FSRB Chpt 107

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 107==
 Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
----
January 3069Operation Rat II Three Wave
-----
===Operation Rat II - Wave 3 Launches===
After a brief pause to regroup and resupply during December Operation Rat I launched back into active combat operations in the New Year. With the CCAF abandoning worlds to attempt to reinforce critical "fortress" worlds such as Capella, Sian and Sarna in the hope of holding onto these vital worlds the AFFS launched a series of mop up attacks throughout January, seizing poorly defended worlds in the face of only limited local resistance. In some cases the local Home Guard put up a stiff resistance, however in a number of incidents with morale within the CCAF plummeting the local units surrendered almost immediately.
-----
===Wave 3===
-----
====Kaifeng====
Leaving the 5th Dragonlords RCT to hold the newly reconquered world of Palos the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers RCT moved to strike at the world of Kaifeng on the 7th of January. At this stage of the campaign the Grenadiers had been in a number of hard fought actions however with a steady supply of replacement equipment and soldiers they remained near full strength. By now the elite RCT had been assigned a similar priority to the Davion Brigade of Guards and their ToE and the quality of their soldiers and officers reflected this. Facing them were Vong's Grenadiers who had been sent conflicting orders to "hold the planet to the last man and woman" and also "to fall back on Sarna if forced to do so". In direct comparison to the AFFS Grenadier unit Vong's was massively under strength with only 2 battalion's of Battlemechs and warriors who although rated as regular in experience were by now showing serious signs of morale problems. While they themselves hadn't been directly attacked as yet the news that is leaking in from unofficial sources as well as the fact their garrison posting has changed from being a secure inner world to a border one has them starting to fall apart even before they are attacked.
With only a token resistance from the Capellan aerospace forces The 1st Kestrel Grenadiers make planet fall and begin their drive on their Capellan counterpart Grenadiers dug in positions. Knowing the Grenadiers number 4 battalions of predominantly heavy and assault machines Sang-shao Coung Vong has his forces dug in as best he can between the capital city and the 1st Kestrel's landing zone. However he's shocked to hear reports that a battalion of light and fast medium AFFS battlemech's have appeared in his rear areas between himself and the capital of Mahabodhi! While he is still digesting this information and deciding whether he should fall back from his defensive works to attempt to overrun this AFFS battalion the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers make the decision for him by launching a full scale attack.
With a known enemy force in their rear area and attacked by the elite troops of the Kestrel Grenadiers, Vong's Grenadiers defensive formations collapse within the hour. Individual companies attempt to fight their way out to rally at Mahabodhi, but find themselves ambushed and attacked by the unknown force of light and medium battlemech's which are soon identified as elements of the 4th Deneb Light Cavalry who Marshal Stromp had requested support her drive on Kaifeng having been impressed with their performance on Alderbaran. While only a reinforced battalion had been attached to her force, the Marshal had hidden them within her own landing force and detached them to take full advantage of their speed.
Vong's Grenadiers are crushed as an effective formation in the 3 days of brutal fighting before their remnants trickle into the city of Mahabodhi. With every surviving battlemech heavily damaged and with almost no ammunition left Zhong-shao Aimee Yung-Tsi orders what's left of the regiment to make for their dropships and flee the world - and is immediately shot by Maskirovka Liason Jordan Marche. Who is himself then killed by the surviving 3 members of the Zhong-shao's 1st Company. With only a company and a half of surviving battlemechs and having just committed treason by shooting Maskirovka Liason Marche the few surviving members of Vong's Grenadiers surrender to the oncoming Kestrel Grenadiers and are taken into custody. A handful of the disillusioned CCAF troops will eventually end up being accepted to join the AFFS - where they will mostly end up in the Outback as part of March Militias. Between the 2 AFFS regiment's they have lost roughly a battalion of troops and equipment.
-----
====Truth====
While the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers and their Deneb Light Cavalry allies are taking Kaifeng, the 1st Lexington Combat Guards are arriving upon the world of Truth. With no regular BattleMech forces the local Home Guard units put up what can generously be described as a token resistance before surrendering to the AFFS unit.
-----
====Zaurak====
With the loss of Kaifeng, Truth, Zaurak, and 3 other worlds, Zaurak was effectively cut off from the rest of the Capellan Confederation (although JumpShips can still reach them from Sarna). When the 1st Capellan Dragoons arrive in system they haven't even reached landfall before the local commander and the planetary governror surrender the world to the Federated Suns and formally request absorption into the FedSuns.
-----
====Yunnah====
The Light Guards fellow brigade member, the 5th Davion Guards RCT faced similar opposition when they struck out from Liao and hit Yunnah. Except in their own case the local government made no effort to fight. They instead ordered all Home Guard formations to surrender immediately and remain in their barracks. A handful of isolated units refused this order was were summarily crushed by the Davion Guards, but on the whole the planet of Yunnah fell without much resistance to House Davion. 
----
====Menkib, Matsu, and Heligoland====
With the fall of Kaifeng, Truth and surrender of Zaurak all within a few days of each other the remaining worlds in the short-lived "Zaurak pocket" all send word to the Federated Suns that they wish to surrender immediately. Local FedSuns agents have been on planet for months working on sowing discontent with the Confederation and now watching the almost total collapse of the CCAF in the face of the AFFS juggernaut. The few on these 3 worlds wish to put up a bloody and inevitably futile resistance to the AFFS. Token garrison forces of mostly conventional brigades are rushed to the planet to help put down any pro-Capellan uprisings or hold outs against the change in government. 
