Part Six: The New Age of War
2780In what many consider the first real campaign of the new Age of War, Kenyon Marik turns the main focus of the FWLM from the twice-blasted worlds of the Terran Hegemony upon the Capellan Confederation, launching a two-pronged assault towards the Commonality capitals of Sarna and Andurien. The two least predictable armies in the Inner Sphere clash in a conflict that rests at least as heavily upon their respective intelligence services as the militaries. CCAF Task Forces range from 4 to 25 regiments while the FWLM's divisions vary from 4-8 with wide variance between the rigid Marik-pattern regiments, Oriente-style cavalry and the combined-arms Andurien organisation, so identifying the strength of forces deployed proves critical. Failures - and both sides face this on occasion - can leave a half-dozen regiments to be overwhelmed and crushed.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Hanse urges John Davion to launch limited attacks in hope of securing former SLDF fortifications on the Capellan side of the border, reasoning that complete control over these fortresses will give the AFFS a commanding position in the event of an all out war, which seems far more likely than not. Cautious in light of the horrific losses taken by the SLDF in such operations, John orders MIIO to lay the groundwork for compromising the garrisons of the forts, but only those in St Ives Commonality and not all of them at once.
Already committed to fighting the DCMS for the relatively valuable worlds of Lockdale Province, which had mostly recovered from the Amaris coup by the mid-2770s, the CCAF finds itself badly stretched in fighting off the League invasions. It is particularly damaged by the FWLM deliberately targeting HPGs for capture or destruction, depriving the Chancellor of intelligence data upon worlds that were under attack. Naturally the CCAF retaliates, devestating the local FWLM communications, but they are already behind the curve. Observing this, John decides to up the manufacture of HPG parts as in any conflict now his own HPGs will be targets.
In addition to pulling as many regiments as she dared from the Federated Suns border, Barbara Liao orders a major attack upon New Delos, knowing that it is a major supply base for the push on Sarna. The commander of the operation is specifically reminded that the Ares Conventions are not in force and takes the hint, destroying points of resistance with nuclear weapons regardless of proximity to civilian settlements and infrastructure. Colonel Devlin destroys the supply base for FWLM operaitons against the Sarna Commonality, setting that arm of the invasion back by six months. He also earns a price on his head and retaliation in kind by FWL troops in the Confederation.
Within a few months both the FWLM and CCAF have gone from using nuclear weapons against each other to using them against their opponents in the Terran Hegemony. Naturally the remaining HAF, seriously depleted after a decade and a half of warfare, has little choice but to retaliate although they are using nuclear weapons on their own homeworlds. Neither the DCMS nor the LCAF shows even this much restraint and John has the AFFS replan the St Ives operations in the basis that nuclear weapons will be used against them but he will only authorise their use by the AFFS in the most extreme circumstances as he does not want to see the objectives destroyed.
2781The AFFS begins Operation PALADIN, striking at five border worlds in the Capellan Confederation. In three cases, meticulous MIIO preparation pays off and the fortifications of the world fall into the invaders' hands within days: although fighting continues for months the defenders are on the back foot. Bethel, Atlas and Avigait are added to the Federated Suns by the end of the year despite limited use of nuclear and chemical weapons against them (the defenders supplies of both were limited).
Stein's Folly proves the reverse, the garrison had been undermined but were then pulled off the border at the last minute for redeployment against the FWLM, replaced with a crack Capellan brigade. The over-confident AFFS commander leads a demi-brigade of Avalon Hussars to their almost complete destruction, although his supporting armor demi-brigade is able to make a fighting retreat to their dropships. Laong, only a single jump from St Ives, was a mixed success: the AFFS seized one Castle Brian but not the other, and Capellan reinforcements arrived quickly. The AFFS retained a foothold but further effort would be needed to hold onto it.
