MBMSFS Chpt 6

==Manufacturing a Blueprint for a More Stable Federated Suns‎‎ - Chapter 6 - - Planting Seeds -==
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===Showdown outside Cardif===
[Security Lieutenant Mitchel Sommers]
[Debilis Plains; Old Jolassa Weaponry Plant- 130km outside of Cardif]
[Bristol II, Bristol System; Federated Suns]
[April 23rd, 3027]
When Lieutenant Mitchel Sommers of the Corean Security Forces was selected for a hush-hush operation to potentially gather LosTech from an old bombed-out weapons factory he had been rather elated. His twenty-one years of service as a Mechwarrior in the AFFS had been rather low on activity, with the man having missed most of the action seen over the past thirty years simply because he either had interior postings or was shuffled to planets that had just been hit and needed replacement pilots. He had taken part in a grand total of two raids upon worlds in the Capellan March, and both times they were counter-raids to punish the Capellan dogs who moved their Heavy Metal elsewhere to raid somewhere on the FedSuns side of the border.
Both times his Centurion-CN9A ran through the Capellan military installations virtually uncontested outside of a few tanks and VTOLs, but his Autocannon-10 and LRM-10 Pack were able to swat the opposition down with little issue. The closest he came to defeat was when a swarm of Light Helicopters chewed up his back armor a bit with their singular Medium Lasers, but the benefit of working in a team was that while the enemy was shooting at you then your comrades could shoot at them.
 
Then after those two raids it was back to interior duties where he felt more than a bit useless, with his time split between training in the simulators and going to the live fire ranges whenever he had the opportunity. 
 
Even if his record was spotless and Annual Performance Reviews Exceptional, his lack of battle experience and only two measly BattleROMs meant that earning a promotion past Lieutenant as a Mechwarrior was slim to none. He could easily branch change over to the Logistics Corps, where his experience as a Mechwarrior would be a boon to any logistics units that serviced Mechs, but becoming a pencil pusher just wasn't something that excited him.
 
His units didn't even get the chance to participate in the first Operation GALAHAD training exercises either, so when the option came for him to get out so that he could settle down and find himself a wife... the Lieutenant felt that was the best path forward. 
 
He left the AFFS in June of 3026 and signed up to be a Mech Pilot with the Corean Enterprises Security Forces, where after six months of familiarization and training he was made a commanding officer of a Security Lance with two prototype Centurions and two prototype Blackjacks. Both of the 'Mechs had been upgraded with the company's new Autocannons, Missile Packs, and Medium Lasers, allowing for a few tons of armor, heatsinks, and ammunition to be put on board.
 
They even had upgraded targeting packages that were marginally better than what the current models were, but Major Willis assured them that once the CEO got a chance he would be really putting his nose to the grindstone for even better packages. The only thing he needed was time, because he had all of the wealth, intellect, and resources he would ever need.
 
So, fresh off of his training, and fresh off an assassination attempt on the CEO, Mitchel was surprised when Major Willis had selected him and his lance to act as a Security Team for a secretive expedition to the planet of Bristol. Which was both exciting and disheartening, because he'd just gotten back from his honeymoon with his wife, a rather comely woman his age who shared in his experiences as a person who strived for greatness but circumstances forced her into a path of mediocrity. Their shared experiences brought them closer together in commiseration despite him being a soldier and her being a career teacher; they were both middle-aged, marginally successful, and unhappy, yet... they managed to find a small slice of happiness in each other that made getting up in the morning that much easier.
 
There were no medals of valor, no accolades of merit, no certificates of achievement hanging on the walls of their modest New Avalon apartment yet... they found a solace in one another that they hadn't even known they needed until they found it. 
 
So when he was selected to lead this effort it was with a heavy heart that he informed his new wife that he would be gone for up to six months, but Becky, being the loving soul she was, recognized that this was an opportunity that he had been thirsting for ever since he became a Mechwarrior. A successful expedition like this? It could very well give him some of the glory he desired- if the CEO was putting together this expedition in the first place, then there must have been a degree of confidence that they would find something, right?
 
So Becky let him go, with a wan smile on her face and a kiss upon his lips.
 
 Though not without rocking his world the night before to make sure he knew what was waiting for him at home- Mechwarriors weren't known to be the most faithful sort, and with long spans of time spent on jumpships and dropships, the men and women were known to get amorous when the possibility of seeing someone again was very low. Not that Mitchel would, because he didn't think himself that sort of man, but she didn't know that, so he spent that night before his departure doing his best to assuage her worries.
 
 So their expedition, two Mule dropships and a freshly purchased Leopard- one purchased to replace the one lost carrying the previous CEO years before- hooked up to a Corean Merchant Class jumpship and made best possible speed toward Bristol II.
 
 Their arrival had been quiet, with their communication with the planet only extending pleasantries and confirming nationality codes, and they settled their three Dropships down near the bombed-out husk of the old Jolassa Weaponry plant that was a little further than 100 clicks outside of Cardiff- the capital of the planet. After the CBRN teams confirmed the site was cold, the radiation from the nuclear strikes centuries earlier properly dispersed, the excavation teams unlimbered themselves from Mules and a single Ferret VTOL aircraft took to the skies to start a more detailed aerial surveillance of the site.
 
Within a few days of their arrival, a detachment of APCs came by the dig site from the 33rd RCT to check up on them and verify they were who they said they were, and with Mitchel there, it was easy enough to dismount from his Centurion-C9A(C) and shoot the shit with the infantry boys who were there. They were on the horn back and forth with the Regimental Command, but getting further authentication as to their status was more than enough to mollify the local AFFS garrison; it wasn't like what they were doing was illegal, and even if they were infiltrators there wasn't much damage that could be done by a single lance of 'Mechs who were so far away from anything else. So after sticking around to talk shop for a few hours on the Leopard and get some coffee, the Lieutenant in charge of the Infantry Platoon that came out to investigate them packed up and returned to their garrison.
 
It took two and a half weeks of digging around and removing the rubble, but finally their Ground Mapping Teams- with sonic, radar, lidar, and other mapping technologies- managed to clear a direct path to what appeared on their scanners to be an underground bunker. 
 
 They had hit pay dirt, or what they hoped was pay dirt, as the structure was too thick to get a good reading on what was beneath it.
 
So they spent the week backtracing the borders of the underground structure until they came across a large collapsed structure near the outskirts of the compound, and there the ground teams found a large, sealed cargo elevator. After clearing out the rubble, they powered it up with a mobile fusion generator and cracked the security to get the lift up and running again, where down in the basement they found just what they were looking for.
 
