FSRB Chpt 200

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 200==
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May 3071Cat and Wolf
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===ComStar-Blakist War===
====Operation Harvest====
Even as the forces on Caph and Sirius continued their campaigns the AFFS High Command and with the First Prince's full approval launched Operation Harvest. Across multiple worlds the RCT's, regiments, conventional brigades and warships of the Federated Suns moved forward. While changes had been made due to the ComGuards already having launched their own operations and so Operation Harvest was no longer a finely tuned joint operation, the basics remained the same and as per the AFFS experiences in their recent wars against the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine the High Command had planned a general assault that took advantage of the large forces available in efforts to stretch the enemy troops thin and prevent them being able to counter attack in any great strength.
====ComStar difficult Actions====
At the same time as Operation Harvest was initiating, the ComGuard's continued their brutal fights on New Earth, Epsilon Eridani, Carver V and Bryant. With the full approval of Precentor Martial Focht these continuing battles were for administration purposes swept into the wider Operation Harvest. Focht was now the de'jure if not de'facto leader of Comstar, although he had delegated the civilian running of the organization to the remaining First Circuit while he concentrated on the military side. Surprisingly, no Interim-Primus was nominated, which was rumored to be at the Precentor Martial's request. Even as the First Circuit managed the day to day affairs of Comstar, the Precentor Martial continued to draw down the forces of the ComGuards 6th Army, until little more than a staff remained for administration of the handful of rear area troops remaining to the Army. Most of the troops of the 6th Army were rushed forward and diverted into the battle torn formations of the 1st & 4th Armies, although even the other three armies required replacement troops at an ever increasing rate. Some discussions were already being brought up about folding the 1st & 5th Armies together upon the completion of the New Earth campaign and even perhaps merging the 4th with either the 2nd or 3rd Armies, casualties had been so heavy. 
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===Duke of Kestrel call for Volunteers===
Duke Cunningham of Kestrel, unhappy with the heavy losses that his family's household unit. Having suffered and their enforced sidelining due to these, the Duke puts out a call in early May to the troops of his own Ducal Guard, Kestrel's Planetary Guard, the Kestrel CrMM, various Kestrel raised conventional regiments and any former retired officer of the Kestrel Grenadiers to rally to the colors to aid in the rebuilding of the historic and well regarded unit. While keen to add troops to the Grenadiers he is reluctant to water down their elite status and as such instructs those who will sift through the volunteers to only pick the very best. He would rather add only a single lance of high quality troops than flood his unit with two battalions of poor quality soldiers. Most Dukes wouldn't be given quite the leeway that Duke Xerxes Cunningham is by the High Command, but his proven loyalty, the services his house, and the Grenadiers have given the Federated Suns and House Davion and the sheer wealth and industrial power of the world of Kestrel has the High Command approve his call for volunteers. 
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===Nova Cats arrive at their new Home===
The first Clan Nova Cat convoys begin reaching the worlds picked out for them by Clan Sun Jaguars survey teams. Three worlds have been prepared, New Barcella, New Irece, and Nova Fiana. Each planet has been hand picked and since the FedSuns received confirmation of the Nova Cat's willingness to emigrate AFFS Engineering Battalions, civilian contractors and Sun Jaguar Technician and Laborer castes have worked night and day to prepare at least the basic housing that the Clan Nova Cat civilians and warriors will require. The 34th Avalon Hussars RCT on nearby New Haiti has also had elements of it's engineering forces working to help build settlements. None of these prefabricated settlements are exactly a metropolis or luxurious, but they are weather tight and a start has been made to agricultural regions on each world. For the time being these worlds are provisionally grouped within the Tortuga Combat Region for military administration purposes, but like the Sun Jaguar enclaves they have almost total local autonomy.
===New Semi-brigade begins Patrolling===
The Davion High Command also announces on the 14th of May that the two LCTs of the Messengers of Shiva demi-brigade have initiated their first combat operation under their new designation. They, along with two unnamed FedSuns Navy warships will be conducting anti-piracy sweeps of the Pirates Haven Cluster. Previously the AFFS had attempted to do this but the operation had been curtailed due to the outbreak of hostilities upon it's other borders requiring the troops which had been assigned to the mission, but this time the High Command is adamant that the anti-pirate sweep will continue. Not only continue, but expand. The 1st & 2nd Messengers of Shiva LCTs will undertake the first sweep. However, upon their completion, the 6th and 7th Avalon Borderer LCTs will take over and continue sweeping the surrounding area. When that is completed a further sweep will be undertaken by the 8th Avalon Borders LCT and the 12th Avalon Hussars RCT. Further operations will extend this policy across the entirety of the Outback. Piracy will not be tolerated upon the periphery border of the FedSuns. Left unsaid is that these sweeps will be valuable training for the green units currently assigned to this region.
