OBT Forum

Asgard, Tharkad
Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth
26 December 3051

The Packrat armoured car skidded from side to side as Justin jerked the wheel to avoid incoming fire. The missiles of the pursuing Excalibur BattleMech plastered the tarmac beside them, which left Melissa more than willing to overlook the way she’d bounced off one side of the passenger compartment as a result.

Then a gauss rifle slug flickered within centimetres of the roof.

“This is not my idea of a Christmas celebration!” the Archon shouted, picking up the reload she’d dropped when she fell. The missile slotted into place at last and she handed the loaded weapon up to her bodyguard.

“Who doesn’t like Christmas fireworks?” the LIC agent asked blandly and pushed his head, shoulders and the missile launcher up out of the Packrat’s upper hatch.

A short-range missile slashed back down the mountain road faster than Melissa recalled being able to fire an SRM launcher back in her own infantry training.

The first missile missed and the igniter didn’t trigger the oily contents of the warhead, which spread across the icy road. That was intentional – Melissa had detached the igniter.

The Excalibur reached the patch of freezing petroleum gel and one heavy foot slipped out from under it. The ComGuards MechWarrior didn’t manage to recover the seventy-ton machine and it crashed down onto the road.

That was when Curaitis fired the second missile in his launcher. This one hadn’t been tampered with and it doused the upper surface of the Excalibur with fire. Enough dripped down onto the patch below that the ‘Mech was quickly blazing all over.

“Agent, you are an artist,” Justin called back.

Discarding the launcher, Curaitis dropped back through the hatch and pulled it short. “It won’t buy us long. I didn’t get the missile rack and I don’t think that thing runs warm enough to be badly impaired.”

“We don’t need all that much longer.” Melissa checked the mountain ridges. “Justin, there’s a trail coming up on the right. Take it!”

Justin dragged on the wheel once more and the Packrat bounced as it crossed the verge and hit what could charitably be called a side-trail. “I thought we were heading for Asgard!”

“This is a short cut.”

“Are you sure?”

“Do you have any idea how much time I spent riding and skiing in these mountains when I was a teenager? Trust me.”

“Well, it’s just that a lance of the Second Royal Guards should have been only two klicks from us on the main road.”

“Are you willing to bet that the ComGuards didn’t pick up that transmission?”

“Point.”

There was a whine from above and Justin turned the Packrat into a skidding turn that took it below tree-branches only a moment before a v-formation of aerospace fighters zoomed overhead – all with white armour and showing the eight-pointed rising star of ComStar on their wings.

“Good point,” Justin conceded again and put the armoured car into motion again, the wheels kicking up dirt as he pushed it as hard as he dared. “Where are we going now?”

“There’s a secondary entrance in a ravine south of here. It looks bad but it should actually be wide enough for us to drive there.”

She was right and the two men disembarked to cover the Archon as she activated the hidden controls that pulled a sizeable boulder out and up to reveal a hollow perhaps as wide as a small garage and leading deep into the mountain.

“Who goes there!” came a challenge.

“Archon Steiner,” she responded tersely. “Today’s code is Alpha-Romeo-Victor One-Seven-Nine.”

“Advance and be recognised.”

She obeyed and a battle-dress clad guard stepped out, an automatic shotgun in one fist and a torch in the other. He illuminated her face and then stepped back. “Sorry, your highness. Regulations…”

“They exist for a reason, Gefriter. I have two companions and a vehicle. We need to get to the command centre – the vehicle can stay.”

Justin discreetly put the fingers on his artificial hand into a more conventional arrangement, safing the laser built into it.

Up two flights of stairs and through three airlock-like security doors they finally reached an underground monorail. “Just how much of those mountain is hollow?” Justin asked.

“I could ask the same of Mount Davion.” Melissa took a seat in the carriage waiting for them – barely larger than a small van – and gestured for them to sit. “Back around 3037 when we were digging out a new level, we found an entire complex that someone had poured full of concrete. No one can find a shred of documentation about it but the working theory is that it was established in the early twenty-fourth century after the capital moved here from Arcturus and filled in later by Robert Steiner after he overthrew Margaret Olson.”

“Secrets of the past,” mused Justin.

“Burying military facilities underground goes back well before humanity left Terra.”

The car slowed to a halt – it had been moving at tremendous speed for their short journey, safer than a commercial subway would have since there wasn’t going to be much, if any, other traffic to worry about – and stopped at another ante-chamber.

They only had to pass two more armed checkpoints before entering the command centre.

“Melissa!” called out Nondi in relief, striding up from the main floor and seizing her niece in a hearty embrace with no regard for decorum. “We thought – I feared the worst when the news came that the Triad had fallen.”

“It couldn’t have been a great deal closer,” Melissa confirmed, returning the hug. “It wasn’t entirely a military strike, ROM agents had infiltrated some of the outer security and it let the ComGuards get closer than they should have before the Royals were alerted.”

“And how did they manage to assemble an entire Division on planet – those troops should be scattered across a dozen worlds?” asked Nondi with a suspicious look at Justin.

“There’s clearly been a failure by my Ministry, I agree,” he admitted. “I – or my successor, if it pleases the Archon to dismiss me – will have to answer some hard questions.”

“This isn’t the time. I need two briefings, Aunt Nondi. Local and the full Federated Commonwealth status. How bad is it?”

Ardan, who had been waiting quietly below, found it a suitable moment to join them. “Why don’t I start with the big picture while Marshal Steiner brings herself current on the last half-hour or so? She’s been wearing a hole in the carpet worrying about what condition you’d arrive in,” he added with an avuncular air.

Nondi huffed and turned away to check the latest reports being displayed.

“Good news first,” Ardan advised. “Our own HPG chain between here and New Avalon hasn’t been cut. Skye and Tikonov were hit, but they’re holding firm. The ComGuards didn’t commit enough forces to take those worlds and we’ve sent out the word for relief forces.”

“New Avalon?”

“They haven’t been hit yet, but the jumpship traffic we know about suggests ComStar are assembling a large force.”

“Is that the bad news?”

“No.” Ardan folded his arms. “The bad news is that we haven’t heard much from the rest of the Federated Commonwealth. Black box signals are getting through but it can take days for the signals to reach worlds that are part of our HPG network.” He sighed. “We do knew they hit Outreach though – an entire squadron of warships and at least as many Divisions as they have here.”

“They’re going for the Dragoons.”

He nodded. “That’s going to be ugly. Epsilon Regiment are good and they have the Home Guard force but…”

“But all our warships are elsewhere, which means that even if they just blockade the planet, they have the Dragoons’ dependents trapped. Natasha will hit the roof.”

“Nothing from the Clan front either. I think we have to assume they’ll press the advantage though.”

“Myndo Waterly has a lot to answer for. And yes, easier said than done.”

Nondi returned. “Are you done, Ardan?”

“Not much detail to work with. How about you?”

The Marshal grimaced. “Tharkad City is in ComGuard hands. Things are too disorganised to try to take it back at this point and the First Royal Guards severely underperformed. We’re going to need to take them in hand when we get the chance. Second have more than done their share though – in addition to covering your escape, Melissa, they’ve repelled two attempts to take the TharHes factories.”

“Mid-battle isn’t the best time to review the Royals performance, but it’s going on the list of things to do,” the Archon agreed. “Are we still dealing with just one Division?”

“Yes, the 282nd. There are reinforcements on their way in but someone seems to have screwed up their timing and the first division of their reinforcements ran head on into FCS Enterprise.” Nondi gave a cool and approving nod. “I wasn’t a supporter of the warship programme, but I know when I’m wrong. That one ship tore every single transport apart before they could get close enough to drop troops, much less land them.”

“No warships here?”

“Unfortunately yes. More transports, probably an additional two divisions, are at a proximity point deep in-system and they’re escorted by two battlecruisers. Commodore Derwent aboard the Adventure advises that he isn’t confident our two warships can successfully defeat that escort. For now I’ve ordered him to regroup with Enterprise and prepare to fight for the orbitals. If we back them with surface-based fighters… well, it’ll be close.”

Melissa nodded and looked at the main displays. “And it would take, a week at best, just to notify our other warships of the problem, much less bring them here.”

“We do have a squadron of heavy assault dropships available at Donegal,” Ardan advised. “I’ve sent them orders and we should be able to get them here.”

The Archon nodded. “Good thinking. Alright. There’s nothing we can do about the larger situation except trust our commanders on site. At least locally, however, we need to get the First Royal Guards back in the fight. Let’s see if I can get some steel into Mellandra’s spine.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then I’ll have Agent Curaitis put a steel blade through her spine and put one of you two in charge of the Guards. I’m fairly sure you both recall how to run an RCT and with limited communications, one of you can be spared.”


Ducal Palace, St Ives
St Ives Compact
27 December 3051

“If you’ll excuse me for saying this, I would really prefer not to be woken in the night for more emergencies like this,” Sun-Tzu requested politely.

The man across from him chuckled. “I can’t blame you. What is this, three times in the last two years?”

“Ask the gods to spare you the bother then, cousin.” Kuan-Yin was at least properly dressed for the occasion, wearing formal robes as she sat at the conference table. “It is not given to a Minister, Marshal or Chancellor to dictate the course of all events, no matter what we may wish for.”

“Okay, we’re getting a picture of the situation now.” Victor stopped chuckling and resumed the more serious demeanour Sun-Tzu had seen him display regularly since his abrupt elevation from junior Leutenant to de facto Field Marshal of the Confederation. “The on-planet elements of the 104th Division seized the spaceport and enabled a landing of the rest of their Division, backed up by the Fiftieth Division. So far that’s all the troops they have, whatever they might be claiming.”

“You’re very confident of that.”

“There are only so many people you can cram into dropships and we have good people watching the spaceport. The 104th is ‘Mech heavy and the Fiftieth is about fifty percent infantry so they’ve a decent troop balance but that’s still not a huge force. We have a numerical advantage if we can concentrate our forces to deal with them.”

“That will take careful diplomacy,” noted Sun-Tzu.

Besides the St Ives Academy training group, the available forces were the Red Lancers, who accompanied Kuan-Yin as the provisional Chancellor/Minister, and the Davion Assault Guards who were hardly likely to let the heir to the Federated Commonwealth out of their sight a second time after the events on St Ives. Both were old and proud regiments – and the last time they had both been on St Ives at the same time, the Guards had inflicted a crushing defeat on the Lancers, forcing a humiliating treaty on the then Chancellor Dainmar Liao.

“It’ll be an exercise in co-operation,” admitted Victor. “Perhaps we should thank ComStar for offering themselves as a target that they can both turn their attention to.”

“I hardly think that we need to go that far. Also I’d prefer not to ride in the backseat of your ‘Mech, if that’s alright.”

“It isn’t very comfortable, I agree. On the other hand, you shouldn’t stay here. In their place I’d certainly consider launching a commando raid on the palace under the cover of a more conventional assault. And, no offense, Sun-Tzu, but you’re likely one of their targets.”

“You would consider such a thing?”

“He didn’t say he would actually order such a raid, cousin.” Kuan-Yin watched fondly as colour rose in Victor’s face. “Merely that he would consider it as a tactical option.”

“Using a large and obvious operation to mask covert action is pretty basic.”

“Yes, merely uncharacteristic of you.” Sun-Tzu considered. “I believe that the Davion Assault Guards have a mobile headquarters vehicle. If you don’t feel I would be in the way, perhaps I could act as a liaison there between the two regiments.”

“I think that would help,” agreed Victor. “And we should probably place the cadets under Colonel Elias’ command as well.”

“May I suggest instead that you take personal charge of the Training Group,” proposed Sun-Tzu. “You are in overall command, after all, so it would be best if you and Kuan-Yin weren’t on the frontlines. The cadets can act as a reserve force under your direction to shore up the situation as needed. I believe it would be good for morale.”

“I’m not sure how the Lancers and Guards would feel about our last line of defence being cadets.”

“Then they will have something in common to complain about – and of course, they will fight doubly hard to make sure that there is no need for the cadets to be committed.”

Victor and Kuan-Yin exchanged glances and then Victor nodded. “Alright, we’ll do it your way.” He seemed to sense Sun-Tzu’s surprise at the proposal being accepted so easily. “If you’re willing to place your safety in the hands of my Assault Guards, the least I can do is listen your advice about my own security.”

