OBT Forum

saKhan Marthe Pryde strode after her Khan down the halls behind the audience chamber, where her freshly dispatched opponent was likely being removed and the mess he left cleaned.  Her body still hummed with the after effects of close combat and her senses were still afire and highly attuned to all around her.  This was likely the reason that her new uniform felt like it was chafing.  Despite the outfit’s well cut shape, it was far closer fitting than what she traditionally wore, though its intent was to accentuate the user’s physique.  Nevertheless, Wolf Clan leathers would still take some getting used to, especially as Marthe would now be required to wear them more often than previously.

On reaching his chambers, Khan Phelan Kell strode into the antechamber and then turned left into his receiving room.  The clutter in both rooms astounded the former Falcon Warrior, as most Jade Falcons kept somewhat spartan quarters and accumulated few personal possessions.  The Wolf Khan, a freeborn former Inner Sphere native, had vastly different cultural roots and they showed in the dizzying array of pictures, artefacts, furniture and accumulated clutter.  The whole scene astounded the staid saKhan and threw her slightly off balance.  How can a mind so keen exist within a place so disordered?

Phelan Kell, Khan of Clan Wolf, gestured to a couch that looked older than the Star League for Marthe to sit in and began rummaging in a small fridge.  A triumphant “Huzzah” came from the fridge, followed by the Khan turning and tossing a beer to his newly installed saKhan.  Phelan twisted the top from his beer, indicating for Marthe to do the same and she did so, noticing that the brew at hand was called Chirmay Rouge, one she had never heard of.

“I thought celebrating with one of Terra’s finest would be suitable for this occasion,” Phelan said as he raised his beer in a salute, “It’s not every day you see your saKhan slay an old foe to prevent his rising to the same position.  Farewell Vlad.”  Phelan took a long drink, which Marthe did not reciprocate, stunned that she was holding a drink made on Terra.

“It will not bite Marthe.” The Khan needled with a light tone in his voice.

She looked up, nodded and took a swig from the bottle that rewarded her with a deep and rich flavour.  Whilst Marthe savoured the beer, Phelan sat opposite her and crossed his legs as he leant back into an equally battered, but obviously comfortable green couch.

“This has been quite a day for you saKhan Pryde quiaff?”

“Aff.  A day of surprises.”  She looked hard at her Khan, “I have some questions though.”

Phelan nodded, “I assumed you would.  You wish to know why I nominated you?”

Marthe nodded herself, “There were many more suitable candidates…from a Wolf point of view.”

Phelan’s eyes narrowed, “We are all Wolves now Marthe, though there are some who might think otherwise, they are gracing the Exodus Road as its garrison,” he paused, “along with a few old Wolves who did not get the message.”

Marthe leaned back, placed her beer on a side table and shook her head, “There are more in this Clan than you seem to think who would not decry a return to the old status quo.”

Phelan shrugged and smiled “I have no doubt, but with every passing day there are more reasons to go forward than back, you being one of them.”

His comment caught Marthe off guard, something that her Khan was becoming far too good at. “So you accept what is happening and see me as the solution?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No Marthe, I do not accept that our new Clan should pull itself apart, not after five years of hard work in bringing us together as the most powerful in the history of all the Clans.  That is why I nominated you for the post of saKhan.  You represent something that we can all aspire to.”

Marthe did not think the Wolf Kahn had the right of the matter, but pushed on regardless, “What we can aspire to?  Khan Kell, I have been doing nothing of note since I was placed in command of Vau Galaxy in 3059.”  Vau Galaxy was the only Falcon Galaxy to carry over from the now absorbed Jade Falcons, something that Khan Kell had been very specific about seeing done.  Containing the now much modified former Turkina Keshik, Falcon Guards, the 1st and 2nd Jaegers and 1st Hussars, the Galaxy was the sought after posting of many reactivated Abthaka Falcons.  Marthe had spent the past three years flogging the Galaxy into shape, in order to make it conform to the new standards and doctrine that the Wolves practiced, as she was Wolf now, and had largely accepted that fact once the idiocy of her former Clan’s Khans had become apparent.  Khan Critchell’s call that the Refusal War was a Trial of Absorption was accepted by the Grand Council and then blew up in his face when Kell landed on Wotan and crushed the remaining Flacons there after finishing on Morges.  Such hubris would be the last words in the Falcon Remembrance and a poor note for centuries of glory to end on.  Some aspects of being a Wolf still grated at her, the treatment of former Falcon territory prime amongst them; however, she knew necessity when she saw it and she admired Khan Kell’s audacity.  It was with that in mid that Vau became the equal of any Galaxy in the expanded Wolf Clan, though she wished to be the best and was only stymied by the 2nd Jaegers, who failed to adapt to life as Wolves like her other Warriors had.  This was doubly disappointing for her, as the 2nd Jaegers was her former command, however, she took the best Warriors from the 2nd and tried to start again with new sibko graduates, a process that had only recently begun.

