Post Dieron Conclusion.
Imperator Pax
Talon Master
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Post Dieron Conclusion.
With the end of leave fast approaching, and the last of supplies arriving Gene was preparing for the Company to depart, but there were some the little things still left. That included some things which he personally considered fairly ridiculous.There were still some things with the MRB, for the Highlanders and for Bardiche, but they'd be leaving soon, and there were a few other things that he was still on the hook for in terms of favors,
"I like clan fox as an idea," Bubbles protested.
"We should be called clan Raven something, Arsenal Raven" Beau protested, and then suggested with a snap of his fingers, "On my homeworld the ravens that were brought from Earth during colonization adopted to the climate by stockpiling food, and building nests that are like god damn bunkers."
Gene cleared his throat, grimacing at the conversation, and it was bad that the Free Worlder was now on board with this nonsense... but he also hadn't ... hadn't told them about 'the clans of Kerensky' either, "As annoying as Bard's rendition of Black Fox is," and despite the silly idea having been used to pester him at nearly every turn while they'd been on leave, and in particular when the Eridani weren't around. "I'm not prepared to declare Clan Fox to be a thing," It had been a long twelve months and he ignored the protest from one of the younger kilted men that Clan Fox sounded like a quite proper idea as he fished out the dossier in printed paper and handed it over to the Sandoval Duke. Gene sat back in his chair and waited.
There were the rufflings of the thick paper as Aaron Sandoval, Duke of Robinson and Field Marshal of the Draconis March smiled. He had browsed the papers and flipped them over as he read, "The order of the golden kite," He declared with pride. "I think this would be just the sort of thing Lord Nicholas," Some chancellor, or minister in the Fed Suns that Gene had had all of five minutes to talk with, "would be looking for, sure to tweak the combine's nose."
The historical abstract he had included for the briefing had been designed to maximize that. He had done what the duke had asked and provided an organization name, but also the historical backdrop included the specification that the historical golden kite had been a degree higher, and military only, to the order of merit that Takeo Kurita a distant Kurita ancestor had held. The cultural ties, the use of specific language, history, and so on were somewhat modified by the new proposed device. The golden bird would be holding a daisho in its claws underneath a Torri gate, but would be fixed on a european style shield.
The proposed designed raised a quirk of the eye from the legless duke, "Would have expected, if on were to be honest, Colonel, the Cameron Starburst. I think that would be better."
They had asked for his opinion, for his input. Gene had consciously been trying to avoid Star League iconography in the the device, or the in the proposed documentation to accompany awards. He'd made a point of neither mentioning the Star League. That was part of the whole couching of the packet.
They'd been in Fed Space, and Federated Suns employ a while by his standards at least.
After Elidere... hell technically after the Kuritans had routed on Elidere IV they had been under contract with the Davions for operations since Ander's Moon, but that didn't mean the Kuritans were going to be shy about how they felt. That would have been a problem without doubling down on it by signing on with the FedSuns for their romp through Near Terran Space over the last year... the AFFS had dropped the Hussars and Blue Star Iregulars on Altair which had to have seriously strained the Combine's forces in the near Terran area. It had all started with Elidere though.
The 19th Galedon Regulars, that was to say an entire Combine BattleMech, Regiment along with most of the supporting DCA assets had been destroyed in detail for what amounted to no cost to the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns. They hadn't been able to achieve a repeat of that degree of peerless lopsided victory, but that was less important to the fact that the AFFS in combination with other mercenaries had been able to not just take other worlds, but savage other Combine Mech Regiments.
This was the Draconis Combine March's opportunity to rub salt in the wound so to speak. Not that they really needed to... but it wasn't going to stop them from doing it... and given the enmity that existed he didn't expect them not to use the opportunity to do.
He didn't want to stick around, even though the AFFS was hoping to turn the mercenary units involved in whatever the next campaign would be, not just them but in particular the Eridani Light Horse, into what amounted to House Troops.
"Seriously what's wrong with Clan Fox?" The hunchback driver had thought it had been a good idea she'd always liked it though, and was loathe to drop the matter.
