OPREF-3 Chpt 2

=Book 3, Chapter 2 - Stacking the Deck=
==Opalescent Reflections==
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===Raid on Morges===
Carson Rift, Morges
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
12 January 3053
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Snow was compressed to join the ice under the feet of Star Colonel Aidan Pryde's Summoner. The ice sheets that the Gyrfalcon Guards were advancing across were slippery and poor footing, but the challenges of dealing with that had been addressed a long time ago and he strode across them with confidence.
 
A volley of long-range missiles plunged towards Aidan's 'mech and he side-stepped, the anti-missile system next to his cockpit spitting flechettes up to slash at the handful of missiles that managed to track the rapidly moving Summoner out of the sky. Only a single missile survived the gauntlet to scar the green painted armor plating.
 
Aidan saw the source of the missiles trying to get back behind the cover on the slope ahead. As he dragged the crosshairs of his own weapons across the sea of ash and ivory snow, he dialed up the magnification of his display.
 
Just before he had his shot lined up, the Zeus he was tracking fired the weapon mounted in its left arm.
According to the warbook, the Zeus mounted a mid-weight autocannon there. Aidan had never encountered one before - they were a design that post-dated Kerensky's Exodus from the Inner Sphere and therefore none were in Clan service. ComStar also preferred older SLDF designs for the most part so none had been deployed against the Jade Falcons on Camlann.
 
The flash of a PPC reminded the Star Colonel that warbook data could be wrong! The charged particles blazed across the space between the two 'mechs and shaved away almost half the protection layered over the Summoner's side.
 
Aidan blinked, clearing the momentary blindness of the flaring weapons and then fired his own weapons. First his own PPC, then the pulse laser in the Summoner's left arm (replacing the usual autocannon). He saw the PPC's blast rip into the rounded shoulder of the arm supporting its PPC. The laser pulses missed as the Zeus retreated entirely out of view behind a ridge in the ice, but the heat of its own weapons and the mass of metal weren't entirely enough to avoid the notice of his sensor's.
 
His own LRMs arced up and the Zeus apparently had no anti-missile system - the explosions suggested that at least some missiles had found a home on something more substantial than snow and ice.
 
Pushing the Summoner up the slope, Aidan saw the thermal signature vanish. The Zeus must be sporting an advanced cooling system similar to his own. Another feature not commonly found in the 'mechs used by the Successor Lords. "Gyrfalcons," he warned his troops. "These Lyrans appear to have upgraded their equipment. Assume their capabilities are close to ComGuards 'mechs, perhaps even those of the SLDF."
 
There was a string of acknowledgements and Aidan saw that the rough line of his Cluster were still making progress towards the highlands above. That was good. He didn't want to give the defenders a chance to disengage and turn this into the sort of hit and run operations they preferred.
 
The blue-and-white painted Zeus appeared again as Aidan reached the ridge. It had been waiting for him and fired another blistering volley down towards him.
 
There was a broad similarity to their armament, the Jade Falcon concluded as he fired his jump-jets at the last minute. The blazing beam of particles passed beneath the Summoner's feet, as did most of the missiles fired. A line of damage was carved across one shin as a laser tracked up and just barely managed to make contact.
 
On the other hand, the Zeus was larger, slower and probably not as well armored as the Summoner. Still inferior to Clan war machines. It couldn't get away.
 
The cold climate let Aidan fire with little regard for heat building up. He discharged the PPC at a downward angle, before he began to descend, hoping for a hit on the multi-faceted cockpit. The Lyran wasn't that incompetent though - he dodged sideways and took the shot to the shoulder, then the laser pulses smashed into the skirt-like plating around the hips.
The PPC impact was against the same shoulder that had been hit earlier and Aidan's missiles, fired as he landed, arced up before raining down to do more damage to the barrel-like joints. Something within the Zeus's left shoulder broke and the arm that depended on it went limp.
 
Deprived of one of its major weapon systems, the Zeus went from combatant to prey and Aidan instinctively closed in for the kill.
 
Before he could fire again, long experience warned him not to tunnel vision. That last glance around saved his life as a pair of 'mechs opened fire from the rocks above. Throwing the Summoner into a slide that cost him several meters of progress climbing the glacial slope, but spared him hits from a pair of PPCs and a pair of lasers.
 
