[Hanse Davion]
[Corean Enterprises R&D Bldg; Arthur's Personal Lab]
[New Avalon, New Avalon System, Federated Suns]
[June 1st, 3028]
Once more Hanse found himself within the deep underground confines of Arthur's personal labs, and he had come to see it as much of a home away from home. The slate grey ferrocrete walls were almost completely empty besides the handful of Federated Commonwealth banners and a pair of wall tapestries bearing the Ducal and County of Coat of Arms of the two Houses Corean, it was paradoxically rather homey and fittingly reflective of Arthur himself; he was a utilitarian man with little love for power or luxury, even if he did have a few of the finer things... like the sinfully plush and comfortable leather armchair Hanse was seated in with a tumbler of his favorite whiskey in hand.
As he took a small sip, savoring the flavor and burn, the First Prince allowed himself some time to close his eyes and relax.
He was alone, with his personal security detail taking up their posted positions around Arthur's personal office— while there was no one else in the room with him the door was open, and Major Derek was seated in a chair on the opposite side of the Henan crystal viewing window with shrewd eyes on Hanse's person at all times. His privacy had always been non-existent, but since they sent out the invitations to the Royal Wedding on Terra at the start of this year to give the House Lords time to prepare and plan should they accept... he even had a man watching him bathe! In another life he might have lamented this last shred of lost freedom, but having a much better idea of the dangers surrounding him and those closest to him Hanse Davion knew better than to sulk.
If this was the price he paid to see strength and prosperity for his realm then so be it.
There were other concessions made as well, one floated to him by Arthur himself almost a year ago... if rather indirectly.
Arthur had posited that contacting the major Periphery states might be a good avenue to approach, though it was mainly out of Arthur's personal liking for what he had fondly called "Space Vegas" and "Space Texas" during some of their many private conversations. It tickled Hanse to hear the Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordant referred to as such, but the gravity of the suggestion was not lost on him. In the years to come... there was a very real possibility that the Federated Commonwealth could be so successful that the Periphery realms which the Federated Suns had historically ignored might one day come into play. So it would behoove the rulers of the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns to begin diplomatic overtures and establish a healthy relationship and friendship before the Federated Commonwealth had grown to the point where they might begin to feel threatened.
During many of their 'post-showcase discussions', Arthur was quite keen to harp on the ego and hubris of the Star League as they dismissed the Periphery realms out of hand... and sought to outright exploit them for centuries with mineral pilfering and hefty taxation. History was quite clear in those regards— unless the Federated Commonwealth was dedicated to the complete eradication of the Periphery states, something no one would entertain these days, attempting to subjugate them would only lead to untold losses of blood and treasure. So it would be much more beneficial for all involved to get the Periphery realms on board by bringing them in on the 'ground floor' with an offer that would see all parties happy.
Member state status within the Federated Commonwealth as an autonomous, self-ruled nation-state with no plots to undermine their current rulers. A low taxation rate equal to all member nations. Equal opportunities for work and trade, and of course, access to the industrial might and expertise of the Federated Commonwealth. It would be made clear in black and white that the Federated Commonwealth would recognize and legitimize the nation-states that ruled, something that the Aurigan Coalition was sorely lacking, and that just as the Federated Commonwealth would not exploit them neither would they be able to exploit the Federated Commonwealth.
The rather masterful play the Canopians pulled on the Free Worlds League post-Reunification War would not see a repeat.
There would need to be some back-and-forth over a unified legal code for the most part, but given the Lyran and Federated Suns had generous protections for the citizenry as did the Magistracy and Aurgian Coalition he didn't think there would be much disagreements there. The citizenry and corporations both deserved to have their rights protected, and preventing the exploitation of the populous by the corporations was a duty of the government to fulfill; some of the current privileges and excesses the Lyran half of the Commonwealth enjoyed would need to be curtailed, but the amount of bleating should be minimal given the opportunity to greatly expand their markets.
Truth be told he had been more than a touch surprised to hear that not only would the Magistrix be attending the Wedding, but she would be bringing her daughter Emma Centrella as well. This was likely due to the fact that the Magistracy had even been invited at all given the Inner Sphere's usual distaste for the Periphery realms, so being recognized as a peer even in this small sense was well received. Given the communications between them were facilitated by the former Agent Game through Ana Marie Centrella, the younger cousin of the Magistrix, this likely helped as well; the two had been lovers once upon a time while Samantha Sterling had been on a circuitous return to the Federated Suns after a long stint in the Free Worlds League. Since she had been the liaison between the Aurigan Coalition and the Magistracy, the inclusion of the Coalition in the peace talks was what had likely tipped it all in their favor.
In the meanwhile, the Taurians had... received their invitation for peace talks, but otherwise were remaining silent— likely kicking back to see the outcome before committing to anything. The animosity between the Taurian Concordat and the Federated Suns was legendary, and Thomas Calderon's paranoia was even more well-known. According to his MIIO reports, the man expected a Federated Suns invasion at any moment, which was rather absurd in Hanse's opinion because the Fed Suns had so many more important things to do than gallivant into the quagmire that is the Concordat. Yes, the pride of the Suns had been rather bruised since the House Davion joined the Star League in the subjugation of the Home of the Bulls, and the Federated Suns had made some highly questionable decisions during said campaigns in an ill-fated attempt to win kudos from the Star League...
Hanse shook his head.
The Taurians hated the Davions like the Mariks hated the Lyrans.
He could understand it, he could respect it, which was why he was just going follow Arthur's advice and keep the Federated Commonwealth the hell away from the Taurians unless asked to meet.
