TLR Chpt 11

frameless|right|300px|link=The Lucky Regiment
<<Next Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
==Chapter 11 - The Lucky RegimentFinding Work==
----
The Captain-General's office
Atreus III, Free Worlds League
December 1st, 3026 - 10:00 hours local time
"Ah Davinder, it has been a while. Welcome back to civilization." Davinder Singh smiled and bowed his head respectfully as he entered the office. This room represented the center of power of the least stable of the great houses. After a decade managing mercenaries and little campaigns on the periphery this was indeed a change of scenery.
 
"Thank you, Sir, it's good to be back." He noted a captain's insignia on the uniform of a man standing near the Captain-General's desk, looking slightly awkward as he stood at not quite attention next to a small table and chair. He knew with a sinking feeling that he was about to be dealing with a crazy plan or a mess.
 
"You've been doing sterling work out in the Reach, I haven't seen reports of trouble for nearly a year."
 
"The benefits of peace, the Aurigans have resolved their internal dispute, as result trade is returning." And of course that meant fewer unhappy reports aimed at Atreus from merchants and powerful families.
 
"I hear they had a top notch mercenary team." Ah, thought Davinder with some relief, there was a sensible reason for his summoning. As the mercenary liaison for that area he knew all the reputable companies and some of the less reputable ones as well.
 
"Now a reinforced company with Lostech mechs, they caused quite a stir and made short work of the best part of a battalion." He paused for moment gathering his thoughts. "They headed into Federated Suns space however, realistically nobody needs or can afford that much firepower in the Periphery."
"According to our records we have used them. Haven't we, Captain." He looked at the Captain and instinctively felt sorry for the man, the Captain-General was not easy to deal with and had a habit of pulling surprises.
"Yes, sir, mineral rights enforcement and several anti-piracy operations."
 
"Were you happy with them, Davinder?"
 
"They performed well, admittedly the company is now under a new commanding officer with rather more firepower." That wasn't entirely fair as the new fellow had done a short job for him.
 
"That's what makes them interesting, and I have something of a challenge." Davinder was about to reply when he noted his boss was gearing up to say more. "Tell me what resource am I most short of?" Where to begin thought Davinder, aware that the answer could be anything from money to common sense. "Respect, Davinder, Respect. The Great Houses and my supporters lack respect for House Marik, the last civil war is still all too fresh in their collective memory. To make matters worse, we fight amongst ourselves whilst the Lyrans and Federated Suns are busy cementing an alliance." That last part was no laughing matter, the Lyrans were rich and Federated Suns had developed a fascination for restoring Lostech.
 
The Captain-General paced towards a large window. "As our enemies plot I'm forced to spend my time resolving pointless quarrels and soothing egos." That sounded about right to Davinder, few nations were as dysfunctional as this. "I need some victories, nothing breeds respect like victory." That too was very true, and yet that attitude was also why the Inner Sphere had been in steady decline since the Amaris Coup.
 
"What do you have in mind, Sir."
 
"That's the problem. My options are limited, Captain, explain the situation please."
 
"Sir, we have received word that the Federated Suns will be carrying out large scale maneuvers in the form of Operation Galahad II. In conjunction with this the Lyran Commonwealth has been preparing for what they will announce as 'Operation Thor, sources suggest it will be on the same scale." Davinder knew that Operation Galahad had been large enough that it was seen as a full rehearsal for a two front war.
 
The Captain-General interrupted, "We'll have no way of knowing if it's the build up to an invasion or an exercise, and the proposed scale means I'll have to issue a war warning and deploy forces to our borders."
 
"Are you looking to supplement those forces?"
 
"Not quite in the way you are probably thinking, I need mercenaries to reclaim worlds we lost during the distractions of the Civil War to the depredations of the Capellans. I need to show Parliament that even whilst fortifying the Northern border I can still stand up for our interests elsewhere."
 
"I think I understand."
 