The structure was a hardened underground logistics hangar, large enough to contain a whole Company of Fury Tanks, with plenty of spare parts, spare weapons- Gauss Rifles!- and spare battle computers to keep the vehicles operational for a great deal of time. Though while he wanted to salivate over the vehicles and weapons like everyone else, he, being the leader of the security team, was forced to accompany the techies into the offices inside the hardened hangar where they found a copy of the Jolassa Weaponry's system mainframe. They told him the data wasn't complete, with some of the logs badly fragmented, but one of the senior Corean engineers thought it would be enough to get them in the ballpark sooner rather than later- especially once Mister Corean got his hands on the information.
 
It felt a touch strange to hear the old engineer say something so positive about the CEO with such stalwart confidence, and it was only after chatting with the man about his boss' boss that he learned that Arthur Corean was an exceptionally bright individual. The lighter weapons on his Centurion that allowed him to carry extra armor, ammunition, and heat sinks were a product of his design, and the development cycle was exceptionally short! 
 
Mitchel was a Mechwarrior, not an engineer, so he didn't quite grasp much more from the conversation other than 'Very smart, makes good things fast', but that was enough for him.
 
He spent the next few weeks while they were moving all of their booty back to the Mules daydreaming about having a Gauss Rifle on his Centurion's arm versus the LiteMetal Autocannon-10. 
 
If he could make the AC/10 lighter and better, then he could do the same for the Gauss Rifle, right? 
During that time, however, the Ferret VTOL, their eyes in the sky, began noticing some movement on the outskirts of their perimeter. A few ground vehicles with some troops bearing the uniforms of the House Guards of Duke Rumbard, were snooping around when they had no reason to be. The AFFS had already cleared their presence, and they weren't breaking any laws either- their legal teams had been exceptionally thorough- so Lieutenant Mitchel Sommers decided that getting on the horn with the 33rd RCT from the command bridge of the Leopard was the best move he could make.
 
He informed the Colonel of their observations, and the Colonel assured him that he would reach out to his compatriots within the Ducal Guard to ascertain the purposes of their snooping. It wasn't as though they couldn't just ask- they were more than cordial with the AFFS detachment sent their way!
 
Still, he felt some strange tinglings within his gut, and like any good Mechwarrior he followed his instincts, using his rank to pull the plug on the operation while the techies and engineers were busy pulling down some of the intact mechanical waldos and other bits of infrastructure to fill their Mules' holds up since the greedy cargo Dropships easily swallowed the company of Fury Tanks and the spare parts for them.
It turned out to be the right play because within 48 hours of the snooping, just as the Mules were buttoning up their hulls and preparing for lift-off, a whole Combined Arms Company of the Ducal Guard descended upon their landing zone. A company of twelve mechs, a company of twelve tanks of assorted FedSuns variety, and a company of Heavy APCs with their Infantry platoons spread out and turned their weapons on them:
 
"Attention Corean Enterprises Expeditionary Group, I am Captain William Yularen; Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion of the 1st Ducal Guard of Bristol. This is a restriction area, and you are trespassing. Power down your dropships, your security 'Mechs, and prepare for your vessels to be boarded or you WILL be fired upon."
 
"Of course the fuckheads would show up when we've done all of the hard work," Spitball, the pilot of the other Centurion groused over the tightbeam, but a triple-click of Lieutenant Mitchel's mic cut off further chatter.
 
"Spread out among the rubble, Defensive Plan Charlie, make sure those weapons are on safe and your ROMs are recording. If anyone is going to fire a shot it will be them first; if they do, then try and go for mobility kills," Mitchel grunted into his lance-com before mentally flicking the switch to a broadband net.
 
"Attention, Captain Yularen, Bravo Company Commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Ducal Guards- can you read me on this band?"
 
"Aye, I read you five-by-five on this band." Came the calm reply.
 
Mitchel nodded to himself. Good, that meant they could hear him, and that meant that there would be no feigning of 'miscommunication' after the fact; his Battle ROM was capturing it all. He pinged the Leopard and used it as a relay to call the local AFFS units and 'phone them in' on the conversation. Only when he got a confirmation ping from the Leopard's communication crews did he continue.
 
"Excellent. I am Lieutenant Mitchel Sommers of the Corean Enterprises Expeditionary Group, flagged under the Jumpship Long Haul II. I am curious as to why you say we're in a restricted area; before we landed we asked the 'Tourism Board' where the no-go zones were, and this location was not on that roster. More to the point, we have been here for a full month and have had no issues with the 33rd RCT of the AFFS; in fact, they sent a detachment out for further verification, which we passed with flying colors. Yet we have seen your men poking about the last few days and it is only now, that we're packing up to leave, that you and your men arrive. It certainly sets the tone, don't you think?"
"Unfortunately, Lieutenant Sommers, I know nothing of that. I was given orders to detain a group of dropships that have been illegally squatting and excavating in a restricted area owned by the Jolassa Weaponry Corporation. As a member of the Ducal Guard, it is our duty and responsibility for us to take all credible threats to the economic security of the Bristol system seriously. Thusly, for the time being, until we ascertain the veracity of these claims and investigate them, you and your ships are to be detained until further notice."
 
The man at least had the courtesy to sound trite and a touch embarrassed at the situation.
 
<<"Lieutenant, if I may?">> Came a nasal voice, one of the small team of lawyers that they had brought along with them, <<"This sounds like it's time for me to do my job.">>
 
"By all means, Mister Wembildon, serenade the good Captain with the songs of your people," Lieutenant Mitchel shrugged his shoulders as he maneuvered his Centurion a few steps backward to give his Mech some better cover; sure, it cut off some of his LOS on some of the other Mechs, but his Magscan was functioning properly so he didn't lose track of them. He just wanted to reduce his profile so that the Ducal Guard Blackjack that was slowly maneuvering on their flank couldn't line up a better shot on him.
As much as he wanted to test the prowess of this updated Centurion design, he didn't want his targets to be fellow defenders of the Federated Suns.
 
Mitchel listened with half an ear as the lawyer spouted out a bunch of legalese that pretty much amounted to: <<'This is a LosTech prospecting operation, a legal one, and your attempts to snipe the finds are tantamount to piracy according to the law of the Federated Suns.'>>
"You make some salient points, Mister Wembildon, however, those points do not change the nature of my mission. I am to detain and board an operation that my Command, at this time, has reason to believe is being illegally conducted inside of a restricted area. If you cooperate and this whole situation turns out to be a misunderstanding then you will be allowed to carry on about your business."
 
