Yes, this is CASE, or Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment, however, I will preface this by saying that it is not complete yet," Arthur walked up and slapped the front of one of them, "Though I have the electronics, pressure sensors, latch mechanism, and other small components figured out, I am lacking the Ferro Fibrous armor that the Star League used to make these things worth carrying around. So until I get that, these will remain prototypes for testing and evaluation purposes."
"The first uses standard steel construction throughout with standard armor plating, but it weighs two tons. It is functional, but I'd rather spend two tons on additional armor for the side torsos to protect that ammunition than this," The scientist walked over from the first CASE and toward the second, which looked a touch bulkier but nothing that would take up an extra internal slot in a 'Mech, "The second uses Andian foam construction and standard armor plating, but weighs just one ton; still too heavy for my taste. The Star League-era CASE system weighed a half-ton, and once we get Ferro Fibrous armor I am certain that if we combined Andian foam and the Ferro Fibrous then we can have CASE for a measly quarter-ton."
"And that big boy over there?" Arthur placed his hands on his hips and jerked his head over to the largest of the three displays, "That's my prototype for integrated CASE in a Battlemech. The center, left, right, torsos, and legs of every 'Mech that Corean Enterprises will produce in the future will have these, though that is at least five to ten years off- sooner if we can get Ferro Fibrous armor off of the ground."
Hanse felt his mouth go dry.
The Federated Suns had a love affairwith Autocannons and Missile systems, and why wouldn't they? They were (mostly) reliable, had excellent range, had good effects on target, and when it came to heat management ballistic and missile weaponry were very low on the heat scale. Even a 'Mech equipped with the ten standard single heatsinks could fire their whole complement of weaponry without running into the problems that came with overheating the machine. It also helped that the Federated Suns had a plethora of manufacturers to choose from who all produced Autocannons and Missile systems.
One of the biggest drawbacks of a 'Mech or combat vehicle equipped with this weaponry, outside of being limited to shorter engagements due to the limited amount of ammunition that could be carried on board, was the inevitability of ammunition explosions. Combat naturally wore down a 'Mech's armor plating, and as the 'Mech's torso was the largest target, it was the area most aimed for; and it was consequentially where most 'Mechs stored the ammunition for their weapon systems. Sometimes a lucky shot, affectionately known to Mechwarriors and vehicle crewmen as a 'Golden BB', would penetrate the plating and strike something critical even if the armor was in good condition.
Hanse still had nightmares from the simulators during his training days based on scenarios such as that!
Even if the training pods couldn't fullysimulate the experience of being inside the cockpit of a 'Mech as its ammunition stores cooked off beneath his ass... the loud 'snaps' and 'pops'accompanied by the bone-shaking vibrations were horrifying to experience. If you were lucky the ammunition cooked off sequentially, which gave you a few precious seconds to jettison the remainder of your ammunition, but if you weren't? Well, if you didn't eject in time then you were a dead man.
There was a reason why the 'Dump Ammo' buttons in the cockpit of 'Dana', Hanse's Battlemaster-1Gc, were all enlarged and painted frustratingly obnoxious colors. If an ammunition explosion was detected, and he'd feel it, then he wanted to be able to slap the love of God out of them; his 'Mech had three tons of ammunition for his SRMs and machineguns, and that was a lot of combustible ordnance to be sitting on top of.
So the thought of one day having CASE in all of the appropriate machines in the Federated Suns that needed it, of which there were many, just warmed Hanse Davion's heart.
Even if the inclusion didn't directly enhance the durability of the machine, the chances of successfully salvaging a 'Mech with CASE were more than 300% higher for the AFFS than those without it. Keeping the Metal intact was paramount for any military organization, and the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns was no different.
"Annnnndddd we're moving right along!" Arthur darted away again, and Hanse followed in his wake, his mind spinning.
"Ardan?"
"Yes, My Prince?"
"Cancel the rest of my meetings today. We're going to be eating dinner here tonight because I think I'm going to need more time to digest everything that Arthur here is dumping onto my plate."
"And this is the newest method we've created to make a new armor glass for vehicles and 'Mechs," Arthur Corean allowed Yuri to step forward and tell Hanse and Ardan about this new advancement, "It's called the Henan Crystal Growth process... named for our Father and Mother, Henry and Anabelle Corean. Father wanted to create a newer, stronger armor glass so that our mother could better enjoy her favorite pastime- star gazing from orbit."
The young man went silent, and his elder brother rested a comforting hand on Yuri's shoulder before taking over.
"Instead of laminating the layers of crystal and ferrous materials together, we're growing them as one contiguous piece. Really, what inspired me was one of those 'Grow Your Own Crystal'science kits that my elder sister got me for my birthday when I was like five. The concept enamored me, so while it is still in prototyping, the results are promising! 25% more durable for the same weight, which should ameliorate some of the largest problems certain 'Mechs like the Battlemaster have with their enlarged glass cockpits. It means we can grow the cockpit glass into the shape that's needed by altering the electrical and magnetic currents in the suspension fluid."
"Because we can control the growth to an incredibly fine degree, we can make use of the auto-polarizing crystals made by Lordran Chemicals here on New Avalon. This allows us to reduce bright lights without the need for an active controller, so infantry equipped with strobe lights and dazzlers can't disorient a pilot."
Arthur displayed this by picking up a powerful hand-held strobe light and pointing it at a display piece of the glass, which sat next to a sheet of a competitor's Ferroglass; something to note was that the competition's sheet was connected to a small box with leads running between them.
Both panes of armored glass darkened, but while the Henan glass only darkened where the bright light was focused, the entire sheet of the competition darkened. Once the light was switched off, the Henan glass immediately began to lose its opacity while the other glass took a few moments to once more become clear.
"If they somehow manage to figure out that it auto-polarizes and bring a powerful enough spotlight to try and black out a pilot's cockpit entirely? Well, apply a little bit of current and you can control the polarization manually with a little nob. However, I doubt that will happen, but it only costs us a hundred or so Pounds to have some hair-thin wires grown into the glass, and the electronics can be picked up from a hobbyist store in the city, so it isn't like it costs us an arm and a leg!"
"I'm sure you know what these are, correct?" Arthur looked as smug as any man could be as he patted the armor casings of a quartet of weapons placed on mobile heavy equipment dollies.
Despite seeing that they were all not connected to any power source Hanse made sure to stand well clear of the business ends of the weapons.
