**This is the complete index of my writings and other projects.**
Technical ReadoutsTRO 3028: Know Thy Enemy
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=52091.0TRO 2866: Rise of the Scavengers
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=48828.msg1127429#msg1127429Touman 3049: Eve of Armageddon
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=65075.0Dark Age Warbook (Draft)
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=64762.0Unseen: A History of FASA, Battledroids and BattleTech
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Unseen:_A_History_of_FASA,_Battledroids_and_BattleTechMulti-Part SeriesChronicles of the 69th Virginia Expeditionary Force (.zip pdf download)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WCbLqU2FiIeH2EkcnZrPPekVSzMik9iuFirst Sanglamore Training Cadre (Part 1-5)
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1050855#msg1050855Iktomi (Part 1-5)
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1065850#msg1065850Short Circuit (Part 1-3)
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1131020#msg1131020Through a Mirror Dimly (Part 1- 18)
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1148259#msg1148259The Noble Leaf
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1231433#msg1231433The Liberator
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1489732#msg1489732Short Stories#134 - Been there, salvaged that
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg953400#msg953400#135 - Cinderella
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg954132#msg954132Tribble #136 - Project: Venom
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg954948#msg954948Tribble #137 - Untitled
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg954995#msg954995Tribble #140 - Untitled
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg955840#msg955840Tribble #148 - The Old Ways Are Dead
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg957187#msg957187Tribble #149 - Untitled
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=11988.msg957357#msg957357The Medium Laser - a lecture delivered by Dr. Garbald Hansen in 3025
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45577.msg1049456#msg1049456Assassin ASN-99 "Green Destiny" (3068)
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45602.msg1049975#msg1049975Dual Fusion Technology - A speech by Dame Leslie Zeeman delivered on 15 Nov. 2840
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=49553.0Big Fish, Little Pond
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1050265#msg1050265Good Business
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1050267#msg1050267Tales from the Cobalt Tale #13
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1050277#msg1050277Demons and Angels
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1271027#msg1271027Carnwath Industrial Equipment and the Reaper IndustrialMech
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1599058#msg1599058Black Caravel
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=45614.msg1617499#msg1617499----
"Big Fish, Little Pond."
Sian
Capellan Confederation
10 March 3056
Mandrinn Dan Lao-Tzu, CEO of Shengli Arms, had put on his hanfu for this occasion. The style of dress reached all the way back to the Shang Dynasty on Terra some 4,000 years before. It consisted of a yi, a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called chang, worn with a bixi, a length of fabric that reached the knees.
The silk was dyed a vivid Capellan green, and richly embroidered with the orange sunburst and black markings of his company’s logo. He had chosen to wear a weimao gua on his head, shaped vaguely like an upturned cup, it denoted his importance as a high official of one of the major defense industries of the Confederation.
He had deliberated deeply on his choice of attire for this important conference. Every element he’d chosen had been done so with careful attention to its symbolism. Here in Zi-Jin Cheng, the Forbidden City, everything held deep meaning. An entire conversation would take place simply by examining the attire of the other attendees, statements made, and opening positions staked out by nothing more than the choice of their headwear.
He had been summoned here from Victoria, where Shengli’s primary factory, located deep beneath the surface, was located. Initially discovered as the Third Succession War was winding down, Chancellor Romano Liao had made a valiant effort to restore the Star League era BattleMech research facility in the aftermath of the devastating losses the Confederation had sustained during the Fourth Succession War.
The facility had been designed to produce four different lines of BattleMechs, along will almost all of their associated components. Of the four, the only one which had ever actually made it into production was the Sling, a fast 35-ton fire support ‘Mech. But only a few had been manufactured, never having progressed past the prototype stage. And all of them had been taken by Aleksandr Kerensky with him on the Exodus.
However, Chancellor Romano Liao had seized a dubious opportunity during the War of ’39 to strike at what she believed was the lightly defended border of the Federated Suns by sending McCarron’s Armored Calvary on a series of the deep raids.
Unfortunately, her efforts had ultimately come to nothing after the then, Capellan March commander Duke Morgan Hasek-Davion, led a successful counterattack targeting Victoria, among a number of other industrialized planets, in retribution for the raids by the Capellan sponsored mercenary group.
The counterattack all but destroyed the facility, delaying its reconstruction for years.
Until Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao's Xin Sheng or ‘New Birth’ movement.
