-18-
14th of December, 3063
FCS Federated Commonwealth
Gibbs, Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
Victor Steiner-Davion, Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth was in the semi-dress uniform of the 10th Lyran Guards and over the top of the uniform was a dark, almost black coat, one which he had been given by his sister, Yvonne. He loved the coat, as it fitted him well, but it was the intricate beauty of the inlay and the smooth feel of the coat lining that he liked most, something others had no idea of. He also secretly liked the moniker it had earned him, as with any powerful leader, the ego grew over time, no matter the discipline of the man in which it grew. Not many, but a growing number were referring to him, due to the coat, as the Black Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, a name that came from one of the Tharkad tabloids, but one that was spreading. He liked it and he knew why he liked it and it did not bother him in the slightest.
Victor tuned back into the conversation. “Sorry Admiral, could you repeat yourself?â€
“Certainly Sire,†said Admiral Mark Singh. The huge dark skinned Admiral, who commanded the Gibbs Naval Station was easily 140kg of prime, well fed and pampered Lyran Admiral, but pivoted easily in his mag boots before continuing. “The former CSV
Dark Asp , a
Nightlord-class Battleship masses 1.2 megatons, and despite the damage she took over Beta VII before striking her colours, can still bring about a quarter of her very formidable firepower to bear.â€
Victor looked around the cargo bay they were standing in, which was massive and marked with hasty patchwork repairs to seal several breaches where the fire from FCN WarShips had pierced her hull.
“Can we get this beast operational Admiral?â€
The Admiral shook his bald head, “Not without assistance sir. There is too much Clan technology in this ship for us to be able to fabricate new parts. It’s part of the reason that Admiral Hood wanted me to speak to you sir. We have two options: We can either scrap the ship for parts and research; or trade with Clan Diamond Shark for what we need, the latter the fleet’s preferred option. As you can see, we have already given here a preliminary name and more importantly, the Sharks have already approached us, since we weren’t shy about advertising our catch.â€
Victor smiled at the Admiral, “Yes, I wanted to make sure all and sundry knew what we had taken from the Vipers. I like the name though. What will it cost to bring her back to operational status?â€
“Estimates are around 3.8 Billion Kroner, especially with the deal the Sharks have offered.â€
Victor raised his eyebrows, “That is no small amount of coin there Admiral.â€
“No sir it is not. However, it’s a steal at the price and cheaper than building a Mjolnir from scratch. Additionally, she would be the Fleet Flag, as her command facilities are first rate.â€
“My personal ride eh Admiral? How does it compare to the
Mjolnir?â€
“Faster and better at the helm, though with only two-thirds combat power of the
Mjolnir and similar ratio in overall staying power. Her real advantage is this bay and the next. She can carry 100 Mechs and we want to modify her to take a full RCT and an additional Fighter Regiment. She would be similar to the old
McKenna’s as a one ship task force and command vessel.â€
Victor was impressed, “A solid, ambitious and impressive plan Admiral, how long would it take to make happen?â€
“If we put everything we have here into it, especially once
Emden clears her dock and launches in March and then we pay the price the Sharks are asking, December of this year.â€
“That soon?†Victor asked in a surprised voice?
“Yes Sire, she is structurally sound, just beaten down a fair bit. We need to cast new armour, replace damaged weapons, refit the cargo bay, recondition the engines and fix all the blown out systems, but were lucky in that we beat her without breaking her and the crew came with her.â€
“The crew, really?â€
“Yes Sire, technicians and warriors. They consider themselves members of the FCN now and the former Technician Caste members are all a little giddy at the fact they are considered Warriors in our eyes. We have had to move most of the Warrior Castemen on, as the Viper Warriors are all a bit twitchy and will take longer to adjust.â€
Victor smiled, “Wonders will never cease Admiral. I think I can agree with what you and Admiral Hood propose.â€
“Yes Sire.†The Admiral beamed back at him. “Now, if you would permit me to show the command facilities, they are first rate and we have them set up and ready for the conference.â€
Victor followed the Admiral to a lift, with a small group of aides following behind. The lift moved smoothly along, depositing the group on the command deck. The command deck was large, dominated in the middle by a huge holotank, which already showed the Field Marshals of the Federated Commonwealth’s Marches, the State Commanders and Fleet Admiral Hood. Morgan Hasek-Davion stood within the tank and announced to the assembly “Archon-Prince Steiner Davion has arrived, this conference of the Operational Command is now in session.â€
The Operational Command of the AFFC was subordinate to the High Command, but focused on operational activities of the AFFC’s forces, not on its administration. It comprised the highest ranked officers who could direct forces to battle and was another modification that Victor had made to the AFFC.
