TBntG-3 Chpt 25

=The Bull and the Genie=
==Chapter 25 - Book III - The Clan Invasion==
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==Nightfall==
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===Unexpected Raiders===
New Oslo, Clan Occupation Zone (former Free Rasalhague Republic)
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New Oslo was one of the more important worlds in the shared Wolf and Ghostbear zone, with an existing Battlemech factory that the Clans had quickly adapted to produce second line 'mechs for their defensive forces. Above it, a web of docks and fabrication plans were busy churning out the pocket warships and transports needed to ensure that the new enclave was not destroyed.
It was also a statement. The Clans were not withdrawing, most notably these clans, and as such, several Warships were situated both in orbit and in position to quickly jump to any attacking force.
 
Still, when the Tramp class Jumpship appeared, there was a delay. The force was too small to even consider attacking New Oslo, and there was abundant trade, even between technically hostile borders. A single squadron of pocket warships was detailed to meet and board the vessels, ordering them to come to a zero-zero vector well short of the world.
 
But the three Mule Cargo Dropships did not respond, and in fact, continued to accelerate.
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 Nightlord Class Assault Carrier, Kerensky's Promise.
"Star Admiral," the technician pointed at the drive plumes. "If they continue accelerating like this they will be unable to come to a zero-zero vector to the planet, or even achieve orbit. They will either whip by it, or impact it."
Star Admiral Timas Devon frowned. When Revival had begun, it had been assumed that short of Frederick's plans, warships would be secondary. That had been proven false and only a fool discounted how dangerous the spheroids could be.
 
"How much damage?"
 
"Much, but…" The tech frowned. "They will not get there. Those are three Mules, and our parasites will smash them well short of the world."
 
"Any communications?"
 
"Neg."
 
"Any other hostile jumps?"
 
"Neg."
 
Timas leaned back and rubbed his chin. This was peculiar. This was damned peculiar. The Draconis Combine had fallen far, worse than the other scavenger lords in his opinion, although he might be influenced by the words of the people on the world below, but…
 
They weren't stupid. Why throw three Mules into a fight that would destroy them.
 
"Prepare a second wave of fighters, just in case they get past the first units."
 
"Aff."
 
Sometimes things moved slowly, sometimes things moved quickly. This was slow.
 
It would be hours before they contacted the first force.
 
But why? Why not jump in at a pirate point? And they're still accelerating. They have no hope of evading our forces…
 
"Star Admiral, the enemy is spreading out… And spinning?" The tech frowned.
Spinning? The extra centrifugal forces would make combat more difficult…
 
Something was tickling the back of his mind. Not anything that had happened in the Homeworlds, or during the war against the Usurper… Something… Something in their intelligence packets about how the Inner Sphere had fought during the…
 
A cold feeling filled Timas' heart as he called up the information. Then he was on the radio. "Go to maximum acceleration! Destroy those ships as quickly as you can! All other ships, maximum active scanners, on those ships and anything else around them!"
 
"Star Admiral?"
 
"It is a tactic of the Succession Wars. They are spinning to deploy sub-munitions on a course for the world, but because they already have their vector imparted by the mother ship, they do not have to use their own engines and they can be cooled down—made difficult to see!"
 
"I—" the technician said nothing else as the screens, now benefiting from the full power of a Nightlord's active sensors on a narrow bearing showed the three ships… and a fuzzy halo objects around them.
 
"Multiple objects, possibly as many as 200!" the technician said.
 
"The second wave is to decelerate immediately!" Timis said. "Their focus is on those projectiles. Give them the best target data we can." 
 
But they are spreading out and even if they are only using chemical thrusters, the second squadron was expecting to engage fighters, not… this. They could be conventional. Please. Great Father. Let them be conventional.
 
"Get me all other ships. Planetary militia is to prepare for a WMD attack, any who cannot evacuate the cities in… 48 hours are to seek shelter. Send via HPG to all forces—under possible strategic WMD attack."
 
