Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars  (Read 480701 times)

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #660 on: 03 December 2013, 10:48:00 »
----- Waaay up in the future [See Notes] -----

Date: 3060 [See Notes]

Location: Acamar [See Notes]

Title: Black Cats Cross Your Path

Author: Tara Gallagher and James Lanigan

Type: Short Story (Shrapnel)/Sourcebook Fiction (MechWarrior 2nd Edition)

Synopsis:  Sergeant Elizabeth “Boots” Hill commands the Black Cats, an all-infantry mercenary unit, assigned to defend the “four-bit semi-industrial town in the middle of nowhere” named Lawrence.  She’s ably assisted by her XO (the narrator), “Big” Bill Flynn. 

Raiders appear to attack Lawrence, and the first scouts come back screaming that it’s the Black Widow Company.  Big Bill, Boots, Lou Lingg and a few others creep through the forest to spy on the raiders’ LZ, and see that the attackers are clearly not the Black Widow Company – just some ratty looking mercs with spiders painted on their ‘Mechs.

When the raiders attack the next day, the Black Cats draw two fifty-tonners into an industrial bakery.  They slip on the pre-greased floor, pirouette and spin wildly before smashing together in a lard-covered heap.  Boots hefts a flamer and torches both ‘Mechs, which burn beautifully from the lard until the ammo cooks off.

Notes: This is yet another of the “no date, no location” stories, and once more I have a theory for this one.  The facts presented in the story are that the protagonist infantry merc unit is guarding a small backwater town because their employer believes there may be a Star League parts depot near or under the town.  It’s also after 3015, since the Black Widow Company has made a fearsome reputation for itself that some other mercs are trying to piggyback on.  Finally, there’s some indication that it’s a Combine world, since Sergeant Hill says “If those are the Black Widow Company, I’m Siriwan Kurita.”  Not a whole lot to go on.

Searching through the planetary write-ups, though, I came across the entry for Lambrecht.  Its seismic instability prohibits the construction of dense cities or large structures, limiting most settlements to small-to-medium sized towns.  Also, the writeup notes that the Star League chose Lambrecht as a test bed for Castle Brian design, and constructed no less than six full castles.  (Given SLDF construction philosophy, each full Castle Brian would be surrounded by four Mini Castles, placing no fewer than 30 Castle-class structures on the planet.)  The Combine seized the world after the fall of the Star League and found supplies in the largely undamaged catacombs beneath the collapsed ruins of three Castle Brians destroyed during the Star League Civil War.

Furthermore, the planet this story takes place on is one where the locals had reason to believe the Black Widows could be attacking.  During their 3020-3022 Steiner contract, the Dragoons focused most of their attacks on the Vega Prefecture (the Black Widows hit New Wessex in 3020) and the Kessel Prefecture (where Dromini VI and Lambrecht are located).  Tales of the Black Widow says “raids and small skirmishes kept the Combine’s forces off balance and on the defensive for more than two years.”

So, we’ve got a world in the Dragoon operations area with small settlements, and a history of having lots of Star League construction/Castle Brian ruins lying around.  None of the other worlds in the Vega or Kessel Prefectures are as close a match to the known facts.  If it is Lambrecht, that would put the raid’s timing in either 3021 or 3022.  Since the Dragoons were busy on Dromini VI in 3021, I’d wager that it takes place in 3022 – giving the Combine citizens over a year to dread Natasha’s coming.

The Black Cats got a formal writeup in FM: Mercenaries' Supplemental Update.  However, it doesn't clarify where/when "Black Cats Cross Your Path" might take place.  It quotes William "Big Bill" Flynn in a 3051 interview and Corporal Hill circa 3048, while mentioning that the unit first appeared in the late 2980s.   Lou Lingg is listed as the commander in 3071.  The unit apparently disbanded in 3048, but reformed in early 3050 to fight the Clans, picking up security and defense contracts.

If this is a 3022 story, then that would have to make the "Hill" referenced in FM:MSU the child of the original Sergeant Elizabeth Hill (or else ol' Boot Hill got a demotion at some point).  That would also make Lou Lingg a very, very old commander (not impossible, for sure, but given the lifespan of an infantryman...)  The fact that this fiction piece was reprinted in the front of the 3052-dated MechWarrior 2nd Edition RPG may indicate that the story actually takes place in the 3050s, making 3048's Corporal Hill into Sergeant Hill, and this seems to be what the author of the FM:MSU entry was hinting at.  However, this goes further down the rabbit hole of a continuity nightmare, since they specifically refer to the "Black Widow Company," and Natasha's force was The Black Widow Battalion after the 4th Succession War, and then the Wolf Spider Cluster when she was back with the Clans.

[EDIT:  Subsequent research turned up the Black Cats official entry in Field Manual: Mercenaries Supplemental Update.  The info in that entry, combined with info from the Field Manual: Mercenaries entry for Wannamaker's Widowmakers, has led me to believe that the story actually takes place in the Chaos March between November 3059 and December 3060.  Though certainly not the original intent of the author - since pre-3025 was the timeframe for most Shrapnel stories - the lack of date/place info makes it flexible enough to become a late Clan Invasion-era story.  Wannamaker's Widowmakers was a rag-tag merc unit with spiders painted on their 'Mechs that was bumming around the Chaos March in 3059-3060, while the newly independent governments there would have been poor enough to employ a small infantry unit like the Black Cats.  Chronologically, 3060 fits nicely between Boots' corporal days in 3049 and Lou Lingg's leadership of the unit in 3072.  Plus, the Wolf Spider Battalion was based on Outreach in the Chaos March, so people might reasonably expect them to come calling.  Welshman noted that it would have been possible for panicked scouts to simply use the old name of the "Black Widow Company" when making their erroneous report.]
« Last Edit: 20 December 2013, 01:23:19 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #661 on: 03 December 2013, 12:32:51 »
Mendrugo, I have to say I really love this thread. It's great to see the opinions and deductions of a fresh mind going over all the old stuff and finding hints and theories that I missed.  O0

Regarding Black Cats Cross Your Path, I can even add a few things:

The story was also used as the rulebook fiction in the German edition of CityTech, replacing Life in the Big City.
In the German edition of Shrapnel there was original art going with the stories (while omitting all the original art from Shrapnel... go figure!) that presumably shows "Boots" and the Black Cats insignia, although it is from an apocryphal source.

