InaG Chpt 12

==It's not a Gundam - Chapter 12 - Post-Roman Thoughts==
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===Look Strengthen Ties===
Captain-General's Office, Atreus City
Atreus, Free World's League
December 3025
"It looks kind of funny. Don't you think, Tom?"
 
The hologram hovered between father and son.
 
The Mech they were staring at was on the edge between Medium and Heavy. Humanoid in design, the Demi-Trainer's greatest difference from other mechs was its use of a fully enclosed torso cockpit with a dome-shaped head that acted as the primary camera and sensor array.
They had been at this all day. Only stopping to take a break and listening to whatever parliament said: a lot of left-hand not working with the right-hand type of nonsense. Half the league saw money and banged at the door wanting to be first to strike a deal with the newly formed Junker Guild. The other half was running around like headless chickens demanding that Janos waste time, money, and manpower to prepare to fight against the Exarch they imagined in their heads.
 
"A better word is 'Simple'." Thomas explained, "59 tons made from off-the-shelf parts and no neurohelmet. The only myomers she used were in the fingers and arms, the rest of the mech uses low-friction hydraulics."
 
"And her resume only said she had a business degree." Janos snorted, "I should have looked at her certifications."
 
Bachelors in Business but Vocational Certification in IT and Mechanical and Computer Repair. The Demi-Trainer was another concept written up by Secelia, by now Janos swore he lucked out on hiring her.
 
"Remind me to add a security detail for her when she comes back."
 
"If." Thomas snorted, "I have heard she and that Exarch are hitting it off."
 
"Son."
 
"...yes, Father?"
 
"How would you like a new sister?"
 
"...What!?"
 
"I'm serious." he scratched his chin, "Secelia Janos. We tie her into the family ... and we tie Exarch in by marriage to her."
 
Thomas was at a loss for words. Was his father on drugs?
 
"About the Demi-Trainer." Thomas tried to change the subject.
 
Jano blinked, "Hmm? Oh. Right: The Demi-Trainer. What about it?"
 
"To be fair this is a proof of concept. From what Secelia could pass on Tieren and Aries are working examples at both extremes. Why do you want to make this one?"
 
"Remember the Liberator, Tom?"
 
His son winced, remembering the failed attempt at making the first new FWL Mech in literal decades. "Kali Yama's canceled design."
 
"I funded it, Tom. I saw the Lyrans and Cappies working on new mechs and I rushed in blindly, throwing money for a solution in search of a problem."
 
The Captain-General tapped on the projector switching between multiple different technologies that Secelia had in her portfolio. They defied what was considered conventional in the Inner Sphere, but she did her math and it was now slowly being vindicated by history.
 
"We need to walk before we can run," Jano concluded, "We are the largest and closest neighbor to Exarch's group. We lay down our roots, and let the tree grow before we pick the fruits of our labor."
 
"You want to annex them?"
 
"Annex? No. I'd like to have a friend we can rely on. Not someone who'll make me pull my hair out like Parliament. Speaking of Parliament. How about you, Tom? How are things?"
 
Thomas frowned, "I have found some support on my own. The Stewarts are our greatest backers and I want to remind them we are just as loyal to them, If you allow it Father I would like the Stewart Dragoons to be one of the first equipped with Dote's designs."
 
Janos nodded, "Granted. But you need to reach out to the Rim Commonality."
 
"The Rim?"
 
"They are the provinces just a jump away from the Marians. We will need them. And if things pan out they could double in membership if the Junkers don't claim all of Ex-Marian systems for themselves.
 
Thomas nodded back but his frown was still on his face.
 
"What is it?"
 
His heir sighed, "I've looked deep into the order as best as I could. It is ... enlightening."
 
"That bad?"
 
"Rot." Thomas spat, "Take away their robes and alleged belief in Blessed Blake's teachings and the upper echelons are no better than Parliament!"
 
Janos put a hand on his son's shoulder, "I'm sorry to hear that, Tom."
 
"Don't be." he laughed a mirthless laugh, "I'm glad in a way. It means I won't feel guilty about cleaning house."
 
"You'll be juggling a lot once your, Captain-General."
 
"But I'm not, Captain-General." Thomas answered back, "Yet. I can still return to Comstar. I have friends there who think the same as me. I can still cultivate ties to the other provinces as an Acolyte or Adept."
 
"Last I checked Comstar frowns on that kind of fraternization."
 
Thomas snorted, "As if the First Circuit follows their own rules..."
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===Headaches in wake of Revelations===
Archon's Office, Triad
Tharkad, Lyran Commonwealth
December 3025
The Marian Hegemony, one of the largest Pirate Kingdoms in the Periphery was gone. In its place was a collection of semi-independent worlds. Binding them together was a shared agreement that they all signed.
 
