Admiral Ramesh Singh of the Lackhove Auxiliary Aerospace Flotilla waited anxiously for the enemy to arrive from the Nadir Jump Point. He had been given orders to do everything in his power necessary to halt the invaders in orbit by Baroness El-Fadil. The Ruler of Lackhove had intimated that her advisors had told her that should the enemy make Landfall, the remaining Auxiliary Battalions would be unable to stave off defeat. Currently, the state of the Lackhove Auxiliary Battalions was not the best. Their most ready Batallions, the First and Second Lackhove Auxiliary Battalions, had been shipped off to Gotterdamerung where they had been pretty soundly thrashed and the remnants had been captured. While the remaining four Battalions were still in place on Lackhove, their quality was less than the ones that had been lost on Gotterdamerung, with two being green units.
If Admiral Singh was unable to stop the incoming enemy Fleet, the Baroness would be forced to surrender as a matter of course. Unfortunately, Admiral Singh could see just from looking at the tactical monitor on his Flagship, the Intruder-class Dropship Cunning Hare that he would be unable to stop the enemy from defeating his Flotilla and making landfall. It didn't help that the single, ancient, Excalibur-class Dropship that Lackhove's Flotilla maintained, the Desert Lion, had been used to help Ferry the First and Second Auxiliary Battalions to Gotterdamerung, along with the battered Fortress-class Rock of Lackhove, and the Tramp-class JumpShip Pack Mule. The two dropships and the JumpShip had been reported as captured along with the Valhalla City Spaceport and left him with fewer Dropships than the Flotilla would normally have to defend Lackhove.
Instead, he was making do with one Achilles-class Assault Dropship, two Leopard CV-class Fighter Carrier Dropships, and one Union-class Dropship in addition to the Cunning Hare. Five Dropships and one Wing of Aerospace Fighters to face off against an entire enemy Flotilla. The Baroness had pre-emptively ordered that the remaining two JumpShips, the Invader-class JumpShips Dhow and Mount Elbrus be docked at the Lackhove Spaceport. Their light armament would not sway the battle one way or another, and the Baroness wanted no chances taken with the remaining JumpShips that might see them caught in the crossfire.
Aside from Dropships, Admiral Singh had one Wing of Fifty-Four Aerospace Fighters, mixed between Lightning and Corsair Medium Fighters. As well, the small Lackhove Orbital Transit Station could lend its Point Defense Autocannons and trio of Twin Large Laser Turrets to the defense, though the armament was meant more to discourage pirate raids than a formalized military assault. It was unfortunate, but it was what he had. They didn't have time for anything else, even hiring a mercenary Aerospace Wing would have taken far longer than they had. News moved slowly out on the Periphery, and by the time word had arrived of their losses on Gotterdamerung, the enemy was practically at their gates.
"Admiral, it looks like the enemy is sending out aerospace fighters." Advised one of his staff, Lieutenant Jamison.
"All right, have Wing Commander Kazanova Launch ours. It seems we have run out of time even sooner than I had expected. And tell Captain MacCulloch to pull the Aden to the right of our formation. It's our only Assault Dropship and I want it ready to make a run on the enemy flank if an opening presents itself." Ordered Admiral Singh.
As Lieutenant Jamison hurried to carry out his orders, Admiral Ramesh Singh kept his eyes glued to the tactical monitor, hoping that somehow, some way, he could pull this off. . .
XXXX
Wing Commander Katya Kazanova poured on the speed from behind the cockpit of her Outworlds Alliance-built Lightning Medium Aerospace Fighter. She'd studied the reports of what had happened at Gotterdamerung and made sure her Squadron Leaders had done the same. They all knew the kind of range advantage that the Enemy Fighters had over them and had tried to come up with a tactic to counter it. Unfortunately, both the Lightning and the Corsair were geared toward short-ranged dogfights, which made that process pretty difficult. The only saving grace here was the Lightning's impressive speed and handling. With that in mind, they had come up with this tactic.
