Hanse Davion was thankful that the office inside of Arthur's personal lab was elevated, because he felt like he'd just been run over by a Demolisher tank.
He took a sip of a fine scotch, the ice cubes clinking in the crystalline tumbler- made by the Henan process, so it was as beautiful as it was nearly indestructible to everything except powerful lasers or heavy ordinance.
Ultimately, he decided, he'd made the right decision to cancel the rest of his meetings today.
Sure, Duchess Hastings would be rather cross with him for canceling their dinner plans for a second time, but for this? The ass-pain was well worth it; he wouldn't be in any fit mental state to respond to her verbal probes anyway.
He, Ardan, and Arthur sat alone in the office with only the whirring of a ceiling fan to fill the silence, and for that Hanse was grateful.
It would take him days to mentally digest everything that was just dumped on him by Arthur, though the man was apologetic and rather sheepish; he had wanted to inform Hanse as the developments were made, but he didn't quite trust letting the 'body double' be the one to tell him. Yet another thing Hanse was thankful for, because if the Capellan Confederation had gotten their hands on just one of these advancements then it would have been disastrous. Not because any single one of these new developments would have magically given them the edge they needed to put up a better fight, but because it would have meant that Maximilion Liao's ploy had actually succeeded in some limited sense.
The body double had been allowed to run amok for almost a whole year, but most of the damage he managed to do by listening to the Liao-subverted courtiers was relatively easy to undo. Decrees were revoked. Promises altered or unmade entirely. Modified troop deployments were canceled or undone as part of an 'impromptu and secret' series of large-scale training exercises to test the AFFS' ability to quickly redeploy at a moment's notice.
However, if the treacherous Liaos had managed to get their hands on something that Arthur's Corean Enterprises had cooked up then that would be just what the man needed to consider his plot 'hashtag worth', as Arthur would say.
Not that Hanse knew why there was ever a need for a '#' sign before a word or why Arthur was so keen on trying to make 'hashtags' a thing in their vernacular.
"Hanse."
Arthur's voice dragged the Prince out of his musings, and the man arched a weary brow, "Yes, Arthur?"
"I have two requests, both of them pretty major. Well, three requests, actually, though the third one is something I'm going to do regardless... with or without your help."
"Requests?" Ardan snorted, "And what do you want?"
"While the two 'major' requests, as you so put it have me surprised, it's the third one that has me worried the most," Hanse tipped back the tumbler and sipped, the man wincing as the ice did little to reduce the burn of the liquid as it went down.
"Well, the first one is the easiest I suppose," Arthur stood up and walked over to a computer terminal and logged in before a large screen on the opposite wall flickered to life, revealing a series of aerial and orbital photographs of various planets. "I want to expand Corean Enterprises, but apart from Novaya Zelmya, we are about tapped for expansion potential- it was one of the primary reasons why my Father decided to keep the FWL branch of Corean open."
He selected two photographs, each with its own colored outlines, "As you can see here on New Avalon, we're almost butting up against the edges of our allotted land. I can probably squeeze three or four more factories out of what we have left, maybe six if we invest heavily in subterranean structures, though the cost goes up exponentially doing that. Yes, and before you ask, I've already contacted Count Yomu and Marchess Duvon, and they've both told me they aren't interested in selling Corean any of their land."
"The same can be said for our landhold on Augusta. Duke Payne doesn't want to sell Yeathers any more land because he wants-" Arthur crinkled his nose in disgust, "-to 'keep Augusta beautiful' and that the lands near our property lines are among his favored hunting grounds. So since we're not a dictatorship and you can't force them to sell, that puts us in a bit of a tight spot."
He clicked over to another planet, one that Hanse was intimately familiar with.
"Novaya Zelmya," Hanse sat up a bit, "The Dragon's Field."
It was a warm world with a lush canyon biome, home to over 44 Million Federated Suns civilians who made their money in mining, agriculture, and manufacturing, with Federated Industries being the largest company on the planet.
It was also where Hanse had ordered the build-up of AFFS troops to be moved to so that they could take Stein's Folly back from the Capellans- its thick cloud cover rendering any would-be Capellan reconnaissance moot. 'Commercial' Jumpships loitering in-system to recharge would see nothing even with advanced telescopes, spy ships loitering more closely while running on low-power would get much the same, and even the Capellan's most advanced drones wouldn't be able to glean much if anything at all.
The best notice they would get would be a fleet of jumpships and their attached dropships raining down on their heads to retake Stein's Folly.
The plan worked, but it only succeeded thanks to some quick thinking and last-minute changes, and in the end, his friend Ardan was captured by the Capellans before they evacuated the planet to return to Redfield. In the end, it was the Capellan's poor security and serendipity that allowed Ardan to see the cryostasis tube of the Fake Hanse Davion in the first place.