The Zeus was scrambling up towards its saviors - a pair of domed cockpits that Aidan recognized only too well. "Griffins? No, Hippogriffs," he concluded and an instant later the warbook agreed. These were the same sort of upgunned Griffins that the ComGuards had used on Camlann.
thumb|Hippogrif Medium 'Mech
Taking cover on the lower side of the ridge that had sheltered the Zeus, Aidan popped out and fired upwards at the retreating assault 'mech. He couldn't get a good line on it with his energy weapons, but the twenty-tubes of his expanded LRM launcher spat a full volley into the rear of the Zeus, shaving its armor paper thin.
 
Then another fusillade of energy weapon fire forced Aidan to drop behind cover again.
 
In shelter, he took an instant to pull up a replay of the quick glimpse he had of the two medium 'mechs. The light paint at first looked like the ComGuards, but he saw enough of the blue trim to be sure these were Lyrans. Good, the Khans had been clear that another clash with the ComGuards was to be avoided rather than risk the sort of interdiction that had so hampered the Smoke Jaguars.
 
Aidan was of two minds about that. The ComGuards were worthy adversaries, defenders of one of the last remains of the Star League. But at the same time, the Lyrans and their Federated Commonwealth alliance were the mightiest of the Successor States and it was elementary tactics to deal with one foe at a time.
 
Turning the renewed invasion into a melee would not be clever.
 
He checked the tactical situation. Most of the Gyrfalcon Guards were still in line with him, indicating that they must have also been slowed or stopped.
 
"Headquarters," he called, reaching out to the technical staff and warrior-analysts aboard the cluster's dropships. "Resistance is stiffening on the heights, what are we dealing with?"
 
"An aerospace point has broken past their air defenses," one of the technicians replied. "They will be overhead and able to give us additional data within two minutes."
 
"Good." Aidan congratulated the woman. Fighting at the head of a Cluster was both like and unlike piloting his 'mech. At times he had a sense that all the warriors under his command could be directed like the weapons of his Summoner, but at the same time, they and the support staff were not machines. They required encouragement and reprimand in ways that would be redundant for a 'mech.
 
Whether it was better or worse that way would be an interesting question to discuss with Horse, he thought and glanced at the display, looking for his friend's Star. They had been on the left flank carrying… He blinked and saw only three 'mech indicators in position and less than half the Elemental markers.
 
"Beta-Nova-Prime?" he called. "What is your situation?"
 
It wasn't Horse who replied, but one of the elemental officers. "Several air defense tanks were dug in on the edge of the approach, Star Colonel. We took several casualties from their guns before they were taken out."
 
"Killed and wounded?" Aidan asked, a chill going through him at the prospect of why Horse was unable to reply.
 
"Four warriors dead and four wounded," the man answered. His name was Taman, Aidan recalled, a recent addition to the Gyrfalcon Guards. "I assigned Mechwarrior Diana to carry the wounded back to the dropship, with two elementals to keep the wounded stable. Her Nova took heavy damage shielding Star Commander Horse's fallen 'mech from the enemy autocannon."
 
"The Star Commander is among the wounded, quiaff?"
 
"Aff."
 
Aidan considered the tactical situation. "All Gyrfalcons, we have aerial reconnaissance inbound. Prepare for orders once I know what the Lyrans are preparing. It may be that a counterattack is about to be launched."
 
The contrails of two Jade Falcon aerospace fighters crossing the sky above the heights was met with tracer fire from autocannon. Clearly the tanks taken out by Taman had not been the only ones. Black smoke joined white air vapor, indicating some hits had been scored but Aidan didn't see either crash.
 
"Headquarters," he demanded. "What do you see?"
 
"Looking at the data now… dropships! Star Colonel, the enemy have concealed dropships on the heights. They appear to be loading and preparing to launch."
 
Aidan nodded. "Are we dealing with civilian freighters or military transports?" That would make all of the difference to what he should order now.
 
"At least two Overlord-class transports and several Union-class. It is possible that some of the others are freighters."
 
"Excellent work," he congratulated. "Gyrfalcons, the enemy is withdrawing. Resume the advance but be careful not to advance into gun range of their dropships." Military transports could board and secure 'mechs quickly enough that they'd take off before the Gyrfalcon Guards could inflict crippling damage - which would make the return fire from the dropships' heavy armament a bad trade-off. "Make sure that you're sharing your sensor data with my staff. Each Star is to detail the most damaged 'mech to rearguard."
 
Aidan didn't join the advance, letting other warriors gain the glory of the advance. Regrouping with the rest of his command star, he only kept one eye on the action, instead contacting his staff again.
 
