Chapter 46[]
Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War[]
Prologue, Book 2, The Hammer Falls
Kurita in Heart of Mount Davion[]
Fox's Den
New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth
June 15th, 3057
Lieutenant Colonel Parvati glanced over at her ’aide’ as they cleared the checkpoint and the armored hatch irised open deep under Mount Davion. “Don’t worry, everyone has these moments their first time in the Den, Agent Tanaka.”
Beside her, clad in the uniform of an AFFC officer with no rank insignia, Omiko Kurita nodded as they headed down the passage. Her face was impassive save for a sheen of sweat on her brow as for the first time in the history of the Federated Suns, a Kurita entered the nerve center of House Davion’s military machine.
Presently they came to a door marked with an alphanumeric stencil. ‘MI2SECCONF-083J’. Here they halted and watched by multiple security cameras, presented palmprint and iris scans for authentication. The door unlocked and they stepped inside.
Inside was a sterile conference room with a coffee and tea bar on one wall, a dozen seats around a holotable and a security panel.
“Tea?” Parvati asked.
Omi nodded as she disarmed the self-destruct device on her briefcase and began to remove datachips. “Tea, please.”
She nodded thanks to Parvati as a steaming mug with a cartoon fox digging a burrow was placed in front of her. She sipped it and made a face. “Irony. According to Father, the tea in the Black Room was atrocious and could peel paint from his battlemechs with its strength. I suppose that the Davions buy their tea from the same plantations then to use in their secure headquarters.”
Parvati laughed as the door opened again to reveal Tancred Sandoval in his general’s uniform. “I have no doubt that your tea was purchased from the lowest bidder too.”
Tancred looked over at Omi as he made himself a mug of coffee and then moved to sit across from her as she finished inputting her data. “I must ask, what prompted your change of heart?”
Omi looked the Sandoval heir in the eyes, Kurita steel-blue meeting Sandoval dark brown as their wills clashed. “My nation is in its death agonies, Sandoval-san, and whatever survives this war will be a pale shadow of our past glories. There shall be no winners, no honor, and no glory from the madness between my cousin and my half-brother, not anymore. Only survivors and the dead, just as in the Succession Wars under Jinjiro Kurita. All I can do now is act to minimize the suffering for those who my family has ruled for centuries; to fulfill a ruler’s obligation toward his subjects and the demands of Honor before those fighting over the Dragon’s corpse destroy all they touch. I wish it were otherwise, but wishing does not make it so. If my wishes bore fruit, I would still have my family with me, or at least be able to mourn at the graves of my father, mother, and brothers who have gone before me.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them to speak quietly and bitterly, “Congratulations on your victory. The Yellow Bird has defeated the Dragon at last. Shikata ga nai.”
With that she flipped a switch and a holomap of the Combine appeared, showing the best estimates that the remnants of the Order of Five Pillars had on the positions, strengths, and loyalties of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. Sandoval inserted his own datachip and blue units began to gather along the stripped-clean border of the Combine.
- Story section by Yellowhammer
Desperate gambit against dying Clan[]
Nadir Jump Point
Xinyang, Xinyang Prefecture
Benjamin Military District, Draconis Combine
June 16th, 3057
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Black Lion-Class Battlecruiser, Streaking Mist
“Jump signature inbound!”
Tai-sa Samuel Lepke of the Fifteenth Benjamin Regulars looked over at the sensor operator. “Another one of our jumpships?”
“Negative, sir! It’s massive, estimate in the three quarters of a million megaton range!”
The commander blanched at the news, since there was only one thing that it could be.
Warship…
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Potemkin Class Troop Cruiser, Osis Pride
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Achilles Class Dropship
“General signal to all ships, emergency undock from JumpShips, battle stations! Launch all ASFs, and stand by to engage enemies! Honor the Dragon!”
Fifteen minutes later, the Black Lion class Battlecruiser, CSJ Streaking Mist led the remnants of the Smoke Jaguar Touman into the system to claim the desperately-needed supply dumps that one of their newly captured bondsmen had reported were present.
