FSRB Chpt 85

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 85==
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January 3068New and Old threats
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===Return of the First Prince, Planning for next the Campaign===
With the new units founded and beginning to come together the Federated Suns, the High Command welcomes the First Prince back to New Avalon following the Whitting Conference on Tharkad. Plans begin to be put in place to attack the Word of Blake in early 3069, regiments and RCTs as well as sufficient warships. While the temptation is to pack the formation with the most elite units possible a number of less experienced units are also considered to bulk out the elite "spear tip" and provide numbers.
Within the former Sarna March, the Federated Suns continue to support resistance movements. While mostly still passive or at most engaged in low level attacks upon the CCAF garrisons and Home Guard units, a handful of open resistance movements begin more active operations. Stretched thin with their operations on the League frontier the CCAF can do little but divert a handful of additional conventional units into the Liao Commonality to bolster their planetary garrisons. 
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===Ravens lurk near the Inner Sphere===
The High Command also became aware that their secret base on Farstar had fallen of the grid sometime in the previous year. Reports had stopped coming from the planet via Black Box and as such the AFFS considered sending a ship to find out what had happened. However given reports coming in from the region of Clan Snow Raven ships and their elite Alpha Galaxy being seen. It was decided that they were likely responsible for the loss of the Farstar base. When reports surfaced that a naval battle had occurred at the Draconis Combine system of Kanzaka at which apparently a Clan warship had been destroyed. The High Command decided that sending any further assets in anything less than squadron level strength would merely be asking for them to be destroyed or captured by the Ravens. Given some rather unreliable reports, however that the Snow Ravens have been in peaceful talks with the Outworlds Alliance. The First Prince requests that the FedSuns ambassador to that Periphery realm discuss perhaps arranging a meeting between the Federated Suns and Clan Snow Raven at a neutral location to see if peaceful coexistence can be arranged. This is in preference to forming a full scale task force to send out as a show of strength. Although the Federated Suns Navy could provide such a task force it would leave them weakened on other frontiers, particularly if ships are lost in battle.
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===Strengthening the FedSuns Fleet===
However just in case negations fail, the newly constructed FSS Hobbs and FSS Rowe are used to form the beginning of the 5th Corvette Flotilla along with the FSS Sherwood and FSS Tancredi which until now were deployed on independent operations. The half strength 5th Flotilla is ordered to patrol the Bryceland, Milligan and Kilbourne PDZs along the Outworlds border. Just in case. The four Fox corvettes are ordered to attempt to avoid action against Clan Snow Raven ships but to attempt to delay them and keep them from attacking FedSuns planets in the region. The 5th Flotilla is prioritized for new ships to bring them up to strength as soon as possible and some consideration is given to assigning heavier ships to a nodal force to back them up.
As well as the FSS Hobbs and FSS Rowe, the former FSS Pleiades is completed having been rebuilt in the Comstar's Faslane class Yardship, CSV Plymouth. Coming from the yardship rebuilt an updated design the ship also has a new name. Where the hulk of the FSS Pleiades had entered refit, the rebuilt New Syrtis II carrier now carries the name the FSS Morgan Hasek-Davion. Awaiting the ships is not 1, but 2 of the finest crews that the Federated Suns Navy can assemble and a double fighter compliment. The plan is to use the FSS for the time being to work up crews and aerospace regiments for carrier operations. At least until the FSS Ran Felsner, FSS Aaron Sandoval, and FSS Matilda Davion are completed in 3069. With those names announced it is clear that the new naming convention for the Davion carriers are to be named for war heroes and great military leaders of the AFFS.
Alongside the announcement of the FSS Morgan Hasek-Davion's launch, the Federated Suns Navy announces the new Fox II specifications will be used for all future Fox corvettes. They don't mention any details of the new design, nor whether or not the existing Foxes can be upgraded to the new design. However, eagle eyed naval attaches and intelligence officers are quick to notice that alongside the damaged FSS Edwards, FSS Ridgebrook, and along with the FSS Bryceland and also the undamaged FSS Dahar is also going into refit at Edwards. The implications are evident. When taken into account that the FedSuns is building a repair slip at Novaya Zemlya and Verde it is obvious that the Davions intend to refit their Fox fleet to the upgraded design.
With the first of the new carriers entering service to much acclaim and the investigations on the new Fox II design, Fleet Admiral Buchwald is able to almost bury the announcement that Challenge Systems will be building a new shipyard complex at June in the Outback. Officially the new yard will be to expand construction of the versatile Congress-D II frigates, with an open secret being that a new slip for the Syrtis II carriers is also being constructed there. This official slip for the frigate and "hidden" slip for the carrier is in fact to hide the fact that there is a third slip being built - to build an Iron Duke class battleship. While it will be impossible to hide this large slip forever, it will give the AFFS a good years head start before anyone find out they are building a new slip for battleships. Already plans are being put in place to add a further fourth slip to build Iron Duke battleships.
The shipyards at Filtvelt complete a Fox class corvette for the Lyran Alliance and Clan Wolf-in-Exile. The LAS Buena and Clan Wolf-in-Exile ship Wolf Blood head for the Lyran Alliance with their new crews at the end of January on a combined delivery/shakedown cruise. 
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===Developments in Industry===
On New Syrtis, Duke Hasek with the approval of the First Prince on New Avalon enters into a military trade deal with the Grand Duchy of Andurien and officially recognizes them as a independent nation. A large scale trade is arranged for 4 full battalions of refitted older Battlemechs that formerly were used in the Syrtis Fusiliers and Capellan Dragoons amongst other units. While not the cutting edge of military equipment they have been fully rebuilt and refitted in the Hasek Refit Center on Bell. At least twice that number of tanks are also provided of a similar vintage and source. The delegation also manages to obtain 5 full flight's of brand new Sabre aerospace fighters given the AFFS preference for the Sparrowhawk. In return the Andurien delegation agree to granting the Federated Suns a license to the Reiver class aerospace design along with a number of cash payments and raw materials and finished goods. This license will be granted to Lycomb-Davion and Firgrove Consortium when the deal is finalized in April. Further long term trades in weapons and goods will also be put in place at that time.