Kell chuckled, “Marthe, you have turned Vau into a killing machine that is more Wolf than any Wolf Galaxy before the Refusal War.  You embarrassed Beta Galaxy only last month and all but Gamma have tasted defeat at your hands.  I will relish the opportunity to test Alpha against you soon, however, that is beside the point, it is how you have done it that is important.  You have become a Wolf, much as you still think yourself a Falcon and both Wolves and former Falcons respond to this, for you accomplished it without giving up anything that makes you who you are.  You are the example for both Wolves and former Falcons to follow along our new joint path, as you point the way to our shared future.”

Marthe snorted, “You think it will be that easy?”

Phelan shook his head, “Not at all, but with you here, it will be all the easier for it.  Now to the matter for which I brought you here.  I have been told that you had very little time for the monthly briefings all Galaxy Commanders were provided on the strategic situation?”

“I was focused on other matters.”

Phelan smiled, “To all our benefit, however, as saKhan you need to be brought up to speed.  I will go over the salient points with you and Loremaster Kerensky will ensure that you are provided with all the details necessary over the coming days to fill in the gaps.”

Very well then, here begins my journey back to the world.  I suppose I have no more excuses for not taking note of the wider happenings of the Occupation Zones, but I am not sure, even now that I have become a Wolf, to want to have to rely on spies and informants as the basis for my glory. “Khan Kell.” Marthe responded, “I am at your disposal.”

Phelan bowed his head slightly in response, “Very well then.  As you are aware, when Clan Wolf absorbed Clan Jade Falcon, we were in a precarious position.  Both Toumans in the Inner Sphere were at half strength at best and we were in possession of 136 systems.  There was no feasible way to try and hold all of that territory without inviting both the Vipers and Bears to tear huge pieces out of both the Occupation Zone and what remained of the Touman.  That is why I ordered the consolidation of our forces to cover 100 worlds, which included just twelve from the former Jade Falcon OZ.”

Marthe had leaned forward as Khan Kell spoke, “This I know, but from what I have seen of your actions and motivations tonight, there was more to what you did, quiaff?”

Phelan smiled, “Aff saKhan Pryde.  To forestall the Vipers and allow us to redeploy to ensure the Ghost Bears stayed in their den, I contacted Khan Zalman and offered him the Jade Falcon OZ, minus twelve worlds along the Wolf border and supplies and replacement Mechs.  His haste to agree was unseemly and his materials gave us provided the edge we needed to hold of the building raids from the Bears, Cats and Jaguars and that particularly heavy Diamond Shark assault you repelled from Kirchbach.”

Marthe chuckled and stretched with joy, “That was truly a pleasure.”  Still in command of the 2nd Falcon Jaegers, then recently renamed the 2nd Wolf Jaegers, Star Colonel Marthe Pryde had virtually annihilated the opportunistic Diamond Shark 21st Strike Cluster.

Phelan raised his beer in salute again, “I’m sure it was.”  His use of a contraction took Marthe back slightly, but he continued on, “With the Vipers getting their house in order, they could not be everywhere at once and Natasha Kerensky had left such chaos in her wake that their job would not be an easy one.  I made sure to make it more difficult still.”

Marthe cocked an eyebrow as a thought struck her, “You communicated with the Federated Commonwealth?” Her question almost came as an accusation.

“No, I communicated with my father in the ARDC.  He passed on what I told him to Prince Victor and the little general took it from there.  I must admit, his actions were surprising, but they certainly took the wind out of old Kat’s sails and not a moment too soon, as she was becoming a little too comfortable on Tharkad.  Little Prince Victor sent five RCT’s, three Mercenary Regiments and three ComStar Divisions, all transported by ComStar, into the Coreward Falcon OZ.  It was all planned on the fly, but he managed to seize six Lyran and four periphery worlds and drive off a Viper counter-attack on Somerset, Anywhere and Lackhove, though the AFFC was forced to fall back off Blackjack, Beta VII, Golandrinas and Malibu, those four worlds being too much to hold past the initial ten taken.  However, his true stroke of genius was to gift all ten worlds to the Lyran Alliance and then withdraw the task force back into the ARDC. This forced Katherine to acknowledge his actions and scramble to get Lyran troops in place to hold those worlds, preventing any strike on Arc Royal or the ARDC.  The raiding back and forth with the Vipers and the fighting on several worlds further distracted Clan Steel Viper and kept the Lyran Alliance from raiding into the Wolf OZ.”

Marthe shook her head in disbelief, “You tread a fine line Khan Kell.  The information you shared could be considered treasonous.”

