If it makes you feel better the Capellans will increase in size soon enough... although not likely in the way you expect.
Unfinished Book Movement
Avalon City, Albion
New Avalon, Crucis March
9th August 3104
With the formation of the Federated Commonwealth, the arrival of the Clans, the formation of the new Star League Defence Force and the fall of the Federated Commonwealth the Unfinished Book Movement begins a Sixth Edition of their sacred texts. With information provided by Sterling McKenna and acquired from Clan Sea Fox traders the Unfinished Book name the revision after The Rememberance.
Planning Room, Marik Palace
Marik, District of Marik
Free Worlds League
12th August 3104
“The timing could not be more perfect!” One of the Generals said triumphantly looking at Captain-General Joseph Marik. As Joseph grew up he had been told for many years by the church that violence brings only violence in return and that words could solve many problems. When he championed the idea to rebuild the Free Worlds League he used words not force of arms to bring by his desires. But with the Clans they only understood one thing. “With the Wolves invading the Lyran Commonwealth the time is right for us to strike and strike hard.” He said continuing Joseph couldn’t stop himself agreeing. Since the Wolves had secured their first three targets the Clan had struck out at three more targets hitting Shiloh, Athena and Dieudonne all former Free Worlds League worlds under Lyran Commonwealth control. Although they did not have concrete information on what was happening it appeared that Athena had fallen within hours of the Wolf landing while the remains of the Second Isle of Skye Guards RCT were engaged in heavy fighting on Dieudonne; a battle Joseph’s advisers noted they were unlikely to survive. Elements of the First Isle of Skye Guards had moved from New Kyoto to support militia forces on Shiloh but by the time they arrived in range the Wolves had already overrun the defenders. Now the First Guards were fighting against superior Wolf numbers and would likely have to retreat sooner rather than later.
“We are sure we can pull this off?” Joseph asked his advisers carefully together they had assembled regiments and mercenaries from across the reunited Free Worlds League for this move but he needed to know they could do it.
“We are sure” General Michael Donovan said casting his hand over the planning table. “Tomorrow morning the Fourth Marik Guards and the Sixth Fusiliers of Oriente Regiments supported by there mercenary Daniel’s Avengers, Graves’ Dancers and Arlington’s Angels will strike at Helm, Tania Australis, Stewart and Danais.” He said marking the three systems with a red marker pen. “We believe that Tania Australis, Helm and Danais will fill within a matter of hours Stewart will be more difficult as the Wolves seem to value it as much as the family it is named after did.” He said “we have unconfirmed reports that the Nicholas Kerensky, a Texas-class Battleship, has been repaired and is operational in the system so we are sending all four WarShips of the Thessaly Battle group to the system.”
“The day after” General Katherine Todd said speaking up the First Marik Militia, the Fourth Regulan Hussars, and the mercenary units the Blade Legion and Brotherhood of Randis will strike at the Wolves soft underbelly of Autumn Wind and Rasalas. According to our reports these have been stripped of front-line troops it will send a clear message to Clan Wolf that we do not want them on our border.”
“And finally by the end of this week the First Bowang Border Guards, the Ninth Tamarind Militia, Second Rim Guards and Gamma Regiment of the Wolf’s Dragoons will strike at Tamarind and Simpson Desert” General Trent Higall, a former Clan Nova Cat warrior himself, said.
“Why the delay our forces were to be in place to act within days of each other?” Joseph asked.
“We had a JumpShip carrying the Ninth Tamarind Militia’s BattleMechs and Infantry forces develop a jump drive problem.” Higall explained “the unit is operational once more.” He promised the Captain-General.
“What Capital assets have been assigned?”
“The Wolf’s Dragoons vessel Athena, Tamarind’s Galisteo and Promised Land and the Bowang.” He said naming the four WarShips assigned to the battle the toughest part of that fight would be Tamarind which the Wolves were desperate to hold onto due to the shipyards there. Joseph had been tempted to authorize the Free Worlds League units to target the shipyards to break the resolve of the Clansmen but he knew it would damage his own people’s morale as well so had left it to the unit commander to choose for themselves.
“Very good to the Inner Sphere it will appear that we are helping the Lyrans stop Clan Wolf in its tracks in fact we will be testing a reborn Free Worlds League working as one collective unit. I have faith in our people and should this campaign bore the results we wish there will be more.” Joseph Marik said the Districts of Oriente, Gibraltar and Lesnovo had all called on the “united force of the reborn Free Worlds League” to fight their battles. By using units from across the nation Joseph planned to bind the people to each other but knew he’d have to pay a price for their help down the road.