The offer for peace was there on Thomas Calderon's desk, and thus the ball was in the Protector of the Realm's court.
Then there were the rumors of the Duchy of Andurien starting to swirl in the halls of MIIO, something that had once more been put in their lap thanks to Arthur's subtle nudging. Their spies ended up uncovering the fact that there had been many secret talks between Kyalla Centrella and Dame Catherine Humphreys of Andurien. While the contents of the meetings were unknown, Hanse wasn't interested in putting his Agents at risk to find out— Arthur's suppositions and their own passive fact-finding had revealed plenty.
Dame Humphreys had an intense hatred for the Capellan Confederation and wanted out of the Free Worlds League. She had put up such fierce defiance of the League that if there had been a picture next to the definition of the word "NO" it would have her face as the example. The woman was a constant thorn in the side of Janos Marik, and was one of the many worlds who constantly invoked the Home Defense Act of 2906; this prevented their regional regiments from being stripped to undertake whatever combat actions the Captain-General wished. She was a woman who put the needs of her realm first, and Hanse could respect that.
The possibility of the succession of the Duchy of Andurien could very well lead to the complete alteration of Operation RAT in its entirety, and not for the worse either. If they could get the Duchy on board then... they had a very real chance of cutting the Capellan Confederation in half. A bridge of systems spanning across the Confederation to the Duchy of Andurien would be the vital link to not only supply the Duchy but the Magistracy and Arugian Coalition as well. This would put three enemy powers within the Capellan borders and would improve their operational latitude to the point that it might very well spell the end of the Capellan Confederation in its entirety.
Especially if Justin A— Xiang was successful in convincing Candace Liao to secede from the Confederation... and Colonel Ridzik was still keen on founding his own state. The loss of St. Ives, Tikonov, and all of the systems that they would bring with them would bolster the amount of territory the fledgling Commonwealth would absorb. It would also likely give Mad Max a heart attack, or a brain aneurysm which would only just make it all the sweeter. Their joining would also free up all of the AFFS and mercenary forces who would be garrisoning those systems to continue to push into the Confederation and hound the CCAF until they were hunted down like the dogs they were.
It was likely a long shot, such a scheme, and there was little doubt that Hanse would have to stretch his diplomatic muscles in order to win the three powers over to his cause... but Arthur and Corean Enterprises' technology, weapons, and knowledge would likely be what sealed the deal. However, if that wasn't enough then a carefully curated copy of the two Memory Cores they found might also be the final stroke needed to earn their cooperation.
However, the Aurigan Coalition was the one who would be the most likely to take any offer made in good faith. They had just finished a nasty civil war not too many years ago that saw their military almost shattered and the civilian populace ravaged. Arthur's most recent forrays into colonial technologies and Agriculture robotics would be highly attractive, as well as everything else he would have to offer. As for Hanse, recognition, legitimacy, and an extension of friendship would be quite a lot in helping the Reach, though naturally, Hanse wasn't too keen on giving up too much.
They were a minor Periphery realm with virtually nothing that they could offer the Suns or the Federated Commonwealth except good relations and reduced tensions far off into the future... and perhaps always valuable minerals. Given how depleted they were militarily speaking Hanse could likely gain a lot of gratitude by selling off all of the soon-to-be-obsolete military hardware that the AFFS would be getting rid of as Corean Enterprises' production spun up to meet their needs. That and some of the hardened military veterans who'd be fresh off the campaign to help whip the Reach Coalition's rebuilding military into some semblance of shape.
The only thing that they were lacking at this juncture was a good way to cement the alliances with more than just paper and a firm handshake.
Ice clinked in his tumbler as he swirled the cubes around the empty glass, his mind working furiously.
Come to think of it... Lady Arano was what... twenty-nine years old and still unwed wasn't she?
His mind ran down the list of potential matches that he could possibly offer up that would give the Aurigan Coalition a physical form of assurance of their alliance with the future Federated Commonwealth. A person who would be of relatively high status and could bring something to the table... yet not so high up the ladder that their families would kick up a fuss about having a valuable son 'sold off' to some 'Periphery barbarian'. Someone who would recognize the importance of this and would also feel for the plight of their future children's people.
They would have to be implacable, utterly loyal to the Federated Commonwealth, and yet not so loyal as to ignore their duties to their new people. Someone who could straddle the line...
A dozen names came up in his head and were outright discarded— they'd either refuse themselves or would have their families raise all sorts of hell... even if there might be one or two on that list who might fancy being the Lord of an entire nation.
A half dozen more came to mind, but they didn't really have much to offer Lady Arano other than their... moderate abilities as Mechwarriors and their seed.
He snorted a touch at the thought.
Of course, Arthur would have been perfect for the job, as the man was always a bit of a bleeding heart—
The glass almost slipped from his fingers... and mentally he chided himself because the Henan crystal tumbler would be more likely to dent the steel floor than shatter.
"If not Arthur... then why not the brother?"
Yuri Corean would be perfect.
He was the Heir of a Ducal House of the Federated Suns, and thus someone of the appropriate social standing to be the Lord Husband of a Lady of a Periphery realm. He was almost finished with his degree in Business Administration from one of the best Universities of the Inner Sphere and had some time at the helm of one of the largest and most important manufacturers within the Suns. He had an excellent temperament with almost none of the ego and swagger of a young noble... and he was extremely loyal to the Federated Suns and even more fiercely loyal to his brother and Corean Enterprises.
Hanse quickly stood up and walked to the bar and refilled his drink before dropping a few more cubes in to take some of the edge off.