"Trade and collective defense." Katrina read the newspaper, "Nothing out of the ordinary for lone Periphery states."
 
"The common factor my Archon is The Junker Guild's hand in all of this."
 
"Is that what they call themselves now?"
 
"A Guild? Yes. The Exarch seems to be very hands-off. He has his backers guiding policy for local polities while he has been active."
 
It wasn't a question of where he was and more where he wasn't. Right on the front page was the Exarch himself, sitting in the seat of the Petite-Mobile.
It was a humanoid workmech, no larger than a truck. At first glance, she had thought it was an oversized exoskeleton until she saw the pilot's seat. Remembering all the construction sites she had ever seen in her life she could tell that it was made with standard construction equipment components, even the cockpit wasn't that different from the cabs of excavators and cranes. The article boasted its speed, strength, and flexibility compared to the awkwardness of exoskeletons with various hardpoints to hold more equipment. The only fault it had was the extra bulk.
 
Simon noticed where her attention lay, "They have been mass-producing those to help in reconstruction efforts."
 
"Worse." she concluded, "To help fortify their defenses. I could see them carry heavy weapons on their shoulders and go to places too heavy for infantry to lift or too difficult to tow. I could also see them used to train multiple Mechwarriors with hands-on experience instead of simulators and expensive training mechs. Ease of use. Ease of repair. Ease of customization."
 
The Lyran spy rubbed his eyes, "Mein Gott. A nightmare. Any Pirate or Mercenary Lance would be outnumbered!"
 
"Let alone an LCAF unit. A Swarm Attack is now more dangerous than ever for our Mechwarriors."
 
Strong enough to lift crates. Strong enough to carry plenty of BAR 10 armor and rip it apart as well.
 
"Lyran Merchants in the area have been buying them second-hand from the native worlds. Should we make our offer?"
 
"Do so." she ordered, "And I'd like to have some of our sponsored businessmen approach Junkers."
 
"You want to buy them out from under Janos?"
 
"With Ms. Dote being Exarch's partner that is unlikely."
 
She only had one daughter to give away, and she did so reluctantly. And she didn't trust a honey pot to work this time.
 
"What I expect for them to do is investment. The Commonwealth and their cooperative would both profit economically and technologically."
 
And make them hesitant to join a war on Marik's side. was the thought they both shared.
 
"And the public." She spoke again, "What is public opinion?"
 
"Well," Simon sighed, "I tried to astroturf things but they STILL want a Superheavy Mech. Now they want to make it fly."
 
The Archon groaned, "Denied. This time out of spite."
 
"We need to get ahead of this Katrina. The Combine and League are known quantities but the Exarch scares people."
 
"Which is why trade ties matter if we make them a trade partner then they are seen less as an enemy."
 
"But a competitor."
 
"I would rather deal with Defiance begging to make Assault-class Transforming Tank/LAMs to compete with Junkers products than having to fight them in the field of battle."
 
Simon winced, "About that..."
 
It was said that all of Defiance Industries executives felt a cold shiver that one day. None of them knew why, only that they stayed clear of the Archon for a whole month.
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===Striving to Technologically Catch up===
New Avalon Institute of Science
New Avalon, Federated Suns
December 3025
Since the fall of the Marian Hegemony the NAIS had been hard at work analyzing every scrap of physical material and information they could get their hands on.
 
Almost every other day he frequented the research labs and by now knew the labyrinthian bunker beneath the campus like the back of his hand.
 
The week before it had been Boeing's end of the joint AMBAC ASF project with Lockheed. There remained the issue of pilots who could handle such G forces.
 
The day before he sat in a discussion between hovercraft and mech manufacturers. He walked out with him needing to look for a Grasshopper to buy, the Light-hunting Heavy with its leg-mounted jump jets would be the ideal test platform.
 
Outside the walls of the NAIS the Inner Sphere was ablaze with excitement. Demand for hovercraft came from the AFFS and mercenaries, aerospace companies were working around the clock to make their own Shrikes, and the press saturated media with speculation and commentator interviews painting Exarch everything between the SLDF returned to Amaris reborn.
 
Hanse Davion's opinion was something he kept to himself. Though he liked the man enough to let his soldiers study him.
 
Once again, Doctor Banzai showed him around the testing chambers, "What do you know of Steiner Stadium, First Prince?"
 
"One of the most popular venues for the Solaris Games." Hanse recalled, "Its 'Detonator Grid' protects viewers and lets them have a front-row seat to the Mech Duels."
 
"Correct. It is composed of a large mesh of monofilament wires to generate powerful magnetic fields that detonate explosives prematurely, deflect shrapnel, and discharge energy weapons."
 
Hanse lifted an eyebrow, "You managed to solve the power issue?"
 
The Solaris City power grid STRUGGLED to power Steiner Stadium.
 