"They're a PPC, an 8cm, 5cm, and 3cm laser," Ardan replied drolly, though it was more out of exhaustion than anything else, "Respectively."
"Indeed you are correct! The PPC is based on the license we have with Rand, the Large Laser is from IWW, the Medium is from Martel, and the Small is a Magna model," The Scientist grinned as Yuri giggled in a fashion that was unbecoming of a young man, but despite being a weary soul Hanse couldn't help but smile along with him, "However, the true magic with these weapons, among many others which aren't on display, lies 'beneath the hood', so to speak."
He cracked open the casing on the Rand Corp. PPC, the latches clacking as they fell back and smacked against the armored shell of the weapon.
Hanse and Ardan immediately stepped forward and began to examine the internals.
"This looks custom," His Champion noted with a keen eye, though that was to be expected because most Mechwarriors of his caliber were known to be intimately familiar with their 'Mechs, "Certainly not a standard layout from Rand at all. It appears to be missing some of the internal cooling heatsinks, and the particle collection capacitors look to be thicker..."
"That is because this custom PPC is made using Andosteel for most of its structural components. It not only lightens the design by a considerable degree, but since we can make closed-cell and open-cell structures on demand in the same contiguous piece? It means that we can turn the entire frame of the weapon into a heatsink. Open-cell foam metals are exceptional at dispersing waste heat, and with a directional structure of closed-cell foam, we can essentially pump coolantthrough the foam, like a channel! The heat from the closed-cell foam and coolant is conducted to the open-cell, which then is radiated in a more controlled fashion through the armor shell, thereby reducing the propensity of damage to the weapon from heat spikes."
Arthur was practically bouncing on his toes.
"This also more evenly spreads out the heat load across the entire weapon versus select components, which should reduce heat warping, reduce stresses on the cooling components within the weapon, and improve the overall efficiency of the system. I was able to tune the weapon to maintain greater coherency of the particle packets over range, improving their effect on target, while only increasing the heat by a proportional amount!"
Arthur handed Hanse a flimsy paper note card, with messily written words that could barely be considered legible by any Star League English teacher, "Sorry about Albert's handwriting. It sucks, I know."
Ardan looked over Hanse's shoulder as they read.
My teams and I did all of that while making it two tons lighter," The Chief Scientist puffed up, and behind him Hanse could hear several other people slapping each other on the backs, "It made me wonder why they never tried to make weapons with Endosteel, but seeing how it ate up space inside of the weapon made me understand. However, because the Andosteel foam can replace a large portion of the internal cooling equipment, the space eaten up by the slightly larger foam steel is saved in the end."
Hanse took a deep breath as he flicked the edge of the notecard against his palm, "And... I take it that you've done the same with the 8, 5, and 3-centimeter lasers?"
"Along with some prototypes of LRM and SRM packs... and every flavor of Autocannon under the sun," Arthur rubbed at his nose with a finger, smug exuding from every pore on his body, "The Federated Suns has a well-known love of Acks and Missiles, so let it never be said that Arthur Corean doesn't know his customers."
The First Prince of the Federated Suns felt a hand press against his forehead as a rueful chuckle escaped his lips, "So... what's next?"
Hanse felt some of his sanity return as they moved on to the next display.
Though his sanity had returned, it appeared as though poor Ardan had taken leave of his senses.
"It's a cooling suit, Hanse!" The Prince's Champion and consummate AFFS Mechwarrior was hunched over a flimsy, white plastic table, the man running his hands over a one-piece fabric jumpsuit like a blind man trying to read braille, "Arthur, I take back every negative thing I've ever said about you."
"It's a cooling suit system, you oaf!" Arthur hissed as he pointed out the rest of the items on the table, "It is not merely a cooling suit! There are other parts and pieces that go into it- it's a homogenous ecosystem!"
A particularly studly-looking Mechwarrior with blonde hair and brown eyes stood stiff-backed at the position of attention as Hanse inspected him; he certainly looked the part of an AFFS poster boy to be sure. Medium-sized with impressive musculature, and the tapered gold bar with a thick white stripe at the bottom denoted him as a Major-equivalent of the Corean Enterprises' facility guard.
Funnily enough, his thick mustache was still within AFFS regulations, as was his haircut.
"How long have you been out, Major Wilkerson?" Hanse asked idly as he walked around and put his hands on the equipment, tugging and yanking to test for fit.
"Two and a half years, My Prince."
It was a set of body armor with integrated loops for the modular positioning of pouches, and underneath the foam padding he could feel a thin steel plate that had been tapered in what would normally be called a 'Mechwarrior's Cut'. Most Mechwarriors rarely wore armor inside the cockpit due to space, and the fact that one couldn't wear armor over the bulky cooling vest that was a requirement for operating a 'Mech in combat.
"Oh? And you still keep your hair in regulation? Most Mechwarriors I know are glad to be able to grow everything out once they leave the service."
The bottom of the plate felt slightly curved up at the edges so that it wouldn't rest on the legs while seated, and while this cut down on some of the protection for the bowels the tradeoff for comfort was something most Mechwarriors chose regardless. After all, Mechwarriors were invincible inside of their Battlemechs, weren't they? Why would they need to care about protection outside of their cockpits?
"The AFFS imparted a new lifestyle to me during my service, My Prince. One that I rather like. My wife also doesn't like me with long hair, facial or otherwise."
Hanse smiled as he admired the neat stitching on the seams before his eyes slid over to a laminated board one of the scientists in the background was holding up. "So it is a Star League-era cooling suit, just one updated..."
The Cooling Suits of the SLDF had a particular three-layer ballistic weave set-up, with a thin mesh 'inner sock' that could be pulled out and washed.
However, knowing Arthur and his subscription to the maxim 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' then it should be no surprise that for something like this even bringing it back into the AFFS would be more than enough.
"Arthur, look. I know that you and I have our differences... but what do I have to do to let you let me take this Cooling Suit with me today? It's practically my size already- with just a few alterations at the tailor's I could have this on me in my 'Mech-"
The smile slipped right off of Hanse's face.
"It's a communications block and a targeting and tracking system," Ardan's disappointed voice was drab, the man sounding as though all of the colors of the world had suddenly been stripped away from him by Arthur's refusal.
"Created by my staff, and coded by yours truly," Arthur, however, sounded far too chipper for a man who essentially murdered the Champion's dog by not allowing him to take the experimental Cooling Suit home with him, "It is utilizing the brand new lenses from the Henan crystal growth process as before, which will offer its visual systems unparalleled clarity, a much higher base magnification for the optics without a need for digital enhancement and the pixelation and distortion it brings!"
