation are not busy, I would like SLS Tirpitz taken into the repair bay and repaired. Any word on SLS Conroy?" She asked
"Conroy was abandoned in deep space, but Commodore Zeibler and crew are safely here, they are manning one of the Dart Light Cruisers we captured. I believe Salvation is a week or so from completing some changes to Rear Admiral Tanaka's Whirlwind Destroyer. But I will pass on your request. You are cleared to take your Dropships to the surface General Mitchell at your pleasure." Commodore Coltrain replied
"Good news on Zeibler and crew at least. Have Commodore Delvaney send a HPG to Boulsi and Pilon. I need General Rommel and McGregor here as soon as possible please." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"You want just them or all the Flag officers? We have quite a collection of them now. Down on the surface you have Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division and Major General Gregory Hanesworth, 29th Mechanized Infantry Division. Several more Divisions are on Boulsi and Pilon." Commodore Coltrain said
"Just General Rommel and McGregor for now, we will meet aboard the Tirpitz for now. I will be sending everyone else down to the surface." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
20 February 2768
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell greeted Major General Heinrich Rommel and Lieutenant General Colin McGregor after they exited the shuttle. "It is good to be back, way too many jumps and not enough ground time." She said as she shook each of their hands in greeting.
"We were both surprised at the early return and with extra friends to boot. So what gives Rita?" Major General Rommel asked
"Come with me and I will show you. We linked up with SLS Tirpitz in the Junior system. When I found out her cargo, well I turned the Task Force around and headed back. Picked up the new units at Stratford, they elected to join us. I heard more units arrived since I left." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
"Quite a few. We added the 280th MID, 29th MID, 359th BM, 31st ID, 54th MID and 19th Hussar Regiment. Plus fragments of other commands. I disbanded the 54th MID into the 29th MID plus a fragment and they are almost at full strength. I have been working on how to bring the others up to strength, we started recruiting Infantry replacments and started a Infantry school on Boulsi. But we can discuss all of that later." Major General Rommel said as he spotted the squad of Nighthawk equipped troopers guarding the door to the Grav Deck.
As Lieutenant General Mitchell led them on to the Grav Deck, both saw a Major playing with a infant on the floor. The infant held out it's arms to Lieutenant General Mitchell the moment she saw her. General Mitchell scooped the infant into her arms, the Major stood "Gentlemen, this is our new mission. Meet Amanda Cameron, daughter of First Lord Richard Cameron. This is her bodyguard, Major Ian MacIntosh, Royal Black Watch."
Both officers stood with mouths agape for a few seconds "Holy shit Rita."
"Exactly what went thru my mind when I found out. Major MacIntosh is not yet sold on staying here, nor in our ability to ensure Amanda's security. But first, let's get to the surface, we can talk on the way to the surface. I need some serious ground time and so does Amanda. But I think we need to risk a full commanders meeting, Division and Independent Regiment commanders only and of course Rear Admiral Tanaka, Commodore Zeibler, Commodore Coltrain and Commodore Delvaney. Once we get them briefed, they can brief their troops and I will let Rear Admiral Tanaka brief the remaining warship commanders. The remaining warship commanders I would like to have them lock this system down tight until the meeting is over. If we send the HPG message now, we can probably have the meeting within 2 weeks time." Lieutenant General Mitchell said
9 March 2768
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell looked at the assembled officers. There were so many faces she did not recognize, so many new commanders she did not know. Having arrived after she had departed. During the last 2 weeks, while awaiting the arrival of all the commanders, she, Major General Rommel, Major General McGregor, Major General Carman, Major General Hanesworth and Rear Admiral Tanaka had worked on how to incorperate the new forces into existing commands. But also in getting a firm count on the numbers of Warships, Jumpships and Dropships they now had under their control. The naval assets were extensive.
2768 Naval Assets
Warships
SLS Tirpitz - Black Liion II Battlecruiser
SLS Rhodon - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Mighty Lift - Potemkin Transport
SLS Solomon - Essex II Destroyer
SLS Windego - Whirlwind Destroyer
SLS Salvation - Newgrange Yardship
SLS Hatchet - Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser
SLS Dark Brawler - Dart Light Cruiser (non jump capable)
SLS Thazi - Dart Light Cruiser (non jump capable)
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Sneak - Bug Eye Surveillance
SLS Dominator - Vincent Corvette
SLS Halthom - Vincent Corvette
SLS Yangtze River - Vincent Corvette
SLS Trinity River - Vincent Corvette
SLS Independence - Samarkand II Carrier
Jumpships
Scout - 5
Merchant - 4
Invader - 12
Star Lord - 38
Tramp - 12
Tramp (LF) - 5
Dropships
Command Dictator - 2
Dictator - 40
Overlord - 21
Union - 34
Union CV - 1
Lee - 6
Titan - 10
Triumph - 28
Lion - 28
Confederate - 10
Czar - 45
Colossus - 14
Elephant Tug - 4
Drost IIA - 36
Mammoth - 22
Mule - 22
Jumbo - 25
Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell reshuffled the papers in her hand as she walked to the podium before the seated officers. She took a quick sip of water and then began "For those who I have not met yet, I am Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. Before I left on our last mission I acted as Major General Rommel's second in command and primary maneuver commander. We came across SLS Tirpitz on our way to assist General Kerensky in liberating the Hegemony. After learning the Tirpitz's mission, I felt we needed to return to Thazi to aid that mission.
Aboard the Tirpitz was Major Ian MacIntosh, Royal Black Watch and under his protection was Amanda Cameron, daughter of First Lord Richard Cameron. We have no news of the fate of First Lord Richard Cameron. It is Major MacIntosh and my estimation that Amanda Cameron might be the sole surviving Cameron and heir to the Throne. We recorded a message from General Kerensky at Inner End in the Federated Suns which we will play in a few minutes for everyone. Short version, their is a complete cease fire with the rebels in the Periphery. The SLDF is at war with the Amaris Empire, which is what Stefan Amaris is calling his new nation.
I have pledged to Major MacIntosh that me and my 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division will aid him in protecting Amanda Cameron safe until such time as she may return to reclaim her rightful throne." She halted when Major General Heinrich Rommel stood up from his seat near her and walked to her side, she moved aside for him.
"We need to take care of something real fast. For the last 6 months, Lieutenant General Mitchell here has been acting as the primary care giver for Amanda Cameron. I have seen her with young Cameron and since we seem to be the only Star League representatives around, I nominate Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell as Regent and Protector of the Star League, or our small part of it anyway, until such time as Amanda Cameron reaches age 18 or she has been returned to the Hegemony and can be taken under General Kerensky's care. Anyone have a problem with this?" Major General Rommel said, when no one protested, he continued "Let it be known that the vote was unanimous and as such Lieutenant General Rita Mitchell is now promoted to the rank of full General and I place all SLDF forces in this theater under her command."
Lieutenant General, now General Mitchell stood there flabbergasted. She never expected this at all. She did not know what to say or do for several minutes. Finally she regained some control "I will do my utmost to fulfill the trust you are putting in me. As such, I will be meeting with each of you over the next week. We are going to need to do some consolidating, we cannot have most of our commands at half strength. I have spoken to Major General Rommel, who will serve as my second in command of the Corps and he has informed me of his idea's, but I also want to consult with each of you. Major General Rommel, you may return to Pilon and enact the plans we discussed already. I look forward to speaking with each of you. Dismissed."
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Heh... shocker for just about everybody except Rommel, I suspect... ^-^
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15 March 2768
Pilon (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Heinrich Rommel marched up to the main gate to the prisoner compound. "Open the gate sergeant. I will not need an escort, you may remain here." He ordered. When the gate was opened, he strode inside and asked where General Paul Kilgorian was located at. One of the rebel prisoners pointed towards a barracks and Major General Rommel headed directly for it, before he could reach the barracks, General Kilgorian exited the barracks and walked to meet him.
"To what do we owe this visit General Rommel?" General Paul Kilgorian asked
"I came to inform you that General Kerensky has declared a complete cease fire in the Periphery. The Periphery States are free to make their own way in the universe. I am here to inform you that we will be releasing you and your personnel very soon. But first, were you serious with the offer to join the SLDF?" Rommel asked
"Yes sir, I was deadly serious. So are my troops. Amaris stabbed us in the back, called for our destruction. If we cannot join General Kerensky in his fight against Amaris, by damned we can join the SLDF and in dloing so, possibly free up troops to kick his ass for us." General Kilgorian said
"There will be some conditions. First, you will all have to undergo standard SLDF recruitment physical's. Second, you will all have to undergo what SLDF training we can provide out here. Three, you will all be required to take the oath and swear alliegence to the Star League and the SLDF above everything else. Four, most of your troops will be assigned to my 322nd Armored Division here on Pilon. Your Mechwarriors will be assigned to the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division after completion of their indoctrination and training. Any that fail the physical but want to stay on Pilon, they may. Those that refuse to take the oath will be transported to another system and they can make their own way in life. Do those terms agree with you General?" Rommel explained
"Completely General Rommel. You will find that my troops are well trained. It will take some months to get everyone into proper physical shape but we will get there. You have provided us with proper medical care, so most of my troops are in good shape medically, but not in proper PT." General Kilgorian said
"They will get plenty of PT very soon. Starting at 0700 tomorrow morning, we will begin processing your troops. I am afraid we will have to quarter your troops here while they are being processed and until proper quarters are constructed to house them elsewhere. Until they are processed, I would like for you to try and keep your troops confined to this immediate area. It is going to take some time for all the SLDF troops to get used to this idea. I would like to avoid any troubles." Rommel said
"We wish no more trouble and will conduct ourselves as you order General Rommel. I will have my troops ready to move on your orders at 0700 tomorrow morning." General Kilgorian said
"Then I will see you at 0700 General. In the meantime, I will have additional food transported into the compound." Major General Rommel said
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell had spoken to every officer that had arrived while she was away. She also now had a complete roster of all the units under her command. The last couple of days she had worked on how to fill out the various units. Several units were easy since they were at full strength or almost there. On the wall opposite of where she sat, was a large easel mounted where she had written various excess equipment and personnel and then she would pencil in adjustments onto the various rosters.
Forgotten Corps
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division (General Rita Mitchell)
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's
2721st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Battlemech Company's
2722nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Battlemech Company's
2723rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
2724th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Long Tom
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Thor
Artillery Battalion - 3 Company's Chaparral
Cavalry Battalion - 3 LAM Company's, Mech Infantry Company, Hover Company
Engineer Battalion - 3 Engineer Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group (reinf) - 4 Squadrons Aerospace
Conventional Group - 3 Squadrons Conv Fighters
Conventional VTOL Group - 2 Squadrons VTOL Transport
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company's
29th Mechanized Infantry Division (Major General Hanesworth)
291st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
292nd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Goblin Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Merkava Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Merkava Battalion
293rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (54th)
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (265th)
294th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (from 322nd)
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (from 322nd)
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - Thor Battalion
Arrow Battalion - 2 Company Chaperral, 1 Company Padilla
Engineer Bataalion - 3 Engineer Company's
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Group - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Group - 2 Squadrons
Jump Infantry Regiment - 2 Battalions
359th Battlemech Division (Major General Baxter)
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 36 Battlemechs
3591st Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (284th and 318th)
3592nd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (165th and 208th)
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (359th and 31st Indiv MW)
3593rd Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions, 1 Korvin Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions, 1 Korvin Battalion
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions (208th and 318th)
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Mechanized Infantry Battalions (318th and 370th)
3594th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (359th and 322nd)
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (31st)
Artillery Regiment
Chaparrel Battalion
Ballista Battalion
Cavalry Battalion - 2 LAM Company, 1 Hover Armor Company
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 16 Typhoon
Engineer Battalion - 3 Engineer Company's
280th Mechanized Infantry Division (Major General Carman)
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2801st Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
Light Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2802nd Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (2214st Ind Infantry)
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (2215th Ind Infantry)
Light Battlemech Battalion - 2 Company's
2803rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battalions
2804th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Battalions
Artillery Regiment
Thor Battalion - 2 Company's
Chaparral Battalion - 2 Company's
Engineer Battalion - 3 Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 3 Squadrons
Aerospace Group - 3 Squadrons
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Company's
126th Mechanized Infantry Division (Major General McGregor)
1261st Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Von Luckner (sl)
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Korvin (rebel?)
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Compnay Korvin (rebel?)
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's (rebel?)
1262 Brigade
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Mechanized Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Company Turhan
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's
1263 Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (rebel?)
1264 Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (322nd)
Artillery Regiment
1 Battalion of Long Tom
1 Battalion of Thor
1 Battalion of Padilla/Chaparral
Cavalry Battalion - 3 LAM Company's, 1 Infantry Company, 1 Hover Company (Maxim)
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Wing - 4 Squadrons
Conv Fighter Wing - 2 Squadrons
Conv Transport Wing - 2 Squadrons
Engineer Battalion
Jump Infantry Battalion - 1 Battalion
31st Infantry Division (Major General Quieg)
311th Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Marsden Battalion
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Marsden Battalion
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Marsden Battalion
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Compamy's (Stinger)
312nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (new recruit)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (new recruit)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (new recruit)
Light Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's (Stinger)
313rd Brigade
Light Battlemech Regiment - 3 Light Battlemech Battalions (Stinger)
Light Battlemech Regiment - 3 Light Battlemech Battalions (Firestarter)
314th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (LVT-4)
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (Marsden)
Artillery Battalion - 3 Ballista Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 3 Squadrons Typhoon
Jump Infantry Battalion - 3 Jump Infantry Company's
322nd Armor Division (Major General Rommel)
3221st Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (rebel?)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
3222nd Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (rebel?)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
3223rd Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Infantry Battalions (rebel?)
Artillery Battalion - 36 Ballista
Engineer Battalion
Conventional Wing - 30 Meteor
Conventional Trans Wing - 22 Cobra
Jump Infantry Battalion
Royal Black Watch (Colonel MacIntosh)
Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's (191st Royal)
Battlemech Battalion - 3 Company's (191st Royal)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 3 Jump Infantry Battalions (191st Royal)
277th Dragoon Regiment (Colonel Estaban)
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Battlemaster BLR-1G
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Thug 11E
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Thunderbolt TDR-5S
Mechanized Infantry Battalion
Artillery Company - 12 Ballista
211th Hussar Regiment (Colonel Nabokov)
Command Battalion - 1 Ostwar OWR-2Mb, 11 Flashman FLS-8K, 24 Pheonix Hawk PXH-2
1st Battlemech Battalion - 24 Lancelot LNC25-01sl, 12 Excaliber EXC-B2
2nd Battlemech Battalion - 24 Guillotine GLT-3N, 12 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Armor Battalion - 36 Zephyr Hover Tanks
Mechanized Infantry Battalion - 3 Company's, 12 Turhan
19th Hussar Regiment (Colonel Fuentes)
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb (181st Royal)
Battlemech Battalion - 24 Griffin GRF-2N, 12 Mongoose MON-66b
Mechanized Infantry Battalion
3391st Special Forces (Colonel Calloway)
Nighthawk Company - 64 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 48 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 4 Prowler (BA)
Nighthawk Company - 48 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI
Battlemech Company - 12 Spector SPR-4F (181st Royal)
Battlemech Company - 12 Spector SPR-4F (181st Royal)
As she studied the breakdown, she figured it was the best she could do at the moment. The 322nd Armor Division worried her, but it had been Major General Rommel's idea. Once the new recruits started graduating, she could re-evaluate the unit breakdowns. She had broken up the 181st Royal after speaking to Major Sandra Barkley, she had stressed that she did not have enough qualified Battlemech pilots for the advanced equipment and wanted to add the capability to the 3391st Special Forces under now Colonel Calloway. Major Barkley had volunteered to command the 2 Company's under Colonel Calloway, even if they were Light Battlemechs. This gave her an Elite Strike Force that could be deployed to cause the most havoc upon an enemy.
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7 Divisions, 3 Independent, 1 SAS, 14 Warships, 1 soon to be recovered and salvaged, 1 Yardship, 1 Modified Olympus Station that is a mini yard. OO Blake's Sword all they need is 10 M-5 and a few Caspers and they'd be SLiE. and when those new recruits come out of training that'll give them a shot in the arm for soldiers, and space crews.
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For what it´s worth, Amanda Cameron is two years old in that chapter... hardly an infant any more.
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If only the BA carrying rules weren't so weird... By the cargo carrying rules, the Spectors should totally be able to carry one or two Nighthawks in their hands without a movement penalty.
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What happened to SLS Axe Handle?
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Slammed into a Lola II and kablewey
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1 April 2768
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell, acting Regent, knew something had to be done about the pay situation. They did not have the ability to draw off of any Star League revenue streams. It was only a matter of time before this became a serious issue. Since their liberation, all 3 planets had been under martial law and supplies for the SLDF forces had been just taken with a payment slip issued. Since no one knew when things would return to normal and the payment slips actually paid in full, several of the local vendors on each planet had started to balk at taking any more slips. The current payment slips totalled 88 million dollars, with roughly 4 million a month being added to that total.
Plus their was the fact that none of the SLDF troops had access to their bank accounts nor was their a way to pay the new recruits. This would very soon cause some major issues. She had done her own math, which could be right or wrong, and had concluded that the Forgotten Corps' pay alone was 145,000,000 per month at current troop levels. This was a huge number, especially when you took into account that she had no way to pay this. So far, the troops had accepted the fact that their situation was an extreme one and were taking the hardship rather well, but this would have to be corrected soon. Hopefully before a major flareup occurred. She just did not have the answer to these problems yet.
Even though these issues were major, she put them on the back burner since she did not have the answer to them. What she did have the answer for was getting the dependents of the various commands out here. They had 25 Jumbo Dropships in their possession and she had, after talking with Commodore Delvaney, ordered 21 of them converted to carry passengers. Each would have 1,000 steerage compartments installed in them to transport 1,000 passengers on each Dropship while leaving 4,700 tons of cargo space. Commodore Delvaney had run the numbers with her engineers and came back with the news that it could be done. The cargo space would easily allow enough supplies to be carried to feed the passengers and crew for over a year Her engineers estimated it would take 8 months to make the modifications but warned that once made, it would take twice as long to convert them back to cargo Dropships.
She had asked all of the unit commanders to compile a list of dependents and locations for her. It might take years, but she would reunite the families. Units stationed in the Outworlds Alliance would be the quickest and easiest to relocate. They would probably be the first. But she had 8 months before the Dropships were ready to figure that part out.
She looked across her office and saw that Amanda Cameron was still fast asleep during her afternoon nap. Checking the clock she saw that she had roughly another hour to complete some much needed work before she awoke. She read the next report in her inbox noting it was about the new recruits. Currently on Boulsi there were 8,729 Infantry recruits undergoing training. Enough to field almost 9 Infantry Regiments once they completed training in 9 months. They were proving that they could at least replace losses to their infantry, but what they had no way to replace Mechwarriors, Armor Crew but most importantly Aerospace Pilots, which they were very short of.
She rubbed her temples, the list of problems they faced just seemed to keep growing. They were used to being supported by extensive supply lines. Ammunition could be expended in vast amounts, with more always arriving. But that was no more. Even if they had access to a ammuntion supplier, they had no way to pay for the ammunition. Everything revolved around money. Did she have the power or even the right to try and establish a source of income? Her fellow officers may have bestowed upon her the title of Regent, but exactly what did that really mean? It meant one thing in the Terran Hegemony, but way out here? The planets they controlled belonged to the Outworlds Alliance. Even though most of the populations, of all 3 planets, felt they had been abandoned by the Outworlds Alliance. For 2 years they had not seen a official from the Outworlds Alliance, not a single ship, nothing but silence from their so called "owner". She made a note to schedule a meeting with the planetary governors.
But first, she drafted a message to Rear Admiral Tanaka. It was time to recover SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. She knew it would take months from what she had already been told by Commodore Zeibler and Commodore Delvaney.
A small whimper across the office made her smile, Amanda was waking up. She was thankful for the break in her duties, caring for Amanda was much simpler.
Deep Space
Ships Captain Martin Zuni watched as his navigator transmitted the jump calculations to all the ships in the flotilla. Another 4 months and they would reach Pilon and they could leave the SLDF a Mule Dropship richer. Then he and Martha could begin the task of getting richer. He wondered how long it would take him to re-establish his old routes and cargo contacts. While in the Federated Suns, he had checked his bank account and investments, he was a rich man, heck he had always been rich. His father had passed down the Merchant Jumpship fully paid for on his death when Martin was only 25. Martin had quickly sold his fathers old Vulture Dropship and invested the 110 million doallars he had gotten for it in several portfolio's that had, after 22 years earned him an additional 524 million dollars. His current bank account held 737 million dollars in it. And those were Star League Dollars, not planetary dollars. He was so close to his Star Lord Jumpship that he could almost reach out and touch it.
20 April 2768
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, prepared her ship for the mission to recover SLS Conroy. They had been 2 weeks into casting a new jump core for SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser when the orders had come down to prepare to recover SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. She had ordered the barely begun jump core ground and processed. Her ships cargo bays was full of processed Germanium ready for transport. Rear Admiral Tanaka had delegated Commodore Delvaney as the Task Force Commander.
SLS Salvation - Newgrange Yardship
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Solomon - Essex II Destroyer
They would be departing 1 May, 2768 for the 2 month trip to reach SLS Conroy. Commodore Zeibler and his crew could hardly wait.
On the surface, General Rita Mitchell, acting Regent, sat across from Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi, Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi and Winston Voleshev, Governor of Pilon. She had no clue how this meeting was about to go. She would have to watch her wording and even fib a little. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. As you all know so well, we, the SLDF are wracking up quite a bill for our purchases. But I think I have a way of getting around Amaris being in control of the Terran Hegemony and most Star League funding. As you also know, I have been named Military Governor of this region of space for the SLDF and duly appointed Administrator for the Terran Hegemony.
For 2 years now, there has been no word from the Outworlds Alliance, they have not even sent a ship to check on any of your worlds. We have allowed your planets to commicate with each other using our Mobile HPG's and are still assessing ways to repair the main HPG's on your planets. Without access to Terra, we are not sure they can be repaired, but we are still trying. But, back to the main topic, currently, I cannot legally do very much while your planets belong to the Outworlds Alliance. But, if your planets voted to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony, then as the duly appointed Administrator for the Terran Hegemony, I could order emergency currency to be printed that would be issued and backed by the Terran Hegemony. General Kerensky has declared a state of emergency due to the coup which has granted Administrators broad powers.
Your citizens would receive all the rights as any other citizen of the Hegemony. It is my opinion as Administrator that the Outworlds Alliance has forfeited their right to rule by abandoning your worlds and citizens they were sworn to see to their welfare and protect. Even though your citizens are using planetary script as money, I will authorize a one for one exchange rate to the new currency. Other worlds in the Periphery have done the exact same thing that I have suggested here. This currency will be equal to a Star League Dollar in every way and completely valid for exchange once the crisis is over."
All three Governors sat very quiet for several minutes, which made General Mitchell a little nervous. Finally, Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi spoke "General Mitchell, this is very unorthadox. BUT, your are correct in your assessment of the feelings of most of my citizens. The Outworlds Alliance has done nothing for us since this entire crisis started, but your SLDF forces have opened your medical facilities to my citizens, freely and without charge. You have used SLDF transports to haul supplies between all 3 of our planets, freely and without charge. I will support the measure to be put to a vote among my citizens."
Both Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi and Winston Voleshev, Governor of Pilon nodded in agreement. Relief flooded General Mitchell, they went for it. General Kerensky better win the damned war.
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Glad to see Mitchell's bet pay off! :)
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27 June 2768
Rim Worlds Outpost #7 (Deep Periphery)
Polemarchos Emerson Dragonovich watched the loading of the ready equipment aboard the Mammoth Dropships of his Flotilla. Like the Battlemechs from Outpost #11, though a vast number, they barely scratched the surface of his available capacity. It would take 2 weeks to fully load all the equipment aboard the Mammoth Dropships and then another 16 days to reach the Jump Point. He casually looked at the cargo manifest. He shook his head, even with what he picked up from Outpost #11, he still would have 20 Mammoth Dropships empty. This equipment was enough to outfit at least 6 Infantry Divisions.
768 Marsden II-A
768 Merkava Mk VIII
192 Ballista Artillery
1,152 Heavy Tracked APC
576 LVT-4 Hover Tanks
1,152 Sherpa Armored Trucks
384 Sherpa MASH
576 Sherpa Fuel Trucks
576 Sherpa Canteen Trucks
192 Typhoon TFN-2A
384 Star Dagger S-2A
8,000 tons LRM-15 ammo
10,000 tons AC/10 ammo
10,000 tons AC/5 ammo
12,000 tons SRM6 ammo
12,000 tons SRM4 ammo
4,000 tons MG ammo
10,000 tons spare parts
Taxiarchos Christine Palmer, commander of Outpost #7, walked up beside him without his noticing. "Polemarchos Dragonovich, we are running dangerously short on supplies and your convoy did not bring any additional supplies. Do you know when the next resupply convoy is due to arrive?"
"I have no word on that, we have been away for 3 years already. How often did the supply convoy's arrive here usually?" Dragonovich asked
"Once a year for food and material, every 6 months for raw material for the factories. We are down to 8 months of food and less than 6 months of raw material for the factories. Raw material came from home, our food was delivered by the rebel forces when they came to pick up equipment." Taxiarchos Palmer said
"I think you could expect arrivals in the next few months. My orders were to collect all ready equipment and return them back home. I will release 10,000 tons of my food stocks to assist you until the next convoy." Dragonovich replied
"Thank you, that will extend out available food stores to a year. I have 89,386 personnel to keep fed, we go through roughly 1,000 tons per month. I will leave you to your duties, I will go double check the loading of your Dropships." Taxiarchos Palmer said
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell was a little nervous, the vote to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony was scheduled for 1 July. Just a few days away. She had agreed to the Governors demands that the vote must be decisive on favor, at least a 80% in favor for them to make the move. They still feared reprisals from the Outworlds Alliance even though she had stressed to them that the SLDF could handle the Outworlds Alliance should they make any attmept at reprisals.
Recruitment for the Infantry School was still taking place and another 4,500 recruits were starting training on Boulsi. The first group of Infantry recruits would be graduating January 2769 and detailed to their new units. Major General Heinrich Rommel reported that he would be posting the first batch of former rebels to his 322nd Armored Division in August. Though lacking in the education of normal SLDF troops, they at least knew their jobs fairly well.
Colonel Ian MacIntosh, Royal Black Watch, was currently conducting extended exercises with his new troops in an attmept to get them up to speed on how the Royal Black Watch operates. His opposing force was a Brigade from the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division led by Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels under the close watch of Major General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division. She had met the young Olivia Daniels and found her to be extremely bright and capable, but still was not sure that she was ready for the rank she held.
Wynn's Roost (Outworlds Alliance)
Chairman Ulvade Newmanski, commander Blommestein Demons, heard the massive explosion and then saw the huge cloud of smoke ascending into the sky several kilometers away. He shook his head, this was the 3rd attempt to breach the Fort vacated by the 61st Royal Jump Infantry Division. I wonder how many troops I lost this time, he wondered to himself. His command had escaped the fighting by avoiding the SLDF completely during the Uprising. But now, he wanted to know what they might have left behind.
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That's an unusual level of cooperation shown by the Rim Worlders, but it means some kind of delay before the descent into cannibalism. Of course, they'll have some kind of heads up when no new raw materials arrive. I suspect the first unrest will happen within a week of that failure to appear.
I think Mitchell is going to be fine.
Newmanski on the other hand... ^-^
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5 July 2768
Thazi (Outworlds Alliance)
Under heavy guard, the ballot boxes had been counted on all three planets. All three Governors were now present for the vote tallies to be announced. General Rita Mitchell was still nervous of the outcome. But, since there had been no protests against the measure, her nervousness was tempered with some excitement. Each planet had selected monitors and they were also present for the announcement of the results. The head monitor of each planet presented General Mitchell with their vote tallies. She accepted them and stepped to the podium where camera's were linked to Thazi's Mobile HPG which had a stable link to Boulsi and Pilon, backed up by HPG's aboard a Vincent Corvette located in each system at a La Grange point. The announcement would be carried live to all 3 planets.
"My name is General Rita Mitchell, Military Governor and duly appointed Administrator for this region of space. We will now announce the vote results that everyone submitted on leaving the Outworlds Alliance and joining the Terran Hegemony. Each of your selected monitors behind me have certified the vote counts. I will now announce the results of the vote.
Thazi, with 6,173,285 votes cast. We have 5,563,913 voting for joining the Terran Hegemony and 609,372 voting to remain Outworlds Alliance. Does everyone present agree that Thazi has voted to join the Terran Alliance?" General Mitchell asked those present, a chorus of ayes sounded.
"Boulsi, with 12,284,214 votes cast. We have 11,237,694 votes for joining the Terran Alliance and 1,046,520 votes to remain Outworlds Alliance. Does everyone agree that Boulsi has voted to join the Terran Hegemony?" She again asked and all those present said Aye.
"Pilon, with 10,568,558 votes cast, we have 9,952,395 votes for joining the Terran Hegemony and 616,163 votes to remain in the Outworlds Alliance. Does everyone agree that Pilon has voted to join the Terran Hegemony?" Again those behind her said Aye
"The votes have been announced. The measure to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony has passed. I would like to welcome the citizens of all 3 systems to the Terran Hegemony. As Administrator for Terran Hegemony affairs in this region, I am ordering the issuance of emergency currency to be printed until such time as normal contact with the Terran Hegemony is reestablished. This will take an estimated 2 weeks for all banks on the planet to have the new currency on hand. We will be exchanging your planetary script for Star League Dollars on a one for one basis. I ask that everyone remain patient as we get the new currency into circulation. Let's not have a run on the local banks.
General Kerensky has declared a state of emergency due to the Amaris Coup. We will continue operating under the emergency powers granted to me as Administrator under the state of emergency. Changes will be slow in coming until such time as reliable communication is restored to Terra. But those changes will be coming. But right now, there is a war being waged and we will have to be patient. Again welcome to the Terran Hegemony." General Rita Mitchell concluded
When the announcement ended on all 3 planets, the large printing presses on each planet used to print each planets local script began running. General Mitchell had scoured the SLDF ranks for Star League Dollars and had secured enough denominations that plates had been made for each press. They could not duplicate the actual paper money's fell or look, but it was close enough to work.
26 July 2768
Ships Captain Martin Zuni found himself staring at a massive SLDF Cruiser after they materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. His communication officer announced "We are being hailed Martin."
"Ships Captain Martin Zuni here. Leading SLDF troops to Pilon." He responded
"Zuni? I remmber you, this is Commodore Barbara Coltrain, SLS Rhodon. We met several years ago briefly. I will board my shuttle and pick you up, we will head for the surface together. General Mitchell is going to want to meet you and the new troops. SLS Rhodon will escort the Dropships to orbit for landing instructions."
"I will await your arrival Commodore Coltrain." Martin replied then got a secure lock on Martha Pruitt's Jumpship "Martha, hop a shuttle over here, we are taking a trip to the surface. We can claim our Mule Dropship and then get gone."
31 July 2768
Martin Zuni did not recognize the woman in the lead, but he did recognize Major General Carman slightly behind her "Carman, you cheated me and owe me 2.5 million dollars. The SLDF denied my payment."
General Rita Mitchell looked at Major General Carman "Iris, what is he talking about?"
"Sorry General. I gave him my purchasing card information for payment. It's how we got here and some of the other troops." Major General Carman said
"We will discuss this later General Carman. You must be Mister Zuni, I am General Rita Mitchell, commander of the SLDF forces in this region and Military Governor of this region. Allow me to apologize for the actions of General Carman and any other SLDF officers in my command. Are any other debts due?"
"Depends, you have a Baxter under your command?" Martin Zuni said
"Yes, how much did he promise you?" General Rita Mitchell asked with a sigh
"For all the trouble and risk I took in presenting false claims to the SLDF? Call it 10 million dollars. They could have tossed me in jail." Martin Zuni replied
"Okay Mister Zuni. Me and you will discuss the debts in a little while. First I need to see to these new arrivals. I will have my aide take you to my headquarters and I will join you in a bit." General Mitchell said
"I am not taking a purchase card General. Plus this new unit owes me a Mule Dropship once it is unloaded, they promised me and I have a signed contract for it." Martin Zuni said quickly
General Mitchell pinched the bridge of her nose "Major General Carman, please see to the new arrivals and get them into quarters. Bring the commanders to me once they get settled in. I think me and Mister Zuni need to talk sooner than I expected."
An hour later, General Mitchell and her guests were seated in her office. "Let me be frank Mister Zuni. Though I am very sorry for the deception of my officers, I do not have access to the funds your owed. We have emergency currency, but I am pretty sure your not going to accept that as payment. And I am not going to authorize the release of the Mule Dropship to you." She held up a hand to stave off the protest she saw coming "Allow me to finish please, then you may have your say. How much do you think a Drost IIA Dropship can be sold on the market for?"
Martha Pruitt answered the question "In good condition, a design that old, roughly 200 million or so. It does have a good cargo load. Why do you ask?"
"Because I happen to have 36 of them in my possession. Currently, that is the only currency I have available to me that you might accept. But first, what are your plans, now that you have led the SLDF troops here?" General Mitchell asked
"I used to run a regular cargo route through this area before the damned fighting. Me and Martha are going to reestablish my old route and maybe expand it. Why?" Martin Zuni asked sensing the sandbag falling towards his head and not liking where this seemed to be heading
"So you know the Outworlds Alliance pretty well do you?" General Mitchell asked
"Like the back of my hand General. Get to the point please. I am already pissed that I am getting ripped off over that Mule Dropship." Martin Zuni said
"I want you to take on a contract for me. Will take about a year, maybe a little longer, but I will make it very much worth your while." General Mitchell said
"Are you out of your mind General Mitchell? First I got screwed by your officers, then you screwed me even harder by denying me the Mule Dropship. You already said you have no way to pay me, now why the hell would I want to bend over and take it again?" Martin Zuni almost yelled
"Commodore Coltrain informed me that each of you have a Merchant Jumpship. Not the biggest Jumpship around. But your correct, I do not have the funding YOU are going to demand to repay you the debts owed. You take on this contract and at the conclusion of it I will release 6 of the Drost IIA to you that you can sell to recoup your losses." General Mitchell said
Martin Zuni looked at Martha Pruitt who nodded her head slightly "I want the Dropships sold before I undertake this contract. I want the money in the bank before we do this General. I am not going to get screwed again."
"Any idea where I could sell all 36 of them? Because I have no clue at all." General Mitchell said
Martha Pruitt spoke again "I have several contacts in the Federated Suns. The closest so called clearing house to here is Bastrop, in the Federated Suns. About 4 months travel from here. The next closest would be Ramora or Alpheratz here in the Outworlds Alliance. We might be able to sell 4-6 of them at a single location, but more than that and some serious questions are going to get asked."
"We have 4 collars between us General, your talking several years of travel to just sell those Dropships." Martin Zuni protested
"Okay, then let's explore alternatives. How would you both feel about starting a shipping company? Based here on Thazi. Your currently no longer in the Outworlds Alliance, Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon have voted to join the Terran Hegemony. We have already printed and issued emergency Star League Dollars under the emergency powers granted to Administrators. I am willing to assist you in establishing this shipping company. Either of you know how much tax a shipping company pays on average?" General Mitchell asked
"General, it takes way more than 2 Merchant Jumpships to establish a true shipping company and I don't see you releasing SLDF ships to make that happen. What the heck are you doing?" Martin Zuni asked, he had dodged the first sandbag but he felt like many more were falling his way.
"You have proven yourself reliable. Even though you got stiffed by my officers, you still continued bringing or sending SLDF troops this way. That speaks volumns on your character. We need a revenue stream, simple as that. You can help provide that to us. Currently sitting at Pilon's Nadir Jump Point are 12 Invader Jumpships that we captured from rebel forces. I also have 4 Merchant Jumpships crewed by independent's that could probably be convinced to join your new shipping company.
I want you to travel to Multan in the Draconis Combine, there you will pick up the dependents of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. I will provide you with 7 of the Invader Jumpships carrying 18 converted Jumbo Dropships configured to carry passengers and bring them back here. I will even provide you with an escort. I will release the remaining 5 Invader Jumpships to your companion, Ms Martha Pruitt. She can make the trip to sell a few Drost Dropships. At the same time, she can be establishing your new company in the region. Now for this huge capital investment, we are talking Billions of dollars after all, you will be required to have an escort aboard each Jumpship of 2 squads of SLDF Marines. Once you complete the contract, I will permenantly transfer the Invader Jumpships and Jumbo Dropships to you. Martha can sell 6 Drost, you keep the funds gained of 2 of them, the other 4 come back to Thazi." General Mitchell explained
Martha Pruitt looked at Martin Zuni "Take the deal Martin. This is what you have always dreamed of. She is offering you or us the deal of a lifetime. You head out and pick up the folks she wants brought back. I will take the Drost and sell them and work on convincing the other independents on joining us. General, if this old codger does not take you up on the deal, I damned sure will. But, those funds you want back here is not going to do you any good. Amounts that huge will be wire transfers. I am willing to secure the funds in my account for you though. Then when you have a need, I will make the arrangements for you from my own account."
"Hush you old hag, at least give me a chance to answer the General. I will need to travel to Bastrop with Martha to make the banking arrangements. I have more cash in my accounts. Plus I need to setup the legal documents for the shipping company. I can register in the Federated Suns and the Outworlds Alliance....."Martin was cut off by General Mitchell
"I need this area to be kept a secret Mister Zuni. Completely off the radar. You will have to trust me on the reasons." General Mitchell said
"Easy enough General. It will hurt us some, but I can register as based at Bastrop. We will have to pay Fed Suns taxes though. It will allow us to avoid tarriffs and such in the Fed Suns, but expose us to their income taxes. I will need a clean transfer slip on the initial ships to register with the Fed Suns. To cover you, back date it a year. I can handle the rest of the details. But you have a deal General Mitchell." Martin Zuni said
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31 July 2768
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell looked up at the knock on her door, Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt had left 30 minutes ago to find a local lawyer, it was Major General Iris Carman with the new officers. General Mitchell waved them inside and pointed to chairs, when Major General Carman tried to leave, she said "No, you stay General Carman. Close the door behind you." Turning her attention to the new officers before her, she said "I am General Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, and you will hear about it soon enough, acting Regent for Amanda Cameron, daughter of First Lord Richard Cameron. Now, I am going to assume you all made a bad decision, same as General Carman and many others..." Lieutenant General Katrina Johannsen held up her hand "Yes General?"
"Sir, Lieutenant General Katrina Johannsen, 36th Infantry Division. I need to inform you that my command made a worse mistake. We actually declared for the Taurian Concordant. We never engaged the SLDF in combat, but we know damned well there is a price on our heads. It did not take us long to realize that we really screwed up and bailed the first chance we got." She said
"Okay, you screwed up and realized it. I can live with that, if you had actually engaged SLDF forces or if I find out that you engaged SLDF forces and are lying to me, well, let's just say it will not be a good thing. I will give you an example, we captured SLS Independence, Samarkand Carrier, they mutinied and destroyed several convoys and engaged SLDF forces, we executed every member of the crew and airwing. Now, what exactly do you have with you?" General Mitchell asked
"Sir, 2 Battlemech Battalions fully equipped and 1 Infantry Battalion. I also picked up Colonel Vaniroy here and a Regiment of Jump Infantry from the 192nd Jump Infantry Division. And Major Travedo from the 251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division with a Battalion of Battlemechs." Lieutenant General Johannsen said
"Sir, Colonel Joshua Crandal, commander 81st Mechanized Infantry Division, I have 2 Battlemech Battalions fully equipped and 41 Mechwarriors without rides, plus a full Mech Infantry Regiment." Colonel Crandal said
"Sir, Colonel Brandon Janees, commander 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, I have a reinforced Battlemech Battalion, 2 Mech Infantry Regiments, 2 Company's of Artillery." Colonel Janees said
"Colonel Quincy Hill, ranking officer of my group of troops. I have 868 troops with me, 40 Mechwarriors and 829 Infantry. We all walked away from the replacement depot on Armington. We stayed hidden but when the SLDF started packing up and hauled ass, we managed to liberate and stash 60,000 Mauser 960, and several thousand tons of additional equipment from the massive stockpile of equipment they had there. When they began the pullout, it was a mad house to say the least. At first we were going to sell the equiment, but then word trickled back that a bunch of SLDF had been passing through Tortuga Dominions to points unknown. We took a vote and decided to try and link uo with them. I guess your them, so here we are." Colonel Hill said
"Now that is a pleasant surprise and a welcome one Colonel Hill. But now I have to decide what to do with all of you. Lieutenant General Johannsen, given your commands more complicated situation, I think it would be best if we disband the 36th Infantry Division and make it just disappear. Plausible deniability and all that. But first, your all back in the SLDF now. All your previous sins before your arrival are forgiven. But I will not tolerate the same mistake. Make it and I will hunt you to the ends of time. Go see to your troops and I will meet with all of you in a few days once I figure out what to do with you."
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Progress!! :thumbsup:
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3 August 2768
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had spent the last few days working on how to incorperate the new units. Consulting with Major General Carman and Lieutenant General Johannsen, she was folding everyone into the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division. Lieutenant General Johannsen would take over command of the 173rd MID. They would be under strength, but General Mitchell had stressed that for the time being they would be on garrison duty on Thazi, which would free up both the 280th and 29th MID for deployment if needed. The individual soldiers with Colonel Quincy Hill into various commands, the Mechwarriors brought the 280th MID's Headquarters and both Light Battlemech Battalions up to full strength and the 868 Infantry she assigned to the Infantry School as instructors under Colonel Quincy Hill. That relieved the Regiment from the 31st Infantry Division that had been acting as instructors.
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
Headquarters Battlemech Battalion - Battlemech Battalion (251st Royal)
1731st Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (173rd)
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (1 BN 173rd, 2 BN recruit)
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (173rd)
Light Battlemech Battalion (36th)
1732nd Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (81st)
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (1 BN 36th, 2 BN recruit)
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions (recruit)
Light Battlemech Battalion (36th)
1733rd Brigade
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (81st)
Battlemech Regiment - 3 Battlemech Battalions (173rd)
1734th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions (173rd)
Artillery Battalion - 2 Thor Artillery Company's
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 4 Squadrons Aerospace
Jump Infanry Regiment - 3 Jump Infantry Battalions
She looked at her final roster of available ground forces she kept hanging on her wall. The Forgotten Corps was now large enough that she was sure they could handle just about anything that came their way looking for trouble.
Ground Forces
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
359th Battlemech Division
31st Infantry Division
322nd Armored Division
277th Dragoon Regiment
211th Hussar Regiment
19th Hussar Regiment
Royal Black Watch
3391st Special Forces
Uncharted System (Deep Space)
Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship watched as the Elephant Tug slowly worked SLS Conroy into her ships repair bay. Once inside, they would begin the task of removing the Jump Core from the Avatar Heavy Cruiser and grinding it down for recasting. After her engineers had conducted a damage assessment, they had recommended installing the new Jump Core, sealing her up and getting her back to Thazi. Once there, they could resume repairs and remanufacture new Transit Drives for the badly damaged Cruiser. Commodore Zeibler had not been happy to hear their recommendations, but he had to accept the decision because it made tactical sense. At least at Thazi, they were in a much more protected location than out in Deep Space. Commodore Delvany estimated it would take 9 months to grind the destroyed Jump Core down, recast a new Jump Core and get it installed.
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9 months isn't bad for a complete grind and recast, really.
As far as the Recruit Battalions, I'd try to keep them as mixed as possible with experienced units. So in the 1731st Brigade, I'd split up the 2 Recruit Battalions into two different regiments, with two veteran units each. In the 1732nd, I'd take the second most senior Battalion Commander and make them a Regimental Commander with 2 Recruit battalions under them. That would make the first Regiment 2 battalions from the 81st with one Recruit Battalion, and the third one from the 81st with two Recruit Battalions.
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Was trying to keep the actual sub units together. That change might come a bit later as some training snags come into play. Gotta let the Division commander or Brigade commander stumble a little.
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My biggest concern is the "recruit" Regimental Commander...
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Oh, don't worry, all Company commanders and above are SLDF veterans......I just have not done the mass promotions yet. There will be a ton of bump up one rank to fill in command slots, even the platoon commanders will be new officers drawn from the ranks of the SLDF.
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That will help, but I'd feel better with a full veteran battalion behind that Regimental Commander...
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Hello and thank you for an awesome storyline so far. Question on some organizational issues, listing of Marine units..you have elements of 9917th, 9918th, 9919th Marine Regiments and elements of the 9th Royal CAAN Regiment...there's also quite a large hodgepodge of Jump Infantry Battalions and Regiments...why not consolidate them perhaps as a Provisional Marine Brigade (Fleet Marines)and a Provisional Jump Infantry Brigade..gives you some quick strike/reaction units actually online with SLDF doctrine and practice outlined in the sourcebooks.
The Forgotten Corps is shaping up to large and potentially very capable force. With such a large aggregate of unit maybe its time to organize a higher headquarters akin to a Corps or Force Headquarters both for Ground Forces and Naval Forces. SLDF naming conventions...Units have a designation and an official as well as an unofficial nickname...The polity that's evolved probably deserves a name as well...a Star League Protectorate or Regency...maybe this..the Star League Regency Protectorate...just a suggestion. The Corps is large and varied but seems a little under equipped in Aerospace Fighters both in Ground and Naval units. Lots of equipment but quite a dearth of logistical or manufacturing infrastructure for long, sustained operations. Training and replacements..units attrite over time..fact of life...a ratio of 10 percent turnover of personnel annually is most realistic...for a force of 8 divisions plus change...a naval force of warship squadron strength ( 12-18 vessels) is a squadron and several squadrons of jumpship and dropship lift...that's quite a large amount of bodies minimum...maybe a dedicated Training Command and Logistics or Support Command. The other issue is the overwhelming need of keeping secrecy...you need an Intelligence organization. I think that a force this size pretty much requires that your Force have a dedicated higher organization as well as support structure...just food for thought. Keep up the good work remember the BattleTech Community has quite a good body of work and knowledge at your fingertips both in people and sources...and thanks again for superb story.
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15 August 2768
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The problems never stopped for General Rita Mitchell. The ammunition problem had again raised it's vile ugly head. The lack of ammunition was putting a severe limit on gunnery training. To remain qualified, a SLDF command chewed through ammuntion at a furious rate. Unless armed with an all energy armament, everyone else suffered quickly with a degredation of skills. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling in an attempt to come up with a solution to the problem. After 20 minutes of thinking, she suddenly sat up. Buried deep in her memory, it had taken her some time to recall that they knew exactly where they could lay their hands on the very equipment they needed to manufacture their own ammunition.
"Get me Commodore Bythe, SLS Hatchet on the radio and patch it to my office ASAP." She ordered, it took 15 minutes
"Commodore Blythe, General Mitchell. You still have the exact locations and routes to those Rim World Outposts aboard your ship?"
"Yes sir, Major General Rommel has a complete set, as does Commodore Coltrain. But I too have a complete set. Why?"
"Get them and get on a shuttle to the surface. I need them down here ASAP. Mitchell out." She ordered and then "Get me Rear Admiral Tanaka on the radio and patch her to my office. I also need Major General Hanesworth and Colonel Calloway in my office ASAP." Getting Rear Admiral Tanaka only tok 10 minutes
"Admiral, General Mitchell, I need you on a shuttle and on the surface ASAP."
Two hours later, Major General Hanesworth and Colonel Calloway were shown into her office. Both officers were dirty and smelly. "Sorry to yank you both out of the field, but I am officially issuing you warning orders for deployment. Are your commands combat ready?" General Mitchell asked
"The 29th Mechanized Infantry Division is ready. I will need 72 hours to get them in from the field and get some quick maintence conducted." Major General Haneswoth replied
"The 3391st is always ready for deployment. I can be ready to move in 24 hours time." Colonel Calloway said
"Good, get your commands in from the field and be ready to embark with little notice. Draw supply for an extended campaign, up to a year. Get moving, I will have a better briefing for you soon." She ordered and both officers saluted and left her office at a run.
18 August 2768
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka and Commodore William Blythe landed at the space port and were taken directly to General Mitchell's office. She waved both to seats as she finsished making notes. "What is the status of the Fleet Admiral Tanaka?"
"The 55th Reconnaissance Division is 100% combat ready. SLS Tirpitz is 100% combat ready and assigned in orbit of Thazi per your orders. Both Dart Light Cruisers are unmanned and not combat ready. SLS Independence is unmanned but fully repaired." Rear Admiral Tanaka replied
"What would it take to man the Independence?" General Mitchell asked
"She needs a crew and full air wing and support personnel. In an emergency, I could pull the crew from 2 Vincent Corvettes to crew her. But I don't have the air wing's to put on her." Rear Admiral Tanaka replied wondering what the hell was going on
"Make it so Admiral Tanaka. I will transfer Aerospace Fighters from the Divisions aong with support personnel to man the Independence. We need ammunition and the ability to make it on site. 630LY from where we sit is exactly what we need. We are going to take it, dismantle it and bring it back here. I want your 55th Recon, SLS Mighty Lift, SLS Rhodon and SLS Independence made ready for an extended operation. Draw supplies for a year mission minimum, could be 2 years. Opposition unknown. Take 2 Star Lords and 12 Mammoth Dropships, load 2 of the Mammoths with food supplies. Empty them first. You will escort the 29th MID and 3391st Special Forces. SLS Hatchet remains here as a quick reaction force while your away. Plan to take the 9919th Marine Regiment with you, just in case. We are going to strip that Outpost of anything we can use." General Mitchell said
"Yes sir, could this not wait until Commodore Delvaney returns with SLS Conroy and her Task Force?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"Our ammuntion situation is critical. I cannot train my troops without ammunition. We have enough for about 60 days of heavy combat Corps wide. And we have no way to replace any ammuntion we expend. So it is a zero su equation. Sooner or later, we run out of ammuntion and are really in trouble. This is now a top priority." General Mitchell said
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:thumbsup:
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Thanks for input Kiko70, always glad to answer questions.
Most of what you suggest is coming, but down the road some. Secrecy is easy right now, because it is so far out in the boondocks and nothing gets into any system without passing by a warship. No civilian traffic per se right now. Only 4 Merchant Jumpships running supplies between the 3 planets, with Marine guards aboard.
This is going to be a LOOOOONGGGGG story spanning several centuries. Down the road, you will start seeing time jumps of several years. But that is probably 10 years down the road. Currently the upper command stuff is easier due to the close distance between the commands, if they start spreading out, they will then need a Higher Command Structure.
We are still in the ground work laying stage of the story. Problem stick it's head up and gets whacked. Hope that answers some of your questions.
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>:D..looking forward to this awesome ride you are taking us on.
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so outpost 11 is now prime target number 1.. sweet. not to mention all those colonist who are there and need displacing, they might see the SL as saviors maybe?
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Outpost 4 is the first target, the closest...….Outpost 7 is by my calculation 800LY, but Outpost 11 is almost 1400LY......year just to get there.
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Awesome. Still they’ll need those factory workers.
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so i found a few maps to help
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14 December 2768
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni was in the office of the largest Law Office on Bastrop. He had been waiting over 30 minutes to meet with one of the Law Offices partners having dismissed one of the low level lawyers they had first tossed at him. Finally, a short man, dressed in a very expensive suit appeared. "Mister Zuni, I am Jonathon Fleesum, founding partner of Fleesum and Gougem. I am told you refuse to speak to anyone but a full partner. I usually let my lower level attorney's handle most matters. But, it is a slow day, so if you will follow me, we will discuss your needs."
Once they were inside Jonathon Fleesum's office and the door closed, Martin Zuni pulled out the rough draft he had written up setting up ZaP Interstellar Shipping along with the registration numbers and paper work declaring 4 Invader Jumpships transfered to Martin Zuni from General Rita Mitchell, commanding officer of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, as payment for services rendered to the SLDF and signed by her and witnessed by 4 other Flag Officers of the SLDF and notarized by an attorney on Thazi. He laid the paperwork on Fleesum's desk.
"I would like to incorporate a shipping company, ZaP Interstellar Shipping. CEO, Martin Zuni and CFO Martha Pruitt. Our initial ship roster is 2 Merchant Jumpships and 4 Invader Jumpships fully owned by ZaP Interstellar Shipping with an additional 4 Merchant Jumpships operating under long term contract. All the ships Star League registration numbers are listed there along with the proper paperwork transferring the 4 Invader Jumpships to me as payment." Martin Zuni said
Jonathon Fleesum flipped through the paperwork Zuni had handed over "You know, this sort of thing is really handled at a much lower level than myself. It costs much more for someone like myself to handle this kind of matter, versus one of my lower level lawyers."
"That is not how I like to do business. I prefer to deal with the person in charge. We would also like to place you on retainer for all legal matters and have your accounting department handle filing all related paperwork with the Federated Suns and Star League. Our scope of business will be shipping in the outer Federated Suns systems but potentially the majority of our shipping will be within the Outworlds Alliance." Martin Zuni said
"Very well, you know if you registered in the Outworlds Alliance as your primary location, the taxes would be cheaper than the Federated Suns." Jonathon Fleesum said
"It would, but the Outworlds Alliance does not wield the same protections as a ship working under Federated Suns registration." Martin Zuni said
"Very well. A retainer will cost 500,000 per year, with services rendered at 300 per hour in addition to the retainer fee. Registering your company will cost 1.5 million, this will handle all the needed paperwork and proper filings with the Federated Suns authorities plus thier fee's. For an additional 500,000 I can expidite the paperwork and have everything in order within a week, otherwise it might take 4 months. This is mainly to pay for a priority HPG transmission to New Avalon and get their answer." Jonathon Fleesum said
"All of that would be fine. I will have my bank wire transfer to you 10 million dollars. That will cover all fee's and handle your retainer fee and possibly any other fee's for work I might need handled. If the account gets to 1 million, let me know and I will handle the arrangements for another transfer of funds. You should have the funds within 24 hours." Martin Zuni said
Jonathon Fleesum had thought the amounts would scare the guy away, but was shocked when Zuni had agreed and even upped the money on him "That would be quite all right sir. I will start the process immediately and transmit the filing the moment we receive your funds."
"Excellent. I will leave you to your work then. Pleasure doing business with you, now I will be off to my bank." Martin Zuni said
Two hours later, he was in the local office of his bank. Nice thing about banking with basically the Federated Suns' National Bank, they had an office on virtually every planet in the Federated Suns. It had been a while since he had been in this particular branch, and was pleased to see the same President still here.
"Mister Zuni, a pleasure to see you again. It has been what, 2 or 3 years since the last time?" The Bank President said
"About that. I need to arrange a wire transfer to Fleesum and Gougem for the amount of 10 million dollars. I also need to set up an account for ZaP Interstellar Shipping, the paperwork is being done by Fleesum and Gougem, you can contact them for the proper paperwork. CEO is Martin Zuni, me and CFO is Martha Pruitt. Both will have full access to the account. Once you get the paperwork, transfer 450 million into that account. I will also need purchase cards on the account in both my and Martha Pruitt's names." Martin Zuni said
The Bank President had been making furious notes while Martin Zuni had been speaking "Will that be all Mister Zuni?"
"For now, yes. I will probably be making a sizable deposit very soon. Those will be going into my personal account." Martin Zuni said
"Very good sir. I will make sure everything moves along smoothly. Of course there is a small fee for everything, I assume you want me to debit your account as usual?" The Banl President asked
"Of course. Handle the matter for me." Martin Zuni said
18 December 2768
Martin Zuni was now in the large plush office of Penelope Swank, the largest dealer in Jumpships and Dropships on Bastrop. "Martin Zuni, it has been a few years. I am sorry I have not been able to secure a used Star Lord Jumpship at the price you requested yet. I am still looking."
"That is okay Ms Swank. We will find one some day, but right now, I have 5 Drost IIA I would like to sell. Here is the paperwork transferring ownership to me. All were legally siezed by the SLDF as war prizes. I would like a good price for them." Martin Zuni said
Penelope Swank took the paperwork and looked it over "Everything looks in order. There will be a fee of 25,000 per Dropship to transfer the titles. But that should not be an issue. It is an old design and not in heavy demand. But I am sure I can find a buyer for them. Very few ships are staying on the market for long. The SLDF is snapping up almost every ship that hits the market. The will probably buy these too." Mentally, she was calculating what she could get for each Dropship on the market. "I can pay your 190 million per Dropship."
"240 million Ms Swank. Don't try to swindle me." Martin Zuni said
"200 million. It is going to take some doing to move those old Dropships." Penelope Swank said
"I will take 230 million for each Dropship." Martin Zuni said
"215 million for each and I will not go any higher Martin. If you want more, you are free to find someone else." Penelope Swank said firmly
"Then we have a deal Ms Swank. 215 million for each Dropship. If my math is correct, 1,075,000,000 for all 5 Dropships. I am going to make your day and take 1,074,000,000 for them. You can keep 1 million to cover the fee's plus if I manage to come across any more ships, you will be my first visit." Martin Zuni said
"Would you like me to order you a brand new Star Lord Jumpship with the funds? You can afford it now you know." Penelope Swank asked
"Not right now Ms Swank. You can transfer the funds to this account. I saw you had a Buccaneer Dropship listed, surprised the SLDF has not snapped that up. What is wrong with it, you have it listed for only 75 million?" Martin Zuni asked
"It was a repo. The owner defaulted on the payments. I bought it at auction for 60 million less than a week ago. It is in excellent condition. You want it?" Penelope Swank asked
"Sure. I will take it off your hands. You can subtract the funds from what I am owed. You will handle the title transfer?" Martin Zuni asked
"Not a problem Martin. Title in your name I assume?" Penelope Swank asked
"No, place in the name of ZaP Interstellar Shipping. I will be on planet another week or so. Have some more business to conduct. Fleesum and Gougem is handling the setting up of my new company. Contact them for the relevent paperwork." Martin Zuni said
"I will surely do that Mister Zuni. You need anything at all, you contact me." Penelope Swank said
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nice update!!!!!
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good head for buisness.
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I love the ZaP name! :thumbsup:
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Zuni and Pruitt Interstellar
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6 January 2769
Ramora (Outworlds Alliance)
Martha Pruitt was very nervous, I should have insisted that Martin take Ramora, he knows the Outworlds folks better than her, she thought. Her nervousness was caused by the Alliance customs officals aboard all the ships in her small convoy. I just hope the SLDF Marines aboard the 2 Invader Jumpships don't go nuts and open fire, she thought while the customs officer checked her log books. "Your a very long way from your normal operating area Ms Pruitt. May I ask why?"
"Easy, the Taurian Concordat is a mess. Pirates running all over the place. My friend Martin Zuni suggested I team up with him and I took him up on the deal. Here I am." She reponded, go away, she wished silently.
"Martin Zuni, I have not seen or heard his name in several years. I thought for sure he had gotten himself killed during all the uproar the last few years." Before he could ask anything else, his portable pad beeped and he read the information before looking up at her "It seems that both Invader Jumpships and all 5 Drost IIA Dropships have registrations that are false. Your Merchant Jumpship is completely up to date. Care to explain the problem with the other vessels?"
Martha Pruitt thought he would hear her heart pounding as she produced a copy of the transfer of registration signed by General Mitchell and witnessed by the other SLDF officers. "This is a valid transfer to Martin Zuni's ownership of all the ships. The SLDF captured them as war booty and declared previous ownership void. They then transferred the vessels to Martin Zuni for payment for services rendered."
The customs official took the forms and read over them before looking up "Thazi, Boulsi. These are Outworlds Alliance worlds. Mister Zuni is now liable for the capital gains taxes on the vessels and the fine for each vessel not properly registered and being in Outworlds Alliance space." He started keying a calculator "The captial gains tax of 1% is 28,094,454 dollars and the fines are 1,050,000 dollars. For an additional 2 million dollars, I can make sure all of the vessels are properly registered with the Outworlds Alliance and even issue temporary registration right here."
Friggin grifter, she thought, god how I hate corrupt officials. "That would be fine sir, I will be selling the Drost IIA Dropships while I am here, but if you could handle the registrations, that would speed things up a bunch." Knowing full well that at least 1.6 million was about to be put in this guys bank account.
"Excellent. If you will accompany me to the Recharge Station, I will get everything in order for you. There are several ship brokers on board, I can recommend one to you if you would like." The customs official replied
"Well, that is too kind of you sir. That would be a huge help. Let's get the paperwork handled and I will transfer the funds to pay everything. Martin can repay me." Martha Pruitt said, probably gets a kickback steering folks to the brokers.
An hour later, the funds transferred to the proper accounts, in record time the customs official had produced registration for all of the vessels. The entire time, she could not help but stare at the placard on the wall behind the customs official FEE FOR SHIP REGISTRATION 50,000, EXPIDITE FEE 5,000.
As he handed over the registrations he said "See Mr Shisterman, he has an office on the main grav deck. He can get you the best deals for those Dropships."
"Thank you sir, you have been a huge help today." Martha Pruitt said as she took the registrations and stood.
"Please, it was my pleasure. Give my regards to Mr Zuni." The customs official said with a smile
It took her another 45 minutes to locate the office of Mr Shisterman. Probably a waste of time, I doubt this guy can afford all 5 Dropships, she thought as she enetered the small office. A small but overweight man stood as she entered "How may I help you madam?"
"Looking for Mr Shisterman, I have some Dropships I would like to sell." Martha Pruitt said
"You found him. Multpile Dropships? That is very unusual. But I think we can come to an agreement. What have you got?" He said as he sat back down behind his small desk.
"I have 5 Drost IIA Dropships in excellent condition for sell. Here are the registrations for them." Martha said as she handed over the new registrations
"Still warm from the printer. You must have run afoul of Jake Ballster, head of the Customs Department here. No matter, they are valid. Drost IIA you say, old design, not in a high demand. I will give you 160 million each." He offered
Martha held out her hand for the registrations as she stood "No way, 250 million each or I go somewhere else. I am no fool sir."
"Wait, 250 million is way too high, I will go to 200 million."
"The registrations please. 250 million or no deal. I am sure I can find a broker that will gladly pay that amount." Martha said
"240 million, that is my last offer. You will find soon enough that I am the only broker here that can take all 5 ships off your hands right now."
"Sold. Your get the registrations the moment the money hits my account. This is the account number. And you will be eating the tax, title and licensing of the vessels." Martha said
"Your killing me maam. But I agree to your terms. The money will be sent out immediately. You can verify it from the HPG station if you would like. Takes about an hour each way for a response."
"I will see you in a few days Mr Shisterman. Pleasure doing business with you." Martha Pruitt said as she headed for the door.
10 January 2769
Martha Pruitt had gotten the HPG message from Martin Zuni that the money had hit his account, 1.2 Billion dollars. He was still on Bastrop, picking up 2,000 tons of cargo to take back to Thazi to sell to the locals. The message had filled her in on everything that had transpired since he had been on Bastrop. She had passed on the registrations, undocked the Dropships and wasted no time in departing Ramora.
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20 January 2769
Rimworlds Outpost #4 (Deep Periphery)
Polemarchos Emerson Dragonovich had granted the personnel of his Flotilla surface time. They had been travelling for a long time without any real ground time and it was time for a break. They would not leave the system for the return journey to the Rim Worlds Republic until March. He had left RWS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate fully manned while RWS Firefly, Riga Frigate only had a care taker crew aboard. All of the Mammoth Dropships had been brought to the surface along with all the crew from the 5 Leviathon Jumpships. He already had the cargo manifests of the equipment being loaded aboard the designated Mammoth Dropships.
720 Merkava Mk VIII Heavy Tanks
960 Korvin Medium Tanks
824 Ignis Infantry Support Tanks
1,920 Heavy Tracked APC
1,142 Sherpa Armored Trucks
824 Sherpa Fuel Trucks
10,000 tons LRM-15 ammo
6,000 tons LRM-10 ammo
15,000 tons AC/5 ammo
8,000 tons SRM-4 ammo
5,000 tons MG ammo
17,000 tons spare parts
It would be loaded aboard 14 Mammoth Dropships which left him with 16 Mammoth Dropships still empty. He had met with Taxiarchos Waylon Hazot only twice since landing and found the man completely worthless. Cruel and barbaric, he was the type of officer that got assigned to these far flung Outposts. He had ordered that there would be no mistreatment of anyone while he or his people were on the planet's surface. Just the mere thought of the little turd made him spit into the dirt of this miserable ball of dirt.
NP119167
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander Task Force Raider, estimated they were 3 weeks from the Rimworlds Outpost. They had no clue what they would find when they got there, but Major General Hanesworth, 29th Mechanized Infantry Division was confident they could quickly secure the planet. What he worried about was the amount of time it would take to dismantle and load everything they found there. Major General Mitchell had added 4 Engineer Battalions to his force to assist in the disassembly of the factory complexes.
The troops of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division were eager to redeem themselves and were looking forward to this fight. Technicians ran tests on every piece of equipment and anything that showed any kind of fault was immediately stripped out and replaced or repaired.
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can not wait for more. I 'm sitting on the edge of my seat.
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Nice... Outpost #4 is going to have a rough February... ^-^
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Since the span of this story is for so long the Hidden Hegemony (Trademark pending ;D) will be able to eventually take Outposts 7 & 11 with no real fight and possibly even get a ship yard if they go for outpost 27 where ever that one is. That will give them all the manufacturing they need. After that it will come down to finding enough resources to keep the manufacturing going and a population that is both large enough and educated. They should have enough food since it was mentioned 2 of the planets provide for other planets already. Outpost 4 and 11 will be able to provide trained people since they can rescue outpost 4's and 11's population. Looks like 7 won't make it unless they go for it quickly and that won't probably happen unless they find somewhere in the ships computers the plan to abandon the outposts or the rebel captain knows that they are to be abandoned. I imagine that improving the infrastructure of of the 3 base planets will be where any additional funds from their shipping company will go. With the number of jump ships and dropships and with what they will be able to produce with their new manufacturing plants they should be able to generate a pretty hefty trade surplus with the Federated Suns alone.
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18 February 2769
Rim Worlds Outpost #4
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, commander Task Force Raider shook off the effects from the jump into the Zenith Jump Point. Sensor's quickly came back on and registered the 5 Leviathon Jumpships. She quickly ordered "Launch the 9919th Marine Regiment and secure those Leviathon Jumpships. Once they are secure, we will move for the planet. Get the CAP launched." It would take just over 6 days to reach orbit.
Within the hour, all 5 Leviathon Jumpships had been secured. She ordered a single Marine Battalion left aboard the Leviathons to keep them secured while the remaining fleet, except the 2 Star Lord Jumpships that they had brought with them. Navigators plotted a jump to a La Grange point roughly a day from the only habitable planet and leaving SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport and SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier to escort the mass of Dropships, Rear Admiral Tanaka ordered her LF equipped warships to make the jump.
The SLDF Task Force materialized at the La Grange point and were just starting to move when the 2 Rim Worlds Riga Frigates emerged from the back side of the planet and sensors quickly detected them. Rear Admiral Tanaka quickly ordered "Launch all fighters. We focus on the leading Riga Frigate, not sure why the other Riga is not accelerating, to keep up with the lead, but I will take stupidity any day."
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser took the lead, SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer, SLS Dominator and SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette's swung wide, ready to flank and swarm the oncoming Riga Frigate.
As the SLDF Aerospace fighters closed on the lead Riga Frigate, their sensors detected small craft heading for the rear Riga Frigate. "Admiral, we are detecting small craft heading for the rear Riga. I am detailing 2 Squadrons to shoot them down." Captain Bernard Nelson reported
On his orders, 2 Squadrons of Sabre SB-28 broke off from the large formation of SLDF Aerospace fighters and accelerated to intercept the enemy shuttles. Captain Nelson mentally calculated the closing rate of his fighters and the shuttles coming up from the surface and smiled he came to the conclusion that his fighters would reach the shuttles before they reached the Riga Frigate. He then returned his focus to the leading Riga Frigate which was now launching it's own Aerospace fighters, but he knew he had the numerical advantage on them. He had 24 Aerospace Fighters from the warships remaining and an additional 12 Aerospace Fighters from the Titan Dropship carried by SLS Rhodon.
His smile grew into a evil sneer as the lead enemy Aerospace fighters were identified, 6 Star Dagger, followed by 6 Vulcan VLC-5N. "Ravens, take out the Vulcan's, break, Vulture's I would prefer not to have to watch my tail so please handle the Star Daggers. Falcons, let's hammer that Riga." Captain Nelson called out as he led his 2 Squadrons of Stuka STU-K5b2 in their attack on the Riga Frigate. Raven consisted of 12 Typhoon TFN-3M and Vulture consisted of 12 Sabre SB-28. Before Captain Nelson and the Falcon's reached the Riga Frigate, they targeted the Rim World fighters rushing to intercept them and managed to down 3 Star Dagger and a Vulcan as they blew past them and continued to engage the Riga Frigate.
As Captain Nelson and his Stuka's began ripping chunks off the Riga Frigate, Commodore Barbara Coltrain, aboard the SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser, gave the order "Weps, you are weapons free at this time. Helm alter course to port to maximize weapons on target."
Before SLS Rhodon began her turn, her weapos officer opened fire with 6 Medium NPPC, 2 Medium Naval Gauss and 3 Naval Laser 55 which reached out for the Riga Frigate. Armor shattered across the Riga's Nose and Front Left but none penetrated. As SLS Rhodon made her turn, her weapons officer loose with another volley, 7 Medium NPPC, 4 NL/55 and 2 Medium Naval Gauss went down range followed a few seconds later by 2 NAC/25 and 4 NAC/30 as the Riga Frigate entered the long range brackett. The first volley tore into the Riga Frigate weakening the armor on her Nose to paper thin until the massive NAC rounds struck, 2 NAC/30 rounds slammed into the Riga's Nose stripping it of the last scraps of armor and burrowing deep into the Frigate causing massive internal damage. Return fire from the Riga Frigate tore some armor from SLS Rhodon's Right Broadside. With the Riga Frigate still holding a steady course, Commodore Barbara Coltrain ordered "Helm, maximum thrust, I would prefer to not get into a close range brawl with that Riga."
"Rear Admiral Tanaka, this Commodore Coltrain, I think I can handle this Riga, suggest you take engage the other Riga."
Rear Admiral Tanaka gave the order and her SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer along with SLS Dominator and SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette's accelerated to engage the second Riga Frigate which still had not accelerated to engage. She checked the ships plot and saw that the Eagles were engaging the line of shuttles trying to reach her targeted Riga Frigate. Lieutenant Cristy Brandt laughed aloud in the cockpit of her Sabre as the weaponless ST-46 shuttle desperately tried to shake her non stop weapons fire. They had already shot down 4 shuttles and were engaging the last 2 shuttles now. It only took 5 minutes before the last 2 shuttles were destroyed, with them 2/3rds of the second Riga's crew, which had been on the surface for some shore leave. "Shuttles destroyed, Eagles are engaging the Riga Frigate now. Eagles, we can only scratch this thing, so let's focus on the engines."
Aboard RWS Firefly, Riga Frigate, Commodore Jekariti Namukanam knew he was in a dance to the death with the Luxor Heavy Cruiser. His Nose was completely destroyed and her Jump Core was massively cracked. The 750,000 ton warship shuddered as another volley from the Luxor Heavy Cruiser raked his ship. He saw that the last volley had ripped his armor to paper thin all along his Port Side. Their return fire scored the occasional hit, but the crew of the Luxor were vastly more expereinced and landed most of their shots while his could only obtain the occasional hit unless at close range. But no matter what he did, he could not close the range on the Luxor Heavy Cruiser, which managed to maintain the range, all the while slamming massive volleys into RWS Firefly. "Helm, alter course, best speed, let's head for the SLDF convoy, maybe we can rip up their troops."
"Commodore Coltrain, the Riga is altering course and accelerating, they are heading with for the convoy."
"I see it, no way we will catch her, but we can chew her up while we pursue. Helm get on her ass and stay there, Weps beat that Riga down." She ordered
Aboard RWS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate, Commodore Jennifer Harrison had watched 2/3rds of her crew get destroyed by the SLDF fighters now conducting annoying attacks on her AFT section. They could not do any great damage, but they were annoying. But the 3 oncoming SLDF warships were a different matter and with them came a swarm of Aerospace Fighters. While her Aerospace Fighters sat in their launch bays, pilotless. She barely had enough crew to "fly" her ship, much less fight her effectively. "Helm, break orbit, no one else is coming. Weps, your free to engage with whatever you can manage."
RWS Dragonfly began taking hits within an hour of breaking orbit while her return fire was almost useless. Commodore Harrison knew her ship was doomed, but would do the best she could. That moment finally came as a Vincent Corvette came in close and RWS Dragonfly hit it with 3 NAC/25 and a single NAC/30 shell, leaving her a wreck. The moment the shells had raked the Vincent Corvette stripping the armor and burrowing into her internals, Commodore Harrison surrendered her ship to save the rest of her crew, she had done her best with what she had on hand.
20 February 2769
Chasing the Riga Frigate and unable to close the range, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser could only engage at extreme range which minimized the number of hits she could score. But she was hitting the Riga Frigate alot more than the Riga was hitting her. Commodore Coltrain, SLS Rhodon, knew her crew was worn out. The constant 2.5g thrust made every task that much harder. But finally, a hit knocked out one of the Riga's massive drives, which would allow them to gain on the badly wounded Riga Frigate, but it would be a slow gain.
Aboard RWS Firefly, Riga Frigate, Commodore Jekariti Namukanam saw the plot change as the SLDF Luxor Heavy Cruiser slowly inched closer with his ship now unable to maintain maximum thrust. He could also see on the plot a Samarkand II Carrier ahead of the mass of Dropships. There was no way he would be able to get past the Carrier and her air wing. It was hopeless, the damage to his ship was too extensive. They had already taken severe damage to the ships internal strcuture, the Jump Core was virtually destroyed and his ship's medical bay was over flowing with casualties. "Helm, being us to a halt. Comm, signal our surrender to the SLDF."
22 February 2769
Marines from the 9919th Marine Regiment quickly secured RWS Firefly, Riga Frigate. Leaving a Battalion abaord, the Elephant Tug transported the last Battalion to secure RWS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate slowly resuming orbit around the planet under the guns of SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer.
24 February 2769
Colonel Calloway and his 3391st Special Forces had accelerated his Dropships once the warship threat was removed and now they grounded 20km from the only city detected during their 2 passes around the planet. Major Sandra Barkley led her 2 Company's of Spector SPR-4F at best speed and under full EMCON followed by Colonel Calloway and his Nighthawk equipped SF troops. The 29th Mechanized Infantry Division would land tomorrow.
The low gravity hampered her advance and speed, but it still only took minutes for her Spector's to begin engaging the few tanks that attmepted to halt their advance. She missed her Thunderbolt, but had to admit these little Spectors were quite fun to pilot. It had taken her and her Mechwarriors a few weeks to get the hang of the little Spector's and their abilities, and being next to invisible was a huge asset to have. It took only two hours to secure the factory complex of any resistance. Colonel Calloway ordered defensive positions to be laid out. The 29th Mechanized Infantry Division could handle securing the city itself. It was nice of them to place the space port right next to the factory complex as she covered a Company of Nighthawk equipped SF troops securing the 40 Mammoth Dropships at the space port.
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wish they had that yardship now
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those two Riga's will make nice parts donors.
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Parts? Why, repair and add to the fleet.
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Parts? Why, repair and add to the fleet.
manpower and training. They were tapped with the two Dart CLs
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"Thazi, Boulsi. These are Outworlds Alliance worlds. Mister Zuni is now liable for the capital gains taxes on the vessels and the fine for each vessel not properly registered and being in Outworlds Alliance space."
I guess he did not get the memo about those planets joining the Terran Hegemony?
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And Pruitt wasn't about to deliver it.
Nice naval battle! :thumbsup:
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25 February 2769
Rimworlds Outpost #4
Major General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division, grounded his troops on a vast plain near the crowded space port due to the limited space. He quickly dispatched the 291st Brigade to relieve Colonel Calloway's 3391st Special Forces at the factory complex and then he suprised his remaining officers "Lieutenant General Daniels, take your 292nd Brigade and secure the city. Try to do as little damage as possible. But put down any resistance hard."
"Yes sir. We will get it done." Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels responded as she left the command post to ready her 292nd Brigade.
Once she was gone, Lieutenant General Bradley Montgomery spoke up "Think she can handle this?"
"We will soon find out, but that is why I want you to take your 293rd Brigade over that way and be ready to back her up. She has performed well during the training on Thazi, but this is for real. Observe and report, but let her run the show. I think she is smart enough that if she gets in over her head, she will ask for help. I just want you close enough to get there quickly." Major General Hanesworth said
"Got you boss, I will gather my folks and be close enough to render aid if needed. Where are you going to be?" Lieutenant General Montgomery asked
"At the Factory with the Engineers. I want to know how long it is going to take to dismantle this place and get it all loaded." Major General Hanesworth said
Five hours later, the Engineers had completed their assessment. "We estimate it will take at least 2 months to take this place apart and get it loaded. We might be able to get it down to a month if you let me use your Technicians and some of your Battlemechs with hands. We only have 4 Salvage Mechs and 10 Loader Mechs with us. I would prefer not to just rip the place apart, but carefully dismantle everything. It will make reassembling so much easier." Major Carey Newhart said
"You will get all the help you need. I will have Warrant Officer Demars head over and coordinate with you on assignments and needs. The Battlemechs will have to wait until this place is secured of course." Major General Hanesworth said as a distant rattle of rifle fire sounded in the distance followed by a distant explosion. "I need to get back and monitor the developing situation."
Inside the small city, Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels ducked quickly as rifle rounds pocketed the wall of the small building she was in, her arm hurt like hell where the bullet had hit her. Her radio crackled "Dammit General, what the hell are you doing up there with my lead Battalion?" Colonel Betsy Rodonald yelled
"Leading by example. I am fine, I have an entire platoon with me. Be nice to get some armor support though." Lieutenant General Daniels responded
"Already on the way. Should be arriving any minute. Your not a Company commander any more, you have an entire Brigade to look after, remember that." Colonel Rodonald scolded
Before Lieutenant General Daniels could respond, clanking tank treads announced the arrival of the promised tank support as a platoon of Merkava rolled past and blasted the offending building across the street. "Up and at them, let's go!!!" She yelled as she darted out the door leading the charge with her platoon right on her heels.
By nightfall, Lieutenant General Daniels stood before Major General Hanesworth "City is secured sir. I took 59 dead and 167 wounded. The Rim Jobs lost 397 killed and we have 591 prisoners, 283 of them wounded. They put up a stiff fight and since I did not know where any civilians might be, we have to do things the hard way."
Major General Hanesworth looked at Olivia Daniels standing before him in her torn and dirty uniform. He could clearly see the bullet hole with dried blood on her upper sleeve. "Get that from a sniper?" He asked, already knowing that she was up on the frontlines with her troops.
"No sir, I was a little slow in getting to cover when they first opened up on us. My troops need to know that I am willing to take the same risks as them. Most of my troopers have more time in service than I do." Lieutenant General Daniela responded
"Go get the doctors to take a look at that. Let's not make this a habit. Good work Olivia." Major General Hanesworth said
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell was again taking advantage of Amanda Cameron's nap time to get some work done. In anticipation of Task Force Raider's return, she had talked to the few small mining outfits on Thazi about the natural resources the planet held. They had informed her that Thazi was fairly rich in minerals and ores, but outside of their current mine locations, tbey had no clue what else the planet held. None of them had the extra people to do proper survey's since there were less than 10,000 miners on Thazi which could barely keep up with the needs of the local industry.
This would be a problem. They would have to expand the mining ability to support any kind of real production. They were going to need a massive influx of mining equipmemt and experienced miners and especially people who knew how to find the best places to mine. This was way outside her expertise.
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Daniels needs to not do that again. She's made the point. Now she needs to make the point that she can lead a Division, and not just a platoon.
On Thazi, SOMEBODY should be able to do a proper survey...
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27 February 2769
Rim Worlds Outpost #4
Major General Gregory Hanesworth turned around when someone touched his arm, Lieutenant General Olivia Daniels gestured for him to follow her. The noise level inside the factory complex was too loud for any conversation. When they reached the outdoors, he saw that she had brought several civilians with her but his eyes focused on a Rim World officer under guard not far away. "What have you got Olivia?"
"This is Peter Sajak, seems he was in charge of the factory. The others are his supervisors. That Rim Job over there is Taxiarchos Waylon Hazot, the commander of the Outpost. The civilians are in bad shape, malnurished, and all show some signs of being abused, many have some serious scars. We sort of rescued him from getting hanged by Peter Sajak and this group here." Lieutenant General Daniels said
"Really, so Mr. Sajak, care to explain why you were trying to hang this man?" Major General Hanesworth asked
"Easy, he was a cruel, abusive piece of crap excuse for a human. I have been here almost 9 years, before that, I worked for NETC on New Earth as one of the lead engineers. I got approached by folks with a promise of a huge raise and my own factory to run. Well, the huge raise lasted until we left known space, and I did get my own factory. But once we got out here, well as far as I know, all payment stopped, we never got to leave here and that piece of crap over there ran this place like a slave driver. Since we have been here, that thing over there is responsible for the deaths of at least 800 workers." Peter Sajak said
"You witnessed these deaths?" Major General Hanesworth asked
"Yes sir, I have seen him shoot a worker that failed to perform to his standards as an example. I myself have been beaten for standing up to him. I also can see your dismantling the factory and would like to inform you that your doing it wrong. Not if you plan to rebuild it easily anyway. Get me and my people off this rock and we can assist you in doing it the right way." Peter Sajak said
"How are we doing it wrong?" Major General Hanesworth asked
"For one thing, your using combat engineers, they destroy stuff for a living. They are taking apart the machinery for ease of movement, that is not how you do it. Those assembly lines break down into sections. I built this factory out here. I know it inside and out. Get us off this rock, and we will have this factory dismantled the right way in about 2 weeks time." Peter Sajak said
"Okay Mr Sajak, bring your people over and show us the correct way to do stuff. It is going to be a long trip and your going to be stuck in cargo bays for the journey, it's not going to be pleasant." Major General Hanesworth replied
"We will manage the trip General. I will gather my workers at once. What about Hazot?" Peter Sajak asked
"I will let you know Mr Sajak." Major General Hanesworth said
14 March 2769
True to his word, Peter Sajak had the factory dismantled in record time. Now Major General Hanesworth faced the reality of trying to transport 55,327 people back to Thazi. They were going to chew thru supplies at a massive rate. Even if he put the entire combined force on half rations, it was going to be close. Really close. But he had no choice, he could not abandon these people. Consulting with Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, she had suggested having SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette depart ahead of the convoy and using a combination of standard and double jumps, they could arrange for a supply convoy from Thazi to meet them. SLS Halthom had departed on 3 March. They had calculated that SLS Halthom should arrive at Thazi around May 2769.
Rear Admiral Tanaka had ordered RWS Firefly, Riga Frigate and SLS Dominator, Vincent Corvette placed into orbit of the 4th planet in the system for possible later recovery. The stable orbit had been calculated to last 350 years before it degraded enough to endanger the ships. Neither ship was capable of returning to Thazi with the convoy.
Task Force Raider would depart to return to Thazi on 26 March.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had convinced the 3 small mining concerns to each provide a team of surveyors to assist in surveying the planet's resources. She would provide them with transportation and escorts. She had ordered SLS Sneak, Bug Eye Surveillance into orbit and using the advanced sensors aboard, she now had detailed scans of the entire planet. These she provided to each of the survey teams. The survey teams had gotten all giddy when they studied the scans and could not wait to hit the field.
1 April 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt finally returned from their mission. On the surface, both were brought to General Mitchell's quarters where they brought her up to speed on news from the Inner Sphere and results of their missions.
"General Kerensky has captured the Rim Worlds Republic. Seems most of the SLDF is still there. None of the Great Houses are helping him. We sold the Drost Dropships and you have 2 Billion dollars sitting in my personal account. Which Martha also now has access to. I guess if the modified Jumbo Dropships are ready, it is time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain now and go get your dependents." Martin Zuni said
"They are ready. But we have to delay that mission, something more important came up and your escort is not available right now. I will not risk the mission without an escort. So, in the meantime, I am going to need mining equipment and experienced miners." General Mitchell said
"Miners are easy, Wokha, right next door has more miners than you can shake a stick at, along with several other planets out here. It is the only thing on that rock, massive mines. If they have not been able to move their stuff, which I highly doubt, I bet most of the mines have been idled. I can head over there and check it out if you like. Gives me something to do while I wait for that escort. Martha can take another batch of Drost to Bastrop to sell and buy your mining equipment. I can give her the name of my contact there to sell them." Martin Zuni replied
"That would be of great help Mr Zuni. Take a few of the modified Jumbo with you, just in case you score some that want to migrate back here. Maximum secrecy sir. That is paramount above everything else." General Mitchell said
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No mention of Outpost#4's supply situation? ???
Th malnourished comment could have simply been mistreatment...
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No mention of Outpost#4's supply situation? ???
Th malnourished comment could have simply been mistreatment...
The civvies might not know about the supply situation. I mean, they might assume that the reduced ration are because their Rimjob commander is being an ****** just for the sake of being an ******.
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..you know the only thing missing is..a Hegemony Memory Core....just sayin...something that a Royal Blackwatch bolthole ship/plan might actually have....considering how much the SLDF was into GOTHWA plans..
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18 April 2769
Deep Space
Commodore Delvaney, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship watched as SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser made it's test jump to a destination 15,000km away. Everyone sighed a breath of relief when she materialized right on target. "Conroy to Salvation, we are 122km from our planned target point. Completely within the margin of error for a Deep Space plot. Everything checks in the green. In 3 hours we should be ready to make a jump with out LF Batteries to the next systems Jump Point. We can then recharge both our Drive and Batteries while everyone else charges their Drive." Commodore Zeibler reported
"Roger Conroy. We will plan to make the jump in 4 hours. No need to rush things. I already have the manufacturing department working on your last 2 Transit Drives. Should be ready for installing all 4 once we get back to Thazi. Two months after we arrive at Thazi, you should be back to combat readiness." Commodore Delvaney replied
"I cannot wait, not even going to try and attempt to lie. Sill feel like a damned fool." Commodore Zeibler said
"I have seen dumber mistakes. In 2 months, we should be back at Thazi." Commodore Delvaney answered
Wokha (Outworlds Alliance)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni had taken his shuttle down to the space port located near the Capital City of Naya La Massana. He had left his Merchant Jumpship at the Nadir Jump Point, with 2 squads of SLDF Marines on board. Attached were 2 converted Jumbo Dropships, each with an additional 2 squads of SLDF Marines aboard. They had strict orders that if he does not communicate with them at noon each day, they were to immediately jump for Thazi. General Rita Mitchell had the 211th Hussar Regiment on alert for deployment, just in case. There was no telling if any rebel forces were on planet or not.
He disembarked from his shuttle and was surprised to be greeted by literally hundreds of space port workers and quickly picked out several SLDF uniforms in the crowd but pushing their way towards him. When they reached him, an officer appeared "Your the first shuttle we have seen in a long time. I am Colonel Alexis Prater, ranking officer of the SLDF forces on the planet. How might you be?"
"Ship's Captain Martin Zuni, also CEO of ZaP Interstellar Shipping. I am very surprised to find any SLDF here. Heck, I was half expecting to find the rebel forces here meeting me at gun point."
"They departed about a year ago. We conducted a harrassment campaign for almost 2 years. Used to be the 8th Conventional Regimental Combat Team here. Have you had any other word from anywhere? We have been cut off since 2765 when the rebels blew the damned HPG station. Getting really low on food supplies." Colonel Prater explained
"Actually, the war against the rebels is over. But the really bad news is that it seems Stefan Amaris has pulled a coup and now controls the Terran Hegemony. General Kerensky and the SLDF are all in the Rim Worlds Republic which they have conquered. Blown up HPG's seems to be the rebels favorite tactic, most planets out here are communication less. But I need to communicate with my ship, if you will please wait here for a few minutes." Zuni said
Minutes later, he transmitted a message to his Merchant Jumpship "Zuni here, seems the rebels left about a year ago. But still some SLDF here. Once your recharged, jump back home and inform General Mitchell. Then come back and get me or deliver further orders. Tell her we need food. A bunch."
Once he was back outside, he said "There are some things I cannot go into Colonel Prater, not right now. But I am sending my Jumpship back to get some supplies for you all. But your going to like how things go once they return for me in a few weeks." Zuni said
24 April 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The quick return of Martin Zuni's Merchant Jumpship caused General Rita Mitchell to almost order the waiting 211th Hussar Regiment and SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser to immediately jump for Wokha. But the news that he had found Wokha free of enemy forces and with surviving SLDF troops, but in need of supplies caused her to rethink things. Instead she had 2 Mammoth Dropships loaded with food and originally destined for Pilon to divert and for them to dock with one of the Invader Jumpships. She then issued orders for Colonel Nabokov to take his 211th Hussar Regiment, Zuni's Merchant Jumpship and the Invader Jumpship with the 2 Mammoth Dropships to Wokha. He was to assume a garrison post on Wokha, but not reveal anything further at this time. She needed to figure this out.
30 April 2769
Wokha (Outworlds Alliance)
When the small fleet of Jumpships arrived at the Nadir Jump Point and detached a flood of Dropships, on the surface, Colonel Prater toyed with shooting Zuni on the spot. But 45 minutes later, a message arrived announcing the arrival of the 211th Hussar Regiment with supplies for Wokha came over the radio waves. Even then, Martin Zuni was a little worried he would get shot.
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..beware Merchant Geeks bearing gifts.. >:D
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looks like they might get another planet to add to their population base.
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looks like they might get another planet to add to their population base.
with well trained miners
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Definitely one more planet for the Exiles... Since the OA has obviously abandoned them too...
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21 May 2769
Rover (Deep Periphery)
SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette materialized at the Nadir Jump Point and quickly established a HPG link with Boulsi and sent Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka's message that she had passed to Commodore Anthony Blaymore, commander SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette. The message was not long but hit all the high points.
To: General Rita Mitchell, Commander SLDF Forces
From: Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, Task Force Raider
Mission successful. Captured Rim World Riga Frigate, another Riga Frigate and SLS Dominator placed in safe orbit due to severe damage. Also captured 5 Leviathon Jumpships and 40 Mammoth Dropships. Hundreds of Battlemechs, Tanks and Aerospace Fighters captured. Factory complex being dismantled. Will be bringing back additional 55,327 personnel from Outpost. Will need immediate and heavy resupply due to additional passengers. SLS Halthom knows our path of travel, Task Force Departure date is 26 March.
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka
Officers manning the Mobile HPG on Boulsi quickly acknowledged the message and then relayed it to Thazi.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell received the HPG message and did not hesitate. She ordered 10 Mammoth Dropships loaded with food and supplies which would then link up with the 5 Tramp LF Jumpships. They would accompany SLS Halthom for the initial resupply using a combination of single and double jumps. She then ordered 18 of the converted Jumbo Dropships to dock with 3 Star Lord Jumpships along with 18 Czar Dropships that would dock with an additinal 3 Star Lord Jumpships, they would form a much slower convoy escorted by SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser. At least it would provide a more comfortable ride for most of the additional personnel for the last leg of their journey.
Satisfied that everything was in order, she returned to planning her visit to Wokha along with Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi and Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi. Their mission was to try and convince the Governor of Wokha to join the Terran Hegemony.
11 June 2769
Wokha (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell, Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi and Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi were greeted at the space port by Colonel Yuri Nabokov, 211th Hussar Regiment, Colonel Alexis Prater, commander 8th Conventional RCT and Seamus Kelley, Governor of Wokha and Martin Zuni. Introductions were exchanged and the small group headed for a nearby building that Martin Zuni had been staying in while on Wokha.
"General Mitchell, on behalf of the people of Wokha, I would like to thank you for dispatching the food supplies using SLDF transports. It could take years to refill our planetary reserve. The Star League had started our Terraforming process to improve our soil for food production, but the damned rebels destroyed what they started and killed most of the Technicians. But Colonel Prater did manage to rescue 38 of the Terraforming Technicians. Then they destroyed our HPG before leaving." Seamus Kelley said
"No thanks are necessary Governor Kelley. It is the mission and duty to look out for those we are sworn to protect." General Mitchell replied
"Well thank you anyway. I cannot believe the Alliance has not sent anyone to check on us out here. That is a major failure on their part. We that came from the Federated Suns years ago, are pissed. Those from the Outworlds Alliance are getting there slowly, but it has caused some of the old tensions to flare back up." Governor Kelley said
"That is something we came to discuss with you Governor Kelley. But, I am going to leave with Mr Zuni and Colonel Nabokov while Mr Ludell and Ms Thompson talk with you. I need to review the security arrangements." General Mitchell said
Once outside, she walked with Martin Zuni and Colonel Nabokov across the tarmac. "Had any problems Yuri?"
"There have been some reports of small clashes between the 2 main cities here. Colonel Prater's people mainly handled that. But I think I know what you have planned, and if they join us, you might want to assign a full Division over here for security. I am a little light on Infantry and if a major riot breaks out, my Battlemechs are not really what will be needed to break it up." Colonel Nabokov said
"I will take that under advisement. Martin, what do you think?" General Mitchell asked
"Well, I think they will go for it. I assume you mean joining the Terran Hegemony. Most of the tension is also from lack of work, with no way to ship their ores, most of the mines are idled. The have roughly 18 million people on this rock. Putting them back to work will really ease the tensions. I spoke to one of the smaller mine owners and he is more than willing to uproot his operation and head for Thazi, if you still have that in mind. By small, I mean about 85,000 people. Roughly 28,000 workers and their families. The food shortage sort of scared them." Martin Zuni said
"That is a lot of people to move. I hate the thought of delaying the Jumbo's longer than I have to." General Mitchell said
"I have been giving that some thought General. I think you need to talk to that Delvaney woman, think about converting a couple of your Mammoth Dropships. Should be able to carry way more people than the Jumbo's. Plus, I been thinking about the mission to get your dependents. Taking 8 Invader Jumpships is going to draw unwanted attention. But if we could slim that down by half, I think we have a better chance of slipping in without too much attention." Martin Zuni said
General Mitchell hated to give up any of her Mammoth Dropships, they were the primary supply haulers of her combat commands, but then she remembered that was not really an issue now that Rear Admiral Tanaka was on the way with an additional 40 of them. "I will surely do that the moment she returns Martin. Good idea. Any other suggestions?"
"Not really General. You seem to have a firm grasp of the situation. But you might want to start thinking about what your going to do when the Outworlds Alliance comes a calling and wants their worlds back." Martin Zuni said
"I think about that very issue quite often Martin. But I have come to realize that there is no since in worrying over it. There are too many other things to worry about." General Mitchell said
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It strikes me the OA will have a heck of a time convincing people to accept them as the rightful rulers after abandoning them to the rebels for years... Assuming the OA even thinks those worlds are worth reclaiming...
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13 June 2769
Wokha (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell was being briefed by Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi and Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi on the last few days of discussions with Seamus Kelley, Governor of Wokha.
"He still believes in his appointed duty to the Outworlds Alliance. We tried to explain to him that the fighting out here has been over since 2767, and yet still the Outworlds Alliance has not seen fit to uphold their duty, which was to support us out here. Two years is more than enough time to at least send ships into the area to reestablish contact with planets cut off from communication. We are going to meet again in 2 days, give him a few days to think this over more." Harold Ludell said
"Do you think the additional days will do the trick?" General Mitchell asked
"Personally, no. I think he is going to stand fast." Harold Ludell said and Linda Thompson nodded agreement
"Then what do you suggest we do?" General Mitchell asked
"You could militarily take control of the planet. I doubt the people would resist the move. Or we could pull our support and direct it to another planet willing to join, Ddraig is right next door. Give the planet a good taste of what being cut off really feels like. Once the people start really starving, I am pretty sure they will overthrow Kelley and petition us to join." Linda Thompson said
General Mitchell shook her head "No, I will not starve innocent civilians to sway a decision."
"Neither do I and I am glad you agree. Someone had to toss the idea out here and honestly, I was curious to see how you responded. Sorry General Mitchell. I think in 2 days, we can at least convince Seamus Kelley to at least allow the people to make the decision for themselves. Then we have a vote, even if he does not support it. The people will vote to join, I can almost guarantee it. Those are Star League transports delivering food, not Alliance transports." Linda Thompson said
"Then we wait another 2 days. I will send Martin Zuni over to Ddraig and at least dip his toe into the water. We can have him test the water anyway. I will have to return to Thazi within the week, you understand?" General Mitchell said
"Of course. Me and Linda have no problem staying behind and helping to campaign on behalf of the Terran Hegemony. Explain to the people how it has helped us after being abandoned by the Outworlds Alliance." Harlod Ludell said
"Very well, get some rest. I will go hunt down Martin Zuni." General Mitchell said as she left both Governors.
It took an hour to find Martin Zuni, sitting inside a cabin of one of the grounded converted Jumbo Dropships. After letting her into the small cabin he was using while on the planet, he sat back down on one of the bunks waving her to the only chair in the small cabin. "Please sit General. How goes the diplomatic front?"
"Not very well. Seems Kelley is still loyal to the Outworlds Alliance. We might have to have a vote without his support, which brings a danger of a possible civil war with it." General Mitchell said
"Will be a very short war if you ask me. You did not come hunt me down for my advice. Not my forte, so what may I ask are my new orders?" Martin Zuni asked
"Feel like taking a trip over to Ddraig? Get us an intel assessment of things." General Mitchell asked
"Your the boss out here General Mitchell. I have been giving it a lot of thought, I might be technically a Merchant Captain, but you have placed an enormous amount of trust in me. You trusted me not to take the several billions and just run with it. Heck, you did not even throw a fit when I told you I have 2 Billion sitting in my personal account for your use. But you have given me and Martha Pruitt a huge leg up on starting a major shipping company and that is a huge debt to repay." Martin Zuni said
"Trust only goes so far Martin, you forget, I had 2 squads of Marines on board every Jumpship, including yours and Martha Pruitts. They did have orders to retake the ships and bring you back to Thazi if you made a break for it. Doubt I would have shot you, but I would have terminated any further dealings with you and canceled our deal for the remaining Invader Jumpships and such. I am just glad it never came to that." General Mitchell said with a sly smile
"Forgot about them. Not sure how, they are still aboard my Merchant Jumpship after all." Martin Zuni said with a smile
"More for security now Martin. As long as you are assisting my forces, I will not leave you out here without support. I will be leaving in a week for Thazi. Be ready to head for Ddraig when I depart." General Mitchell said standing up
"I will be ready. You still want me to plan on transporting those miners to Thazi?" Martin asked
"Yes, and possibly any others that wish to leave here. When I get back, hopefully Commodore Delvaney will be back, I will have my remaining Mammoth Dropships converted to passenger carriers." General Mitchell reponded and smiled when Martin Zuni tossed her a sloppy salute
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, had materialized at the Nadir Jump Point, but she had sent a HPG message the moment they were a single jump away notifying them of their return. No since creating a panic for Rear Admiral Tanaka. But she was surprised to find only SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser in system. She was quickly brought up to speed on the raid on the Rimworlds Outpost and the rapid departure of ships to resupply the returning Task Force.
Now she concerned herself with getting her ship ready to bring SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser into her repair bay so that they could install the new Transit Drives.
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Delvaney has her priorities right! :thumbsup:
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Thazi can always use more population for all the work, so if this planet does not want to join? anyone leaving will quickly get work. Now finding a place for your family to live might be an issue.
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Is there anything able to be salvaged at Blommstein where they destroyed 6 corvettes or at Thazi where they killed the 3 Lola II destroyers? Or is it even worth it. (Can a Newgrange build completely new ships?)
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Gonna leave Blommestein salvage or the possibility of any being there unanswered for now.
Thazi, the Lola II's are not salvageable. Newgrange can build full ships with the proper resources. Up to her own size, 2.4 million tons. Or so the fluff says.
Currently, they are not focused on any ship building, mainly repairs and upkeep on existing ships.
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If the Corps needs anything it's more on Hegemony level tech and munitions for it's SLDF and Royal equipment. With the withdrawal of the SLDF from it's Periphery bases for the Rim Worls and pending Hegemony campaigns. If there are further efforts on salvage it should be there. Pros and Cons..Cons first..well the level of opposition might be higher and the need for operational security, but with the current force strength , naval lift and the fact that no one expects a sizeable "SLDF" force coming back so soon to collect whatever stashed caches left behind it's myriad bases. On the pros, the areas to salvage are a lot closer than the RWO Deep Periphery. If they hit these SLDF bases fast enough, don't really see too many places resisting with adequate force from a SLDF task force with warships and up to a RCT or multi-regiment ground force, let alone a Divsion raiding force. With the returning raiders and ships on repair a reset of perhaps six months and the Corps should be ready again, of course the current priority is probably the securing and movement of the unit's dependents.
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i’d have Zuni contribute to a Jumsphip/Dropship school to train new spacers. throw in aero and
with SLDF instructors and you’d have a good grad class to man those empty ships and in time add warships to the curriculum.
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Was thinking about Quatre Belle 10th fleets naval yards repair facility must have at least a caretaking force on it.
Not an expert on SL but what did they do with major facilities in the periphery nations when they went to curb stomp The Usurper?
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Quatra Belle is listed as being heavily stripped for parts. I am going to assume the SLDF or someone came a calling for the place and took all the best stuff. If I would have been Kerensky, I would have stripped it best I could and have the stuff meet up at New Samarkand before they jumped into the Periphery.
Deep Spin, located in the Outworlds Alliance also, there is no canon record of that particular maintenance facility or should I say what happened to it. But I know what is going to happen to it. LOL
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Heh... ^-^
I like the cut of your jib...
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Was out of town all week. Will work on new post this afternoon. Sorry for the delay
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Real Life interfering with good stories as usual....God as a curious sensse of humour i see.
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27 June 2769
Wokha (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell was preparing to depart for her return to Thazi. Governor's Harold Ludell and Linda Thompson were staying behind to campaign in favor of Wokha joining the Terran Hegemony. Seamus Kelley, Governor of Wokha still opposed the measure, but promised he would not stand in the way of a vote on the matter by the population of Wokha. Her Mobile HQ's HPG had brought word of SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, recovery and return to Thazi. This news bouyed her spirits greatly. The HPG situation still was a major concern. Outside of Rear Admiral Tanaka's Wirlwind Destroyer, the 4 Vincent Corvettes and SLS Salvation, they had 11 HPG equipped Mobile HQ's. Each Division was equipped with one of the precious Mobile HQ's, along with one for the 211th Hussar, 19th Hussar and 277th Dragoon. She had assigned the last one to Colonel Calloway and the 3391st Special Forces.
While on Wokha, she had made a quick trip and seen the planet's HPG station. Where the dmaage to Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon's HPG's had been preety extensive, Wokha's HPG did not seem as badly damaged. She made a mental note to herself to gather the remaining 67 HPG personnel and send them over here and see if it would be possible to repair the station here. Since the Star League controlled the HPG stations anyway, no matter how the vote went, they would at least have a working HPG in easy range. Martin Zuni had departed for the Jump Point yesterday to head for Ddraig. The 2 converted Jumbo Dropships were finishing loading with the first lift of 2,000 miners heading for Thazi. Her Star Lord Jumpship would transport them back to Thazi with her.
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
Jessica Parington, Governor of Blommestein and Governor Pro Tem of the Blommestein Province, wished for better days of the past. With no communication with Alpheratz, and with decreasing Jumpship traffic in the region, she was finding it almost impossible to track what was happening within the province. During the Uprising, the populations of most of the worlds in the Blommestein Province had remained loyal to the Star League. This had kept turmoil on the planet's themselves to a minimum, but here on Blommestein the destruction of the 149th Mechanized Infantry Division by the rebels and then the hasty retreat of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division after several nuclear strikes had caused many to question their loyalty. Luckily, the rebel forces had moved on quickly once the SLDF forces had either been destroyed or evicted, leaving the people of Blommestein to return to their lives.
With her normal garrison, Blommestein Guards, almost always off planet, she had ordered as much salvage from the SLDF and Rebel forces to be gathered into a central collection point near the capital of New Tamasi. There, they had managed to scrape together and repair enough equipment to form an Armored Regiment and 3 Infantry Regiments. There had been enough SLDF survivors along with those recently retired SLDF to aid in the repairs and training of the militia force over the last few years since the rebel departure.
She only had 2 old Liberty Jumpships operational while another 2 Liberty Jumpships were no longer jump capable. The crew of the 2 Liberty Jumpships not operational had worked tirelessly on recovering one of the Vigilant Corvettes, and had managed to at least effect enough repairs that it could sustain an atmosphere. But it was deemed too beat up without extensive shipyard time, which they did not have access too. It had been left at the Nadir Jump Point. Her 2 operational Liberty Jumpships worked tirelessly trying to keep many planets fed and supplied in the Blommestein Province.
Ceiba (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Benjamin Manfield, commander 3281st Special Forces Battalion, had for the last 4 years played a deadly game of cat and mouse against the rebel forces on planet. Luckily, the population had supported them, providing intelligence and supplies, at great risk to themselves. When the Uprising began, his Battalion had been over strength, but now was at 50% strength, but sustained by a supply cache that they had been assigned to emplace on the planet. Enough supplies to keep a Independent Regiment in action for several years.
3281st Special Forces Battalion (2765)
A Company - 48 Nighthawk
B Company - 48 Nighthawk
C Company - 48 Nighthawk
D Company - 12 Exterminator EXT-4C
3281st Special Forces Battalion (2769)
A Company - 48 Nighthawk
B Company - 48 Nighthawk
D Company - 4 Exterminator EXT-4C
He still had another 4 Exterminator Battlemechs, but they were down for lack of spare parts. They had lost control of their Dropships in the initial invasion, which contained the special parts needed to maintain the advanced Exterminator Battlemechs. Currently they were held up in a densley wooded area up next to a mountain range where SLDF engineers had carved a massive cavern to hold the supply chache. Over the last 4 months, they had not launched anu raids on the rebel force remaining on planet, which were onoy a few infantry regiments in strength, but they had mainly pulled back into a garrison attitude.
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Percy Seimens, commander Deep Spin Maintence Yard, had not been able to reach anyone with their working HPG. They had not been able to get a lock on any HPG stations in range. Having been cut off since the Uprising, he had pulled in all the DoME crews for safety reasons. He had 5 complete Terraforming DoME crews in system for the last 3 years. All 5 DoME crews had been working on Terraforming planets in the region to boost various planets agriculture growing. Though Deep Spin did have the ability to provide the needed equipment for more substantial Terraforming, but most of those missions had already been completed years ago.
Deep Spin Mainenance Facility
2 Maintenance Shipyards (1M ton capacity each, basic manufacturing ability)
1 Germanium Processing Factory
1 Jump Core Factory
2 Medium Orbital Factory's
2 Large Habitat - 28,600 passenger each
2 Small Habitat - 5,880 passengers each
1 Olympus Recharge Station
3 Snowden Mining (1 orbit of Marshall, moon around Beaver Gas Giant, Germanium) (2 orbit James 1 and James 2, moons Low Gas Giant)
Escort was provided:
238th Striker Regiment - DoME escorts, 3 Mech Battalions, 2 Infantry Batt, 9 Union Dropships, 6 Fury Dropships
2391st Royal Independent Aero Wing - 54 Aerospace Fighters, 3 Titan Dropships, 3 Pentagon Dropships, Engineer Batt, Jump Infantry Regiment
SLS Buccaneer - Essex Destroyer (Garrison Fleet)
SLS Cartegena - Essex Destroyer (Garrison Fleet)
SLS Shield - Avatar Heavy Cruiser (Garrison Fleet)
5 Star Lord Jumpships - DoME, 30 Mule Dropships
5 Invader Jumpships - 238th Striker Regiment
Until he was able to reestablish contact with higher command, he refused to allow the DoME crews to return to their work and kept them all in system so as to be easier to protect everyone.
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Yikes... Ceiba's close to Linden... I guess Linden is just lucky the rebels didn't turn that way.
And I'm surprised Blommestein and the THiE haven't tripped over each other yet...
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those DoME crews will need some "make" work projects to keep them out of trouble. maybe they could spin a rock and use the insides for water park and R an R location.
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Not yet, Mitchell has allowed the Merchants to go to Maripa, but mainly she has kept them in Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon area, now Wokha. Ddraig will be next probably.
Blommestein has mainly been concerning with the direction towards Alpheratz and Feijo with some forays to Shira and Zetang.
Yeah Ceiba is real close to Linden.
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What was the strength of the units that joined the 272nd in their way back with Amanda Cameron. The units were elements of the 208th, 370th, 284th, 318th, 201st and the 165th.
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..the 8th Conventional RCT just got mentioned in passing but no real details..
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208th BM Div - 1 BM Batt, 2 Inf Batt
370th BM Div - 2 Inf Batt
284th BM Div - 2 BM Batt
318th BM Div - 1 BM Batt, 2 Inf Batt
201st Battle Reg - 1 BM Comp
165th MI Div - 2 BM Batt
8th Conv RCT - 2 Inf Reg.....full strength 1 Armor Wheel Reg, 3 Infantry Reg
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:thumbsup:
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The conventional Regimental Combat Teams are Canon...….1 Wheeled Armor Regiment and 3 Infantry Regiments.
Mainly used in the Concordat and Canopus, but 18th Army had requested 2 of them for evaluation per the SLDF handbook. I might make a more heavy use of them that they did on Canon. But I have been toying with Renaming them a Brigade Combat Team, and adding a Light Battlemech Battalion to them. Primary purpose is garrison duty. Keeps my main forces for offensive duties or heavy response as we expand slowly. Like this:
Brigade Combat Team (new configuration)
Infantry Regiment - 1 Wheel Batt, 3 Infantry Batt
Infantry Regiment - 1 Wheel Batt, 3 Infantry Batt
Infantry Regiment - 1 Wheel Batt, 3 Infantry Batt
Light Battlemech Battalion
Each attached Wheel Battalion is broken to 1 Company per Infantry Battalion. If I use Turhan's, well that covers transport for each Company since a Platoon can carry a full Company of Infantry. God knows I have a gazillion light Battlemechs. Mainly Stingers, but I can mod them pretty easy, add some small pulse lasers. Just need a factory, convert all those Stingers to Royal's and remove 1/2 ton of armor. Now they have 2 Med Lasers and 2 small pulse lasers for anti-infantry work. Still a work in progress but it gives each garrison force a respectable anti pirate defense until a more massive response force arrives.
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Those Light Battlemech Battalions are going to want a few Mediums, though... at least for Company Commanders if nothing else.
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Hard part is finding a Command Mech Medium or Light that can keep up with the faster Stingers. But needs to have some staying power. Those Royal's are 7/11/7 movers. Things are always subject to change. Just tossed out an idea I had bouncing in my head.
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Assassin?
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If it has a Royal variant, sure...
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No Royal, but I could probably make one. I might make it a medium Battalion, not sure yet. I think that will be a few years down the road.
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Ooo… that sounds like a cool design challenge... ^-^
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16 September 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka and Task Force Raider returned to Thazi today. The captured Riga Frigate, RWS Dragonfly was moved to a holding pattern while the SLDF ships began scheduling maintenance with SLS Salvation and the modified Olympus Station. A massive swarm of Dropships began undocking and heading for the planets surface, those carrying the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division, 3391st Special Forces and a flood of Mammoth, Jumbo and Czar Dropships loaded with the refugee's from the Rimworlds Outpost.
19 September 2769
General Rita Mitchell, notified of the amount of incoming Dropships, had designated a large plain 80km from the Capital as the landing zone for all the Mammoth, Jumbo and Gremlin Dropships. The 29th MID and 3391st landed at the space port. She had deployed her 2721st Brigade to secure the temporary landing zone. Even though she had a firm count on the number of incoming Dropships, she was still awed by the sheer number slowly settling to the ground. 52 Mammoth, 18 Jumbo and 18 Czar Dropships was still an swesome sight to behold.
She turned when she heard a hover vehicle screaming towards her from behind. Major General Hanesworth and Colonel Calloway exited the moment it stopped. When they reached her Major General Hanesworth said "General Mitchell, your not going to believe what is in those Dropships. The short version is roughly:
400 Stingers
200 Firestarters
300 Phoenix
300 Talos
150 Archer
150 Battlemaster
200 Marsden
1,000 Merkava
70 Marksman Artillery
1,000 Korvin
100 LVT-4 Hover
800 Ignis Tanks
2,000 Heavy Tracked APC
2,400 Sherpa Trucks
100 Star Dagger Fighters
80 Typhoon Fighters
94,000 tons of ammunition and spare spare parts
Plus a complete tank factory and ammuntion factory. I have the complete inventory manifests but my counts are close. We have 55,491 civilians, we had a few births on the trip back. We broght back the surviving Rim Job warships crews, but the ground troops, well we left the on that rock. They were pure scum. Doubt we have the Mechwarriors or Fighter Pilots for the new gear, but we have plenty of tanks to bring everyone up to strength and ebough ammunition to actually start an armor school if you so desire. A Peter Sajak ran the factory complex out there, used to work for NETC before he got snookered and hauled out there. Knows his stuff and helped get the factory tore down in record time. I have spoken to him a bunch on the trip back, I think he would be a natural selection to put the factories back into operation and even run them, but that is your call General."
The numbers Major General Hanesworth had said stunned General Mitchell into silence. Just storing that amount of equipment was going to be a major challenege. "Now way all of this came from the single Outpost."
"No sir, the Rim World convoy we jumped had made pickups at 2 other Outposts. Number 7 produces tanks and fighters, number 11 is a Battlemech factory. According to the manifests anyway. We also have firm locations and routes to each one. I had Rear Admiral Tanaka do some calculations, it would take a year to reach 7 from here, and almost 2 years to reach 11 from here. That is some serious travel time." Major General Hanesworth said
"That is not an option right now. Get with this Peter Sajak and get the factory complex put back together. If his people are willing to anyway. Use the engineers to help nay way they can. Once it is back in operation, we can see what me can make from it. But first, get the engineers to start building some housing for the civilians. Once they get settled, we will have a talk with them and see where they stand. They are restricted to 5km from this area. I have troops posted to secure the area and they will only turn them back. Make sure they get fed and I will send a MASH truck over to see to any health issues." General Mitchell replied
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The marooned ground forces had better figure out farming fast...
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Hard part is finding a Command Mech Medium or Light that can keep up with the faster Stingers. But needs to have some staying power. Those Royal's are 7/11/7 movers. Things are always subject to change. Just tossed out an idea I had bouncing in my head.
Spector would be my choice.
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No Royal, but I could probably make one. I might make it a medium Battalion, not sure yet. I think that will be a few years down the road.
Could be a mixed battalion - one fast medium company (Phoenix Hawks for example) and two light companies.
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if only Rita knew of the crisis of food shortage those outpost were having. on the other hand she’s gonna need those other factories sooner than she thinks.
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Made a Royal version of the Talos, XL engine, endo, ferro.....7/11/7, ERLL, 3 MPL and 2SPL, upped armor to 9 tons. Got a bunch of them, so they can fill out the garrison Mech Battalions. When the time comes. Gonna have to watch that heat with only 10 double heat sinks.
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Made a Royal version of the Talos, XL engine, endo, ferro.....7/11/7, ERLL, 3 MPL and 2SPL, upped armor to 9 tons. Got a bunch of them, so they can fill out the garrison Mech Battalions. When the time comes. Gonna have to watch that heat with only 10 double heat sinks.
Nice design.
I can see field modifications for that one - either replace the ERLL with a regular LL, or replace one or more MPL with regular ML and add heat sinks. Both to keep the heat in check, of course.
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1 October 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell was impressed as she watched a non stop flow of cement trucks flowing in and out of the designated factory complex. She had seen the "blue prints" for the complex, but it looked much bigger than what she remembered seeing. She noticed Peter Sajak had seen her and was heading her way. "General Mitchell, I was not expecting you."
"Not a problem Mr Sajak. I am curious though, from the plans you showed me, correct me if I am wrong but the foundations your pouring seem to be much larger than I remember seeing on the plans." General Mitchell said
"They are larger, quite a bit larger. See, I was a production lead supervisor for New Earth Trading Company before being hired away. Well, they never took my laptop away from me when I left. Seems I still have all the design information for the Manticore, all versions of the Alacorn and Engineering Vehicle on there from NETC. But I also have design specs for the Heavy Hover APC, Heavy Wheel APC and a few design plans that Amaris supplied to me before I was sent out here, but never got the equipment to build them, not sure how he even got his hands on them. But, it might take some time, but I have complete designs for the Chevalier Light Tank and Reaper Self Propelled Artillery.
Along with the design plans, I also have the weapons design plans for the Parti-Kill PPC, SureShot Mk VI SRM-6, Far Fire Medium Missile Rack LRM/10, OMI High Burn Medium Laser, Norse-Storm Gauss Rifles, Blankenburg ER Large Laser and Zone-Tone Streak SRM-2. Not to mention all the specs for the armor, engines and electronics for every design. And anything I don't have access to, well I have some of the best engineers that can be found outside of the Terran Hegemony itself, because most originally came from there. Ammunition design specialists, weapons design specialists, pretty much you name it, and we can either build it, or if given a copy and a few months we can reverse engineer it for production.
I planned to do away with the Ignis completely, and probably the Korvin. Modify the Korvin line to manufacture Manticore and the Ignis line to build Chevalier. I was going to leave it up to you to keep the Merkava line or convert it over to something else. I decided to build the factory with expansion in mind, should be able to fit an additional 4 production lines inside my current floorplan. Same for the ammunition complex. I have it planned to build just about any ammunition you desire except naval ammunition, I don't have anyone that can handle that. Before we got sent out to the outpost, Amaris himself asked me what I needed and I told him specialists in weapons and ammuntion, even exotic ammo types. Damned if he did not provide them. Give me a year and I will be able to build pretty much any vehicle you have on hand and supply you with any ammunition you desire, besides naval ammo. I will just need a copy to dismantle for reverse engineering." Peter Sajak promised
"Your pretty confident in your abilities Mr Sajak." General Mitchell said
"Pardon my expression General, but your damned right I am. Let me give you an example, my weapons specialist is Hajera Spangler, was one of Blankenburg's top weapons designers, I also have Trevor Nixon, expert in Defiance and Maxwell laser systems. My engine specialist is Irene Yemmon, used to work as an engineer at GM Fusion Engine Dept, expert on all GM fusion engines, including XL but really good on VLAR, VOX and Pitban. Pretty sure she can handle any design. Cameron Falcry is my armor specialist, he can even make Ferro Fibrous and even Ferro Aluminum if given the right material. We might not know how to build a Battlemech or Aerospace Fighters, but we can damn sure arm it, armor it and make the thing move. Amaris might be a total scum bag, but he damned sure staffed us with some of the best around he could find." Peter Sajak said
"You let me know when your ready, and I will see what I can do about providing you some examples to tear apart and play with." General Mitchell said
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Made a Royal version of the Talos, XL engine, endo, ferro.....7/11/7, ERLL, 3 MPL and 2SPL, upped armor to 9 tons. Got a bunch of them, so they can fill out the garrison Mech Battalions. When the time comes. Gonna have to watch that heat with only 10 double heat sinks.
Another variant to consider: Drop the ERLL and one MPL for a LPL.
Also, Amaris must have been offering to pay REALLY well to hire all those engineers. Now that they know how had they were, they'll work extra hard to get some pay back... ^-^
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Dammm! proverbial jackpot.
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5 October 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had called a comanders meeting and all major unit Commanders were in attendence. Sitting in the large conference room were:
Major General Carman - 280th Mechanized Infantry Division
Major General McGregor - 126th Mechanized Infantry Division
Major General Hanesworth - 29th Mechanized Infantry Division
Major General Baxter - 359th Battlemech Division
Major General Quieg - 31st Infantry Division
Major General Rommel - 322nd Armored Division
Colonel MacIntosh - Royal Black Watch
Colonel Estaban - 277th Dragoon Regiment
Colonel Fuentes - 19th Hussar Regiment (Royal)
Colonel Calloway - 3391st Special Forces
Rear Admiral Tanaka - Fleet Commander
She had left individual ship commanders at their duty stations along with the Marine Commanders, whose units were detailed to individual ships for security. She looked each commander in the eyes before starting.
"I called this meeting for several reasons. First, to Task Force Raider, excellent work. I am sorry we had to leave behind a Vincent Corvette, but we gained a Riga Frigate in return. Second, the recovered factory is going to take roughly a year to being online. But we have recovered enough ammunition for the Merkava tanks that I propose we start a tank school. The Infantry School was a great success and though recruitment is down from the intial enlistments, we fielded 8 Regiments of trained Infantry. We currently have 2 Regiments in training at this time. Almost all of our units are understrength in Armor so that is something I feel we can self correct.
Third, and this is a big one and I am not even sure we should attempt it. We are 612 Mechwarriors short for our current commands. We have no real idea when we will be back in full contact with higher command for replacements, and you all know why. But what we do have is a glut of light Battlemechs. Over 400 Stingers to be exact. Normal procedure to is not going to work out here for identifying potential Mechwarriors. But, we could take potential candidates and link them into a stationary Stinger, and see if it moves any. We have enough of them that even if we destroy 10 of them in the process, it will barely scratch our inventory. We currently have access to 30 million people, if we are lucky, maybe we can identify a few hundred candidates. We don't have training simulators, so they will train in the real thing, we can remove the weapons from them for safety. This will not be a rush course, the Infantry School was shortened without the higher education, I plan for the Armor school to be shortened the same way, but Mechwarriors will got through as tough an academy as we can establish. I figure 4 years training. Depending on the amount of candidates, we will determine class sizes. I figure, one year theory and getting used to how a Battlemech works, one year on movement, walking, running, jumping, standing up from a fall, the works. Then one year of weapons training and the final year on tactics and simulated combat exercises. That first year, they will work with the technicians to learn as much as they can.
Four, I am not going to risk trying to train Aerospace pilots. We are critcally short on them, but I am not going to have a bunch of lawn darts. That will have to go on the back burner.
Five, this pertains to Rear Admiral Tanaka. Warship crews. We have 3 warships currently unmanned. But, we do have former rebel warship crews manning Jumpships. This is your call Admiral, I am not going to force you to accept them as crews. But we need some kind of an answer to this problem. So, give it some thought.
Six, the vote on Wokha is scheduled for 1 November to join the Terran Hegemony. If it passes, the next question is, how far do we go? Martin Zuni should be back from Ddraig in the next week, if he is not, Colonel Funtes, your 19th Hussar will be going to get him back, by force if you must. I will send Colonel Calloway and the 3391st Special Forces with you. Now, I am open to discussion. So let's hear it." General Rita Mitchell said
Rear Admiral Tanaka spoke first "With all do respect General, I am not sure I can agree to have former enemies on active warships. But, there is a possivle other way. I have 110 crew from the Vincent we had to leave behind. We have 1,497 trained SLDF Jumpship crews. And another 2,187 Dropship crews with out ships.To fully man the 2 Dart Light Cruisers, Riga Frigate, and my other 2 Vincent Corvettes, I need 937 personnel. I can pull most from the Dropship crews, and only need the Navigators and Jump Core Techs from some of the Jumpships to fully man those warships. We can then fill in slots using those rebels that are deemed trustworthy. I can transfer some of our current officers around and even crews to even out the crews so we do not have inexperienced people all on a ship.
Plus your forgetting a huge issue, we have 439 small craft fully crewed. If we pull 1 pilot off each small craft, we would have 439 pilots available to work up to piloting Aerospace pilots. Heck, I know for a fact that at least half of those shuttle pilots used go be Aerospace Pilots. We can slot in some of your ex-rebels into the extra shuttle seat until they prove themselves. But it gives us 439 Aerospace pilots to train up. They all might not know dogfighting and ground attack, but at least they know how to fly in space and atmosphere already."
"Now that is an excellent idea Admiral Tanaka. Those are the idea's I need folks, help me." General Mitchell said
Major General Rommel spoke next "We can easily start an armor scholl and I have the perfect officer to command it. General Paul Kilgorian, the former Rebel Commander on Pilon. He is a tanker, hell he helped train the tank crews out in the deep periphery. And the ones I have in my 322nd Armored are not bad at all, maybe my SLDF are better, but those former rebels are damned good. They got good training. We can set the school up on Pilon, since I already have a full blown tank gunnery course established. Just need some recruits. I would help of course."
"Okay, that covers getting our armored forces back up to speed. How about the Mechwarrior school?" General Mitchell asked
Major General Baxter spoke next "It is not going to be easy, but I am willing to take on the task. I know I have 18 in my 359th BM Division that served time as instructors and I am pretty sure I can find a few more in the other commands. If I had to guess, I bet we have at least 80 former instructors scattered in the various commands. The first year, we can handle roughly 40 candidates per instructor, 2nd year figure we lose 30% and we start slimming down the class sizes, I would say no more than 3 candidates per instructor, 3rd year, we can pass the candidates off to our seasoned gunners for weapons training and then the last year we turn them over to field commanders for some real training. But I am sure we have more than 80 former instructors among the 2,600 Mechwarriors we already have. I would bet we have between 5 to 10% that served as instructors at one time or another. I would prefer Boulsi for the training site, the continent of Charton's Madness is perfect for it. Uninhabited, lots of varied land and can easily set up some good firing ranges. Train them intially on the Stingers and then progress them onto bigger and better machines."
"Anyone have a problem with the idea?" Major General Mitchell asked, no one said a word "Then that is what we do. I want 36 Stingers sent to each planet for initial testing of possible candidates. When we have a decent number, they all first undergo the established basic training course at the Infantry School, then we start them on getting used to being around Battlemechs. Major General Baxter, your in charge of the Mechwarrior program. Start rounding up your instructors. I expct full cooperation when he selects an instructor. I will pull from my 272nd MID replacement pilots to replace those he takes. Now, the biggie, If Wokha joins us, how far do we take this?"
"General, your the boss out here. You say take the Outworlds Alliance and we will go take the Outworlds Alliance. Probably lose, too much to try and control, but we damn sure will give our best. So far, we have been nibbling at the edge. I say we move in a little, see what kind of reaction we get. For that, Blommestein, the Province capital. We go there, they join us and the Alliance does nothing, well, we reevaluate. They react, then we make a choice, fight or pull back. I would vote fight, because failure to do so will see them here at Thazi then we have to fight." Major General Carman said
Several other commanders nodded in agreement. "Okay, Major General Carman, prepare your 280th MID, Major General McGregor, get the 126th MID ready. Admiral Tanaka, prepare an adequate protective escort if you would. We will see how the Alliance reacts to losing a Province Capital." General Mitchell said
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Yes, wait until you see what is on Outpost 7 and Outpost 11. Amaris was offering double their current salary, but it only lasted until they left the Inner Sphere, then he stopped payment. They just don't know it. Yet.
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Oh yeah, those are going to be some angry engineers...
+1 for Admiral Tanaka! When are they going to promote her, eh? ???
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any of those failed mech jocks would already have a base to become techs. So you could start expanding you tech support or production.
one area you might want to look at. some of those SLDF units had ground wings. some of them might make aerojocks. I would see if any of the planets have airlines or private pilots and see what that turns up. You also could go old school, set up a glider training out of local made production. then move into two seat jets again local made. that would give you a few atmosphere cleared pilots for advanced training in your ground attack units or the best can move up to small craft co-pilots.
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I like the conventional RCT idea. I’d also suggest rebuilding one or two of the
Disbanded BM divisions sometime down the road. MID are good and well but by Star league
Tactics normal was to use MID to pin enemy and allow BMD to smash them.
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25 October 2769
Thazi (Terran Alliance)
Ships Captain Martin Zuni was led into General Rita Mitchell's office. He did not even wait for the offer and plopped into the chair in front of her desk. "You look like crap Martin. Was it that bad?"
"I made a few extra stops, Ddraig could very easily come our way. They are already having protests about the lack of economic benefits. No one to buy their stuff or any imports coming in. Ejeda is a desert world, only about 18% is covered by water and it is salty as hell. Their water purifiers are already acting up. I saw some huge protests there over water. Next stop was Waini Point, talk about a cold ass planet. The damned equator is only 22C. Most of their water is under ice, thick ice too. But they have a bunch of it. Fresh water too, but they have no way to ship it. If you have a way to fix the water purification on Ejeda, they will most likely join you. Question is, how far are you going to take this little experiment of yours?" Martin asked
"Honestly, I dont know yet. But we are going to Blommestein to get a feel for how the Outworlds Alliance reacts. It is a given that they have basically abandoned everyone out here, but we will see how they react when a Province Capital leaves them. I would prefer not to have a fight, but we will be ready for one. I suspect you saw the activity up at the Jump Point." General Mitchell said
"Busy as hell. I was sort of hoping to get some maintenance done on my Merchant, but that probably won't happen for awhile." Martin said
"No, but I think we can find you something else to drive around. We captured 5 Leviathon Jumpships, but I am going to be using those for the time being, once Commodore Delvaney declares them fit. But, I heard you have always wanted a Star Lord, so, I am going to make your dream come true. We captured a single Star Lord a few years back that was not a SLDF ship. She is yours. She has already been run through a refit by Commodore Delvaney's people and she is good to go. My way of thanking you for all the hard work you have been doing for us. I have given Commodore Delvaney until December 15 to have all the ships heading for Blommestein ready to go, after that, she is going to begin work on converting 10 Mammoth Dropships to passenger carriers. Her engineers say they will be able to carry 6,000 passengers in steerage compartments. They should be ready to go around April 2770. I gave Martha a message to send via HPG before she left. Several actually. One to Cerulean where the 280th dependents are, they are to pack up and make their way to Bastrop. Major General Carman worked out a code that her rear detachment should be able to decipher.
Another message was to Multan, my 272nd dependents, informing them to be ready to go at a moments notice. Last message was to Kagoshima, the 126th's dependents, they will make their way to Multan. Once we get them back here, we will plan for the next groups. I authorized Martha to pay for their travel out of our funds your holding. Our deal still stands Martin, just trying to make things as quick and easy as I can. You will take your Star Lord to Multan and recover all the dependents there. Here is a list of dependents and counts to be picked up. Those are the intitial pickups. Brinton and Mithron, well we have no way of knowing if they are even there any longer. Once you depart, I will have another set of Mammoth ready for Martha to take to Bastrop." General Mitchell said handing the list over to Martin Zuni.
Multan - 272nd, 18,287 and 126th, 14,865
Bastrop - 280th, 19,854
Brinton - 359th, 27,698
Mithron - 31st, 12,572
"That is a lot of people. What about escort?" Martin asked
"Your will be taking a full Marine Battalion with you plus, each Mammoth will have 4 Aerospace Fighters aboard for 2 full squadrons instead of their shuttles. It's the only way I can figure to do this stealthy and not raise an alarm." General Mitchell replied
"If you want, I can hit a HPG, when I find one and send a message to several of my contacts that ply the Taurian Concordat, have them check and see very quietly if those dependents are still there. Have the return message sent to Bastrop in both my and Martha's name. At least we will know for sure." Martin suggested
"That would be wonderful. Pay them well, if they want to help move them, pay them more. I am not going to be stingy reuniting the families." General Mitchell said
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Martha Pruitt waas led into the sprawling office of Penelope Swank, Martin's contact. She rose from her desk and moved to greet her guest "Penelope SWank, my receptionist tells me that you know Martin Zuni."
"He is my business partner. He told me that you can move our stock of Dropships at a fair price." Martha replied
"That I can do. What did you bring?" Penelope asked
"I have 12 Drost IIA Dropships to sell." Martha replied
A frown appeared on Penelope's face "Drost again. The last batch was hard to move. Now you have 12 of them. I will not be able to pay as much as I did last time."
"We will take 200 Million for each Dropship. Not a cent less. There are 6 other brokers on this planet and I will sell them in parcels if I have to." Martha said
Penelope Swank did the fast mental math. That was 2.4 Billion dollars. She figured she could move them for 220 million each pretty fast, a quick 240 million profit. "You have a deal Ms Pruitt. There is the matter of title transfer and taxes of course."
"Which you will be taking care of at your expense Ms Swank. Martin might be swayed by your looks and sweet voice but not me. Now, we sign the deal or I have other brokers to go see, your call." Martha said
"I will have my secretary draw up the required documentations. It will take about an hour. The funds are to be deposited where?" Penelope asked
"All funds will be deposited to this account." Martha said handing over a slip of paper
"Ah, to Martin's personal account. I will arrange the transfer the moment we sign the paperwork." Penelope Swank replied
Martha wanted to get on with her other business, but she had already sent the HPG messages and also placed a call to the law firm of Fleesum and Gougem where they had begun work on locating and arranging delivery of quite a lot of mining equipment.
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I'm wondering when the MIIO office on Bastrop is going to wake up... ^-^
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..not bloody likely as MIIO didn't get formed till 2798.
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One of the reasons why the AFFS pretty much got clobbered during the First Succession War was their Intelligence apparat was more focused on bureacratic bun fights than actually passing intel..that's actually very real world realistic...scary but true.
In a nutshell it could be argued that the Federated Suns was on paper one of the strongest realms at the end of the Star League era but the AFFS was a paper tiger and in general the populace was truly unready and complacent.
So even from a canon point of view I think 2nd ACR's approach of a stealthy recovery of dependents is good. Whatever attention the Davions have, it's focused on the Amaris/SLDf death match. Given the historical performance of Davion Intelligence..is why they formed MIIO, well after the 1st SW. In 2798.
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1 November 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell was juggling several issues today. The biggest was the election on Wokha, she wondered how it would turn out. Preperations continued for the Blommestein campaign. She had learned that the closest location that probably had the needed parts for the water purification systems was Linden. She was even more surprised to learn that Linden had been the primary maintenance facility for this region of space and primary DoME supply point. So now she was planning multiple operations, one to Blommestein and another to Linden.
In addition, General Paul Kilgorian had thrown himself into the task of preparing the new Armor School. He had start refurbishing the former prison camps into barracks to house the new recruits. Major General Nathan Baxter was swinging a mean axe canvasing the various units for former instructors and the results were surprising to say the least.
359th BM Division - 22
272nd MI Division - 19
126th MI Division - 17
280th MI Division - 27
31st Infantry Div - 13
29th MI Division - 31
173rd MI Division - 19
277th Dragoon Reg - 11
211th Hussar Reg - 16
19th Hussar Reg - 13
Royal Black Watch - 9
General Mitchell had vetoed any transfers from the 280th and 126th due to the upcoming operation and the Royal Black Watch. Which gave him 125 instructors. Major General Baxter had also identified Gunsinger graduates, of the 125 former instructors, 32 of them were Gunslinger graduates and 4 of those were actually Gunslinger instructors. He had floated the idea of starting their own Gunslinger course, but General Mitchell had vetoed the idea, for now, she could not gut her commands but she had the list anyway.
272nd MI Division - 31 Gunslinger Graduates, including General Mitchell
280th MI Division - 18 Gunslinger Graduates
359th BM Division - 17 Gunslinger Graduates
126th MI Division - 22 Gunslinger Graduates
31st Infantry Div - 11 Gunslinger Graduates
29th MI Division - 19 Gunslinger Graduates
173rd MI Division - 9 Gunslinger Graduates
277th Dragoon Reg - 23 Gunslinger Graduates
211th Hussar Reg - 10 Gunslinger Graduates
19th Hussar Reg - 9 Gunslinger Graduates
Royal Black Watch - 13 Gunslinger Graduates
She needed to keep the list away from Colonel Ian MacIntosh so she would not face a fight over allowing him to fully outfit his Royal Black Watch with Gunslingers. Rear Admiral Tanaka had also been hard at work, combing the ranks of the SLDF Jumphip and Dropship crews. She has decided to use one of the captured Dart Light Cruiser's as a training vessel, though it was not jump capable, it would serve as a capable training vessel. She had also slashed into the small craft pilots with a vengeance quickly reassigning 240 to Aerospace Fighter training, 127 of those had once served as Aerospace Fighter pilots and just needed the rust knocked off.
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Good points on MIIO... I had forgotten they were late to the party.
That's a LOT of Gunslingers! 8)
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Little editing nitpick...173rd MID under Maj.Gen.Johannsen has been completely skipped..lol as if you forgot it existed!!
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Move 2 companies of Gunslingers to the 3391st Special Forces? Since they are the type of unit to be deployed without immediate back up would make sense their limited number of mechs be piloted by the best.
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Damn, I did forget about the 173rd, my bad. Fixed it.
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So did I... sorry about that! :-[
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14 November 2769
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Word had arrived from Wokha of the vote tallies. It had been a close run affair with 13,971,722 voting to join the Terran Hegemony and 3,364,112 voting to stay in the Outworlds Alliance, just barely putting them over the 80% thresh hold to pass. But the measure had passed and they now controlled 4 systems. Soon it would be 5 systems, thought General Rita Mitchell. Only this next one would be occupied by SLDF troops by force of arms before a vote was put forward.
With their ever expanding area of responsibility, she had sent a message to Commodore Delvaney ordering every warship to be outfitted with LF Batteries. Only the Bug-Eye and Dart Training Cruiser would be exempt, for now. She wanted SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer, SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser, SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier, SLS Borneo, Volga Transport and SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate all fitted with LF Batteries. Once those were complete, she ordered SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser to also be outfitted with LF Batteries. Estimates placed a month for each vessel, but they could also use the repair bays aboard the modified Olympus Station so they could probably complete the modifications in 3 months time.
Blommestein Invasion Force
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
6 Colossus Dropships
6 Czar Dropships
2 Dictator Dropships
1 Titan Dropship
2 Mammoth Dropships
3 Star Lord Jumpships
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
6 Colossus Dropships
3 Dictator Dropships
6 Czar Dropships
3 Lion Dropship
2 Titan Dropship
2 Mammoth Dropships
4 Star Lord Jumpships
Escort Force
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Trinity River, Vincent Corvette
SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Corvette
SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser
Linden Operation
SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer
SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette
SLS Stellar Journey, Star Lord Jumpship
3391st Special Forces
9918th Marine Regiment
3 Modified Confederate Dropships
2 Union Dropships
1 Modified Elephant Tug
The Linden Operation was mainly a scouting operation. No one knew what was there nor what they would encounter. Rear Admiral Tanaka would lead the mission. If in friendly hands, make contact and decide a final decision on her authority. If in hostile hands, they were to take it back under SLDF control. She also had the 277th Dragoon Regiment would board 2 LF Tramps and stage to La Ligua ready to respond to either Blommestein or Linden as a reaction force.
Both Operations would depart on 15 December with an estimated arrival at destination on 5 January 2770.
Near her computer, she kept a list of every unit that had joined her command but had been absorbed or deactivated. She hoped to someday revive those commands. It was quite a long list, most were only Battalion sized elements from the units, but she felt the need to make them whole again someday.
509th Battle Regiment
9th Royal CAAN Regiment
9917th Marine Regiment
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division
54th Mechanized Infantry Division
298th Battlemech Division
200th Mechanized Infantry Division
265th Mechanized Infantry Division
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
208th Battlemech Division
370th Battlemech Division
247th Heavy Assault Regiment
284th Battlemech Division
318th Battlemech Division
165th Mechanized Infantry Division
201st Battle Regiment
81st Mechanized Infantry Division
36th Infantry Division
192nd Jump Infantry Division
251st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
228th Striker Regiment (Destroyed on Boulsi by rebels)
She stared at the list everyday, so many proud commands no longer existed. She had no clue how she would manage it, but someday, somehow she would return those comannds to active duty. She would move heaven and earth to make it happen. Even if it meant getting in General Kerensky's face and demanding it. She estimated that she could bring all of her current commands to 100% strength with local recruiting in a few years. It would take that long to even season enough commander to be promoted to fill the required command slots.
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Looking like progress, but I can't imagine forcible occupation will have a good result on the ultimate vote on Blommestein...
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To risk everything on a blind dart throw is kinda problematic...maybe some IPB..Intel Prep of the Battlefield..of the strategic type...send a Merchant for ostensible trading backed up by ELINT assets in the Recoinassance squadron..ie..the Bug Eye perhaps?
The scope of operations has expanded beyond the tactical and operational level..it is definitely de facto strategic with Amanda..the last Cameron in the equation. Beyond the force of arms and material wherewithal. There are enough assets and talent to start an Intelligence Organization...the Special Forces unit for one and Naval Recoinassance and Divisional Cavalry units..already capable of tactical, and operational level recoinassance...the Special Forces provides capability in SR..Special Recoinassance. The Blackhearts were reknowed for their abilities in Intelligence and Counter Insurgency. The SLDF naval recon assets like the Bug-Eye was a SIGINT and ELINT platform that was never surpassed. In ZaP Shipping you have a ready made covert ops cover with lots of potential.
The potential in Blommestein and adjacent Provinces are huge..historically most of these colonies stayed loyal to Terra..probably because they were largely Terran DoME initiatives and significantly Terran in colonial origin. With the SLDF pull out of the Periphery...the Outworlds Alliance has met it's primary goal...independence...it also has no interest in maintaining and keeping largely Terran colonies..it's almost genocide through apathy and neglect but the OA doesn't really have the resources either. So the OA basically consigned all these outer colonies to a slow, lingering death...or did they?... this is the juicy story background that 2nd CAR is filling the canvas in...keep up the good work!
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I say they need to reflag the Dart with a new name... like Cadet or some training ship from history.
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1 December 2769
Thazi (Terran Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell had brought Major General Patrick Quieg, commander 31st Infantry Division, over for a consultation. "I want to run an idea by you Patrick. We both know that a Grunt Infantry Division is primarily a garrison or occupation force. Not an offensive unit. But I firmly believe the current structure is too weak in infantry to truely occupy or garrison a planet. I have been playing with some idea's and I want your advice."
"I am always available to you General Mitchell. Let's hear your idea's and I will gladly give you my honest opinion." Major General Quieg said
"Okay, now, these are pretty radical departures on the current force structure of a Grunt Infantry Division. Current structure has you with a Division Command Battalion of Battlemechs, 2 Brigades of 3 Infantry Regiments with also a Light Battlemech Battalion, Brigade of 3 Regiments of Battlemechs, Brigade of 3 Regiments of Armor, Cavalary Battalion, Artillery Regiment, Ground Aero Wing. Your current infantry total is roughly 5,000. I feel that is way too low.
Now, my new idea is to leave you your Command Battlemech Battalion, but increase your infantry massively. My idea would have 4 platoons of 28 in each company, 3 Infantry Company's per Battalion but each Battalion has an Armor Company. 4 Battalions to each Regiment. A Brigade will have 4 Infantry Regiments and a Battlemech Battalion, could be Light or Medium strength. But you will have 3 Brigades of Infantry for a total of 16,128 infantry.
You lose your Battlemech Brigade, but you will have your Armor Brigade but 4 Regiments, a full Regiment of 3 Battalions of Artillery and I would like to build in 2 Ground Aero Wings complete with a Jump Infantry Regiment and attendant Engineer Battalions. I do not have trained LAM pilots but am willing to outfit you with a full Cavalry Regiment for scouting. I will even let you design the Cavalry Regiment, no more than a Battlemech Battalion though. If we can train enough engineers, I will give your Division a full Regiment of them to support defensive positions.
So, what are your thoughts on my idea?" General Mitchell asked
"Well, I would still have basically 2 Regiments of Battlemechs in total, but a massive boost in my available infantry. For defensive purposes, I can see the new makeup working quite well. Heck we could even do limited offensive operations in the right terrain. I would actually have to play some wargames with the full command to actuall find the weak points, but it damn sure sounds like fun. Sure gonna eat up the new Infantry trainee's to fully fill it out. How soon are you thinking of giving this a try?" Major General Quieg asked
"Probably be a year or two. We are going to need to get the new factory up and running, plus get some more Infantry in the pipeline. Not to mention, artillery, engineers and most of all aircraft, both Aerospace and conventional to make this work. But I want you to start thinking about it and maybe run some computer simulations against opponents before we actually do this. Try different equipment setups for Armor and Battlemchs to figure out what works best." General Mitchell said
"I can damn sure do that. Heck, half of my Infantry are currently helping at the Infantry School anyway. I will head back to my headquarters and start putting pen to paper. Try to poke some holes in your idea. But it does sound like a great mind exercise." Major General Quieg said
At the Nadir Jump Point, Commodore Delvaney was hard at work overseeing the installation of LF Batteries in the designated ships. She had been pleased to learn that the massive storage batteries from the Olympus Station had most of the needed material to fabicate the LF Batteries. Currently in her repair bay was SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport, massive holes cut in her hull for the installation of the LF Batteries. But even larger holes were cut into her hull, these made no sense to Commodore Delvaney, but her orders were very clear, install 50,000 steerage quarters into the SLS Mighty Lift along with several more grav decks. This would keep SLS Mighty Lift in her repair bay for almost 6 months and it really cut into her onboard cargo only leaving just over 120,000 tons.
Aboard the Olympus Station, SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer and SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate were undergoing their refits. They would be complete in a month. Plus she had orders to increase the number of Mammoths being converted to passenger ships to 35 from the original 10 she had ordered. Even though she had no clue what was going on, she had her orders and they were very clear.
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I say they need to reflag the Dart with a new name... like Cadet or some training ship from history.
What about Helen Burros..the KIA commander of the SLS Axe Handle? The other Kimagure Cruiser lost with all hands early in the story.
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Those are coming down the pipeline.....a few bigger fish are in the frying pan right now. Once I get around to promoting Rear Admiral Tanaka.
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:thumbsup:
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Yup with 18 plus warships, 72 jumpships (+9 with ZaP Shipping), 330 dropships..I'd say that's past a Vice Admirals command. Probably have Coltrain and Delvaney bumped up to Rear Admiral for their sterling work.
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1 December 2769
Thazi (Terran Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell had brought Major General Patrick Quieg, commander 31st Infantry Division, over for a consultation. "I want to run an idea by you Patrick. We both know that a Grunt Infantry Division is primarily a garrison or occupation force. Not an offensive unit. But I firmly believe the current structure is too weak in infantry to truely occupy or garrison a planet. I have been playing with some idea's and I want your advice."
"I am always available to you General Mitchell. Let's hear your idea's and I will gladly give you my honest opinion." Major General Quieg said
"Okay, now, these are pretty radical departures on the current force structure of a Grunt Infantry Division. Current structure has you with a Division Command Battalion of Battlemechs, 2 Brigades of 3 Infantry Regiments with also a Light Battlemech Battalion, Brigade of 3 Regiments of Battlemechs, Brigade of 3 Regiments of Armor, Cavalary Battalion, Artillery Regiment, Ground Aero Wing. Your current infantry total is roughly 5,000. I feel that is way too low.
Now, my new idea is to leave you your Command Battlemech Battalion, but increase your infantry massively. My idea would have 4 platoons of 28 in each company, 3 Infantry Company's per Battalion but each Battalion has an Armor Company. 4 Battalions to each Regiment. A Brigade will have 4 Infantry Regiments and a Battlemech Battalion, could be Light or Medium strength. But you will have 3 Brigades of Infantry for a total of 16,128 infantry.
You lose your Battlemech Brigade, but you will have your Armor Brigade but 4 Regiments, a full Regiment of 3 Battalions of Artillery and I would like to build in 2 Ground Aero Wings complete with a Jump Infantry Regiment and attendant Engineer Battalions. I do not have trained LAM pilots but am willing to outfit you with a full Cavalry Regiment for scouting. I will even let you design the Cavalry Regiment, no more than a Battlemech Battalion though. If we can train enough engineers, I will give your Division a full Regiment of them to support defensive positions.
So, what are your thoughts on my idea?" General Mitchell asked
"Well, I would still have basically 2 Regiments of Battlemechs in total, but a massive boost in my available infantry. For defensive purposes, I can see the new makeup working quite well. Heck we could even do limited offensive operations in the right terrain. I would actually have to play some wargames with the full command to actuall find the weak points, but it damn sure sounds like fun. Sure gonna eat up the new Infantry trainee's to fully fill it out. How soon are you thinking of giving this a try?" Major General Quieg asked
"Probably be a year or two. We are going to need to get the new factory up and running, plus get some more Infantry in the pipeline. Not to mention, artillery, engineers and most of all aircraft, both Aerospace and conventional to make this work. But I want you to start thinking about it and maybe run some computer simulations against opponents before we actually do this. Try different equipment setups for Armor and Battlemchs to figure out what works best." General Mitchell said
"I can damn sure do that. Heck, half of my Infantry are currently helping at the Infantry School anyway. I will head back to my headquarters and start putting pen to paper. Try to poke some holes in your idea. But it does sound like a great mind exercise." Major General Quieg said
I concur on your proposed increase in bayonet strengths always have thought that the low number/ mass infantry unit's were not quite as efficient as higher mass units. Base of four is great...you can have the same number of infantry..bayonet strength of 16,128 by having four platoons to a company, four companies to a battalion, four battalions to a regiment..same strength with nine regiments of infantry in three brigades.
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I figured that out also, but wanted the armor company in each Battalion as the 4th Company. Gives them their own immediate fire support. That way they don't have to pull support from the Armor Regiments themselves.
This will be used for Grunt Infantry formations only. The other formations are maneuver commands.
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I figured that out also, but wanted the armor company in each Battalion as the 4th Company. Gives them their own immediate fire support. That way they don't have to pull support from the Armor Regiments themselves.
This will be used for Grunt Infantry formations only. The other formations are maneuver commands.
outfitting them with Blazer and SRMs would be nice way to kill light mechs
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makes sense if they are going to become permanent planetary defense. Just a side note, it states somewhere in one of the star league books that the rebel divisions when they found out what amaris did turned to the star league offering to fight against amaris, maybe the two divisions of rebels that left blommestein could come back seeking to aid the SLDF and maybe 1 or 2 more that’s operating in the OA ? as the OA is not a military minded society those soldiers would fell like they weren’t accepted? by the OA.
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I like the infantry reorganization overall, but still think bumping them up to 30 per platoon would help. That could either enable 5 squads of 6, or keep 4 of 7, with a Platoon Commander and Platoon Sergeant bolted on.
+1 more for the Naval promotions! :thumbsup:
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15 January 2770
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Coltrain, SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser and Commodore Zeibler, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser led the transports carrying the 280th and 126th Mechanized Infantry Divisions into the La Grange point 2 days from the planet, having spent months in Blommestein at the beginning of the Uprising with the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. Detaching the Dropships, they began for the planet.
At the Nadir Jump Point, Commodore Blythe, SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser had leaped in system and quickly established control over the Nadir Jump point and the derelict Vigilant Corvette while SLS Trinity River and SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Corvettes established control over the Zenith Jump Point and 2 Liberty Jumpships that had no crews aboard.
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer, SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette and SLS Stellar Journey, Star Lord Jumpship arrived at the Nadir Jump Point and found themselves staring down the guns of SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Cartegena, SLS Buccaneer, Essex Destroyers. It was not a very good feeling. Rear Admiral Tanaka quickly hailed the warships and got a friendly response, though a cautious one. A meeting was quickly established and Rear Admiral Tanaka said a quick thanks as she boarded her shuttle without having to go EVA. A short flight brought them aboard the Olympus Recharge Station where she met with Rear Admiral Percy Seimens.
"Welcome to Deep Spin Admiral Tanaka. It is glad to see the SLDF once again in the area. Maybe now I can release the few DoME crews to return to their work in the area." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"It is way more complicated than that Admiral Seimens. The Terran Hegemony had been overthrown by Stefan Amaris. He has declared himself Emperor and General Kerensky has declared war against him. Last word we had most of the SLDF was conquering the Rim Worlds Republic. In the meantime, General Rita Mitchell has been appointed Regent of the Terran Hegemony and is in overall command in the region. I am here to find out what exactly is still here. I can see it is quite a bit and I am sure she is going to start issuing orders to you, probably very soon." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"I take my orders from General Kerensky, he is the true Regent and Protector of the Star League." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"Not out here he doesn't. When was the last time you had any communication from him? 2 years? 3 years? I was there and I helped appoint her Regent, along with every other Flag officer in her command. She has roughly 8 Divisions under her command and has not made a wrong move yet. Currently 4 worlds in the region are now part of the Terran Hegemony. Now before we get into a dick measuring contest, know that you resist her orders and she will put troops in here quicker than you can think. I am acting under her orders and will now assume command of this facility and all forces here. That includes you Admiral Seimans. I will not hesitate to have you arrested. You might be able to handle what I have brought, but not what General Mitchell can bring to bear. So, are we going to have a problem?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"For now, no Admiral Tanaka, there will be no issues. But once we reestablish contact with General Kerensky, there will be hell to pay. I promise you that. So, what are your orders?" Rear Admiral Seimens replied
"I want a DoME team equipped with water purification equipment ready to go as soon as possible. SLS Halthom will escort them to Ejeda where they will repair the systems on that planet. Halthom will make contact with General Mitchell and arrange ground security to be on site. Now, I would like a full run down on everything in this system." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"Well, you already seen my warships. This Olympus has been modified and can only recharge 3 ships, the additional batteries were removed to maximize it's cargo capacity. She can hold 600,000 tons of cargo. I have 2 shipyards able to handle 1 million ton ships but have only basic maintenance ability not production quality. 1 Jump Core factory and 1 Germanium Processing factory. We get the Germanium from a moon around Beaver, a gas giant. It has a Snowden Mining facility in orbit. Another 2 Snowdens orbit 2 moons around the gas giant Low. They provide much the additional material we need. I have 2 Large and 1 Small habitats along with 2 Medium Factories which manufacture anything that cannot be made on the surface. Up here, I have roughly 59,000 personnel, with the ability to house 73,075. On the planets surface is a population of 12 million, 4 million of which are directly employed in supporting DoME operations. Manufacturing water filters, purification plants and anything DoME requires for a particular mission. The factory complexes down there are quite impressive.
I have the 238th Striker Regiment on the planet itself, and the 2391st Royal Independent Aero Wing is deployed up here. I have 5 complete DoME crews capable of everything from installing water filtration and purification plants to all out Terraforming a planet. Each DoME crew is roughly 5,000 personnel. You name a specialty and we have them here. Most of the basic Terraforming out here in this region has been completed, before the uprising, they had been focusing on making the planets much better agriculture ability." Rear Admiral Seimens explained
"Very well, I noticed your HPG is still working, I take it you never for attacked by the rebels." Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"Sure we did, they managed to inflict some damage on it, but like I said, down on the planet is everything DoME might need. We actually have a factory complex manned by personnel from Communications Command. They can manufacture every part needed to build a HPG station from scratch. They cannot build parts as fast as on Terra, but build them they can." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"Now that is going to make General Mitchell very happy to hear. Seems every planet out here has had their HPG severly damaged or destroyed. That makes this system even more vital. I am going to recommend that General Mitchell dispatch a full garrison for this planet ASAP." Rear Admiral Tanaka said
"You should also know that 4 Special Forces Battalions were operating in the region, but we have had no comunication with them at all. The 3281st, 3157th, 2282nd and 2972nd. But I had no control over them, they operated on their own." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"Any idea's on where they went?" Rear Admiral Tanaka asked
"The 3281st Special Forces went to Ceiba, just a jump away. I assume they are all dead, it's been 4 years afterall. The 3157th Special Forces were last reported on Feijo, 2282nd Special Forces were on Shira and 2972nd Special Forces were on Azur. It's been 4 years since the Uprising, I doubt any of them could have survived that long." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"And you never even tried to find out? Are you a coward? Your right on top of some of those locations. Not once did you ever launch any sort of mission to even try and locate them? You have a full Striker Regiment, you could have easily made an attempt. I should relieve you of your command right now, but I don't have time. I have some orders to issue." Rear Admiral Tanaka said as she spun on her heel to return to her ship.
The moment her shuttle launched, she ordered SLS Stellar Journey, Star Lord Jumpship to quick recharge and plot a jump to Ceiba. She would escort them with SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer. She then ordered SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette to send a message to Commodore Coltrain to have one of her Vincent Corvettes jump to La Ligua and have the 277th Dragoon Regiment move to Shira without haste, and for her to provide a escort at Shira. When she returned to SLS Windego, she composed her own report to General Mitchell to be relayed via HPG from one of her Vincent Corvettes at Blommestein. It would not be a welcome message.
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Yikes! That could have gone better on both sides...
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having the HPG plant will be nice, but leaving units out in the wind without checking on them... that is cold.
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Probably myopia vice cowardice, but still...
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Great administrators and trainers in peace time do not often make good combat leaders.
WWII Americans army was small, after the war ended roughly 10% of officers that held command at start of the war still held leadership positions at the end of the war.
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That observation fits the 90/10 rule pretty well...
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17 January 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had almost jumped thru her ceiling when the message came in from Rear Admiral Tanaka detailing everything at Linden and then she got to the part about the 4 Special Forces commands that Rear Admiral Seimens had never even tried to check on and she almost lost her lunch. What is it with some of these officers? Are they cowards or just worthless? She thought to her self, but quickly turned to addressing the needs. She fired back a HPG message agreeing with Rear Admiral Tanaka's orders and advising her that she was sending additional forces to back her up.
She ordered Major General Johannsen to prepare her 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division for immediate deployment to Linden. The planetary factories were too important to risk. She then issued orders for Colonel Fuentes to prepare his 19th Hussar Regiment (Royal) for deployment to Azur. SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer was the first ship fitted with LF Batteries and she ordered her to make ready for deployment to Linden, escorting the 173rd and 19th. Once the 173rd was safely on Linden, SLS Solomon was to escort the 19th Hussar to Azur. She ordered Rear Admiral Tanaka to kick the 238th Striker Regiment loose and add them to the 19th Hussar. The 238th Striker would hit Feijo on the way for to drop the 19th Hussar on Azur.
Suddenly she felt that she was running out of units already. She knew she wasn't, but it sure felt that way at the moment. She went ahead and issued warning orders to Major General Hanesworth for possible deployment of his 29th Mechanized Infantry Division. She had finished issuing the orders when Major General Nathan Baxter entered her office.
"Heard a message came in that seemed to light a fuse in your office. Thought I would wander over and see if I could help out." Major General Baxter said
General Mitchell handed over the HPG message from Rear Admiral Tanaka which he quickly read. "What an ******. Bet you 100 to 1 this Seimens is a Bureaucrat, that is why they stuck him way out here in the boonies. Want me to get my folks ready?"
"No, I don't think this warrants a full Battlemech Division and besides, your my primary reaction force if Blommestein goes south." General Mitchell said
"It won't. Major General Carman and McGregor are very capable. We really need more Independent Regiments for these kinds of situations." He tapped the list of deactivated commands she always had near her "How about we do this, I will give up 2 of my most experienced Battlemech Regiments and commanders, if you release 2 of your Battlemech Regiments, between us, we can reactivate the 509th Battle, 247th Heavy Assault, 201st Battle and 228th Striker Regiments. At least that adds to our rapid response forces without having to deploy full Divisions. I got just the commanders for the 509th Battle and 247th Heavy Assault Regiments."
"That sure weakens your 359th Battlemech Division." General Mitchell said
"Not really, I talked to General Quieg about what you have planned for the 31st Infantry Division. Worst case, we pull one or both of the 31st's Battlemech Regiments and slap them into heavier Battlemechs. Boom, I am back up to strength. But to be honest, I don't think we have anything to fear out here that we cannot handle. I have almost gotten a good count on what our initial Mechwarrior candidate class will look like, so I will be kind of busy there. Right now we are looking at roughly 338 candidates that were able to move part of a Stinger in some way from all 3 worlds. But what I really want to do is go hit Wokha now that it joined us. Hell, the first batch of miners you brought back with you from there, there are 65 of them that pilot mining or industrial mechs. They tell me that there are at least 500 mining or industrial mech pilots on Wokha. You know how much training time that cuts out? If I can get my hands on even 200 of them, I could have them trained up in just over 2 years time. Basic training and then onto weapons and tactics training. They already know how to make a mech move and act." Major General Baxter said
"I will think over your idea's. Now let me ask you a question, are we doing the right thing out here?" General Mitchell asked
"Of course we are. Most of the worlds out here were settled by people from the Hegemony or Inner Shpere. Without us, most would starve or waste away. For damn sure the Outworlds Alliance is not doing anything to help them. The troops thinkwe are doing the right thing, it' what they actually signed up to do. Defend those that cannot defend themselves. Protect those that need protecting. Before we all arrived here, morale was in the gutter. We felt abandoned, nothing but cannon fodder forcing our will onto a people that just wanted to live their lives. Now, morale is sky high, we are letting the people choose their own way, we are not forcing anyone to join us. With Amanda Cameron here, the troops have a purpose, someone that they believe will return them to greatness. Instead of being raised by a distant, almost always gone figure or a doting treacherous leech, she is being raised by you. Let me honest here, if General Kerensky gave an order, but you gave a counter order, the troops would follow you first and foremost. I can think of no greater honor than that." Major General Baxter said
A whimper and soft cry "Mama" caused Major General Baxter to smile and stand from his chair "Duty calls Rita. Your doing the right thing. We have faith that you will raise her right, so that she can return the Terran Hegemony to it's former glory."
18 January 2770
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Carman and Major General McGregor landed their 280th and 126th Mechanized Infantry Divisions on a vast plain roughly 150km from the Capital of New Tamasi, neither wanting to land on the space port where the crater from a nuclear detonation was still visible. They quickly established a perimeter and then began a slow advance towards the city. Not knowing what to expect, they were taking things slow and easy.
Shira (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Marcella Ramirez, commander 2282nd Special Forces, shivered in the cold night air. She looked up at the stars and wondered where the hell the SLDF was. It had been over 4 years. The first 2 years had been a touch and go affair against the insurgents and rebels on planet. But slowly they had formed an effective resistence movement made up of former SLDF troops and remains of the small SLDF garrison of 2 Infantry Regiments. A year ago, the rebels had just up and left, blowing every space faring vessel to bits before they left. Without the support of the people, they would have long ago been destroyed. She had formed 5 Infantry Regiments of resistence, but had 2 left.
2282nd Special Forces Battalion
A Company - 4 Platoons (112 Troops)
B Company - 4 Platoons (112 Troops)
Shira Resistence
Infantry Regiment - 4 Battalions (SLDF Reserve)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions (Local)
Infantry Regiment - 3 Battalions (Local)
Feijo (Outworlds Alliance)
Captain Wesley Hardin, acting commander 3157th Special Forces, had also fought a hard unconventional campaign against the rebel forces for 4 long years. They had been inserted years ago with 4 full Company's of Nighthawk suited troopers, 256 Elite troops. Now he only had 18 Nighthawk suits in action, and another 119 down for lack of spare parts. He still had 157 troops in his command. He had managed to raise a single regiment of resistence fighters only to see them ambushed by the rebels and destroyed a year ago. Now, from his hide high in the mountains, he watched the rebel Battlemech lance cautiously try to find a way up the steep mountain range. They had learned hard lessons fighting his 3157th. They were 17km from the cavern that housed his troops.
Azur (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Dovie Frazier, commander 2972nd Special Forces, was the defacto military governor of the planet. They had landed and found the local SLDF reservists had actually beaten back the intial rebel assault on the planet. The second invasion had been larger and more brutal, but that brutality had turned the an already hostile population even further against them. They had faced so many sniper attacks, ambushes and bombings that they had finally fled the planet 3 years ago. But they had destroyed everything that could fly before leaving. They just did not have the personnel to control 160 million people that were hostile.
2972nd Special Forces Battalion
A Company - 48 Nighthawks
B Company - 48 Nighthawks
C Company - 48 Nighthawks
D Company - 8 Spector SPR-4F, 4 Exterminator EXT-4C
SLDF Reserve Garrison
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2 (SLDF Reserve)
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Night Hawk NTK-2Q (SLDF Reserve)
Infantry Brigade - 3 Grunt Infantry Regiments (SLDF Reserve)
Infantry Brigade - 3 Grunt Infantry Regiments (Local)
Infantry Brigade - 3 Grunt Infantry Regiments (Local)
Infantry Brigade - 3 Grunt Infantry Regiments (Local)
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nice little force. On shira you say 2 are left but have 3 listed. question , what about the battlemech brigade from the 31st? couldn’t those regiments be used for breaking of battalions to rebuild the lost independant units?
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On Shira, two of them are locals, while third is SLDF reservists... maybe he was just referring to the two local regiments?
Nice to see the Special Forces living up to their reputations, but the SLDF obviously needs to deploy them with Mobile HPGs...
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Shira, yes, they raised 5 regiments of locals, but only 2 regiments survived the fighting.
31st, yes they could, but the 509th survivors were rolled into the 359th, gonna let them reform their command. Instead of reforming not using the previous troops. Unit pride is a huge thing
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ohh yep fergat that
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Yeah, that was one of the big reasons for the conversation. Letting the former 509th Battle troops reform the core of that Regiment. I might even be changing them around some, organization wise. Still working on that one.
Also gonna redesign a new Mobile HQ with HPG. Seems we don't really have one in MeqHQ. But we will be having one.
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EXCELLENT! >:D
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I'm looking forward to seeing some of the old units getting brought back at least to Regt sized.
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That is going to be a little while yet. Just so you know. The Independent Regiments will be first, then the reconfigured 31st Infantry.
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20 January 2770
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, watched the several vehicle convoy approaching from the Capital City of New Tamasi. She had her command widely spread out to minimize any damage from a nuclear detonation. The lead vehicle halted about 500 meters away and the passengers approached slowly on foot. At 100 meters, each was searched by SLDF troopers before being escorted to her.
"Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. I hope you understand our security measures. And you are?" She stated
"Jessica Parington, Governor of Blommestein and acting Governor of the Blommestein Province. This is Colonel Walter Medley, he commands our small garrison. Retired SLDF. Your arrival must mean that the SLDF has pushed the rebels out of the region." Jessica Parington said
"There is actually a complete cease fire with the rebel forces. Has been for almost 3 years now. I take your lack of knowledge about this to mean that you have had no contact with the Outworlds government?" Major General Carman said
"We have not seen or heard a word since the rebels drove the SLDF from the planet in 2766. We are fortunate that we can easily feed ourselves and a few surrounding systems. But our Jumpship capacity is minimum. We have been doing the best we could." Jessica Parington replied
Major General Carman shook her head sadly before responding "Same thing we have heard before. It is as though the Outworlds Alliance has abandoned the entire region. It is not really my place, but several worlds have voted to join the Terran Hegemony. It seems the SLDF and acting Hegemony Administrator are the only force in the region trying to restore order and see to the peoples needs."
The news shocked Jessica Parington, and it showed "Worlds have actually left the Outworlds Alliance for the Terran Hegemony? Is that even legal?"
"Votes were carried out with an 80% approval rate or above. Those worlds deemed that the Outworlds Alliance has forfieted it's right to rule them by abandoning them for 3 years now. Leaving millions to live or die on their own with no support. But now, are there any hostile forces on this planet?" Major General Carman asked
Colonel Walter Medley fielded this question "No sir. The rebels moved on barely a year after the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division departed. I have had my limited forces sweeping the planet on a regular basis and have not encountered any hostile actions. I have 1 Armor Regiment and 3 Infantry Regiments under my command. Our regular garrison was the Blommestein Demons, but we have not seen or heard from them since the Uprising. Last we heard, they were up in the Traders Domain working with the 1st and 2nd Trader Sentinels working on guarding DoME projects."
"Very well, I will still be conducting patrols of the planet. I would like for you to recall your local garrison to avoid any accidents. Once I get my commands into positions, we will talk more." Major General Carman said
21 January 2770
Major General Carman had already checked the nights patrols and all had reported no hostile actions. She had spoken with Major General McGregor and recieved the same news from him. It looked like the local's were telling the truth and there were no hostile forces left on the planet. But only 24 hours was not enough time. Both agreed to complete sweeping this continent while Aerospace Fighters made recon flights over the other continents.
Ceiba (Outworlds Alliance)
Colonel Brian Calloway, commander 3391st Special Forces, had made radio contact with Major Benjamin Manfield, commander 3281st Special Forces Battalion and grounded his Dropships only 3km from the cavern that had sheltered the 3281st Special Forces. With some hesitation, but slowly, the surviving personnel of the 3281st Special Forces began emerging from the dense woods.
"Colonel Brian Calloway, 3391st Special Forces. You must be Major Manfield. We were surprised to learn if your location and came as soon as we could. What is the situation?"
"Rebels hold the Capital City of Ramirez and the surrounding area. Roughly 300km east of here. We got pushed away from the space port when they managed to overrun the local SLDF reserve force stationed here. I lost 4 Exterminator and a full company the last time we tried to retake our Dropships a year ago. The defenses were just too strong. Lucky for us, we helped establishing this cache of supplies and knew where it was." Major Manfield said
"Well, we have a whole lot more force now and I have a Whirlwind Destroyer in orbit for fire support if we need it. Let's go retake your Dropships. Our mission is to rescue you, not retake the entire planet. I can have Rear Admiral Tanaka call for a force to complete that mission. Getting Dropship crews might be a problem." Colonel Calloway said
"Not really, just over half the crews are with us. Enough to operate the Union and Lion Dropships anyway. The rebels executed the others trying to get us to surrender." Major Manfield said
"Well, screw just taking the Dropships, we are going to take out the rebel trash. I will have my Battlemechs move overland, all of us suited troopers will load up on a couple of Confederates and drop with on the space port. When the rebels come out to greet us, they will meet 2 Company's of pissed off Battlemechs and all of us." Colonel Calloway said
23 January 2770
Major Sandra Barkley had gotten her 24 Spector's within 10km of the main rebel base, led there by the 3281st's Exterminator's. Making full use of their advanced stealth abilities, they calmly waited for the signal. They would then rush the base targeting the barracks containing the rebels. For over an hour they waited just inside a treeline, the waiting grated on everyone's nerves. Finally, drive flares from 3 Confederate Dropships appeared in the distance approaching rapidly. She knew the Nighthawk equipped troopers were packed in like sardines. When the first lights began flicking on, she keyed her radio "Ghost's, let's go take care of business." She then pushed her throttle to the max, speeding across the flat plain waiting for her targeting gear to aquire a lock on the barracks in her sights. She could see a few figures milling around the now open door. Heads began to turn in her direction, they might not be able to see her Spectors, but there was no masking the ground shaking thumps of their pounding feet.
When her targeting reticle blinked, she fired and they barracks erupted in flames. More and more barracks began coming apart under the massed fire of the Battlemechs as Nighthawk equipped Special Forces troopers fell from the sky along the long runway of the Space Port. As she rushed through the barracks area, she made no effort to avoid the surviving rebel infantry, smashing them underfoot. Major Manfield had told them about a reported detention camp at the space port consisting of 4 warehouses and she pushed her Spector at full speed to reach it. She could see pulse lasers flashing all over the space port as the Nighthawk equipped troopers engaged anything threatening around a set of warehouses and several grounded Dropships.
By dawn, there was very sporadic fighting as whatever rebels managed to survive the dealy night fled the area.
Shira (Outworlds Alliance)
Colonel Harry Estaban, commander 277th Dragoon Regiment, watched SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser begin maneuvering towards the Olympus Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point knowing Commodore Zeibler was calling for it's surrender. In the meantime, Colonel Estaban was sending messages to the planet over open channels in an attempt to reach any SLDF forces on the surface. He was surprised when they finally got a response before they had even detached from their Jumpships.
"It's about time someone got here. This is Major Marcella Ramirez, acting commander of all Allied forces on the planet. We have no hostile forces on the planet and as far as we can tell, only civilians are on board the Olympus up there. Rebels blew every damn thing that could fly, either in atmosphere or into space when they left here about a year ago."
"Colonel Harry Estaban, 277th Dragoon Regiment. Sorry it took so long, but we have been pretty busy. With no direct enemy threat, we will be recharging and heading to Feijo to help the SLDF there. Before we depart, a Vincent Corvette will arrive in system and relay your needs to General Mitchell, the SLDF commander of this region. We are pressed thin, but we are pushing deeper into the region. Do you have immediate needs?"
"Negative, we are in pretty good shape down here now. I have 2 Company's of my Battalion and 3 Regiments of Infantry, 1 SLDF Reserve, 2 Regiments of survivors from the 5 Regiments we raised and trained. Just be nice to get some news on what all we have missed since being cut off." Major Ramirez replied
"It has been a busy time. You have no information on Feijo?" Colonel Estaban asked
"Negative on that. Promise you won't forget about us down here?" Major Ramirez asked
"That will never happen again. General Mitchell has made it her top priority to seek out and bring all the lost commands back into the fold. Welcome to the Forgotten Corps Major Ramirez."
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Calloway should totally make Flag out of that! :thumbsup:
Estaban, on the other hand... ::) He really needs to give those poor bastards a fuller appreciation of the whole situation, even if only via radio.
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I wonder what the Blommestein Armor RGT looks like equipment wise.
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Wanted to get it out, there is more, they have 8 days of recharging. You will see Estaban hit the planet for a day or so in a shuttle
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24 Turhan
12 Goblin
12 Manicore
28 Maxim Hover
14 Von Luckner (SL)
6 Alacorn VI
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24 Turhan
12 Goblin
12 Manicore
28 Maxim Hover
14 Von Luckner (SL)
6 Alacorn VI
that is a nice unit. and they can drop a lot of INF in built up areas
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A very nice unit indeed... and I'm glad to hear Estaban will be giving them a fuller account. :thumbsup:
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26 January 2770
Shira (Outworlds Alliance)
The sonic booms announcing the arrival of an incoming shuttle brought out crowds of civilians to view the first space craft seen in over a year. A loud cheer sounded as the shuttle made it's landing and rolled to a halt. Colonel Harry Estaban exited the shuttle and was met by a deafening cheer. It caught him off guard, but he focused on several people rapidly approaching, two wearing the uniform of a SLDF officers. Once they had shaken hands he said "Colonel Harry Estaban, 277th Dragoon Regiment."
"Major Marcella Ramirez, 2282nd Special Forces. This is Major Charles Gravotini, commander of the SLDF Reserve forces on planet. Colonel Patty Jenson, commands the local militia forces and also acting Planetary Governor. The rebels executed the last and we have not had any elections yet, we are still operating under martial law." Major Ramirez introduced
"I only have a day before I have to return to the Jump Point. I wanted to tell you in person, SLS Trinity River, Vincent Corvette has arrived in system and will be entering orbit tomorrow. She is equipped with a HPG that will allow you to communicate with Blommestein with another HPG equipped Vincent Corvette. A message has already been sent to General Mitchell advising her of your situation. She sent word that you can expect several Jumpships loaded with food supplies to suppliment what you make on planet carried by ZaP Shipping.
Plus I felt I should deliver current news in person. Stefan Amaris has taken control of the Terran Hegemony via a coup. General Kerensky has the entire SLDF over in the Rim Worlds Republic. We do not have any contact with him at all or even SLDF High Command. Gathered Flag officers have named General Rita Mitchell, as commander of all SLDF forces in the region. So far, 4 worlds have voted to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony. General Mitchell has also been named head of all Hegemony and Star League administration until we reestablish contact with rightful command.
I don't have all the answers, nor am I authorized to really provide more information than I already have. We have 2 Divisions on Blommestein right now. Trouble shows up, you will get help quick. Things are moving quite quickly right now, but I would assume General Mitchell will be making her way this way soon. I wish I could stay, but we have learned that several other SLDF Special Forces commands have been cut off, like you and we are rushing to relieve them." Colonel Estaban explained
"Well shit, how the hell did he manage to take the Hegemony? That explains why we have been out here on our own for so long." Major Ramirez replied
"Come Colonel Estaban, let us get some food and you tell us more about what ever you can before you leave." Colonel Patty Jenson said
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
On learning that Shira was not in any danger and that Ceiba was now classified as in SLDF control, General Rita Mitchell had issued new orders changing destinations. The 126th Mechanized Infantry Division was to move to Azur since it was currently not needed on Blommestein. Major General Colin McGregor was already reloading his Division for their new destination.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell really wanted to be on the front, but she knew Amanda Cameron came first. Martin Zuni had already departed with his Star Lord and 6 converted Mammoth Dropships for Multan. Hopefully in a year she would see her husband and son and she could begin reuniting her troops with their dependents. Construction of the outer buildings was beginning for the Tank and Ammuntion Factories. Estimates placed construction time at 3 months before any actual factory equipment was installed and easily another 6-9 months before any actual construction began.
The miners had been given a list of needed material for the Tank and Ammunition factories and were already locating the needed deposits to be exploited. She had also seen that a list was sent to Boulsi and Wahka. She needed to make sure jobs began returning to those planets also. Questioning the Rim World warship prisoners had revealed that both of the other known Outposts were lightly garrisoned. This made them tempting targets, but right now she could not risk detailing any troops for that long of a mission. Just to reach Outpost #7 would take 240 days from Thazi. The Outpost #11 was much further with an almost 2 year travel to even reach it. One year with extensive double jumps which she would never authorize that far out. Maybe in another year or 2, maybe then she could dispatch 2 missions, but not now.
She had dispatched the HPG techs they had to Linden with their massive lists of equipment needs to begin possibly repairing the HPG stations on worlds where they could be repaired. They also carried orders for a DoME team to assemble a HPG station on Blommestein. It never had one, but it needed one. Once that was completed they could then begin surveying the surrounding systems that had HPG's and bringing them back online. This would free up her Vincent Corvette's from HPG relay duties.
She had even begun plotting worlds that had HPG's and those that did not have them by searching every data base she could find. Once this operation was completed, she would start sending out the reformed Independent Regiments to the systems close to Thazi. Major General Dixon was already hard at work reforming them. Instead of releasing 2 Battlemech Regiments from her 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division, her last full strength Division, she authorized him to pull the 2 Battlemech Regiments from the 31st Infantry Division and re-equip them as needed. He had thrown himself into the task with gusto.
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*snip*
They also carried orders for a DoME team to assemble a HPG station on Blommestein. It never had one, but it needed one.
*snip*
Whaaat?? A provincial CAPITAL never had an HPG?? ???
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Nope, not one listed. Neither does Onverwacht or Wynn's Roost. Or at least MekHQ does not show any. LOL Damn near everyone else had one though. LOL
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That should certainly factor into the vote then... if the OA never bothered to install an HPG, to hell with them! >:D
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That should certainly factor into the vote then... if the OA never bothered to install an HPG, to hell with them! >:D
blame the Star League Communication Network first!!!
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Except that the OA is the one that picked Blommestein to be the provincial capital over other nearby worlds that HAD HPGs...
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31 January 2770
Feijo (Outworlds Alliance)
Commodore Vincent Zeibler, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser materialized at the Zenith Jump Point and was surprised to find 3 old Liberty Jumpships and 3 Invader Jumpships docked with the Olypmus Recharge Station. As SLS Conroy began moving towards the Recharge Station, he was even more surprised when 2 Leopard CV undocked and began boosting towards them launching Aerospace Fighters.
"Comm, are we broadcasting?" He called out
"Aye, going out on all channels. I really think they mean to engage us sir."
"Weps, target the Leopard CV's and show them the error of their ways as they enter range. Get all of our birds in the air." Commodore Zeibler ordered
Pacing SLS Conroy were 2 Titan Dropships fully loaded and they began launching the rest of their Aerospace Fighters to join the single squadron immediately launched as a CAP. They began forming up and moving to intercept the incoming fighters. The 24 Aerospace Fighters from SLS Conroy remained beind forming a second CAP line to protect SLS Conroy but mainly to protect the 4 Dropships of the 277th Dragoon Regiment.
When the merge occured the enemy fighters found themselves outnumbered by the SLDF fighters 3 to 1 and quickly found themselves on the defensive instead of the offensive. Within minutes emergency beacons were displaying on every SLDF fighter and ship in the area identifying the location of enemy pilots needing SAR. As the lead Leopard CV entered range, SLS Conroy fired her first volley and 6 NL/55 and 4 Heavy NPPC's crumpled the Leopard CV like a piece of tin foil. Before the 2nd volley was fired on the 2nd Leopard CV signaled it's surrender.
"Launch SAR. Comm, tell that Leopard CV that if it even thinks about doing anything we will destroy it. Then I want you to tell that Olympus Recharge Station to prepare to be boarded. Relay to Captain Jardan that his Marines are going to be busy in a bit. Tell the Titans to recover their birds and escort the 277th to the planet, we will be along as soon as we can." Commodore Zeibler ordered
10 February 2770
Colonel Harry Estaban, 277th Dragoon Regiment had reached a Captain Wesley Hardin on the surface and gotten a quick intel scoop on the situation on the ground. He decided to land his Regiment as close to the SLDF Special Forces as he could. Escorting fighters reported a short company of Battlemechs fleeing the area and when Captain Hardin confirmed that any Battlemechs were enemy, they made repeated strikes on the fleeing Battlemechs.
He gave a short "GO" and his 1st Battalion began dropping from their Overlord Dropship to secure the immediate area, selected because 1st Battalion contained every jump capable Battlemech in his Regiment. Minutes later, the first SLDF Battlemechs in over 4 years landed on Feijo and began securing a large area encompassing the selected landing zone. Once the 3 Overlord and single Mule Dropship were on the ground, Captain Hardin left the treeline and cautiously approached the SLDF troops. He watched as tanks and infantry unloaded from the Mule Dropship, which carried the 277th Dragoon's attached Armor and Infantry Battalion.
A Cestus CTS-6Y moved towards him and halted a short distance away "Captain Hardin? Colonel Harry Estaban, 277th Dragoon Regiment. Allow me to get my perimeter secure and then we will meet and discuss retaking this planet." The loud speakers announced
Two hours later, Captain Hardin had brought his remaining people into the 277th Dragoon's perimeter and they were being checked out by medical personnel. Captain Hardin was with Colonel Estaban looking over map where he was pointing out known rebel locations. "The main rebel force is of course at the captial and space port. At least 2 Battalions of Battlemechs and several Infantry Regiments. We had raised a few infantry regiments of locals, but the rebel Battlemechs kicked the crap out of them and they scattered to the winds. Me and my people hold no ill will towards them. Asking infantry to take on Battlemechs is always a hard thing to do.
The people themselves hate the rebels. The rebels are down right brutal in their treatment of the civilians. The last 2 years we have limited our actions against the rebels because they tend to come down extremely hard on the civilians closest to where we hit them. So we pulled back into the mountains and beat on any rebel partol they sent in after us."
"Not going to fault you Captain Hardin. You people have fought a long campaign. But you have help now, and I can call on more if I need to. But I am sure my 277th Dragoon's can handle the rebels. We are roughly 600km from the capital. So it will take a week or so for us to reach them from here. Think I will let the Aero pukes beat on the rebels a few days. SLS Conroy will be reaching orbit in another 2 days. But I think me and the rebel commander need to have a talk." Colonel Estaban said
"Good luck, General Dennis Manskill is a ruthless and heartless piece of crap of the worst sort. Good Mech pilot, but he has no problem wiping out a town that in any way supports, helps or just happens to irritate him." Captain Hardin said
Colonel Estaban was handed the radio mic "Colonel Harry Estaban here, you there Manskill?"
"It is General Manskill to you. What do you want?" The hate was obvious even over the radio.
"Listen Manskull, surrender now and avoid me and my people wiping you out." Colonel Estaban said
"Once again it is General Manskill. Why would I surrender before we have even fought?"
This is going to be get old quick, Colonel Estaban thought before keying the mic "Numskull, I have been advised that you and your people enjoy inflicting harm on the civilians. Well that stops now. I am coming for you, this planet will be secured. You want a fight between our forces, I am more than willing to oblige, but the civilians stay safe, you got that?"
"GENERAL MANSKILL!!" came booming over the radio "You think you can take me and my troops, your sadly mistaken. I will meet your forces at the space port."
Colonel Estaban smiled "That will be fine Numskull. I will even promise you that I will not use orbital bombardment on you. But the moment I get a report of a harmed civilian, all bets are off and I will hunt each and every one of you down and kill you with everything I can bring to bear."
A very deep sigh came over the radio "You almost had me Colonel. NO harm to the civilians. I look forward to battle."
Colonel Estaban switched radio frequencies "Dragoon Actual to Titan lead, tomorrow, I want you to strike the space port nice and hard. Your free to engage any Battlemech within 300km of the capital city at will. We will see how the enemy likes a few days of non stop aerial death."
"Roger that Dragoon. We will prepare the battlefield for you. Titan out."
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two leo CV vs warship? they choose poorly. if numskull fights clean longer than a few hours, I will be surprised.
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Unless he has nothing but AA 'mechs, there won't be much left when the 277th moves in on the ground...
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11 February 2770
Feijo (Outworlds Alliance)
General Dennis Manskill had his troops digging in hard and deep now that he knew exatly where and which direction the SLDF was bound to come from. He looked up when many sonic booms sounded across the landscape followed by many explosions walking down the defensive lines being built by his troops. He could barely track the fast moving Aerospace Fighters but his eyes locked on a single one and he watched it begin a turn to the left and then begin to accelerate back towards the defensive lines. It seemed to be heading right for him and he dove head first into the small but deep trench his brain had registered suddenly. Problem was, it was not a defensive trench but a slit trench which had suddenly appeared when the bomb blasts had blown the outhouse into kindling.
When he managed to get his head above the raw, foul smelling filth that half filled the slit trench, he spat some of the filth that had he had managed to get in his mouth before cursing the SLDF long and loud. It took a Stinger holding a rope to slowly pull him from the unspeakable filth in the slit trench. Seems everyone else not in a Battlemech was busy elsewhere. With as much dignity as he could muster, he strode towards his quarters to get cleaned up only to find that his quarters, set right next to his command post was no longer there, nor was the command post, which had been easily identified by the mass of radio antenna and dishes clustered around it. He stopped dead in his tracks, not 50 meters from the still smoldering remains of his quarters and all of his tailored uniforms. For several minutes he just stood there before wandering off to locate a replacement uniform and shower.
Leading his 2nd and 3rd Battalions, Colonel Harry Esteban piloted his Cestus at a steady 43kph march towards the space port. They could easily reach the space port in just over 13 hours, but he refused to rush things. His jump capable 1st Battalion had already boosted back into orbit while the Aerospace Fighters hammered the space port. Hopefully, his enemy had been too distracted to register it's launch. The 12 Maxim Hover Tanks that usually carried his Mechanized Infantry Battalion was carrying 2 Company's of his Infantry but all of Captain Hardin's Special Forces troop's on a long distance race around to set up positions in the Capital city to prevent any enemy forces from entering the city once fighting began.
12 February 2770
The Aerospace attacks were even more intense when they hit as they were accompanied by SLS Conroy's 24 Aerospace Fighters. Today, the first attack was armed with Cluster bombs and they released them all down the defensive lines still being built by the rebel forces. Hundreds of rebel infantry were killed or wounded in this massive attack. After dropping their loads, the Aerospace Fighters broke into squadron formations and began seeking out individual Battlemechs or clusters for special attention. It did not take long for the rebel Battlemechs to flee into massive warehouses to escape the relentless strikes on them. But this had a drawback, for now they were tightly clustered and no one noticed a full Aerospace Group return to rearm.
When the Group returned, they were loaded with the limited amount of Napalm/Inferno bombs they had and seeing the massve warehouse doors open, they came in low and fast and literally skipped the bomb loads into the depths of the warehouses, turning the insides into the inferno's of hell. Over a Company of rebel Battlemechs never left the now consumed warehouses, their pilots caught outside of their Battlemechs and incinerated. Those that broke from the cover of the warehouses faced the angry swarm of Aerospace Fighters loitering over the area just waiting for such an event. Strikes and strafing attacks destroyed another 8 rebel Battlemechs before the Aerospace Fighters broke off and returned to their carriers.
13 February 2770
The early morning saw the return of the Aerospace Fighters, but the rebels had learned by now and everyone was burrowed into deep bunkers. But this left them blind and they never noticed the 277th Dragoon's 1st Battalion dropping from the sky 30km away. Once on the ground, 1st Battalion began moving towards the space port. One Company of Highlander HGN-732, a single Company of Emperor EMP-6A and a Company of Guillotine GLT-3N made for an awesome force.
Once he got word that 1st Battalion was on the ground, Colonel Estaban ordered 2nd and 3rd Battalions to begin their assault and close the last 25km to the space port. A full Battalion of Battlemaster BLR-1G formed 2nd Battalion while 3rd Battalion had 2 Company's of Thug THG-11E and a Company of Archer ARC-2R. Colonel Estaban was the only non Battlemaster in 2nd Battalion, refusing to give up his Cestus CST-6Y.
After the SLDF Aerospace Fighters dropped their bomb loads across the space port, many rebel's wondered why the ground was still shaking. General Dennis Manskill, clothed in the coverall's of a random technician that wore his size, exited the bunker and his eye's widened when he saw the fast approaching Battlemechs. He ran for his Emperor EMP-5A, the only assault Battlemech in his command. The rest being mainly medium or light Battlemechs. The Aerospace Fighters had hunted down his few heavy Battlemechs with a ruthlessness. He could hear the explosions clearly as his cockpit closed and he felt the heart of the Emperor begin to pulse to life. Outside of the Black Eagle that sheltered his Emperor, he saw a Griffin explode as if hit by a god. The moment he emerged from the Black Eagle, his Emperor shook from multiple hits, almost knocking it over. It was no god that destroyed the Griffin, but a solo Cestus and 11 Battlemasters which now focused on his Emperor with determined vengeance. In less than a minute, his Emperor was literally stripped of armor and he slapped the ejection override as he fired a volley into a Battlemaster. The Gauss Slug blew right past the remaining shielding and his reactor went critical. The fusion explosion blasted through the open door and into the belly of the Black Eagle, detonating tons of ammunition and wrecking the Black Eagle.
The fighting lasted barely an hour before the last rebel's had been hunted down and either destroyed or surrendered to the SLDF.
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2ndACR this may be better than the last BT story and that was very good, as well as original.
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15 February 2770
Pilon (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Jenny Davidson, commander 509th Battle Regiment, stood in her new office staring at the outline of her new Regiment pinned to the wall. Major General Baxter had given her very broad powers in recruiting for the reconstituted 509th Battle Regiment. She had all of her original members of the 509th Battle Regiment, 51 Mechwarriors including herself. On the board she had drawn out her new TO&E.
509th Battle Regiment (Reconstituted)
Regiment Command Company - 4 Battlemechs, 8 Chaparral Arrow IV
1st Battlemech Battalion - Command Lance, 3 Battlemech Company's
2nd Battlemech Battalion - Command Lance, 3 Battlemech Company's
3rd Battlemech Battalion - Command Lance, 3 Battlemech Company's
Armor Battalion - 36 Zephyr Hover Tanks
Aerospace Group - 18 Aerospace Fighters
Transport
3 Lee Dropships
2 Lion Dropships
She wanted herself and her Battalion Commanders to be able to focus on keeping control of the battle, not actually fighting. She knew she was raiding several commands to gather the Zephyr's she wanted, but Major General Baxter had told her "Build a Regiment that can fight itself to a planet's surface, and take on 2 to 1 odds with a better than even chance of defeating the enemy without additional support, but carried by the fewest Jumpships available". Her Dropships gave her 7,560 tons of supply. The Aerospace Group gave her internal air support. She planned on having as few ammunition intensive Battlemechs as she could. But before she could decide on the exact Battlemech's, Major General Baxter had told her to design her Regiment and present it to him for approval. She knew several other Independent Regiments were being reformed so there would be a fight for limited resources.
In another building not far away, Colonel Branden Sukotov, new commander 247th Heavy Assault Regiment, had it much easier. His entire Regiment had been cut out of the 359th Battlemech Division and reflagged from the 971st Dragoon Regiment to the 247th Heavy Assault Regiment. It had long ago absorbed the 32 former members of the 247th Heavy Assault Regiment. Really the only major change had been in equipment and the addition of his own Artillery in each Battalion and 2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions. He did not have to compete with any of the other new commanders for much of anything.
247th Heavy Assault Regiment (Reconstituted)
1st Battalion - 36 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Marksman Artillery
2nd Battalion - 36 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Marksman Artillery
3rd Battalion - 36 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Marksman Artillery
4th Battalion - 3 Company's Mechanized Infantry, 12 Turhan Medium Tanks
5th Battalion - 3 Company's Mechanized Infantry, 12 Turhan Medium Tanks
Transport
3 Dictator Dropships
1 Triumph Dropship
1 Czar Dropship
1 Mule Dropship
Boulsi (Terran Hegemony)
Newly promoted Colonel Lisa Harmony, commander 201st Battle Regiment, watched the Battlemechs marching off the 9 Union Dropships. They had been transferred from several other commands to fill her needs. All were heavier than the light Battlemechs they had been piloting. She did not have a huge core of former 201st Mechwarriors to form a good cadre, but the 11 others besides herself would have to do the best they could in melding the Regiment together. It was way different than the original 201st Battle Regiment. The remaining Mechwarriors came from the 31st Infantry Division, which itself was undergoing a re-organization.
201st Battle Regiment (Reconstituted)
1st Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
2nd Battalion - 36 Crab CRB-27sl
3rd Battalion - 36 Thunderbolt TDR-5S
Armor Battalion - 36 Manticore Heavy Tanks
Infantry Battalion - 3 Mechanized Infantry Company, 12 Demon Tanks
Aerospace Group - 18 Aerospace Fighters
Transport
9 Union Dropships
1 Triumph Dropship
1 Czar Dropship
1 Mule Dropship
Not far away, Major General Nathan Baxter stood in the shade of a large tree watching Colonel Lisa Harmony direct traffic off the grounded Dropships. He was glad that General Rita Mitchell had given him the go ahead to reform the Independent Regiments. The 228th Striker would have to wait though. He wanted the integral Aerospace to be LAM's and it was going to take some doing prying those from the various Division's Cavalry Battalions. Shouting caused him to turn around, one of the Basic Training Instructors was tearing into a Platoon of new Mechwarrior recruits. He smiled as he watched all 28 recruits drop for their 50 pushups over what ever screw up had occurred. There were 9 Platoons of recruit Mechwarriors undergoing Basic Training, 252 brand new recruits, almost 100 had already been washed out. In 4 years, he felt he would be lucky if he graduated half of them.
His attention was diverted again by the pounding of boots on pavement as his proudest addition jogged past. 252 former Mining Mech pilots recruited from Wokha. Once they completed Basic Training, in 6 months, they would begin piloting the stockpile of Stinger Battlemechs waiting on them. In 2 years, he hoped to graduate enough pilots to field a full Regiment. Soon he would have to return to Pilon and check on his secret project, General Mitchell had not authorized a full bore Gunslinger program, but he still commanded the 359th Battlemech Division which contained 16 Gunslingers, not counting himself, and he hoped she would miss his transfer of the 4 former Gunslinger Instructors to the 359th Battlemech Division. Those 16 Gunslingers were being taught how to be Gunslinger Instructors themselves by the 4 former Gunslinger Instructors. Soon, they would begin, as off the books as he could make it, begin to train Veteran Mechwarrior pilots of the 359th Battlemech Division in the art of being a Gunslinger, starting with the most gifted pilots he had.
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some nice units.
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Baxter is going to have some explaining to do when Mitchell catches on to his Gunslinger scheme... ^-^
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Baxter is going to have some explaining to do when Mitchell catches on to his Gunslinger scheme... ^-^
its not a gunslinger program..... its advanced skills training for the gifted. >:D
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...ummm why convert a Dragoon regiment to an ondependent Heavy Assault Regiment? Wasn't SLDF independent Regiments Dragoons, Hussars and Light Horse and Line Regiments in the Brigades were Heavy Assault, Battle and Striker regiments respectively.
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A jump infantry or Nighthawk PAL formation with an organic LAM battlemech formation would probably make really good Raider,QRF, Recon and Spaceport seizure force similar to what RL Ranger/ Airborne unit.
Spaceports especially in more backwater planets tend to be a very pivotal or strategic target.
So a Jump Infantry Brigade Combat Team would probably be a very useful asset in the Forgotten Corps. There's enough scattered battalions and regiments which seem rather under utilized or not fitting in Regular SLDF MTOE in the various units in the Corps.
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Liberties have to be taken to preserve my sanity. Dig deep enough and you will find canon sources that have Dragoon Reg in Divisions, even Hussar Regiments. Which contradicts what the books say.
I hear you. You will see a bunch of that later down the road. Right now, they are still stuck in SLDF mode. The 509th Battle is the very first unit I allowed to go Command Lance setup and such. Which did not happen until long after the SLDF days. Of course the Lee Dropship carried 40 Battlemechs, so it seems designed for Command Lance.
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3 March 2770
Azur (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Colin McGregor, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division, shook off the effects of the jump to the Zenith Jump Point. SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser began moving for the planet escorting the mass of Dropships carrying the 126th Mech Infantry Div. It did not take long to make contact with SLDF forces on the planet's surface and learn that there was no resistance on the planet's surface. They would make landfall in 3 days.
7 March 2770
Major Dovie Frazier, commander 2972nd Special Forces, almost wanted to shed a tear at the sight of all the Dropships setting down on the space port. She watched as the Dropships began disembarking the forces that they carried. Beside her, Lieutenant General (Reserve) Carter DeMars, Commander of Azur's SLDF Reserve Brigade and Commander of the Planetary Garrison. He had never commanded combat troops during his SLDF career of 30 years, always being in the Quartermaster Command. When the fighting had begun, he had almost lost control of the fight but one of his Infantry Regiment commanders had pulled everything back into order and they had thrown back the first rebel invasion as the Special Forces troops had arrived. The second invasion was larger and had managed to push them from the Capital of Jerusalem. Major Farzier had begun a major campaign of terror on the rebel forces, recruiting and training Regiments of local's to beat back the rebel forces.
A SLDF APC raced across the tarmac followed by a Mobile HQ vehicle. It halted and an officer in SLDF fatigues, wearing the rank of Major General, got out and moved to the small group. "Major General Colin McGregor, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. We got here as soon as we had word of your location. You said the planet was secure, but is there any area's where my troops need to focus on?"
"Major Dovie Frazier, 2972nd Special Forces. This is Lieutenant General Carter DeMars, command of the planet's garrison. I have a Brigade of Infantry on every settled continent. There has not been a hostile shot fired in 3 years. We are just glad to have a Division to take over garrison duties."
"Guess you also have not heard. There has been a coup, seems Stefan Amaris took control of the Terran Hegemony. General Kerensky pulled the SLDF completely out of the Periphery and far as we know took out the Rim Worlds Republic. We have roughly a Corps of troops in this region under General Rita Mitchell. We have no contact with SLDF High Command or General Kerensky. We just learned of your location and here we are. I cannot promise you that we will be here long term."
"That is some crappy news to get. I retired from the SLDF, came out here to seek out a new life and got sucked back into service as the ranking former SLDF officer. I know logistics and how to get stuff from one point to another very well. But I am not a Line Officer. Guess I got my hopes up when I heard you were inbound." Lieutenant General (Reserve) Carter DeMars said
"It all depends on what General Mitchell decides. For now, let me get my troops squared away and then we see aout getting a message to General Mitchell." Major General McGregor said
10 March 2770
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Katrina Johannsen, 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division knew she was going to bump heads with Rear Admiral Percy Seimens from just the quick radio conversation with him. While her 173rd MID made their way to the planet's surface, she took a shuttle over to the Olympus Recharge Station to meet his royal hignness Rear Admiral Percy Seimens.
Two hours later, she laid eyes on the Rear Admiral and her thoughts were confirmed, she was not going to get along with him at all. "Major General Katrina Johannsen, 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, I will be assuming command of the garrison of Linden. The 238th Striker Regiment will be assigned to other duties, for now they will be joining with the 19th Hussar Regiment that came in with my Division."
"Rear Admiral Percy Seimens. You might be garrisoning the planet surface, but you do not command the garrison of Linden. That job is still mine and I expect you to follow my orders when I give them. The 238th Striker Regiment stays put and I am also assuming command of the 19th Hussar Regiment and your Destroyer for the defense of Linden."
"Those are not the orders I was given by General Mitchell sir." Major General Johannsen said trying to defuse the situation
"Your General Mitchell is not in command of me or my personnel. I answer to High Command and General Kerensky. No one else." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"We have no contact with either of them. General Kerensky is off fighting to liberate the Terran Hegemony. As far as we know, we are the only SLDF troops in the entire Periphery, totally cut off and on our own. It only makes sense for all of us to work together out here until such time as we make contact with Higher Command." Major General Johannsen tried again
"Until that time, all force in Linden answer to me. You may return to your Division and assume garrison alongside the 238th Striker Division. Take the 19th Hussar with you. Your dismissed General." Rear Admiral Seimens said
On the shuttle ride to join her Division, she relayed the conversation with SLS Solomon, Essex Destroyer. No one was happy with this development.
15 March 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell read the HPG message relayed to her from Linden. She crumpled the message in her hand. Now she knew she was going to have to take a little trip. This was probably going to take some time also. Not a quick week trip. Amanda would have to come along with her. There would have to be security arrangements made. She had some messages to send.
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someone is about to get hit with a big hammer. >:D
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Seimens has definitely made a mistake... I don't expect that to go well.
But I think DeMars is going to be an overall plus for Mitchell. :thumbsup:
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..a relief of command due to loss of confidence by a higher commander followed by court martial for neglect and dereliction of duty is in someone's future..
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28 March 2770
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
Jessica Parington, Governor of Blommestein and acting Governor of the Blommestein Province had found her discussions with Major General Iris Carman extremely informative. She had learned that her Blommestein Province had basically lost Thazi, Boulsi, Pilon and Wokha with their votes to join the Terran Hegemony. She knew that she should be furious, but she could not fault the people of those worlds. With almost 5 years of no contact with anyone from the Outworlds Govt, she herself felt the resentment against the Outworlds Alliance.
She had seen the celebrations that the people here on Blommestein had thrown as the SLDF troops patrolled the area. SLDF medical personnel were seeing to the citizens of the planet. Making long journey's to the smaller remote towns. The rebels had executed the Governor actually appointed by the Outworlds Alliance, but did she have the actual power to do what her heart told her to do? That was the million dollar question. Her small council of advisors were not much help on the matter, but they swore they would support whatever decision she chose. She had spent the last month making up her mind, and now as she walked towards Major General Carman's headquarters, she steeled herself.
Guards had alerted Major General Carman that Jessica Parington was approaching and she exited the Mobile HPG vehicle where she had been reading a dispatch from General Mitchell about the situation on Linden. She had already responded to General Mitchell that she was ready to dispatch additional warships to Linden on her command.
"Governor Parington, I was not expecting a visit from you. What can I do for you ma'am?"
"General Carman, would it be possible for you to relay a message to your General Mitchell for me?" Jessica Parington asked
"Of course. May I ask what this message is about?" General Carman asked
"This has not been a easy decision for me to make, but I feel it is the best for the people of my Province. Please inform your General Mitchell that the Blommestein Province would like to join the Terran Hegemony. The entire province, all worlds. I am confident that the people of the Province will agree with my decision." Jessica Parington stated
"I will relay your request as soon as possible. It will be up General Mitchell to accept. She possibly might still require individual votes of the planets concerned." General Carman said
"Completely understandable. I am quite sure Blommestein itself will gladly vote to join the Terran Hegemony. And I will gladly campaign to make that happen if she desires it. These are dangerous times and the Alliance had 5 years to at least try to re-establish contact with us, they have not. They have lost their right to rule over us. Your troops might be SLDF, but your operating under the Terran Hegemony flag. You have spoken quite highly of General Mitchell in our discussions. I have heard the respect you have for her in your voice, I will trust your judgement." Jessica Parington said as she turned to leave.
Major General Iris Carman watched Governor Jessica Parington depart. She wondered how General Mitchell would react to the news, she wished she could be there to see her face when she read this message. She then turned and entered the Mobile HPG to send the message.
29 March 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell read the HPG message from Major General Carman on Blommestein several times. She had then pulled up a map of the Blommestein Province and counted the inhabited systems. She counted them again, 26 inhabited systems. She had serious doubts about taking on that many systems, hell, she had only done the 3 initial planets as a way of staving off the bill collectors. It had bought her some time, but the people on Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon and now Wokha had seemed to take great pride in being part of the Terran Hegemony and seemed to strive to live up to being worthy of that right. This decision made her extremely nervous. General Kerensky was going to have her hide tacked to his walls when this was all over with. But for now, she needed to get to Linden and sort out this Rear Admiral Seimens.
She had sent HPG messages, by relays, to Rear Admiral Tanaka and Colonel Calloway for them to meet her at Linden on 15 May. She had a few surprises for this Rear Admiral Seimens.
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i sense a jail cell in the futuer?
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...deserves a spacewalk without a vaccsuit for all the deaths caused by his cowardice and gross dereliction of duty...but that's a slippery slope with THiE trying to establish rule of law. Demotion to private and a sentence to hard labor in the most dangerous DoME terrafirming project or marooning in an uninhabited asteroid is the least the good admiral deserves.
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4 April 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell shook hands with Commodore Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship. "Sorry it has been such a long time since I came up to see you Trisha. You and your people have done some excellent work. How long until SLS Mighty Lift is completed?" She asked looking at the massive Potemkin Transport
"We should have her buttoned back up and mission ready within the week. All other ships have been fully upgraded with LF Batteries per your orders." Commodore Delvaney replied
"Excellent. What would it take to upgrade Salvation?" General Mitchell asked
"A much bigger shipyard than we have or another Newgrange Yardship. Which we need to think about, Salvation is going to need some yard time soon and we have nothing that can handle her." Commodore Delvaney answered
"Well, Rear Admiral Delvaney, I guess you better start giving it some thought." General Mitchell said
Commodore Delvaney stood there silently, did she misspeak, rocketed through her head. Then General Mitchell spoke again "You heard me Trisha, you have earned it. I will let Admiral Tanisha Tanaka assign you your ships, but I know you and trust you. I need you to start giving some thought to what all we need out here to survive. You say we need a much bigger yard to handle your ship, well then build one. Send a request for material to the surface and have the mining operations get on it. I also know your crew has been stretched with all the work, if you feel you need extra people, send a request for recruits to learn the art of working in space. Start a training program if that is what it takes. Your the expert on what we need to keep the Fleet operational, you have my trust. I will be gone for a few months and for now, your in command of all space assets in the immediate area."
"Thank you General Mitchell. I will take your advice and start getting some plans ready to implement." Rear Admiral Delvaney said
"Name is Rita. At least when it is just us. You don't have to wait for my approval on anything. If you feel we need it, build it. Now, I am boarding my shuttle for the ride back to SLS Tirpitz and we will begin our journey. See you when I get back." General Mitchell said tossing a half salute.
Ceiba (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka read the message from General Rita Mitchell. It had been forwarded to her from Colonel Calloway's Mobile HPG on the surface. She had already read it several times.
To: Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka
CC: Colonel Brian Calloway
From: General Rita Mitchell, Acting Regent
On receipt of this message, you are hereby promoted to Vice Admiral. Your command is hereby formally named 21st Independent Squadron and will consist of all warship and armed transports EXCEPT for SLS Tirpitz. She will remain strictly as protection and transport for Amanda Cameron. I am also promoting Commodore Barbara Coltrain, Commodore Vincent Zeibler and Commodore Trisha Delvaney to Rear Admiral. They have earned it along with yourself. How you organize your Squadron is up to you.
I need you and Colonel Calloway at Linden on 15 May. Seems this Rear Admiral Seimens has confiscated some of my ground troops and SLS Solomon. I am heading that way aboard SLS Tirpitz with a 15 May ETA. It is time for me and Rear Admiral Seimens to have a talk. See you in a month.
Rita
I thought me and Rear Admiral Seimens had a clear understanding before I left, I was wrong. Now, General Mitchell is on her way to sort out the mess. Admiral Tanaka thought to herself.
On the surface, Colonel Brian Calloway had already read the message and even let Major Benjamin Manfield, commander 3281st Special Forces Battalion read it. "What does this mean Colonel Calloway?"
"Nothing good, except the promotions. This Rear Admiral Seimens is not going to like what General Mitchell is going to say to him." Colonel Calloway said
"I can understand wanting the warship there, but why you?" Major Manfield asked
"I can read between the lines. I will be leaving my Battlemechs under Major Barkley here with you while I am gone. The rest of my troops will be going with me. Our techs will continue working on getting your suits repaired using my spare parts until I leave. We will be back. I assume General Mitchell wants us back there in case this Rear Admiral Seimens try's something really stupid." Colonel Calloway replied
17 April 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Peter Sajak watched the careful installation of his precious assembly lines. He seemed to be everywhere at once, constantly on the move. While the foundation and actual buildings were being built by the mass of Engineers from the SLDF and also 2 separate construction outfits here on Thazi, he had spent a lot of time with his engineers and supervisors going over all the plans and specifications they had, both on combat vehicles, civilian vehicles, support vehicles but mainly he had them pouring over the spec sheets for the actual production equipment. He had asked one question "Could they build new production machinery for expansion?"
For 2 months they had poured over everything they had, then compared what could be produced here on Thazi, then requested info on what could be produced on Boulsi. Finally, the answer had come back. "Yes, but we will need access to a factory that can build advanced circuit boards to run the actual machinery. The industry here on Thazi can easily manufacture the actual heavy machinery, but was unable to manufacture the advanced circuit boards. Plus, if we want to produce the advanced equipment, we will need a steady source of advance equipment."
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Well earned promotions all around! :thumbsup:
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An SLDF Rear Admiral is equivalent to an SLDF Leftenant General. Rear Admiral Tanaka outranked Semen as she is in an Active Fleet posting and Semen is Reserve Fleet. Maj.Gen. Johanssen should have told Semen to pound ..ahem sand.
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An SLDF Rear Admiral is equivalent to an SLDF Leftenant General. Rear Admiral Tanaka outranked Semen as she is in an Active Fleet posting and Semen is Reserve Fleet. Maj.Gen.
Johanssen should have told Semen to pound ..ahem sand.
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Thought it best she keep her head down, she has not proven herself yet to General Mitchell.
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I soooo can not wait for the hammer to fall. so what is this area equal to thule air force base?
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That's probably not a bad analogy...
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Assuming the deep spin yards join on without damage would it be easier to convert them to full on shipyard then building a new one?
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Assuming the deep spin yards join on without damage would it be easier to convert them to full on shipyard then building a new one?
this does make more sense to me!
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Not nearly as isolated as Thule. But it is on the very edge of settled space. I suck at posting maps and adding stuff like that on this forum. Reply #224 on page 8 has a map of the region.
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=67981.0;attach=56596;image
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..so it's more like Ft.Irwin for you Army guys...Diego Garcia for USAF and USN.
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..so it's more like Ft.Irwin for you Army guys...Diego Garcia for USAF and USN.
.......More like Fort Wainwright.
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..so it's more like Ft.Irwin for you Army guys...Diego Garcia for USAF and USN.
.......More like Fort Wainwright.
Within easy wiping distance of the proverbial ass-end of nowhere?
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Within easy wiping distance of the proverbial ass-end of nowhere?
..further
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8 May 2770
Carmelita (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell was strapped into her chair while she worked in her small office. A shriek of laughter from the hallway outside brought a smile to her face. Several of the Royal Black Watch Jump Infantry were musing Amanda Cameron, in her specially made padded jumpsuit complete with helmet. Probably throwing her between them like an oversized football. It was one of her favorite Zero G games that she had discovered during this trip. Almost 4 years old now, Amanda preferred to walk on her own than be carried, so Zero G had become a challenge for her. But after the first 2 weeks, Amanda had discovered and slowly gotten used to floating rather than standing. She had not mastered actually aiming herself, so usually either herself or one of the ever present Royal Black Watch Jump Infantry did it for her. Her giggles and shrieks were a common sound aboard the SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser.
She forced herself to return to her work. With nothing massively pressing, she had been reviewing different requests from the various units. The staff of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division mostly handled the huge task in addition to their normal Divisional Task. Rita knew she was going to have to form a much higher level of command structure. She was absently flipping through various personnel requests and daily manpower reports of the units when she suddenly stopped on a report from the 211th Hussar Regiment. Why had they transferred a Mechwarrior to the 359th Battlemech Division and received another Mechwarrior in return, she thought to herself.
She pulled up the daily reports of the 359th Battlemech Diivision and as she flipped the various daily reports, she saw that the 359th had transferred almost 20 Mechwarriors to various commands and received a Mechwarrior in return. What are you up to Nathan, she thought to herself. Then her eyes focused onto a name she recognized, knew she name very well in fact. She smiled thinly, Nathan, you just could not wait for me to agree to starting a Gunslinger Program so you are trying to build one within the 359th Battlemech Division, somewhere you thought I would not see it, but you messed up, Johnny Kushneyeva is a name I would recognize because he had been transferred from the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division to the 211th Hussar Regiment before the trip towards Terra and he was a Gunslinger graduate, she silently thought to herself. A little more digging and cross checking names of the transfered Mechwarriors confirmed it, all Gunslingers and 4 of them were former Gunslinger Instructors. Caught you with your hand in the cookie jar Nathan, she thought to herself with a smile.
With that little mystery solved, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Not to rest, but to just let her mind work out different plans or idea's before she would focus on a single one and put pen to paper. One issue forced it's way to the front in her mind, Blommestein Province, the entire thing. How could she cover that many worlds? She pushed the thought aside and mentally recalled her forces, 8 Divisions and 9 Independent Regiments, and 1 Conventional RCT. When she could not mentally recall a map of the region with enough clarity, she opened her eyes and pulled up a map on her note pad. She spent several minutes studying the map and then pulled out a pad and began to make some notes.
She then pulled up information detailing what was in the training pipeline. She saw that they had 5 Regiments worth of Armor crews and 6 Regiments of Infantry. She did not focus on Mechwarriors as it would take several years to field them. Enough to form 2 Conventional RCT's. She spent 2 hours flipping back and forth to various screens and making notes. Finally she sat back and looked at what she had drawn up, it was doable, but they sure would be stretched thin covering a lot of ground. But it was more heavily defended than before the Uprising started. With heavy recruiting, maybe they could form an additional 3-4 Conventional RCT's and that would free up her Line units as reaction forces in a year or 2.
Rough Garrison Assignments
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division - Thazi
322nd Armored Division - Pilon
280th Mechanized Infantry Division - Blommestein
29th Mechanized Infantry Division - Ambatomainty
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division - Linden
359th Battlemech Division - Puttalam
126th Mechanized Infantry Division - Feijo
31st Infantry Division - Ejeda
Royal Black Watch - Thazi
211th Hussar Regiment - Ddraig
19th Hussar Regiment - Ceiba
277th Dragoon Regiment - Zetang
238th Striker Regiment - Domeyko
509th Battle Regiment - Mandeville
201st Battle Regiment - Zumbo
247th Heavy Assault Regiment - Alktral
8th Conventional RCT - Wokha
9th Conventional RCT - Shira (would be created with on site forces)
10th Conventional RCT - Blommestein (would be created with on site forces)
11th Conventional RCT - Carmelita (under training)
12th Conventional RCT - La Ligua (under training)
If she agreed to this idea of the entire Blommestein Province joining the Terran Hegemony that is. She still had not made up her mind on the matter. No matter which way she decided, she knew she would have to let go of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division so that she could focus on other matters and form a Command Staff to help her keep track of everything. Just the thought of letting go of the 272nd was enough to bring a sick feeling to her stomach, but the time had come. But she would by god form her own small command on the off chance she got to take the field again. Then a smile spread across her face, payback is a bitch Nathan, never go behind my back.
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Major General Katrina Johannsen, 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, had found that Colonel Bradley Stockton, commander 238th Striker Regiment, loathed Rear Admiral Percy Seimens. For years he had argued and even begged to be allowed to head out and assist the SLDF Special Forces units they at least knew locations of. He had explained that he had learned over the years all about Rear Admiral Percy Seimens and his past. He had been placed in command of Deep Spin almost 10 years ago, mainly to put him somewhere he could do no real harm. Rear Admiral Percy Seimens had spent his entire command in the Transport Subcommand, until he had botched a rapid deployment exercise which caused a complete SLDF Division to arrive at the wrong system, deep in enemy territory to be destroyed in detail. But when the need for someone to command Deep Spin had arrived, Rear Admiral Percy Seimens had been selected for the task. His only focus was to make sure Deep Spin itself ran smoothly.
But once communication with any higher command had been lost, he had pulled rank on everyone. Restricted movement, cancelled any movement outside of the system. As the DoME crews had returned to Deep Spin, he had ordered them to stand down and remain in system. Even though this would wipe out much of the work they had just returned from. Major General Johannsen had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Linden itself had a massive stockpile of ammunition and replacement parts on it. Colonel Stockton had even explained that in storage were older Battlemechs from his 238th Striker Regiment. They had been upgraded in early 2765 but the Uprising had prevented the supply convoy from leaving the system.
238th Striker Regiment
1st Battalion - 36 Night Hawk NTK-2Q, 6 Sabre SB-28
2nd Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2, 6 Sabre SB-28
3rd Battalion - 36 Crab CRB-27sl, 6 Sabre SB-28
Mech Infantry Battalion
Mech Infantry Battalion
Old Equipment in Storage
36 Thorn THE-N
36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-1
36 Shadow Hawk SHD-2H
18 Sabre SB-27
She had even spoken to Commodore Gretchen Chen, she commanded the HPG Factories on Linden for Communications Command and her civilian counterpart from the Star League Department of Communications. Together they made sure the SLDF had the compact HPG's but also they supported establishing the HPG's in this area of the Outworlds Alliance. They both had explained that they had cut back to just enough to keep the local's employed and their skills from degrading. When she had explained to both that they might want to pick up the pace on production since every HPG in the region was either destroyed or heavily damaged, both had smiled and departed almost at a run. A few days later, Major General Johannsen had noticed that the HPG Factories were running around the clock. Now she just waited for General Mitchell to arrive and pop Rear Admiral Percy Seimens big head like a bad pimple.
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Ahhh... yes, the effervescence of crushed Soul.
Why that will put a smile on your face for days.
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If no one kept up, Shira actually has enough Infantry that they could field 3 Conventional RCT with addition of 3 Armor Regiments. I am only accounting for a single with local forces for now.
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Boulsi gets no garrison? ???
And yes, I love the fact that those on the ground at Linden have been waiting for release... That will vastly simplify things... ^-^
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Boulsi will be the primary training facilities. So figure they have 6-8 Infantry Regiments, 4-6 Armor Regiments, 2 Aerospace Wings and 2 Regiments of Battlemechs on planet at all times. Instructors alone would be worth a full Batt of each and maybe even a Regiment of each.
Plus they have the 272nd MID sitting right next door for rapid response.
Plan is, once new Conventional RCT's come online, the frontline units will shift around some. I tried to set up the full Divisions so that there are 2 and sometimes 3 Divisions within 2 jumps of any planet. They are the hammer.
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That could work, though I'll say cadre aren't the same as a unit who's whole duty is garrison.
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IF Boulsi was also home for the special forces groups would allow them to train and boost the defense of the planet. I imagine they are going to be part of a QRF force.
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Not nearly as isolated as Thule. But it is on the very edge of settled space. I suck at posting maps and adding stuff like that on this forum. Reply #224 on page 8 has a map of the region.
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=67981.0;attach=56596;image
I was thinking that they could send a certain officer some please equal the back end of nowhere that was at the same time cold and dull.
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With regard to isolation, I think DG is much further away from "civilization" than Thule ever was, but the tropical climate goes a long way toward mitigating that...
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12 May 2770
Carmelita (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mtchell had spent the last 4 days working on different things. But the biggest was deciding who would take over the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division. She had finally decided to turn the 272nd MID over to Lieutenant General Rachel Canaday, her ranking Brigade comamnder. She would formally promote her to Major General when she returned. That had taken 2 days of crawling thru every command looking at the limited reviews on her officers. Then she had started work on her new Command Structure, after 2 days, she sat back and looked at it. Using the projected Force structure she had used for absorbing the entire Blommestein Province she had come up with a working plan.
New Organization
Army Command - General Rita Mitchell
Royal Black Watch
1st Corps - Major General Heinrich Rommel
322nd Armored Division
359th Battlemech Division
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
31st Infantry Division
211th Hussar Regiment
509th Battle Regiment
201st Battle Regiment
8th Conventional RCT
10th Conventional RCT
12th Conventional RCT
2nd Corps - Major General Colin McGregor
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
19th Hussar Regiment
277th Dragoon Regiment
238th Striker Regiment
247th Heavy Assault Regiment
9th Conventional RCT
11th Conventional RCT
Naval Command - Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka
Transport Command - Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka
Training Command - Major General Nathan Baxter
Battlemech School
Gunslinger School
Armor School
Infantry School
Administration Command - General Rita Mitchell
Quartermaster Command -
Intelligence Command - Colonel Brian Calloway
Special Forces
15 May 2770
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Rear Admiral Percy Seimens knew it was going to be a bad day when SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer, SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser and then an hour later SLS Tirptiz, Black Lion Battlecruiser arrived in system. When he received a request from SLS Tirpitz to dock with the Olympus Recharge Station, the feeling of dread came over him as he granted the request. It was followed by a request for him to report aboard SLS Tirpitz upon their docking with the Olympus Recharge Station.
Once SLS Tirpitz was docked, he tried to present an air of confidence as he strode down the docking arm corridor, but that air slowly abandoned him once he was aboard SLS Tirpitz and under an armed escort by several Marines. He was led to a large conference room on one of the grav decks, entering he spotted Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka and an officer wearing SLDF fatigues but wearing the rank of a full General. As he closed on the pair, he noticed that Rear Admiral Tanisha Tanaka was now wearing the rank of Vice Admiral and now an ice ball formed in his stomach.
He halted and reported "Rear Admiral Percy Seimens, commander Deep Spin Maintenance Facility reporting."
"That is still to be determined. My name is General Rita Mitchell, commanding General of all SLDF forces in this region of space. Now, how about you try to explain to me what gave you the right to countermand my orders, commandeer my ships and troops?"
"General, with respect, your not in my chain of command." Rear Admiral Percy Seimens stated and immediately regretted it when he noticed the General before him stiffen and her hand never wavered from where it rested on her holstered pistol.
"Is that so. When was the last time you had communication with YOUR chain of command? I am going to assume it was mid to late 2765, just like the rest of us. That means that by SLDF regulations, your chain of command falls under the ranking officer in the region of space you happen to occupy. That would be me. So either you have no clue about SLDF regulations or you have way more balls than brains when you ignored my direct orders relayed to you by Vice Admiral Tanaka here on her arrival. Which is it?" General Mitchell said
"I am fully aware of the SLDF regulations General." Rear Admiral Seimens replied
"So you willfully disobeyed my orders and then proceeded to confiscate and countermand my direct orders. Your not winning any points here Admiral Seimens, about the only saving grace you have is that you have managed to keep this system in complete operation and safe over the years. But that is vanishing extremely fast. I have half a mind to order those Marines to take you to the nearest airlock and throw you out of it. You bluster and short answers are getting on my nerves so you better learn to grovel better." General Mitchell said
"General Mitchell, I did not know you actually existed. Just that some Rear Admiral I never met, showed up and started giving me orders. Just throwing your name around is not much proof." Rear Admiral Seimens protested
"And yet, when the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division, 19th Hussar Regiment and an Essex Destroyer all show up shortly after that, all bearing orders from me, that was not a clue to that dense skull of yours that there really was a General Mitchell out here? You just took it upon yourself to countermand my orders, even after being pretty sure there really was a General Mitchell out here giving lawful orders per SLDF regulations? Your not making a very good case for your continued existence Seimens." General Mitchell said
The dropping of his rank was as though someone had fired a gun at him, he felt beads of sweat forming on his brow under the steady gaze of this woman. That her hand never moved off her holstered pistol made him even more nervous. He cut his eyes to now Vice Admiral Tanaka and saw no help there, none at all. "I am very sorry General Mitchell, now that I have confirmation that a true chain of command exists, per SLDF regulations, Deep Spin and all her personnel are at your disposal." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"Now that answer is what you should have started off with right away instead of the bluster. Rear Admiral Seimens, you now answer to Vice Admiral Tanaka here. Your continued service is at her sole judgement. I would advise you to not let your name appear before me with a negative report. If I have to return out here again on a negative report, the outcome will not be very pleasant for you. Now, I am going to leave you with Vice Admiral Tanaka, who will explain your orders very clearly. I am going to the surface and confer with my troops. Is that clear enough for you?" General Mitchell stated
"Very clear General Mitchell." Rear Admiral Seimens replied
"It had better be, for your sake." General Mitchell said
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I'm surprised she hasn't fired him yet, but I suppose letting Tanaka do it will be more satisfying... >:D
And +1 for putting Baxter in charge of Training Command! ;D
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19 May 2770
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Vice Admrial Tanisha Tanaka had confined Rear Admiral Percy Seimens to quarters while she tried to figure out what the hell to do with him. She had spent the last 4 days speaking with his staff trying to learn everything she could. Deep Spin's executive officer, Colonel Glen Flawsen, had provided the most information and insight into Rear Admiral Percy Seimens.
"As a combat commander, Rear Admiral Seimens is horrible. Not a coward, but extremely timid. But his adminstrative abilities are exceptional. I have served under him for 9 years and before the Uprising, he kept the DoME missions running smoothly, they always had the material they needed, when they needed it, ready to go. When their ships would rotate in, he had the yards ready to receive the ships literally the moment they arrived. I guess you could say that is also an operational skill, but I would advise you to be careful with that assessment. I have to admit, I have come to admire the man for his administrative abilities. I watched him argue for getting the 238th Striker Regiment re-equipped with new Battlemechs. Even though all of their equipment was fully operational. He felt they deserved the best he could get them in order for them to fulfill their mission of protecting the DoME operations. He built up quite a stockpile of ammunition and spare parts for them also.
It is not often you see a Naval officer argue so hard for Army troops. But then the Uprising happened and I saw the timid side start to take over. But while we still had communication with Higher Command, he continued operations but argued for more assets. When we lost communication, well, his timid side completely took over. He cancelled DoME operations, pulled everyone back to Deep Spin and focused on keeping Deep Spin safe from attack. When you first arrived and then left, in his defense, he had started to prepare your requested mission, but then he second guessed everything. When the new SLDF units arrived, he reverted to protecting Deep Spin. I advised him that it was probably a mistake to attempt to countermand their orders, but I could not win him over." Colonel Glen Flawsen explained
"Tell me how an Army officer came to be assigned to a Naval Maintence Yard Colonel Flawsen?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
"I came over from the Administrative Command. I controlled 4 recruitment and training teams for the Armies reserve forces. I lost 2 during the Uprising but have 2 down on the surface of Linden. We had been doing good work out here before everything blew up in our face. I was not actually assigned to the Naval Yards, but assigned to the region out here and Deep Spin just happens to be the closest major SLDF base, so this was my primary posting under Rear Admiral Seimens." Colonel Flawsen said
"And if I were to return Rear Admiral Seimens to command, what is your assessment?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
"With a proper ranking officer and command structure for him to report to? I would expect Rear Admiral Seimens to return to his more normal self. Fulfilling the missions assigned to him. His wife and 2 kids live on the habitats. As do my own family. The meeting with you and General Mitchell scared him, he screwed up years ago and got exiled out here to Deep Spin, but instead of taking it as a punishment, he focused on making it the best running operation he could. Right now, he thinks his career is over. Hell, he is worried your gonna toss him out the airlock." Colonel Flawsen said
"The thought has crossed my mind. But I felt the need to know more. Thank you Colonel Flawsen, you may return to your duties." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
20 May 2770
Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka had spent the previous night mulling over everything she had learned about Rear Admiral Seimens. Around 9am local time, she called for Rear Admiral Percy Seimens to be brought to her. When he arrived, she pointed to a chair. After he had sat down, she could tell he was nervous.
"Rear Admiral Seimens, you have been a major pain. You have disrupted our operations but lucky for you, it did not cost any of our troops lives. God help me, I am going to return you to duty. But mark my word Admiral, this is your last chance. I have heard how well you did before the Uprising out here, I pray you can return to that level of excellence. Our mission out here is difficult enough as it is, I do not have time, nor does General Mitchell, to run around dealing with insubordinate officers. Do you think you can do this?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
Rear Admiral Seimens cleared his dry throat "Vice Admiral Tanaka, I assure you, you will have no further problems. I will execute all missions assigned to me to the best of my ability if given the chance."
"You better Rear Admiral Seimens. If I or General Mitchell get a single report of a problem from you, I will convene a court martial and be done with you. Major General Johannsen and the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division will be staying to garrison Linden. She is in overall command of the defense of this system. Your mission is to make sure Deep Spin remains fully operational and that missions are handled in a timely manner. Is that clear?" Vice Admiral Tanaka explained
"Crystal clear, is she my direct command?" Rear Admiral Seimens asked
"You will actually report to me, I will be your direct superior. If for any reason, we lose communication, Major General Johannsen will assume command duties. Do not make me regret this Admiral Seimens." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"You won't, that I promise. Deep Spin will be ready to support all missions assigned and to provide support as needed. I want to thank you for the chance to prove myself to you." Rear Admiral Seimens said
"Don't thank me yet. Your on probation. Your margin of error is exactly zero. Do not fail me." Vice Admiral Tanaka said as she stood from behind the desk and walked for the door, pausing "I do not want to have to return here again to deal with you."
On the surface, General Rita Mitchell greeted Major General Katrina Johannsen warmly "Good to see you again Katrina. You know I would not have held it against you if you had shot Rear Admiral Seimens."
"I half figured you wouldn't, but I have some trust to rebuild. I did not want to push the boundary with you, not yet anyway." She replied with a twinkle in her eye.
"Colonel Fuentes, you ready to get moving?" General Mitchell asked
"You bet General. Where do you want us?" Colonel Irma Fuentes, commander 19th Hussar Regiment asked
"Get your 19th Hussar loaded up, get over to Ceiba and make sure it is 100% secure." General Mitchell ordered and then turned to the officer she did not know.
"Colonel Bradley Stockton, commander 238th Striker Regiment at your service General."
"Good to meet you. Your troops ready for deployment?" General Mitchell asked
"More than ready. Our orders?" Colonel Stockton asked
"Load up and move to Domeyko. Secure the planet. Take the Mobile HPG from the 173rd Mechanized Infantry so you can stay in touch. Sorry Katrina, I cannot have a command without communication, you have the HPG located here. I promise to figure out a way to replace it." General Mitchell ordered
"I am going to hold you to that. I am curious, how did it go with Rear Admiral Seimens?" Major General Johannsen asked
"I came close to shooting him. He is Vice Admral Tanaka's problem to deal with now. What ever she decides, I will back her." General Mitchell replied
21 May 2770
General Rita Mitchell watched Amanda Cameron play in the grass not far away, always under the watchful eyes of several Jump Infantry from the Royal Black Watch but now also with a Company of Battlemechs deployed in the immediate area. She had met with Commodore Gretchen Chen and had been assured that they would have the requested replacement parts ready within the month to restore the HPG's on Thazi and Wokha. Boulsi would have to completely be rebuilt and that would take several months. But, they had 6 Mobile HPG's in storage as replacements for any SLDF warships. They just needed a ship to mount them on. As they toured the facility on the ground, General Mitchell came to the idea of mounting them aboard the 4 Scout Jumpships still operational but not being used. At least they could act as relay ships until the HPG's were repaired. She ordered the Mobile HPG's loaded aboard a Dropship for transport along with enough technicians to assist in installing them.
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getting the bed rock down.... nice. very good use of the scouts. I had not thought of that one. now do you put a cargo ship, small carrier (leo cv ?) or Assault dropship on her. that might be a use of any open small yards on Olympus class stations. they could take any older or mothballed ships like manatee and convert them into CVs. suppling them with spare parts would be...….a challenge.
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Siemens is lucky to have had an XO like Flawsen. Heck, THAT guy should probably be Chief of Staff for Baxter in Training Command... with a star as soon as it's available...
And +1 for installing the HPGs on the Scouts! :thumbsup:
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30 May 2770
Linden (Outworlds Alliance)
Back aboard SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser, General Rita Mitchell issued her orders to Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka. She had decided at the last second for the 238th Striker Regiment to be to move, but they would delay until systems were scouted. Admiral Tanaka had shuttled over for the meeting.
"Are you sure about this Tanisha? I mean can we trust Rear Admiral Seimens to handle things out here?" General Mitchell asked
"My call Rita. You told me to handle it, well I am handling it. Now, what crazy idea have you called me about?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
"Yes I did. Okay, I want to dispatch the warships assembled here at Deep Spin and we will fan out a single warship to each system we have not yet visited. Make contact with the planet and try to get a feel for what is going on in each system. It might take 2 weeks for word of any system to reach Deep Spin, but until we get HPG relays established and such, it is just how it has to happen. But we need to get a good feel for what is going on and the status of each system in the Blommestein Province." General Mitchell said
"Okay, I can make that happen. I take it your going to head for Blommestein itself as planned?" Vice Admiral Tanaka replied
"That is the idea, but I will help out and hit Alktral on the way. According to the charts, it has only a 3 day trip from the Jump Point. I don't want to delay my trip any more than I need to. Once I get done with Blommestein, I am going to jump up to Azur and check that situation out. From there, back to Thazi." General Mitchell said
"Your starting to lean towards taking over the entire Blommestein Province aren't you Rita?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
"Yeah, I have given it a lot of thought. It is not right for us to sit on our current systems and let the rest go to hell. I have run the numbers and it will stretch us pretty thin for a few years, but it is doable. Martha Pruitt should be back by the time I return to Thazi and I can get an intel dump on what is going on in the Terran Hegemony." General Mitchell said
"Thin is an understatement. But there is also something else I been meaning to talk to you about. The Vincent Corvettes, they are too thin skinned for any combat actions. I would like to have Rear Admiral Delvaney work up an upgrade for them. Lord knows they have enough spare tonnage to play with. They are as big as a Destroyer, might as well turn them into Destroyers. Or see if it feasible. I would not feel as nervous about sending them out on patrol and maybe we team them with Essex Destroyer and then we have a Division with a HPG for rapid response." Vice Admiral Tanaka explained
"Your Fleet Tanisha, I will not tell you what to do with it per se. The only restriction I will say is no building new ships. I think we have enough right now and do not have the industrial base to support much more than we already have, nor the crews." General Mitchell said
"Fair enough, I can live with those terms. But you know someday, I want to recover my ships from Outpost #4." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"We will, but for now, let's focus on the immediate plan. So, with that said, get off my ship so I can get moving." General Mitchell said and then laughed as Vice Admiral Tanaka flipped her the bird as a salute
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Not something 3-stars do to 4-stars, but I suppose they're close enough friends...
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1 June 2770
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trisha Delvaney, commander SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship had received the HPG message from Vice Admiral Tanaka and wasted no time in putting the task to her engineers. Having been given a green light by General Mitchell before her departure, Rear Admiral Delvaney had gotten her engineers to run some numbers and decided to add limited manufacturing equipment to the modified Olympus Recharge Station. It would have onboard ability to manufacture replacement armor, weapons, LF batteries and primary control and computer systems. This should enable the Station to handle most repairs and maintenance once SLS Salvation completed the 2.5 million shipyard to handle maintenance and repairs on SLS Salvation in 4 months.
Azur (Outworlds Alliance)
Major Dovie Frazier and Major General Colin McGregor were sitting in the 126th Mechanized Infantry Divisions Mobile HQ where Major General McGregor was bringing her up to date on everything he knew. Leaving only the news that Amanda Cameron was on Thazi from the short briefing.
"So, 4 systems have actually voted to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony? Is that even legal?" Major Frazier asked
"Damn sure seems to be legal. We made sure the votes had to be 80% or above for passage. As far as we can tell, the Outworlds Alliance has washed it's hands of everything and everyone out here. They sure did not come checking on you did they?" Major General McGregor replied
"No they have not. But I would not expect them to. Azur was settled by mainly Terran Hegemony settlers and some from the Federated Suns. Same goes for Danli which is basically next door to us. Azur and Danli are the exception, they are majority settlers from the Hegemony. There are a bunch of Hegemony settlers out here in the Traders Domain, Blommestein Province and Onverwacht Province. But both Azur and Danli hold the greatest concentration of Hegemony settlers. You put a vote to join the Terran Hegemony on either of these worlds and they are going to vote to join.
Azur is the gem of the region if you ask me, damn sure has the largest population, roughly 170 million people. We got good education, good industrial capacity, and used to produce large amounts of exports, but we have to import most of our resources. Danli is much smaller, roughly 10 million people and was actually settled by the people from Azur. Heck, Azur was like a staging area for the colonization of many of the systems out here." Major Frazier explained
"You know an awful lot about the area." Major General McGregor said
"I studied the heck out of stuff before we deployed out here. I firmly believe in knowing everything I can about a region I am about to go play in. Who might be friendly to us, helps to know a lot of stuff for when it hits the fan. These are the newest colony regions, most of the systems out here have only been settled in the last 20-30 years. Like I said before, Azur was like a staging area. It even has a large equipment storage facility. That is how I can field 2 full strength Battlemech Battalions. Lieutenant General DeMars could tell you exactly what is in the underground storage facility down to the last bolt. The guy is like a computer when it comes to logistics, but he is a horrible combat commander. There are some more Battlemechs down there, but I don't have anymore pilots. Maybe another Battalion worth at the least, probably closer to two more. Lots of Infantry gear and light weapons. And I mean a lot. All brand new and still packed up nice and tight." Major Frazier said
"Now that is very important information. I am not sure what General Mitchell is going to do. I know she will be making a trip up here, but not exactly when yet." Major General McGregor said
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DeMars is sounds like a better and better fit... ^-^
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Well the nominees for head of Quartermaster Command and Administration Command are and a future head of an Intelligence Command..lol ;)
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4 June 2770
Zlatousi (Draconis Combine)
Martin Zuni was a little nervous as he watched the DCMS Dragonstar shuttle approaching. He had never crossed into the Draconis Combine before and had heard some horror stories about the strict customs regulations and inspections. Beside him, Major Dennis Bastaline, commander 2nd Battalion, 9919th Marine Regiment was eerily calm, that made him even more nervous. Martin heard his XO clear the Dragonstar shuttle into the Star Lord Jumpships shuttle bay. Martin used a hand hold to spin towards the Marine Major. "Shall we meet the Combine customs folks on the Grav Deck Major?"
"Works for me Mr Zuni. You need to calm yourself. Your a chartered Jumpship with valid orders to transport SLDF dependents to their new garrison location. The SLDF does this all the time. There will be some bumps since they will not have the usual clearances from the SLDF, but that is easily explained by the crisis. There is nothing out of the ordinary really. Even before the crisis, dependent transfers were escorted by SLDF Marine detachments, though never a full Battalion, but again, easily explained by the current crisis." Major Bastaline said
"You say so Major, but I have heard way too many horror stories about plying the Combine space lanes to not be nervous." Martin replied as they moved down the hallway towards the grav deck.
They arrived just minutes before the Combine custom officers arrived. Introductions were made and Martin handed over his manifest, crew lists and his Federated Suns registration identification card for ZaP Shipping along with the orders signed by "Major General" Rita Mitchell, commander 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and Major General Colin McGregor, commander 126th Mechanized Infantry Division to pick up and transport both units dependents to their new garrison location.
The Combine custom official looked over all the paperwork before speaking "We have not been notified of this transfer. No flight plan has been filed with us, you will have to file a flight plan and projected course to Multan. Usually the SLDF notifies us in advance of such movements, but with the current conflict, I guess there will be many other breakdowns in the usual communications." Chu-sa Paul Yamagumi said
"I am sorry that things are so irregular Chu-sa Yamagumi. There is so much chaos right now, it hard to even keep track of SLDF line units, much less their dependents." Major Bastaline said
"No apology is needed Major. Personally, I wish the Coordinator would do more to assist the SLDF in this trying time. Amaris is a barbarian and his action has caused serious problems for everyone." Chu-sa Yamagumi said, before anyone spoke again, a DCMS trooper entered the Grav deck and spoke to Chu-sa Yamagumi in Japanese for a minute. "Everything seems to be as reported on your manifests. You are cleared for recharge operations and please file a proper flight plan with the Station before leaving the system. Once we receive your flight plan, we will transmit it to the proper systems to speed your travel in Combine space. Safe journey."
"Thank you Chu-sa Yamagumi. I will have the flight plan filed before you arrive on the Station. It is so nice to deal with professionals." Martin said
Once the DCMS shuttle had departed, Martin felt a huge relief. Major Bastaline nudged him with his elbow. "I told you Mr Zuni, the SLDF does this all the time. Every member state is so used to this shuffle that they think nothing of it at all."
Alktral (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser materialized at the Nadir Jump Point to find an empty Jump Point. Commodore Walter Namathien, commander SLS Tirpitz gave the order to move to orbit the planet while they trickle charged the ships drive off the reactors. It would make communication of rapid deployment of the limited ground forces aboard the ship if there was some trouble that had to be dealth with. While they made the journey, they would broadcast and attempt to reach any SLDF troops.
7 June 2770
SLS Tirpitz entered orbit around Alktral, during the journey, they had made contact with the civilian Government and learned that their were no hostiles on the planet, their HPG was badly damaged by the rebels years ago. General Rita Mitchell decided to take a ride to the surface, but Amanda Cameron would remain aboard SLS Tirpitz.
When her Lee Dropship landed on the space port, just outside the planets captial of W-1 City, she piloted her Pillager off the Dropship followed by the Battalion of Royal Black Watch Battlemechs. She headed for the small group of vehicles located near the space ports tower. She knelt her Pillager and popped the hatch and scrambled down the deployed chain ladder to the tarmac. When she reached the ground, she strode to meet the small assembled group but easily picked out the SLDF uniform in the small group.
"General Rita Mitchell. I am in command of the SLDF presence in this region of space. I understand their is no hostile presence here?" General Mitchell asked
"We are glad to see you General Mitchell. No, the rebels hit us October of 2765, put the HPG out of operation, looted a bunch of food and supplies and then left almost as quick as they arrived. We have been cut off ever since. My name is Douglas Wallace, Governor of Alktral. This is Colonel Quin Hill, commander of the SLDF Reserve here on Alktral."
"Colonel Hill. What is your current status and needs?" General Mitchell asked
"Sir, I have 2 Infantry Regiments. We are fully staffed and equipped. I have to report that we pulled back when the rebels hit us. We did not stand a chance against them. We withdrew into the captial city and prepared to defend the citizens, but the rebels just took out the HPG and looted the space port warehouses. Once they loaded up the stored supplies and stuff they boosted and left." Colonel Hill said
"I am not going to fault you Colonel. You did the right thing. I am sorry it took so long to get to you. But we are here now and you will have regular visits from my forces. I will see about making arrangements on getting the HPG back up. It could be awhile though. Seems the rebels destroyed or damaged every HPG in the region. We have a lot of work to get done." General Mitchell said
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With all the HPG destruction, it's really no wonder this whole end of space fell off the maps.
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From reply #307, the list of shattered commands to be brought back is missing:
75th Light Horse Regiment a partial command from reply #19
286th Royal Battlemech Division destroyed in post #19 on Marantha?
217th Mechaanized Infantry Division in reply #22 on Dreipnir
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You have to remember that the list of command are those that have been absorbed by the "Forgotten Corps" that actually had survivors. The 286th Royal BM Division was completely destroyed and only equipment from the Division came over.
75th Light Horse Regiment had no troops coming with the convoy that carried the equipment from the 286th Royal BM. Only Marines from the 9917th and 9th Royal CAAN Regiment were on the convoy.
Same for the 217th Mech Infantry Div. I never meant to rebuild every command destroyed, only those that actually have surviving troops in the Corps. Or those destroyed within the region they now hold. The 228th Striker Regiment was on the list because they were destroyed on Boulsi before they could be relieved.
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Oh, I saw the 228th and thought you were including all destroyed commands in theater. Sorry.
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No problem. The list really only includes units that have had personnel absorbed by the Forgotten Corps itself. The 228th Striker was sort of a special case. There might be more units added to the list as time goes on, but time will tell on that one.
Always open to idea's or comments.
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17 June 2770
Blommestein (Outworlds Alliance)
General Rita Mitchell disembarked from the shuttle while the Lee and Gremlin Dropships carrying the members of the Royal Black Watch settled to the ground at the Space Port. SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser was in orbit, having come into the La Grange point only 2 days from the planet itself. General Rita Mitchell could still see the lingering remains from where the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division had suffered the devestating nuclear attack that had decimated the Division's command and support elements in 2765. It sent a shudder up her spine, even after all these years. She shook it off as Major General Iris Carman approached along with who she assumed was Jessica Parington, Governor of Blommestein and acting Governor of the Blommestein Province.
"General Mitchell, welcome to Blommestein. This is Jessica Parington, Governor of Blommestein and acting Governor of the Blommestein Province." Major General Johannsen said
"I have been before Iris. Ms Parington, it is good to meet you. I believe your father was Governor when I was here in 2766." General Mitchell said
"He was, the rebels executed him after the SLDF departed Blommestein. He refused to denounce the Star League or swear alliegence to the rebels. I do not hold any ill will towards you or the SLDF. It was a difficult time for everyone. But I hope I never have to watch the SLDF flee again." Jessica Parington said
Her words struck deep into General Mitchell's heart "I can promise that, the SLDF will never abandon Blommestein or the people we are charged with defending again. I am very sorry about your father, he was a good and decent man from what I remember. I only met him once during those early days. With that all said, your still sure you want to throw in with us and the Terran Hegemony?"
"Yes, the Outworlds Alliance has done nothing to aid us or even made an attempt to make contact with us. Major General Carman has spoken with me at great lengths about how your have finally decided to push out from your existing systems. About how your allowing the people on each world decide their own fate, but I am proposing to turn the entire Blommestein Province over to the Terran Hegemony. One fell swoop. But I have a question, what are you doing with those that refuse to join the Terran Hegemony?" Jessica Parington asked
"Luckily, those that voted against joining the Terran Hegemony have not caused any trouble and have, as far as I can tell, have assimilated quite well. But, if any feel they cannot live under Terran Hegemony rule, I promise to transport them, at no expense to themselves to another Outworlds Alliance world, if they so choose. They are not going to get to pick the world, but we will get them to another system. I would prefer to bring all of the planetary Governors of the various systems to Thazi. There they can see what we are doing and speak to the Governor there. See it with their own eyes. I would then prefer to have a Province wide vote by the people. Let them decide wether to join the Terran Hegemony. The same voting rules would apply, 80% of the population must vote to join the Terran Hegemony for that to take place." General Mitchell explained
"And those systems that vote to not join the Hegemony, what of them?" Jessica Parington asked
"Luckily, that has not been an issue yet. I have struggled to come up with a way to handle that situation, but until it actually happens, well I am not sure. I have made sure that we have still supplied various systems with food exports in exchange for raw material where applicable to systems that are not currently under Hegemony rule. I would hope the people themselves are smart enough to see the value in joining the Hegemony freely." General Mitchell explained
"Have you made contact with every system yet?" Jessica Parington asked
"No, but we are beginning to push into those systems now. Making contact with those in the systems, both to verify that hostile forces are no longer there or to remove hostile forces as we come upon them. I have already given the orders for my forces to begin the process. But, those worlds that elect to not join the Hegemony will not have SLDF garrisons on them, even if they are in the middle of the area we control, BUT, I will not allow those worlds to become a security threat to the Hegemony either. The Hegemony will trade with them, but will not pay for repairing or building a HPG station on their worlds. Hegemony world's will come first of course." General Mitchell said
"So the meeting could take some time to happen on Thazi." Jessica Parington said
"It could, but it could also happen very soon. Realistically, I think we could plan for a October meeting on Thazi and if everything goes well, a Province wide vote for December 2770. But, we can discuss the detail later, I would like to get settled in, it has been a busy month for me." General Mitchell said
"Of course, I have made arrangements, after consulting with Major General Carman, for you to stay at my personal compound. Major General Carman has her headquarters established right outside of it." Jessica Parington said
"Very well, if Major General Carman says it is secure." General Mitchell said
"It is General Mitchell, I have it very well guarded. I have personally examined the defensive arrangements." Major General Carman said
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I'm still wondering when Kerensky is going to hear a Cameron survived... ^-^
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I'm still wondering IF Kerensky should be told a Cameron survived... ^-^
Fixed. One. Ping. Only
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Just letting folks know, with no imminent combat actions, we will be seeing multi month jumps. Not sure if I will be doing monthly or 3 month yet. Probably be 3 month ones with a smattering of smaller posts when I feel something warrants it. Just a Public Service Announcement.
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Sounds reasonable to me! :thumbsup:
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I just can't wait for more
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1 July to 1 October 2770
Blommestein
General Rita Mitchell had spent 2 weeks on Blommestein. During that time, she had ordered the local garrison renamed the 10th Conventional RCT. She promoted Colonel Walter Medley to Lieutenant General and place him in command of the 10th Conventional RCT. General Mitchell had spent a full day walking the large cemetary the people of Blommestein had dedicated to the SLDF dead and the monument carved of stone which was dedicated to the unrecovered remains of the nuclear detonations. She had sent a HPG message to Linden for a HPG station to be established on Blommestein as soon as possible.
She had also sent a HPG message to Thazi informing Rear Admiral Delvaney that 2 Liberty Jumpships needed extensive repairs and were not jump capable but her first priority was to recover the Vigilant Corvette in system. She had then departed for Azur.
Linden
Rear Admiral Percy Seimens had returned to work with a vengeance. Quickly assembling the 4 DoME Teams and needed material from the lists to repair the HPG stations on Thazi, Boulsi and Wokha. Though not their specialty, the DoME Teams had assisted personnel from Star League Communications in constructing HPG stations on the various worlds in the region while they worked on Terraforming various planets agricultural ratings.
Upon receiving General Mitchell's message about getting a HPG station on Blommestein, he quickly detailed the last DoME Team to that task. Rear Admiral Seimens then canvassed the personnel at the HPG factory and managed to create 2 survey teams that could begin surveying systems that had HPG stations to evaluate what was needed to return the HPG's to working order and dispatched them to begin survey operations on planets under SLDF control.
Azur
General Mitchell arrived on Azur late July and spent a few days meeting with Major Dovie Frazier, Lieutenant General (Reserve) Carter DeMars and Major General Colin McGregor. Major Dovie Frazier had stressed her desire to return to her active SLDF duties, and had nominated Brandon Campbell to take over as planetary Governor, a member of the planets Governing Council, he was well respected by the people of Azur. Taking the office of Governor, Brandon Campbell was then brought up to speed on General Mitchell's desire to hold a vote in the region in Decemeber. Not fast enough for him, Brandon Campbell managed to get a vote organized and completed in less than a month in which the citizens of Azur voted to join the Terran Hegemony by a 97% approval.
When the vote tallies came in, General Rita Mitchell after consulting with Major General McGregor reactivated the 36th Infantry Division on Azur. Folding the planets garrison into the 36th Infantry Division along with large transfers of personnel from the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. Lieutenant General Gregori Chekoskty, 1262nd Brigade commander, 126th MID was promoted to Major General and named commander 36th Infantry Division. Assigned to Major General Colin McGregor's 2nd Corps.
Lieutenant General (Reserve) Carter DeMars, after a meeting with General Mitchell had agreed to return to active duty and was named Commander Quartermaster Command. He quickly got his family packed and ready to return to Thazi with General Mitchell.
Ambatomainty
Major General Gregory Hanesworth, commander 29th Mechanized Infantry Division, grounded his 29th Mechanized Infantry Division at the planet's space port. After a week of intensive search of the planet, he was convinced that the planet held no hostiles. But he kept patrols out roaming the planet to make sure. He spent weeks meeting with the planet's leaders and they agreed to elect a planetary Governor after having ruled over the various cities and towns on the planet after the rebels departed.
Thazi
General Rita Mitchell arrived back on Thazi mid September 2770 and quickly delivered the news to Major General Nathan Baxter that he was now in command of the new Training Command. This was met with some protest but it was Major General Heinrich Rommel that calmed things down.
"Rita, I appreciate the command of the 1st Corps, but I really think Major General Bacter should command 1st Corps. I will command the Training Command. Major General Baxter is a much better maneuver commander than I am. Besides, looking over your soon to be large use of these Conventional RCT's, I can use my 322nd Armored Division as an advanced training command for newly graduated troops. Give them a year or 2 in the 322nd Armored Division before deploying them out to the active commands." Major General Rommel said
"Your sure about this Heinrich?" Rita had asked
"Yes. It makes more sense. You already have my 322nd Armored garrisoning Pilon. I am getting too old to jump all over creation and that is what is going to be required of a Corps Commander. My wife has gotten used to me being around." Major General Rommel replied
"So be it. Nathan, you are now Commander of 1st Corps. How is your Gunslinger School going?" Rita asked
Taken aback, Nathan Baxter protested "What Gunslinger School? You never gave me a yes to start one?"
"Then why did you try to hide your gathering of Gunslingers into the 359th Battlemech Division?" Rita asked
"Never started a school, but I did gather some Gunslingers and the 4 former Gunslinger Instructors. I now have 20 Gunslinger Instructors just waiting for your go ahead." Nathan Baxter replied
"Well they now belong to Heinrich and the Training Command. Heinrich, on Linden are 2 Teams of recruiter and trainers from the Administration Command. Get them back to work as soon as you can." Rita said
In orbit, SLS Salvation had completed the 1M ton Yard and was deep in a maintenance cycle which would last until November. She would then move to Blommestein and work on the Vigilant Corvette and the Jumpships there. On board the Modified Olympus Station, 2 Scout Jumpships were being modified to carry mobile HPG's as relay ships.
The massive Tank Factory was finally in production ahead of schedule but at only 40% capacity. Peter Sajak had named the new complex Thazi Motors. Working off his observations of current SLDF equipment, he had Thazi Motors producing:
Thazi Motors
Manticore - 2 Lines producing 14 per month currently each line (30 per month once 100% reached each line)
Alacorn MkVI - 2 Lines producing 10 per month currently each line (20 per month once 100% reached each line)
Turhan - 2 Lines producing 20 per month currently each line (40 per month once 100% reached each line)
In another month, he would bring 2 lines producing Chevalier online. He also had managed to beg a Demon from the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division which was stripped down for reverse engineering. The slowdown was in establishing the much needed supply lines of raw material. But at least he was producing much needed equipment ahead of schedule.
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nice, and now they can start rebuilding.
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Excellent update! Glad to see DeMars formally in the command chain, and even Siemens taking some initiative. Baxter was just lucky Rommel wanted the job... ^-^
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Uhh...
Rita disbanded the 36th MID under Katrina Johannsen because they had declared for the Taurian Concordat, and had said it was better if the 36th MID disappeared for plausible deniability (b/c Kerensky knows of them). You Might want to stand up a different Division, so they won't be shot on sight by other SLDF?
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but does the THiE know this? No HPGs to the nextwork means no INTEL updates on units (if they are good or bad)? Our story heroes could be very well justified by not knowing calling them that particular designation is unwise or not? NM, I'm clueless...
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supply is going to have some hard descensions to make. do they send the new tanks out in Co or wait until they had a full Bn and then send them to some unit. Me I would send them out a dozen at a time to a given combat command. (Div or independent RGT) and let them work out if they will spread them out. the SLDF has gotten used to only having one design for a unit. they might not be able to keep that up.
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On the 36th Infantry, I went back and forth on that very issue several times. I decided to keep the 36th Infantry Division designation for now. I think they can justify it, no current member of the 36th Infantry Division came from the former 36th Infantry Division.
Where I used former unit members to reform their previous commands, due to loyalty to a unit, the 36th Infantry is being staffed with new personnel. The new people can "clear" the name of the 36th Infantry.
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but does the THiE know this? No HPGs to the nextwork means no INTEL updates on units (if they are good or bad)? Our story heroes could be very well justified by not knowing calling them that particular designation is unwise or not? NM, I'm clueless...
The way the story is developing the chances of the Corps encountering more SLDF is virtually nil with Kerensky on his death match with Amaris and the eventual Exodus...leave the storytelling to the OP....we don't want a story Monday morning quarterbacked to death..like what happened to that Fedsuns Reborn thread..locked at 50 pages of which less than half was the OP storytelling and too many MMQB.
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1 October to 31 December 2770
Thazi (Terran Alliance)
Lieutenant General Carter DeMars spent a full month building his staff, though small right now he planned to expand it much more, and then threw himself into the task of going over each commands full TO&E. The very first thing he focused on was the lack of HPG communication in the region. Comparing the current number of Mobile HPG Command Vehicles in current commands to General Mitchell's wish list of commands to re-activate, plus the new Conventional RCT's which did not have any Mobile HPG Command Vehicles. He had sent a message to Linden about construction speed and gotten a response of 1 Mobile HPG per month could built for Command Vehicles and 1 Mobile HPG per month could be built for space faring ships. He suggested to General Mitchell that they switch to the larger Mobile HPG production to the smaller version as soon as possible.
He then visited the new Thazi Motors and spoke to Peter Sajak. Though Peter Sajak thought it wasteful, he ordered construction of a seperate high security wing added to the main complex. It would contain a single production line, set aside to manufacture 2 Mobile HPG Command Vehicle per month. Lieutenant General DeMars quized Peter Sajak in depth on the capabilities and short comings of Thazi Motors. Making accurate notes of the answers, he promised to do all he could to get the SLDF forces to release various munitions and vehicles for reverse engineering by Thazi Motors.
Lieutenant General DeMars spent 2 weeks inspecting the large stockpile of equipment on Thazi. Taking a careful inventory of every item. With Thazi Motors, they at least had a local production source for Combat and Support vehicles. They could even maintain their Warships, Jumpships and Dropships, but they had no way of handling easy replacement of Battlemechs or Aerospace Fighters. Especially the advanced SLDF Battlemechs and Aerospace Fighters. When he brought this to General Mitchell's attention, he was shocked to learn that she actually knew of the shortfall, but mostly that she knew the location of the much needed production equipment. He was not successful in convincing General Mitchell to launch a strike to recover the factory complexes like they did with the previous factory complex. But he might have lost the first round, but vowed to keep bringing the subject up.
General Rita Mitchell was impressed by Lieutenant General DeMars' dedication to his new role as head of the Quartermaster Command. But right now, she had bigger issues on her mind. In December, she hosted the various Planetary Governors from the Blommestein Province, having over the last several months made contact with every system in the Province. The best news had been locating a small group of "survivors" from the 335th Royal Dragoon Regiment. They were currently on their way to Thazi. The large group of Governors were being led around by Harold Ludell, Governor of Thazi and Linda Thompson, Governor of Boulsi. They explained everything in full to the large gathering of Governors. They held nothing back and ultimately made very convincing arguments.
Planetary Governors
Thazi (TH) - pop 10,901,903, Harold Ludell
Boulsi (TH) - pop 19,736,476, Linda Thompson
Pilon (TH) - pop 13,170,165, Winston Voleshev
Azur (TH) - pop 167,773,533, Brandon Campbell
Wokha (TH) - pop 17,501,935, Seamus Kelley
Blommestein (OA)- pop 19,100,346, Jessica Parington, Acting Province Governor
Ddraig (OA) - pop 27,205,174, Lacey Prater
Ejeda (OA)- pop 10,361,515, Edith Guthery
Waini Point (OA)- pop 2,869,716, Waylon Franklin
Zumbo (OA)- pop 1,275,224, Thomas Scranton
Ambatomainty (OA) - pop 24,060,568, Varig Kopowski
Sorsk (OA) - pop 19,674,319, Tabitha Uverde
Puttalam (OA) - pop 22,402,022, Reginald Aemes
Maripa (OA) - pop 8,191,400, Jordan Kildare
Loikaw (OA) - pop 961,761, Francis Delgarde
Mandeville (OA) - pop 1,396,772, Wendy Harris
Zetang (OA) - pop 2,050,005, Paul Busch
La Ligua (OA) - pop 1,045,605, Ingrid Goldstein
Carmelita (OA) - pop 237,110, Nicholas Weldon
Quinnes (OA) - pop 718,829, Christopher Mandell
Shira (OA) - pop 13,924,268, Patty Jenson
Domeykp (OA) - pop 3,023,237, Joshua Molleco
Feijo (OA) - pop 12,870,229, Althea Jenkins
Alktral (OA) - pop 17,740,399, Douglas Wallace
Linden (OA) - pop 12,738,074, Shepard Trancien
Ceiba (OA) - pop 20,819,004, Tiffany Lansing
Bossangoa (OA) - pop 15,488,950, Albert Zwinsen
Governor Brandon Campbell had raised a sticky issue with General Mitchell during the rare meetings with her. Azur was surrounded by systems that would not be in the Terran Hegemony. Zalt being added would at least link the province. General Mitchell took the question under advisement with a promise to give the matter some thought, but worried about possible future backlash when the situation returned to normal and she had to explain why she poached so many systems from the Outworlds Alliance. Just absorbing this many systems was a risky proposition. At the end of December, the Governors all agreed to hold a vote on April 10, 2771. The date was selected to allow time for the Governors to return to their respective systems and do some campaigning for the measure being put forth.
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is there a way to ask each TH planet to develop support? planet x makes LL, x makes DHS ect. this would help with trade between the systems. Or they could ask for each planet to make a heavy hover(?) APCs of a set TH design. that would add a small production of fusion engines, ML/MGs, armor ect. that would help local defenders and make jobs.
can not wait for more. I check back many times a day.. just hoping for more!!
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me too. 4x lol
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Most of the planets lack much industry. Azur is the most populated, breadbasket, most advanced. But has few resources, they have to be brought in from other worlds. Most industry in the region is 2oth century levels. A few have basic heavy industry on them.
And then several are basically undeveloped. Soon, I will be listing each planets plus and minus points. Down the road, there might be some hard decisions to make on several systems.
Glad you all are enjoying the ride. Sorry for some of the delays, this virus crud has me working only half my people each day to minimize their overall contact and I am working more to offset that. Some days are busy, some not so much.
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1 January to 31 March 2771
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
On 4 January, General Rita Mitchell had stood in the repaired HPG station as the first message in 6 years was received and answered successfully. In recognition of the event, General Mitchell named Valerie Sample, Star League Department of Communications as her Director of Communications. The plant on Linden was undergoing an expansion in order to speed up production of much needed repair parts to restore the regions HPG network.
In General Mitchell's office was a new roster, this one contained a full list of the Blommestein Provinces HPG stations and their estimated time to repair or construction as relayed by the several survey teams roaming the region. Some were marked high priority, some not so much. Each was assigned to a repair team, she had 4 Teams available. High Priority systems had a Team assigned to it, the others had an estimated time to complete repairs once a Team began work. SLDF Combat Engineers were already at work on Blommestein and Puttalam laying the foundations and power plants for the HPG stations, once the actual HPG Team arrived, they would move to different worlds to prepare them.
Thazi (TH) - Repaired (Team 1)
Boulsi (TH) - Under Repair June 2771 (Team 2)
Pilon (TH) - Under Repair April 2771 (Team 3)
Azur (TH) - Under Repair, May 2771 (Team 4)
Wokha (TH) - Needs Repair July 2771 (Team 3)
Blommestein (OA)- Needs Construction, January 2772 (Team 1)
Ddraig (OA) - Needs Repair September 2771 (Team 2)
Ejeda (OA)- Needs Repair December 2771 (Team 2)
Waini Point (OA)- Needs Construction (14 months)
Zumbo (OA)- Needs Construction (14 Months)
Ambatomainty (OA) - Needs Repair December 2771 (Team 3)
Sorsk (OA) - Needs Repair April 2772 (Team 2)
Puttalam (OA) - Needs Construction January 2773 (Team 3)
Maripa (OA) - Needs Repair (3 Months)
Loikaw (OA) - Needs Construction (14 Months)
Mandeville (OA) - Needs Repair August 2772 (Team 2)
Zetang (OA) - Needs Construction (14 Months)
La Ligua (OA) - Needs Repair (4 Months)
Carmelita (OA) - Needs Repair (5 Months)
Quines (OA) - Needs Repair (2 Months)
Shira (OA) - Needs Repair October 2771 (Team 4)
Domeykp (OA) - Needs Construction (14 Months)
Feijo (OA) - Needs Construction (14 Months)
Alktral (OA) - Needs Repair (3 Months)
Linden (OA) - Operational
Ceiba (OA) - Needs Repair (3 Months)
Bossangoa (OA) - Needs Repair (3 Months)
Thazi Motors was now at 80% capacity on previous production lines and Peter Sajak had opened new lines for Demon and Chevalier production. Production of the much needed raw material was ramping up nicely and was estimated to reach 100% of needs around April 2771.
Thazi Motors
Manticore - 2 Lines producing 20 per month currently each line (30 per month once 100% reached each line)
Alacorn MkVI - 2 Lines producing 15 per month currently each line (20 per month once 100% reached each line)
Turhan - 2 Lines producing 32 per month currently each line (40 per month once 100% reached each line)
Demon - 2 Lines producing 18 per month currently each line (25 per month once 100% reached each line)
Chevalier - 2 Lines producing 30 per month currently each line (40 per month once 100% reached each line)
True to his word, Lieutenant General Carter DeMars, Quartermaster Command had bribed, begged or out right stolen several more vehicles for reverse engineering. Peter Sajak knew he had his work cut out on several of the newly brought in vehicles for the technical hurdles were huge. He stood looking at the row of waiting vehicles, Thor Artillery, Padilla Arrow IV, Chaparrel Arrow IV, Thumper Artillery, Zephyr Hover Tank and Maxim Hover Tank. Hajera Spangler and Trevor Nixon, his weapons experts had already professed that building Arrow IV ammunition was impossible on Thazi due to the lack of advanced construction facilities. Both had argued for establishing a Factory on Azur to handle production of the Arrow IV ammunition and then they might as well build a Factory to manufacture the Artillery Vehicles themselves. They needed Azur's advanced industry, especially the more advanced microelectronics industries. After consulting with General Mitchell, Lieutenant General DeMars agreed.
February 17, 2771 saw Martin Zuni return to Thazi with the dependent of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division and those of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. General Rita Mitchell met the 6 Converted Mammoth Dropships as they settled onto the space port. She had not felt this much impatience in many years. But once she spotted her husband, Colonel Keith Mitchell (Reserve) guiding her now 11 year old son, Patrick Mitchell through the crowds, she felt tears freely streaming down her face as she broke into a run towards them. On reaching her family, she scooped Patrick into her arms and hugged him tight for a few seconds before allowing one arm to hold onto her husband. It had been almost 7 years since she had seen either. After 15 minutes, she had managed to calm herself and the reunited family moved to the awaiting ground car. Catching sight of Martin Zuni, General Rita Mitchell silently nodded at him in gratitude.
Once they reached her quarters, she had to explain everything to her family and introduced them to Amanda Cameron. Her husband, Colonel Keith Mitchell took the news with no small amount of shock, but Patrick Mitchell thought it was cool, and did not hesitate to entertain Amanda while the adults talked.
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Nice developing and I continue to enjoy your characterizations. Thanks for sharing.
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Very nice updates indeed! :thumbsup:
Sorry it took me so long to catch up... still working full days, and probably will continue to do so...
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1 April to 31 June 2771
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
It took until 3 May for all the vote results to come back in of the 22 systems of the Blommestein Province. Though the measure to join the Terran Hegemony passed in all the systems, on several systems, the vote was so close that protests broke out contesting the results. On Bossangoa, the vote to join the Terran Hegemony had come in at 80.6% and several protests turned into full blown riots by 21 April. With only 2 Battalions of local Militia, the largest protest which turned into a riot after the Militia paniced and several protesters were shot and killed and many more wounded by the Militia forces. This only inflamed the protests with even people who had voted to join the Terran Hegemony taking to the streets in protest. Things magnified when the Militia met the rock throwing with live ammunition in what became to be known as "The Mana Massacre" killing over 300 protesters and wounding almost 1,000.
It was not until 9 May that word of the situation on Bossangoa reached Linden and then rapidly General Mitchell on Thazi. Major General Johanssen, 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division did not wait on orders from General Mitchell and dispatched her 1731st Brigade to Bossangoa with orders to restore order and take the Militia into custody. Arriving on Bossangoa on 29 May, Lieutenant General John Lemustang, commander 1731st Brigade found the situation completely out of control. On 30 May, SLDF troops intervened against the Militia, who refused to disarm, causing a major firefight for half an hour before the Brigades Battlemech Battalion arrived on scene and ended the Militia's eagerness to fight. It took some fast talking by the on scene SLDF commander to prevent the civilian protesters from attempting to lynch the Militia prisoners.
On Sorsk and Puttalam, the votes were equally close at 81.2% and 81.7% voting for joining the Terran Hegemony. The few protests that occured were peaceful, neither planet had an armed presence on it, not organized anyway. The first real problem occured on Sorsk, on 17 April when supporters from each side clashed in a massive brawl which left several on each side dead and many more injured. By 8 May, things had really gone down the drain with most of those wanting to remain in the Outworlds Alliance fleeing the capital of Gorod Pionerskiy into the surrounding wilderness. Word reached Thazi and General Mitchell who immediately ordered the 8th Conventional RCT from Wokha to deploy to Sorsk. Arriving on 30 May, the 8th Conventional RCT quickly established order and began sending patrols into the wilderness to try and convince the scared civilians to return to the city.
Puttalam, on the other hand, with a single SLDF Infantry Regiment (Reserve) located on it, managed to remain peaceful, though everyone could sense the simmering anger of the protesters against joining the Terran Hegemony. Notified by the garrison commander, the ever roaming HPG relay ship assigned to the area notified General Mitchell of the potential for serious trouble. She dispatched the 359th Battlemech Division under newly promoted Major General Joanna Petrovsky to Puttalam. Their arrival kept the anger at a simmer but the top never blew.
Boulsi, Pilon and Azur returned to the HPG network. Assigned Teams moved on to their next missions. Valerie Sample, Director of Communications managed to put together 2 more HPG repair teams that could tackle the easiest repairs, if assisted by SLDF Combat Engineers. She dipatched one to Ceiba and the other to Quines. She had then departed Linden for Azur, she needed to recruit much needed communication personnel to operate the ever expanding HPG Network and it had the greatest number of well educated people. Many of them born in the Terran Hegemony itself.
Rear Admiral Delvaney and SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship had repaired the newly named SLS Blommestein, Vigilant Corvette and a skeleton crew piloted it to Thazi for proper crewing. They then began repairs on the 2 Liberty Jumpships, which her survey teams had, much to Rear Admiral Delvaney's relief, needed major repairs but their jump cores were intact.
On Boulsi, Major General Heinrich Rommel had a firm grasp of the needs of the SLDF commands. Much to General Mitchell's irritation, he had placed, now Lieutenant General Paul Kilgorian in command of the 322nd Armored Division. Major General Rommel then enacted the plan to use the 322nd Armored Division as a advanced training command, also reconfiguring the 322nd Armored Division in the process. With General Mitchell's blessing, he ordered an Armored Regiment and Infantry Regiment to Alktral to join the 2 Infantry Regiments already there to form the 13th Conventional RCT under newly promoted Lieutenant General Quin Hill. He then dispatched an Armor Regiment to Shira, there they would join the 3 Infantry Regiments and form the 9th Conventional RCT under Lieutenant General William Glenclaus. His last Armor Regiment and 2 Infantry Regiments were dispatched to Puttalam to form the 14th Conventional RCT under Lieutenant General Vanessa Wright.
He then funneled newly graduating Armor and Infantry into the 322nd Armored Division. Equipped with Merkava Mk VIII tanks, he ordered each of the 3 Brigades to be identical with 2 Armor Regiments and 3 Infantry Regiments. For the next year, they would conduct extensive training in active operations at the Brigade and Division level before being eligible for deployment to the Line commands.
For General Rita Mitchell, it was a hectic time. She had drafted her husband, Colonel Keith Mitchell as her aide to help her in coordinating the ever expanding SLDF presence. It was getting too hard to manage from "home" so she had a large building built next door for the additional wall space. Her husband constantly updated the large boards with incoming information. General Mitchell sat back and looked over the now massive board outlining the various commands, their locations, readiness level. She had finally decided to attach a name to the SLDF forces in the region, the First Expeditionary Army.
First Expeditionary Army (General Rita Mitchell)
Army Command Regiment (Thazi) (BM Batt, HQ Batt, Inf Batt)
Royal Black Watch (Thazi) (100%)
322nd Armored Division (Pilon) (100%)
Special Forces Regiment (Thazi) (4 Batt) (75%)
1st Corps (Major General Nathan Baxter)
359th Battlemech Division (Puttalam) (90%)
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division (Thazi) (100%)
280th Mechanized Infantry Division (Blommestein) (90%)
29th Mechanized Infantry Division (Ambatomainty) (100%)
31st Infantry Division (Ejeda) (100%)
211th Hussar Regiment (Ddraig) (100%)
509th Battle Regiment (Mandeville) (100%)
201st Battle Regiment (Zumbo) (100%)
8th Conventional RCT (Sorsk) (100%)
10th Conventional RCT (Blommestein) (100%)
14th Conventional RCT (Puttalam) (100%)
2nd Corps (Major General Colin McGregor)
126th Mechanized Infantry Division (Feijo) (60%)
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division (Linden) (90%)
36th Infantry Division (Azur) (100%)
19th Hussar Regiment (Ceiba) (100%)
277th Dragoon Regiment (Zetang) (100%)
238th Striker Regiment (Domeyko) (100%)
247th Heavy Assault Regiment (Alktral) (100%)
9th Conventional RCT (Shira) (100%)
13th Conventional RCT (Alktral) (100%)
21st Independent Squadron (Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka)
SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer (Azur)
55th Reconnaissance Division (Rear Admiral Paula Bannock)
SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveilence (Thazi)
SLS Blommestein, Vigilant Corvette (Thazi)
5 Scout Jumpships (4 w/HPG, 1 will be returned service 2772)
88th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Barbara Coltrain)
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Feijo)
SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser (Feijo)
SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate (Linden)
SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Corvette (Linden)
SLS Trinity River, Vincent Corvette (Linden)
SLS Halthom, Vincent Corvette (Linden)
89th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler)
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser (Puttalam)
SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser (Puttalam)
SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier (Ambatomainty)
SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer (Ambatomainty)
SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyer (Blommestein)
SLS Buccaneer, Essex II Destroyer (Blommestein)
90th Support Division (Rear Admiral Trisha Delvaney)
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship (Blommestein)
SLS Borneo, Volga Transport (Blommestein)
SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser (Thazi)
SLS Thazi, Dart Light Cruiser (Training Ship) (Thazi)
SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport (Thazi)
5 Leviathan Jumpships
Independent Ships
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser (Thazi)
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Having her husband be her aide isn't really a good idea...
Otherwise, great update! I hope they sort out Bossangoa sooner than later...
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Looking good. Now that they are starting to get caught up, it seems to be a good time to do some recon around the area. At least while Zuni is there for the merchant look-see option, instead of being limited to the Bug-eye and Corvettes. Because, Zuni is going to be doing another dependent run soon, right? Can you tell us which dependents he was actually able to pick up 2ndACR?
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Zuni picked up the dependents for the 272nd and 126th Mech Infantry Divisions.
There will be several more runs. Martha sent "coded" messages to dependents of all commands they have to their previous garrison locations. Basically having them head for Bastrop in the Federated Suns. My plan, soon ZaP will be making "regular" run to Bastrop. There, they will pick up dependents and bring back news and such.
Still working out a few "kinks" in the plan. LOL
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1 July to 31 September 2771
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Lieutenant General DeMars, Quartermaster Command, was like a dog with a bone, pestering General Rita Mitchell about the difficulty in maintaining or replacing the Battlemechs and Aerospace Fighters of the First Expeditionary Army. At every meeting, he brought the subject up and would not let it go. Three times a week, General Mitchell had to listen to Lieutenant General DeMars hammer away on the subject. Worse, Major General Rommel just sat back with a semi smirk on his face watching the exchanges between the two officers. He had come to like Lieutenant General DeMars, who moved heaven and earth to make sure his Training Command had everything they needed. Now that the Terran Hegemony controlled a vast swath of systems, Lieutenant General DeMars had worked tirelessly on determining what each system could provide and manufacture for the SLDF. Uniforms, boots, basic equipment slowly began to flow into warehouses, first from industries on Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon, but now from other systems too.
Finally, General Rita Mitchell caved. "You win General DeMars. But don't expect this to happen over night. We are talkng about a multi year operation here. Logistically, it will be to the extreme limits of our capabilities. From our previous intel, we know the expected garrisons on both of the Rimworlds Outposts. But those reports are years old. So, now you get to put together the complete supply needs for this operation you have been beating me over the head with the last couple of months. Now, get moving on figuring out what it is going to take to accomplish the mission."
When Lieutenant General DeMars had rapidly left to begin his part, General Rita Mitchell looked at Major General Rommel and said "Heinrich, you have been no help at all. You just sit there with that stupid smirk on your face, saying nothing at all."
"Nothing for me to say Rita. You know the issues as well as he does, same as me. We have the force's available to use, that it is now feasible. I know you well enough that I am sure you have a plan already worked out that all you have to do is dust it off and make a few adjustments." General Rommel said
"You have me there. I do have a plan worked out. Roughly, going from memory here, nothing happens until we establish a forward operating base. Drachenfield. It is 4 months travel from here, 16 jumps, 500LY. That is our forward operating base. Outpost #7 is another 450LY from there. Two Combat forces, one hit's Outpost #7 and the other hits Outpost #11. Our intel, several years outdated, reports that Outpost #7 was just a little larger than Outpost #4. That gives us a rough estimate of what kind of cargo capacity we need to strip the place. Outpost #11 is the unknown, I have seen Battlemech Factories before and they are huge, massive complexes. We are talking hundreds of thousands of tons of equipment that will need to be brought back." General Mitchell said
"Why worry about stripping the entire factory? Peter Sajak has worked wonders expanding Thazi Motors and reverse engineering his production lines. We strip what we can carry, bring it back here, and worse case we reverse engineer the production equipment for expansion. That will at least reduce our shipping needs and time on target." General Rommel replied
"We are still talking about a lot of shipping being away for several years." General Mitchell said
"Hell Rita, then talk to Rear Admiral Delvaney, find out how hard it would be to upgrade the Linden yards to full production capability. I know they can manufacture jump cores, I have seen the reports. We need standard Jumpships and Cargo Dropships." General Rommel said
"That costs a ton of money. Money we do not have." General Mitchell countered
"Says who? Last time I looked, you control the printing presses out here. We started this entire ball rolling on pure faith alone. Hell, have Valerie Sample start charging for message traffic as the HPG's start coming back online. I have seen the HPG traffic reports from Thazi to Boulsi to Pilon and such from non-SLDF sources and it is steadily rising. As additional stations come back online, that traffic is going to increase even more. Get with Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt, I bet they can come up with some money making idea's. Think outside the box." General Rommel said
"Now I have to get a damned degree in Economics." General Mitchell replied with a smirk
"So find someone to do the job for you. Call it the Department of Finance or Economic Development, or whatever. Your the Regent out here, you cannot always be thinking military, now you have 26 systems and almost 500 million people now depending on you. You now have to think civilian economy along with military needs. You have to grow the civilian economy in order to provide the tax revenue to support the military side of the house. Employment is a huge thing, I have watched the changes in the overall happiness on Thazi, Boulsi and Pilon the last few years and the people are way happier now that they have jobs, money coming in and such. You have 26 Governors now, get with them, elect an advisory board or something. It is time to step out of the box and broaden those horizons. You too hands on Rita, appoint folks who know what they are doing to positions that can take the load off your shoulders some." General Rommel explained
"Okay Heinrich. Message received, loud and clear. Let's go get some lunch and discuss my plan to take those Outposts, something I know about." General Mitchell said
Over lunch, the plan was refined until both were satisfied and confident in it's success.
Operation Robber Baron
Drachenfield - Forward Operating Base
11th Conventional RCT - Garrison, forming on Boulsi
SLS Salvation - Newgrange Yardship
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Dark Brawler - Dart Light Cruiser
Outpost #7
2721st Brigade (Reinforced) (3 Mech Inf Reg, 1 BM Regiment)
SLS Shield - Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Solomon - Essex II Destroyer
3 Leviathon Jumpships
24 Mammoth Dropships (16 Passenger, 8 Cargo)
Outpost #11
2722nd Brigade (Reinforced) (3 Mech Inf Reg, 1 BM Regiment)
509th Battle Regiment
SLS Conroy - Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Independence - Samarkand II Carrier
SLS Cartagena - Essex II Destroyer
SLS Buccaneer - Essex II Destroyer
SLS Mighty Lift - Potmekin Transport
2 Leviathon Jumpships
40 Mammoth Dropships (24 Passaneger, 16 Cargo)
The Combat Commands would all travel aboard their own Star Lord Transports. Intel had given them a rough idea of possible civilian population counts and the plan tried to account for the massive evacuations. January 1, 2772 was selected as the departure date, it would take a few months to gather the different commands. Each force would also include a full Combat Engineer Regiment to assist in stripping the factory complexes.
After making up her mind, General Rita Mitchell met with Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt. Once they had all settled into chairs, she began speaking.
"Martin, I am sorry I never got with you sooner. But thank you for recovering my family and the families of my troops. It means the world to me." General Mitchell said
"No thanks are needed General. I was holding up my end of the bargain." Martin Zuni said and then felt the hard elbow of Martha Pruitt in his ribs
"What Martin meant to say, is it was his pleasure. You have been more than honest and well above fair with us. But, I am sure that is not exactly what you wanted to see us about." Martha Pruitt replied
"Not entirely. I have been reminded that I need to start thinking more about building up the economy out here and I need idea's." General Mitchell said
"Me and Martha have been discussing that also. We now have 6 Merchant Jumpships, 12 Invader Jumpships, 1 Star Lord Jumpship and 4 Liberty Jumpships in ZaP Shipping. If we could get 12 of those converted Jumbo Dropships, I would like to mate them up with the Merchant Jumpships, people are going to start moving around out here and I think we can make a ton of money providing that service. Even charging an easy 200 dollars per jump. The Liberty and the Invaders will continue hauling bulk cargo, but we are massively short on Cargo Dropships." Martin said
"The Cargo Dropship situation will get worse soon, but I am working on a solution to that. You convinced the Liberty captains to join up with you?" General Mitchell replied
"I already knew 2 of them, they convinced the other 2 to throw in with us. Long term 10 year contract. Now that Azur is with us, a bunch of civilian goods will be ready to flow from there. But here again, the lack of Cargo Dropships and now you say it is going to get worse. I hope you figure this out soon." Matrin said
In August, General Mitchell had spoken with Rear Admiral Delvaney about the Jumpship and Dropship problems. When she had asked about upgrading the Linden yards to complete manufacturing specs, she learned that it would actually be quite simple to accomplish. Rear Admiral Delvaney then revealed that the massive 2.5M ton shipyard located at the Nadir Jump Point here at Thazi was actually a fully capable shipyard. Both it and the modified Olympus Station could manufacture the needed equipment to transform the Linden yards into fully functional shipyard with production abilities. As long as they stuck to non Warship construction. Capitol Grade weaponry and the massive transit drives were beyond their current capabilities.
September, saw Ddraig, Wokha, Ceiba and Quines returning to the ever growing HPG network. Those Teams then moved to their next assigments. It was slow but steady work in returning the HPG stations. Progress was progress.
Late September, while taking a very rare day off, General Rita Mitchell sat on the small porch with her husband, Colonel Keith Mitchell while they watched Amanda Cameron play chase with Patrick Mitchell across the large backyard. "Keith, have you had any word from your family?"
"Yes. It was not really good news either. Amaris is a real piece of crap. I don't have to explain that me and the greater family don't get along very well. Old uncle he bull, head of the family, Delbert Mitchell never approved of my joining the SLDF instead of taking my place within the family business. But I still used to get semi regular messages from cousin Francine. HPG traffic is heavily censored but I can read between the lines." Keith Mitchell said
"I remember. I don't think he liked me very much either." Rita Mitchell replied
"He liked you, he just hated the fact that you would not give up your Pillager for the Shootist or Galahad. Every duel you ever won grated on his nerves that you piloted a Pillager." Keith said
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Department of Finance and Economic Development? The FED?? ;D
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There be a OR in the middle of that.
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Might want to bring up plans for ...uh, hope she has plans for civilians needing food at the outposts or evacuating, rather then just sending passenger mammoths. Plus ...and factory consultants from Sajak and Thazi Motors on factory disassembly and prioritisation.
Also, considering what happened to the last trip, making sure HPG spurs at and extending from Drachenfeld towards THiE and the outposts so ships can be a distance from Drachenfeld or THiE, hit a relay and communicate or send a message to be relayed to ships closer so the decision and communication loops are shorter.
I.E. HPG Relays 50 light-years out from THiE and Drachenfeld so a ship-messenger can be 100 light-years out from each of those and only need to travel 250 light-years or 10 jumps for messages, unless an HPG Chain is planned, leaving only the distances from Drachenfeld to the Outposts for messenger-ships. I don't think THiE has the excess HPG capacity to do any of this, but it is possible. Up to 2ndACR.
Would just be heartbreaking in story to reach the outposts and not be able to save survivors due to lacking food or the ability to provide medical care.
edit:... Sorry. Didn't mean to make it feel like a quest. 2ndACR is the author here, not a QM. Hope they get shinies? I am enjoying the story, and was engaged in the writing.
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I'm not sure they'd really want to bring back cannibals...
Is the "Mitchell" family here, THAT Mitchell family? ???
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small universe lol
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I can not wait to see what they start building.
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No relation to the Quest storyline guys.
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1 October to 31 December 2771
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Lieutenant General DeMars, Quartermaster Command, briefed the gathered officers on Operation Robber Baron. He had run the calculations of needed supplies, using the years old intel reports, multiple times. He had pushed for this operation to be launched and he was not about to fail. Using the known tonnage totals of the factory recovered on Outpost #4, and after some lengthy talks with Peter Sajak, he had done some rough calculations on the number of Mammoth Dropships that would be needed to transport the factories from Outposts #7 and #11.
"To minimize the supply needs, all Combat troops will make the journey to their destinations aboard the Passenger Mammoths, transfering to their Combat Dropships just prior to the target. Plus it will be much more comfortable. The Cargo Mammoths will be loaded with additional supplies for the trip back. Using the intel on what Outpost #7 and #11 had, even though a few years old, I think I have the numbers calculated that even if the Passenger Mammoths are fully loaded, supply should not be an issue like it was for Outpost #4. This time we are prepared for the recovery of civilians.
SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport will transport all the Combat personnel to Drachenfield. Just prior to arrival, they will transfer to Combat Dropships. Establish the forward operating base before proceeding to their respective targets. It will take 4 months to reach Drachenfield. Another month to get the forward operating base established. Another 4 months to Outpost #7, 4 months on site recovering the factory there and 4 months back to Drachenfield. By the time Outpost #7 is back at Drachenfield, the Outpost #11 force should be arriving at their target. One year to get there, 6 months on site recovering the factory and a year back to Drachenfield.
I currently have it planned that upon return to Drachenfield, Outpost #7 and any civilians will be immediately returned to Thazi. The ships will reload supplies, go through a quick maintenance cycle and return to Drachenfield to link back up with the returning Outpost #11 force. Everyone then returns to Thazi. I calculate the entire mission duration at 3 years. It will not be an easy misiion, but I have run the numbers multiple times and they all work out. Questions?"
"You have the supply angle figured out General DeMars, how about communication?" General Mitchell asked
"Sir, that is your call. From my understanding, you currently have 4 Scout Jumpships acting as HPG relay ships filling in gaps in the current network. We could establish a relay to Drachenfield, but I do not think we have the shipping available to run a relay beyond Drachenfield, not in the time frame we have available to us. But I did make some inquiries and Linden is undergoing a refit of their yards and should be able to begin construction of the HPG Scout Jumpship at a rate of 1 ship every 2 months per shipyard. Rear Admiral Delvaney's people have even gone so far as to design a HPG Merchant Jumpship. Seems they are some eager beavers, they spared no expanse and equipped it with LF Batteries also. It only carry's a single Dropship, and it's onboard cargo is only 100 tons, which is just enough for 3 months of onboard supply. Which is enough when running relay within our borders, but hardly enough for an extended mission. It would have to use the Dropship for supplies. As such, I did not take communications into account, I do not feel it is feasible at this time and beyond our capabilities." General DeMars replied
Turning to Rear Admiral Delvaney, General Mitchell said "You forget to tell me about this Admiral?"
Rear Admiral Delvaney just shrugged "You told me to handle things when you promoted me. I have not built any yet, but I did let the kids play with the design equipment. The LF Batteries really add to their survivability if they encounter hostiles or rapid deployment is needed."
"Don't build any until I green light that please. Lieutenant General DeMars, you have done some outstanding work. Now, off the briefing, how goes the Azur Factory?" General Mitchell asked
"The foundation is in place and fabrication of the actual structures is starting. Peter Sajak estimates a year before he would feel comfortable starting any kind of production. He is comfortable they have the Thor Artillery reverse engineer plans ready for production but the Arrow IV vehicles are much more complicated. But since you opened the door to off mission discussion, I have a few idea's on the civilian economy. I know you have been asking around to various people." Lieutenant General DeMars said
"Oh, well I am open to anything. What do you have in mind?" General Mitchell asked
"Well, it will cost some money, but I figure not much. The people out here are going to need vehicles. Since you have previously stressed secrecy so we cannot buy military hardware on the open market, I assume this applies to civilian equipment also. Buy the production rights for some of the civilian vehicles, maybe mining equipment and the tooling for them to be built out here. That provides jobs, cuts down massively on the transportation headaches. Plus, in an emergency, they can be converted to possibly military production. We have a lot of worlds with serious water on them, maybe purchase the rights to produce actual ships or watercraft. Take here on Thazi, we have vast oceans, currently the few fishermen are restricted close to shore, just think if we could move out into deeper water. Those are my thoughts anyway." Lieutenant General DeMars explained
"I will give the idea's some thought. If you think of any others, please, let me know." General Mitchell replied
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I'd have thought Azur already had some licenses... ???
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So I was looking at the star maps due to this expedition, and the astrography is very interesting.
On the way back to Outpost 4 are DoME project system Rover and Olympus recharge station at Rest Stop.
On way to Drachenfeld are the virus-ridden Multi-system Delphi Compact and Richmond’s World. As well as population heavy New Sierra.
On the way to outpost 7 the surveyed system that became IE 6 Is the only thing of note I can find.
On the way to Oupost 11 from Drachenfeld, the DoME project that became Mauna Loa, the Tortuga Dominions if needed for food (or the 238th MID deserters or any other deserters that made it to the Tortuga Dominions after your deserters already left), down to Aurigae (appears to have nothing to do with Aurigan Reaches), then to outpost 11.
This is assuming they want to be near civilization, checking colonies and projects that would be cut off by the Uprising. It would be interesting, at least. Otherwise it is months of travel in uninhabited systems bare of any interest.
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It's going to be months of deep space travel in uninhabited systems.
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1 January to 31 March 2772
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Operation Robber Baron was under way as the fleet departed the Thazi system to begin their multi year operation. General Rita Mitchell wanted to go with them but her duties just would not allow it. Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka had spread her remaining ships across the region of space controlled by the Terran Hegemony. She had then spent several days speaking to General Mitchell with Rear Admiral Delvaney in attendence before their departure.
"Rita, we need to address a huge problem we have now. With the expanded territory, we now lack enough transports to rapidly deploy our forces. Now that most of the Divisions are back to full strength or close to it, we do not have enough transports for each command. That is a huge liability. But we think we have a solution, but only if you agree to it." Vice Admiral Tanaka had said
"It is a problem, I am well aware of it. But let's hear your solution to it." General Mitchell responded
"Let us use the 2.5M ton shipyard here at Thazi build 2 more Potemkin Transports. It will take 2 years to build each one. But with those 2 ships, we can assign one to the 359th Battlemech Division and the other to 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. That will free up enough Star Lord Jumpships to fully equip all of the other Divisions with organic transports. We chose the 359th and 280th Divisions because they are your slated rapid deployment forces. If you agree to this, outside of the planned upgrade of the Vincent Corvettes to Destroyer, I will not ask for anymore warships." Vice Admiral Tanaka explained
"You might not ask me for any new ships, but sooner or later, your going to ask me to let you recover the 2 ships at Outpost #4. But your right, the lack of transports has been a concern for me. Can we actually do it? Build the 2 Potemkin Transports?" General Mitchell replied
"Yes sir, the shipyard can do it. It is fully capable in all respects. But only this yard. I did not provide the Linden yards with warship construction abilities. They can build standard Jumpships, but not warships. The yard here though, is fully capable. Half the crew of the Shipyard is from my crew aboard SLS Salvation, the other half are still learning their jobs. We could build one in half the time if we had the yards back home, but we don't. But it will pay off down the road if something really bad happens and we need to redeploy the ground forces massively." Rear Admiral Delvaney said
General Mitchell sighed heavily before answering "Okay, but only those 2 Potemkins. Geez, it never stops does it?"
"No Rita, it does not. You have it much harder out here than General Kerensky ever had it. He had the full industrial power and financial capabilities of the Terran Hegemony and Star League working for him. If he ordered 20 more Potemkins, they would appear inside of 5 years back home, probably much faster. And he would not give the matter another thought. He already had a fully functional economy to support the needs of the SLDF. And until we are reunited with the original Terran Hegemony, as acting Regent, building the ecomony out here AND supporting the SLDF is your job. How is Amanda doing?" Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"She is doing great. She started school with the other kids in town. It was quite an argument with Colonel MacIntosh over it. I forced him to pair down her escort to 2 female troopers and they had to be in civilian attire. Of course I know for a fact he has a full company of Jump Infantry not far away. I want her to experience a semi normal life. Let her be a kid with other kids. I think that was the problem with her father, he never got to be a normal kid. Grew up all entitled and everything, well Amanda is going to be different." General Mitchell replied
"I am sure she will. And how is your son taking everything?" Vice Admiral Tanaka asked
"He is having fun with it. Calls her his baby sister. Of course he does not really understand who she really is or will be when she is an adult, but for now, the two are inseperable when together. But then she has no clue of her future either. I still have no idea how to explain all of this to her, much less to General Kerensky and god forbid her father." General Mitchell said
"Relax Rita, neither of them are going to shoot you for what you have done and if they tried, well they will have a pretty big problem on their hands. I and all of the other officers will stand with you. For what it is worth anyway." Vice Admiral Tanaka replied
In February, construction began on the first Potemkin Transport with it's completion date set for March 2774.
On Shira, Cameron Falcry watched as massive forges were being installed. Shira Armor Works occupied 4 square miles and would produce the various armor types needed by the SLDF. Though the planet itself had limited easily mined minerals, it was surrounded by systems rich in resouces. Once fully staffed, Shira Armor Works would employ roughly a hundred thousand people both directly and indirectly. He had much smaller versions of the forges already setup not far away where several of the other survivors from Outpost #4 were training the new hire in how to make armor. He had already trained those survivors in how to make Ferro-Fibrous and Ferro-Aluminium Armor. Once fully operational, he calculated Shira Armor Works would be able to produce several hundred tons of armor per day.
On Ceiba, Rear Admiral Percy Seimens watched as a local construction company made a massive expansion of the local space port. Another construction company was building 20 very large hangers. He turned to where a Battalion of SLDF Engineers was constructing another massive building. Here, Interplanetary Drive's for the selected Dropships would be constructed. He had brought over 50 of his people so that they could teach the locals how to build the selected Dropships. He thought the name was dumb, but he had his orders. Plus he had brought over the specialized manufacturing equipment to make this a reality. It would still take a year before any Dropship rolled out of this complex.
Hegemony Aerospace
Dropships
Mammoth Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (16 per year)
Mule Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (24 per year)
Jumbo Dropship - 4 Construction Hangers (8 per year)
Interplanetary Drive
Bally Tech Super X40 - Mammoth
GE 2080 - Mule
Antares 2800 - Jumbo
At Linden, the 2 Shipyards had begun construction of Mule Dropships, each would produce 12 per year. Rear Admiral Seimens had kept his disapproval silent and carried out his orders.
On Thazi, Lieutenant General DeMars watched as the last of the Mobile HQ (HPG) was taken apart for reverse engineering. All except the Mobile HPG, whick was under strict guard in a seperate location. Peter Sajak and 12 of his most senior had painstakingly taken the vehicle apart, along with the standard Mobile HQ vehicle. Both vehicles would be assigned a single assembly line, located here in a secure production facility. Both vehicles had been assigned to General Mitchell's Headquarters Battalion and had sworn to personally step on Lieutenant General DeMars with her Pillager if they did not work perfectly when he put them back together again. He could not help but wipe the sweat off his brow as the very last piece was scanned into the computer by Peter Sajak.
Martha Pruitt, in her Merchant Jumpship, led the 4 Liberty Jumpships, carrying 12 Converted Jumbo Dropships and 6 Mule Dropships on a return to Bastrop. There she hoped to find awaiting dependents from the various SLDF commands for transport back to Thazi. Plus she had orders to have Fleesum and Gougem secure the production rights of quite a few civilian vehicles along with the needed manufacturing equipment.
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So, the infrastructure begins to be built. That is really good. Tanaka has a point about the Potemkins, It might be a good idea to shift division transport to Potemkin hulls, freeing up jumpship assets and shrinking skilled personnel requirements (each smaller jumpship requires the same amount of critical personel as a larger one as a minimum investment. Smaller ships help train up critical crew faster, but the economy of scale for crewing and transport means larger ships can get by with fewer intensely skilled positions backed up by a lesser skilled large crew compared to multiple small crews who need a higher proportion of highly skilled and trained officers.) This also frees up the jumpships for civilian and logistical transport.
This is really cool to read. Thanks.
Course possible naval assets are around:
1. Blythe spent 5 months hunting Rim World warships in the Periphery. He could know where there are “wrecked” or disabled warships from Naval operations.
2. Each of the divisional fragments probably knows of systems that had warship battles or abandoned transports like the 298th's Invader left in Independence system.
3. Each division assigned to periphery duty probably had caches hidden.
4. SLDF, Blackwatch, Hegemony, and Hegemony Intelligence probably had assets hidden in areas that are available (probably hidden in Tirpitz's computer or Blackwatch noteputers or something.)
5. 126 MID's escorts were last reported headed to Santa Ana, there was probably a battle there.
6. The Jump Core from the Essex that Salvation fixed is mostly likely still sitting in Onverwacht.
7. The Bugeye or other assets (Scouts) not worth using logistically could be flitting around checking on systems within 1 or 2 jumps, seeing what is happening and recon-ing the area around the Blommestein Province, checking for possible assets, intelligence and generally taking a look-see.
8. Like Rita said, the warships at outpost #4.
9. ZaP Shipping could pick up communications and intel where naval battles have been fought in the Inner Sphere for future recovery operations.
I am sure 2ndACR has plans that will be revealed in the future.
Edit: Each division having a Potemkin would also give divisions dedicated ortillery on call instead of being reliant on the Navy.
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Building new Potemkins seems to be a rather long term approach to an immediate problem. Wouldn't it make more sense to build more jump ships to add additional jump collars and build more Colossus dropships to better utilize the already existing collars? Once more collars are available one can revert to a more conventional drop fleet mix.
Further down the road the Potemkins certainly make sense. But in the here and now a faster solution is needed. And once the Potemkins are there the jumpships can be turned over to civilian shipping.
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I think the Potemkins are at least close to as fast as building all the smaller ships necessary to make up that many jump collars. And I'm sure 2ndACR has done the math...
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Building new Potemkins seems to be a rather long term approach to an immediate problem. Wouldn't it make more sense to build more jump ships to add additional jump collars and build more Colossus dropships to better utilize the already existing collars? Once more collars are available one can revert to a more conventional drop fleet mix.
Further down the road the Potemkins certainly make sense. But in the here and now a faster solution is needed. And once the Potemkins are there the jumpships can be turned over to civilian shipping.
if you have to build more combat dropship and more civ dropships. that is a lot of money and as noted it is going to be a year before the first cargo dropships is ready. They have one civ jumpship slip to help so building a corncob uses less people than a like number of star lords and star lords take a long time to built and that is the largest modern civ jumpship they knew about. say it take 6 months to make the six pack, that is two years to cover one corncob. (that is using one yard, time would be shorter if three yards are done so I call it a push on time).
so it comes back to crew to run the ships. they had an issue that they have been dealing with for a few years now, so it is not a major one. if it comes down to it? they could "buy" civ jumpships on the "open market". that is something you can not due with a corncob.
End state. is that long term having three corncobs is better than having a bunch of star lords. remember 2775 is coming quick
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in the Chaos after the liberating the Terran Hegemony, Kerensky’s absconding of 90% of SLDF and 100% jump capable warships, i don’t think he or anyone else will remember the forgotten corp. just my theory.
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I think 2ndACR's plan is a little different than that, but only time will tell...
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Okay, my main reason on building the Potemkin over multiple Star Lord Jumpships is experienced crew. Also, the Potemkin are being built to a new standard, LF Batteries and 50,000 passengers. SLS Mighty Lift is running a 75,000 passenger configuration. SLS Mighty Lift is running a reduced weapons payload, the while the newest will maintain the bog standard weapons load out.
Plus the Potemkin use less Germanium than the equal amount of Star Lord Jumpships. By a large factor. This was also a primary factor in the decision to build the Potemkin over multiple Star Lord Jumpships. Potemkin uses 683,275 tons for a Jump Core, while 4 Star Lord takes 1,041,200 tons to get the equal number of collars.
The ability to mount the LF Batteries for rapid response is another reason over the equal number of Star Lord Jumpships. In addition to being able to carry the entire embarked Division in quarters over in their Dropships eases the massive supply issues for a long deployment if it is needed. I would have to drop a Star Lord to 3 collars to equip LF Batteries, that means I need double the Star Lords to get 24 collars which uses over 2 million tons of Germanium.
The Potemkin is just more efficient for a Division transport than multiple Star Lords, though it costs a bloody fortune at almost 75 Billion. Long term efficiency anyway. For the Independent Regiments, the Potemkin is not a cost effective transport, too big, but for a Division, it makes much more sense.
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I KNEW 2ndACR had done the math! :thumbsup:
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75 billion ??? that's the cost of 75 Monolith's. Jesus, Maria and Jose, that's a lot of C-Bills, or in this case SL-Dollars.
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I KNEW 2ndACR had done the math! :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Yeah, it is expensive as all get out. There will not be very many of those built. Their only saving grace is that the shipyards are owned and run by the SLDF, not an independent company. So much of their cost stays in the family so to speak.
Carrying that many passengers in quarters is a big kick in the crotch, cost wise.
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Life support is a killer, no question!
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11 April 2772
Drachenfield
Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser led his Division into the systems Zenith Jump Point. Followed 15 minutes later by the remaining ships and transports. Forming up on the detaching Dropships, he led his half of the assigned warships to the planets orbit. There, they would let the ground troops get some ground time as the Foward Operating Base was established and the ships cycled thru a quick maintenance check with SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship.
14 April 2772
Entering orbit, the armada performed a few orbits as the various ships scanned the surface. Once nothing obviously dangerous was detected, Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler ordered the Dropships to the surface and for the Aerospace Fighters from SLS Independence, New Samarkand Carrier to escort them down. A cloud of 72 Aerosapce Fighters descended into the atmosphere, sonic booms echoing across the planets surface. While 2 Groups remained on high cover, 2 Groups swept towards the only detected city on the planets surface. Major Juan DeVilla, commander SLS Independence's Aero Wing, piloted his Stuka STU-K5b2 as it swept across the small city, a sonic boom ripping across the city.
Reefing his Stuka into a broad left turn, he spotted a Fury Dropship grounded close to a large building on the outskirts of the small city. He keyed his radio "Gold Lead here, we have a single Fury Dropship on the ground. Possible hostiles, but no hostile movements detected. Break, Falcon lead, establish a CAP on that Dropship, I would prefer if it does not take off."
Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov, commander 11th Conventional RCT, heard the message and led her command towards the small city only 35km away. Though her command was newly formed, it was not totally green. With a levening of Veterans spread among the various units. With 3 Battalions of Korvin Tanks and a Company of Turhan's in each of her 9 Grunt Infantry Battalions, it was a fairly powerful force. Checking her digital map, she could see Battlemechs forming a broad perimeter around the grounded Dropships. Returning her attention to the rapidly approaching target, she could see people starting to form along the roads as her lead units began entering the small city, halting and disembarking their cargo of Infantry, while other units moved to secure the Fury Dropship.
Once she entered the small city, her radio crackled "General, we have the colonies leader in the city square if you would head up here."
"Roger, on my way, 5 mikes. Tori, head for the city center, move slow, these crowds are getting pretty thick." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
When her Korvin halted in the city center, she dismounted and pausing to look around, began moving to where one of her Lieutenants had his arm raised. On reaching the small group, the Lieutenant motioned towards a gruff looking man. "Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov, 11th Conventional RCT. You the leader of this colony?"
"Ismael Sampson. Yes, I am the leader of this colony. May I ask what your intentions are? We are an independent colony and not under Star League rule or any other Houses rule." The man said in no friendly tone
"We are not here to impose any rule upon you Mr Sampson. We will be here for roughly 3 years though. It is only temporary and I am hoping to establish a good relationship with you and your people while we are here. We are willing to purchase any food stuffs that you would be willing to sell us while we are here though." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
"3 years sounds like an occupation to me. Why here? Go somewhere else." Sampson replied
"Sir, your system just happens to be located close to where we will be conducting operations. We will be establishing a small temporary base of operations here. I will even have my medics see to your people while we are here. Our interaction will be kept to a minimum. We will be conducting patrols, purely for our security. But first, we spotted the Fury Dropship grounded close by, are there any hostiles we need to be aware of?" General Sverdlov asked
"No. There are no hostiles here. We actually have it providing power to the city here, the reactor is on low power settings." Sampson replied
"I will have an Engineer Company with me while we are here. Once we have our small compound established, maybe I can have them assist your colony with anything you might need help with?" Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
"We can handle anything. We will be no trouble, but we would prefer to keep our sealings with your troops to a minimum." Sampson said
"If that is your wish sir. Please tell your people that if anyone needs medical care, that we are more than willing to provide it. Free of charge." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said as she spun on her heel and moved back to her Korvin. This is going to be a long 3 year assignment, she thought.
22 April 2772
Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov had for the last week stationed a Sherpa MASH just outside the small city as an act of good will. Today, they saw their first patient, a young woman who had complications during child birth. Working feverishly, the MASH's medical teams had managed to save both the woman and her infant. Currently they were in stable condition and resting comfortably, a small crowd of maybe 25 locals had assembled and a small cheer went up as the news of their condition was announced.
23 April 2772
Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov stood in the hatch of her Korvin leading the small parade of 3 additional Sherpa MASH vehicles. After yesterday's success, dawn had found a small crowd that continued to grow as the day progressed, all seeking medical care. She had also included a Sherpa Canteen to the small convoy, might as well see that they all get a hot meal, hearts and minds, she thought with a small grin.
On arriving, and while the medical crews set up the additional MASH trucks, she leaned aginst the track of her Korvin silently watching her people move with swift but effiecent movements. Captain Lesley Casmary, ranking Doctor of the first MASH team, approached her.
"General. Appreicate the help, We have triaged most of the patients and we have everything from dental to hernia's. Nothing too major, but I could use the help. Out of curiosity, I wandered into town and took a look at the local hospital. Seems they ran out of most drugs and their equipment is pretty primitive. But the doctors and medical staff seem competent enough. They are here helping us out doing the triage." Captain Casmary said
"Excellent work Captain. Kick some medical supplies loose for their hospital. Not too much, but enough to show them that we are friends. Excellent work on the mother and child, how are they?" Lieutenant General Sverdlov asked
"Recovering nicely. We had to do a C section, the local doctors could not do it. That was why I took a stroll, it peaked my curiosity. I will get with their doctors and get a list of what they need the most. If you will excuse me, I need to get back and get scrubbed up, got an apendectomy to perform." Captain Casmary said
1 May 2772
A call from the main gate of the SLDF compound brought Lieutenant General Sverdlov out of her small quarters. As she approached the main gate, she could see a small convoy of flatbed trucks. As she got even closer, she could see that they were loaded with fresh produce, fruits and vegetables. She halted by the sergeant "What have we got here Sergeant?"
"Seems the locals want to deliver all this fresh food to us. Said it was to repayment for all the things we have done for them."
"Well, let them in Sergeant. Hearts and minds, hearts and minds." She said
10 May 2772
The Task Forces assigned to Outpost #7 and Outpost #11 departed the system for their respective targets, leaving the 11th Conventional RCT to garrison the Forward Operating Base. At the Zenith Jump Point, Rear Admiral Delvaney was bringing her support group into orbit of the planet. Easier to provide some ground time for her crews in orbit than from the jump point. It was going to be a very long deployment.
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Couldn't do a C-Section?! Holy cats! That's quite a long fall from SL, or even TH colonial days! :o
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Ran out of the proper stuff.....anesthesia and all that. Never said they was Terran colonists. Think I might make them from the TC, would account for the initial "hostility".
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looks like these guys are going to miss out on getting any starslayers. :( . they are just now coming off the lines.
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Not even alcohol?? ???
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22 May 2772
Drachenfeld
Corporal Ben Suong and his squad had been on duty around the cluster of MASH vehicles for several hours when he caught sight of something that just did not sit right with him. It took his brain almost 5 minutes to connect the dots, he swept his eyes over the ever present but much smaller crowd of locals awaiting to be seen by the medical personnel then back up the street into the city. There, his eyes focused on a window, a face would appear and then pull back from the window on the 2nd floor. His brain told him that he had seen 5 different men enter that building over the last 15 minutes, each one entered alone and did not come back out.
With little movement, he selected his Lieutenant's channel. "LT, Suong here. I think we might have a situation developing here."
"What's going on Suong?" Lieutenant Carter Swanson asked
"Mostly a bad feeling, but I think we are being observed. And not in a good way, house down the street from our location. I keep seeing a face appear and then disappear. At least 5 men have entered that house solo over the last 15 to 20 minutes." Corporal Suong explained
"You sure Suong? You know the General does not want to agitate the locals. But I will bring the rest of the platoon down to back you up and have a look see myself." Lieutenant Swanson said
It took 20 minutes for the rest of the platoon to arrive with Lieutenant Swanson. Standing near Corporal Suong, Lieutenant Swanson aloowed his eys to sweep across the building Suong had identified for him over the closed comm system. He saw a shadowy face for a split second in the second floor window before it faded away. He keyed the closed comm "Your right Suong, I saw him. Pass the word for everyone to pay attention, but nothing too obvious. I need to pass the word up the chain."
Lieutenant Swanson next selected his Company Commanders channel "Captain Bryce, Lieutenant Swanson. We might have a developing situation down at the MASH site. I am sure we are under observation by possible hostiles. No sir, we are secure here for the moment. Roger that, stand fast, weapons tight unless fired upon until further notice. I understand sir."
23 May 2772
Nothing had occured the previous day, but Lieutenant General Sverdlov had ordered increased patrols around the SLDF compound and increased the radious of the patrols to include several hilltops with a line of sight to the SLDF compound. Each patrol was a full Company in strength. Then on a spur of the moment, she detailed another Company to check a forested hill about a mile from the small town in some fairly dense woods.
By early afternoon, reports began to come back in. One of the hilltops, 2 miles from the SLDF compound, the Infantry Company assigned to that area had discovered several bunkers with a clear line of sight into the SLDF compound. This caused Lieutenant General Sverdlov to raise the alert level of her 11th Conventional RCT, but orders were to do so as quietly as possible.
Captain Kimberly Kline led her Company up the wooded hill. The woods were too thick for her Turhans to make the trek. She had joined the SLDF after being taken prisoner on Pilon and then being given a second chance. Half of her Company were former rebels that had joined the SLDF once released, the other half were newly graduated from the Infantry School on Boulsi. As her lead platoon reached the top of the fairly high hill, her helmet comm crackled "Captain, we got a trench line and several bunkers up here. Fresh boot prints heading down the hill and into the forest. Forming a perimeter now."
Down at the MASH site, Corporal Ben Suong was near the Sherpa Canteen sipping a cup of coffee when one of the local doctors walked up to him. "You folks know your being watched right?"
Without making any obvious movements, Corporal Suong replied "Yes, we picked up on that. You know who it is and what they want?"
"Rebels. But they went pirate when the Uprising collapsed. They damn sure don't want you SLDF troops here. They are the ones who literally stripped our hospital. They have about a hundred of us prisoner. Including Ismael Samspn's daughter." The doctor said
"Any idea how many of them there are?" Corporal Suong asked, but at the same time, he had sent a silent signal to his Lieutenant that would alert him to danger.
"The main force is away on a raid. They have the Battlemechs. Several thousand of them all told. They have about 120 in the city. I have to go." The doctor said as he moved back to the MASH trucks
Corporal Suong tossed his coffee cup into the small trash bin and moved to where his Lieutenant stood near one of the MASH trucks watching him. "Doc says we have hostiles in the city, about a company in strength but a much bigger force is here. Several thousand strong. Rebels turned pirate. They got locals as hostages."
Word was quickly passed up the chain of command. Lieutenant General Sverdlov ordered all the SLDF naval personnel to return to orbit and relayed the news to Rear Admiral Delvaney that the planet had hostiles on it and that part of the hostile force could arrive back in system at any time. Lieutenant General Sverdlov looked up from the map displaying the area for 100km around the SLDF compound and looked at Major Marcella Ramirez, commander 2282nd Special Forces. "What do you think Major Ramirez?"
"Well, General Mitchell did not send us along to sit on our backsides. Plus she got me a 2 Cobra VTOL's and 2 Nightshade VTOL's as escorts. Actually the only 2 Nightshade VTOL's in our entire force. Those Royal Black Watch pitched a fit losing them to us. Each Cobra can carry a full Company of my Special Forces. The hostiles have to be landing their Dropships somewhere, we have seen no signs in the immediate area. How about I slip into town tonight with just a few of my people and pay a visit to Mr Sampson and get some information?" Major Ramirez suggested
"Approved, but I would prefer a light touch Major. If they have his daughter, he is acting under duress." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
24 May 2772
It was just after 3am and Major Ramirez studied the small house. She had only 2 squads with her and they had been watching the immediate area around the house for over an hour. They had detected nothing out of the ordinary. She and each of her troopers carried a Tranc Gun in addition to their personal weapons. She tapped the arm of the trooper to her left and both silently made their way to the small house. Making their way to the back door, they silently slipped inside. Moving silently, they quickly cleared the downstairs and moved upstairs. Only one door was closed and Major Rameriz carefully and silently opened the door and slipped inside, approaching the bed where Ismael Sampson was asleep. She reached out and placed a hand over his mouth which startled him to fully awake. "Shhh, do not make a sound Mr Sampson. I mean you no harm, we are here to help but we need some information. Do you understand?"
When Ismael Sampson nodded, Major Ramirez slowly removed her hand from his mouth. In a whisper he said "You have to leave, if they find you here they will kill a lot of people."
"We are aware of your situation. Where is their main base? We need to know, that is the only way we can rescue your daughter and the others." Major Ramirez whispered
"It is deep in the forest, about 35km north of here. They land their Dropships in clearings in the forest. Cover the area's with camo nets in the tree tops. Please, they will kill my daughter and the others." Ismael Sampson said
"We will get them out. How long has the main force been gone?" Major Ramirez asked
"7 or 8 months now. They could be back at any time and they have Battlemechs. A lot of them." Ismael Sampson said
"We can handle them. We will leave now Mr Sampson. Please go about your normal routine. Give no clue that we were ever here. Soon, you will see your daughter again." Major Ramirez said as she bagan slipping from the room.
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Couldn't do a C-Section?! Holy cats! That's quite a long fall from SL, or even TH colonial days! :o
Probably more to do with the lack of drugs than a decline in medical skill.
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I'd say the latest posts confirm that...
And Corporal Suong deserves a medal AND a promotion (or two!)...
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28 May 2772
Drachenfeld
Major Marcella Ramirez settled down silently between Lieutenant Carter Swanson and Corporal Ben Suong under the dense underbrush. Slowly, she removed her helmet and set it on the ground, taking a free hand she scratched her head. "Damn helmets make my scalp itch like nothing else."
In a whisper, Corporal Suong said "It's because of the long hair you insist on keeping. Shave it down to a crew cut and it will help with the itch."
"Why thank you Corporal Suong, but I prefer to keep some of my female qualities intact. So, how sure are we that cluster of buildings hold the prisoners?" Major Ramirez asked pulling out a pair of shaded binoculars for a look see. It had taken the 2282nd Special Forces almost 3 days to locate the rebel/pirate base, which was spread out all over the dense forest. They had located the first clearing where a Dropship had clearly landed and taken off from fairly quickly. Then Major Ramirez had broken the Battalion into platoon sized patrols to cover the entire area, carefully recording the locations as they were discovered. Currently, she had a platoon leading the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 11th Conventional RCT deeper into the dense woods and closer to the rebel/pirate locations.
As she scanned the area under the thick canopy, but cleared of underbrush, she counted 6 decent sized buildings, set up about 2 feet from the ground and could clearly see that each building had a set of guards along with several 2 man foot patrols walking around the perimeter of the clearing. "So far, it is the only site we have located that has guards posted at each building with roving patrols. Everywhere else has a few roving patrols only. The buildings are too small to be warehouses, we already located the site that is clearly their primary storage location." She heard Lieutenant Swanson whisper from her left.
"So, you have a plan made up yet Lieutenant Swanson?" Major Ramirez asked still scanning the area
"Yes sir, but I need another platoon to make it as close to a sure thing as I can promise." Lieutenant Swanson whispered confidently
Major Ramirez put down the binoculars at the response "Might I ask why you are so confident in this plan?"
"I already have a 7 teams of 2 inside their perimeter. They went in during the early morning. You cannot see them, I have tried, they are under the buildings down there. The moment we assault the place, my remaining 14 troopers will split into several 4 man teams and take down the roving patrols. Those under the buildings will take out the guards at the doors with tranc guns. I need the other platoon for over watch and additional assault teams." Lieutenant Swanson replied
"Then I will get you another platoon. The grunts should be getting close by now, we will need their firepower when we take on the area we think is the main barracks area for the folks down there. I want the prisoners secured as quick and quietly as possible. Once we begin the main assault, we will bring in the Cobra's for an extraction. That is the primary mission. No head hunting until that is accomplished. Stress that to your people Lieutenant Swanson." Major Ramirez said
"Yes sir. Prisoners first and foremost." Lieutenant Swanson replied
29 May 2772
It had taken most of the previous day to get the Grunt Infantry Regiment into location to be able to rapidly assault the rebel/pirate forces. At 0345am local time, the signal arrived and on receipt, 7 pairs of Special Forces troopers rolled from under the buildings and at a range of 2 feet shot their respective targets with powerful tranc darts, rendering them unconscious in seconds.
At the same time, multiple tranc darts hit the each memeber of the roving patrols with the same results. As the enemy roving patrols fell to the ground, 14 Special Forces troopers rushed the clearing and assisted Lieutenant Swanson's platoon in getting the prisoners out of the buildings. It was taking longer than expected, the prisoners were reacting slowly to the silent commands of the Special Forces troopers. Lieutenant Swanson moved down the lines of rescued prisoners, he held in his hand a picture Major Ramirez had taken from Ismael Sampson's house, he compared the picture to each prisoners face with a dim light until he located the young woman in the picture. He pulled her gently from the line and passed her to Corporal Suong "She is your mission Corporal. Stay with her at all times." While the prisoners had been made ready for travel, Special Forces troopers had dragged the rebel/pirate's into the deep brush. There, they did what they did best and removed an enemy from the battlefield.
The sun was just starting to light the area as the 2 Cobra VTOL's flared and settled into a clearing. Quickly, the rescued prisoners were loaded onto the Cobra's and with a sigh of irritation, Corporal Suong settled into a seat next to his "mission". As the Cobra's lifted back off into the air, several explosions sounded in the near distance followed by a rattle of gunfire as the main assault began on the rebel/pirate forces. Lieutenant Swanson watched the Cobra's until they were out of sight and then turned to his troopers "Okay, first mission accomplished. Now let's go head hunting."
Within an hour, the Cobra's landed inside the SLDF compound and the rescued prisoners were ushered towards several MASH set up and ready to receive them. Corporal Suong stayed near his "mission" while the medics checked her over. Though irritated that he was not in the fight, he had to admit, his "mission" was stunningly beautiful. Once the medics had declared her healthy, Corporal Suong led her to the canteen to get some food. He kept his visor down so that she would not see him looking at her. She really was beautiful, he thought as he watched her eat the provided food like a starved person.
By nightfall, the combined attacks by the Special Forces and 2nd Infantry Regiment had destroyed or put to flight the estimated 2 Battalions of rebel/pirtae forces. While the 2nd Regiment settled into perimeters, the Special Forces troops continued hunting those that might have gotten away. It was a deadly night for the rebel/pirate troops.
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Hmmm... If they bothered with tranq guns in the first place, prisoners would seem to be more valuable than graves to be dug.
Still, a brilliantly executed rescue. Still waiting for the Corporal to be promoted... ^-^
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Nice. Couldn't happen to nicer people.
If the rebel division is fought, that is combat experience, possible salvage, and good PR with Drachenfeld. It could change the opinions of the locals and possibly lead to further association in the future.
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now if they can lay an ambush for any returning pirates.
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They pretty much have to... if they don't, they'll be facing an orbital assault on the city.
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Possibility of being problematic if the returning rebels have adequate naval and air cover...the SLDF can have problems once the rebels land their battlemechs….force superiority...this is BattleTech so the force that has mechs usually outfights the side that doesn't.
If the rebels do not have adequate naval and air cover then whatever surviving elements gets past the SLDF orbital screen then it's pretty much a mopping up operation.
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30 May 2772
Drachenfeld (Periphery)
Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov, commander 11th Conventional RCT, watched as Ismael Sampson was reunited with his daughter. The rebel/pirate company within the city had fled the city when word had reached them of the SLDF assualt on their main base. She had a Infantry Regiment still sweeping the dense forest, and another Infantry Regiment assigned to extended patrols in an attempt to locate any of the enemy forces that got away. The local's had lined the streets waving and cheering after the enemy troops had fled. The enemy warehouses had contained hundreds of tons of medical supplies which was in the process of being transported to the city's hospital where SLDF medics would assist in getting the hospital back up and ready to receive patients.
Movement caught her attention and pulled her back to the here and now, she saw Ismael Sampson walking towards her. "General Sverdlov, I can never repay you for saving my daughter and returning our loved ones to us. But I fear for when you depart and the main pirate band returns. Without your troops, we are defenseless against them."
"We will be here for at least a year Mr Sampson. But, if you have those among you willing, I see no problem with providing you some training, helping you form some sort of militia to aid in defending yourselves. We captured quite a bit weapons and supplies from the pirates." Lieutenant General Sverdlov replied
"We are a peace loving people. Not soldiers." Ismael Sampson responded
"Then I am afraid that when we leave, your peaceful lifestyle might end quickly. As far as I know, we have no plans to return here after we depart. Your defense will then be up to you and your people. I would prefer to go down fighting than be made a virtual slave to a pirate band. I think you need to give the idea some serious thought. You can still be a peace loving people and still have the means to defend yourselves. You have the numbers." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
"I will have to think on this. It will not be easy, for it goes against everything I have come to believe. The taking of life is against everything I believe in." Ismael Sampson said
"Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind. I am told the medical supplies should be fully returned to your hospital within the next 2 days. Before we leave, you have my word that we will make sure you have as much supplies as we can spare. I just hope you can hang on to them after we leave. If you will forgive me, I must return to my headquarters and see to the current campaign to rid this planet of the remaining pirates." Lieutenant General Sverdlov said
NP45711
General Abdul Al Assyme had once commanded a Division of troops. But they had been savaged fighting the SLDF in the Taurian Concordat. He had been able to evacuate a 1/4 of his command. Then after more than a year of travel, they had reached the Tortuga Dominions only to hear word that many SLDF units were arriving in the Dominions, wanting no part of that, they had fled deeper into the Periphery. At first, he had wanted to return to the worlds they had been trained on, but no records of their location had been found in the various Jumpship navigation computers. But after a long journey, they had discovered Drachenfeld. Quickly taking over the planet from the unarmed population. A pleasant planet, it would serve as a good home for his personal kingdom. But to make that happen, he needed skilled people and the closest place for that was the Tortuga Dominions and the New Delphi Compact. He wanted no part of the New Delphi Compact, the threat from a killer disease with no cure was just too much, that left the Tortuga Dominions and the risk of running into the SLDF.
Leaving a Infantry Regiment to secure their planet, with a few hostages to keep the locals in line, he had taken his last Battlemech Regiment and 2 Infantry Regiments on this raid. They ahd hit Morgan's Holdfast and after defeating a few pirate bands, they had spent a week loading foods, a few light industrial factories and several thousand prisoners onto 4 Jumbo Dropships and then fled the system. Now, they were just 2 months from Drachenfeld and they could get the "liberated" factories online producing clothes but most of all, small arms and ammunition. He could then plan on their next mission.
Rimworlds Outpost #7
Jacob Henderson was down to 147lbs. Of the 90,132 people that had once been on this planet, they had buried over 50,000 over the long years. First had come the initial riot against the garrison that tried to horde the remaining "fresh" food, that had cost them over 6,000 to overwhelm the 2 Infantry Regiments in 2770. Then they had broken into the locked storage warehouses that held combat rations meant for the rebel forces. That had bought them another year, but when the rations had started running low, the largest and deadliest riots had started which had seen over 20,000 killed in late 2771. The rest had slowly withered away, the planets hydroponics systems were barely able to feed the remaining 39,432 people at 1/4 rations. He estimated they would all be dead in 7 months.
Once again he cursed himself, why did he leave his cushy job at Tauken Weapons Systems on Addicks where he was a lead Engineer on the multiple Goblin lines produced for the SLDF in massive numbers, but he had been greedy and the money offered plus the promise of actually being allowed to design his own vehicles had pulled him away. The only good thing about being out here was he met and married Trina Weldon, a Aerosapce Engineer who worked at the Aerospace Factory here. She had been hired away from Fairchild Dornier with the promise she could run her own factory. Though that had been true, having to build only, what she considered as obsolete fighters had irritated her to no end. She had been badly hurt during the last riot and they had been forced to amputate her left leg.
As the thoughts and anger flowed thru him, he looked at the now useless products from the factories, long since idled, inside massive warehouses. He shook his head at the waste his life had become and slowly made his way back to the small city a mile away, it was almost dinner time, for what it was worth.
Rimworlds Outpost #11
Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye knew now that they had been abandoned out here. To make sure they could survive, he had ordered several large farms established. This along with fishing the dangerous waters on this planet had allowed them to survive. All his hard work was for naught. He had kept his promise and had increased effeciency of his factory by 15%. But then with no one coming to collect his Battlemechs in several years, he had turned most of the workers into farmers and fishermen. With 181,271 people to feed, they all had to farm and fish. The fish were extremely bony with little meat and the farms had to be 3X normal size to produce enough food.
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Wow. That... really sucks. All that talent and ability- gone. And who knows if they will be able to even make it there in the 3 months 10 days estimated remaining time for the SLDF task forces to get there to Outpost #7. Taxiarchos Christine Palmer seems to be dead, proving the point that trusting the Fat Man is suicidal.
And at outpost #11 Taxiarchos Haye seems to not be an idiot, immediately taking steps to provide for survival. He might be worth keeping.
And who knows, there could be information from either the pirate regiment or outpost #7 or #11 about further outposts, even Kilgorian could know something- he helped train Armor divisions somewhere, right?
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It sounds like Outpost #7 will surrender happily. #11... not so much.
The rebel force coming back to Drachenfeld is going to be trouble.
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It sounds like Outpost #7 will surrender happily. #11... not so much.
The rebel force coming back to Drachenfeld is going to be trouble.
Tactical vs Operational or Strategic thinking...what's the biggest worry that Outpost 11 has?..the same as Outpost 7...food, being cut off and marooned. Both Outposts' people at this stage will jump at any option not resulting in starvation and being marooned.
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Tactical vs Operational or Strategic thinking...what's the biggest worry that Outpost 11 has?..the same as Outpost 7...food, being cut off and marooned. Both Outposts' people at this stage will jump at any option not resulting in starvation and being marooned.
also they do not have to stay with the TH after they recover. Some might deiced that after a year or two they want to move.
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1 April to 1 June 2772
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, not liking the huge delay's in news from the Inner Sphere, had made the decision to push the 5 Scout HPG Jumpships into the Federated Suns and form a chain back to the Terran Hegemony controlled Blommestein Province. They would be stationed at Kent, Vonja, NC11987, Inner End and Delos IV. NC11987 was uninhabited and would relay news from both Inner End and Delos IV. The HPG relay would ne fully functional by mid July.
She had been torn on wether to stretch the HPG relay to Drachenfeld or to the Federated Suns. But she needed news from the Inner Sphere, that news would allow her to make decisions that could affect everything. But now with the decision made, she turned her attentions to the mass of paperwork on her desk. First she looked over the report from Lieutenant General DeMars, Quartermaster Command concerning make up of the Conventional RCT's and the status of the new factory complex's.
Quartermaster Quarterly Report
Thazi Motors has reached 100% production on existing lines. To facilitate quicker streamlining of Armored forces in the various commands, I have authorized Peter Sajak to further expand Thazi Motors factory. This expansion will allow increased production and streamlining of all Armored forces.
Thazi Motors
Manticore - 2 Lines producing 30 per month currently each line (adding 2 Lines)
Alacorn MkVI - 2 Lines producing 20 per month currently each line (adding 2 Lines)
Turhan - 2 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line (adding 1 Line)
Demon - 2 Lines producing 25 per month currently each line (adding 1 Line)
Chevalier - 2 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line (adding 1 Line)
Zephyr Hover - adding 2 Lines producing 40 per month each Line
Maxim Hover - adding 2 Lines producing 30 per month each Line
Mobile HQ - 1 Line producing 6 per month
Mobile HPG - 1 Line producing 1 per month
This expansion, once completed, will allow us to rapidly refit the Conventional RCT's and Frontline Commands to a more streamlined TO&E. Concerning the Conventional RCT's, with your approval, I want to set their TO&E at the following:
Conventional RCT TO&E
1 Armor Regiment - 36 Chevalier, 72 Demon
3 Infantry Regiment - 3X3 Batt, 4 Batt w/12 Turhan per Batt in 4th Company
1 Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor Artillery, 8 per Battery, 3 Battery per Batt
This new configuration I feel will add to their overall combat ability while keeping with their orginal intent as primarily garrison forces. But with expanded combat ability until reinforcements arrive.