The Corsairs would draw the enemy's fire while the Lightnings would race through the small asteroid belt in the Lackhove System at their best possible speed and attempt to surprise the enemy with a flank attack. The Corsairs would be kicked around while the Lightnings attempted this, but some Fighters surviving was better than none, especially as this plan had a slight chance to eke out a victory. Wing Commander Kazanova just hoped that there would be some Corsairs left flying by the time she could actually spring her ambush. As she poured on more speed, janking around a truck-sized, ferro-nickel asteroid as she did so, she could hear over the comms that her hope might well be in vain.
"Damn it! Al-Wazir just took a hit! His Squadron's basically gone!" Came the voice of Squadron Commander Irina Kosov, the Commander of First Squadron, First Corsair Group.
"Flight Lieutenant Gupta's Corsair just took some kind of hit to the fuel tank! I'm taking brevet command of Second Squadron, Second Corsairs." Called out Stephen Baird, formerly a Flight Lieutenant, now acting as Brevet Squadron Commander.
"I'm hit!" Shouted the pained voice of Amina Kaur, a Flight Lieutenant with Third Squadron, Second Corsairs, just before cutting out.
Wing Commander Katya Kazanova couldn't handle it, the Corsairs were getting slaughtered from well outside their effective engagement range. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to for much longer. As she pulled up and over an Asteroid that was mostly rock and water ice, her single group of Lightnings cleared the asteroid field and she sighted down on the nearest enemy fighter. It was some kind of Heavy, Delta-shaped ASF of a Kind that Katya hadn't seen before. She painted the target and let loose with a burst from her Lightning's Heavy Autocannon. Somehow the enemy Fighter managed to soak the short burst that would have disabled most other fighters and forced Katya to use her Medium Lasers to finish it off as she went roaring past, pouring on speed to hopefully avoid the counterattack from the Enemy's Wingmate.
All along the flank, similar stories played out, with Autocannon rounds that would ordinarily destroy a craft of that size and classification failing to do the job. Unlike Katya, however, many of her group didn't manage to hit them with their Medium lasers to finish the job, and those that did seldom managed to avoid retaliation. As Katya rocketed away, she counted her losses versus the enemy's. Her surprise attack had claimed a full squadron of enemy fighters destroyed and half another squadron damaged to varying extents. Unfortunately, her own Group was now down to just a single combat-effective squadron.
"Their skin was just too tough to pierce." She muttered.
"Wing Commander, what do we do? Do we swing around for another pass?" Questioned Squadron Commander Emil Karkarov.
"Nyet, we are pulling back to the Transit Station. Perhaps the guns of the station will equalize things." Intoned Katya.
It would prove to be a faint hope at best. . .
XXXX
Commodore Emma Clarke of the First Baronial Guards Flotilla frowned at the surprise attack that had been pulled off by the enemy squadron. While it was true, that most of the pilots of the destroyed Vulcans had managed to eject and were even now being brought aboard the Tramp-class JumpShip Vanamoinen to be looked over by medical personnel, and that they had the Vulcans in storage to replace the lost Fighters, the fact that it had worked at all, even to the extent it had was a troubling sign. It meant that there were circumstances where technical advantages could be nullified with skill and the right battlefield conditions. While this wasn't news, to take advantage of that fact in the short window of time that the Enemy had meant that the enemy Fighter Commander was quite the improvisational tactician.
"I wouldn't mind meeting them if they survived." Mused Commodore Clarke.
"Commodore, we've managed to box in the remaining enemy Dropships against the Station." Informed Lieutenant Heidi Preisinger, her sensor officer on the bridge of the Pentagon-class Dropship Szabla.
"Offer their Admiral the pre-arranged terms of surrender. He has to know that he won't be able to win this now with just the one Leopard CV, the Excalibur, and the Union. He's outnumbered five to one in Dropships alone and the Fighter Situation is even more lopsided. Even with that station, he has to know he can't win." Ordered Commodore Clarke. She'd managed to maneuver her Dropships early on to slice off the other Leopard CV and the Achilles from the rest of the Enemy Flotilla, where they were pounded to scrap under the guns of three Triumph-class Dropships led by the Titan-class Dropship Crom Cruach.
