Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II  (Read 205691 times)

Mendrugo

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Date: May 17, 3025
 
Title: DropShips and JumpShips
 
Author: Clare W. Hess; Art by Steve Venters (cover) and Dana Knutson (ship design and illustration)
 
Type: Sourcebook (FASA)
 
Synopsis:

Escape Pod:   A five ton, six-passenger craft capable of limited maneuvering, the “standard” escape pod model for the Inner Sphere was introduced in 2647.  Life support can support the passengers for 20 days, though the onboard rations will be exhausted in twelve.  It is capable of atmospheric entry and landing via a parachute, though it lacks landing gear.  Some space stations have adapted spare pods to serve as passenger shuttles by adding a flight window. 

Life Boat:   Introduced midway through the Age of War (2476), the life boat is three times the length of the later escape pod, but lacks a propulsion system.  It is intended to be picked up in space by friendly ships, with enough supplies to support six passengers for sixteen days, and life support sufficient for 24 days.  It has effectively unlimited power, thanks to a small solar sail that doubles as a distress flag, making the tiny craft easier for rescue ships to locate. 

ST-46 Class Shuttle: The ST-46 shuttle, introduced in 2528, can carry 9 passengers and 74 tons of cargo, and is a “Common” sight aboard stations, JumpShips, and transports.  As an aerodyne, it is well suited to entering planetary atmospheres, but must have a prepared landing strip, because its landing gear is not sufficiently rugged for rough terrain touchdowns. 

S-7A Class Bus: Introduced in 2602, the S-7A Bus is used exclusively for space operations (being unsuited for atmospheric entry), and is a “Common” sight at space stations and aboard JumpShips and DropShips.  It can carry 10 passengers and 84 tons of cargo in underslung cargo bays that can be detached in an emergency, though this halves the ship’s structural integrity. 

Mark VII Landing Craft: Introduced in 2841, the Mark VII Landing Craft has a frequency rating of “Rare,” being mass produced only in the Capellan Confederation, with smaller numbers made by the Lyrans and the Combine.  Unlike the civilian ST-46 Shuttle, the Mark VII is designed for deployment of its cargo into combat, and can carry up to 65 tons of vehicles and equipment.  It mounts a small arsenal to protect itself and its cargo, and the Capellans have modified some to be pure combat vessels, with a larger engine, more fuel, better guns, and no cargo bays.

KR-61 Class Long Range Shuttle: The KR-61, introduced in 2598, is an Uncommon sight in the Inner Sphere.  It is designed to transport very limited amounts of goods and passengers from planetary bodies to distant jump points.  Many shuttles fill this role – the KR-61 is just one example of this class.  Much of its weight is consumed by the fuel necessary to make this long haul journey. 

K-1 Class DropShuttle: Introduced in 2536, the K-1 is more frequently used than the KR-61, due to its greater cargo and passenger capacity.  It can even dock with a JumpShip’s docking collar and hitch a ride to another system, rather than parking inside a small-craft bay.  The DropShuttle can carry 55 tons of cargo and six passengers. 

Notes:

Escape Pod: Escape pods were, of course, made an iconic part of space opera by the opening scene of 1977’s Star Wars.  To my knowledge, they haven’t ever been featured in BattleTech fiction.  Misjumps tend to be terminal events, and the one in Far Country resulted in the launch of all the ship’s Vulture-class DropShips, rather than escape pods.  (The accidental transit to the Kaetetôã system aboard a Leviathan predated the introduction of escape pods, in any event.)

I like the idea of seedy, falling-apart recharge stations using retooled escape pods for barely-controllable seat-of-the-pants shuttles…Mad Max in SPAAAAAACE for real!

Despite being 1/3 the size of the life boat, it has the same mass.  I guess the engine makes the difference, since the boat is just designed to drift.  However, it has the same passenger capacity as the much larger lifeboat…and the lifeboat is described as “very cramped.” 

Life Boat: As I noted above, the difference between the life boat and the escape pod clearly demonstrates the advances made by the Star League.  Despite the design’s inferiority, it’s still a “Common” sight in the Inner Sphere in 3025.  I would presume that the sidebar narrated by an AFFS gunner captured by the Taurian Defense Force at Tentativa featured his exit from his crippled WarShip aboard a life boat, which would have been all that was available during the Reunification War.  The fact that he couldn’t maneuver – just drift and watch the rest of his fleet get ripped apart – explains why he was caught rather than trying to maneuver to a friendly ship and hope to escape.

This raises an interesting question – in the 3025 era, what sort of resources do the bare-bones navies of the Successor States have for policing up a vast area of space after a battle?  In “The Sword and the Dagger,” the Capellan pilots who survive their fighters being disabled remain confident that they’ll be picked up by rescue ships afterwards, and their expectations seem to be borne out.  Are DropShips typically assigned to search and rescue missions, or do they dispatch small craft with tow cables to cover a larger area (a key consideration if the various bits of high velocity debris are on ballistic trajectories away from the conflict zone and possibly towards a hostile gravity well)?

There are numerous examples of entire WarShip hulls being lost after a battle because no salvage crews arrived before it drifted off into deep space, crashed into something solid, or settled into a stable orbit out around uninhabited worlds. 

ST-46 Class Shuttle: It’s unclear from either the description or the illustration whether the ST-46 can carry a vehicle, or if it’s limited to shipping containers.  The side view doesn’t seem to support the idea that you could load a 70 ton tank onto this thing (though we know that the Capellans apparently do have small craft that can carry tanks). 

An interesting design element is that the cargo bay is completely inaccessible from the cockpit and passenger compartment.  This seems designed to thwart hijacking attempts, or to allow sadistic GMs to force players to spacewalk outside during an enemy attack to recover parts vital for fixing the ship.

S-7A Class Bus: It seems clear that the authors of DropShips and JumpShips wanted to give players and GMs sufficient different ship designs to fully populate jump points and orbital space.  With all of these small craft having “Common” designators, I can imagine that major trading ports are swarming with these workhorse cargo shuttles – unloading Behemoths, hauling cargoes back and forth to stations and ships, moving almost in schools.

I see numerous possibilities for ships like this to be misused by commando teams attempting to infiltrate an enemy station.  Unfortunately, with the exception of the Loren Coleman’s Capellan Solution books, scenes featuring takeovers of orbital stations have been rare, and that instance was more ‘shock and awe’ than subterfuge.

Mark VII Landing Craft:   The Mark VII is yet another example that technological development did continue during the Succession Wars, with the Capellans launching this vessel a decade into the Second Succession War. 

I misspoke in the Vengeance entry when I said we hadn’t seen any of the kind of transports described as being used to carry Capellan tanks from orbit down to the planet.  Clearly, the author was thinking of the Mark VII, which means that a Capellan “Hard Rain” assault would max out at 65-ton vehicles.  This means that the Manticore is about as heavy as the attack force is going to get, since the 75-ton Brutus and the 80-ton Schrek and Demolisher are too heavy.  Having a battalion of tanks rain down in individual ships may make for a bad day for the planetary defenders, but the fact that it’s probably a battalion of Vedettes or Scorpions mitigates that threat, somewhat.

The inability of the Capellan Mark VII to carry the Brutus may have contributed to that tank’s relegation to second line deployments, and to the development of the 60-ton Po (3031), which tucks nicely into the Mark VII’s hold.

KR-61 Class Long Range Shuttle: The rarity of this design is most likely due to its wretched economies of scale.  If you’re going to spend two weeks burning from planet to jump point (or vice versa), why not take a larger vessel that can haul a significant amount of passengers and/or cargo?  Ships like this would seem to be relegated to being the private ships of the fairly rich (the ultra-rich go in for Princess-class ships with the null-gee swimming pools), or covert insertion of special agents.

I suppose ComStar might use this class of vessel extensively for its couriers (since HPGs are pretty lousy for package delivery) when they’re carrying time sensitive, highly valuable items.  As the entry states, it can also be used for ferrying goods to and from the jump point when only small quantities are involved, and when dispatching a whole DropShip would be wasteful.  (Sending up special payloads, mission specialists, etc.)

In other words, me hearties, if ye see one of these here long-range pigeons, it’s a fair-weather bet that she be haulin’ highly remunerative booty or ransom-worthy personages of interest.  Yarrrr…

K-1 Class DropShuttle: The author concurs with my assessment of the KR-61, noting the greater utility provided by having more capacity in a long-haul vehicle.  I would expect this sort of design to also be very popular with couriers. 

One question, though.  Since it has a docking collar, can it be put onto a JumpShip’s “small craft” bay, or will the docking collar equipment screw up the K-F drive?
« Last Edit: 04 February 2017, 23:01:07 by Bosefius »
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #1 on: 21 October 2016, 17:13:02 »
The docking collar on a K-1 is not a KF drive coil. Only jump drive coils or large amounts of refined/pure germanium affect nearby KF fields. DropShip collars (or the fluffy one on the K-1) don't.

As for long-range shuttles such as the KR-61, they're useful for patrol sweeps (see BC story Echoes in the Void), and possibly for those SAR operations for shot-up aerospace fighter jocks.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #2 on: 22 October 2016, 07:53:27 »
Date: May 17, 3025
 
Title: DropShips and JumpShips
 
Author: Clare W. Hess; Art by Steve Venters (cover) and Dana Knutson (ship design and illustration)
 
Type: Sourcebook (FASA)
 
Synopsis: While there used to be a plethora of space stations in the Inner Sphere, they were major targets during the Succession Wars, and the ComStar report estimates that no more than 200 survived to 3025.  It estimates that new stations are constructed at a rate of one every 2-3 years, just making up for combat losses. 

