Author Topic: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War  (Read 143014 times)

panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #90 on: 25 May 2016, 14:12:57 »
Excerpt from “Liberating the Tamar March on 5 C-Bills a day”, Kommandant Sara Bennigan, AFFC (Ret), McMillan-New Avalon Press, New Avalon, 3069
“I remember the first time I found out about Clover Spear. It was late in the summer of 3055 on Koniz..which was known for bestial summers. Nothing like back home on Chesterton, it’s like Koniz only had two seasons, winter and summer, and they both sucked. There was about 100-150 of us in a rented warehouse on Koniz..and my god it was hot. The locals didn’t like anybody much, except themselves..and I won’t even mention the fact that all life was left handed amino acid based, so we couldn’t eat it..and vice versa, yet it did not prevent it from trying.

So, there we were, being briefed on an operation that was probably going to change the damn face of the Inner Sphere, and they could not spare something for some portable A/C! God I hated Koniz..not much to recommend that place. The idea we were finally doing something..and getting off of Koniz made a lot of folks in my company happy, including myself.

So there we were, standing at attention, waiting for the briefer to come in..in no less than personage than Marshal Poulin himself. The command of “take seats” bellowed out, and we screamed the Argyle Lancers motto. “For God, Argyle, and Davion!” and took our now scalding hot metal seats (of which I still have the scars on my arse to prove it. Thank god we were not wearing Mechwarrior togs that day.)

After a moment of trying to find the most comfortable position of which to endure this small indignity, we were treated to some short remarks about how important an operation this was that we were about to embark on and how we will be able to tell our grandkids that we spearheaded the operation that would drive the Clans back from whence they came. Now, I will admit, I was droning off, but when I heard that comment..the first thought that came to my mind was. Christ, Hanse got divorced and no one told us. He only started major wars on his wedding day, don’t you know!

In any case, Colonel Bannock soon took over and I was beginning to nod off again, I can read the damn briefing notes and the oporder. It was becoming death by Powerpoint 3050 I suppose…when he said..”..and as always, our irrepressible Hauptmann Bennigan will lead off, and find and fix the clanners in place so the rest of us can smash them!”

Memory does not serve to recall the look on my face at that moment…but a friend assured me it was something between daggers at Colonel Bannock for again volunteering my boys and girls to play pop up targets for the Tankers, and wonder if I could hire a couple of Tong hitmen from back home to wack the Colonel?...I do remember my response “Colonel darling, we are so delighted to be in the lead again!” The hell I was. And don’t think, dear reader, that my Medal Excalibur says otherwise. I’d rather have my favorite left leg back.”

Page 199, “Reflections”, by Victor Steiner-Davion, Davion Palace Press, New Avalon, 3071

As 3055 became 3056, the movement of forces began to accelerate, the logistical demands just for the buildup became nothing short of titanic. How we managed to surprise the Clans at all is beyond me, especially when the Marik/Capellan Alliance got off that nasty little surprise in September. We did notice their movements to an extent, but it is hard getting good intelligence out of a closed society like the Capellan Confederation. In short, they hoodwinked us to a good extent. Not completely, as we knew we would get hit..the size of the hit..that shocked us.

That, and the depths the Capellans were willing to go to paralyze us. But more on that later, especially since my prosthesis is itching like crazy right now as I write this.
As I said, it was incredible the logistical effort that was required just to sustain the AFFC units massing in Tamar. Every projection we sent to my father..he said “double it”. Panapour was working three shifts just to produce enough autocannon ammunition…

I will never forget the night of August 1st, 3056. It was our last conference before Clover Spear kicked off. We’d been doing 18 hour days and we were dead on our feet..some staff flak was presenting the final projected enemy prisoner of war figures and what we’d need to care for them..and all of a sudden…I hear this infernal snoring…well, I am just mad as hell. Somebody’s fallen asleep here at the damn last conference before this mighty endeavor kicks off.. I just lost it. “Who the hell is snoring?” I roared.

God bless Ardan Sortek. He leaned over with an impish smile and looked me right in the eye with his smartphone facing me. And there was a lovely, MP10 quality image of me, the very First Prince of the Federated Suns..sawing wood like a lumberjack.

If that does not teach you any damn form of humility…nothing will.”

Page 166, “Blood of a Partisan”

"...they say you never know a guy till you fight him. I can thus, safely say. I know Jade Falcons very well..especially how to kill them in a variety of un-amusing ways. With the arrival of the Rabid Foxes, we went on nothing less than a rampage.
 
We hit numerous small targets of opportunity, anywhere those Green Pidgeon bastards hung out, we hit, hard. Drive bys, IEDs, truck bombs, hell once, we flew an traffic drone into one of their dropships filled with munitions..that made a very nice bang, I do tell you. Explosives though, became our stock and trade. But our piece de resistance, well, that was the Clawfell job.

The Clawfell job was a demolition of the James Clawfell Memorial Bridge. Mr. Clawfell was a local boy who had made good during the Star League. Won the Star League Medal of Honor for some brave fool thing back during the Aramis revolt. They’d named a bridge after him when he and his family had left along with Kerensky. Guess we saved the planetary nobility the trouble of renaming the bridge later on, right?

The Clawfell Bridge was a large, modern structure, and like most bridges in Tamar, was pre-chambered for demolition. The only reason it wasn’t blown when the Tankers came was because well, things fell apart too fast for it to matter. But now, our FC benefactors wanted the bridge out of the picture, for reasons of which they did not deign to tell us. But it obviously was of some importance, that was for sure.

So, we briefed, rehearsed and then briefed again. We were getting rather good at this sort of thing. Yes, there was a point of Elementals, backed up by a couple of 2nd line ‘Mechs..and yes, there was all kinds of other issues..but our recon had found one chink in the Clanner security plan. They’d forgotten about the damn river. Simply put, they didn’t pay it any mind because they thought we would simply come at them head on and try to take it from them. After all the mayhem and chaos we were inflicting?

You would think the Tankers would have learned something?

The plan as it was, was genius. We wired up several charges of C-9 explosive on a command detonator…with a backup contact fuze. All of the charges were designed as shaped charges designed to vent all of their force against the bridge pylons. Add in a preprogrammed route into an R/C boat brain (Trying to control the boats might have prematurely set off the explosive.), and you have a fairly sneaky way to take down a bridge. We had a total of six charges...1 for each of the pylons..and two backups, just in case.

The good thing about the Clawfell Bridge, was that it, like most bridges, would not survive the loss of two of its four pylons..so long as the pylons that were destroyed were on the same side. So, as it was, the mission was relatively simple..relatively.

After a two day trek through the Great Wetlands, we came to the Balduri River, crossed by the Clawfell Bridge. Security had not changed at all..and they still were not paying a bit of mind to the water. You’re going to regret that in a few moments..Mr. Tanker was all I could think. While our heavy weapons and snipers set up (They were there to occupy the Clan Elementals long enough for the bombs to reach their targets…if that’s what it took.) The bridge itself was 1000 meters long, and of a truss design that was pretty economical I guess...

I looked over the device. It was a simple, circular thing..with a mix of foliage and mud stuck to the top so as to make our infernal device look like simple junk drifting along with the river. The firing circuit, the guidance system, and the wiring, all looked good. I reattached the cover, then inspected the remaining five submersibles, amazingly, they all were good to go.
 
I placed the first submersible into the water..it was about 10 kilos in weight..about 3 meters long..and filled to the brims with C-9. It took to the water quickly…and the motor kicked in with a start..leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake as it slowly made its way towards the bridge, some three kilometers downstream. We placed three more subs into the water right behind it and quickly made our way back to our earlier vantage point..with one of us running a stopwatch, with our calculations having been that at a speed of 2 knots, it would take half an hour for the charges to reach their target.

After a good twenty minute climb up the sheer face of the rock walls lining the river (Blackjack has a lot of mountains, so we are somewhat used to this), we took up a vantage point overlooking the bridge some five kilometers away, we waited patiently as the time counted down.

..FIVE..

..FOUR..

..THREE..

..TWO..

..ONE..

And there was nothing..but silence. It was frustrating..+10 seconds, +20 seconds, still nothing. Minutes passed by. Dammit, we missed. But how? Did it matter? We had to set the backup charges up..and get out of here.

We were about to make our way back down the cliff face when a momentary bright flash, centered on the bridge, lit up the darkness. Another flash soon followed, and then a third. The BAWUMP of a muffled explosion soon followed. The bridge was aflame..and wobbling, a enemy ‘Mech that had been standing guard in the middle of the bridge down across the traffic lanes atop the bridge, with a large support pylon from the upper works having been driven into the back of the ‘Mech, with a sheen of escaping waste heat shimmering and distorting the sky around it.