If Yuri Corean went to the Periphery there was no doubt in his mind that Arthur would send an entire fleet along with many great minds for the ride. It would be an extension of Corean Enterprises, one that would most assuredly carry the entire production catalog and capacity along with them. Arthur Corean wouldn't allow his brother to leave his watchful eyes without the absolute best in tools, training, and equipment he could give him. The only issue would be in trying to get Arthur to tone back the level of support he would give his brother, as the moment Corean Enterprises left the safety of the Federated Commonwealth then their Periphery holdings would become the weak link in the chain.
That would be a very difficult thing to ask, and Hanse didn't know if he had the strength to ask it.
The First Prince of the Federated Suns threw the tumbler back and drank it all down, a soft hiss leaving his lips as the expensive whiskey burned all the way down.
This would be a very, very long play.
If they somehow managed to achieve total victory in the Inner Sphere then naturally the Periphery Realms would be the next big headache. However, if he ensured that they were on good terms beforehand then that would be... good? If the Periphery realms were economically, agriculturally, and militarily successful then that would mean they'd be stable.
'Stable' was good, as 'instability' led to discontent and desperation, and those things more often than not led to piracy, which would in turn only make the situation worse.
However, if the Federated Commonwealth could be the ones to ensure said stability without having to put a direct hand in the pie? Well, that would pay dividends in the future. Especially if they could nominally keep their noses out of the business of the Periphery realms and ensure their prosperity without ruffling any feathers.
"Feed a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day..." He picked up the Henan crystal decanter and poured himself another— his final drink of the evening, "But if you train and properly equip a man to fish... you'll feed him for a lifetime."
"Talking to yourself out loud, Hanse?" A weary but amused voice spoke out from the doorway, and the First Prince turned to see Arthur Corean leaning up against the doorframe with a noteputer tucked underneath his arm. "And here I was thinking I was the one who was cracking."
"Oh no, just musing to myself, that's all." Hanse strode back over the comfortable armchair and plopped down. "I hope you don't mind if I made myself at home."
"My home is your home, Hanse. You know this already." He snarked lightly, but it was with a small smile on his face as he all but tossed himself into the large office chair next to the terminal on the wall. "So what problem plagues my illustrious, cunning, handsome, cunning, and handsome First Prince's mind?"
Hanse chuckled and took a sip, "You said 'Cunning' twice."
"Normally I'd compliment someone's appearance twice, but that someone is my fiance, and you aren't her. Or Lingling for that matter." The scientist shrugged before wheeling himself over to the mini-fridge in the corner of his office and pulling out a glass of bottled water.
"Touche'," Hanse tilted his head and smirked, "Miss Sterling is certainly a beauty, and Colonel Ming isn't too bad on the eyes either. You're a lucky man, Arthur."
"Says the man who's marrying Melissa Steiner."
The Prince cleared his throat and tugged lightly at his collar but said nothing for a few moments, at least not without getting a sip to clear his head.
Some days he tried not to think about how he was going to be one day sharing his bed with a woman twenty-seven years younger than himself. Other days he did, because she had grown into a lovely young woman, and Hanse Davion was just as much a man as any other man in the Inner Sphere... though the more lurid thoughts were always chased away by the sting of memories of Dana. It always soured the mood for him, and he hoped and prayed that when the wedding came he could finally lay that still-burning flame of love to rest where it should— in the little figurine of their last dance and the engagement ring set in the bottom of it.
Dana deserved to rest, though not forgotten, and Melissa deserved the heart of her husband-to-be in its entirety.
Political and necessary this marriage may be, Hanse Davion would not allow it to be only as such. There would be warmth, love, care, and passion within it, he would see to it. The only question was if his forty-five-year-old body would keep up with her...
"Sorry, Hanse, still didn't think that would be such a landmine..." Arthur gently scratched at the side of his head, nails scraping over carefully trimmed red hair, "Anyway, forget I said anything about that. So what's eating you?"
Grateful to take the change in conversation, Hanse chuckled and lightly shook his head, "I was thinking about the Periphery Coalition."
Arthur blinked a few times. "Periphery... Coalition?"
Hanse felt his eyebrows shoot up and he pursed his lips before snorting, "Ah, yes, that's right. I forgot to tell Quintus to release that information to Miss Sterling... ahem. Do you remember when you talked to your fiance about potentially supplying the Magistracy of Canopus with equipment?"
"I do like Space Vegas. And yes, I do remember, though a single Periphery realm does not make a coalition..." Arthur leaned back far over the back of his chair, a staccato of pops eschewing from his spine as he stretched, and a groan left him as he held it for a few moments. "I take it that they have started to band together? Given the fact that the Taurian Concordat dropped the ball with their 'Warcrime Commodore' by taking a side in an internal matter of their neighbor's affairs... likely being the whole catalyst for the Aurigan Succession Crisis to begin with... I doubt that the Taurian Concordat is among them. So that would lead me to put money on the Aurigan Reach and the Magistracy... and possibly the Duchy of Andurien?"
The scientist scrubbed a hand over his lips before crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Hanse. "Does this include the Lothian League and Illyrian Palatinate?"
Hanse shook his head, "No. The League and Palatinate were considered too small even by my people to even consider approaching. The Magistracy, however, is large enough to be a significant nuisance to the Free Worlds League so word of a partnership would keep them preoccupied looking out for their southern border which should release some of the stress on the Lyrans..."
"I would say that I'm surprised that the Magistracy of Canopus would even look toward the Inner Sphere for support, given Kyalla Centrella has gone on the record numerous times to state her distrust of us all, but..." Arthur closed his eyes as he let his foot bounce a touch, "That means they are actually quite worried about the Circinus Federation and Marian Hegemony. Not that I blame them— if I had not one but two literal pirate nations on my border I'd be worried as well. Especially since it's been well more than a century since they've been founded and are still around. That means they are, for the most part, stable. Nothing worse than a stable pirate kingdom."
