FSRB Chpt 194

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 194==
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February 3071Opening Shots
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===Preparations for War===
While the AFFS was still moving into position and rebuilding it's stockpiles and the like in preparation for a major offensive into the WOB Protectorate minor fighting did continue between the AFFS and WOB Militias. Raiding groups from both sides cut across the border in an attempt to obtain information and to disrupt any defensive or offensive preparations that the other side was making. During this period of raiding a number of personnel transfers were made particularly around the 4th Davion Guards and 1st FedSuns Dragoons in preparation for the first series of active operations. Roughly two companies of Mechwarriors were transferred around between the commands, with a group concentrated within the 4th Davion Guards' 4th battalion. 
Hurried refits of the battle damage and wear and tear of the Federated Suns Navy's warships continued at every refit slip. Given the pressing nature of the impending conflict most of these repairs were done with an eye to returning the ships to optimum battle efficiency as soon as possible. Dropship squadrons and aerospace fighter wings were also hurriedly brought back up to strength and officers were hurriedly fitting these replacements into the battle hardened wings attached to most of the warships.
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===Royal Announcement===
On the 4th of February, Mount Davion announced that Princess Isis Davion was pregnant with her and her husband's second child who's birth was expected in August. The announcement was expanded upon that the medical staff within the royal suite at the palace had examined the princess and that all the tests had come back with glowing results both on the mother and the child. Amidst the outpouring of congratulations some small portion of the interstellar press made much of the fact that the First Prince and his wife had barely seen each other in the last few months - except for a brief visit by the princess to her husband on Robinson at the tail end of 3070. Depending on the slant there was the suggestion that Prince Victor might not be the father or that the couple were clearly controlled by lust. While those versions of the announcement made for popular reading in areas of the Free Worlds League, Draconis Combine, Sian Republic, and even parts of the Lyran Alliance, those news outlets which were so unwise as to carry those stories within the Federated Suns suffered large scale backlashes and plummeting sales. Particularly on Robinson where many locals took great pleasure in the idea that a future Davion prince or princess might have been conceived on their planet.
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===AFFS Troops on the move in Lyon's Thumb===
Within the Lyran Alliance, the various AFFS formations began to step up their operations against the WOB troops which were pulling back towards the Protectorate. Within the Lyran Thumb the 4th Deneb Light Cavalry in particular took the lead in these anti-WOB sweeps, while the 3rd Ceti Hussars based on Hesperus took the lead from the units under Ardan Sortek's command. The three carrier battle groups assigned to Operation Nightfire also took part in these patrols. 
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===FedSuns Troop Changes in Draconis March===
On the Kurita border the peace didn't mean that the AFFS forces stood down. Active operations against hold outs and pro-Kurita guerrilla's continued to be conducted by those units which had been left to secure the new conquests, while preparations were made in case the obviously pending Combine Civil War swept over the border. 
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===Developments in Industry===
The NAIS announced the completion of a new battle armor design during February, the Hauberk assault weighted suit which was designed to compliment the existing Infiltrator II, Cavalier, and Grenadier suits and offer the by now large scale battle armor formations of the AFFS a long range design. Having been in the works for almost a decade the suit had been designed and redesigned, not only to incorporate the latest technologies but also to make sure that no matter the conditions it would be easy to maintain. Production licenses were unsurprisingly given to both GM and to Achernar to produce the battle suit at their various plants on New Avalon, Mayetta and Filtvelt for Achernar and Point Barrow and Talcott for GM, but also SunCorp which was given a license to produce the new suit at their Menke, St Ives and Crofton facilities. 
On Batavia, the Jalastar plant saw it's second Jabberwocky IndustrialMech plant go operational. For now no further expansions were being considered for this facility, given the companies priority to expand Jabberwocky production at their flagship facility on Panpour. The companies specialist Javelin-O facility on Palmyra saw it's sixth line enter full scale production February. This single plant produces almost one third of all the Javelin's marching off the production line and into the AFFS. Given the huge production across multiple plants the AFFS is even able to allow sales of this prestigious "signature" OmniMech to trusted mercenaries - with units like the Northwind Highlanders, 12th Vegan Rangers, Blue Star Irregulars, etc all keen to add the machine to their tables of equipment.
Norse Battlemech Work's also add a new Omnimech line, producing the Blackhawk-KU Heavy OmniMech in this case, to their plant on Mayetta. It is soon to be joined by an Avatar-O line which is expected to enter production in April. Along with the Achernar plant on the planet the Norse Battlemech facility has totally revitalized the planetary economy of Mayetta. From a planet whose economy was largely based on the export of raw materials now skilled jobs and industrial expansion have come to the planet and with it growing prosperity. This growing prosperity has even led to some voices on Mayetta and other nearby worlds calling for the resettlement of the world of Carcassonne which had been lost during the Succession Wars as it's terraforming equipment had broken down and been no longer possible to repair. While for now merely voices, they were sufficiently loud enough that Helen Trempeleau hears of them and takes an interest. 
The Bulldog Enterprises line on Proserpina see's it's Manticore Heavy Tank production line repaired and being producing the venerable and highly sought after heavy tank. The company is approached by Jalastar about a joint project to revitalize and update the old battle tank for the 31st century and agrees to a joint research team at the same time. 