The bridge began to groan under the weight of the weakened pylons..and we heard the pops of multiple welds and rivets give way, and with a crash, a pylon collapsed into the river, taking the left hand side of the bridge with it, this then collapsed the other two pylons..and before long, the entire bridge crashed in a cacophony of protesting metal and splashing water as the entire wrecked mess crashed some 100 meters into the river below.

We all slapped each other on the back for that. For less than 1000 pounds worth of C-9, we had dropped the major route in and out of the planetary capitol. We hadn’t counted on the reaction by the Tankers, however.

The next day, Star Colonel Mark (the traitorous swine!) led an “indoctrination sweep” into several suburban neighborhoods of the planetary capitol. He turned OmniMechs armed with machineguns and autocannons on innocent civilians. And the sick bastard considered it his duty. Some 850 people died and another 1100 were injured. The Falcons considered it a mercy. That’s not what the people of Blackjack thought it was.

As for Star Colonel Mark, well, he soon found out wat the wages of treason were, two weeks later. We delivered it through the window of his Avanti Sports Car one night..via Light Anti-Tank Weapon. I am happy to say this time, the message was successfully delivered…”
Clover Spear author and cat wrangler!
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kelgar04

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #91 on: 25 May 2016, 17:11:04 »
Glad to see this has gotten updated :)


David CGB

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #92 on: 25 May 2016, 20:55:21 »
Glad to see this has gotten updated :)
much agreed, also we might think of ways to speed things up around here.......
Federated Suns fan forever, Ghost Bear Fan since 1992, and as a Ghost Bear David Bekker star captain (in an Alt TL Loremaster)

Doc Wolf

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #93 on: 31 May 2016, 07:25:19 »
Really enjoying your tale. I like the changes from canon; live Hanse, married Sun-Zu, Jade Chickens in the cross hairs...
keep it up!
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2. The pilot, who believes the designer.

PeacMaker03

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #94 on: 31 May 2016, 10:35:09 »
Thank you for posting again. O0

panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #95 on: 15 June 2016, 15:51:35 »
August 24th, 3056 (0145 hours, local time)
Planetary Headquarters of the Jade Falcon Watch
Red Stone Palace
Bone-Norman
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone

  Hans Hertzog looked on in satisfaction as the stolen police van moved his team into position along with three others on the street opposite the Watch headquarters. So far, so good, he mused silently as he checked his gear for what seemed like the twelfth time. It’s my first time as an operational leader..and I want this to go right. 
 
  The blue and white van appeared almost yellow in the anemic light of the underpowered streetlamp, the street and sidewalk slick with the remains of a recent rain storm that had blown through down off the mountains to the north.

  The city of Red Stone Palace was quiet, as the Falcons had recently instituted a dusk to dawn curfew with the recent increase in guerilla activity, not to mention asking the populace to put up with rolling blackouts and spotty communications as the guerillas went after the planetary power and communications network. This did not help the Jade Falcons either, as they now had to use their own power and communications gear to maintain their own operations, which while it did keep their various subunits on-planet in touch with each other, and able to have a modicum of electricity, it increased resentment among the populace, and increased the number of attacks on the Jade Falcons, both civilian and military.

  He glanced at his watch again, 0145 and twenty seconds..another five, four, three, two, one and MARK!

  Two figures in the white and green uniform, with a prominent patch of a black and white outline of the Falcon in flight on the left breast, walked briskly up to the outer perimeter guards who were dressed similarly with cups of coffee from a popular local chain. This uniform was the uniform of the Jade Falcon-backed Red Stone Palace Police Department, which these days, was made up of bullyboys and traitors.  They won’t be missed, Hertzog nodded grimly.

 The guards were spending more time trying to keep warm in the 14 Celsius wet chill. The air was heavy, and humid, but there was no water vapor being exhaled by any of the figures. Both of the new arrivals subtly paired off with their opposite number on guard. Hertzog surveyed the scene..looks good, GO.  He clicked his tactical mike twice and both of the newcomers produced knives and repeatedly stabbed the abdomens of the policemen on guard while clamping a hand firmly over the mouths of the victims, then, as the guards fell, they moved over the bodies and deftly slashed their throats from ear to ear, just to make sure.  It had taken just seconds.

  At that same moment, the two guards at the inner perimeter, a pair of armored Elementals, were engaged and neutralized by 4 sniper teams on a series of nearby rooftops, two per elemental, who put a pair of .340 caliber light armor piercing, 125 grain sabot rounds through their thin “V” shaped armored windscreens. Both Elementals were killed instantly when the bullets tore through the windscreen, and then the bullets tore through the heads and upper chest cavities at velocities of more than 4500 m/s. The insides of the Elemental suits were literally painted with gore and blood as the suits froze in mid stride, becoming impromptu monuments to their operators. One of the figures at the outer gate recovered a flashlight from his belt, then flashed it three times. Hertzog smiled. Success, and surprise. We have them. Hertzog slammed his fist twice against the wall separating the passenger and driving compartment in the van, and the van’s engine turned over, quickly coming to speed as it made for the outer gate. The figures quickly pulled the bodies out of sight, then made their way at a dead run to the inner gate, and began to work on the security lock, but not before blinding the camera with some locally purchased black spray paint.

 The outer gate was little more than a reinforced wrought iron fence, and fell easily under the wheels of the lead van. All three soon pulled up to the inner gate, and a dozen figures soon spilled out of the vans, they were in Lyran issue tactical gear, their uniforms devoid of insignia, or even name tape. They wordlessly began to site in their heavy weapons, and dig emplacements for the expected Jade Falcon counterattack.

 Hertzog remained in the van with the majority of his men. This wasn’t his final stop. Nope, he had a little more to go. The lock was quickly defeated, and the gates, a pair of reinforced ferrocrete blast gates, swung open. At that moment, all three vans rolled through the gate, and headed straight for the loading dock on the south end of the building.

 They each pulled rear end first into a separate loading dock, disgorging yet more figures, a total of 45 men in all, similarly attired and equipped as the gentlemen digging in at the gate. A pair of figures brought forward a set of mouse holing charges for the sheet steel rolling doors that overlooked each of the rolling dock bays. Well, the sound and flash will buy us a few seconds of paralysis..all we need. The charges were placed deftly, and everyone backed away into some semblance of cover as the ten second fuse counted down.

TEN…
NINE…
EIGHT…
SEVEN…
SIX…
FIVE…
FOUR…
THREE…
TWO…
ONE…
 
 The doors reverberated with a loud BRAMM as they buckled like a beer can under the force of the shaped charge, blowing a man-sized hole in the door inward towards the large receiving room beyond. Before long, parties of two men had tossed disc shaped stun grenades into each of the holes, and waited until they detonated with a bright flash, and a loud report not unlike a shotgun held next to one’s ear. Then, in parties of 15, the raiders piled through the holes in the doors and began to sweep the room, side to side, moving carefully, and slowly, yet quickly at the same time. There were small fires burning all over the floor of the bay as packages burned in the wake of the multiple explosions. Shattered plastic rained down from the florescent lights and crunched under the feet of the intruders as they duckwalked to the door leading to the main part of the building.

 A Falcon laborer, who worked as a clerk was at the desk in the side office on the left side of the receiving floor, was on the floor of the office, the office door was knocked off of its hinges, and he bled from his nose and ears, moaning in pain. Hertzog pointed his head towards him, and nodded, a man peeled off from the middle group of raiders, walked right up to the raised his silenced Mauser and Grey pistol, and put two rounds into his chest, then one into his head.  The laborer soon stopped moaning and lay still in the rictus of death. We can’t afford any prisoners right now, Hertzog mused.
 
 A small muffled bang announced that the lock on the inner door of the loading dock had given way under the attentions of a prybar. The door swung wide as the first team of 15 stacked, and then moved through as quickly as they could to avoid being caught by the Falcon defenders in the “fatal funnel”. They found a three way intersection, just as the LIC operative had said they would, and went right down a long, windowless hall to another door, that led to that group’s target, the records archive.
 
 The second group peeled left, down another windowless hall, and headed for the living quarters for the analysts and the head of the Watch on Bone-Norman, a disagreeable former Elemental known as Star Commander Hargreve. All of them, at least, according to orders, were to be taken alive..if possible, but no one was really in a mood to make that possible. Hertzog and his men had been on Bone Norman for 11 months. They had seen what the Watch was capable of. The unofficial orders among the team was, unless they were wearing a bondcord, kill them.
 
 Hertzog’s group was headed for the biggest prize of them all. The ELINT traffic collection center. Bone-Norman was an important lynch-pin in the Jade Falcon ELINT collection effort along the FedCom border. Any ELINT activities had to go in the first hours of any invasion of the Jade Falcon/Steel Viper OZ, because the FedCom wanted to of course, keep the Falcons as blind as they could, for as long as they could manage it. Of course, getting some examples of Clan communications tech would be nice too, rumor had it there was an HPG somewhere in the building..but Hertzog figured it was not worth getting killed over.
 
