FSRB Chpt 40

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 40==
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December 3064Blockades and Bombardments
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===Call to Action to Northwind===
Having left St. Ives, the First Prince doesn't return to New Avalon immedietly. Having heard of the death of Colonel MacLeod and his attempted landing on Northwind along with growing reports of urban warfare within the historical city of Tara, instead he heads initially for the world of Tikonov escorted by the FSS Melissa Davion and picking up the FSS Antrim along the way. Accompanying him are elements of the 1st Davion Guards although when he arrives on Tikonov the remainder of the unit has rushed from New Avalon to join him. Also assembled there is a large force of warships and regiments. The FSS Simon Davion, FSS Murmansk, FSS Brest, and FSS Kathil are all assembled along with the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers RCT, 1st Revenant Guards RCT, 7th Crucis Lancers RCT, 8th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT and all 3 regiments of the Vegan Rangers mercenary brigade alongside the regular garrison of the world the Davion Assault Guards RCT and the 1st Tikonov Cossacks. To back up this huge concentration of military might no fewer than 4 full independent aerospace regiments have also been assembled adding 240 fighters to the already large number of attached aerospace wings. 
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From Tikonov what is now being referred to as Task Force Victor heads for Small World where it is met by the 1st FedSuns Dragoons RCT, the 4th and 5th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT and the 2nd Crucis Lancers RCT. They leave behind the 1st Tikonov Cossacks on Tikonov to continue garrisoning that vital world, this will be the first time the defence of the world is entrusted to the Cossacks on their own. 
With 2 Avalon cruisers, 4 Fox corvettes, 9 RCTs and 3 mercenary regiments the First Prince jumps to Northwind in 2 waves. The first wave consisting of both Avalon cruisers and 3 Fox corvettes is also escorted by 3 of the independent aerospace regiments and jumps to Northwind's Zenith jump point. There they order the Zechetinu II corvette on patrol to stand down or be destroyed. Instead of standing down the WoBS League's Alliance makes a micro-jump to a pirate point near Northwind and rendezvous with the still crippled WoBS Guarded Knowledge. The other corvette at the Nadir jump point also micro-jumps to Northwind's orbit. 
Once the jump point is secured the second wave jumps in consisting of the large formation of RCTs and mercenaries. The Task Force then begins a slow and steady burn into the system, giving the WOB plenty of time to see what has been gathered and not committing themselves in case further WOB ships or troops arrive in system. Unknown to the First Prince and his officers is that many of the WOB's ships at nearby Caph have already been committed to another theatre. 
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The First Princes' forces are unexpectedly reinforced when the Northwind Hussars arrive in system and make a quick burn to join up with the Davion forces. Colonel Loren Jaffray dispelling any doubts about his commitment to the Highlanders in that he is even prepared to join forces with the Davion's to help relieve his comrades on Northwind despite his Death Commandos heritage. 
As the now expanded Task Force Victor approaches Northwind the First Prince sends a message to the WOB troops and ships. In a deliberately vague reference to Northwind being under his personal protection (avoiding any declaration of ownership that might cause the Highlanders to break with him given the history there) he informs them that their presence is not welcome and they should withdraw or he would be forced to consider them a hostile force to not only him but his realm. 
Faced with the unappealing prospect of personally dragging the resurgent Federated Suns into their now hot war with the Wolf's Dragoons and Comstar the WOB Precentor in charge blinks. He immediately begins pulling back his ground forces to their dropships and sends a hurried message to the incoming formation that he is withdrawing his troops as quickly as he can and as soon as they are loaded he will withdraw. 
Given the reports arriving from the ravaged state of the city of Tara and it's surroundings the First Prince is disinclined to give the WOB more time to commit further acts of destruction. He informs the WOB that any ground troops on planet when he arrives will be seized as pirates and treated accordingly. Given the slow and cautious pace of the formation this gives the WOB just enough time to get their troops of planet, although they have to leave a huge amount of ammunition, spare parts and stockpiled equipment behind. However in a fit of spite at their forced withdrawal the ground commander orders that the stockpiles which can't be loaded onto their dropships be blown up in place, causing heavy damage to Tara's primary spaceport and it's surrounding warehouse districts. 