Regarding the place and time, again I cannot disprove your proposal (it's actually a pretty good attempt) but ultimately remain unconvinced.

The Black Widow Company formed in 3015 and was operating up until the 4th Succession War that shut the Dragoon up for a short time. The Widows were the first unit to hire out again after the war, embarking on a contract on 7 November 3031. (I seem to recall they went into Marik space, but don't quote me on that.) Then in December of the same year it was announced that they'd been upgraded to battalion. From this point on the Widows were known as the Black Widow Battalion.
This seems to narrow down the timeline to 3016-3028. Given that Natasha first had to build up her fearsome reputation after the unit's inception I'm inclined to say the Black Widow Company wasn't universally known and feared prior to around 3020. One wonders just what Natasha did during Marik's "cattle raiding" period and then in Steiner employ to garner her reputation. Perhaps the bad killer girl really came to the fore only while the Dragoons were working for Kurita (or, whacko theory, Natasha's antics were a factor in the Dragoons' markedly brief stint with the Commonwealth).
Anyways, I'd say the story would have to be set way after 3020.

And then there's my favorite opinion of 3025 being the default year for everything in ye olde BattleTech.

Next consideration, the Black Cats. Gut feeling, but they don't strike me as a merc unit in Kurita employ who were typically depicted as downtrodden and mistreated. Remember, the Dragoons were with Kurita in classic 3025 BattleTech - Kurita were the bad guys and the Dragoons their avatars of death 'n destruction. The upright small merc was a Davion defender in these days. And that's exactly the vibe I'm getting here, where the unknown attackers try to profit from the Widows' fearsome reputation.

As for the world the story is set on, nowhere does it say there is a SL cache nearby. I wouldn't consider this an actual lead. As I see it, any backwater Davion world during 3023-3028 qualifies as the setting for this story.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #662 on: 04 December 2013, 13:08:57 »
----- Later That Year -----

Date: March, 3022 [See Notes]

Location: Thestria

Title: A Stab in the Back

Author: Richard Meyer, Walter Hunt, Lisa Hunt & Evan Jarrison

Type: Scenario (The Fox’s Teeth)

Synopsis:  In a new bid to seize power, Michael Hasek-Davion attempts to eliminate one of Hanse’s most loyal commanders – Ian McKinnon – prior to launching a full coup attempt.  He’s hired Dobrik Velon to steal George Lytton’s Warhammer and take his place on a patrol with McKinnon on Thestria.  During the patrol, he will kill McKinnon and then extract on foot to await pickup.  Unbeknownst to Velon (but knownst to us) another of Michael’s agents is waiting to kill Velon and plant evidence that he was a Kuritan agent.  This will, theoretically, cause House Davion to go on a “Death to Mercenaries” kick and focus Hanse’s attention on the Combine and whether or not his mercenary forces are loyal, leaving him open to Michael’s coup.

The scenario pits Velon’s Warhammer against McKinnon’s Marauder.  The rest of McKinnon’s command lance (Phoenix Hawk, Stinger) arrives on turn 5.  To further complicate things, three Amphigean LAG ‘Mechs (Rifleman, Griffin, Stinger) appear on turn 3 and attempt to slip past the Fox’s Teeth.  Velon’s goal is to kill McKinnon before turn 5 and let one or more of the LAG ‘Mechs exit off the western map edge.  McKinnon’s goal is to stay alive while destroying the LAG ‘Mechs and crippling Velon’s Warhammer.  If Velon kills McKinnon, he will abandon the Warhammer and make his way off the map on foot.

Notes: I’ve put this in early 3022 because the McKinnon’s Raiders sourcebook section says that the Fox’s Teeth were defending against a major Kuritan offensive until mid-3022, when the momentum shifted and House Davion launched a counter-offensive.  Since the Combine forces are referred to as raiders, that implies that this is still during the defensive period, prior to mid-3022. 

There are several references to House Liao in the setup text.  I can see why the author put that in, since Michael Hasek-Davion is working with Max Liao at this point, but Thestria is on the FedSuns/Combine border more than halfway from Terra to the Outworlds Alliance, so there’s approximately zero chance that Liao mercenaries would be raiding so far into the Draconis March, especially not with the Amphigean Light Assault Group (described in the Galtor Campaign scenario pack as Combine-affiliated corporate mercenaries that later became House regulars in FM: Draconis Combine).  We’ve seen Michael get involved in the Draconis March before, trying to micromanage the Kell Hounds, so his influence in this theater isn’t unreasonable, but references to House Liao should be replaced with House Kurita across the board.

Strategy-wise, Velon should open up on the Marauder as soon as possible – and should try to start around range 3.  The unanswered alpha strike into McKinnon’s rear armor has a decent chance of doing some serious damage, which you’ll have to try to capitalize on for the next few rounds.  Since you’ll also be running the LAG, have them pour some fire into McKinnon as well as they waltz past.  The main obstacle will be the late arrival of the rest of the command lance, which will try to intercept the LAG ‘Mechs.  The LAG units should move towards the far edge at top speed, jumping when possible, without slowing down to give battle.  You should be able to get at least one past, and that meets your victory condition.