"These two beauties will be the real stars of the show for the Sunchaser Light Scout Tank. It's not a replacement for an Active Probe but-"
Hanse Davion was thankful that the office inside of Arthur's personal lab was elevated, because he felt like he'd just been run over by a Demolishertank.
He took a sip of a fine scotch, the ice cubes clinking in the crystalline tumbler- made by the Henan process, so it was as beautiful as it was nearly indestructible to everything except powerful lasers or heavy ordinance.
Ultimately, he decided, he'd made the right decision to cancel the rest of his meetings today.
Sure, Duchess Hastings would be rather cross with him for canceling their dinner plans for a second time, but for this? The ass-pain was well worth it; he wouldn't be in any fit mental state to respond to her verbal probes anyway.
He, Ardan, and Arthur sat alone in the office with only the whirring of a ceiling fan to fill the silence, and for that Hanse was grateful.
It would take him days to mentally digest everything that was just dumped on him by Arthur, though the man was apologetic and rather sheepish; he had wanted to inform Hanse as the developments were made, but he didn't quite trust letting the 'body double' be the one to tell him. Yet another thing Hanse was thankful for, because if the Capellan Confederation had gotten their hands on just one of these advancements then it would have been disastrous. Not because any single one of these new developments would have magically given them the edge they needed to put up a better fight, but because it would have meant that Maximilion Liao's ploy had actually succeeded in some limited sense.
The body double had been allowed to run amok for almost a whole year, but most of the damage he managed to do by listening to the Liao-subverted courtiers was relatively easy to undo. Decrees were revoked. Promises altered or unmade entirely. Modified troop deployments were canceled or undone as part of an 'impromptu and secret' series of large-scale training exercises to test the AFFS' ability to quickly redeploy at a moment's notice.
However, if the treacherous Liaos had managed to get their hands on something that Arthur's Corean Enterprises had cooked up then that would be just what the man needed to consider his plot 'hashtag worth', as Arthur would say.
Not that Hanse knew why there was ever a need for a '#' sign before a word or why Arthur was so keen on trying to make 'hashtags' a thing in their vernacular.
"Hanse."
Arthur's voice dragged the Prince out of his musings, and the man arched a weary brow, "Yes, Arthur?"
"I have two requests, both of them pretty major. Well, three requests, actually, though the third one is something I'm going to do regardless... with or without your help."
"Requests?" Ardan snorted, "And what do you want?"
"While the two 'major' requests, as you so put it have me surprised, it's the third one that has me worried the most," Hanse tipped back the tumbler and sipped, the man wincing as the ice did little to reduce the burn of the liquid as it went down.
"Well, the first one is the easiest I suppose," Arthur stood up and walked over to a computer terminal and logged in before a large screen on the opposite wall flickered to life, revealing a series of aerial and orbital photographs of various planets. "I want to expand Corean Enterprises, but apart from Novaya Zelmya, we are about tapped for expansion potential- it was one of the primary reasons why my Father decided to keep the FWL branch of Corean open."
He selected two photographs, each with its own colored outlines, "As you can see here on New Avalon, we're almost butting up against the edges of our allotted land. I can probably squeeze three or four more factories out of what we have left, maybe six if we invest heavily in subterranean structures, though the cost goes up exponentially doing that. Yes, and before you ask, I've already contacted Count Yomu and Marchess Duvon, and they've both told me they aren't interested in selling Corean any of their land."
"The same can be said for our landhold on Augusta. Duke Payne doesn't want to sell Yeathers any more land because he wants-" Arthur crinkled his nose in disgust, "-to 'keep Augusta beautiful'and that the lands near our property lines are among his favored hunting grounds. So since we're not a dictatorship and you can't force them to sell, that puts us in a bit of a tight spot."
He clicked over to another planet, one that Hanse was intimately familiar with.
"Novaya Zelmya," Hanse sat up a bit, "The Dragon's Field."
It was a warm world with a lush canyon biome, home to over 44 Million Federated Suns civilians who made their money in mining, agriculture, and manufacturing, with Federated Industries being the largest company on the planet.
It was also where Hanse had ordered the build-up of AFFS troops to be moved to so that they could take Stein's Folly back from the Capellans- its thick cloud cover rendering any would-be Capellan reconnaissance moot. 'Commercial' Jumpships loitering in-system to recharge would see nothing even with advanced telescopes, spy ships loitering more closely while running on low-power would get much the same, and even the Capellan's most advanced drones wouldn't be able to glean much if anything at all.
The best notice they would get would be a fleet of jumpships and their attached dropships raining down on their heads to retake Stein's Folly.
The plan worked, but it only succeeded thanks to some quick thinking and last-minute changes, and in the end, his friend Ardan was captured by the Capellans before they evacuated the planet to return to Redfield. In the end, it was the Capellan's poor security and serendipity that allowed Ardan to see the cryostasis tube of the Fake Hanse Davion in the first place.
"Yes," Arthur zoomed in on the aerial photographs taken from underneath the cloud cover- a half-dozen images neatly stitched together to make a single picture because the low-flight ceiling required it, "Dragonfield, and I'm going to start calling it that from now on because saying 'Novaya Zelmya' always trips me up, is being... shall we say difficult."
Arthur's lips twisted into a grimace, "Premier Joanna Talc is not allowing us to convert the land we own from its residential zoning to an industrial one for no other reason I can find but because Federated Industries is asking her not to. My grandfather purchased an impressive amount of land almost a century ago, intent on developing it into a city of his own that he would govern as the Mayor-for-Life when he retired from the Company. However he never got the chance as a heart attack took him while he slept, so the land has been sitting around practically unused except for a trio of small mining operations that funnel back some choice raw materials to our factories here on New Avalon."
"I could see it," Hanse mused as he ran a thumb along his chin, "Federated Industries has practically had the entire planet to themselves for centuries. Having one of the larger manufacturers in the Federated Suns moving next door to them would make them nervous enough to apply political pressure. You can exert a lot of influence if you're the single largest employer on the planet, after all. However, what exactly would you ask me to do about that?"
Arthur snorted as he shook his head, "Well, it's not like I want to ask you to dispatch an Internal Investigations team to uncover any corruption and remove the Premier from office so that I can make use of the land that the company already owns... but I would very much appreciate it if an Internal Investigations team was dispatched to look into any corruption so that the people of Dragonfield can remove the Premier from office."