"I want a detailed count of all the Lyran units we encountered, which machines we confirmed as destroyed and which we confirmed as evacuated," he instructed them. "Check against our intelligence of what their full strength should be. There will still be resistance here once the Lyrans have withdrawn, warriors who were left behind and armed civilians. We need to know what may have been left behind."
 
"Aff, Star Colonel. We may not be able to make a complete list but we will gather as much data as we can."
 
"Do so. We do not have long before the garrison forces arrive and it would be a stain on the honor of the Gyrfalcon Guards if the garrison has to face an organized military force that we failed to at least warn them of - if not destroy."
 
"We will not let you down, Star Colonel!"
 
Up ahead, Aidan saw a dropship taking off, thousands of tons of metal heading for orbit on a fiery torch. "Advise the aerospace trinary that intercepting the retreating forces now fall to them. Focus on defeating the enemy aerospace cover first. This will be a long campaign, we will no doubt face this unit again - if they have no aerospace fighters after this battle then we can take down their dropships in our next battle."
 
And hopefully this way none of the pilots throw their lives and fighters away in reckless attempts to break through and strike at the dropships. It had taken a year to bring the trinary up to strength and it might be longer still to replace them if there were further heavy losses.
 
Or they might never be replaced, a voice like Horse's seemed to whisper.
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===Sorting Out things===
Sarna Martial Academy, Sarna
Sarna March, Federated Commonwealth
2 February 3053
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Victor Steiner-Davion looked up from the homework he was marking at the sound of knuckles rapping on his door. "Yes?"
 
The door cracked open and a falsetto voice came through it: "Professor, I'm having trouble with my homework."
 
A shudder went through the young duke. Far too many female students thought that they had a shot at marrying the future Archon-Prince if they could just get a private tuition session. He'd thought court picnics on New Avalon were as bad as it got, but he'd been wrong.
 
At least this didn't sound like an actual attempt at seduction.
 
"I have a loaded shotgun in my desk, to defend my life and virtue." he called back.
 
"Really?" asked Kai Allard-Liao, pushing the door open.
 
"Really." Victor confirmed. "Dammit, Kai. You're the last person I'd expect to pull that prank." He pushed his chair back so they could indulge in a manly hug, with some backslapping.
 
"That's probably why Galen called in a favor to have me do it," the taller of the two admitted. "I thought I'd drop by and see how you are in your new native environment."
 
"Marking homework." Victor explained, indicating his desk. "The way the students groan when I give them an essay, you'd think they were getting the worst of the bargain. They don't have to read every last one of them."
 
"To be fair, that never occurred to me when I was at NAIS." Kai confessed, taking the seat facing the desk.
 
"Lo, those many moons ago." observed Victor drily. Neither of them was twenty four yet, although Kai could probably pass for older, and not just because he was taller. "I thought you would still be tied up in the negotiations."
 
"They're recessed for the day, we're not getting anywhere."
 
"That sounds frustrating. Do you want to take a class out and show them what's what? They'd probably be thrilled to get shot at by a hero of the Capellan civil war or whatever we wind up calling your…" Victor broke off when he saw Kai's face. "Too soon?"
 
"Too soon." he admitted. "I don't think I'd be much of a teacher, Victor."
 
"You didn't think you'd be much of a mechwarrior, or much of an officer. You're your own worst critic, Kai. Although that may be why you're also so embarrassingly competent, so keep it up."
 
Kai glanced out the window. "Perhaps another day. One where I might not be taking my own frustrations on the cadets. Or is your cunning ploy to have me take over while you go fight the Jade Falcons?"
 
"Oh no, you've seen through my cunning plan." Victor pushed the homework aside. He wasn't all that short of time to deal with it and his friends came first. "No, more seriously it's the kids I teach that will be going out there sooner rather than later. I'm stuck here for the immediate future."
 
Kai glanced over at him. "No luck with appeals to the highest authority."
 
"I keep praying but… oh, you mean Dad? No." He shook his head. "Peter's with the Third Davion Guards right now so that's one of us at risk already. And then he dropped the emotional blackmail about how hard it was for Mom when I was fighting, so it would be worse if two of us were on the frontlines."
 
"Ouch." His friend gave him a pained look. "It does make sense though. Losing you and Peter would be pretty bad for the succession. Nothing against Katherine, but…"
 
Victor nodded. "She's safe enough. Staff posting on Robinson, and probably hating every minute of it, but she was insistent on doing her five years."
 
