FSRB Chpt 70

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 70==
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February 3067War!
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===Taurian invasion Federated Suns!===
February started with the news that so many had dreaded. The Taurian Concordat had launched an attack upon the Federated Suns. From Midale to Hyalite the Bull's had hit pushed forward and launched full scale attacks. These weren't spoiling raids or light attacks, but full scale invasions by full battlemech regiments or indeed 2 in many cases. 
====Taurian invasion of Midale====
On Midale the 4th Crucis Lancers RCT found itself under attack from the Pleiades Hussars supported by the Bannockburn Bandit's mercenary force who had arrived via a close in pirate point. The veteran Crucis Lancers unit was dug in and ready for the attack but found itself outnumbered in battlemech forces even with it's reinforced nature. Given the Taurians different table of organization the Pleiades Hussars was equal in size to the 4th Crucis Lancers in Battlemechs despite the Lancers being a reinforced regiment and the addition of 2 battalions of mercenaries gave the Taurian's the edge. At least in battlemech numbers, although the Lancers had a full armored brigade and infantry brigade of their own along with an aerospace fighter regiment of 3 wings which gave them air superiority. With the huge advantage of the conventional forces the Hussars and their mercenary allies began a mobile campaign of hitting and moving from target to target, causing initial huge damage across the infrastructure of the world. They did however suffer a constant stream of air attacks and the Crucis Lancers began using their air cover to allow them to use their dropships to hop from target to target, never giving the Hussars time to do more than light damage. After 3 weeks the Pleiades Hussars broke of from this fruitless series of attacks and broke for their dropships alongside the Bandits. However an all out aerospace fighter attack on their dropships as they were loading and with the 4th Crucis Lancers in hot pursuit allowing no time to make anything more than the most basic repairs. This left the attacking force without enough transport assets to lift the whole force from the planet even with losses. Swiftly seizing the remaining mercenary dropships the Pleiades Hussars abandoned the Bandit's with orders that they take to the wilderness and fight a guerrilla campaign until they could be extracted. 
Even as the Pleiades Hussars were fleeing for orbit, it left Marshal Andrew Giggin's with a difficult choice. He could divert his aerospace assets to attack the fleeing Hussars but this would give the Bannockburn Bandit's time to head into the wilderness, or he could allow the Hussars to flee and use his assets to keep the Bandits under constant air attacks and use these attacks to vector his ground forces into the fleeing Bandits. He swiftly decided to make sure that his garrison post wasn't subjected to a constant threat of attacks from the wilderness and ordered "Wild" Willie Brueckner to attack the Bandits. The 5th Baxley Aerial Recon would maintain oversight of the fleeing mercenaries while the 120th Minette Light Wing and the newly raised 33rd Filtvelt Attack Wing hammered the mercenaries with constant air attacks. The already hammered Bandits found themselves hounded and pursued on the ground and in the air. Barely 2 companies managed to get away and make their way into the wilderness, and most of those were damaged, by the end of February. The remaining mercenaries were either destroyed or were forced to surrender when they were surrounded by overwhelming force.
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====Taurian Invasion of Lindsay====
On Lindsay, the 2nd Dragonlords RCT found itself facing combat for the first time. The attacking force, as at Midale arrived via dangerous pirate points that showed that the Taurian Defence Force had kept a close eye upon the border systems to be able to so accurately use pinpoint pirate jump points. Like the 4th Crucis Lancers, the 2nd Dragonlords were prepared for the attack but soon found themselves under constant attack as the 1st Taurian Lancers and the Pleiades Lancers threw themselves at the Dragonlords in a furious attack. The Dragonlords sound found themselves hard pressed by the constant attacks, although their 2 battle armor regiments proved to be a godsend. These 2 regiments of troops were almost totally unknown to the attacking Bulls. Although the Taurians had some experience with battle armor these forces were usually deployed in little larger than squad based units or platoon units at the most. Finding themselves facing no fewer than over 2,000 battle armor troops they had no real counter for them and lost several companies of battlemechs caused by overconfident mechwarriors who didn't understand the threat these units posed in such large numbers in the initial engagements. After this even the most overconfident mechwarrior became wary of the Davion's "mere infantry". Even with this advantage however the 2nd Dragonlords was definitely on the defensive and their command staff had to inform New Syrtis and New Avalon that they were unable to push the Bull's back off world without help as the fighting ground on. However near the end of the month the Pleiades Lancers abandoned the attacks and lifted off from the planet. Given the damage that the Dragonlords had suffered they weren't in a position to immedietly counter attack the now weakened attacking force, but it did ensure they were no longer in any real danger of being overrun by the 1st Taurian Lancers at least. 