They parted ways, infantry escorts falling in around them as Victor went to the communications centre to give the necessary orders; Kuan-Yin went to her quarters, presumably to change into something more practical to riding a BattleMech – Victor was right, she would be safer in a ‘Mech where ROM agents were less likely to be able to strike directly at her; and Sun-Tzu was whisked away to the entrance where a sleek hover car and escort were already preparing to take him to the headquarters of the Davion Assault Guards.

I must be out of my mind, Sun-Tzu thought. Putting my life in the hands of the Davions… but if ComStar wins and the messages I’ve been receiving are from them, the best I can hope for is to be their figurehead on Sian. But inside Prince Victor’s inner circle I can wield real power and influence on behalf of the Capellan people.

Assuming I survive, of course.

Swift and efficient service delivered him to the Assault Guards’ positions and after obtaining confirmation from the palace, he was admitted to the little bubble of privilege around the RCT’s command vehicles.

There were turned heads and even one whispered ‘What is he doing here?’ as he entered. Drab AFFC field uniforms abounded and his plain black suit – a style he deliberately copied from Justin Allard – stood out.

“What brings you here, your excellency?” General Stephan Cooper was tall, barrel-chested and bluntly spoken – an occidental counterpart of the more eastern values of the Confederation. Sun-Tzu thought privately that the man bore more than a minor resemblance to the St Ives-built Emperor BattleMech he drove – something about the lack of neck.

“Officially I’m here as a liaison, General. Just to deal with any little cultural issues that may cause misunderstandings between you and the other regiments on world.”

“We’ve been dealing with St Ives units for twenty years, I think we can manage.”

“I doubt it was so smooth in the beginning – and the Red Lancers aren’t a St Ives unit.” Sun-Tzu smiled warmly. “Unofficially, I think Prince Victor may be showing off a little. I’ve grown up around the best Capellan regiments. I don’t think it’s unlikely that he wants to wow me a little with one of the best regiments in the Federated Commonwealth.” The compliment was a little blatant for his tastes, but you have to speak to the audience you have, not the one you want to have.

“Well you’ve come to the right place.” Cooper thumped Sun-Tzu on the shoulder. “Let me show you what we’re going to do.”

Sun-Tzu followed him to the map table, glad he hadn’t had to bring out the other argument he could have proposed: that in being here he was a hostage against any misbehaviour by the Red Lancers. That would have worked in the short term, but the long term consequences would be troublesome.


Coventry
Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth
28 December 3051

The ComGuards scout force was doomed almost the moment it came into view.

The Cyrano helicopter gunships at least got shots off with their lasers before they were brought down, but to do that they came into the range of defensive fire from Kai and from Helen, who had with undisguised regret had to hand over her Black Python for major repairs and was instead piloting an Ausf R Hunchback from reserve stores, one almost identical to the ‘Mech she’d been assigned when they first met on Maxie’s Planet.

Cluster ammunition was deadly against helicopters and the lightly armoured gunships probably wouldn’t have survived hits even from conventional autocannon. As it was, they both lost their rotors and crashed to the ground as useless wrecks.

The ComGuards operated in six-strong combined arms units so it was no surprise to find a pair of BattleMechs also in the area, backed up by a pair of Beagle hover tanks. Knowing that friendly Beagle hover tanks were in the area, Kai ordered the ‘Mechs be destroyed first.

Diana spotted and engaged the Hussar in the slim interval between it entering her LRM range and the ‘Mech being able to engage with its extended range laser. If a scrap of armour survived anywhere on the light ‘Mech, it must have been on the back – the salvo was shatteringly effective and blew off both arms and the laser. The MechWarrior somehow kept the light ‘Mech upright but he had no offensive capability left and turned away at maximum speed.

The Talon was much less fortunate – Hasham’s Phoenix Hawk was fast enough to keep pace with him and compared to the Nova Cats, the ComGuard pilot might as well have been reacting in slow motion. Unlike the Hussar, the Talon had the armour to take a few hits from the Phoenix Hawk… but not from one of the artillery missiles launched from well behind Kai’s position. Hasham lit the enemy ‘Mech up with his TAG system and more literally with his lasers. Thirty seconds after coming into view, the Talon found an Arrow IV missile zeroing in on the already damaged right side of its chest. The warhead blew half way through the ‘Mech and took the side off the fusion reactor, with predictable results.

The hover tanks, seeing the carnage, tried to make a hasty retreat but as they retreated they found themselves confronted by two more Beagles – this time with sunburst-fists on their turrets. The new arrivals were just as fast as the ComGuard units and carried extended range lasers in their turrets that let them engage with relative impunity. The result was never really in doubt.

“Are the ComGuards placing sibkids in their war machines?” asked Diana. “That was too easy.”

“Not many of the ComGuards have seen action since joining. We do seem to have encountered the shallow end of their experience pool though.” Kai gestured towards the next ridge. “They must be scouting for someone, I want to see who it was.”

There was no one behind the ridge, but Able Company’s Recon and Fire lances pressed on and as Hasham’s Phoenix Hawk poked its antenna over the crest he froze and then backed up, waving for them to back up.

“What did you see?” Kai asked, using a tightbeam microwave transmission that should be secure.

“It’s an artillery park,” the Leutenant reported eagerly. “I saw three Partisans on air defence and at least a dozen Marksman self-propelled guns!”

“Did you see any security escort?” Helen had turned her Hunchback to watch their rear area, but she wasn’t going to stay out of the conversation.

Hasham’s voice was sheepish. “I didn’t see anything but I ducked away because I didn’t want to be spotted. I could have missed something.”

“Understandable.” Kai considered for a moment. “It’s too good a target to ignore, we’ll have to take the risk. With the Partisans an airstrike would be a no-go but if we take them out first, we can call in our own fighters. Where are they located?”

“On the corners – it’s a roughly square encampment so there may be a fourth.” Hasham used the foot of his ‘Mech to scrape a rough diagram of the deployments.

“Eight ‘Mechs on what looks like most of a battalion?” asked Helen dubiously.

“We’re not going to try to take them all out.” Kai pointed with Legendkiller’s arms at the corners. “Fire lance will cross the ridge and take out the nearest Partisan, then move along their left flank to engage the next corner. Recon lance goes for the right corner and checks for another Partisan on the far side. As soon as we’ve taken all four out, we get out and call in air strikes. You can take shots at the artillery if you don’t have any other targets but don’t stop moving or they’ll drop their muzzles and just flatten us with direct fire.”

“And if we don’t have any friendly air cover in range?”

“Then we took out their air defences and someone else can call in a strike next time they’re spotted – or they’ll need to divert air defence units from elsewhere. Not quite as good, but I’ll take that over leaving them there and unmolested.”

“Fair point.” Helen fell in at the rear of the Fire Lance.

“Okay. We move on three. One, two, three.”

All eight ‘Mechs crested the rise and while Kai was tracking Legendkiller’s guns onto the nearest Partisan, he also scanned the encampment. Sixteen Marksman self-propelled guns, parked in neat four gun batteries and each covered by a Partisan. Very symmetrical… although…

He fired, lasers raking across and through the side armour of the Partisan. Diana unleashed a single precise missile barrage that was probably overkill. The Dervish following them over-shot, missiles landing around the tank while Helen decided that overkill was better than underkill and raked what was probably a wreck with her autocannon.

…ComGuards use multiples of six for their units. Where are the other four?

Kai was answered as a low-slung, turreted vehicle moved into view from amid the nearest Marksman tanks. “Alacorn!”

The assault tank brought its turret to bear and one at a time the three gauss rifles fired. The unlucky recipient was the Dervish in Kai’s lance and two shots happened to strike the ‘Mech in its right leg, shattering the limb.

“I have it! Press on!” shouted Hasham and on the far side of the camp, a Phoenix Hawk soared briefly into the sky.

Then there were three sharp cracks and the ‘Mech tilted forwards and nose-dived into the valley floor.

Dammit. Dammit! “Evasive manoeuvres, finish the Partisans and get out!” snapped Kai. He wasn’t quite in range yet for the next Partisan, which was bringing its turret around to aim at them as well, so he twisted sideways and let the Alacorn have the full force of his weapons, driving the heat inside his cockpit well up into the amber range.

The lasers dug into the massive tank’s hull but they didn’t penetrate and Kai’s autocannon scraped away at it without managing anything more.

Diana’s LRM barrage also seemed unable to stop the tank, although it was wreathed in explosions.

“This is how it’s done,” Helen counselled. She ducked her Hunchback to one side and raked the side of the Alacorn with her autocannon, cluster rounds spraying across the tracks in the gap between the ground and the side-armour. “That ought to keep it from following us,” she explained.

Then she kept closing in, angling to stay just ahead of the three muzzles as the turret turned to track her Hunchback. Raising one foot high, Helen managed to scramble up behind the turret, inside the arc of the gauss rifles, and then kicked hard at the side of the turret.

With an audible crunch, the turret ceased to turn.

“How do you like that?” she declared out loud.

There was a thunderous crash as an artillery shell from one of the Marksmen slammed into the rear armour of Helen’s Hunchback and sent it sprawling.

“Double-O!”

“Ow. Nothing hurt but my pride and my rear armour.”

Kai fired into the rear of the second Partisan. “Can you move?”

“Yeah.”

“Then get out of here, we’ll finish up.”

Diana unleashed not just her LRMs but also both the Archer’s lasers into the Partisan. Smoke began to pour from the forward deck of the tank as one of her shots found the engine.

“That’s it, we’re done.” Kai started backing towards the nearest cover. “Recon lance, did you get the second Partisan?”

“Yes sir. The Leutenant bought it though.”

“We saw. Get clear and we’ll regroup.” He flipped the channel. “Air support, this is Kommandant Allard. ComGuard artillery force, four batteries, located this position. We’ve taken out their dedicated air defence but there are four heavy tanks on site.”

There was nothing but an unwelcome static.

“Dammit, someone listen.” He adjusted the frequency, wondering if the hills were interfering. Sometimes a very small shift in frequency could break through. “This is Kommandant Allard requesting an airstrike.”

There was another crackle and then, just as he reached the wood line and paused to give covering fire, there was a reply. “Kommandant Allard, we have an airstrike in your general vicinity. Confirm target.”

“ComGuard artillery park, one point five klicks east of my location.”

“Confirmed, Kommandant. Passing you to air-strike commander.”

Kai frowned. That wasn’t the usual procedure.

“Kommandant.” A vaguely familiar voice. “We have a smoke column in sight. Is that the target area, quiaff?”

“Star-Captain Leroux?”

“Aff. The ComGuards have engaged our forces also. Is the smoke source in the target area?”

“Ah, confirmed. Artillery is immediately eastwards. Good hunting. Allard out.”

As he swung north with Diana and Helen to regroup with what remained of the Recon Lance, Kai’s radar detected no less than twenty Nova Cat aerospace fighters descending upon the ComGuards artillery.


Fox’s Den, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
4 January 3052

“I was beginning to think that Waterly had forgotten about us,” Hanse noted coolly as he watched the diagram of dropships moving in towards New Avalon.

“I suspect that they were waiting for warships to join them from Galax.”

The First Prince looked over at Morgan. “And in their absence…?”

“They’re coming anyway.” The Marshal of the Federated Suns shrugged. “It isn’t how I prefer to do business, but Waterly is used to having almost immediate access to her people wherever they are in the Inner Sphere. I doubt she encourages initiative and it doesn’t seem to have occurred to her that with an interdiction in place there’s no actual reason for us not to storm the HPG stations and cut off her own communications.”

“It’s a shame we don’t have enough trained personnel to put them all back in service right away. That would be a slap in the face to her.”

“Are you sure you want to slap her across the face? It’s not very gentlemanly of you. After all, she did strip the ComGuard garrisons from most of our worlds, to the point that even planetary guard regiments can seize the stations.”

Hanse considered that question for a minute. “Yes,” he said firmly. “Given what happened on Outreach, I think it’s merited.”