"Good for her. Cassandra was disappointed she didn't go mechwarrior, so they could posse up."
 
"'Posse'?"
 
Kai shrugged. "Younger sisters. I nod and pretend to know what she means. Kuan-Yin sometimes slips me translations."
 
Victor nodded in sympathy. "I have to ask - negotiations are going poorly?" The fighting had died down with an armistice, but both sides both had their troops in place and Sarna was right on the border with the currently contested worlds. If things got out of hand, it would be far too easy for someone to cross the border and it might even be someone on his side doing the crossing. The AFFC was broadly in favor of anyone kicking the CCAF and the fact Kai was a Liao himself didn't change that.
 
His friend slumped. "It feels like if I take my eyes off my mother she'd give the entire Compact back."
 
"Seriously?"
 
"I don't think she'd actually do that," Kai qualified, "But that's how it feels. She seemed to be actually considering Sun-Tzu's proposal for a white peace."
 
Victor winced. "Handing back all the worlds you took?" If nothing else, that included Ares and Necromo which had valuable industry. "But that can only have been a bargaining position."
 
Kai grabbed the arms of his chair and then forced himself to relax. "It's as if she thinks the entire war was about her feud with Romano. There are people on worlds I liberated that we'd be abandoning if I pull out. Do you have any idea what the Maskirova would do to them given the chance?"
 
"Pretty much the same things they're trying to do at the moment? Collaborators would vanish, their families…" Victor made a face. Servitor status in the Capellan Confederation wasn't technically slavery but it would require a really precise legal definition to tell the difference. The practise had been cut back in the St Ives Compact to the point it was effectively stamped out and it wasn't tolerated at all in the Sarna March.
 
"Exactly," his friend agreed. "Gei Fu already got a taste of it. And if we just abandon these people then what does that say about us? But it's…" He shook his head. "If we hadn't confirmed repeatedly that she's my mother I'd be convinced we were dealing with another doppelganger."
 
Candace Liao had survived the assassination attempt that killed her husband, but not for want of trying. By the time medical teams managed to get her to a hospital she'd slipped into a coma and the decision to hide her survival had been based on a brief verbal instruction she gave the servant who found her after the attack. Without knowing her intentions and operating entirely on trust, Victor's father had followed through and reported her as dead, with any messages to the contrary to be delivered by courier not by HPG.
 
No one had expected that Kai would coincidentally miss meeting every single courier sent after him as he rushed to Outreach and then into the Capellan Confederation with his mercenary army. Nor that Candace wouldn't emerge from the coma for over six months. Victor knew that she'd died on the operating table twice on the first night, and even after she was revived both times there had been no certainty that Kai's mother would be mentally competent when she woke.
 
A case could be made that she might not be as capable as she once had been, although that was an assessment Victor kept to himself. Losing her husband as well as six months of her life… there was a certain lack of flexibility. But that wasn't the sort of thing one said about a friend's mother.
 
"Maybe you need to sit down with her and have your own negotiations," he suggested. "Figure out what your absolute minimum demands are for a peace deal, and then what she wants. Put those together and then maybe you can convince Sun-Tzu's team to agree. I think you'd have the Primus' support just so she can have this over and done with." The libertine Primus was surprisingly good company, but he was pretty sure she would prefer to be back on Terra rather than operating out of the Sarna HPG station. It was one of the newest such stations, rebuilt after its infamous destruction at the height of the Fourth Succession War, but it was no Hilton Head.
 
Kai frowned. "Maybe you're right. It's… what do I do if I have to choose between my mother and the people of those worlds?"
 
Victor rested his chin on his hands. "I wish I had an answer for you. I can't imagine my mom leaving me in that position, so I'd be just as lost."
 
"Thanks. I'll…" Kai grimaced. "Have you got a copy of Hogden's Primer. If I'm going to draw up a negotiating position, I may as well crack the actual textbook on that open."
 
"It should be on the third shelf," Victor told him, indicating the bookcase that covered one wall of his office. "Would you like me to call the Primus and ask her to extend the recess? We can find an excuse."
 
"Thank you." Kai went to the bookcase and started looking through the shelves for the book in question.
 
Picking up his comm unit, Victor called the ducal residence. It was almost certainly going to be easier to get a call relayed through there rather than convince the academy switchboard to find the Primus' local number.
 
With their usual efficiency, his household staff managed to not only locate the Primus but get a call put through to her groundcar before Kai found the book. Granted, Kai might have won that race if Victor had pointed him at the right shelf.
 
