FSRB Chpt 218

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 218==
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October 3071Planning
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===AFFS reorganization and Commitments===
Even as Wave 3 of Operation Harvest begins in October the High Command and the First Prince are not only engaged in planning it and any further waves but also several additional plans for the future of the AFFS and Federated Suns. To make matters worse for Victor Davion the situation in the Lyran Alliance continues to deteriorate, leaving him with no other option but to continue to devote most of his attentions to trying to keep things under control with the fracturing realm. One of the most blatant examples of this is his order to Field Marshal Sortek to dispatch a Carrier Battle Group to Skye to remind Duke Kelswa-Steiner that he is watching him. As far as hints go it isn't subtle, but the First Prince is hoping to avoid an outright rebellion within the Isle of Skye, so near to many of his own regiments and RCTs engaging the WOB.
At the same time the First Prince also approves the list of planned expansions to the AFFS. Given the ongoing combat operations and the need to replace losses within those commands either fighting the WOB or still recovering from the Draconis Combine civil War the High Command cannot afford large scale expansions. The first of these new units, the reorganized 1st Kentares Grenadiers RCT is ordered to prepare for it's move to Robinson where it would take up both garrison duties on the March capital, but also continue training and upgrading. The new Kentares DMM would be formed to replace them as a green rated unit but with a large number of brand new BattleMechs, tanks and aerospace fighters. At the same time plans were put in place for the formation of a new 6th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT as a reinforced regiment. The Crucis Lancers Brigade was also earmarked for expansions - however instead of forming a single full strength RCT the High Command had decided to expand the brigade by no less than three RCTs, although all would hover around 30% strength of a reinforced RCT. This would mean that the three new Crucis Lancers RCT wouldn't be able to be used for front line offensive operations, however they were planned to be deployed in the Outback for anti-piracy and garrison work while they were brought up to full strength. Which would allow them to gain experience as they expanded to full strength. The High Command had also decided that within the Borderer Brigade they would activate the following Cadres which had slowly been expanding - the 1st Bell Borderers, 1st Brockton Borderers, 1st Bromhead Borderers, 1st Claxton Borderers, 1st Hurik Borderers, 1st Jasmine Borderers, and 1st Preston Borderers. Most of these commands would hover between 40-70% strength upon activation, but the feeling was that as active commands they would be more useful than merely cadres. The recruits from those Borderer units which were at full strength - the 1st Kittery and 1st Mitchel Borderers would form the core of a new Avalon Borderer LCT along with some odds and ends, the 9th Avalon Borderers LCT. The First Prince sends for a staff officer from New Avalon to brief him on his potential new command of the 9th Avalon Borderers. 
The 5th Crucis Lancers RCT, 23rd Avalon Hussars RCT, and 26th Avalon Hussars RCT are during December planned to expand to Reinforced RCTs, as part of the gradual upgrading of the units of the Avalon Hussars and Crucis Lancers Brigades to reinforced regiments. This will leave only the 6th Crucis Lancers, 14th & 28th Avalon Hussars are "mere" BattleMech regiments - and they are scheduled for the same treatment in December 3072. 
It was also agreed that the Duchess of St. Ives would be given approval to form a 2nd St Ives Cheveau-Legers LCT in December. While the League March was still rebuilding the shattered military educational infrastructure to build up it's forces, enough recruits could be found to form a single new LCT command as well as continuing to build the League March Militia and rebuild the shattered St. Ives's Lancers. A new LCT style formation was hoped to give the League March something to be proud off and be a lighter counterpoint to the massed heavy and assault BattleMechs of the Lancers. 
As well as beginning to lay out the plans for the new units of the AFFS Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion in October formed a small staff of military officers within Mount Davion to look at potentially reorganizing the AFFS from an organizational level to take better advantage of it's growing strength. It was becoming increasingly obvious that the days of single BattleMech regiments or even RCTs launching attacks upon enemy worlds were passing. Massed AFFS formations hitting enemy worlds with overwhelming firepower and numbers were now the order of the day, and Jackson Davion felt that further developments were needed to best conduct these types of Multi-RCT strikes. In this he had the full support of the First Prince. 
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With the return of the 1st & 2nd Messenger's of Shiva LCT to the FedSuns, the High Command instruct's the 6th & 7th Avalon Borderers to prepare for their own sweep into the space in and around the border between the Periphery and the FedSuns' new colonies. While it would have been easy for the AFFS (even during Operation Harvest) to launch these two LCTs into active patrolling it is felt that allowing a month or so between the return of the Messengers of Shiva and the next wave of anti-piracy patrols will allow some pirates at least to hope that the sweep is over. Both LCT's are to be supported by LF-battery equipped Tramp class Jumpships. 
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Leftenant General Jonathan Tyler was also ordered to begin preparing his own 1st Sherwood Foresters LCT for a similar anti-piracy patrol into the stars beyond the expanding border of the Federated Suns. He was quietly informed that this patrol would not be launched until sometime in the new year and that he would not be the primary commanding officer, however his unit would be the premier combat unit assigned to the patrol. 
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On Capella a pro-Capellan riot breaks out that swiftly escalates. The Capella LMM (Cadre) and the 1st Capella Reinforced Training Battalion deploy alongside the strong conventional AFFS brigades deployed to put down the proto-revolt. The sight of the Capella LMM and the training unit help calm some tempers down, however a handful of the pro-Capellan rioters attempt to attack the single company of BattleMechs so far assigned to the Capella LMM. One mech suffers light damage when a firebomb engulfs it's foot and lower leg - although the spraying flames kill nearly a dozen rioters. With BattleMechs on the streets the riots swiftly die down, but don't entirely dissipate. Just in case the nearby 15th Avalon Hussars and 5th Crucis Lancers are ordered to prepare to deploy troops to support the garrison of Capella. 
