VOTGW-4

=Chapter 4Fantastic Timing=
==Vignettes of the General War==
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~Naval Station Columbus, Martian Orbit, April 7th, 2579~
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"How was the trip, Yuki?" Admiral Janissa Franklin asked cordially.
"Can't complain, Ma'am," Rear Admiral Yukiko Pequeno replied as she entered the office. She fully expected the Fleet Admiral to tell her to dispense with the formality. They were old school mates, friends even before the academy. It was Janissa that had tagged her with the nickname Snow Child (a play on her name), which had followed Yukiko into active service as her call sign during her days as an aeropilot. Some had called them thick as thieves through most of their career, until Janissa managed to shoot past her in the ranks and made even the appearance of favoritism a problem. Still, they kept in touch, and meeting up today, even if she was here to receive a new assignment from the Supreme commander of the Terran Navy, still felt a bit like old friends getting a chance to catch up.
A feeling that Janissa killed very quickly. "Have a seat," she said. "I wish we could keep things casual and catch up, but duty calls. You been keeping up with events in the Rim Worlds?"
It was a surprising question, and a sore spot, or maybe a sore spot since it was a surprising question. The Rim Worlds Republic had fallen into civil war a few years back, then almost immediately fallen out of the news cycle when the Taurian Concordat and the Federated Suns had gone at it on the other side of the sphere. A periphery state tearing itself apart wasn't nearly as interesting as a periphery state beating a Great House like a drum then making moves to do the same to another.
Throw in House Davion touching off a sphere wide arms race, and the goings on in the Rim Worlds had been largely forgotten. 
"The two sides are mostly stalemated according to the last reports I read." Yukiko replied as she took the seat in front of the desk. "Government forces have Apollo blockaded, but they can't spare the troops to dig the rebels out. Richard Amaris is technically in control of about half the state, though it's believed Admiral Wbika is the real power behind the throne." It was frustrating even recounting it. There had been Terran citizens caught in the middle of the civil war in the Republic. Rebel forces had even targeted Terrans specifically, blaming Terra for the Republic's ills. A friend of the Hegemony was falling apart, Terran citizens were dying, and the First Lord had sat back and ignored it, while focusing on some irrelevant war on the other side of the Sphere. 
"Pretty much that," Janissa said, almost as though in response to Yukiko's unspoken feelings. "But it gets worse. CID seems to think Lyran interests are supplying the rebels with weapons and materials. Either hoping to draw out the conflict or hoping to put someone friendly to their interests in power. The Commonwealth has already blocked our request to send humanitarian aid convoys through their territory."
Janissa leaned back in her chair. "Big picture time. The situation sphere wide is getting out of hand. The Capellans spit in our face during the Third Andurien War. Davion's having a hissy fit over being beaten by the Taurians and is throwing the whole balance of power out of whack. The Taurians have decided to become an out of context problem, and now the Lyrans are playing games in our sphere of influence. We let this go on too long, so now they think they're free to do what they want. The Director-General has decided an example needs to be made."
Yukiko wasn't sure she completely agreed. Sure, the Taurians had made waves in their little corner of the sphere, and sure the Davions had a lot to say about building a 'grand fleet', but both were still pretty much nothing to the shear might of the Hegemony. Still, slapping them down was probably a good idea.
"The Director-General is hoping to be diplomatic about it." Janissa continued. "Form a coalition, get some of the Great Houses on side for it, but one way or another, we're slapping down the Taurians and putting them in their place. We take the biggest troublemaker out of the equation, the rest fall in line. I'd love to offer you a command in that party, but I need you for a different job."
Made sense, since Janissa led with the Rim Worlds. "Wherever you need me, Ma'am" Yukiko replied. 
Janissa nodded her appreciation. "I'm giving you six ships. Corvettes, but they've been up gunned and up armored. We've packed them full of what we're calling 'relief supplies and technical specialists', around a mixed brigade of troops, with plenty of weapons and ammunition to get the Rimmie Loyalists back in gear along with all the food and medicine. Since the Lyrans are being dicks about it, you'll have to head through the Free Worlds League to get to the Rim Worlds."
Quite a step away from the normal humanitarian relief convoy. Yukiko imagined that the diplomatic corps could justify using actual WarShips, albeit small ones, due to the instability of the region. Troops and weapons, though, that wasn't going to hold up once they hit the ground. "My rules of engagement?"
"Your official orders are to see to the delivery and equitable distribution of relief supplies within the Rim Worlds Republic." Janissa said. "On the record, you're to take whatever action is necessary to defend yourself and ensure that these supplies get where they are most needed."
"And off the record?"
"Off the record? Those savages have killed Terran citizens, and the Director-General considers Richard Amaris a friend of the Hegemony." Janissa looked almost predatory. "We don't particularly care if Wbika is really pulling his strings, but we want his butt on the throne and grateful for our help, and we want the Lyrans good and cockblocked. Make it happen." 
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*; Author note: The beginning of this second short was delayed a day while I mined Historical: Reunification War for names. Canonically, Yukiko Pequeno (whose name, if you squint a little and mash the Japanese and Portuguese together, might translate as "Little Snow Child") was the commander of the SLDF Fourth Fleet serving on the Taurian Front in the later stages of the War, and was responsible for the victory at Montour, which saw the last of the Taurian Navy and its best naval commander lost. And any true Taurian Loyalist and proper BattleTech history buff should recognize the name Janissa Franklin, whose actions at Robsart both gave the SLDF their first decisive naval victory against the Taurians and also ensured that the Taurian front would become the absolute nightmare it ultimately was for both sides. You want to know where the meme of Taurians using nukes as a first resort came from? It came from Janissa Franklin.
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