(("How can I be of service?")) Wei Rong asked once greetings were exchanged.
 
"I gather that negotiations are currently in recess due to… disagreements within the St. Ives side." Victor asked.
 
(("Oh, we're not talking around it delicately?")) the busty woman said with an air of surprise. (("Yes, that's entirely correct."))
 
"And unless I've missed something, the armistice is holding?"
 
(("Mysteriously mercenaries don't seem to mind being paid not to fight, and the CCAF rather needed the recovery time.")) she confirmed.
 
"That being the case, would you mind finding an excuse to put the negotiations on hold for a week or so? I think Kai and I need to talk to his mother so we can hammer out a mutually acceptable position for them to face. It's not that I mind hosting peace negotiations here," Victor observed, "But it's nice to think that matters will be resolved eventually."
 
Wei Rong considered that. (("I believe I can justify visiting Capella or one of our other Class A stations, putting negotiations on hold until I return. That might take longer than you seem to have in mind though."))
 
"I really hope it won't take us two weeks to convince the Duchess that this isn't working." Victor told her.
 
(("Hmm. I suppose I can find something to do for a few days. I'll extend the current recess over the weekend, that would have us reconvene in five days. If that won't do, I'd almost have to go offworld."))
 
"Let's try that, we're no worse off if it fails." Victor decided.
 
(("A fair point. Would you mind handing the comm over to the young Duke?")) she asked him.
 
Victor shrugged and looked over at Kai. "The primus wants to talk to you."
 
His friend accepted the handset. "Your excellency."
 
(("I'm going to be a little intrusive.")) she told him bluntly. (("When I lost my parents, I hadn't spoken to them in almost a year - ComStar under Myndo Waterly was quite keen on setting aside outside associations that might be used as leverage against the Order's members. I have more than a few regrets about things I didn't do or say - and I assume you felt more or less the same way when you were told that your parents died?"))
 
Kai stared at the comm. Victor was doing much the same, he hadn't expected the Primus to make such an admission. On the other hand, she was a psychologist by training.
 
"I have had that sort of thought." Kai admitted after a moment.
 
Wei's voice softened. (("You lost the chance to have those conversations with your father, your grace. But you've gotten a second chance with your mother. Don't waste it. Let's get this sorted out so everyone involved can go home."))
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===Strategic Decisions===
Yamashiro, New Samarkand
Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
21 March 3053
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The black room beneath the palace went truly back for a moment as the lights were lowered to make the holographic display more visible. Once the display lit up, the faces around the table were lit crimson by the display of the Draconis Combine's territory.
 
Minoru Kurita, Coordinator of the Draconis Combine and bearer of many other titles, looked at the map and the markers for DCMS units. The icons of ComGuards deployments and of mercenary units, a trickle of them returning to the Dragon's cause after a generation where egotism and blame-passing had made House Kurita the enemy of the entire soldier-of-fortune community.
 
The gold markers of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, not a problem today but who could say when it came to tomorrow. Jewel-like markers of Clan units… the new and pressing threat to the wellbeing of the Draconis Combine.
 
"Boris, please begin." Minoru chose to use personal names for his warlords, hoping it would convey intimacy, trust… and dominance.
 
The Warlord of Benjamin Military District bowed his lead. "My Lord," he acknowledged the command. He tapped the control and the leading edge of the Clan's advance on Terra, stalled for more than a year by the strength of ComStar, glittered. "As discussed three months ago, I have launched raids on Caldrea, Baldur, Tok Do, Peacock, Silkeborg and Ijima."
 
After a moment's pause, Boris Petroff continued. "The raiding force on Caldrea was destroyed by the Smoke Jaguars. Information from the ISF indicates no survivors - there was no intelligence failure, but the Smoke Jaguars responded very aggressively - executing a combat drop directly on our dropships."
 
"On Baldur, Clan Ghost Bear provided a more measured response - we were able to disperse supplies to the resistance and collect several members of the prefectoral government. Losses were painful, but the mission was overall successful. I cannot say the same for Tok Do - the fortifications around the incomplete factory there were in a higher state of repair than last reported."
 
The factory that had been supposed to replace the lost Panther production had been overrun shortly before Camlann. Fortunately, most of the tooling had been diverted once the risks were known.
 
Subhash Indrahar's glasses glittered. "My apologies, Warlord."
 
