Thank you for the review! Before you read on chapter 4, please, dear readers, look at chapter 3 again. I had to replace part of it since for some reason not all reworked stuff was saved. But it is minor stuff, just so you know.
Dropship "Wotans Zorn", Dieudonne (in transit to)
Independent World, Free Worlds League
14. June 3022
General Frederick Steiner had a bit of free time during this phase of intra-system travel. While he read a book, part of his concentration was on Operation Morgenrot. He himself was one of the planners and he looked forward to execute it.
It was not the most straightforward plan the Lyran Commonwealth ever made, but most of that stuff came from people like Katrina, Simon Johnson or Edward Regis. The LCAF were not striking obvious targets in the first wave. Indeed, Dieudonne was such a target. While it was the HQ of a FWL military district, major industrial systems like Oliver or Kalidasa, just one jump over the border, were far tastier targets, but here the plan was thinking outside the box. A bit too much for his liking, but it was the plan.
Driving a salient towards the Stewart Commonwealth, a League state close to the Captain-General, bypassing the Silver Hawks Coalition, among the opposition of the Marik in parliament. It was the intention to sew strife among the various League states and worlds with that move.
With Stewart a close supporter of Janos Marik, the FWL would sooner or later react when it became clear to them that House Steiner intended to swallow that state whole.
When the Mariks reacted, sending forces towards the invasion corridor, therefore weakening defences elsewhere, part two of Morgenrot would start. Troops freed thanks to the peace with the Dracs, would start to gobble up important worlds rather close to the Marik/Steiner border, like Tamarind, Kalidasa or Thermopolis, to name a few.
These were the main targets, less the Stewart Commonwealth. While the Lyran Forces would try to hold as many worlds of that League state as they could, that was not as important.
How new the current situation still was to everybody in the know, became clear to Frederick once again, when the message had come in that the Combine had started their attack on the Galtor bulge and several other pieces of the Feddies Draconis March on time. Part of the General still had reckoned with a backstab by the Kuritans.
In Frederick two souls warred with each other. On one hand, he considered himself a candidate for the Archonship, finding his cousin Katrina too soft, too conciliatory for the post she held, on the other, the Archon had somehow managed not only to bring the Combine to the green table, but to sign a peace. And the Combine was following the agreement!
Frederick Steiner had enough self-awareness to know that politics were not his strongest suite. It had been one reason Aldo Lestrade had approached him and proposed to be Frederick´s political arm. The General knew that Lestrade looked out mainly for himself and did not know how to spell the word patriot, but his political acumen was extremely helpful, which was why the two men had come to an agreement years before.
But now Frederick was trying to get away from Lestrade. He did not like Katrina much more than before the treaty with the Combine, but unlike Lestrade, he was a patriot. Neither he himself nor Lestrade would have been able to get the Dragon to sign such an important agreement, for that alone Katrina had earned a chance to proof herself in Frederick´s eyes.
He had no idea how long the Arcturus peace would hold, but it had already given the Commonwealth a much needed time to take a breath. That was very well and so Frederick would not be planning Katrina´s downfall, but doing his job as an important general: conquering worlds for House Steiner and his family!
While Frederick was distancing himself mentally and especially physically at the moment from Aldo Lestrade, he contemplated what or who the Duke of Summer would try to catch in his web now that Frederick was leaving. The Archon´s cousin knew without a doubt that Summer´s ruler was a disloyal, self serving weasel, but extremely adept in covering up that fact. While Frederick had wanted to use these abilities of Lestrade earlier, he knew aperson like the Duke was up to no good ultimately.
Snippets from the Inner Sphere
„Personally I think it was, without any crowing over the fact, my colleagues and my comparison of the situation of Combine and Commonwealth at the end of the Star League and today, which drove home the point for both delegations. I doubt most politicians, except the Archon and surprisingly the Coordinator it seemed, in the delegations had ever seen this disaster.
The crass, glaring and obvious fall from grace all Successor States went through had to be stopped. If we wanted to rise again, the situation had to change. Within days, Arcturus Accords and Pact had been signed."