On Azur, the Artillery Factory is nearing completion. Hajera Spangler, Peter Sajak's weapons expert is confident that they have successfully reverse engineered the Padilla Artillery, Chaparrel Artillery and Thor Artillery vehicles. They have successfully test fired 12 locally produced Arrow IV missiles on Azur. Also on Azur, to make use of the more advanced microelectronics industry there, they have established a weapons factory independent of the Artillery Complex. Trevor Nixon, also from Peter Sajak's people, working with Hajera Spangler has successfully reverse engineered ERPPC, ERLL, all Pulse Laser sizes.
Azur Heavy Industries
Padilla Artillery - 3 Lines producing 12 per month each line
Chaparrel Artillery - 2 Lines producing 18 per month each line
Thor Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Marksman Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Hegemony Weapons and Technology
ERPPC
ER Large Laser
Large Pulse Laser
Medium Pulse Laser
Small Pulse Laser
Streak SRM2
All Standard Tech Weapons and Missile Systems
Mauser 960
Arrow IV (standard and homing)
TAG
Guardian ECM
Beagle Active Probe
Muliple Fire Control and Communication
At Linden, both orbital factories produce Endo Steel and Double Heat Sinks. We got lucky that they were already setup to produce them in support of SLDF naval operations.
While the factories produce the needed fusion engines for every vehicle produced, the need for replcement engines of the Frontline Commands cannot be ignored. So I have ordered Irene Yemmon, again from Peter Sajak, to establish a complex on Alktral to manufacture engines, both standard fusion, XL and ICE. I have given her a list of every engine we field with orders to streamline things as best she can. This could be a massive undertaking, but she seems confident in her ability to streamline things. Endo Steel for the XL engines will come from Linden while any microelectronics will come from Azur.
We are still lacking any Battlemech, Aerospace and VTOL replacement equipment. Though we have a large stockpile of Light Battlemechs, these are lacking any sort of advanced equipment and some are obsolete by SLDF norms.
General Mitchell closed the folder after signing off on the request and changes inside. The next folder she picked up was from Major General Heinrich Rommel, she opened the file and saw that it was a run down on his Training Command.
Training Command Quarterly Report
With the additional worlds, recruitment is increasing to levels that have caused me to increase the size of the Basic Training courses. Another problem has surfaced, the 322nd Armored Division will not be able to handle the constant influx of newly graduated personnel for the expected 1-2 years of advanced unit training. As such, with your approval, and with consultation with Lieutenant General DeMars, I will be forming the 323rd Armored Division which will be stationed on Boulsi as an additional training Division. Lieutenant General DeMars has informed me that there is enough of the older equipment to outfit the 323rd Armored Division. It will have the same TO&E as the 322nd Armored Division, which is now, by my order undergoing another adjustment to it's TO&E as follows.
322nd Armored Division
3221st Brigade
Armored Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
3222nd Brigade
Armored Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
3223rd Brigade
Armored Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
Infantry Regiment
3224th Brigade
Armored Regiment
Armored Regiment
Armored Regiment
Artillery Brigade
Arrow IV Battalion
Thor Battalion
Marksman Battalion
As you can see, the first 3 Brigades are set up to resemble the Conventional RCT's. I did this as I forsee you adding more of those for garrison forces. The Infantry School is graduating a Regiment every 3 months at their current training level's. The Armor School is graduating a Regiment per 4 months. But the increased recruitment we are currently seeing will increase these numbers. I expect the 323rd Armored Division to be fully staffed in roughly 2 years. I project both the 322nd and 232rd to then remain fully staffed by the Schools by 2774.
I have ordered the formation of a Jump Infantry School be established. This course will be an advanced course open to those Infantry that have completed 1 tour of duty. I have also commandeered 12 Cobra VTOL to assist the Jump Infantry School in airmobile operations training. Instructors are currently being pulled from the various commands using the most experienced Jump troopers. I am already seeking recruits for the course and initial responses have been high. I calculate that I will be able to field an additional 2 Regiments of Jump Infantry per year by end of 2773. After 2773, I will be able to establish if we can open the school up to new recruits which will expand the number available.
I have also taken the liberty to establish a Marine School. Currently it is based on the Olympus Station at the Boulsi Nadir Jump Point. Class size is small only capable of graduating a Battalion per year. I hope to expand this by end of 2773, but I need time to evaluate the results.
The Battlemech School is showing promise. We currently have 4 Battalions in Basic Training, 8 Battalions in Introductory Training and 9 Battalions in Advanced Training. The Advanced Training is made up of former Indutrial Mech pilots recruited by Major General Baxter. I have their graduation calculated as January 2773. Just hope you can find decent Battlemechs to put them in. We are pushing our supply of Stinger's pretty hard.
I have also begun a Technical School. I have spent a few months combing the Frontline Commands for the personnel. This will train Battlemech Technicians, Aerospace Technicians, Mechanics, Communications Personnel (including experienced comm Techs for HPG operations) and Medics. The Medical personnel, after completing Basic Training will be shipped to Azur where they will attend that planet's medical school. This will be time consuming, but it is a need we have that must be filled.
The Gunslinger School is established and the Instructors are currently working on the course studies. First candidates will not arrive until the replacement Battlemech pilots are graduated in order to keep the Frontline Commands at full strangth. The Instructors have advised me that without the advanced systems in the original Gunslinger Program, they will only take on 4 candidates per Instructor. That set's the class size at 80 maximum and will run for 1 year per class.
Infantry recruits that fail their advanced training are being assigned to the various commands support commands as drivers, astechs, clerks and such. No need to waste the manpower. They at least completed Basic Training and can undergo their new training in a hands on capacity.
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Ah, the minutia that makes the army run, good to see it as it shows a healthy high command structure and recruitment to both maintain and expand. Good to see.
Well, when the news shows up, the Forgotten Corps will get to know of the beginning of the Hegemony Campaign and closer to home, see David Avellar get elected to head the Outworlds Alliance.
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I wonder if they will have enough Lvl 2 weapons to update some of the older machines or make a few Royal type or hyper updated mechs royal in all but name.
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Excellent post, but I'm still waiting for the return of the rebels to Drachenfeld...
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Technically, they are not thinking about that right now. Still thinking SLDF, so not going for mass custom upgrades and such.
If the Battlemech Factory arrives, well things will begin to change some. Same for the Aerospace Factory.
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I just reread the post and was thinking of unappreciated parts of the military...
Is Thazi Motors making the logistical backbones:
Ordinance vehicles (J-27 or J-37- (written fluff has the Capellans making them mid 28th century, so within the last 20-30 years)),
Coolant Trucks,
Fuel Tankers,
Water Tankers and purifiers,
Recovery Vehicles,
Heavy Recovery Vehicle,
Transport Trucks,
MASH Vehicles,
Wayland Mobile Repair Bases?
Or are they relying on the captured Sherpa Vehicles?
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1 June 2772 to 31 August 2772
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Peter Sajak had been called to General Rita Mitchell's headquarters. Entering the conference room, he saw General Rita Mitchell, Lieutenant General Curtis DeMars and Major General Heinrich Rommel already seated. A little nervous, he sat his note binder on the table and took a seat across from the SLDF officers. Filling a glass with water, he took a sip as General Mitchell began to speak.
"Mr Sajak, I have asked you here today to commend you and your people on the fantastic work you all have managed to pull off. But now, I have a new job for you, one that I think you are perfect for. This new job will take an enormous amount of your time, but I promise I will still allow you to get your hands dirty. In this new job, you will report directly to me, but will also work closely with Lieutenant General DeMars. The new job is a new posting I have created, I am just not up to the task and I need someone who has proven themselves trust worthy. You new job is Minister of Economic Development and Technology.
As Minister of Economic Development and Technology, you mission will be to oversee the development of both the Military and Civilian economy's of every system under our control. I will need you to evaluate each system, determine their needs, their potential and then come up with a plan to make it happen. You will also be working closely with Martin Zuni and ZaP Shipping. If something is needed that we cannot make ourselves, get with Martin Zuni and he will make the proper arrangements to procure the material and get it to where it needs to be.
That covers the Development end of the job, the Technology end of the job is basically what you and your people have already been doing. Working with Lieutenant General DeMars, you are tasked to continue reverse engineering Military equipment designated by Lieutenant General DeMars as needed. You will then find a way for us to manufacture what we need and in the quantities specified by Lieutenant General DeMars. If a new factory is called for, you will select the system for it to be built at and oversee it's construction and staffing. This will also fall under your Development title. We are, as you already know, having to build our supply lines from scratch to meet our needs. Any questions?"
Peter Sajak had listened in almost horror as she spoke, she was placing the entire economy of this part of the Terran Hegemony in his hands. "General, though this is a great honor, I am not sure I am up to the task. This is way above my paygrade. I know how to run a factory and build tanks and vehicles. What your asking for me to take on is way outside my expertise."
"Nonsense. Lieutenant General DeMars has kept me fully briefed on your suggestions to build the Arrow IV vehicles and ammunition on Azur, since it has a microelectronics industry already. When he brought it to your attention about our need for replacement fusion engines, it was you that suggested the lead engineer, and selected the system with the population to provide the workers, the resources to support the factory and the need for it to be close to Linden as that was where our only source of Endo Steel was located, which is needed for production of XL engines. You were already doing the job your taking now, only now it is official." General Mitchell replied
"General, Lieutenant General DeMars asked for my suggestions, I asked a few questions, got the answers I needed and just worked with the information he provided." Peter Sajak said
"Which is exactly what you will be doing in your new job. You can continue to argue with me all you want, but your going to lose every time, so you might as well just agree to the job so that we can all get down to work." General Mitchell said with a sly smile
Knowing he was beat, Peter Sajak finally nodded "Okay, I accept the new job. I am going to need a staff, probably a big one."
"Grab who ever you need, as long as it does not impact current production. You will be working right next door to my office. My door is always open." General Mitchell said with a smile, glad to have this monkey off her back.
Drachenfeld (Deep Periphery)
Lieutenant General Petra Sverdlov had been notified that Ismael Sampson had spoken with his people and that they had agreed that they needed to see to their own defense. She had tasked Major Ramirez and her Special Forces to train Drachenfeld's Militia. Operations continued to run down the survivors of the pirate force.
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Martha Pruitt had accomplished her task. She had secured, through the law firm production licenses of quite a few goods for production in the Terran Hegemony. It would be another couple months before the purchased production equipment arrived. She double checked her list and her own penciled in items she felt they needed. She had even gone so far as to hire quite a few experts that were willing to move.
Shipping - Lebedev Nautical Enterprises, Kaleen Bay and Anastaska Maro designs
Civilian - Achernar Heavy Industries, Brunel Dump Truck
Earthwerks Incorporated, Lessups Dump Truck
Saurer-Bucher, TLF-LL6500 Fire Engine
Lexan Oceanic, Lexan Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL
Ground Car
Bluth Corporation, CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech and BV XXI Buster HaulerMech
She had spent 2.4 Billion dollars buying the production rights and needed production plans and equipment. A Billion went to Bluth Corporation for the Industrial Mech designs.
She had caught up on news from across the Inner Sphere and had gleaned a large movement of refugee's from the Terran Hegemony moving towards her current location. Most had set out before Amaris had sealed the borders of the Hegemony before General Kerensky and the SLDF had begun their assault on the Hegemony in February 2772.
10 September 2772
Drachenfeld (Deep Periphery)
General Abdul Al Assyme shook off the jump effects, just glad to be "home". As his brain cleared itself of the fog, he heard the klaxon sounding. Rushing to the bridge, his eyes locked on the ships plot. Clearly displayed on the plot was a symbol designating a Dart Light Cruiser with SLDF IFF being transmitted. As his mind was processing this horrible development, the ships captain said "Emergence wave inbound." Minutes later, a new symbol appeared on the plot designating a Volga Transport also broadcasting SLDF IFF.
Cursing, he ordered the Dropships cut loose as he hurried to join them. A last glance at the plot showed 3 new symbols appearing designating 3 Titan Dropships and they were launching Aerospace Fighters. As he fled the bridge, he heard "Captain, they are calling for our surrender, failure to comply will result in destruction."
He barely made it aboard his Dictator Dropship before it detached from the Invader Jumpship and joined the other Dropships burning for the surface as fast as they could go, the G forces were brutal. He reached the Dictator's bridge just in time to hear "Captain, missile warning!!!" His eyes cut to the ships plot and focused on the rapidly approaching symbol's. He watched in horror as they slammed into another Dictator followed seconds later by several Naval Lasers which ripped the Dictator to pieces. He then heard "Enemy Fighters inbound, the Volga is moving to intercept us. The Dart is also closing fast on an intercept course. Captain, there is no way we survive this. The Jumbo's are signaling their surrender as are the Jumpships."
General Al Assyme never got another thought as a Heavy Naval Gauss round split his Dictator in half.
Aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, Rear Admiral Trisha Delvaney had watched the relayed tactical plot and watched as the enemy Dropships that failed to surrender were destroyed in less than an hour. She ordered SAR operations to commence.
18 September 2772
Rimworlds Outpost #7 (Deep Periphery)
Sonic booms announced the arrival of the SLDF forces assigned to capture this outpost. Jacob Henderson, on hearing the booms, rushed outside and could clearly see the descending Dropships. Combat Dropships, every single one of them. Tears filled his eye's as he and a gathering crowd watched the Dropships slowly settle to the ground and Battlemechs and troops begin disembarking and fanning out. I do not know who they are, but at least we will not starve to death slowly, he thought.
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Peter Sajak might want to look into getting the Vector license from GM. I think that it is the principal SLDF combat VTOL atm. Also, it is supposed to be easy to maintain.
Great story 2ndAcr, thanks.
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+1 for Sajak's promotion! I hope it comes with a pay raise... ^-^
Speaking of pay... Who's running the BSLA end of the business (raising taxes, etc.)? ???
Glad to see Drachenfeld sort out so cleanly. And Outpost #7 too! :thumbsup:
EDIT: Just cleaned up a typo...
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Well, hello there Hegemony refugees. Looks like the establishment of an pathway from one Hegemony to the other is in order. Manpower and expertise, just what is needed.
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“ Well, hello there Hegemony refugees. Looks like the establishment of an pathway from one Hegemony to the other is in order. Manpower and expertise, just what is needed.”
Time to set up a company in FedSuns to move refugees, or an Agency for resettlement.
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ZaP should be able to handle that... In fact, I think that's exactly what Martha Pruitt is thinking...
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18 September 2772
Rimworlds Outpost #7 (Deep Periphery)
Lieutenant General Hans Bleucher, commander Task Force Seven, wanted to lose his lunch on seeing the nearly starved people they had located here. He wasted no time in ordering the medical personnel to get to work and for as much food to be made available as the doctors would allow. He then turned his attention to the large factory complex which his Combat Engineers were surveying. He had half of the Combat Engineer's that had deployed to Outpost #4 while Task Force Eleven had the other half. It would take a few days to complete the survey. He made sure the perimeter was set and returned to his Mobile HQ to await further developments.
20 September 2772
After spending a few days being seen by the SLDF medical personnel and actually eating a decent meal, Jacob Henderson had observed the SLDF Combat Engineers looking over the factory complex and guessed at what they planned to do. He asked to speak with the commanding officer. That had led to him being brought to Lieutenant General Hans Bleucher. After introductions, he was shown to a seat.
"General Bleucher, I have been watching your engineers around the factory complex and I assume you are going to dismantle the factory. I can assist you in this task. The Tank production lines are designed for easy break down and transport, but the Aerospace production lines are not. They must be taken apart at precise locations or there will be serious problems trying to reassemble them." Jacob Henderson said
"I would appreciate the help Mr Henderson. What is your estimated time for taking the factory apart and getting it stowed for transport?" Lieutenant General Bleucher asked
"If you allow me and my supervisor's to guide your engineers? I would estimate 3 months. Another month if you plan on loading up all the equipment we have stored in the warehouses. In exchange for the help, I ask for transport for all my people off this dismal world." Jacob Henderson said
"Relax Mr Henderson, I have no desire to abandon your people here. You will all be safely transported back home, where you may return to normal lives. Your estimates are a bit better than what my Engineer's just reported. We have some experience with the Tank prosuction lines, but the Aerospace production lines sort of had my Engineers stumped." Lieutenant General Bleucher replied
"My wife, Trina Weldon, was the lead engineer at the Aerospace complex. She is still with your doctors, last word I had was that they wanted to operate on her leg. I really should get back and check on her. I will be at the Factory tomorrow morning to assist in taking it apart." Jacob Henderson said
"You wife, it is nothing serious I hope?" Lieutenant General Bleucher asked
"We had to amputate her leg about 6 months ago. It was badly injured during the last riot. Our hospital was destroyed in the initial riot against the garrison here, our doctors did the best they could, and she lived, that is all I could ask for." Jacob Henderson answered as he moved for the door.
"I will keep her in my prayers Mr Henderson." Lieutenant General Bleucher responded
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell was working looking over the financial sheets and could not really make heads nor tails of it. It looked like a mass of numbers to her. Of course, she could make out the huge number at the bottom. A knock brought her head up and she smiled as she waved her guest inside.
"Governor Jessica Parrington, I am so glad that you could make the journey to meet with me. Please have a seat." General Mitchell said
"Thank you General Mitchell. It is my pleasure. What can I do to assist?" Jessica Parrington asked
"I am told that you have a degree in Finance and Economics. I need some serious help." General Mitchell replied
"I do. Not sure how that is going to help though." Jessica Parrington said
"I would like for you to head up our local Bureau of Star League Affairs, mainly the Department of Finance and Revenue. I need someone who knows what they are looking at. Take this folder for example, I can read the final balance, but everything else is a bunch of numbers to me. I need someone that can make sure stuff all adds up." General Mitchell said as she handed the folder to Jessica Parrington
Taking the folder, Jessica Parrington flipped thruogh the folder for a few minutes "These read like a very detailed bank statement prepared by a banker for an accountant. A quick glance, and it looks like your revenue from HPG messages is steadily rising. But I would need more information to come to a conclusion. You have never set a tax rate for the systems, though I know for a fact the local governors are collecting local taxes. On Blommestein, I have our portion of taxes that we would normally pay to the Outworlds Alliance Government set aside. IIRC, the current balance is 2.9 Billion dollars. It could get ugly if I have to go after the local Governors for taxes."
"Then you will take the job and help me out?" General Mitchell asked
"Yes, I will take the job. But when you hear soem screams, that is me prying the cash out of some Governors ass." Jessica Parrington said with a smile
"Excellent, work up what you think we need and I will make it happen. I will let you base on Blommestein for now, but we will work out those details as we go." General Mitchell said as relief rushed through her at another headache removed from her shoulders.
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Hopefully Parrington has a successor lined up on Blommestein!
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now all they need is to get someone to look at their education system and Laws.
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Nice to see delegation, means Rita can focus more on her main jobs- parent, regent, and general.
I am sure as the story goes foreward we will see portfolios being delegated. Possibly a Head of Refugee Resettlement.
EDIT: Taking inspiration from USS Mercy-class and the USS Vulcan-class of ships, considering that they are constructing dropships already, the THiE might consider using Mammoth dropships to create specialty dropships in the vein of the following: disaster relief (full of fire-fighting, decontamination, water purifiers, contruction vehicles, transports, supplies, and ambulances, to go to help planets that are suffering natural or man-made disasters), medical (a full field hospital with decontamination and NBC handling facilities), factories ( able to manufacture parts for almost anything except microelectronics- and carrying a stock of those TBD ahead of time on mission parameters.), Munitions (able to manufacture ammunition for field supply), Salvage and Repair (a ground version being a full up repair depot for vehicle and battlemech repair and rebuilds, a space version for handling dropship and smaller repairs), a mobile shipyard (could be multiple dropships that form a dockyard and shipyard facilities. Could have a dropship to grind up old jumpcores or material to convert into usable raw material and another to spin up a core, dunno.) You already have a passenger dropship, both Jumbo and Mammoth conversions, just taking that logic a step further.
Because having a Newgrange is a massive investment, where you could have these dropships made much cheaper and be able to transport them on existing shipping or as part of a regimental or divisional logistics tail, and not tie down a dedicated-use jumpship that would be more urgently required elsewhere. It also makes more sense to have these because operationally, the THiE forces are operating at a distance where if something goes wrong, it is months or possibly years before help can be sent, tying up assets for that whole time, as we have seen with the Newgrange.
This might make more sense later on, but even now it is seen to be a problem as there is not the Star League's massive resources and grandoise statements of wealth to fall back on. The idea is free to anyone who wants to use it. Other stories have the Star League as having dedicated jumpships for these things, (Bessemer, Belknap, Prometheus, Vulcan Factory ships, Comfort class hospital ships refitted onto Quixote frames, even the Comstar Faslanes) but the more affordable and less manpower intensive option would be dedicated Dropships.
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1 October to 31 December 2772
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
It had taken several months for Jessica Parrington to burrow into the financial records of the Terran Hegemony. She had formed a staff that currently had 1100 auditors with 25 in every system, all experienced tax investigators. These she had dispatched to every system to audit their tax records. This had been met with resistance from several Governors but they quickly backed down when local SLDF troops were summoned. With General Mitchell's approval, she had convinced Ladonna Neilson, Blommestein Federal Bank, to rename her bank Hegemony Federal Bank. Here, all revenue for the Terran Hegemony began to flow. Jessica Parrington had known Ladonna Neilson for years and trusted her fully. But by the end of the year, she felt she had a firm grasp of what was needed and with General Mitchell's approval a 5% tax would go into effect across the Hegemony of each planet's GDP. She had compiled a list of each planets GDP and all the Hegemony's revenue.
Hegemony Systems GDP & Tax Revenue
Thazi (TH) - 88 Billion GDP, 4.4 Billion Tax
Boulsi (TH) - 31 Billion GDP, 1.5 Billion Tax
Pilon (TH) - 42 Billion GDP, 2.1 Billion Tax
Azur (TH) - 2.7 Trillion GDP, 135 Billion Tax
Wokha (TH) - 63 Billion GDP, 3.1 Billion Tax
Blommestein (TH)- 41 Billion GDP, 2 Billion Tax
Ddraig (TH) - 66 Billion GDP, 3.3 Billion Tax
Ejeda (TH)- 39 Billion GDP, 1.9 Billion Tax
Waini Point (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Zumbo (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Ambatomainty (TH) - 67 Billion GDP, 3.3 Billion Tax
Sorsk (TH) - 33 Billion GDP, 1.6 Billion Tax
Puttalam (TH) - 44 Billion GDP, 2.2 Billion Tax
Maripa (TH) - 72 Billion GDP, 3.6 Billion Tax
Loikaw (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Mandeville (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Zetang (TH) - Developing, Exempt
La Ligua (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Carmelita (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Quines (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Shira (TH) - 127 Billion GDP, 6.3 Billion Tax
Domeykp (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Feijo (TH) - 71 Billion GDP, 3.5 Billion Tax
Alktral (TH) - 122 Billion GDP, 6.1 Billion Tax
Linden (TH) - 281 Billion GDP, 14 Billion Tax
Ceiba (TH) - 114 Billion GDP, 5.7 Billion Tax
Bossangoa (TH) - 69 Billion GDP, 3.4 Billion Tax
Total Tax Revenue - 203 Billion
HPG Fee's - 4.9 Billion
Estimated 2773 Revenue - 207.9 Billion
Jessica Parrington knew that with the Hegemony controlling the major industrial concerns, though it provided many jobs, which in turn generated tax revenue when the citizens spent their paycheck, they were missing out on a large revenue stream. But at the same time, it made sense. But long term, it was not sustainable and even detrimental to the economic health of the Hegemony.
What she could not understand was General Mitchell's relationship with ZaP Shipping. She had brought the subject up once and had been told not to worry about ZaP Shipping by General Mitchell. She had very quietly poked around and learned that the SLDF had transfered 12 Invader Jumpships and a Star Lord Jumpship to ZaP Shipping at no charge in addition to several Dropships. ZaP Shipping also had maintenance done at Hegemony Yards at no charge. During her auditor's examination of Ceibu, they had forwarded her information that ZaP Shipping was slated to receive the first run of Dropships from Hegemony Aerospace at no charge. This was worth 15.5 Billion dollars. It made no sense to her at all. She made a mental note to keep an eye on ZaP Shipping.
Lieutenant General Curtis DeMars looked over the remaining stock of all the support vehicles and quickly determined that they would need to make some changes there. The Line Commands and Garrison Commands operated a huge number of support vehicles and it was a logistical nightmare. But first he had a much bigger task on his hands, he had read over reports that the Czar Dropships, the primary Infantry Dropship was living up to it's name as being hard to maintain. He needed to convince General Mitchell that they needed an upgraded Infantry Dropship, one much easier to maintain and also one that would work with the new Infantry Division TO&E's.
Terran Hegemony
General Kerensky and the SLDF had launched the liberation of the Terran Hegemony, entering systems controlled by Amaris' forces on 1 June 2772. In seven months they had hammered their way towards the central worlds of the Hegemony, but suffering heavy losses to SDS systems. Taking a page from Terr'a WW2, General Kerensky began an interstellar version of a island hopping campaign, bypassing systems with strong SDS until they coudl develop a way to take them down safer. By the end of the year, 60 Hegemony systems had been liberated at a heavy price to the SLDF and those systems populations and industries. Some systems were so devestated that General Kerensky doubted they would ever recover.
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General Mitchell really should bring Jessica in on the ZaP thing. What they do is too important.
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15 January 2773
Rimworlds Outpost #7 (Deep Periphery)
Lieutenant General Hans Bleucher stood beside Jacob Henderson as they watched the last of the stockpiled equipment from the Outpost was loaded aboard the grounded Dropships. Most of the rescued workers were already aboard the Passenger Mammoths. When SLDF troops opened the massive warehouses, they had found hundreds of vehicles in pristine condition. With 7 Passenger Mammoth Dropships with no passengers, thousands of tons of food and supplies were shifted onto other ships freeing their cargo space for other uses. But it would still not be enough to carry everything.
Merkava Mk VIII - 288 found (all taken)
Marsden II-A - 288 (all taken)
Ballista Artillery - 72 (all taken)
Heavy Tracked APC - 445 (all taken)
LVT-4 Hover - 202 (all taken)
Sherpa Armored Truck - 498 (300 taken, 198 left in warehouses)
Sherpa MASH Truck- 102 (60 taken, 62 left in warehouses)
Sherpa Fuel Truck - 188 (100 taken, 88 left in warehouses)
Sherpa Canteen Truck - 168 (left in warehouses)
Typhoon TFN-2A - 72 (all taken)
Star Dagger S-2A - 134 (all taken)
85,000 tons of ammo, spare parts (left in warehouses)
No one wanted to leave the massive amount of equipment behind, but no one wanted to dump precious ammunition and spare parts from the warships either. The hard decision had been made to leave most of the lighter vehicles behind. Maybe they could return to collect the remaining equipment at a later date. They would be boosting tomorrow for the long trip back to Drachenfeld.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had just put Amanda Cameron and her son Patrick to bed for the night. She settled onto the couch beside her husband Keith, tucking her legs under her. She was taking a rare night off from work or so she thought. Keith wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Hon, we need to talk. I have been meaning to speak to you about it for a while now."
"What is it Keith?" Rita asked
"I think you know, but I hate staff work. I need a command, to lead troops. Even though it is great to see you and be with you every day, and with the kids, I am going crazy." Keith said
"I figured it was a matter of time before you brought it up. What are you thinking?" Rita asked
"Well, I was up for promotion to Lieutenant General when Patrick was born but moved to the Reserve since you were promoted before me to raise Patrick. Well, Patrick is at an age where he does not need non stop looking after, and besides, he and Amanda are always together and she ALWAYS has adult supervision. Your running low on experienced officers for command slots. Well, I have command experience." Keith said
"I know all of that. You made a huge sacrifice and I will never forget it. I am mainly in a staff job now anyway. You have earned it. So much for my night off." Rita said as she reached for her portable computer and booted it up.
"Well, on the off chance you will be accused of showing favoritism, I want a Division command. You have that list next to your desk, the commands that have been folded into the units here. I am Hegemony born, I want to reform the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division. I need to get back into a Battlemech. It has been almost 3 years and it is killing me, slowly but surely. You know I been playing OPFOR on the computer simulations against the 272nd Mech Infantry Division. I beat them 2 out of 3 times. We would be green as hell for a time and damned sure would not have the advanced equipment as a normal Royal command, but I want this, I want it bad even if I have to pilot a old Stinger." Keith said, his voice showing his excitement at the idea.
"Well, if I am going to be accused of playing favorites, I might as well make it worth the trouble. The 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division is your dear husband. As for a old Stinger, I think we can do better than that. You always enjoyed running a Thunderbolt. We just happen to have a Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb sitting here on Thazi, about half a mile from here, actually in the Mech Bay next to my Pillager. I had it brought in from storage when you arrived, on the off chance trouble developed and we had to do a bug out." Rita said
"All this time, you had a Thunderbolt sitting in a Mech Bay, with my name on it and you never told me?" Keith said while pinching her
"It's only been fully certified for 2 months. We never really talked about what you wanted, so I had no clue where your mind was at. Well, now I know and it is only right that I play mom while you go have fun. So Major General Keith Mitchell, the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division will take up position on Ceibu and is assigned to 2nd Corps under Major General Colin McGregor. I will have Major General Rommel kick loose enough Infantry and Tankers from the 322nd Armored to fill you out, your gonna be light on Battlemechs, big time, the 126th Mech Infantry is being brought back to strength with the new graduates. They are emptying our storage. Your only going to have a Battalion of Battlemechs, but to compensate, I am going to give you operational control of the 19th Hussar Regiment. Until Task Force Robber Barron gets back, we are strapped for Battlemechs. But you will have full Infantry, Armor and Artillery, and be light on Aerospace Fighters, actually you will have none, we dont have any more pilots." Rita said making notes on her computer
"I will take what I can get Rita. While Lieutenant General DeMars is making all the arrangements, how about tomorrow me and you take the Mechs out for a spin, I need to shake off some rust. Besides, we can see if you still have it after being tied to a desk for a few years." Keith said with a sly smile
"Oh, I still have it honey. I used to kick your ass on the simulators all the time years ago or have you forgotten?" Rita said with a bigger grin
"Simulators cheat, and I still say you used your looks and charm on the simulator programmer before every match. Care to wager?" Keith countered
"When you have skill, there is no need to cheat buttercup. Loser does the cooking and dishes until you leave?" Rita replied
"A worthy wager. I sure hope your cooking has improved or I might have to live off field rations until I leave." Keith said as he caught Rita's half thrown punch and kissed her. He then stood and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom.
16 January 2773
Major General Keith Mitchell snarled as the simulated hit shook his Thunderbolt. Damn, she is still death itself in that damned Pillager, he thought as he struggled to keep his Thunderbolt on it's feet. He got a lock and fired off another ERPPC bolt only to see her Pillager break left at the last split second and his bolt miss completely. His Thunderbolt shook again as a another simulated Gauss round slammed into his Thunderbolt's right arm, removing it. "Son of a B****, she is doing this deliberately. Picking me apart." He cursed out loud.
Without his ERPPC, he needed to close the distance and pushed his throttle to the max and pounded towards Rita's Pillager. He saw her stop dead in her Pillager dead in it's tracks and heard "Honey, are you crazy?". He did not answer as he was almost in range, just a second more....and then his view screen went blank. He looked at the damage display and saw that his head had been blown clean off. As his screen came back alive, he heard "I would like lasagna for dinner, with fresh garlic bread."
He keyed his radio "Yes dear." He turned his Thunderbolt and together with Rita's Pillager they headed for the Mech Bay's.
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that outpost looks to be a good job for ZaP.
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Sweet. Even if it takes a while for the 181st to be stood up, the foundation will be there, especially if he gets 181st veterans to stiffen it up. Now the outpost 7 expedition makes it's long and lonely way home.
On another note, although one of the worlds has a medical university, and they have divisional support medical staff, what equivalency medical care and anti-agathics does the THiE possess? The same as the regular (current) Terran Hegemony and MoC, or current regular Star League Citizen in the Sphere? Thinking of Trina's leg, and the fact that they have had to take soldiers off front line duty postings into support positions.
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Azur, is a Advanced World heading for High Tech. Does not have the cutting edge medical, not yet anyway.
I would call the Periphery Terran Hegemony at a regular Citizen level. With the Hegemony in Amaris hands, getting the best tech is sort of hard. 18 systems are rated at Moderate Advanced, 7 at Low Tech rankings. Gonna be a few years to get that overall rating up. Most of the previously wounded are performing admin tasks on Thazi and Boulsi and such. Filling slots in locations that probably will not see any deployments.
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20 February 2773
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Keith Mitchell had a bounce in his step as he left the Battle Simulator Room, for he might not be able to beat his wife in actual Mech on Mech combat, but he kicked her ass everytime they ran a Division on Division computer battle. Every day for the past month Rita had beaten him in their Mechs, but once a week he had beaten her in the Battle Simulator. With her limited time, they only had time for 1 or 2 fights, so he had taken to going up against Mechwarriors from the 272nd Mech Infantry and very rarely from the Royal Black Watch. But the rust was coming off in huge sheets and it was showing.
As he sauntered into Rita's office, he spotted her with another woman in SLDF uniform. General Rita Mitchell spotted him in the door and waved him inside. "Keith, this is Lieutenant General Sandra Barkley, newly promoted. She and her Battalion were in the original 181st Royal Mech Infantry Division. I brought them over from the 29th Mech Infantry, they will form the core. Sandra will act as your XO and command your Battlemech Brigade as it forms up. I have also slotted in a Regiment worth of the new Mech pilots into other commands and pulled enough experienced pilots to give you a Regiment worth of experienced pilots. Come over and have a look.
Since you been so busy with your training, I have been working on getting your 181st Royal formed. I am going to do some experimenting with your 181st Royal. You will still have 4 Brigades, but with some big changes. Your going to have 3 Mech Infantry Brigades. Each Brigade will have 3 Mech Infantry Regiments and a Armor Regiment. Each Infantry Regiment will have a Battalion of Turhan assigned, a Company in each Infantry Battalion, so basically each Brigade will have 2 Armor Regiments assigned. You will still have your Command Battlemech Battalion, and Battlemech Brigade, well once we get some more Battlemechs anyway. A reinforced Regiment of Artillery, 4 Battalions strong. Until we get more Aerospace pilots, well nothing I can do their. Plus all Battlemech Battalions will have a Command Lance while each Regiment and Brigade will have a Command Company. This will let the commanders focus on commanding and hopefully not fighting. Here is the write up." General Rita Mitchell said handing over her notes.
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Battlemechs
1811st Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
1812nd Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
1813rd Brigade
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Mech Infantry Regiment - 3 Mech Infantry Battalions, 1 Turhan Battalion
Armor Regiment - 3 Armor Battalions
1814th Brigade
Command Company - 12 Battlemechs
Battlemech Regiment - Command Company, 3 Battlemech Battalions (132 BM)
Battlemech Regiment - Command Company, 3 Battlemech Battalions (132 BM) (TBD)
Battlemech Regiment - Command Company, 3 Battlemech Battalions (132 BM) (TBD)
Artillery Regiment (Reinforced)
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla Arrow
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor Artillery
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor Artillery
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thumper Artillery
Major General Keith Mitchell looked up from the notes "It looks good on paper, but this organization is going to play hell with our current Dropship load outs. Be nice to have the rest of the support troops, but I will get in line and hold my hand out as they become available."
"Lieutenant General DeMars has already brought the Dropship problem to my attention. I already have some of Rear Admiral Delvaney's people up on the Modified Olympus working on the problem. But until we get that sorted out, I will say I am sorry now, your gonna have to make due with what we have. Your first 3 Brigades are being made ready to move to Ceibu, you got 4 Battalions of Battlemechs and operational control of the 19th Hussar Regiment. Probably be 2 years before I can provide the last 2 Regiments of Battlemechs." General Rita Mitchell said
"I will make do. It will give me and Lieutenant General Barkley here time to get used to each other and develop some new tactics. How long before I depart for Ceibu?" Major General Keith Mitchell asked
"About 2 weeks. Your Armor Regiments are going to be all Merkava for now. But we will be upgrading you as we get newer tanks online." General Rita Mitchell said
"No problem, it is a decent tank. Old design, but always a solid tank." Major General Keith Mitchell replied
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If Robber Baron can get word back to Thazi from Drachenfeld, it would probably be faster to unload some of the stuff at Drachenfeld, then go back and clean out Outpost #7. That's just too much stuff left lying around out there to be picked up. That would also give Drachenfeld more time to get their defenses squared away.
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that outpost looks to be a good job for ZiP.
can you make a non-combat mercenary unit with a 100 Sherpa Canteen Trucks?
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Honestly, unless you really need Sherpas, ammo, or spare parts, it is really not worth going back unless you are in the neighborhood or really need any of those things. Especially considering THiE manufactures their own vehicles, relegating Sherpas to 2nd or 3rd line units and militias. The Good stuff has already been taken, so a long voyage for obsolete vehicles is threading the wrong side of the profit/loss line. It would be worth it in the succession wars, or if something else of worth was there, otherwise why bother?
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“ 85,000 tons of ammo, spare parts (left in warehouses)” is most likely the diamond left behind. While not worth the trip for TH faction, Zap might be able to trade the info for something.
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Yeah, the 85,000 tons is the reason to go back. The THiE is the ones who will need all those Sherpas, so it's worth it to them too.
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Honestly, unless you really need Sherpas, ammo, or spare parts, it is really not worth going back unless you are in the neighborhood or really need any of those things. Especially considering THiE manufactures their own vehicles, relegating Sherpas to 2nd or 3rd line units and militias. The Good stuff has already been taken, so a long voyage for obsolete vehicles is threading the wrong side of the profit/loss line. It would be worth it in the succession wars, or if something else of worth was there, otherwise why bother?
Not to mention the fact that having them ready allows for other equipment to be built rather then building replacements when they get damaged
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1 March to 31 April 2773
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Peter Sajak and a select team of engineers had spent 3 months working on upgrades for the Merkava Heavy Tank and Marsden II Main Battle Tank. With the new Manticore's and Alacorns reaching the Line Commands, they were returning for storage in large nunbers. With over 1,000 of each in service with the SLDF, it seemed a waste for them to be just placed in storage. They had come up with 2 upgrades to the Merkava and one for the Marsden II.
The first Merkava upgrade changed the armor to Ferro Fibrous for an overall increase in protection. The weapons were revamped, the AC/5 was removed for a UAC/5 and 2 tons of ammunition. Artemis IV was added to the LRM/15 and the machine guns swapped for 2 Small Pulse Lasers. It was a simple but effective upgrade.
The second Merkava upgrade swapped to Ferro Fibrous, boosted to 11 tons for added protection. All of the weapons were removed and a massive Gauss Rifle was placed in the turret with 4 tons of ammunition. A trio of Small Pulse Lasers provided anti Infantry fire. A very effective and cost effective upgrade.
The Marsden had been a challenge, but to improve it's overall logistical tail, they had swapped the ICE for a 180 Fusion engine. The same engine powered the Turhan which was in large use by the SLDF forces already. Speed remained the same. The weapons were all pulled. In their place, a LBX/10 was placed in the turret with 4 tons of ammunition stored in the body. Dual SRM/4 were placed in the front each fed by a single ton of ammuntion and dual Small Pulse Lasers made sure Infantry stayed away.
They had then turned their attention to the LTV-4 Hover Tank. Swapping the ICE for a 115 Fusion engine, they kept the speed, but made the mounting of energy weapons more effective. They had swapped the standard PPC for a ERPPC which boosted sriking range and swapped the SRM/6 for a quad set of Streak SRM/2 launchers fed by 2 tons of ammuntion which vastly increased it's staying power. Armor was swapped to Ferro Fibrous and boosted to 6 tons to increase survivability.
Martha Pruitt arrived back at Thazi on 13 March, with her, she brought over 14,000 dependents of the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division along with 5 old Liberty Jumpships loaded with 20 Jumbo Dropships carrying 44,000 refugee's from the Terran Hegemony. After months inside the cargo bays, the refugee's were only too happy to have firm ground under their feet. Once the Dropships had been unloaded, Peter Sajak new he now had the means to begin serious work on establishing a larger civilian economy. He met with several of the civilian experts that had been willing to relocate. Kimberly Jennings was a engineer from Lexan Oceanic, she specialized in VTOL production. Hector Valdez had been with building actual sea going ships for 20 years with Lebedev Nautical Enterprises. Timothy Highman had worked for Bluth Corporation as a lead production supervisor.
All had been both horrifed and excited when they learned everything was being built from the ground up out here. Studying a map of Thazi, Hector Valdez quickly selected a location on the coast that he deemed perfect for a shipyard to build the Kaleen Bay and Anastaska Maro designs for use on the vast ocean on Thazi. He explained that a specially modified Mammoth could carry 2 partially dismantled ships to destinations. They named the new facility Ocean Works. Estimates were 3 years before the first production.
Peter Sajak selected Ddraig to host the Factory to produce the Lexan Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL under Kimberly Jennings. She was excited to learn that she and her small group of experts would also be reverse engineering other VTOL aircraft and placing them into production. Major General Heinrich Rommel had then slated a new slot into his Training Command to train VTOL pilots and began the task of finding instructors to help start a school for it. Ddraig Aviation was selected as the name of the factory. Estmates for 2 years before the first production.
Puttalam was selected to host the Industrial Mech factory under Timothy Highman. There, they would build the CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech and BV XXI Buster HaulerMech. They only had enough equipment purchased to create a single line for each design, but Peter Sajak and his people had long perfected the ability to reverse engineer and build new production equipment. Puttalam Industrial Concerns was selected for the name. Estimates put 2 years before the first production.
Peter Sajak put his people to work breaking down the equipment to produce the Ground Car design. It would be duplicated and small factories established on every inhabited planet with a population over 10 million. This would provide both jobs and transportation for the locals. Estimates were 1 year before first production.
Peter Sajak selected Frank Graham, a survivor from Outpost #4 to head up the factory to be built on Ambatomainty. There they would produce Brunel Dump Truck, Lessups Dump Truck and TLF-LL6500 Fire Engine. They would also be producing Sherpa Trucks and Flatbed Trucks for civilian use. Estimates were 2 years before first production.
Aboard the Modified Olympus, engineers had selected the Lion Dropship as the basis for a new Infantry Transport. A durable and excellent design in service with the SLDF against Amaris and also in use with the SLDF in the region. The had modified it to carry a full Regiment of Infantry, wether normal SLDF standard of the new 12 platoon Battalions. Two seperate decks were equipped to transport Infantry, each able to transprt 24 platoons. A third deck had 36 Light Vehicle Bays to carry the Regiments Tank Battalion. A cargo deck held 2100 tons of cargo. The ship was equipped with a state of the art MASH hospital with 5 operating rooms. They had sent the design specs to Lieutenant General DeMars, who approved the design and forward it to Ceibu. There, Hegemony Aerospace was ordered to establish enough equipment and capability to produce in quantity the new design. Local construction companies began work on 12 new massive hangers capable of producing 36 of the new designs per year. To meet the need for new workers, recruiters were sent to Azur.
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Things are slowly moving to consolidate the logistics trains. Currently, replacing the old design Merkava and Marsden Tanks is a priority. Bringing the logistic trains up to modern specs will be coming soon. Sherpa's will slowly be phased out for modern designs.
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One thing I'd quibble with is the dual SRM-4s on the Marsdens… with a fusion engine, one of those should be a pair of Medium Lasers to complement the Small Pulses...
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19 May 2773
Rimworlds Outpost #11 (Deep Periphery)
Rear Admiral Zeibler, Commander Task Force 11, watched as the ships materialized at the Zenith Jump Point. Finding no hostile shipping, the Dropships were released and the Task Force began the 12 day trip to the planets surface. SLS Cartagena and SLS Buccaneer, Essex Destroyers remained at the Zenith Jump Point to guard the 2 Leviathon and 6 Star Lord Jumpships.
31 May 2773
The 509th Battle Regiment was the first force down to the surface. Securing a landing zone, they waited as the 2722nd Brigade began disembarking their Dropships before they began advancing on the decent sized City and Factory Complex. Aerospace Fighters began calling out resistance as a Battalion of Battlemaster Battlemechs advanced to engage the SLDF forces.
Colonel Jenny Davidson, commander 509th Battle Regiment, knew her Battlemechs were out matched by the oncoming assault mechs, but she began a battle of maneuver against them. She ordered her integral Aerospace Fighters to start beating on the advancing Battlemasters. She checked her onboard map and saw that the Battlemech Regiment that accompanied the 2722nd Brigade was rapidly closing the distance to engage the enemy. Her Arrow IV launchers began fire, launching Cluster rounds into the mass of assault mechs. Sonic booms overhead announced the arrival of additional Aerospace Fighters from SLS Independence, New Samarkand Carrier. They came in squadron strength and released their bomb loads before swinging around to perform strike missions.
As the surviving Battlemaster Battlemechs had closed to firing range, the SLDF Battlemech Regiment had entered the fray. Massively out numbered and facing much more experienced pilots, the enemy Battlemasters steadily fell to the massed fire from the SLDF. After an hour of fighting, the last enemy Battlemaster fell. But it had not been without losses to the SLDF. They had lost 4 Aerospace Fighters and 9 Battlemechs. Now it was up to the Infantry Brigade to clear and secure the Factory Complex and city.
By nightfall, Infantry from the 2722nd Brigade had secured the Factory Complex and huge warehouse complex. They were surprised to find both empty and idled. Layers of dust covered machinery. They would push into the city at dawn.
1 June 2773
With Battlemech escorts, the Infantry from 2722nd Brigade began pushing into the city. Recon flights had located a second smaller city and the 509th Battle Regiment moved to secure it. Moving swiftly, Infantry managed to secure the main city by mid afternoon with no resistance. The 509th Battle Regiment also met no resistance and quickly secured the small city.
A squad of Infantry led Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye to meet Lieutenant General Samantha Colby, commander 2722nd Brigade. Bringing himself to attention he reported "Taxiarchos Jermaine Haye, I am commander of this Outpost and surrender the Outpost to you."
"Lieutenant General Samantha Colby, commander 2722nd Brigade. I accept your surrender. If you have any armed forces remaining, please have them come in and lay down their weapons." She said
"There are no more. I have had to put everyone into the fields and fishing just to keep us alive out here. We shut down the factory when the warehouses were filled to capacity. We have not seen anyone in years." Jermaine Haye said
"I will have food and my medical personnel brought down." Lieutenant General Colby replied
"That is most kind of you. Will you be staying here?" Jermaine Haye asked
"No, we will be disassembling the Factory for transport. We will also remove anyone who wishes to depart with us and bring them back to civilization." Lieutenant General Colby said
"I hope you have a bunch of Dropships. Your going to need just over 420,000 tons of cargo space for the Factory Complex and it's equipment. I will gather my people and we will help tear the place apart. I am sick of being here, but some will choose to remain." Jermaine Crosby said
"That would be a huge help Mr Haye. Any that wish to remain, we will see that they have emergency supplies. Now I want to go have a look at those warehouses, my scouts reported they are filled with Battlemechs and supplies." Lieutenant General Colby said
"They are. They contain just over 2 years production. Once they were filled, I shut down the production lines. I saw no need in keeping them running if no one came to pick up the stuff. I will go get my people gathered and we will start tearing the place down tomorrow." Jermaine Haye said
2 June 2773
Lieutenant General Colby whistled as she looked at a warehouse stuffed full of rank after rank of Battlemaster Battlemechs. She held a manifest put together by her people on what each warehouse held and had compiled it into a neat and tidy sheet with the numbers. It had taken all night for them to count everything.
Stinger STG-3R - 960 (19,200 tons)
Firestarter FS9-H - 480 (16,800 tons)
Phoenix PX-3R - 684 (34,200 tons)
Talos TLS-1B - 720 (36,000 tons)
Archer ARC-2R - 384 (26,800 tons)
Battlemaster BLR-1G - 336 (28,560 tons)
91,000 tons assorted parts and ammunition
After receiving the report, she had then gotten worried and started punching numbers. Her 16 Mammoth Dropships could carry 592,000 tons of cargo. She had a 100,000 ton deficit. She made a hard decision and ordered the Firestarter Line, a Stinger Line and a Talos Line destroyed in place. This created just enough room that they could take everything with them. It was a painful thing to order, but she had no choice and her orders had been clear, bring back everything that could be carried and duplicated later. It would take an estimated 5 months to get everything loaded up for transport.
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I'm wondering how many would really rather stay on Outpost #11...
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There are multiple lines of each in a factory, right? So she still has the other lines for each of those battlemechs?
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Solo line for the Firestarter. All others are double lines.
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Solo line for the Firestarter. All others are double lines.
buh buuhb but...FIRE!!! Fire is goood, fire is our frieeeeennnd.
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They have quite a few Firestarter's already. Nobody should be surprised if they convert every one of those lines to something else upon return. Oh, and when they return to Thazi, expect a 4-5 year time jump to happen.
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to bad they could not just break down the other lines and put them in an old mine shaft, until someone can come back out to get them and check back up on those left behind.
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22 June 2773
Drachenfeld (Deep Periphery)
Task Force Seven materialized at the Zenith Jump Point almost 3 weeks behind schedule. Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney's voice came over the radio "We were getting worried. What happened?"
Lieutenant General Hans Bleucher keyed the radio "Blew a helium seal on one of the Leviathon's. Took a few weeks to get it fixed and then refilled."
"Roger, we will head your way and take a good look at her. I will have my people start polling the ships for any issues we need to take care of. How did things go anyway?" Rear Admiral Delvaney asked
"We got the Factory Complex and hundreds of Tanks. But we had to leave a whole bunch of stuff behind, just did not have enough room to carry everything." Lieutenant General Blucher replied
"We have a year at least before Task Force Eleven is back, is it worth going back for?" Rear Admiral Delvaney asked
"Couple hundred support trucks but thousands of tons of spare parts and ammunition. We could probably do without the trucks, but the other stuff would save us having to maunfacture it." Lieutenant General Blucher replied
There was silence for a few minutes "SLS Borneo and SLS Dark Brawler will head back and collect the rest of the material. Ground your Dropships and get some ground time, unload what space is needed on the surface and end of July they will head back for the rest. Figure out what unit wil provide ground security." Rear Admiral Delvaney ordered
Schrim (Outworlds Alliance)
SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveillance had jumped beyond the Proximity Limit and had then moved slowly to the Ormazd Belt, 184 AU from the systems star. Her mission had been assigned by Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, trace the recovered path of SLS Independence's treachery and check for anything recoverable. Schrim had been identified as a location where a SLDF supply convoy had been destroyed. The powerful sensors aboard SLS Sneak finally detected the 2 Carrack Transports that had been severely damaged by SLS Independence's treachery and left in place after the mining station had been destroyed. Verifying their location, SLS Sneak began moving to a suitable jump location to continue their mission to the next destination.
Woodbine (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain Cynthia Williams and her Merchant Jumpship sat at the Zenith Jump Point having already taken on her charge from the Olympus Recharge Station. She shook her head in disbelief at what a simple favor for Martha Pruitt had turned into. A simple gather some SLDF dependents from the far side of known space had turned into a mission of herding cats. At the Nadir Jump Point, she knew that Michael Crawford, another free trader, was going through the same thing as her, only for Martin Zuni. Between them, they now "led" a fleet of 27 Jumpships carrying 134,812 SLDF dependents and another 377,000 refugee's from the Terran Hegemony that the dependents had convinced to join them as they tripped over them. They had to stop in almost every system to purchase supplies as everyone was crammed into cargo bays. But everything was beng paid for by some law firm on Bastrop, so that at least was not an issue. She was curious how either of them could afford the huge fee both her and Michael Crawford had been promised.
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
SLS McKenna, McKenna Battleship hung at the Nadir Jump Point. On one of the 45 meter grav decks, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky was meeting with First Prince John Davion.
"Thank you for agreeing to be at the Jump Point on my arrival Prince Davion, my time is pressed and I must return soon to the front." General Kerensky said
"Alek, call me John when we are alone. There is no need for titles between us. Now, what is on your mind?" First Prince John Davion replied
"As you wish John. You have always been straight forward and honest in your dealings with me, for that I think I can trust you." Kerensky said
"Flattery? I hope you know that I cannot commit AFFC troops openly to side with you in this Civil War. I have opened access to my shipyards and even my supply depots. I have not even openly opposed those of my own military that have joined your forces. Let us cut to the chase and get down to what you need." Prince Davion said
"I need more of everything. Currently, your AFFC is buying almost 60% of all production runs from your factories. What will it take to change that?" General Kerensky said
"I see, intel has come in that the fighting has been overly brutal for your SLDF. I will counter, what are you willing to offer?" Prince Davion replied
"If you would have the AFFC purchase only 20% of production runs so that my SLDF can purchase the remaining 80%, I will release some of our advanced designs for manufacture and purchase by the AFFC. Once the war is over, your Federated Suns will be allowed to continue producing and purchasing those designs without limit. But, I also need assitance with humanitarian aid. I cannot allow the AFFC to occupy Hegemony worlds, but they can carry light weapons for self defense. This will free up some of my troops I badly need on the front." General Kerensky said
"Make it 30% for my AFFC and I think we have a deal. I already have over 400 million refugee's on various Federated Suns worlds. Plus, there are several million more passing through Suns space heading to the Periphery, mainly the Outworlds Alliance." Prince Davion said
"The we have a deal. I thank you for providing for those refugee's from the Hegemony in their time of need. I trust that if the refugee's decide to join the other refugee's that you will assist them in their journey?" General Kerensky replied
"No thanks are needed Alek. I would hope they find the Suns a welcome home, but if they decide they want to join their fellow's on their journey, I think I can assist them on their travel. It would be the humanitarian thing to do after all." First Prince Davion responded
"Then I thank you for the assistance. I will see that the design specs are forwarded to you as soon as I can. I am sorry I cannot delay any longer but I have a war to complete." General Kerensky said shaking First Prince John Davion's hand as he rose.
"God speed and safe travel Alek." First Prince John Davion said as he took his leave
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missed a point like ships in the night about finding out why they were heading that far. >:D
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Not really, in Canon, the New Delphi region caught several waves of refugee's fleeing the Hegemony after Amaris took over.
After Terra is liberated in Canon, 6 Billion people fled Terra.
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A few interesting points to consider:
1. At this point all 27 systems of the THiE have HPGs.
2. Somewhere around January-March 2776 the second new Potemkin finishes.
3. Schrim is where the Bugeye found the 2 Carrack Transports (2 collar, 300 K-tons, 66,000? ton storage capacity, non-LF) and is also where Delvaney saw SLS Seeker with the 335th RBD rogue company, before they hared off to Achnoly, before getting abandoned on Quines. I don't know if they got folded back in when the SLDF contacted the planet or not. ( Found them as of reply 421 they were headed to Thazi.)
4. Ype-Jhe is where the 428th rogues settled down.
5 Santa Ana is where the 126th's warship escorts went to fight
6. Waves of refugees are evacuating the Hegemony, creating an opportunity. Does the THiE have enough Transport to take advantage of it? (There have been a lot of captured jumpships and refugee jumpships.)
7. Rita has 11 Divisions (359 BD, 272 MID, 280 MID, 29 MID, 31 ID, 126 MID, 173 MID, 36 ID, 322 AD, 323 AD, 181 RMID[low on Battlemech strength]) plus the independent regiments and RCTs now.
EDIT: At the notice of the OP, transports are Carrack, not Volga, my goof. The 335th survivors were located in reply 421.
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Davion officialdom on Bastrop is either asleep or complicit at this point. Either one works for the THiE...
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Davion officialdom on Bastrop is either asleep or complicit at this point. Either one works for the THiE...
..at this stage and as per canon, I would say asleep, why the 1st Succession War was so devastating for Davion and the revamp of their intelligence post 2798 ( which led to the creation of MIIO and the later restructuring of DMI). I think Davion was focused primarily on the Capellan front and The Amaris/SLDF front pre- Exodus and pre 1st SW.
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1 September 2773
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Ships Captain's Cynthia Williams and Michael Crawford had finally reached Bastrop where Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt had said to bring their respective loads. The 29 Jumpship strong fleet was at the Zenith Jump Point. They had been in system for 3 days and were again taking on supplies purchased by the law firm. Radio traffic coming from their "fleet" was extensive between the various ships, but also responding to questions from arriving Jumpships. Ship Captain Cynthia Williams was getting frustrated when out of the blue they were hailed by a Scout Jumpship that had been hovering a few hundred thousand kilometers away.
"Silver Devil, this is Long Rider, I have a message from Martha Pruitt."
She saw that it had come over a laser link between the 2 ships before she answered "This is Silver Devil, send message."
"Ms Pruitt is inbound at this time. ETA is 2 weeks. She has been informed of your arrival."
"Good copy on message. We are going to need a bunch of supplies for a 2 weeks wait. I am not sure how all these passengers are going to react to that kind of delay."
"Arrangements are being made for additional supplies. She was not expecting you to bring this many people."
"We sort of picked up a bunch of folks along the way. It has been quite a challenge to get this far. My poor ship is way past a maintenance cycle."
"Will advise Ms Pruitt. Arrangements will be made to handle any issues. Contact us if you need further information. Long Rider out."
The brief conversation just made Cynthia Williams more curious than ever. What the heck was Martha into out here? Making arrangements for a maintenance cycle on her ship? How the heck does she have that kind of pull, ahe had already checked with the Olympus at the Nadir Jump Point and it was booked for the next 9 months.
15 September 2773
Another Scout Jumpship, carrying a single Elephant Tug materialized not far away at the Zenith Jump Point. It wasted no time in hailing Ship Captain Cynthia Williams aboard Silver Devil via a secure laser lock again. "Stealthy Rider to Silver Devil, how copy?"
"Loud and clear Stealthy Rider."
The next voice was easy to recognize "Cynthia you old mare, how the hell are you?"
"Martha? Where the hell is your Merchant and what the hell is going on?"
"She is safe and sound. I needed to get here quicker so I hitched a ride that was arranged for me. We will talk soon, I am taking a shuttle over. Have Michael Crawford join us. See you in about an hour."
An hour later, Cynthia Williams and Michael Crawford saw Martha Pruitt leave the shuttle and effortlessly move towards them. Cynthia caught a glimpse inside the shuttle before the door shut and swore she saw a person in SLDF garb. What the hell, she thought.
"Cynthia, good to see you. You must be Michael Crawford, Martin has told me all about you. I would prefer to talk somewhere more private if we could." Martha Pruitt said in greeting
"Let's head for my quarters. Private enough I guess and you can tell us what the hell is going on." Cynthia replied as she pushed for the door
Once inside Cynthia's quarters and the door shut Martha Pruitt said "It has been one hell of a journey out here. Me and Martin have gine into business together, ZaP Shipping and we have the market cornered on huge tract of space. We now operate 6 Merchant, 12 Invader, 4 Liberty and 2 Star Lords. We are light on cargo Dropships, but that is being corrected slowly. Mainly we run a bunch of passenger shuttles between systems. Makes good money. Easy access to maintenance facilities. Myself and Martin would like for both of you to join up with us. I know you own your Merchant free and clear, how about you Michael?"
"I owe about 25 Million to the bank. Why?" Michael Crawford asked
"Well get ready to make your last payment. Before I came over, I contacted our lawyer on the surface and he is waiting banking instructions to deposit, for both of you, 80 Million dollars each. As owner operators, you would be under a long term contract to ZaP Shipping but would receive 10% as owners. All maintenance and expenses are paid by ZaP Shipping while under contract. It is a good deal and we need experienced Captains. The only catch is you have to have a security detail aboard your ships, but you will get used to it quickly." Martha explained
"You running stuff into a top secret SLDF base or something? I thought I saw a SLDF uniform aboard that shuttle?" Cynthia asked
"Not really, and I cannot explain it any further. We take security seriously out here. We have 3 more months to our final destination, 12 jumps. I will lead everyone in. Every ship will have a security detail aboard it for the trip. When we get to our destination, if you choose to not join ZaP Shipping, and decide to not stay in the region, I will bring you back here but your navigation computers will be wiped clean. This is a one time offer and you have until we reach our final destination to decide." Martha explained further
"I never figured you to ever play under those kind of rules Martha. Seems pretty strict and you were always one to buck any sort of regulations." Cynthia replied
Martha just shrugged "Times change and we have a really good thing going right now. There is no competition and we have a great relationship with the person in charge. Now, your mission was to pick up some damned dependents, not bring a damned fleet with you, what happened?"
"It was the damned dependents. They hailed every damned ship we came across, looking for news. Next thing you know, we had a crap load of tag alongs. You have no idea of the trouble we have had coordinating all these damned ships." Cynthia replied while Michael nodded agreement
"Well, either way, arrangements are being made to take them in back home. Now, let's get the security details aboard the ships, get me your banking info so I can get you both paid and let's beat feet. We have a ways to go yet." Martha said
24 September 2773
Martha Pruitt was on the bridge of Silver Devil, Merchant Jumpship. A full SLDF Marine Regiment was spread out among the 29 Jumpships, much to the irritation of every ships captain. Even Cynthia Williams was a little irritated as she watched Martha Pruitt punch in the jump cordinates and order her crew to transmit the calculations to every ship in the "fleet". They had also picked up more SLDF dependents here on Bastrop and more refugee's packing everyone into any ship with space over the week. When it was completed and verified, Martha said "Jump".
Martha Pruitt "Fleet"
6 Merchant Jumpships
13 Invader Jumpships
4 Tramp Jumpships
6 Star Lord Jumpships
16 Mule Dropships
44 Jumbo Dropships
21 Mammoth Dropships
12 Buccaneer Dropships
6 Monarch Dropships
SLDF Dependents - 141,169
Refugee's - 577,427
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That... is a LOT of people... :o
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the tramps will be a nice addition.
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That... is a LOT of people... :o
And they are packed together like sardines in tiny tin cans
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18 October 2773
Rimworlds Outpost #11 (Deep Periphery)
Lieutenant General Samantha Colby, commander 2722nd Brigade, looked at Jermaine Haye who had just returned from trying to convince the last hold outs to leave with them.
"You stressed that we will not be returning? That they are on their own out here?" Lieutenant General Colby asked
"Yes sir. I explained things to them in very blunt terms. 38,151 have decided that they will not leave with us. I have done everything I can do and so have you." Jermaine Haye replied
"So what is the final count on those leaving with us again?" Lieutenant General Colby having left the count in her MObile HQ.
"143,120 is the final count General Colby." Jermaine Haye said
"Then that is all we can do here. The destroyed Battlemech lines are truely destroyed? They cannot be repaired?" Lieutenant General Colby asked
"I have inspected them myself. There is no way to salvage anything from them. They are as destroyed as we can make them, short of staying here another 2 months and smeltering the metals to slag. Which I would rather not do, I am sick of this place." Jermaine Haye said
"Then we will finish the last of the loading and get gone from here. We have a very long trip ahead of us." Lieutenant General Colby said
As they turned to walk back to the Mobile HQ, the last of the 509th Battle Regiment was returning with the 3 Corx Mining Machines and 18 Mining Mechs for loading, and it would be a very tight fit to squeeze them into the reamining space aboard the last Dropships. Another year to get back to Drachenfeld.
Rimworlds Outpost #7 (Deep Periphery)
Colonel Jesse Bezine watched his Infantry Regiment deploy into a perimeter. As he watched, 3 Mammoth Dropships were descending on pillars of flame to the space port. They would load the remaining equipment and material stored and then get the hell gone. Already, his few techs were opening the warehouses in preperation of loading the mountains of cargo.
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion smiled as he read the report in his hands. General Kerensky had been good to his word. The report detailed the advanced designs delivered by General Kerensky's people to various manufacturer's in the Federated Suns. It was a surprisingly long list and it would serve the AFFC well once the Hegemony Civil War was over.
Transfered Designs
Nightstar NSR-9J - General Motors, Kathil (released for sale)
Emperor EMP-6A - Star Corps, Crofton (released for sale)
Thug THG-11Eb - Achernar, New Avalon (new design)
Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b - Achernar, New Avalon (new design)
Locust LCT-1Vb - Achernar, New Avalon (new design)
Shadow Hawk SHD-2Hb - Kallon, Wernke (Talon) (released for sale)
Highlander HGN-732b - Star Corps, Crofton (released for sale)
Marauder MAD-2R - General Motors, Kathil (released for sale)
Warhammer WHM-7A - Star Corps, Crofton (released for sale)
Griffin GRF-2N - Kallon, Wernke (Talon) (released for sale)
Griffin GRF-2N - Norse, Marduk (new design)
Wolverine II WVR-7A - Norse, Marduk (new design)
Sabre SB-27b - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (new design)
Sabre SB-28 - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (new design)
Stuka STU-K5b - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (released for sale)
Stuka STU-K5b2 - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (released for sale)
Lightning LTN-G15b - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (released for sale)
Hellcat II HCT-213C - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (new design)
Hellcat II HCT-214 - Lycomb-Davion, New Avalon (new design)
This would be a huge boon to the AFFC, even with only 30% of the production. Lycomb-Davion would have to do a major expansion to handle the new work and he made a note to make the loans available. He knew that later down the road, there would be lawsuits galore over license rights, but he would deal with that when the time came.
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Wow.
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Wow. That is some nice hardware in John Davion's hands. Getting hands on those aerospace designs would be sweet. And they finish stripping the bolts from Outpost #7, and evacuating Outpost #11. The Corxes and Dig Kings would really help out in either Mining or digging out fortifications like Castle Brians. I am sure the DoME engineers are pouting they haven't hidden anything lately.
You know, I added up captured and surrendered Battlemechs, counting 3 Convoys, one warehouse complex, recovering 286th Division's Mechs, 228th Striker Regiment's Mechs, and Tortugan Mechs, the Hidden Hegemony has collected 6,310 Battlemechs, not including battlefield salvage. That is somewhere around 45 Regiments of Battlemechs. And the amount of Armored Vehicles is somewhere similar. That is a lot of material. Especially considering, long term, most of the equipment needs to be upgraded to Royal grade or even just Regular Star League Levels.
EDIT: Yeah, 6,320 tanks out of 17,111 vehicles captured. The numbers get big in battletech stories, especially in transstellar organisations.
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Drachenfeld is going to have quite the concentration of stuff for a while yet...
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1 November to 31 December 2773
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell watched as the newly christened SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport was pulled from the massive shipyard 2 months ahead of schedule. She had been named in honor of the captain of SLS Dominator, Vincent Corvette who had succumbed to his wounds at Outpost #4. The ship would undergo 3 months of trials before she would be assigned to the 359th Battlemech Division. This was a massive achievement, a locally produced warship of this size. Beside her, Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka stood watching silently before she spoke.
"She will come online quickly, the crew is not as green as you would expect. The commander and half the crew are experienced and will bring the new people up to speed quickly." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"Oh? You promote some people off other ships?" General Mitchell asked
"Yes, I have been shifting folks around slotting in new people for experienced so that we can crew this ship with a decent crew. When the deployed ships return, I will do the same thing with their crews to man the next one. I want to use the Linden Shipyards, now that we have the Dropship production going well on Ceibu, I need the yards at Linden. At least for a little while, until Rear Admiral Zeibler returns, I am working Rear Admiral Coltrain's ships too hard patrolling our borders. I want to build the Vigilant Corvette, it is small, which will keep the crew small. I can use them to patrol the borders instead of our main combat ships. Deploy them in pairs, but I want them equipped with HPG's to call in help if they need it. No LF Batteries, they are for patrol not rapid response. Plus I can use them for advanced training for the green crew members fresh from school." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"And how many of these Vigilant Corvette's do you estimate we need?" General Mitchell asked with a sinking feeling in gut
"More than you are going to like, I can promise you that. I would like to have 11 of them plus SLS Blommestein refitted to the new standard. They are small enough that we can actually use Olympus Stations for regular maintenance. Once built, they would only see an actual yard for major repairs. I need these ships Rita, I am stretched too thin patrolling our borders. It is not going to do us any good if we get paid a visit and I have nothing to respond with because half my ships are down for repairs or we have another Conroy incident." Vice Admiral Tanaka argued
General Mitchell knew she was going to have to agree to this. She had never doubted any of her top officers suggestions or advice. She knew that expanding their borders was going to strain the limited naval resources they had. "Okay Tanisha, I will send the orders to Rear Admiral Seimens and you have SLS Blommestein report to Linden."
"SLS Blommestein is already at Linden and Rear Admiral Seimens has already gotten warning orders. I just needed your permission to proceed." Vice Admiral Tanaka replied
"And Rear Admiral Seimens did not kick up a fuss?" General Mitchell asked
"Nope, he is excited as hell about it. You know he has been producing jump cores right? Not for the Vigilant, but he has a small stockpile of spare cores, at least one for every ship in the Fleet. When I asked, he told me it would speed up any repairs if something really bad happened, plus it would speed up regular scheduled maintenance, only a month to pull and reinstall a jump core. He is quite good when he has a strict framework to work in. Besides, I have already decided that Rear Admiral Percy Seimens is going to command the new 22nd Patrol Squadron." Vice Admiral Tanaka said as she took a step back just in case
"Your kidding me. I came within a whisker of shooting him in the head a few years ago and now your going to give him an active command?" General Mitchell said
"Nope, I am not kidding. He has done good work, even excellent work since that meeting. He has earned this. He will be stationed on Linden to oversee the operation there, but he will also setup the patrol schedule of his command." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
"Okay Tanisha, you run the Navy. But make sure he has very clear orders and understands them very clearly. I do not want a repeat of last time when his head out grew his ass." General Mitchell stressed
"He will know exactly what his task is and the limits to his authority. He has already gotten me an estimate and swears that he can build 6 per year, 3 months for each one. So about the time the new Potemkin comes online, not only will I have all 12 Vigilant on patrol, but I will have a deeper pool of crews with experience to draw from to man her." Vice Admiral Tanaka said
On the surface, Lieutenant General Curtis DeMars was working on his wish list realignment of all the commands TO&E. He considered the new Infantry Division TO&E a great success almost perfect for garrisoning important worlds. The new TO&E that General Mitchell had used for the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division was also very good. He figured if he could convince General Mitchell to have the other MID's move to the new TO&E, not only could he finish bringing the 181st RMID to strength but he could reform another Division on her list with the newly released Battlemech forces. He also knew that Major General Rommel was about to graduate 3 Regiments of Jump Infantry from the school. He pulled out his list and made some notes.
Hegemony Forces TO&E
Conventional RCT
Armor Regiment - 132 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Demon)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Alacorn)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Zyphr)
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman
Artillery Battalion - 24 Chaparral
Cavalry Regiment - Inf Batt (336 Inf, 12 Maxim) Armor Batt (36 Zyphr) Battlemech Battalion (40 BM)
Engineer Battalion - 3x Eng Company (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks)
Ground Aero Wing - 3x Aero Group
VTOL Wing - 3x VTOL Company (36 VTOL)
Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Manticore)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Command Battlemech Company (12 Battlemech)
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla
Cavalry Regiment - Inf Batt (336 Inf, 12 Maxim) Armor Batt (36 Zyphr) Battlemech Batt (40 BM)
Engineer Battalion - 3x Eng Company (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks)
Ground Aero Wing - 3x Aero Group
VTOL Wing - 3x VTOL Company (36 VTOL)
Battlemech Division
Command Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Command Battlemech Company (12 Battlemech)
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Command Battlemech Company (12 Battlemech)
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Alacorn)
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla
Cavalry Regiment - Inf Batt (336 Inf, 12 Maxim) Armor Batt (36 Zyphr) Battlemech Batt (40 BM)
Engineer Battalion - 3x Eng Company (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks)
Ground Aero Wing - 3x Aero Group
VTOL Wing - 3x VTOL Company (36 VTOL)
Jump Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Battlemech)
Command Battlemech Company (12 Battlemech)
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
Battlemech Regiment - 132 Battlemech
LAM Regiment - Command Company (8 LAM), 3 Batt LAM (120 LAM)
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (164 VTOL)
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (164 VTOL)
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (164 VTOL)
Artillery Battalion - 18 Thumper, 18 VTOL
Artillery Battalion - 18 Thumper, 18 VTOL
Artillery Battalion - 18 Sniper, 18 VTOL
Artillery Battalion - 18 Arrow IV, 18 VTOL
Ground Aero Wing - 3 Aero Groups (54 Aerospace Fighter), Engineer Batt
Ground Aero Wing - 3 Aero Groups (54 Aerospace Fighter), Engineer Batt
He knew the VTOL factory was nearing completion on Ddraig and he during one of his reviews of the inventory in storage and also of each command, discovered a few gems. The biggest had been a single Paramour Mobile Repair Vehicle, once part of the 54th Mechanized Infantry Division, how they got it, he did not care, it was here and he thought it was better than the Wayland Mobile. Smaller, less resources to build and easier to move around. He had already delivered it to Thazi Motors for reverse engineering and production. If he could get them built in decent numbers, he could pull the Waylands back to a single location and green light Peter Sajak's modernization of the Merkava.
Also inisde the vast warehouses he had found a single Royal Cyrano Gunship. The 272nd Mech Infantry Division had the largest concentration of Cobra VTOL's while the 280th Mech Infantry Division had 2 Company's of Vector VTOL. The Royal Black Watch had 8 Peregrine ECM VTOL. He had already had the single Royal Cyrano sent to Ddraig, now he just needed to convince General Mitchell to order the release of the other VTOL's.
On Ddraig, Kimberly Jennings watched the first Lexan Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL begin to take shape on the production floor. She already had an order for 10 of them to be delivered to every planetary Governor and an additional 6 to be sent to Thazi and Boulsi. Her second line should be coming online in January 2774 and a third line in March 2774. Each able to manufacture 10 per month at her current staffing. After watching for awhile, she headed for a seperate hanger, there a small team of engineers were very carefully taking apart the Royal Cyrano that Lieutenant General DeMars had delivered with strict orders to be extremely careful.
She had never built military VTOL's before and the note had told her that weapons and any other specialized equipment would be built off site and delivered for assembly. That simplified things and now it was just another VTOL to her. As she walked across the large parking ramp to the hanger, in the distance she could see a local engineering company along with a SLDF Engineer unit building her next factory complex, this one was a massive structure. Going by her own smaller factory, which was designed to hold 3 production lines, this new factory would hold at least 15 production lines once fully out fitted. It was massive, covering a full square kilometer.
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If Seimens really knows his stuff, those Vigilants will have enough room for an LF Battery down the road...
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nice!!!!
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Nice to see the Navy expanding, the preparations made for efficiency, and the Army standardizing. I like the world-building involved.
Are you using Primitive-Retrotech-Militia-House-Star League-Royal-Blackwatch equipment tiers or something else to show different tech levels? Increased weapon capability? Or using electronics, sensors, and unit integration software to be the major difference? Are the Royal units using the Black Magic control system or Linear Rail Cockpits?
I was just wondering if you would have some tech level differences as just weapons systems or complete electronic systems differences.
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1 January to 1 April 2774
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Lieutenant General Curtis DeMars, Quartermaster Command, had pled his case to General Rita Mitchell and had convinced her to order the 272nd and 280th MID to kick loose a single VTOL of each type that they had. These were delivered to Kimberly Jennings on Ddraig where she had after 4 months completed reverse engineering the Royal Cyrano Gunship. The first poduction line was being installed inside the massive building with additonal lines under production on Thazi. Kimberly Jennings had searched historical records and decided to name the Factory complex on Ddraig, Vought Aircraft, after a ancient Terran company that had no linkage to any existing company. It was divided into seperate divisions, one civilian and the other military.
Lieutenant General DeMars was prepared to delivered his briefing on the current state of the SLDF's supply chains. There had been huge improvements across the board but there was still much to be done. The attendee's to this briefing was larger than previous ones. Before he could start, General Rita Mitchell spoke.
"Before we start, I want to thank everyone of you for the excellent work you have all done over the years. Because of your hard work, we have gone from a beaten up and barely combat worthy force to a fully viable combat command. I especially want to thank Lieutenant General Curtis DeMars for his hard and tireless work in making sure every command had everything they needed to the best of his ability. In recognition for his work, Lieutenant General DeMars is hereby promoted to Major General. You earned it Curtis.
Also, for overseeing the Linden operations, assisting in getting the HPG network back up and overseeing the construction of Hegemony Aerospace and the design and production of the Infantry version of the Lion Dropship, Rear Admiral Percy Seimens is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral. Congrats Admiral, you have proved me wrong in every way. I have spoken to with Vice Admiral Tanaka here and you are hereby placed in command of the 22nd Patrol Squadron. You will also continue overseeing the Linden operation.
Vice Admiral Tanisha Tanaka, you are hereby promoted to Admiral. Both the 21st Independent Squadron and 22nd Patrol Squadron are hereby placed under the new 1st Expeditionary Fleet which you now command. Your job just got bigger Tanisha.
Rear Admiral Barbara Coltrain is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral and will assume command of the 21st Independent Squadron. Commodore William Blythe is hereby promoted to Rear Admiral and placed in command of the 88th Cruiser Division. Once Task Force Robber Baron returns, I am sure Admiral Tanaka will rework the various Divisions.
Major General Heinrich Rommel, in recognition of your tireless task of commanding the Training Command, you are hereby promoted to General. You deserve it Heinrich. Now that the formalities are over, let's get this briefing started. Major General DeMars, the floor is yours."
"Thank you General Mitchell. I am proud to inform everyone that all Line Commands, except for the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division are at 100% strength. We are continuing the modernization and upgrading of every command, but we are on the downhill slope of that. Over 60% of the Line Commands have had their equipment upgraded to our current production. Within the next month, we should see Vought Aircraft on Ddraig begin VTOL production of the Royal Cyrano Gunship with other models soon to follow. So finally, all the Line Commands will start to receive their alotted VTOL's. Now if you will turn your attention to the wall monitor, we will go over our current production and future plans.
Thazi Motors
Manticore - 4 Lines producing 30 per month currently each line
Alacorn MkVI - 4 Lines producing 20 per month currently each line
Turhan - 4 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line
Demon - 3 Lines producing 25 per month currently each line
Chevalier - 3 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line
Zephyr Hover - 1 Line producing 40 per month each Line
Paramour Mobile - adding 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line
Engineering Vehicle - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line
Mobile HQ - 1 Line producing 10 per month
Mobile HPG - 1 Line producing 3 per month
As you can see, Thazi Motors has grown quite a lot. We have halted production of the Maxim Hover Tank, all commands are at full strength and we have 320 in storage at this time, those production lines have been moved to build the Paramour Mobile Repair Vehicle. This will replace the remaining Wayland Mobile bases in all commands. We have also retooled a Zyphr Line to produce additional Turhan's. Soon, the Merkava Main Battle Tanks will begin to be upgraded to a new version which will bring it up to modern standards. Until we have exhausted out current number, we will not be producing new Merkava's. We have also increased production of the Mobile HQ and Mobile HPG's, this will help bring us up to strength plus we will be adding a Combat Support structure to all the commands. We are still working on the detail of this, but myself and General Mitchell agree that this will greatly increase combat effectiveness and also survivability of the command structures.
Azur Heavy Industries
Padilla Artillery - 3 Lines producing 12 per month each line
Chaparrel Artillery - 2 Lines producing 18 per month each line
Thor Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Marksman Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Azur Heavy Industries coninues to provide the much needed Artillery for all commands. This is quickly allowing us to both modernize and replenish all commands Artillery support and in some cases increase it. No changes are needed to their production at this time.
Hegemony Weapons and Technology, also on Azur continues to produce a wide assortment of weapons both for replacements and for new production.
Shira Armor Works, on Shira is continuing to increase their production of all required armor. This supports both new production but also replacement stocks in all commands but also creating a replacement stockpile at Corps level and also Army level.
Hegemony Aerospace
Dropships
Mammoth Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (16 per year)
Mule Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (24 per year)
Jumbo Dropship - 4 Construction Hangers (8 per year)
Lion (Infantry) - 12 Construction Hangers (36 per year)
Interplanetary Drive
Bally Tech Super X40 - Mammoth
GE 2080 - Mule
Antares 2800 - Jumbo
Star League V450 - Lion (Infantry)
The biggest addition is the new production of the Infantry variant of the Lion Dropship on Ceibu. The first ships should begin to be completed around June of this year. This will allow us to begin retiring the Czar Dropship's which are really showing their age. The new Dropship exceeeds the ablities of the Czar in every way. Faster, better weapons and survivability. Plus I think it is much more comfortable for the Infantry while on board. Production of Cargo Dropships continues without any issues which increases both our ability to move the replacement equipment to the commands but also increases interplanetary trade within our borders.
Vought Aircraft Civilian
Lexan Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL - 1 Line producing 10 per month (2 more lines being added)
Vought Aircraft Military
Royal Cyrano Gunship - 1 Line est 10 per month (July 2774)
I am proud to announce that Vought Aircraft on Ddraig is way ahead of schedule, they are already in production of their Civilian VTOL but have also already reverse engineered the Royal Cyrano Gunship which will begin production July of this year. A single line is being installed now with an additional 3 lines currently under construction for transport here on Thazi. Additional VTOL's have been delivered to Vought for reverse engineering. We will be adding additional production ability as needed. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will see every commnad's VTOL assests replenished. This will be a massive undertaking and could easily out pace Vought's abilities, but Kimberly Jennings assures me that they can handle the task.
Alktral Fusion, is now in production of various engines. They are producing only on a as needed basis to meet demands, but are starting to tool up to produce the Fusion engines needed on Ddaig for the Royal Cyrano but also for the Cobra, Vector and Peregrine designs once they are reverse engineered. It is my desire to manufacture in quantity, mainly to make sure that Vought never has to wait for a shipment.
Puttalam Industrial Mechs is still under construction along with all the supporting factories. Though mainly for civilian use, the SLDF does use the Carbine Construction Mech and Buster Loader Mech. So it is worth mentioning here. Estimates are they will begin actual production January 2775. The one thing I think is really important, I have spoken to Timothy Highman, he runs the Industrial Mech Factory, and he assures me that if I provide him with some assistance, and a Battlemech, that he can create a form to create the chassis. I have managed to pry a Stinger STG-3Gb from the Royal Black Watch and have had it sent to Puttalam. SLDF techs from the 359th Battlemech Division will dismantle the Stinger and over see the creation of the proper molds. If successful, we can make the molds in quantity and I have been assured by many Battlemech techs, we can then actually think about upgrading all the Stinger's we have to Royal models. It uses Endo Steel, and is the main stumbling block. Alktral Fusion can provide the new Fusion engines. It will be a make shift affair, but I am told it can be done, but not how long it will take.
On Ambatomainty, Thazi Motors has established a new production plant. It is still roughly 8 months from any meaningful production, but Peter Sajak assures me that Frank Graham is more than capable of running the place. I have been given the following outlay by Peter Sajak on what this factory will produce and it is ambitious to say the least.
Thazi Motors (Ambatomainty)
Brunel Dump Truck - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
Lessups Dump Truck - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
TLF-LL6500 Fire Engine - 2 Lines producing 40 per month each line
MASH Truck - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
135-K Coolant Truck - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
Jeep - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
Flatbed Truck - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
Sherpa Truck - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
J-27 Ordanance w/ Trailor - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
Battlemech Recovery Vehicle - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
Heavy Battlemech Recovery - 2 Lines producing 15 per month each line
Once operational, this will greatly enhance our ability to upgrade the commands Sherpa vehicles we have been using with modern designs. For security, the military and civilian production buildings are in seperate buildings. That concludes most of my portion of the breifing." He sat down as General Heinrich Rommel walked to the podium and began his portion of the briefing.
"Training Command has had a very good year. The 322nd and 323rd Armored Divisions are receiving their new crop of newly graduated troops. I expect by August to have both fully staffed. We have seen another uptick in recruitment across all elements of our training programs. Enough that we are now graduating a full Infantry Regiment every 2 months instead of the every 3 months.
The Armor School is now able to graduate a full Regiment every 3 months. All current commands are fully staffed with Infantry and Armor personnel. All newly graduated are being assigned to the 322nd and 323rd Armor for their advanced training. To meet my staffing, several Regiments will be assigned to them a little earlier than normal. Staffing the 181st Royal Mech Infantry depleted the 322nd Armored, and I need to get them back up to speed.
The Jump Infantry School had a larger than expected recruitment and we just graduated 3 full Regiments from experienced Infantry we recruited from the Line Commands. Select Infantry recruits are now being processed to Jump Infantry School instead of assignment to the 322nd or 323rd Armored. Totally voluntary. My goal is to be able to graduate 2 Regiments every Jan 2774 and then 2 Regiments every 6 months after that.
The Marine School I can now say is viable. I now have 2 Battalions under going training in the year long course. Another 2 Battalions will be recruited and begin school mid year. Goal is to graduate 2 Battlaions every 6 months.
The Technical Schoolis gaining ground. But there is much for them to learn, so we still need another year before they graduate. But it is showing a lot of progress.
The Gunslinger School has graduated their first class of 80. They have been returned to their commands and a new group of 80 has begun training. Reports show that our graduates are at least 90% as good as those trained back home. Which with our lack of the advanced equipment and simulators says we are doing something right.
The Battlemech School now has 6 Battalions in basic training, 12 Battalions in Introductory Training. Of those in Introductory Training, 8 Battalions are starting in the last half before moving to Advanced Training and 4 Battalions are just starting. If things keep progressing, I expect the next graduating class to be January 2775.
The VTOL School is off and running. I have the first batch of 120 pilots just finished basic training. Now they have 1 year of flight school. Another batch of 120 is halfway complete with basic and another 120 are starting basic. Goal is to graduate 120 every 6 months. We will not know if this is viable until we graduate the first class and see what happens." General Rommel said as he retook his seat next to General Mitchell.
Jessica Parrington walked to the podium. She set her papers down on the podium and looked around the room. She began her briefing "2773 saw a increase in revenue across the board. I expect 2774 to be a much bigger year as the new factories come online. Message traffic is up across the board and saw the greatest increase. If you will look at the monitor, I will continue.
Hegemony Systems GDP & Tax Revenue
Thazi (TH) - 164 Billion GDP, 8.2 Billion Tax
Boulsi (TH) - 63 Billion GDP, 3.1 Billion Tax
Pilon (TH) - 77 Billion GDP, 3.8 Billion Tax
Azur (TH) - 3.4 Trillion GDP, 170 Billion Tax
Wokha (TH) - 220 Billion GDP, 11 Billion Tax
Blommestein (TH)- 67 Billion GDP, 3.3 Billion Tax
Ddraig (TH) - 75 Billion GDP, 3.7 Billion Tax
Ejeda (TH)- 43 Billion GDP, 2.1 Billion Tax
Waini Point (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Zumbo (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Ambatomainty (TH) - 89 Billion GDP, 4.4 Billion Tax
Sorsk (TH) - 41 Billion GDP, 2 Billion Tax
Puttalam (TH) - 55 Billion GDP, 2.7 Billion Tax
Maripa (TH) - 91 Billion GDP, 4.5 Billion Tax
Loikaw (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Mandeville (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Zetang (TH) - Developing, Exempt
La Ligua (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Carmelita (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Quines (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Shira (TH) - 148 Billion GDP, 7.4 Billion Tax
Domeykp (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Feijo (TH) - 101 Billion GDP, 5 Billion Tax
Alktral (TH) - 189 Billion GDP, 9.4 Billion Tax
Linden (TH) - 688 Billion GDP, 34.4 Billion Tax
Ceiba (TH) - 972 Billion GDP, 48.6 Billion Tax
Bossangoa (TH) - 163 Billion GDP, 8.1 Billion Tax
Total Tax Revenue - 331.7 Billion
HPG Fee's - 12.8 Billion
Estimated 2773 Revenue - 344.5 Billion
As everyone can see, there has been a marked increase on some worlds. This is mainly due to the economic activity on vaious worlds. Those that are mainly mining, the increase demand for raw material has generated growth. Soe worlds, like Ceibu and Linden, the production of high cost Dropships along with wage increases have created a virtual boom to the local economy's. Our biggest saving grace is as always, we control the main manufacturing plants that provide for the SLDF forces. The size of our military would not be sustainable if we were purchasing from a privately controlled company.
The HPG grid is now fully restored within our borders. But now we need to think about something. Do we attempt to restore those HPG's beyond our borders? I think we should really look at this. It would generate a substantial amount of revenue for us. But I will defer to whatever you decide. That concludes my prtion of the breifing."
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the Sherpa Truck might be a nice trade item outside of the TH
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the Sherpa Truck might be a nice trade item outside of the TH
Is that wise? The Terran Hegemony in Exile is supposed to be a secret entity (with no real intent to actually connect with the TH proper)?
I love reading this but the endgame goal for the THiE is still unclear...
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Actually, the THiE is still working towards reuniting with the real Hegemony once it is liberated. They are secret ONLY because of the presence of Amanda Cameron. General Rita Mitchell still wants to link back up with General Kerensky and the SLDF, but her duty to protect Amanda Cameron over rides that desire.
The expansion and industrial build up is an end to a means. It allows the forces under her command to protect Amanda Cameron completely. What started out as a farce to buy time and keep her forces supplied with out facing another uprising has been replaced with a very real Hegemony province.
Soon will be a multi year time jump, but after the return of Task Force Robber Baron.
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the Sherpa Truck might be a nice trade item outside of the TH
Very nice idea to gain more intelligence rather then general funds
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I would actually recommend not using Jump infantry Divisions. I would actually set them up in Independent Infantry Regiments with support elements attached.
Your Jump infantry can be composed of something different. Each Battalion is a different setup but you can copy and change as needed. I would see a "Divison" as sort of a storage area for different setups. Everything in this Regiment is less than 50 tons so it can fit in the rear area of a Planet lifter the only design you would have to source.
If you can mod a Seeker you can carry the whole first or second battalion in one of them. The Third battalion would need a Fortress. The fourth Battalion would also need a Triumph, So that is 4 Dropships. If your willing to mod a Jumbo you can transport the whole regiment plus an Aerospace squadron in one dropship and that is something you already produce.
This Regiment would be a great independent Garrison regiment with the ability to move anywhere as fast as you can load it into the VTOL's/STOL's and get moving. Another option would be to drop it behind lines and use the planet lifters and VTOLs to move around instead of a big dropship.
1 Regiment of Jump Infantry with all Included Support
1st Battlion (215 with command elemnts included) (Whole Battlion is Air Mobile)
1st Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Company (Light Vehicle Support)(30 People with 6 man command element)
1st Lance (4 Packrat)(8 People)
2nd Lance (4 Packrat)(8 People)
3rd Lance (4 Royal Cyrano's)(8 People)
4th Company (VTOL/STOL) (26 People with 6 man command element)
1st Lance (4 Standard Vectors) (8 People)
2nd Lance (2 Attack Vectors + 2 Royal Cyrano's) (8 People)
3rd Lance (4 Planet Lifters) (4 People)
2nd Battlion (Full Air Mobile) (Whole Battalion can be transported by 2 attached Planet lifters)
1st Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops))
4th Company (VTOL/STOL) (28 People with 6 man command element)
1st Lance (4 Standard Vectors) (8 People)
2nd Lance (4 Attack Vectors) (8 People)
3rd Lance (2 Planet Lifters + 2 Scout Vectors) (6 People)
3rd Battlion (Full Air Mobile with Battlemech)
1st Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Company (Infantry)(69 with 6 man command element)
1st Platoon(21 Troops)
2nd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Platoon(21 Troops)
3rd Company (Lam)(14: 3 lances plus 2 command elment)
1st Lance (4 Lams) (4 People)
2nd Lance (4 Lams) (4 People)
3rd Lance (4 Lams) (4 People)
4th Company (VTOL/STOL) (28 People with 6 man command element)
1st Lance (4 Standard Vectors) (8 People)
2nd Lance (4 Attack Vectors) (8 People)
3rd Lance (2 Planet Lifters + 2 Royal Cyrano's ) (6 People)
4th Battlion (Full Air Mobile) (Support Battalion)
1st Company (Mortar)
1st Platoon (12 Light Mortars) (24 People)
2nd Platoon (12 Light Mortars) (24 People)
3rd Platoon (6 Heavy Mortars) (18 People)
2nd Company (Arrow Artillery)
1st Lance (4 Chaparral Missle Artillery Tank) (16 People)
2nd Lance (4 Chaparral Missle Artillery Tank) (16 People)
3rd Lance (4 Chaparral Missle Artillery Tank) (16 People)
3rd Company (VTOL's)
1st Lance (4 Standard Vectors) (8 People)
2nd Lance (2 Scout Vectors + 2 MASH Conversion Vectors) (8 People)
3rd Lance (2 EW Vectors + 2 Attack Vectors)(8 People)
4th Company (STOL)
1st Lance (4 Planet Lifters) (4 People)
2nd Lance (4 Planet Lifters) (4 People)
3rd Lance (4 Planet Lifters) (4 People)
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1 January to 1 April 2774 (continued)
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The arrival of Martha Pruitt and her "fleet" containing refugee's from the Terran Hegemony caused a small crisis for General Rita Mitchell. Though she knew they were coming, she was still not prepared with a complete plan on what to do with all of them. After the Dropships had grounded and the refugee's were getting to stretch their legs after months crammed aboard Dropships, General Mitchell realized how unprepared they really were for this.
They had planned ahead for the arrival of the dependents for the 280th Mech Infantry, 54th Mech Infantry, 36th Infantry and 191st Royal Jump Infantry Divisions, they were no where ready for half a million refugee's. On Quines, SLDF engineers had managed to prepare enough housing for just over 100,000 people through herculan efforts. Literally doubling the size of the capitol city in 3 months. But the planet was still developing and it was determined quickly that attempting to settle anymore than the 100,000 they currently had housing for would strain the local food production too much.
For 2 weeks, SLDF personnel questioned the refugee's while getting an accurate head count. Once it was complete, they had an accurate count plus any and every jpb skill of the refugee's. They seemed to cover the entire spectrum of skills.
Doctor - 1,831
Nurse - 8,820
Farmer - 87,911
Miner - 66,298
Teacher - 32,617
Factory Worker - 97,524
General Worker - 146,792
Spouse/Parent or child - 276,803
Dependent's of the SLDF were easy, they would be moved to where their Command was stationed. Since Quines was also rich in minerals, they would receive a cluster from every skill until they maxed out the housing. The rest would be spread out over the remaining developed systems where the local garrison's had begun contracting local construction companies to build housing and much needed infrastructure for the incoming refugee's.
Vowing to not have a repeat of this situation, General Rita Mitchell named Jimmy Orlando, a prominent Thazi landowner to a new office under Peter Sajak, Dept of Refugee Resettlement. He was authorized to build housing on every inhabited system for a minimum of 100,000 people depnding on that systems ability to support them. That would give them roughly housing for 2.6 million refugee's in total at one time. Speaking with Martha Pruitt and also having a steady information feed from the HPG Scouts, General Rita Mitchell felt it was her duty to find a way to prepare for a possible flood of refugee's. To ease the travel, ZaP Shipping would transport the refugee's to their new homes aboard their Passenger Jumbo Dropships.
Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt managed to convince Cynthia Williams and Michael Crawford to bring their Merchant Jumpships on board with ZaP Shipping. It took longer to convince some of the other ships captains but they finally convince all of the Jumpship and Dropship captains to come on board also. This more than doubled the size of ZaP Shipping and assured their continued strangle hold on shipping within the borders of the Hegemony. Martha Pruitt then came up with an idea, she wanted to open a branch office out of Bastrop. Not only would they be running routes like any other shipping company, bringing in a steady cash flow, but they would also be able to better predict any incoming refugee fleet and warn the Hegemony to prepare. For security reasons, she would only take ships that had been with ZaP Shipping from the beginning but also Cynthia Williams, who she knew and trusted, plus knew the Federated Suns market very well. When General Mitchell approved the idea, plans were quickly made.
ZaP Shipping, Bastrop Office
Star Lord Jumpship - 1 (Martha Pruitt)
Merchant Jumpship - 4 (1 Cynthia Williams)
Invader Jumpship - 10
Mule Dropship - 20
Passenger Jumbo - 10
Monarch Dropship - 6
This had been determined to provide them with a wide range of options. Able to move cargo, passengers or independent Dropship that needed a ride. Plus she would be in the perfect position to easily purchase anything the Hegemony needed and arrange shipment back. And it made more sense to establish themselves in the Federated Suns, they were registered there afterall and it could pose a problem if some official began to ask questions. It was going to be hard enough explaining the sudden appearance of such a large operation suddenly conducting business in the region. She would also limit operations to 120LY from Bastrop. She figured there was more than enough traffic in that size of area to keep them busy. She planned her departure for June 2774 to give the ships time to marshal at Thazi and undergo a maintenance cycle.
Terran Hegemony (Real)
Graham IV
Delbert "Red" Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Vehicles, was sick of the concealed thugs sent by Amaris to demand ever more production from his factories. They threatened and yelled a lot, but he always said the same thing to them "We are at maximum capacity, there is no more room for improvement." Which was a huge lie, he had ordered his factories to slow down production as much as possible but to avoid anything obvious. He knew General Kerensky and the SLDF was getting ever closer and he feared what would happen when they arrived here in force. It had only gotten easier to claim they were doing all they could after Amaris had ordered the borders closed, which cut into everyone's supply chains for resources.
At the massive shipyard complex in the Graham IV system, the 20 slips were filled with ships Amaris' forces had recovered from SLDF mothballs undergoing refits to return them to active duty. Delivered in the last 6 months, there were 10 old Riga Frigates, 2 Farragut Battleships and 8 Carson Destroyers. Survey's had concluded that every ship would have to have new Jump Cores manufactured and installed. There were just too many fractures in the existing cores. Which was a lie, but Amaris' people did not know that. Anything that could be done to prevent these ships from being used against the SLDF was being done at great risk. Several of the Jump Core factories had suffered some serious breakdowns which would delay the manufacture of new cores even more.
Where other manufacturer's were producing equipment at the same speed as they had for the SLDF, those employed by Mitchell Vehicles did all they could to stall, sabotage and outright break anything they could. All with the blessing of their CEO, but he had cautioned them to err on the side of their safety, for Amaris' people would not hesitate to retaliate against them.
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Anemone221,
Good idea, but that might come into play a little down the road. Always remember that they currently stick pretty close to SLDF structure. Though they modify their actual organization, they still think in the Division and Corps way of things. Anything less than a Division is a raiding force in their way of thinking right now. Not a proper defensive or offensive command. Even the Conventional RCT's are thought of as mere delaying forces until a Division comes to help out.
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When Robber Baron gets back, those Sherpas will come in handy... ^-^
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did the refugee fleet have 3 tramps? now if they could get some tramps with LF. that would be a nice Fedex/UPS analog as well as a little spying. then they could add HPGs to them.
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"And how many of these Vigilant Corvette's do you estimate we need?"
Question, would it be worth it to up gun the Vigilants?
Pull the Lrg laser and PPC and replace with Lrg Pulse laser for better Aero defense?
Fluff said targeting system had issue with to many targets or some such.
Maybe address that as design upgrade.
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1 April to 1 June 2774
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Percy Siemens was walking on air literally. He had never expected to reach Vice Admiral and damn sure did not ever expect to hav a Line Command again. He had called up all the information he could find on the Vigilant Corvette. He spent several hours reading everything he could find and made copious notes about every aspect of the Vigilant. As he studied his notes, something in his memory kept pulling at him. Finally it came to him, as far as he knew, ammunition resupply for the warships had not been fixed and the Vigilant Corvette was a ammuntion heavy ship. He pulled out a calculator and began making some calculations, he had learned a few things watching the shipyard people build the Mule Dropships. After an hour of manual calculations, he figured his people could handle the changes he was making to the design.
He had removed all the weaponry from the Vigilant Corvette, in it's place, he had added an all energy battery. Every facing except the broadsides would be the exact same, 2 NL/55 backed by 4 LPL and 4 SPL as point defense. The broadsides would mount 2 HNPPC backed by 4 LPL and 4 SPL as point defense. He had then boosted the Aerospace Fighter capacity to 12 fighters and he would mount 1200 double heat sinks to handle the heat load. It would still mount 90 tons of Improved Ferro Aluminum armor, HPG and Large Naval Comm Scanner. The amount of cargo the design could carry was reduced to 14,067 tons.
The only outside consultations he made were with the folks at Hegemony Weapons and Technology on Azur about the fire control issues the design had been known for. It had taken a month, but finally word came back to him that they felt they could modify the fire control from the Vincent Corvette to both fit the Vigilant and control the new weapons systems. SLS Blommestein would undergo the refit first as a test ship, once it was confirmed that the changes worked, work would begin on the rest of his Squadron. But he did order the Jump Cores for the Squadron to be started, it would speed up construction big time if they were already built, possibly saving a month on the construction time on each Vigilant Corvette.
Even though he had increased the Aerospace Fighter capacity, he figured he would be lucky if he got a full squadron for each ship. His main concern was how much yelling Admiral Tanaka or General Mitchell would do when they found out he had redesigned the ships on his own authority.
Puttalam (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Nathan Baxter watched as the newly constructed Endo Steel chassis made by reverse engineering the Royal Stinger was used by his Battlemech Techs to rebuild a standard Stinger STG-3G into a Royal Stinger. They only used the weapons, double heat sinks and 140XL engine from the Royal Stinger to speed up the modification of the standard Stinger. After a month of refit work, a volunteer Battlemech pilot ran the newly upgraded Stinger through a series of tests. Finding no issues, Major General Baxter sent a HPG message to General Mitchell and Major General DeMars that they could now upgrade every Stinger to Royal models, but it would be slow going.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The moment Major General DeMars had the HPG message from Major General Baxter, he fired off a reply ordering 36 of the equipment needed to manufacture the Endo Steel Chassis to be built and shipped to Thazi. He would use the Battlemech Techs from the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division to assist in upgrading the huge numbers of Stinger's to Royal models. He already knew that the Techs from the 359th Battlemech Division had used the Battlemech bays aboard a Dictator Dropship to do the upgrade and he planned to duplicate that here. A full Battalion at a time.
He then fired off a HPG message to Alktral Fusion and ordered them to gear up to produce over a thousand 140XL engines. Another message went to Linden to prepare the Endo Steel factory and Double Heat sink factory to prepare for some massive orders.
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That's a LOT of Royal Stingers! :thumbsup:
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I like that ship. That is a **** of a lot more like a patrol ship. Long endurance, good comms, scanners, and targetting, and little logistic support needed. I bet those ship captains are going to be in love.
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And JUST enough room for an LF-Battery down the line when the borders are bigger, and they don't have any more ships...
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1 June to 1 September 2774
Ddraig (Terran Hegemony)
Kimberly Williams held her breathe as the first production Royal Cyrano Gunship flared to a landing on the tarmac for the landing field next to the massive factory. She did not exhale until the lead pilot exited, removed his helmet and flashed her a huge grin and thumbs up. The had done it, they had actually, with no prior experience in manufacturing miliary VTOL's managed to reverse engineer and put into poduction the Royal Cyrano Gunship. She lifted the small hand held radio and said "Success, you may activate all 3 Lines for production." She then headed for the small R&D hanger where her small team of workers were carefully taking apart a Vector Transport VTOL.
Inside the massive factory, the lead engineer hit a button that activated a loud speaker system "People, we have done it. We are now in full production mode." Cheers echoed inside the factory and then faded as the machinery began to come alive. On the far side of the factory building, a single Line was already in production but it was building a single Cobra VTOL that in an estimated 2 weeks would be test flown by the SLDF for acceptance. Additional production lines, built on Thazi and shipped to Ddraig, were being unloaded from the Dropship for installation inside the factory.
Vought Aircraft Civilian
Lexan Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL - 3 Line producing 10 per month
Vought Aircraft Military
Royal Cyrano Gunship - 3 Line producing 4 per month (est 10 per month once 100% reached)
Cobra VTOL - 1 Line est 10 per month (once 100% reached)
Alktral (Terran Hegemony)
Irene Yemmon, Alktral Fusion, looked over the production floor that looked to be utter chaos but was in fact organized chaos as the Factory ramped up to full production of several Fusion engines. The majority of her workers were still learning their jobs, but she had a solid core of experienced workers that had come over from Thazi Motor's and had been on Outpost #4 with her to oversee them. They had been doing small runs of the most common Fusion engines as replacements for the SLDF commands but now, they would move to full production of several models. But she figured another 6 months before they reached 100% on production.
Alktral Fusion
VOX 300XL (Merkava MkX, Pillager) - 4 Lines producing 6 per month each (20 each once 100%)
DAV 220XL (Royal Cyrano VTOL) - 4 Lines producing 4 per month each (20 each once 100%)
Hermes 100 (Cobra VTOL) - 4 Lines producing 9 per month each (25 each once 100%)
GM 180 (Turhan, Marsden) - 4 Lines producing 9 per month each (25 each once 100%)
Leenex 140XL (Royal Stinger) - 4 Lines producing 5 per month each (20 each once 100%)
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had slowly readjusted to being without her husband, but now she had 2 kids to look after. They had slowly found a routine that worked, but she also still had her normal work load. She was over looking the non stop flow of reports on every aspect in the territory and the SLDF commands. A knock brought her head up and she waved both Peter Sajak and Jimmy Orlando into the office.
"If your both here, there must be a problem. So what problem is it today?" She asked setting down the boring economic report
"Not really a problem, but we need a tie breaker. We are trying to get ahead of the curve. Task Force Robber Baron will return in another year or so. We have been trying to estimate the possible rescued workers numbers and where to place the recovered Factory's, hence where to settle the incoming workers." Peter Sajak explained
"Well, the obvious place for the Battlemech Factory would be Azur, it has the population to easily support the Factory." Jimmy Orlando said
"But Azur does not have the resources to support it. Everything would have to be shipped in, while good for the economic activity would leave us exposed to production issues if anything imedes the flow of resources. I still say Blommestein should get both Factory's. It has enough resources to make both Factory's self suffecient. Plus it places the most important Factory, outside of Linden, in the middle of our territory, much easier to defend. Azur is on the border and even though it has a full Division as a garrison, it is too exposed." Peter Sajak argued
Jimmy Orlando looked at General Mitchell "See, this is why we need a tie breaker. We have been arguing for over an hour about this."
"Okay, so I get to make the hard call. Peter is right, Azur is in an exposed location and resource wise is a little poor. So, Blommestein get's the Battlemech Factory and the god willing the Aerospace Fighter Factory. Those 2 Factory's will be critical and we cannot afford any disruption to their production. I have also been reading you reports Peter and I think Feijo will get the incoming Armor Factory, that system needs a major job creator anyway. So, plan for a massive influx of people on Blommestein as people flock to the place for jobs. Peter, you get started selecting the Factory locations so that Jimmy can get the local construction folks busy on building enough housing for say, 350,000 people. We have bo clue how many the place will need, so we plan for a worst case." General Mitchell said
With the issue settled and orders issued, both men stood and left to carry them out. General Mitchell looked at the wall clock and saw that it was time to head home, school was almost out and she needed to get supper ready. She could get a full time cook to do it, but she enjoyed cooking for the kids but most of all, she used the time to let her mind sort out all the daily items.
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At least over building for Outpost rescues will help with the refugee problem...
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1 September to 31 December 2774
Drachenfeld (Deep Periphery)
Task Force Robber Baron was finally reunited. While the Warships and Jumpships were cycled through SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship for a quick maintensnce cycle, the mass of Dropships headed for the surface to give the people some ground time after a year of Zero-G. During the long absence, the local's of Drachenfeld had plowed extra crops in an effort to help provide additional food for the SLDF's return trip. In exchange for this, Lieutenant General Sverdlov ordered 100 Sherpa Trucks, 3 Sherpa MASH, 10 Sherpa Fuel and 10 Sherpa Canteen Trucks off loaded from the Dropships and left with the local's of DRachenfeld.
What no one had forseen was that after over a year on Drachenfeld, just over 2 Company's of Infantry and a Company of Armor wanted to remain on Drachenfeld. Over the year, most had started dating locals. One of them was Corporal Ben Suong, who had been "courting" Kelly Sampson, daughter of Ismael Sampson. After a month, it was time to depart for the trip home. Lieutenant General Sverdlov once again tried to convince the troops wanting to remain to return with them, but finally surrendered to their wishes and made sure those troops remaining were well equipped and supplied. She accepted the salute of the troops remaining and boarded the last Dropship for the trip to the Jumpships. As the Dropship lifted off, she wondered if she or the SLDF would ever see Drachenfeld again.
Ceibu (Terran Hegemony)
A large crowd watched as 12 Lion (Infantry) emerged from the construction hangers, erupting into cheers as the crews from 12 Czar Dropships from the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division moved to man the newly completed Lion (Infantry) Dropships. Though they were almost 2 months late in their delivery, the issues that delayed their completion had been corrected and follow on Dropships would be completed on time. Supporting industries had slowly been constructed on the planet and roughly 15,000 people moved to Ceibu from Azur to take advantage of the jobs offered. The inflow of people was kept low so as not to overwhelm the ability to house them properly.
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Percy Seimens watched as the keels were laid for the first 2 Vigilant Corvettes to be produced. SLS Blommestein had completed trials of it's upgrade and after a month sorting out a few issues with it's new fire control system, had completed all of it's testing successfully. They now had 4 completed Jump Cores waiting to be installed in the new Vigilant Corvette's which would bring the construction time of each Vigilant to 78 days. Everyone swore that if they had the yards in the Hegemony, they could complete the Vigilant's in under 2 months time each. The Endo Steel and Double Heat Sink Factory's were working around the clock to meet the demands being placed on them from across the Hegemony.
Ddraig (Terran Hegemony)
Kimberly Williams and her team of engineers were getting faster at the reverse engineering process. They had completed the Vector Transport VTOL and since the other versions were the same airframe, with only different payloads or mission profiles, they only had to learn how each system was integrated into the frames. Once they had that, she felt confident in opening up the production lines for every model. Now they moved to the Nightshade ECM VTOL. **Note** I keep putting Peregrine, dumb.** It was soon clear that to meet the number of VTOL Lieutenant General DeMars had submitted, another production building was being constructed that would double their production. She had proposed that since they already built the 130 Fusion plant for the Oceanic, if they could build the Hermes 100 Fusion plant for the Cobra on site also to help take some pressure off Alktral Fusion. It had taken a month, but she got approval.
Vought Aircraft Civilian
Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL - 3 Line producing 10 per month each
Dumas 130 Fusion (Oceanic) - 3 Line producing 10 per month each
Hermes 100 Fusion (Cobra VTOL) - 3 Line producing 3 per month each (10 per month once 100%)
Vought Aircraft Military
Royal Cyrano Gunship - 3 Line producing 5 per month (est 10 per month each once 100%)
Cobra Transport VTOL - 5 Line producing 5 per month (est 10 per month each once 100%)
Cobra MASH VTOL - 2 Line producing 3 per month (est 10 per month each once 100%)
Cobra Command VTOL - 1 Line producing 3 per month (est 10 per month once 100%)
Vector Transport VTOL - 4 Line poducing 5 per month (est 10 per month each once 100%)
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
It was a huge affair for everyone as the first 36 Stinger STG-3G emerged from the 272nd MID Dropship as 36 Stinger STG-3Gb. With hundreds of the Stinger STG-3G in service, it was deemed important enough that almost every technician of the 272nd MID and even some from the Royal Black Watch and from the Technical School were brought in to help. Using 6 Dictator Dropships, they would soon be able to upgrade 216 Stinger STG-3G to STG-3Gb every 2 months. Plus it gave the student technicians serious hands on time.
Pilon (Terran Hegemony)
Peter Sajak supervised the setting up of the large Refit Facility for the Merkava and Marsden Main Battle Tanks. They had brought in every Wayland Mobile Base in the inventory, 22 of them, and they were set up and ready to start work while the massive building designated for the task was completed. Once completed, it would allow 100 Tanks to be upgraded every month. Until then, they would have to make do at 22 every 2 months. The Merkava was selected to be upgraded first, the entire inventory.
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
With some help from Fleesum and Gougem, ZaP Shipping's law firm, Martha Pruitt had secured an office that was now staffed by 30 employee's. They had hit the ground running and already were running passenger shuttles to several worlds a single jump from Bastrop. She had been amazed that is was so easy to fill a 1,000 passenger Jumbo at 200 dollars per ticket for a single jump. It was quite profitable and they had no problem filling all 10 Passenger Jumbo's. These alone brought in a handsome 4 million dollars a month. She really wanted to get her hands on more of them, maybe even a couple Passenger Mammoth's for the 6,000 capacity. A single Passenger Mammoth could bring in 1.2 Million dollars per trip. The 6 Monarch's were placed on a steady route from Woodbine to Bastrop, Woodbine to Stratford, Stratford to Bastrop route and brought in 166,000 per jump for a monthly total of 2.2 Million a month when you add in the amenities.
Filling the cargp Dropships was a little harder, but after a month, they had steady work coming their way. This was complicated some by the short haul nature of their current self imposed restrictions to 4 jumps from Bastrop. But they managed to land a few contracts hauling raw ores to processing plants in the immediate area. Then picking up finished goods for the return trip. The cargo runs brought in roughly 7 million a month. Still it did not take long to establish ZaP Shipping as one of, if not the, largest Shipping Company in the region. A monthly total of 13 Million dollars was decent money for a new company in the area Martha Pruitt thought.
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Hmmm... with that many troops staying on Drachenfeld, they almost HAVE to take it into the Hegemony... ^-^
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What would be a good idea ZaP is to do like Airline companies and set up 4 jumpships for each major trunk so you can be moving a jump ship both directions once every 3.5 days. As you get further out you either move to smaller jumpships or you move to 2 jumpships with them going each way once a week. This allows a very regular shipping schedule that allows for an "In Time" shipping/movement of people.
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At that rate, Bastrop is going to be up to "core world" status pretty quickly...
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nice to see the lion's get some love
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Wow, a lot is happening all over. Good to see. I was kind of surprised you are going for a 5 year time skip at this time, there is so much happening up till the end of the First Succession War, especially for the Hegemony Campaign. Be good to see what you write either way.
With ZaP in the area promoting trade within 4 Jumps of Bastrop, the Federated Suns Draconis March Edgeward Combat Area and edge of the Ramora Province Outworlds Alliance might experience some economic revival.
And for Drachenfeld, I don't know about being a brought into the Hidden Hegemony, but it would be great for a forward base in the future if needed, or even the long end of anti-piracy patrols against the Tortuga Pirates.
Nice to see the Lion Dropships come off the line, At 7215 ton and being a reliable, easier to repair transport, the Lion is definitely an upgrade over the Czar. The Lion Infantry Mod is much better fitted to your org table.
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1 January to 1 April 2775
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Task Force Robber Baron returned from their multi year mission. While the troops of the 272nd MID returned to the surface of Thazi, the Cargo and Passenger Dropships remained with their transports while they recharged to continue their journey to Blommestein. Though Lieutenant General DeMars wanted all the Battlemechs, Tanks and Aerospace Fighters off loaded on THazi, it was deemed near impossible due to the mixed load outs of the Dropships crammed full as they were. So the decision was made to offload everything on Blommestein and then reload the equipment to be taken back to Thazi.
February saw the transports reach Blommestein arriving at a La Grange Point only 3 days from the planet to shorten the trip to the surface. As the large fleet of Dropships detached and began their trip to the surface, they were directed to land on the continent of Van Straaten, the second largest continent. SLDF engineers and several construction companies, one even transported from Thazi and another from Azur had worked for 4 months laying out a massive space port and laying the ground work for the assumed massive factory complex's. Here, they waited to begin work on assembling the recovered factory's as quickly as possible. Troops from the 280th MID and 10th Conventional RCT stood ready to assist in unloading the fleet of Dropships the moment they landed.
Also waiting, was Peter Sajak and Jimmy Orlando, who were introduced to Jermaine Haye (Battlemech Factory Manager), Jacob Henderson (Tank Factory Manager and Trina Weldon-Henderson (Aerospace Factory Manager). Peter Sajak explained that the Battlemech and Aerospace Facotory's would be located on Blommestein while the Tank Factory would be on Feijo. It was then that they ran into a brick wall, they had not known that they had a husband and wife team of managers. After an hour, they both came to the conclusion that to force the issue would create an unwanted problem and the decision was made to keep the Tank Factory also on Blommestein. Trina Weldon-Henderson offered a partial solution by offering to assist in getting an additional Aerospace Factory going on Feijo once they had the Blommestein Factory operational and additional people trained to operate the production lines.
Now having direction on what size to build the multiple buildings, the assembled construction companies and SLDF engineers moved into action while one construction company started clearing additional ground for the Tank Factory. The rescued workers of both Outposts were assigned housing and began to be seen by SLDF medical personnel in the fairly large city that was still being built by 2 local construction companies.
March saw the Dropships fully unloaded and the massive main Battlemech Production building 1/2 completed by the army of construction crews. The building to house the Aerospace Factory was expanded by 3X the size of the one on Outpost #7, much to Trina Weldon-Henderson's surprise. But she was more surprised when she was brought to the space port and saw a line of SLDF Aerospace Fighters parked in a neat row. Major General DeMars walked over and introduced himself.
"You look surprised. You did not think we would let you continue to produce the Star Dagger and Typhoon only did you?" Major General DeMars said
"Well, it is what the Factory is geared towards." Trina Weldon-Henderson replied as she walked around a Stuka STU-K5b2, running her hands along it's wing.
"Well, once you get settled, I want you to work up some upgrades to both fighters, bring them up to what we are used to. But, the most important thing is I would like you to reverse engineer these fighters so that we can buiid them ourselves." Major General DeMars said
"I finally get to build modern, advanced Aerospace Fighters and I get to have a free hand in redesigning the Star Dagger and Typhoon? General DeMars, you just let me round up my engineers and we will start taking these birds apart. I might just bust into tears." Trina Weldon-Henderson said as she stroked the smooth skin of a Lightning LTN-G15b.
Sabre SB-28
Tommahawk THK-63b
Lightning LTN-G15b
Hellcat II HCT-213C
Stuka STU-K5b2
Thunderbird TRB-D26b
"What kind of numbers am I looking at?" Trina Weldon-Henderson asked after a few minutes
"A lot. I would plan on 2 production lines for each type. We will adjust as we get going. These are the best fighters we have. Please be careful, any fighter destroyed is going to mean I have a pissed off General after my head." Major General DeMars said
"Oh, I will treat them like my very own children. Now, I need to go gather my people and get started. I am going to need some support in getting new production lines built." Trina Weldon-Henderson replied, her mind already calculating the work needed to be done
"Just send me a list of what you need. Besides the Battlemechs, your at the top of the list." Major General DeMars said
Across the broad tarmac of the space port, Peter Sajak led Jermaine Haye into a Union Dropship. Inside were 12 Battlemechs. Peter Sajak explained Jermaine Haye's task.
"You not going to be producing what you used to produce. Right now, these have been selected for production. Two I expect to be the easiest, the Archer ARC-2Rb and Battlemaster BLG-1Gb. Since I understand ypu aready produced the variant they are built from. The others, your going to have to reverse engineer them, everything will have to built from scratch, the tooling, molds, jigs, everything." Peter Sajak said
Jermaine Haye thought his jaw hit the floor on hearing what was said "You want me to manufacture every one of these Battlemechs? I am going to need way more people. You talking 12 different production lines. I do not think anything this scale has ever been attempted before." Jermaine Haye replied
"You won't be building every model at the same time, but you will be producing these at some point, maybe even more types. It is going to depend on who wins that fight, General Mitchell or Major General DeMars. General Mitchell would want everything, DeMars will want as few designs as possible to streamline the supply chain. The only reason I had these brought over was so you could start the reverse engineering process. The final" Peter Sajak said
Jermaine Haye looked over the different Battlemechs. For the first time in his career, he was not sure he was up to the task.
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Archer ARC-2b
Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Mongoose MON-66b
Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb
Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Crab CRB-27b
Crab CRB-27sl
Warhammer WHM-7A
Dervish DV-6Mb
Highlander HGN-732b
"I don't know Mr Sajak. You asking for miracles." Jermaine Haye said
"Look, it can be done. You can do this. First, focus on the Archer and Battlemaster, at least your people are familiar with the design itself. Then focus on the Crab's, both versions. Your not going to be producing the Talos anymore, so plan on placing them there. You will get word soon on what other model to produce. Don't focus so much on the engine's, weapons or specials. We can handle that from other locations. We can always bring those on site later, get the actual design down." Peter Sajak explained, trying to boost the guys confidence
"I will do my best, but I am not sure. I have never been faced with this before. Dreamed of it, but now the reality of the task is monumental." Jermaine Haye said
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At least Robber Baron is back... I'm wondering how Mitchell took the news of the stay behinds on Drachenfeld? ???
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At least Robber Baron is back... I'm wondering how Mitchell took the news of the stay behinds on Drachenfeld? ???
Very curious about that too. Especially about being "well equipped and supplied" means, other than all those Sherpa's.
Could make a Hegemony embassy, with these troops as part of the security force.
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1 January to 1 April 2775 (continued)
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
While Jermaine Haye was having a small crisis of confidence on Blommestein, elsewhere, many people were stepping up to the challenge of creating things needed. Warrant Officer Hanley Sparks, Master Technician 272nd MID, after seeing the work done on the Stinger upgrades, wasted no time in figuring out ways to upgrade other Battlemechs of the 272nd Division. The 272nd MID had 130 Thunderbolt TDR-5S assigned to it and he had wasted no time in tearing one apart and getting a mold created to build an Endo Steel chassis. While the Endo Steel framework was being built, he had begun a more simple upgrade to existing Thunderbolt TDR-5S and upgraded the TDR-5Sd to Mk II design. Adding CASE to the right torso, swapping the SRM/2 for a Streak SRM/2, moved a Double Heat Sink from right torso to the left torso and swapped the armor for Ferro Fibrous but dropping it to 12 tons for no armor loss to make room for the small changes.
He had then torn down a Archer ARC-2Rb to have a Endo Steel framework built so that they coud upgrade the massive numbers of Archer to the Royal version. Now that actual Battlemech production was on the horizon, the door was opened to large numbers of field upgrades. Crab CRB-27 were being upgraded to CRB-27b across the board. Thug THG-11E were being upgraded to THG-11Eb models. Highlander HGN-732 were being upgraded to HGN-732b models.
He had over seen an developing an upgrade for the 27 Striker STC-2C in the SLDF ranks to a STC-2Cb version. Swapping the AC/5 for a UAC/5 with 2 tons of ammo, CASE in the left torso, swapping the heat sinks to Double Heat Sinks and dropping to 12. Armor was changed to Ferro Fibrous at 14 tons maxing the armor. An ERPPC replaced the standard PPC in the right torso backed up by 4 MPL for close in work. He had dropped the large laser.
A Tech in the 29th MID came up with a upgrade for the Victor VTR-9B which he called VTR-9Bb. He swapped the heat sinks for 12 Double Heat Sinks, changed the armor to Ferro Fibrous at 11.5 tons increasing armor protection. Added CASE to the left and right torso, added 2 medium lasers to the left torso making this a Battlemech no one wanted to get close to. A jumpng Alpha only budged the heat gauge by 2 over.
Another Tech, but from the 31st Infantry Division, had come up with a radical upgrade for the Phoenix PX-3R which he called PX-3Rb. Adding Endo Steel, he swapped the heat sinks for 14 Double Heat Sinks. Adding additional armor to 10.5 tons almost maxing protection. Swapped the PPC to a ERPPC, dropped the SRM's and added 2 MPL to left torso and a SPL to the left arm for anti infantry work. This all energy load made it excellent for long missions away from support.
A Tech in the 126th MID submitted an upgrade for the Panther PNT-8Z which he called the PNT-8Zb. Adding Endo Steel, swapping to 10 Double Heat Sinks. He enlarged the Fusion engine and added a jump jet to improve it's movement profile. Swapping the Large Laser for an ERLL gave it increased range, he then removed the SRM/4 and added 3 MPL, with 1 in the left arm and the other 2 in the left torso. Another all energy design meant to reduce a strain on supply. Though still slow for a light Battlemech, increasing it's speed to 86kph and jumping to 150 meters was an improvement.
From the 36th Infantry Division came a upgrade for the Talos TLS-1B called the TLS-1Cb. It was an expensive upgrade and it would require an extensive refit with factory support. Adding Endo Steel and adding a 300 XL Fusion engine, speed was increased to 96kph. Ten Double Heat Sinks kept the machine cool. The AC/10 was swapped for a LBX/10 with 4 tons of ammo, CASE was added to the right torso. All the missile systems were removed and 5 medium lasers were added, 3 to the left torso and 2 to the center torso a single SPL was added to the left arm for anti infantry protection.
All of these upgrades landed on General Rita Mitchell's desk for approval. She was still coming to grips with a Battalion of troops deciding to remain on Drachenfeld. Though Lieutenant General Sverdlov had made sure they had plenty of ammuntion and spare parts for the 12 Turhan and 12 Merkava Mk VIII that she had let them keep. She still thought of those troops as her responsibility, but they were a long ways from any support or communication. After speaking with Martin Zuni, they had come up with a plan of sorts. Once a year, ZaP Shipping would send a single Jumpship to Drachenfeld to check on them, bring additional supplies. He tagged Michael Crawford for the task. Used to operating alone and plying the space of the Periphery, Martin Zuni figured a 4 month trip to Drachenfeld, month there, 4 months back to Thazi with a 3 month maintence cycle and down time.
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney busied herself with constructing several orbital factories above Thazi to build Endo Steel to meet the ever growing need for the stuff. Once that was completed, she would begin work on the Vincent Corvette conversion to a full Destroyer. The long mission to Drachenfeld had given her engineer's time to work on manufacturing naval ammunition on site, which they were sure they could now successfully build on a planets surface. The specifications were sent to Azur for Hegemony Weapons and Technology along with examples of Killer Whale, White Shark and Barracuda Missile's so that they could work on those.
March 2775 saw Rear Admiral Delvaney on the surface, she had to see General Mitchell about some of her concerns. Once inside General Mitchell's office, she laid out her desire to design and build several smaller Yardships. She wanted 3 of them for several reasons. First, to add additional recovery support to the Fleet. Second, it would not tie down SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship building orbital infrastructure. Three, they could also be used to train new workers in ship building and working in Zero-G during down times, which she doubted there would be very little of. Cost and crew requirments would be kept to a minimum and the ships would be restricted to work inside the borders of the Hegemony which would not require them to have HPG's or LF Batteries mounted.
General Mitchell gave her permission to go ahead with the design process but not actual construction permission yet. But she assured Rear Admiral Delvaney that they would probably build them, but she wanted to complete the upgrade to to the Vincent's first and the Vigilant Corvettes.
**Finished now, it got late and I needed sleep. Sorry for leaving you all hanging**
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😮 wow
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Holy ****! That is a massive upgrade. Looks like the only branch not getting a weapons system upgrade is the infantry. Nighthawk or Mauser 960b, anyone?
So did Operation Robber Baron leave the looted light factory to Drachenfeld or bring it home?
Nice to see so much happening.
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Everything came back. All 3 Factories are being placed on Blommestein. Battlemech, Armor and Aerospace.
Not everything will be upgraded at once, but I find it hard to discard hundreds of Battlemechs when they can just be made better and modernized. Endo and Double Heat does wonders by themselves. Add in weapons changes and now they are quite fearsome.
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Hello,
I am enjoying this story immensely. I take it there will eventually be incentive for the Periphery Terrans to develop SLDF technologies past current levels. Otherwise, keep up the excellent work.
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What mech/tank designs have you decided to phase out of your TOE?
Maybe consider create a second line/ militia unit for them a Ferro Fibrous upgrade for the 2nd line units.
It fails to work as well for tank crews, but retired mech warriors could be given mechs not part of TOE upon retirement to use for as long as able to use them.conditional on where they retire,( and maybe a plot of land on planets with low population/little military presence).
THiE version of “40 acres and a mule”.
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Right now, just about everything is in use. Though some designs are in limited numbers. Wayland Mobile Bases are now stationed at a Refit Facility and Paramour Mobile Repair Vehicles are coming into the units in good numbers.
I have decided that we will be doing a 3 year time jump from Jan 2776 to Jan 2779. I will then do a major update on all TO&E for every command with what equipment they are using and in what numbers. Full system population update, industry status, fleet count and everything. Jan 2779 will be a major event to this AU.
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Glad to see Drachenfeld will remain in contact! I like the suggestion to put an Embassy down, and designate the troops the security force. That little political dodge would give the Drachenfeld leadership political cover AND a defense force...
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1 April to 1 July 2775
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)(Real)
Admiral Marrkgrae led the Fifth Fleet into Graham IV and simply overwhelmed the systems SDS. This cleared the way for 8th Army to strike Graham IV while the Warships and Marines of Fifth Fleet secured the massive ship yards and supporting factory's of Mitchell Vehicles and DeKirk Aerospace. Amaris forces launched nuclear strikes on 8th Army's landing zones inflicting heavy losses on the SLDF forces.
Using limited orbital strikes, the SLDF managed to slowly expand their perimeters. VII Corps pushed the defenders hard, launching assault after assault until they finally broke the defensive lines allowing XXV Corps to pour through the massive breach. It took 2 months to secure the system fully and although they had managed to capture the planets industrial complex's relatively intact, the planet itself was ravaged by the nuclear strikes and orbital bombardments. But 8th Army had successfully completed their mission, secure vital manufacturing to provide equipment for the SLDF.
Delbert "Red" Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Vehicles, wasted no time in repairing his Factory to supply the SLDF with everything they needed. Though it would take almost a year to complete the repairs fully, within a month of the fighting ending, Mitchell Vehicles was once again supplying the SLDF with Battlemechs. Though at a reduced production rate.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)(Periphery)
General Rita Mitchell looked over the design that Rear Admiral Delvaney had come up with, it looked good on paper to her, but she was not the expert. She handed the design specs over to Admiral Tanisha Tanaka so that she could tell her if it was worth the effort. It looked okay, able to do the same mission profile as the Newgrange Yardship, but at 1/4 of the size and crew needs and much less expensive at just under 16 Billion.
At 550,000 tons, the Builder Yardship carried a 1M ton unpressurized repair yard and 30,000 tons of specialized manufacturing equipment, exact copies of those aboard the Newgrange but not as many. Armed for solely self protection, it carried 2 NL/35, 6 LPL, 6 SPL in the FLS/FRS and ALS/ARS arcs. Covering the AFT was 3 NL/35, 8 LPL and 8 SPL. The LBS/RBS mounted 3 NL/35, 8 LPL and 8 SPL. Carrying 500 workers, 56 Marines and 60 crew for the 12 small craft. Two Dropship collars and a cargo bay for 135,754 tons rounded out the design. It could build anything under 1M tons but at half the speed of the Newgrange due to not mounting as much manufacturing equipment.
"Well, it looks decent enough. The main thing is it free's up SLS Salvation for much more important work. As long as we don't deploy it ourside of our borders, at least not wothout a good escort, it should do just fine. I would like to get a few more Olympus Recharge Stations built around our territory, mainly to aid in the maintence of Vice Admiral Seimens' Squadron of Vigilant Corvettes. I plan to work them pretty hard on patrol and I would like to keep them out of the primary shipyards, which my larger ships need. I say we let her build them, lord knows we need more Mining Stations built in a lot of astroid belts. Not to mention orbital factory's to take more pressure off the LInden factory's." Admiral Tanaka said
"Okay, I will give her the go ahead, but after she completes the Vincent conversions." General Mitchell said
On Blommestein, work continued on getting the new Factory's up and running. Hegemony Inductries was selected as the name for the massive complex of individual Factory's. It was predicted that the complex would begin full operation in March 2776.
Trina Weldon-Henderson had been good to her word and her team of engineers had quickly come up with a upgraded variant of the Typhoon Aerospace Fighter. With cost effectiveness versus combat ability at the fore front of their mind they made only a few changes but those changes boosted it's overall peformance. They had swapped the heat sinks for Double Heat Sinks and left the count at 26. Removing the PPC's, they replaced them with an additional 2 large lasers giving the Typhoon 6 in total. This allowed them to boost the fighters fuel to 6 tons and changed the armor to Ferro Aluminum and boosting it to 11.5 tons. These changes not only increased it's combat endurance, but also allowed it to Alpha strike with barely any heat gain. It was named the Typhoon TFN-2B and cost just 5.4 million.
They had also worked over the Star Dagger, but this one was a more radical and expensive upgrade. Mounting a 240 XL Fusion engine, this freed up weight to make some serious changes. Mounting 10 Double Heat Sinks, 8 tons of fuel and 7 tons of Ferro Aluminum armor gave it outstanding performance values. The weapons layout was changed to 2 medium laser in the Nose and each Wing for a total of 6 that did even put a strain on the fighters cooling system. Though it duplicated the role of the Sabre, it's larger fuel load made it a much better patrol platform. They called it the Star Dagger S-2C and it cost 3.6 million. Twice the cost of the original.
Hegemony Industries Aerospace Division was planned for a January 2776 with 8 initial production lines.
Thazi Motors, never one to stand still, had reverse engineered the BFFL "Buffalo" Hover Vehicle. Able to carry 40 tons of cargo it would be assigned to rear area support and even sold to civilian transportation companies. They boosted it's range to 1,888 Kilometers with 8.5 tons of fuel and increased the size of the power plant to increase speed by over 30%. With it's dual role, they also increased it's armor to maximum while still managing to carry it's 40 ton cargo load. At a cost just under 1.4 million, it was quite a bargain.
The biggest news was SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye had returned with news of the 2 Carrak Transports in the Schrim system. Searching 4 systems, the Carracks had been the only find.
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Well, it sucks to live on Graham IV now, but good for the SLDF to have factories and a shipyard to resupply at. The ships in the slips give them naval reinforcements, should the Navy actually deem to use old, retired ships. The Star League Navy are kind of elitist.
Looking forward to the Vincent destroyer mod. However, the yardship looks like a less capable Faslane (yardsize anyway), but it seems to meet the needs of the situation. Should suit the Hidden Hegemony well.
The 2 Carracks found, made it worth the effort to follow the SLS Independence’s trail thru 4 systems, even if they are all that are found.
The reverse engineering and upgrading seem to be going well. Except for nighthawks, Industrial Mechs and CAAN bluewater vessels are the only things below dropships that haven’t been torn apart to reverse engineer. They are busy beavers.
Olympus stations? Wow. They have ambition, having those in every system would massively increase trade, trade speed (beaming power to jumpships), offload civilian ship repair, and act as system traffic control, removing those responsibilities from the ground and the military. The population and economy are going to explode.
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NL/35s? ???
In every case, NL/45s are worth the tonnage and heat. The extra range bracket makes a huge difference.
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1 July to 31 November 2775
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
It took 3 weeks to pour over all the intelligence gathered by SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveillence during it's long mission. Though it had only been assigned 4 systems as targets, it had passed through 14 systems on it's journey. What was revealed shocked everyone. Systems were undergoing massive breakdowns of water purification systems, every HPG was down, there was very little if any interstellar traffic. Some systems could feed themselves, but some relied on others and with no interstellar traffic, they were slowly dying of starvation. Systems on the border regions reported increased pirate raids, some with devestating results. Almost every system seemed to be broadcasting to the heavens, asking for help and assistance.
General Rita Mitchell was on her couch reading some of the intelligence reports. In front of her, Amanda Cameron and Patrick Mitchell were doing their home work at the coffee table. After reading so many heart wrenching reports, General Mitchell wiped a tear that had slipped down her cheek. She never noticed Amanda Cameron looking at her "What's wrong mama? Why are you so sad?"
"It's work honey. There is some bad news in the reports." Rita replied
"Can we make the bad news better? Make it go away?" Amanda Cameron asked
"Yes, we could make it better I suppose. But it would be very risky and possibly strain our resources and maybe put our own people in jeopardy." Rita said
"We should try to make it better. Like when Bobby skinned his knee at school, I went and got a bandaid for him. I could not make it go away, but I could make it better." Amanda Cameron said
"Yeah mom, you always taught us that the strong watch over the weak. We help those in need and ask for nothing in return. That is the honorable way. Honor is everything." Patrick Mitchell said
The strong watch over the weak, her mind repeated over and over. Patrick was growing into a strong young man and Amanda Cameron was almost nine and learning fast. Rita thought to herself. "I will look into it in the morning, maybe we can help them."
"We are strong. Aunt Holly says we get stronger every day. Strong watch over the weak. Honor is everything." Amanda Cameron said
Aunt Holly, aka Captain Holly Decroy, Royal Black Watch, Amanda's close in guard when she was not at home with General Mitchell, Rita thought. She could not help but smile when Amanda repeated what Patrick had said. She would not be like her father, First Lord Richard Cameron, she would grow to be a strong and honorable ruler, Rita silently swore.
"It's bedtime. I promise I will look into the problems in the morning. Now, let's get everything put away and you both go get ready for bed. I will be in shortly to tuck you in." Rita said
After the kids had left to get ready for bed, General Mitchell pulled out her computer and pulled up a Star Map. Most of the worlds SLS Sneak had passed through were in the Traders Domain, but she had passed through a bunch of systems in the Onverwacht Province. Jesus, what if both Provinces were in crisis like the systems in the reports, she thought. No way can we absorb that many systems, no, we will do what we can to try and help, but not at the risk to the Hegemony. I cannot and will not allow the people of the Hegemony to be put in jeopardy, General Mitchell thought.
The next day, as promised, she called Martin Zuni in for a talk. She knew he had been wanting to venture out from the Hegemony borders, might as well put him to work. After she and Martin had shared a few minutes of small talk, she got down to business.
"Martin, I am going to take the leash off as you call it. Promise me you will use your head and not violate our security. You and ZaP Shipping may now venture into the Onverwacht Province and Traders Domain. Load up with food and basic supplies. We have reports that the systems are in dire straights out there. Gather me as much intel as you can. We are not, repeat not going to absorb those systems, your a free trader that happened to hear their call for help. Provide the aid, free of charge and report back to me so that I can figure out what else we can do to help but not at the risk of our security here." General Mitchell said
"It's going to put a huge crunch on shipping within our borders. You sure you want to risk it?" Martin asked, he knew how seriously she took her mission.
"Am I sure, hell no. But what else can we do? We cannot just let millions of people die. If we let the systems on our borders dive into utter chaos, that becomes a risk to our security. I will have SLDF transports and dropships take over shipping within our borders. No sense in having them just sit around idle. I need to know what is actually happening out beyond our borders." General Mitchell replied
"I understand Rita. This is now my home also. I will not do anything to threaten us. I will put out the word, have my people start loading up food and basic supplies. No commincation with our folks here makes me a little nervous though. I have to think about my people also." Martin said
"We keep a tight schedule. First trip out, stick to a systems a single jump from our borders. We focus first on systems we know had trouble feeding themselves prior to the Uprising. Strict 1 month schedule, then they come home. Someone does not show up in a month, we come get them, by force if it is needed. Everyone gets hazard pay, double wages during this expedition. This is an official tasking by the Hegemony Government, so send me the bill." General Mitchell said
"That will make everyone feel better knowing we have the cavalry ready to come after us. Can I ask for double security details? My people are civilians not soldiers, we have gotten used to having gun toters around, make me feel even better now that we are venturing into the unknown." Martin replied
"Okay, I will double the security details aboard all your Jumpships and Dropships. Tell you what, I will go you one better and assign 2 Aerospace Fighters to every Jumpship you have. Give you some additional support. Most of your Jumpships will lose their small craft, but you have some on the Dropships. They only launch if a clear threat is observed. I would prefer not to announce our presence by flying escort or patrol." General Mitchell said
"I will take it. No flying unless a threat is observed. I can live with that. Gonna get cramped on the other ships, but I can handle the doubled security force on my Star Lord easily." Martin replied
"They will just have to suck it up. Get going, get your people ready and load the Dropships. Make sure myself and Admiral Tanaka know exactly where each ship is heading. You tell the Jumpship captains that they jump out at the first sign of trouble if they can. Get back to our systems and let us handle going back in to rescue the Dropships. I will have forces ready to respond the second we get word of trouble." General Mitchell said
Mid November 2775, Zap Shipping began their ordered relief effort. A second wave of ZaP ships were standing by for word of additional needs.
Rhodon (Onverwacht Prov) - Liberty Jumpship, 4 Jumbo Dropships
Gaeri (Onverwacht Prov) - Liberty Jumpship, 4 Mule Dropships
Zalt (Traders Domain) - Invader Jumpship, 3 Mule Dropships
Mitz (Traders Domain) - Invader Jumpship, 3 Mule Dropships
Gitarama (Traders Domain) - Invader Jumpship, 3 Jumbo Dropships
Barahona (Traders Domain) - Star Lord Jumpship, 6 Mammoth Dropships
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Some of those worlds are going to practically demand to join the Hegemony...
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"giving" stuff away is going to draw a lot of attention. it might be best to trade it. info as value but so do raw ores and both of those can be used by the THiE.
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I don’t really understand why she is so against absorbing any worlds, if there is terraforming problems or any of the massive water purifiers have problems, she is going to have to absorb them to send DoME teams out to fix them. The last time she was in a much worse place and took on 27 worlds, now they are doing so much better and possibly absorbing only 14? The last time, Star league soldiers protecting civilians and fulfilling their sworn oaths and duties was reason enough to do it, now she has to be talked into it? Feels like a logical inconsistency, but a very human one.
More worlds means the Hidden Hegemony has a broader pool of manpower and resources. I understand that it comes with risk, of exposure, of pirate attacks, but with danger comes opportunity. Helping those people now will endear them and sow positive karma, a lot more than the OWA government. That and these are very independent people, the kind that don’t take well to charity. A trade or price for help might be better.
Looking forward to however you chose to resolve this.
EDIT: It seems like Rita is worried about absorbing the 2 entire provinces, she should be more focused on the worst hit worlds and going from there, basically triage. Find out what is going on, how far the isolation has spread, whether ships or communication. And take it from there.
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"giving" stuff away is going to draw a lot of attention. it might be best to trade it. info as value but so do raw ores and both of those can be used by the THiE.
somewhat good idea, but it does build good will, which would help bringing these worlds in after a time.
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1 December to 31 December 2775
Rhodon (Onverwacht Prov)
Ships Captain Francis Malloy had rode down to the surface with the 4 Jumbo Dropships. They had been on the surface for 4 days unloading the food, medical and general supplies to the planet's estimated 19 million people. When questioned about who they were and were they came from, Francis Malloy could only tell them that they had heard the radio calls and had come to help out. He had asked general questions on their needs and learned the water purification systems were failing. The water on this planet was not drinkable without them. This effected both drinking water and the hydroponics buildings.
The planet's HPG station was wrecked, which was usual for every system when the rebels had passed through the area years ago. The large mining operations had been idled years ago for lack of any transportation for their mined resources. Plus they lacked the spare parts to repair many of their Dig Lord Mining Mechs and Corx Tunnel Miners. Though no payment for the food and supplies was asked for, Valerie Nemier, the planetary governor had offered to load the Jumbo Dropships up with raw material, it was doing no one any good sitting on the surface here. Francis Malloy declined, but not happily, but informed her that if he could get the water filters and maybe spare parts, then he would accept the raw material, but je could make no promises.
During their stay, the crews of the Dropships heard many stories and just as many complaints about the abandonment by the Outworlds authorities. Valerie Nemier stated plainly that if they had access to interstellar transport on a regular basis, they would declare independence and look after themselves.
Gaeri (Onverwacht Prov)
The ZaP Shipping detail assigned to Gaeri found a much more difficult situation on their target. The people here had drawn themselves into 2 armed camps and were fighting over the large farms on the single continent. Landing 2 Dropships at each groups main city, they distributed their supplies to both sides equally. The group that controlled the Capital City of North Salem, had roughly 13 million people in the surrounding area and was run by Colonel Garth Roshek, formerly of the SLDF Reserve force on the planet when the rebels passed through. His remaining Infantry Regiment backed by 5 Regiments of locals held their own and seemed to be the most thankful. The people here were mostly Hegemony and Fed Suns transplants. Many tales of massacres from the other camp were told.
The other group located around South Salem, consisted of roughly 9 million people and were mainly from the Combine. They had 4 Infantry Regiments led by Zelda Mathews, a charismatic women but everyone sensed a mean streak in her, they wanted to get gone from here quickly. When the supplies were distributed and the Dropships were about to lift off, her troops tried vainly to halt their departure, but their light weapons were useless.
Zalt (Traders Domain)
The situation found on Zalt was about as bleak as it could be. The water purification system had failed completely which in turn caused the hydroponics to fail. Settled primarily to mine the 2 asteroid belts in the system, the lack of food and water had caused the 4 mining stations there to be abandoned. As the Dropships lifted off, the crews had felt guilty at the peoples plight, almost surrounded as they were by the Hegemony.
Mitz (Traders Domain)
Settled to mine both the surface and 2 asteroid belts in system, Mitz had once shipped most of it's material to Azur. In return, Azur used to ship them food and supplies. When the rebels swept through, they had massacred the small SLDF Reserve Battalion and moved on. With no contact, they had abandoned the 6 Mining Stations in the asteroid belts. They lacked spare parts for the Mining Mechs and other equipment. The water purification system was barely functional.
Gitarama (Traders Domain)
With large resource deposits in the surface and 12 Mining Stations located in the 3 asteroid belts in the system, Gitarama had once been a booming mining colony. Then the rebels had passed through, destroying several Jumpships and Dropships taking on mined ores. This had idled the planets potential and sent everyone into pure survival mode. They had enlarged and built additional greenhouses to grow barely enough food to sustain the 3.5 million people. The ZaP Dropships unloaded their supplies and departed the system with heavy hearts.
Barahona (Traders Domain)
Martin Zuni himself led the mission to Barahona, for he had carried cargo to and from here several times in the past. He could not help but stare at the severely damaged Olympus Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point. Once a bustling and busy place, with Jumpships and Dropships constantly on the move. Though it had scarce resources, it had ample fishing that rivaled anywhere in known space. The few resources it had were extremely hard to mine and were in very remote location, but their pure value made them worth going after.
With roughly 21 million people, it had roughly 19 million the last time Martin had passed through, he knew his 6 Mammoths worth of supplies would be badly needed. Over half the population were from the Hegemony, the rest either Outworlds or Fed Suns colonists. But they co-existed easily and Martin was surprised to find a still functional and armed SLDF Reserve command on the surface. With 3 Infantry Regiments, Lieutenant General Lamont James had managed to keep order on the surface. He soaked up all the news Martin would tell him. When Martin pulled the Dropships off the surface, he knew what General Mitchell would have to do, she just did not want to do it yet.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell read the reports from ZaP Shipping. Luckily, every ship had returned safely but the breakdown on Gaeri concerned her. Not to mention that it still had SLDF personnel on the planet. She compared the reports to the Star Map on her computer, Gaeri and Barahona would have to be brought in, she would not abandon SLDF troops. But Barahona would require them to also absorb Danli, Gitarama, Las Tunas, Taumaturgo. She would not repeat the mistake of not bringing Zalt into the fold, while virtually surrounded by the Hegemony and that filled her with guilt. She penciled some notes and came up with a plan.
Rhodon - 1 Brigade from 31st Infantry Division
Gaeri - 280th Mechanized Infantry Division
Zalt - 9th Conventional RCT
Mitz - 1 Brigade from 36th Infantry Division
Gitarama - 1 Brigade from 126th Mechanized Infantry Division
Barahona - 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
Danli - 19th Hussar Regiment
Las Tunas - 13th Conventional RCT
Taumaturgo - 11th Conventional RCT
Tanz - 238th Striker Regiment
Once the troops were on the ground and everything secure, she would let the DOME crews enter and repair the water purification systems. From there, they would play it by ear. She still was not sure about going hog wild on bringing even more systems into the Hegemony, but if they found SLDF troops, well those would have to be brought home.
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Well, I am glad Rita has seen the writing on the wall. Sad to see so much destruction, though. The absorbing of these systems will mean the SLDF Army and Navy need to expand to have adequate strategic depth.
The thing I am wondering about, when the SLDF was in the Outworlds Alliance during the Reunification Wars, hidden Castle Brians were placed for both Army and Navy in each OWA province. We have seen the one under construction on Boulsi, and the Blommestein Demons trying to get into one on Vangburg, but they have not appeared so far. The Cameron escape dropship SLS Abyss or the battlecruiser SLS Tirpitz should have locations of HCIA, Blackwatch, Royal Command, SLDFA, SLN, and HN Castle Brians in Memory. Is Blackwatch holding out?
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No, SLS Tirpitz did not have the information. One of the major headquarters ships would have it, but Tirpitz was more of an emergency escape vessel laid on at the last month or so before the Coup.
OWA during the Reunification War would not include Blommestein, Trader or Onverwacht Provinces. Those only began being colonized around 2750 or so.
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Is there a map of The THiE posted anywhere?
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Let's try this. Blommestein Province is currently the Terran Hegemony. But it also includes Azur in the Traders Domain.
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The map really makes clear Rita's oversight with regard to Zalt. Glad she's decided to fix that! :thumbsup:
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Uh. Yeah. I just looked and 4 provinces and half of 2 of the 3 remaining provinces weren’t there. That is quite a bit of expansion in the 2 centuries. Wow.
So in the following Provinces, only the worlds stationed with troops would have any Castle Brians or anything of interest (took me a while, f***ing interruptions):
2766-2769
Trader’s Domain
Wynn’s Roost, 61st RJID, Blommestein Demons last seen here. - confirmed BC
Vangburg -211th DR warships escorts called here - unconfirmed BC
Gitarama - 252nd MID (?) 12 Mining Stations, unconfirmed BC
Mitz - SLDF Reserve Batt (destroyed) - 6 Mining Stations - unconfirmed BC
Zalt - 4 Mining Station
Barahona - 3 SLDF Reserve Regiments, 1 damaged Olympus Recharge Station- unconfirmed BC
Raetia - 125th RHAR (?) - unconfirmed BC
Bannerhoft - 179th LHR (?) - unconfirmed BC
Danli - 1st Trader Sentinels
Fallry - 2nd Trader Sentinels
Onverwacht Province
Braben’s Frontier - 48th ID unconfirmed BC
Gaeri - 149th MID (?), 1 SLDF Reserve Infantry Regiment, 5 Local (SLDF Aligned) Infantry Regiment, 4 (Drac Aligned) Local Infantry Regiments - unconfirmed BC
Onverwacht - 157 RMID(?) -unconfirmed BC
Schrim - Destroyed Mining Stations, 2 wrecked Carracks
Ype-Jhu - 428th stranded here, Onverwacht Guards
Santa Ana - 126 MID escorts called here, disappeared?
Blommestein Province
Blommestien - 135th MID(moved to Ambatomainty) reassigned to 272 MID - unconfirmed BC
Puttalam - 147th MID (destroyed) - unconfirmed BC
Boulsi - 228th SR (destroyed) confirmed mostly built BC
Pilon 277th DR & 322nd AD - unconfirmed BC
Thazi - (modified Olympus Recharge Station) 2 independent IR & 3391st SF (sent to reinforce) - unconfirmed BC
Ambatomainty - 135th MID (destroyed) 126th sent to reinforce - unconfirmed BC
Wokha - 200th RLHR (probably destroyed?) unconfirmed BC
Shira - (destroyed Olympus recharge station) - possible BC
Quines - 335th (stranded)
Linden - 238th SR, 2391st Royal Independent Aero Wing, (963rd Aero Wing gone?), Navy detachment, Deep Spin Maintenance Facility W/ 2 1-M-ton Maintenance yards, 1 German Processing Factory, 1 Jump Core Factory, 2 Medium Orbital Factory’s, 2 Large Habitats, 2 Small Habitat, 1 Olympus Recharge Station, 3 Snowden Stations, HPG manufactory, DoME facility .
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1 January 2776 to 31 December 2778
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Over the 3 years, many changes took place in the Terran Hegemony. Industrial increases fed an ever growing military but also fueled an ever increasing civilian economy. While the Hegemony absorbed the 10 new systems, peacefully except on Gaeri where the Combine faction had fought for 5 months before their final defeat. General Mitchell allowed ZaP Shipping to continue operations outside the Hegemony borders, they operated as free traders and accepted goods or resources as payment. Bringing the 10 new systems into the Hegemony and building their infrastructure put a strain on the Hegemony economy, not to mention stretched the SLDF thin.
It took a full year to complete the upgrades to the Vincent Corvettes to Destroyers. They had revamped the ships coolant system mounting 1000 Double Heat Sinks. The Ferro Carbide armor was increased to 335 tons, which tripled protection. A thousand tons of fuel were added to help extend operational range. The new design kept the LF Batteries and Mobile HPG. The weapons system was completely revamped, double Barracuda Launchers w/20 shots were mounted in the NOSE, while 2 NAC/10 w/50 shots each arc and 6 Large Lasers covered the FLS/FRS arcs. The ALS/ARS and AFT arcs contained 4 NL/55 and 6 Large Lasers. The LBS/RBS contained 3 NAC/20 w/60 shots each arc and 6 Large Lasers. Cargo was decreased to 58,432 tons.
SLS Midnight Dancer, Potemkin Transport had been completed in 2776. It was assigned to the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division. In 2777, all 3 Builder Yardships were started and completed in a year. General Mitchell after consulting with Admiral Tanaka had suspended Warship Construction. The Shipyard at Thazi and the 2 at Linden had begun to produce Tramp Jumpships at a rate of 9 per year with 18 completed by Dec 2778. These were assigned to Conventional RCT's wich freed up the Star Lord Jumpships for Independent Regiment and Divisional Transports.
Industrial growth had seen a huge increase as factory's came online and workers increased in experience. Several additional Lion models were designed after feedback from Line Commanders. The first had been a Heavy Armor transport version able to carry a full Battalion of 36 Heavy Tanks with 555 tons of cargo. The second version was a Light Armor version able to carry 2 Battalions of 72 Light Tanks and 555 tons of cargo. Both were put into construction at the ever enlarging Hegemony Aerospace complex on Ceibu. Hegemony Industries on Blommestein came online mid 2776 manufacturing Battlemechs, Vehicles and Aerospace Fighters.
Hegemony Aerospace (Ceibu)
Dropships
Mammoth Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (16 per year)
Mule Dropship - 8 Construction Hangers (24 per year)
Jumbo Dropship - 4 Construction Hangers (8 per year)
Lion (Infantry) - 12 Construction Hangers (36 per year)
Lion (Hvy Armor) - 6 Construction Hangers (18 per year)
Lion (Light Armor) - 6 Construction Hangers (18 per year)
Czar Dropship - 4 Construction Hangers (disassembling 12 per year)
Interplanetary Drive
Bally Tech Super X40 - Mammoth
GE 2080 - Mule
Antares 2800 - Jumbo
Star League V450 - Lion (Infantry), Lion (Hvy Armor), Lion (Light Armor)
Thazi Motors (Thazi)
Manticore - 4 Lines producing 30 per month currently each line
Alacorn MkVI - 4 Lines producing 20 per month currently each line
Turhan - 4 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line
Demon - 3 Lines producing 25 per month currently each line
Chevalier - 3 Lines producing 40 per month currently each line
Zephyr Hover - 1 Line producing 40 per month each Line
Paramour Mobile - adding 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line
Engineering Vehicle - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line
BFFL "Buffalo" - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each Line
Mobile HQ - 1 Line producing 10 per month
Mobile HPG - 1 Line producing 3 per month
Thazi Motors (Ambatomainty)
Brunel Dump Truck - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
Lessups Dump Truck - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
TLF-LL6500 Fire Engine - 2 Lines producing 40 per month each line
MASH Truck - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
135-K Coolant Truck - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
Jeep - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
Flatbed Truck - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
Sherpa Truck - 2 Lines producing 60 per month each line
J-27 Ordanance w/ Trailor - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each line
Battlemech Recovery Vehicle - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each line
Heavy Battlemech Recovery - 2 Lines producing 15 per month each line
Corx Mobile Tunnel Miner - 2 Lines producing 4 per month each Line
Azur Heavy Industries (Azur)
Padilla Artillery - 3 Lines producing 12 per month each line
Chaparrel Artillery - 2 Lines producing 18 per month each line
Thor Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Marksman Artillery - 3 Lines producing 24 per month each line
Hegemony Industries (Blommestein)
Battlemech Division
Mongoose MON-66b - 1 Line producing 15 per month
Night Hawk NTK-2Q - 1 Line producing 15 per month
Crab CRB-27b - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Crab CRB-27sl - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Phoenix Hawk PXH-2 - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Dervish DV-6Mb - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Warhammer WHM-7A - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Aerospace Division
Sabre SB-28 - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Tommahawk THK-63b - 2 Lines producing 24 per month
Lightning LTN-G15b - 2 Lines producing 18 per month
Hellcat II HCT-213C - 2 Lines producing 18 per month
Stuka STU-K5b2 - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
Thunderbird TRB-D26b - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
Vehicle Division (Refitting)
Merkava MkX - refitting 24 per month
Marsden II MkIII - refitting 24 per month
LVT-4 (Upgrade) - refitting 36 per month
Puttalam Industrial Concerns (Puttalam)
CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
BV XXI Buster HaulerMech - 2 Lines producing 12 per month
Dig King Mining Mech - 4 Lines producing 48 per month
Ocean Works (Thazi)
Kaleen Bay - producing 8 per year
Anastaska Maro - producing 8 per year
Vought Aircraft Civilian (Ddraig)
Oceanic Series II Personal VTOL - 3 Line producing 10 per month each
Dumas 130 Fusion (Oceanic) - 3 Line producing 10 per month each
Hermes 100 Fusion (Cobra VTOL) - 3 Line producing 10 per month each
Vought Aircraft Military (Ddraig)
Royal Cyrano Gunship - 3 Line producing 12 per month each Line
Cobra Transport VTOL - 5 Line producing 15 per month each Line
Cobra MASH VTOL - 2 Line producing 10 per month each Line
Cobra Command VTOL - 1 Line producing 10 per month
Cobra (Artillery) - 2 Lines producing 15 per month each Line
Vector Transport VTOL - 4 Line poducing 10 per month each Line
Vector Scout - 2 Lines producing 10 per month each Line
Night Shade ECM (Royal) - 1 Line producing 12 per month
Vought Aircraft had designed a version of Cobra VTOL mounting 4 lift hoists to utilize air mobile lift operations. Primarily designed for use by the only Jump Infantry Division in the SLDF forces. It could even lift a 60 ton Battlemech over hostile ground but suffered a serious reduction in it's speed.
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship had spent a year in the Schrim system recovering both Carrack Transports. Bringing the them to jump capability, they were returned to Thazi and completed their repairs. The addition of the 2 Carrack Transports were just a small part of the expansion the SLDF underwent over the years.
First Expeditionary Army (General Rita Mitchell)
Army Command Regiment (Thazi) (BM Batt, HQ Batt, Inf Batt)
Royal Black Watch (Thazi) (100%)
322nd Armored Division (Pilon) (100%)
323rd Armored Division (Boulsi) 100%
Special Forces Regiment (Thazi) (4 Batt) (100%)
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division (Thazi) (60%), SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport
1st Corps (Major General Nathan Baxter)
359th Battlemech Division (Puttalam) (100%), SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division (Thazi) (100%)
280th Mechanized Infantry Division (Blommestein) (100%)
29th Mechanized Infantry Division (Ambatomainty) (100%)
31st Infantry Division (Ejeda) (100%)
211th Hussar Regiment (Ddraig) (100%)
509th Battle Regiment (Mandeville) (100%)
201st Battle Regiment (Zumbo) (100%)
8th Conventional RCT (Sorsk) (100%)
10th Conventional RCT (Blommestein) (100%)
12th Conventional RCT (Rondon) (100%)
14th Conventional RCT (Puttalam) (100%)
2nd Corps (Major General Colin McGregor)
126th Mechanized Infantry Division (Feijo) (100%), SLS Midnight Dancer, Potemkin Transport
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division (Linden) (100%)
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division (Las Tunas) (100%)
36th Infantry Division (Azur) (100%)
52nd Infantry Division (Barahona) (100%)
19th Hussar Regiment (Danli) (100%)
277th Dragoon Regiment (Zetang) (100%)
238th Striker Regiment (Tanz) (100%)
247th Heavy Assault Regiment (Alktral) (100%)
9th Conventional RCT (Zalt) (100%)
11th Conventional RCT (Taumaturgo) (100%)
13th Conventional RCT (Alktral) (100%)
15th Conventional RCT (Mitz) (100%)
16th Conventional RCT (Gaeri) (100%)
1st Expeditionary Fleet (Admiral Tanisha Tanaka)
SLS Windego, Whirlwind Destroyer
21st Independent Squadron (Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain)
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser
55th Reconnaissance Division (Rear Admiral Paula Bannock)
SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveilence
5 Scout HPG Jumpships
88th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral William Blyth)
SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser
SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate
SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Destroyer
SLS Trinity River, Vincent Destroyer
SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer
89th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler)
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier
SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Buccaneer, Essex II Destroyer
90th Support Division (Rear Admiral Trisha Delvaney)
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship
SLS Builder, Builder Yardship
SLS Constructor, Builder Yardship
SLS Erector, Builder Yardship
SLS Borneo, Volga Transport
SLS Mount McHenry, Carrack Transport
SLS Mount Fuji, Carrack Transport
22nd Patrol Squadron (Vice Admiral Percy Seimens)
61st Corvette Division
SLS Blommestein, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Azur, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Boulsi, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ceibu, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Pilon, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Shiri, Vigilant Corvette
62nd Patrol Division
SLS Puttalam, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Feijo, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ejeda, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ddraig, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Wokha, Vigilant Corvette
SLS Linden, Vigilant Corvette
Independent Ships
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser (Thazi)
SLS Thazi, Dart Light Cruiser (Training Ship) (Thazi)
The 22nd Patrol Squadrons divisions did not have senior officers since they operated in pairs patrolling the long borders of the Hegemony. General Rita Mitchell had again put on hold her plans to reactivate another Division, having formed the 52nd Infantry Division, the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division. Though they had brought another 4 Conventional RCT's online, it was not enough and she planned another 4-6 Conventional RCT's to be added. Once that was done, it would release more Divisions from purely garrison duties.
Equipment wise, all the Coventional RCT's were fully upgraded. Work refitting Battlemechs, Tanks and Aerospace Fighters was an ongoing and never ending affair.
***NOTE, TO BE CONTINUED WITH FULL TO&E OF EVERY COMMAND***
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nice update. even after 3 years they have not jump the shark. can not wait for more
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1. Nice upgrade to the Vincent, a true Destroyer now. I am a little confused at the logic of 2 NAC/10 in each FLS/FRS arcs and the 4 NL55s in the ALS/ARS and AFT. What is the reasoning?
2. Did you make 2 or 3 Potemkins?
- SLS Midnight Dancer, Potemkin Transport had been completed in 2776. It was assigned to the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division
- 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division (Thazi) (60%), SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport
- 359th Battlemech Division (Puttalam) (100%), SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport
-126th Mechanized Infantry Division (Feijo) (100%), SLS James Harris, Potemkin Transport
Having 3 makes sense. At 2 years a ship, starting in February 2772, ending in 2776, means 2 made + 1 existing = 3 Potemkins. If They preformed a miracle and got 3 made, I am totally on board, too.
3. This confuses me "Paramour Mobile - adding 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line
Engineering Vehicle - 2 Lines producing 20 per month each Line" Isn't it a Paramour Mobile Engineering Vehicle? Or 2 different Vehicles.
4. The only available Industrial Mech left to Reverse Engineer at Puttalam is the Salvage Mech seems like. After that, where is an AgroMech when you need one?
5. "General Rita Mitchell had again put on hold her plans to reactivate another Division, having formed the 52nd Infantry Division" Don't you mean the 54 Mechanized Infantry Division that followed Olivia Daniels? Or is this the 968 people Zuni picked up at Maram with the mystery package that were never numbered, or the 868 people that followed Colonel Quincy Hill off Armington. Because I can't find the 52nd Infantry Division amongst the remnants who came to the Hidden Hegemony.
6. Are you holding out for the Excalibur as Mech Transports instead of the Overlords (you have 21 of them to reverse engineer) Dictators, Triumphs, Colossus, or Unions? Maybe another Lion Redesign? Or salvage the Buccaneer design?
7. With 37 Planets, having only 2 Divisions of Vigilants to Patrol with is a little light, isn't it?
8. It seems like you are making one third of the broad variety of Tanks available to the entire Star League Army.
9. You have schools for each branch, where is the Academy to create the officer Corps from the Talented Sergeants and Warrant Officers?
10. Out of the entire Army, there is 1 active Battlemech Division. Is it because Mehwarriors are limiting factor, or do you like Infantry and Armor a lot more? (If so, I bet you are plotting a way to get Von Luckners)
11. The Rebel Divisions had Gladiators, were they only made at the RWS#27 Outpost.
12. Not making any Assault Mechs. They taking longer to Reverse engineer?
13. The Hidden Hegemony is a hefty chunk of change, now. 37 worlds, 28 Warships, 6 surveillance vessels, 6 Military transports, 13 Divisions, 8 Regiments, 9 RCTs. wow. big difference
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1. If they have to run, I want to chew on the chaser at range. If I am closing, I want to hammer someone, then hammer more as they face the broadsides, then chew on him at range as we come around.
2. Screwed that up, will change, I pulled from old notes when I was going to do 4, then changed to 3. Midnight Dancer has moved to the 126th Mech
3. Paramour is a Mobile Repair Base, like the Wayland Mobile Base
4. Working on this.
5. 52nd is not on that list.....it was actually destroyed during the Uprising in 2765
6. Coming down the time line some. Hegemony Aerospace is swamped right now with the Lion conversions
7. It is, but also a reason why Mitchell is resistant to expanding too fast
8. Not quite
9. Currently, they are promoting veteran Sgt's and Lt's upwards. Coming down the time line
10. I find the Mech Infantry and Infantry Div more flexible, plus less Mech intensive
11. Rebels got imports from somewhere
12. Have several hundred Battlemaster under going massive refit like the Stingers. Need more lighter stuff right now. We are a decade from Massive changes
13. They are getting there. From a military view they are very strong. Civilian side, not very, but growing
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Quite the update! :thumbsup:
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An army with a country. Hopefully, they can be a country with an army.
