Chapter 2 Part 2
Operation Broadside (Phase 2)
(A Cavalry Man's Tale: A Front Seat View to Katherine's War by Captain Harold Rex, Federated Commonwealth Press 3076, Skye)
…. When we were briefed on Operation Backslide all I could think of was damn what the hell did the Cappies to piss off the Prince and the Archon. Looking back now when we found out and the follow on against the Cappies I could not blame them. But at the time I was glad to be on operations against the Cappies they were still weak even after what happened in 3039.
It was only when we were shown the target list we were like damn they wanted us to go to town on them and me being one of the more bloody-minded officers of the FSAC was looking forward to it. The SoBs though I was fighting would hate every second of it which let me tell you I really did not give a damn about….
Grand Base
Attackers – Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry, 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT, 4 conventional Regiment with attached engineering units, 1 independent aerospace regiment.
Defenders – Death Commandos (1st Battalion), Warrior House Fujita (1st Battalion), Grand Base Home Guard
Overview – Fully recovered from the assault by the 6th Defenders of Andurien thanks to a massive investment by the Capellan Confederation it was a shock to the planetary defenders when the Jumpships of the 15th Deneb Light Cavalry and FSAC with attached units hit the system and proceeded to burn down onto the world. 15th and FSAC quickly deployed out of their dropships and began a harassment campaign against the Warrior House, Death Commando’s, and the well-equipped Home Guard.
While this was going on the independent infantry regiments landed with empty dropship with their combat engineers in tow at the Earthwerks plant proceeding to loot and load its contents into the factory into the waiting dropships with cover from the independent aerospace regiment.
While this was going on the FSAC lured the home guard and elements of Warrior House Fujita onto the guns on the 15th Deneb doing heavy damage and forcing them to fall back and hold up in the planet's military base. In this time elements of the 15th Deneb’s armour and infantry also stripped and destroyed the stronghold of Warrior House Lu Shan the occupants having either moved to shelter or joined in the defence. The infantry took the banners and swords off-world which is still displayed in the regiments bars to this day.
Eventually, the 15th and FSAC left the world leaving behind a mauled warrior house and home guard unit and even the elite Death Commando’s did not get away unscathed. When they lifted off from the world the Federated Suns had claimed numerous spare parts and newly made mechs as well as disabled and looted the production lines which set back the rebuilding of shattered CCAF units. The infantry regiments and the specialist made their way back into the Capellen March with their attendant dropships filled with industrial loot that was to be studied and used to restart several lines on various worlds.
Holloway
Attackers - Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry, 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT, 1 independent aerospace regiment
Defenders - Warrior House Fujita (2nd Battalion), Holloway Home Guard
Overview – The Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry and the 15th Deneb Light Cavalry landed on the world and the 2nd Battalion of warrior house attempted to fade into the wilderness and launch raids on the invading Federated Suns forces. However, they were harried down by the 15th aerospace Brigade allowing the Armoured Cavalry to move up and crush the warrior House shattering as an effective force along with the home guard.
Madras
Attackers - Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry, 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT, 1 independent aerospace regiment
Defenders – Madras Home Guard
Overview – The Madras Home Guard was caught flat-footed and was quickly overwhelmed by the FSAC and the 15th they used the time on world to repair what they could on world from their reserves and rest their troops before jumping out of the system. During this time the local mask attempted to strike back however they were eliminated in short order.
Victoria
Attackers - Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry, 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT, 1 independent aerospace regiment, 4 Conventional Regiments, attached specialist and engineers
Defenders – Victoria Home Guard
Overview – The raids were nearing their end when the FSAC and the 15th hit the world like a thunderstorm acting on intelligence acquired by the MIIO and DMI of a high-value target they were joined by four infantry regiments and attach specialist and engineers as well for this operation who jumped in just after their arrival.
They landed on the world and forced the home guard back into the tunnels where they conducted a guerrilla campaign. While they were held in place the infantry regiments assaulted the former site of the Carlos Dangmar Lee BattleMech Research Center overwhelming the defenders and bringing in a team of NAIS specialists that had been attached. At the same time, another unit moved to the small Earthwerks plant on the world.