The Chancellor had poured resources into the damaged facility, and in conjunction with the wealth of information from the Helm Memory Core, and with the help of the nearby Victoria Academy of Arms and Technology, also reinvigorated by Xin Sheng funds, Shengli Arms was born.
The first run of ‘Mechs from the refurbished facility were being field tested even now. The 25-ton Duan Gung, based on the Star League Sling design, symbolized Xin Sheng, the exterior of the ‘Mech having been completely changed to adhere to the new design esthetic. A fast fire support ‘Mech, it incorporated many of the recent technological advances, including an Endo-steel chassis, an Extra-light fusion engine and double heat sinks. Armed with a Zeus LRM-10 missile launcher, a pair of Martell medium lasers, and protected by four tons of Valiant DefCo armor, it introduced entirely new capabilities for CCAF scout ‘Mechs.
The light ‘Mechs of the CCAF were dominated by the centuries old triumvirate of the Locust, Stinger, and Wasp, augmented by the few Jackals they managed to purchase from Earthwerks Limited’s flagship Keystone plant in the neighboring Free Worlds League where it was headquartered.
The irony was not lost on him. The Confederation had lost the massive Earthwerks Limited facility on Tikonov during the Fourth Succession War and along with it access to numerous BattleMech and aerospace assembly lines, most notably the Quickdraw along with the venerable, but still capable, Thunderbolt, and the Transit and Thrush aerospace fighters.
Earthwerks Limited had been founded on Tikonov, but between the Federated Suns gains during the Fourth Succession War and the subsequent succession of the St. Ives Compact, only their plants on Ares and Grand Base remained in Capellan hands. And of the two, only the Grand Base plant produced BattleMechs, all older upgraded designs with the exception of the Cataphract.
The Cataphract was a story in its own right. Desperate for an entirely locally produced heavy ‘Mech after decades of losses during the Succession Wars, the 70-ton design was made almost entirely from components found in other ‘Mechs the Confederation could still produce, notably the Marauder, Shadow Hawk and Phoenix Hawk. And it was referred to derogatorily as a “FrankenMech” for just that reason.
To make matters worse, shortly after launching production of the Cataphract on Tikonov, the Armed Forces Federated Suns took control of the planet, leaving the sole production line in the hands of their enemy. House Davion modified the original design incorporating newly available technology, and suddenly the Capellans found themselves facing their own ‘Mech. By now, however, it had been relegated primarily to AFFS militia units.
Subsequently, Earthwerks Limited opened another Cataphract production line at their Grand Base facility, once again producing a Capellan version of the heavy ‘Mech, but it would always carry the stigma of having been fielded by the AFFS in larger numbers. But the ultimate outcome was that Earthweks Limited was simply no longer able to provide the CCAF with the sheer number of BattleMechs it had in the past.
However, Hellespont Industrials, founded here on Sian, had stepped in to help fill that gap with the production of their Raven, a 35-ton ‘Mech optimized for electronic warfare. It was generally regarded as the first entirely new design in centuries when they had first begun production in 3024. In fact, its introduction also marked Hellespont Industrials return to BattleMech production.
Once second only to the vaunted Earthwerks Limited in terms of BattleMech production for the CCAF, their flagship factory on Betelgeuse had been reduced to scrap by the repeated attacks of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery and the Free Worlds League Military over the course of the Succession Wars.
In an effort to save as much of their production capacity as possible, Hellespont had relocated what it could here to Sian, where they now produced the vast majority of combat vehicles and light ‘Mechs for the CCAF.
And their CEO, Mandrissa Alana Morgaine, would also be at the conference.
In fact, so would Duchess Lindon Rivoli, the CEO of Ceres Metals, headquartered on Capella, and undeniably the strongest and largest off all the defense industries located in Capellan space.
It was also the least trust worthy. Ceres Metals maintained facilities on St. Ives, Indicass, and Warlock, all located in the rebellious St. Ives Compact, where they manufactured arms for the St. Ives Military Command led by the traitorous Prime Minister Candace Liao. And, as if to add insult to injury, their production plant on Tikonov, along with Earthwerks Limited’s plant, had been in the hands of the Federated Commonwealth since the end of the Fourth Succession War.
Nonetheless, Ceres Metals was a huge and successful conglomerate, conducting business across the entire Inner Sphere, with over 500 factories on over 100 worlds, producing everything from personal firearms to civilian ground vehicles.