With only 30 minutes to spare the WoBS Guarded Knowledge and it's two escorting corvettes break orbit and begin shepherding the various troop dropships towards the Nadir jump point. The FSS Simon Davion and 2 Fox corvettes continue to shadow them at a safe distance with a heavy aerospace force. 
When Task Force Victor arrives in orbit, the Northwind Hussars immedietly detach and head for the devastated space port at Tara. Along with them comes a large force of infantry formations from the various Davion RCTs to help fight the out of control fires around the spaceport. Victor Davion awaits in orbit, not wishing to set foot on planet until he is invited to do so, although the bulk of his force does land at the destroyed Camp Jaffray. It's felt that the remote base is the best option to land the troops who cannot remain in orbit long term. As an additional sign of good will the various RCTs begin work on rebuilding the shattered base. 
With the siege lifted, Colonels Andrea Stirling, Loren Joffrey, and Lt Colonel Aria Jacobs gather in The Fort which despite it's now heavy damage is still standing. Given the unknown status of Colonels Edward Senn and James D. Cochrane these 3 officers are the known leaders of the Northwind Highlanders. Along with them the surviving Clan Elders of Northwind are also assembled. After some heated debate and pointed accusations from both the military and civilian leadership an invitation for First Prince Victor Davion to descend to the planet and address them is made. 
The First Prince descends from obit and lands outside the city in an abandoned car park with a small escort made up of the 1st Davion Guards heads for The Fort. Even as he walks his now famous Dire Wolf Prometheus along the streets of Tara a firestorm is still being battled at the spaceport. Elements of all three Northwind Highlander regiments on Northwind greet him at the gates and he is soon descending from his mech and he is led into the main hall of the battered fortress to address the assembled leaders.
The first thing that Victor promises the people of Northwind is that he is not here with his forces as an army of occupation. He and his troops will leave as soon as is practical and are here merely to help the people of Northwind and not conquer them. They are here to help. He also promises massive economic aid to help rebuild Tara and it's shattered infrastructure. These are all without strings or conditions. If Northwind requests that he remove his troops from the planet and his ships from orbit immedietly he will do so. He isn't so crass as to point out that this would include the infantry formations battling the fires only a few miles away from the very room that he is in, although only a fool wouldn't be aware of this. 
He does make an open offer to the Clan Elders and Highlanders and invites Northwind to return to the Federated Suns. He is open in the fact that mistakes have been made, he even acknowledges that most of these have been on the side of the former Federated Commonwealth. However, he had never forgotten those mistakes and has learned from them. He points out the vulnerability of an independent world in such a precarious position within the Sphere and points to the recent events as evidence of this. Returned to the Federated Suns the planet would be under the protection of the AFFS as well as the Northwind Highlanders. He would offer a large number of cast iron guarantees to not only the world but to the Highlanders themselves to avoid any further repeats. He gives a number of these to the assembled leaders although assures them that further guarantees are on the table. He promises there will be no regular or even adhoc garrison of AFFS troops unless said force is invited to join in the defense of the world by the Highlanders. The worlds traditions and heritage would be respected. For the Highlanders themselves they would be offered the most favourable contract terms that the AFFS offered to mercenary commands and would be given securities to avoid any possible "company store" approach while also only being deployed off world from Northwind in the event they agreed to be. A final promise that the Highlanders would be permitted to take other contracts from other realms so long as they did not fight against the Federated Suns was made. 
As a final point he insists that the acceptance of this offer is in no way going to impact on the help in rebuilding Tara that he is offering or for his troops support in the current crisis. These offers are separate and merely a sign of his genuine good will towards Northwind. He even promises to do everything he can to extract any survivors of the 1st and 2nd Kearny Highlanders on Caph. He proposes however that any acceptance of his offer to join the Federated Suns be put to the people of Northwind rather than to any small group of individuals, although this will be for the government of Northwind and the Highlanders to decide. 