"Yes," Arthur zoomed in on the aerial photographs taken from underneath the cloud cover- a half-dozen images neatly stitched together to make a single picture because the low-flight ceiling required it, "Dragonfield, and I'm going to start calling it that from now on because saying 'Novaya Zelmya' always trips me up, is being... shall we say difficult."
Arthur's lips twisted into a grimace, "Premier Joanna Talc is not allowing us to convert the land we own from its residential zoning to an industrial one for no other reason I can find but because Federated Industries is asking her not to. My grandfather purchased an impressive amount of land almost a century ago, intent on developing it into a city of his own that he would govern as the Mayor-for-Life when he retired from the Company. However he never got the chance as a heart attack took him while he slept, so the land has been sitting around practically unused except for a trio of small mining operations that funnel back some choice raw materials to our factories here on New Avalon."
"I could see it," Hanse mused as he ran a thumb along his chin, "Federated Industries has practically had the entire planet to themselves for centuries. Having one of the larger manufacturers in the Federated Suns moving next door to them would make them nervous enough to apply political pressure. You can exert a lot of influence if you're the single largest employer on the planet, after all. However, what exactly would you ask me to do about that?"
Arthur snorted as he shook his head, "Well, it's not like I want to ask you to dispatch an Internal Investigations team to uncover any corruption and remove the Premier from office so that I can make use of the land that the company already owns... but I would very much appreciate it if an Internal Investigations team was dispatched to look into any corruption so that the people of Dragonfield can remove the Premier from office."
His smile was guileless, his shoulders shrugging, "The people stand to gain a lot from having more factories move in- competition is a healthy thing after all. More work, more opportunities for employment, higher wages, and more Jumpship traffic means that more people can travel for a cheaper ticket price. That and Corean can finally put the land we're sitting on to good use for the Federated Suns. However, I'm not going to hold my breath... which is why I'm going to ask for my first big favor."
He clicked over to the next slide to reveal a planet that visually was indistinctive from most other garden worlds, but the name rang some bells.
"I want you to grant me a System Duke's landhold over the Petrolia system and its four planets."
"You want another noble title for the Corean family?" Ardan Sortek gawped, and Hanse had to admit he did feel a touch of shock as well, but they were for different reasons.
"I could honestly care less about the title of Duke, Ardan, you should know me by now; though I will admit that being a Duke would give me a lot more protection within the shark-infested waters of the court nobility," Arthur shook his head, a deep frown on his face, "No. I ask for Petrolia because it's a system that is close to Augusta and New Avalon, and it can serve as a waypoint for the Jumpship caravans heading between my facilities and Cassias where our primary raw materials provider is located."
The Chief Scientist stood up and began to pace, as he was wont to do, and Hanse used that time to stand up and move over to the bar so he could refill his drink.
"For a system in the Core of the Federated Suns, it is criminally underdeveloped. Barely 100,000 people call it home, and it has no noble presence; the people pay lip service to the Duchy of Sodus, but that is about it. I've seen the geological surveys of the system and they are outstanding for my purposes. It has a garden world with a tolerable climate and good soil, two mineral worlds for mining, and while the last world is useless right now if we could get access to Star League terraforming technology then it could be made into a new Venus- another breadbasket world near the heart of the Federated Suns. It also has a defunct Recharging Station still above the Zenith jump point that I'm certain I could get back up and running if given the chance."
"However, really, what I need is the space to build all of the shit I need to build, and the authority to fucking build it," Arthur stopped pacing and stared deep into Hanse's soul with an intensity that was almost frightening, "I want to help bring the Federated Suns into a new golden age of technological advancement, but people keep getting in my fucking way. They fight me at every turn for no good fucking reason other than money or displays of power. So give me the system, Hanse. Take me off the leash, and let me do fucking work."
Slowly.
Ever so slowly, Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, brought the tumbler up to his lips and poured its contents back in a single gulp.
His mind was awash with so many possibilities and potential futures that it was hard for him to keep track of anything and follow a single path forward. It was a maelstrom of chaotic activity, and it all centered around a young man with an all-too-brilliant mind. A mind so bright that it forced all of those around him to shun him and avert their gaze because they couldn't bear to stand in his brilliance.
They feared him.
They feared what he was capable of... and having seen everything that Arthur was so proud to show him and Ardan he could finally understand.
Arthur Corean was the great unknown, none among his seniors or his peers were aware of just how deep and vast his intellect was, and like all animals, they feared it. Reviled it because it was unfamiliar and thus terrifying.
Even at this very moment, after having seen everything Arthur had to show, Hanse Davion did not know just what more Arthur Corean could accomplish if his every restriction was removed- if the rules that bound him to act in the ways that polite society dictated. Structures such as those were necessary to provide stability, but there was no sense in pretending that there weren't levers that were abused to keep brilliant and exceptional people from succeeding because those who wielded said power were afraid to lose it.