The home guard with the insistence of Maskirovka political officers attempted to break through the cordon when they received word however they ran onto the guns of the FSAC and the 15th decimating them from there the raiding force moved to help secure the sites. In short order, the Carlos Dangmar Lee BattleMech Research Center was looted down to the bedrock making off with advanced technology and several advanced prototypes. The Earthwerks plant yielded less material but was still a substantial find as they made their way off-world.
Again, the infantry left with their own attendant dropships that were bound for New Avalon and NAIS to try and unlock the secrets left by the SLDF in their research facility. Much to the rage of Romano Liao and the CCAF as well the Duke of Victoria.
Menke
Attackers - Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry, 15th Deneb Light Cavalry, 1 independent aerospace regiment
Defenders – 2nd and 6th McCarron Armoured Cavalry
Overview – The AFFC force revisited the still rebuilding world of Menke the 2nd and 6th McCarron Armoured Cavalry where no slouches and immediately got word out before preparing to meet the raiding forces. FSCA and 15th hit there landing zone and moved off using their are quick deployment rapidly advancing into the jungles of Menke. Big Mac used their home field advantage to strike at the advancing forces causing damage to the lead element however the FSAC and 15th were able to support each other easily and easily deal with the lead elements of the armoured cavalry.
Infantry and armoured elements proceeded to smash into the still rebuild recreation and support facilities of McCarron’s Armoured Cavalry burning them to the ground and looting what supplies they could from their depots.
This was while the majority of the FSAC and 15th played a deadly game of cat and mouse with 6th McCarron Armoured Cavalry (Baxter’s Brawlers) and the 2nd McCarron Armoured Cavalry (Barton’s Regiment) both sides inflicting severe casualties on the other in the jungle as they hunted each other while ASF duelled in the skies. However, Baxter’s Brawlers were the first to break being both still heavily damaged and also when 1st company of the Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry stumbled upon Colonel Marcus Baxter’s command lance and wiped it out however Baxter survived though with extensive injuries he was treated by FSAC medics and evacuated off-world as a prisoner of war. They were then chased down by the elements of both the FSAC and the 15th this forced the 2nd Big MAC to fall back seeing they were dangerously exposed.
This forced the rest of McCarron’s Armoured Cavalry to retreat to Fort McCarron and allowed the FSAC and 15th a free hand to destroy and loot the support facilities and apply defoliant to the recently restored golf course it was also noted in a fit of whimsy that a Corporal Samuel Harris of the 15th infantry who had lost family to the unit spray-painted on the course in capital letters ‘PAY BACK’S A BITCH ISN’T IT?’
Eventually, the unit left the world with even more loot loaded into their regiment’s dropships and jumped back into the Capellen March.
Overall Results –
Phase one came as a massive shock to the already battered CCAF by the 4th Succession War it effectively destroyed Warrior House Lu Shanas a fighting force crippling it for the foreseeable as a fighting force and further hampered its ability to rebuild. The RCTs also captured three of the three worlds was an added insult that led to Romano killing the Servetor who brought her the message and ordered the shocked Strategios to begin planning a counter-attack.
The Phase 2 the Raid though more commonly referred to colloquially as The Cavalry’s Ride is considered a major success. It saw the looting of an industrialised world allowing for several lines to be restored in the Federated Suns and eventually the Lyran Commonwealth after consideration. It also saw a veritable treasure trove of technology and the data taken from the Carlos Dangmar Lee BattleMech Research Center which would be put to good use by NAIS and would lead to the restoration of lost designs and technology in the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns this would lead to a strengthening of the Federated Commonwealth as various companies saw the restoration of lines and new technical data assisting in the restoration of old mech lines and weapons lines which were sped up when NAIS gained a copy of the Helm Core. On the civilian side there was parting all over the March when Broadside Phase 2 came on the heels of phase 1 and all over the Federated Commonwealth, there was a surge in optimism due to the actions of the respective units.