"Which I would find reassuring, Captain Yularen, if the laws for LosTech prospecting weren't skewed towards, if you pardon the summation here, 'Possession being 9/10ths of the law'. If you detain us and board our Dropships and seize the finds we have painstakingly aquired, then we will have very little legal recourse within the courts. Corean Enterprises would be left holding the bag, which I am sure you can understand is unacceptable. Our landing permits were and are legal. We have the documentation to prove this, and if you were so inclined to step outside of your 'Mech and meet with me and the rest of the legal team we would be more than happy to discuss this like civilized men of the Federated Suns."
 
Lieutenant Mitchel watched the lead Rifleman's arms flow up and down, almost in tune with the groaning sigh from the Captain of the Ducal Guard, "I grow weary of this buffoonery. You will have sixty seconds to begin powering down all your systems or we will pop your Dropships, which the 1st Ducal Guard will not be held liable for as we are conducting a legally sanctioned law enforcement action."
 
The lawyer, however, was undeterred, //"The good Duke of Bristol might be able to bully smaller LosTech prospecting firms, but Corean Enterprises is not so easily cowed. Nor will Duke Corean be pleased to hear that one of his fellow nobles decided to damage his property. I once more urge you to reconsider your current course of action, because we have been authorized to defend our property with all necessary force. Loss of life or limb in defending Corean Enterprises property is not something that Corean Enterprises can be held liable for."\\
 
Mitchel was a touch surprised at the lawyer's moxy, something he approved of, but truth be told it wasn't the lawyer who was going to be facing down a company of Mechs, armor, and infantry. Or killing them.
 
"You have 30 seconds."
 
Lieutenant Mitchel sighed as he flicked the safety off on his weapon systems, "Alright boys and girls. Looks like we have our first scrap on our hands-"
 
"Actually, lads," Another voice came over the coms, "If I may interject myself into this situation before it devolves into needless violence?"
 
Mitchel flicked the safeties back on as he turned his Mech to track a lance of VTOLs flying toward their position at best possible speed. Once they were close enough to be seen by all parties they began to circle, well outside of weapons range but more than close enough for Comms to get through.
 
"Major Danvers, 3rd Battalion, 33rd RCT at your service. I just so happened to be in the area when I overheard your little tête-à-tête and I thought that before the shooting started I might as well throw my two pence in." 
 
Lieutenant Mitchel felt himself start to smile at just how jovial the Major sounded; it sounded like 'good news' to him. He was right to get the AFFS in the conversation as he did, because someone was in the area to rescue them.
 
"This is an internal security concern, Major Danvers; the AFFS has no dog in this fight. You may stay and observe as we detain these suspected lawbreakers, but may intervene no further," The Captain's voice was terse and voice clipped; did he not have a good relationship with the AFFS Major? Or was the simple intervention from the AFFS enough to get him hot under the collar?
 
"Oh ho! That is where you will be wrong, lad! You see, a few weeks ago the Ducal Guard reached out to both MIIO and the 33rd RCT to investigate this very expeditionary party, and on both ends, they turned up clean. They are who they say they are: a LosTech Prospecting expedition owned and operated by Corean Enterprises. Their documentation is legal, and according to the overarching prospecting laws their presence is also legal. The Duke has yet to file any sort of claim over this region, for whatever purposes, be it for civilian, military, or economic development, and he certainly hasn't put forth any paperwork to have it cordoned off as part of a LosTech prospecting operation. I would know, because I have one of the 33rd's esteemed JAG officers here with me, and he agrees!"
 
"As the Duke of Bristol, Duke Stephen Ducrimmon-Davion does not have to file permits to laim claim to anything within his realm! Nor does he need to have anything more than a suspicion of wrongdoing in order to affect a lawful detainment!"
 
"You are correct on one count, and only partially correct on another count, Captain Yularen. Duke Ducrimmon-Davion does not have to have anything more than a suspicion to affect a lawful detainment, but what he does have to do is file paperwork to prevent others from searching his lands for LosTech! Any LosTech recovered is all for the good of the realm, and if he wants to prevent the Realm, and the First Prince, from receiving his due, then he must file the proper paperwork to note that he suspects there might be LosTech within his realm, and that he is also actively searching for it! So, if there is some paperwork that might have gotten lost then you have no other option than to stand down while the AFFS and MIIO help the Duke find it. Which if you're here trying to detain them then you should have it on hand, yes? I would certainly hope so."
 
It took almost a full minute for the Captain to respond, "We will stand down and... await your arrival, Major Danvers."
 
"The Corean Security detail will stand down as well," Lieutenant Mitchel chimed in before adding, "I will have one of the dropship crews set up a tent in the middle ground with some refreshments and air-con so we're not baking in the sun while this whole mess is being sorted out."
 
"Capital! I look forward to seeing you 'gents in just a moment! Bring her down easy, Lieutentant!"
 
Lieutenant Mitchel did some mental math in his head before he decided against bringing his Centurion any closer to the proposed meeting site, "Captain Humbolt. If you would have a cart along with one of the lawyers and one of the engineers with us; please ensure they bring all of the relevant documentation. And have them come pick me up as well; I don't want to have to walk a click, not when it's this damn hot out."
 
"Understood, Lieutenant. I'll have them at your 'Mech in five minutes."
 
With that acknowledgment, the Security Chief flicked back over to the lance-comms, "Safeties back on if you haven't already, lads and lasses. Stay in your 'Mechs, cockpits sealed, but make yourselves comfortable. With the AFFS here I highly doubt we're going to be scalped of the find."
 
After seeing the flickering of three Green lights in the corner of his cockpit, the Mechwarrior powered down his Centurion and popped the seal on the hatch, the man thumbing the 'down arrow' on the controls next to the hatch to lower the chain-link ladder. He clicked his safety line to the steel wire next to it in case he experienced a slip- one only needed to see someone fall from a Battlemech once to never climb out without it- and began clambering down.
 
The moment his boots met scarred, melted ferrocrete the man pulled his helmet off and wished, not for the first time, that those cooling suits Corean was making would finish their trials so that they could start issuing them out.
 
Still, this wasn't too bad a way to put an end to a dangerous and potentially disastrous situation. He might even earn enough credit to get a promotion out of this ordeal a few years down the line- Steady with a cool head in stressful situations certainly sounded like an excellent bullet to add to his Mechwarrior profile.
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===Overcoming Bureaucracy===
[Arthur Corean]
[Fort Dryfus]
[Petrolia II, Petrolia System; Federated Suns]
[April 11th, 3027]
It had been little over a week since I landed on Petrolia II, and most of that week was spent inspecting my rapidly expanding, militarized spaceport and the beginnings of the temporary cantonment area for the 22nd Independent Special Tasks Group that was starting to take shape with the help of a handful of small, local construction companies. They couldn't help speed up the progress on the spaceport, not without the certifications and licenses, but they could certainly help put up plywood structures with tin roofs and dig a temporary waste lagoon for the latrines and showers. 
 
