FSRB Chpt 217

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 217==
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September 3070Interlude: Kurita Naval Planning
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Imperial Palace 
Luthien, Pesht District
Draconis Combine 
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"Has this been confirmed?" Minoru spoke softly into the horrified silence of the room at the news that Ninyu Kerai Indrahar the head of the ISF had brought him.
The Director bowed his head deeply as he knelt in front of the one true Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. "It is."
"Explain." Minoru Kurita ordered.
"These pictures were taken by a former aerospace cadet of the Alshain Academy. He was taken as a bondsman by Clan Ghost Bear after their seizure of the planet. He failed his Trial of Position, but was sufficiently skilled to merit inclusion within the Bear's Technician Caste as a shuttle pilot supporting their new warship yards over Alshain. However he has remained loyal to House Kurita. He took this on a routine delivery of armor and electronics to the shipyard. He then dropped it off at a dead drop in Silverdale City where another agent picked it up. That agent passed it on to a contact we have cultivated within the Diamond Shark's Merchant Caste. Who dropped it off with his contact on Buckminster from where it was sent here via our usual communication channels for such sensitive materials." Indrahar explained carefully and then answered the next question before it was asked. "It has been confirmed by three other agents on Alshain my lord. The prolonged delay in us receiving this information is as a result of the torturous nature of the communication channels. I am afraid that our worst fears have been realized."
Minoru looked at the three grainy pictures of the orbiting Alshain Naval Yards of Clan Ghost Bear. Picked out with circles around them were three huge armoured shapes. No less than three massive battleships of the Leviathan class. The Leviathan herself and her two sister ships the Rasalhague and the Great Bear. However his focused gaze was not on those three heavy battleships. But instead on the shipyard behind them. A shipyard in which a fourth Leviathan was taking form - indeed was well on the way to being finished. After having gazed at the three pictures for long enough his gaze passed over the head of the ISF to Fleet Admiral Hidaka Goro. "Advise me, Admiral."
"My Lord Coordinator... The current Clan Ghost Bear Naval Reserve outclasses our existing fleet. If they concentrate the might of their naval might upon us I cannot stop them." The words were like acid on the Fleet Admiral's tongue, yet ever since the Davion Navy had crushed his own fleet he had had few experiences of giving first Coordinator Theodore Kurita and now his son good news. He had long came to the conclusion that he was still alive simply to prevent any successor from having to commit ritual suicide almost immediately. He was merely being kept in place so as to avoid a waste of experience senior officers for reporting failures. "We currently have a single battleship, a single fleet carrier, two cruisers, four frigates, two destroyers, three light carriers, and twelve corvettes. The Ghost Bears have three super battleships, one battleship, two battlecruiser, five destroyers, and a corvette. As well as a number of transport warships. They also have an extremely strong assault dropship force - with the new Aesir and Vanir class dropships which entered service last year, clearly following reports from our war with the Davion's. We have more ships, but they have more capable and heavy ships my lord." 
"And our shipyards?" Tomoe Sakade, the Warlord of Pesht, asked for her son. 
"Still rebuilding. We have two battleships under construction, however they will not be completed until 3073 and 3074. We have a second fleet carrier under construction but it will not be completed until 3075. We also have two slips for New Samarkand Class light carriers working on ships. We have three shipyard slips under construction, one to build Kirishima cruisers, two too restart Inazuma class corvette construction."
"The fourth Leviathan II is likely to finish by the end of this year, or the start of next year at the very latest." Indrahar interjected. "And they are producing at least twenty five of their heavy dropships per year at the same time." 
Li Dok To, the Warlord of Galedon and the final person in the room rumbled. "They will have four of those monsters to our single battleship by the end of the year..."
The Fleet Admiral was forced to incline his head in agreement. Honesty compelled him to add. "And some of our ships MUST be kept on the Davion border, as well as the Lyran border and now the Outworlds border given the recent surge on Clan Snow Raven activity there. As well as dealing with your brother's forces." 
Minoru's face was impassive and showed no sign of response to that addition but his very lack of response was in itself telling with how tightly he was having to control his temper. Again silence descended upon the room until the Coordinator finally spoke. "Release nuclear weapons to every warship and fleet aerospace unit and pocket warship. Inform them that they are authorized to fire said nuclear ordinance against ANY Ghost Bear warship that crosses the border. Admiral prepare me additional plans for expanding our naval production in addition to the release of nuclear weapons to the fleet."
The Warlord of Pesht spoke softly. "That risks enraging the Bears. Clanner's have a cultural taboo against nuclear weapons."
The Coordinator's gently rebuked his mother, answering without looking at her. "I am aware. I was after all Minoru Nova Cat for a time. Yet we have no option. If they attack us and we fight them conventionally we will lose. That is not acceptable. We are Kurita. We are the Dragon. We must survive. Leave me."
Four of the five highest ranking officers within the Combine bowed deeply and rose silently before departing their lord. Leaving him to his thoughts on why House Kurita must survive. Thoughts that they all knew, for they shared them. That the Dragon must survive to take revenge upon Victor Davion for his humiliation of the Combine and House Kurita... 
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