His smile was guileless, his shoulders shrugging, "The people stand to gain a lot from having more factories move in- competition is a healthy thing after all. More work, more opportunities for employment, higher wages, and more Jumpship traffic means that more people can travel for a cheaper ticket price. That and Corean can finally put the land we're sitting on to good use for the Federated Suns. However, I'm not going to hold my breath... which is why I'm going to ask for my first big favor."
He clicked over to the next slide to reveal a planet that visually was indistinctive from most other garden worlds, but the name rang some bells.
"I want you to grant me a System Duke's landhold over the Petrolia system and its four planets."
"You want another noble title for the Corean family?" Ardan Sortek gawped, and Hanse had to admit he did feel a touch of shock as well, but they were for different reasons.
"I could honestly care less about the title of Duke, Ardan, you should know me by now; though I will admit that being a Duke would give me a lot more protection within the shark-infested waters of the court nobility," Arthur shook his head, a deep frown on his face, "No. I ask for Petrolia because it's a system that is close to Augusta and New Avalon, and it can serve as a waypoint for the Jumpship caravans heading between my facilities and Cassias where are primary raw materials provider is located."
The Chief Scientist stood up and began to pace, as he was wont to do, and Hanse used that time to stand up and move over to the bar so he could refill his drink.
"For a system in the Core of the Federated Suns, it is criminallyunderdeveloped. Barely 100,000 people call it home, and there is no noble presence; the people pay lip service to the Duchy of Sodus, but that is about it. I've seen the geological surveys of the system and they are outstanding for my purposes. It has a garden world with a tolerable climate and good soil, two mineral worlds for mining, and while the last world is useless right now if we could get access to Star League terraforming technology then it could be made into a new Venus and be another breadbasket world near the heart of the Federated Suns. It also has a defunct Recharging Station still above the Zenith jump point that I'm certain I could get back up and running if given the chance."
"However, really, what I need is the space to build all of the shit I need to build, and the authority to fucking build it," Arthur stopped pacing and stared deep into Hanse's soul with an intensity that was almost frightening, "I want to help bring the Federated Suns into a new golden age of technological advancement, but people keep getting in my fucking way. They fight me at every turn for no good fucking reason other than money or displays of power. So give me the system, Hanse. Take me off the leash, and let me do fucking work."
Slowly.
Ever so slowly, Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, brought the tumbler up to his lips and poured its contents back in a single gulp.
His mind was awash with so many possibilities and potential futures that it was hard for him to keep track of anything and follow a single path forward. It was a maelstrom of chaotic activity, and it all centered around a young man with an all-too-brilliant mind. A mind so bright that it forced all of those around him to shun him and avert their gaze because they couldn't bear to stand in his brilliance.
They feared him.
They feared what he was capable of... and having seen everything that Arthur was so proud to show him and Ardan he could finally understand.
Arthur Corean was the great unknown, none among his seniors or his peers were aware of just how deep and vast his intellect was, and like all animals, they feared it. Reviled it because it was unfamiliar and thus terrifying.
Even at this very moment, after having seen everything Arthur had to show, Hanse Davion did not know just what more Arthur Corean could accomplish if his every restriction was removed- if the rules that bound him to act in the ways that polite society dictated. Structures such as those were necessary to provide stability, but there was no sense in pretending that there weren't levers that were abused to keep brilliant and exceptional people from succeeding because those who wielded said power were afraid to lose it.
Just a few minutes ago it was proven by the actions of nobles on New Avalon and Augusta.
They had put up walls to prevent Corean from expanding... and even the Democratically elected leader of Novaya Zemlya was- allegedly, he internally chided- party to playing 'The Game' at the behest of Federated Industries.
Hanse felt the back of his neck start to sweat as he continued to mull his thoughts over while pouring himself his third drink of the evening.
If he did this he would need assurances, deep assurances... but he couldn't help but wonder at just what Arthur could accomplish with such a scheme.
It was maddening.
"Alright, I will think on it," The First Prince conceded as he sipped at his freshly refilled tumbler, though after wincing he dropped a few more ice cubes into the glass, "What is your second grand favor?"
"I need to get married."
Hanse was thankful that he'd already swallowed, but that didn't stop him from coughing, "I beg your pardon?"
Arthur's head bobbed as he flopped down on the leather couch next to the computer terminal and sighed dramatically, "I didn't stutter, Hanse. I need to get married. My sister is already starting to get on my case about it, and I do want to have a wife and start having children of my own. However, the problem is that I do this all day, every day, and I don't have much time to go out wife hunting. I do not under any circumstances want to offer my un-ringed finger out to the noble courts because I would be swamped with ladies who all want a piece of my ass. Or more accurately, want a piece of Corean Enterprises."
The Chief Scientist of Corean made a sour face, "Especially once news of all of these monumentally important advancements finally trickles into the ears of powerful men and women within the Federated Suns. So, rather than deal with all of that hot garbage, I came up with a brilliant solution!"
Arthur popped up onto his feet, the man far too chipper for Hanse's liking at the moment, and he pointed directly at Hanse's chest, "So my big-brained scheme? You. You, Hanse Davion, will find me a wife."
"You... want me... to find you a wife?" Hanse felt his lips flap for a moment before he regained himself, "You do realize that most people abhor the thought of arranged marriages? A cruel necessity of our existence, it is, to tie families and realms together through it, and most wish to marry for love but swallow a bitter pill for the good of the Federated Suns. Yet you wish for me to find you someone to marry?"
The Head Egghead shook his head, crossing his arms as he clicked his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It doesn't come without its own strings, Hanse. I do have some requirements."
Hanse looked to Ardan, who had been suspiciously silent this whole time, but the man was instead staring down at his tumbler muttering to himself in a daze.
The First Prince cleared his throat, "And they are?"
"Well, she has to be hot. I don't need a wife that's a cover model or anything, because I'm no GQ Magazine star myself," Hanse begged to differ, as Arthur was a rather fetching looking man, even if he was a massive nerd, "But the most important thing? She needs to be able to protect me. So I want a sexy, deadly, MIIO Agent as my wife. Preferably busty, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big booty. If she can blow a man's brains out as easily as she blows my mind in the bedroom... and isn't averse to a lot of children then we can learn to work around each other if there are some personality conflicts. As long as she supports our children, she doesn't really even have to love me. For the good of the Federated Suns, I can live with that."
