FSRB Chpt 175

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 175==
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August - September 3070Operation Nightfire
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===Lyran Rescue Operation - Operation Nightfire===
====The War on Hesperus====
With the 1st, 4th, and 5th Shadow Divisions trapped within the huge underground factory complex of Defiance Industries the battle between them and the LAAF/AFFS formations had turned into a brutal war of attrition throughout much of August and into September. With the actions of the Word of Blake troops since their arrival upon Hesperus they were under no illusions that they would be able to negotiate terms with the defending Lyrans or relieving Davions, nor did they have any realistic prospect of escaping the trap they found themselves in. Therefore they settled down to do as much damage as possible not only to their enemies but also to the infrastructure of the factory they were battling in.
They are hampered in this by the huge number of AFFS battlesuit armored troopers which are flooding into the complex. From both from the back door that the 1st Arcadians used to join the Lyran defenders, but also the shattered main doors. Not only the battle armored troopers attached to the various AFFS commands under Field Marshal Sortek's command, but also a large number of independent battalions which had been sent along just in case this very scenario arose. Able to use access tunnels and other means of transport that battlemechs cannot, the battle armored troopers continually infiltrate and move around WOB blocking forces to pin them in place. While the WOB Shadow Divisions have their own battle armored troopers attached to them they have taken heavy losses in the fighting so far and in addition find themselves massively outnumbered. Stretched thin their lines are soon broken. 
Finding the residential areas of the huge factory complex the greatest threat from infiltration, the WOB commanders take a very direct approach to close this avenue of attack. They detonate a tactical nuclear device within the residential region of the facility. Just as a mass attack by two AFFS battle armored battalions is surging forward. Wiping out the attacking and infiltrating forces the detonation also results in the total destruction of a large chunk of the area, while leaving even more of the residences cut off and isolated. The WOB use the chaos of the various tunnel and cavern collapses that happen throughout the facility in the wake of this nuclear explosion to launch a full scale attack upon the LAAF and 1st Arcadian RCT in particular. When the Arcadians manage to hold their line and repulse the attacking 5th Shadow Division with heavy losses despite the confusion resulting from the nuclear bomb. In turn, the Shadow Division responds by detonating another device into the face of the Arcadians. The AFFS unit takes heavy losses and the survivors are driven back by the few surviving WOB troops who then attack the 36th Lyran Guards. Clearly on a suicide mission the handful of attacking WOB troops charge into the lines of the 36th Guards and proceed to detonate a third nuclear bomb. While this attack destroys the rest of the 5th Shadow Division, it reduces the 36th Lyran Guards to a shell of a unit having already done so to the 1st Arcadian RCT. 
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While the 5th Shadow Division is launching their suicidal attacks, the remaining 1st & 4th Shadow Divisions throw themselves at the AFFS formations fighting their way into the factory from the main gates. Forewarned by the detonation within the residential areas the 5th FedSuns Dragoons preemptively take measures to avoid any nuclear attack upon their front lines. Their troops fall back rapidly while engineers hastily lay detonation charges throughout the tunnels and caverns they are falling back through. As the 1st Shadow Divisions push forward while these areas were detonated and the vast majority of the WOB troops are buried in a huge cave in, which unfortunately destroys two vehicle and one battlemech production lines at the same time. When the slaughtered troops are dug out no fewer than three nuclear warheads are recovered from the Shadow Divisions crushed troops. 
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The 4th Shadow Division runs headlong into the 1st St. Ives Cheveau-Legers. Also forewarned, the St. Ives unit uses it's speed to keep their distance and avoid large scale deployments. Dispersing throughout the vast warehouse and supply depot complexes near the gates they continue to ensure that no worthwhile target is presented to the 4th Shadow Division. Realizing this ploy and having been made aware of the destruction of their fellow units, the 4th Shadow Division themselves attempt to disperse as much as possible, before deploying both the nuclear warheads they control. While the damage to the Cheveau-Legers is light, the damage to Defiance Industries complex is catastrophic. When combined with the other nuclear detonations and the resulting cave ins as well as the previous damage the factory is almost two thirds wrecked, with the remaining facilities heavily damaged. 
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