Olympus: The Olympus is the largest station seen in the Inner Sphere, massing one million tons.  It is usually found at the zenith or nadir jump points in a system, where it provides support and repair facilities for JumpShips and DropShips, and provides early warning to colonies in the system of any attack.  It uses a massive solar sail to power its systems and charge its storage batteries.  It can provide nearby JumpShips with quick-charges by transmitting power via microwaves to its jump sail, or via direct connection.  Its sensors monitor for infrared radiation to detect inbound JumpShips.  It carries 10,000 tons of liquid hydrogen fuel, which can be transferred to visiting ships either via direct connection or via shuttles.  It can carry 159,200 tons of cargo, and perform maintenance on ships of up to 50,000 tons inside its dome, while a larger ship can drydock at its forward repair center.  Its grav deck is 1,230 meters in diameter, and all crew accommodations, mess facilities, recreation rooms, travel agencies, shops, and businesses are located here.  It has sufficient armor plating and weapons to discourage all but major invasion forces from attacking, and typically has a 6-fighter defense force, as well as a complement of six other small craft.  Commandos often attempt to slip aboard ahead of an invasion to cripple the long range communications systems, preventing it from warning the planet of their attack. 

Bastion: One of the few remaining stations designed for planetary defense, only one or two dozen remain in service at major worlds deep within the boundaries of each Successor State, whereas most major worlds had two during the Star League era.  The ball shaped station has eight aerospace fighter launch bays, and it houses 36 fighters, four shuttles, and eight “assault craft.”  The upper portion can accommodate smaller DropShips (width < 119 m, length < 151 m) in a pressurized drydock facility.  All repair parts for the station can still be manufactured, but the central fusion power core has become LosTech.  Its frequency rating is “Unique.” 

Alliance: The Alliance is a repair station, designed to repair and construct DropShips and small craft in planetary orbit.  It can accommodate up to two DropShips in the major repair facilities, and has another two berths for vessels needing minor repairs at the tail section.  These valuable stations are prime targets for capture, and are at great risk for infiltration by commandos.  It has eight small craft bays, which can accommodate shuttles, repair craft, and aerospace fighters.  It is equipped with an arsenal to repel attackers, but is not a dedicated battle station.  Its frequency rating is “Rare.” 

Notes:

The sourcebook states flat out that there are no more than 200 space stations left in existence circa 3025.  By my count (referencing the database I built for a comprehensive 3025-era campaign), various canon sources have listed 235 (listed below).  No source lists the location of any Alliance-class stations, and Bastion-class stations are listed as only being on key “deep interior” worlds.  (The Bastion featured in a Jihad-era engagement over Skye is noted to be “newly constructed.”)  This list also omits the 18 “Snowden” class mobile mining stations in the Concordat, and the stations at off-map systems, like Dragon’s Field, Hamlin, Ral, and New Cleveland.

I would hazard to guess that the ComStar estimate of 200 isn’t “off by at least an order of magnitude,” but almost certainly is off by a hundred or more.

If the “Unique” Bastion = 12-24 (let’s say 20), and the “Uncommon” Olympus is around, let’s say, 300 (including those in the AFFS off-map express network), I would hazard that the “Rare” Alliance station clocks in at about 50-60 instances, with one being destroyed every 2-3 years, and a new one being built to replace it on that same timescale.  Adding in the Snowdens and various other one-off stations here and there, and we’re looking at a total count around 400, roughly double ComStar’s estimate.

Olympus:   Looking at the illustration, it would seem that the cargo bays and fighter bays are in the lower section, the 50,000-ton capacity repair yards are in the hollow section under the dome, the large repair yard is at the big door in the front, and the solar sail and batteries are at the tail.  That leaves the dome as the location of the huge grav deck.  (The stat bloc actually lists it as having two grav decks with a total tonnage of 1,000 tons).  I would presume that the main grav deck rotates within the lower section of the dome, with the rotation machinery housed in the upper portion of the dome. 

The entry notes that the Olympus is no longer being produced, so does that mean that the one made every 2-3 years to replace combat losses is a Bastion?

The description of the “quick charge” elsewhere in DS&JS suggests that the original FASA intent was for a “quick charge” to take about a day, greatly accelerating JumpShip travel times and making trade routes through systems with recharge stations “express routes” that had great strategic value.  The current ruleset makes quick charging only marginally faster than using the solar sail, and the speed gain is mostly from not having to unfurl and retract the delicate sail mechanisms.  This interpretation would make the Federated Suns’ chains of recharge stations in uncolonized outpost systems between major worlds a major asset for rapid redeployment of assets to achieve tactical surprise, without needing resource-intensive command circuits (essentially allowing them to reposition assets seven times faster than would be expected traveling one with the standard week-long solar recharges). 

Bastion: If the fusion core for the Bastion is LosTech, nobody’s making new Bastions.  And nobody’s making new Olympuses either.  So, basically one Alliance gets built every 2-3 years?

The Bastion is listed as packing eight “assault craft,” but no “assault craft” are profiled in the rest of the book.  The Mark VII landing craft (especially the Capellan “heavy fighter” modification) could fit the bill, as could the Aquarius and Lyonesse escort ships, as well as the later “Battle Taxi,” but I wonder what specific designs the author was thinking of when they wrote this?  Were they suggesting that eight Assault DropShips (like the Avenger or the Achilles) could be parked inside the Bastion?  (Unlikely, since they assign only 150 tons per bay in the stats bloc.)

Given the parameters (width < 119 m, length < 151 m), DropShips capable of fitting in the pressurized upper bay of the Bastion include the Fury, Gazelle, Condor, Leopard, Avenger, Achilles, Leopard CV, and Buccaneer.  I would suppose, given the Bastion’s role, that an Avenger, Achilles, or Leopard CV would be the most common ship types to have tucked away up there.

No height limit is given, but I would suppose that the taller spheroids would be a no-go.  Probably a max height of 50 meters if the circular bay is 160 meters across, based on the apparent height/width ratio of the upper dome in the illustration.  This would rule out spheroids using this bay, at least when it is pressurized and closed.  (The description says that any DropShip – presumably up to and including a Behemoth – can dock with the station, but only the smaller ones can fit inside the pressurizable bay.)  Presumably when a larger DropShip docks, the “pop top” hatch remains open, exposing the docking bay to vacuum.  Interestingly, the stats bloc lists two DropShip bays.  Does the bottom open, too, or is the unpressurized bay large enough to accommodate two ships at once?

The plethora of small lasers on a design introduced in 2584 suggests that Capital Missiles were a major concern to the designers.  Of course, the relatively anemic capital scale armor (12 points per facing) means these things would be popped like zits once they got ranged by naval PPCs, autocannon, or lasers.  I presume during the First Succession war, standard operating procedure was for an attacked world’s two Bastions to launch their fighters and hope that 72 fighters, 16 assault ships, and 2-4 Assault DropShips would be a sufficient force to at least take out some of the enemy troop ships, making the fight easier for the troops on the ground.  (That force composition is pretty much exactly what the “Nightriders” had when they attempted to defend Tikonov against the massive AFFS invasion in the 4th Succession War, suggesting that perhaps Tikonov had two Bastions at that point for the Nightriders to base out of.)

Alliance:   Presumably, every firm that makes DropShips and every remaining shipyard has an Alliance in close proximity as part of the cluster of pressurized and unpressurized yards and orbital factories that make up the construction/maintenance site.  I would presume that Alliances would also be present at any fleet base (the collections of military JumpShips loaded with fighter carriers and Assault DropShips).  The FWL has 12 aerospace fleets under the LCCC’s aegis, so presumably they’d have 12 Alliances assigned to serve as dedicated support for those fleets.

A lot of the station profiles include descriptions of commando attacks, so presumably the author intended that game masters give their players missions of either being the commando team trying to take over/take out a strategic space station, or defending one against an enemy commando team.  That being the case, I would have loved it if the book had included deck plans, like “Living Legends” did for the Aegis.

The station is described as being able to manufacture small DropShips, but are they full up factories (able to manufacture fusion engines, interplanetary drives, armor, life support, weapons, etc.), or just assembly shops where they fit together components delivered from factories elsewhere?  I would guess the latter, since a big deal was made about the “mobile factories” deployed by the Combine in the latter stages of the Jihad. 