The First Prince then leaves the assembled leaders to discuss the matter and with his guard heads towards the burning spaceport to help with the efforts of his troops there. In his wake he leaves absolute chaos as the assembled Clan Elders and Highlander Colonels break into furious arguments. He will remain on Northwind for the rest of December, even celebrating Christmas with dinner as a guest of the Highlanders at The Fort. Of huge interest to the gossip holo-news stations is that he is joined on Northwind by Isis Marik who arrives from New Avalon on the 22nd of December. By now their growing romantic involvement is common knowledge. 
The bulk of the regiments assembled will leave the planet by the time Isis Marik arrives, although the 1st Davion Guards, 1st Revenants, and 1st Kestrel Grenadiers. The other units head back to their various garrison postings. The Davion Assault Guards in particular return to Tikonov and make a point of thanking the 1st Tikonov Cossacks for covering for them, further strengthening ties between the two units. The full number of warships however remain in orbit to protect their First Prince from any headhunter strike by the WOB Navy. 
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===Troop and Industrial Actions===
Even as the First Prince is liberating Northwind from the WOB blockade, the task of governing the realm goes on. This is made slightly more difficult by the fact that Northwind's Comstar HPG compound is a smoking ruin. Still the First Prince has appointed competent subordinates and they managably. 
During December the various graduating cadets from the training units are dispatched to their new formations, while their place is taken by cadets fresh from the academies. Using the new graduates and breaking off battalions from the existing formations the 4th, 14th, 23rd, 26th, and 28th Avalon Hussars are reactivated while the 3rd Dragonlords RCT and 6th Robinson Rangers are also formed. The new Avalon Hussars formations are all (with the exception of the 4th) massively under strength, most at merely cadre strength. The 4th Davion Guards and the 1st Crucis Lancers are both officially upgraded to reinforced regiment status, with each receiving a company of new soldiers to begin their 4th battalions. This staged expansion allows them to retain their experience level. 
Princess Yvonne and Baron Tancred arrive at the Tortuga worlds and begin touring each of the new worlds in turn. At the current time almost everyone has accepted that these worlds will be annexed to the Federated Suns but no formal deceleration has been made. Investments continue to pour in to these worlds. 
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On the 31st December, Duke Roger Sanromea-Davion signs a deal to build a new battlemech factory on his world of El Dorado with GM as the primary partner with Kallon also involved in providing the designs for their Templar-O on license. The new complex will be a three way partnership with the Duke putting up the funds and the Battlemaster design provided by his cousin the Prince, GM putting up the industrial backing and their brand new omni-tank the Ajax while Kallon providing the Templar OmniMech design and some specialist technological help. The three lines will go online in mid-late 3065. 
New Independence Weaponry had been considered for taking part in the new plant on El Dorado but had in the end decided to concentrate on a new factory within the Draconis March in conjunction with Duke James Sandoval. Provisionally they are planning to build a small complex on Alta Vista to build to begin with Atlas battlemechs with a further line to produce Victors also planned. At New Independence's Kestrel based plant the Jagermech III line enters production. Further plans to add a Marauder line are began in earnest. 
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On New Syrtis, New Avalon, and Kathil's orbiting shipyards, a number of slips are finishing construction. Each shipyard has a new slip that is somewhere between the size of the slips constructing Fox corvettes and those building Avalon cruisers. Stocks are being built up and work will begin on an updated Davion III destroyer at each yard in January 3065.
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On Tikonov the Earthwerk's plant's new Thug line goes into production and immedietly causes a legal case between Earthwerks, Comstar, the FedSuns and Maltex Corporation. Maltex raises a legal action within the Federated Sun's court system against both Earthwerks and Comstar for usurping their designs license. Given the horrendous losses facing the ComGuards at Caph the production of the mech does continue even as the legal case goes to court in early 3065. 
The expansion of the Dagger OmniFighter facility on New Syrtis finally finishes and all 4 lines are now operational in December, although given the demand for the versatile fighter this is barely sufficient to keep up. With the new facility on Torrence having entered production in November this now brings the Dagger-O's production to 11 lines scattered across 4 planets. Not withstanding this further expansions are being considered. Duke Hasek is pushing for further expansions on New Syrtis but New Avalon is insisting that at least some of the expansions be built on Torrence. This dispute is deadlocking further progress currently. 