For the CCAF the Broadside phase 1 and 2 was a disaster as they were still trying to process and respond to what had happened with Broadside Phase 1. The raid hit them like a hammer blow knocking the already confused Strategios into a panic which was not helped by Romano Liao’s ravings; it was noted from surviving recordings that she was raving at the heads of the Strategios in one meeting to the point she drove herself into an apoplectic fit. The damage though was done one warrior house was heavily damaged along with the elite of the Confederation the Death Commando’s and Big MAC had suffered heavy casualties with the 6th being disbanded and used to rebuild what they could of the 2nd. However it would be a long time rebuilding the shattered 2nd. Archibald McCarron was furious with the second raid on his unit’s holdfast, the damage to two of his commands and the capture of Marcus Baxter and requested to go after the 15th and the FSAC however this was denied by the Chancellor this would create a rift between the two to add to this Baxter a trusted subordinate was now a Federated Commonwealth POW. Industrially the confederations already tattered industrial base was in a worse state than before with the damage done to Grand Base and the loss of the technological recovery on Victoria made a bad situation even worse leading to delays in rebuilding the shattered industry and military of the CCAF.
As for the Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry and the 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT and 16th, independent Aerospace regiment would each be awarded the Limp Sword Flag along with many other medals being given out to various members of both regiments. However, the campaign was not without its cost the pace of operations severely damaged both units and the intensity of the fighting with the 15th being down to 67% strength and the Armoured cavalry being down to 54% strength in terms of material casualties and personnel however due to the performance by the 15th they were flushed with recruits and the Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry was filled out on the usual way with experienced personnel from other units. The units that held Mitchel, Yuris and Jonson were also celebrated for the destruction of Warrior House Lushan and claiming three new worlds for the Federated Commonwealth.
For the other powers, the Free World’s League again protested but was content to watch for now. At the same time, the DCMS began to cut orders for troops to move to their shared borders in case it was a prelude to the resumption of hostiles and the Taurian Concordat did a similar move while the Magistracy of Canopus and Otherworlds Alliance watched on. While on Terra in the Halls of the First Circuit there was a sense of barely controlled fury as there had been very little indication that this had been planned and the Primus Myndo Waterly ordered Precentor ROM to discover what had set the Federated Commonwealth off so suddenly. The Free Rasalhague Republic meanwhile was maintaining a neutral stance however the KungsArme was put on alert should hostilities ignite. While for Candace Liao and the St. Ives compact Broadside Phase 1 and 2 were met with a shock so much so that Prime Minister Candice Allard Liao who was travelling with Melissa Steiner to New Avalon when she got the news intended to deal with this matter with Hanse personally, however, this would change with the Red Line conference.
Operation DIRK (Phase 3)
Attackers – Hansen’s Roughriders, 2 conventional regiments (Covertly: Rabid Fox team Gamma 2 and the LOKI team six-two)
Defender – Sung’s Cuirassiers, Rollis Home Guard, (Covertly: Mixed Mask and Thuggee guards)
Overview – Hassen’s Roughriders jumped into the system and burned towards the world intending to knock out Sung’s Cuirassiers so they could not be used to support the CCAF counter-attack. The Rough Riders burned into the system aiming to smash through the Cuirassiers. They landed on the world and proceeded to engage the Cuirassiers and the Home Guard heavily. With support from 2 conventional infantry regiments supplied by the AFFC in support of the Rough Riders.
While this was going on using the cover of the raid the two special operations teams deployed….
Near Camp Zeng, Continent of Spruce, Rollis, Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation, 22nd September 3046
Darkness had fallen over the world the moon Rollis, Rory cast its baleful light over the forest as Morgan scanned the forest as her team and Hayden advanced uphill towards their target. The forest was still except for the odd imported insect or animal that moved through the forest, the tail end Charlie could be seen sweeping back every so often to check the rear.
Morgan raised her hand, and everyone dropped down to one knee and Hayden moved up to her they nodded at each other and crawled up to the lip of the hill. It looked down from the heavily forested area and before them they saw what looked like a cardboard cut out of a town. Right down to the house’s an ideal little town for one of the most messed up successor states in the Inner Sphere.