He walked down between the many data terminals that were arranged around the tank in circular rows, and returned the salute Morgan gave him, before turning to address the assembled officers.
“Marshals, welcome. I must apologise for the setting each of you is sitting in, all in orbit as they are, or at jump points, we needed security when we built our new toy.†Victor smiled,
Father’s greatest ambition realised today…he never saw the first fruits of his labour, but it serves us well now.
Curiosity was evident in the eyes of several commanders as Victor spoke, as each had been ushered into a special conference room managed by the Department of Military Communication and Research. No aides and no attendants were present for the Field Marshalls; only a junior officer of the DMCR (pronounced
dumker) was with each. Several such officers were aboard the
Federated Commonwealth as well, in the cargo bay and here on the Command Deck.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, you are currently connected over a HPG network outside of the control of ComStar.â€
The initial silence as deafening, then questions from every commander floating around him poured over the system. He held up his hands for silence, and everyone settled down, barring Morgan, Jackson Davion, Arden Sortek and Nondi Steiner, all of whom were aware of the project.
“Please, if you give me a moment, I will bring you up to speed. However, it must be noted that outside of the DMCR, you are the only people cleared for this information. Any leaks and you will be manning the forts on the Coventry Line.†He paused, then continued, “The DCMR was set up in conjunction with the work done at the NAIS from 3016 into FTL communications, all based on the cache we took from Halstead Station in 3012. You will all be familiar with our Black Boxes, however, they were only one facet of the research undertaken by the NAIS and DMCR and a strong cover for the primary aim – that of developing our own Hyper Pulse Generator’s for an Federated Commonwealth faster than light communications system.â€
Looks ranging from sheer joy to disbelief were evident across the faces of those watching him,
I felt the same way myself when I found out.“Work on Project SHERLOCK continued, primarily as research, and continued through until 3035, meanwhile the Black Boxes were developed separately and have served admirably since their introduction. The next eleven years, though also continuing research, aimed at systems and parts development, and led us down paths that the original researchers must have overlooked. As I have been told by the NAIS, we started with an incomplete set of texts and data from Halstead Station, which led our scientists and technicians down a slightly different route from earlier development. By the time we began hand making the first HPG, we had designed a system that was approximately five times larger than those deployed by ComStar, from what limited data we have of their technology, but it was vastly more efficient in its power use, by two orders of magnitude.â€
Quizzical looks, greeted his last statement, as few really understood what was involved in FTL communication. “This means that conversations like this one are both technically complicated and power hungry for ComStar, however, for DMCR, with the power requirements of our systems, we can set up links like this for a fraction of the cost. Though of course the material set up costs are greater and the facilities are a little on the conspicuous side. However, ladies and gentlemen, we have ComStar by the balls, hence the need for secrecy.â€
“How many HPG’s do we have?†This from Field Marshal James Ellis of the Skye March.
“Forty two are currently operational, with one here on
Federated Commonwealth and two more ready to deploy. The first HPG went operational in 3056, after ten years of building and testing, with a second in 3057. Production has slowly been climbing; we built twelve last year, though we do not expect to be able to cover every world in the FedCom until the late in the 3070s. In the meantime, we have created a trunk network, with the main line running from New Avalon to Tharkad and from each capital to each March command centre. We will then aim to tie in all major command and industrial worlds. That will be, in essence, our First Circuit, with worlds off those lines getting lesser systems. With this system, from now on, the entire FC command can be in communication within minutes, with total communication security.â€
That thought sunk in across the room. With such security within its own borders, the aims and movements of the Federated Commonwealth would become opaque to its foes.
“And security for the system sire?†From his commander in the Capellan March, Leah Thomas.
“You’re sitting on it. Each facility is wired to detonate a one-megaton device if the system you are in falls, or the core is tampered with or removed without proper authorisation. Each station is part of the JumpShip command circuits we control, and you are in the restricted sections of those stations, where we handle transfers of Clan equipment, where intelligence and diplomatic staff stay and where we keep other people out of routinely, essentially hiding in plain sight behind our other secrets.â€
A few Generals moved uncomfortably in their seats at the thought of sitting a hot nuclear device.
What they don’t know, is that the Archon-Prince can remote detonate any of them, both as a failsafe if the destruct system is compromised and as a way to remove those who might act on dreams of independence in the future.
