The Hellion's Reckoning (3052 Alternate)

[Takiro]

On May 26, 3050 the Ice Hellion Clan struck out with fury all across the Kerensky Cluster enraged by their failure to earn a place in Operation Revival. Using Liberation Day celebrations as a cover the attacks caught many unaware and earned the Hellions new territory as well as resources. It also left them overextended and understrength in several key areas which could have given the Clans they assailed an opportunity to counterattack. In canon history no such wide scale retaliation ever came but in this alternate setting one just might after the Battle of Tukayyid.

Right now I am gonna keep the exact story close to the chest but let just say in 3052 a charismatic leader rises from one of the half dozen Clans they attacked and she puts together a small taskforce to strike back at the Hellions where it hurts. The aim is to show the weakness of the Hellions so that follow on assaults will occur making them pay for their little "temper tantrum". Her mixed Supernova of 10 Mechs (Binary), 10 Fighters (Star), and 25 Elementals (Star) have been assembled and await their Khan's command to attack.

So where should they attack? Obviously somewhere that is under defended but is very valuable. According to my estimates the Hellions have holdings on 9 worlds [Babylon (23%), Atreus (30%), Foster (30%), Hector (100%), Hoard (25%), Londerholm (24%), Marshall (9%), New Kent (6%), Tathis (30%)] not including Strana Mechty. They have only 24 Clusters to defend this far flung territory which has created this opening.

What should be the target? Territory? Industrial output? Genetic legacies? Something else?

[DOC_Agren]

My thinking would be to secure/target Industrial Output, because it keeps them from rebuilding. 

[Takiro]

Industrial Output would also be helpful to the counterattacking unit whose ambitious commander wants to grow and strengthen. Equipment is probably more desirable for their short term success. Genetic legacies or sibkos would be helpful long term but immediate results are of greater importance. Territory or something static which would have to be defended is likely the worst option thinking about it. They would want to strike hard, get what they want, and leave the Hellions embarrassed rather than maintain contact with the enemy.

I believe their biggest Mechworks is located on Hector which would be ballsy to raid perhaps even eclipsing Strana Mechty which was one of my initial thoughts. They would have to defend all of their capital world and their forces could be spread thin there as a result. Strana Mechty could be relatively undefended but there is no major industrial target for the Hellions there. Most production is centralized on Hector apparently. There is one other possible major industrial target mentioned in FM Crusader Clans, Babylon. The only Pentagon holding of the Clan is home to an aerospace production site which could be a good get.

What do you think?

Also for the sake of our discussion I wanted to list the targets of the Hellion Fury campaign as given in OTP Revival Trials. Marshall (Snow Raven), Foster (Fire Mandrill), Homer (Cloud Cobra), Hoard (Hell's Horses), and Londerholm (Smoke Jaguar and Coyote).

And two closing thoughts from me; since the attacking force is a newly formed unit unfamiliar to the Hellions their commander maybe underwhelmed and fail to realize the threat they pose. Second since the Hellion's launched their tantrum on Liberation Day (a Clan wide holiday second only to Founding Day) many warriors view their victories as questionable at best dismissing them largely. This could have some interesting effects on both sides. ;)

[drakensis]

If the goal is humiliation of the Ice Hellions then challenging them for the genetic material of one or more of their exclusive bloodnames would probably work best. There's no material to have to load - the actual giftakes are in the chapels on Strana Mechty - and the Ice Hellions would almost have to challenge to take it back, forcing them into further trials, which further wears them down.

[RichQ03]

I think the Hellions also have an enclave on Barcella with the Nova Cats and Jade Falcons.

And agree, the goal should be humiliating the Hellions to make them act rash.  Genetic material is a good way.

You could always try to pull what Khan Ward of the Wolves did, maybe try to trial for an important unit, or part of a unit.  Especially if they underestimate your Supernova, not only would it increase the size of your unit, but humiliate the Hellions as well if you managed to trial for a binary/trinary from their Lithe Kill Keshik.

[Vition2]

I'm going to say that it depends on the clan the unit is from.  I'll mention that at this point in time the trials clans are doing are beginning to get larger, so the equivalent of 4 stars for access to the matrilineal genetic material of a strong exclusive bloodname might be a bit small.

