Part 538: State of the Inner Sphere 3035: Part 1

State of the Inner Sphere 3035: Part 1

Heir to the Dragon-Prince

Screams and cries had subsided slowly, a vulnerable silence seemed to fill the space instead. Every small sound seemed loud as Hanse Davion watched his sleeping children. He’d needed a son, but his young wife had done far better. Her eye cracked open as he touched her forehead, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. Sweat still rose from her brow in beads, but her face was peaceful, her smile the most beautiful thing in the Inner Sphere.

She shifted, adjusting the twins in her arms. The nurses would likely be by in a few minutes to claim them, but for now they’d stayed back at Hanse’s request. There had been arguments over names, months before, now nearly forgotten. She hadn’t let him use ‘Victor,’ even though it’d always been his favorite. He’d have liked to have been named Victor, given half the chance, but she thought it’d give their child an inferiority complex. He’d nixed Shiro, even though it would have been a symbolic gesture to the people of the Draconis Combine. Shiro Kurita had conquered sixty worlds to found the Draconis Combine over seven centuries before. She’d insisted it would be symbolic of the nation’s new beginning as the Draconis Suns. He’d been more realistic: the Draconis March would’ve seceded before the ink was dry on the birth certificates.

They’d eventually settled on Ian Yorinaga Kurita-Davion—now Ian Kurita-Davion and Yorinaga Kurita-Davion. The former Combine wouldn’t be openly disturbed by the choices: honoring one’s family was important, after all. And Ian had been born first, by over a minute, so the Draconis Combine might grind their teeth a bit about Yorinaga, but if all went well they’d eventually be swearing their allegiance to Ian.

If all went poorly, there would eventually be civil war. Preventing that—making sure their children grew up in a happy, loving home—would be the ultimate test of Hanse and Janneke’s skill as parents. If the two came to hate each other, all would certainly be lost. Hanse wasn’t about to let that happen.



State of the Inner Sphere: 3035
Draconis Suns
The Draconis Suns is in a relatively good state in 3035. Although the DCMS was badly weakened by the Clan invasion and the fall of Luthien, the AFFS has more than shored up their flagging lines even including the loss of the Capellan March. The AFDS has been able to pull nearly every unit from the former Federated Suns / Draconis Combine border. Duke Sandoval is not pleased with the having his march’s military ‘stripped,’ and has only been placated because the Galedon, Benjamin, and Dieron military districts have likewise been divested of troops along the Draconis March border, maintaining Duke Sandoval’s “local superiority.”

At Janneke Kurita-Brahe’s request, Hanse Davion has also begun the arduous process of integrating AFFS and DCMS units in an attempt to use the common enemy they face—the Clans—to forge them into something more unified. He has also brought numerous DCMS units to shore up the Federated Suns’ border with the rogue Capellan March, and with the “Duchy” of New Syrtis’s war against the Capellan Confederation turning against them, has utilized these units to seize most of the old Terran Hegemony worlds formerly held by the Duchy. The Third Sword of Light now stands ready to defend Kittery, while the Legions of Vega have proven remarkably enthusiastic about adopting Hanse Davion’s military reforms.

Clan Hell’s Horses
Clan Hell’s Horses have been busy in the year since the invasion effectively ended for them. They have pulled over 95% of their “productive” castes: scientists, technicians, merchants, and a significant number of trained laborers out of the Homeworlds alongside the bulk of their touman. Any and every factory that could be moved or broken down for transport has been slowly working its way to the Inner Sphere.

They have already begun production of Clanspec XL Engines on Luthien, and are producing suitable ammunition, endosteel and ferro-fibrous armor on Garstedt, Avon, and Irece. The Hell’s Horses are presently working to bring several other production centers online, and will soon have two of the Luthien Armor Works factories producing Hephaestus tanks, and another producing Stormcrow BattleMechs. The local population is still extremely leery of their conquerors, who have seized all civilian-owned BattleMechs and distributed most businesses among their own merchant classes, effectively funneling most production directly to the state. There have been very few shake-ups however, aside from answering to Clan overseers most businesses have been allowed to operate as they see fit, with the exception of the local planetary Yakuza, whom the Hell’s Horses consider no better than bandits and make regular efforts to exterminate.

Tortuga Dominions
Leadership of the Tortuga Dominions has solidified under Redjack Ryan’s control. The last of the Fusiliers have been rooted out, and it seems there are plenty of distracted targets ripe for the plunder.