Battletech Shattered Sphere: The Arcadian Free March

Q1 3035: In the Blood

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
The March Esplanade
Laughlin Capital District, Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia
Arcadian Free March
4 January 3035



Officially, Claire Westin wasn't even with the Foreign Office. On paper she was a mid-level civil servant, a researcher for the Office of Protocol, whose duties often took her to other star systems to look into issues involving ceremonial power in the Free March. Since that involved foreign travel, and since the Foreign Office and Protocol Office cooperated on a number of respects, it gave her plenty of reason to cross the Esplanade and enter the Foreign Office's main administrative complex.

It was an excellent cover, all things told.

With her light brown hair cut almost boyishly short, Claire was on the slim side, wiry with runner's muscle, and under the mask of being a mousey researcher she was one of SIS's best field operators. Her skill in prior operations was such that whatever the internal structure of the SIS, the Director himself often had a hand in her operations.

Sir James was waiting in his office, eating the remnants of a slice of baklava. He noted her entry with a nod and she politely let him finish his mouthful before speaking. "Field Agent Claire Westin reporting, sir." Given her upbringing and her parents, she had a number of accents to choose from, but she went with something like her mother's McAffe Irish brogue.

"Excellent work on the training exercises," he noted. "I will get down to business. We're sending you on a long-term operation, Agent Westin. Local assets have arranged a suitable cover identity and background. Research materials will be provided for you to study on the trip."

"Very well. Long-term?"

"In all probability, a year, perhaps two if matters require it. There will be the usual risks, of course, although we will arrange booking on a Terran liner. Given the preference shown to them by JumpShip captains, you should arrive at your destination in two to three months instead of the normal time."

"Expensive, but fitting if there are time constraints. Local support?"

"There are a few assets, mostly observational or diplomatic. You'll be an illegal, you understand, and your cover must be kept far from the embassy."

"So dead-drops with approved assets, no contact with the legals," Claire said. She didn't hide the slight apprehension that gave her. "Legals" were agents who worked under diplomatic cover, typically holding positions at embassies or consulates. But since their names and faces were known to the host government, they could be easily monitored by local counter-intelligence and state security if their intelligence links were suspected, so their usefulness in some respects was limited. The trade-off was that if caught, their diplomatic credentials protected them from repercussions beyond being declared persona non grata and ordered off-world.

An illegal didn't have that cover. Contact with their own side was by nature sporadic and carefully managed to avoid discovery. Dead-drops, meeting by proxy, coded messages, those were the means of communication, and an illegal had no recourse from the force of the law in their target. So while you were less likely to be immediately noticed by the other side's security people, if they did catch on to you, your options were limited.

"I'll pack the usual and be ready."

"Liner Hyacantha leaves the Roslyn DropPort in two days. Your ticket and cover." He offered her a secured noteputer and a folder. She accepted them and checked both. Inside the folder were paper identification documents and a physical copy of her liner ticket. The noteputer would have electronic copies, plus bank information for her cover's finances and her orders.

"I'll get reading immediately," she said.

"Of course." As she turned to leave Sir James spoke up again. 'My best to Michael and Fi, by the way."

She sighed at the mention of her parents. "If they ask, remind them I made the choice. That I'd never take it back."

"I will, for all the good it will do," Sir James said. "Stay alive. I don't want your mother planting a bomb on my aircar if something happens to you."

Claire smiled softly at that before leaving. She had quite a head for explosives too thanks to her mom. Her explosives instructor at the Boarding House - the nickname for the SIS' Field Operative Academy - was flabbergasted at her proficiency with them from the first day. Not everyone has an Erin Republican Army fighter for your mum, she thought to herself, remembering all the times her mother showed her the ropes of creating impromptu devices and IEDs in the (admittedly unlikely) event someone from her parents' past ever came for them, or pirates raided or some such thing. Mum probably regrets it now, doesn't she?

Maybe it's a curse of the family
, she pondered as she made her way down the halls of the Foreign Office.
 
Q1 3035: Power Corrupts - What Might Have Been

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Royal Palace
Cusco, Atahuelpa Continent
Cajamarca
Arcadian Free March
6 March 3035



The office of the former ruler of the Kingdom of Cajamarca - "Kashamarka Antisuyu" as he'd insisted on calling it - allowed Thomas to gaze out at the assembled crowd. Brigadier van Reitman and Lieutenant General Louganis stood nearby, looking over a piece of Incan art kept in a glass case. "The Yupanqui had a fascination with their ancestors, I suppose," Louganis remarked quietly.

"Alleged ancestors," van Reitman noted idly, a faint Dutch accent to his words. "For all their talk of humanitarianism, their 'Kingdom' was an authoritarian mess, and it finally came back to bite them."

Thomas took in a breath and, with effort, kept the grimace from his face. Despite the efforts of the palace's custodial staff, the room still stank of death. Depending on who you believed, Inka Rodrigo Yupanqui's body was left alone here for days before someone got around to burying it. Whether he was murdered or committed suicide as his family's kingdom collapsed around him, that might never be known. "Look at them," he said quietly. The office was not so high up that he couldn't note, with some effort, the looks on the crowd. The people of Cusco seemed to be in something of a daze. Their entire world had collapsed, their economy was falling apart, and the fighting between the contingents of the planet's aristocracy - fighting that ceased the moment the Arcadian Rangers dropped in - had already devastated several industrial districts. The old Kong Interstellar factory here, which produced Lightning fighters for the SLDF back in the day, was a pile of blasted rubble with no surviving machinery, much to the regret of the AFFM planners who'd hoped it could be rebuilt. The same was true for the Cajamarca Officer's Academy.

We can stabilize things, but it will be a long while before this world regains the wealth it once enjoyed. And its people will have to accept going from being the capitol world of a Successor State to being a major regional world of another. But once they're over their shock, I think they'll do us well.

"Hopefully Marik will not take advantage of this diversion," Thomas said quietly.

"They are more likely to hit Harsefeld, but with the 1st and 4th Regiments on Campbelton, we'll have time to launch a counterattack if it comes down to it."

"Given the reports of well-geared 'Mech battalions raised this past year on Atreus, it may be better if they did try something. It will make our eventual descent on Atreus easier."

"We've still got a year of campaigning ahead before that begins, in all likelihood," van Reitman reminded him. "The remaining approaches to Atreus will need to be cleared. Stewart still remains to be secured, the same with Loric and the worlds of the Dixie pocket. And we'll need everything for Atreus."

Assuming Harsefeld and Oriente don't take it first. Thomas felt frustration at the idea. They've tilted this war more than we have, but if we could take Atreus… it would change everything for the Free March. With the resources there and in the rest of the Commonwealth still open to us, we would have the means to resist the Marians openly. We could lead the rest of the Lyran Alliance to liberate Bolan and beyond!

Outside the crowd murmured. A few looked away, disgusted, but there was some cheering. For the most part, however, people just watched quietly as their world hailed its new rulers.

"They're changing the flag now," Louganis said.

Thomas joined them in the ceremonial salute.



8th Striker Regiment Bivouac
Near Mulbagal, Deccan Continent
Shasta
Arcadian Free March
18 March 3035



For Alex, his first combat was nothing of the sort. The 8th Striker executed its first combat drop with only very sporadic fire from enemy armor and vehicles that did no damage before the demoralized militia torched their own vehicles and fled. The unit hadn't even had a fight to seize the planet, and now they and the 1st Free March Cavalry were waiting the deployment of a combat command from MOOK Security Enterprises to take over as garrison so they could embark and commence another operation, whatever the Defense Command back on Arcadia planned on.

Another day was passing. After seeing to the 1st Battalion's paperwork for the day he went to the officer's mess. As usual, a few of the other MechWarriors gave him the stinkeye. He was still "the lawyer staff weenie" to them, and would be until they'd actually gone into a fight. Odd that I'd want to see that, since it could kill me, or so many of the others. He went along the counter, accepted the offered grub - a combination of spiced curry chicken and noodles with various lentils, given the local cuisine - and found a table.

He'd finished half his meal when someone came up to him. "Dining alone?" Dani Verdes asked.

"How it usually goes for me," he said. "Dame."

"Don't. Just don't." She sighed and slid into the seat, eating much the same as he was. "I didn't want to be the AFFM poster girl, but they weren't taking 'no' for an answer." She shook her head. "If they did that, I wouldn't have been there."

"Oh?" he asked.

"I went into AMSA to join the Engineering Corps," Dani explained. "But my neuro-aptitude scores were high, and they cajoled and pushed and pleaded until I gave up and agreed to 'Mech officer courses alongside my Engineering courses. Then I found myself taking more of the former and less of the latter for time, and soon enough, I wasn't getting a degree in engineering, I was getting a field commission as a MechWarrior."

"Huh." Alex thought of the timing. "You're a few years younger than I am, I think?"

"I've been out of AMSA for almost six years," she answered, a sly grin forming. "Not polite to ask a lady her age, you know."

"I didn't," he replied, grinning. "Still, that means you started ten years ago. They didn't catch Kirkman until a few years back."

"Kirkman? Oh, right, that tester who faked results." She let out a laugh. "Oh, right. You're one of the 'Kirkmanned' pilots, right? Someone who tested high but had his results faked by Kirkman?"

"Pretty much. I guess he missed you?"

"Was probably on leave or out of touch when I was tested." Dani shrugged. "I suppose I should be jealous that you got to avoid all the pushiness that AMSA gives people who test high on neuro-aptitude. But if I hadn't become a MechWarrior I…" I wouldn't have met Becca.

"I get it. Your life would be wholly different. Just as mine would if Kirkman had missed me instead."

"Can't undo it, I suppose, we just keep moving forward."

"As best as we can," he agreed.
 
Q1 3035: Wealth and Taste

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Presidential Palace
Johnson's Landing, Hadley Continent
Loric
Independent World (Former Kingdom of Cajamarca)
28 March 3035



Karl von Montberg entered the ballroom with his husband, Johann, on his arm. The two men made a striking pair in their dark suits and with their orders - Companions of the Order of St. Michael - hanging around their necks. Karl was a diplomat of the Free March Foreign Office and Johann an analyst from the Protocol Office; work was how the two men met and eventually hooked up, with some slight pushback from the more socially-conservative parts of officialdom.