Hanse felt his eyebrows shoot toward the ceiling and he fixed the man, his friend, a look of consternation.
"Let me see if I can parse out what you just said... and correct me if I miss anything," Hanse took a sip to wet his lips and immediately regretted it because the strong alcohol let his mouth more dry than before, "You want me to marry you to one of my most lethal female MIIO Operatives?"
"Well... I mean... only if she's willing," The man shifted a touch, his arm coming up to grasp his elbow uncomfortably, "I'd hate for her to view it as a 'mission'. I don't want a lovelessor forced marriage. She'd have to be amenable. That and she has to know the amount of danger I'm in. The Dracs want me dead. The Freeworlders most certainly want me dead. The Capellans want me dead. And we can't forget about ComStar, those guys would definitely want me dead."
"Again with the ComStar!" That last statement seemed to drag Ardan out of his crazed mutterings, the man yelling out, "Why do you think that ComStar is out to kill you? You of all people?"
Arthur gave him a deep frown before throwing both of his hands toward the large window looking out over the factory, his hands and fingers wriggling in what he called 'jazz hands'. "Do I need to break out the chart again, Ardan? Over 300 of the brightest minds in the Inner Sphere were assassinated or killed 'accidentally' with everyone pointing the blame at everyone else. These people were protected, by their respective scientific establishments and their intelligence agencies, Ardan, and yet somehow everyone always managed to find out about them somehow."
Being privy to numerous MIIO historical reports that were 'Prince's Eyes Only', Hanse had to agree that more than a few of the Combine and Capellan scientists killed on that list had been terminated by Fed Suns MIIO or AFFS Special Forces assets. Those men and women had been hidden from their sights for years until bits of suspiciously convenient and highly accurate intelligence were seemingly dropped into the laps by the most unlikely of sources.
Honestly, looking back on some of the highlights he had initially chalked it up to serendipity, but thinking about it now? It was too convenient. It had someone's fingerprints all over it, but the Successor States at the time, being the hungry dogs that they were, never bothered to question the morsels they were given and instead moved to eliminate the scientific assets of their peers without a thought in their minds.
"No! No, Ardan, I'm going to talk and you're going to listen because I've had it up to here with you thinking that I'm a conspiracy theorist!" Arthur's voice rose high enough to make Hanse cringe, "Especially not when my parents were just murdered not too long ago... along with the entire crew of the Leopard they were on."
The enraged man sucked in a breath and tugged at his coat, "You read the report, right, Hanse? Two of the most important industrialists die in a Dropship accident right here on New Avalon- that's something you'd want to read for yourself, yes?"
Hanse nodded. He had indeed read the summary.
"There are a lot of inconsistencies with what ComStar reported on the defunct Vega Aerospace that supplied the hydrogen seals that were used to service our brand spanking new Leopard," Arthur tugged at his coat, a growl on his lips, "The Aerospace industry takes its quality control extremely seriously. They can't afford not to. That Leopard was brand new, Hanse, arrived directly from the factory from Federated-Boeing after it had completed its break-in period and services. Their report? Everything was in perfect working order and only needed mandatory services. However, to complete those services, we needed parts since Corean never had a Leopard within the fleet before now, and those parts we purchased through ComStar's Finder's program. They gave us faulty seals because they knew that if we put them in the Leopard it would result in a catastrophic failure that would doom us all."
"The reason? They thought that I would be on board," Arthur sighed as he sat down, "Though maybe I'm thinking too highly of myself? My mother and father were just as valid a target as anyone else, but really, I would have been on there with them for the photo ops... but I declined so that I could work in the labs here instead."
He leaned back and covered his face with his hands, "My anti-social nature saved my life, but I can't count on it to always do so. That's why I'm beefing up my security forces, and why I want someone who can protect my back. Someone unassuming and intelligent. Good with a blade, gun, or a 'Mech."
He interlaced his fingers behind his head and looked at Hanse with a brittle expression, "No matter what we do from here Hanse, a lot of people are going to want me dead for all of the same reasons. I need to be protected, and if gaining a single iota of extra protection comes at the price of accepting a sexy super spy into my bed? Well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I mean, MIIO is already like a nosy girlfriend to me at this point- looking through all of my messages- so I might as well make it official and tie the knot, no?"
"Besides, if you do give me Petrolia you're going to want some assurances, right? What better to keep the Duke loyal than to have a knife already buried in his back?" His smile became wan, "I know that you trust me, but it's not like I have... your level of confidence in Ardan here, but..."
He didn't finish.
That made Hanse Davion's noble heart ache.
To think that his friend believed he was only considered trustworthy enough if there was a knife ready to slit his throat sleeping next to him in bed- the knife bearing what should be the supportive title of 'Wife'.
The First Prince inhaled slowly, "I will seriously consider both favors, Arthur. God knows that you've earned them. Did you know in the Commonwealth that Duchies have been granted for only a single Company's worth of Royal Grade LosTech Mechs? I'd like to think that just what is here in this laboratory is already far more valuable- I'd be a poor Prince to take all of this with one hand and offer you an empty hand in return."
"I..." Ardan spoke haltingly, "I think I might have someone for Arthur?"
Hanse zeroed in on his Champion, "Are you thinking about who I think you're thinking about?"
The man cleared his throat while tugging at his collar, "She's loyal to the Federated Suns, my Prince. And I think that they'd be a good match made in Hell."
Arthur narrowed his eyes at Ardan, "Is she skilled?"
"Yes. Both in and out of a Battlemech."
"Sweet. She crazy?"
"Absolutely." Ardan smiled, "A perfect fit for you if I do say so myself."
The two stared each other down for a few moments before Arthur nodded, "Well if someone like you trusts her then I suppose it couldn't hurt to meet her. Though I'm going to meet Hanse's pick first. A femme fatale Super Spy beats out a crazy skilled Mechwarrior in my book, hands down."
The Prince's Champion sniffed, "You have zero taste."
Not one to resist the chance to poke at his truest friend, Hanse raised his glass to hide a smirk on his lips as he smirked, "I seem to remember someone had an inordinate fascination with Metro-Goldenmeyer's smash hit- 007's: 'In His Majesty's Secret Service', not that I can blame you, the actress who played Selena Bond was rather fetching."
Hanse Davion had played a cameo role in that film, starring as himself, 'First Prince Hanse Davion', and delivered the important briefing to his top spy, Selena Bond- a MIIO Secret Agent with a License to Kill.
