Looking at the Ice Hellion numbers the prospect of someone seeking to absorb the Ice Hellions is the obvious next thought.
On reflection, Clan Fire Mandrill seem plenty capable of doing so. Just on cluster numbers they have a 3/2 advantage and only one of the six Ice Hellion Galaxy can compare in numbers to any one of the seven Kindraa. The only serious imbalance the other way is warships: Clan Fire Mandrill has only 7 warships to the Ice Hellions' 13. On the other hand, the Ice Hellions seem to have used their warships in the Hellions' Fury campaign so several of their ships may be damaged.
Why would the Fire Mandrills do this? Well for one thing the tight kindraa loyalty suggests they're not likely to lose many warriors to the Harvest Trials. Secondly the Crusader bloc vote doesn't necessarily count for as much as it used to: the Invasion's happened afterall - the Crusaders as a whole won that, so counting every vote isn't as critical. And if enough Isorla can be amassed then one of the Kindraa might even break away and form a new Clan.
Of course, if this goes wrong then one or more Kindraa's could get gutted...
Babylon
Attackers: Kindraa Command Cluster (V/R), 21st Vanguard Battle Cluster (V/R) {Kindraa Kline} [135 Points]
Defenders: 43rd Hector Cavaliers (G/Q), 2nd Assault Cavaliers (V/R) [90 Points]
Staging from the Fire Mandrill's Dagda holdings Kindra Kline bid for possession of the two Ice Hellion Clusters. With the 43rd Cavaliers only partially present on Babylon due to several stars being assigned to escort Hellion merchant shipping, the garrison cluster crumbled quickly under pressure from the 21st Vanguard Battle Cluster. Although the Assault Cavaliers did better, they were still under-strength from losses against Clan Star Adder in the Hellion's Fury campaign. Kindraa Kline took enough battlefield salvage and supplies from the Cluster's bases to add another Cluster to their forces and then departed, leaving the Ice Hellion's Babylon holdings defenseless against their neighbours.
Foster
Attackers: 1st Battle Payne (E/R) {Kindraa Payne} [60 Points]
Defenders: 33rd Striker Irregulars (R/F) [30 Points]
The only Ice Hellion force on Foster was their 33rd Striker Irregulars - a unit being rebuilt under the leadership of a Ghost Bear warrior taken as isorla as a heavy-assault unit. With only two trinaries due to difficulties for the Hellions in acquiring such 'Mechs, the Cluster was rather shocked to find themselves confronted by the four trinaries of the 1st Battle Payne. Salvage from the battle let Star Colonel LaDon Jewel add a fifth trinary - led by former Ghost Bear Damon Hawkins - to his roster and the cluster remains in control of the former Ice Hellion enclave although Clan Coyote are rumoured to be interested in expanding their own holdings on the world.
Atreus
Attackers: 1st Battle Cluster (E/R), 16th Assault Cluster (V/R) {Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga} [150 Points]
Defenders: 44th Hector Cavaliers (G/Q), 200th Attack Cluster (E/R) [105 Points]
Like Foster, both Clan Fire Mandrill and Clan Ice Hellion had enclaves on Atreus so no shipping was required for Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga to launch their Trial of Possession for the Ice Hellion's territory. Loremaster Drew Tanaga was killed when saKhan Sellen Cage managed to ambush the 1st Battle Cluster with the 200th Attack Cluster and two stars of the 44th Hector Cavaliers. Although outnumbered, the Lithe Kill keshik managed to force Star Colonel Zachary Bush to pull his elite cluster back to regroup. Unfortunately for the saKhan her pursuit led her depleted forces headlong into the 16th Assault Cluster who drove them back in turn. A handful of warriors remained alongside Sellen Cage to request - and be granted - hegira, which leaves the Fire Mandrills in exclusive control of Atreus for now.
Marshall
Attackers: 61st Firestorm Cluster (E/F), 202nd Firebrand Cluster (R/F) {Kindraa Mattila-Carrol} [110 Points]
Defenders: 3rd Hector Cavaliers (R/R), 7th Hector Cavaliers (R/Q) [75 Points]
The third of the worlds shared by the Ice Hellions and Fire Mandrills, Marshall is also home to substantial enclaves from other clans and the site of frequent trials. There wasn't much chance of surprise under the circumstances but the two understrength Ice Hellion Clusters were sufficiently absorbed in their internal problems they somehow didn't notice the arrival of the Mattila-Carrol until batchall was called for. The 61st Firestorm Cluster shattered the 7th Hector Cavaliers almost without trying, denying the elderly and already injured Galaxy Commander Curtis no time to rally his command cluster. The 202nd Firebrand Cluster were denied the chance to fight at all but can take some satisfaction in being assigned a sixth binary made up of salvage and bondsmen from the 7th Hector Cavaliers. The survivors of the 3rd Hector Cavaliers are believed to be on their way to Mattila-Carrol's other second-line cluster, stationed on Shadow.
