FSRB Chpt 34

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 34==
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June 3064Trouble looms
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===FedSuns/ComStar Deal Disputes===
Near the start of June the Precentor Martial put the revised offer from the First Prince before the Primus and the First Circuit. To say that the offer wasn't greeted warmly would be an understatement. Many wished to roundly reject the upstart prince who was making further demands. However the Focht himself argues strongly that the Primus accept the deal as it is offered. Simply put, they will not get a better one from anyone else. The Lyran Alliance is chaos, the Free World's League is in bed with the WOB, the Capellan's industrial production is in tatters after the Davion reprisals and in any event doesn't have the depth they need, the Draconis Combine is likewise struggling to rebuild the DCMS without Marduk's production and the other member states are too small and don't have the industrial capacity to meet the ComGuard's needs. Frankly if they are to get the variety of designs they require then they must deal with the Federated Suns. With the Precentor Martial recommending the deal the Primus (herself a sceptic) passes the agreement with the reluctant agreement of the First Circuit. However when it is formally announced it will cause denouncements from the Capellan Confederation, Draconis Combine and Free Worlds League as well as many members of Comstar. A number of disaffected members who feel that the Primus and Precentor Martial are selling Comstar to the Davion's will over the rest of 3064 defect to the WOB. However Precentor New Avalon will sign the trade agreement on the Primus's behalf after travelling to Robinson to meet with the First Prince. 
===Tortuga Breaks===
On Tortuga, a break out from the prisoner camps/jails that holds the majority of the captured pirates fails miserably. Helping in putting down the break out is a militia unit drawn from former slaves and peon's of the pirates. While most feel that the militia's unit response was "over zealous" they are given a formal commendation for their swift response officially. 
===Mercenary Units of the FedSuns===
During June, the Arcadian and Federated Freemen come to the conclusion that they will take up the First Prince's offer. However elements of the two units will, while insisting they remain loyal to their employer, wish to retain their mercenary status. This is resolved by having both units mercenary elements combine into a new mercenary formation - the 1st Federated Arcadians. This force will be roughly 5 companies in strength but will be promised support in expanding to regimental strength from the AFFS. 
In the meantime the bulk of the Federated Freemen accept joining the AFFS as the 2nd Federated Suns Armored Cavalry. The first step for the AFFS to bring the new regiment up to strength will be to begin upgrading it to include the battle armor and 2 aerospace wings that are now standard for a FSAC unit. The Federated Freemens existing 1st Federated Auxiliary's 2 battalions of armor will be upgraded to a full regiment in line with this upgrade, and will be allowed to keep it's existing name. Colonel Xavier Pelt will immedietly be promoted to Leftenant General and promised that as soon as his regiment reaches full strength (it is hovering around 8 companies after 3 companies joined the 1st Federated Arcadian's) it will be in line to be upgraded to a reinforced regiment. This process will however take time as the High Command is keen to retain the 2nd FSAC's veteran status. 
The Arcadians although tempted to join the ranks of the Dragonlords Brigade eventually opt for requesting to be made an Independent Command. Brigadier (soon to be Leftenant General) Michael Penn is informed this request is entirely satisfactory. His unit will henceforth be the 1st Arcadian's and will if he so wishes be upgraded to a full RCT. This will be built up around their existing supporting forces, with only the infantry brigade being a new formation as at the present time the units infantry assets are included within the 8843rd armored Regiment. He is also promised that like the Kestrel Grenadiers his unit will be listed as a reinforced regiment. At the current time his command is hovering at 90% of a full regiment or 75% of a reinforced regiment. A handful of transfers would bring this up to 80% of his full strength. 