... well there were actually a number of reasons... and even discounting the sheer degree of political brown nosing it might have been interpreted as he had other reasons. He sipped at his drink and glanced at the command staff who were looking from Chang to him waiting for an answer, "It conveys the wrong sort of distinction. Evoking an order, a military honor like this may not be a formal structure but it allows a delineation in rewards that a lodge wouldn't be as good as formally conveying. This isn't a knightly order, or a warrior house the Draconis March wants to be able to provide recognition for command ability, leadership, and bravery in the field. The duke wanted a proposal he could put to New Avalon," And apparently the head of MIIO, "I expect that it will be sent off and either they'll reject it or rework it as necessary as either a Federal award or that Lord Aaron will issue as a Draconis March specific award."
... but it would have been a bigger tweak if Hanse Davion, as First Prince was the issuing party awarding people golden birds with heavy shinto symbolism and references to the Nihon Shoki. It was probably the sort of slap in the face to the combine's claims, historical and present, regarding manifest destiny that the First Prince might like to present to the Inner Sphere.
"So we are finally read to go back to the periphery?" Septim's question had been accompanied by a look being thrown in Bahar's direction. The fighting over the last year had been concentrated in near earth space.
"What is the word Bahar?" He asked.
"Markab is mostly stable from reports." An originally Azami world, "There are rumors the Federated Suns will move on Galatia, but it may just be rumors. Indeed it may force the Combine to reinforce the world and allow House Davion to attack elsewhere."
The fighting was an excuse... or additional justification to ferry another load of colonists far into the periphery to settle on Alamut in the Lighthouse worlds. Something he didn't put into words as he glanced to the senior JumpShip commander... well the company jumpships.
Pasha shook his head, reached up and toyed with his long grey mustache, "Admittedly it is not so glamorous but it will be down time that is sorely needed. Returning to the periphery will not be so bad will it?"
They were pulling off the front for a number of reasons not the least of which was that they'd be going to a Magistracy garrison and training contract for Raventhir... or rather that was what Raventhir was to claim. Something about Ur Cruine and the pirates was causing enough of a stir that the money was now there to see to some kind of expansion, such that Detroit was willing to spend money.
Black Jack McGirk was still running around reaving from apparently the Tortuga Dominions all the way round to the Magistracy border. That meant he was hitting the Davions, the Taurians, the Aurigans and the Canopians... as well as all the free holding worlds in between at times. The simple truth was no one had expected a pirate with... what some reports went so far as to claim was a division worth of Star League Defense Force equipment. Whether that was an exaggeration or not didn't matter, McGirk had a mountain of hardware and he was willing to rampage wherever he liked, and trash whoevers stuff he liked, and pay his men with the booty. That meant he had no shortage of bastards willing to fight for him.
"I want to talk about the conversion work being done on San Saba," To carry BattleMechs, "I've been assured that Blackwell has our order completed and we should be taking delivery on that last order soon." Things that they had paid for out Pounds paid from Elidere, and before they had cracked open the Brian Cache... but yeah, "We'll be in transit for a while and my understanding is we're taking a different route?"
"Yes, the elders have granted you overall command, our destination is the Aurigan Reach, it is a post Star League principality, founded after the succession wars began."
--
Notes: Cultural Face Slapping.
And thus we time skip through the space travel, 'are we there yet' and finally move on to the continuation of the pirate wars, which leads into the Amaris debacle, and then from there back to the Inner Sphere in early 3022, but it is currently roughly summer of 3018
I am going to attempt to have the Combine attack of 3019 on Robinson, which among other things entails Sandoval's LosTech tanks being in prepared defensive positions, Fury and Alacorns supported by regular Succession Wars fare to the combine's unpleasant surprise but if it doesn't go up as its own post it will be remarked upon in the news once we cycle back to the Inner Sphere. We might also see content from the Combine perspective, and theoretically Freddy Hammer show up. Highlander Interludes are pretty likely at some point as are of course more of the perspective of various FedSuns personnel.
Anyway we head into the pirate wars and from 3019 and the periphery conflicts last until roughly the end of 3021, and unlike Aurigan which derails HBS pretty quickly this story was intended to be something of a novelization pseudo canon for the game.
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