TBntG-3 Chpt 19

=The Bull and the Genie=
==Chapter 19 - Book III - The Clan Invasion==
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==The View From Frederick's Command==
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"What is this?" Frederick said.
 
"We do not know," the intelligence officer told him. The Clan Watch reported on internal affairs, but there were more than enough Inner Sphere agents, whether believers in the Founder's vision or simple greedy traitors, to provide information. 
 
If you could trust it.
 
"They have built several large, modified KF cores with no provision for dropships." The image was grainy—the kind of thing a smuggled camera could get you, but the core, even to Frederick's gaze, looked different. Sensors festooned it, with only a small habitation section.
 
"And the analysts believe?"
 
"A deep space listening station of some kind, or an experiment. There is nothing in the SLDF records about such projects, however, at least not looking like this. The Clan Council feels it is unimportant, being a non-military design."
 
"Yes. So why are the Scavenger Lords spending time and money on it? Curious, quiaff?"
 
"Very curious."
 
"Keep me informed." At least this one didn't ignore it as petty Inner Sphere toys.
 
"They are planning something…" Frederick murmured. Battles were up all across the front, and if the Inner Sphere wasn't going for decisive battles, they were clearly blooding their troops, the few exceptions clearly over eager or stupid officers. 
 
That included warships, which skirmished, then withdrew. 
 
Newly built warships. The Snow Raven Khan had laughed about their "toys" in Council but out of Council… the Ravens were concerned, and the list of SLDF shipyards that were not captured or confirmed destroyed was very large.
 
And worst of all, the Clans were still feeding forces into Tharkad and New Avalon. 
 
The newest Inner Sphere innovation was to steal a page from Frederick's initial operations plan—they were only feeding small forces into the worlds, enough to keep combat going, but not enough to harm their forces, while their pocket warships and jumpships went after every transport ship they could find. Convoys sent to those two worlds were safe—if they had a warship escort.
 
If not, they were attacked, until a warship turned up and then their attackers fled. 
 
The Council felt this was a sign of Inner Sphere desperation. Well, at least the Smoke Jaguars and their allies did. 
 
But in addition to the cost in materials and fighters, the need to defend those worlds had reduced offensive raiding activity on the Clans' part to nearly nil. Oh, there were short raids, often driven by ristars, but the plan to keep the Inner Sphere on the defensive was moribund, with the ilKhan wanting to prepare for the final drive for Terra. 
 
A drive which had been postponed three times, because of the need to add more support to the Tharkad and New Avalon fronts. 
 
Neither one of us have the initiative, not truly, the Inner Sphere has to rebuild their forces, and create an entirely new force. This UMC. 
 
Some of the vids coming out of that were entertaining to some, such as the day the riot police had to be called into a meeting of officers… Former Draconis Combine and Federated Commonwealth officers. Evidently words had been said… and the exercise had been postponed while the police sorted things out.
 
Frederick had laughed, but the next missive had been less amusing— those officers were heading back in disgrace and their replacements were doing better.
 
Mary Cheng. General. Young for her age, what would be considered a Ristar. Little direct combat, but a great deal of skill in working with multiple groups. Known for effective pacification operations, as well as being in the wrong place at the right time. Effectively trained units under her command. 
 
Not a glory hound, as they would say. Not someone concerned with her Codex. Not a brilliant battlefield commander…but someone who can find and command battlefield commanders.
 
What would she do?
 
Frederick did not hesitate in his conclusion She was building a powerful force. She was not experienced in large command, so she would leave it to battlefield commanders, but it was clear to him—she was waiting until she could unleash an unstoppable tide. What matter if a Clan 'mech was equal to three Inner Sphere 'mechs, if there were five enemy 'mechs on the battlefield. 
 
Being smart could compensate, to some degree, for material weakness, but only to some degree. 
 
I have a single division that can operate as an offensive arm. Put together…
 
Frederick frowned at the board and started spinning theories. They all ran up against the same issue. 
 
To work, he had to panic the Inner Sphere and they would not be panicked, not now. They had endured the worst and their leaders and soldiers had survived it. They weren't refusing to drive for their capital worlds because of fear, but because it suited them to let the Clans stay there, feeding in unit after unit. 
 