It only took them an afternoon to shoot the scene, the stage having been his favorite balcony overlooking Avalon City in the distance, and it was a very nice diversion from the humdrum of his daily routine.
Ardan's cheeks colored slightly at the reminder.
Arthur looked between the two with a slowly dropping jaw, "Oho? What's this? Ardan? Spill!"
"I tried to hook up with Selena Bond. I shot my shot. I missed. End of discussion." The Champion tossed back his drink and started to stew, "I'm going to withdraw my help in finding you a wife if you poke at me anymore."
"You can't do that," Hanse's eyes crinkled, "Lingling would murder you if you did, and I for one would let her. You did promise her, after all, and a man doesn't make a promise he can't keep, even in the heat of a moment."
As though he had been struck, Ardan crumpled in the comfortable chair, "God, you're right... what good is my word if I let this opportunity slip through my fingers?"
Ice clanked around the tumbler in Arthur's hand as he swirled it around, a wry grin on his face, though his attention was directed toward Hanse, "So... Lingling, eh? She sounds..."
"At the risk of sounding uncouth and distateful... she is the very living embodiment of the 'Female Capellan Stereotype'," Hanse simply replied and Arthur nodded, "Though instead of being judgemental and overbearing she is a bit more violent than others of her type. A boon to have as a Mechwarrior, especially when she's fighting on your side; to think that the Capellans decided she would be better suited to serve as part of a suicide squad than a Mechwarrior. Their loss."
The trio remained quiet for a minute before Hanse decided to finally bite the bullet, "So, we have a Dukedom landhold, a wife, and what is the third thing?"
Arthur smiled as he walked over to the computer terminal and opened up a file, and within moments, a few pictures in a slide deck appeared on the screen, "This has to be handled with the utmost discretion, Hanse. The moment word gets out about what I've uncovered then the jig could very well soon be up."
Hanse poured himself an extra thumb, already starting to feel the buzz as he seated himself heavily in the chair he recently vacated, the Prince waving his hand, "Do go on, I'm all ears."
"Yes, please, it cannot possibly be any worse than anything else you've sprung on Hanse today," Ardan snarked, seemingly finding his inner fire once more.
"Helm. There is a Castle Brian there along with a complete Star League Library Core, and likely whole regiments worth of 'Mechs, tanks, and spares," Arthur Corean stared at the pair of them as he interlaced his hands behind his back, "The Nagayan Moutain Complex exists, it's real, and Minoru Kurita was so mad when he didn't find it that he nuked the planet's population centers in retaliation when he didn't find it. I, on the other hand? I intend to find it, and we need to start getting a move on soon because if we dally for too long someone else will get their hands on it, and we don't want that."
Hanse once more felt his mind stutter to a halt as Arthur Corean started launching into a small tirade, the map blowing up and showing historical deployment data from the Kuritan forces under the direction of Minoru Kurita's forces, "-and as you can see, the Snake spent months combing up and down the Shingen mountain range. I think that Minoru believed because the Castle Brians he'd seized control over near the Terran Hegemony after the Usurper was kicked to the curb all were the same- sharing the same type of mountainous rock formations- that it would be the same for Nagayan Mountain complex. However, after months of searching and allowing his forces at the jump points to get constantly harassed to prevent the Free Worlds League Militia from breaking the siege, he eventually got frustrated and gave up. He dropped a lot of nuclear ordnance on the population on the way out just to make himself feel better, but what do you expect from the Chief Snake?"
"However, I think what he and his analysts missed was this," He clicked over to the next slide to show a satellite image taken above the planet's capital city of Helmsdown, the image zoomed out to show hundreds of kilometers in every direction around it. It showed a surprising amount of green near the equator of the planet, where Helmsdeep was located, but that was to be expected because it was the lowlands- heading north or south from the centerline of the world had one traveling into ever-increasing elevations until they dropped off over the frozen oceans near the poles.
Arthur looked at the pair and grinned, "Alright, take a good look at this image. Burn it into your mind. The lay of the land and the primary highways leading away from Helmsdeep, specifically to the north. This image was taken during the height of the Summer, and even the mountains turn green this time of the year."
He flipped over from the Summer image to what could only be described as the Winter image, with plenty of white snow covering the ground, "Look at Helmsdeep- even from this altitude you can clearly see the spaceport. It was enlarged and made very robust by the Star League when they set it up as an Anchor Command in 2738, the region around Helm was meant to be a primary logistical hub for the SLDF in case they needed to deploy into the Free Worlds League. Now, if we zoom in just a touch..."
Arthur manipulated the image, blowing it up a little bit at a time until a solitary black line could be seen cutting its way through the snow away from Helmsdeep, the line originating from the spaceport, "That road right there? That is the Ansawat Memorial Highway, or at least it was until Minoru's temper tantrum. It was the primary road that linked Helmsdeep to the SLDF's Colonel Hinat Chuba Logistical Hub, and if you overlay the historical search patterns that the FWL's satellites recorded along with records from ComStar's Central Archives..."
One of the previous maps was overlayed over the top and made slightly transparent, the man using the mouse to circle around the highlighted areas, "You can see that Minoru focused all of his manpower scouring the Chuba Logistical Hub, but he came up empty-handed."
"As did the Mariks," Ardan noted dryly, "And they too came up with nothing, Arthur."
Arthur let out an aggravated groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "For the love of all that is Holy... Ardan. Do we know that there was once an SLDF Castle Brian on Helm?"
"Yes?"
"And did Minoru Kurita or the Mariks ever find it?"
"No..."
"Well then you have your answer, you doofus," The scientist shook his head, "If it was there, we know it's there, and no one ever found it... then that means it is still there, it's just that no one ever found it. Kerensky's ilk never even showed up there, and no one ever left the system with the Exodus fleet either, so that means that everything that was there? It's still there."
Ardan pouted, but Hanse couldn't fault Arthur's logic. Star League caches were all over the Inner Sphere, with many found and many left to be discovered. Why, just last month the AFFS stumbled across a small logistical cache that contained a whole Company worth of Merkava heavy tanks, and the only reason that was found was because a heavy excavator digging tank trenches for maneuver exercises dug into a thick steel ceiling. The discovery had the entire regiment- that was supposed to be training- scouring the surrounding landscape, infantry practically holding hands as they walked in a grid until some lucky lad found the hidden entrance when he tripped and fell down the hill.
That young man was currently at NAIS at this very moment training to become a tank commander, with one of those Star League-era Merkava tanks to become his noble steed.