“How? As Khan, I can communicate what I want about the Clan to who I want and I doubt there would be few Wolves who would not support my decision.  There are those in the Grand Council who might call for a Trial of Grievance, but that is as far as it would progress.”

Marthe though again, He may well be right.  Even wounded the Wolf was powerful and the actions of the Federated Commonwealth could be seen as merely opportunistic.  Ulric’s pup this one no longer is.  “Some might say you are behaving like a Mongoose.”

Phelan tossed back the remainder of his beer before answering, “Good, as we need every tool and weapon we can get our hands on.  What do you know of my actions in the Homeworlds?”

Marthe grimaced, thinking on the former Falcons holdings at the far end of the Exodus Road and what was left and lost there. “I ignored it, I had other issues at hand.”

“As painful as it was Marthe, it was a brutal necessity. As the Grand Council bickered and dithered, I moved quickly.  Every former Falcons world had WarShips or WarShip Stars placed in close orbit and we began stripping each enclave of military, industrial and scientific resources.  With the Falcon merchant fleet added to ours, I was able to strip the Falcon enclaves in twelve months, supporting the defence of those worlds with troops from Clans Coyote, Goliath Scorpion and Burrock, who would take control of the best of what remained when we departed.  At that point, I left the parts of each world not bequeathed to Wolf allies open and the other Clans descended in a feeding frenzy.”

Marthe was becoming more used to the ability for Phelan Kell to surprise her with his ability to manipulate the Clans. “You turned the Falcon Homeworlds into one huge distraction for the Clans to fight over?”

“Yes.” So much was contained in that one word:  The Khan’s acceptance of his role in a Clan wide bloodbath, his acknowledgement of his manipulation of Clan lore and custom and his willingness to do it again.

Marthe, thought for a moment, “This would explain the cooling of relations with some of our allies.”

Phelan nodded, “Yes it does, but we had little choice.  They helped defend that what we could not and gained from it, but the madness of the other clans left a bitter taste in their mouths following the Trial Wars.”

“You accept the loss of part of their faith in the Wolf?” asked Marthe.

“I do saKhan Pryde.  There is an old saying that people have friends and nations have interests and in this case Clan Wolf’s immediate interest was to consolidate what we held.  War within the Clans distracting them from our plans suited this purpose.”

“Khan Kell, I am not sure I wish to serve as a saKhan when you order such actions.” Marthe’s voice was cold as stone.

“You won’t Marthe.  You will command the Touman as I direct the Clan.  I understand your distaste for my tactics, but without them, the legacy of both the Falcons and Wolves will be lost.  Is that something you desire?”  Phelan’s tone was just as hard.

Marthe shook her head, “No, but there must be another way.”

“Where is this way Marthe,” Phelan raised his hands in question, “I have looked, as have many others, but we are a target, more so than ever before.  The Inner Sphere fears us. Clan Steel Viper feels cheated for the ongoing brush war they face and the other invading clans are leery of our plans and strength.  The Homeworld Crusaders despise us for our success and the Wardens grow mistrustful over the Falcon influence now in the heart of the Wolf. Though I may have brought our Clan victory, I may well have dammed the Wolves.  However, any path would have led to this or worse, so perhaps I am simply at blame by association, not so much to blame.  Additionally, other courses may have led to our ruin, though that is a counterfactual argument for another day.”

Marthe nodded her head ever so slightly, “I remain deeply uncomfortable Khan Kell.”

“I will not ask you to compromise your honour and I will deeply value your honour at my side.  Though I am sphere born, I do value the honour of true Clansmen, and that it what you are saKhan Pryde, one of the truest Clansmen of the Wolves.”  He paused for a moment, “Should I continue?”

“Aff.”

“Very well then.  With the other Clans battling for the spoils in the Homeworlds, the announcement of the departure of the Ghost Bears only added fuel to the fire.  By the time the dust settled, the Ice Hellions and Hell’s Horses had established outposts on the Lyran periphery, the Vipers had finally quelled their own OZ and the Bears had settled in.  The Cats and Jaguars stayed out of the fighting and managed to build in strength.  Through all of this, the Falcon industrial infrastructure was brought forward into the Wolf OZ, so we now have a strong industrial base both here and in the Homeworlds.  The last convoy from Ironhold arrived over Kirchbach a week ago and will be operational by the end of the year.  With our Touman at full strength, in numbers, if not in quality, we can start laying stores for whatever will come next.”

“Do you have information on the Inner Sphere as well?”  Likely from your father, but despite myself I grow interested in your tales.

Phelan stood and walked to the fridge and took another beer from it. “Another Marthe?”

Marthe realised she had hardly touched her first and shook her head, whilst reaching for it.

