FSRB Chpt 44

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 44==
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March 3065Caph evacuated
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===Capellan reorganization===
As March began the head's of the various intelligence agencies of the Federated Suns' sent some rather worrying reports across the desk's of the High Command. The Capellan Confederation was rebuilding at a much quicker rate than had been expected. Shattered commands were being rebuild and even new ones formed. For instance the Sian Dragoons which had been a token force of almost raw recruits was now a brigade of 7 regiments with the first 4 of these either at full strength or nearly so, while also training hard and coming together as a force. Factories that had been devastated by the Federated Sun's counter attack were already starting limited production again and there were even some indications that expansions were in the pipeline, while the new yards at Capella had laid down their first Feng Huang cruiser while the Necromo yards have just finished the CSS Sundermann Rhys. With the refit of the CSS Elias Jung this gives the Confederation Navy's 4 of the large cruisers. The funds for this construction program seem to be coming from an outside source as it's a far larger budget that the economy of the Confederation can support. First indications are that Sun-Tzu is leaning heavily on his new allies but some other sources are hinting that some of the money and resources are coming from Terra. To call this a worrying development is an understatement and surveillance is stepped up. When First Prince Victor gets the news he orders 3 invasion plans to be drawn up in secret for the Federated Sun's to preemptively strike at the Confederation if it is required. These plans are to include variants which presume St Ives support or refusal to help the invasion. 
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===Task Force Victor dissolved===
Leaving Outreach behind, the First Prince again proceeded to disband his personal task force as he headed back to New Avalon with the 1st Davion Guards. On Outreach he left behind the 1st Revenant Guards RCT along with most of the conventional brigades he had brought to the world as well as 2 full independent fighter regiments to support the corvettes FSS Marduk and FSS Filtvelt. The Roughneck battalion of MacLeod's Regiment head back to Northwind with the First Princes's thanks as well as a lance of Templar Assault Omnimechs fresh from Novoya Zemyla. Additionally, he sends a 2 mixed lances of Thugs, Battlemasters, and Victors assault 'mechs from Tikonov. When the battalion arrives home Major Mulvaney will immedietly hand over these assault machines to the rebuilding units of the Northwind Highlanders. She will however be allowed to keep two Templar for her command lance. 
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===Political wrangling on Northwind===
While Colonel Jaffray will denounce this gift as an obvious bribe, his argument is somewhat weakened when it is pointed out that when he arrived on Northwind he himself brought a BattleMech gift from the Chancellor - namely a Huron Warrior. Major Chastity Mulvaney causes no small amount of laughter (and almost equal amounts of fury from the other side) when she asks him in a heated council session whether he is upset at the gift or that the First Prince is clearly able to afford a much larger gift than the Colonel's own Chancellor. 
thumb|Huron Warrior Medium BattleMech
Colonel Jaffray's position is further weakened when the warriors of MacLeod's regiment formally meet and elect Major Mulvaney to colonel of their regiment. While Lt Colonel Jacobs was senior she was also older and frankly admitted she was intending to retire within the next 3-5 years. As such a younger more energetic officer was felt to be required for the self appointed "bad boys" of the Northwind Highlanders. Ironically, Chastity Mulvaney's former rebellion against Colonel MacLeod's wishes in 3057 was seen in a positive light by the warriors electing her. Who better fit the image of rebel and free spirit than an officer who had rebelled against a rebel! She is formally appointed Colonel of the newly renamed Mulvaney's Regiment 2 days before the vote on whether Northwind should rejoin the Federated Suns. The Clan Elders who might have worked against her election are now more and more coming around to the pro-FedSun's side of the argument and as such most of them give her some backing although knowing the contrary nature of the regiment they make sure to make this support very circumspect. 
Few are surprised when the vote takes place on the 28th that the world of Northwind votes to rejoin the Federated Suns rather than maintain it's current vulnerable independence. The vote is roughly 62% in favor of rejoining the Suns with 38% against. Although the vote within the Highlanders themselves is much closer with barely 51% voting in favour of the proposal and within the Northwind Hussars there is a large majority for refusing the First Princes's offer. 
