My first update of the New Year I hope everyone had a good one and enjoys the update.
My thanks to James Tanaga who brings us the first part - the Lyran POV of the Rim Collection's recent troubles and their reactions.
Throne Room, Steiner Palace
Tharkad, Donegal Province
Lyran Commonwealth
3rd July 3101
Archon Jessica Steiner halfheartedly listened to Michael Sherris as she continued to drum the fingers on her right hand against her throne, glaring at the annoying dummkopf as he continue to defend himself voraciously, she hated dealing with people like him almost as much as she hated sitting on this throne.
An annoying little weasel, she thought idly to herself as she held up her hand. Instantly, the man’s blathering vanished.
“Do you have any idea what your latest fiasco against the Collection has cost us, Duke Sherris,” she asked, as if she was discussing the weather.
“My Lady-,” she cut him off.
“I ASKED DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT HAS COST US!” she screamed, finally having had enough of the weasel in front of her, leaning forward as she did so. She continued a moment later, not allowing the simpering fool to recollect himself. “Let me tell you what the actions of your ‘Free Collection’ have cost us! The Collection has utterly ANNIHILATED our military and merchant JumpShip fleets in the Kaumberg theatre. They are beyond capturing and have moved to DESTROYING our JumpShips!”
She paused seeing the man pale and look at her in shock, allowing the man to take in what she was telling him. The lifeblood of any interstellar power was its JumpShips. “I see you finally are catching on, Duke Sherris,” she said calmly after reclining back into her throne.
“W-We still can-still can destroy them though, My Lady,” the now stuttering man replied.
“Now that is a thought, isn’t it? Why haven’t I thought of it,” she asked sarcastically. “General Grey, why haven’t I destroyed the Collection?” she asked her General of Armies standing next to her throne.
“Because by destroying the Collection, we open ourselves to attacks on other fronts and enter into a war whereby we can only gain a Pyrrhic victory at best,” Aiden Grey dutifully answered her as he too glared at the exiled duke. “Our economy will be in tatters. Many worlds will be starving due to scarce food, plagued by disease because of no medicine, and vital war industries shutting down because the necessary replacement parts no longer being able to reach them.” He said painting the bleakest picture he could he didn’t need to mention that the Wolves, Jade Falcons and Hell’s Horses would rip their nation to pieces. “We will win the war against the Collection, but other, much stronger enemies will be poised to invade us. In such a scenario, the Lyran Commonwealth will be hard pressed to survived,” he grimly stated.
“And that, my dear Duke is why the Lyran Commonwealth will not fight your war,” she answered the prideful man.
“What!” the exiled Duke of Timbuktu yelled out, only to be grasped by the squad of royal guards that were around him. Only after he was well in hand did she allow herself to smile at him.
“Instead, in the interests of peace with the Collection and to bring justice to the civilians that died in the Free Collection’s nuclear attack on All Dawn, I have decided the Free Collection and its affiliates here in the Lyran Commonwealth to be outlawed-,” he interrupted her, screaming.
“You can’t! You can’t do this!” as the guards tightened their grip on him.
“I already have." She said silencing him "at 0100 hours this morning, the Timbuktu Freedom Guard, the Free Collection’s combat arm stationed on Kaumberg and financed by you, were forcefully seized by Lyran forces their assets will be used to rebuild damaged LCAF units and its troopers checked by the LIC for crimes against the Lyran Commonwealth and the Rim Collection,” she informed the struggling man. “Moreover, your assets and that of your House have been seized and your family has been placed in protective custody.”
All fight in the Exiled Duke left him when he heard her. “My family…”
“Will be provided for.” She promised him “your daughter will be allowed to remain a cadet at the Coventry Military Academy and serve her time within the LCAF. Your wife and son will stay on Tharkad as my guests,” hostages really, they both knew. “They will live comfortable lives you, though, will be tried for financially supporting a known enemy of the state, be found guilty, and sentenced to live out your life as a prisoner of the state. An example of what happens when nobles overstep their bounds.”
A long moment of silence pervade the throne-room before he finally nodded, subdued in shock. Waving her hand, she dismissed the Duke of Timbuktu and his guards. Only after they had left did she turn to Aiden Grey. “Were you telling the truth earlier, Aiden?”
He shrugged in reply. “If the Collection had carried out the attacks that you inferred had already taken place the entire Kaumberg Theatre would likely be close to collapse.” Fortunately the mere presence of two WarShips in the Kaumberg system and a threat from Khan Showers had gotten the Lyrans attention immediately. Jessica did not like answering to the Clanner but Sherris was wrong as was the Free Collection movement the LIC had so far found not a single piece of evidence that the Fire Mandrills or Sphinx Raptors were rampaging clanners like the Wolves or Jade Falcons on occasions had been and they were nowhere near the levels of brutality and aggression of the now dead Smoke Jaguars. She also wanted them to be in the area as a counter for the mysterious Stone Spirits, having the Rim Collection and its pets on her side might help in the future.
“That old bitch just need to roll over and die” Jessica Steiner admitted out aloud “and the gall of them demanding the right to purchase an Isis-class Scout Carrier as part of the bargain.”
“At least they need to pay for it Lockheed/CBM will be pleased, it will fund their other projects, and the Rim Collection will still need to wait for the ship to be built.” Grey said
“Agreed” she said nodding to him before slowly getting up and stretching “After having to deal with that dummkopf, I need to get some space under me and back to the Iron Fist.” She said thinking of her WarShip.
“About that” the General of Armies said quietly handing her a small document the Archon took it in her hands and glanced over it.
“You are joking” she said looking at Aiden Grey “he cannot make executive decisions.”
