FSRB Chpt 264

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 264==
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June 3072Interlude: Fort Thomas Fairfax
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Fort Thomas Fairfax
Fairfax, Bremond PDZ 
Woodbine Operational Area
Draconis March 
Federated Suns 
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"What a dump." Major Finn Styles muttered looking at the half ruined base which in a few short months would be his new home. His expression mirrored his words, he clearly wasn't impressed with the prospects of being based out of the old Fort Thomas Fairfax. 
Colonel Gregory Van Schmidt chuckled and patted his second in commands shoulder with the ease of long friendship. The two men had served together on and off for decades and when he'd been offered his new command he had immedietly known who he wanted as his executive officer. "It's not that bad, Finn. The basic structure is sound. The Planetary Guardsman major who showed me around last week told me they have kept up at least the core of the base for their own use since the planet was retaken from the Dracs back in the First Succession War and the old Fairfax DMM wasn't reformed after it's destruction on Tishomingo in the Second Succession War. So the basics should be sound. Barracks, offices, firing ranges, supply depots..."
"To the standard of a Planetary Guard, Sir. Which is vastly different from a Regular Army command's standards or mine." Finn countered.
The colonel's chuckle turned into an outright laugh. "Which is why I asked for you specifically, old friend. If anyone can get this place into shape it's you... Just remember though, we don't need the place looking like the Davion Brigade of Guard's Wellington Barracks on New Avalon. We're commanding a Training Battalion not a front line formation!" 
"No command will thank us for graduating slobs, Sir. The recruits we get might as well get used to Regular Army standards now." The hang dog expression on the major's face was slipping however. He was almost smiling. Despite himself he was looking forward to the new command. Helping set the standards for an entirely new training command that would feed into the proposed 1st Fairfax Borderers. So setting the tone of two commands really. Fighting the urge to smile he continued. "Plus, it's not exactly just a training battalion, Sir. These day's the training battalions are effectively full LCTs. I suspect more than a few of the local Planetary Guard who are moving out might be back in time for training to front line standards and assignment to the Borderers..."
"You might just be right, Finn." Giving his friends shoulder a squeeze before letting go Colonel Van Schmidt nodded to him. He could already see Styles mind getting to work on the problem of turning a run down old DMM base that had been used off and on for the last 270 odd years by the Planetary Guard and whatever noble retainers who had needed it into a fully functional base for the 1st Fairfax Reinforced Training Battalion. A reinforced BattleMech battalion, four battalions of armor, a support regiment of artillery, VTOLs and engineers, a battle armor regiment and an aerospace wing. More troops than this old relic of a base had seen probably since the last time the Fairfax DMM had been based here. "Just remember, we'll eventually have to share the base with the 1st Fairfax Borderers when they form up. So keep that in mind when you are running the recruits ragged getting this place spic and span!" 
"I will, Sir. Still no reason that we can't use repairing and refurbishing the place as a good training tool for the recruits!" This time Styles did smile, envisioning the exercises he could devise to help train everyone from the lowliest Astech to the Mechwarriors in field repairs, fortification construction, etc... Yes it might just be fun after all. "And I'm sure that the future CO of the Borderers, whoever that might be will be grateful if we have the areas of the fort his unit will inhabit in a habitable state for him in due course..."
"You might just be right, Finn. You might just be right." Turning Van Schmidt pointed. "Speaking of which, I think the first order of business is to get those warehouses near the old dropship landing pads cleared up and ready. In the next few months we'll be getting a lot of equipment shipped in, and unless I miss my guess at least some of it will be cast offs from battle damaged units or units that are getting refitted with better gear. So some workshops and repair gantries will be needed..."
Nodding the XO of the new 1st Fairfax Reinforced Training Battalion followed his superior's finger. "I'd put money on you being right, Sir. What I was thinking was..." 
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