Just a few minutes ago it was proven by the actions of nobles on New Avalon and Augusta.
They had put up walls to prevent Corean from expanding... and even the Democratically elected leader of Novaya Zemlya was- allegedly, he internally chided- party to playing 'The Game' at the behest of Federated Industries.
Hanse felt the back of his neck start to sweat as he continued to mull his thoughts over while pouring himself his third drink of the evening.
If he did this he would need assurances, deep assurances... but he couldn't help but wonder at just what Arthur could accomplish with such a scheme.
It was maddening.
"Alright, I will think on it," The First Prince conceded as he sipped at his freshly refilled tumbler, though after wincing he dropped a few more ice cubes into the glass, "What is your second grand favor?"
"I need to get married."
Hanse was thankful that he'd already swallowed, but that didn't stop him from coughing, "I beg your pardon?"
Arthur's head bobbed as he flopped down on the leather couch next to the computer terminal and sighed dramatically, "I didn't stutter, Hanse. I need to get married. My sister is already starting to get on my case about it, and I do want to have a wife and start having children of my own. However, the problem is that I do this all day, every day, and I don't have much time to go out wife hunting. I do not under any circumstances want to offer my un-ringed finger out to the noble courts because I would be swamped with ladies who all want a piece of my ass. Or more accurately, want a piece of Corean Enterprises."
The Chief Scientist of Corean made a sour face, "Especially once news of all of these monumentally important advancements finally trickles into the ears of powerful men and women within the Federated Suns. So, rather than deal with all of that hot garbage, I came up with a brilliant solution!"
Arthur popped up onto his feet, the man far too chipper for Hanse's liking at the moment, and he pointed directly at Hanse's chest, "So my big-brained scheme? You. You, Hanse Davion, will find me a wife."
"You... want me... to find you a wife?" Hanse felt his lips flap for a moment before he regained himself, "You do realize that most people abhor the thought of arranged marriages? A cruel necessity of our existence, it is, to tie families and realms together through it, and most wish to marry for love but swallow a bitter pill for the good of the Federated Suns. Yet you wish for me to find you someone to marry?"
The Head Egghead shook his head, crossing his arms as he clicked his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It doesn't come without its own strings, Hanse. I do have some requirements."
Hanse looked to Ardan, who had been suspiciously silent this whole time, but the man was instead staring down at his tumbler muttering to himself in a daze.
The First Prince cleared his throat, "And they are?"
"Well, she has to be hot. I don't need a wife that's a cover model or anything, because I'm no GQ Magazine star myself," Hanse begged to differ, as Arthur was a rather fetching looking man, even if he was a massive nerd, "But the most important thing? She needs to be able to protect me. So I want a sexy, deadly, MIIO Agent as my wife. Preferably busty, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big booty. If she can blow a man's brains out as easily as she blows my mind in the bedroom... and isn't averse to a lot of children... then we can learn to work around each other if there are some personality conflicts. As long as she supports our children, she doesn't really even have to love me. For the good of the Federated Suns, I can live with that."
Hanse felt his eyebrows shoot toward the ceiling and he fixed the man, his friend, a look of consternation.
"Let me see if I can parse out what you just said... and correct me if I miss anything," Hanse took a sip to wet his lips and immediately regretted it because the strong alcohol let his mouth more dry than before, "You want me to marry you to one of my most lethal female MIIO Operatives?"
"Well... I mean... only if she's willing," The man shifted a touch, his arm coming up to grasp his elbow uncomfortably, "I'd hate for her to view it as a 'mission'. I don't want a loveless or forced marriage. She'd have to be amenable. That and she has to know the amount of danger I'm in. The Dracs want me dead. The Freeworlders most certainly want me dead. The Capellans want me dead. And we can't forget about ComStar, those guys would definitely want me dead."
"Again with the ComStar!" That last statement seemed to drag Ardan out of his crazed mutterings, the man yelling out, "Why do you think that ComStar is out to kill you? You of all people?"
Arthur gave him a deep frown before throwing both of his hands toward the large window looking out over the factory, his hands and fingers wriggling in what he called 'jazz hands'. "Do I need to break out the chart again, Ardan? Over 300 of the brightest minds in the Inner Sphere were assassinated or killed 'accidentally' with everyone pointing the blame at everyone else. These people were protected, by their respective scientific establishments and their intelligence agencies, Ardan, and yet somehow everyone always managed to find out about them!"
Being privy to numerous MIIO historical reports that were 'Prince's Eyes Only', Hanse had to agree that more than a few of the Combine and Capellan scientists killed on that list had been terminated by Fed Suns MIIO or AFFS Special Forces assets. Those men and women had been hidden from their sights for years until bits of suspiciously convenient and highly accurate intelligence were seemingly dropped into the laps by the most unlikely of sources.