“In fact he can” he answered “you charged your husband with executing decisions of your office when you were not on Tharkad this is under his purview.”
“I’ll rescind it” Jessica snapped angry that her husband had done this without consulting with her.
“Rescinding an executive document takes a minimum of three days and any that effect the military require the agreement of the General of Armies.” He explained
“And let me guess you agree with my husband?”
“The Admiral’s plan is a good one and it adds another layer to your safety and provides the Commonwealth with a hammer for any of our opponents.” He said Jessica reluctantly nodded perhaps it would give her options in the future that otherwise she wouldn’t have. As per the executive order the LCS Typhoon, a second Mjolinir-class Battle-cruiser, was to permanently be assigned to the LCS Iron Fist as escort and bodyguard, for her, together they would be a potent force but it would restrict their ability to defend their systems.
“Then the next time I face an enemy of our nation they will pay for it” she said deciding to make the most of it instead of disagreeing with her military leader and her husband. In either case it would make things easier in battle and at home for her to accept that it had been made.
"How is Patrick handling it?" She asked Aiden she had barely seen him since their son's death it wasn't her husband's fault but she couldn't face it not yet.
"He has the politicians running in circles not knowing where he will strike next but he misses you and he misses being in space the Admiral lived in the black long before he met you." Aiden reminded her "Tharkad misses their Archon it has been a long time since we have had a Fighting Archon some of the more traditional types think you have too much of the Davion blood from your father."
"Would they prefer the Marik from my mother?" Jessica asked laughing she loved her departed mother Isis Steiner dearly and missed her every day, Jessica knew that the Commonwealth as a whole missed both of her parents, but her mother's blood heritage occasionally came in very useful.
"Probably not" Aiden admitted "but it wouldn't hurt if you were at home more often."
"You know as well as I that the black is my home ever since my first flight it has gotten into me I can't let it go." She said quietly "I won't let it go" she said defiantly Aiden Grey nodded he knew that arguing with her on this particular topic wouldn't get him anywhere instead he would support his Archon in any way he could.
Deep raid
Andruien Commonality
Capellan Confederation
14th July 3101
Combined-arms battalions of Mechs, vehicles and Battle Armour of the First Kathil Uhlans RCT strike at Kashdach and Sigma Mare causing chaos with the defenders and millions of C-Bills of damage. As the defenders rally the Uhlans retreat disappearing back into space rejoining with hidden Invader-class JumpShips at pirate jump points leaving the system.
Naval Redeployment
Crucis March, Federated Suns
16th July 3101
Following an increase in Taurian, Nova Cat and pirate aggression the AFFS Admiralty re-deploys the entire Fifth WarShip Battle Group along the shared borders with the Nova Cat’s Den and Filtvelt Coalition the six WarShips providing much needed support to the increased AFFS ground forces and mercenary units assigned to the region.
Quick Reaction Force
SLDF Deployment Base, Menkalinan
Star League Protectorate
31st July 3101
In response to the terrorist attack on Menkalinan the Eighty-eighth Special Operations Battalion had been deployed to the planet as quickly as an SLDF Transport could be arranged now in the briefing room Colonel Walter Jackson looked over his troops. “Alright settle down people let’s start!” He barked gaining their attention slowly his people quickly settled down taking their seats “right we all know why we are here” he said “these terrorists have caused nothing but destruction since they appeared no ransom demands or goals are apparent so it seems that chaos is their goal. High Command has ordered that we hunt down and eliminate our enemies if we need to do it publicly we are to do so.” He said seeing the surprise from some of the troopers normally their operations were done in secret or in remote locations far from prying eyes. “High Command has also said that should we be directed to we are to engage them wherever we are directed by the spooks including industrial or civilian areas with no regard to collateral damage.” Again there was a series of shocked looks and predictably one of them interrupted him.
“Be damned with that” someone said speaking up
“Allow me to be very clear” Jackson said shutting the man down quickly with a stern look “if we are directed to engage in a civilian area we will minimize all damage that we do regardless of the cost to the operation or us.” He said they all knew that he wouldn’t put them at risk intentionally but he didn’t want a unit of war criminals regardless of command orders. “We’ll hunt them down and do our job” Jackson said “but there are some restrictions that we will remain to I won’t see any of you put in a position where civilians are intentionally put at risk.” He promised them “Additionally there will be no R&R off base during this operation” he said he heard and saw their disappointment “if you are in public you will wear full body suits regardless of you position I want to see none of your pretty faces on the news and none of you are to sneak into the local towns in civilian gear either!” He snapped before anyone got any fancy ideas “if anyone of this QRF gets off base or fails to make role calls I will personally bring a hell down on this entire unit that none of you have ever felt before. There will be no screw ups on this planet, no opportunities for our enemies to easily hurt us, we are here to do a job let’s do it.” He said dismissing the troops as they moved out Colonel Christopher Lawrence, commander of the First Menkalinan Guard, remained.
“A little harsh on them” he observed
“These people we are fighting don’t care about killing civilians what do you think they’d do to a Special Forces trooper of the SLDF?” Jackson asked “I won’t have one of my people traipsed through the streets by an organized mob or executed on Tri-Vid.”
“I will crack down on my people as well so yours don’t feel like they are being singled out” he said suddenly thinking his own people would be just as at risk.
“I would appreciate that.” Jackson said not wanting to admit that he had realized the man was trying to make up for his mistake in not stopping his own people’s breaks into the nearby towns as far as Jackson was concerned the planet beyond this base was a hostile environment and until he was convinced otherwise that’s how he’d act in response to keep his unit and his people safe.