Re: territory/lower caste enclaves
The Coyotes and Hellions both have enclaves on the following worlds: Babylon, Foster, New Kent, and possibly Londerholm.  These allow for easy and quickly repeated trials to capture territory or production facilities (Babylon has a pair of Hellion controlled ASF factories).
The Fire Mandrills and Hellions both have enclaves on the following worlds: Atreus, Foster, and Marshall.
The Cloud Cobras and Hellions both have enclaves on Babylon, and can go after their facilities there.  This actually supports the clan quite nicely materially as the Cobras are noted as having very heavy aerospace assets.
The Hell's Horses and Hellions don't appear to share a world, but they very well might go for a year's worth of production from a manufacturing facility or four - these are among the less likely to go for territorial gains.
The Smoke Jaguars and Hellions share Atreus, Foster, and Londerholm.  They are probably the most likely to target production as they know they aren't doing really well materially, also the least likely to go after genetic material as they don't hardly use the material they have access to anyways.
The Snow Ravens were booted off Marshall, but otherwise don't seem to share a world.  They may be the most likely to go after genetic material to show their own strength.

Any of the above could certainly target Hector, but going after territory there is probably going to provoke an inordinate response that your little unit is unlikely to be able to match - and harvest trials aren't really a thing yet so are also unlikely to occur.

If one is to look at what the unit can reasonably attain, it is probably going to be production, materials, territory, patrilineal genetic material or non-exclusive low level matrilineal genetic material.  Odds are the unit is too small for a territorial attack on Hector, or to attain access to genetic material to a higher level exclusive matrilineal line - 5 or 6 years earlier and this might have been more likely.

A note about definitions since I'm not 100% sure I'm using the right ones.  I am using patrilineal to refer to genetic material which cannot be used to determine bloodname availability, and matrilineal to refer to genetic material which can be used to determine bloodname availability.

[Takiro]

Well I thought I posted a response yesterday but I guess it got lost yesterday. Sorry about that folks. I would have liked to have gotten your opinions for today’s event but no worries there is still time.

RichQ03 I think the Ice Hellions secured a foothold on Barcella after the Nova Cat Abjuration circa 3060 but if you have evidence that they are based there in 3052 please let me know. Oh and the standing order during the battle itself which my friends and I are already playing out is to claim as many bondsman as possible so we can strengthen the unit going forward.

Actually, Vition2 I believe Harvest Trials were a thing prior to Vlad and Marthe’s version following the Refusal War. The diverse selection of otherwise Exclusive Bloodnames present in the Invading Clans during Operation Revival and the natural Crusader drive to participate lead me to conclude that Smoke Jaguar and Jade Falcon in particular harvested many warriors from others. BTW, fantastic analysis of the worlds shared by the Ice Hellions at this time and by whom. Well done.

So, after reviewing the disposition of Clan Ice Hellion circa 3059 (FM Crusader Clans) I have been forced to conclude that there are only two possible targets which meet my criteria especially based on forces available for the raid.

Strana Mechty (Master Genetic Repository – Legacy of Khan Stephen Tyler)
After their Liberation Day ‘tantrum’ how better to strike back at the rash actors of the Homeworlds then spanking them right in front of everyone. They have no forces listed as present in 3059 and usually only Keshiks seem to be on world in any event. Now the Clans could consider the planet a neutral ground of sorts preferring not to engage in combat around some of their most sacred sites. Maybe the Grand Council or the ilKhan has to authorize or sanction such Trials but it is home to the Master Genetic Repository of the Clans. Showing up and challenging Hellions on planet could provoke a debate but thanks to their violation of the Clans second most sacred of holidays I think most would just dismiss any objection which might be raised.
Plus, we challenge for the genetic legacy of Khan Stephen Tyler who started the whole Fury Campaigns in the first place. Now he was killed by bandits on Londerholm by this point but still losing this exclusive aerospace blood right would humiliate the Clan further.
About the only negative I can think of is the availability of reinforcements from the nearby Kerensky Cluster.

Babylon (Two Aerospace Factories – Industrial Production)
Home to two factories that produce most of the Ice Hellions aerospace assets (FM CC page 81) this Pentagon World is guarded by the 2nd Assault Cavaliers of Delta Galaxy and the 43rd Hector Cavaliers of Theta Galaxy in 3059. Given its location outside the Kerensky Cluster it is unlikely that its defenders would receive any kind of reinforcements during the battle. So this is the ideal strike point for claiming industrial output at this time without any doubt. Plus I had not considered the presence of two Clans (Coyote and Cloud Cobra) who were assailed during the Hellion’s Fury and maybe looking for a little payback themselves.

Hector which offers the greatest prize is too heavily guarded as the base world for Alpha Galaxy as well as being garrisoned by at least one second line cluster. The seven other Hellion holdings really do not seem to contain anything of snatch and grab value but could be valuable territorial additions in the future.

