FSRB Chpt 23

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==The Federated Suns Reborn - Chapter 23==
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August 3063Important Meetings
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On Panpour, Jalastar Aerospace announce on the 1st of August the opening of a new Sparrowhawk light Aerospace Fighter line and a Centurion BattleMech line will be coming online this month. An additional line for each design as well as a line each for Javelin and Grasshopper BattleMechs and sabre fighters are also under construction. The first of the new BattleMechs and fighters will be routed to the garrison force for the planet the 2nd Avalon Hussars and then to the Islamabad CrMM which New Avalon is hoping to get up to full strength. 
This announcement coincides with the second stock option release for New Independence Weaponry. While the response is not quite so overwhelming as the first release it is still more than healthy and results in a large influx of funds for the companies construction projects. These funds are used to speed up construction and to add a Jagermech III line to the facility as well as an extensive ammunition and MRM production plant. 
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On the 4th of August 3063, the two clan DropShips land at the isolated Lockhart Spaceport within the New Hebrides archipelago. A full Combat Command of the 3rd Davion Guards RCT consisting of a BattleMech battalion, 2 Armor regiments and a full infantry regiment awaited them deployed in defensive positions around the drop-port. Backing them up was two battalions of the 1st Dragonlords deployed further out as a perimeter, although between them they only numbered around 5 companies of assault mechs. While overhead the FSS Lucien Davion takes up a low orbit while an entire Aerospace regiment maintains a CAP. 
While this might seem excessive for a single Trinary of BattleMechs and another of Elementals it is perhaps understandable given that the First Prince has insisted on attending the spaceport himself in person. Although he does concede to attending in the cockpit of his Daishi OmniMech, Prometheus, along with his command company from the 1st Davion Guards at the insistence of the Princes Champion and Marshal of the Armies. Two other rare Daishis have also been deployed with their own command companies from the 3rd Davion, but in 1st Davion colors. Just to confuse the Clan warriors if they are planning treachery. 
However, when the ramp's of the heavily damaged and battered DropShips come down the Smoke Jaguar warriors march out peacefully. Or as peacefully as they can given that they are striding out in a mix of heavily armed war machines or Battle Armor. However as soon as they march out and form ranks the mechwarriors open the hatches of their OmniMechs which although obviously repaired are in excellent condition and newly repainted, while the Elemental's crack their Battle Armor and step out. In total 15 mechwarriors and 50 Elemental's walk forward without armour or weapons and bow deeply to the waiting Davion First Prince. 
After a brief and frankly heated discussion, First Prince Victor climbs down from his OmniMech and walks forward to the waiting Smoke Jaguars. Although he is accompanied by 2 squads of 1st Davion Cavalier battle armor led by the single Clan Elemental armored Captain Tiaret Nevversan. In a brief conversation with the Star Colonel Showers who is leading the Smoke Jaguars he learns that they have came to swear themselves to his service and ask his permission to seek refuge not only for themselves but for all remaining Smoke Jaguars within the Federated Suns. Their once great clan is shattered and fractured reduced to bandit caste and refugees and they wish to save what they can. 
Victor Davion's first instinct is to refuse this request. He after all had been the one to lead the attack to destroy the Smoke Jaguar clan, but he decides not to make any rash decisions instead. He insteads informs them that he will listen to their petition and consult with his advisers. He pointed glances at the silent armoured form of his bodyguard Tiaret behind him before telling them that they can stay on their DropShip or in the nearby barracks while he consults with his commanders and perhaps discusses the matter further with them. They accept his term and as a sign of good faith agree to stay in the barracks and to leave their mechs and Battle Armor at the DropShips. 
Star Colonel Showers meets with not only Victor Davion and various military officers such as Arden Sortek. Over the course of August, but also spends hours sitting discussing his plans and motivations with Tiaret Nevversan who relays her impressions back to her commanding officer. She informs the Star Colonel she will do this at the start of their discussions and he agrees that is the honourable thing to do. 
One of the two of the main hold ups for Victor and his advisors are that firstly the entire Great Refusal was based on the Annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar. To now allow it to be reborn might jeopardize that peace. The second major problem is the Clan's horrendous record of how they treat civilian castes and that it is unlikely that any Federated Suns world would accept a clan enclave. 