"Aye Commodore, transmitting terms now." Nodded Chief Petty Officer Eric O'Driscoll, the communications officer aboard the Szabla.
Commodore Clarke waited for a few, long, moments, amusing herself by mentally plotting firing solutions on the various remaining enemy Dropships. For five minutes, she received no response while Lieutenant Preisinger informed her that a flurry of tight-beam communications was being exchanged between the Enemy Excalibur, the Station, and the Planet below. For a moment, Commodore Clarke thought she might be forced to resume combat and wipe them all out before Lieutenant Preisinger informed her that she was patching through a transmission from the Planet Below. An Older, Accented, Female Voice with an aristocratic tinge to it spoke up.
"This is Baroness Fatima El-Fadil, Sovereign of Lackhove. I formally surrender this world to the custody of the Baronial Guards of New Ålborg. Admiral Singh should be transmitting the Fleet's Surrender as we speak." Came the Voice.
"On behalf of Baron Jozef Poniatowski, I, Commodore Emma Clarke of the First Baronial Guards Flotilla, accept your surrender." Commed Back Commodore Clarke.
"Excellent, now I must ask. My son, Major Haroun El-Fadil, was on Gotterdamerung, commanding the Auxiliary Battalions there. I must ask if you know what happened to him?" Questioned Baroness El-Fadil over the comms channel.
"Major Haroun acquitted himself with honor and is currently receiving medical treatment on Gotterdamerung along with the remnants of the Auxiliary Battalions we took prisoner. I believe Baron Poniatowski is hosting him and his remaining officers as his guests." Informed Commodore Clarke.
"Thank Allah for small mercies." Sighed Baroness El-Fadil. Soon after she spoke, the Lackhove Fleet's surrender was transmitted.
And with that, Lackhove was captured. . .
XXXX
Meanwhile, General Arne Jorgensen had been stalled outside Elysium, the primary settlement on Koskenkorva by the need to clear miles of minefields that the Paranoid Archon Petros Konstantinos of Koskenkorva had fortified the capital with. Anti-Battlemech mines were mixed in layers with Anti-Vehicle Mines and Anti-Personel mines. Fortunately, they had only lost a pair of Dragoons to the minefield along with two LTV-Four Hovertanks and a Hipparch before they'd gotten the message. It was still the largest single loss of men and material in the whole campaign. Even the battle of Neo-Ithaka, where the bulk of the Archon's forces had been thrown at them had only resulted in a few damaged Dragoons and crippled Combat Vehicles. Outright destruction was rare.
Of course, General Jorgensen realized that this was bound to happen after the absolute pasting that they'd given the Archon's regular forces at Neo-Ithaka. Combat Vehicles, mechanized infantry, and a single company of Light Battlemechs that had been scraped up from various periphery battlefields and arms deals hadn't exactly been the most difficult foe to destroy, not with the Third Baronial Guards Regiment at his disposal. Honestly, Colonel Kadlec likely could have handled the fighting on his own, but General Jorgensen had been slightly selfish, wanting to actually pilot his Rampage in Battle. He'd destroyed four of the enemy Battlemechs on his own and shared the credit for the kill of a fifth with Colonel Kadlec.
Only a single Battlemech, a heavily customized Commando, had managed to escape the pounding that he'd given them at Neo-Ithaka, along with the ragged scraps of a battalion of Combat Vehicles and a few mauled companies of Mechanized Infantry. They'd withdrawn back to Elysium and General Jorgensen had assumed that the campaign was basically over. He'd been wrong, as the minefields destroying his scout elements had clearly proven. General Jorgenson had settled for taking Elysium under siege, bombarding the City with Artillery, LRM strikes, and the occasional air raid, while combat engineers attached to his Infantry cleared the mines meter by meter.
