Poll

What is your favorite Star League Era story?

Fall From Grace
12 (50%)
What I Remember Most
1 (4.2%)
So Costly a Sacrifice
0 (0%)
A Veiled Betrayal
1 (4.2%)
Battlefields
0 (0%)
The Theseus Knot
0 (0%)
Memories of Rain
0 (0%)
Seventy
0 (0%)
The Pear
0 (0%)
Destiny's Call
1 (4.2%)
Destiny's Challenge
0 (0%)
Way of the Champion
0 (0%)
Pulsar
2 (8.3%)
The Top of the Scrap Heap
1 (4.2%)
Greater Than Yourself
0 (0%)
Self Defense
0 (0%)
An Ill-Made House
1 (4.2%)
Living Legends
2 (8.3%)
Rise of the Animal
0 (0%)
Star Lord
0 (0%)
Tactics of Betrayal
1 (4.2%)
Desertion
0 (0%)
Hard Justice
1 (4.2%)
The Dark Night of the Soul
1 (4.2%)

Total Members Voted: 24

Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era  (Read 104612 times)

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #30 on: 22 January 2013, 06:39:30 »
----- 2 Years Later -----

Date: September 9, 2590

Location: Taurus

Title: So Costly A Sacrifice

Author: Philip A. Lee

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Young Samuel MacLaren enlists in the Ecole Militaire, intending to follow in the steps of his deceased father and grandfather in fighting for Taurian independence against the overwhelming might of the Star League.  He’s greeted by Lance Sergeant Wembley, who served with Sam’s grandfather in the 4th Pleiades Hussars on Electra, and welcomes cadet Maclaren to the academy.  Sam is surprised to hear his grandfather called a hero who inspired the men and women of the TDF to fight on against the odds.

Notes:  It’s odd that Sam doesn’t know the details of the battle on Electra, where Vincent “Ram’n’Nuke” MacLaren died trying to strike a blow against Wexworth’s legions.  Admittedly, without HPGs, and with the SLDF fleet keeping the system bottled up, there would have been no easy way for the details to make it off Electra (though some of the TDF troopers must have been able to extract, since the heavily scarred Wembley is now back on Taurus).  If Sam’s awareness of how things went down on Electra is representative of the average Taurian-on-the-street, how was the story of Vincent’s heroic sacrifice supposed to boost morale in the Concordat?  Was Sam’s mother trying to shelter him by keeping the details from him?

Also of interest, Sam has with him the toy Archer BattleMech that Vincent gave him before going off to war.  He keeps it as a reminder of his heritage and duty.  Yet Vincent was a tank commander, not a MechWarrior.  Wouldn’t a toy Augustus MBT have had more meaning?  (Not to mention that the RAT for the TDF during the Reunification War doesn’t include Archers.  Still, it’s from the toyline accompanying the "Nebula Defender" kids’ show, which probably had as much in-universe realism as the later "Somerset Strikers" show, the "Immortal Warrior" series, "Kingdom of the Gypsies," or "The Adventures of Clan Spaniel," for that matter.)
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:16:10 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Wrangler

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #31 on: 22 January 2013, 07:52:23 »
From my understanding there suppose to be a primitive Archer, so its possible the toy would been for that.  Anyways, there always fantasy toys for children.   Giant Robots is something child would like i would think.   Just because tank would be appropriate doesn't mean they're going to give it to him.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #32 on: 22 January 2013, 15:34:43 »
The Archer definitely existed during the Reunification War.  My quibble was over it not being on the TDF's Age of War RAT, indicating that it wasn't considered a common Taurian design.  Having it be the hero's 'Mech in "Nebula Defender" sets up a situation sort of like having James Bond driving a Russian Lada instead of an Aston Martin.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #33 on: 23 January 2013, 06:12:08 »
----- 1 Year Later -----

Date: June 19, 2591

Location: Barcelona

Title: Memories of Rain

Author: Steven Mohan, Jr.

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Archon Viola Steiner commands the Tamar Tigers, 25th Skye Rangers, and 4th Royal Guards, in conjunction with the SLDF’s 31st Armor Division in the campaign to “liberate” the RWR world of Barcelona from anti-Amaris partisans under the command of Franchetta Wong.  However, Loki agent R. K. Jaishankar brings news that the Archon's son, Kevin, has been kidnapped by rogue members of the Estates General.  Inaccurate LIC reporting places the blame on Selvin Kelswa and Aldo Lestrade – the Dukes of Tamar (since 2509) and Skye, respectively.

In unthinking rage, Viola mobilizes the 4th Royal Guards and, in her Warhammer, personally leads them in an assault against the Skye Rangers.  Despite the protests of her aide, Heinrich Schwartzmann, Viola kills a Ranger sentry and then charges their encampment, guns blazing.  The stunned Skye and Tamar forces fight back, and the Guards move in to protect the Archon.  Heinrich tries to stop the Archon without hurting her, but she is beyond reason.  The SLDF troops, under Margaret Beck, move to enter the fray, but restrict themselves to physical attacks to separate the combatants non-lethally, treating the engagement as a bar brawl.

Tamar Tiger commander Sabine Petrov attempts to talk the Archon down, but is eventually forced to engage Viola’s Warhammer, battering her cockpit with a laser and a storm of missiles from her Commando.

By the time the Archon regains consciousness, the battle has ended, and a cold rain falls upon the now quiet battlefield.  She weeps, both from the pain of her shattered arm, the loss of her beloved son, and the realization of the crime she’s committed against her own people.

Notes:  It’s not clear to what extent Loki is playing its own game in this scenario.  Heinrich suspects that the LIC might have some ulterior motive in assigning blame to Houses Lestrade and Kelswa.  The House Steiner sourcebook attributes the implication of the Dukes to wild rumors. 