Honestly, looking back on some of the highlights he had initially chalked it up to serendipity, but thinking about it now? It was too convenient. It had someone's fingerprints all over it, but the Successor States at the time, being the hungry dogs that they were, never bothered to question the morsels they were given and instead moved to eliminate the scientific assets of their peers without a thought in their minds.
"No! No, Ardan, I'm going to talk and you're going to listen because I've had it up to here with you thinking that I'm a conspiracy theorist!" Arthur's voice rose high enough to make Hanse cringe, "Especially not when my parents were just murdered not too long ago... along with the entire crew of the Leopard they were on."
The enraged man sucked in a breath and tugged at his coat, "You read the report, right, Hanse? Two of the most important industrialists die in a Dropship accident right here on New Avalon- that's something you'd want to read for yourself, yes?"
Hanse nodded. He had indeed read the summary.
"There are a lot of inconsistencies with what ComStar reported on the defunct Vega Aerospace that supplied the hydrogen seals that were used to service our brand spanking new Leopard," Arthur tugged at his coat, a growl on his lips, "The Aerospace industry takes its quality control extremely seriously. They can't afford not to. That Leopard was brand new, Hanse, arrived directly from the factory from Federated-Boeing after it had completed its break-in period and services. Their report? Everything was in perfect working order and only needed mandatory services. However, to complete those services, we needed parts since Corean never had a Leopard within the fleet before now, and those parts we purchased through ComStar's Finder's program. They gave us faulty seals because they knew that if we put them in the Leopard it would result in a catastrophic failure that would doom us all."
"The reason? They thought that I would be on board," Arthur sighed as he sat down, "Though maybe I'm thinking too highly of myself? My mother and father were just as valid a target as anyone else, but really, I would have been on there with them for the photo ops... but I declined so that I could work in the labs here instead."
He leaned back and covered his face with his hands, "My anti-social nature saved my life, but I can't count on it to always do so. That's why I'm beefing up my security forces, and why I want someone who can protect my back. Someone unassuming and intelligent. Good with a blade, gun, or a 'Mech."
He interlaced his fingers behind his head and looked at Hanse with a brittle expression, "No matter what we do from here Hanse, a lot of people are going to want me dead for all of the same reasons. I need to be protected, and if gaining a single iota of extra protection comes at the price of accepting a sexy super spy into my bed? Well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I mean, MIIO is already like a nosy girlfriend to me at this point- looking through all of my messages- so I might as well make it official and tie the knot, no?"
"Besides, if you do give me Petrolia you're going to want some assurances, right? What better to keep the Duke loyal than to have a knife already buried in his back?" His smile became wan, "I know that you trust me, but it's not like you trust me as much as Ardan here..."
He didn't finish.
That made Hanse Davion's noble heart ache.
To think that his friend believed he was only considered trustworthy enough if there was a knife ready to slit his throat sleeping next to him in bed- the knife bearing what should be the supportive title of 'Wife'.
"I will seriously consider both favors, Arthur. God knows that you've earned them." The First Prince inhaled slowly, "Did you know in the Commonwealth that Duchies have been granted for only a single Company's worth of Royal Grade LosTech Mechs? I'd like to think that just what is here in this laboratory is already far more valuable- I'd be a poor Prince to take all of this with one hand and offer you an empty hand in return."
"I..." Ardan spoke haltingly, "I think I might have someone for Arthur?"
Hanse zeroed in on his Champion, "Are you thinking about who I think you're thinking about?"
The man cleared his throat while tugging at his collar, "She's loyal to the Federated Suns, my Prince. And I think that they'd be good together- a match made in Hell."
Arthur narrowed his eyes at Ardan, "Is she skilled?"
"Yes. Both in and out of a Battlemech."
"Sweet. She crazy?"
"Absolutely." Ardan smiled, "A perfect fit for you if I do say so myself."
The two stared each other down for a few moments before Arthur nodded, "Well if someone like you trusts her then I suppose it couldn't hurt to meet her. Though I'm going to meet Hanse's pick first. A femme fatale Super Spy beats out a crazy skilled Mechwarrior in my book, hands down."
The Prince's Champion sniffed, "You have zero taste."
Not one to resist the chance to poke at his truest friend, Hanse raised his glass to hide a smirk on his lips as he smirked, "I seem to remember someone had an inordinate fascination with Metro-Goldenmeyer's smash hit- 007's: 'In His Majesty's Secret Service', not that I can blame you, the actress who played Selena Bond was rather fetching."
Hanse Davion had played a cameo role in that film, starring as himself, 'First Prince Hanse Davion', and delivered the important briefing to his top spy, Selena Bond- a MIIO Secret Agent with a License to Kill.
It only took them an afternoon to shoot the scene, the stage having been his favorite balcony overlooking Avalon City in the distance, and it was a very nice diversion from the humdrum of his daily routine.