"There is another angle, House Liao is refusing our overtures. I am certain House Steiner is preparing for a war, but they need a dry run first, so it won't be in 3027, they need their Operation Thor to get themselves ready"
 
"I see." Davinder didn't fully, antagonizing a neighbor at this point seemed an odd decision. 
 
"Maximilian Liao is a fool, he does not accept the weakness of his house and expects to dictate terms to me. I need a stable border he respects, yet he persists in his view that he can claim worlds when our is back is turned."
 
"He has a difficult reputation." Davinder said dryly, it was something of an understatement.
 
"I fear he isn't fully sane, so I intend to illustrate the folly of his arrogance to him in a language even he will understand. Perhaps you could explain the details, Captain."
 
The officer brought a large rolled up map to the big desk and gently unrolled it.
 
"Sirs, we mapped their defensive deployments for the last Operation Galahad, and kept track of the troop redeployments afterwards." He pointed at the icons near the border with the Federated Suns. "Those regiments have by and large remained where they are, and Operation Thor would necessitate additional deployments to the systems near Terra whilst the re-run of Operation Galahad is still forcing the Capellan military to remain concentrated on the Federated Suns border."
 
The Captain pointed a finger at the Sirius system, I intend to start here and then re-use those forces to take back something less strategic but symbolic." Davinder knew Sirius V was a valuable mining world, it's loss would force some response, but if House Liao was to focus on defensive measures or retaliatory raids on comparable targets they would likely leave many less valuable worlds almost unguarded. Davinder could see there plenty of worlds whose name he barely recognised with minimal military presences.
 
"I've taken on and granted land to a young mercenary recently, a man called Grayson Carlyle, he leads a combined arms battalion. I believe if he delivers on Sirius V his next step can be made soon after with the support of those 'Marauders' with their heavy company." That would be a major force on the periphery, and enough to overwhelm a locally raised garrison on a backwater world.
 
"Bear in mind, Sir, I believe his regiment has strong ties to the Federated Suns, and I'm not sure where they are currently stationed."
 
"Happily we are, Captain, again, please."
 
"We know they are on Solaris VII on a three month contract providing an advanced OpFor for several top line Lyran battalions. Beyond that they have a soft contract, with the option to take on work that doesn't target Steiner or Davion interests. They have apparently put out feelers for more profitable work."
 
The Captain-General looked at him intently "Look a heavy company like that is a menace on our border, it can land and smash most small garrisons with ease. It's cheaper to pay them to show Maximilian that he can't be a prick to both his neighbors at once than worry about where they be will used. And who knows, maybe one day I might be able make them a landed offer they would accept." 
 
"Understood, sir, I take it you want me to make the offer of employment in person?"
"Yes, I also want this kept top secret, I intend to use their surprise deployment as diplomatic leverage before actually sending them into action, if at all."
 
"That will make things more expensive, and we'll need to find an intermediary other than the MRB." The benefit of Comstar was that the payment was held securely and released upon completion, the downside was that their list of who was currently hired by whom was public information. "Perhaps can still use the MRB if you wish to send them into action, until then it can simply be a monthly retainer fee in advance."
 
"That is your field not mine, do what you feel is most appropriate, Take a good contract lawyer with you and I leave it to you to find a trustworthy middleman, remember long term I like to be seen as fair so act accordingly."
 
"What is the fall back if they are unavailable?" Rather more likely than not in his view.
 
"That's what makes Solaris so good, as well as the nightlife there are plenty of companies with representatives there." Janos Marik looked thoughtful for a moment. "I want something cost effective to transport, so second choice is a good medium company as the core, a pair of heavy lances to support them, an infantry company and the necessary support personnel. I don't really want to commit more than two of our jump ships to any operation, and ideally just the one." He determined that didn't include this Grayson person's unit, as presumably he had his own if he had been granted a landed property.
 
"That should should be achievable. Might I make use of the consulate?"
 