They were announced by the master of ceremonies and brought into the midst of President Tom Blair's party, a celebration of his daughter and heiress Belinda's 22nd birthday. Loric was legally a republic, but in practice the President was a hereditary lifetime position held by the Blairs.

Tom Blair approached them with a wide grin on his face. "The emissaries von Montberg!" he bellowed. He was a big man, stocky-shouldered, with a growing pot belly. His new wife Samantha was on his arm, closer to his daughter in age than to him. "Gentlemen, thank you for attending. A good work-pleasure balance is important!"

"So it is, Mister President," Karl said. "Johann and I hope to try this Loric sea cow dish you spoke off earlier."

"Oh, right this way," he insisted. "It is stupendous…!"



After the eating and drinking and jokes and all the other bits of camaraderie, the party died down. A haze of insobriety muddled Karl's thoughts but a little, courtesy of the Loric-native spirits Blair plied them with. Their host was likewise inebriated. "I was of the impression the Proctors were a bunch of stuffy, holier-than-thou Puritans," Blair guffawed before puffing on a cigar-sized joint. He placed the joint on a tray and took to another drink of bourbon whiskey. "I'm surprised they let men such as yourself into their service."

"They recognize that not everyone shares their personal views," Karl answered delicately. "For what it's worth, Her Serene Highness is not her father, I am told he was rather less accepting."

"Ah, that old battler." Blair took another swig. "He was a piece of work, March-Prince William. Threatened to send the Arcadian Guards once if my Daddy didn't cut sales to Duke Rashid. Back then, that was a major threat. Not so much now."

Karl showed no reaction, but he could see this wasn't just drunken reminiscing. Blair was making a point. He didn't feel as threatened by the prospect of a regiment dropping on his planet. But we have more regiments ourselves these days, he pondered. "True. Although if March-Prince William had the forces we today enjoy, he might have sent five regiments, not just one, even his best. He didn't believe in half-measures, I'm assured."

Blair caught the hint. "No, I suppose he didn't. So, let's get down to business. At the start of the decade, my world was independent. Then Hesperus sent their forces, and I had to bend the knee. Then Cajamarca sent their troops and I had to bend the knee to them, and give up some lucrative investments I'll add. Now you're here. I'm guessing that I get a choice of bending the knee before your 'Mechs show up and start shooting my world up too?"

"We have wider plans than just bringing Loric into the fold," Karl replied. "The change sweeping the Inner Sphere means we can't remain as we were. The Free March is evolving into something new, and you have the potential to be a part of it."

"Ah. A subordinate part."

"You'd be under a higher ruler, yes, but that's going to happen anyway. Even if Arcadia pulled back and took nothing else, the Marians will move into this area at some point. And they do more than get you to bend the knee. Ask Princess Gita."

"I don't need to," Blair remarked darkly, looking perturbed. He looked longingly at his drink before setting it aside. It was time to talk business. "You're aware that I still have to get the College of Electors to sign off on this?"

"I'm sure that will be no problem with your people skills, Mister President," Karl said, also well aware of how strong the Blair Family's grip was on Loric's electoral college, not to mention the other means of appealing to the populace. "I'll gladly help settle any concerns or issues."
 
Q1 3035: Looking to the Future

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Ducal Palace
Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia
Arcadian Free March
10 March 3035


Preparations continued for this year's Liberation Day festivities. It would be a martial affair, certainly, even if yet again the local militia brigade was the primary force involved. The Free March was at war, after all, even if for the last couple months forces were diverted from the front to the collapsing Cajamarcan kingdom.

March-Princess Sara-Marie wrapped up another meeting with her senior advisors on the Privy Council. Duke Simon Allen of Togwotee and Duke Abdulla Rayhan of Dar-es-Salaam approached her instead of leaving. "How is His Highness Prince Mark?" Abdulla asked.

Given the year her poor son had just gone through, Sara-Marie was happy to provide the reply, "Physical therapy has gone well. The new prosthetics are ordered, although they are months from delivery."

"Allah has been merciful, then, and fittingly so," the younger man replied. "And Prince Thomas?"

"On Cajamarca," she answered. "With his unit. Your Graces, may I ask…?"

"His Highness the Count of Roslyn is nearing his thirtieth birthday," said Allen. "And while I hope to predecease you, Highness, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't encourage that your heir be prepared for his eventual taking of the crown. Especially as we continue to make progress with the proposal for Federation."

"You wish for me to have Thomas end his military service and devote himself to civic duties, then?" she asked.

"Ending his service is not necessary, I think," Rayhan offered. "But perhaps a posting that would train him for civic duties? The AFFM has media relations officers, after all, or perhaps he could work with a diplomatic mission?"

Sara-Marie considered what they were asking. Thomas preferred the military. The last two years had been, at least going by his correspondence, the happiest of his life. He is so much like father in that respect. But is that a good thing? For all she loved her father, March-Prince William's military bent had not always worked for his family or the people as a whole. Can I convince my son to change? Should I? Will he resent such a posting?

Perhaps, if it is the right one…
"Perhaps a tour of duty on Coventry or Skye?" she proposed. "As part of the staff exchange with the Commonwealth and Consolidant."

"That sounds appropriate, Highness."

"Then I will speak to General Harding on the matter. Please, Your Graces, have a pleasant day."
 
Q2 3035: The Art of Persuasion - Quid Pro Quo

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
King Auditorium
Douglass City, Washington Continent
Dixie
16 April 3035



For months Harold Wise's campaign was slow to build steam. This was not merely from resistance, but from his own choice. Too much volume would simply raise the backs of these proud people, coming off as a pressure tactic. Better to be slow, to let the thought percolate in their communication networks, the online chatrooms and discussion forums and town halls.

Just as much, he didn't expect instant success. Polls were showing a majority opposed to voluntary accession and many willing to expand the existing garrison and raise militia to resist a forceful Arcadian takeover. He'd gotten them to consider the iddea,, but he hadn't won their support for it.

That campaign began now.

He'd been invited to a debate by the Count of Shenandoah, Albert Botts. He was a man of light brown complexion, a common skin tone on Dixie, on the portly side but with an energy that belied that build. His green eyes glittered like intelligent gems and Wise, who preferred a private discussion over a public debate, felt like he'd made an enormous mistake.

If I fail, the AFFM will agitate for the sending of regiments, he reminded himself.

The debate moderator, a retired Congressman named Kevin Clayson, commenced the discussion. "Mister Harold Wise, Your Lordship, thank you for attending us today," Clayson said. "The matter at hand is, given everything reported, an important one for the future of our planet. For those who are unfamiliar with the matter, Mister Wise is from the Foreign Office of the Arcadian Free March, which sent him to propose to our people and government that Dixie voluntarily join the Free March. His Lordship Count Cleburne leads the party in the Senate most opposed to the idea and supportive of our world's continued independence. Mister Wise, I invite you to go first."

"Thank you, Mister Clayson," Wise said. "After these past few months on your world, I know your people well enough to lay the matter out squarely. I needn't tell you how the Inner Sphere has changed. You've seen it. Your world's independence was already ended, by Defiance-Hesperus and the Kingdom of Kashamarka. The collapse of Kashamarka has returned independence for the moment, but in this Inner Sphere, it will not last. So we of Arcadia invite Dixie to stand with us, not because we are mightier than you, but because we can best aid you in protecting the rights you cherish."

Everything quieted until Cleburne spoke. "Your Arcadia has conquered many worlds these past couple of years, Mister Wise," he said. "You say you wish us to join you, but you say nothing of the threat behind those words. If we fail, your superiors may just send your armies to subjugate us. Or has the Free March eaten its fill? Considering its recent actions, sir, the answer is clearly no."

"Our hands are not clean, no. We wished to remain out, but Andurien has proven why we cannot," Wise replied. "I will not mince words. I fear that force may be used as well. The Free March cannot afford your world falling to the Marian Hegemony. But we wish to convince you to join willingly."

"Because you fear we would fight too hard against you?"

"Because we fear for the lives that would be lost in a battle you cannot win," Wise said. "While the necessity of our situation forces us to expand, we would rather it be peaceful, and we don't want slaves like the Hegemony, but free men and women ready to fight to save what is theirs."

There were a few supporting roars from the crowd, but Cleburne wasn't done. "Dixie has been free for the better part of two centuries, Mister Wise, before this expansion of government power began. Our people are ready to fight you or anyone else to save the freedoms they cherish."

"And if they lose, Your Lordship? If they are defeated, what then?"

The crowd's eyes turned to Cleburne, who quickly responded. "Then we keep the dream alive. We lay up arms and wait."

"Just as you did before? Sir, how close was Dixie to winning its independence back by force? As opposed to your reaction to the Consolidant and Kashamarka, where you not only accepted the loss of independence, you let one government sell your world." Wise let that point hang. He saw the frustration in Cleburne's eyes and knew he'd landed a point. He turned his eyes to the crowd, noting they too were frustrated by that knowledge. "I think we would all be happy if the Inner Sphere allowed worlds to remain independent, but those days are over. An era of interstellar government has returned, for good and for ill, and for those who value the principles of liberty the best hope lies in association with a government that accepts those principles. Your choices, I am afraid to say, are limited, and I fervently believe we are the best choice regardless. Whether you agree or disagree with me, well… I leave that for you to decide, people of Dixie."

His words were not so much inspired or rehearsed, they were words of frustration. He didn't like this new Inner Sphere either. He preferred the Inner Sphere as it was twenty, thirty years ago, when however dangerous and chaotic it was, worlds at least could decide their own fates if they strove for it. But that was over. He knew it, and he was sure that deep down, these people knew it too.

To his surprise, they applauded. A handful cheered, but it was mostly applause. Even Count Cleburne gave him an acknowledging nod.

Maybe this will get the ball rolling, he thought. Maybe my mission succeeds after all.



Springfield Defense Arsenal Works
Hagerstown, Hadley Continent
Loric
20 April 3035



President Blair insisted on joining Karl in the invited inspection of the Springfield Works. The defense plant was a rebuilt factory complex from the era of the Star League. While it lacked the automation and sophisticated systems restored on Arcadia and other similar worlds, with the right licenses it would be capable of producing Star League-quality weaponry. And since the Blairs were part of the majority shareholding group, they would profit the entire way.

