FSRB Chpt 57

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 57==
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'March 3066Relationships strengthened and strained
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===Expansion Pains===
By the start of March the writing is on the wall that the vast majority of the faculties of both Albion and NAIS will support the First Prince's proposed expansions of the 2 New Avalon academies. As such both Commandants inform the Marshal of Armies Jackson Davion that they will agree to a formal announcement at any time and place of the First Prince's choosing. A press conference is immedietly scheduled for the 31st March on the jointly run Jasper Plains Training Field. In attendance will be the First Prince, Marshal of Armies, Field Marshal Angela Kouranth, Major General Fredrick Hastings and General Ranier Wolfgram along with officers from the various academies and units on New Avalon. Unknown to the 2 Commandants they will both be promoted to Marshal at the end of the announcement in anticipation of their newly expanded responsibilities. The First Prince will also immedieatey announce the beginning of funding for the expansions and that work will commence immedietly. A handful of holdouts mostly agree to the expansions, although 3 officers from Albion and 2 from NAIS will resign of the issue. Of the 5, 4 will take work with either Goshen War College or Sakhara Academy and the remaining officer will take up a battalion command posting with the 1st Federated Arcadians.
The press conference duly takes place at the end of March to widespread support from the general public and within the AFFS. Less pleased of course are the treasury officials who will be tasked with paying for this new expansion, although their unhappiness is somewhat muted by the increased tax revenues pouring in from the growing economy of the Outback and sales of arms to the Lyrans. If the treasury officials are unhappy, those receiving the news on Luthien, Sian and Taurus are beyond livid. The continued expansion of the AFFS is now beyond a mere "cause for concern" for the Taurians, Kurita's and Liao's and this expansion of the 2 premier academies within the Federated Suns only threatens to widen the gap that is growing between their own militaries and the resurgent AFFS. Worse, with the new factories that seem to be growing like weeds within FedSuns space it is more than likely that the damned Davion's will be able to actually equip these new recruits. All 3 states begin preparing to expand their own military academies in line with this expansion. The Taurian Ecole Militaire will see a particular boost in it's funding - however this will result in a large scale tax increase given the military budget's existing strain with the ground force expansions and warship shipyard construction. This will result in a final split between elements of the Taurian Defense Force. 
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===FedSuns Fleet Expansion===
Shortly before the announcement of the new expansions to the military academies of the Federated Sun's Isis Marik leaves New Avalon and heads towards Robinson to meet up with Yvonne Davion-Sandoval to begin her tour in the Outback region of the Draconis March. Up until Robinson Duchess Marik will be escorted by the FSS Hanse Davion detached from it's normal duties, after meeting with Duchess Davion-Sandoval they will both be traveling with the FSS Fox and FSS Markesan. The plan is for the 2 Duchess's to travel throughout the Draconis March Outback and then down into the Crucis March Outback region and then on into the Capellan March. 
The Federated Suns' navy see a major boost in it's strength as the 4 Fox Class Corvettes; the FSS Argyle, FSS Clovis, FSS Goshen, and FSS Tortuga are finished. Entering trials as well as the FSS Congress, the first new Congress-D II frigate built in hundreds of years albeit to an updated design. The 4 Fox corvettes will be deployed to patrol duties within the Crucis March while the FSS Congress will be sent on a long patrol running along the Outback and stopping at worlds like June, Cooperland, Filtvelt, Broken Wheel and Tortuga. By no small coincidence it will arrive at Tortuga around the same time as the 2 Duchesses will. After which it will join their escort. 
Not only the number of warships are boosted during this month, but also the number of slips both building ships and under construction. At Galax an additional Fox slip is finished and 2 more Davion III destroyer slips begin work on new destroyers. Meanwhile another destroyer slip begins construction, but not another Fox corvette slip interestingly to some analysts. At Kathil, a Davion III slip begins construction which will be another diversification for this yard along with the New Syrtis carrier slip that is already working on it's first carrier due in October 3069. Until relatively recently Kathil was entirely specialised in building Avalon class cruisers. At New Syrtis itself another Davion III slips begins construction, which when it is completed will bring the total number of destroyer slips at the March Capital to 3 alongside 2 Fox slips. No further slips are ordered at Panpour but work immediately starts on a new Congress-D II. Meanwhile at Filtvelt the 2 Fox slips being paid for by Comstar are joined by a Davion funded third slip. There are also whispers that either Filtvelt or Panpour are likely to be chosen for a new Avalon production facility so as to ensure that if the Kathil shipyards are damaged the FedSuns wont lose access to their cruiser production entirely. 
Along with the news of the expansions to the military academies the announcement that the Federated Suns has finished 5 new warships in a single month send the naval staffs in particular on Luthien and Sian into a frenzy. Worse due to spies and also some limited press releases they know that by the end of the year another 4 Foxs, 2 Avalons, and another Congress-D II will complete. 3067 isn't looking any better with an estimated 10-12 Foxs, 3 Davion III, and another Avalon expected. Work on several new shipyards within the Combine and Confederation is pushed forward at an even more frantic pace, although this results in a number of additional industrial accidents that leave trained staff crippled or killed. However in the eyes of the various advisers to the Chancellor and Coordinator these are losses that must be borne. 