It had been almost a standard month since the start of the Battle of Koskenkorva and Major Gronkowski's engineering complement had assured him that they would finally have finished clearing a path through the minefield by the end of the day that could be used to assault the city. It was about time that they made progress. The K-Series Black Box Transmitter that they carried with them for coordination purposes had already let General Jorgensen know that he was the last prong of the three-pronged assault still engaged in active combat operations. Lackhove had surrendered thirty-six standard hours ago. He was now desperate to make progress.
As the hours ticked on, unbeknownst to General Jorgensen, progress would be made from the unlikeliest of sources. . .
XXXX
The Citadel of Elysium was a declawed tiger. Ever since the siege had begun and the few, casemated, Long Tom artillery pieces had first opened up on the enemy forces only to be silenced by enemy artillery, LRM Strikes, and Air Raids, the Citadel had proven to be unable to do more than coordinate troops trapped within the City. Penelope Konstantinos, daughter of Archon Petros Konstantinos of Koskenkorva did not enjoy that fact. Furthermore, the Citadel was slowly turning into a tomb for her and her father both. The siege had cut supplies from the outlying farming complexes, which meant a food shortage for the average citizen. While the Citadel and Army had stockpiles, it was only a matter of time before the Militia that her father had ordered to remain at their posts revolted. The average citizen could only take the sight of their loved ones wasting away from cut-down rations for so long before they rebelled, after all.
It was just unfortunate that her father refused to see it. Petros Konstantinos had grown increasingly unhinged since the Battle of Neo-Ithaka resulted in the death of her brother, the Archon-Designate Leeandros Konstantinos, in battle. It hadn't helped her father's mental state that he had turned and run instead of doing something useful while her brother had been killed. The smart move at this point would be to offer terms while he still had some semblance of an army to bargain with. One battalion of savaged Regular Forces and Two of poorly equipped and mutinous Militia made for a poor force, but it was still a force to be reckoned with. It would not outlast a Militia Revolt, though, nor would it outlast an assault on the City.
Her father refused to countenance any such move, though. That was why Penelope was currently hatching a plan with Major Kontos, the highest-ranking remaining Regular Officer among her father's forces, and Lieutenant Colonel Gataki of the Koskenkorva Militia. The aim of the plan was simple. Forcibly depose her father under the provisions for mental breakdowns of the Archon laid out in the Succession Laws, and empower Penelope as Archon-Regent, giving her the ability to negotiate a surrender with the Commander of the New Ålborg Forces on the Planet.
If they could pull it off, they just might have a chance to come out of this with House Konstantinos still in control of Koskenkorva, albeit reduced to being a vassal of House Poniatowski. More importantly, it would spare Koskenkorva any further destruction and allow food shipments to return to Elysium, forestalling any revolts based on hunger. With luck, they might even be able to finagle financial assistance from their new liege lord in rebuilding Koskenkorva from the assault. All of that, however, was contingent on the plan succeeding.
"Are you certain that my Father's Guards will be able to be suborned?" Questioned Penelope.
"I have Lieutenants Argyros and Doukas scheduled for his bodyguard rotation at the time of the coup. Neither will die for your father, not with their wives in Neo-Ithaka and caught up in the New Ålborg Occupation. If they have any hope of seeing them again, they know that negotiating surrender while we still can is their best option." Responded Major Kontos.
"Which just leaves the Militia. Can your men get a message out to the enemy camp?" Queried Penelope.
"One of my Scouts, Nico Kostas knows a route through the sewer tunnels that he used to use during his days as a smuggler. I am confident we can get your terms to the enemy before they can clear a path through the minefield and assault the City." Nodded Lieutenant Colonel Gataki.
"Very good. Then in one hour, we strike. Everyone involved knows the plan?" Asked Penelope. That got a round of nods.
"Then I suppose all that's left is to put it into action and hope it goes well." Dismissed Penelope. With that, the die was cast.
In one hour, the fate of Koskenkorva would be decided. . .