 Two men flattened at either side of the door, while a third covered the door, one produced a pry bar and quickly had the door open. And at that moment, the universe exploded. Green clan tracers tore through the space where the door was, stitching the commando covering the door with a series of red ichor blossoms as a series of assault rifle rounds tore him apart, and he was dead before he hit the floor.
 
 Shit, there went surprise!
 
 The two men to either side of the door reacted quickly, tossing a pair of flashbangs each down the open doorway towards the hair of gunfire, the flashbangs went off after a short delay, and Hertzog’s group quickly stacked and assaulted through the doorway, the lead man found a pair of unarmored elementals, staggering around blind and deaf, bleeding from the nose and ears, their weapons on the floor as they moaned in pain. Both were shot without delay or ceremony by the lead man in the stick.
 
 The hall had four doors on each side, all were made of thick sheets of pressed wood laminate, with crude nameplates and stickers of both the Jade Falcon Clan, and the 94th Striker Cluster’s sigil on the face of each door. Parties of two stacked by each door, but being short, one door at the end of the hall was left for when another group became free, Hertzog trained his weapon, a Federated Short Carbine in 7mm towards the door, just in case something came out.
 
 Each door was opened with a prybar, a pair of flashbangs thrown in, and then the two raiders entered the room, one going high, the other low, as they proceeded into the room, heading for the near corners, clearing those, then methodically clearing the far end of the room, searching the closet, and under the desk. Wasps of smoke filled the hall as paper and furnishings began to burn in small fires, it got so bad, several men took off their face shields and slipped on their gas masks. Even with the thick cinder-block walls, shots and flashbangs reverberated through the building. Most of the fire sounded like that of the raiders, with very few reports sounding like Clan weapons. So far, so good.
 
 As soon as that was completed. The raiders came to another door, this one double locked and made of a very tough looking metal alloy, with the legend in large red letters stating “ELINT COLLECTION ROOM, NO BONDSMEN OR LABORERS PERMITTED.”
 
 The locks looked too strong for a prybar..and Hertzog was not in the mood for subtle. A demolition man approached, and placed charges on each hinge of the door, with everyone backing away as the 10 second fuze counted down. The 3lb charges, 1 per hinge, went off as one loud report, the door crashing to the ground with a screech of tortured metal, as the room filled with smoke. The team stacked and entered, half went left, half went right, but the entry was anti-climactic. Two of the Falcon techs had been feeding documents into the shredder, they’d been about halfway done, while another tech had been busily smashing the hell out of the machinery, he dropped his sledgehammer the minute he had seen the commandos gain entry. All of the techs now had their hands well above their heads, their eyes as wide as saucers.
 
  Ok, I think we can safely take these guys. “Ok Birdies, resist, and we shoot you, get it?” Hertzog growled.
 
  The Falcon techs nodded as one, a female tech with sweat matted blonde hair gulping visibly with fear.

  Two of Hertzog’s men approached each of the techs, tossing them roughly to the ground, and then searching them without any acknowledgement of their comfort level. Once the raiders were satisfied they had been properly searched, they were ziptied, roughly pulled to their feet, and frog marched out into the hall, where they were sat crosslegged in the hall, and told to study the wall, or gain a third nostril.

  Hertzog’s subcommanders began to report in; VALKYRIE, THIS IS MLONJIR, CUTLASS, I SAY AGAIN, CUTLASS. That was the records room force, they were reporting complete success, and they had recovered the documents intact.
 
  The next transmission came from a stranger, VALKRYIE, THIS IS FAUST, RAPIER, I SAY AGAIN RAPIER. FAUST LEAD AND XO ARE DOWN. LEAD IS KIA, XO IS WIA AND EXPECTANT. OVER. Again, this was a signal for success with the living quarters and seizing Star Commander Hargreves, but they had lost their team commander and assistant commander. That was unfortunate, to say the least.
 
 FAUST, THIS IS VALKYRIE ACTUAL, DID YOU GET THE PRIMARY PACKAGE INTACT?
 
 NEGATIVE VALKYRIE, WE HAVE THE PACKAGE, BUT NOT INTACT, OVER. Hargreves had not been taken alive, pity. After 11 months on Bone-Norman, and seeing what the Watch did to those it interrogated, he had been looking forward to watching LIC give the bastard a taste of his own medicine.
 
 ROGER FAUST, CHARLIE MIKE, OUT.

 Hertzog then grabbed a small pouch off of his belt, and made his way down the hall, he ducked into an office and opened the window, pulling the object out of the pouch. It was a small keypad with a small screen, a deft swipe with his thumb turning the object on. He typed a short message:
 
 VALKYRIE FORCE SENDS: BATTLEAXE, REPEAT BATTLEAXE.
 
 Hertzog then stabbed the “SEND” key, sending the message tearing skyward by burst transmission towards the incoming FedCom invasion force. BATTLEAXE had been the success signal. He glanced at his watch. 0148 hours. Not bad..they’d hadn’t been able to beat 4 minutes in rehearsals.
 
 An explosion lit up the skyline of Red Stone Palace, soon, other explosions followed. It wasn’t long before the warbling of the invasion alarm went off. Too late, Mr. Falcon, Loki is already here. Looks like the Dropport is being hit on schedule. Now all I have to do is the hardest part..hold until relieved. Let’s hope the 24th Arcturan Guards get down alright.
« Last Edit: 15 June 2016, 15:54:57 by panzerfaust150 »
Clover Spear author and cat wrangler!
FedCom Fan!

Doc Wolf

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #96 on: 16 June 2016, 11:46:12 »
Although you can see I am really a Kurita fan, I gotta give props to LOKI. Dust of the green turkeys!
Great job! I am enjoying it.
As a former GB, I have enjoyed your take on various aspects of Irregular Warfare. Keep it up!
Just remember that all of your equipment was made by the lowest bidder...
Two greatest flaws of a battlemech:
1. The designer, who thinks he has created the ultimate machine.
2. The pilot, who believes the designer.

DOC_Agren

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #97 on: 16 June 2016, 19:29:14 »
Go Go

You could not have chosen better to take on Green Turkey Watch
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

gladius

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #98 on: 16 June 2016, 20:53:37 »
It begins!

Doc Wolf

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #99 on: 17 June 2016, 06:59:59 »
Get some FedCom!
Just remember that all of your equipment was made by the lowest bidder...
Two greatest flaws of a battlemech:
1. The designer, who thinks he has created the ultimate machine.
2. The pilot, who believes the designer.

paladin3030

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #100 on: 26 June 2016, 18:58:37 »
And thus the day of reckoning has begun.

Nikas_Zekeval

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #101 on: 27 June 2016, 09:24:30 »
The expanded FedCom Artillery Corps needs some music.  How about "Back in Control"?

Chaeronea

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #102 on: 28 June 2016, 08:48:31 »
Why didn't the people in the base hear the sniper shots that killed the Elementals on guard duty? If the rifles had sound suppressors so the shots couldn't be heard then the bullets would have been slowed down and less likely to penetrate the visors. Then again, wasn't there something in some of the novels about Elemental suits' visors standing up to rounds of up to fifty calibre?

Doc Wolf

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #103 on: 28 June 2016, 09:22:52 »
My guess is penetrator rounds. Depleted uranium, something like that. Even a sabot core works. The bullet hits the visor. A smaller, more dense core punches through and make a hole in the head. End of elemental, or anyone for that matter...
The novels talk about .50 rounds hitting the whole elemental, not just the visor. We can thank Shin Yodama for that experience.
It is a good point to bring up though.
In any event, it makes for a good scene.
Just remember that all of your equipment was made by the lowest bidder...
Two greatest flaws of a battlemech:
1. The designer, who thinks he has created the ultimate machine.
2. The pilot, who believes the designer.

Sir Chaos

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #104 on: 28 June 2016, 09:30:56 »
Elemental armor is described in the novels as impervious to machine gun bullets... yet at the same time, tabletop rules say six hits with machine gun bursts destroy Elemental armor and kill the person inside.

I think saying, in the story, that the visor is vulnerable to machine gun or high-power sniper rifle bullets, and thus a very lucky or very well-aimed shot is required to bring down an Elemental with rifles or machine guns, is a good compromise.
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-Frederick the Great

"Ultima Ratio Regis" ("The Last Resort of the King")
- Inscription on cannon barrel, 18th century

VhenRa

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #105 on: 29 June 2016, 23:35:52 »
Eh... to be fair they might be meaning Infantry Scale MGs. Because some of the fluff on Mech Scale MGs put them at stuff like 20mm....

panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #106 on: 12 June 2017, 12:38:58 »
Prologue, Book 2, The Hammer Falls

Inbound to Planetfall, 18 hours out
Bone-Norman
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
August 24th, 3056
Aboard the Union Class Dropship “Luck of the Draw”


The sounds of a dropship in the final stages of a drop were not a new one to anyone who had been in any military in the Inner Sphere for any length of time. The sounds of tools making last minute repairs to ‘Mechs, the clatter of footsteps resounding throughout the ship, the murmur of conversations, pre-battle briefs, and prayers with fellow warriors. All of this was a low key cacophony that any experienced warrior was used to.

