FSRB Chpt 48

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 48==
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July 3065Deals struck or suggested
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===AFFS Regiments Reorganization===
The first staff begin assembling in July for the new Lexington Military Academy on the planet of Lexington. Most of the staff including the Kommandant of the academy will be drawn from the Lexington Combat Guard and their former formation the Lexington Combat Group, although a handful of officers will also be brought in from certain prestigious formations such as the Davion Brigade of Guards, Ceti Hussars, and Deneb Light Cavalry. The first class will enter the still building academy in January 3066 and are expected to graduate at the end of December 3068. At which point they will be formed up as a full LCT consisting of 4 battlemech companies, 2 heavy battalions of armor, 2 light battalions of armor, an artillery battalion, VTOL battalion and a full regiment of battle armor infantry with an attached fighter wing. It's graduates are slated to mostly be directed towards the Lexington Combat Guard although the officers of the former mercenary unit are also happy to share any excess with units such as the Ceti Hussars. 
First Prince Davion on the 3rd of July meets with Marshal Amelia Fitzwilliam's of the Chisholm Raiders Brigade and the Marshal of Armies Jackson Davion. During this meeting he discusses with the Marshal the idea of perhaps using the Chisholm Raiders as the basis for a larger formation of LCTs. Reports from Jon Davion of the Heavy Guards on Tancredi have spoken to the flexibility of the LCT model and how there might be a use for it both in raiding and attacking minor systems as well as defending the Federated Sunss long borders. Both Victor and Jackson Davion can see a use for a larger number of "light" commands which can be deployed to seize undefended systems or to raid behind enemy lines or patrol their own border worlds that might not merit the stationing of a full battlemech regiment on it. However forming a new brigade of these units would take too long and while they have already agreed to use the 1st Tancredi Loyalist LCT as the core of a reborn brigade this will still take too long and will result in a large number of green formations which might not be best placed to take advantage of the opportunities inherit in the new formation. The small demi-brigade of Raiders however are an ideal core for the new formation and given their long standing specialty in unorthodox tactics are considered a good fit for the new concept. If their commanding officers can be brought around to the idea that is.
Marshal Fizwilliam initially feels that this idea is basically the dismemberment of her brigade rather than expanding it. Still she does sit and discuss the matter with the First Prince and Marshal of Armies. If for no other reason than both men are considered experienced generals and their ideas are worth listening to. The fact they are also her bosses probably has a small part to play in her hearing them out. They explain that the current plan they have is to raise both units to reinforced regiments and then form 4 full commands from each RCT while also forming at least 2 and perhaps as many as 4 more new commands fresh from graduating cadets in the next few years. This would give the newly reformed Chisholm Raiders Brigade no less than 10-12 LCTs compared to the current 2 RCTs. While their individual commands would be smaller than say the Davion Brigade of Guards or Crucis Lancers Brigades they would have more actual commands and would be able to play a vital part in any future war. They also promise that the current Raider's traditions would be honored and as a final nod to those traditions the two men suggest that a small academy could be set up on the Raiders "home world" of Colorado to provide a steady stream of recruits for the formations trained in their particular tactics and traditions. 
The Marshal doesn't feel she can make such a momentous decision on the future of her unit on her own and seeks the permission of the First Prince to contact the two Marshal's currently in command of the 1st and 2nd Raiders as well as 3 retired general officers who have previously held command positions within the Brigade. That seems a sensible request and the First Prince agrees and authorizes her to either visit her two commands or invite the retired officers to New Avalon depending on which seems the best option. 
Within the Draconis March Duke James Sandoval begins putting plans in place to reform the Dahar DMM's Armored Brigade. One thing that is causing him no small issue in this project is the lack of major armored vehicle production within his March. He sends word to his representative on the High Command to raise this issue with the First Prince and other members of the High Command as a priority. In the short term orders are cut from New Avalon to divert armor production to the Dahar DMM and help them form 2 armored regiments from the local militias. However in the long term this lack of vehicle production within the Draconis March will need to be addressed. Both Kallon and GM will be contacted about adding small plants to at least begin addressing this issue, while Johnston Industries are contacted about expanding their facilities on Addicks and Benet III to add vehicle lines.
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===Black Thorns return home===
On Northwind, the first of the recalled Highlanders return. A handful arrive in ones and twos but the largest single formation is the Black Thorns. Captain Jeremiah Rose is surprised to immediately be offered a commission within the Northwind Hussars as a full major. His Thorns will become the core of his new battalion the Black Thorn Battalion which will replace the disgraced Jaffray's Own. Even more surprising is the fact that his father, Corneilus Rose is one of those strongly pushing for him to take the appointment. In a heart to heart meeting with his father and still crippled sister the three surviving Rose's meet at the family home and reconcile. Helping this reconciliation was the senior Rose's informing his children that he had arranged via the newly reformed ties between Northwind and the Federated Suns for Rianna to attend the NAIS for treatment. 