I had been a touch worried about there being a 'poo pond' near the base, but the Colonel assured me that once the Engineers were ready for more permanent housing a Waste Processing Unit would arrive to render the pit biologically inert, and would filter out chemicals before being dispersed into the surrounding landscape to settle into the soil.
 
That was during the day, but during the night I was hard at work with a few of the Mech Techs to put together a Frankenstein's monster that combined the Arrow's targeting computer to the Artemis FCS' and Streak-SRM's targeting computers. I had made all of the wiring harnesses myself and tied them all together using a pristine, new-in-the-box, Star League era Dalban Hi-Rez Target & Tracking system. It took me four days to kit-bash together a program using Star League coding that would allow for all four systems to communicate with one another, but while there was some latency as I was essentially running an emulator within a sandbox to get them all to chat at the same time... I was super pleased that it worked!
 
"Augh, that just hurts my eyes to even look at," Specialist Grade Four Winston, a well-seasoned Mech Tech with the 22nd ISTG, ran a hand over his face as he looked at the monstrosity before him.
 
I snorted, "Yeah, it's a bit of a brain bender, ain't it? The central wiring harness is like a goddamn Gordian knot- a veritable tesseract of interconnects around the central processing stack of the Hi-Rez."
 
"Well, she sure as shit ain't pretty, mate, but I gotta admit that seeing your work has both inspired me and made me ill at the same time; a true feat if there ever was one, as I thought I couldn't get any sicker than that time I had to stitch together the arms housings of a Blackjack onto the chassis of a Rifleman during the siege of Dai-Lang," Another of the Techies chirped, and another scoffed.
 
"No fuck'n way you did 'at, mate. Even if the arms could fit-"
 
"Da, I agree wif' Specialist Mench. No vay you got dat to v'ork-"
 
"Gentleman," I clapped my hands lightly, "We're getting side-tracked. I need you to take this beast and mount it onto one of the missile mechs and have them trot around with it. Target stuff. See if any problems crop up. My recommendation? Take the medium laser off a Valkiyre and remove the ton of ammunition. That way you can mount this to a sled no more than 250kg and slot it into place below the LRM-10. The adapter will fit the Series-7 Devastator 10-Pack, no problem."
 
"Uh, Duke Corean, we're not supposed to modify a Line-Mech... at least not without the proper authorization from Big AFFS," Specialist-4 Winston cleared his throat, "We'd need to have the Colonel sign off-"
 
"Duke Corean! It appears your meeting time with the leadership of Yubara has finally come," Salim Mustafa appeared in the tent 'Mech hangar with a bit of pep in his step, Colonel Richard B. Dryfus- the Armor Colonel in charge of this ISTG- following along behind him.
 
The MIIO Chief of Petrolia gave me a tight smile as he looked at the mess of equipment on a large shipping pallet, and the Colonel recoiled, "Good heavens! I'm not even a Mechwarrior and I'll say that thing is an abomination! What is it?"
 
I placed my hands on my hips and smiled broadly, "My good man, this is a proof-of-concept for a missile targeting package that combines the long-range tracking of an Arrow, the precision of an Artemis, and the sure-hit capabilities of a Streak... all in one very ugly and slightly functional package."
 
The man's lip curled, though it had the edge of a smile, "I trust that the final product will be much more appealing?"
 
"You do know who you're talking to, right, Colonel?" I jerked a thumb at myself, "I'm Arthur Corean, and like hell will I ever release a product that looks more fucked up than a Capellan whore's spanked ass. No, she'll be completely purpose-built, but while I'm here I might as well do some preliminary testing site-on-scene so that when I get back to my swanky labs, surrounded by all of my lab's wonderous fabrication capabilities, I can get this thing dressed up into something more fitting for a night on the town. A little black dress, if you'd be so inclined." 
 
Colonel Dryfus sniffed as he interlaced his fingers behind his back as he looked at the unholy three-way lovechild birthed by techno-satan himself, "Well, she doesn't have to look pretty, but if she wears it well then all the better, no? So what needs to be done to assist you in this endeavor?"
 
I easily relayed what needed to be done and he nodded, "This won't take one of my Line-Mechs out of the action, will it?"
 
I pushed my lab coat back with my thumbs and rested my hands on my hips, "Seven hours, tops. Two to remove the Medium Laser, 30 minutes for the LRM ammunition, an hour for the armor plating, and then double that to put it all back in place. The system is 'Service Side', so it only plugs into the current targeting computer inside the 'Mech, so you don't have to worry about any glitches in the VIPR package affecting the machine."
 
"Viper, huh? Already got a fancy little name for it already, hmm? Very well then, I'll sign off on it. It isn't like we have much else to do since we're on Low-Ready status and the temp-hangar here has already been set up and stocked," The RCT Commander nodded to his techies before turning to me, "Now, as Mister Salim has said, the meeting with the locals is set to commence soon, and it would be in poor taste if you were tardy, Duke Corean."
 
I nodded, "Right you are. Thank you for the reminder, Colonel. I best be off then."
 
Before I left, however, I handed off a data chit for the Spec-4 and his team that contained the relevant documentation for the nascent VIPR package as well as a list of tests to be performed by the pilot and some basic troubleshooting steps that I thought about as I put the system together. Also included was a recommended layout for the mounting sled so that nothing would touch and should fit inside a single slot on the Mech without issue.
 
No need to send them in blind, after all!
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===Meeting the residences===
[Arthur Corean]
[Yubara City]
[Petrolia II, Petrolia System; Federated Suns]
[April 11th, 3027]
It took roughly an hour to get to Yubara City in a Darter Scout Car, the armored ICE-powered vehicle traveling at a sedate 80 kph due to the freshly plowed dirt road that connected the town with Fort Dryfus.
Though it was called a 'city' it was more of a very large town, if that. 
 
It was roughly six kilometers in diameter from end to end, with ferrocrete roads that had been patched year after year with asphalt, and it was divided up into four sections with a primary, four-lane road running through each section. You had the administrative and business district where the short, three-story-at-most office builds were located, a residential district with a few large apartment buildings closer to the town's center but mainly grid-like suburban sprawl, a manufacturing district where a few small foundries and machine shops provided refined materials from a singular mining operation and a multitude of local products, and lastly was the agricultural district where the food processing plants and dry/cold storage were located. Fifteen kilometers outside of the city was where the single landing pad spaceport was located in a bit of a gorge, and it had a quad-lane ferrocrete road that was more patch than ferrocrete at this point.
 