At their insistence, Karl spent hours watching them accomplish what they considered their best effort: assembling a Jenner BattleMech in less than ten hours, from the casting of the alloyed skeleton to the fitting of the myomer motive bundles to the welding of the last plate of armor. A factory pilot brought the 'Mech to life and moved it out, somewhat stiffly Karl thought (and he was quite certain the machine would quietly be moved to a hangar for a complete overhaul).

Nevertheless he let himself be impressed. "Hopefully you will be constructing 'Mechs for the AFFM before long," he said.

"I'm sure the folks at Springfield here would jump at the chance."

If not for the utter mess the Inner Sphere's contract law has become since the fall of the Star League, I imagine you would have already faced a lawsuit by the actual owners of this design, instead of letting you build it for a small licensing fee. Karl didn't let those thoughts show on his face. "How goes your political efforts, Mister President?"

"Oh, fine Mister Montberg, fine. I'm having to make some deals, of course, but I think we'll get the votes we need. What about on your end?"

"The AFFM has been informed of your request to resurrect your 'Blair Guards' unit," Karl said. "I imagine that once everything is secure, they will begin the process immediately. Naturally you will be invited to the mustering ceremony."

"Can't wait to see it!" the President exclaimed.
 
Q2 3035: New Orders

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Royal Palace
Cusco, Atahuaptl Continent
Cajamarca
Arcadian Free March
2 April 3035


With a mercenary force deployed to garrison Cajamarca for the time being the Arcadian Guards and the rest of the units on-planet were preparing to depart. The rumors of their next destination were varied. Some figured Trinidad or Paradise. One claimed that Command was hitting Atreus now instead of later. Others, that they were bound for the Hesperus Front to help reclaim Solaris and adjoining worlds.

Prince Thomas's batman, Lance Corporal Lawton, was busy at work for getting their things ready for transfer to the Galatine. Thomas himself responded to a summons by his battalion CO, Lt. Colonel Gertrude Kosinski, to meet in the office assigned her on the Royal Palace grounds.

He saluted upon entry to the office, and Colonel Kosinski, his CO now for over three years, snapped a reply salute. "At ease," she said. "I've got some news for you, and I think you'll find it mixed."

"Yes sir?" he asked, curious.

"For starters, congratulations, Major. The Promotion Board made the meritorious finding yesterday, according to today's dispatches from home."

Thomas allowed himself a controlled grin. Major. He'd made Major before thirty! It was a distinct honor and it made his heart swell with pride.

But what is the rest? Oh. "I take it, then, I am to be assigned to a new regiment with no battalion XO billets available?"

"No," Kosinski said. "That is the news I know you will not enjoy. You're being re-assigned to staff, Major."

Thomas refused to let his disappointment show. He'd been dreading such an assignment for years, the day his mother prevailed on their superiors to take him off the field. That is being unfair to her, he reproved himself. We rotate in eventually. "I see," he said. "Then I'm being pulled from the war."

"Afraid so, Major. I'm not sure where they're sending you. You'll be shipping out on the transport Richter tomorrow. You're heading home to Arcadia for your staff assignment."

Perhaps I will get to serve on the Planning Staff with Lord Alexander, he hoped. It would give him a chance to check on Mark at least, and see Willy before he went off to AMSA. Either way, I'm a soldier. I go where ordered.
 
Q2 3035: Utensils

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
28 June 3035


The woman known as Darla Kiner returned home from another day of custodial work to find a few pieces of physical mail - a new set of silverware to be precise - and pleasant silence at her cozy apartment. The firm she worked for did government work and could be a high stress environment, especially when government security and counter-intelligence were doing inspections, and even the custodians weren't immune to their attentions. But when you were a custodian with documented social anxiety disorder that made it difficult to look someone in the eye or behave in "normal" patterns, well, even the counter-intel people eventually moved on.

In her case, Darla was cleared, and that was of great relief to Claire Westin as she settled into a recliner and opened her box of silverware. The silverware was a cheap but workable set manufactured locally (as most common consumer goods were in the Inner Sphere and even Periphery). And she would get good use out of the dining utensils.

Of greater interest was the small data chip smuggled inside.

It was no larger than her thumbnail, but it had the capacity to store terabytes of data. She slipped it into her noteputer and examined the contents. Good, exactly what I needed, she thought, relating to the programs loaded aboard, which were very much utensils of another sort. She was familiar with them, and they'd prove useful.

Tomorrow she was off, so it would be time to make a pleasant stroll through the city, especially its parks. The local government was quite proud of them and put a lot into maintaining them. That such parks made her job so much easier with all the provided options for dead-drops, well, she couldn't exactly thank them for that part.

Not that she'd be using the park as a dead-drop, at least not yet. The important thing was to make her presence in the park regular. Dead-drops had to hit the sweet spot: somewhere that fits standard routine, but not so close as to be easily connected to you. It was why she was making a habit of visiting them all during her off-hours, usually with crumbled bread or other goodies to feed the water fowl. If anyone followed her or watched her, it was the kind of place that Darla Kiner would go, to enjoy solitude when life around others became too much.

Well, now I'm a step closer, she thought, considering the chip contents again. But it's going to be a while yet...
 
Q2 3035: Higher Duties

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Ducal Palace
Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia
Arcadian Free March
28 June 3035


For the first time in two and a half years, Prince Thomas was home. He'd been considering that long time span during the Richter's trip in-system. Now the vehicle dispatched by the Chamberlain to the DropPort wound its way up the courtyard vehicle entrance and to the front door, giving Thomas a look at the home he'd not known for years, even before the mad scramble for planets began. Abby is off at Concord and university. Willy turns nineteen soon… he should be starting his first year at Ayrshire, unless Mother's let him out of that as well.

That thought, unkind as it was, was dashed the moment he got up to the door. His youngest sibling, Prince William, was in AFFM uniform, the mark of a first year cadet on his collar. He saluted crisply at Thomas' approach. "Welcome home, Major," he said with some enthusiasm.

"Cadet." Thomas reverted to military formality instantly. "You've had a growth spurt these last couple of years. I hope you've been behaving."

"If you mean my, well, romantic pursuits, Father made sure my studies kept me out of that," William admitted. "Father's off-world, unfortunately, some business back on Ford. It was already scheduled and confirmed when we learned the date you'd be coming back."

"Father was always one for duty," Thomas noted. "I assume Mother's waiting?"

"Her meeting with the Privy Council is over, and though she has a reception with Her Excellency the Ambassador Endo tonight you should have a lot of time to talk."

Thomas chided himself for making it so obvious he was upset. I should be with my unit! was a sentiment he still couldn't fight easily. "I knew I'd be coming off line duty one day," he admitted. "I just figured it'd be a few more years, or at least until after the war."

William nodded and said nothing more. He stepped away as they entered Sara-Marie's office, and her secretary and aide saw Thomas in to see his mother.

He'd seen her on the news enough to know how these last couple years were taking their toll. The Free March was in the middle of an unprecedented expansion and political shakeup, and all that came down on her shoulders. More gray and white showed in her hair. The crow's feet beside her eyes were deeper, far deeper, and she looked closer to sixty than fifty. Thomas saluted toward her, noting she too was in AFFM uniform with her unique hawk rank insignia on her collar. "Your Serene Highness, Major Thomas Proctor reporting."

"Major." Sara-Marie rose from her desk and rounded it. She returned the salute. "At ease." With that said she approached and smiled warmly. "You look good, Tom. You've been through a lot these past couple of years."

"So have you, Mom," he said, recognizing the cue to relax. "I can't imagine the stress you're under. Especially with the war on."

"Yes. The war. I didn't yank you from the frontlines to protect you, but rather, due to other concerns." She gestured toward the chairs in the office. They sat across from one another. "Thomas, you're very much like my father was. A soldier and a MechWarrior. But the Free March needs you in another capacity, and it's time to begin your training for those higher duties."

Thomas couldn't stop himself from paling. "Mother… mother, how long do you have?" He wanted to throw up.

She shook her head. "I'm not dying, if that's your worry. Not anymore than any of us. No, it's more a case that the Free March's evolution means you need to begin becoming the Heir, not simply a martial prince."

"So you want me doing civic matters, then?" It was something he knew would come one day, but yet dreaded.

"Of a sort. The war is still on, after all, and this new 'Lyran Alliance' will likely outlast it. To show our commitment to the Alliance, and to give you a chance to expand your education in life, I am going to assign you to the military delegation on Coventry."

"Coventry?" That was over twelve weeks' travel away. Another three and a half months in space

"You won't be leaving right away, you're not due at the post until next year," Sara-Marie said. "For now you'll be working with the Military Liaison staff, learning what you need to know to fulfill your role. And it'll give you some time to see how our home has developed in the years you were away."

"And attend social functions, and endure the endless attempts by nobles to get me into engagements with their daughters," Thomas sighed.

"Well, I would like grandchildren before the Lord takes me away," Sara-Marie teased him. "But take your time on that. We all have plenty of it."

We do, all of us. Thomas felt reminded at his relief, as an adult, for his parents being so prodigious in giving him siblings. This meant there were at least four more heartbeats besides his own between the throne and his dissolute Aunt Gabrielle and the cousins she gave him and his siblings. Either Rachel would cut back the AFFM to fulfill her pacifist social agendas or Roger would spend more time carousing and drinking than seeing to his duties, he groused to himself briefly, not showing any of it on his face.

Well, Coventry and military diplomacy it is. And hopefully, one day, back to the Guards.

Hopefully.
 
Q2 3035: Uninvited Guests

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Ducal Country Estate
Khalistan Continent
Giausar
Arcadian Free March
17 June 3035



It was customary for Duchess Ishita Khan to hold a yearly gathering during Giausar's winter months on the northern continent of Khalistan. The planet's highest society looked forward to the event as a place to unwind, debut their children to society, and indulge themselves in all the kinds of luxury a planetary ruler could afford for their estates.

