Yeah sure..your a SaKhan not a Colonel got it. But you get this Battlemagic force's are primary in this operation so you work for me.
"Attention Alphard control."
"Per the request of the Marian Hegemony Star League representative to stabilize former Spirit Cat Occupied Area's. And per the outcome's of the trial entered into by the Free Worlds League and Spirit Cat's I and my force's are landing to re-establish order. At this time local governance will continue with civillian Free World's oversight until such time as a final dispensation of this world is arranged."
Free Worlds League BattleMagic (Mercenaries) BattleMagic Air Support Aerospace Transported Elite Fanatical 6.25
Free Worlds League BattleMagic (Mercenaries) BattleMagic Mechs, Vehicles, Power Armor Transported Elite Fanatical 7.5
Clan Snord Beta Galaxy The Rough Riders Keshik Clan Mechs Transported Elite Fanatical 8.75
Initiative required
SLDF - Nova Cats
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 4, total 7[/blockquote]
Federated Suns
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 3, total 7[/blockquote]
FWL Init
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 4, total 9[/blockquote]
(OOC: FWL make their initial move for oppression liberation first. SLDF and FS arrive in operational round 2)
"Invasores, senatus salutare."
"Please relay the Senate's thanks to your paymasters for ending the Spirit Cat invasion; however, order has already been restored on Alphard and there is no need to dispatch any overseers - civilian or otherwise. You are welcome to land to refuel and grant your personnel shore leave, but we cannot authorize the deployment of military equipment at this time and... you should warn your personnel that the moans of the Clan collaborators crucified near the starport may be distressing to them."
Really? S.A.F.E. paint's a different picture. Lawelessness, settling of old scores, funding for new Piratical Initiatives.
" 'Senator' according to the intelligence I have been shown you serve neither Ceaser nor the Captain-General. I assure you, you will have a chance to state your case. In the Captain-General's Court!"
FWL Force execute's combat drop.
Alphard Provisional Cohort (1 FP of militia) launches a doomed defense against the invaders...
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 5, total 10[/blockquote]
Crit check [blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 2, total 5[/blockquote]
FWL Force 22.5 FP
Sim Res Roll
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 2, 5, total 7[/blockquote]
Militia wiped out. Salvage and Cleanup to follow.
"Someone get the indig's to clean up this mess. Colo....I mean SaKhan your people can secure the capital. Me and mine will attend the orbital's and factory complex's."
Just as 'mopping up' is being completed, a number of new JumpShips arrive in the system.
(OOC: DK, its all yours :))
The same flotilla that killed off the Spirit Cat invasion of Pompey now hangs over the capital of the Marian Hegemony. Travelling alongside the Federated Suns' Pompey Lancers is Hadrian McGary, the VP of ATC on Pompey, now assigned to oversee the Marians' reclamation of their capital. It seemed however, that the vultures had landed first. From the grim looks on the faces of the warriors around him, he was not entirely sure this was going to go as smoothly as he had first hoped.
On the bridge of the Star Lord-class in the lead of the armada, Major General Alexi Borodin looked rather non-plussed by the turn of events. The FWL had arrived first, and if they were smart(unlikely at the best of times), they would run back to their Captain-General, tail between their legs. However, knowing the Leauge's propensity for sticking their arrogant noses into just about everything, he ordered full assault drop drill across both his and the SLDF forces, the saKhan of the Nova Cats having agreed that it would be best if this was handled with a bit more subtely than he was able to conjure up.
"Attention FWL forces on Alphard. Congratulations on your glorious victory over this world's defenders! Never in my life have I seen a more masterful campaign conducted with speed, precision and aplomb. However, perhaps next time, you should take your head out of your arse and check the unit badges on what you're shooting at. Those were the planetary milita man! Don't fret though, we've brought the rightful owners of this world back, aswell as a staff to get the administration running again properly. We will be landing at the drop port shortly."
FS and SLDF begin maneuvers to drop to the surface.
"Greetings. I have not received any request's for movement through a fellow Star League member state's territory."