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Terran Hegemony TO&E (Periphery)
***NOTE***
Support Battalions are now assigned as needed, but most commands have them. They are formed into different kinds as listed:
Support Battalion A (Independent Regiment)
HQ Company - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
Medical Company - 4 MASH Truck, 12 Jeep, 4 Cobra MASH VTOL
Maintenance Company - 12 Paramour, 12 Battlemech Recovery, 12 Sherpa Truck
Maintenance Company - 12 Coolant Truck, 24 J-27 Ord, 6 Sherpa Fuel
Transport Company - 36 Heavy Track APC, 36 Sherpa Truck
Support Battalion B (Mech Inf Brigade/Conv RCT)
HQ Company - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep (Infantry Brigade minus HPG)
Medical Company - 12 MASH Truck, 36 Jeep, 12 Cobra MASH VTOL
Maintenance Company - 24 Paramour, 6 Sherpa Fuel, 12 Sherpa Truck
Maintenance Company - 36 J-27 Ord, 36 Sherpa Truck
Transport Company - 36 Heavy Track APC, 36 Sherpa Truck
Support Battalion C (Inf Brigade/Jump Inf Brigade)
HQ Company - 4 Mobile HQ, 24 Jeep
Medical Company - 12 MASH Truck, 36 Jeep, 12 Cobra MASH VTOL
Maintenance Company - 12 Paramour, 12 Battlemech Recovery, 12 Sherpa Truck
Maintenance Company - 12 Coolant Truck, 24 J-27 Ord, 6 Sherpa Fuel
Transport Company - 36 Heavy Track APC, 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Support Battalion D (Battlemech Regiment)
HQ Company - 4 Mobile HQ, 24 Jeep
Medical Company - 4 MASH Truck, 12 Jeep, 4 Cobra MASH VTOL
Maintenance Company - 12 Paramour, 12 Battlemech Recovery, 12 Sherpa Truck
Maintenance Company - 12 Coolant Truck, 24 J-27 Ord, 6 Sherpa Fuel
Transport Company - 36 Heavy Track APC, 36 Sherpa Truck
Army Command Regiment
Command Battlemech Battalion
Pillager PLG-3Z - 1
Emperor EMP-6A - 15
Highlander HGN-732b - 12
Crockett CRK-5003-1b - 12
Headquarters & Support Battalion
HQ Company - 8 Mobile HQ, 4 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
Medical Company - 2 MASH Truck, 10 Jeep, 4 Cobra MASH VTOL
Maintenance Company - 6 Paramour, 6 Battlemech Recovery, 6 Sherpa Truck
Maintenance Company - 6 Coolant Truck, 18 J-27 Ord
Transport Company - 12 Heavy Track APC, 12 Sherpa Truck
Infantry Battalion
Infantry Company - 3 (336 men)
Turhan - 12
The Army Command Regiment is assigned to General Rita Mitchell and assists her in tracking all commands.
Royal Black Watch Regiment
Command Battlemech Company
Black Knight BL-6b-KNT - 4
Warhammer WHM-7A - 8
Battlemech Regiment
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b
Jump Infantry Regiment - 3 Batt (336 men), VTOL Batt (12 Royal Cyrano, 24 Cobra Tranport VTOL)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 3 Batt (336 men), VTOL Batt (12 Royal Cyrano, 24 Cobra Tranport VTOL)
Support Battalion A
The Royal Black Watch protects Amanda Cameron and goes where she goes.
322nd Armored Division
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
3221st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3222nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3223rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3224th Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Markeman, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 3
The 322nd Armored Division is assigned to the Training Command and is not only a combat command, but is mainly used as an advanced training unit for all combat arms.
323rd Armored Division
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
3231st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3232nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3233rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
3234th Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Korvin)
Support Battalion B
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Markeman, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 4 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 3
The 323rd Armored Division is assigned to the Training Command and is not only a combat command, but is mainly used as an advanced training unit for all combat arms.
Special Forces Regiment
3391st Special Forces Batt - 192 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 24 Spector SPR-4F
2282nd Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
2972nd Special Forces Batt - 192 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 8 Spector SPR-4F, 4 Exterminator EXT-4C
3157th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
The Special Forces Battalion has been reorganized to make use of the remaining Nighthawk PAL, with some in reserve. They conduct independent missions outside the Hegemony when ordered.
359th Battlemech Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 4 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb, 12 Stalker STK-3Fb, 24 Thug THG-11Eb
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
3591st Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 4 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb, 8 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Talon TLN-5W
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Talon TLN-5W
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Marauder MAD-2R, 8 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Guillotine GLT-3N
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thug THG-11Eb
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Emperor EMP-6A, 8 Crockett CRK-5003-1
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Striker STC-2Cb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Victor VTR-9Bb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Stalker STK-5Fb
Support Battalion D
3592nd Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Highlander HGN-732b
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Talon TLN-5W
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Archer ARC-2Rb, 8 Cestus CTS-6Y
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Warhammer WHM-7A, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Warhammer WHM-7A, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Battalion - 28 Warhammer WHM-7A, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Support Battalion D
3593rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion - 40 Panther PNT-8Zb
Support Battalion C
3594th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Alacorn)
Support Battalion B
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Stinger STG-3Gb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion D - 3
Support Battalion B - 2
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Stuka STK-K5b2
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport
The 359th Battlemech Division is the heaviest command in the Hegemony. It is also the rapid deployment force for 1st Corps and has a Potemkin Transport assigned to it permenantly.
272nd Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
2721st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
2722nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Manticore)
Support Battalion B
2723rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
2724th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27b
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thug THG-11Eb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Stinger STG-3Gb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Tommahawk THK-63b
Aerospace Group - 18 Lightning LTN-G15b
One of the original Divisions, the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division is one of the most experienced Divisions in the Hegemony forces. As General Mitchell's former command, it get's first choice on all equipment and is used to test new formations and tactics.
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 28 Warhammer WHM-7A, 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
2801st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Demon)
Support Battalion B
2802nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Chevalier)
Support Battalion B
2803rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Demon)
Support Battalion B
2804th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Excaliber EXC-B2b
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Griffin GRF-2N
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Stinger STG-3Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Stinger STG-3Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Talon TLN-5W
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Locust LCT-1Vb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Tomahawk THK-63b
Aerospace Group - 18 Star Dagger S-2C
The 280th Mechanized Infantry Division prefers using wheeled tanks and lighter, faster and more nimble Battlemechs. Their Phoenix Hawk PXH-2 are scheduled to be upgraded to a new model still under development and testing.
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thug THG-11Eb
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
291st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Alacorn)
Support Battalion B
292nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Alacorn)
Support Battalion B
293rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Alacorn)
Support Battalion B
294th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 4 Atlas AS7-D-HT, 8 Stalker STK-3Fb
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Kyudo KY2-D-02
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Guillotine GLT-3N
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Victor VCT-9Bb
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thug THG-11Eb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thug THG-11Eb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Archer ARC-2Rb
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Pillager PLZ-3Z
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Battlemaster BLR-1G
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Battlemaster BLR-1G
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-1Cb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Hellcat II HCT-213C
Aerospace Group - 18 Hellcat II HCT-213C
Aerospace Group - 18 Stuka STU-K5b2
The 29th Mechanized Infantry Division prefers using the heaviest Tanks and Battlemechs it can lay it's hands on. Instead of a battle of maneuver, the 29th prefers to wade in and pummel their opponent. Their Battlemaster BLR-1G are scheduled for upgrade.
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
1261st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Marsden II, 72 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1262nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Alacorn, 72 Manticore)
Support Battalion B
1263rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Manticore, 72 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1264th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Archer ARC-2Rb
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Crab CRB-27sl
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Shootist ST-8A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Shootist ST-8A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Thug THG-11Eb
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Stinger STG-3Gb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Lightning LTN-G15b
SLS Midnight Dancer, Potemkin Transport
One of the original Divisions, the 126 Mechanized Infantry Division is one of the most experienced Divisions in the Hegemony forces. As the lead Division of 2nd Corps, the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division is also the Corps Rapid Response Division and is assigned a Potemkin Transport.
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
1731st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1732nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Alacorn, 72 Manticore)
Support Battalion B
1733rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1734th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Shadow Hawk SHS-2H
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Dervish DV-6Mb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Dervish DV-6Mb, 24 Lynx LNX-9Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Dervish DV-6Mb, 24 Lynx LNX-9Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Dervish DV-6Mb, 24 Lynx LNX-9Q
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Phoenix PX-3Rb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Stuka STK-K5b2
Aerospace Group - 18 Stuka STK-K5b2
The 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division was a hard hitting Division. They excelled in operating in harsh environments, but were equally at home fighting in open ground.
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
1811st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1812nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1813rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Merkava MkX)
Support Battalion B
1814th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Mongoose MON-66b, 24 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Warhammer WHM-7A
Support Battalion D
Artillery Brigade
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Padilla, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Hermes HER-1Sb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Cobra Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 1
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
The 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division had earned a reputation for excellence under Major General Keith Mitchell. Though lacking much actual combat experience, in wargames, they won more than they lost. Major General DeMars constantly griped about the Hermes HER-1Sb in the Division's Cavalry Regiment, but Major General Keith Mitchell stood fast, usually responding "I like it and am going to keep it, you just provide the parts I need".
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Post #588 will be edited as I complete each command. Keep checking back. Sorry, but it is a massive amount of work detailing each command. Not only do I have to keep checking my notes, I then have to type them up.
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That's a crap ton of work making lists. Your tracking docs must be immense.
The Support Battalions seem odd to a modern eye. They don't seem big enough, and functional tasks are mixed up. For example, ammo and fuel are traditionally a transport task, not maintenance task. But, to be my own devil's advocate, doctrine can change in 1000 years. Probably just a silly grognard concern.
Keep up the good work.
SMc.
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The support side of BT has always been clad in armor of vampires, but who wants to do accounting for fuel needs over a campaign?
The Fuel cost for ICE engine vics( weight and cubage),to transport across interstellar distance, is a reason Mechs are king.
Or at least fusion engine vics and mechs,( fuel cell makes more sense for offensive operations if you have a mix of fusion engine vics to crack H).
Example:
An assault BN of 36 ICE engine tanks use 2 tons of fuel per tank =72 tons x 10 day operations on a raid to Planet X.
That’s 720 tons + 10 Lesseps size fuel trucks (500tons)
If you have a 10 fuel truck to size of a Lesseps Truck you would need A mule class DS to carry the trucks and fuel for 100 days of combat ops. Per BN.
Gives a 12% margin, for a BN of armor for their fuel needs.
An Armor regiment would need 3 mile DS to be gas stations, if your going to be on planet for more than 100 days bring engineers to build fuel bunkers because you will need to bring in fuel every 100 days or less.
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Hence why very few of the vehicles in use are ICE, most are Fusion powered. But your always gonna have a few of them around. Just moving enough supply to keep a Division in combat is a real chore.
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Terran Hegemony TO&E (Periphery) cont.
**NOTE** Hit a hard limit on post size. :D
31st Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
311st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q)
Support Battalion C
312nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q)
Support Battalion C
313rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q)
Support Battalion C
314th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Alacorn)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (Zyphr)
Support Battalion C
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman. 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Chaparral, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion C - 4
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Tomahawk THK-63b
Aerospace Group - 18 Tomahawk THK-63b
Aerospace Group - 18 Tomahawk THK-63b
The 31st Infantry Division was a favorite of Major General DeMars, for it was always striving to Use the fewest different designs as possible thus easing maintenance and resupply. Built for defensive operations, it could hold it's own, using it's over sized Armor Brigade as a hard anvil. It excelled at fighting from fixed defenses and it's engineers were skilled at building those defenses.
36th Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
361st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Night Hawk NTK-2Q)
Support Battalion C
362nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Phoenix PX-3Rb)
Support Battalion C
363rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Locust LCT-1Vb)
Support Battalion C
364th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 36 Demon, 36 Manticore)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Zyphr, 72 LVT-4 (upgrade))
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Alacorn, 36 Marsden II, 36 Merkava MkX)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (36 Maxim, 36 LVT-4 (upgrade), 36 Zyphr)
Support Battalion C
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman. 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Chaparral, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Mongoose MON-66b
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion C - 4
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Star Dagger S-2C
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Lightning LTN-G15b
The exact opposite of the 31st Infantry Division, the 36th Infantry Division was the bane of Major General DeMars existence. The 36th seemed to use as many different types of equipment as it could. It trained in every type of environment as it could, and it's equipment reflected it. Always trying to have equipment on hand to battle anyone in whatever manner they decided to choose.
52nd Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Firestarter FS9-Hb
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
521st Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Firestarter FS9-Hb)
Support Battalion C
522nd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Firestarter FS9-Hb)
Support Battalion C
523rd Brigade
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Firestarter FS9-H)
Support Battalion C
524th Brigade
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Chevalier)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Chevalier)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 Demon)
Armor Regiment - 108 Tanks (108 LVT-4 (upgrade))
Support Battalion C
Artillery Regiment
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Marksman. 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Artillery Battalion - 24 Chaparral, 8 Vector Scout, 12 Sherpa Truck
Cavalry Regiment
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim Hover Tanks
Armor Battalion - 36 Zyphr Hover Tanks
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Firestarter FS9-Hb
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Cobra Command VTOL, 8 Royal Cyrano
VTOL Battalion - 36 Royal Cyrano Gunship
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Scout VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
VTOL Battalion - 36 Vector Transport VTOL
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Division Support Regiment
Support Battalion C - 4
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Star Dagger S-2C
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Aerospace Group - 18 Star Dagger S-2C
The 52nd Infantry Division was one of the newest commands activated. Initially equipped with old Firestarter FS9-H Battlemechs, it's techs had quickly come up with an upgrade. The 52nd Infantry Division seemed to relish in using older equipment. Working hard to make what they had work to their advantage as much as possible.
191st Royal Jump Infantry Division
Command Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-2A
Headquarters Battalion - 4 Mobile HQ, 2 Mobile HPG, 24 Jeep
1911st Brigade
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Panther PNT-8Zb)
Support Battalion C
1912nd Brigade
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Stinger STG-3Gb)
Support Battalion C
1913rd Brigade
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Jump Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 men each)
Light Battlemech Battalion (40 Talos TLS-2A)
Support Battalion C
1914th Brigade
Brigade Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PXH-1b
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27sl
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PHX-1b
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Dervish DV-6Mb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Dervish DV-6Mb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-2A
Support Battalion D
Battlemech Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk PHX-2
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-2A
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-2A
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Talos TLS-2A
Support Battalion D
LAM Regiment
LAM Command Company - 12 Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK1
LAM Battalion - 40 Phoenix Hawk LAM PHX-HK1
LAM Battalion - 40 Stinger LAM MK I STG-A1
LAM Battalion - 40 WSP-100 Wasp LAM Mk I
Support Battalion D - 3
VTOL Brigade
VTOL Command Company - 4 Vector Command VTOL, 8 Vector Scout
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (72 Vector Scout, 72 Royal Cyrano)
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (144 Vector Transport)
VTOL Regiment - 4 VTOL Batt (108 Cobra Transport VTOL, 36 Cobra Lift)
Artillery Battalion - 18 Thumper, 18 Cobra Lift
Artillery Battalion - 18 Thumper, 18 Cobra Lift
Artillery Battalion - 18 Sniper, 18 Cobra Lift
Artillery Battalion - 18 Arrow IV, 18 Cobra Lift
Engineer Regiment
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (336 men, 8 Eng Vehicle, 4 Leeps Dump Trucks, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Engineer Battalion - (224 men, 12 CON-7 Carbine ConstructionMech, 12 Heavy Track APC)
Divisional Support Regiment
Support Battalion B - 4
Support Battalion D - 2
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
Ground Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Sabre SB-28
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2B
SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport
The newly formed 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division was still under strength with it's 1913rd Brigade still forming and the LAM Regiment still being put into service. The LAM's had been a surprise when discovered aboard one of the Carrack Transports. The temperamental LAM's had forced them to assign a full Support Battalion to each LAM Battalion. The Divisions VTOL Brigade was also still under strength. All Battlemechs had to be 86kph or faster and jump capable. Everything in the 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division was air mobile, up to and including the Battlemechs. Assigned as the Army's Rapid Response, it was assigned a Potemkin Transport.
238th Striker Regiment
Command Company - 4 Mongoose MON-66b, 8 Night Hawk NTK-2Q, 2 Sabre SB-28
1st Battalion - 36 Night Hawk NTK-2Q, 6 Sabre SB-28
2nd Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2, 6 Sabre SB-28
3rd Battalion - 36 Crab CRB-27sl, 6 Sabre SB-28
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Maxim
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Union Dropship - 1
Overlord Dropship - 3
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
Mule Dropship - 1
Like all of the Independent Regiments, the 238th Striker Regiment was permanently assigned transport for Rapid Deployments but also each Independent Regiment was allowed to equip itself to their commanders desire to a large extent. The 238th Striker Regiment excelled in fast strikes, preferring maneuver warfare over all other types. They have mastered the art of stretching a foe out and defeating it in detail.
509th Battle Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Marauder MAD-2R, 8 Chaparral Arrow IV
1st Battlemech Battalion - 40 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
2nd Battlemech Battalion - 40 Warhammer WHM-7A
3rd Battlemech Battalion - 40 Cestus CTS-6Y
Armor Battalion - 36 Zephyr Hover Tanks
Aerospace Group - 18 Lightning LTN-G15b
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Lee Dropships - 3
Lion Dropship - 1
Lion (Lt Armor) - 1
Mule Dropship - 1
The 509th Battle Regiment Can stand and deliver with the best of them. Using it's Heavy Battlemechs as the anvil, it uses it's Aerospace and Zyphr's to force an enemy to come at them head on by defeating any attempt to out flank them.
247th Heavy Assault Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Battlemaster BLR-1Gb
1st Battalion - 40 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Helepolis HEP-3H
2nd Battalion - 40 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Helepolis HEP-3H
3rd Battalion - 40 BattleMaster BLR-1G, 12 Helepolis HEP-3H
4th Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan Medium Tanks
5th Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan Medium Tanks
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Tramp LF Jumpship - 4
Dictator Dropship - 5
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
Lion (Lt Armor) Dropship - 1
Mule Dropship - 1
The 247th Heavy Assault Regiment had collected every one of the rare Helepolis Battlemechs allowing them to keep up a devastating advance under artillery fire over every type of terrain. Equipped with Tramp LF Jumpships, it's speed of deployment was impressive. It's Battlemaster BLR-1G are scheduled for upgrading soon.
201st Battle Regiment
1st Battalion - 36 Phoenix Hawk PXH-2
2nd Battalion - 36 Crab CRB-27sl
3rd Battalion - 36 Thunderbolt TDR-5S
Armor Battalion - 36 Manticore Heavy Tanks
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan
Aerospace Group - 18 Typhoon TFN-2A
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Star Lord Jumpship - 2
Union Dropship - 9
Lion (Hvy Armor) Dropship - 1
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
Mule Dropship - 1
The 201st Battle Regiment has resisted moving to any sort of Command Company or Command Lance structure, insisting on keeping SLDF structure. Most of it's equipment is still of older vntage and slated for upgrade soon.
211th Hussar Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Archer ARC-2Rb, 8 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, 24 Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb
Battlemech Battalion - 40 Crab CRB-27b
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Tramp Jumpship - 4
Union Dropship - 11
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
The 211th Hussar Regiment faces any foe with a wall using their Heavy Battlemechs while their Medium Battlemech Battalion works their foe's flanks. If their foe turns to face the threat on the flank, the Heavy Battlemechs charge.
19th Hussar Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 4 Archer ARC-2Rb, 8 Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, Warhammer WHM-7A
Battlemech Battalion - 16 Archer ARC-2Rb, Warhammer WHM-7A
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Star Lord Dropship - 1
Dictator Dropship - 4
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
Mammoth Dropship - 1
The 19th Hussar Regiment was the most vocal agitator for new Dropship designs. Forced to spread their elements over multiple Dropships irritated it's out spoken commander. Their battle tactics are straight forward, stand and deliver until the enemy is destroyed. Though General Mitchell has been trying to get the 19th Hussar Regiment to move to a lighter, more mobile designs after it suffered several defeats against the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division during war games.
277th Dragoon Regiment
Regiment Command Company - 12 Atlas AS7-D
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Awesome AWS-8Q
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Stalker STK-3H
Battlemech Battalion - 36 Pillager PLG-1N
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan
Infantry Battalion - 336 men, 12 Turhan
Support Battalion A
Orbital Transport
Tramp Jumpship - 3
Union Dropship - 1
Dictator Dropship - 3
Lion (Inf) Dropship - 1
Lion (Lt Armor) Drosphip - 2
Mule Dropship - 1
The 277th Dragoon Regiment prefers to get in close and mix it up with an enemy. All attempts to get them to accept new machines has failed, preferring their tried and true designs. But every member knows it is only a matter of time before they are forced to do so, as there are very few replacement Battlemechs if they lose any. They consider themselves a Heavy Assault Regiment without the artillery support.
Conventional Regimental Combat Team
Armor Regiment - 132 Tanks (36 Chevalier, 72 Demon)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Infantry Regiment - 4 Batt (336 Inf, 12 Turhan each)
Artillery Battalion - 24 Thor
Support Battalion A
There are 9 Conventional RCT's currently in service. They are all identical in every way. Designed for garrison duty, they have enough staying power to delay an enemy until larger forces arrive on scene. There is talk of assigning a VTOL Battalion to them to aid in rapid response and scouting, but current production level's prevent it from happening at this time.
2391st Royal Independent Aero Wing
Aerospace Group - 18 Stuka STU-K5b2
Aerospace Group - 18 Thunderbird TRB-D26b
Aerospace Group - 18 Hellcat II HCT-213C
Dropship Support
Titan Dropship - 3
Pentagon Dropship - 3
The 2391st Royal Independent Aero Wing is permanently assigned to Linden in defense of the Deep Spin Operation. Such a vital installation, it wants for nothing and is equipped with the finest equipment the Hegemony can provide.
There are now 7 DOME Teams in operation across the Hegemony. Their current mission is to improve the agriculture situation of every system if it is possible. This is a long term mission since it takes many years to raise a planets agriculture production even one level of improvement. They also construct and repair the Hegemony's HPG grid as needed. Though not technically part of the Hegemony's SLDF, they work so closely with them that they might as well be.
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So, what is the FS9-Hb? How is it upgraded, I mean.
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Coming in a bit later post. I want to get the TO&E done. Oh well, here it is.
The Firestarter FS9-Hb removed the single heat sinks and replaced with 10 Double Heat Sinks. Endo Steel Chassis along with Ferro Fibrous armor was added.
All weapons were revamped with a MPL and SPL installed in each arm and a MPL in the center torso. The all energy armament reduces supply needs. Almost heat neutral on a jumping Alpha. Ice cold if the SPL are not fired.
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like that the LAMs got some love.
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Is it really a Firestarter without any Flamers, though? :D
Glad to see they found a few extra LAMs! :thumbsup:
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1 February 2779
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
News that General Kerensky and the SLDF had begun their invasion of North America on Terra was relayed to General Rita Mitchell. Though she was happy that the war was entering it's final stage, she also dreaded what she would now have to do, explain to Amanda Cameron exactly who she was, and possibly what she would have to do. Over the years, she had thought about what she would say and how to say it, but she had never been able to find a way that seemed right.
After calling Amanda Cameron, now 13, into the small den and getting her seated on the small sofa, she sat down beside her. Taking a deep breathe, she began talking. "Amanda, there is something very important I need to tell you and I have no clue how to do it. I have raised you as if you were my own child, but you are not. I love as though you were and this might not be easy to hear. Your real name is Amanda Cameron, your father is Richard Cameron, First Lord of the Star League. Your possibly the only surviving heir to the throne, we just do not know. Many years ago, you were swept from Terra by Colonel Ian McIntosh of the Royal Black Watch. I met up with him by pure accident. When he showed you to me, you were just an baby. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.
We have remained out here, far from Terra in order to keep you safe. There is a massive, brutal war going on there right now, but it looks as if it is finally entering it's last phase. There is a good chance that you will have to return to Terra and take over running the Star League and with it the real Terran Hegemony. I will be by your side the entire time. But until that time, we need to start getting you used to ruling an Interstellar State. Do you understand?"
For a long time, Amanda Cameron was silent, a single tear flowed down her cheek. "I understand. Do we know if my real mother and father are alive?"
"No, I am afraid we do not know that yet. I pray they are and that I can reunite you with them." Rita said
"Do you think they will still love me? After all these years?" Amanda asked quietly
"Of course they will. Parents always love their children, no matter how long it is since they saw them." Rita replied, the thought of telling Amanda that her parents were dead filled her with dread.
"Then I must make them proud. I need to learn everything that they would expect me to know. But, what do I call you now?" Amanda asked
"Mom, Aunt Rita, honey, as far as I am concerned, you will always be my little girl and I will never allow any harm come to you. I will always love you." Rita said
"I think Aunt Rita is better. I would not want to hurt my parents feelings by calling you "mom" in their presence. So, what all do I have to learn?" Amanda asked
"I am afraid it is quite a lot. It is going to be some long nights after school and a very long summer for you and me. I am not even sure I am up to the task of teaching you what you will need to know, but I will do my best." Rita said
"I already know the most important stuff. The strong watch over the weak and honor is everything. You taught me that, mo....Aunt Rita." Amanda said
"Yes, those are very important. Remember those always and try your best to live by them. You do that, and you can always hold your head high, no matter what." Rita replied
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Is it wise to tell her (or does the General think that the possibility of Amanda taking the reigns of the TH might happen soon)?
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Well, even if Richard Cameron is alive, it is best she know who she really is and why now, rather than later. With the SLDF invading North America, the day Amanda is to be returned to her parents is nearing fast.
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She's gotta be careful with that-Kerensky might have her shot as a pretender to the throne.
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1 March 2779
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Amanda Cameron had spent the last month working with General Rita Mitchell on learning how to manage a Interstellar Nation. She had even worked with Peter Sajak and Jessica Parrington to better understand the economic side of things. Though she was young, she was smart. Smart enough to know what she did not understand and to ask questions. Today, she was sitting in on a economic meeting covering every system in the Hegemony.
Sitting next to Aunt Rita, she made sure her notepad and pencils were ready to take notes. She watched as Jessica Parrington walked to the small podium and clicked on the wall monitor. On the screen, a list of every system in the Hegemony appeared and next to the system's name were numbers. As Jessica Parrington began speaking, Amanda focused on reading the list.
Hegemony Systems GDP & Tax Revenue
Thazi (TH) - 482 Billion GDP, 24.1 Billion Tax
Boulsi (TH) - 97 Billion GDP, 4.8 Billion Tax
Pilon (TH) - 275 Billion GDP, 13.7 Billion Tax
Azur (TH) - 3.9 Trillion GDP, 195 Billion Tax
Wokha (TH) - 362 Billion GDP, 18.1 Billion Tax
Blommestein (TH)- 1.9 Trillion GDP, 95 Billion Tax
Ddraig (TH) - 288 Billion GDP, 14.4 Billion Tax
Ejeda (TH)- 71 Billion GDP, 3.5 Billion Tax
Waini Point (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Zumbo (TH)- Developing, Exempt
Ambatomainty (TH) - 182 Billion GDP, 9.1 Billion Tax
Sorsk (TH) - 73 Billion GDP, 3.6 Billion Tax
Puttalam (TH) - 184 Billion GDP, 9.2 Billion Tax
Maripa (TH) - 157 Billion GDP, 7.8 Billion Tax
Loikaw (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Mandeville (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Zetang (TH) - Developing, Exempt
La Ligua (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Carmelita (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Quines (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Shira (TH) - 213 Billion GDP, 10.6 Billion Tax
Domeykp (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Feijo (TH) - 196 Billion GDP, 9.8 Billion Tax
Alktral (TH) - 422 Billion GDP, 21.1 Billion Tax
Linden (TH) - 2.1 Trillion GDP, 105 Billion Tax
Ceiba (TH) - 3.7 Trillion GDP, 185 Billion Tax
Bossangoa (TH) - 314 Billion GDP, 15.7 Billion Tax
Rhodon (TH) - 102 Billion GDP, 5.1 Billion Tax
Gaeri (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Zalt (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Mitz (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Gitarama (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Barahona (TH) - 67 Billion GDP, 3.3 Billion Tax
Danli (TH) - 88 Billion GDP, 4.4 Billion Tax
Las Tunas (TH) - 165 Billion GDP, 8.2 Billion Tax
Taumaturgo (TH) - 292 Billion GDP, 14.6 Billion Tax
Tanz (TH) - Developing, Exempt
Total Tax Revenue - 777.6 Billion
HPG Fee's - 36.7 Billion
Estimated 2773 Revenue - 814.3 Billion
"As everyone can see, the economy is growing at a rapid pace. The industrial production and the resources they require is having a large impact on the systems that are mining oriented. But this also has a negative effect on some systems as people move to where the jobs are. This has kept several systems from developing much more than they have. This has had a negative effect on the remaining people in these systems. They feel that they are being left behind. We are going to have to correct this soon or we might have a serious problem on our hands.
HPG fee's are on the rise, as usual. Last year we sent just over 12 billion messages and expect to surpass 13 billion this year. Rates remain the same at 3 dollars for a 2 page message. Most of this revenue is used to maintain the HPG grid but also in rebuilding or repairing the stations on the new systems." She paused as Amanda raised her hand "Yes, you have a question Amanda?"
"Yes, it seems like a lot of money being collect as taxes. I am curious what the tax rate somewhere else was?" Amanda asked
"Excellent question. The Star League levied a large increase of taxes via the Tazation Edict of 2763. That raised the tax rate on the Periphery nations to 35% while the Great Houses still paid 20% in tax. This was what led to the massive Uprising. It was totally unfair. The current tax rate in the Federated Suns is 13%. That is the same rate for individual citizens, entire planets and even corprations. While easy to calculate and totally fair, it can leave many ultra rich paying way less than the common citizen as a part of their income. Our current tax rate is set at 5% of a systems GDP. We do not tax the individual or industries directly. Some day, we will have to, but that is down the road some." Jessica Parrington explained
"Okay, so we are taxing much lower than others. The 35% tax rate is criminal, the person who passed that should be shot." Amanda said, never realizing that it was her father, First Lord Richard Cameron who had passed it.
Everyone shared a look around the table but kept their mouth shut about this. Jessica Parrington was about to pick up where she left odd when Amanda asked another question. "Do we have a chart or something that shows the population and what each system has as a primary income source or something?"
"Yes, I have all of that. Give me a second to find the right slide." Jessica Parrington replied "Here it is." The wall monitor changed to display the requested information.
Population and Economic/System Data
Thazi (TH) - pop 14,072,578
Thazi Motors, military vehicles
Ocean Works, naval shipping
Farming
Orbital Industry
Boulsi (TH) - pop 20,867,348
Farming
SLDF
Pilon (TH) - pop 15,135,294
Farming
Orbital Mining
Azur (TH) - pop 145,085,736
Azur Heavy Industries
Ore Processing
Heavy Industry
Farming
Wokha (TH) - pop 21,522,371
Mining
Blommestein (TH)- pop 23,468,832
Hegemony Industries
Farming
Mining
Ddraig (TH) - pop 30,971,175
Vought Aircraft
Farming
Mining
Ejeda (TH)- pop 11,843,492
Farming
Mining
Waini Point (TH)- pop 3,618,327
Farming
Orbital Mining
Zumbo (TH)- pop 1,683,249
Farming
Mining
Ambatomainty (TH) - pop 26,437,568
Thazi Motors
Farming
Mining
Sorsk (TH) - pop 20,694,981
Orbital Mining
Puttalam (TH) - pop 24,319,742
Puttalam Industrial Concerns
Farming
Maripa (TH) - pop 6,428,431
Orbital Mining
Loikaw (TH) - pop 1,054,634
Farming
Orbital Mining
Mandeville (TH) - pop 1,487,573
Farming
Obital Mining
Zetang (TH) - pop 2,628,827
Mining
Orbital Mining
La Ligua (TH) - pop 1.219,958
Orbital Mining
Carmelita (TH) - pop 388,374
Farming
Quines (TH) - pop 1,094,394
Farming
Shira (TH) - pop 15,864,425
Shira Armor Works
Farming
Orbital Mining
Domeykp (TH) - pop 3,284,619
Mining
Feijo (TH) - pop 13,867,434
Farming
Orbital Mining
Alktral (TH) - pop 21,834,167
Alktral Fusion
Farming
Mining
Orbital Mining
Linden (TH) - pop 18,571,423
Shipyards
HPG Industry
Farming
Mining
Orbital Mining
Ceiba (TH) - pop 24,873,492
Hegemony Aerospace
Farming
Mining
Bossangoa (TH) - pop 16,733,218
Farming
Mining
Rhodon (TH) - pop 20,376,152
Mining
Orbital Mining
Gaeri (TH) - pop 22,293,184
Farming
Mining
Zalt (TH) - pop 1,116,211
Orbital Mining
Mitz (TH) - pop 3,463,248
Mining
Gitarama (TH) - pop 3,467,573
Mining
Orbital Mining
Barahona (TH) - pop 21,252,674
Farming
Fishing
Danli (TH) - pop 9,621,115
Farming
Ore Processing
Las Tunas (TH) - pop 25,276,452
Farming
Mining
Ore Processing
Heavy Industry
Taumaturgo (TH) - pop 15,181,038
Farming
Mining
Tanz (TH) - pop 5,323,277
Farming
Ore Processing
Heavy Industry
Total Population - 620,422,131
Everyone waited as Amanda made notes and studied the monitor. She then pulled out a small notepad that she had taken to carrying when with Aunt Rita. She opened the small notepad and flipped until she found the page she wanted. Finally she looked up "Aunt Rita, last week you were griping about some of the unit commanders wanting new Dropship designs. Well, you already told me that Ceibu could not currently handle any more work load. But what about having them build another complex on Las Tunas, the populations are close, resource wise they look the same. It would allow the commanders to get the Dropships they want and at the same time boost the GDP of Las Tunas. That equals more tax money, which means the people have extra money to spend, which makes everyone happy."
Everyone shared a look around the table. General Rita Mitchell looked at Peter Sajak and got a shrug with a smile back. This caused her to frown and Peter took the cue "Excellent idea Amanda, I will get right on this and find out the design needs from the commanders from Major General DeMars."
The rest of the meeting went along with Amanda asking frquent questions in an attempt to understand everything as best she could.
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She's gotta be careful with that-Kerensky might have her shot as a pretender to the throne.
That is what DNA testing is for.
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That is what DNA testing is for.
Thing being, I'm not sure that the results being genuine wouldn't hasten her demise. I have some doubts about any man who erects monuments to himself.
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I have only recently caught up with this story and I am wondering if there has been any debate among the fleet officers of implementing the energy weapons only loadout on other ships besides the corvettes. I could see it helping the supply chain if it was implemented on everything at least corvette class and below that includes dropships, small craft, all fighters, and vtol craft.
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Are they good with ships or will they go back to outpost 4 for the other riga and the corvette
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I'm sure that will eventually come up... and be a good excuse for a more substantial visit to Drachenfeld.
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I have only recently caught up with this story and I am wondering if there has been any debate among the fleet officers of implementing the energy weapons only loadout on other ships besides the corvettes. I could see it helping the supply chain if it was implemented on everything at least corvette class and below that includes dropships, small craft, all fighters, and vtol craft.
Hmm... there has to be reasons, meta or IG, that merit the reason why you have ballistic & missile-based batteries as well as energy onboard ships. Perhaps energy weapons as power intensive (or generate lots of heat), enough to make choices if your heat dissipation systems are partially compromised (I'm thinking along the lines of how several different Star Trek PC games worked energy output but the battle on Jupiter from Eps. 3 of SBY 2199 also comes to mind)...
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1 April 2779
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Martha Pruitt and ZaP Shipping had seen quite a lot of growth since they had begun operating in the Federated Suns. But she had heard rumors of a new Jumpship that was just now coming online. She had contacted Penelope Swank and had her order 2 of the new Jumpships, it was called a Monolith and carried 9 Dropship collars. It was expensive as heck, but getting in on the ground floor of it's release allowed Penelope Swank to secure the 2 of them with a 15% disocunt. The manufacturer was even providing delivery for both ships that were scheduled for delivery Oct 2779.
She had expected a slow flood of refugee's from the Hegmeony, but the flood never happened. But with the war finally winding down, with just Terra left to secure, most seemed to be taking a wait and see attitude. She had expanded ZaP's operation out to 6 Jumps from Bastrop. ZaP Shipping had already dominated the local shipping market, and she always kept an eye out for bargains. What started as 15 Jumpships had grown to 20, 2 purchased and 3 with owner/operators operating under long term license. She was also always looking to hire local crews when she could, this allowed her to slowly shift her "Hegemony" crews back home and use the local crews to operate in the Federated Suns with no fear of a security breach.
Over the years, ZaP Shipping had seen their revenue increase from 13 million a month to over 45 million a month as the local clients had come to know ZaP Shipping, not to mention the slow withdraw from the region of some of the smaller independent operators, which left a void that ZaP Shipping was quick to fill. As the local's got comfortable with ZaP Shipping, Martha had slowly increased rates to a more normal level. Passenger rates had moved to 300 per jump for steerage with no noticable decrease in passenger totals. This was aided when she got her hands on 4 Passenger Mammoths, which she placed on her heaviest routes.
ZaP Shipping (Federated Suns Div)
Passenger Revenue, Monthly - 20,300,000 dollars
Cargo Revenue, Monthly - 25,250,000 dollars
Average Yearly Revenue - 546,600,000
Las Tunas (Terran Hegemony)
Surveyors were hard at work planning the new Dropship production site. It would take at least 2 years before anything emerged from the site, but already some of the supporting infrastructure was being built. Planners were going over the needed resources and already setting up supply chains for anything needed that was not produced on the planet itself. To not have an impact on the planets farmland, the complex was being situated on a region not suitable for easy farming. This caused other problems, for it was over 900Km from any major city. This meant a new city would have to be built to house the thousands of workers and their families.
Hegemony Aerospace had worked out several "quick" refits for several of the current designs used by the SLDF. The SLDF, since moving to a standard of 40 Battlemechs per Battalion wanted a Dropship that could handle that. Though the Lee existed, it was deemed way too expensive for mass production. They had then turned to the Overlord. By removing the Aerospace Fighter bays, they had gained the weight needed to make adjustments to the large Mech bays, getting the 4 additional Mech bays they needed. They had then revamped the ships weapons systems, bringing them up to date. They then switched the ships armor to Ferro Aluminum, this gave the new design a marked increase in protection with no decrease in it's performance. All for a cost of just over 438 million per Dropship, compared to the Lee's 869 million estimated cost. They tagged this new version Overlord (2778b) since some had been kicking it around for a few years.
They had then taken a look at the Union Dropship. Though almost perfect, it was critically low on cargo space. They removed the Aerospace Fighters from the design which gained them the cargo space they needed. They then upgraded the ships weapons systems. This new version was called Union (2778b) for the same reason as the Overlord.
Once the plans had been dusted off and modernized, they had sent them up the chain for approval. It had come back quicker than they expected, with expected production quota's attached. Needing an estimated 141 Overlord Dropships to refit every command and another 51 Union Dropships for the Command Company's it was going to be a massive complex with the intital setup as.
Hegemony Aerospace (Las Tunas)
Overlord (2778b) - 20 Production Hanger producing 40 per year
Union (2778b) - 8 Production Hanger producing 24 per year
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losing all of those fighters is going to hurt. maybe add a union CV to the order of battle.
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Some kind of fighter carrier, certainly...
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losing all of those fighters is going to hurt. maybe add a union CV to the order of battle.
I concur. I'd also recommend NOT converting all of your Union fleet to the 2778b standard: How many Scout-class JS's do you have? Unless it's not normal to deploy just a Union/Scout team with 12 BMs and 2 Aero yet...
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Still on SLDF mind set. Anything less than a Regiment is a waste of time.
Titan's will be incoming down the road some. Unless I get really frisky and let them build Lee version of the Vengeance,
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not a fan but they should know about the Vengeance, I would also look at a overlord CV mod. I also would look at escorts and local defense squadrons. a few Titans' and Pentagons might be good. if they can find were any Congress might have died ? they might find up to two of these. Congress class ships were known to have a Vengeance and Pentagons.
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Nope, Vengeance is too light on supply. I could always redesign the 40 Dictators they have. They can easily carry 18 Aerospace Fighters with more supply than on board the Titan. Gives me a use for the danged thing.
Right now, the Hegemony is small enough that any raid or attack will face a real warship before they make orbit.
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Nope, Vengeance is too light on supply. I could always redesign the 40 Dictators they have. They can easily carry 18 Aerospace Fighters with more supply than on board the Titan. Gives me a use for the danged thing.
Right now, the Hegemony is small enough that any raid or attack will face a real warship before they make orbit.
that would be a good use of the Dictators. I was thinking about system pride for now. and they could be paid for out of systems money. have a training event with some kind cup that is passed around
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or one in ten unions switches to 12 fighters plus cargo
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1 December 2779
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
News arrived announcung the end of the Hegemony Civil War, but also of the death of First Lord Richard Cameron, his wife Elise Cameron and every known member of the Cameron family line. General Rita Mitchell read the message and she felt her stomach drop. This was the message she had always dreaded. She set the message on her desk as Amanda walked into ther small office at home "Aunt Rita, I was wondering something......what's wrong, you look very pale."
"We have a message announcing the end of the war back home and of your family." Rita said
Without really knowing, tears started welling up in Amanda's eyes "They are dead aren't they? My parents?"
Rita got up and moved to Amanda, sinking to her knees before her "Yes. They have been dead for many years now, from the released reports. I am so sorry honey."
Amanda felt safe as Rita wrapped her arms around her, she could not understand why she was sobbing so hard. She had never known her parents, had never seen them. But she hurt like she had never hurt before. For ten minutes, she cried like she had never cried before. Finally she pulled away "I don't want to go to Terra. This is my home. Out here."
Rita looked at Amanda "Honey, you have to return and rebuild the Hegemony. Lead the Star League."
Amanda was defiant as Rita had ever seen her "NO Aunt Rita. I do not have to return and rebuild a place I have never known. Why should I leave here, travel so far away from my home here, to take care of people I have never met? Why? How can I, even with your help, make it better for them, when you have argued with me over taking in the people that are actually near us out here? Tell me, tell me why that is Aunt Rita."
This outburst caught Rita off guard, "Honey, we have been over this before. Taking in all those you have pointed out would stretch our resources to the breaking point. Back home, the people have been through so much, but Terra is mankind's home. There, we would have the resources to help them rebuild, to return to the way it was before the war. It would allow us to move resources out here to help all those you are concerned with."
"Return to the way it was? Really Aunt Rita? You want to return to a way that caused the death of parents? NO. I will not do that. Out here, right now, that is what is important to me. Not there. The strong watch over the weak, you have drilled that into me for years. Well, out there, right outside our borders are people suffering from pirate attacks, cut off with no communication, some starving for food, medicine and in some cases clean drinking water. I have read the reports brought in by Uncle Martin and his people for the last 6 months. Here, right now, we are strong but right outside our borders are the weak. We look after them first." Amanda said with more conviction than Rita had ever heard from her
"Alright Amanda, we will look after those close by. I will give you your wish and we will take them in. I pray I am wrong and it does not break us." Rita relented
"Then we will take in the rest of the Onverwacht and Traders Provinces?" Amanda asked
"Yes, I will start planning the the operation. I am not sure what we will do if any refuse to join us, but they will have to vote to join us. I am not going to force them. I am not launching a war of conquest." Rita said
"I don't want that either. We do this, we look after the weak. Then, maybe, and I mean maybe, I will think about going to help the rest of the Hegemony. They have not known about me for all these years, you have told me that yourself. I want it to remain that way, for now. IF, I decide to go with you to Terra, we will inform them of me when we get close, not before. I do not want them nagging me. Promise me Aunt Rita." Amanda said, a fierce determination glowed in her reddened eyes
"I promise. No communication with back home. I promise. We return only when you feel it is the right time." Rita promised
"Okay, I am sorry Aunt Rita. I don't mean to yell at you. You don't deserve this, you have always been here for me. I love you." Amanda said as she move back to Rita's arms
"It's okay honey. Your hurting inside. I love you too, always have, always will." Rita said holding Amanda close, but her mind was already working on how the hell she was going to take in all those worlds.
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that is a very smart move... even for a teenager.
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This is going to be interesting. All of Onverwacht and Trader's Domain to be integrated into the fold, and at the same time, all the institutions and edifices need to be built up to truly make the Hidden Hegemony into a actual part of the Hegemony, education, research, economic, BSLA, infrastructure, governance, patent office, medical, Health, ROTC, Militia, SLDF Reserves, Olympic Recharge stations, etc. And keeping an eye out for the the rest of the OWA, to see if more worlds are tipping over the edge.
Rita has been using the whole Hidden Hegemony to stabilize and recuperate, Amanda is seeing it as a worthy goal on it's own. And Honestly, Amanda's instincts may be for the better. Consolidate and expand the power base where she is, before going into the snake's nest. A lot of Kerensky's decisions are rather suspect and actively detrimental to the Hegemony, compared to what he believes is the Star League. Not to mention, appearing at the Council of the Star League without having a solid power base both behind and present with her is counter to survival.
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I wonder how many lost SLDF units they are going to find. wyrnn's Roost will be a nice nugget to pull. The THiE will have enough stuff to start making magic mushrooms
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1 February 2780
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The word had gone out to Martin Zuni and ZaP Shipping to make contact very carefully with planetary governors of world of the Onverwacht Province and Traders Domain to deliver a recording from General Rita Mitchell. Inside the Hegemony, preparations continued for the deployment of the SLDF into the new systems as stabilization forces. As ZaP Shipping had pushed deeper into the regions, several systems were identified as possible hostile. This was reported back to General Rita Mitchell who kept a list. Intelligence was updated on every system constantly.
Onverwacht Prov OP) and Traders Domain (TD)
Onverwacht (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive, Onverwacht Guards
Kent (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Sornath (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Ype-Jhu (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive, possible SLDF troops
Vonja (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Hergazil (OP) - Active Fighting, no Governor
Shiri (OP) - Active Fighting, no Governor
Coyle (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Flynn (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Totness (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Calingasta (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Santa-Ana (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Achton (OP) - Active Fighting, no Governor
Achnoly (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Schrim (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Ammon (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Voehn (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Braden's Frontier (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Crichton (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Hrafn (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Glitnir (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Raetia (TD) - Active Fighting, no Governor
Michtal (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Bannerhoft (TD) - Active Fighting, no Governor
Grankum (TD) - Active Fighting, 1st Trader Sentinals vs rebels
Aalzog (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Koury (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Fallry (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Blueys (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Wynn's Roost (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive, Blommestein Demons
Vangburg (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Nerum (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Zebuluraskai (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Renorsal (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Salvende (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
False Dawn (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive
Ourem (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive, 2nd Trader Sentinels
What worried General Mitchell were the 6 systems with active fighting going on plus the 4 Outworlds Alliance commands reported. She selected Gaeri as the location to hold the meeting between the Governors. There, they could see for themselves the changes that had come about by joining the Hegemony. She ordered the 322nd and 323rd Armored Divisions to graduate their trainee's a year early and formed 8 new Convention RCT's from them. These would take over garrsion duties inside the Hegemony borders proper allowing her to deploy the more experienced Conventional RCT's to the new systems when the time came.
25 March 2780
Gaeri (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell and Amanda Cameron were in the large conference room of the hotel hosting the Governors that had been ferried here by ZaP Shipping and even SLDF transports. Security was tight, provided by the Royal Black Watch. Even the commanders of 3 of the 4 Outworlds Alliance commands were in attendance. While this meeting was going on, the Special Forces Regiment was even now being inserted onto 4 of the worlds with fighting occuring in an attempt to figure out what the hell was going on.
General Mitchell tapped the microphone on the podium which brought the room to silence. "First, I want to thank all of you for coming here. You have all heard the message I recorded for you. You have spent the last 2 weeks touring the planet here and have seen and heard about the improvements they have seen since joining the Hegemony. I spoken to many of you already and for those I have not had time to personally speak to, I will. But the same story rings true, the Outworlds Alliance has abandoned you all to your own demise. This has left some of your systems in great hardship, all of you are isolated, with no communication, no shipping, no trade. Joining the Hegemony, we will fix this. This will not happen overnight, that is impossible. Trade, shipping and supplies will happen quickly, restoring the HPG grids will take time. How much, I am not sure, those sites need to be surveyed first.
Nothing is going to be easy about this. But we do strive to make it as easy as possible. Lucky for us, we have had some experience at this already. So that will iron out some of the inevitable problems that will occur. Our tax rates are much lower than what you were accustomed to before the Uprising out here. Those systems deemed as still developing are exempt from taxes. This mainly is defined by those systems with less than 10 million population or with no real industry or resources. All of your worlds have functioning governments so we have something to work with. Joining us will be by a popular vote on each of your respective systems. It will take a 80% or greater vote to join us. SLDF troops will oversee the vote collection and counts. It will take a month to get you all back home so we will have the vote on 1 June of this year. Now let us open the floor to questions."
For 6 hours, General Rita Mitchell fielded questions from the assembled governor's. When they had finally broken from the meeting, she finally felt that this was doable.
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has the THiE be building recharge stations? that many planets is going to require something on setting up trade routes. Mules (or smaller) and Merchants might be the best for most of this work.
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has the THiE be building recharge stations? that many planets is going to require something on setting up trade routes. Mules (or smaller) and Merchants might be the best for most of this work.
some systems might need something more heavy duty for all the traffic
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How many commanders of OWA units attended again? The list said there were 4, plus a world with possible SLDF troops, and the text on the meeting said "4 of 5"... ???
Amazing post otherwise! :thumbsup:
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How many commanders of OWA units attended again? The list said there were 4, plus a world with possible SLDF troops, and the text on the meeting said "4 of 5"... ???
Amazing post otherwise! :thumbsup:
Onverwacht (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive, Onverwacht Guards
Ype-Jhu (OP) - Contact made, Governor receptive, possible SLDF troops
Grankum (TD) - Active Fighting, 1st Trader Sentinals vs rebels
Wynn's Roost (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive, Blommestein Demons
Ourem (TD) - Contact made, Governor receptive, 2nd Trader Sentinels
unless there's an error on our endearing author's part *giggles*
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Right, so my question is was he counting the "Possible SLDF troops" as OWA?
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some systems might need something more heavy duty for all the traffic
it would take some time for them to export a lot of stuff. the first loads to get them heading in the right direction will need a lot of lift. But once they get heading the right way. Then they will need less to keep them going and "stuff" starts coming out of the gravity well.
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Fixed, 3 of the 4 OA commanders.
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26 March 2780
Gaeri (Terran Hegemony)
Today was the meeting General Rita Mitchell felt the most comfortable in doing. This one was strictly military. Before her, Chairman Ulvade Newmanski commander Blommestein Demons, Chairman Oscar Santiago commander Onverwacht Guards, Chairman Hilda Ridley commander 2nd Trader Sentinals and most important Colonel Alberta Collins commaner Ype-Jhu garrison.
"Thank you for meeting with me today. I am sorry it had to wait until just before everyone departs to go home, but here we are. Chairman Newmanski, I am curious, why did you never return to Blommestein?" General Mitchell asked
"Stupid Jumpship is busted, AGAIN. It took years to fix it, made a test jump and then when we thought we were going home, the repair gave out and we were stuck." Chairman Newmanski replied
"I see. And if I may ask, why were you not on Blommestein but up in the Traders Domain?" General Mitchell asked
"Before everything kicked off, we were supporting DoME operations for the SLDF. We got caught up in the fighting some, but I got my folks away from it as fast as I could. But my Jumpship was crap and kept breaking down. Then we made a few attempts to breach the Fort abandoned by the 61st Royal Jump Infantry Division, but I lost too many people and called it off. Been stuck there ever since." Chairman Newmanski said
"Very well. Colonel Collins, your uniform tells me your former SLDF. You can relax, I have made it a habit of taking in wayward commands. All sins are forgiven.: General Mitchell asked
"Yes sir, used to be 1st Regiment, 428th Battlemech Division. We grounded on Ype-Jhu in 2766. Four months later our Jumpship abandoned us. Since we were stuck there, we made the best of the situation." Colonel Collins said
"I have seen and heard it happen before. Very well, you all know what is about to happen. I honestly do not think any of the Governors nor their systems are going to vote not to join the Hegemony. So now I need to ask, any of you going to have a problem joining the SLDF? If so, please tell me now." General Mitchell asked
When none of the officers spoke up, General Mitchell continued "Okay then. When this becomes formal, you and all of your personnel will have to go through our Basic Training course. This will at least get everyone used to our methods. I am assuming your commands except for Colonel Collins follow standard Outworlds formations. One Battlemech Regiment, 2 Armor Regiments and 3 Infantry Regiments?" General Mitchell replied
Chairman Newmanski spoke "No sir, we never got Battlemechs. We are a Combined Arms Command. All 3 of us field 2 Armor Regiments and 5 Infantry Regiments. No Aerospace Fighters either."
"We can try and chage that. I will try and come up with something that keeps your commands intact. But I have a few months to work on something. I see your Governors are ready to depart, but I expect to be seeing you all very soon again. So for now, safe journey." General Mitchell said
1 April 2780
General Rita Mitchell and Amanda Cameron were ready to depart Gaeri for Feijo. They were going to check out a new company that had been started, Feijo Modular Construction. It was started by a recently retired SLDF engineer and was supposed to be the cat's meow.
26 April 2780
Feijo (Terran Hegemony)
General Mitchell and Amanda Cameron watched the demonstration and were amazed that Feijo Modular Construction had assembled a complete single dwelling of 1400 square feet in less than 6 hours. Jennifer Pulson, recently retired, had explained the entire process.
"Each dwelling is completely pre-built. All of the plumbing, electrical are set up with quick connects. As you can see, they are just plain flat squares. But strong enough that we can stack them 5 high and create a apartment building if we so desire. We also can pre-make the hallways and elevators for them. We have pop in blanks that seal off windows for that application. Or we can even link 2 of the dwelling together to make a 2800 sq foot dwelling. I came up with the idea after working on a few projects building housing for refugee's. I got a small loan from Hegemony Bank to get off the ground." Jennifer Pulson said
"How many of these can you produce?" Amanda Cameron asked
"If I got more funding to scale up the small factory here, a bunch. This small assembly plant here can make 20 dwelling's like the one we just assembled per day. Or 600 per month on average. I even have a design for a modular warehouse with 30,000 square feet and am working on a design that is twice that size." Jennifer Pulson said
"What is the cost of a single dwelling?" Amanda asked making some notes
"Currently, about 25,000 but that will come down when I can go into mass production. I have the final cost set to 15,000 for each dwelling and 30,000 per warehouse. They are pretty easy to make and as you saw, they are quick and easy to build once on site. Even for people who have never assembled one. We have complete instructions that ship out with each building." Jennifer Pilson said
General Mitchell thought for a minute before speaking "Excellent work Jennifer. You will get your funding. Expect an order for them, they look to be an excellent way to create a base in record time. How much does one of these weigh?"
"A dwelling weighs in at 5 tons. I kept it light as I could. The longest part of the assmebly process is the slab, waiitng on it to be poured and ready for construction. If I premake the slab, into sections that bolt together, the weight would be 10 tons per dwelling and you would want a Construction Mech to help you out. That speed the process up big time." Jennifer Pulson replied
"So a single Mule could carry roughly 1,200 of the Dwelling's at 5 tons." Amanda said after doing a little math
"About that. If they are wanted for SLDF unit deployment, I can actually make barracks. Say to hold a platoon in a single bay setup." Jennifer Pulson said
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So just Ourem to contact on the known units... and all those worlds with active fighting...
Awesome work on the modular construction! That's going to help in all kinds of ways! :thumbsup:
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Got to ask? How did you come up with the prefab information. I have trying to come up with something like that but cannot get anything to work within reason. HELP!
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That pre-fab is going to make a huge difference going forward. Just keeping up with the people they are trying to house now will swamp them for months if not years. Having it as an export, or in combination with the Corx Miners and Dig-Kings for setting up quick bases will be huge.
If each of those OWA Formations can expanded to a division level formation, that will be a huge step forward in manpower, or even an Armor division.
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Got to ask? How did you come up with the prefab information. I have trying to come up with something like that but cannot get anything to work within reason. HELP!
I work in the construction industry. HVAC, but I am around all types of construction. Currently we have prefab concrete walls, heavy but you can put up a warehouse pretty fast once the steel skeleton is erected. So I kept the future prefab simple, a square. This is future so materials would be lighter. We already have simple modular construction apartment buildings. Look like a mass of containers stacked on top of each other.
It would be easy to run the electrical and plumbing and then make quick connections. You could have a prefab module that contains a bathroom or kitchen that just plugs into the other module's. Figure a slab of Styrofoam insulation between 2 pieces of an outer shell. Aluminum or even sheet metal. High insulation value, that is walls and roof. Bolt together. I just took what is done now to a different level.
https://impresamodular.com/modular-construction/
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So just Ourem to contact on the known units... and all those worlds with active fighting...
Awesome work on the modular construction! That's going to help in all kinds of ways! :thumbsup:
Whoops, was supposed to be the 2nd Trader Sentinals. Fixed it.
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With active fighting on Grankum, that makes MUCH more sense... :thumbsup:
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1 May 2780
Hergazil (Onverwacht Prov)
Major Dovie Frazier, commander 2972nd Special Forces, and her Battalion had been on the surface for 2 weeks. The fighting seemed to be concentrated on the continent of Schwarzach im Pongau, which held the capital city of Eckholdt City. Most seemed to be over control of the last functioning water purification plant. They had watched one engagement between the 2 factions and all the SLDF special forces troops agreed that both sides were complete newbs at fighting. They had orders to avoid any engagements, but Major Frazier had intervened when one of the factions had rounded up a bunch of civilians and threatened to execute them.
It had only taken the sight of her on rushing Battlemech Company with a swarm of Nighthawk power armor to make the armed mob, that was all you could call it, throw down their weapons and run for their lives. They were quickly overtaken and rounded up. It had taken a few days to learn that one faction, the defenders, were from the Fed Suns. The faction that rounded up the civilians had come from the Tuarian Concordant just prior to the Uprising.
Now committed, Major Fazier ordered her Battalion to take control of the water purification plant with equal access to all. She wondered how General Mitchell was going to react to this new development.
Achton (Onverwacht Prov)
Major Wesley Hardin, commander 3157th Special Forces, had been on the surface for 9 days. It did not take long to determine each of the 9 cities were fighting with each other. It was a complete fiasco, but it quickly became obvious that they all were fighting over each others large greenhouse complexes. Unable to grow any crops, each city had enormous greenhouse complexes to grow what food they could. Major Hardin sent a HPG message informing that in his estimation, a massive food delivery could very well stop the fighting.
Raetia (Traders Domain)
Major Marcella Ramirez, commander 2282nd Special Forces, had landed 4 days prior. She had decided to not play nice, even though her orders were to observe and report. Fighting was centered on one city that had the last water purification plant and another city which contained the large power plant that seemed to feed itself and the capital city. Deploying a company at each location, she made sure the SLDF now controlled both locations. Only one small skirmish had occurred which the Special Forces troops easily beat back.
Bannerhoft (Traders Domain)
Major Jung Park, commander 3391st Special Forces Batt, had landed on the surface and immediately came under fire. Major Sandra Barkley, commanding the 3391st's 24 Spector Battlemechs had quickly engaged the enemy. Within minutes they had destroyed 4 Talos TLS-1B and damaged another 3 Talos TLS-1B. Major Park had called her off from pursuing.
Questioning the captured mech pilots, they discovered that the local's were putting up a stiff fight against this group of former rebels turned pirate. Now knowing who the enemy really was, Major Park pushed the 3391st Special Forces towards the capital city of Mama Oullo City.
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have to put your toes in the water.
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Those Special Forces commanders are really earning their pay! :thumbsup:
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*evokes the nonexistent powers of WANT* I want that map that was posted a few posts ago, now with colors to show THiE worlds, unclaimed OA worlds and current worlds in review of becoming THiE worlds. (Why?) Don't ask. Just trying to grasp how big things are getting...
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15 June 2780
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
The votes had been cast and counted. Every system had voted to join the Hegemony. All except those that had active fighting on them. Today, the SLDF surged across the borders from the Terran Hegemony. General Mitchell had made the hard choice and every system that either had active fighting on them or where the Special Forces had halted the fighting saw an SLDF command make land fall to either halt the fighting or to make sure it did not flare back up. She did not want to, but she also could not have possible hostile systems among the Hegemony.
Active Fighting or Possible Hostile
Hergazil - 2972nd Special Forces, 12th Conventional RCT
Shiri - 201st Battle Regiment
Achton - 3157th Special Forces, 509th Battle Regiment
Raetia - 2282nd Special Forces, 15th Conventional RCT
Bannerhoft - 3391st Special Forces, 126th Mechanized Infantry Division
Grankum - 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division
Additional Garrison
Onverwacht (OP) - Onvernacht Guards
Kent (OP) - 311st Brigade, 31st ID
Sornath (OP) - 312nd Brigade, 31st ID
Ype-Jhu (OP) - 1st Regiment, 428th BMD (Repair HPG)
Vonja (OP) - 313rd Brigade, 31st ID
Coyle (OP) - 291st Brigade, 29th MID
Flynn (OP) - 292nd Brigade, 29th MID (Repair HPG)
Totness (OP) - 293rd Brigade, 29th MID
Calingasta (OP) - 294th Brigade, 29th MID
Santa-Ana (OP) - none
Achnoly (OP) - 8th Conventional RCT
Schrim (OP) - 2804th Brigade, 280th MID
Ammon (OP) - 10th Conventional RCT (Repair HPG)
Voehn (OP) - 2801st Brigade, 280th MID
Braden's Frontier (OP) - 2802nd Brigade, 280th MID
Crichton (TD) - 2803rd Birgade, 280th MID
Hrafn (TD) - none
Glitnir (TD) - 524th Brigade, 52nd ID
Michtal (TD) - 521st Brigade, 52nd ID
Aalzog (TD) - 522nd Brigade, 52nd ID (Repair HPG)
Koury (TD) - 523rd Brigade, 52nd ID
Fallry (TD) - 14th Conventional RCT
Blueys (TD) - 9th Coventional RCT
Wynn's Roost (TD) - Blommestein Demons
Vangburg (TD) - 1811st Brigade, 181st RMID
Nerum (TD) - 1812nd Brigade, 181st RMID
Zebuluraskai (TD) - 1813rd Brigade, 181st RMID
Renorsal (TD) - 1814th Brigade, 181st RMID
Salvende (TD) - none
False Dawn (TD) - 19th Hussar Regiment
Ourem (TD) - 2nd Trader Sentinels (Repair HPG)
It had taken every transport and much of ZaP Shipping to get all the commands to their new temporary garrison locations and shift the 8 new Conventional RCT's to their new garrison locations. The DoME Teams would repair 5 HPG stations to allow all SLDF commands to communicate Hegemony wide with 5 DoME Teams while 2 DoME Teams concentrated on getting all water treatment plants back online. Luckily, most of the new systems had ample agriculture to feed their populations so food convoy's focused on those that had to import food.
This massive movement stretched the SLDF thin and General Mitchell had broken several Divisions down to garrison several systems. She hoped to have a new batch of Conventional RCT's in the next couple of years to allow a reconsolidation of the Divisions.
New Conventional RCT Postings
Blommestein - 17th Conventional RCT
Gaeri - 18th Conventional RCT
Las Tunas - 19th Conventional RCT
Barahona - 20th Conventional RCT
Feijo - 21st Conventional RCT
Ambatomainty - 22nd Conventional RCT
Zumbo - 23rd Conventional RCT
Mandeville - 24th Conventional RCT
Grankum (Traders Domain)
Major General Becky Sanchez, commander 191st Royal Jump Infantry Division, made landfall and quickly made contact with the 1st Traders Sentinels. Thye quickly learned that the rebel force was part of a rebel unit turned pirate. Learning the location of the main rebel base, the 191st RJID, using it's massive amount of VTOL's quickly had 2 Brigades of Jump Infantry surrounding the enemy's location. Once the 191st RJID's Battlemech Division arrived, they assaulted the enemy base and within 3 days of fighting had eliminated all resistence. They took 1,206 prisoners.
Bannerhoft (Trader Domain)
Guided by the 3391st Special Forces, the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division dropped right on the rebel/pirate band and by the end of the day all resistence had ended. They took 710 prisoners. They learned the main base of the rebel/pirates was Naikongzu, roughly 100LY from Bannerhoft in the Deep Periphery. The main rebel/pirate base had 2 Battlemech Regiments and 3 Infantry Regiments on it, but most troubling was it also had a Pinto Corvette. This information was quickly relayed to General Mitchell.
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As of this post, all world of the Blommestein, Traders and Onverwacht Provinces are now under SLDF control or soon to be. The "Terran Hegemony" is quite large now.
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Thank you for the information and the link. Though I had miss something in the Rule book.
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Nope, nothing in the rulebook, this is a completely non canon, but there is a canon precedent for it.
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/McRae_Quik_Construct
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looks like they have just found an issues. not enough jumpships, but at least they had a plan. and a new target :thumbsup:
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1 July 2780
Achton (Terran Hegemony)
Major Wesley Hardin, commander 3157th Special Forces, had been right. The arrival of a Leviathon Jumpship loaded with 8 Mammoth Dropships full of food and basic supplies accompanying the 509th Battle Regiment had ended all the fighting almost immediately. Though there were still some hard feeling between the cities, they were more ashamed that they had so easily reverted to near barbarians against each other. Learning that most of the Onverwacht Province had voted to leave the Outworlds Alliance and join the Terran Hegemony, all 9 cities quickly voted to also join the Hegemony. An election for Governor was set by all 9 cities for 1 August.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell reviewed Amanda Cameron's plans. She had told Amanda that since she had forced the issue, it was her job to organize the incorperation of the new systems into the Hegemony. Amanda would draw up the plans, the present them to her for review and approval. Though just a teenager, Amanda had a good head on her shoulders, plus it would be good experience for her. Her plans were very ambitious.
The best idead she had, and one General Mitchell had never thought of, had been to form 3 Independent Engineer Regiments. These would be sent to oversee any local construction companies or the lack of any local sources build what needed to be built. She also wanted Alktral Fusion to dedicate a line to produce power plants for planets. Several planets still ran older Fission power plants, though easier to maintain, they produced some nasty by products. General Mitchell did not tell her that those nasty by products had military applications.
General Mitchell had already approved a very large loan to Feijo Modular Construction along with a substantial order over Major General DeMars signature for modular barracks and warehouses to be used by the SLDF forces. Though it would take months for them to get fully ramped up, it was enough work to keep them busy for quite a few years.
The lack of Jumpships had hampered the SLDF's deployments. But part of this was the need to stage some Jumpships on mini command circuits to speed up the movements. But they had also been forced to use ZaP Shipping in some situations, which hurt the civilian economy. Amanda suggested building a Ready Reserve Fleet of 30 Star Lords. This would allow them to be crewed and used by the SLDF in an emergency, but when on normal duty, they would perform transportation services on the civilian economy. She estimated that 30 Star Lords woud be able to carry 4 possibly 5 Divisions in an emergency. She noted that the Hegemony should never have to put civilian shipping in harms way. She suggested expanding Linden to 2 additonal shipyards just to build the Star Lord Jumpships along with any needed support factory's.
Though General Mitchell agreed with the need to expand ship building, she really wanted to keep Linden more of a military asset. So for short term, she spproved construction at Linden. But she selected Onverwacht for a civilian shipyard complex. There it would build Liberty, Merchant, Invader and Star Lord Jumpship. General Mitchell wanted to keep the Tramp and this new Monolith Jumpship that Martha Pruitt had sent a message about for the SLDF. The message had told her that the new Monolith Jumpship would arrive Bastrop on 9 October 2780 and that General Mitchell should expect both to arrive Thazi by the end of the year. They would then be reverse engineered for local construction. It would take a few years to get the shipyards and supporting factory's built at Onverwacht plus training the crews.
The report from Bannerhoft about the pirate location along with their having a Pinto Corvette had sent a few alarm bells ringing. Vice Amiral Barbara Coltrain had ordered Rear Admiral Zeibler to take his 89th Cruiser Division to Bannerhoft. General Mitchell had already ordered the 359th Battlemech Division to head to Bannerhoft to link up with the 89th Cruiser Division. She could not allow a pirate band that powerful to remain that close to Hegemony borders.
She had enough problems worrying about how close the Hegemony was getting to the core Outworlds Alliance worlds. Braben's Frontier was only 120 LY from Alpheratz after all. She already had SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveillance pushing slowly into Outworld space as an early warning.
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That's one heck of a pirate band! :o
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is the OA even a threat? other than long held distaste for the TH (OG)…
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with all of the reverse engineering being done I am surprised that they have not done the same with the bug-eye so that they can build enough to put one in every system one jump away from their borders if not more.
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I am calling the Bug-Eye way too complicated to reverse engineer. Sort of like the Pueblo Dropship, which they do not have. Of course the Pueblo might be doable, just expensive as all get out.
Now, down the road they might land a Nightwing or Tracker. But not finalized yet. I might let them snag a Pueblo, but damn it is expensive.
A direct threat, the OA is not really a direct threat, they would get curb stomped in a fight. But seeing as how the Hegemony has absorbed roughly 1/2 their territory, they might be a little pissed about it.
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per official Canon they left these provinces on their own and many perished. like Taurian and Magistracy did, they saved many but many were lost to the ravages of the SLDF Usurper War.
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Yep, I know. But it is sort of like "There is something you don't want, until someone else snags it, then suddenly your pissed cause you cannot have it."
Just saying, the OA is not really a threat, but they are trying to avoid any issues. Their first way of avoiding is the demand that 80% or better vote to leave the OA and join the Hegemony. Makes it a little more official and "Legal". Not ruling our a possible "conflict" down the road some.
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true
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This is only a suggestion. Is it possible to build a Merchant class jump ship then outfit it with a compact core and maneuvering drive? Cosmetic changes to the hull can make this look like a generic merchant ship. As for the electronics suite, would it not be likely that select items currently manufactured in the Hegemony outperform anything the OA possesses?
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Oh yeah, it can be done. I created and exact copy of the Invader in another story. Called it a Q-Ship. Most of the electronics they could build, it is that little bitty jump drive the Bug-Eye had that I feel is beyond them. Canon, it is the most advanced Jump Drive ever created plus smallest.
Not ruling it out, but if they do something like that, it will be a bit down the road in the story. Right now, they are sort of governed by the "We are still SLDF" mind set and will not go too far off the rails. They might mess with their TO&E in ground unit's, but they can probably argue, with High Command, we did what we felt we needed to do to survive until we returned to the fold. Going all out on warship construction or spy ships of a new design, in numbers, I feel would probably ruffle some serious feathers somewhere in the Chain of Command.
Plus, warships are resource intensive and cash intensive. They just doubled in size, so everything is shifting to bring the new systems into the fold quicker. Jumpship's, well they need more and know it. Both military use and civilian use, plus the Dropships.
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1 November 2780
Bannerhoft (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler, commander 89th Cruiser Division, had been on station for over a month. Finally the 359th Battlemech Division had arrived. He had decided to leave SLS Buccaneer, Essex Destroyer and SLS Independence, New Samarkand Carrier at Bannerhoft as a reaction force if the Pinto showed itself on a raid. Once, SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport had completed recharge, the combined force set off for Naikongzu. It would take just over a month to reach their destination.
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
All around the Hegemony, Jumpships, both from ZaP Shipping and SLDF were forwarding food and supplies to the new systems. Even going so fas as to bring in HPG parts for those systems where there never was a HPG or it was known to be completely destroyed. This was done to try and speed up the restoration of the HPG grid. Since many of the deployed Divisions had been forced to deploy by the Brigade, each Brigades Support Battalion was temporarily issued a Mobile HPG from the SLDF units that did not deploy since they had a active HPG station.
General Rita Mitchell just could not come up with a easy way to keep the absorbed former OA commands together using current SLDF configurations. After discussing the matter with General Heinrich Rommel, he had come up with a solution. Each of the former OA commands would be be formed into a Brigade Combat Team. It would consist of 2 Conventional RCT's. They would be assigned to a single High Value system. Assigning them to a system was fairly easy, as was naming them.
1st Brigade Combat Team (Onverwacht Guards) - Onverwacht (Nickname, Defenders of Hope)
2nd Brigade Combat Team (Blommestein Demons) - Blommestein
3rd Brigade Combat Team (1st Trader Sentinels) - Blueys (Nickname, Wynn’s Warriors)
4th Brigade Combat Team (2nd Traders Sentinels) - Aalzorg (Nickname, Colonial Regulars)
This would free up the 522nd Brigade, 52nd ID and 9th Conventional RCT for redeployment. The 9th Conventional RCT would redeploy to False Dawn taking over for the 19th Hissar Regiment, which would move back to Blommestein. She was not fully ready to leave Blommestein with only the green 17th Conventional RCT alone with the new 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Blommestein was just too important to take a risk with.
Plus, General Rommel wanted to play with the new 2nd Brigade Combat Team. He wanted to try different idea's out with them, so that placed them close enough for an easy trip to watch different results with different configurations to the TO&E. To facilitate their immediate deployment, he was sending Instructors to put them through their Basic Training at their duty stations along with a single SLDF Infantry Regiment to round out each Brigade Combat Team. Major General DeMars was already gathering the equiment to upgrade them to SLDF standards. Currently, they were armed with ancient Tiger Tanks and APC's. He was pretty sure they would be happy with their upgrades.
On Feijo, the expansion of Feijo Modular Construction was well underway. Jennifer Pulson was adding enough workers and shop space to allow her to produce 100 of the dwelling per day, 10 large warehouse per day and 10 new barracks designs per day and 2 new field kitchen design per day. The barracks designs would weigh 7 tons, but include a large shower module. The field kitchen design was a 4,000 square foot design that would weigh 15 tons. The weight came from a field kitchen and everything else needed, refrigeration and dish washing equipment. The warehouse could be assembled in 2 days with Construction Mech assistance, the barracks in 8 hours and the field kitchen in a single day. The barracks cost a mere 10,000 while the field kitchen cost 20,000.
At Linden, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship was constructing 2 additional 1M ton Pressurized Shipyards and supporting factories to increase production of much needed Jumpships.
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+1 for Pulson pulling it off! That will be very helpful... :thumbsup:
+1 more for Mitchell figuring out how to maintain unit integrity! :thumbsup:
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you could order a Monolith Jumpship every 4 months and ship them to the THiE while you are trying to make your own copy. that would give you a core of that unit type and make it harder if anyone says your pirateing the design.
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Question, anyone know who actually designs the Monolith? I cannot find a clue as to who actually designed the thing.
Not overly worried about being accused of it, there are IIRC, 4 canon builders of the Monolith. I am going to assume it was a Hegemony builder. Maybe LTV Aerospace on Inglesmond. The others either bought license rights or maybe reverse engineered the thing after LTV Aerospace's death in 2787.
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I would go with Blue Nose Clipperships
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Technical Readout 3057 (revised) lists that only some dozen Monolith's were built before the SLDF left, and DropShips and JumpShips note that it was designed for use in major military operations, it's implied that each State could make them, though by 3025 the Drac's had the most of them, the Davions were still building 2 every 3 years and that Marik was building 1 every 2 years but they had just lost their production ability.
In either book, the unit entry date is 2776, so I suspect its something designed/ordered by SLDF high command just like streamlining their dropship fleet into the Lee multi-role design. But given the nature of the civil war, they passed it out to each House Lord so that there would be no arguing over favourites and making sure they would build it.
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And here I thought it was Mitchell Vehicles designed that JS... >:D
After SLDF kicked the sharks off Graham IV, sounds good to me.
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Technical Readout 3057 does not indicate any specific firm that constructs the Monolith. It also says that only twelve such vessels existed prior to Kerensky's Exodus. I do not have the book but Objective Raids might provide further information.
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See, that is where we go sideways. If it was designed for the SLDF, even with the design going to all the Great Houses. Way more than a few would have been built from 2776 to Exodus. This is Star League era, where they pooped out warships by the dozens per year and Jumpships and Dropships by the thousands.
Inglesmond was liberated in 2773. So LTV Aerospace could have designed it and built it for the SLDF, just not releasing the design to civilian purchase until the war was basically over. From 2776 to 3025, even using a conservative 6 per year being built, that is 1,494 being built in that time frame. Even at 2 per year being built that is 552 built. Canon numbers don't work or make sense. The SLDF did not build anything at 2-6 per year, they built in bulk and massively. Even using if we say most were lost during the SW's, from 2900 to 3025 would have seen 250 built at 2 per year. Or over a hundred at 2 every 2 years.
I could see LTV Aerospace alone producing 20-30 per year from 2776 to 2779 exclusively for the SLDF and then being allowed to sell to civilian market. Or selling the license rights to others for a small fee per ship built while they continued SLDF production until Exodus. This is what makes me pull my hair out. I already battled the canon time line that is impossible to duplicate using official published guidelines for recharge times.
I think I am going to go with LTV Aerospace. They did not switch their civilian shipyards over to warship production until after Exodus anyway. Then got nuked into oblivion in 2787 by the Combine.
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I would buy that idea. in the end you have to happy with it. Very few people had any ground to argue your math. looking forward your next update
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I agree. Keep up the good writing.
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29 November 2780
Naikongzu (Deep Periphery)
Captain Chavdar Apostolov, commander of former OAS Nova, Pinto Corvette, was preparing for his next deployment, he was going to escort Manus' Manglers 1st Battlemech Regiment to help take Bannerhoft once and for all. His ship had sen much better days, barely surviving the SLDF onslaught that destroyed the rest of the Outworlds Alliance fleet. Only half of his ships weapons were still operational.
They had been back at the main base for only 3 days after conducting a raid on the Antallos system. Long ago, a raid on Antallos would have been suicide with it's SLDF presence, but now it was an easy target. General Julian Manus had commanded a full Division of Rebel forces. But when the SLDF got the upper hand, he had lost half his Division in the retreat. He and his troops had turned pirate and had taken over Naikongzu. Colonized by mainly colonists from the Terran Hegemony seeking a better, less crowded life, they had settled on Naikongzu. Almost 21 million people inhabited Naikongzu under the harsh thumb of Manus' Manglers.
Manus' Manglers had 6 old but operational Liberty Jumpships. They and Nova, Pinto Corvette occupied the Zenith Jump Point. None of the Liberty Jumpships had any crew aboard since General Manus did not trust them to not abandon them, so he transported them to the surface until they were needed. Captain Apostolov was drinking coffee on the small grav deck when the alarm went off. It never went off and it startled him. He picked up the small communicator "Bridge, what is going on?"
"Incoming emergence wave Captain. A big one, we also have another coming into the Nadir Jump Point."
"On my way, we cannot jump out, so let's get ready to greet our guests." Captain Apostolov ordered
It took him mere minutes to reach the bridge and before he could really get strapped into his command couch, the first guest arrived only 14,000Km away, SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser. This was followed seconds later by a SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer. At the Nadir Jump Point, SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser and SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyer escorted SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport and 5 Star Lord Jumpships carrying the 359th Battlemech Division.
"Sweet Mother of God, helm get us the hell out of here before we get clobbered!!!" Captain Apostolov ordered, but he knew they were in serious trouble as his sensors detected several Titan Dropships detach from the Avatar Heavy Cruiser while it also launched a swarm of Aerospace Fighters. "Comm, send to the surface, enemy in system, has to be a full Division with Warship support. Maybe they will have a fighting chance, but I doubt it."
His brain did the math quick and even at full speed, they were not out running the swarm of Aerospace fighters heading their way. He watched as the Avatar Heavy Cruiser altered course to intercept his ship. No way could he slug it out with that Cruiser, nor even the Essex Cruiser that he saw was burning his way as full speed. They were doomed and he knew it. Sure death by destruction or take their chances as prisoners, he thought to himself. As the swarm of Aerospace Fighters began to reach range to engage, he made up his mind "Comm, signal our surrender. We take our chances in court over our sure death in a fight we cannot win."
On the surface, General Manus had gotten the signal from Captain Apostolov and had ordered his troops to get off the Dropships they had been loaded on for departure. He ordered his XO to make ready their last 2 nuclear weapons. Might as well give the uninvited guests a very warm welcome, he thought.
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Brings out the Nukes and its gets the Orbat Hose!
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On one hand, 6 Liberty Jumpships, a Pinto corvette, and intelligence on Antallos. On the other hand, nukes, pirates and possible casualties.
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Not "possible"... those casualties are going to happen. And Manus will NOT survive the result.
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Did not realize the extent of Mitchell Vehicle Interstellar.
Mechs to Warships, are built by 200 factories in the TH.
If your going to have the Star League implode offer asylum to your in laws and maybe they will move to your little realm with a data core intact,( or move factories out that way).
The one thing that caught my eye is the colossus DS.
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Colossus_(DropShip_class)#
A good match for you divisions?
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1 December 2780
Naikongzu (Deep Periphery)
Major General Edgar Zapata, commander 359th Battlemech Division, had spent his entire career in the 359th BM. For 22 years, he had been through the Uprising, seen the nuclear fireballs that killed thousands of SLDF troops. At 43, he had only held full command for 2 years, the previous commander having "retired" to the Training Command. He was known as a hard charging no nonsense commander, who demanded excellence from his troops and got it, they understood he trained them hard because he cared for them.
They spent a full day in orbit while the Warships and Dropships scanned the surface with their sensors. Aerospace Fighters were sent down for some recon and to respond to any hostile actions with maximum firepower. Major General Zapata selected a small city of possibly 15,000 set on a flat very broad plain as their landing zone. Nothing would be able to approach the landing zone without being spotted.
With a swarm of Aerospace Fighters from both of the 359th BM's Aero Wings and from the Warships in orbit covering the area selected as the landing zone, Major General Zapata had decided to to put the 3591st Brigade on the ground via Combat Dropship to secure an area 30Km in diameter before he landed the rest of the 359th BM. The 359th BM Division trained hard and often on Combat Drops and unfortunately lost on average 8 Mchwarriors per year in training exercises. Major General Nathan Baxter, commander 1st Corps, deflected all complaints from above stating the training was dangerous, but executing a Combat Drop without training was suicide.
Within an hour of his order, the 3591st Brigade was on the surface, at the loss of 3 Battlemechs whose equipment had failed. By mid afternoon, the rest of the 359th BM Division was on the surface and the small city declared secure. At first light, they would begin the march for the largest city on the surface with it's space port full of Dropships, 280Km away.
2 December 2780
Before first light, the 359th BM Divisions Cavalry Regiment led off the advance with the Light Recon Regiments of the 3591st and 3592nd Brigades on either flank. Acting as bird dogs for the 359th BM Divisions heavier units. A swarm of Vector Scouts and Royal Cyrano Gunships swarmed around the entire line of advance, while the Engineer Regiment built a functional airbase at the landing zone.
Late morning found the lead elements of the 359th BM Division only 20Km from the space port. The rest of the 359th BM Division was an hour behind them moving at a steady 54kph. The closer they got, the more the hair on the back of Major General Zapata's neck stood on end. Scouts had located several excellent positions, with prepared positions, completely empty of any defenders. Colonel Gillian Anderson, command 359th Cavalry Regiment wanted to take her Regiment into the space port, but Major General Zapata held her back, something just was not right. He knew the enemy was here, the Aero jocks had seen the tracks of Battlemechs moving into dense forests surrounding the area.
By mid afternoon, the 359th BM Division had pulled up at 20Km from the space port. Major General Zapata spread the 359th BM Division out as far as he dared. Like angry bee's the Vector Scouts and Royal Cyrano's swarmed around the 359th BM Divisions perimeter for a distance of 80Km, their sensitive Beagle Active probes sweeping the ground below them, filling the air with electronic waves. Lieutenant Perry Carmichael swept his Royal Cyrano down low over the dense forest below him, his Beagle Active probe had twigged on something below on his last pass. He called out the possible hit and the other 3 Royal Cyrano in his platoon moved in his direction.
Below, troops manning the pair of towed Thumper Artillery pieces could clearly hear the VTOL passing close by. Every one of them prayed that their sensor defeating camo netting held true. Manus' Manglers only had 6 of the towed Thumper Artillery pieces and both of these guns were loaded with nuclear rounds, just waiting for the enemy to get a little closer. Spotters on the forward edge of the dense forest reported almost a full Infantry Regiment closing on the forest and right on the edge of the Thumpers range.
Major Randolph Schwartz, commander Infantry Battlmech Battalion responded to his new orders and pushed his Battalion of 40 Panther PNT-8Zb towards the 2nd Infantry closing on the possible enemy position. Within minutes his Battalion pounded past the 2nd Infantry Regiment closing on the treeline.
Captain Raul Sanchez knew it was now or never, with the VTOL's swarming overhead, any attempt to move to another firing position would be suicide. He had valid targets and decided it was now. "Fire". Off to his left, Lieutenant Perry Carmichael saw the puff of smoke erupt from the woods. "Incoming" he shouted over the radio as he cranked his Royal Cyrano into a steep left bank to close on the firing position.
Major Randolph Sanchez heard the call over the radio when the blinding flash erupted just to the left front of his Panther PNT-8Zb. Suddenly, he lost all control over his Panther as it was picked up by the violent explosion and hurled through the air. Nuke, was the last thought he ever had. The nuclear round had detonated almost in the perfect location, decimating the Battalion of Panther's. Only 3 survivors would be extracted.
The second buclear round detonated, just forward and a split second after the first, from the 2nd Infantry Regiment in their Turhan's. The blinding flash and following blast wave rushed towards the 2nd Infantry Regiment when it met a slight rise in the ground that pushed the onrushing blast wave up just enough to save most of the 2nd Infantry Regiment from the absolute worst of it. Though they lost a full company, most of the 2nd Infantry Regiment survived but they would all spend some time in the Divisions MASH units.
The nuclear detonations brought out the worst fears of Major General Zapata. He called Rear Admiral Zeibler, awaiting in orbit and called down orbital fire on the dense woods where the rounds had come from. Within minutes, man made lightning began savaging the dense woods as both SLS Conroy and SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser hammered the forest. Without orders, the units of the 359th BM Division had begun to shift their focus towards the forest being torn apart from orbit. It was then that General Manus ordered his 2 Regiments of Battlemechs to attack. He knew his Infantry were dead, nothing could survive the awesome display of firepower falling on them. They came pounding out of their hidden positions 20Km away and the lead Battlemech Regiment advanced at an average speed of 96Kph towards the SLDF troops.
Contact calls began coming in and the 359th BM Division began to swing towards the now visible enemy with a vengeance. The Divisions Artillery Regiment began firing on the advancing enemy Battlemechs and 2 Regiments of Manitcore from the Divisions Armor Brigade made ready to intercept the oncoming enemy Battlemechs. Company commanders began frantically assigning targets, designating a full platoons on each Battlemech. The first volleys were sent down range ripping into the leading pirate Battlemechs, dropping several to the ground for good.
From the heavens, Aerospace Fighters began dropping tons of bombs into the mass of Battlemechs before turning to return for strikes. General Manus' watched as the full force of the SLDF was turned loose on his troops. He had hoped to cut into their supply trains, but he was amazed at the speed at which the SLDF troops reacted to his attack. He could see a full SLDF Battlemech Regiment sweeping to the left of his own Battlemechs, bolts of lightning ripping into his troops left flank. They had to be moving at over 100Kph, never stopping. He glanced to the right and saw another SLDF unit doing the same thing. His Battlemechs had gotten amongst the SLDF tanks, but now they came under assault from the SLDF's heavier Battlemechs now entering the fray.
Major Gulipher "Gulley" Parson had his Thug THG-11Eb moving at full speed, the rest of his 39 Thug 11Eb's hot on his heels. His targeting circled flashed and he fired off both ERPPC at the pirate Wasp, both hitting, ripping it's left leg and right arm from the light Battlemech. He watched a huge number of ERPPC bolts from the rest of his Battalion shlash into the leading elements of pirate Battlemechs trying to desperately get away from the non stop SRM fire from the SLDF Manticores. But closing on a battalion of Thug's was not a smart thing to do, as full lance of pirate Wasp discovered as they were met with hundreds of SRM's followed by ERPPC bolts.
He did not even try to avoid the pirate Wasp that had collapsed in front of his Thug and he felt the "pop" under his Thug's right foot as the Wasps cockpit gave way under 80 tons of SLDF fury. An almost non stop stream of LRM's from Archer ARC-2Rb flew overhead. He slammed his left battle fist into a pirate Wasp that suddenly landed in front of him. A split second later he kicked the Wasp, removing it's right leg, but he kept advancing. A full Battalion of SLDF Stalker STK-5Fb waded into the pirate Battlemechs at a steady 32Kph, on his Battalions left, they never stopped, pouring ERLL fire into the pirate Battlemechs.
It started slowly but gathered speed rapidly, a pirate Locust, turned and fled at full speed, followed by another, and then another. Zigging and zagging in an effort to survive, the first pirate Locust to break and run never saw the full company of Royal Cyrano closing on him. The next thing the pilot saw was the ground rapidly approaching his cockpit, his damage display a solid red. As night fell over the battlefield, barely 2 Company's of pirate Battlemechs made it back to where they had come from, disappearing into the dense forest.
Major General Zapata called off the pursuit, not wanting to risk an ambush. He had casualties to recover and treat.
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That could have been a lot worse... glad Zapata had experience with nukes and recognized the signs!
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I like the combat scene, pulls you into the scene. Would like to see more of the 359th kicking @$$.
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and this is so why you don't give ground troops nuclear warheads.
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3 December 2780
Naikongzu (Deep Periphery)
Major General Edgar Zapata, commander 359th Battlemech Division, had the previous days casualty reports. This was the part of the job he hated, but even as he looked at the losses, he consoled himself with the knowledge that it could have been much worse. They has secured the space port and were working on securing the city. He looked back down at the casualty report.
359th BM Division Casualty Report
Infantry Battlemech Battalion
Panther PNT-8Zb - 40 destroyed
Personnel - 37 KIA, 3 Recovered (est return to duty 3 months)
2nd Infantry Regiment
Turhan - 4 destroyed, 3 damaged
Personnel - 138 KIA, 724 WIA (mainly broken bones, radiation doses)
1st Armor Regiment
Manticore - 27 destroyed, 44 damaged
Personnel - 43 KIA, 59 WIA
2nd Armor Regiment
Manticore - 9 destroyed, 6 damaged
Personnel - 18 KIA, 31 WIA
3591st Brigade
Talon TLN-5W - 5 damaged
Mongoose MON-66b - 6 damaged
Crab CRB-27b - 5 damaged
Stalker STK-5Fb - 8 damaged
Thug THG-11Eb - 13 damaged
Warhammer WHM-7A - 9 damaged
3592nd Brigade
Mongoose MON-66b - 7 damaged
Crab CRB-27b - 13 damaged
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb - 22 damaged
Royal Cyrano Gunship - 3 destroyed, 6 damaged
Vector Scout - 2 destroyed, 5 damaged
Typhoon TFN-2B - 3 destroyed, 3 damaged
Pirate/Rebel Losses
Pinto Corvette - captured
Liberty Jumpship - 6 captured
Black Eagle Dropship - 19 captured
Drost II Dropship - 4 captured
Jumbo Dropship - 3 captured
Wasp WSP-1A - 43 destroyed, 18 salvaged
Firestarter FS9-H - 21 destroyed, 9 salvaged
Locust LCT-1V - 38 destroyed, 17 salvaged
Jabberwocky EngineerMech - 9 captured
Phoenix PX-3R - 42 destroyed, 8 salvaged
Prisoners - 1,425 (mainly ship crew, Mechwarrior, support personnel)
Estimated escaped 20 Battlemechs
Patrols were out searching for the remaining pirates that had escaped the previous days fighting. He had communications broadcasting on a open frequency calls for their surrender. But right now, he had no clue what to do with all the civilians.
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Well, that hurt. The personnel losses are going to hurt the most, they can build new mechs, VTOLs, and Tanks. But good to see the consequences of a battle laid out. Thanks.
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Took some time to play out the ground battle in MekHQ. Princess choked a few times. I did not play out the nuke strike.
Even with 216 Battlemechs, Princess wanted no part of 216 Manticore's. I had to advance them until she had no choice but to attack. She really had a fit as my Battlemechs started entering the field. 90% of the damaged stuff on the 359th BM side is minor armor repairs. Quite a few motive crits on the Manticore's. Had like 20 or so pillboxes.
I was even nice and gave princess 4 pilot and 3 gunnery pilots. They just did not have the tonnage to stand. The lead Battalion of Thug's really put the hurt on Princess' troops.
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I am sure, a Light Mech Regiment is not made to have a stand-up fight against Heavies and Assaults. They kinda melt. I am pretty sure it is amusing as all get out to watch the fight happen, though. Bug Mechs Squished Hard.
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Hey, I rolled fair and square. Even the 359th's light Battlemechs gave them a hard time. Of course they are basically all Royal machines and could dance outside of their range.
The first SLDF Battemech Battalion did not enter until turn 20. The Manticore's had to deal with them all alone for some time. I did not even put artillery into play, figured that would be a little too much for Princess with me firing Cluster rounds or even HE at her clusters of Battlemechs. They concentrated PPC, LRM and SRM gave her enough grief.
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I wasn't Implying anything. Manticores are heavy tanks and badasses. They sucked to fight against in the games. I am sure that massed Manticores would give any formation trouble.
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I know you weren't. Not everyone knows that I actually game out most of the battles in MekHQ. Have not mastered the space battles yet and Aero Fighters are still fairly new for me. Those tend to be just written. But land battles, those I actually love to play out.
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While Jumbo DS and Liberty are going to be useful in the expanded AO, the Drost II Dropship - 4 captured make a good coast guard / customs ship.
Add 2-4 Aero cubicles and you have small craft, marine quarters, on a 5/8 DS that has great mission endurance.
Something your aAU will need once you have other shippers than ZaP.
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and this is so why you don't give ground troops nuclear warheads.
True that! Ground forces tend to skip the "Is this a war crime?" step when faced with a "use or lose" situation. ::)
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1 January 2781
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Amanda Cameron took her task of bringing the new systems into the Terran Hegemony, as smoothly as possible, very seriously. Though she found Aunt Rita and Peter Sajak fairly easy to work with, she also hated the limits they placed on her wants. She understood why they limited her idea's, but it irritated her none the less. There was no way to make all her wants for the new systems happen overnight. It would take years, possibly a decade to get them to where the other Hegemony systems were at. There was steady progress on repairing the HPG stations on many worlds. The lack of Jumpships and Dropships for civilian traffic really irritated her, more so with Linden still undergoing it's upgrade to 4 shipyards and supporting factory's.
The arrival of the new Monolith Jumpship had really excited her until Aunt Rita killed that idea, declaring it for military use only. Though she understood her reasoning, 2 Monolith was equal to 3 Star Lord Jumpships, it still irked her. She had only ceased her arguing when Aunt Rita had informed her that a new shipyard complex would be built at Onverwacht for strictly civilian construction. She had spent some time with Jessica Parrington, learning the money side of running a Interstellar nation, and when she asked about ZaP Shipping, Jessica had pointed her to Aunt Rita. She loved Uncle Martin, but ZaP Shipping was making a handsome amount of money, paid no taxes, got free maintenance and refits, had received a vast number of Jumpships and Dropships at no cost.
Today, she brought the issue up with Aunt Rita in an attempt to learn the why of everything.
"Aunt Rita, I have some questions. I love Uncle Martin, and this is in no way anything out of spite, but I am curious why ZaP Shipping pays for almost nothing." Amanda Cameron asked
General Rita Mitchell set down the papers she had been reading. "Well, Martin has done quite a lot for the Hegemony. Still does. Take before we absorbed all the new systems as an example. We used ZaP Shipping and crews basically as scouts, they gathered intel for us, gave us an idea of what was going on out there."
"I know all that, we, the Hegemony also paid ZaP Shipping very well for that tasking. Which we need to quit doing, using a civilian outfit as spies for want of a better word. It places them in too much danger. It sets a very bad precedent for later down the road if it is known that we use our civilian shipping as intel agents. But, I, and Jessica Parrington agree's with me, it might be time for Uncle Martin and ZaP Shipping to start paying their fair share. Jessica told me most of the why things started that way, because you told her, but this is now. ZaP Shipping charges, from what I can determine normal shipping rates, I could probably understand it better if ZaP was giving the Hegemony a massive discount, but they don't. Here is ZaP Shipping's current asset and balance sheet." Amanda said handing over a thin folder which Rita took.
ZaP Shipping
Hegemony Operations
Jumpships
Star Lord Jumpship - 7
Tramp Jumpship - 4
Invader Jumpship - 21
Liberty Jumpship - 4
Merchant Jumpship - 8
Dropships
Mammoth (Cargo) - 28
Mammoth (Passenger) - 15
Jumbo (Cargo) - 44
Jumbo (Passenger) - 10
Mule - 19
Buccaneeer - 13
Passenger Revenue (2780) - 1,096,600,000
Cargo Revenue (2780) - 421,600,000
Special Revenue - 180,000,000 (SLDF Support)
Maintenance/Refit (2780) - (-) 88,340,000
Jumpship/Dropship Purchase - (-) 7,820,154,400
Federated Suns Operations
Jumpships
Star Lord Jumpship - 1
Merchant Jumpship - 4
Invader Jumpship - 10
Dropships
Mule - 20
Jumbo (Passenger) - 10
Monarch - 6
Passenger Revenue (2780) - 243,600,000
Cargo Revenue (2780) - 308,000,000
Estimated Tax Revenue (2780) - 103,490,000
It shocked Rita at the amounts shown. She had never seen it written down exactly like that before. Martin asked for a few Invader Jumpships and she said yes, a few Dropships, she said yes. But now, she could see that it might be time. Amanda could see it on Aunt Rita's face.
"It is nothing against Uncle Martin or ZaP Shipping, but it is time for them to stand on their own feet. For 2780 alone we, the Hegemony, basically took a loss of over 8 Billion dollars. I can see providing maintenance support when they are operating for the SLDF or Hegemony special interests, but not full time. You know that we pay ZaP Shipping 20 million a year for the Drachenfeld mission? PLUS provide all maintenance and support? And everything is tax free? Oh and those Maintenance and Purchase numbers, those are negative numbers, that is what they WOULD have paid, yet the Hegemony GAVE them those." Amanda said
"Okay, I can see that I have gone overboard supporting Martin and ZaP Shipping. I will have a talk with him, plus come up with a way to handle any intel gathering needs. But beware, that could be MUCH more expensive than just using ZaP and paying them a good fee for it. But I agree, if word got out that we use ZaP Shipping for intel purposes, it would not be good at all, for anyone." Rita said
"You run the military Aunt Rita. If it costs us money, even more money, it is worth it to protect Uncle Martin and his people." Amanda said
"Then I will have Rear Admiral Delvaney come up with something. Tell Jessica I am sorry for not paying enough attention to her about ZaP all these years." Rita said
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Martin won't be happy, but I think he'll come to a reasonable arrangement...
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I would bet Martin / ZAP knows these numbers and has been worrying on when the piper will ask his due. No business relationship survives when one side takes such a huge advantage. You either bankrupt your partner / customer or generate such huge resentment it sours all future dealings. Also he's dealing with a heavy armed military government, he's going to say Yes Sir but still try for a non monetary deal, exclusive access etc worth more in the long term.
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1 February 2781
Naikongzu (Deep Periphery)
For 2 months the 359th Battlemech Division had chased the last of the pirates across the huge continent. One by one, they had destroyed every Battlemech. Major General Zapata had finally called off the extended patrols. They would never be able to completely acount for the rest. They had been communication wise, cut off for the last 2 months, being 79LY from Bannerhoft and the Mobile HPG there. But finally, Admiral Tanaka had jumped her SLS Wendigo, Whirlwind Destroyer into HPG range to act as a relay ship. Informed of the status on Naikongzu, she relayed the information to Bannerhoft where it would be relayed to Thazi.
3 February 2781
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had cursed after reading the HPG message relayed from Naikongzu. She cursed the losses, she cursed finding 20 million or so civilians that she had no clue what to do with, but mostly she cursed the lack of HPG equipped ship to act as relay vessels when the SLDF was forced to go on a distant expedition. But that was a problem she could solve by a simple HPG message. She pulled out her pad a prepared a message.
To: Rear Admiral Delvaney, SLS Salvation
From: General Rita Mitchell
Trishia,
I need 5 Scout HPG Jumpships built as soon as you can. I over looked the gaps in our communications when conductng long range missions. I cannot allow this to occur again. While I am at it, we will no longer be using ZaP Shipping in any sort of covert intel operations. Can we reverse engineer the Bug-Eye? If not, I need a package of new Surveillance vessels that can operate long term on independent operations. Must have enough self defense to enable retreat and prevent boarding. Best would be a ship that can hide in plain siight without anyone being able to know what it really is. Put your engineers on this as soon as you can.
Rita
She placed the message in her outbound message box, her aide would be in when she left for the day to gather the messages and walk them over to the HPG. Martin was due to land tomorrow and she hoped he would not pitch a fit about what was to come.
4 February 2781
Martin Zuni was shown into General Mitchell's office. On seeing Martin, she stood up and walked to him and gave him a hug. "It has been too long Martin. Please have a seat, you want anything?"
Martin Zuni glanced at the ceiling looking for the sandbag that was surely heading for his head "Rita, what evil plan have you cooked up now? You do not put that much butter and sugar on anything. What is going on?"
"Okay Martin, I will cut to the chase. It has been a long time coming, and I have stalled it for as long as I can. ZaP Shipping is going to have to start paying taxes, pay for maintenance and refits, but I think I can swing a hefty discount, but I want discount rates at times. Plus, your going to have to start paying for your Jumpships and Dropships." Rita said
"Okay, I been wondering how long you were going to let us have a free ride. You have been more than fair to me and Martha, so we will do our part. What is my tax rate gong to be?" Martin asked
"Same as everyone else, 5 percent. We are not out to gouge anyone. Plus you still face no competition out here. Oh, and we will no longer be using ZaP for any covert operations. Feel free to drop a dime if you here something juicy, but you and your people will no longer be actively employed in the intel business." Rita said
"That is a huge relief. I might like the cloak and dagger stuff a little too much, but about 90% of my people are civilians all the way. They want no part really of the spy stuff. Plus, we get caught playing spy, in another nation, they will never let us trade or travel there again. That is a pretty hefty risk to be running. This is my home now Rita, if I hear anything, I will have the info back here as fast as I can get it here." Martin replied
"Thank you Martin. Now, let's head down the hall and you can say hi to Amanda, she will be thrilled to see you." Rita said
"She's one smart kid. Rumor has it that you have her working her pig tails off. Probably her and your bean counter Parrington threw me under the bus, but I will not fault them. The Hegemony gave ZaP a huge headstart and we can compete with anything that comes our way now. I will get the bank to cut our tax check tomorrow, that should make Parrington and her auditors happy." Martin said as he followed Rita to the door
It took them an hout to hunt down Amanda Cameron after not finding her in the small office she was normally in. They finally found her by tracking down Captain Holly Decroy, Amanda's principal bodyguard. Taking a jeep, they arrived at the small arms range the Royal Black Watch used. General Rita Mitchell could clearly see Amanda Cameron with a laser pistol in her small hands and a holster in her hip. As silently as they could, General Mitchell and Martin Zuni walked up behind her, but stayed behind the firing line boundary and just watched.
"Try again, remember, squeeze not jerk the trigger. Your getting much better and faster on that draw, but your first shot still misses. This is not like using a revolver, no recoil or loud bang. So relax and try again." Captain Holly Decroy said to Amanda
Amanda holstered the Sunbeam Laser Pistol, which Rita noticed was the exact same as the one she wore when she was in the "field". Amanda stood still hand down by her side, a buzzer sounded and she drew, quite quickly Rita took note of, the pistol came up and fired, striking the target about 15 meters away high but enough to take a person's head off. She almost as quickly holstered the pistol and half turned, a huge smile on her face.
"See, now just keep doing that and soon I can make some money off you going up against some of these cocky guys around here." Captain Holly Decroy said and then noticed General Mitchell and popped to attention
"At ease Captain Decroy. I thought we had an agreement about this." General Mitchell said
"Sir, we agreed that Amanda would do any weapons training or unarmed combat training until she turned 15 or assumed her duties. She is 5 days until she turns 15, BUT, I have been with her a long time, and the last year, you have had her performing her duties, albeit under your supervision. So, technically we are within our agreement." Captain Holly Decroy replied, hoping General Mitchell would not kill her
"Relax Captain. The range master told me all about Amanda coming down here for the last few months with you. I do have to qualify like everyone else. You coming along quite well Amanda, excellent shooting. The Sunbeam is pretty heavy and takes some getting used to. I think a good Hold Out Laser Pistol would be best right now. Your hands are not quite big enough to grip the Sunbeam correctly." Rita said, placing her right leg on the small barrier wall and pulling up her pants leg. There she pulled the small holster containing a Hold Out Laser Pistol and handing it to Amanda.
"Thanks Mo....Aunt Rita." Amanda said as she pulled out the smaller pistol and hefted it.
"Come on, you have practiced enough and Uncle Martin is probably hungry. Let's go get some supper and he can tell us all about his travels." Rita said with a smile
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That resolves the fighting on Naikongzu and the situation with Zap.
Amanda Cameron, Armed and Dangerous, which is good. The ability to defend herself will help character and bearing. Good to see her growing up.
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Intel drives operations.
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Interesting post... 20 million people that far out will be a problem...
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what is the situation with the recharge stations is there one in all of the systems except for the ones only recently added. also it would be interesting to see the modified version of the station that they made installed at more systems.
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1 March 2781
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney had put her engineers to work on the Surveillance Ship request. After a few weeks, they had determined that they completely lacked the ability to duplicate the Bug-Eye Surveillance Ship. No method they could come up with could duplicate the tiny jump core, and they deemed it too risky to tear the only Bug-Eye they had apart to even attempt it. But they did come up with a reasonable design that met all of the requested design parameters.
They took the Merchant Jumpship design and modified it. Removing the 114,000 ton Jump Core and fitted it with a 54,300 ton compact core. They then designed a transit drive that could propel the new design at a safe thrust of 2.5g and max 4g. It was buried deep enough into the rear of the ship so as to be invisible unless it was needed. They fitted extended fuel tanks into the hull with 7,000 tons of fuel. Enough for a full year of burn time at 1g constant or 88.6 days at max thrust. It would maintain the 2 Dropship collars, and from the outside, it was identical to the standard Merchant Jumship, even it's jump signature would be identical. For extended missions, they provided everyone aboard the ship with their own quarters, 18 First Class and 200 Standard Quarters. A 28 man Marine detail would prevent boarding.
Every firing Arc held 6 ERLL, 6 LPL and 6 SPL for anti fighter defense. The AFT also held the only capitol weapons, 4 NL/55. This was to discourage any pursuit, the ship was designed the run away, not fight it out. To aid the running away part, the ship was fitted with a LF Battery. A HPG was also installed to pass on information or call for help. The structural integrity was reinforced to 30% and 72 tons of Ferro Aluminum armor coated the ship, providing as much protection as an original Vigilant Corvette. A total of 313 Double Heat Sinks were spread around the hull for the ships cooling. Buried into the hull were a Large Naval Comm Scanner, High Resolution Camera, Infrared Camera and Look Down Radar Imager.
The ship was fitted to carry 4 small craft with 2 doors, a single Aerospace Squadron of 6 with 2 Doors and 5,735 tons of cargo rounded out the ships design. Try as they might, they could not increase the Grav Deck to a larger size without changing the visual aspect of the Merchant Jumpship so they had to leave the 40 meter Grav Deck. The final cost of the new design, called simply Merchant Surveillance, was 14,089,162,000 dollars. Not cheap at all, but it met every design parameter they had been sent and even exceeded some of them, by a large margin. As long as it acted just like a Merchant Jumpship, it would be virtually invisible among it's standard sister. She forwarded the design to General Rita Mitchell for approval, construction time was roughly 4 months for each ship.
SLS Salvation had completed expanding Linden's Deep Spin operation and it now held (4) 1M ton Pressurized Shipyards and all supporting factories. Rear Admiral Delvaney had forwarded her concern about tearing apart one of the new Monolith Jumpships for reverse engineering. This was not a simple truck or tank, but the largest standard Jumpship ever built. She just did not want to risk destroying one of them.
She also monitored the 3 Builder Yardships and their activities around the Terran Hegemony. They were currently working on long term support missions, mainly building Snowden Orbital Mining Stations, repairing Olympus Recharge Stations and even constructing a few new ones. Though it was a tremendous amount of resources to build one.
Orbital Support Operations
Barahona - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Nadir)
Tanz - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Zenith)
Ammon - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Nadir)
Modified Olympus Station New Build (Zenith) (est 2784)
Hergazil - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Zenith)
Onverwacht - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Nadir)
Raetia - Olympus Recharge Station repaired (Zenith)
Taumaturgo - Olympus Recharge Station New Build (Nadir) (est 2783)
Rondon - Olympus Recharge Station New Build (Nadir) (est 2783)
Schrim - Olympus Recharge Station New Build (Nadir) (est 2785)
(3) Snowden Orbital Mining Stations (est 2784)
Ammon had been selected as a forward Naval Repair Base and a Modified Olympus Recharge Station was being built there. Able to handle 3 ships of up to 1M tons. It would have minimal production ability and would not be able to build new vessels. At Onverwacht, the Essex Jump Core had been ground and returned to Linden for recycling.
DoME Engineering Operations
Onverwacht (OP) - HPG Built
Kent (OP) - Build HPG (2786)
Sornath (OP) - Build HPG (2786)
Ype-Jhu (OP) - HPG Repaired
Vonja (OP) - Build HPG (2785)
Coyle (OP) - Repair HPG (2782)
Flynn (OP) - HPG Repaired
Totness (OP) - Repair HPG (2782)
Calingasta (OP) - Repair HPG (2782)
Santa-Ana (OP) - Repair HPG (2782)
Achnoly (OP) - Build HPG (2783)
Schrim (OP) - Build HPG (2786)
Ammon (OP) - HPG Repaired
Voehn (OP) - Build HPG (2783)
Braden's Frontier (OP) - Repair HPG (2782)
Crichton (TD) - Repair HPG (2782)
Hrafn (TD) - Build HPG (2785)
Glitnir (TD) - Build HPG (2786)
Michtal (TD) - Build HPG (2784)
Aalzog (TD) - HPG Repaired
Koury (TD) - Build HPG (2787)
Fallry (TD) - Build HPG (2784)
Blueys (TD) - Build HPG (2784)
Wynn's Roost (TD) - Build HPG (2787)
Vangburg (TD) - Build HPG (2787)
Nerum (TD) - Build HPG (2786)
Zebuluraskai (TD) - Build HPG (2785)
Renorsal (TD) - Build HPG (2787)
Salvende (TD) - Build HPG (2787)
False Dawn (TD) - Repair HPG (2781)
Ourem (TD) - HPG Repaired
Hergazil (OP) - Repair HPG (2781)
Shiri (OP) - Build HPG (2783)
Achton (OP) - Repair HPG (2781)
Raetia (TD) - Repair HPG (2782)
Bannerhoft (TD) - Repair HPG (2782)
Grankum (TD) - Build HPG (2784)
In an effort to speed up repair and construction of the HPG grid, 5 more DoME Teams were undergoing training to add to the 7 existing DoME Teams already active. All terraforming which consisted of mainly seeding the ground to boost agriculture had been suspended until the HPG grid was re-established fully. It was hoped to have the 5 new DoME Teams ready by 2782 but 2783 at the latest. Survey teams from Linden were already making detailed lists of the needed equipment to repair all the HPG's.
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, would soon be moving to Onverwacht to begin construction of the Civilian Jumpship Complex and Supporting Factories. It was estimated to take at least until 2784 to get it fully operational.
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OK, question: Does historical events are still in play?
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/2781
or are we already into a AU? I'm curious because IDK what the end goal for this thread is, as yet.
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See PM. But yes, Historical events will effect this AU to a large degree.
We veered into AU country the moment the story started pretty much. Went real hard into AU when the new Hegemony was established and Amanda Cameron survived.
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after 2782 they might pick up some lost lambs. Maybe like parts of the 222nd mech inf Div and others. That would add a different mix of dropship, mechs, tanks and ect to the THiE. Maybe they received some house designs to help with rebuilding or late war designs for the SLDF. just something for you'll to think about and what if all day. >:D
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Interesting developments concerning the new surveillance vessels. They may not replace the Bug Eye in all categories but they easily expand the Hegemony's strategic recon abilities while the Bug Eye can be sent on highly sensitive missions only it can fulfill.
This is only my opinion but the Hegemony's current equipment designs in use seem to fulfill the military's needs more than adequately. Furthermore it is almost a miracle that the Hegemony now has the ability to reverse engineer and manufacture those designs. I think these capabilities will keep logistics straightforward and any need for new designs can be easily met by modifying one of them.
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15 March 2781
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Harvey Grissum was a lawyer for Fleesum and Gougem. He had spent the last year attempting to purchase the license rights from Krester's Ship Construction for the Aqueduct Dropship and Mammoth Dropship. But today, he had gotten the HPG message that he had been waiting for. With many of it's facilities destroyed, Krester's Ship Construction was in dire need of funds and had finally agreed to their last offer. He had already instructed the bank to transfer the funds, 550,000,000 dollars for the license, design specifications and specialized manufacturing equipment.
He had given up trying to purchase the Monolith Jumpship license from LVT Aerospace. They wanted 3 Billion for the license rights and design specifications. It was just too new and several other firms had already paid that amount to secure rhe rights. His client had set a 800 Million hard cap for the purchasing and no amount of negotiating was going to budge LVT Aerospace to a lower price.
But he had wracked up a large number of victories. He stared at his computer to see what was left for him to purchase.
Krester's Ship Construction - Aqueduct and Mammoth Dropship (Done)
LVT Aerospace - Monolith Jumpship (No Go)
Harrow-Deerfield - ED-X1 Crosscut Loggermech (Done)
Harvester Ant (Done)
DemolitionMech (Done)
SC-V Scavenger Salvage Mech (Done)
Osaka Heavy Metrics - K-3N-KR4 Kiso (Done)
K-3N-KR5 Kiso (Done)
Avanti Industries - Maglev Train (Done)
Maglev Cars (Done)
All he waited on now was the actual license agreement from Krester's Ship Construction along with the design specifications and any specialized machinery. He had already turned over the other designs and equipment to ZaP Shipping for transport to their new owner, Allied Industries. He had no clue who they were or where they were located, he had asked Jonathon Fleesum, founding partner of Fleesum and Gougem and had been told to mind his business and do what he was told. It had been delivered in such a way that only a deaf and very dumb person would ignore the warning.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell read Rear Admiral Delvaney's report, she had sighed heavily on seeing the cost of the Merchant Surveillance Ship. But they were needed, so she had sent back an order to build 12 of them. She then made a note to have the Special Forces Regiment expanded, they had proven invaluable during the last operation. With a lack of Nighthawk Power Armor, she wanted it expanded to provide advance ground intel. She planned to "seed" the systems near Hegemony borders with Special Forces Detachments. If they could ever produce the Nighthawk Power Armor, she would equip the new commands, same for the advanced Spector and Exterminator Battlemechs, which continued to elude them. She expected it to take some time to get them up to speed.
Special Forces Brigade
1st Special Forces Regiment (Current)
3391st Special Forces Batt - 192 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 24 Spector SPR-4F
2282nd Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
2972nd Special Forces Batt - 192 Nighthawk PA(L) MkXXI, 8 Spector SPR-4F, 4 Exterminator EXT-4C
3157th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
2nd Special Forces Regiment (2783)
3160th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3161st Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3162nd Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3163rd Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3rd Special Forces Regiment (2784)
3164th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3165th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3166th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
3167th Special Forces Batt - 336 Special Forces Troops, 12 Vector Scout VTOL, 12 Vector Transport
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I see three Special Force Regiments, and three companies of 'mechs among them. But they're all in the first Regiment...
That lawyer deserves a raise! :thumbsup:
And I have to say... if any word of the THiE reaches Kerensky, I think the Exodus just might have an actual destination... ^-^
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I see three Special Force Regiments, and three companies of 'mechs among them. But they're all in the first Regiment...
That lawyer deserves a raise! :thumbsup:
And I have to say... if any word of the THiE reaches Kerensky, I think the Exodus just might have an actual destination... ^-^
That's... a hilarious good idea. But will word reach the THiE too late to respond?
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I think the DOME teams need to be restructured. If you stopped Terraforming operations to build HPG's won't the Terraforming specialists be sitting on their hands? I understand the teams may be sharing Command and Support resources but it seems a waste. With all the work they have dedicated teams may be more appropriate in the short term.
Also where are all the support personnel coming from to build and staff all these factories, yards and support units. Have training commands been established and educational systems funded to feed into these endeavours?
One of the things I have always enjoyed about your stories is the you included the impact of logistics systems and the limitations they cause, then solve them. :thumbsup:
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I think that 2ndACR is trying to get Hegemony worlds up to standard standards of infrastructure, communications, and military defenses before allowing secondary and tertiary production sites to be established. It seems to be the pattern. Building a Primary site that produces large quantities for economies of scale, then establishing secondary sites for further production, either of items needed in such quantities the primary site can’t keep up or for variation.
Because having redundancy is your friend in the world of Battletech. You go about your business and boom! Someone nukes your factories and calls ortillery down on your cities. DAY. RUINED.
Might be a good idea to have a prometheus library put together and stored in a couple places.
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I think the DOME teams need to be restructured. If you stopped Terraforming operations to build HPG's won't the Terraforming specialists be sitting on their hands? I understand the teams may be sharing Command and Support resources but it seems a waste. With all the work they have dedicated teams may be more appropriate in the short term.
Also where are all the support personnel coming from to build and staff all these factories, yards and support units. Have training commands been established and educational systems funded to feed into these endeavours?
One of the things I have always enjoyed about your stories is the you included the impact of logistics systems and the limitations they cause, then solve them. :thumbsup:
A lot of the factories train the people on site. Take the former Outpost industries, their work force trains the next batch of green horns etc. The shipyard workers, Dropship construction are trained at Linden and Thazi stations. Lead engineers and such are drawn from there also, more experienced folks.
DoME Teams are stretched thin. Getting the HPG grid back up is first priority. Lack of communication is a killer even though the SLDF garrison have Mobile HPG's. The HPG grid provides a good chunk of income.
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1 April 2781 to 1 January 2784
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
On Thazi, General Rita Mitchell looked up as Amanda Cameron walked into the small den. She had grown so much and was now almost 18 years old. Over the last few years, she had performed her "tasks" with skill. The systems of the Onverwacht and Traders Province had slowly improved in all respects. General Mitchell could not be prouder of her. "What's up Amanda? Can't sleep?" She asked
"Not really, I cannot get my brain to shut down." Amanda said as she plopped onto the small couch next to Rita.
"What's on your mind that has you so wound up?" Rita asked
"Most of the hard part is done out here. The new systems are rapidly closing in on the older systems economically. We are still working on the HPG grid, but all repairs have been completed and we are deep into building HPG stations from the ground up. The new civilian shipyard over Onverwacht is almost ready to complete their first Jumpships. I think it is time you took me to Terra. From the news reports, things are not going so well there. Maybe we can help, I have some experience now and won't screw things up too badly, not with you there." Amanda replied
"You sure about this? I promised not to push the issue with you." Rita asked, sitting up straighter
"Yes, I am sure. And you kept your promise. How soon could we leave?" Amanda asked
"Mid March. It will take that long to gather the units I want to take, plus escorts and supplies. I need to get the commanders all lined up, we could be gone for a long while, they have to be prepared to hold their own out here for a time with neither of us close by. We have not linked into the Star League HPG grid, unless you want us to." Rita said, reaching for her portable computer
"No, we do it like we agreed years ago. We notify them of my arrival no more than 2 weeks before we get there. One for security, second, I would prefer them to not have much time for my arrival. I don't need no big ceremony and such." Amanda stated
"Okay, we do it your way. I will be taking the 359th Battlemech Division, 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division and Royal Black Watch of course. All 3 Divisions have the Potemkin Transports, that will minimize the amount of Jumpships we have to pull away. I will have the 89th Cruiser Division escort us. I want to leave Admiral Tanaka, General Rommel and Vice Admiral Coltrain here. Between them, everything should be safe here while we are gone." Rita said, checking her constantly updated notes
"The 280th MID huh, isn't that where Patrick got assigned when he graduated last October?" Amanda said with a smile. Patrick Mitchell, Rita's son, had graduated Battlemech School and been assigned to the 280th MID under Major General Iris Carmen. Like his father, he piloted a Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb.
"Why yes it is. Are you accusing me of some sort of favoritism?" Rita replied with a smile
"I would do no such thing. Might as well make it a family affair after all." Amanda said with a short laugh
"We cannot do that. You have gotten to where most of the Division Commanders are all Aunt's or Uncle's. It would gut out entire command structure." Rita said
"You fault. I grew up with all of them being around all the time. Now I hardly get to see any of them any more." Amanda said
"Well, then it is settled. I will start getting the ball rolling, you young lady go get some sleep." Rita said
"Okay. But you don't stay up all night working on this either." Amanda ordered as she stood
"Yes your highness. Now git." Rita responded with a smack on Amanda's backside
1 March 2784
New Earth (Terran Hegemony)
Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky looked over the countless reports coming in while the SLDF continued making ready for their Exodus. Many shipyards were filled with warships and transports. LVT Aerospace was cranking out their Monolith Jumpships at a furious pace to fill the massive orders the SLDF had placed. Worn out equipment was being replaced as fast as it could. SLDF engineers were dismantling as many factory complexes and every type of manufacturing equipment they could lay the hands on. The one report he hated looking at was the folder that contained all the SLDF commands that he would be disbanding right before they departed, but look at it he did.
2784 Disbandment Prior Exodus
43rd Infantry Division
3002nd Heavy Tank Regiment
457th Heavy Tank Regiment
28th Light Horse Regiment
149th Dragoon Regiment
5th Mechanized Infantry Division
231st Light Horse Regiment
112th Royal Hussar Regiment
114th Hussar Regiment
251st BattleMech Division
306th Hussar Regiment
63rd Mechanized Infantry Division
189th Jump Infantry Division
5th Hussar Regiment
23rd Heavy Assault Regiment
133rd Jump Infantry Division
3rd French Infantry Regiment
166th Mechanized Infantry Division
4674th Striker Regiment
7th Jump Infantry Division
258th Dragoon Regiment
68th Infantry Division
396th Dragoon Regiment
38th Jump Infantry Division
1894th Light Horse Regiment
8th Striker Regiment
20th Mechanized Infantry Division
90th Dragoon Regiment
359th Dragoon Regiment
202nd Mechanized Infantry Division
235th Striker Regiment
15th Dracon Regiment
322nd BattleMech Division
168th Jump Infantry Division
125th Royal Hover Armor Regiment
267th Dragoon Regiment
258th Hussar Regiment
361st Dragoon Regiment
963rd Independent Aero Wing
48th Infantry Division
205th Light Horse Regiment
Major General Lauren Hayes Force
151st Royal Battlemech Division
213th Battlemech Division
287th Battlemech Division
326th Battlemech Division
368th Battlemech Division
79th Mechanized Infantry Division
123rd Mechanized Infantry Division
184th Mechanized Infantry Division
197th Mechanized Infantry Division
13th Royal Infantry Division
3rd Striker Regiment
231st Striker Regiment
321st Hussar Regiment
89th Dragoon Regiment
349th Dragoon Regiment
SLDF Warships for Major General Hayes
Cameron Battlecruiser - 1 (heavy damage)
Potemkin Transport - 4 (all heavy/severe damage)
Black Lion Battlecruiser - 1 (heavy damage)
Aegis Cruiser - 4 (all heavy/severe damage)
Congress Frigate - 4 (all heavy/severe damage)
Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - 1 (severe damage)
New Samarkand Carrier - 2 (all heavy/severe damage)
Lola III Destroyer - 5 (all heavy/severe damage)
Essex Destroyer - 6 (all heavy/severe damage)
Vincent Corvette - 5 (all heavy/severe damage)
Volga Transport - 4 (all heavy/severe damage)
Carrack Transport - 9 (all heavy/severe damage)
Newgrange Yardship - 5 (all heavy/severe damage)
Rimworld/SLDF Warships Cached
Graham X
Riga Frigate - 10 (Jump Cores removed and destroyed)
Farragut Battleship - 2 (Jump Cores removed and destroyed)
Carson Destroyer - 8 (Jump Cores removed and destroyed)
Terra Asteroid Belt
Dart Light Cruiser - 2 (all heavy/severe damage)
Though he wanted to take all the warships with him, there just was not time to repair all of them. Every functional shipyard in the Hegemony was prepping SLDF ships for their journey. They would be left to Major General Lauren Hayes' force. Once repaired, they should provide her with a credible defense force. The units slated to be disbanded would turn all their equipment for storage on Terra or used to bring the forces leaving with him to full strength. He just could not risk all that material falling into the hands of the Houses.
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Oh. Wow. Kerensky is pulling a D*** Move. Leaving the Terran Hegemony with effectively 2 Corps and no warship support to defend itself, after being torn apart. Can we say Fresh Meat?
I hope at least 1 Builder yardship is coming along to deal with any unexpected complication. Honestly, the escort could probably use that Independent Aero Wing, too, for ranged defense, cause I think Pentagons are slim pickings right now in the Hidden Hegemony.
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Oh. Wow. Kerensky is pulling a D*** Move. Leaving the Terran Hegemony with effectively 2 Corps and no warship support to defend itself, after being torn apart. Can we say Fresh Meat?
I hope at least 1 Builder yardship is coming along to deal with any unexpected complication. Honestly, the escort could probably use that Independent Aero Wing, too, for ranged defense, cause I think Pentagons are slim pickings right now in the Hidden Hegemony.
a lot of those ships might be able to make a shorter run to the THiE than what GEneral K was planning.
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14 March 2784
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
The massive convoy was assembled at the Zenith Jump Point. All Dropships were docked with their transports, all supplies were loaded and final goodbye's were being said. Changes had been made, Admiral Tanaka had demanded that SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship accompany the convoy in case of an emergency. Along with SLS Salvation, SLS Borneo, Volga Transport would also make the journey. It was a massive convoy that reminded everyone just how powerful the SLDF really was. And this was a very small portion of it.
Operation Homecoming
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier
SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Buccaneer, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship
SLS Borneo, Volga Transport
SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport
SLS Midnight Dancer, Potemkin Transport
SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport
12 Star Lord Jumpship
359th Battlemech Division
280th Mechanized Infantry Division
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division
Royal Black Watch
3391st Special Forces Battalion
Every Dropship collar was filled. Every member was assigned quarters either on a Warship, Dropship or the Potemkin Transports to maximize comfort and reduce supply usage. It would take 238 days to reach Terra, Martha Pruitt had already promised to have enough supplies at Bastrop to restock their cargo holds ready to transfer. Amanda Cameron, at General Rita Mitchell's advice, had named General Heinrich Rommel acting Regent of the Hegemony. Major General Nathan Baxter had threatened to resign if he was not allowed to accompany them on their journey. General Mitchell had relented and assigned him Ground Force Commander.
At the signal, the massive Task Force began jumping from the Thazi system and the journey to Terra began.
22 May 2784
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Task Force Homecoming began materializing at the Zenith Jump Point whicb caused a huge amount of discomfort for the few AFFS forces in the system. General Mitchell knew that this was going to be a touchy subject. When Customs personnel from the Federated Suns made their expected call, Rear Admiral Zeibler was ready.
"This is Bastrop Customs to SLDF convoy. We show no authorization for your transit. Please repond."
"This is Rear Admiral Zeibler, 89th Cruiser Division escorting SLDF forces from periphery garrison's back to the Terran Hegmeony. Our transit authrorizations must have gotten lost. If you could please file a course plan direct to Terra, I would be mighty thankful. I will file a complaint for the lost transit authorization upon our arrival. Seems we are still sorting stuff out from the war." Rear Admiral Zeibler responded
"Roger, we have been having those kind of problems for quite a while. I will file your course plan for you sir. Please inform Transport Subcommand that they need to get their act together. You are cleared to conduct recharge operations and we will declare your immediate area an exclusion zone for traffic. Your cleared for local CAP only."
"Thank you very much Customs Control. We will be taking on cargo from ZaP Shipping and will assume local control of their ships during our resupply operations." Rear Admiral Zeibler said
"Local control is your sir. Safe journey, Custom Control out."
Rear Admiral Zeibler handed the mic back and turned to General Mitchell "Told you. Even after all these years of chaos, everyone is just so used to SLDF ships transiting an area that they don't even react. As long as your explanation makes sense to them, they will pass you on."
"What are the odds that they will relay our passage up the chain and word gets to General Kerensky?" General Mitchell asked
"I would say 60/40 for them punting it up the chain. This is not a single ship, or even a single Division. We are a potential invasion force. It is a risk we have no choice but to take. I would not be surprised if we don't have a AFFS Warship escort soon shadowing us." Rear Admiral Zeibler replied
"Oh that is just great. Keep me posted please." General Mitchell said
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Yep... the word may not make it to Kerensky, but it will SURELY make it to John Davion...
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1 June 2784
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion never did like the way things had ended in the Star League High Council. He felt he betrayed the trust that General Aleksandr Kerensky had placed in him. With the Hegemony Civil War over, production of the advanced designs given to the Federated Suns had shifted with the AFFS now purchasing 60% and the SLDF 40% since 2781. This had allowed massive upgrades to the equipment being used in the AFFS commands.
Though the AFFS had managed to recruit a few SLDF commands, he had ordered a temporary halt to active recruiting to try and save what little "friendship" he had with General Kerensky, who he knew was furious at the recruitment. He knew the other Houses were very much pursuing recruitment of SLDF commands and also trying to lay claim to Hegemony systems. Once the Hegemony Civil War had ended, a virtual tidal wave of refugee's had fled the Hegemony, especially from Terra. Estimates placed the refugee's fleeing Terra at over 5 Billion people. The Federated Suns had mobilized almost a thousand Jumpships and many more Dropships to help transport refugee's, holding up his promise to General Kerensky to aid any refugee's.
Already, over 500 million refugee's had been settled inside the Federated Suns. They were the ones that wanted to live in the Federated Suns permenantly. Another 25 million refugee's had been transported to the Taurian border which was their stated destination. Heading for the Outwrolds Alliance was another 40 million refugee's. But still inside the Federated Suns were almost 845 million Hegemony refugee's from early in the war or those who just did not know where to go. They were a huge drain on the Federated Suns resources, but First Prince John Davion was a man of his word and the moment they decided where they wanted to go, he would assist them on their way.
He had been alerted to a SLDF convoy that had entered Federated Suns space around Bastrop moving to Terra. Though unexpected, as long as they caused no trouble, he had authorized their passage without delay. General Kerensky had been pulling in far flung garrisons for over 2 years, so it was not an unheard of event. He was a little put off by the lack of notification, but not enough to throw a stink about it.
8 July 2784
New Earth (Terran Hegemony)
Aboard SLS McKenna's Pride, McKenna Battleship, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky looked at the massive fleet assembled. Simliar convoy's were located at staging points at over 50 star systems. He could not help but once again look at the massive list of commands he had ordered disbanded on 15 June. Many commands had instead of obeying orders to disband had joined some of the Houses or even went mercenary.
2784 Disbandment/Status
43rd Infantry Division - Disbanded
3002nd Heavy Tank Regiment - Lyran
457th Heavy Tank Regiment - Disbanded
28th Light Horse Regiment - Combine
149th Dragoon Regiment - Federated Suns
5th Mechanized Infantry Division - Disbanded/Marik
231st Light Horse Regiment - Lyran
112th Royal Hussar Regiment - Disbanded
114th Hussar Regiment - Combine
251st BattleMech Division - Disbanded/Federated Suns
306th Hussar Regiment - Disbanded
63rd Mechanized Infantry Division - Marik/Lyran
189th Jump Infantry Division - Disbanded
5th Hussar Regiment - Federated Suns
23rd Heavy Assault Regiment - Mercenary
133rd Jump Infantry Division - Disbanded/Capellan
3rd French Infantry Regiment - Capellan
166th Mechanized Infantry Division - Disbanded/Marik
4674th Striker Regiment - Combine
7th Jump Infantry Division - Disbanded/Combine
258th Dragoon Regiment - Capellan
68th Infantry Division - Exodus/Lyran
396th Dragoon Regiment - Federated Suns
38th Jump Infantry Division - Disbanded
1894th Light Horse Regiment - Federated Suns
8th Striker Regiment - Federated Suns
20th Mechanized Infantry Division - Disbanded
90th Dragoon Regiment - Disbanded
359th Dragoon Regiment - Disbanded
202nd Mechanized Infantry Division - Disbanded/Capellan
235th Striker Regiment - Disbanded
15th Dracon Regiment - Mercenary/Capellan
322nd BattleMech Division - Disbanded
168th Jump Infantry Division - Disbanded
125th Royal Hover Armor Regiment - Disbanded
267th Dragoon Regiment - Disbanded
258th Hussar Regiment - Capellan
361st Dragoon Regiment - Combine
963rd Independent Aero Wing - Combine
48th Infantry Division - Disbanded
205th Light Horse Regiment - Disbanded
Much of the equipment from the disbanded commands was placed into storage on Terra, that which was not taken for the Exodus. The entire 3rd RCT had refused to leave with him, but he also could not bring himself to disband the storied command. He finally closed the folder and slid it into his desk drawer. He made his way to the bridge and once he confirmed everything was ready, he ordered "Exodus". This was flashed to every assembled fleet and they all began jumping from their systems. The Exodus had begun.
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SLIC falling down on the job again... that convoy from Bastrop should have been reported by then...
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So the big question then is how fast Mitchell and Cameron can find one of the Exodus convoy's? As I recall they started from over 50 different systems.
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Ohhh... good point! If they run across one of those, I can see it changing course... 8)
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what will they do when they FIND the deserters?
seriously, what are they going to do? what do they expect to be able to do?
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Mitchell has been extremely lenient with "deserters"... I'd expect her to simply incorporate them into the THiE...
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Mitchell has been extremely lenient with "deserters"... I'd expect her to simply incorporate them into the THiE...
um, I think the core of the problem here, is convincing them NOT to desert, or convincing them to pull over, stop...come back?
I honestly don't think that's going to work out real well, and I doubt Mitchell's dumb enough to try. These guys basically decided to go kick it as bandits after winning the war, rather than honoring either their service oaths, OR the 'ideals' they were essentially fighting for. (Such inconveniences as rule of law, which was the whole cassus belli behind dethroning Amaris in the first place, these are the guys who said 'nope, I'm loyal to Kerensky, not the people whose taxes paid for my training, salary, upkeep...')
In essence, the conspiracy to desert en masse like that shows these are NOT people you want on your side-they're WORSE than the guys who cut and ran because they were getting their asses handed to them and didn't have a coherent line of communication because they were ****** isolated. Kerensky's bunch basically left-and took all the infrastructure needed to defend the only member state that, by dint of NOT voting to leave the Star League, was still a member.
and left a token force with some uncoordinated planetary militias to be overrun, steamrolled, and destroyed.
Her best move, would be to move in and start pulling shit together and LET THE DESERTERS GO, being thankful she doesn't have to rely on Kerensky and his traitors for anything serious or significant.
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Could be... or the second (or rather, third or fourth) thoughts on the part of the "deserters" might make them useful in the ensuing defense. THiE has the advantage of not being surrounded by circling sharks...
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Well let's just see how the story plays out.
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Could be... or the second (or rather, third or fourth) thoughts on the part of the "deserters" might make them useful in the ensuing defense. THiE has the advantage of not being surrounded by circling sharks...
at this point, Kerensky and his gang ARE the circling sharks. Think about it: they won, they saved the nation from a usurper, so they looted the treasury and abandoned it en-masse with all the equipment they could steal. This is conduct far worse than the guys who deserted after being abandoned and while still under fire. THOSE deserters (the ones Mitchell brought into her force) broke under combat pressure and could be salvaged/saved.
Kerensky and the gang, they won the war, they were the winners, they didn't desert under fire, they deserted and robbed the paymaster on the way out, effectively doing everything possible they could short of actual combat to make sure their homeland, their employer would be overrun and destroyed with ease shortly after leaving.
What's left to salvage? How could anyone like Mitchell ever trust them again? the answer is thus:
She can't. she can't trust them to uphold their oaths, or to support their brother units that didn't conspire to desert, she can't trust them, means she can't use them, and they're WAY too dangerous to have sitting in her backyard.
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I think the Prinz Eugen showed that not everyone that initially left was that committed to desertion, though...
As Iron Grenadier said, we'll see...
And I'm working on that spreadsheet for you... :thumbsup:
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I think the Prinz Eugen showed that not everyone that initially left was that committed to desertion, though...
As Iron Grenadier said, we'll see...
And I'm working on that spreadsheet for you... :thumbsup:
except was it second thoughts, or just remembering where the fat targets for raiding and loot (and maybe a bit of rape and pillage) were? WHO can be trusted to come back? Arguably, with an act of treason that extensive, you really can't rely on anyone among the conspirators above maybe O-3, and among those, there's quite a bit to doubt. Mitchell would be better off letting them go, because an act of betrayal that extensive without so much as a single fragging or act of immediate resistance in the ranks? It's as complex as sifting the anticommunists from the anti-semites in an SS Death's Head unit (the units that guarded and in some case, operated the death-camps during the Holocaust).
Mitchell has MUCH bigger things to do than spending years sorting the genuine traitors from Kerensky's traitor legions. They left an unrestored, devastated and starving hegemony behind with no defenses and an impending civil war-she's better spending time doing the work Aleks decided was too much trouble and getting the TH back on their feet before the invasions start. (at minimum, getting comms working and units ready to react to incursions, instead of doing what Blake did and letting worlds fall unsupported because he wanted to be the prophet of space AT&T.)
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5 November 2784
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Today was the day, General Aleksandr Kerensky gave the order "Order all HPG equipped ships to switch codes to our preset settings. Disconnect from the HPG grid. From here on out, we are on our own. Once we have confirmation that is complete, transmit the jump orders."
It would take a full day for the 1,349 transports and 402 warships carrying 6 million people to depart the New Samarkand system. No one knew it would be some 265 years before they would know what happened to General Kerensky's people.
27 November 2784
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Jerome Blake stood behind the HPG technician with a worried look on his face "This has got to be a joke. You say this message came in from Towne?"
"Yes sir. I confirmed and verified it. They say there is a large armada at the Nadir Jump Point. They transmitted the message from the armada."
Jerome Blake looked at the message slip he held in his hand, he just could not believe what he had read several times.
To: Star League High Command
From: General Rita Mitchell, SLS Tirpitz
Current location Towne. Inbound to Terra. ETA 1 December. Have special VIP from December 2766. Returning after a very long time away. Sure this message will generate many questions. Security protocal prevents more detail. Do not have current SLDF IFF settings, please set SDS to 2766 IFF settings for our arrival. Can not risk injury to special VIP.
The message generated so many more questions than it answered. What special VIP? 2766, that is when the Coup happened. Makes no sense, Jerome Blake thought.
21 December 2784
Task Force Homecoming began arriving at the Nadir Jump Point. Rear Admiral Zeibler was surprised when they were not challenged by a single warship or SDS system. Heck, the entire trip from Towne to Terra had been one massive surprise. Every jump, he had expected to find a SLDF welcoming committee of a few Battleships. But each time they had found nothing at all, just civilian transports.
He detailed SLS Salavation, Newgrange Yardship and SLS Borneo, Volga Transport to remain with the Star Lord Jumpships at the Nadir Jump Point. Once a CAP was established, he ordered the Dropships detached and the armada began the burn for the planet.
30 December 2784
Task Force Homecoming had not been challenged until they were 2 days from orbit and then by only a squadron of Aerospace Fighters. After reaching orbit, communications were finally established with those on the ground. They had refused to respond to communications, that is until the armada reached orbit. Rear Admiral Zeibler kept a constant watch on his ships plot board for any threats.
On SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser, General Rita Mitchell nodded at Amanda Cameron. She lifted the mic and began broadcasting on a open channel, reading off the page in her hand. "This is Amanda Cameron, daughter of First Lord Richard Cameron aboard SLS Tirpitz in orbit of Terra. I have returned to claim my birthright. I have been gone many years, whisked away when the Coup occurred by members of the Royal Black Watch. Myself and my escort will begin landing outside of Unity City tomorrow. There is much work to be done and I request all current leaders to meet me there. I look forward to returning the Terran Hegemony to it's former glory."
When she finished, she looked at General Rita Mitchell, who nodded in return. Everyone knew tomorrow would be an exciting day.
31 December 2784
Jerome Blake looked at Major General Lauren Hayes as they both watched the massive fleet of Dropships descending on pillars of flame. Major General Lauren Hayes had her 151st Royal Battlemech Division formed up to meet this Amanda Cameron. But she also had the 213th and 287th Battlemech Divisions marshalled not 50Km away, ready to react of this went bad.
Once the lead Dropships had settled onto the expansive tarmac of the space port, the doors began opening and Major General Hayes could clearly see the first Battlemechs to emerge all were painted in the colors of the Royal Black Watch. The moved with precision and quickly formed around a Union Dropship, a singe door of which had opened but nothing had emerged. Finally movement was spotted and a single Pillager PLG-3Z emerged, moving with grace that belied the 100 tons of war machine. The Pillager never stopped moving until it had closed to 30 meters of the assembled "welcone" commitee. It stood there for several minutes, silently, which made Major General Hayes a little nervous, as she could clearly see behind the Pillager, hundreds of Battlemechs emerging from Dropships. Finally, the Pillager gracefully knelt, the cockpit hatch popped open and a woman, she guessed in her mid 50's scrambled down the chain ladder easily. Once at the bottom, a much younger woman came down the chain ladder, much quicker and nimbler.
Together, the older woman, who wore the rank tabs of a SLDF General, and the younger woman, clad in a simple jumpsuit with no rank walked the short distance. A full platoon of Jump Infanty, clad in Royal Black Watch colors, quickly formed slightly behind them. Once they reached the assembled group, the younger woman spoke. "I am Amanda Cameron. I have returned to claim my birthright. This is General Rita Mitchell, she acts as my regent and her word is as though it came from me."
While Major General Lauren Hayes studied the women before her, Jerome Blake stepped forward slightly. "We are honored by your presence. But, I hope you understand we will need to verify your claim by taking a DNA sample. I already have a medical team standing by to draw the sample and the lab is ready to process it for comparison to our records."
Before Amanda Cameron could respond, General Rita Mitchell said "Your medical team may observe, but it will be my medical personnel that draw the requested DNA sample. I hope you understand, we take out security very seriously. Now, I have a question for you. Where is the SLDF and General Kerensky?"
"Gone. They have removed themselves from what is sure to start soon. Surely you monitored their movements via news reports during your journey here." Major General Hayes replied
"Yes we did. They never responded to any messages we sent to them." General Rita Mitchell said, she had a feeling this Hayes woman was going to be trouble
"They were operating on a closed network. By the time you broadcast you message, General Kerensky had already disconnected from the HPG grid and placed all his ships on a closed network. Even we have no way to reach him. They are for all intents and purposes gone." Jerome Blake said
"Well, that is going to be a problem. But we will just have to overcome it. Shall we proceed with the DNA sample? The sooner that is complete, the sooner we can begin rebuilding." Amanda Cameron said
2 January 2785
It took 2 days for the DNA results to be certified. She matched perfectly with the deceased Richard Cameron and Elise Graham-Cameron, but there was a problem, she did not fully match the DNA record on file for Amanda Cameron. When this was brought up, Colonel Ian MacIntosh, commander Royal Black Watch was brought in to explain. "Colonel Schmitt ordered Amanda Cameron's files to be swapped for her twin brothers. This was before the actual Coup, but once Amaris and his troops began their move to take up positions on Terra itself. She never trusted Amaris, even had a few arguments with First Lord Richard Cameron about it. All records of her twin brother were erased by order of First Lord Richard Cameron. The child was born with a fatal defect and kept in an ICU room beneath their quarters."
Jerome Blake raised his hand "Wait, Richard Cameron only had a single child, Amanda Cameron and her body was confirmed to be found next to her mother's. This all sounds like a complete fabrication that cannot be proven."
General Rita Mitchell chose this moment to speak "Either way, Amanda Cameron's DNA clearly says she is the child of Richard Cameron and Elise Graham-Cameron. Whether records show her death or not, you have a valid heir standing right before you. Not a illegitimate heir born out of wedlock, but one born to her rightful parents. WE know exactly who she is, WE have dedicated the last 18 years to her protection and well being. Now, I think you need to honor her claim so that we can get down to the serious business of rebuilding the Hegemony."
Amanda Cameron leaned against the wall, remaining silent. She really hated this bickering, it made her regret even returning here, but she was committed now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Major General Hayes stand up suddenly and her hand dropped closer to the hold out Laser pistol in the small of her back, just in case.
"Look Mitchell, you do not have enough forces to MAKE us do a damned thing. It is WE who will decide who is or isn't an heir." Major General Hayes said fiercely
General Rita Mitchell had shifted slightly when Major General Hayes had stood suddenly, her hand resting on her holstered pistol. "That is true, I do not have the numbers that you have on the surface. BUT, I have the one thing you do not have, and that is warships in orbit. I would caution you against making any threats Major General Hayes. We do not have time for courts and commissions and all the political crap that would normally sort this crap out. So I suggest you sit down and shut up while me and Mr Blake here figure this out."
"General Kerensky appointed ME, the military commander of the Hegemony. To safeguard Terra and all it's jewels." She was about to continue when General Mitchell interrupted her.
"Yes, he probably did. But General Kerensky is not here. He took himself and the majority of the SLDF out of the equation. Whether his decision is right or wrong, that is for the historians to decide. I have spent years gathering in shattered SLDF commands from the Uprising and rebuilding their shattered esteem, returning them to properly supported troops. Commands that the SLDF literally abandoned, commands that General Kerensky abandoned. NO one came looking for us. I have well over 11 Divisions that he just threw away. He is no god to me or my troops. Trust me when I say, I am glad he is not here, because I might just shoot him on sight for how he just threw away SLDF commands like so many pieces of paper. I too used to revere the man, but I have had years of rebuilding and restoring SLDF troops who he tossed away. So forgive me if I do not really care what General Kerensky said or even did." General Mitchell said, a glint of fire in her eyes
Jerome Blake decided it was time to toss some water on this building fire before shooting broke out and he was unarmed "Everyone, let's calm down. Whether Amanda Cameron perfectly matches the DNA on file or not, she IS a legitimate heir. Welcome home Amanda Cameron. I, Jerome Blake am at your service."
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YUSS!!!!!!!!!!
I like Amanda. I really do, but I REALLY like General Mitchell, who is everything the legends attribute wrongly to Kerensky.
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They seem to be getting along like a house on fire. As in all that is left is ashes.
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getting ready for step one. just wondering what mech would Amanda Cameron pilot? I would say Atlas II or...……...an Awesome.
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Hayes has 8 Divisions and no active WarShips... vs 11 Divisions and a decent fleet. Interesting balance.
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5 January 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Some things moved fairly quickly once Jerome Blake confirmed Amanda Cameron as the rightful heir. The most important item was a Inner Sphere wide broadcast by Amanda Cameron. She had been quickly confirmed as Director General of the Terran Hegemony. She had her speech that she had written and Aunt Rita had read over and approved. The light went on and the producer pointed to her.
"Greetings to everyone. My name is Amanda Cameron, daughter of First Lord Richard Cameron, Director General of the Terran Hegemony. I want to offer my sincere apology to everyone for my delay in returning to Terra. But I am here now, and I will work tirelessly in restoring the Hegemony to it's former glory. I would like to see the Star League restored, but that will be up to the rulers of the Houses. But let me start with something that must be said here and now. From this day forward, any predation of Hegemony worlds is to cease. I have issued orders for my miitary forces to meet any and all aggression to the Hegemony with utmost force. The Hegemony has been seriously wounded, but that does not mean everyone must act like jackels and tear at our soft under belly. I will soon be communicating with each House leader. I hope those talks bear fruit.
To the people of the Hegemony, I ask for some patience as I work to get a handle on what is needed. This will be a monumental task that probably has never happened before in history. I have already issued a decree that all available resources are to be dircted to stabilizing Hegemony worlds and for relief of our civilian populations. Rebuilding will take time, but we will rebuild. Many worlds have been devastated by the fighting without enough aid, and that is a neglect that I aim to rectify. But I cannot promise miracles. This will be a long and possibly painful recovery.
To the former soldiers of the SLDF. I call upon you to rally to the Terran Hegemony. You fought and bled for her liberation before, and we need your skills once again. We do not wish war, far from it, but we need a defense against the savage predations that we face. I hold no ill will to any that feel they have done enough already. Or who feel their loyalty is to the House of their birth. I have appointed General Rita Mitchell as Commanding General of the Hegemony Armed Forces. All who return to service will be granted Hegemony citizenship. The war to liberate the Hegemony is over. Now we must save what is left.
The House lords may have dissolved the Star League High Council, but I hope they agree to rejoin it. We will continue to restore and operate the HPG grid that is so vital to everything. The High Council might have been dissolved, but the Star League was not. As such, it is only right that dues are still paid to support these efforts. As the Hegemony is the only one that can repair and rebuild the destroyed HPG networks, those dues should be paid to the Hegemony. You stood by and turned your back on the people of the Hegemony years ago, and that is something that WE will not forget. We will not turn off the HPG grid, for that would entail untold suffering to billions of innocent people. The Hegemony needs aid, I am not above asking for any and all help anyone can provide.
Thank you for allowing me to address you today. This will not be the last time you here from me."
Once the light went off, she accepted the bottle of water and took a sip. "Well Aunt Rita, how did I do?"
"Not bad. Your probably going to catch some grief from the House lords, they are not too big on being told what to do or threatened." General Rita Mitchell replied
10 January 2785
The last week had been spent pouring over reports in an effort to get a feel for how badly the Hegemony had been hurt. Amanda spent several days putting the skills taught to her by Jessica Parrington to use digging into the financial side of things. She tossed a fold down and sighed deeply.
"That bad?" General Rita Mitchell asked, she held a folder which actually held some good news for a change
"It's horrible Aunt Rita. So much has been destroyed, contaminated or flat out stolen, I am not sure this can be done. From the looks of some of that crap, it looks as though many Hegemony banks actually financed the Coup and the Uprising. My rough math says we are trillions in debt. Most of the banks are in the negative. Worst, many of the offenders have fled with whatever money was left. Please tell me you have some decent news." Amanda said
"Not too bad. It seems your little speech struck a nerve. We have thousands of former SLDF ready to reenlist. Best of all, they are hardened veterans. Tomorrow, I think me and General Hayes will have another little talk. It is time to break open those warehouses full of equipment." General Rita Mitchell replied
"Try not to shoot her Aunt Rita. We cannot afford to lose senior officers, not yet anyway." Amanda cautioned
This brought a bit of laughter from General Rita Mitchell "I will try my best, but no promises. Damned woman is just like me in many ways."
11 January 2785
Commanding General Rita Mitchell did not summon Major General Lauren Hayes, instead she went looking for her. It took half and hour to locate her office and knocked on the open door. "Mind if I come in General Hayes?" Might as well try a play nice approach first, she thought.
"Come in General Mitchell. Please have a seat. Care for something to drink?" Major General Lauren Hayes said, might as well try the nice tact first, she thought.
After making herself comfortable, General Mitchell decided not to waste time with chit chat "We will be breaking out the gear from the warehouses. We will be reforming the 322nd Battlemech Division, 20th Mechanized Infantry Division and 43rd Infantry Division. We have former SLDF reenlisting in droves. We will bring other commands online as we reach enough troops to man them."
"That would be fine General Mitchell. I will make the arrangements personally. Is there anything else?" Major General Hayes asked
This caught General Mitchell off guard, which was rare. She had expected a fight from the woman across from her, not compliance. "We will also be redeploying some of your commands off Terra. We have a lot of territory to cover." She waited for the explosion that never appeared.
"If I may, I suggest the 79th and 123rd Mechanized Infantry Divisions plus the 213th Battlemech Division. They are all at 100% strength. I can have another 2 Divisions ready for deployment in about a month." Major General Hayes said
After a shockingly pleasant talk, Commanding General Mitchell left to return to her own office wondering just what the hell had happened.
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Hayes has 8 Divisions and no active WarShips... vs 11 Divisions and a decent fleet. Interesting balance.
Not really, Mitchell only brought 3 Divisions and the Royal Black Watch with her. The rest are back in the Periphery Hegemony.
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they have Terra. Now they will have to move to make sure other planets are under the flag of TH. it is going to suck if one of the SLDF units gets into a fight with one of the house lords.
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Well I have read this story for some time now. :o ;D 8) I love it so far. I have a question why did Big K not leave any warships support for Major General Lauren Hayes? I mean reading the list you made all that was left behind were major damage warships that going to need a lot time to be brought back online. Now as I wait for the next chapter to come the big question is which House Lord is going to attack and which going to help. Thank you for the story
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Well, in canon, Kerensky left all those ships, but I added some extra. Yes, they will need time in a repair yard, Terra still has some yards. Plus they do have some Newgrange Yardships, damaged but still functional. So it is close to canon. If I had to take a guess, Kerensky would have left ships damaged enough to prevent them being used on a sustained campaign, but could be used to defend Terra if they had to. He was always a little cautious where Hayes was concerned.
A couple of years, all can be repaired. I will soon be posting estimated repair times for them. Glad your enjoying the story
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Kerensky already helpfully broke the jump cores that would have had to be ground down anyway...
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per cannon 11 McKenna battleships we left in near earth drifting toward the sun.
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“ per cannon 11 McKenna battleships we left in near earth drifting toward the sun”
Oh those 11 McKenna, big Daddy K innocently forget to tell the Hegemony about those.
Good thing THiE spotted them before they became completely trashed.
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per cannon 11 McKenna battleships we left in near earth drifting toward the sun.
I’d forgotten them, can you point me back to the source so I can re-read it?
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I have never tripped over that tidbit either. I cannot see Kerensky leaving 11 McKenna like that, not while they held Terra. I would also be very interested in reading that.
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18 January 2785
Butte Hold (Periphery)
Major General Jenna Romanov, commander 295th Battlemech Division, had finally heard the speech from Amanda Cameron on the 15th. That had put her in a sticky situation, her command had voted to join General Kerensky, but several breakdowns on the SLS Ulithi, Potemkin Transport had delayed their departure so much and for so long, she held little doubt they would ever link up with General Kerensky. Heck, they did not even have a clue of where they were. Since then, she had put the situation to a vote, again. Today the results had come back and with the situation they were facing, the entire command had voted to return to the Hegemony and join Amanda Cameron.
She gave the order for the convoy to set course for Terra, 630LY away, roughly 5 months if they did not suffer anymore breakdowns. She doubted the Lyran Commonwealth would try and stop her passage. And if it came to a fight, well the 295th Battlemech Division had been brought to full strength and requipped after the war ended and they returned to their garrison location.
295th Battlemech Division
SLS Ulithi, Potemkin Transport
SLS Cape Bon, Essex Destroyer
SLS Protecteur, Lola III Destroyer
4 Tramp Jumpships
22 January 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Amanda Cameron had managed to speak with Archon Jennifer Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth and secured her promise to halt any further attempts to sway Hegemony worlds. She had then spoken to Chancellor Barbara Liao, who wished the Hegemony well and promised to continue providing aid to the Hegemony. Neither Captain-General Kenyon Marik or Coordinator Minoru Kurita would speak to her at all. But it was her conversation with First Prince John Davion that bouyed her spirits the most.
"Greetings First Prince Davion, thank you for taking my call. I am sure you saw my speech the other day?" Amanda Cameron said
"Welcome home after so many years away Amanda Cameron. I did see the speech and I feel you should work on your delivery some more. You will ruffle many feathers dictating to House Lords what they can and cannot do. I did not take offense, but I really have no designs upon the Hegemony." First Prince John Davion replied
"Yes, neither Marik or Kurita would even take my call. You say you have no designs on the Hegemony, yet you have brougt some worlds into the Federated Suns." Amanda Cameron said
"Yes I have, those worlds that were jointly administered by the Hegemony and Federated Suns voted many years ago to join the Federated Suns. General Kerensky did not protest their decision. I hope you will not either." First Prince John Davion replied
"No, the votes were legal and are binding. I wish to thank you for the continued aid your nation is providing to the Hegemony and also for the massive support of Hegemony refugee's in your nation." Amanda said
"I promised General Kerensky that the Federated Suns would provide as much aid as was needed. I also promised many years ago to aid the refugee's. I am a man of my word and whe the time comes that the refugee's decide where they want to go, I will assist them in getting there." First Prince John Davion replied
"I will try and get you some guidance very soon on the refugee's to reduce the strain upon your nation." Amanda said
"When you do, I will help make the proper arrangements. I am going to assume, that was your convoy that transited my nation from near Bastrop? My intel might be half blind at times, but it was kind of hard to miss a convoy that sized." First Prince John Davion replied
"You know I cannot confirm that First Prince Davion, security reasons." Amanda said
"I had to try. Your secret is safe with me. I will refrain from speculating further. But, I have been told that many Hegemony worlds are heavily damaged and even doubtful for recovery anytime soon. I also want you to know, the last SLDF units to join my nation, well the talks had been underway long before your arrival. I have already issued orders to cease any further recruitment efforts." First Prince John Davion said
"Again, I am in your debt. I am afraid I must end this pleasant conversation now, there is much to do here." Amanda had said
"I understand fully Ms Cameron. I am always at your disposal." First Prince John Davion said
1 February 2785
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Delbert "Red" Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Vehicles, watched the Dropships descending to the tarmac of the massive space port. A new garrison, the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division was being posted here. But he was here to greet the commander, Major General Keith Mitchell, his long gone nephew. Though they had disagreed in the past on many things, he was thankful that not only had he survived the war but also seemed to have done quite well.
It took an hour before a ground car halted and he saw Major General Keith Mitchell exit the vehicle and walk his way. Delbert Mitchell walked to meet him.
"Keith, great to see you again. I hope Rita and Patrick are both well." Delbert Mitchell said extending his hand
"Uncle Delbert, they are both fine. Rita is on Terra and Patrick is also here, he is assigned to the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division." Keith Mitchell said
"Followed in his parents footsteps I see. Not trying to pick a fight, just stating a fact. Your my brothers son, your the closest thing to an heir I have. I never had any children." Delbert Mitchell responded
"How are things here on Graham IV?" Keith Mitchell asked
"Not good at all, we got clobbered pretty bad during the liberation. The climate folks tell me this planet is going to be a very bad place to live in about ten years. I am looking at having to find a new home for the company. I was looking at the Federated Suns, but now that a Cameron is back running things, god let her be better than her father, I am about to start hunting in the Hegemony." Delbert Mitchell said
"She is nothing like her father. Me and Rita sort of raised her. Rita mainly, taught her a lot. She is really smart" Keith Mitchell said
"Rita huh. That means this Cameron is going to have some backbone. If she picked up too much of Rita's habits, we might be in a shooting war again soon. Your wife always did have sort of a hair trigger temper, well at least towards me that is." Delbert Mitchell said with a smile
"Because you kept hounding her to pilot one of your designs and talking down her Pillager. Sorry Uncle, but she is death itself in her Pillager. She will never give it up." Keith Mitchell said
"I always did like her spunk, she was fun to verbally spar with the few times I got to spend time around you. Now let's get out of this sun and go grab a drink." Delbert Mitchell said
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A new home for Mitchell Vehicles, eh? How about TWO homes? ^-^
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I am enjoying this story and remain cautiously optimistic about developments so far. The DC and FWL will be problematic most likely in a bad way for years to come. I do wonder if the Coordinator is aware of General Mitchell and if he is taking the measure of the woman in comparison to Kerensky.
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1 March 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, Major General Lauren Hayes, Major General Nathan Baxter and Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney were looking over the immediate needs of the Hegemony Armed Forces. Having spent almost 2 months, Rear Admiral Delvaney was briefing the commanders of complete status of the warships left by General Kerensky.
"Sorry it took so long to complete, but those are some seriously banged up warships. Give me 4 years and I can put them all back into action. But I think we can speed it up some more than that, quite a few of the ships are still jump capable, but everyone of them show quite a few micro cracks in their cores. I have several that I think we can bring back to the Titan Yards to repair. But what I really want to do is have LVT Aerospace at Inglesmond manufacture jump cores, we can then remote deliver them Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248 where they are all stored. I can have 2 Newgrange Yardships fully operational in 4 months. Another operational in a year but 2 of them are little more than repair yards. Both Jump Cores are ruined, most of their weapons have been stripped, I guess by Kerensky to replace weapons on ships he took with him. But those 2 can still perform repairs on other ships. Here on the monitor is a complete repair outlay."
2785 Warship Status and Repair Outlay
Luyten 68-28
SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser - remain on station (16 months)
SLS Tarawa, Potemkin Transport - remain on station (9 months)
SLS Guam, Potemkin Transport - remain on station (15 months)
SLS Saipan, Potemkin Transport - remain on station (8 months)
SLS Iwo Jima, Potemkin Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate - Titan Yards (5 months)
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate - Titan Yards (7 months)
SLS De Ruyter, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - remain on station (14 months)
SLS Bamborough, Aegis Cruiser - remain on station (22 months)
SLS Black Templar, Aegis Cruiser - remain on station (20 months)
SLS Surveillante, Lola III Destroyer - remain on station (26 months)
SLS Leander, Lola III Destroyer - remain on station (23 months)
SLS Belfast, Lola III Destroyer - remain on station (21 months)
SLS Ivory, New Samarkand Carrier - Titan Yards (6 months)
SLS Wasp, New Samarkand Carrier - Titan Yards (7 months)
SLS Hammerstrike, Essex Destroyer - Titan Yards (5 months)
SLS Gemstone, Essex Destroyer - Titan Yards (4 months)
SLS Diamond, Essex Destroyer - Titan Yards (4 months)
SLS Mississippi Queen, Vincent Corvette - remain on station (26 months)
SLS Porter, Vincent Corvette - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Mount Saint Helens, Volga Transport - remain on station (8 months)
SLS Mount Ranier, Volga Transport - remain on station (8 months)
SLS Pomeroy, Carrack Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Soderman, Carrack Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Watson, Carrack Transport - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Watkins, Carrack Transport - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Charlton, Carrack Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Dahl, Carrack Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Montford Point, Newgrange Yardship - remain on station (wreck)
SLS John Glenn, Newgrange Yardship - remain on station (11 months)
SLS Arctic, Newgrange Yardship - remain on station (10 months)
Ross 248
SLS Irrefutable, Black Lion Battlecruiser - remain on station (24 months)
SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigate - Titan Yards (9 months)
SLS Rickover, Congress Frigate - Titan Yards (10 months)
SLS Patrick Henry, Aegis Cruiser - Titan Yards (9 months)
SLS Diamondhead, Aegis Cruiser - remain on station (19 months)
SLS Ranger, Lola III Destroyer - remain on station (22 months)
SLS Geary, Lola III Destroyer - remain on station (24 months)
SLS Starlight, Essex Destroyer - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Red Cloud, Carrack Transport - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Sisler, Carrack Transport - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Sacagawea, Carrack Transport - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Emerald, Essex Destroyer - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Topaz, Essex Destroyer - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Resilience, Vincent Corvette - remain on station (5 months)
SLS Determination, Vincent Corvette - remain on station (6 months)
SLS Audacious, Vincent Corvette - remain on station (5 months)
SLS Ruby, Essex Destroyer - remain on station (7 months)
SLS Vesuvius, Volga Transport - remain on station (18 months)
SLS Krakatow, Volga Transport - remain on station (9 months)
SLS Bridge, Newgrange Yardship - remain on station (wreck)
SLS Detroit, Newgrange Yardship - remain on station (11 months)
Terra
RWS Shark Tooth, Dart Light Cruiser - Titan Yards (7 months)
RWS Shark Strike, Dart Light Cruiser - Titan Yards (6 months)
Graham IV
SLS Sharnhorst, Farragut Battleship - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Gneisenau, Farragut Battleship - Mitch Veh (13 months)
SLS Atlanta, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Panther, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Chicago, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Yosemite, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Albany, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Yankee, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Frankfurt, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Dixie, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Harvard, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Yale, Riga Frigate - Mitch Veh (12 months)
SLS Porter, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Selfridge, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS McDougal, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Winslow, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Phelps, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Clark, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
SLS Balch, Carson Destroyer - Mitch Veh (8 months)
"As you can see, in 12 months we will have quite a large warship fleet. Give me 3 years and we will have everything back in service. As you might already be wondering, Kerensky took basically anything that had collars on it that could be repaired quickly. Mitchell Vehicle is already casting new jump cores for the warships there. If they were designs they built, it would go faster, but it took a month to reconfigure their Jump Core factories to cast the new cores.
