FSRB Chpt 263

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 263==
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June 3072Planning for Terra
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===Calling up the Reserves & Supplies===
More and more reserve jumpships begin arriving at the WoB front during June, whatever Monolith, Star Lord, and Tramp classes that the High Command can scare up or appropriate from second line formations mixed in with a large number of Invader and Merchant class JumpShips. At the same time huge amounts of material and supplies are brought forward to Addicks and Terra Firma - both of which already have large stockpiles of equipment on them but which have been drawn down to help replaces the losses already suffered. At least partially these supplies - officially to replace losses - are also to begin rebuilding the stockpiles that are expected to be required for the Terran Campaign. The newly acquired nearby industrial worlds such as Northwind, Quentin, Dieron, and others are particularly useful in rushing everything from ammunition, spare weapons and even fully completed BattleMechs and tanks to the supply depots.
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===Delegates meet with the First Prince===
First Prince Victor Davion remains on Thorin for the first half of June, continuing to meet with the various leaders of that world. Given that his presence isn't exactly a secret it is unsurprising when a number of delegations from nearby worlds, hastily thrown together by their governments, arrive to petition him for support in joining the Federated Suns. Murphid is of course the first to arrive, but shortly thereafter both Lyon's and Imbros III's governments delegations arrive as well. He is only saved from further petitions by the needs of the war effort and security demands as he has to head back to Addicks before the end of June. He does however leave a number of diplomats to meet with any further follow on delegations. While he hasn't had the time to discuss matters with the new arrivals in the same depth that he has had with Thorin's planetary duke and his government the stories do seem remarkably similar and tie in with the intelligence reports he's getting. Support for and faith in the Lyran Alliance ranges from poor to non-existent in the worlds of the Lyon Thumb and adjacent Terran Corridor. A handful of worlds are bucking that trend - Denebola remains relatively steadfast for it's support of Tharkad as does Zollikofen. But worlds like Thorin, Murphid, and the majority of the Lyon's Thumb are adamant that they no longer wish to remain within the Lyran Alliance.
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===The Federated Suns Navy prepare for invasion===
At the same time the long term planning for the invasion of the Terran System goes from a paper exercise to one involving real world activities. A number of warships begin assembling in order to take part in the first wave of the invasion. Given the experiences at Rigil Kentares the High Command are unanimous in their decision that prior to any large scale troop movements the enemy warship and aerospace assets are to be destroyed. Or at least as much as possible - given that at least some of those assets may be retained by the WoB out with Sol in order to launch a final "death ride" attack on the transports. Still, if the system can be cleared that should allow the Federated Suns Navy to secure the various orbitals while also being strong enough to provide a large scale escort for any incoming troops. The best of both worlds and certainly much preferable to a grinding battle in system while also protecting transports.
The first component for the naval invasion plans that is allocated is the 1st Battleship Squadron. With no less than two Iron Duke class battleships - the FSS Iron Duke herself and the FSS Marlborough, as well as four escorting Fox II class corvettes the 1st Battleship Squadron is considered the core of the invasion. While most of the staff would prefer to have more battleships available - or at least in reserve - the construction schedules are heavily stacked against this. The next two battleships, the FSS Benbow and FSS Thunderer, won't be completed until June 3073 and the next the FSS Centurion and FSS Warspite won't complete until June 3074 and 3075 respectively. So those figures don't take into account the working up time the ships will need. Delaying any invasion of Terra to await further battleships is considered impossible. 
