ASO Chpt I2

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==Interlude: Tojo Jarlath - Aurigan Sentinels (BattleTech CYOA)==
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===Wheels Get Into Motion===
Hilton Head, North America
Terra, Sol Star System
4th August, 3020
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“How in the name of Blake did ROM miss a WarShip let alone a McKenna-class Battleship?!” demands Precentor Ulthan Everson.
Tojo internally winces at that even as the Precentor ROM remains passive externally. Even if it wasn’t his fault and he can prove it, it is a bad look to let someone outside of the Blessed Order get their hands on a functioning WarShip, especially one as powerful as the one that Elizabeth Nora has returned home with.
 
“Would you like to answer, Precentor Tharkad, Precentor ROM?” says the Primus Julian Tielpolo, the leader of ComStar, pretending to ask without actually asking.
 
“To the best of our knowledge, the expedition led by Elizabeth Nora uncovered the SLS Tomb-Maker in the Fable system,” answers Tojo, “While Fable is an abandoned world and has been for the entirety of the Third Succession War, ROM is still assessing how a WarShip and so much other SLDF equipment could have been missed. A precursory check of the Blessed Order’s archive reveals no sign of SLDF presence in the Fable system and while I am having a deeper investigation performed, I’m afraid it will take time to find results if there are any to find. I have also organized an expedition of our own to the Fable system to find answers of what happened there, but I’m afraid getting answers from that is also a matter of time.”
 
 “What about our agents in the expedition?” asks Villius Tejh, Precentor Sian, more calmly than his Lyran counterpart, “Surely ROM didn’t allow such a major LosTech expedition to go ahead without having some fingers in the pie? For the purpose of preventing a situation like the one that we find ourselves in?”
 
 “I had informants in their ranks, but no actual field agents,” answers Tojo, “Had this originated in one of the Successor States or even one of the major Periphery powers, ROM would have certainly been able to properly infiltrate it. As things are, this independent expedition came from a minor Periphery power, a state so insignificant that we don’t even put it on our maps. ROM can only stretch itself so far as the Blessed Order’s resources are finite.”
 
 “That still doesn’t explain why we are hearing about it so late after the discovery,” points out Tejh, “If I recall correctly, Fable is closer to New Avalon than the rimward border of the Confederation and yet we are only now just hearing about this.”
 
“Elizabeth Nora avoided inhabited star systems on her way home from the Fable system,” explains Tojo, “Given the apparent extent of her success, it was a clever decision on her part. Given that the Blessed Order only has a limited presence in her home region, including limited stations, it will delay the knowledge of her WarShip and the reactions to it even further. We are fortunate to learn about it as early as we have. If an Explorer Corps JumpShip hadn’t been fortunate enough to be passing though at the time, it could have been several more days before news even reached one of our HPG compounds.
 
“I can confidently say that none of the Scavenger Lords are aware yet. Even if their local agents have knowledge of the WarShip, they haven’t been able to send any HPG messages yet and I have given orders to local precentors in the region to delay any that cross their desks as long as possible without drawing suspicion.”
 
“While I am still unhappy, I am satisfied that ROM has done what it could under the circumstances,” declares Tejh.
 
 “As Precentor ROM says, the Blessed Order’s resources are not infinite and it is simply unfortunate that this surprise came from the vector it did,” says Tiepolo as he looks around the First Circuit, making contact with every member, “Now, I would like to move on to how to contain this situation unless anyone else has any pertinent questions?”
 
“I do, Primus,” says Precentor Dieron, a Draconian man who is beginning to get on with his years, “I wish to know more about who has the battleship. This incident is the first time that I’ve heard of the Aurigan Coalition and I want to know what we are dealing with before discussing our options.”
 
“I concur with Precentor Dieron,” says Precentor Avalon, one Huthrin Vandel, “I must also confess that this is the first time that I’ve heard of the Aurigan Coalition.”
 