A further question is why a Loki agent is serving as the Archon’s LIC liaison in the field?  Wouldn’t Diplomatic Security (assigned to protect high-ranking personnel) or the anti-terrorist Lohengrin be more appropriate than the LIC section that performs kidnappings and other acts of state sponsored terrorism?  Perhaps Operation MAILED FIST was utilizing terror tactics against the Rim Worlds partisans and giving Loki free rein in the field in response to Rimmer terror tactics like those on Milvano in “Battlefields.”
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:17:43 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.

BrokenMnemonic

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #34 on: 23 January 2013, 06:20:38 »
The Archer definitely existed during the Reunification War.  My quibble was over it not being on the TDF's Age of War RAT, indicating that it wasn't considered a common Taurian design.  Having it be the hero's 'Mech in "Nebula Defender" sets up a situation sort of like having James Bond driving a Russian Lada instead of an Aston Martin.
It may be that the Archer was produced in very small quantities, insufficient to make the 'Mech appear on RATs but sufficient to make those that were produced signature 'Mechs? It may be more akin to recognising the Aston Martin in the field of Morris Minors than the Lada amonst Aston Martins.

It's more interesting than optimal, and therefore better. O0 - Weirdo

St.George

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #35 on: 24 January 2013, 05:58:08 »
Not that it's a big deal,,,but your 2905 date is a bit past the storys 6/19/2591.still good stuff though.  O0
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #36 on: 24 January 2013, 06:22:30 »
Whoops.  2509.  Fixed.  Thanks.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #37 on: 24 January 2013, 06:27:12 »
----- 2 Months Later -----

Date: August 22, 2591

Location: Terra

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  At the newly constructed Court of the Star League, Rhean visits with her Princefield classmates Madeline and Colin, and their new baby.  They discuss the conduct of the war in the Magistracy, where insurgent bombings and sniper attacks continue despite the end of major combat operations in 2586.  Melissa Humphreys (of the prestigious Humphreys family that will one day control Andurien) is mentioned to be serving as the Free Worlds’ administrator for the occupation.

Now that Rhean has her military training completed and has battlefield experience, the Captain-General feels it’s time to get a taste of Star League politics.  Word of her Aunt Therese’s death (along with her unborn child) in a car accident brings home the reality that the political realm can be just as deadly a battlefield. 

Notes:  Therese was carrying the child of William Liao, and just as in 3054, the prospect of a Marik-Liao in the line of succession proved unpalatable to the House Marik upper management.  Rhean knows that Therese liked to drive on manual, so her grandmother’s attribution of the death to a faulty autopilot chip rings false.  It’s fairly clear to the reader that the Captain-General ordered the death of her own daughter to prevent the prospect of an interstellar succession crisis.  Though cruel, it was somewhat prescient, given what happened a century later when a Davion-Kurita pairing led to a major border war.

The title of the series is “Fall From Grace,” and this is the moment at which the narrative begins to bear out that premise.  Rhean, like the Star League, began with idealism, optimism, and innocence.  Now, she’s beginning to see that the League is far from being the snowy white “good guys” in an interstellar drama, and that the moral high ground has long since been ceded in the interests of cold pragmatism and political opportunism.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:18:40 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.

St.George

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #38 on: 24 January 2013, 06:31:56 »
NP,,,,we Ravens love to broker' in information.  ;D

Keep up the good work.  O0
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #39 on: 25 January 2013, 06:31:27 »
----- 3 Months? Later -----

Date:  November? 2591

Location: LCS Robert Dinesen, en route from Barcelona to Tharkad

Title: Memories of Rain

Author: Steven Mohan, Jr.

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Viola regains consciousness aboard her personal DropShip, the LCS Robert Dinesen (named for her late husband).  Her trusted aide, Heinrich, informs her of the loss of her arm, and briefs her on the ongoing LIC investigation into Kevin’s kidnapping.  He also informs her that her rampage on Barcelona has become known as the “Day of Rage,” and that he hates her because she made him fire on his brothers in arms in order to protect her.
 
When she attempts to justify the attack as a necessary response to a revolt by her lords, he rebukes her with information that Kelswa and Lestrade have been exonerated by the LIC, and that Jaishankar’s report wasn’t actionable data or even an intelligence estimate – only a rumor.  She caused hundreds of deaths for nothing.  Horrified, Viola slips back into oblivion.

Notes:  The section header says only “Unknown Place, Unknown Time,” but the Steiner sourcebook notes that the Archon lay near death for a month before requesting to return to Tharkad.  Historical: Reunification War states that the Archon was fit for duty and requested a leave of absence in late October, to return to Tharkad.  Dialogue in "Memories of Rain" clarifies that her aide, Heinrich, sent the request to withdraw to the SLDF in the Archon’s name (thereby confusing ComStar historians) as soon as she was well enough to travel, but while she was still in a coma.
 
It’s roughly ten jumps from Barcelona to Tharkad (nine, as the crow flies).  They don’t arrive in Tharkad until mid-January of the following year, eight months after the Day of Rage.  Historical: RW notes that, since they weren't on Star League business, no courier vessels were made available to the Archon’s convoy -  preventing them from using a command circuit to return quickly.  At a maximum, however, the trip would take 11 weeks (8 days outbound from Barcelona, 1 week to recharge at each stop, and 1 week inbound to Tharkad).  This would put Viola near death from mid-June to mid-July, and then on Barcelona in a coma until departure in late October.  That allows time for reports of her comatose state to reach Tharkad.