Ardan's cheeks colored slightly at the reminder.
Arthur looked between the two with a slowly dropping jaw, "Oho? What's this? Ardan? Spill!"
"I tried to hook up with the actress who played Selena Bond. I shot my shot. I missed. End of discussion." The Champion tossed back his drink and started to stew, "I'm going to withdraw my help in finding you a wife if you poke at me anymore."
"You can't do that," Hanse's eyes crinkled, "Lingling would murder you if you did, and I for one would let her. You did promise her, after all, and a man doesn't make a promise he can't keep, even in the heat of a moment."
As though he had been struck, Ardan crumpled in the comfortable chair, "God, you're right... what good is my word if I let this opportunity slip through my fingers?"
Ice clanked around the tumbler in Arthur's hand as he swirled it around, a wry grin on his face, though his attention was directed toward Hanse, "So... Lingling, eh? She sounds..."
"At the risk of sounding uncouth and distateful... she is the very living embodiment of the 'Female Capellan Stereotype'," Hanse simply replied and Arthur nodded, "Though instead of being judgemental and overbearing she is a bit more violent than others of her type. A boon to have as a Mechwarrior, especially when she's fighting on your side; to think that the Capellans decided she would be better suited to serve as part of a suicide squad than a Mechwarrior. Their loss."
The trio remained quiet for a minute before Hanse decided to finally bite the bullet, "So, we have a Dukedom landhold, a wife, and what is the third thing?"
Arthur smiled as he walked over to the computer terminal and opened up a file, and within moments, a few pictures in a slide deck appeared on the screen, "This has to be handled with the utmost discretion, Hanse. The moment word gets out about what I've uncovered then the jig could very well soon be up."
Hanse poured himself an extra thumb, already starting to feel the buzz as he seated himself heavily in the chair he recently vacated, the Prince waving his hand, "Do go on, I'm all ears."
"Yes, please, it cannot possibly be any worse than anything else you've sprung on Hanse today," Ardan snarked, seemingly finding his inner fire once more.
"Helm. There is a Castle Brian there along with a complete Star League Library Core, and likely whole regiments worth of 'Mechs, tanks, and spares," Arthur Corean stared at the pair of them as he interlaced his hands behind his back, "The Nagayan Moutain Complex exists, it's real, and Minoru Kurita was so mad when he didn't find it that he nuked the planet's population centers in retaliation when he didn't find it. I, on the other hand? I intend to find it, and we need to start getting a move on soon because if we dally for too long someone else will get their hands on it, and we don't want that."
Hanse once more felt his mind stutter to a halt as Arthur Corean started launching into a small tirade, the map blowing up and showing historical deployment data from the Kuritan forces under the direction of Minoru Kurita's forces, "-and as you can see, the Snake spent months combing up and down the Shingen mountain range. I think that Minoru believed because the Castle Brians he'd seized control over near the Terran Hegemony after the Usurper was kicked to the curb all were the same- sharing the same type of mountainous rock formations- that it would be the same for Nagayan Mountain complex. However, after months of searching and allowing his forces at the jump points to get constantly harassed to prevent the Free Worlds League Militia from breaking the siege, he eventually got frustrated and gave up. He dropped a lot of nuclear ordnance on the population on the way out just to make himself feel better, but what do you expect from the Chief Snake?"
"However, I think what he and his analysts missed was this," He clicked over to the next slide to show a satellite image taken above the planet's capital city of Helmsdown, the image zoomed out to show hundreds of kilometers in every direction around it. It showed a surprising amount of green near the equator of the planet, where Helmsdeep was located, but that was to be expected because it was the lowlands- heading north or south from the centerline of the world had one traveling into ever-increasing elevations until they dropped off over the frozen oceans near the poles.
Arthur looked at the pair and grinned, "Alright, take a good look at this image. Burn it into your mind. The lay of the land and the primary highways leading away from Helmsdeep, specifically to the north. This image was taken during the height of the Summer, and even the mountains turn green this time of the year."
He flipped over from the Summer image to what could only be described as the Winter image, with plenty of white snow covering the ground, "Look at Helmsdeep- even from this altitude you can clearly see the spaceport. It was enlarged and made very robust by the Star League when they set it up as an Anchor Command in 2738, the region around Helm was meant to be a primary logistical hub for the SLDF in case they needed to deploy into the Free Worlds League. Now, if we zoom in just a touch..."
Arthur manipulated the image, blowing it up a little bit at a time until a solitary black line could be seen cutting its way through the snow away from Helmsdeep, the line originating from the spaceport, "That road right there? That is the Ansawat Memorial Highway, or at least it was until Minoru's temper tantrum. It was the primary road that linked Helmsdeep to the SLDF's Colonel Hinat Chuba Logistical Hub, and if you overlay the historical search patterns that the FWL's satellites recorded along with records from ComStar's Central Archives..."
