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Ashes
Continuing the story from "Once More into the Breach"
by Ethan Jennings |
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FSS Warspite, Uninhabited System
Capella Commonality
Capellan Confederation
August 20, 3219
Edward Davion stepped into the communications center of the WarShip, clasping his hands behind him. He took the time to smile at the technicians working in the center, finally making his way over to where Shenke stood with Kell and Commander Gronnigen, the navy keeper of the WarShip’s Black Box. Still a guarded secret, though no longer exclusive to the Federated Suns, the Black Box allowed FTL communication outside of ComStar. In this age of ComStar’s friendship with House Davion, the Black Boxes were seeing less and less use, but they were still valuable when units were operating away from one of ComStar’s HPG arrays.
"What is it?" Edward asked. Gronnigen handed him the dispatch.
"For your eyes only," he said, quietly. "To be shared at your discretion."
Edward grimaced. "What is it?"
"Haven’t read it, sir."
He nodded. It was serious if Gronnigen didn’t know about it—it was his job to screen the material coming off the Black Box. It took Edward only a moment to understand why.
"This is genuine?" he asked. "Oh, of course it is. Ah, thank you, Commander. You . . . you’ll understand in a short while. Bill, Allen, my briefing room, ten minutes." Edward folded the paper under his arm, the full weight of what it had said hitting him like a sledgehammer in the gut. "And get Marshal Hasek."
Anderson Davion was dead.
Davion Palace, New Avalon
Crucis March
Federated Suns
First Prince Shane Hector Davion sat in the desk that, until last week, had been occupied by his older brother. The new ruler of the Federated Suns folded his hands in his lap, looking at Field Marshal Irwin Scott, who acted in Marshal of the Armies Hasek’s capacity during her absence from the capital. Scott sat next to Brent Tain, the Acting Minister of Intelligence, who shifted uncomfortably in the plush leather chair he was sitting in. All three men were conspicuously aware that different people had occupied their seats only a week earlier.
"Well," said Shane, "here we are. We’d better get used to it, because it’s the lot we’ve drawn. Brent, what’ve you got for us today?"
"It was definitely the Capellans, Your Grace," Tain said. "Our interrogation of the leader of the assassination team, Captain Feng of the Confederation Armed Forces, confirmed that it was a Maskirovka operation. We won’t be able to use to confession in court, of course, but then, we won’t really need to."
Shane nodded. It was enough to confirm that Captain Feng was no longer among the living. "Besides the obvious, where does this leave us?"
"Well, the mission must have been in place for over a year. Earlier interrogations revealed that the original target was Minister of Intelligence Hakados, but the target was changed after the war started. If anything, that’s enough to crucify Chong-lo when this is over. Even the Star League Council won’t let him get away with that."
"Or," said Marshal Scott, "it gives us the perfect opportunity to rationalize assassinating him ourselves."
It wouldn’t be the first time House Davion had used such means, Shane thought. Unfortunately, we’ve usually been caught at it in some way or form. Even when we pulled it off, there was still suspicion—correct suspicion. "No," said Shane, "I think that’s a bad idea. Right now, we’re definitely holding the moral high ground. Chong-lo is Lucifer in the eyes of the Council, and I’d like to keep him that way as long as I can."
Shane liked to think of himself as something of a hybrid in Davion’s service, a citizen-soldier who also happened to be a politician. Indeed, until a week ago, General Shane Davion had commanded the Davion Light Guards. During his career in the AFFS, Shane had spent more time learning the ins and outs of politics in his native realm than he had actually fighting—his single combat action had been as a lance commander, in a small firefight against a pair of pirate ’Mechs.
"So what do we do?" Tain asked.
"We support the Principality more than Anderson ever did, and we appeal to the Star League for damages from the Capellans when this thing is over. If we do everything by the books, all proper for the newsies and the citizenry, then House Liao will be well and truly screwed after all is said and done." Shane smiled grimly. "That is something I definitely look forward to."
"Perhaps we’ll be able to show them something a bit sooner than we’d expected," Scott said. "I just got the report from Admiral Blakely, and Project Glorious is nearing completion. He says that we can expect to see results by the first of September."
"September? That’s three months ahead of schedule, if I remember correctly," Shane said. "Damn. Who lit a fire under his ass?"
"I believe we have the Capellans to thank for that. And other, ah, unfortunate events that have occurred thus far."
Tain and Davion both knew what Scott was talking about. The previous months of war had seen the loss of numerous WarShips from all nationalities—even two of Tikonov’s JumpShips, the vessels that were usually exempt from danger in combat. Though with the years of prosperity had significantly increased the size of both civilian and military fleets, a Kearny-Fuchida-equipped vessel was still a massive investment of capital. The gross national products of entire systems had died with those ships, and Project Glorious would do a lot to repair the strength of the Star League’s available naval forces, not to mention increasing the relative standing of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns.
"Actually, Your Grace, I’ve been thinking about Glorious, and it’s my opinion that we really ought to launch an offensive with the elements it produces, as soon as they become available."
"You’re talking about a purely naval offensive?" Shane asked.
Scott nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. A spearhead straight into the heart of our enemies, targeted at crippling their jump capabilities. Obviously, the objective would be to capture or cripple, rather than destroy, any JumpShips or WarShips that are encountered, but if we do it right, we could really lock up a nation’s ability to fight. After all, what can a unit do, even the most elite fighting unit, if it can’t get off the planet it’s on? Sure, we won’t actually capture any worlds, but it’ll be the next best thing to controlling them."