Tiaret Nevversan suggests a solution to the first and indirectly the second. She suggests initially that a new Clan be founded from the remnants of the Smoke Jaguars. She proposes the name the Sun Jaguars to declare their new loyalties and also as a tribute to the warrior spirit of the original Smoke Jaguars. Whether the current remnants of the Smoke Jaguars would agree to this name change she suggests might be a barometer of their true preparedness to change. As for the second option she suggests consulting with Marquess Trempeleau who she has watched discuss matters with Victor the preceding month.
The Marquess is flown to the spaceport as a matter of urgency and the is informed of the situation. While her initial thoughts are that the First Prince should deny the refugee Smoke Jaguars request the more she thinks about it the more she see's the benefits not only for the Federated Sun's but also for her own Outback constituency. She suggests after considering the matter for a number of days that the "Sun Jaguars" could be settled on abandoned worlds along the periphery border. Of the cuff she suggests Fugeres, Frankson or Valois within the Broken Wheel Combat Region. All three worlds were abandoned due to population losses, losses in technology and pirate raids during the Succession Wars. Settling the "Sun Jaguars" on these planets wouldn't offend any of the existing worlds populations and with suitable support these worlds could be reclaimed for the Federated Suns and the "Sun Jaguars" could provide a valuable anti-piracy force in the region. If they were suitably aligned. 
First Prince Victor Davion and Prince's Champion Arden Sortek both like this suggestion and the Prince starts to bring in more civilian members of his Government. Almost all recoil in horror initially but it isn't long before most of them can see the benefits. However the main stumbling block is that the Smoke Jaguars treatment of their civilian castes is simply unacceptable. If they are to settle within the Federated Suns then this must change. 
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On the 29th August, the First Prince calls Star Colonel Showers and his warriors together in the mess hall of the military base. On his left sits Captain Tiaret Nevversan and on his right sits Marquess Helen Trempeleau. The fact he is sitting with a warrior and an obvious civilian is not lost upon the Clan warriors as they file in and take the seats arranged for them. Victor Davion doesn't waste any time or effort attempting to sugar coat his decision. He lays out his terms and conditions without any frills or political phrasing, speaking to the Clan warriors in their own language as it were. 
He informs them that he will consider their petition to join the Federated Suns as his vassals. With certain conditions. The Smoke Jaguar Clan is not to be reformed or rebuilt, instead a new Clan Sun Jaguar will be formed from it's remnants. This clan will be granted the rights to 3 abandoned worlds upon the Periphery border of the Crucis March's Broken Wheel Combat Region to settle and colonize. The Federated Sun's will help the Sun Jaguars in settling these worlds with their civilians and remnant military forces and in setting up industrial and agricultural facilities. In return the Sun Jaguars military will join the AFFS as an separate brigade under Jaguar officers but will take direction from the Davion High Command. They will be granted a higher level of autonomy than most units and worlds within the Federated Suns but will not be an independent power in the same way as the Nova Cat and Wolf-in-Exile Clans. They will be subordinate to the FedSuns and to the First Prince. Their treatment of their civilian castes (who will be full Federated Sun's citizens) will also be subject to oversight. Any violations of the Federated Sun's laws will be dealt with harshly. The Clan's leadership will be for them to nominate themselves but said nomination will have to be approved by the First Prince. A whole host of other minor conditions are also listed but these are the main ones - many of them relating to any military industrial production they are able to create on their fiefs. These terms however are not open to negotiation. The Smoke Jaguar remnants have to either accept them in full or refuse them. If they refuse them then the First Prince will order his troops to fire on them on sight. 
The Star Colonel honestly informs the First Prince that he is not sure if the other Smoke Jaguars will accept these terms, but that he will put them to them. The First Prince agrees to this and offers to send Captain Nevversan as his personal emissary to the other Smoke Jaguar remnants. He will give them until the end of 3063 to get back to him on his terms. He does offer one final concession to the warriors. He promises that if they do take his offer up he will do everything within his power to bring together the remaining civilians and warriors of the Clan and help them to settle within the Federated Suns. By using his influence within the Star League to have any remaining Smoke Jaguar POW and populations released to his care. 
The two Smoke Jaguar DropShips leave on the 30th August 3063 to link up with their JumpShip and with permission to travel openly within the Federated Suns and to use the realms recharge stations to reach their rendezvous with other splinter factions of their Clan to discuss the terms offered. They are also authorized to use the HPG network to send messages to some small groups of their Clan who have been known to arrive on Solaris and other mercenary/gaming worlds. 
