FSRB Chpt 222

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 222==
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November 3071Storm clouds on the horizon
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===Free Skye Rebellion===
====Naval Battle====
On the 2nd of November the situation within the Skye system reaches critical when a civilian passenger dropship suffers an "emergency" engine failure and attempts to dock with the Fleet Carrier FSS Ran Felsner. When ordered to divert to the much closer FSS Decoy, the Monarch class passenger liner ignores all further hails and continues to make for the carrier. After a warning shot fails to dissuade them, the CAP (Combat Action Patrol) of the carrier and two assault dropship closes intercepted and disable the dropship's engines. When Federated Suns Marines in Cavalier Battle Armor board the dropship they find the ship packed with Lyran Marines, all of whom are clearly members of the Free Skye movement. After a brief firefight that heavily damages the dropship the surviving Skye marines are taken into custody. 
Even as the fighting begins aboard the Monarch dropship, a large flotilla of dropships depart the Shipil Shipyards and head straight for the Davion Carrier Battle Group at full speed. Over one hundred fighters lead the way, backing up almost a full two dozen assault dropships and pocket warships, while from the planet of Skyke itself a force of nearly fifty aerospace fighters rise to join them. 
Against the fighter wings of a single carrier this force would have a large numerical advantage. However, each of the two Davion III Class destroyers is carrying another full aerospace regiment, while the escorting dropships contain an additional three Vengeance class fighter carrier dropships as well as a strong force of assault dropships and pocket warships. With three hundred and sixty fighters the Davions have more than a 2:1 advantage in aerospace fighters and their fighter wings are built around a core of veterans of the Kurita War. Notwithstanding this the Admiral in charge of the battle group, Rear Admiral Charles Raine, orders his ships to turn around and to all intents and purposes decline action. His warships, with their escorts forming a shield behind them move away from the attack. 
Any thoughts of triumph on the part of the Free Skye fighters pilots and dropship crews are dashed when Raine orders a full scramble of every available aerospace fighter and Ares attack craft to Launch. The craft head at the enemy attack force, keeping back only a small reserve for close in protection of his warships. The veteran pilots of the Federated Suns Navy close at high speed and in a passing engagement engage the Skye aerospace forces in a single pass. Of the three hundred FedSuns pilots committed to the strike almost 80% come out the other side and break off to loop around to rejoin their carriers. The combined Free Skye aerospace forces have not been so lucky. Eight dropships are destroyed or so badly crippled that they are effectively removed as viable combat units (including all of their pocket warships), while their fighter losses have been almost 2/3rds. With their morale shattered the Free Skye pilots reverse their course and head back towards Skye itself. 
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====Planetary Assault====
Even as they land at the various spaceports and air bases scattered around the heavily industrialized world, the 2nd Carrier Battle Group also reverse course. Picking up, repairing and rearming their fighters they enter a high orbit around the single moon of Luna before beginning to send waves of fighters down to strike at Free Skye aerospace assets. The two fighter regiments of the FSS Ran Felsner take on the job of hitting the planetary capital of New Glasgow's spaceport, engaging the ground defenses and those fighters that rise to meet them. Meanwhile, two other regiments hit a smaller spaceport and a small air base nearby. By the time they withdrew both spaceports and the air base had taken significant damage and the defenders heavy losses. As the remaining Skye fighters landed to rearm and repair the second wave came swooping down into the atmosphere - the remaining two fighter regiments of the Carrier Battle Group. With almost all of the Skye fighters on the ground the already damaged air defenses were almost the sole defenders of the primary spaceport. They weren't enough and by the time the first of the hurriedly rearmed and refueled fighters clawed their way into the air from the nearby air base, New Glasgow's spaceport was shattered along with every fighter and dropship based there. 
Over the next two weeks the fighters of the 2nd Carrier Battle Group systematically pounded every Free Skye fighter, dropship and facility to support them into scrap. For now they avoided attacking ground troops - unless those troops attempted to defend the spaceports or air bases. At which point, Duke Kelswa-Steiner is contacted by First Prince Davion to ask if he wishes to continue with this unwise course of action of attacking AFFS units. After some unpleasant messages from the First Prince the leader of the Free Skye movement is forced to rethink his plans to declare the Isle of Skye free of the Lyran Alliance. For one thing it has been explained to him that the Federated Suns would look upon any such action extremely unfavorable and would assist the LAAF in putting down said rebellion.
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===Operation Harvest, 4th Wave Casualties===
At the same time this is ongoing Wave Four of Operation Harvest continues to gather pace. The High Command is making efforts to allow commands that receive too many casualties to be rotated away from the front lines in order to conserve a core of combat veterans to rebuild the commands around rather than continually throwing them into the fighting. Some are arguing that a command no longer be considered effective for offensive combat operations only if they fall below 50%, but for now the High Command hold firm that no unit that falls below 60% be used for offensive operations at the current time. 
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===Nova Cat Industry under Construction===
Within the Tortuga Combat Region, Clan Nova Cat is beginning to put down roots. No less than five industrial units - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Battle Armor are under construction. With Alpha and Gamma being for Omnimechs, while Beta and Delta for conventional Battlemechs for now. For now these are only to produce a handful of designs but the Clan's Merchant Caste are already in negotiations with Clan Sun Jaguar to avoid duplication and give both Clan's a wider selection of Battlemechs.