“I can’t argue with that.” The Wolf Dragoons had put up a ferocious defence to buy time to evacuate the dependents of all five of their regiments, not to mention many retired veterans and sibkos created in the Clan style onto a flotilla of commandeered dropships only to see the ComGuards warships interdict almost all of them – and ComStar’s militant arm were not taking prisoners.

Only three dropships managed to escape on a circuitous high-gravity course through the outer system that eventually let them reach a startled commercial jumpship whose crew were willing to risk ComStar’s ire.

By that time, of course, Epsilon Regiment and the Home Guards were long dead – the survivors had thrown themselves at the four Divisions in a berserk fury when they realised what the warships were doing. Intelligence sources on Outreach were still sending reports in via Black Box and the ComGuards had lost almost all of the 111th and 386th Divisions to the Dragoon’s last charge.

“We still don’t know how bad the reports will be elsewhere,” Morgan said steadily. “We have to assume that other worlds have fallen.”

“New Avalon will not.”

“No,” Morgan agreed. The ComGuards invasion force was the same size as that sent to Outreach, four Division, and once again there were two regiments to receive them – but the First Davion Guards and New Avalon March Militia were the units supported by warships and additional militia units were forming up to provide assistance for anything that reached the ground. “But what then? You know Terra’s defences caused horrific casualties to the SLDF when they took it from Amaris. The AFFC wouldn’t be prepared for that sort of operation even if we weren’t fighting the Clans.”

“I have an angle.”

“You have… an angle?”

Hanse patted his nephew on the shoulder. “Oh yes. Trust me, Morgan. We’re in touch with Tharkad now and Melissa has everything in hand there. You just concentrate on clearing the ComGuards off our worlds and I’ll keep things moving on re-establishing HPG communications across the Federated Commonwealth. Terra is in hand.”

“I’ll take your word for that.”

“So, Tikonov?”

“Yes.” Morgan pulled up a map. “The Crucis Lancers took the world in 3028 and they still remember what a struggle it was. Now that the Second RCT are on the defensive side they’ve made use of that. Even with three Divisions on world they can hold out almost indefinitely. I’ve recalled Beowulf, Athena and Loyalty to regroup at Quentin where they’ll be joined by the Seventh Lyran Regulars. They’ll move on to Deneb Kaitos where the Fourth Deneb Light Cavalry are waiting for them.”

“That’s a decent army group, with the Light Cavalry fully upgraded. So a warship-escorted group of reinforcements to take care of Tikonov. How long do you expect it to take?”

“The main limitation is that even with Lithium-Fusion Batteries, the warships won’t reach Quentin until next month and it’ll probably take another month for the task force to reach Tikonov.”

“By then I’ll be able to give you a better idea of where we stand with regard to the other worlds.”

Both of them instinctively listed the worlds that mattered most to them, the worlds that must have also been targeted by the ComGuards.

Robinson, capital of the Draconis March, where James Sandoval was now off the leash when it came to handling the weakened Draconis Combine.

St Ives, capital of the new Confederation March. Home to Hanse’s heir and daughter-in-law.

New Syrtis, capital of the Capellan March. Home to Morgan and where his wife and younger children were defended by exactly as many regiments as New Avalon was.

Exactly as many regiments as Outreach had been.

Morgan Hasek-Davion was not a fool and he had thought himself no stranger to fear. But now he considered himself very foolish indeed. And very very frightened.

“Kym is a very capable woman,” Hanse assured him. “And George is with the Forty-Second Avalon Hussars, only a few jumps away. If the New Syrtis is in trouble then he’ll know about it by now.”

“That’s part of what bothers me. If New Syrtis is in danger then George might convince General Waters to do something reckless to try to relieve them. The only warships we have in the area are the Valiant and the Vincent Davion and they’re just corvettes.”

Hanse leant against his desk and looked sympathetically at his nephew. “I remember worrying about another young man I was sending out on his own and hoping he wouldn’t overreach himself. We’ve raised good sons. Now we have to stand back and trust them to handle them right.”


Reyhavik, Rasalhague
Wolf Occupation Zone
13 January 3052

Ulric Kerensky hadn’t realised until he was reminded that it was more than forty-eight hours since he’d had the Precentor Martial detained. Then again, he had been very busy.

“You needn’t concern yourself,” Focht assured him, when the Khan summoned him to the command centre. “I’ve been catching up on my reading.”

“Yes, well you may have other things to concern yourself with.” Ulric folded his arms. “I have come to have considerable respect for your sagacity, Precentor Martial, so I am working on the basis that you have nothing to do with what your Primus calls ‘Operation Revelation’.”

“I don’t believe that I’m familiar with anything going by that name,” admitted Focht slowly.

“It is remarkable that she would embark on such a large scale military operation without consulting her senior military command.”

The strategic display had been zoomed out to show the entire Inner Sphere and neighbouring Periphery Realms rather than just the Clan Invasion Corridors. The Khan indicated Coventry, right on the leading edge of the Nova Cat occupation zone. “Clan Nova Cat has been engaged by two divisions of the ComGuards. Khan Leroux has suggested that this may be an attempt to take advantage of the ilKhan’s death.”

“Two divisions isn’t remotely enough to defeat the Nova Cat forces on Coventry.”

Ulric nodded. “The Nova Cats do not appear to be having significant difficulty, particularly as the ComGuards are also engaging the Federated Commonwealth forces.”

Focht’s lips thinned. “Then those divisions will be destroyed,” he said bleakly.

“Quite. Under the circumstances, those Clans who have not already expelled ComStar entirely are doing so.” Ulric touched a control and the icons representing the ComStar HPG stations and their security were highlighted in red, all across the occupation zones, excepting those of the Smoke Jaguar and now Diamond Shark corridors from which they had already been expelled.

“Will you allow me to order an orderly withdrawal?”

“No.” The Khan touched another control and the icons of the Wolves’ frontline Clusters suddenly lunged back up their corridor. “You’ve trained excellent soldiers, Precentor-Martial. And since the Federated Commonwealth is under an Interdiction and quite unable to launch a counter attack, I intend to take those soldiers – and the technicians they are guarding - as our bondsmen.”

“An interdiction? Why would Waterly... ah.”

“Purportedly some incident on Blair Atholl. The Steel Vipers are unable to shed any light upon it, however your Primus has claimed it as justification to seize control of the Federated Commonwealth and restore what she calls ‘responsible government’.”

Focht gripped the rail overlooking the holo display. “She can’t possibly succeed, not without months to shift forces and prepare.”

“It seems unlikely.” Ulric balled his fists. “That is not the immediate concern however. Removing ComStar from my Clan’s worlds is.”

The Precentor Martial got the message right before Ulric caught him by one shoulder and spun him around, driving his fist into him below the ribs. The older man doubled up, breath driven from his lungs, but he caught the rail behind him and jumped up, belying his age with a kick to Ulric’s ribs.

Propelled by the kick, Focht crashed over the rail into the holo display and Ulric took two quick steps then hurdled the same rail to kick him with both feet.

Bright lights played over them as the holoprojectors tried to adjust their display despite the presence of two bodies in the middle of the projection.

The Khan seized hold of his opponent but released him as Focht lowered his head and butted him in the face, breaking Ulric’s nose.

“Should we intervene?” asked one of the warriors at the consoles.

The Star-Captain on watch shook his head. “This is the Khan’s fight. But shut down the projectors before they burn out.”

The lights around the two brawling men died out as Ulric finally managed to pin the fiercely struggling Focht against the floor. In addition to the broken nose, the Khan was bleeding from an ear that the Precentor-Martial had got his teeth into. With a grunt, Ulric seized the other man’s long white hair, dislodging the strap of his eye-patch and bounced his head off the ground.

It took three more impacts – and probably a concussion – before the Precentor Martial stopped fighting back.

Ulric took a deep breath and then pulled a bondcord out of his pocket, wrapping it around the other man’s wrist. “Take him to the medical wing and ensure he is guarded. He may not accept his new status easily,” he instructed.

The Star-Captain stepped in and hauled the old man out of the way. “I’ve called for a medic,” she advised the Khan. “I recommend you have your own injuries tended before they become infected.”

“That isn’t precisely my first concern.” He stepped clear and then looked back. “Bring up the display again.”

The inner sphere winked back into life and Ulric shrank the view in until only Clan Wolf’s domain and the worlds around it were displayed. Almost all of the worlds they had taken in the Periphery had been overrun, with two worlds still holding out near those the Star Adders and Fire Mandrills had seized and Star’s End, much nearer to the former Free Rasalhague Republic, showing as strongly garrisoned.

“Overlay our troop movements.”

The clusters of Alpha and Delta Galaxies moved back the occupation zone, clearing it of ComStar elements from Lothan and Ramsau to Memmingen and Radstadt. Meanwhile Beta and Gamma executed a sweeping movement up along the border with the Jade Falcons and then across the Occupation Zone to Rasalhague on the border with the Ghost Bears.”

“Yes, that will do,” Ulric confirmed. “Issue the orders to all Galaxy commanders. And inform Anton Fetladral that Paulus Prime and Gustrell are the only additional worlds I will accept being lost to the Adders and the Mandrills. He has worn them down to the point that if they try to reach further towards Terra I want them to be stopped dead.”

“It will be done, Khan Kerensky.”

Ulric accepted the offered antiseptic wipe from a medtech and wiped his ear briskly, ignoring the stinging sensation. While the tech bandaged his ear, the Khan more carefully cleaned the blood from his broken nose – it was significantly more tender.

“That will have to be set.”

“Do it then.”

He grimaced as the technician straightened his nose and then taped it into place. Yelling at the pain would be undignified for a Khan he thought and his lips curled at the nature of the thought. Worrying about appearances… how we have been changed by this matter.

“What is next on my schedule?” he asked.

The Star Captain checked her noteputer. “Ah… a meeting with civilian representatives from Verthandi.”

Ulric took a deep breath. “Alright. Let them know I’m on my way.” What impression he’d make turning up as if he’d just come out of a bar brawl he wasn’t sure, but at least they could take comfort in not being faced by a Smoke Jaguar.


CSS Invisible Truth, Tharkad system
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
16 January 3052

Alain Beresick felt a chill down his spine as he saw the tactical display.

“Sir!”

“I see them.” For a moment despair dug a tremendous gulf before him. The Primus would be very displeased with what he was about to do – but if he continued to obey her orders then his only immunity from her wrath would like in the fact he was unlikely to survive. “Condition Amber. Inform damage control that they have three hours to lock down anything they can’t restore function to by then. And get me Precentor Mulvenna.”

The communications adept turned to his console and spoke urgently into his headset while Beresick checked the latest status reports. They weren’t terrible… but they weren’t good enough.

“Sir.” The adept swallowed. “Precentor Mulvenna is busy. I have her aide, Precentor Repanich on the line.”

The naval officer closed his eyes for a moment. Blake give me strength.

“Put her on.”

The face of Gwen Repanich appeared on the main display. Her own view of Beresick should show the tactical display although not in any great detail.

“What do you want, Beresick? Precentor Mulvenna is busy running the war. Tharkad is almost in our grasp – no thanks to you.”

Whether or not the 379th Division, one of the two Divisions assigned to the operation from Mulvenna’s Ninth Army, would have made a difference was entirely academic: more than 80% of them hadn’t even reached orbit after FCS Enterprise made a high speed run through their formation, weapons firing. The battlecruisers Invisible Truth and Blake’s Strength had absolutely gutted the destroyer but even in the brief time that took, the ship’s weapons had reaped a brutal harvest of dropships.

“Well you’d better let go of Tharkad in a hurry. Tell her that she has three hours – make that two hours fifty minutes - to get her troops on dropships and lifting. The AFFC’s reinforcements are coming and Aleksandr Kerensky himself couldn’t stop them with what we have here.”

“The entire point of you being here is to deal with that. You have two warships, Beresick. The Feddies tore our dropships apart, now grow a spine and do the same to them.”

“There are four inbound warships, Precentor Repanich – three cruisers and a frigate. That isn’t counting the Adventure which is vectoring to join forces with them well before we can possibly intercept them. My ships are bigger but not by enough. I won’t waste the ComGuards warships in a fight they can’t win so in just under four hours we’re boosting for a jump point. We’ll escort any dropships that can join us but if you’re not there I’ll leave you behind.”

