FSRB Chpt 206

==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 206==
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July 3070Interlude: Wolves-In-Exile
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===Audience of Barons===
Wolf City, Arc Royal
Melissa Theatre, Donegal Province
Lyran Alliance
Khan Phelan Kell stood as his father Grand Duke Morgan Kell stomped into the room. Neither father or son looked particularly happy. "Do not start on me, Father."
"Your ships left the battle! They could have finished off the Wolves and Katherine once and for all!" Morgan almost roared. 
"The Lyran warships used nuclear ordinance. My people have a taboo against the use of nuclear weapons, something I have specifically mentioned not only to you, but to General Adam Steiner and before him to Archon Peter Steiner. They will not tolerate such actions. If they did what little respect and honour the other Clans grant us would be gone in a flash of blinding light." Phelan growled back at his father, feeling once again the headstrong teenager with a powerful and well respected father who was lecturing him. "Had the Lyran admirals warned me that was their plan I would never have permitted my warships to deploy alongside them! They could have been kept out for a hunting mission against any surviving Crusader Wolves and so avoided this whole damn issue!"
Morgan wrestled with his temper for a few seconds, but his innate honesty finally made him give a choppy nod at his son's points. "Granted. Still this looks dreadful. Your Clan left the Lyran fleet to fight against the Wolves, and it just had to be the Wolves didn't it, alone... A lot of Lyrans, military and civilian both are going to kick up holy hell over this and say that you betrayed us. They won't know or care about the Clan taboo about nukes... We are just beginning to make progress with getting the general Alliance public and the LAAF to accept you here on Arc Royal and now this...!" 
Phelan ground his teeth but had to agree with how this would look. "I know, but I will stand by my Star Admiral's decision. If he had continued to fight my Clan would be facing a Trial of Annihilation right now!"
Morgan Kell sank into the chair in front of his son's desk without asking and grunted, not agreeing not disagreeing. "So what do we do now?" 
"I could lead my Clan against the Jade Falcons. Or the Ice Hellions. In fact... yes. I could lead my Alpha Galaxy with both the Werewolf and Implacable when they get back to attack the Ice Hellion occupied systems near Winter. It keeps us out of the limelight of frontier with Clan Wolf and let's us "guard the back" of the LAAF. While liberating Lyran systems." Phelan sat back down himself. 
"That might work, but honestly I'm not sure it's enough. I know you don't like it, Phelan, but I think we have to start supplying the LAAF with Clan made weaponry from here on Arc Royal." He held his hand up to stop his son's furious response. "I know. We've had the arguments. But think, the FedSuns have a steady supply of Clan tech Battlemechs and OmniMechs from the Sun Jaguars, what's left of the Dragoons, and probably now the Nova Cats... Who previously supplied the same to the Combine. The Diamond Sharks are supply clan tech level equipment, although not front line stuff, to just about everyone... It's hardly like the other Clan's haven't done it themselves!" Morgan Kell laid out the same old points. "I know you don't have exactly a lot of surplus... But offering to sell even small amounts right now would go a LONG way to easing the tension from Arcturus... and honestly you might get paid in resources that would let you increase your production and ease the strain on your factories... We need to do this Phelan or honestly I'm worried I'll be ordered to evict you and your people from Arc Royal. I won't obey that order. Which will mean war between the Kell Hounds and your Clan and the rest of the Lyran Alliance."
Phelan considered the well worn arguments in light of the new situation. For a second he was prepared to repeat his previous funerals once more, yet his father's final comments stopped him. The old man meant it. He would fight alongside his son and his son's people against overwhelming odds. Bring war and destruction on the world he loved and doom the regiments he had spent his lifetime building. For him. He couldn't let his father do that. So finally he sighed. "Fine. I'll speak with the saKhan and Loremaster and see what we can put up for merchant "trials"..."
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