“So, Marshals, I would like to move to other topics now, as DMCR will provide a fuller briefing to each of you once our conference is complete. I have asked General Travena to provide a brief update on the Clans, as he is recognised as our foremost expert on them. General?â€
Victor turned slightly to his right and beckoned the General forward, as he had entered the room shortly after Victor and stood with his aides.
The tall, dark haired General moved forward into the holotank as Victor and Morgan took seats.
“Thankyou sire. “ He looked up, “As you are all aware, we have been receiving unusual reports about Clan activity and Clan behaviour since April of last year, though for many months we had only scanty evidence taken from Ice Hellions we captured when we repulsed their invasion. Since then, we have managed to capture a few Hell’s Horsemen and now enough Steel Vipers to gain a better understanding of what has the Clans so agitated. It would appear that the Clans have suffered a Civil War of unprecedented size, which has sundered those in the Inner Sphere from their bases in the Homeworlds. The Clans remaining in the Homeworlds have total control of those systems, though each of the Clans in the Inner Sphere seems to have extracted materials, troops and civilians.â€
“Does this mean the bastards are on their last legs?†Asked Morgan Kell, current commander of the Tamar March, “It would explain the Steel Vipers torpor when we attacked them.â€
“Partly,†answer Travena, “Some of the Clans seem to have dealt with the change better than others. The Ice Hellions have disappeared back into the Periphery and there is rumour of two Clans fighting out towards Chainlaine, but we don’t know who the second is. Clan Wolf and Smoke Jaguar turned on the Ghost Bears and are effectively dismembering them, though the Nova Cats and DCMS are striking at the Jaguars, who have apparently suffered serious reversals in the Bear campaign. The Nova Cats have also taken additional systems from the Combine along the Periphery, apparently with troops arriving from Clan Space, in a similar fashion to what the Hell’s Horses are doing to us.â€
“I was sure we had then stopped when we drove off the Hellions! It would explain their renewed attacks though.†Field Marshall Marc Kostic said grumpily over crossed arms.
“Yes Field Marshall it would. When you broke their Gamma Galaxy, they pulled back, reorganised in October, as their forces from the Homeworlds arrived, and then struck out towards industrial targets. It is this last point that interests us the most, as most Clans are focusing efforts around securing systems with large military-industrial potential. We think that they are at the end of their logistical capability and need to quickly secure new facilities to replace those lost in the Homeworlds. If we can draw the fighting out, we will exhaust them before they can become firmly entrenched, hence our full support of Field Marshall Kostic’s Coventry Line plan.â€
“So lad,†said the hatchet faced Nondi Steiner, “You think the Clans are beatable now?â€
“Yes Ma’am, more so than at any other time, apart from Clan Wolf that is, they are going from strength to strength and have just moved their capital to Rasalhague. We believe they are trying to tempt the Republic rump to join them as well.â€
“Best invade then and prevent that.â€
Travena responded quickly, “That would risk a war with the Wolves over six worlds, when we have two large scale conflicts to deal with already Ma’am.â€
Nondi Steiner frowned, “Perhaps, still, I don’t want to see them getting any closer to the Terran Corridor.â€
“Yes Ma’am.â€
Before the conversation could continue, Victor stood, “Thankyou General. I would like to move onto operational matters before coming back to the Clans if we need to later.†Travena nodded and took a seat.
“First I’d like to hear from the Navy and what you have been up to Fleet Admiral Hood?â€
Admiral Hood, currently at Alarion and sitting next to General Fay Nichols, smiled brightly, something that those who knew the Admiral seldom saw, as she was generally known as a hard and stern taskmaster and one who had built the FCN’s new WarShip capability.
“We have tested your fleet in battle twice now sire and found nothing to be notably lacking.†General smiles and nods at this around the room. “In October, the
Avalon-class cruiser FCS
Melissa Davion and two
Fox-class Corvettes, the FCS
Indomitable and FCS
Bryceland escorted forces to the Beta VII system. In November, the CSV
Dark Asp, a
Nightlord-class Battleship, accompanied Steel Viper reinforcements in system. Our squadron moved to engage, and through superior tactics and staying power across the squadron, dealt heavy damage to the Viper ship and forced her to strike. We boarded the vessel, took control, and jumped it out of the system.
