SotU Chpt 45

=Chapter 45=
==State of the Union==
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The Triad, Tharkad
Donegal Province, Lyran Alliance
12th June, 3064
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Nondi Steiner's funeral was excruciating.
Under the circumstances she could hardly have been given a state funeral and having refused to surrender at any of the opportunities offered, she'd also been denied a military one. (Peter had quietly limited that decision to senior officers - it would be an added burden for the families of the less well-paid and he drew the line at persecuting next-of-kin).
As her great-nephews, Victor and Peter nonetheless had to attend and sat beside each other on the front row, on the other side of the aisle from Nondi's daughter and other close relatives in reach. Robert Kelswa-Steiner had also turned up and was seated on that side of the aisle with his wife. One of Peter's less happy duties at some point in the near future would be to confirm the pair as Duke and Duchess of Skye: Margaret Aten had finally slipped away during the fighting on Tharkad.
Most of those recalling Nondi's life in the Triad's chapel diplomatically restricted themselves to her childhood and earlier military service, up to the War of 3039. Lisa Steiner, who had inherited the Duchy of Gallery from Nondi and opted to accept retirement rather than serve under Peter, was one of the exceptions and guardedly searched for positives in her mother's more recent loyalties.
It was almost a relief when Archer Christifori slipped into the chapel and discreetly joined the brothers on their pew. He passed a dispatch to Victor, who glanced at it and then handed it on to Peter, eyes suddenly distant.
Glad of something else to focus on than his second-cousin once-removed understandable rose-colored view of Nondi Steiner, Peter read the dispatch and had to keep himself from cursing out loud.
Cat had predicted this and it had been apparent from as far away as New Avalon for months, but General Sharon Bryan was still characterizing it as a 'surprise attack'.
Clan Jade Falcon had hit six worlds so far, five in the General's theatre and one in the Arc Royal Defense cordon. The latter threat had to be honored, even if it was blatantly gauged to pin in place both garrisons that were under Morgan Kell's influence and his son Phelan's Clan Wolf-in-Exile forces.
For her part Bryan was concentrating forces at her command world, confident that this would make it an irresistible target for the glory-hungry Falcons and also that they'd break their strength trying to get through her fortifications.
Loyal to Katrina as she had been, Bryan at least hadn't been an active combatant and as an Operation Serpent veteran, her experience against the Clans made removing her from one of the primary positions facing them a low priority. Looking at this, Peter wasn't sure that was right.
"Bryan?" he asked under his breath, looking back at the podium. Lisa was winding down, fortunately. Alas, Robert was next.
"Liability," Victor said tersely, similarly discreetly. "she got smashed on the offensive against the Jaguars, so now she's overreacting and focusing on defensive. Hopefully Adam Steiner will advise her better." 
Well he almost beat you, so at least we know he's good, Peter thought. The commander of the Fourteenth Donegal Guards had been left with most of his forces and equipment rather than detained on the strength of Victor's unwillingness to weaken the forces facing the Jade Falcons. To his credit, Adam had been willing to focus on that threat since.
As Lisa finally stepped back, Peter rose to his feet and went past Victor and Archer to the aisle. Robert Kelswa-Steiner was halfway down the aisle but Peter gestured for him to step back and went to the podium himself.
"Under the circumstances, I believe Aunt Nondi would understand this slight deviation from the order of service." he said, looking at the scattering of faces. "We disagreed on several matters, but one thing I have never doubted was her devotion to defending the Lyran state from outside threats."
"One such threat has now moved from the possible, to the actual. As in 3050 and 3058, Clan Jade Falcon has struck at Lyran worlds and at the Lyran people." Peter turned to face the coffin, closed to hide the injuries caused by an unsuccessful ejection from her 'Mech as the Royal Guards had battled over the Triad. "Just as you twice let go of your wishes to retire in peace when your nation needed you, I must now say goodbye as I take up the cause of protecting the Commonwealth."
Leaving the podium behind him he headed for the exit, joined by Victor and the two brothers glanced pointedly at the handful of senior officers in attendance, signaling a minor exodus from the chapel. Behind them as they left, Robert pressed on to the podium, determined to have his say even if Peter was no longer there to listen.
They didn't have to go far to find somewhere to confer in privacy. Over six hundred years of piecemeal construction and reconstruction of the Triad, the default use for any part of the complex that didn't have a specified purpose was meeting room. The need for private conversations never went away, after all.
Victor cut to the chase. "We've got almost twenty combat commands on Tharkad, even if all of them are understrength. This is the obvious place to pull reinforcements from."
Taking the seat at the head of the table, Peter rubbed his jaw. "No argument from me. And we have the warships and jumpships to transport them. We need to start moving them offworld anyway." He looked at his brother. "We were talking about the Terran Corridor, but I think that this takes priority."
"I agree. This won't be like Operation Bulldog though. We don't have the reserves or the supplies in place. Two years of fighting have eaten through it."
Peter shrugged. "I know, I don't have unrealistic expectations of kicking the Falcons back out their OZ... not now, anyway. If Khan Marthe Pryde wants a war to blood her warriors again, I want you to give her more war than they have stomach for, inflict casualties and equipment losses that her Clan can't afford. Can you do that?"
"It'll be expensive." Christifori warned. "No offense, Prince Peter, but you've never faced the Clans in battle."
"I know." And I can't go now either. Someone has to stay here and mind the store. "But it's a price we have to pay. Pryde calls herself a falcon but she's a scavenger, a vulture. Striking at us because she thinks we're easy prey. If we show here that she's wrong, then it can buy us time to recover and maybe, just maybe, a few years down the line we can remove them as a problem once and for all."
