FSRB Chpt 52

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 52==
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November 3065Preparations
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===War & Wedding Day preparation continue===
Even as the officers of the High Command and their various staff's continued to plan for the eventuality of war between the Federated Suns' and the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine they continued to work on not only their day to day duties but also preparing for the marriage of the Yvonne Steiner-Davion and Tancred Sandoval. Scheduled to take place on the 1st of December a marriage might not seem like a large scale military operation but when it is the First Princes' sister and the Minister for the Draconis March's heir it suddenly becomes one. Not withstanding both of these two commitments the High Command in consultation with the First Prince also had to prepare for the graduation of the various Cadres and Training Battalion's cadets and where these new soldiers would be allocated. As with previous years this also involved the decisions as to what if any new units would be formed from the graduating cadets.
With regards the threat from the Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation the High Command was drawing up a number of war plans suitable for the modern day era, all of them deliberately designed to be easily updated with changing situations. As per the remit from the Marshal of Armies and First Prince these are largely planned around seizing the initiative with various levels of attacks into the Confederation and Combine. For instance War Plan 7 that is being put together involves a heavy strike from the Galtor Thumb to cut off and isolate Prosperina before rolling up the isolated units trapped there, while at the same time striking along the old Sarna March/Confederation border towards not only Sarna but also Capella, driving both the Kurita's and Liao's onto the defensive and keeping them there.
On the wedding front security procedures are checked and checked again. Specialist units are moved in to support the Regular Army and Navy forces already deployed to Robinson. Given the couple getting married the great and good of the entire Federated Suns and beyond will be there and the AFFS is determined that the ceremony and proceedings will pass without a hitch. They are preparing for not only large scale invasions but even single person infiltration's and assassination attempts. In late November the First Prince and many key figures within the Federated Suns' head for Robinson. Marshal of Armies Jackson Davion and Princes' Champion Ardan Sortek will remain on New Avalon.
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===Developments in Industry===
On the topic of new units to be formed from the graduating cadets it has now almost become tradition that one of these will be a new Avalon Hussars RCT while another will almost certainly be assigned to the Dragonlords Brigade - at least until that Brigade reaches full strength, although there is some doubt as whether that means 5 RCTs or 8 at the current time. The graduating class of 3065 is no exception and the cavalry weighted 9th Avalon Hussars RCT is to be formed as a reinforced regiment while the 4th Dragonlords RCT is to be raised and twinned with the 1st Davion Guards RCT. As per usual the current Dragonlords units training at the New Avalon and Novaya Zemlya Combat Training Center will be shifted, with the 2nd Dragonlords moving on to a permanent garrison posting - Lindsay on the Taurian Concordant border, the traditional posting for the Dragonlords units. The 3rd Dragonlords will take their place on Novaya Zemlya while the 4th forms on New Avalon.
The third unit of those to be raised is the one that usually causes the most speculation given the almost traditional elements listed above. Unlike in previous years it is one of the "outsider" brigades which is to be enlarged with a new unit. Just like the new 9th Avalon Hussars and 4th Dragonlords the new unit is to be created with the intent of being a reinforced regiment right from the start. This new unit is to be the 3rd Chisholm Raiders, founded and raised on the original home world of the Brigade - Colorado. At the same time it is to be raised the 1st and 2nd are both also to receive official orders authorizing them to likewise be upgraded to reinforced regiments. At least for the time being.
The 1st Avalon Hussars RCT and the 3rd Davion Guards RCT are also slated for being upgraded to reinforced regiment status. This will leave only the 2nd Davion Guards RCT within the Davion Brigade of Guards as a standard regiment, but given it's massively over strength aerospace forces this isn't seen as a major problem. Although the 2nd is assured that as soon as they reach their current full strength they will be upgraded as well. This year none of the Crucis Lancers RCTs are to be upgraded to reinforced regiments but again they are assured that this is still in the plans for the future of the brigade.
There are 3 final units that are informed of expansions to their current field strength, namely the 22nd & 39th Avalon Hussars and the 2nd Federated Suns Armored Cavalry. All are expected to reach 100% of their existing strength with the current wave of graduations and are ordered to reform themselves from 100% regiments to 70% reinforced regiments and continue their expansions back up to their new new strength levels. Given the slow upgrading of the Avalon Hussars and the traditional strength of a FSAC unit these expansions are exactly surprising however.
