FSRB Chpt 108

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 108==
 Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
----
January 3069Operation Rat III Three Wave
-----
===Operation Rat III - Wave 3 Launches===
Even as the AFFS forces in the former Sarna March surged forward once again and began picking off lightly defended worlds their counterparts below the old border in Operation Rat III did likewise. Worse from the point of view of the CCAF forces the fall of Menke and Victoria had released several units to rejoin the forward progress. The entire Illician Lancers mercenary brigade's forces on Menke for instance left the planet to it's garrison of the 6th Syrtis Fusiliers RCT...
-----
===Wave 3===
-----
====Nihal====
On Nihal, the garrison of the 2nd Capellan Chargers should have been able to put up a stiff resistance or at least they would have been able to if they were not hovering around at around a third of their official strength. Faced with the veteran Illician Lancer's 4th Rangers who numbered 3 times their forces the Chargers would have been best served to either fall back or break into smaller groups and fight a guerrilla campaign. However, that wouldn't have been in keeping with the ethos of the Capellan Chargers Brigade. Instead they threw themselves directly at the 4th Rangers landing zone in a furious assault. Knowing the caliber of their opponents the Rangers were waiting for them and in a 3 hour engagement destroyed the 2nd Chargers almost to the last trooper. Although they took heavy casualties themselves. With the sacrifice of the 2nd Chargers, the local defenders promptly surrendered.
-----
====Raphael====
The 59th Striker regiment of the Illician Lancers arrived on the world of Raphael alongside an AFFS conventional infantry brigade to face a stiff defense from the local Home Guard. It was soon apparent that the news blackout of the true state of the Confederations strategic situation had been entirely successful on Raphael. The local defenders truly believed that the Confederation was winning the war and they would be relieved soon. As such they fought with fanatical bravery to hold on long enough for the "cavalry" to arrive. It was tragic for them that no such "cavalry" had been dispatched. Instead they spent themselves on attacking again and again against the Striker's until eventually near the end of January the truth was apparent to even the most fanatical of Liao loyalist... Help wasn't coming. At which time resistance collapsed into scattered pockets. Before they were defeated the Home Guard did at least manage to knock out nearly 2 companies of Lancers.
-----
====Decatur====
The Decatur Home Guard was bolstered by the recruits from the Duchy Regional Training Center on Decatur and indeed had a number of out dated battlemechs within their ToE. Knowing this the Davion High Command had assigned not only the Illician Lancers' 9th Rangers regiment but also the 4th Avalon Hussars RCT. Although normally the commanding officer of the 4th would have been in command, given the green nature of the Hussar's and the longstanding ties between the AFFS and the Rangers the CO of the 4th Avalon was ordered to follow the Lancers lead.
With the 4th Avalon Hussars providing the numbers and the 9th Rangers providing the experienced troops the training formations of the RTC were soon overrun and routed, while the Home Guard formations were isolated on Decatur's many islands by the 4th's air wings achieving total air superiority. With this situation the AFFS and mercenary formations were able to pick of small isolated pockets of Home Guard troops using overwhelming force, one by one. Although officially fighting would continue into February the world was effectively secure by the end of January.
-----
====Egress====
Leaving the 2nd FedSuns Dragoons and 3rd Dragonlords RCTs to hold Victoria, the 1st Crucis Lancers RCT moved on to hit the world of Egress in January. While the 1st Lancers had seen heavy fighting in Victoria they had received replacement personal and equipment and were operating at almost 80% of their reinforced regimental strength, with similar levels in their supporting units. As such they were more than a match for the defending Lockhardt's Ironsides regiment who had fled to Egress after their defeat on Zanzibar.
Worse from the point of view of the defenders, as soon as the AFFS received confirmation of the presence of the Ironsides on Egress they rushed the 1st Cunningham's Commandos from Victoria to reinforce the 1st Crucis Lancers to ensure the destruction of the Capellan unit. Faced with overwhelming odds even before the arrival of the Commando's in the system the Ironsides had been fighting a war of movement attempting to maintain their limited strength. With the arrival of the Commandos the situation went from hopeless to impossible and Shang-shao Rhianna Lockhardt contacted Marshal Rand-Davion and requested to surrender on honorable terms. The former mercenary command was informed that if they were to surrender and agree to take up a mercenary contract with the AFFS on a long term contract they would be allowed to keep their remaining Battlemechs and receive generous terms.
A handful of Capellan loyalists refused these terms and attempted to continue to resist, but the bulk of the remaining Ironsides (roughly 2 companies of battlemechs) renounced their allegiance to the Confederation and returned to mercenary service before signing a 20 year contract with the AFFS. They were immediately dispatched to Rentz as an anti-piracy unit in the Outback. 
----
====Hurik====
The 11th Avalon Hussars RCT struck Hurik alongside the 4th Syrtis Fusiliers RCT. Leftenant General Dean found being under the command of Marshal Justin Leabo of the 11th somewhat galling, but was smart enough to hold his temper and follow orders. Particularly given that the the experienced Leabo who had always had some skill at diplomacy and politics allows the 4th's commanding officer to operate almost entirely independently. With the heavyweight 4th smashing any attempt by the local Home Guard to resist and the 11th securing the world's vital cities and strategic locations Hurik is soon secured for the Federated Suns. 