The Lexington Combat Group's debates continue although a general consensus seems to be growing to take up the First Princes's offer. As the proponents of this plan argue they are already almost a house regiment anyway and this will allow them merely to acknowledge this while gaining the full support of the AFFS and Federated Suns. There is a definite feeling that they should request to form a new combat brigade, with one minor addition to Prince Victor's suggestion, instead of the Lexington Guards they should ask to be known as the Lexington Combat Guard in order to retain their initials as a matter of heritage. A more major request being banded about by the LCG's members is for a small academy to built on their provisional landhold on Lexington - a new Lexington Military Academy. This isn't considered a deal breaker by the pro-AFFS element, but for many who's minds are still undecided it could be a major factor in deciding which way they wish to go by showing that their traditions will be respected. The high command of the brigade send these requests to New Avalon and the First Prince on the 21st while explaining they are merely seeking clarification before a formal vote on what terms they can put to the brigades members. By the 23rd, they have both the First Princes's, Marshal of Armies and Prince's Champion's assurances. The name change is entirely agreeable and the Federated Suns will agree to begin construction of a new academy on Lexington in 3065 with the bulk of the instructors being drawn from the LCG. They do suggest that perhaps it's graduates might be split between the Lexington Combat Guard and perhaps the Ceti Hussars, but only if this is acceptable to the warriors and officer of the brigade - which most of the officers feel is a fair request. With this agreement a final vote on joining the AFFS or not is scheduled for the 1st July. 
The Wild Geese and Screaming Eagles commands both reject the offers during June. Both assure the AFFS liaison officers attached to their units and New Avalon that this is not out of any desire to leave the service of the First Prince or the Federated Suns, but instead that they are currently happy with their status. Likewise at the end of the month the Blue Star Irregulars inform the First Prince directly that they wish to continue to serve him, but as an independent mercenary command. The First Prince makes a point of sending them a response assuring them that this is more than enough for him. 
Within the Fighting Urukhai, however divisions are arising about whether or not to take up this offer. Tempers are high on the matter and loud heated debates are being held in the officer messes. These divisions are addressed when the First Prince himself makes a stop over on the garrison worlds of the mercenary unit on his route to Robinson. He promises them that he does not wish to cause distress or division within the command. Any who wish to take him up on his offer will be warmly welcomed, as would the entire brigade if they so choose but if they choose to remain mercenaries then he will be more than happy with that result as long as they wish to continue serving under his command. After his visit the commanding officers of the unit down to company level meet together on their garrisons and then a delegation assembles on Paris which is garrisoned by the Bar Hound regiments. They will thrash out a way to avoid more division within the unit during the rest of June and into July. 
===New WarShips enter Service===
This month the FSS Kentares and FSS Galtor slip free from the yards at New Avalon and enter service. They are scheduled for a long shakedown cruise within the Outback, but as a nod to their symbolic laden names they are dispatched into the Draconis March's sectors of the Outback. They are also given the duty of escorting a convoy of jumpships from Galax to help in the construction of the new shipyard at Verde. Many of the technician's aboard the convoy will also assist in running down the ever present gremlins in new warships during the journey. 
===Troop Movement & Industry changes===
During June the various Borderers regiments commanding officers would give their feedback on the proposed brigading of their forces together. Unsurprisingly, the Mitchel Borderers were in full support of the suggested brigading, while the Aragon Borderers were reluctant. The 1st Kittery Borderers were somewhere between the two. However Jackson Davion himself via an expensive HPG real time link to Leftenant General Jimmie Kirston explained that this would be purely an administrative brigading and would hopefully lead to an increase in supplies for the units. Any officer in charge of the brigade would be mandated to have served within the units. He was also able to give assurances that the 1st Aragon Borderers would not be stripped of men and material to bolster the other units and would be assured status as the senior unit in the brigade. In a similar link to Leftenant General Deedee Faulkner he was able to win over the veteran officer by pointing out that she was being tapped to lead the brigade in the first place as the senior officer. All three commands were assured that while the brigades HQ would officially be on New Avalon it was envisioned that the future CO would keep a secondary office within their "home" unit. Although no formal agreement was made during this time the Marshal of Armies was winning the hearts and minds campaign in support of the proposal. All three CO's of the units were now coming around to it. 