But something was different, the men and women of the 26th Lyran Guards knew that. It was the electricity, the feeling of being a coiled spring..all the training, all the lectures, all the feeling of finally, we’re going to hit back at the bastards. The sting of Kobe, Thun, and Tamar was deep in the unit. And while they realized this was the Falcons, and not the Wolves, to the men and women of the 26th who had survived the invasion, any Clanner was a decent stand in to expunge the shame and anger of those days in blood.

Leftenant-General Green-Davion had reorganized the RCT, the new “Steiner’s Boots” was more mobile, and with the new artillery brigades attached to the RCT, hit harder than the old 26th. Morale was high, and some unofficial sigils began to appear, one being the unit insignia of a boot smear, but across a bad caricature of a dead Jade Falcon. Another was chalked throughout the unit on ‘Mechs, armor, even on the sides of dropships. It read simply “For Joy”. Joy Corelli had been a beloved commander of the 26th. Green-Davion had done his best not to replace her, but to put his own stamp on the 26th, but across the unit, it was found the best means of discipline was to say, “Do you want to let Marshal Corelli down?” The 26th was a unit possessed, and out for blood.

So, it was remarkable that a single voice could cut through it all. But, it did. It was a voice all of them had known, known for most of their lives. And the voice, of his son. They were the architects of what was about to come, and it was their time to encourage those about to carry out the plans and preparations that had been the lion’s share of their lives for the past 18 months. Today was the culmination.

“Men and Women of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth. Today is a day, long in coming. Today, we return to the Tamar March, and we set it free of the Clans. We restore the rightful law and order, and more importantly, justice that the peaceful people of the Tamar March have every right to expect to live under.”

“The way forward will be hard, the Falcons and Vipers are formidable, but they are not the unknown boogyman they were some six years ago. We have beaten the Falcons before, on Morges, and we can and will, beat them again. Brave citizens of the worlds you are about to land on have been harrying them at every step for the last six years, and it’s time for us to ensure that the sacrifices they have made were not in vain. I trust, my fellow soldiers, that you will ensure that happens.”

“I wish I could be with you today. The hardest thing for any leader is to say “go there, and risk your lives” instead of “follow me”. I could not be prouder of all of you. You are our best. And you go forward with the hopes and dreams of billons of people behind you. I know you may scoff at that. You may say “Easy for them, they aren’t here. But they are hopeful. Your families and loved ones pray for your safety and your success. And those below, pray for their deliverance. Let’s let them all know, ETA on that is 18 hours from now.”

“My father stands here with me. His hand on my shoulder as I speak to you know. I can only guess what he was thinking as he ordered our nation into war some twenty years ago. I only know this. I do this with a heavy heart, but one that says, ‘we are in the right’. We cannot fail, we shall not fail, and we shall meet the Falcons and Vipers wherever, and whenever we find them, and show them what steel lies in the constitution of our people’s souls.”

“I won’t recount the many crimes the Falcons and Vipers are guilty of. But I will say this. Nothing less than the future of humanity is at stake here. We are faced with a people who believes in the concept of a ‘master race’. Such an idea should never be allowed to flourish. Though many accuse our Davion subjects about being ‘might making right’. I can assure you, that concept is on full display amongst the Clans. We are, and always have been about, ‘might for right’. It’s time to demonstrate the difference.”

“Remember your training, remember that you are members of the AFFC, and no matter what the Falcons and Vipers might do, we come not for money, or power, or any of the other things we have seen armies fight for throughout history. We come to deliver our people. But do not sully that with reprisals or massacres. Let the courts figure that out. Defeat the enemy, accept his surrenders, and free our people. I know many of you hunger for revenge. I implore you, temper that with mercy.”

“Good luck, my warriors, I know you will do the realm proud.”

Green-Davion’s voice then crackled through the speakers. “I know you all heard the First Prince, and he believes in us. I believe in us. We have trained for this, sweated for this. And this day will be ours. Chance favors the prepared. And we are very prepared indeed. I have a dagger here. It’s one I got off a Kuritan ‘Mechwarrior earlier in my career. I make you a promise, my fellow ‘Boots. By the end of the first day..this knife will be buried to the hilt in the darkest tanker heart to be found on Bone-Norman!”

“Now let’s go get the bastards.”

The dropship, like many in the fleet erupted in cheers.

Clover Spear was underway.
« Last Edit: 12 June 2017, 13:58:32 by panzerfaust150 »
Clover Spear author and cat wrangler!
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VhenRa

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #107 on: 12 June 2017, 13:33:22 »
The hilarious thing is..

The 26th Lyran Guards were probably the single most effective FedCom unit to fight the Clanners without the benefit of Plot ArmorMain Character participation.

drakensis

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #108 on: 13 June 2017, 01:43:41 »
Great to see this back.
"It's national writing month, not national writing week and a half you jerk" - Consequences, 9th November 2018

PeacMaker03

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #109 on: 14 June 2017, 08:07:32 »
Nice update looking forward to more

panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #110 on: 06 September 2017, 13:48:35 »
Taken from the book “Shattering the Edifice – A History of the Fall of Clans Jade Falcon and Steel Viper in the War of ’56.” (Force Commander Anton Jursaik, Irian, 3070)

“What was the most impressive about the fall of the Falcons and Vipers was that the FC offensive was both so overwhelming, and so brutal from the initial hours. Nowhere was an attempt made to play by the Clan “rules”. Special Operations units (like the Liberation Units of the FWLM) figured heavily in the initial hours of the assaults, and a general uprising plagued the Falcon/Viper defense from the start. It is estimated that at least 4 Star Colonels of both Clans died due to guerilla activity, one of the most famous deaths being the ambush of Star Colonel Diane Anu and an aide in her hovercar as it raced to her command post to put down what they thought was little more than a “freebirth uprising”. She died under the guns of those freebriths, one witness stating that ‘we more poured her body from the car than moved it by the time we were done.’

Across the Occupation Zone, the Falcons and Vipers were faced with acts of resistance, great and small as every inhabited planet simply exploded. Everything from random acts of graffiti to the destruction of maglev lines seemingly erupted in the first week of the FC offensive. And it accomplished the goal Hanse had had from the beginning, it either pinned the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers in their bases, or it scattered them in penny packets that were easily overwhelmed by the weight of the FC counterattack.”

Taken from the daily FC operational briefing provided to Field Marshal Ranier Poulin, Supreme Commander of “Operation Clover Spear”, declassified October 9th, 3076.

“Jade Falcon and Steel Viper units on the initial target worlds are in a state of chaos and operations have been up to this point, very favorable, Steel Viper units have proven to be more flexible in the face of our operations, but they have also succumbed to the weight of our firepower, coupled with lack of a secure rear area.”

A summary of the status of the first wave is below:

Roadside:

We hit Roadside with the entirety of the Eridani Light Horse, the 2nd and 3rd Crucis Lancers RCTs and the 1st Kearny Highlanders. The enemy consisted of the Jade Falcon 5th Battle Cluster, which was scattered in star and trinary-sized penny packets across the main continent of Arcadia. We capitalized on the death of their Star Colonel, Diane Anu, and we managed to destroy two of these small forces with little trouble, the rest we have, over the past month, managed to hunt down, and the world is now secured as of two days ago. Casualties have been minimal and the new artillery brigades have more than proven their worth, breaking up a counterattack by two trinaries upon the flank of the 2nd Crucis Lancer’s flank during a night march.

Bone-Norman

The 94th Striker Cluster was mostly caught in barracks during a hurricane drop by the 17th Skye Rangers and the 26th Lyran Guards RCT. Most of the 94th was taken without a shot, and we have at least a battalion’s worth of Jade Falcon prisoners plus massive amounts of salvage. The raid on the on-world ELINT facility was a success, and it has been a massive intelligence haul.

Blair Atholl

The Steel Vipers had enough forces to cover their rear areas better, but the arrival of all 5 regiments of Wolf’s Dragoons, plus the 11th and 20th Avalon Hussar RCTs was enough force to crack them under sheer weight of numbers. The penultimate event of the campaign was both artillery brigades of the two Avalon Hussar RCTs, plus the Dragoon Artillery Support Group firing in support of an assault of Zeta Battalion into the exposed flank of the 400th Assault Cluster. The rest of the 400th was quickly overrun, and the 1st Legion, still scattered as part of their COIN duties, was cut to pieces, as the 4th Viper Guards fought a rearguard under heavy pressure to their dropships. They left the world three days later under heavy FC and Dragoon aerospace interdiction. We estimate they are at least 40-50% attritted.