“Good disguise,” Hayden said as he pulled down his visors and scanned the town with his, “who would expect it to be hidden in a set piece for propaganda.”
She pulled her own visor and joined him, “Yep.” she said as she looked over the gaudy set-piece village, “there is our entrance,” she pointed and Hayden scanned over and they saw the garage that the intel had marked as the sites main entrance.
“According to the intel,” Hayden said, “the cultists were pretty lax relying on secrecy of the location but since the Death commandos came in they tried to whip them into shape with mixed success.”
“You mean other than not setting guards,” Morgan said with a snort and lifts her visor, “or at least not setting up some kind of disguised roving patrol. The Death Commando’s standards must be slipping badly.”
“That or there are less of them than we have been lead to believe,” said Hayden lifting his visor to look at her, “Maybe focused on guarding high-value prisoners.”
“Whatever the case, let's begin the operation,” Morgan says with a grin as she checks her knife she waves and all the troopers advance down to the village.
----
Chin Lu Bao sits at the small desk at the entrance reading the sacred text of the Goddess that she had passed down to them. He was one of the few given the holy duty of guarding the important heretics with her other chosen and her hands who had recently been assigned her, however, the death commando’s had recently been drawn down to a platoon and sent on another divine quest.
Though there Maskerovka Brethren had remained in numbers here at the camp to be honest though he didn’t care for their leader Citizen Shu he struck him as lacking in commitment to the goddess’s plans she must have had wisdom assigning him to this important post.
Here they brought all the important traitors and heretics so they may be cleansed and purified before the journey to see the Goddess, as well as extract what secrets they may from their mortal shells, may give them.
He yawned, interrupting his musings and rubbed his eyes it was late and hopefully Willas will be here to spell him soon otherwise….
The security doors slid open and before he could react there were several quiet coughs and he felt pain as he fell to the ground his blood coating the floor as the world went dark and heard booted feet move past him.
---
The barracks A1 was quite as the cultist were asleep or going through their evening rituals when the door swung open and several spheres bounced in it took a moment for the cultist to recognize what they were and on man tired to dive onto it when the room exploded into brilliant light and armoured forms rushed in gunning down the dazed and confused cultist.
Similar scenes played out like this in the other two barracks except for the last one that held the Death Commando’s they had sensed something off and turned the whole corridor to their billet in Barracks A4 into a Killzone. They were holding out for now but they had little hope of pushing beyond the Killzone they had established without support.
The Rabid Foxes elements and the LOKI elements moved to kill Cultist and Mask Agents that tried to stop them eventually they reached the commander’s office and the holding area.
---
Citizen Shu also known as St Helen’s by MIIO had the needle pistol on his desk along with a datapad. He sat there playing with a desk ornament waiting as he listened to the hum of the ventilation the attack should be going in now. He couldn’t help but have a mad grin at that to play the role he had for so long had taken all the willpower and skill he had possessed. But this long nightmare was finally coming to the end and his mission would be over and his parent’s ghost would be at rest.
Sighing he heard the thunder of boots and gunshots outside his door followed by screams of the dead and dying cultist and the few mask guards. The door then swung open and two Rabid Fox’s in their sneaking suits entered the room they were followed by a woman wearing a LOKI suit.
“The lair of the wolf is his refuge,” she said a slight Germanic accent colouring her voice, “and where he has made him his home.”
He nodded and said, “Not even the head wolf may enter, not even the council may come.”
“St Helens,” she said now that he had given the confirmation phrase, “what can you tell us about the princess' condition currently.”
“She hasn’t deteriorated further,” he said in a calm voice. He really didn’t feel at the hunk of meat that had been a young woman, “I stopped the worst of the ‘test’s’ and other barbarism on her but…”
The LOKI agent nodded her body language showing a controlled rage beneath her surface and he continued, “I have gathered copies of the files at this base which contain some shocking revelations for a great many people but our priority should be the extraction of the princess.”
“Agree,” she said, “Malan stay here and guard St. Helens, Hall help him and ensure we grab everything on the base system.”
“Yes ma’am,” she echoed and she turned and left as the three of them set to work.