Indomitable took heavy damage, but was still operable and the other sips took moderate damage. This first real engagement by the FCN could only be considered a huge success. Building upon our victory, this month, as our forces jumped into Twycross, the above vessels were joined by the
Mjolnir-class FCS
Yggdrasil and the
Fox-class FCS
Fox and FCS
Robert Marsden. Over the Viper capital they faced one of that Clan’s two naval groups, which consisted of
Cameron,
Sovetskii Soyuz,
Congress and
Fredesa. The
Mjolnir-class more than proved itself over Twycross, letting the AFFC get on world without loss. Though we lost the
Indomitable, we knocked out all four Viper ships and recovered the Cruiser and Battlecruiser, though they are next to crippled, will take much to reinstate and they may be better for parts. Only
Fox and
Yggdrasil are in a good enough state to remain in system, the other vessels are on their way to Alarion and Gibbs for repairs.â€
Victor spoke, “So Admiral, what does this tell us?â€
“Our doctrine, both tactical and in ship design is solid.â€
“How so?â€
The Admiral shrugged, “Our ships are built to last and blast. SLDF ships and to a lesser extent the Clan vessels, are lightly armoured one trick ponies, designed to act as part of large taskforces. The Clan fleets are generally too small to make up for the deficiencies of each design. The FWLM has the same problem, based on their recent losses and the DCMS may face it as well, though the Capellans surely did not with their Cruisers. Though it takes us longer to build each ship, though ton for ton, they are better vessels. We also act tight – stay together – and operate in close conjunction with fighters, Droppers and marines, just like a floating RCT. Cut the heart out of the enemy formation and them mop up the pieces in detail.â€
Victor looked warmly at Admiral Hood, “Five to one losses so far Admiral are, if I remember my naval history, pretty good. You have my thanks and support for your plans confirmed.†He paused as the Admiral bobbed her head in response, “How is fleet strength and construction coming?†He asked to finish.
“We have the
Nightlord,
Cameron and
Sovetskii Soyuz we took from the Vipers, but only the former, which you are currently on, is really worth the effort to restore and modify. The FCN has two
Mjolnir, seven
Avalon, three
Durandel and twenty-one
Fox, for a total of thirty-three vessels. In construction are two each of the
Mjolnir, Avalon, Emden and
Fox and three
Durandel. We also have plans to switch
Fox production over to the
Fox-II once the current build ends and start building
New Syrtis carriers and
Robinson-II class transports within two years. We might also restart production of the
Mako and/or
Tharkad within five years, to properly fill out the fleet, but that’s not confirmed as yet.
Victor stood, “Thankyou Admiral Hood. Now to the state of our Marches. Field Marshall Nichols, how fares Alarion?â€
Attention moved to the General next to Admiral Hood, with Fay Nichols possessing a far more open and friendly face than the Admiral who had just spoken. “Yes Sire. Alarion has been quiet since the League’s Circinus campaign that ended the Marian War. Once they swung across the border to hit Madiun and Son Hoa, we were able to bring in troops from Teyvareb and Buena to reinforce Son Hoa, rotating units off the world to Teyvareb as needed for rest. We were able to outlast the League and they gave up the attempt, though we are keeping forty precent of all March troops close to Circinus now. We could use more, like everyone here,†chuckles from the others met her comment, “but we do understand there are higher priorities at the moment.â€
Victor smiled wryly in agreement, raising an eyebrow, “Thankyou Field Marshall Nichols, for your report, honesty and understanding of the larger picture, some of which Field Marshall Kostic will now provide.†Victor turned to his right to the image of the Field Marshall of the Coventry March, whose red hair was short and curly and framed a dark expression.
“Certainly sire.†He looked up and around. “We covered a little of this before. When the Hellions and Horses attacked, we saw the Hellions off by August of last year and at the same time apparently halted the Horses, though the reasons for that halt were more complex than we first realised. We began contingency planning at that point to protect Tharkad and the assets near Coventry by starting construction of the Coventry Line, the fortification of systems from Chhaprauli to Windsor and the worlds behind them to Storfors, Loxley and Coventry. Heavy defences were built and the militia were reinforced. Mobile units, regiments and RCT’s were located along the line, with conventional troops behind them and reserves on Coventry. In the event of a new Horses attack, units would fall immediately back on the line, hence the movement of command centres from Qantir and Australia to Chhaprauli and Storfors. This also gave a strong base for planning a full counter-offensive if the Horses stayed in place. Unfortunately, they did not, moving in reduced Galaxy strength of approximately three Clusters against a series of worlds in November, with an axis towards Coventry. We fell back and they hit the line at Abbadiyah this month. Fighting has been brutal, but the fort and the militia have held, though their Alpha Galaxy drove off the mobile forces consisting of the 1st FedCom Jaegers, 5th Lyran Guards RCT and Alarion AMM. We are preparing to counter-attack to keep them pinned there and expect weaker attacks against the rest of the line. Our aim is to bog them down and exhaust their supplies and then drive them back to Finmark, though that could take a year or more. Admiral Hood has also been good enough to station a squadron over Coventry, which should be enough, considering the Horses lack of naval assets.â€
“How certain are you of success?†Asked Jackson Davion, with no trace of emotion in his voice.