This year, Ishita wasn't in the mood. She'd just learned her sister, Sakshi, was critically wounded while serving with O'Brien's Irish Lancers, a regiment of the 1st Free March Cavalry Brigade, nearly killed fighting an unexpected concentration of Marik line units on the minor world of Bainsville. Her lover was at least alive, but she - Captain Lavanya Chagger Kaur - was off-world training with former militia pilots to join the Hyde Lancers when they mustered at the end of the year. That left her with Sujay, her husband, nagging at her all the time about needing to provide an heir (not that it stopped him from seeing his male lovers whenever he wished), a usual preoccupation for the nobility if one Duchess Ishita never shared given the size of her family.

After some aborted attempts to cancel, Ishita decided that if she had to go with it, she'd be going wild this year. Expenses were tripled, more staff hired, and the best booze (and other substances) available on the market were found for her guests. Her parents, if they were alive, would have been horrified, but she was by her own admission not as devoted to the Sikh faith as they'd been (not counting keeping up appearances).

The night started early, and so did Ishita, such that she was soon as inebriated as she'd ever been in her life. It made her guests a bit uncomfortable until they realized the kind of party this was going to be, which left a few scandalized and in a hurry to leave and many, many more quite happy to escape the drudgery of a quieter affair. Ishita kept a glass of something that was very much not wine filled throughout.

The party was in full swing when guests arrived in something other than the usual finery. They had an assortment of jackets and jumpsuits and other clothes. A sober Ishita would have pegged them for commoner party crashers immediately and either patronized at them or ordered them away. As sloshed as she was, though, she didn't think to do anything but take another drink and welcome them to the party.

Which was, in the end, the wisest thing to do, strangely enough.

A certain smile crossed the leader's face. She was another woman, of darker complexion than Ishita, who yet spoke English in a similar accent. "Well, gals and boys, looks like we're turnin' this into some shore leave too!" Behind here were applause and shouts of approval that would have worried any sober homeowner familiar with the predilections of pirates.

Ishita, of course, was not sober at all, and so felt not a worry about inviting this woman and her band in. Far from it, with Lavanya off-world and Sajay more interested in a couple of the male lords attending, she was rather more interested in other matters…



Hours of revelry and debauchery later, a somewhat inebriated Joanna Rashid, leader of the pirate band Rashid's Ravagers, was feeling rather ravaged herself. She liked to think of herself as sexually flexible, but Duchess Ishita proved how wrong that was. I did not expect to have the wildest party in my life, and certainly not to have the Duchess of Giasaur… damn, I still feel light-headed!

Given how well her night went, as her band returned to their APCs laden with not very many valuables, she decided not to start shooting them for failing to properly loot the palace. Truth be told, they were all frustrated with other jobs and a lot of time in space, and this was the kind of party a wise pirate didn't crash, it was the kind you joined.

Besides, I hear the Earl of Stewart has some nice antiques that should fetch high on the market, Joanna thought, recalling one of the more drunken vows she'd made as part of the night's festivities. It'll be a good scrap too…



Ishita Khan woke up with a headache and a need to go to the bathroom for a little morning refreshment and more than a little hung over vomiting.

It was only after she was done that Ishita let the blurred memories of the night come back enough to know that A) she'd had uninvited guests and B) she'd spent the night with one of them, and it'd been a very enjoyable one. It was something to feel guilty about when thinking of Lavanya.

Still, it was to her surprise that she found a hastily written note.

Loved the party, Duchess. And the sex. It was good too. Tell you what. I'll keep my crew from taking too much of your stuff (not that it'll be hard given all the booze and coke flowing in this place) as a thank you for the… A few rather explicit sex acts were listed that made even Ishita blush, restoring some color to her cheeks at least. ...and as thanks for giving my crew the party of a lifetime, we'll leave you alone and go raid the Mariks to get back for your little sis.

Just don't get used to it!

Signed,
Joanna Rashid
Rashid's Ravagers

P.S. Next time I do the ravaging, Duchess, not you!



(Use of yearly event: Pirates will raid Stewart, cause some ruckus to local Marik forces.)
 
Q2 3035: First Kill

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Donalson Plains
Bainsville
Marik Commonwealth
12 June 3035



Deep down Alex Penton knew Shasta was a lucky case. The local militia breaking with barely a fight, leaving the 8th Strikers to take control of the planet without issue.

Now the time had come for the pendulum to swing the other way.

Heavy fire crossed the fields below as the DropShip reached optimal altitude for the combat drop. Alex made a last, sixth check on his Paladin 'Mech's jump jets and assured himself they were, indeed, functioning. Don't want to hit the ground hard, if my legs got wrecked I'd be a sitting duck.

"1st Battalion ready for drop," a voice declared.

These aren't militia, they're Marik regulars. That was the shock that hit them when the 1st Free March Cavalry hit the LZs. While local miitia were helping, the remnants of something like three Marik regular regiments were likewise planetside, and were formed into what Alex would call kampfgruppe. An ad hoc military formation of the components of broken units, knitted together by discipline, decent officers, and a will to fight on. Now the 1st FMC brigade was getting a hammering, particularly the relatively new and inexperienced O'Brien's Irish Lancers "regiment", which was already suffering heavy casualties.

The light ahead turned green. Scott Pierce's Marauder walked out of the bay, together with his immediate command lance. As the effective CO of the rest of the battalion's command unit, Alex's 'Mech came next. He moved the Paladin forward and let it drop into the open air. With the aid of the months of training he fired his jump jets with increasing power, arresting his descent until the final thirty meters when he gunned them at full power, bringing him to a landing that was only slightly bone-jarring.

The other 'Mechs of the 8th Strikers were landing about them. Marik 'Mechs, busy with the Gienah Heavy Fusiliers and what tattered remnants remained of O'Brien's Irish Lancers, were already turning to engage. He noted a Marik Stalker firing missiles into one of the modified Chargers of the 1st Battalion and brought his crosshairs over the assault 'Mech. With a squeeze of his triggers he alpha-striked the machine, spraying lightning and emerald light over the Stalker's hip and side in the microseconds before the penetrator round from the right arm's Gauss Rifle smashed through more armor.

This brought him the quite unwanted attention of the Stalker. The Marik pilot's lasers cut into the protective armor over his right shoulder. Nominally there was nothing there to damage, as the jump jets and engine were lower in the torso, but given enough hits his skeleton in the area would fail and his machine would be crippled. He jerked to the side just as the missiles came in, slamming over his left torso and arm instead. Indicators on the holotable glowed yellow in warning while he strained to keep the machine standing against the barrage of missiles. Two missiles went off just above and below his cockpit, not quite managing to penetrate the armor.

That was when it first struck at him. The fear, the terror, of dying here, in this cockpit, as a meter either way might have led to. For all that BattleMechs were fierce war machines, for all the seventy-five tons of metal at his command, his life was still that fragile. All life was. Whenever he pulled the trigger, he could kill someone.

And that terrified him even more.

But yet, something inside him didn't let him stop. His machine kept moving, and his aim remained steady. Another squeeze of the trigger sent a wave of heat into his 'Mech, but resulted in the Gauss Rifle and PPC wounding the Stalker. Sparks erupted from a missile launcher, the result of damage shorting the weapon out. The assault 'Mech, slow as it was, tried to turn away.

Another cerulean bolt caught it in the leg while cluster rounds sandblasted the opposite side, courtesy of Rachel Vallejo's Tanatis 'Mech. The damage unbalanced the Stalker, slowing it… giving Alex the shot.

He took it.

The heat in his 'Mech surged once more, dying away slowly, while cerulean fury tore the air between his left shoulder and the jutted out head-module of the Stalker. Unlike the Marik pilot's missiles, this shot hit home. Smoke and debris billowed out of the shattered cockpit, which toppled over.

Just like that, he thought to himself. Now I've got blood on my hands too.

There was no time to savor his first official kill as a MechWarrior. The Marik unit had to be put down before it rallied. Only then might he and his comrades be safe.

So without a further thought, he picked another target, and his weapons blazed away,
 
Q3 3035: Public Approval - Another Request

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Arlington Mansion
Douglass City, Washington Continent
Dixie
10 August 3035



The yearly social season of Dixie's high society was in full swing, with the planet's gentry and leading politicians filling Douglass City for nightly parties, soirees, and club occasions. The reason for the season was typically the opening of the year's Congress after the July elections, and this year was no exception, with Duke Lee welcoming the returning Senators and Congressmen to a party celebrating their return.

Unsurprisingly, Harold Wise was likewise invited. Through his own actions, including his repeated debates and plain-speaking, he was gaining celebrity and respect in equal measure on Dixie. As a diplomat it somewhat confounded him, since the locals seemed to prefer what he felt was blunt speech over the finer in diplomatic work.

The night went smoothly enough, for the most part, and was enjoyable. It was near the end that Harold was called away quietly by the Duke's chamberlain and seen to the same study he'd been greeted in months ago. Now Duke Lee sat with some of Dixie's other highest officials. Countess Annabelle Clemens, the President of Dixie's Senate, sat on one couch, a woman of fine wizened features with a strong mocha complexion. Kyle Waltrip, Speaker of the House, was in another, and the Secretary of State, Dr. Moshe Benjamin, had yet another seat. A few other ranking leaders were present as well.

"Mister Wise, you have undoubtedly paid attention to the results of our elections this year?" Duke Lee asked.

"I have," answered Wise. "The Whig Party has a narrow House majority while the Democratic-Republicans have two more Senate seats." It bemused Wise that such a party existed on a world that had functioning nobility, including Countess Clemens. "Her Ladyship the Countess of Murfreesboro and Mister Waltrip are the current legislative leaders of those parties, I believe, with their minority leader counterparts present as well."

"Indeed. You are aware of the issues in the campaign?"

"Mostly domestic matters, with my proposal being a latecomer. The Whigs are roughly opposed, the Democratic-Republicans mildly in favor of."

"Generally so, Mister Wise," said Waltrip. Like the others he had a Dixie drawl to his English, but with a bit more of a twang. "My own personal conviction is that your offer is the best we can hope for, but many in my party believe we would be giving up too much. Some still believe we can remain neutral between you and the Marian Hegemony, and their voices are strong. If we try to push an acceptance through Congress, they will make a fight of it."