"Hmm. Draw up a deployment plan, and have it on my desk by Thursday." Shane frowned. "Who are you thinking of as a target, the Capellans? Most of their naval assets are tied up around the Principality—where the TPAF is kicking the snot out of them, I might add."
The Tikonov Principality’s meager navy had indeed been doing quite well for itself, especially after the AFFS had "loaned" it the use of two Avalon Class cruisers and a quartet of Hrothgar combat DropShips. Using hit and fade tactics, they had already claimed two outright kills against Confederation WarShips, and had grievously damaged the flagship of the operation, the Sun-Tzu Liao.
"No," answered Scott, "the Confederation navy is finished as far as directly affecting the war is concerned, and the Free Worlds Republic is too far away. I actually wanted to use Project Glorious against our friends the Nova Cats."
"Really?"
"Yes, Your Grace. SaKhan Tseng isn’t doing so well against them—I mean, he’s doing a wonderful job at keeping them out of the war, but the Ghost Bears have actually lost every major battle with the Cats. Taking the heat off them will do a lot for our long-term relations . . . and it’ll give us a chance to give a little to the Clanners, remind them who happens to be better."
"Works for me," Shane said. "Brent?"
"Well, you know me, I always like an opportunity to inflict punishment on the Clans," the Intelligence Minister said. "I’m for it."
"Glad to know I’m governing with the support of my committee," Shane said with a slight smile. "All right, folks, let’s get to it. We’ve got a lot to do before the next Star League Conference, and only a little time in which to do it."
Jackson Plain, Kurragin
Capella Commonality
Capellan Confederation
August 21, 3219
Two companies of the Lonesome Vanguards Regiment had dropped onto Kurragin directly out of orbit, landing in the rear of the Second Cappella Commonality Guards, attacking before the rest of the regiment was even on the ground. By the time Colonel Rain Jeffers had landed with the rest of her ’Mechs, the Second CCG was fighting a pitched battle on the outskirts of the capital.
"Scoot, look left now, watch my back." Jeffers’ Fafnir ambled over the dusty salt flats of the Jackson Plain. The colonel was watching her HUD, paying more attention to the ongoing battle than the immediate area. "I don’t want any Capellans sneaking up on me here."
"Have I ever let you down before, Vanguard?" Scoot asked. Jeffers hardly heard him.
The Second CCG had sent a battalion to engage Major Yountz’s detachment. Yountz and his people were holding their own, but their attack had lost its momentum, and they would be overrun if someone didn’t take the pressure off—soon.
"Okay, Green One, Gold One, we attack hard now, right down the middle," Jeffers said to the commanders of Second and Third Battalions. "Hit ’em and don’t let up, because we only get one chance at this." And for once, she thought, my esteemed employer’s intelligence has failed.
Zander’s intelligence sources, whose identity was still unknown to Jeffers, had predicted with near certainty that only a battalion of the Second CCG was stationed on Kurragin. Looks like you were wrong this time, Your Majesty.
"Colonel," said Scoot, "now might be a good time to start paying attention to your surroundings. We got company . . ."
"Red Two to Red One. A full company of Capellan ’Mechs is inbound, medium to heavy range. One assault, a BattleMaster. Radar has detected a flight of copters to the west, range fifteen klicks. They’ll be on us in a couple of minutes."
"Got it, Red Two," Scoot answered. "Care to dance, Vanguard?"
"Ask me sometime later."
There was a devilish pause. "Does that mean you’ll consider it?"
"Sure."
"Hot damn!" Scoot yelped victoriously, only a moment before he opened fire.
With the new BattleMechs Zander had provided for the Lonesome Vanguards, Scoot had upgraded to a new Tsunami. The Kurita-built ’Mech was 90 tons of unstoppable fury, armed with three PPCs, a 10cm autocannon, and an LRM launcher. During the Davion-Kurita détente that had followed the war with The Republic, a number of the machines had been sold to the AFFS. Scoot’s had been one of Anderson Davion’s final gifts to the Tikonov Principality.
Now, particle beams crackled across the salt flats, blasting through the shoulder joint of a Capellan Lao Hu. The CCG ’Mech returned fire, sweeping its pulse lasers in a broad arc that spattered energy bolts into both Scoot and Jeffers.
Rain Jeffers fired her heavy gauss rifles into the Lao Hu’s legs. The Capellan went down . . . and stayed there.
"Look out, Jeffers, there’s an Ostroc to your rear."
To reiterate that point, two medium lasers burned into the Fafnir’s back.
"Okay, let’s take him, Scoot." Jeffers cut left, swinging her torso around and firing her large lasers at the charging Liao ’Mech. She missed, but it made the Capellan MechWarrior miss with his own lasers. Scoot stepped forward, pummeling the Ostroc from the rear with his autocannon, blasting chips of armor into the air.
The Ostroc tottered forward, but its pilot managed to regain control just before it fell, and instead it ran forward and out of Scoot’s field of vision. Jeffers fired a gauss rifle in its wake, succeeding only in excavating a massive amount of dirt and crusted salt. The Ostroc headed for the relative safety of its lance, careful to cover the now paper-thin plating on its rear torso.
"Red One, this is Red Two, we’re clear."
"Great. Damage?"
"Nothing too major. Red Three’s gyros are off, though. I sent him back to the DropShip for a checkup."
"This is Red Four, sir, I’m golden."
"Excellent." Scoot waved the Tsunami’s right arm at Jeffers’ ’Mech. "We’re good to go, Colonel. Just lead the way."
"Sure thing, Scoot. All units, we attack now." |
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