"No." he said bluntly, "But we found a workaround."
 
In one chamber was what looked like a chicken wire fence laid in front of a sheet of laminated armor. At Banzai's signal, another scientist fired a laser pistol dead-on. To little effect.
 
"We call it Electromagnetic Armor. It generates a similar effect albeit in a smaller surface area and for short durations. The mesh is thicker and not see-through and they cannot be made to curve.
 
To create a Detonator Grid exactly would need to accommodate all manners of shapes and sizes. MOVING shapes and sizes as well as ensuring that it will not interfere with any weapons or equipment the mech possesses."
 
"I see." Hanse scratched his chin, "Keeping it simple. I assume you are mounting them on vital parts of a 'mech or vehicle?"
 
"That is the intention, my Prince. Theoretically, we can apply the same to vital infrastructure and fortifications."
 
The First Prince looked at the walls of dense bomb-proof concrete. Could it survive orbital bombardment? Could it survive a Dainsleif?
 
"Hanse!"
 
"Ardan?" He turned to a new voice, "Why are you here?"
 
"Looking for you actually." Ardan Sortek held out some papers, "The Junkers have decided to be ahead of the curve."
 
The First Prince took the printouts. They were gathered newsletters for mercantile, technology, and financial interests. Right there in black and white was the name 'Junker Guild' next to listings for the sale of E-Carbon.
Clever. He like Takashi and Max were busy trying to reverse engineer whatever tech Exarch employed. E-Carbon was near the top due to its immediate usefulness. It was not an if but when. Now? They at least made a large profit short term.
 
"They are selling more than that."
 
"...this is a random list of Lostech. Did they spin a roulette wheel or something?"
 
Ardan shrugged, "I don't know, but it is all civilian Lostech. Not even a single PPC. Should we still buy-."
 
"Should we? Of course, we buy it!" Hanse exclaimed, "Every piece of lostech we have is another piece of the puzzle."
 
"By necessity, reverse engineering is one of our specialties." Banzai spoke up, "But the lack of military Lostech outside of dual-use products is glaring."
 
"My sentiments exactly." Hanse scratched his chin, as he continued to read, "...a severe drop in the demand for arms imports and mercenary services in the area of the former Hegemony."
 
"The war is mostly over." Ardan pointed out.
 
"It could also mean they are building up their own fighting force and that they have the infrastructure to supply it.."
 
"Junker's labor pool and resources are not unlimited." Banzai spoke, "They must have some level of manufacturing outside of the Ptolemaios."
 
He made a note to speak with the Aurigans. With Federated-Boeing by his side, there was no better chance to duplicate the Argo than the original designers. A Davion Ptolemaios sounded promising.
 
New tactics and strategies bubbled up in his mind revolving around deployable mobile space bases but it disappeared the moment he saw his friend's concerned face.
 
"Whether Exarch is the SLDF or not he is a wildcard... I don't like this, Hanse."
 
"Neither do I." He admitted, "But we deal with the hand we have and not what we want. The Archon's sending people to the rim and I'll have our own to tag along to represent FedSuns interests. God willing they make some sense of whatever is going on over there..."
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===Brooding on Sian===
Throne Room, Forbidden City
Sian, Capellan Confederation
December 3025
Tormano remained a disappointment. Maximilian had given his third-born a chance and yet the CCAF Expedition arrived AFTER the war had been won. No glory to speak of. No loot to parade as trophies.
 
He dismissed his failure of his son. Fine. He would let that boy stay in the Periphery. He would let him rot until he had need of him. Tormano and his family for all the Chancellor cared.
 
At the very least the CCAF returned with some items of value. The Shrike Flight Units would benefit his mech forces that leaned lighter than other Successor States. More complete and functional Junker-tech was taken from involved Mercenaries through bribery or coercion. Worlds now freed of that mockery of Rome would remember that House Liao, not Marik, or the Exarch had arrived to help them first. The fact that it was excess supplies MEANT for a campaign to CONQUER them that never was, was never mentioned.
 
He may have not gotten his puppet state but the seeds of Liao influence were sown. Despite the Free Worlds League's advantageous position.
 
If Tormano didn't ruin things between them and the Junkers Guild then he would be tolerated. Should the Guild turn against House Liao? Well ... he would have one less annoyance to deal with.
 
Before him was his court. To his left were the lapdogs of his daughter Candace and to his right the pawns of his daughter Romano.
 
Neither side spoke. They knew when to speak. Or else.
 
With the throne room silent as the grave he watched the recordings of the Junker-Marian War and the immediate aftermath as the Junker-led coalition hunted down the last Principles and Legates before they became nascent warlords.
 
It was near the tail-end of 'shared' Battle ROMs that they saw confirmation of sorts: Tierens and Aries. Plural.
 