“You wouldn’t dare. The Primus would -”

“The Primus may or may not take action against me for withdrawing. But if I stay here then the Nova Cats will certainly kill me. That simplifies my position.”

“The Nova Cats?” Repanich’s brows furrowed. “You said they were AFFC reinforcements.”

“Actually I said they were the AFFC’s reinforcements.” Beresick crossed his arms. “There are three Nova Cat warships escorting dropships that match our data on their Alpha Galaxy – and eleven AFFC dropships, a mix of troop transports and their new heavy assault ships.”

“But they’re supposed to be shooting at each other!”

“Tell them that. Assuming, you’re not in orbit by the time we leave.”

“I’ll wake the Precentor!”

“Do that.” Beresick made a cutting gesture and the screen went dead. “Right, get me in touch with Precentor Cody on the Blake’s Strength.”


The Triad, Tharkad
Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth
21 January 3052

The fires of war had touched the heart of the Lyran government for the first time in living memory but nonetheless the Archon greeted the formal embassy of the Nova Cats in the towering royal halls. As had been the case for so long it was more tradition than practical security the stone throne of the Archon was flanked by a pair of BattleMechs in the colours of the Royal Guards.

If Biccon Winters noted that the ‘Mechs, rather than being the customary Griffins from the First Royal Guards were Vulcans from the Second Royal Guards she made no mention of it as she waited along with her aides and Caradoc Trevana – her formal escort – for Kai and his father to exchange greetings.

Kai saw new lines on Justin’s face and from the expression judged that his father found him just as changed. “It’s good to see you,” he said quietly. “Is there any news?”

“Cassandra is fine – she’ll probably be mad that you got here before she managed it.”

“It was my turn to play at being a heroic rescuer.”

His father cupped the back of Kai’s neck for a moment and then somehow seemed to shrink in on himself. “Anyway, Kuan-Yin is fine on St Ives – we don’t have many details but the ComGuards got cut apart by the Red Lancers and the Assault Guards.”

“Caught in the crossfire.”

“As I said, not many details. And Kestrel wasn’t attacked, so Quintus is fine too.”

The Grand Marshal cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, may we proceed.”

Justin fixed the man – some minor Steiner cousin holding the sinecure position on little more basis than having a clear voice and being moderately presentable – with a quizzical look. “I’m sorry, were you waiting for us?”

Stung, the man turned. “Oathmaster Biccon Winters of Clan Nova Cat.”

Normally there would have been a crowd of courtiers observing, as well as supporters of whomever was being presented – and a holo-camera discreetly to one side so that the moment would be immortalised for posterity. The camera had been collateral damage when the fighting entered the Triad and replacing it wasn’t a priority and so this meeting, significant as it was, would not be recorded.

Melissa did not rise as the Nova Cats approached the throne, instead fixing them with an icy stare that would have surprised many Lyran and Suns citizens who knew only her warm and approachable public persona. “Oathmaster.”

Winters nodded respectfully. “Archon.”

“I received a summary of your proposal – and I am not unaware that your presence and reputation has been of service to me in the matter of cleansing ComStar from my home. But I would hear this in greater detail from your own lips.”

“You have undoubtedly heard much from Natasha Kerensky of the Clans,” Winters said, showing no sign of discomfort at being left to stand and explain in front of the Archon’s throne. “While I have never met her, I imagine she described my own clan as a pack of mystics and dreamers or in some similar terms.”

“Largely, yes.” Melissa tapped the arm of her throne. “This seat was once occupied by an Archon who put her faith in astrologers, soothsayers and the like. She was a disaster who had to be removed by force. It does not predispose us to appreciate such matters.”

“That is not an unusual view, many of the other Clans feel likewise. The Nova Cats have followed the Way of Seeing for two hundred years and we remain among the most formidable of all the Clans – we feel this is more than sufficient reason to place weight on our visions. Yet other Clans are certainly our equals in prosperity and in strength, while following quite different paths. We take this to mean that for all its merits in our own eyes, the Way of Seeing is not for everyone.”

“Practical of you.”

“We try. Such visions hardly guide our every waking hour,” Winters pointed out. “Wit and reason are of no less use to us than they are to anyone else. Still, on important decisions we do examine dreams and visions for guidance. Operation Revival was no different.”

“To summarise considerable discussion, two key visions were identified. Our Khan dreamed that while the other Clans threw themselves into the teeth of the Inner Sphere’s defences, the Nova Cats would follow a different path and that this would lead us to Terra while our cousins in the other Clans howl in envy and frustration. Secondly, my own dreams showed that a legend would be slain and that the killer would lead the Clan – or perhaps I myself – to the gates of Terra, which would be marked by an icy crown.”

“And this is why you drove your own invasion towards Tharkad? You believe this is the icy crown?”

“If you will excuse me for saying so, your capital has something of a reputation for cold weather. The symbolism of a crown is obvious. And naturally from a military perspective, circumventing your primary lines of defence by striking at Tharkad and then through the Isle of Skye to Terra, seemed more promising than beating our heads against the fortified worlds that have stalled Clan Steel Viper for so long.”

“Vision and reason.”

“Exactly.” Winters smiled slightly, as if to a promising student. “Of course, visions are open to interpretation. My own vision led us to believe that one of our warriors would kill some legendary figure within the Inner Sphere and that this warrior would lead us in the conquest of Terra. The notion played to our egos, I confess. And yet when a legendary figure did fall, it was our ilKhan and the legend killer is your Kommandant Liao. I arrived in time to witness the end of their duel. You have much to be proud of in this warrior.”

“I had great respect for him long before that, as did his father. I think you may safely say that the deed does nothing to tarnish his reputation.”

“You are well-spoken, Archon. I had heard that you were not a warrior, but you have the look of one who has trained as a warrior.”

“My husband and my sons are MechWarriors, Oathmaster. My own military training was as a jaeger – our light infantry. And I have sent men and women to die in defence of our worlds. You may consider me a warrior.”

“It is more than that. You have seen battle with your own eyes.”

Melissa hesitated and then nodded. “Long ago, when I was younger than Kai.”

Winters eyes went distant for a moment and then she shook her head. “A dying hound and a silver eagle,” she murmured to her aide. “My apologies, Archon. Those of us who cultivate visions sometimes have moments of…
intuition, shall we say?”

“We’ve drifted somewhat from the point of this conversation. So the death of Leo Showers caused you to re-evaluate your visions?”

“It seemed to us that we had misinterpreted my vision. And ComStar’s actions gave us more concrete reasons to believe our approach had been wrong. There is a sickness on Terra, Archon. A threat to your realm and to all of the Inner Sphere. The spark that ignited our invasion was the discovery of a ComStar jumpship in Clan space. Perhaps we should have taken that as our sign: that our enemy was not the Inner Sphere, but the rulers of Terra itself.”

Winters took a deep breath. “It is never easy to admit to making a mistake, Archon. We have killed no small number of your warriors and now we have concluded that we were wrong to do so. We owe you a surkairede for this – but we must also fulfil our destiny and that takes us to Terra. If we must fight our way past you, we will do this – but as my Khan’s vision suggests, perhaps there is another path.”

Justin cleared his throat. “Are you sure you have the capacity to take Terra? Aleksandr Kerensky needed to deploy over a hundred and fifty SLDF divisions – more than forty-five thousand BattleMechs alone – to liberate it from Amaris.”

“By the standards of those battles, no, we do not. My clan have the third largest warship fleet among the Clans, twenty-two ships, and ten Galaxies of ground forces, although our invasion force includes only around half of our strength. However, there is no evidence that ComStar possess the Caspar drone warships that Amaris used to devastate the SLDF invasion flotillas and the ComGuards, even before their losses attacking your worlds, are in no sense as formidable an army as the Rim Worlds Army was.”

“Of course, that doesn’t consider your losses if you have to fight your way through the AFFC just to reach Terra.”

“If, of course, you decline our request that will be problematic.” Winters bowed slightly to Justin and turned back to the Archon. “Archon, we request safcon through the Federated Commonwealth to Terra. With the forces available, we believe we can seize Mars, Venus and other facilities in Terra’s star system, establishing a foothold there which can use to constrain ComStar’s operations until the remainder of our warriors can join us and we can liberate Terra from the Primus and her ilk.”

Melissa lowered her head in thought. “There are conditions,” she said at last. “You may consider them your surkairede if you wish.”

“Firstly, you will restore the worlds you have taken from the Federated Commonwealth. I have heard no reports that you have abused our citizens as certain other Clans have, but I will not yield their freedoms to you.”

“Agreed. We have no cause to retain those worlds.”

“Secondly, you will restore all prisoners taken from us in your campaigns so far.”

Winters nodded. “That is acceptable. To be forthright, we also have one bondsman who we won from Clan Wolf that was once of the AFFC. Your cousin Richard has insight we find interesting. While we are willing to release him to you, we would ask permission that he remain as our guest – our honoured guest – at least until we have liberated Terra.”

“My cousin is a Marshal of the AFFC.” Melissa softened her voice. “If he chooses, then he may remain with you as a liaison officer. But if he wishes to come home to us, you will arrange it.”

“That is entirely fair, Archon. Are we agreed?”

“There is one last condition. Clan Nova Cat will sign a treaty with the Federated Commonwealth, recognising our sovereign rule over the systems around Terra and recognising your Clan’s rights and responsibilities over Terra – as its rulers and also as custodians of the legacy it remains for all humankind. My ancestors allowed Jerome Blake great latitude in these matters and his successors abused that. In generations to come I do not wish my heirs to look back on my as the architect of their troubles with an over-mighty Terra.”

The Oathmaster bowed deeply to the throne. “You bargain shrewdly, Archon. Very well. Draw up such a treaty and I will take it before our Clan Council. They will confirm it as our law from this day forward.”

“On those terms then, the Federated Commonwealth will provide you with safe conduct and such logistical support as we can spare, in bringing your forces – all of your forces – to the Terran system.”

“Bargained well and done.”

Biccon Winters stepped up onto the dais and offered her hand. Melissa rose to her own feet and the two women shook hands firmly.

“Is it the beginning of the end?” asked Kai softly.

“At the very least,” his father replied, “The tide has turned.”

VERY nicely done, Drakensis.  Bravo, sir, bravo.  And, yes, I am enjoying this story very much so.

MA

Millargro, Trondheim
Ghost Bear Occupation Zone
18 February 3052

Vlad leaned forwards. “I am Vladimir Ward, commander of the Wolf Hunters. We are here to take this world, your garrison and the supply depot here for Clan Wolf. With what will you defend them?”

The Ghost Bear didn’t shrink from his words, but nor did she rise to them. “I have a full binary of BattleMechs and our infantry complement is unarmoured.”

“And I have an entire Cluster at my disposal,” Vlad warned. “I will take this world, Star Captain. Be aware that anything you bid, I may destroy.”

“I, Dawn Mitsuhan, bid my Alpha BattleMech star in defence of Trondheim.” She gestured at the plains around them. “This will be our circle of equals.”

“Bargained well – and done.” Clan Wolf’s Watch had informed Vlad of the garrison force without any need to ask for it. The infantry were useful in enforcing the Ghost Bear’s will on the civilians but would have little or no value against his Wolf Hunters. By bidding away her lighter Beta Star, the Star Captain would force Vlad to deploy a heavy force to engage her four heavy and one assault BattleMechs – besides, those were the forces readily available to her.

“Ranna,” he ordered. “Your Alpha Star.”

“You do not bid amongst yourselves?” exclaimed the startled Ghost Bear commander.

Vlad smirked. “I challenged for, and won, the right to assign units to targets as I see fit.”

“That is not the way of the Clans.”

“It is the way of the Wolf.” Vlad raised one clenched fist. “If my officers dislike it, they may challenge me for my position. I suggest you get to your ‘Mech, Dawn Mitsuhan.”

She turned and retreated without another word. She had brought out her Star – her own Kodiak and four Grizzlys - to greet the Wolf dropships, having somewhat naively permitted them to land without explanation of their purpose here. That mistake would cost her. Despite her bloodname, Vlad did not think she would be a valuable bondsman, but the same might not be the case of her warriors and certainly not of the supply depot here.