Dr.(h.c.) Dietmar Wunder, member of the Lyran delegation on Arcturus and Dieron
Hanse Davion´s reign will certainly be valued as one of the most important of all First Princes in History. He wasn´t called the Fox by friends and foes alike for nothing. Famous and clever strategies, a great diplomat with an eye for the possible, the architect of the ‚Concord of Oriente', the list of his achivements tower far above the failures. We, the Federated Suns, can call ourselves lucky that he was still Prince when the Clans attacked the Inner Sphere. Still, even among the Great, Fate plays it´s own role. While Prince Hanse died at the controls of his beloved Battlemech like his brother Ian, it was not the enemy, but a sneaky heart attack who bereft us of one who will be missed far and wide.
From one of several eulogies for Hanse Davion 3054
„You stupid cow! Why did you guys not warn us earlier about the Clans? Millions could still live!"
„Fourth Succession War rings any bell, blinkered ox? The one your ‚Concord' started without any thought about the situation? Your leaders would have abused the information instead of preparing!"
AFFS Marshal Joseph Blak and Wolf´s Dragoons General Natasha Kerensky arguing on the battlefield
„Major Clavell, here is a message we received! What shall we answer? General Kerensky said I should ask you."
„Well, here is written ‚the wolf pack returns to the lair', but then again, I am old and my eyes not the best anymore. I am sure it is advertisement crap. Throw it away!"
„Ehh...yes, Sir!"
„What is it, Sergeant?"
„Pardon, Sir, but the General´s reaction was as strange as yours?"
„Ah, somebody from the past comes knocking. In the early days of the Dragoons that might have been something, but today it does not matter to us anymore. We are the Wolf´s Dragoons and where we should be."
Jawohl, Sir! Ads are an annoyance, it goes straight into the rubbish box."
A Wolf´s Dragoons office when the Return Order arrived
„Let me end this already far too long speech with the words: As of this moment, the Resettlement of Hegel is a go!"
From Colonist director Ralf Hütterer´s speech in the Lyran Hegel-System 3030
"The Inner Sphere is fucked up, but home now."
Cranston Snord on Wotan during defence preparations, stated in the early phase of the Clan Wars
"The Crusaders said we go back to the Sphere, the populations rise up, we kick the corrupt House Lords to the curb and recreate the Star League. I never thought that would be as easy as they made it seem. But what we lived through in the IS should make it clear even to the staunchest Crusader. The Spheroids are not keen on us 'liberating' them. Some Clans thrived on, some Clans fell learning the lesson."
Wolf Clan saKhan Evantha Fetladral 3101
"We made a mistake using the Archon´s initiative for grandstanding! For all their flaws, they are a major House and we have few tensions. The Confederation could have made important connections and who knows what else. The Lyrans could have been a great help for us, we could have squashed the Mariks between us, if a proper alliance would have been made. But now? We are still stuck between larger Houses without real friends. Father, why did you do that?"
From a diary entry of Candace Liao 3020
First Prince´s office, Castle Davion, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
14. Juni 3022
"Ok, what is the current verdict, Yvonne?" asked Hanse Davion his champion and aunt. Other persons in the little, informal war council were his friends Ran Felsner, Ardan Sortek and Secret Services director Quintus Allard.
"The good news is that the Snakes attack with few Battlemech regiments. And the fact, that we have no news about a possible incursion by LCAF troops at Caph or the rest of the Terran corridor."
"That is good and not too surprising. The enmity of Combine and Commonwealth is a long one, the ink under their cease-fire a couple of days old. Trust in each other should be minimal. I predict both Houses will fight separated campaigns, observing the other for a possible backstab. The Dracs against us, the Lyrans against the Mariks.", remarked Ardan Sortek as the first commenter.
"You are correct, Colonel Sortek", answered Yvonne Davion. "That is my estimation as well. All current information hints this way. It would also explain the rather low number of Battlemechs in the campaign. Luthien and Tharad are surely covering their backs.
But there are bad news, too. While the number of Mech regiments is comparatively low, the Dragon sends a large force of conventional regiments. This is not a large raid, but a true incursion. Kurita knows we have to shift units to stop him. Units, we can barely afford strategically to shift, no matter how much Duke Sandoval already clamors for support of the Draconis March.
Ideally we could shift units from the Periphery border, but they would arrive too late. We must use regiments which will give the Capellans and at least theoretically the Mariks and Steiners a chance to hit us too. Actually, I estimate that the Combine had a similar plan already in the drawer, only no chance to enact it, since at least part of the forces had to be moved before their cease-fire with the Lyrans.
My staff and I work on the premise, that Kurita started their negotiations with the Steiners to find a way for their plan to happen."