What is a surprise is when in the early afternoon of the 29th, a mere 3 hours after the results are declared, large elements of the Northwind Hussars take to their dropships and blast off. Roughly a reinforced battalion, built around Jaffray's Own, leave the world with Colonel Jaffray resigning his commission and informing the people of Northwind that they have betrayed their heritage and he and his troops will continue the true independent spirit of the Northwind Highlanders free of the shackles of House Davion! 
Some on Northwind and particularly within the other regiments immediately suggest chasing the departing force, but Colonel's Mulvaney and Stirling speak up and refuse this suggestion. Highlanders should not kill Highlanders. If he wishes to go, then that is his right. Although they will formally protest the theft of the Highlander dropships and all non-family owned equipment that the fleeing force has taken. Ironically given Colonel Aria Jacob's refusal of consideration of command of the Northwind Hussar's she is immedietly appointed to command the devastated and leaderless Hussars. 
Northwind's acceptance of the First Princes's offer is relayed to Small World via jumpship as Northwind's HPG is still a crater. A waiting jumpship immedietly jumps back and the people of Northwind are broadcast the First Princes's delight at their decision and welcoming them back home. It is made known to the Clan Elders and news outlets that the First Prince recorded two broadcasts and left them with a jumpship with orders to pass whichever was the correct one as soon as the result was declared. It will become something of a local legend/holy grail for news networks on Northwind to get their hands on the alternate message but they will all be unsuccessful as the First Prince ordered all alternate recordings except his own personal one deleted as soon as the result was made known. Over the years however the interest in seeing what was on the other recording grows and the First Prince eventually promises to release it - upon his death in his will. 
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===Pirate Hunting on Cooperland===
At Cooperland the 12th Avalon Hussars arrive and immedietly begin a sweep of the ruined cities to flush out the pirates. In a 2 month campaign they will hunt them down and eradicate them. During this time the Hussars will note that there is a remnant population on the planet which wasn't evident from orbit. The planets society has degenerated into barely subsistence farming on an early 19th century level of technology - having had no market for the production of the few mines on the planet as they fell of the star charts. Spread across the world in small farming villages are estimated to be a few million people although getting a proper count is nigh on impossible without a much larger scale census. These farmers have been feeding the pirates and suffering their attacks since the band arrived on the planet a year ago. Given the suffering of the villages nearest the pirates bases the 12th Avalon Hussars set up a field medical facility and begin helping the locals. Word of this discovery is relayed back to New Avalon and the 12th's detached combat command is ordered to remain in place. Further follow on support is organised. Although the FSS Markesan which is beginning to have issues with it's 4th dropship collar is ordered back to FedSuns space to undergo some maintenance.
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===Unknown Pirates strikes in the Draconis Combine===
In response to the raid on Niles, an "unknown" force of "pirates" hit the 44th Galedon Regulars on Capra and inflict heavy losses on their still forming 3rd battalion. The unknown force consists of roughly 2 companies of mostly Draconis Combine produced battlemechs, much of which seems to consist of salvaged machines. It is not missed that the 1st Ceti Hussars and nearby Davion units have a great deal of DCMS salvage to pick through from their seizure of Delacruz, Groveld, and Niles from destruction of the 10th and 29th Galedon Regulars. The fact that the pirates made no real effort to hit anything other than military targets is an almost blatant sign that this raid has been committed by a regular AFFS force in response to the strike on Niles. Tai-Sa Jarvek Dolmassey, the Warlord of Galedon's deputy who runs the District while his superior is on Luthien gets the message loud and clear and cancels a further 3 raids into the Bryceland and Dahar PDZ's. The last thing his career needs is for his raiding to kick of an entirely new invasion of the Combine. Particularly given that the AFFS forces still have local superiority over his own regiments along most of the border. If war is declared he's likely to lose at least another half dozen worlds before he can stop the AFFS! Worse intelligence is suggesting that there are at least 2 Fox corvettes somewhere within the Edgeward Combat Theater.