If LVT Aerospace can get me the jump cores I need, I can complete most repairs listed at under a year on the list. The longer term ones, well we get to them when we get to them." Rear Admiral Delvaney completed her briefing
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"The DC and FWL will be problematic most likely in a bad way for years to come."
nope, for centuries to come
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WOW that is some fleet.
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Indeed... and only three years to get it working again? WOW! :o
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I was not surprise by the two Houses DC and FWL. Coordinator Minoru Kurita is a Kurita that explain it all . Captain-General Kenyon Marik is A hole that that. The other three I new were still on good term with SL. Oh by the way I hate Cappie but I can trust Chancellor Barbara Liao she not one those CRAZY Liao. I love the list on the Warships . The only thing that I' am worry about what the Hegemony have left like Factory, Dropships and Aerospace Fighter. You know Kerensky took a lot of stuff with him. The Major question is how quick they can get back on their feet before the crap hit the fan. Thanks for the update later
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Time for some economic/logistic calculus to do combat algebra.
Can we produce /train enough to = trained men+[war materials( expendables(ammo)/ [moral)+ maneuverability +( depth/ by key terrain)+(^ initiative)]}
THiE gives depth in men , material, space.
Allows a better logistical calculus.
Just maybe enough with a good Cameron to lead for moral to save the inner TH.
The big K abandonment means reduced options, and change of tactics.
Maneuverability +depth +Key terrain =THiE for the Kurita issue New Samarkand needs a little raid. With a few faints towards the Luthian. Unless they invade then just launch rocks on all their space building infrastructure. Combine is flanked and unaware of it.
FWL if I remover correctly lots of form SLDF went to FWL, SLIC needs to penetrate or cultivate those sources to make FWL difficult for the Marik.
Must be dozens of people who will go backstab for the Captain-Generalship, Kenyon was rather unloved if I remember correct.
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Is Delvaney planning on repairing the ships as is, or will the upgrade from the Hidden Hegemony be applied to the Vincents? Or any on the book upgrades be applied?
EDIT: Would take the Vincents from Weak to effectively being destroyers, and therefore more useful
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So at this point war is at least delayed. It seems diplomacy might come into play but it looks like a long shot.
Production of army systems may not be so problematic. There is Mitchell Vehicles but are other companies still intact such as Krupp? Also can the Hegemony still access star systems that were once under joint administration such as Hesperus II?
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***Deleted for rewrite***
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I'm encouraged by the number of 100% ratings I see... :)
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Best check what they make, it ain't great
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True, but it's better than nothing...
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True, but it's better than nothing...
Depends on how bad the items are, junk no matter how many fielded is still junk
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Depends on how bad the items are, junk no matter how many fielded is still junk
'junk' has more to do with HOW you're using it, than what you're using.
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Nice. Ostmann industries survived. Hello, Ostroc.
EDIT: With Mitchell Vehicles Comes the Luxor, SLS Rhodon will not be the last.
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Ostwar all the way bud. I do love the thing. Not the OWR-2M but the OWR-2Mb. Nice powerful cavalry mech.
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Ostwar all the way bud. I do love the thing. Not the OWR-2M but the OWR-2Mb. Nice powerful cavalry mech.
what no love for the Silverfin?
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The StarCorps plant on Fletcher was supposed to be their largest factory. I think it produced their entire line up of Mechs?
Also - what about Caph? I believe there were a few factories that were not destroyed until after the start of the Succession Wars.
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Whoops, totally missed Caph. That is what I get for going off the Terran Hegemony company list. I will edit that tomorrow, might have to go planet by planet. Grunt work.
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But very well executed grunt work.
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And interesting to boot! :thumbsup:
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Whoops, totally missed Caph. That is what I get for going off the Terran Hegemony company list. I will edit that tomorrow, might have to go planet by planet. Grunt work.
Your quality of research is still excellent and your attention to detail is quite nice.
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The Wyatt facility was targeted by two nuclear devices in 3068 and apparently devastated; it is not known to what extent production was affected.[7]
Components produced on Wyatt:[24]
Component Type
BattleMechs
ARC-5W Archer[24] Heavy BattleMech
——-Krester's would not survive the fall of the Star League, and many of its facilities, such as the orbital yards at Keid, were destroyed in the fighting.[1] While the facility at Terra would be decommissioned, the shipyards at Keid, Terra Firma, Thorin and Yorii were all destroyed during the First Succession War.[2]
—- Allied Aerospace had manufacturing centers on the following planet:
Pollux Edit
Components produced on Pollux:[6][5]
Component Type
Aerospace Fighter
Mk. 30 BlackWasp[6] Medium AeroSpace Fighter
LAM
Shadow Hawk LAM[5] LAM
Phoenix Hawk LAM LAM[7]
—— Lucas Technologies has a manufacturing center on the following planet:
Outreach Edit
Components produced on Outreach:[2]
Component Type
Vehicles
LTV-4 Hover Tank[2]
——- Edit
Operated in conjunction with the Lockheed Corporation, the Outreach facility was the only Raimei plant to produce the SB-28 variant of the Sabre, possibly as a result of political pressure from the Terran Hegemony to keep the advanced technology of the SB-28 confined to the Hegemony Navy. The SB-28 was produced as a limited run.[1]
Components produced on Outreach:[1]
Component Type
Aerospace Fighter
SBR-27 Sabre[1] Light Aerospace Fighters
SBR-28 Sabre (from 2753)[1]
—— 40]
Outreach Edit
Components produced on Outreach:[41]
Component Type
VTOL
Vector[41] VTOLs
—— I believe Outreach also had covert SLDF manufacturing facilities that became basis for Dragoon manufacturing ???
Will try to put something together when I can use my computer. Best I can do from phone.
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Wyatt is also the site of the final battle of the Grand Old Lady, SLS Dreadnought herself, where she took several of her killers down with her. So, possible naval salvage and a memorial site.
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Deleted the Industry report, going to rewrite it and break them down by system instead of Manufacturer. Might be a day or so.
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The day or so will be totally worth it to the rest of us! :thumbsup:
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Gonna crawl thru every system still in the Hegemony. Ouch.
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Just don't burn yourself out... many of us want to see this story continue! :thumbsup:
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2ndACR might as well publish your crawl as Hegemony Industry post Coup, As a fan PDF
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I am not that good. Plus, since we have no definitive information on who or what state industries were in canon, it would be my own guess work. I don't want to give non canon info like that. But once I get it all broke out, I have no issue if you want to sling it our there. Making PDF's is not my thing.
Not even sure how I will break it down, heck listing what a factory built would be a huge chore, and even then some would be guess work. Sort of like guessing what kind of production rate a line actually had. Only real canon number is the Valkyrie line on New Avalon at 130 per year. And that is only 10 per month basically. And we are not even sure if that was an example of a true Hegemony factory or what.
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We have solid numbers of what the Taurus produce in the original periphery sourcebook.
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Give it a tech chart like rolling for a mech A -F tech for industry.
Example :
Valkyrie is a C tech production line, for late Star League time period.
10-15 mecha per month.
B tech 15-20 per month.
A tech 20-30 per month. For complete automation, variable based on mech categories light, Medium, Heavy, Assault.
Multiplying the number you give each production line by how much is destroyed.
If <50% functionality then capable of making parts but no mechs/tanks/aerospace fighters.
At 50% 20% of per month capacity.
60% 30% “ “
70% 50% “ “
80% 70%. “. “
90% 80% “. “
Multiplied by damage to planetary infrastructure.
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15 March 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell had just sent a coded message to Bastrop for relay to Thazi. It was a risk she need to take, until a secure link could be setup. Though Jerome Blake seemed trust worthy, she was not yet ready to reveal everything to him. He had already pitched a complete fit when Amanda Cameron had ordered complete copies made of the massive data cores holding every military design every built to date, every weapon built to date, every experimental tech, terraforming, everything from DoME, civilian data and even HPF Technology. She had waited for him to calm down and agree before she dropped the next sandbag on him by ordering HER hand picked team to oversee and verify that the data cores were complete and nothing held back. He had left in a huff.
To: Command
from: Rita Mitchell (white two seven)
Need Scout special to push deep in Fed Suns, need secure comm link, just in case. Increase count if need be. Use Merchant special if you need to. Possibility might need command circuit, 1 drop count. Enact code red four alpha for hyper comms.
The second those data core copies were ready, Rita planned to have them carried back to Thazi for safe keeping. After looking over the reports on her desk, the chances of them needing a fall back position were high. She picked up the report detailing the status of almost every manufacturer in the Hegemony. She had already scheduled a few meetings for Amanda in the next week.
2785 Terra Industry Report
Aldis Industries
(70% Operational)
Hover APC - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each (4 Lines destroyed)
Tracked APC - 2 Lines producing 30 per month each (4 Lines destroyed)
Wheeled APC - 4 Lines producing 30 per month each (2 Lines destroyed)
Heavy Hover APC - 6 Lines producing 20 per month each
Heavy Tracked APC - 6 Lines producing 20 per month each
Heavy Wheeled APC - 6 Lines producing 20 per month each
Harvard Company, Inc.
(100% Operational)
Ahab AHB-443 - 2 Lines producing 10 each per month
Ahab AHB-443b - 2 Lines producing 10 each per month
Blankenburg Technologies
(60% Operational)
Chameleon CLN-4V - 1 Lines producing 20 per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Crockett CRK-5003-1 - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month
Crockett CRK-5003-1b - 1 Lines producing 12 per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Bluefin Technologies
(100% Operational)
Baleena Passenger Submarine - 3 Lines producing 6 each per month
Bluth Corporation
(80% Operational)
BV XXI Buster HaulerMech - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
CON-7 Carbine - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Crosscut - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
ED-X1 Crosscut - 1 Line producing 20 per month (2 Line destroyed)
Boeing Interstellar
(60% Operational)
Hammerhead HMR-HD - 1 Line producing 12 per month (3 Line destroyed)
Hammerhead HMR-HDb - 2 Line producing 12 each per month (2 Line destroyed)
Leopard CV - Producing 12 per year (Capable 18 per year)
Union Dropship - Producing 12 per year (Capable 18 per year)
Bowie Industries
(40% Operational)
Gabriel - 2 Line producing 30 each per month (5 Line destroyed)
Di Tron Heavy Industries
(100% Operational)
Mercator-Campion Shipyards (Jupiter)
Titan Dropship - Producing 18 per year
Aegis Cruiser - Not in production
Lee Dropship - Not in production
Earthwerks Incorporated
(70% Operational)
Archer ARC-2R - 4 Line producing 15 each per month (2 Line destroyed)
Archer ARC-2Rb - 3 Line producing 15 each per month (3 Line destroyed)
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb - 5 Line producing 15 each per month
Ford Military Limited
(80% Operational)
Thorn THE-N - 2 Line producing 20 each per month (2 Line destroyed)
Thorn THE-Nb - 2 Line producing 20 each per month
Grumman Industries
(50% Operational)
Zephyr - 4 Line producing 30 each per month (4 Line destroyed)
Chaparral - 4 Line producing 20 each per month (4 Line destroyed)
Krester's Ship Construction
(40% Operational)
Kimagure Cruiser - Serious Damage (est 4 years to production)
Texas Battleship - Severe Damage (est 6 years to production)
Aqueduct Dropship - Producing 16 per year (Capable 32 per year)
Mammoth Dropship - Producing 12 per year (Capable 24 per year)
Behemoth Dropship - Producing 8 per year (Capable 12 per year)
**Many supporting factories destroyed**
Krupp Stellar Technologies Inc.
(Terra (Mothballed) Mars (Destroyed))
Dragoon AEM-01 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each per month
Dragoon AEM-02 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each per month
Dragoon AEM-03 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each per month
Dragoon AEM-04 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each per month
Leopard Armor
(Destroyed)
Martinson Armaments
(Destroyed)
Millennium Industries
(100% Operational)
Chevalier - 6 Lines producing 40 each per month
Mitchell Vehicles
(60% Operational)
Shootist ST-8A - 2 Lines producing 12 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Prowler - 2 Lines producing 25 each per month
New Earth Trading Company
(100% Operational)
Karnov UR - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
TechniCorp
(Destroyed)
O'Neil Yards
(50% Operational)
Achilles Dropship - Producing 12 per year (Capable of 20 per year)
Pentagon Dropship - Producing 18 per year (Capable of 36 per year)
Lee Dropship - Production resumes February 2785 at 18 per year
Merchant Jumpship - Producing 5 per year (Capable of 15 per year)
Invader Jumpship - Producing 4 per year (Capable of 12 per year)
Tramp Jumpship - Producing 3 per year (Capable of 12 per year)
Star Lord Jumpship - Producing 2 per year (Capable of 12 per year)
**Many supporting factories destroyed**
Ostmann Industries
(40% Operational)
Ostroc OSR-2C - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Ostroc OSR-2Cb - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Ostwar OWR-2Mb - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Quarry Arms
(Destroyed)
Skobel MechWorks
(50% Operational)
Mackie MSK-9H - Not in production
Excalibur EXC-B2 - 2 Lines producing 25 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Excalibur EXC-B2b - 1 Line producing 25 per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Jackrabbit JKR-8T - 6 Lines being converted to Excalibur EXC-B2b
StarCorps Industries
(60% Operational)
Emperor EMP-6A - 6 Lines producing 15 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Longbow LGB-7Q - 3 Lines producing 15 each per month (1 Line destroyed)
Highlander HGN-732b - 4 Lines producing 15 each per month
Warhammer WHM-7A - 6 Lines producing 15 each per month
Titan Yards (Titan)
(100% Operational)
Triumph Dropship - Producing 24 per year
Lee Dropship - Not in production
Merchant Jumpship - Producing 16 per year
Invader Jumpship - Producing 12 per year
Tramp Jumpship - Producing 12 per year
Star Lord Jumpship - Producing 16 per year
Ulston Armor
(Destroyed)
Windancer Marine Technologies
(100% Operational)
Silverfin - Producing 24 per year
Blue Nose Clipperships (Mars)
(20% Operational)
Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser
McKenna Battleship
**All supporting factories destroyed**
Cosara Weaponries (Mars)
(40% Operational)
King Crab KGC-000 - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
King Crab KGC-000b - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
General Mechanics (Mars)
(30% Operational)
Wasp WSP-1A - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Kintaro KTO-19 - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Kintaro KTO-19b - 1 Line producing 20 per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Rebel Industrial Technologies, Inc (Mars)
(60% Operational)
Long Tom LT-MOB-25 - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (1 Line destroyed)
Star League Defense Industries (Mars)
(Destroyed)
2785 Sirius Industry Report
Di Tron Heavy Industries
(40% Operational)
Titan Dropship - Producing 4 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
Overlord Dropship - Producing 6 per year (Capable of 24 per year)
**Many supporting factories destroyed**
2785 Keid Industry Report
Krester's Ship Construction
(Destroyed)
Thompson's Shipyards
(20% Operational)
Carson Destroyer - Not in production
Merchant Jumpship - Production stalled
Invader Jumpship - Production stalled
Tramp Jumpship - Production stalled
Star Lord Jumpship - Production stalled
Overlord Dropship - Production stalled
**All supporting factories destroyed**
2785 Procyon Industry Report
Brigadier Corporation
(35% Operational)
Crusader CRD-3R - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Crusader CRD-2R - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Griffin GRF-1N - 3 Lines producing 25 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Griffin GRF-2N - 2 Lines producing 25 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
2785 New Earth Industry Report
Blow/Hookson Technologies
(Destroyed)
Hegemony Research and Development
(Destroyed)
Newhart Industries
(Destroyed)
Bergan Industries
(30% Operational)
Locust LCT-1Vb - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Champion CHP-1N - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Champion CHP-1N2 - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Champion CHP-1Nb - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Wayland Mobile Base - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Boeing Interstellar
(10% Operational)
Leopard Dropship - Production stalled
Leopard CV Dropship - Production stalled
Union Dropship - Production stalled
**All supporting factories destroyed, 80% workers killed**
Daussault-Shimmon Enterprises
(20% Operational)
Cameron Battlecruiser - No production
**All supporting factories destroyed, 80% workers killed**
Di Tron Heavy Industries
(10% Operational)
Titan Dropship - Production stalled
Achilles Dropship - Production stalled
**All supporting factories destroyed, 70% workers killed**
New Earth Trading Company
(60% Operational)
Karnov UR - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Manticore - 3 Lines producing 40 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Alacorn MkVI - 4 Lines producing 30 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Engineering Vehicle - 1 Lines producing 30 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Nicholas Spacecraft
(25% Operational)
Bastion Space Station - Producing 2 per year (Capable of 6 per year)
**Most supporting factories destroyed**
Terex-Schaeff
(100% Operational)
Corx Mobile Tunnel Miner - 8 Lines producing 20 each per month
Yankee Weapons Systems
(45% Operational)
Excalibur EXC-B2 - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Excalibur EXC-B2b - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
2785 Caph Industry Report
Browning-Corning, Limited
(70% Operational)
Chieftain Mobile HQ - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
General Systems
(40% Operational)
Exterminator EXT-4D - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Exterminator EXT-4Db - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Exterminator EXT-4C - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Lang Industries Incorporated
(Destroyed)
Skobel MechWorks
(100% Contaminated)
Stormvanger Assemblies, Unlimited
(Destroyed)
2785 Altair Industry Report
Izumi JumpShips
(60% Operational)
Scout Jumpship - Producing 4 per year (Capable of 4 per year)
Merchant Jumpship - Producing 16 per year (Capable of 24 per year)
Invader Jumpship - Producing 12 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
Tramp Jumpship - Producing 10 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
Star Lord Jumpship - Producing 4 per year (Capable of 12 per year)
Long Life Company
(60% Operational)
MASH Truck - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
2785 Bryant Industry Report
HartfordCo Industries
(55% Operational)
Von Luckner - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Von Luckner Star League - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Cicada CDA-2A - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Lantren Corporation
(100% Operational)
Grasshopper GRH-5H - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month
2785 Dieron Industry Report
Buhallin Military Products
(Destroyed)
Whitworth Company
(Destroyed)
Osaka Heavy Metrics
(65% Operational)
Kiso IndustrialMech K-3N-KR4 - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Stellar Trek
(60% Operational)
Merchant Jumpship - Producing 12 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
Invader Jumpship - Producing 12 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
Star Lord Jumpship - Producing 12 per year (Capable of 18 per year)
**Many supporting factories destroyed)
2785 Carver Industry Report
Delhi WarShips
(30% Operational)
Vincent Corvette - Producing 2 per year (4 years to production)
**Most supporting factories destroyed**
Brooks, Inc.
(80% Operational)
Ironsides IRN-SD1 - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (1 Lines destroyed)
Ironsides IRN-SD1b - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (1 Lines destroyed)
Martinson Armaments
(30% Operational)
Kyudo KY2-D-02 - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Spartan SPT-N2 - 1 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
2785 Yorii Industry Report
Krester's Ship Construction
(70% Operational)
Aqueduct Dropship - Producing 12 per year (Capable 18 per year)
Mammoth Dropship - Producing 12 per year (Capable 12 per year)
Behemoth Dropship - Producing 4 per year (Capable 8 per year)
2785 Thorin Industry Report
Krester's Ship Construction
(30% Operational)
Aqueduct Dropship - Producing 6 per year (Capable 18 per year)
Mammoth Dropship - Producing 6 per year (Capable 12 per year)
Behemoth Dropship - Producing 1 per year (Capable 8 per year)
Newhart Industries
(100% Operational)
Trident TRN-3T - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
Trident TRN-3Tb - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Graham IV Industry Report
Mitchell Vehicles
(80% Operational)
Mercury MCY-99 - 1 Line producing 20 per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Shogun SHG-2H - 4 Lines producing 12 each per month
Kanga - destroyed
Hellcat II HCT-213C - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
Hellcat II HCT-214 - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Colossus Dropship - Mothballed (Capable of 36 per year)
Luxor Cruiser - Not in production
Essex Destroyer - Not in production
DeKirk Aerospace
(20% Operational)
Congress Frigate - est 6 years to production
**All supporting factories destroyed**
-
2785 Epsilon Eridani Industry Report
Harvard Company, Inc.
(40% Operational)
Wasp LAM Mk1 - 2 Lines producing 8 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
2785 Oliver Industry Report
Brigadier Corporation
(70% Operational)
Griffin GRF-1N - 1 Line producing 20 per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Griffin GRF-2N - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month
Crusader CRD-3R - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Crusader CRD-2R - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Scorpion SCP-1N - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month
Goliath GOL-1H - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month
AeroFighter Unlimited
(100% Operational)
Tomahawk THK-53 - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Northwind Industry Report
Cosara Weaponries
(100% Operational)
Crab CRB-27 - 6 Lines producing 30 each per month
Crab CRB-27sl - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month
Crab CRB-27b - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month
King Crab KGC-000 - 2 Lines producing 12 each per month
King Crab KGC-000b - 2 Lines producing 12 each per month
2785 Outreach Industry Report
Raimei/Lockheed Corporation
(70% Operational)
Sabre SB-27 - 6 Lines producing 15 each per month
Sabre SB-27b - 4 Lines producing 15 each per month
Sabre SB-28 - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month
2785 Pollux Industry Report
Allied Aerospace
(60% Operational)
Black Wasp Mk30 - Destroyed
Phoenix Hawk LAM - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month
Shadow Hawk LAM - 2 Lines prosucing 12 each per month
2785 Nirasaki Industry Report
Nirasaki Computers Collective
(Destroyed)
Maltex Corporation
(70% Operational)
Thug THG-11E - 6 Lines producing 15 each per month
Thug THG-11Eb - 4 Lines producing 15 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Wyvern WVE-5N - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
Wyvern WVE-5Nb - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
New Age Systems Inc
(50% Operational)
Spad SPD-502 - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
Spad SPD-503 - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Terra Firma Industry Report
Krester's Ship Construction
(60% Operational)
Aqueduct Dropship - Producing 26 per year (Capable 32 per year)
Mammoth Dropship - Producing 18 per year (Capable 24 per year)
Behemoth Dropship - Destroyed (3 years to production)
2785 Quentin Industry Report
Independence Weaponry
(80% Operational)
Atlas AS7-D - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month
Victor VTR-9A - 2 Lines producing 12 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Victor VTR-9B - 4 Lines producing 12 each per month
Warner Incorporated
(100% Operational)
Sparrowhawk SPR-H5 - 4 Lines producing 30 each per month
2785 Inglesmond Industry Report
LTV Aerospace
(100% Operational)
Merchant Jumpship - Producing 16 per year
Invader Jumpship - Producing 12 per year
Tramp Jumpship - Producing 12 per year
Star Lord Jumpship - Producing 16 per year
Monolith Jumpship - Producing 30 per year
2785 Fletcher Industry Report
Caletra Fighters
(60% Operational)
Swift SWF-606 - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
StarCorps Industries
(40% Operational)
Highlander HGN-732 - 3 Line producing 12 per month (7 Lines destroyed)
Highlander HGN-732b - 3 Lines producing 12 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Emperor EMP-6A - 4 Lines producing 12 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Longbow LGB-7Q - 2 Line producing 12 each per month (4 Lines destroyed)
Yelm Weapons
(80% Operational)
Nightshade ECM VTOL - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month
Nightshade ECM VTOL (Royal) - 1 Line producing 30 per month (2 Lines destroyed)
2785 Errai Industry Report
Maltex Corporation
(50% Operational)
Assassin ASN-21 - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Thug THG-11E - 3 Lines producing 15 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Thug THG-11Eb - 2 Lines producing 15 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Wyvern WVE-5N - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Wyvern WVE-5Nb - destroyed
2785 Nanking Industry Report
Rivverson Technologies
(60% Operational)
Ballista Artillery - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Kallon Industries
(100% Operational)
Rifleman RFL-1N - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Kervil Industry Report
Wakazashi Enterprises
(100% Operational)
Sabre SB-27 - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month
Sabre SB-27b - 3 Lines producing 30 each per month
2785 Wasat Industry Report
Renault-Prime
(50% Operational)
Flashman FLS-8K - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (3 Lines destroyed)
Bowie Industries
(Destroyed)
2785 Mizar Industry Report
Fairchild Dornier
(Destroyed)
2785 Marcus Industry Report
Orguss Industries
(30% Operational)
Urbanmech UM-R60 - 1 Line producing 30 per month (4 Lines destroyed)
2785 Achernar Industry Report
Achernar Battlemechs (West Fabrication Facility)
(80% Operational)
Dervish DV-6M - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
Dervish DV-6Mb - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Dervish DV-6Md - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Al Nair Industry Report
Wakazashi Enterprises
(60% Operational)
Bombardier BMB-12D - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (2 Lines destroyed)
2785 Connaught Industry Report
Kong Interstellar Corporation
(80% Operational)
Otscout OTT-7J - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Otscout OTT-7Jb - 1 Line producing 30 per month
Ostsol OTL-4D - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month (1 Line destroyed)
Black Knight BL-6-KNT - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month (1 LIne destroyed)
Black Knight BL-6b-KNT - 2 Lines peoducing 20 each per month
2785 Wyatt Industry Report
Bowie Industries
(100% Operational)
Archer ARC-2R - 3 Lines producing 20 each per month
Archer ARC-2Rb - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
2785 Tigress Industry Report
Paulina Weapons
(100% Operational_
Cyrano - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month
Cyrano (Royal) - 2 Lines producing 30 each per month
-
20 March 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Amanda Cameron had read the briefing papers from General Rita Mitchell about her scheduled meetings for the next few days. The very last scheduled meeting, General Mitchell would sit in on. But until then, she would be on her own during them. The goal of these meetings were to entice a few manufacturers to open operations in the Periphery half of the Hegemony. Especially those extremely hard hit here. She checked her appointment book to see who was first.
Gambrel Francine - Ostmann Industries
Factory hard hit here on Terra, would like to move operation to Periphery Hegemony. Worst case, offer to transfer control of Hegemony Industries to Ostmann Industries. Use that only as a last resort. Mainly sound him out, see where he stands. Security of HOME is utmost importance.
Irene Thompson - Thompson's Shipyards
Shipyard complex on Keid devastated and cost to rebuild will be enormous. Would really like to have that operation moved fully to Periphery Hegemony. They have warship construction experience, so that is a bonus. Same as before sound her out and see where she stands on the issue. Security of HOME is utmost importance.
Robert Caldwell - Nicholas Spacecraft
Complex at New Earth hard hit. Would be nice to have a division opened in Periphery Hegemony. Specializes in mainly space stations, that would really come in handy. As always, security is important.
Manny Newhart - Newhart Industries
New Earth operation destroyed but Thorin operation fully operational. This one might be a little tough, but we need to see where he stands.
Edward Buhallin - Buhallin Military Products
Factory complex totally destroyed on Deiron. Very experienced in combat vehicle construction. If willing to move people, we have several operations we could tranfer one of them to give them leg up. Feel him out.
Fredrick Amarizan - Fairchild Dornier
Factory complex on Mizar razed to the ground. Experienced Aerospace Fighter production. We could use them back home.
Delbert Mitchell - Mitchell Vehicles
I will attend this meeting. The Graham operation is going to have to be moved fully anyway. We have an in with him, so I am confident we can find a suitable home for them in the Periphery Hegemony.
Around 9am, her first meeting with Gambrel Francine was shown into her personal office. After exchanging greetings, Amanda began her first attempt at "seducing" a industry leader. "Mr Francine, I asked for this meeting because I know your Ostmann Industries took some major damage here on Terra. I am curious, what are your plans for the future?"
"I would like to rebuild, but the banks are currently not lending any money. Current estimates are about 30 Billion to fully rebuild the destroyed production lines and all the supporting infrastructure that was destroyed. It is not like before the Coup when I would have had no trouble getting a loan that size." Gambrel Francine said
"Funding is very tight right now Hegemony wide. There is so much that has to be rebuilt. I have had to place a priority on funding across the Hegemony on rebuilding the infrastructure of the Hegemony." Amanda replied
"If you would allow me to sell my Battlemechs with advanced weapons to the House's, I might be able to do without the loans." Francine said
"I am afraid that will not be possible. It is obvious that the various House's are gearing up for war on a massive scale. Would you be open to possibly opening a new branch somewhere outside the Hegemony here, with full Hegemony financial backing to assist in getting your complex both built and operational?" Amanda asked
"Might I ask where this new operation would be based?" Francine asked
"That is classified, but it would be in Hegemony controlled spaced, just a bit further out than you would expect." Amanda replied
"If the Hegemony government will provide funding for the construction, I would not look unfavorable on the idea. I assume my factory here on Terra would remain in production." Francine said
"Yes, but I will be honest with you, it could be several years before things return to any sort of normal routine. Our HAF forces are not nearly as large as the SLDF, even though some within are having some difficulty in the name change. I honestly do not see our forces ever being that large again. Nor will we be purchasing such a wide assortment of equipment. The SLDF seemed to purchase everything made in massive quantities, but we will be slowly streamlining everything to the best models we can get that fill the needs of our forces." Amanda explained
"I thank you for your candor Director General Cameron. I will have my answer to you in a week, I need to do some thinking on the matter." Francine said
"Then I will await your answer. Thank you for meeting with me." Amanda said as she led Gambrel Francine to the door.
As she let Gambrel Francine out, she saw that her next meeting was already waiting, Irene Thompson of Thompson's Shipyards. Amanda smiled and waved Irene Thompson into her office, gesturing to a seat. "Please have a seat, care for something to drink?" Amanda asked
"I am fine Director General Cameron. I am curious as to this meeting though." Irene Thompson said
"It is more a meet and greet. I prefer to know the people I am dealing with instead of just a name on a piece of paper. But, I also am concerned with the heavy damage done to your Keid location." Amanda said as she sat down
"The damage is extensive. It will be several years at least before we can even resume production. The loss of revenue in the meantime worries me. I am not even sure we can survive until th repairs are completed." Irene Thompson said
"What if I were to tell you that I know of a shipyard complex that needs a skilled hand to run it and experienced builders?" Amanda asked
"I would respond with a how much do they want for it?" Irene Thompson replied
"Probably not as much as you would expect to pay. It is a long ways away, but it would provide you with a source of funding for repairs at Keid. I would even be open to helping you fund an additional complex, at a location of my choosing, to help with even more revenue ability." Amanda replied
"If you mean what you say, then I am all for it. Point me in the direction and I will gladly move my entire operation there. I can have my remaining assets broken down for transport in a year." Irene Thompson said
"Excellent. You start the process and I will work on getting enough transport together to make it happen." Amanda said with a beaming smile
They spent the next couple of hours slowly working out further details. By the time they finished, it was late in the afternoon and the remaining meetings were scheduled for the next day.
-
21 March 2785
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
With both Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell back on Terra, General Heinrich Rommel was not standing still. Industry across many worlds was steadily expanding to support the ever ravenous military complex. But also to support the massive number of HPG sites needing construction. To meet demand, he had ordered the facilities on Linden expanded further. He also focused on several war games being conducted around the region which had pointed out several issues that needed correcting. The biggest one was every command seemed to be fairly vulnerable to Aerospace strikes if enemy fighters made it past a commands own fighters. Over the last month, the engineers at Hegemony Industries Battlemech complex had taken the venerable Rifleman Battlemech and worked out a upgrade that fixed several of it's problems.
First they changed the skeleton to Endo Steel, which freed up much needed weight. Ten Double Heat Sinks were installed which corrected the Rifleman's heat woes. The amor was changed to Ferro Fibrous and boosted to 8.5 tons. They dropped both medium lasers, added CASE to both torso locations and added in a total of 4 tons of AC/5 Flak ammo which greatly increased the Rifleman's anti-aircraft ability. The Rifleman was already a very able anti-aircraft platform, but it had always been plagued by heat problems and lack of ammunition, these changes corrected every one of the designs problems. They named it Rifleman RFL-3Nb.
General Heinrich Rommel wasted no time ordering a batch constructed for testing. The current wargames showed a massive increase in a commands ability to defend itself from air attacks. He ordered the Rifleman RFL-3Nb into full production, his plan was for every Division to be equipped with a full Regiment assigned to a Anti-Aircraft Regiment, they would be deployed as the Division commander saw fit. But this did not help the more conventional commands, this he turned over to Thazi Motors.
Thazi Motors had taken only 2 weeks to come back with a valid design. Ordered to make it as cheap as possible, they did not mount advanced armor. They selected a 60 ton wheeled design, slating in a 220 Fusion engine, same as used on the Demon, to move the design at a decent pace and to lessen the need for refueling. Armed with dual AC/5 cannons in the turret mated to the same target and tracking system from the Rifleman. They coated the design with 12 tons of standard armor which provided good protection. Buried in the hull was 4 tons of Flak ammunition for the main guns and for anti infantry protection they installed 2 SPL in the turret. At only 1.8 million dollars, it was fairly cost effective to be deployed in large numbers. They named it York AA Tank. These would be deployed as a full Battalion to the Conventional RCT's and to both Armored Divisions but they would have a full Regiment assigned.
He also planned to deploy a Battalion of York's to each Aero Wing to provide anti aircraft protection to a commands air bases and landing zones.
His biggest accomplishment was securing basing rights at Naikongzu. From there, they could launch deep strikes into the Outworlds Alliance if they became a problem. Plus it would allow them to support intel operations into both the Outworlds Alliance and Draconis Combine to keep tabs on anything that caught their attention. He had seeded virtually every system along their border with a Company of Special Forces with a single Mobile HPG to provide an early warning of any build up of possible hostile forces.
The Regiment from the 428th Battlemech Division they found on Ype-Jhu had formed the basis to reactivate the 428th Battlemech Division on 22 February 2785 and he had reactivated the 54th Mechanized Infantry Division on 1 March 2785. Both Divisions were still forming and being filled out. He estimated it would not be until August 2785 before either Division was deployable.
He had finalized the Brigade Combat Team TO&E. Each Brigade Combat Team had grown in combat power and was now a very powerful command capable of defending high value locations. Though capable of offensive operations, they were designed to defend high value systems until additional forces could deploy to aid them. Though they now had Aerospace Construction well in hand, the small amount of Aerospace pilots they managed to train hampered any attempt at growth, mainly they moved small craft pilots to the Aerospace fighter, which everyone knew was not an optimal solution, but it was the best they had at the moment.
Brigade Combat Team TO&E
(1) Battlemech Regiment
(2) Conventional RCT
(1) Aero Wing
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, Commanding General of Hegemony Armed Forces, read the report that came in from Connaught. It seemed that the Free Worlds League had not taken heed and they had been engaged by the planet's garrison, the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division.
To: General Rita Mitchell, HAF Commander
From: Major General Gordan Neomier, 79th MID
Forces from the FWLM have arrived in system at pirate point. FWLM forces identified as 7th Marik Militia and 5th Atrean Dragoons. They have ignored all warnings and eta on surface is 22 March. Aerospace Fighters have engaged FWLM forces. FWLM forces also have warship escort, identified as (3) League Destroyers and (1) Carrack. Assistance is needed.
She had already ordered the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division to prepare for deployment from Graham IV and Vice Admiral Zeibler was on the move to escort them. She always knew this test would come, she had hoped to avoid it, but now that it was here, she planned to respond with overwhelming force to prove the error that Captain General Marik had made.
-
22 March 2785
Connaught (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Gordan Neomier, commander 79th Mechanized Infantry Division, watched the tactical display in his Mobile HQ as the FWLM units made their landfall. Though he was confident he could easily handle both the 7th Marik Militia and 5th Atrean Dragoons, it was the League Destroyer in orbit that worried him. If it conducted orbital strikes, it would dramatically change the equation on the ground. Of the 3 Castle Brian's that used to be on Connaught, he only had a single one operational and garrisoned. But he could not hunker down inside of it and leave the massive Kong Interstellar Battlemech factory unguarded.
So he had his 79th MID dug in deep and tight around the massive complex. One thing for sure, if the FWLM wanted to use orbital bombardment, they would take the factory complex with them. He was betting that they had very specific orders to take it intact, which meant they would have to dig them out the hard way. The Castle Brian was garrisoned by 4 Infantry Regiments from the Connaught Militia. Well trained and well equipped, they should be able to hold out if attacked. He had forward scouts out keeping a close eye on the FWLM landing zone, if they gave him an opening, he would slap them silly. But for now, he hunkered down and waited for that opening.
At the FWLM landing zone, Colonel Theo Eichstedt, 7th Marik Militia and Colonel James Cornelish, 5th Atrean Dragoons quickly secured their landing zone. Aerial recon showed heavy defensive positions around the massive factory complex. They both had been shocked to learn the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division garrisoned this planet. Though they had heard the broadcast from Director General Cameron, neither had thought she would have any sort of real combat power at her disposal, not after the SLDF had departed or been deactivated. But both commanders conceded that though they had the name of the 79th MID, surely it was under strength and possibly even alone without any help. But if it was full strength, it alone out numbered both FWLM commands in Battlemechs and even supporting armor and infantry.
They agreed to send out scouts to cautiously test the 79th MID's defenses. In orbit, Vice Admiral Brutus Kaminski, aboard FWLS Ocuri, League II Destroyer awaited a valid target from the ground commanders. Both the Nadir and Zenith Jump points had a League II Destroyer assigned escorting troops to secure both Recharge stations and prevent any response from reaching the planet.
24 March 2785
The opportunity to hit the FWLM came mid morning when a scout Company of light Battlemechs moved a little too far from their supporting elements. Major General Neomier sallied a full Battlemech Regiment, 2 Battalions to stave off any support while his own light Battlemech Battalion destroyed the FWLM company. A full company of Talon TLN-5W backed up by a company of Mongoose MON-66 and Trebuchet TBT-3C quickly pursued the FWLM mixed company of Falcon FLC-4N and Night Hawk NTK-2Q. In less than an hour of pursuit and then a sharp fight, the FWLM scout company was destroyed for the loss of 2 Mongoose. The 2 Battalions assigned to prevent any help from reaching the cut off scouts, held their line against the heavier FWLM Battlemechs.
Unfortunately the small battle started turning into a much larger fight as more FWLM Battlemechs and Tanks began flowing into the fight. Finally, Major General Neomier released another Battlemech Regiment to the fight and then he was forced to commit his final Battlemech Regiment. The 79th MID now had it's entire Battlemech Brigade in the fight while the 7th Marik Militia and 5th Atrean Dragoons also had both of their Battlemech Regiments and half their armor committed to the ever growing fight. The 79th MID's artillery units fired an almost non stop barrage into the FWLM formations. By nightfall, the FWLM troops fell back towards their landing zone and Major General Neomier ordered his Battlemech Brigade back into his defensive perimeter.
27 March 2785
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler, commander 89th Cruiser Squadron, was impatient to get to Connaught and help the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division. The 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division was still 3 days from being able to make the jump. His squadron was fully charged and ready to go, it would take 2 jumps to reach Connaught. There was just too much territory for his lone squadron to cover and respond quick enough to any invasion. He made the decision to leave SLS Buccaneer, Essex II Destroyer to escort the 181st RMID on board SLS Devon Pulman, Potemkin Transport and 2 Star Lord Jumpships while the rest of the 89th Cruiser Squadron moved to clear the Connaught system of hostile forces.
The one good thing about being back in the real Hegemony, is finally his 89th Cruiser Squadron now had a full compliment of Assault Dropships, not to mention a full compliment of nuclear tipped Killer Whales. He was not going to split his command, everyone would jump into the Nadir Jump Point, defeat whatever they found there and then make the 3 day trip to orbit and engage whatever was there.
Checking the status of all of his ships, he gave the order "Jump". The 89th Cruiser Squadron made the jump to Tyrfing's Zenith Jump Point, made their calculations and then used the charge from their LF Batteries to jump to Connaught's Nadir Jump Point.
Commodore Lucian Septacoly, FWLS Oràn, League II Destroyer, detected the incoming emergence waves and sounded general quarters. Looking at the size of the incoming bloom, he felt a small ball of dread form in is gut. That ball of dread was confirmed when a Avatar Heavy Cruiser emerged 42,000km away quickly followed by another and then several Essex Destroyers and a Samarkand Carrier. "Helm, kick it in the ass and get us out of here, make for a link up with FWLS Ocuri in orbit."
Aboard SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, Rear Admiral Zeibler ordered his squadron to form up and moved to pursue the fleeing League II Destroyer.
30 March 2785
Connaught (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Brutus Kaminski, aboard FWLS Ocuri, League II Destroyer, had his entire force formed up to meet the oncoming enemy warships. He knew it was going to be a hard fight, but he could not abandon the ground forces, he ordered the standard transports to jump for Remulac and safety. He checked the ship's plot board and knew it was a lop sided fight.
FWLM Warships
FWLS Ocuri - League II Destroyer
FWLS Oràn - League II Destroyer
FWLS Ospina - League II Destroyer
FWLS Orion - Carrack Transport
89th Cruiser Squadron
SLS Conroy - Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Shield - Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Independence - Samarkand II Carrier
SLS Solomon - Essex II Destroyer
SLS Cartagena - Essex II Destroyer
He had his 36 Aerospace Fighters launched along with 18 Aerospace Fighters from the 5th Atrean Dragoons, facing him, leading the oncoming Hegemony warships were, 180 Aerospace Fighters, 2 Titan Dropships, 8 Pentagon Dropships, 4 Achilles Dropships. He ordered his Aerospace Fighters to stay close and try to fend off anti shipping strikes. He ordered his squadron to move to engage the Hegemony warships.
Rear Admiral Zeibler noted that the FWLM Aerospace Fighters were hanging back, so he ordered the Air Wing of SLS Independence, Samarkand Carrier to focus on the FWL Carrack Transport. He ordered his own SLS Conroy and SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser to target the lead League II Destroyer identified as FWLS Ospina and to fire the moment it came into range. Both sides fired at almost the exact same time, 12 NL/55 and 8 HNPPC lanced toward the League II Destroyer scoring 8 NL/55 and 5 HNPPC hits on the FWLS Ospina savaging it's armor on it's NOSE and FRS arcs. Return fire from FWLS Opsina scored a Medium Naval Gauss strike on SLS Conroy's FRS arc, shattering armor. A second volley from SLS Conroy and SLS Shield scored another 9 NL/55 and 6 HNPPC hits on FWLS Ospina again savaging it's remaining armor with several shots going internal.
Vice Admiral Kaminski ordered FWLS Ospina to fallback after noting its damage level's rising. His FWLS Ocuri and FWLS Oran were now entering the fight and focused on the lead Avatar Heavy Cruiser, SLS Conroy. It was then that his sensors screamed loudly "Nuclear Emissions Detected" as a wave of Killer Whales leaped from both Avatar Heavy Cruiser's. Both Avatar Heavy Cruiser's had angled just enough to bring their forward and broadside arcs to bear and 12 Killer Whales were inbound, each designated as nuclear tipped. Point defenses aboard all 3 League II Destroyers lit off in a desperate attempt to knock down the incoming missiles. They managed to get 8 of the incoming missiles, but 2 slammed into FWLS Ospina and she vanished from every ones screens, and 2 slammed into FWLS Oran which followed her sister ship into oblivion.
Before he could even give an order he heard "FWLS Ocuri, this is Rear Admiral Zeibler, 89th Cruiser Squadron. I have plenty more where those came from, power down you ship and it's weapons or be destroyed. You don't have a prayer of winning this fight, surrender now and save your ship and crew."
It did not take a genius to figure out these odds, "Helm, power down. Weps, all weapons offline. Comm, signal our surrender. We do not stand a chance."
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2 April 2785
Connaught (Terran Hegemony)
With HAF warships now in orbit, Major General Gordan Neomier, commander 79th Mechanized Infantry Division, pushed his Division out of their defensive positions and went on the offensive. With his Battlemech Brigade leading the push, they slammed into the 7th Marik Militia and easily breached their hasty defensive lines, driving them back towards their landing zone. After several hours of fighting, the 7th Marik Militia broke from the field of battle and scattered. The 5th Atrean Dragoons defended the landing zone proper, but with HAF warships in orbit, did not dare to attempt a lift off. They had been unable to assist the 7th Marik Militia because every attempt at a sortie was met with a swarm of Aerospace strikes from an ever present cloud of angry fighters.
Major General Gordan Neomier decided to try and get the Marik troops to surrender. If that did not work, the soon to arrive 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division would provide the additional punch to eliminate the Marik landing zone and help run down the remaining 7th Marik Militia troops.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, Commanding General Hegemony Armed Forces, stood as Director General Amanda Cameron and Delbert Mitchell, Mitchell Vehicles entered her office. She had been going over reports from Connaught, which seemed to be well in hand, but she also had reports that the 213th Battlemech Division had disarmed several Regiments of Combine troops on Nashira and a small fight had broken out on Lambrecht between the 123rd Mechanized Infantry Division and 20th Dieron Regulars before the 20th Dieron Regulars surrendered to the 123rd Mechanized Infantry Division. Though she continued to hope to avoid a general war, she would not halt asserting Hegemony control over their remaining worlds.
"Red, it has been a long time since we saw each other. I hope everyone is safe and healthy." Rita said greeting Delbert Mitchell
"Everyone is fine Rita. You have come a long damned ways since we last saw each other. It is good to see you healthy and safe." Delbert Mitchell replied
"I forgot, you and Aunt Rita know each other. Your Uncle Keith's uncle. That is quite a tongue twister. Shall we get down to business?" Amanda Cameron said as everyone took a seat. She knew Aunt Rita was going to take the lead, so she just sat back and waited.
"Red, I know Graham IV got hit hard. Keith gave me a pretty good briefing on the situation. Sorry we had to delay this meeting but we have some serious issues that needed to be handled." Rita began
"Issues that caused Keith and the 181st to load up and boost off planet?" Delbert Mitchell asked
"Yes, seems Marik is making a play for Connaught, but I think we have the situation handled now and a strong message sent." Rita replied
"Damn vultures is what everyone has turned into. Picking over the left overs of the Hegemony. But back to your previous statement, yes, Graham will be a very hard place to live in a decade or so. I already have people I trust hunting a new home. Problem is, every damned system in the Hegemony has been hit just as hard, those that still have good ground, lack the needed industry base or easy resources for what we are used to." Delbert Mitchell said
"What if I told you that I knew of a place that met every single need you could ever have. Easy resources, beautiful planets, all waiting to be properly settled and industrialized." Rita stated
"I would ask exactly where is this utopia?" Delbert asked
"A long damned ways from here. I am going to be brutally honest with you Red, this is beyond top secret, and I will not hesitate to shoot an offender. Since 2766, we, as in myself and Amanda there have formed another Hegemony. Currently it consists of roughly 74 systems formerly of the Outworlds Alliance that voted to join the Hegemony. We have managed to build our industrial base quite a lot, we have a fully functional HPG network, and the people are enthusiastic about being a part of the Hegemony. No one else outside of those that came with us to Terra know about this. But I am telling you now because we could use you and your people there. To show you how serious I am, I am going to offer to turn over our Battlemech complex over to Mitchell Industries. It is not as advanced as the ones you have here but I am sure they can be brought upgraded. So, how about it?" Rita explained
"Your talking about me picking up everything and everyone and leaving the Hegemony here for another Hegemony way the hell out there. That is going to be quite a movement. Hell Rita, how the hell are we going to house all my people? Your talking about several million people that Mitchell Vehicles employee's, both directly and indirectly. Not to mention all my equipment and such." Delbert said
"I never said it was going to be easy Red. But Thompson's Shipyards is making the move, so is Buhallin Military Products and Fairchild Dornier. We also have feelers out to several other Companies. Again, I am going to be brutally honest with you, I am not sure we can hold the Hegemony here. We are surrounded by predators and I currently do not have enough warships to respond to a serious push from all fronts. If everything begins to cave in on us, my top priority is to get Amanda the hell out of here safely, I might not have time to scoop anyone else, including you." Rita said bluntly
"Damn Rita, you always were a hard ass. So I basically need to decide the fate of my company and people right here and right now?" Delbert said
"That would be nice Red. But I can give you a few weeks to talk it over with your people, BUT you cannot tell them where they are going. I mean that Red." Rita said
Before he could answer a loud knock at the door caused everyone to look as Rita said "Come". Her aide appeared and handed over a note looking like he had run a marathon. Rita took the message and read it.
To: General Rita Mitchell, Hegemony Armed Forces **FLASH TRAFFIC**
From: Colonel Blaine Owens, Graham Militia
Unknown warship, possible Aegis Cruiser, entered system and launched nuclear strike on Mitchell Vehicles shipyards. Eleven Shipyards lost, 4 heavily damaged with all hands and docked ships. Warship then departed system. Currently conducting SAR operations and more accurate damage assessment.
Rita frowned and handed the message to Amanda who read it and handed it to Delbert Mitchell. Both Rita and Amanda could see that it shook Delbert to his core as a single tear formed and slid down his cheek as he looked back up. "All those people, people I swore to look after. This seals it, I do not need any more time to think about it. Mitchell Vehicles will move to where ever you want us. I will get back to Graham and pack everything up as fast as I can. I will not take a chance with any more of my people's lives."
"I am sorry Red. I wish the decision had come a different way. I will start the ball rolling for transportation." Rita said
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Small craft and Dropships searched for any survivors from the sudden devastating attack. Engineers from Mitchell Vehicles were combing the damaged yards. They had lost in addition to the 11 shipyards, 2 Farragut Battleships, 7 Riga Frigates and 3 Carson Destroyers destroyed. It was a devastating loss in a single attack.
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not wanting to poke to hard, but No LAMs or PA(L) or exoskeleton?
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Given all the "reserved" posts, I'd simply say, "not yet"... ^-^
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I'm just gonna park here because that's several reserved spots potentially filled with foodie mech horror...
Edit's will follow. So will the questions...
1) [5/9/20]: Hegemony Armed Forces? Does that mean the SLDFIE ie the Forgotten Corps will change as well?
2) [5/10/20]: Is it wise to use nukes in the era that Ares Conventions still hold some sway? Amaris used them indiscriminately but the Houses only used them at the start of the Succession Wars. One thing we're missing in this AU: Kurita has not claimed the throne yet. I think the HAF is making a mistake...
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...Major General Jenna Romanov, commander 295th Battlemech Division...
Yay for the 295th (hopefully) coming to a better fate here.
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If the 295th goes down, it will be fighting not starving on some planet.
Folks, Industry report is complete. Extra reserve slots will be filled in with storyline so please check regularly since it will be an edit that you might not catch.
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Maybe post when you edit some story in? Please? :)
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will do.
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new post up. See reply 773
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Hm... wasn't the Krupp Stellar lines that produced the Lancelot ( in all it's incarnations) only damaged and later mothballed instead of being destroyed completely?
And to clarify the FWL situation with the Star League/ Terran Hegemony here's a small insight:
1. Captain General Kenyon Marik had a personal beef with Alex Kerensky because of some humiliations while serving with him.
2. The Terran Hegemony companies (with explicit consent of Richard Cameron) almost bought out or took over a looot of FWL industries and companies which led to a Big economic crisis in the FWL. (Next to the further SL- taxes)
This unfair treatment was what "the Mariks" led to ignore (and even forbid in some cases) Kerenskys plead for help against Amaris in the Civil War.
I for myself think that the slow degrading support of the Star League Idea (it WAS beneficial for each member State most times) and this simmering personal hate led the Captain General to work with Amaris behind the curtains. Just look up the maps of the FWL (the Bolan Province is a nice "way" to the Rim World Republic, and with the Archon in the "Don't-Help-Kerensky-Corner"...)
By the way, great Storyline. The Lurmgods approve
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In canon yes, not in my AU. They got smashed. Digging that far back is a major pain in the rear, so I have to take some liberty with some things. Actual damage inflicted and such has never been really clarified, so I have to do a bunch of hand waving. LOL
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Nice update! Looks like Amanda is doing fine so far...
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man i love your updates. when you do the factory and production i have to get a note pad out so i can get my head wrapped around it.
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WOW they are making over 570 of the 70ton ex Rim World dragoon mechs a month? Between those and the Jackrabbits they could sell them to HD or other "allied " Houses for money and other support to help rebuild the HAF. With Gen K gutting the HAF Navy, and maybe gutting its civilian JumpShip fleet. they are going to have a major up hill battle to keep everything together.
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It is currently mothballed. Not in production at all. Yeah they been gutted pretty bad. They have a few years before most stuff is fully online and producing.
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Well, if you load a Carrack with 2 Behemoths (merchants and carracks have opposing side collars negating oversize dropship penalties), cargo capacity is 213,390 tons. Save 10% for consumables, that is still 192,051 tons of material that a Behemoth loaded Carrack could transport from one Hegemony to another. Using a Merchant would reduce cargo capacity by 62,779 tons, and probably increase tonnage needed for consumables by 5%. Dropping transport tonnage from 192051 tons (Carrack) to 150,510 tons (Merchant). Unless they are using shipyard lighters with a 100,000 ton weight (full). In the fluff, these are said to have inspired the behemoth class, however no statistics or specifications are available, leaving it to author’s fiat. There is a lot of material that needs to move to transport a shipyard and supporting facilities.
The math for transporting people is worse. 2ndACR has my respect for his efforts to respect the math provided for people transported by dropship, even if I think that those equations are bull.
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All supporting factories for Thompson's Shipyards were destroyed. Those would have to be built from scratch anyway. The main thing is move the shipyards to a new destination if possible.
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New post up, see reply 774
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Yikes! Things are about to get real with the FWL...
For the Rifleman, ER Large Lasers, or did it keep the original vanilla ones? ???
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Original, Rifleman only has movement heat to deal with. I just wanted to address the lack of effective AA support while keeping it as cheap as I could.
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I like the Anti-Air, the Rifleman and York really sort out the lack there. I hope they smash the FWL, they need some salvage to help tide things over. Looks like forward deplotment is needed on all borders, if the FWL are moving, the CC and Dragon aren't far behind. If the TH looks weak, they won't have time to breathe between attacks. Looking forward to the battle.
EDIT: Are the League destroyers Block I or II?
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Reply 775 is now up. Enjoy
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and just like that the HAF has anther DD and an armored cargo ship.
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Sweet... That's one hell of a "Remember us? We're the SLDF... we kills it with our battleships..." ^-^
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Well now, the HAF isn’t messing around. The only problem is that nukes are an escalation, and now nukes are on the table to be used against them. AMS and fighter defense is going to be the order of the day. For the HAF and everyone else. Looking forward to the ground battle.
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The HAF never stopped expecting nukes to be shot at them. The rebels in the Periphery were free and easy with them while they had them...
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The Periphery and the SLDF, yes. The rest of the Inner Sphere has not been used to them for a while. The first succession war is yet to start, or this could be the opening move.
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Amaris was pretty free and easy with them... it wasn't that long ago...
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Reply 776 is now posted and we can now return to normal posting schedule as all reserved slots are now filled.
Big kick in the balls for the Hegemony.
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OUCH!! Was there not even a single guard ship?? ???
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Everyone went with the 89th Cruiser. Squadron and escorted the 181st RMID.
Not enough warships to cover anything really, the 89th Cruiser has the only active warships, everything else is trying to repair the "fleet" and guard Terra itself.
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"unknown Aegis" sounds like maybe Big K wanted to make certain the Hegemony would fall, and left behind loyalists to guarantee the job.
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My money's on either the Mariks or the Liaos...
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the first rock to get everyone ready to pack and leave the area. it will take a few more of rocks that size to get everyone moving fast.
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It says scary thing about the Intelligence network and the command and control loop for the operation. 7 days after most of the Cruiser Squadron and on the fourth day after the Buccaneer left, that Aegis Appeared. Maybe a message from the Dragon for Nashima and Lambrecht or maybe the Capellans? But it is a war crime to nuke dockyards without calling for an evacuation- so probably not the Capellans. What it is showing, is that the Hegemony is being targeted. If they can identify them- Interdiction time. Maybe planning on ways to prevent HPGs from falling into the wrong hands. Don't know if the Comstar plan will work out this time.
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It says scary thing about the Intelligence network and the command and control loop for the operation. 7 days after most of the Cruiser Squadron and on the fourth day after the Buccaneer left, that Aegis Appeared. Maybe a message from the Dragon for Nashima and Lambrecht or maybe the Capellans? But it is a war crime to nuke dockyards without calling for an evacuation- so probably not the Capellans. What it is showing, is that the Hegemony is being targeted. If they can identify them- Interdiction time. Maybe planning on ways to prevent HPGs from falling into the wrong hands. Don't know if the Comstar plan will work out this time.
timing and coordination is why I think it's Kerensky Loyalists guaranteeing the fall of the Hegemony. Those yards are well away from the main standard points, (they have to be due to traffic issues if nothing else) and most points in a star system are at least seven day's travel from anything valuable-including shipyards, because you don't locate your shipyard where incoming traffic can cause a major accident with outgoing traffic. (this is why Boeing isn't at Sea-Tac).
so you've got an Aegis that was either waiting in-system or jumped in right after the task force jumped out. Do the math on that, even very basic OPSEC would have made it difficult if not impossible to predict when the Navy would be leaving...unless you have sources inside the Navy leaking, and it's unlikely that such sources would have survived long with Mitchell's people in the periphery without also ratting out the "Hegemony in the Periphery".
more to the point, this was clearly planned weeks to months ahead of time.
so you need to look at who's got motive, opportunity, resources, and probable cause.
Big K stripped the Hegemony's defenses and sent ships into the sun to prevent them from being used in defense of the Hegemony. This shows intent-his intent being to guarantee the destruction of the Terran Hegemony.
We know Big K had followers who stayed behind, people who wanted to go but missed the boat, and political allies like Blake.
Jerry Blake might've been able to organize this, but he didn't really need to-he could be just as wealthy and influential with Amanda Cameron's regime, as he would be heading up a pocket realm, only with less risk.
Waging War is about accumulating stuff. If you destroy the value of what you're taking you destroy the rewards for victory. This leaves corporate competitors who don't have their own navies and governments with corporate 'friends' who want to cripple a rival, and it leaves someone making sure that the Terran Hegemony falls right on Big K's schedule.
keep in mind, with Amanda on the throne, the Hegemony becomes worthwhile to court as an ally, and the House Lords are all pointing the majority of their guns at each other.
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True, but look at it this way: only one power (House) knew they were going to create a distraction big enough to pull the majority of the Hegemony's available naval power away...
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True, but look at it this way: only one power (House) knew they were going to create a distraction big enough to pull the majority of the Hegemony's available naval power away...
While Kenyon might be stupid, a drunkard, impulsive, and incompetent, this was set up and executed by somebody competent.
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I think at least ONE Flag officer in the League was that, if nothing else...
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Finally reached this spot. Excellent story, and appreciate the work you did with world-building, let alone keeping track of everything
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15 April 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Commanding General Rita Mitchell stood slightly behind Director General Amanda Cameron as the screen finally cleared of static and Captain General Kenyon Marik's face appeared on the monitor. It had taken several days to finally get the Captain General to agree to this talk.
"Captain General Marik, I am elated that you agreed to finally speak to me. I am Amanda Cameron, Director General of the Terran Hegemony. Also here is General Rita Mitchell, Commanding General of the Hegemony Armed Forces. I warned everyone on my arrival that I would not tolerate any further predation upon the Terran Hegemony. But it is time for us to discuss things further, is it now?" Amanda said
"I will not bow to you, just because you are a Cameron means nothing to me. We absolved the Star League council." Kenyon Marik said
"Have I asked or demanded of you to bow before me? I have not, nor have I called for the Star League council to once again meet on Terra. It would be nice, but I am sure none of you would be inclined to attend if I did. I have not claimed the right of First Lord of the Star League. I am the Director General of the Terran Hegemony though. Your forces attacked Connaught, a system under Terran Hegemony control. You did this without warning and a blatant act of war. With the Lyran Commonwealth's capture of Bolan, I am sure you really do not want a 2 front war." Amanda said
"Cut to the chase child, what do you want?" Kenyon Marik said
"It is very easy, I will refrain from offensive operations into the Free Worlds League if you keep your forces out of Terran Hegemony space. And before you bluster, yes, I said offensive operations INTO your space. Surely you did not think we were so weak as to not be able to respond to an assault upon us? For I promise you, we are much stronger than you or your spies indicate." Amanda said calmly
"I do not believe you." Kenyon Marik replied harshly
"Believe what you want sir, at this very moment, General Mitchell has several Divisions, yes, full Divisions ready to strike into your nation." Amanda said
"What of my troops and shipping from Connaught?" Kenyon Marik replied gruffly
"I will repatriate your ground troops, minus their equipment of course. As for your Warships, well those I am going to keep as payment for the casualties and destruction you have caused. Yes, we have identified the Aegis Cruiser that attacked Graham IV as FWLS Pleiades. It has taken much restraint to not respond in kind and trust me when I say this, any further attacks upon my nation will be met with unrestrained and total war with all the fury we can muster. So, I will allow you to send a single jumpship to Connaught to collect your soldiers, you can make it a small one for not may survived the fight. Any warships will be engaged without warning by my forces." Amanda Cameron said
"You will pay for this someday child, that I promise you. Have my people ready to go." Kenyon Marik said as he made a chopping motion and the feed died.
Amanda Cameron looked at General Mitchell "Well, hopefully that holds. We damn sure did not make a friend."
"No, a friend was not made, but an enemy was. Glad he bought the BS about the offensive and backed off. Though the 280th MID and 181st RMID could easily strike Irian from their current locations, I was hoping we would not have to carry it out." General Mitchell replied
"How goes the repairs to our available warships?" Amanda asked
"Rear Admiral Delvaney has her orders to expidite repairs. If we can hold strong until July we will have a Congress, 3 Essex and 2 Vincent's back in service. August we will have a Samarkand Carrier, 4 Carrack, 1 Dart, 2 Essex and another Vincent. After July we only grow stronger. We have completed reactivating the 43rd, 48th and 68th Infantry Divisions, in addition to the 5th and 306th Hussar Regiments. They are currently here on Terra and I am working on transports to move them to garrison locations. Here is a list of my proposed deployments." General Mitchell said
Amanda looked over the proposed deployments, noting that many were on the Combine border.
2785 HAF Deployments
151st Royal Battlemech Division - Terra
359th Battlemech Division - Terra
213th Battlemech Division - Nashira
287th Battlemech Division - Northwind
326th Battlemech Division - Keid
368th Battlemech Division - New Earth
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division - Graham IV
280th Mechanized Infantry Division - New Dallas
79th Mechanized Infantry Division - Connaught
123rd Mechanized Infantry Division - Lambrecht
184th Mechanized Infantry Division - Al Nair
197th Mechanized Infantry Division - Quentin
13th Royal Infantry Division - Dieron
43rd Infantry Division - Achernar
48th Infantry Division - Wyatt
68th Infantry Division - Kervil
Royal Black Watch - Terra
5th Hussar Regiment - Yorii
306th Hussar Regiment - Summer
3rd Striker Regiment - Alioth
231st Striker Regiment - Saiph
321st Hussar Regiment - Capolla
89th Dragoon Regiment - Hall
349th Dragoon Regiment - Outreach
"Sure is a lot of ground to cover. And all of it facing possible hostiles." Amanda said
"Yes, but so far the Lyran Commonwealth, Capellan Confederation and Federated Suns are keeping their word and not making any more moves. Hence why our defenses are lighter on their borders. In another month I should have enough transports to move the new commands into their garrison locations. I should have already had them but I placed the first batch of Jumpships and Dropships to move all the other commands into locations." General Mitchell said
"It will have to do. What are the odds we can hold onto what we have here Aunt Rita?" Amanda asked for the umpteenth time
"Before the Graham stike, I would say better than 60% in favor, but now, after that crippling loss of warships and shipyards? Call it 50% maybe even 40%. If we can get the Combine to back off, maybe we can pull this off." General Mitchell said
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I still would send the SAS after something the Mark would miss. it could come from the edge of space far away form the TH.
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Once they get those Scouts in place, calling for reinforcements from the THiE wouldn't be a bad idea...
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Without giving up Dieron, there is probably little that will hold off the DC in the long term. Short term, Takashi (EDIT Minoru oops) will restrain them from moving immediately. That window is the TH's opportunity to strengthen itself.
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Without giving up Dieron, there is probably little that will hold off the DC in the long term. Short term, Takashi will restrain them from moving immediately. That window is the TH's opportunity to strengthen itself.
..3025 called and wants Takashi back...Minoru is however available with the side dish of Jinjiro and Sabu..
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While Kenyon might be stupid, a drunkard, impulsive, and incompetent, this was set up and executed by somebody competent.
The Drunkard is his father Ewan. Kenyon, to my knowledge, was never like his father, save for the ability to hold a grudge longer than he could hold his breath...
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Without giving up Dieron, there is probably little that will hold off the DC in the long term. Short term, Takashi (EDIT Minoru oops) will restrain them from moving immediately. That window is the TH's opportunity to strengthen itself.
a LOT of what motivated the early attacks in the 1st Succession War was the power-vacuum left behind by Kerensky's mass desertion. The hegemony had effectively no government...at all. while individual planets had governments (of varying degrees of intact, mostly not) the central government was not merely 'effectively' absent, it was effectively completely gone.
this was effectively cassus belli for every neighboring nation to jump in both feet to the land rush-because there was a 'somalia in the making' on their terran border.
This condition no longer applies here, which means a lot of the motivation goes out the window. With Steiner and Davion recognizing the legitimacy of the Cameron government, Minoru doesn't have quite the safe border he had in the OTL, when both of those nations were just as eagerly going after chunks of Terran Hegemony, because both of them aren't pointing their guns toward Sol, but instead at his borders.
and Minoru, unlike his son, isn't a strategic idiot with a short fuse. he actually thinks it through. even if he refuses to recognize the TH government as legitimate, he has to be concerned about what Davion and Steiner are thinking, because they have.
even coordinating with the FWL (which isn't likely, given the reputation of the Mariks) he has to consider where his longest borders are,and the potential for a three front war.
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Good reading so far. No doubt the balance of power will get more precarious as the months go by.
Some things stick out in my mind. The remaining Hegemony citizens may be assured by the presence of Amanda Cameron, but there may yet be a small but steady flow of emigrants leaving to find even more peaceful areas to settle.
Also, while Jerome Blake seems to be willing to work with Cameron and Mitchell, I am concerned about those who are working with him to administrate the FTL communications network, particularly his future successor.
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But Comstar (not yet Comstar)is not a separate company from the hegemony at this point in time. So succession could depend on the hegemony instead of becoming its own separate power when they took over Terra.
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I'm still holding out hope the THiE can support the actual TH through the crisis...
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1 May 2785
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Delbert "Red" Mitchell, owner of Mitchell Vehicles, held the massive roster listing the people he had lost aboard his orbital yards and factories. The roster cemented his resolve to move his company and people from the Original Hegemony to the New Hegemony, as he thought of it. He was not blind and could see the building war coming as all the House's seemed so bent on waging. The Free Worlds League and Lyran Commonwealth were already fighting around Bolan, the Draconis Combine was "pushing" against the Lyran Commonwealth. It was just a matter of time before it all broke loose and he was determined to have as many of his people as possible as far away from the immediate area as he could.
To make that possible, he had begun spending literally Billions in purchasing outright Jumpships and even Dropships to make the move happen faster. Using his contacts with other ship manufacturers, he had cut to the head of the line on many runs. Since the meeting with Director General Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell, he had personally spent 30 Billion dollars in addition to the 40 Billion dollars that Mitchell Vehicles had spent. Every cent was for Jumpships and Dropships to carry the people he was responsible for away from the coming storm.
His engineers at the orbital yards were in the process of salvaging what they could from the 4 damaged shipyards along with starting work on breaking down surviving orbital factories not needed to repair the remaining Carson Destroyers still in the operational shipyards. Once they were repaired, they would breakdown those shipyards for transport to their new home, where ever that was.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Jerome Blake left Director General Amanda Cameron's office feeling like he had just won a major victory. He had convinced her to allow him to contact the House Lords and try to work out an agreement to guarantee the neutrality of the HPG stations. The only snag he felt was when she said there should be a charge for any message sent over the HPG network. That would be a harder sell to the House Lords, but he had to admit, it would bring in much needed revenue on a massive scale for the Hegemony. His mind ran over the meeting, searching for anything that he might have missed.
"Director General Cameron, thank you for meeting with me on short notice. I would like permission to contact the House Lords and try to get them to agree that the HPG network be completely neutral." Jerome Blake said
"Mr Blake, please call me Amanda, I have asked many times. The idea is interesting, not sure how you will get them to agree to it. The Hegemony controls the HPG network, most are going to balk at that for security reasons." Amanda had replied
"I never said it would be easy, but we are still officially the last remaining portion of the Star League itself. Which still technically exists, if only in name. It has never been dissolved. Maybe that will still mean something to the House Lords." Jerome Blake said
"I doubt it. From what I can tell, they are all hell bent on destroying each other and everything the Star League stood for. You would have a better chance taking the Department of Communications and forming them into a neutral Corporation. Charge them a fee for sending messages etc. Still based here on Terra as a Hegemony company, we could use the tax revenue that you would generate for rebuilding." Amanda said
"That is not a bad idea, the neutral Corporation idea that is. They are going to pitch a fit about a any type of fee though." Jerome Blake said
"Why? It is purely business. It costs money to maintain the HPG network, expand it, upgrade it. Keep the fee small, heck even a single Dollar would generate Trillions in revenue each year if not monthly. It's not like the House's are paying Star League dues anymore to maintain stuff. Even though when they all agreed to keep the Department of Communication running, they never set up a way to pay to keep it running. That was a major over sight on their part. Don't look so surprised, I enjoy digging into things, finding problems and then trying to come up with a solution. I do read your reports." Amanda said
"I never thought of it that way. Setting up a Corporation would help calm security concerns. Not all of them, but enough that I might be able to work around them. Does this mean I have your permission to begin talks with the House Lords on the subject?" Jerome Blake asked
"Yes, you have my permission. But you need to understand this, the Hegmeony will still operate it's own communications network for military purposes. I am giving you a lot of latitude Mr Blake, don't go rogue on me or threaten the Hegemony in any way. The supporting factories for the HPG network WILL remain Hegemony property. Your Corporation will PURCHASE what you need from the Hegemony. Is that clear sir?" Amanda asked
"Yes maam, it is very clear. I would never threaten the Hegemony." Jerome Blake replied
In another part of the building, General Rita Mitchell wrote another communciation to be sent to Bastrop, but this one would be heavily encoded when sent. She needed to get home ready for a flood of people.
To: General Heinrich Rommel
From: General Rita Mitchell
Heinrich, next few years is about to get very busy in your neck of the woods. Have selected Q to receive influx, possibly in millions. Might want to start making arrangements and preparations. First batch Pruitt probably soon. Message already sent to move.
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Well, the beginning of ComStar... Smart of Amanda to separate the TH’s military network.
EDIT: By my math, there should be 3 Rigas and 5 Carsons still repairable, right? Did they write off the Rigas?
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Amanda also maintain the factories producing HPG's under her control, not C* control. Very smart move.
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15 May 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
"Are you sure about this Amanda?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"We will still control the factories that produce the equipment for the HPG's. It will keep the HPG Network operational and at the very least, remove the expense of rebuilding, upgrading and manning the HPG's across the known Inner Sphere from the Hegemony. If the House Lords agree to the fee, well that gets money flowing into the Hegemony via, what was Jerome calling it.......Comstar. As a Hegemony company, Comstar will be paying a hefty tax rate of 20% to the Hegemony. Aunt Rita, we are talking Trillions of Dollars a year even at a single dollar per message. That is hard currency that the Hegemony badly needs to rebuild almost everything.
What remains of DoME in the Hegemony estimates years and untold Billions to correct the damage done to many worlds. The Hegemony Armed Forces will maintain their own secure HPG network outside of Comstar. Just as you sent word home to string a relay of HPG equipped Jumpships for secure communications OUTSIDE of our HPG network, I have also sent a message to have additional Mobile HPG vehicles manufactured and delivered to us vis ZaP Shipping. All for your use. Give me some credit Aunt Rita, if Jerome pulls a fast one, I will personally shoot him or at least hold him while you shoot him." Amanda said
"I keep forgetting how smart you are Amanda and that you don't need me standing over your shoulder all the time." Rita said
"Don't stop Aunt Rita. I still need you looking over my shoulder, keeps me on my toes." Amanda said with a smile
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion smiled as he watched the newly outfitted 1st Davion Guards on parade. With only a single Battlemech Regiment, though fully equipped now with
advanced Battlemechs courtesy of General Kerensky, but with a Armor Brigade, (2) Infantry Brigades, Artillery Regiment and a Regiment of Aerospace Fighters. The entire Davion Guards Brigade was undergoing changes to the exact same configuration. The Davion Assault, Heavy and Light Guards had used the exact make up for years. It was well past time for the rest of the Guards to be brought up to that strength level.
The Federated Suns had scored their fair share of former SLDF commands. Enough to add another 15 Regiments to the AFFS rolls. But with Amanda Cameron returning and the Terran Hegemony looking like it might live, it was causing some issues with the new recruits. Some wanted to return to the Terran Hegemony, but at least they were fulfilling their contract with the AFFS. His biggest concerns were losing the service of the Screaming Eagles mercenary command. Their contract was up 1 January 2786 and that was 5 Regiments of Battlemechs. Efforts to sign them to a longer contract had so far been rebuffed, their commander had respectfully explained that they were not sure if they would remain mercenary or join up with the Terran Hegemony. He silently wondered if the other House's were having the same issue.
Sian (Capellan Confederation)
Chancellor Barbara Liao wanted to scream when she learned that the Northwind Highlanders would not renew their contract with the Capellan Confederation and would be returning to Northwind. This was 5 Regiments of Battlemechs she was losing. To make matters worse, the 10th and 11th Tikonov Lancers had departed their garrison assignments and no one knew where they had gone, even their dependents were gone.
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
It took all of his will power for Coordinator Minoru Kurita not to strike down the man who had delivered this news. The 28th and 29th Dieron Regulars had deserted and no one knew where they went. But Coordinator Kurita had a very good idea exactly where they went as he stared at the map displaying the Terran Hegemony. Deep down he knew he should have moved every former SLDF command a long ways from the Terran Hegemony the moment this Amanda Cameron had appeared. But he had not done so, and that was his failure, not this messenger's. Worse, the Eridani Light Horse, 3rd Regimental Combat Team had pulled up stakes and was heading for the Terran Hegemony from Sendai. He toyed with sending warships to catch them, but after the reported strike against the Free World incursion, he forced himself to play things cautiously.
Atreus (Free Worlds League)
Captain General Kenyon Marik looked at the shattered wall display on his office floor. He had ripped it from it's wall mount and hurled it against the far wall in a fit of rage. Not only was he still pissed at that upstart child, Amanda Cameron, but he had just learned that the 346th Heavy Tank Regiment, 6th Orloff Grenadiers and 5th Defenders of Andurian had all deserted. A note was found in the former headquarters of the 6th Orloff Grenadiers that spelled it out quite clearly.
To whom it may concern,
Let it be known that the 6th Orloff Grenadiers, formerly the 288th Hussar Regiment of the SLDF, has elected to return to the Terran Hegemony. We take this action after learning of the atrocity committed by the FWLM at Graham IV against civilian workers with no warning. We will be taking our former name the 288th Hussar Regiment and look forward to the FWLM trying to stop us from joining the Terran Hegemony.
P.S. Thank you for the additional Jumpships that were assigned to us.
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+1 for the 288th! :thumbsup:
Those extra units will almost certainly prolong the life of the TH (NOT in exile)…
And glad to hear of the ELH and Screaming Eagles too! :thumbsup:
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WAY TO GO 288Th!!!!!!!
now would some of those larger returning units have things like Tramp, Tramp LF, Carracks, Volga and or other strategic assets.(…...please a Pueblo) ?
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Regular Jumpships yes......Tramp LF, the 3rd RCT probably. Carracks and Volga's no. Pueblo, doubt it.
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Nice, reinforcements will slowly trickle into the TH, 295th, former mercenaries... Hopefully the actions against the FWL will force caution on the others long enough for the TH to stabilize. The stored supplies will only last so long, rebuilding units takes a lot of material, so giving orders for materials, units, and shipbuilding will help stimulate the economy- along with the new ComStar corporation. Amanda is a smart cookie and staying 2 steps ahead of everyone is how she will get through this alive.
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Nice, reinforcements will slowly trickle into the TH, 295th, former mercenaries... Hopefully the actions against the FWL will force caution on the others long enough for the TH to stabilize. The stored supplies will only last so long, rebuilding units takes a lot of material, so giving orders for materials, units, and shipbuilding will help stimulate the economy- along with the new ComStar corporation. Amanda is a smart cookie and staying 2 steps ahead of everyone is how she will get through this alive.
The HAF could always do some trading with the MC or other groups to distract some of the key leadership of the FWL. if word leaked out that the HAF was trading a mix weight mech Reg to the MC (36L, 36M, 36H). Now they would all be down graded, heck they could be workmechs but the FWL would not know that for some time.
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nicely done, rule of natural consequences.
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There are other states or proto-states to consider. Ciricinus is certainly worth contacting though I have no idea if it and nearby systems have joined into the Federation. Also Niops IV but I think it is only a scientific outpost at this point.
It's excellent reading so far. Keep going.
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Hm the 802nd Independence Aerospace Wing went over to Marik.
There is also the 208th Hussars, which became Bolton's Rangers signing on with Kurita, then became the 5th Fusiliers of Oriente.
Most of the FedSun's are likely the Crucis Lancers I would guess.
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There are other states or proto-states to consider. Ciricinus is certainly worth contacting though I have no idea if it and nearby systems have joined into the Federation. Also Niops IV but I think it is only a scientific outpost at this point.
It's excellent reading so far. Keep going.
Problem: Those locations, besides not being public knowledge, are also on the other side of the IS and only reachable in any safe path far from the FWL border (which would take close to a year just to travel) thru Currently friendly LC space. Not really an option atm...
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not to mention the other problem. This is the 28th century, every one of those pocket empires was Rim Worlds territory within living memory.
which kinda makes them non-viable for that sort of thing...at least, at present (the 'present' of the story, yo.)
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1 August 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, Commanding General Hegemony Armed Forces, stood as the woman was led into her office, Admiral Joan Brandt (retired). She had made a plea for her to come to Terra for discussions and had been pleased that she had accepted the invitation. After seeing her guest to a seat and pouring her some coffee, General Rita Mitchell sat down in a chair across from her.
"Thank you for coming Admiral Brandt. Director General Cameron will be along shortly, but I felt the need to speak with you alone. We, the Hegemony need your help, I know you are retired, but our situation is dire. I have 19 warships just out of repairs, I have the crews for them, and even the captains to command them, but I do not have a senior officer to command the growing navy. Vice Admiral Zeibler is quite capable in his own right, but commanding an entire Fleet is beyond his current capability, or so he tells me." Rita explained and would have continued if Admiral Brandt had not held up her hand
"General Mitchell, I am retired. I am tired of war, I fought for so many years non stop. I lost a child to the damned war. I am too damned old for a frontline command posting." Joan Brandt said
"I am not asking you to take a frontline command. I need someone here, on Terra, to help oversee the deployment and rebuilding of the Fleet. Someone experienced in that area, for it is one that is beyond my own capabilities. I have been scouring the files seeking experienced naval officers and your name was at the top of the list. I have already convinced one line officer to take over an active command, you know her, Vice Admiral Marica Meler?" Rita said
"Marcia Meler, good aggressive officer. Commanded the 83rd Escort Squadron in 8th Fleet. Fought many a campaign. She will need to be watched though, she can be a little too aggressive for her own good. Needs a bit of leash on her. You have any others?" Joan Brandt asked
"A few, but most of the senior officers seem to have spent much of their time running Transports. I need combat officers above all else, but I really need someone who knows these officers and such. I can only get so much from reading fitness reports." Rita said
"Okay General Mitchell, I will take the job. I will help you with deployments, getting the Fleet up and running plus getting experienced commanders in place to run the various Squadrons and such. BUT, I run my Navy, my way. I don't want to have to play political games. The day I do, I retire again. Clear?" Joan Brandt said
"Your Navy, your way. BUT, this is not the SLDF we both knew. We cannot afford to build hundreds of warships. We are repairing everything Kerensky left us as fast as we can." Rita said
"Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248?" Admiral Joan Brandt asked
"Those are the ones." General Mitchell replied
"What about Burgandy 319?" Admiral Joan Brandt asked
"Never heard the name and no one has ever said it to me. What is it?" General Mitchell asked
"Burgandy 319 is just like Luyten and Ross. It was another storage site, but with older ships in it, those destined for the scrap yard. Plus we parked some salvaged Rim World ships in it. They are beat to hell, but the SLDF ships might be old, but most were still mothballed for long term storage, in case of emergency. Alex, General Kerensky, did not take any of those with him, said they were too old, and they are that. Probably not good for a long damned campaign or long distance, but should be just right for defending the Hegemony itself. If my old memory is right, should be 25-30 ships parked there. And I know it has a single SLDF Monsoon Battleship that was LF equipped, maybe even 2 of them. Ten of the old girls were equipped with LF Batteries, old Amaris got 7 of them. I just cannot remember what all was in that boneyard." Admiral Joan Brandt explained
"Admiral Brandt, if you could help us locate Burgandy 319, I know a certain Rear Admiral that would just love to get there and get them back into service." General Mitchell said
"I know exactly where it is located. I helped Alex, General Kerensky raid all the bone yards during the Liberation but also while he was planning his departure. I know the Monsoon Battleship is there, because I asked him to leave it, just in case I needed her to defend my home one last time as a favor." Admiral Brandt said
"Well, you just let me send a message out and we will get started on recovering those ships also." General Mitchell said
"Don't get your hope up too much General. Some of those ships are not much more than scrap metal, heck most of them probably are. But we will see what your Rear Admiral thinks of them." Admiral Joan Brandt said
10 August 2785
Burgandy 319 (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney looked at the ships located at the Nadir Jump Point. She already had survey crews aboard half the ship, she had avoided a few that she could visually see would need extensive repair times, if they could be salvaged at all. SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship was only 800km from SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship, Admiral Joan Brandt's "personal" ship. The survey crew that had boarded her had quickly determined that she was prefectly mothballed and looked to be fully operational. They were already in the process of reactivating her. She held a quick roster of the ships located here and deemed of any use at all.
Burgandy 319 Bone Yard
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship - Fully Operational
SLS Zulu, Lola I Destroyer - Estimated Repair 14 months
SLS Mohawk, Lola I Destroyer - Estimated Repair 16 months
SLS Tartar, Lola I Destroyer - Estimated Repair 14 months
SLS Sikh, Lola I Destroyer - Estimated Repair 15 months
SLS Nubian, Lola I Destroyer - Scrap (spare parts for others)
SLS Cossack, Lola I Destroyer - Scrap (spare parts for others)
SLS Lively, Baron Destroyer - Estimated Repair 16 months
SLS Legion, Baron Destroyer - Estimated Repair 15 months
SLS Lance, Baron Destroyer - Scrap (spare parts for others)
Everything else was just scrap. Major damage to their keels, and assorted other damage made them worthless. She made a note to have the ship she deemed complete losses designated target ships. After they had been stripped of anything worth salvaging, jump cores being the main thing to be salvaged.
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Nice find with the Thunderer, never say no to another battleship. Even an old one. It still has a lot of room for further improvements.
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Seven more ships is SEVEN more ships! :thumbsup:
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I miss it, or about the Ruins of Gabriel?
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Guess no Rim World ships made it. At least it will be a supply of refined material.
Be good to see a Joan Brandt that is not a raging elitist SLDF patriot.
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I miss it, or about the Ruins of Gabriel?
I doubt it. The Ruins of Gabriel are deep inside the Lyran Commonwealth, close to Tharkad; this place is within the old Hegemony.
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Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt had been given an office right next door to Commanding General Rita Mitchell. That Director General Amanda Cameron called her Aunt Rita, she had found very curious. Every evening she had made a trip down to the records department and preused the old SLDF records. What she had discovered had only made her more curious. She shook her head to clear her mind and returned to her current task, the organization of "her" Fleet. Currently sitting in one of Krester's Ship Construction's shipyards was SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship undergoing a modernization and upgrade. Director General Amanda Cameron had designated it the Fleet Flagship, Fleet Admiral JOan Brandt's personal warship.
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney along with her engineers and a few from Krester Ship Construction had worked up a upgrade that made the old Monsoon Battleship a potent foe for anything. Already equipped with LF Batteries, they were installing a mobile HPG. The armor was being removed and 2,357 tons of Ferro Carbide was being mounted. The ships cooling system was upgraded to 4,981 Double Heat Sinks. They had added additonal firepower, the Nose Arc mounted 2 NAC/30 with 60 rounds, 4 Medium NPPC, 4 White Shark launchers with 80 reloads, 4 LPL and 6 SPL for point defense. The Foward Arcs mounted 2 NAC/35 with 70 rounds, 4 Medium NPPC, 4 White Shark launchers with 80 reloads, 4 LPL and 6 SPL for point defense. Both brodsides mounted 8 NAC/35 in 4 dual mounts with each mount having 80 reloads, 6 LPL and 6 SPL were also added. The Rear and Aft Arcs had 2 NAC/30 with 80 rounds, 4 Medium NPPC, 6 LPL and 6 SPL.
They had added an additonal 18 Aerospace Fighters for a total of 36. Buried in the Hull was a Large Naval Comm Scanner. The ships cargo bay still held a respectful 230,670 tons. Enough for a long deployment even with a full load of 6 Dropships.
Terran Hegemony Fleet
Terran Squadron (Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt)
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship (Fleet Flagship) (Refit 5 months)
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser
SLS Shark Tooth, Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Shark Strike, Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Porter, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Selfridge, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS McDougal, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Winslow, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
89th Cruiser Division (Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler)
SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser
SLS Independence, Samarkand II Carrier
SLS Solomon, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Buccaneer, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Ruby, Essex Destroyer
66th Escort Squadron (Vice Admiral Grant Baker)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate
SLS Ivory, New Samarkand Carrier
SLS Emerald, Essex Destroyer
SLS Topaz, Essex Destroyer
SLS Hammerstrike, Essex Destroyer
SLS Gemstone, Essex Destroyer
SLS Diamond, Essex Destroyer
14th Battlecruiser Squadron (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Yosemite, Riga Frigate (3 months to completion)
SLS Albany, Riga Frigate (3 months to completion)
SLS Yankee, Riga Frigate (3 months to completion)
SLS Wasp, New Samarkand Carrier
SLS Starlight, Essex Destroyer
SLS Resilience, Vincent Corvette
SLS Determination, Vincent Corvette
SLS Audacious, Vincent Corvette
SLS Porter, Vincent Corvette
15th Escort Squadron (Vice Admiral Lorraine Hofmann)
SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigate (2 month to completion)
SLS Rickover, Congress Frigate (1 month to completion)
SLS Patrick Henry, Aegis Cruiser (2 month to completion)
SLS Phelps, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Clark, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Balch, Carson Destroyer (1 month)
SLS Carver, Vincent Corvette (new build)
SLS Blitz, Vincent Corvette (new build)
18th Transport Squadron (Vice Admiral Chaviva Roberts)
SLS Mount Saint Helens, Volga Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Mount Ranier, Volga Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Krakatow, Volga Transport (2 month to completion)
SLS Pomeroy, Carrack Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Soderman, Carrack Transport
SLS Watson, Carrack Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Watkins, Carrack Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Charlton, Carrack Transport
SLS Dahl, Carrack Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Red Cloud, Carrack Transport (1 month to completion)
SLS Sisler, Carrack Transport
SLS Sacagawea, Carrack Transport
She had managed to get a few experienced commanders like herself to rejoin and take command of the new Squadrons along with experienced ship officers and crew that had not already rejoined. Though the 3 Potemkins were close to completion, she had been informed that they would be undergoing a refit to a new configuration at Titan Yards which would take 4 months.
To fill out Aerospace slots, she had ordered the Flight School of Graham to graduate a class 8 months early. That would give her just over 500 pilots in addition to those veterans steadily rejoining to fill out the many open slots.
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I hope they get the 5 months needed to get everything refit!
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good to see the fleet starting to get its feet back under it.
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Huh. What happened to the 295th and escorts? Or the captured FWL ships Ocuri and Orion? It has been 7 months since January and 3 months since the Connaught incident.
EDIT: Are the new Vincent the THiE mod or original?
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Vincent's are original, they was under construction at Carver and just completed. 295th in next update.....mechanical breakdowns are plaguing them to no end. As per canon. Poor old Ulithi is giving them fits with constant breakdowns. Her core is close to giving out totally. They are currently a single jump from Hegemony space.
Same will be for the FWLM ships captured. Currently, I have them sitting at Graham IV. Not sure what to do with them yet.
Sorry for delay, work caught me and made my brain mushy.
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Easy way to tell abut Vincent, if it says Corvette, its original, Destroyer it is the THiE big upgrade. Original is not the LF and HPG one, but original stock one.
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Vincent's are original, they was under construction at Carver and just completed. 295th in next update.....mechanical breakdowns are plaguing them to no end. As per canon. Poor old Ulithi is giving them fits with constant breakdowns. Her core is close to giving out totally. They are currently a single jump from Hegemony space.
Same will be for the FWLM ships captured. Currently, I have them sitting at Graham IV. Not sure what to do with them yet.
Sorry for delay, work caught me and made my brain mushy.
I might almost be willing to split the command and send a few of their Tramp jumpships ahead and get an HPG message sent, see if some help can come to them.
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Cool, good to know. That will make it much easier to tell which Vincents are upgraded. For Ulithi, it sounds like it will need a core replacement, which sucks- but in the end will be another Potemkin to increase the fleet and dropship carry capacity. A Newgrange or three should be finishing up, allowing on site replacement, the best way would be tendering a jump core out and installing it (but that would probably be a bit of a strain on the SLDF right now). For the FWL ships, using them would be an increase in ship strength, but between the fact that they could be riddled with software backdoors and that they are known and their vulnerabilities known, I would either use them on the far side of the Hegemony from the FWL, upgrade them and their computers and software, or sent them to the Hidden Hegemony. It’s your story, run with it.
Glad to see you writing again, but if your work is stressing you, take care of yourself first. We can wait for more of this awesome story.
EDIT: Building ships in the Hegemony itself beyond Vincents will probably be a while away. What with the destruction of docks, supporting factories, workforce, and the economic situation.
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20 August 2785
Skondia (Lyran Commonwealth)
Major General Jenna Romanov, commander 295th Battlemech Division, could see light at the end of the tunnel. She wanted nothing more than to get SLS Ulithi, Potemkin Transport into a proper shipyard for a major overhaul. It seemed that every 2 jumps or so something broke causing several weeks of repairs before they could continue. They had tried to put into Tamar's yards and had been denied proper service but did get some assistance in repairs. Last week, the 3rd Regimental Combat Team had linked up with them here at Skondia, and tomorrow the combined force would make the jump into Hegemony territory.
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Delbert "Red" Mitchell, CEO Mitchell Vehicles, had the first major convoy ready to head for their new home. He had 10 Monolith Jumpships carrying 90 Mammoth Dropships that had been built to a new specification or upgraded older ships to carry 6,000 passengers in relative comfort. This convoy carried 540,000 of his people along with an additional 4 Star Lord Jumpships carrying 12 Mammoth Cargo Dropships and 12 Mule Dropships loaded with supplies and enough salvaged shipyard material from the damaged yards to possibly put 2 shipyards back into operation. He had been pleasantly surprised when he got word that Director General Cameron had ordered the additional Mammoth Dropships be sent to Graham IV.
Escort was being provided by SLS Contraband, League II Destroyer (former FWLS Ocuri) and SLS Servitude, Carrack Transport (Former FWLS Orion) crewed by recently rejoined crews and members from the 89th Cruiser Squadron hand picked by Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler.
He continued searching for even more ships to purchase, lease, borrow or even steal to move as many of his people as he could as quick as he could.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Commanding General Rita Mitchell watched the final loading of the last Dropships that would link up with SLS Borneo, Volga Transport and 3 Star Lord Jumpships. They were carrying the mothballed factory from Krupp Stellar Technologies Inc. It had not taken long after speaking with Major General Lauren Hayes to learn that the Battlemechs produced from that factory would not be welcomed by the former SLDF troops here in the Hegemony, being a Rim World design. So she had ordered the factory completely dismantled and packed for transport, she would send it "home" where there was no stigma attached. Also going were 4 Passenger Mammoth Dropships carrying 24,000 people from Mitchell Vehicles destroyed Terran factory complex.
This convoy would link up with the convoy from Graham IV at Keid for the trip home. There, they would gather the intitial convoy from Thompson's Shipyards of 6 Star Lord Jumpships and 36 converted Mammoth Dropships carrying 216,000 people from Thompson's Shipyards. Their Carson shipyards had long been converted to manufacture Star Lord Jumpships under license. These first people would assume control of the Jumpship Complex at Onverwacht.
Down the hall, Director General Amanda Cameron had once again gotten a real time HPG link with First Prince John Davion on New Avalon. "Thank you for taking my call again First Prince Davion. I have a matter of mutual interest to discuss with you."
"Always a pleasure Director General Cameron. What shall we discuss to day?" First Prince John Davion asked
"It seems one of my major industry corporations is going to need a new home. Since your nation has been so generous in out time of need, I was wondering if you would be interested in having them move to the Federated Suns?" Amanda replied
First Prince John Davion did not even ask or hesitate before answering "Yes, I would be extremely interested in this. May I ask which?"
"Thompson's Shipyards. Their complex on Keid was heavily damaged. We both know that the possibility of war is high and I want to get them a safe distance from any more possible damage. I have spent some time studying the maps and I think Kilbourne would be the perfect place for them to re-establish themselves. It has plenty of the needed resources close by if not already in the system itself, good industrial support and is far enough from possible hostile borders to keep them safe." Amanda said
"I recognize the name but I will take your word on the specifics. What do you need from me to make this happen?" First Prince Davion asked
"Transportation support would be a huge one. Since this is a Hegemony company, I would ask for a special tax break for them. Say 6% for the Federated Suns and 6% for the Hegemony instead of your nations usual tax rates. I think that is only fair, I will assist them in rebuilding their needed supporting industries, but of course any help the Federated Suns could provide would be welcome I am sure." Amanda stated
"That total tax rate is half what we normally charge. But getting another Jumpship builder is just too good to pass up. I agree to those terms and will write up the declaration without delay and make the rates permanent. Never to be changed. I will also make arrangements to aid transportation. Even if I have to use AFFS transports." First Prince Davion said
"Excellent, I have a large convoy soon to be passing thru the Federated Suns, part of it is Thompson's people. If you could aid in speeding up the return of the Dropships, that would make a huge difference. I had them specially configured to transport people." Amanda said
"I will do everything I can to speed up their return." First Prince Davion said
"Always a pleasure doing business with you John. I hope you do not mind me calling you that. I prefer Amanda anyways." Amanda said
"Amanda it is then. You may always call me John. I am always at your service." First Prince Davion replied with a smile
"Then I will let you attend to your duties John." Amanda said
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At least she's on good terms with ONE Successor Lord...
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Well that answers my questions. Thank you.
And the ability to use Kilbourne as a way point to the Hidden Hegemony, disguised as routine shipments? (Parts, supplies, materials, processed metals) Priceless.
EDIT: Considering Sabik is 19 lightyears from Skondia, and is home to a Castle Brian and the SASTC site, in this AU is it still part of the Hegemony or has the Lyran Commonwealth still annexed it?
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Yeah, I don't think the FS would look twice at traffic between Kilbourne and Bastrop.
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Sabik part of the Lyran Commonwealth. Any system annexed prior to 2785 is per canon. If your tracking that way.
Don't place too much on the Castle Brian's, most were destroyed during the liberation.
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1 September 2785
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion looked over the intel reports on Kilbourne and the surrounding systems compiled by his intel officers after his talk with Director General Amanda Cameron. He had to admit, Kilbourne was a decent place for a Jumpship complex. But why had she picked that location, so far from the Terran Hegemony itself, he thought to himself, there were so many more suitable locations much closer to the Terran Hegemony borders.
He picked up the folder that concerned Bastrop. He glanced over the file and his eye's focused on a report filed 2 years ago about a shipping company that had come to dominate the shipping market in that region in a extremely short time frame. ZaP Shipping, noted for appearing almost out of no where and quickly establishing itself as the premier shipping company in the region. Always paid their taxes on time and in full, had a quite powerful law firm on retainer. Everything was legal and neither customs nor any one else had caught them setting a foot wrong inside the Federated Suns. But, it was also noted that the same law firm had purchased quite a few production license's and all of these were shipped to ZaP Shipping and then transported into the Outworlds Alliance, yet no one reported any new production sites for the purchased licenses which had raised a small flag. He closed the file and flipped it back on his desk with a thin smile on his face.
He leaned back in his leather chair and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to search his memory. Finally it all came back to him. The SLDF convoy that brought Amanda Cameron had entered Federated Suns space in that very region. His mind then searched further back, a single SLDF Black Lion Battlecruiser had appeared over June right after the Coup, at the very same time as a SLDF convoy had been passing thru the Federated Suns to link up with General Kerensky. It had then linked up with the SLDF Black Lion and then exited Federated Suns space in the region in question. He sat up and picked up the report on ZaP Shipping, it was noted that the listed CEO was a partnership, Martin Zuni and Martha Pruitt, formed a few years after the SLDF convoy had exited Federated Suns space, sold a bunch of old Dropships at Bastrop. Registered with the Federated Suns Government but had no business activity for several more yeards officially.
So that is where you were Amanda Cameron all these years. Exactly what do you have going on out there and how does ZaP Shipping fit into everything, obviously they are connected, he thought. Finally, First Prince John Davion decided to let the sleeping dog stay undisturbed. He liked this Amanda Cameron, she was in no way like her father. As long as the Hegemony was not a threat to the Federated Suns, he would keep her secret. Almost 20 years and we never had a clue, he thought with a laugh.
Deiron (Terran Hegemony)
Conrad Toyama, Chief Administrator of the Deiron HPG, was not sure what to think of all the changes in the last year. All of the plans that Jerome Blake and him had discussed at length had been shelved the moment Director General Amanda Cameron had returned. Though message traffic inside the Terran Hegmeony was slowly returning to normal, he knew message traffic from Terra to unknown parts was taking place via the Mobile HPG's brought with General Mitchell. All attempts to gain access to the Mobile HPG's had failed and the few intercepted messages were encoded and all attempts to break the code had failed. That even attempting to break military coded messages was treason never crossed his mind.
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Davion is on side at least... No surprise Toyama isn't... ^-^
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Amanda seems to be on good terms with Davion and Liao, what would the possibility be of discussing a mutual defense treaty between the three? Davion and Liao get a quiet border between them and the TH can concentrate on the FWL and DC borders.
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Some one Please have Toyama caught and shot for treason.
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An anonymous tip to the IG hotline would be pure GOLD... ^-^
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“ Some one Please have Toyama caught and shot for treason.”
Read that and in my head I saw Toyama wrapped in Metal bands and launched out of a gauss rifle.
Hope the TH Black Hearts or left over SL intelligence apparatus finds his treason.
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1 November 2785
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita studied the plans his Warlords had put together. Seeing the desertions in the other Houses, he had ordered all commands made up of former SLDF troops moved as far from the Hegemony as possible. Other commands had been shifted to the Hegemony borders. He took the plans of his Warlords and then began making his own adjustments to them. He knew that the Federated Suns and Terran Hegemony were just too friendly. He could not risk action against the Federated Suns without containing the Hegemony. Though no official alliance had been announced, he could not take the chance.
Terran Hegemony Front
Wave One
Inglesmond - 1st, 2nd and 5th Arkab Legion
Al Nair - 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th Dieron Regulars
Nashira - 16th, 19th and 31st Dieron Regulars
Murchison - 10th and 14th Dieron Regulars
Lambrecht - 18th, 20th and 33rd Dieron Regulars
Wave Two
Chaville - 2nd and 4th Dieron Regulars
Kervil - 6th and 7th Dieron Regulars
Pike IV - 9th, 11th and 12th Dieron Regulars
Dyev - 18th and 20th Dieron Regulars
Deneb Algedi - 1st and 2nd Arkab Legion
Pokhara - 1st and 3rd Dieron Regulars
Quentin - 2nd, 3rd and 4th Proserpina Hussars
Wave Three
Styx - 13th and 14th Benjamin Regulars
Dieron - 7th, 8th and 9th Benjamin Regulars
Reserve Forces
1st Sword of Light
2nd Sword of Light
3rd Sword of Light
Planning for the invasion of the Federated Suns was well underway with troops still being marshalled and supplies for an extended campaign being brought forward. With the former SLDF troops deserting even the Federated Suns, he had ordered the 21st thru 30th Dieron Regulars shifted to form one thrust of the planned 3 thrusts into the Federated Suns, as far away from the Hegemony as he could get them. Initial planning called for 2 thrusts, but he had adjusted the plans to form a third thrust. He slated all of 2786 to knock the Hegemony out of any interference in his planned invasion of the Federated Suns. If everything went as planned, the Draconis Combine would invade the Federated Suns in April 2787.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Commanding General Rita Mitchell reviewed the non stop intel reports of Draconis Combine forces massing along the Hegemony border. After the few scuffles, this was not surprising. The 295th Battlemech Division and 3rd Regimental Combat Team were undergoing complete refits on Terra. Major General Lauren Hayes had quipped the other day that they might as well add the Royal tag on every command with the way they were refitting the commands with advanced equipment once reserved for only true Royal commands.
The 66th Escort Squadron and 14th Battlecruiser Squadron were both assigned to cover the Draconis Combine front. The 15th Escort Squadron was assigned along the Lyran border and the 89th Cruiser Squadron covered the Marik border. She was not overly concerned about the Federated Suns border. First Prince John Davion had so far been easy to work with. Chancellor Barbara Liao was becoming a little more difficult, but so far had not made any hostile moves and troop movements along the border were kept to a minimum. Archon Jennifer Steiner seeemed to have her hands full along the Combine border and with almost non stop engagements along the Marik border. Marik on the other hand kept a pretty good sized deployment along his border with the Hegemony but kept his troops on a tight leash.
To bolster her Independent Regiments, Commanding General Rita Mitchell had finally convinced Major General Hayes to go along with some of her changes. They were now forming Conventional Regimental Combat Teams. It was her goal to have each system in the Hegemony assigned one by the end of 2786.
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if that is accomplished before anyone can attack them and no one gets word of this. I see a lot of heads rolling when the war begins.
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I think the Combine is going to be in for a rude surprise along the OA end of the border... ^-^
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if that is accomplished before anyone can attack them and no one gets word of this. I see a lot of heads rolling when the war begins.
Moreso if she actually uses her navy well, rather than relying on Kerensky's mass-body-rush formations. An invading force can't invade if they're unable to bull their way into orbit, and an invasion falls apart if their supply line is cut by judicious use of commerce-raiding and targeting of core supports like carriers and carrier dropships, soft targets like supply vessels, and counter-attacks on marshalling grounds. Her strategy should probably focus on cutting their lines of communication and supply, isolating their forces in pockets, then destroying the pockets. She's also positioned to put Kurita in a two-front-war situation-he attacks the core hegemony, and suddenly his undefended backfield is playing host to THiE forces rampaging in his rear, targeting naval bases, shipping ports and the machinery that makes offensives possible.
Her best naval strategy is to target his force projection capability, it doesn't matter if you have a billion 'mechs on the factory world, if you can't get them to the next star system, and interstellar nations don't handle strangling trade well at all.
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I think the Combine is going to be in for a rude surprise along the OA end of the border... ^-^
I think the third wave is going to have to be diverted to protect their rear. >:D
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I think the third wave is going to have to be diverted to protect their rear. >:D
Think about this: Minoru's moving former SLDF units away from the fronts...which means he's putting a knife at his own back if some/most/or all of those units decide they prefer Amanda Cameron to Minoru Kurita, esp. if she starts raising merry hell in the Drac backfield.
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Think about this: Minoru's moving former SLDF units away from the fronts...which means he's putting a knife at his own back if some/most/or all of those units decide they prefer Amanda Cameron to Minoru Kurita, esp. if she starts raising merry hell in the Drac backfield.
>:D >:D >:D
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>:D Indeed! I look forward to the TH hanging on longer than planned... :thumbsup:
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Well, I don’t believe any House Lord is ready for the sort of buzzsaw that the Terran Hegemony is even by the end of 2785. Somewhere around:
45 Warships
20 Transport Warships
4 Yardships
20 Divisions
20 Regiments
5-10 RCT?
Maybe? I think they are assuming the Terran Hegemony has maybe a fifth of that, because running into a former SLDF Regiment without Royal grade equipment at 3 to 1 odds would still be too close to a fair fight, much less a division or Royal grade equipment.
Honestly, even going off the May deployments, Inglesmond is the only wave 1 target vulnerable. And considering the DC will probably strike a year after that state of affairs? I think the defenders are going to have to be careful the DC troops don’t get the chance to go for the atrocity option.
If the Terran Hegemony has a chance of making it to 2800, they have a really good chance of making it. Just surviving attrition and factory strikes will be the tough part.
Considering Bastion stations are being produced, are they being reserved for the Sol system, or elsewhere?
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Well, I don’t believe any House Lord is ready for the sort of buzzsaw that the Terran Hegemony is even by the end of 2785. Somewhere around:
45 Warships
20 Transport Warships
4 Yardships
20 Divisions
20 Regiments
5-10 RCT?
Maybe? I think they are assuming the Terran Hegemony has maybe a fifth of that, because running into a former SLDF Regiment without Royal grade equipment at 3 to 1 odds would still be too close to a fair fight, much less a division or Royal grade equipment.
Honestly, even going off the May deployments, Inglesmond is the only wave 1 target vulnerable. And considering the DC will probably strike a year after that state of affairs? I think the defenders are going to have to be careful the DC troops don’t get the chance to go for the atrocity option.
If the Terran Hegemony has a chance of making it to 2800, they have a really good chance of making it. Just surviving attrition and factory strikes will be the tough part.
Considering Bastion stations are being produced, are they being reserved for the Sol system, or elsewhere?
Stationary fortifications are next best thing to worthless in a fluid strategic environment. Fortresses only function if reinforcements are readily at hand to relieve them.
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Putting them at pirate points and zenith and nadir points eliminates tying ships to those points and secures them. Which is what the Hegemony needs with their limited amount of ships. Yes, they can be out maneuvered, but but forcing ships to take steps to do so still serves a purpose.
EDIT: And if enemy forces suddenly find Bastion stations they have to fight, then they start wondering where else those station are. Forcing ships to emerge further out, giving in-system forces and nodal response forces the time and ability to react, especially LF equipped ships.
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They will know something from commercial ships operating in & out of the TH...
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They will know something from commercial ships operating in & out of the TH...
and that would make them a nuk magnet.
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15 November 2785
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita was putting the final touches on what he planned to be the death of the Terran Hegemony. The DCMS had 149 active warships spread across 8 Fleet's. He had another 45 warships under construction or undergoing modernization after being brought out of mothballs. Those 45 warships would be available for the Federated Suns offensive.
DCMS Fleet Deployments 2785/2786
First Fleet (Galedon District)
DCS An Ting, Samarkand Carrier Blk II(Flagship)
DCS Aggore, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Aoba, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Kinugasa, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Yakaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Harukaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Kamikaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Sawakaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Suzutsuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Fuyutsuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Hanazuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Yoizuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Matsu, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Take, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Ume, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Momo, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Kuwa, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Kiri, Vigilant Corvette
Second Fleet (Galedon District)
DCS New Samarkand, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship)
DCS Tone, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Kako, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Nagara, Cruiser Class
DCS Natori, Cruiser Class
DCS Sugi, Baron Destroyer
DCS Maki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Momi, Baron Destroyer
DCS Kashi, Baron Destroyer
DCS Kaya, Baron Destroyer
DCS Nara, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Kudzu, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Yadake, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Sakura, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Yanagi, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Tsubaki, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Kaki, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Kaba, Vigilant Corvette
Third Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Hagiwawa, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship)
DCS Akagi, Samarkand Carrier Blk II
DCS Hiei, Monsoon Battleship
DCS Haruna, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Myoko, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Atago, Riga Frigate
DCS Akizuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Teruzuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Suzutsuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Hatsuzuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Niizuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Wakatsuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Shimotsuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Fuyutsuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Harutsuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Yoizuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Natsuzuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Michitsuki, Baron Destroyer
Fourth Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship)
DCS Taiho, Samarkand Carrier Blk II
DCS Kongo, Monsoon Battleship
DCS Chokai, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Maya, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Hanazuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Kiyotsuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Ōtsuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Hazuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Yamazuki, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Urazuki, Baron Destroyer
DCS Aogumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Benigumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Harugumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Amagumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Yaegumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Fuyugumo, Baron Destroyer
DCS Yukigumo, Baron Destroyer
Fifth Fleet (Rasalhague District)
DCS Trondheim, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship)
DCS Nagato, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Mutsu, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Tosa, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Mutsuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Kisaragi, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Yayoi, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Uzuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Satsuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Minazuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Fumizuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Nagatsuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Kikuzuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Mikazuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
Sixth Fleet (Rasalhague District)
DCS Radstadt, Samarkand Carrier Blk I (Flagship)
DCS Selene, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Akiko, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Maja, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Jarret, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Sawyer, Essex I Destroyer
DCS Hatsuharu, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Nenohi, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Wakaba, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Hatsushimo, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Ariake, Vigilant Corvette
DCS Yūgure, Vigilant Corvette
Seventh Fleet (Pesht District)
DCS Kagoshima, Samarkand Carrier Blk I (Flagship)
DCS Mogami, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Mikuma, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Suzuya, Riga Frigate
DCS Kumano, Riga Frigate
DCS Shiratsuyu, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Shigure, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Murasame, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Yūdachi, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Harusame, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Samidare, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Umikaze, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Suzukaze, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
Eighth Fleet (Pesht District)
DCS Irece, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship)
DCS Haruna, Monsoon Battleship
DCS Kirishima, Monsoon Battleship
DCS Chikuma, Riga Frigate
DCS Fubuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Shirayuki, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Hatsuyuki, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Miyuki, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Murakumo, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Shinonome, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Usugumo, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Shirakumo, Narukami Blk I Destroyer
DCS Isonami, Vincent Corvette
DCS Uranami, Vincent Corvette
DCS Asagiri, Vincent Corvette
Each Fleet was also supported by a supply group of:
2 Vincent Corvette
4 Carrack Transport
Third, Fourth and Sixth Fleet's were slated to take part in the Terran Hegemony offensive. He was confident that his navy could overwhelm the Hegemony forces.
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and that would make them a nuk magnet.
What you'd need, is something that looks like a Bastion, pings like a Bastion, is a nuke magnet like a bastion...
but isn't.
Decoys. It looks like a defensive station but it's really there to attract enemy fire and disguise the presence of REAL defenses nearby.
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5 large carriers... wow that is a lot of fighters. I hope that the HAF had been updated their fighters as much as their ground forces.
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5 large carriers... wow that is a lot of fighters. I hope that the HAF had been updated their fighters as much as their ground forces.
5 large carriers that have to enter through the front door, and 5 large carriers that are vulnerable to unorthodox tactics. The key here, is to deny the DCMS pilots anywhere to land or refuel, this means catching them at one of the standard points or major lagrange locations-either one and those fighters can be effectively starved out of fuel or life support long before they can be used (assuming they even get launched.)
this goes back to the major flaws in both Kerensky's advance on Terra, and the Amaris defense. Carriers are a major point of vulnerability, like any transport asset, in a defense scenario. The reason is that everyone has the same base 'safety parameters' on their jump engines, Pirate point calculations are hard, and the points for something the size of a Samarkand, are predictable, and while there is a light delay, the fact is, a Sammy or ship of equivalent size isn't going to be out of the shock zone of a KF insertion-and they'll suffer a lot more from the EMP effect than the arriving ship.
which goes down to how your offensive navy is trained, Kerensky's navy was...well, they weren't MUCh better than Amaris, but Mitchell's navy clearly IS (from the battles we've actually seen them in).
The key is those LF batteries. Sammy arrives, their escorts can't be too close if they preceded, and they have to wait for the carrier to clear the point. either way, the sammy is by itself, which is when you pounce with whatever you're going to use-pop in, nuke the cop out of them while they're still recovering, and jump out.
Each Samarkand represents a massive investment in fighter power and naval capacity. Each one you kill is a critical body-blow to an invading force, because you're depriving them of air-cover and forcing the follow-on forces to collect survivors instead of advancing, because you NEED those fighters at the front, not drifting and out of gas with a suffocated pilot and nowhere to land.
similar methods work with the other large ships. the DCA isn't built on unorthodox tactics, and most of their fleet are older ships, which hampers their response time and detection radius.
The keys here, are to hit the transports and support ships first. as the defender with the assets the HAF have, you need to focus on response-times and taking the initiative away from the enemy. Annihilate dropships and carriers first, do it well away from the inhabited planet first. Hegemony fleet units have HPG support, this provides the same advantage that radio provided to historical navies over flag signals, it lets you coordinate over the distances of a star system and quickly move or marshal forces for strikes on the enemy while he's actually vulnerable.
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1 Decmeber 2785
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron was being briefed by Commanding General Rita Mitchell on the potential danger on the Draconis Combine border. Jerome Blake sat off to the side in a foul mood having lost a major argument with Commanding General Mitchell over having to turn over HPG communications from the DCMS to the Hegemony Armed Forces for evaluation. These communications had allowed HAF intel officers to accurately plot DCMS deployments via routine supply requests. They had not located any messages detailing military operations, so they assumed they were being hand carried. But, they had located operational orders for every district EXCEPT the Benjamin District, which raised all sorts of red flags.
"Mr Blake, quit sulking. Last time I checked your Comstar has not yet secured an agreement with any House over neutrality of the HPG grid. So that means your Comstar still works for the Terran Hegemony in all respects. Matter of fact, according to your last briefing, only the Lyran Commonwelath and Federated Suns had even shown interest in the agreement." Amanda said
"Director General Cameron, allowing the Hegemony Armed Forces access to read communications of a House puts any agreement at all at risk. It shows that Comstar cannot be trusted." Jerome Blake replied
"I think your wrong. If somehow it becomes public knowledge, I think it will spur them to actually agree to that sort of agreement. They just do not realize yet that this is not the Star League anymore. The Terran Hegemony is a seperate, soveriegn nation. We just happen to control the HPG communication grid. Now, as to our current situation, you are hereby ordered to cease any and all HPG communications within the Draconis Combine the moment hostilities commence. If the Combine attempts to sieze control of a HPG station, you are directed to destroy it fully to prevent it's capture. Do you understand or do I need to insert troops to make sure it happens?" Amanda said
"I understand your orders. I do not agree with them, but I will follow them. It will cost a fortune to rebuild any destroyed stations." Jerome Blake said
"Any stations destroyed that have to be rebuilt, the Combine can foot the bill in full. If the Combine wants war, then we will show them what all out war looks like. I will shut down ALL HPG communications within their nation. I will crash their economy. I am not going to sit back and let the Combine wage war only on Hegemony worlds. The Combine will feel a lot of pain also. General Mitchell, your authorized to enact Case Black Eye but do not engage until hostilites begin, but you may begin getting the pieces into place." Amanda said
"I will send the message out ASAP." General Mitchell said
"What is Case Black Eye?" Jerome Blake asked
"Sorry Mr Blake, but you are not cleared for that. I will say that it will be quite the kick in the crotch to the Combine if they force the Hegemony into a war. Everyone has their marching orders so let's get the messages sent immediately." Amanda ordered and the meeting broke up
3 December 2785
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel held the priority HPG message that had been relayed from Terra, heavily encoded, it had reached June, where it was intercepted by a Scout HPG Jumpship and then relayed via SLDF ships to Thazi. The SLDF controlled HPG ships were still being pushed towards Terra and should be fully in place by April 2786. Back to war, he thought looking at the message again.
To: General Heinrich Rommel
From: General Rita Mitchell
On receipt of message you are ordered to put Case Black Eye into effect. Not operational, but get the pieces in place. Consider this a war warning against the Draconis Combine. Security of current positions utmost importance. Authorized to take any action to see to that. Updated intel included this message. Modify orders as needed to accomplish mission.
Rita
He sat the message down and flipped thru the mass of folders that Rita had left sealed before she had departed for Terra with Amanda Cameron. He found the one labeled Case Black Eye and opened it up. He read:
Heinrich,
Reading this means we have found ourselves at war with the Draconis Combine. I have outlined a plan for making them rethink their actions. You are authorized to modify it as you see fit, but as long as the brief outline is carried out, it should cause them to pause and think a little harder about their actions.
Case Black Eye
Mission - Primary target New Samarkand. Destruction of the DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design complex primary objective. Taking planet itself secondary, but destruction of ground based factories authorized.
Authorized forces:
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
509th Battle Regiment
247th Heavy Assault Regiment
88th Cruiser Squadron
Not an attept to hold, but primary mission is to pull Combine troops away from Hegemony to counter offensive. Good Luck and God speed.
Well, at least she gave me carte blanche. Now I won't face a firing squad for letting Admiral Tanaka to send 2 Builder Yardships and 3 Star Lords loaded with supplies escorted by 2 Vigilant Corvettes to the Rim World Outpost #4 to recover the Riga Frigate and Vincent Corvette there, he thought. She will probably still shoot me when she learns that I authorized Admiral Tanaka to bring the Modified Olympus Station to fully operational ship building where she has already laid the keels for 3 Vincent Destroyers here at Thazi and 3 more at Linden. All 6 should be completed around March 2786.
He pulled up a Star Map and studied the sector of his primary target. The short outline had not given a specific date. So he began making notes, modifying the basic plan, taking into account current conditions.
Staging Base - Naikongzu (Builder Yardship, 2 Carrack Transports)
Raid Targets
Korramabad - 509th Battle Regiment, SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Destroyer
Pusht-i-rud - 238th Striker Regiment, SLS Trinity River, Vincent Destroyer
Lands End - 19th Hussar Regiment, SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer
New Samarkand
126th Mechanized Infantry Division
173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
29th Mechanized Infantry Division
88th Cruiser Squadron
SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser
SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate
(6) Vincent Destroyers
He expected Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain to take her SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser along for this fight. He started writing out orders for the various commands to begin movemenets to Naikongzu. He then wrote a message for relay to General Mitchell asking for updated intel on the systems he wanted to raid as a distraction.
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Basically the Dragon is playing by the same rules that passed under the Secret Wars of the late Star League?
Oooopsie, the TH would have sent a diplomatic note but your HPG do not seem to be working. 8)
So how much in reparations are you willing to pay before your economy forces one of your generals to do a Chop-Chop Samurai hands on your neck and offer your head to “The Cameron”?
Von Rohrs, Kurita,
Who will next claim divinity?
the Yellow Bird sings a name.
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10 December 2785
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Jordan Wright, CEO LTV Aerospace, stood looking out the broad window at the vast shipyard complex. Twenty-One of the most advanced shipyards were busy churning out Jumpships as fast as they could to meet the demand. LTV's Monolith Jumpship had only been introduced for only a short time but was in such demand that he had been forced to license the design to several other manufacturers to meet demand. He had 10 of his shipyards constructing Monolith Jumpships at a rate of 30 per year, having gotten construction time down to 4 months by having 3 Jump Core factories for each shipyard all manufacturng the massive Jump Core's around the clock. He was even thinking of converting his Tramp and Star Lord yards over to Monolith production.
A virtual non stop flow of Jumpships brought in the precious Germanium to feed the massive processing factories on the surface which was then sent by Dropship back into orbit to the Jump Core factories. Jumpships from every nation arrived around the clock and in such numbers that customs could only inspect less than 1/2 at any given time and focused their efforts on ships that were not regular transports.
Thompson Shipyards was one of those companies he had assigned a production license to. Though he knew they had been horribly hurt during the Civil War, once they got back on their feet, filling Monolith orders would help them out financially. Plus he would collect his 5% license fee for every ship built. It was a win win for his company. But finally, all of his factories were back to producing for his efforts after successfully building the requested Jump Cores for the Hegemony Navy. At least they did not use his yards for repair efforts, that would have made the current backlog in orders much worse. Business was booming and the orders just kept coming in, and so did the Jumpships and Dropships carrying their precious resources to be processed on the surface.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt knocked on Commanding General Rita Mitchell's door and entered once she was gestured inside. "What's up Joan?" General Mitchell asked
"Repairs are going extremely well. So well that I am considering letting Rear Admiral Delvaney start rotating ships in for upgrades, but then it crossed my mind, there is one other location that we have not checked for ships. But there will be some risk involved as it is deep in Lyran territory." Admiral Brandt said
"We cannot risk offending the Lyran's at this time. The Combine border is worrying me." General Mitchell replied
"I understand. It was just a thought, there should be some ships there we could recover." Admiral Brandt said
"And the moment the Lyran's discover what we are doing, there will be a confrontation we cannot afford. Maybe at a later date we will make the attempt, but right now, we cannot afford to dispatch a proper escort for a recovery mission. Anything else?" General Mitchell asked
"Other than my bitching about not being able to restart a proper warship construction program yet. But I have reviewed the status on most of the shipyards and it would be a waste of money until the supporting factories are rebuilt. I will just have to wait a few more years. Now, how about you come clean with me Rita." Admiral Brandt said
"About what Joan?" Rita asked, her guard coming up suddenly
"Explain to me where all of you were during the War. I checked up on you, sorry, a habit. Your entire command and all of those that came back with you were listed as either destroyed or missing during the Periphery Uprising. Then you all show up here, in ships in excellent condition and with Amanda Cameron." Joan explained
Taking a deep breathe, over the next hour, Rita took Admiral Joan Brandt down the story of survival, nation building and the feeling of being betrayed and left to die by the SLDF. When she finished, she watched Admiral Joan Brandt for her reaction. Finally Joan spoke.
"I am sorry Rita. If I had known, I would have sent a relief force to collect you. With or without Kerensky's permission. So many units were destroyed, the entire Periphery Campaign was a disaster. But it sounds like you did some good work out there. So that is why your shipping out certain companies and equipment. Your building a fall back position for the Hegemony." Joan said
"Exactly. I am not weakening the Hegemony here, I am being very selective in who and what I ship out. But here, we are surrounded by potential enemies. Here we are so weakened that everything is still so uncertain that I have no choice but to prepare for the worst case scenario. Hell, we are still sorting out the damned finances of the Hegemony. Amaris and his cronies stole so much, Amanda is about to pull her hair out when she digs deep into the books, she see's so much red ink. You know that the Hegemony basically financed Amaris's Coup? We, the Hegemony, loaned him Trillions to build his forces up. Trillions that we will probably never recover." Rita explained
"No, I did not know that. I actually retired right after the war ended. I was so tired of fighting. So I was never included in any of the investigations and such." Joan said quietly
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I enjoy how this is playing out, despite the grimness of the TH position. Thank you for the story so far and just keep going.
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Nice. Thompson shipyards having a license both provides cover for any monolith near the HH from production in the Fedsuns and gives the HH a domestic producer of Monoliths at Onverwacht if reverse engineering fails. I like how Amanda thinks, multiple birds with a single stone.
Plus, if Black Eye has Marines and engineers, if any shipyards and warships of the DC at Samarkand survive, they can be... “appropriated” for the HH. LOL.
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Glad to see Brandt taken into confidence! :thumbsup:
I still hold out hope the actual Hegemony can hold out longer than the canon one...
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I just wonder if there was something they can trade the Lyran's for access to that spot
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Hoo boi,
finally caught up, this is a really good story so far, it is so good that it managed to grip my attention so tightly I read through the night! Damn you for that! :D Actually had minor issues with work about that ... :D
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Glad your enjoying it.
Disclaimer: Not liable for work issues caused by late night reading. LOL
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18 January 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
"Inglesmond control, this is Aratama Maru at Zenith Jump Point."
"Aratama Maru, Inglesmond control. Your running later than normal, have not seen you for a few months."
"We went down for some much needed maintence. I have 6 Mammoth Dropships loaded with Germainum ore ready to detach and head for the surface. I transmitted my manifest and usual clearances on arrival. Or you want to waste your time and run a custom inspection?"
"I have your manifest in front of me. Got your normal Dropships and crew, no new members I see. Your cleared to detach and send them to the surface. I assume you will be jumping back out to grab your next set of Dropships like always?"
"You know it. Only way to make good money is to keep moving. By the time I get back, these Dropships will be unloaded and up here waiting on me. I copy clear to detach. Thank you Inglesmond control. You all have a nice evening and I will begin recharge operations."
"Copy that sir, clear for recharge operations and good day sir." Inglesmond control replied watching on their radar screen as 6 Mammoth Dropships began detaching from the Aratama Maru, Star Lord Jumpship.
A tap on his shoulder brought the controller around to face the SLDF/HAF Major. "What's the story on this guy?"
"Aratama Maru? He has been running Germainum into Inglesmond almost weekly for over 8 years. Customs did an inspection on him on his last visit here, here it is 27 October 2785. No contraband found, logs in order, everything matches declared manifest, great food. We have so many ships entering and leaving here that we have to focus on the independent, mostly unknown folks. This guy is as clean as they come."
"Well you already cleared him, but from now on, if it is not a Hegemony or Fed Suns ship, I want a full custom inspection done before they are cleared."
"Yes sir. That is going to slow down everything. Must be 60% of the Germanium into Inglesmond comes from Combine country."
"Cannot be helped. I have my orders also."
29 January 2786
The 6 Mammoth Dropships landed on the sprawling space port next to the even more massive Germanium processing factory. Once the skin temperature and hazardous fumes had reached safe levels, the large cargo doors opened and the ramps descended. But before the ground crews could begin the task of unloading the precious Germanium, Battlemechs in Draconis Combine colors began disembarking. Within 2 hours they had secured the space port and Germanium processing factory and were moving out from the space port.
Tai-sa Jaffar Suffury, Commander 2nd Arkab Legion, could not contain his glee. It had worked after all. He had sweated pints during the flight to Inglesmond, expecting to be challenged at any second, but it had been smooth sailing and now he had the 1st and 5th Arkab Legion, along with his 2nd Arkab Legion safely on the surface. All told, 3 Battlemech Regiments, 9 Armor Regiments and 9 Infantry Regiments.
Colonel Edith Gambrel, commander 114th Hussar Regiment, had gotten the alert from the space port and had already fired off a HPG message. Within 30 minutes of the alert, her 114th Hussar Regiment was on the move to engage the Combine forces while the reserve forces numbering 2 Armor Regiments and 3 Infantry Regiments were rushing to get assembled.
30 January 2786
Dieron (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Grant Baker, commander 66th Escort Squadron, had gotten the notification from Inglesmond and assembled his Squadron. Once every ship had signaled their readiness, he gave the order "Jump".
Inglesmond
The 66th Escort Squadron materialized at the Nadir Jump Point. Civilian Jumpships, from what seemed like every nation were making emergency jump after getting the WAR WARNING from Inglesmond control. Unknown to the 66th Escort Squadron, a Combine Jumpship had made their jump 3 minutes after the first warships began arriving. That Combine Jumpship leaped to Miyazaki, reporting to the Tai-Sho Nagano Osami, Commander Combine Strike Force. On their report, he gave the order for the combined 3rd and 4th Fleet's to make their jump for Inglesmond's Nadir Jump Point.
Vice Admiral Grant Baker had just given the order to burn for the planet's surface when the massive emergence signatures were detected. Quickly he ordered the ships of the 66th Escort Squadron to prepare to engage the inbounds. As the first Combine warships began materializing, he knew that he had a major problem on his hands and sent an emergency message to the systems HPG to call for additional help. He then turned his attention to making the best of a bad situation. "Signal all ships so equipped, ready Special Weapons."
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OUCH!! Inglesmond is going to HURT! :o
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..that Inglesmond controller needs to take a spacewalk without a suit or a one way ticket to the Combine..
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The sad part of this is that the shipyards are probably not going to make it through this. The Hegemony will not allow the DC to gain control of the yards, and the DC will not allow the Hegemony to retain them. This is another step downward of the economical spiral of the Inner sphere. With the destruction of shipyards, there is less Jumpships, especially Monoliths to carry trade. And the DC and CC are the worst offenders of repurposing civilian infrastructure to support the military, leading to terraforming failure, basically everything that was happening in the worlds taken over by the Hidden Hegemony will happen to the Inner Sphere.
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So the taper for Black Eye will be lit once word of Inglesmond reaches Director-General Cameron and General Mitchell. I hope that Black Eye will have the intended effect, but that may be the tip of the iceberg for the Combine.
I understand that in a variety of areas the Terran Hegemony is at a disadvantage. I seem to recall that its natural resources were almost depleted by the time the Star League was founded. At this point is the current population of the Hegemony a fraction of what it once was?
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I don't think I ever read the resources in the Hegemony were running low. Heck, Colorado in the Fed Suns has been producing Germanium for the Fed Suns for hundreds of years with extensive mining.
Terra is down from 12 billion to just over 8 billion. Canon, 6 Billion left Terra right after the Liberation for other worlds. I have not really done a major crawl thru the Hegemony systems for population. I have some notes and such, but I have not tracked it the same as I do the Periphery Hegemony.
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30 January 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
The ships of the 66th Escort Squadron turned to engage the Combine warships. Vastly outnumbered, Vice Admiral Grant Baker ordered SLS Anchorage and SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate's to fire off their Nuclear tipped White Sharks at the incoming Combine warships. A total of 12 Nuclear White Sharks were fired. DCS Chokai, Aegis Cruiser was hit with 2 and vanished in a massive explosion, followed quickly by DCS Ōtsuki, DCS Hazuki, DCS Yamazuki, Essex I Destroyers and DCS Yukigumo and DCS Fuyugumo, Baron Destroyers. With all of his special weapons expended, Vice Admiral Grant Baker ordered the ships of the 66th Escort Squadron to turn and play for time against the Combine warships, time for help to arrive.
With the Combine's 4th Fleet suffering 6 losses in a matter of minutes, Tai-Sho Nagano Osami ordered the ships of his Combined Strike Group to not pursure the Hegemony warships. Instead, they focused on getting Marines aboard the massive shipyard complex's while keeping the Hegemony warships at bay.
On the surface, Colonel Edith Gambrel and the 114th Hussar Regiment played a very dangerous game of hit and run defense against the Combine ground forces. The planet's Militia forces had engaged the Combine forces inside the capital city of Novas Brasilia where a viscious house to house fight was only getting more fierce by the hour.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Word had reached Terra quickly of the invasion of Inglesmond. Director General Amanda Cameron had quickly ordered Jerome Blake to cut all HPG communications within the Draconis Combine. Commanding General Rita Mitchell and Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt scrambled to get additional assets to the border. The 15th Escort Squadron was ordered to leave their patrol stations and head for Dieron, it would take a week to arrive. The 14th Battlecruiser Squadron was ordered to make ready for action where yard crews quickly began preparing the ships for combat action at Graham IV. It would take 2 weeks for them to reach Dieron. At Dieron, they would find SLS Charlton, Carrack Transport loaded with Nuclear White Sharks for the Carson Destroyer's and Congress Frigates of 15th Escort Squadron. Along with a Monolith carrying 9 Pocket Warship Mule Dropships fully loaded with Nuclear White Sharks. Also hundreds of Alamo Nuclear Missiles to be carried by Aerospace Fighters.
Fearful of a deep strike, Commanding General Rita Mitchell ordered the Terran Squadron to remain at Terra. The 89th Cruiser Squadron would remain on the Marik border for now. They would have to hold the line with what they had, but she had no issues against using nuclear weapons against the Combine warships. She banned any nuclear fire against surface targets at all, but tactical orbital strikes were authorized against military targets as long as civilian casualties could be avoided.
31 January 2786
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita threw his note pad against the far wall of his office when he learned that HPG communications were cut off by order of Director General Amanda Cameron. At first notification, he had ordered the 2nd Sword of Light to take control of Luthien's main HPG station, which they easily did, only to have the station explode, killing 132 soldiers and technicians completely destroying the HPG station.
The 3 other HPG's on planet quickly followed suit even though no attempt was made to capture them, but explosions still rocked the stations. The fire were still raging at all 3 stations. Luthien was completely cut off from everyone except via old school pony express couriers via Jumpship. To make matters worse, the Head of the Luthien HPG station had been seeking an audience as the 2nd Sword of Light stormed the HPG station. Only after it's destruction had the message he had been carrying been delivered to Coordinator Kurita. He read the message again, still fuming.
Coordinator Kurita,
You have invaded the Terran Hegemony. A state of war exists between out nations. I have ordered ALL HPG communcations shut down within the entire Combine until hostilities cease on favorable terms to the Terran Hegemony. Any attempt to sieze control of a HPG station will result in all stations on that planet being destroyed. Only the factories on Terra can repair or rebuild the HPG stations. Any attempt to invade Terra or strike Terra will result in the destruction of those factories. Do not think I will not order their destruction, for I will.
I have tried for months to get you to speak with me, each time you have ignored me. Know this, I have ordered the release of nuclear weapons for use against all shipping and orbital stations. Your nation started this war, and win or lose, the Hegemony will make sure that the Combine feels untold pain during this conflict. If you feel the need to contact me, you may travel to the Lyran Commonwealth or Federated Suns to use one of their HPG's.
Director General Amanda Cameron
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Hurry Minoru you might make it to the FedSuns or Lyran border before you economy collapses, sorry about all the orbital infrastructure being nuked.
After your done paying reparations we will allow you to pay TH companies to rebuild for you.
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Congratulations, Coordinator, you have just pissed off someone with the ability to cut your throat in the presence of your enemies and given her a reason to do so.
With the inherent communication disadvantage, the Combine win-or-lose this war, loses. he can take zero further casualties in the field, and he still loses.
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Now we wait to see how bad it really get on this war. Hey they the Houses were warned. The gloves come off.
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The fact that HPG comms are cut should at least keep any "low hanging fruit" seeking from the Lyrans and Davions focused on the Combine...
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Wow,
talk about a total mess-up on your own part ... GG no Re! And that even on the most productive shipyard after Big K left the IS ... Jeebus ... DC might even collapse due to this!
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3 February 2786
Naikongzu (SLDF Staging Area)
Major General Colin McGregor, Commander Task Force Black Eye, had gotten the HPG message from General Heinrich Rommel that Operation Black Eye was now a go and he was authorized to launch on his own authorization. Not all of the forces were on station yet, but the 3 Independent Regiments were on site along with the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division. Each Independent Regiment was equipped with 5 LF equipped Star Lord Jumpships. Four transported the Regiments and the 5th carried supplies for an extended campaign. It also carried replacement Battlemechs to replace losses. After some deep thought, he issued orders for the Independent Regiments to kick off their missions. Though he had modified their objectives some what and the timing of their strikes.
The moment he had been given the mission, he had requested SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveillance to assist in the mission. This had been granted and she was currently on the edge of the Combine border at Antallos. He had also had a Company from the 3167th Special Forces Battalion land on Antallos far away from anything and anyone where they established a Mobile HPG to enable communications in an emergency.
He knew from relayed intel reports that the Combine had Galedon as a Fleet base with their 1st and 2nd Fleet's based from there. They were 3 jumps from New Samarkand and that made him nervous. SLS Sneak was ordered to silently probe New Samarkand and gather up to date astrological information to enable them to use non standard jump points for the ground based mission there. They could not afford to use the standard jump points with a 22 day travel time. Each Division had been assigned a specific target to smash on New Samarkand.
New Samarkand
Osaka Heavy Metrics - 126th Mechanized Infanty Division
Wakazashi Enterprises - 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division
DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design - 29th Mechanized Infantry Division (ground facilities)
He planned for a single week on the ground and then they cut and ran for orbit. They would then either exit Combine space or god willing drive deeper into the Combine. He really wanted to drive right for Luthien and cause as much damage as he could. He knew General Rommel would never allow it. But if he could drive deep and hit Chatham and/or Kagoshima, he knew that would shake the Combine to it's core. He fired off daily HPG messages to General Rommel trying to get permission for the deep raid. He had even planned for such an approval by packing each supply Dropship with as much supplies and spare parts as he could. Just in case.
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler hated that the Combine had invaded the Hegemony and here he was stuck along the Marik border. He had petitioned Commanding General Mitchell for permission to take just SLS Conroy and SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruisers on a jaunt into Combine space as retaliation, but so far it had been denied firmly. So he did his duty and aggressively patrolled the Marik border to make sure every Marik Jumpship reported back that the HAF/SLDF navy was nearby and ready for a fight.
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Edith Gambrel and the 114th Hussar Regiment looked over the smoking battlefield where they had ambushed a full Battalion from the 5th Arkab Legion and destroyed it in less than an hour of fighting. Now it was time to scoot and find cover for the night while her scouts watched for another opportunity to strike. So far the Militia was giving as good as they got in the capital city.
In orbit, Combine forces had managed to secure all the orbital yards and factories. Vice Admiral Grant Baker had broken SLS Diamond and SLS Gemstone, Essex II Destroyers off and sent them to orbit. There they could prevent any Combine reinforcements but also provide fire support to the HAF ground forces.
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Hoo boi, New Samarkands gonna hurt like a bitch! 8)
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+1 for McGregor! I hope Rommel gives him authorization... ^-^
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5 February 2786
Al Nair (Terran Hegemony)
The HPG blackout had delayed other elements of the Combine offensive from launching on time. But finally orders had arrived via Jumpship and the remaining Combine forces kicked off. Tai-Sho Sadao Araki, commander 1st Dieron Regulars, entered the Al Nair system at a pirate point 2 days from the planets surface. Detaching their Dropships, the 1st Dieron Regulars led their sister regiments, 3rd, 5th and 8th Dieron Regulars for the surface. Escorted by 2 Indepnedent Aerospace Wings, the combined 4 Battlemech Regiments, 9 Armor Regiments, 12 Infantry Regiment and 6 Artillery Regiments headed for the surface.
On the surface, Major General Terrance Carmichael, commander 184th Mechanized Infantry Division, scrambled his Aerospace Wing to intercept the incoming Combine Dropships. He then prepared to give the Combine forces a bloody nose the moment they made landfall.
Nashira (Terran Hegemony)
Tai-Sho Kitsuju Ayabe, commander 19th Dieron Regulars, was confident in victory as he led his invasion force to the planet 4 days away. He just wished he had his promised warship escorts from the 6th Fleet, but they had failed to arrive when his orders to make his assault arrived.
On the surface, Major General Sylvia "Silky" Akaei, commander 213th Battlemech Division, smiled grimly as she readied her Division for the coming fight. She held her Aerospace Wing in reserve. She wanted to beat on the Combine forces for awhile.
Murchison (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Cliff Lengleman, command Murchison Militia, knew he had a tough fight coming. With a single Battlemech Battalion and 2 Infantry Regiments, he could only hope to hold out for regular troops to arrive.
Tai-Sho Kuroda Kiyotaka, commander 10th Dieron Regulars, had his escorting Aerospace Wing out for the 4 day trip to the planet. He was sure his 10th and 14th Dieron Regulars could defeat the planet's garrison.
Lambrecht (Terran Hegemony)
Tai-Sho Hidemitsu Nakano, commander 18th Dieron Regulars, watched as the ships from 6th Fleet formed a solid escort around the Dropships carrying his 18th, but also the 20th and 33rd Dieron Regulars. All of his troops were eager to avenge the shame the 123rd Mechanized Infantry Division had forced upon the Combine by disarming their garrison on Lambrecht a year ago.
On the surface, Major General Camalita Sanchez, commander 123rd Mechanized Infantry Division, issued her orders to disperse by the Brigade to minimize targets for the incoming Combine warships. She had already fired off a HPG message requesting warship support.
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I'm pretty sure it won't take long for Kerensky's name to become a curse under these circumstances...
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Keep it coming!
Hopefully House Kurita gets what is coming to it!
Total destruction and economic ruin!
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This is more like it. This is the time for epic clashes and battles. Let’s see some samurai get smashed.
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This is more like it. This is the time for epic clashes and battles. Let’s see some samurai get smashed.
the way things are positioned and shaking out, it's the Samurai who are doing the smashing. Even the TH's offense is leaning heavily on ground action without having sufficient aerospace support, while their defense is showing up to be relatively helpless and hapless against the Combine at this time.
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the bad part about cutting off the HPG is that even if HK wanted to pull them back? he will not be able to. I bet the HAF is wishing that they had a few more spy ships
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Upside you can use HPG to post Kurita warship positions, TH ships pop in and nuke them or attack them in coordinated way. Defeat in detail, because the Kurita ships can not communicate at LY distances.
TH Assault DS and ASF attack the fix Kurita forces at a point the Warships can jump in to pummel them.
It has a good deal of risk to it, but Admiral Brandt should understand she has to be on the offensive and mobile defense because of her limited Warship count.
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Upside you can use HPG to post Kurita warship positions, TH ships pop in and nuke them or attack them in coordinated way. Defeat in detail, because the Kurita ships can not communicate at LY distances.
TH Assault DS and ASF attack the fix Kurita forces at a point the Warships can jump in to pummel them.
It has a good deal of risk to it, but Admiral Brandt should understand she has to be on the offensive and mobile defense because of her limited Warship count.
look at their troop dispositions and the offensives thus far-they're trying to fight a ground war instead of a naval war. You don't send divisions to New samarkand, you send jumpships loaded with kinetic penetrators that can be programmed and released in the mid-to-outer-system to smash mustering grounds, bases, and fortresses.
Especially fortresses. turn a couple Brian Forts into shield volcanoes and you've just made fortifications that Kurita spent so much building into a useless liability and forced their forces to try and live off the land in the field because they have no concentrated resupply.
and then, you deny them the battle they're actually prepared to fight, instead, we're seeing the TH generals giving House Kurita EXACTLY the battle they're prepared-even optimized-to fight.
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I see New Samarkand being a smash and grab/ deep raid at a planetary system that is a Kurita cultural icon.
However I understand your point, jump out to a remote section of the asteroid belt and a little math, speed up an asteroid on X angle at Y speed......earth shattering KA-BOOM.
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I'd see a few TH HPG stations near FedSuns and Lyran borders sending off messages listing what Kurita units have been seen and where. If the Davions have hesitated on attacking a Kurita system because the 10th Dieron Regulars were stationed there, guess what is now available to be attacked.
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Sorry guys, your not going to see Amanda or Mitchell resort to planet killing or even wide spread orbital bombardment. Just not going to happen. Now anything military is a valid target. Any orbital bombardment WILL have to have spotters and not endanger civilians if possible.
I know how it could play out and maybe should play out, but they are just not going to go on a death to all romp thru the Combine. Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Soon, Mitchell and Brandt will convince Amanda that they need to go unrestricted warfare on anything sailing the deep dark. That is about as dark as you will see from the HAF/SLDF, targeting anything with a Combine registration without warning. Jump in, blast the Recharge Station and every Jumpship in range, jump out. Repeat until war over.
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Sorry guys, your not going to see Amanda or Mitchell resort to planet killing or even wide spread orbital bombardment. Just not going to happen. Now anything military is a valid target. Any orbital bombardment WILL have to have spotters and not endanger civilians if possible.
I know how it could play out and maybe should play out, but they are just not going to go on a death to all romp thru the Combine. Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Soon, Mitchell and Brandt will convince Amanda that they need to go unrestricted warfare on anything sailing the deep dark. That is about as dark as you will see from the HAF/SLDF, targeting anything with a Combine registration without warning. Jump in, blast the Recharge Station and every Jumpship in range, jump out. Repeat until war over.
I sooo can not wait!!!!
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Sorry guys, your not going to see Amanda or Mitchell resort to planet killing or even wide spread orbital bombardment. Just not going to happen. Now anything military is a valid target. Any orbital bombardment WILL have to have spotters and not endanger civilians if possible.
I know how it could play out and maybe should play out, but they are just not going to go on a death to all romp thru the Combine. Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Soon, Mitchell and Brandt will convince Amanda that they need to go unrestricted warfare on anything sailing the deep dark. That is about as dark as you will see from the HAF/SLDF, targeting anything with a Combine registration without warning. Jump in, blast the Recharge Station and every Jumpship in range, jump out. Repeat until war over.
Ehm...that should have been her opening move. also, you don't need to get to the scale of planet-krakkin'. smaller bodies can be moved to higher velocities and thus, more difficult interception, without going to the whole scale of WMD, you just need to know what fixed, non-portable installation you need to eradicate. Dams, Bridges, factories, Fortifications and warehouses-most of which aren't portable or easily moved. You manage the strikes with a couple of pirate insertions in the outer system, and it's a matter of timing your velocity so that the entry angle is perpendicular to the ground (and thus, doesn't waste a lot of time building heat or slowing down before encountering lithosphere.)
Thanks to the established fetish of fortress building/fortress reliance in the BTU, most of the targets WORTH a significant amount of force, are also 100% military and 100% non-portable. you don't need an ecosystem destroying strike to knock them out, and you don't need to send ground troops-you just nail their fixed fortresses and airbases sufficiently that they end up using up fuel and other resources trying to avoid being parked on a target.
Focused destruction cripples the enemy's ability to respond when you DO land troops, and wears him out with shortages of supplies and ammunition (along with shortages of sleep and comfort).
When you are outnumbered, this is how you equalize things-you make it so the enemy can't support his vast army, can't communicate, and loses his centralized control without the chance of returning fire.
aka deny him the war he is trained to win
Typically, sending in ground troops first, you're putting your OWN soldiers in a position where they lack things like showers, repair parts, ammunition and food, while the enemy has these in abundance.
which isn't smart.
Airstrike doctrine applies here, and is one of the reasons the Iraqis fell apart so quickly in the 1989-1991 war. Airstrikes (in this scale, think 'space strikes') destroyed supply lagers, field fortifications, large concentrations of enemy units, airbases, and radio broadcast sites (along with forward bases, logistics points, docks...)
The basic tenet here, is to cut the enemy's soldiers off from food, fuel, sleep, ammunition, spares, and disrupt his commo-all without exposing your own forces in the process.
(The idea being to damage his ability to fight before entering the fight.)
This works on the practical level, as well as the morale level. Drive defensive units into the bush and destroy their bases, and they have to live on what they could bring. Notably, seeing a string of meteors coming will tend to make forces either bunker up (Which lets you bury them in place, making them combat incapable) or disperse (making C3 harder to maintain), either way, you knock out their stockpiles, storehouses, barracks and bunkers, repair bays and airfields to force them to move overland, deny them resupply, deny them comfortable places to sleep, and so on.
Knocking out bridges means denying power to large parts of their territory, esp. power for things like defensive radar installations, communications hubs, and forcing them to devote remaining power supplies to vital services.
which sucks, but they started the damn war.
This ties up first responders and forces shortages as well, making a coordinated defense more difficult when you finally DO land your troops.
at which point, given previous historical examples, you can win over a fairly significant portion of both military and civilian by offering medical supplies, shelter, and food.
which causes civil chaos and weakens the local warlord's grip on the population.
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In general the conduct of the war with the Combine on the part of the SLDF is sufficient. The DC has spent a massive amount of time and resources to create the forces and the infrastructure to support them. For this operation the major core of these forces has been sent. If the SLDF comes to grips with these forces and savages them, the DC will have lost a large enough portion to severely limit future operations coupled with the communications blackout. Black Eye will make the statement of the extent the Hegemony will take to resolve this conflict. I think the Hegemony is doing it's best to avoid escalation while making this conflict as costly as possible for the Combine.
The notion of the Terran Hegemony running low on natural resources comes from the introduction to Socioeconomics chapter on p. 159 of FASAs The Star League sourcebook.
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Yes, it's worth noting that the 100+ jointly owned worlds between the Hegemony and the other Houses were largely made habitable by Hememony technology in exchange for half of all resources extracted from those worlds.
Also other than the Terra system, while there is plenty of space infrastructure about I don't think resource extraction was fully pushed in other hegemony systems, simply because it was cheaper and safer to set up on a planet. So space is still likely a great source of resources, only costly and time-intensive.
Edit: p. 27 Star League.
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In general the conduct of the war with the Combine on the part of the SLDF is sufficient. The DC has spent a massive amount of time and resources to create the forces and the infrastructure to support them. For this operation the major core of these forces has been sent. If the SLDF comes to grips with these forces and savages them, the DC will have lost a large enough portion to severely limit future operations coupled with the communications blackout. Black Eye will make the statement of the extent the Hegemony will take to resolve this conflict. I think the Hegemony is doing it's best to avoid escalation while making this conflict as costly as possible for the Combine.
The notion of the Terran Hegemony running low on natural resources comes from the introduction to Socioeconomics chapter on p. 159 of FASAs The Star League sourcebook.
that gradual escalation? that's how you GET the 1st Succession War with all the trimmings, becuase it's never quite enough to convince one side or another that they've actually LOST and need to stop.
Proportional force is what Nobles do when they're bored. it's chess or checkers. the Combine launched a false-flag assault, using merchant ships on a scheduled run to deliver war, death and destruction. This actually DOES violate the Ares Conventions (iirc). the correct response if you do NOT want the 1st Succession War wiht all the millions of dead, death, horror, loss of millions of people, technology, knowledge, economic stability, industrial competence, rule of law and so on, is an immediate and Disproportional response justified by their actions (which it would be) and hammered in with a sixteen pound sledgehammer to the nether regions instantly and immediately-because that will convince the street sweepers and teh shop girls that, yes indeed, the war was lost and the guy who launched it was an idiot.
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Kurita used civilian Drop ships to launch a surprise attack against a former allied nation, w/o declaring war.
TH is within rights to destroy any civilian space assets it finds as retaliation for the attack.
Or
Option B seizing all civilian space assets as retaliation if they surrender when ordered.
Kurita can ransom the ships back, after he pays for damages.
Would be a waste to not use them while he makes payments for damages.
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The Kuritan move certainly did paint concentric circles around every single Kuritan merchant... ^-^
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7 February 2786
Dieron (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick, commander 14th Battlecruiser Squadron, watched as shuttles brought over Alamo Nuclear missiles for his Squadron's Aerospace Fighters. Another group of shuttles were ferrying Nuclear armed White Shark missiles to the Aegis Cruiser and 2 Carson Destroyers from the 15th Escort Squadron. The rest of the 15th Escort Squadron was still inbound. He had word that another Carrack Transport was loading additional special weapons at Terra to be brought to Dieron. Word had already arrived about the additional invasions. But without LF Batteries, there was nothing he could do from Dieron, not quickly anyway. His primary task per his orders was Inglesmond.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron, Commanding General Rita Mitchell and Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt had been spending many long hours discussing the limited options available to them. But today, a major turn of events would change the course of the war.
"The additional invasions have now forced our hand. We just do not have enough warships to properly respond to everything. We have confirmed Combine warships at Inglesmond and Lambrecht. Inglesmond is a huge priority, we cannot do without the shipyards there. The 14th Battlecruiser and 15th Escort Squadron need another week to get fully gathered at Dieron and recharged. The 359th Battlemech Division is almost to SLS Mighty Lift at the Zenith Jump Point here. The 295th Battlemech Division is almost to SLS Midnight Dancer. The 3rd Regimental Combat Team have reached their transports, all LF equipped Tramps.
Currently, the 359th Battlemech Division will move to Inglesmond once we have secured control, but I prefer to have them recharge at Dieron and enter Inglesmond at a non standard jump point, detach the 359th Battlemech and jump back out again to safety. The 295th Battlemech Division will move to Dieron and recharge. From there, they can move to where ever they are needed. The 3rd Regimental Combat Team will move to Saffel and await further orders or escorts.
I feel it is time to open the door a little wider. We are going to need to kick the legs out from under the DCMS soon. I want to transfer both Dart Cruisers from the Terran Squadron to the 89th Cruiser Squadron along with 2 Carson Destroyers. That will free up both Avatar Cruisers and 2 Essex II Destroyers. All 4 ships are LF equipped. I want to turn Vice Admiral Zeibler loose in the Combines rear area. Rip up the Combines supply lines." General Mitchell said as Admiral Brandt nodded
Director General Amanda Cameron was silent as she listened, "Aunt Rita, your the expert here. You know I will not coungter you on military matters. But this could cause the war to spiral out of control. What exactly will Admiral Zeibler be doing?"
"The Combine started this war, we cannot allow everyone to only fight on our home turf. If we do that, we will never recover. We don't have the strength to properly counter invade, but we can sure as hell give the Combine a serious ulcer. Make them share the pain. I want Zeibler to slash them, destroy anything on orbit he finds that flies a Combine flag. Recharge stations, Jumpships, Dropships, orbtal factories, mining stations. Anything that hurts the Combine." General Mitchell replied
"Lot's of civilian casualties. Not sure I like that." Amanda Cameron said
"War is like that. Right now, it is OUR civilians getting hurt or killed. The Combine needs to share some of the pain and learn that we can hurt them just as bad." Admiral Brandt said
"Does not mean I have to like it. Approved, but let's try to keep the civilian casualties to the minimum." Amanda Cameron said
"We will. But, I need to warn you, if Admiral Zeibler gets into orbit and can visually identify a valid military target, I am going to authorize him to blast it. I kinda wished we did not send SLS Borneo on convoy escort duty. We could sure use her LF batteries to support Zeibler for resupply." Admiral Brandt said
"Minimize civilian casualties Admiral Brandt. Have Admiral Delvaney slap some LF Batteries on the Volga Transports we have left. I doubt Admiral Zeibler will need a serious resupply for at least 1-2 months of operations. Not sure I like them not having a HPG on board. Should have brought our Vincent's, at least they have HPG's on board them." Amanda Cameron said and then snapped her fingers and pushed a button on her desk "Get Mr Blake in here as soon as possible please."
General Mitchell looked at Amanda with a questioning look which she answered with a shuching motion. While awaiting Jerome Blake, they briefing continued covering the newest invasions and activity on the Hegemony's other borders.
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Amanda has a good idea! Let's hope it extends the Hegemony's life in the IS at least a little bit...
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The Kuritan move certainly did paint concentric circles around every single Kuritan merchant... ^-^
that would be red concentric circles and then white ones after the weapon hit. >:D
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Sorry guys, your not going to see Amanda or Mitchell resort to planet killing or even wide spread orbital bombardment. Just not going to happen. Now anything military is a valid target. Any orbital bombardment WILL have to have spotters and not endanger civilians if possible.
One idea might be fine-grain orbital bombardment. You take an asteroid, and pulverize it into pieces that are all below a certain size. You then bring up the mass to a dangerous speed, let it go out of a cargo bay, and give it a charge. The charged particles will try to flow away from each other so you get a 'shotgun' effect, and the pieces are large enough to do damage to orbital infrastructure, ships, etc, but more importantly are small enough they will burn up on re-entry. Charge is calculated for each planet so the mass expands to cover the planet's cross-section, while piece size is calculated for atmosphere type.thickness to ensure it all burns up instead of killing everyone.
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I can recall a variant of the charged particle idea from a 1960s ace double book. The protagonist who was a belter used a charge to the hull of their nickel iron to nickel plate an Earth space fleet that had the mission of deconquering the recently independent belt colonies.
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One idea might be fine-grain orbital bombardment. You take an asteroid, and pulverize it into pieces that are all below a certain size. You then bring up the mass to a dangerous speed, let it go out of a cargo bay, and give it a charge. The charged particles will try to flow away from each other so you get a 'shotgun' effect, and the pieces are large enough to do damage to orbital infrastructure, ships, etc, but more importantly are small enough they will burn up on re-entry. Charge is calculated for each planet so the mass expands to cover the planet's cross-section, while piece size is calculated for atmosphere type.thickness to ensure it all burns up instead of killing everyone.
There are a bunch of fun things you can do without dropping an ELE-rock. YOu don't need to knock out the broadcast antennas to screw up radio, television and digital signals, just toss a couple of loads of gravel at 55m/s through the upper atmosphere-they'll burn up and scramble/screw up delicate electronics and communications networks while leaving no hard-hitting kinetic residues. a sudden 'meteor storm' can also knock out communications and surveillance sats, weather satellites, basically all that infrastructure that a modern society requires.
If your rocks are magnetic, it can also temporarily mess with compasses and other devices that rely on a planetary magnetic field (and if people can walk on the surface without a suit, the planet's gotta have a magnetic field. ours is one of the main reasons we have a liveable surface here on earth.)
nice part being, this is all temporary and the planet can recover on its own, but the short-term creates problems for administration, internal economic activity, military operations, first responders, and so on, because there are infrastructures you HAVE TO HAVE to have an industrialized society, and the more advanced your local tech is, the more vulnerabilities it has to things like this.
for example, knock the electronics loopy in future-new-york and within hours you'll have rioting. Tokyo-in-the-present wouldn't survive 48 hours without telephone/telecommunications service, and so on, because so much of the economic activity revolves around communication and so much of the economy is virtual/digital. (Basically, no city can survive 3 days without food shipments, but the stuff has to be shipped and distributed, and the people doing that have to be paid.)
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8 February 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
It took a full day for Jerome Blake to be located and returned to Director General Amanda Cameron. Once he was led into her office, she said "Mr Blake, sorry to call for your immediate return, but I need your expertise."
"Always ready to serve Director General Cameron. How may I be of service today?" Jerome Blake said
"I need a way to communicate without actually linking into a HPG grid. Covertly I should say. I remembered reading about such a device from my extensive reading about some of the advanced tech the Star League developed. Do you know of such a device?" Amanda asked
"It was long before my time Director General, but I do remember learning of such a device. The program was cancelled and all devices destroyed." Jerome Blake replied
"I did some heavy reading last night. It seems the Department of Communications did not destroy them all. They actually kept playing with them and even made improvements. The SLDF Special Forces Command was actually looking at the improvements made before the Coup for use by their troops. I can call up the relevant information to refresh your memory if you would like." Amanda said
"No need Director General Cameron. I know of what you speak. It was a black project. It ceased when the Coup happened and was never restarted, just too much other things to do. We have 6 of the improved devices in storage. The original version had a range of 100LY and a speed of 10LY per day. The new version can transmit 10 pages of text at a speed of 50LY per day and a range of 200LY. A substantial improvement over the original. But they are not secure by any description. all transmissions would have to be encoded before sending the message, which decreases the size of any message sent to about 2 pages of text. Using the best encryption routines we have in current use, only then can they be deemed secure. It would be a clumsy and time consuming method, our HPG's auto encrypt as you type in the message, these devices do not. Typing an encoded message would probably drive the person typing the gobbly goop crazy after a few messages. A single typo would render the message useless more than likely." Jerome Blake replied
"I need those 6 devices and the operation instructions for them. This is time sensitive so I need them yesterday." Amanda said
"I will have them located and brought to you without delay." Jerome Blakes said
Al Nair (Terran Hegemony)
Tai-Sho Sadao Araki, commander 1st Dieron Regulars, exited his Dropship and looked around for a few seconds. The HAF/SLDF Aerospace fighters had managed to bring down 4 Dropships before being forced back by his escorting Aerospace fighters. He knew he faced a full Division which was almost an even fight, Battlemech wise anyway. He vastly outnumbered them in conventional forces, but he also had to worry about garrisoning everything they captured, where the defenders did not. That would eat into his advantage quickly. He ordered the 8th Dieron Regulars to push out and find the defenders lines.
Major General Terrance Carmichael, commander 184th Mechanized Infantry Division, watched the map display change in his Mobile HP as his scouts reported the Combine movements. He watched and waited for the opportunity to strike. He had fought a long war to liberate his beloved Hegemony and now, years later, he was fighting to defend the Hegemony. Almost his entire career had been filled with war, from the Periphery Uprising as a Lance Commander to a Brigade Commander by the liberation of Terra. Now he commanded the Division he had served his entire career in, his former Division commander had departed with General Kerensky. He had elected to remain and joined Major General Lauren Hayes' force. When Director General Amanda Cameron had returned, he had been elated. The flood of equipment once reserved only for the Royal commands into the regular units by order of General Mitchell had been a god send. Now he planned to put the advanced equipment, his own experience and the skills of his hardened veterans to use in making the Combine forces pay dearly for the mistake of invading the Hegemony. He just needed the opening.
Nashira (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Sylvia "Silky" Akaei, commander 213th Battlemech Division did not wait long for her opening, for no sooner had the Combine forces made their landing did she order an attack on the Combine landing zone. Six Regiments of Battlemechs advanced on the Combine landing zone forcing the Combine units to literally deploy directly from their Dropships into lines of battle. Evem though taking losses from the grounded Dropships, the 213th Battlemech Division continued to push into the Combine landing zone. Not only were the Combine Regiments outnumbered, but they could not match the more experienced troops of the 213th Battlemech Division.
Individual lances from the 213th Battlemech Division would run up the ramps of grounded Dropships and fire their weapons into the lightly protected vital's of Dropships, sometimes to their own demise as the Dropships exploded. Swarms of DCMS Infantry would bring down HAF/SLDF Battlemechs and then be destroyed by a lance mate of the downed Battlemech. For 5 hours the Combine landing zone was a swirl of death and destruction, but by nightfall, some Combine Dropships had boosted for orbit, many were captured, destroyed or seriously damaged. The Hegemony held the landing zone and the Combine's supplies, but at least half the Combine invasion force had fled into the surrounding countryside. Major General Akaei had lost at least 2 Regiments of Battlemechs during the chaotic battle.
Murchison (Terran Hegemony)
Tai-Sho Kuroda Kiyotaka, commander 10th Dieron Regulars, had grouned his invasion force at the planet's space port and quickly seized control of the planet's capital city. The 14th Dieron Regulars was sweeping the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the planet's defending force.
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
The arrival of SLS Diamond and SLS Gemstone, Essex II Destroyers into orbit had allowed Colonel Edith Gambrel and the 114th Hussar Regiment to pound the over extended 5th Arkab Legion with almost precision orbital bombardment. While not completely destroying the Combine command, it had allowed the 114th Hussar Regiment some breathing room in addition to showing the Combine forces that the Hegemony would not go down without a fight.
In the capital city of Novas Brasilia, the planets militia had been fighting a brutal street by street battle with the more numerous Combine conventional forces. So far the Combine forces had only managed to take roughly 12% of the city and faced near constant counter attacks from the well equipped militia forces.
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some one just open a can of WA on the DC. >:D
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:flame:
"It was long before my time Director General, but I do remember learning of such a device. The program was cancelled and all devices destroyed." Jerome Blake replied
Then immediately Oh yes I have some and know all about them.
Lying little toe rag
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Yeah got to wonder what Blake is playing at. I mean we know what happened in canon, but things are a little different this time around.
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Blake and Toyama playing at their cultist wet dreams ... ???
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Nashira went well at least, and it looks like there's hope for Al Nair and Inglesmond. Murchison looks screwed, though... :-\
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::) Man I like to know what game that Blake playing here. I wonder when they going to find out about Toyama? what he have been doing to. I wonder what the other Houses are going to do when they find out about House Kurita having no HPG or loss of HPG Comm ?
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Finally got the time to read this story and its been great! Looking forward to the next update. How well will recruitment be for the TH Armed Forces be after the underhanded attack by DCMS? Also will TH share the info to the LC and FS on how the DCMS used merchant dropships to get past orbital defenses?
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Just a quick word.....work is picking up again so next update will probably be tomorrow night or Saturday folks.
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Just a quick word.....work is picking up again so next update will probably be tomorrow night or Saturday folks.
Update will happen when it happens, we'll have fun speculating in the meantime.
Hope you don't get too many crazies at work
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We'll be here! :thumbsup:
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14 February 2786
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel had expanded the training centers on getting the "war alert" from General Rita Mitchell. He had ordered establishment of additional Armor and Infantry Training Schools on False Dawn in the Traders Province and Alchnoly in the Onverwacht Province. Recruitment was increased to fill the new schools. The Brigade Combat Teams, formed from the former Outworlds Alliance commands had proven themselves as capable defensive units in almost constant wargames. It was his intention to form an additional 12 Brigade Combat Teams and station them along the Hegemony border with the Outworlds Alliance. This would allow him to free up the Divisions for possible offensive operations if called upon instead of frontline garrison duties. Once the new schools were fully operational, he planned to activate 2 additional Armor Divisions, the 324th and 325th, to assist in the advanced training of new graduates before frontline postings.
The Mechwarrior School was now on a steady pace to graduate 300 Mechwarriors per year, enough to field just over 8 Battalions. To meet the constant need of officers, he had instituted orders for veteran NCO's to rotate to a new Officer Training School. Joining them would be newly graduated recruits selected by their instructors for Officer training. He was personally going to teach at least one class per day at the Officer Training School.
The civilian Jumpship yards at Onverwacht were slowly coming online at a very slow production pace, which was to be expected since 90% of the workers were still technically learning their jobs. But progress was progress and he refused to rush the process. The HPG network was now at 90% restored with only several stations left to be completed. This had allowed him to release DoME Teams to boosting terraforming on the many systems that could not survive without outside shipping. He had authorized the 2.5M ton shipyard at Thazi to produce 3 more Builder Class Yardships. This was done to improve their overall recovery assets, but also to increase construction of much needed mining stations in the many asteroid belts but also to slowly increase construction on Recharge Stations.
On Quines, civilian construction companies assisted by SLDF, he could not get used to the HAF designation, engineers had completed housing for 280,000 people with a goal of 1 million by years end. Though he did not know exactly what was inbound, he had a pretty good idea. For he and Rita had some very long discussions before she and Amanda had departed. She had clearly stated that she was going to do come "cherry" picking of potential industry leaders to move out here. Mitchell Vehicles had been first and foremost in her plans.