For McKinnon, if you survive the first strike, you’ll be damaged, but Velon’s Warhammer will likely be overheated, so you can turn and return the favor.  If you can close with him, your greater mass gives you a slight edge in physical attacks.  As you engage, keep falling back as much as possible to the west, so you’ll be better positioned to intercept the Combine forces when they appear.
« Last Edit: 06 December 2013, 05:43:18 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #663 on: 05 December 2013, 12:58:20 »
----- Later That Year -----

Date: April 9, 3023 [See Notes]

Location: Hoff

Title: The Battle for Hoff – Queen’s Gambit Accepted

Author: Richard Meyer

Type: Scenario (Tales of the Black Widow Company)

Synopsis:  Wolf’s Dragoons, now in the employ of the Draconis Combine, launches a raid on Hoff in the hopes of seizing the fruits of House Davion’s scientific endeavors.  As the Black Widow Company mounts a probe near the semi-functional General Circuits complex near Belfast Heights, a nearby Eridani Light Horse contingent moves to engage.

The ELH fields 265 tons against the Widows’ 225 tons.  The winner in this skirmish is the first side to down three enemy ‘Mechs.  They score a Major Victory if they lose fewer than two of their own ‘Mechs in the process, and a Marginal Victory if they kill three enemies while losing two of their own.  Once one side has lost three ‘Mechs, Forced Withdrawal rules take effect for that side.

Notes:  Major Pierre Bouchard reminisces that he worked with Jaime Wolf before, on Callisto V.  Looking at the map, it shows that Callisto V is a deep interior world in the District of Donegal.  The Dragoon baseworld during their Lyran years was Chukchi III, about two jumps from Callisto V.  I wonder what the Dragoons were doing on Callisto, when their primary operations area was in the Skye province along its border with the Combine’s Dieron Military District.  Notably, Callisto V lies in a direct line from Tharkad to Dromini VI, so the Dragoons may rendezvoused there with the Lyran task force that accompanied them to Dromini VI.

The date is given as April 3022, but the Dragoon sourcebook says that Wolf & Company fought for the Lyrans until the end of 3022, and then got a new contract with the Draconis Combine.  They clearly aren't hitting House Davion worlds while in Lyran employ, so the date should be in 3023.

One odd element of the setup is the statement that “The primary objective of the Kurita offensive is, of course, to identify the location of the scientific outpost…”  That would seem to imply that the Hiakru-Weller Training Facility from “Remaining Unperceived” is not co-located with the Friden Aerospace Park, since the Combine ninjas certainly knew where that was.  Perhaps there were multiple testing centers on Hoff, with Hiakru-Weller being the Team Banzai home base for the Hatchetman tests, while the Friden Aerospace Park center was the Eridani Light Horse’s garrison post, and focused on the Super Griffin and Super Wasp technologies.

The scenario section opens with an excerpt from Natasha’s memoirs.  She notes that the Eridani Light Horse was “the only mercenary unit with the tactical competence to seriously challenge our status as the the best regiment in the galaxy.”  In almost the same breath, she derides Hansen’s Roughriders as a unit “whose commander has the strategic sublety of a cement DropShip.”  One almost might think she’s still bitter about having been outmaneuvered and stopped cold by the Roughriders on Hesperus II.

The battle is a straight up race for kills.  The Eridani Light horse has an edge in weight and, therefore, durability.  If they cluster and mass fire, they have a decent chance of taking out the lightly armored Dragoon Stingers.  For the Black Widows, distance is key.  Widow gunnery is probably much better than Horsemen gunnery, so range is your friend.  Keep backing up and laying down a sustained long-range barrage and hope the numbers break your way.
« Last Edit: 03 January 2014, 10:21:40 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #664 on: 05 December 2013, 23:40:11 »
And then there's my favorite opinion of 3025 being the default year for everything in ye olde BattleTech.

I'd initially defaulted to tagging all of the "no date" stories and scenarios as 3025, but then, reading more closely and cross referencing with other contemporary sourcebooks, I began to find links that tied the events to other dates, and have adjusted the story dates accordingly.  And, as we just saw above, the stated dates in the scenarios are among the least reliable, and are trumped by sourcebook timelines.

I also appreciate reader contributions to this thread.  I certainly miss things, and enjoy a good debate over particularly nebulous source material.

By the by, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the Chronological Battletech Fiction Review.  There may be a brief hiatus from Sunday - Wednesday, since I'll be on a trip to New Delhi and may not have reliable net access from the hotel.  (United Hindu Collective, here I come!)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #665 on: 06 December 2013, 16:45:46 »
----- Meanwhile, Back in 3022 (malfin’ scenario pack date errors…) -----

Date: April 20, 3022

Location: Terra

Title: The Gauntlet (Descent)

Author: Ilsa J. Bick

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  On the Hilton Head shoreline, in the shadow of ComStar’s First Circuit compound, First Prince Hanse Davion takes a stroll with Archon Katrina Steiner as they reflect on having just signed the Federated Commonwealth treaty.  Katrina expresses concerns about ComStar, wondering if the supposedly neutral organization has a secret agenda.  She warns Hanse to keep a close watch on the Order.

Hanse finds himself attracted to Katrina, but forces himself to think of Katrina’s teenaged daughter Melissa, whom he’s just signed a deal to marry when she comes of age.  Discussing the terms of the marriage, they ponder how the New Avalon Catholic Church will reconcile the joint ceremony with the main Catholic Church.  The two reminisce over childhood trips to Rome to see the Vatican.  Young Katrina met the Pope, but Hanse and his brother Ian, being schismatics, did not have a private audience.  Both recall viewing the Vatican’s display of “The Desecration,” a section of the ancient catacombs that was pillaged and desecrated by Amaris’ troops.  Rather than repair the damage, the Vatican surrounded it with a barrier of transparent ferro-glass and used it as a reminder.

Katrina tells Hanse that both their realms, and all of civilization, face destruction at the hands of Amaris-style enemies, but that she’ll face the challenges with her new ally.  Hanse’s emotions surge, and he kisses Katrina’s hand.

At that moment, back in the Archon’s guest suite, a young, newly minted grade I Acolyte watches the two leaders talk.  She is pulled away from the window by Adept Bluma, her supervisor, who takes her to task for losing track of time.  The Acolyte wheels her cleaning supply cart out of the room, thinking that her masters will be very pleased by the slim packet in her gray jumpsuit.