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While all of business with newly formed Sun Jaguars was ongoing, Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion continues to run the AFFS largely without supervision. While the martially inclined First Prince has a direct hand in the planning for the AFFS he knows enough to listen to and defer to the expert and experienced officers such as Jackson Davion. Operation Tripoli's planning is stepped up with a provisional date set in the first quarter of 3064. The units which are flagged to take part are prioritized to be brought up to strength as quickly as possible. 
Some discussions also take place within the High Command for the potential within the New Year for forming of additional units. The 1st Dragonlords is prioritized for expanding to it's full strength and provisional plans are put in place to form a 2nd Dragonlords to return those units to brigade strength. Other discussions relate to what other units might be formed. At the current time the general consensus is that a new Avalon Hussars unit should be formed and one additional unknown unit be formed. Suggestions for this third regiment range from a Broken Wheel CrMM to a new Ceti Hussars unit and everything in between. With a new Dragonlords unit almost certainly listed for the future additional orders for battle armor are placed with every plant that makes the suits. 
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Near the end of August, Precentor Martial Focht arrives on New Avalon. First Prince Victor makes a point of leaving the negotiations with the Smoke Jaguars and meeting him personally before apologizing and explaining the emergency that has called him away before returning to New Hebrides. As soon as the Smoke Jaguars leave the First Prince rushes back to Mount Davion to begin meeting with the Precentor Martial although it wont be until early September that the two men can really sit down and discuss things. 
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Within the NAIS, Tancred Sandoval continues to help care for Yvonne Steiner-Davion and the two privately are engaged. At the current time only the First Prince and the Duke of Robinson are informed of this much speculated upon engagement taking place. Yvonne is undergoing a series of surgeries and recovery treatments alongside a large number of other patients who she has soon won over by her bravery and charm alongside the handsome baron who obviously dotes on her. The holo-news on Robinson although not aware of the engagement is soon filled with speculative stories and warming pieces on the relationship between the heir of the Draconis March and the Princess. 
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Within the Lyran Alliance, the Estates General are addressed by Peter Steiner-Davion with Adam Steiner and Morgan Kell at his side. The Prince announces that he wishes to claim the position of Archon due to it being abandoned by his sister and abdicated by his brother. He announces however, that he will only claim the throne if the Estates General vote to endorse his claims as the rightful Archon in the circumstances as it is their right by law. He makes a number of pledges to help steer the realm through these difficult times. He promises to work alongside not only the military high command, but also the Estates General, and the planetary Dukes and governments to better protect the Lyran Alliance. The vote takes place on the 7th of August and by a 55%-45% majority votes to confirm the new Archon. The rest of the month is spent with the new Archon Peter Steiner taking stock of the realms position and meeting with various officers and ministers, particularly Adam Steiner who he officially appoints as General of the Armies. 
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On the Ghost Bear front Task Force Hohiro begins to reverse the Ghost Bears early gains although the cost is high. The 1st Amphigean Light Assault Group, 4th Arkab Legion, and 2nd Night Stalkers are summoned to the front to be added to the fighting to attempt to push through and retake several border worlds that have fallen to the Ghost Bears. The three light units are deployed in battalion sized forces and dropped behind enemy lines in a staggeringly audacious operation while escorted by the Warships DCS Draconis Rift, DCS Deiron Star, and DCS Galedon Explorer. All three Kyushu frigates take damage during this operation, but manage to drop off the troops & pull back to Midway for repairs. With light battalions dropped behind the lines causing havoc and a large scale task force grinding their assault to a halt and now threatening to reserve it many within Clan Ghost Bear consider suing for peace, however many instead suggest an overwhelming drive on Luthien to end the war with a stunning victory and dictate terms in the Imperial Palace. 
Coordinator Theodore Kurita orders LAW to form a new military industrial complex upon Pesht, specifically designed to produce OmniMechs and Battle Armor. The facility is to be a huge and state of the art factory to replace the lost industrial complex on Marduk. In the meantime he also wishes the repair plant on Benjamin to be expanded to produce Jenner and Panther Light BattleMechs.
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The three missing regiments of the MAC at this time move into position for their target and send in a handful of recon flights which are missed by the Davion patrols. They will launch their "raid in force" in September.
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