FSRB Chpt 61

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 61==
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July 3066A threat
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===Borderer Brigade Grows===
July started with the formal creation of a 1st Woodstock Reinforced Training Battalion to support the now upgraded Woodstock Militia which had been upgraded to the 1st Woodstock Borderer regiment within the Borderer Brigade in August 3064. By now it is felt that the an attached Reinforced Training Battalion is very much called for to support the unit. This does raise some questions as to whether or not other Reinforced Training Battalions will be used to support raising Borderer regiments - Bell, Brockton, Conroe, Galtor and Sheraton all have such units but no Borderer regiment on the planet. Although Sheraton at least has the 1st Sheraton Knights and Galtor has the locally raised 3rd Robinson Rangers RCT. Behind the scenes Marshal Deedee Faulkner continues to push for the Sheraton Knights to be assigned to her Brigade.
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===Touring the Outback===
The First Prince's sister and Isis Marik continue on their tour of the Outback, stopping at Mayetta before moving onto Savonburg. The fact that the two duchess's stopped at Mayetta and were greeted by the reformed Mayetta DMM in a full military ceremony is a telling point to many within the DMM unit which had labored for years to rebuild after the attempted rebellion by the former incarnation of the unit under General Yalos. Many within the Mayetta DMM feel that this is an official sign that the loyalist elements of the unit and the new recruits who have joined since have been forgiven by New Avalon and Robinson for the rebellion and will now be allowed to put this behind them. This is helped when 2 weeks after Yvonne and Isis leave a shipment of new Sentry, Watchmen, and Battle Hawk mechs arrives from the new plant on Woodbine for the unit. Numbering a full 2 companies of battlemechs this will bring the unit to almost full strength. Rather than sit back and wait for recruits General Anders Holbien who had been the senior officer left after the purges immediately forms 2 provisional companies and opens slots up to members of the local militia and even civilians who can try out to show if they have what it takes. These 2 companies effectively form an ad-hoc training command within the Mayetta DMM. The training these would be mechwarriors will receive will be rough and ready and will result in a lowering of standards within the regiment but is seen by the various officers as a way of proving to the First Prince and Duke Sandoval that they will do their bit to rebuild their command. 
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===Nova Cats Envoys===
During July Khan Nevversan has to fight 2 Trial's of Refusal for her plans to allow the lower castes to vote for the next saKhan. She is helped in this by the fact that Galaxy Commander Paul Moon and new Galaxy Commander Russou Howell support her in these Trials and actually fight at her side in them. With the leadership of the Warrior caste behind her she is able to survive the Trials. She also announces that the Clan's 2 warships will be renamed the Battlecruiser CSJ Rebirth (Streaking Mist) and Troop Transport CSJ Steve Showers (Osis's Pride). Although both ships are desperately in need of a refit and repairs. 
The Clan Nova Cat convoy also arrives during July. Bringing with it nearly 30,000 further former Smoke Jaguars. Most of these are Technician and Laborer Caste. Rather than scatter them to all 3 worlds that the Clan maintains envoys on Khan Nevversan has them land on Valois and begin construction of a factory complex. While initially she was hoping to construct a production line to produce the iconic Dire Wolf or Warhawk omnimechs she is advised by the senior techs that this would place their existing capacity under a huge logistical and technological strain. As such it would be better to start with a standard battlemech design and use this factory as a means to expand infrastructure and skills for then building future omnimech factories. Considering the Clint IIC, Wyvern IIC, Guillotine IIC, and Highlander IIC the Khan after taking advice from her Galaxy Commanders and Star Colonels decides to build a single line of Clint IIC and Guillotine IIC each for the time being. She also calls upon the First Prince to help her with this work and invites experienced technicians and engineers from Lycomb-Davion's rebuilding of their Guillotine line to help with the project and Andoran Industries technicians to help with the Clint line. 
The Khan also signs a formal non-aggression pact with Clan Nova Cat, having made sure to seek the First Prince's approval for this before agreeing to it. The terms of this are that the Sun Jaguars and Nova Cat forces will not attack each others units deliberately and if they encounter each other on the battlefield without warning will fight according to the strict rules of Zellbrigen and will afford each other the option of Hegira. Two warrior peoples, they know that they currently serve different Successor States and war might be forced upon them but they agree to bury the old feud between the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats and form a new closer bond. Both Clans also include hidden provisions within the treaty to help each other in the even that their respective Successor State turns on them and to offer sanctuary. Even Khan Nevversan doesn't tell First Prince Victor Davion about this provision.
As well as approving of the 2 Clan's non aggression treaty the First Prince also formally recognized the Calderon Protectorate which announced it's secession from the Taurian Concordant this month. Dissent with the Lord Protecoter had been growing within VIth Corp and now Baron Kithrong had had enough with the formal opening of the new "Revenge Shipyards" above Taurus under the newly reformed Concordat Aerospace Limited. The 2 slips there immedietly began refitting the 4 Pinto class corvettes that had been supplied to the Concordat by the WOB. Given the name of the shipyards it was obvious what their purpose was and the First Prince swiftly granted full formal recognition to the Protectorate and invited them to take part in trade talks to help bolster their realm. No lesser person than Conrad Davion was dispatched aboard the FSS Broken Wheel to enter into talks. 