“As I said before, the Aurigan Coalition is a minor Periphery power not worth putting on the map unless you are being a perfectionist,” answers Tojo, “Located in the Rimward Periphery, they share a border with both the Capellan Confederation and the Taurian Concordat. The Coalition is relatively wealthy enough that the Blessed Order has a handful of HPG compounds out there, but our presence is minimal, just enough to keep an eye on things should something like the current crisis happen.
 
“The Aurigan Coalition is a nation in name only and is in truth more of a trade partnership. Their High Lord is very much a first amongst equals to the point that the position carries more prestige than power to it. There is no centralised military and the Aurigan Coalition is actually several independent militarizes that cannot act without the consent of the squabbling Founding Council. The High Lord even lacks the ability to deploy them in emergencies. Native production is also lacking as they have no fusion production and the heaviest domestically produced military hardware is heavy-weight combustion-powered combat vehicles such as the Bulldog or both missile carrier variants
 
“The only notable thing about the Aurigan Coalition is their relative prosperity and wealth for a mere Periphery power. They are basically a bunch of nobodies who got lucky by having one of their own stumble across a WarShip.”
 
“And before we get going, first what are ROM’s recommendations for dealing with the SLS Tomb-Maker, Precentor ROM?” asks Tiepolo once it is clear that Tojo is finished.
 
 “Keeping it out of the hands of a somebody,” answers Tojo, having made sure to thoroughly research this lest he finds himself losing his position or worse, “It is one thing for some nobodies to have access to a functional WarShip. It is another for one of the Successor States to claim it for their own usage.”
 
 “Shouldn’t its destruction be the Blessed Order’s priority?” asks Precentor Atreus, Pedrigor Aliz, pointedly.
 
 “The idea has been considered, but there are too many factors against it being successful,” replies Tojo, having expected and planned for that particular line of questioning, “The primary issue is the functional status of the Tomb-Maker combined with our minimal presence. The WarShip is clearly capable of making multiple jumps and we have no reason to assume that the rest of it isn’t just as functional. Furthermore, for all their faults, the Aurigans are capable of fielding multiple ASF squadrons and DropShips in defence of the Tomb-Maker.
 
“I would like to make it clear to the First Circuit that this won’t be a repeat of the Tripitz Affair. The battleship is both functional and public knowledge. Its defenses will be greater. While we have ample LosTech at our disposal, after the Jolly Roger Affair, I am not confident that it will be enough to carry the day and we lack the numbers to ensure numerical superiority.
 
 “We could deploy our own WarShips, but that would come with its own set of problems. Ultimately speaking, ROM cannot guarantee that the First Division of the ComGuards will be sufficient to get the job done. While we can rectify that problem with the permission of the First Circuit, it will take time for that to happen. Likewise, it will take time to deploy our forces to a previously irrelevant part of the Periphery.”
 
“How can the ComGuards be insufficient?” demands Precentor Dieron, “Aren’t operations like this their intended purpose?”
 
“This is an unexpected situation and it isn’t the first time that the ComGuards have been found lacking,” answers Tojo, “The Aurigan Coalition getting their hands on a working WarShip wasn’t something we have the resources to prepare for. Furthermore, the over dependence on advanced technology was revealed during the Jolly Rogers affair. This is not the first time that the ComGuards’ lack of numbers or experience has raised its head.”
 
“I am curious about how we missed the Tomb-Maker in the first place.” muses the Primus, “Do we have any answers on that?”
 
“The latest SLDF records of the Tomb-Maker had it fighting during the Amaris Coup.” replies Tojo, “It was assumed that it was either destroyed by the fighting or taken by Kerensky on his Exodus. We had no reason to believe it was secretly hidden away in the Fable system.”
 
“I would like to get back to the issue of the ComGuards and their inability to do their job!” snaps Precentor Dieron.
 
“That can be dealt with another time,” says Tejh before anyone else can reply to Draconian man, “The Tomb-Maker Affair is a time sensitive concern while any solution to the ComGuards will be a long-term matter.”
 
“I concur,” says Tiepolo as he silences Precentor Dieron with a glare when the other man opens his mouth again, “Now that we established that direct measures aren’t a viable first resort, what does ROM have in mind, Jarlath?”
 