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===AFFS Troop Movement & Operations===
The High Command is also beginning to move supplies, officers and equipment to the mustering points for the new units due to be assembled in December. All three of the new Crucis Lancers RCTs are scheduled to form up within the Outback, with the 6th Deneb Light Cavalry scheduled to be raised on Deneb Kaitos unsurprisingly. The Kentares DMM is likewise shockingly to be raised on Kentares. The 9th Avalon Borderers is listed to be raised at Defiance, while the 2nd St. Ives Cheveau-Legers LCT is scheduled to form up at Tsinghai where they will be joined by their older sister unit, relieving the Wild Geese mercenary regiment for redeployment. 
Work continues within Mount Davion regarding reorganizing the AFFS to support larger forces. The so called "think tank" has already come to the conclusion that on some level the AFFS will have to adopt the Divisional arrangement of the old SLDF. Where this is disagreement is on how this should be implemented in practice. 
The 6th & 7th Avalon Borderers commence their sweep of the the Periphery region bordering the Islamabad and Malagrotta Combat Regions in mid November. In a surprising move, the two Leftenant-Generals in charge of the units decide to put a forward base on the abandoned world of Dumassas. They create a small supply dump and rotate combined arms battalions through the base for refit and resupply in order to extend their range. 
The riots on Capella, while not escalating refuse to disappear entirely. Worse other low level riots begin to spread to other worlds of Randar and No Return nearby, and also Liao. The AFFS present on the worlds step up and begin sweeps to round up known dissidents. 
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===Developments in Industry===
Work also continues at various shipyards to refit older dropships and even new ones. Large numbers are being refitted to better carry food and water while others seem to be being refitted to carry passengers. At the same time Jumpships are being brought in and refitted to make sure their jump cores are 100% and spare parts stockpiled. The same work is undertaken for the Troop Cruiser CSJ Steve Showers as well as ships of the 2nd Corvette Flotilla. 
Two Fox II corvettes complete at the Rashpur-Owens Incorporated shipyards at Capella. The FSS Capella and FSS Claxton both remain in system both to conduct shakedown exercises but also as a very visible Federated Sun Navy presence in the system given the riots. For now they are grouped into a (provisional) 10th Corvette Flotilla. Two additional ships are immediately started. Rashpur-Owens requests consideration be given to expand their Warship slips. Instead they are directed to continue to increase their combat dropship production. 
On Filtvelt, the Achernar plant gains an additional another operational Legionnaire production line. They start work on an Argus-O line that is estimated to go online in December 3072. The plant continues to expand it's battle armor and Industrialmech production as well - including now producing Hauberk battle armor suits. 
Similarly at the Corean plant on June, another Legionnaire 'Mech production line goes operational. The AFFS is assigning most of these new Battlemechs to the various March Militia's and to key Planetary Guards. Entire companies are also allowed to be retained for the various companies security forces to protect the factories from raiders. 
Within the League March Maltex begins construction on a Wyvern line at Gei-fu. Given the issues on nearby Capella the High Command are already considering ordering a second line for this facility. 
On Graham IV the new Shogun line begins construction. This leads to quite celebrations across the world at the prospects of jobs and prosperity this new factory will bring. The plant is to be paid for by Blackwell - something that the Dragoon owned company still isn't happy about, but has come to realize is the only way out of the hole they are in at the current time with the New Avalon based government. 
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===Clan Troop Movements===
Within the Ghost Bear Dominion the Rasalhague Galaxy arrives on Rubigen. And holds where it is. They are joined by elements of Alpha Galaxy under the Khan himself. Two of the three operational Leviathan II super-battleships also arrive at the system. 
Both Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Hell's Horses pause their attacks on Clan Wolf. However, the Wolves are under no illusions. The two attacking Clans are merely resupplying and refitting their damaged OmniMechs before pushing on. Clan Wolf is forced to waste at least some of the time this buys them in political infighting over their leadership. Marialle Radick is successful in winning election to the post of Khan, but only through the support of her new saKhan Ivan Kerensky. This price for his support, however was the removal of Galaxy Commander Katrina Steiner from Tamar and her posting to counter-attack against Clan Hell's Horses. Secretly, he has also insisted that a Trial of Annihilation be launched against her genetic legacy - including the half dozen sibkos of her and Khan Ward's bloodlines, something the saKhan has agreed to reluctantly. 
Clan Wolf-in-Exile move back towards Arc Royal, taking time to test their new bondsmen and women to select the finest to help refill their deplete ranks. In a controversial decision, Khan Kell elects to concentrate those he thinks most worthy of being Warriors into a new cluster - the 1st Wolf Light Cavalry Cluster. Some thought is given to putting those who almost made the grade into a new second line cluster. 
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===Troubles in the Lyran Alliance===
General of the Armies Adam Steiner is nominated within the Lyran Estates General to be Regent for House Steiner. While this would normally be a cause for satisfaction, the fact that the nominated was made by the Honored Representative of Odessa Leon Fisk. Worse it is supported by many of what are considered the "pro-Katrina" elements of the Estates General. The fact that the nomination is for House Steiner and not Hanse Steiner makes things even worse. There are near riots within Great Assembly and several "Honored Representatives" engage in brawling in the corridors. His plans to move on Odessa are forced to be placed on hold by these developments. On the 30th of November he requests to speak before the Estates General on the subject.
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===Proposal between the League & Alliance===
Corrine Marik, Captain-General of the Free Worlds League receives word on the same day that Adam Steiner requests to speak before his parliament that her units are in place. She orders all units to prepare to attack on the 1st of December. Those commands don't only go out to her own units, but to all non-Regular FWLM units within the League...
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