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===Developments in Industry===
On Novaya Zemyla, the new Hatchetman line comes online and begins constructing the axe wielding medium battlemech for the AFFS. Work continues on the Axman class line which is not expected to be completed before 3067. 
Maltex Corporation on Errai see's their flagship production line finish construction and for the first time in centuries new Thug class assault mechs roll of the production line. As with their Wyvern production line they offer the full proceeds of the line to the AFFS and thereafter certain AFFS affiliated mercenary commands. Only if there is any production spare after this do they offer any sales to the ComGuards. This is despite the FedSuns government trying to mediate between the company and Comstar. The AFFS however doesn't complain about a source of excellent assault mechs. 
The ComGuards do however get a fresh source of battlemechs when the second Black Knight production line enters production on Robinson and begins selling it's products exclusively to the ComGuards. These Black Knights are soon being used to rebuild command companies and lances throughout the ComGuards Divisions. 
The ComGuards and AFFS also split the production of the new Demon heavy combat tank factory that begins production on Verde in July. Given the wide variety of excellent combat vehicles available to the AFFS and the fact they already have access to the Demon from El Dorado and Belladonna the bulk of the new Demons produced are routed to the ComGuards. Which brings in even more sales revenues and taxes to the Federated Suns. With the increase in production across the entirety of the Military Industrial sector along with increasing export sales - "war is beginning to pay for itself" as one treasury spokesperson comments.
The first of the initial Monoliths laid down at Delevan enter service and are immediately assigned to various front line RCTs. With the new production from Panpour and other jumpship designs such as the Merchant class ships being produced at Filtvelt in ever increasing numbers the Federated Sun's is beginning to be able to provide ample shipping for it's own needs. At the same time a license was finally allowed by the FWL for SelaSys to provide Universal Air production rights to the Tramp jumpship. A new facility is immediately started to build the LF equipped jumpship. 
Galax at this time also receives a huge new order for A-3 Overlord Assault Dropships. The versatile craft have mostly been produced in very limited refits by Galax and from purchases from Skye's Shipil Company. The High Command is keen to massively increase the numbers of these pocket warships in case of war for secondary fronts and grants a major order to FedBoeing.
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===Troubles in the Confederation===
Within the Capellan Confederation, Colonel Loren Jaffray barely escapes with his life after a Thugee assassin manages to break into his bedroom during the night. Only his Death Commando training allows him to kill the intruder and then only after receiving crippling damage to his neck. He will now require to talk with a voice synthesize for the rest of his life unless he can receive cutting edge medical treatment - which is barely available within the Capellan Confederation at all, let along for a poorly thought of Colonel. The very fact he is still referred to as a Colonel is in itself something of an insult - as his proper rank within the CCAF would be Sang-shao. 
Also within the Confederation the Red Lancers and 151st Light Horse regiments arrive at Highspire and begin dropping to secure the former Thugee cult cave network. They are met with fanatical resistance and the use of limited amounts of nerve agents by the defending "troops". Unfortunately for the Light Horse, the Thugee's seem averse to engaging the Red Lancer and continually throw themselves at the SLDF regiment in fanatical attacks. Although the 2 elite units have no difficult in eventually securing the site and effectively wiping out the cultists the ] suffers almost 40% casualties (almost all as a result of nerve agent attacks) compared to only a companies worth of fatalities to the Red Lancers. Many within the 151st are of the view that the Red Lancers held back and didn't rush to their aid letting them bleed for the victory and only moved in when the matter was almost over. To make matters worse when the professional teams attached to both units finally secure they site it is obvious that a large quantity of nerve agent is missing. Spirited away. When a surviving Thugee is interrogated about this he proudly announces that "Kali told them that they were coming and not to harm her brothers soldiers if possible... And to rush some of the agent to a hidden base.". He nor any of the other survivors know where this base is. 
The 151st take the recovered nerve agent into custody and quickly leave the world of Highspire behind in disgust. Colonel Charles Antonescu sends his personal apologies for not having moved fast enough to seize the whole cache to not only the First Lord but also to Prince Victor. Both assure him that he did all he could and commend his soldiers for their bravery. Left unsaid is that someone on Sian told the Thugees that they were coming. The First Prince confirms also to the First Lord and the Colonel that he will fund the rebuilding of the 151st and supply all required material. 
Privately Victor sends a communication to Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao. In it he explains that any use of nerve agents by any citizen of the Confederation or use of nerve agent supplied by a citizen of the Confederation to a third party against the Federated Suns will be considered an act of war by the Federated Suns. One that will result in the AFFS and it's allies rolling over the border en masse and not stopping until they reach Sian or both Sun-Tzu and his crazy sister is dead. He assures the Chancellor that no threat of censure or even outright expulsion from the Second Star League will stop him from finishing what his father Hanse Davion started if the Capellans sink so low as to use nerve agent against his people... 
It is privately fed back to the First Prince that his message caused the usually calm Chancellor to fly into a murderous rage more befitting of his mother than him. There are even unconfirmed reports that the Chancellor briefly orders his sister's execution before rescinding the order just in time at the position she has placed him in.
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