Federated Suns
March 25, 3219
"Good morning, Your Majesty," said Jan Hakados when he entered the Fox's Den without knocking. First Prince Anderson Victor David Davion didn't even look up from his morning 'fax. His Intelligence Secretary took his usual seat in the comfortable lounge chair before Anderson's desk, and waited patiently for his Prince's attention.
"Morning to you too," Anderson said finally, setting the 'fax aside. "I take it you're going to inform me on the Intelligence Secretariat's take on what I just read about in the 'faxes."
"If you just read about the Tikonov rebellion, I certainly am." Hakados poured himself a cup of coffee out of the carafe that had been set on Anderson's desk by the Prince's orderly. "All right, first the facts, in case the newsies got some of them wrong, because they always do."
"Sugar?" Anderson asked sweetly, offering Hakados the tray of cubes. The Intelligence Secretary shook his head.
"No, but thanks all the same. As I was saying, the facts. Lady Janice Liao declares independence for the Tikonov Province. Chancellor Chong-lo, her father, doesn't take too kindly to this, and sends the Eighteenth Capellan Heavy Lancers to regain control of the planet. That was, incidentally, the unit of General Hu Lan-Shu, a cousin of the Chancellor and a very influential officer in his court, though not particularly skilled in the martial arts. The Eighteenth Lancers are, as you probably know, the Capellans' 'parade killing' unit—they deploy them when they need to do something spectacularly, but nothing that's too hard."
"All right. Continue."
"Of course. General Hu meets stiff resistance from General Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao, the Clanner who married Janice Liao, and his Tikonov Regular Guard. Also, Charlemagne brought in mercenaries from off-planet, about two and a half regiments' worth. However, during the battle for the capital, Janice Liao and Colonel Amanda Chou, commander of the Second TRG, were captured by General Hu, and shot for treason. My department has determined that the decision to execute the Chancellor's youngest daughter could only come from the Chancellor himself."
"Well, that's not too much of a surprise," Anderson Davion said with a shrug. "The Capellan royalty isn't exactly know for its strong family values. Please, continue."
"After that, Charlemagne counterattacked with his mercenaries. General Hu was killed during the fighting. According to our agent, Kerensky-Liao immediately sent a message to the Chancellor with his most sincere apologies for Hu's death, conveniently blaming it on the mercenaries, who did have orders to take Hu alive. He also appealed to Chong-lo to find a 'mutually beneficial and peaceful resolution to this conflict.' "
"What a crock," Anderson muttered.
"That sentiment is apparently shared by Chancellor Liao," said Hakados with a nod, "because the Chancellor's response to Charlemagne's message and subsequent declaration of independence for the Tikonov 'Principality' was a promise to punish his subjects' treason with 'the fist of the gods.' "
"So the Capellans are in a full-fledged civil war, eh?" Anderson said with a short chuckle. "It's about time someone ousts those Liao bastards. Has the Foreign Office had access to this yet?"
"Not yet, sir." Hakados made a note in his planner. "I'll get it over to them ASAP."
"Thank you. Is that all you've got for me?"
"As of now. Remember, sir, this information is already two days old."
Anderson nodded, already deep in thought. "I'll have a meeting with you and the Foreign Secretary in two hours. Get everything you've got and bring it. Sarah Hasek will be there, too."
"You're considering a military solution?"
"Of course," Anderson said, "if only as a last-ditch solution. However, Jan, the Federated Suns does have a major interest in Tikonov. If supporting their bid for independence leads to certain concessions to us . . ."
"And it doesn't hurt that the people we'd be screwing over happen to be cretins," Hakados said with a smile.
"That thought certainly has crossed my mind."
Imperial City, Luthien Pesht Military DistrictDraconis Combine
March 25, 3219
Coordinator Ichiro Kurita heard his son enter the room, but did not turn until he had finished the last page of Victor Steiner-Davion's Cause and Effect.