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====Taurian Elites on Brockway====
The 2nd Chisholm Raiders RCT on Brockway was hit hard by the Concordat Jaegers and the Red Chasseurs. Amongst the finest regiments in the Taurian Defense Force these 2 regiments threw themselves at the Raiders and in an initial attack caused heavy damage. In fact the 2nd Chisholm Raiders found themselves driven back again and again and eventually on the 28th of February the RCT was forced to abandon the world or make what could only be a last stand. The Raiders command staff retreated to their dropships and using their last trump card, their aerospace dominance, left the planet and headed for the rally point assigned to them of the Firgrove system.
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====Taurian actions on Hyalite====
On Hyalite, the 10th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT and the Hyalite Light Infantry attempted to return "home". However their burn in found itself under overwhelming attack from the 2 aerospace regiments attached to the 10th. The Hard Air Division attached to the Light Infantry numbered 16 fighters. To say they were overwhelmed by the 120 fighters of the 10th Deneb Light Cavalrys wings was an understatement. The Hard Air Division was wiped out in minutes and the Deneb Light Cavalry pilots descended upon the dropships of the Light Infantry. Dropship after dropship fell out of formation leaking air and with damage mounting until finally the remaining Light Infantry dropships attempted to turn around before ever reaching the planet. However, the Deneb Light Cavalry's air wings weren't minded to allow them to withdraw and continued to hit the now retreating Taurian dropships with relentless attacks. To make matters worse, light aerospace fighters streaked ahead of the fleeing Taurian dropships and threatened their waiting Jumpships into surrendering under threat of being taken out. With no prospect of escape and stranded in space and facing more attacks the Hyalite Light Infantry were forced to surrender without ever having reached planet fall. Their remaining dropships who could land were ordered down under the guns of the entire 10th and supporting militia forces.
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====Fedsuns reacts to the Invasion====
Worryingly for the Federated Suns various intelligence services was the fact that both Pleiades units had left their attacks and had not been located. Additionally the Concordat Commandos and Gordon's Armored Cavalry as well as the handful of Pinto Class Corvettes that the Concordat was now known to possess were also missing. The best guess was that these units were headed deeper into the Federated Suns. However the question was where they were going. Many thought that the Pleiades units would attempt to head for the Pleiades Cluster while others thought that they might attempt to hit Firgrove or even New Syrtis. As such Task Force Sortek was ordered to hold it's position and await further developments. As a precautionary measure however the 2nd FedSun's Dragoons RCT was ordered to move from Ridgebrook to the Pleiades Cluster. 
That wasn't to say however that the AFFS stood still. The 36th Avalon Hussars on Lothair was ordered to mobilize in response to what was now being referred to as an invasion and strike into the Taurian Concordat. The RCT left Lothair and jumped into the Perdition system and headed for the planet. The 3rd Taurian Lancers, the usual garrison for the planet was no longer present leaving the planet garrisoned only by the regular militia and the newly raised Taurian Volunteer Guard formations. The militia however had been gutted by the formation of the new Volunteer Guard formations which were still finding their feet and against a front line formation they were out of their league. The 36th hit the defenders 2 main military bases at the same time across the planet. Quickly overwhelming the smaller base the 36th had a hard fight to break open Fort Freedom, the former SLDF Fort Churchill. Still within a week the 2 major concentrations of military forces on Perdition had been smashed and the 36th moved swiftly to secure the Pinard Protectorates Limited plant. The small security force surrendered when the 36th brought up a full battalion of artillery and threatened to shell them into oblivion while hammering them with air attacks. Securing the compound the 36th began looting it systematically. Every completed Wasp battlemech and vehicle was loaded into transports for shipment off world, while the factory lines themselves were disassembled and prepared for transportation. Many of the workforce of the plant was forced into helping to disassemble the very lines that were their livelihood under the guns of the 36th Avalon Hussars' Infantry Brigade. 