Morgan with a mixed team ran down the corridor Hayden had taken over the clearing operation of the base which other than the Death Commando barracks were going smoothly. She and her small team now had the priority target securing the Princess. She turned a corner and almost ran into one of the mad cultists without thinking she pulled the knife out and rammed it into his throat and kept moving.
With her squad behind her when they reached the holding area for this base and rushed past the cells some empty and some occupied. Though if they were alive she couldn’t tell but judging by the machines she saw hooked up to them and the fact they looked like bloody hunks of meat she really couldn’t tell and she prayed they weren’t.
Eventually, they approached the furthest cell and saw a Death Commando and several cultists set up at the door. Without thinking they raised their rifles and fired into the group killing two of the cultists while the rest and the death commando took cover and returned fire.
She made a gesture and one of her LOKI leant out and suppressed the squad with a withering hail of fire while a Rabid Fox threw a Flash Bang down the corridor. She heard a distinctive band and then she and her team advanced. She saw the Death Commando recover first but it was too little too late.
Rounds slammed into the bastard dropping him like a puppet with its string cut, and they made it to the Princess cell.
---
There had been loud noises, were they coming for her to end it all….
She’d prayed for death now it was all she wanted and would be the sweetest gift that God could give her now a final release. She was broken, they'd taken bits of her made that doll into a copy of her and promised to use her to destroy everything she loved and they would make her watch.
She boasted it to her in one of her infrequent visits to torment her and the testing and tortured still continued. So she’d retreated inside where she thought they could not draw her out but they did they always did. The last time to pull her out for one of her visits they destroyed her eye and dragged her out of her safe place kicking and screaming like they had the others here some of them didn’t even look human anymore.
She heard the door open and she tilted her head and blinked a Lyran sneak suit! No this had to be a dream! They couldn’t be real! This had to be some cruel trick!
“Scheißen,” swore the female leader, “get the medic now!”
She started to cry as she heard a Lyran accent psychically shaking as sobs as she felt a mix of relief, anger and horror. As she finally broke as she heard that voice as her damaged vocal cords giving voice to wracking sobs as a medic and the woman ran over to check her as she continued to sob as the medic injected her with something and she knew nothing more.
---
The fighting was over as Hayden walked down to the cells he’d called in the Roughriders to send over infantry to secure the area along with some of their medical staff. This whole place was a little shop of horrors, he found Morgan in the Princess cell as the medic got to work trying to make sure they could move her.
“How is she looking?” he asked Morgan quietly.
“Worse than we feared,” she said and nodded to the medic, “internally she is more of a mess than intel initially suggested were preparing her before we move her to the dropship.”
“Damn it,” He swore then nodded and asked, “what about the other?”
“All as bad or worse than the Princess,” she said grimly and he noticed her handshake slightly, “the medics are preparing them for movement but it’s going to take time to treat these people that’s not even considering recovery were going to have to take all sixty of these people to NAIS for specialist treatment.”
Hayden ran his hand through his hair, “What a ****** up situation,” he said as the LOKI and the Rabid Fox tech specialist entered.
“Sir, Ma’ma,” said the Rabid Fox Tech, “we got a list and a tonne of other data thanks to Saint Helens including a list of who was held here mostly Cappie politicals but a few of ours Free Worlders and Bulls.”
He took the list and scrolled down whistling in feeling sick horror crawl through his stomach, “Damn a lot of people have come through here in a short time,” he said, “any idea how many could be doppelgangers?”
“So far we have identified several,” the LOKI tech said, “there are also some locked files we are working on getting into. But we think it may have more high-security data on it.”
“Very well,” he said, “Carry on.”
As they left Morgan looking at the Princess and said, “this is going to cause another war.”
“Yes,” He said, looking at the Princess as well.
----
A week later the roughriders along with the Rough Riders, LOKI and Rabid Fox Teams lifted off-world making the long track to New Avalon, carrying sixty prisoners and one agent and a load of classified data for DMI and MIIO to go over leaving a smashed CCAF formation and a crater where Camp Zeng once was.