Lacking HPGs, it’s unclear how Heinrich got the LIC report about the Dukes’ innocence.  Perhaps couriers with the news of their innocence were already en-route when the Day of Rage commenced, and arrived while the Archon was in a coma.  The Intelligence Operations Handbook reports that the LIC began investigating the Estates General Steering Committee once they had orders to do so from the Archon, and timed their arrests to coincide with the Archon’s return to Tharkad.  Coordination with the LIC probably used the SLDF courier network (just because she couldn’t travel on it doesn’t mean she couldn’t send messages ahead).
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:19:54 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.

Wrangler

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #40 on: 25 January 2013, 11:09:15 »
Coordination with the LIC probably used the SLDF courier network (just because she couldn’t travel on it doesn’t mean she couldn’t send messages ahead).
Is there a canon source for the SLDF courier network?  So SLDF prior to the event of the HPG commonally employed Command Circuits for communication purposes on regular basis?
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #41 on: 25 January 2013, 15:18:39 »
Historical: Reunifiction War p. 138, 2nd paragraph. 

Quote
...though as this was not SLDF business [Viola] was not afforded the use of the SLDF's courier JumpShips and would instead require several months to return home.

p. 110 gives a duration of three days for a courier message from Terra to reach General Forlough on the Outworlds front.

Plus, there's a nice summary of interstellar communications issues on p. 25, in the "Lines of Communications and Trust" section, with details about the use of couriers and command circuits.
« Last Edit: 25 January 2013, 15:22:53 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Wrangler

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #42 on: 25 January 2013, 18:58:20 »
Historical: Reunifiction War p. 138, 2nd paragraph. 

p. 110 gives a duration of three days for a courier message from Terra to reach General Forlough on the Outworlds front.

Plus, there's a nice summary of interstellar communications issues on p. 25, in the "Lines of Communications and Trust" section, with details about the use of couriers and command circuits.
Ahh, i forgot about that.  Thanks!  I need re-read the book again. Been so busy lately.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #43 on: 26 January 2013, 00:33:15 »
----- 2 Months? Later -----

Date: January 15, 2592

Location: Tharkad

Title: Memories of Rain

Author: Steven Mohan, Jr.

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis: Estates General Speaker of the Assembly Henry Gram celebrates on the eve of his anticipated political victory, manipulating the Lyran parliament into voting to secede from the Star League.  His triumphant reverie is interrupted by his associate, Ichabod Blau, who informs him that the LIC is starting to arrest all the conspirators involved in the kidnapping of Archon-Designate Kevin Steiner.  Gram tries to calm Blau, noting that his steering committee has the LIC tied in knots, while Archon Viola, at last report from his spies, was still in a coma on Barcelona.

The two exit Government House through a secret corridor, only to find that it’s raining…’Mechs. (Hallelujah!  ;D)  The 4th Royal Guards are executing a combat drop on the Triad.

Up above, Archon Viola oversees Operation RIGHTEOUS FURY, coordinating with the LIC to seal off the roads around Government House, trapping the members of the Estates General.   She’s terrified that Gram will kill Kevin if he isn’t apprehended quickly.

LIC agents apprehend Gram and bring him out to where the Archon awaits in her one-armed Warhammer.  Rage consumes her, and when he attempts to give a speech about patriotism, she gives him the Geralk Marik treatment.  SQUICK!

Afterwards, she seeks solitude in the Triad’s ‘Mech bays, and then solace in a flask of vodka.  Heinrich confronts her, noting that she’d been drinking a lot in recent days.  He takes the blame for the entire tragedy – saying he failed to protect her from whatever game Loki was playing, failed to protect her from the Commando’s missiles, and failed to protect the Archon from herself.  He asks her, for the sake of her children, for the sake of her realm, to remain on Archon and not return to the war.

Viola hardens herself, and tells him that she intends to finish what she’s started.

Notes:  January is stated to be Tharkan summer, which brings cold, drizzly storms.  Incongruously, Prometheus Unbound earlier stated that March is Tharkan winter.  So February is autumn?

As noted earlier, Blau points out that word of the Archon’s coming couldn’t have reached Tharkad ahead of her, rendering Gram’s spies ineffective in giving advance warning.  However, since the Archon was presumably able to use SLDF couriers to coordinate the arrests with the LIC, it appears that Gram’s faith in his spies was misplaced, since there should have been ample opportunity for them to get a message to him via the SLDF couriers, which were pony-expressing back and forth while the 4th Guards plodded towards Tharkad.   

Most likely, the couriers go back and forth from the front to Terra, and from Terra to and from the House capitals, but not from the front lines to the House capitals.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:22:00 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #44 on: 27 January 2013, 00:54:29 »
----- 2 Years Later -----

Date: October 3, 2593

Location: Canopus IV

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Duchess Rhean Marik  is six-weeks into a tour of duty as an FWL-SLDF staff officer on occupied Canopus IV, now under the control of Melissa Humphreys.  Despite an ongoing insurgency, Rhean finds life in the heavily fortified Delphi compound boring.  After the briefing, discussion turns to League politics, including Leonard Kurita’s alcoholism, Ursula Liao’s disillusionment with the Star League and her efforts to impede the Reunification War’s progress, and Viola Steiner’s internal house-cleaning at the Estates General.

They are joined by a very pregnant Magestrix-designate Rinalla Centrella, who adopts more or less the same attitude towards Rhean as her mother Crystalla had towards Rhean’s grandfather Ian, to Rhean’s evident discomfort.  Abruptly shifting from minx to Magestrix, Rinalla debates Humphreys over the merits of the Star League’s proposal to invest in jump-starting Canopian heavy industry and microelectronics construction, countering that the Canopians are quite happy with their “service” sector, which generates sufficient revenue that they can afford to import what they don’t make and is more fun, to boot.