The other spaceborn commanders came up, the Ghost Bear squadron, space station commanders, and a Smoke Jaguar Star Admiral of a cruiser.
 
At any other time, Timas would have enjoyed the way his obnoxiously arrogant face went gelid with shock as he informed the others of what was heading for the world, but he knew his face looked the same, as did the others.
 
"Star Admiral, a broadcast from the lead Mule, wide band."
 
<<"For those who invade the Dragon, death awaits. For those who have betrayed the Dragon, the end of their family lines await!">> Moments later, the first squadron interpenetrated with the Mules…and the three ships would never be talking to anyone, ever again.
 
The squadron verified the presence of the other projectiles and killed a few, before they were beyond range, Newtonian mechanics ensuring they would play no further role in the conflict.
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===Act of MadMen===
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The Clans knew where the projectiles had come from and where they had to go. Wings of Aerospace Fighters spread out, with small craft providing fuel and life support to bring them back, while the larger ships moved forward, in a staggered formation to give the most chances to fire on the attackers.
 
Beneath them, New Oslo was given over to evacuations, with ground troops dedicated to keeping the trains and buses moving out of the cities.
 
Three hundred. There would be no safe place.
 
But then the first wave moved through and Timas felt hope. A number, perhaps a majority of the projectiles were iron slugs. At the speed they were moving, they would destroy city blocks, but a world was a large target. A few others were missiles—and the Draconis Combine's decoys helped the clans. If you shot something with a laser and it didn't fragment, it wasn't a real missile, but a hunk of iron. Naval Lasers and PPCs opened up, along with capital ship missiles from the big warships, as the small DropShips, fighters and small craft joined in.
 
The projected number of enemy targets started to go down.
 
Hurry. The evacuation on the planet had stopped. The first weapons would be landing in a few hours, and now it was time to take shelter in basements and subway stations… And hope.
 
Then the warheads were past his force, rear mounted weapons firing on them, heedless of the danger to the world. The point defense systems on the ship yards, and local defense units added their fire.
 
"Impact. Confirmed conventional KE." The video showed it— an apartment building vanishing in an explosion that tossed cars like wind-driven leaves.
 
Yes. Maybe we got them—
 
"Nuclear detonation, outskirts of Lillehammer…" the technician's voice was leached of all emotion. "Confirming yield…"
 
"Yes? Confirm yield, technician!"
 
"Fifty megatons."
 
"Fifty… megatons?"
 
"Aff. High radiation. It was a ground detonation."
 
So less immediate damage than an airburst, but more fallout. "Continue targeting any other weapons."
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Four hours later it was over. No less than 9 of what was estimated to be over forty nukes, along with 30 kinetic energy weapons had struck the world. Three of the nine were fifty megaton devices. The others were three megaton asset management weapons.
 
"Prepare a report for the HPG. Send to… The Khan and High Council. We do not have verified numbers but…" Timas stared at the world's globe, vast plumes of smoke rising from Lillehammer and several other murdered cities. "…Deaths and casualties are likely to be high. I request all possible aid."
 
Part of him wanted to burn the madmen in the Combine but…
 
Three DropShips could have murdered a world if not for our presence, and you can build thousands of nuclear weapons for the cost of my warship. How can we attack if we must stay here?
 
Timas had always been a Crusader but…
 
Is there something about the Inner Sphere that drives men mad?
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===Emergency Message Traffic===
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EMERGENCY HPG TRANSMISSION (classified: eyes only).
FROM: NORNIAN TSENG 
 
TO: FREDERICK
The Clans have need of your special skills, Frederick. You have produced several miracles.
We have need of another.
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FLASH FLASH FLASH
TO: ALL COMMANDS.
FROM: UMC COMMAND, CINC CHENG
 
AT THIS POINT THE DRACONIS COMBINE APPEARS TO BE IN A STATE OF CIVIL WAR. THE COORDINATOR IS DEAD, AND THERE HAVE BEEN ATTACKS ON HIS HEIRS. THERE HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED REPORTS OF ATTACKS ON LOYALIST UNITS WITHIN THE COMBINE.
 