"None is necessary," the warlord replied evenly, "We were aware the information was not current. We are now confident that the site is being used by the Ghost Bears as a repair facility, which is of some value. Our dropships returned without the raiders. Some of our soldiers may have escaped to join the resistance, data is unclear."
 
"Ijima?" asked Li Dok To. That world was a major supply note for the offensive driving towards his own headquarters on Galedon V.
 
Petroff sighed and shook his head. "The aerospace strength defending it was too high. The mission commander has offered to atone for his decision to abort the attack. I wish to commend him instead."
 
"Approved." Minoru agreed without hesitation.
 
Michi Noketsuna of Dieron Military District nodded in approval. "We cannot afford to be reckless with the lives of our warriors. He showed moral courage in both the decision and in accepting responsibility."
 
Petroff nodded. "The attack on Silkeborg was a success - the Diamond Shark garrison was using older equipment and responded poorly. After inflicting losses and filling their holds with salvage, the raiding party managed to extract. Less fortunately, a response force from Havdhem arrived almost in time to catch them - the Diamond Sharks are employing a strategy of flexible reserves. It was necessary to hot-charge the Jumpship to avoid them - the DCA have formally notified me that they do not have the maintenance capacity to sustain that routinely."
 
"Better than losing the raiders." Minoru observed neutrally.
 
"They acknowledge the decision was correct in this case, my Lord." The warlord frowned. "I do not believe the gains of these operations offset the losses taken. I recommend that future raids should utilize mercenaries by preference."
 
"Your younger soldiers must gain experience somehow," Noketsuna warned.
 
"I will gladly blood them fighting the Sharks," Li Dok To offered sharply.
 
Minoru raised his hands. "Your situation?" he enquired, moving the conversation along.
 
The Warlord of Galedon exhaled slowly and fiery dots appeared within his area of authority. The Clan Invasion had not struck Galedon District at all… until now. "Isesaki is lost," he admitted. "We are withdrawing supplies and support personnel in advance of a general withdrawal. With the rimwards half of Oshika prefecture in Diamond Shark hands…"
 
Minoru closed his eyes for a moment. Khan Barbara Sennet's Alpha Galaxy wasn't making the same lightning advances that had befallen Pesht or Luthien… but once they held Isesaki they would have the ideal jump-off point to attack into New Samarkand's own prefecture and the industrial worlds there. "The Ryuken?"
 
"I cannot complain of their performance," Li Dok To answered. "Despite their fractious history with my district's Regulars, they have done better in holding back the Sharks than anyone so far, it is simply… not enough."
 
"I can send one of my own Regular regiments if raids are limited to mercenaries." Petroff offered generously.
 
"No." Minoru shook his head. "You may need it - I will return to the matter of reinforcements, but for now… The prospects?"
 
"Barring major changes, the Diamond Sharks will be striking at Galedon V by the end of the year. Possibly New Samarkand as well. And a year after that…" the old general shook his head. "If losses continue at this rate there will be nothing between them and the Outworlds Alliance!" Which would cut the Combine in two.
 
There was a long silence. "I am asking much of you," Minoru acknowledged. "I am not unaware of the criticisms being directed at you by men who have not faced this burden. This too will be addressed."
 
"Thank you, Lord."
 
Minoru turned to Indrahar. "And the Pesht front?"
 
Isoroku Kurita, Warlord of what remained of Pesht Military District, was not present. He was Minoru's uncle - or more precisely, his father's first cousin.
 
The Director of the Internal Security Force shook his head sadly. "I regret to report that Ningxia has fallen. The Diamond Sharks' strategy has been too effective - bypassing several worlds to strike at Warlord Kurita's command center was not foreseen at all. ComStar has relayed a final message from your uncle. He reported that, being cut off from the dropships carrying his remaining soldiers and their families, he planned to hand his 'mech to such resistance cells as might be found before returning his honor to your ancestors."
 
Minoru felt his lips draw back in a snarl. Unlike the previous offer of seppuku that was rejected, this one he could not argue with. Isoruku Kurita knew too much to be taken alive, and if there was no longer an escape.
 
"Ningxia is even closer to us here than Isesaki," warned Li Dok To. "We may face a two-pronged attack on the capital."
 
"Possible," Indrahar admitted. "We believe that the Diamond Sharks will wish to take the time to secure worlds between Pesht and Ningxia, but they need not be drawn from Gamma Galaxy. Their Epsilon Galaxy has not been committed yet beyond the capture of Lonaconing." A forward command center on the border, corewards of both Pesht and Ningxia. "The most probable choices are that they move rimwards to support Gamma or that they sweep into Qandrahar prefecture."
 
