OBT Forum

Little do the traitorous wolves know Ulric is in no position to stop anything and the scorpions can give them the quick sting of death.   Also when I hear the Grand Army I think Star Wars

That bitch is at it again and when the Clans find out the Wolves were partially responsible for this. It will be such a Trial of Annihilation that it will make the Trial against the not-named-clan seem like a beach party

I was thinking Napoleon.

I was thinking Grand Ole Opry...wait...

ComStar First Circuit
Hilton Head, Terra
July 17, 3043

“Primus, we never discussed this option!” Focht thundered as the transmission ceased, and Myndo scowled as she glared at her subordinate.

“I am Primus of ComStar, Precentor Martial! I determine what ComStar does and does not do.  Besides, this isn’t a military operation, it is a political one.”

Charles Seneca, Precentor ROM, also frowned.  “I too was not aware of this, Primus.  I fear, having read the materials Wolf provided, that your actions will precipitate a blood-bath, not end this threat of invasion.”

“I do not need either of you to approve of my actions!” Myndo snapped.  “Consider yourselves both lucky if you are not sent to reeducation!”

Precentor Dieron spoke up.  “You may be Primus, but you rule only on behalf of the First Circuit—we should have been consulted!”

“Sharilar Mori, remember that it was I who made you a member of the First Circuit, and it is I who can remove you from that position!”

Rumbles from the other Precentors, however, made Myndo realize that the odds stacked against her were rapidly rising, so she changed tack.

“But I will not.  Perhaps I should have consulted with this body before I acted, but as I said, this is a political exercise, not a military or intelligence operation.  Precentor ROM, I have certainly read all of the briefing materials and I am quite aware of how these Clans will likely react.  They will respond in a fury that will bleed the Houses white, and tear gaping holes within their own formations.  The sword that Jaime Wolf wields will be dulled in battle over battle as the frenzied and furious Clans throw everything they have in an effort to destroy their dishonorable foes.”  She chuckled and held her hands up to her face in mock surprise.  “Oh, did I forget to tell the House Lords that those who are delivering my device are not claiming to be from ComStar?  That they are the direct personal representatives of Hanse Davion and his wife Melissa Steiner-Davion? That they represent the Federated Commonwealth?”

Myndo laughed.  “The Clans will blame Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner for the death of their ilKhan and several of their Khans.  They will blame the Federated Commonwealth for the use of a nuclear weapon.  And when the dust settles and both sides are exhausted by years of combat; at that moment, we will unleash our fresh well-trained ComGuards to finish this once and for all!  We will sweep away the Clans and the Great Houses in one fell swoop!  And we will establish our rule, over all of the Inner Sphere!  Blessed be Blake!”

“BLESSED BE BLAKE!”

CGSS Serket
Star’s End, Near Periphery
July 17, 3043

Nikolai watched as the Ghost Bear DropShips burned into towards one of their first three targets.  He smiled as he watched the escorting OmniFighters tear into the Pirates swarming out from the ramshackle shipyards orbiting over Novo Cressidas, the sole inhabitable body in the system.  The opposition was courageous, to be sure, but sorely outclassed and gravely outnumbered.  And since these were mere bandits and pirates, the Ghost Bears had offered no batchall, nor were they using zellbrigen.  A chain of explosions in the holo-tank showed the demise of the defenders in quick order, but the Bears didn’t even slow; their DropShips plunged into the thin atmosphere of Novo Cressidas to gather up the newest laborers of the Clan.  Nikolai smiled grimly.  It was all over but the crying, he thought.

This could have been a navigational disaster, with the multiple asteroid fields and clouds of debris, but the ships scouting for Silver Sable II had acquired three separate navigational databases used by these pirates—and the Bears had taken full advantage of that asset.  HPG links to the other Clans had indicated that the paucity of opponents had been frustrating—the Jaguars had but one fight on the three worlds assigned to them.  One fight against an ancient Phoenix Hawk and a warrior who came close to defeating her opponent in single combat.  And like the Jaguars were wont to do, they killed her instead of taking her into the Clan to learn from her.  Fools.

Only the Wolves on Oberon VI and Butte’s Hold, the Horses on Gotterdammerung, and the Falcons on Von Strang’s World had experienced significant resistance.   The amount of resistance had been expected—by Nikolai—but Elias Crichell had ignored the warnings and intelligence reports.  The bandits on the world named for Stefan Amaris’ henchman had not managed to stop the Falcons, but they had taken unnecessary causalities from walking straight into an ambush.  The ilKhan was furious and she was engaged in a heated conference with Elias one-on-one, via the HPG links to her flagship here in this central location.  And to make matters worse from the point of view of the prickly Falcon honor, the Horses and the Wolves had paid attention to the pre-strike briefings, and despite heavier opposition they crushed Hendrik Grimm, Redjack Ryan, and Mara Morgraine handily and with little damage.