"Preferably not, I think the secrecy is more achievable without their clumsiness, but don't worry, the Captain here will put you in touch through suitable back channels." He looked at his watch and then the Captain. "In fact you might as well take Davinder off to brief him on the remaining details, unfortunately I have a speech to deliver this afternoon and need some more preparation time."
"Very good, Sir, I'll let you when I have something to report." The pair of them nodded to each other and he headed to the door as the Captain carefully gathered the files and maps. He was well traveled, yet had not been to Solaris VII, so this would be that rare combination of business and pleasure. As he left he could hear the Captain-General slowly rustling through his papers, presumably gathering his thoughts before tinkering with a lengthy speech.
 
-----
The 'Ocho' Arena 
A Hospitality box
Solaris VII, Lyran Commonwealth
20:30 hrs local time
Edmund watched intently as the two teams of five UrbanMechs competed to get the car sized metal ball into the opposing goal. This wasn't a high class arena where legendary Solaris gladiator fought it out in cutting edge mechs, instead it the sort of place that catered to those with smaller wallets and in Edmund's view, more innocent taste.
He and Darius were the guests of an envoy from the Captain-General, a man they knew from their time on the periphery as the local Mercenary liaison. An office that carried surprising amounts of power and was usually the recipient of entertainment rather than giving it out. It therefore told Edmund and Darius that the Captain was serious in his interest and that Davinder was not a gambling man. 
 
After a slow motion collision when an attempt to block the 'ball' went awry a loud fog horn sounded and the mechs ground to a halt. "Well gentlemen that looks like half time, perhaps a good time to talk shop?" Davinder stood up from his viewing seat and headed back into the room behind the seats, a small bar was stocked for their convenience and there was a dark varnished wooden table with comfortable chairs around it. 
 
Edmund closed the curtain of the viewing room, slightly disappointed by the abrupt halt to what was an unusual sport. "Indeed." He got a confident smile from Darius and the pair of them sat down on one side of the table. Davinder brought over ice cold bottles of beer, a local brand, nothing flashy but equally perfectly drinkable. 
 
"What are your initial thoughts on the contract?"
 
Darius looked at Edmund and got a brief nod in response. He took that as the blessing to start the questions. "Why us? You have regulars and other mercenary formations on your books?" Edmund knew Darius was pretty good at dealing with Davinder, he'd known him for years as Davinder was a key issuer of contracts on the periphery. "And for that matter, whilst it's always good to see you, why send you all the way to Solaris?"
 
"I would like to say it's a holiday. Sadly it all boils down to 'Operation Thor', which could easily be a cover for an invasion, so that means the usual formations are going to be placed in either defensive locations or positioned to react. That's perfectly logical but it ties up a lot of formations." Darius nodded, it was pretty much exactly what the military experts who wrote the various defense journals were predicting. "It's the less glamorous side of things that is also causing a problem. Between the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth much of the independent shipping capacity has been booked up." Edmund noted that Darius was looking thoughtful. "Carlyle has a JumpShip, and so apparently do you."
 
Edmund spoke up "We do, she's called the Hyperion, she's in good condition but the Captain has the right to fill unused docking bays so he can be tricky." The truth was the Captain answered to the MIIO, as it was felt there needed to be a way to pull the company out of trouble.
 
"Don't worry I completely understand, the hard part of the job in the periphery was organizing transit. And that apparently it is going to be my job on Atreus for the next twelve months." Davinder chuckled. "Hanse Davion has done more damage to the economies of his enemies by booking those JumpShips a year in advance than any raid he ever ordered." Edmund doubted it was going to do much good for the domestic Federated Suns economy either, but such was life.
 
"They tell me he is sneaky like that." Darius smiled as he spoke.
 
"The upshot is the Captain-General had pretty specific requirements, he wanted a concentration of firepower that you and only a few others can provide, and he wants someone who can ship themselves." Davinder paused and sipped his beer. "I'll be honest Grayson Carlyle is good, but his regiment is quite lightly equipped relative to yours, the combination of your units however changes that."
 