----
====Grand Base====
On Grand base the 2nd and 3rd Sun Jaguar Guards begin hunting down the Death Commando trainees and training staff who had fled into the jungles. This ongoing war of ambush and booby traps would go on for several months until the last Death Commando affiliated soldier is killed deep in the jungles. The Clan Sun Jaguar Warrior's while finding the tactics of the Death Commandos dishonourable do at least relish the challenge - particularly the Elemental trinaries.
----
====Geifer====
Leaving the world of Randar in the hands of the 1st Kathil Uhlanss and the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers RCT moves on and hits the world of Geifer. An internal world that has never been considered to be at threat, the local Home Guard are poorly equipped and badly trained. Hurried attempts to reinforce them with conscripts have done little to improve the actual effectiveness of the defences. Against a full RCT the defending Home Guard are only able to put up a few weeks worth of resistance before they are forced to surrender.
----
====Relevow====
The Duke of Relevow fled the world at the first jump signals of the arriving 6th Robinson Ranger RCT. Along with him he took most of the planetary treasury and his immediete family - which unfortunately also ended up decapitating most of the Home Guard formations which were led by various cousins and nephews of the Duke. With the planet almost totally lacking in leadership the 6th Robinsons' main problem was the fact that many of the Home Guard formations continued to fight as nobody was available to order them to surrender. This led to a number of brutal if short lived actions in which the Rangers used their overwhelming firepower to destroy the ad hoc resistance. 
-----
====Aldertaine====
The elite 7th Crucis Lancers RCT moved to secure the world of Aldertaine for the Federated Suns near the tail end of January. Long considered an internal world the defences of the world were if anything in even worse state than Geifer's and the mere presence of a strong AFFS force in the system was enough to cause widespread panic and desertions in the few Home Guard formations that the world had. As such although the world didn't officially surrender to the 7th Crucis Lancer's until the end of January there was little real fighting.
----
====Gei-Fu====
With intelligence provided by the St. Ives Compact regarding the prescence of the 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry and 3rd Capellan Chargers on the world of Gei-Fu the High Command in conjuction with Duke Hasek sprung into action. The opportunity to wipe out both damaged commands while they were still recovering from the heavy fighting involving the 2nd Janissaries was too good to miss.
Leading the attack came the 3rd Federated Suns Armored Cavalry which after December had returned to 90% of it's operational strength of a full reinforced regiment. While not as elite as the 1st FSAC the 3rd was still an incredibly effective veteran unit staffed by some of the finest soldiers in the AFFS and with the best equipment possible. If that wasn't enough the High Command also rushed the elite 7th FedSuns Dragoons RCT and the 1st Chisholm Raiders RCT to attack the world alongside the 3rd FSAC. 
Facing these 3 AFFS formations, the 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry was hovering around half strength, while the 3rd Capellan Chargers were effectively even worse off. The 2nd's commanding officer Shang-shao Mai Tee Phyn attempted to bolster her forces by effectively absorbing the 3rd Capellan Charger's into her own formation as a reformed and reinforced 3rd battalion, however the 3rd's headstrong officers and mechwarriors refuse this order and instead resolve to fight the campaign their own way. Instead of falling back with the 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry to attempt to hold out as long as they can, the 3rd make's their stand in the planetary spaceport hoping to inflict heavy damage on any descending AFFS troops as they land in dropships. 
This hope is shattered when the 3rd FSAC undertakes a command drop right on top of the 3rd Charger's positions. Although the 3rd Chargers fights well for a green unit and has the advantage of position, they are eventually crushed by the much larger and more experienced 3rd FSAC. At which time the FSAC reforms itself while securing the spaceport. The Dragoons and Raiders are soon on planet and begin pursuing the 2nd Reserve Cavalry. 
The 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry manages to avoid being pinned down throughout January, but is unable to inflict any meaningful losses upon the AFFS formations who are hounding it across both the world's continents. Any attempt to stand and fight will only lead to their destruction, and all it will take is one mistake on the part of the Cavalry and they will be trapped and destroyed by the much larger Davion formations... 
-----
===Summary===
With the loss of so many worlds and even more the loss of a number of additional military commands the Strategios find's it has little to offer Chancellor Sun-Tzu's demands that they counter attack or at least stem the advance of the Davion hordes during February. While Sian itself is safe, both Sarna and Capella are now on the front lines and are week by week becoming more isolated. The invasion of a further 11 worlds (10 of which fell almost immediately to the invaders) is now beyond any attempt to downplay. The CCAF has been exposed as a paper tiger and world after world is falling to the oncoming Davion forces.
Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao, by now struggling to control his temper at the best of times, upon the arrival of the Duke of Relevow and his family upon Sian he orders they all be executed as cowards for abandoning their duty. Few amongst the CCAF are particularly upset by this given that the planetary Duke no doubt contributed to the swift fall of his world and abandoned the Home Guard troops there to defeat - however the execution of his entire family including civilians causes some unease. This unease skyrockets when the Chancellor orders the execution of Sang-shao An Shennu for her father the Duke of Larsha's treason in surrendering his world. This infuriates the Sang-shao's own command of the Red Lancers, but also Ion Rush who had personally given assurances to the Sang-shao that she would not be mistreated. A personal appeal by Ion Rush and Talon Zahn to the Chancellor is refused as is the request that she be at least executed as an officer - instead of being killed by firing squad she is executed by hanging.
-----
 Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
0108, Chapter