THERE HAVE BEEN UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OF THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST CIVILIANS WITHIN THE COMBINE, AS WELL AS MASS EXECUTIONS. ALL MAJOR HPG STATIONS ARE NO LONGER RESPONDING TO OUTSIDE QUERIES.
 
IN ADDITION, THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST TWO CONFIRMED ATTACKS ON CLAN FORCES WITH WMDS. MORE ATTACKS MAY HAVE OCCURRED, BUT THESE HAVE USED STRATEGIC, RPT, STRATEGIC YEILD WEAPONS.
 
THE FOLLOWING ORDERS ARE ISSUED:
 
1. UNITS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH DCMS UNITS ARE TO CONSIDER THEM POTENTIALLY HOSTILE. NO MATTER THE PREVIOUS RANK OR ORGANIZATION, ANY DCMS COMMANDS ARE TO BE IGNORED UNLESS CONFIRMED BY UMC HIGH COMMAND.
 
2. ANY DCMS WARSHIP OR DROPSHIP APPROACHING A NEUTRAL OR FRIENDLY PLANET IS TO BE STOPPED AND BOARDED TO ENSURE THEY ARE NOT CARRYING WMDS. LETHAL FORCE IS AUTHORIZED. RPT. LETHAL FORCE IS AUTHORIZED.
 
3. ANY WORLDS REPORTING UNUSUAL ILLNESSES ARE TO BE IMMEDIATELY QUARANTINED. WHILE THERE IS CURRENTLY NO EVIDENCE THAT THE DCMS IS UTILIZING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS, SUCH WEAPONS HAVE BEEN USED IN THE PAST BY THE COMBINE.
 
4. ALL PLANNED CLAN OFFENSIVES ARE CANCELED, RPT CANCELLED. CLAN FORCES ARE ONLY TO BE ENGAGED IN SELF DEFENSE.
 
5. SHOULD DCMS FORCES ATTEMPT TO UTILIZE WMD'S AGAINST CLAN OCCUPIED WORLDS, ANY FORCES PRESENT ARE TO OFFER THEIR SERVICES AND TAKE ALL MEASURES CONSISTANT WITH THE PROTECTION OF THEIR OWN FORCES, TO PROVIDE PROTECTION AND RELIEF FOR CIVILIAN POPULATIONS.
 
6. ANY FRIENDLY DCMS UNITS, AFTER BEING EXAMINED, WILL BE PROVIDED REFUGE WHILE THEIR FUTURE STATUS IS DETERMINED.
 
SIGNED:
 
CINC MARY CHENG
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TO: ALL FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH COMMANDS:
 
DEFENSE STATE RAGNORAK IS HEREBY DECLARED. ALL FORCES ARE TO PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF THE USE OF WMDS AGAINST FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH FORCES AND CIVILIANS.
 
NO FORCE IS TO INITIATE COMBAT, BUT NO ATTACKS AGAINST FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH WORLDS ARE TO BE TOLERATED.
 
THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
 
RPT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
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I never thought I'd miss Takashi. (side note found in the copy of the orders written by Hanse Davion).
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===Rallying the Spooks===
ComStar HQ Hilton's Head - Terra, Sol Star System
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"Right, we pay ROM the big bucks. So find out what the fuck is going on, who the fuck is doing it, and most importantly; How many of those old nightmares the Star League came up with they have. 
Meanwhile, I want everyone in biotechnology telling me what they can cure and what they can't, because I'm not going to assume they're sticking with the little bang-bangs."
 
"Also, if your covert people can arrange as many cases of death for these monsters, I might consider raises. Let's get working people, it looks like it's Apocalypse O'clock again."
 
Note from the Primus of Comstar to the Director of ROM.
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Book 3 - 25