Seventeen minutes after the alert had sounded, Sho-sa Peter Yoshuka rammed the newly arrived Potemkin class Troop cruiser CSJ Osis’ Pride amidships with his Achilles Assault DropShip at maximum thrust, sparking a series of explosions that gutted the ship.
Twenty-eight minutes after the battle began, the CSJ Streaking Mist began to burn toward Xinyang at the .75G that she was now barely capable of, while trailing air from her wounds.
None of the Fifteenth Benjamin survived to oppose the Jaguars. Not any longer.
- Story Section by Yellowhammer
Deep in enemy terroritory[]
Caeme Falls
Yuris, Capellan Confederation
June 17th, 3057
The LRRP team had been out for five days, and had done little more than spend their time dodging Capellan infantry and helicopter patrols for most of the patrol. So far, they hadn’t seen more than the Home Guard, but they’d seen evidence of Capellan ‘Mechs about, as they’d found tracks and remains of FARPs all over their patrol AO, but so far, they hadn’t actually seen a single Capellan ‘Mech.
And this was beginning to get on Corporal Ander’s nerves. That, and that weird thing Pappy did with his damn lower bridge. Sounded like a dancing skeleton. And the ****** thinks it’s a laugh riot. He’ll get us all killed because of that stupid lower bridge of his. He isn’t fit to be out here. Can’t be quiet enough to do the job. But, the rest of the lads trust him. So, I gotta trust him.
And sure enough, Pappy, also known as Private Les Winningham, was expertly scanning his sector with his Federated Light Machine Gun, his assistant gunner, Private Danni Lesko, was behind him, and a little low to the left, the entire patrol was at a listening halt. Daylight was waning in the sky, and the setting sun cast everything in a red-orange hue, making everything seem on fire. It would be beautiful, if not for the circumstances.
Anders looked again at the rest of his squad, and passed another hand and arm signal to set out, slow, then pointed an azimuth that paralleled a trail up the looming hill ahead. It was some 100 meters to the left of the falls, and the falls were loud enough to make it hard to think, let alone hear. Shit this would be a damn good place for an ambush. A real good place.
The walk up the hill was challenging, as the hill had a gentle, but steady grade, but the 40-50 kilogram loads the LRRPs were carrying, plus the fact they’d already covered close to 40 kilometers already was conspiring to make the climb far harder than it would be normally. The squad was tired, and all most of it could focus on was the next step, let alone their sectors. They tried, oh they tried, and discipline warred with sheer exhaustion.
It was inevitable that the second man in the file missed the whine of an actuator. The poor private, a replacement from Archenar, didn’t miss being torn apart by half a dozen .50 caliber rounds as tracers reached out to him from a position some 200 meters in front of him as a bird-like shape rose from the hilltop like a moss covered pre-historic monster, belching fire and death.
Anders screamed “SCATTER!” as he snapped off a long burst at the ‘Mech. It was a Locust, but the attached foliage made it impossible to tell which Capellan unit they were a part of. The LRRPs expertly executed a “break contact peel”, each emptying a magazine or belt into the advancing ‘Mech. But it didn’t matter, as it shrugged off most of the small arms file like the buzzing of flies. Pappy soon went down as he stopped to fire on the Locust with a V-LAW. A beam of light from the ‘Mech’s torso soon connected killer and victim, and Pappy simply ignited like kindling, not even having had enough time to scream.
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The unit did its best to try to hold off the monster in their midst, but it was useless. If you stopped, you were dead, and if you didn’t, you couldn’t do anything substantial to stop it. The four survivors of the squad half ran and half tumbled down the hill, and that’s when another monster rose from the forest on their right. It was of a different shape, more humanoid, and less alien, but just as large, and just as faceless. Another beam of light shot out and blew Cho, the squad’s radio operator to ash. Her scream was cut like a knife. Ander’s mind snapped, he hit the quick release on his ruck and took off at a dead run, machine gun rounds tearing apart the ground all around him as he ran, to get as far from the monsters as he could. He was so intent on running he missed the large branch that hung low in front of him, the one that he ran into full force, and knocked himself unconscious.