XXXX
Archon Petros Konstantinos paced in his study. The Barbarian Invaders would be here soon, he knew it. They'd slain his beloved son, taken the bulk of his world from him, and even placed his very city under siege! The Jewel of Koskenkorva was even running low on food supplies because of the Barbarian Invaders' sheer unmitigated gall! He knew the populace was growing mutinous over the cut-down rations, but that was because they lacked vision! If only they could see that their rations had to be cut to preserve the Army's fighting strength! They would thank him when the Barbarian Invaders came crashing through the minefield expecting to find a withered force on the brink of starvation, only to be confronted with the stalwart defenders of Elysium! They would realize how right he was to cut their rations then!
If only the Militia he had called up weren't infiltrated by treasonous scum, they might even have sallied forth to break the Barbarians while they were still clearing the minefields. Oh yes, he had heard the treacherous grumblings of members of the Militia. There would be a reckoning with them soon enough. He just had to take care of the Barbarians and their Invasion first. Once that was done, he would purge all the traitors in the Militia with such force that even the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine would be taking notes! Then all would know that his word was law and beyond contestation!
It was as he was pacing back and forth, entertaining notions of his inevitable glorious victory over the Invading Barbarians and the purging of traitors that would follow, that Major Kontos of the Army arrived, alongside his Daughter Penelope and her bodyguards. Yes, Petros thought, that had proven to be the correct decision. After all, he had already lost one child to the Barbarians, the risk of losing another was not to be countenanced. He was satisfied that he had made the correct call there, as he had done dozens of times before.
"What news?" He questioned.
"Father, you are not well. I think brother's death broke you." Began Penelope.
"What? What nonsense are you speaking, daughter? I have done nothing but act correctly this whole time?" Frowned Petros, confused.
"It is true, Your Grace. Ever since the Battle of Neo-Ithaka, you have been cooped up in your study, doing nothing but stew in your own head." Frowned Major Kontos.
"No, no, no. This is all wrong. You are not supposed to turn against me. it was the militia that was filled with traitors in need of purging, not my own General Staff, not my Daughter!" Snarled Petros.
"Pursuant to the Competency Laws of the House of Konstantinos, I am hereby stripping you of your position as Archon until such time as you can be restored to sound mind and body." Intoned Penelope.
"No! No, you can't! Men, seize them! Obey your Archon!" Demanded Petros.
Unfortunately for him, his bodyguards simply stepped aside. His daughter's bodyguards moved to restrain him, as did Major Kontos. This would not be tolerated! He was the Archon, him! He would kill these traitors himself if he had to! Petros reached for the auto pistol holstered at his belt. The chromed finish of the customized Mauser and Grey Service Pistol cleared the leather and Petros squeezed off a pair of shots at the advancing traitors! One managed to hit one of his Daughter's traitorous bodyguards in the face, boring through his brain and killing him instantly in a death that was far too quick for a traitor such as him. The second shot was off-target and wound up hitting the other treacherous bodyguard in the body armor, sending him to the floor, but not killing him.
"I will kill you all myself if I must! Death to all traitors!" Spat Petros, sighting down on Major Kontos with his auto pistol.
Before he could squeeze the trigger, however, he felt a sharp pinch in his shoulder and suddenly felt a wave of heaviness overcome him, making him unsteady on his feet. He reached over with one hand to pluck out a small syringe-like dart from his right shoulder, looking at it with an uncomprehending gaze. He fell to one knee as the wave of heaviness became too much, then collapsed onto the floor. As his breathing started to slow, Petros noticed that the edges of his vision were starting to go black, as a wave of drowsiness added its pull to the heaviness that had already sent him to the floor.
The last thing that Archon Petros Konstantinos saw before he slipped into unconsciousness was his daughter holstering a dart pistol, having shot him from behind. . .
XXXX
The Last of the Mines were being cleared as General Jorgensen put the finishing touches on the assault plan to finally end this campaign to take control of Koskenkorva. He was satisfied that he would be able to seize Elysium with minimal continued damage to the City, though he was aware that the enemy had at least three Battalions left in the City, though the bulk of them were Militia and thus, likely less than enthused about fighting and dying against a superior opponent. His plan was hinging on that and the weakened state of Elysium after the reported food shortages to be able to take the City with speed.