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===Developments in Industry===
On Outreach the cobbled together industrial plant for the Falcon IIC is finally completed, in no small part due to the aid received from NAIS and from various Clan Sun Jaguar technicians. However ramshackle and battered the industrial line is however it is functional and begins constructing the entirely Clantech battlemech immedietly as well as a deliberate surplus of spare parts and weapons. Although under no specific contractual obligation to do so - although to ignore the moral obligation would have been borderline suicidal - Colonel Maeve Wolf offers generous and perpetual contracts to the AFFS for supply of the Clantech production. These contracts are immedietly snapped up and the AFFS begins shipping the high end battlemechs to a number of extremely high profile units with a predisposition to light battlemechs, such as the Davion Light Guards, 4th Deneb Light Cavalry, and 1st Federated Suns Armoured Cavalry. A number of the Falcons IIC will also be gifted to Clan Sun Jaguar although their primary gift in thanks will be Wolf's Dragoons technicians returning with them to help set up a production facility of their own with what they have learned. Most of the team of NAIS scientists and technicians who helped on Outreach will also immedietly head for Valois the chosen capital of the Sun Jaguars to begin the process again. 
Khan Showers of the Sun Jaguars leaves Valois and heads for the rendezvous with The Jaguar on Anatallos as agreed. He has chosen to go himself to hon our those warriors who have continued the fight to preserve the Smoke Jaguars and in the hope that his prestige as Khan will allow him to sway any doubters. Along with him he takes his Golden Keshik and the 1st Sun Jaguar Guards. 
Within Freedom Theater, the Princes's Champion Ardan Sortek and the first of the Dove dropships pass each other over the world of Carnwath. He manages a brief stop and meets with various officers many of whom he knows who are traveling while injured, including Archer Christifori. Seeing the wounded from the various battles to hold back the Jade Falcons deeply effects the old warrior and he travels onward to meet with Peter Steiner and Phelan Kell with a heavy heart. 
On Batavia the new Sparrowhawk AeroSpace Fighter line goes into operations, while on Jalastar's main plant on Panpour the Zero aerospace fighter enters production. Both designs are highly regarded and are immediately much sought after. The AFFS retains full rights to the Sparrowhawks being produced on Batavia although share production of Panpour's Zeros Fighters with the ComGuards. 
The Belladonna Kallon plant see's it's Demon Heavy tank line enter full production. Along with the Davion-GM-Kallon Cooperative line on El Dorada this gives both the ComGuards and AFFS a steady supply of this venerable but still deadly tank. 
The ComGuards receive another much needed boost to their equipment rosters (and the FedSuns Treasury another source of income) when the GM's plant on Victoria's Lorica BA annex goes operational. Much larger than the existing small production facility on Defiance, after a few quality control issues to start with, the plant is soon churning out hundreds of suits of the battle armor to be dispatched to eager ComGuards infantry formations.
Within the Draconis March the New Independence Weaponry plant on Alta Vista adds it's second line. As well as producing Atlas assault Battlemechs the plant will now produce a number of Victor class Assault Battlemechs. Again there are some initial quality control issues that will result in Alta Vista made Victors having an unfair reputation for being off a lesser quality to their counterparts constructed elsewhere, but the man repercussion of this will be a large number of well made Victors being assigned to Draconis March Militias who will be grateful to have them! 
The Achernar Industries battle armor facility upon Mayetta now reaches full production capacity. Unlike GM's facility on Victoria the produce of Mayetta's factory will not be sent to the ComGuards but instead will be used to fill the ranks of battle armour formations within the AFFS with Cavaliers, Grenadiers, and Infiltrator II. Most of the initial production will be dispatched to the forming RCT's of the Robinson Rangers Brigade although a large number of particular Infiltrator IIs will be sent to the Deneb Light Cavalry RCTs. 
After some consideration DefHes agrees to supply Johnston Industries with full licenses for the Nightsky battlemech. One major contractual point however is that in return the Davion firm will supply them with any new upgrades for any of their existing axe wielding battlemechs. Which is agreed readily enough. Johnston Industries initially intends to begin construction of a new production line for the battlemech on New Syrtis but after some consideration they also decide to add a line to their Torrence factory as well. 
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===Extermination of ComGuard on Menke===
On Menke, the 3 WOB Militia Divisions - the 3rd, 6th, and 8th - arrive and immediately deploy around the fortified Comstar Compound. Soon long range sniper fire and artillery duels begin but after a week the 3rd and 6th close in and drive hard on the HPG compound. After a brutal 3 day battle they are joined by the fresh 8th who break through the exhausted 467th Division and secure the devastated compound. The remainder of the 467th break out through the thinned lines of the 6th Militia and break for the nearby spaceport. However their line of withdrawal is blocked by the majority of the 2nd Sian Dragoons and elements of the 1st & 3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry. With the 8th WOB Militia following them the roughly 2 surviving battalions worth of ComGuard troops feel they have no other option but to attempt to break through and reach the spaceport. The 2nd Sian Dragoons hold their ground in the face of the charging ComGuard expecting the 2 units of the Big Mac to close on the flanks and provide supporting fire. Which never comes. Without any support from the Armoured Cavalry the green 2nd bares the brunt of the attacking force and shatters. The only thing that saves them from almost total annihilation is the arrival of the 8th WOB Militia who plow into the back of the attacking ComGuard troops and crush the desperate soldiers between themselves and the still desperately fighting 2nd. After a 2 hour battle the last ComGuard troops are rounded up and marched onto waiting dropships - WOB dropships however, not their own ships. The 2nd Sian Dragoons has lost over half it's strength and places the blame for these losses squarely at the feet of the "cowardly mercenaries" of McCarron's Armored Cavalry. A charge Marcus Baxter totally refutes, pointing out that the 2nd had taken up an isolated position and did not convey any joint plan to his own units. Few are fooled, assuming rightly that this is the Big Mac's way of paying back Sian for leaving their units to get torn to pieces on Talon. Were it not for the vital nature of McCarron's Brigade the authorities on Sian would almost certainly have ordered further units to Menke to take the Lord Baxter into custody, but with the present nature of the political and military climate are forced to accept the reasoning of Sang-Shao Baxter. Officially.
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