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===Sun Jaguars Issues===
On Defiance, more and more of the Sun Jaguars civilian castes reenter the new cleaned and refitted dropships in preparations for the move to their new homes. More than a few clearly wish they could stay on Defiance, but they are aware of the First Princes's promise to his people that no Clan force will be granted rights to an existing FedSuns planet. Given the history there even the slowest labourer caste member can understand this requirement. However the Khan does send a message suggesting that one of his units could rotate to Defiance and help train the AFFS troops there in anti-Clan combat.
===Developments in Industry===
At Galax Shipyards, the FSS Addicks, FSS Chesterton, and FSS Tikonov have finish construction and join the fleet. However, unlike previously the AFFS doesn't assign them to a shakedown cruise within the Outback but instead orders the 3 new warships to take up station and patrol around New Avalon and Galax. Given the state of tensions between the various powers the FedSuns simply can't afford to have 7 warships within the Outback. Arrangements are made to have the 4 Fox's within the Outback to rotate with the new guard ships at New Avalon/Galax so that all the crews gain experience at long patrols. Work begins on the FSS Argyle, FSS Clovis, FSS Goshen, and FSS Tortuga are immedietly laid down as a 4th slip has finished construction. 
On the world of June, the Corean plant has it's new Centurion 'Mech line enter full production. This now gives this plant a solid foundation of a Valkryie and Centurion line, with a Musketeer;; hover tank factory also being built. The executives at Corean Enterprises speak with the FedSuns government and request further tax breaks in order to expand the plant on June. Given the nearly constant demand for Centurion battlemechs in particular these tax breaks are granted in return for 2 new Centurion lines being added at June. 
Arc Royal Mechworks facility on Killarney goes fully online in march with an additional 2 lines producing the famed Wolfhound battlemech. This will give the FedSuns a regular source of the much sought after light mech from no less than 3 production lines. Ample space has been set aside for new lines as well in the event this demand increases. Victor Davion is still hopeful to be able to convince his brother to allow Arctic Fox production at Killarney in the fullness of time. 
During March the CEO's of Jalastar Aerospace formally accept the First Princes's offer and a joint press statement is prepared to be released in April to this effect. Again the First Prince despite arriving on New Avalon at the end of March has Duchess Isis flagged to make the announcement of the expanding production and new omnimech.
Within the courts the StarCorp attempt to sue the FedSuns government which has been going on since January collapses in total disaster on the 7th. As the former CEO Amanda Sanchez takes the stand and unveils a list of corporate misdeeds and industrial espionage. While StarCorp attempts to merely withdraw their case the devastating nature of the evidence has the courts instead impose costs and huge fines on StarCorp, while the government also begins to move with the huge number of fines and corruption charges almost the next day. StarCorp's shares drop across the Inner Sphere as a result of this and their FedSuns corporate subsidiary goes into financial meltdown. The situation is so bad that the Federated Suns' government and House Davion - the very people pursuing the company - are forced to step in and safeguard the companies existence, doing so with a huge stock buying option. Many cynical observers are noted to point out that the case has resulted in the Davions and FedSuns effectively owning StarCorp FedSuns... However even the most cynical have to admit this is only been possible due to the widespread corruption and industrial espionage the company engaged in. The parent StarCorp Industries threatens legal action within the FWL, Capellan, Lyran, and Star League courts in response to this "blatant" seizure of their subsidiary. Given their struggling financial situation and now ongoing investigations in the Lyran Alliance and Free Worlds League however this is a paper tiger of a threat... 
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===Engagement of Yvonne Steiner-Davion===
Duchess Yvonne Steiner-Davion of Tortuga leaves her new world and with her unofficial fiancee heads for Robinson. Once there and once Duke James Sandoval approves his son's engagement to his liege lord's sister their engagement will be formally announced. Said approval is a mere formality at this stage. 