Which made them loyal to one thing, and one thing only. Money. Ceres Metals sold their products to whoever could pay, and converted their factories to produce whatever people wanted to buy. Nowhere was this more clearly demonstrated than on St. Ives, where Ceres Metals had converted the iconic Capellan Vindicator production line over to the Blackjack BJ-3, one of the first ‘Mechs to utilize double heats as standard equipment, and a model much more palatable to the fledgling St. Ives Compact.
But with its long arms, and extensive interstellar network, it was a necessary evil. Able to get materials and components not available in Capellan space, it was a critical source of materials even outside of its production facilities on Capella and Menke.
StarCorps would be here as well. Founded, and originally based on Fletcher, the Succession Wars had reduced their lines there to a shadow of their former self, and while nominally under the control of the Federated Commonwealth, Capellan nationals even now contested the planet. Their current headquarters were on Crofton, in House Davion space, but they still maintained facilities on Menke producing the Liao version of the iconic Warhammer. They also had factories in the Free Worlds League, the St. Ives Compact, and also in the House Steiner portion of the huge Federated Commonwealth. What made them notable, however, was the fact they produced almost exclusively heavy and assault class BattleMechs.
Lao-Tzu smiled. Assault class BattleMechs. There was not a single manufacturing center in the entire Capellan Confederation capable of producing assault class machines. But that would change soon enough. Shengli Arms already had a working Yu Huang prototype. Ninety tons and built with all the latest advances in technology including a Chariot Type II Endo-steel chassis and a massive Hermes 360 XL engine, the LB-X Class 20 autocannon in its right arm was the true crowning achievement. A weapon so massive, so destructive, it took not only the entire right arm, but a section of the right torso as well to fit it into the chassis. And it was fully jump capable.
It had been designed at the Chancellor’s personal request and named after the Jade Emperor that rules the Heavenly Court in ancient Chinese mythos. The Chancellor had described his goals for the ‘Mech by saying, “it shall sit in judgment over a battlefield, meting out justice to those who would transgress against us."
And with seventeen tons of Star Shell armor, it would be able to sit in judgment for a long time.
Jiang-juns from the Strategios, which oversaw the military bureaucracy of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces, would be at the conference as well, along with officials from the Ministry of Defense. Shengli Arms had already received generous grants, resources, and technical expertise as part of Chancellor Sun Tzu-Liao’s Xin Sheng program.
It was a great honor to be invited to the Forbidden City, and the people attending were all highly placed business, military, and political leaders, some who even had the ear of the Chancellor himself. It was his first time attending. Shengli Arms had not yet even delivered its first BattleMech to the CCAF, and he was already being placed on equal footing with Hellespont Industrials and Ceres Metals.
He would make bold, strong promises. Starting with the Duan Gung next year, he would restore another of the four assembly lines every two years until the facility reached full capacity. The Jinggau would come next. Sixty-five tons and built around another massive weapon, the Zhi-tong-yao Gauss Rifle, it also utilized both Endo-Steel and the latest weight saving advances in fusion engines.
With rediscovered nationalism spreading like wildfire, he’d had no trouble finding people, good people, willing to work around the clock even in the underground caverns that housed the bulk of the facility. People who believed in the Korvin Doctrine, which deemed subservience to a ‘greater humanity’ a necessary trait of human beings in the star-faring age. The ‘greater humanity’ meaning, of course, the Capellan Confederation, and the subservience, to the Chancellor’s will.
He found himself swept up in the fervor as well. The time for living in fear of the vaunted Federated Commonwealth, which extended across the entire Inner Sphere, was over. The paranoia had died along with the former Chancellor, Romano Liao. And the Chancellor’s fiancé, Isis Marik, was the daughter of Captain-General Thomas Marik, the leader of the Free Worlds League. And it was generally accepted that meant the border they shared was now secure.
Shengli Arms stood ready to do their part to return the Capellan Confederation to their rightful and respected place among the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere. It was why he’d accepted the opportunity to lead the recently rejuvenated defense contractor. They were by far the youngest defense company represented, not yet even a hundred years old.
His first meeting was with Mandrissa Alana Morgaine, the CEO of Hellespont Industrials.