Ranna’s Star disembarked and moved to face the Bears. She was still piloting the ancient Wakazashi and it was flanked by a Supernova BattleMech, a Kingfisher OmniMech and a pair of Glass Spiders. The two Stars were of very similar total weight and largely made up of slow, durable ‘Mechs with tremendous firepower – the sort of slugging match that would usually favour the Ghost Bears’ doctrine over the Wolves.

Then again, Ranna was under no obligation to fight under that doctrine and she quickly took the initiative, holding her ‘Mechs in a tight formation and sweeping left towards the Ghost Bear flanks.

The Ghost Bear formation was looser and the Ranna signified the Grizzly at the end of their line by firing on it with Gauss Rifle, PPC and both her lasers. At long range only the PPC and one laser struck home, searing armour from the smaller ‘Mech’s right arm and cracking plates beneath the arm’s shoulder.

The Ghost Bear returned fire effectively, pulse laser tracking across the right side of her Wakazashi’s chest and its Gauss Rifle scoring on the ‘Mech’s left shin.

Then, in complete breach of zellbrigen, the rest of her Star unleashed their own firepower into the heavy ‘Mech. Lasers and Gauss Rifles hammered into it, saving the right-side of the Grizzly.

“Dezgra,” called out Star Captain Mitsuhan but her Kodiak was at the far end of the Bear’s line and wasn’t even in range to add its weapons to the scattered return shots from the rest of her Star.

Ignoring the protest, Ranna continued extending her line and forcing the Ghost Bears to chase her. She switched her targeting to the next Grizzly in line and both the PPC and Gauss Rifle smashed into the side of its chest, tearing through armour and into vitals behind it. Then her autocannon hammered at the breach with cluster rounds and the ‘Mech was masked from sight in the fireball of a reactor breach.

Vlad’s eyebrows rose sharply. “I begin to see why you like the ‘Mech so much,” he admitted.

The first Grizzly engaged was retreating under a constant barrage of fire from Ranna’s Star that stripped away virtually all of its armour protection. Vlad mentally marked the MechWarrior as possible abtakha – someone who could keep his ‘Mech up and fighting under such a barrage was promising material.

The Ghost Bear Star Captain charged into the van of her remaining Star, using the bulk of her Kodiak to mask them as they reformed. Not inclined to ignore a willing target, Ranna’s Star needed no hints as to their next target and shots pulverised armour across the ‘Mech, one laser blotting away the bear-like visage and almost breaching the cockpit.

With irony, a similar shot almost killed MechWarrior Suikaina, whose Supernova – already one of the slowest ‘Mechs on the field, had slowed to bleed off some of the heat. Her ‘Mech wasn’t the only one that had slowed though and the Kodiak was in range of MechWarrior Maddox’s Kingfisher. The assault ‘Mech was a formidable machine and for some reason Mitsuhan made no use of her assault autocannon but a savage barrage of lasers and SRMs took the OmniMech to its knees, head reduced to molten slag and with it the Wolf MechWarrior inside.

The Kodiak fell face first into the dirt after this salvo, gutted by the Gauss Rifles and Extended Range Large Lasers favoured by Ranna’s Star. Fire erupted around the wreck as the fall finally ruptured its reactor and consumed the ‘Mech and the luckless Mitsuhan.

Suikaina lingered just long enough to finally finish off the Grizzly that had been engaged first and then backed up to re-join Ranna as they pulled back to open the range on the remaining two Ghost Bears. Outnumbered two to one, the Bears were stubbornly still firing into the Wolf ‘Mechs – specifically into Ranna, who was taking the brunt of their attention.

After two exchanges, Ranna cut the battle short by searing the cockpit of the leftmost Grizzly with her PPC.

Alone now, the final Ghost Bear finally broke off. “Star Colonel Ward, I request hegira.”

“Neg,” Vlad denied. “You showed courage in battle and now good sense in recognising you cannot prevail. I will have you for our Clan. Power down your ‘Mech and I pledge you will have every chance to prove yourself a worthy warrior of Clan Wolf.”

 â€œI comply.” The man lowered the arms of his Grizzly. “I surrender myself to Star Captain Ranna.”

Vlad grinned ferally. A cheap shot, making the point that the warrior was Ranna’s bondsman, not his. Good, his spirit was unbroken. Clan Wolf could use such warriors.


Planetoid #167, Star’s End
Wolf Occupation Zone
18 February 3052

While Nova Cressidas was the only habitable planet in the system, no one of significance was there. Star’s End was all about the habitats dug into the many asteroid belts. Realising this, Star Colonel Katya Kerensky had bid her Dorbeng Cluster to fight the Seventy-Third Adder Cluster on one of the planetoids, the environment putting the Star Adder warriors immediately off balance.

Also confusing to them was the doctrine she employed against them.

Under the weak gravity LRMs took strange trajectories and Katya bounded into what would normally be extreme range of a Nova, unleashing a salvo from her salvaged Dervish’s chest-mounted launchers. More than twenty of the thirty missiles clawed away some of the OmniMech’s protection and then she bounded back out of view, firing jump-jets to give her absurd agility. The rest of her deliberately under-strength Star had followed her, leaving four lightly damaged ‘Mechs and one frustrated and unscathed Star Commander.

They had been doing this all day, raiding and teasing the Adders until both sides were scattered across the planetoid in small groups.

“Why do you not stand and fight!? Are you Wolves or Surats?”

Katya adjusted her own transmitter to the same frequency as the Star Adder. “We are fighting. I just shot at one of your Star.”

“This is not zellbrigen!”

She considered reminding him that zellbrigen was custom but not law – and that all Clans had their own interpretations of it. But that wasn’t the point she wanted to make. Her orders from Anton Fetladral were simple in theory but not easy to execute: defeat the Star Adders using AFFC equipment and doctrine… but maintaining the honour of Clan Wolf.

“At no point have I seen any of my warriors combined fire upon your target in these engagements. If you can report any incidents, I pledge on my honour as a Kerensky to investigate and punish the individual.” Her orders had been very firm – if nothing else, while zellbrigen was in place the Star Adders had no incentive to concentrate their forces against isolated Stars and were willing to break off units to pursue small groups of Wolves.

“I have damage from at least three of your warriors!”

“If those were in three separate engagements then that is within the bounds of zellbrigen, quiaff? Once a warrior retreats from the battlefield, his opponent may engage and be engaged by another warrior. There is no law or custom that binds us to concede a trial when only one small part of the Circle of Equals has been fought over.”

Katya’s voice grew somewhat teasing. “So we are fighting you – and I believe we are winning. Your other demand, that we stand – stand still and become easy targets – is unworthy of a Clan Warrior. We do not owe it to any Clan to handicap ourselves in battle – we owe them our best efforts in opposition that the victory, if they can win it, be one worthy of report!”

“That is as it may be,” a new voice declared. “However, your choice of terrain limits us both, Star Colonel Kerensky.”

She recognised the voice. “Star Colonel Connery, your statement is unclear. This terrain shapes our battle, by offering both constraints and opportunities.”

“I am speaking of our environmental systems.”

Aha!

“We have been fighting for more than twenty hours, Star Colonel Kerensky, and this planetoid’s atmosphere is negligible. I propose a ceasefire so we may both recharge the air supplies on our ‘Mechs.”

“Your meaning is now clear, Star Colonel Connery. However, I decline your offer. My environmental systems have ample reserves of breathable air so such a ceasefire would benefit you far more than it does me.”

Clan cockpits were efficient and refined, but also optimised for short engagements. The Inner Sphere ‘Mechs were larger and less efficient but also contained supplies of food, water and atmosphere that could allow operations for as much as a week without resupply. Katya had not been counting on the Star Adders finding that they could not maintain the battle as long as her Cluster could – but it was enough of a possibility that she had even had warriors napping in shifts between engagements to ensure they were well rested and ready for battle. Not to mention that while she had bid no Elementals for the battle, that in no sense prevented disarmed suits from carrying out basic armour repairs and reloading ammunition for her ‘MechWarriors.

“You may withdraw to your dropships if you wish. However, we will stalk your warriors every step of the way.”

There was a still silence as Macleod Connery realised the trap he had led his Cluster into.

“In case you are interested, Star Colonel, this is the relentless warfare we Wolves have learned to fight in the Inner Sphere. Your Khan was right that Operation Revival committed far too little of the Clans’ toumans to the invasion – but he was wrong to imagine that even with all of our Clans combined we could have brought the entire Inner Sphere under our banners.”

“We Clans were naïve in the ways of war, but those of us who have invaded have learned our lessons well or we have fallen in glorious but futile skirmishes. Your warriors are unblooded in comparison.”

“And yet we have taken nine worlds from you, and even the Fire Mandrills managed to seize four before they inevitably fell to infighting.”

“Impoverished worlds that could sustain no more than bandits and that are located inconveniently far from our centres of power. You took those worlds because we chose to let your warriors expend their resources fighting for them. More than half of your supplies are gone now and we choose to allow you no further.”

Katya brought her ‘Mech around for another hit and run strike on the battered Star Adders.

“Enough. I request hegira.” There was no defeat in Connery’s voice. He might have lost now… but he knew this strategy now and while victory was beyond his grasp today he could return in a few months prepared for it.

“Denied. You bargained poorly, Star Adder, and now you reap the benefits. If you order a retreat, perhaps one in three of your warriors may reach their dropships alive. If you bring your dropships in to collect your warriors then you have broken your bid by committing them to the battlefield and I will order in my aerospace fighters to interdict this planetoid.”

“You think I will surrender my Cluster to you?”

“You will surrender your Cavaliers or you will see them destroyed on this lifeless rock.” Katya’s voice was as pitiless as space itself. “Decide quickly.”


Gamora, Twycross
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
1 March 3052

Between the extended nature of the Occupation Zones, it had taken more than two months for word of the ilKhan’s death and ComStar’s machinations exposed to spread and the need to secure the HPG stations had further extended the necessary coordination period for a Grand Council meeting.

Two months! In the Homeworlds no Khan was ever more than two weeks from the Hall of Khans or hours from assembling via HPG conference. Elias Crichell was less shocked than awed. The original four invading Clans each had realms now that were larger than the entire Kerensky Cluster. The Nova Cats and Diamond Sharks were well on their way to similar power and the Steel Vipers… well, incompetence was its own reward.

Still, such a scale was imposing its own limitations and assembling all thirty-four Khans in one place was clearly unfeasible and so they sat in small groups where they could gather and the restored HPGs tied them together into one body.

There had been a few changes amid the Khans. Kincaid Furey had not lasted long as the junior Smoke Jaguar Khan and Sarah Weaver had reclaimed her position. Surprisingly, Bjorn Jorgenssen was no longer one of the Ghost Bear Khans and it took Crichell a moment to identify that the new face was Laurie Tseng, previously the Loremaster of the Ghost Bears.

“We are convened in conclave at a time of war, under the provisions of the Martial Code handed down by the Founder.” Brandon Howell, a Smoke Jaguar, was serving as Loremaster to the Council. Perhaps that spoke of the expectation that Lincoln Osis or Sarah Weaver would be elevated to ilKhan, leaving a space for him as a Smoke Jaguar Khan.

Crichell would not have been surprised if the Smoke Jaguars had already prepared a throne. It would be in line with their arrogance. They were likely to be disappointed.

“Our ilKhan has fallen. We are gathered here to elect his successor,” Howell continued.

“Neg!” snapped Daryl Keller of the Blood Spirits. “To elect the ilKhan now would be improper. We must convene in person, on Strana Mechty.”

Most of the Khans would need months to make that journey from the Inner Sphere. Crichell kept his face clear of the scorn he felt for the suggestion. Keller and his entire Clan must be losing touch with reality. The invasion was only barely back on track after their earlier reversals. Half a year delay in electing an ilKhan, who would then be another six months from reaching the frontlines? Absurd!

“I have examined the Martial Code at great length.” Vandervahn Chistu leant forwards intently. “There is no precedent for electing an ilKhan away from Strana Mechty… but nor is there any regulation that prohibits it. We may set a new precedent if we so choose.”

