CHS4-8

==Chapter Eight - Book 4 – Chappy's Howling Siegers==
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===Unexpected Visitors===
Command Center
Delacruz, Draconis Combine
January 1st 3030
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Local Time: 0900 GST
Tai-sa Decker ran into the command center still buttoning up his uniform and looked at the reports coming in from around the nation. His first thought was that he was vindicated, then he almost felt guilty when he saw the magnitude. How could the Coordinator not see the signs he saw, now the Combine was under attack and in trouble? The total planets on the Draconis border that were reporting of an invasion from the enemy on the same day and almost the same time from was fifteen planets. Rumor was that not only did the new faction Freedom Federation attack his Combine they attacked Outworlds Alliance. 
 How in the heck did they pull that off? Federated Suns looked like they attack Capellan early in the day. Decker was thinking about all this when all of a sudden, the room became instantly busy with panic and excitement. Decker looked up at the radar feed from the planet’s most distant satellite and saw several targets.
The radio cracked to life and a voice came across, <<“Attention Delacruz government please come in, attention Delacruz government; We are the 6th Federated Suns Armor Cavalry. We have come to claim this planet as a Federated Suns asset please vacate the planet or prepare to fight we will be there in 6 hours.”>>
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Command Section - 15th Dracon
New Sagan, Capellan Confederation
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Colonel Jean Rosenberg, the Commander of the 15th Dracon, was addressing her troops on safety for the upcoming holiday. When her aid went to the podium and pulled her aside with news of a pending attack from Davion Guards DropShips, and the news that around fifteen other systems were also being invaded that day.
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===Sabotage===
Invader Class JumpShip Adjutant
Command Bridge 
Skye System, Lyran Commonwealth
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Local Time: 0600 GST
Kaptain Miyashita sat in her command chair twisting her long blonde hair with her fingers, a nervous twitch that she hated, every time she caught herself doing it, she would shake her head and stop. Damn it, things were going so well and now this, how is she going to tell the General about this.
 
Leftenant General Edward Devlin slipped into the command bridge of the Adjutant and looked at the view screen at the other three JumpShips floating at the Nadir Jump Point. 
“What’s up, Kaptain? Your summons sounded urgent.” Devlin said. At that very moment, he notices the smoke coming out of the Kearny-Fuchida Drive section of the Star Lord Class JumpShip Agir and his heart sunk since that one JumpShip held a third of his regiment. Devlin turned finally to the Kaptain “What’s wrong with the Agir?” 
“General, looks like sabotage, the FTL drive itself was not damaged, but the Agir will not be able to make the next scheduled jump. So, I need to know what your orders are. Do the Adjutant, Ahren, and Glory of Skye jump to the next point? The other option is to wait until the Agir makes repairs and fall behind in the schedule, we have 20 hours of recharging before the decision needs to be made. Oh, and more thing Intel for Kessel just came down the pipe.” 
“Push it to my quarters, Kaptain, I want to look at the Intel before I decide to stay together or break the unit up.” Devlin said as he turned around to leave, he also said, “And send all data on the sabotage to my quarters too. Have they caught the traitor yet?”
“Yes sir, they are transferring her over to us as we speak.” 
“Kaptain, send her to my quarters when she arrives.” With that Devlin exit the command bridge. 
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Two Hours later
A knock on the General’s door shook him out of his trance…how long had he been looking at the Intel reports? Devlin looked at his watch hmmmm about two hours, “Enter” Devlin announced. 
“Sir, Leftenant Kim reporting with the prisoner as order.” 
“Thank you, Leftenant, unshackle her now and wait outside.” “Yes, sir." 
“So, Cadet Neha tell me why you sabotaged the Agir."
 
The Cadet just stood there… 
“Cadet, you will answer me or so help me I will end your life right now.” 
The Cadet just stood there, but now the sweat was starting to drip down her face from her hair.
 
Devlin slowly rose from his behind his desk and gently placed the recon photos down. 
“Cadet, you will answer me. Look into my eyes and know this to be true, I am not a fan of traitors so tell me or suffer.” 
The Cadet just stood there but looked into Devlin’s piercing eyes and her lip started to whimper. 
“Caadeeet!” Devlin moved closer to Neha “Ok, ok Sir,” the Cadet said. “I am part of the Free Skye Movement my benefactor placed me here, but he is dead now. However, Frederick Steiner has taken the lead as you well know, he heard about the 4th Skye Guards was being fully activated for the war against Kurita and wanted to stop or delay your unit. The 4th Skye Guards were meant to be the backbone of the Free Skye Movement. So, you sir, are the traitor to the Skye movement.” 
Devlin infuriated now, just walked up to the cadet. They both were of the same stature, so Devlin was nose to nose to the cadet and just inches away. Devlin put his hands on the cadet’s shoulders and ripped off the epaulets and said, “You are no longer a cadet you are not worthy to wear any uniform except for prison orange. In fact, you really should not live.” Devlin pulled out his antique, but fully operational Colt 45 from old Terra. He placed it at the temple of the cadet, “I am not a traitor, prisoner I follow orders. My orders never came from the Duke nor Fredrick Steiner. I want a Free Skye too, believe me, but I don’t think violence against other Lyrans will be the way to do it. There would be no way Skye could stand its ground against all the LCAF. You have been found guilty of treason. Leftenant come in here and take this trash to the brig before I blow her head off!!” 
Devlin went back to his desk and stared at the maps and strength of enemy notes from the Intel.
 
