SotU3 Chpt 24

=Chapter 24=
==State of the Union - Book 3==
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New Hanover, Arc-Royal
Donegal Province, Federated Commonwealth
November 30th, 3067
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Daniel Holstein had never thought that he’d look back on prepping a hundred Mackies for the Fifth Royal Guards with nostalgia - but now he and his father faced an even more demanding schedule. They at least had the Arc-Royal MechWorks and the facilities in Wolf City to support them rather than using half-improvised ‘Mech bays, which put them ahead of their naval comrades.
But it would help if they didn’t have to spend time in meetings like this, rather than getting on with the work at hand.
“We cannot possibly repair the Full Moon here.” the Star Admiral reported. He was new to his rank, promoted to replace the officer who had commanded the Werewolf’s suicidal defense of New Exford’s nadir jump point while evacuation was taking place. “We were incredibly lucky that the jump drive itself wasn’t damaged or we’d have lost all that remains of Alpha Galaxy.” 
The Full Moon’s twenty five dropship collars had been vital to transporting the strike force there in the first place. The Potemkin-class troop cruiser had more lift capacity than anything else known in the history of mankind, but it was also a single point of failure.
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“We can patch the armor.” the man - for the life of him, Daniel couldn’t remember his name - continued. “But the in-system drive and the weapons are too badly damaged.”
“Could they be repaired at Odessa?” asked Khan Phelan Kell in a quiet voice. The defeat on New Exford had left him… not subdued, not exactly. But he rarely raised his voice and the look in his eyes deterred anyone from speaking to the Khan at length - except perhaps Ranna Kerensky. Unfortunately the commander of the Fourth Wolf Guards was still recovering from the loss of her leg. It would be weeks before she left the hospital and several months before she was fit to return to duty.
The Star Admiral hesitated. “It seems probable. It was a Star League era facility, I am unsure if the facilities can manage a vessel of the Full Moon’s size.”
“It can.” Colonel Allard declared confidently. “We know that at least one SLDF battleship was repaired there in the past.”
Phelan nodded and then turned to another office. “Kristen Carns.”
The commander of Omega Galaxy straightened. “My Khan.”
“Prepare the survivors of your Keshik and of the Third and Fourth Wolf Guardians. Your command will be travelling to Odessa with the Full Moon.”
She stiffened at the prospect of departing. “Sir, we will be ready to fight again within weeks.”
Kell turned his gaze upon the woman and waited until she lowered his gaze, saying nothing until she did. “Our sibkos and our gene-stores will be sent to Odessa aboard the Full Moon. If the worst happens, I will rely upon you to rebuild our Clan.”
Carns swallowed and then nodded in acquiescence.
“With our corvettes picketing Hamilton, I cannot spare any other warships for escorts.” the Khan added regretfully. The Vincent-class corvettes Valiant and Killing Blow lay in wait at the nadir point, while the newer Fox-class ships Kerlin Ward and Natasha Kerensky were guarding the zenith point. When Vladimir Ward struck at the one system between him and Arc-Royal, their orders were to do all the damage they could, before jumping back to Arc-Royal. The planet’s militia would be on their own after that - fighting on New Exford had cost Clan Wolf and the Kell Hounds too much for them to provide further reinforcements. Even the AFFC was overstretched - and bluntly, there was nothing on Hamilton important enough to hazard the forces in range. The world could be retaken and its populace liberated if Vladimir Ward was stopped.
“Will the Archon-Prince allow us the use of the yards?” asked Marco Hall.
“Would you rather I ask Vlad for the use of Star’s End?” Phelan demanded of his saKhan, voice low and threatening. “Although they cannot manage a vessel of this size either, so we would have to appeal to…” He paused and sighed, moderating his tone. “That was undeserved, Marco. My apologies. Peter will support us because we are his allies. The Full Moon may need to wait for use of the yards but he will see the advantage of carrying out the repairs.”
Relaxing perceptibly at the apology, saKhan Hall glanced at Kristen Carns. “May I bid your First and Second Guardians Clusters as part of Beta Galaxy until your mission is complete?”
Daniel had expected one to be assigned to each of the two remaining Wolf Galaxies, but Carns agreed quickly and Phelan made no protest.
The addition of two intact clusters would bring Beta Galaxy up to something like full strength - the Second Wolf Legion had been destroyed outright on Pasig, while the Sixteenth Wolf Guards had been disbanded to rebuild the Second Wolf Strike Grenadiers after both Clusters were savaged on Graceland. Fortunately, the Grenadiers had been spared the worst of the fighting on New Exford.
Alpha Galaxy though…
“How are repairs going?” asked Phelan.
Daniel’s father looked up. “We’re cycling OmniMechs through the factories for major repairs and leaning heavily on dropships and other secondary facilities to get them refitted with payloads. Even so, it’ll be the better part of a month before we have them all ready - and six or eight weeks more before we get all the BattleMechs up to normal standards.”