Notes:  Interestingly, the troops assigned to the occupation are quite multinational.  A DCMS officer (of Rasalhagian descent) is shown giving an economic report to Governor Humphreys.  The SLDF’s Canopian task force consisted of the SLDF VII Corps, backed up by the Marik Auxiliary Corps.  According to the Star League sourcebook, the SLDF had a high level of prestige with Combine citizens, particularly once the Ares Conventions were removed, and many Combine officers jumped at the chance to liaise with and serve in it. 

The main focus of the meeting is to lay the groundwork for the FWL’s “Marshall Plan”-style occupation, designed to rebuild the Magistracy as a close, friendly, prosperous ally and trading partner under the control of House Centrella.  (Essentially the pre-war status quo, albeit with the Star League banner flying over everything.)
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:23:30 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #45 on: 28 January 2013, 06:34:33 »
----- 3 Years Later -----

Date: March 22-24, 2596

Location: Apollo

Title: Memories of Rain

Author: Steven Mohan, Jr.

Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis: As the Reunification War winds down, Archon Viola Steiner leads the 4th Royal Guards in an assault on the 7th Amaris Legionnaires, which are defending the capital city, Terra Prime.  Her trusted aide, Colonel Heinrich Schwartzmann attempts to ensure her safety, a difficult task given her apparent deathwish.  Massive monsoons impede the Lyran progress, but Viola is determined to run the cut-off RWR battalion to ground before it can escape.  Unfortunately, in the confusion of the storm, the Archon ends up firing on her own troops, killing battalion commander Aurelia Martinez.

The emotionally devastated Archon suggests a new plan to draw the Rim Worlder forces out of their fortifications.  She plans to use herself as bait, unwilling to send anyone else to their death.  Heinrich attempts to dissuade her, but he steps over the line and the Archon relieves him of duty.

The operation goes off as planned, but the Rimmers bring unexpectedly heavy firepower to ambush the Archon, using artillery to drop a canyon wall on the Lyran column.  A communications failure at this crucial juncture prevents her from calling in the reserve forces to ambush the ambushers.  At the reserves’ staging point, Heinrich begins to get nervous that the Archon’s call is overdue, and wants to ride to the rescue, but the new 4th Guards commander doesn’t want to disobey orders…and doesn’t really care whether Viola lives or dies.

In defiance of his orders, Heinrich takes his Striker to the ambush point and discovers the wreckage of the Archon’s escorts amongst the fallen rocks, then sends up an emergency flare (the communication jamming being still in effect).  He reaches her side and drives away the Rim Worlds troops (which withdraw in the face of the late-arriving 4th Guards), but Archon Viola has suffered mortal injuries.  She absolves Heinrich of responsibility, telling him “Even the finest bodyguard can’t shield his protectee from justice.”

Notes:  While the original Periphery sourcebook and the Star League sourcebook indicated that Stefan Amaris, during his attempt to ingratiate himself to Richard Cameron, temporarily renamed Apollo to “Terra Prime,” in this story (and in Historical: Reunification War), Apollo’s capital city is also named Terra Prime.  The only other previously named cities on Apollo are Eleazor (home to the Efrimal Long prison/barracks) and Smithtown.

The Periphery sourcebook indicated that many Republic worlds had been turned into massively fortified “hedgehog” worlds prior to the Reunification War, covered with hundreds of bunkers and other fortifications.  Apollo seems to be the same, with “multiple gun emplacements and bunkers ringing the capital ”  Each turret mounts twin AC/10s protected by what appears to be 2 tons of armor.  The emplacements are sited in dense jungle with a cleared kill zone before them, spaced at 500 meter intervals.  The turrets’ ability to traverse is limited to prevent overzealous gunners from accidentally hitting a neighboring emplacement.

The multinational nature of the SLDF operations is again evident, with reference made to support from Amaris loyalists and the 2nd Marik Corps, under the command of Duke Selaj of Regulus (not named in this story, but probably Narinder Selaj, who later plays a major role in "Fall From Grace").  Previous sourcebook accounts only mentioned atrocity laden DCMS support on the Rim Worlds front.

The RWR troops are shown using Ostrocs, Dervishes, Wasps, Victors, Griffins, and a captured SLDF Stalker.  This is generally consistent with the RWR RAT in Historical: Reunification War, though that lists the Ostwar instead of the Ostroc.  The Periphery sourcebook states that the Archon was overrun by rebel Warhammers and Ostsols, neither of which appear in RWR colors in this narrative (probably due to the Ostsol not existing until 2694, per TRO:3025 - good catch by author Steve Mohan, Jr.).

Given Heinrich’s use of a flare to call for help, one wonders why the Archon didn’t do the same when wireless communications proved unusable.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:25:01 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: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #46 on: 29 January 2013, 00:01:42 »
----- 2 Years Later -----

Date: July 9, 2598

Location: Canopus IV

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The Reunification War is over, and Rhean Marik continues to be posted on Canopus IV, now as Deputy Governor overseeing the Magistracy’s post-war reconstruction and incorporation into the Star League.  Returning to Canopus from the funeral of her grandmother, Captain-General Marion Marik, Rhean warmly greets Rinalla’s Centrella’s daughter, Carla.  Despite the initial awkwardness, Rhean and Rinalla have become close friends.

Despite the official end of the war and the closeness between the Mariks and Centrellas, security concerns remain prominent.  Rhean notes that the DCMS liaison, Ragnarsson, died in a bomb blast in early 2597, and that sniper attacks on both herself and Governor Humphreys are frequent.  During a horse ride with Carla through the parklands of the Magestrix’s Delphi estate, Canopian insurgents (having infiltrated Carla’s guard detail) wound Rhean’s bodyguard, Annalise, and attempt to abduct Rhean.