"Indeed." Hanse took a sip and relished the smokey taste; the Tortuga Dominions have long since been a thorn in the Federated Suns' side, and not even the Taurians were able to do anything about them.
"That and the Circinus Federation is currently raiding Lyran worlds and that cannot stand."
There was a decidedly frosty edge in Arthur's voice, which made Hanse feel quite happy to hear from his friend; that the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns hadn't even joined yet he was already so fierce in their protection spoke of many good things in the years to come.
"You are correct. It won't stand, though given the battles to come the Circinus Federation and Marian Hegemony will get to exist as nation-states for a little while longer. Though you are correct— the Magistracy of Canopus and the Aurigan Coalition have responded to my requests for a diplomatic meeting between us and will be traveling in our flotilla to Terra for the wedding." Hanse settled the tumbler onto the small table next to his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him, "In fact, they'll be arriving next week."
"And since you're telling me this I expect that you'll wish for me to find some way to sweeten the pot to make them more amicable for a partnership?" The CEO of Corean Enterprises tilted his head as he watched Hanse intently, "And what of Andurien?"
Hanse could only shrug at that, "Truth be told? I don't know, and neither does MIIO. We do know that the Duchy has held numerous secret talks between themselves and the Magistracy, but we were never in a position to find out the contents... nor was I willing to endanger the lives of my operatives in that region to find out. However, our Magistracy contact has stated that the Duchess' son, Richard Humphreys, will be traveling here to New Avalon to purchase a new Battlemech after the Wolverine he purchased from Gibson Federated virtually fell apart on him. So it's highly likely that he will be our point of contact with the Duchy."
It was a rather resounding statement to make, having a son and heir to a Free Worlds League House, the Humphreys family no less, travel to a rival House's domain to purchase a Battlemech.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly before a dark chuckle escaped him, "Yes, they were having so many problems with those Wolverines, weren't they? Producing them so quickly and in such numbers their quality control went to shit trying to keep pace. Not that that was their only problem. They truly are a FWL company— bloated, inefficient, and managed like ass. Though if I'm being honest my purchase of the perpetual license of the Marauder probably saved them from their own ineptitude."
Hanse and his friend shared a small bout of laughter before it petered off, and the CEO of Corean shook his head. "Regardless, how do you want me to approach this with the Coalition then?"
Hanse took a deep breath, "Well... this is just a thought mind you... but I was thinking that we could offer them up a good old-fashioned blood pact. Seal the alliance through blood and mutual support between two powerful families."
Crystal blue eyes zeroed in on Hanse like a pair of 8cm lasers, and they were just as cutting. "Hanse, I'm already off the table..."
Hanse held Arthur's eyes, though he had to admit that for a man who had never seen battle before the squishy scientist certainly had an imposing gaze!
"However... there is something of an appropriate age who is marriageable. Someone intelligent, fiercely loyal to the Suns, and capable." Arthur leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "Someone who would have the necessary status. The current heir to a Ducal house... and the heir to a large and powerful company. My brother, Yuri. Given he's almost finished with school and still young, only twenty-one years old... he'd be a perfect fit."
"Not to mention he is a fine lad with a good head on his shoulders." Hanse added with a nod, "He is someone I know for a fact would perform admirably in service to his bride's realm. He would be a perfect way to cement at least one of the Coalition realms to us while not being a... stooge for the Federated Suns."
That was important as well— trust was a difficult thing to earn, but if the marriage partner could prove their loyalty to the realm then it would bind them that much tighter. It might seem counter-intuitive to think such a thing, but Hanse wasn't exactly someone who thought the way his peers did. They didn't call him 'The Fox' for nothing!
"And knowing it's me I'd pay a significant dowry to his new realm... as well as ensure that he had a solid, fully functional branch of Corean Enterprises for him to see to as is his birthright."
Hanse blinked, his pointer fingers coming up as he gestured for Arthur to 'hold'. "I will admit that I hadn't thought of the possibility of you doing the second part... a dowry of Mechs and equipment? Yes, but a fully functional branch of Corean Enterprises?"
Arthur Corean was as still as a statue. "Yes. I would ensure that he had everything he needs to uplift his new people."
Hanse swallowed. "Everything?"
"Everything."
There was a cool finality to it.
"I will do much for you, my Prince. I build your Battlemechs, your tanks, your aerospace fighters. I will research and revive Star League technologies and then improve upon them. I will one day start constructing new Dropships and Jumpships, and so much more..." The CEO inhaled slowly but his spine was kept stiff, "And I will even allow you some leeway to utilize my siblings and children, my flesh and blood, if it is for the good of the realm— provided you have their consent, of course."
"Just know that there will always be some sort of stipulations attached to balance the scales. In this case, it would be properly outfitting my brother with all of the tools and personnel necessary to ensure his comfort, prosperity, and security." Arthur placed the palms of his hands on his knees and sat up in his chair, staring the First Prince of the Federated Suns down with an audacity that would have the courtly nobles baying for blood. "Besides, that would ultimately be your goal, wouldn't it? A prosperous and secure Periphery border realm, one free from the many problems that might plague it? If there was anyone who could accomplish that it would be my brother, provided he is properly outfitted for the task."
The First Prince of the Federated Suns felt a small smile tug at his lips, but before he could allow himself to enjoy the refreshing feeling of being outright challenged— for all the right reasons— he had to clear his throat, "Ahem. Of course. I would never ask this of you or the Houses Corean if I didn't think that it might be vital to the interests of the Federated Commonwealth."