We need to abandon those worlds, Founder, Abandon at least thirty worlds where we have ground units, tighten our defensive positions, and prepare to meet and defeat their offensive, or better, pre-empt it. 
 
And would you also like the ghost of the Founder to join you, Frederick? The Ilkhan didn't even respond to your last three messages. He let subordinates read them.
 
The main front is fragile—it will be shattered with only a few losses, especially with all the ristars who don't seem to realize the Inner Sphere won't respect Hegira, or who won't even attempt to use it for fear of being seen as cowardly.
 
That was getting worse. Too many sibkos being sent to the front without proper seasoning. Fresh warriors, who had been fed by reading the Rememberance, and who hadn't been part of the first stage planning, which meant that they had been brought up in the old way. A few new commanders who had done very well on their trial of position had been badly handled by Inner Sphere commanders who had done better on learning how to command forces, not just shoot at them. The survivors learned and got better, but it was expensive, and the attrition just made the problem with sibko replacements worse. 
 
Disaster is coming, Frederick. You know that.
 
If they faced the offensive Frederick feared, they likely wouldn't be able to hold on to the Federated Commonwealth front. His "hearts and minds" offensive had been far less successful than he'd hoped. The people might not fight them—indeed, their own government had discouraged direct armed resistance from civilians, something which Frederick was thankful for, but equally, it was plain that nobody was interested in joining the Clan way. The soldiers he'd recruited were mostly from the worlds most victimized by the nobility of the Lyrans, or their more rapacious businesses… but Frederick wouldn't trust them to fight their countrymen, not when such a battle was a full scale offensive, not simply a raid. 
 
That damnable Woman. Melissa Steiner-Davion, in addition to having half the Clans wanting her genes, had not simply humiliated them on a supposedly occupied world, but had announced investigations into several nobles and corporations for "malfeasance in the the face of the enemy and predation on their subjects." 
 
The same damned nobles Frederick had intended to use! It was hard to win over hearts that saw that their own leader, obviously aware of their subjects' suffering, was now going to clean house. 
 
Enough. Stop bemoaning the fact that it isn't easy, quiaff?
 
And you have an answer. The Draconis Combine. More effective warriors at least on an individual basis, but brutal—brutal even compared to the Smoke Jaguars. And their response to those fighting for you…
 
Many of his forces had been raised from captured worlds. Unproductives, those who wished to practice their religion freely, those who simply remembered friends and family members who had offended the wrong person and vanished, if they were lucky. The worst of the Commonwealth nobility would have been considered middle of the road for the Combine. 
 
If we can knock them out of the war, every account agrees, they are hated by the Federated Commonwealth, which might hopefully either take the opportunity to deal with them, or go on the defensive when they collapsed. That would secure Rasalhague's borders, at least on one side, and would shorten our defensive line—and for all that many of them are fanatically dedicated to the "dragon" just as many would eagerly turn on their rulers. 
 
And I wouldn't have to worry about my units. Commonwealth or Combine, I doubt any members would turn on their fellows—especially given the Combine's treatment of POWs.
 
Except Frederick wasn't supposed to have an offensive force, and the lack of communication went both ways. He'd have to be careful, communicate with his Khan and allied Khans to put everything into place, and keep the Grand Council… not ignorant, but not alarmed until he was ready. 
 
Or wait until they were alarmed enough to not care. 
 
"Denise?"
 
"Yes, sir?"
 
"I will be running a theoretical exercise with the planning staff. I wish all information on Combine worlds, focusing on worlds with extensive… resistance to the Combine central government or social policies." 
 
"Aff, Frederick." 
 
I will have to see how many pocket warships the Snow Ravens can provide. He sighed. Sometimes he wondered if the Founder had been wise. Every Clan member had been created, was skilled for their position, but it might have been easier had they had several billion citizens, even if they were made from less tidy methods. 
 
And as that one prisoner told me, 'If wishes were horses, we'd all ride to fair.' With that, Frederick started sketching out the plan to hopefully save the Clans from their own folly.
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Book 3 - 19