Victor shook his head. "That's ambitious."
"A man's reach should exceed his grasp," Peter quoted from memory. "else what is heaven for?"
"Fair enough." His brother glanced around the room. "I'd like to take the same task force I brought here, but the fact is, not everyone's ready for another campaign."
There had been a briefing the day before on the strengths of the units still on Tharkad. "Most of the regiments I brought are still in fighting form. General Christifori, I imagine that you'd like to stay with Victor but we also need to reinforce the Arc Royal Defense Cordon and I think you're the right man to lead the forces there."
"I can have my Avengers ready to go in three days." the Thorin native promised.
"We can do a bit better than that. I don't just want the attack on Koniz beaten off, from there I want you to hit the Jade Falcon OZ. Pryde might think she's pinning forces in place by hitting the Koniz PTM and Barber's Marauder IIs there, but if you and the Kells use it as a springboard to hit her worlds, it'll force her to commit forces against you."
Victor nodded. "That makes sense. I'd suggest sending the Seventeenth Donegal Guards as well. They were stationed in the area before they joined my forces."
"Agreed. We'll also give you the Third Regulars and..." Peter considered. "Precentor Irelon, I'd like your men to join this task force."
Raymond Irelon glanced at Victor first and then drew himself up. "We'd be honored, sir."
"I know you gave up a lot to join my brother." Peter told him. "ComStar's disclaimed you and doesn't seem willing to move on that position, so I'd also like to offer you formal positions as part of the AFFC."
"We've considered that, sir. The Prince's Men accept."
"That's a good name, but there will also need to be a formal designation." Peter leant back in his chair. "We seem to have a vacancy in the roster for a Third Royal Guards RCT. How does that sound?"
There were intakes of breath. The Royal Guards were traditionally drawn from the very best of the Lyran armed forces, and while the First and Second garrisoned the capital, the Third Guards were the field force.
"That... sounds politically sensitive, sir." former Precentor Irelon told him
"It is."
Irelon cracked a smile. "Well, as long as that's understood, your highness, then I accept the mission. Both the military one, and the political one."
Peter nodded. "Thank you. In a similar light, General Christifori, I'd like to designate your Avengers as the Third Skye Rangers RCT." Thorin was located within Skye Province, even if it had originally been a Terran Hegemony world.
The greying general nodded. "You want us to shame the other Skye Rangers?"
"Exactly. They withdrew from the Clan front to return to Skye. I can't formally reprimand them for that, since they didn't fight for Katrina, but in the long run I hope that you can return home and be a focus for loyal troops within Skye. I think you have the prestige for the job, and your troop's courage and honor are beyond question."
"I'm sure they'll be pleased to hear that. They may keep calling themselves Avengers though."
"I can live with that." Peter agreed.
"I take it that I should head for Melissia?" Victor asked, naming Sharon Bryan's command world.
Peter gave him a crisp nod. "Correct. You have complete command of the front. General Christifori and Morgan Kell answer to you in Donegal Province and I'll place Adam Steiner directly under your command - can you work with him?"
"As long as he's willing to work with me, yes." His brother's voice betrayed some doubt on that point. "And Sharon Bryan?"
"If you can use her, keep her, but if you have to relieve her then go ahead and do it." This was no time for half-measures. "If she needs a soft landing, I can find some sort of sinecure here to make it look like a transfer rather than relief for cause."
"I doubt she'll take it well." Victor told his bother
Peter glowered, "That would be her mistake to make, Victor. If you have to have Galen punch her, make sure he's stayed in shape."
"I really don't make a habit of punching superior officers," Galen protested mildly. "may I ask what troops you're going to send with us?"
"I'm sure the Tenth Lyran Guards would never forgive me for not letting them join Victor," quipped Peter. "Take them, the Third Lyran Guards, the Eleventh and Nineteenth Arcturan Guards..."
"Pairing Katrina's loyalists with sister regiments that joined us?" Galen asked
"Correct," Peter agreed. "the Third Donegal Guards, the First Donegal Jaegers, the Federated Suns Armored Cavalry and your Outlands Legion should give you a fairly balanced force."
"I don't get any Royal Guards?" asked Victor wryly.
"No, I'm consolidating what's left of the original three RCTs into the Second and sending them to Caesar Steiner. With Robert playing games, I want some more muscle in Skye."
"That may backfire if Robert manages to subvert them." warned Galen.
"I know." Peter rubbed his jaw. "But they know they're on their last chance. Father once told me that giving someone very little when they really need it is always better rewarded than lavish generosity to those who aren't in need. Hopefully they'll take this second chance in that spirit. Besides, the Second Royal Guards are supposed to be the Pride of Skye but when did they last ever visit the province?"
"I suppose that that's fair," agreed Archer. "you're stomping pretty heavily on their traditions though."
"They can have their traditional roles back when they earn them." Peter decided not to mention that the tiny cadre left to the First Royal Guards would also be leaving Tharkad, although only to Donegal, one jump away. Rebuilding them gradually would fall to General Riskind, who would transfer to command them as an implicit reward for not bringing his Twenty-Fourth Lyran Guards in on Nondi's side.
To Peter's surprise, his cousin Sabine had actually supported Riskind on that decision, so he'd approved her to inherit command of the Lyran Guards RCT. With a little luck, Sabine and their more distant cousin Reinhart might prove a loyal voice within House Steiner to counterbalance Lisa and Robert.
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