Another expansion of aerospace production is reached when the Filtvelt based Wangker Aerospace plant finally hits full production. This brings the total Corsair lines in full production to 8 with another 6 building and due to enter production in 3065, although the 4 lines on Sun Prairie will begin limited production this month. Given the expansion of the Navy, attached fighter wings and independent fighter wings this is considered barely sufficient. 
In line with this attempts to increase aerospace production Jalastar Aerospace is contacted and invited to send a high end corporate delegation to New Avalon in the near year to meet with the First Prince to discuss increasing Sabre and Sparrowhawk production. Although this invite is entirely genuine it is also a cover for a more private meeting that the High Command wish to have with Jalastar Aerospace. 
On New Avalon itself the Corean Enterprises semi-automated plant for Musketeer hover tanks is now fully upgraded into a state of the art automated plant. The construction and upgrade of this plant (aided by NAIS) has given the company a number of insights into their automated Valkyrie plant which has allowed them to begin fixing the faults which have been developing. 
The GM plant on Point Barrow enters production exactly on schedule and just in time to begin supplying the newly formed 28th Avalon Hussars and rebuilding 42nd Avalon Hussars heavy and assault battalions with Victor and Marauder battlemechs. The first production runs are dispatched so soon that they are only in primer paint without any additional insignia.
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===Jaguars gather on Defiance===
Over Defiance Khan Showers arrives with his convoy of liberated Draconis Combine prisoners. Numbering nearly 10,000 prisoners most of them are political dissidents, with around 3,000 of them being Smoke Jaguars of some kind or other with the vast majority of them being former Laborer and Technician castes. He has been able to identify roughly 2 trinaries worth of warriors who have been allocated to the 2nd Jaguar Guards - or will be as soon as equipment for them is sourced. The political prisoners would be interviewed by MIIO and DMI operatives before being given the choice of either joining the Jaguars or a placement within the Federated Suns. A surprising number would choose to to join the civilians of the Sun Jaguars. The Draconis Combine formally protested the raid and demanded the return of the prisoners, the dropships and the ore. After checking with the First Prince the dropships were returned. Unwashed and unloaded. 
Khan Showers and saKhan Nevversan even as the interviews were commencing met to discuss their respective progress in setting up the Sun Jaguars. However before they could get into any real details an unexpected arrival at a pirate jump point interrupted them. A Clan Nova Cat Merchant class jumpship with a single Broadsword class dropship arrived on the 27th December and detached the dropship which broadcast calls that it came in friendship as it headed for the planet. Both Khans of the Sun Jaguars will meet with the Nova Cat delegation in early January.
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===Task Force Victor arrives at Caph===
Even as the First Prince is gathering his forces and heading for Northwind the WOB naval forces at Caph split in three. The damaged and captured ships head back to Terra to receive repairs and begin refitting for future use. A strong force built around the Aegis class WoBS Herald of Retribuition remains in orbit over the planet and aids in hunting down the combined mercenary and ComGuards troops scattered into the wastes. Meanwhile, the McKenna class WoBS Blake's Sword leads the 2 Black Lion battlecruisers the WoBS Blake's Ascendant and WoBS Ray of Enlightenment along with 2 escorting destroyers and 4 Zechetinu II corvettes to the Nadir jump point and jumps out system as soon as their ammunition lockers have been replenished. 
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===Naval Battle of Outreach===
On Christmas day, their destination is revealed when they jump into the Outreach system at a pirate point. The 9 WOB warships immedietly head straight for Outreach while launching assault dropships and fighers. In orbit over the world the damaged WDWS Nelson and WDWS Beowulf are undergoing emergency repairs while the other Wolf's Dragoon's warships, the WDWS Alexander and WDWS Mars stand guard. On planet the Dragoon's Gamma Regiment and the 3rd Dismal Disinherited rush to their posts ready for any follow on invasion while calling out the Home Guard and any allied mercenary forces on planet.