Notes:  All told, The Gauntlet clocks in at 180 pages, so I’m classifying it as a serialized novel like Fall From Grace, Fall From Glory, and Betrayal of Ideals.

Katrina tells Hanse that by tradition and doctrine, ComStar has no love for House Davion, and that he’s as cursed as John Davion was.  John Davion was the First Prince of the Federated Suns when the Star League collapsed.  I can’t find any reference to John Davion having any particular problem with ComStar, though.  Perhaps Katrina is referring to the massive Kuritan threat he faced in the First Succession War, and to his death at the hands of an assassin.  Hanse likewise faces a massive Kuritan threat, and has Michael Hasek-Davion constantly gunning for him.  The House Davion sourcebook notes that ComStar dislikes the fact that residents of the core Federated Suns worlds don’t give members of their Order the respect or awe they feel due.

Less than two years after ending his period of mourning for Dana, and Hanse is now pondering how attracted he is to the mother of his child fiancée.  I guess the comment (by one of his enemies) in the Warrior Trilogy, that Hanse would have married Katrina if he could have been assured of heirs from her, wasn’t so far wrong.

The story’s date of April 20, 3022 strikes me as somewhat odd, since Warrior: En Garde has a prologue scene dated June 1, 3022 where Myndo Waterly says “Down there in that courtyard, Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner are being allowed to sign a treaty that will forever destroy the balance of power in the Successor States.”  To me, that implies that the Federated Commonwealth treaty was signed by Hanse and Katrina on June 1.   Yet the dialogue in The Gauntlet indicates it was signed on April 20.  I can’t imagine that affairs of state would let Hanse and Katrina stay on Terra to negotiate a treaty for six weeks.  I’ll ask in the Line Developer’s section and possibly amend this entry’s date depending on the response.

The mysterious Acolyte is described has having rust-colored hair.  So it’s not Sharliar Mori – the Order of the Five Pillars’ mole in ComStar – since she’s described as having shining raven hair in Heir to the Dragon.   (Of course, she may have had her hair altered as part of her infiltration mission.  We’ll just have to keep reading The Gauntlet and see if she shows up again.)
« Last Edit: 06 December 2013, 23:06:38 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #666 on: 06 December 2013, 18:00:43 »
Discussing the terms of the marriage, they discuss how the New Avalon Catholic Church will reconcile the joint ceremony with the main Catholic Church which dominates on Tharkad.  The two reminisce over childhood trips to Rome to see the Vatican.  Young Katrina met the Pope, but Hanse and his brother Ian, being schismatics, did not have a private audience. 

It didn't occur to me at the time when I originally read Gauntlet, but this seems strange to me. House Steiner has traditionally been Lutheran or some stripe of generic Protestant Christianity, with a few Buddhists in the mix, according to Handbook: House Steiner (pg. 122-123). So the Pope will grant a private audience to a Lutheran (I mean, if you wanna talk about schisms...) but not to a New Avalonian Catholic? That would seem to imply that either the relationship between the Roman and New Avalon churches must have been extremely strained, or that there was some level of reconciliation, at some point in BT history, between Catholicism and mainline Protestantism. Either is quite interesting, IMO.


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #667 on: 06 December 2013, 22:01:59 »
That's an excellent point.  Perhaps even though the Steiners were Lutherans, they represented billions of Catholics in the Lyran Commonwealth.  I'm not sure whether the NACC tolerated Terran Catholicism within the Federated Suns.

At the time of the schism, the New Avalon Catholic Church apparently went back and decanonized all the mainline Catholic popes going back to around the time of interstellar spaceflight, which may have struck a nerve with the guys in Rome.

From the March 16 BattleChat:

[01:58] <Circinus_Enquirer> The recent papal elections got me wondering - the Pope killed by Amaris was Clement XXVII, but the New Avalon Pope that calmed the anti-Asian riots in the Federated Suns was Clement XX (20 years later) - typo or result of the schism?
[02:01] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – Schism
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

trboturtle

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #668 on: 06 December 2013, 22:07:59 »
That's an excellent point.  Perhaps even though the Steiners were Lutherans, they represented billions of Catholics in the Lyran Commonwealth.  I'm not sure whether the NACC tolerated Terran Catholicism within the Federated Suns.

At the time of the schism, the New Avalon Catholic Church apparently went back and decanonized all the mainline Catholic popes going back to around the time of interstellar spaceflight, which may have struck a nerve with the guys in Rome.

From the March 16 BattleChat:

[01:58] <Circinus_Enquirer> The recent papal elections got me wondering - the Pope killed by Amaris was Clement XXVII, but the New Avalon Pope that calmed the anti-Asian riots in the Federated Suns was Clement XX (20 years later) - typo or result of the schism?
[02:01] <@Habeas2> Circinus_Enquirer – Schism

I think it's possible the NACC has it's own line of popes, so the NACC Clement XX is the 20th Clement of the NACC, different from the RCC's Clement line....Need to go check the original HBHD....

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #669 on: 06 December 2013, 22:12:13 »
I think it's possible the NACC has it's own line of popes, so the NACC Clement XX is the 20th Clement of the NACC, different from the RCC's Clement line....Need to go check the original HBHD....

Craig

I think Clement XX was only the second NACC Pope, since he wasn't the one in charge during the schism (the first was Pope Thomas X), but he was running the show 20 years later.  Since they apparently decanonized all the Roman Clements from XX to XVII (the one killed by Amaris), they probably decanonized all the non-Clements in between as well.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #670 on: 06 December 2013, 22:38:34 »
The story’s date of April 20, 3022 strikes me as somewhat odd, since Warrior: En Garde has a prologue scene dated June 1, 3022 where Myndo Waterly says “Down there in that courtyard, Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner are being allowed to sign a treaty that will forever destroy the balance of power in the Successor States.”  To me, that implies that the Federated Commonwealth treaty was signed by Hanse and Katrina on June 1.   Yet the dialogue in The Gauntlet indicates it was signed on April 20.  I can’t imagine that affairs of state would let Hanse and Katrina stay on Terra to negotiate a treaty for six weeks.  I’ll ask in the Line Developer’s section and possibly amend this entry’s date depending on the response.