Canon Recharge Stations:
Admiral Horusho Kensai Station (Delacruz)
Alarion Zenith
Albiero Nadir
Aldebaran Nadir, Zenith
Alexandria Zenith
Algedi Zenith
Algot Nadir, Zenith
Almach Zenith
Alpheratz Nadir
Altair Nadir, Zenith
Altoona Zenith
Alula Australis Nadir, Zenith
Alyina Zenith
Amity Nadir
Andurien Zenith
Angell II Nadir
Arboris Zenith
Arcturus Nadir, Zenith
Ares Zenith
Atreus Nadir, Zenith
Bad News Station
Barras Nadir, Zenith
Benjamin Nadir, Zenith
Betelgeuse Zenith
Bithinia Nadir
Bjarred Nadir
Blake's Truth Station (Luyten 68-28)
Blue Diamond Zenith
Bountiful Harvest Nadir
Brandenberg Station (Terra)
Brinton Zenith
Brisbane Nadir
Bryant Nadir
Buenos Aires Nadir
Caldrea Zenith
Calloway Nadir
Camlann Nadir
Canopus Nadir
Capella Nadir, Zenith
Carse Nadir, Zenith
Carver Zenith
Chahar Zenith
Chesterton Nadir, Zenith
Claybrooke Nadir
Coventry Nadir
Dante Nadir
Demeter Nadir
Dieron Nadir, Zenith
Donegal Nadir, Zenith
Dormandaine Nadir
Drozan Nadir, Zenith
Elgin Zenith
Epsilon Eridani Nadir, Zenith
Epsilon Indi Nadir, Zenith
Galax Zenith
Galedon Nadir, Zenith
Gallery Nadir, Zenith
Garrison Zenith
Gatchina Zenith
Gibson Zenith
Grand Base Zenith
Great X Nadir
Gronden Nadir, Zenith
Hachiman Zenith
Hall Zenith
Hardcore Zenith
Helen Zenith
Hephaestus Station (An Ting)
Herotitus Nadir
Hesperus Nadir, Zenith
Hoff Zenith
Hsien Zenith
Ingersoll Nadir
Irian Nadir, Zenith
Irurzun Nadir, Zenith
Ishtar Zenith
Jaipur Zenith
Kaifeng Zenith
Kathil Zenith
Kaznejov Nadir, Zenith
Keid Zenith
Kessel Nadir, Zenith
Kirchbach Zenith
Kittery Zenith
Kooken's Pleasure Pit Zenith
Lamon Zenith
Lesnovo Nadir
Lopez Nadir, Zenith
Lushann Nadir
Luthien Nadir, Zenith
Luxen Zenith
Malibu Nadir
Manteno Nadir
Marik Nadir, Zenith
Matar Zenith
Maxwell Zenith
Menke Zenith
Micanos Station
Mizar Nadir
Moritz Zenith
Mosiro Nadir
Murchison Nadir
Nanking Zenith
New Abilene Nadir
New Aragon Zenith
New Avalon Nadir, Zenith
New Delos Nadir, Zenith
New Ganymede Zenith
New Kyoto Zenith
New Olympia Zenith
New Rome Nadir
New Samarkand Nadir, Zenith
New Syrtis Zenith
New Vandenberg Zenith
Ningxia Zenith
Northwind Nadir, Zenith
Nova Roma Nadir, Zenith
Oliver Nadir, Zenith
Oriente Nadir, Zenith
Oshika Nadir, Zenith
Pesht Nadir, Zenith
Port Moseby Nadir, Zenith
Poulsbo Zenith
Principia Zenith
Procyon Zenith
Proserpina Nadir, Zenith
Qandahar Zenith
Quantraine Zenith
Radstadt Nadir
Rahne Nadir
Ramora Nadir
Rasalhague Nadir, Zenith
Regulus Nadir, Zenith
Robinson Nadir
Romita Zenith
Ross 248 Nadir
Ryde Zenith
Ryerson Nadir
Saiph Zenith
Sakhalin Zenith
Santana Zenith
Sarna Nadir, Zenith
Sevon Zenith
Sevren Nadir
Sheratan Nadir
Shimonoseki Zenith
Sian Nadir, Zenith
Sirius Zenith
Skye Nadir
Skye Zenith
Small World Zenith
Solaris Nadir, Zenith
St. Ives Nadir, Zenith
St. Loris Nadir, Zenith
Sterope Zenith
Styk Zenith
Suk II Zenith
Summer Nadir
Tabayama Zenith
Tamarind Nadir
Tancredi Nadir
Taurus Zenith
Terra Firma Nadir
Tetersen Zenith
Texlos Zenith
Tharkad Nadir, Zenith
Thessalonika Nadir, Zenith
Thraxa Nadir
Thuban Nadir
Tikonov Nadir, Zenith
Trondheim Nadir, Zenith
Tsinghai Zenith
Twycross Nadir, Zenith
Vega Nadir, Zenith
Versailles Station (Terra)
Vixen Zenith
Warlock Nadir, Zenith
Wei Nadir
Winfield Zenith
Wolcott Nadir
Xinyang Nadir, Zenith
Zurich Zenith
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #3 on: 22 October 2016, 08:03:59 »
As for long-range shuttles such as the KR-61, they're useful for patrol sweeps (see BC story Echoes in the Void), and possibly for those SAR operations for shot-up aerospace fighter jocks.

Good point about the role as a patrol ship.  The Galtor Campaign BattleForce scenario pack gives a profile of the 12th Vegan Rangers, noting that around the time of Vega's founding, "rangers" working for Synthetic Victories Corporation (and presumably other outfits) "patrolled the vast areas of empty space between planets of a single system - a job suited for people who did not mind being alone for six months at a time."  Long Range shuttles packed with six months of supplies seem like just the sort of vessel a ranger would travel in.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #4 on: 23 October 2016, 03:54:49 »
That recharge station list will be an excellent resource, Mendrugo! Is that comprehensive?


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Mendrugo

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #5 on: 23 October 2016, 04:10:48 »
That recharge station list will be an excellent resource, Mendrugo! Is that comprehensive?

It hasn't been updated since about 2011, and, as noted, lacks the Davion outpost ones at Ral, Hamlin, and New Cleveland (plus whatever other unnamed outpost worlds are in the AFFS network), but it includes every station mentioned in planetary profiles and the fiction up to that point.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #6 on: 23 October 2016, 21:06:41 »
Date: September, 3026

Location: Proserpina
 
Title: MechWarrior
 
Author: Peter Fokos
 
Type: Encounter
 
Synopsis: Gideon Vandenberg tracks down Natasha Kerensky and her Black Widow Company at a crowded bar on Proserpina.  Natasha stands out with thick, flowing red hair, a crystal spider pendant, and a black spider on a red field on her jacket.  Based on what Kearny told him on Okefenokee, Gideon approaches Natasha and accuses her of killing his family in their raid on Ander's Moon.  Natasha denies any knowledge of such a raid and, in fact, says she's never heard of his planet.  Colin Maclaren asks Natasha's permission to pummel Gideon.  Another Dragoon elects to act without asking permission, and he and Colin commence the beating. 

Before matters can get too far out of hand, a woman in knee-high bioflex boots joins the fight on Gideon's side, lashing out with a stun lance and taking out Colin and three of the other Widows.  Natasha draws a pearl-handled pistol and draws a bead on the woman, who responds by raising the stun lance setting to "kill" and holding it to Colin's neck.  Natasha holsters her gun and lets the woman take Gideon away. 

The woman introduces herself to Gideon as an MI6 agent named Tasha.  After hearing Gideon's rationale for confronting the Widows, she claims that Kearny isn't an MIIO agent, but is working for the Combine's Internal Security Force, and was trying to get Gideon killed by the Black Widows.  She reveals that the Combine isn't militarily interested in Ander's Moon.  Instead, the instigator of the raid on Gideon's homeworld is Matabushi Incorporated. 

Notes: The dates in the MechWarrior game are somewhat flexible.  However, for Natasha to be out on the town enjoying the Draconis Combine's hospitality, this scene has to take place before the Black Widow Company is framed for war crimes against civilians in September 3026 (as shown in Wolves on the Border).  After those Combine-orchestrated efforts to portray the Dragoons (and the Widows in particular) as honorless criminals, I don't think they'd be boozing it up in a Drac bar.  The Wolves on the Border chapters show the Dragoons largely confined to their compound, which Gideon and Tasha wouldn't have been able to penetrate.  Thus, I've placed this scene in probably early September, 3026.  The location varies randomly each time you play the game, but to me, Prosperpina seems like the best bet, since it's close to the border region where the Widows are known to have been hitting Davion targets, and it makes sense for it to be a Widow staging world. 

That being said, the ambient noise at that bar must be really loud, because I can't imagine any circumstances in which an MI6 agent would feel comfortable identifying themselves as such in public on a Drac world.  Despite Natasha having never heard of Ander's Moon, it seems clear that Gideon Vandenberg is a household name in certain intelligence circles, since both Kearny and Tasha know who he is, and identify themselves as undercover intelligence agents (generally seen to be a no-no, especially when on foreign soil). 

I have no idea what Peter Fokos intended when he described Tasha's attire as including "bioleather boots," but an Internet search in 2016 shows the term being applied to a leather-like material harvested from bacteria, rather than an animal skin.  It's cutting edge science now, so it's pretty interesting that MechWarrior apparently predicted such a thing a quarter century ago.  [Edit: Correction, a re-reading shows it to be "bioflex" boots, rather than "bioleather."  Not entirely sure what that connotes - perhaps myomer-enhanced legwear for greater strength or speed?]

Tasha's stun lance appears to be a "special ops" version of the civilian law enforcement "stunstick," which can knock people out on contact by delivering a powerful neural shock.  The difference is that the lance version has a "lethal" setting which is audibly different, while the stick is purely non-lethal. 

Natasha's cameo in the original MechWarrior game was a nice touch (one of many) to tie the storyline into the mainline BattleTech canon.  It probably inspired the plans for the upcoming BattleTech turn-based computer game to include its own cameo by Natasha, though I'm somewhat at a loss to explain what Natasha would be doing down in the Concordat/Magistracy/Capellan border region when the Dragoons are under contract to the Combine.

This shouldn't be the first time the player has heard of Matabushi, which has been mentioned in passing in previous News Net data dumps, mentioning it bankrolls an "elite team of specialists."  In retrospect, this is the cover story being put out to conceal the activities of the Dark Wing.

Colin Maclaren drives a Marauder in Natasha's command lance of the Black Widow Company.  Notably, Colin was one of the original members, along with Natasha, of the independent Black Widow Company (though it was not named as such until after Anton's death) after the rest of their Beta Regiment unit was wiped out by the Bounty Hunter during the Anton/Janos civil war. 