Seven hours later, he was the only survivor of First Squad, LRRP Company, 41st Avalon Hussars RCT. He wouldn’t manage to report in for three additional days, and by then, all of the FC forces on Yuris already knew what Anders knew. The Capellans had been reinforced by the Metal Phalanx Mercenary Battalion, and Warrior House Diadachi.
Humanity Aide from the Periphery[]
Government House
Samantha, Taurian Concordat
June 19th, 3057
The view from the portico was beautiful this time of year, as summer came into full bloom on Taurus, but the mood of the two men discussing the future of their nation was anything but. In fact, it was one of those discussions that tended to change the fates of nations, but the participants, like most of those discussions, weren’t aware of that. To them, it was a bitter disagreement over policy. A third man, resplendent in his Marshal’s uniform, simply stood aside, and observed the discussion. One man, the Protector of the Realm, had his back to both men, as he gripped the rail of the portico in sheer frustration with the insufferable stubbornness of one of his vassals.
“So, these are the people you wanted us to enter into an alliance with, Grover?” Jeffrey Calderon’s face was one of mirthless disbelief. Glad I have my back to Shraplen, he’d lose it if he saw how just plain idiotic I truly think he is. He, like so many others, had simply shaken his head at the events of the past eighteen months, and was simply trying to ensure his small nation managed to stay alongside, let alone ahead of events.
“You know as well as I do, once the Davions are done with the Capellans, they will start with-” Grover Shraplen’s face was red with a mix of frustration and anger. He cannot fathom the threat that family presents to the future of the Concordat. And that threat must be brought to heel.
Calderon waved his hand in dismissal. “Who, with us? Really? It seems the Davions had damn good reasons to be done with the Capellans, Grover. Or does committing terrorist atrocities not count in your mind because the victims happen to be Davions? Hell, your little idea to ally with that lunatic as a counterbalance with the Commonwealth would have embroiled us in this war by default. And what would that have meant for the future of the Concordat then?”
“A future for our nation, my lord. A secure one!” Shraplen said, almost shouting at his liege.
“Right”, Calderon responded, prolonging his pronunciation of the “i” to express his extreme skepticism of the idea. He exhaled in frustration. “Marshal Doru? What would this little adventure have cost us in your estimation?”
Marshal Doru came to attention, acting almost as a child called on in class. His gravelly voice almost coughed to life “The word you are looking for, Lord Shraplen, is ‘everything’. We’d have Davion troops on Taurus inside of a year. Assuming we didn’t exercise the final option. Which frankly, I am not eager to do so.”
Jeffrey shook his head. “Neither am I, Marshal Doru. Neither am I. Lord Shraplen, you will dismiss the Capellan delegation forthwith, and send them home. I am not going to enter into any more agreements as long as that lunatic Sun-Tzu is on the throne. I suspect their diplomats might not have a nation to represent much longer in any case. Marshal Doru, what is our intelligence estimates about conditions on Rollis?”
Marshal Doru’s eyes widened in response as the question his liege lord asked was nothing short of unexpected.“Um…the latest estimate from the TMI Diplomatic Corps and the Analysis branch that has been made available to us is ‘bad going on worse'. Widespread famine, political instability, and conditions rife for revolution, if the Mask wasn’t in charge.”
“I see, and wasn’t Rollis part of our realm at one point?” Calderon probed
“Yes, but not since the Reunification War. Sir, I don’t-” Marshal Doru had a bit of worry creeping into his voice, wary of committing Taurian troops to any foreign adventure.
Jeffrey smiled as he turned to face both men. “Marshal Doru, I simply intend to intervene on Rollis for humanitarian reasons. I mean, with the Confederation collapsing, we would be forced to protect ethnic Taurians from the excesses of a Capellan government gone mad?”