The day after this meeting Jeremiah Rose formally accepts the posting and merges his command into the Northwind Hussars as the units 1st Battalion, the Black Thorns. With various odds and ends that are diverted to the regiment the Northwind Hussars is now the strongest Highlander regiment and while un-contracted to the Federated Suns begins seeking contracts to bring in c-bills to help rebuild Northwind and keep their experience levels up. 
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===Raiding on FedSun/Capellan Border===
On the 19th July, Jaffray's Own jump the border, having obtained confirmation that the 2nd Davion Guards RCT has moved from Axton and is no longer stationed at Bell, and make a full thrust burn for Bell. They've got exactly 6 elite rated pilots who had defected from the Northwind Hussars with them and those pilots are soon earning their keep, dog fighting with at first 6 fighters from the 1st Capellan Dragoons. While the former Northwind pilots have a slight edge in skill at first they are soon massively outnumbered as Light Commodore Ceola Jackson leads the rest of the 1st Dragoon Wing to the aid of the hastily scrambled ready squadron. The Crone herself leads her veteran pilots into the fray and soon the skies over Bell are filled with spiralling fighters and explosions. With only a slight edge in skill and outnumbered 3:1 the fighters attached to Jaffray's Own are soon swept from the skies, but they do at least manage to buy time for the dropships carrying the 4 mech companies to land. 
While the 1st Capellan Dragoons ground components reform and reorganize around the Hasek Refit Center the 1st Bell Training Reinforced Battalion and it's supporting forces deploy to screen the facility and buy time for the heavier and more experience formation to get ready. Jaffray's Own smash into the Bell Training Battalion and soon scatter the green formation inflicting heavy damage on the battlemech companies in particular. However before they can reform from their charge the 1st Armored Dragoons battalions, which consists of new machines and as such doesn't have any units down for refit charges to join the Bell Battalion's supporting armor and close in around the Capellan/Northwind troops. 
Holding of the armored forces probing and rushing in around them the elite Highlanders have no problem in holding their ground but any chance they had of rushing the Refit Center while the Dragoons were still disorganized fades and dies as they are pinned down by the armor battalions. Seeing the 1st Capellan's Dragoons 1st and 2nd Battalions moving to join the fray Colonel Jaffray calls a reluctant retreat to his dropships. He does manage to drag away a number of the cadet's battlemechs which his command disabled, but barely enough to replace the losses and damage he sustains in the retreat to his dropships and flight off world. When the total destruction of his attached fighters is added into the equation the raid has been an obvious flop. Still the report sent to Sian stresses the damage inflicted upon the Capellan Dragoons and Bell Training Battalion. 
Although the report sent to Sian lists the damage to the Capellan Dragoons as almost their entire armor battalion and a company of battlemechs as well as 2 companies of cadets from the Bell Training Battalion and at least the same again in armored and infantry companies. The real damage is roughly a company of cadets and 2 mixed companies of armor from both commands. However most of these losses are material rather than personnel and are swiftly replaced. The few losses to the actual cadet corp itself are swiftly made up with an upsurge in anti-Capellan volunteers. The only major problem in these new recruits are that many of them expect to sign up on Monday and be launching attacks into the Confederation by Wednesday at the latest. 
Refitting his damaged battlemechs and repairing what he can of the captured machines his unit actually see's a slight loss in operational ability. However his spirit in striking back at the hated Davion's does at least earn him some favor with some Capellan officers and a small number of replacement machines and even a handful of home guard mechwarrriors are diverted to his command along with enough spare parts to replace his losses. Although Jaffray's Own's fighters are not replaced at all. 
Not withstanding the failed nature of the raid the Davion High Command on New Avalon and Duke Hasek on New Syrtis both agree that a message must be sent. Between them they begin preparing to send a clear and unequivocal message to Sian to reign in such adventurism in the future or face even greater reprisals and losses. 
The news coming from the Federated Suns to Sian was made worse when Bergan Industries officially announced that they would begin construction of a new Wayland Mobile Base factory on the Federated Suns planet of Andalusia. Hints were made in the release that Locust production might also be considered for this new site. Hurried assurances were sent to Sian that no technical data will be shared with the new plant in the FedSuns!
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===Northwind Highlanders received new troops===
The Northwind Highlanders are bolstered when Major Cullen Craig formerly of Swann's Cavaliers arrives home with 2 companies of his former battalion who have decided to follow him back to Northwind. Few of these men and women are Highlanders themselves but they are prepared to serve in any unit that has their Major in command. The 2 companies are folded into beginning reforming the 1st Kearny's 3rd battalion. Each battalion has now at least on paper been reformed, with each battalion roughly at tow thirds strength.
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===Sun Jaguar Expedition to Wayside V===
On Wayside V, the talks between the Fidelis and the Sun Jaguars finally begin to see breakthroughs. The Home Worlds branch of the survivors are already aware that their current colony will soon be outstripped by their settlements and that they are still dangerously exposed on this isolated planet with no friends nearby. Or indeed friends at all. Joining themselves to the Sun Jaguars will give them an opportunity to expand across 3 formerly colonized worlds and perhaps expand further. More, this will allow them to official "rejoin" a Clan. The fact that this is a clan sworn to House Davion does cause many of them reservations, but at least it has a warrior First Prince who himself vanquished Clan Smoke Jaguar. By Clan traditions and laws who better to serve than he who had defeated them. This will in the eyes of the traditionalists turn the Annihilation into an Absorption. After some long and difficult discussions the Fidelis agree to join Clan Sun Jaguar. 
