AATiPDC Chpt 8

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==Chapter 8 - An American Tanker in Prince Davion's Court==
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===Getting Down to Business===
New Avalon Institute of Science
College of Engineering
March 7th-April 21st, 3028
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Beginning on February 23rd, General Hodges and his team undertake two weeks of intensive preparation work. For testing platforms, Hodges was given the use of a pair of tanks (a Patton and a Rommel) and two Battlemechs (a MAD-3R Marauder and a WHM-6R Warhammer); the team also received files with a complete set of blueprints for these designs.
The team’s first order of business will be to strip out the weaponry, lay it aside and then consult with the plans to see how the vehicles can best be retrofitted. For his part, General Hodges duplicated all of his files relating to late 20th/early 21st-century tank design and downloaded them to the computers in his laboratory. Next, his information is used to build several copies of the Vincorion weapon stabilizer (the system used in the turret of the M-1 Abrams main battle tank; something that General Hodges is intimately familiar with).
Twelve copies of the Vincorion system were built; these were fitted to the weapons removed from the tanks and the Battlemechs. Then, the combined assemblages were placed on test stands and run through a series of exercises so their operating parameters could be determined. After the exercises were concluded, the weapons were re-mounted. At this same time, work on an infrared laser rangefinder was begun. Once again, General Hodges drew on his experience as a tank officer and created duplicates of the M-1 Abrams rangefinder (specifically, the ELRF built by Hensoldt); this system used a solid-state laser emitter with a 50-mm lens, and is accurate to +/-1.5 meters out to a range of 25,000 meters. Recognizing that not all battlefield circumstances are amenable to the use of infrared lasers, the new version of the ELRF (titled the Improved Eyesafe Rangefinder; IERF) was designed to incorporate visual and radar functions. Twelve copies of the IERF were built, tested and incorporated into the fire control systems of the tanks and battlemechs; so fitted, the machines went out to the NAIS testing range.
General Hodges and his team next turned their attention towards developing caseless ammunition, so that autocannons, machineguns and their feed systems could be re-fitted to use it. Finally, work was begun on both electrothermal/chemical and electrothermal/kinetic cannons. By increasing the size of his team and organizing his people into three separate shifts, General Hodges was able to squeeze 4 ½ months of work into just 45 days.
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===Getting the Goods===
April 25th, 3028
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2:00 PM
While on one of his very few off days at home, General Hodges is relaxing in his living room when there is a knock on the door. He goes to open it and sees Kym Sorenson standing there with a businesslike smile on her face.
“Good afternoon, General; I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all, Countess. The NAIS team and I have been working long hours developing the new weapons and technology that I promised the First Prince; not wanting to get burned out, I decided that it was time for me to take a break. What brings you here?’
“Sir, Director Allard just received a priority message from Marshal Ran Felsner saying that Operation Kelly had been carried out, and that it was a complete and unqualified success.”
“Please come in and take a seat; I’ve got a feeling that this is going to take a good deal of talking.”
“Thank you, sir.”
So situated, Sorenson waits for General Hodges to bring refreshments. Hodges comes out of the kitchen with a tray bearing a bucket of ice, two glasses and four bottles of Coke he says “enjoy these while you can; I’ve only got a couple of cases left…”
Sorensen takes an appreciative sip, then says “Sir, the specifics of the message are that Operation Kelly began in earnest back on February 25th, with preparations beginning on February 11th. Your information was correct on all accounts, even to the smallest detail; you’d be interested in knowing that the code phrase used to deactivate the Helm cache’s security systems and enable access to its databases was a certain quote from your President Thomas Jefferson ‘the greatest bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people’.
“How appropriate. Jefferson was one of the most intellectually-gifted Presidents the United States ever had. President William J. Clinton once hosted a gathering of Nobel Prize laureates at the White House; afterwards, he said that it was the greatest collection of scientific talent ever under this roof except when Thomas Jefferson dined here alone. That comment (more than anything else) defined Jefferson’s genius.”
“I understand, sir. If you wish to see it, Director Allard has furnished me a copy of just what was recovered from Helm. He also wanted me to tell you that the spoiling attacks elsewhere in the Free Worlds League were successful in diverting the Captain-General’s attention, and that he and his officers are completely unaware of the operation that had been carried out under their very noses.”
“How about the material from New Dallas; was it successfully recovered?”
“Yes, sir. By your suggestion, copies are being made of the New Dallas database for delivery to the other great houses. I can only imagine how Comstar’s First Circuit would react if they find out.”
“Not ‘if, countess; when. As much as it is to be hoped for, no security is perfect; the best we can expect is for the Masquerade to be carried out as long as possible. As far as those toaster-worshipping shitheads in Comstar are concerned, the angrier they get, the better I like it...”
“Very true. Now, I’ll pass you the files so you can read them yourself. If anything, the amount of materiel on Helm was much greater that your records indicated; in fact, examples of new ‘mech technology were recovered, along with the data files and operational prototypes of a previously unknown operation called ‘Project Titan’.”