“That’s pretty thin, sire.” Marshal Doru stated.<br
“As a sheet of rice paper, Marshal Doru, but Rollis has enough potential GDP through its lumber industry alone to make the Concordat quite rich. And, I suspect the garrison would prefer an offer to join the TDF than face the enraged Davions.” Calderon smiled as a mischievous look crossed his face.
“But sire, the Davions would take it as a slap in the face!” Shraplen exclaimed. “We’d bring them here!”
“No they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t care. As long as they got Sian, Grand Base, and Menke, the rest could go hang as far as they were concerned. Less for them to occupy.” He turned to Marshal Doru. “Haji, start cutting the orders for the units you think you need to pull this off. Let’s see if we can make this under the guise of a ‘humanitarian intervention.’ And Haji, we run into anything bigger than a Capellan regiment, turn tail and come home. Rollis would be a nice prize, but it wouldn’t be worth the blood in such a case, and we need the TDF to deal with the increase in pirate activity that is sure to when the Confederation falls.”
Doru saluted, and smiled. He hadn’t loved the Capellans much either, and was enjoying this chance to kick them while they were down. “I’ll get my staff on it today, we should be able to have a force there in say, 45 days or so. The TDF’s not mounted an operation like this in a long while. Oh, and Milord?”
“Yes Doru?” Calderon inquired
“Might we ask for Canopean and Aurgian participation in a humanitarian capacity? They do have some assets we don’t, and it would look better all around.” Doru said firmly.
Calderon nodded. “You’re right, Doru. I will instruct the Diplomatic Corps to make the usual entreaties today. I suspect the Canopeans would be in. Not sure about the Aurgians, they’ve been pretty isolationist since that civil war of theirs back in ’25. But plan on them sending some non-combat units.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll get it done.”
A Unpleasant Day In School[]
Ilse Liao Secondary School for Young Women
Sian, Capellan Confederation
June 19th, 3057
Tears shone in the eyes of Mei Wong. She’d been a teacher for 25 years and had served the Capellan state loyally, turning out generations of proper Capellan women prepared to do their service to the state in all walks of life. She glanced around her classroom. It was small, with the desks cramped together around a small heater that barely worked in the winter months. In the summer, the room was near stifling with the windows closed, but the raid wardens had insisted that with the enemy so close to Sian these days, the windows had to remain closed, and taped.
But what she was being asked to teach her girls today? It was madness. She glanced at the “wall of honor.” The wall was a simple corkboard, with black framed photos of former students who had given the “Last full measure for the Capellan State.” They had been old enough. They had volunteered or been properly conscripted at the legal age. This? This is the murder of children. And I am complicit. What kind of monster have I become?
Her morning Capellan History class filed into the room. Their ages were between twelve and fourteen, all were in the school uniform of Liao Green skirts, and silver sweaters, and most of them did the usual things young teen girls did, whispering to each other about the latest gossip. Who liked who, who did what? And how one could break the rules and get away with it. Mei always smiled when she saw this. It’s happy, and normal, and this, what I am being asked to do, it’s not something to be asked of these girls, damn them. Putting half trained girls against Davion ‘Mechs? What in the nine hells justifies this?
She turned towards the ever-present Maskirovka minder sitting in the corner. He was a small, bookish fellow who’d been a semi-permanent shadow for many years. He even had a teaching degree himself, which surprised Mei when he’d first been introduced ten years before. He’d never reported anyone. Usually, he simply cleared his throat, and corrected the behavior with a light touch. Everyone liked “Minder Po,” as he was known affectionately. He often participated as an teacher’s assistant and really helped Mei do her job, but even someone like him. Supposedly so fanatically dedicated to the state, was unnerved by what was to come.
Mei clapped twice. She smiled a weak smile and said “Good Morning Class. Time for our daily devotions to the Chancellor and our beloved state!” A bit of hysteria crept into her voice at the last bit, knowing what was coming.
The class smiled, and bowed in the direction of the Forbidden City.