To back the 1st Battleship Squadron up the 1st, 2nd, & 4th Carrier Battle Groups are provisionally allocated to the naval task force. At the current time the 4th Carrier Battle Group is still missing it's Avalon class cruiser but this will be remedied shortly and all three groups have experienced crews and naval air wings. The will be joined by the 1st & 2nd Cruiser Squadrons, 1st Patrol Squadron, 1st & 3rd Destroyer Squadrons, and at least two Corvette Flotillas. For now, the 1st & 4th are provisionally considered as part of the invasion force. Combined this task force (so far unnamed or numbered) is to included provisionally two battleships, three carriers, eleven cruisers, four frigates, fourteen destroyers and twenty eight corvettes. As well as massive numbers of Pocket Warships, Assault Dropships and aerospace wings. It will be the greatest naval task force assembled by the Federated Suns since the Battle of Cholame. When the unified nature of the warships and their organized structure if anything the force assembled is even more deadly than the various classes and individual ships (many of them old Terran Hegemony or Star League designs) that made up the old Federated Suns Navy. More importantly perhaps is that the Federated Suns is not being stripped bare to supply these ships.
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===Naval Developments===
While this planning is taking place the shipyards of the Federated Suns continue to produce more WarShips. At Arcadia system's Shipyards, the hidden frigate slip there finally completes and begins work on a secret Congress-D II class frigate. At the same time the "repair" facility at Firgrove completes the Clan-tech corvette slips. They immediately begin construction of four brand new Fredessa Corvettes. While some thought had been given to trying to build an upgraded design for the time being it was felt that the state of the art facility was pushing enough boundaries without trying to build an untested upgrade. For the time being the plan is for the shipyard to build Fredessa Corvettes. With production to be split between Clans Sun Jaguar, Nova Cat, and the Federated Suns Navy. Due to the new and cutting edge nature of the shipyard and the complexity of the work means that at least initially each corvette produced will take 18 months rather than the usual 12. The automated repair facility also goes online at the same time and begins working on many of the ships damaged during the battle of Rigil Kentares. 
At Megaplex Shipyard in the orbit of Galax, the corvettes FSS Chanute, FSS Mirage, FSS St. Robert, FSS Farwell, and FSS Altdorf all complete. The first four corvettes are assigned to the mauled 3rd Corvette Flotilla to form a 3rd Division. While the FSS Altdorf is assigned to help fill out the still forming 10th Corvette Flotilla. The FSS Delphos, FSS Plymouth, FSS Xenia, and FSS Pierce and a replacement FSS New Syrtis are all laid down in their place. 
At Kathil, no less than three Avalon cruisers are completed and begin shakedown trials. The FSS Paul Davion was quickly assigned to the 4th Carrier Battle Group while the FSS Edmund Davion and FSS Samuel Davion were assigned to a provisional 6th Cruiser Squadron. Given some of the controversy regarding naming a major warship after Edmund Davion it was decided that notwithstanding his faults he had been a serving First Prince. In order to alleviate any stigma attached to serving on a ship named for him, the ship was named the provisional squadron's flagship and the 6th Cruiser Squadron was assigned to join the 5th Squadron in New Avalon system to protect the capital while it was working up. 
A new Congress-D II is completed at Panpour and immediately begins a shakedown cruise into the Outback. With the 2nd Patrol Squadron assigned to Operation Argus the FSS Courage begins a shakedown cruiser throughout the Outback as the single ship of the 3rd Patrol Squadron. At the same time two additional slips complete construction and along with the new vacated slip of the FSS Courage begin work on three new Congress-D II class frigates. The Federated Suns Navy has made it clear that it will buy every ship of the class the shipyards can produce, seeing huge benefit to the design as a mixed patrol ship, escort, and light carrier.
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===Developments in Industry===
On Edwards the New Independence Weaponry plant finishes upgrading the Victor Assault 'Mech line to the OmniMech variant. The company then begins upgrading the Victor line on Alta Vista to the new OmniMech variant. 
At the Earthwerks facility on Tikonov representatives of the Duke of Tikonov meet with the R & D teams there and begin work on a new project to revitalize sales to the AFFS. The Duke has a large stake holding in the company but also offers to front half the costs of the project. A handful of high end engineers and scientists are "poached" or at the very least loaned from Achernar. Strangely, this is arranged via the Wild Geese mercenary unit and in particular by the aide to Colonel Paul Bowman, who has begun to use his full name - Ryan-Bowman following his reconciliation with his grandfather the Duke. 