Tathis
Attackers: 11th Battle Force (R/F), 32nd Vanguard Battle Cluster (R/R), CFMS Jungle Heat {Kindraa Mick-Kreese} [110 Points]
Defenders: 150th Attack Cluster (G/Q), 45th Hector Cavaliers (G/R), CIHS Impaler [90 Points]
For the first time in the campaign, the Fire Mandrills had to make a forced landing with their Lola III destroyer Jungle Heat duelling its class mate Impaler to cover the landing. Drawing on aerospace assets from both assigned clusters, Kindraa Mick-Kreese gained its third warship although both destroyers will need extensive and expensive repairs. With half of Zeta Galaxy already destroyed the 150th Attack Cluster was eager to see action for once and put up a respectable fight, as did the freeborn recruits of the 45th Cavaliers. Both units were taken as isorla, making good the Mick-Kreese's losses, but as they'd bid only for the warriors and not the enclaves they withdrew back to Shadow after the battle.
New Kent
Attackers: 87th Mandrill Airborne (V/Q), 17th Auxiliary Cluster (R/Q), CFMS Rage, CFMS Firetender {Kindraa Beyl-Grant} [135 Points]
Defenders: 175th Attack Cluster (R/F), 176th Attack Cluster (R/F), 52nd Hector Cavaliers (R/F), CIHS Swift Bait, CIHS Hellion's Pride, CIHS Whelp [105 Points]
The Steel Viper's capital world contained a small Ice Hellion enclave garrisoned by all of Zeta Prime galaxy. Already annoyed by a recent raid on their Shandrake Massif facilities, the Vipers let Star Colonel Dora Beyl know that her destroyer Rage and corvette Firetender were outnumbered by the three Fredasa-class corvettes supporting the Galaxy - and offered to let her bid their aerospace stars in addition to her own. The resulting battle cost Beyl-Grant the Firetender but they've replaced it with the least damaged captured corvette. Whelp and Swift Bait are being salvaged by the Steel Vipers who expect to have to scrap the latter. On the ground, numbers were about even and the Ice Hellions fought fanatically to hold their ground. In the end Dora Beyl concluded losses weren't affordable and withdrew. With the Steel Vipers focused on their Occupation Zone it's Clan Coyote that may profit at the expense of the Hellions in the long run.
Hector
Attackers: Kindra Command Trinary (E/F), 3rd Sainze Honor Guard Battle Cluster (E/F), 53rd Assault Cluster (V/F), 7th Sainze Honor Guard Striker Cluster (V/F), 14th Sainze Rear Guard Battle Cluster (R/F), 19th Sainze Rear Guard Striker Cluster (R/F), CFMS Fire-Eater, CFMS Reaver, CFMS Rancor {Kindraa Sainze} [330 Points]
Defenders: 7th Attack Cluster (E/F), 150th Hellion Lancers (E/F), 77th Hellion Lancers (V/F), 78th Hellion Lancers (V/F), 40th Hellion Lancers (E/F), 180th Attack Cluster (R/Q), CIHS Cage's Pride, CIHS Taney [315 Points]
The seat of Ice Hellion power demanded the commitment of the strongest Kindraa and the Sainze stepped up, contracting warships from Kindraa Payne and Faraday-Tanaga to counter the powerful squadron expected to be over Hector. Khan Asa Taney had dispatched several ships to retrieve scattered elements of his battered Clan however so only two warships awaited the Fire Mandrills. Despite this, they put up a ferocious fight, helped by poor co-operation between the Fire Mandrill warships. The crippled Sainze flagship finally rammed the Taney, destroying both warships and allowing the landing of the invasion forces.
Unlike under-strength units elsewhere, the Ice Hellion's Alpha Galaxy was in full fighting strength, pulling elements of the 18th Attack Cluster into the understrength Hellion Lancer clusters. saKhan Garret Sainze deliberately led his command trinary and the 3rd Sainze Honor Guard headlong into the 7th Attack Cluster, itself led by Khan Taney. Equally matched in numbers and each the best that their respective clans had to offer, this was the height of the battle and left both leaders dead with their commands gutted. Losses elsewhere were heavy for both sides with the 19th Sainze Rear Guard in particular shattered by the 40th Hellion Lancers. Although this could have marked a turning point for the battle, numbers still favoured the Sainze forces and the battle threatened to be one of mutual annihilation. At this point Kindraa Leader Marc Faraday who was aboard CFMS Rancor made contact with Star Admiral Jonas Hasbrin aboard CIHS Cage's Pride and advised him of the losses suffered by his Clan already, claiming saKhan Sellen Cage was believed to be dead on Atreus. Under the circumstances he offered Hasbrin the alternative to the shattering of what remained of the Ice Hellions: absorption into Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga who would then be well placed to either dominate the Fire Mandrills or to form a new Clan.