“Before the attacks this month, ninety precent. After the ferocity of their Alpha Galaxies assault, I’d modify that to two in three. It’s their best force, the other task forces being smaller, so we should be able to hold them, but if they flank us – doubtful – a somehow bull through, we will be in real trouble.â€
“Tharkad?†Said Davion
“Possibly.†Answered Kostic.
“Then we best stop them.†Said Victor. “You’re priority one for troops and supplies.â€
“Thankyou sire.â€
Victor turned again, “And in the campaign that most affects you, we have Grand Duke Morgan Kell leading the fight in Tamar against the Steel Vipers. Grand Duke Kell?â€
The old mercenary looked seriously at Victor, “Archon-Prince, I’ll spare you a rehash of the naval war, though my thanks go to Admiral Hood, without the FCN, we would not have done what we have.â€
“Thankyou Morgan.†Said the Admiral.
“No thanks necessary Admiral, you did what you said you would.†He paused, “We have been striking into the Viper OZ along two axis. The first is aimed at Twycross, with the additional goal of drawing troops away from Erewhon, which succeeded somewhat and we struck in the Coreward regions of the OZ this month. To date, we have liberated Beta VII, Blackjack, Goat Path, Malibu, Butler and Waldorf and Anywhere Coreward. Initial advances were solid, though our forward rate has slowed considerably. We are fighting on Erewhon, Somerset, Wotan and Twycross. None of those fights are weighted much in our favour, though I suggest we push hard for one more month and then back off any fight we can’t win quickly. Even if they counter, we have been strengthening our rear areas, so I am fairly confident we can hold much of what we have taken, especially considering their losses to date and the strength of our defences Rimward. The Vipers are keeping a very wary eye on the Wolves, so I don’t expect a full scale advance coming at us.â€
“No chance of breaking them?†From Nondi Steiner.
He shook his head, “Even if we took Twycross, they still have a lot of strength and for now, having them between us and Clan Wolf is not an entirely bad thing.â€
“Agreed right there Morgan.†Said Morgan Hasek-Davion from his seat, with others nodding agreement. “Clan Wolf is going from strength to strength and we need time to get our feet back under us before facing them.â€
Victor looked over his shoulder at the Marshall of the AFFC as he answered the Grand Duke, “Alright Morgan,†he looked back, “continue operations as you see fit and withdraw from contested systems should progress be doubtful.â€
“It will be so.â€
Victor checked a list he held, “Field Marshall Zenger, Donegal?â€
The blonde Field Marshall, who looked far too young for his position, sat up straighter. “Sire, Donegal has little to add. We are raising new units to support Coventry and acting as Admiral Hood’s forward base of operations. Should, god forbid, the Coventry Line fail, we are making preparations to ensure the Richvale-Alma Alta line is a living hell for any Clansman that gets that far.â€
“Thankyou Field Marshall. How is Skye Field Marshall Ellis?†Said Victor not looking up.
“Much of our force is deployed across to Field Marshall Steiner in Terra, though we have restructured of defence around Lyons after we nearly cut Dieron off last year and then withdrew. The straight border from Ryde to Pike IV helps in that no end. Solaris to Wyatt is a little weak for my mind, but with what we have a jump or two away and the Mariks off beating Capella to death, short term is solid. Once Marik finishes and troops come back to standard garrisons, I’ll need 20% more force or risk losing key worlds piecemeal.â€
“Nondi, any help you can give there?†Asked Victor.
She shook her head, “Not with the Vipers and Horses draining so much away. Jackson might. Jackson?â€
“Not really Nondi, not if we want a fair slice of Capella.†Answered her counterpart.
“General, much as I hate to say it, you’re on your own, but we might be able to lasso some mercs of Outreach for you in six months or so.†This from Morgan Hasek-Davion.
“Thankyou Sir, we’ll make do until then and stay flexible.â€
“We all better James, with all the chaos.†Added Victor. “Richard?†He then looked to the commander of the Terran March who, as family, could return the familiarity.