One of the previous maps was overlayed over the top and made slightly transparent, the man using the mouse to circle around the highlighted areas, "You can see that Minoru focused all of his manpower scouring the Chuba Logistical Hub, but he came up empty-handed."
"As did the Mariks," Ardan noted dryly, "And they too came up with nothing, Arthur."
Arthur let out an aggravated groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "For the love of all that is Holy... Ardan. Do we know that there was once an SLDF Castle Brian on Helm?"
"Yes?"
"And did Minoru Kurita or the Mariks ever find it?"
"No..."
"Well then you have your answer, you doofus," The scientist shook his head, "If it was there, we know it's there, and no one ever found it... then that means it is still there, it's just that no one ever found it. Kerensky's ilk never even showed up there, and no one ever left the system with the Exodus fleet either, so that means that everything that was there? It's still there."
Ardan pouted, but Hanse couldn't fault Arthur's logic. Star League caches were all over the Inner Sphere, with many found and many left to be discovered. Why, just last month the AFFS stumbled across a small logistical cache that contained a whole Company worth of Merkava heavy tanks, and the only reason that was found was because a heavy excavator digging tank trenches for maneuver exercises dug into a thick steel ceiling. The discovery had the entire regiment- that was supposed to be training- scouring the surrounding landscape, infantry practically holding hands as they walked in a grid until some lucky lad found the hidden entrance when he tripped and fell down the hill.
That young man was currently at NAIS at this very moment training to become a tank commander, with one of those Star League-era Merkava tanks to become his noble steed.
"Now, as I was saying. If you look at where the Head Snake was looking, you'll see that they didn't bother to search east, which leads allllll ttthhheeeee wwwaaayyyyy ddddooooowwwwnnnnnn oooovvveerrr heeeerrreeeee..." He snaked the mouse down a valley that stretched for dozens of kilometers before he stopped and began circling the valley's natural termination point, "The Vermillion Valley."
Arthur was practically bouncing in his chair as he looked over at the pair of them, "Think! I'm not a soldier, but I do know logistics. This Castle Brian was supposed to be the primary logistical hub for the entire FWL theater. We're talking a stockpile of regiments upon regiments of 'Mechs, Tanks, APCs, Aerial Vehicles, and all of the spare parts and munitions to keep them working and fed. Setting something like that up takes time, effort, and space. Space that the Chuba Logistical Hub could and did provide- the SLDF base was merely the intake and staging area for what went into the Castle Brian, and would serve as a secondary check for what went out of the Castle Brian... and of course, the spaceport would serve as a triple check."
"I was able to gather all of this from publicly purchasable planetary atlases along with history texts from the First Succession Wars," He made a face, "And from ComStar's Historical Preservation Society."
"Which!" He held up a hand to stop Ardan from speaking, "Just a moment, let me finish. This segues into the main reason why I think we're on the clock. This is Precentor Emilio Rachan, the current Precentor of the Helm HPG station. According to his biography from ComStar, the man is a sitting member of ComStar's Archivist's Guild, and the ranking member of their Historical Preservation board. The man is credited for finding three Star League-era caches, all of which have been taken by ComStar and interned in the numerous museums that they have scattered around former Hegemony space."
Hanse looked at the photogenic still image of an older-looking man with greying hair wearing the usual plain robes of ComStar. He had crows feet around the corners of his eyes, and had a smile on his face that could only be described as 'grandfatherly'. All in all, a perfect picture of a hard-working man who treasured the Star League's history and worked tirelessly to unearth its lost history.
"Now, I'm certain that you're both well aware that I am a... 'practicing Blakist'..." Arthur shuddered a touch as he looked a little green around the gills, "Not that it stopped them from murdering my parents and trying to murder me... but this guy here? He was the personal aide to Primus Julian Tiepolo, one the Primus has spoken of fondly on the record. He was to Primus Julian to what Ardan here is to you, Hanse. He is a man you send to make sure things get done right."
"Now ask yourself this question: Why would Primus Julian Tiepolo send a man publicly known for finding SLDF caches to a planet that has a Class B HPG relay if not to find the Nagayan Mountain Complex? You may or may not know this, but a Class B posting is essentially 'Baby's First HPG Precentorship'. It's an introductory posting for individuals ComStar believes can take leadership roles. You work your way up the ladder with careful service, eventually getting a Class A relay posting, and once you've reached the end of your life then maybe you might be considered worthy enough to hold one of the major postings... like the New Avalon HPG and thus a seat on the First Circuit."
"Getting pushed back down to a Class B post is a demotion, and Precentor Emilio Rachan has worked at two Class B posts, three Class A posts, and was promoted to be essentially ComStar's 'First Prince's' personal aid," Arthur leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, leaving the older man's visage up on the screen, "He's not old enough to retire, and most ComStar... adherents don't retire at all. Getting kicked out of Terra and to the boonies in the Free Worlds League to run a Class B posting would be considered an extremely harsh punishment- one step removed from being court-martialed and hung as far as the ComStar crazies go."