Gideon has the opportunity to hire additional MechWarriors to join his Blazing Aces as he tracks clues across the Inner Sphere.  However, the fact that he was all on his own in every scene strongly implies that Gideon didn't recruit any additional pilots or hire 'Mechs until he knew all the details of the Dark Wing and was getting ready to attack their final stronghold.  If he'd had additional lancemates at this point, it would have been crazy not to bring them along as backup if Gideon was intending to stage a face-to-face confrontation with some of the deadliest mercenaries in the Inner Sphere. 
« Last Edit: 24 October 2016, 06:14:26 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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #7 on: 23 October 2016, 21:14:30 »
Space Stations:
I think the Alliance is arguably the least visited part of canon since DropShips and JumpShips was published.
Aside from Iron Wind Metals making miniature for it. I've not seen anything of Alliance, it was never shown in TRO:3057 or the Revised version.  We definitely need something for it.

MechWarrior:
Man that was interesting encounter. I've not played the game since the early 90s, i completely forgot that Gideon ran into Natasha Kerensky.  I was chuckling at though of Natasha not knowing where "Ander's moon" was given i think nearly entire Inner Sphere never heard of the place!

Gideon must have balls of steel or was ignorant how deadly Kerensky was suppose to be. 

I wonder if the Blazing Aces and Gideon Vandenberg will ever become mainstream canon and get fleshed out in a book somewhere.
« Last Edit: 24 October 2016, 20:48:40 by Wrangler »
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #8 on: 24 October 2016, 15:02:19 »
Date: September 15, 3026

Location: Kawabe
 
Title: Fragile is the House of Cards
 
Authors: Dale L. Kemper, Blaine Lee Pardoe, Anthony Pryor, and John Theison
 
Type: Scenario (Sorenson's Sabres)
 
Synopsis: Following a popular uprising to overthrow the Combine government on Kawabe, the Combine dispatched Wolf's Dragoons and the Fifth Sword of Light to crush the rebels' strong points.  Sorensons' Sabres were tasked with clearing the city of Mecklin.

Just prior to taking his full company into the city to face off against the rebel rabble, Daniel Sorenson discusses the campaign with Natasha Kerensky, who has also joined the campaign.  She mocks Sorenson's valor, disdaining a mission involving an attack on civilians, and dismisses his explanation of duty to his Coordinator as hollow, saying that neither Kurita nor Davion are better masters.  He asks Kerensky if she has any children, and she responds "None at the moment."

The Sabres charge into battle - most of them enthusiastic about the slaughter to come.  Daniel is relieved they cannot see him weeping in his cockpit.

The Attacker consists of the entire Sabres company.  The Defender rolls on a set of tables to determine the composition of the rebel forces, which number 12+1D6 units and eight hexes mined with vibrabombs.  Infantry platoons and light tanks (Hunters and Vedettes) are the most likely outcomes on the table, with a 13% chance of a light 'Mech, and a 2% chance of a Medium or Heavy 'Mech.  The infantry are most likely to have rifles or machine guns.    The defending forces deploy as hidden units.

The battle is scored on points, with the Attacker getting one point for each city hex captured (by being the last unit to move through it by the end of turn 10), while the defenders score on the same basis, with bonus points for each Sabre 'Mech killed.

Notes:  Hmmm.  This is an extremely busy period for the Black Widows.  Natasha is on An Ting on August 15.  She's wherever Gideon meets her "having just finished R&R on An Ting."  Then she's on Kawabe by September 15.  A group of dead ringers for the Widows (down to Natasha's red hair and crystal spider pendant) wipe out the DCMS garrison at Greggville on New Mendham on September 19.

The logistics suggest that Natasha had access to a command circuit to get to Kawabe so fast after the rebellion, which took place in September.  Given transit times, hitting the rebels less than two weeks after the event started suggests either a command circuit or a pirate point, or both. 

Insofar as this affects the MechWarrior storyline, I would now propose that Misery makes a better locale, being about two jumps closer to Kawabe than Proserpina, and also one of the randomized options in the game. 

The Kawabe campaign and the New Mendham action appear to be taking place simultaneously, raising the question of how Natasha could be in two places at once.  Testimony from the 5th Sword of Light and the Dragoons could have discredited the holovid footage from New Mendham where the Black Widow impostors slaughtered the Combine troops.  The odd thing is, in "Wolves on the Border," Natasha and the Bounty Hunter discuss the incident on New Mendham, and Natasha says she was elsewhere, but revealing where would compromise Dragoons security.  Why would that be the case, if she was on Kawabe?

Or was Natasha on Kawabe at all?  Perhaps Sorenson was talking with one of the Natasha Kerensky impersonators (perhaps the same one who gave the "exclusive interview" to Misha Auburn months after the Dragoons had signed on with the Combine and were burning towards Hoff).  Going out of her way to banter with Daniel Sorenson could have been part of creating cover for whatever Natasha was really doing.  (Fighting with Gideon Vandenberg on Proserpina?)

The Kawabe campaign is referenced in Wolves on the Border - it's one of the "war crimes" Samsonov charged the Dragoons with - slaughtering the populace.

We know, from "In Service to the Dragon," that the Combine commanders of this era are more than willing to sacrifice loyal troops to generate realistic propaganda to motivate their forces.  The impostors on New Mendham were probably ISF operatives. 

If the person on Kawabe was Natasha, her comment about having no children "at the moment" is very intriguing, given Clan eugenic practices.  Ranna Kerensky (decanted in 3028) is Natasha's granddaughter, implying that at least one batch of sibkiddies was cooked up out of Natasha's giftake prior to her departure from Clan space, and at least one of those achieved sufficient distinction to have their genes used for Ranna's batch.  Did Natasha get news from the Homeworlds about her "children"?  Did her batch of sibkids all die off or otherwise fail?  (With one, at least, dying heroically enough to justify Ranna's batch?)  Of course, nothing we know about Natasha indicates she's telling the truth in this exchange, but it feels honest.

Like many of the Sabres' scenarios, this one is extremely challenging.  Yes, the Sabres will almost certainly massively outgun the rebels, but it's hard for them to use that advantage.  The scoring system forces the Sabres to keep on the move, covering as much of the city as they can every turn to score points.  If they just needed to wipe out the defenders, they'd be well suited for that, but the territory grabbing mechanism forces them to run up to the buildings, where the infantry are waiting in ambush. 

For the Sabres, I'd recommend forming a Lyran-style "long wall" and sweeping one city grid from end to end, concentrating fire on any infantry that pop out to ambush you, then wheeling to do the same to the other half.  If you just run about helter-skelter, the rebels you miss will be able to emerge after you move on and reclaim territory.  Better to do an organized sweep-and-clear operation, so you can hold what you take.  Above all, don't let any of your 'Mechs go down.  The rebels score huge points for taking out Sabres' 'Mechs, so if someone gets crippled (or even just a bit too banged up for comfort), pull them back to a secondary line following the main advance - they can still provide supporting fire, but won't be in the path of any ambushes. 

For the rebels, your tactical options depend on how lucky you are with the random tables.  In general, though, you should concentrate a lot of hidden units in one area and use them to ambush the Sabres.  You want to kill as many Sworders as possible, because that's where the bulk of your points comes from. 

I'm not sure how best to place your vibrabombs.  Honestly, I never liked the whole concept.  Entirely too easy to be either tramped over without going off, or set off accidentally by heavy units walking past several hexes away.  Conventional and command-detonated minefields are much better, to my way of thinking. 

Granted, there are some special circumstances (like where you know the enemy's force composition and can bait them in through the minefield with lights that won't set the bombs off) but command detonated is still more reliable.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #9 on: 25 October 2016, 11:10:00 »
Date: September 19, 3026

Location: New Mendham
 
Title: Wolves on the Border
 
Authors: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis: Donegal Broadcasting Company reporter John Norris, and his holotech Berger, present their documents at a DCMS checkpoint in the town of Kempis, in Greggville Province, claiming they are en route to Seldez to do a story on Sergeant Yamato of the 11th Benjamin Regulars.  The tai-i on duty buys the story and waves them through.  In reality, Norris received a tip that an AFFS offensive is inbound, and he wants to get footage of the coming battle.

Combine troops deploy to defensive positions as a sentry reports a lance of inbound 'Mechs.  A Warhammer, Marauder, Crusader, and Griffin in solid black are recognized as friendlies, and the troops stand down.  As the tai-i waves a greeting, a laser bolt from the Warhammer incinerates him, and the rest of the lance opens fire as well.  Berger films the attack, which continues until the entire garrison is dead (along with civilian casualties, though the attackers aren't going out of their way to kill civilians). 

The Crusader drops a severed 'Mech arm with a Federated Suns crest on it, in an apparent attempt to frame the AFFS for the massacre.  The Marauder spots the two newsmen and brings them to the attention of the Warhammer pilot.  The Warhammer's hatch opens to reveal a woman with dark red hair, armed with an ivory-handled pistol, and with a black crystal spider pendant around her neck. She identifies herself as the Widow, and confiscates Berger's footage.  She then boards her 'Mech again and leads the lance away, laden with loot from the shattered village.

Berger and Norris walk for hours through the agricultural district until they are overtaken by a DCMS Striker platoon coming from Kempis.  The chu-i in command offers to take them to the free city of Greggville to file their story on the atrocity committed by the Black Widows via ComStar.  Norris thinks the chu-i's bearing and appearance are unusual for a tanker, but he is so grateful for a ride that he dismisses it.