The attempt fails (largely due to superior bullet-proof jackets and Rhean’s quick shooting), and when Magestrix-Designate Rinalla arrives on scene, she forcibly repudiates the insurgency, noting that their “people’s war” is a war nobody wants, and that Canopus has never resorted to violence to achieve its aims.

Notes:  Rhean’s bodyguard Annalise is mentioned as having had combat experience on the Taurian front and having a distinctive “Davion accent.”  Given the vast array of cultures and worlds in the Inner Sphere, it’s surprising to hear that there’s an identifiable accent for the whole realm.  Or perhaps the ruling Davion family has a particular accent, and Annalise happens to have the same inflection (implying that it’s more of a New Avalon accent).

Rhean’s recollections of Marion’s funeral cover a number of still active political rifts among the Star League members.  Drunken maniac Leonard Kurita is absent from the proceedings, and Ursula Liao’s relations with Marion were strained (presumably over the fallout from the Wisconsin affair and the suspicious death of the unborn Marik-Liao child), while Ian Cameron and Alexander Davion were quite complementary in their eulogies.  She also mentions her old Princefield nemesis, Lambert Allison, who continues to be a cad.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:25:58 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #47 on: 29 January 2013, 03:44:56 »
I just wanted to say that I've been reading these voraciously since Mendrugo started posting them and this is honestly one of the best ideas for a thread ever. Keep this up, Mendrugo, this is some of your finest work yet.


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #48 on: 29 January 2013, 09:11:48 »
I hope the authors will be able to complete enough stories so they can make real books out of these stories.  I agree with Kojak, Mendrugo.  These reviews of short-stories are peeking my interests in them.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #49 on: 29 January 2013, 15:34:38 »
There's plenty of content for years to come.  At current count, my BattleTech fiction folder lists 4,681 files.  My postings, to-date, cover 28 of them.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #50 on: 30 January 2013, 06:09:07 »
----- 2 Years Later -----

Date: January 2-15, 2600

Location: Terra

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The Court of the Star League convenes on Terra, and the next generation of Inner Sphere leaders begins to come to the fore.  Star League founder Ian Cameron still presides at age 86, as does 92-year-old First Prince Alexander Davion, with the assistance of his 19-year-old great-grandson, Zane, who became the presumptive heir when Ian Davion was assassinated.  Norman Aris now represents the Capellan Confederation and Rhean’s father Brion speaks for House Marik, while Kevin Steiner-Dinesen (prematurely gray-haired since his ordeal with the Estates General) has the Lyran seat.  Leonard Kurita is absent from the proceedings, so Rinalla Centrella rounds out the group in “observer” status.

Rhean, Kevin, Zane and Rinalla form the “kids’ clique,” forming inter-state bonds of friendship even as the members of the generation that ascended to power during the Age of War still jockey for position and call for military action against each other. 

After a contentious council session in which Leonard Kurita is rebuked for his aggressive border maneuvers, the “kids’ clique” goes to Cavanaugh’s, a Unity City bar owned and operated by members of House Cameron, and a favorite hangout of the Star League elite.  Kevin asks Rhean to bring her “sister” along – noting Rhean’s strong resemblance to her bodyguard Evangeline.  Rampant flirting ensues, to Rhean’s discomfort and Rinalla’s delight.

After two weeks of council sessions, the “kids clique” has become fast friends, and makes after-hours sessions at Cavanaugh’s part of their routine – since it’s a place where they can relax and be themselves among peers, rather than having to focus on their roles as heads of state and/or heirs.  At a going away party for Zane, the group is introduced to Lydia Petersen-Cameron and her security escort, Captain Tanya Kerensky of the Royal Black Watch.  The mood of the party is dampened by Zane’s late arrival with the news that he’ll have to leave earlier than expected to escort First Prince Alexander home, so he can die on New Avalon, making Zane the new First Prince.

Notes:  There must be one heck of a command circuit set up, since Zane thinks Alexander won’t live out the week, but plans to have him back to New Avalon within that timeframe.  A dedicated pony-express command circuit of JumpShips could do it, but they’d have to be pre-positioned at pirate points both in the Sol and New Avalon systems, or he’d expire aboard a DropShip in transit to or from the Jump Point. If Lithium-Fusion batteries existed at this point, a ship could jump from the nadir/zenith point to a pirate point close to Terra, then jump out to join up with the command circuit, but I think this predates LF technology, so a ship would’ve had to be pre-positioned at the pirate point in anticipation of such an eventuality.

The philosophical differences between the generations are very evident here, with Rhean becoming the core of an international group of young leaders akin to Victor Steiner-Davion’s clique in the 3050s, while the older generation, which grew up during the active fighting of the Age of War, still views their neighbors as potential enemies.  The Davion/Kurita split is the most contentious, due to Leonard’s drunken bellicosity and Alexander’s calls for punitive strikes.

Members of Houses Calderon, Amaris and Avellar are mentioned in passing as also being at Cavanaugh’s.  They are also in “observer” status while their states remain in territorial status, rather than being full members.

Tanya Kerensky is mentioned in passing in the Star League sourcebook as a Council Chamber guard who was hit by accident when Leonard Kurita threw a bottle at First Lord Nicholas Cameron and was subsequently stabbed to death by the crazed Coordinator.  "Fall From Grace" indicates that Kerensky’s ties to the Cameron family are somewhat stronger than her simply having been standing in the wrong place and the wrong time during a council session – identifying her as a member of the First Lord’s elite House regiment.  (The Northwind Highlanders scenario book notes that House Cameron had kept the Black Watch tradition alive for centuries as their personal household guards, and formed that guard into a BattleMech regiment upon becoming First Lord of the Star League.)
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:28:25 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #51 on: 30 January 2013, 07:06:51 »
Quote
Notes:  There must be one heck of a command circuit set up, since Zane thinks Alexander won’t live out the week, but plans to have him back to New Avalon within that timeframe.  A dedicated pony-express command circuit of JumpShips could do it, but they’d have to be pre-positioned at pirate points both in the Sol and New Avalon systems, or he’d expire aboard a DropShip in transit to or from the Jump Point. If Lithium-Fusion batteries existed at this point, a ship could jump from the nadir/zenith point to a pirate point close to Terra, then jump out to join up with the command circuit, but I think this predates LF technology, so a ship would’ve had to be pre-positioned at the pirate point in anticipation of such an eventuality.

