FSRB Chpt 100

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 100==
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November 3068St. Ives
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===Federation Suns send relief to St. Ives===
In response to the new Duchess of St. Ives's request for aid the Federated Suns Government began to rush support and supplies forward to the embattled nation. Jumpships under heavy escort began arriving in St Ives's systems carrying dropships packed with medical and other emergency supplies as well as teams of experts to help bring the situation under control. Alongside these experts came the soldiers of the 5th FedSuns Dragoons RCT and the 1st Kittery Borderers who formed almost a "mobile brigade" of troops which rushed from one emergency to another. With much of the St Ives' Military Command devastated by the losses of the last few months and by the loss of central control the 2 Federated Sun's units were often the only ones available to be rushed to a world if there was an attack or similar emergency.
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===The Duchess Secures her Realm===
In the meantime Duchess Cassandra Allard-Liao attempted to secure her position on St. Ives itself. The remnants of the 1st St Ives Lancers which were now little more than a combined arms regiment immediately swore allegiance to her alongside the 2 mercenary commands that she had brought with her. The 1st St Ives Cheveau-Legers and 1st Jannissaries Brigade also sent word of their support while garrisoning their respective posts. Roman's Mounted Fusiliers while not making any formal pledge at least continued to take orders and didn't launch any unsanctioned attacks of their own.
In comparison, the 2nd St Ives Lancers on Harloc and the 2nd Jannissaries Brigade on Gei-Fu refused any orders to pull back to the St. Ives Compact. Both units clearly had decided that given the shattered state of the CCAF there was little that Sian could do against their occupation of the 2 border worlds.
Unfortunately, at least in the case of the 2nd Jannissaries they were wrong. The 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry and 3rd Capellan Chargers regiments, both hovering around half strength themselves moved to combine and hit the world of Gei-Fu combined on the 24th of November. With both regiments individually stronger than the Jannissaries the St Ives' unit found itself facing almost 3:1 odds and both regiments were eager to revenge themselves for the destruction of the 3rd Capellan Defense Force. Immediately upon landing the 2 Capellan regiments began launching blistering attacks against the St Ives regiment which was hovering around 30% of it's full strength and still contained a large number of battlemechs and tanks which required repairs. With no real connection to the local population or knowledge of the planet the Jannissaries were hounded from the planet within 5 days. The regiment that returned from it's aborted conquest of Gei-Fu was shattered with almost no remaining unit cohesion. Given the losses it had suffered and it's shattered state Duchess Cassandra ordered the unit to St. Ives where she intended to fold it into the 1st St. Ives Lancers to help rebuild that unit that was at least in a state that would allow rebuilding.
While the 2nd St. Ives Lancers and 2nd Jannissaries Brigade had refused orders to fall back, the Blackwind Lancers had simply ignored them and thrown themselves back into the fighting with the 6th Confederation Reserve Cavalry. Both units were determined to destroy the others and often went into the battles with already damaged battlemechs and with many of their soldiers sporting bandages with existing wounds. Both units hovered around 2 battlemech battalions of strength, with the Blackwind Lancers having a slight advantage in experience and the 6th having the advantage of fighting on their home ground. The Confederation Reserve Cavalry also had some reinforcements trickling in from the local Home Guard units.
Over the course of November, the fighting on Hustaing descended into an almost Succession Wars level of brutality. Quarter was neither asked, nor given by either side. Finally after almost a full month of heavy and brutal fighting the Blackwind Lancers realised they were facing annihilation and attempted to break off and retreat off world. Even knowing that they had won, the 6th and it's remaining militia allies pressed the Lancers as they retreated, despite their own losses. By the end of November around 2 companies of Blackwind Lancers had managed to get off world and were heading back into the St. Ives Compact. They left the 6th Confederation Reserve Cavalry in a similar state and the local Home Guard almost totally destroyed. What was left of the Home Guard were folded into the 6th to bring them up to around a battalion of battlemechs with some attached armor and infantry formations.
Even more worrying for the new Duchess of St Ives was the almost total breakdown of civilian supply lines between her worlds due to the heavy losses of J0umpships in the attacks. The world of Warlock for instance was only able to avoid mass starvation due to massive shipments of food from the nearby Federated Suns world of Kittery and smaller shipments from other FedSuns worlds which had agricultural export industries. By the end of November nearly 80% of all goods transported within the Compact were being transported in FedSuns hulls by FedSuns shipping lines. Even with this aid and support the Compact's civilian economy was entering it's worst recession since the 1st and 2nd Succession Wars, worse even than the one which had followed their breakaway from the Capellan Confederation!
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