I would assume it's something like the agreement was reached in April but all the fiddly little details were fully ironed out over the subsequent weeks and the formal signing of the treaty came in June.

(And to confuse matters even more, Handbook: House Davion says the treaty was signed on 8 May!)

So the Pope will grant a private audience to a Lutheran (I mean, if you wanna talk about schisms...) but not to a New Avalonian Catholic? That would seem to imply that either the relationship between the Roman and New Avalon churches must have been extremely strained, or that there was some level of reconciliation, at some point in BT history, between Catholicism and mainline Protestantism. Either is quite interesting, IMO.

Why wouldn't the Pope grant an audience to a state leader even if she adhered to a different religion? Popes today do that so why not in the 31st century? It's not like there's open war between the two groups or anything like that.

As for why not grant an audience to NACC adherents? It's much easier politically to make nice with someone from a different faith than with someone from a faith that is officially considered schismatic from your own.

I don't think there's anything strange about either one.
« Last Edit: 06 December 2013, 22:42:53 by roosterboy »

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #671 on: 07 December 2013, 07:43:38 »
----- Ten Days Earlier (wow – 3022 is really jumbled) -----

Date: April 10, 3022

Location: Ford

Title: Abandonment

Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Lt. Charles “Charlie” Vincent Bane is Third Sirian Lancers Dervish pilot on the Lyran world of Ford.  He arrives at the Lancers’ secondary drop zone for an extraction after a raid gone bad, and finds that the LZ was overrun by the Ford Planetary Militia, and his DropShip, the FWLS Liberty Bell, has departed without him.  Searching a wrecked Mobile HQ, he extracts the backup battlerom in an attempt to find out what happened.

A battalion of the 3rd Lancers had hit Ford on a spoiling mission – attempting to destroy anything of strategic value.  However, they ran into twice the expected number of defending troops, with better equipment and skills than anticipated – implying that the LIC had found out about the raid in time to lay a trap.

Surveying his assets, Bane finds himself with some field rations, a small amount of currency, and a centuries-old family owned Dervish.  Surrender would mean becoming one of the Dispossessed.  Worse, when his Lance was ambushed, Lt. Bane had fled, leaving his men to die at Lyran hands.  Even if he made it back to the FWL, he’d be cashiered for cowardace.  He decides that his only option is to attempt to carry out his original mission – destroying the munitions plant in the city of Gunster.

The Gunster munitions plant was heavily defended when his lance attacked it during the raid.  High earthen berms prevent fires in one area from spreading, so he’ll have to hit each part of the plant separately.  His only hope is to use the element of surprise, so he plots out a circuitous route that will allow him to approach the plant unseen.

Notes: The House Marik sourcebook describes the 3rd Lancers as Green in 3025, with Light ‘Mechs.  It also notes that Primus Louis Grise staged a bloodless coup in the Sirian Concordat (also known as the Sirian Concordance) in 3022.  After seizing power, he put all the best troops and ‘Mechs into the 2nd Lancers and left the other two regiments with burned out warriors and barely functional equipment.  He also invoked the Home Defense Act, allowing only the 3rd Lancers to be deployed outside the Concordat. 

FM: FWL clarifies that Grise freely won an election, then dissolved the Concordance’s democratic council.  However, it’s not clear whether Grise took power and reorganized the Lancers before or after this story.  Interestingly, the 3rd Sirian Lancers get a +1 Initiative bonus when acting as the attacker in a hide-and-seek or extraction scenario, so Bane’s got that going for him, at least.

Interestingly, Bane despairs of getting back to the FWL, and says that he'd never be able to get a merchant ship to take him over the Lyran border into League space.  He must not be aware, per the House Steiner sourcebook, that "Ford is one of the primary jumping off points for Lyran traders entering the Free Worlds League." 
« Last Edit: 16 December 2013, 08:14:44 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #672 on: 08 December 2013, 03:02:52 »
Man, 31st-century Sirius really couldn't catch a break. First Louis Grise and his power play, then Alisender Gyrn and his pogroms, then military dictatorship under Helen Thrall, who was then assassinated by the Blakists in preparation for their takeover...


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #673 on: 08 December 2013, 04:44:05 »
Man, 31st-century Sirius really couldn't catch a break. First Louis Grise and his power play, then Alisender Gyrn and his pogroms, then military dictatorship under Helen Thrall, who was then assassinated by the Blakists in preparation for their takeover...

Not to mention 90 percent of the Sirius system's population dying when Precentor Rachan's agents destroyed the Tiantan domed city.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #674 on: 08 December 2013, 05:16:31 »
Yeah, Sirius has pretty much been getting the short end of the stick since the end of Amaris Coup.


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #675 on: 08 December 2013, 06:26:55 »
----- Eight Days Later -----
 
Date: April 18, 3022
 
Location: Ford
 
Title: Abandonment
 
Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Bane surveils the Gunster munitions factory on foot, with his Dervish parked three kilometers away, in the woods.  The main gate is guarded by two Galleon tanks, and he suspects they have BattleMech backup somewhere.   However, the fast-moving, murky Cuyahoga river offers a chance to approach unseen.
 
After two hours of walking along the river bottom, Bane reaches his destination, surfaces next to the factory and obliterates the Galleons on guard.  A Lyran Grasshopper powers up and moves to engage.  As it closes, Bane races through the complex, firing missiles and lasers in all directions.  Buildings begin to explode, crumble and burn.  Dedicated to his mission, Bane continues to ignore the pursuing Grasshopper and attack the buildings.  Reaching a large complex at the heart of the facility, Bane fires everything his dying Dervish has left, then ejects.
 
