Post Dieron
The reality of Fortress Dieron had effected his planning... though that made Gene want to scoff at the idea of planning... he was getting pulled in a million directions. There was so much to do. There was too much information, and that was ultimately why he had pushed back telling Abner what they found until he knew what was at Lockdale if there was anything there.
Dieron though had been a lightning battle. The sort of thing that the Hegemony would not have planned for in terms of someone taking the planet and had happened historically because the Rim World had been inside the outermost defenses. The Combine had wanted to fight, but had insisted on fighting stupidly. It had been the Combine's own mistakes tactically, and operationally that had sped up their defeat in the face of superior Davion numbers... that was to say Northwind hadn't been expecting them back so quickly.
The lack of a lengthy campaign meant the cadets could spend time at home with their families before a by nature of travel times more lengthy deployment in the periphery. That was something he could offer the young highlanders of Claymore, but was less available to the DMM group.
Still the jump back in was awash with activity, and was just a poignant reminder that they needed to start the great trek out to the periphery sooner rather than later... and that required him to adjust his plans. The AI within the Fortress Dieron was right, they would have to return to the Fortress once they came back in from the periphery. They would have to come back to northwind... and from Northwind, to Dieron, and from there over the border into Lyran space... and from there it would be easy to access certain other Hegemony worlds within a jump or two.
"I have done what I can in terms of shoring up support," He squinted at the chip, "But whatever is on this, will explain it all?"
Maybe not all... but within the chip included what Kerston already knew... it was a copy of just the HPG conversation between Kurita and Amaris... and Aaron Sandoval could make of it what he would. "I'd prefer you not watch it until after the civilians are out of harms way," He replied referring to the exodus fleet. "You said," In this morning's memo, "that the 'mechs we're offloading from Dieron might be an issue."
"There were already complaints."
It was a conversation he was going to have take to Dante, which would mean slipping away within castle Northwind... which might be a problem, "There were Kintaros in the Robinson Brian Cache." He remarked... not that he'd cared at the time.
The Duke of Robinson nodded, "Indeed, and the truth his that honestly caused its own trouble with certain parties."
"The duke of Errai is still here then?"
"he is." The wheel chair bound ex-tanker confirmed.
He didn't... Gene didn't precisely catch all of the social cues, he recognized that he had been missing things in the Canopian space, but it had actually gotten worse, not better when they had reached Davion space. Or at least it seemed perceivably worse. He understood that young soldiers had a reputation, but there was a certain degree of feudal future going on that outright irritated him, "I don't suppose his grace the Duke of Errai happened to actually supply troops to the operations?" That was the entire point of cracking open the caches and handing their contents it was what they were for. They were for fighting the Combine...
"There wasn't time." He replied somewhat deferring the issue, and that was probably true mobilizing the force to hit Dieron probably had had limits on which units could be prepared or ready and Lord Aaron probably had more pull with his immediate allies... but even so... "Perhaps if the attack had gone out over the summer or if we had been campaigning against other worlds."
"You really think so?"
It probably wasn't the question the Field Marshal of the Draconis March wanted to hear, and he sighed, "No you're probably correct, the dukes of Kesai and Errai both allege that Samsonov and the Galedon Regulars were attacking their worlds to raid secret star league caches at the expense of their dominions."
If Gene were prone to being a little more crass about such things, he would have retorted that that was tough shit , and in no way entitled the prick who was the Duke of Errai to any of the spoils... but to be completely honest as much as he wanted to, it wouldn't have done any good. So he responded on the basis of what he did know, "We can't confirm that General Samsonov actually got anything from either world," He might very well have, both were Terran worlds, "But we can only confirm the raid on McGhee yielded anything." Mostly because of how torn up the 19
th had been by the drones when it was all said and done. "But as for Errai, There is something."
"Yes?"