Alyina

We hit Alyina with the 7th Crucis Lancers RCT and the Davion Light Guards RCT. The defending 2nd Falcon Jagers were attempted to hole up in the planetary capitol, but after an attempt at surrender negotiations, we used both artillery brigades to pound them to dust, then sent both RCTs in after them. We took very few survivors prisoner.

Black Earth

We hit Black Earth with the Grey Death Legion, the 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry, and the 1st Aragon Borderers, the Falcon 89th Striker Cluster tried to fight a mobile campaign, but the FSAC and the GDL have had an almost preternatural ability to get around the flanks of the 89th. We expect the campaign there to be wrapped up in another week to ten days.

Hot Springs

The 1st, 2nd and Davion Assault Guards RCTs caught the 3rd and 4th Falcon Velites in COIN penny packets putting down a massive revolt amongst the populace. The Davion Guards didn’t allow the Falcons time at all to reform, and smashed both units underfoot within 2 weeks. We have accepted the surrender of both units, about 300 or so survivors, mostly rear-area personnel and 18 mechs of varying states of repair.


Operations are currently ongoing and we expect the second wave of Clover Spear to commence on schedule. Falcon and Viper resistance, while in some cases fierce, is very disorganized, and prisoner interrogations reveal that many Viper warriors are blaming the Falcons for the current problems facing both Clans.


Plain of Tears

Benfled

Steel Viper Occupation Zone

August 27th, 3056


Leftenant Cory Rodgers, Lance Leader for Battle Lance, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Royal Guards was exultant. The Vipers had been caught flat-footed since their arrival on world. From all accounts, it looked as if they had had a complete intelligence failure like some of the surprises he had read about from his days at the Nagelring, like the Six Day War, or Pearl Harbor. Thank Heaven we are the Israelis, he thought.

His neurohelmet was heavy and his neck muscles ached, but he had been pushing his Pheonix Hawk as fast as he could manage it. The only Viper ‘Mechs he had seen thus far were burning ones, as they had either run afoul of aerospace or artillery. The special operations guys were proving to be downright deadly with just a radio link to the artillery brigade. And here I thought those redlegs would not amount to a damn thing?

It was then that his threat alarms lit up, multiple claxons hooting for his attention as a dozen LRMs missed his ‘Mech by meters, their smoke trails betraying the firer as they led back to the verdant woodline some 200 meters ahead.

Shit, Vipers, and from the MAD readings…heavies.

“Lance, this is lead, refuse the left, bound back to the cover about a click back and I am going to get battalion on the horn and have them dump some smoke on those bastards, make them come to us.” As he did so, he worked the controls to backwalk the ‘Mech, selecting a route that made sure he didn’t skyline himself.

He got a flurry of acknowledgements as he keyed the frequency for the Battalion TOC “Alpha 6-1, this is Charlie 33, I have contact with what I estimate are Clan heavies, request support and mortar smoke, over?”

The radio crackled to life instantly, “33, hear your request, we are routing some help to you, ETA 10 minutes, we have priority of fires for you with the battalion mortars, and we are whistling up some more support as well, over?”

The sweat trickled down Rodger’s face into his green eyes, which burned with a mix of terror and excitement. 10 minutes, that might as well be an eternity. Oh well, we can trade space for time, maybe we bag one of the bastards, maybe not. “6-1, we may not last 10 minutes, there is at least 1-2 heavy mechs out there, and they out range us pretty good, either way, all we have is our T-bolt as a base of fire, I really need some help to discourage those guys, where the hell is that smoke, over?”

More klaxons sounded in the cockpit as the Clan ‘Mechs cleared the woodline, the warbook cycled through images as it put red carets on the emerging targets. One was identified as a Galahad, and emerging to it’s left was a Baboon, two others to its right were a Hellhound and another Baboon. Why didn’t the Galahad open with her Gauss Rifles? Odd. Worse, the MAD was picking up 5 more contacts behind. Aw shit. All of the Clan mechs were a malange of dark green, with scars and gouges from previous fights, and some mismatched metal patches where their techs had slapped some armor on to keep the machines running.

As if to answer the question, one of the Galahad’s Gauss Rifles spoke, missing by mere meters, and gouging a furrow out of a nearby patch of ground, sending dirt chunks dozens of meters into the air and splattering Rodger’s ‘Mech.

His weapons, all Pulse lasers, were out of range, but considering the heaviest ‘Mech in the lance was a Thunderbolt, and it was probably already busy setting up a base of fire, and the rest of the ‘Mechs collapsing the perimeter around it before withdrawing in a file behind it’s guns. Or at least, that was the plan.

He heard the thud-thud-thud-thud of an autocannon, probably Edgerton’s Centurion some 100 meters off to his left, trying to discourage a ‘Tanker from getting around their flank, but they more than likely had the speed advantage.

“33, passing you over now to the FDC, their callsign is Starfire 12, over?”

“Roger, thank you 6-1. Starfire 12, how copy over?”

“Starfire 12 copies five by, understand you have some targets for me, over?”

“Roger that, I need a mix of smoke and HE at-“ Rodgers glanced down at his rolling map display, and selected a point half a klick in front of him, towards the center of the slowly advancing clan line. “-Papa Alpha 44718932, mix of smoke and HE Super Quick, over?”

“Roger that 33, spotting round out shortly. Observe impact.”

A few pregnant seconds passed, and then a small puff of smoke and dust as the round impacted, and then spewed a dirty orange smoke cloud, the new thermal smoke was designed to interfere with the superior Clan sensor systems, and reduce the fight to ranges where the FC forces could compete. So far, the rounds had done very well in that regard.

“Starfire 12, good shoot! Left 100, Drop 50, Fire for effect!”

“Roger that 33, firing for effect, we also have some other assets coming to the party shortly, hang in there 33!”

Rodger’s mech shuddered as it took a glancing blow from a Clan large laser, he knew if he took a few more of those, it was going to be the end of him, and as the rounds began to impact, the sky went from a verdant blue, to a world of dirty orange, as sensors began to fuzz over with static from interference from the smoke. The fire from the Clanners began to slacken off as they could not locate their targets, and they wandered slowly through the smoke, wary of close contact with their enemies.

Rodgers continued to withdraw slowly, soon passing a familiar sight, the gold and blue painted Thunderbolt of his Lance Senior NCO, Staff Sergeant Amy Wilkins, his radio crackled to life “Can’t see shit sir, hope they can’t either.”

“Tag anybody Staff Sergeant?”

“Yeah, got a captured Shadow Hawk of theirs. PPC shot to the head, he went down, didn’t get back up, or at least he didn’t before the smoke came in.”

It was at that moment that a Guillotine IIC lurched drunkenly from the smoke, he was 90 meters away, as close as it got in ‘Mech combat. It was trailing smoke from a mortar shell that had become wedged in it’s right shoulder where it met the body, it froze the PPC arm in place at a 45-degree downward angle. The rest of the ‘Mech was a patchwork of green and silver, blackened by weapons hits and exposure to smoke. And the ‘warrior inside looked as if he could not tell where he was going.

Both the Thunderbolt and Phoenix Hawk turned as one and fired, azure beams of charged lightning and focused light linking killer and victim for a few tortured second as new gouts of melted armor sloughed off the Guillotine IIC. A gout of green liquid erupted from several places on the ‘Mech, and a the ‘Mech went down in a flurry of limbs.

“Seems the smoke has them a bit confused, Staff Sergeant?”

“Won’t stay that way boss, we gotta bound back to the battalion, wait for the assaults to come up and crush these guys under artillery. No sense in playing ‘blind man’s bluff’ in this smoke.”

“Agreed, Staff Sergeant, let’s get the Lance out of here. Bounding overwatch till we get clear, then travelling back to the battalion lines. And tell everyone to put some fire into the smoke, it will confuse the bastards some more.”

“Charlie 33 this is Thor 24, understand you have a problem? Over?” the radio crackled.

Rodgers sighed in relief, he knew from the prelanding brief that any Thor call sign was artillery, and hopefully a lot of it.

“Thor 24, can you give me three volleys of HE, mix of contact and superquick? I am trying to break contact with a superior Viper force six klicks west of Objective Frankfurt?”

“33 roger, I have three volleys, I can give you one volley of SADM rounds, do you need that, over?”

“Thor 24, I would love that, please lay that on last. I will get my people clear in time, over.”

“33 roger, these things make a hell of a mess. And they don’t differentiate between friendlies and enemies. Observe our spotting round, Shot out, Over.”

It wasn’t long before something that sounded like a freight train from hell screamed over the withdrawing FC troops and impacted 100 meters in front of the advancing Clan enemy, who had now picked up the pace to “hug the belt” of the FC troops and thus avoid the worst of the artillery. The FC Lance had foreseen this, and began to turn and run, to put more distance between themselves and the Jade Falcons.