To the outrage of the Sainze, Jonas Hasbrin accepted the offer and under the guns of the two warships (the Payne flagship wasn't inclined to challenge matters) Kindraa Sainze had no choice but to let the survivors of the Hellion's Alpha Galaxy be evacuated although they could take satisfaction in now controlling Hector and its resources.
Aftermath
SaKhan - now Khan - Sellen Cage rallied Beta Galaxy and Theta Galaxy on Barcella and established that Delta Galaxy's survivors still held the enclaves on Hoard and Londerholm while Zeta Prime had effectively consolidated into a single Cluster on New Kent. In combination these forces amounted to effectively a single full-strength Galaxy with seven warships - and no yards to maintain them.
Meanwhile Khan Amanda Carrol was watching almost incapable of believing that the triumphs of the last months' battles were now slipping away as Kindraa Sainze on Hector and Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga on Atreus were on the verge of war with each other - a war the latter were likely to win. The election of her new saKhan was likely to tear the Clan entirely apart with Draymon Sainze and Marc Faraday as the leading candidates. Meanwhile Kindraa Payne, which the Khan had hoped would be eclipsed by her own Kindraa were still strongly placed. To add to her woes, the feuding between the two naval Kindraa was fanning the flames: Mick-Kreese was aligning to Faraday-Tanaga while the Sainze and Beyl-Grant both felt they'd been short-changed.
Deciding she didn't want to be associated with the shambles she predicted, Amanda Carrol stepped down as Khan and was almost immediately asked to serve as Loremaster by Laurel Payne and Samantha Kline. The two leaders had only bolstered their positions with short and successful operations during the Ice Hellion's savaging, and except in terms of warships either could stand against Faraday-Tanaga. And they knew someone who had more warships than logistical support - not to mention a considerable grudge against Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga.
Marc Faraday and Draymon Sainze were in mid-scream at each other in the Clan Council when the former Khan announced that Khan Sellen Cage of the Ice Hellions had been defeated in battle by Laurel Payne. No sooner had Payne entered the council chambers than she welcomed her bondswoman as a warrior of Clan Fire Mandrill and nominated Sellen Cage as the new Khan. With the combined bloc of Payne, Mattila-Carrol, Kline and former Ice Hellion votes backing her, the trickle of support from Sainze and Beyl-Grant warriors delighted at Marc Faraday's chagrin sealed the decision and Samantha Kline was easily elected as saKhan.
The new Clan leadership quickly tidied up the remaining issues: the New Kent enclave was ceded to Clan Steel Viper in exchange for supplies needed to make good the economic disruption of the war, which allowed the new Hellion Kindraa to consolidate onto only three worlds. Taking advantage of Kindraa Sainze's depletion, much of their previous resources were re-directed - something that would effectively demoted them into the bottom tier of Clan Fire Mandrill until they could rebuild from the Ice Hellion resources on Hector.
Finally, the warship fleet was re-apportioned. Faraday-Tanaga now possessed two including a battleship while Mick-Kreese had three light vessels, Beyl-Grant two and Payne only one. To counter this, the remaining Ice Hellion fleet was parted out with Kline, Payne and Mattila-Carrol each receiving one of the four destroyers. Kline also receive the cruiser Chaos Sailor while the Carrack-class Maker is assigned to Kindra Sainze. In theory this allows each Kindraa to field its own warships while continuing to strip Kindraa Sainze of striking power.
Clan Coyote petitioned the Grand Council to Absorb the remains of Clan Ice Hellion - a few hundred warriors who hadn't followed Sellen Cage into the Mandrills and the enclaves on Tathis and Babylon. No one contested the Absorption and a motion to censure the Fire Mandrill's for Absorbing the Ice Hellions' assets piecemeal was defeated with an ample majority, more important things (the Great Refusal) being on the agenda.
Post-Absorption (& Post-Great Refusal) Fire Mandrill assets
8 Kindraas (33 clusters and 14 warships)
Enclaves: Atreus (100%), Barcella (38%), Dagda (26%), Foster (60%), Hector (100%), Hoard (40%), Londerholm (68%), Marshall (24%), Shadow (100%)