In Greggville, the chu-i escorts Norris and Berger through the House Kurita entrance, and they spend an hour recording their story and transmitting it.  As the newsmen walk off, the chi-i orders his aide to "arrange an accident" for the pair near the business district.  The man responds affirmatively, calling him "chu-sa," a mistake that causes the chu-sa to bristle.

A robed figure emerges from the building, and he greets her as Adept Sharilar.  He hands her the cartridge of holofilm confiscated by the Warhammer pilot, along with a thick envelope.  Sharilar says the video will be held in trust until needed.  She states that the reporters' transmission was lost to the void due to "an improper ritual," but suggests that it could be recovered "at some future date" through "diligent prayers."   

This transaction is observed by ragged derelict named Billy, who enters the ComStar station and pays with k-bills to send a transmission to the Bounty Hunter, on Solaris.

Notes:  Like many of Charrette's "Wolves on the Border," and "Heir to the Dragon" chapters, there's just so much going on all at once.

The "Black Widows" that wiped out the DCMS garrison at Kempis are clearly not the real deal.  The Natasha impersonator gets most of the details right (and Natasha's penchant for frequently changing appearance makes her easier to impersonate), but she has an ivory handled sidearm here, but a pearl handled gun when facing Gideon Vandenberg.  That, and she was spotted on Kawabe (a good 4-5 jumps away) just four days earlier.  Plus, the fact that the tape she confiscated ends up in the hands of an ISF chu-sa shortly afterwards identifies the crew as ISF agents. 

I wonder if they were the same lance that murdered the DCMS MechWarriors on Alleghe in 3021 in "In Service to the Dragon" to build anti-Lyran fervor.  It may also have been the same elite ISF MechWarrior unit that hit the Dragoons on Crossing during the final stages of the Tartarus Caldera battle. 

New Mendham was one of the worlds lost to the Combine's First Succession War offensive and never recovered.  It seems that 3026 marked a major campaign (not just a raid) to retake the world, with the 11th Benjamin Regulars defending against unspecified AFFS forces.  Since New Mendham remains in the Combine, the offensive would appear to have been a failure. 

The whole sequence of events is clearly an elaborate ISF plot to smear the Black Widows (and, by extension, the Dragoons).  The tip that led Norris and Berger to Kempis was planted by the ISF, the massacre was played out for his benefit, and the reporters disposed of after filing their report. 

Most interesting is that Sharilar Mori is using her status as a ComStar Adept to assist the operation.  I wonder whether or not she had official sanction to do so?  ComStar has no love for the Dragoons, especially not after the debacle with Vesar Kristofur in 3014, and might see the ruin of their reputation as an avenue to discovering their origins.  Also, I wonder if Subhash Indrahar is aware of this operation, or if Jerry Akuma is giving orders to ISF assets on his own authority (or in Warlord Grieg Samsonov's name). 

Mori is shown here as a ComStar Adept, and her profile in Masters and Minions states that she joined ComStar at the age of 14 (having joined the Order of Five Pillars earlier) and rose through the ranks of ROM.  I would hazard to guess that she's on New Mendham liaising with ISF agents in her ROM agent capacity, with her superiors' knowledge, rather than as an O5P mole. 

(That still leaves unresolved what Sharilar was doing dressed as, and serving as, an O5P Adept on Kagoshima in 3018, helping prep Tomoe Sakade for her "next mission."  Covertly checking in with the Order?  How closely does ROM watch its own agents?)

I was pretty surprised that the Combine would allow journalists from hostile states onto their worlds.  That's one of the key advantages of ComStar's news service - due to their purported neutrality, they get access everywhere.  However, the tai-i who inspects their IDs seems to find it normal to have war correspondents present - just not so far back behind the lines, where nothing's happening.  I wonder if DBC is welcome to cover conflicts on the Davion/Kurita border, but would be denied access to a conflict zone on the Kurita/Steiner border? 

The chu-i/chu-sa deception is an attempt by the ISF operation director to appear three ranks lower than he actually is, with chu-i corresponding to Lieutenant (platoon commander) vs. chu-sa corresponding to Lieutenant Colonel (XO of a regiment).  The depth of the efforts at deception showcase the ISF as being far more than just DEST ninjas raining out of the skies.  An equivalent Maskirovka operation would, by contrast, probably just try to blow up the Dragoon compound on An Ting.

Also of interest is that the Bounty Hunter apparently has a huge network of informants that provide him with both job leads and information about the whereabouts of the Black Widow, with whom he has unfinished business.
« Last Edit: 25 October 2016, 15:41:12 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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #10 on: 25 October 2016, 15:08:34 »
Date: September 29, 3026

Location: Barlow's End
 
Title: Wolves on the Border
 
Authors: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis: Chu-i Isabella Armstrong commands Pouncer Lance during the Ryuken's first combat mission, engaging Davion forces in the thickly forested Shaw District on Barlow's End.  Her Catapult is accompanied by Hiraku Jacobs' Whitworth, and MechWarriors Frost and Toragama in Panthers.  They face a Davion lance consisting of a Thunderbolt, a Valkyrie, a Shadow Hawk, and Ostsol

Outmatched, the Ryuken lance begins to withdraw.  The Thunderbolt takes down the Whitworth, and Armstrong tries to draw off the Davion lance while the Panthers try to recover Jacobs.  She calls back to Strike Command and reports hostile contact, but Minobu Tetsuhara reports no ground forces are available to assist, but aerospace forces can reach their location in six minutes.

After six minutes of sparring with the heavier Davion lance, Wolf's Dragoons' Blue Flight - two Lucifers commanded by Hamilton Atwyl - arrive and begin a bombing run against the Davion lance, enabling Armstrong to break contact. 

Hours later, Armstrong reaches the rally point, where Pouncer Lance is waiting.  Frost and Toranaga report that Jacobs is dead, though they recovered the Whitworth.  Toragama comments that Jacobs died well, but Armstrong reprimands him, saying that Jacobs disobeyed orders and sought personal glory rather than providing honorable service to House Kurita.  She reminds them that the mandate of the Ryuken is to focus on the mission, and to leave behind the DCMS traditions of blind obedience and personal aggrandizement.

Notes: This scene serves a number of purposes.  We have it establish that the Ryuken is getting its first taste of combat as a unit, and that Minobu Tetsuhara is running the show directly.  We see the painful efforts to implement the "Dragoon style" way of thinking during combat situations.  We also see that there is a very cordial working relationship between Wolf's Dragoons and the Ryuken.

This is important foreshadowing, because it intensifies the sense of betrayal when these two allied units are later set against each other by the machinations of Jerry Akuma.

It appears that, despite this being classified as a "raid," the Combine sent both the Ryuken and Wolf's Dragoons' Alpha Regiment and the aerospace group - a lot of firepower for a LosTech grab'n'go.  The other Dragoons are likely still on Kawabe, pulping freedom fighters underfoot, with whatever's left pulling garrison duty on Misery and An Ting.   

Pouncer Lance's configuration suggests optimization for long range support fire, able to bring 50 LRMs and two PPCs to bear on enemies at range.  Not exactly optimal for an ambush in heavy woods, where trees will block line of sight, removing the long range weapons' advantage. 

It makes sense that Atwyl is with Alpha Regiment on Barlow's End, since "Fragile is the House of Cards" indicates that the rebels on Kawabe had air superiority.     
« Last Edit: 09 December 2016, 22:30:02 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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #11 on: 25 October 2016, 15:36:11 »
The battle went on for 24 turns after the first mech went down.  In heavy forests and with all the remaining Kurita mechs being jump capable...that's actually somewhat realistic.

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #12 on: 26 October 2016, 16:25:02 »
You got hand it to, Robert N. Charrette.  He wrote really good books.
"Men, fetch the Urbanmechs.  We have an interrogation to attend to." - jklantern
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #13 on: 04 November 2016, 06:20:39 »
I noted in the review of Broken Blade that the Hunter was an anachronism.  More recently, I've speculated that the "Broken Blade" Hunters were the Battledroids version, rather than the TRO: 3026 version.
Okay, revisiting this as I stumbled across something entirely new, featured and statted in the (undated) scenario "Lone Wolf" in the TCI Model Kit #1: Shadowhawk & Scorpion:

HNT-3R Hunter Assault Tank (wheeled)
20 tons, 8/12 movement
VOX 130 fusion engine (5 tons) w/ 10 heat sinks
Controls (1 ton)
Armor factor 80 (5 tons): 32 front, 17 left/right side, 14 back
PPC (front)
 :o

Nasty little bugger. And high-tech enough to assume it could be a late Terran Hegemony/early Star League design predating the LRM-armed Hunter.
Of course, Battledroids had statted the HNT-3R with a front-mounted LRM20 and Battledroids tanks invariably had 4 MP, or 3 if they wanted to fire on that turn.
« Last Edit: 05 November 2016, 09:13:04 by Frabby »
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #14 on: 04 November 2016, 08:58:01 »
Cool find.  Thanks, Frabby.

More reviews soon.  I've been at a conference in Kyoto.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #15 on: 04 November 2016, 13:30:19 »
Cool find.  Thanks, Frabby.