The Saphire Metals plant on Shimonita finally completes the retooling necessary to produce the Spartan battlemech rather than the poorly thought off Charger. Orders are immediately placed - largely from the ComGuards but the AFFS does order a full battalion of the SPT-NF variant. Depending on how these machines work out further orders might be forthcoming. At the very least they can always be allocated to the various March Militias to give them a signature "assault mech". For now they are routed to the FedSuns Dragoons, Avalon Hussars, and Robinson Rangers commands. 
One final area of expansion for the Federated Sun's industrial capabilities was around the world of Firgrove. The shipyards there had already been expanded to produce Excalibur and Colossus dropships and the shipyard had hit every target asked of it in quality and quantity. Given this achievement preliminary work began to adding a prototype cutting edge repair slip at the shipyards there - however this was merely cover for the work that the High Command had in mind. Clan Nova Cat and Clan Sun Jaguar were both contacted and requested to send Scientist and Technician caste advisers to help produce a working shipyard that would be first able to repair the Kerensky's Blues and then create more of the useful fast corvette. In return they were promised a share of the output for their own fleets. 
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===Kurita Civil War===
====First Shots of War====
Within the Draconis Combine, the Kurita Civil War went hot on the 14th February. "Kanrei" Hohiro Kurita ordered the 5th Galedon Regulars from their location at Dumaring to Kiamba. When they refused he dispatched the 3rd Proserpina Hussars and the 17th Benjamin Regulars to Dumaring to "bring the dogs to heel"... The DCS Pride of Galedon dispatched a courier to Galedon to inform their own Warlord that they had refused the "false Kanrei's orders" and to request orders/reinforcements. Before they received a reply the two Hohiro Loyalist units arrived in system and immediately launched a full scale assault on their positions. However the 5th Galedon had fallen back into the mountains of Dumaring and took advantage of their skill in mountain warfare to not only hold out but bloody the nose of the attacking troops over a course of two weeks. By the end of February the 5th Galedon despite being outnumbered almost 2:1 is holding their own comfortably and continuing to resist. 
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====Newly declared Warlord====
On Vega, Warlord Isoroku Kurita arrives along with the remnants of the garrison of Fortress Dieron, the 1st Genyosha and 3rd Dieron Regulars, Upon arrival he immediately takes up the title of Warlord Vega to replace lost Dieron. In a move that surprises everyone he orders the 11th Legion of Vega to support his own renamed 3rd Vega Regulars in taking the 1st Genyosha into custody, in one fell swoop declaring his loyalty for Minoru Kurita over Hohiro. Totally taken by surprise, (having assumed that the Warlord would remain loyal to Hohiro) the Genyosha lose half their forces in the opening hours of the battle. While they rally in time to put up  a fierce resistance the early losses have meant that it is a doomed last stand they conduct rather than any real prospect of victory. When the smoke clears the 1st Genyosha has been wiped out and Warlord Kurita merges the 11th Legion of Vega into his shattered 3rd Vega Regulars, announcing that the warriors of the 11th Legion have more than earned their "return" to the Regulars of the DCMS. 
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====Purging of the Disloyal====
Without orders the 42nd Galedon Regulars, having heard word that Hohiro Kurita is in rebellion against his dismissal. The unit moves to the prefecture capital of Xinyang and upon their arrival, they attack the green 15th Benjamin Regulars. Whether the 15th Regulars was loyal to Hohiro or to Minoru is left unanswered as the veteran 42nd hammer down on them with almost no warning. In a two day battle they destroy the 15th Benjamin Regulars and then proceed to execute the few surviving members of the Regulars who they have captured as "Traitors against Coordinator Theodore Kurita and his one true son Minoru Kurita, Gunji-no-Kanrei of the DCMS" by hanging them from the arms of their Battlemechs. They then proceed to begin "purging the government of disloyal elements". 
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===Other Events across the Inner Sphere===
The Duchy of Orloff, aligned closely with Oriente dispatches it's 8th Orloff Grenadiers to the world of Semenyih. The 8th crush the few local militia forces who oppose them and announce that henceforth the world will now be the fourth world of the Duchy of Orloff. 
Gavin Dow summons his Precentor Martial to a secret meeting at the end of February within the dead system of Lone Star. He wishes to discuss with him the final preparations for the combined attack by the ComGuards and the AFFS. Upon arrival in the dead system the HPG on the Precentor Martial's flagship the CSV Cleansing Fire develops a fault, but he is able to remain in contact with his forces through the HPG on the escorting CSV Restitution, one of the two Feng Hung Class cruisers that Comstar now operates. Through this loop he is informed that Dow is running late and he and his staff should wait in the inner system until he can arrive. 
Within the Lyran Alliance, the General of the Armies Adam Steiner receives word at the end of February in his command post that there has been a massive jump signature in the outer system... The Wolves have arrived. He takes to his command Battlemech and leaves the command post behind, knowing that to dig in there is to invite a headhunter mission. He has to hold out long enough for his ace in the hole to arrive... 
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