With the current expansions and graduating planned out and set into motion to take place during December the High Command do go back to the issue of the military education facilities within the Federated Suns. With a large number of expanded classes set to graduate at the end of 3066 and record enlistments the AFFS has a plentiful supply of officers and troops to not only maintain their current strength but also to continue expanding. This is particularly aided by the fact that for the first time in centuries the Federated Suns has become a net exporter of battlemechs and other military material. Large scale orders from the ComGuards and even the LAAF have been placed for the various established and new factories of the realm. The profits from these sales, channeled back into the various companies are in part funding future expansions and upgrades which will only reinforce this trend. 
However one area that is starting to show some strain is the supply of qualified naval officers and enlisted personnel for the growing warship fleet. While the Armstrong Flight Academy is providing increased numbers of courses and slots for retraining for dropship and jumpship crews this is barely keeping up with demand and the current expansions are only going to stretch this further. Meanwhile the huge increase in aerospace fighter wings is causing even more strain on the supply of qualified pilots. Rolling upgrades to the Galax based Armstrong Academy are constantly ongoing but it's became obvious this is becoming a major critical failure point for the entire Federated Suns. The creation and expansion of the Filtvelt Flight School is a major bonus for the AFFS further expansions are in order. As such the Davion High Command (those members of which aren't attending the wedding on Robinson) begin planning for a new naval academy and flight school. To be named the Aldrin Flight Academy it is planned to create the new school on the world of Novaya Zemlya - which many think is a strange choice but the High Command has it's reasons. The plan is for the new school to offer the full range of naval specializations and pilot training on the same level of the larger Armstrong Flight Academy and to work up to effectively being the older academy's twin. Work is to begin in 3066 and the first small classes beginning in 3067. 
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===Developments in Industry===
The hard working staff at the new Kallon Industries plant on Belladonna miss their target date of bringing the first battlemech production line online on the 21st of November. By 3 days. On the 24th of November the Hornet class line enters production and begins assembling the venerable light mechs. Meanwhile the Griffin, Shadow Hawk, and Wolverine lines are also nearing completion and will soon enter production over the next few months. All of the machines and vehicles produced in this plant are to be split between the AFFS and the ComGuards - with the AFFS selling a small portion of it's allowance to premier and trusted mercenary commands. 
On the world of El Dorado the joint GM-Kallon-Davion cooperative plant also begins production of the prestigious Templar Assault OmniMech. This now brings the new plant's operating lines to 3, namely the new Templar-O and the Battlemaster and Ajax lines. A 4th line to produce the venerable Demon Combat Tank for the AFFS and ComGuards is also in construction. 
The New Independence Weaponry factory on Kestrel also see's its new Marauder line begin constructing full battlemechs in November. Although there will be some initial teething problems with the hip actuators - so far the plant has only built "humanoid" battlemechs and the change over to a more bird like chassis caused some delays in getting the assembly correct. Still these are relatively minor issues and easily solved by a quick readjustment. 
The Layover based Quicksell plant's expansion that goes operational in November doesn't have the same luck with the issues in it's first products. The company is notorious across the entire Inner Sphere for it's horrendous attitude to quality control and the new lines prove to be a stand out case even within Quicksell. It is so bad that the AFFS reject every single vehicle offered to them from the new lines and insist that quality control is massively improved or they will be making no purchases from the plant. The entire first production run from the new Hetzer, Vedette, Heavy ACP and Pegasus line are instead sold to the ComGuards. Who have to almost totally rebuild the vehicles before they approach serviceable levels. Even the desperate ComGuards however demand a huge discount on the obviously faulty equipment and this production run is actually sold at a loss. Particularly with the fines, breach of contract law suits and sales taxes that the FedSuns slap on the company. A hurried improvement is rushed into place to hopefully resolve the issues. 
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===Lyran War against Clan Jade Falcon Incursion continues===
Even the impending wedding ceremony between Duchess Yvonne and Baron Tancred is overshadowed within the Federated Suns by news from the Clan Front as it is now being called. All along the frontier raids and counter raids are presenting a drain on both sides, while on the main Clan Jade Falcon thrust both sides are fighting with a ferocity that is causing horrendous damage to all participants. The Clan forces have managed to take the worlds of Pasig and Mkuranga and a follow on attack swiftly seizes the lightly defended world of Deia. However on the other worlds they have invaded the Jade Falcons find themselves tied down in bloody fighting. 
