AATiPDC Chpt 25

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==Chapter 25 - An American Tanker in Prince Davion's Court==
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===Out and About===
Unity Palace
Luthien, Draconis Combine
May 21st, 3030
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6:00 AM
In keeping with his daily routine, General Hodges rises at 0600 and prepares to go out on a morning run. Mindful of his personal safety, Hodges puts on a shoulder holster with his M1911A1 under the left arm and a pouch with three extra magazines under the right arm; lastly, his scabbarded katana is carried in the left hand. Just as Hodges leaves his room in the palace's guest quarters, he's met by none other than Subhash Indrahar (with the Director's security detail standing down the hall at a discreet distance).
""A fair good morning to you, Hodges-San. I trust that you passed a pleasant-enough night."
"Indeed I did, Indrahar-san. I must say that the, ahh, 'entertainment' you provided me last was mildly-diverting; I certainly hope that you’ll not hold it against your agent for not being able to get me between the sheets..."
"You need have no concern in that regard, General; my sole purpose in effecting the introduction was to test your character. Sakura is one of my best and most-experienced agents; she told me that you quite took her by surprise with how quietly you moved. Anything which impresses her, impresses me."
"High praise indeed, Director."
"Just so, Hodges-san. Might I ask where you're going?"
"Out for a five-mile run; I had to give those up on the trip to Luthien because it's rather hard to do them on a Jumpship's gravity deck."
A look of concern crosses the ISF Director's face as he replies "General, I must insist that an ISF security detail accompany you. There are those here on Luthien who resent that a gaijin has come to have such influence with the Coordinator, and that they aren't so well-disposed towards you as the Coordinator and I are..."
Hodges grins like a great white shark sizing up his next meal and says "Indrahar-san, you must be referring to those ****** in the Black Dragon Society."
"Err, yes I am."
"Let me give you a piece of advice. You and Kurita-sama really should settle their hash, because that bunch is going to cause the Combine no end of trouble..."
"The Coordinator and I will take that under advisement, Hodges-san. Before you go, I wanted to let you know that Agent Sakura told me you mentioned the Sons of The Dragon. No one outside of my closest advisers knows of them; not even Kurita-sama. How is it that you do?"
"Director, you are I are professionals, are we not? As a matter of courtesy from one professional to another, ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. As I previously told the Coordinator (and the Primus of Comstar), I have intelligence sources that are so deep and so black that they make the darkness of space itself seem as bright as the noonday sun; beyond this, I will say nothing more."
"Very well; I'll not press you further. As for your trip to Luthien Armor Works this morning, Kurita-san will be coming by at 0900 to pick you up."
"Thank you, Indrahar-san; I'll be ready."
General Hodges exits the palace's guest quarters and walks out to the garden where he begins a few warm-up exercises. Just then, he notices four very serious and competent-looking individuals approaching him.
"Good morning, gentlemen; you must be that ISF detail that the Director said should accompany me."
The team leader politely bows and replies "We are, Hodges-sama."
"Well, I hope you boys can keep up; I run an 8-minute mile."
One last stretch, and Hodges is off.
"QUICK TIME, MARCH" Then "DOUBLE-TIME...MARCH"
Once Hodges is up to speed, he keeps time by singing a rather off-color cadence modeled on one that was popular among his troops back when he was still at Fort Hood. This version is full of obscene, scurrilous references to the Capellan Confederation, Comstar, Romano Liao and Myndo Waterly, as well as where they can go (along with what they can do with, for and to themselves and each other when they get there).
30 minutes later, the run is complete. Hodges cools off, then heads back to his suite to get ready for the day's activities. A short time later, a pair of palace staffers knock on the door.
"Yes?"
"Indrahar-sama thought you might like to refresh yourself with breakfast."
"My thanks. Put it on the table; I'll be available directly."
"Hai, Hodges-san."
After putting on a fresh uniform, Hodges comes out of his room to see that a traditional Japanese breakfast has been laid out on the table for him. The meal consists of steamed rice, a bowl of steaming-hot Miso soup, grilled fish and various side dishes such as pickled vegetables, dried & seasoned seaweed and a fresh salad; there is also a pot of hot green tea. The breakfast takes the better part of half an hour, after which Hodges steps out on the suite's veranda to admire the formal Japanese garden laid out in the yard below.