He stopped to admire the stone and brick temple before entering it. Eight graceful wooden columns, topped with ornate five-clawed dragons, supported the red tiled multi-inclined roof. It faced due south, as did all the important buildings in the Forbidden City, perfectly bilateral and highly articulated. Barely three stories high, it was based on architectural techniques developed back in the Song Dynasty on Terra, almost 2,000 years ago.
The Forbidden City itself was a source of Capellan pride. It symbolized the enduring nature of their culture, serving as a tribute to its rich and ancient history. The bracket and cantilever arms, the dovetail and stepped bevel splice joints of the tie and cross beams which supported the temple, were all faithfully reproduced from the most ancient of building manuals, the Yingzao Fashi.
And auspicious place indeed for a meeting.
He passed up the steps of the siheyuan, appearing moments later in a large meticulously maintained courtyard. Precisely laid granite slabs formed a winding, twisting path through the lush gardens. Primrose, rhododendron, wisteria, spiraea, Chinese orchids, corylopsis, all perfectly manicured, dotted the garden providing rich bursts of pink, red, white and vibrant purples. Unlike the temple itself which was perfectly symmetrical, the garden was a study in curves and asymmetry.
The overall effect was one of profound serenity and tranquility. As he softly tread across the granite walkway, Lao-Tzu could hear the musical notes of flowing water as it cascaded into a large pool speckled with floating lotus blossoms.
There was something so enticing, so primitive, so instinctual about water. It inevitably drew the soul towards it. As he strode around the bend, drawn to its sound as if it possessed some intrinsic form of gravity all its own, he saw Mandrissa Alana Morgaine standing in front of the pool lost in contemplation.
She was dressed in a traditional ruqun, her blouse, or ru, was made of silk dyed a brilliant gold, while her wraparound skirt, the qun, was dyed a rich earthy burnt umber, the cuffs and borders each dyed in the complementing color. An ornate red braid hung from underneath her waist skirt, ending in a jade ornament styled after the Hellespont Industrials company logo. Her steel gray hair was piled artfully atop her head, a jade bianfang holding it in place. It was plaited into the shape of a swallowtail in the classic style of Manchu nobility, known as qitou.
He approached the meditation pond quietly. A school of Choten gan, or Celestial eye goldfish, swam lazily through the clear fresh water, stopping occasionally to nibble at the lily pads, their paired fantail fins undulating gracefully in the gentle current.
Without looking up, Madrissa Alana Morgaine broke the silence.
“We represent the strength of the Confederation. We alone remain true to the Celestial Throne. The others ply their wares throughout the Inner Sphere, including to our enemies. Except, perhaps, Lord Jason Hollis, but with Corey in the hands of the Federated Commonwealth, there is little he can do but wait.”
Morgaine lifted her head and turned, fixing him with her steely eyes. Though she had seen the passing of two Chancellors, her eyes revealed her strong vitality. “But he will not have to wait much longer, Mandrinn Dan Lao-Tzu. Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao will restore all that has been taken from us in the past decades. The madness that took his grandfather, Maximilian, and his mother Romano, will not take him. I have seen his inner conviction, his strength of mind, his dedication. And I have guessed his purpose.”
Lao-Tzu lifted his eyebrows as he held her gaze, but said nothing. He felt as if her look was excoriating his mind, ripping away the outer layers, stripping his mind bare and leaving his most private, most sacred thoughts exposed to her. She had been the CEO of Hellespont Industrials for over 30 years, and had seen the waning of the Confederation first hand.
Her eyes never left his as she continued. “The Chancellor intends war. You would do well to heed my prognostication. At this conference, Hellespont Industrials will make two major announcements. The first is the development of the Men Shen. Based on our successful Raven, although significantly heavier, this will be the first Capellan ‘Mech to incorporate modular Omni-Pod technology. It will be the first Capellan OmniMech and it will be built right here on Sian.”
Mandrissa Morgaine’s lips cracked into a smile, revealing a set of heavily tea stained teeth. “I will also be gifting the Chancellor a number of our latest BattleMechs as a token of appreciation for the generosity his Xin Sheng program has shown my company.”
She folded her hands together, lowering them to indicate he could speak now if he wished.
Mandrinn Dan Lao-Tzu steepled his hands in front of him. “Shengli Arms has benefitted greatly from the Chancellor’s initiative as well, Mandrissa. I would be honored if you would allow me to contribute to your gesture. I have a pair of Duan Gungs and an early version of our Jinggau if it pleases you to accept them.”