[Vition2]

Actually, Vition2 I believe Harvest Trials were a thing prior to Vlad and Marthe’s version following the Refusal War. The diverse selection of otherwise Exclusive Bloodnames present in the Invading Clans during Operation Revival and the natural Crusader drive to participate lead me to conclude that Smoke Jaguar and Jade Falcon in particular harvested many warriors from others. BTW, fantastic analysis of the worlds shared by the Ice Hellions at this time and by whom. Well done.

IIRC, the Harvest Trials are specifically the Wolf/Falcon post Refusal War thing.  But the clans involved in the invasion suggested that other clan warriors could trial for a slot in their toumans, the end result was that more exclusive bloodnamed warriors from other clans were involved in the invasion, but the genetic material may or may not have been available to the invasion clan (there's been some debate on the clan forums as to how this works - but based on a good portion of bloodnames still being exclusive their use in the new clan's genetics is questionable).  It is entirely possible that a huge number of bloodnames became non-exclusive just prior to Operation Revival, but we don't know for sure.  I'm not trying to poopoo the genetic legacy choice, but the Hellions may consider overbidding to be appropriate here - depending of course on the specific legacy involved. 

Also regarding this choice, there is still a very small chance that access to the bloodname would actually fall to the Hellions - they'd have to have one of the progeny to make it through the Grand Melee and then proceed to make it through the next series of tests, the odds are still pretty low that the bloodname would lose exclusivity.  This might mean that it's both not the political hit originally espoused, and more likely that your force would be able to trial for it without heavy opposition.

Re:Worlds shared
Thanks, unfortunately, as I was away from my books, I relied on Sarna, and thus Tathis isn't included in the breakdown, as there is no information on who controls the planet.


Edit: Addition
Thinking a bit further on this, probably the most damaging thing would be to boot the Hellions off a world or two on which they have significant holdings.  Showing that they aren't able to properly defend their holdings would be a more effective way of showing off how weak they are than a single "surgical trial."  My first choice would obviously be Babylon, as there are other gains to be made there, but any world with more than 20% control going to the Hellions would likely be a fairly significant blow, particularly the more heavily populated ones.

[Takiro]

Regarding the Harvest Trials you are probably correct that is the first time that such practices became so blatant following the Refusal War that people actually referred to them as "Harvest Trials". Genetic material was not exchanged in these affairs just the warriors their legacies are a separate affair. My conclusion fits the facts that we know of and I am found of such fanfic refinements of existing canon data. :)

Granted this is more of a symbolic action Vition2 and in regards to seizing territory that would be the next phase of my plan. Right now such impetus does not exist but the main character behind the operation and her small force is trying to create sufficient momentum to generate a larger offensive.

No problem, Sarna is quite an excellent resource. I've had to go back and try to piece together Clan Holdings as of 3052 the best I could in order to make my setting work. In regards to Tathis in 3052 I have Diamond Shark (50%), Ice Hellion (30%), and Star Adder (20%). It has no large industrial importance that I know of.

[Ice Hellion]

If the goal is humiliation of the Ice Hellions then challenging them for the genetic material of one or more of their exclusive bloodnames would probably work best. There's no material to have to load - the actual giftakes are in the chapels on Strana Mechty - and the Ice Hellions would almost have to challenge to take it back, forcing them into further trials, which further wears them down.

I do agree with Drakensis.
If fought in the limited warfare set of mind, something humiliating would be appropriate.
If you are playing on a different scale, go for the industries.

[Redshirt]

I would agree with Drakensis, and go for the symbolic gesture and humiliate the Hellions in public in front of the other Clans. I would vote for Strana Mechty.

Also to take it one step further, and I will state my understanding of Clan Society is on the limited side. Now I don't know if it is an exclusive  legacy or not, but if I was going to stick it to the Hellions, I would go for the genetic Legacy of the Clan's founder, Stephan Cage. Then if I won Cage's Legacy, I would give the Legacy out to all of the other clans... for free.

(Probably on the overkill side, but...)

[James Tanaga]

If I wanted to humiliate the Hellions and show how weak they truly are I would strike the Hellion enclaves on Foster, Babylon, and Atreus as well as their Strana Mechty enclave while going for the Cage bloodname. The loss of three-four enclaves is a serious matter to any Clan, so combining it with the loss of the Cage legacies would put them on the defensive for a long while.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[Takiro]

Sorry I have been so busy guys. I just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for your input. After carefully considering all the options I think I am going with the Strana Mechty option as it fits the best. I think challenging for the legacy of Stephan Cage is a step too far and could cause a far larger response perhaps from other Clans. Going for the legacy of Khan Stephen Tyler who began the Hellion's Fury campaign sends a clear message. Also as some of you have guessed I think this is just the start of a much bigger counterattack.

Now I just have to write it up. What should the batchall be? The Hellion response? Any suggestions?