Mei led the class in the daily devotional:
“I am a Capellan, my citizenship is earned through devoted service. I serve my family, state and the Chancellor himself. I act every day to better these things, even if it may cost me life, or limb. I will act every day to bring ruin to traitors, Davions, and Mariks. This I pledge with my life, and the lives of my family, should I prove unworthy. Long Live the Capellan State!”
The class repeated the mantra half-interested. It had become routine to them by now, and like most teenagers, they already had a healthy mistrust of all things adult. But, growing up in the Confederation, they learned fast the truth of the old saying about being “the nail that stood out.”
“Greetings class, today, we will not be continuing our lesson on the reign of Warex Liao. Today, we have a guest lecturer. Subcommander Rytov is here from the local Home Guard, and he is here to discuss with you ways you can contribute to the defense of the Confederation!”
The rickety door to the classroom opened with a bang, and in stormed in a short, but muscular man, or at least he seemed to be. He wore a standard issue combat dress, neatly pressed, but faded, and threadbare. Mei recognized it from her own time in the CCAF with Stapelton’s Iron Hand on Tikonov, back in the Fourth War. She noticed one could see his reflection in his boots. His visage was frightening, his ears were gnarled remnants of flesh, and his face was badly scarred, with the left sleeve of his uniform empty. His right hand was encased in a black glove, and a black eye patch and missing teeth that made his smile even more horrifying completed an image that made Mei shiver involuntarily.
“Greetings children or should I say soldiers. I never had much use for school.” Rytov’s voice was booming. He was used to being on a parade ground, chivying around the part-time soldiers of the Home Guard on Sian for parades, memorials, and the like. But the medals on his chest suggested he’d seen action with someone and so does that face.
“The Davions are at the door, soldiers. And it is time for you to cast off your youth and do your part for the state that has given you so much, eh? You’ll be like the heroes who gave their all on that wall!” as he pointed with his one good hand at the Wall of Honor. The class was of mixed reactions to this, some giggled, some looked at him with rapt attention, and some looked as if all they wanted to do was bolt from the classroom and run home to their parents. If I could, I’d encourage them all to do so. But the sad part is, I can’t. An order from the Chancellor, is an order from the Chancellor or as my father put it in his native Russian, “Prikaz y Prikaz – Orders are Orders.”
“For the next two hours, we’re going to teach you all we can to kill Davions. They may look tough, but it’s just looks. They will shrink at killing you because you are little girls. We will teach them you are instead, Capellan citizens willing to do their duty for the state!”
20 minutes later
“Good, Tsu Ling. It’s always the smallest they underestimate the most, nice work on that dummy with the bamboo stave!”
Tsu was fourteen, she’d been picked on a lot by the other girls and Mai often had to intervene. Now the state was handing her a bamboo stave, and an improvised shaped charge and telling her to ‘kill five Davions before she died!’ And she was eating it up like candy! Little Tsu was sensitive, wrote poetry about boys and love, not…not this.
“Next!” shouted Rytov.
Au Shang, a gangly girl of fifteen who had done well in track and field came up, she was shaking and crying. She dropped the stave and shook her head. “No, I won’t. I don’t want to die. I won’t do this! I want to go home!”
Rytov grimaced, and produced a small pistol as if by magic, and put it to Shang’s head.
“One chance, girl. Pick up the stave or die right here.”
She continued to cry.
Rytov’s pistol spoke once with a sharp retort, and Shang’s body fell like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood poured from the open wound in her head, her life flooding below her in a crimson mess of ichor and brains. Rytov then tucked away the pistol, and turned to the rest of the girls. “That is the price of disobedience from now on; death. You will follow orders with speed and cheer. I give everyone one chance, after that, you will be executed, as well as your families for cowardice in the face of the enemy.”
“Now, anyone else want to be a traitor?” the crowd was as silent as a tomb.
“Alright then, let’s break for lunch while the janitorial staff cleans up the unsightly mess.”
