CS3056-13

=Chapter 13= 
==Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War==
Prologue, Book 2, The Hammer Falls
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===An Unpleasant Intelligence Report===
Lyran Commonwealth National Command Authority Relocation Site #18
Tharkad
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
September 5th, 3056
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Field Marshal Nondi Steiner was on her 8th cup of coffee, running her fingers through her hair in frustration at both the logistical figures Poulin had sent back from the front, and the antics of her young aide. That Sanderlin kid is going to make me old. Ok, Victor, I took him on your recommendation, but seriously? His trying too hard may be the thing that finally gets me to retire. God? Was I like that once?
Sanderlin had recently been given back his commission for meritorious conduct under fire just before Clover Spear kicked off, and was told directly, take the bars and the staff job that went with it, in a note signed by Victor himself. Cannot blame Victor for wanting to save one of his academy friends. From what I hear, thanks to the Clans, there aren’t too many of them left.
She read over the report Sanderlin had written on Poulin’s requests. So far, his supply expenditures were outstripping even the most pessimistic projections by a factor of 2, especially on the consumables side. Modern war eats ammunition, food, water, and fuel like a wolf eats rabbits. And it spits out death. Death to our young people, and death to theirs. Hell of a business I am in, eh Katrina. God I miss you. I should have retired after you died, but your son in law asked me to stay on for a while, and so did Victor. Poulin is doing a fine job, but if current expenditures stay the same, we might run out of tube artillery rounds by the end of the year. Jesus, I hope we have dealt with the damn Vipers and Falcons by then
She moved on to the operational side of the briefing. So far, resistance had been spotty. Much of that had been due to the fact that the Clans had been caught by surprise, where they could, they had fought hard, but so far..so good, as total casualties for the AFFC thus far was in the 10,000 range for dead and wounded. She never thought she’d ever see those numbers for something this big. It’s still a tragedy for every family that gets the HPG and the visit from the Casualty Assistance Section of the local militia. God, let this be over soon.
She turned her attention to the projected 2nd Wave targets. It’s ambitious as hell hitting both Clan OZ capitols now, but I want to shock the damn bastards to their core, and so does Poulin. We may have to employ TREMBLER on Sudeten, god I hope we don’t, or SUNRISE. Either one is going to send the Clans into a small frenzy, but honestly, if they are that stupid, we can do some of what we probably should have done after that little temper tantrum on that Drac world.
There was a knock at the door. Nondi glanced at her wrist chrono. LIC with their intelligence brief. Always right on time.
“Enter!” she bellowed, her voice sounding harsher than she had wanted it to.
A non-descript fellow in AFFC uniform, with MI insignia on the collar and the epaulets of a Lieutenant entered the office carrying an oversized briefcase. After rendering courtesies, he stated “Good morning, Ma'am. Could you please place your hand on the marked pad and speak your name for receipt of the enclosed package?”
Nondi nodded and did as instructed. “General Nondi Steiner, Duchess Gallery and Commanding General of the Lyran State Command. Service Number RA117459.” The case clicked open in response, the pad glowing green.
“Thank you, General. Soon as I record this, may I depart?” The courier then produced a small recorder and stated, “Copy 6 of 10 of Threats and Intentions report on Clans Jade Falcon and Steel Viper delivered to General Nondi Steiner delivered personally at 0821:25. Identity verified.”
“Dismissed, Leftenant. And tell your boss I don’t like your couriers in uniforms they didn’t earn the right to wear.”
The courier blanched. “General Steiner, I am not one to step out of line, or correct a General Officer out of turn, but I am a graduate of CMA, class of ’41.”
“You are? Then where the hell is your school rag?”
“Orders from General Karlberg. We don’t wear them. Nor our class rings. It’s too much information to any potential enemies.”
Nondi gritted her teeth. “You see combat, Lieutenant?”
“Yes ma'am, on Twycross. My whole lance got shot to pieces, and I was medically evacuated after they blew my Banshee out from under me. I have a TBI, so I can’t pilot a ‘Mech anymore. Still a reservist, but I am a staff officer with the militia on Tharkad, officially.”
Nondi smiled “Ok, just wanted to make sure you were at least somewhat legitimate, Lieutenant. Dismissed.” as she waved her hand as if to shoo him away.
Once the Lieutenant departed, she thumbed a button on her desk that shut off all recording devices and engaged a white noise generator. It could only be turned off by her once engaged.
The pages were crisp, white paper, with stark lettering, and LIC’s writing style left little room for fluff.
She scanned the pages, and found little had changed from last week, and if anything, it seemed the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers had…
It was the Sudeten entry had stopped her speed reading.