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===Tour of a Factory===
Luthien Armor Works, Luthien
Draconis Combine
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9:00 am
There is another knock on the door; Hodges answers and sees Theodore Kurita waiting there. Greetings are exchanged and Kurita says “General, I have a transport standing by, waiting to take us to Luthien Armor Works.”
“At your convenience, Sir.”
As the two walk through the palace complex out to where the transport is waiting, Theodore asks “how are you liking your stay here on Luthien, General?”
“The Coordinator’s hospitality is all that I’ve heard and more, Kurita-san.”
The vehicle in which Theodore Kurita and General Hodges will ride is driven by a member of the Otomo (the Coordinator's bodyguard unit); a second Otomo member is riding shotgun next to the driver; the vehicle is being escorted by lead and chase cars, with six men in each. As the small convoy exits the palace complex, Theodore Kurita turns to General Hodges and asks "What do you know of Luthien Armor Works?"
"Kurita-san, admittedly, my knowledge isn't as complete as I would like it to be. The company now known as Luthien Armor Works (LAW) was founded on New Samarkand by the order of Kozo von Rohrs in 2461. Originally a secret division of New Samarkand Metals (titled New Samarkand Armor Works, or NSAW); the company's first major project was the design and construction of the GLD-1R Gladiator, which entered service in 2468. When the capital of the Draconis Combine was moved to Luthien, the company came along and assumed its present name. LAW is headquartered in an immense industrial complex which sprawls over nearly 28,000,000 square feet on the outskirts of Imperial City; the company also has divisions on Abiy Adi, Hyner, Irece, New Samarkand, Nykvarn, Savinsville and Dieron. The LAW Complex has its own security force; a square battalion consisting of four reinforced companies with four lances each. These lances are composed of one AS7-D Atlas, one BLR-1G Battlemaster and two DRG-1N Dragons; if necessary, LAW can call upon the 1st and 7th Swords of Light for assistance if necessary..."
Hearing the von Rohrs name fills Theodore Kurita's mind with disgust as he says to himself "May the demons of Izanagi forever torment the shades of that accursed family by gnawing their guts in the fires of Yomi..."
"Hodges-san, though you say your knowledge is incomplete, it is remarkable in its depth. However, I will point out a slight inaccuracy; the heavy mechs assigned to each company in LAW's guard force are not the DRG1-N; they are prototypes of the DRG-1G Grand Dragon."
The drive continues and, half an hour later, the convoy passes through the LAW complex' main gate; General Hodges can't help but notice that there is a lance of 'mechs guarding the entrance. He comments "very impressive, Kurita-san; that AS7-D is an old design, but it's still intimidating as hell."
"Indeed it is, Hodges-san. If you will please follow me, Site Manager Richard Sadafuji is waiting for us so the tour can begin."
In passing through the gate, General Hodges takes note of its design and that of the outer walls. By his estimation, the first wall is 7 meters tall, 6 meters thick at the base and tapering towards the top; at regular intervals, there are angled bastions positioned so that there are no dead spaces in their fields of fire. The second wall is taller, at 12 meters in height; on top of the bastions and along the top of the walls, there are various turrets with an assortment of weapons for anti-aircraft and ground defense.
Inside the perimeter, the layout is wide open. There are numbers of very large assembly buildings, with smaller warehouses for the storage of parts, subassemblies and raw materials. The streets between the buildings and warehouses are 20 meters wide, allowing for the passage of a high level of traffic.
"Sadafuji, Richard; eldest son of and heir-apparent to your father Charles Sadafuji. One brother and two sisters. You received the post of Manager of Luthien Armor Works in recognition of your business acumen and your talents as an engineer. Managing LAW is seen as preparation for your assumption of the Marquisate when your father passes away."
Sadafuji replies unflappably "General Hodges, you are very well-informed for an outsider." Seeing the look on the manager's face, Theodore Kurita interjects "Sadafuji-san, our guest has demonstrated his knowledge before the Coordinator and myself; he has Kurita-sama's confidence and my own. Is that understood?"
"Hai, Kurita-san. If you and your guest will please board the transport, we can begin the tour."
As the tour begins, General Hodges comments " Sadafuji-san, I really must compliment your landscape architect; nowhere have I field works more cleverly-disguised as ordinary landscaping. Any vehicle or 'mech which approaches the complex by any route except the main road will find their forward progress quite significantly slowed. As for the road itself, I presume that it's mined at various locations, and that the entire length is dialed in for tube artillery and mortar fire. I wouldn't want to be commanding the force assigned to take this place, because I've got a feeling that it would be very expensive in terms of men and materiel."
