FSRB Chpt 89

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 89==
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April 3068Sian Advances
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===FedSuns Reaction to the Liao Invasion of Grand Duchy===
Even as May began, the AFFS High Command and the First Prince were working frantically to respond to the Capellan Confederations invasion of the Grand Duchy of Andurien. Diplomatically the Federated Suns condemned the unprovoked aggression of the Chancellor in the strongest terms and offered every extension of support to the Grand Duchy short of active military involvement in the fighting. Extensive lines of credit were offered to the Anduriens for military purchases, technical support and medical and relief supplies offered at no cost. Not only at the highest level but at almost every level the Federated Suns swung to support the Anduriens. Comparison's were made to Sun-Tzu Liao's attack upon the St Ives Compact and his aggression's within the former Sarna March on almost every talk show and holo-news show within the Suns. Charities sprung up overnight in order to funnel cash and medical supplies to the "freedom loving peoples of Andurien". Duke George Hasek, always the strongest voice against House Liao, speaks up against the aggression particularly and even began gathering military supplies and volunteers to send to Anduriens aid.
The 3 mercenary commands that have been hired or loaned to the Grand Duchy are rushed through the FedSuns and then jump through dead systems into the Capellan Confederation towards Andurien. They may or may not be escorted during this dangerous stage by a Federated Suns aerospace regiment which is on an anti-piracy patrol and has "accidentally" followed the pirates through several dead systems into the Confederation. 
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===Intrusion over Tikonov===
The growing conflict within Andurien, however is overshadowed (at least within the Federated Suns) by reports of a battle over the world of Tikonov. On the 15th of May a large jump signature is detected at a pirate point within the system. Shortly after this a huge formation of transport dropships begins heading for the planet at combat drop speeds, ignoring the FSS Charles Davion in orbit as though not concerned about what the cruiser's guns and missiles might do to them. A number of older IFF transponder codes are sent along with assurances that this is a combat training operation. However this fools nobody and the defending forces mobilize.
thumb|Avalon Class Cruiser, FSS Charles Davion in orbit
Rising from the planet nearly 2 full aerospace regiments along with a full squadron of pocket warships head straight for the invading force which by now is estimated to contain almost 5 full battlemech regiments - although seems to contain few aerospace assets. A running dog fight explodes around the convoy of invading troops with the few aerospace fighters and assault dropships trying to keep the transports safe. Again and again the elite pilots of the Davion Assault Guards wings sweep in and break through to strafe the transports, however given the sheer number of them they aren't doing enough damage to stop them. 
Which is when the FSS Charles Davion suddenly surges forward at an angle to unmask it's main batteries. Missiles, Naval Lasers, huge Naval Autocannon, and even Naval Gauss rifles open fire and smash into the convoy. Even the lightest of these weapons is enough to split most of the lighter transports in half and the heavier ordinance smashes even the largest of the Overlords carrying the now confirmed Free Tikonov troops. The warships own dropships and fighters swarm to join in the attack, led by the 2 Conquistador class vessels. 
Even as the invasion convoy is being savaged the communications channels from their jumpships at the pirate point are filled with screams for aid. The 2nd Destroyer Squadron's FSS Daring and FSS Dryad have jumped into the same pirate point and have proceeded to order the jumpships to stand down or be destroyed. Worse, alongside the 2 Davion III destroyers have come a number of Monolith class jumpships carrying Vengeance dropship carriers and A-3 Overlord pocket warships and Avenger assault dropships. Some of these remain to take the jumpships under control, but the vast majority of them are soon charging towards the rear of the invasion convoy alongside the FSS Dryad. 
Trapped between the FSS Charles Davion to their port, the dropships and fighters dispatched from Tikonov and with the FSS Dryad and even more dropships and fighters coming up from behind the convoy splinters and most of the dropships attempts to make their best speed towards Tikonov. A few realictic captains do however stand down and broadcast their surrender. Those that attempt to make the run find themselves harried the entire way there, ship after ship exploding. Those that do reach orbit are forced to land wherever they can and are mostly scattered across the continents of Kazan and Ufa. On Kazan, the defending Davion Assault Guards make short work of the roughly 2 battalions of scattered troops that manage to make planet fall, while on Ufa the Tikonov Martial Academy Training Group prove their loyalty and restrict the invaders to the more isolated areas until support arrives from the 1st Tikonov Cossacks who had been deployed to Pskov and Krasnodar, as well as a combat command from the Davion Assault Guards. In total a little over 3 and a half battalions of battlemechs actually manage to reach the planet through the gauntlet of aerospace fighters, combat dropships and warships, with roughly 2 battalions of those eventually surrendering - often when their battlemechs are destroyed. In space another 2 battalions worth of troops have been captured when their transports struck their IFF and allowed themselves to be boarded. One particular prisoner is Colonel Dmitri Rosilov of the 2nd Tikonov Republican Guard - or as he is referred to by his captors, Captain Dmitri Rosilov soon to be the shot as the traitor Dmitri Rosilov. While initially defiant the senior prisoner undergoes a marked shift in mood (to bordering on abject terror) when it is explained that Duke Ryan-Bowman has requested that his secret police take the lead in interrogating the prisoners, particularly those known to them... After all he is a known mutineer and deserter and so is not covered by the Ares Convention... 