Notes: Bane is clearly a superior pilot.  Every time I’ve tried to move ‘Mechs underwater without UMUs, they fall down about every third hex.  When I tried to cross the river bottom in the British Isles campaign of Fall of Terra, I lost about 70% of my ComGuard force to falls and flooded sections.
« Last Edit: 15 December 2013, 08:12:10 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #676 on: 08 December 2013, 08:46:04 »
You would think there would be special conditions thrown in there to make the scenario work.  Specially prepared underwater road beds, or special training the 'Mech pilots have undertaken to be able shuffle in the murky dark to be able to storm the isle!
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #677 on: 09 December 2013, 03:30:46 »
That, or being able to move in non-tactical terms means being able to move more carefully.  Something akin to Careful Stand in TacOps terms, possibly?  I can see a -2 (in addition to the modifiers from entering water hexes) if the movement was only one hex.  If the water is only Depth 2, (0 modifier to enter), then a 4 skill pilot would be guaranteed to make every step correctly.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #678 on: 09 December 2013, 10:45:16 »
----- Two Days Later -----
 
Date: April 20, 3022
 
Location: Ford
 
Title: Abandonment
 
Author: Blaine Lee Pardoe
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)
 
Synopsis:  In Dearborn City, Lt. Bane is being interrogated by a LIC officer, who refuses to believe that he was with the Third Sirian Lancers, or that the destruction of a minor munitions plant was his objective.  Bane simply restates the truth – he was part of the Third Sirian Lancers, but he was abandoned.  The LIC officer refuses to believe that such a skilled MechWarrior was abandoned, and accuses him of lying.  Bane takes it as a compliment.
 
Notes: This scene indicates that the raid took place after Grise’s restructuring, since Bane takes pride in being called ‘skilled’ by the LIC agent.  If he was relegated to the Third and didn’t make the cut to get into the 2nd Lancers, that would have been a blow to his morale. 
 
The Lyrans are, of course, sure that this is a follow-up raid, or a distraction for some other nefarious FWL operation. 
 
There’s an odd line where Bane notes that the LIC officer calls him “Lieutenant,” using the Lyran form of the rank.  Yet the quote still spells it ‘Lieutenant,’ rather than the Lyran ‘Leutnant.’  Looks like the spell checker decided to be ‘helpful,’ undercutting Blaine’s intent.

Dearborn City is a meta-reference to the fact that the Ford Motor Company is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.  Given this tie to the corporation, one wonders if perhaps Ford Military Limited at one point manufactured its THE-N Thorn here.  It wouldn't be the only twentieth century corporation to have its own planet.  Apple Computers Interstellar bought the world of Drekos and renamed it Macintosh.  (The stealth pun being that the Macintosh's Graphic User Interface outclassed previous home computer operating systems that were pieces of drek by comparison.  Drek OS...Drekos.)
« Last Edit: 15 December 2013, 08:13:37 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #679 on: 11 December 2013, 14:26:04 »
----- Three Days Later -----
 
Date: April 23, 3022
 
Location: Demeter
 
Title: Hornet’s Nest
 
Author: Craig Erne
 
Type: Short Story (25 Years of Art and Fiction)
 
Synopsis:  On Demeter’s Villmar River Plains, Captain Saul Trenton leads the Northstar Irregulars (a mercenary company) into battle against the ‘Mechs of the Demeter Militia, putting the survivors to flight.   His command lance, the Bombay Bombers, consists of his Archer, Reggie Horn’s Cyclops, Lt. “Dry Roasted” Dave Greshner’s Marauder, and Izzy McClain’s Zeus.  The company is rounded out by Scout and Strike lances, and travels on the Union-class DropShip, Wayward Star.
 
After mopping up the Demeter Militia, Trenton orders his troops back to the DropShip, and then back to their base in the Free Worlds League.
 
Notes:  Demeter strikes me as an odd target for the Free Worlds League, striking across the Capellan Confederation into the Federated Suns.  Still, the Federated Suns hit Hesperus II (LC), the Draconis Combine hit Helm (FWL), and the Lyrans hit Carver V (CC), so it’s not unheard of.
 
Demeter is a major staging world for the AFFS, so it’s not surprising that the militia would have ‘Mechs in 3022.  What is surprising is that the local garrison wasn’t able to throw more force at the raiders.  Perhaps that’s why Trenton is pulling the Irregulars out as soon as the battle is won, rather than sticking around for salvage.  The cavalry might be inbound and angry.
 
One wonders to what extent mercenary contracts are open secrets in 3022.  If they’re registered with the ComStar Mercenary Review Board, are the terms of who hired whom to do what available for public review?  If not, the Irregulars might be trying to stir up Capellan/FedSuns tensions to draw CCAF forces away from the FWL border, in preparation for a new offensive or series of raids.
« Last Edit: 15 December 2013, 08:10:49 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #680 on: 11 December 2013, 14:42:40 »
Based on Welshman's reply to my question about Black Cats Cross Your Path (that the Cats just refer to the Widows as a Company by mistake) it looks like the story definitively dates to a period between 3049 and 3051, before it became common knowledge that Natasha had gone back to the Clans.

Boots is still a Corporal in 3048, but the whole concept of the Black Widows going on raiding missions for LosTech becomes ludicrous after the Outreach conference of 3051.  (Though, granted, the mercs in the story aren't the real Widows.). Still, House vs. House raiding tapered off to next to nothing after the Clan invasion and the resulting detente between the successor states, not really picking up again until 3057.

"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #681 on: 15 December 2013, 03:09:31 »
I'm back from India.  A new review will go up later today. 

In the meantime, I have a new theory about the timing of "Black Cats Cross Your Path."

1) It takes place when "Boots" is a sergeant.  She was a corporal in 3049.
2) It takes place prior to 3072, when Lou Lingg is running the unit.  (He appears to be Boots' subordinate in the story.)
3) It takes place during a period of inter-House conflict.  Everyone was pretty much focused on the Clans until Operation GUERRERO in 3057.
4) It took place in a region where people might expect the Black Widows to strike.
5) It pitted the Black Cats against a low-tech, poorly resourced merc unit with spiders painted on their 'Mechs.

Looking over these options, I'm leaning towards late 3059 in the Chaos March.