"That being said we welcome you to Alphard. We we're just convening the provisional government. They will be in session most of the day you are welcome to observe from the peanut gallery."
"I see your Ceaser is not with you. He may thank us latter for our swift actions to remove the Spirit Cat's invasion from his door step at his earliest convenience. Part of being in the Star League you know simply can not stand for another state to be invaded by the Clan's. Send's the wrong message."
The FS and SLDF forces begin their descent to the capital city and then...
*Priority Broadcast, All Channels*
The whine of an ancient emergency tone overpowers all broadcasting stations. Color bars fill the displays. Then a hooded figure in white appears. The room in which the solitary individual appears is dark except for a single beam of light from above that casts the person's face in shadow.
Sepulchral computer generated tones fill the open frequencies and boom from speakers around the planet.
"ATTENTION, PEOPLE OF ALPHARD."
Then the hood falls away to reveal the smiling face and pointed beard of Precentor Nero Lupin! The light catches a twinkle in his eyes. His devilish grin seems quite out of place on a ComStar official, even one assigned to someplace as remote as Alphard.
"I have always wanted to do that!"
Lupin initially appears to have been addressing somebody off screen. Now he shifts slightly to speak directly to the camera.
"Ahem. The recent attack by Clan Spirit Cat has caused considerable disruption to our communication network. The persecution of innocent ComStar alcolytes at the hands of the Clans is a new and terrible thing. Yet despite the trauma suffered by my personnel, they still managed to restore communication with Lothario. Or at least they had, until the unexpected aid of the Free World League arrived and the League's technicians insisted on securing my HPG station. As a result, this primitive but effective system was the only way for me to reach you. My apologies."
Yet Precentor Lupin does not look the least bit contrite. If anything his smile is wider than before.
"None the less, the mail will get through! Before the most recent interruption in service, I received a message from Sulla Alastar Logan-O'Reilly, son and heir of the late Caesar Julius O'Reilly. This message is intended for open broadcast to all forces answering the call of the Star League and providing immediate relief. It was feared that Sulla was lost in the defense of his mother's home world, Lothario. We now know that both he and his newly appointed Imperator, Robert Kron, survived."
Lupin beams brightly, knowing this will bring cheers to the lips of the Marian populace. Then a new flatvid message appears, crackles with interference and then reveals a young man with red hair in a Marian MechWarrior uniform.
Sulla O'Reilly appears to have aged noticeably, compared to the flatvids in his folio. Dark circles appear under his eyes.
"Friends, Marians, countrymen, while I mourn the death of my father, I give thanks for the retreat of the Clanners who struck us without cause and without warning. But this victory would not have been possible without our friends in the Star League. Our freedom has been won under their banner, and you should count any soldier who serves under the SLDF flag as not only a friend, but a fellow Marian in spirit. We have a long struggle ahead of us, but with their help, we shall rebuild. We shall not allow bandits to view the Periphery as a target. We shall not allow opportunists to carve their kingdoms from our flesh. With the Star League, we will repulse all invaders and take the battle back to the Clans, where it belongs. I will repay my enemies, but I will not forget my friends."
The vid hisses and the picture implodes to black.
The image of Precentor Nero Lupin reappears. He raises his hands a shrug...or a benediction. His smile is gone, but his blue eyes still twinkle.
"Caesar is dead, long live Caesar."
*End Transmission*
*blip*
The screen crackles back to life. The camera has zoomed in close to Lupin's face. Either he really is enjoying himself or his mask of joviality is perfect.
"Oh, commanders, one more thing. It seems young Sulla intends to return to Alphard to pursue his claim. He might be more likely to view an attack on a militia consisting of Alphard's children and elderly as an unfortunate accident, if the FWL forces immediately placed themselves under Star League Defense Force command.
"Otherwise, by his request, I am required to inform you that the Free World League is in violation of Article III, Sub-Article B of the Star League Charter, which if I remember my Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission lessons correctly, may also be a violation of contract, something the SaKhan may want to consider. If you like, I would be happy to conduct arbitration. I can guarantee you ComStar's complete neutrality, provided the new technicians haven't bungled my HPG systems any worse than the Clans already did."
