A few people have asked Jason Hansa and/or me about how we went about writing two stories about the same conflict told from opposing sides. Since I couldn't post anything about it in the BattleCorps Fiction forum, Philip Lee suggested I post here.
In January the call went out for submissions to the short story anthology Honor Code: Tales of the Draconis Combine. Jason and I have both been away from BattleTech for five years (I've been in school, editing Shadowrun, and writing original fiction, he's been doing much more important things in the US Army), but we both thought writing Kurita stories would be a great way to come back. Many years ago we'd had the idea of writing two versions of the same story told different viewpoints - something along the lines of 1957's The Enemy Below. We'd never done anything with this, but both realized the Ronin War - two sides each fighting for what they saw as the honor of the Combine - provided the perfect setting for this.
We also realized that the two stories would not fit in the anthology. So, with a thanks to Jason Schmetzer for inviting us, we headed off on our own.
What I've copied and pasted below is the chat logs from our first two brainstorming sessions. They don't tell the whole story, but they give a pretty good snapshot of how the partnership - a brand new concept to both of us - worked. (As you'll quickly see, Jason did most of the heavy lifting. He did the initial research on who would be fighting where.)
--------------------------------------------January 29th, 11:43pm
JH: I'm liking memmingen. it has a lot of drama. two elite units go head to head. initially, the 1st Sword of Light ignores the coordinators orders (to attack and win) to offer the ronins honorable, 1-on-1 combat. The ronin accept, lose more fights than they win. and switch to a guerrilla war. it really hits the bases we're looking for. 2nd best I think is Trondheim.. there's also another odd battle: Ueda. The 11th Legion of Vega and the 1st Proserpina Hussars tangled there- and nothing's in it in the book! Don't know if it was edited out, an oversight, etc. But that's a whole world/battle we can do whatever we want with (within limits: both units survive and have no "honor" issues, so...
KK: I think the memmingen storyline has several points we could use ... but trondheim doesn't work. It's too gamer war, if that makes sense.
JH: I think I understand- lots of units, people will want TO&Es, etc. Ueda also has no capital, no description: blank battle on a blank world...
KK: where's the ueda reference?
JH: look in the deployment tables, pg 121 you see they were both there, and the hussars suffered mod damage and surrendered
KK: I like the blank slate of ueda ... and the writeups of leg of veg and proserpina in fasa draconis combine fm give us plenty to work with
JH: yup. you have the rough and tumble hussars (who follow orders, as long as it takes them to battle) vs the "borderline criminal but technically on the side of angels" vegans...
KK: ueda has no information in inner sphere atlas - not canon but handy
JH: yup, saw that and doublechecked on Sarna (also not canon, but helpful)
KK: i'm liking 11th lov. they get no respect & prior to 3039 they were one of the worst equipt units in the mustard
JH: exactly- anything handed down from "real" units as they get fielded fresh dragons "here, 11th, have a Liao Vindicator or marik-version marauder" -sigh- "okay."
KK: i like folk making do with obsolete and marginal equipment. writing about super well equipped units with the latest gear is kind of a yawn
JH: hmm, writing about a well-equipped (and presumably arrogant) unit looking down their noses at the 11th? I can do that...
KK: looks like we've got our setting and main players picked out. now the embarrassment of riches – a completely blank slate
JH: issue: with the latest gear, and a vet unit vs. a regular one, we have to figure out why the hussars lose. they come into the battle with moderate damage (say, down a couple companies?) but as the defender, that evens up the odds. the vegans WILL play dirty to win- so you get to be clever...
KK: with the looser interpretation of honor on the side of the dcms, and the vegans origins, not a problem
JH: I'm okay with not hammering THIS part out today... but it will have to make sense...
KK: agreed
JH: any thoughts on terrain? I liked writing the heavy rain in one story, and the challenge of the "unbreathable" air on halstead station. an artic battle (upper Canada-ish), mountains (rockies, himalayas, etc.) would all be fun. I don't have any ideas per se but I'm up for some fun
KK: as long as we don't say it's a mountainous planet or some such. not every planet is completely uniform and unchanging from pole to pole the way earth is. there's a novel's worth of stuff we could do with a blank slate – literally, I've done that. don't want anything too out there, but there should be some tricky terrain
JH: agreed. it ALSO might be the reason that you win- my guys are arrogant, while the 11th would comb through databases / bribe local merchants to find out about a bog, caverns, etc...
KK: so hussars able to hand vegans their heads in one terrain, vegans strategically flee for their lives to another and -trap- roles reverse ... or ... hussars don't follow them expecting a trap and the vegans use info bought from the locals to hit the hussars where they think they're safe ... beauty is they don't have to win, just do enough damage to make hussars withdraw
JH: hmm... the vegans retreating should be part of the plan, I think ... hussars THINK they have them on the run (and very nearly do) but the vegans know something I don't know...also-
KK: according to table on 143 in brush wars the hussars are based on orestes, so it's only part of them occupying ueda
JH: I don't think it's reasonable that I have much vee / infantry support. I think the 11th would probably have scooped up some militia (penal?) battalions somewhere ... some combat engineers building a route through an "impassible" area to get my flank as you "retreat"...?