General Hodges takes the files and begins to read. The information contained in them is as follows:
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Star League 'Cameron' light mechs
12 STG-1FL Stingfly
12 TCY-2ON Tachyon
12 PLT-7ST Peltast
12 Miles Gregarii
12 Micro Marauder
Star League 'Cameron' medium mechs
12 ARB-3ST Arbalest
12 PK-3N Pikeman
12 GRF-2N1 Griffin
12 WVR-6G Wolverine
12 Shield Breaker
Star League 'Cameron' heavy mechs
36 Thunderbolt-II
36 BL-6b KNT Black Knight
36 WHM-7A2 Warhammer
72 MAD-2R2 Marauder
72 Archer-II
Star League 'Cameron' assault mechs
36 STK-3Fc Stalker
36 BLR-2G Battlemaster
36 Highlander-II
36 Marauder-III
72 Atlas-IIB
72 Atlas-IIC
72 Awesome-IIA
36 Awesome-IIB
36 Awesome-IIC
36 TDK-7X Thunderhawk
72 Thug-II
36 CRS-3R Crusher
36 CRS-3R2 Crusher-II
36 DMN-2R Dominator*
12 Killerwatt (100 tons)
12 Killerwatt-II (100 tons)
12 Killerwatt-III (100 tons)
2 Slagger (130 tons)
2 Super Marauder (130 tons)
2 Super Marauder-II (130 tons)
2 Piledriver (180 tons)
2 Destroyer (200 tons)
2 Destroyer-II (200 tons)
2,225 Royal armored vehicles
600 Alacorn Mk VI Heavy Combat Tanks
75 Burke Combat Tanks
50 Chaparral Missile Tanks
500 Von Luckner Assault Tanks
150 Demon Combat vehicles
350 generic LRM Launchers
150 generic SRM Launchers
150 Long Tom mobile artillery pieces
100 Thor mobile artillery pieces100 Marksman mobile artillery pieces
1,000 utility/support vehicles
100,000 tons ammunition (various types)
80,000 tons spare parts; includes 10,000 tons ferro-fibrous armor repair patches, 4,000 double heat sinks, 500 sets improved myomer fibers (+1 MP; no extra crits, no elevated heat required) and twelve triple heat sinks.
50,000 jump infantry equipment sets
2 battalions (1,600 sets) Nighthawk power armor
1,000 cases Mauser 960 assault systems (10,000 units)
2,000 Star League advanced neurohelmets
2 M-5 Caspar capital drone CPUs
2 M-9 Pavise CPUs
6 ground-mobile hyperpulse generators w/ maintenance and operation manuals
12 mobile HQ vehicles
24 MASH units
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While General Hodges continues to read, Kym Sorensen says “Sir, back in the days of the Star League, the defense forces were divided into the Regulars and the Royals. The Regular divisions were just that, while the Royals were the elite; they got the very best personnel and training, as well as first crack at new equipment. Beyond the Royals were the Camerons; these guys were the very best of the best and their equipment surpassed everything else in terms of reliability and combat effectiveness. The Battlemechs that were taken from Helm are all of ‘Cameron’ quality, while the vehicles are all of ‘Royal’ grade.”
“Tell me of the ‘Project Titan’ material.”
“Yes, sir. Until Operation Kelly, the only knowledge of battlemechs weighing more than 100 tons came from 2775, when General Kerensky’s forces were closing upon Terra during OPERATION CHIEFTAIN. Amaris was never a very stable person to begin with; so, Kerensky’s forces got closer, he began to search for weapons that could turn the tide against the coming onslaught. Once of these was the Matar. This Battlemech weighed 110 tons, and would have stood a full four meters taller even than a AS7-D Atlas (had the Matar gone into production). The Matar project was doomed from the beginning, both from the impossible design specifications and Amaris’ continual interference. Eventually, he had most of the Matar’s design team executed for ‘Treasonous Incompetence’. However, the project’s leader was Rifkin Amaris (one of the usurper’s cousins), who avoided execution by heaping the blame for the project’s failure on the development teams. Afterwards, Rifkin assumed a false name and fled Terra with his design research. While in exile, he hoped to continue the Matar project. Unfortunately for him, General Kerensky’s forces caught up to him and placed him under arrest.”
“Sounds like a real scumbag. What happened to the guy?”
“He was put on trial for crimes against humanity, along with 36 other Class A war criminals. He was convicted of just one count, but that was enough to get him a life sentence. That sentence turned out to be just 11 months, as he was murdered behind bars.”
“Well, someone in the SLDF’s R & D section must have retained Rifkin’s ideas and improved upon them...”
“Those are the thoughts of the First Prince and Marshal Felsner, also. In gratitude for your information (without which Operation Kelly might not have been successful), the First Prince has given orders that you are to be allowed your pick of the materiel recovered from Helm.”
A minute or two of silent thought follows, then General Hodges says “For now, I’ll have one of the Awesome-IIC Battlemechs, one of those Nighthawk Battlesuits and two of those Mauser 960s.”
“That’s all? The First Prince and Marshal Felsner were thinking of awarding you up to 5% of the haul.”
A smile crosses Hodges’ face as he replies “what I have asked for is all that I want, nothing more. Would you please convey my deep sense of gratitude to the First Prince?’
“Very good, sir.”
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