Pressed on three sides, Barbara Liao was actively considering the possibilities of a truce with John Davion (who has show far more restraint than Kenyon) and seeking some sort of negotiated truce when news arrived of war in the Draconis March. Minoru Kurita had not forgotten the shameful death of his son Jinjiro and believed that the AFFS had not fully repaired its defenses along the border. Althougn more cautious than his son, the Coordinator once again focused his attack towards Robinson, although he confused the issue by spreading the force of his first wave against almost the entire width of the front. John sees no option but to call off the second wave of PALADIN attacks (although he does reinforce Laong) and redeploy those forces towards the Draconis March.
The FWL is the first state to dare raiding the Terran system itself. Although they do not attack Terra itself, a League squadron manage to take the orbitals of Mars and hold them long enough for raiders to tear through several factories and make off with several shiploads of manufacturing gear. This embarassment (on top of HAF use of nukes on Hegemony worlds) is too much for General McEvedy's fellow generals and the Commanding General is found dead in his office within weeks, apparently due to suicide. He is replaced by a figurehead: a junior divisional commander Ethan Moreau, who factions within the High Command believe will be malleable. Moreau's first order is for retaliatory raids into the League targeting Irian and Stewart.
DCMS progress in the Draconis March is slow and grinding, with the AFFS willing to spend space in order to win time for reinforcements to cross the farflung state. This time John authorises nuclear retaliation when the DCMS starts beginning each invasion with nuclear strikes on . They are also more than willing make attacks of their own. A Crucis Dragoon division reinforced by a brigades of the Davion Heavy Guards invades Proserpina, control of the prefecture capital would for more than a year and draw off men and supplies from both sides.
The fighting spreads along the border as local commanders on both sides use their initiative to raid in force or even establish footholds. The AFFS is even drawn into the Hegemony when the planetary militia of New Rhodes III, having been driven underground by the DCMS, overthrow the local garrison and invite back not the HAF but John Davion's regiments. This time John decides to activate the Tikonov Borderers to secure his grip on thos worlds. The public has been carefully primed for no longer having a link to Terra if they're cut off, but John would prefer not to put the matter to the test and he knows the value of New Rhodes III as a base.
Seeing that the LCAF remains in poor condition to fight a conventional war, Jennifer organises a series of heavy raids intended to shatter the industrial might of the Draconis Combine and Free Worlds League. Brigades backed by warships storm onto the surface of dozens of worlds in heavy raids, smashing industrial complexes and employing nuclear and chemical weapons to deter reconstruction - something that inevitably spills over into the homes of the workers in those complexes. Added to biological weapons used against crops, kicking the props out of many already fragile local economies.
Unsurprisingly this leads to retaliation by both states, particularly by Kenyon Marik who further orders a strategic strike to take out the Bolson shipyards and hastily gathers forces for an invasion of Hesperus II. Minoru also starts launching similar attacks into the Federated Suns. These attacks also trigger action by John Davion: primed by Hanse for this eventuality, as soon as word of the atrocities arrive (delayed by the loss of so many HPGs) he orders pre-planned operations by the AFFS and MIIO.
With the advantage of having had years to plan the attacks, not to mention massive stocks of nuclear weapons from Nagayan and a much more specific list of targets, the FSN is able to hit most of its targets: Chatham, Dover and Midway shipyards in the Draconis Combine are destroyed while the New Samarkand Yards are reduced to half-capacity. Added to the damage to Prosperina's yards in the fighting and the DCA's ability to maintain, much less replace, their warships is seriously hampered. The FSN has similar success in a daring attack on Capella but at St Ives it takes serious losses - almost an entire battle group - when Barbara Liao predicts such an attack and reinforces the systme with a dozen warships. MIIO agents also make more subtle attacks - bombs and computer viruses taking out government offices and systems, in several cases planting information to suggest that they are work of internal opposition to House Kurita and Liao - prompting witch-hunts by both states' internal security.