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===Terrorism in the Combine===
On the 25th of March terrorists attack the Deiron shipyards and manage to almost totally obliterate the Inazuma corvette production facility there. The Kyusha construction facility is also damaged in this attack and will be offline for almost 6 months. Opinions are split on whether this was a Davion or WOB sponsored attack. 
Commanding General Hohiro Kurita one he arrives at Deiron is informed his father wishes to see him on Luthien. When he attempts to point out he is busy as Commanding General of the SLDF it is explained that his attendance is not optional. Or to be delayed. He leaves for Luthien at once.
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===Troubles on Capha===
The shattered remnants of the anti-WOB forces on Caph begin to slowly trickle in to the FWLM's safe zones for transportation off world. Almost all of them request to be transported to Outreach or Northwind. The various ComGuards troops also filter in and are offered transport to Deiron. One small area of concern that is noted by the commanding officers of the 2nd Knights and 5th Free Worlds Guards is the small number of anti-WOB forces being processed at the safe zones managed by the 3rd Guards. In fact almost no ComGuards members seem to be arriving at the 3rd's areas. Or if they are they aren't turning up for transport off world.
Of the units on Caph, roughly 2 battalions of Wolf's Dragoons are assembled from a mix of their shattered regiments. The survivors unfortunately do not include Colonel Jaime Wolf himself. Although they do include his "daughter" Colonel Maeve Wolf. She leads them off world and to Outreach as soon as possible taking with her her fathers corpse. Accompanying them are the few survivors of the Dismal Disinherited who number roughly 2 companies. Lindon's Battalion which are now a scratch company and the combined Kearny Highlanders reinforced battalion head for Northwind to find out what has happened there. Roughly 2 Divisions of ComGuards troops are also processed by the 5th Guards and 2nd Knights. The few remaining FedSuns loyalists are also evacuate at this time, taking their Duke's body with them. The roughly company sized formation of the Grenadiers will be folded into the nearby 5th Davion Guards on Addicks for now with the promise of transfers to serve under the two heirs of the Duke of Caph who are serving in the 1st FedSuns' Dragoons and 4th Davion Guards RCTs as soon as possible.
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===Else where in the Inner Sphere===
The still recovering Precentor Martial Focht arrives within the Federated Suns and begins to move more rapidly towards New Avalon to meet with First Prince Victor. He even picks of an escort of the FSS Robinson for the remainder of his journey. 
Within the Lyran Alliance, the Archon Peter Steiner announces that he intends to triple naval spending in the coming year, including the expansion of Fox production from a single corvette a year to 3 slips building the versatile corvette. The flagship design of the LAN however isn't mentioned. While he would like to increase Mjolnir numbers the huge battlecruiser takes so long to build and he needs warships now, yesterday, not in 5-6 years time. 
The Archon is also considering taking a page from his brother's book and reforming some historical brigades of the old LCAF. Although he is still working on these plans. 
Within the Free Worlds League Parliament some questions are being asked at the Naval Committee on how many Zechetinu II corvettes have been sold to the WOB... And asked to explain reports that the Blakists seem to have deployed more than the official numbers! 
In the Taurian Concordant, the Lord Protector signs a secret trade deal with the WOB. In return for WOB help in building up a new shipyard to construct Pinto corvettes and Concordat class frigates he agrees to massive transfers of military production and raw materials as well as transferring a number of new ships to the WOB for use against the Davion's in the event of war. The Lord Protector see's this as a return to a golden age of Taurian glory. Where their fleet was considered the rivals of the Inner Sphere's Houses's navies! The WOB representative frankly doesn't think there's a chance in hell that the Concordant Navy will enter a new golden age with this deal. Best case the Taurian's will manage to construct a handful of white elephant warships that they will struggle to support. Worse case they'll barely be able to keep the four Pintos functional. But either way they will provide a useful puppet against the Federated Suns.
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