While the AFFS High Command was reluctant to break up their armored fist of Task Force Sortek with so many Concordat units still to show themselves they weren't prepared to sit back and let the fighting continue to bleed AFFS units. As such with the 2nd Chisholm Raiders known to be falling back on Firgrove the defending Blue Star Irregular mercenary command were ordered to prepare to go to the aid of the 2nd Dragonlords on Lindsay. They were ordered to smash the attacking Taurian Lancers and then prepare to move on to help counter attack to retake Brockway. 
Summarily, Hansen's Roughriders were given orders to "finish what they began". With a combined arms conventional brigade attached to them they jumped from Bromhead and arrived in the MacLeod's Land system and headed for the planet. The garrison of the remainder of the 1st MacLeod's Regiment was in no shape to to resist a full scale attack but made the best effort they could. However hit from multiple angles by a larger and more experienced enemy they were soon fully routed and forced to disperse into the more remote parts of their world. At which point the conventional brigade moved into the Pinard Protectorates Limited factory and began a combination of looting and sabotage. Having brought along a large number of transportation dropships a number of large convoys are soon heading back to FedSuns space. Meanwhile Hansen's Roughriders are granted a full battalion of battlemech's seized from the plant and the Taurian defenders as a combat bonus. 
Even as he is authorizing defensive moments and counter attacks the First Prince petitions the Second Star League for support against the "rogue state" of the Taurian Concordat. In response to this the First Lord suggests a special session of the Star League, which Victor Davion suggests take place on New Avalon as he is obviously tied down to his nations capital due to the ongoing military action. Christian Mansdottir agrees, although several of the other Council Lords are extremely unhappy with that location. Lord Protector Shraplen for instance refuses to even consider that option. After some discussion an alternate suggestion of St Ives is proposed and agreed by all parties. While Victor Davion offers to suspend military operations until the special session is done, Grover Shraplen refuses, feeling that his military has the momentum. As such the First Lord sets a date of the end of March for the special session, requesting that all attendees make their best speed towards St Ives in the hope of avoiding further bloodshed. 
Given the intransigence to end the fighting even with a ceasefire of the Lord Protector, First Prince Victor informs Marshal of Armies Jackson that before and during the special session he want's the AFFS to make the Taurians howl for peace. While Task Force Sortek is tied in place awaiting the next Taurian move the First Prince informs the Marshal of Armies to seek other units further from the front and rush them to hit Taurian rear areas, while also ordering the 36th Avalon Hussars and Hansen's Roughriders to move on from Perdition and MacLeod's Land as soon as they complete ransacking the factories on those worlds and continue to cause havoc in the Concordat. 
Immediately the 12th Avalon Hussars RCT and the 1st Patrol Squadron are ordered to leave Cooperland and move to hit the Taurian worlds on Charleston, Orkney, Cadiz, and threaten the industrial world of Sterope. As well as that the 3rd Chisholm Raiders was ordered from Colorado and ordered to strike at the worlds of Althea's Choice. If that attack went well further targets would be provided. The 34th Avalon Hussars was ordered to leave New Haiti and move into the gap between the 12th Hussars and 3rd Raiders spheres and strike straight for the important industrial world of Dicallus, before potentially moving on to support the 12th on any attack on Sterope. This would mean that combined with the 2 units already attacking into the Concordat this will mean that the Taurians will have 4 RCTs floating around in their rear areas along with 2 heavy warships and a veteran mercenary regiment. Combined with Task Force Sortek which will smash the invading Taurian forces as soon as they reveal themselves the Davions intend to make sure that Shraplen has no option but to agree to a truce at the special session in March.