It was plainly obvious that the conditions of the people living here were just one step above what was considered the norm for the Periphery, and that it was so close to the heart of the Federated Suns made my chest tight and heart burn in anger.
 
"Petrolia II is only a couple of jumps from New Avalon," I hissed to Salim as I stepped out of the back of the Scout Car along with the two squads of Infantry that would be serving as my escort, "This is barely better than any planet in the Outback."
 
"You knew that going into it, and yet you chose it anyway," He replied cooly as he let my anger wash over him without issue. 
 
"I- mhm, we are going to turn this place around, Salim. We're all going to turn this place around," I vowed as we moved through the parking lot at the City Hall and toward the double doors at the back of the small two-story building where a squad from the advance team was waiting for us.
 
I was surprised to see that there was a red carpet laid out for me, even if it was dusty and a bit threadbare, and it was stretched out over a wooden floor that looked like it had been a century since its last polishing. 
 
An elderly gentleman in an old three-piece suit was waiting out in front of the doors for me, the man dabbing at his brow with a handkerchief as the sun was just finally starting to set behind the mountains to our north and the cool breeze was blowing in, "Ah, my Lord Corean. It is a genuine pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance. I am Bob Wallace, the mayor of our fair city."
 
I gave the man a genial smile as I shook the proffered hand firmly, "Please, call me Arthur. You can call me 'Lord' or 'Duke' Corean when I do something to earn the title. For now, 'Arthur' will do just fine."
 
He nodded his head as he turned on his heel and strode inside with me following after him, "A sentiment that I'm certain that the people here will appreciate. We have been long-since forgotten by the whole of our nation for a very long time, you understand, so to suddenly find ourselves a noble who wishes to... support us- a Duke at that- it has left some feeling rather skeptical."
 
"Well, I find that a healthy dose of skepticism is something admirable to have in a people," I replied easily as I looked at the paintings on the walls of the hallway as we walked down it, "I'm a man of science, so unless I see hard evidence, numbers I can crunch and something tangible that I can put my hands on- unless we're talking hyperspace physics- then I will never believe anything someone tells me without first cross-examining them thoroughly."
 
"Something which I'm sure the leaders of the various enclaves will be more than happy to do," Mayor Bob stopped in front of a pair of double doors and turned to me, "Please... do bear in mind that we have had centuries of autonomy with distressingly little support and oversight from anyone above us. The Duchy of Sodus dispatches a tax collector yearly to take a tithe of grain and product, but as long as we pay that tithe we have been bothered little. The ruling families have grown used to having their way inside their little fiefs outside of Yubara, and they will likely not take too kindly to any strong-arming."
 
"I will of course do my best to not step on anyone's toes unduly, however, my duty is to uplift the Petrolia System and turn it into a gem that will rival New Avalon in its splendor," I gave the man a soft smile as I placed on hand over the other in front of my hips, "However, in order to accomplish this arduous task, our Fair and Just First Prince has given me the title and authority of a Duke. With all of the privileges and responsibilities that come with it. I will do what I feel I must do, and it will be handled legally in the manner I see fit. If that ruffles some feathers, then so be it, but I will not do so blindly nor without good reason."
 
The older gentleman looked at me consideringly with his black eyes before he exhaled and nodded, "Well, for the longest time the only thing we have ever wanted was to be remembered by the Federated Suns... and now that we have had our grandest wish come true..."
 
With that, the man walked inside, "Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention... it is my great pleasure to introduce to you our system's Duke, Lord Arthur Corean."
----
During my study of Petrolia II, taken from summaries from the small ten-man MIIO Branch Office, the planet had a population of just over 100,000 people. 40,000 were in Yubara City, 50,000 were spread out among twenty-four farming communities surrounding the city, and 10,000 were spread between three nomadic 'tribes' that wandered the primary continent following their Saturn Harvesters around. 
 
The tribes were the furthest out from normal civilization, usually following the herds of wild cattle that had escaped and began spreading as the planet lacked native predators outside of reptiles too small to prey upon them, and they used the massive mobile food processing plant to gather these cattle up, process them on scene, and then travel toward Yubara City to dump the meat off at one of the cold storage facilities in exchange for parts and sundry items. This has led to a sort of equilibrium between the 'Gypsy Tribes' and the more rooted farming families, though there was some deep-seated animosity between the two groups as various blood feuds that started centuries ago have persisted ever since. They didn't like each other, but for the most part, they needed each other- the Gypsies provided the meat while the farmers provided the grain, and the city provided the shipping and spare parts needed to keep their Harvesters running.
 
However, over the last few decades, the Star-League-era Agri-robots [Small Agricultural Robot] that once helped the various farming families maintain their ever-growing farmlands have grown fewer and fewer as lack of parts and disrepair culled those numbers of over a hundred to just three.
 
There were only three functional examples of the small Agri-robots left functional on the whole planet, and according to the write-ups they were more kit-bashed than the VIPR system I set up over the course of a few days with some power tools and a noteputer to code it. 
 
As to why this was an issue, outside of the huge drop-off in harvesting and planting, it has given the Gypsies a lot of hard political power over the farming families and the city of Yubara, as their Saturn Harvesters are the only ones capable of gathering the yearly harvests before they spoiled. 
 
Power that the current generation of Gypsie leadership was not afraid to abuse for their own ends. 
 
Allegedly abuse.
 
I needed to be impartial here. Even if the MIIO observers seemingly did a good enough job of keeping track of the local events from an outsider's perspective. The Agents were routinely rotated out every few years to prevent attachment, and if an Agent took a local husband or wife they were immediately shifted out to prevent their spouse from coloring their perspectives; something that Salim told me often made the men and women of MIIO desirable enough to chase after by the local boys and girls who wanted off of their small, backwater planet.
 
According to him, it was pretty easy to pull here...
 
And I'm digressing.
 
So there were three factions that I'd have to learn more about- the Yubara City Faction, the Families faction, and the Gypsie faction.
 
"-I have rescinded the claims to my sister's domains in Augusta, and I hold no titles on New Avalon, so my blood and the blood of my blood will call Petrolia II its home- now and forever more."
 