The CEO stared for a few seconds longer before relaxing and nodding. "Good. Now, do you want to know what I've been up to?"
Hanse chuckled before waving, "No, no, not yet. I still have some more to report."
Arthur shrugged and turned back to his terminal, "Well then? Serenade me, my Prince. While you do that I'll prepare this presentation..."
The First Prince of the Federated Suns then regaled Arthur with a beautiful tale — one where the Fox had once more tweaked the snout of a terrible Dragon and absconded with not only a pack of ornery Wolves, but also literal tons of battlefield salvage, four Overlord dropships, and three Invader-Class jumpships!
Hanse had promised himself that he wouldn't have another glass of alcohol, but during the retelling, he had gotten a touch parched and he grabbed himself another thumb.
"The Dragoons were successfully extracted and are still combat-effective as a unit, in fact, their casualties were barely thirty percent!" His cheeks were quite warm and the empty tumbler was clasped between his fingers. "The two additional battalions of metal you supplied, as well as the parts, armor, and weapons meant that the best of the Dragoons were able to keep on fighting ferociously while their assigned 'Mechs were being repaired."
Arthur, who was normally quite unflappable, had his eyebrows glued to the ceiling the entire time. "And the Ryuken?"
"All nine Regiments of the Ryuken are gone, Arthur. Completely destroyed. 'Defeated in detail', as the lads would say." Hanse raised the empty glass up and looked up at the light fixture above through its clear walls. "We captured a third of their lift, half of their jumpships, and with an, ahem, emergency commandeering of some more lift and jumpships we were able to abscond with more than five regiments worth of salvage. I'm talking, the mechs were piled to the ceilings of those Mules, Arthur."
Arthur stood up and began pacing, a low chuckle leaving his lips... but it quickly rose to a belly-bursting, rousing laughter! His knees gave out on him, and the man rested on his elbows as he continued to bellow on the ground. "God is good, Hanse! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! I can only imagine the look on the Coordinator's face! To spend the entirety of the Dragoon's contract on training and equipping nine whole regiments... and then losing not only the men and metal but the lift and jumpships supporting them too!? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
With more than a few drinks in his system, Hanse found himself bellowing along with Arthur, his palm slapping the leather arm of the chair while his security looked on with amused expressions.
Well bully on them, it was hilarious!
After a few more guffaws Arthur managed to drag himself back up to his feet, the man grabbing onto the end of a table for the leverage and support.
"Ahhhhhhh~... it always does the heart good to hear the Snakes are experiencing problems." He was still smiling from ear to ear as he thumbed at his eyes, "What will be my cut of the salvage shares? I'll need to get those 'Mechs fixed up so that I can have a suitable dowry for Yuri if the esteemed Lady from the Periphery decides that taking him as her Beau is a good deal."
Hanse curled up his hand into a fist and rested his cheek on it, "Three Battalions of mixed 'Mech weight. More than generous considering I paid for those two battalions of 'Mechs the Dragoons trashed."
Arthur hummed before shrugging as he parked his bottom back in his office chair, "Fair enough. How did Commander Mason and his company fair?"
"Very well, all things considering— their Mechs are all heavily damaged, but with the six of their Mechwarriors they managed to destroy more than five times their number in Combine machines. The battle was over in less than a month, and by keeping themselves in good order they only had to repair armor damage and replace a few weapons so Mason's Marauders were able to fight in six separate battles before there were no more Combine warriors left to swat down. There was one casualty among their number, however..." Hanse let that hang in their air for a few moments before continuing, "One Lieutenant Richard Dawkins."
Seeing Arthur's shoulders sag in relief was a curious thing to see, but at the man's nod, Hanse kept moving. "His Grasshopper took one too many PPC bolts to the center torso, and while most of the armor held he suffered a critical strike to the engine... and couldn't eject in time."
Not that it was a major loss in the First Prince's eyes.
Lieutenant Dawkins was attempting to, rather poorly, send clandestine messages to some contacts in the Free Worlds League, primarily about Corean Enterprises' growth as well as copying off the detailed write-ups on the weapons that the Marauders were testing on Corean's behalf. It had been rather easy to lay out some bait to test the trustworthiness of Commander Mason's people, and all but Lieutenant Dawkins did the proper thing; they quietly refused the offers while reporting their interactions to the closest MIIO rep serving in Corean Enterprises. To build the case they had their fake SAFE operatives assign the former FWL officer tasks to accomplish, from still images and videos to making copies of their review documentation. The man would pass this information along to various intermediaries who would then 'deliver' it to Comstar to be piped along to the Free Worlds League.
Had the man not perished on Misery then he would have been quietly arrested, tried, and then executed for espionage.
"That is unfortunate, and I'll be sure to give Mason my condolences when he returns." Arthur hummed before leaning back in his chair, "Anything else?"
Hanse ran down the mental checklist before pausing. "Ah, yes. I could use some assistance if you have the time. As you're well aware, MIIO is hunting down some rather high-ranking threats to the internal security of the Federated Suns... and to make their cases as airtight as possible we have been laying out lots of bait."
There was a small smirk on Arthur's lips as he framed his chin with a thumb and forefinger, "What do you need?"
"Well, what I need is a rather convincing mock-up of a Double Heatsink production line, along with scientific jargon and mumbo-jumbo that will look good on the surface but once prying eyes start truly digging into it they'll find that it is little more than a falsehood. It's for an... esteemed guest that NAIS will be hosting two weeks from now."
The CEO closed his eyes, and Hanse sat back and watched the gears turn.