KK: which is good because all of the hussars really would roll over all of the vegans
JH: yeah, the combine didn't start officially going combined arms until after the war of 3039... but selected units like the vegans (especially the 11th, since theodore led them) picked up his lessons faster.
KK: are you familiar with haha walls?
JH: no. what are those?
KK: separates pastures without spoiling the view, trenches with walls at the bottom. looks unobstructed until you're on top of it. no good against ranged weapons, of course, but could screw up maneuvers if you think you've got a clear run from point a to point b
JH: just googled. yes. especially if I was coming down on them,...like giant tank traps
KK: the second line of mechs would jump - assuming jumpability -- but the first would be slowed down/stalled
JH: my forward element runs down, gets trapped, mired, starts to get picked apart while suddenly your tanks and reserves appear in my "secure" flanks, I surrender. (the book says only light damage, but surrender. this would explain why- out maneuvered, out-fought, and given honorable terms...)
KK: okay, i think we have a framework ... now we need to create characters everyone will root for on both sides. i think you've got the harder guys to write. sympathetic elitists are hard to pull off. but i think you're on to something with the hussars elite not taking the vegans as seriously as they should ..
JH: okay, just doublechecking the timeline and caught something .. these two units tangled on grummian prior to this fight (battle also undescribed) the vegans were the ones who did damage ..light damage to you, moderate to me ..- the vegans were mentioned on page 90. but it ALSO says they mastered terrain to keep opponents off balance (which really actually still works here) ... I'm thinking that my guys are in denial that they got out fought... and are certain once they have you on a "straight up fight" (light rolling hills) you'll fall over, as opposed to the ducking into the mountains /city/ whatever you did last time. which leads them right into the HaHa tank traps. pride will get you...
KK: they know they lost due to honorless trickery on part of vegans and they're determined not to let it happen again. off to one side of the fair and honest battlefield is a region just like the one vegans used last time. dispatch fastest/toughest per pound units to seal off that escape route haha, infantry and armor
JH: so, I head towards the same type area and I find HaHa, armor and inf? while battlemechs close up behind me? you have a small element retreating that way, and I sense a trap ("same area as last time!") but in reality, the majority of the 11th is ACTUALLY in the hills and such. so, if I hadn't taken the bait, and followed my pride, I could actually have destroyed the majority of you in my favored terrain. you are gambling on my pride, risking the regiment... hmm
KK: okay. we're shaping up one story together. here's a thought. You do the honorable - not arrogant in his or her own mind, but loyal to tradition - hussar doing all the right things even when dealing with a social inferior opponent and as a result being defeated by trickery so on the second encounter you anticipate the trickery and lose again, but would have won if you'd stuck with your honor ... that's a sympathetic character
JH: yeah, I wasn't thinking really arrogant, so much as honor and tradition bound.
KK: good
JH: from an older school of thought: it's because he goes by the book, and does it exactly right he gets beaten:
KK: but built in cultural elitism would be part of an honorable warrior's mindset anyway. they see it as the natural order of things
JH: yes- thinking that all vegans have is tricks, and by destroying them, sad as it is, he will actually be making the dragon stronger. it's a regrettable duty, and he's not happy it's fallen on him. but he will do his duty as he sees it...
KK: good. maybe even quash some nose-in-the-air disdain on the part of junior officers
JH: he's going to have to commit seppeku- as I read through this, I know how it ends. he exchanges the lives and the equipment of his men (remember, at this time, a LOT of battlemechs were hand-me-down family property) and puts the "ronin" activities all on his shoulders. (also explaining why the hussars weren't stricken from the rolls)
KK: works. very good. so what the heck are my guys doing? trying to earn legitimacy but not really being legitimate about it? though what teddy k liked about the vegans was their flexibility of thought
JH: being flexible, creative but not dishonorable to earn legitimacy, a) show loyalty to teddy K, and b) show they CAN follow orders? proving they aren't just a collection of miscreants, rebels and rogues?
KK: donald sutherland's tanks in kelly's heroes.
JH: didn't see that one
KK: sokay, probably not the best model for this unit
JH: odds are they were NOT ordered in by Teddy K himself, but by a loyal warlord who is using them as cannon fodder: let the 11th wear down the hussars, and one of the sword of light regiments will finish them. the 11th wasn't actually expected to WIN, just find and fix me... ?
KK: not expected to win fits. everyone surprised. my guy seeking extraction from vegans to honorable unit will feel both vindicated and incredulous. or something like that
JH: agreed! I still want to mull the terrain, maybe send some notes tonight? we just have to work to make sure we both have a good idea of the area so the stories line up
KK: in the mountainous swamp desert
JH: during a blizzard.
------------------------------------------------February 2nd, 10:32pm
JH: did you see my email?
KK: had to download chart of NATO military symbols to read the map.. we are definitely working on two sides of the same story here.