Rodgers triggered his jump jets, riding a pillar of fire that propelled his ‘Mech into the air, and back 180 meters, keeping his face to the enemy, as he sent a blast from his Large Pulse Laser down range in the general direction of the enemy. The round had impacted right in front of the Falcon line of advance. It was perfect.

“Thor 24, Fire for Effect, make it rain!”

“33, roger, rounds out now, get your heads down, it’s going to be close.”

A few seconds later, a cacophony of freight trains passed over the heads of his lance. The passage of the shells was enough to rock his ‘Mech and then the forward line of the smoke disappeared in a line of explosions, dust, dirt and small bushes disappearing in gouts of flame and smoke as they were hurled into the sky.

He saw a Baboon stagger from the dust and smoke, it was missing most of it’s left side. It had survived the first volley, it didn’t survive the second, as a 200mm round from a Long Tom landed right on the ‘Mech’s shoulder. The blast blew through the left torso, which smashed the engine, and knocked the ‘Mech down into the swirling smoke, where it was obscured by other explosions.

“Last volley, 33, get out of there!”, the radio shrieked

SADM (Sense and Destroy ‘Mech) rounds worked on the principle of that a Long Tom or Arrow IV warhead was filled with 30 bomblets, each with the power of an SRM warhead, and with a simple IR seeker attached. Once the carrier shell released the warheads, the warhead descended by parachute, and attacked the nearest ‘Mech sized heat signature they could find. NAIS had found in testing that it had an alarming tendency to score head hits, and while 1 or 2 hits didn’t usually penetrate the head, three or four did and considering a battery of six had just put 180 bomblets in the air…

It wasn’t long before a series of pops, about as loud as a car backfire erupted over the ‘Clan line. This was followed by a series of bangs and pops as the munitions found their targets and detonated. Rogers thought he’d seen one Clanner eject, but he wasn’t sure. There was just too much smoke, dirt, and explosions shrouding the Clan positions to know for sure. And he didn’t intend to find out.

“Charlie 33 Lance, Charlie 33 Actual, all Charlie 33 callsigns withdraw on me. We’re getting out of here, and leaving this to the big boys. They’re on their way. Actual Out.”
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panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #111 on: 06 September 2017, 13:49:22 »
IlKhan’s Office

Tamar City

Tamar

Wolf Clan Occupation Zone

August 30th, 3056


The Jade Falcons have met the Falconer…and he is taming them badly, mused Ulric Kerensky, ilKhan of the Clans, as he poured over the Wolf Watch reports from the Jade Falcon/Steel Viper OZ. He’d been reading the estimates generated by Star Captain Kerensky’s people, and he was impressed with her insight. I was right to sponsor her bloodright, with Conal Ward gone, Clan Wolf will need a new Loremaster, and I can think of none better. I will discuss this with Natasha when I get the chance. But not tonight. Tonight, is for far heavier things. Things I did not ever believe I would discuss.

His reverie was interrupted by a sharp tap at the door. “My Khan,” a voice known to him as a member of his personal guard “Khan Kerensky and saKhan Ward of Clan Wolf are here to see you? Do I allow them entry?”

Ulric exhaled. Time to as Phelan is often fond of saying “face the music”. “Yes, allow them entry, Star Commander, then make sure we are not disturbed, I have a feeling this will be a long meeting.”

“Aff, ovKhan, as you wish.”

The door opened to reveal an older woman and a younger man, both in Clan Wolf leathers, the woman, though she had dyed her hair red, and her face was lined by the ravages of time, still walked with a regal bearing that signified her status among the Wolves, and Inner Sphere. She was the Black Widow herself, Natasha Kerensky, Khan of Clan Wolf, and all that came with it. She was death, personified. And yet, with all that, intimates knew her as both a “pain in the ass” and a “someone with an authority problem”, which to Ulric, made her elevation to Khan both a way to honor her..and the best damn joke he had known in years. I had always said, ‘Tasha, that you would be Khan one day. And you told me “Over my dead body.” Funny how that worked out. It seems all the dead bodies belong to everyone who stood in your way. But considering the nature of our little meeting, why is she wearing a smile?

The young man on the other hand, was in a broad grin, and carrying a six pack of Timbiqui Dark. And Phelan, like the Greek, bearing gifts. Uh-oh. Those two have a plan that will bring the Wolf Clan martial glory, and me a lot of headaches in the Grand Council. Perhaps they have not had a chance to read the intelligence estimates I just did?

“Dammit Ulric, why so glum? We’re seeing the humbling of the Falcons?” Natasha bellowed, her nature was always boisterous and loud, except in combat, which clearly, this was not. She made herself at home leaning against Ulric’s work table in the far corner of the room. Phelan, on the other hand, took a seat on the maroon couch in the middle of the room.


“I would say that this has the potential to undermine all of Clan society, you two. This basically makes Zellbrigen dead as horse cavalry.” muttered Ulric.

“I dunno, Ulric. Perhaps this is the wakeup call the Clans needed. We didn’t belong here. We still don’t. And now, now little Victor, with no doubt help from Daddy is doing what we haven’t, ripping the damn guts out the Crusaders once and for all?” Natasha mused.

Phelan’s features pinched a little. He didn’t agree completely with Natasha, and Phelan was a bit more forward thinking that she was. Not that she made a bad Khan by any means, but Phelan was often the one doing the leg work on the more “administrative” matters, like peacefully resolving the unrest on Tamar last year during the worst of the food shortages. That had the potential to get nasty, Vlad, damn him, wanted to take ‘Mechs and Elementals in and slaughter the protestors. He really doesn’t have what it takes to be Khan, that one.

“You disagree, Phelan, quiaff?” Ulric queried

“Aff, Ulric. The Falcons and Vipers are being hit by massive levels of force and firepower. The FedCom’s new “Artillery Brigades” are basically smothering them in fire..and then the FedCom mops up with combined arms. Sure, it’s not a perfect solution. But Ulric, unless the Falcons and Vipers can goad the FedCom into a mobile engagement with at least some sort of parity in the numbers department, then all we are going to see is the defeat in detail of both Clans. The issues are, what comes after?”

“Phelan, what comes after? We do as we always have done. We win the right to absorb both clans and then we fight, I don’t see a down side here. I never liked either clan particularly.” Natasha smiled

“’Tasha, with respect, that’s what is blinding you here. The Home Clans are going to see this as an excuse to turn on both Clans, and hell, maybe even us and the Bears, and maybe even kick us out of the homeworlds? I would not be surprised if abjuration or absorption motions would be on the table.”

“They’d be nuts to try? I mean, ok, against the Falcons and the Vipers once Victor has stomped them into the ground. But really? All of us? The only Khan that is insane enough to try is Asa Taney of the Hellions, and what would he accomplish? The rest of the Clans would step aside and watch him fail. It would be amusing to watch him try, however.” Natasha replied.

Ulric rose his hands in a gesture meant to bring some peace to the conversation. “’Tasha, Phelan, you are both right, and both wrong. I ken much chaos for the Clans if this offensive succeeds. And from the looks of it. It seems that it will. The FedCom has unleashed a concept the Clans have forgotten: Total War. We know the cost of it. The Great Founder knew it. That is why he made the Clans the way he did. But it seems, as much as we seek to avoid it, we are vulnerable to it. What I am afraid of, is how the rest of the Clans will react? And how in the world do I guide them through the rough seas to come?” Ulric then exhaled in a mixture of frustration and disgust.

Natasha shook her head. “We already do know, as we have said, they will go bonkers. The Vipers and Falcons will be absorbed..by someone, and good riddance, as for the rest of the Clans? The Jags will probably jump the Drac border. Probably manage to take Luthien this time, if we’re lucky, the Jags and Dracs kill each other off and we get a better universe out of the bargain. As for the rest of the Clans? It pains me to say this Ulric, but back home will become a shooting gallery. Trials and counter-trials, and many of them might not bother to wait for you to weigh in?”

“You really think things would go to hell like that, ‘Tasha?” Phelan opined.

“Yeah, kid, I do. We may see ourselves as the pinnacle of human development, guided benevolently by warriors bred and born, but the truth is? A lot of us act like ADD addled teenagers given the keys to dad’s Battlemech, myself included at times. Vlad is the pinnacle of that, if you want an even better example. Say what you want about the Inner Sphere, but they just remembered that professional soldiers beat warriors every time. And they are demonstrating it to the Falcons and Vipers rather harshly.

But here comes the part that makes me convinced it’s all going to hell in a handbasket, and fast once it becomes clear that a third of the invading clans just got their collective asses kicked? Clan society just had the rules changed, and for all our talk about “might makes right” and “making room for the future”, we are a very conservative society. Our rules have not significantly changed since the Founder returned to the Pentagon worlds. The Clans have had a nasty habit of killing people who proposed those rules change, and unless you are a warrior..you’re not likely to survive long.”