"It's Sunday evening now... so I can have all of the fake science drawn up by Tuesday, which will give your eggheads and my people little less than twelve days to come up with something convincing." Arthur hummed as his head bobbed back and forth, "It will be exceedingly tight, but possible. Though you will have to get my engineers temporary access to the Egg Carton; I wouldn't trust the staff there to get this all built on time. I'll also have to divert a large amount of raw materials and completed structures for my own DHS line..."
"Whatever it costs, please get it done."
Hanse needed this elaborate ruse. Not only would Michael Hasek-Davion find it hard to believe that an entire production line within the bowels of one of the most secured facilities would be fake, but if there was some serious polish then it would make it all the more believable. One does not simply accuse a March Lord of treason without an absolutely airtight, bulletproof case.
Arthur groaned softly as he scrubbed at his face with both hands. "Fine. Fine. We'll get it done. I hope it's worth it."
"It will be..."
It would have to be.
The safety of the realm depended upon it.
"Is there anything else? Or can I get on with my half of this little meeting?"
"Just one of your best security scanners," Hanse replied with a small grin.
MIIO believed that Duke Hasek-Davion was using his false hand to smuggle in all sorts of listening devices and cameras, and while the security scanners at the entrances to the Egg Cartons were all Star League vintage, having another scanner getting the same results would certainly improve their case.
"Good heavens, first Endosteel and now Ferro Fibrous?" Hanse chuckled as he leaned back in the chair and interlaced his fingers over his knee, "If Ardan were here the poor man would have a heart attack."
"I have two lines in orbit churning out Endosteel blanks as fast as I can make them; with the alterations we have made we've cut the failure rate in half." The man made a bit of a face, as if he was chewing on a lemon rind, "Though twenty percent of the blanks failing is still too high for my taste."
His finger slapped a key on the keyboard in front of him, and the presentation moved on to the next slide.
"Ferro Fibrous was likewise fairly easy to reintroduce... we had all of the equipment to manufacture it in mothballs, we just needed to reproduce the processes used to make them. So to that end, we're stockpiling them for now and waiting for High Command to let us know what to do with it all. Given we're the only ones currently producing? I would say that we either sit on it for now and build up our supply or at the most outfit our elite units... because I don't have enough trained employees to run the facilities I have now, let alone hope to outfit the entirety of the AFFS." The scientist looked up at the flat screen on the wall, "Besides, I'm a hundred-and-ten percent certain I can improve both processes, so I'm not going to fully commit until I can get these kinks worked out."
The First Prince bit at the tip of his thumb as he looked over the numbers on the screen. "Can you translate your current output for Endosteel and Ferro Fibrous into the number of Regiments you can outfit in the next... say... eight months?"
Arthur crossed his arms as his eyes shifted to the side, unfocused. "Are we going with the standard AFFS logistics table regarding TOE?"
Hanse shook his head, "No. Given the logistical flexibility of endosteel? I'm thinking three blanks per 'Mech, and three tons of spare armor per ton on the 'Mech. Since we're only giving them to our elite units I want them to be in the fight as often as possible."
One of the benefits of endosteel was that unlike regular 'Mech parts, where you had to have a spare leg or arm assembly in full— which often led to a large amount of bloat in any unit's storehouse— as long the blank was of the appropriate weight class then all that was needed was to machine blank down to match the missing or damaged part. According to old battlefield repair reports, if the machinist was skilled enough, upwards of three parts could be fashioned from a single blank. Fix what was needed and nothing else, though given endosteel was more expensive in general it didn't necessarily mean a cost savings compared to standard steel construction.
"Roughly three complete 'Mech regiments with those figures. Four if we went down to two blanks per 'Mech. The armor is a bit easier and faster to produce so we could squeeze out four tons per 'Mech per ton of armor on each machine. Any Locust with four tons of Ferro Fibrous would have sixteen tons of armor to spare for replacement." Arthur's fingers danced over a noteputer after connecting it to the terminal, and Hanse watched as a spreadsheet was filled out in real time. "However... that would mean my people working the armor shops and orbitals would have to work about 70 hours a week and through the holidays as well. Good to get new hands trained and experienced but... I don't like running my people to burnout like this."
"We'll likely stick to gearing up three of our Elite regiments for now. I'll have to let my planners know, but it should make them quite happy." The First Prince grinned broadly and tilted his head, "I know I am. Three regiments of the Federated Suns' most talented Mechwarriors, spearheading the charge with Battlemechs equipped with Corean weapons, Endosteel, and Ferro Fibrous armor? Given their skill and ability I have no doubt they'll do their utmost to preserve their machines."
With the weight savings from the endosteel, weapons, and armor... there would be plenty of mass for those fancy new Supercharger and governor kits... and ammunition. With the sheer capability gaps in lethality, armor, and mobility the Davion Brigade of Guards would be a veritable whirlwind that would reap what Maximilian Liao had sowed. What would be classified as 'stiff opposition' for even the Federated Suns' most seasoned Mechwarriors might fall more quickly than even their best analysts could anticipate.
"—And you're calling these... LRM and SRM 'G Models' why exactly?"
"The 'G' stands for 'Guidance Capable'. So 'LRM-G' and 'SRM-G'." Arthur rubbed his hands together with feverish intensity as he chuckled, "From this point onward, all Corean-manufactured missiles will be 'G Models'. Both to take advantage of the VIPR missile pack's Artemis-V and Streak capabilities, but to also be functional with Target Acquisition Gear and future NARC missile beacons."
Hanse crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at the screen. "Yes, I can see it. Not only are these G-model missiles not much more expensive than the standard munitions we already produce, but not every commander will be thrilled with the loss of volume of current VIPR munitions."