"I'm certain they would," Wise sighed. "Are there any alternatives?"

"There is one. You can appeal to the people."

"We will announce a plebiscite," the Duke said. "To be held this November, in which all citizens of Dixie will vote on your Free March's offer. If it passes, Congress must assent."

"And if it fails, then we drop the matter," said the Countess. "And then you and your people do what you will do."

Invade. Wise had no doubt of it. The military leadership would call for a diversion of regiments to break Dixie's military, the planet was simply too valuable to leave dangling for the Marians to pluck. "Then I must convince your people of the wisdom of joining us," Wise said. "I'm not a politician, you understand…"

"Then, Mister Wise, I propose you learn how to become one," Duke Lee remarked. "For all our sakes."



Free March Consulate
Johnson's Landing, Hadley Continent
Loric
Independent World
20 August 3035



With Loric's social season also in high gear, Karl and his husband threw their own party for the elite of Loric, including several of the Electors for the planet's College of Electors. The "presidential republic" used them to select the President of Loric, in theory any member of the College, but in practicality, a Blair, as it had been since the Lyran Commonwealth collapsed and the planet's controlling minority of Teutonized Lyrans liquidated their estates and fled popular wrath. Like the President they elected, the College was theoretically appointed democratically by the planetary regions and provinces, but in practicality, the wealthiest families controlled the seats and who got to run for them.

With Johann providing the social duties of a host, Karl was free to discuss Loric's accession to the March. What the present Electors said to him wasn't of much interest; it was what they weren't saying, and a couple were clearly uninterested in closer conversation whenever Tom Blair or certain other Electors or other figures were within theoretical earshot.

The stocky ruler of Loric soon made his presence known. "Countrymen, friends, good people of Loric!" He raised his glass. "To Consul von Montberg and his delightful husband, for being such gracious hosts, and for their forthright dealings with our world!"

The toast was echoed, and Karl answered with his own. "To President Blair, who has been ever vigilant for the needs of his world." Were I the titular living puppet of Pinnochio, my nose would be a meter long already, he mused while the crowd likewise cheered the toast.

Once the toasts were done Blair approached Karl and asked, "A place to speak briefly Consul?"

Karl quietly led Blair from the main hall and adjoining dining areas to one of the small office rooms. He closed the door behind them. "What might I do for you, Your Excellency?"

"I know we're running short on time to make a deal here, and I promise you, sir, I'm doing what I can to get the Electors to approve the resolution," he said. "That's why I wanted to speak with you."

"Certainly. Go right ahead."

Blair took a seat and sucked in a drag from a fine cigar, one of the planet's more notable luxury products. "Those folks over on Dixie, now, despite everything they've managed to set themselves up with a fine naval yard. Great place, had a nephew tour it once before the takeovers began. They're already making JumpShips."

'"That they are," Karl noted, recalling the Foreign Office reports on the two worlds.

"Now, between Springfield and McGinty Aerospace, our world's got quite an industrial complex already, but I think that Ms. McGinty's fine people could produce some mighty fine ships of their own, if given the right funding."

There it was. Karl nodded politely at the idea, knowing what it really was: another "request" that the Free March would have to pledge itself to if Blair were to accept peaceful annexation.

"A lot of the College would be glad to see our world producing ships. Why, maybe even some of those combat JumpShips you've used so well against Marik, may the whole family rot."

"I can inquire about the idea, we are looking for more shipyards," Karl noted.

"We'll name the first ship for my poor departed predecessor Francis, he would be thrilled to see our family become so respected." Blair sat up. "So, I look forward to hearing from you, sir, and to another fine party this November. I'll be debuting my youngest soon, Lily, she's a sweet little thing. I may send her to school on Arcadia if I get the chance. She'd love to meet Her Serene Highness and her family. Why, as I recall, the youngest of the bunch is her age."

"Johann and I will gladly attend," said Karl, even as he almost blinked at the gall. Would he go that far? Would he make it a required term that we marry Prince William to his daughter? Of all the cheek…!

"It'll be a great night." Blair left with a smile and a nod, leaving Karl to his thoughts. He was so intent on the problems that he didn't hear Johann come in, nor react to him until his husband had a hand on Karl's shoulder and his lips against Karl's cheek. "You look troubled," said Johann. "President Blair?"

"He is stringing us along," Karl muttered. "Now he wants the March to fund a naval yard for Loric. And he's hinting about setting up his youngest daughter with Prince William."

Johann sighed and shook his head. "Whatever the title, you'll always find ambitious men who don't know when to quit." He put an arm around Karl's shoulder. "Do you think he would risk it? Risk us turning to military force?"

"He might chance it. He's had a year to expand his defense forces, and the military's still tied down on the front. Or maybe he thinks he can force more concessions out of the March-Princess." Karl shook his head. "All I know is that we're getting to the point where I'm going to have to tell him 'no', and it won't go well. I just need to see if we've reached it yet."

"Either way, that can wait until tomorrow." Johann pulled at his dress jacket's collar. "Let's get out of these things and enjoy a bottle of schnapps and a quiet night, now that the guests are out."

"Yes, let's," Karl said, allowing himself a smile.
 
Q3 3035: Testing Bugs

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Tactical Proving Ground
Fort Defiance, Eastern Islay
Arcadia
Arcadian Free March
19 August 3035



Lieutenant Tania Tobias was one of a dozen Arcadian MechWarriors with a particularly unique posting, specifically her place in Bravo Lance of the 1st Special Testing Company. Ostensibly part of the 1st Free March Militia Brigade, the 1st STC were not actually on the combat rolls of the AFFM. Their entire job was based around piloting modified machines testing new technology being experimented with by the Arcadian military.

She was in one of her favored machines right now. The GST-1 Ghost was a design of the Selassie Defense Works, the 'Mech factory complex and design company based in the city of Mek'ele over on the continent of Mull. Owned by House Selassie, the Counts of Mek'ele and claimed descendants of the old ruling house of Ethiopia on Terra, the Defense Works produced most of the native BattleMech designs in the Arcadian arsenal while their immediate competitor, Rayhan Arsenal of Dar-es-Salaam, mostly produced existing designs on license, with a few unique variants. The Ghost, a 35-ton scout 'Mech with a top speed of 118 kp/h and a sixty meter jump capability, was one of those designs, and the raw speed was something Tania enjoyed pushing the machine through.

This Ghost was different from the other GST-1s though. Its two jump jets were missing, with some of the internal volume of the speedy light 'Mech instead devoted to housing a new, sophisticated targeting computer meant to assist MechWarriors in making pinpoint shots.

This was the device she was due to test, and test it she did, setting it to target the legs of the dummy firing range 'Mechs set up for her use. As she ran her Ghost about, the holo-display in front of her created a small ruby circle over her targets' legs as she moved her crosshairs over them. Whenever her crosshairs hit the circles properly they turned green, and she squeezed the trigger. Emerald light was the result, with the occasional low roar of the dummy-warhead missiles the Ghost's SRM launcher was spitting out.

Some of her hits were on, but she was finding the system was more often than not throwing her aim off. The circle would suddenly shift a centimeter here, five there, and her shots missed the target completely. She slowed her run to a walk to see if that fixed the problem, and ultimately just stopped and shot from a standing position (or as most MechWarriors called it, the sitting duck position). Even there, while the circle remained more stable, it inevitably continued to shift about inappropriately, and her firing accuracy ended up off.

"Bravo 2 to Range Control, system's still not working right. I'm not getting stable firing solutions from the computer."

There was a small sigh on the other end. "Roger that, Bravo 2. Go ahead and bring your 'Mech back in, we'll have to give the hardware and software another look."

"Confirmed, returning to hangar." Tania turned the Ghost back toward the base and brought the swift machine into a run, mostly just for the fun of the raw speed of the scout 'Mech and not the prospect of the debrief and written report awaiting her back at base.

But at least I'm not getting shot at, I suppose.
 
Q3 3035: Making Friends

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
17 August 3035


Claire Westin - as Darla Kiner - kept to her tasks carefully, befitting the mental condition her co-workers knew her to have. The day's routines were the same; clad in a blue custodial jumpsuit, she went from room to room vacuuming or mopping as required, picking up trash, and a number of other monotonous jobs. She hummed to herself, always dropping it to a low key when around others. The polite co-workers gave her a wide berth after they got to know her.

Others kept trying to "get you out of your shell", as one named Lysandra put it one day. The stout, plump woman had her own issues with socializing, issues Claire recognized as the personality type craving attention and friendship, and the kind of person that would be an insufferable pest to the Darla Kiners of the world.

As much as Darla Kiner would have appreciated someone causing trouble for Lysandra, it was Damien Smythe that Claire had her eyes on. Not because of any threat posed, or annoyances caused, but because he was the best candidate for the plan forming in her mind, as one of the few with an access to the data servers.

Initially she'd considered a direct entry to the servers, with physical access, but the security measures in place were not welcoming to that sort of approach. The servers were in a vacuum-sealed room that needed no custodial visits. Techs went in only rarely, with constant observation by security personnel with rigidly-timed schedules for their operations. The data backups were no better a choice, as they were likewise kept in a vacuum-sealed chamber that required no custodial work and had a constant security surveillance system. Remote access was impossible as they were air-gapped, and only updated once a week.

Updated… by Damien Smythe.

With that fact in mind, she started a slow, quiet process of becoming a favorite of his. He had the meticulous personality of a technical mind who wanted everything done just the right way, to the point of borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Claire made sure that Darla Kiner became the kind of custodian who paid attention to the little details. It was an authentic trait for someone like Darla, for whom such details could provide an easy escape from the awkwardness and aggravation of social interactions.

Today she finished cleaning his personal space when he approached. "Kiner, isn't it?" he asked, a bit brusquely. "I noticed you took an extra thirty seconds to vacuum below my desk today. Something wrong?"

Without making eye contact Claire brushed at the hairs hanging from her forehead. "Um, yes," she said quietly. "There were some crumbs I noticed."

"Ah. Well, good work, and that's what I get for eating biscuits at my station. Really shouldn't but when you've got to eat…" He left the line to trail off while returning to his seat. "Well done, Kiner. I hope to see you around regularly."