“And if you lower your standards?” asked Dan Allard. The Mechwarrior was Daniel’s namesake and godfather, but they hadn’t spoken much since the return from New Exford - the younger Holstein had been busy working on the damaged ‘Mechs, while Allard had to handle the sudden bereavement of his command and his family: Morgan Kell had been his father-in-law as well as the founder of the Kell Hounds.
Clovis looked over at Daniel. “It depends how many corners we cut. Daniel?”
“We’ve already got the least damaged ‘Mechs back in service - those that were basically needing fresh armor.” he replied. “If we focus on key electronics, gyros, myomers and actuators then we could give you enough ‘Mechs for every remaining Kell Hound and Wolf warrior in… maybe four weeks. It’ll slow down actually repairing them fully though and we’d have to take some of the OmniMechs out of the queue.”
“Four weeks is much better than eight. I assume that we’ll employing more Inner Sphere ‘Mechs than Clan overall?” enquired Phelan.
“That as well as leaving actual defects unrepaired. We’d be ignoring damage to reactor shielding and cooling systems, as well as leaving damaged and destroyed weapons in place rather than replacing them.” Clovis told the Khan
“It’s better than no ‘Mechs at all.” General McCaffee pointed out. The Third Davion Guards had been held back to defend Arc-Royal, but now the Regimental Combat Team would be facing its first major test since the brutal losses they’d faced over Luzerne seven years before. “I doubt Hamilton’s militia will last more than a few days, so the Crusader Wolves could be here in four weeks - less if they were to bypass Hamilton. The question is... we haven’t stopped them anywhere yet. Cunningham’s Commandos are still holding out on Bountiful Harvest, but that’s the only world that’s not fallen entirely to Vladimir Ward, even if we took some back after he’d moved on.” She looked serious. “What are we doing wrong? And what can we do to fix that?”
Phelan Kell rested his hands on the table. “It is kind of you to say we, General. But this failing has not been that of the AFFC.”
Dan Allard looked about to speak, but Kell shook his head and silenced the older Mechwarrior with a glance. “Vlad’s Wolves are no longer our trothkin.” he declared. The other Wolves at the table paled. “Some share the bloodlines of our clan, but he has brought in rabid Crusaders from other Clans who do not see us in that light. This goes beyond the fact that only Delta Galaxy and Gamma Galaxy have fought us under zellbrigen at all, it borders on a desire to annihilate us. There have been reports that warriors taken as bondsmen by Ward or Radick’s galaxies are facing not only chemical interrogation and indoctrination, if they are to regain their warrior status they are required to fight each other to the death.”
Marcos Hall lowered his head. “Katya Kerensky is Loremaster. She would not…”
“Kerensky is Loremaster in name.” Phelan tapped the table with one knuckle. “In form, a Trial of Position meets the requirements of Clan law. I will say that we have no reports of warriors under her command requiring that bondsmen offer surkai just for daring to have been part of our Clan before they will even allow them to be recognized as Wolves under any definition. And even then, outside of her reach, it is said that any sign of Warden leanings is grounds to be stripped of warrior status, or simply forced into a Trial of Grievance on unfavorable terms.”
“She could seize on your father’s death - it is dishonorable.” Kristen Carns looked up, expression hopeful. “Khan Ward himself rose to power avenging the death of Ulric Kerensky under such circumstances.”
Phelan bared his teeth and Daniel shivered. “Vlad claims that it was justifiable to use artillery against the ‘stealth armor’ that my father’s ‘Mech allegedly mounted and credits the kill to one of the two warriors that were fighting my father until the barrage. Rodham, if anyone knows him? His giftake has been selected for patrilineal use by Bloodhouse Ward as a reward. If there has been any public outcry, it is very muted.”
Marcos Hall grunted. “And there has been no gathering of the Clan Council to raise such matters, quineg?”
“Neg. Not even on New Exford where close to half the bloodnamed at his command are on one world. According to our few remaining contacts; Vladimir Ward calls us dezgra and chalcas, stirring up hatred of us among warriors who share our bloodlines. And thus his followers are fighting without any of the restraint that we have shown. They know that becoming our bondsmen would see them reaved from Clan Wolf and thus they are fighting to the death, accepting risks that we draw back on.”
He lifted his hand and slammed it down as a fist against the table. “We cannot sink to that level, not and be true to ourselves. But we have nowhere further to retreat to.” He looked around the table. “This is no longer just a war for our survival. It is a battle for Clan Wolf’s soul. If we fail, then you may as well find a new name for what remains, Kristen - because Clan Wolf will be condemned to the same path that consumed the Smoke Jaguars.”
Marco Hall nodded, and Daniel felt a chill as he saw the resolution on the Clan warrior’s face. “Then our lives are no longer a consideration.” the saKhan declared. “We must save them from themselves. No matter the price it demands of us.”
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