Nor would every unit wish to expend their munitions budgets for a reduced volume of missiles either.
While the VIPR LRM and VIPR SRM missiles were... astoundingly more capable than their standard counterparts, with the V-LRMs packing as much punch as an SRM, and the V-SRMs packing fifty percent more firepower, there was no denying that the loss of volume was felt. A 'Mech or vehicle could only carry ninety V-LRMs and sixty V-SRMs per ton compared to one hundred and twenty or one hundred per ton respectively. It was a twenty-five and forty percent reduction in capacity in exchange for almost hilarious range and damage increases.
So having standard-capacity missile munitions that could still benefit from the Artemis-V and Streak capabilities of the VIPR launchers would be a huge boon. Not to mention that 'Mechwarriors piloting missile boats would finally have some serious punch for enemies who tried to close in. If they thought they could try and force a support lance out of their position they would get a face full of V-SRMs for their troubles.
Yes, standard LRM-Gs for long-range fire support and V-SRMs for close-range defense.
Well, closer-range defense.
One of the biggest reasons the V-SRMs lost additional capacity was for more fuel, and that extra fuel equated to a staggering 510-meter effective range. Given the longest effective range for a standard SRM launcher was barely 270 meters... that was nearly a doubling of its overall range, and with Streak and Artemis that meant every missile would hit and its clustering would be tighter as well. No more aiming a salvo at center mass on a large 'Mech only to have two of your six missiles strike their feet!
The First Prince of the Federated Suns was about three seconds away from fiendishly rubbing his hands much like Arthur had been when his brain caught up to something the man had said only moments prior.
"Wait a second... what's this about TAGs and NARCs?"
Arthur's eyes crinkled.
"Caught onto that, did you? Well, we're still in the early stages of development, but right now we even had one of our prototype TAGs battle-tested on Captain Yuri Wanko's Mech with Mason's Marauders. I really want to see her official AAR on its effectiveness—"
Things had been winding down, as it was rather late in the evening.
They would pencil in another date for the First Prince to come by and collect Arthur to come greet the Dragoons along with all of the mountains of salvage they'd be bringing with them to New Avalon. Arthur had been understandably miffed about Hanse asking for him to assist the Dragoons into getting back up to full strength as soon as possible, but given the Dragoons' 'Mechs and salvage would be taking up virtually every Mech Repair Bay on the planet... his company's repair capacity was sorely needed. With Corean on board, it would cut down the wait to just a hair above four months, and once Arthur learned that everyone would be chipping in on the effort he was a lot more amenable to the effort.
Hanse and his strategists had tossed around the idea of letting the Dragoons rebuild themselves, but upon hearing the Federated Suns' offer of safe harbor and repair?
Well, according to his representative, the capable Colonel Wolf had been keen on signing onto a provisional agreement provided he got the chance to speak to the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine personally at the wedding. With the psychiatric profile MIIO had built on the man they believed that he was going to issue a personal challenge, one built upon the rather unfortunate seppuku of one Combine officer that the Dragoons as a whole had been rather fond of. Hanse didn't have all of the details quite yet on the sequence of events that led up to that pivotal moment in the snowy fields of Misery, but if the Dragoons wished to poke the Dragon's pride then The Fox would capitalize on it.
The Dragoons' challenge would most assuredly eat up the majority of the Draconis Combine's attention in the Draconis March, which would give Hanse the breathing room to continue quietly shuffling regiments toward the Capellan March for Operation RAT. So that meant that the Dragoons would have the highest level of priority in getting their Battlemechs repaired and their battlefield salvage up and operational again. Even if it made Hanse's chest twinge at the huge slow-down it would cause in getting his regular units refitted and upgraded with Corean hardware.
Though if Hanse had to choose between five refitted and repaired Dragoon regiments on the Combine border or ten regular AFFS regiments in the Capellan Confederation... the Dragoons were the best possible option. The Ryuken had been given the best equipment and training the Draconis Combine could marshall, and the Dragoons— with a little help from the Federated Suns— had destroyed them completely. There was no way in Heaven or in Hell that Takashi Kurita would not demand the complete destruction of the Dragoons in turn.
And while the Dragon was hyperfocused on the Dragoons it would hopefully give Archon Katrina Steiner more than ample breathing room for Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG.
"So..." The youthful voice of Yuri Corean was more curious than anything else, "Let me get this straight..."
Given his classes for the day were well over, and his time in one of the company's Industrialmechs was finished... Arthur called him down to discuss his new possible future.
He had been quite nervous seeing his First Prince again, but as they explained what could be... his nerves seemed to melt away like snow before the spring suns.
"You want me, who is still half a year out from finishing school... and not that experienced in running a company of any kind... to leave behind my nation, my family, and my spot at the NAIS Mechwarrior Academy for a Periphery Princess?"
The boy held onto his chin with his fingers, his ice-blue eyes filled with skepticism.
Hanse wisely kept silent as he let Arthur take the lead here.
"Nothing is finalized, and obviously Lady Kamea Arano would have to agree but... she's no mere Periphery Princess. She's a Mechwarrior Periphery Princess. Had to fight and reclaim her throne not too long ago from some rebellious family no less." Arthur leaned on the arm of his office chair and interlaced his fingers in front of his belly, "Of course, I wouldn't be sending you out there on your lonesome. You'd be getting from me a fully functional branch of the company to go with you, as well as a hefty helping of skilled volunteers under a ten-year contract, security, and of course the generous dowry I'd pay the Lady to take you off my hands."