Per TacOps (pg. 323), the lithium-fusion battery debuted in 2531, so it's entirely possible that LF-equipped JumpShips were involved (and since we're talking about a Successor Lord here, I'd bet on it being a near certainty).


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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #52 on: 30 January 2013, 08:35:35 »
Woah, i didn't think that Tanya Kerensky was also a Black Watch.  For minute there i though her family could have Northwind Highlander blood in them.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #53 on: 31 January 2013, 00:09:18 »
----- 3 Years Later -----

Date: December 19, 2602

Location: Terra

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The Star League Council is in session again, and Rhean attends with her father, Captain-General Brion Marik.  Rhean learns that House Marik worked to destabilize the FedSuns’ economy during the Age of War, and that House Davion is now bringing a formal protest before the council.  Brion opines that the protest is a side effect of internal FedSuns politics, as young First Prince Zane attempts to show his strength to his March Lords, who chafe under the restrictions placed on them by Alexander Davion after the Varnay coup attempt.  Brion justifies the FWL’s financial manipulations as a necessary gambit to force the Federated Suns into joining the Star League.  Brion doesn’t want the League’s dirty laundry aired in a council session, so he asks Rhean to talk to her friend Zane to settle the matter in private.  He frames it as a “test of her statesmanship.”

Rhean and Rinalla discuss the situation, with Rinalla teasing the Marik heir about being attracted to First Prince Zane.  Rhean plans to have a “working lunch with a friend” to resolve the matter, framing it as a “diplomatic negotiation.”  Rinalla responds that her mother, Crystalla, greatly enjoyed her “diplomatic negotiations” with Rhean’s grandfather on Canopus IV in 2584, during the occupation.

At the lunch, Zane and Rhean perform an intricate diplomatic dance that resolves the financial manipulation issue in the short term and significantly ratchets up the level of sexual tension between the two.  A talented negotiator, however, Rhean gets what she wanted without having given anything away, while leaving Zane hungering for more.

Notes:  The scenes between Rinalla and Rhean could be straight out of “Sex and the City”  (Sex and the Star League? – Rinalla = Samantha; Rhean = Carrie; Zane = Mr. Big?)  Victor/Isis evidently isn’t the first time Mariks and Davions have hit it off.

The “Fall From Grace” serial has, by this point, shifted from a “coming of age” story to galactic politics.  The guns of the Reunification War have fallen silent, but political machinations and romance are in full swing.  As the effective personification of the Star League, Rhean represents the alliance’s transition from a largely “all pull together to defeat the League’s enemies” attitude to more refined internal balancing of interests and desires.  Her growing interest in Zane reflects her personal loss of “grace”/innocence, while the revelation that Albert and Ian used underhanded tactics to forge their “shining beacon of humanity” does the same for the League.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:29:43 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #54 on: 01 February 2013, 06:18:02 »
----- 2 Years Later -----

Date: September 1-19, 2604

Location: Terra

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  The story opens, in media res, just seconds after Leonard Kurita fatally stabbed Tanya Kerensky in the Star League Council chambers.  Rhean and Zane are frantically providing first aid.

Flashbacks give an account of Leonard Kurita’s excesses (planet-hopping debauchery followed by abductions of children that look like him, provocative military maneuvers on border worlds, drinking and drugs).  To lessen tensions, he stopped attending council sessions, leaving the duty of representing the Combine to Siriwan McAllister-Kurita.

However, Leonard chose to attend the 2604 session, and arrived late and drunk, clutching a bottle of whisky and ranting at Nicholas Cameron – accusing him of trying to gut the Combine and steal his children.  He concluded by tossing the empty bottle at the First Lord, missing and hitting Tanya Kerensky instead as she jumped in front of Nicholas.  The impact caused her laser rifle to trigger, singing Kurita’s robe.  Enraged, he leaped forward and stabbed her in the chest.  His aide, Yatomo, rushed Leonard out the door and prevented any security personnel from following as the rest of the council erupted into a furor.  Zane, Rhean and Nicholas Cameron worked to save Tanya, but to no avail.

In the aftermath, a still shocked Rhean wonders what will come of the Coordinator’s parting statement – tantamount to a declaration of war against the Star League.  She offers FWL support in any conflict with House Kurita. 

Rhean ponders the injustice of a lout like Leonard Kurita (not dissimilar to her earlier antagonist Lambert Allison) enjoying power and impunity while a good person like Tanya is dead, leaving a three year old child without a mother.  Zane Davion comes to comfort her, and the emotion of the moment drives them to kiss.  Zane tells her he “knows a place.”

The place turns out to be a French villa, where Rhean awakens the next day with memories of champagne, a shuttle flight, passion on the lakeshore, and … oops … where are my pants?  She finds Zane putting the finishing touches on breakfast.  Rhean wonders what impact this will have on their legal issues from two years previously, noting that relations at this level aren’t just about sex – it’s politics.  Zane responds that he never mixes business and pleasure.  Further “diplomatic negotiations” commence, as Rinalla would say.

