.png){kind=link}
Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
The Federated Suns Reborn
- Chapter 62[]
August 3066
Looking back to look forward
Tank Revival[]
At the start of August, the Federated Suns Government made a major announcement that having had discussions with Veridian Dynamics that they were funding the reactivation of the production lines on both Ozawa and Torrence to produce at both plants the Vali artillery tank and the Tiger Medium Tank. While in the past the Vali had only been produced on Ozawa and the Tiger on Torrence it was felt in the new policy of redundancy in military industrial production that the 2 plants should have at least 1 line of each vehicle operating so as to avoid any future problems. A large economic package was put in place to support the company in reactivating and expanding it's production lines. What wasn't announced was that the Tiger Medium Tank would undergo a redesign to make it a lighter more streamline vehicle with increased armor while being designated a Militia Tank. Let the FedSuns enemies find that particular fact out the yard way. The Vali on the other hand was to be rushed to artillery battalions with front line RCTs.
This announcement would lead to an interest in other defunct or almost so companies and their possible rebirth/renaissance in the current economic climate. The successor company to Jolassa Armoured Vehicles, Jolassa-Kumbold Armored Weapons for instance who had been considering hiring Interstellar Expeditions to begin excavating at the former factory on Bristol decide that now is the right time to do this. As such they present I-E with a large scale contract to fully excavate the destroyed factory in the hope of perhaps finding the specifications for the Fury Command Tank. Work will begin in November.
Another company considering this are Universal Air who begin looking at their former Ares shuttle craft in order to update it and offer it up for sale to the Federated Suns Navy. They begin work on turning the 25th Century design into a modern combatant.
Developments in Industry[]
The Duke of Verde, patron of the Vegan Rangers mercenary brigade, announces that he will be reforming the Delta Regiment and also starting a small battlemech production facility on Verde to help supply his Rangers. Lacking the clout or influence to obtain a cutting edge design the Duke has instead licensed the Shadow Hawk battlemech design to produce. Once it is fully operational the factory will produce a steady supply of the versatile medium mech to his regiments while also providing an income from sales to other mercenary units and even the AFFS. The newly formed Delta Regiment is mostly a motley collection of odds and ends and former Verde Defenders Planetary Militia. For the time being the roughly battalion strength Delta Regiment is assigned to Alpha Regiment as an auxiliary fourth battalion. It's contract is immedietly picked up by the AFFS and at the same rate as the other Vegan Rangers regiments despite it's green status as a nod to the sacrifice of the original Deltas.
During August the AFFS begins to store BattleMechs produced from various companies at Filtvelt, New Syrtis, Robinson, Tancredi, and Defiance. This is in anticipation of the upgrading or forming of their training units. At the same time funds are release to expand the Broken Wheel and Kilbourne Academies, with support being put in place to expand their cadet cadres to a full regiment - with the first cadets entering the academies in January 3067 and graduating in December 3069.
The AFFS High Command begin looking at any further locations for future Training Battalions and or new Borderer regiments. Although there are a number of candidates the world of Bromhead stands out as a world on the border of no less than 2 hostile states.
On Firgrove, the Firgrove Consortium which is already constructing a production line for the Ahab begins looking into other older designs that they can update and offer up for sale either to the ComGuards or to the AFFS. They start by looking through the older designs from the Age of War and Star League era.
Bergan Industries new plant on Andalusia within the Crucis March finally completes work on the line to produce Waylander Mobile Base repair vehicles. As soon as it enters production a huge contract is immediately ordered, with the AFFS wishing to have at least a lance and preferably a company attached to every Battlemech regiment or RCT. As such Bergan shelves their idea to build a Locust line in favor of building a second Waylander line.
The Exterminator line being built by Kallon Industries which was due to go online in June finally enters production in August. The teething problems for this design have been beyond a nightmare for the company but they finally manage to get finished BattleMechs walking off the production line. The AFFS and ComGuards both buy their allotment of the design and begin testing them to make sure that the advanced technology within them work fully.
On Markesan, the New Earth Trading Company has a third line of Von Luckners and a third line of Alacorn Mk VI tanks start production. By now the massive plant on Markesan is providing the AFFS and ComGuards with a steady stream of high quality main battle tanks, with more lines being built.
.png){kind=link}
Devastator Assault 'Mech
Corean Industries new plant on Northfield goes online and begins producing Devastator assault BattleMechs for both the AFFS and ComGuards. The AFFS in particular are very fond of this design and end up buying not only their own quota but also some of the ComGuards quota and assigning them to such units as the Davion Assault Guards RCT and 8th Crucis Lancers RCT.
On Ozawa,the new Kintaro Medium Battlemech production line goes online alongside the updated existing line. Again the new production is offered up to the AFFS and ComGuards, but most of the production ends up going to the ComGuards as the AFFS is still reluctant to use this "Japanese" design with it's Kurita links.
On June Lycomb-Davion begin work on a third Stuka aerospace fighter line. The heavy fighter is popular with the Federated Suns Navy particularly as an anti-warship attack craft and demand has been increasing with squadrons being assigned to almost every Fox corvette entering service.
Capellan Purges[]
Within the Capellan Confederation, a purge begins of any officers who might have links to Kali Liao. Unfortunately for the purge many of them seem to have disappeared into the woodwork and MASK is ordered to hunt them down. Sun-Tzu does not want anymore loose cannons bringing down potential AFFS retribution upon his realm before he is ready. As a first step to preparing for this is his public reformation of the 1st Capellan Chargers on the 21st August 3066 in the form of a huge parade through the streets of Sian's Forbidden City and past the Celestial Palace. A full regiment of 120 assault and heavy BattleMechs march past the saluting Chancellor. Of course the pilots of the BattleMechs aren't actually the new Chargers, but instead are drawn from the Dynasty Guard. This march is far to important to trust to green pilots after all. Once the parade is finished the actual pilots of the 1st Chargers will be given their BattleMechs back and begin training as a regiment.Within the Capellan Confederation a purge begins of any officers who might have links to Kali Liao. Unfortunately for the purge many of them seem to have disappeared into the woodwork and MASK is ordered to hunt them down. Sun-Tzu does not want anymore loose cannons bringing down potential AFFS retribution upon his realm before he is ready. As a first step to preparing for this is his public reformation of the 1st Capellan Chargers on the 21st August 3066 in the form of a huge parade through the streets of Sian's Forbidden City and past the Celestial Palace. A full regiment of 120 assault and heavy Battlemechs march past the saluting Chancellor. Of course the pilots of the BNattlemechs aren't actually the new Chargers, but instead are drawn from the Dynasty Guard. This march is far to important to trust to green pilots after all. Once the parade is finished the actual pilots of the 1st Chargers will be given their Battlemechs back and begin training as a regiment.
Minor events in the Sphere[]
Within the FWL the Captain-General summons both Knights of the Inner Sphere to Atreus. With his growing concerns regarding the WOB he wants 2 units who he knows he can trust implicitly to protect himself and his family as well as the capital of the League. He begins arranging additional supplies and vehicles to be routed to the units he trusts.
Lord Protector Shraplen of the Taurian Concordat loudly declares that Baron Kithrong and his followers are traitors and denounces their secession. In a rambling speech he makes numerous references to this treachery being funded by the Federated Suns as a way to weaken the Taurian Concordat! All along both sides of the border the various regiments going to a heightened state of alert.