The young man, barely 21 years old, rolled his eyes. "Well, it all sounds very good, but you still haven't shown me a picture of her yet."
"And I won't until I have a yes or no. For obvious reasons." Arthur rolled his eyes in return and the room went silent.
"Fine. Just... give me a minute to think." The boy groused lightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know what's crazy? I expected this to happen one day. I just... didn't think that I would be offered up to a woman on the opposite side of the Inner Sphere. Sort of expected to get... I don't know, married off to a Steiner or something."
Arthur snorted, "No, I'm saving that for Yeathers. She'll get a nice Steiner husband, and in the meanwhile, you'll just have to settle for the beautiful, talented, and capable Periphery Princess."
Hanse felt himself perk up and he turned his head to Arthur, "Husband hunting for your sister now, Arthur?"
The CEO of Corean sniffed before shrugging, "Doesn't Nondi Steiner have like two boys who're older than Yuri here? Donna Steiner's son is also in the same age group. Since we're going to be trying to intertwine the two realms, I figure that the Steiner family would be willing to part with one of them for my sister's sake. She's still young at 33 and would be quite ecstatic to have a Steiner husband of good standing."
"It would accomplish a great many things, yes..." The First Prince rubbed his jaw as he considered the political gains that could be made.
"And it would save us all from having to listen to Yeathers complain about not having any children." Yuri chuckled, his comment rather blithe given the situation, his eyebrows waggling. "Having a younger man within her home would certainly ensure that she's given proper heirs to the County."
"Yuri..." The elder brother warned lowly, "That is our sister you are talking about, not a barmaid. Have some decorum."
It was a little uncouth to say, but not far outside what was expected from a brash young man in the springtime of his youth; Hanse himself had said more than a handful of rather choice things about some pretty ladies he knew once upon a time. Of course, none of what was said was ever in front of Ian— his elder brother would have handed Hanse his rear end! Regardless, the younger Corean's cheeks lit up and he ducked his head, properly chastised.
"Richard, Ivan, and Ryan Steiner... all only a few years older than Yuri here..." Hanse Davion felt the wheels start to turn as more than a handful of schemes started to dance behind his eyes, "Being the Countess of an established and successful Duchy she would be on the lower end of potential matches for a Steiner, but not so low that it couldn't be swung. That Augusta has a Corean branch on site, one that will be getting upgraded... yes..."
They lapsed into silence once more, but after only a few minutes of silent pondering, Yuri Corean broke it.
"My Prince..." The young lad began hesitantly, his earlier bravado seemingly evaporated, "If this is what is required of me by the Federated Suns... and the future Federated Commonwealth, then provided Lady Arano is amenable then I would do this. For my family. For the Federated Commonwealth."
"I wish that we were not in such turbulent times, Yuri." Hanse took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and settled his eyes on the lad. "If it were up to me I'd let the nobleman and woman have the same right to marry for love instead of peace, power, or stability. Unfortunately, we do not live in such luxurious times. A noble must marry for the good of the realm, to introduce or reinforce peace and prosperity. No one is immune from this, not even a First Prince."
Hanse felt his eyes close as he tried not to think about the true love he had in Dana and how he had lost it all in the blink of an eye.
He failed miserably.
"So I suppose that could be part of our grand overarching goal. If not for ourselves, or our children, then maybe our grandchildren will be able to have the necessary peace and prosperity to marry for love and not for prestige or power." The Prince felt his head tilt as he looked out the crystal window and into the cavernous workshop below, "Maybe one day they'll be able to experience the saccharine sweetness that is denied to us all..."
"Here, here." Arthur gave Hanse a half-smile and a solemn nod before turning to his brother, "And now that the lad has decided... I think it only right to show him the woman he'd be marrying."
The flat screen on the wall flashed as the wireframes, images, and readouts of the LRM and SRM-Gs disappeared and were replaced with two photographs: one was an official Mechwarrior portrait, and the other was decidedly more formal, with the woman wearing a gorgeous gown and seated on a throne bearing the sigil of the Aurigan Coalition.
"Oh?" Yuri blinked a few times before he began staring. "Oh..."
"'Oh' is right." The elder Corean smirked when the younger leaned forward so far he was just about to fall out of his chair, "Not too bad for a Periphery Princess, eh?"
"Mechwarrior Periphery Princess," Yuri hissed back, quickly correcting his older brother, "I can see it... and I like her scars. They make her look fierce and dignified... like she could stomp down a company of pirate 'Mechs in the morning and change into a fancy dress for a diplomatic luncheon by noon. It's hot."
Hanse felt his lips curl, but he was definitely smiling when Arthur hummed in agreement— the CEO crossing his arms over his chest. "I concur. There is something about a dangerous yet genteel woman that gets the synapses firing away."
"Like Natascha Kerensky." The boy supplied, and Arthur chuffed.
"I said 'dangerous and genteel'. That woman is all fang and claw, all the time. And don't let her hear you say anything remotely like that, because if you do I don't think I have anything that could stop her from shooting you... short of tossing Commander Mason at her in my best Battlemech."
"Wait, you think Mason could beat the Black Widow!? No way! Mason is good, don't get me wrong, but Natascha Kerensky is Natascha Kerensky!"
It was about what one would expect from an opinionated lad, complete with flailing arms.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'don't let her hear me say that'? Is she coming here? To Corean Enterprises!? Arthur! Don't just smirk at me like an arse, answer the damn question!"
The First Prince simply smiled and relaxed in his chair as he watched the siblings start to banter.
A/N: Finally got this nice little Hanse interlude out and about. Sat on it a few days to really give it some time to breath so I could come back and look at it with fresh eyes.