Hegemony Industries had reverse engineered the Helepolis Battlemech and then improved it. They added a Endo Steel chassis which allowed them to upgrade the engine to a GM 240 Fusion to increase it's speed. The added a single ton of Sniper ammo and removed the SRM6 and LRM10 from the Battlemech, instead they added an additional 2 medium lasers and maxed out the Battlemechs armor to use up the additional space. Now able to keep up with most of the Heavy Battlemech's in use by the Hegemony, the plan is to equip each Independent Regiment with a full Company consisting of 6 Helepolis Artillery, 2 Daedalus GTX2A forming the 2 firing lances with a Command Lance of bodyguard Battlemechs.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney had spent a month pouring over reports detailing the status of every warship in HAF service. With an actual shooting war now underway, her task was made harder as she tried to prepare for repairing battle damage. During her extensive reading of reports on anything and everything that might be of use to her and her mission, she had discovered that Krester's Ship Construction over Mars had 3 complete Jump Core assemblies for Texas Class Battleships in storage. Two of these had been removed from ships that had departed with General Kerensky. Though they had many miles on them, they were fully functional. With Krester's shipyards out of condition for several years, she had ordered Krester to make use of 3 of Blue Nose Clipperships yards. She had to do some arm twisting and even a few threats to make it happen, but construction had finally started on 3 Texas Class Battleships. She had detailed every functional factory to provide support to this effort. If they could hold out for a year, all 3 Texas Battleships should be completed.
The only changes she had ordered made to the original design was each Texas Battleship would include LF Batteries and a Mobile HPG. Though mainly minor changes, they would greatly effect each ships potential, able to rapidly converge on a trouble spot. She had then pushed her luck further by convincing Director General Cameron and General Mitchell to get Mitchell Vehicles to delay breaking down their existing yards in order to put the Luxor Heavy Cruiser back into production. With the destruction of most of Mitchell Vehicles supporting factories, mainly the Jump Core factories, she had pleaded and begged to get the fully functional Titan Yards to suspend standard Jump Core production in order to manufacturer the cores for Mitchell Vehicles. They would then be remote jumped to Graham IV for installation.
Mitchell Vehicles had deemed 6 of their Shipyards fully capable of production and had placed 6 Luxor Heavy Cruisers into construction. In a year, the HAF would be able to field a very powerful force of modern warships capable of rapid reaction to any threat to the Hegemony.
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
The war between the Draconis Combine and Terran Hegemony had not gone unnoticed by First Prince John Davion and the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns. The Combine attack on the Terran Hegemony had caught the AFFS intel by surprise which had brought down the wrath of First Prince John Davion. He had wasted no time in ordering a massive review of every intel report coming from the Combine. He had then ordered the Department of the Line to shift half of the Rimward Fleet to the Combine border to bolster the Spinward Fleet along the Combine border. Every mothballed warship was now mobilized and in service, giving the AFFS 184 active warships. The cost of enormous, but it was a cost they had to bear.
The interdiction of HPG communications inside the Draconis Combine made for a very interesting development. Though it hampered the Federated Suns ability to gather intel easily, it also prevented the Combine from responding or coordinating an assault on the Federated Suns. This had brought a huge sigh of relief from the AFFS High Command.
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I hope they can hold out for that year! 3 Battleships and 6 Cruisers will be VERY helpful!
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Ah, good old Federated Suns, always first and foremost the supporter for the SLDF and the Hegemony. :thumbsup:
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The only thing that worry me is Marik if they start attacking the TH . I myself would like alot more AS fighter and pilots . They have good number of combat dropships they could use more. Oh question when do you think MV and their people get to the Forgotten Corp Space or 2nd TH?
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In 1 year’s time, except 2 Lola’s and a Cameron (done 3-6 months after that), everything should be repaired except the wrecks and any new battle damage (if my math is right.). That should be a respectable Navy.
For the artillery, nice change to the Helepolis, except for artillery ammunition, having only MLs gives them close in punch while snipers due for long range. So that would give each regiment a command company, an artillery company, and an air defense company? That would bring the independent regiments to a 4 battalion battlemech force, right? So independent regiments would need 4 Overlords to reduce collars for transport, unless you are doing something else?
Like what I am reading, nobody has an idiot ball unless there is cultural inertia behind it.
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Helepolis still has the ER Large Laser. Only dropped the missile launchers and added an extra ton of Sniper rounds. Besides boosting speed to 4/6 to better enable them to keep pace with an advance and boosting armor also. They have 3 tons of Sniper ammo.
Each Independent Regiment is planned to have basically a Command Battalion. Command Company, Artillery Company and AA Company. That's the plan anyway.
DEZOAT, convoy will be arriving at Bastrop extremely soon. Then arrival at Quines around May/June 2786.
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Will there be any Kerensky interludes? The Prinz Eugene Mutiny has passed, is everything still canon for the Exodus Fleet?
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Yes, canon for Kerensky.
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oh man I was hoping that Prinz Eugene, and a few other ships would be able to break contact with General K's Fleet. I would have been nice to see them back with the THiE.
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That might still happen... assuming that Wolverines survive enough to come back...
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2ndACR is pretty thorough at planning these things out... I'm just happy to see how they unfold! :thumbsup:
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24 February 2786
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion read the message from Director General Amanda Cameron with a small amount of surprise and disbelief. He had been tracking the large convoy as it advanced across Federated Suns space, even providing logistical support. But what he read, well, it was a surprise and a little disconcerting.
To: First Prince John Davion
From: Director General Amanda Cameron
Forgive me for sending a normal HPG message, but have been a little busy. My convoy is fast approaching Kilborne, the planet selected to house Thompson Shipyards new complex. The rapid return of the Dropships would be greatly appreciated. I am also notifying you that to assist Thompson Shipyards in rebuilding, very soon, one of my Yardships will be arriving, along with a small warship escort. They are no threat, but I must protect my Yardship, they are precious items of late.
You have probably guessed the area my other convoy is heading. I will not divulge the actual location, but know that the Terran Hegemony will never be a threat to the Federated Suns. You have my word, that for all time, the Federated Suns will have a secure border in that region of space.
Best Wishes, You Friend
Amanda Cameron
He laid the message down on his desk. So, the Terran Hegemony has possible warships in their semi hidden holdings out in the Periphery, he thought to himself. But so far, Amanda Cameron was being very upfront with him on matters of mutual concern, so he would take her at her word. He then turned his attention back to reviewing troop movements to reinforce his borders.
He had accepted the Screaming Eagles departure to return to Hegemony service with a heavy heart. He had been forced to rush AFFS troops to take over garrison of the 5 systems the Screaming Eagles were leaving. He knew a flurry of HPG messages had been sent to Terra and been received by the Screaming Eagles. So he was not surprised when the Screaming Eagles asked for AFFS transport to link up with HAF/SLDF transports. But he had been surprised at their requested destination, Mara. He had expected them to head right for the front lines. He could not help but wonder why they were being sent to Mara. But he made the arrangements for AFFS transports dropping off the new AFFS garrison't to pick up the Screaming Eagles and take them to Mara.
As he looked over the map of the Federated Suns and the AFFS deployments, he made a snap decision, one that he hoped would not come back to bite him in the ass. He pulled out a message pad and wrote the message to be taken by courier for transmission. He placed a priority stamp on the sealed envelope and called for a courier.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron watched as General Rita Mitchell read the message they had received from First Prince John Davion. She watched her Aunt Rita chew her lower lip as she read the message, it was a habit she had when she was mulling over a decision she did not really like.
To: Director General Amanda Cameron
From: First Prince John Davion
Received your message about Kilborne. Thank you for being honest and upfront about arrival of warships. Even though that answers a very huge question I have had about that region of space since your return. I have made AFFS transports available to transport Screaming Eagles to Mara for link up with your transports. I also am notifying you that your convoy stopped at Colchester for resupply and soon after their departure we received transportation requests from the refugee's there. I have made as many transports as I can spare at current time for them. So far, our count of the 185 million Hegemony refugee's there, it looks as though over 60 million are requesting transport assistance to Bastrop region. You might want to get some transports ready for them. I am told that it will take a while and will be moving them in groups of 3 million.
I am going to infer that your have military forces, in numbers in excess than I expect, in the region. I take this from your promise of a secure border in that region in previous message. I have a request, that if your current fight with the Combine prevent, I understand, but I feel the need to ask. I would like to shift several of my commands to the Combine border from the region, I ask if you would be willing to set up a liason command with my AFFS and possibly assisting me with securing the region there. I am willing to provide ample supply and even transportation needs. The mission will be simply defensive in nature.
As I said, if you are unable to agree due to the conflict with the Combine I understand.
Your friend
John Davion
Amanda Cameron almost screamed but held her control as she watched her Aunt Rita pull up a map of the Federated Suns and zero in on the Bastrop region of space. She pulled up the known AFFS garrison locations for the region and made some notes on a pad next to her. Finally, Amanda could not take it any longer.
"Aunt Rita, I swear if you do not tell me what your thinking I am going to have a damned hissy fit." Amanda said
"I am not sure I like the idea. But, John Davion is someone I would like to keep on friendly terms. I count roughly 8 AFFS commands that we could free up. I will issue orders for General Rommel to deploy 8 Conventional RCT's to assume garrison duties on the 8 AFFS systems. In addition, I will have him deploy 2 commands of his choosing to act as a response force. I won't have our troops out there unsupported. It might not be quite what First Prince John Davion expects, but it will be enough to do the job." General Rita Mitchell replied
"Thank you Aunt Rita. If this helps us keep at least one border completely secure, it is worth it." Amanda said
"I just hate the fact that it reveals more than I want to the AFFS. This is a risky move on our part. I just pray that First Prince John Davion continues to be honorable and not try to take advantage of us." General Mitchell said
"I think John Davion is the only House Lord we can trust Aunt Rita. When do we launch the counter attack?" Amanda said
"Tomorrow. It is going to be bloody and I just hope it works. If it does, it might just rock the Combine back on it's heels, if it fails, well we might have to pack our bags." General Mitchell said
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Yeah, like I said earlier in this thread, I reckon the relationship between the Feddies and the Hegemony is probably the best out of all 5 successor states.
One thing I'm extremely looking forwards to is how things will look like when the traitors return from their temporary exile... 8)
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Yeah, like I said earlier in this thread, I reckon the relationship between the Feddies and the Hegemony is probably the best out of all 5 successor states.
One thing I'm extremely looking forwards to is how things will look like when the traitors return from their temporary exile... 8)
2784 to 3005 not temporary... Expectations are. ::)
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Nice update! I wonder if the LIC has picked up on the DCMS attacks On the TH? Will the LCAF do anything?
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2784 to 3005 not temporary... Expectations are. ::)
well considering that Big K wanted them to be gone from the IS for at least 1k years... :D
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tagged time to catch up
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28 February 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Grant Baker, commander 66th Escort Squadron, opened his eyes to find himself strapped in a medical bed aboard a ship not his own. He closed his eyes and commanded his pounding head to focus it's thoughts as he tried to recall what had happened. Slowly, he began to recall the terrible fight that had occured. Since the Combine invasion, he and his 66th Escort Squadron had played a very dangerous game with the much larger Combine fleet. Whent he Combine fleet had finally advanced on Inglesmond proper, he had been forced to abandon orbit to them. But not without a fight, losing SLS Diamond, Essex Destroyer in exchange for DCS Aogumo, Baron Destroyer.
They had fled to a pirate point and jumped to the Nadir Jump Point on 23 February. There they had engaged the DCMS warships guarding the captured shipyard complex. During the 9 hour fight, they had managed to force the DCS Maya, Aegis Cruiser to surrender after inflicting severe damage on her and destroy the DCS Hanazuki and DCS Kiyotsuki, Essex I Destroyer. They had then boarded the many facilities of the shipyard complex with every Marine they had. But the fight had not been without loss, his Flagship, SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate had suffered crippling damage in the fight with the DCS Maya, Aegis Cruiser. SLS Topaz and SLS Gemstone, Essex II Destroyer had been destroyed.
On 25 February, the Combine had jumped to the Nadir Jump Point with almost every warship they had and his 66th Escort Squadron had once again played a deadly game of tag with the Combine fleet. But it was a losing game. That is until the 14th Battlecruiser Squadron and 15th Escort Squadron had jumped in from Dieron. Aboard the badly damaged SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate, he had watched his ships plot try to keep track of the massive amount of Aerospace Fighters launching from both the SLDF/Hegemony Fleet and the Combine Fleet.
As both massive Fleet's began entering range of each other, from the SLDF/Hegemony Fleet, a massive volley of Nuclear equipped missiles had been launched, both from warships and 12 Mule Pocket Warships armed with Nuclear missiles. Detonations across the Combine warships savaged their numbers, but not enough to prevent the Combine Fleet from merging with the 14th Battlecruiser Sqaudron and 15th Escort Squadron. Both Fleet's blasted away at each other at near point blank range. The 2 DCMS Monsoon Battleshps wreaked havoc on the lighter SLDF/Hegemony warships. Destroying 2 Essex II Destroyers in a matter of minutes. But the 3 Riga Frigates pummeled the DCS Kongo, Monsoon Battleship until it was powerless and adrift. But SLS Albany, Riga Frigate was destroyed in the exchange. The other 2 Riga Frigates were heavily damaged in the fight and just as Vice Admiral Connor Shick, commander 14th Battlecruiser Squadron was about to order his combined forces to pull back, incoming jump signatures were detected. He knew he had lost the battle.
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt barely noticed the jump effects after all her years in space. Her eyes were focused on the ships plot as the sensors came online and began painting a picture of the siwrling battle barely 10,000 kilometers away. Once she was sure her bridge crew were alert, she gave the order "Helm full ahead and get us in the fight. Launch all Dropships and fighters. Sound General Quarters. Weps, aim us right for the Combine Monsoon and start pounding her the second she is in range. Comm, tell SLS Tirpitz our intentions and that I expect him to help us with the Monsoon."
Vice Admiral Grant Baker had watched from SLS Anchorage as Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt aboard SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship had engaged the DCS Hiei, Monsoon Battleship and DCS Atago, Riga Frigate at the same time. While hammering away at both Combine warships, SLS Thunderer had launched a almost constant stream of Nuclear White Shark into the Combine Fleet. In less than an hour, DCS Hiei was venting atmosphere from almost every facing, her armor paper thin in many places and a stream of SLDF shuttles delivering Marines aboard her. DCS Atago, Riga Frigate had been destroyed by SLS Tirpitz, BLack Lion Battlecruiser during the fight.
With Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt leading, the SLDF/Hegemony Fleet had turned back into the Combine Fleet's and over the course of 6 hours forced the survivors to flee for the Zenith Jump Point. But the fight had been brutal for both sides.
SLDF/Hegemony Forces
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship (Fleet Flagship) - Heavy Damage
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion Battlecruiser - Heavy Damage
66th Escort Squadron (Vice Admiral Grant Baker)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate - Severe Damage
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Ivory, New Samarkand Carrier - Heavy Damage
SLS Emerald, Essex Destroyer - Severe Damage
SLS Topaz, Essex Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Hammerstrike, Essex Destroyer - Severe Damage
SLS Gemstone, Essex Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Diamond, Essex Destroyer - Destroyed
14th Battlecruiser Squadron (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Yosemite, Riga Frigate - Heavy Damage
SLS Albany, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Yankee, Riga Frigate - Heavy Damage
SLS Wasp, New Samarkand Carrier - Moderate Damage
SLS Starlight, Essex Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Resilience, Vincent Corvette - Severe Damage
SLS Determination, Vincent Corvette - Severe Damage
SLS Audacious, Vincent Corvette - Severe Damage
SLS Porter, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
15th Escort Squadron (Vice Admiral Lorraine Hofmann)
SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigate - Heavy Damage
SLS Rickover, Congress Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Patrick Henry, Aegis Cruiser - Severe Damage
SLS Phelps, Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Clark, Carson Destroyer - Severe Damage
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer - Severe Damage
SLS Balch, Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Carver, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
SLS Blitz, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
Combine Combined Forces
Third Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Hagiwawa, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship) - Destroyed
DCS Akagi, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - Severe Damage
DCS Hiei, Monsoon Battleship - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Haruna, Aegis Cruiser - Destroyed
DCS Myoko, Aegis Cruiser - Heavy Damage
DCS Atago, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
DCS Akizuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Teruzuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Suzutsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Hatsuzuki, Essex I Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Niizuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Wakatsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Shimotsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Fuyutsuki, Baron Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Harutsuki, Baron Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Yoizuki, Baron Destroyer - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Natsuzuki, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Michitsuki, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
Fourth Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship) - Heavy Damage (Captured)
DCS Taiho, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - Destroyed
DCS Kongo, Monsoon Battleship - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Chokai, Aegis Cruiser - Destroyed
DCS Maya, Aegis Cruiser - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Hanazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Kiyotsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Ōtsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Hazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Yamazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Urazuki, Baron Destroyer - Severe Damage (Captured)
DCS Aogumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Benigumo, Baron Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Harugumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Amagumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Yaegumo, Baron Destroyer - Heavy Damage
DCS Fuyugumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Yukigumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
He finally opened his eyes again when he heard a voice nearby, he focused on Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt, her arm in a sling. "Glad you arrived when you did Admiral, things were looking a little grim."
"Glad I got here when I did. Of course I will probably be court martialed when I get back to Terra. I was expressly ordered NOT to leave the Terran system. But i just had to rude to the sound of the guns one last time." Admiral Brandt replied
"What is out status right now?" Admiral Baker asked
"I have 2 Newgrange Yardships heading this way. The 359th Battlemech Division is in system and 3 days from Inglesmond. They will take care of the DCMS force on the surface. We are beat to hell, but captured 7 Combine warships. The shipyards took about 40% damage. The remaining Combine warships are still heading for the Zenith Jump Point and I have a few Titan Dropships and fighters keeping an eye on them. You ship is beat to a pulp and I had you and your wounded transfered to my Flagship while repair parties repair some of those gaping holes in your hull."
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wow.. that is going to make the DC think twice.
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Yes! It's back! And the flames of war are still burning. Wow, of the two DC fleets, a total of 36 warships, the heaviest ships to escape are neither of the flagships, but an Aegis and a New Samarkand Block II of 8 surviving ships. Ouch. And they haven't left the system yet, so there might be a ship or two that either can't jump out, or misjump. So it might be even worse for the DC. Did they get away with any Monoliths, data, or important information?
Glad to see this update. Thanks, 2ndAcr.
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Hello,
Thank you for this latest effort, which is impressive.
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Things started out quite dire, but turned into a heavy bop on the nose of the DC ... wonder what Minoru will make of this.
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They're going to regret that carrier slipping away. I'm thinking Minoru will give orders to lead with nukes next time...
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18 March 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Nathan Baxter, commander 359th Battlemech Division, having taken command from Major General Joshua Trudeau, had turned the 359th Battlemech Division loose on the Combine invaders. By the end of the first days fighting, they had relieved the 114th Hussar Regiment, now down to just over a Battalion in strength, and pushed the Combine forces back, inflicting heavy losses in the process.
On 7 March, the 359th Battlemech Division pushed into the Capital City forcing the DCMS conventional troops to retreat in chaos before being caught on a vast plain and surrounded by the 3592nd Brigade and 3593rd Brigade. There the now trapped DCMS conventional troops were subjected to aroudn the clock artillery bombardment until 10 March when the final push by the troops of the 359th Battlemech Division completed their destruction.
It took another week to finally pin down the DCMS Battlemech forces. With their backs to an almost impassible range of high cliffs, the DCMS Battlemechs could only stand and fight. They issued challenges which went unanswered by the 359th Battlemech Division. Major General Nathan Baxter tried only a single time to get the DCMS commander to surrender, and when this went unanswered, he gave the order for SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport to begin orbital bombardment of the trapped DCMS forces. On 16 March, after 2 days of orbital bombardment, the 359th Battlemech Division pushed into the churned up ground covered with deep smoking craters looking for any survivors. They found very few and by 18 March, Major General Baxter declared organized fighting over on Inglesmond.
In orbit, Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney, aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship had led her repair task force into the Nadir Jump Point. Her Task Force would make needed repairs to allow the damaged warships to depart the system to safer locations for repairs. Already, survey teams were requesting damage estimates from the SLDF/Hegemony warships while survey crews boarded the captured DCMS warships to conduct their own assessments of the damage.
Repair Task Force
SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship
SLS Arctic, Newgrange Yardship
SLS John Glenn, Newgrange Yardship
SLS Detroit, Newgrange Yardship
SLS Mount Saint Helens, Volga Transport
SLS Mount Ranier, Volga Transport
SLS Watson, Carrack Transport
SLS Watkins, Carrack Transport
SLS Charlton, Carrack Transport
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita had recieved word of the massive naval defeat at Inglesmond and wasted no time in ordering the execution of every surviving officer on every surviving warship. He then ordered the 2nd Fleet to move to reinforce the invasion of the Terran Hegemony. It would take a week for the order to even reach the 2nd Fleet. He cursed Director General Amanda Cameron and her disabling of the HPG network in his nation. He then ordered for the Combine's nuclear arsenal to be released to tactical command. It was time to show the Terran Hegemony that the Combine could also play the nuclear card.
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Well, Minoru is certainly playing true to form...
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Well, that is funny. The Dragon must be obeyed, so those ships will move for the TH. even as the Galedon District is being hit, they have orders. That is amusing.
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24 March 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell looked at Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt standing at attention across from her desk. As much as she wanted to tear her a new one, Rita just could not bring herself to do so. "Sit down Admiral. You might deserve a good chewing out, if you had not gone on your little inspection tour, we would have lost the Inglesmond system. Instead, we butchered 2 DCMS Fleet's, captured much needed warships and secured the Inglesmond system."
Taking a seat, Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt resisted letting a sly grin play across her face, instead forcing herself to look chastised. She knew that she had taken quite a bit of liberty of the freedom both General Mitchell and Director General Amanda Cameron had given her. She was not about to rub any salt into any wounds she might have created. It would not do the Hegemony any good if she got relieved for cause, she had a Fleet to put back together after all.
"Not that we have that out of the way, how badly were we hurt?" Rita asked
"It could have been much worse. We lost 12 warships destroyed. While the other 16 warships will need some serious yard time to repair damage. I have estimates of 4 months to 12 months to get everything repaired. We destroyed 21 DCMS warships, damaged another 8 that escaped and captured 7. I brought both captured Monsoon Battleships back to Terra with me. They are currently in shipyards undergoing repairs along with Thunderer. I have ordered both to be upgraded to the same specifications as Thunderer, but not with HPG. I checked with Admiral Delvaney and she concurred that upgrading them would not impact their repair time by more than a month, they are pretty banged up and she gave them a 11 month repair estimate.
It all boils down to this, for the next 6 months, we have lost our offensive naval ability. Before I left Inglesmond, I ordered Admiral Delvaney to take command of the shipyard complex there and make use of their yards for repairs. Even if it meant they had to yank partially constructed Jumpships from their slips. With the added slips, she estimates that she can have at least 6 of the damaged ships fully operational in 6 months. We took dreadful losses to our Aerospace fighter force. We fielded 582 Aerospace Fighters, we had 386 destroyed, in addition of the 12 Titan Dropships we brought, 8 were destroyed. Granted the Aerospace losses can be chocked up to the early graduation of the pilots from flight school. The next graduation is in 4 months and those 1600 pilots will have gone thru their full training course.
We know the Combine has another Fleet active in Hegemony space and that really worries me. I think we need to pull the remaining ships of the 89th Cruiser Squadron to Terra. I cannot stop a strike at our current strength. It leaves us exposed on other fronts, but those are quiet right now. I also want to halt the Vincent Corvette construction. Those things are oversized death traps. I need the active slips for something else anyway." Admiral Joan Brandt replied
"No, we need everything we can get, worst case they patrol the quiet border. Contact Di Tron Heavy Industries, tell them to get ready for a construction order." Rita paused as she pawed thru her desk drawer, finding what she was looking for, she handed over a data stick "Have them begin production of this Vincent upgrade on a crash project. They have 10 operational slips at their Jupiter station. We modified the Vincent into a full Destroyer a few years ago, Admiral Delvaney gave them a 6 month construction time with what we had back home, we should be able to crank them out in 3-4 months here in the Hegemony proper." Rita said
"You been holding out on me? I am offended." Admiral Brandt said jokingly as she accepted the data stick "They any good?"
"We have not had to use them in battle yet, but the crews love them. They are LF and HPG equipped for rapid response. The armor is better than a Essex and the firepower had been increased four fold. All packed into a ship 200,000 tons less than a Essex or Lola III. They cost more at 10 Billion a ship, but much more survivable. On paper anyway." Rita explained
"I will take them. Home, you keep calling the Periphery area home. Is it really that way for you?" Admiral Brandt asked
"To me, yes. We spent almost 20 years out there, all alone. We built quite a little nation. I would like to return there some day." Rita said
"I think when this is all over, and when you decide to take that trip, I would like to go with you and see this little paradise you created." Admiral Brandt said
"Your more than welcome to come along. I think you would like it." Rita said
"Well, us sitting here dreaming is not going to get us there. If there is nothing else, I am going to go shove this data stick down Di Tron's throat and tell them I expect the first batch in no more than 5 months so they better get busy." Admiral Brandt said standing
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I just hope they get those 6 months!
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i just hope that they can get some of them finished with jump cores so that they can be pulled out when it hits the fan.
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Hoo boy,
I reckon it'll come down to whether the Dragon pushes immediately or not ... I guess. The other Successor States will probably not want to invade the TH, considering that there is a Cameron on the bridge for now, but who knows? If I were Amanda I'd however try to get more support from John Davion for the defense of the TH against the DC, by that way she can both demonstrate good statemansship and cooperation skills to both her own people and the FS. And the FS would probably love to jump down some DC throats.
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Hoo boy,
I reckon it'll come down to whether the Dragon pushes immediately or not ... I guess. The other Successor States will probably not want to invade the TH, considering that there is a Cameron on the bridge for now, but who knows? If I were Amanda I'd however try to get more support from John Davion for the defense of the TH against the DC, by that way she can both demonstrate good statemansship and cooperation skills to both her own people and the FS. And the FS would probably love to jump down some DC throats.
I seem to recall a fleet (or two) being sent to the TH from the new TH, with a layover in the DC. Oh what joy will be had by them.
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So the Terran Hegemony has lost 1 Riga Frigate, 2 Congress Frigates, 4 Essex II Destroyers, 2 Carson Destroyers, 3 Vincent Corvettes, and gained 2 Monsoon Battleships, 2 New Samarkand Bk II Carriers, 2 Baron Destroyers, and an Essex I Destroyer, which is tonnage wise- great. However the loss of active ships during the next 6 months might be crippling. The single hope the TH has is if Operation Black Eye is successful at pulling the DC's attention back within their own borders, and that they can handle the 12 ships of 6th fleet and the 3 fleet supply groups. With 15 active warships, 19 active Transports, and 4 active and 2 nonmobile Yardships, of which 4 warships are on Hunter-killer duty, leaving 11 warships and 19 Transports against 1 fleet of 12 warships and 3 transport groups of 2 Vincents and 4 Carrack Transports, as well as another fleet of 18 warships and a transport group of 2 Vincents and 4 Carracks. Looking a little bleak unless the shipyards have been pumping out Vincent Corvettes, Titans, and fighters since the 2785 Fleet list.
EDIT: As of now, 20 May 2788
Terra
Major General Lauren Hayes
151st Royal Battlemech Division
213th Battlemech Division
287th Battlemech Division
326th Battlemech Division
184th Mechanized Infantry Division
197th Mechanized Infantry Division
280th Mechanized Infantry Division (New Dallas)
13th Royal Infantry Division
43rd Infantry Division
68th Infantry Division
3rd Striker Regiment
321st Hussar Regiment
89th Dragoon Regiment
231st Striker Regiment
Luyten 68-28
SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate (moderate damage)
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate (moderate damage)
SLS Nelson, Black Lion Battlecruiser (moderate damage)
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Remarkable, Aegis Cruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Kryton, Lola III Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Belfast, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Ranger, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Geary, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Protecteur, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Domination, Essex II Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Archangel, Essex II Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Montford Point, Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Keel damage)
Ross 248
SLS Irrefutable, Black Lion Battlecruiser
SLS Bamborough, Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Diamondhead, Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Surveillante, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Alacrity, Vincent Corvette
SLS ????, Vincent Corvette
SLS Camry, Vincent Corvette
SLS Extreme, Vincent Corvette
SLS Hammerstrike, Essex II Destroyer (Moderate Damage)
SLS Emerald, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Copenhagen, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Fury, Essex I Destroyer
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer (Severe Damage)
SLS Connaught II, League I Destroyer
SLS Carver V, League I Destroyer
SLS Nexus, League I Destroyer
SLS Bridge, Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Keel damage)
Departing Hegemony to Periphery Hegemony
Capellan Convoy
SLS Gibson - Atreus Battleship
SLS Marik - Atreus Battleship
SLS Rampant - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Raptor - League II Destroyer
SLS Bighorn - League II Destroyer
SLS Porter - Carson Destroyer
SLS Selfridge - Carson Destroyer
SLS Mohawk - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Tartar - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Pomeroy - Carrack Transport
SLS Red Cloud - Carrack Transport
SLS Sacagawea - Carrack Transport
88 Merchant Jumpships,
51 Invader Jumpships,
65 Star Lord Jumpships
12 Monolith Jumpships
827 Dropships of any type you can think of.
Carrying 1,724,740 civilians,
several hundred thousand tons of food and supplies, research equipment, personal belongings etc
359th Battlemech Division (equipped)
295th Battlemech Division (troops only)
368th Battlemech Division (troops only)
79th Mechanized Infantry Division (troops only)
123rd Mechanized Infantry Division (troops only)
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division (equipped)
48th Infantry Division (troops only)
52nd Infantry Division (troops only)
Royal Black Watch (equipped)
349th Dragoon Regiment (equipped)
5th Hussar Regiment (equipped)
306th Husaar Regiment (equipped)
288th Hussar Regiment (equipped)
Ford Military Limited Factory Complex
8,371,927 civilians (1,505,295 were experts in every field imaginable)
Periphery Hegemony (2nd Fleet) (Admiral Tanisha Tanaka)
Independent Warship
SLS Windego - Whirlwind LF Destroyer (Flagship)
SLS Avenger - Essex III Destroyer
90th Support Division (Rear Admiral Felicia Crawford)
SLS Builder - Builder Yardship
SLS Constructor - Builder Yardship (Supporting Zetang Operations)
SLS Erector - Builder Yardship (? probably the 2nd ship detached to Zetang?)
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Saint Helens - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Ranier - Volga Transport
SLS Mount McHenry - Carrack Transport
SLS Horned Toad - Carrack Transport
SLS Hofuku Maru - Carrack Transport
SLS Tatsuta Maru - Carrack Transport
SLS Kyokusei Maru - Carrack Transport
SLS Sisler - Carrack Transport
SLS Soderman - Carrack Transport
SLS Watkins - Carrack Transport
SLS Watson - Carrack Transport
18 Monolith Jumpships
26 Star Lord Jumpships
16 Invader Jumpships
9 Tramp Jumpships
11 Merchant Jumpships
55th Reconnaissance Division (Rear Admiral Paula Bannock)
SLS Sneak - Bug-Eye Surveillance (Flagship)
5 Scout HPG Jumpships (Creating HPG link to Antallos)
12 Merchant Surveillance LF&HPG Jumpships (Deployed HPG link Terra)
21st Independent Squadron (Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain)
SLS Rhodon - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
211th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral William Blyth)
SLS Hatchet - Kimagure LF Pursuit Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Dark Brawler - Dart LF Light Cruiser
SLS Thazi - Dart Light LF Cruiser
SLS Kathy Hamile - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Sam Kingston - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Halthom - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
212th Battlecruiser Division (Rear Admiral Xander Martinez)
SLS Dragonfly, Riga LF Frigate (Flagship) (Dragonfly Refit)
SLS Firefly - Riga LF Frigate (Dragonfly Refit)
SLS Trinity River - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Yangtze River - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Nile River - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Brazos River - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
213th Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Meredith McCoy)
SLS Onverwacht - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Dominator - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Pulverizer - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Punisher - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Cally Westin - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Ben Schwab - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
22nd Patrol Squadron (Vice Admiral Percy Seimens)
61st Corvette Division (Rear Admiral Garth Fallon)
SLS Blommestein - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Azur - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Boulsi - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Ceibu - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Pilon - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Shiri - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
2nd Patrol Division (Rear Admiral Reginald Gambrel)
SLS Puttalam - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Feijo - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Ejeda - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Ddraig - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Wokha - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
SLS Linden - Vigilant Corvette (Siemans Refit)
Vonja Super Jump Reception point
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon LF&HPG Battleship (Fleet Flagship) (Damage- Dieron May 2788 & Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Kongo - Monsoon LF Battleship (Flagship) (Damage- Dieron May 2788 & Melted Core & LFB)
SLS Nebraska II - Texas LF&HPG Battleship (Flagship) (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Phoenix - Texas LF&HPG Battleship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Sandy Hardee - Texas LF&HPG Battleship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Inglesmond - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Connaught - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS M. Langley - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Carl Sommers - Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Terrance LaMont - Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Hector Zapata - Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS George Wellington - Vincent LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Janet McFadden - Vincent LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS De Ruyter - Sovetskii Soyuz LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Vance Brown - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Tammy Handyline - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Common Good - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Buccaneer - Essex II LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Ruby - Essex II LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Shimotsuki - Essex II LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Independence - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Benjamin - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Black Templar - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Patrick Henry - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS E. Presley - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Lightning - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Lookout - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Loyal - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Laforey - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Never Quit - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Always Ready - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Nerissa - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Nizam - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Black Widow - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Tarantula - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Tarawa - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Iwo Jima - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Guam - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Ulithi - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Midnight Dancer - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Devon Pulman - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Saipan - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Salvation - Newgrange LF Yardship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS John Glenn - Newgrange LF Yardship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Detroit - Newgrange LF Yardship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Arctic - Newgrange LF Yardship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Manila - Farragut LF Battleship (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Impetuous - Aegis LF Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Liao Pride - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Maya - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Oslo - Essex II LF Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Midway - Riga II Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
(8 or 18) Vincent LF&HPG Destroyers (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Mississippi Queen, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
79 Tramp LF Jumpships (Melted Core and LFB)
440 Dropships
Zalt (Super Jump Misjump)
1 Tramp LF Jumpship (Melted Core and LFB)
Valois and other FS Systems(Super Jump misjump- except Mighty Lift)
SLS Solstice, Soyal LF Heavy Cruiser (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Shark Strike, Dart Light Cruiser (Damage - Dieron 2788 & Melted Core and LFB)(Misjump from Dieron, WOG-recovered)
SLS Jagged Tooth, Riga LF Frigate (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Never End, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer (Melted Core and LFB)
SLS Mighty Lift - Potemkin LF Transport (Melted Core and LFB)
4 Tramp LF Jumpships (Melted Core and LFB)
Training Command (Rear Admiral Lucien Volmeroy)
SLS Nova - Pinto Corvette
SLS Flying Demon - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Independence Refit)
SLS Rebellion - Narukami II Destroyer (Rebellion Refit)
SLS Retribution - Narukami II Destroyer (Rebellion Refit)
Sold to Federated Suns
SLS Kinugasa - Aegis Heavy LF Cruiser (Star League Refit)
SLS Yakaze - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Harukaze - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Kamikaze - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Sawakaze - Lola I Destroyer
Repair and Refit
SLS Yosemite - Riga LF Frigate (Dragonfly Refit)
SLS Yankee - Riga LF Frigate (Dragonfly Refit)
SLS Ivory - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Independence Refit)
SLS Wasp - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Independence Refit)
SLS Contraband - League II Destroyer
SLS Lively - Baron Destroyer
SLS Yoizuki - Baron Destroyer
SLS Legion - Baron Destroyer
SLS Urazuki - Baron Destroyer
Recovery Mission to NC19110-207 Cache (TH ships reached Cache, HH forces due February-March 2788)
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion LF Battlecruiser (Flagship)(Tripitz Refit)
89th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Ismael Moreno)
SLS Conroy, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Shield, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Cape Bon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Solomon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Ghost Strike - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Krakatow - Volga LF Transport
SLS Vesuvius - Volga LF Transport
SLS Charlton - Carrack Transport
SLS Dahl - Carrack Transport
SLS Deep Builder - Builder Yardship
SLS Carpenter - Builder Yardship
SLS Mechanic - Builder Yardship
SLS Mount Fuji - Carrack Transport
SLS Servitude - Carrack Transport
63rd Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Samuel Harris)
SLS Sledge - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Wraith - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Slammer - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Crawfish - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
NC19110-207 Cache
SLS ????, Aegis Cruiser,
SLS ????, Whirlwind Destroyer,
SLS ????, Essex Destroyer
SLS ????, Essex Destroyer
SLS ????, Essex Destroyer
SLS Sierra, Essex Destroyer
SLS Golden Eagle, Essex Destroyer
SLS Mahone, Vincent Corvette
SLS ????, Carrack Transport
SLS ????, Carrack Tranport
SLS Fountain, Carrack Transport
TCS Ramora, Pinto Corvette
TCS Tirabad, Pinto Corvette
TCS Fury, Concordat Frigate
6 Tramp Jumpship
8 Liberty Jumpship
4 Invader Jumpship
MIA/Misjump
SLS Conroy's Rear End - (Misjump 2760s)
SLS ???? Tramp LF Jumpship (Super jump to Vonja - Never arrived - Melted Core and LFB)
Total Warship #s in TH Control after Super-jump
2 Atreus Battleships
1 Farragut LF Battleship
2 Monsoon LF Battleships (Thunderer Refit)(1 HPG)
3 Texas LF&HPG Battleships
1 Black Lion LF Battlecruiser (Tirpitz Refit)
8 Aegis LF Heavy Cruisers (Star League Refit)
2 Avatar LF Heavy Cruisers
7 Luxor LF Heavy Cruisers
1 Soyal LF Heavy Cruiser
1 Sovietski Soyuz LF Heavy Cruiser
1 Kimagure LF Pursuit Cruiser
3 Dart LF Light Cruiser (Refit)(WOG - SLS Shark Strike recovered)
5 Samarkand II LF Carriers (Independence Refit)
5 Riga LF Frigates (4 Dragonfly Refit, 1 orig.)
1 Concordat Frigate
2 Carson Destroyers
4 Baron Destroyers
12 Essex II Destroyers (7 LF)
1 Essex III LF Destroyer
3 League II Destroyers
2 Lola I Destroyers
2 Narukami II Destroyers
1 Riga II LF Destroyer
35 Vincent LF&HPG Destroyers (WOG - 35)
2 Whirlwind Destroyers (1 LF)
3 Pinto Corvettes
12 Vigilant Corvettes
1 Vincent Corvette
8 Potemkin LF Transports (7 50k, 1 75k)
4 Newgrange LF Yardships
6 Builder Yardships
5 Volga Transports
19 Carrack Transports
1 Bug-eye Surveillance Vessel
5 Scout HPG Jumpships
12 Merchant Surveillance Vessels
Destroyed (in 2785-2787)
SLDF/Hegemony Forces
SLS Sharnhorst, Farragut Battleship - Destroyed
SLS Gneisenau, Farragut Battleship - Destroyed
SLS Hiei, Monsoon Battleship - Destroyed
SLS Shark Tooth, Dart Light Cruiser - Destroyed
SLS Albany, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Atlanta, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Chicago, Riga Frigate- Destroyed
SLS Dixie, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Frankfurt, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Harvard, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Panther, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Yale, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Rickover, Congress Frigate - Destroyed
SLS Balch, Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Clark - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS McDougal - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Phelps, Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Winslow - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Diamond, Essex II Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Gemstone, Essex II Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Starlight, Essex II Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Topaz, Essex II Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Sikh - Lola I Destroyer- Destroyed
SLS Zulu - Lola I Destroyer- Destroyed
SLS Leander - Lola III Destroyer- Destroyed
SLS Audacious, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Determination, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Martin, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Marne, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Resilience, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Thomas Danklin, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer - Destroyed
2 Vincent LF&HPG Destroyers
SLS Blitz, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
SLS Carver, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
SLS Porter, Vincent Corvette - Destroyed
Total: 37 Warships
Enemy Forces
Combine Naval Forces
(of 194 warships DC is supposed to have in 2786, 25 have been destroyed, 4 Transport warships have been captured, 10 warships have been captured. If Carracks are counted this leaves 20 unnamed or identified (or 52 if not) that are new constuction like the Narukami Destroyer and Samarkand Blk.II Carrier or coming out of mothballs like Vigilant Corvette and Cruiser class Heavy Cruiser)
1 Unknown Destroyer (2788)
First Fleet
Supply Squadron
DCS Storm Rising, Vincent Corvette - Heavy Damage (Captured, then destroyed)
DCS Gilded Dragon, Vincent Corvette - Heavy Damage (Captured, then destroyed)
Third Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Hagiwawa, Samarkand Carrier Blk II (Flagship) - Destroyed
DCS Haruna, Aegis Cruiser - Destroyed
DCS Atago, Riga Frigate - Destroyed
DCS Akizuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Teruzuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Niizuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Wakatsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Natsuzuki, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Michitsuki, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
Fourth Fleet (Benjamin District)
DCS Taiho, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - Destroyed
DCS Chokai, Aegis Cruiser - Destroyed
DCS Hanazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Kiyotsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Otsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Hazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Yamazuki, Essex I Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Aogumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Harugumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Amagumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Fuyugumo, Baron Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Yukigumo, Baron Destroyer Destroyed
Sixth Fleet (Rasalhague District)
DCS Jarret, Essex I Destroyer (definitely destroyed)
DCS Sawyer, Essex I Destroyer (left spinning in Al Nair- WOG says it's gone)
Seventh Fleet
DCS Mikuma, Black Lion I Battlecruiser - Destroyed (UNK to TH)
DCS Mogami, Black Lion I Battlecruiser - Destroyed
DCS Kumano, Riga Frigate - Destroyed (UNK to TH)
DCS Suzuya, Riga Frigate - Destroyed (UNK to TH)
DCS Harusame, Narukami II Destroyer- Destroyed
DCS Shigure, Narukami II Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Shirotsuyu, Narukami II Destroyer - Destroyed
DCS Suzukaze, Narukami II Destroyer - Destroyed
Total DC Naval Losses
Samarkand Shipyard
2 Monsoon Battleships - Captured
2 Back Lion I Battlecruisers - Destroyed
5 Samarkand II Carriers - Destroyed or Captured
4 Aegis Heavy Cruisers - Destroyed or Captured
3 Riga Frigates - Destroyed
9 Baron Destroyers - Destroyed or Captured
12 Essex I Destroyers - Destroyed or Captured
4 Lola I Destroyers - Captured
6 Narukami II Destroyers - Destroyed or Captured
1 Unknown Destroyer
2 Vincent Corvettes - Captured and Destroyed
4 Carrack Transports - Captured
Total: 50 warships, 4 warship transports
Draconis Combine gains in Terran Hegemony
Telos IV
Nashira
Al Na'ir?
Pokhara?
Elbar
New Rhodes
Mara
Mallory's World
New Florence
Ronel
Dieron
Federated Suns gains in Terran Hegemony
Employment of Screaming Eagles- 250th Battlemech Division (equipped)(in exchange for Farnsworth in 220 years)
Ozawa
Mirach
Schedar
FWLAF Attacking Terran Hegemony
FWLS Ocuri - League II Destroyer- (Captured 2 April 2785 Connaught)
FWLS Oràn - League II Destroyer- (Destroyed 2 April 2785 Connaught)
FWLS Ospina - League II Destroyer- (Destroyed 2 April 2785 Connaught)
FWLS Orion - Carrack Transport- (Captured 2 April 2785 Connaught)
Operation Swift Justice
Wasat - Defected - FWL(2783?)(Bowie industries and shipyard destroyed)
Van Diemen IV - invaded/lost - FWL - 2nd Marik Militia
Talitha - invaded/lost - FWL - 2nd Atrean Dragoons
Tyrfing - invaded/lost - FWL - 23rd Marik Militia
Castor - invaded/lost - FWL - 5th Atrean Dragoons
New Dallas - TH Secure - 280th MID + Militia Division (3rd Atrean Dragoons + 2 Regiments (Destroyed)(TH Victory)
Callison - invaded/lost - FWL - 23rd Marik Militia
Marcus - invaded/lost - FWL - Iron Guard
Denebola - invaded - 34th Marik Militia (still TH)
Connaught - invaded/lost - FWL - 1st, 5th and 6th FW Guards- Severe losses (79 MID pulled, TH retreated offworld)
Bereson - invaded - FWL - 6th Marik Militia (Heavy Losses FW Victory, TH RCT Surrender)
Hall - invaded - TH still - 37th Marik Militia (Heavy Losses, used nukes) vs. 89th Dragoon Reg. (Harney Destroyed, 75% lost?)
Wyatt - invaded/lost - FWL - (FWL Troops Severe losses- 48th ID 70% losses, TH retreat offworld, SLS Maya- Damaged)
Carver V - invaded - 1st Oriente Hussars, (Carver V Conventional RCT- Destroyed, TH dropped 359th BMD and 151 RBMD onworld)
Graham IV - invaded - 1st, 10th and 11th Atrean Dragoons and 3rd and 4th Oriente Hussars (Heavy losses) vs 181st RMID(80% losses)
Warship Support
3rd Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 8 (Orig. 6, WOG to 8) League II Destroyer
FWLS Accipiter, Atreus Battleship - (Heavy Damage, escaped)
FWLS Bismarck, Atreus Battleship - (Destroyed)
FWLS Sorunda, Atreus Battleship - (Destroyed)
FWLS Tremblor, Atreus Battleship - (Destroyed)
FWLS Manaslu - (Destroyed)
5 League II Destroyer - (Damaged, escaped-WOG)
3 League II Destroyer - (Destroyed)
4th Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 6 League I&II? Destroyer
FWLS Juliano Marik, Atreus Battleship (Destroyed)
3 Atreus Battleships (Destroyed)
1 Aegis Cruiser (Destroyed)
3 League II Destroyer (Destroyed)
3 League I Destroyer (Damaged and captured)
FWL Transports (Captured)
5th Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 6 League II Destroyer
FWLS George Humphreys, Atreus Battleship (Active)
3 Atreus Battleships (Active)
1 Aegis Heavy Cruiser (Active)
5 League II Destroyers (Active)
1 League II Destroyers (Destroyed)
Additional Forces For Garrison
28 Armor Regiments
60 Infantry Regiments
2 entire Free World Fleets at Carver V
7 Atreus Battleships, (2 Destroyed, 2 Captured, 3 Damaged and Escaped?)
3 Aegis Cruiser, (1 Destroyed, 1 Captured, 1 Damaged and Escaped?)
14 League I&II? Destroyers (6 II Destroyed, 2 II Captured, 6 Damaged and Escaped?)
Wasat attack (Probably includes Carver V escapees and some of surviving ships of 3-5th Fleets)
Bowie Industries Shipyard - Destroyed
4 Atreus Battleship Destroyed
3 Aegis Heavy Cruiser Destroyed
5 League Destroyer Destroyed
6 League II Destroyer Destroyed
2 Carrack Transport Destroyed
5 Mule Dropship Destroyed
3 Leopard CV Dropship Destroyed
87 Aerospace Fighters Destroyed
Total FWL Naval Losses
Bowie Industries Shipyard - Destroyed
15 Atreus Battleships- Destroyed or Captured
7 Aegis Heavy Cruisers- Destroyed or Captured
8 League Destroyers- Destroyed or Captured
24 League II Destroyers- Destroyed or Captured
3 Carrack Transports- Destroyed or Captured (unless 4th Fleet Transports were Carrack, # UNK)
Total: 54 Warships, 3 Warship Transports
Capellan Confederation Navy attacking Terran Hegemony(Carver IV)
2 Du Shi Wang Battleships, (2 Destroyed)
2 Soyal Heavy Cruisers, (1 Destroyed, 1 Captured)
2 Aegis Cruisers, (1 Destroyed, 1 Captured)
8 Essex Destroyers (5 Destroyed, 1 Captured, 2 Damaged and Escaped)
Brownsville - defected - CC
Epsilon Indi - defected - CC
Terra Firma - defected - CC
Tall Trees - defected - CC
Saiph - defected - CC
New Canton - defected - CC
Zurich - defected - CC
Aldeberon - defected - CC
Genoa - defected - CC
Nanking - defected - CC
Bex - Defected - CC
Achernar - invaded - Still TH?
Angol - invaded - Still TH?
Tigress - invaded - Still TH?
Hamal - invaded - Still TH?
Bharat - invaded - Still TH?
Total Capellan Naval Losses
2 Du Shi Wang Battleships - 2 Destroyed
2 Soyal Heavy Cruisers - Destroyed or Captured
2 Aegis Cruisers - Destroyed or Captured
6 Essex Destroyers - Destroyed or Captured
Total: 12 Warships
Lyran Commonwealth attacking TH
Sabik - defected (2783) - LC
Menkent - defected/annexed (2784) - LC
Lyons - ?
Rocky - ?
Thorin - defected - LC
Zollokofen - defected - LC
Alioth - invaded - Still TH - 18th Lyran Guard(heavy losses) vs. 3rd Striker Reg.(ORT STR- losses)
Summer - invaded - Still TH - 15th Lyran Guards vs. 306th Hussar Reg.(ORT STR- heavy losses)
Menkit - invaded - Still TH?
Lyons - invaded - Still TH?
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1 April 2786
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion had made up his mind on a subject that he and his High Command had been kicking around since the start of the Hegemony/Combine war. He would not listen to his High Command and invade the Draconis Combine, but he would help the Terran Hegemony. On his orders, 4 newly built Davion II Destroyers were on their way to Cartago. There they would join 4 Davion I Destroyers freshly reactivated. This new Squadron, led by a single Congress D Frigate, all crewed by volunteers would enter the Terran Hegemony and operate under Terran Hegemony command.
He had finally made his decision after learning of the massive defeat the Combine had suffered at Inglesmond, but at grievious pain to the Hegemony navy. It was his High Command's opinion that the Hegemony navy could not prevent the Combine from running amok and laying waste to the Hegemony until such time as they could repair the damage they had suffered.
He could not allow the Combine to gain control of the Hegemony's industrial might. But he also did not want to see the Hegemony fall. He really liked Director General Amanda Cameron, she had been extremely fair in all of her dealings with him. Plus, anyone that kicked the Combine good and hard was a friend to the Federated Suns. He was having a hard time holding Barry Sandoval, Duke of Robinson and Minister of the Draconis March in check. For once the "Suns Volunteers" saw action against the DCMS, he was sure Coordinator Minoru Kurita would strike at the Federated Suns and he wanted to be ready. Better to let the Combine break a few more teeth in the Hegemony before they tried to take a bite of the Federated Suns.
He was monitoring the construction at Kilbourne and by reports, Thompson Shipyards was being ambitious. A total of 20 slips were being constructed along with a massive network of supporting facilities. He had even managed to ram thru a grant from the Federated Suns Government in the amount of 50 Billion dollars to help in the construction of the massive complex being built. In addition, not only was the Federated Suns assisting in moving people from the Terran Hegemony proper, but they were also moving large numbers of Hegemony refugee's towards the Bastrop region. He had pissed off his Intel people when he told them to end 90% of their operations in the region and shift to the Combine border. He would personally see to keeping Director General Amanda Cameron's "secret" in the Periphery, even though he was curious about exactly what was going on out there. He had bigger worries at the moment.
Quines (Terran Hegemony)
Tiffany Sample was glad to finally be on solid ground and out of the damn Dropship, no matter how "comfortable" it was. She was in charge of the first group of 540,000 Mitchell Vehicle people to land on their new home. She had no clue exactly where it was they were, but the planet so far seemed quite pleasant. She had been surprised to find housing already constructed and ready for them. Each was even furnished, though spartan compared to what they had lived in on Graham IV and Terra, it was a nice surprise.
They had been on the surface for just a week before she had been peppered with questions from the engineers on site as to exactly what they needed. Before she could answer, a Peter Sajak had introduced homself and informed her that they should probably get their Battlemech factory assembled. This caught her by surprise since that had not made the journey with them, it was still on Graham IV. When she asked what he meant, he pointed to the mass of Dropships at the space port that landed, unloaded and then took off again for another load non-stop. Inspecting the mass of carefully sealed and crated equipment, she had clapped her hands in glee. When Peter Sajak had handed her a envelope, she had pulled it out and read.
This former Battlemech Factory had once belonged to Krupp Stellar Technologies Inc, who had fully supported Amaris. By order of Director General Amanda Cameron, all assets are hereby forfeit and the assest are fully transfered to Mitchell Vehicles in recognition of their many years of faithful service to the Terran Hegemony.
She had wondered what she and her people would do until the manufacturing equipment made the trip from Graham IV, but now she had a purpose and she threw herself into it with all of her energy. Working with the engineers and construction people, they quickly laid out the foundations for the Battlemech Factory and all the supporting factories that would be required. She had been surprised again when she was informed that mineral surveys had already been completed and 90% of the raw material needed were all located on this continent and rail lines were already being laid to the small but growing mining operations back to this general area. She was in heaven.
Onverwacht (Terran Hegemony)
Victor Stueban led the small group of engineers from Thompson Shipyards. A small portion of only 15,000 had made the further trip from Kilbourne. He had been surprised to find a fully functional shipyard operation under way when they arrived. He and his people had spent a week getting a feel for how the operation was currently operating before he made any changes. Though not the advanced shipyards he was used to before the Coup, they were actually running fairly well. He decided to take more time in watching their operation and have his people do some serious note taking. Changes would wait.
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Victor Stueban is being very smart on how he is doing things. sense he is taking his time before he makes any changes because he may not need to make a lot of changes if he has to make any at all
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Nice update! Prince Davion supporting the THN with 8 destroyers will definitely help with the fight against the DC!
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Nice. Davion's Volunteers will increase the TH's active Warship strength by 60%. Which is a godsend, as every 2 months of time will get them additional ships becoming active, getting them closer to stabilization. And the more that the Armed Forces of the Draconis Combine are blunted, the better off the TH, LC, and FS are. I can't wait to read Operation Black Eye going on the attack. Thanks for the story 2ndAcr.
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i hope the FS is waiting with a large hammer when the DC decides to jump his border. the added intel he had looking at the DC should help him not be surprised when they try to steamroll him. in the near future. a deep raid on Luthien or the like would be huge kick in the teeth. any word on what will happen to Helm.
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Definitely glad to see the FS helping out! :thumbsup:
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Well now John Davion is giving or loaning Terran Hegemony Navy 9 warships , Congress D and 8 Destroyers . I like John Davion and I understand his thinking. Well let see what else happen. Thanks for the updates.
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Wewt!
The Davion became active even before Amanda had to do anything! Great stuff that! 9 WarShips will be a godsend for the hurting TH, considering the two fleets incoming from the DC. But I reckon Operation Black Eye is imminent and will probably be giving the dragon some serious headaches, if it could operate like the SLS Yorktown did in another story on this board here.
Looking forwards to the next installmends 2ndAcr. :-)
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25 April 2786
Korramabad (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Wayne Johnson, commander 509th Battle Regiment, shook off the jump effects and quickly studied the sensor read outs being displayed. As the force commander, he quickly saw no immediate danger and ordered the Dropships kicked loose. A single Invader Jumpship was located 27,000Km from his fleet and already showing signs of spinning up it's jump drive, good, let them go tell everyone that the Hegemony is here, he thought. They had a 7 day run to get to orbit of their target.
2 May 2786
He made no decoy run's but brought his 509th Battle Regiment right into the planets main space port not far from the planetary capital of Melgar. As the 509th Battle Regiment disembarked from their Dropships and began forming a perimeter, no one could miss the smoke billowing from the nearby air base that had been struck by the escorting Aerospace fighters. Those same Aerospace fighters reported DCMS Battlemechs leaving a mountain base roughly 120KM away and heading for them.
This being a simple smash job, Colonel Wayne Johnson decided that the incoming DCMS unit would do for a fine smash job. Leaving his attached 2 Infantry Battalions to secure his landing zone, he led the 509th Battle Regiment into the field. Passing thru the devastated air base, he counted 21 burning Aerospace fighters. The Battlemechs of the 509th Battle Regiment did not try to avoid ground vehicles or anything in their path, they just stepped or kicked anything close by as they passed thru the area.
Just over 2 hours on the ground, the first DCMS Battlemechs were engaged, a company of Jenner JR7-D, rushed the 509th Battle Regiment. Five of the Jenner never got within firing range before being destroyed by the 509th Battle Regiment. The other 7 proved to be agile and deadly, but after they managed to damage several Battlemechs of the 509th Battle, they were put down hard. A design they had never seen before, Colonel Wayne Johnson ordered several of them to be taken back to the Dropships for later study. He had just made a comment about the lack of skill by the DCMS pilots, when he got the report that they were from the 11th Sun Zhang Academy.
He formed the 509th Battle Regiment with 1st and 2nd Battalions in a line of battle and held his 3rd Battalion behind the line in reserve. Over the course of the 3 hours, the 509th Battle Regiment decimated the 11th Sun Zhang Academy, steadily pushing them back until they had managed to breach the out defenses of their mountain base. Once the 11th Sun Zhang Academy had fled the field, he had his 3rd Battalion make sure they did not circle around as he brought up some of his recovery teams under escort to plunder the base for anything useful.
The 509th Battle Regiment had lost 7 Battlemechs destroyed and another 38 damaged enough to be reported. The 7 destroyed would be made good from the spares carried aboard the supply Dropships. Once they plundered the base, the 509th Battle Regiment would leave the planet.
3 May 2786
Pusht-i-rud (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Bradley Stockton, 238th Striker Regiment, watched as SLS Trinity River, Vincent Destroyer moved to destroy the Olympus Recharge Station at the Nadir Jump Point after ordering the personnel aboard to evacuate. SLS Trinity River had already destroyed 2 Merchant and 3 Invader Jumpships along with 11 Dropships after waiting for the crews to evacuate. They had neither the manpower nor orders to capture them intact, their orders were to destroy anything that would aid the Draconis Combine in their war against the Hegemony. The 5 LF Star Lord Jumpships in his Task Force still had a single charge ready to go in case of danger. He ordered his Dropships to detach and head for the planets orbit 12 days away. SLS Trinity River would recharge fully after her current assignment and then jump to the Zenith Jump Point to destroy the Recharge Station there before jumping back to the Nadir Jump Point.
5 May 2786
Land's End (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Parker Manchester, commander 19th Hussar Regiment, watched the ships plot as his Dropships headed for the surface. SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer had allowed a single Merchant Jumpship to flee but had ordered the crews of 3 Star Lord Jumpships to abandon ship. Two complied, but the 3rd tried to jump and was destroyed with all hands. She then moved to escort the Dropships carrying the 19th Hussar Regiment.
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Insufficient personnel for prize crews? ???
The Hegemony could have used those JumpShips and DropShips...
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someone is not going to be happy that his stuff is getting broken.
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5 May 2786
Antallos (Periphery)
Major General Colin McGregor, commander 2nd Corps, sat at the Nadir Jump Point while his forces recharged their drives. They had established the hidden mobile HPG fully guarded by a Special Forces Battalion as a relay point. Several HPG equipped Scouts were strung out to relay orders and information back to Thazi. Basing his advance on information from SLS Sneak, Bugeye, he had changed his plans to target Enif, which was garrisoned by the 5th Galedon Regulars. He had up to date system data and planned to come in at a non standard jump point. He would then let the 173rd and 29th Mechanized Infantry Divisions destroy them. He allowed for the 4 day approach to the planet, a week to destroy the defenders, 4 days to do some looting and then 4 days back to the jump point. The 126th Mechanized Infantry Division would remain in orbit as a reserve force. But he felt they would not be needed.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel had just seen off the last of the 8 Conventional RCT's heading for the Federated Suns. He was not keen on the idea but had his orders and carried them out. With a large portion of his available offensive commands on Operation Black Eye, he did not like the idea of sending one of his Divisions to the Federated Suns as a reaction force. Instead, he had reinforced the 201st Battle Regiment and 277th Dragoon Regiment massively. Both were now Demi-Brigades, operating under a new designation, the 1st and 2nd Demi-Brigade. Both fielded 2 Battlemech Regiments, 1 Infantry Regiment and 1 Aerospace Wing. The additional Battlemech Regiments were newly graduated from the Battlemech School, but very well trained, he just could not spare experienced pilots from the front line commands at this time.
Demi-Brigades
1st Demi-Brigade
201st Battle Regiment
202nd Battle Regiment
101st Infantry Regiment
12th Aerospace Wing
2nd Demi-Brigade
277th Dragoon Regiment
278th Striker Regiment
102nd Infantry Regiment
13th Aerospace Wing
If they worked out as he thought they would, he planned to build even more for situations that were too serious for a Independent Regiment but not serious enough for a full Division to handle. Each Demi-Brigade was equipped with 3 LF equipped Star Lord Jumpships, which he was slowly making standard for every Independent Regiment or rapid response command. He was constantly trying to come up with new formations to add flexibility to the Hegemony forces. To make this happen, he had authorized Linden to add another 6 shipyards dedicated to building the LF Star Lord Jumpship along with any other limited need Jumpship.
The arrival of the people from Thompson Shipyards at Onverwacht, along with the design plans for the new Monolith Jumpship bouyed his spirits. Combined with the people from Mitchell Vehicles and the large Battlemech factory at Quines was even more of a lift. This Battlemech factory was pure Terran Hegemony technology, and from what Peter Sajak had said, put the factory at Blommestein to shame with it's production rates. Major General DeMars was already cooing over the fact that the single Battlemech chassis covered 4 basic designs which would make maintenance for them a breeze. He had thrown a hissy fit until he got extra construction people assigned to get the Battlemech factory rebuilt and operational.
With the massive expansion of the Hegemony, he had established a combined Armor and Infantry school on Onverwacht and Azur. These were in addition to the larger School on Boulsi. Each was capable of training an Armor Regiment and 3 Infantry Regiments every 3 months once fully staffed with recruits in the pipelines. The first classes would graduate in August and then every 3 months after. This would allow him to field Conventional RCT's at a rapid pace. Though not as experienced as those from Boulsi who would cycle thru the Armored Divisions for their 2 year advanced course. These he hoped to feed into the front line commands.
Vice Admiral Percy Seimens was being a pain in the butt, but in a good way. Constantly asking for Vincent Destroyers to be assigned to his command. But the moment he learned that people from Mitchell Vehicles had arrived he had changed his tune, now he wanted Luxor Heavy Cruisers and Esssex Destroyers. With Admiral Tanaka away, his direct superior was now General Rommel and he had to listen to his belly aching. He consoled himself with the knowledge that the next 6 Vincent Destroyers, due to be completed in October, would go to Vice Admiral Seimens which should shut him up. He just refused to tell him about his plans. Let him stew some more. Besides, he had already checked and none of the Mitchell Vehicle people worked on the warship program.
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Nice to see what is happening, both with Black Eye and the Hidden Hegemony. I am surprised additional people have not been assigned to Black Eye to help both with looting and to handle any ships taken. Every little bit helps, and there is probably a strongly worded note going up the pipeline about the lack of additional personnel (engineers, factory specialists, and Workermechs) to handle loot and seized supplies. Be interesting to see what Intel makes of the 11SZ battlemech (Jenner JR-7D).
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Sounds like we can mark off the 5th Galedon… ^-^
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:smirk: Draconis Combine started this War, THAF are going hurt them hard from both sides. I forgot about the Jenner being new at the time. I hope they get a lot of them to look and see what make them tick. I have a question for Kyryst on the post below 11SZ BattleMech?
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Just over 2 hours on the ground, the first DCMS Battlemechs were engaged, a company of Jenner JR7-D, rushed the 509th Battle Regiment. Five of the Jenner never got within firing range before being destroyed by the 509th Battle Regiment. The other 7 proved to be agile and deadly, but after they managed to damage several Battlemechs of the 509th Battle, they were put down hard. A design they had never seen before, Colonel Wayne Johnson ordered several of them to be taken back to the Dropships for later study. He had just made a comment about the lack of skill by the DCMS pilots, when he got the report that they were from the 11th Sun Zhang Academy.
That one. That shows the DC has created a battlemech design and either built or retooled a factory for them. And their presence in a cadre, without being seen by the SLDF or TH, means the factory is probably close by, as logistically units nearer the factory are outfitted with the battlemech first, for shorter supply lines of parts and testing. Also means a target to hit for destruction or looting.
EDIT: Wierd thing, the Exodus has the SLDF taking Jenners along- used in Betrayal of Ideals, and eventually made the Jenner IIC. The fluff has it being made on Ozawa, which is a FedSuns possession right now, until the DC takes it in 2791 OTL. With Jenners being originally produced starting in 2784, then in Ozawa till 2815 due to materials shortage, then from 2823 till 2848 at Ozawa. Somehow they produced enough for pretty much every faction to have some up through 3049. Which, I think means there was another factory, probably somewhere around where Operation Black Eye is attacking. Interesting...
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Thank you Kyryst now understand.
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Sarna says (take with grain of salt) that between Ozawa and Luthien, combined they produced 1,350 Jenners per year from roughly 2823-2848. That outproduces even the Valkyrie line on New Avalon at roughly 56 per month at each factory. Though it says the 2 lines, I am sure they had multiple lines in production at each factory.
But now you can see how researching can be royal pain in the butt when the information just does not jive. Ozawa was Fed Suns until roughly 2791 after the fall of the TH.
Per Sarna, once again, (take with grain of salt):
Construction of new Jenners continued at Diplan MechYard's factory on Ozawa until a raw mineral shortage caused a halt in 2815, though they continued to produce new chassis. In 2823 production resumed on Ozawa, with some three thousand chassis shipped to Diplan's subsidiary on Luthien for final assembly, which itself was retooling to being full-scale production; by 2830 both production lines were producing 1,350 Jenners a year.
I am tempted to give them the subsidiary on Luthien, but also say the old Luthien Armor Works on New Samarkand which used to produce the Gladiator Battlemech. At least at New Samarkand, it clears up the Jenner production, they were built on New Samarkand and after taking Ozawa they started being produced there until the factories destruction. Man, clearing up production from that far back is a royal pain. The New Samarkand factory could be the location of initial production and then shifted to Ozawa after it's capture.
Of course that does not explain how they lost the ability to produce the Jenner by 3025 with a factory on Luthien. Cause it clearly says the Luthien factory was gearing for full production in 2823 and I see no record of a strike on Luthien after the Lyran strike in 2787.
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That one. That shows the DC has created a battlemech design and either built or retooled a factory for them. And their presence in a cadre, without being seen by the SLDF or TH, means the factory is probably close by, as logistically units nearer the factory are outfitted with the battlemech first, for shorter supply lines of parts and testing. Also means a target to hit for destruction or looting.
EDIT: Wierd thing, the Exodus has the SLDF taking Jenners along- used in Betrayal of Ideals, and eventually made the Jenner IIC. The fluff has it being made on Ozawa, which is a FedSuns possession right now, until the DC takes it in 2791 OTL. With Jenners being originally produced starting in 2784, then in Ozawa till 2815 due to materials shortage, then from 2823 till 2848 at Ozawa. Somehow they produced enough for pretty much every faction to have some up through 3049. Which, I think means there was another factory, probably somewhere around where Operation Black Eye is attacking. Interesting...
From Sarna: In 2823 production resumed on Ozawa, with some three thousand chassis shipped to Diplan's subsidiary on Luthien for final assembly, which itself was retooling to being full-scale production; by 2830 both production lines were producing 1,350 Jenners a year. The sheer destruction of the Succession Wars finally took their toll when the last Jenner factory was destroyed in 2848,
They built tens of thousands of the things. Enough for some of them to survive all the way through the Succession Wars.
Though if the other factory was on Luthien, I wonder how that got destroyed.
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I edited my post above with same thoughts.
As for the Jenner IIC, since it has a 3042 intro date, I chock that up to captured copies being sent back by the Dragoon's during one of their supply runs.
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Sarna says (take with grain of salt) that between Ozawa and Luthien, combined they produced 1,350 Jenners per year from roughly 2823-2848. That outproduces even the Valkyrie line on New Avalon at roughly 56 per month at each factory. Though it says the 2 lines, I am sure they had multiple lines in production at each factory.
But now you can see how researching can be royal pain in the butt when the information just does not jive. Ozawa was Fed Suns until roughly 2791 after the fall of the TH.
Per Sarna, once again, (take with grain of salt):
Construction of new Jenners continued at Diplan MechYard's factory on Ozawa until a raw mineral shortage caused a halt in 2815, though they continued to produce new chassis. In 2823 production resumed on Ozawa, with some three thousand chassis shipped to Diplan's subsidiary on Luthien for final assembly, which itself was retooling to being full-scale production; by 2830 both production lines were producing 1,350 Jenners a year.
I am tempted to give them the subsidiary on Luthien, but also say the old Luthien Armor Works on New Samarkand which used to produce the Gladiator Battlemech. At least at New Samarkand, it clears up the Jenner production, they were built on New Samarkand and after taking Ozawa they started being produced there until the factories destruction. Man, clearing up production from that far back is a royal pain. The New Samarkand factory could be the location of initial production and then shifted to Ozawa after it's capture.
Of course that does not explain how they lost the ability to produce the Jenner by 3025 with a factory on Luthien. Cause it clearly says the Luthien factory was gearing for full production in 2823 and I see no record of a strike on Luthien after the Lyran strike in 2787.
imagine a Battlemech factory not as a henry-ford-style complex, but as an assembly shop fed by subcontractors, usually offsite, and it makes a LOT more sense for production to eventually fail out (if briefly). a hit, for example, on a site that is owned by the only company capable of building the necessary bearings for the jenner's hip actuators, or the subcontractor responsible for the on-board computer systems and it doesn't matter how many chassis you can crank out, if you can't put the electronics in because (ta-daaa) the computer company making the electronics no longer exists, or can no longer procure subcomponents of the right qualities and traits to manage the systems on a Jenner-well, you're not going to be finishing many units until an alternate supplier can be found.
remember also that industry was hit hard across the board by the 3rd succession war-whole offensives hinged on who could secure, deploy and employ enough factory spares, whole offensives were waged JUST to secure spare part stockpiles-this suggests the necessary subcontractors weren't in business anymore, or lost some key ingredient and hadn't figured out a decent alternative yet.
I mean, would YOU stick your head in a Neurohelmet and connect up to a machine using prayer and bubble gum as your only protection from lethal feedback? it's the Cappie "Hyper Velocity Autocannon" thing, I suppose; someone might have an alternative that KIND OF works, but not reliably enough (yet) to SAFELY replace the missing supplier component.
kind of like using Magnesium instead of Titanium in your racing car. you can DO it, but the consequences for even a relatively mild accident makes it not a smart bet (this actually happened a few decades ago in F1).
the Luthien line might've been all up and polished and could turn-key run like a champ, but without necessary pre-cursor parts, or without a key subsystem or some other critical supply, it could indeed be idled in spite of having all the planned tooling in place.
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Nice analysis!
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That is a great analysis, but a factory had to produce Jenners prior to Ozawa, and Luthien was not tooled to do so. And keeping Jenners active in every regiment across the DCMS 200 years past the end of production means that there had to be some factory support for the chassis and it's many parts. It is those gaps in the fluff where authors like 2ndAcr can create their own history, because even 54,300 (((1350*2)*19)+3000) -75,000 Jenners spread across hundreds of regiments in the DCMS and spread throughout and used across the Inner Sphere and over 265 years means factories and subcontractors, where they were producing parts to keep those machines active. And I doubt Luthien was the only source. So, using Luthien Armorworks on New Samarkand as the original source and a major parts supplier makes a lot of sense. Especially since having "Luthien" as two of the sources would play into Japanese emphasis on wording and the ability to apply counterintelligence.
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9 May 2786
Land's End (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Parker Manchester, commander 19th Hussar Regiment, began entering orbit after the escorting Aerospace fighters drove off the defending DCMS Aerospace fighters. During the multiple passes in orbit, sensors scanned the surface looking for any targets worthy of attention. Colonel Manchester had scoured all records for information on his target and had learned the 310th Dragoon Regiment had garrisoned the planet from a base 40km from the capital city of Nova Roales de Campos. This he made his primary target for his ground forces. Sensors identified grounded Dropships not far from the base, he targeted them for orbital bombardment from SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer.
Once grounded 15km from the base, the destruction from the orbital bombardment was obvious to everyone as they disembarked. Before a perimeter could even be set, the DCMS garrison advanced on the grounded 19th Hussar Regiment. Instead of a more set piece fight, the fighting quickly devolved into close range. For 3 hours, the battle was fought amongst the grounded Dropships. Only the heavier Battlemechs of the 19th Hussar prevented more casualties than needed before the DCMS broke off and retreated for their base and it's defenses. They left 59 Battlemechs destroyed, 91 Tanks destroyed and several decimated Infantry Regiments behind. The 19th Hussar suffered 31 Battlemechs destroyed and another 57 damaged.
Colonel Manchester called off the assault on the former SLDF base. Instead, he ordered as much salvage as possible to be loaded back aboard the Dropships along with every downed SLDF/HAF Battlemech. He then ordered SLS Halthom to target the former SLDF base from orbit. For over an hour, as the technicians of the 19th Hussar Regiment hurried to load everything back onto the Dropships, SLS Halthom poured fire into the former SLDF base.
By nightfall, the 19th Hussar Regiment boosted for orbit having savaged the defending 5th Pesht Regulars.
15 May 2786
Pusht-i-rud (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Bradley Stockton, 238th Striker Regiment, led his Regiment in a fast paced but savage raid against several manufacturing plants, planetary space port and warehouses. Quickly over running the local militia Infantry garrison, they quickly ordered civilians from their targets and as soon as they were cleared they destroyed them. At the space port, they destroyed 4 Jumbo Dropships on the tarmac with concentrated fire.
Early morning of 16 May, they boosted for orbit after accomplishing their mission.
24 May 2786
Enif (Draconis Combine)
Major General Colin McGregor sat on the bridge of his Lee Dropship as they headed for orbit 3 days away. He monitored the fight led by Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain aboard SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser. While 4 Vincent Destroyers had escorted the massive invasion force into the non standard jump point, Vice Admiral Coltrain had led the remaining warships into the Zenith and Nadir Jump Points.
Vice Admiral Coltrain and SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate had quickly destroyed 4 Merchant Jumpships and the Olympus Recharge Station at the Zenith Jump Point, while Rear Admiral William Blyth, aboard SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser along with SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser and 2 Vincent Destroyers destroyed 3 Star Lord Jumpships at the Nadir Jump Point. Everything had gone smoothly until a DCMS Squadron jumped into the Zenith Jump Point.
SLDF/Hegemony
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser
SLS Dark Brawler, Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate
SLS Sam Kingston, Vincent Destroyer
SLS Kathy Hamile, Vincent Destroyer
DCMS Squadron
DCS Kinugasa, Aegis Cruiser
DCS Yakaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Harukaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Kamikaze, Lola I Destroyer
DCS Sawakaze, Lola I Destroyer
Vice Admiral Coltrain had wasted no time and formed both her warships into a tight formation and targeted the largest threat, DCS Kinugasa, Aegis Cruiser with both of her ships. She had to by time for the Nadir force to come to her aid. With her Aerospace fighters forming an advance guard, the moved to intercept the DCMS warships.
Cho-sho Shuji Hirata had been leading his Division on a patrol of the Combines Periphery border when they jumped into the Enif system for some rest. He had been surprised to find hostile warships in the system. He quickly ordered his Squadron to battle stations and moved to intercept the enemy warships.
Neither force deviated from their advance and while the Aerospace fighters danced their dance of death against each other, the warships hammered away at each other. DCS Kamikaze, Lola I Destroyer lived up to it's name and attempted a high speed pass close to SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate. Passing down her port side, she raked SLS Dragonfly with NAC/10 rounds scoring SLS Dragonfly's armor, but was savaged by the return fire from the much heavier NAC's aboard the Riga Frigate with several shots burrowing deep into her hull causing massive secondary explosions.
SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser hammered DCS Kinugasa, Aegis Cruiser with everything she had, blasting massive amounts of armor from the Aegis cruiser. Return fire slammed into SLS Rhodon ripping armor. As DCS Kinugasa rolled to present a fresh side to SLS Rhodon, she exposed her damaged side to SLS Dragonfly which hammered the Aegis Cruiser without mercy with her NAC's. As Rear Admiral Blythe's force began arriving at the Zenith Jump Point, the DCMS warships began attempting to knock their current foes from the battle. Several volleys from the SLDF/HAF warships left DCS Kinugasa powerless. The lighter Lola I Destroyers now faced two wounded but still powerful opponents at close range.
DCS Sawakaze and DCS Yakaze made valiant attempts at knocking SLS Dragonfly out of the fight, but neither could stand up to the horrible amount of firepower coming from the Riga Frigate backed up by SLS Rhodon. Their fate was sealed as SLS Sam Kingston and SLS Kathy Hamile, Vincent Destroyers entered the fight after a 3g hard burn. Within minutes both DCMS warships were adrift. DCS Harukaze, Lola I Destroyer made an attempt to flee but could not escape the faster SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser which punished her crew with a 4g burn in pursuit. After an hour, they managed to knock out the engines of the fleeing Lola I Destroyer. Boarding parties were sent aboard each DCMS warship.
Vice Admiral Coltrain ordered her warships to maintain a close watch on the DCMS ships while boarding parties secured them. She then sent a HPG message to her support group waiting in an uninhabited system a single jump away. Though the raiding forces did not have spare crew, she did have spare crews and Marines for prize crews. She had been praying that she would be able to capture a few extra warships during her planning phase of this operation.
28 May 2786
Under a cloud of Aerospace Fighters, the Dropships of the 173rd and 29th Mechanized Infantry Divisions made their landings on Enif. The defending 5th Galedon Regulars made a brave first stand against the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division but could only hold their line for 3 hours before it cracked and a general retreat was sounded. Over the course of 2 days, the 5th Galedon Regulars attempted to halt the SLDF advance, but every time they stopped to reform a defense line, they found themselves being flanked by either SLDF/HAF Division. When Major General McGregor finally signaled for them to pull back and boost for orbit, the 5th Galedon Regulars could barely field a Combined Arms Regiment from the 1 Battlemech Regiment, Artillery Regiment, 5 Armor Regiments and 5 Infantry Regiments they had begun the battle with.
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The 5th got lucky.
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i wonder what the DC is going to miss more. the warships or the ground units?
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The WarShips… definitely. Minoru just ordered nuke 'em til they glow, and he won't be doing much of that without them.
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The WarShips… definitely. Minoru just ordered nuke 'em til they glow, and he won't be doing much of that without them.
Yep, I concur here, he'll be hurting for WarShips soon.
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1 June 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney, aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, studied the updated repair estimates for all the damaged ships in system. Even with using the LTV Shipyards, it was a lot of work left to be done. She laid the damage estimate on her desk, located on one of the grav decks, and thought about how things were shaping up in this war. Nukes were sure to become a favorite weapon against warships, so serious thought needed to be given to upgrading every ships point defenses. No sense repairing ships only to see them blasted by nukes. She picked up a blank pad and began to make notes all while comparing her notes to the damage estimate.
Carriers
SLS Wasp, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - est RTS w/upgrade 12 July
SLS Ivory, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - est RTS w/upgrade 22 Aug
SLS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier Blk II - est RTS w/upgrade 15 Sept
Frigates
SLS Yosemite, Riga Frigate - est RTS w/upgrade 10 Oct (move to Terra)
SLS Yankee, Riga Frigate - est RTS w/upgrade 20 Oct (move to Terra)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate - est RTS 12 Oct (Move to Terra)
SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigate - est RTS 15 Aug (Move to Terra)
Destroyers
SLS Urazuki, Baron Destroyer - est RTS 25 July
SLS Yoizuki, Baron Destroyer - est RTS 20 July
SLS Clark, Carson Destroyer - est RTS 16 July
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer - est RTS 10 July
SLS Shimotsuki, Essex I Destroyer - Upgrade to Essex II, est RTS 22 Nov (Move to Terra)
Corvettes
SLS Audacious, Vincent Corvette - Upgrade to Vincent Destroyer est RTS 14 Sept
SLS Determination, Vincent Corvette - Upgrade to Vincent Destroyer est RTS 11 Sept
SLS Resilience, Vincent Corvette - Upgrade to Vincent Destroyer est RTS 6 Sept
She did not like keeping the ships here in Inglesmond, they were just too exposed here, but she did not have much choice as every available yard was in use either building new ships or bringing others back online. The Samarkand's were being upgraded to SLS Independence specs, the Riga's were being brought to SLS Dragonfly specifications. She could not afford the time to bring any other upgrades online. If she could just get everything back online, then she could begin to think about rotating ships in for point defense upgrades which should not take much time to complete.
10 June 2786
Multan (Draconis Combine)
Colonel Wayne Johnson, commander 509th Battle Regiment, arrived at the Zenith Jump Point to find the 238th Striker Regiment waiting, having arrived the day before. They had begun exchanging information when the 19th Hussar Regiment materialized. With an hour, all 3 Regiments detached and began heading for the surface escorted by SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer. It would take 20 days to reach orbit. Their mission was to raid the old base of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Division where intel said several bunkers should still be hidden and secure.
Enif (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain watched as her support group departed the system along with the captured former DCMS warships. She had focused her efforts on repairing her own warships and making the captured warships jump capable enough to make the journey back home for proper repairs. She looked at Major General Colin McGregor who nodded at her in return.
"Nav, signal all ships, make ready to jump to designated coordinates." Vice Admiral Coltrain ordered
Fifteen minutes later, the large fleet jumped from Enif on their way to New Samarkand, but first, they would hit Old Canton.
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+1 for the Point Defense upgrades! :thumbsup:
And I hope BLACK EYE continues to succeed...
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someone needs to pass along those plans, so that other yards can start updating ships. Does the DC have a support fleet ie yardships? the Newgragne has been in production since 2600. Maybe they bought a few "to support recovering of civilian jumshps". if they did? that would be something the THiE might want to take out or take over. >:D
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200 Newgrange Yardships were known to have been produced. After the Exodus and all the fighting from the Periphery Uprising and the Amaris Civil War, only 45 were known to have been left in the Inner Sphere, and were massive targets during the Succession Wars(OTL). So, maybe?
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11 June 2786
Kurhah (Draconis Combine)
Sho-sho Edward Wakatonga, commander 25th Deiron Regulars, watched the war games being conducted by his command. Unlike many of the Deiron Regulars, his and the other former SLDF commands were not assigned multiple Regiments of supporting troops. Instead, besides his Battlemech Regiment, his command boasted a single Armor Regiment and single Infantry Regiment. All former SLDF, his 294th Hussar Regiment, which came over intact with the Armor and Infantry from various commands of those who did not join the rest of the SLDF on the Exodus. But what troubled him was the grumbling rumors he was hearing among the troops ever since Amanda Cameron had appeared and taken up as head of the Terran Hegemony. Now with the HPG blackout, with it's public notice announcement that it had been placed into effect because of the Combine's unprovoked attack upon the Hegemony had only made his troops angrier over the situation.
He was brought back to reality by an alarm sounding in his cockpit. He quickly selected the red communication channel "What is so important for battle over ride?" he said loudly.
"We have multiple emergence signatures at the La Grange point sir. Satellite monitoring at the La Grange reported firm contacts on 28 incoming Dropships before they were destroyed." The voice on the radio announced.
Sho-sho Edward Wakatonga closed his eyes for a second before responding "Start calling up the planetary militia on my order." He then switched to his command frequency "All command, this is Sho-sho Wakatonga. Cease all actions and report back to base asap. We have possible hostiles inbound and we need to get ready for them." As the responses came in he turned his Nightstar NSR-9J for his base and throttled up to full speed.
Aboard the Overlord Dropship Eagle One, Lieutenant General Gary Hurling could not wait to get on the ground. Along with his Dropship, another 9 Overlords and 18 Union Dropships carried the 5 Battlemech Regiments of the Screaming Eagles mercenary command, now reconstituted as the 250th Battlemech Division. Having been carried aboard AFFS Jumpships to link up with Hegemony Jumpships, they had been hand delivered a tasking assigning them a deep strike at Kurhah. Along with the mission, those Jumpships delivered 3 Infantry Regiments and a Aerospace Wing to augment his Battlemechs. They had 3 more days to orbit.
Lapida II (Draconis Combine)
Lieutenant General Ezra Bradley, commander 3rd Regimental Combat Team, led the flight from the non standard jump point. Having taken a circular route across the Hegemony, the short lived Eridani Light Horse mercenary command, having rejoined the Hegemony upon Amanda Cameron's return, had quickly undergone a equipment upgrade before the war with the Combine had started. Linking up with the former Screaming Eagle mercenary command, they had then been assigned their missions.
The 3rd Regimental Combat Team's mission was to destroy or render the Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited factory on Lapida II non operational. To aid in this task, temporarily assigned to his command was the 3391st Special Forces Battalion. While the 3rd RCT made life difficult for the planetary defenders, the 3391st SF Battalion would strike the underground factory.
Al Nair (Terran Hegemony)
Major General Terrance Carmichael, commander 184th Mechanized Infantry Division, had spent the last 5 months fighting the Draconis Combine forces to a stand still. Only the arrival of several DCMS warships had forced his command from their defensive fortifications. His supplies were starting to run low and his 184th MID was down to just over 60% strength. Though they had lost control of the planetary HPG, he still had a mobile HPG to maintain contact off world. So he was not surprised when the DCMS forces on the surface began pulling back when they got word of incoming Hegemony forces.
Major General Jenna Romanov, commander 295th Battlemech Division, felt the thump as her Overlord Dropship detached from SLS Saipan, Potemkin Transport. Her own SLS Ulithi was in the shipyards at Terra undergoing a major refit to correct the massive amount of problems afflicting the ship. She watched the ships plot as SLS Cape Bon, Essex Destroyer and SLS Protecteur, Lola III Destroyer formed on the mass of Dropships as escort.
Aboard SLS Conroy, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler shook off the jump effects which barely effected him after all these years. His target was the destruction of the 2 DCMS warships in the planets orbit. With him were SLS Shield, Avatar Heavy Cruiser, SLS Solomon and SLS Cartagena, Essex II Destroyers. It would take another day to bring them to heel.
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Hmmm... now I'm wondering if the 294th might return to the fold, in whole or in part... ^-^
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Well, for negotiations, the TH forces might use that one of the two surviving divisions of the XLIX Corps, the 295th Battlemech, the Blue Star Division, is part of the THAF, and try to get the 25th Dieron Regulars (294th Hussars and Co.) to return to the fold? I mean, attacking the homeland of the mercenaries you hire, is not exactly an intelligent decision to make. Real easy to backfire.
And the 184th MID, 40% casualties is like the Periphery Uprising, and a foreshadowing of the wars to come. Hopefully they will be able to rebuild before they have to fight further battles. Also, the 184th MID is part of V Corps, Eleventh Army... Much like the 331st Royal Battlemech Division. Dunnn, Dunn, Dun...
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12 June 2786
Al Nair (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Vincent Zeibler watched the plot and could not believe what he was seeing on it. Instead of fleeing and running for a jump point, both DCMS Destroyer were coming right at his force. Both had been identified as Essex I Destroyers. Completely ouclassed and outgunned in every respect. He decided to let his Aerospace fighters draw first blood and watched as the 60 Aerospace fighters from his warships joined with the 72 Aerospace fighters from the 4 Titan Dropships. He listened to the radio chatter as the CAG assigned their targets.
The 60 Aerospace fighters from the warships were assigned to attack DCS Jarret, Essex I Destroyer while the 72 Aerospace fighters from the Titan Dropships would attack DCS Sawyer, Essex I Destroyer. But first they had to deal with the 24 DCMS Aerospace fighters moving to intercept the SLDF/HAF Aerospace fighters. As both sides merged, the DCMS fighters found themselves at a severe disadvantage and quickly their numbers started falling rapidly.
Both DCMS Destroyers bent on full speed and they quickly reached 2.5g's. Naval laser fire reached out from the DCMS Destroyers and several SLDF/HAF fighters blinked and vanished from the screen. When the heavy fire reached out after the distant Titan Dropships, Rear Admiral Zeibler gave the order for both Avatar Heavy Cruiser's to fire on the offending DCMS Destroyer. It took only seconds for 12 NL/55 and 8 HNPPC to lash out at DCS Jarret, Essex I Destroyer. The effects were immediate and devestating as 9 NL/55 and 6 HNPPC ripped into the Essex I Destroyer removing the armor from the Nose and RFS sections and burrowing deep into the oncoming Destroyer.
A quick check of the plot and any further fire was ceased as the Aerospace fighters began their attack runs. Alamo nuclear missiles began launching from the swarm of Aerospace fighters. Though small, they were being used in numbers and the small Essex I Destroyers really stood no chance. Aboard DCS Jarret, escape pods began launching ahead of the impacts. Several Alamo's lashed deep into the Essex I Destroyer from the already shredded Nose and RFS sections and detonated deep within the Essex I Destroyer. The effects of the detonations were unholy as the Essex I Destroyer seemed to glow for a brief second before disintegrating.
DCS Sawyer, Essex I Destroyer took the impact of 10 Alamo missiles better, but her armor was savaged by the small nuclear warheads. The second volley of Alamo missiles began impacting with several detonating within the warship. One breached the armored hull and entered the engineering spaces before detonating, another found the Left Broadside's ammo magazine and detonated, while a third actually hit the bridge before detonating. With all attitude control removed, the Essex I Destroyer entered a wild gyration at 2.5g's forward movement and the stress placed on the damaged internal structure was immense. The SLDF/HAF warships easily dodged the widly gyrating Essex I Destroyer as it flashed past out of control. Every now and then escape pods launched.
With the way clear, Rear Admiral Ziebler ordered SAR operations and signaled his force to prepare to enter orbit in support of the 184th Mechanized Infantry Division on the ground and for the 295th Battlemech Divisions landings.
14 June 2786
Major General Jenna Romanov, commander 295th Battlemech Division brought her Dropships down into the perimeter of the 184th Mechanized Infantry Division. Quickly both agreed on area's of operation and by mid day, both Divisions pushed out from the perimeter to begin the task of retaking the planet from the DCMS forces. With friendly warships providing orbital fire on demand, by nightfall, they had expanded their perimeter 80km in all directions.
Kurhah (Draconis Combine)
Lieutenant General Gary Hurling, commander 250th Battlemech Division (Screaming Eagles), did not mess around and brought his command into the main space port. Quickly they disembarked and secured the space port and immediate surrounding area. Resistance was light, with only the local militia being engaged at the space port. As darkness fell, Lieutenant General Hurling ordered his forces to hold for the night.
15 June 2786
At dawn, the advance began again with any resistance from the local militia being quickly destroyed. First contact with the primary garrison force, the 25th Deiron Regulars, came around mid day with a skirmish between each unit's recon elements. As the 250th Battlemech Division began massing on the contact point, the 25th Deiron Regulars began engaging the advancing 250th Battlemech Division at long range. But the 25th Deiron Regulars did not have the troop strength and quickly found themselves being flanked and under threat of being surrounded by the much more numerous 250th Battlemech Division.
After 2 hours of fighting, the radio crackled over an open channel in the 250th Battlemech Divisions Mobile HQ. "This is Sho-sho Edward Wakatonga, commander 25th Deiron Regulars, calling the commander of the Hegemony forces. I request surrender terms."
"Lieutenant General Gary Hurling, 250th Battlemech Division. I hear you Sho-sho Wakatonga. The terms are simple, complete and unconditional surrender of your forces. All will be treated as prisoners under the rules of war. I await your decision."
"I surrender my forces to you General Hurling. I warn you that the local militia forces will not surrender. I had to put up enough of a fight to satisfy my own honor and that of my people. But I see no need in dying for a worthless cause. The Combine should never have attacked the Hegemony unprovoked. I will order my people to power down and exit their Battlemechs." Sho-sho Wakatonga said
"I have already issued a cease fire order to my command. Assemble you commanders and I will have you brought to my headquarters."
Just after dark, the door to Lieutenant General Hurling's temporary headquarters opened and Sho-sho Wakatonga and his Battalion commanders were shown into the room. Introductions were exchanged and everyone took a seat. Sho-sho Wakatonga told the tale of the 294th Hussar Regiment and how they came to be in the DCMS. On a whim, Lieutenant General Hurling went with his gut instincts.
"How would you folks like to fold into the 250th Battlemech Division? Your all former SLDF, so integrating you into my command should not be too difficult. It seems none of you are happy with the attack on the Hegemony. So, here is the only opportunity I am going to give you. Decide against it, and you get to explain to the Coordinator how all of you survived and all of your equipment was captured. I am sure all of you know how he is going to respond to that."
"It will be off with our heads and you know it. We accept the offer and will proudly serve the Hegemony in the 250th Battlemech Division." Sho-sho Wakatonga said as he tore the rank tabs off his uniform, followed by the smiling officers with him.
"Welcome to the 250th Battlemech Division. Let's go let the new troops have thier vote now and see how this ends. My mission was to destroy the garrison here and anything else of value to the Combine. Since your surrender, well that removes the garrison and we are free to move on to our next mission." Lieutenant General Hurling said
Lapida II (Draconis Combine)
The 21st Deiron Regulars put up a stiff fight against the 3rd RCT from the moment the landings had begun during the early morning hours. Though outnumbered 3 to 1 by the 3rd RCT, the 21st Deiron Regulars fought with tenacity. While the 3rd RCT battled the 21st Deiron Regulars, the troops of the 3391st SF Battalion dropped from their modified Confederate and Union Dropships directly on top of Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited's underground factory complex and quickly over ran the security at the entrance. Forcing the doors proved difficult but not impossible. Once they made the breach, the Nighthawk equipped SF troops poured into the underground factory complex. Once the main doors were opened from the inside, they were joined by a company of their Battlemechs which would aid in the destruction of the factory complex.
By nightfall, massive explosions wracked the underground factory complex as demolition charges destroyed vital production equipment. With flames shooting out from the now open doors, the troops of the 3391st SF Battalion boarded their Dropships for the trip back to orbit. During the early morning hours of 16th, the 3rd RCT boarded their Dropships and also boosted for orbit, having inflicted about 20% losses on the 21st Deiron Regulars.
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did the 250 get the dropships from the 294th Hussar Regiment as well as their combat equipment.
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Yes, will be detailed in next post probably tomorrow. I plan to break down the OOB of the 250th Battlemech Division.
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Nice! Glad to see the 249th return to the fold! :thumbsup:
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The Coordinator might not appreciate the "disloyalty" of the defecting Dieron Regulars. The 28th, 29th, and now 25th. The Coordinator might be so used to troops that have been indoctrinated since birth, that he is treating the the troops suborned by the "Pillars of Teak and Jade" the same, or with the same expectation that heavy-handedness will motivate them, not cause resentment. I mean executing commanders that have managed to retreat with their multi-million or multi-billion dollar value ships, so they can be used again in the future- only encourages suicidal charges and the loss of valuable ships, as shown in this latest excerpt. The DC has now lost 35 warships, with 8 further warships in yard hands, out of 194 ships as of 2786. Not exactly a winning proposition long term (especially with limited yard space, or possible attacks on them).
EDIT: Sorry, WARships, 35 lost, and dozens(I think?) of Jumpships.
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The Coordinator might not appreciate the "disloyalty" of the defecting Dieron Regulars. The 28th, 29th, and now 25th. The Coordinator might be so used to troops that have been indoctrinated since birth, that he is treating the the troops suborned by the "Pillars of Teak and Jade" the same, or with the same expectation that heavy-handedness will motivate them, not cause resentment. I mean executing commanders that have managed to retreat with their multi-million or multi-billion dollar value ships, so they can be used again in the future- only encourages suicidal charges and the loss of valuable ships, as shown in this latest excerpt. The DC has now lost 35 ships, with 8 further ships in yard hands, out of 194 ships as of 2786. Not exactly a winning proposition long term (especially with limited yard space, or possible attacks on them).
One of the core things you want to do in an interstellar war, is paralyze the enemy's ability to move and reinforce, or at least hamper it if you can't paralyze it. An army of a million battlemechs trapped on a factory world with no way out is worthless as a tool of defense for the dozen to hundreds of worlds around it, likewise, if you're trying to quell an enemy's offensive, destroying his transport infrastructure is also critical. An enemy who can't move his forces or supply his forces will lose his forces.
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No HPG in DC space be to bad if after a JS left to report an invasion in a system the Terran's moved big rocks into normal drop points to interfere with jumps into the system.
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No HPG in DC space be to bad if after a JS left to report an invasion in a system the Terran's moved big rocks into normal drop points to interfere with jumps into the system.
how about this for awful:
jump in outside the limit, roll up at 1 Gee on an angle unlikely to be under constant observation, take a few comet-wrangling smallcraft. Now, what you're going to do, is fit a thruster and a guidance system on some, oh....fifty tonne rocks with a fuel tank to keep them accelerating on a specific, timed course calculated based on orbit and planetary rotation, so that in three weeks or so, those rocks (now moving...well, pretty fast, honestly) will hit the same calculated point in quick succession.
what point? well...a major military base, or better, a brian fort. The key is twofold, to calculate the necessary timing and speed for the bombardment, and to make sure your rocks are moving fast enough that they're hitting atmo and passing into the lithosphere on their braking maneuver at sufficient speed that they can penetrate the air layer and some of the ground layers before they heat up.
thus, releasing the impact energies into the ground around, and over, the fortified bunker in question.
bonus points if you give them a simple 'fuzzbuster' with a guardian ECM suite.
at the speeds in question, you might create a new faultline...or ten, and possibly a geological hot-spot for magma to well up...but it's not a nuke, and it WILL defeat the hardening of a Brian Fortress.
wait a couple of months, see how things progress, and if there's organized resistance left, it won't be strong... and hey, the Combine broke the rules first.
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I can only imagine if 2ndACR went full Cannonshop (aka, Ngo)! ;D
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I hope not. Isn't there a fan fic specifically dealing with that question "What if Kinetic weapons become an option"?
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That's pretty much every Ngo fan fic... ^-^
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I hope not. Isn't there a fan fic specifically dealing with that question "What if Kinetic weapons become an option"?
Kinetics are already an option (you can orbital bombard with NACs and Naval Gauss, after all, and there are missiles), the issue is relativistic kinetic weapons, which even with what I described, are extremely complex undertakings compared to 'park in orbit and shoot'.
The complexity being not in the technology-the tech is bone stick stone simple. the complexity is in the technique and employment, which is NOT so simple, requires a great deal of mathematics to make the shot, and requires a longer lead time. What I described is a month or two of work to take out a single target, and the possibility of a math error is really quite high, with either the consequence of losing the shot entirely, or hitting the wrong point and committing a REAL atrocity.
Which is kinda why nobody's really willing to do it in-universe. It's like the reason weapons have triggers-so you can stop firing.
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What is an atrocity in atmosphere, works wonders for anti-space infrastructure removal.
What cracks a Brian fort penetrates the refit yards and the four warships inside the yard and out the far side.
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I hope the Hidden Hegemony forces bring enough (or have ready to jump in after hostile forces are neutralized) personnel (infantry, ship crew, marines, and engineers) and equipment (workmechs, cargo dropships, and transport jumpships) to really raid New Samarkand. If they can gain control of any warships being worked on or additional factory or shipyard equipment, that would be a double win for the Hegemony beyond the raid. As well as tweaking the Dragon's whiskers.
I am looking forward to reading the action at Old Canton and New Samarkand, as well as elsewhere.
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21 June 2786
Atreus (Free Worlds League)
Captain General Kenyon Marik read the report from his spies in the Terran Hegemony. He laid the report down and picked up the report on the losses being reported from Inglesmond suffered by the Draconis Combine and Terran Hegemony. He tossed the report down onto his desk with a snort. So, Coordinator Kurita has suffered a much bigger defeat than he had, good he thought.
His spies had combed many open sources of information to try and get a firm picture of what was truth in the Terran Hegemony. He had spies on Free World jumpships plying the space lanes gathering up to date intel on current Terran Hegemony troop displacements and warship locations. He had not forgotten nor forgiven how that upstart Amanda Cameron had "forced" him to back down.
Only this time, he was going to show her that her Terran Hegemony was a mere shadow of it's former self. He had spent the time wisely and everything was almost in place and ready. He just needed the right time to strike. He picked up the thick folder on his desk that outlined the coming storm.
Operation Swift Justice
Van Diemen IV - 2nd Marik Militia
Talitha - 2nd Atrean Dragoons
Tyrfing - 23rd Marik Militia
Castor - 5th Atrean Dragoons
New Dallas - 3rd Atrean Dragoons
Callison - 23rd Marik Militia
Marcus - Iron Guard
Denebola - 34th Marik Militia
Connaught - 1st, 5th and 6th FW Guards
Warship Support
3rd Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 6 League II Destroyer
4th Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 6 League II Destroyer
5th Fleet - 4 Atreus Battleship, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 6 League II Destroyer
Additional Forces For Garrison
28 Armor Regiments
60 Infantry Regiments
He closed the folder, now I just need the perfect moment to strike, he thought with a sly smile.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell was worried, even though the counter attacks into the Combine were going well, the intel reports from the Free Worlds border were not casting a good forecast. She was not sure she could stave off an attack by 2 Houses at the same time. And if 2 Houses jumped on the Hegemony, she was sure the Lyran and Capellan's would not stay out of the Hegemony. She was sure the Federated Suns would stay true though, and that was the one bright spot.
But her biggest concern came from several systems of the Hegemony that had more or less sided with Amaris during the Coup or who still held a grudge against the SLDF for not being liberated fast enough. Those systems had already approached several Houses about leaving the Hegemony. She honestly did not know what to do about these systems. She studied the star map, Terra Firma (Capellan Confederation), Thorin (Lyran), Zollikofen (Lyran), Epsilon Indi (Capellan) and Brownsville (Capellan). She knew Amanda had dispatched negotiators to each of the systems in question to discuss their issues, but talks had gotten no where.
Recruitment for local Conventional RCT's had failed on each of those systems in question, which had forced her to deploy garrison's from other systems. Those garrisons had been greeted with open hostility, but so far no violence had been directed towards the garrisons. On the bright side, the militia on New Dallas had rebuilt to a full Division in size once again. That was one system she did not have to worry about at least.
Old Canton (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain led the fleet of warships and transports into the Old Canton system. On their arrival, Combine Jumpships made emergency jumps from the system, but she had issued orders for any ships to be allowed to leave. She ordered the evacuation of the recharge station at the Zenith Jump Point, and once it was empty she ordered it destroyed. Major General Colin McGregor ordered the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division to make their landings and spend 2 days maximum targeting any garrison and industry that would help the Combine.
Multan (Draconis Combine)
The combined raiding force had made their landing on Multan and quickly dispersed the small conventional militia force. Moving to the given location of the hidden supply caches, they discovered that each one had been emptied. No forced entry had been detected so they could only assume that General Kerensky had ordered them emptied. With the local population not hostile at all, all 3 commanders agreed that they would not destroy anything on this Combine planet and boarded their Dropships for the trip back to the Jump Point.
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Well, except for Old Canton and New Dallas, there has been nothing but bad news. I hope the TH's luck turns around. Although, Marik holding off attacking means more time for the warships to get repaired, and the factories to produce. So, maybe, some good news?
I also hope the dropping of HPGs across the FWL when Marik pulls the trigger causes absolute havoc. Which is good, because that weight of metal coming across the border is going to be hard to stop.
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As bad as a Marik attack will be, worlds wanting to leave the Hegemony are what will kill it... :-\
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Amanda needs to start a psy-ops campaign in the FWL, send a HPG message to every Provence head and major bank and corporate head warning them of the shutdown of the HPG network when Marik jumps the border. Then explain that she will seek restitution for any damage he causes in TH planetary systems, which will ultimately come from their pockets. Be sure to amend financials for GNP loss because of the Mariks actions.
See how he likes it when both money and political power start screaming at the Marik for being a temporary brain dead.
Also time to place worms in HPG system and suicide charges that fry the data core and pop the HPG,( energy to send data 30 ly is enough to create a big crater). In case the Mario tries to steal a March on the TH by assaulting the HPG stations or subverting the network operators.
I imagine the HPG system is tied into the banking systems, with the eager beaver Cameron’s putting backdoor bypasses into the networks or zero day exploits.
Kenyon Mario sitting at his desk enjoying the rich goodness of his morning coffee, the look of pure glee on his face. Kenyon looks at the clock on his computer, “ The planetary assaults should have landed by now, in 4 or 5 hours and my agents should be letting me know by HPG how my brilliant plan has come together”.
Just then the computer on his desk announcers “ You have Mail”.
Huh...... that is from one of my private bank accounts......WHAT! “How could I have overdrawn my account? I own the bank!
“ You have Mail”.
“ You have Mail”.
“ You have Mail”.
“ You have Mail”.
“ You have Mail”.
The cup of coffee that moments ago brought so much joy went across the room, shattering on the door, right before it was flung open and half his advisors come running into his inner sanctum.
The Minister of Communications shouts Sir, Sir, the HPG network is down....
At the same time Kenyons Finance Minister is screaming “ All the Marik bank accounts have been emptied”.
Meanwhile on Terra.....
Amanda Cameron is sipping her morning coffee and her IPad 2800 pings “You have mail”.
Amanda opens the email from her bank.
Nice to see my investments in the Marik banking systems have paid off......sipp....sipp. “Going to be a good day”....sipp. Amanda continues to sip her coffee, but with a big smile on her face.
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This is a good idea indeed EAGLE7 :D Let see whether 2ndAcr makes it happen! :D
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Is the HPG network in the FWL still under control of proto-Comstar? If it is, can't Amanda Cameron do a PR campaign in the FWL that peace and trade is more fruitful than war? Does Kenyon Marik know what happened to the HPG system in the Draconis Combine?
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25 June 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Allison Tallonsin, Free Worlds Ambassador to the Terran Hegemony, was admitted to the large office of Director General Amanda Cameron, she still refused to have the Throne Room unsealed. She bowed her head at Director General Cameron "How may I be of service Director General Cameron?"
"Ambassador Tallonsin, I need you to make sure a message get's to Captain General Marik. It seems he refuses to take my call's." Amanda said
"Certainly Director General Cameron. What message would you like for me to deliver to the Captain General?" Ambassador Tallonsin asked
Amanda handed over a envelope containing the message she wanted delivered, once it was accepted she said "You may read it Ambassador, your going to be transmitting it anyway."
Ambassador Tallonsin extracted the single page inside and read.
Captain General Marik,
You have avoided my many attempts to communicate with you. I send this message via your own communication methods to make sure it arrives in your hands. I find your current troop build up near the borders of the Hegemony threatening. I want to very clear with no misunderstanding between us. If the Free Worlds League launches an attack on the Terran Hegemony, your nation will face the same fate as currently faced by the Draconis Combine. I will order a complete shut down of ALL HPG stations inside the Free Worlds League with orders to destroy any station threatened or any attempt to sieze the station.
The Terran Hegemony will, if attacked, defend itself with all the fury and might that we can muster. Know that I will not allow the fighting to be contained within the borders of the Hegemony but will bring the fight into the Free Worlds League. I would tell you to contact Coordinator Kurita and ask how the war is fairing for him, but it might take a long time for the message to arrive via jumpship. Your forces have once before committed an act of war against the Hegemony not long ago and I thought we had a very clear understanding between us, but your troop build up tells me otherwise.
I would hope to avoid hostilities between our nations. I hope that you rethink your current plans and communicate with me. I am always available to speak.
Director General Amanda Cameron
Ambassador Tallonsin replaced the page into the envelope and looked at Director General Amanda Cameron "The Captain General will not look kindly at threats to the Free Worlds League."
"What threat did I make Ambassador? I merely explained what would occur should your Captain General decided to wage war on the Hegemony. Now, this message is of the utmost importance, so I suggest you hurry along and deliver it before Kenyon Marik makes a mistake that could cost your nation dearly." Amanda said dismissing the Ambassador
At the Krester's Ship Construction yards, Admiral Joan Brandt stared at the 3 Texas Battleships rapidly taking shape. With the recovered jump cores already constructed, construction time was cut almost in half and estimates placed their readiness at May 2787. She pressed the shipyard workers to hurry construction as quick as possible. She really needed the firepower these 3 Battleships could deliver. In her hand she held a message from Mitchell Vehicles at Graham IV informing her that all 6 Luxor Heavy Cruisers would be completed 2 months earlier than expected which put their delivery around December 2786.
The influx of warships from Inglesmond had threatened to overload the resources of the Hegemony, but it amazed her how the engineers and workers from the varied manufacturers pooled their resources to overcome every obstacle they faced to effect the needed repairs. SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship had completed repairs and was once again battle ready of needed. Both captured Combine Monsoon Battleships would need another 3 months of work before they were battle ready. Only a month was needed to repair the battle damage, but another 2 months was needed for the upgrades to both vessels to mirror SLS Thunderer.
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that is some heavy metal for the TH. i just don't think HM is going to like the message and do something dumb.
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He was going to do something dumb anyway, really... ^-^
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Ah well guys, you know how it goes, when a mans pride is under attack, we do tend to react more often than not most foolishly! 8)
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keep in mind, Kenyon, unlike some other Great Lords, can be removed from office Legally by his national parliament...and there's even legal precedence. If that message hit the floor of said body in the FWL, he could end up with a domestic political fracas that puts paid to ANY offensive action, against anyone else.
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So Amanda just needs to make sure her letter leaks on Atreus... ^-^
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So Amanda just needs to make sure her letter leaks on Atreus... ^-^
yah. She needs to be playing the game on multiple levels-which Kerensky didn't understand (and is why he failed so hard with Richard). She's got a pretty good military toolbox, but that toolbox gets a lot better if she realizes the political tools she has to work with-and she has, to some extent with the HPG net.
some of the other tools she might use include any records from 'closed' meetings of the Star League Council prior to the coup-particularly Kenyon's behaviour IN said council. leaking that the FWL press can be highly effective at destabilizing his political goals domestically. With proper editing, such 'viral' releases could trigger a real issue for the Mariks as a whole, particularly if Kenyon is painted as having tacitly (or overtly) supported Amaris. the sudden need to explain that those clips aer out of context, or that 'that wasn't what I meant when I said that' can do wonders for destabilizing his control not only of the League Senate, but of the FWL Military.
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This is why I have hope things in this sandbox will go longer than expected... :)
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??? Where is House Steiner? I thought they would be attacking House Marik by now or are they waiting for the Marik to attack Terran Hegemony. When that happen they hit Marik. Systems that want leave the Terran Hegemony trade them to Steiner and the Liao for some help or supply. I think some those systems close to those Houses by the way. Well see what happen.
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1 July 2786
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita had finally received word of the attacks along his Periphery border which had sent him into a furious rant. He had finally begun to get his temper under control when word of the counter attack at Al Nair and then the attack on Lapida II and Kurhah arrived. The almost 2 week lag in getting any word from the front lines was hampering any rapid response. Not to mention the massive numbers of Jumpships being removed from their normal operations just to maintain that communication link with the front lines.
When he was handed a communication from Sho-sho Edward Wakatonga, commander 25th Deiron Regulars, he read the message. The messenger felt the fear rise inside of him as he watched the Coordinator's face redden in anger. He forced his eyes back to the floor from risk of being caught watching and flinched at the sound of crumpled paper. When the Coordinator said "Leave me." the messenger nearly broke his own neck in his haste to leave.
Coordinator Minora Kurita struggled to contain his anger, he could not believe the nerve of this Wakatonga. He forced himself to close his eyes and took a deep breathe.
Coordinator Kurita,
I am writing the letter to inform you that myself and my command, the 25th Deiron Regulars, have made the decision to leave Combine employ. This decision was not as hard as the one we made when we left the SLDF to enter Combine employ. Where before we were war weary, this time your actions in launching an unprovoked attack on the Terran Hegemony coupled with the careless way in which you have endangered Combine civilians with the HPG interdiction made our decision much easier.
We do want to thank you for the fine equipment upgrades and transport assets. We promise that they will be put to good use and will not be wasted. I offer you some free advice, end this war soon before the Combine suffers possibly unrecoverable damage.
Former Sho-sho, now Lieutenant General
Edward Wakatonga
When he opened his eyes, he was much calmer. But a question nagged the back of his brain, have I made a serious miscalculation.
4 July 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
As the former capital of the Draconis Combine, New Samarkand saw massive amounts of interstellar traffic. Coupled with the DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design shipyard complex, both Jump Points were almost always crowded. Though dwarfed by much larger shipyards, DeHuego & Freshet's complex built 2 Narukami II Destroyers per year and 1 Samarkand II Carrier per year. This was dwarfed by the much larger complex located at Midway. But still a vital part of the DCMS's warship construction efforts. These 3 warships would be completed in 2 months and would form a permanent presence in New Samarkand.
On the surface, while most major industrial concerns had left New Samarkand after it lost the title of Capital, Wakazashi Enterprises still maintained a fairly sizable factory producing Panther PNT-8Z and PNT-9R Battlemechs at 240 per year and Luthien Armor Works had refurbished it's long dormant factory in conjunction with Diplan Mechyards to produce the hugely successful Jenner Battlemech on it's refurbished and reconfigured Gladiator lines at a rate of 360 per year. This had been given a top priority after Diplan Mechyards factory on Ozawa had been forbidden to sell it's products to the Draconis Combine.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel was glad to finally have the recovery fleet from the Rim Worlds Outpost back home. The recovered Riga Frigate and Vincent Corvette were currently awaiting a slip to undergo a refit and upgrade. A new group of 165,000 people from Mitchell Vehicles had arrived and he had been informed that every one of them came from their Warship and Dropship Divisions. He had them sent direct to Linden, the Periphery Hegemony's primary warship construction location.
He had word that several captured Combine warships were on their way back for major repairs and that Operation Black Eye was proceeding as planned. Along with the ever present request from Major General Colin McGregor to take his forces to assist General Rita Mitchell via direct path through the Combine raising hell all the way. He sent his usual response to the request, "Complete Operation Black Eye first."
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Could it be? Is Minoru finally starting to see the light? ::)
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why do i suddenly see a lot Helms coming
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Could it be? Is Minoru finally starting to see the light? ::)
He WAS reputed to be far more intelligent than his Heir Jinjiro.
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I literally can't think of a lower bar... ;D
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Well, the 2 months to launch date for the warships, puts a hard “to invade by” date that the HH doesn’t know about. Good thing is, they seem to be on schedule to attack before then.
And good news for Amanda, pretty much every week or month that others hold off invading increases her warship strength now. The SLS Lady Shandra is a prime example, she should have completed repairs and pulled out of the shipyard in the time period of this last update. And in the next 21 days, 4 destroyers and a carrier, too. And if she is really lucky, the first batch of Vincent destroyers should be rolling out soon, too. As long as there is people to crew them, they are ready to go.
... Of course this means that something is probably about to happen, now.
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i was just hoping that New Samarkand get hit and the DC loses those ships to a boarding teams. maybe a mixed team of FS/LC and TH.
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5 July 2786
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minoru Kurita sat with his son Jinjiro Kurita going over planning for both the war against the Terran Hegemony but also the upcoming war against the hated Federated Suns. Things were not going to plan, not by a long shot.
"How is the buildup coming?" Minoru Kurita asked
"Thing are going well father. The huge losses we have suffered against the Terran Hegemony worries me. Now you have ordered the 2nd Fleet to move to the Terran Hegemony and that threatens our planning. Now we have reports of Hegemony forces raiding our periphery borders complete with warship support. Where they came from, we have not determined, but they are very worrying.
So far, I have managed to mass 50 Battlemech Regiments and roughly 150 Regiments each of Armor, Infantry and Aerospace along the Federated Suns border. My plan call for overwhelming the Federated Suns border with massive warship support. The losses to 3rd and 4th Fleet's remove them from my equations. I had 5 Fleet's detailed to support the coming offensive. We could combine the surviving 3rd and 4th Fleet's ships into a single Fleet. But I will need 7th and 8th Fleet's to move to the border nowt to replace the Fleet's lost. 6th Fleet is still engaged in the Hegemony, but has suffered very few losses, mainly because we paused offensive actions after the defeat at Inglesmond.
I have a contingency drawn up, and if you approve, I think it might help break the stalemate in the Hegemony. I propose that instead of 2 massive forces advancing into the Federated Suns, that we form 3. We will combine the 3rd advance with the strike force heading for Cartago. Once there, the 3rd advance will break off and sweep towards Ozawa, skirting the Hegemony border and plunging into their rear. Intel suggests that the Hegemony has extremely light defenses along the border with the Federated Suns. But, the only way this can realistically be accomplished, will require something that I am not sure you will agree to." Jinjiro Kurita explained
"And what is this huge stumbling block to our success?" Minuro Kurita asked
"Sue for peace with the Hegemony. We need our HPG's back in operation. Agree to this HPG neutrality thing that Jerome Blake has been pandering on about. I have read it and it clearly states that only violating the Neutrality of HPG stations can bring about a blackout. Agreeing to this agreement removes Director General Cameron's ability to order this Comstar to issue a HPG Blackout. She holds that power only because, as of now, the Lyran Commonwealth is the only one to agree to it. Be the second, others will fall in and then we remove one of Director General Cameron's most powerful weapons against us." Jinjiro Kurita said
"You are sure of this? She seems to hold much sway over this Comstar?" Minuro Kurita asked
"The HPG Neutrality Agreement is very plainly written. Once everyone signs it, Comstar then becomes the sole controller of the HPG stations across the entire Inner Sphere. Director General Cameron will have her hands tied. If Comstar issues a Blackout, by her order, then everyone will see it is a sham and nothing from her or Comstar will ever be trusted again. Besides, according to our intel, she might soon have her hands full. Seems Marik is steadily building up forces on her border. If Marik smells blood in the water, he will strike, and that makes our task much easier overall." Jinjuro Kurita replied
Minuro Kurita took a deep breath before answering "If you say this is the only way. I will immediately send a message asking for safe passage to Terra to sign a peace treaty with Director General Cameron. I will return the 2nd Fleet to your control. Combine the surviving ships of 3rd and 4th Fleet's and assign them to the Hegemony border, but I want them heavily armed. Once there, I will issue a broadcast that I am signing the HPG Neutrality Agreement and ask that everyone join me in signing it. It is time we pull some teeth from this young girl."
"I promise you father, it is the only way this can succeed. I need the HPG's to assure our victory. Soon, you will be on New Avalon." Jinjuro Kurita promised
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Yikes! That just might work...
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Okay, it should take a while for the peace treaty request to get to Terra, so the attacks on New Samarkand and Old Canton should happen before they have to commit to an armistice. And the DC has to pay for HPG stations, and probably a lot of restitution for the invasions they did. Amanda could play for time, by saying that ComStar could not possibly lift the Interdiction until a Peace Treaty is signed... playing for even more time.
And honestly, if some worlds want to secede for the Terran Hegemony, they would have to give up any advanced technology and factories on the Restricted Trade list. It would free up units and the requirement of defending the systems. And place the burdens of defense on others.
The Draconis Combine has already proven they are warmongers, nobody is going to trust them. And even if the HPG Neutrality Treaty passes, that does not prevent the Hegemony from reading the mail, unless ComStar argues for such. I could see Toyama pulling a move like that. But, the Hegemony controls the HPG factories and parts supply. It will be interesting to see how such plays out.
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how many HPG did the DC damage? if it was more than a few.... well those are not cheep. would the TH want cash, supplies, or a mix. Say that carrier looks nice. that would pay off alot of your tab, if you sign it over to us. >:D
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They would be paying Comstar, who would be buying from the Hegemony. There are a few heavy smacks to be traded before an actual peace treaty.
Luthien HPG was totally destroyed and as a Class A station, it would be very expensive to rebuild.
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Unfortunately Jerome Blake should be shot for the traitor he is along with his buddy Conrad.
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7 July 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain brought most of her warships in at the Nadir Jump Point along with 2 full Marine Battalions to secure the shipyard complex and recharge station. SLS Dragonfly, Riga Frigate, SLS Kathy Hamile and SLS Sam Kingston, Vincent Destroyers escorted the invasion force which arrived at a stable point 3 days from the planet itself. She did not concern herself with the Zenith Jump Point, not at this time any way, because in another 2 days, the commands that hit Multan would be arriving there after executing a double jump to arrive. They were currently in the Soul system recharging.
The panic her Task Force caused on arrival was almost comical to behold. Only the Zenith traffic was left alone, she broadcast surrender calls at the Nadir Jump Point. Of the 15 Jumpships located at the Nadir Jump Point, only 1 Invader was destroyed when it activated it's jump drive. Another Merchant Jumpship was badly damaged when a Mammoth Dropship, in it's panic, missed it's docking and bounced off the Jumpships hull. The biggest surprise was the lack of any DCMS warships in system. This made her a litle nervous, but she continued on with the mission, escorting the main Marine Dropships to the shipyard complex and recharge stations while shuttles ferried Marines to the gaggle of Jumpships and Dropships that surrendered.
10 July 2786
Major General Colin McGregor led his invasion force down to the planets surface. The DCMS Aerospace forces were swept aside by the escorting SLDF/HAF Aerospace fighters. This was the ultimate target for Operation Black Eye and as such, he planned to make the most of it. That was why he had Admiral Coltrain capture the Jumpships and Dropships instead of destroying them. He planned to rip the factories apart and haul everything he could back home.
He felt the thump as his Lee Dropship made contact with the Ferrocrete located at the Luthien Armor Works factory. As he piloted his Battlemaster BLR-1Gb down the ramp, he could clearly see Infantry carriers racing across the Ferrocrete and into the factory complex. Battlemechs of the 126th Mechanized Infantry Division were pushing out and forming a secure perimeter around the massive factory complex. He had changed the main targets some, the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division was landing atop the Wakazashi Enterprises complex and would also take the Osaka Heavy Metrics complex which was not far away. The mission of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division was to take the DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design ground facilities. The conventional forces were tasked with securing and looting the complex's while the Battlemech Brigades of each Division moved to take out the planet's garrison forces. The 3 Regiments that formed the raiding parties would act as a reserve force.
Reports began coming in of contact with the planet's garrison forces, identified as the 11th Galedon Regulars and 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre from the 173rd Mechanized Infantry Division. Checking the enemy location on his onboard map, he order the 29th MID and 126th MID to detail 2 Battlemech Regiments each to move on the enemy commands, if everything worked out right, maybe they could cut them off and destroy both DCMS commands quickly, which would make the removal of anything of value that much easier.
In orbit, the Marines had secured the Nadir Recharge Station and had secured 3/4 of the shipyard complex. Fighting was still ongoing aboard the 3 incomplete DCMS warships that had been in the slips. Additional Marines from the Recharge Station were being shuttled to the shipyard complex to aid in it's capture. Once secured, Admiral Coltrain would allow the 30 engineers that specialized in ship construction and repair that she had brought to board the complex and get a firm read on everything. Though she wanted to strip down the shipyards, she was not sure they had time.
11 July 2786
The conventional forces from the 173rd MID had secured their objectives after a few hours of fighting. The Battlemechs of the 173rd MID had blunted the 1st attack from the 11th Galedon Regulars with moderate losses during the meeting engagement. The Battlemech's from the 29th MID had slammed into the right flank of the 11th Galedon Regulars while they were regrouping for their next attack throwing them into chaos, combined, the 5 Battlemech Regiments from the 173rd and 29th MID pushed the 11th Galedon Regulars away from the factory complex.
The Battlemechs from the 126th MID never reached the 173rd MID having slammed into the 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre. Though the 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre fought hard, they were no where as skilled as the pilots of the 126th MID and by nightfall, they had been beaten back with heavy losses.
12 July 2786
By midday, the shipyard complex and warships were secured. The experts had boarded the complex and begun the task of evaluating both the shipyards and captured warships. A Dropship was detailed to transport the captured DCMS personnel and shipyard workers to the planet's surface.
On the ground, the 11th Galedon Regulars had been beaten back from the factory complex's by the combined Battlemechs of the 173rd and 29th MID's. Equipped with mainly medium Battlemechs, the 11th Galedon Regulars just did not have the staying power of the SLDF/HAF. Their conventional forces finally made their appearance, but were quickly beaten back by Artillery and Aerospace attacks, but it was the attached Battlemech Battalions of the Infantry Brigades that made the largest impact on pushing the conventional forces back.
Work had already begun by the commands Engineer's on removing as much of the equipment as possible from the factory complex's. But estimates put the time needed to completely strip the complex's at 2 months time. Major General Colin McGregor did not think he had that much time, but really wanted as much as he could get.
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Whatever he can't get, that is what demolition charges are for. I'm sure there are several components that are fragile but have a multi-month lead time to produce
Or just use their energy weaponry to destroy stuff
Or just hover the Dropship over the factory and use its fusion engine to destroy the whole location
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They're at the point now where whatever they do is a win... Certainly take as much as possible, but absolutely destroy the rest...
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The Draconis Combine is certainly going to feel this attack. The loss of the warship yards and surface factories is going to really hurt, especially if the Succession Wars happen as with canon. the future light mech construction of Panthers and Jenners are in doubt (EDIT: In the DC, I mean, cause they will certainly be available in the Hidden Hegemony). And considering the DC attacked Inglesmond for the Jumpship yards and the chance of gaining slips for warship repairs... Ow.
So, how well will Minoru and Jinjiro react to this? Will their rage sabotage the peace treaty? We will have to wait. And considering that HPG stations are down, nobody knows about the New Samarkand attack until whatever ships escaped from the Zenith Point report in. At which point orders have to be sent to which fleet is closest. Seeing as most fleets are positioned to invade the Federated Suns, it might take a while for any warship response to get there, unless a patrol squadron is near by. Coltrain and McGregor might get that time. And with 13-14 jumpships from the Nadir Point captured and however many captured at the Zenith point, as well as the storage space of all the HH ships in the attack- there is plenty of space to transport any loot away. Operation Black Eye is going to be in everyone's history books.
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The real question now is will the FedSuns be able to last through the initial onslaught... Because the DCMS can't possibly sustain it for long...
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someone's logistics tail just got a bite taken out of it.
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16 July 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain read the report from the experts aboard the shipyard complex. It was better than she hoped. Much better actually. She pulled up her roster of extra personnel to find out what she had available. Doing a mental count and estimate, she figured she had just enough for the job.
Shipyard Evaluation Report
On boarding, we conducted a complex wide computer damage estimate. Of the shipyard facilities, light damage was inflicted to several systems, but estimate we can repair said damage within the week with onboard spares. Actual shipyards are of an older type from 2350, far from our current standard at Linden. Estimated cargo space needed for complete dismantling of complex and all supporting orbital factories is 530,000 tons and estimated time to dismantle and load as cargo is 6 months.
Narukami Block II Destroyer #1
Light damage during the capture. Damage easily repaired but does not affect operations. 1/2 the weapons are installed, ship is jump capable. Transit drive has not been activated nor have the onboard reactors. Estimated time to complete full activation as is, is 3 weeks.
Narukami Block II Destroyer #2
No damage inflicted except some scorching of hull plates. 3/4 of weapons have been installed, ship is jump capable. Transit drive is complete, but not activated or fueled. Ship's reactors have not been activated. Estimate to complete full activation as is, is 2 weeks.
Samarkand Block II Carrier
Light damage inflicted during capture. Easily repaired and does not affect operations. 100% of weapons installed, but fire control is not complete. Ship is jump capable but neither tranist drive nor reactors have been activated. No onboard fighters. Estimate to full activation as is, is 2 weeks.
As much as she would like to strip the shipyard complex and haul it off, she knew she had neither the time nor the cargo space to do so. Of greater importance was the factory complex's on the surface and they had first dibs on every inch of cargo space. She barely had enough spare spacers to provide prize crews for the captured warships and just enough people to man the captured Jumpships and Dropships. She figured she would have to grab some extra crew from the ground forces transports to make this work. Or she would have to press gang the crews and operate them under Marine guard.
Captured Shipping
Narukami Block II Destroyer
Narukami Block II Destroyer
Samarkand Block II Carrier
4 Merchant Jumpships
6 Invader Jumpships
2 Tramp Jumpships
3 Star Lord Jumpships
18 Mammoth Dropships
12 Mule Dropships
20 Jumbo Dropships
On the ground, Major General Colin McGregor looked over the estimated times to dismantle the factories and get them loaded up. There just would not be time to fully dismantle and load everything. Even though they had managed to disperse the remaining DCMS garrison forces and aggressive patrolling kept them at bay since their initial fighting, it was only a matter of time before the DCMS got word and came a calling.
Of the Wakazashi Enterprises factory, the engineers estimated it would take 3 months to fully dismantle the complex and get it loaded. It would take 480,000 tons of cargo space to fully load the complex. The Luthien Armor Works complex was larger, estimates placed a 4 month time frame to dismantle and load. It owuld take an estimated 628,000 tons to fully load the complex.
After a few hours studying the problem, he made a choice. He ordered the engineers from the 29th MID to be brought to the Luthien Armor Works complex to join the engineers from the 126th MID. He would also use the Infantry Brigades of the 173rd and 126th MID to assist the engineers. He then ordered the raiding commands to the surface. They would also assist in ripping the factories apart. The 29th MID would destroy the DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design ground facilities and Osaka Heavy Metrics complex along with as much supporting heavy industry on the planet as they could reach. Anything not loaded by mid September would be destroyed in place.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
"What do you make of this Aunt Rita?" Director General Amanda Cameron asked handing over the message that had been relayed from a Combine jumpship via the HPG on Oyevaina in the Lyran Commonwealth.
Taking the message, General Rita Mitchell read the message. With a smile, she looked up "I think it means Coordinator Kurita has finally gotten it thru his head that he bit off more than he could chew."
To: Director General Amanda Cameron, Terran Hegemony
From: Coordinator Minuro Kurita, Draconis Combine
Would like to ask for safe passage to Terra to discuss terms of ending this conflict in person. Have command circuit in place and could enter Hegemony space via Lambrecht. Jumpship awaiting at Oyevaina to relay answer.
"You think he really means it?" Amanda asked
"For now he does. Pretty sure the HPG blackout caught him by surprise. He will be looking to restore the HPG network to operation. Figure he is hoping to buy 2-3 years before he tries anything again. His navy took a horrific beating. He will need that time to rebuild and every year we gain, we only get stronger. But damned if I am going to let him enter Terra aboard a DCMS warship. He wants to come here, he can ride aboard a Dropship that is attached to one of our transports, after it has been inspected completely." Rita said
"You don't trust him do you?" Amanda replied
"About as far as I can throw him. Not going to give him the chance to bring a load of nukes into the Terra system and blast us. Oh, I can imagine he would love to try it, but I bet money he expects just this kind of reply and demand from us. Bet you dinner that he does not even balk at our demand, that means either we have hurt him much worse than we think or he has something up his sleeve for further down the road." Rita said
"That is a bet. I think he is going to scream so loud about this demand that we will not need a HPG to hear it." Amanda said with a giggle
To: Coordinator Minuro Kurita, Draconis Combine
From: Director General Amanda Cameron, Terran Hegemony
Request is granted. But, only you and a escort will be allowed to enter Hegemony space aboard a single Dropship which will be carried on a HAF transport after a detailed inspection. Await your response.
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Damn... Rita bought it... :-\
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Damn... Rita bought it... :-\
no i think she is playing for time. the DC made a mistake. they did not ask for a cease fire to conduct the talks. That means they are still shooting at each other until the cease fire can take effect. With the lack of HPG in the DC that is going to be a while, so the TH navy can still raid and take his toys away until the date of the cease fire. what would happen if the TH stopped operation, but a unit in the DC did not get the message and launches an attack on a TH unit that thinks the war has stopped? that would be ugly... very ugly.
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Well, doing the math:
narukami- 53,600 tons x 2 = 107,200
samarkand II - 36,029 tons = 36029
merchant - 4 x 667 tons = 2668
invader - 6 x 552 tons = 3312
tramp - 2 x 2834 = 5668
star lord - 3 x 661 =1983
mammoth- 40,000 x 18 = 720,000
mule- 12 x 8,500 = 102,000
jumbo- 20 x10,131 = 202,620
Total = 1,346,480 tons
Shipyards = 530,00 tons
Wakazashi = 480,000 tons
Luthien Armor = 628,000 tons
total = 1,638,000 tons
Vincent destroyer- 58,432 tons x 5 (5 total vincent destroyers) = 292,160 tons
Riga Frigate -124,492.5 - 25,000 tons for modifications = 99,492.5 tons
total cargo = 1,738,132.5 tons- 1,638,000 tons = 100,132.5 tons for consumables
If they had the time, they could take it all.
in order to take it all, without using space aboard army transport jumpships or dropships, and using naval warship storage space. If they use all transports, and shuffle things around, it is extremely doable. The remaining crunch factor would only be time.
The Kuritas are going to have to replan the operation, unless they decide the shipyards are now a strategic objective and attack anyway. If they do attack, I think everybody is going to to attack others as well. And there starts the 1st Succession War. Rita and Amanda definitely would not like getting hit again, though.
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5 August 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
All eyes watched the Princess Luxury Dropship bearing Draconis Combine colors as it settled onto the tarmac. It had been almost 5 years since Coordinator Minuro Kurita had been on Terra. Of all the previous visists, this was the first time he actually dreaded. It took all his will power to not throw up at the thought of actually surrendering or admiting fault. As he disembarked, he noticed there was no one to greet him. Instead he found a line of ground cars awaiting his arrival with instructions that he could use his old compound on Terra and that the official meeting would be tomorrow. He willed his anger at the slight to stay deep down and silently vowed that they would pay dearly for this insult, not now, but soon.
6 August 2786
He walked outside to find 2 ground cars waiting. The HAF/SLDF drivers explained that only he and 12 aides or bodyguards could attend the meetings. He never did learn what the HAF/SLDF troops actually called themselves, so he had to ask on the drive to the meeting. His driver explained that they answered to either since they had so many former SLDF in their ranks. Offcially they were the Hegemony Armed Forces, but most just called themselves the SLDF.
Once they arrived, he was led up the steps and down several winding hallways until they reached a large set of doors with guards dressed in Royal Black Watch colors standing guard. A uniformed aide opened the doors to admit him and his small party of aides, his bodyguards were pointed to seats by the Royal Black Watch. It took a single look from Coordinator Kurita for them to obey as he walked thru the doors. Inside were only 3 people, Director General Amanda Cameron, General Rita Mitchell and Jerome Blake. Without a word, he and his party were pointed to chairs opposite themselves. Once again he felt his anger begin to boil as he took the offered seat.
"Coordinator Kurita, it is good to finally meet you in person. I wish it was under more favorable conditions. I hope your compound was to your liking, I have made sure that all the House compounds were maintained in case of visitors to Terra." Director General Amanda Cameron said
"They were suitable and familiar. Shall we get down to business and not the idle chit chat." Coordinator Minuro Kurita replied
"Of course. I understand that the Draconis Combine wishes to sue for peace and end the fighting. That can be easily accomplished. All Combine forces withdraw from every Hegemony world they invaded. But only the personnel, all equipment will be left behind as partial payment for the unprovoked attack upon the Hegemony. The Draconis Combine is responsible for paying for the rebuilding of all damaged and destroyed HPG stations within their borders. In addition, a sum of 200 Billion dollars per year for the next 10 years will be paid to the Hegemony as reparations to repair the damage caused by the Combine and to imdemnify the families of those killed or injured by the Combines unprovoked attack on the Hegemony. Captured warships we will keep." Director General Amanda Cameron paused as Coordinator Minuro Kurita's face seemed to turn an evil red
"Girl, are you out of your mind? Do you really expect me to agree to these terms? You have got to be kidding." Coordinator Kurita nearly yelled
Unflustered, Director General Cameron replied "Then this meeting is a waste of time and you may depart Terra immediately. Your safe passage lasts until you reach Lambrecht, once there, your on your own. There is the door."
But Coordinator Minuro Kurita did not move to get up, he took several deep breaths before speaking again "The Combine will pay no more than 50 Billion per year in reparations for the next 5 years. But I want my equipment back along with my units. Along with safe passage for my transports to collect them."
"I can agree to those terms Coordinator Kurita. I am not unreasonable. Since it will take time for both yourself and us to inform all of our commands of the Cease Fire and soon to be signed Peace Treaty, I propose 1 November as the date that official hostilities end." Director General Amanda Cameron said
"Yes, that would be agreeable. I assume the delay is to get word to your troops raiding my periphery border?" Coordinator Kurita replied
"Yes, it will take some time to relay the news to them. I assume they will be granted safe passage from Combine space? They have quite a journey since Midway and Chatham are deep in Combine space." Director General Cameron said watching closely
Again Coordinator Minuro Kurita's face turned a dark red, and he sucked in a lung full of air "They can not be that deep without our knowledge."
"I assure you Coordinator, they can be. It is amazing what total war looks like with no HPG network to sound the alarm." Director General Cameron said
"I request ypu issue your recall to them immediately. If either Midway or Chatham are attacked before we sign the papers, this deal is off and the war continues." Coordinator Kurita demanded
Director General Amanda Cameron looked at Jerome Blake who made a big deal of picking up the phone and issung immediate recall orders for the strike forces. "There, neither Midway nor Chatham will be struck, orders should reach them in a week and I believe they are 2 weeks away from either system. I will have the documents drawn up. I believe I have been informed that it will take 2 weeks to reactivate the HPG network inside the Combine, but that is AFTER the 1 November date."
"I demand the HPG network be turned on immediately!!" Coordinator Kurita said loudly
"Demand all you want Coordinator Kurita, but the HPG network will only be turned on AFTER 1 November. I am not the fool you take me for. The proper documents will be ready for signatures and witnessing on the 10th. You may return to your compound. Your not restricted to it, but any trip outside your compound will be under armed escort. I assume if the tables were reversed, those would be the restrictions I would be placed under." Director General Cameron said
Coordinator Minuro Kurita did not respond, he just nodded his head, stood and headed for the door. No child, I would have your head on a platter, he thought silently.
Once Coordinator Kurita and his party had exited the building, Director General Amanda Cameron looked at her still silent Aunt Rita, who had said nothing the entire meeting. "How did I do Aunt Rita?"
"Pretty good, I think you should have held out for 125 Billion in reparations. With him on Terra, he will not know that New Samarkand has been hit and we are stripping as much as we can from it. I will make sure Barbara and Colin are aware that they need to be gone by 1 November. Once he finds out, he will pull out all the stops to catch them. Nor am I sure about letting have all his equipment back for his ground troops, but it buys us some time." General Rita Mitchell replied
"How do you think he will react when he finds out who the witness' will be?" Amanda asked
"Probably have a damned heart attack, heck I thought he was going to have one right here." Rita responded
"Serves him right. I owe you a steak dinner Aunt Rita, I think he is up to no good. He caved too easily on the terms." Amanda said and only got a grunt in reply
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I really feel Amanda didn't negotiate well at all here. Usually there is a lot more back and forth. I realize it was to set up the November 1st timeline and the New Samarkand raid into free transit thing, but I think there is going to be a backfire. I doubt the Kuritas will let it slide, as Minoru already wants to kill her. Glad she screwed the DC over, though.
The problem is that Amanda is the only thing tying the Terran Hegemony together. There is no heir and she is a major target. She gets assassinated, and that is the end of the Terran Hegemony.
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So has she and General Rita Mitchell have plans to establish the Hegemony civilian government and beaurocracy ?
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Hegemony Gov never fully collapsed per canon. It is functioning but behind the scenes. Her return staved off the worst of the canon problems with massive system defections. There are a few systems wanting to leave, those with an ax to grind against the SLDF and such.
Periphery Govt is still operating under emergency powers, but that will change soon.
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Hoo boy, those are some nice time constraints for the HAF / HH forces.
Interesting to see that Blake has yet to become active with his "HPG Neutrality Act"... but considering that DC Coordinator is still on Terra I guess we'll see some moves in that direction soon. Just hope that Amanda and Rita are on top of this, because losing the control over the HPGs will be ... painful.
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Both sides agreed to terms WAY too quickly for the other not to suspect something...
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7 August 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Coordinator Minuro Kurita walked along a winding path on the small estate "owned" by the Draconis Combine here on Terra. He had spent a few hours catching up on news from around the Inner Sphere, but now he just needed to clear his head. Time to think, alone, or as alone as he could be. He allowed his mind to wander over the previous days meeting. Why did she settle in such a low amount when she started so high? Is the Hegemony hurting that bad for cash? Or are they much weaker than they appear to be? Where and how did they get their forces all the way to my periphery border so quickly? Were they based at Antallos? It soon became clear that he had way more questions than answers. He stopped at a small bench and sat down, staring our across the lush lawn. He began to take them one at a time.
It was possible that the Hegemony was low on cash, they had suffered a tremendous amount of damage during Amaris rule and the SLDF liberation. But everything he had seen was that they were bouncing back very quickly. Plus they got a massive amount of cash from the HPG network, which only they could maintain.
If they were weak, then they were sure making excellent use of their resources. They had stopped the DCMS cold and even done what he thought could not be done and that was invade the Combine and emerge victorious. They had inflicted lop sided losses on his forces. Plundered and destroyed industries, savaged every command they faced. If they are weal, I do not want them strong.
They had appeared on his periphery border and struck 4 worlds and then vanished. They had savaged the units garrisoning those 4 worlds. They had to come from Antallos, but how had they remained hidden. The DCMS and intel services ran frequent missions to keep tabs on the system. Once he was done here, he would order the DCMS to take care of this issue once and for all.
I think they are stalling for time. Time to rebuild. Well, they will not get that time. Come May 2787, I am going to make you pay for everything, Director General Amanda Cameron. I might even move the capital of the Draconis Combine to Terra when it is all over. It is such a pleasant place after all.
At a restricted space port on the other side of Unity City, Director General Amanda Cameron stood watching the Dropship settle onto the Ferrocrete. She watched a man she had never personally met, yet had spoken to many times approach. "First Prince John Davion, it is a pleasure to meet you in person at last. Welcome to Terra, though I suspect your much more familiar with it than I am."
"Director General Amanda Cameron, your as beautiful as your mother was. It is my pleasure to be here. Though I expect Coordinator Minuro Kurita will not be pleased at my being here. So he really did it? He actually sued for peace?"
"Yes, he agreed rather quickly too. But the main thing is for the fighting to end, for the dying to end." Amanda said
"Make sure you stand way back when he signs the document, he might try to plant that pen in your back." John Davion replied
Amanda patted her hip and brushed back the short jacket she wore revealing a small laser pistol "Let him try, if I don't get him, Aunt Rita will."
First Prince John Davion let out a small laugh "Then I will make sure I am not in the line of fire. Shall we go have a look at the old Federated Suns compound together, or are we awaiting others?" He asked counting the number of waiting cars.
"Others are arriving. Chancellor Barbara Liao, Archon Jennifer Steiner and even Captain General Kenyon Marik will be here soon. Most were invited awhile back by Jerome Blake to discuss the HPG network. I have had people tracking every Jumpship they could so as to form command circuits like the one that brought you. Cost quite a bit to make it work, but we managed to make it happen." Amanda Cameron said
"Your not planning on trying to reform the Star League are you? Because even though the Federated Suns would say yes, maybe Chancellor Liao. But the others? No way, they will not do that again." John Davion replied
"No. I feel no one is ready for that again, not at this time. Not even me." Amanda Cameron said "But, I am here to greet you. The others are being met by others. Let's go see how well kept your compound is."
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I hope the paparazzi were kept out of line of sight of that meeting... If word gets out she met him and NO ONE else personally... :o
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May 2787.... is not as bad as it could be.
Battlemechs per month in Hegemony= 3587 battlemechs built a month
LAMs per month= 76 LAMs a month
Fighters a month= 1256 fighters a month
Tanks and APCs a month= a lot
and say 40% of these are Royal Grade and can't be exported. That means HAF and Militia. 27 months at 40% is just under 294 regiments at 132 Mechs. That is about 3 regiments of Mechs a world and enough supporting elements to put a (MI) Division on every world beyond the already existing formations.
combat dropships = 124 to say 500 (if they push all factories open and to full) a year.
Warships by May 2787 (if Vincent destroyers built at 3 months a batch and including fedsuns squadron)= 116 warships not including HH warships.
Jumpship production= plenty, whether they can afford to use them as army transports instead of trade ships is another question.
Give the Terran Hegemony breathing room and it would be a very tough nut to crack. I think that Minoru and Kenyon will do everyting in their power to disrupt that. Plus, there is the rogue factor of ComStar and their connection with the soldiers that had been left behind the Exodus (Which reminds me, we could be seeing the Black Warriors or other SLDF remnants trickle in). So there is much to be overcome in the time ahead for Amanda. Let us see what happens.
EDIT: It is funny, it is the second time in the last few years that the SLDF has occupied New Samarkand. The Exodus Fleet left from there. LOL.
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May 2787.... is not as bad as it could be.
Battlemechs per month in Hegemony= 3587 battlemechs built a month
LAMs per month= 76 LAMs a month
Fighters a month= 1256 fighters a month
Tanks and APCs a month= a lot
and say 40% of these are Royal Grade and can't be exported. That means HAF and Militia. 27 months at 40% is just under 294 regiments at 132 Mechs. That is about 3 regiments of Mechs a world and enough supporting elements to put a (MI) Division on every world beyond the already existing formations.
combat dropships = 124 to say 500 (if they push all factories open and to full) a year.
Warships by May 2787 (if Vincent destroyers built at 3 months a batch and including fedsuns squadron)= 116 warships not including HH warships.
Jumpship production= plenty, whether they can afford to use them as army transports instead of trade ships is another question.
Give the Terran Hegemony breathing room and it would be a very tough nut to crack. I think that Minoru and Kenyon will do everyting in their power to disrupt that. Plus, there is the rogue factor of ComStar and their connection with the soldiers that had been left behind the Exodus (Which reminds me, we could be seeing the Black Warriors or other SLDF remnants trickle in). So there is much to be overcome in the time ahead for Amanda. Let us see what happens.
EDIT: It is funny, it is the second time in the last few years that the SLDF has occupied New Samarkand. The Exodus Fleet left from there. LOL.
..not funny signed Minoro K.
PS if you persist I'm gonna send Jinjiro over to do a K-party at your house..
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8 August 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell, Commanding General Hegemony Armed Forces, had appointed herself to meet Captain General Kenyon Marik of the Free Worlds League. Jerome Blake had met Archon Jennifer Steiner the previous evening, explaining that Director General Amanda Cameron was unfortunately detained by working on the proper wording of the Peace Accords with the Draconis Combine. This was accepted at face value by Archon Jennifer Steiner, much to the surprise of Jerome Blake.
Chancellor Barbara Liao would be arriving tomorrow, but she was going to be met by Director General Amanda Cameron on the advice of First Prince John Davion. This had surprised everyone when it was announced, but First Prince John Davion had explained that, though the Capellan Confederation was a historic enemy of the Federated Suns, they had, unlike the other Houses except the Federated Suns, provided the most financial aid to the Terran Hegemony while continuing to help fund the repair and maintenance of the HPG network.
General Rita Mitchell watched Captain General Kenyon Marik disembark from his Dropship and walked to greet him. She had made sure that his Dropship would have an unobstructed view of SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship and several other warships on his flight. She hoped that would give him pause in his obvious thirst for Hegemony worlds, but she doubted it. She drew to a halt and allowed him to close the remaining distance. Drawing herself to attention, she saluted Captain General Kenyon Marik.
"Captain General Marik, General Rita Mitchell. It is a pleasure to welcome you to Terra, I hope the flight was comfortable." Rita said
He did not return the salute but looked around before answering "The flight was what I am accustomed to. So, Director General Cameron sends her pit bull to greet me? I had expected better manners from her, but I guess her upbringing was lacking."
A wave of anger flared within General Rita Mitchell, but she fought back the urge to just shoot him on the spot. "No sir, I nominated myself the task of greeting you Captain General. With the Government of the Terran Hegemony still in some cases a shambles, the Director General is extremely busy. Besides, I was hoping we could discuss the continued troop buildup on our borders. I find them troubling and I would hope to avoid an accident." Not only that, but it is a good way to get a good feel for a potential enemy, she thought silently.
"Just harmless maneuvers General Mitchell. As you know, I am here mainly for the conference for this HPG Neutrality that Jerome Blake has been pandering. I have read the articles he has put forward in detail and think it might be worth while to hear more about it. It has been a long trip and if you will excuse me, I would like to see my former estate and relax some." Captain General Kenyon Marik said
"As you wish sir, the vehicles will take you where ever you desire sir." General Rita Mitchell replied
9 August 2786
Chancellor Barbara Liao met Director General Amanda Cameron for the first time after disembarking from her Dropship. She allowed herself a moment to appraise the very young ruler of the Terran Hegemony, her skilled eyes quickly took note that she was quite obviously her deceased mothers child. The resemblence was sort of uncanny, but it was her bright eyes that told all who looked into them that she was extremely intelligent and alert.
"Director General Cameron, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Chancellor Barbara Liao said
"The pleasure is all mine Chancellor. Welcome to Terra. I would like to thank you and your nation for the continued assistance during these trying times. The damage done by Amaris is extensive and your aid has allowed us to see to the needs of my people while we rebuild all that was lost." Amanda said
"It is the right thing to do. I regret not seeing the traitor Amaris for the threat he was." Chancellor Liao replied while silently thinking, if the Hegemony falls, hopefully all the money and aid will sway worlds to the Capellan Confederation.
"I am told he was very skilled at manipulation and deception. He fooled everyone, so you bear no blame for what happened." Amanda said her eyes sparkling brightly
"That is kind of you to say my dear. Though my visit was to hear more about this HPG Neutrality, your invite said that I would be attending something else of interest, may I ask what that is?" Chancellor Liao asked
"Tomorrow, the Draconis Combine and Terran Hegemony will be signing a Peace Accord ending the fighting between us. I need witness' and could think of no better witness' than the leaders of every Great House." Amanda said
Chancellor Barbara Liao's eyes flared at this revelation "Coordinator Minuro Kurita is actually admitting defeat? This must be a very bitter pill for him to swallow."
"I am sure it is, but he has seen the folly in this war. I only hope that it lasts and the Hegemony will not see war ever again." Amanda said but deep inside of her, she knew that her statement was false hope and that war was already looming on the horizon.
While Director General Amanda Cameron was greeting Chancellor Barbara Liao, General Rita Mitchell was having a private talk with Jerome Blake in her office. She wanted to make sure that he understood exactly what he was supposed to do.
"I want this conference to last as long as you can drag it out Mr Blake. Even if every one of the House rulers stand on their chairs and say YES to everything on day one. Drag this out for as long as you can. I have read the proposal and though I have some seious reservations about some aspects of it, Director General Cameron authorized it, so I will stand behind her decision." Rita said
"May I ask why I am to drag this out?" Jerome Blake asked
"It is simple, there are Hegemony forces in a dangerous position and I need time to get them to safety before we reactivate the Combine HPG grid. Plus I would prefer that during that time, Coordinator Kurita be here on Terra and basically out of communication as long as possible. In addition, we need the time to redeploy our forces to meet the possible threat from the Free Worlds League. Marik is not foolish enough to start anything while he is within the borders of the Hegemony itself." Rita explained
"I see. I can possbly drag it out for a week or two. Not sure I can drag it much further." Jerome Blake said
"Sure you can. I have seen your reports on the HPG networks within every realm. They are monsterous, spend a few days reviewing those with the House Lords. Planned expansions, upgrades, new construction, proposed costs, additional funding needed, review each nations contributions to maintaining the HPG netowrk etc. You don't need to kick Kurita too hard, but I am sure that Marik will get all pissy when you point out that his realm is contributing 30% less than every other realm to maintain his portion of the HPG grid. Especially if you point out that upgrades and such in other realms are delayed due to funding issues since extra money must be diverted to make up the shortfall from Marik to maintain the HPG grid. That should be good for several days of the House Lords beating on Marik while you sit back and watch." Rita explained further
"The Free Worlds League is axctually closer to 40% less than everyone else. I would prefer to not put the Accords into danger of failing, but I will help buy time to get Hegemony force to safety." Jerome Blake promised
"Excellent Mr Blake. I knew I could count on you." Rita said, looking forward to reading the transcripts of the conference.
Boulsi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel watched as the extremely heavily guarded convoy entered the mountain base carved out by the SLDF. Aboard this convoy were exact duplicate data cores from Terra. They would be carefully installed within the mountain base. A full Brigade of Infantry was assigned to guard this base at all times. The damage caused during the taking years ago had long been repaired and the base had actually been expanded in size and depth. Weapons emplacements had been installed and even ground based Capitol Weapons were emplaced to make orbital bombardment a dangerous tactic to attempt. Additional reactors had been installed to provide the massive amounts of power these emplacements required.
The mountain itself was solid granite. The data cores were being taken to the lowest level for installation, nearly a mile of solid granite would help shield these precious items from damage. Massive shock absorbers had been installed in the massive cavern to shield them from any sort of shock damage. It was the safest place they had available to them.
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It was the safest place they had available to them.
So this is the known backup, where's the hidden one?
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Well, considering that Boulsi is supposed to be on the fringe spinwards to the core of the IS in the Outworlds Backyard ... that's one measure of security this data dump has going for itself...
Guess Amanda actually allowed Blake to set up his near-traitorous accord ... I really hope she was smart enough to extremely limit the scope of what the company that's supposed to handle the HPG network going from there will be allowed to do.
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So this is the known backup, where's the hidden one?
My money is on "aboard a WarShip"... ^-^
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Are there any seperate stats for the ship upgrades ?
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I have the stats from MekLab which I use to design them. I might create a new thread in the Design Forum for all the ship, Battlemech, Aerospace, Tank designs. Sort of like I did for the Quest story.
That keeps the story here mainly clear from any heavy discussions over the designs. I was planning to do one anyway, but really about 3 years of story telling down the road.
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OK , Cant wait til next chapter.
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10 August 2786
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Admiral Tanisha Tanaka was nearly drooling as she listened to the engineers from Mitchell Vehicles as they spoke of putting the Luxor Heavy Cruiser into production as soon as possible at Linden. Even though the shipyards here were not the hyper advanced yards located at Graham IV, she was assured that they would be able to do the job, but instead of a 1 year construction time, it would take 18 months to build each ship. At least until some of the shipyards from Graham IV arrived along with the more advanced supporting facilities. It was when they started talking about adding the Essex II Destroyer that they started to lose her.
"Look, we have the Vincent Destroyer. It is better armored and in my opinion better armed than the Essex II Destroyer. Not to mention it is faster and more maneuverable. If I have any say in the matter, and I have all the say on this issue, which is to what ships my Fleet will be equipped with, it will be the Vincent Destroyer. Not unless you can design an upgrade for the Essex II Destroyer that matches or exceeds what the Vincent Destroyer can do." Admiral Tanaka said
Several of the Mitchell Vehicle engineers shared some looks before Cynthia Howell, lead engineer present, replied "We can sure make an attempt at it. We have nothing else to do right now anyway. We do not have official word that we have control over these shipyards yet, nor a firm order to place anything into production yet. We were sent out here to get a feel for what was actually available and what would be needed to actually resume production. It will be a design only and until we have one to work with, we will not know the feasibility of whether an existing can be upgraded easily or will it require a complete new build."
"That would be excellent. It will need to be equipped with LF Batteries but not a HPG. I want point defense systems installed and anti fighter weaponry. This will be used to escort the main battle line squadrons, not independent operations. I would prefer it to be as ammunition independent as possible, but it must have enough cargo space and fuel for extended operations away from it's Home Port. Let's see what you can work up. If it is good enough, I will begin fighting for a production contract." Admiral Tanaka said
Now with a "mission" Cynthia Howell told her engineers to pull all the information they had on the Essex Destroyer and to begin work on coming up with a suitable replacement that fit with the specifications set forth by Admiral Tanaka.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Coordinator Minuro Kurita was not surprised when he was led into the large room where the Peace Accords would be signed, for his few spies on Terra had alerted him to the arrival of the other House Lords. Though it angered him that his "peers" would witness the Draconis Combine sue for peace with the Terran Hegemony, he forced himself to play the part, for soon he would have his vengeance for this outrage. As he walked towards the raised dias, he nodded at the other House Lords, noticing that First Prince John Davion was talking with General Rita Mitchell, while Director General Amanda Cameron was talking with Chancellor Barbara Liao. Captain General Kenyon Marik was seated but not talking to anyone and Archon Jennifer Steiner was talking with Jerome Blake.
Once he took his seat, the various conversations halted and everyone took their seats. Throughout the small speech given by Director General Amanda Cameron, Coordinator Minuro Kurita forced himself to remain impassive outwardly, even though inside, his blood was boiling as she detailed to all present the terms of the Peace Accord. The Terran Hegemony was giving up nothing while the Draconis Combine was being forced to give up much, it was obvious that the Combine had been the losers.
When the Peace Accords were placed in front of him, he quickly read them and then picked up the ornate pen. With barely contained rage, he quickly signed his name and affixed his personal seal where an aide to Director General Cameron indicated. Just as quickly, Director General Amanda Cameron signed the document and then all the other House Lords as witness. He was not in the mood for any small talk, so once everything was over, he marched straight for the door and was whisked back to his compound. Though he wanted to leave for Luthien immediately, he had to complete the final part of his son's plan and sit thru the HPG Neutrality Conference scheduled to start on the 15th. He prayed that it would be over quickly.
Back in the conference room, General Rita Mitchell spoke to Jerome Blake. "Mr Blake, you may begin to bring on the HPG Netowrk inside the Draconis Combine. On this data disc if the order in which they are to be turned on and the dates they are to be acitvated. You are not to deviate from this list or time schedule. Understood?"
"Yes General Mitchell, I understand." Jerome Blake said as he accepted the data disc from General Mitchell.
Junior (Federated Suns)
At the Nadir Jump Point, 10 Monolith Jumpships and 12 Star Lord Jumpships sat recharging. Not far away, their escorts were also recharging their drives. SLS Borneo, Volga Transport and SLS Contraband, League II Destroyer. They were returning to the Terran Hegemony, but not empty. Loaded aboard the many modified Passenger Mammoth's were the troops of the 52nd Infantry Division, their equipment stored aboard the SLS Borneo.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel watched the activation ceremony with some pride, another former shattered SLDF command was once again on active duty and at full strength, the 428th Battlemech Division. It had several years to get the needed Mechwarriors trained and then he let Major General Ingrid Sherman have a full year to drill them into a combat ready command before full activation.
The full year of battle drills had allowed the 428th Battlemech Division activate with a decent readiness level. He rated the command at Regular experience level instead of Green. This time, he could not afford to shift large numbers of Veterans into the new command.
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The 52nd will definitely help as things evolve...
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Looks like both of the Hegemonies are slowly increasing their combat arms. That is good, as they will be needed.
And that convoy, it will be moving a over a million people at a time. Which sounds huge until you compare it to the amount of people who left Earth and the Terran Hegemony already.
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18 August 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Coordinator Minuro Kurita was seriously contemplating seppuku if he had to sit thru much more of this techno babble from Jerome Blake and his never ending briefings and speeches. He had sat thru boring briefings and meetings before but this one took the prize as the worst. For 3 days now, he and the other House Lords had sat and listened to the planned expansion of the HPG network if the HPG Neutrality was signed, about how the expansion would be funded, that each HOuse would be allowed to designate certain worlds for immediate upgrade, limited to 10 every 20 years for each House. To break the boring routine, when today's monologue had started, he had asked about Luthien and the restoration of the Combine's HPG Network. It had been an embarrassing mistake.
"Before you get on your roll Mr Blake, how soon will my HPG Network is fully operational?" Coordinator Kurita had asked
"We have already begun work on making the HPG's operational again. It is fairly easy to shut them down, but getting them operational again and perfectly tuned is a time consuming process. Then there is the stations that were destroyed or badly damaged when your forces attempted to take the stations. Rebuilding them will take even more time, plus it is fully dependent on funding from your government. Take Luthien as an example, it was a fully upgraded HPG station, equal to all of the other Houses stations on their capital's and here on Terra. To rebuild the Luthien station will take 3 years and cost 80 Billion Dollars. We have already begun purchasing the needed equipment and construction is estimated to take just over a year, then 6 months to transport and another year to assemble on site, with several months of testing before fully operational." Jerome Blake stated
"Why not quicker? Luthien should be of the highest priority!!" Coordinator Kurita exploded
"Systems within the Hegemony come before all others Coordinator. The Hegemony controls the HPG production plants. And I am sorry to remind you, but it was the actions of your forces that resulted in the destruction of the Luthien HPG station. Those systems ahead of you have already paid for their equipment in full. The Combine has yet to send a single dollar to purchase the needed equipment to replace that which your forces caused to be destroyed. I took the liberty of inserting your order into the production waiting list for you, but construction of that equipment will not begin until payment has been received in full." Jerome Blake replied
"This is an outrage, there has to be another way to speed this up. Luthien must regain it's ability to communicate again." Coordinator Kurita said angrily
"Well, since you asked, I know that Graham IV, which is currently having it's equipment finalized for delivery in the next 2 months, could probably be persuaded to move to your current production slot, but it will be expensive. They need the cash for rebuilding efforts more than a fully upgraded HPG." Jerome Blake replied
"How much will this cost?" Coordinator Kurita asked, though he seriously needed the HPG, he smelled a rat.
"The full cost of their purchase, which is 45 Billion Dollars, plus an additional 45 Billion dollars for the 2 year delay on arrival of their already purchased HPG equipment. That would guarantee their acceptance of the deal, I am sure of it. Plus you would need to pay the 80 Billion Dollars, for the rebuilding of the Luthien station, before delivery is arranged to Luthien." Jerome Blake stated flatly
"You have lost your mind Blake. The Combine will not be held hostage like this." Coordinator Kurita said
"Then your production slot will remain where it is. But I remind you, production will not commence until your payment is made. In full sir." Jerome Blake replied
From the corner of his eye, Coordinator Minuro Kurita could see First Prince John Davion watching the exchange with a barely hidden grin on his face. Across the table, Director General Amanda Cameron had continued jotting notes on her pad while drawing circles with her pen. "Director General Cameron, surely something can be done to overcome this impasse."
She stopped her doodling and looked Coordinator Kurita in the eye "You should have heeded my warning Coordinator Kurita. But, your right, Luthien, as the capital of the Draconis Combine should not remain in the dark. I will make all the arrangements, but I will need the 45 Billion for Graham IV plus your 80 Billion before I authorize shipping. I also believe that an additional 17 stations were destroyed or heavily damaged and that the cost for those are an additional 470 Billion Dollars to being them to fully operational status. How would you like to pay for those?"
The amount hit Coordinator Minuro Kurita like a sledgehammer, over half a TRILLION Dollars would be needed to bring his nations HPG Network back to full operation. He forced himself to remain stone faced as he answered "Luthien will be first, I will have the funds transferred the moment I am back on Luthien. The others I will need to examine their importance for repair or replacement."
"Perfectly understandable Coordinator Kurita. Now, shall we continue with Mr Blake's presentations? He has worked a long time on them after all." Director General Amanda Cameron said
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and thus, the coordinator is introduced to the concept that "Critical infrastructure is expensive".
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it would have been great is the DC had a stroke when he sees the final bill. Maybe the TH would take a few warship as trade? But Cash is king.... or as the golden rules says.... She who has the gold (HPG) make the rules. :thumbsup:
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Well, I never thought that economics can be so fun. Well done sir, well done indeed.
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So glad to see Blake staying on side! 8)
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Well, I never thought that economics can be so fun. Well done sir, well done indeed.
check Cannonshops new Ngo sequel LOL
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Heck, see ANY Kowloon thread EVER... 8)
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19 August 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain was tired, as were all of her crews. They had been on a heightened alert status for too long. But being in Cobine space did not allow them any downtime at all. Almost every couple of days a Combine Jumpship entered the system only to be captured by her warships. As much as she wanted to keep them all, she did not have near enough crews for them. She had impounded the independently owned Jumpships until they departed the system with their crews transported to the surface. Ships belonging to the DCMS Admiralty she had other plans for them. So far, they had taken control of 7 Invader, 3 Star Lord and a brand new Monolith Jumpship from the DCMS Admiralty.
She wished Major General Colin McGregor could speed up his looting of the factory complexes, but she knew that was beyond his control. It took time. She consoled herself with having all 3 captured DCMS warships out of their slips and ready to leave with her Fleet. After consulting the specialists they had brought, they had confirmed that they could breakdown the actual shipyard slips in the time they had left and could possibly strip down several of the supporting orbital factories. She had given the go ahead a week ago and they had already begun dismantling the slip configured to build the Samarkand Carrier.
She was about to turn in for the night when alarms sounded throughout the ship and she made her way back to the bridge. Probably another random Jumpship inbound, she thought as the bridge hatch cycled open. "Report, what have we got?"
"Incoming emergence waves, multiple ships. Unless the Combine has gone to convoy's, I would bet money we have incoming warships." Her XO reported
"Order General Quarters, set condition 3. Warm up the weapons and get the pilots to their birds. Comm, send to the surface, inbound hostiles to make sure they are ready for anything." Vice Admiral Coltrain ordered
Cho-sho Ikuya Seki, commander 1st Fleet Supply Division, shook off the effects from the jump into New Samarkand. He was delivering the final crews for the 3 new warships but also resupply Cho-sho Shuji Hirata and his Division during their patrol of the periphery border. As the ships sensors came back online, he noted that all of the ships in his Division had made the jump. He gave the order to fire up the engines and head for the shipyard complex to transfer the new crew members to their ships and to begin transfer of material for the shipyards and taking on additional spares.