Preparation for the Worse Days to Come[]
Situation Room, Fox’s Den
Mount Davion
New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth
June 20th, 3057
So far, so good, things appear to be on schedule, but Victor did mention ‘nothing ever goes to plan in war or love.’ And damn him, he’s been right about both. Katherine Morgan Steiner Davion was on tent hooks as she gazed intently at the holodisplay as Jackson Davion presented the plans for the second, and hopefully, last phase of ACTIVE PANTHER.
“If all goes according to plan, we should be concluding this operational pause by the middle of July, as we clean up things in Sarna. As of now, for the most part, CCAF units are pulling back across the 3055 border faster than we can catch them in many cases. We aren’t seeing a lot of mass surrenders, but units are fleeing hard for what they imagine is the safety of the Capellan border. We all know how safe that really is.” There was a chuckle at the last comment from around the room. Jackson had done a great job filling Morgan’s shoes while he was still in a coma on New Syrtis, but his prognosis was a bit grimmer than Victor’s had been. And who is going to tell him about his wife? God, will he want to live after that?
“As for our plans for Sian, we expect our initial landings to occur in late July, and follow on landings soon after. We are planning for a total of 8-10 RCTs to invest Sian once we get going, and we estimate, best case, we will reduce and secure Sian by the end of October. Worst case, end of December. They cannot stop us, but they can run out the clock, and kill a lot of our boys and girls.” Jackson grimaced at that last part.
Katherine shook her head. “Jackson, I know Victor hates me asking, because he always says the worst case predictions never come true? But how bad is worst case in terms of casualties?”
Jackson cleared his throat. “Your Highness, these are rough, but the estimates of our intelligence and medical staff her. In theatre? This is assuming the Capellans fight like we expect they will, plus twenty percent of the civilian populace actually fights as part of these ‘People’s Victory Banner Battalions’ we hear talk of, plus other considerations? The numbers of dead and wounded could top one million.”
“What other considerations, Jackson?” she asked the old man
“Capellan use of WMD.” Jackson said flatly, which led to some of the more junior aides gasping.
“You really think they’d do it, Jackson?” Katherine said, her knees feeling a bit weak at the thought.
“Considering the Combine didn’t hesitate on Luthien when the Smoke Jaguars came? I see no reason to think otherwise when it comes to us.” Jackson told Katherine
“We have anything concrete?” she asked further
“My intelligence staff has seen increased movement and message traffic at a special weapons depot on Sian we keep regular tabs on. Nothing concrete, but no reason to expect that was just some sort of exercise.”
Katherine swore softly. “So, it’s come to this. What’s our response if they nuke our troops, Jackson?”
“We sterilize Sian, and become the damned pariah of the Inner Sphere. Too honestly, we can’t recommend anything less or everybody will nuke our boys and girls.” Jackson grimaced, it was obvious this very thought was keeping him up at night. “Your Highness, the Capellans have had a robust WMD program for centuries. Our experiences during the 4th War on Tall Trees and Wei have shown us that. And we have no reason to believe they won’t use such weapons in an attempt to stave off defeat at a time like this. I might recommend such a thing if our situation was reversed.”
“You’re asking me to sterilize worlds, Jackson. Whole worlds.” told Katherine
Jackson’s eyes bored into Katherine’s “Yes, Ma'am. If it comes to that, I am. And I am sorry. If it comes to that. I will do my duty, and then I will resign. I didn’t join the AFFC to murder billions of people whose only crime was to be born in a nation with a seriously messed up cult of personality in charge. But I will do my duty, Unfinished Book help me.”
Eagles Gather[]
Royal Palace
Dormuth, Marik
Marik, Free Worlds League
June 22nd, 3057
Corrine Marik smiled at how fate had a unique way of revealing itself. “Uncle” may have been a damned imposter, but I think he would have even smiled at the cast of characters I have assembled to save the League. But then again, we seem to be saving the League every decade or so.
The meeting was being held in a little-used drawing room that hadn’t seen use since the Reunification War. It had been swept for bugs by selected agents of SAFE, twice. The agents were selected on one criteria, having a record of not being loyal to her Uncle Paul, the current director. And, once by the dark robed gentleman standing silently in a corner, his head down. Little had been said about him, but he definitely made her other guest very uncomfortable indeed.