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===Fugitive found===
Within Tikograd on Tikonov a wanted fugitive is delivered to the Ducal Palace... 
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===Developments in Industry===
The major industrial news during October would be the allocation of the much sought after Hound (Tonbo) Super Heavy Transport production licenses. With the demand expected to be huge, the FedSun's government declines to give a single company the rights to produce the design. Instead the premier VTOL supplier for the AFFS, Michaelson Heavy Industries, is given a license to produce the design, while at the same time Lycomb-Davion is given a license as well. There was some discussions as to which would be better to build the heavy VTOL, an aerospace company or a VTOL specialist. The end result was to have both to see which was the best option. Both companies would quickly begin work to add at least a single line for the transport VTOL at each of their sites - with Lycomb-Davion planning to add two at New Avalon. 
At Chesterton's Achernar Factory, the company adds a Dervish-O line. Three quarters of all the battlemech's built at this site are now omnimechs, both Dervish-O and Argus-O. The remaining two production lines are for the venerable, but still popular Phoenix Hawk and Wasp battlemechs. Most of the production of this plant tends to head across the March border into the League March. 
On the world of Augusta, the Centurion line is upgraded to the new Centurion-O OmniMech. Given the huge demand for these new OmniMechs Corean Enterprise immediately puts plans in place to triple production of the new Centurion-Os on Augusta. 
Corean also see's the first Valkyrie-O line be upgraded at their June plant. The second Valkyrie line is fast on the first's heels as is the upgrading of the first Centurion line to Centurion-O, with the other two Centurion lines expected to finish their upgrading in the new year. The first of the new light OmniMechs are immediately dispatched to the Light Guards. A sign of the high prestige of the new mechs. 
On the 11th of September, Blackwell Corporation on Outreach announced a halt to their Shogun Assault 'mech facility. Within a week the work that had already been completed began to be repurposed. It was evident to those watching that the new facility would no longer produce the venerable jump capable assault machine, but instead looked like it was going to produce Falcon-C class light Battlemechs. Rumors also began to circulate that Blackwell was funding the construction of a new Shogun facility on Graham IV of all places... 
Within the Arcadia system, the beginnings of a new ship construction slip begins to take form. This however is not a repair slip, but instead is a facility that will be fully capable of constructing warships. Challenge Systems flagged Monolith class jumpships are delivering the materials and the workforce constructing it is clearly drawn from the same company. 
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===Clan Troop Movements===
Clan Ghost Bear's Touman begins to move. While the bulk of the units continue to maintain their garrison postings, front line clusters are dispatched towards both the Clan Wolf border but also that of the Free Rasalhague Republic. Leading the move towards the FRR is the 1st Rasalhague Bears Cluster and the rest of the Rasalhague Galaxy. 
Clan Wolf's situation continues to worsen throughout October. Clan Jade Falcon strikes out at Cusset and Suk II while completing the destruction of the Jabuka based garrison. At the same time Clan Hell's Horses seize Harvest, Kirchbach, and Lovinac. Galaxy Commander Katrina Steiner has arrived at Tamar and immediately declares Trial's of Position for a new 2nd Tamar Galaxy. Her own 1st Alliance Guard Cluster also secures some key genetic samples from the Clan Wolf Primary Genetic Repository under her orders. The guards assigned to the facility stand down in the face of her mandate from the saKhan to take command on Tamar, but they and the Scientists there do launch a formal protest to saKhan Raddick. The rest of her 1st Tamar Galaxy moves swiftly to the world of Tamar, to bolster the garrison and provide cadres for the new units. 
The raiding forces of Clan Ice Hellion, reeling from the disaster at Chapultepec, are given no time to recover. The Wolves-in-Exile continue their blitzkrieg and hit their new conquests of Winter, Hood and Jesenice. Realising their attempt to carve out an Occupation Zone the remaining Hellion's flee in whatever ships they can to regroup within the Periphery. 
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===Troubles in the Lyran Alliance===
General of the Armies Adam Steiner arrives back on Tharkad to screaming crowds of well wishers. However he is transported from the dropship and quickly sent to the medical facility built into Mount Wotan's Asgard fortress. There he takes back the reigns of the LAAF - however those officers who meet him are shocked at how badly injured he has been. Both of his legs and one of his arms have been replaced by cybernetic replacements. He does however clearly have his full faculties and he swiftly dispatches orders to various commands to bolster the frontiers of the struggling Lyran Alliance. Worlds along the Clan Wolf/Clan Jade Falcon border are retaken from the Wolf invaders and secured by follow on troops, while he begins gathering a number of the units from the Battle of Arcturus at nearby Garrison in preparation for an attack upon Odessa if it is required. 
First Prince Victor's shift of a carrier battle group quells any thoughts that the Free Skye Movement has of declaring independence there and then. But they begin gathering a large flotilla of assault dropships at the Shipil Shipyards. Ostensibly to defend the shipyards, however few Federated Suns Navy officers believe them and the three warships of the 2nd Carrier Battle Group prepare to defend themselves if required.
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===The Captain-General positions her troops===
Captain-General Corrine Marik begins to position forces, informing her allies within the Word of Blake that she is planning a major offensive against the Regulans. She promises that as soon as she had warded her back in this way she will move troops to support them at Terra.
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====Reaction to death of a brother====
Within the Draconis Combine, Coordinator Minoru Kurita is informed of his brothers death... Despite his famed calm and focus he flies into a rage at the news that takes him a full day to recover from. At which time he summons his key advisers.
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