TBntG Chpt 31

==The Bull and the Genie- Chapter 31 - First Shock==
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===Bulls on the Move===
TDF First RCT HQ - Somerset, Lyran Commonwealth
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"It jumped in and out," Commodore Perez said. "it must have a battery." 
"Which means it has a strategic mobility advantage?" Mary asked. 
Outside, she could hear the rumble. Mary had ordered, in cooperation with the local nobility, the evacuation of all injured and elderly. It was a cold equation—you couldn't shut down every city, but moving people on life support or who were fragile wasn't something you could do if you only had a few hours. 
Get the most vulnerable out first. So outside of her HQ, there were lines of buses heading out to hidden medical facilities. Meanwhile, storage centers were being established and civilians were being given lists of where to go and IDs as ancient plans last used in the Second Succession War were dusted off. 
"Not quite. It has a two jump capability, but after that, has to recharge. Some SLDF ships had extra large sails to recharge both cores at once, and they can always charge one core off of the ship's fusion plant, but fundamentally, after two jumps. It's in the same position as a normal JumpShip."
"But all they have to do is jump to an uninhabited system, and we'd almost certainly not find them." Mary frowned. "What is the progress on the special weapons?" 
"They're going to be here, fairly quickly." The Lyran Liason said. "but Archon Steiner is wanting to make certain none of our enemies think we're going to be using them for other purposes." 
They would think that, if they're idiots. Right now the danger wasn't that the Commonwealth would go to war, but that its enemies would take advantage. The entire region was in convulsions, Assault DropShips and Fighters streaming back to protect vulnerable worlds, while at least three JumpShips had been damaged or destroyed by someone panicking and seeing a Warship. If you listened to the scandal sheets, an entire fleet of McKennas had jumped into the Tharkad system, before leaving. 
"Do we have a list of what they took?" Mary asked.
"It's still being updated, but at least 700 prisoners, and a large amount of material from the central bank of Beta VII." 
They're pirates. Don't care if they claim to be from somewhere else, they're pirates and they have slaves. Goddammit.
"General!" Mary turned at the call. 
"Flash from Toland! The Warship jumped into a pirate point. Colonel Thomas is ordering the defense!"
Thomas, and we can't help him. Dammit. "How many ships do we have in position?"
"Not enough, the Lyran Admiralty is ordering units in but they have to keep a reserve…"
"In case it jumps somewhere else." Mary nodded. Just like I do. They didn't have batteries, and so if she sent everything to fight it, and it jumped somewhere else…
"Send to the Second. We have Faith that you will do your duty by the Concordat." Because we have fuck-all else to send.
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===Reaction on the Ground===
Toland City - Toland, Lyran Commonwealth
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"Move, move move!" , the Taurian private's shouts were joined by the police officers as cars and buses moved by them, any vehicle that broke down was shoved to the side, while some people were clinging to the sides of trucks and busses. The trains were running full out and every air port was sending their airplanes out. Other people were running on the roads, families, individuals, kids holding stuffed animals, moving in a desperate tide away from the city, some atavistic instinct warning them that to stay was to die by fire.
After hundreds of years, the Terror of the First Succession War had returned.
"DropShip s incoming, repeat, DropShip s incoming. Anyone who cannot evacuate in one hour must shelter in place!"
"Colonel, what makes you think this is the city they're going to go after?" Lady Margaret was young, newly assigned to her post, and if her voice was trembling she wasn't asking dumb questions. 
"Toland Pharmaceuticals." Thomas gestured. "Toland Industrial electronics, a half dozen other facilities, and all of them full of high value, low-mass loot." He glanced up at the readouts. His DropShip s were keeping the planet between them and the Warship. The captains were pissed, but DropShip s weren't what you wanted to engage a warship, and if he guessed wrong and they hit another city, he'd need them to forelorn hope the enemy landing force. The aerospace fighters might have a better chance, but not with all the DropShip s they were bringing. It was better to hold them in reserve and try to kill as many enemy 'mechs and ships on the ground. 
I hope they don't resort to the First War's method of dealing with a world you can't capture. On the other hand, the reports from Beta VII said they hadn't used any capital missiles…
"They took prisoners, probably for slaves, and that says they're not here to fight. They're here to loot, and they have to know at this point, that every assault dropper in the nation is heading here along with the nukes." Thomas shook his head. "They're here to loot, not invade. And this is where the loot is." 
"Well, we'll have to give them a reception they won't forget."
"You," Thomas said. "will be with the refugees."
"Sir, this is my capital—I—"
"Once they leave, there is going to be a lot of damage, and someone is needed who has the authority to cut through the red tape," Thomas said. "That's you, Lady Margaret." 
"I—do you think you can beat them?", Lady asked
"I don't know.", Thomas shook his head, looking at the indicators showing the approaching DropShips. Still heading for the capital. Other screens showed his engineers putting charges down, along with the militia units. Fighters getting ready for their first hit on the incoming DropShips. Hides being set up for 'mechs and armored vehicles. 
Have to time it well. It wasn't just to save Toland, but the more DropShips and mechs they killed in the air, the fewer to hit another world, and now that it was mostly evacuated, the city was one big fortress. At least unless they kill it from orbit. But they wouldn't get anything then. A soldier might do that, a looter, never, not until they knew for certain they'd lost and by that time, he'd have ripped the heart out of their force, no matter what it cost. "General address."
The tech nodded and Thomas started to speak. "The pirates are on the way, and they haven't bothered to talk to us. I expect that they think that great, big warship is all they need to scare us, and they're going to waltz in here take whatever they want. That we'll run." He paused. "The Star League thought the same thing. They're making the same mistake the Star League made, only they don't have the biggest military in history backing them up. Let's get ready to teach them the error of their ways, shall we? We were sent here to protect these worlds from pirates, and protect them we shall, no matter what form the pirates come in."
Nobody cheered. It wasn't that kind of speech, but everyone in the command center seemed to steel themselves. Thomas grabbed his 'mech helmet. They needed the best Mechwarriors possible, and to be blunt, city fighting was hard enough to control at the best of times. Thomas would do better on the front lines than here in a CP, under a parking garage.
And speech or no, that's a fucking warship. Better to be out there with them, to show them we're not afraid.
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