She was resplendent in a simple court dress of green, with blue highlights around the sleeves and the sides of the dress, and her face was unmistakable and her bright red hair, cut in a stylish bob completed the look. She was the current Dame of Andurien, Dalma Humphreys.
“Dalma. I know this meeting seems a bit, irregular. But I have some things to discuss with you, things I am not sure I want our Blakist ‘allies’ to be aware of.” A note of sarcasm colored Corrine’s voice as she said the word ‘allies’.
Dalma smiled and stated “Hence this little meeting that officially never happened?”
Corrine nodded. “I’ll deny the hell out of it if you ever speak of it. Of course, SAFE might just have you killed. Right after me, of course.”
Dalma blanched, but said nothing. Part of her couldn’t believe that Paul Marik would have his only child murdered at the whim of a religious cult. Then again, after running into him on Atreus during the opening of Parliament last month, the look in his eyes was nothing short of scary. And worse, he’s the damn director of SAFE now.
“So, Lady Marik, what is your will?” Dalma asked quietly.
“Simple. I think we need to address a future without the Capellan Confederation, or the Blakists. I’ve been trying to thread the needle with regards to both of them, but I think the time I have to do that is rapidly coming to an end. With the FC having counterattacked and threatening Sian itself? I think they’re going to demand I intervene more…directly.”
“And you have no intention of doing so, your highness?” Dalma inquired.
“You’re damned right, Dalma. And that’s where you come in. You might or might not be aware, but my Grandfather had quite significant slush funds set aside for emergencies such as this. The money would be significant to hire several top-flight mercenary units. And furthermore, I will be providing the locations of several lostech caches within the borders of the Duchy of Andurien.”
“To what end, your Highness?” Dalma inquired.
“Simple, I intend for you to act to retake lost worlds from the Capellans before the FedCom gets there. Call it whatever you will. I will have to, of course, make it look like you exceeded your authority, at least until I can make a clean sweep of the damn Blakists, but I think I can manage that with the people I have assisting me, especially this gentleman here.” And get me out of the crosshairs of the Steiner-Davions, I hope. Corrine extended a hand towards the robed gentleman.
“Your highness, I doubt I would get very far in reforming the Defenders before someone would notice.” Dalma stated, the disbelief crossing her face becoming quite pronounced now.
“Then it is a lucky thing I have been releasing a majority of them from custody over the last six months. Should be enough to reform three regiments, they’ll be a bit rusty, but I think you could, with Mercenary support, get a credible force together in ninety days. It’s not like you’re going to be facing the cream of the CCAF, to be honest.”
Dalma nodded. “May I ask who the gentleman is who will be of such assistance in cleaning out the Blakists, and their friends?”
Corrine nodded, and the figure lowered the hood of his robe.
Dalma’s mouth dropped in shock. He can’t be alive. They all died during the coup!
Paul Masters smiled at Dalma, his once pristine looks marred by an ugly scar running down the right side of his face. “We have some debts to collect from the Blakists. And they made the rules of this contest, Lady Humpreys. You do your part, and we will happily do ours. We will make their landhold on Gibson a parking lot when we are finished.” Paul Masters smiled a terrible smile, portending the death he intended to inflict on the fanatics.
Dalma shivered involuntarily. The cruel smile Masters gave was chilling from a man who had once been such a leading proponent of chivalry and “proper battlefield conduct.” I guess he has learned the lesson he needed to learn. There are no damn rules in dealing with the Blakists, save one: Make sure they are dead. Dalma did have one other question to ask, “What of the rest of the Knights? We thought you all died during the coup?”
Masters nodded “Certain members sacrificed themselves and some BattleROMs were doctored with the cooperation of the Marik Guards who were supposedly sent to crush us. We then left Atreus in twos and threes, and reconstituted here, under the guise of several small mercenary units under garrison contract here. We have been waiting, training and getting ready for this day. And we are ready, Lady Humphreys.”