"Abner, and I," Well he said the truth was he'd added his two cents and signature but mostly it was the techs who were sure this would work, "Have discussed about needs to be done with the Thugs, and it hasn't changed those mechs we pulled out will be going to Highland volunteers, but there are spare parts, weapons, electronics, engines." He flipped through his data slate, cognizant that Dante was connected to the data platform through a Fury tank tied into the Regimental Communications Network, "here." The program was for all intents and purposes a down teched thug, presumably very similar to what Earthwerks did, but that wasn't his problem... really the real work had been done on the chargers that the Magistracy had dug out of that Rim World tomb, and it only had made sense to talk about what to do if the endosteel on Terran Hegemony Thugs was wrecked in use. "The Kintaros I already told Bard we can leave those behind if that will help with Ozawa."
But Ozawa was not Errai, or their apparent new found noble allies of Kesai. This was now a game of political maneuvering. A game that he wanted no part in, but one he found himself involved in because Robinson was home to a Brian Cache and Aaron Sandoval was attempting to shore up the march for war with the combine. Dante knew that from monitoring the activities of the Draconis March nobility within Northwind Castle's grounds
"And the Mongoose?"
... "I'll need to talk with the Azami," The truth was he needed some kind of screening and outrider component... "If it will help and is in writing." He suspected given the situation the Azami weren't necessarily going to need new mechs, but he had hoping to recruit from them both for the periphery campaign that PNA wanted against Black Jack, and for when they inevitably came back to pick up where they had left off on Dieron... but there were stockpiles within Fortress Dieron yet to be opened up. There had been a war planned against the Combine by the shadow ministry... and then there was Helm to consider.
The Duke of Robinson was more interested in what the news was on potential landhold development... which was a conversation he expected to be hearing a lot of during the 'downtime'.
--
He checked the roster again, and it merely reiterated that he was looking forward to returning to the periphery. "Expectations?"
"We do not, I do not think," The Tech paused, "be concerned. Obviously Hanzo's Cicada has proven useful, and given the situation the rebuild procedure should proceed smoothly." But it would have to be when they actually returned to the Magistracy of Canopus's space... when they made the circuit back to Luxen. That was part of Abner's terms in return for his agreeing to organize the manpower and the secrecy that were going to be necessary for what they were going to ask... and... and Gene was hoping that Abner would be as good as his word with regards on not trying to mount an expedition too deep in the periphery... that his warning about the potential danger of drawing the descendants of Kerensky back into the inner sphere would be heeded.
... but he was also worried that even if Abner did heed his cautionary advice that Comstar might still find the clans and the clans would still launch their attack... or that Dragoons had said something that might prompt the clans to attack... or anything else going wrong.
But he had time before next he saw Abner, and hopefully Lockdale would have answers... more likely it would just have more questions and not the answers for them... but better to know he didn't have the answer to something than be wholly ignorant of it. At least he would know he didn't know something... better that than not knowing his own ignorance even if it was frustrating at times. "What do you think?"
"About the proposal commander?" He shook his head, "It should be fine. As you observed two tons of ammunition is excessive without the ammunition safekeeping," He meant case, "it as you say sitting on a bomb. A lot of bombs." The tech cracked a grin. "it should work." But they wouldn't really know until they actually got to the part of putting a physical machine together for the Luxen volunteers... and there was probably something more going on with Abner on that front but only time would tell.
... and while he might still be convinced to transfer spare parts to Errai's ruler for Thugs he certainly want' going to turn over hegemony machines unless he had to, and Dante agreed the machines in question needed to be in hand for use against the Combine. If the duke of Errai could sink the funds in to build a down teched thug that was great... and NAIS could focus on making DHS and they could upgrade from there...
Pasha signaled for him, a notice that they were more or less ready for the next errand, and the one after that, "We are as prepared as we can be, commander." The old ship captain remarked, "And indeed there may be little there."
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Notes: Post Dieron will be largely set ups for events in the future we see that here, we that over the next few before we actually transition to the travel segment interludes before reaching the border of Taurian and Aurigan space.
This is going up now to hopefully dodge any issues in the morning with the server issues, so if you catch an errors (allow the swordsman / longsword or otherwise, feel free to point it out or question things) I know that I could probably better quantify the near-Terra political situation of the Draconis March both here, and also in Rabid Fox because that will be relevant but this does go to respective protagonists local allies, as well as Davion internal politics in the long run.
