Meerclaw at Zamyan

 Since we are on the strategic defensive, any lulls in the Coalition offensive are filled with logistics, re-organisations and refits. So far we in the domain of Count R'rorash have fought every clawnail of the way as we are forced inexorably back towards the homeward, and the same can be said of what is happening on the Klingon Front. Having lost our border Battle Stations and, most recently, the Count's Starbase, we are now in orbit around the major planet Zamyan. The steady trail of crippled vessels returning home to await repair demonstrates that we are in no fit state to mount a counteroffensive.

Count R'Rorash oversees the minutiae of every tiny detail, while we pilots get a chance to try tune up our replacement fighters, as well as getting to know one another better. The destruction of our old Escort Carrier has saddened us, as has the lost of her crew complement, but we have now been assigned to the larger CVL Light Carrier Tempest, ably commanded by Captain M'Noren. This means that we now belong to a squadron of nine fighters as opposed to the six carried by a CVE. Our first two flights are crewed by comrades from previous engagements. First Flight is led by Squadron Leader C'Rorri, with myself as First Wingcat and P'Mille from the border Battle Stations at Second Wingcat. Our second flight is led by my old friend S'resint, with H'Rall and M'Masha as Wingcats. The third flight is filled out by survivors from the Starbase fighters, Flight Leader S'Nus and Wingcats R'rerow and H'Ral. 

Our time is filled with simulations, training and more training. We do, though, get some shore leave on Zamyan itself, and while we are there we hear the report of the death in battle of Duke S'Mau, defending the planetary installation of Lumien to his last breath against the Klingons. His sacrifice is not in vain, since it has bought us much-needed time on that front. In a typical bout of Kzinti politics, however, he is not immediately replaced as Duke. He has no heirs, and the Patriarch will be unwilling to promote our Count to the Dukedom, because that would effectively give one family control over the County and the Dukedom - and even in times of war, Kzinti political history suggests that would be unwise at best. So a compromise has been reached: the hero of the Zursk Campaign, S'Murrus, has been promoted to Admiral, and put in charge of the Dukedom's forces. Since S'Murrus is heir to the Marquis' territories, he is accompanied by the wily old politician M'riarr. The Patriarch is obviously awaiting further developments in the war before committing himself to a course of action regarding the Dukedom. 

There has been some grumbling about the fact that the Patriarch has ordered the Marquis to remain at his Starbase with a decent squadron, ostensibly to  maintain a showing on the Federation Border. We all know that we are going to have to call on the Federation for help at one point, because we cannot hope to hold out against the full forces of the Coalition on our own. The price, though, could be loss of our autonomy and possibly even full incorporation into the Federation. That might well be a price worth paying, since it could be either that, or defeat. I keep my own thoughts to myself, but it does occur to me that the Patriarch is also keeping in mind the intricate relationships between our main political families. The Marquis' ships are sorely needed, but then that might give him too much power.

And then everything changes with news that the Hydrans have attacked the Klingons and Lyrans to take pressure from us.

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