1) That would give Boots enough time to be promoted to sergeant.
2) It takes place prior to 3072
3) Inter-House conflict is again the order of the day, especially in the Chaos March.
4) The Black Widow Company is long gone by 3059, but the Wolf Spider Battalion exists and operates out of Outreach in the Chaos March.  Per Welshman, the panicked local scouts could just have used the old name that Natasha made infamous, rather than the new designation which would be only three years old at this point.
5) Wannamaker's Widowmakers is a low-tech, poorly resourced merc unit with spiders painted on their 'Mechs.  For two years after their debacle at Outreach, the Widowmakers took a series of short-term contracts in the Chaos March before getting a long-term pirate-hunting contract with the Taurian Concordat.  Circa 3059, the unit has three Assault machines, six Heavies, and three Mediums (two of which may be in for a date with a vat of lard and a flamethrower).

If it is the Chaos March in 3059, candidates include:

Sheratan - a "sparsely populated, forest-covered world."
Acamar - a "constant winter wonderland" where even the equatorial region (the site of the main settlements) isn't immune to heavy winter storms.  The Osz Forest covers the northern approach to the valley where the main mining settlements are located.   ("Big Bill" comments that it's very cold as they run around in the forest looking for the raiders)
Keid - heavily wooded, and hosted two Castles Brian and several Star League universities.
Procyon - A largely agricultural world of sparsely populated farmlands and forests. 

All told, I'd opt for late 3059 or early 3060 on Acamar, given the woods and weather, and the potential for encountering Wannamaker's Widowmakers.  Your thoughts?
« Last Edit: 15 December 2013, 08:03:53 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #682 on: 15 December 2013, 03:14:04 »
The only thing that makes me think it might not have been Acamar is that that's right around when Operation Stiletto was taking place which was such a relatively large military operation on Acamar that it would be a little odd if it went entirely unmentioned.


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #683 on: 15 December 2013, 05:08:34 »
The only thing that makes me think it might not have been Acamar is that that's right around when Operation Stiletto was taking place which was such a relatively large military operation on Acamar that it would be a little odd if it went entirely unmentioned.

Operation STILETTO starts on February 9, 3061 and goes until April 3062, so there's no conflict if the Widowmakers raided the world in November or December 3059, or any time during 3060.
« Last Edit: 16 December 2013, 08:12:59 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #684 on: 15 December 2013, 07:57:26 »
----- Two Weeks Later -----

Date: May 11, 3022

Location: Al Na’ir

Title: The Lancer Strike

Author: Jason Schmetzer

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Captain Cedric “C-Ball” Pratt leads a Heavy company of the Third Crucis Lancers on a flanking raid behind enemy lines to destroy a DCMS staging base in the Ki’rin Mountains, near Lake Acorn.  The company roster includes Cedric’s younger brother, Clarence.  The Third Crucis Lancers are opposed by the Fifteenth Dieron Regulars during the attempt to seize Al Na’ir, while Pratt’s company of the Third Crucis is engaged by Tai-i Sahasu Owen’s recon company of the Fifteenth Regulars, Tai-i Zelma Crossen’s reserve company, and an additional two lances of unassigned troops.

The story is told through various perspectives of the two forces.  Pratt and Owen have similar situations, in that their subordinates think they’re idiots who will probably get more of their own side killed than the enemy.

Owen’s company engages Pratt’s at Lake Acorn, attempting to slow the AFFS force down by any means necessary.  DCMS MechWarrior Javier Gersten does what he can, wrapping his Wasp’s arms around the leg of Pratt’s BattleMaster after losing both of his own legs.  The Combine company withdraws after taking seven casualties, but continues to shadow the Lancers, reporting their position as they advance past Lake Acorn towards the staging base.

At the depot, the DCMS reserve company braces for the Lancers’ arrival.  The only plan they can come up with is to dodge as much as possible, keeping the Lancers busy until reinforcements arrive.  When the Lancers arrive, however, they rip into the Combine ‘Mechs and then start blowing up the warehouses.  The first Lancer casualty comes when a 15th Regulars’ Firestarter executes a Death From Above attack on a Lancer Scorpion, then toasts its cockpit with flamers.  A Feddie Ostroc meets its fate when it turns a corner and comes face to face with a DCMS Hunchback.  With Combine reinforcements arriving, the Lancers are forced to withdraw, leaving behind Leftenant Tran’s Archer and Gabriel Ray’s Enforcer, which have been surrounded.

Pratt is emotionally shattered as his company withdraws towards friendly lines, having lost a third of the command while destroying the DCMS supply depot and mauling two scout companies.  He worries about his brother, Clarence, and how he’d explain it to his parents if “Clarry” died.  As they approach Lake Acorn again, he sends a Heavy lance in for recon. 

The remnants of Owen’s Company continue to track the Lancers’ movements, directing a scratch force to intercept them at Lake Acorn before retiring from the field.  The scratch DCMS contingent – four ‘Mechs and four hovertanks – make a fast slasher run at the Lancer scouts.  The hover lance’s Saladin is particularly effective, inflicting heavy damage on an AFFS Dervish and Warhammer.  Cedric leads the command lance’s charge as he tries to rescue his scouts.  However, his focus on saving his younger brother distracts him from the serious damage the rest of his company has taken.  The turning point in the battle comes when AFFS MechWarrior Rickey May’s Crusader overheats and cooks off its own ammunition, vanishing in a ball of fire.  Moments later, Senior NCO Burke’s Warhammer also goes down with a laser strike to the cockpit.  Cedric shakes off his indecision and races to help his brother’s Centurion against a Dragon.

Switching perspectives, the two DCMS lances aren’t in any better shape, having lost a ‘Mech and three tanks.  The Saladin commander reports that his ammunition is exhausted, and withdraws.  The BattleMaster takes down the Dragon, leaving two Combine ‘Mechs against three remaining Lancers (BattleMaster, Centurion, and Thunderbolt).  The Dieron Regulars withdraw as Pratt collects the recon lance’s only survivor – Griffin pilot Florence Kim.  Kim resolves to file a scathing report with battalion command about Pratt’s command inadequacies once they return to Lancer lines.