Two weeks later, still on Terra, Rhean attends the huge public memorial service for Tanya Kerensky in Red Square, Moscow.  In the weeks since the murder, all the great families of the Inner Sphere have gathered to show solidarity with the Camerons and the Star League.  Rhean is joined by her four brothers.  Unfortunately for Rhean’s romantic entanglement with Zane, he’s joined by his wife, Elaine Romera, and their four-month-old daughter, Sarah.

Tanya Kerensky is interred at the Novodevichiy Convent, alongside such famous Russians as Chekov, Eisenstein, Gogol, Gorbachev, and Tikonov.  Rhean can’t focus on the ceremony, however, as she’s enraged and hurt by the fact of Zane’s marriage.  Zane apologizes, and says that he views marriage as an open arrangement, and that he’d assumed Rhean knew he’d been married for four years.  He argues that Rhean could have had her intel service do a background check, if she’d really cared about such things.  Zane and Rhean share a final kiss, then she slaps him in the face and breaks off their relationship.

Notes:  If Tanya’s child is three in 2604, she was probably in early pregnancy when she first met Rhean in 2600.  As the Black Watch consists of fanatically loyal, highly elite troops in House Cameron’s personal service, it’s not surprising that she’d be able to return to active duty after a maternity leave. 

The Star League sourcebook account’s wording implies that the badly thrown bottle hit a council chamber guard and accidentally triggered the rifle shot.  This account clarifies that Tanya was there as the First Lord’s personal bodyguard, and that she jumped in front of Nicholas to protect him from Leonard’s assault.  A later mention is made that Rhean’s bodyguard, Evangeline, followed her out of the chambers, while Leonard had an aide named Yatomo watching his back. 

This implies that each delegation had their own bodyguards with them in the council chambers, and that the council members weren’t subject to screening before entering the chambers (letting Leonard bring in a knife, for example).  It brings to mind an anecdote from the Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary, noting that as political tensions increased in the 1850s, members of Congress began carrying personal sidearms when in session.  How heavily armed were Star League council delegates and their bodyguards when in the council chambers?  One would think that a strict “no-weapons except for neutral guards” (like the Clans’ Ebon Keshik) rule would be a good policy.

This still predates the establishment the HPG communications network, so it would have taken somewhat more effort for Rhean to catch up on FedSuns society pages than in the 31st century.  Given the mention of courier ships in “Memories of Rain,” it’s probable that each capital was linked to Terra by dedicated command circuits of JumpShips on standby, allowing news of the attack to reach the centers of power quickly, and for the ruling families to reach Terra in time for the funeral.  (One day travel time each way, plus 8-15 days of in-system transit time to/from jump points.)  [Author Chris Hartford confirms that each House Lord had a command circuit set up between Terra and their capital world.]

Another mention is made of a distinctive Davion accent, which is described as having ‘crisp tones.’  It’s more understandable for such an accent to be applied to Zane, since he is a Davion, after all.  I can’t recall whether Hanse, Victor or any other Davions were ever noted as having an accent.  If not, it may be that the accent faded with the centuries.  The Star League Standard English that Rhean and the others are speaking certainly changed over time, since the Clan sourcebooks note that the Clanner use of Star League Standard English (albeit without contractions) sounds archaic to the 31st century Spheroid ear.  (Horrors!  It could be that Hanse’s “Davion accent” isn’t remarkable because everyone talks like that in 3025!  :o)

Interesting to see Oleg Tikonov in the list of famous Russians buried at the convent.  I guess they managed to find enough pieces after the bomb blast, before the USSR was torn apart by the 2nd Soviet Civil War.

Chris Hartford has revealed a number of Easter Eggs seeded into this chapter: Rhean’s bodyguard Evangeline Sukhanov (Evie for short) is a distant ancestor of Zhang Sukhanov, founder of a Snow Raven bloodline.  The balcony where Zane and Rhean have breakfast is the same one seen in the MechWarrior novel “Sword of Sedition,” where Caleb Davion pitches his father over the railing to his death.  All of Rhean’s dogs through the story are named after characters from the Illiad.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:31:20 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.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #55 on: 02 February 2013, 00:15:55 »
----- 3 Months Later -----

Date: December 22, 2604

Location: Atreus

Title: Fall from Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Rhean’s brother Albrecht stops to buy flowers on his way to bring a secret document connected to the death of his aunt Therese (William Liao’s wife).  Unaware of the irony, he notes that the document’s contents are “explosive.”  Seconds after leaving the flower shop, his car detonates, killing him.

Captain-General Brion Marik is interrupted by his head of security, Ross MacArthur, who informs him there’s been an incident, and escorts him to where other Mariks in the palace have been gathered.  Brion orders Rhean to liaise with the National Intelligence Agency in addition to her work coordinating the logistics for FWLM support for an SLDF war with the Draconis Combine.

Notes:  Agent MacArthur seems a little too on top of the situation.  The echoes from the blast have no sooner reached Brion’s ears than he enters with full details on the situation.  (Literally seconds after the blast – not even enough time for Brion to reach for the intercom button.)  Since it was probable that the document concerned Marion Marik’s involvement in Therese’s death and resultant pruning of the Marik-Liao branch of the family tree, it looks like the assassination order was done to cover it up, and that MacArthur is in on it.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:33:30 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #56 on: 03 February 2013, 08:01:06 »
----- 5 Days Later -----

Date: December 27, 2604

Location: Marik

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  Rhean, abruptly promoted to “Warden of the Perimeter Defenses” following Albrecht’s death, presides over a strategy planning meeting of the Seven Sons of Solon at FLWM HQ on Marik, conferring with Duke Narinder Selaj of Regulus (whom she displaced as Warden), NIA Director Maria Kreiss, and her old nemesis Lambert Allison, now Duke of Oriente.  They report that, as of December 12th, First Lord Cameron was massing the SLDF near Dieron, while rumors of mysterious deaths among the Kuritan ruling family have been leaking out of the Combine.  If the Leonard Kurita crisis isn’t resolved diplomatically, the SLDF timeline calls for an offensive in March 2605, once the FWL’s task forces (Eagle and Hawk) arrive.

