Chapter 59[]
From: Duke James Sandoval, Lord of the Draconis March
To: Franklin 'Kurita', Miyako Kurita
Re: NAQAM
SHABBAT SHALOM, M***********S!
- Apocryphal transmission sent over ComStar to both sides in the Kuritan Civil War, dated 1 January, 3058
Briefing with Marshal Lugo[]
Offices of the Duke of Robinson
Ducal Palace
Bueller City
Robinson, Federated Commonwealth
2nd January, 3058
The mood in the situation room could be charitably described as “guarded optimism.” So far, NAQAM hadn’t faced more than a virtual “corporal’s guard” of Combine troops, and what they had run into was underfed, low on ammo, and robbed of the usual “bushido spirit” one found in the DCMS in normal circumstances. The past year and a half have been anything but normal. James Sandoval reminded himself.
Sandoval turned to Marshal Lugo and his staff. His staff had just concluded an excellent presentation on the situation in the Combine, and the best way to describe it was “confused.” Both sides in the collapsing civil war still referred to themselves as the DCMS, and the new proto-states growing out of what was left of the Dieron Military District were just confusing matters even more, as many of their units had just been DCMS units a month ago.
“Marshal Lugo, your professional opinion, how far should we go with NAQAM?” James opined, his brow furrowing as the wheels of his mind turned in a mix of concern, and an attempt to balance political and military considerations."
Marshal Lugo cleared his throat, and rose, walking over to the holotank. He produced a laser pointer as he traced the movements of the border that was forming between the Azami Caliphate and the Vega Ducal Republic, the latter was already in negotiations to join the Federated Commonwealth. The orders were explicit about both – Hands off. “Sire, if you asked me a month ago what I thought the Combine might do in the face of something like NAQAM, I’d have said, ‘Launch a massive counterattack.’ But the Combine’s cupboard is bare. What frontline units they have are under-supplied and as much as 20-40% understrength. They’re lucky that except for us, most of their enemies are similarly exhausted, including the Clans. Our own logistics really cannot support more than a second wave of targets. So, whatever we grab, we’d better make it good. My recommendation? Go for the throat. Go for Dieron. The garrison is the weakest I’ve ever seen it, and it’s an opportunity we won’t get again. I also suspect that if it falls, a lot of undecided planets in the district will side with us and get some safety from Coordinator Sakamoto, and his ‘justice.’"
“Is this a unanimous recommendation of your staff, Marshal Lugo?”, Duke Sandoval asks
“No sire, but it’s a majority, some of my staff thought it a better idea to grab what we could of the industrial worlds and call it a day. But except for Nirasaki and Marduk, of which we have nullified the latter? We have achieved that objective. We’re just grabbing real estate for political purposes now, sire.”
James nodded. Victor won’t like that at all. He told me to make this a limited offensive, not a Reconquista. Not that the Combine doesn’t deserve the latter. If I could get away with it, it would be ‘First regiment to New Samarkand gets the Dragonslayer Ribbon’ and to pick the beer at the Sakamoto skull kegger. Time to reign in Marshal Lugo., James thought
“Marshal, whatever our mutual feelings are about the Combine and her works, we’ve done as much as we can with what we have. Execute your plans for Dieron, with whatever you can spare for supporting operations to grab as much as you can if Dieron fails. If we succeed, then those planets are a bonus, but wrap everything up by March 10th. I don’t think we can sustain operations at all past that. Plus, I don’t want to unify the damn Combine behind Sakamoto and tell the commander of the 1st New Ivaarsen to make his next raid a doozie." stated Lugo.
Marshal Lugo smiled “I shall, sire. He has some ideas along those lines. We can jump off for the second wave by 20 January. I think that’s enough time to get things unsnarled."
Sandoval nodded with a grim smile on his face. Here’s hoping we can put an end to all this madness.
2nd Wave – January-February 3058[]
Diversionary Raids[]
Benjamin
Attacking Forces: 1st New Ivaarsen Chasseurs
Defending Forces: Benjamin Militia, 1st ISF Intervention Regiment (taken from a mix of ISF units, and loyal militias from the Galedon district).
As a Military District HQ world, Benjamin is usually home to at least two regiments, but with the chaos of the Combine Civil War, both regiments from the garrison were called elsewhere and never returned. The world declared early for Miyako, and when the 1st New Ivaarsen arrived, there was a fight going on between the local militia and an ISF intervention regiment sent to bring the world back into the loyal Combine fold.