Notes:  One of the Davion troops notes that the Third Crucis Lancers are fighting two enemy regiments by themselves.  Assuming that the deployments in 3022 are similar to those in 3025, that would be the 15th Dieron Regulars (a Regular/Reliable Assault ‘Mech Regiment with no specialty) and the 8th Dieron Regulars (a Veteran/Reliable Medium ‘Mech regiment with a specialization in night combat).  The Veteran/Reliable Third Crucis Lancers boast four battalions circa 3025, so the statement that they’re outnumbered by more than two to one implies that the Combine ‘Mech regiments have at least a regiment of conventional support forces. 

The 3CL is described as having been sent in to assault Al Na’ir without support, facing off against two widely separated Combine garrison units.  I guess that the harsh atmospherics made it impractical to send the RCT’s infantry or conventional vehicles, though the Combine hovercraft seem to have no difficulty.  The lack of support proved telling, since the description of the aftermath notes that the Lancers were forced to withdraw without having inflicted significant damage on the Combine garrison.

It seems odd that Pratt’s company was only running into Lights and Mediums when the 15th is classified as an Assault regiment.  Perhaps all the big Combine ‘Mechs were holding the main lines against the 3CL RCT, leaving their lighter auxiliaries to secure the flanks against raiders.

After the failed ambush at Lake Acorn, some of the Combine troops express fear of being sent to the Legion of Vega as punishment for their failure.  This confirms the status of the Legion as a modern-day Chain Gang unit, where disgraced MechWarriors and terminally damaged machinery go to die.
« Last Edit: 15 December 2013, 12:42:40 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Kojak

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #685 on: 15 December 2013, 11:42:00 »
It sounds like the description of Al Na'ir is a little off, to put it mildly. According the LinkNet info on Al Na'ir, its thin atmosphere is nigh-unbreathable due to the high levels of sulfur and as a result the population lives in domed cities or underground, yet it doesn't sound from your description like there's any mention of any of this. It also mentions that the "surface water supply [is] limited almost exclusively to the polar icecaps", so I'm not sure why there's a "Lake Acorn".


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #686 on: 15 December 2013, 12:40:47 »
It sounds like the description of Al Na'ir is a little off, to put it mildly. According the LinkNet info on Al Na'ir, its thin atmosphere is nigh-unbreathable due to the high levels of sulfur and as a result the population lives in domed cities or underground, yet it doesn't sound from your description like there's any mention of any of this. It also mentions that the "surface water supply [is] limited almost exclusively to the polar icecaps", so I'm not sure why there's a "Lake Acorn".

I've got to agree with you there.  There is a reference to there being limited vegetation ("No acorns on this rock outside of a dome"), but the maps used in the accompanying scenarios have plenty of liquid water and trees.  Also, the Griffin pilot rides back to the Lancer lines in the BattleMaster's hand, without any mention of breathing equipment.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #687 on: 16 December 2013, 13:18:30 »
----- That Same Day -----

Date: May 11, 3022

Location: Al Na’ir

Title: Forced March

Author: Ken’ Horner

Type: Scenario (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  An assault company of the 3rd Crucis Lancers is ambushed by a recon company of the 15th Dieron Regulars.  The Davions are on a quick strike mission, so they gain points for moving off the eastern map edge as soon as possible.  The Kuritan forces want to delay the enemy as much as possible.

Historically, the Lancers blew through the Combine forces, but it cost them precious time.

The battle is company on company, on a 2x2 battlefield.  Sprinting and Forced Withdrawal are in effect.  The Crucis Lancers field 755 tons and have an average gunnery of 3.83.  The Dieron Regulars field 355 tons and have an average gunnery of 3.92.

Notes:  The Lancers are fairly evenly split between 4/6 and 5/8 movement profiles.   I’d advise having the slower rides sprint (bringing their speed to 8 ) while the faster ones serve as armed escorts.  The disparity in firepower means you won’t really miss the heavier ‘Mechs’ guns, and you have to keep in mind that the goal of the scenario is to get across the map, with trashing the Kuritan scouts as a secondary objective at best.  This will keep the group together and allow them to mass fire on anyone that gets in their way.

The Dieron Regulars are going to be able to run circles around the Lancers.  They should take advantage of their mobility to swarm the Lancer column.  If any get separated from their comrades’ supporting fire, they should be swarmed under by the full company.  Even if the Lancers maintain good column formation, swarm in, surround one unit at the tail end of the column, and kick as much as possible.  If you can make them fall, or even take a leg off, that’s one Lancer that won’t be making it off the east side of the map.  If you hit trailing units, that means the leading Lancers won’t be able to bring any guns to bear.

I was stunned to see an FFL-4A Firefly on the Combine roster.  The Wolf’s Dragoons sourcebook entry for the Firefly says that it went extinct in the Second Succession War, and circa 3022, is only fielded by Wolf’s Dragoons (and ComStar – though that was secret until the 3040s).  The Hornet is also an odd find in a 3022 Combine regiment, since its fluff states that it was fielded primarily on the FedSuns/Periphery and FedSuns/Capellan border, making it a long-shot to be found as salvage in a Combine unit.  The 15th Dieron’s requisition department must be quite skilled in working black-market channels.
« Last Edit: 18 December 2013, 13:11:39 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Kojak

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #688 on: 16 December 2013, 19:01:50 »
You listed this as a short story, but from your description it definitely sounds like a scenario.


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

Kojak

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #689 on: 16 December 2013, 20:02:27 »
BTW Mendrugo, IIRC you have that huge index file of consumer products in the Inner Sphere, and I remember you posted it for download a few iterations of the forums ago; any chance you be willing to hook me up with a copy and/or post that again?


"Deep down, I suspect the eject handle on the Hunchback IIC was never actually connected to anything. The regs just say it has to be there."
- Klarg1

 

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