By the end of the week the entire Wolf/Free Worlds League border was ablaze but not everything had gone as Captain-General Joseph Marik had hoped. The attacks on Autumn Wind, Rasalas, Tania Australis and Helm had been a stellar success with the Free Worlds League finding old warriors piloting vintage Star League-era BattleMech and armour designs defending the planet. By the time the Free Worlds League had pushed onto Bainsville and Gallatin they found the Wolves had already abandoned both worlds. Simpson’s Desert had followed the same routine lightly defended by old warriors. Stewart and Tamarind had been another story…
In the Stewart system the Free Worlds League forces jump in and encounter the Ward’s Legacy as expected. Supporting this McKenna-class WarShip are no fewer than ten Isegrim-class Pocket WarShips and hundreds of aerospace fighters. Supported by the Thessaly Battle Group the Free Worlds League regiments attempt to force their way through the Wolf vessels heading for the planet. While the Free Worlds League units had an advantage in numbers of aerospace fighters and their WarShips were good vessels in their own right but against the Ward’s Legacy and the Wolf DropShips they were in trouble. While the ground forces streamed towards Stewart the Ward’s Legacy opened up on them with its massed array of naval particle cannons and in the opening volley the Remember Stewart, a Zechitinu II-class Corvette, and two Leopard CV-class DropShips of the Arlington’s Angels Mercenary command were wiped out along with two DropShips of the Fusiliers of Oriente. Aerospace fighters from the Thessaly engaged the Ward’s Legacy at close range the Wolf Pocket WarShips and aerospace fighters tore into them at close range taking a heavy toll on the attackers. Allowing the DropShips to engage the aerospace fighters the Ward’s Legacy opened fire on the Thessaly with its particle cannons in the confusion of battle the Abbot, an Eagle-class Frigate, got caught in the crossfire and was split in half by the Ward’s Legacy’s fire. Even with the Abbot’s sacrifice several of the McKenna’s naval particle cannons struck the Thera-class Thessaly causing damage to its armour and forward launch bays. The damage to the Thessaly caused the Thera to pull back along with the Mordred, another Eagle-class Frigate, this allowed the Ward’s Legacy to roll out of combat and escape moving beyond Stewart. This withdrawal allowed the Fourth Marik Guards, the remains of the Sixth Fusiliers of Oriente, the Daniel’s Avengers and the Graves’ Dancers to complete their transit to the planet. The Free Worlds League forces fought against the Wolves on Stewart for the remains of August and into September while the Ward’s Legacy, the Thessaly and Mordred danced around the planet attempting to engage each other. By the beginning of September the Free Worlds League forces withdrew from the planet the Sixth Fusiliers of Oriente and the Graves’ Dancers completely destroyed, the remains of the Graves’ Dancers were folded into the Daniel’s Avengers with Captain Jean Graves and the survivors of her unit accepted as part of the command. Once clear of the system the remains of the Arlington’s Angels were also absorbed into the Free Worlds League Navy.
In the Tamarind system the Free Worlds League found a worse situation than that in the Stewart system. From the moment they emerged in the system on top of the Victoria Ward the invasion force was at a back food. The Victoria Ward, an Anna Rosse-class Battle-cruiser, had just arrived in the system and as soon as she detected the incoming forces the crew cut loose their jump said and manned their battle stations meaning she was ready for the arrival of the Free Worlds League units. As they entered the system the Victoria Ward concentrated on targeting the Galisteo and Promised Land, the two Unity-class Frigates, causing heavy damage to the two missile laden vessels as she withdrew deeper into the system. For their part the Free Worlds League WarShips and the Wolf’s Dragoons vessel Athena caused heavy damage to the Battle-cruiser all but stripping her of weapons along her port side while crippling or destroying all of her DropShip escorts and most of her aerospace fighters. This was however a small costly battle which won the Free Worlds League no control over the Tamarind system. From deeper in the system the Wolves second Battleship the Texas-class Nicholas Kerensky charged down on the incoming Free Worlds League units. From the command centre on board the WarShip saKhan Fredrick Ward declared the Free Worlds invasion force dezgra and promised their destruction if they remained. With half of their WarShips crippled and a fresh Battleship ready to enter the fray the Free Worlds League commander ordered their combined ground forces and mercenary support to withdraw leaving Tamarind in Wolf hands.
The woes for the Free Worlds League were not over with the failed assaults on Tamarind and Stewart however. Clan Wolf angered by the intrusion into their territory turned their next wave of attacks against the Free Worlds League. Unleashing their newly raised Epsilon Galaxy on the Free Worlds League worlds of Adhafera, Tania Borealis and Merak the Wolf force completely annihilated the Free Worlds League forces in those systems including the WarShip Voyager in the Tania Borealis system the Venturer-class Light Cruiser which was shattered by attacks from the Wolf Anna Rosse-class Battle-cruiser Jerome Winson and the Second Atrean Dragoons which were crushed by
From analysing the sensor logs taken from the WarShips in the Tamarind system the Free Worlds League’s SAFE Intelligence organisation were able to confirm that Clan Wolf had restored the Tamarind Shipyards to working condition and that they were building a new type of WarShip there which explained the presence of the Battleship and the saKhan. While on Tania Borealis intelligence officers identify several former-Free Worlds League citizens among the Wolf forces serving as warriors. The Intelligence operatives are able to positively show that these warriors in particular are responsible for executing nearly three quarters of the prisoners taken by the Wolves during the battle, while most others die from injuries sustained during the battle, it appears to SAFE that these members of Epsilon Galaxy feeling abandoned by the Free Worlds League have taken to the Clan indoctrination fully and embraced their new path as Wolves. These assaults put the Wolves within striking distance of Marik itself while the brutality, and the identity of some of their warriors, shock the leaders of the Free Worlds League.