"Truly, an amazing man," said Ichiro to Yoshi Kurita. The Gunji-no-Kanrei of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Victor Davion. Such a life. So great a man."
"He would have been an adversary truly worthy of the Combine, Coordinator," Yoshi said meaningfully. Ichiro smiled.
"Instead," said the Coordinator, "he was an even greater ally. Let that be a lesson to you, Yoshi, when you are Coordinator. A man is not defined merely by his name, nor by his lineage."
Yoshi nodded silently. He had read the works of Victor Steiner-Davion before, and like his father, was very much impressed by the son of the man they had called the Fox, the man who, after his death, the great Coordinator Takashi Kurita had commemorated by saying that no enemy remained who was worthy of the Combine. For Takashi and his historical hatred for the Federated Suns, that was the highest honor to be paid a man such as Hanse Davion.
Yoshi was not quite so certain that the current First Prince, Anderson Davion, was quite so deserving of admiration as his ancestors had been. Since the Blakist Jihad almost a century and a half ago, or, even before that, the civil war that had wracked the titanic realm then known as the Federated Commonwealth, House Davion had lost much of its former glory. Still a force to be reckoned with, to be sure, but the Davions, like the rest of the Successor States, had not fought a real war for a hundred years until the Republic of the Sphere's expansionistic blitzkrieg, during which the Third Star League had been forged in the heat of battle. The Davions had performed admirably during that war, but that had been under First Prince Maximilian Davion, Anderson's father. So far, Anderson had been a shrewd diplomat, but had been presented with little challenge during his reign.
Perhaps now would be the time.
"Father, I presume you know of the 'incident' in the Capellan Confederation," said Yoshi quietly. Ichiro nodded.
"I have indeed, my son. Chong-lo must be very worried, very worried indeed. I found his response to Kerensky-Liao's demands rather foolhardy. Which is not to be unexpected—ancestors only know how Chong-lo and his father have made a mockery of the Celestial Throne."
"You would have bowed to Charlemagne's demands? You surely are not serious."
"Of course I am," Ichiro said with a laugh. "The Capellan Confederation is teetering on the brink of a civil war that could rival the fabled FedCom War. However, if he reaches a peaceful settlement with Kerensky-Liao, then he has a much better position from which to bargain. And then it puts the ball in Kerensky-Liao's court—he can take what Chong-lo offers him, or he can reject it, ask for more, and plunge the Confederation into open conflict, making him the villain of the piece. Since Chong-lo is the aggressor, however, he will have a much harder time convincing the Star League to see his side."
"What is your feeling on the matter?" Yoshi asked.
"You mean how will I vote when Donavan Steiner calls the Star League to order?" Ichiro said. "I will almost certainly side with the Tikonov Principality, unless some new development seriously alters the situation. The Combine stands to gain the most from a weakened Confederation and an independent Tikonov, and in the end, Chong-lo cannot win. It would be much better for us to have supported the winners from the beginning, yes? And don't say any of that 'your wisdom is infinite, Coordinator' bullshit, either. I want to hear your honest opinion."
"My opinion, father," said Yoshi, "is that this could all backfire rather spectacularly on us. Certainly, we stand to gain a great deal from a humbled Chong-lo, but will the Star League concur? We are not the ruling faction, not by any means."
"Davion will agree, he has to, especially if he can gain access to Tikonov's 'Mech factories. The Rasalhague Dominion will vote against us, for they have been allies of the Liao for too long not to. Duchess Sandoval and the Wolves will vote for Tikonov's freedom, and the Raven Alliance will be against it. The only wild card in the bunch is the Free Worlds Republic. Fetladral-Corrigan could follow the lead of his Wolf Clan masters, but he has been known to act independently of their wishes, as well. Unfortunately, my son, the bitter reality of this is that the Draconis Combine may very well see war in the coming years. I'll expect the military to be able to handle this."
"It shall be so, Coordinator."
