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[NOTE: what follows is a one-off work of fiction for a proposed 3048 invasion of the Capellan Confederation by a member of the St. Ives Military Command. I have researched this as well as I can, given the materials available. The book Objective Raids and the Sarna wiki were used heavily. All maps are based off the one posted by Piranha.]
Colonel Caroline Seng
CO 1st St. Ives Lancers
St. Ives
THE ST. IVES COMPACT DEFENSE REVIEW OF 3048
Colonel Seng,
Per your request, I have prepared the following summary for your review. If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
As of this writing, the St. Ives Compact is in an enviable position, relative to the Capellan Confederation. We have been fortunate to avoid many of the ills that have befallen our former compatriots; the post-war austerity, the scramble to remilitarize with limited resources and a sweeping frontier with dozens of worlds standing naked against a massive foreign threat. We are fortunate that we may view as an ally the very same entity the Capellan view as their gravest threat: the nascent Federated Commonwealth. We should be cautious, however, and not become too overconfident: that very same ally becomes a threat when viewed from afar.
The Federated Suns will doubtlessly continue our cordial relations: that is not in question. The danger instead comes from the capitals of Atreus, Rasalhague, and Luthien. When fully realized, the Federated Commonwealth will represent the single largest star faring power since the end of the Star League. It will border every great house and many periphery states. In short it represents power and consolidation, an anathema to the status quo and therefore a threat to all others.
It seems inevitable that this development will in turn be met by a counter-balance: houses Kurita, Marik and Liao will in some form ban together to combat this threat. While I have no doubt that St. Ives is the last thing on the minds of Takashi Kurita and Thomas Marik, we are as low hanging fruit to Romano Liao; in the event of a fifth Succession War which sees the Federated Commonwealth fight against this grand alliance we may find ourselves in a battle for survival against the Capellan Confederation without the aid of Federated Commonwealth forces.
Even without such a crisis, the threat the Federated Commonwealth represents to the other great houses is not diminished. At the very least we can expect increased goodwill between these new bedfellows, which could result in arms deals, trade agreements and any number of other arrangements which benefit Romano Liao's regime. We could see the Capellan Confederation rebuild militarily at an alarming rate and move against us more quickly than anticipated in 3030.
It is my sincere hope that the documentation within be considered carefully and that the actions within, while hopefully unnecessary, will prove useful if circumstances become exacerbated by rapidly changing foreign affairs.
Commander Hayden
Training Battalion, St. Ives Academy
Map of the St. Ives Compact 3048
This map was prepared by member of my staff, it represents an overview of the situation and, as a reference, some historical information on worlds formerly held by the earlier St. Ives Mercantile League and the St. Ives Commonality. As you can see, we have no room for maneuver territoriality: any future expansion must come at the cost of the Capellan Confederation or Federated Commonwealth.
Orders of Battle (OOB)
This first section details the available units for the St. Ives Military Command (SIMC), including coalition units at SIMC disposal. Additionally coalition Federated Commonwealth units are at our disposal, though there is insufficient information available, usually these consist of no more than two or three green regiments.
St. Ives Armored Cavalry (SIAC)-6 Regiments, 1 Battalion
1st St. Ives Lancers-Veteran-Reliable
2nd St. Ives Lancers-Veteran-Reliable
St. Ives Cheveau Legers- Veteran-Reliable
Raymond’s Armored Infantry-Regular-Reliable
Aliesha’s Mounted Fusilieres-Regular-Reliable
Blackwind Lancers-Regular-Reliable
SIA Training Group Battalion-Green-Questionable
Our intelligence places the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF) at about three times our number: 28 regiments and 2 battalions, ranging in size from rump periphery forces to the massive McCarron’s Armored Cavalry (it alone is nearly the size of SIAC). Furthermore, it is believed that many of the surviving elements of the CCAF are of superior loyalty, though experience is mixed, given the heavy losses sustained by Capellan forces during Operation: Rat. At this point we enjoy an important technical edge over the CCAF, perhaps our greatest advantage and one that will begin to fade rapidly if détente between houses Liao and Marik develops further. It is with this in mind that I propose the following: an armed intervention against the Capellan Confederation before they can move against us. What follows is an overview of what I call "Operation Frontier"
OPERATION: FRONTIER
Objective: Operation Frontier is a long-term answer to the question of continued co-existence between the St. Ives Compact and the Capellan Confederation. The objective is to neutralize the Capellan Confederation as a meaningful threat to the continued existence of St. Ives, and even outright reunification under the St. Ives government would be desirable, though not an expectation.
Primary Objectives:
-Gaining the Ares system, which is host to a Bergen Industries ‘mech plant. This plant is critical to the long-term success of St. Ives, as it would provide the means for domestic light ‘mech production.
-Capturing the Necromo system to deny the Capellan confederation easy access to the capital planet of St. Ives.
Secondary Objectives:
-Gain in other border worlds to reduce the CCAF’s ability to launch counter attacks, especially those in the path of Sian (Hexare and Glasgow are critical).
Tertiary Objectives:
-Disruption of Capellan remilitarization.
-Capture of several border worlds, allowing for the possibility to strike at the Capitol of Sian in future operations.
-The capture of Sian, Capella; both of which have large industries and are within two jump points of our border wolrds.
Map of Operation: Frontier
Summary:
The Bergen ‘mech plant is the first destination on the long road to reunification. Currently domestic ‘mech production is limited to Victors and Blackjacks, which are more than serviceable, but rather expensive to produce; the lack of light ‘mechs especially limits the versatility of our forces and ties us down to dependency upon the Federated Commonwealth. The capture of these facilities will allow us to increase our rate of production, helping us to replace losses or field additional units.
While securing Ares, it will also be critical to begin solidifying our holdings elsewhere; literally half of our worlds are within one jump of the Capellan Border, including St. Ives itself. By moving to capture Necromo we can take St. Ives off the front lines. Additionally, the capture of Glasgow, Hexare and worlds like Overton and Harloc will deter enemy incursion, and if our victory is resounding, we may win some defections. It is known that the Policies of Chancellor Romano Liao border on criminal, and if conditions in the Confederation are as bad as rumored, both civilians and members of the military may welcome us as liberators.
Map of Operation: Frontier - Desired Outcomes
Colonel Seng,
In closing I realize that Operation: Frontier has little chance of success, but mark my words: the time to strike was 18 years ago. With every day that passes, the Capellan threat grows, and while St. Ives has been emphasizing a strategy of defense, that defense will not prevent the inevitable invasion that will surely come once Romano Liao and her forces are ready. I thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Commander Hayden
Training Battalion, St. Ives Academy
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[ED: I decided to leave the story as is after all. The following pages will be left as-is, but know that the story started and stopped with OP]
Edited by Hayden, 16 December 2011 - 07:54 AM.