Arthur inhaled before running a hand through his blazing red hair, mussing it up greatly, "So if you ask me? Primus Tiepolo believes that there is enough supporting information that they have in their archives to dispatch his best LosTech hunter to the area. Even without all of my own research, just hearing about Rachan, even if he rarely makes public appearances- the man 'not liking' the fame his previous discoveries have netted him- it would be enough to make me sit up and take notice. So... what say you, my Prince?"
Hanse closed his eyes for a few moments and brought the tumbler of whiskey up to his lips, though he didn't so much as sip it. Instead, he let the vapors slither up into his nostrils and sizzle, the discomfort helping him focus.
When he opened his eyes he looked at Arthur, "Give me everything you have and I'll ask Quintus to put some of his best analysts on it. We likely have far better imagery, maps, and orbital traffic logs than you do on the matter."
"My Prince..." Ardan leaned forward, the man brushing his dark hair off to the side, but Hanse shook his head.
"I think that Arthur has earned more than enough goodwill from me and the Federated Suns to look into this, because while I've heard wild theories about the mysterious, Vanishing Cache of Helm, none of them have been as coherent as what Arthur has presented," The First Prince sat his tumbler down, "How certain are you that it is real?"
"110%," Arthur grinned like a child that had just been told Christmas had come early and Santa had brought him all of the presents on his wish list, "It's there Hanse. I can feel it. Just because no one else has found it doesn't mean it isn't there. It was on the SLDF's registry and Fort Chabu wasn't nearly large enough to hold all of that equipment, and just looking at the maps there weren't any highways leading away from Chabu, but they wouldn't need those if they were taking it to someplace much closer."
Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, stood up from the comfortable armchair and looked down at Arthur Corean.
He had made the mistake of not believing in the young man once before, and it ended up almost ruining him. Years of forced stagnation, being forced to malinger in the darkness when he should have been allowed to burn brightly and learn, to illuminate the path forward. He and his elder brother Ian had almost snuffed one of the brightest minds the Federated Suns had ever seen with their ignorance and 'father knows best' attitudes... and after what he had just been shown? He believed it was high time that he should try to make things right.
If Arthur believed that the Helm Cache was still untouched, then Hanse believed him, and if it existed then it meant that the Federated Suns would need to be the first ones to get to it.
Hanse Davion would not turn his back on Arthur Corean again, this he swore.
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A/N: Man, there is so much more that I wanted to cover in this, but I couldn't justify it as the word count kept ballooning. I wanted to portray Hanse Davion as the sort of honorable person that would take a look at some of his past mistakes and actually feel guilty over them before trying to do what was right to make up for them. Of course he doesn't know that Arthur is a fully grown man that could handle dissappointment, even if he was more than just a touch angry at constantly being denied by both of the First Princes to advance more quickly... and the thought of a Saga of Tanya the Evil-style of 'Misunderstanding Field' would be both funny and appropriate given Hanse's character and upbringing. While Arthur was fine with working on his own, Hanse saw him as someone ostracized by his peers and a 'tortured soul' that was 'shunned' and yet was still willing to do his best for God and Country. Seeing all of the wonderous things he created on his own, his brainchilds advanced at different speeds, and when he had a full staff of science employees who had to listen to him? Well, his development speed really took off from there as he was able to focus on the big picture problems, focusing his brilliant mind on the problem areas while the staffers took care of the scutwork that slowed him down greatly when he was a student at NAIS working on his projects solo.
When Arthur encountered a problem he didn't have the solution to, he shelved the project and worked on something else until he'd learned what he needed to learn while attending school. Then he came back, got over the hurdle, and worked on it before reaching the next hurdle when he inevitably shelved the project again to be worked on at a later date. He did this over and over and over again for many, many years, leading to him having a boat load of half-completed or near-completed projects that he could then foist off on his science teams to finish or assist him with. His year and some change after he took up the position as Chief Scientist of Corean allowed him to finish a great number of projects back to back, so that when Hanse was rescued and finally able to take this meeting... Arthur had a ton of mind-bending shit to dump on him.
Andosteel is essentially Endosteel, except for vehicles and non-critical components of Aerospace assets. It's something that was considered 'impossible' to do with regular Endosteel because Endo took up too much space inside of ground vehicles, and the Clans? They likely could have put their Clan Endo into vehicles, but to them ground vehicles were for pussies, the worthless, and unclean. To them everything important is a 'Battlemech Only' sort of deal- that's how strong their Cult of the Mechwarrior goes... it is a foundational pillar of their religion, where everything they have and everything they do is based around ritualized 'Mech combat. So yeah, them no putting Clan Endo on vehicles is totally valid. However, if there was a cheaper alternative that does the exact same thing? One that doesn't require exorbitantly expensive and vulnerable orbital facilities to manufacture? That changes up the game significantly.