Struck from both sides, the DCMS faces what would be crippling supply shortages for a less fanatical, and admittedly resourceful, army. However Minoru Kurita pithily observes that supplies exist, they are merely in enemy hands. While the Warlords of Rasalhague and Bejamin focus on the legendarily stockpiles of the LCAF, capturing or destroying tens of thousands of tons of equipment, Minoru leads a surprise attack on Le Blanc in the Draconis March. The bases on this world contain enough supplies to keep his forces in action briefly but many of the warehouses stand empty. Intelligence gathered suggests a large shipment is expected within weeks from the entire March's principal supply base: Robinson.
2782As raiders deploying nuclear, biological and chemical weapons fan out across the Inner Sphere, Minoru Kurita wrestles with the idea of striking at Robinson. It is the system where his son Jinjiro Kurita was defeated, but it is also a world of immense political and logistical significance. If he can take it then he has a foothold in easy range of the Crucis March... but if he fails...
The Coordinator gives his orders and the DCMS and DCA swing into action.
Light years away, Laong falls to the AFFS - with the Ares Conventions cast aside both Castles Brian are subjected to sustained nuclear bombardment. Chancellor Liao withdraws her forces and the AFFS takes a world that now lacks the strategic advantages that they were fighting for. House Liao have their own problems of course. Not only have they lost several valuable worlds to House Davion but the Free Worlds League has taken a nasty bite and is still pressing towards Andurien. On the plus side, the Hegemony worlds seized may act as a compensation.
Barbara Liao orders Colonel Devlin to repeat his New Delos strategy against Kanata. The attack is a costly failure - while sufficent supplies are destroyed to hamper the FWLM somewhat, the Task Force of twenty-one regiments finds itself fighting for its life against five Divisions of the Defenders of Andurien while FWLN warships contest their retreat. Devlin himself and one of Barbara's sons do not make it off Kanata alive: they are publically executed by Duke Humphreys himself.
Kenyon Marik is slightly satisfied by this outcome, although losses among the Defenders are heavy. His main attention however is on Hesperus II and the attack he is preparing for there. The initial scouting of the region suggested that the LCN was in better shape than its ground-based counterpart so an elaborate feint would be needed to draw off forces for the FWLN to punch through and land troops.
On Tharkad, Jennifer Steiner was in no position to attempt a further offensive. A draconian purge of the upper ranks of the LCAF had made a beginning on obtaining access to the actual state of the LCAF but it had also made her several deadly enemies within the Estates General. The most she could hope for was the use of a few crack brigades such as the Tamar Tigers and of former SLDF officers to keep her neighbours offbalance while she tried to carve the fat off the rest of her regiments.
On and over Robinson, the AFFS closed a trap against the invasion force but found that they had taken the Dragon by the tail: both in space and on the surface the two sides were almost evenly matched and Minoru proved to be a general of formidable skill. The only good news was that with resources devoted to keeping him fighting on Robinson, the Coordinator could spare little for Proserpina and the tide there was swinging in John's favour.
In the Hegemony, Ethan Moreau had proven more politically shrewd than the rest of the HAF High Command had expected and in May he was inaugurated as the new Director-General. Although the Terran Hegemony was much shrunken, Moreau calculated that his neighbours had not been ready for a war of this nature and must be relatively exhausted. Although he dared not publically declare the Star League dead, he did send diplomats to meet with John Davion, Barbara Liao, Jennifer Steiner and Aleksandr Kerensky to explore the possibility of a negotiated settlement of their differences.
Before the diplomats could even make their pitches, Kenyon Marik set the ball rolling on his march for Hesperus II by leaking information suggesting he was intent on seizing the worlds between Erdvynn and Bolan. This succeeds in convincing Jennifer to move reinforcements to that area, hundreds of light years from Hesperus II, leaving them unavailable when Kenyon suddenly crosses the border, landing forces to seize New Kyoto and then moving on to Lamon without waiting for his son Thaddeus to finish securing their first objective. This places his spearhead only one jump away from Hesperus II within weeks.