Phelan looked forlornly at Ulric, who nodded sadly.

“Phelan, the Wardens were always the more pragmatic faction of the Clans. We knew the Inner Sphere and our own society had diverged greatly in the intervening centuries. Once the Dragoons began to report in, we realized just how much. The Crusaders however, could not bring themselves to the intellectual honesty required to realize the “barbarians” really had a lot more guns than we did..and the willingness, it seems to use them.

But shocks me, and will shock the other Clans the most? Seeing mass surrenders by Jade Falcon and Steel Viper warriors! We have already seen it on Bone-Norman! ‘Tasha? You and I have fought the Falcons many times, had you ever known the Falcons to surrender in such numbers?”

“Neg, Ulric, I haven’t, but we never made the damn sky fall in on them.” ‘Tasha mused.

Phelan swore softly. “So what in the hell do we do? Surrender? Make a deal? Turtle up and hope that Victor doesn’t drive on Tamar while he’s at it stomping the hell out of two Clans?”

“I don’t know Phelan, you actually know the Steiner-Davions better than anyone in this room. What sort of deal might they accept? What would it take to let us stay here in the Inner Sphere, and not be made into a dead part of history by FedCom arms. The people of the Inner Sphere have many reasons to be angry with us. We came without warning. We took what we wanted, we killed many, took many more as bondsmen never to be seen again. We may say it was all because we had the right to. And part of me still believes that, but according to our rules, as much as the FedCom has violated every martial tenet the Clans believe in, they still have applied the core of our beliefs: might makes right. And right now, their might makes them right. But they believe in something different. To them, we are the Nazis, the Huns, the Mongols, we are the faceless evil from beyond the Periphery to be destroyed. We are the people arrogant enough to think we are the master race.”

“We never were, Ulric, you know that!” Natasha shouted.

“I do, ‘Tasha, which is why I am a Warden. But this is going to damage irreparably the worldviews of a lot of Crusaders, who will be looking for someone to blame. They will default to their usual program, as it were, get in their ‘Mechs and strike at us, or at any other likely target. It will be war on a scale not seen in the homeworlds for some time. And it will be seen as glorious…at first.”

“I think I could use that beer, Ulric.”

“As do I, Phelan. As do I, I think the lucky ones from all this may be the bondsmen the Federated Commonwealth take. At least they will have a future. The rest of us may not. In fact, I expect to receive notice that there will be a Trial of Grievance against me for the way I have handled things.”

“Ulric, the Grand Council would at least allow you a trial?” Natasha’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.

“No, they would not. They are angry. They see the burning Falcon and Viper ‘Mechs, the proud standards of Falcon and Viper clusters brought low by nothing better than freebirths, no offense, Phelan?”

“None taken, Ulric.” Phelan smiled.

“And they see this, and they do not care one whit what the truth is, that we must evolve or die. They would see this as our social Armageddon, our Ragnorok, our Gotterdammerung. And they would act accordingly, with all the rules being off.”

“Jesus, Ulric. If that is true…?” Natasha looked on in horror, her thoughts seeing the potential end of Clan society by its own fratricidal hand.

“Then we must take steps to survive it, as a clan, and as a society, and we must purge those elements who would bring this about..and do it quickly, before we all fall.” Ulric’s voice was like gravel, it rumbled softly and with an authority given to very few men. He looked at the other individuals in the room, and held their eyes.

“Till we all fall, my friends, we must do this, because Clan Wolf, heir of the Kerenskys, must survive the coming storm.”

“Seyla” responded Natasha

“Seyla” added Phelan

“Seyla” as Ulric completed the ritual. “It is decided, whatever happens, the survival of our Clan is paramount, what happens to any of us is secondary. Phelan..let’s break out that beer. I have a feeling we are going to need some as we figure out how in the hell we survive this mess.”

Private Chambers of the Chancellor

Forbidden Palace

Sian

Capellan Confederation

September 1st, 3056

Sun Tsu Liao smiled thinly as he read over the readiness reports for his military. The CCAF has reached a standard no one has seen since 2412, which incidentally, was the last time we actually launched an offensive. EAST SEA is a risky thing, but when will we ever get another opportunity? The Federated Commonwealth is feeling arrogant, and has it’s back turned. We will never get another chance. If Shang is correct, another two weeks, and we will see their second wave kick off, which should allow us to strike against the lesser formations Davion has left behind. Delicious indeed.

He turned to his left, as a figure stirred beneath the sheets of his silk lined bed, her powerful frame a contrast from the delicate features of his wife. And so much more alluring as it turns out. Neither he, nor Alexa Shang had sought out some sort of relationship, but one had developed none the less. He liked her honesty, her patriotism, her bravery, and above all, her competence. Perhaps, when this is all over, I shall elevate her to the position of concubine? She is far more appealing to spend my nights with than that flighty Marik woman.

As the form slowly woke up and stretched, her naked form was there for all to see, her almond skin shimmered in the morning light. Sun Tsu smiled hungrily “Alexa, my dear, did you sleep well?”

“Yes Celestial Wisdom, I did not expect-“

“No need for all that formality here. In these chambers, call me Sun-Tsu. I am happy you slept well, and frankly, I need you in top form. The time for EAST SEA nears.” Sun-Tsu walked over to the night table, and fetched a comb, which he began to use to comb his hair back.

“I wished to speak to you about some parts of the plan, Cel-I mean Sun-Tsu?”

“Oh?”

“I am unsure about the special operation meant to introduce command paralysis amongst the Davions? My concern is of two parts. The first, is the nature of the operation. I may not be an intelligence professional, but might it be better to use our own people? These fanatics…unnerve me.”

Sun-Tsu gave Alexa a dismissive wave “Alexa, calm yourself, we do not have enough assets to accomplish all we would like to prep the battlefield for EAST SEA. Sadly, I am forced to rely on these fanatics. At least, they are not my sister’s fanatics. These people will get the job done..and we can remove them later from the table. Believe me Alexa, if we had a choice, I would not have dealt with them at all. But Marik demands I deal with them as part of his price. And they want Kittery for some reason. No matter to me, it was never really a Capellan world.”

Alexa nodded, then continued. “And then there is the nature of the attack, Sun-Tsu, might we be opening ourselves open for some sort of blowback? Might they try to kill you in response?”

Sun-Tsu smiled “By the time they get around to that, their minor houses will have torn their grand alliance apart because the Steiner-Davion brood will be wiped from the Inner Sphere. No, Alexa, this is the blow my father and mother both were not audacious enough to strike, but I am. And now that we know the Dragoons are gone from Outreach, and that much of the troop strength the Davions were making us see was fiction, no, now is the time to strike. Who knows, perhaps these could be the last days of Davion? I doubt it. But a man, even a Chancellor can hope.”

Alexa Shang felt a chill go through her. Her Chancellor, her lover had done the one thing she had hoped he wouldn’t and that was launch an attack on the Federated Commonwealth based on hope of a potential outcome. Such a thing was bound to end badly, and there might not wind up being a Capellan Confederation when it was all said and done? But she owed her Chancellor and her State her loyalty. She was a good Capellan citizen, what else could she do?

“Oh, and Alexa, I intend to go with the Autumn Wind-4 option, We will attack from barracks. I say deny the Davions any intelligence until the last possible minute. And make sure we give a false set of timetables to the Mariks. I do not want them to leak a damn thing until we go.”

“But Sun-Tsu? We are depending on many of those Marik units for some key first wave objectives.”

“Do not worry Alexa, what we lack in numbers, we will make up for in shock, and surprise, and of course, the indomitable will of the Capellan fighting man.”

This development chilled Alexa even more. Has the legendary madness of the Liao line infected Sun-Tsu as well? Not at this critical hour for the Capellan state. No!

But the questions continued to come unbidden for Alexa Shang as she slowly got dressed.

Sun-Tsu turned, and his almond colored eyes burned with an intense fire of both anger, and disappointment. "You failed, Alexa."

Alexa looked on surprised. "I failed? What was the test?"

"The only test that matters, Alexa, what is more important? Me, or the state?" Sun-Tsu sighed.

"I don't understand?"

"The failure is not completely yours, Alexa. You are a product of our training, where we expect absolute loyalty to the state as personified by the Chancellor. But by now, you should realize, the state is more important than any one chancellor. I cannot afford any mistakes in what is to come, Alexa. The madness on my part, was faked. The Capellan state must have sane, responsible, and canny leadership in the days to come. I will allow you this one misstep. If I act this way again, you are to shoot me...and then my sister. In a lockbox under the throne, there are specific instructions on what to do when I die. I entrust you to follow them to the letter."