"Just so, Hodges-san. In other matters, I and my engineering staff have been reviewing the plans and specifications for your weapon stabilization system, your multi-spectral rangefinder and your electrothermal-caseless gun system; it is our assessment that they are masterpieces of design and simplicity." Hodges grins slightly and replies "of course they are, Sadafuji-san; I invented them, you know."
"So you did; it's hard to believe that First Prince Hanse Davion let you give the Combine the plans and specifications for those systems." Another slight grin, then General Hodges says "it was with his express permission that I did so."
In driving through the outer areas of the LAW complex, Hodges notices a good deal of ground traffic but not much in the way of people on foot (except between buildings which are close to each other).
"Sadafuji-san, I have a number of questions relating to the workforce."
"Ask what you will, General. I have been instructed to keep nothing from you."
"The number of employees here must be very large. How do you maintain the productivity of such a large force?"
"Hodges-san, our staff are well-paid and their families are looked after; there are schools for the children of our employees, plus hospitals and recreation centers. I also have a policy of rewarding innovation among the workers; the crews on the various assembly lines are encouraged to compete among themselves to see who can be the most efficient. You'll understand that in such a vital and dangerous enterprise as this, safety is of paramount concern."
"I understand. Are your assembly lines automated?"
"Only for the smaller components; in the early years, LAW still had Star League-era automated production lines. In the chaos of the Succession wars, these have all broken down due to the loss of technology (to include specialized computer control & monitoring systems) and a lack of spare parts."
"Well, perhaps that situation might be alleviated with all the new equipment that the Combine has recovered (or will recover) from Star League depots that I have told the Coordinator about."
"Hodges-san, if such a thing happens, I'll be very pleased. If those Star League-era automated assembly lines were to be brought back into service, we could double or triple our rate of production."
Theodore Kurita joins the discussion and says "Sadafuji-san, what General Hodges says is the truth. Only recently, he told the Coordinator of a Star League-era depot on Buffalo Meadows that contained a considerable amount of vehicles, battlemechs, spare parts, supplies and equipment. More importantly, the depot contained a high-level data core. Just as important as the supplies and the data core is the presence of intact and operational warships."
"WHAT?? Please forgive my outburst, Kurita-san. May I ask what that depot contained?"
"Six full regiments of Royal-grade battlemechs; 108 units each and six squadrons of Aerospace Fighters; 18 units each. There are also enough spare parts to keep them going for years. Hodges-san tells me that the depot was founded by the SLDF's 295th Division, who had responded to Kerensky's call to leave the Inner Sphere. The 295th didn't make the rendezvous and so, decided to set down on the planet and found a colony of their own; after about 80 years or so, the colony died out from a lack of numbers."
"Kurita-san, what of the Warships?"
'The mechs and fighters were carried aboard 18 Overlord-class dropships carried aboard the SLS Ulithi (a Potemkin-class troop transport) and a pair of destroyers (the SLS Cape Bon and the SLS Protecteur). The SLS Ulithi's drive core suffered a catastrophic failure when the ship materialized at Buffalo Meadows' jump point. She and the two DDs made orbit around the planet by using their fusion drives, then the mechs, vehicles and supplies were landed. Afterwards, the warships were hidden in the system's asteroid belt and hidden with debris."
"Kurita-san, that is the most remarkable tale I have ever heard; having those WarShips will prove to a be a great boon for the Admiralty, not to mention those 'mechs and fighters..."
"Just so, Sadafuji-san; just so.", Theodore Kurita commented
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While this conversation is going on, the transport carrying the group next enters one of the large assembly buildings and Sadafuji begins to explains the manufacturing processes in detail. First, the 'mech's skeleton is assembled and various components such as the cockpit, fusion reactor, gyroscope, heat sinks, torso weapon mounts and ammunition bays are installed. Then, the extremities are wrapped with myomer muscle fibers and any arm-mounted weapons are installed; lastly, the armor plate is installed.
When Sadafuji finishes his description, he asks "Hodges-san, what do you think of our manufacturing processes?"
"Admirable, if somewhat inefficient."
"How so?"