Morgaine inclined her head slightly. “It does, Mandrinn Lao-Tzu. I intend to approach Lord Jason Hollis, Mandrinn Trenton Volgers, Duchess Lindon Rivoli, and Dame Juri McMahon as well. Your generous additions will encourage their participation as well.”
Lao-Tzu smiled. “It is my sincere hope that Shengli Arms and Hellespoint Industrials can work together on many things for the benefit of the Confederation.”
Morgaine looked at him appraisingly, her shrewd eyes glittering with interest as she waited for him to continue.
“The Star League factory we rebuilt on Victoria was more than just a BattleMech production facility. It was also a center for SLDF research and development. I am sure you have heard of the Star League’s Null Signature System. It appeared on only two ‘Mechs, the EXT-4D Exterminator and the SPR-4F Spector.”
“The Exterminator was produced exclusively by General Systems on the then Terran Hegemony world of Caph until their assembly line was destroyed in 2793 shortly after the start of the First Succession War. All of the Exterminators were thought to have been destroyed by the end of that conflict, and since then there have only been rumors of the -4D model among the ComGuards. Of course, before we lost Nanking to that traitorous dog Pavel Ridzik, Kallon Industries briefly resurrected the design, but lacking both the speed and the advanced stealth systems, they only produced twenty-five of the -4A variants before ultimately shutting the line back down.”
“However, the Spector’s story is much more interesting. It too was thought lost with the fall of the Star League. However, Griff Storm, the Commanding Officer of the mercenary group Storm’s Metal Thunder, discovered another old Star League ‘Mech factory, this time on the Lyran Commonwealth planet of Loxley in 3034. By 3046, Griff Storm, along with his new business partner Samuel Norse, had resurrected the defunct factory and founded Norse-Storm Technologies Incorporated with the help of the Lyran government. In 3053 they began producing the SPR-5F Spector. Like the -4A Exterminator, it too lacked the original stealth systems of the -4F, but as a light ‘Mech design it has proved quite successful even without the advanced technology. In fact, McCarron’s Armored Calvary has purchased a number of SPR-5Fs from Norse-Storm Technologies for their own use.”
Lao-Tzu smiled, pausing for moment to savor his upcoming revelation. “Norse-Storm Technologies also recovered a number of original Star League era SPR-4F Spectors as well, likely from a cache located within the rediscovered factory. I suspect this is where the Spector memory core, along with the material samples Shengli Arms has been provided with came from, although I cannot confirm that.”
Morgaine arched her finely chiseled eyebrows in interest.
“However, what is not generally known, is that when the data recovery teams completed their work on the memory core of the reactivated research facility on Victoria, they were able to recover an almost complete set of blueprints for the Star League Null Signature System. Working with the materials engineering department of the Victoria Academy of Arms and Technology, we have been able to produce armor plating which integrates the heat baffles as well as the required components directly into the armor itself. We refer to this product as ‘Stealth Armor.’”
Lao-Tzu smiled in satisfaction as Mandrissa Morgaine’s eyes sparkled with interest before continuing.
“Hellespont Industrials is well known for their pioneering work on the Guardian electronic warfare suite. And it is here that I propose we combine our efforts. Our incarnation of the ‘Steath Armor’ requires an ECM suite to manage its operation. Your Raven is well established as the premier electronic warfare platform, and as such, includes both the Guardian ECM suite, as well as the Beagle Active Probe. I believe if our two companies work together, not only can we perfect the ‘Stealth Armor,’ we can create a variant of the Raven with enhanced stealth capabilities, and I can think of no ‘Mech better suited to introduce this new technology on.”
It took only a fraction of a second for Morgaine to respond. “The Chancellor’s confidence in Shengli Arms is well placed. Working together we can produce a generation of Capellan ‘Mechs even more advanced than those produced by the vaunted Star League. This new technology will all but guarantee the Confederation will regain what has been lost. This is a new day indeed. The Chancellor’s Xin Sheng programs will restore the glory of the Confederation and ensure the other Great Houses treat us with the respect we deserve. Let us work out the details of your proposal. Hellespont Industrials stands ready to aid in your efforts.”
Mandrinn Dan Lao-Tzu lowered his head in respect. “Thank you, Mandrissa. I look forward to a long to mutually beneficial relationship between our two organizations.”
---