Even the two damaged Dragoon warships immedietly fell in with the WDWS Alexander as it and the WDWS Mars rushed to meet the incoming WOB warships. In what was obviously a suicide run the 4 mercenary warships charged the larger force in what appeared to the WOB Admiral on the WoBS Blake's Sword a futile gesture. The two forces would pass by each other at knife fighting range and while he didn't doubt that his ships would take damage and might even suffer some losses it was unlikely that any of the mercenary warships would survive even that single pass. 
This fact hadn't escaped the captains of the Wolf's Dragoons warship fleet and yet all 4 went to maximum power on their engines as they closed the distance. At the last possible second they swerved and instead of a fly through their attack turned into a ramming attempt. Frantic fire from the panicking WOB warships tore the damaged WDWS Nelson and WDWS Beowulf apart before they could reach their target, and the WDWS Mars was too lightly built to survive the broadside of it's target the WoBS Blake's Ascendant. However, the heavy cruiser WDWS Alexander with it's guns blazing managed to impact a glancing hit on the fore-starboard quarter of the WoBS Blake's Sword and tear a huge gouge almost the length of the ship before exploding alongside the gutted McKenna class battleship. If the huge tear along 2/3rds of it's length hadn't destroyed the vessel the explosion of the WDWS Alexander at such close proximity removed any doubt as the battleship itself blew up. 
The WOB fleet that had only a few minutes before numbered 9 ships came through the debris of the destroyed Dragoon warships without their flagship and missing one of their destroyer escorts which had been savaged by the guns of the WDWS Alexander and WDWS Beowulf as they closed to ram. Both Black Lion battlecruisers were also damaged from debris and 2 of the Zechetinu II corvettes were clearly crippled. 
Taking command of the shattered formation the captain of the WoBS Blake's Ascendant was instantly beset by a heavy fighter attack from the planet which had followed the warships in. Concentrating on the 2 damaged corvettes the fighters closed to point blank range before releasing their ordinance and straffing along the ships damaged sides. By the time his own fighters and anti-fighter defences had driven off the attack his fleet had shrank by 2 corvettes as the already crippled vessels were effectively destroyed. 
Leading his shattered command into orbit the enraged captain gave the orders for a general bombardment of the planet, concentrating on Harlech. Although he didn't release nuclear missiles to be launched the heavy guns of 2 Black Lion cruisers along with a destroyer and 2 corvettes were unleashed in the type of barrage that had rarely been seen since the early days of the 2nd Succession War. Not bothering with pinpoint accuracy the WOB ships fire full broadsides into the capital of the Wolf's Dragoons homeworld. 
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===A General Scorned===
Even as all of this was ongoing the new Commanding General of the SLDF, Hohiro Kurita was attempting to gather together a force to move on Caph and attempt to bring peace to the region. However with even his own father unwilling to commit a large scale force of warships and regiments his efforts were thwarted at almost every turn. The ComGuards promised to commit troops and warships, at least as soon as they could figure out if they were reliable or not, while the Nova Cats seemed to hesitate. After their recent mauling in the Ghost Bear-Combine war they were less than keen to divert large scale troop or warship formations away from their own worlds of the Irece Prefecture. The Lyran Alliance was prepared to send 2 regiments of battlemechs but with few warships and Clan Jade Falcon on their flank still belligerent they were unwilling to commit more. The FWL's Captain-General was making vague promises, but couldn't be trusted with his links to the WOB and the fact he was saying he would need to obtain parliamentary approval. While the FRR had few troops and no warships to send. The FedSuns when asked however pointed out that they had already committed 6 warships and 12 battlemech regiments along with their own First Prince to liberate Northwind... What more exactly did the Commanding General want from them? Worse when he demanded to speak with Victor he was told that the First Prince was on Northwind and out of communciation... 
Humiliated, Hohiro came to the conclusion that this was Victor's doing. That he had deliberately suggested his nomination and then upstaged him by leading a purely AFFS force to Northwind in order to humiliate him! It wasn't enough that the man had killed his sister but now he was seeking to undermine Hohiro's well earned reputation for martial competence! Victor had always planned to go to Northwind to play the hero and make Hohiro look like a fool standing on the sidelines! With this logic in mind he went to began organising a purely DCMS Task Force at Deiron even without his fathers permission.
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