Proud Bull Rising Part 3

Welcome back for part three of my Battletech alternative system.

2820

Having gathered the resources and volunteers needed, Taurus begins the final stages to start colonizing some of the worlds they've been examining. Three of the these worlds, Orkney, Charleston, and Carthage, are within the current Concordat borders with the remaining, Belle Isle, being just beyond them. The continued influx of refugees from the Inner Sphere fleeing the ravages of the First Succession War assist in finding the populations needed to get these colonies going.

All four colonies see a strong growth from the start. The refugees continue to expand the populations allowing them to reach a self sustaining level within a few years. By that point, all are able to begin exporting if not mined minerals and ores, then at least agricultural products to the rest of the Concordat. The desire to see the Concordat as strong as it was in the past drives the support of the average Taurian citizen. They might be unable to reclaim worlds lost long ago to the Davions and Liaos but they can grow outwards and reclaim worlds they had to abandon.

The TDF lures the King's Wild Cards mercenary unit out of Canopian service with favorable terms for anti-piracy and garrison duty. The King's Wild Cards are a light weight regiment that has attritioned down to just over a battalion in strength with no appreciable assistance from the Magistrix armed forces to rebuild or replace their losses. The unit is deployed to New Vandenburg for a year to train with the militia forces while starting to rebuild and then are sent to the Artru System to garrison and train the local militia forces while perfoming patrol sweeps to discourage piracy.

2821

With a handful of new worlds being resettled and several more being explored for their potential, the Taurian economy continues a slow steady growth. Several closed mining complexes are re-examined for the potential of reopening them. Expansion of asteroid mining in several major systems has also in the begining stages of implementation. The newly settled worlds, now with stabile populations and exports increasing, continue to slowly grow as more and more infrastructure is built. Celano, Regis Roost, and Argos are slated as the next worlds to be colonized.

With the official end of the First Succession War, trade with the Inner Sphere realms begins to pick up slowly but significantly as the various Great Houses seek the resources needed to rebuild the many shattered planets and industries across their space as well as their militaries. Exporting minerals and ores begin to give the Taurians the funds needed to further expand their own infrastructure and worlds. Refugees from farther within the Inner Sphere continue to arrive and are directed to the new colonies.

The improving assests of the Ministry of Intelligence leads to a crack down on smugglers and black marketeers. These efforts go a long way to assisting in improving the nation's economy as it eliminates the means for graft and displaced funds. These missions result in the discovery of several agents from other nations who were using the criminal activity as a source of information. One such agent was from the Capellan Confederation who was able to be turned. This new asset gives them insight into Maskirovka agents and missions in the area.

So that is all for this installment and I'll see you all in about a week for part 4.

Proud Bull Rising Part 2

Welcome back to the second installment of our story.

2818 The Taurian Ministry of the Interior reviews its Ministry of Intelligence and makes some changes on both its collection of information along the border as well as well as stepping up the presence of assets on neighboring worlds. Having digested and thoroughly discussed the findings of the defense force review, Protector Artantino and Marshal Choudhoury plan out a long term plan for the growth and improvement of the Taurian military. To help support this from the economic side, the Protector sets the Interior Ministry to begin planning new colonies rimward and spinward of their current borders.

Marshal Choudboury authorizes a new military academy to be formed as an offshoot of the Taurian Ecole Militaire, the Taurian College of Military Sciences. This institute will focus entirely on higher training including large unit tactics, military theory, strategic planning, etc for officers of Subaltern through Colonel ranks. In addition to identifying Taurian officers capable to teaching in this new institute, officers of at least Major rank are brought in from mercenary units hired by the TDF to teach some of the classes or guest lecture.

Work begins at the Taurus Territorial Industries (TTI) plant in the Sterope System to add a production line of WSP-1A Wasp Light Mechs. It is planned to be opened by 2822. This is seen a first step in a long term growth of the Concordat's defense industry to make the TDF stronger and less dependent on outside sources. The Wasp was chosen as the first to be expanded as it would reinforce recon lances as well as the various planetary militias. Other production lines are evaluated for expansion based on need by the TDF and exportability.

2819

Protector Artantino begins a series of meetings and hearings with the Privy Council to see about long term growth for the Taurian Concordat. Trade delegations are sent to the Outworlds Alliance and a number of independent worlds around Taurian space. Less formal contacts are made with the Magistracy of Canopus due to the still higher than normal tensions between the two realms. Talk with independent worlds closest to Taurian space who use to be Concordat worlds in the past are especially targeted by these delegations to draw them once more into the realm.

In preperation for the upcoming commerical, industrial, and military expansions, several battalions worth of militia engineers are activated and are slowly rotated through the various minor worlds of the Concordat with the aim of improving space ports and their attached infrastructure. Survey teams accompany these engineering troops to update planetary maps at the same time. The naval assests assigned to transport and support these forces use their time to update system star charts and replace communication and sensor satellites and bouys.

Marshal Choudboury forms a new force to supplement the TDF, the Concordat Special Services. This unit is trained up to regimental strength and is outside the normal corps structure to allow them to be deployed where needed for more covert missions. Only the best and most loyal soldiers are allowed to apply for the unit. The CSS are trained in a variety of mechs, vehicles, and small arms. They often deploy in units as small as a lance to perform their missions. This unit is trained rigorously between mission to keep their skills at an elite edge. The CSS is also trained to work closely with the Taurian Ministry of Intelligence's Special Task Groups.

That's it for this update and I'll get the next part up in about a week or so. See you all next time!