The latest BattleMech facility within the Federated Suns begins producing it's first BattleMech on the 24th of June. The Achernar facility on Tortuga enters limited production and the first Legionnaire BattleMechs walk of the production line and is assigned to the 1st Tortuga Reinforced Training Battalion. Further production is earmarked for the future Tortuga CrMM and other local second line forces. The machines that they are replacing are ear marked for either mothballing or reassignment to local Planetary Guard formations. 
On Dieron, the first of the Veridian Dynamics Vali lines goes operational. As a gesture towards the local population the first battalion of this artillery vehicle is allocated to the still cadre strength Dieron DMM. While the unit will remain short of BattleMech's for almost a decade to come this will give them a strong artillery force to help make up for that.
The Kallon facility on Nanking completes work on it's first Challenger Main Battle Tank line in June and quickly begins shipping the tanks to nearby League March Militias. Two further lines for the much sought after tank and an Enforcer line continue to be constructed at breakneck speed. 
Clan Nova Cat has two OmniMech production lines go operational in June. On their capital world of New Barcella the second Nova Cat line goes operational while on New Irece the small Gamma Industrial Unit there for Nova OmniMechs completes construction. Unlike with the signature Nova Cat Heavy OmniMech the much more venerable Nova is not only offered for trade to the Sun Jaguars but also the AFFS. Despite being far from cutting edge by Clan standards and having been in production for over two hundred years this workhorse OmniMech is still a prize for the AFFS and is soon being shipped to the best units in the AFFS as a priority. The AFFS are paying for the OmniMechs with raw materials and resources while the Nova Cats and Sun Jaguars are soon trading Novas for Stormcrows. Instead of starting work on a new OmniMech facility the Clan decides to begin work on expanding their Delta Industrial Unit by adding an Arbalest Light Fire Support 'Mech line. 
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===Other Events in the Inner Sphere===
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====Attacking the Separatists====
Within the Lyran Alliance, it's Regent/General of the Armies Steiner dispatches three RCTs to attack the "Protectorate of the Rim". The 10th Lyran Guards RCT, 17th Donegal Guards RCT, and the Coventry CPM are all dispatched to attack the wayward worlds and begin bringing them back into the Lyran Alliance. It grates on Adam Steiner that he can't dispatch a similar force to the worlds in the Terran Corridor. 
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====Clan Wolf - Jade Falcons "War"====
While official Clan Jade Falcon begins preparing to recommence their attacks upon Clan Wolf, unofficially they pause and take stock. While they are certain they can overwhelm the weakened Wolves, particularly with the Hell's Horses pressing Clan Wolf so hard, to do so after the losses they've suffered so far would result in having to strip troops from the Lyran border. A risk that the Clan Council thinks would be ill advised. Still honor must be satisfied. Instead of a more general assault the Jade Falcons begin preparing for a more limited strike on the Wolves Occupation Zone. Their targets are to be the worlds of Vantaa, Svarstaad, Dell and Vulcan. Overwhelming force is prepared for these attacks. Khan Pryde announces to her warriors that she will lead the attacks personally. 
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====War for Gibson====
On Gibson, the fighting continues. Despite the destruction of the 2nd Shadow Division, the WoB forces show no signs of being at the end of their rope. Every advance is hard fought and every inch of ground paid for in blood and destroyed BattleMechs and tanks. Continued use of orbital bombardment allows the momentum to remain with the reformed FWLM but the effects upon the world are mounting. More and more dust is being thrown into the atmosphere and the WOBs continued use of tactical nuclear weapons isn't helping. If the fighting cant be finished soon it won't matter who wins, Gibson will be doomed. With reports on this outcome reaching her desk the new Captain-General begins preparations for an evacuation. Just in case.
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