She reread the offending paragraph, now burning itself into her brain:
<<“..Two Jade Falcon warships have entered the Sudeten system in the last 96 hours. (95% reliability), ships are identified as the Hawker of the Sovietskii Soyuz-class (95% reliability) plus one Aegis class Cruiser (90% reliability), name unknown. Both ships are in geosynch orbit as part of a routine patrol from the Periphery, and are reportedly taking on supplies and rotating crews. (90% reliability). “>> 
“Jesus” she muttered and she continued to read the document. It was another paragraph that had her fumbling for her noteputer:
<<“..a new hardened bunker of some kind has been completed in the vicinity of the largest island in the Jarho chain (95% reliability). Its purpose is unclear at this time, but we suspect that it is either a relocation site for the Jade Falcon Khans (70% reliable) or a C3 site of some kind (30% reliable). We suspect there is a stronger case for the former possibility as we have noticed a separate HPG system being installed at the site during construction. (See Appendix A3, Overhead Imagery of unknown site on Sudeten, taken 6th September 3056).>>
Nondi cursed again. “I am going to have to give Poulin permission for both SUNRISE and TREMBLER after all, damn it all. Better let Victor and Hanse know as well. Shit..there went my day..”
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===Smoke Jaguars Intelligence Briefing===
Clan Smoke Jaguar Forward Headquarters
10km from Courant City
Albiero, Clan Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone
September 24th, 3056 - 0445 hours Local
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Khan Lincoln Osis flexed his muscles slightly as he continued to read the reports taken from the Wolf Watch. The Trial of Possession was worth it in retrospect, but it was bloody. Only one survivor of the binary from the 6th Dragoons I sent to get the reports. But their information was, illuminating, to say the least.
The report’s conclusions were stark. The ersatz Star League that the sphereoids had formed, the “Federated Commonwealth” was rolling over the Falcons and Vipers as if they were tissue paper warriors, and the freebirths were using more than a few honorless tactics to do it. Massed artillery fire, overwhelming force, no zellbrigen, and guerillas? All of this is without any honor at all, but the Falcons and Vipers did little but lick their wounds, and assume, in their haughty ignorance, that the Sphereoid scum would cower in fear of the “almighty Falcons”. And worse, the Vipers agreed.
Osis did not know who in the hell to laugh at first. So, he split the difference, and chuckled mirthlessly at the predicament both Clans found themselves in. He rubbed his brow with his left hand, and rubbed his eyes again, as he continued to read the report. If I had known how deadly dull this report was, I would have had Brandon Howell read it and summarize it for me. The Wolves kill with words, and call themselves “clanlike.”
However, the report’s conclusions, even to Osis, were sound. The Falcons and Vipers were in the early stages of military collapse. The FedCom was using every weak point in both Clans to shove them over the edge of disaster. Not that such things would apply to the Jaguars. I would almost welcome the so-called Federated Commonwealth attempting such a thing here. My warriors would make short work of it. The “fearsome” DCMS has proven to be nothing more than a momentary impediment on the way to Terra, we would already be there, if not for Kerensky, and his damn deal with that so-called religious order known as ComStar. It is a good thing I had those robed idiots we captured off that Jumpship back in ’48 mind wiped BEFORE we gave them back. I cannot say too many other ComStar POWs have been so lucky. Then again, it has given my elementals valuable practice.
Osis grinned at that last thought. His methods had begun to suppress the Combine backed guerillas, but at a cost. He believed it was mostly because the Combine was not able to continue to both fund their efforts and rebuild the DCMS. That said, they did enough to keep them busy.
Osis leaned over and pushed a button on his noteputer: “Kelmar, attend to me.”
At once, a knock came at the door. “Enter”, Osis barked.
The heavy blast door opened with a clank, and a whine as metal creaked, a slender figure entered. His blue eyes large, with his sandy blond hair, and his light complexion with lithe features reflected his aerospace fighter pilot phenotype. His skin was impregnated with grey linear tattoos, outward reflections of Kelmar’s fanatical devotion to Clan Smoke Jaguar, as well as his submission to DNI surgery. “Aff my Khan, what is your bidding?”, he bellowed as he came to attention and saluted.
“Kelmar, how sharp are the Jaguar’s claws would you say? Are we ready to crush the Combine?”
“As sharp as ever, ovKhan. Our warriors clamber at another chance to teach the Combine who the better warriors truly are.” Kelmar answered.
Osis grinned satisfactorily. “Good, I expected as much. Summon all the Galaxy Commanders for a meeting here in three weeks’ time. I want to go over our plans to hit the Combine, especially for plan to finally take Luthien. We will take it, then burn it to ash, and then rename it DeChaviller, as the Combine helped the usurper, Kelmar. Examples must be made.”
Kelmar simply nodded.
There was another knock at the door. “ovKhan, there is news about the sphereoid offensive against the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers. Their second wave has begun.”
Osis smiled wider. “Kelmar, move up that meeting a week. We cannot wait, and I intend to act before those timid souls led by that king sheep. Kerensky blather on about Clan unity and try to get us into some idiotic plan to save the Falcons and Vipers from their own stupidity.”
Kelmar nodded again. “It shall be done, ovKhan.”
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