The confusion and mayhem of the on-planet fighting was a heaven-sent opportunity for the 1st New Ivaarsen. The raid was mostly symbolic in terms of actual military value, with the 1st beating up handily both combatants, and grabbing 20 million C-Bills worth of military supplies (which the Combine could ill-afford to lose).
But the raid did have one effect. It brought peace to Benjamin. After the 1st departed, the Benjamin militia surrendered after being promised mercy by the ISF. Surprisingly, it was a promise that was kept, as only the Warlord and his staff that was executed for treason. The rest were pardoned and released within days.
Main Offensive[]
Halstead Station
Attacking Forces: 2nd Chisholm Raiders
Defenders: 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 15th Direon Regulars, 44th Dieron Regulars, Al’Nair Militia, Yorii Mech Works Defense Battalion. (A battalion of Atlases, Catapults, and Hatamoto-Chis)
The luck of the 2nd Chisholm ran out on Halstead Station as the “15th Dieron” (survivors of the 15th and 44th Dieron combined under the flag of the 15th) grimly dug in to defy the Davion invaders. They didn’t have long to wait, as the 2nd Chisholm arrived in the system on the 25th of January. It wasn’t long before the fighting on-world locked into a bloody stalemate that did little but bleed both regiments white. Outside matters decided the fighting for Halstead Station, as the news of Dieron and its fate motivated the commander of the 15th to do something unusual. He asked for asylum for himself and his command in the Federated Commonwealth.
Dieron
Attacking Forces: 1st NAIS Cadre, 2nd Kearny Highlanders, Draconis March Provisional Brigade, 1st Robinson Rangers
Defending Forces: 1st and 2nd Battalions, 3rd Dieron Regulars
Joined by the 1st Robinson Rangers newly returned from Clover Spear, the AFFC outnumbered the Combine forces 6-1 and it wasn’t a case of if Dieron would fall, but when. The 3rd fought well, but with the 1st Robinson leading the way (supported by a brigade of combat engineers from the Draconis March), the AFFC forces pushed their way into Fortress Dieron over the better part of a month, and took the fortress, as well as the world in 57 days of fierce, if unequal fighting. Few Combine defenders surrendered, most fighting to the last.
I was a minor functionary in the Quartermaster Department office on Robinson. I was more of a “keep the jumpships running on time” sort. I was a real son of the Draconis March, you know, death to the Dracs and all that. So, it was with some surprise that my boss comes into my office. He said I was being reassigned to Department of Military Administration. The second shock is that I was being tapped as a military governor for a Combine world! I naturally protested. I said I wasn’t trained for this. Administration had people who did this sort of thing. Overtasked he said, everyone was being asked, and my name came up because I’d taken a semester of Japanese at Sakahara. (Which I barely remembered).
Within a week I was on a dropship outbound for Kervil. I’d never heard of the place. I will say the greeting was enthusiastic. It was reminiscent of the ancient 2-D vid “Blazing Saddles.” As far as I knew, I was the only AFFC personnel on the entire planet. I spent my “workdays” as it was attending government meetings and coordinating integration into the Federated Commonwealth, which to be honest was changing the flags and seals on the stationary. My time away from the office? Well, that was something of an eye opening about the average Combine citizen, and their lives. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I was a bit of a foodie, so I must have hit every decent restaurant within 200 kilometers of the capitol (nice when you got a skimmer at your disposal).
That’s how I met my wife, Yua. She was a line cook at a nice Gyu-Kaku place, and we got to know each other over our mutual love of food and travel. I will say her parents didn’t take a shine to me at first, but I think they warmed to me a bit as time went on when I proved I wasn’t the usual Gaijin. They did better than my family managed, I got disowned for marrying Yua, but no matter? I got a good job in the planetary administration here and worked there for thirty years. Our kids are in the AFFC, one is a ‘Mechwarrior with the 1st Dieron Grenadiers. And Yua and I are part of the neighborhood committee (It’s a holdover from the Combine days, but the locals like some of the old trappings, who the hell was I to undo everything?).
“How I Became a Son of the Dieron March.” Fedcom Today, April 3088
- Story Section by Yellowhammer