TBSO4

==Chapter 4 - The Silent Black Ocean==
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==Overview of Inner Sphere as of 3165==
The Wolf Empire holds Terra, and most of the remainders of Prefecture X.  This has not given them the massive advantage that Alaric had hoped for, instead it fulfills the grim prediction of Sharon Ngo in the 3150s, that the former Terran Hegemony is indeed largely stripped of useful resources and overloaded with trillions of hungry mouths forcibly idled by circumstance.
Luckily, the Empire's portions outside of that area, are sufficient to provide for the resources needed to fix this, and there's an outlet to move those trillions into less cramped and crowded conditions.
Alaric Ward is having to learn how to govern his slice of the galaxy.  Lucky for him, he has cousins Julian and Trillian to give him useful advice on how to handle a population that outnumbers his entire warrior caste by milllions to one.
As it has turned out, |Nick Kerensky's social theories only work with relatively small populations.  Being the ilClan isn't turning out to be the road to paradise after all.
The Confederation's leadership has begun a series of economic reforms, much of that inspired by (or directly copied from) the Magistracy of Canopus, who share a joint rulership under Chancellor/Magestrix Danai Centrella-Liao.  Surprisingly to some, her ability to keep the peace with Davion on one border and Marik on the other, has led to a massive expansion outward into the Periphery, bringing much-needed wealth into the Confederation.
This hasn't crippled their military spending by any stretch of the imagination. The CapCon has licenses to produce a number of hull types besides their own Stealthy destroyers, including a license-copy of the Marsden II class cruiser and the Sampan IV class Cutter.  These vessels are mostly used to patrol new holdings out in the outer periphery, and as adjunct forces for the MAF's Naval branch in addition to forming a strong supporting structure for the CCAF/Naval forces.  Pirates have begun to truly miss the days when the Great Houses were more interested in fighting each other over a throne on Terra.
House Kurita has begun purchasing additional Warships from yards in the Commonwealth to supplement their Carrier fleet.  Notably, their major purchases have been from the 'used' market, and include Sampan II and Sampan III and III Modified cutters.  These are being retrofitted at the Combine's restored shipyards with better technology to serve as fleet scouts and multi-system 'reaction vessels' in a defensive role.  The Combine versions dispense with the large(ish) marine complement and have a number of adaptations applied to make duty less punishing on crews.  Discussions for purchase of Landmark class destroyers have resulted a small number of the over-produced vessels finding their way into Combine service as escorts for Carrier task groups, again with significant changes to the design at Combine yards to make them a better partner for the DCA's super-carrier forces.
The aid-package to the Ghost Bear controlled Rasalhague Dominion included hulls and training packages.  The ships themselves have Clan-spec weapons and armor laid over Lyran manufactured hulls.  Engineering work has already begun in the Dominion to design a domestically produced 'flagship' vessel less impractically large than the Leviathans Dreadnoughts that they lost during the short combat phase of the Commonwealth/Dominion conflict. A contract with Clan Snow Raven has boosted training numbers for Ghost Bear warship crews to fill seats on their new navy.
LCN training observers have noted a significant improvement in Ghost Bear's crew quality and equally significant improvements in the Dominion's ability to grasp deep-vacuum strategy.
The FWLN have expanded significantly.  Both with the purchase of Marsden II class cruisers, and bulk purchases of Sampan IV and IV* cutters to supplement their own domestically produced destroyer designs. As well as reactivation of yard capacity to produce their own domestic designs with improved technology.  Relations with NIOPS have improved significantly, especially after a FWLN task force suppressed a Marian offensive aimed at NIOPS in 3160.  The subsequent war with the Marian Hegemony is ongoing, with the FWLN demonstrating a grasp of Lyran-style "Neutralization warfare" against the bandit kingdom.  Nikol Marik's official stated position being "Peace will be maintained."  Bandit groups along the League's periphery are on notice, and noticing.  Meanwhile, the FWLN is building up quite a bank of experience and capability.
House Davion, the Federated Suns, has had perhaps the more bizarre turnaround, fielding what is in effect two navies, with the newer service outstripping the senior one both in impact, and prestige, in less than a decade.  While senior admirals in the FSN continue to cling to traditionalist doctrines and home-grown dogmas, including the insistence upon the 'Ram' designation for the Kentares class light escort carrier, as well as massive influxes of research funding into the 'Ramming Prow' device (which has, thus far, not proven to be particularly useful, nor proven to deliver potential uses outside of respected FedSuns naval circles). The "Patrol Force",  technically a nationalized militia adjunct to the AFFC, has proven to be extremely effective in dealing with piracy and in repelling an attempted Taurian attack on the Federated Suns border.
All without plowing a single ship into another ship.
Observers suggest that the AFFC/N will wind up much like the LCAF Transport Command, as the First Prince has personally strangled funding of dedicated superiority designs to the 'proper navy' in favor of expanded transport capability, while at the same time encouraging the 'dirty brownwater' Patrol Force's expansion with additional Kentares and Fox class Corvettes. Additional affords to acquire well as license purchase of unmodified Marsden II cruisers and Frederick Steiner class battleships to bulk up the Patrol Service's numbers and strength.
When confronted by this at a press conference, the First Prince shut down discussion with the statement "They get results."
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