More reviews soon.  I've been at a conference in Kyoto.
Hope you get time to check out the sites.  When i was waaaaaaaaaaay young in Yokosuka (stationed) i found a Japanese Battletech box set.  Maybe you can get lucky!
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #16 on: 04 November 2016, 13:37:24 »
No shopping, but did some really nice temple tours in Nara and Kyoto in between telecommunications regulatory discussions.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #17 on: 01 December 2016, 14:03:46 »
Date: September 30, 3026

Location: Barlow's End
 
Title: Wolves on the Border
 
Authors: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis:  Minobu Tetsuhara receives a message from Colonel Wolf at the Ryuken field camp, wishing him success in his first campaign as head of the Ryuken.  Major Kelly Yukinov notes that the operation is already behind schedule, due to a heavier-than-expected Davion military presence on Barlow's End.  Jerry Akuma dismisses their concerns, and reports that the AFFS commander at the Achernar Proving Grounds in Landova plans to move Profesor McGuffin's prototype to a more secure location on October 4. 

Minobu suggests attacking the proving grounds to make the AFFS forces drop their guard, then attacking the prototype convoy, not at the Shaw River Valley flood-control dam near the Renbourn Forestry Reserve (the best ambush site), but further up the road at Millon's Woods, where it won't be expected, using jump-capable 'Mechs only.  After the ambush, the jumpers will be able to exfiltrate through the river valley, while other Dragoon and Ryuken forces feint at the city of Landova and the vacated proving grounds, and destroy the flood-control dam.

As the discussion continues, Akuma turns to his aides and tells them simply, "tonight."

Notes: The item in question - ostensibly the target of this raid, is being lampshaded as a mere literary trope.  A McGuffin is any object that the hero is trying to acquire, be it a cursed ring or alien DNA.  Having a prototype designed by "Professor McGuffin" is a shout-out to this trope.

The designation of the R&D site as the "Achernar Proving Grounds" sets it up as part of Achernar BattleMechs, a major AFFS defense contractor.  They have their main manufacturing sites on Achernar, New Avalon, and Cahokia - none of which are anywhere near Barlow's End.  Looking at Achernar's product line, there's a strong possibility that McGuffin's prototype is one of their communications systems or their targeting/tracking electronics packages.  It's too early for them to be prototyping XL engines, ferro fibrous armor, or endo steel, and they don't make the kinds of double heat sinks (freezers) or enhanced jump jets that the AFFS was experimenting with in this timeframe.  (Or maybe this is another go at re-creating the fabled "oscillation overcompensator" stolen by Maskirovka agents from another R&D facility a few years earlier.) 

Whatever it's supposed to do, it seems likely that it is intended for use in a Locust, Wasp, Phoenix Hawk, or Enforcer - staples of Achernar's product line.  My guess would be it's the Federated Hunter Mk. III T&T module, since the base Mk I model and the Mk II are already established circa 3026, but the next model fielded commercially is the Mk. VII on the Osiris.  The seizure of the Mk III may have set back development, allowing the next generation to be ready before the III could be recreated.

Barlow's End seems like a very exposed location to be working on a prototype...almost as though it was intended as bait to draw raiders into a trap.  Why not test it on Cahokia if you don't want to risk raids?  If you want to field test it against the Dracs, put it on a test vehicle during a raid where you control the timing.  The whole "McGuffin Prototype" situation just smacks of either horrendously bad planning, or an elaborate trap.  Given who's on the Suns' throne (having just completed setting and springing such a trap on Galtor III the previous year), my Admiral Ackbar sense is tingling.

The Ryuken and Dragoons are working well with each other, showing respect, but also mutually improving the plan with good ideas and serious debate.  Akuma, of course, is the fly in the ointment, and clearly planning to sabotage the plan somehow, to the detriment of the Dragoons and Minobu.  Akuma is also very suggestively named, like McGuffin, since in Japanese it translates to "devil," "demon," or "evil spirit."  One wonders exactly what his ancestors did to acquire that moniker.  (In real life, I've actually met people whose last names translate to "son of a thief," "headache," "salt pork," "watermelon," and "cabbage" in their native tongues, so having such a name isn't outside the realm of possibility...but there's probably a heck of a story there.)
« Last Edit: 09 December 2016, 22:30:40 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.

Decoy

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #18 on: 01 December 2016, 14:31:26 »
This part of the Dragoon's story isn't too far away from the scenario against the Super Wasps and Griffins, is it? Achernar could very well have had a hand in building/ refurbishing those.

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #19 on: 01 December 2016, 15:17:15 »
The prototype is later described as a "jump stabilizer", so they're presumably researching into IJJs here. (Or the Manassas jump drive.  :D )
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #20 on: 01 December 2016, 16:25:25 »
This part of the Dragoon's story isn't too far away from the scenario against the Super Wasps and Griffins, is it? Achernar could very well have had a hand in building/ refurbishing those.

That was on Hoff in 3023, but the identity of the Super Wasp and Super Griffin's manufacturer wasn't mentioned.  Just the site - the Friden Aerospace Park.  Interestingly, Team Banzai was also present on Hoff in the early 3020s doing Hatchetman testing, but at a different site.

Achernar's Prof. McGuffin could well have been in charge of the work at Friden, since the ELH was able to hold the Black Widows at bay long enough for the research team to strip the facility and evacuate.  They may have relocated to Barlow's End to continue their IJJ research, per Frabby's note.  That could explain why they're not safely on Cussar, since Barlow's End and Hoff aren't far apart.

"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #21 on: 01 December 2016, 20:55:18 »
This thread is interesting reading. Though i vehemently disagree with the idea of "BioMechs" being even remotely canonical ;). As they are anyway... I can think of fun ideas with such...


Anyway, i had an idea of sorts, regarding how William Keith treated movement heat as strategic thing.
I was starting to read Decision at Thunder Rift, and noticed something in the background exposition in the beginning. It says BattleMechs can duel each other for hours. As anyone who has played the game knows, most duels are actually quite short, a minute or two max.
It occurred to me that perhaps Keith treated tabletop turns (if he as aware of the rules, he could have just worked from fluff) as extremely long. Not 10 seconds per round, but close to an hour per round. This obviously would cause problems with BattleMech speeds and their cooling capacity but otherwise, it would make it seem like the 'Mechs would heat up considerably over time.

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #22 on: 02 December 2016, 03:14:42 »
Whatever it's supposed to do, it seems likely that it is intended for use in a Locust, Wasp, Phoenix Hawk, or Enforcer - staples of Achernar's product line.

They also build Dervishes.


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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #23 on: 02 December 2016, 13:54:15 »
This thread is interesting reading. Though i vehemently disagree with the idea of "BioMechs" being even remotely canonical ;). As they are anyway... I can think of fun ideas with such...

If they turned a Coventry boomer (giant kangaroo) into a biomech, you could mount a hold-out man-pack PPC in the pouch. ;)

Quote
Anyway, i had an idea of sorts, regarding how William Keith treated movement heat as strategic thing.
I was starting to read Decision at Thunder Rift, and noticed something in the background exposition in the beginning. It says BattleMechs can duel each other for hours. As anyone who has played the game knows, most duels are actually quite short, a minute or two max.
It occurred to me that perhaps Keith treated tabletop turns (if he as aware of the rules, he could have just worked from fluff) as extremely long. Not 10 seconds per round, but close to an hour per round. This obviously would cause problems with BattleMech speeds and their cooling capacity but otherwise, it would make it seem like the 'Mechs would heat up considerably over time.

Since some of his 'Mechs are shown overheating from simple walking, my theory is that he did what I did when I first started playing - had 'Mechs build up 1 heat point for each walking MP spent, and 2 heat points for each running MP spent.  We revisited that rules interpretation after a Dasher spontaneously exploded (ammo cook-off) following a max-speed sprint.
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #24 on: 02 December 2016, 15:20:04 »
Date: October 1, 3026

Location: Barlow's End
 
Title: Wolves on the Border
 
Authors: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis:  At 0130, Dragoon MechWarrior Malcom Spence is interrupted in his monitor duty by a Ryuken trooper who introduces himself as Kahn.  After some amiable chatting, Kahn uses a concealed needle in his ring to inject Spence with a tranquilizer.   

Once Spence is out, Kahn begins recording the output feed of the security cameras.  On the screens, a shadowy figure in Dragoon fatigues opens the hood of Minobu Tetsuhara's hovercar, does something, then vanishes into the darkness.  Fourteen minutes later, the figure leaps over the perimeter fence, then returns and begins burying small objects around the grounds. 

Satisified, Kahn injects Spence with a counteragent for the tranquilizer, and continues talking to the Dragoon watch officer, giving him the impression that he just faded out for a second.  Khan soon departs.

Two hours, explosions rip through the Ryuken/Dragoon campsite.  Yukinov tells Minobu it looks like a commando raid on the southwest fence.  They board Minobu's skimmer and race off, but the sabotaged hovercraft twists sharply and crashes, throwing Yukinov off and pinning Tetsuhara underneath.  Michi Noketsuna runs to their aid and calls for a medic.   

Notes: Was the goal of Akuma's operation to kill Minobu, or just get him out of the way?  If Akuma had wanted Minobu's exit to be permanent, why didn't the shadowy figure (probably a DEST commando) put a bomb under the seat, rather than just mickeying the control vanes? My guess is that Akuma wants Minobu to suffer, and a quick death was seen as too merciful.

Spence is fairly Clan-like in terms of his blindness to guile.  While the previous chapter showed a close and friendly working relationship between the Dragoons and the Ryuken, Minobu and Michi were well aware that there were numerous ISF moles in the ranks.  Would Minobu's honor have allowed him to share that knowledge with Jaime?  Apparently not, since Spence had no qualms about letting the Ryuken warrior ("KAHNNNNNNN!") join him in the monitor shack. 