Given that the Gypsies were nowhere near the city, the town hall was currently filled with fifty-five people, the maximum safe capacity for the small room with an elevated stage. A holo-cam from the local news team was in the back of the room, the eight-person station piping the feed to the homes and apartments in the city while they sent another feed to the Class B HPG who bounced it off the handful of still functional communications satellites who then beamed the feed to the various enclaves and the three Gypsie tribes.
 
"-all of my wit and will are going to be focused on improving this world and the others within it. We will undergo a dramatic transformation that will see us rise above our status as a backwater and into one of the wealthiest, most successful, most well-educated worlds within the Federated Suns."
 
Business owners, a few representatives from the local neighborhood associations, and a handful of representatives from each of the families along with the City Mayoral Board were in attendance. 
 
"-we will be well defended not only by the brave men and women of the AFFS, but I will also stand up a Ducal Guard of which the likes of the Inner Sphere has never seen... not since the glory days of the Star League. It will take time to gain the size and experience, which will require us to expand and grow our populations through having children and immigration, but we will be the best equipped Self-Defense Force to ever grace the Federated Suns."
 
Notably, the Gypsies were nowhere to be found. 
 
"-and with my family's company, Corean Enterprises, we will see to it that not only will our fields be plowed and maintained by the best equipment, but new schools and a technical university will be founded so that the education needed for higher paying jobs is within our grasp. With the construction of the Corean branch here, Jumpship and Dropship traffic will shoot through the roof, drastically lowering prices for goods and increasing selection. Within a decade we will have more choice than ever before and your wallets will feel far fatter, of that, I can promise you."
 
Even though I made sure that they were extended an invitation to come and meet with me.
 
"-and so, people of Petrolia II, for far too long you have been without notice and without a voice, but know that I will now be your voice on the grander stage of the Federated Suns. For far too long you have been without aid. Know that I will be the one to extend that hand. For far too long you have been without industry and meaningful, rewarding, and lucrative work, so know that I will bring that here for you."
 
I stared at the blinking light of the camera as I ran through the last few lines of my pre-prepared speech that I spent the last few months agonizing over, "It will not be easy. Though just as the honorable John F. Kennedy, Terran President of the United States of America, once said: 'We do not do what we do because it is easy, we do what we must do because it is hard. In these trying times we must ask not what our country can do for you, but what you can do for your country'."
 
I gave the camera a sideways smile, "Our planet and system is going to go through some major changes in the near future. We are going to go beyond our current meager subsistence to levels of comfort that the people of New Avalon will enjoy. We will have the greatest plot of industry in the entirety of the Federated Suns that will produce the choicest equipment for the nation, and that will bring jobs with outstanding pay and opportunity. It will not be easy, as education is a key component in working even the simplest of factories, something I'm sure my friends who own businesses in the manufacturing district know quite well, and it will take not only a group effort, but an individual effort to see us all lifted up to become something far greater than we once were."
 
I turned my expression serious, my brow creasing and lips going flat as I stared into the camera, "Centuries ago you and your forefathers were promised a grand future, but Amaris the Usurper's selfish plot to seize power over the Star League ruined that for all of you. Then the SLDF, who were supposed to shepherd and protect your system abandoned you. And unfortunately, the Federated Suns had to turn its eyes away from you as it was beset upon from all sides- both the Snakes and the Cappies lusting over the planets of the Suns and her people. This has unfortunately made you a blindspot, an Unseen world, but know that this changes now. I see you, people of Petrolia. I hear you. It will take time, commitment, and understanding, but I have 110% confidence that if we work together, support each other, and build a proper foundation we can and will become the envy of the Federated Suns."
 
 I slowly relaxed my shoulders as I nodded to the camera crew, "Thank you all so very much for listening, I will now be taking questions from everyone here in attendance."
----
"-if we are to make good on our winter harvest come December then we're going to need more Agri-robots! Eh, uhm, my Lord." The wizened old woman wearing a kerchief around her head cleared her throat, "Apologies. Not so used to chatting with genuine nobility."
 
Old Klara Humdinger was the matriarch of the Red Stone farming enclave in the rocky lands to the north, their primary crop was a strain of red grapes that paradoxically grew rather well in the cool, dry climates near the mountains. However, with the recent death of their last Agri-bot a few months back, they found themselves very shorthanded, and the Gypsies had long since made it a point to avoid their territory.
 
"Not a problem, ma'am, chatting with you has been quite a treat. You wouldn't imagine how droll boardroom meetings can be; this? This is a very nice change of pace, to be perfectly honest. Though not to worry, Corean is on the case. I'll take a look at the boneyard, which is where all of the currently out-of-service Agri-robots are stored, yes? Then I'll ask to look at the currently functional Agri-robots in the hands of the Blackhawk and Turnriver families to do a little comparing and contrasting. I have a dropship coming in-bound in a few weeks that should have some rudimentary machining on board, and I'll whip up some replacement components and get those I can back in action."
 
The old woman blinked in surprise, "You think that you can get some of them working again? We've... well to be fair, we've been patching them over and over again since we got them almost three centuries ago. Even with a dropship's machining facilities if you can get two or three back up and operational that would be a miracle in itself."
 
"It will be a team effort," I looked toward the lone engineering college professor who ran the meager technical college on the planet- what passed for a technical college anyway, "I'll be relying on Professor Collier and his intrepid students who know these machines inside and out to give me a hand."
 
The middle-aged man, a mid-level engineer who left General Motors after a bit of fall out with the senior managers, looked surprised before he adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses, "W-we here at the Collier Technical College would be h-happy to assist, Duke Corean!"
 
I looked back to the old woman and smiled, "So it seems my first true issue to see to will be one we take together. Does that answer your concerns?"
 
"Yes, it does, thank you Mister Corean. I look forward to seeing your work," The old woman smiled and got up before another farmer enclave leader sat down in her place across from me.
 
"Henry Sanders, from the Turnriver collection of families, Mister Corean," He offered his hand, which was rather dusty and dirty, and I took it while giving him a firm shake. His eyebrows rose up in surprise, and I smirked.
 
"I'm a tech just as much as I'm an engineer, and that means being covered in oils and lubricants so messy it takes barrels of solvents to get off. So a little dirt isn't much to me."
 
He nodded, "Well at least our lord ain't squeamish about a little dirt, so that's an excellent start. Though, to follow up on Miss Humdinger's concerns, you said that you wished to examine our family's lone, functional Agri-robot. What exactly is that going to entail? We can't afford to see it damaged as we're in no better position than the rest of the farmers, and after what the Gypsies pulled last time in our territory we're not too keen on letting them in. Even if it means losing out on some of our harvest."
 