“The consensus is that a battleship in the hands of some nobodies is preferable to a battleship in the hands of a Scavenger Lord,” answers Tojo, “For now, the Tomb-Maker remaining in Aurigan hands is, ah, I would be lying if I said it was a preferable option, but it is certainly the least bad option. To reassure the First Circuit, I want to affirm that this is a short-term measure to contain the situation. Long term, ROM will be looking into eliminating the Tomb-Maker from consideration, but as those will all take time, we need a temporary solution in place.”
 
“I’m sure that the rest of the First Circuit will agree that a temporary solution is acceptable while time is spent on finding a more permanent arrangement,” says Tiepolo as the Primus looks up and down the table, only getting varying degrees of acceptance, but no protests either.
 
“So long as we plan to deal with the battleship and not just leave a functional WarShip in the hands of some Periphery neo-barbs,” says Aliz.
 
“I can assure you that ROM does not to intend let the Elizabeth Nora or the Aurigan Coalition keep a McKenna-class in their possession,” replies Tojo confidently, “We just need time to find a way to accomplish it that has both a sufficient degree of success and doesn’t compromise the security of the Blessed Order. I am also happy to report that some good news has come out of this whole unfortunate affair.”
 
That certainly gets the attention of everyone else in the room. Hopefully it will be enough to keep his job secure as while this affair wasn’t his fault, Tojo just needs to be left holding the blame to go down.
 
“As part of ROM’s investigation into Elizabeth Nora thanks to her very fortunate find, we found a patent filed for a unique myomer layout for exoskeletons,” continues Tojo, “While initially overlooked for being nothing special, a closer inspection has found that it has the potential to be very useful for our Tornado Power Armour. At the moment, the primary drawback of the Tornado suit is that each one needs to be custom fitted for each user, which limits their usability.
 
“While things are still preliminary right now, it is looking like Miss Nora’s myomer layout will allow ROM to standardize our Tornado suits. While making a universal suit is still a ways off, rather than customising each one to the user, we will be able to make a range of sizes that can be field-adjusted to a user of suitable stature. And since I’m sure some of you are wondering this, we do not expect Miss Nora or anyone else to make their own Tornados. It would require the stealth power armor that the Blessed Order only acquired from reverse-engineering the few Nighthawks that we inherited from the SLDF.”
 
“Excellent news, Jarlath,” says Tiepolo, “I would not be wrong in assuming that this will make ROM’s job significantly easier?”
 
“If things go according to the preliminary report, then we will be able to deploy our Tornados more freely and in greater numbers due to being able to access a wider pool of users,”answers Tojo.
 
“And what about Elizabeth Nora herself?” asks Tejh, “I dislike how often her name is coming up.”
 
“I am already looking into taking care of her.” answers Tojo without hesitating, “While all of the damage might be done at this point, the profile of Elizabeth Nora presents enough of a risk that her termination has been deemed to be worth doing. ROM may need to wait a bit for her to fade from public attention, but eliminating her will be significantly easier for the Blessed Order than eliminating her battleship.”
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==Author's Chapter Commentary==
; A Word from the Author: And here we have the ComStar reaction. I’m a bit worried about how much of the update is just talking, but since it is a meeting, that can only be helped so much. In any case, I believe there is enough stuff going on here to leave readers satisfied.Anyway, the gist of it is that ComStar has been caught off guard by a bunch of nobodies getting their hands on a battleship. Because of this, they are running damage control right now and scrambling for time as they look into more permanent long-term solutions. And make no mistake, they do want the Tomb-Maker off the table, the First Circuit is just choosing to prioritize ensuring that the battleship stays in the hands of the nobodies rather than falling into the hands of a somebody.After all, the Aurigan Coalition having a functional McKenna is a disaster, but the Federated Suns or the Capellan Confederation getting their hands on it would be an even greater disaster.That said, ComStar will definitely be causing trouble for Elizabeth and the Aurigan Coalition as they will be the man behind the man for Elizabeth’s first big foe.
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