"Well, Luthien Armor Works and other manufacturing concerns throughout the Inner Sphere build 'mechs like they were ships on Ancient Terra, in that the keel is laid down first, then the frame is installed followed by the hull plating and other internal components. Why not use modular construction? It's an old process, pioneered by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Corporation on Old Terra during the Second World War."
"Please tell me more, Hodges-san"
"Instead of building ships from the keel on up (as LAW and others do with battlemechs), what Kaiser did was to divide a ship up into a series of modules; these modules would be completely finished and then assembled. As an illustration of what I mean, let's say that there is a production order for a run of 70-ton Warhammers. Applying the principles of modular construction means that the sub-assemblies are fully completed with all internal systems and then put together to make a complete machine; cockpits, arms legs, etc. Part and parcel of this would be to use common components to speed up the pace of construction; one model of particle-projection cannon, one model of medium laser, one model of autocannon, one model of machine gun, etc. I estimate that a manufacturer such as LAW could double their rate of construction, even without the use of automated assembly lines. It follows that using this system would speed up unit maintenance and simplify logistical requirements."
"Hodges-san, that's a fascinating concept. With Kurita-san's permission, I'll bring it up to LAW's Board of Directors." Theodore Kurita nods his head by way of giving permission the comments "Hodges-san, you are a man of many talents; there's more to you than meets the eye."
"Thank you, sir. Your comments are gratefully accepted."
As General Hodges finishes speaking, Theodore Kurita says "Sadafuji-san, we've taken up far too much of your valuable time; my honored guest and I must return to Imperial Palace as the Coordinator is expecting us."
"Domo arigato, Kurita-san; the honor was mine."
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=== Tour Gone Awry ===
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Kurita and Hodges are driven back to the parking area, where they board the ground car for the trip back to the Imperial Palace. It is an old principle that, when things are going right, they quite often go wrong very soon thereafter. So it is with Theodore Kurita and his guest. While driving through the outskirts of Imperial City towards the Palace, Theodore Kurita and General Hodges are discussing of interest; suddenly, they are surprised when the lead vehicle goes up in a huge explosion; Kurita and Hodges barely have time to react when their vehicle is struck in the engine compartment by a roadside IED. The vehicle slews sideways and Kurita is thrown against the interior of the vehicle, lacerating his scalp and knocking him out; at this same time, the chase vehicle is taken out with an anti-tank rocket.
General Hodges has his .45 in hand as the door on his side of the car springs open from the force of the impact. He spills out on the ground, apparently unconscious. To the front of the vehicle, the driver and the agent in the front seat are preparing to engage the assailants when they are machinegunned through the windshield and killed.
Coming around the wrecked car to finish off their target, one of the assassins pauses to take a photograph out of his pocket, while the other approaches with a weapon in hand. This delay is all that General Hodges needs; he curses "SURPRISE, MOTHERF**KER!!" and double-taps the first assassin in the chest; this is followed up with a further aimed shot to the head. Not having his weapon in hand, the second assassin is delayed slightly as he reaches for his sidearm.
As with the first man, the second is drilled twice in the chest and once in the head. General Hodges locks and clears his weapon, sets it on the ground beside him and mockingly says to the corpses of the two men he just killed "When you shoot someone, don't go near them until you're sure they're dead."
Then, the shakes begin...
By an act of will, General Hodges collects himself. and now that all the hostiles have been neutralized, he turns his attention to Theodore Kurita. A quick check shows that Kurita is still lying unconscious inside the ground car, so Hodges elects to remove him from the car to emergency first aid can be administered.
Once Kurita is lying on the ground, General Hodges makes him more comfortable by removing his own uniform top and rolling it up to use as a pillow. Next, Kurita's clothing is loosened and his feet are raised using seat cushion from the car. There are the sounds of sirens approaching and, when the first responders are close by, Hodges waves his arms and shouts "MEDIC!! I'VE GOT A MAN DOWN HERE!!"
In what seems like mere moments, an entire company of troops from the Otomo surrounds the site and sets up a security perimeter. As a team of paramedics comes up to the wrecked ground car, the OIC of the Otomo detail makes a short bow to General Hodges and says "Hodges-san, I am Chu-Sa Date Hayamoto. Please tell me what happened."