“New contact!” sang out one of Serket’s crewmen.  “Emergence at the jump point in three, two, one!  Target is Merchant-class JumpShip, two DropShips on collars—they are not broadcasting friendly IFF!”

Star Colonel Nathan Arbuthnot responded instantly.  “Lock weapons on target and broadcast an immediate call for their surrender!  Prepare Star Gamma-One to board that vessel; ready fighters provide escort for the shuttle.”

“Aff, Star Colonel,” his subordinate called out, and then he cocked his head.  “Star Colonel, they are hailing us.”

Nikolai frowned and he zoomed the holotank in on the vessel.  The exterior cameras on Serket magnified the image thousands of times and he frowned as he saw the mailed fist and sword emblem of the Federated Commonwealth displayed on its bow.  A FedCom vessel?  Here?  Were they taken by pirates, perhaps?

“On speaker,” barked the Star Colonel commanding the Scorpion Flagship.

“We request safcon in order to negotiate terms of the surrender of the Inner Sphere.  We bear a message for the ilKhan of the Clans.”

Nikolai jerked.

“Order  them to hold at the jump point—they are to keep their K/F drive off-line and they are not authorized to detach DropShips,” the ship commander barked.  “Should I inform the Flag, my Khan,” he asked.

“Neg, Star Colonel.  Play back that transmission, please,” Nikolai asked.  And Nathan nodded to his juniors; the recording swiftly played again and Nikolai sucked in his breath.

Nathan stepped up close to the Khan.  “Is something wrong, Sir?”

“They asked for safcon, Star Colonel.  Safcon!”

“Aff, they did my Khan.”

“That is a term that only we of the Clans use; how do they know us well enough to be familiar with our colloquial speech?  They should have asked for safe conduct; and how did they know to ask for the ilKhan?  We are outside of their territory, so how did they even know we were here, Star Colonel?”

Nathan nodded, and he turned to stare at the JumpShip floating in the tank.  “A ruse de guerre, my Khan?  Quiaff?”

“Aff, Star Colonel.”  But it means that someone talked, and given the only Clan personnel in the Inner Sphere are Wolf’s Dragoons . . . Nikolai shook his head.  That is for later, he thought.  “Instruct them to hold position while we inform the ilKhan of their arrival.  Let them know we are sending them an escort to ferry their delegation across to this ship, where the ilKhan will meet with them.  Once their DropShip undocks and gets underway, have your Elementals board and capture it and the JumpShip—I want prisoners for interrogation, Star Colonel.  Is that understood?”

“Aff, my Khan.”  He quickly passed Nikolai’s orders as the Scorpion Khan leaned against the holotank, watching the ship with an eagle-eye.  His frown deepened as one of the two DropShips disconnected from the JumpShip and rotated until its bow was pointed in the direction of Serket.  “New orders, Star Colonel.  Engage that ship immediately!” Nikolai barked; a diplomatic delegation would have followed his orders to the letter.

“Engage the DropShip with our starboard battery, all guns fire as they bear!” repeated Star Colonel Arbuthnot.

Nikolai crossed the deck quickly as the intruding DropShip exploded in fury.  “Communications—order the JumpShip and remaining DropShip to stand by and prepare to be boarded,” he said softly.

But before the CommTech could transmit the message, the JumpShip erupted in a blinding glare of light, and radiation alarms began to sound.  Nikolai looked back up to see the holotank stabilizing after the primary sensors were overloaded and the secondary systems came on-line to replace them—and where the JumpShip once sat, there was now only floating debris.

“Nuclear detonation aboard that ship, my Khan,” Nathan reported.  "We—and the Ghost Bear JumpShips—were far enough away from their coordinates that there is little threat of radiation.”

“Hail Victory, Star Colonel and patch the communication to my quarters once the ilKhan is ready to receive my report.”

“Aff, my Khan,” the Star Colonel replied as Nicolai left the ship’s command center.

One note:  I have made a minor change in Clan ranks.  Canon has a Star Commodore as being the Naval equivalent of Star Colonel.  But that is a really clumsy title.  Hence, I have done away with it.  Naval ranks are identical to the rest of the Clans, with the exception of Star Admirals (equal to a Galaxy Commander).  So in this universe, a Star Colonel commands a WarShip (although a Star Admiral will command his flag and the remaining vessels of his Naval Star).  Star Commanders/Captains serve as DropShip/JumpShip commanders and junior officers aboard a WarShip.

You may now resume the debate.

MA