"Well, it will be me simply making a copy of its computer systems, getting good diagrams of its inner workings, build schematics, and reference how the tool systems are attached. I don't believe everyone has the same models, as there were hundreds of different companies manufacturing Agri-robots during the height of the Star League, but ultimately they'll function somewhat alike. There are only so many ways you can code an algorithm to link up with visual cameras to follow planted rows and harvest," I interlaced my fingers over my crossed knee, "After I have a good enough idea as to how the operational robots function, I can start an analysis on the ones in the boneyard, cataloging repairs made, where and how many of them were done. Structural patches and the like. View the frames and see how they were stressed and how they were repaired. It will be a pretty big undertaking, but I have millions of employees within Corean who are willing to travel with me through hell itself, so I'll have enough hands... on hand... to assist me in designing a brand-new Agri-robot. Which is where you, Mister Sanders-"
 
I pointed to him and the other farmers in the seats. 
 
"-and the rest of your compatriots in the trade of farming will help me. You have centuries of accumulated experience in tilling the soil and reaping its bounty, and you all no doubt have many keen insights into what makes a good Agri-robot good, and what doesn't. Is it better to have an Agri-robot that only does one job exceptionally well? Or does a multi-purpose Agri-robot that does every job 'well enough' fit the bill? What tool heads- threshers, tillers, diggers, scrapers- do you want to see? How does function and utility work together with form, and how much should it cost to produce?"
 
I let the man mull that over as I turned my eyes to the crowd, "I am many things. A scholar. A scientist. An engineer. A builder. But I am not a farmer, so I will be relying on you all to give me the best advice possible so that Corean Enterprises can build the best Agri-robots possible."
 
The farmer leaned back in his chair, "I think... we all can work with that. The real question is how long do you think it will take? Most of us have harvests that need to be seen to..."
 
"I will make a grand bet," I leaned forward and smiled as more than a few interested gasps rose up from the crowd, "Provided everyone here helps to the best of their ability, I bet I can have a solid Agri-robot design from Corean's factories on New Avalon to your fields in 12 months flat. Travel time included. However, I need solid information, as factual as possible. I need you all to come up with some great ideas as to how we can cram as many features for good value as we can into design as possible. A general, multi-purpose Agri-robot with no common parts with military vehicles or 'Mechs to prevent cannibalization of your future Robots will be key. However, I'll do my part, and if you do yours then we will have a brand new 'bot on Petrolia II by this very day next year."
 
I blinked, "Though that's more a statement more than anything else. In order to make it a bet... if I can't get that to you in 12 months, I will cover every last Pound of losses from the harvest out of my own pocket."
 
I straightened my back and looked toward the crowd and then the camera, "So, in the short term I will be focusing on getting as many Agri-robots up and running as I can, and in the long term I will be hard at work with your assistance to come up with a robust, inexpensive, and dependable design for an Agri-robot. Are we in agreement?"
 
My hand came out back toward Mister Sanders to shake, and when the man gave me a wry smile and spat in his hand, I smiled, spat in my own hand and we shook.
 
Filthy bastard. He has guts though.
 
As he stood up another person sat down to take his place.
 
Were they expecting me to answer questions from everyone? Shit. We'll be here all night long.
 
I really want to know how the VIPR install is going though, you guys!
----
===Welcoming the Returning Heroes===
[Arthur Corean]
[Yubara City]
[Petrolia II, Petrolia System; Federated Suns]
[June 13th, 3027]
It had been little more than a month since I started working on the Corean Multipurpose Agricultural Robot program, or the MAR-bot, as the locals liked to call it. 
 
I got the local human resources firm to give me a good list of candidates who could help me set up a small program, mainly people who could collate lists, facts, and figures for me. They needed to be able to read and write, which most did, and have some basic arithmetic ability, which all of the candidates did. Their primary job was to interact with the forty-seven technical school students who were all working day and night in the boneyard to catalog the seventeen different flavors of Agri-robot the planet once had running before the fall of the Star League. 
 
There were 107 Agri-robots in the boneyard, but they were all lined up nice and neat, and looked more like a military vehicle park than a graveyard. Though given the importance and reverence these people had for their machines I could see why they did what they did- even if they weren't Mechwarriors, Metal just seemed to have more weight than Meat.
 
I immediately had the like-machines from the same model and manufacturer grouped up, and I wasn't surprised to see that every one of them was missing a lot of parts. The Acrux Agricultural Tiller was the most common small Agri-robot in the stable, with more than half of the dead in the boneyard using its tracked design, but it was also the one most cannibalized; thankfully it was also two of the three still functional Agri-robots, so I had two examples to pull apart and map out from start to finish. 
 
I wasn't expecting my first advanced team dropship from Corean to arrive until late August, so when the Bristol Expeditionary Team landed on the planet today... I left the offices early and reluctantly canceled my evening meeting with the Collier Technical College team.
 
This was something I had to see for myself!
 
That and I now had the Mule and Leopard dropships here, so I could make full use of their Mech-grade machine shops to make parts for the Agri-robots so I didn't have to even think about asking the AFFS to help me with my personal bet. Sure, I'd be delaying their return for a few more weeks, but hey, I was the boss, and I'd make sure they got an extra fat paycheck as well as 30 days of paid vacation plus lodging to where ever the fuck they wanted to go on New Avalon. 
 
If they wanted to spend 30 nights at the Davion Diamond Hotel in the Penthouse Suite? I'd fucking pay for it. 5,000 Pounds a night? Too fucking easy, because these beautiful bastards brought me those Fury tanks and everything else that came with them. 
 
The moment those dropship doors dropped and I saw their smiling faces I couldn't stop myself from running up the ramp to see a small taste of the bounty within.
 
"YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARDS!" I crowed out, "YOU FUCKING DID IT!"
 
I looked over my shoulder as I grabbed onto the two nearest crewmembers and danced around, "Salim! Have someone run into town and find the best wine or bubbly or whatever the hell we got, because we're going to celebrate-!"
 
However, my enthusiasm dropped like a stone as I suddenly remembered there was an HPG here, a Class B. "-Here! We're going to celebrate here. Quietly. Full 'Lips are Sealed' protocols. Though if you want to go into town and have a kick-ass steak, then food and drinks are on me, boys and girls. Just... do tell whatever story it is you practiced beforehand so everyone matches."
 
"Of course, Mister Corean," I turned around to see Lieutenant Mitchel Sommers- man, my memory is awesome, never forget a name or face, "I think we've all run through the cover story so many times we can tell the most bombastic versions of the tale in our sleep. However, there was a complication involving Duke and his guard..."
 