An aide brought a cup of tea over and he had taken his first sip from the Zero G cup when the ships plot suddenly changed. Heading towards his Division at a 2g rate of advance and barely at the edge of his ships radar range were 6 blips. As he studied the incoming plots, he verified that his ships were broadcasting their IFF and then as the oncoming ships closed, the ships plot blinked as it started picking up their IFF signals. He cursed as his eyes focused on a blip now labeled SLS Rhodon, Luxor Heavy Cruiser. "Battle stations, get the weapons warmed up."
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain smiled as her ships rushed the Combine warships that just materialized. It would not be a fair fight at all and they could not flee. Two Vincent Corvettes and 4 Carrack Transports would make a very nice addition to their growing Fleet. She checked the closure rate and saw that they had another 30 minutes to maximum range. She crossed her legs and adjusted herself as much as her straps would allow to maximize her comfort during the 2g rate of advance.
Cho-sho Ikuya Seki knew this would be a very lop sided fight as he gave the order for his few Aerospace fighters to launch. His ships sensor's kept a count of the swarm of inbound hostile Aerospace fighters. Not a ship in his command really stood a chance against the oncoming warships. His Carracks had carried 6 Jumbo Dropships and 2 Aqueduct Dropships for their resupply mission. He had already ordered the nearly defenseless Dropships to flee in the opposite direction while the warships tried to fight off the incoming enemy. "Emergence signatures detected!!!" Cho-sho Ikuya Seki could clearly see the incoming signatures being plotted on his display, his sensors detected what looked like a single ship on each of his flanks with another pair directly behind, effectively surrounding his force.
SLS Midnight Dancer, LF Star Lord Jumpship materialized 37,500km in front of the fleeing Dropships and detached the 3 Titan Dropships she was carrying, which in turn began launching their Aerospace Fighters. She was followed by SLS Yangtze River, Vincent Destroyer which began heading for the gaggle of Dropships slightly behind the flock of Aerospace Fighters. On each flank of the Combine warhsip squadron, SLS Trinity River, Vincent Destroyer appeared on their port flank while SLS Halthom, Vincent Destroyer materialized on their starboard flank. Both began moving to intercept the Combine warships and prevent any escape.
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain watched the range closure and gave her final orders before allowing the individual ships captains to direct the fight "Weapons free, target as enemy ships bear. I would prefer to capture as many as possible but if they force our hand destroy them. I want non stop surrender calls even during the fighting, hopefully, after the intial volley's they will see the wisdom of surrender. Under no circumstances do we allow any ship to break thru and threaten our transports or shipyards."
A flurry of acknowledgements came over the communications network as SLS Rhodon's weapons officer selected the lead Vincent Corvette as the primary target, she advised her captain of a slight course adjustment which would bring another facing into play for maximum effect. The course was altered slightly and as the lead Vincent entered max range, SLS Rhodon opened fire. Three NL/55, 6 Medium NPPC and 2 Medium Naval Gauss headed for the lead Vincent Corvette. Cho-sho Seki thought his Vincent Corvette had stopped dead in it's tracks as the massive volley struck home. A quick glance at the damage display caused a flash of fear to go down his spine. The nose of his Vincent Corvette literally did not exist any longer, several shots had gone internal and his Jump Core showed enough damage that he doubted he could flee even if he wanted to. Another volley like that and we die.
DCS Gilded Dragon, Vincent Corvette was not nearly as lucky. She was struck by 3 Heavy NPPC and 4 Medium NPPC fired by SLS Hatchet, Kimagure Pursuit Cruiser. All the nose armor was blasted away along with most of the Forward Right armor. A single Heavy NPPC shot went internal and detonated the Barracuda missile stored there. The resulting explosion ripped the forward section of the Vincent Corvette apart.
DCS Horned Toad, Carrack Transport was swarmed with Aerospace Fighters, who had barely even slowed to engage the few DCMS Aerospace fighters. Though her anti fighter weapons proved to be a threat, it was the Vincent rapidly closing that was her greatest threat. She focused all she could on the lightly armored Vincent and was shocked as sensor reads reported barely any damage when she should have lost over 1/2 her armor where her weapons struck home. Aboard SLS Kathy Hamile, Vincent Destroyer, Commodore Oscar Lorenzo smiled at what he was about to do to the Carrack Transport that had scratched his paint. "Weps, please let that Carrack know that we do not appreciate the greeting we just got."
With a smile, the weapons officer gave the order to fire. Two NAC/10 were fired in return and both removed the nose armor allowing one of the NAC/10 rounds to go internal. "Sir, I cannot fire anything else, everything we have will blow that Carrack apart. We need to pass by to bring our AFT weapons into play, the Naval Lasers are all we have. The NAC/20's will possibly destroy the Carrack."
"Understood Weps, Helm, accelerate and get our AFT weapons into the fight if you would please."
So the battle continued but within 30 minutes, the fighting was over. The SLDF/HAF forces had lost 5 Aerospace Fighters and some armor damage to warships. The Combine had lost 12 Aerospace Fighters, and a single Jumbo Dropships destroyed. SAR missions were launched as Marine details conducted boarding operations. Within 6 hours of the Combine arrival, the SLDF/HAF was victorious.
Captured Combine Shipping
DCS Storm Rising, Vincent Corvette - Heavy Damage (Captured)
DCS Gilded Dragon, Vincent Corvette - Heavy Damage (Captured)
DCS Horned Toad, Carrack Transport - Heavy Damage (Captured)
DCS Hōfuku Maru, Crrack Transport - Moderate Damage (Captured)
DCS Tatsuta Maru, Carrack Transport - Light Damage (Captured)
DCS Kyokusei Maru, Carrack Transport - Light Damage (Captured)
5 Jumbo Dropships Captured
2 Aqueduct Dropships Captured
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now Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain can be picky on what ships she takes, when she leaves.... hummm Mammoth or a union what to do?
Can you remote jump a civilian jumpship. Say you have one manned invader, can she control or remote activate the jump diver of a few other ships. When they get to the end of the next jump? Some of the crew from the "mother" jumpship take small craft over to deploy sails, charger the engine, and load the next jump data. this would slow down the whole "convoy" but if workable it would increase the number of jumpships. i still would leave the independent jumpships.
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Or even remote jump any ship that can't be crewed to a point where they can be secured and taken later- whether that be in another system or a point in deep space. They remote jump cores, so there is no reason they can not do the same to jumpships.
EDIT: That is some very nice captured warship stock, with a lot of transport capacity. Looks like the two remaining warship slips might be needed for repairs. Hope they can repair what they need to and disassemble slips on schedule. Either that or they might have to blow everything remaining in place. Sorry Minoru, no shipyard for you.
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19 August 2786
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Martin Zuni, CEO ZaP Shipping, was reorganizing his shipping allocations. With the expansion of the Hegemony territory in the Periphery, he had been forced to expand his operations quicker than he had ever planned. So far, he was the sole player in the interstellar shipping market, but he was also smart enough to make sure he did not over charge for anything. If anything, he kept prices below market value. He had a good thing going and there was no sense in making waves or getting complaints that might cause General Mitchell to regret allowing him a monopoly on shipping traffic.
Years ago, he had arranged to purchase the captured pirate Liberty Jumpships for a song and dance bargain price. This had allowed him to easily expand into the newer controlled territory to provide the needed services. Now that Thompson Shipyards was operating the civilian Jumpship construction market, he had been forced to do some serious negotiations to secure a good contract price per ship. Luckily, he had dealt with the first folks to arrive and not the head hunters from their main office still in the Hegemony. But it was still a very lucrative deal for both sides, they got a 20% discount on all shipping needs and he got a 20% discount on ship purchases and a 25% discount on maintenance costs. This was mainly agreed to because beside the SLDF/HAF military, he was the only Jumpship buyer out here.
He had put off this reorganization for too long and he knew it, but it was time. Sooner or later he knew someone else was going to move into the area and begin some competition. He was not worried about a single ship independent, he was worried about one of the heavy hitters from either the original Hegemony or one of the Houses deciding it was time for an expansion. He studied the large monitor on the wall, where his current work was displayed. His eyes flicked down to his written notes and then back to the monitor looking for any errors.
ZaP Shipping Operational Chart
Home System - Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Thazi Division
Star Lord Jumpship - 3
Liberty Jumpship - 8
Merchant Jumpship - 4
Mammoth Dropship (Cargo) - 10 (4 on order)
Mammoth Dropship (Passenger) - 4 (3 on order)
Jumbo Dropship (Cargo) - 32 (4 on order)
Jumbo Dropship (Passenger) - 4 (3 on order)
Buccaneer Dropship - 6
Mitz Division
Star Lord Jumpship - 4
Tramp Jumpship - 4
Invader Jumpship - 16 (6 on order)
Merchant Jumpship - 12 (8 on order)
Mammoth Dropship (Cargo) - 30 (12 on order)
Mammoth Dropship (Passenger) - 12 (4 on order)
Jumbo Dropship (Cargo) - 24 (6 on order)
Jumbo Dropship (Passenger) - 14
Buccaneer Dropship - 7
Mule Dropship - 24 (12 on order)
Bastrop Division (Federated Suns)
Monolith Jumpship - 2 (4 on order)
Star Lord Jumpship - 2
Invader Jumpship - 16
Merchant Jumpship - 8
Mammoth Dropship (Cargo) - 40
Mammoth Dropship (Passenger) - 6
Jumbo Dropship (Passenger) - 12
Mule Dropship - 30
Monarch Dropship - 8
Transit Division (Bastrop to Vonja)
Star Lord Jumpship - 4
Mammoth Dropship (Passenger) - 16
He had shifted more assets to support Martha Pruitts Bastrop operations. He had purchased new Dropships off the open market within the Federated Suns while extra Jumpships moved from the Hegemony to the Federated Suns. But what had both shocked him and scared him some was the fleet of Jumpships owned by Mitchell Vehicles that had arrived carrying their personnel and equipment. He had learned that Mitchell Vehicles was purchasing as many Jumpships and Dropships as he could to move everyone that wanted to make the move. Martin feared that once the move was complete, Mitchell would turn that Jumpship fleet into a shipping company, so he wanted to make sure he was ready.
He had been forced to place 4 Star Lord Jumpships and 16 Mammoth Dropship (Passenger) on a command circuit from Bastrop to Vonja due to the increased and almost non stop Hegemony refugee's arriving at Bastrop carried aboard Federated Suns transports. Currently the circuit was moving 96,000 passengers every other week and had been for the last 3 months. He did not complain, as the circuit was making 230 million per month for the trip from Bastrop to Vonja. Refugee's paid 300 per jump for the 4 jump trip to Vonja, from there, the Hegemony paid a heavily discounted 150 per jump to move the refugee's to different worlds within the Hegemony border depending on a systems needs and refugee skills. Reports from Bastrop said that even with the command circuit, the number of refugee's was growing faster than they could transport them. Current rates had the Federated Suns delivering 380,000 refugee's per month. He was fighting a losing battle with the flood.
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Looks like he is going to need to preorder some Mammoth Dropships (Passenger) to Batrop so that when the Monolith Jumpships get delivered, they can move enough Hegemony citizens to keep up. Martin may be worried about competition, but it seems like there is plenty of work available for a transport business to find work for. The Hidden Hegemony is certainly growing, which is a good thing for it's future. As it expands, there will only be further trade generated- and people who want to prey upon it, meaning there will continue to be a reason for the HAF to exist, even at a reduced size. Although considering there are what, 80+(EDIT: Sorry 74) worlds plus Naikongzu, Antallos, and Drachenwald? That is a lot of worlds to garrison, especially if there is piracy, the DC miltary or state-sponsored adventurism.
EDIT: And having an active DoME means further terraforming, so yay?
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ZaP has a few ways they can go.
one order more and larger passenger dropships.
two move Merchant class ship help, and then surge Invader class when/if things go down hill for the TH.
three. buy a few Carracks. they "only" have two drop collars but the 63k of cargo so they can carry more than just people. Where to get them? the FedSuns is building up and they need weapons not merchant ships they are known as at this time. When the THiE need to pull in the hole behind them. those ships would be great for moving cargo in that dangerous part of space in SW1 and SW2. i would go with a lease to own option on 4 of those craft.
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I have toyed with stripping the Carrack of Capitol Weapons for a civilian style transport, like the Clans did, BUT that entails some serious risk. Not far from now, EVERY House is going to go after anything with a Compact Core.
The cost of even a stripped down Carrack is more than a Star Lord and 6 Mammoth Dropships which would carry far more cargo in a single load. I just don't see the risk versus reward of even doing it.
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I have toyed with stripping the Carrack of Capitol Weapons for a civilian style transport, like the Clans did, BUT that entails some serious risk. Not far from now, EVERY House is going to go after anything with a Compact Core.
The cost of even a stripped down Carrack is more than a Star Lord and 6 Mammoth Dropships which would carry far more cargo in a single load. I just don't see the risk versus reward of even doing it.
i looked at converted damaged vincent cor into blockade runner. my idea of carrack is stop gap measure
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19 August 2786
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Admiral Tanisha Tanaka had looked over the massive transport needs of the SLDF/HAF ground forces and it was not a pretty picture. The Star Lord Jumpship was the primary transport for the SLDF/HAF. Though Thompson Shipyards had brought the design for the Monolith Jumpship with them, it was expected to take at least 2 years before it was in production. Not only that, but any offensive or even defensive action would require the transports to be escorted with warships, and these were always in short supply. The workhorse Star Lord Jumpship, of which the SLDF/HAF had 83 of, was a good transport, but defenseless. Each Mechanized Infantry Division consumed a massive minimum of 50 Dropship collars to transport. It used to not be that bad, but with the expanded TOE of each Division while under General Rita Mitchell, the collar problem had exploded. It was fine for purely defensive operations, but it caused massive problems during offensive operations with Operation Black Eye consuming almost 35% of their available Star Lord's. Another 15 had gone to Terra with General Mitchell and had yet to return. That was almost half of their true available transports gone.
She had thought long and hard over some kind of solution to their problem. How to provide the needed transport in a package that could protect itself from a warship threat for either offensive or defensive operations? That was the largest problem, they did not possess enough warships to both guard their borders, escort missions and fight an offensive campaign at the same time. She looked up as her guest arrived, Cynthia Howell from Mitchell Vehicles.
"Please have a seat Mrs Howell. I need some input, suggestions, idea's. I need it all. Let me explain." Admiral Tanaka said and for the next 30 minutes she laid out all the problems and then asked for possible solutions.
For several minutes Cynthia Howell sat in her chair and looked at the notes she had taken. She had spent a lot of time looking over the designs of both Warships and Dropships that the SLDF/HAF was using. Though they were excellent designs, they were limited in their carry capacity and chewed up collars, which was a huge issue in itself. She doodled on her pad for a few minutes until she finally looked up. "What if, Mitchell Vehicles could redesign the Colossus Dropship? I think we could modify it so that 2 of them could carry a full Battlemech Regiment with ample onboard supplies to keep the Regiment in battle for almost 2 weeks just on onboard supplies. That would chop the current 11 Dropships needed by a Mechanized Infantry Division down to roughly 6. We could also probably modify another variant to carry a full Armor Regiment. That would free another 8 collars up. Your still going to need the 10 Lion (Infantry) Dropships, which is a sweet little design, if expensive as hell. I think it might be possible to get the overall collar total down to maybe 35 to 40. But judging by the oversized Divisions your running overall, I just don't see a way to get below that. Your still going to need at least a Regiment of Battlemechs mounted in either Lee or Overlord Dropships to secure a landing zone for the Colossus Dropships to come in at safely.
Even at that collar count, your looking at 2 Potemkin Transports per Division or 8 Star Lords. That new Monolith would drop the number to 5 needed. But the conventional Jumpships, though much cheaper, would need escorts at all times."
"Well, you know my problems. So feel free to work on some design's and bring them to me. If you can make them feasible, I will fight like hell to get them approved for deployment. It would be a big contract, so keep the costs down as much as you can." Admiral Tanaka said "How are you and your people finding it out here?"
"Much to my surprise, it has been extremely pleasant. The local's are as nice as ever and eager beavers. The housing, while not what we left, is comfortable and functional. My biggest surprise was from Vice Admiral Percy Siemens. He has been extremely open to any suggestions we have made. I am used to getting gruff from SLDF officers when I make a suggestion." Cynthia Howell said
Admiral Tanaka pinched the bridge of her nose slightly between to fingers before she responded "Vice Admiral Siemens can be a burden at times. He means well, and I cannot fault his administration ability, but he can also get under a person's skin quickly."
"Well, before coming over, I had just explained to him that with the current size of the fleet out here, he should really upgrade the existing shipyards to construct or handle ships of 1 Million tons. He only has 2 yards that size but has 6 yards that can handle 500 thousand tons or less. All those Vigilant Corvettes he runs can be maintained inside of a Olympus Recharge Station. But your lacking enough yards to keep your true warships in shape or build new ones. Those are the recommendations I will be making to Mr Mitchell when he arrives and we officially assume control of the shipyards here. My thinking is the faster we start some upgrades, the quicker we can fully upgrade the shipyard systems to the more advanced yards like at Graham IV. Plus I would love to increase the number of supporting complexes, I am a firm believer of you can never have enough of those." Cynthia Howell replied
"Great" Admiral Tanaka said quietly before saying louder "How is your Destroyer design coming along?"
"We have several in the works. They seem pretty good, but until we either build one for trials or get our hands on one to strip down and upgrade, they are just computer designs and rough ones at that. We don't have the more advanced computers that we had at Graham IV. Once those arrive, we will be able to not only design a ship, but do most of the combat testing within the computer itself before we even lay the keel." Cynthia Howell said
For over an hour, they made small talk about how all the new arrivals were settling in and such.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel was going over the almost non stop flow of refugee's arriving at Vonja and then being dispersed all over the Hegemony worlds depending on their skill sets. With almost a quarter million people arriving each month, the housing situation was rearing it's evil head. You just could not build towns and cities with all their infrastructure fast enough. Feijo Modular Construction had again not only expanded so that they now built 200 modular housing units per day, but were licensing their designs to other systems for construction for 10% royalty. Not only did this provide good paying jobs, but it also helped provide good quality housing for almost every world in the Hegmeony. They had even designed several new modular additions that can expand an existing structure in size and to make them more "custom". Currently the Hegemony and each planet was footing the bill for the initial structure for incoming refugee's, but any of the new "custom" models would have to be purchased on the refugee's dime.
Currently he was focusing on getting the refugee's onto worlds that needed a population boost and had the needed resources to support them. Planets that needed no terraforming were a top priority. Like, Ype-Jhu, Kent, Santa-Ana since they were so close to Vonja than other systems. Those with high tech manufacturing skills were being taken to worlds where they were needed. Systems with a low population but ample natural resources were given top priority for new settlers.
With a large part of the SLDF/HAF now deployed outside of their borders, he had ordered that the Battlemech pilot training program now extend training to 6 years before graduation to increase the overall skill level of the graduates before they entered line commands. He also suspended temporarily the reactivation of new command outside and focused on allowing some of the long term SLDF troops an option to retire to the world of their choosing with a modest pension. It was time, some of these troops had been in service for 20 years already. He would need the replacements for replacing the retiree's. Many would be offered training/instructor slots if they wanted them.
He knew several Division Commanders that were getting long in the tooth. He had spoken to several of them and offered them a chance to start up an official Officer Training Academy plus Advanced Course for Senior Officers.
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will some of those retires be allowed to take their mechs? how about something like the Watchman idea. i don't know if arming workmechs would be the right way to go. the old jocks might think it was a slap in the face. Still that would add some firepower to those planets they retire on, it also would be nice leg up for training the next generation (grandkids). if they had hands they could be used around the planet they were living on.
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The only thing I can think of, would be something similar to a Fox class corvette without LF-Batteries. Being fairly cheap, light enough in mass to build quickly, with a high collar count, this could be a way to quickly raise transport capacity.
EDIT: Because anything larger would take over a year to build, where a corvette would take under 6 months to build, and would be armed and armored (150 k-tons w/180 tons max armor, 240 k-tons w/288 tons max armor- which are both more armor then a stock Vincent, assuming my figures are right). Honestly, if the Vigilant or Vincent could be redesigned to have a multi-collared variant, it would make parts availability and maintenance so much easier.
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i just would go look what was on the second hand marked instead of trying to build new.
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now Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain can be picky on what ships she takes, when she leaves.... hummm Mammoth or a union what to do?
Can you remote jump a civilian jumpship. Say you have one manned invader, can she control or remote activate the jump diver of a few other ships. When they get to the end of the next jump? Some of the crew from the "mother" jumpship take small craft over to deploy sails, charger the engine, and load the next jump data. this would slow down the whole "convoy" but if workable it would increase the number of jumpships. i still would leave the independent jumpships.
One idea if she can pull it off is to use the Carracks as fuel tankers/herders. The Carrack uses its crew to tell the Jumpships to jump to a point in empty space, and then follows them. After arriving, the Carracks transfer fuel to the Jumpships so they can run their reactors to charge their cores. Repeat until the ships arrive in Terran space. Going slightly off a direct line back to Terran space means it would be impossible for the DC Admiralty to spot them.
The Jumpships have as many Dropships loaded with cargo as they can.
This would let them get more material out of the Draconis Combine, and avoid the worry of jumping to an uninhabited system with a DC vessel present but not close enough to grab.
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20 August 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Even Director General Amanda Cameron could not take anymore of Jerome Blakes technical heavy briefings. Before today's meeting she had cornered him and told him it was time to bring the matter to a vote and let their chips fall where they may. As everyone filed into the briefing room, she could tell not a single House Lord was looking forward to another grueling 6 hour day of techno babble. She watched casually as Jerome Blake took the podium again and cracked a slight smile as even First Prince John Davion moaned quietly.
"My Lords, I want to express my gratitude for attending this conference. I think I have covered everything in enough detail that everyone fully understands the HPG Neutrality Accord and the HPG rates and what they will fund. I feel it is time to ask, who would like to be the first to sign the HPG Neutrality Accord?" Jerome Blake asked
Everyone was startled as Coordinator Minuro Kurita nearly shouted "Let the Draconis Combine be the first to sign the HPG Accord."
In due order, every House Lord of the Inner Shpere agreed to sign the HPG Neutrality Accord. Within an hour, the massive document was brought in and every House Lord affixed their signature to it. Comstar was now officially an independent organization in charge of all HPG stations and their operation. BUT, the Terran Hegemony still controlled the actual production of replacement parts for the HPG Network, those factories being on Terra after all. Once the conference broke up, Jerome Blake looked up as Director General Amanda Cameron walked up to him.
"How may I be of service Director General Cameron?" Jerome Blake asked standing up quickly
"Just wanted to wish you good luck. Your technically not answerable to me any longer Mr Blake. But I want to remind you that I still control the HPG factories. I will not ask you to compromise your neutrality, BUT, I caution you to remember I still hold the key's to the kingdom and you are registered as a Terran Hegemony entity which will have to pay your taxes on time to the Terran Hegemony Government." Director General Amanda Cameron said
"I understand the issues quite well maam. I am always at your service and I will still abide by the reactivation schedule given to me by General Mitchell. I can see why the list is the way it is. Obviously the Hegemony had an operation that needs protection before the Peace Treaty takes full effect on 1 November. Not a single HPG activating before 1 November is within 50LY of another activated HPG." Jerome Blake replied
"Just wanted to make sure everything was clear Mr Blake. I will leave you to your duties." Director General Amanda Cameron said as she turned and exited the room.
Terran Hegemony
Across contested worlds, video messages from Coordinator Minuro Kurita were hand carried under a flag of truce to the Combine commanders. They watched the video messages in disbelief, but none could deny that it was really Coordinator Kurita delivering the message. Though official hostilities would not end until November 1, commanders across the contested systems agreed to seperate their forces. Everyone wanted the fighting to end, especially the DCMS commands that were currently on the losing end of the fighting.
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain had damage estimates from the newly captured DCMS warships. Neither Vincent Corvette was jump capable and would require complete jump core replacements for them to be. She had ordered both Corvette's destroyed completely. All 4 Carrack Transports were jump capable but would require some repairs to make a long journey. She had them being cycled into the 2 active slips for emergency repairs.
On the surface, Major General Colin McGregor watched as the ongoing removal of the Battlemech production lines made steady progress. Though they had a ways to go, the work was going faster each day as the engineers got more familiar with their tasks. He had even sent troops over to "liberate" Kiso Construction Mechs to make the task of dismantling as much as they could go faster. A few skirmishes had been fought with the remains of the Combine garrison but they were quickly beaten off and chased far away from the Battlemech factories.
Kilbourne (Federated Suns)
Andrew Matheson, Thompson Shipyards, could not complain as he watched the HAF Yardship slowly maneuver away from the Germanium Processing Factory that it had just completed. It was the 2nd one it had built, after first building a 15,000 person Orbital Habitat to house workers at the large complex slowly but steadily takng shape. Dropships carried thousands of tons of steel frames from the planet's surface for the massive shipyard frames almost non stop. Thompson's Shipyards had taken 28 Billion of the Federated Suns grant money and managed to purchase a fully upgraded modern shipyard from Mitchell Vehicles from their Graham IV location. It would be transported to Kilbourne once it's current production was completed in a few months. He could then duplicate the upgrading process to the other shipyard slips. He estimated they could begin actual production mid 2788 or early 2789.
Quinnes (Terran Hegemony)
Tiffany Sample, Mitchell Vehicles, watched the finishing touches being put on the massive Mitchell Vehicles Corporate Headquarters. Encompassing 360,000 square feet, it was an enormous complex. Though it was still smaller than the one they were leaving on Graham IV, their operation here was smaller also, but they had room to expand as needed. She turned and looked across the expanse to where the much larger Battlemech Factory complex was still under construction. Things were progressing quickly, but she guessed it would take at least another year before the first test Battlemech emerged from the Factory complex.
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That had to be one of the few times every Lord of the Star League has been desperate to sign a treaty when given the opportunity. LOL. I guess we will see if the Kurita will hold to their own schedule and hold till May 2787, or if they will be so enraged they attack ahead of schedule.
Sad that the Vincents had to be destroyed, hope they were able to at least pull some salvage from them. Did you mean KISO construction mech? Glad to see the dismantling is coming along ahead of schedule.
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Yeah, typo happened that I failed to notice
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1 September 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Major General Colin McGregor smiled as he watched an entire Battalion of Kiso Construction Mechs piloted by mechwarriors of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division completed the disassembly of the Luthien Armor Works factory complex. He still kicked himself for not commandeering the construction Mechs sooner. But once he had finally done so, it had sped up the work tremendously. A non stop flow of heavy tractor trailors moved the dismantled factory to awaiting dropships for the trip to orbit. Tomorrow, this Battalion would move to the Wakazashi Enterprises factory to help dismantle that complex. If everything went ot plan, they should be fully boosting for orbit in 2 weeks. SLS Sneak, Bugeye Surveillance had already scouted and plotted a route from Combine space via uninhabited systems.
Though he still wished to join General Mitchell in the Terran Hegemony proper, he had his orders, directly from her, via HPG relay to get back home with their prizes.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell looked at the stack of folders on her desk. Though she held out hope that they could survive here, she continued with her movement of select industrial concerns to the Periphery. If for some reason they had to depart Terra for the Periphery, at least this time they would be extremely well equipped to survive. Though the primary factory producing the Nighthawk Armor suits had been destroyed, they had managed to salvage enough production equipemnt to assemble at least 1 assembly line back home for them. They would have to manufacture additional lines from scratch.
Here on Terra, Mitchell Vehicles had finished dismantling their factory complex and had it fully loaded for shipment. The biggest success had been when Ostmann Industries had made the decision to uproot and join Mitchell Vehicles in moving. In another 3 months, their factory complex would be fully disassembled and loaded for shipment. They would all marshal with several other companies and make their move in a massive convoy slated to to depart in February 2787.
At Caph, General Systems had also made the decision to move. They would also be joining the massive convoy planned for February 2787. Though they were moving, they had decided to keep a single line producing on Caph which would rotate production runs of the various models of Exterminator Battlemech on a as needed basis. The other 2 functional production lines would move to a new home, to be determined.
On Graham IV, Mitchell Vehicles had completed dismantling their massive ground based factory complex. Their CEO, Delbert Mitchell had been spending money at a furious rate purchasing Dropships and Jumpships. When the invasion of Inglesmond had disrupted Monolith production, he had resorted to purchasing anything that could carry Dropships, from anyone that could provide them, even ships destined for the scrap heap and considered obsolete by everyone. That was how he had come to own 12 old but serviceable Leviathan Jumpships that had been stored awaiting their turn at the scrappers ax. These were fully loaded with the Dropships carrying his Graham IV Battlemech factory and Aerospace Factory. But he was not waiting on the February convoy, and had ordered the ships to leave and head for Bastrop on the far edge of the Federated Suns. Joining the 12 Leviathan Jumpships were 6 Merchant, 8 Invader, 11 Liberty Jumpships carrying 291,000 employee's and their families.
On Pollux, Allied Aerospace was in the process of dismantling their factory complex. General Mitchell herself had made convincing their CEO of the need to move. As the producer of the Phoenix Hawk LAM, she wanted them safe. It had taken a promise of a 20 year production contract and 10 years tax free to secure the agreement, along with complete coverage of the transportation costs. They would also join the February 2787 convoy.
Though it was not everyone she had hoped to secure, it was enough to make her feel more secure for the safety of "Home". Combined with the already safely stored data cores containing everything from terraforming techniques to the most advanced weapons designs and research from the Star League, she felt she had completed her task of protecting the Hegemony for the future.
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Will the Terran Hegemony share some civilian tech with the FS since they are a valued ally? Nice story update.
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I agree that this is a good update.
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Good update,
seems like everything is in order to leave the space of the original Terran Hegemony to the 5 great houses, should need arise and still survive as an entity, albeit in a different place. Redundancy of this kind is always good, and it's also good to decentralise mankinds industrial base away from Terra and the Core regions of the IS.
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i think someone might need to look at taking some civilian tech with them into hiding.
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i think someone might need to look at taking some civilian tech with them into hiding.
not just some but as much as they can copy would be a great idea, you never know what might be needed...
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5 September 2786
Boulsi (Terran Hegemony)
Peter Sajak sat inside a secure room searching the now functional data cores brought from Terra. Even though he wanted to go right for the weapons designs and such, his now primary job was to look after the entire Hegemony out here. Instead, he was currently reading about constructing a Model T Ford automobile. The Data Core contained complete blue prints of every part, it also linked to another section in how the manufacturer, Ford Motor Company, had shown how they had laid out their assembly plant, complete with specifications of those assembly lines. Another link sent him to a breakdown of the ancient internal combustion engine, complete with it's specifications and design diagrams.
Another section held what seemed like every important book ever written. Another section contained medical information from simple surgery to cutting edge genetics. Diagnostics, the medical machinery, their complete design specifications. How to build CAT Scans, MRI's, X-Ray Machines, all the way down to a simple needle syringe. He figured he could spend the rest of his life down here and not read or see it all. He had already selected and printed off information for steel factories, metal ore processing, mining techniques, Endo Steel manufacturing, farming applications, weather control. A team was already going over a section he had printed off on advanced alloys, their manufacture, the base needs, applications for them. They would compile a list of the needs and dispatch specialists to seek out these minerals and ores.
Another team, composed of Doctor's were going over sections of the medical information which would be used to raise the overall medical care of everyone in the Hegemony. The first hospital being built would rival those on Terra herself in the advanced medical care it would provide over on Thazi. A large 1,000 bed hospital which would be equipped with the very best medical equipment and techniques they could provide. Already doctors were being culled from the non stop refugee's arriving and were sent to Thazi. Azur would not be far behind, already having a very advanced medical center and even a medical school.
A message had already been sent to Terra for a stockpile of seed grain to be sent out here. It should have arrived by now. This would be put to use in the ever growing need of food. The goal is to make the Hegemony as independent as they could from the need to import anything. Machinery was already being built to allow them to manufacture in quantity advanced hydroponics for growing food on planets that would take decades to reach the ability of actual crop growing. Another item being built was a large fission reactor complex that would power not only the Capital of Boulsi, but it contained multiple reactor, called breeder's. Though it would power the city, the SLDF/HAF would actually run the complex. He had already done some research and knew why, for the construction of nuclear weapons. He knew another complex was being built on Boulsi to manufacture the warheads for the Navy's missile systems. He did not really like these facts, but he knew it was better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.
The very first search he had done was on Battlemech production techniques. He had been shocked to find the Data Core held the actual information to turn Blommestein's Battlemech complex into one that would rival anything ever seen in production and efficiency. That had gone out the second he had found it. Specialized machinery was already being manufactured to produce the extremely high tech manufacturing lines needed and the computer control systems. He had then located the same information for vehicle production, Dropship, Jumpship Production and everything else he could locate. Specialized equipment was already being designed to manufacture the advanced assembly equipment needed.
The wealth of information was almost limit less. There was information in the Data Cores that he did not even begin to understand. He did not even try to hide the fact that he had no clue what some said. He knew they would need experts in almost every field that had existed to get the full benefit from the Data Cores.
Arcadia (Pentagon Worlds)
The first colonists from the Exodus Fleet had finally set down on the planet they had named Arcadia. Pre-fabricated buildings were being unloaded from Dropships and set up. Everyone was clamoring to get off the stinking and foul ships they had just spent 2 years aboard. Already several other worlds had been located extremely close by and were being studied by science teams. Livestock, transported at great expense from the Hegemony were on their way to the surface where they would actually have firm ground under them for the first time in 2 years. Survey teams were already searching the planet itself for mineral resources. The planet already held ample construction material for more permanent buildings.
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Better aim for diversity in your food stocks. Fungus and mosaic virii can lead to starvation to damned quick.
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I get the feeling there will be libraries and universities across the Hidden Hegemony filled with books about how things were made in history. Traders will have books to trade to struggling worlds, “How to make a John Deere Tractor circa 1950” and “Basic Water Filters and You, Primitive Tech Edition”. LOL.
So, things are on schedule in the Pentagon Worlds. Yeah, it should be referred to as Kerensky’s Folly, the whole Exodus. He didn’t exactly bring a balanced population with him. Soldiers, research scientists he didn’t want spreading ideas, oh, maybe some civilians, too.
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11 September 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney was aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, she watched as her last repair assignment finally was pulled from her repair slip. She had already sent her other Yardships back to Terra to assist in upgrades to the Hegemony fleet. SLS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier Blk II was now completely repaired and upgraded to SLS Independence standards. The LTV Aerospace complex still held SLS Audacious, SLS Determination and SLS Resilience Vincent Corvettes undergoing extensive refits to the Vincent Destroyer standard. Their completion had been delayed another week due to a major fault detected in their LF Batteries which caused them to be removed and new ones installed.
With the Peace Accords signed, most of the remaining SLDF/HAF warships had jumped back to Deiron and Terra for repairs. They needed to get their refits and upgrades completed as soon as possible, because intel reports indicated that the Marik border will probably be the next conflict zone. She was just waiting for the 3 Vincent Destroyers to be completed before she also returned to Terra to oversee the upgrades.
She watched as SLS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier, began to move under her own power as awaiting Aerospace Fighters began landing aboard her. She breathed a silent sigh of relief as she watched SLS Benjamin become a fully functional Carrier, able to provide her own defense and defend SLS Salvation. Soon, she would begin her recharge operations so that she was ready to depart when the Vincent Destroyers were completed. For now, it was time for some well earned sleep.
Her eyes snapped open the moment the alarm sounded throughout the ship. In an instant, she was up and moving for the bridge as the loud speakers announced "General Quarters, inbound jump signatures." As she sped into the bridge she said "Report."
"Inbound jump signatures Admiral. They are coming in close to the LTV yards."
"Alert SLS Benjamin to cut her sail loose, we can recover it. Signal the yards to kick the Vincents out." Rear Admiral Delvaney ordered
Aboard the LTV Shipyards, all 3 Vincent Destroyers were scrambling to cut loose, get their power plants to full activation and weapons warmed up. But they would not have time to complete a single action. Everyone watched in horror as DCS Nagara and DCS Natori, Cruiser Class materialized 12,000km from the massive shipyard complex and began burning directly towards it. Before anyone could intercept either warship, they had reached firing range and multiple missiles launched from each Cruiser. Volley after volley was fired at the shipyard complex and supporting factories.
Aboard all 3 Vincent Destroyers, newly powered up sensors quickly detected the incoming missiles and the distinctive signature of all being nuclear armed. Orders became more frantic but to no avail. Nuclear detonations began ripping the massive shipyard complex apart. All 3 Vincent Destroyers vanished in nuclear detonations, their point defense systems never got the power they needed to even fire a single shop, having remained powered down fully with safeties installed per regulations when in a shipyard slip.
With the LTV Aerospace shipyard complex fully destroyed and their nuclear missiles exhausted, but Cruiser's moved at maximum thrust towards the Zenith Jump Point while using their reactors to charge their jump drives in an attempt to escape, having completed their long ordered mission.
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ouch..the HAF need to do something to get even for this.
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Ohh.... Another two warships to be captured just like Marika and a deep strike in DC, hopefully by the LCAF or FS?
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So, as soon as the Combine assign the peace treaty, attacks again ?
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Well, that sucks. I wonder if the “faults” in the LF Batteries were created by DC spies. And I am looking forward to SLS Benjamin’s fighters taking their anger out on those two warships.
... I don’t think the Combine realizes that ComStar still has to buy HPG parts from the Hegemony in order to repair the HPGs. They can hide under the Neutrality Act, preventing Blackouts or Interdiction, but the supplies ComStar needs to get HPG Stations up and running are only sold by the people he just attacked. And I doubt they are willing to sell them.
It looks like Operation Black Eye is going to have to go to Phase II. Sucker Punch the TH? The favor will be returned in spades.
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Well, that sucks. I wonder if the “faults” in the LF Batteries were created by DC spies. And I am looking forward to SLS Benjamin’s fighters taking their anger out on those two warships.
[snip]
I've read the latest post form 2ndAcr twice now, but what "faults" are you pointing at here? :o
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Their completion had been delayed another week due to a major fault detected in their LF Batteries which caused them to be removed and new ones installed.
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11 September 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney was aboard SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, she watched as her last repair assignment finally was pulled from her repair slip. She had already sent her other Yardships back to Terra to assist in upgrades to the Hegemony fleet. SLS Benjamin, Samarkand Carrier Blk II was now completely repaired and upgraded to SLS Independence standards. The LTV Aerospace complex still held SLS Audacious, SLS Determination and SLS Resilience Vincent Corvettes undergoing extensive refits to the Vincent Destroyer standard. Their completion had been delayed another week due to a major fault detected in their LF Batteries which caused them to be removed and new ones installed.
That one in the LF system of all three ships.
The pattern of destruction and targetting of shipyards and industry makes me think that the First Succession War will be worse in the downhill slide of trade and industry then OTL. The DC certainly won't have the Monolith transport network of OTL- considering they blew up LTV Shipyards twice, I don't think LTV wants anything to do with them. And with the DC reduced to Altair, Chatham, Dover, Midway, Schuyler, and Togura having any yards, and destroying the yards at Inglesmond, the only places left to target for yards are Dieron, Graham, Riga Interstellar Yards, and Terra. And actually gaining control of the shipyards is not guaranteed. And if the DC doesn't have shipyards, they will try to target and destroy everyone else's. The lack of Jumpships and the limitation of interstellar trade might actually hit sooner then the Second Succession war.
Huh, ninja'd while typing.
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So to be clear, those two DCS vessels hit LTV's yard (and nothing else)? Maybe those two ships have not yet gotten word of the peace treaty being signed?
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A quick note, the faults were basically manufacture defects. This raid was ordered months ago, lack of HPG communication prevented any way of calling off the attack.
Plus the actual Peace Accord does not officially go into effect until 1 November.
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19 September 2786
Inglesmond (Terran Hegemony)
Both DCMS warships had made it to the Zenith Jump Point and must have had their jump cores and coordinates ready to go, for they both jumped within minutes of entering the Zenith Jump Point. It was a perfectly executed hit and run operation. Though the SLDF/HAF commanders were pissed, they had to admire the perfect timing and ease of escape of both raiders.
The LTV Aerospace complex was a complete loss. Of the 73,800 workers aboard the many shipyard slips and supporting factories, only 3,839 had managed to get aboard escape pods. It was a massive hit in which it's final cost could not be currently calculated. But everyone knew that the future impact could be devestating.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Notified of the loss of the LTV Aerospace complex, General Rita Mitchell ordered the 6 Luxor Heavy Cruisers almost completed at Graham IV kicked out of their yards and to be brought to Terra where they could be better protected. Mitchell Vehicles CEO, Delbert Mitchell wasted no time in ordering them made ready and for the disassembly of his remaining shipyards and factories to commence. He was ready to complete the move to his new headquarters in the Periphery.
General Rita Mitchell summoned Commanding Admiral Joan Brandt for consultations. Once she arrived and gotten comfortable, the major discussions began.
"What happened Joan? How did we let this happen?" General Mitchell asked
"It was the perfect storm. All 3 Destroyers would have been completed except for the LF Battery issue, which we tracked to an impurity that somehow got passed the inspection routine. I have already ordered a pair of Destroyers to be on close patrol at every remaining shipyard complex. It hurts us short term on deployable warships, but it has to be done. They have orders to destroy ANY ship that does not respond immediately to hails or is not of a scheduled arrival." Admiral Brandt replied
"So we close the door after the horse bolts. Better late than never I guess. Does not ease the pain already inflicted on us. I am afraid I am about to inflict a little more pain on you. I looked over the next graduating class of Aerospace pilots, we have a class of 1,200 graduating next month. I am sending these 500 to our other half of the Hegemony. I also want you to comb the Flight Schools and find me enough instructors and equipment to also head for the other half and establish a fully functional Flight School out there. They head out with the February 2787 convoy. So you have a few months to get them ready." General Mitchell said handing over a folder containing the names of the graduates leaving, all were single and most had no surviving families, being mostly orphans from the Amaris Coup.
Taking the folder, Admiral Brandt flipped thru the pages, which contained even the graduates scores, they were some of the best graduates since before the Coup. "This hurts some, but I still get the rest of the pilots and next years class hopefully will be larger. It only makes sense to establish some schools out there properly. Long way to send replacements."
"Glad you agree. Now the next sandbag I am throwing at you and this one will hurt the most. I want the February convoy heavily escorted. This convoy is massively important and must arrive intact. So get started working up a escort force, they will not be returning any time soon and will be placed under Admiral Tanaka's command out there. So choose wisely and think it over." General Mitchell said
"Boy, your full of good news and cheer today. But I am also a little ahead of you. I just hoped to get those ships back in a year, now I learn that I am going to lose them for good possibly." Admiral Brandt said pulling out her ever present list of ship availability. She then started making some notes on a small legal pad she always carried, flipping to a page that contained the current list of ships slated for the February convoy. They spent just over an hour working on the planned escort. When they finished, General Mitchell looked at the wall monitor where she had been keeping track of the ships planned for the February convoy.
February 2787 Convoy
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Saint Helens - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Ranier - Volga Transport
SLS Sisler - Carrack Transport
SLS Soderman - Carrack Transport
SLS Watkins - Carrack Transport
SLS Watson - Carrack Transport
SLS Yosemite - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Yankee - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Ivory - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Wasp - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Contraband - League II Destroyer
SLS Lively - Baron Destroyer
SLS Yoizuki - Baron Destroyer
SLS Legion - Baron Destroyer
SLS Urazuki - Baron Destroyer
18 Monolith Jumpships
26 Star Lord Jumpships
16 Invader Jumpships
9 Tramp Jumpships
11 Merchant Jumpships
The Dropship counts and types were not yet confirmed. But the number of available collars was astounding at 449. The biggest bright spot was they did not lack for Aerospace fighters. Having just taken a massive delivery of brand new Corsairs, both standard and Royal versions. Both Samarkand Carriers would be fully outfitted with 144 of them. 180 Sabre's would make up the bulk of the remaining Aerospace Fighters. The only Dropships they knew for a fact would be making the trip were 12 Pentagon, 10 Titan and 8 Elephant Tug's. Though the convoy would travel thru Federated Suns space, a friendly nation, the convoy would be carrying an enormous amount of precious manufacturing equipment and this alone made it a very tempting target. Neither could confirm if Mitchell Vehicles would have their shipyards ready to go when the convoy departed, but they planned as if it was and with 6 of the most advanced shipyards and their supporting factories in the convoy, that made the convoy that much more of a target.
"I think we can call the convoy as well protected as we can make it unless you want me to add even more firepower to it. But I would advise against it, we are surrounded by potential threats and we know Marik is still playing games on our border. He has a bunch of very powerful ships, with no less than 6 Atreus Battleships confirmed in the region." Admiral Brandt said
"No, I think your right. We are keeping our most powerful and newest ships here with us. I must admit, I expected a bigger fight out of you." General Mitchell replied
"It crossed my mind, but I can see what your trying to do. It is not easy protecting 2 Hegemony's. Not when they are so far apart. Besides, it is hard for me to fathom having the Hegemony out there protected by mainly Vigilant Corvettes. That just will not due, not at all." Admiral Brandt replied
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So, the Hegemony in the Periphery gets a lot of high tech toys/factories and qualified technicians...
In a few years they can rain death on the idiotic Sucessor States that enraged then.
Nicely done, btw.
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Well, I wouldn't do that, I would rather go and sit out the madness that is about to occur between the 5 Great Houses, maybe always posit a dagger at the DC, since those were the first to draw huge amounts of blood from the TH and some trade / tech exchanges with the FS, since they've been true allies to the TH all the time, even during the Periphery Wars.
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After the attack on LTV, I expected Black Eye forces to get a message extending their target list for further attacks prior to November 1, 2786. But, they probably expect what they have already done is enough to enrage Minoru throughly.
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Awesome update!
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28 September 2786
New Samarkand (Draconis Combine)
Major General Colin McGregor smiled at the thunderous explosion destroyed the last remains of the Wakazashi Enterprises factory complex. They had already demolished the Luthien Armor Works complex 2 days ago. He turned and walked towards the grounded Dropship that would carry him and his Command Company to orbit where they would join the rest of his forces for the trip home. They were a week behind schedule, but he wanted it all. They had stripped both factories to the bare concrete and then blasted the ruins. If the Combine wanted to rebuild, they would have to start completely new. He knew Admiral Coltrain had stripped and loaded the guts of all 3 shipyards and as much of the orbital factories as she could. They would destroy the empty shells and frameworks before they jumped from the system and made the long voyage home.
It had been a long mission and he was looking forward to some time at home. He knew his people felt the same way. Though he had more than his fair share of new people, those that had not served in the SLDF during the dark years, he still had over 45% veteran of those dark years. Everyone was getting a little long in the tooth for these long deployments. He really expected to lose possibly half of his veterans on their return home. Retiring completely or even transfering to the reserve forces where they would get to go home most nights, raise families properly and mainly enjoy a much less stressful life. He could not fault them, nor would he even try, they had all, to a person earned it. But as a commander, he would miss the confidence those veterans had when embarking on any mission. Not that the Training Command was not turnng out first rate replacements, for they were some of the best trained, ranking almost as good as the old SLDF turned out. It was just that they lacked the combat experience of the veterans and the only way to really get that confidence was in actual combat. A time honored but deadly way to learn the harsh realities of war. No amount of training could simulate the absolute terror of actual combat.
He boarded his Dropship with a last look at the distant smoke and watched the racing Turhan's carrying the engineers towards their Dropship while Battlemechs of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division paced them towards their own Dropship. Overhead, the Aerospace fighters of all 3 Divisions made sure no one hampered their withdraw. He tossed the cigar he had been smoking on the ground, last one for a few months, he thought silently, damned spacers threw a hissy fit if anyone smoked while in space, like changing the air filters and air scrubbers more than usual would kill them.
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Admiral Tanisha Tanaka watched as Sean Livingston studied the massive asteroid located in the P9Y2 Belt. She wanted to speak but let the man do his job. At 68, he was getting a little too old for this stuff, but he was also the most experienced among the DoME personnel at this sort of job. She had studied the records of all the DoME personnel seeking just this sort of experience. She said a prayer of thanks every night before bed that she had found one.
Finally, Sean Livingston turned from looking at the massive rock. "She is a huge rock Admiral Tanaka. Twice the size of the one at Odessa and 3 times the size of the Mercator-Campion Shipyards over Jupiter. But it is going to take at least 10 years to complete the job."
"But it can be done? And how many slips will it be able to handle?" Admiral Tanaka asked
"Sure, anything can be done, if you want to invest the time, resources and money in a venture. As for what it could hold, Odessa had slips for a full Squadron, 18 ships, this big old rock could easily hold twice that many and all the supporting personnel, storage and even the support factories for non critical repairs. But I am not sure you want this planned base of yours inside this Belt, too dangerous for ships making the transit. I think it would be better if we relocate the thing over to the gas giant Liu. We can place it into a stable non degrading orbit around it. Just like the Mercator-Campion Shipyards over Jupiter. I helped build the base at Odessa, was my first assignment when I joined DoME, built quite a few more during my years." Sean Livingston replied
"Excellent, your the expert Sean. If you think it would be better at Liu, that is your decision. And that is exactly why I picked you for this job. What will you need to make this a reality?" Admiral Tanaka asked
"A bunch of hard rock miners from the various space mining operations. Couple of orbital habitats for everyone to live in during construction. But the most important thing we need, we lack. Elephant Tugs, it's what we used to move these massive rocks where we want them. This big assed rock will take maybe 20 of them to move to where we want it and we don't have but 2 out here with us now." Sean Livingston replied
"Well, I will just have to see about changing that for you. But you can start work where it is now, right?" Admiral Tanaka asked
"Of course, we can always move the damned thing into it's final place. I just need the Tug's for the move, stabilizing it's orbit and putting a spin on the thing to provide some limited gravity for the health of the folks stationed there. Once we get the sucker hollowed out, we will need support manufacturing all the stuff this place will need to make it functional. You know it is much easier to just build a couple shipyards to maintain the fleet?" Sean Livingston said
"And they are vulnerable to attack too and easier to locate. I want some bases that will be hard to find and also hard to attack. Not only that, but there may come a day when we might have to mothball some ships and I want a place to park them. A place where they can be stored and maintained for immediate reactivation, if the need for them should arise. I have seen some of the SLDF's parking lot's for ships, I don't want that for any of my ships or future Hegemony Admiral's. I want to leave a safe place for the Hegemony to park their spares, in case of emergency." Admiral Tanaka said
"Well, this big old rock will do it for you. Should be able to handle 24 ships easily, even McKenna's will easily fit inside, I might even get it to hold 30, but will not know that until we start the actual excavation." Sean Livingston replied turning back to stare at the rock which might be his final project, yeah, she will do just fine, he thought silently.
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Cynthia Howell, Mitchell Vehicles Warship Engineering Team, looked over the design she planned to ask Admiral Tanaka to approve for a single ship test build. The computer mock ups said that they should be able to upgrade existing Essex Destroyers to this version, though the refit would be a fairly extensive one and almost be easier to just pull the Jump Core from an existing Essex and scrap it.
It was equipped with LF Batteries for rapid response. They had completely revamped the ships coolant system with 3,000 Double Heat sinks. It would mount 740 tons of Ferro Carbide, a massive increase in armor protection. To provide the ship with excellent combat endurance, every weapon was ripped out and replaced with an all energy load. Mounted in the Nose were 2 Heavy NPPC backed by Pulse bay of 6 LPL and 6 MPL and another bay of 6 SPL for point defense. Each Forward and Aft Arcs held 4 Medium NPPC backed by 4 NL/55, for anti fighter defense a bay with 4 LPL and 4 MPL and an additional bay of 4 SPL for point defense. Broadsides held a bay with 6 Medium NPPC, 4 LPL and 4 MPL and a point defense of 6 SPL. Covering the Aft Arc were 5 NL/55, 4 LPL and 4 MPL and a 4 SPL point defense.
Two Squadrons of Aerospace Fighters and 4 Small Craft and 53,361 ton of cargo gave the ship a good endurance on patrols. This was aided by an increased fuel load of 5,000 tons and the engines were enlarged to provide 2g of safe thrust and 3g of max thrust. It was able to keep up max thrust for 42 days with onboard fuel. Though capable of independent operations, it was meant to serve as a primary escort for other warships. To keep costs down, they did not attempt to fit it with a mobile HPG, this would be provided by the major ships it was escorting. It cost 9.5 Billion per ship.
She had studied the massive upgrade of the Vincent Corvette which had turned it into a Destroyer and had to admit it was a great design. But it was also a Billion dollars more expensive. She planned to pitch her design as the Hegemony's main Destroyer using it's cost effectiveness and all energy load out as a counter to the Vincent Destroyer.
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Oh, those are sum awesome naval updates! Especially the Rock-Garage-in-Space and the new destroyer design! :thumbsup:
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With MacGregor- Good to see that Operation is completed. Remember kids, Loot, Pillage, then burn. You want to take the shinies.
With Tanaka. Nice. The Hegemony continues the tradition of building and hiding huge structures. That Naval Port Brian will definitely be useful in the future. Actually having ships be sheltered from radiation, micrometeorites, and other damaging dangers extends the shelf life immensely.
I think Mr. Livingston and the other DoME Engineers will have to be interviewed for the locations, size, security measures, and any other information they can remember of what they have worked on. With the loss of the command Mckenna's, people who have been in the SLDF long enough to have seen hidden projects might be the only chance for hiding them.
The Essex III design looks good, especially if damaged or older ships can be rebuilt to III specs. The armament and point defenses, increased engines, armor,fighter capacity, cargo capacity, and cost definitely are points in it's favor. Are the tonnage or dimensions changed at all?
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Nope, tonnage and dimensions stay the same. She is actually a little roomier inside now that she does not have to ammo bunkers.
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i so can not wait until someone finds out about New Samarkand
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14 October 2786
Luthien (Draconis Combine)
Coordinator Minuro Kurita was happy to be back on Luthien. He was not happy about the injustice's he had been forced to suffer on Terra, but at least it was finally over and he had managed to temporarily terminate the war against the Hegemony without major loss of the Combine's industrial base. HPG's were slowly coming back online but no actual network was connected yet, but at least they were upholding their end of the bargain by reactivating the HPG network.
He had just finished breakfast when his son Jinjiro Kurita entered and bowed. "Sit son, have you eaten?"
Kneeling before his father, Jinjiro Kurita made sure to remain out of easy reach as he passed the message just delivered via Command Circuit from Galedon. Coordinator Minuro Kurita accepted the message and as he opened it he asked "What is this and why are you so quiet?"
Not waiting for an answer, Coordinator Minuro Kurita read the message, his face reddening in anger as he read the message.
We have received word that the Hegemony has struck New Samarkand in force escorted by warships. This message was carried by Jumpship taken over by DCMS personnel to deliver the message. The DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design shipyard was looted and then destroyed before the Hegemony forces left. Also looted and totally destroyed were the Luthien Armor Works and Wakazashi Enterprises Battlemech factories. The DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design ground facilities were also looted and destroyed.
Hegemony forces captured multiple Warships, Jumpships and Dropships. The 11th Galedon Regulars and 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre were savaged in the fighting reporting less than 20% effectiveness in either command. First Fleet's Supply Squadron was completely destroyed or captured at New Samarkand and one of First Fleet's Squadrons has not been heard from in months, they were patrolling the periphery border during this time frame in the area of New Samarkand. Reports also say the Hegemony made off with 2 Narukami Blk II Destroyer and a Samarkand Carrier before destroying the shipyard complex.
Coordinator Minuro Kurita crumpled the message in his hand, his anger was a boiling volcano ready to explode. He stared at Jinjiro Kurita for a long time before finally speaking. "This is why they allowed such a long delay in ceasing the fighting, they wanted to complete their theft as undetected as they could."
"It is my fault father. The Galedon District is my District. I have failed you and the Combine." Jinjiro Kurita said, his head bowed.
"No, it is my fault son. I tasked you with planning the coming offensive against the Federated Suns, it took up too much of your time. And I failed to take into account that the Hegemony might cut off HPG communications which hampered any ability to coordinate our forces or defenses. This is why the Hegemony has not lodged any sort of protest on our strike against Inglesmond. Technically, the war is still ongoing until 1 November. We will get our revenge soon. It will remove the stain on both of our honors." Coordinator Kurita said
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston had been forced to reevaluate his estimates after the first drilling reports came in from the massive asteroid. He had snagged some miners working the P9Y1 Belt and they had drilled into the asteroid for 25km. Core samples revealed a iron based outer shell extending almost 15km before hitting softer material, though the soft definition was not saying much, it was still rock. But the out layer was some of the hardest material he had ever encountered. He had a few other test sites already selected for test drilling.
Depending on what they actually found once they really began excavating the thing, with a rough diameter of 310 kilometers, this asteroid might be able to hold the entire Hegemony Fleet inside it. That was still to be determined. His current plan, once the test drilling was completed, was to carve out a hole 10km by 10km to serve as the main entry point. He already had word that a Builder Yardship was on the way to begin construction of 2 orbital habitats for the workers on this project.
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a 10km by 10 km hole should provide a lot of ores for the rest of the THiH to use, and at very low cost. they are just using what they were going to have to deal with in the first place. they will just have to load it onto cargo ships and jump them out.
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a 10km by 10 km hole should provide a lot of ores for the rest of the THiH to use, and at very low cost. they are just using what they were going to have to deal with in the first place. they will just have to load it onto cargo ships and jump them out.
No, Beltalowda, you pull in with a smelter and a forge assembly, and start using that material.
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Yeah, 10 km by 10 km hole is 1000 cubic kilometers. Assuming it is iron ore, that is 5.150 teratons of hematite, while straight iron would be 7.873 teratons.
When you think of the fact that in 2019 humanity produced 2.896 gigatons of iron ore, and a McKenna Battleship requires something like a megaton of battlesteel or whatever they use for structure. Terran equipment is something like between 2-3 tons of ore to refine a ton of structural steel. That much ore will probably make 2 teratons of structural grade steel.
Versus the fact-where straight iron is 95% to 99% of the formula for steel alloys(depending on battletech meta-alloy composite, at which point I have no clue)- meaning a straight iron asteroid can make a massive amount of steel.
You then realize that either way, THAT IS A ****LOAD OF STEEL.
edit: to show iron ore- hematite mass vs. iron mass
And asteroids are more likely to be iron (7873 kg/m^3) or nickel-iron (8908 kg/m^3) then hematite, which is an oxide. However, if the asteroid is nickel iron, then the percentage of nickel is anywhere from 5-25% of the alloy. Which lowers the amount of iron to 75-95% of the mass. Which is still a h*** of a lot.
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10 November 2786
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston read the additional survey reports from the other test holes. The samples had been analyzed and the reports were staggering. This rock held an enormous amount of material that would be excavated. He now had just over 100 miners on site, 60 of them were on the test drilling project. The remaining 40 were working on the site where he had decided the primary entrance would be. He had already requested 10 Corx Tunnel Miners and knew he would be asking for many more as this project moved forward. He had then pushed his luck a little further and asked for some very specialized high powered lasers from the primary DoME warehouse on Terra. If they still existed, they were the very same laser's used on the Odessa project to carve out the huge cavern there.
Zetang was primarily a planet devoted to mining it's resources and processing both those mined from the surface and from it's 2 asteroid belts. But looking at the numbers he had been presented with, they might want to think about a massive expansion of the facilities here. The material they would extract from this rock could feed the growing industries of the Hegemony out here for decades if not centuries. He had already notified Admiral Tanaka that his estimates for completion were way off, by at least 20 years. This project could take 30 years to complete, maybe even longer than that. It will all depend on what the actual core of this rock is like. The surface was proving extremely hard to carve into, chewing up the bits at a hideous rate since it was so embedded with iron.
But iron was not all it contained, not by a long shot. This rock not only held iron, but aluminum, nickel, cobalt, magnesium silicate, gold, platinum and iron silicate. And it held them in vast quantities. This was looking to be his final project and he really wanted to see it completed before his time came to leave this life.
Chisholm (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Phillip Yang, commander SLS John Glenn, New Grange Yardship, closely monitored the capture of the derelict SLS Oslo, Essex II Destroyer. Careful records searches had revealed several easily recoverable wrecks within the Hegemony borders and the orders had gone out to find them, recover them and get them jump capable. It had taken a week after getting to Chisholm to locate the Oslo in it's long eliptical orbit. Survey crews estimated 2 months to get her jump capable.
Epsilon Indi (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Randall Grubrowski, commander SLS Arctic, Newgrange Yardship, watched the Elephant Tug bring the SLS E. Presley, Aegis Cruiser to the repair bay of his Yardship. Survey crews estimated 3 months to get her jump capable.
Castor (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Erik Wagner, commander SLS Detroit, Newgrange Yardship, watched the recovery of the SLS Nelson, Black Lion Battlecruiser. Survey crews estimated 4 months to get her jump capable.
Keid (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney, SLS Salvation, Newgrange Yardship, was giddy as she watched SLS Manila, Farragut Battleship slowly enter her repair bay. Damage survey's of the badly wounded ship revealed she would need at least 5 months of work to get her jump capable. But it was one more heavy hitter for the Hegemony fleet. She kept in close contact with her other Yardships, for they knew the locations of 6 more warships that needed recovery. It had taken search crews almost 2 months to locate her in her crazy orbit.
Portland (Taurian Concordat)
Admiral Jeffery Cantu, formerly of the Rim World Navy, watched the Dropships returning from the raid on the surface for supplies. He commanded the Aegis Cruiser, RWS Tigershark. He had fled the Hegemony as the SLDF had come crashing in on them. For several years, they had raided systems for supplies and stayed in the Periphery. A year ago, they had managed to link up with RWS Tadeo Amaris, Aegis Cruiser along with RWS Mutiny, Essex I Destroyer. Between them, they made a pwerful force and nothing in the Periphery could hurt them. They had even managed to gather the remains of the 38th Amari Fusiliers, now Cameron's Curse pirate band and the 141st Amaris Dragoons now the Blood Rain pirate group. This gave them almost 2 Regiments of ground troops for raiding. Though both groups had been a little hesitant in linking up with him, the knowledge that he could destroy them at will made their decision a little easier to stomach.
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Now, that's a real pirate group. Question , how they service / maintain the jump-cores ?
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As Livingston's last project, I wonder if it will be named after him? All too often the engineers, miners and builders of major projects often go unremembered for their contributions in history.
With the yardships. YES! Snap up all those drifting ships, leave nothing for the WOBies! (Even if they don't yet exist!)
As for the pirates, that is going to be a dangerous force, especially as the Taurians just got hammered. And if they stray in to Federated Suns, It is a distraction for the FS Navy, just as the DC Navy is about to strike. I guess we will see how that plays out.
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To be honest I do not think that the DC will go ahead with its strike at the FS, the losses at New Samarkand without being able to replace them 1:1 are too severe for the DC.
But then again, Minoru and Jinjiro Kurita are said to be the two most crazy Kuritas in their long line of coordinators it wouldn't exactly surprise me either if they were willing to jump into the depths of hell and bring the DC down to near dissolution regardless.
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Kurita Honor trumps rational thinking all of the time.
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Kurita Honor trumps rational thinking all of the time.
Their self-delusion is actually more intense than their 'honor'.
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Self-delusion of grandeur and being proper bushido adhering samurai? ;D
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1) If you remove the inner part of this rock, do you not compromise its stability?
Because if you try to move it, then this rock would collapse. Am I right or not?
We are talking about a big (how many tons are we talking about again?) rock and only a few hundred meters of the outer shell remain in place. I would say: Attach the tugs, fire up the engines and you have a big splatter.
2) If the Kuritas are sane (yes, I know...) they would send a strikeforce against a SL planet and time it perfectly.
The strikeforce goes in, shoots a lot of missiles etc and the last detonation is exactly one second before the peacetreaty comes into effect. And when the SLDF is firing on the Kurita ships they send messages like "We have peace since three seconds. Obey the peacetreaty!"
Would be nice to see how Amanda and Aunt Rita react to this.
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Self-delusion of grandeur and being proper bushido adhering samurai? ;D
More like self-delusion that what they are doing is honorable.
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9 December 2786
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston was not known for standing still. Over the last month, he had sent a flurry of messages requesting special equipment from Terra, he just hoped it was all still there and intact. He had sketched out a rough idea on how he wanted the interior to look once it was hollowed out. He was going to hollow the entire area all at once. First, he was going to cut the main entrance which would measure 10km X 10km, this would allow multitple ships to enter or leave without risk of a collision. After consulting a few Physicist within the DoME teams out here, they had run the numbers and advised him to leave the outer walls of the asteroid a minimum of 50km thick until the asteroid was in it's final location. Since he was only working on a single side at this time, they assured him that the asteroid would be able to handle the move without incident.
His current plan after cutting the main entrance, was to keep the entry channel it's 10km by 10km for a minimum of 50km before he started widening the central chamber to a width of 40km wide by 60km high and 60km long. Once that was completed, he wanted to station a massive gear system to the inner wall of the chamber. Here a massive shaft would keep the planned station and docking berths ina stationary position. This was important because he wanted to increase the spin of the asteroid to provide at least a .75 to 1g of gravity. A giant grav deck. This would only effect the supporting housing, warehouses and facilities that would be built into the walls of the chamber. The central docking berths, by using the giant gears, should remain at Zero G unaffected by the gravity on the outer walls.
If his math was right, the central berthing spar would run for 20km, with a planned 1km between each ship's berth. This would allow each ship the maximum of room to manuever when entering and exiting it's berth. This would allow for the docking of up to 40 ships. The main spar that the docking berths were attached to would be 4km wide. He wanted to run several sealed and pressurized rail lines down it to speed up ship resupply and the movement of personnel. But he would need some special help designing that setup.
To defend the massive naval base, he planned to build hangers for at least 10 complete wings, these could be from independent air wings or those from the berthed warships. The entrance and channel would be guarded by multiple defense sites lining the walls of the channel. A month of operation and the best they had managed was 80 meters a day, he hoped the Corx Tunnel Miners would at least double that rate, which meant almost a year just to break thru the outer shell which averaged 15km thick. He already had confirmation that 8 were on the way and another 8 would arrive in 2 months. Maybe with them, he could get the main entrance completed in the first year. He also had word that Hegemony Aerospace was building 12 Elephant Tugs for his use and that they would arrive sometime around August 2787.
His Physicist folks had calculated it would take almost a year to move the asteroid to Liu with the Elephant Tugs using maximum thrust. They were going to burn fuel like never before. Once they arrived, work would have to cease for safety reasons until the asteroid was in it's final location.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron had made the trip to christen the 3 Texas Battleships, SLS Nebraska II (in honor of the original Nebraska destroyed during the Periphery Uprising), SLS Phoenix, SLS Sandy Hardee (in honor of Commodore Sandy Hardee, killed at Inglesmond when she placed her SLS Porter, Vincent Corvette between her commanders ship and DCS Hiei, Monsoon Battleship).
Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler was given command of the new 1st Battle Squadron, and chose SLS Nebraska II, Texas Battleship as his flagship. He was given a free hand by Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt to outfit his Squadron. This he took full advantage of.
1st Battle Squadron
11th Line Division
SLS Nebraska II - Texas Battleship
SLS Phoenix - Texas Battleship
SLS Sandy Hardee - Texas Battleship
SLS Inglesmond - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Connaught - Vincent Destroyer
SLS M. Langley - Vincent Destroyer
12th Cruiser Division
SLS Carl Sommers - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Terrance LaMont - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Hector Zapata - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Thomas Danklin - Vincent Destroyer
SLS George Wellington - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Janet McFadden - Vincent Destroyer
13th Destroyer Division
SLS De Ruyter - Sovetskii Soyuz Heavy Cruiser
SLS Surveillante - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Leander - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Belfast - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Ranger - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Geary - Lola III Destroyer
Admiral Joan Brandt had already announced a major reorganization of the Hegemony Fleet, now that most of the ships were repaired and returned to service. She was still working out the new structure. Though the Hegemony had a very powerful navy, it was a shell of what the Hegemony once fielded.
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Spin gravity on the asteroid? That should be interesting. Are they going to make giant centrifuges on the interior, or are they going to spin the entire asteroid?
Since kicking ships out in a hurry will not be practical (don't light up a fusion torch inside the asteroid base), this location will likely be deep within a Jump well so any attackers will be seen easily.
Or if it is going to be a hidden fall-back position, tossing in a few long-endurance database would be useful. See how far you can go from flint and steel to Star League tech base.
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after they get the main area done and get it into position. they might be able to dig smaller "caves" that can hold smaller ships under the rock. they would be nice for temp holding THiE or long term holding for "found" large "items" until they can be looked at.
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10 December 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler walked the corridors of his new command, thankful to have her under 1g of thrust and the gravity it provided. The Texas was already a powerful ship, but not having to pay for Jump Core's had allowed them to upgrade and splurge some. They had been equipped with LF Batteries and Mobile HPG. Their fuel bunkers had been enlarged to carry 6,000 tons. Their thick hide of Ferro-Lamellor Armor had been thickened even more with the maximum coating of 2,652 tons. But it was the weapons upgrades that made him smile broadly.
The Nose had gotten 10 NL/55, 4 HNPPC and 6 SPL for point defense. The Forward Arc's got 4 HNPPC, 4 Killer Whale Launchers with 20 rounds per launcher, 2 NAC/40 with 40 rounds per gun, 4 LPL and 6 SPL for point defense. Each Broadside had 10 NL/55, 2 NAC/40 with 40 rounds per gun, 2 AR10 with 40 Barracuda, 40 Killer Whale and 40 White Shark, 6 SPL for point defense. Aft Arc's had 4 HNPPC, 10 NL/55, 2 AR10 with 40 Barracuda, 40 Killer Whale and 40 White Shark and 4 SPL for point defense. Her AFT was protected with 10 NL/55, 4 AR10 with 80 Barracuda, 80 Killer Whale and 80 White Shark and 6 SPL for point defense.
Not only did she have fearsome firepower at range, but any ship that got into close range would face her enhanced NAC/40 mounts. To handle the increased heat load, they had been fitted with 6,500 Double Heat Sinks. Though reduced, she still carried just over 170,000 tons of cargo enabling her to maintain long patrols and sustain herself on long campaigns during a time of war. To protect against boarding, 112 Marines provided defense and a offensive capability if needed.
He had seen the price tag if built from scratch and it was an eye watering 31 Billion dollars per ship. He could think of very few warships that a single one of his Texas Battleships could not handle one on one. Much less anything that had to face all 3 Texas at once.
"So I take it you approve of the new design?" Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt asked walking beside him
"Yes sir, she is a grand ship. The upgrades have taken a fearsome warship and made it an unholy terror. I would not want to face one in combat." Admiral Zeibler replied
"Dang, I was sort of hoping you would complain about something so I could snag one for myself. But I did promise you a free hand in picking the ships for your Squadron. I was surprised by your selection for your 3rd Division, I expected you to snag the other 3 Luxor Cruiser's." Admiral Brandt said
"I thought long about it, but finally decided they could be better used somewhere else. Problem is, we have a bunch of heavy hitters, but we are lacking in escorts. I still feel sort of dirty taking as many Destroyers as I did." Admiral Zeibler replied
"Well, as the main striking force, it is only right that you get whatever you need or want. These are some expensive ships in your Squadron and if another bout of fighting breaks out, your Squadron will find itself in the thick of it." Admiral Brandt said
"We will be ready, I have some experienced crew from ships that were destroyed at Inglesmond, but a bunch of green kids. I plan to train them hard and long. I hope we have the funds for some serious training, because I plan to use a good chunk of it." Admiral Zeibler replied
"Training is what keeps you alive. Cheaper to spend the money training than to replace the warships." Admiral Brandt replied
On the Dropship heading back to Terra proper, Director General Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell looked over many messages and reports from around the Hegemony. Director General Amanda Cameron handed a message across to General Rita Mitchell "What do you make of this Aunt Rita?"
Taking the message, Rita noted that it was from Admiral Tanisha Tanaka via General Heinrich Rommel, she then read the message.
Hope this message finds thing well. Glad the fighting is officially over. Black Eye is on the way back and it was a success. I have a request from Admiral Tanaka, it is for some special equipment from the main DoME site on Terra. She wants it as fast as we can get it. Attached is a file containing the list of equipment she gave me. She has a project going that she is hot to trot over. But it will take a long time to see the fruits of it. I pray it is not a waste of time and money.
Things here are running smoothly. Progress is good on all new assets. Be good to see you again.
Heinrich
"Well, until we get back and I see exactly what this equipment is, I have no clue what she is up to. The file attachment list is a Alpha Numeric code, like packing numbers. Not a clue what it means but you can bet I will corner one of the DoME folks for answers." Rita said
"We can trust her. I don't see Admiral Tanaka wasting time or money. Speaking of money, I have a breakdown on exactly what the HPG network paid for the 5 months we had control of it and charged for every message. Guess how much that was?" Amanda said with a sparkle in her eye
"Not a clue, high finance is your playground. I am a soldier, we spend money and break things which cost money to replace." Rita said
"Your no fun Aunt Rita, old age is making you grouchy. Before Comstar officially took over, the Hegemony controlled HPG network brought in an average of 37 Billion dollars per day in message traffic fee's. That brought in 5.4 Trillion dollars and some change over 147 days." Amanda said
"Sweet mother of Pearl and we gave that much to Jerome Blake and Comstar?" Rita said
"Yep, of course Comstar is being taxed 15%, payable monthly, plus they have to buy everything from us for the HPG equipment. Since September when Comstar officially took over the HPG network, they have paid the Hegemony 535 Billion in taxes on their revenue, plus we, the Hegemony no longer have to pay all those folks who work on and in the HPG's scattered across the Inner Sphere, that gains us an additional 8 Billion and some change per month we don't have to spend. Of course most of that money is being plowed back to rebuild what was destroyed during the Liberation." Amanda replied
"As long as the military gets enough to defend the Hegemony. I don't trust Kurita or Marik as far as I could throw either, and I got a hinky feeling about Steiner. Intel says the Combine is continuing their buildup along the Suns border and we got Marik still conducting his "wargames" on our border." Rita said
"You know I have never said no to you Aunt Rita. The protection of our people is first and foremost in my mind at all times." Amanda replied
"I know Amanda, it was not meant that way." Rita said
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Those are some really sweet Texas Battleships. You have fixed the armament and point defense problem of the original Texas class. As well as the LF and armor problems it didn't have. They are some really nasty ships to face in a fight. I want to have them in a fleet of my own.
Those are also some lovely income and tax figures Amanda played with. And you don't have to worry about the DoME equipment, just send the nice man his toys.
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14 December 2786
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell stood looking at the massive warehouse run by the Department of Meta Engineering. It was only one of many, but this one was where they stored special equipment meant to support the SLDF. It had been placed deep inside it's mountain storage site, way back in the back. She watched as a team from DoME moved among the massive storage containers until they located all the designated containers and marked them. Massive overhead cranes were activated and moved to lift the containers and move them to a loading area. Finally, she turned to Wayne Okamanski, head of DoME.
"Mr Okamanski, exactly what the hell is in all these containers?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"These containers hold the equipment that DoME used to create the SLDF naval bases inside asteroids. Extremely powerful lasers that literally melt rock. But do not have any military application, unless your target is literally on top of you. Each laser is actually made up of hundreds of laser's ganged together in an assembly roughly 100 meters wide by 100 meters high. We have 10 of them here, all that were ever built. Range on them is only about 200 meters and are self propelled, to an extent, environment sealed and powered by 4 LTV 400 fusion engines. Only 1 is used to actually power the unit itself, the other 3 power the lasers.
They work, but they are not fast at their work. Each one can create a 100m wide x 100m high x 100m deep per day. They have been in storage since the war began, the Amaris war that is. But that speed is for rock and a small amount of metal. The amount it can clear drops dramatically as the metal content increases." Okamanski explained
"I see. Any other use for these things?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"Not that I know of, I could probably think of a few uses for them. But they were specially designed and built for creating the naval bases. They are just quicker than mining the damned thing out. Problem is, you render most of any mineral or resource contained in the rubble or slag unusable. A complete waste of untold amounts of ores. It was one reason we and the SLDF targeted pure rock asteroids with little to no mineral value." Okamanski said
"Interesting, thank you for the explanation Mr Okamanski. Please see that these containers are loaded without delay for transport. They have a long trip ahead of them." General Rita Mitchell said
"Anytime General Mitchell. Might I make a request?" Okamanski asked
"Sure, no promises that I will agree, but what is your request?" General Rita Mitchell replied
"Well, I know Sean Livingston, we actually joined DoME about the same time. Only I went more into management and he stayed in the field. I, like Sean, specialized in supporting the SLDF. Most of the work DoME is doing here is trying to correct the horrendous damage done during the Amaris War. That is not my specialty, not by a long shot. I want to make the trip and help Sean. One last mega project. I don't know exactly where we would be going, but I know where Sean was stationed before everything went to hell, so I can make an educated guess. I also know several major contractors are packing up and leaving, not that I blame them one bit. We have been hurt bad. My department of DoME is mostly idle and supporting the other DoME specialists as best we can. If Sean is doing what I think he is doing, well, I bet my entire department would jump at the chance to go help." Okamanski said
"And what exactly do you think Mr Livingston is doing?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"I am no fool General Mitchell. Sean Livingston would only order these pieces of equipment if he was burrowing into a asteroid with no care in the world for the waste of minerals. Sean is building a asteroid based naval base obviously. I got just over 10,000 people in my department. Specialists every last one of them but we have no mission. The navy has not asked us to build any bases for them and personally, I am tired of playing hand maiden to the others." Okamanski said
"It's a long trip. I have to warn you upfront. But if you and your people want a mission, I will let you go help Mr Livingston. Better get packing, you will be leaving in February. Purely voluntary, no ordering folks to go." General Rita Mitchell said
Two hours later, General Rita Mitchell was in her office when Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt stcuk her head in "You wanted to see me Rita?"
"Yes, please come in and shut the door. Get comfortable, you might be here for awhile." Rita said
Once Admiral Brandt had gotten seated and comfortable, Rita asked "Joan, you know we are recovering every derelict we know of that we can reach safely, but what do you know about any locations that might be a little riskier to get at?"
"Odessa. Odessa IV to be exact. About 3 months travel from here in the Lyran Commonwealth. I know we had quite a few ships taken there for repairs during the Liberation. But I have no clue if they are still there, General Kerensky could have taken them with him. Could be a long trip for nothing and maybe piss off the Lyran's with our stomping in thru their space willy nilly. God forbid if they find out what we are doing, we could wind up in a shooting war." Joan said
"Any idea what WAS there before Kerensky packed up and bailed on everyone?" Rita asked
"It was a long time ago Rita. Hell, for all I know those ships got repaired and rejoined the fight. Could be nothing there at all." Joan said
"Come on Joan, dig into that memeory of yours and take a shot. You have seen the intel reports, we got a huge ass war brewing and odds say we will be fighting on 2 maybe even 3 fronts this time. We need everything we can lay our hands on." Rita said
"I know we sent several Aegis Cruisers there, couple of Essex Destroyers. Don't remember the exact numbers. I have to say it again Rita, this could be a huge risk for nothing. Could get us into a shooting war." Joan replied
"Then help me put together some way to avoid a shooting war, but also a way that we can find out what is there and if we do find something, that we can recover." Rita said
"Okay Rita, I will help. Just wanted to make sure you understood the risks involved. You would need crews for any vessel found, then you need the experts to make any repairs needed to get any ships found in working order. I advise against sending any warship escort, that will just make the Lyran's anxious and curious. That we do not need. So, we send them in on standard Jumpships. I recommend LF equipped Star Lords, they can make the trip in just over a month that way. Come in WAY outside any normal jump point and they slowly make the trip in system to the base. Maybe send in a couple shuttles when they get closer for a little look see before risking the Dropships. No sense risking several thousand priceless people on a fools errand. Call it 3 LF Star Lords, 2 of those Passenger Mammoth carrying the crews and workers, maybe a single Titan as escort with 6 Mammoth loaded with as much supplies as we can pack them with." Joan said
"Okay, sounds good so far. What else?" Rita asked
For the next 3 hours, a plan was put together. A plan that could make or break the Hegemony in the coming storm.
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maybe trade Odessa IV, after TH is done with it, to the Lyrans.
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The Hegemony right now needs Warships. What they don't really need are Star League facilities they can't use any more. Trading the base to the LC for money, supplies, or even Warships would be worth it. However the moment the Lyrans start attacking the Hegemony, it becomes a long term threat. So I can see advantages and disadvantages to selling/trading or keeping it.
I am looking forward to seeing this story continue. Great Story, 2ndAcr.
Ans WHOO! More DoME Engineers! This can only go to awesome places.
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1 January 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Commanding Admiral Joan Brandt had finally revealed her re-organized Hegemony Fleet. Both Director General Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell were surprised at the size of the Hegemony Fleet. Also, this was the first time that Commanding Admiral Joan Brandt had been given a complete roster of the warships serving in the Periphery Hegemony. Though she had assigned the individual ships, she made sure her message to Admiral Tanaka was clear that final disposition was completely up to her.
Hegemony Fleet (1st Fleet)
Independent Warships
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon LF&HPG Battleship (Fleet Flagship)
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion LF Battlecruiser
1st Battle Squadron (Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler)
11th Line Division (Rear Admiral Arthur Bristol)
SLS Nebraska II - Texas Battleship (Flagship)
SLS Phoenix - Texas Battleship
SLS Sandy Hardee - Texas Battleship
SLS Inglesmond - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Connaught - Vincent Destroyer
SLS M. Langley - Vincent Destroyer
12th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral John Hoover)
SLS Carl Sommers - Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Terrance LaMont - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Hector Zapata - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Thomas Danklin - Vincent Destroyer
SLS George Wellington - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Janet McFadden - Vincent Destroyer
13th Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher)
SLS De Ruyter - Sovetskii Soyuz Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Surveillante - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Leander - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Belfast - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Ranger - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Geary - Lola III Destroyer
2nd Battle Squadron (Vice Admiral Grant Baker)
21st Line Division (Rear Admiral Davis Bagley)
SLS Kongo - Monsoon Battleship (Flagship)
SLS Hiei - Monsoon Battleship
SLS Shark Tooth - Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Shark Strike - Dart Light Cruiser
SLS Sikh - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Zulu - Lola I Destroyer
22nd Fast Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Howard Vickery)
SLS Vance Brown - Luxor Heavy Cruier (Flagship)
SLS Tammy Handyline - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Common Good - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS SLS Buccaneer - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Ruby - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Shimotsuki - Essex II LF Destroyer
23rd Carrier Division (Rear Admiral Alan Kirk)
SLS Independence - Samarkand II LF Carrier (Flagship)
SLS Benjamin - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Black Templar - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Patrick Henry - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Hammerstrike - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Emerald - Essex II LF Destroyer
Independent Squadron's
31st Battlecruiser Division (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Lady Shandra - Cameron Battlecruiser (Flagship)
SLS Anchorage - Congress Frigate
SLS Admiral Perry - Congress Frigate
SLS McDougal - Carson Destroyer
SLS Winslow - Carson Destroyer
SLS Clark - Carson Destroyer
SLS Moffett - Carson Destroyer
89th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Ismael Moreno)
SLS Conroy, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Shield, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Cape Bon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Solomon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Ghost Strike - Vincent Destroyer
84th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Jeffery Hollis)
SLS Bamborough - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Maya - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Diamondhead - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Never End - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Never Quit - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Always Ready - Vincent Destroyer
Terran Division (Vice Admiral Lorraine Hofmann)
SLS Irrefutable - Black Lion Battlecruiser (Flagship)
SLS Protecteur - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Porter - Carson Destroyer
SLS Selfridge - Carson Destroyer
SLS Mohawk - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Tartar - Lola I Destroyer
14th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Lightning - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Lookout - Vincent Destroyer
15th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Loyal - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Laforey - Vincent Destroyer
16th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Martin - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Marne - Vincent Destroyer
17th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Nerissa - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Nizam - Vincent Destroyer
18th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Black Widow - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Tarantula - Vincent Destroyer
19th Patrol Flotilla
SLS Camry - Vincent Corvette
SLS Extreme - Vincent Corvette
1st Transport Squadron (Vice Admiral John Powers)
SLS Tarawa - Potemkin LF Transport (123rd MID)
SLS Iwo Jima - Potemkin LF Transport (326th BM Division)
SLS Guam - Potemkin LF Transport (151st RMID)
SLS Ulithi - Potemkin LF Transport (250th BM Division)
SLS Mighty Lift - Potemkin LF Transport (359th BM Division)
SLS Midnight Dancer - Potemkin LF Transport (280th MID Division)
SLS Devon Pulman - Potemkin LF Transport (181st RMID)
SLS Saipan - Potemkin LF Transport (295th BM Division)
18th Transport Squadron (Vice Admiral Chaviva Roberts)
SLS Krakatow - Volga LF Transport
SLS Vesuvius - Volga LF Transport
SLS Charlton - Carrack Transport
SLS Dahl - Carrack Transport
SLS Pomeroy - Carrack Transport
SLS Red Cloud - Carrack Transport
SLS Sacagawea - Carrack Transport
At Epsilon Indi (Commodore Randall Grubowski)
SLS Arctic - Newgrange Yardship
SLS E. Presley - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (est to jump capability- 11 February 2787)
At Castor (Commodore Erik Wagner)
SLS Detroit - Newgrange Yardship
SLS Nelson - Black Lion Battlecruiser (est to jump capability 11 March 2787
At Chrisholm (Commodore Phillip Yang)
SLS John Glenn - Newgrange Yardship
SLS Oslo - Essex II Destroyer (est to jump capability- 11 January 2787)
At Keid (Rear Admiral Trishia Delvaney)
SLS Salvation - Newgrange LF Yardship
SLS Manila - Farragut Battleship (est to jump capability- 11 April 2787)
SLS Montford Point - Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Yardship Luyten 68-28)
SLS Bridge - Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Yardship Ross 248)
Convoy February 2787 (Already Forming)
SLS Borneo - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Saint Helens - Volga Transport
SLS Mount Ranier - Volga Transport
SLS Sisler - Carrack Transport
SLS Soderman - Carrack Transport
SLS Watkins - Carrack Transport
SLS Watson - Carrack Transport
SLS Yosemite - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Yankee - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Ivory - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Wasp - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Contraband - League II Destroyer
SLS Lively - Baron Destroyer
SLS Yoizuki - Baron Destroyer
SLS Legion - Baron Destroyer
SLS Urazuki - Baron Destroyer
18 Monolith Jumpships
26 Star Lord Jumpships
16 Invader Jumpships
9 Tramp Jumpships
11 Merchant Jumpships
Periphery Hegemony (2nd Fleet) (Admiral Tanisha Tanaka)
Independent Warship
SLS Windego - Whirlwind LF Destroyer (Flagship)
90th Support Division (Rear Admiral Felicia Crawford)
SLS Builder - Builder Yardship
SLS Constructor - Builder Yardship (Supporting Zetang Operations)
SLS Erector - Builder Yardship
SLS Mount McHenry - Carrack Transport
SLS Mount Fuji - Carrack Transport
SLS Servitude - Carrack Transport
SLS Horned Toad - Carrack Transport (RTS 5 March 2787)
SLS H%u014Dfuku Maru - Carrack Transport (RTS 16 March 2787)
SLS Tatsuta Maru - Carrack Transport (RTS 19 February 2787)
SLS Kyokusei Maru - Carrack Transport (RTS 11 February 2787)
55th Reconnaissance Division (Rear Admiral Paula Bannock)
SLS Sneak - Bug-Eye Surveillance (Flagship)
5 Scout HPG Jumpships (Creating HPG link to Antallos)
12 Merchant Surveillance LF&HPG Jumpships (Deployed HPG link Terra)
21st Independent Squadron (Vice Admiral Barbara Coltrain)
SLS Rhodon - Luxor Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
211th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral William Blyth)
SLS Hatchet - Kimagure LF Pursuit Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Dark Brawler - Dart LF Light Cruiser
SLS Thazi - Dart Light LF Cruiser
SLS Kathy Hamile - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Sam Kingston - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Halthom - Vincent Destroyer
212th Battlecruiser Division (Rear Admiral Xander Martinez)
SLS Dragonfly, Riga LF Frigate (Flagship)
SLS Firefly - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Trinity River - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Yangtze River - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Nile River - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Brazos River - Vincent Destroyer
213th Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Meredith McCoy)
SLS Onverwacht - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Dominator - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Pulverizer - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Punisher - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Cally Westin - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Ben Schwab - Vincent Destroyer
22nd Patrol Squadron (Vice Admiral Percy Seimens)
61st Corvette Division (Rear Admiral Garth Fallon)
SLS Blommestein - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Azur - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Boulsi - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ceibu - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Pilon - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Shiri - Vigilant Corvette
62nd Patrol Division (Rear Admiral Reginald Gambrel)
SLS Puttalam - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Feijo - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ejeda - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Ddraig - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Wokha - Vigilant Corvette
SLS Linden - Vigilant Corvette
63rd Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Samuel Harris)
SLS Sledge - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Wraith - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Slammer - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Crawfish - Vincent Destroyer
Training Command (Rear Admiral Lucien Volmeroy)
SLS Kinugasa - Aegis Heavy Cruiser (RTS 7 May 2787)
SLS Nova - Pinto Corvette
SLS Yakaze - Lola I Destroyer (RTS 17 February 2787)
SLS Harukaze - Lola I Destroyer (RTS 21 March 2787)
SLS Kamikaze - Lola I Destroyer (RTS 5 March 2787)
SLS Sawakaze - Lola I Destroyer (RTS 3 April 2787)
SLS Flying Demon - Samarkand II Carrier (Refit Complete 17 May 2787)
SLS Rebellion - Narukami II Destroyer (Refit Complete 6 June 2787)
SLS Retribution - Narukami II Destroyer (Refit Complete 9 June 2787)
Under Construction
SLS Deep Builder - Builder Yardship (Complete 26 February 2787)
SLS Carpenter - Builder Yardship (Complete 26 February 2787)
SLS Mechanic - Builder Yardship (Complete 26 February 2787)
SLS Avenger - Essex III Destroyer (Complete 17 August 2787)
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nice fleet and can not wait for more.
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Hey 2ndAcr any thought about starting a design thread like you did for the Quest? Just to keep everything together.
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Yep, about to start work on that.... I will probably keep it in the main design forum as a catch all, for all designs. From vehicle to warships.
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Man I love these alternate stories when the Hegemony or SL survives....
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1 January 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel did not relish the Governing aspect of the job. He had spent his entire adult life in the SLDF and all he really wanted to do was train soldiers and spend time in the field with the soldiers. But he had accepted the job when General Rita Mitchell and Director General Amanda Cameron had departed for Terra, so he had thrown himself at the task trying to learn all he could as fast as he could. He leaned on Peter Sajak and the other "inner circle" folks to help him as much as they could. Today was the dreaded economic meeting for 2786 and the planned or expected changes for 2787. He popped a couple of aspirin to stave off the headache he knew he would have by the end of the day of listening and looking at numbers.
Once he had settled himself, took a sip from his water glass, he nodded at Jessica Parington to start the meeting since she knew the numbers better than anyone, having taught Amanda Cameron herself the art of developing an economy.
"Good morning everyone. Today is the day that General Rommel hates more than any other, the yearly economic totals and forecasts. The year 2786 was a fantastic year with massive growths across every system. Not only in population but also industrial growth. Though we are still importing goods from the Federated Suns via ZaP Shipping, our slowly developing industries are starting to show some firm ground under them finally. If you will all turn to page 5 of the briefing before you, we will start this off with a overview of each systems population growths now that the new census is completed."
Terran Hegemony (Periphery)
Thazi - pop 22,301,576 - 185 Billion GDP - 9.25 Billion Tax
Boulsi - pop 25,420,982 - 88 Billion GDP - 4.4 Billion Tax
Pilon - pop 16,130,949 - 83 Billion GDP - 4.15 Billion Tax
Azur - pop 231,038,618 - 4.3 Trillion GDP - 215 Billion Tax
Wokha - pop 24,101,673 - 181 Billion GDP - 9.05 Billion Tax
Blommestein - pop 39,072,794 - 843 Billion GDP - 42.15 Billion Tax
Ddraig - pop 39,383,720 - 286 Billion GDP - 14.3 Billion Tax
Ejeda - pop 15,251,376 - 67 Billion GDP - 3.35 Billion Tax
Waini Point - pop 4,224,007 - Developing, Exempt
Zumbo - pop 2,566,478 - Developing, Exempt
Ambatomainty - pop 38,475,903 - 454 Billion GDP - 22.7 Billion Tax
Sorsk - pop 24,919,822 - 61 Billion GDP - 3.05 Billion Tax
Puttalam - pop 27,902,800 - 121 Billion GDP - 6.05 Billion Tax
Maripa - pop 10,202,784 - 91 Billion GDP - 4.55 Billion Tax
Loikaw - pop 1,197,919 - Developing, Exempt
Mandeville - pop 1,710,780 - Developing, Exempt
Zetang - pop 2,823,033 - Developing, Exempt
La Ligua - pop 1,439,888 - Developing, Exempt
Carmelita - pop 326,520 - Developing, Exempt
Quinnes - pop 6,096,035 - Developing, Exempt
Shira - pop 21,541,577 - 268 Billion GDP - 13.4 Billion Tax
Domeykp - pop 4,163,257 - Developing, Exempt
Feijo - pop 17,723,414 - 176 Billion GDP - 8.8 Billion Tax
Alktral - pop 28,896,747 - 304 Billion GDP - 15.2 Billion Tax
Linden - pop 20,709,286 - 1.4 Trillion GDP - 70 Billion Tax
Ceiba - pop 36,154,823 - 297 Billion GDP - 14.85 Billion Tax
Bossangoa - pop 22,798,577 - 142 Billion GDP - 7.1 Billion Tax
Rhodon - pop 17,641,579 - 188 Billion GDP - 9.4 Billion Tax
Gaeri - pop 22,388,296 - 66 Billion GDP - 3.3 Billion Tax
Zalt - pop 5,663,172 - Developing, Exempt
Mitz - pop 6,243,816 - Developing, Exempt
Gitarama - pop 7,694,248 - Developing, Exempt
Barahona - pop 23,492,317 - 97 Billion GDP - 4.85 Billion Tax
Danli - pop 12,551,842 - 147 Billion GDP - 7.35 Billion Tax
Las Tunas - pop 31,972,227 - 198 Billion GDP - 9.9 Billion Tax
Taumaturgo - pop 15,875,625 - 388 Billion GDP - 19.4 Billion Tax
Tanz - pop 9,682,131 - 35 Billion GDP - 1.75 Billion Tax
Onverwacht - pop 29,485,997 - 237 Billion GDP - 11.85 Billion Tax
Kent - pop 2,788,495 - Developing, Exempt
Sornath - pop 4,294,319 - Developing, Exempt
Ype-Jhu - pop 3,823,527 - Developing, Exempt
Vonja - pop 49,447,287 - 249 Billion GDP - 12.45 Billion Tax
Hergazil - pop 44,862,721 - 191 Billion GDP - 9.55 Billion Tax
Shiri - pop 26,293,126 - 62 Billion GDP - 3.1 Billion Tax
Coyle - pop 6,337,425 - Developing, Exempt
Flynn - pop 1,957,427 - Developing, Exempt
Totness - pop 842,224 - Developing, Exempt
Calingasta - pop 2,171,149 - Developing, Exempt
Santa-Ana - pop 4,261,038 - Developing, Exempt
Achton - pop 31,806,930 - 58 Billion GDP - 2.9 Billion Tax
Achnoly - pop 37,061,704 - 96 Billion GDP - 4.8 Billion Tax
Schrim - pop 3,507,607 - Developing, Exempt
Ammon - pop 27,308,592 - 85 Billion GDP - 4.25 Billion Tax
Voehn - pop 26,704,327 - 88 Billion GDP - 4.4 Billion Tax
Braden's Frontier - pop 61,834,205 - 241 Billion GDP - 12.05 Billion Tax
Crichton - pop 33,609,304 - 384 Billion GDP - 19.02 Billion Tax
Hrafn - pop 2,735,018 - Developing, Exempt
Glitnir - pop 5,934,092 - Developing, Exempt
Raetia - pop 33,002,675 - 57 Billion GDP - 2.85 Billion Tax
Michtal - pop 45,460,455 - 142 Billion GDP - 7.1 Billion Tax
Bannerhoft - pop 19,527,097 - 224 Billion GDP - 11.2 Billion Tax
Grankum - pop 21,680,054 - 62 Billion GDP - 3.1 Billion Tax
Aalzog - pop 39,573,840 - 186 Billion GDP - 9.3 Billion Tax
Koury - pop 2,934,705 - Developing, Exempt
Fallry - pop 14,230,551 - 76 Billion GDP - 3.8 Billion Tax
Blueys - pop 49,837,087 - 108 Billion GDP - 5.4 Billion Tax
Wynn's Roost - pop 11,284,197 - 83 Billion GDP - 4.15 Billion Tax
Vangburg - pop 2,304,539 - Developing, Exempt
Nerum - pop 12,973,027 - Developing, Exempt
Zebuluraskai - pop 12,938,309 - 61 Billion GDP - 3.05 Billion Tax
Renorsal - pop 2,936,805 - Developing, Exempt
Salvende - pop 1,637,095 - Developing, Exempt
False Dawn - pop 34,329,410 - 132 Billion GDP - 6.6 Billion Tax
Ourem - pop 27,538,804 - 67 Billion GDP - 3.35 Billion Tax
Total Population - 1,549,340,908
Total GDP - 13.355 Trillion
Total Tax - 668.87 Billion
"As everyone can see, we still have many systems classified as developing, but our tax revenue is steadily on the rise. So is our overall GDP, of course our 74 systems entire GDP barely equals some single systems in the Inner Sphere. But comparing our population GDP against an equal single system and we are pretty equal, so I will call that a good thing. Our capitol expenditures are still up when compared to the previous year, but that cannot be helped with the non stop immigration we are seeing. Those are not shown here, but I believe they are on page 66 of the report before you.
If you turn the page, you will see our current revenue from HPG traffic. We have seen a large jump in our revenue there now that the entire HPG network is now up and running fully on all worlds. Last year, the HPG network transmitted 8.7 Billion messages for a revenue stream of 26.1 Billion. Lucky for us, now that the entire network is up and running, that portion of capitol expense will not affect us this year. We are still spending a large amount of money on Terraforming on many systems, but we are starting to see some results from the efforts as several systems that were unable to grow their food locally and relied on everything being imported are starting to be able to grow their own food locally. This will also relieve some of the shipping shortage we still are suffering from.
Our military expenditures are still way above what our economy should be able to support. Warships are expensive items, but they are also resource intensive, which also helps drive the expansion of mining operations. I would advise that we should halt additional warship construction and focus on normal Jumpship construction to help our shipping shortage. Now that the war is officially over of course." Jessica paused when she got the stink eye from General Heinrich Rommel.
"So the short path says we are not going broke or in the red. Correct?" General Rommel asked
"No sir, we are neither going broke nor in the red. But that money could be used to speed up the development of many systems. Give me that money saved for ten years and I think we can double or even triple our tax revenue. I am sure that Peter Sajak will back me up on this." Jessica said looking at Peter Sajak who tried to vanish.
"Well Peter, what do you think?" General Rommel asked
"I cannot say I disagree with Jessica's assessment. But with the information we now have access to, we are going to need additional funding for all the upgrades that we need to make. Across the board. Civilian and Military upgrades. Ten years would have us fully upgraded technically to the most modern specifications equal to those found on Terra. We could use the money for the Colleges we need to get built to teach the skills needed to make full use of those upgrades. Same goes for the medical technology we now have access to." Peter Sajak said
General Rommel grumped and muttered to himself before looking back up at the pair "Okay, we will suspend any new warship construction. We will complete those already under construction but continue to modernize and upgrade our existing fleet. Until the additional Jumpship's enter the civilian sector, I will authorize the use of military Jumpships to assist where they can, as long as it does not compromise our readiness."
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Ah, the pains growing the military-industrial complex, where the military still far outstrips the industry. ::) ;)
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i hope they go with something that is quick to build for the jumpships, like Merchant class for the core. They will need some pony express (fedex, ups analog) maybe a tramp LF.
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the best update that they can make to their warships would be to go to all energy weapon loadouts thus freeing up space to either increase the si, armor, fuel, or orther systems. it would also be good if they could replace all none LF equipped ships with ones that are thus improving their speed that they can respond to things.
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1 January 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Lunch was over and General Heinrich Rommel was a little grumpy after the 4 hour economic briefing, but at least the afternoon session would be about what he was actually an expert in, military status along with industry. He took his seat and nodded at Peter Sajak to begin his portion of the briefing. Peter Sajak stood and walked to the podium instead of remaining seating, he preferred to deliver his briefings from where he could easily see everyone instead of turning his head.
"Everyone knows who I am, and this portion of the yearly briefing will cover military production, technilogical advancements, if they are unclassified or if General Rommel decides to allow me to brief on them, but we will also be covering many aspects of the civilian industrial capabilities and improvements. I will start off with covering Thompson Shipyards who have taken full control of the Jumpship yards over Onverwacht. After spending a few months reviewing the current production rates and also our projected needs, they have suspended new construction of Jumpships for the next 6 months. This was done to allow them to increase the number of Yards from the current 10 to 20 Yards, along with increasing both ground based supporting factories and orbital factories to meet planned demand. This was also done with an eye toward upgrading all of their facilities to the advanced designs from the Data Cores. They have stated that with 20 Yards, they can phase in the upgrades, once the upgraded equipment and computers are ready at a rate of 5 Yards at a time while keeping the other 15 Yards in production.
We do not have a estimate on how long the upgrade will take nor how long it will take for the new equipment and computers will take. We are working off pure computer generated designs but it would be much quicker if we had a working example, like one of Mitchell Vehicle's Yards from the Hegemony to reverse engineer and copy, but those have not arrived yet and we do not have an accurate arrival date anyway. But if you look at Chart 1, you will see Thompson Shipyards projected outline of production types and numbers."
Thompson Shipyards (Onverwacht)
Monolith Jumpship - 4 Shipyard producing at 2 per year each yard current tech
projected upgrade rate is 4 per year each yard
Star Lord Jumpship - 4 Shipyard producing at 3 per year each yard current tech
projected upgrade rate is 5 per year each yard
Invader Jumpship - 4 Shipyard producing at a rate of 5 per year each yard current tech
projected upgrade rate is 7 per year each yard
Merchant Jumpship - 4 Shipyard producing at a rate of 7 per year each yard current tech
projected upgrade rate is 10 per year each yard
Liberty II Jumpship - 4 Shipyard producing at a rate of 4 per year each yard current tech
projected upgrade rate is 6 per year each yard
"As everyone can see, the projected upgrade once we have the technology available to install will increase ship construction rates greatly. This will also apply to just about everything we build not just Jumpships. Thompson Shipyards noted that we have several Liberty Jumpships being used by ZaP Shipping and that it's 4 collars filled a unique position and worked on an upgraded design which eliminated many of the original's issues. They are confident that it will actually be much easier to maintain. Projected cost is just over 800 Million for each ship. They have also approached us about possibly restarting their destroyed Warship program, which was the Carson Destroyer. I have informed them that will have to be a decision for someone much higher than me.
Mitchell Vehicles is still working on getting their Battlemech Factory completed on Quines. Current estimate is very late 2787 or maybe 1st quarter 2788 before actual production begins. I know they are bringing in another Battlemech Factory and their Shipyard complex. I doubt that Quines can support that much manufacturing. We are still having trouble just housing all the new settlers, for that reason, I think I need to recommend that we advise Mitchell Vehicles to locate their incoming facilities to other worlds that are more established. This will also allow for a more disbursed industrial base. I have spent some time searching for the perfect locations and I propose Crichton for the Battlemech Factory, it has a large population base, ready heavy industry and good farming to support an influx of new folks. The only down point is it is pretty resource poor but we have the needed resources at various systems within 2 jumps of Crichton, having a major industry close by will help draw settlers to those still developing worlds for the jobs in the increased mining.
For the Shipyard complex, I would put forth Zebuluraskai. It has an established heavy industry base, is both resource rich, but also has additional resources close by. I know they will be taking full control of most of the Hegemony Aerospace Yards at Linden, but I think we need to rethink that. The folks at Hegemony Aerospace have done some good work, I propose we modify the arrangement some. Give them half the Linden yards but transfer the Thazi complex to Hegemony Aerospace. Currently the Thazi yard and modified Olympus have been pretty much operated by the SLDF anyway. I kind of like having an industrial base of our own where we can control fully what is produced without having to purchase from a contractor.
Mitchell Vehicle is currently producing a single Essex III Destroyer as a prototype for Admiral Tanaka at Linden. If you look at Chart 2 on page 6 of the briefing folder, I have laid out the projected Mitchell Vehicle production estimates after consulting with their representatives.
Mitchell Vehicle Production Estimate
Quines Battlemech Factory (Est late 2787)
Dragoon AEM-01 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each line per month
Dragoon AEM-02 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each line per month
Dragoon AEM-03 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each line per month
Dragoon AEM-04 - 3 Lines capable producing 12 each line per month
Shootist ST-8A - 2 Lines capable producing 12 each line per month
Prowler - 2 Lines producing 25 each line per month (suggest change)
Crichton (Not final but Est)
Mercury MCY-99 - 1 Line producing 20 per month
Shogun SHG-2H - 4 Lines producing 12 each line per month
HEP-2H Helepolis - 2 Lines producing 12 each line per month
GLH-2D Galahad - 2 Lines producing 12 each line per month
Hellcat II HCT-213C - 4 Lines producing 20 each per month
Hellcat II HCT-214 - 2 Lines producing 20 each per month
Colossus Dropship - Graham was capable of 36 per year, not sure yet
Zebuluraskai (Not final but Est)
Luxor Cruiser - Possible 6 slips at a rate of 6 per year
Essex III Destroyer (?) - Possible 6 slips at a rate of 18 per year
"As everyone can clearly see, once Mitchell Vehicles completes their move, this will dramatically add to our industrial base. Though I expect we will have them adjust their production to maybe some of Blommestein Battlemech's designs, which are our own designs. Though they bring much expertise, I have to admit I am a little biased and would like to see Blommestein Battlemechs and even Thazi Motors remain independent. I made these projections from what Mitchell Vehicle was producing or capable of producing as of 2784.
Next, we will cover some of the newly identified industrial moves heading our way. We need to prepare for their arrival also. We know a massive convoy will be departing Terra in next month with a slated arrival of late this year. We have been notified that a single production line for the Nighthawk power suits was salvaged and being sent, which is great because our own attempts at reverse engineering the suits have failed. I have that line projected to be installed here on Thazi. Mainly because I am getting some heat from the locals about wanting more industry here. To try and keep them happy, which is not easy at times, but we do have ample resources here to maintain quite a industrial base. I have also slated Allied Aerospace, Ostmann Industries and General Systems to be established here on Thazi. Chart 3 covers the details of what they will be bringing with them based off of 2784 intel provided to us."
Ostmann Industries (Thazi)
Ostroc OSR-2C - 4 Lines producing 20 each line per month
Ostroc OSR-2Cb - 2 Lines producing 20 each line per month
Ostwar OWR-2Mb - 2 Lines producing 20 each line per month
Allied Aerospace (Thazi)
Phoenix Hawk LAM - 3 Lines producing 12 each line per month
General Systems (Thazi)
Exterminator EXT-4D - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month
Exterminator EXT-4Db - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month
Exterminator EXT-4C - 1 Lines producing 12 each per month
Hegemony Suits (Thazi - Just a name holder)
Nighthawk Power Suit - 1 Line unknown production rate
"Another reason I co-located these new industries here on Thazi, especially General Systems is they are already familiar with the specialized systems used on the Nighthawk in some versions. We might need their help, so it made sense to me. We have no information on any sort of production rate or anything for the Nighthawk suits, but we do know that some of the workers from the recovered line are moving out here also. We will just have to wait and see when they arrive. I have also heard some good things about the new Corsair Aerospace fighter and I have sent a message to Terra asking if they can lay their hands on a license agreement for it.
Now, new technology extracted from the Data Cores is being implemented as quick as we can manage. Hard thing is we have to build the tooling to make the tooling to make the tooling to manufacture some of the items and it is a major pain in the backside. Though we are making progress, it is slow going. I have brought some of the best minds we have over to Boulsi to look over some of the research data the Cores contained. Weapons research contained on the Cores is extensive, and much of the information is over my head. But stuff looks promising, to me anyway.
Terraforming process's are still ongoing on many systems here in the Hegemony with many projected to take several decades to bear fruit. But luckily for us, many of the Terraforming efforts begun by DoME before everything went to shit was able to be saved and that has given many systems a leg up and we are already seeing progress of those efforts.
Existing manufacturing concerns, especially the military industries, have seen a major slowdown on production now that all of our current formations are at 100% strength. We are still working on activating all of the Conventional RCT's that we need to garrison all 74 systems out here but those do not require major Battlemech production. Military vehicle production is still at 100% because of this along with Aerospace production. Mitchell Vehicles is still working on some sort of modification for the Colossus Dropship, but I do not have firm specifications on it yet. I do know that they have constructed a single Dropship facility on Ceiba where they are currently assembling a test ship. We will have to wait and see what fruit that bears. That concludes my briefing."
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the THiE is looking good. i would look at stockpiling older machines. they can see that is happing near terra and how long a war can last. you can use those older machines as combat replacements or standing up third line units that can act as the seed corn for pilots replacements.
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Nice.
I like the upgraded and modernized Liberty II. That 4 collar slot will be useful.
I definitely like the redundancy of separating out factories and shipyards. Making it so each province has a minimum of shipyards, aerospace, tank, battlemech, and power armor production is definitely a worthwhile long term goal. I really get the feeling, that between the Kilbourne Shipyard and shipyards in the Hidden Hegemony, a lot of Jumpships are going to be sold to the Feddies.
However, a change of name of the Dragoon and the exterior facing before starting production, like the Lyrans remade/remodeled the Rampage into the Zeus, would be extremely warranted to avoid traumatizing Hegemony refugees.
I am definitely cheering the limitation of Mitchell Vehicles and the keeping alive of Hegemony Aerospace, Blommestein Battlemechs and Thazi Motors. They are a homegrown industry that inspire pride from the existing citizens, something like, we were here and created these industries before you Inner sphere people brought your factories out here. A counterpoint to the growing Terran Hegemony influence as existing Hidden/Periphery Hegemony citizens.
The Carson? Bring a Carson II design that has engines that work right, before asking that. LOL.
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like the Lyrans remade remodeled the Rampage into the Zeus would be extremely warranted to avoid traumatizing Hegemony refugees.
i have heard this before but can not find a official link for this.
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10 January 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Martin Zuni, CEO of ZaP Shipping, had not taken the news that most Jumpship construction would be shutting down for upgrades and expansions. But instead of throwing a fit, he had instead spent some time studying the needs on all the systems the Hegemony controlled out here in the Periphery. The biggest surface problem was ground based shipping ability. A few planets had fairly effective rail lines running very old petrochemical trains on them. He was always looking for a way to make a profit.
After being handed a virtual monopoly on interstellar transport for so many years, he had managed to make inroads in Federated Suns space also. He was already thinking about expanding the Federated Suns operation. But he was not so focused on the trade that he knew so well that he would pass up another income source. But he also knew that this adventure could be a very expensive one. Consuming a massive amount of capital before actually earning a profit. But he had a plan for that, the Hegemony government itself was providing massive amounts of money to help develop the many planets.
Using his law firm on Bastrop, he had secured the production license for the best MagLev design known along with vital production equipment to build them locally and a fuel cell design that could be used on less developed worlds. He had then hired several hundred of the best rail construction engineers he could locate, at great expense. All of this was already on the way via Bastrop. It had cost him 500 Million dollars to secure the production license, a small fortune, but he knew it would be worth it in the long term. Both for his company and the Hegemony itself. The design he had purchased was for both the tractor and several popular cars, along with the rail production equipment. The 600 ton Tractor could move the MagLev at a maximum speed of 228kph while the fuel cell version travelled at 129kph. Each could do so while pulling 20 cars at full speed. The car designs he had purchased were a cargo car which could carry 188 tons of cargo, both bulk and palletized, a Liquid car which carried 85 tons, a passenger car which could carry 24 passengers in steerage quarters and another 112 in seats, another passenger car which did away with the steerage quarters for a massive 450 passengers in seats. Range on the fuel cell version was 2,045km between refuels.
He had studied everything he could lay his hands on about rail operations. Just as he knew the interstellar shipping business, he wanted to know all he could about the rail business. The growing industries would consume massive amounts of resources and he wanted to make sure he was in on the shipping of those resources even if it never left a planet, someone had to move it and he planned for that to be his company.
Quines (Terran Hegemony)
Inside the only Dropship manufacturing hanger operated by Mitchell Vehicle, engineers watched the modified Colossus Dropship take shape. They had kept the design exactly the same except for what it carried. The SLDF had deemed the Colossus too expensive to build in any great amount, but by building it to transport a large amount of Battlemechs reduced the cost of the environmental controls. They had designed 2 versions to meet the need to reduce the overall Dropship collar count to transport the Divisions. The first version carried 2 Battalions of Battlemechs for a total of 80 Battlemechs using the new structure of adding in command lances to the Battalions. Arranged on 2 massive decks, each deck had 4 doors available and each Battlemech bay also contained the ability to drop the Battlemechs from orbit via built in airlocks and Drop Cocoons. It could carry 1,700 tons of onboard cargo on a 3rd deck. It cost only 575,686,000 each, less than a standard Lee Dropship.
The second version rounded out the Battlemech Regiment. Carrying a Battalion of Battlemechs along with the Regiments Command Company. Arranged almost the same as the double Battalion Dropship, it carried an expanded 4,686 tons of cargo and added in 15 tons of communication equipment enabling the Regimental commander to maintain control of his forces under any circumstances. It also mounted a full MASH onboard to tend to injured. After studying the current standard used by the SLDF/HAF out here of transporting each Battlemech Regiment carried by 5 Dropships, usually a Union, 3 Lee and a Mule, they had managed to cut the collar amount of each Regiment by half. Along with almost tripling the amount of supplies available to each Regiment without a dedicated cargo Dropship. In theory, 2 Colossus Dropships reduced the number of collars used by each Battlemech Regiment by 3. It cost 641,046,000 each, also less than a Lee Dropship.
They had another version still being worked on, it was planned to carry a full heavy Armored Regiment. Capable of carrying all 108 heavy Armor Vehicles of the Regiment and 3,029 ton of cargo. It cost more due to the environmental controls needed for the much more numerous passenger's. It was projected to cost 673,126,000 each but would save on many Dropship collars.
They wanted to test the first double Battalion version before presenting it to the SLDF/HAF for possible purchase. They had brought in members of the local garrison to help lay out the floor plans and also they had volunteered to help test the design. They wanted to work out all the possible kinks before presenting it.
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ZaP could contact a third party to see what the DC and FWL might have for sale in on the second and third hand markets. each jumpship they take out of play for them, is one that they will not have later and the THiE/ZaP could always just store them or keep the for parts donors. also does the TH have battle taxi small craft?
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I can see it now. ZaP Trains Inc. It is actually a very wise decision, and will make the surface transport of mined materials much cheaper over the long run.
I like the alternate designs of the Colossus, it makes it an affordable design, comparatively. It frees up collar space for brigade and division level transport, which is extremely needed.
The only dropships I think could be redesigned for infantry transport with a larger capacity than the Lion would be the CargoMaster, Colossus, Elephant, Lee, Mammoth, Mule, or Overlord classes. 2ndAcr has already redesigned the Colossus, Mammoth, and Overlord classes. I doubt the CargoMaster, Mule and Mammoth designs would be worthwhile to make infantry transport variants (save perhaps the Mammoth as mass evacuation ships rather then passenger variants), and I doubt Procurement would want to spend the amount of money on Colossus or Lee infantry variants, even if it would vastly simplify transport for pure infantry formations like the 31st's Grunt Infantry.
So, my best guess would be redesigned Overlords or Elephants. It would tickle my engineering side to have the Elephants as that would allow boarding of hostile ships, as well as vastly increasing the amount of available tugs, but Overlords would fit the desire for streamlining by the quartermaster's office. But, we will have to wait for 2ndAcr to make his decision in story.
cawest does have a point, there is available for small craft at this point in time the K-1(a waste of a collar), the S-7A, the SR-61, the ST-46, and the TIG-15. Considering the alteration of the SLS Windego to have a shuttle bay, what is the HAF using?
I am looking forward to seeing this continue. Thanks, 2ndAcr, for the update.
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15 January 2787
Blommestein (Terran Hegemony)
Trina Weldon-Henderson, Lead Engineer of Hegemony Industries Aerospace Division, watched as her newest design was brought out of her factory's experimental production shop for it's first test flight. They had been building small craft for the Navy since 2780, reverse engineered S-7A Bus and ST-46 Shuttles, but this was the first home designed and built small craft. It came from a request from the SLDF/HAF Marines for a dedicated Assault Shuttle. She had spent over a year on the design and it had been hand built. Now it was time for it's very first test flight, success or failure, it was a proud moment for her.
She had used a Spheroid design wich gave it a strong internal structure. She used large engines to give it a 4g max thrust. Carrying 9 tons of fuel for long distance travel. Clad in 28.5 tons of Ferro Aluminum armor, it's nose carried the most armor. Weapons were 2 ER Large Lasers in the Nose with a pair of Medium Lasers in the Forward Left and Forward Right. Twenty Double Heat Sinks handled the heat load. Between the Nose mounted ER Large Lasers was a smaller version of the Naval Tug Adaptor with built in air lock. Four special grapples had been created that could be fired at a target vessel which would hopefully snag onto the target vessel, an equal number of extremely powerful winches could then pull the shuttle to the target where the modified Tug Adaptor would allow a forced entry of the target. The grapples would only be used against a target that was still under thrust. Then it could deliver it's potent Marine Company of 4 Platoons onto the target.
She had named it simply Marine Assault Shuttle. At almost 17 Million each, they were fairly expensive. She prayed it passed all of it's tests and would provide the Marines the dedicated assault ship they desired to deliver them to their targets. During her design phase, she had worked with Hegemony Aerospace because they were designing a specialized Assault Dropship for the Marines with a target date for a test design close to her own, she wondered how they were doing.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Vernon Clancy was behind schedule, but he did not care because this was too important of a project. He had been tasked to design a custom Assault Dropship for the SLDF/HAF Marines. Even though they had a few of their modified Elephant Dropships, they wanted a custom built Dropship, designed to their specifications. They wanted it to carry a full Marine Battalion of 448 Marines. After getting the blessing from Admiral Tanaka, he had set about the task with gusto. During the design process, he had gotten word that Admiral Tanaka had authorized the Marines to actually man and fly their own Aerospace Fighters. This had caused him to fully scrap his initial design.
Instead, he had gotten his hands on an old Titan Dropship scheduled to be retired. At over 100 years old, it had seen better days. They had brought it aboard the Modified Olympus Station and literally stripped it down. It's engines were completely rebuilt and refurbished. It's flight decks were revamped with the 3rd flight deck reconfigured to carry 4 of the new Marine Assault Shuttles. All the cargo was placed inside of a single cargo bay that serviced all 3 hanger decks. The extra space allowed them to install 44 second class quarters for the embarked air wing and 448 steerage quarters for the embarked Marine Battalion. They ahd reinstalled the weapons without any alterations but had installed 78 tons of Ferro Aluminum armor greatly increasing the ships armor protection. It still carried 2 Squadrons of Aerospace Fighters with a reduced cargo load of 482 tons.
Installing the extra quarters and reworking the flight decks had caused the schedule delays, but he wanted to make sure his design was both functional and safe. Once his design took flight, if it passed all of it's tests, it would be built on Ceibu. The Marines had learned the hard way over the years that it took almost a Battalion to board and take control of a hostile warship. The modified Elephant Dropships that carried a full Regiment were just too big for a single boarding action and not suited for long duration patrols. They wanted something better, tailor designed to meet their needs. He hoped he had full filled their desire. It was projected to cost an astounding 813 Million for each Dropship. He kept the name simple, Marine Assault Dropship.
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Your MagLev Train is really slow. They can go over 300 kph easily.
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Huh. I completely forgot 2ndAcr had that redesigned Elephant that carried a marine regiment. That answers that question.
I like the Marine Assault Shuttle. Basically an earlier version of a Lupus or NL-42 Battle Taxi, with twice the grapples and 2 medium lasers instead of 4 Medium pulse lasers, and carrying 4 companies instead of 3. Nice.
Not what I was expecting, but the Titan is a very useful ship, well worth repurposing. Does the Marine Assault Dropship have a Naval Tug Adaptor as well, for hostile boarding operations? Or is it limited to regular airlock boarding and void boarding?
Thanks for the answer to my question from the previous post.
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The Marine Assault Dropship does not have a Tug Adaptor. The shuttles are what the Marines will use for boarding. I toyed with making the shuttle carry 2 platoons instead of the 4 platoons per Company the Marines use, but I wanted the "Titan" to carry enough Aerospace Fighters to remain a potent threat.
Has 4 Medium laser, 2 in each Forward Arc.
I took the stats for the Maglev from the Nolan specs.
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15 January 2787
Blommestein (Terran Hegemony)
She had used a Spheroid design which gave it a strong internal structure. She used large engines to give it a 4g max thrust. Carrying 9 tons of fuel for long distance travel. Clad in 28.5 tons of Ferro Aluminum armor, it's nose carried the most armor. Weapons were 2 ER Large Lasers in the Nose with a pair of Medium Lasers in the Forward Left and Forward Right. Twenty Double Heat Sinks handled the heat load. Between the Nose mounted ER Large Lasers was a smaller version of the Naval Tug Adaptor with built in air lock. Four special grapples had been created that could be fired at a target vessel which would hopefully snag onto the target vessel, an equal number of extremely powerful winches could then pull the shuttle to the target where the modified Tug Adaptor would allow a forced entry of the target. The grapples would only be used against a target that was still under thrust. Then it could deliver it's potent Marine Company of 4 Platoons onto the target.
I see the need for a few weapons to the rear of this. you're pretty defenceless with docked and on the run in, you're open to get reamed.
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They got to make some mistakes. I cant bring myself to min/max everything. Besides, it still has to go thru testing, next chapter. LOL
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25 January 2787
Blommestein (Terran Hegemony)
Trina Weldon-Henderson, Lead Engineer of Hegemony Industries Aerospace Division, was furious with herself. Though her design had passed basic flight tests, even successfully hooked and boarded a warship, once it had faced a active defense screen, it had been shot down every single time by "enemy" Aerospace Fighters before it even got close to it's target. The lack of rear firing weapons had been it's downfall. Even if the test was not quite fair as her shuttle was meant to be escorted by Aerospace Fighters from the Marines Dropship. But the lack of weapons had been a glaring oversight on her part.
Now, back to the drawing boards. There was no way her shuttle could carry the protection it needed for it's mission AND carry a full company of Marines. SO she made the changes bringing the number of Marines delivered in a single pass to 3 platoons, or 84 personnel. She added 6 more Medium Lasers, 2 in each rear arc to help fend off Aerospace Fighters. She then plowed the remaining weight into the armor now boosted to 31 tons of Ferro Aluminum. The Marine Battalion would now need 6 Shuttles to deliver the entire Battalion of Marines on a target. She sent the new numbers to Thazi where she knew Vernon Clancy would have a fit.
3 February 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Vernon Clancy did have a fit when he learned of the need for a larger shuttle squadron. After calling for a work stop, he had spent 2 days trying every combination he could to make the changes, and failed every time. Finally, he had forced himself to down grade the engines, which would have to be newly built to new specifications dropping the newly named Marine Titan (Assault) maximum thrust down to 3g. But it now met every single design specification he had been given. But since he had to wait for a complete engine and rip the old one out, he revamped the weapons package.
The NOSE Arc now had 12 Large Pule Lasers, 3 AC/20 with 30 rounds and 3 LRM/20 with 30 salvoes. Each WING had 2 AC/20 with 20 rounds, 1 LRM/20 with 12 salvoes, 5 Large Pulse Lasers and 4 Medium Pulse Lasers while the AFT was protected by 1 AC/20 with 10 rounds, 1 LRM/20 with 12 salvoes and 2 Medium Pulse Lasers. Anything that got close would get shredded. Internally, each Aerospace Fighter Squadron had it's own launch bay with 3 doors for rapid deployment, the 8 Assault Shuttles were housed in their own hanger deck with 2 doors. Each hanger deck was fed from a single cargo bay holding 753 tons. The embarked Air Wing and Marine Battalion were quartered in their own staterooms to maximize comfort on long deployments or patrols. The cooling system contained 195 Double Heat Sinks. Final cost was 791.5 Million Dollars.
He gave the order to undo all of their work and begin making the changes he had input. He knew the workers were calling him every name they could come up with.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
The massive convoy was taking shape in the Terra system at the Zenith Jump Point. While a flood of Dropships were moving to the Zenith Jump Point, another flood of Dropships were heading for Terra itself carrying the 52nd Infantry Division. At the Titan Shipyards, SLS Oslo, Essex II Destroyer was just now entering a slip for 3 months of extensive repairs having been recovered by SLS John Glenn, Newgrange Yardship.
SLS E. Presley, Aegis Cruiser was on it's way back to Terra with a skeleton crew aboard after having been recovered by SLS Arctic, Newgrange Yardship. New assignments were given to both Newgrange Yardships. SLS John Glenn had headed for Nanking while SLS Arctic headed for Bryant.
At the Nadir Jump Point, a small convoy of 8 LF equipped Tramp Jumpships were securing from recharge operations. With 3 Passenger Mammoth Dropships, 2 Titan Dropships, 3 Mule Dropships and 7 Cargo Mammoth already docked they were ready to begin their estimated 6 week journey deep into the Lyran Commonwealth using uninhabited systems.
Nanking (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Phillip Yang, commander SLS John Glenn, New Grange Yardship, sighed as the badly damaged Essex II Destroyer was finally securely berthed in his repair bay. It had taken 2 weeks to locate the derelict and another 3 days to get her stabilized for the trip back to the Yardship. During the trip, survey crews had boarded her and recorded her name, SLS Copenhagen was being returned to the fold. The survey's had estimated 3 months to get her jump capable and another 4 months in a shipyard to repair the extensive damage done to her.
Bryant (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Randall Grubrowski, commander SLS Arctic, Newgrange Yardship, had brought his ship to a halt only 30km from the Riga Frigate. He watched as the Elephant Tug wrestled the Riga Frigate towards the awaiting repair bay. Even at this range, the huge scorched White Shark painted on the hull was easily seen. RWS Jagged Tooth, Riga Frigate had been pummeled by the SLDF warships during the liberation. Massive holes could clearly be seen. The interior of the ship was reported to be in worse shape than the outer hull according to the survey crews. Several of the ships magazines had detonated. Though the jump core was intact, the ship was incapable of holding any atmosphere, her engines were totally destroyed and most of her weapons mounts were destroyed. She could jump, but not move nor shoot. Estimates were over a year in a shipyard. His mission was to seal her gaping holes and get her to Terra.
Castor (Terran Hegemony)
Commodore Erik Wagner, commander SLS Detroit, Newgrange Yardship smiled as SLS Nelson, Black Lion Battlecruiser was pulled from the repair bay 3 weeks ahead of schedule. He had expected her to be sent to Graham IV for repairs but was surprised when he got word that she was to be sent to Terra. He guessed it made sense, for she would need over a year in a shipyard to repair the extensive damage. But once she was clear from his bay, she was no longer his problem, he already had his new orders, head for Bordon and recover SLS Impetuous, Aegis Cruiser from her resting place inside the Messer's Belt.
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I like the upgrade for the Marine Assault Shuttle, but I have a suggestion for the corrections after next round of testing, drop the 2 medium lasers in the rear and a ton of armor to put in an ER Large Laser. This gives the aft weapons battery an increase in range, as medium lasers have a low effective range, giving the MAS a means to actually hit the SOB riding their exhaust.
Wow. Those Newgrange crews are really going above and beyond, getting those ships jump capable way sooner then expected. They should get a medal. And I have to say, for being regarded as cheap, old, with lower structural integrity, or thinner armor then desired (and I know 2ndAcr is pulling these ships from historical canon), the Aegis, Riga, and Essex (which aren't old, I know) have survived to be recovered a heck of a lot more then other classes. Probably because they didn't need to be pounded as much.
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26 February 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
The massive convoy carrying millions of tons of vital factory equipment along with over 1.2 million people departed under a heavy escort. Due to the vital nature of the convoy, orders had been issued to travel deeper than normal into the Federated Suns before heading for Bastrop and then "Home". No chances were being taken with the safety of this convoy.
In her office, General Rita Mitchell with the aid of several of her most trusted technicians along with Admiral Joan Brandt, scoured SLDF and DoME records looking for hidden bases, supply caches, After Action reports which might indicate locations of derelict warships and basically anything else of importance. The mission to Odessa would not arrive until at least late April. So they delved deep into the archives seeking anything they could find.
Admiral Brandt already knew about the base inside the Dark Nebula, Camelot Command. This was deemed too far away to be of immediate use, but the information and location were duly noted on a encrypted data pad. One of the technicians searching the DoME archives found records of a two decade long mission to a system named Epsilon Pegasus in the Deep Periphery. But the actual mission was not noted but only listed a completion date. Digging deeper, the technician located a cargo manifest with the Epsilon Pegasus listed as destination. It listed equipment for a HPG station, construction material and even fabrication material. She forwarded this information to Admiral Brandt, who looked it over and walked into General Rita Mitchell's office.
"Think we found something Rita. Seems in 2620-2641 DoME was constructing what looks like a base in a system named Epsilon Pegasus. Not sure what they built, but a HPG station was sent there and also what appears to me to be the makings of an orbital repair yard. I never heard of the place, but I found the system on a Star Map and if I had to guess, it supported exploration of the Deep Periphery." Admiral Brandt said
"Interesting, make a note that we should maybe check it out someday. That is way off the beaten path and anything there will not help us in the short term. Also have Curtis add this location to the erase program. If we have to make an emergency evacuation, I want as much important information erased. All reference and location removed from the data bases and star maps." General Mitchell ordered
"Very well. You sure that is the right thing to do Rita?" Admiral Brandt asked
"For certain locations, yes I do. If I was up to no good, I would order the complete wipe of everything in the data base. But if we have to make the evacuation, I do not want whoever forced us out to have the information." General Mitchell replied
"Okay, I just had to make sure. On another note, we have a unconfirmed report that a pirate band bearing the colors of the Rim Worlds has been raiding the Taurian Concordat. They have a couple of warships." Admiral Joan Brandt said
General Rita Mitchell let out a deep sigh "Let me guess, you want to go after them?"
"Not really, but I would hate to have them stumble over this." Admiral Joan Brandt replied handing over a piece of paper "We found this in the After Action reports this morning."
General Rita Mitchell took the piece of paper and looked it over. She looked up at Admiral Brandt "How do you rate this information Joan?"
"Very highly. We got it off a report sent to General Kerensky and even found his message ordering those ships cached for later recovery." Admiral Brandt said
"But do we know where they stashed the ships?" General Mitchell asked
"Sure do. It's a long damn ways from here or the other Hegemony. But, that is the largest confirmed ship cache we have located and it would be a shame if someone else got a hold of it. I think it is worth it." Admiral Brandt replied
"Start working on a plan. We cannot risk someone else especially those Rim jobs getting them." General Mitchell ordered looking back at the paper she still held.
NC19110-207 Cache
SLS Sierra, Essex Destroyer
SLS Golden Eagle, Essex Destroyer
SLS Mahone, Vincent Corvette
SLS Fountain, Carrack Transport
TCS Ramora, Pinto Corvette
TCS Tirabad, Pinto Corvette
MCS Fury, Concordat Frigate
6 Tramp Jumpship
8 Liberty Jumpship
4 Invader Jumpship
28 February 2787
It took Admiral Joan Brandt a full day to work out the logistics of the planned recovery. She knew General Mitchell would not allow her to lead the operation, as much as she wanted to go. With a pirate band on the loose in the region armed with warships, any mission would have to be well armed and escorted. So she planned accordingly using forces from both Hegemony's.
Recovery Mission to NC19110-207 Cache
SLS Tirpitz, Black Lion LF Battlecruiser (Flagship)
89th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Ismael Moreno)
SLS Conroy, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser (Flagship)
SLS Shield, Avatar LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Cape Bon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Cartagena, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Solomon, Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Ghost Strike - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Krakatow - Volga LF Transport
SLS Vesuvius - Volga LF Transport
SLS Charlton - Carrack Transport
SLS Dahl - Carrack Transport
SLS Deep Builder - Builder Yardship
SLS Carpenter - Builder Yardship
SLS Mechanic - Builder Yardship
SLS Mount Fuji - Carrack Transport
SLS Servitude - Carrack Transport
63rd Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Samuel Harris)
SLS Sledge - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Wraith - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Slammer - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Crawfish - Vincent Destroyer
She issued orders for Annapolis and Kure to get the most experienced cadets graduated and ready for departure. It would take almost a year for everyone to get to the cache site, she hoped it would be fast enough.
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There is also the Outpost 27? The Rim World Building yard for the Darts.
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18 April 2787
Odessa (Lyran Commonwealth)
Captain Harold Calloway, A Company 3391st Special Forces, was aboard the lead shuttle as they slowly entered the cavernous entrance to the massive asteroid housing the SLDF naval base. Powerful landing lights on the shuttle were turned on as Captain Calloway and his men began going EVA. It took 20 minutes to reach and make entry into the airlock that would allow them into the mass of structures mounted along the wall of the dug out asteroid. Once entry was made, it took another 2 hours to locate what they hoped was the main control room.
"We still have power, but it is set on idle. The reactor's are still hot. Restoring power level to active." One of the engineers said and slowly the power levels rose and he started restoring power to the various sections of the naval base. Slowly powerful flood lights began lighting the ships silently berthed within the asteroid base.
Captain Calloway let out a long whistle "Son of a bitch, get a shuttle back to the Dropships and get them inside, we have a ton of work to do." As he spoke, he continued to stare out the massive viewing window at the ships. His brain tried to compare what his eyes saw to his memory in an attempt to identify what they had before them. Aegis Cruiser, think we have 2 Sovetskii Soyuz, Lola III, looks like another Lola III, 2 maybe 3 Essex but what is that other one, I don't recognize it, his mind thought to himself.
19 April 2787
Massive Dropships were unloading their cargo of material and personnel after docking with the naval base. Shipyard workers were swarming the silent warships berthed inside the naval base. Captain Calloway, with nothing to do and the station secure, watched the flurry of activity from behind the viewing window. Finally he wandered over to a portly man, Jenson Ameswell, who headed up all the shipyard workers and looked over the smaller man's shoulder at the list of ships.
SLS Remarkable, Aegis Cruiser - Severe Damage, Est 9 months
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - Severe Damage, Est 10 months
SLS Zeus' Wrath, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - Severe Damage, Est 9 Months
SLS Turnby, Lola III Destroyer - Severe Damage, Est 10 months
SLS Kryton, Lola III Destroyer - Severe Damage, Est 8 months
SLS Platitude, Essex II Destroyer - Severe Damage, Est 9 months
SLS Domination, Essex II Destroyer - Severe Damage, Est 8 months
SLS Archangel, Essex II Destroyer - Severe Damage, Est 9 months
SLS Midway, Riga II Destroyer - Extreme Damage, Est unknown
"Mr Ameswell, how did you get the damage estimates so quick?" Captain Calloway asked
"Mostly from the computers. The Riga II Destroyer, well they stripped out the jump core and ground it down to raw material. Lucky for us, it is still all stored here at the base and we can recast it. Just have no clue how long that will take. Plus they stripped almost all the weapons off it, those are gone. Give me a few days and I will have a full survey done on all the ships and will have a good idea of what we can do and how fast we can do it in." Ameswell replied
22 April 2787
Jenson Ameswell looked over the complete survey's of every ship here. No way they would be able to repair all of these ships with what they had on hand. But I can recover most of them, he thought and began making notes.
SLS Remarkable, Aegis Cruiser - Severe armor damage, Jump Core intact and checks come back jump capable, major weapons damage, roughly 20% active rest destroyed
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - 90% Armor stripped, Jump Core shows major micro cracking, 15% weapons active rest destroyed
SLS Zeus' Wrath, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser - Major engine damage, Jump Core checks intact and jump capable, 25% weapons active rest destroyed
(swap jump core to Venus Eye, remove active weapons and install Venus Eye)
SLS Turnby, Lola III Destroyer - Keel cracked, major armor damage, Jump Core intact and jump capable, 30% weapons active rest destroyed
(swap jump core to Kryton, swap engine to Kryton, remove weapons for Kryton)
SLS Kryton, Lola III Destroyer - Jump Core damaged, very little armor, engine damage, 20% weapons active
SLS Platitude, Essex II Destroyer - Engine destroyed, Jump Core intact and jump capable, reactor damage, 30% weapons intact
(Swap jump core Domination, swap weapons Domination)
SLS Domination, Essex II Destroyer - Jump Core major micro cracks, 25% weapons intact, heavy armor damage
SLS Archangel, Essex II Destroyer - Heavy armor damage, Jump Core intact and jump capable, 35% weapons intact
SLS Midway, Riga II Destroyer - Jump Core removed and ground, no weapons, reactors removed
(Recast Jump Core, strip reactors off other ships deemed scrap)
He figured he could complete all repairs he had listed in 6 months, including recasting the Jump Core. He could not make them combat ready, but he could at least get them jump capable and returned for a proper refit and repair cycle. His biggest question was what would they do with this base once they looted the ships from it.
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Nuclear Waste repository accident on Darkside of
Moon/Base. Send Moon/Base into DeepSpace/Gas Giant atmosphere.
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so anyone else wonder where the idea for the York came from?
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The York was a converted Riga II Destroyer.
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The York was a converted Riga II Destroyer.
yes and now the have one >:D
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1 May 2787
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston smiled as he looked over the daily reports. But that smile was tempered by an occasional frown. He now had 20 Corx Tunnel miners working on site with another 14 working on the far side. With even more of the valuable Corx Tunnel miners on the way from the factory. The Builder Yardship had constructed 2 Small Habitats near the asteroid to support the mining operation which ran around the clock. The amount of material being removed was astounding, even to him, with all of his experience in mega projects.
Each Corx Tunnel Miner drilled a hole 20 meter in diameter but only 60 feet per day, on a good day. The deepest tunnel was 5.7km deep after almost 4 months of non stop drilling. This outer shell was some tough stuff. He had continued with his small bore core drilling and found that this extremely hard outer shell averaged 15km thick, with some areas being 40km thick. He planned to avoid those thick area's like the plague, or at least until his special lasers arrived. Several attempts to blast sections had failed. This would have to be done the old fashioned hard way. If all goes well, maybe we can get to the soft chewy center by the end of the year, he thought.
Over the last few months, his "borrowed" physicist's had run the numbers countless times and finally declared his idea of a central spar mounted on a massive gear would not be feasible. No forge could ever be able to cast such a solid piece. They had then crapped all over his desire to spin the asteroid to create a level of gravity. These are the frowns he occasionally produced. This rock was just too big. But, he had a backup plan for his backup plan. His planned cavern was going to be a minimum of 150km in diameter, until the other side was carved out fully, and that was planned to add another 100km diameter cavern. He had called for all the information he could get on some of the most congested orbital complexes ever created.
During his research, he had found that the largest shipyard complexes maintained a minimum of 5km between each construct. He was going to use 10km inside his caverns. To create his desired docking facilities and crew quarters, he was going to fill his cavern with multiple modified Olympus Stations, using the one at Thazi as a starting point. Their station keeping drives would enable them to maintain their positions in the cavern. He had asked for and gotten a few of the design folks from the Thazi Olympus and they had spent a few weeks crunching numbers and figured they could build safely berth 8 ships per station. Without the massive batteries or construction equipment, they could easily modify the station with 2-3 of the massive grav decks to easily house the warship crews and other personnel under a 1g environment.
When they had said without the construction equipment, he had blinked hard, he had forgotten that the Thazi Olympus station was a fully functioning shipyard with (3) 1M unpressurized berths attached to it. Maybe I can convert the other half of this rock into a much larger Mercator-Campion Shipyards complex. This side berths the active and inactive ships while the other side is a fully functional construction facility. Damn sure would be better protected than a normal shipyard complex. He smiled at the thought that flashed inside his head, the cost of this project is going to make some folks heads explode some day when this is all over.
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oh man you are evil!!!!
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Oh wow... that sure is going to be THE crowning achievement in the lifetime of Sean Livingston!
A refit/restore station coupled with a mothball hangar coupled with a massive shipyard that actively produces civilian / military spacevessels ... within a massive asteroid is HUGE! 8)
If the powers to be in the THiE do not approve on this they've ingested the most massive idiot ball ever. ::)
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One thought is that since he wants to use the Olympus Mod 1 Shipyard Space Station, the Base can be built as sections with each station beiing a self contained unit.
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Wow. A lot has happened, and time has passed quickly.
We are about to see the DC offensive kicked off, if things go according to Kurita Plans.
There are a lot of recovery operations going on, and the first ship recovered is about to leave the repair slips. I am sure there is a list those yardships are working down at their best speed, and are going to surprise us.
I am looking forward to seeing what Livingston makes of his project/baby, and how it in turn supports the Hegemony.
Definitely want to see what happens next.
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1-31 May 2787
DC and FS Border
With an announcement from Coordinator Minuro Kurita declaring himself First Lord of the Star League, all along the border forces from the Draconis Combine surged across the border into the Federated Suns. Led by Combine warships leaping into Federated Suns systems which attacked every Federated Suns shipping found followed by ground forces. So swift and massive was the initial invasion, that initial garrisons were simply overwhelmed. AFFS warship patrols were overwhelmed by the massed Combine warships and quickly destroyed along with any Jumpships found.
The swift and massive invasion caught the AFFS off guard and conflicting orders caused more confusion than the invasion itself. Some worlds fell without a word getting out. The DCMS had invaded with 3 massive columns of almost 90 Regiments of Battlemechs and over 300 conventional Regiments supporting them. Coodinator Minuro Kurita led one massive column and by the end of May stood on Cartago, Jinjiro Kurita stood on Franklin. The Draconis Combine had seized nearly the entire Clovis Combat Region, half of the Robinson and half of the Dahar Combat Region along with half a dozen worlds from the Fairfax Combat Region.
The Combine assault forces focused on isolating the defending AFFS commands if they could not be overwhelmed quickly instead focusing on isolating the planets HPG compounds from the defenders and bringing in follow on forces to complete the conquest before moving to their next targets. Like a massive slinky, the Combine invasion pushed forward, halted and then advanced again.
Coordinator Minuro Kurita smiled as he watched his 3rd Sword of Light board their Dropships on Cartago. His 3rd Column would take his columns place in the advance towards New Avalon, he would take his column and exact his revenge.
FWL and Hegemony Border
Right on the heels of the declaration by Coordinator Minuro Kurita, Captain General Kenyon Marik declared himself First Lord of the Star League and ordered his forces across the border into the Hegemony. While his initial invasion was able to secure each system targeted, they soon began facing Hegemony warships. Over Connaught, the FWL 3rd Fleet was quickly out gunned when the Hegemony 1st Battle Squadron arrived on the scene on 8 May.
Both forces crashed into each other with a vengeance each side loosing nuclear tipped missiles. In this exchange, the FWL was at a severe disadvantage as only 3rd Fleet's Aegis Cruiser had any nuclear tipped missiles. FWS Sorunda, Atreus Battleship took 4 nuclear tipped Killer Whales and vanished before ever getting a shot off. In the nuclear exchange, SLS Leander, Lola III Destroyer was struck multiple times and destroyed.
When both forces finally reached range, FWS Bismarck, Atreus Battleship found itself focus fired on by all 3 Texas Battleships, the massive fire from the Texas Battleships quickly rendered FWS Bismarck combat ineffective and adrift with massive internal fires raging. SLS Sandy Hardee and SLS Phoenix, Texas Battleships suffered moderate damage in the exchange before Vice Admiral Zeibler ordered his Battleships to focus on FWS Trembler, Atreus Battleship.
While the Battleships pounded each other, the ships from the 12th Cruiser Division had swarmed FWS Manaslu, Aegis Cruiser and quickly destroyed it with overwhelming firepower. SLS Hector Zapata, Luxor Heavy Cruiser suffered moderate damage in a close range fight while SLS George Wellington, Vincent Destroyer took heavy damage from FWS Manaslu. For 5 hours the Battle of Connaught raged as the 1st Battle Squadron hammered their way from the Jump Point heading for orbit.
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To use a well know phrase - And so it begins. With Fire.
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I guess the Federated Suns military, even with all the prep time, reactivating and reshuffling of forces the Hegemony bought them, still sucked in this time period. I kinda expected them to do a little better.
It looks like Kenyon Marik finally decided to kick things off. Let's hope all of the build-up of military forces the Terran Hegemony was able to make, accomplishes pushing back the Free World invaders.
Has the Lyran Commonwealth invaded the Rim Worlds already, or is that happening now?
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10 May 2787
Connaught (Terran Hegemony)
Over 2 days, the 1st Battle Squadron had reached the planets orbit and destroyed the 2 League II Destoyers that had been bombarding the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division. Having lost a third of their troops, the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division now had the upper hand with their warships supporting and began counter attacking the FWLM forces on the planet.
10-31 May 2787
Terran Hegemony
With war once again occurring against the Terran Hegemony, on some worlds, it was just too much for them to take. Brownsville, Epsilon Indi and Terra Firma announced they were leaving the Terran Hegemony and joining the Capellan Confederation. Thorin and Zollikofen followed close behind and joined the Lyran Commonwealth. Though many people wished to remain with the Terran Hegemony, they were just bone tired of war. As protests against another war broke out on many border worlds, especially those along the Capellan Confederation, planetary militia's, formed using the Conventional RCT TO&E tried to maintain order without using force.
By the end of May, Free World Forces had landed on Berenson, Hall, Wyatt, Callison and Marcus. Additional naval forces moved to counter the FWLM incursions. Additional ground troops headed for the border with the Free Worlds.
On Terra, General Rita Mitchell looked at Director General Amanda Cameron "The cracks are starting to form already Amanda. We can be hurt militarily, but systems leaving the Hegemony will break us. I am not sure I can bring myself to order our troops to retake the worlds that left us."
"The people are just so tired of war Aunt Rita. We just cannot seem to catch a break or our breath to recover." She looked at the large map displayed on the wall with quite a few systems along the Capellan border flashing "You expect all of these systems to join the Capellan Confederation?"
"I do, probably in the next month or two. Seventeen systems are currently protesting another war, even though it we, the Hegemony that have been attacked. Plus everyone of those worlds have seen a heavy presence of Capellan "aid" since the Liberation." General Rita Mitchell replied
Amanda Cameron slowly turned to face General Mitchell "The Mariks are using orbital bombardment against our troops. And until our reinforcements reach the area, our troops get hammered from orbit. We cannot move troops from the Combine border, not with Kurita driving into the Federated Suns. Pull our troops off the worlds you feel will join the Capellan Confederation. No sense having them fight for worlds that want to leave the Hegemony. You agree?"
"I agree, I can use them to reinforce the Marik front. You know I am already planning, or should I say, never stopped planning for a hasty evacuation." General Mitchell asked
"I know, I don't think we are there yet, but keep planning it. I just hope it does not come to that." Amanda Cameron said
1-31 June 2787
As Hegemony forces pulled off worlds along the Capellan border heading for the Marik front, with a week of their departure, many systems declared for the Capellan Confederation. Tall Trees, Saiph, New Canton, Zurich, Aldeberon, Genoa, Nanking and Bex all left the Hegemony. By the end of April, Capellan troops were landing on those worlds.
All of this was not going unnoticed by the Lyran Commonwealth. Archon Jennifer Steiner had hesitated after Thorin and Zollikofen had joined her realm, waiting to see how the Hegemony reacted. When they did not react in force, she gave the order for LCAF troops to land on Alioth, Summer, Menkit and Lyons. On Alioth, the 3rd Striker Regiment did not hesitate to resist the Lyran troops. For a week they fought the 18th Lyran Guards to a standstill, outmaneuvering the Lyran unit while inflicting 2 to 1 losses. It was only when LCAF warships in orbit began bombarding the 3rd Striker Regiment did the 18th Lyran Guards make any progress.
On Summer, the 306th Hussar Regiment came under orbital bombardment before the first Lyran troop hit the ground. This hampered their defense against the 15th Lyran Guards. Pushed hard and hit with orbital bombardment any time they attempted to make a stand, the 306th Hussar Regiment was forced to break wage a hit and run defense of the planet.
On the Free Worlds front, Hegemony forces were slowly arriving on the scene. On Wyatt, the 48th Infantry Division had been struck by repeated orbital bombardments and nuclear attacks. Down to 30% strength, they held out in their remaining fortification.
On Bereson, the 6th Marik Militia hammered the Conventional RCT garrisoning the planet. Though they fought hard and inflicted heavy losses on the Marik invaders, on 17 June the commander surrendered his forces to the Marik invaders.
On Hall, the 89th Dragoon Regiment hammered the 37th Marik Militia the moment they made land fall. Sensing defeat, the Marik commander released his few nuclear weapons which devastated the 89th Dragoon Regiment along with the capital Harney.
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Out the 122 inhabited systems of the Terran Hegemony, there are 10 being fought in, 13 have seceded, 15? were split with the Great houses and lost to them during the Amaris coup. That leaves 84 systems under full control. With the seceded worlds went a lot of dropship construction (goodbye aqueducts, mammoths and behemoths) the ballista artillery, the Wasp LAM, and the Rifleman RFL-1N. The worlds under attack have quite a bit of factory production and infrastructure.
So, I really must wonder how the ones who are tired of war today react tomorrow when they are forced into the servitor caste, realize people are being disappeared by the state security service, propaganda is blared 24/7, and any armed forces have to deal with Maskirovka. That and there will be unrelenting decades of war ahead with WMDs aplenty.
That is not good. With 2 of the 5 attacking and 1 doing a charm offensive diplomatically, and 1 of the remaining 2 slavering to attack, the Terran Hegemony is in a crunch. They have 1 ally, and he is getting the stuffing punched out of him. With the use of nuclear weapons on a worlds surface, the FWL has abandoned the Ares Conventions. With the dissolution of the High Council and the Exodus of the Majority of the SLDF, there is no one to uphold interstellar treaties besides the signatories themselves and realpolitik says fat chance of that happening.
Looks like it is time for some unrestricted void warfare on the FWL.
Right now, contingency plans are Amanda’s friend. I hope she can get messages out everywhere she needs to. Let’s watch what happens next.
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well they say the grass in greener......over the CC septic tank.
i just wonder if they will play Bing Crosby White Christmas like Saigon?
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Wonder if the House Intelligence apparatus have ever heard of the NSA and if they are still in operation. If not Amanda needs to put them back to work. She said that the phone company if neutral. She did not say she can listen in and maybe even edit messages or block certain senders and receivers. Cause in the digital age where computers touch all communication devices,
He who knows Cyber Warfare is King.
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5 July 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel had read the message several times in a vain attempt to get a look at what General Rita Mitchell had in her head. Obviously, it was a combat assignment, but he had no clue exactly where they would be going and for what.
To: General Heinrich Rommel
From: General Rita Mitchell
Heinrich, need you to canvas the troops, volunteer only. I want 3 Regiments of Battlemechs ready for deployment by year end. I want an aggressive officer in charge of the unit. Veterans every one of them. I want conventional transport for the command, no warships and none of our advanced Dropships. Only common Battlemech designs and SLDF standard, none of our customs. I want good support for them also. This will be a long deployment, possible multi year. Notify me when they are ready to deploy and I will fill you in on what to tell them.
He yelled for his aide "Tabitha, need you in here."
Once she appeared at the door, he said "Get me Colonel Alexander Baldwin in here ASAP from Boulsi."
15 July 2787
The knock on the door brought General Rommel's head up, seeing Colonel Baldwin at the door he waved him inside "Grab a seat and close the door Alex. I got a hot one for you from General Mitchell. But damned if I have very much information. Here, read for yourself." He said as he handed over the message.
Once he read the message, Colonel Baldwin spoke "Obviously it is a covert mission. That is obvious from the equipment changes she wants us to make. By years end, hell I better get busy on recruiting."
"Already ahead of you Alex. I already have all unit commanders working on that. We already have a full Regiment of volunteers, the entire 211th Hussar Regiment volunteered, every single one of them. But I want you to reconfigure the Regiments some. Battlemech only, so we are going to cheat some. Make sure you take a full Battalion of Helepolis 3Hb with you. Yes, I am violating her orders some using our own versions, don't care, not giving you artillery support is wrong. I will take the heat, how you deploy them will be up to you. Now, since we know this will be a long mission, I want staying power. Plan on making the Regiments Heavy weights." General Rommel said
"Well, I am willing to bet good money we are deploying to the Federated Suns and even better, intel reports that they are using Royal's in some decent numbers. Better tell Major General DeMars to break open his storage depots cause I am going to raid them hard. You know I am praying for a bunch of Gunslinger's to volunteer for this mission?" Colonel Baldwin replied
"I will make sure you get no grief from Major General DeMars and that is a sucker bet. You know damn well your going to get most of them. It's bad enough I am losing one of my top instructors to this mission." General Rommel said
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Huh. Sending out troops as mercenaries, huh? I wonder if they are gathering intelligence, or being used as under the table reinforcements? We will see.
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Huh. Sending out troops as mercenaries, huh? I wonder if they are gathering intelligence, or being used as under the table reinforcements? We will see.
cough Black Ops cough
cough painting them as Kurita/Liao, Marik mechs to attack another Successor State aka False Flag cough
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1 August 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
The end of July has seen the Free Worlds League push deeper into the Terran Hegemony. General Mitchell had been forced to use the 3rd Regimental Combat Team to relieve the 48th Infantry Division on Wyatt under cover from the 84th Cruiser Division. When Marik forces began their next push on 17 July, they pushed into multiple area's. One FWL Task Force entered New Dallas where they were engaged by the 31st Battlecruiser Division. Vice Admiral Connor Shick kept his Division close to the planet where they could be supported by the 280th Mechanized Infantry Divisions Aerospace Fighters along with the New Dallas Militia Divisions fighters. He also made a call for help from the 1st Battle Squadron located at Connaught.
On 20 July, the 12th Cruiser Division arrived at the Nadir Jump Point and quickly destroyed the Aegis Cruiser left to guard the FWL transports while their Marines boarded the transports. They quickly plotted an in system jump to get ahead of the FWL 4th Fleet which was covering their mass of Dropships. Arriving at the L1 La Grange point, they quickly moved to assist the 31st Battlecruiser Division which was engaging the FWL 4th Fleet.
Vice Admiral Connor Shick, drove his Flagship, SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser directly for the FWL Battleships, on his flanks were SLS Anchorage and SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigate. He ordered his 4 Carson Destroyers to focus on getting to the enemy Dropships. "Comm, signal all ships, they have nuclear release the moment the enemy is in range."
The first volley of nuclear tipped Killer Whales launched on the FWL Battleships. This was followed by a 2nd and 3rd volley of nuclear tipped Killer Whales. Aboard the Atreus Battleships, point defense's opened fire and managed to down the first volley of Killer Whales. The 2nd volley saw 1 Killer Whale make it past and slam into the Atreus Battleship, the 500kt warhead shattering the Atreus Battleship. As Vice Admiral Connor Shick ordered a slight adjustment to bring more launchers to bear, the point defenses of the FWL ships managed to down the 3rd and 4th volleys before they struck home.
"Comm, signal all ships, focus on the next leading Atreus Battleship, we got time for maybe 2 volleys before they enter range to return fire, let's see if we can even the odds a little more."
While the warships engaged each other, the FWL and Hegemony Aerospace fighters fought each other, the FWL fighters trying to keep the Hegemony fighters away while the Hegemony fighters tried to get at the gaggle of Dropships.
Rear Admiral John Hoover had ordered his 12th Cruiser Division to boost at 2g's in a attempt to aid the 31st Battlecruiser Division in their fight. As his Division gained on the battle, he watched a 2nd Atreus Battleship vanish in a massive flash. But his experienced eye knew the FWL warships could now fight back against their opponents.
SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser shuddered as the incoming fire struck home, armor plates across her Nose and Forward Left Arcs being pummeled by the incoming fire. "Conn, get us into the damned Dropships. Weps, give them everything we have."
Targeting a Atreus Battleship and League II Destroyer, SLS Lady Shandra hammered her foes hard in return. As she prepared to fire another volley, power failed throughout the ship, leaving her helpless. Again SLS Lady Shandra was pummeled by the FWL warships, even worse this time as additional Arcs were able to bear on the now helpless Cameron Battlecruiser.
Seeing their Flagship helpless, SLS Anchorage and SLS Admiral Perry, Congress Frigates launched their broadside nuclear tipped White Sharks on the Atreus Battleships. Point defenses managed to down several White Sharks but one managed to get past and detonated but failed to penetrate the thick hide. But it removed massive amounts of armor. Opening fire with their Naval Auto Cannons, they raked the thick hides of both Atreus Battleships. The return fire from the Battleships was devastating to the Congress Frigates.
For 3 hours, the naval battle raged. Of the 3 Regiments of FWL troops that entered the system, not a single Dropship made it to the surface. Both warship fleets had hammered each other with devastating effect.
31st Battlecruiser Division (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Lady Shandra - Cameron Battlecruiser - Severe Damage
SLS Anchorage - Congress Frigate - Severe Damage
SLS Admiral Perry - Congress Frigate - Severe Damage
SLS McDougal - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Winslow - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Clark - Carson Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS Moffett - Carson Destroyer - Severe Damage
12th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral John Hoover)
SLS Carl Sommers - Luxor Heavy Cruiser - Heavy Damage
SLS Terrance LaMont - Luxor Heavy Cruiser - Moderate Damage
SLS Hector Zapata - Luxor Heavy Cruiser - Severe Damage
SLS Thomas Danklin - Vincent Destroyer - Destroyed
SLS George Wellington - Vincent Destroyer - Severe Damage
SLS Janet McFadden - Vincent Destroyer - Heavy Damage
FWL Fleet
4 Atreus Battleships destroyed
1 Aegis Cruiser destroyed
3 League II Destroyer destroyed
3 League Destroyer damaged and captured
Though victorious, the damage inflicted on the Hegemony forces would force them back to Terra for repairs.
Another Free World thrust entered Carver V and quickly destroyed the 2 Vincent Destroyers of the 16th Patrol Division for the loss of a single Leagu II Destroyer. The 1st Oriente Hussars made landfall and after a week of fighting managed to overwhelm the garrison.
As the reports came in, General Rita Mitchell had no choice but to shorten her defensive lines. She ordered the 79th Mechanized Infantry Division off Connauhgt and the 48th Infantry Division off Wyatt. The 1st Battle Squadron covered the withdraw of both commands.
General Mitchell turned to look at Amanda Cameron "I don't like it either, but we just cannot hold what we have right now. Either we leave them and everyone dies, or we pull them back to a better supported position. I am going to risk it and order the 287th Battlemech Division and 213th Battlemech Division off the Combine front. Plus I want Admiral Brandt to pull a Division from the 2nd Battle Squadron from the Combine front. We need them to bolster our Marik front while we get some repairs done."
"Is that wise, we have a bunch of Combine troops right on our doorstep." Amanda asked
"I just have to hope that Coordinator Kurita has his teeth firmly into the Suns and he leaves us alone until we stabilize the Marik front." General Mitchell said
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they really need to fix that power issues on the Cameron Battlecruisers
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2ndAcr what you need are a few destroyer squadron behind the lines raiding, that will force warships back to hunt them giving you time.
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10 August 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Alexander Baldwin had spent the last couple weeks assembling his personnel. He had raided almost every unit in the Hegemony forces for both Mechwarriors and Technicians. He really wanted at least some Aerospace Fighter support, but he had his orders. He had worked with his chosen Regimental and Battalion commanders to form up his TO&E. With the limited knowledge of their actual mission, he was going as ammo independent as he could. But he also knew there would be no way to be totally ammo independent, but he could try his best to minimize it. He looked down at the overview of his selected TO&E.
Baldwin Task Force
Command Company
Victor VTR-9Bb
Cyclops CP-10-Z
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb (4x)
Archer ARC-2b (4x)
Mongoose MON-66b (2x)
1st Regiment
Thug THG-11Eb (36x)
Warhammer WHM-7A (36x)
Mongoose MON-66b (12x)
Talon TLN-5W (24x)
Helepolis HEP-3Hb (12x)
2nd Regiment
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb (36x)
Highlander HGN-732b (36x)
Thug THG-11Eb (36x)
Helepolis HEP-3Hb (12x)
3rd Regiment
Warhammer WHM-7A (36x)
Crab CRB-27b (24x)
Dervish DV-6Mb (12x)
Archer ARC-2b (12x)
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb (24x)
Helepolis HEP-3Hb (12x)
Transport
Tramp Jumpship (3x)
Star Lord Jumpship (3x)
Union Dropship (13x)
Overlord Dropship (6x)
Mule Dropship (6x)
Lion (Infantry) (2x)
Mechwarriors - 372 (138 Gunslinger)
Support Personnel - 3,731 (includes techs, ship crew, medical, astech)
Total Supplies - 62,116 tons
They did not have any more Czar Dropships for his support troops, so he was forced to use two Lion (Infantry) for the purpose. It just could not be helped, but the Lion was a pretty common Dropship, and outwardly, no one could tell the difference. His biggest concern was long range communication, he was not sure if General Mitchell was going to let him take a Support Battalion with him, but just in case, he had a open collar for it. He was confident that the force he had built would be able to handle pretty much anything they might face, on the ground anyway. The lack of Aerospace Fighter support really worried him. Lord knows he had room for 6 Groups or 2 Complete Wings.
It would take another 2 months to get everyone assembled here on Thazi and then they would spend a few months in the field getting used to working together before he declared them fully combat ready. He had gone easy and not taken every Gunslinger that had volunteered, which was every single one of them, but he had selected the very best of them to complete his roster.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron took the call from First Prince John Davion. She was not surprised by the call, lord knows the Federated Suns was getting it's ass kicked by the Combine.
"John, what can I do for you?" Amanda asked
"Thank you for taking the call so late Amanda. It pains me to have to ask, but can you provide me with any support?" John Davion asked
"We can supply you with as much equipment as you wish to buy, not from here of course, but elsewhere. Wish I could do more, but we have our hands full here." Amanda said
"Equipment will help, but I really need troops, experienced troops. My losses have been extremely heavy." John Davion replied
"Aunt Rita is working on getting you some help John. I will give her a nudge and see what we can do to help. But I don't meddle when it comes to military matters, she is the pro there. She is worried that everyone is going to sense blood in the water and go into a feeding frenzy." Amanda said
"Understood. Any help would be welcome. I am planning a counter move next year to try and push the Combine back, would be nice to have some help." John Davion replied
"I will pass along the message John. Let me go see what plans she has running." Amanda said ending the call
13 August 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
General Heinrich Rommel held the newest message from General Rita Mitchell. This one he had half way been expecting and was surprised it took this long, well half the message was expected, but not the last part.
To: General Heinrich Rommel
From: General Rita Mitchell
Open the storage bunkers and start loading as much equipment as we can spare for shipment to the Federated Suns. Tell the factories to go back on a wartime production schedule. The situation everywhere is not looking good. Load ammo, spare parts, everything we can spare. Have Admiral Tanaka prepare the convoy and escorts. I also want the Aegis Cruiser and four Lola I Destroyers captured from the DCMS readied with prize crews for transfer to the AFFS.
Same convoy for everything, I also want the "liberated" factories sent to Farnsworth. Mitchell Vehicles will be opening a new production site there. Arrange transport via ZaP and get all the engineer units with our garrisons there to Farnsworth and start laying it out.
Rita
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That’s right. Get that economy going, sell your old ships and battlemechs, use the money to make new ones. Even though the inner TH could really use the ships, it is better to have newer ones with all the frills.
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even better would be to change the way that you go into battle in space the way that cannonshop has done in the ngo storylines. ie by everyone wearing pressure suits and venting the ship to prevent fire and shockwave damage thus making your ships able to last a lot longer in battle.
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when you are working on new designs please consider my battlestar desgins. I based them off of the new samark carrier they would be useful since they are all energy weapon loadouts thus no ammo to be able to blow in battle
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For such a Institutional Change in Warship doctrine, such as running battlestations at '0' atmosphere.
Would either have to happen:
By accident, such as a ship has a early hit in battle, or accident before battle where the ship is able to recover with the crew now in EVA suits, and then the battle get to such a position that the damaged ship crew felt they had to go back into battle and the battle AAR showed a market survivability of the ship with the atmosphere at vac.
The Court Martial review would have reviewed the AAR and crew inerviews, then weeks of specialist testing why it was so. Before a change happening to the standing orders.
Predominantly, the Standing Orders of Space Warships is that once crew has gone to EVA suits for operating the ship, a vast majority of the crew is DEAD, and just operating in EVA suits degrades the operation of existing crew.
So the Standing Order, (I assume based of Damage ship SO's in RL that ifl you are operating the ship in EVA/NBC or in OBA/not sure the new suit) you have limited time in safety suits, and to get the sub to surface, or ship out of target area.
The other way it could happen is:
Some group of NERDS at the War College, (if it is still in session in the battle- verse) and Lord seems to have many of those at our Naval War College for the 'Games Department' (that is where Larry Bond came from, IIRC).