----
====Quemoy====
The Home Guard garrison of Quemoy finds themselves facing the veteran 2nd Davion Guards RCT in the New Year. With the 2nd's over strength air wings hammering them whenever they gather the garrison is forced to disperse or be annihilated. While a few of the infantry formations continue to resist from the more isolated areas of the planet the 2nd Davion Guards have little difficulty in reconquering the planet.
----
====Bora====
The 12th Vegan Rangers' Alpha Regiment is dispatched to take the surrender of the world of Bora in January. Although ordered to fight to the last bullet and then throw themselves at the invaders with bayonets the local Home Guard collapses in the face of the invasion. Just as in the Fourth Succession War, the planet puts up almost no resistance when the AFFS mercenary troops arrive to retake the planet.
----
====Shipka====
The 4th Davion Guards arrived on Shipka just in time to take the surrender of the local garrisons and planetary government - who immediately proceeded to attempt to convince Marshal Orsina that they had been closet Davion Loyalists all along and had sought to undermine Sian's decrees at every opportunity. At least between throwing victory parades for the "invaders". 
-----
====Phact====
The Davion Assault Guards in what can only be described as a massive case of overkill are dispatched from Corey to secure the world of Phact for the Federated Suns. While the Home Guard predominantly infantry garrison launches suicidal attacks upon the invading Davion troops, often attempting to use satchel charges to disable the Guards' battlemechs they are soon routed and the world secured. A total of 3 Battlemechs are damaged during these attacks, although the single battalion of armor that the Home Guard fields manage to inflict more damage but few additional losses.
----
====Wazan====
The 1st Revenant Guards RCT lands on Wazan and finds the local's almost pathetically eager to surrender. The only isolated incident of resistance is when a member of the local Duke's staff, a hidden Maskirovka agent, attempts to kill the Duke and Marshal Steiner during the surrender ceremony. While both men escaped unharmed 3 infantry soldiers of the 1st Revenants' Mechanized Infantry are killed. This puts a pall over the planet's surrender and leads to some tension between the locals and the Revenants, however the world is quickly secured.
----
====Old Kentucky, Tsinghai, Campertown, and Chambdo====
With the crumbling CCAF lines apparent to all the Davion High Command decide to make a calculated gamble and instead of dispatching the Davion Light Guards to strike against a single word they instead order the elite unit to break into 4 separate combat commands, each built around a battalion of battlemech's. They are ordered to strike at the worlds of Old Kentucky, Tsinghai, Campertown, and Chambdo at the same time and to move as fast as possible, giving the illusion that the full RCT is upon each world. Additional conventional units are attached to each combat command in order to bolster the numbers and provide a force able to provide garrisons. As a precaution the Light Guards are instructed that if they face any major resistance to break off and attempt to harry the enemy while reinforcements are rushed to support them. The High Command task the 39th Avalon Hussars RCT as this reinforcement unit although they are hoping to allow it to remain on Pleione for the time being.
-----
On Old Kentucky and Campertown the operation is a total success, convincing the local enemy Home Guard forces that they are facing an entire elite RCT and they surrender within days of the Light Guards arrival. On Chambdo the local Home Guard commander twigs to the deception - but surrenders anyway. While he knows he can probably hold out against a single combat command for months, he knows that this is likely merely the first wave and any resistance will be met with the AFFS diverting either the rest of the Light Guards to his planet or perhaps even additional RCTs.
----
Only on Tsinghai does the Light Guards face any real opposition. An unseen observation post report back the Light Guard's true numbers and this rallies the defender to resist. As per orders the Light Guards fall back into the planet's wilderness and fight a harassing campaign, knowing it will be weeks for reinforcements to arrive. However unexpectedly the Wild Geese mercenary regiment upon nearby Ulan Bator dispatches it's Black Horse Squadron to assist. The addition of 6 more companies of battlemech's allows the Light Guard's to go back on the offensive and soon crush the local resistance. By the end of the month all 4 worlds have fallen to the AFFS. 
-----
===Summary===
January leaves the Capellan holdings within the Liao Commonality reduced to the worlds of Sarna, Sarmaxa, Lesalles, and Raballa. Of these only Sarna has any real garrison upon it - consisting of the 1st & 4th Capellan Defense Force and the Sarna Martial Academy's Training Cadre. Due to distrust in the population of Sarna the world's Home Guard formations had been limited in size and equipment and were able to add little to these numbers. Given the exposed and increasingly isolated nature of the defenders of Sarna a few within the Strategios are even heard to whisper that perhaps the 1st and 4th should be recalled to support the defenders of Capella. However abandoning Sarna is still considered a step too far, with the orders from the Chancellor that Sarna must be held! Even more worrying for the Strategios is the almost total collapse of the Home Guard on many of the worlds which have fallen during the Third Wave. It had been hoped that these units would continue to fight and bleed the Davion invaders reducing their strength prior to any attack upon Capella or Sarna, but these hopes have clearly been in vain! The only good news from the point of view of Sian was that the Hell's Black Aces had shown up at Capella and pledged to help defend that world. They were immediately assigned to support the warships there. 
New Avalon on the other had was delighted with Operation Rat II's Third Wave given that 14 worlds had fallen to the AFFS, casualties had been light and another CCAF regular army formation had been destroyed. The Confederation's morale was clearly crumbling and while the strain of pushing forward was mounting, everyone from the lowest newly recruited private to the Marshals and Field Marshal's of the High Command were eager to keep up the momentum! The Federated Suns finally had a chance to wipe the Capellan Confederation from the map's of the Inner Sphere!
-----
 Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
0107, Chapter