"Of course," she replied, quietly shuffling off.

It was a small interaction, but an important one. Her efforts were noticed, and Smythe would be more welcoming of her proximity to his workstation and thus proximity to him. She would use that, in due time.
 
Q3 3035: Onto the Breach...

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
AFMS Liberator, Zenith Point
Amity System
Arcadian Free March
10 August 3035



Vice Admiral Andros looked at the clock once more and nodded grimly. The Far Star was overdue from its recon run at Stewart. As the system was unfortified, that could only mean one thing: Marik naval forces. ANd that by itself strongly indicated the presence of the Charles Marik.

The ship was the last vestige of the Marik Commonwealth fleet, but it was the most powerful unit of that fleet. To eliminate it, the Lyran Alliance's belligerent members placed the bulk of their available naval forces at the disposal of the Arcadian Navy, the most powerful of the belligerent forces. Their forces were one fist, gathered to do two things: destroy or capture the cruiser, and safely deliver eight Arcadian regiments to the surface of Stewart to defeat whatever Marik forces were gathered there. If the cruiser wasn't at Stewart, they'd depart once the troops were safely seen to.

They'll go down fighting, Admiral Andros noted to herself, even as her subordinates counted down the time to jump. But if this war's going to end, this is how we do it.



AFMS Ranger


Melissa and her pilots rushed from the pilot ready room to the hangar deck while klaxons rang around the ship. Rushing in zero-G was particularly exhilarating since it essentially meant constantly pulling and pushing against the rails to accelerate oneself. She did it with expert precision until they got to the deck.

Flight crew were ready, employing magboots to move about without floating in zero-G. The pilots boarded their fighters, 50-tonne Lightning models, and strapped in with the help of their flight crew. Her weapons check came back green, as did every other systems check.

The voice of the ship's CO came over the PA while the Lightning was moved into position. "All hands, stand by for jump shock, commence magnum launch from all tubes once secure from jump."

Melissa's fighter thunked a bit with the final push into place. When the time came her fighter would go hurtling into the void and whatever battle awaited them. Calm down, it's just another launch, she urged herself, not quite effectively.

The jump came with warning tones sounded over the ship's comm system, including the connection to her fighter. Ping, ping, ping, BREEEEEEE, and like that, the jump came. Reality distorted like it did every other time, the human body reacted with nausea, and for a split second you wondered if things would go back to normal just before they did.

"Launch!"

Her fighter was catapulted out into the void, to face whatever was there.
 
LYX-1 Lynx

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Code:
Lynx LYX-1

Mass: 45 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3031
Cost: 7,992,908 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,559

Chassis: Selassie DW Lynx Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Onassis FusionWorks 270 XL Engine
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: RussTech TurboJets
    Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: Arcadia Arsenal Plate Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1 RussTech Coilgun Gauss Rifle
    2 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 10 ER Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Kenyatta Communications
Targeting and Tracking System: Arcadia Arsenal TacSystem-92

Overview:
Designed as a hunter-killer medium weight 'Mech for the top units in the AFFM,
the Lynx is a fast, mobile firing platform for one of the most powerful ranged
weapons available: the Gauss Rifle.


Capabilities:
Armed with a RussTech Coilgun as primary armament, mounted on the elbow-less
right arm with two tons worth of ammunition, the Lynx is capable of inflicting
heavy damage on enemy light 'Mechs, even other 'Mechs of its mass, with every
shot.  The 270XL engine allows for 97 kph running speed, leaving only the
swiftest of light 'Mechs able to escape this machine.  The weight savings
allowed by the use of Ferro-Fibrous armor, the latest composite made by the
government-run Arcadian Arsenal, and Ortiz Endo-Steel for the skeletal
structure, permits both this speed and the main armament on a 45 ton chassis.


Given the main gun's minimum range issues, a pair of extended range lasers,
Vickers-Armstrong Mark 10s, allow some tactical flexibility should an enemy
light 'Mech close the range, while four RussTech TurboJets allow the Lynx a
decent jumping capacity for getting around obstacles or making use of higher
elevations for plunging fire.


Battle History:
The first units saw action in the '33 Expansion Campaign.  They also took part in
the Bolan Extraction Operation, where they reaped their share of Marian 'Mechs,
particularly among the outmatched Gladiator Auxilia.


Deployment:
Several units of this model are already on deployment with the Arcadian Guards
and Arcadian Rangers.  The Proctor Light Horse are additionally due to receive
a lance of the machines, and the 8th Striker Regiment will be
employing at least two companies of Lynxes in their ranks.


Variants:
None yet


Notable 'Mechs & MechWarriors:
On Bolan Lance Lieutenant Njoki Kihoro of the Arcadian Rangers earned four 'Mech kills in the
opening day of fighting using this machine's speed and jump capability to the
fullest.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    75 points                2.50
    Internal Locations: 4 LT, 5 RT, 5 LA
Engine:             XL Fusion Engine             270                       7.50
    Walking MP: 6
    Running MP: 9
    Jumping MP: 4 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 2 LT, 2 RT                                         2.00
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV - 143                  8.00
    Armor Locations: 1 HD, 2 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LA, 1 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL

                                                      Internal       Armor  
                                                      Structure      Factor  
                                                Head     3            9      
                                        Center Torso     14           22    
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  6      
                                           L/R Torso     11           18    
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  4      
                                             L/R Arm     7            13    
                                             L/R Leg     11           18    

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ER Medium Laser                              LT        5         1         1.00
Gauss Rifle                                  RA        1         7        15.00
ER Medium Laser                              LA        5         1         1.00
@Gauss Rifle (16)                            RA        -         2         2.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 0

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      5    Points: 16
6/3j       3       3       2       0      2     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SOA
 
GRL-2 Guerrilla

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
A scout/hunter-killer medium design for the upper rank of Arcadian regiments.


Code:
Guerrilla GRL-2

Mass: 45 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Second Age of War
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3029
Cost: 9,954,540 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,489

Chassis: Ortiz Endo-Steel
Power Plant: RussTech FusionWorks 315 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 75.6 km/h
Maximum Speed: 118.8 km/h
Jump Jets: RussTech Turbojets
    Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor: Arcadia Arsenal Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 5 Particle Projector
    2 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 10 Laser (Extended Range)
    1 Gienah Electronics Countermeasure System
    1 Shaltiel Defense Active Scanner Probe
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Rayhan E&C 3010D
Targeting and Tracking System: Opel-Neuworth TacSystem

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                    75 points                2.50
    Internal Locations: 1 HD, 2 LT, 2 RT, 3 LA, 2 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL
Engine:             XL Fusion Engine             315                      11.00
    Walking MP: 7
    Running MP: 11
    Jumping MP: 6 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 2 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT                                   3.00
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             12(24)                    2.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               4.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 120                  7.50

                                                      Internal       Armor   
                                                      Structure      Factor   
                                                Head     3            9       
                                        Center Torso     14           18     
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  5       
                                           L/R Torso     11           15     
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  4       
                                             L/R Arm     7            11     
                                             L/R Leg     11           14     

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ER PPC                                       RT        15        3         7.00
Guardian ECM Suite                           LT        0         2         1.50
Beagle Active Probe                          LT        0         2         1.50
ER Medium Laser                              RA        5         1         1.00
ER Medium Laser                              LA        5         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 12

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 15
7/4j       2       2       1       0      2     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: ECM, PRB, RCN, ENE, SRCH, ES, SOA
 
PLD-1 Paladin

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Code:
Paladin PLD-1

Mass: 75 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Succession Wars
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-E-D
Production Year: 2980
Cost: 6,471,500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,426

Chassis: Onassis Forging and Metallurgy Standard
Power Plant: Onassis FusionWorks 300 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Arcadian Arsenal Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Kali Yama Autocannon/20
    3 Defiance (Launum Plant) Medium Lasers
    1 Irian Weapons Works SRM-4
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Vickers-Armstrong MilComm Suite
Targeting and Tracking System: Arcadia Arsenal TacSystem-69

Overview:
One of the first new designs of the latter Succession Wars era, this late-30th
Century innovation by Arcadian designers is a close-range heavy 'Mech that is
often compared to the slightly-heavier Victor.


Capabilities:
The first native heavy BattleMech design of the Arcadian Free March, the
Paladin entered service in 2973 as a close-range machine to complement the
longer-ranged machines in the arsenal, as well as the expensive Kong-produced
Royal Black Knights.  The Paladin employs arms imported from the Kali Yama
plant on Kalidasa, formerly part of the Interstellar Governments Council, with
the manufacturing and mining world Launum being a local source for parts.  The
Kali Yama autocannon, rated as an Autocannon/20 provides the bulk of the
design's firepower, with an Irian Weapons Works SRM launcher adding to the
short range capability.  License-produced Defiance lasers rounded out the
design's firepower. The engine, internal structure, and armor were produced
locally from the Greco-Arcadian Onassis consortium and the state-operated
Arcadia Arsenal forge in Sannazaro.  It has a standard heavy 'Mech speed and is
considered a dependable design.


Battle History:
The PLD-1 was widely employed in the conflicts of the Free March in the latter
Third Succession War's chaotic time.  It received the most employment fighting
the forces of Dar-es-Salaam in the 2990s during the struggle with the Rayhan
dynasty and its attempt to forge its own interstellar polity.  March-Prince
William was said to prefer having Paladin pilots follow his inherited Royal Black
Knight, Liberator, into combat during the conflict, although the demands of
state and command often kept the March-Prince from the frontlines.


Deployment:
Still regularly seen in the heavy battalions of the Free March Regiments, the
PLD-1 has nevertheless started to give way to newer models due to the
application of Star League technology.


Variants:
The PLD-1A employs a lighter, domestically-produced autocannon from Matthews
Ballistics on Arcadia and replaces the SRM4 launcher with a Large Laser.  The
laser weaponry is likewise a domestic production, coming from Ford's
Vickers-Armstrong company.