JH: good! we both had (generally) the same idea from Saturday; you filled in the pieces I couldn't make work in my head.
KK: i like your idea for ueda - spargels and all. windswept tuber growing land with magnificent mountains. the rest of the planet could be tropical. grummium battle should look more like eastern europe in winter, I think
JH: Poland looks a lot like Michigan so I think that works. what I'm working on is the main character- the 1st P has one name in HB:DC (3035) a different one in the 4SW (3028) and another in 3039 (the 4SW one is killed in battle, no replacement named so far that I can find) the 3039 guy, I think, is going to be an XO or Bn CDR. The counterpoint to the commander. haven't decided on how much screentime. .... oh, we should make the battle about early or mid july at latest, to make sure your boys hit their next mark (Nox in august) on time. there's no dates mentioned, but, with the physics of charging jump drives and stuff, the earlier we make it (3-10th) probably the better
KK: 11th LoV was teddy k's unit on Marfik .. let me pull my nais 4sw atlas up ..
JH: yes, it was. past tense, though.
KK: yup six years .. by now there'd be a whole new crew, I think
JH: give me a sec- skimming war of 3039, seeing if a commander for 11th is mentioned. if not, you have a blank slate
KK: 3039 is one i don't have on pdf. can't search
JH: page 75, olivaves okay, got the novel, let me skim okay- quick google search of the name, and then double checking the website against the book shows Olivares as the commander of the 2nd LoV in the 4SW
KK: not the 11th, then
JH: wait.. he popped up later in the book (not listed in the website)
KK: I only see one mention of the 11th not on a table. p73 they're on Alrakis in July no names kurita in 3028. yamasaki 3050. no names in between. according to the not-canon-but-thorough Sarna
JH: in 3039, page 73, left side. paragraph starts with: ""The Alrakan insurrection" in the novel, it seems like Olivares pops up a couple of times, like he's in the unit. he's a Sho-sa, a major: staff weenie, or senior company commander okay, he's a BN commander
KK: Also, he used a dirty trick – killed lyran commanders w/explosives under their hq to avoid straight on fight - so remorse at having been dishonorable the first time won't work. unless something has changed ... -or- 3039 is after 3034, so he could be evolving in that direction ... he was a pow in the 4th sw - 3028?
JH: okay, jjust skimmed. in HttD, kurita escapes Marfik and leaves behind his prize orion .. general kerenskys orion itself (early battletech novels: gotta love them). the day kurita escapes (pg 50 in the 4th SW book) olivares is piloting TK's orion to fool the LC that he is still on planet
KK: so he was captured on marfik and repatriated after the war
JH: he's the "ramrod" of the unit until TK shot a feather out of his ear, and then became the rough-and-tumble loyal follower. so, doing anything to win is completely his way. and yes, to your question
KK: so there's got to be a different reason why he suddenly has a change of heart about fighting mech to mech
JH: so- returns from 4 years captivity (about 3032ish) and still a major.
KK: UNLESS he's not the commander of the 11th until after the Ronin war.
JH: so- you can mention him in passing- he's a capable XO/ BN commander. or, yes, we find him a new home... there's nothing saying he didn't serve a tour in the 2nd or 14th before taking command of the 11th...
KK: okay, he's a mech battalion commander in 3028.. spends some years pow. has command of the 11th in 3039. the thing about units that fight all the time is normal career paths and timelines don't make sense
JH: yup. and according to the FM:DC, only one officer (commander of the 2nd) has refused a posting anywhere except the LoVs. so he could be in ANY unit before given the opportunity to command the 11th (which is how the Army does it- offers you command of a BN/BDE, and expects you to move to it wherever it is.) and, honestly, after 4 years as a POW, he's earned a tour of duty WAYYY back in the inside for a couple years to drink, sleep and be merry.
KK: so he could plausibly not be a factor on ueda, which means my pov character's motivations could still work ... my pov character would remember both oliveras and kurita
JH: yup. I think oliveras is recuperating with the 19th galedon in 34... (which has a reputation of independent pirate hunting. which, honestly, is where he would have a ball)
KK: current guy in charge from some other unit and unhappy about dishonor of being in LoV. Regrets / ashamed of allowing LoV sneaky tactics first battle wants to do the right thing this time
JH: to show he's worthy of a transfer back to a "real" unit
KK: dovetails nicely
JH: maybe a little cynical: every commander comes into a unit with dreams about how they're going to change the world. maybe he's cynical/disappointed that they aren't as far along as he wanted them to be?
KK: not cynical, i think he needs to be a true believer. goes with the shame.
JH: but maybe disappointed. maybe a little angry at being there, or desperate to get out?
KK: yes disappointed, angry, desperate to get out. all of that's good. I'll let that compost for a while - now that I know it'll fit into canon and be plausible ...
JH: - .. does 7 July 3034 work for you? the 7th is a Monday, for what it's worth.
KK: for the battle? sure.
JH: so -FAR- I can't find any city names for the world.
KK: not a problem - our battle doesn't have to be near a city
JH: sounds good. ...
KK: type at you later
JH: rgr!