As we've seen, the Clans are terrible about their electronic security, so it's not surprising that the ISF device is able to hack into the monitors.  (If a lone Dark Caste assassin can slip through a spaceport perimeter and take out Nova Cats during their rituals from 500 meters away, the Clans have useless security monitor protocols.)  Why didn't the Dragoons or Ryuken have physical patrols?  Presumably Kahn knew the routes and times for the Ryuken ones, but did he have the inside scoop on Dragoon patrols?  Or are the Dragoons so Clan-like in their protocols that they don't plan for commando infiltration - leaving everything in the hands of one guy on monitor duty and waiting for a formal batchall?

I'm surprised that Minobu was pinned "within" the skimmer.  The illustration of the Skimmer in MW1E makes it appear like a hover-cycle (with windscreen and tailfin for maneuvering, moreso than a "car" with an enclosed cab.  I would have thought that both riders would be thrown free.

The recordings are likely intended to allow Akuma to blame Minobu's injuries on the Dragoons, destroying the trustful relationship between the Dragoons and the Ryuken.  Akuma seems to want not only to physically hurt Minobu, but to destroy everything he built, and make him suffer.  Was killing Jaime Wolf (though they couldn't have know it was him) back in 3021 really so important to Akuma's sense of honor?
« Last Edit: 09 December 2016, 22:29:40 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.

Frabby

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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #25 on: 02 December 2016, 16:04:35 »
Akuma is just a selfish dick, taking the easiest and least dangerous (to himself) approach here.
Arranging an accident that might kill and certainly will incapacitate Tetsuhara is a lot more suble and easier to conceal than an outright killing. We'll later learn that Akuma implicitly tried to kill the injured Tetsuhara on the outbound DropShip but was stopped by the doctor's skill and ethos.

Researching him when writing Feather vs. Mountain I determined that he lacks the supervillain attitude or style. He'll make other peoples' lives miserable out of sheer spite if he can do it with little effort, but he's too pragmatic to invest into otherwise unrewarding vendettas.
Fits that as a MechWarrior, Tetsuhara rated him "average at best".
« Last Edit: 02 December 2016, 16:11:47 by Frabby »
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #26 on: 08 December 2016, 14:54:45 »
Date: October 1, 3026

Location: Verthandi
 
Title: Mercenary's Star
 
Author: William H. Keith
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis: To the sounds of triumphant martial music, the Gray Death Legion marches from Regis University's "Gate of Heroes" along Scandia Way to the airfield, on their way to depart the liberated world of Verthandi, now defended by the newly organized Free Verthandi Legion.

Grayson salutes Councilman Tollen Brasednewic and Councilwoman Carlota Brasednewic, and congratulates Tollen on transitioning from rebel general to head of state.  Tollen renews his offer to give the Legion a permanent home on Verthandi and Grayson the job of building up the planetary army, but Grayson responds that Tollen has been doing well enough at that himself.  He notes that Sue Ellen Klein has opted to remain with the Free Verthandi Navy - soon to consist of a pair of aging Lyran freighters.  Grayson advises Tollen to be careful in his negotiations for the political future of Verthandi. 

He recalls the events following the final battle at Regis more than a month earlier.  The Verthandian forces besieged Admiral Kodo's surviving garrison at the spaceport for roughly a week, until the First Tamar Fleet arrived at the zenith jump point, led by the Invidious, along with warships, DropShips, and two 'Mech regiments. 

Admiral Kodo's forces finally sued for peace once they were out of food and medical supplies.  Two days later, however, Duke Hassad Ricol's flagship, the Huntress arrived at the zenith jump point escorted by the Draconis Combine's Fifth Fleet, which took position to counter any moves by the First Tamar Fleet against Verthandi, though the Lyran 'Mech regiments were already present on the ground.

Kodo's garrison withdrew offworld (leaving the loyalist "Blues" behind to be massacred by the rebels), and Ambassador Steiner-Reese offered to support Verthandi's independence from the Combine in exchange for mining rights to the world's vanadium deposits.  Ricol countered that the mines were Combine property, and their appropriation would be considered an act of war.  The negotiations continued for weeks, covering the mines and claims over the naval base on Verthandi Alpha.  Grayson acknowledges that he rejected the offer to remain out of fear that the new government would trade away their hard won freedom in political back-room dealings that would see them back under the thumb of either the Combine or the Commonwealth. 

Grayson continues to the Phobos (freshly refitted at the Regisport shipyards) and the Deimos, where the veteran Legionnaires will be joined by new troops recruited by Renfred Tor on Galatea and a significant number of former Verthandian rebels who opted to join up after the end of the occupation.  Grayson notes that the Legion has grown substantially, having been granted wide-ranging salvage rights for abandoned Combine 'Mechs and equipment.  Arm in arm, Grayson and his XO Lori (their relationship restored) board the ship and leave Verthandi behind.

Notes: This is a big finish to the Verthandi rebellion, with a number of elements thrown in that seem to set up a somewhat "alternate universe" feel than the one which eventually emerged as BattleTech canon.

The negotiations seem to have gone somewhat south for Ambassador Steiner-Reese.  The 3028 map in the NAIS Atlas of the 4th Succession War shows Verthandi back under the Combine flag - being invaded by the 1st Lyran Regulars in the Follow Up phase of Operation GOTTERDAMMERUNG.  Evidently, Steiner-Reese asked for too much, and Brasednewic opted to sign back on with the Combine.  One wonders what sort of deal they got - local autonomy like the Azami?  One also wonders if Brasednewic was executed and the Free Verthandi Legion destroyed by the 1st Lyran Regulars in 3028.  Not really a storybook ending for Tollen and Carlotta.

One element of this epilogue that I always found to be very interesting were the actual naming conventions of the fleets.  The Lyran one is called the "First Tamar Fleet" implying the existence of other Tamar fleets, and that the Lyran navy (what's left of it) is organized into regional fleet groups, so there'd be a 1st Tamar, 2nd Tamar, 1st Donegal, 2nd Donegal, 1st Skye, 2nd Skye, etc.  Circa 3025, the Free Worlds League has 12 Aerospace Fleets consisting of 3-6 JumpShips and 10-15 DropShips each, with integral aerospace fighter complements.  I would presume the Lyrans, being more powerful, would have more - perhaps 15-20 fleets of comparable size. 

By contrast, the Combine fleet has a purely numerical designation, implying a lack of ties to any individual Military District, but the ability to be reassigned at the discretion of the Draconis Combine Admiralty.  (Though it would also make sense, if the Warlords are in command of the military assets in their Districts, for each Warlord to have an equal number of fleets to play with - to maintain harmony - with additional fleets being free-floating and directed according to the mandates from the Coordinator - like the free floating regiments of the DCMS.) 

Given the Combine's obsession with the significance of the number 5 and its multiples, I would presume that they'd have at least 25 fleets, probably given patrol and escort duties within the five Military Districts.  The stronger ones would probably be assigned to active fronts, with smaller, weaker ones assigned to the Pesht district (at least one would probably be assigned to escort the Coordinator when he travels from Luthien).

The wording is also intriguing - since Keith refers to "warships" and "DropShips" separately, and notes that "combat between jumpships is rare in this era, because starships are a resource too rare and fragile to risk in combat."  It is clear that the term "WarShip" to exclusively refer to armed/armored jump-capable craft had not yet come into canon.  It's also possible that Keith was distinguishing between the "Assault DropShips" and the troop transport "DropShips," suggesting that the "warships" in question were not the JumpShips, but the Assault DropShips that made up the core of the fleet's fighting strength.  There's also a reference to the Verthandi navy buying two old Lyran "freighters."  That almost certainly means Mules or Buccaneers in modern canon, but one wonders if Keith was envisioning WarShip-style freighters (like the Carrack) when he wrote the line. 

This isn't the first time he's made references to fleet activity - noting Trellwan as a good place for a Kuritan fleet to base and refuel (despite the lack of orbital stations), and indicating that the system would be 'blockaded by Lyran fleets' if the scheme were discovered and reported to Tharkad.  The general lack of information on the Successor State fleet strengths circa 3025 (with the exception of the highly detailed Adventure Architects' entry in the House Marik book, and the itemized strength listings in the Periphery book) makes references like this akin to trying to measure an elephant by peering through a keyhole.  Granted, the numbers are only relevant if you're trying to run a grand strategic campaign set in the era...but for those who want to do that, fleet strength estimates would be key data points, given the strategic implications of such transport bottlenecks.

Another early installment oddity is Ricol's statement that Lyran seizure of Verthandi's mines would be an "act of war," and that "after all, there was no current state of war between Luthien and Tharkad."  So, did Takashi acknowledge Katrina Steiner as First Lord when nobody was looking?  Or has the Third Succession War been officially declared "done" by Autumn 3026, placing this local conflict firmly in the mayfly-duration interbellum period between the Third and Fourth Succession Wars?  Given the fact that the Dragoons are actively raiding the Federated Suns on this very day, it doesn't appear that the Third Succession War is over as far as the Combine is concerned.