Joshua Davion's second child is born. Hanse asked John Davion to name the child Peter, to make events closer to the family history he recalls. However, as the child is a daughter the best John can do is call her Petra. Hanse dearly wishes he could drink in his current state.
2783Kenyon Marik personally leads four divisions onto Hesperus II, the two powerful but elderly capital ships guading the world both destroyed by FWLN warships. Some of the Lyran escorts manage to get past the League ships, causing serious losses to one Division before they are driven off. The defenders - the understrength 7th Division, the Defiance Industries defense force and 4th Brigade of the Royal Guards Division - do not contest the dropzones but prepare a layered defense that takes advantage of the rugged terrain. Marik's first attempt to break past the Lyrans does not go well and he is forced to pull back with losses about equal after failing to break past the assault Mechs of the 17th Lyran Guards regiment, reinforced by a battalion of the 3rd Donegal Guards.
Lyran reinforcements are on their way but must also act to contain opportunitic attacks by Thaddeus Marik upon nearby worlds, some of which appear to be attempts to move towards the Furillo factories that support Hesperus II. With the defenses for now holding on Hesperus II, Jennifer has to trust that they will continue to do so. At least there is a victory of sorts to raise morale, something that will be of great valute in the protracted struggle for Hesperus II.
On the Draconis front Proserpina is finally secured for the Federated Suns and John orders reinforcement of the world and construction of new fixed defenses. Along with Tikonov it is heralded as the gateway to Terra. Fighting continues on Robinson although both sides were now below half of their initial size, despite a trickle of replacement men and machines. Minoru gives up on taking control of the Robinson shipyards for the DCA and instead orders their destruction. Thousands of fighters clash around the strategic yards, which are left crippled beyond cost-effective repair, but DCA losses are shocking and include more than a third of their total strength in fighters as Davion Royal Corsairs and Sabres press in close and use nuclear weapons with great effect.
All six states are now sending out wide-ranging raiding forces that are destroying any concentration of industry that they see an opportunity to target, regardless of obvious military value. The Terran Hegemony, targeted by all except for House Davion, is savaged cruelly except where they have been able to rebuild tiny fractions of the old SDS. House Davion has managed to build approximations of the SLDF's M-3 drones and these provide vital cover to the most critical worlds but there are never enough. Nonetheless, between the drones and the enormous distances to reach their Outworlds March factories the Suns are in better shape than John's rivals.
In the Periphery, the three independent states and the Rim Worlds Republic are suffering economic collapse that is crippling their ability to rebuild losses over the last two decades. The Outworlds Alliance and Taurian Concordat can at least offset this to some degree with covert trading into the Federated Suns. This isn't objected to by John but the discretion is necessary to avoid dragging the two states into the conflagration. As it is, bands of independent raiders from the old SLDF and from the occasional renegade are wearing upon the remaining militaries outside the Inner Sphere.
Ethan Moreau's diplomats are making slow progress but they secure their first real coup with Barbara Liao who indicates she is willing to consider a private peace treaty with John Davion. Although the Capellan Confederation has lost a number of worlds to him, Barbara is a realist and is willing to accept that... as long as she can offset it at the expense of the Terran Hegemony. Moreau may not enjoy that but it is simple recognition of the self-evident fact that the HAF cannot reclaim many worlds. In May of this year a draft treaty is offered to John Davion offering a tripartite peace with the Hegemony and the Confederation. Current borders will be formalized with the Terran Hegemony ceding more than a dozen worlds to Barbara and roughly half as many to John. Without hesitation John agrees.
With pressure relieved upon one flank Barbara Liao is able to at last bring the FWLM advance to a halt (assisted by the continued drain of operations on Hesperus II). Unfortunately while she has halted Kenyon's advance, fighting has reached Andurien and the outcome there remains in doubt. If the commonality captial falls then much of the rimwards region of the Confederation will be vulnerable.