For the first time, there are more teeth to the smile than friendliness, and then it's gone.
"I'm certain that Caesar's heir will be delighted by your reply."
*blip*
"We are under the same Star League command that we we're under in the last war with the Clan's sirrah."
"And the one before that. I forgive your misunderstanding of how the JCA and Star Leagued Flagged Member-state force's programme's work."
" After all when has Ceaser's Legion's gone forward to fight against the Clan's? "
G"lad to see the Davies and Nova Cat's. Say what you like about that Lot Davies fought well as anyone at Coventry and while I have no love for the Terrie's they can be counted on to fight."
As for your Ceaser he is more then welcome to take up the matter with Commodore Barent of the Circinian Ranger's...young Sulla would be familiar with him."
" He's the man who the Spirit Cat's left the world while under threat from...you know while your Ceaser was running from the Cat's he's the one who sent the Cat's running."
"As for that 'Militia of young boys and old men' You mean the Spirit Cat's Quisling? We captured his rather elaborate plan's seem's he fancied himself 'Merchant Caste' in the new order of things before it fell apart. Actually set up shop."
"You have about as much authority on this world as I do over First Lord before this world was liberated from the Cat's by my Magic on the behest of the Free Worlds League."
"It is called gratitude."
"In fact I believe the words you are looking for, are 'Thank You' and ' While I know it is not Star League procedure to return worlds. Would you considering it is our former Capital let us have it back.' Or something to that effect I wager would be a far more successful approach then blatant threats. "
"As for the matter's of contract law I am intimately familiar with Subsection B. Sirrah. It's why your here talking and not shooting. If Sulla want's to negotiate the hand over of Alphard he can speak with the Captain-General or the Speaker of Parliament or with the Ambassador sitting in Conrad Brett-Marik's High Council chair."
"I am sure you know where the door is. After all I am sure you have been to this office many time's before things got hot overhead a few month's back and you ran like a scalded dog."
OOC: I've trimmed most of the OOC discussion out of this thread. Where we stand right now is that the SLDF force (both the mainline SLDF troops and the FS JCA troops operating with them) has landed peacefully, despite their less-than-polite salutations. The Joint Command Authority troops under FWL control have been less than forthcoming in handing over the keys to the planet, leaving matters at an impasse. At which point...
Federated Suns Encampment
Planet Alphard
9 August 3091
Major General Borodin seemed less than thrilled with the Leaguers' response to Lupin's announcement, "General Nostra, I don't suppose you think I am in error when I suspect this is a land grab shamelessly disguised under the Star League colors, do you?"
Boris Nostra, currently wearing the hat of a General in the Star League Defense Force, was also known from time to time to be the saKhan of Clan Nova Cat in Exile. His smirk said a lot even before the words came out, "Oh, Alexi Nikolaievich, perish the thought. Such an act would bring shame and dishonor to the colors we love so dearly."
"Yes, that's what I thought as well," Borodin grumbled, "and something tells me if we bring this to the Council's attention, we'll be in for another course or two of the Red Tape Runaround. By the time they make a decision, I'll be up for retirement."
"Perhaps just as well, you will not have to deal with the final decision, which shall no doubt involve cutting the planet in half and ordering Marik and Caesar to share the resulting asteroid field."
Borodin just shook his head.
A few hours later, a new tight-beam transmission is sent to the FWL command post...
"General, we could go back and forth exchanging witty remarks but I have a mission and I intend to carry it out. My command is here on council authority to return this planet to the Marian Hegemony. As much as your heavy-handed treatment of this world leaves me skeptical, I'm willing to work with you in the interests of expediency if nothing else. However, lets be clear: I want the Marian flag flying over this planet by the end of August and I want Marian representatives running the administration. I didn't come all the way out here to see one set of quislings replaced with another - no matter how much more palatable they are then the last set."