"We'll be light on infantry, and from what you have said the target world is likely to be not far from Terran norms." Edmund's force size was constrained by the available space on the Argo, a mechanized platoon and a jump platoon was all he could manage on the infantry front. "I know you have promised a couple of mechanised companies, but I have no space for them."
 
"That is easily solved, the Captain-General has assured me that two Union class dropships and a JumpShip can and will be made available, the planning group anticipates Grayson will need at least those two additional infantry companies under his command. One of the potential targets may require more."
 
"And Air assets?"
 
"Provision will made on that front as well for the initial orbital campaign, but on the ground you are limited to what you bring." That meant about a dozen fighters between the two companies, assuming Grayson didn't lose too much on his current job.
"We'll need some training time with Grayson's outfit, we can't afford to learn things the hard way on the job."
Davinder grimaced slightly. "I've thought about that and pressed on the issue, but the time will still be limited to a month." Edmund noted the unhappy glance from Darius, Grayson was likely going to need most of that for repairs. "But, I do have something of a solution."
 
"Go on."
 
"Grayson has started operations on Sirius V, my transport plan is to express ship you there with a planned supply run that has you join your JumpShip on the final leg, I can also arrange to have your advance party shipped to Helm in the meantime." That was sensible thought Edmund as it solved the issue of waiting for the JumpShip to charge and discharge between jumps. "You'll get some planning time with him and then you can head to his base on Helm." Edmund looked at Darius, it wasn't an entirely encouraging look. "Sirius V is an inhospitable hellhole, he had to leave half the unit on Helm, you can still train with his tank company, the infantry training company and a light mech training lance." 
 
"It's not ideal." Admittedly they could iron out most of the communications and supply issues, but it would still be preferable to work with the command team for longer.
"I know, but we need to follow up the attack on Sirius V quickly enough to achieve our political goals."
 
Darius interjected. "You are assuming Grayson Carlyle pulls off a pretty clean action on Sirius V, he's not going to be a lot of use if his force is worn out, and we're not suitable for much other than raids if we don't have them by our side."
 
Edmund looked at Davinder. "Would you be happy to downgrade our contract to raiding if needs be?" 
Davinder frowned, "The Captain-General is placing a lot of faith in the Grey Death Legion, your concern however was also raised during the planning phase. In the event of the Grey Death Legion needing significant recovery time the situation will be reviewed, your company and ourselves will have a break clause." Edmund knew there was a risk that the diplomatic situation could have changed by then anyway, hence a break clause for both sides was warranted and fair.
"Understood, we'll keep the retainer and pretend we were never there." Edmund could live with that, the rough figure for the monthly retention fee was generous. It was also the case that no mercenary minded a quiet contract, his unit would be happy with the money but everyone would find Helm a bit dull by all accounts. About all Helm had going for it was a decent agricultural surplus, most of the place was ruins or too cold to farm.
 
"Precisely, the Captain-General does not wish to lose face, which means your deployment will be kept entirely secret in case something leads to a cancellation. It's unusual but your retention fee is higher than normal, and the contract fee is reflective of the grade of your unit and the need for discretion." 
 
Edmund looked at Darius again "Alright it's an interesting offer, I need to confer with my command staff and there are some tweaks to parts of the supply budget and indemnities we would want to make, can you give me forty eight hours?"
 
"That's fine, I'll need to start approaching other companies after that though." Edmund knew it would be possible to find another unit, Solaris was one of those worlds that Mercenaries and their agents congregated on. On the other hand the transport issues did make his outfit a lot more compelling than most of the others.
"Of course, we'll try and be back in touch sooner."
 
"Appreciated." Davinder looked at his watch, "Play should resume in a few minutes, so let's adjourn our business for the night and focus on what in the Federated Suns I believe they call 'the beautiful game'."
----
<<Next Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
11