John cancels Operation ROLAND - a proposed follow up to PALADIN - and allocates supplies to restore defenses in the Capellan March but his main focus is the Draconian March. Rather than further reinforcing Robinson he retakes several border worlds than have fallen in the last year and seizes Mara and David to secure the flank of Proserpina. This prolongs the brutal fighting on the March capital but this is a price John is willing to pay.
The price comes back to haunt him when reports arrive from Robinson's Canaan continent, almost entirely in Draconian hands. MIIO provide evidence that almost all the civilian inhabitants of the continent have been forced into work camps to support the DCMS. Vasily Sandoval, the fiery Duke of Robinson, leads a sudden orbital assault to try to rescue his people - and the result is a military disaster with two entire divisions of the Robinson Rangers torn to shreds and the Duke himself captured and paraded as a trophy by Minoru. Only by iron determination does Joshua, now the senior political figure on Robinson, keep the AFFS from reinforcing failure and rerganise operations given the priceless intelligence that has fallen into DCMS hands.
The reverses that follow were probably not avoidable by the Prince Imperial but the situation almost stabilizes before a botched MIIO rescue operation leaves Duke Sandoval dead. His son and heir takes office but has nothing but hot words for Joshua. The two young nobles' arguements culminate in a clash in BattleMechs. Joshua's Mech shouldering past John Sandoval's Dervish while forming up in column leads to the young Duke opening up with a point-blank alpha strike on the Prince's Marauder. Joshua survives although seriously injured, but the young Duke is killed by the quick and overwhelming respone of Joshua's bodyguards and John has to rush to Robinson to take personal control of the situtation. His son he sends back to New Avalon before confirming Vasily Sandoval's youngest daughter, Susan as the new Duchess since in his judgement she is the most level-headed of the brood.
To put an end to the battle once and for all, John calls forward two of the three Divisions that make up the Davion Corps of Guards. The Light Guards and the Assault Guards are at full strength having been deployed in core systems and have the finest equipment of any units in the AFFS. On 4 December they are unleashed in a series of operations that drive the DCMS entirely from Megiddo and Solomon continents with severe losses to the DCMS. Seeing defeat on the walls, Minoru prepares to defend Canaan but is considering whether withdrawal from Robinson would be the better course of action.
Davion Corps of GuardsAs part of the reforms to the AFFS, John Davion renamed the Davion Brigade of Guards to reflect their size. The Guards were also re-organised as part of this, with the Light Guards, Heavy Guards and Assault Guards each formed the core of a Division-sized force, spreading their battalions between several demi-brigades while the other regiments were restructured as the BattleMech Demi-Brigades of the three Divisions - 1st and 3rd Gardes in the Heavy Division, 2nd and 4th Gards in the Light Division and 5th Gardes in the Assault Division. An entirely new force, the 6th Gardes, joined the Assault Division in 2775. All three Divisions participated in fighting against the DCMS in the years that followed.
The Davion Corps of Guards recruit directly from AFFS academies, headhunting the best, brightest and most trusted. Since infantry service in the Corps typically includes service in Castle Royal and other palaces, it is actually quite sought after as an assignment by graduates of Infantry acadmies. They also strongly prefer to promote internally and give preference to recruiting the families of existing members, which leads to each regiment forming something of an extended family. To balance this, the First Prince has made service with another regiment a pre-requisite for any officer to receive a battalion command or higher in the Corps and occasionally honours particuarly accomplished soldiers from other corps by transferring them in.
In addition to the two BattleMech Demi-Brigades, each Corps includes two Infantry Demi-Brigades and two Armor Demi-Brigades, most of which have their own BattleMechs and enjoy a good-natured rivalry with the 'poster boys' of the 1st through 6th Demi-Brigades. Equipment assigned to the Corps is always of the highest quality and when not on the battlefield or securing the Royal Palace on New Avalon the Corps have an exceptionally heavy training cycle. While this training rarely produces warriors of the exceptional standards demanded by the Sword of Light or SLDF Gunslinger training, it does produce exceptionally effective teamwork at the lance, regiment and battalion level.