He and his staff were preparing to execute said plan when Captain Krieger of the Jump Infantry Company entered escorting a thin-looking man wearing the olive drab field dress and Light Ballistic Vest of the Koskenkorva Militia. The man had a ratty goatee and a simple, two-way radio set slung at his hip. Naturally, he had been disarmed of his weapon, though it was unlikely the Bolt-Action or Semi-Auto Rifles in use by the Koskenkorva Militia would be of much help to the man here in their main base. At least three laser rifles would be trained on him at all times, and that Light Vest he was wearing would do nothing against laser fire.
"Captain? What do you have there?" Questioned General Jorgensen.
"Looks like you pulled an enemy Militiaman out of the sewers," Colonel Kadlec frowned.
"Smells like it too." Replied Major McGuire, scrunching her nose at the smell.
"He claims to have a message from the Archon-Regent. Apparently, she wants to talk terms of surrender and if you're interested, to use the radio to negotiate." Informed Captain Krieger.
"I think you'd better start at the beginning. Last intel has Archon Petros Konstantinos still in complete, albeit shaky, control." Insisted Major Dutka, lighting up one of her ever-present cigarettes.
"My name is Corporal Nico Kostas, and everything I've told the Captain is one hundred percent true. As of an hour ago, Archon-Regent Penelope Konstantinos has deposed Archon Petros Konstantinos with the aid of the Army and Militia of Koskenkorva under the provisions stated in case a sitting Archon is no longer in their right mind. She wishes to discuss the terms of her conditional surrender, and that of Koskenkorva with it." Nodded the Militiaman.
"Is that so? Why should we simply not assault Elysium and take it from her without negotiating?" Questioned Major Gronkowski.
"You could, but the Army is not as weakened by Hunger as you might think. They had enough stored preserved food to last them through the siege, even if the average citizen had their rations cut to help feed the extra draw on those stockpiles from the Militia. You'll be facing the equivalent of a regiment of troops in urban combat. You'll probably win, it'll cost you, and the City will be wrecked, but why risk it?" Shrugged the Militiaman.
"Very well. Give me the radio." Nodded General Jorgensen.
Three hours of negotiating later, Koskenkorva officially surrendered. Penelope Konstantinos was named Baroness of Koskenkorva, though she would owe fealty to the House of Poniatowski, after consultation with Baron Jozef Poniatowski via K-Class Transmitter. The siege would be lifted, prisoners would be exchanged, and the Baron promised monetary aid in rebuilding Koskenkorva. Effectively, however, Koskenkorva was now a province of the Free Barony of New Ålborg. It was the last piece of the puzzle necessary to wrap up this whole affair. Approximately one month after it started, Morgraine's war was over.
It ended in an overwhelming victory for New Ålborg and House Poniatowski. . .
XXXX
AN: This was a brief rundown of the other two major engagements of Morgraine's War. As expected, the war was a major victory for Jozef and his people. He's gained three new planets, though of them, only Gotterdamerung is free to have a noble house elevated to the position of Governorship from among Jozef's Supporters. The House of El-Fadil retains control of Lackhove, and the House of Konstantinos will retain control of Koskenkorva, though both will now be taking orders from Jozef and the House of Poniatowski. Still, it's a major win that not only added population and economic power to the Free Barony of New Ålborg but also established a bit of a reputation for Jozef, at least the start of one anyway.
Now he just has to keep hold of everything he's won in the face of an angry Redjack Ryan or schemes from the Draconis Combine and Oberon Confederation. One of those is going to be a lot easier than the others. While Redjack Ryan can give ultimatums and move Butte Hold to a War Footing if those Ultimatums are rejected, he's ultimately just another military target that is ill-equipped to defeat Jozef. Hendrik Grimm and the Dracs meanwhile are more capable of subterfuge and can use that to get what they want out of Jozef. That's to say nothing of any other powers that might want to snoop around.
At any rate, the next chapter will involve embassies from the Lyrans and Dracs, then we'll get Redjack Ryan's Ultimatum.
Stay tuned. . .