Dalma smiled contentedly, I think we can work with this. Figure 60 days to assemble a force and knock the rust off. That leaves us thirty days to get into position and launch across the Capellan border. Should be about the time the FC troops are fighting street to street in Sian itself. By the time they take the place in, oh say, mid-September, we’ll have grabbed a few worlds and made our people proud. And the Davions will say nothing. And apparently, neither will the Marik herself.
“We’re in, your Highness. Let’s talk details.”
Transmission to the Capellan Confederation[]
Message to the Capellan People delivered by "various 'National Technical Means'" on July 1st by Federated Commonwealth forces on the eve of the invasion of Sian
An image crackles to life as the video track begins to play. First, there is a test pattern, and then, the Fist and Sun of the Federated Commonwealth against a blue field, which fades to a woman sitting at a large oak desk, in a well decorated office. Behind her is a shelf with unit patches from all of the AFFC, and standing to one side is a young blond man, short in stature, one sleeve is pinned up, and the other hand is on the seated woman's shoulder. A woman of Asian descent stands next to him, her face the very image of stone.
The woman seated at the desk begins to speak.
<<"Greetings, people of the Capellan Confederation, and specifically, the people of Sian. I am Katherine Morgan Steiner-Davion, Acting Archon-Princess of the Federated Commonwealth. No doubt, you have heard a lot about me, and my family. I am sure none of it was very flattering.>>
<<"The reason I take the unusual step of speaking to you today is to speak to you about your nation, your future, and the situation you find yourselves in now. Ten months ago, your leaders made the decision to attack my nation. They did so by opening that attack not with a formal declaration of war, but by a perfidious stab in the back that murdered approximately six thousand people here, on New Avalon. Among the casualties were my mother, and my father. They have followed it up with continued terror attacks across the realm. Thousands have died, and thousands more have empty chairs at the table.">>
<<"This was followed up with an assault on our realm at the very time we were in the process of ridding the Inner Sphere of the scourge of the Clans. The Clans are, and in some cases, continue to be a threat to the lives of us all, even you, the Capellan citizens who watch this video. The AFFC has faced the Clans, and has triumphed. We have now come to set right the situation your leaders have created.">>
<<"We know what your leaders have told you about our best, our AFFC. Nothing could be further than the truth. We have, in my brother's words, always stood for 'might for right' and as long as I or my family rules this Commonwealth, this will never change.>>
<<"Our quarrel is with your leaders, your Chancellor who has led you down this road of ruin you find yourselves in today. To all of you I beg you, lay down your arms. If you are members of the armed forces, you will be treated according to interstellar conventions. If you are a civilian, you will be allowed to return home. Please, do not force our hand and force us to fight. You know what the outcome will be. Why die for a man whose actions have never benefited the average citizen of the Confederation, but have asked you to sacrifice more and more for a state that has never lifted a finger for you, especially now?>>
<<"As for those of you who are commissioned officers in the CCAF, you bear a special responsibility now. Your nation can have a new birth, or it can experience ruin. I would remind you that long standing Federated Commonwealth policy, set by generations of First Princes, and Archons have equated any WMD use on our troops as equivalent to the use of a nuclear weapon. I would implore you, if you receive such orders to use such terrible weapons, refuse them. We have all seen what has happened to Luthien. I do not wish to repeat that on Sian.>>
<<"We do not come to conquer, we do not come to pillage, or visit mindless destruction. We come to liberate you. Please, help us do that. Help us help you.>>
<<"This next message is for all those of the 'Victory Battalions'. Kids, I know you're scared. I don't blame you, but courage sometimes is found simply by saying 'no'. This is that time. Say no. You will find there are others who feel likewise. We don't want to murder children. Please, don't make us and as for your minders? Your day is coming, either in this world or the next. I promise you that.">>
<<"And finally, for Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao, you have 24 hours to surrender, cease all hostilities, and abdicate your throne. Otherwise, remember the promise I made? Well, I am coming to collect.">>
The video then fades to the same test screen, and then black, before cutting off.