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===Developments in Industry===
On New Syrtis the Nightsky line for Johnston Industries goes online. The first axe wielding mech's of the production line are immediately dispatched to Firgrove to help make up the losses of the 2nd Chisholm Raiders RCT, along with the production of the other battlemech and vehicle lines on New Syrtis and other nearby industrial worlds like Talon and Panpour. This will allow them to return to around half strength by the end of March. 
Another axe wielding mech's production line also came online this month on Novaya Zemlya, with Johnston's plant there adding an Axman line to the active production facilities. The plant immedietly begins construction of a new Nightsky line to add to the duplication of all battlemech designs that New Avalon is pushing hard. 
At Delavan's shipyards the Tramp jumpship formally enters production. No fewer than a half dozen of the LF equipped jumpships are laid down initially, with plans to double that production as quickly as possible. Already the building ships have been purchased by the AFFS to give them a rapid response force of jumpships for key units. 
The New Earth Trading Company plant on Markesan sees a major boost in production with the number of active production lines for both the Alacorn Mk IV and Von Luckner tanks raising to 5 each. Even with these additions the supply is barely keeping pace with the demand. It does however allow the company to begin construction of a second engineering vehicle line rather than having to concentrate on the front line battle tanks. The demand is certainly there for more engineering vehicles, but until now the demand for the heavier combat tanks was of paramount importance and hence prioritized. 
GM also upon hearing of heavy fighting with the 2nd Dragonlord's Armoured Infantry Brigade orders that their Point Barrow production centre expand from merely producing Grenadier assault battle armor and adding a number of Cavalier lines. It is rightly felt by the company that demand for battle armour will only increase after the success of the battle armored units on Lindsay. 
On Ozawa, the Veridan Dynamics plant for Tiger tanks which was scheduled to enter production in January finally goes online. The plant had spent decades if not centuries effectively mothballed and there had been some teething problems when it had initially opened up and began production again. Still the plant is now producing an updated variant of the venerable Tiger tank to be shipped out to militia's throughout the FedSuns. It surprises nobody that the initial production run is scheduled to be sent to the various border worlds on the Taurian border 
At Verde instructions are given to begin the yard there for construction of A-3 Overlords Assault DropShips. While the Federated Suns Navy is now well supplied with light warships in the form of the Fox class corvette it is felt that the A-3 still has a place for secondary deployments that don't merit a full warship and also as backup for isolated warships. Construction of the first pocket warships are scheduled to begin in October 3067. 
In the Lyran Alliance, the captured Texas class battleship begins it's journey to the Galax system. Alongside it comes the Clan Wolf-In-Exile battlecruiser the Implacable, which although heavily damaged is felt to be sufficiently strong to ward of any threat. An escort from the 2nd Cruiser Squadron meets them at Northwind and escorts them the rest of the way there. They are additionally accompanied part of the way by the Archon Steiner and Interim-Primus Dow (who had been caught on Tharkad by the special session) with their own respective warship escorts. Along with the shattered CJF Falcon's Nest come crews for the five Fox corvettes that are due to complete soon at Galax in return for the vessel. 
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===Second Star League members journey for St. Ives===
Using the special session of the Second Star League the Captain-General leaves Atreus and heads towards St Ives. As escort he takes with him a full Thera battlegroup and the 1st Knights of the Inner Sphere. Due to his departure he also sends his family to Oriente where they can spend the time he is away with their Halas family members. 
Chancellor Sun-Tzu deliberately waits on Sian for as long as possible before heading for St Ives. He also makes sure to ensure that he and the Lord Protectors escorts will not arrive at the same time or have to travel together at all, as the Lord Protector is passing through the Confederation to St Ives rather than taking the more direct route via the Federated Suns as is perhaps understandable. At this stage the last thing the Chancellor wants is to be linked to that idiot. 
Perhaps as a sign of good will the Coordinator leaves Luthien and plots a direct route through his own realm and that of the Federated Suns towards St Ives. Certainly many within the various media's are prepared to see it as an olive branch from Theodore Kurita to Victor Davion. However within the Combine itself it is played as a show of strength, as the Coordinator's transport is no less than the battleship DCS Yamato. This mighty vessel will strike fear into the hearts of all enemies of the Dragon who gaze upon her gun batteries! 
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