I could hear the still-warm hull of the Mule dropship snapping and popping as I released the two beleaguered dropship technicians, "Take me to the Captain, and then tell me everything."
----
"That mother fucker," I hissed as I stood up, "I don't give a flying fuck if his last name has 'Davion' tacked on, if that son of a bitch thinks he can try and snipe me and mine then he has another thing coming! I will fucking ruin him."
 
 "Now, now, let's not be too hasty, though I'm certain that Colonel Dryfus and myself," Salim Mustafa gestured toward the Colonel, who I thought should be included in the conversation since the incident in question did involve the AFFS, "Will be more than happy to get the official reports... and the not-so-official reports. So there isn't any need to for you to 'ruin' anyone. Let alone a member of the First Prince's extended family. If ruining is to be done then allow the First Prince to do said ruining."
 
I inhaled deeply as I slowed my pacing, and I took a seat between him and Colonel Dryfus, though my ire only shot back up once one of my Crack-Team lawyers adjusted his glasses, "Uh, actually, Mister Corean should be expecting paperwork for a lawsuit from Duke Stephen Ducrimmon-Davion and Jolassa Weaponry for theft... and corporate espionage... so... yeah..."
 
I smiled. 
 
For some reason, however, everyone seemed to look rather afraid; even Salim looked like I had just turned into some B-list Hollywood monster.
 
"Captain Adamas," I turned my attention to the Captain of the Mule dropship Big Bertha, "Your CBRN team surveyed the site, yeah? How long has the area been cold enough for safe exploration? Without a Rad Suit?"
 
The Latin woman blinked before she began typing away at the terminal in front of her- this was the ready room for the dropship- and she began speaking as a few readouts and copies of digital paperwork were thrown up on the holotank, "I can tell you, Mister Corean, that the Jolassa Weaponry site has been cold enough for manned exploration for at least 50 years. With a low-level Rad Suit? 95 years, easily. Any good CBRN or Survey team could tell you the same."
 
"And now the question becomes: Why did they not excavate the site and reclaim the LosTech as soon as it became cold enough to do so? Surely Duke Stephen Ducrimmon-Davion and Jolassa Weaponry had enough liquid capital on hand to reclaim relics of the planet's past, right? They must have known that the underground hangar existed and were just waiting for the right moment to reclaim it, no?" I ran my hand along my chin, "And that right moment just to happened to be when my Team dug it up for them. Then they tried to detain, arrest, and defame my people and my Corporation."
 
I let my head bob up and down before I regarded Salim, "I will graciously let the Prince handle his kin how he sees fit, but I ask that what happens in the courts... stay in the courts. If the Duke wishes to come at me, then he better come correct, because I will come with everything I've got, along with the official and 'Unofficially Official' reports. I expect that the AFFS and MIIO will do the right thing and selectively de-classify whatever recordings and transcripts they have for a judge with suitable clearances?"
 
The MIIO Head gave me a plastic smile, "I cannot hope to know what the Head Office will do, and I'm sure that Colonel Dryfus will say the same thing... however, it appears as though by being poor sports Duke Ducrimmon-Davion and Jolassa Weaponry have challenged to you in an arena where no one can protect them but themselves."
 
I arched an eyebrow, "I hope you're not insinuating that MIIO or the AFFS would protect the good Duke from making his own fuck-ups..."
 
"Hah-hem," Colonel Dryfus tapped his knuckles on the table and leaned forward, "I highly doubt that is what Mister Mustafa is getting at, Duke Corean. I think what he means to say is that this... discovery is a national secret, to be wrapped up tightly until the First Prince decides otherwise. Following through on a lawsuit would... certainly put that in jeopardy, even if Prince Davion were to authorize the Classified Courts for a clearly civilian, corporate matter."
 
I nodded, "I don't hold either of you, MIIO, or the AFFS responsible for this debacle. If anything it was only thanks to the efforts of the 33rd RCT and the Bristol Branch of MIIO that we didn't either have our find stolen from us... or send hundreds of the Ducal Guard to their deaths because their liege decided to utilize his House Troops to commit a heinous crime. However, if this lawsuit does come through, then the Duke will be accusing me and Corean Enterprises of serious crimes, and we will be forced to defend ourselves with all of the viciousness our legal department can muster. Because it wasn't us who committed the crimes, it was them. LosTech sniping is for Periphery pirates, not one Duke to another."
 
I snorted, "You want to know what the funny part about all of this is?"
 
I let my eyes drift around to all in attendance, "After I had managed to reverse engineer everything I was going to gift it all back to them free of charge. Jolassa Weaponry as it exists now is a shell corporation. It has less than 50 employees and manufactures no goods. They live on paper and that is about it. I was going to give them everything I took from that factory and more. Yet now? Now they can go choke on the Dragon's cock because like fucking hell am I going to invest Corean money into Bristol. They can sit on it and spin for all I care."
 
Seriously, fuck those guys. 
 
Could the Federated Suns please not show me that they're not all so different from the rest of the Inner Sphere? I am really loving this place and I'd hate to get the urge to fuck off like Kerensky into the great unknown...
 
I blinked, before snapping my fingers at the Senior Engineer on board the Big Bertha, "Oh, speaking of which, Mister Denton, before I forget, I'm going to need to borrow you and your engineering team. We're rebuilding some Agri-robots, and I could use your team's input on designing new ones. So it's safe to say that you guys will be delayed for a while, until August but-! But! Triple pay, plus an additional 30 days paid vacation, all expenses paid for you and your families to anywhere on New Avalon when you guys get home. You really pulled in clutch here, and I want you to know that Corean Enterprises thanks you for your sacrifice with not only some extra cash, but some quality time with your loved ones."
 
That got everyone to perk up quite a bit.
 
"Now, who wants to go gush over some heavy weaponry? Because I sure do."
 
It made me happy to go down into the cargo hold of the Mule and look at the spiffingly new, pristine condition Star League-era Tanks and marvel at just how fucking useless it was.
 
80 tons for a single Gauss Rifle.
 
This Nirasaki-Whateverthefuckthenumberis battle computer better be worth it!
 
Spoiler alert: It totally was.
 
In fact, this find would help push me forward a bunch in a lot of different programs, I'd just have to wait until I could get back to my lab to fully enjoy it.
 
For now, though, I had fun gushing over the cool shit that I'd be tearing apart in the future while running the numbers in my head as to how I could get as many Agri-robots back up and running with the resources at my disposal.
 
I also needed to send a message to my sisters... and my brother. 
 
So much to do, so little time. Such is life when you're a responsible man.
----
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