Rhean attempts to establish confidence in her command abilities, despite her lack of significant military command experience at this level.  She discusses Albrecht’s death and says that the early investigations point to pirates that Albrecht was investigating.  However, once she leaves the room, Lambert and Narinder exchange highly suspicious comments.  Lambert still bears intense personal animosity towards Rhean from their time together at Princefield.

Notes:  The command circuits used by Great House leaders can really get you where you want to go quickly!  Rhean went from the surface of Atreus to the surface of Marik in five days.  For reference, it’s 16 days from Atreus to its standard jump points, and nearly six from Marik’s jump points to the surface.  The FWL must have had JumpShips on standby at pirate jump points close to each planet, as well as command circuits on standby between major worlds.  Historical: Reunification War notes that the expense of maintaining so many command circuits of JumpShips was a factor that severely limited the size of Great House WarShip fleets during the Age of War and Reunification War.

Rhean probably transmitted news of Albrecht’s death immediately upon entering the system at a pirate jump point, since it’s doubtful a courier ship could have arrived before she did to bring the news from Atreus.  (Not impossible, though, since the SLDF’s courier network was clocked at bringing a message from Terra to the Outworlds Alliance border in three days).  Of course, there are other ways that Lambert and Narinder could know about Albrecht’s demise…
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:34:19 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Wrangler

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #57 on: 03 February 2013, 10:51:51 »
Dec 27th 2604, Fall from Grace.

Did you get the impression that arthur may have goofed on how much of time glad there was suppose to be considered there no HPG and limits of a JumpShip courier service?
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #58 on: 03 February 2013, 11:28:20 »
Author Chris Hartford has stated that while the transit times are tight, he wanted to show that the pre-HPG era was characterized by vast networks of JumpShip command circuits for sending messages via couriers and for transporting VIPs.  It was expensive, but seen as vital for allowing a central authority to administer a far flung star empire.  Since speed would have been a priority, it wouldn't make sense to have the first-leg ship waiting at the zenith or nadir point, since that would add a week or more. 

As Kojak pointed out, L-F batteries allowing double-jumps debuted in the 2500s, so the timing works if you assume that the rulers of the Star League had L-F battery-equipped personal transports that could link to command circuits.  (In a later installment, Rhean notes that the trip to Terra involves making three jumps a day along the command circuit.) 

The expense of having so many expensive JumpShips on standby means that only high priority message and the most important individuals can use the networks, while commercial goods and lower priority communiques have to go the slow way of jump-recharge-jump.  Notably, even the Lyran Archon was denied the use of the SLDF courier network because her reason for travel was an internal Lyran matter, and not official SLDF business.

As far as word of Albrecht's death preceding Rhean, information can be transmitted to the zenith or nadir jump points much faster than ships can travel, allowing a courier on standby at the regular point to get the message and be on their way before Rhean could have gotten offworld to the nearest pirate point herself.  The only issue there is that if the courier went out over the network from Atreus to Marik, then the ships would still be recharging when Rhean tried to follow the same route.  (It's possible, I guess, for there to be substantial redundancy to prevent a heavily trafficked command circuit from being exhausted - further increasing the expense.)
« Last Edit: 03 February 2013, 11:32:14 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Star League Era
« Reply #59 on: 04 February 2013, 06:41:13 »
----- 6 Years Later -----

Date: November 2, 2610

Location: Terra

Title: Fall From Grace

Author: Chris Hartford

Type: Serialized Novel (BattleCorps)

Synopsis:  At a reception on Terra, Rhean (now 42) chats with Tomasina Cameron, who as a little girl provided the inspiration for the lopsided “Cameron Star” that became the Star League emblem.  Rhean is accompanied by her fiancé, Baron Carlton Allison of Oriente, but despite his love for her, she doesn’t feel the same passion she felt for Zane.  However, Captain-General-Dad Brion Marik has ordered her to get to work producing heirs (telling her to choose or have someone chosen for her), and the two are due to be wed in June of 2611.

Coordinator Sanethia Kurita is also in attendance, having ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne following Leonard Kurita’s sudden, and providential, death (rumored to have been engineered by the venerable Siriwan Kurita).

Amid the press of meet-and-greets, she ends up face to face with Zane Davion, with whom she’s not spoken since Moscow.  He says that one of his aides is distracting Rhean's fiancé, and he just wants to talk.  He advises her not to get trapped in a loveless marriage, like his.  They argue.  They kiss.  Zane “knows a place.”  “Diplomatic negotiations” ensue.

Notes:  Another episode of “Sex in the Star League” (followed by an encore presentation of “Rinalla Does Regulus”). What is it with Marik women and Davion men?  (Rhean/Zane; Isis/Victor) 

There are a lot of quick references to major events elsewhere in the Sphere – notably the peaceful resolution of the Leonard Kurita problem, after he succumbed to the traditional chronic case of “bad eels” that crops up whenever the rest of the Kurita clan judges the Coordinator to be overdue for a dinner date with his revered ancestors.

Despite Rhean’s stated intent to reign alone and childless, passing the Captain-Generalship to one of her brothers or their heirs, her father is insisting that she have some of her own.  Not an unreasonable request for House Marik, since two of Rhean’s brothers have already died – Brion is worried that there might not be any left by the time she’s ready to pass the baton.
« Last Edit: 29 April 2013, 21:35:29 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.