It is only with this acceptance that the Fidelis reveal two of their secrets. The first is that they retain a full copy of the Smoke Jaguar Remembrance. The second is that they also have contacts with the remaining bandit caste Smoke Jaguars in the home worlds led by "The Jaguar" Russou Howell and might be able to request them to also join the Sun Jaguars - including the warship the Streaking Mist. The leader of the Fidelis Paul Moon offered to send word to The Jaguar and ask him to rendezvous perhaps at Antallos at a specified time. He was able to promise that at least the crew of the Streaking Mist would listen to his orders as they were his followers and only obeyed Russou Howell on his orders. 
During the journey to the new Sun Jaguar home worlds of Fugeres, Frankson, and Valois the Tiaret Nevversan and Paul Moon share their experiences on Huntress and the destruction of their former Clan. This draws them together and they soon become close. Tiaret receives insight into how hard it was for the former Smoke Jaguars on Huntress, while she also shares with Paul Moon a version of Victor Davion that he finds difficult to reconcile with his own and Trent/Baldur's memories of the man. However he values his new saKhan's insights and agrees to keep an open mind. Something that Tiaret points out will be vital if Khan Showers agrees to her proposal to let Paul Moon reform his Delta Galaxy for the Sun Jaguars 
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===JumpShip Production===
Universal Air during July made 2 offers to other companies to attempt to expand their production capabilities. Firstly they made a generous offer to buy a licence to produce the LF battery equipped Tramp jumpship design for domestic sales within the Federated Suns, while secondly they invited Challenge Systems of Panpour to go into a joint venture with them to add Monolith production to their shipyards at Delavan. Knowing how possessive of the Monolith design the company was Universal Air didn't attempt to enter into a full on licensing agreement with Challenge but instead proposed a joint project to create a Monolith production facility. They would put up most of the funds and manpower to construct the facility and Challenge would put up the design and skilled and experienced technicians to help train the workforce. Not only would this generate additional profits it would also diversify Challenge from being limited to a single production facility. While the executives of the company were considering this offer they also received word that the Federated Suns government would look favorably on them accepting this deal. 
SelaSys Incorporated on the other hand would mull over this offer for some time and have to seek their own government's approval for the proposed license. Given the lack of any real interstellar market for the Tramp design and domestic sales being frankly poor they couldn't see any negative of accepting the offer. The FWLM on the other hand could - given that this would give the AFFS access to an LF equipped transport. However SelaSys was a rich and well connected company and would push back against opposition from the FWLM on this issue.
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===Activities of the Children of the Coordinator===
On Luthien, Hohiro Kurita has a formal meeting with his father the Coordinator. The meeting begins with a great deal of tension, and Hohiro feels humiliated when his father points out how imprudent his recent actions have been. How they could have led to devastating losses not only of material, but also prestige to House Kurita. Still his father does calm his son when he agrees that perhaps he was manipulated into the situation by Victor Davion and that he himself has perhaps failed in taking due regard of this dangerous foe. The two proud Kuritas then sit and discuss how they can reverse the current flow of power away from their own realm and to the Federated Suns long into the night. Hohiro redeems himself fully in his father's eyes when he makes an unorthodox and very "un-Kurita" suggestion which Theodore immedietly sees huge benefit in. Not only militarily but also politically. As such he dispatches Hohiro immedietly to personally go to Sian and seek an audience with the Chancellor. He advises his son to take a fine line between conciliation and strength with the Chancellor. After all the man is a head of state and must be given the respect this is due, but then again no-one but a full would consider the Confederation the equal to the Combine. He trusts his son will take the right stance. Leaving Luthien having stayed up the entire night discussing their plans Hohiro has spent less than 24 hours on Luthien. Unlike his reluctant and drawn out journey to Luthien Hohiro will rush to Deiron and then over into the FWL and down into the Capellan Confederation. He now has a mission which will not only redeem himself, but show Victor Davion that he will not get all his own way! 
Meanwhile, realizing his realm's growing weakness in the aerospace field the Coordinator orders that a new plant be constructed on Luthien itself to being production of Sabre class light aerospace fighters. Reintroducing this venerable fighter will he hope revitalize the aerospace industries in his realm. The sturdy and rugged fighter will be ideal to deploy to remote and 2nd line garrison formations which will free up more prestigious designs for front line use. 
He also sends word to his other son Minoru of Clan Nova Cat that he wishes a meeting with a high ranking Clan official as well as representatives of the Clan's merchant, scientist and technician castes as soon as possible here on Luthien. While his wording is polite he makes it clear that the Clan should strongly consider his request. To their mutual advantage.
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