“Kaptain, Devlin here has there been any word on how long it will take to fix the Agir?” 
<<“Sir, yes we have. I did not want to interrupt you while you were with the prisoner, estimate time to repair is two more days.”>> 
“Thanks, Kaptain, for the update, please inform the other ships that a conference call for all unit commanders will happen in an hour, so at 1000.” 
<<“Roger , General, I will notify all.">> 
The screen went black, time to finish the new battle plan, one that will only include two aerospace squadrons, and six companies of Battlemechs. The rest of the fleet will stay with the Agir for protection until she is repaired. 
General Devlin stood up after all the commanders linked in. “Thanks for joining commanders, as you are aware the Agir has suffered a blow due to sabotage. The saboteur has been dealt with, and the Agir needs two days to repair the damage, but the invasion will stay on schedule.” General Devlin let that fact sink in as the commanders confer with their aids. 
“The only JumpShip making the schedule jump will be the one I am on currently the Adjutant will jump at the allotted time and the three DropShips that are with her right now.” Devlin said. “We will be the initial invasion and will establish a beachhead for the rest of 4th Skye Rangers. Hauptmann-Kommandant Ricardo Stedstrom will be in command of the attack force staying here. I look forward to seeing all of us on the planet.”
“Stedstrom has all the battle plan details and will continue the brief with y’all right now, the commanders that will be part of the Beachhead attack switch to channel 34 with me now.”
The link then separated the two forces with Hauptmann-Kommandant Ricardo Stedstrom continuing to brief everyone on what he wants to protect the fleet while repairs were being made. The other link Devlin continued to brief the battle plan for the invasion. 
“Ok I have just sent all the Intel to y’all, please look over it. The Thunder of Skye will have to land to disembark the 1st Armor Company (Hauptmann Rudyard), 1st Mech Company (Hauptmann Ring aka TinyTwo) and 4th Mech Company (Hauptmann Weir aka Deagin). The rest of us will assault drop from Gedania so my command lance. 5th Mech Company (Hauptmann Greymane aka Whiskey), 8th Mech Company (Hauptmann Broadberry aka Wolflord) and of course XO Hauptmann-Kommandant Robel aka Xenon will be with us. The 1st & 2nd Squadrons will provide air support.” Devlin went silent to let all that info sink in. 
Devlin continued, “The reason I decided to split up to maintain the timeline is this, we are going up against a local militia that is about battalion strong all regular skill. The 12th Sun Zhang Cadre also is on the planet and is a full regiment complete with support units. With the exception of the commanders, everyone is green and according to the Intel report in front of you most of the cadre are first and second-year students.” “So even though I don’t want to be overconfident because they have more in numbers and home field advantage, but I think victory should be ours. We will establish a beachhead and start building a secure base while waiting for the rest of the unit to arrive, any questions?”“Ok, let’s get to work.”
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===Thoughts of Leaders===
Operation Overlord
AFFS HQ deep underground
New Avalon Capital of Federated Suns
Hanse Davion was overseeing both operations simultaneously by using three pieces of technology, first the use of HPGs, second a much slower way the use of JumpShips, and lastly the use of the K-1 series transmitter (Black Box) a tech that was given to him by his newest and strongest ally Archon Steiner. These transmitters are faster than light and did not rely on ComStar. 
Hanse caught himself thinking about what the other house rulers were thinking right now, about this attack from all angles. Of course, the plan did not go off perfectly, it never does, the plan was to have all the units show up in system at around the same time. Several units had transport issues, and some in the Lyran Commonwealth had saboteur on board mainly the 4th Skye Guard that will delay them. Overall, though most Operation Dragon’s Tail against the Draconis Combine and General Chapman’s faction Operation Enduring Freedom went off without a hitch. Operation St. Ives Thumb was having most of those transportation issues.
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Palace
Bed chamber of Maximilian Liao
Sian Capital of Capellan Confederation
He was dreaming of an Inner Sphere under his complete control, in his dream Operation Doppelganger worked and the Federated Suns was gone. He was dreaming of beating Hanse Davion hitting him over and over in the head bang, bang, bang all the sudden he realized that the noise coming from smashing Hanse face did not match what he expected, it sounded like wood. Bang! bang! bang! Maximilian woke up with a jolt out the bed then his personal guard open the door. “Sir, sorry to wake you, but the Federated Suns has attacked more planets.” Maximilian just stared at the datapad and looked at the planets Davion was attacking and a crack in his mind’s sanity occurred.
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Palace
Command Center
Atreus, Capital of the Free World League
Janos Marik sat there with a smirk on his face. The Steiners and Davions have attacked Kurita and Liao, Perfect. This could be the opening he needs to move against the Lyran Commonwealth and take a few key planets from them.
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Book 4 - Chapter 8