As Phelan returned to his seat, he continued. “When the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation invaded the Federated Commonwealth’s Sarna March, all hell broke loose.  Katherine Steiner-Davion withdrew the Lyran realm from the FC Alliance and everyone fought for the scraps.   The League and the Capellans gained much, but with the Vipers and Wolves in no state to cause trouble, Prince Victor was able to marshal enough force to stabilise much of the former Sarna March.  He was even able to assist LAAF forces in the Lyons Thumb face down the Combine, holding all but Lambrecht and Moore, but securing Alphecca and Skondia, gaining much respect in Skye in the process.”

Marthe interjected, “More scavenger lord bickering over the bones of the Hegemony.”

“Yes, but the reasons for it suit our Clan.  Victor reformed the remains of the Sarna March as a new Terran March and despite the loss of 29 worlds to the Capellans and 20 to the League, he was able to keep a narrow Terran Corridor open.  By the end of 3059, the Federated Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance had stabilised their positions, but lost the St. Ives Compact as an ally.  The actions of both CCAF and AFFC troops in the Terran March sickened Candace Liao and she instituted a coup on Sian, took power and reintegrated St. Ives into the Confederation.  From what I have been able to learn, Candace and Victor had a major falling out and she now stands opposed to Prince Victor.”

Phelan paused, but Marthe said nothing, so he continued. “During the beginning of the Free Worlds and Capellan attacks, the Word of Blake struck at Terra, but ended there after over a year of fighting destroyed it and much of the ComGuard.  Anastasias Focht was able to bring in many more troops due to the issues within the Clans, but so did the Word of Blake, but from where no one knows yet.  The ComStar strike on Gibson may have ended the Word of Blake as an organised body, but the Free Worlds Navy reprisal strike at Titan cost the ComGuards much of their remaining naval strength and Ansastasius Focht, who was present at the time.  The ComGuards are now little more than peacekeepers for hire, broken in numbers and lacking in morale after losing so much over the course of just ten years.”

Marthe shrugged, “Dogged foes on Tukayyid, their religious war was a stupidity of the first order.”

Phelan nodded, “Not to them, but such things are always important to the believer.  Oh, and I forgot to mention, towards the end of the fighting in the former Sarna March, the League also struck at the Lyrans Anti-Spinward of Bolan.  They claimed eleven worlds, which was devastating to Katherine Steiner-Davion.  Her brother had protected Lyran worlds from the Vipers and Combine and taken others, yet on her own, she could not defend the realm.  This was where her power base began to unravel, as those who supported her began to see that they might have backed the wrong sibling, especially in military circles.”

“This does not seem to bother you so much?” Marthe had noted several times at the tones Phelan used when talking about either Victor or Katherine. 

Phelan smiled broadly, “No it does not.  Victor and I had our problems once, long ago and he made some colossal mistakes early on, but since 3057, he has come into his own.  He is more decisive and far more ruthless than what I thought him capable.  I don’t know where he got his new drive from, but I suspect it was from the information that pinned Melissa Steiner’s death on his sister.”

“I will never understand Inner Sphere families.”  Marthe rolled her eyes.

“Combine the Blood Spirits fanaticism with the Snow Ravens politicking and you will get close.  However, with the Lyran state and more importantly its military starting, to slip away from Katherine, Victor played a rather bold card.  Victor led a combined Federated/Lyran task force from Tikonov, rendezvoused with troops out of Arc Royal and descended on Tharkad in force.  Katherine was taken completely by surprise and the battle was short.  From there, a trial and swift execution ended her time on the throne and gave Victor power back over the entire Federated Commonwealth.  However, this is where he showed his maturity with the Victor Proclamation, as it has come to be known.  He declared that the Federated Commonwealth would again reform, however, he ensured that both nations would be protected from abuses of power in one or the other and that certain traditions, ways and functions would remain sacrosanct.  Additionally, he limited his own power.  The regent in either realm could oppose a directive of the Archon-Prince, which would place the directive before the Estates General or a similar body in the Federated Suns for approval or disapproval.  Much was cosmetic, but with the Clan threat renewed along much of the Lyran periphery, the League and the Combine aggressive again and the evidence against Katherine so damming and painting her supporters in a dim light, the Lyran realm returned to the fold of the Federated Commonwealth and much opposition evaporated.”

Marthe stood and began to walk around the room, looking at, but not taking in the various items scattered across it.  “Where does all this information leave us?”

“In exactly the same place as the Federated Commonwealth.” He held up a hand to forestall her reply, “Both Clan Wolf and the FC Alliance have come through a trial of fire, but in doing so have only underscored the threat each poses to their neighbours and even their allies.  The Inner Sphere fears the Steiner-Davion hegemony again under the Fox’s son and every Clan now sees Clan Wolf as an imminent threat, especially those whose territory lies near us.  Should fighting break out, every nations knows it will have to move on the FC when others do to maximise any chance of bring Victor to heal.  Likewise for Clan Wolf, when we go to war with one Clan, we must expect to go to war with many.”