Decides that the no atmosphere would make a groups restriction be very handy for them.
And low and behold, the officer group "in the trainer" shows that the restriction was actually a bonus to them, and the scoring computers agreed. Lord does something like that loophole happening, spin up the 'Game Referee's".
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I have reworked the Samarkand Carrier Block II and named it the Samarkand Block III it is an all energy weapon carrier which I spoke of before. I also only used tech available at the current point in the story.
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Predominantly, the Standing Orders of Space Warships is that once crew has gone to EVA suits for operating the ship, a vast majority of the crew is DEAD, and just operating in EVA suits degrades the operation of existing crew.
So the Standing Order, (I assume based of Damage ship SO's in RL that ifl you are operating the ship in EVA/NBC or in OBA/not sure the new suit) you have limited time in safety suits, and to get the sub to surface, or ship out of target area.
IIRC in the Ngo-verse they didn´t wear EVA suits, they wore skinsuits, which aren´t all that cumbersome - in fact their personnel wore those suits, minus the helmet, basically 24/7. I´d be surprised if the whole get-up - with cutting edge Star League technology, to boot, rather than clumsy Succession Wars era tech - is any more cumbersome than what infantry wear in the field.
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@2ndAcr (https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=315887)
Is Amanda and Friends giong to have the time to take the O'Niel and Titan yards with?
If not, get many computer geeks, to go up there with lots of memory modules and copy evey computer up there, especially the computers out on the production/repair slips and the designers/engineer computers.
The slip computers will have little helpmate programs put on by the yard tech and engineers that makes their job easier, and are not in the manuals. For an example from my days in the Navy. We had a substitute for EDTA to clean the Evaporators onboard our sub that was not in the manuals, and that was to use the Bug Juice source powder from the Mess Deck and a cleaning agent. Had a pH of about 11+.
I hear that that is in the manual now, some 30 years later.
also send teams to all the bombed Companies research buildings and either find the storage archive bunker, or if still available, gett he cores off the remaining computers. Lots of stuff there that has not been sent to the Dept. of Design
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15 August 2787
Denebola (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick, arm in a cast, sat in his small office aboard SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser, as his Division literally limped to Terra for repairs. He was attempting to write his after action report for the engagement at New Dallas. He had completed the technical part of the report, but now he was writing up the portion on what went wrong and what could be done to correct it. He slowly, one handed typed in his thoughts as they came to him.
".....after loss of power, SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser was severely damaged by return fire. Once her armor was breached, and enemy fire began entering the hull proper, a single ammunition explosion in the ammo bunker of her left broadside auto cannons caused a fire in the electrical system that took several hours to put out.
Explosive decompression during combat accounted for the loss of 189 crew in the 31st Battlecruiser Division and 12th Cruiser Division. This problem has existed for many years, it is a risk and threat that all warship crews face during combat operations. But this needs to be changed. It is estimated that explosive decompression cost the lives of several thousand crew during the Amaris Coup and Periphery Uprising. The actual number is not known.
Polling of all ships after combat operations ceased found that not a single Marine was lost to explosive decompression. Several were killed due to enemy fire, but the 22 confirmed Marines pulled into vacuum during combat were recovered, this was directly attributed to their being in their Combat Suits with helmets on. Aerospace Fighter pilots forced to eject have a 90% chance of living and being recovered after combat ceases due to their pressure suits. Serious thought should be given to equipping ship crew with pressure suits during combat operations. To prevent explosive decompression, shock damage or fire, serious thought should be given to possibly entering combat in a airless state. Normal pressure suits, Aerospace Pilot suits and Marine Combat Suits provide 8 hours of air supply. I can only find a few combat actions that lasted anywhere near 8 hours duration, of actual combat, in all of our history. A simple hookup could keep a crew on ship air until such time as the need arises for them to go on their own air supply.
As for the Cameron Battlecruiser, while a powerful ship, too many have been lost to this sudden power supply failure. Highly recommend removal of class from active combat operations until this is corrected."
As he signed the report, he wondered if he was signing the end of his career. Does not matter, I have served for 31 years. I have been in too many battles during that time to see the same issues reported after almost every battle and nothing changing, he thought.
Blommestein (Terran Hegemony)
The word that they were to resume full production had been greeted with a cheer by the factory workers, who looked forward to the overtime which really added to their paychecks. Where they had been producing on a single shift each day, they once again began around the clock production. During the production slow down, several additional lones had been added to exisitng production models, this allowed them to take older lines off line for their upgrade which was underway. Several lines under went changes to produce models used by the Federated Suns.
Hegemony Industries (Battlemech Division)
Mongoose MON-66b - 1 Line producing 25 per month (add line under upgrade)
Night Hawk NTK-2Q - 1 Line producing 25 per month (add line under upgrade)
Crab CRB-27b - 1 Line producing 20 per month (add line under upgrade)
Griffin GRF-2N - 1 Line producing 20 per month (add line under upgrade)
Phoenix Hawk PXH-2 - 1 Line producing 20 per month (add line under upgrade)
Shadow Hawk SHS-2Hb - 1 Line producing 20 per month (add line under upgrade)
Dervish DV-6Md - 1 Line producing 20 per month (add line under upgrade)
Thunderbolt TDR-5Sd - 2 Lines producing 36 per month (2 add line under upgrade)
Warhammer WHM-7A - 2 Lines producing 36 per month (2 add line under upgrade)
This was one of the first factories to take advantage of the newly recovered upgrades made possible by the information from the Data Cores. Across the Hegemony, massive storage bunkers were opened and a virtual flood of Battlemechs, Tanks, Support Vehicles, Aerospace Fighters and VTOL's poured from them and moved to space ports to await Dropships. Containers loaded with spare parts, armor, ammunition and everything else needed by an army in battle also began flowing to space ports to await their turn to be loaded.
On Thazi, Major General DeMars kept a careful track of every single nut and bolt that left his storage bunkers, he needed to make sure everything was replaced that was taken.
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Nice. SLN tactics and procedure always seemed to be stuck in the past. I realize part of it was to prevent the development of intelligent fighting by the Houses, and that the SLN could afford to be inefficient. The THN on the other hand, can't afford to be inefficient. Evolution and growth, of skill, of tactics and strategy, of procedure and tradition, and audacity and surprise, these are the ideals the Terran Hegemony needs to grasp to survive. Any edge they can get, they need to embrace.
Unless there are development in Naval Case and armored bunkerage, and in LBX or ammunition (I.E. Cluster, Grape, or AP ammo), I can see the movement away from NAC to NGAUSS, NLASER, NPPC, and Missiles, especially if they can start the application of evolved technology to Naval tech. Missiles need to be kept as nuke delivery devices, but unless the NACs can evolve faster then the other tech, I can't see them over coming their disadvantages (Ammo taking up mass, Ammo detonation, Range, etc.). Like Shick said, as soon as the ammo bunkers are breached, ammunition explosions cause as much damage as the enemies do. I am sure that the statistics even from just the last 2 years would show concerning facts.
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well done with showing the thinking side with the Adm. Shick scene.
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19 August 2787
New Earth (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick watched as several shuttles full of engineers from Daussault-Shimmon Enterprises prepared to dock with SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser. They would accompany her to Terra for repairs, their own yards were still not capable of even repairing the only Cameron Battlecruiser in service. Once they had completed their damage survey's, he planned to corner them about the problems with the Cameron's power supply, which had proven so deadly during combat.
He turned off the video feed that was tracking the inbound shuttles and focused on a few of the "tests" he had ordered conducted over the last few days. The first test had shown that a ships crew could perform all of their tasks with only a 3% penalty wearing the light pressure suits used by the ships engineers. The second test had been using the same suits used by Aerospace Pilots, which had shown a 8% penalty to their tasks. The last test had used actual Marine Combat Suits, this had shown a 15% penalty to their tasks on the normal crew, but Marines were actually able to perform their tasks without any penalty at all.
He had concluded that the Marines were just used to wearing their suits. They had tested Marines in their suits performing tasks that they normally would not perform during combat and found that they suffered a 10-15% penalty performing those tasks. He favored the armored suits over the unarmored suits for the simple fact that in combat, armor would trump unarmored every time. He had to admit to himself that his main reason he favored the Marine Combat Suits was for the protection of any crew during combat, besides, I have a better chance of convincing any one that will listen of wearing the suits over going airless during combat. The suits at least provide ballistic protection from explosions and shrapnel, which had shown to be a very large source of the killed and wounded.
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Cynthia Howell, Mitchell Vehicles, watched as the Hegemony crew took control of the brand new Essex III Destroyer. Though still a design in testing, she was proud of the work they had done on her. Even of the design was rejected by the Hegemony, she was sure any of the Houses would jump at a chance to purchase the design from Mitchell Vehicles. The all energy armament made the ship perfect for long campaigns with no need of ammunition resupply. Admiral Tanaka had already said the design would be put to a 6 month test cycle before she made any decision.
She would be leaving tomorrow to return to Quines where the Colossus Dropship was almost ready to take it's test flight and begin it's official testing. She really hoped her boss, Delbert Mitchell, would approve of her work on his arrival. She had not asked permission to undertake these expensive projects and if they failed, it would be her head.
Atreus (Free Worlds League)
The losses suffered by the FWLM so far against the Hegemony had been severe, enough so that Captain General Kenyon Marik had called a temporary halt to further offensive operations while he evaluated the situation. Two Fleet's had already been smashed by the Hegemony. The three Texas Battleships had been a very rude surprise to his forces, not to mention the massive use of nuclear weapons by the Hegemony, in space anyway.
But the capture of Connaught and Wyatt had been a pleasant surprise, but the Regiments assigned to take them had been badly torn up by the Hegemony before they withdrew.
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Nice. Statistics and real world testing are what brass want to see when you have a proposal to change doctrine.
Hopefully the Essex III won't show any points of failure, and allow the construction and/or upgrading of ships to the Essex III standard.
Well, that just figures. Reinforce the FWL front and they have a lull before further operations, and then you will probably find yourself short on other fronts. I would hate to see that happen here, but with limited forces and multiple fronts... It happens. Let's see how it goes. With the latest batch of Vincent Destroyers and ships returning to service, there should be 2-3 divisions ready to take over in places. Some good news in a dreary forecast.
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Nice, thanks for the naval additions.
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2 September 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick marched down the hallway towards Commanding Admiral Joan Brandt's office. With his flagship in the paint and body shop for the better part of a year, he had been summoned to HAF Headquarters. As he got to her office and her aide informed her that her appointment had arrived. "You may go in now Admiral Shick." He nodded and tugged his uniform jacket straight and then opened the door and entered the office.
"Conner, close the door and have a seat please, give me a minute while I finish up this memo." Admiral Brandt said never looking up from what she was working on. The silence from her made him nervous and he resisted the urge to fidget in his chair. Finally she finished what she was working on, picked up a small folder and looked at him. "Conner, you realize this After Action report of yours along with your "testing" has raised a huge stink among the staff and other Admirals?"
"I figured it might Ma'am, but to be honest, after all my years in the SLDF, the engagements during the Liberation and nor this, I am sick of losing people in battle that could be prevented with a few changes. Aerospace pilots have a better survival rate than ship crew in a engagement. A damned magazine detonation wreaks havoc during damage control efforts, with the ship full of oxygen, well not you have fire to deal with. Shock damage, explosions. Remove that and enter battle wearing pressure suits in a airless state and half our damage becomes almost not worth worrying about. At the very least change the way we do things and force all the crew into pressure suits during combat, at least then, if a depressurization occurs, they have a better than even chance of surviving even if blown into space. They can fight hooked to the ships life support, go onto internal life support during actual battle to conserve their onboard supply." Vice Admiral Shick said
"I am not saying it is a bad idea, but it sure caused some serious verbal fights during the staff meeting when it arrived. You trying to break a way of doing things that has been around since space travel. I am going to order a study of the matter. But, this is not why your here. I have a mission for you, a high risk mission. Unless you feel that it is too soon." Admiral Brandt replied
"Going to need a new ship, SLS Lady Shandra is going to be in for repairs damn near a year." Vice Admiral Shick said
"Well, seems I have the perfect ship for you, freshly out of the yards. SLS Nelson, Black Lion Battlecruiser. She has been upgraded to the same specs as SLS Tirpitz. I am calling this grouping Task Force Pain. The hurt kind. Your mission is to hit Wasat in the Free Worlds League, seems the Free World is using the Bowie Interstellar yards for repairs. They seem to forget that Wasat is very close to our borders. You will move to Hechnar and launch to Wasat from there. Every ship will have LF batteries, so I want a clean in and out. Destroy everything you can and get back out again. Here are the ships in Task Force Pain.
Task Force Pain (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Nelson - Black Lion Battlecruiser (Flagship)
SLS E. Presley - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Lightning - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Lookout - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Loyal - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Laforey - Vincent Destroyer
84th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Jeffery Hollis)
SLS Bamborough - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Diamondhead - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Never End - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Never Quit - Vincent Destroyer
SLS Always Ready - Vincent Destroyer
As you can see, I am sending you in heavy. Smash the yards, destroy every ship you can get in range. I want the Free Worlds folks to realize that we can still strike back and that these strikes will hurt and hurt bad." Admiral Brandt said
"I think I can handle that. I always preferred offensive to defensive actions." Vice Admiral Shick replied
"Then get back up and take command of your ship and get to Hechnar. The others are waiting on you at Graham IV. Signal when fully recharged and ready to move out." Admiral Brandt said
"Ma'am, why not hit Carver IV, we know the Free Worlds are there?" Vice Admiral Shick asked
"I have that covered already. BY the time you launch, I expect the yards at Wasat to be quite full." Admiral Brandt said with a evil smile
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston almost jumped for joy when he got word that his special items were an estimated 4 months away. His deepest tunnel was now 16.4KM into the asteroid. Test holes indicated that he had a better than even chance of breaking into the "inner core" of this damned rock by the time his lasers arrived. He now had 2 Builder Yardships on station, each building additional orbital processing factories. In 2 months, he would have enough Elephant Tug's on site to begin moving this big rock to it's final home along with all the other stuff. Then he could begin really chewing up it's insides.
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I was going to ask about Marines being assigned to those warships, but this is going to be a shoot'n'scoot. There shouldn't be any time to capture or board ships, just a hammerstrike and destruction of naval assets. I have been waiting for the FWL to get some comeuppance, beyond the lost ships and mechs of attacking forces. It would be a return blow for Graham, launched from Graham. I am sure the sailors will enjoy the irony.
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7 September 2787
Carver IV (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Vincent Zeibler shook off the effects of the jump as waited for the ships sensors to finish coming back online. He had already given the orders for the Dropships and Aerospace fighters to be launched the moment they completed the jump even before leaving Terra. As the sensors came back online, he saw that the rest of the 11th Line Division and 13th Destroyer Division had arrived at the Zenith Jump Point. No FWLM warships were present, which caught him by surprise until a message came in from the Nadir Jump Point from Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt herself.
"Zeibler, prepare to jump to the Nadir Jump Point, we have jumped into a free for all over here. We got Free World and Capellan duking it out and we are about to crash their party."
"Nav, get to work on the in system jump. Get the Dropships and Fighters back onboard NOW."
At the Nadir Jump Point, Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt, aboard her flagship SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship, led the 21st Line Division and 23rd Carrier Division against the huge free for all. It was obvious that the Free World had the upper hand against the Capellan warships, but she planned to change that very quickly. "Target the Free World ships first, only fire on the Capellan ships if they fire upon us. We are not at war with the Capellan Confederation. Comm, broadcast for the Capellan ships to disengage and depart this system or they might come under fire."
As her ships moved to engage the Free World warships, she took time to get a firm count on what she was facing. Damn, must be 2 entire Free World Fleet's here, 7 Atreus Battleships, 3 Aegis Cruiser, 14 League Destroyers. Well, this should clog the hell out of their repair yards, she thought with a evil smile playing across her mouth. The Capellans had 2 Du Shi Wang Battleships, 2 Soyal Heavy Cruiser, 2 Aegis Cruiser and 8 Essex Destroyer.
"Admiral, no response from the Capellan forces. Our destroyers are coming into range of the fight in 4 minutes."
"Very well comm, we will learn soon enough which way this is going to go. Issue the orders, if the Capellan ships fire on us, return fire and I want them to know they got kissed and made a huge mistake." She ordered
Aboard the closest Soyal Heavy Cruiser, it's commander ordered his ship to target the leading Hegemony destroyer and several minutes passed and then both Heavy Naval Gauss fired on the leading Hegemony Destroyer, which took a single hit to the Nose arc shattering tons of armor. This was followed a minute later by the Medium Mass Driver, which normally was only good at close range due to it's lack of accuracy, but the Hegemony ships were boring straight in and it struck home, inflicting massive damage on the lead Lola I Destroyer, shattering it's jump core and burrowing deep into the guts of the ship.
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt no longer hesitated "The Capellan's are now active hostiles, they get the same treatment as the Free World ships. Weapons free across the board, if it is not Hegemony, it gets pounded."
From all 3 Monsoon Battleships and both Dart Light Cruiser's, nuclear armed Killer Whales and White Sharks began leaping from their launchers. Strike packages of Alamo armed Aerospace Fighters began targeting Dropships and Capellan Essex Destroyers. The Soyal Heavy Cruiser that had fired on the Hegemony destroyer did not stand a chance as no less than 4 nuclear armed Killer Whales detonated against it and it vanished in a blinding flash. Along with the offending Soyal Heavy Cruiser, 2 Capellan Essex Destroyers also were struck by nuclear missiles along with a FWLM Aegis Cruiser and League II Destroyer.
As the Hegemony Monsoon Battleships began merging with the enemy forces, both the Capellan and Free Worlds quickly found out that these Monsoon Battleships had undergone major upgrades. Even outnumbered, the Hegemony Monsoon Battleships savaged anything they fired on, but the tide truly turned when Vice Admiral Zeibler and his forces made their jump to the Nadir Jump Point. The arrival of 3 Texas Battleships, with their enhanced firepower, quickly turned the battle into a rout as the surviving Capellan and Free World warships began fleeing as fast as they could, most trying to recharge their jump drives with their reactors. Fleet Admiral Brandt smiled as she ordered the Capellan warships to be hunted down without mercy, she had other plans for the Free World ships that would escape.
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick listened to the assembled captains of his designated Task Force protest his orders. Only those assigned to his personal Division seemed to take the orders with a sense of calm but some unease. "I will not have my people's lives risked on some fancy unproven idea you have Connor, I have read your report and I think you have lost your mind." Rear Admiral Jeffery Hollis said while behind him, the captains of his ships nodded in agreement
"Very well Jeff, your Division may enter the upcoming battle using standard conditions. The ships of my Division will go in my way, we will call this a live fire exercise. I went to great lengths to secure as many Marine Combat Suits, Aerospace suits and even normal Pressure suits as I could lay my hands on. When this is over, we will compare the results. I would prefer to not have to test this at all, but I know I am right." Admiral Shick said
As the briefing broke up, Vice Admiral Shick turned to the gathered officers assigned to his Division "If anyone has any doubts at all, voice them now."
"I think I can speak for everyone Admiral, although this idea of yours is a little crazy and surely on the out of normal range, we will give it a shot. Combat in space is dangerous enough as it is, and if this idea gives our crews a better chance of survival, we will give it a try." Commodore Killion Dugby replied
Vice Admiral Shick looked at each of the assembled officers one at a time and nodded to each one "I know I am right. Let's get this party ready, I need another week to complete recharge and then we jump for Hechnar, recharge fully and then we move to our target with a full battery charge. This will give everyone some time to get used to being in Pressure suits or Combat suits for the duration. Practice putting the ships into zero atmosphere for hours at a time. I want everyone in that condition when we make the Jump to Wasat and enter battle."
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Whoo Yeah! Smack those Scavenger Lords down!
Somehow I can see Joan Brandt waving a shotgun and saying, "Hey! You stupid kids, get off my dang property! I'll shoot you, ya hear me?"
LOL. Nice fight.
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would love to have known the order the CC fleet had been working under. i hope it was just a officer that over reacted when the TH fleet showed up.
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Eh... he'll be apologizing to his ancestors by now. The Chancellor is not as forgiving as Lord Vader.
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10 September 2787
Carver V (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt watched the Dropships carrying Major General Lauren Hayes' 151st Royal Battlemech Division and the 359th Battlemech Division enter the atmosphere on their way to remove the FWLM from the surface. She knew she should head back to Terra, but wanted to stay a little longer. At least this was a bright spot on an otherwise gloomy year. At the Nadir Jump Point, Hegemony Marines were securing several Capellan and Free World warships that had not been able to escape. She patted her command console affectionately, her upgraded Monsoon Battleship had performed as well as could be expected along with the other 2 Monsoon Battleships. She wanted more ranged firepower, she still had to get too close, which even though it made the Monsoon even more deadly, also allowed an enemy to fight back also. Even with double the armor of the original, she could still be hurt.
"Admiral? Commodore Washington reports they have secured the captured warships. We lost 2 Companies of Marines when the Capellans scuttled the Du Shi Wang Battleship as they were boarding her."
She cursed at the loss, stupid Capellan's, just as fanatic as the damned Combiner's, she thought. "Send me compliments and condolences for his losses. Signal Terra and get me prize crews here to take the captured ships back to Terra."
Once her orders were acknowledged, she pulled up the screen which detailed the ships under her command and also the known engaged enemy ships. She spent a few minutes studying the roster and reported damage.
11th Line Division (Rear Admiral Arthur Bristol)
SLS Nebraska II - Texas Battleship (Light Damage)
SLS Phoenix - Texas Battleship (Moderate Damage)
SLS Sandy Hardee - Texas Battleship (Light Damage)
SLS Inglesmond - Vincent Destroyer (Light Damage)
SLS Connaught - Vincent Destroyer (Light Damage)
SLS M. Langley - Vincent Destroyer (Light Damage)
13th Destroyer Division (Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher)
SLS De Ruyter - Sovetskii Soyuz Heavy Cruiser (Moderate Damage)
SLS Surveillante - Lola III Destroyer (Light Damage)
SLS Belfast - Lola III Destroyer (Light Damage)
SLS Ranger - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Geary - Lola III Destroyer
SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship (Moderate Damage)
21st Line Division (Rear Admiral Davis Bagley)
SLS Kongo - Monsoon Battleship (Moderate Damage)
SLS Hiei - Monsoon Battleship (Moderate Damage)
SLS Shark Tooth - Dart Light Cruiser (Moderate Damage)
SLS Shark Strike - Dart Light Cruiser (Moderate Damage)
SLS Sikh - Lola I Destroyer (Destroyed)
SLS Zulu - Lola I Destroyer (Destroyed)
23rd Carrier Division (Rear Admiral Alan Kirk)
SLS Independence - Samarkand II LF Carrier (27 Aerospace Fighter Destroyed)
SLS Benjamin - Samarkand II LF Carrier (17 Aerospace Fighter Destroyed)
SLS Black Templar - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Moderate Damage)
SLS Patrick Henry - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser (Moderate Damage)
SLS Hammerstrike - Essex II LF Destroyer (Moderate Damage)
SLS Emerald - Essex II LF Destroyer (Heavy Damage)
Captured Warships
FWLS Gibson - Atreus Battleship (Heavy Damage)
FWLS Marik - Atreus Battleship (Heavy Damage)
FWLS Rampant - Aegis Heavy Cruiser (Heavy Damage)
FWLS Raptor - League II Destroyer (Severe Damage)
FWLS Bighorn - League II Destroyer (Heavy Damage)
CCS Liao Pride - Aegis Heavy Cruiser (Heavy Damage)
CCS Solstice - Soyal Heavy Cruiser (Heavy Damage)
CCS Fury - Essex I Destroyer (Heavy Damage)
Destroyed Warships
Du Shi Wang Battleship - 2
Atreus Battleships - 2
Soyal Heavy Cruiser - 1
Essex I Destroyer - 5
Aegis Heavy Cruiser - 2
League II Destroyer - 6
Her losses could have been much worse but the Free World and Capellan forces had already hammered each other before they arrived and engaged. She made a note to have a complete damage estimate done among all the ships in detail. I wonder how we would have faired using Admiral Shick's idea, she wondered.
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And the hegemony is returned to their traditional Naval Doctrine: I kill it with my Battleships.
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Of course they did, but all it takes is a few nukes to even the odds
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All I would think it would take is actually using the suits for a period of time and you would lose the penalty. No matter what suit you use.
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That is a very good result for a battle of this magnitude. There were 62 ships involved in this battle, 24 vs. 14 vs. 24. This magnitude of Naval Battle hasn't been seen since the Liberation of Terra. And for the Terrans to come out victorious, and only losing 2 destroyers is a miracle, especially with the capture of so many ships. The problem is that this brings it to a 3 front war. Which isn't good for the Hegemony.
Especially with 40+ ships damaged or under repairs, including all of the battleships. It still leaves them with 48ish available ships to defend the TH, just a little lacking in heavy metal (2 Corvettes, 40 Destroyers, 2 Carriers, 3 Heavy cruisers, 1 Battlecruiser), with the rest detached for convoy protection, recovery efforts, and active operations.
I bet Kenyon is not happy, this is what? 3 Fleets Destroyed or captured, 2 more damaged and/or missing ships?
EDIT: Just read up on the CCN, that was 2 fleets, and 2 of 5 remaining Du Shi Wang Battleships, 2 of 10 Soyal Heavy Cruisers, and 2 of 6 Aegis Heavy Cruisers (FM: CC 2765). However, the CCAF Navy went from 37 warships in 2765 to being able to send 100+ warships to New Delos in April of 2788. The Field Manuals and handbooks are pretty firm on the number of heavy ships at the beginning of the 1SCW being the same as stated in 2765 save for any SL warships who joined the CC (which is where it gets fuzzy), but continued construction after that was not covered.
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would love to have known the order the CC fleet had been working under. i hope it was just a officer that over reacted when the TH fleet showed up.
Of course he overreacted. He lost, that obviously means he wasn't operating on orders of the CapCon leadership ;)
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I find that Cappie made BIG mistake in attacking THN when they warn them they were after the Marik forces. The Cappie fire first again't the THN. That not good for them its going to make them look bad. I wonder if all those world that join them are going to have second thought about joining the Cappie. John Davion the only House Lord that smart about working with TH then again't them. The TH is helping them by the way. I hope the BIG SMACK down on the Marik is going to be eye opener for the other Houses. Don't mess with TH or this what going to happen to you. I' am looking at you Cappie and Steiner .
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12 September 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
"Per your orders, we have managed to recover and then delete, from records, all the special access passwords and override commands from the Department of Communications. We now have full access to Comstar's HPG Network whenever we want to and we can take control of it at anytime. We tested it on the new HPG station on Thorin as they activated it, we had full control but Comstar's techs thought it was a glitch that self corrected itself when they rebooted the system. Comstar is still using the old security codes for encrypting the messages, so we can decrypt any message we desire at anytime.
Operation Overwatch is proceeding as planned, for security, I will not go further on the matter. The safety of my people is of the utmost of importance. Per your orders, the computer geeks have penetrated Comstar's primary banking account here on Terra. The amount of money passing in and out of that account is staggering. I have been told that almost 80% of the transactions are automatic and it would be childs play to commit banking fraud by inserting a new automatic transfer of funds. Keep it small enough and it would be overlooked even if a detailed audit was conducted, hidden in plain sight since so many transactions are conducted every day. He is a former SLIC investigator who's primary job during his years of service was looking for fraud of Star League funds. From what he says, if you just did an audit, you would never spot any fraud without having a starting point to work from. I am told that if SLIC was to audit Comstar, it would take an estimated 2,000 expert accountants several years just to audit a single year.
This intrigued me so I grilled him a little harder, and he reports that from what he has looked at, any transaction under 50,000 can simply be requested by the HPG Station Chief and it is sent out to the Stations bank account from their account here on Terra to reimburse whatever expense they had. No invoice, no approval, at least no central accounting record, pretty sure each Station keeps their own records, it is just sent out, all on a simple request in which there are many many thousands per day. For supplies, parts, incidental expenses. I guess Comstar figures it a trivial amount not worth keeping track of, since the request comes in over a the HPG Network, it must be a valid request approved by the Station Chief. Comstar is currently operating 1,874 HPG Stations. If you do the math, that is a tremendous amount of fraud potential. Fraud would be child's play for a computer geek with some skill, as explained to me, write a small program and somehow get it inserted into the programming of the HPG Network, have it daily generate a random number that stay's below 50,000 from every HPG Station and transmit a reimbursement request for that amount each day. It could have a special routing command assigned so that when the reimbursement is issued, instead of it going to that Station's bank account, it is instead routed to a different bank account. If the coder wrote in a few more special commands, the program could then erase the transaction or message record from both the transmitting and receiving HPG Stations after completion. The money would just disappear into the ether, no record of where the hell it went." Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, commander Hegemony Security, said finishing his small briefing
Both Director General Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell had listened to the briefing and then shared a look between them. "General Calloway, have the computer folks write the required programming, but DO NOT insert and activate it, not yet anyway. I am not sure I am comfortable with becoming a thief. This a long term program to keep tabs on Comstar's activities. The Houses have both their House Currency and now have agreed that Comstar's issued C-Bill will be the new interstellar standard of currency for transactions. We still use the old Star League Dollar as our standard back home. We will peg that to the C-Bill for ease of commerce, but there may come a day when we need access to C-Bills if we have to activate our GToH plan and head home." Amanda said
"Amanda, I think we need to at least test the program once it is written, get it inserted and activated, we can have the programmers write in a activate and deactivate method into the program. We can do a simple one time test and see if any alarm bells get sounded." General Rita Mitchell said
"Okay Aunt Rita, General Calloway, get it written and inserted, once complete, do a one time test of the system and have the funds sent to Martin Zuni's account on Bastrop. Then deactivate the program until such a time as I decide we need it reactivated." Amanda ordered
"You got your orders Brian, make it happen. Thank you for the briefing, but me and Amanda need to discuss other matters now." Rita said dismissing Lieutenant General Brian Calloway. Once he had departed and the door shut again, she spoke again "Amanda, we need to contact Chancellor Barbara Liao and see if we can head off a major shooting war on that front. We don't have secure communications like we do with First Prince John Davion, this will have to go out over Comstar's Network, so be careful of what you say, please. I am sure folks will be listening."
"You don't trust Jerome Blake much do you Aunt Rita?" Amanda asked while she made some notes
"It is a gut feeling, maybe not against Blake himself, but I am sure not all of his people are worthy of trust. It's one reason I have made sure all of our ground troops are equipped with secure HPG communications independent of Comstar's HPG Network." Rita said
"I will keep that in mind, now, have you given thoughts to my portion of the GToH plan?" Amanda asked
"Yes, and though I am a little uncomfortable with it, I see no other way. If we have to pull up stakes and run for home, I see no way to maintain control of the HPG production equipment. BUT, if we have to turn it over to Comstar, they are going to have to pay a pretty penny for it." Rita said
"Oh, they will pay a pretty penny. I assure you of that. While General Calloway was giving his brief, I was looking over the banking data for Comstar, they have a ton of cash in their account. Hell, I don't think we are taxing them near enough. You know, even with our shooting war's going on, we still have 8.2 Trillion Dollars, now C-Bills, in our accounts here on Terra? That Comstar is a damned gold mine, makes money faster than we can spend it. That pales to what Comstar has in their account, they currently have 19 Trillion in their account. Of course, they are about to transfer another 450 Billion into our account for the next production run of HPG equipment. We really need to figure out how to get the Hegemony's money out of our accounts here and to where we can easily get to it if the day comes we have to pack and run." Amanda said
"I was hoping you were thinking about that, cause damned if I know. I do know money is heavy and I doubt they could print that much cash for us to haul it with us." Rita said with a laugh
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skimming a little from ComStar is great way to fund any groups that might stay behind.
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The Steiner and Davion Dollars supposed to be strongest except to ComStar.
Or better yet, you transfer the money to the 3 Periphery or 2, Nations Let them either Taxi it at a High number to protect the money, Then tell them to invest in Knowledge Bunkers, deep bunkers and in their education and colonization systems.
Also, you had Blake pull the BlackBoxes out of stowage, and the knowledge and designs should be in your cores, put them in production and get some eggheads to start improving their range and capacity for use on you spy ships. The HPGs on the ships are noticeable, the BB should be less noticable, most likely the neutrino flux of the reactors.
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Buy up Germanium & gold bars.
Including the Mammoth dropships & Monolith jumpships needed for transport.
Same for art, planets (better then buildings or factories, when the 1SSW starts wrecking things), muziek, books, movies, games and so on.
Start manufactoring of Black Lion, Newgrange & Potemkin warships.
Since you can do core swaps, start casting the jumpcore, while work starts on the jumpship itself.
Core should be ready by the time your ready to close her up.
Invest in modified mech missile launchers, for warship point defence reasons.
Basically, blow up a incoming torpedo/missile, it's targeting head and hopefully, it's warhead.
Will the Perisphere Terran Hegemony & the Federated Suns, send a warship escort for the Convoy?
Because if so, massive butterflies happens to the Kurita plans of backstabbing attacks.
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18 September 2787
Bastrop (Federated Suns)
Martha Pruitt, CFO ZaP Shipping, sat in her office, her pen hovering over the legal documents given to her by Mr Fleesum, her company's lawyer. Slowly, she lowered the pen and signed the document and handed it to her lawyer. She exhaled not realizing she had been holding her breathe. She looked up at Mr Fleesum and smiled weakly "You will see to the remaining details?"
"Yes Ma'am, I will see to the bank transfer of the agreed price of 20 Billion Dollars. Congratulations, ZaP Shipping just purchased Suns Shipping and all of it's assets. I am surprised they went for the deal myself, it has been a profitable company for over 80 years. But I guess the kids just did not want the hassle of running a company." Fleesum said
"Well, they did. Now I need to get over to Humansville and meet the new employee's and see about their operation and how we are going to integrate it into our own." Martha Pruitt said by way of dismissing Mr Fleesum. Once he had departed, she leaned back and thought about what she had just done.
Suns Shipping had been a decent sized shipping company for just over 100 years. Based from Humansville, just 110LY from where she currently sat. ZaP Shipping had beaten them back from the area over the years as they had gained market share. Able to move vastly more cargo than Suns Shipping, quicker and even cheaper, it had been a fierce competition and she had mourned when it's owner had passed away. With her signature, she had basically doubled the size of ZaP Shipping here in the Federated Suns.
Suns Shipping
Merchant Jumpship - 20
Jumbo Dropship - 40
Port Facilities - Humansville (50 square kilometer space port)
Olympus Recharge Station - Zenith Jump Point, Humansville
She still could not believe the old man had paid all that money to have the Olympus Recharge Station built. But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. He did not have to pay for recharges, it allowed him to maintain his Jumpships and Dropships totally in house. And she had managed to purchase it all for a mere 20 Billion in cash. Heck, even ZaP Shipping did not own and operate it's own space port, I wonder how much money it generates, she thought.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron walked into General Rita Mitchell's office and shut the door. She walked to a chair and slumped into it. "I take it the talk with Chancellor Barbara Liao did not go well?" Rita asked
"Not well at all. She did not declare war to my face, but I think you need to prepare for it. Not even the sensor logs and video of her ship firing on our first after being warned off by Admiral Brandt seemed to sway her in the least. She ranted for ten minutes on the destruction of her ships. It was all I could do to keep from telling her to **** off and die." Amanda replied
"Well, when it happens, I hope she is ready to pick up some teeth from the floor. At least the Lyran's have not advanced further and I have restrained Admiral Brandt from launching any deep raids into Lyran territory. But, that could change quickly at any second and the Combine seems content on beating on the Suns, but we are watching them closely." Rita said
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19 September 2787
Drachenfeld (Deep Periphery)
Colonel Ben Suong smiled as he watched his 10 year old twins play on the soft grass of his home. While he minded the kids, he allowed his mind to wander. It had been 13 years since he and the others had opted to remain on Drachenfeld, in that time, they had all married and even had kids galore. The yearly shipments from the Hegemony was always greeted with joy, the Dropships brought medical supplies, consumer goods, stuff to make everyday life easier and even weaponry and other military supplies. To make sure pirates never got a easy time of things, he now had a very well trained 2 Battalions of Infantry and 2 Companies of Turhans. The local's had gotten a good look at how pirates treated their captives and never wanted to go thru that again.
One of his communication techs walked up the pathway and reported "ZaP Dropships are entering the atmosphere, one of them is a passenger ship. Though you would want to know sir."
A sonic boom sounded overhead as 2 Jumbo Dropships braked hard to make the landing. "Thank you Corporal, we are expecting them. Even have the housing for them all set up. They should be the miners and their families we requested along with some special mining equipment. Like the old saying "There is gold in them thar hills" and I aim to mine it for all it's worth." Colonel Ben Suong said with a bigger smile on his face.
"Kids, let's get ready to go, we need to get down to the landing zone and greet the new folks." He said
It took longer than he wanted, but getting the twins ready for anything took time. When he arrived, he saw that they had already unloaded 24 Dig King Mining Mechs, along with the 20 Brunel Dump Trucks and 4 Carbine ConstructionMech. He saw one of the locals point towards him and a group of new people moved towards him. As the middle aged woman in the lead reached hime she said "Geneva Nomanz, I manage this mining team. They tell me your in charge."
"Colonel Ben Suong, I actually command the garrison here. My wife actually runs the place ever since her father retired. I have trucks on the way for your peo..." His voice trailed off as movement from the Mule Dropship caught his eye and he watched stunned as a Company of Thunderbolt Battlemechs marched down the ramp. Geneva Nomanz turned to where he was looking.
"A gift from General Rommel. I was there when they arrived at the space port. A Captain Francis Tellman commands the outfit. Volunteers, every one of them. They made the trip over aboard our Dropship. From what I gather, they even have their repair bays stored in cargo containers, removed from some old Dropships. General Rommel told me to have some of my people find the material to build proper hangers for them as soon as I could. I think their is a platoon of engineers attached to the Battlemech Company also. I will go finish getting my people together before they wander off, it feels good to get firm ground under our feet again." Geneva Nomanz said
Colonel Ben Suong just nodded as he wondered if the General knew something he did not.
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Operation Big Brother... er... Overwatch is a go! Because reading other people’s mail isn’t creepy at all. LOL.
Good to see ZaP expanding, they just have to watch out for Piracy and Conscription, they should be able to help bring up trade and economic growth in their operating areas.
Barbara Liao never struck me as the sanest Liao, and tantrums when caught at their shenanigans is a classic Liao trait.
Good to see Drachenfeld is a viable colony, still going strong. Wonder if they are going to find something interesting while mining.
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Barbie needs to see what happens when other people have all the accessories!
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22 September 2787
Wasat (Free Worlds)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick had to admit it felt funny entering battle in a fully pressurized Marine Combat Suit. He had allowed his people to suit up in whatever suit they felt most comfortable in. As the ships sensors came online, his eyes widened at the number of FWLM warships that were in system both awaiting an empty berth or sitting in the slips undergoing repairs.
"Comm, signal all ships they are weapons free on all weapons. I would prefer if none survived or escape." He ordered
Within a minute of his order, nuclear armed White Shark missiles were speeding towards their assigned targets. The first volley of White Sharks slammed into ships deemed the biggest threat to the Hegemony ships. Two Atreus Battleships, both showing some pronounced battle damage vanished in nuclear flashes. A Aegis Cruiser was attempting to get underway but caught 2 White Sharks and also vanished.
Another volley of nuclear White Sharks were launched at nearby warships, destroying 3 League II Destroyers and a Carrack Transport. While Rear Admiral Jeffery Hollis led his 84th Cruiser Division towards the Bowie Industries shipyard complex, Vice Admiral Shick and his ships plunged into the mass of battle damaged FWLM warships. Nuclear tipped Barracuda missiles joined the nuclear tipped White Sharks in dispensing nuclear justice as the various Hegemony warships opened up with their conventional weaponry. Massive Naval Autocannons opened fire on any FWLM warship that entered their firing arc. The massive shells hammered into weakened armor plates, many shots penetrating deep into the already wounded vessels before detonating.
Return fire from the FWLM warships was slowly increasing, but fire from the Hegemony warships was almost overwhelming. SLS E. Presley, Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser, targeted another Atreus Battleship that was just starting to maneuver with a volley of nuclear White Sharks. Point defenses managed to knock down 4 White Sharks but 2 managed to get thru the defenses and another Atreus Battleship vanished.
Vice Admiral Shick got the shock of his life as he watched a massive hole open on his bridge, which had taken a direct hit from a HPPC shot, but the bridge remained operational since they were already in a airless status. Though the shot had killed a couple of crew. It would have been much worse the old way. His ships return fire savaged the offending Atreus Battleship, opening massive holes in it's armor and multiple shells detonating within the massive vessel. He glanced at another monitor as his Left Broadside let loose on a battle scarred League Destroyer and within seconds it was venting massive amounts of atmosphere and he could see the faint glow of burning fires thru the massive holes in it's hull.
He glanced back at his command display and saw that his Vincent Destroyers were attacking enemy ships in pairs, launching nuclear Barracuda missiles as targets entered an arc equipped with them. He checked on Rear Admiral Hollis' 84th Cruiser Division and saw that half the Bowie Industries shipyard complex had vanished and missiles were streaking towards the remaining facilities. FWLM warships that had been berthed in the repair slips were either total wrecks or had vanished.
Within 3 hours of arriving in system, Task Force Pain had obliterated the Bowie Industries shipyard complex and destroyed every FWLM warship they had found along with quite a few Dropships and Aerospace fighters. At just under 4 hours in system, Task Force Pain made the jump back to Hechnar.
Task Force Pain (Vice Admiral Connor Shick)
SLS Nelson - Black Lion Battlecruiser - Moderate Damage
SLS E. Presley - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser - Moderate Damage
SLS Lightning - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
SLS Lookout - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
SLS Loyal - Vincent Destroyer - Moderate Damage
SLS Laforey - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
17 Aerospace Fighters Destroyed
84th Cruiser Division (Rear Admiral Jeffery Hollis)
SLS Bamborough - Aegis Heavy Cruiser - Light Damage
SLS Diamondhead - Aegis Heavy Cruiser - Light Damage
SLS Never End - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
SLS Never Quit - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
SLS Always Ready - Vincent Destroyer - Light Damage
11 Aerospace Fighters Destroyed
Free Worlds Losses
Bowie Industries Shipyard - Destroyed
4 Atreus Battleship Destroyed
3 Aegis Heavy Cruiser Destroyed
5 League Destroyer Destroyed
6 League II Destroyer Destroyed
2 Carrack Transport Destroyed
5 Mule Dropship Destroyed
3 Leopard CV Dropship Destroyed
87 Aerospace Fighters Destroyed
Hechnar (Terran Hegemony)
After Task Force Pain materialized at the Zenith Jump Point, Vice Admiral Shick ordered damage control efforts to resume and for all commanders to submit a complete damage assessment and casualty list. No matter how hard he tried, the hole in his bridge kept drawing his eyes back to it. I wonder how many more holes like that are in my ship, he thought.
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Excellent rendition of a surprise attack on a shipyard. The planning, preparation, and strategic maneuvering to set this up, paid off in spades.
And Shick gets that funny feeling of "I would've died if I hadn't.." The AAR is going to be very enlightening.
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26 September 2787
Hechnar (Terran Hegemony)
Vice Admiral Connor Shick had taken a few days to study all the reports from the battle at Wasat before attempting to write his After Action report along with his findings on his field test. The casualties were a stark contrast between the ships of "his" Divisions compared to those of the 84th Cruier Division. While his ships had entered battle in a airless state with crews i pressure suits, the 84th Cruiser Division had entered battle the normal way. He had already written the actual After Action report, but now he focused on his findings.
"....actual battle damage sustained by the ships of Task Force Pain was overall light compared to the damage inflicted on the enemy. The ships of the 84th Cruiser Squadron took on average 2 hours longer with damage control battling several fires aboard ship, while ships not assigned to the 84th Cruiser Division were able to begin actual repairs on battle damage right away.
Ships that entered battle in an airless state sustained battle damage that under normal conditions would have been one, possibly two levels of damage higher than their current damage levels. Several ships sustained penetrating hits but lost ZERO crew to explosive decompression. The bridge of the SLS Nelson was breached with the loss of 3 crew to the actual breach from, but the bridge was able to continue normal operations and maintained full control throughout the battle. Not a single ship in an airless state suffered from any fire damage. While ships operating under normal conditions suffered blast damage, shrapnel damage, fire damage and even shock damage. No airless ship suffered fire damage or shock damage.
Casualties between the two methods was also a stark contrast. Ships from the 84th Cruiser Division, while not as heavily engaged by the enemy forces, suffered 63 KIA and 288 WIA during the battle. Ships not assigned to the 84th Cruiser Division, operating in an airless state and with crew in fully pressurized suits suffered 31 KIA and 91 WIA during the battle. Over half the WIA from 84th Cruiser Division ships suffered broken bones from "shock damage" or flash burns from explosions. Crew in airless ships, equipped with Marine Combat Suits suffered no losses, Aerospace Pilot suited crew took 34% of the casualties while normal Pressure Suit crew suffered 66% of the casualties.
It is therefore my recommendation that serious thought be given to a major shift in how the Hegemony Warship's enter battle. The concept put forth in my previous After Action report has been proven to work in a actual combat setting. Both with reduced overall damage but also and more importantly with less loss of life of our most precious resource and that is the crews of our warships."
He signed his name at the bottom of the report and silently swore to himself to fight for this change, even if it meant his career. Besides, I already have 6 ships worth of officers and crew that are now believers in my proposed changes. As they move around the fleet, they will take that belief with them and spread it around. Whether High Command wants them to or not. And with that he smiled broadly.
Odessa (Lyran Commonwealth)
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser, led the now jump capable warships from the naval base and towards the rendezvous well past the proximity limit with the standard Jumpships. The ships being left behind along with the naval base facilities themselves had their self destruct charges activated. Anyone attempting to put them into service without the proper password would find themselves destroying the very things they were seeking to salvage. The convoy formed a protective screen around the gaggle of Dropships carrying the skilled yard workers.
Recovered Warships
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser
SLS Remarkable, Aegis Cruiser
SLS Kryton, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Domination, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Archangel, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Midway, Riga II Destroyer
Remaining Warships
SLS Zeus' Wrath, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser
SLS Turnby, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Platitude, Essex II Destroyer
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Those statistics and damage results really bring teeth to Shick’s proposals. He is now armed with evidence. Even if short term policies result in pre-battle decompression and suit-up being individual captain’s prerogative, personal experience will eventually expand the number of captains willing to exercise that prerogative. Hopefully, the saving of crucial trained personnel and reduced ship damage will make a large difference.
Once again the Hegemony yard workers and engineers pull off miracles, that is close to a month shaved off a 6 month schedule. With so many vital systems and structures repaired or replaced, hopefully getting those ships completely repaired won’t take too much time, especially considering how quickly SLS Nelson and SLS E. Presley were brought back into service. A Cruiser Division is a nice shot in the arm to have boost your Fleet.
And just wondering, considering how easily a stock Soyal Heavy Cruiser is destroyed, is the THN pulling the medium mass driver and modding it into a Battleship?
I mean a 1.5 megaton warship, should not be a lightly armed heavy cruiser even with a One Shot Kill weapon attached. With 120 points of structural integrity, this ship should have an engine attached that allows speed, not being outrun and maneuvered by most other ships. Using the mass taken up by the medium mass driver and maybe some of the mass of those huge cargo bays, setting up an armament of NGAUSS, naval missiles, and energy weapons tailored to bracketing was would give you an excellent heavyweight warship. Especially if armor was increased and upgraded to Lamellor Ferro-Carbide.
Of course, considering the TH is in the middle of a shooting war, sending it and any ships they are not confident in to the Hidden Hegemony for experimenting or alteration might be the better solution. I know some sailors consider sailing in certain ships a “Death Cruise” because of how likely it is to kill you. I would bet, in universe, the Soyal is regarded as one of those.
One of the warships that has lasted in universe and done yeoman’s work for every navy that has used it is the Aegis Heavy Cruiser. These vessels, aged though they are (hitting over 4 centuries in age), are a threat to any size vessel, and are hard to kill, survivors of numerous battles and wars. They are, like the Soyal, handicapped by their speed in the battles of the current year. Honestly, I would be interested in seeing what an Aegis II would look like. It is obvious though, faster engines would be a definite part of that.
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4 October 2787
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Colonel Alexander Baldwin read the message handed to him by General Heinrich Rommel several times. This tossed his time table completely off schedule as he expected more time to get his troops used to working together before pushing off. As he read the message for probably the sixth or seventh time, his mind raced mentally cataloging everything that needed to be done to meet the new deadline.
"Damn, I really was hoping for some serious field time to get everyone on the same page and used to working with each other." Colonel Baldwin said
"But can you be ready?" General Heinrich Rommel asked
"Yes sir, all the troops, equipment and supplies are on hand. We have the Dropships and Jumpships here. What about dependents? According to my admin personnel, we have roughly 3700 dependents of the troops." Colonel Baldwin replied
"Well, according to the message, you and your troops are going in as mercenary troops, albiet extremely well equipped mercenary troops. Also says you will receive final message from General Mitchell at Bastrop. I guess she will inform you then about the rest of the details." General Rommel said
"Sure hope so, I need to get everything fully loaded, last minute checks completed and brief my officers and men. Almost 3 months to reach Bastrop from here, the message says she wants me at Bastrop by Jan 2788. Going to be cutting it close." Colonel Baldwin said
"Then get moving Colonel. You know how General Mitchell is about being on time." General Rommel replied
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell watched as the viewer filled with static slowly cleared and the face of First Prince John Davion appeared on the screen via live HPG hookup. "General Mitchell, good to see you again. I expected Director General Cameron when the request for a live talk came in from your jumpship that has been shadowing me." First Prince John Davion said
"Sorry to disappoint you sir, Amanda is a little busy right now, but I felt me and you should speak alone." General Mitchell replied
"Then let us cut to business then, what can I do for you General?" First Prince John Davion asked
"January of next year, I will have 3 Regiments of Battlemechs arriving at Bastrop, they will be operating under cover of mercenary troops. I want this to remain between me and you only sir. I cannot risk a leak and have another front open up. Once we determine if our ruse is holding, I will try and make more troops available to help you out. Also under the cover of mercenary troops. Are we in agreement sir?" General Mitchell said
"I can agree to those terms. To maintain the ruse, they will need a bona fide contract with the AFFS, but I think I can handle making those arrangements and keeping it quiet." First Prince John Davion replied
"Excellent. Shall we agree on above average pay, full transportation reimbursement, 100% Battle Loss Compensation, 30% salvage rights, liaison command? I would also like a location for them to call a home base, they will probably have dependents joining them. We will have a 5 year contract to start." General Mitchell said
"Sounds like decent terms, nothing you said is unreasonable. The problem is where to base them in a safe location, I am sure you are monitoring the situation, and it is probably more fluid than you realize. I have no clue where the Combine will appear next." First Prince John Davion replied
"May I make a suggestion sir?" General Mitchell asked
"Of course, not saying I will agree to it, but suggest away." First Prince John Davion said
"The safety of my people is paramount. Especially dependents, they are strictly non combatants. Only one parent is allowed to deploy in combat if both parents are in the service. Pattonsbrug I think would make a suitable home base. Far enough from the current front but also fairly close to Bastrop, and I am sure you know why that is important." General Mitchell responded
"Yes, I figured it out a while back, but I will never reveal your secret General Mitchell. Pattonsbrug it is then. You said possibly more troops, I assume you want the same pact with them also?" First Prince John Davion replied
"The secrecy part yes sir. I also want an escape clause built into their contract. I will not have my troops sent on a suicide mission. This is not negotiable. The same will apply to all my troops that might be deployed under mercenary disguise. If one of your generals tries to place my troops in a untenable position, my commander will have the authority to tell that general to pound sand. My people will not be tossed away to buy time, we will fight, but not commit suicide doing so. Plus, I will not be happy with any general that places my people in a position that they have to exercise the escape clause, I cannot stress that enough sir." General Mitchell said
"Understood General Mitchell. I must say that I am not accustomed the being spoken to so bluntly. I find it sort of refreshing." First Prince John Davion replied
"This is too important for any mixed signals between us. Then we are agreed on all terms. I will be in touch Prince Davion." General Mitchell said
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12 October 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell shook Delbert "Red" Mitchell's hand as she reached him after disembarking from her shuttle. "Red, I wa surprised when I got the call informing me you had arrived in orbit. Mind telling me what the hell this barge is, not even my shuttle pilots knew what it was."
"Glad you could come up for a last meet and greet for awhile. I am heading for our new home. This is what being filthy rich can buy you. It's one of a kind. A custom built ship. I call her a cabin cruiser. Many years ago, I wanted my own ship, but not some piss ant Jumpship. I paid a handsome price to get Bowie Industries to build a Subcompact Jump Core for her, they build the Bug-Eye you know.
She can carry 30 passengers in extremely, almost regal quarters. She is quick, has one of the smallest jump signatures ever seen, has 15 tons of the best armor money can buy, which is not much, but I am assured she will take a Naval Laser 55 and not breach the hull. She will hold together even if hit by a Heavy Naval PPC, though we are going to get hurt back by it. I have 4 ER Large Laser's in each Arc for some self defense against fighters and to really keep someone from getting too close to our AFT while we run like the wind, I fitted 2 Naval Laser 35. Fuel to run at 1g for almost a year, 2 shuttles and enough supplies to keep us fed for 2 years if we suffer a critical breakdown.
Best of all, she is equipped with LF Batteries, has her own HPG setup and a small Naval Comm Scanner to let us know when the bad guys are around. I toyed with fitting her with a Barracuda launcher or 2 in each Arc, but decided against it at the last second. It would be too tempting to raid the SLDF stores for some nukes." He let out a laugh at the last part
"You have not changed a bit Red. How much did this set you back anyway?" Rita could not help but ask
"A hair over 8.3 Billion. Never said she was not expensive as hell. Hell, I can build a big ass Essex II Destroyer for less, but I figured the SLDF would have a hissy fit if I had done that. But enough about my pride and joy, I wanted to make sure of something before I leave." Delbert "Red" Mitchell said
"And what is bothering you Red, you never were the type to beat around the bush on stuff." Rita asked
"First, I was wrong about you. All those wasted years. I want you to know that. Keith is a very lucky man to have found you. Second, I want to make sure that your not going to do a stand and die here when the crap really hits the fan. Promise me that you will pack up and haul ass. Take everything and everyone you can and haul ass. I don't want to lose you guys again. I would like the chance to spend some time together. I am 77 years old and not getting any younger." Delbert "Red" Mitchell said
Rita studied the man before her, she had never seen him like this and said so "Red, I think your losing it. This is not like you, not the you I knew anyway."
"Bah, I am the same crotchety ass you have always known and despised Rita my dear. But your tough as a sheet of armor and as honest as they come. You did a great job with Director General Amanda Cameron, she is my kind of Cameron. I hear that your son is one hell of a Mechwarrior and smart as his parents. Your about all the family I have. Well, all that I trust as far as I could throw them anyway. Two brothers, three neices and 4 nephews and every one of them are money grubbing free loaders just waiting for me to kick the bucket. Well, that is not happening. Oh, they will get a taste, but I am going to level with you Rita. I have already got it all written up and legal. Used the best lawyers that ever graduated a law school. When I go, Keith get's the company, every last bit of it. If he does not want it, or god forbid, passes before me, it all goes to your son. The only nephew I have have that never stuck his hand out for a single cent." Delbert "Red" Mitchell said
"Red, let's not talk about stuff like that. Your 30 years from having to worry about that. But I promise, no stand and die. If the situation can not be salvaged, I promise, I am grabbing Amanda and everyone I can and getting the hell away from here." Rita said
"You do that Rita. You been laying the ground work ever since you came back. I want you all to be there with me and watch your hard work grow into a new beacon of hope from everyone. The damned Houses are already tearing at the Hegemony like a pack of starving wolves. I have kept an eye on your losses, which have been pretty light, but you have most of your ships in the repair yards, only a matter of time before that becomes a serious problem and one of the Houses is going to pounce for the killing blow. Remember that Rita, the Hegemony here is on borrowed time. Run like hell and don't look back. I want my family with me, sooner than later." Delbert "Red" Mitchell said, a tear floating off his face
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I think you need a
Presidential Director-General Yacht. How fast can you get one on those little Things built. You need a backup also, so 3 total. Incase you brake down on the way out the Door. Jump in Non-Living Systems all the way. Not previously claimed worlds so everyone looks in the wrong places for ya. Better chance of going in a straight line if you want to cut the Kurita worlds off the path. Or go in a curve about 4 jumps into Fed Space to keep away from the War-Front.
But Now you know who to get a licence from to build the Bug-eye in the THiE.
-
Well, THAT was emotionally moving. And if he has seen the end of the Terran Hegemony is nigh, enough to make this plea, he is not the only one to see it coming.
That sucks. It means the rest are going to dogpile the TH soon.
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18 October 2787
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
The Free Worlds League began their next push by using a non standard jump point that placed their transports barely a day from the planet. Aerospace fighters from the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division managed to down 3 Dropships and quite a few FWLM Aerospace fighters before the FWLM forces made their landings. Quickly deploying, the 1st, 10th and 11th Atrean Dragoons and 3rd and 4th Oriente Hussars pushed their landing zone to a 20km circle.
19 October 2787
Major General Keith Mitchell pushed his 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division into the attack against the lead FWLM command pushing towards the capital. They slammed into the 1st Atrean Dragoons and immediately began pushing them back. When the 10th Atrean Dragoons attempted to flank the 181st RMID, they found themselves in a deadly fight with the 1811st Infantry Brigade which was holding that flank. The 10th Atrean Dragoons knew they were in trouble when the hastily dug in tanks with the 1811st Brigade opened fire and a full company of Battlemechs were destroyed by massed fire.
Lieutenant Patrick Mitchell, piloting his Thunderbolt TDR-5Sb, led his lance in the fight against the 1st Atrean Dragoons. "Target the Archer, let's bring him down quickly." He ordered and his entire lance of Royal Thunderbolt's sent 60 LRM's towards the Archer followed by 4 ERPPC shots. Staggered by the massive impacts, the Archer pilot lost his balance and fell. Lieutenant Mitchell quickly sent a link to his lance for them to next focus on the Orion moving towards them. His ERPPC recharged, he sent a shot at the Orion and saw it impact the center torso. Follow on shots from his lance cut the left leg from the Orion. His Thunderbolt shuddered as the FWL began pounding the area with artillery in an attempt to slow the Hegemony advance.
By nightfall, the 181st RMID had pushed the 1st Atrean Dragoon's back to their landing zone, but was forced to pull back as the remaining enemy forces continued attempting to flank the 181st RMID and place it in a deadly box.
28 October 2787
For ten days the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division had battled the Free World invaders and fought them to a standstill. Countering every thrust and attempt at encirclement. But it was not enough and they steadily had to yield ground to the invaders to prevent encirclement. At 80% strength, the 181st RMID was still a potent and powerful force which would give the Free World invaders a tough fight.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
While General Rita Mitchell was organizing a response to the Free World invasion of Graham IV, she got news that the Capellan Confederation had crossed the border and landed on several worlds, Achernar, Angol, Tigress, Hamal and Bharat all saw Capellan troops make their landings. This forced her to split her response to the Graham invasion, while also being forced to shift another Division from the Draconis Combine/Federated Suns front. It was a risk she was forced to take.
Marlette (Federated Suns)
Coordinator Minuro Kurita enjoyed the sensation of standing on the soil of his most hated foe, the Federated Suns. But a smuch as he enjoyed it, he never took his eye off the grand prize he desired and that was the Terran Hegemony. He kept up to date on every movement the Hegemony made, and the Capellan thrust into the Hegemony combined with the renewal of the Free Worlds invasion was like blood in the water to a shark.
He gave the orders for his forces to make ready to depart, it was time to teach the Hegemony a lesson they would not forget.
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3 November 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron looked up as Jerome Blake entered her office. He had been summoned to discuss what she called her "Go to Hell" Plan. While Aunt Rita focused on the military side of the planning, she had taken on some of the other sides. Though she hated to even think about having to flee, the situation here in the Hegemony just kept getting worse. There were even some small protests against the Hegemony for fighting to defend their own worlds. Calls of "Enough is enough" and "Haven't we suffered enough war" were starting to gain traction and become louder and louder.
"You wished to peak to me Director General?" Jerome Blake said
"Please, have a seat Mr. Blake. We have some matters to discuss, matters that you will keep secret. One whisper of this gets out, I will know exactly who let it slip, is that clear?" Amanda replied
"Of course Director General." Jerome Blake responded
"Good. Now, first, I must applaud you on the work your doing with your Comstar. I am sure that no where in the history books has a company reached such a revenue stream as yours. It has grown to such amounts that I am actually having a hard time fighting off the tax collectors that want to increase the taxes on Comstar." Amanda said
"For that, I must say thank you to you. We are paying our fair share of taxes, the same as any other corporation in the Hegemony." Jerome Blake replied
"Yes you have and without complaint. Now we will get down to the real reason your here today. As you probably know, things are not going very well for the Hegemony. We are now beset by 3 Houses with fighting on quite a few worlds. Now we have protests increasing on many worlds. There may come a day when the Hegemony will collapse and I need to get things ready for that eventuality. This is where you and Comstar come in.
If that day comes, you are tasked with your original mission set forth by General Kerensky. Preserve the technology of the Star League. We have already seen the horrendous damage that can be done during war, we ourselves have even inflicted it. If the wars raging across the stars grows worse, the damage will be untold. You will be the beacon of knowledge. A safe repository where the people can turn to to rebuild.
If the day comes, I will not remain to watch the Hegemony here die and be swallowed by the Houses. I and many others will go into exile, leave Terra and vanish. You will need to come up with plausible excuse for my absence. Death is always a good one. The HPG manufacturing equipment will remain here on Terra, under Comstar control. You will need it to keep the HPG network in operation. In exchange, Comstar will deposit 1 Trillion into our account here on Terra each year. It is a fraction of what you pay now in taxes and is not negotiable. Refusal, well, let us say you will not like my response, so let us avoid that.
General Kerensky tasked you with a huge mission and I have now placed even more of a burden on you. Failure is not an option. I might be in exile, but I will always be watching. If you or Comstar fail to uphold your mission, I will take action. Someone will always be watching, waiting to return and salvage the mission I am tasking you with. Terra is the home of the Terran Hegemony, always will be. Nothing and no amount of time passage will change that fact. Am I clear?" Amanda said
"Crystal clear. I will not fail in the task your giving me Director General. How will you access the funds we will be depositing? Surely they will be tracked, such a vast sum of money moving around will cause many eyes to focus on it." Jerome Blake replied
"That is our problem to solve. We will come up with a way to handle it. Now, let's discuss how my death will be handled shall we?" Amanda said
For two hours, they set in motion the planning of Director General Amanda Cameron's death and the possible death of the Terran Hegemony. Once Jerome Blake left, General Rita Mitchell and Lieutenant General Brian Calloway entered the office.
"So, how did he take the news?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"Quite well, a little too well if you want the truth. He never blinked, should have hit him for more money. How is work on our little program for the HPG network going?" Amanda asked
Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, head of Hegemony Security fielded this one "It is already inserted and tested. A single test was performed. The actual programming was quite easy, inserting it into the HPG network took some doing, but we managed it. The program skimmed 11.7 Million from Comstar, the money has been confirmed as deposited in ZaP Shipping's Bastrop bank account. We have verified that all routing information was deleted from every log and record we could access, which is pretty much all of them. We then deactivated the program per your orders. But we know it works."
"Excellent, at least something worked out exactly how we wanted it to. The coders seem to be very good, and we will need that. I want another program written. This one will target our account here on Terra. Once activated, I want it to immediately transfer deposited funds from Comstar to an account, to be determined on Bastrop. I want the program to erase all records of this transfer of funds. I do not want a trace of it to exist." Amanda said
"Not the ZaP account?" Lieutenant General Brian Calloway asked
"No, we promised Martin that we would not use him or his company in anything dangerous. This could be extremely dangerous, the amounts will be huge. But I have an idea, I just need to get one other person involved. I will know tomorrow when I meet with him." Amanda said
4 November 2787
Director General Amanda Cameron waited impatiently for her guest. He was crucial to the groundwork she was laying. Her desk phone buzzed announcing the arrival of her guest, who was shown inside and the door closed, leaving just the two of them alone. Janos Janokowski, CEO and CFE of Terra National Bank, one of the oldest banks in history, also one that had been almost bankrupted by Amaris' scam. Based in Geneva, it was still one of the most secretive banks to exist, a hold over from ancient Switzerland's traditions.
"Mr Janokowski, I am so glad to meet you. Thank you for coming at such short notice." Amanda said beaming her best smile
"I am always at your disposal Director General Cameron. What can I do for you?" He asked
"Your bank almost collapsed due to the massive loans you extended to Amaris correct?" Amanda asked
This question visibly made janos Janokowski very nervous "Yes, I will confess that I was quite stupid doing any sort of business with that foul being. I am still paying restitution to those that were wronged by that lack of clarity."
"Not your finest moment. I am glad that I learned you have managed to recover almost 500 Billion of the money stolen by Amaris and his cronies." Amanda said
"It has been a tiresome hunt, but I feel it is the only way to cleanse my soul. I have been personally funding the recovery efforts." Janokowski said
"That is an honorable act. I am curious, how exactly did Amaris manage to launder that much money and yet it is so hard to recover?" Amanda asked
"Amaris and his cronies moved the money into and out of virtually every bank that exists. Piercing the privacy of the banks is a major headache, it can take years of legal effort to get the records, and then you have to move to the next bank and repeat the process. Sometimes we get lucky and find money still in an account, which we then petition the court for confiscation. Mostly, we are forced to just track it as it moves from bank to bank, account by account." Janos Janokowski explained
"How could anyone access the accounts, clearly they did not have Amaris' name on the accounts." Amanda asked
"Password access only. You have the account number and the password assigned to the account, you can access the funds. It is effective and almost never has an actual name attached to the account. We have no way of knowing exactly how many people had access to the information needed." Janos Janokowski replied
"What do you think will finally happen?" Amanda asked
"Well, once the accounts are inactive for 20 years, they will be closed and the bank will take possession of the funds that were in them." Janos Janokowski said
"Unless you get to them them first.: Amanda stated
"Yes, unless I can get to them first. The clock is always ticking, always against us." Janos Janokowski said
For the next 4 hours, Amanda Cameron got a crash course on money laundering and how Interstellar banking worked. Janos Janokowski was a master at this and knew his stuff.
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Pity, I was hoping they'd hold it together.
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Amanda seems good-ish but frankly, the Cameron dynasty has accumulated quite a lot of bad karma over the centuries.
Amaris just opened the floodgates but he was by no means the only one with a reason to hold a grudge.
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Is Amanda able to handle and transfer the Family accounts. The Royal accounts. I wonder who was Heir to the Windsor Family of England. Or some of the Super rich out of the America's. The Gate's license on Microsoft and Apple probably alot.
Edit
Which reminds me, What of the AI, VI and drone robor soft and hard ware, did any one look into it. Can be a great force multiplier. Just the Robotics would be a great force multiplier on the battlefield.
Having remote drones for ECM, ECCM, and Scanners would be way up there.
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Is Amanda able to handle and transfer the Family accounts. The Royal accounts. I wonder who was Heir to the Windsor Family of England. Or some of the Super rich out of the America's. The Gate's license on Microsoft and Apple probably alot.
Edit
Which reminds me, What of the AI, VI and drone robor soft and hard ware, did any one look into it. Can be a great force multiplier. Just the Robotics would be a great force multiplier on the battlefield.
Having remote drones for ECM, ECCM, and Scanners would be way up there.
Look under SDS and yeah, hope the managed to recover that data & more.
Kerensky was a dick, at the end.
Most likely, lated DC new mechs, where partly black market from the entire sphere or restored mechs that Kerensky dumbed in DC theritory.
Just look where the managed to recover Kerensky is personal mech, for one.
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Well, if the retreat happens right now, and everything is yanked out of the yards, there are 382 warship collars. Plus whatever jumpships they can impress into service, which is hopefully a lot. Because there WILL be hegemony citizens who will follow her, whether out of loyalty or fear of the scavenger lords. Those will fill many dropships. Then the dropships filled with civilian and military equipment, whatever tooling that needs to leave. Then there will probably be dropships filled with food.
The 70 collarless destroyers and corvettes will probably be the outriders. And anything that has collars will be of increasing importance. The second line will probably be 1 and 2 collar warships, lead by the Farragut and 2 Atreus Battleships and filled with frigates. The last line around the Jumpships would be everything else.
As of now (# of collars: # of ships: total collars)(inc. Odessa)
0:70:0 - 4 Vincent Corvettes, 46 Vincent Destroyers, 2 Carson, 2 Lola I, 6 Lola III, 10 Essex,
1:3:3 - 3 League Destroyers
2:17:34 - 4 Newgrange, 1 Riga, 1 Riga II, 2 Congress, 1 Cameron, 2 League II, 3 Carrack, 2 Atreus, 1 Farragut
3:1:3 - 1 Soyal,
4:21:84 - 10 Aegis, 6 Luxor, 3 Black Lion, 2 Samarkand II
5:2:10 - 2 Sovietskii Soyuz
6:8: 48 - 3 Monsoon, 3 Texas, 2 Dart,
25:8:200 - 8 Potemkin
382 total dropship collars
Jumpship Collars and dropships revealed in story
(Hegemony shipping line, SLNT Star Lords from 2784 brought Amanda, 295th BMD transports, Odessa convoy)(Many SL troops who were former mercs and house troops brought jumpships, # unknown)
2:43:86 - 43 Merchant Jumpships,
3:31:93 - 31 Invader Jumpships,
6:39:234 - 39 Star Lord Jumpships
3:4:12 - 4 Tramp Jumpships
2:8:16 - 8 LF equipped Tramp Jumpships
129 Mammoth Dropships,
3 Passenger Mammoth Dropships
2 Titan Dropships,
40 Behemoth Dropships,
130 Mule Dropships.
441 collars
Or I could be massively overthinking this whole thing, and have been putting way too much time and thought into this.
Or it could be the massively chocolate slice of cake I just had.
I dunno.
Edit: Forgot the Carriers.
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If it was me I would activate both programs and pack everything up and get the hell out of dodge.
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Make sure you shut the lights off when you leave;
1. Make all military industry go away, scorched earth.
2. Seal all Castle Brian’s.
3. Embezzle the shit out of Comstar.
4. Fry the HPG’s in Liao, Kurita, Steiner, and total screw the Mario’s over.
5. Let the Hegemony citizens who can’t make it, they will be smuggled out within a few years.
6. Send a big good bye to the Kuritan’s, Steiner’s, Liao’s and Marik’s.
7. Lastly, join with Federated Suns.
When a few years pass 30 or so and the Inner Sphere has pulverized themselves come back with one huge badass fleet and let them know you will be taking back the Hegemony Worlds that were stolen.
All funded of course by the dipshit Kuritan’s, Liao’s, Steiner’s, and Marik’s.
Ships will be built for the Federated Suns also!!!!!
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7 November 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
While General Rita Mitchell worked on trying to stop the several invasions in their tracks, Director General Amanda Cameron continued working on saving as many assets as she could, while at the same time laying the ground work for the future. A future she had no clue about, but she wanted to give the Hegemony every advantage as she could. She had decided against moving Hegemony funds via money laundering thru banks, instead, she would spend it, sort of.
She had just had Janos Janokowski transfer 300 Billion C-Bills to ZaP Shipping's account on Bastrop for services rendered to the Terran Hegemony over the years in exchange for payment at a later date. She had decided that the later date they had been waiting on was today. That on had been the easy part, Uncle Martin and Aunt Martha could be trusted to use the money wisely while also staying loyal to the Hegemony.
She had then placed an order for 300 Colossus Dropships, 100 Luxor Heavy Cruiser and 200 Essex II Destroyers with Mitchell Industries for which she paid in full in advance for a total of 4,310,000,000,000 C-Bills (4.3 Trillion). Delbert Mitchell was family, he would suspect what was going on when all this money appeared in the Mitchell Industries account. But with an invoice and legal order, the money was legally unrecoverable.
Right after her meeting with Janos Janokowski, she had sent a message to Thompson Shipyards and ordered 500 Monolith Jumpships for a total of 550 Billion C-Bills, with the delivery dates to be determined at a later date but the Hegemony was paying in advance for the ships to allow for proper tooling and material purchases as needed. The money had then been transferred to Thompson Shipyards account on Kilbourne.
While preparing her previous financial moves, she had searched the open market for Jumpships and Dropships but found the pickings virtually nil. Every House including the Hegemony was purchasing everything as soon as it hit the market. She had then placed a call to Janos Janokowski, who's bank held the massive debt load of the largest shipping company in the Terran Hegemony, making his bank the owners, which had been extremely hard hit during the Amaris Coup and the following Liberation. It had lost over 1/2 it's ships during the conflict, but due to mismanagement, by an owner who had supported Amaris, had found out after the Liberation that the owner, having disappeared, had let the company's insurance lapse on it's ships. This left the company saddled with owing for ships it no longer had. Saddled with 180 Billion in debt, it was only by emergency decree from the Hegemony Government that had kept Janos' bank from liquidating the company after Amanda's arrival on Terra. With a simple command of buy it, Janos had transferred 200 Billion C-Bills from the Hegemony to pay off the debt of Hegemony Interstellar Shipping with interest. The Terran Hegemony Government now owned Hegemony Interstellar Shipping, with a fleet of 43 Merchant Jumpships, 31 Invader Jumpships, 27 Star Lord Jumpships and 122 Mammoth Dropships, 40 Behemoth Dropships, 127 Mule Dropships.
Now it was time to deal with several outstanding issues that she had kept putting off. After her arrival, she had spent quite a bit of time trying to unravel everything that Amaris and his supporters here in the Hegemony had done. Several companies had been identified as being willing participants during the Amaris Coup. Some had been seized by the Hegemony Government after the Liberation and was still technically Hegemony property. Nicholas Spacecraft on New Earth was one such company, she ordered the company's assets dismantled and prepared for shipment. Another was AeroFighter unlimited on Oliver, she also ordered it dismantled and prepared for shipment.
Her last message of the day was to First Prince John Davion, where she turned over a list of accounts she had gotten from Janos Janokowski identifying 28 accounts with stolen funds from the Hegemony but where the Federated Suns banking laws and courts were hampering recovery efforts. The amount sitting in the 28 accounts totaled 483 Billion C-Bills, using the current Interstellar currency instead of SL Dollars, which had been pegged at a 1 for 1 exchange rate. Maybe he could get some movement on the cases.
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that was a nice infusion of space assets. if you can find hulks attach them to dropships and just fill them by trans loading passengers and cargo threw the small craft bays.
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Is there a Jumpship where a Behemoth can be docked on all collars?
I have a design for a Behemoth ARC boat that can carry 420,000 people in foot infantry bays. each.
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when picking up those dismantled factories, hegemony shipping should just pack up and bring all their dependents for relocation
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I'd like to also distribute a lot of infantry-grade military assets to the Hegemony worlds in the meantime, before the factories are removed.
Each world suddenly goes from high value/low risk due to plenty of Hegemony factories and low military defense, to low value/high risk due to the critical factories (or even just the critical components) being removed and everyone on-planet having a weapon of some kind. A Puffer fish type defense
The other fun idea would be buying up the various Jumpships in Marik space, and letting them continue their current routes (preferably the larger ones). When the Hegemony performs the sayonara maneuver, those Jumpships drop off the main shipping grid and head to Davion space. Hidden routes for each Jumpship are kept in each safe, so they can travel via uninhabited stars and recharge without hopefully getting caught. Get as many free trader Dropships as you can too, preferably the larger Dropships, and have them get carried to Davion space as well.
Imagine the results of the Marik economy losing ~50% of their Jumpships, and the heavier transport Dropships just suddenly being removed from the available pool. I'm sure the Lyrans wouldn't mind performing an economic takeover of a few systems if that happened
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or simply repainting and new papers for a bunch of them to be a new "civilian" company, just bouncing around the IS, with 1-2 intel guys onboard, just looking around and sending messages to uncle Fred/whoever each month
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I'd like to also distribute a lot of infantry-grade military assets to the Hegemony worlds in the meantime, before the factories are removed.
Each world suddenly goes from high value/low risk due to plenty of Hegemony factories and low military defense, to low value/high risk due to the critical factories (or even just the critical components) being removed and everyone on-planet having a weapon of some kind. A Puffer fish type defense
The other fun idea would be buying up the various Jumpships in Marik space, and letting them continue their current routes (preferably the larger ones). When the Hegemony performs the sayonara maneuver, those Jumpships drop off the main shipping grid and head to Davion space. Hidden routes for each Jumpship are kept in each safe, so they can travel via uninhabited stars and recharge without hopefully getting caught. Get as many free trader Dropships as you can too, preferably the larger Dropships, and have them get carried to Davion space as well.
Imagine the results of the Marik economy losing ~50% of their Jumpships, and the heavier transport Dropships just suddenly being removed from the available pool. I'm sure the Lyrans wouldn't mind performing an economic takeover of a few systems if that happened
In the Original Time Line all the Houses lost approximately 90% of their JUmpship over the next Decade or two
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Want to laugh?
Buy up all the banks, around the sphere.
There, that should help with pushing their money back home without anybody noticing this, at all.
I do wonder one thing, how much was the first SSW delayed and when was Clan Wolverine supposed to flee straight trye the DC?
I suspect Niops, Alkirk(?) & the Aurigan(?) Reach to all have Wolverine ties, in some way, simply from the Wolverine fleet having scattered when attacked by the other clans, including a miss-jumped Potemkin to Alkirk(?).
And besides buying up banks & jumpships, add in Germanium, gold, spareparts and so on.
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1st SSW was not really delayed, some of the smaller starts never happened. So far the FWL/Lyran fighting has not occurred nor the Suns/Capellan. Mostly focused on fighting for the Hegemony instead of each other.
Canon 2824 is Wolverine exodus. 2825 they first hit Combine, or should I say the Minn Tribe does.
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In the Original Time Line all the Houses lost approximately 90% of their JUmpship over the next Decade or two
True, but this would be a ~50% loss up front, with no corresponding loss for its neighbors >:D
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13 November 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, Hegemony Security, had quite a few operations under way at the same time. Three inside the Free Worlds League, two inside the Lyran Commonwealth and one inside the Draconis Combine. These were in addition to the smaller but more important operations here on Terra. Though none had born fruit yet, he had word that a coded message had arrived and he waited for it to arrive from communications. When it arrived, he opened the sealed envelope and read the message inside:
Helmut One reports mission success. Foreign matter introduced into Germanium processing facility at Loyalty. Code change on Core casting facilities a success. Helmut One is exiting hostile territory at this time.
He replaced the message and smiled, contaminating the Germanium just cost time to reprocess but they had to fully sterilize the facility first. It was the code change to the Core casting facility that was the main mission. A simple program that caused the spinning of the jump core to be accelerated 1 revolution more a minute but the display in the control center would not register it. From his briefing before the mission was launched, the core had to be spun at a precise speed or it would be more fragile than normal and would test normal, but would shatter itself by the 4th jump. He wondered how many FWL jumpships would suffer from this defect before it was found and corrected.
Umka (Free Worlds League)
Christina Evanshire sat in the office of Yama Planor, owner Deep Black Interstellar, the 5th largest shipping company in the Free Worlds League. Once a profitable company plying the shipping lanes along the FWL periphery but had been hit hard by pirates now ravaging the region.
"Thank you for meeting with me Mr Planor. I represent a potential saving grace for your company. It has come to his attention that your deep in debt to your creditors and they are threatening action to liquidate your assets. He feels that would be a shame for such a company as yours with a profitable history." Christina Evanshire said
"You sure get right to the point quick my dear. Your employer has very good sources and he is right, the damned vultures are circling fast and low over my head. I thought it would get better but that fool Marik had to go and get himself into a war with the Hegemony which pulled the naval patrols from the region. That has given the damned pirate bands a free hand out here and they have pushed me to the breaking point." Yama Planor replied
"Well, my employer would like to help you. It would mean moving from this region though. You would still manage your company and own 40%. My employer would see that your debt free, have the cash you need to re-establish yourself in a new location. He is willing to pay off your creditors and even assist you by providing a credit line for the refit of your vessels and possibly even the purchase of new ships." Christina Evanshire said
"Your employer has some deep pockets. Your talking at least 85 Billion to pay off the vultures alone. What about my employee's and their families, you said we would have to relocate. Where exactly would we be relocating to?" Yama Planor asked
"Federated Suns space for starters. You would join another of his operations he has there. He is willing to pay the expense of transporting your employee's and their families to whatever location he selects as your new home. He is also willing to pay each employee a one time 100,000 C-Bill bonus for any hardships this places on them. For you, not only will your debt be paid off, but you will in addition to retaining 40% ownership of the company he will pay you a bonus of 25 Million C-Bills, payable half on the signing and the other half when you arrive at your new destination. If you decide to retire or sell your portion, you will receive a fair price for your 40% share of the company. Not to be mean, but currently, your company is valued at only 1.1 Billion C-Bills, once your debt is paid off, well I will let you do the math on how much he would be willing to pay." Christina Evanshire said
Math was the one thing that Yama Planor could do very well. "How long do I have to decide?"
"I am scheduled to leave in a week sir. If I do not have an answer before then, I will be off to see one of your competitors with the same offer. My instructions are to inform you that this is a one time offer for a friendly purchase. I will tell you that he has lawyers contacting your creditors about purchasing your assets the moment they lay claim to them. I advise you to take the offer and the money now Mr Planor, my employer would much rather have you as a business partner, with all the ready crews than to have to arrange personnel to come collect his purchases." Christina Evanshire said
Yama Planor was silent for a full ten minutes while he thought about the offer. Then his rational side of his brain took over and won the inner battle. "You may inform your employer that I agree to his terms. It will take about 2 months to gather in my ships and get everyone set to depart. Figure it will take a few days for the lawyers to draw up the contracts. How fast will the vultures be paid off?"
"From here, I will head for the HPG station and get the message sent out. He already has the list of your creditors and also the amounts owed. Your creditors will have their money in no less than 3 days. I will return here in 4 days to sign the contract and to hand deliver you a check for 25 Million C-Bills. Once we have signed the contract for the sale of 60% of your company to my employer, I will have plenty of operating funds deposited in your company account." Christina Evanshire said
Once she had departed, Yama Planor tried to envision what the future held. He had just agreed to the sale of his company to an unknown entity. This alone made him a little nervous. The trip alone to the Federated Suns would be dangerous as hell, but in 4 days, that was his employers problem.
As Christina Evanshire, Hegemony Security Operative, walked to the HPG station 2km away, she smiled. She had just removed 53 Merchant Jumpships, 31 Mule Dropships, 29 Aqueduct Dropships and 35 Mammoth Dropships from the Free Worlds League. This was going to put quite a crimp in the Free Worlds ability to supply this region of their space.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Martin Zuni read the message from Terra and wondered what the hell Director General Amanda Cameron was doing. He was grumpy because Martha had gone and bought another company without talking to him, she was expanding and kicking ass while he was stuck here over seeing this operation. He really wanted to get out and do some of his own head hunting. Why the hell do I need a damned holding company for anyway he thought.
Dear Martin,
I have taken the liberty of having ZaP Holding Company registered in every nation including the periphery states. You will thank me later.
Love
Amanda Cameron
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Nice. This is what I was expecting of the Blackhearts. Rarely is there direct action. Just things going wrong in expensive and horrible ways. The worst problems to fix, are the ones where you have no idea what is wrong in the first place. Hopefully there are enough Blackhearts to share their gifts with all four enemy Lords. It warms the cockles of my heart to read such vengeance.
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Has the time come for the Hegemony in Exile to consider R&D projects to advance Star League military technology? I rather think these future efforts may diverge in certain areas from what could be developed by the SLDF/Clans.
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woops, wrong story with my original idea's
Mitchel asked of Communications department (CS Before Birth) for other research into communication and they grudgingly handed over the Black Box examples, and hopefully the research notes so that Hegemony can improve the design.
Hegemony has Software Programs in the HPG's for shut down, monitoring, and now creative finances.
Navy is testing the Doctrine of going into battle depressurized. It is showing great promise from one major tect.
Hegemony has complete Prometheus data core now in the Exile Hegemony. IIRC the Head of civilian growth was first to look into the Core for manufacturing improvements. A team has been set up to review the Data cores for improvements.
Not sure if the Team was to review the many different weapons ad materials program standings and results or not, That would be a great under taking in it self.
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Any hope they can get the tech behind the Steiner Stadium and more?
Turn the system inside out and you suddenly get a nice defence for buildings, stations and (war)ships, you know.
That it also leads to a new fusion engine design...
Will Zap invest into getting it's own shipyard or not?
And do they have the licence for the Snowden or not?
Say, is Zap by change, trying to get the licence of the Argo class dropships?
With a Scout & two Leopards, it could make for a nice circuit setup, thats quite fast, for less traveled routes.
If they can also get the CargoMaster & CargoKing licence and so on...
Just think what happens if you impliment that loading system, on a Mammoth or Behemoth.
Also, would a royal Mammoth be capable of combat landings and a royal Behemoth of entring & leaving a planet it's gravity well?
Yes, Endo-Steel frame, FF Armor, less weight means more weight left for frame & armor.
Check that Amaris LAM, pretty sure the prototype was sabotaged to hell & back, so no wonder it failed spectacular, doing it's first combat mission.
Still wonder if they can hold out till the Wolverines return to the sphere or not, you know.
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As for the Argo, the only thing good/interesting would the the computers. It held a map of ALL SLDF Bases on it. Not sure if SAS bases were included. The Argo only disappeared a few decades ago. The THiE does not even know about her unless someone in the command group was on the project. Plus itr is a unfeasible ship, The monthly maintenance was several hundred million per month. Use a Snowden for a base instead, at least they can have aGrav deck added to them, Just move them around by a Warship grade mover or tugs.
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18 November 2787
NC19110-207 (Periphery)
Vice Admiral Walter Namathien, commander of SLS Tirpitz, stared at the sensor readings on the ship's plot. There were a few more ships here than he had expected. Instead of the 25 ships he had been briefed on, he counted the sensor readings again, and again he came up with 32. Sensor's reported no power readings on any of the ships, but he was taking no chances.
"Captain Patel, have the fleet go to condition yellow. Warm up the weapons and have the fighters sweep the area please. Get the Marines up and ready, we are going to sweep these ships one at a time. I don't want any surprises." He ordered.
It had been a long 8 month journey to get here from Terra. The ships from the "other" Hegemony still had at least another 3-4 months journey to get here. After an hour, as the ships slowly closed on the assembled derelict fleet, the Aerospace fighters started reporting their findings.
"Falcon Leader to Tirpitz, we have identified the vessels we expected. The others are 3 Essex Destroyers, 1 Aegis Cruiser, 1 Whirlwind Destroyer, 2 Carrack Transports. We did some cloe fly by's and got no reaction nor did we pick up power signs on sensors. Judging by the battle damage every ship is showing, I would not expect to find any, they are pretty beat up."
"Roger Falcon Leader, establish a CAP, we are deploying the Marines for a careful look see."
Azur (Terran Hegemony)
Hajera Spangler, Trevor Nixon, Cameron Falcry and Irene Yemmon had all come together on Azur to work together studying the experimental data extracted from the Data Core's. This was the accumulated work of the greatest minds in the Star League. Trevor Nixon, an expert in Energy Weapons, was fascinated by the research they had been doing on reducing the weight of various weapons. It seemed the designs never made it to the field test stage due to the Coup, but by god he had the final designs that had been tested by the researchers.
Hajera Spangler focused more on a broad swath of weapons designs. But what she got excited about was the work they had been doing on shrinking missile racks by half their current tonnage. She spent hours reading their theories and even results of a few test designs they had built. They had only built prototypes of a LRM/5 that weighed 1 ton and a prototype SRM/2 that had an increased range of almost 50% better. She could find no data if they ever made it to an actual test, but damned if she wasn't going to test them.
Cameron Falcry read over material ranging from less bulkier Endo Steel to better Ferro Fibrous Armor that provided better protection for the same weight but with less bulk. Some of the theories relied on some pretty exotic materials. He would have to check with Peter Sajak if they even had access to some of the stuff he was reading about. He even recognized a few of the names that authored some of the research papers he was now reading, even knew several of them. Nothing had ever made it out of the theory column, but he saw some promise in several of the research papers, but it could take years of research before anything came of it.
Irene Temmon on the other hand, was a little out of her element. She knew fusion engines inside and out, but their was not much research done in her area, so she read research papers covering a broad spectrum. Most of it was way over her head, but she kept reading and listening to the excited conversations of the others. She mentally decided that she would try to help the others as best she could.
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I knew there had to be research on weapons that Kerensky took with him to get such rapid increases in technology followed by stagnation. This is an explanation that works. Better than having multiple centuries with little to no advancement after the initial burst when expanding population #s and increasing #s of scientist should have shown something worthwhile, even with The Society keeping all the good stuff. Looking forward to seeing how the Scientists in the Hidden Hegemony tweak these systems.
EDIT: Huh, I wonder, given the weight savings, will we see SRM 8 or 10, or LRM 25 or 30? I mean, a fire support battlemech with 2 LRM 30s in lance or company batteries? Now that is some on call fire support, especially with specialty rounds like Smoke, Thunder/FASCAM minelaying, Thermite, or Plasma Jet rounds?
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Prototype SRM/2 at 1t? Standard SRM/2 always weighs 1t.
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Correction, SRM has increased range values
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One down side for the FIRM's is that ammo still weights the same takes up the same crit.
Now then is these brilliant egg heads could come up with an new explosive filler that is twice or more effective.
and ya also need a more efficient/stronger propellant for having smaller delivery systems.
Besides just making the new LRM/SRM's more efficient.
other spin-offs, smaller more compact AC ammo or more powerful AC ammo.
Also can do longer range missiles with using the old missile stage size would carry the more efficient propellant. so longer burn time.
Just need Fire Control systems to reach out further.
in game mechanics, take a LRM that keeps the same dimensions for iits Ammo
Range ~x2, Damage ~x2.
Line of Sight becomes your limiting factor.
If yyou increase the number of launchers on the unit.
You need to double or even triple the number of ammo bins, with means taking up lots of space, which makes big explosive issue.
LOOK for the CASEII
SAve the Mech.
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The House Lords are in for a few surprises :)
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This is mathing it out:
Take an Archer ARC-2Rb
IS LRM 20 = 10 tons,
2 x LRM = 20 tons + ammo (3 tons- 1.5 each) + CASE X 2 ~(1ton) + 3ML= 30 tons (w/9 salvos)
THLRM 30 = 7.5 tons
2 X THLRM 30 = 15 tons + ammo (say 8 tons- 4 tons each) + THCASE X 2 ~(0 tons) + 2 THML + 1 THLL + 1 DHS= 30 tons (w/16 salvos)
(I am assuming CASE has similar advances as Clan CASE)
For same tonnage you get a 50% increase in throw weight, 267% increase in ammunition, and an effective 77.7% operational endurance increase, for a fire support mech, with 11 DHS and 1 LL + 2 ML versus the Star League version's 10 DHS and 3 ML. (Or keep 4 MLs and up the reloads to 10 tons total, giving salvos, a 333% increase in ammo, and a 122% operational endurance increase. Up to personal preference.) An Archer should have the Critical spaces to do this. A company would throw 720 missiles a salvo. And having a Large Laser and 2 Medium Lasers after the expenditure of ammo keeps the Archer a credible battlefield threat (or 4 MLs if that’s where you choose to go).
FROM SARNA-
ARC-2Rb
Equipped with Star League technology, the 2Rb variant of the Archer was built for SLDF Royal units starting in 2752. Built on an Endo Steel internal structure, this variant dropped one of the rear-firing medium lasers and one ton of ammunition to equip the LRM-20s with Artemis IV fire control systems and CASE. The 2Rb also used ten double heat sinks to keep the 'Mech cool. BV (2.0) = 1,705[14]
Take a Catapult
CPLT-C1 - 2 X LRM 15 w/1 ton ammo each, 4 MLs = 24 tons (w/8 salvos)
FROM SARNA-
CPLT-C1b
In 2688, Royal units were issued kits to upgrade their standard C1 Catapults to the C1b variant. The weapon array stays the same, but the ammunition has been doubled. For improved protection, Ferro-Fibrous armor is used and CASE has been added to both torsos. Finally, twelve double strength heat sinks replace the old singles.[5] BV (2.0) = 1570 [9]
2 X LRM 15 w/2 tons each(7+2=9tons) plus CASE X 2(1 ton) + 4 MLs(8 tons) = 27 tons (w/16 salvos)
Use 2 LRM 25 at say 6 tons apiece with 5 tons of ammo apiece + 4 THML + 1 additional heat sink for S&G, is 27 tons.
Takes the throw weight from 30 missiles to 50 missiles and gives 24 salvos to throw giving a 50% increase in operational endurance. A company of these suckers will throw 600 LRMs a salvo. With Fibro-ferrous armor and 13 DHS. This gives you a dedicated fire support Battlemech with twice the long range throw weight, stronger armor, increased cooling, the same short range firepower and three times the battlefield endurance of the base model.
And if a break through in ammunition happens, things get even better.
As a battlefield commander, I would want that. I Want my Fire Support mech to FIRE SUPPORT.
The ability to widen choice of throw weight of LRMs to 5,10,15,20,25,30 and assuming clan equivalency for crits would be 1,2,3,4,5,6 versus the bulky IS crit-spacing.
EDIT: WOG says it won’t happen. I am saddened, but the cruel programming gods say NO to my DREAMS OF FIRE SUPPORT DOMINATION!!! :'(
You cruel, cruel world...
...Huh, that would add another ML and DHS.... furiously updating notes...
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Royal Archer has 5 tons of ammo for the LRM/20 and ART IV. (3) Med laser is it's back up. Sarna wrong there.
Improved LRM/20 is 5 tons per and uses 4 Crits. Same as the Clan version, only difference I can tell is min range is still active. You can easily slot in 8 tons of ammo for the LRM/20 and I have actually done 10 tons of ammo before.
I won't use equip that I cannot use in MegaMek to fight most battles. And I am no where close to being good enough to mod in weapons and such. Heck, I am still trying to figure out how to even equip the improved versions on a design in MekLab.
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Since there is no motivation to completely dedicate sci-tech resources to advance the military, those can be used to improve quality of life for the THiE civilians and ultimately the overall tax revenues for the interstellar government.
The overall story continues to be fascinating reading. Keep up the excellent work.
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20 November 2787
Umka (Free Worlds League)
Christina Evanshire watched as Yama Planor, owner Deep Black Interstellar, signed the contract selling the majority of his company to ZaP Holding Company. When he set the pen down, he looked at his lawyers and they carefully handed over a signed copy to Christina Evanshire and Yama Planor before exiting the office and closing the door. She had already given Yama Planor copies from his creditors showing that all liens and debts had been cleard fully and paid in full. She handed over a sealed envelope and Yama Planor opened it, he looked up a little surprised "This is for the full 25 Million C-Bills, I thought I would only be getting half."
"Mr Zuni thinks your trustworthy and I was instructed to pay you in full. He looks forward to meeting you in person when you arrive at your destination. I took the liberty of looking over your employee's. There are several that I am afraid will be terminated before you depart. I have made out a list of those employee's." Christina said handing over a small list with 39 names on them, all were SAFE operatives.
Yama Planor took the list and nodded as he placed it on his desk, though he wondered why those could not make the trip, he was not going to ask why. "May I ask exactly where my destination is now?"
"Since I am no longer going to visit your competition, I will be staying behind until you depart. I still need a list and count of how many will be actually making the trip so I may arrange their movement bonus. Those that elect to stay behind will be terminated and paid a severance of 1 year pay, since their termination was no fault of theirs. Mr Zuni is a fair man. I will also be delivering you final destination right before you depart by myself personally." Christina said
"Fair enough. I will have Human Resources work up a full list and once everyone get here, I will inform them and let them decide. You know the trip we are about to take is going to take us thru some very dangerous territory. Pirates are no joke out here, I already lost 3 ships to them." Yama Planor said
"Arrangements are being made for the safety of your convoy. Current plans have you traveling thru Capellan space to reach the Federated Suns, but the situation is fluid, as you can well imagine. You will be taken care of before you enter hostile territory." Christina replied
What Christina was not telling him, not yet anyway, was that a full Regiment from the 52nd Infantry Division and 2 Titan Dropships loaded with Aerospace fighters were aboard 2 Tramp LF Jumpships and waiting in a uninhabited system just outside Free World and Capellan space to escort them.
Graham IV (Terran Hegemony)
The Hegemony's response to the invasion of Graham IV finally arrived in system. Vice Admiral Zeibler led his 1st Line Division into the system along with 2 Potemkin Transports with orders to pull the 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division off the planet. On their arrival, the few FWL Jumpships made emergency jumps from the system, leaving 2 League Destroyers in orbit as the only threat to his forces.
On the surface, Major General Keith Mitchell got his orders and began making a mental list of how to safely evacuate the planet. Until those League warships were gone, he could not risk gathering his forces, they had already suffered one orbital bombardment that cost him 1/2 a Regiment of Infantry. Since then, he had kept his Division mobile as much as possible.
Thazi (Terran Hegemony)
Another message was delivered to Martin Zuni, only this one brought a smile to his face. He made a mental note to kiss Director General Amanda Cameron the next time he saw her, which he hoped would be soon.
Uncle Martin,
Pack your bags and get to Robsart as quick as you can. Have Uncle Rommel kick loose a LF ship to speed your travel. You just bought the 5th largest shipping company in the Free Worlds and they are moving to the Federated Suns. Aunt Rita says that Pattonsbrug would be the perfect home for them. Give Aunt Martha a hug for us both when you see her. You should marry her Uncle Martin, your not getting any younger.
Amanda
He headed for the door to see General Heinrich Rommel and rangle his ride from him. I wonder what he will let me have for a transport, he wondered, a spring in his step.
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Glad everyone is enjoying the story. Sorry for the spurts, work is chaotic, but my time is slowly increasing as we wind down our season.
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I am loving the story / looking forward to all of the surprises
:thumbsup:
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5 December 2787
Glengarry (Lyran Commonwealth)
The search for stolen Hegemony funds and the efforts to recover them had been going on ever since the Liberation ended. Janos Janokowski had at times thought he was leading the fight to recover stolen funding, he was mistaken. Shortly after her return, Director General Amanda Cameron had ordered Lieutenant General Brian Calloway to do everything, short of open warfare, to recover stolen funds. He had recruited hundreds of forensic accountants, computer programmers, former SLIC operatives, former BSLA auditors to aid in the hunt.
It had taken a year to develop a program that once inserted into the HPG network, scanned the banking sub routines constantly. Forensic accountants scoured records from Amaris' Coup and tracked Hegemony money as it traveled among the stars to thousands of banks. Also targeted were stolen Star League funds. Hundreds of suspect accounts were targeted, monitored and if the case warranted, the bank itself was penetrated by computer hackers for a more detailed look see.
These methods were how Carmen Rapolte found herself on Glengarry, she sat sipping a cup of tea watching as her target entered the Glengarry National Bank. Ernest Frost had come to Hegemony Security's attention when he accessed an account being watched silently by the program embedded inside the HPG Network. When he had made a transfer of funds from the targeted account, the program had noted it, forwarded information to Hegemony Security and the ball had started rolling. Hackers had penetrated the banks computers and learned the person's identity. Background checks had thrown red flags as no record of the identified man seemed to exist prior to 2776. Seeing as how the account in question held over 65 Billion, this had raised many red flags.
It had taken 3 months to identify the man calling himself Ernest Frost, he was actually Arthur Studen, once a high ranking member in the BLSA. Forensic accountants had traced his authorization on over 9 Trillion Dollars of Star League funds that had vanished. While she watched her target, another team was breaking into his plush apartment for a look see. It took over 20 minutes for the hacker assigned to the "black bag" team to crack the encryption on their targets computer and another 10 minutes to locate a vast file that contained bank account numbers, bank locations, passwords for each account and even answers to security questions that might be asked. The hacker quickly copied the information onto a data stick and then at a nod from the team leader, he erased the information from the computer. Several former SLIC operatives, while the hacker did his task, searched the apartment for any hidden items and with a small whistle, got the team leaders attention. When he walked to the search team, he saw that inside of a air vent register, taped securely, was a small package that contained a small note book and several data sticks. "Take them, we will analyze it later. Let's get packed up and gone."
Once they had exited the apartment, he thumbed a small communicator "Carmen, we are clear and have what we want. You may conclude your mission at your leisure."
Carmen Rapolte paid her tab when Ernest Frost exited the bank and began strolling down the avenue towards his apartment. His path would take him right past her current location. She fell in slightly behind him and when he slowed for a second, he felt a short sting in his left buttock that quickly faded away. He began walking again but less than a minute later, he fell to the ground, not moving. The quick acting poison would be absorbed into his body within 5 minutes and any serious checking by medical professional's, it would appear that he had suffered a sudden massive heart attack.
Carmen Rapolte never paused to look back, instead heading directly back to her rented apartment. She would leave Glengarry in a week.
Graham IV
Major General Keith Mitchell, commander 181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division, watched as the last Dropships docked with SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport. To him, the withdraw left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wanted to protest the order, but knew General Rita Mitchell had her reason's. He made his way to the ship's medical bay where they were treating the wounded. Inside, he found Lieutenant Patrick Mitchell, strapped securely in his "bed" his head a swath of bandages. He was still knocked out by the medics. Having ejected from his Battlemech, a part of the canopy had pierced his right eye, destroying it. He had also suffered serious neural feedback when his Battlemechs reactor started to go. The doctors doubted he would be able to pilot a Battlemech again.
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the intel people in THiE will have a huge black budget.
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9 trillion dollars, he certainly went big in his theft. That is a massive amount of money, a sizeable fraction of a star nation's GDP. They are going to be able to do a lot with that money going forward.
Sucks to be Patrick, but there are still the other branches to serve in. I am sure he has a lot of options going forward.
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Oh, what goodie was found in the Vent.
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13 December 2787
Mandeville (Terran Hegemony)
After many months of travel, the massive convoy began breaking up for different destinations. Directed by Peter Sajak, the convoy was broken up and given final destinations. Three Carrack Transports carrying specialized equipment for Zetang, along with 2 Merchant Jumpships carrying personnel from DoME followed. The Jumpships carrying Mitchell Vehicles Battlemech Factory from Graham IV, part of their Terra Factory that had been salvaged along with their Dropship facilities was directed to Crichton. Mitchell Vehicled shipyard complex was directed to Zebuluraskai where a Builder Yardship would meet them and assist in the reassembly of the orbital facilities.
Ships carrying Allied Aerospace, Ostmann Industries, General Systems and the only Nighthawk production line, along with their personnel were directed to Thazi. The escorting warships were sent to Linden for extended maintenance and refit cycle after the long journey. Peter Sajak had worked tirelessly on spreading out as much industrial might as he could so that every corner of the growing nation would benefit. He had also convinced General Heinrich Rommel to place large segments of existing industries under Hegemony Industries control. The shipyard at Thazi, Hegemony Aerospace on Ceibu, Azur Heavy Industries on Azur and of course Hegemony Industries Battlemech complex on Blommestein. Linden was still up in the air and would await a ruling from Director General Amanda Cameron.
Linden (Terran Hegemony)
Cynthia Howell, Mitchell Vehicles, smiled broadly on learning that Admiral Tanaka had approved the Essex III Destroyer design, which had passed every test with flying colors. But the smile waned some as she learned that it would be at least 2 years before a production contract was issued. Linden's shipyard complex would be busy with the incoming warships and maintenance of the existing warships. Until Mitchell Vehicles complex at Zebuluraskai was operational, the Essex III Destroyer would be on hold. It was quite a kick to her ego, but she swallowed her anger and said she understood, even if she didn't.
Ceibu (Terran Hegemony)
Mitchell Vehicles modified Colossus Dropship had finally begun field testing by the Hegemony Armed Forces. Having passed it's initial tests for reliability, ease of maintenance, and flight controls, it was now in operational testing. If accepted, the engineers from Mitchell Vehicles hoped for a large contract to outfit the many commands with the modified Colossus Dropship.
Glengarry (Lyran Commonwealth)
Thomas Davenport, Hegemony Security, looked over the final tally numbers obtained from Ernest Frost's computer and hidden information. All told they now had everything they needed to access a total of 3.7 Trillion C-Bills spread across every inhabited system known to exist, or at least from what he could tell. The amounts ranged from 25 Million C-Bills to the largest at 187 Billion C-Bills. They knew they had the information right because he had already run a test and had transferred 38 Billion C-Bills from Glengarry National Bank to Terra National Bank and received confirmation that it had arrived.
He needed to get this information back to Terra quickly and was scheduled to depart tomorrow morning. The rest of his team would depart over the next week. They needed to get the funds moved before anyone else with this information moved it and they would have to start all over. If they could transfer the money quick enough, so that it was safely tucked away, he could continue his hunt for the rest of the stolen money. The small notebook had given them firm trails on known associates, locations and alias's they travelled under and he wanted to move on them quickly.
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17 December 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell studied the growing issues in the Terran Hegemony. The Capellan invasion though currently halted had forced her to once again shorten her lines on the Free Worlds front. Major General Iris Carman, 280th Mechanized Infantry Division, had threatened to mutiny if she was pulled off New Dallas. Her exact words "I did it once and by damned I will do it again" echoed in Rita's mind. She had caved in and allowed the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division to remain on New Dallas, even though it left them exposed.
The war between the Combine and Suns combined with the now hostile Capellan Confederation severely hampered any easy way to evacuate the Terran Hegemony when the time came. Her mind now said "when" instead of "if" when she thought of evacuation. Even if they moved out right now, they would have to pass across almost 200LY of hostile territory to reach Federated Suns controlled space. And trust worthy as First Prince John Davion had been so far, the way the war was going against the Combine, if she were in his shoes, she could see herself taking possession of the Hegemony warships and equipment, or at least try. It was a situation she was trying mighty hard to find a way to avoid.
It was Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt that had brought her a possible solution. A very risky solution, but it could avoid a possible stand off with First Prince John Davion and even possibly protect the final destination of the Hegemony from the many prying eye's.
She had put a small group, sworn to absolute secrecy, on the task of coming up with a way to reach their far away destination as secretly and quickly as they could. For 2 months they tossed around many idea's, until one had dug into the archives and found that back in 2391, engineers had tested a method of "super jump" by disabling certain safety features, but the ship had to have LF batteries installed. The initial test had been a success, the test ship making a jump of 350LY but it destroyed the ships jump drive in the process. Repeated tests always resulted the same, a destroyed jump drive. After 20 years of playing with it, the project was abandoned when no way could be found to keep the jump drive from destroying itself.
Admiral Brandt had authorized a single test using a Tramp LF Jumpship. The unmanned Tramp Jumpship was programmed to jump to Vonja, the closest Periphery Hegemony system to Terra, some 820LY away. She had even coorridinated with Admiral Tanaka to have a ship in the system to report the results of the test. The test Tramp LF Jumpships made it's jump on schedule and vanished from Terra's Zenith Jump Point.
Vonja (Terran Hegemony)
Rear Admiral Paula Bannock, 55th Reconnaissance Division, was aboard SLS Sneak, Bug-Eye Surveillance sitting at the Nadir Jump Point as ordered. Her orders from Admiral Tanaka had been to bring SLS Sneak to Vonja's Nadir Jump Point and await a special package and when it arrived to report on it's condition. She had no clue what the hell she was waiting on and Admiral Tanaka had refused to tell her.
They had been on station for a week and everyone was bored. They monitored system traffic and calibrated their sensors while passing the time. The alarms that signaled an incoming jump signature caught everyone by surprise. But that was nothing compared to the incoming jump signature, it was massive, what you would see looking at an incoming Newgrange Yardship. But what emerged was a single Tramp Jumpship. A boarding party reported that the Jump Drive was a total loss, fit only to be ground down and recycled. This was reported to Admiral Tanaka.
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For strategic movement in a time crunch super-jumping might be worth it. Yeah, there is the cost of LFB, grinding and recasting the core, and the repair time involved, but to remove the time involved in travelling and consumption of food and fuel, the possible loss of life and to prevent tracking to the Hidden Hegemony... It is a viable solution.
I wouldn't want to be on one of those ships if a misjump happens, though.
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And so, the TH it's entire armed forces vanished into the night, never to be seen again, on the evening of it's collapse.
But with yardships in the fleet, plus enough food stores...
Fun fact, yardships CAN jump another warship, as long as said warship is missing it's jumpcore.
Are there any orbital structures, like a M9 pavice(?), a wrecked M5 Caspar or so, left behind, that could be handy to take along with them, this way?
Perhaps some warship too damaged to quickly repair, because it's warcore was damaged too much?
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And so, the TH it's entire armed forces vanished into the night, never to be seen again, on the evening of it's collapse.
But with yardships in the fleet, plus enough food stores...
Fun fact, yardships CAN jump another warship, as long as said warship is missing it's jumpcore.
Are there any orbital structures, like a M9 pavice(?), a wrecked M5 Caspar or so, left behind, that could be handy to take along with them, this way?
Perhaps some warship too damaged to quickly repair, because it's warcore was damaged too much?
here's a fun thought: if Caspars go berserker after a jump (requiring that the core be shut down and the jump plotted and flown by a caretaker crew), as a final "F-You" to the houses invading, put an edit virus in the chart memory (so it forgets where 'home' is) and jump a bunch of them on automatic into enemy space as running troublemakers. There's probably quite a lot of salvageable Caspars in the Hegemony, and let's face it, roving murder-ships hitting the Combine, Free Worlds and so on are one HELL of a distraction tactic to keep people busy while you're evacuating.
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22 December 2787
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt had gotten the word from Vonja on the status of the Tramp LF Jumpship. It had arrived but the Jump Core was trashed along with the LF Batteries. A quick constultaion with General Rita Mitchell and she got the go ahead to continue testing to get a feel for it's true viability as an option. A volunteer skeleton crew boarded the next Tramp LF Jumpship and prepared to test how the jump effected presonnel. The jump was schedule for 23 December.
While Fleet Admiral Brandt handled options for a possible escape, General Rita Mitchell and Director General Amanda Cameron were discussing how to deal with the protests breaking out across the Hegemony and how to get the normal Jumpships and Dropships out of the Hegemony safely.
"The "super jump" is possibly viable, but I think we should only use it for the warships and troops. We get paid to take risks. The civilian ships and people are another matter all together. I think we need to contact Chancellor Liao and make arrangements for a massive convoy to safely transit their space and into the Federated Suns." General Rita Mitchell said
"After we beat up on her warships, do you really think she will honor the agreement or even go for it?" Amanda asked
"Well, we can always lie and say we have 30 repaired Caspar Drones that we can always program Sian as their home base and let them jump into Capellan space and start killing everything that moves on their way to Sian. But, we have some major protests occurring on Woodstock, Acamar, Bex and Nanking. Both against the wars and also to join the Capellan Confederation. I think if we offer to let her have those 4 systems, we can buy the safety of the convoy. But I don't plan on leaving it undefended. No, at least a Division of Destroyers will escort it along with as many Titan and Pentagon Dropships that I can stick on the Jumpships will also escort them." Rita replied
"Four Hegemony systems, those are our people Aunt Rita." Amanda protested
"They were, but we did not start any of these wars, those people are protesting against the war sating we should sue for peace. Okay, they get their wish, we will give them up to the Capellan Confederation in exchange for a "peace" deal. They should be careful what they ask for." Rita said
"Okay, let's make the call. Not sure I like the idea though, sets a bad precedent." Amanda replied
"It sure does, but maybe it will also knock the wind out of all the other protests on other worlds." Rita said grimly
It took 3 hours to make the connection with Chancellor Barbara Liao. Amanda put her best face on "Thank you for agreeing to speak with me Chancellor. I would like to make amends with you and your nation if possible."
"Is that so, and how do you propose to do that?" Chancellor Barbara Liao asked
"Before we get to that, I would have a large convoy of non combatants that I would like a promise of safe passage thru Capellan space. It will be escorted for the protection of my people, but these are cvilian ships. Can we agree to this?" Amanda asked
"No Hegemony ship may pass thru Capellan territory." Chancellor Barbara Liao stated
General Rita Mitchell appeared on the view screen. "Chancellor, we asked nicely. If you refuse, I will have the 30 Caspar Drones we have fully repaired jumped into Capellan space with Sian set as their Home Port to clear the way for the convoy. Must I remind you what happens when a Caspar drone makes a jump thru hyperspace? They go nuts and attack everything they find. I am sure my engineers can delete their star maps of all information but Capellan space."
"You would not dare!!!" Chancellor Barbara Liao yelled
"The hell I won't. I have refrained from ripping your small invasion apart, your commander fired on my ships after being warned off. You ignored that fact and invaded Hegemony space. I have no qualms turning those Caspar's loose in Capellan space and right behind them will be Hegemony forces. We are willing to make a deal with you, but play hardball and the Hegemony will give you a fight that will go down in history as the biggest blunder ever made by the Capellan Confederation. SO what do you say Chancellor Liao, do we talk about the issues or do you really want to wage war, your choice." General Rita Mitchell said flatly
"If I agree, what will the Capellan Confederation get?" Chancellor Barbara Liao said, but it was plain that she hated the idea
"Halt your offensive operations against the Hegemony. Allow safe passage for my convoy, which will be escorted and will have orders to destroy anything that threatens my ships. In exchange, the Capellan Confederation will take control of Woodstock, Acamar, Bex and Nanking. But only after our convoy exits Capellan territory safely." General Rita Mitchell said
"The Capellan Confederation wants Capolla also, this is the only way we make this deal." Chancellor Barbara Liao stated firmly
"Then we are agreed. The Capellan Confederation will halt all offensive operations in the Hegemony. Safe passage for our ships for the systems we named, which will be turned over to the Capellan Confederation after our ships are safely out of Capellan territory." General Rita Mitchell repeated
"Yes, the Capellan Confederation agree's to this deal. Is my word good or must we have it in writing?" Chancellor Barbara Liao asked
"Your word has always been good Chancellor. I will contact you before the convoy reaches your territory." General Rita Mitchell said as she turned over the rest of the communication to Director General Amanda Cameron and once out of view of Chancellor Liao, she winked.
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Hardball is the only way to play with the Liaos, any sort of soft deal always winds up favoring them, by hook or crook.
Looking back, Cynthia Howell is going to be quite surprised when she sees the deal Amanda Cameron set up, and I am sure that given the generous markup and down payment, Mitchell will be quite willing to upgrade the Essexes to Essex III, given they will be building 200 of them, 300 Colossus and 100 Luxor.
Where there is a Terran Hegemony, there will eventually be a Navy worthy of the name. ;D
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i would hide any jump capable Caspers, and when they/if they are sent a code they would jump into FWL,DC, or CC. that would give the THiE a weapon they could use in say 50 years to kick someone in the teeth. time it even that only one jumps every 6 six months from its hiding site into action.
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1 January 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt had conducted an additional 4 tests using the "super jump" method. The crewed Tramp LF Jumpship had made the jump to Vonja without issue, which made her say a prayer of thanks. Two additional tests had arrived on target using unmanned ships. One test crewed Tramp LF Jumpship had tried for Thazi and had misjumped, winding up at Zalt, a jump of almost 1,000LY. No one had heard from the last test jump. This worried her, work was already underway to make sure every warship planned to make the journey was fitted with LF Batteries. She really did not want to lose people to this high risk plan. Now she also had to plan to escort a convoy thru Capellan space. General Mitchell had said a Destroyer Division, well damn that, she planned to make the escort as strong as she could get away with.
Down the hall, General Rita Mitchell and Director General Amanda Cameron were hard at work "twisting" arms on several industrial leaders. Trying as hard as they could to persuade them to relocate to greener pastures before the crap hit the fan.
"I don't know how to make it any clearer for you folks. We have time for one maybe 2 more convoys out of the Hegemony. After that, I cannot guarantee anything. We have bought some time with the Capellan Confederation, but Marik and the Lyran's are still breathing down our neck. The yards are hard pressed to repair the damage we have suffered, so that leaves us on the short stick. I can delay the convoy for a few months, so you have to choose right now." General Rita Mitchell said
"Your not giving us much time to make a informed decision General Mitchell." Corbin McDaniel, CEO Newhart Industries, said
"Are you blind sir? Have you been living in a fantasy land?" General Rita Mitchell exclaimed
"I am well aware of what is going on. As they used to say "my business is war and business is good." Corbin McDaniel replied
"I am dealing with idiots. Fine, stay. I hope the almighty has mercy on your people, because I am afraid the Houses won't. Director General, I can't reach them, so I am going to attend to more important matters." Rita said as she walked for the door.
"General Mitchell, wait. I would like my company to relocate. I don't like where this is heading at all." Jeff Ford III, CEO Ford Military Limited said
"Very well Mr Ford. Begin work immediately breaking down everything and getting packed. You have 2 months. I will contact you soon with departure date." General Mitchell said and exited the room.
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Sean Livingston cackled with joy as he shook Wayne Okamansk hand "Damn it is good to see you after all these years Wayne. I see you brought some folks with you."
"Sure did." He said as he moved to the large window and looked at the massive asteroid, he then whistled "Damn Sean, could you pick a bigger rock? How deep you planning to go?"
"All the way Wayne. I am going to hollow out this entire rock. My plan is for the outer shell to be 25Km thick, but it will be hollow and the largest naval base I ever heard of. At least the largest protected by some of the hardest damned rock I have ever encountered. Damn stuff is as hard as Ferro Carbide armor." Sean said
"Well, I brought the damned lasers. They have not been used in decades you know. How soon you want to set them up for a test?" Wayne asked
"Test hell, I want them unpacked as quick as we can. We broke thru to the chewy center before we started moving the asteroid here. Got a nice stable La Grange point, so ships can jump right there and motor over to here. I want to get to work blasting the center area. Going to be lucky to blast a kilometer every 2 weeks. We are talking years of work to get it hollowed out. And many years more to get all the facilities installed." Sean replied
"You never did have any patience Sean. Okay, let me get the people settled into quarters and we will start breaking out and setting up the lasers. One last hurrah." Wayne Okamansk said
"You know it. I want this to be my legacy. And by god it will be done right. Get the folks settled in, we break out the gear in a few days. Tomorrow, come see me and I will show you the plans I have for this big sucker." Sean Livingston said
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I would send 5 Caspers to Marik lol ;D :D
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11 January 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
"It would seem that 800LY is about the maximum distance the super jump protocol can be used with any resemblance of accuracy. Any attempt at a jump beyond that ends in a misjump or the ships is just gone. Once the ship arrives, the Jump Core and LF Batteries are scrap. This is a one way event, until repairs are made, any ship using the super jump protocol is stranded in that system. No escape and no retreat. I have run 9 tests, 6 targeted at Vonja and all arrived, 3 targeted Thazi which resulted in 2 misjumps, one arrived at Zalt and another sent a message from Valois in the Federated Suns periphery border. One ship was lost along with 6 volunteers, we have no clue where they are." Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt said
"So, is it a viable solution to our current problem?" General Rita Mitchell asked, she was short tempered having just returned from the hospital where Patrick was being treated.
"Other than crippling our fleet for god knows how long, if we stay inside the 800LY limitation, I would have to say yes." Admiral Brandt replied
"Get the warships outfitted with LF Batteries. I have taken the liberty of putting together a list of ships to escort the convoy into Capellan space. I know that is your department, but I needed you focused on your testing. Plus, I had nothing better to do at the hospital." General Mitchell said passing over a list
"How is he doing?" Admiral Brandt asked as she glanced at the list handed to her, she is taking no chances at all, she thought.
Escorts for Capellan Convoy
SLS Gibson - Atreus Battleship
SLS Marik - Atreus Battleship
SLS Rampant - Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Raptor - League II Destroyer
SLS Bighorn - League II Destroyer
SLS Porter - Carson Destroyer
SLS Selfridge - Carson Destroyer
SLS Mohawk - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Tartar - Lola I Destroyer
SLS Pomeroy - Carrack Transport
SLS Red Cloud - Carrack Transport
SLS Sacagawea - Carrack Transport
"He's stable. Pissed at the world. But he is alive, and for that I am grateful. Now, last bit, I want the Newgrange Yardships LF fitted. We will need them to help repair the damned fleet after we turn their cores to scrap. No way am I sending those valuable ships into Capellan space or anyone else's. I want every warship collar filled with Titan Dropships and Pentagon Dropships. I want enough Aerospace fighters to swarm anything that might oppose the convoy, full Alamo load out, strip the other ships if you have to of their special weapons. If the Capellan's oppose them, I want them to be loaded for bear." General Mitchell said
"How much time do I have to get everything ready?" Admiral Brandt asked
"Honestly, I have no idea. Empty the repair slips of the worst damaged and put those you deem as too badly damaged at Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248. At least there, the busted up Newgrange ships can work on them, we can't take those with us, so we might as well put them to more use. The convoy I want on their way no later than April." General Mitchell replied
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15 January 2788
Azur (Terran Hegemony)
Trevor Nixon tossed his notepad across the room. Even with the full information on the prototype weapons, it could possibly be years before a functional design was built. The micro electronics needed were beyond the current ability of everyone in the Hegemony out here. Not that it could not be done, but it would take several years at least. Not to mention they still had not located some of the exotic materials that were needed. They could produce the upgraded focus lens for the lasers if they had the damned exotic material that coated them, but they didn't, not yet anyway.
Everyone was running into walls halting any major advances quickly. Cameron Falcry had gotten lucky and they had found a rich vein on Salvende of one of the exotic minerals, actually quite a bit of it as, with no known uses, it was usually just tossed aside. Work was now starting on recovering the tossed aside mineral. The search was still on for several others and more of the already found one. It was one step closer to an improved Endo Steel at least. A small step, but a step forward.
Zetang (Terran Hegemony)
Assembly of the specialized lasers was proceeding quickly, it would still be another week before they were actually operational. The new arrival's, 11,237 DoME personnel were a huge boost to the operation. Their families were being house on one of the orbital housing unit's while another one was built. A second Corx machine had managed to break into the center chamber which was composed of a less dense and hard material, which everyone was thankful for. A test drill site had located an area where the outer shell was only 15km thick and several Corx machines were being moved to that area also. Sean Livingston had modified his plan's and if the thinner area was big enough, he could have a second point of entry and exit for ships based here.
He fidgeted quite a bit, he wanted to be down there working the equipment but he knew that he was just too old to keep up the pace with the youngsters. He stared at his drawings, which he did quite often. The main entrance to this cavern would be guarded by 32 Turrets each containing 4 HNPPC, he wanted to make sure that anyone dumb enough to attempt a forced entry met a swift death. The power requirements for the weapons bays would be extreme to say the least.
He was constantly fiddling with his plans, checking and rechecking his numbers, revising his calculations. His newest addition was a small, 5km by 5km cavern he wanted carved out. Inside this new cavern, he wanted to place 2 Olympic Stations, without the recharge batteries, but extra decking and even 2 additional grav decks. From these 2 stations, he figured the Hegemony could train personnel in Zero-G operations and EVA operations from a small safe area where recovery of "missing" trainee's would be much easier than in the depths of space. He wanted to place the stations dead center of the cavern which should provide plenty of room for any EVA operations.
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron and General Rita Mitchell continued their preparations for an emergency departure of the Hegemony. They had compiled a list of the brightest minds in the Hegemony specializing in every field that could be imagined. Over the next 2 months, they would try to extract as many of them as they could. While they continued their part, Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, Hegemony Security, continued what he considered his part of the preparations.
His portable computer never left his side, on it was every operation being conducted by Hegemony Security along with planned operations. Since returning to Terra in 2784 and the formation of Hegemony Security in 2785, he had recruited over 13,000 field operatives, many former SLIC operatives. The moment he had learned Comstar was being formed and they would control the massive HPG Network, he had worked tirelessly to make sure Comstar was penetrated deeply by Hegemony Security. This had enabled Hegemony Security to insert multiple programs into the HPG codes that could do various things, when the right codes were entered. He had toyed with inserting operatives into the unit's that possibly would be remaining behind, but had cancelled those idea's since they would be too cut off from support, at least the remote programs dwelling inside the HPG programming would always be there, when and if the Hegemony needed it.
Now, with the manufacturing of HPG equipment possibly being turned over to Comstar in the event of an evacuation, he made sure that the main data cores that transferred the sensitive coding to the HPG's before they shipped had duplicates of all the programs already inserted into the HPG Network. This way, they would never lose the ability to enter the HPG Network at anytime or their programs. The HPG's always had their primary programming done at the factory. Even the most detailed examination of the code would not be able to distinguish from newly inserted code from the coding that had been inserted since inception of the HPG.
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2nd ACR love the story, your writing has improved from your 1st stories, with more depth in your characters. I liked the 1st stories, but this storyline is an improvement.
Thanks for sharing the BT goodness.
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Thanks, glad you like it. Getting a character depth is hard work. Plus it can make things hard in the writing of the story since the obvious action might go completely against the character you developed. That can cause a ton of rewrites.
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Thanks, glad you like it. Getting a character depth is hard work. Plus it can make things hard in the writing of the story since the obvious action might go completely against the character you developed. That can cause a ton of rewrites.
I read once that you know you create a character with real depth when you´re starting to write a scene with them and they turn around, look you straight in the eye and say "No way I´m doing THAT!".
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And once the characters have depth, a story feels more alive. I agree, props, 2ndAcr.
The backdoors are a good fail-safe. Now you must keep the memory of them and the passcodes as well as the programming skills alive in the TH’s forces for generations until they are needed.
Because, honestly, once they descend to Holy Shroud and cultism, ComStar is not worthy as an organisation.
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Yeah, at the point in time of Holy Shroud, That is when you shut down the whole HPG system. Go in and replace CS with a different civilian group. You can even keep the THiE hidden,
The Phone Company, is just that, a faceless entity.
Maybe startup up some far flung Universities, after 2nd SW, so all the Orbat and WMD's have stopped being flung around.
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1 February 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, Hegemony Security, looked up when his aide announced "Sir, we found her. She was in Berlin all this time under a alias. I have her being brought over so that you can speak to her. Should be here in 2-3 hours."
He slapped his desk in triumph. The person they had been searching for was Professor Catherine Glimp, former researcher of Nirasaki Computers Collective. During their intensive records searches, they had discovered several researchers and programmers from Nirasaki Computers Collective. Amaris and his goons had rounded up everyone they could find and brought them to Terra. Most were executed, they even found the lists of names kept by Amaris' people. But there had also been rewards offered for 38 researchers and programmers that had somehow escaped. They had found 18 of those that escaped certain death with 12 of those already in the Periphery Hegemony. The remaining 4 were so scarred by their experience that they were confined to mental hospitals for their own safety. The other 2 now worked for Hegemony Security.
Just over 2 hours later, Lieutenant General Calloway greeted the now 75 year old Professor Catherine Glimp and helped her to a comfortable chair "Professor Glimp, I am Lieutenant General Brian Calloway, Hegemony Security. We have been searching for you for quite a long time. You can relax, your not under arrest or even being detained. I just want to hear your memories of everything and ask a few questions. When we are done, you will be returned home safely if you wish."
Professor Catherine Glimp relaxed just a little but her guard was still up some "I have heard that before General. Amaris said the same thing before he started having my fellow's executed. So forgive me if I am somewhat skeptical."
"Your skepticism is understandable. I have 2 of your fellow's working for me in this very building. I can have them up here in a few minutes if it would make you feel better." Lieutenant General Calloway said
"I know them both, we still communicate covertly. Where should I begin?" Professor Glimp asked
"Where ever you would feel comfortable ma'am. Take your time." Lieutenant General Calloway replied
For 2 hours, Professor Catherine Glimp detailed everything all the way up to her being approached by Hegemony Security hours ago. It was quite a story and Lieutenant General Calloway made sure that the recorders were running the entire time. It filled in so many gaps people had found, but also matched the stories his 2 employee's had told.
"If no one ever told you, the briefcase you hid was key to the SLDF's actions during the Liberation. You saved many thousands of lives doing so. We have complete copies of the Jammers the SLDF developed to counter the drones. We have recovered from several wrecked Caspar Drones their complete computer cores along with their networks but we have failed in all of our attempts replicating it." Lieutenant General Calloway said
"That is because it was designed to NOT be easily replicated. There is hidden code buried deep in their computer systems that can only be accessed if you know how to reveal the hidden code. It was placed in there to prevent anyone from being able to upload or tamper with their code. Only a few of us knew how to actually reveal the hidden code." Professor Glimp replied
"You said us. Do you mean that you know how to reveal the hidden code?" Lieutenant General Calloway asked
"Yes. I was one of the lead programmers updating the Drones systems. But, if you think you can build enough drones to prevent the Hegemony's fall, your mistaken. It would take several years just to rebuild the capability to build the computer systems, not to mention the ships themselves." Professor Glimp said
"The thought crossed our minds, but Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt said the exact same thing you just did. Actually, we would like to offer you a way out of here. To safety. Maybe teach the next generation of computer experts. Your knowledge is vast and would be a waste by you staying in hiding." Lieutenant General Calloway replied
"Head for the same place that my other friends went to? I am an old woman General Calloway. Plus I was never fond of Jumpship travel. I suffer severely from TDS. I get violently ill." Professor Glimp said
"The very place. You would be with your friends, able to openly gather and enjoy each others company. I think we can find away around your TDS ma'am. Or at least minimize it greatly." Lieutenant General Calloway said
"I need some time to think about it General Calloway. This is a huge decision." Professor Glimp replied
"Take your time, but not too much time. I am afraid the end is coming quicker than anyone expects." Lieutenant General Calloway said
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Nice, very clever.
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Is her knowledge worth down checking a Tramp for a year till its core and battery are replaced?
Though if you had a Mass Production plant set up not so far from the destination point, you can almost have a very expensive mass transit program.
Can you fit 2 behemoths on a Tramp?
If so, you can fit almost half a million in each for a total of around 3/4 million passengers. which would get the price per person down.
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20 February 2788
Terran Hegemony
Coordinator Minuro Kurita launched the DCMS at the Terran Hegemony. Using the exact tactics that worked so well against the Federated Suns, the DCMS launched a full Fleet into the Terran Hegemony from former Federated Suns space. Moving swiftly, they entered Elbar, Mara, Mallory's World, New Rhodes, New Florence and Ronel, destroying any shipping they found and if they could not capture any orbital stations quickly, they were destroyed. Following the advance of the warships were 30 Battlemech Regiments and 100 Conventional Regiments.
By the first week of March, the DCMS warships had moved to their next targets deeper into the Terran Hegemony. Hein, Deneb Kaitos, Ankaa and Addicks were the next to feel the wrath of the DCMS. But now it was not quite so easy. At Deneb Kaitos, the DCMS lost a Destroyer and had several lightly damaged when they were opposed by 2 Vincent Destroyers which were destroyed.
Though the response to the invasion was slow, the Hegemony was reacting. Hegemony warship patrols along the Combine border began redeploying to meet the invading DCMS forces. This stretched the Hegemony navy to the breaking point with 1/2 their ships down for repairs and LF Battery refits.
12 March 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
The sudden invasion by the DCMS caught the Hegemony off guard slightly. Everyone had hoped that they had their teeth sunk into the Federated Suns too deeply to risk another front. They were wrong and General Rita Mitchell admitted as much to anyone who would listen.
"I was wrong. I had the intel reports of the DCMS massing at Cartago but when they plunged deeper into the Suns, I ignored the remaining troops there. I thought they were using Cartago as a marshaling point. The fall of the Hegemony is my fault. Admiral Brandt, get the Capellan convoy on the move right now. They are 80% loaded, we cannot wait any longer. Get them out of Hegemony space asap."
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And so it begins.
Any Hughes stations left?
I'm looking at the jumpcore factory, the germanium grinder & refiner, here, plus the slip needed to replace the cores.
Otherwise, how big would those stations be?
Could a couple of Newgranges take one set with them, stored in their yards?
Same for recharge stations, like those of Sol system, Freedom Station & it's counterpart.
Else load up M9 Pavice's, with core less M5 Caspar's or M3's & M4's.
Really check those drone dropships, the early version used modified tugs, perfect for a shipyard or so.
A Cameron was killed by a automated/drone mining robot of some sort, you find hint to them, with the Snowden entry, I believe.
So they are taking I hope, the Hegemony Security Computer Core, with them as well, thats more complete then the one lost on New Dalles?
Will they remove certain computer cores and SLDF base location data as well?
You know, with this recovered computer programmer, taking along as much of the SDS system, is a must.
I also wonder if they can get a few M5 Caspar's ready for a jumping terror trip.
Mmm, if they can potentially reprogram the SDS computers, plus the marine spacesuits, could lead to drastically lowered warship crews as well, might make a Behemoth Command Deck & a Snowden grav.-decks, a option to take.
As for the Lola III's, take a good look at the Dart her jumpcore, especially since both ships have a similar weight.
Now, when will you strip a SLDF hospital or two?
It looks like it might be needed after this superjump.
I also can see quite a few future efforts to recover hidden SLDF resources, before somebody finds them.
And do delete any & all info for Comstar to find those two hidden systems and Sol system it's ability to produce warships of any kind.
Same for any other hidden places.
And check if there are any working Amaris mechs left behind, like the Dragoon.
Together with the Mercury, it's the father of the OMNI Mech, yet thats one direction to take it too.
Go the other route, use it as a NEM or USB, like standard.
As for Nova CEWS, how much do you want to bet, the SDS system already has the needed C3 like systems for such a development?
As for the Lucretia, there are several ways you can go about, to get her jump ing ability, including using a LF battery equipped Tramp that has bolted on, two recharge station batteries, inside two hollowed out dropships, using those reactors to (re)charge them and then using a recharge station it's Direct Connection for that rapid recharge avility it gives.
Basically, four rapid 30 lightyear jumps and thats one alternative option.
Another option could be to go with the canon text and simply use less energy in one or both of the core and the LF-battery, like a full core charge and a partial LF-battery charge for the boosting kick needed.
So yeah, grap what you can and make sure all commands know which way to jump, even if currently, they can't jump.
Even if it's, head to the Federated Suns, they are the only onces left with any honor worth trusting.
Depending on their current actions, the LC might as well, same for CC, if only to annoy the DC and if the LC, FS & CC can behave, they might get thr Protectorate Right, each, of 1/3th of the Hegemony, I would think that would be a very big carrot for the CC & LC.
And if the last suggestion of the Hegemony (of Sol), to the CC, is to keep the FS a very close friend & ally, then there is even a change more of that slice, simply by the DC rolling the LC, which is still gobling up as much of the old RWR as possible.
But there is always Niops and the remains of the RWR that the LC did not gobble up.
Are they going to do anything with that, later?
After all, with four/five shipyards with core swapping ability, they might be able to later on, race from one side of the sphere, to the other side.
Mmm, perhaps heavily modified armored doors from the Newgrange yardship it's shipyard section, as part of a Dragoon & Mercury based hot-swappable warcore setup, in the style of OMNI-tech???
Also, use those two hidden systems as storage locations for any gear they can't take with them, on this trip.
I would also think those two hidden systems had that jump detection sensor grid (though it could be needing HPG's from several worlds, for this), as well, did Comstar not use one during their hunt for the Lucretia?
And where was the SLS Mannassas created & does it's blueprints still exist?
Hell, is she still stuck in her temporal jump, following Kerensky or did she change course back to the Hegemony and thus the nearest SLDF base?
That just could be a funny future plot point, you know, if you ever are going to tackle that time period, in this story.
But I bet, the Lucretia her super-jump-drive was created from data from the SLS Mannassas her jump extender and the WoB super-jump-drive.
Meaning that that owner of that company, his (choicen) homeworld, might potentially have a old SLDF related research base, left behind, somewhere.
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So bloody depressing - billions of people gone, dozens of systems lost. I really hoped that this Hegemony would hold.
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So bloody depressing - billions of people gone, dozens of systems lost. I really hoped that this Hegemony would hold.
Same here, Starfox5, same here.
Or atleast hold out long enough for the 331st to come back.
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vianca
No Hughes station left. The Periphery Hegemony has the ability to build everything that the Hegemony on Terra could build. They can build Olympus stations and such at will. No need to take any with them.
They have already moved Data Cores containing everything the Star League and Hegemony had to the Periphery Hegemony. As for others, stay tuned.
They pulled the computer controls from dead Caspar's. They have the examples, no need to take any with them.
Periphery Hegemony already had Star League medical facilities and medical tech. Not every world is fully decked out but they have the tech and ability. No need to strip any hospitals.
The entire Dragoon Battlemech production lines are already in the Periphery Hegemony on Quines. Mitchell Vehicles controls that massive factory.
To all,
Yes, it is a bit sad to see the original Hegemony fall, but it had to be done for future events. We are nearing the end of Part One. Part Two will have some serious time jumps in it with updates covering 1-2 decades, maybe longer. Just a small warning, there will be many years of nothing much happening but then we will return to a more normal posting when stuff needs to be covered in more detail.
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i just can not wait for more
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Yes, it is a bit sad to see the original Hegemony fall, but it had to be done for future events. We are nearing the end of Part One. Part Two will have some serious time jumps in it with updates covering 1-2 decades, maybe longer. Just a small warning, there will be many years of nothing much happening but then we will return to a more normal posting when stuff needs to be covered in more detail.
It just feels a little "stations of canon" to me - "The Hegemony must fall so we can get ComStar ruling Terra and its worlds burned and looted and taken over, like it should be in 3025". Moving knowledge and infrastructure doesn't change the fact that billions of people are left to die, their children growing up as subjects of successor states.
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28 March 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron hated the idea of abandoning her people and fleeing, but she also knew that to fight tooth and nail to keep the Hegemony together would inflict untold casualties on those very people she swore to protect. Protests against yet another war were escalating on many worlds. She was being kept up to date by Aunt Rita on the details of the evacuation plans. Even still, she wandered down to Aunt Rita's office to check on things. As she entered the office, she could clearly hear arguing.
"Listen Iris, you have got to get your people out of there. It is coming down to the wire." General Rita Mitchell said on a live HPG hookup
"Not going to happen Rita. I have polled my people and they all have voted to stay here. Pack up and save everyone else. But the 280th Mechanized Infantry Division is staying here on New Dallas. If anyone wants this planet, by god we will give them a fight that will go down in the history books. It had been a pleasure and an honor serving under your command Rita. No one can fault you or Director General Amanda Cameron for leaving. The Houses are like a pack of dog's and they can smell our weakness. You know as well as I do, we could fight them off, but we would have to resort to using nukes to do it. On our own worlds, and you are not Kerensky, you give a damn about the people and ordering that would destroy who you on the inside." Major General Iris Carman said
"Nothing I say will change your mind will it Iris?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"No Rita, my mind is made up and my people agree. We pulled up stakes and ran a long time ago and could not help the people here when they needed us. We will not make that mistake twice in our lives. Remember years ago when I said you restored our honor, I meant that, don't ask me to sully our honor again by leaving these people to the whims of some House." Major General Iris Carman replied
"Okay Iris, I will stop trying to change your mind. Pass along to your troops that I am proud of each and every one of them." She paused as she choked up some "Jesus, the thought of abandoning you and your troops sickens me." General Rita Mitchell said
"Well stop, you have to focus on the bigger responsibilities. Your saving the Hegemony, a large part of it. So you take Director General Amanda Cameron, all the other troops and every person you can cram into the ships and get gone from here. Save them from what may come. Rebuild and someday, maybe you can return and reclaim what we lost here. Promise me Rita, save what you can, rebuild the Hegemony into something better than it was." Major General Iris Carman said
"I promise Iris. But you promise me this, if you find a way to break out, you will take it and come home." Rita replied
"If I can figure a way out, I promise to take it and bring as many of our people home as I can." Major General Iris Carman said knowing it was a lie, she would not leave New Dallas alive.
"Then we have said all there is to say I guess. You take care Iris and give them hell." General Rita Mitchell said
"You know I will Rita. The 280th Mechanized Infantry Division signing off." Major General Iris Carman replied and the screen went blank
"Jesus Aunt Rita, they expect us to just pack up and leave them like that?" Director General Amanda Cameron asked
"You heard her, she is dead set on staying. But she is right, we have to focus on the bigger picture. We have 1.7 million people on the convoy heading thru the Capellan Confederation. I am going to unload as much equipment from our units leaving with us as I can and leave it here on Terra. We will pack the ships with as many people as we can, standing room only. One jump, so we do not even need much overall supplies. If we get lucky, maybe we can save an additional 10 million or so. Not nearly as many as I would like, but it is the best we can do right now. I don't know what else to do." General Rita Mitchell said
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That is a small part of it Starfox. Comstar played a huge role in how things went down across the timeline. We already have a Empires in Flames variation but I want something a little different in this AU.
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Ya going to sabotage the main components production at the yards, such as the germanium plant suddenly deorbiting into Saturn, or the the Core extruder breaking down. The Enemy can have the yards for repair, but don't leave them the ability to build new ships, especially the compact cores.
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Well, considering there is nothing ship or station-wise that is worth taking in the Newgranges, you can stuff the shipyard module with dropships. That will add a large amount of people that can be saved. It would act like the 24th century dropshuttle carriers. What would prevent jumps is a germanium core, and Dropships lack them. If Newgranges each carry an extra 20-30 dropships, that massively expands your carrying capacity, increasing the number of people that can be evacuated. It's only 1 jump, right? Moving and feeding them beyond that can be dealt with then.
Right now Amanda is trying to get as many people away as are willing to come. Radical solutions are the only solutions right now. So, warship cargo compartments, dropships in yardship modules, anything is on the table.
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vianca
No Hughes station left. The Periphery Hegemony has the ability to build everything that the Hegemony on Terra could build. They can build Olympus stations and such at will. No need to take any with them.
They have already moved Data Cores containing everything the Star League and Hegemony had to the Periphery Hegemony. As for others, stay tuned.
They pulled the computer controls from dead Caspar's. They have the examples, no need to take any with them.
Periphery Hegemony already had Star League medical facilities and medical tech. Not every world is fully decked out but they have the tech and ability. No need to strip any hospitals.
The entire Dragoon Battlemech production lines are already in the Periphery Hegemony on Quines. Mitchell Vehicles controls that massive factory.
To all,
Yes, it is a bit sad to see the original Hegemony fall, but it had to be done for future events. We are nearing the end of Part One. Part Two will have some serious time jumps in it with updates covering 1-2 decades, maybe longer. Just a small warning, there will be many years of nothing much happening but then we will return to a more normal posting when stuff needs to be covered in more detail.
Too bad about the Hudges, but expected with Kerensky his Exodus.
As for the hospital comment, I mend for when they come out of their superjump, with wrecked cores.
And you would then need a place to put them, hence my thinking of the recharge stations.
How many of those M5 Caspar's are jump capable?
If they can do that superjump, suggest doing so, if they can only jump, slow route or long term hidden systems storage.
If they can't, pull their cores, use them as armed & automated KF jump traps on the DC forces.
Say, cay you use a HPG to target the DC fleet arivel(?) points?
Because if so, then while you might burn out your HPG, you are introducing a KF field at the DC fleet jump-in location and we all know what that means.
As for the planned quite years, might I suggest repairs, restructuring and setting up transport lanes?
Also, how many new jump cores can be transported to the place they come out of that superjump?
Might help with getting them fixed up, again.
Food could potentially be a problem, for this core replacement time.
Which brings me to another thing they might want to grap, plant seed banks and animals, like livestock and so on.
How many MRE's could fit inside a M9 Pavice it's repair bays?
Because that heavily modified recharge station, that was turned into a shipyard, really is missing the M9 Pavice aditions to it, in terms of closed off shipyard-bays.
Or are you going to use a more normal, yet also closed-off shipyard-bay as a hudge shipping container for stuff, like say grounded down germanium, to be jumped via a Newgrange?
Well, considering there is nothing ship or station-wise that is worth taking in the Newgranges, you can stuff the shipyard module with dropships. That will add a large amount of people that can be saved. It would act like the 24th century dropshuttle carriers. What would prevent jumps is a germanium core, and Dropships lack them. If Newgranges each carry an extra 20-30 dropships, that massively expands your carrying capacity, increasing the number of people that can be evacuated. It's only 1 jump, right? Moving and feeding them beyond that can be dealt with then.
Right now Amanda is trying to get as many people away as are willing to come. Radical solutions are the only solutions right now. So, warship cargo compartments, dropships in yardship modules, anything is on the table.
Use a M9 Pavice or so, fill up the two dropship repairbays and the M5 Caspar repairbay, with dropships.
Same thing can be done with a recharge station, for one.
Also do not forget that without foot & water supply on the other side, plus rapid relocation via jumpships, you are creating quite a big disaster.
Afteral, how long does a core recasting cost, in time?
And how many do you have to do, plus how much time do you have in terms of supplies?
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Vonja, which is the destination point, is a Periphery Hegemony controlled world. It has food and water available. We can get folks to the surface and then shifted around to other worlds.
I did a rough estimate and figure it will take 5-8 years to repair all the ships after the super jump. Figure 2-3 months to grind a core down and another 6-8 months to recast the core, depends on size. That is using every Newgrange they have and additional Builder Yardships that are in the Periphery Hegemony.
Only ones making the super jump will be warship classified ships. All the normal Jumpships are in the convoy passing thru the Capellan Confederation. Which is a ton of them.
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If they can use deep space for refueling, how about setting up a giant command circuit? Dropship attaches to Jumpship A, Jumpship A jumps to Jumpship B, Dropship refuels Jumpship A and then attaches to Jumpship B, Jumpship B jumps, Dropship refuels Jumpship B then transfers to Jumpship C, and so on.
This could let the Dropships transfer people faster than sitting around waiting for the Jumpships to recharge. The other option is that instead of using Jumpships and needing to frequently refuel them, use Warships with their cargo bays converted to fuel tanks.
Worst case is each jump needing 400 tons of fuel to recharge a core (10 burn-days at ~40 tons per burn-day), plus maneuvering to find each other in the deep black where a Warship jumps a few AU off from where they were supposed to go.
You don't want a few Potemkins for this, you want a design that has a lot of hulls, even if there are few collars on each. Of course since Kerensky took most of the ships with him, that will be difficult.
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5 April 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
Director General Amanda Cameron, General Rita Mitchell and Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt were going over the multitude of tasks that needed to be accomplished before the departure. Lieutenant General Calloway would normally be here, but he was currently occupied with his own preparations.
"How bad is this super jump thing going to hurt us Admiral Brandt?" Amanda asked
"It is going to hurt us bad. Estimates put a time frame of 3 to 5 years to completely replace all the jump cores were are going to blow all to hell. I think the estimates are off and it will take longer, but that is my opinion. This is still a very very long shot. The only data I have to go off of is the tests that I conducted. We had a 100% arrival rate targeting Vonja. Anything past there and it becomes a crap shoot. We are going to have a bunch of busted ships at Vonja for a long time." Admiral Brandt replied
"We have no choice. Folks might lose track of the civilian ships once they enter Suns space if we break the convoy up but everyone will try and track the warships. We cannot risk that level of detection. Where are they right now?" Rita asked
"They just jumped for Slocum in the Capellan Confederation. Four more jumps and they will enter Suns space at Beten Kaitos. Hopefully is will still be in Suns hands, but if it isn't, then the Federated Suns is lost. Besides our warship escort, the convoy consists of 88 Merchant Jumpships, 51 Invader Jumpships, 65 Star Lord Jumpships and 12 Monolith Jumpships. Every collar is taken up with every Dropship type you can think of. Carrying 1,724,740 civilians, several hundred thousand tons of food and supplies, research equipment, personal belongings etc. The really good stuff we super jump. Those will be carried by the 76 Tramp Jumpships that are being fitted with LF Batteries. We are using every slip available to us for the refits. All warships have been fitted with LF Batteries, those going with us anyway." Admiral Brandt said
"Well, I have spoken with Major General Hayes and she is firm on staying and so are the troops that originally stayed with her. Except the 79th and 123rd Mechanized Infantry Divisions. They want to head out with us. I want SLS Mighty Lift loaded with the 250th Battlemech Division. Combat load them, they will be taking their equipment with them, Battlemechs only extra collars carry Mammoth Dropships being loaded right now. We will be heading for New Avalon when the Fleet jumps for home. It will just take me a bit longer to arrive." Rita said
"What do you mean you, what of the 250th Battlemech Division?" Admiral Brandt asked
"I have already spoken with Major General Hurling. The 250th Battlemech Division wants to return to mercenary service. I have approved their request. I am just delivering them to their new employer. First Prince Davion just does not know about it yet. I will let him know right before we arrive. Intel still reports the Federated Suns navy has 3 Newgrange Yardships left and one of them is at New Avalon. We will have them repair SLS Mighty Lift. I am sure I can convince the First Prince to make this happen." Rita explained
"Well, that is all well and good, but I am more concerned with the Combine. If their warships get here before we are ready, it is going to be ugly as hell." Amanda said
"Pray they don't. We cannot afford to halt our preparations now to deploy the fleet. I have ordered a few ships to not load civilians aboard them, just in case we have to fight to leave." Admiral Brandt replied
"Very well. I have also made arrangements to have ships waiting at Vonja to carry the civilians to other worlds on your arrival. Along with supplies for those that will have to wait a bit on the surface." Rita said
6 May 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
When a Combine fleet jumped into Deiron, it announced the emergency everyone had feared. Fleet Admiral Brandt was aboard SLS Thunderer, Monsoon Battleship when word reached her. She never hesitated and ordered her single squadron to jump for Deiron to meet the threat. She was leading the squadron.
Deiron (Terran Hegemony)
Fleet Admiral Joan Brandt blinked away the jump effects and gave the order to bring the squadron up to battle speed before the sensors had even come back online. As the sensors started coming back online, she counted her squadron and smiled grimly, the Combine had her outnumbered, but by god they were going to know they had been kissed by death itself.
Hegemony Forces
SLS Thunderer - Monsoon LF Battleship
SLS Kongo - Monsoon LF Battleship
SLS Hiei - Monsoon LF Battleship
SLS Shark Tooth - Dart LF Light Cruiser
SLS Shark Strike - Dart LF Light Cruiser
Combine Seventh Fleet
DCS Kagoshima, Samarkand Carrier Blk I (Flagship)
DCS Mogami, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Mikuma, Black Lion I Battlecruiser
DCS Suzuya, Riga Frigate
DCS Kumano, Riga Frigate
DCS Shiratsuyu, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Shigure, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Murasame, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Yūdachi, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Harusame, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Samidare, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Umikaze, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
DCS Suzukaze, Narukami Blk II Destroyer
"This is Admiral Brandt speaking, nuclear release is authorized. We cannot allow the threat to Terra. They have more ships than us, but by god we will not leave them combat effective. We hit them and pass thru, recharge your drives while we head for the Zenith Jump Point. From there, we initiate super jump protocal's for Vonja. God speed everyone. Launch the fighters and let's have at them."
The arrival of the Hegemony fleet was not unexpected by the Combine admiral, he ordered his warships to reverse course and engage the Hegemony ships that had already destroyed the transports waiting at the jump point. The Dropships would just have to fend for themselves.
7 May 2788
It took almost 10 hours for the fleet's to engage each other. The first volley of nuclear White Sharks took DCS Mogami, Black Lion Battlecruiser with 5 detonations destroying her utterly. Half of the Hegemony Aerospace fighters, loaded with Alamo nuclear missiles made it striek range while the rest of the Aerospace fighters shielded them from the Combine fighters. Their launches managed to destroy DCS Harusame, DCS Shigure and DCS Suzukaze. But at a fearful cost with only 31 Aerospace fighters returning to reload.
Admiral Brandt bored her ships right into the oncoming Combine fleet. At such close range, weapons fire savaged both sides. DCS Suzuya, Riga Frigate was savaged by fire from SLS Thunderer and SLS Kongo, Monsoon LF Battleships. Return fire from DCS Suzuya pelted the reinforced armor plating of both ships. DCS Shiratsuyu got off several good shots on SLS Hiei, Monsoon LF Battleship before return fire and several nuclear White Sharks removed her from existence. DCS Kumano, Riga Frigate punished SLS Shark Tooth, Dart LF Light Cruiser with several shots pentrating armor destroying her LF Battery.
DCS Kagoshima, Samarkand Carrier watched from behind the leading Combine warships as the opposing sides traded fire. When SLS Thunderer broke thru the Combine ships, Admiral Curtis Neoshi zoomed in his view screen and shook his head at the battered Battleship rapidly approaching his Flagship. DCS Kagoshima fired a single MNPPC shot at the onrushing Monsoon Battleship and it struck true. Hitting the bridge, though it did not penetrate, it did mannge to inflict spall damage on the interior. Part of a sensor console broke loose and at tremendous speed it impacted Admiral Joan Brandt, breaking her neck and killing her instantly.
Only SLS Thunderer, SLS Kongo and SLS Shark Strike managed to reach the Zenith Jump Point and initiate their super jump on the 13th of May. But only SLS Thunderer and SLS Kongo arrived at Vonja. No one knew what happened to SLS Shark Strike.
SLS Hiei and SLS Shark Tooth had taken hits that prevented their escape, but they remained and punsihed the Combine forces until their final destruction.
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you have to make wining cost more than its worth.
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10 May 2788
Terra (Terran Hegemony)
General Rita Mitchell finished noting the troops leaving with her along with the troops and ships staying behind. Every single command being left behind pained her, even though it was purely voluntary. It left Major General Lauren Hayes with enough troops to defend Terra itself.
Major General Lauren Hayes
151st Royal Battlemech Division
213th Battlemech Division
287th Battlemech Division
326th Battlemech Division
184th Mechanized Infantry Division
197th Mechanized Infantry Division
280th Mechanized Infantry Division (New Dallas)
13th Royal Infantry Division
43rd Infantry Division
68th Infantry Division
3rd Striker Regiment
321st Hussar Regiment
89th Dragoon Regiment
231st Striker Regiment
Luyten 68-28
SLS Lady Shandra, Cameron Battlecruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Anchorage, Congress Frigate (moderate damage)
SLS Fairbanks, Congress Frigate (moderate damage)
SLS Nelson, Black Lion Battlecruiser (moderate damage)
SLS Venus Eye, Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Remarkable, Aegis Cruiser (heavy damage)
SLS Kryton, Lola III Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Belfast, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Ranger, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Geary, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Protecteur, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Domination, Essex II Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Archangel, Essex II Destroyer (heavy damage)
SLS Montford Point, Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Keel damage)
Ross 248
SLS Irrefutable, Black Lion Battlecruiser
SLS Bamborough, Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Diamondhead, Aegis Heavy Cruiser
SLS Surveillante, Lola III Destroyer
SLS Alacrity, Vincent Corvette
SLS Camry, Vincent Corvette
SLS Extreme, Vincent Corvette
SLS Hammerstrike, Essex II Destroyer (Moderate Damage)
SLS Emerald, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Copenhagen, Essex II Destroyer
SLS Fury, Essex I Destroyer
SLS Moffett, Carson Destroyer (Severe Damage)
SLS Connaught II, League I Destroyer
SLS Carver V, League I Destroyer
SLS Nexus, League I Destroyer
SLS Bridge, Newgrange Yardship (Immobile Keel damage)
Departing Hegemony
359th Battlemech Division (equipped)
295th Battlemech Division (troops only)
368th Battlemech Division (troops only)
250th Battlemech Division (equipped)
79th Mechanized Infantry Division (troops only)
123rd Mechanized Infantry Division (troops only)
181st Royal Mechanized Infantry Division (equipped)
48th Infantry Division (troops only)
52nd Infantry Division (troops only)
Royal Black Watch (equipped)
349th Dragoon Regiment (equipped)
5th Hussar Regiment (equipped)
306th Husaar Regiment (equipped)
288th Hussar Regiment (equipped)
SLS Nebraska II - Texas LF&HPG Battleship (Flagship)
SLS Phoenix - Texas LF&HPG Battleship
SLS Sandy Hardee - Texas LF&HPG Battleship
SLS Inglesmond - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Connaught - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS M. Langley - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Carl Sommers - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Terrance LaMont - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS Hector Zapata - Luxor Heavy Cruiser
SLS George Wellington - Vincent LF Destroyer
SLS Janet McFadden - Vincent LF Destroyer
SLS De Ruyter - Sovetskii Soyuz LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Vance Brown - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Tammy Handyline - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Common Good - Luxor LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Buccaneer - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Ruby - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Shimotsuki - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Independence - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Benjamin - Samarkand II LF Carrier
SLS Black Templar - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Patrick Henry - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS E. Presley - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Lightning - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Lookout - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Loyal - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Laforey - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Never End - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Never Quit - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Always Ready - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Nerissa - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Nizam - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Black Widow - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Tarantula - Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer
SLS Tarawa - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Iwo Jima - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Guam - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Ulithi - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Mighty Lift - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Midnight Dancer - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Devon Pulman - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Saipan - Potemkin LF Transport
SLS Salvation - Newgrange LF Yardship
SLS John Glenn - Newgrange LF Yardship
SLS Detroit - Newgrange LF Yardship
SLS Arctic - Newgrange LF Yardship
SLS Manila - Farragut LF Battleship
SLS Impetuous - Aegis LF Cruiser
SLS Liao Pride - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Maya - Aegis LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Solstice - Soyal LF Heavy Cruiser
SLS Jagged Tooth - Riga LF Frigate
SLS Oslo - Essex II LF Destroyer
SLS Midway - Riga II Destroyer
76 Tramp LF Jumpships
440 Dropships
Ford Military Limited Factory Complex
8,371,927 civilians (1,505,295 were experts in every field imaginable)
She had informed Major General Lauren Hayes that she was leaving her enough ships to keep Terra safe. Just enough crew had voted to stay to deploy maybe half of them, so she would have to work hard to get new crew spun up for the rest. Though she needed every collar she could get her hands on, she had decided to take all the Vincent Destroyers with her and only leave ships that Hayes would have a chance to repair and support. Lieutenant General Calloway had already seen to purging every computer that Hegemony Security could lay their hands on of any designs beyond SLDF original.
The concealed bunkers here on Terra were bursting at the seams with equipment being left behind. They may be leaving but she would leave Terra in the best condition to fight back as she could. It was still a bitter pill, but she had made her promise to Delbert Mitchell and she planned to keep it.
12 May 2788
With little fanfare, a small crowd watched the car carrying Amanda Cameron roll up the ramp of her Titan Dropship and the ramp closed. The engines roared to life and the short reign of Director General Amanda Cameron came to an end.
20 May 2788
The massive Fleet assembled at both jump points began leaving the system. It took over 4 hours for all of the ships to depart Terra's jump points. Carefully timed to give ships at the other end time to clear the immediate area.
Vonja (Terran Hegemony)
Admiral Tanisha Tanaka was in stunned silence as she watched the ships materialize at both jump points. Everyone had a complete roster of the ships inbound and careful notes were being kept and cross checked at both jump points. When the last ship materialized and made the announcement that the operation was complete. They quickly compared notes and found that SLS Solstice, Soyal LF Heavy Cruiser, SLS Never End, Vincent LF&HPG Destroyer, SLS Jagged Tooth, Riga LF Frigate and 3 Tramp LF Jumpships had not arrived. It would be another couple days before word arrived that all were accounted for having arrived in Federated Suns systems but were stranded.
New Avalon (Federated Suns)
First Prince John Davion watched his naval commanders throw a fit when the massive emergence wave had announced the biggest inbound the sensors had ever seen with a smile. He had gotten a message a week ago to expect this and even though he had warned them, his commanders still panicked. When SLS Mighty Lift, Potemkin Transport arrived, he patted his Admiral on the shoulder and boarded the shuttle for the quick trip over.
When he exited, he saw General Rita Mitchell and Major General Hurling waiting for him. After a quick greeting, they moved to one of the grav decks reserved for this meeting.
"I am not sure how you got here General Mitchell, but your arrival caused quite a panic. It was amusing." First Prince John Davion said
"It's a one shot jump. Blew out the jump core and burned up the LF Battery aboard the old girl. What is it going to cost me to get the use of your Newgrange Yardship to make me a new jump core and battery?" General Rita Mitchell asked
"Depends, what have you got to trade?" First Prince John Davion asked
"Well, Major General Hurling here and the 250th Battlemech Division have reformed the Screaming Eagles mercenary command. I figured to help negotiate a contract for them. Plus I happen to have 6 Regiments of Battlemechs without pilots loaded aboard this ship along with enough replacement parts to keep them in action for a long time." General Rita Mitchell replied
"Sounds about what I would ask for. Same contract I gave Baldwin's Cobra's sound about right?" First Prince John Davion asked
"Sounds fair, except for the home base. And this one is going to sting some, but that sting will not be felt for a long time. Still game Prince Davion?" General Rita Mitchell replied
"Not sure, you have a tendency to go for the throat." First Prince John Davion said, but with a twinkle in his eye
"This contract will be a retainer contract. They get based on Farnsworth, each contract will be in ten year increments. Two hundred Twenty years from now, the Federated Suns will cede Farnsworth to the Screaming Eagles for services rendered to the Federated Suns. Escape clause in effect, same conditions apply. I want this agreement to be video taped and authenticated by you sir. This is a very long term agreement and all of us will be gone by the time it is time for the exchange. Agree and the warships I have transferred to you will not cost you a single C-Bill. How about it?" General Rita Mitchell said
There was several minutes of silence from First Prince John Davion, but finally he spoke "You drive a hard bargain Rita, I can call you Rita now that you have had your way with me I assume. But I agree to your terms. This is a long ways down the road for payment to be due. It is a deal."
"As long as I can call you John sir. If you will follow me, I have the video equipment setup in a private office and the documents ready to be signed." General Rita Mitchell said with a small laugh
Once a copy of the video and documents were given to each party present, Major General Hurling saluted General Rita Mitchell and then boarded First Prince John Davion's shuttle. The Dropships carrying the 6 Battlemech Regiments of the Screaming Eagles along with 4 Mammoth Dropships detached and headed for New Avalon. General Rita Mitchell retired to her quarters and waited for her ship to be repaired.
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This concludes Part One.
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Very nicely done
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That was a good ending! Looking forward to what you have planned for the next part!! :thumbsup:
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Hey before you start Part 2 can you post all your upgraded warship designs please?
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Wow, that was one hell of a ride! 8) :thumbsup:
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Epic story. I can't wait for part 2.
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but.... you have 5 more pages before you should stop.... We patiently wait...
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Bravo sir and well done ...BZ!!
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https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=70851.0
By request all warship, jumpship and dropship posted. Well except a few, those you will see in Part Two
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When is Part II going to start? Eagerly awaiting that arrival of Part II!
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That was one h*** of a trip. Congratulations on finishing part 1.
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Working Part Two now......the first post will be massive, a bunch to cover.
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Working Part Two now......the first post will be massive, a bunch to cover.
Epic. Can't wait.
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https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=70851.0
By request all warship, jumpship and dropship posted. Well except a few, those you will see in Part Two
Thanks! Much appreciated! :thumbsup:
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:o 8) :thumbsup: Part 1 is done . I want to say that I love your story. I wish that HAF would made it instead of leaving to the Forgotten HAF . Well you set them up very well and I thank you for the story. Now on to part 2.
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So you guys/gals know, to preserve the story incase the forums bites the big one, i've been slowly been moving the entire Part One over to Fanon wiki if you want read it, it's broken up by year chapters. It was bit of bear (still is) bring over, but its worth it.
Link here if anyone wants read it there (https://battletechfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Fate_Can_Be_Cruel_-_Book_One). I got permission by 2ndAcr to port it over.
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2ndACR or Wrangler, is there a way to combine all the chapters into a pdf to further preserve this story for easier reading and posterity?
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I got your back.
2ndACR or Wrangler, is there a way to combine all the chapters into a pdf to further preserve this story for easier reading and posterity?
I haven't had time to put this story together. At the moment, the Quest is all one piece. I've been working editing it. If you look at wiki, it's all there by chapter/year. I was going somewhere where i could have time edit it.
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Okay, thanks for all your efforts saving these stories
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ATTENTION
I due to perhaps side of madness and perhaps drinking waaaaay too much coffee have pull it together and made a COMPLETE PDF of
BOOK 1 of Fate Can Be Cruel. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j3vulVZkUi7vnO5KVpc0O0qACrVRDReE/view?usp=sharing) By clicking the name here, it will open the pdf on the Battletech Fanon Wiki Cloud Drive i made for that place.
While you can read it on the Wiki per year per wiki web page, the book is now available as complete PDF. It can be read when you want to for now so it's saved.
I'm still learning about E-Pub stuff, i apology if the PDF graphics look bad, essentially I've added the maps fans made and introduction which Fate never had, I can still edit and fix when need be. It was challenge try get formatting write with limited stuff i have. Please enjoy. Thank you again to 2ndAcr for writing this thing up for us. Its amazing saga.
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Thank you very much, Wrangler :)
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Thank you indeed! :thumbsup:
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finally got around to finishing this one...
I kinda hoped like many they could hold it together a bit longer but.. I could see the cracks coming apart
Did they turn on any Caspers?
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finally got around to finishing this one...
I kinda hoped like many they could hold it together a bit longer but.. I could see the cracks coming apart
Did they turn on any Caspers?
Find out here (and lose even more time) >:D :
Fate can be Cruel (part 2) (https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/fate-can-be-cruel-part-two/)