“Pretty good Victor. We have the corridor widened, but not as wide as it was is 3050. Nanking fell, but we smacked the Mariks up on Oliver and Pollux and have secured most of what was left of the Liao Commonality that the League did not want, and are now doing the Capella Commonality. They seem to be staying on their side of Thomas’s line, just as he stated they would. Seems his letter was legitimate.â€
Richard Steiner II referred to the letter sent by Thomas Marik to New Avalon, Taurus and Canopus IV, inviting each nation to “…
a slice of the Capellan pie…â€. Marik intended to take the Sian Commonality in total and two thirds of Liao and Capella, leaving the rest, along with St. Ives to Davion and the Victoria Commonality to the Periphery. It was smart, as it set limit, whilst ensuring that the other nations would face the bulk of Capellan Mech units, should they stay in place, which they partly did, except at Sian and Capella.
“We should end active operations by early March at the latest and be able to shift some forces to the Capellan or Skye Marches after June as needs, once we reorganise.â€
“You’ve done well Richard,†Victor tossed of a little two fingered salute, “You have accomplished more than any of us and saved our link.â€
“Just following orders Victor, never been much of a free thinker.â€
There was a small series of good natured chuckles from the others, as since the reunification, the former Lyran loyalist had undergone something of a radical change, with some likening his new outlook as similar to the change that Frederick Steiner had undergone when he became Anastasias Focht.
“No Richard, you have done yourself, your mother, your House and nation proud.†Even Nondi’s face lightened at the compliment. “Onto the Draconis March then.â€
“Don’t really need to Victor,†said James Sandoval, “apart from liberating Quentin with Field Marshall Steiner’s help, nothing of note.†James Sandoval was still seething that the AFFC had withdrawn from other Combine worlds and again focused on the Confederation and Clans. The only salve was the retaking of the massively important Mech facilities on the world of Quentin.
“Thankyou James.†Victor answered in a cool voice. All knew a confrontation was brewing there. “Ardan, how is the Crucis March.â€
“Cupboard’s bear Archron-Prince, all reserves are in Terra or Capella. We have minimal troops for garrison and anti-pirate work, apart from along the Taurian border, where were able to only give up Montour and Verdigress. If those dam Concordat’s had not shown up over Perdition, Leah and I could have rolled the bastards all the way back to Sterope and the Pleiades would still be ours.â€
Victor smiled coldly, “They will be in time, but realities elsewhere mean that won’t happen immediately.†Ardan nodded.
“Leah?†Victor asked the last of his Field Marshalls.
“Sire, we copped it rough from the Capellans and Taurians, but we are back on the front foot. We have bagged St. Ives, Texlos, Warlock, Ares and Necromo and liberated Sirdar. If Thomas halts the FWLM, we will get back more than we lost and the citizens are celebrating the end of Capella in the streets, even if it was due to the Mariks. I estimate we will be fighting for up to another 12 months, as we don’t have the force strength to really go hard. Anywhere we have gotten cocky or lax, we have been hurt, so I see no reason to rush for an extra world or two, now that we have the real prizes.â€
“Agreed, but I do want a plan for what remains on our side of the line.â€
“Yes Sire, it’s already done and can come over our new circuit after the conference.â€
“Good.†Was Victor’s response as he thought for a moment. “Alright then ladies and Gentlemen, you now have an idea of where we stand. Generally, combat operations are proceeding well and naval operations are in good hands. We now have secure central communications and will meet like this once a month.†He paused, “Our priorities for 3064 are to keep the Vipers in their box, secure what we can of the Confederation and halt and then drive the Horses back. A year ago, we agreed to wait and build ourselves up before acting, but circumstance prevented that. That is still the plan though. Once we end these conflicts, likely by the end of the year, I plan to stand all Marches down until 3070. Then we sort out a few issues I have with some of our neighbours.â€
There were laughs and comments at his last statement. He held up his hand again for silence. “I also want you to start thinking about a change to how we operate.†Everyone went quiet. “The RCT concept is good, but the Clans have adapted and are strengthening their Clusters; at least the smart one are. General Travena has been working on a concept called the Integrated Battle Group, or IGB, that adds two Mech Battalions, a third Aerospace Wing and an extra Artillery Battalion. The aim is to increase our mobile firepower and long-range support. Th IGB structure give us about a 25% increase in overall firepower-mobility and you will all receive initial briefs after this meeting. I expect you all to comment.â€
The conference went on for another two hours, mainly focused logistics, but the gist was, the AFFC was planning for the future, not just the present.