"Now, as I was saying. If you look at where the Head Snake was looking, you'll see that they didn't bother to search east, which leads allllll ttthhheeeee wwwaaayyyyy ddddooooowwwwnnnnnn oooovvveerrr heeeerrreeeee..." He snaked the mouse down a valley that stretched for dozens of kilometers before he stopped and began circling the valley's natural termination point, "The Vermillion Valley."
Arthur was practically bouncing in his chair as he looked over at the pair of them, "Think! I'm not a soldier, but I doknow logistics. This Castle Brian was supposed to be the primary logistical hub for the entire FWL theater. We're talking a stockpile of regiments upon regiments of 'Mechs, Tanks, APCs, Aerial Vehicles, and all of the spare parts and munitions to keep them working and fed. Setting something like that up takes time, effort, and space. Space that the Chuba Logistical Hub could and did provide- the SLDF base was merely the intake and staging area for what went into the Castle Brian, and would serve as a secondary check for what went out of the Castle Brian... and of course, the spaceport would serve as a triple check."
"I was able to gather all of this from publicly purchasable planetary atlases along with history texts from the First Succession Wars," He made a face, "And from ComStar's Historical Preservation Society."
"Which!" He held up a hand to stop Ardan from speaking, "Just a moment, let me finish. This segues into the main reason why I think we're on the clock. This is Precentor Emilio Rachan, the current Precentor of the Helm HPG station. According to his biography from ComStar, the man is a sitting member of ComStar's Archivist's Guild, and the ranking member of their Historical Preservation board. The man is credited for finding three Star League-era caches, all of which have been taken by ComStar and interned in the numerous museums that they have scattered around former Hegemony space."
Hanse looked at the photogenic still image of an older-looking man with greying hair wearing the usual plain robes of ComStar. He had crows feet around the corners of his eyes, and had a smile on his face that could only be described as 'grandfatherly'. All in all, a perfect picture of a hard-working man who treasured the Star League's history and worked tirelessly to unearth its lost history.
"Now, I'm certain that you're both well aware that I am a... 'practicing Blakist'..." Arthur shuddered a touch as he looked a little green around the gills, "Not that it stopped them from murdering my parents and trying to murder me... but this guy here? He was the personal aide to Primus Julian Tiepolo, one the Primus has spoken of fondly on the record. He was to Primus Julian to what Ardan here is to you, Hanse. He is a man you send to make sure things get done right."
"Now ask yourself this question: Why would Primus Julian Tiepolo send a man publicly known for finding SLDF caches to a planet that has a Class BHPG relay if not to find the Nagayan Mountain Complex? You may or may not know this, but a Class B posting is essentially 'Baby's First HPG Precentorship'. It's an introductory posting for individuals ComStar believes can take leadership roles. You work your way up the ladder with careful service, eventually getting a Class A relay posting, and once you've reached the end of your life then maybe you might be considered worthy enough to hold one of the major postings... like the New Avalon HPG and thus a seat on the First Circuit."
"Getting pushed back down to a Class B post is a demotion, and Precentor Emilio Rachan has worked at two Class B posts, three Class A posts, and was promoted to be essentially ComStar's 'First Prince's' personal aid," Arthur leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, leaving the older man's visage up on the screen, "He's not old enough to retire, and most ComStar... adherents don't retire at all. Getting kicked out of Terra and to the boonies in the Free Worlds League to run a Class B posting would be considered an extremely harsh punishment- one step removed from being court-martialed and hung as far as the ComStar crazies go."
Arthur inhaled before running a hand through his blazing red hair, mussing it up greatly, "So if you ask me? Primus Tiepolo believes that there is enough supporting information that they have in their archives to dispatch his bestLosTech hunter to the area. Even without all of my own research, just hearing about Rachan, even if he rarely makes public appearances- the man 'not liking' the fame his previous discoveries have netted him- it would be enough to make me sit up and take notice. So... what say you, my Prince?"
Hanse closed his eyes for a few moments and brought the tumbler of whiskey up to his lips, though he didn't so much as sip it. Instead, he let the vapors slither up into his nostrils and sizzle, the discomfort helping him focus.
When he opened his eyes he looked at Arthur, "Give me everything you have and I'll ask Quintus to put some of his best analysts on it. We likely have far better imagery, maps, and orbital traffic logs than you do on the matter."
"My Prince..." Ardan leaned forward, the man brushing his dark hair off to the side, but Hanse shook his head.
"I think that Arthur has earned more than enough goodwill from me and the Federated Suns to look into this, because while I've heard wild theories about the mysterious, Vanishing Cache of Helm, none of them have been as coherent as what Arthur has presented," The First Prince sat his tumbler down, "How certain are you that it is real?"
"110%," Arthur grinned like a child that had just been told Christmas had come early and Santa had brought him all of the presents on his wish list, "It's there Hanse. I can feel it. Just because no one else has found it doesn't mean it isn't there. It was on the SLDF's registry and Fort Chabu wasn't nearly large enough to hold all of that equipment, and just looking at the maps there weren't any highways leading away from Chabu, but they wouldn't need those if they were taking it to someplace much closer."
Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, stood up from the comfortable armchair and looked down at Arthur Corean.
He had made the mistake of not believing in the young man once before, and it ended up almost ruining him. Years of forced stagnation, being forced to malinger in the darkness when he should have been allowed to burn brightly and learn, to illuminate the path forward. He and his elder brother Ian had almost snuffed one of the brightest minds the Federated Suns had ever seen with their ignorance and 'father knows best'attitudes... and after what he had just been shown? He believed it was high time that he should try to make things right.
If Arthur believed that the Helm Cache was still untouched, then Hanse believed him, and if it existed then it meant that the Federated Suns would need to be the first ones to get to it.
Hanse Davion would not turn his back on Arthur Corean again, this he swore.
A/N: Man, there is so much more that I wanted to cover in this, but I couldn't justify it as the word count kept ballooning. I wanted to portray Hanse Davion as the sort of honorable person that would take a look at some of his past mistakes and actually feel guilty over them before trying to do what was right to make up for them. Of course he doesn't know that Arthur is a fully grown man that could handle dissappointment, even if he was more than just a touch angry at constantly being denied by both of the First Princes to advance more quickly... and the thought of a Saga of Tanya the Evil-style of 'Misunderstanding Field' would be both funny and appropriate given Hanse's character and upbringing. While Arthur was fine with working on his own, Hanse saw him as someone ostracized by his peers and a 'tortured soul' that was 'shunned' and yet was still willing to do his best for God and Country. Seeing all of the wonderous things he created on his own, his brainchilds advanced at different speeds, and when he had a full staff of science employees who had to listen to him? Well, his development speed really took off from there as he was able to focus on the big picture problems, focusing his brilliant mind on the problem areas while the staffers took care of the scutwork that slowed him down greatly when he was a student at NAIS working on his projects solo.