In the final days of June the First Prince arrives to a hero's welcome on Robinson. Met at the spaceport by James Sandoval and his brother Arthur Davion the three men take part in a parade in their respective battlemech's through the streets to the Ducal Palace. Commentators point out after this that the First Princes's approval ratings in the polling's taken within the Draconis March are now approaching the level of his father. On some worlds they are even higher - particularly those which are now protected from Combine raids by the newly acquired border worlds or that Hanse Davion lost to the Draconis Combine during the 4th Succession War and which his son has now reclaimed. Even as the crowds cheer outside the First Prince, Duke of Robinson and Duke of Galtor sit down to discuss the strengthening of not only the Draconis March but the wider Federated Sun's. These discussions will go on into July but are extremely cordial. All 3 men know that they can get more done together than separately. This atmosphere is helped by the First Princes's immediate acceptance that the Robinson Rangers Brigade must be strengthened in line with the Syrtis Fusiliers recent expansions. Any thought's of the Duke of Robinson of using the First Prince's brother as a means to an end are dispelled when within the first hours of discussion the First Prince informs both men that as a first step in this process of strengthening the Robinson Rangers the 3rd Rangers will be expanded to a full RCT entirely at the expense of New Avalon. The other 2 units will see similar upgrades the First Prince assures Duke Sandoval. 
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On Filtvelt the Achernar Battlemechs production facility will come online with production of the Dervish battlemech with the Enforcer line scheduled to enter production in December. Also in June the industrial mech facility will enter full production for the first time since it came online.
The Lycomb-Davion plant on June will reach full production of Stuka aerospace fighters in June, reaching half of the larger plant on New Avalon's output. In time it is planned to increase this. 
The first Gunslinger battlemech walks off the New Independence Weaponry's production lines on Kestrel on the 7th of June. This will now bring the initial wave of construction to a finish, with Victor, Gunslinger, and Atlas production now in full swing. A secondary wave is underway to add Jagermech III production by December and further expansions are planned. 
The Arc Royal Mechworks facility on Killarney has it's first line of Wolfhound battlemechs start production in June. Although only starting construction in January the plant has been made a high priority not only for the Kells but also the New Avalon Government. The plans are for 2 more lines to be added by March 3065. 
Within the Draconis March the new expansions of Precision Weaponry on Tancredi begins to produce the first extended range variants of it's famed lasers. A few teething problems will develop over June and July but by August the extended range lasers and particle projection cannons will be up to the companies usual high standards.
===Troubles in the Draconis Combine===
On Galtor the ISF and DEST operatives continue training the pro-Kurita communities in resistance techniques. A few small scale attacks are made on isolated garrison posts, however these are more in line with training missions than intended to do real damage. They do however alert the MIIO and DMI officers who have been watching for them that the resistance is stepping up. 
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Narhal's Raiders situation continues to deteriorate within the Draconis Combine. To make matters worse, with only 3 months left on their contract they are informed their garrisoning posting is to be moved to Idlewind on the Periphery/Ghost Bear border. The unit see's this as nothing more than a deliberate attempt to distance them from the Federated Suns and drags it's heels in preparing for any such move. To make matters worse their proposed replacement on Fellanin II the 7th Ghost regiment arrives early. 
===Word of Blake Actions===
On Caph the WOB forces are pushed back almost into the irradiated wastelands that make up much of that world, but dig in and hold their ground in a frantic defence. The Delta Regiment and 2nd Kearny's Highlanders are now working entirely in concert and preparing for a final push to overrun the trapped defenders. Just in case the Warship, WDWS Darius, begins moving into an orbital position from which it can provide orbital bombardment if the attack is resisted strongly. 
In the nearby Sol system the WOB forces gather to mount a relief. To lead the way a number of Zechetinu II corvettes are prepared for combat...
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