The PLD-1B is the product of the field upgrade kit system becoming popular
across the Inner Sphere in the Second Age of War.  It replaces the Kali Yama
autocannon with a RussTech Coilgun - based on the Star League-era Gauss Rifle
- and with the weight savings granted by ferro-fibrous armor plate and
double-capacity heat sinks the SRM-4 launcher has been exchanged for a Matthews
Ballistics LRM-15 attached to a Lesterson Computer Solutions firing control computer. 
The resulting 'Mech is thus transformed from a close-range combatant to a potent
long-range fighter.  This design provided the basis for the more extensive re-design
that resulted in the PLD-2, which completely employs Star League technology.


Notable 'Mechs & MechWarriors:
During the fighting on Mariefred against the 2nd Dar-es-Salaam Cavalry in 2994,
Captain Eleutherios Dukas of the Arcadian Guards outfought a lance worth of
enemy 'Mechs while covering the retreat of his company through a ravine.  He
survived the combat and won the Grand Cross of the Free March and a knighthood.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                     114 points                7.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                300                      19.00
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             16                        6.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 1 RT
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 231                 14.50

                                                      Internal       Armor    
                                                      Structure      Factor    
                                                Head     3            9        
                                        Center Torso     23           35      
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  11      
                                           L/R Torso     16           24      
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  8        
                                             L/R Arm     12           24      
                                             L/R Leg     16           32      

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                 CT        3         1         1.00
Autocannon/20                                RT/RA     7         1/9      14.00
SRM-4                                        LT        3         1         2.00
2 Medium Lasers                              LA        6         2         2.00
@AC/20 (10)                                  RT        -         2         2.00
@SRM-4 (25)                                  LT        -         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 27

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      8    Points: 14
4          4       4       0       0      3     0   Structure:  6
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SOA



Code:
Paladin PLD-1A

Mass: 75 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Succession Wars
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-E-D
Production Year: 2996
Cost: 6,366,500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,455

Chassis: Onassis Forging and Metallurgy Standard
Power Plant: Onassis FusionWorks 300 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Arcadian Arsenal Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Matthews Ballistics Autocannon/10
    1 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 6 Large Laser
    3 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 4 Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Vickers-Armstrong MilComm Suite
Targeting and Tracking System: Arcadia Arsenal TacSystem-92

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                     114 points                7.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                300                      19.00
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             16                        6.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 1 RT
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV - 231                 14.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor    
                                                Head     3            9        
                                        Center Torso     23           35       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  11       
                                           L/R Torso     16           24       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  8        
                                             L/R Arm     12           24       
                                             L/R Leg     16           32       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                 CT        3         1         1.00
Large Laser                                  LT        8         2         5.00
Autocannon/10                                RA        3         7        12.00
2 Medium Lasers                              LA        6         2         2.00
@AC/10 (20)                                  RA        -         2         2.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 30

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      8    Points: 15
4          3       3       0       0      3     0   Structure:  6
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SOA






Code:
Paladin PLD-1B

Mass: 75 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Succession Wars/Second Age of War
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/E-F-D
Production Year: 3025
Cost: 7,220,500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,823

Chassis: Onassis Forging and Metallurgy Standard
Power Plant: Onassis FusionWorks 300 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Arcadian Arsenal Ferro-Fibrous w/ CASE
Armament:
    1 RussTech Coilgun Gauss Rifle
    1 Matthews Ballistics Missile Launcher LRM-15 w/ Artemis IV FCS
    3 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 4 Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Vickers-Armstrong MilComm Suite
Targeting and Tracking System: Arcadia Arsenal TacSystem-3028



================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                     114 points                7.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                300                      19.00
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV - 231                 13.00
    Armor Locations: 1 HD, 1 CT, 3 LT, 2 RT, 3 LA, 2 LL, 2 RL
    CASE Locations: 1 LT                                                   0.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor    
                                                Head     3            9        
                                        Center Torso     23           35       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  11       
                                           L/R Torso     16           24       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  8        
                                             L/R Arm     12           24       
                                             L/R Leg     16           32       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                 CT        3         1         1.00
LRM-15                                       LT        5         3         7.00
    Artemis IV FCS                           LT        -         1         1.00
Gauss Rifle                                  RA        1         7        15.00
2 Medium Lasers                              LA        6         2         2.00
@LRM-15 (Artemis) (8)                        LT        -         1         1.00
@Gauss Rifle (16)                            RA        -         2         2.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 16

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      8    Points: 18
4          4       4       3       0      3     0   Structure:  6
Special Abilities: CASE, SRCH, ES, SOA, IF 1
 
GST-2 Ghost

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
The SL Tech scout 'Mech of the AFFM.

Code:
Ghost GST-2

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Second Age of War
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3028
Cost: 6,553,260 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,087

Chassis: Horev Fabrication Standard
Power Plant: RussTech FusionWorks 245 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 75.6 km/h
Maximum Speed: 118.8 km/h
Jump Jets: RussTech TurboJets
    Jump Capacity: 210 meters
Armor: Arcadian Arsenal Ferro-Fibrous w/ CASE
Armament:
    2 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 10 Medium Lasers
    1 Matthews Ballistics SRM-6
    1 Shaltiel Defense ECM Suite
    1 RAFAEL-Gienah Scan Probe
Manufacturer: Selassie Defense Works
    Primary Factory: Arcadia
Communications System: Open-Neuworth 3028
Targeting and Tracking System: Vickers-Armstrong T&T Mk. 4

Overview:
The premier scout produced by Selassie Defense Works, the Ghost lives up to its
name through its electronic countermeasure system and raw mobility and speed.


Capabilities:
Powered by a 245-rated XL engine from RussTech's FusionWorks plant in
Jonesborough, the Ghost has an impressive top speed of over 118 kp/h, and with
seven RussTech TurboJets equipped has a jump capacity of 210 meters.  This raw
speed and maneuverability already makes it a difficult machine to hit,
especially in the hands of a veteran light 'Mech pilot, but the electronic
countermeasures system provided by Shaltiel Defense of Gienah truly makes the
GST-2 a "ghost" for enemy units.


While its purpose is to scout and not to fight directly, should pilots of the
GST-2 have the need or opportunity to engage the enemy, they have use of an
enhanced armament over the older GST-1.  The wrist-mounted medium lasers are
extended range models, Vickers-Armstrong's trusty workhorse Mk. 10s, and the
SRM-4 of the GST-1 has been replaced by Matthews Ballistics' SRM-6 model, with
the ton of missile ammo now contained with CASE to ensure pilots survive a
catastrophic ammo explosion, even if the XL engine guarantees the GST-2 itself
will be a combat loss.


Battle History:
First deployed in 3029 with the Arcadian Rangers, the GST-2 has since become a
favored machine for the recon elements of many of the top regiments of the Free
March.  The Proctor Light Horse in particular makes extensive use of the
*Ghost* for its rapid flanking maneuvers, as was seen in various minor
campaigns in 3033.  It saw extensive use on Bolan in the Bolan Rescue Operation
in the efforts to maintain the escape routes for Bolanese civilians fleeing
Marian enslavement, and would be employed in the Lyran Alliance's maiden
campaign on Campbelton against the Marik Commonwealth.


Deployment:
The GST-2 is coming into wide employment across the AFFM.  Currently the
greatest numbers are in the Proctor Light Horse and the Arcadian Rangers.  The
8th Striker Regiment employs a handful in scout lances for its 2nd and 3rd
Battalions and the 1st Launum Armored Cavalry (the 3rd Battalion of the 1st
Free March Cavalry Brigade) makes use of a lance for scouting purposes.  Lances
of the GST-2 have likewise been provided to the reconaissance elements of the
1st Dar-es-Salaam Cavalry and Bolan Heavy Guards, and the Bolan Rangers and
Bolan Hussars each employ a company's worth for recon roles.  March-Princess
Sara-Marie has provided lances of GST-2s as gifts to the other states in the
Lyran Alliance, although their employment in the regiments of the other armies
has not yet been approved.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      58 points                3.50
Engine:             XL Fusion Engine             245                       6.00
    Walking MP: 7
    Running MP: 11
    Jumping MP: 7 Standard
    Jump Jet Locations: 1 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 1 LL, 1 RL                       3.50
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             10(20)                    0.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 1 LT
Gyro:               Standard                                               3.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV - 116                  6.50
    Armor Locations: 1 HD, 1 CT, 3 RT, 3 LA, 4 RA, 1 LL, 1 RL
    CASE Locations: 1 RT                                                   0.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            9         
                                        Center Torso     11           16       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  5         
                                           L/R Torso     8            12       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  4         
                                             L/R Arm     6            12       
                                             L/R Leg     8            15       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SRM-6                                        RT        4         2         3.00
Guardian ECM Suite                           LT        0         2         1.50
Beagle Active Probe                          LT        0         2         1.50
ER Medium Laser                              RA        5         1         1.00
ER Medium Laser                              LA        5         1         1.00
@SRM-6 (15)                                  RT        -         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 7

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      4    Points: 11
7j         2       2       0       0      1     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: ECM, PRB, RCN, CASE, SRCH, ES, SOA
 
DRT-1 Darter

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Darter DRT-1

Mass: 95 tons
Frame: Ortiz Materials
Power Plant: RussTech Fusion Works
Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Armor: Horev Fabrication
Armament:
3 Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 10 (ER) Medium Laser
6 Matthews Ballistics SRM 6
Manufacturer: Gienah Aerospace
Primary Factory: GAI-Netanyu
Communication System: RAFAEL-Gienah TacComm 28
Targeting & Tracking System: Opel-Neuworth Model 28
Introduction Year: 3028
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-D
Cost: 17,784,985 C-bills

Overview
Powered by a RussTech Fusion Works plant, the Darter employs ferro-aluminum alloy forged by Horez Fabrication of Gienah, while the main frame is a product of Ortiz Materials of Launum. RAFAEL-Gienah's TacComm 28, the latest major system by that company, is joined with an Open-Neuworth targeting and tracking system adapted from their capable systems for BattleMechs. Vickers-Armstrong Mk. 10 medium lasers with extended range protect the rear arc of the Darter while Matthews Ballistics-built missile launchers, short- or long-ranged, provide the forward firepower.

Capabilities
The Darter naval assault fighter is built to be a fast, heavily-armored "blackwater" bomber for the Arcadian Navy's carrier wings. The DRT-1 is meant for short-range strafing runs with six SRM6 launchers guided by a specialized targeting computer, showering a target with thirty-six SRMs for every attack run. With its high speed for its weight and 31.5 tonnes of armor, the Darter is a frustrating foe for enemy interceptors, especially if they feel safe in its rear arc simply to get targeted by the aft-facing weapons.