Fort Simpson, Pollux
District of Lyons
Lyran Alliance
March 26, 3219
General Lara Steiner, the famous red-haired beauty of the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces, swore viciously as she read the dispatch from her cousin, Archon Donavan Steiner. It was brief but to the point, and left no room for misinterpretation.
She hit her comlink. "Leutnant, sent in Oberstleutnant Kiel," she said quickly, snapping off the communicator before she could hear her orderly's response. A moment later, Randolph Kiel, executive officer of the Twelfth Donegal Guards, stepped through her office door.
"Sit," she commanded. "All right, Randy, we've got the orders to go. The Archon is putting us with the WarShip Jessie Steiner, to 'await deployment.' "
"Sounds like he's taking this business in the Confederation quite seriously," Kiel observed. "Do we know specifically where we're going to be deployed to?"
"No, but I do know that dustoff is in thirty-six hours. You'd better get packing, Oberstleutnant."
Kiel waited until she nodded his dismissal, then practically ran out the door. Thirty-six hours? he thought. To move four regiments? Command must be dreaming.
Lara Steiner found herself walking down toward the 'Mech garage. With a highly trained exec like Kiel performing his duties, the commander of the Twelfth Donegal had very little to do until dustoff. Her personal items had been packed, and her personal BattleMech, a hundred-ton Atlas, had been taken out to the DropShip Maryland that morning.
She walked along the upper catwalk that hung a few meters from the garage's high ceiling. Below, the garage was a hub of activity as the Twelfth Donegal's excellent tech staff raced to pack away pieces of the station that had been their home for the better part of two years. Ten-meter-high BattleMechs tromped out of the garage to walk the kilometer and a half to the base's landing fields. A Cougar walked out the door, followed closely by its lancemate, an aged but well kept Thunder Hawk. The lance commander rode in a Nova Cat captured a hundred fifty years before during Operation Bulldog, and walked the gigantic 'Mech out of the bay with artful skill.
Out beyond the garage's doors, a tank lance rolled by, two Bulldogs, an M1, and a Demon, their treads creating an unholy clanking as they made their way to the DropShips. Allowed to drive at greater speeds than the 'Mechs, they quickly passed the Nova Cat, turning left to go out to the Meteor, the DropShip that served as the armored battalion's transport.
Lara was becoming increasingly concerned about the readiness level of her troops. Certainly, the Twelfth Donegal was one of the best units in the LAAF, and Lara had trained them mercilessly since assuming command, honing the blade to a fine edge. However, no one had fought a war since the Republic Incident, and that had been some fifty years ago. Not one of her people had ever seen combat, herself included.
It scared her. No, it terrified her.
And she knew it.
Crucis March
Federated Suns
March 27, 3219
The massive Atlas plodded over the ground like an ancient god, its skull-like visage hiding the man at its controls. General Edward Davion, second cousin of the First Prince and commander of the First Crucis Lancers, grimaced as he read the dispatch that had just been transmitted to him from the mobile command post, having been relayed all the way from headquarters at the Castle Diennes. Finally, he keyed the comlink to his first officer.
"Colonel Rian, we're turning back."
"Sir?" Rian asked. The Lancers had only been in the field for a day, the first of a twenty-day training mission in the wilderness. Edward grimaced.
"We've got orders from New Avalon. We're to pack up the base and stand ready to pull out on the First Prince's orders. Most likely, those orders would be for deployment to the Capellan Confederation."
"Jesus, I didn't think it was that bad," Rian said.
"It isn't," Edward assured him, "not yet, anyway. However, The Powers That Be think it very likely that Star League peacekeepers will be deployed to the region. Unless they decide to rely solely on the Com Guards, which is unlikely, Prince Davion will be sending us with the Fourth Avalon Hussars."
"General Mercucio's unit?"
"The same." Edward throttled his Atlas down to a standstill while Rian passed the word to the three regimental commanders. Within a minute, all three of the Lancers' BattleMech regiments were heading back into base at full speed.