Another side story from the timeline this time from a wish of David CGB to contribute. A plan for something to happen and a series of events that followed it... My thanks to David CGB for the contribution and the offer to help - I hope you enjoy it
This first bit is mine, I really wanted to play about with the Tomahawk OmniMech - the original one not the "II" - so here's a little play
Trial of Possession
Forest's End, Porozistu Mountains
Tukayyid, Rasalhague Dominion
11th November 3088
For all the Clan's had changed and lost in the years since their return to the Inner Sphere there was two things they generally held in high regard. Honourable combat against an enemy in open combat which pitted each warrior against the next instead of which tactic, or which terrain. The other was tradition, each Clan held close to its own routes and each Clan believed it was honouring the Founder of the Clans, Nicholas Kerensky in their own way. Because of these facts when Clan Wolf declared a Trial of Possession over the city of Skupo on the world of Tukayyid the Rasalhague Dominion took the Wolf wish with respect and honour. Tukayyid was a world disliked by most clansmen it was on this world that the Clan invasion had faltered to a stop for fifteen years the Clans were not allowed to cross the imaginary line drawn across the Inner Sphere by the world of Tukayyid. Fifteen years that the Clans had themselves changed so much that few even considered a unified invasion to be a worthwhile endeavour. The Rasalhague Dominion had inherited the world when they took possession of the remains of the Free Rasalhague Republic they defended it as honour demanded but had done little to the world, the Bears wanted little to do with the world.
With an unwanted possession the Clans generally did not battle for it instead they traded not wasting anything on it. Tukayyid was different however, it's world had history that would forever bind the invaders and passing it like a pallet of goods ignoring that history was not the Clan thing to do. Instead the Eighth Bear Cuirassiers commanded by Star Colonel Angela Bekker had been transferred to the world to meet with Clan Wolf's First Wolf Assault Cluster commanded by Star Colonel Cyrill Sradac. As the defender Angela Bekker had chosen Forest's End at the edge of the Porozistu Mountains as the sight for the trial, it was only a few kilometres from the settlement of Skupo and it had historical significance for Clan Wolf, as it was the sight of the first battle between Clan Wolf and ComStar during the ill-fated Battle of Tukayyid which ended the Clan's invasion.
What Bekker did not consider the Wolves had been victorious at Forest's End, and in the battle following it, Angela Bekker herself a veteran of the Battle of Tukayyid believed that the Wolves return to Tukayyid would not repeat history. After a bidding war between the Star Captains of her Cluster Bekker fielded two Binaries supporting her own command Star, against her forces stood a Clan Wolf force that numbered just two Binaries, she had an entire advantage over the Wolves. "Clan Ghost Bear of the Rasalhague Dominion I Cyrill Sradac of Clan Wolf, Star Colonel commanding the First Wolf Assault Cluster declare our desire to possess the settlement of Skupo." Sradac began traditionally as the attacker.
"Star Colonel Cyrill Sradac and the Wolves of the First Wolf Assault Cluster, I am Star Colonel Angela Bekker commander of the Eighth Bear Cuirassiers, we defend the Rasalhague Dominion from any aggressor, and we retain all our Clan's Possessions."
"A battle will decide what you Possess, Bear"
"It will Wolf" she replied, it was all ritualized, both officers knew there would be a battle for the last week they had known there would be a battle but history and tradition dedicated this ritual.
"You appear not to have taken all your Cubs to defend what you possess, Quiaff?"
"Aff, I brought plenty to crush your pups." Angela taunted back, it was nice to spar with another Clansmen, even if he was a Wolf.
"We will be the judge of that, Angela Bekker"
"To the Victor, Cyrill Sradac"
"To the Victor" he repeated
"Seyla" they then both said in unison. For several moments there was complete silence over the radio channels as each Clan warrior respected the agreement of the Trial. After the silence however the air was filled with challenges and weapons fire as the two Clan forces engaged in ritual combat. BattleMechs and Battle Armour fought for every inch of the battlefield as the two Clan forces fought following the Clan dueling rights of Zellbrigen, each warrior fighting against one other unit, either one other Mech or five Battle Armoured troopers. The air was filled with fire as the two Clans fought however almost immediately Angela Bekker had noticed something strange in the Wolf force before the Trial she had seen the Wolves possessed a new Assault OmniMech, named the Tomahawk, she had not realized however all five would be deployed together or how devastating they would be. Sitting in the cockpit of her Executioner Assault OmniMech she watched as the five one hundred ton OmniMechs battled straight through the Bear lines.