The DRT-1A variant replaces the short-range missile armament for a pair of wing-mounted LRM-20 launchers, showering a target from long range and again with the aid of a targeting computer. It likewise employs rear-facing medium lasers to deal with interceptors attempting to get at the rear of the craft.

Deployment
Both variants of the Darter can be found in the naval assault wings of the AFFM's four Audacious-class Carrier DropShips. Some proposals have been made to assign the craft as a ground assault bomber for heavy wings assigned to line units, but the AFFM has yet to raise a ground-based heavy wing.

History
At the Battle of Campbelton in late 3034, squadrons of Darters inflicted severe damage on the Marik Commonwealth escort WarShips trapped in-system by the combined fleets of the Lyran Alliance, enabling the AFMS Liberator and attached allied ships to defeat both the MCS Protector and MCS Guardian with only moderate damage.

Type: Darter
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 95
Battle Value: 2,406

Equipment Mass
Engine 380 XL 20.5
Safe Thrust: 6
Max Thrust: 9
Structural Integrity: 9
Heat Sinks: 15 [30] 2
Fuel: 400 5.0
Cockpit 3
Armor Factor (Ferro) 564 31.5

Armor
Value
Nose 170
Wings 141/141
Aft 112


Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
2 SRM 6s NOS 6.0 4 8 0 0 0
2 SRM 6s RWG 6.0 4 8 0 0 0
Targeting Computer FSLG 1.0 - - - - -
SRM 6 Ammo (90) FSLG 6.0 - - - - -
2 SRM 6s LWG 6.0 4 8 0 0 0
2 ER Medium Lasers AFT 2.0 5 5 5 0 0
 
Q4 3035: Popular Appeal - Tempered Ambitions

Big Steve

For the Republic!
Founder
Gaitherville Town Hall
Dixie, Alabama Continent
Independent World
18 October 3035



Harold Wise's transformation from diplomat to democratic politician was not easy and nor was it complete. He found training for being persuasive to statesmen and officials didn't quite prepare one for working with crowds of ordinary working folk.

What did train him for those crowds was their common cultural link. He was a native of Concord, which like Dixie managed to hold on to Anglo-American cultural attitudes even when the era of nobility undermined republicanism. While there were some cultural differences, the commonalities were easy. Baseball, football, Mother's Day and Apple Pie, Washington on the Delaware… these things let him speak as the people of Dixie preferred.

As venues went, Gaitherville Town Hall was fairly smaller than the auditoriums he was used to, and he doubted the attendees - a swath of brown and dark-skinned faces, some still wearing straw hats and a film of sweat from their fields - numbered out of the two digits. This was farming country, but it would provide pivotal votes for the referendum, so Wise chose to speak here.

His speech reached all the important points, but the hardest was always the responses thereafter. Today he enjoyed respectful silence through his speech and a quick questioning when it was over. He picked one man in a business shirt, clearly a local businessman, who asked, "Those Kashamarkan folk kept tellin' us what we could or couldn't grow, and wantin' us to speak that Qecha stuff. You folks don't do that, do you?"

"No. Star League English is the official language of government, but under the laws of the Free March worlds can retain their own official languages as well. German and Greek are both widely used, as is Gaelic."

"And what about taxes?"

"Yearly assessments from your planet's treasury and some customs and excise, the kind you already pay," Wise said. "Honestly, in the end, you may indirectly pay slightly more, and in exchange, you will have preferential market access to over sixty, maybe seventy other planets. And Arcadian troops ready to defend your world, of course."

That clearly appealed.

"Why can't you folk just go and leave us alone!" a woman called out. "We like things the way they are!"

Wise nodded. "I did too," he admitted. "I don't believe in all this rapid expansion stuff. But that's not how the Inner Sphere is these days, folks, and Lord have mercy on us, that's the simple truth. The Marians, Harsefeld, Oriente, they don't give one whit about such things. They'd conquer you just for being there. I'd honestly like to go back to the ways we had before. It's why I'm so happy to be here, because it means some of my superiors feel the same way. That we should still be offerin' the hand."

He half expected someone to point out the obvious, that if the hand's were to be slapped away it would become a fist. But none did.

"Folks, I really do believe we'll all be better off together," he continued. "The Inner Sphere isn't about independent worlds anymore, but freedom's not gone. All the important liberties, they're still there, and keepin' a lot of your local ways. That's what the Free March is about. And I hope you'll consider that when you vote."

He received polite applause.



Presidential Palace
Johnson's Landing, Haley Continent
Loric
Independent World
20 October 3035



Karl sat down in the drawing room and waited patiently for the arrival of Tom Blair. When he came, it was in the company of two of his family. Frank, the oldest son, resembled his father strongly, while a homey but not very lovely young woman was, to Karl's memory, Lily.

"I understand the vote's due soon," Blair said, getting to business. "I hope to put it over the top."

You mean you want another bribe. Karl said nothing. He was hoping it wouldn't be what it looked to be. "Your College of Electors is indeed thick-headed, aren't they? Every time we make a promise, they wish for another."

Blair grinned widely. "Yes, well, you're asking them to give up our independence, Mister Montberg. Our long-cherished freedom to decide matters for ourselves. You can understand they wish a gain commiserate with that sacrifice."

You are gambling. You are gambling that the need to suppress the Marik holdouts will keep us from using force. Karl kept the diplomatic smile on his face, even if he was certain Blair knew he wasn't so happy. "Well, what is the concern now?"

"There are some concessions I might personally make to swing the final votes," Blair said. "And I'll do so, happily, for the sake of my daughter's happiness." He gestured a hand toward the clearly nervous, unsettled girl. "You know she's in training to become a doctor, right?"

"Nurse, daddy," Lily gently corrected.

He flashed her a look that made her flinch, but the grin never disappeared from his face. "Yes, something like that. Very proud of her. And I hear that Her Serene Highness' second son needs a lot of care on account of his war injuries."

Setting your sights yet higher still. Will anything ever satisfy you? "I hear many things of Prince Mark's condition, including his therapy and the prosthetics he will requite. I'm sure His Highness has the highest of care as it is."

"Well, yes, maybe from some… hired help. But a nice young woman to tend his needs, heal his hurts, to give him the tender love that a man wounded like that needs, that can go a long way to a full recovery."

Karl noted Lily fidgeting again while her older brother wore a mask of quiet amiability. He was fairly certain a storm raged under this quiet sky blue eyes though.

Whatever their response, Karl was approaching the end of his patience himself. This is what we get for humoring this man. "Prince Mark's recovery is not our concern, although I will extend Her Serene Highness' thanks for your interest. If there is an issue with the College and our proposal I will be happy to alleviate worries…"

A frown appeared on Blair's face. "I don't think you can give them what they want, Mister Montberg. I can. What I want in return is a chance to create a permanent bond between my world and the rulers they would be accepting. My daughter Lily would be an excellent wife to any of your princes."

"I have no legal power, let alone moral authority, to negotiate an arranged marriage as you propose, sir. It would be contrary to the traditions of the Proctors and the constitutional…"

"Oh stuff that ballyhoo. We know what this is really about," Blair stormed. "You people think your Proctors are so much better than us? Blairs were winning the Presidency and attending court on Tharkad when the Proctors were dirt farmers! And my little girl is just as worthy a wife as any other noble-born gal you'll find!"

"Father, your heart," Frank warned.

Indeed, Karl noticed the elder Blair rubbing at his chest, but his face was still purple with anger. He briefly wondered if he had miscalculated the intentions of the man, but felt vindicated when Blair kept speaking. "I've got just as much pride as any other leader. The Blairs build this world, sir, we built it! If we're going to follow another house, we're going to be part of it, at least! We'll not be perpetual inferiors to your jumped up, johnny-come-lately dynasty!"

"With all you stand to gain, I find your refusal baffling."

"I won't be bought off by your empty promises, sir. I expect real gains Or this conversation, and your job here, is over."

"We have offered you everything you asked, Mister President. We have bent over backwards to your whims, and personal whims they've all been," Karl noted. "Reforming your family guard unit, building a yard that your family would own…. we have accepted everything. That you keep insisting on more, well, perhaps you should temper your ambitions."

"I'll temper nothing!" Blair roared. "I am the one in power here! I am the one who decides if the treaty is accepted, because I am the Electoral College, and that's how it's always been. Now you leave, sir, leave and consider your failure, and perhaps I'll send for you to continue if you've provided a sufficient apology and your rulers have accepted my marriage proposal. If not…" He grinned. "Perhaps Imperator Sean would be interested in a wife."

Now the mask on Frank slipped to show a frown, and Lily paled, undoubtedly at the prospect of such a husband. Karl, quietly, stood and bowed. "As always, Mister President, I am at your disposal." He turned and left without a word.



23 October 3035


After a few days in which Karl was becoming increasingly convinced he was about to be declared persona non grata, he was re-summoned to the Presidential Palace at the order of President Blair. Once present he noted a subdued tone about the place and wondered what might have prompted such a mood in the locals.

He got his answer when he arrived at the reception room.

Frank Blair rose from the table, wearing a business suit and the lapels once on his father's collar. He gave Karl a warm, jovial smile. "Ah, Emissary von Montberg, please, allow me to welcome you. You are the first foreign official I've met since becoming President."

Karl blinked. "Um… my congratulations Your Excellency. Your Father?"

"Passed away in his sleep two nights ago. Heart attack," Frank said calmly. "We've been preparing to inform the people, otherwise it would already be announced. Anyway, I would like to resume the negotiations my father, in his temper, left off so badly the other day. For starters, I admit my ambitions are rather more tempered than his. I won't be so crude as to offer my sister up, for starters…"

Karl was quite sure, at that moment, that Frank had seen to his father's murder. Yet duty called, so he adopted his diplomat's demeanor and listened to a rather more reasonable set of terms than Tom Blair had proposed. He even agreeed to most.

This wasn't how I wanted it, he thought. But, perhaps,, it is for the best...
 

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