"So here is what I propose: you give this system back to the Marians without a fuss. Go ahead and say it was your idea all along and take the credit; go ahead and couch it in patriotic Free Worlder ra-ra. Even leave behind some of your nominally JCA troops to show the flag, but do not dick me around any more. I'm here to do a job for the council, and its a job I'd rather do with you then against you, but I'm going to do it one way or another."
"Now, I'm not so ignorant to believe that you won't do this without some sort of quid-pro-quo, and we'll discuss any reasonable request from your side, but let me be clear, my deadline is August 31st. If midnight rolls over into September and the Marian flag isn't flying free over this world, we are going to do something to rectify the situation. We'll try to be gentle, but I don't guarantee no one will get hurt."
Provisional Government Compount
Planet Alphard
9 August 3091Take a memo.
"To my esteemed colleague commanding JCA Federated Sun's forces.
I have yet to receive a formal request from the Marian government.
As soon as they get around to formally POLITELY requesting I would be more then happy to hand over this miserable peripherant dustball of a canker sore of a world.
To be blunt sir I am a mercenary. Garrison duty pay's worse then active combat. I would much rather move on to more lucrative offer's.
I have not seen the council order's you claim to have but to be honest I will not call an officer of the Star League a liar.
Do be so good as to to inform your Marian friends that as soon as he or his Ceaser can provide me with a formal polite request I can arrange for the hand over of this world.
But my order's do necessitate a polite request. No more of these nonsensical threat's or grand standing's. We have cleared up this Spirit Cat problem as they have requested and the grimy little Piratical bastard's are going to have to thank us for it.
I can't imagine being clearer then that."
Quote from: Dave Baughman on September 21, 2011, 06:22:51 AM
OOC: I've trimmed most of the OOC discussion out of this thread. Where we stand right now is that the SLDF force (both the mainline SLDF troops and the FS JCA troops operating with them) has landed peacefully, despite their less-than-polite salutations. The Joint Command Authority troops under FWL control have been less than forthcoming in handing over the keys to the planet, leaving matters at an impasse. At which point...
Federated Suns Encampment
Planet Alphard
9 August 3091
Major General Borodin seemed less than thrilled with the Leaguers' response to Lupin's announcement, "General Nostra, I don't suppose you think I am in error when I suspect this is a land grab shamelessly disguised under the Star League colors, do you?"
Boris Nostra, currently wearing the hat of a General in the Star League Defense Force, was also known from time to time to be the saKhan of Clan Nova Cat in Exile. His smirk said a lot even before the words came out, "Oh, Alexi Nikolaievich, perish the thought. Such an act would bring shame and dishonor to the colors we love so dearly."
"Yes, that's what I thought as well," Borodin grumbled, "and something tells me if we bring this to the Council's attention, we'll be in for another course or two of the Red Tape Runaround. By the time they make a decision, I'll be up for retirement."
"Perhaps just as well, you will not have to deal with the final decision, which shall no doubt involve cutting the planet in half and ordering Marik and Caesar to share the resulting asteroid field."
Borodin just shook his head.
A few hours later, a new tight-beam transmission is sent to the FWL command post...
"General, we could go back and forth exchanging witty remarks but I have a mission and I intend to carry it out. My command is here on council authority to return this planet to the Marian Hegemony. As much as your heavy-handed treatment of this world leaves me skeptical, I'm willing to work with you in the interests of expediency if nothing else. However, lets be clear: I want the Marian flag flying over this planet by the end of August and I want Marian representatives running the administration. I didn't come all the way out here to see one set of quislings replaced with another - no matter how much more palatable they are then the last set."
"So here is what I propose: you give this system back to the Marians without a fuss. Go ahead and say it was your idea all along and take the credit; go ahead and couch it in patriotic Free Worlder ra-ra. Even leave behind some of your nominally JCA troops to show the flag, but do not dick me around any more. I'm here to do a job for the council, and its a job I'd rather do with you then against you, but I'm going to do it one way or another."
