Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-One: Strike One
Kennard, November 20th, 3035
"I want those Rampages out of commission!" Carter ordered from her Von Luckner. "That assault lance will tear our lighter elements apart if it manages to get in close."
"Moving to engage, Colonel," came the response of the assault company. "Be advised that we are receiving transmissions from potential allied forces that remain."
"Copy that," Carter replied. "I'll dedicate my comms team to it."
"Can someone please take out those Archers?!" Carter yelled as her Von Luckner's AMS managed to only take out a handful of missiles. "We're going to get shredded out here if we don't take out their supporting elements."
"We've got Mithril on target now ready to initiate TAG, colonel," came the response from Major James Lee the Marksman's infantry CO. "Just waiting for the arty to roll out their party favors."
"Won't have to wait much longer Major, we're firing on the lased targets now."
"Wait one," Major Lee replied. "Good effect, but some of the targets are still standing, hit them again."
"More fun headed your way," the artillery commander responded.
"Enemy fire support is down and out. We're heading in to finish the job, Colonel," Major Lee gave his updated. "Skies should be clear of enemy rain for now."
"Ma'am, I've isolated the transmissions that you asked me to look for," the comms officer relayed to Carter. "Looks like there's still some survivors of Lindon's Battalion here, I'm patching them through now."
"This is Colonel Sarah Lindon, it's good to hear some friendly voices," came the tired voice of the mercenary commander on the encrypted frequencies given to AFFS affiliated mercenaries.
"Good to hear that you're still alive, I'll start shifting some people around to get you some relief," Carter responded. "Your IFFs the same as the last time we worked with you?"
"Haven't needed to change them since we worked with you last," Sarah Lindon replied with a heavy sigh. "You got bunks and repair bays that we can borrow?"
"What's mine is yours Colonel Lindon, the Fedsuns are footing the bill after all," Carter laughed in response. "I'll have a company meet up with you and bring you back to our current FOB."
"Much appreciated Carter, we owe you one," Lindon replied. "Lindon out."
Haynesville, November 25th, 3035
"Aright, we've got two Mammoth's and four Mules to cross check inventory and manifests," David explained to the logistical staff he had borrowed from various units in the Terran March. "We're supposed to be ensuring that all of the regiments in our area remain supported with spares and supplies, we've got jumpships waiting at pirate points for rapid resupply if needed by any of said units," David sucked in some air and looked at the staff. "But first we need to ensure that every item actually made it here, I don't want a single soldier to die because we screwed up and lost their spare ton of missiles or their medium laser." David gave Elsa a side glance. "I'm going to be working right alongside you, so if you have any issues you can come straight to me."
The room remained silent for a minute while they took in the information that they had been given. Then began to disperse as another officer stepped up and began to assign teams to different areas and dropships.
"Why so many supplies?" Elsa asked as David held the door open for her to enter his commandeered office.
"We're not just here to retake the worlds that the WoB took from the Federated Suns," David explained as he sat down behind his computer screen. "We're going to be pushing into the Outworlds Alliance as well." David signed as he took in the critical information. "We had an intelligence source that made it out. She informed us that the people of the Outworlds Alliance are being treated as slave labor and put into camps with horrible conditions. We're going to liberate those people and help them get back on their feet, the civilians we rescue will be our main priority."
"Yet another conquest of the Federated Suns?" Elsa asked. "That's what a great many nations and people will see."
"No, we're going to be leaving after the OWA has set up their own government," David explained. "We're already eating away at supplies intended to go into the Periphery March as is, while we're using this to jump start the industrialization of the Periphery March we're also going to be hurting in the short term for some supplies the other marches might need."
"But long term this will help the Fedsuns, yes?" Elsa asked. "Assuming that the Periphery can start manufacturing their own equipment to fend of pirates and to start exporting"
"Long term predictions put us at twenty years before the Periphery March is really going to be economically viable on a national level," David sighed. "And that's the optimistic predictions where everything goes smoothly. Uncle Hanse is really playing the long game with this one. I've even heard rumors that he's sponsoring a new shipyard to be built."
"Hopefully everything goes well," Elsa said as she stood up. "Should we not get to work now?"
"Yeah, those inventory lists won't generate themselves after all," David snarked.
Kennard, November 26th, 3035
"I'm telling you, we were about to be completely wiped out when an older model Highlander painted in green appeared and began killing the enemy units, making a point for us to break through," Sarah tried to explain. "Literally my entire unit saw it happen, Zoey, the entire unit."
"I believe you Sarah," Carter replied. "It's just a bit hard to process."
"Look, I couldn't make this shit up even if I wanted to," Lindon continued. "I've never laid eyes on that model of Highlander outside of old Tri-Vids, and the ones I've seen in person are all the new builds that Sharpshooter manufactures."
"I just don't know how to put "friendly unit was saved by a ghost Mech" into my report without sounding crazy," Carter tried to explain to her friend. "I'm watching a copy of your battlerom and I'm having trouble believing it."
"I'm just glad the standard cameras picked it up at all," Sarah sighed. "I know that my whole unit sounds crazy, but all of the evidence is pretty consistent. I'm fairly certain that we were rescued by Great Gaffa's Ghost."
"I'll write it up for the debrief, but I'm still on the fence, Sarah," Carter responded. "We'll see what the MRB and AFFS think, it's their opinion that matters more anyway."