One wonders where Tor got the money to hire new troops on Galatea?  The revolutionary council's credit was no good by that point.  And what recruiting pitch did he use?  "Hey, there's a mercenary lance trapped on a Combine-occupied world, and they're getting torn to bits by the Combine garrison (last word we had).  But there's vanadium in them thar hills, and Ambassador Steiner-Reese here is sending the 1st Tamar Fleet out to go grab it.  Wanna come along?"  Did Steiner-Reese loan Tor the cash for the signing bonuses? 
"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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #27 on: 08 December 2016, 17:11:12 »
From what I remember, the political situation was a bit different. Verthandi was one of several systems the Lyrans had ceded to the Draconis Combine, hence were reluctant to take back by force or by openly supporting a pro-Lyran opposition. Because of that, the most Verthandi could seriously expect was to become recognized as Draconis Combine citizens instead of mere slaves. (Weird as that may sound.) Thus, Verthandi - with the limited support the Lyrans could or would grant - established a more independent government but couldn't fully leave the Combine, that option was never on the table.
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Re: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #28 on: 08 December 2016, 17:40:53 »
Well, let's see. 

From the epilogue, "Verthandi was once again a free and independent planet."   So it seems that independence was on the table.  But Brasednewic screwed up and signed up for Combine domination again.  (Though perhaps not - some maps from 3028 show an oval drawn around Verthandi - indicating still independent? -ish?)  But then why did the LCAF invade in the 4th Succession War?

Perhaps, given that situation, Ricol's reference to the expropriation of the mines being an act of war was a reference to what would happen to the relations between the Combine and the newly independent Verthandian government, threatening that the Combine would declare war against Verthandi if its government gave the Combine-built mines to the Commonwealth.
« Last Edit: 08 December 2016, 18:23:01 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: Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars
« Reply #29 on: 09 December 2016, 10:49:17 »
Date: October 3, 3026

Location: Barlow's End
 
Title: Wolves on the Border
 
Authors: Robert N. Charrette
 
Type: Novel
 
Synopsis: In Millon's Woods, on the southern bank of the Shaw River, Dechan Fraser leads a detached "light company" from Alpha Regiment in preparation to ambush the Davion technology convoy.  Gossip among the troops focuses on the aftermath of the commando raid on the camp in the early hours of October 1.  One speculates that Minobu Tetsuhara is dead, but another clarifies that medtechs took both Tetsuhara and Dragoon Colonel Yukinov to a Combine DropShip for treatment.  Noting the evident injuries to Yukinov's leg, they predict Colonel Wolf will see to it that it is replaced with the best myomer prosthetic available. 

Conversation turns to the fact that Colonel Jamison from Zeta is now running the show on Barlow's Folly, and they jokingly worry that he won't remember they don't all drive assault 'Mechs.  Conversation turns to the Ryuken command staff, with some expressing displeasure with Satoh, Tetsuhara's XO, but relief that Akuma didn't assume command.  The gossip fades as Major Chan informs them the spotters have sighted the enemy convoy, and the Dragoons mount their 'Mechs. 

MechWarrior Johannson, in his Javelin, joins Dechan's Shadow Hawk as his wingman, and predicts this will be an easy operation, since the Feds don't have any better troops than the White Witches mercenary group, beaten soundly several years earlier on Quentin by Delta Regiment.

Dechan's screen shows the Federated Suns convoy approaching, escorted by a dozen BattleMechs and several hovertanks.   Once the convoy passes his position, but with the rear guard still out of the target zone, Major Chan orders the Dragoons to atack.  The first volley obliterates the convoy command vehicle, and the convoy grinds to a confused halt.  The Dragoons engage the Saracen and Scimitar tanks bearing the White Witch insignia (a naked, white-haired sorceress), leaving them in smoking ruin, then start to tear the cargo trucks apart looking for crates marked with a black bird symbol. 

The White Witch 'Mechs hang back, apparently thinking to block the roadway and trap the Dragoons.  Fraser's lance instead heads for the Shaw River.  As Johannsen's Javelin touches down on the river bank, energy beams converge from multiple directions and destroy it.  Johannsen ejects, but his seat is lasered to ash during the ascent.  Dechan takes evasive action to avoid the same fate, and sees the enemy fire track towards other Dragoons further down the valley, coming from a full company of new 'Mechs advancing down the riverbed.  Dechan zooms in on the lead Centurion and sees the insignia of the elite Eridani Light Horse, who'd twice before fought the Dragoons to a standstill and prevented them from accomplishing their missions. 

Back at the Ryuken Field Camp, Michi Noketsuna monitors the attack from Tai-sa Elijah Satoh's command hut.  Noketsuna notes that Satoh is resplendent in his pristine uniform, but that his disdain for his junior officers is evident, a stark contrast to Minobu Tetsuhara, who was medivacked offworld on a DropShip two days earlier.  Akuma left at the same time, appointing Satoh as both acting Ryuken commander and acting Dragoon liaison officer.   

With the ambush underway, Colonel Jamison asks Satoh to give the light ambush forces some cover with the rest of the joint force.  Satoh refuses, noting that the Ryuken is still busy encircling the Achernar Proving Grounds.  Jamison notes that Zeta has already taken its objectives, and that the Ryuken are behind schedule.  Satoh answers that a previously undetected mercenary force has contested the Ryuken's push into the city of Landova. 

Word arrives that the "unidentified mercenaries" are actually the Eridani Light Horse, present in at least battalion strength.  Jamison tells Satoh that the sham attack cannot be continued in the face of the new Davion mercenary threat, and that the Dragoons and Ryuken should regroup.  Satoh refuses, and insists they stick to the original plan.  Jamison angrily answers that Zeta has completed its portion of the plan to the letter, and considers its contractual obligations fulfilled, then storms out of the hut with his staff. 

Satoh orders Michi to record the time and date that the Dragoon commander on planet abandoned his post.  Michi obeys, though he notes that rigid adherence to doctrine goes against the Ryuken's founding principles, and that things would have gone much differently if Minobu were still in charge.

Back at the Shaw River, the surviving Dragoon ambushers are in a running battle with the advancing Horsemen, unable to reach Major Chan through heavy comm channel static.  The Horsemen are coordinating closely with the White Witches to box the Dragoons in and keep them from escaping.  Captain Stane's Phoenix Hawk goes down under heavy fire from a White Witch Zeus, leaving Dechan in command of the remaining eight 'Mechs of the light company and the eight from Stane's company. 

With his 'Mechs battered and low on ammunition, Dechan elects to abandon the prototype and execute the emergency escape plan, falling back along the riverbed to use the terrain for cover.  Before they can execute the plan, however, the White Witch Zeus catches up and opens fire, backed by its lancemates.  Before they can massacre Dechan's troops, the Witches are hammered by heavy laser and PPC fire, forcing them to pull back.  Dechan's spirits rise as he sees a Dragoon BattleMaster appear on the opposite bank, flanked by an Awesome and a Stalker.  Zeta Battalion has arrived.

Dechan is patched through to Colonel Jamison, and reports that the prototype is unreachable, given enemy force strength and the condition of his troops.  Jamison reports that the rest of the ambush force have been driven 35 km away downriver, and the support forces are unaccounted for.  Jamison orders the Zeta troops to destroy the prototype, then pull out, leaving the Ryuken troops to the AFFS mercenaries.

Notes: Despite the Waco Ranger "Death Oath," the Eridani Light Horse has been the only unit able to match up to the Dragoons in multiple engagements.  They first clashed during the Dragoons' first mission for the Combine, when the Horsemen delayed the Dragoon attack on Hoff's Friden Aerospace Park long enough for the prototype tech there to be evacuated along with the research staff.  With a full "phonebook" profile in the original Mercenary's Handbook, it's clear that the ELH were being set up to be a major force in the BattleTech universe.  Alas, this chapter is pretty much their only fiction until the Twilight of the Clans novels, and then they're left in Clan space to rot (written out of the universe due to a series of real-world unfortunate events which we will not go into here.)

One wonders if the ELH were good enough tacticians to predict and counter the Dragoon ambush, or if a little ISF birdie slipped them some intel. 

The White Witches are another interesting force.  We have a color scheme (light blue), an insignia (NSFW), and a skill level (Veteran), plus evidence that they were under contract to the AFFS from 3023-3026, at least.  Yet they never appear in any sourcebooks.  I can understand them being left out of the House Davion sourcebook, since that was probably being written in parallel with "Wolves on the Border," but the NAIS Atlas of the 4th Succession War doesn't show them, nor does the 20 Year Update, nor Brush Wars or the War of 3039.  Were they destroyed off camera between 3026 and 3028?  (Likewise for the Snake Stompers from earlier chapters).

Dechan Fraser gets his first major bit of page time here, and he first meets Janice Rand - whom he'd like to get to know better.  (They later become a couple.)

It's interesting that the Ryuken have supposedly been indoctrinated and trained in Dragoon mentalities for flexibility and adaptability, yet when the shooting starts, they all immediately accept the hidebound orders from Satoh.  Despite them being recruited from a pool of discipline problems and "free thinkers" throughout the DCMS, their academy training and cultural indoctrination leaves them unable to use the new skills that are supposedly their intended hallmark.  Michi at least realizes that Satoh's orders are FUBAR, but he still carries them out.  It would take Theodore Kurita's ascendancy to break the DCMS out of its suicidal rigidity, and even that was only partially successful.

The mention of Yukinov being slated for a myomer prosthetic reinforces the capabilities laid out in TRO: 3026 that myomer is top of the line - fully functional and normal looking.  It again calls into question why the mechanical limb grafted onto Justin Allard is presented as cutting edge, when it's old tech that has to be programmed to interface with specific 'Mech piloting controls, rather than just letting the pilot use existing muscle memory as myomer would.  The only reason I can think of for the metal arm is to hide the holdout laser and other presents from the "Q" department at MIIO inside, which would probably not be possible with a myomer arm.
« Last Edit: 09 December 2016, 22:53:20 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.