"Qandrahar Prefecture is almost cut off," Noketsuna noted. "It's not that we couldn't send them support, but the JumpShips needed would be…"
 
The Coordinator closed his eyes in contemplation. "The worlds lack major industrial and military resources. If they hold out, they can be rewarded but the priority is relocating our critical facilities below the truce line."
 
"That functionally assumes that New Samarkand and Galedon V will fall," the Dieron warlord noted in a neutral tone.
 
"It is not a risk that can be afforded," Chandrasekhar Kurita said quietly. The industrial magnate had held his silence until now. "I mean no disrespect to Warlord Li or his brave warriors, but even if they hold the worlds, the factories and their workers could be destroyed. With them we may fail… without them the Combine will…" He paused. "With your permission, lord?"
"Speak."
 
"In the hearing of Omi Kurita, an officer on New Avalon was heard to refer to the Combine as the Shark March." the rotund man advised.
 
Li Dok To went red. Boris Petroff went white. Subhash Indrahar's expression was bland… and Michi Noketsuna laughed sharply. "The Fox's response?"
 
Chandrasekhar smiled slightly. "Hanse Davion was firm. But nonetheless, the words were said."
 
Minoru's stomach roiled. The Draconis March of the Federated Commonwealth existed to provide a single vast border region with the Draconis Combine. A 'Shark March' would do much the same to ward off Clan Diamond Shark from the rest of the Federated Commonwealth - but it would do so as part of the Commonwealth, not another state.
 
If the AFFC sought to annex the Combine, they unquestionably could. In more than seven centuries, the Combine had never been weaker. The only question was, with the Clans facing the Federated Commonwealth hundreds of light years away, whether Hanse Davion and his generals would be willing to pay the price.
 
Victor Steiner-Davion would probably not, he thought, recalling the young man he had met on Terra. The man who had raided Luthien to recover Minoru's sister. I must hope his voice commands attention from his father.
 
"We stand on the knife edge," he acknowledged. "Everything depends on our ability to balance upon that edge. I confirm that we cannot take the chance of losing the factories and government workers of Galedon V, New Samarkand and the neighboring worlds. A further evacuation is needed and I cannot oversee that and give military direction as well."
 
Which would he choose? The decision was obvious.
 
"Given my relative lack of military experience, I will appoint a Gunji no Kanrei to lead the war effort," he decided. That would also insulate him from blame for the inevitable defeats that must precede any long term victory.
 
All three Warlords turned to look at him expectantly. It wasn't as if anyone outside the three of them could be promoted to that office.
 
Minoru smiled slightly. "Dok To, you currently command our most vital front, I cannot spare you from it. Particularly since Pesht's remaining forces will also default to your command. Boris, I need you to hold the heart of the Combine together. Only Dieron District is stable enough to accommodate a new Warlord… Michi, will you accept my trust?"
 
Noketsuna rose to his feet and bowed. "I serve at your command, Lord Kurita. As warlord, as your deputy, or as the lowest of your servants." He reached up to his shoulders and removed his rank insignia, leaving them bare.
 
"I believe Tai-i Daniel Sorenson is deserving of higher rank than he currently holds," Minoru observed. "I hereby name him your successor of Dieron."
 
"...a Tai-i?" Li Dok To exclaimed.
 
Petroff frowned. "Sorenson… were he and his company not dismissed from the Fifth Sword of Light twenty years ago."
 
Minor nodded. "What incurred disfavor from my grandfather drew admiration from my father. Sorenson and his company have served in many roles that exceed their official rank. Had we the time and resources to form a new Sword of Light regiment, I had intended to use them as the core… well, perhaps that can be done in the future. Most importantly, he is resourceful, loyal, and honorable. We will need such men."
 
The new Gunji-no-Kanrei shook his head. "From command of twelve 'mechs to a military district. I beg one favor, lord Kurita. Let me be the one to break the news to him."
 
Minoru smiled thinly. "Granted. He may take his company with him - no doubt he will need the support."
 
Noketsuna seated himself again. "Before discussing our strategy further, I must inquire as to our situation in producing advanced battlemechs to face the Clans. I have heard… disquieting reports of the upgraded Panthers."
 
Chandrasekhar Kurita visibly winced. "If those reports are that the cooling systems border on the inadequate for the newer PPCs being fitted as upgrades, then I can confirm them."
 