You have much to learn, Vahn, thought Crichell. You see yourself as a contender for the title – but by so obviously moving to innovate you will offend the more traditional Khans. You have no deeds to your credit that will make you worthy. Osis can take credit for the conquest of Luthien and Kerensky for Rasalhague, but they are my rivals here. Jorgenssen might have been a contender but he has been removed somehow. Not you.

“Khan Chistu is correct,” agreed Howell - predictably.

“There are other matters to discuss here.” Aletha Kabrinski rose to her feet with explosive force. “There are Khans who sit here who have betrayed the invasion, who have no right to cast votes in the election of our ilKhan.”

Crichell blinked. That was a bold accusation to make. “That is a serious accusation,” he observed. “Who do you accuse, and of what precisely?”

Kabrinski’s hologram stabbed her finger across the chamber at the hologram of Ulric Kerensky. “The Wolves have turned their forces against my Clan’s Invasion Corridor. Striking by treachery they have shattered our supply lines and slaughtered our garrisons. I demand the Grand Council censure them and call on the Wolves to elect new Khans who must make good their plundering.”

“Mind your tone, Kabrinski,” rumbled Lincoln Osis. “Not even a Khan makes demands of this Council. What say you, Kerensky?”

Ulric removed the wolf-helm and set it on the desk before him. “Khan Kabrinski may have forgotten that it was her own Clan which proposed, in one of our previous gatherings, that the worlds of our Occupation Zones should be open to Trials of Possession by other Clans. That measure was voted on and approved by the Grand Council.”

“We do not deny striking at Clan Ghost Bear – we boast of it,” added Charles Dinour. “We hold fifteen worlds today that were once held by the Ghost Bears. Aletha Kabrinski stands as senior Khan of that Clan today because we slew Bjorn Jorgenssen upon Alshain.”

“Our actions are no more illegal than the recent Trials of Possession which have carved out enclaves for Clan Fire Mandrill, Clan Star Adder and Clan Burrock from worlds originally taken by Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon.” The older Wolf Khan nodded to the leaders of each of the three home Clans. “I hear no calls to censure them – and nor should there be. They fought bravely and well for those worlds.”

“I agree.” Osis crossed his arms across his massive chest. “And I will remind Khan Kabrinski of the fate of Clan Mongoose.”

A hiss went up. Clan Mongoose had tried to use political influence in the Grand Council to overturn the outcome of military defeats. The Khans of the time had affirmed that the final judge of any decision was the battlefield and that the Mongoose’s manoeuvrings were an affront to the Way of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar had won the right to absorb the treacherous Clan but had treated it more as if it was a Trial of Annihilation. Virtually all the Mongoose bloodlines had been eradicated save for stockpiles of genetic material the Jaguars held as trophies but declined to ever use.

“A cautionary tale, Khan Osis. One we would be wise to remember lest other Clans make the same mistake in the future.” Crichell smiled. “We must remember that Khan Kabrinski has only recently lost her Khan – something that may easily lead any of us to speak in haste and without due thought. I am sure Clan Ghost Bear is not so foolish as to take this false path, Khan Tseng?”

The former Loremaster looked as if she had bitten into something sour. “Indeed. We mourn our Khan but we acknowledge his death was a lawful one and that the Wolf’s claims are within the bounds of law – although their disregard for Zellbrigen is an offense we will not soon forget.”

Well. The Ghost Bears will certainly vote for neither Kerensky nor Osis now. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Smoke Jaguars decided to seize whatever is left of the Ghost Bear’s stockpiles. They may be closest to Terra, but if the Bears think that that has made them friends then they are sadly mistaken.

“How pleasing to see that the Wolves claws have not blunted.” Malavai Fletcher looked smug. His Clan had a long and sometimes bitter rivalry with the Ghost Bears. “Our recent gains at your expense had led me to wonder if the Founder’s legacy had faltered.”

“You have indeed bested our cubs and our elders, Khan Fletcher.” Ulric smiled confidently. “The Grand Council demanded that Clan Wolf must participate in this invasion and so we have found our future here, in the Inner Sphere. I am sure that most of you are aware that our holdings on the Home Worlds are diminished in recent months. What you may not realise is that save for our holdings on Strana Mechty -” Each clan held inviolably an equal share of the Clan’s capital world. Only the destruction of a Clan would lead to enclaves there changing hands. “- we have no remaining enclaves in the Pentagon or the Kerensky Cluster.”

He looked around the chamber and seemed to find what he found satisfying. “With the help of our allies, we have brought all of our core assets into the Inner Sphere and here we will make our homes. If you want our worlds, come and take them – if you can. You may find it more of a challenge than you have found in the Home Worlds.”

Howell thumped his desk. “If you will move on from this matter, we have still to elect a new ilKhan.”

“First we must decide if we even can should.” Robin Steele glared at him with more vigour than Crichell expected from the aged Khan. “Strana Mechty is sacred ground and every ilKhan has been elected there. I move that we should abide by this tradition and adjourn the election until the Khans can gather there in person.”

“I realise it may have escaped your attention, Khan Steele, but some of us have an invasion to carry out.”

“Your invasion, Khan Chistu, has failed. The plans provided by the late ilKhan anticipated that we would need fifteen waves of attacks, lasting a total of three years, to reach Terra. Yet by my count there have been exactly that number of attacks and yet you are little if any closer to Terra - or your goal of declaring yourselves the ilClan - than you were a year ago. The resistance of the Inner Sphere is, if anything, stiffening.”

“Khan Steele’s argument is unwelcome,” Sevren Leroux declared, “Yet we must admit that the invasion has not gone to plan. Our warriors now walk on Tharkad -”

“WHAT!?” came a roar from the Smoke Jaguars.

“Our warriors walk on Tharkad,” the Nova Cat’s senior Khan repeated patiently, “Be calm, Khan Osis, we do not claim control of Tharkad, merely to have reached it. We do have access now to unprecedented information on the Federated Commonwealth and their military capacity. While they have taken painful casualties fighting against us – and I draw special attention to the protracted and bitter fighting the Steel Vipers have endured – they are nowhere near the end of their material or personnel resources. Indeed, the pace of their preparations has only increased.”

“Not only are the Federated Commonwealth constructing replacement equipment for units still fighting, they are even rebuilding destroyed commands. On Coventry we encountered a new Tenth Donegal Guards and a new Eleventh Lyran Guards, replacing the units destroyed by Clan Steel Viper and Clan Jade Falcon respectively. Having studied their factories on Coventry and Tharkad, our technicians confirm that their technology is generally ahead of ours – even ahead in a few limited areas.”

Ulric leant forwards. “Such as?”

“I am told that some of their BattleMechs – including the same one used to successfully duel and slay Leo Showers – are fitted with advanced myomers up to three times as efficient as our own.”

“Three times?”

“The functional performance gain is not proportionate, of course.”

Khan Sennet cleared her throat. “I believe that some salvage from Luthien has included advanced targeting systems with capabilities we do not yet utilise. On that basis I would have to concur that the Inner Sphere’s technology is not always inferior to our own.”

“Indeed. And it is believed that the Federated Commonwealth has actually shipped weapons to the Draconis Combine.” Leroux frowned. “I hope the significance is not lost on any of you. The Inner Sphere may not be united against us but they are at least willing to cooperate to an extent out of self-interest – something that seems increasingly difficult for us.”

Crichell came to his feet. “This is valuable information, my peers, but we are once again straying from our purpose. Khan Steele has placed a measure before this council. Let us vote on whether or not to defer the election until we can return to Strana Mechty.”

Howell bowed. “Thank you, Khan Crichell. A vote of yea shall be in favour of immediate election of an ilKhan, a vote of nay shall leave us leaderless until such time as the Grand Council can assemble on Strana Mechty.”

The votes were tallied and Crichell gritted his teeth as a narrow gap widened. A core of crusader Clans favoured an immediate election but the Clans who remained in the Home Worlds formed a solid bloc against this, backed by Clan Nova Cat and – after both Wolf Khans abstained – Clan Ghost Bear. The final vote was thirteen in favour of an election and nineteen opposed.

Lincoln Osis slammed his fist against his desk. “I demand a Trial of Refusal.”

“That is your right, Khan Osis. The odds are set at one point four-six against you, although bidding may reduce this margin. What forces do you bid?”

“The Sixth Jaguar Dragoons!”

Howell winced. That was one of Clan Smoke Jaguar’s finest Clusters but… “That will require that the Trial of Refusal take place here in the Inner Sphere. In order to carry it out promptly…”

“I bid the First Bear Guards,” offered Laurie Tseng, drawing a sharp look from Aletha Kabrinski. While Kabrinski was senior, that only counted within the Clan. On the Grand Council all Khans were equal. “I propose that we use Xinyang, on the border of our invasion corridors, as the location of the Trial. The Guards can be there in a week.”

“The Dragoons will be there.” Osis drew himself up. “We will do battle on the eighth of this month, quaiff?”

“Aff. Bargained well and done, Lincoln Osis.”

“Since other matters should wait until we know if we will have an ilKhan or not, I propose we end this gathering,” offered Charles Dinour. “At the current pace, if we keep talking we will have two new blood feuds by the end of the day.”

Crichell nodded and in the absence of any opposition, Howell bowed and closed the session.

“Ulric is up to something,” Chistu accused once the HPG transmitter had closed down.

“I agree.” Cassius N’Buta was enjoying the hospitality of Clan Jade Falcon while his saKhan led operations against Clan Wolf – although those might now be stonewalled if what Ulric said about his forces was correct. If the Wolves had the full strength of their touman in their occupation zone then the Star Adder’s Gamma Galaxy could be defeated easily without seriously weakening the Wolves elsewhere.

“If nothing else, he has forced the Khans to re-examine the Home Worlds. Election or no election I suspect at least a dozen of the Khans would be returning home within the month. If we want an ilKhan, all of us will have to make that journey. For the Wolves to arrange a withdrawal with no one even noticing…”

“I would not be surprised if a number of Khans turn out to be on their way already. I have not met with Lynn McKenna or Malavai Fletcher in months. SaKhan Posavatz of the Scorpions visited the Nova Cats recently, but Khan Djerassi…”

“Only the Smoke Jaguars have as extensive an Occupation Zone as the Wolves.” Chistu rose to his feet and paced. “But they control a sparsely populated region of space and until they reached Pesht and Luthien, they controlled few major industrial worlds. Add fifteen Ghost Bears worlds to the Wolf domain and no other single Clan can equal them.”

Crichell nodded. “If the Ghost Bears win their Trial of Refusal – or if they lose but the new Khan is not a Smoke Jaguar – Lincoln Osis will lash out at them. As unnatural as it seems, the Smoke Jaguars and Wolves will be – not allies, but at least have a foe in common. And the Ghost Bears will be crushed between them.”

“Which does nothing to advance the Invasion.” N’Buta looked over at the two Jade Falcons. “We need a new leader and a new plan. I must travel to our newly seized worlds to confer with Tabitha Paik before we return to the Home Worlds. You have until then to convince me that one of you is the leader we need.”


Silverdale, Alshain
Wolf Occupation Zone
19 March 3052

The Silverroot Keshik crashed against the Golden Keshik and in moments the two trinaries were entangled in a brutal struggle for survival.

Traditionally the senior Khan of the Ghost Bears lead the Ourse Keshik but they had died with their Khan and so Aletha Kabrinski retained the Alpha Galaxy command trinary as her bodyguards and her saKhan was still escorted by the Beta Galaxy Keshik – wherever that might be, since Ulric knew that they hadn’t been bid for this battle.

The sky, as ‘Mechs and Elementals tore at each other furiously, was clear. Every pilot was engaged heavily far above the atmosphere as the Ghost Bear flagship Dieron’s Run, the battleship Ursa Major and two escorting Essex-class destroyers tore at Ulric’s flagship Dire Wolf, escorted by the battlecruisers Blood Drinker and Stealthy Kill.

Ulric’s Executioner was loaded for mid-range combat, approximating the usual A configuration although he’d traded the machine guns and their ammunition for a rear-mounted small lasers and an extra heatsink. A Mad Dog engaged him with PPC and autocannon. Recognising that it was trying to close into range for its substantial SRM racks, the Khan activated the acceleration circuitry built into his ‘Mech and circled, raking the lighter ‘Mech with fire from the pulse lasers in his ‘Mech’s left arm and then the extended range lasers in the right.