Khan Marthe Pryde in an attempt to break the stalemate begins assembling a second wave of troops to throw into the Lyran Alliance. Built around her own Turkina Keshik and Iota Galaxy this second wave will have 4 front line clusters backed up by 2 second line clusters. Rho Galaxy is also ordered to prepare to form a third wave if it is required. However to hopefully ensure that this isn't needed the Khan also begins assembling a naval task force. The CJF Falcon's Nest, CJF Jade Aerie, CJF White Aerie, CJF Gauntlet, CJF Green Lantern, CJF Kerensky's Pride, CJF Emerald Tornado and CJF Lightning Strike assemble as a purely naval star. The numerous Aegis class cruisers remain assigned to the various front line clusters.
Meanwhile on and above Arc Royal, the Archon is assembling his own task force. Both Mjolnir class battlecruisers the LAS Yggdrasil and LAS Fylgia are the central element of the naval component, along with the Fox corvettes, LAS Robert Marsden and LAS Robert Kelswa. Joining them is the entire Wolf-in-Exile fleet, consisting of the WarShips Werewolf, Ulric Kerensky, Implacable, Valiant, and Killing Blow. Although the Full Moon is also officially part of the task force assembling it isn't considered a combat vessel but instead has already been loaded with supplies and equipment to keep the entire task force operation for months. 
As well as the large naval force that has been assembled the Archon, General of the Armies, Duke Kell and Khan Kell have assembled a large number of ground troops. The 2nd & 4th Royals make up the core of the Lyran contingent but they are joined by the Tamar Cavaliers, 3rd & 8th Donegal Guards, and the 5th Lyran Regulars. On top of these the 1st & 2nd Kell Hounds and the Knights of St Cameron have also assembled on Arc Royal as has the entirety of the Clan Wolf-in-Exile's Alpha Galaxy. They are awaiting the following units joining them before they launch their counter attack - Barber's Marauder IIs, the Alarion & Skye Jaegers and the 5th Lyran Guards from the Lyran Alliance and the 1st Royal Battlemech Regiment from the SLDF. Once these last units have assembled the counter attack will commence.
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===Uneasy Allies===
After a lengthy stay on Sian, Hohiro Kurita leaves and begins the journey home. Just before leaving he had politely turned down the pro-forma offer of a marriage alliance between House Kurita and House Liao with the offer of Kali Liao's hand in marriage. Publicly stating that he did not believe he was worthy of such a prize. Privately he remarked to his hand chosen officers as they were leaving Sian on their dropship that he would rather take a poisonous viper to bed than that one! The madwoman's brother, however had impressed Hohiro. He was no warrior born, nor was he a man that could be trusted but the Kurita could at least see that he was a useful ally against the traditional enemy of House Davion. Hohiro was under no illusion that there was any real bonds of friendship between himself and Sun-Tzu despite the public facade of one, but knew he could at least count on the Liao's hatred for all things Davion to make him useful. Not that he would ever trust him. 
Sun-Tzu Liao's impression of Hohiro was similar in the regard that he could see a great number of uses for the Kurita's aid in his fight to retake what was rightfully his, but he also couldn't help but consider the younger Kurita as a useful idiot. To caught up in his internal code of honor to always be able to do the hard and necessary tasks. A good samurai no doubt, but in Sun-Tzu's mind Hohiro would only make an adequate ruler. Still a useful idiot was if anything better than a potential rival as far as House Liao was concerned. It was just a shame that Hohiro Kurita had been smart enough to turn down Kali's hand in marriage. Offloading that particular headache would have been worth offering a substantial dowry. However, at least Hohiro had brought the substantial gift of the Inazuma class corvette design specifications. Sun-Tzu wasted no time in instructing yards to be constructed over Capella to being constructing the corvette as soon as was practicable. 
On Luthien, the Coordinator called a full council of his Warlords as well as the DCA in order to advise him on the growing threat from the Federated Suns. This meeting would take place on the same day that Yvonne Steiner-Davion and Tancred Sandoval married.
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===Clan Wolf's Adviser===
After discussing the matter with his "adviser", Katherine Steiner-Wolf, Khan Ward of Clan Wolf decided that in the event that the Falcons made any more moves into the Lyran Alliance he would strike. The Falcons would find themselves dangerously overextended if they committed any more troops to the invasion and with half their border worlds suffering raids would be unable to properly respond to any strikes from his own Touman. He had initially planned to strike for the Falcon capital of Sudetan but after advice from Katherine he had revised his initial plans. Instead he would launch a strike against the worlds of Jabuka, Quarrell, Orkney and La Grave. If these went well follow on strikes would be considered for Benfled and Montmarault. If he was able to seize these 6 worlds he would cut the Jade Falcons off from any future drive on Terra and place his own Clan into proximity with the Lyran Alliance which would allow him to make larger gains against this weaker foe.
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