The crystal growth method isn't as important by contrast, but more durable cockpit glass is always important for a variety of industries and vehicles, and it is a key component in the creation of ER Lasers- the more durable and better focusing glass a requirement for keeping laser beams focused at further distances.
Then we have the weapons... and the weapons are essentially canon. The Enhanced PPC was created by Clan Wolverine, and after they were wiped out (along with all records of their works), the Clans took their advancements and then began improving upon them. Notably of which, in this particular case, is the Clan ER PPC, which is a monsterously powerful weapon for its size and tonnage, even if it is a bit hot. So 'Enhanced' versions of the Lasers and other weapons are a step toward creating weapons that will eventually be on parity with what the Clans bring to the table in less than thirty years time.
However, with the ability to print foam structures directly, the weapons that Corean will produce will be much lighter than their Inner Sphere counterparts. The ability to create closed cell channels to funnel coolant through in the frame of the weapon itself removes a lot of the tubing and internal heatsinking required to keep the weapon cool because the entire frame, which is open-celled, becomes a heatsink. A rather good one at that. So the removal of heatsinks and coolant lines frees up just as much space as the Andosteel foam does, and in certain cases more space is created. This allows for Arthur and his Corean scientists to play around with the layout of the weapon and its components more freely, giving them a lot of flexibility to make tweaks to the designs.
If you're feeling lost by now, don't worry, because once this gets its own thread, which is should by next chapter because if it isn't over the 40K cut-off by now then it will be soon (lol I haven't tallied it yet), then I will have an Informational section for all of the advancements Corean Enterprises makes under Arthur's leadership.
Then we have the end section.
Helm is a must have in every Battletech SI, and Arthur seeing that there is a rapidly closing window of time for them to hit Helm before the Gray Death Legion fiasco... has decided that the longer he waits the more things can go sideways. The propogation of the Grey Death Core across the Inner Sphere is what kicked off an arms race that saw every Great House start to build their own Star League-era shit (though those silly Kuritans had to be helped by ComStar on multiple occasions, lol) and given that Arthur lives in the Federated Suns, he doesn't want that to happen. Given Helm's proximity to the Lyran Commonwealth, he sees this as a potential opportunity for the Lyrans and Fed Suns to work together on a big project that could make a dramatic PR impact: "Lyrans and Feddies work together to secure greatest historical find since the Fall of the Star League! Archon Katrina and Prince Davion use the success of this operation to announce the joining of the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns into a single realm!" is the sort of headline he's imagining in his head.
It's not like attacking the FWL will cause more damage anyway- the Federated Suns hates the FWL too, they just hate the Capellans and Combine more. The Lyrans they're pretty neutral on, as there hasn't been any major incidents between them since the opening days of the First Succession War. So the two of them gearing up together to find a Brian Cache with multiple regiments of LosTech mechs, vehicles, and all of the parts to maintain them? Yeah, they'd go for that, and they would hold a televised parade to show off the shit they jacked from Janos Marik- just to rub it in their faces.
"You idiots had all of this in your own back yard and you didn't know about it? Well it is ours now! Ohohohohohoho~!"
The Library Core, however, is the grandest prize of them all, and with that in Arthur's hands he can stop trying to reverse engineer Star League shit and can actually start building it from their specs... so he can then start improving upon it or going in a completely different direction.
Arthur wants that core very badly, and he was willing to engage in a bunch of 4-Chan behavior, sniffing around, putting together maps, reading historical troop movements, etc to get it.
Though let's be honest here. Everyone knew that the Castle Brian existed. It is in the Star League's records. Though as time went on and the Houses bombed each other into oblivion, the information got buried and people forgot about it. They assumed that since Minoru Kurita and his many regiments worth of men couldn't find it then it either didn't exist or it was too well hidden to find, and thus not worth the effort to even try. Why risk the FWL's wrath when you can venture out into the Periphery to find less guarded SLDF caches and earn yourself a noble title? And over time, Helm's signifiance dropped down so low that barely anyone visited it, to the point when a 'Merchant Jumpship Fleet' (claiming to not be pirates) carrying lots of dropships arrived the people were actually very happy to see them! The prospect of money to be made... made their brains smooth, because there just wasn't anything at Helm worth raiding since Minoru Kurita nuked it to hell and back. Helm is essentially a backwater planet when one takes into account how close it is the core of the Inner Sphere. 15,000,000 people ain't shit.
So if the Feddies and Lyrans are quick and careful then they should be able to pull off a lightning raid and get all of the goodies... though the real question is what does this mean for Grayson Carlye and the Grey Death Legion? lol!