The Ghost Bears had discarded zellbrigen, expecting nothing less from the Wolves and they hadn’t been disappointed. In this case that meant a second Executioner joined the battle and fired on Ulric with a Gauss Rifle and a pair of large lasers. The MechWarrior seemed content to pick apart the Wolf Khan from long range while the Mad Dog kept him from closing, scoring its own hit on his frontal armour with its PPC.

Ulric’s counter was a classic one-two approach – first he fired his four extended range lasers low, stripping away armour from the Mad Dog’s legs. Secondly he used his jump-jets to close in and peppered the more damaged leg with fire from his three pulse lasers.

The limb tore away and the Mad Dog crashed forwards onto its face, momentarily unable to use its missiles. Ulric closed further and unleashed almost all his lasers into its back. Explosions tore one side of the Mad Dog apart as ammunition detonated, while on the other side the bulk of the missile launchers were wrecked.

That probably wouldn’t stop the ‘Mech entirely… but Evantha Fetladral and her Elementals were already hopping from cover to cover towards it. And that would be final.

Ulric turned his attention to the enemy Executioner, which was slamming more shots into him, blasting away armour over his own ‘Mech’s left arm and leg. Returning fire with his pulse lasers, the Khan strode forwards, forcing the other ‘Mech to back up if it wanted to avoid entering the range of the cluster of extended range medium lasers in the Khan’s right arm.

The edge in firepower belonged slightly to the Ghost Bear until Ulric could reach four hundred and fifty metres – but only slightly, for deadly accuracy of the pulse lasers allowed the Khan to place his shots accurately – and he was aiming every shot for the right side of the Executioner’s chest.

Jump-jets, myomer acceleration – the Ghost Bear tried all the tricks save one to keep the range open. His only hope of matching Ulric’s speed was to turn his back and run at maximum speed, leaving him open to shots against the vulnerable rear armour. Unwilling to take that chance, he let the distance fall past that fatal distance and Ulric added medium lasers to his barrage.

This was sufficient to complete his objective, tearing open the Executioner’s side and revealing the engine shielding, coolant systems and – fatally – the ammunition stock for the machineguns. Cellular ammunition storage saved the core internal systems of the Executioner – but it put the right arm out of action and reduced it to only one weapon – the gauss rifle in the left arm.

Changing tactics, the Ghost Bear halted his retreat, dropped to one knee and braced the gauss rifle for the most accurate shot. A slug smashed directly into the armour, right below Ulric’s cockpit.

He returned fire, stripping away tons of armour.

The Ghost Bear Executioner shifted its aim up a little but although there was the slight electromagnetic pulse of the capacitors discharging, the Gauss Rifle didn’t fire.

Out of ammunition, perhaps, Ulric concluded and closed in to finish the job. Before he could take another shot he saw a flicker of movement and wheeled his ‘Mech sharply. A Fire Moth darted past, torso twisted to track him and five lasers burned through his ‘Mech’s left arm, just below the shoulder.

Ulric continued his evasive movement as the lightning fast light ‘Mech circled around, angling for another pass. A Fire Moth in D configuration. In the Silverroot Keshik that could only mean one person.

“Aletha Kabrinski, I presume?”

“Aye.”

She kicked in her own acceleration circuitry and rushed him, the little ‘Mech’s speed over two hundred kilometres an hour – unrivalled even among Clan ‘Mechs.

Ulric fired his jump jets to avoid the fury of the Ghost Bear Khan’s weapons. She had five lasers to his four, as well as a flamer (although if he let her get close enough to use that then he would deserve the outcome). Only one laser scored on his Executioner but none of his shots hit and she rushed out of range, using the distance to turn and cool.

The match was more even that it appeared – Kabrinski’s speed let her engage and disengage at will now that his longest range weapons were out of action. That made his advantage in heatsinks moot since she could take time to shed heat. He retained much more armour but if she hit him and he couldn’t hit her…

Instinctively, despite the decision to abandon the rules of zellbrigen, the warriors of both sides spread out to give the Khans room to battle without interference. Orders were one thing but a two century tradition was another. Many on both sides even ceased fire and backed up to watch the Khans battle.

The flipside of the coin, Ulric decided, was that not even the thickest armour on the Fire Moth could withstand laser hits from the weapons they were both using. Any hit at all could penetrate and potentially cause very serious damage to the light ‘Mech. Only the supremely confident would use such a ‘Mech in a duel like this – usually the Ghost Bears assigned Fire Moths as little more than transportation to a point of Elementals.

She charged again and this time Ulric didn’t turn to avoid her, instead he moved his Executioner into the attack.

Armour peeled away from the Executioner’s right arm as Kabrinski combined the targeting computer of her ‘Mech with her preternatural skill and shaved away the armour of limb, the bolts of energy tearing away myomers and one of the lasers.

As she rushed past again it was hard for Ulric to tell what damage she might have been taken but his battle computer was able to reconstruct the hits for him, outlining a schematic that showed he had struck twice near the centre of mass, leaving much of the armour between right shoulder and cockpit bare of protection. He’d hit near the weapon mounts so he might even have taken out one of her lasers.

Kabrinski’s tactic was obvious: take out his other arm and leave the Executioner almost defenceless. Then she could tear the ‘Mech apart at her leisure and kill Ulric at her leisure. Even if he had taken out one laser, another pinpoint salvo like the last one would eliminate his right arm.

Ulric stalked back to where he had been standing when Aletha first attacked him, crouching the Executioner so that she was facing his left shoulder, the right arm shielded by the right arm.

“It will not save you, Ulric!”

She rushed him again and this time Ulric didn’t try to use his lasers.

Holding still until the last minute he brought his ‘Mech up and around, the arm lashing out in a sweep that would be cockpit high on the Fire Moth.

Aletha danced the little ‘Mech behind the reach of the arm –

And the severed left arm of Ulric’s Executioner, held in the hand of his ‘Mech, extended that reach enough to crash against the already damaged right side of her Fire Moth.

The Fire Moth spun twice under the impact and crashed down on its back, plates of armour cracking.

Ulric triggered his jump-jets, bringing up a ventral camera on one of his secondary displays to check his landing zone.

The camera caught Aletha Kabrinski’s face staring up through the canopy of her cockpit for a brief second before more than ninety tons of OmniMech crashed down on her.

Ulric raised his arm. “Wolves! Break them!” he ordered.

Three Galaxies of his finest warriors howled as they charged into the horrified Ghost Bear warriors.


Silverdale, Alshain
Wolf Occupation Zone
22 March 3052

Bondsman Anastasius opened the office that Ulric had claimed for his own. “Khan Tseng of Clan Ghost Bear requests your attention.”

Sitting back in what had once been Bjorn Jorgenssen’s chair, Ulric stretched and then checked his uniform. The grey leathers seemed presentable enough. “I’ll speak to her here. Put her through and listen to the conversation. I may want your opinion later.”

The white-haired man nodded quietly and stepped out. A moment later and the hologram of Laurie Tseng sprang to life, sitting in a chair very much like Ulric’s on the far side of the desk.

“Khan Tseng. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?”

“Spare me your empty courtesies, Ulric Kerensky. I gather that your Clan has taken to denying hegira so I shall not request that. I am here to discuss terms of ending the conflict between our Clans.”

 He spread his hands. “You have my attention.”

“If you want our invasion corridor so much then I am inclined to let you choke on it. We could extract a high price from you, but with our supplies in your hands and many of our best warriors dead or captive we would not stop you.”

Ulric nodded. The First Bear Guards had battered the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons into submission on Xinyang – and left Lincoln Osis in a coma he had yet to wake from - but the price had been high. Throw in the loss of garrison troops taken as bondsman and the casualties taken by Alpha, Delta and Rho Galaxies in the unsuccessful attempt to retake Alshain…

The Ghost Bears still in theory had a line of retreat along their corridor, although it was fairly notional between the Wolf gains followed by Clan Smoke Jaguar seizing Garstedt and four other worlds. Rimwards of Alshain though were a rich cluster of worlds between Rubigen and Baldur.

“Avoiding that price is worth some concessions on my part. I take it you wish to extract your remaining forces and return to the Home Worlds, quiaff?”

“Aff,” Tseng admitted reluctantly. “Unfortunately with the jumpships and dropships you captured, we no longer have the lift capacity for our support personnel.”

Ulric considered and then smiled thinly. “As it happens, Clan Snow Raven have several warships in our Occupation Zone, having escorted a convoy of our civilians from the Pentagon. My understanding is that they are currently bargaining for goods to carry back with them. I can find the resources to fill half of their holds, if in exchange they agree to use the rest of transport some of your personnel and equipment back to Arcadia.”

“Do you expect thanks for this offer?”

“I am sure that if I declined to offer something of the kind you would offer the worlds to the Diamond Sharks and hope that I would be lured into a feud with them over the territory.” He scratched his beard. “Not all of those we captured would find it easy to adapt to our ways, as much as they might be valuable in other ways. I will release half of our bondsmen to return to your Clan, to help you rebuild in the Home Worlds.”

The Ghost Bear narrowed her eyes for a moment but then relaxed. “That, I will admit, is generous.”

“Do not ruin my reputation for pragmatism, Khan Tseng.”

“I accept your offer. It will take some weeks before we are ready to depart. I have ordered my forces to concentrate at Marawi and Mualang.”

Ulric nodded. “I will arrange transportation at Clan Wolf’s expense for those you cannot transport further from Marawi to Skallevoll where the Snow Ravens ships are located.”

“That is acceptable. Be aware that with so many of our garrisons retreating you may have to reconquer several worlds we took recently.” She sneered. “Also, the DCMS recently seized Shirotori while we were otherwise engaged in defending ourselves from your treachery. That is your problem now.”

“Bargained well and done,” agreed Ulric.

The hologram vanished and Ulric pulled up a new communications form. He filled out the fields quickly and then touched his intercom. “Anastasius.”

The bondsman – once Frederick Steiner, then Anastasius Focht and now merely a possession of Clan Wolf – opened the door. “Khan Ulric?”

“I’ve sent a file to your desk. Forward it to Star Admiral Sukhanov on Skallevoll. Unless I misjudge her, she will jump at the chance to return to the Home Worlds with holds half-full of manufactured goods - even if they are intended for a civilian market - and an implicit favour owed by Clan Ghost Bear.”

“I can think of several men who would have wanted to completely destroy the Ghost Bears.”

“How many of those men prospered?” asked Ulric curiously.

“I suppose that few of them did prosper, in the end.”

“That does not surprise me. The Ghost Bears are adversaries but in the Home Worlds they will help to stabilise the situation there. It will be only a matter of time before those Clans still in the Home Worlds feel that they could make a better job of invading than we have. The Ghost Bears will be living evidence amongst them of how difficult such an invasion can be. Return once you have sent that. I have some diplomatic correspondence to prepare.”

“Diplomatic correspondence?” The one-eyed man left the room briefly and then returned. “You have a visitor, Khan Kerensky.”

“Oh?”

Vlad Ward stalked in. “Khan Ulric.”

“Star Colonel. My congratulations on your Wolf Hunter’s recent performance.”

The younger man nodded absently and then glared. “Khan, why are you not en route to the Home Worlds?”

“Why would I do that?”

“There is such a matter as the election of an ilKhan?”

Ulric smiled triumphantly. “Oh, have we been called to conclave to do that? I do not recall any such summons.”

Vlad looked at him as if he had lost his senses. “But…”

“I blame Brandon Howell,” added the Khan cheerfully. “As Loremaster of the Grand Council he should really have made the arrangements to summon the Khans once it became clear that Khan Osis had lost his Trial of Refusal. Perhaps he was distracted by arranging for the Smoke Jaguars to vote him in as their new saKhan. In any event, the martial code is quite clear. The Khans are under no obligation to embark for Strana Mechty until the summons is issued and reasonable travel time must be allowed for.”

“Then… six months delay.”