The First Prince of the Federated Suns nodded and steepened his fingers. "That is certainly a realistic and probable premise, Yvonne. thank you.
Quintus, I know you only recently took over the helm of our Secret Services, so this debacle would go home with Turston, were he still alive. But I need you to find out what went wrong with our negotiations with the Steiners and when the Kuritas decided to come to the party. What can you give at the moment?"
Quintus Allard, as practically always in an understated business suit, this day in dark blue, nodded and began. "Hanse, we work with priority on this. As Duchess Fenlon already stated in her personal report, we estimate that the Dragon approached the Steiners around New Year 3022, since about that time our negotiations with Tharkad took a turn for worse. It would be a great coincidence were it not so. The Kuritans were late, but since they did not make similar ill conceived demands as the Mariks and Liaos did beforehand
Without criticising Olivia, I do not agree with her ministry´s assessment, that the Kuritas only contacted the Commonwealth to throw a log between our legs and torpedo our treaty proposal. This incursion is clearly preplanned and prepared, like the Steiner attack on the FWL. The MIIO and I estimate, even if Kurita in the beginning wanted only to disrupt us, both Luthien and Tharkad recognised a cease-fire would enable them to execute plans they already had, but could not before a change in circumstances."
It was then, that Ran Felsner, the humble, but highly talented ex-Lumberjack Mechwarrior took over the word."If I may jump in? Spymaster Allard´s work is no doubt important and he is the right man to solve this, but even an apolitical Mechjockey like me sees the political dimension. The Kuritans are not known for an overbearing love of treaties or diplomatic finesse, neither is their general outlook very close to the Lyran one.
The question is how could they of all people sideline us? What if the unthinkable happens and the Kuritans and Steiners cobble together a functioning peace?"
Hanse Davion nodded.
"Exactly that, Ran, exactly that! I think we were too sure nobody else would react to the Archon´s Peace initiative and the chance it potentially is. Well, the Dracs did not close a treaty with another Star empire for over two hundred years, who would have thought that exactly now they would start again?
Nevertheless, from what Olivia told me about the truly difficult points during our negotiations with the Lyrans, in hindsight it was a mistake to press for exclusive negotiations. The Steiners are as horrified as I am how far the Inner Sphere has fallen, we even cannot tell the 'galactic post service' where to stick their ideas!
The Lyrans were adamant to keep their proposal, which is quite intricate I must say, open for all who wanted to participate. The thought that old enemies like Liao or Kurita", here painful memories of Halstead Station came to Hanse´s inner eye, "could profit from the Initiative was not something our delegation and I wanted. I won´t make such a miscalculation again!
Another thing were the economic questions and the marriage proposal. The Steiners were not keen on establishing very long trade routes without having a larger say in the economic development of our Suns. Here our delegation flexed not a centimeter, while I was willing to compromise to a degree. You can say much about the Lyrans, but they know how 'to economy'. The marriage proposal with Melissa Steiner and me was something neither I nor Katrina were keen on, but the chief negotiators pushed for that to stabilise the alliance.
There were some other points, but looking back and knowing now that we had a competitor, I have a good idea why it derailed."
"And now, Hanse, what do we do now to stop the Dracs?"
"The foreign ministry pushes me to close an alliance with the Free Worlds League to start to turn around the situation. I am willing for a cease-fire, even a peace treaty if possible, but not an alliance. I think an alliance would be a hipshot.
The FWL is not the most stable State the Inner Sphere or even the near Periphery has seen and as I said before, the Lyrans have not retracted their Peace initiative. I want to try it again with a better proposal, even if I would like to bite the table when thinking that the Snakes might get a piece of the cake as well.
An alliance of Federated Suns and Free Worlds League would antagonise the Lyrans beforehand and more, it would stabilise the cease-fire of the Snakes and the Elsies. It probably would even advance their peace talks from necessity alone. I am sure with a good enough proposal we can sideline the Dracs even now. That won´t happen if we get too cosy with the Mariks."
What Hanse Davion could not know at that point in time, was that the League´s internal political and partly the military situation became so dire before the negotiations about a cease-fire began, that Janos Marik wanted, no, needed more commitment by the Federated Suns.
And the Federated Suns were not immune to pressure of the situation. Both States needed something tangible to keep the Capellans from profiting much from the fight at the coreward borders and to concentrate on Commonwealth and Combine respectively.