When Arthur encountered a problem he didn't have the solution to, he shelved the project and worked on something else until he'd learned what he needed to learn while attending school. Then he came back, got over the hurdle, and worked on it before reaching the next hurdle when he inevitably shelved the project again to be worked on at a later date. He did this over and over and over again for many, many years, leading to him having a boat load of half-completed or near-completed projects that he could then foist off on his science teams to finish or assist him with. His year and some change after he took up the position as Chief Scientist of Corean allowed him to finish a great number of projects back to back, so that when Hanse was rescued and finally able to take this meeting... Arthur had a ton of mind-bending shit to dump on him.
Andosteel is essentially Endosteel, except for vehicles and non-critical components of Aerospace assets. It's something that was considered 'impossible' to do with regular Endosteel because Endo took up too much space inside of ground vehicles, and the Clans? They likely could have put their Clan Endo into vehicles, but to them ground vehicles were for pussies, the worthless, and unclean. To them everything important is a 'Battlemech Only' sort of deal- that's how strong their Cult of the Mechwarrior goes... it is a foundational pillar of their religion, where everything they have and everything they do is based around ritualized 'Mech combat. So yeah, them no putting Clan Endo on vehicles is totally valid. However, if there was a cheaper alternative that does the exact same thing? One that doesn't require exorbitantly expensive and vulnerable orbital facilities to manufacture? That changes up the game significantly.
The crystal growth method isn't as important by contrast, but more durable cockpit glass is always important for a variety of industries and vehicles, and it is a key component in the creation of ER Lasers- the more durable and better focusing glass a requirement for keeping laser beams focused at further distances.
Then we have the weapons... and the weapons are essentially canon. The Enhanced PPC was created by Clan Wolverine, and after they were wiped out (along with all records of their works), the Clans took their advancements and then began improving upon them. Notably of which, in this particular case, is the Clan ER PPC, which is a monsterously powerful weapon for its size and tonnage, even if it is a bit hot. So 'Enhanced' versions of the Lasers and other weapons are a step toward creating weapons that will eventually be on parity with what the Clans bring to the table in less than thirty years time.
However, with the ability to print foam structures directly, the weapons that Corean will produce will be much lighter than their Inner Sphere counterparts. The ability to create closed cell channels to funnel coolant through in the frame of the weapon itself removes a lot of the tubing and internal heatsinking required to keep the weapon cool because the entire frame, which is open-celled, becomes a heatsink. A rather good one at that. So the removal of heatsinks and coolant lines frees up just as much space as the Andosteel foam does, and in certain cases more space is created. This allows for Arthur and his Corean scientists to play around with the layout of the weapon and its components more freely, giving them a lot of flexibility to make tweaks to the designs.
If you're feeling lost by now, don't worry, because once this gets its own thread, which is should by next chapter because if it isn't over the 40K cut-off by now then it will be soon (lol I haven't tallied it yet), then I will have an Informational section for all of the advancements Corean Enterprises makes under Arthur's leadership.
Then we have the end section.
Helm is a must have in every Battletech SI, and Arthur seeing that there is a rapidly closing window of time for them to hit Helm before the Gray Death Legion fiasco... has decided that the longer he waits the more things can go sideways. The propogation of the Grey Death Core across the Inner Sphere is what kicked off an arms race that saw every Great House start to build their own Star League-era shit (though those silly Kuritans had to be helped by ComStar on multiple occasions, lol) and given that Arthur lives in the Federated Suns, he doesn't want that to happen. Given Helm's proximity to the Lyran Commonwealth, he sees this as a potential opportunity for the Lyrans and Fed Suns to work together on a big project that could make a dramatic PR impact: "Lyrans and Feddies work together to secure greatest historical find since the Fall of the Star League! Archon Katrina and Prince Davion use the success of this operation to announce the joining of the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns into a single realm!" is the sort of headline he's imagining in his head.
It's not like attacking the FWL will cause more damage anyway- the Federated Suns hates the FWL too, they just hate the Capellans and Combine more. The Lyrans they're pretty neutral on, as there hasn't been any major incidents between them since the opening days of the First Succession War. So the two of them gearing up together to find a Brian Cache with multiple regiments of LosTech mechs, vehicles, and all of the parts to maintain them? Yeah, they'd go for that, and they would hold a televised parade to show off the shit they jacked from Janos Marik- just to rub it in their faces.
"You idiots had all of this in your own back yard and you didn't know about it? Well it is ours now! Ohohohohohoho~!"
The Library Core, however, is the grandest prize of them all, and with that in Arthur's hands he can stop trying to reverse engineer Star League shit and can actually start building it from their specs... so he can then start improving upon it or going in a completely different direction.
Arthur wants that core very badly, and he was willing to engage in a bunch of 4-Chan behavior, sniffing around, putting together maps, reading historical troop movements, etc to get it.
Though let's be honest here. Everyone knew that the Castle Brian existed. It is in the Star League's records. Though as time went on and the Houses bombed each other into oblivion, the information got buried and people forgot about it. They assumed that since Minoru Kurita and his many regiments worth of men couldn't find it then it either didn't exist or it was too well hidden to find, and thus not worth the effort to even try. Why risk the FWL's wrath when you can venture out into the Periphery to find less guarded SLDF caches and earn yourself a noble title? And over time, Helm's signifiance dropped down so low that barely anyone visited it, to the point when a 'Merchant Jumpship Fleet' (claiming to not be pirates) carrying lots of dropships arrived the people were actually very happy to see them! The prospect of money to be made... made their brains smooth, because there just wasn't anything at Helm worth raiding since Minoru Kurita nuked it to hell and back. Helm is essentially a backwater planet when one takes into account how close it is the core of the Inner Sphere. 15,000,000 people ain't shit.
So if the Feddies and Lyrans are quick and careful then they should be able to pull off a lightning raid and get all of the goodies... though the real question is what does this mean for Grayson Carlye and the Grey Death Legion? lol