The First Prince also requests that Lieutenant General Carrie Zetso and Duke Pravin Singh of the Islamabad CrMM from the world of Panpour come to New Avalon to discuss a matter he wished to run by them. Both individuals immediately suspect that the First Prince has discovered that the Duke of Panpour has been blackmailing the General and head to New Avalon with dread.
On Novaya Zemlya, the Johnson Industries factory see the Nightsky line enter production. A further addition is planned to add a Caeser line to this factory by the start of 3069.
The Blackwell Industries plant on Outreach begins producing limited numbers of Imp-C Battlemechs for the Wolf's Dragoons and AFFS. Almost the entirety of the AFFS's share is diverted straight to the Davion Guards Brigade with a handful also assigned to a number of elite units like the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers, 1st Robinson Rangers, and 6th Syrtis Fusiliers. With that line completed, Colonel Maeve Wolf orders the company to begin working on a new line - to produce the Gallowglas-WD.
The Jalastar Aerospace factory on Batavia finishes completion of it's second Javelin OmniMech line. A similar event happens at their Islamabad factory as a second Javelin-O also enters production there. Even with these additions there is still a great deal more demand for the new omnimech within the AFFS - and the company is pushing ahead with it's lines for the Javelin-O on Baxley and Palmyra as quickly as it can. Indeed the company is considering whether or not to build additional lines for this incredibly popular mech.
Federated Defense Industries second Wasp line, a Marauder heavy battlemech and a Pit Bull truck line goes operational. The speed of this new plant's expansion is continuing to accelerate as more and more war salvage is reassembled and brought up to a modern standard.
The Corean Industries plant on Northfield, saw a much more limited expansion as the Fireball light Battlemech line goes operational. This gives the plant an assault, medium, and light battlemech line.
January also see's the Cavalier production facility on Point Barrow go online for GM, alongside the heavier Grenadier battle armor plant. Both of these plants (even the brand new Cavalier one) are undergoing almost constant expansions to keep up with demand for the battle armor suits within the AFFS. This continued expansion is matched by GM's plant on Talcott.
Northwind based Corsara Weapon finally agrees to begin construction of a new plant on Northfield. Initially this will be limited to Crab production with plans to add King Crab production if it proves feasible.
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===Lyran Regiments Upgrades===
Archon Peter Steiner announces the upgrading of the 15th & 19th Arcturan Guards to RCTs. He also declares the formation of the 6th Alliance Guards RCT and the 16th Lyran Regulars. He also continues the rebuilding of the 2nd & 4th Royals RCT who took such heavy losses in the Jade Falcon Campaign. His General of Armies, Adam Steiner, begins reinforcing the worlds between Pandora and Fort Loudon, due to a Clan Wolf buildup in the worlds they took at the bottom of the Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone. The newly reformed 10th Lyran Guards RCT is assigned to garrison the important factory world of Pandora alongside the 3rd Donegal Guards RCT. 
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===Liao and Kurita strengthen their forces===
Within the Draconis Combine the Coordinator authorizes the raising of a 7th An Ting Legion as well as a 3rd Genyosha. While the 7th Legion will be a green training unit at least at first, the 3rd Genyosha will be formed from veterans drawn from across the DCMS and will be a veteran unit once it has formed up. He also continues to expand damaged units back up to full strength, however he also secretly forms 2 new Pesht Regulars - the 12th and 13th Pesht Regulars. Knowing that the Pesht Regulars Brigade is not considered a prestigious unit he decides that it is unlikely that his enemies will be looking for expansions within this least regarded Regular formation. As such the 2 new units are formed out on the Periphery border and ordered to begin training against each other to raise their skill levels. They are to be a hidden force that he can deploy as a last resort to either secure Luthien or against any invasion.
On Sian, Precentor Martial St. James of the WOB meets with Chancellor Sun-Tzu to formally offer to transfer 2 veteran regiments worth of Mechwarriors with their equipment to his control along with the same again in equipment. In return he asks only two things: the release of Kali Liao into his hands and the handing over of the battalion of FedSuns battlemechs seized on Talon years ago. On the face of it this is the deal of the century, 240 battle hardened mechwarriors and 480 battlemech's in return for one lunatic family member and 30 odd battlemechs. However, Sun-Tzu puts the Precentor Martial off, not making a decision during January. It isn't family loyalty that stays his hand but instead simple practicality. What does the WOB want with his sister and this equipment...? Whatever the reason, Chancellor Liao knows that it is not for his benefit. Even for Kali's, but instead part of the WOB's own plans. Plus he is furious that the WOB knows about the hidden battlemech battalion he has kept secret from all but his most trusted advisers and select members of the Death Commandos... Which of them has betrayed him?!
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===Troubles in Free Worlds League space===
Within the Free Worlds League, the Principality of Regulus attempts to strong arm the Rim Commonality into joining them. After checking with the 8th Orloff Grenadiers the government of the province on Lesnovo informs the Principalities envoys that they will be refusing the request for them to rejoin the Principality. They don't however request support from the Atreus based government.
Both Oriente and Atreus are actively attempting to woo the Duchy of Tamarind and Marshal Jeremy Brett into siding with them. In discussions with his wife Theresa Marik, the Marshal attempts to steer a neutral course to avoid having to commit his forces and prestige to either side. He does however offer to host a conference to try and patch up the growing differences between the 2 factions. An offer both sides slap down.
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