"Now, I'm not so ignorant to believe that you won't do this without some sort of quid-pro-quo, and we'll discuss any reasonable request from your side, but let me be clear, my deadline is August 31st. If midnight rolls over into September and the Marian flag isn't flying free over this world, we are going to do something to rectify the situation. We'll try to be gentle, but I don't guarantee no one will get hurt."
To the commander of Battle Magic and all mercenary ground forces:
"Sir, I am Hadrian McGary, Vice-President of the Alphard Trading Corporation and currently serving as the Marian Legion's liason officer to the SLDF. First and foremost, please let me thank you on the behalf of the Marian Hegemony for your attempts to aid us in reestablishing the seat of our government. Communications have been extremely difficult, especially as the Spirit Cats targeted our Hyper Pulse Generators on each of the worlds that they invaded. We are still trying to determine the extent of the damage to equipment and loss of personnel. Your confusion as to the disposition of Alphard's government was understandable, even if your initial reaction was unfortunate.
Please understand that ComStar Precentor Lupin is not a part of the Marian government, and does not represent us. However, the news that Caesar's heir, Sulla O'Reilly, is on his way to Alphard, is a welcome message. I would very much like to welcome him home with Alphard under a Marian flag. The Star League Defense Force has several of the Marian Legions present here under its flag, and I assure you those forces will follow Sulla when he arrives.
Therefore, I ask that you please acknowledge the Star League Defense Force that has come here as peacekeepers, at the request of Counselor Oswalt. If you intend to remain, I humbly suggest that it should either be under their command or under a Marian Hegemony contract. As vice-president of ATC, I can offer you some very choice opportunities, especially to a unit of your technical know-how. Caesar's pockets still run very deep. Either of these solutions will permit you to fulfill your current contract and help avoid the kind of tragic confusion that led to the destruction of the planetary militia.
Please, let us resolve this misunderstanding as soon as possible, so I can communicate the speedy resolution of this dispute to Sulla, the Marian people, and our representative on the Star League High Council."
"Well I choose to interpret your meaning Vice-President as when our contract with the Free World's completed you wish to be considered seriously as an employer."
"No serious contender for an Employer of my Battle Magic would ever attempt to convince us to break contract. Correct Mr. Vice-President?"
"Now that being clarified my order's from the Captain-General are clear. You have graciously thanked the Free Worlds League flagged Star Leagued Flagged force's for our assistance in liberating the Marian Hegemony Capital."
"Your question as to command should be directed to the Captain-General or the High Council rather then myself but it is irrelevant as I have no intention of remaining."
"The Captain-General was most put off after he had so quickly responded to Marian request for Succor in the Star League council. Arranging a trial of posession on Atreus and defeating the spirit cat's the source of their withdrawl. Then to have not a word of thanks for the Marian Hegemony."
"It was most curious. But given your loss of your capital and the disruption of your economy that has entailed it is of no consequence. My order's are clear upon the establishment of Marian Governance on Alphard I am authorized to withdraw back to the Free Worlds League."
" I apologize that I will not be able to lead the fight against the Spirit Cat's on Niop's the Captain-General has need of us to deal with the rebellion which has once more flared up."
"Domestic enemy taking precedence you understand.
Oh and Mr. Vice-President I wish you well in holding your capital. Do remind the young Ceaser who won it back for him, and how swiftly we can return if there is a need...as friends, of course."
OOC: In case it is unclear FWL SLDF force's are leaving having secured a statement of Marian Gratitude (In their eye's at least)
Twenty minutes after the meeting...
Alexi Borodin looked like he had a slightly sour stomache but he nodded appreciatively when he caught sight of McGrady, "Mister McGrady, it looks like your discussions have paid off. The Free Worlds troops are getting ready to pull out."
He paused and shook his head, "You know, I was just about ready to kick that smug ass's teeth in, but in the end what you did saved a lot of lives. I know that was probably pretty humiliating to have to kowtow to those League bastards, but at least now they're gone. Why don't you come back to my command post - the Nova Cats have some truly outstanding vodka in stock, the real stuff from Terra. After all, I owe you a drink."