They were in the employ of the Junker Guild only, but it was clear that such powerful Battlemechs weren't individual creations. There were variants.
 
A Tieren Anti-air model with a gun turret for a head and a massive rotary cannon on the arm to go with its multiple SAM launchers. The sheer amount of firepower could turn away the lighter end of Dropships by itself.
 
Another Tieren with the insanity to replace the head with a Long Tom anchored itself to the ground, firing shell after shell at a frightening speed.
 
A lanky flightless mech visually similar to the Aries filled the majority of the new Junker Lances while a squat cousin with hover units and shoulder cannons provided fire support.
 
They were altogether few compared to the large number of familiar Battlemechs the Guild employed but they hinted that somewhere the Junkers had a factory. No cobbled-together design looked the same as another. Each and every one of the new Mechs was uniform in shape with no wear to speak of.
 
"The Exarch rules a nation in all but name with technology never before seen." He spoke, "It stands to reason that the mighty Capellan Confederation would rightfully acquire this technology for itself. How then, my ministers and advisers, do we do so?"
 
What followed was pageantry trying to inflate Max's ego. Some wanted to claim it by right of arms, the strong over the weak. Others said that House Liao's wealth and prestige was enough. Many claimed that the Maskirovka could claim it covertly.
 
Itinerant 'Pirates' would always plague the Periphery and the Junkers Guild could not be everywhere.
 
Even the backwater planets would not turn down the money and resources of a Great House. Unlike the Lyrans and Mariks, he had no qualms or caveats to who he dealt with.
 
Maskirovka's role was obvious. They were already embedded in the expedition gathering information as the various court bootlickers spoke. It was how the Shrikes now being reverse-engineered for mass production got into his hands.
 
All three then. The Chancellor thought.
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===A Warrior should be ever vigilante to change===
Training Fields, Imperial Palace
Luthien, Draconis Combine
December 3025
SAFE, LIC, MIIO, Maskirovka, and what stood for spies of the Periphery states descended upon the former Marian Hegemony.
 
Right behind them was the ISF. Learning from their mistakes and claiming prizes that their rivals fell over trying to acquire.
 
One of them being automation.
 
The round spherical computers used by the Exarch were not purpose-built like so much Star League technology. It was general-purpose, capable of doing multiple tasks efficiently, not perfectly. But if Coordinator Takashi Kurita cared for perfection then he would have died an obsessive like his father.
 
Before him in the training fields of the Imperial Palace he watched maneuvers being played out. With the DCMS doctrine of aggression and a focus on Lights meant that Shrikes and 'Hovermech' technology both appealed to their way of war.
 
So the two different schools of thought were tested. Repeatedly. A Panther-Jenner Lance with salvaged Shrike Units was matched against a Dragon and a Charger refit with hover technology of various configurations.
 
"There are better ways to test this." His companion pointed out.
 
"I must see things for myself cousin. Unlike yourself."
 
Chandrasekhar 'Chandy' Kurita was a man whom Takashi banished from Luthien years before for his excessive hedonism. For now, the Coordinator tolerated the man's presence. Chandy may have reveled in debauchery but his business empire was the largest in the Combine.
"As you say." Chandy mused, "But we are both busy men. I have my Business Empire and you? Well ... You have an actual Empire to manage. So there must be something that The Dragon asks of me. Besides the general-purpose computer, you wanted my people built."
 
Compared to the colorful 'Haros' used by the Junkers Guild the drab plastic box laid in front of Takashi was underwhelming.
 
"The Combine asks its people much in the name of the Dragon and victory. The Mustered Soldiery has the first pick of all of the Combine's products. The peasants toil to ensure that my warriors are always ready to fight."
"So you wish to lighten the burden of the commoners? I never thought you had a soft heart."
 
Takashi snorted, "No, but I have better uses for them than mindless button pushing."
In front of them on a holotable, a Charger weaved through simulated PPC fire, causing the Panthers to flee. Meanwhile, two Jenners circled the Dragon like angry bees and strafed it just beyond it's reach.
...then one of the Jenner's duct fans stalled and it fell to the ground; it was soon followed by the Charger's leg tripping over a rock, causing the underarmed assault to spin out of control and crash.
 
Takashi sighed, "We have much work to be done."
 
"We must start somewhere." his cousin spoke, "Whoever is behind The Exarch is powerful. And it will not stand for the Combine to chase trends. Or dwell over breadcrumbs."
 
"I am not blind. The reforms my son desires ... and you promote are things I have had to consider in length."
 
"And? What does the Dragon say?"
 
"I will tolerate an 'experiment'. No warrior should be complacent."
The Jenner stood up on shaky legs. The Mechwarrior in question purged his Shrike unit ready to battle an agile Dragon. The Charger stood back, feet digging into the earth as it faced two Panthers.
 
"...lest he ends up dead."
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Chapter 12