"Chu-Sa, Kurita-san and I were on our way back to Unity Palace after a tour of Luthien Armor Works. The Gunji no-Kanrei and I were discussing various matters when the convoy was suddenly ambushed. Simultaneously, the lead vehicle was destroyed by a large bomb, the rear vehicle by an anti-tank rocket; the vehicle in which we were travelling was taken out by a remotely triggered IED emplaced at the side of the road. Kurita-san was thrown against the interior of the vehicle and knocked unconscious; while the ground car was slewing sideways because of the impact, the door on my side was thrown open and I found myself on the ground just as I had just begun the reach for my sidearm. The two assailants approached and machinegunned the driver and bodyguard in the front seat of the car, then came around to do for Kurita-san and myself; to make a long story short, I got the drop on them and dropped both with pistol fire."
"Ahh, so. Hodges-san, you have done the Combine a service of inestimable value. If you will please come with me, Kurita-sama wants to hear what happened." General Hodges pauses to retrieve his sidearm, then he and Chu-Sa Hayamoto drive off under very heavy escort; just 15 minutes later, he arrives back at Unity Palace.
Chu-Sa Hayamoto escorts Hodges to the Throne Room of Unity Palace, there to find the Coordinator seated on the throne; also present are Subhash Indrahar, Tai-Sa Marcus Kurita (commanding officer of the Otomo and Takashi Kurita's cousin), Constance Kurita (keeper of the House Honor) and the Abbess of the Order of the Five Pillars. Outwardly, the Coordinator presents a picture of serenity; inwardly however, he's seething with rage. The only indication of this is the Coordinator drumming his fingers on the arms of the throne.
"Hodges-san, you must forgive the unseemly haste with which you were brought here..."
"Kurita-sama, there's nothing to forgive; the circumstances dictated that I come here as soon as possible to tell you what happened.""Speak. then"
"Hai. Kurita-san and I were on the way back to the palace after touring the Luthien Armor Works complex. He and I were discussing various topics of interest when the convoy was suddenly ambushed. Almost simultaneously, the lead vehicle was destroyed by a large bomb buried under the road and the trail vehicle was taken out by an anti-tank rocket. at the same time, the vehicle in which we were riding was disabled by a IED strike to the passenger side of the engine compartment (most likely a platter charge).The impact slewed the car around and caused Kurita-san to be thrown against the side of the passenger compartment, where he was knocked unconscious. For my part, the door on my side of the car was sprung open as I reached for my sidearm; thereafter, I found myself on the ground next to the car."
"What happened next?"
"Kurita-sama, the two assailants approached the car and machinegunned the driver and bodyguard through the front windshield; then, they came around the side to finish us off. I managed to get the drop on them and finished both of them off with pistol fire to the chest and head. Afterwards, I got the Kanrei out of the car, assessed his injuries and provided emergency first aid."
The Coordinator asks "Minister Indrahar; my son's injuries. Are they slight or heavy?"
"My lord, thanks to Hodges-san's quick thinking, they are less severe than they otherwise might have been. Kurita-san has a lacerated scalp and a concussion. Thankfully, he didn't suffer a skull fracture or a epidural hematoma."
"This is good. Hodges-san, you are un-injured"
"I am unhurt; wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to kill me. I must regret to inform you that the sword which you gifted me at my wedding was broken in the attack."
"We will address that later. For now, can you venture an opinion as to who's responsible for this outrage?"
"Yes, sir. I will preface my remarks by asking 'Cui Bonuo' (to whom the good)? Who stands to gain the most if this attack had been successful? One obvious suspect is Comstar; you'll recall that they've tried to kill me once before. However, as much as I would like to hang this albatross around the necks of that bunch of toga-wearing toaster-worshipping idiots, I don't think that Myndo Waterly wants to provoke a blood feud with the Combine at this time."
"Who, then? Tell me, I say..."
"Kurita-sama, if I were you, I'd take a long hard look at the Black Dragon Society. To use an old Terran expression, that bunch is 'More Catholic than the Pope'; their vision of the Combine's purity doesn't allow for an outsider like me to rise in your confidence as I have done."
"Indeed. Minister Indrahar, begin your investigation immediately. I want the guilty parties brought before me alive so they can face the Justice of the Dragon."
"Hai, Tono; it will be as you say."
A few moments pass, then the Coordinator surprises everyone in the room by rising from the throne, standing in front of General Hodges and carrying out a Saikerei (the most formal type of Ojigi or bow).