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===Developments in Industry===
Achernar BattleMech's formally announce on the 29th of May that after extensive negotiations with a team from Clan Sun Jaguar's Merchant Caste and with the approval of both the First Prince and Khan they have entered into two separate business deals with Clan Sun Jaguar. The first is to provide all four of the Clan's current enclaves with the very latest civilian model City-VI class heavy fusion generators. These fusion generators are the very cutting edge of fusion technology, not merely copying the technologies of the Star League but surpassing them. They were developed with aid from NAIS and from Clan Sun Jaguars Scientist Caste and a single generator is capable of powering a city with over ten million people living in it - along with the industrial and economic annexes to said city. Clan Sun Jaguar for their aid in developing these heavy generators will be receiving at cost no less than ten of them and will be provided with an ongoing discount for any future purchases. In the meantime Achernar announces that it is offering to upgrade all existing City-V class heavy fusion generators to the new standard at a very generous rate as well as offering sales of the new VI class to any Federated Suns planet, company or organisation. Sales from foreign powers, governments, etc will of course be considered under the current export laws of the Federated Suns. At the same time Achernar also announces that it will be building two huge new industrial complexes for the express purposes of building the GTX2 Daedalus Class IndustrialMech in both it's standard variant and "navvy" variant. The first of these complexes will be as an annex of Achernar's planned complex on Tortuga while the second will be on New Huntress. The production of the plants will be split between Achernar and Clan Sun Jaguar. Demand for the Daedalus has massively outstripped Clan Sun Jaguar's ability to produce it and still maintain enough for their growing colonies. After having approached Princess Isis about this problem she had put them in touch with Paul LeBeau, CEO of Achernar BattleMechs - the discussions had clearly worked out well. Achernar's share index already high goes through the roof. 
New Independence Weaponry begins testing it's first prototypes of the Victor-O Assault Omnimech. The project is around 13 months old and to say the initial tests do not go well is something of an understatement. An arm falls off and the prototype loses its balance and falls down, cracking the gyro, requiring a complete rebuild and a reinforced gyro. Still the AFFS continues to have faith in the project and continues to support it. 
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===Trial of a Former Highlander===
On Northwind the trial of Loren Jaffray, former Colonel of the Northwind Hussars and Death Commando concludes. The panel consisting of the colonels of all five existing Northwind Highlanders regiments votes to convict him unanimously on charges of mutiny, desertion, theft, conduct unbecoming a Highlander, sedition, and a large number of lesser charges. He is stripped of his rank, citizenship of Northwind, and membership of the Northwind Highlanders. His name is removed from all military records pertaining to his service and the former battalion off Jaffray's Own is stripped from the honor rolls of the Highlanders. While some argue for imprisonment, Colonel Mulvaney convinces the court martial to instead to exile him for life from Northwind. He is to be taken to Kohler Spaceport and placed upon the first dropship that is due to leave the planet. Regardless of destination.
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===Death of a Legendary Leader===
Within the Draconis Combine the civil war while continuing to grind on has an almost pause when word comes from Luthien that Coordinator Theodore Kurita has committed ritual suicide as a way to atone for the defeats that the Combine has suffered under his leadership. His last recorded message to his people is dispatched from Luthien via HPG and jumpship and calls upon all "True Son's and Daughter's of the Dragon to unite behind his one true heir, Minoru Kurita". Even the most die hard Hohiro-loyalists find their resolve tested by this message and on most planets fighting dies down. 
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===The Clan Invasions of the Lyran Alliance===
On Arcturus, Khan Ward sallies out from Malcheema with his own Alpha Galaxy. He leaves Tamar Galaxy's two clusters along with Delta Galaxy's 1st Wolf Lancers as a garrison as he takes the field to finish this once and for all... With the Wolf Spirits now joining the hunt, Vlad is soon rewarded when Alpha's 3rd Wolf Battle Cluster and Beta's 13th Battle Cluster combine to flush the 20th Arcturan Guard RCT. The 20th finds itself hammered again and again by elite Wolf Clan warriors and is soon in a barely controlled retreat - with it's senior officer calling out for assistance from the other still hidden LAAF forces on planet. General of the Armies Adam Steiner is left with the difficult choice as May ends to either lead the rest of the Arcturan garrison to the relief of the 20th Arcturans or watch the unit die while he continues his game of cat and wolf until his warships arrive... 
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