BoTH Chpt 58

==Blood on the Horizon - Chapter 58 -==
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===Attempting Please the one we Pay===
Location: Valexa, Federated SunsDate: March 26th, 3006
"Captain Green-Davion," I knocked on the office door that the officer had commandeered, gently pushing it open when I received no answer after a few minutes of knocking. 
 
What I found on the other side of the door made me smile a bit. Sometime in the night, she had buried her head in the crook of her elbow. There were stacks of combat reports, the resupply documents that we had submitted to the AFFS, and the Comstar reports she had picked up. 
 
I turned around and left the office, closing the door gently behind me and heading for the mess hall. Some more coffee would be most welcome in this situation. 
 
"What's the word on our supplies, boss?" Captain Rose asked me. "Naomi's chomping at the bit to get some more vehicles fixed up, and the Phoenix can only produce so much at once."
 
"I'm picking up some coffee for Captain Green-Davion now," I gestured with my hand towards the pot of coffee. "You want to come with?"
 
"Nah," the short woman shook her head. "I scheduled morning PT for the company, so I need to be there too."
 
"Right," I agreed. "Well, I'll let you know when I have updates on the supplies you need."
 
"Whelp, I've got my coffee now. See ya around, boss," she turned and walked off, the reflective yellow of a PT belt slung over her shoulder like a sash.
 
"Hey! I thought I got rid of those!" I called out as she left.
 
"Not all of 'em!" she laughed as she exited. 
 
"Fucking PT belts." I swore. 
 
Grabbing a tray, I grabbed what I needed and returned to the office where the good captain was sleeping. 
 
When I knocked on the door this time, there was a response. 
 
"Come in," her muffled voice responded.
 
"Did you stay up all night going over the reports?" I asked, opening the door with my foot and showing off the coffee I had. 
 
"Coffee?" She ignored the question, her eyes drawn to the liquid gold I was holding. "Christ, but you're a Godsend."
 
She eagerly grabbed one of the paper cups and dumped a sugar packet into it before pouring the coffee. A smile graced her face, and a happy sigh left her lips as she sipped the hot liquid. 
 
"You guys have the good stuff," she smiled, cradling the cup as if I were going to take it from her. "The AFFS doesn't provide good coffee."
 
"I spend extra to make sure we get good food and drinks," I shrugged as I sat and poured my cup. "It makes for a much happier and more satisfied unit after all."
 
"Well, I'm sure you want to know how I'm going to progress your suit," She said, finishing her first cup and pouring another. "So, I'm going to lay out the plan for you now."
 
She sipped at her second cup for a minute before continuing.
 
"All of your records are in order, and I've also reviewed your internal reports and the Battleroms that you submitted to Comstar. Normally, this is also when I would ask for the reports of the local March militia unit, but I reviewed what General Fren and her staff submitted on the dropship in."
 
"And the plan is?" I raised my eyebrow.
 
"The Governor has massively overstepped his bounds. I'll instruct the local March Militia to seize and turn over the supplies. Then, I'll communicate directly with the local Duke. While the governor is an elected official, he's massively overstepped his boundaries and has put not only Valexa at risk but also the entire Capellan March. As a result, he will face a military tribunal at worst and a civilian court made up of locals in the best-case scenario for him. "
 
"I wouldn't go that far," I replied. "He just shorted us some supplies. We'd have made do without 'em in the end, though."
 
"You misunderstand me," her green eyes seemed carved out of solid jade for a moment. "The AFFS takes this sort of shit seriously. Because the last time we failed a mercenary unit this badly, it led to McCarron's Armored Cavalry departing Federated Suns space and eventually ending in them serving the Capellan Confederation."
 
She paused for me to catch up and continued drinking her coffee.
 
"The Federated Suns is invested in ensuring that our mercenaries are satisfied with working with us because if we fail, it might lead to enemies that are set on brutalizing our citizens."
 
"Now," She stood up, slammed down the rest of her coffee, and grabbed her cover. "I need a ride to General Fren's office."
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===Corruption is Everywhere===
Location: Valexa, Federated SunsDate: April 5th, 3006
Corruption wasn't something that people often saw or considered in the Federated Suns. However, something to remember is that corruption isn't a unique feature of any particular ideology, government, race, or creed. Corruption will exist anywhere that people are present, and one of the most satisfying things in all human existence is seeing someone who had grown mighty off of falsehood and treachery brought low.
 
 After we had taken Captain Green-Davion to the local March militia's base, things had moved swiftly. MIIO and DMI seemed to have been gathering a dossier on this particular governor due to suspicions about how his opponents had withdrawn from the elections. And it had all come down to money. 
 
The Governor had made a deal with the Capellan Confederation. They funded his campaign, helped him uncover blackmail, and threatened any opposition he faced in the election.
 
And for the last few years, that had been it. The governor basically continued the policies of the last administration until the raid. Only a few minor things stood out, such as his appointing new heads of departments that had been doing quite well beforehand.
 
That's when the local MASK members took control. Their goal was to sabotage the relationship between the Federated Suns mercenary defenders and the official armed forces. Unfortunately for them, we had done our job a little too well. The local MASK units couldn't entirely build that great rift between the Marksman and the AFFS until after the operation had been completed. 
 
But none of that impacted my enjoyment of watching a man who had messed with my people be carted off in cuffs to a DMI and MIIO black site to never be seen again. 
 
"So, due to the potential damages that might have been caused, we're opening the coffers and shaking loose some of the supply chain," Captain Green-Davion said, handing me a sealed envelope. The scrip in here's good for about a company of medium combat vehicles or a lance of Medium 'Mechs. But you'll have to get the spare parts the usual way."
 
"Thanks for your help," I shook her hand. "Always good to meet competent officers."
 
"No," she shook her head. "Thank you for protecting Valexa when our own would not. "That said, I won't be able to stick around. I have to do a lot of work, and I've got to report to HIGHCOM. Let them know that we avoided disaster."
 
"Regardless, thanks for being willing to put the effort into a new unit like ours. It makes all the difference."
 
"As long as you don't end up working for the Dracs or Capellans, we'll call it even." she smirked. "Have a good day, Major Hull. Enjoy the win."
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Chapter 58