After months of speculation, of rumor, of pontification by the learned and by the powerful, events which have been in the making for years have erupted at last into all-out war. For those readers new to BattleTechnology, and for those who have not been keeping up with the news, we offer this brief rundown. 3020: Sick of continuing low-level war, Archon Katrina Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth, issues a "Peace Proposal." Though the proposal is generally dismissed by other leaders, young Hanse Davion, determined to "take history by the throat," proposes a military alliance with Archon Katrina Steiner in order to fulfill her dream of peace. 3022: After delicate negotiations, the Steiner-Davion alliance is signed on Earth. The alliance will be culminated by Davion's marriage to Katrina's daughter, Melissa, in 3028. 3024: First of the "Alliance Games," a series of military wargames between Steiner and Davion troops. 3026, August: First annual, multiple-sector wargames, code-named Operation: Galahad, held in Davion space along both the Capellan and Draconis borders. Ten Davion RCTs are involved. The maneuvers cause Kurita and Liao units to go on alert and raise widespread speculation about Hanse Davion's motives. Several Davion units are reassigned to correct weaknesses perceived by the Davion military command in the Federated Suns' defenses. 3027, August: Second annual Operation: Galahad, this one deploying nearly 30 'Mech regiments almost a third of the AFFS military strength. A shift in Davion's military strength towards both the Addicks Zone (bordering both Combine and Confederation space, near Terra) and the Valexa Zone (bordering the Confederation between Mira and Gallitzin) are noted. House Steiner conducts similar maneuvers, code-named Operation: Thor. The other major houses respond with alerts, troop maneuvers, and condemnations, but response is generally much milder than it was in 3026. 3028, April: The contract for Wolf's Dragoons, the celebrated mercenary regiment in service to House Kurita, expires. Fierce fighting breaks out on Misery and on Capra, worlds garrisoned by the Dragoons along the Kurita-Davion frontier. After a bloody and destructive baffle on Misery, the Dragoons escape into Federated Suns territory. Davion plans for annual military exercises--Galahad '28--are announced. BattleTechnology reports on the possibilities of peace following the Davion-Steiner alliance. 3028, June: BattleTechnology reports that Operation: Thor, the Lyran counterpart to Davion's Operation: Galahad, will, by coincidence, be conducted at the same time as Galahad. Large scale troop and naval movements in both Lyran and Davion space are reported. The arrival of the Crucis Lancers on Mira is announced. This massive deployment is explained by Davion officials as a reunion of the entire unit in preparation for celebrations of the Davion-Steiner wedding in August. 3028, August 1: Operation: Galahad '28 commences. A parade by the Crucis Lancers, now gathered on Mira, will be part of the grand celebration of the Steiner-Davion marriage. House Liao and House Draconis respond with the usual denunciations and condemnations, but there is little specific reaction to "the Davion stunt." 3028, August 20: Hanse Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, marries Melissa Arthur Steiner, Archon Designate of the Lyran Commonwealth, in a ComStar-officiated wedding on Earth. Hanse Davion, addressing Melissa in front of the leaders of the other houses attending the ceremony, says: "Wife, I give you the Capellan Confederation." At the same time, Davion JumpShips appear in nine systems within Liao space: Aldebaran, Liao, Algol, New Hessen, Pleione, Poznan, St. Andre, Shensi, and Styk. These invasions, if uniformly successful, will isolate the Tikonov Commonality from the rest of the Capellan Confederation and deal a serious blow to Maximilian Liao's military, industrial, and economic capabilities. The War--long expected, long discussed--has begun. BattleTechnology regrets that the articles announced in last issue's lncoming including an in- depth coverage of the Davion wedding, a close look at Melissa's gown, and a serious discussion of the possibilities of lasting peace in our time were not run in this issue as originally scheduled. Obviously, events seem to have caught up with us. Back to BattleTechnology 6 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com