The salvage and dropships taken by the AFFS are gathered on Tikonov and some thought is given to using them to form a 2nd Tikonov Cossacks. Although a handful of the more modern battlemech designs from the Free Worlds League are handed over to the NAIS for inspection. The jumpships are either auctioned off by the AFFS to civilian ownership or refitted and taken into service with the AFFS. As for the prisoners, most of the officers will be interrogated by the various intelligence agencies - with those who were mutineers or former AFFC or AFFS often suffering the tender touches of the Okhrana on Tikonov itself. Those who are FWL born or who don't at least have any charges of treason to be levelled against them are spared more rigorous interrogation and are instead held as potential pirates rather than traitors. The common troops are also interrogated although to a lesser extent and put to hard work - although like the officers any former personnel of the AFFC or AFFS are prepared for trial for treason. 
First Prince Victor Davion sends words to all of the potential Captain-Generals denouncing this invasion of his realm and attack upon his subjects. He demands answers and reparations for this invasion. Left unsaid is the result of the last time a major industrial world of the FedSuns was attacked. 
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===Developments in Industry===
Within the Outback 2 worlds have been found near the world of Cooperland that are suitable for colonisation by the 1st Patrol Squadron. Small teams are dispatched to begin preparations for settlements upon the planet. They are provisionally named Fox's Den and Resurgence by the officers of the 1st Patrol Squadron. 
On Baxley the Jalastar Aerospace plant see's a Sparrowhawk line go operational. As soon as it's completed a second Sparrowhawk line immedietly begins. The AFFS has an almost unlimited appetite for the Sparrowhawk fighter. 
The Federated Sun's Defense Industries plant see's the J Edgar line go operational. Demand for the vehicle is slight, but sales are obtained from planetary defense forces throughout the Outback. 
Veridan Dynamics saw their new civilian truck lines go operational. This has been a gamble, as until now they have been a military industrial company only. However sales start strong and only grow. 
The Clan Sun Jaguar's Jaguar Industries completes it's Wyvern IIC production line. With two Battlemech IIC lines built and a third building the Clan scientists agree with the Khan that the time has come to put a full omnimech into production. After a great deal of consideration the Mist Lynx is chosen. While many advocated the more prestigious and powerful Warhawk or Dire Wolf assault omnimech it is felt that some additional experience building an omnimech line is called for before putting them into production. However, it is agreed to begin preliminary work for both of those designs at the same time. 
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===Capellan Invasion of Grand Duchy of Andurien continues===
On the Andurien-Capellan, front the 1st & 2nd Chargers arrive at Lopez. They are met with the dug in 2nd Defenders of Andurien and large numbers of local militia troops. In a characteristic attack of the old Capellan Chargers the newly reformed Chargers throw themselves at the fortified lines of the Defenders. Again and again the assault and heavy battlemechs slammed into the 2nd Defenders lines but were unable to break them. Finally, heavily depleted the Chargers withdrew to their own lines after nearly a week of assaults, only to find themselves caught up in a furious counter-attack by the Defenders who had preserved their strength for just such an opportunity at heavy cost to the local militias. The green Capellan units broke and fled back to their dropships, fleeing the world in failure with their ranks heavily depleted. However the defensive battle for over a week and then a large scale assault left the 2nd Defenders shattered themselves and unable to do more than attempt to rebuild their ranks from the salvage. 
Between them the both Charger regiments that came to the world of Lopez with nearly 16 companies of heavy and assault battlemechs between them. They leave with little more than half of that. However, reluctant to return to the Confederation in abject failure they instead head for the world of Calseraigne which has joined the Grand Duchy. Undertaking repairs on the way they will arrive in June. 
The green 3rd Defenders get no such luck as their counterparts on Lopez. Even weakened from the aerospace battle Warrior House Lu-Sann forms the tip of a spear that smashes into the 3rd Defender's lines while the 3rd Sian Dragoons follow them through the breach. Allowing the Defenders no time to reform the Warrior House continues almost relentless attacks backed up by the Dragoons. Finally after nearly 2 weeks of being driven back again and again the remnants of the 3rd Defenders are routed and flee the planet. They jump to Xanthe III and attempt to reform but number barely a battalion of damaged battlemechs. Warrior House Lu-Sann has been badly mauled by the continued attacks and reduced to a single operational company, while the 3rd Dragoon's are down almost a full battalion in strength. Therefore the 2 units are ordered to remain where they are and garrison the newest Confederation planet. 
On all the other worlds the attacking forces find themselves facing only militia and conventional troops and swiftly overrun them. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Liao Guards who have taken light causalities while seizing their objectives begin refitting and preparing for their next target. 
With Furud already under occupation and with the worlds seized by the Capellan's Canopian allies as well the Grand Duchy has lost 7 out of it's 21 worlds. A full third of the small state has already fallen. But word of reinforcements heading in their direction stiffens their resolve to fight on, as does the arrival of the first of the Davion battlemechs sold to them. These are dispatched to Mosiro to upgrade a handful of militia units into the 4th Defenders of Andurien and to Xanthe III and Lopez to help rebuild the heavily damaged 2nd & 3rd Defenders. The 1st Defenders and Jaffray's Own, knowing the invasion is coming, prepare as best they can on Andurien itself. 
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The rest of the Free Worlds League find itself torn. On the one hand they disapprove of the Andurien Seccession, yet at the same stage they do not enjoy watching men and women that were their comrades and fellow citizens just a few short months ago be killed and their worlds seized by Capellans. This is particularly common amongst the Free Worlds Legionnaires - indeed a handful of non-Andurien Legionnaires begins to head towards Andurien to offer their services in small trickle. These are directed to Mosiro to reinforce the forming 4th Defenders.
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