"I have doubts as to which side of the border the upgrade kits leave the Panthers," grumbled Li Dok To. "Some of my officers are refusing to fit the PPCs at all."
"Very well," Minoru told him. "We have a problem. What solution is presented?"
 
"At the moment, we are diverting improved heat sinks from the Victory Industries factory on Marduk. Upgrade packages will be shipped in future with enough to rebuild the Panther's cooling system. This will push production of the Hippogriff further back, but until the electronics problem there is solved, that doesn't cost us anything right now." Chandrasekhar didn't need to consult any notes.
 
"I concur," Noketsuna agreed. "Will this apply to new Panther production as well?"
 
"Yes, although we may need to import some of the heat sink materials once the An Ting factory is fully online. I am working on potential sources - the Taurians seem willing to provide but Chancellor Liao's production is considerably closer if he is willing."
 
Minoru nodded. "And the newer designs? I am aware that the use of a design originating from ComStar is less than popular." He didn't personally care as long as the 'mechs functioned, but there had been whispering about 'dependence' from the more conservative members of the court and he could not ignore all of them.
 
"The most promising designs are being prototyped on Hachiman as we speak." his distant cousin informed them. "Actual production of those selected will be on Irurzun, work has begun on constructing the factories already. I hope to be able to order the tooling for them before the end of the year with eighteen to twenty-four months before initial production. In the meantime, the Tora's first production run has begun and completed machines will be available for deployment in the next eight weeks."
 
"Good news at last." Petroff noted. "Priority to you, Dok To?"
 
"We need every machine we can obtain," the Warlord of Galedon agreed. "But if the factory is to be evacuated…"
 
"That will need to be considered to minimize the impact on output," Minoru agreed. "A decision to be made later. For now, all production will be sent directly to your regiments."
 
"Thank you, Lord."
 
Noketsuna nodded. "I believe since the defense of Galedon and New Samarkand has the highest priority, we should now discuss reinforcements for this front."
 
Minoru glanced over at Indrahar. "Be so good as to brief the warlords on Operation Dragonsteeth, Subhash."
 
"Of course, Lord." The old man switched the display to a table of unit organization. "At the current time, detachments from the Alshain Avengers and Pesht Regulars not currently fit for frontline service are en route to certain nobles to accept their brave decision to volunteer themselves and their personal guards for service against the Clans."
 
There were questioning looks at that.
 
"The nobles in question have been vocal, if in what they may have believed were discreet circles, that our current cooperation with ComStar and the Federated Commonwealth is unbefitting the honor of the Dragon, and that the DCMS is not currently fighting hard enough." Indrahar continued, at which point Li Dok To and Noketsuna both smiled the smiles of men about to take a merry revenge. "Including the necessary cadres to give them direction, we expect to be able to field four regiments of mechwarriors under this designation."
 
"I imagine that such brave mechwarriors will take heavy losses proving their commitment to the Dragon." Li Dok To observed, apparently already considering where such regiments could be best employed. Minoru doubted that they would be very effective in and of themselves, but they would be loud and obvious targets for the Diamond Sharks, which could allow more disciplined regiments to have a greater effect.
 
And it wasn't as if he'd weep for any casualties suffered by the Dragonsteeth. Every one of them that died would leave the Black Dragon Society that Indrahar had reported weaker either in membership or potential recruits.
 
"In addition, Chancellor Liao has contacted me with regard to the Shin Legion." Minoru informed them.
 
"He's letting them go home?" asked Petroff in concern. The regiment, all that was left of an entire brigade that had deserted Romano Liao after the Fourth Succession War, was operating in Benjamin District at the moment.
 
"Eventually, I am sure that he will. For now, Sun-Tzu wishes to designate them as his contribution to the Combine's defense against the Clans. The Legion is to be reinstated on the CCAF rolls, if seconded to the DCMS. Shipments of supplies, personnel and new battlemechs are allegedly in the way with the intention of bringing them back up to their original strength of three regiments."
 
Noketsuna laughed. "Is this the Kapteyn Pact finally proving useful?"
 
It's the Chancellor sending us soldiers he wants away from the Confederation while he consolidates his position, and prototypes he wants to test in action, Minoru thought. But I'm in no position to complain. "I will leave the deployment of the expanded Shin Legion to the Gunji no Kanrei." he acknowledged and sat back to watch the professional soldiers discuss how to best bolster the defense of House Kurita's ancient capital.
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Chapter 3-2