"Hodges-san, by acting as you did, you saved my son's life. The Combine owes you a debt of honor that makes all that has passed before pale into insiginificance. Takashi repeats the Saikerei, and is joined in the gesture by everyone else in the room. He resumes his seat on the throne, withdraws his katana & scabbard from his sash and presents it to General Hodges.
"Please accept this katana as a replacement for the one which was broken in the attack. It is called 'Breeze of Evening' and has been the Sword of the Coordinator for the past 300 years." General Hodges accepts the weapon with both hands, raises it to his forehead as a sign of respect then makes his own Saikerei to the Coordinator.
"Kurita-sama, this weapon will be an heirloom of my house and all that will hereafter follow in my line will inherit it."
"Very well. As a further mark of recognition for saving the life of my son, I hereby grant you an honorary commission in the Otomo; Tai-Sa Marcus, see to this immediately."
"Hai, Tono."
"Hodges-san, is there anything else you would have of the Coordinator while you are still here on Luthien?"
"Only this. I ask that messages of the highest priority be sent to the First Prince on New Avalon, the Archon on Tharkad and my good lady wife on Bristol. I want those messages to be received six hours from now; I don't care who gets bumped in the message que, and cost is no object. You see, the assassination attempt will be on the front page of every newspaper and lead the news broadcasts on every planet in the Inner Sphere inside of two weeks; I'd rather they hear about it from me and not get the news second-hand."
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New Avalon, Federated Suns
Eight hours later, First Prince Hanse Davion, Melissa Steiner-Davion, Field Marshal Yvonne Davion and Quintus Allard are in the Fox’ Den reviewing the progress that has been made thus far in recovering the material from Antares Base.
“Field Marshal, your report if you please.”
“Yes, your highness. One week ago, elements of the Davion Brigade of Guards and the 10th Lyran Guards made planetfall on Antares. Per the information given to us by General Hodges, advance units of the Brigade and the 10th were able to quickly locate the base and gain entry. Additionally, a dropship was dispatched to the system’s asteroid belt in order to locate the warships hidden there.”
“What did they find?”
“Sir, the first words of the people on the ground and aboard that dropship were ‘Oh God, the shinies!!’ The scale of Antares base is simply unbelievable, with multiple underground levels going down 700’ below the surface; each of the levels is many hectares in size. The tech staff was able to access the base’s computer system and see just what it had in storage. Just as General Hodges said, there is an entire gear set for the SLDF’s II Corps; multiple regiments of mechs and tanks, brigades of armor, squadrons of aerospace fighters and enough supplies, spare parts and equipment to keep the whole bunch going for at least a year of heavy, sustained combat, a room with enough spare artillery tubes to form the pipe network for a small city plus a regiment of mechs and two battalions of tanks from the Black Watch.”
“Unbelievable. What of the ships in the system’s asteroid belt?”
“They were there, hidden with debris to make them seem as if there were more asteroids drifting in the belt. The ships are a Texas-class battleship, the SLS William Halsey, a Newgrange-class yardship, a Mercy-class hospital ship and two Bugeye-class surveillance ships (SLS Donovan and SLS Casey). The thing is, when the away team put boots on deck aboard the SLS Halsey and made their way inside, the ship’s computer came to life and welcomed our guys aboard…”
“What??”
“Your highness, SLS William Halsey has a fully-aware AI computer system; it is of a unique type, referred to as a combat intelligence. The ship’s holographic avatar told the away team that she had been monitoring the state of affairs in the Inner Sphere ever since she and her sister ships had been cached in the Antares system’s asteroid belt. You’ll be interested to know that the Halsey and the yardship are fully-stocked with small craft, dropships, battlemechs and vehicles…”
Just then, a communications tech bursts into the room and says “Your highness, please excuse this interruption, but we just received a Sword One priority message from General Hodges on Luthien; I’ve never seen a message transmitted with such speed before.”
“What do you mean, lieutenant?”
“Sir, the message was transmitted from the HPG station on Luthien only eight hours ago..”
The message is handed over and Hanse Davion begins to read:
=========================================================================================
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‘To: Sword One
From: Lancer Six
Assassination attempt made against me and Theodore Kurita
Kurita injured, assassins dead at my hands
I am unhurt
Further details to follow.
Hodges sends’
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=========================================================================================
Hanse Davion looks to Field Marshal Davion and orders “Recall General Hodges immediately and get him here as soon as humanly possible.”
“Yes, your highness.”
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