The Tomahawk was as massive as any Clan OmniMech ever build, designed by Clan Wolf as a successor to the aging Dire Wolf OmniMech the Tomahawk looked very similar to the older design tall with broad shoulders the Mech lacked the over shoulder missile rack of the Dire Wolf but it more than made up for it with its weapon arms. While the Dire Wolf could have as many as five or six weapons mounted in each arm these Tomahawks seemed designed to carry fewer but bigger calibres of weapons. The lead Mech struck a Wolf Mech first with a pair of Gauss Rifle slugs then followed it up with twinned large lasers which cored the lighter Bear Mech in a single salvo. The next looked more like a traditional Dire Wolf with the missile rack over its shoulder but from the devastating arms Particle Cannons beheaded first one Mech then another with terrifying accuracy. A third in the star showered Bear Mechs with advanced tactical missiles and large calibre pulse laser blasts whittling down Bear Armour.
Seeing these Mechs as her units biggest threat Angela accelerated her ninety-five ton machine into range of the enemy star declaring a challenge one of the rear Mechs, the others stepped clear allowing her to close. Her OmniMech was fater than her enemy and she planned to use that to her advantage. Using her own Mech's particle cannon at range she used the Executioners MASC system to supercharge the muscles in the Mech's legs rapidly closing the distance between the two Mechs she opened fire with her Assault class Ultra Autocannon and laser as she closed. Seeing the massive weapon's slugs tear down the side of the Wolf Mech Angela was quite pleased with the results as she turned her Executioner's shifting its course far enough to make the shot tougher for her opponent. The Wolf pilot retained his balance tracking her Mech with his Tomahawk's big arms twisting its turret-like torso to follow the Bear OmniMech. First short range missiles peppered the Executioners legs and back which Angela easily shrugged off however then she saw the Tomahawk raise its arms, where she carried a single assault class Ultra Autocannon, this Tomahawk had two of the massive weapons. The first weapon went wide tearing up some of Tukayyid's long battered landscape the second however tore through the Executioners leg and torso armour causing massive armour damage.
Angela engaged her Mech's jump jet system in an attempt to avoid the Tomahawk's follow up fire but further missile strikes struch her Mech as it flew through the air, as it landed pulse lasers lashed its arms and back. Angela turned returning fire with her Executioner's particle cannon, despite it being one of the strongest weapons in the Clan's arsenal against the massive autocannons of her opponent it was a mere pop-gun this close. Her shot blasted away Wolf armour but the massively armoured Tomahawk continued forward blasting her Mech this time with both autocannons, the Executioners armour breached nearly instantly, Angela Bekker did not wait for the results of the fire she knew already her fight was over. Instead she pulled the ejection cords and her command chair flew from the dying Executioner over the still raging battle.
For Angela Bekker today had brought defeat, for the Ghost Bears of the Rasalhague Dominion the same result had swiftly followed the Eighth Bear Cuirassers troopers having nothing that could counter the Wolves new Assault OmniMech. Although the Clans honoured and relished victory in combat, there was no dishonour in admitting you were defeated. The Bears at nearly half their starting strength had requested Hegira, Honourable Withdrawal, from the Battle enough blood had been spilled over something the Bears cared little for, Cyrill Sradac had accepted nearly immediately happy the Bears had honoured his Wolves with combat.
Within a few days of the battle the Wolves had taken full possession over the settlement of Skupo. Officially it was a city however for decades people had left the world and now the settlement numbered less than ten thousand. Clan Wolf however had no interest in the local population, declaring Skupo a possession of Clan Wolf they ordered all native and "Bear Immigrant" populations to leave their territory then they began to systematically level the city building by building. What each Clan did within its own territory was an internal matter, the Bears who continued to possess the rest of Tukayyid watched the Wolves but events beyond the world would soon tear Bear attention from the Wolves demolition of a single city. Long known for their long attention spans and slow reaction speeds the Trial had raised the Bear's attention to its enemies actions, but the events of the coming days and weeks would awaken the Bear fury and their desire for conquest.