“Six months from when someone actually summons the Khans. And the longer it takes them to realise that, Vlad, the longer it will be before we have an ilKhan to answer to.” Ulric looked out the window and pointed at the Wolf banner where the Ghost Bear (and previously the dragon of the Combine) had once flown. “I suspect that Leo Showers would have objected to the Ghost Bears surrendering their invasion corridor to us. I am certain that Elias Crichell will once he hears about it.”

“The Ghost Bears have surrendered?”

“Indeed. I will be sending out formal notification to the Clan Council shortly. We will provide reasonable assistance in helping them withdraw to the Home Worlds and in return we’ll gain considerable defensive depth along our flank.”

“Not to mention retaking the lead in the advance on Terra.”

“Vlad, you need to face the facts. Robin Steele was perfectly correct when she told us the invasion had failed. Resistance has stiffened to the point that we have no realistic hope of reaching Terra – Khan Tseng advised me that the Ghost Bears have even been pushed back off a world they had taken. We must focus on bringing Clan Wolf out of the debacle in the strongest possible position.”

“We’ve come so far.”

“Very nearly half the distance, but even combined, all the Clans combined control barely ten percent of the Inner Sphere. It’s time to dig in and consolidate. We have vastly more resources than we did before. A generation or two from now who knows what the situation may be? But for now we are surrounded by enemies – both rival Clans, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere and even the population of the worlds we control.”

“Then we will defeat them!” Vlad snapped angrily.

“Aff. And doing so will blood our warriors as no other Clan’s touman will be. But not all enemies are defeated with violence. For now, the threats are uprisings on our worlds, counter-offensives by the Inner Sphere and the censure of the other Clans. The uprisings can be turned aside by bring the people into the Clan fully – not only teaching them our ways but also learning their ways and taking up those of them that are of benefit to us.”

“The Inner Sphere, for now, we can deter with a strong posture and polite – but firm – words. Let the other Clans fight them. They will lose because no Clan except ours came here prepared not just to invade but to conquer. But while they are faced by the Smoke Jaguars and Jade Falcons, the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine can be convinced to give us the time we need in order to build the strength to withstand them.”

“That leaves the censure, when they are shamed and defeated, of our enemies on the Grand Council.” Ulric gave Vlad a confident look. “And we Clans know the truth that the rest of humanity shrink from. Every decision we make is enforced – or thwarted – by violence. We will not only be the strongest of the Clans, we will be as strong as all of them combined. And that being the case, with warriors like you in the lead, we will triumph over them.”


ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island
North America, Terra
24 March 3052

Bruce Tjulander had been Precentor Martial for less than three weeks when he was executed by ROM guards.

“Incompetents! How can I do Blake’s work when I am surrounded by incompetence of this scale!?” the Primus had shouted before giving the command.

It reminded Demona Aziz very much of the fate of Tjulander’s predecessor, Margo Koivu, who had been executed for evident treachery behind the failure of Operation Revelation to secure Tharkad or New Avalon. Or even Sian.

As little as Aziz liked Precentor Martial Focht, she was unable to entirely blame him for failing to return from the Clan Occupation Zones. That assumed, of course, that he was free to do so - and that he had even received the recall message. HPG stations across Clan Occupation Zones had fallen silent and a few ComGuard units were trickling into Combine space telling stories of sudden and overwhelming assaults.

The Precentor for Atreus gestured for her aide, Cameron St Jamais, to collect the datapad that Tjulander had been carrying.

“Do not waste your time with that nonsense, Aziz.” Waterly seemed to slump as she turned back towards the only other available member of the First Circuit. “The fool’s claims of our losses are outrageous.”

“Permit me to investigate for you, Primus. We must know how deep the rot runs, after all.”

“Do as you will then. You are dismissed.” The Primus gestured wearily towards the door.

“What do you make of it?” Aziz asked St Jamais as he examined the datapad.

“Nothing good.” He thumbed the scroll control. “We should be grateful that the late Precentor Beresick brought his warships home. We can ill afford to lose two battlecruisers.”

“What remains?”

“Besides the battlecruisers, we still have a troop cruiser – although it looks more like a pocket battleship – three cruisers, four frigates, seven destroyers and two corvettes. Some of those are still being upgraded but the six ships ‘missing’ after Hesperus II and whatever happened at Galax were almost thirty percent of our naval strength.”

“There are still caches we haven’t reactivated but those will take years to prepare. And the ground forces?”

“Counting the Terran Defence Force, before Operation Revelation we had thirteen Armies, totalling seventy-eight divisions. Right now we have thirteen divisions intact in the Draconis Combine, four badly depleted divisions in the Taurian Concordat – Tjulander ordered them to consolidate down to two divisions – sixteen intact divisions in the Free Worlds League and ten divisions here on Terra. Everything else is at best missing and realistically most or all of them are destroyed.”

Aziz pursed her lips. “So we have forty-one remaining divisions – almost half the ComGuards has been wiped out in the course of Operation Revelation. Hmm. And around a third of them are currently inside the Free Worlds League – which makes it reasonably secure. After all, Thomas Marik was one of us for many years.”

She remained lost in thought as they walked the rest of the way back to her office. “Cameron, how many of the divisions in the League were deployed as part of Operation Revelation?”

“The Seventy-Sixth and 143rd Divisions carried out the attack on Alarion – they don’t appear to have seen heavy action there.”

“No others?”

“Ah… no, the 386th Division was deployed from Sixth Army but the unit took heavy losses fighting the Wolf Dragoons and the survivors were used as replacements for losses in the other units there and withdrew to the Combine with them. Three divisions from Eighth Army attacked Hesperus II but…”

“Please, Cameron, I may not be a military expert but even I know that Hesperus II has never fallen. I take it those divisions are among the missing or dead?”

St Jamais nodded his confirmation.

“Well, the Word of Blake must be upheld.” Aziz tapped her console. “I’ll request permission to return to Atreus to shore up relations with Thomas Marik and interview the commanders of the Seventy-Sixth and 143rd Divisions. On the assumption that I may need expert military advice, see what arrangements would be needed for me to meet with them on New Olympia and for a staff detached from the Seventh Army to meet me there.”

“New Olympia?”

“I think drawing attention to them by gathering on Atreus would be a mistake, Cameron. New Olympia is convenient and I believe we have a fairly major ComGuards presence there anyway. If we’re going to support further operations we’ll need to have everything in order.”

And if we’re not going to support the Primus, she mused inside the privacy of her own head, then ComStar will need a powerful patron to defend us from the Federated Commonwealth. Thomas Marik is the only House Lord not bled white facing the Clans and he’s naturally sympathetic to us. If he’s favourably inclined then it may be time to see how Theodore Kurita is feeling – with the rest of the First Circuit dead or missing the Primus has only one likely successor.

Then again, do I want to inherit the current mess? Perhaps it’s time for a fresh start for our Order. History may look back on me as a second Conrad Toyama – if I succeed, of course.


Brzo, Tukkayid
Benjamin District, Draconis Combine
1 April 3052

“You have a Clan Wolf envoy on planet?” Tai-sa Bobby Bock – who was a samurai in the service of House Kurita, no matter how Lyran his name sounded – queried, wondering if he’d developed a hearing disorder. Hopefully not – any problems with one’s ears usually had consequences for your ability to pilot a BattleMech.

The commander of the local militia bowed. “Indeed, Bock-sama. It is a very strange matter but all diplomatic forms were followed, so we felt it best to accept them provisionally until such time as we could report the matter to Buckminster.

“And he has caused no problems.”

“Ah, no sir. She is a very intimidating woman but she has been… as polite as a gaijin might be expected to be.”

“Show me to her.” Bock wondered how intimidating a mere woman could be.

The available diplomatic quarters were merely second-rate – not unreasonable for a backwater farming world really. They were in the classic Japanese style and the Tai-sa had a moment of amusement, contemplating some savage Wolf Clanswoman trying to survive in civilised society.

They had entered without knocking and there was no immediate sign of an occupant. Bock was about to query this when he detected the sound of running water from the bathroom. Well, a diplomat of sorts and there were limits to how one should treat even gaijin women. “Announce me,” he muttered.

The militiaman flushed. “Ah, Captain Fetladral! It is I, Michel de la Nancy. I have brought a senior officer of the DCMS to discuss your diplomatic mission.”

The woman who emerged from the bathroom was soaking wet, although the towel she held was remedying that quickly enough. She was also completely nude and at least as large as both men combined, with a head of dark red hair. “That is Star Captain Fetladral, Michel. Must I remind you again?”

“Ah, I am very sorry, Star Captain. May I present Tai-sa Bock of the Nineteenth Galedon Regulars?”

Bock managed to bow without losing his composure. “I am informed you are a diplomatic envoy.”

“Aff,” the woman concurred, tossing the towel over a drying rack and starting to pull on a jumpsuit. “I bear a message from Khan Ulric Kerensky to Coordinator Theodore Kurita.”

“You are aware that a state of war exists between your Clan and the Combine, with regard to your invasion of Lothan?”

“I am advised that the purpose of a diplomat is to resolve such matters without violence. I am a warrior of Clan Wolf – if you prefer violence than I am more than able to confront you on those terms.”

“That would be a decision for more senior heads than mine,” Bock admitted grudgingly. “My mission was to re-establish contact now that we control Shirotori and again have ready access to this world.”

Fetladral smiled almost sweetly. “And yet Shirotori was a Federated Commonwealth world until the Ghost bears seized it. Do you expect no conflicts with House Davion over this matter?”

“That would also be a matter for more senior heads.”

“I hope to meet some of these senior heads and possibly the people attached to them at some point.” The woman was at least decently dressed now.

“Do you intend to deliver the message directly?” Bock calculated how long it would take the irregular jumpship traffic to reach New Samarkand. Given that the direct route was impossible, lying across the leading edge of the Smoke Jaguar and Diamond Shark occupied worlds, it would take quite some time.”

“That will not be necessary if you have HPG access or wish to courier it yourselves. My message is somewhat confidential, but I am permitted to share it with Combine officials as necessary.”

Bock nodded in understanding. “I believe I must request a verbal summary so I may decide to whom I should direct you.”

“Logical. Khan Ulric Kerensky, with the approval of his Clan Council, advises Coordinator Theodore Kurita that Clan Ghost Bear has decided to withdraw from the Inner Sphere. Clan Wolf has received title to all worlds under the control of Clan Ghost Bear as of this decision.”

“Our Clan has decided that we will no longer pursue the conquest of further worlds of the Inner Sphere at the expense of the Draconis Combine. In token of this we offer the Coordinator a treaty of peace between our states. As a sign of our sincerity in this matter, we are prepared to negotiate the return of certain worlds to the rule of the Draconis Combine.”

“I must stress that Clan Wolf does not speak for Clan Smoke Jaguar, Clan Diamond Shark or for any other Clan. Nor do we offer assistance against our fellow Clans.”

The samurai stared at her for a moment. “You hold at least two dozen Combine worlds.”

“If I understand the historical summaries of the Succession Wars, practically all of our Occupation Zone has been under the control of House Kurita at some point in the last hundred years. Oddly, the majority of worlds were not conquered from the Combine however. Clearly the exact border is not an inviolable fact.” Then she grinned. “And we are offering to return some. When I departed, Khan Ulric was discussing the return of worlds nearer to Terra than Rubigen.”

“I think I had better refer this matter as high as I can. I will send an HPG message to Warlord Petroff on Benjamin. He can then directly communicate with the Coordinator. I don’t presume to know what their reply will be, however I think it would be best you remain here until I receive instructions.”

She made an annoyed noise. “As you prefer. This is quite a tedious place.”

“At this precise moment I believe it is about as far from the centre of Combine affairs as it is possible to be – the fact that you, who might be the most important business in the Combine, are here is one of life’s little ironies.”

The poor Bears.

Hmm.... Wonder if Galaxy Timur Malthus offer gets accepted or not into the AFFC?  He is very realistic and give a good hope to the remaining members of Clan Jade Falcon.  I wonder if there was a good portion of the merchant caste left in their OZ.

WTF ?!? The former Jade Falcons are now a warrior house?

If nothing else from the point i agree most with his the real assistance Natasha Kerensky gave to the inner sphere over Jamie Wolf doing nothing. Never understand after the real history of wolf dragoons came out why Natasha wasnt in overall command from the get go