"When you die, Sun-Tsu?"

"Alexa, I do not expect to survive this war. What I am about to unleash on the Davions, their family, all to gain even a momentary military advantage, is going to have them baying for my blood, but my life is worth it to save the Confederation a lifetime of supplication to the Federated Commonwealth. Our people must have their spine back. If it costs me my life, so be it."

"But Sun-Tsu, surely there is another way? Perhaps LONG MARCH is a better option..."

"No, Alexa. The people want to see our arms defeat the Davions, not their surrogates, who are Capellans as well. We need victory, and I will make any deal and pay any price to get it. If we can get to Sarna and Liao, I will fall down on my knees and thank my ancestors for us to be so lucky. I know the state of the CCAF. I know we rely a little too much on our benefactors, and my treacherous father in law, but what choice do we have?"

"None that I can see, Sun-Tsu."

"Then understanding has dawned in the student. I expect you to both learn and teach much in the coming days. Do not worry about the fanatics. I expect whatever they have planned, they do not expect to survive it. And as for us getting all the Davions? That was pure theater on my part. If we can get one or two, and have them chasing their tails when we cross the frontier for a week? I will be happy with that. I am finding military operations are like politics, all about the art of the possible."

"They are, Sun-Tsu."

Sun-Tsu nodded, She will not make the same mistake again. Good, I need at least one confidant I can rely on when the time comes, and when the person I expect to come, comes for me. Especially when I remove his mother from the table....
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panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #112 on: 06 September 2017, 13:50:18 »
Lyran Commonwealth National Command Authority Relocation Site #18

18km SSW of Otisburg

Tharkad

Donegal March

Federated Commonwealth

September 5th, 3056

Field Marshal Nondi Steiner was on her 8th cup of coffee, running her fingers through her hair in frustration at both the logistical figures Poulin had sent back from the front, and the antics of her young aide. That Sanderlin kid is going to make me old. Ok, Victor, I took him on your recommendation, but seriously? His trying too hard may be the thing that finally gets me to retire. God? Was I like that once?

Sanderlin had recently been given back his commission for meritorious conduct under fire just before Clover Spear kicked off, and was told directly, take the bars and the staff job that went with it, in a note signed by Victor himself. Cannot blame Victor for wanting to save one of his academy friends. From what I hear, thanks to the Clans, there aren’t too many of them left.

She read over the report Sanderlin had written on Poulin’s requests. So far, his supply expenditures were outstripping even the most pessimistic projections by a factor of 2, especially on the consumables side. Modern war eats ammunition, food, water, and fuel like a wolf eats rabbits. And it spits out death. Death to our young people, and death to theirs. Hell of a business I am in, eh Katrina. God I miss you. I should have retired after you died, but your son in law asked me to stay on for a while, and so did Victor. Poulin is doing a fine job, but if current expenditures stay the same, we might run out of tube artillery rounds by the end of the year. Jesus, I hope we have dealt with the damn Vipers and Falcons by then

She moved on to the operational side of the briefing. So far, resistance had been spotty. Much of that had been due to the fact that the Clans had been caught by surprise, where they could, they had fought hard, but so far..so good, as total casualties for the AFFC thus far was in the 10,000 range for dead and wounded. She never thought she’d ever see those numbers for something this big. It’s still a tragedy for every family that gets the HPG and the visit from the Casualty Assistance Section of the local militia. God, let this be over soon.

She turned her attention to the projected 2nd Wave targets. It’s ambitious as hell hitting both Clan OZ capitols now, but I want to shock the damn bastards to their core, and so does Poulin. We may have to employ TREMBLER on Sudeten, god I hope we don’t, or SUNRISE. Either one is going to send the Clans into a small frenzy, but honestly, if they are that stupid, we can do some of what we probably should have done after that little temper tantrum on that Drac world.

There was a knock at the door. Nondi glanced at her wrist chrono. LIC with their intelligence brief. Always right on time.

“Enter!” she bellowed, her voice sounding harsher than she had wanted it to.

A non-descript fellow in AFFC uniform, with MI insignia on the collar and the epaulets of a Leftenant entered the office carrying an oversized briefcase. After rendering courtesies, he stated “Good morning, mam. Could you please place your hand on the marked pad and speak your name for receipt of the enclosed package?”

Nondi nodded and did as instructed. “General Nondi Steiner, Duchess Gallery and Commanding General of the Lyran State Command. Service Number RA117459.” The case clicked open in response, the pad glowing green.

“Thank you, General. Soon as I record this, may I depart?” The courier then produced a small recorder and stated, “Copy 6 of 10 of Threats and Intentions report on Clans Jade Falcon and Steel Viper delivered to General Nondi Steiner delivered personally at 0821:25. Identity verified.”

“Dismissed, Leftenant. And tell your boss I don’t like your couriers in uniforms they didn’t earn the right to wear.”

The courier blanched. “General Steiner, I am not one to step out of line, or correct a General Officer out of turn, but I am a graduate of CMA, class of ’41.”

“You are? Then where the hell is your school rag?”

“Orders from General Karlberg. We don’t wear them. Nor our class rings. It’s too much information to any potential enemies.”

Nondi gritted her teeth. “You see combat, Leftenant?”

“Yes mam, on Twycross. My whole lance got shot to pieces, and I was medically evacuated after they blew my Banshee out from under me. I have a TBI, so I can’t pilot a ‘Mech anymore. Still a reservist, but I am a staff officer with the militia on Tharkad, officially.”

Nondi smiled “Ok, just wanted to make sure you were at least somewhat legitimate, Leftenant. Dismissed.” as she waved her hand as if to shoo him away.

Once the Leftenant departed, she thumbed a button on her desk that shut off all recording devices and engaged a white noise generator. It could only be turned off by her once engaged.

The pages were crisp, white paper, with stark lettering, and LIC’s writing style left little room for fluff.

She scanned the pages, and found little had changed from last week, and if anything, it seemed the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers had…

It was the Sudeten entry had stopped her speed reading.

She reread the offending paragraph, now burning itself into her brain:

“..Two Jade Falcon warships have entered the Sudeten system in the last 96 hours. (95% reliability), ships are identified as the Hawker of the Sovietskii Soyuz-class (95% reliability) plus one Aegis class Cruiser (90% reliability), name unknown. Both ships are in geosynch orbit as part of a routine patrol from the Periphery, and are reportedly taking on supplies and rotating crews. (90% reliability). “

“Jesus” she muttered and she continued to read the document. It was another paragraph that had her fumbling for her noteputer:

“..a new hardened bunker of some kind has been completed in the vicinity of the largest island in the Jarho chain (95% reliability). Its purpose is unclear at this time, but we suspect that it is either a relocation site for the Jade Falcon Khans (70% reliable) or a C3 site of some kind (30% reliable). We suspect there is a stronger case for the former possibility as we have noticed a separate HPG system being installed at the site during construction. (See Appendix A3, Overhead Imagery of unknown site on Sudeten, taken 6th September 3056).

Nondi cursed again. “I am going to have to give Poulin permission for both SUNRISE and TREMBLER after all, damn it all. Better let Victor and Hanse know as well. Shit..there went my day..”


Clan Smoke Jaguar Forward Headquarters

10km from Courant City

Albiero

Clan Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone

September 24th, 3056

0445 hours Local


Khan Lincoln Osis flexed his muscles slightly as he continued to read the reports taken from the Wolf Watch. The Trial of Possession was worth it, in retrospect, but it was bloody, only one survivor of the binary from the 6th Dragoons I sent to get the reports. But their information was, illuminating, to say the least.

The report’s conclusions were stark. The ersatz Star League that the sphereoids had formed, the “Federated Commonwealth” was rolling over the Falcons and Vipers as if they were tissue paper warriors, and the freebirths were using more than a few honorless tactics to do it. Massed artillery fire, overwhelming force, no zellbrigen, and guerillas? All of this is without any honor at all, but the Falcons and Vipers did little but lick their wounds, and assume, in their haughty ignorance, that the Sphereoid scum would cower in fear of the “almighty Falcons”. And worse, the Vipers agreed.

Osis did not know who in the hell to laugh at first. So, he split the difference, and chuckled mirthlessly at the predicament both clans found themselves in. He rubbed his brow with his left hand, and rubbed his eyes again, as he continued to read the report. If I had known how deadly dull this report was, I would have had Brandon Howell read it and summarize it for me. The Wolves kill with words, and call themselves “clanlike.”

But the report’s conclusions, even to Osis, were sound. The Falcons and Vipers were in the early stages of military collapse, and the FedCom was using every weak point in both Clans to shove them over the edge of disaster. Not that such things would apply to the Jaguars. I would almost welcome the so-called Federated Commonwealth attempting such a thing here. My warriors would make short work of it. The “fearsome” DCMS has proven to be nothing more than a momentary impediment on the way to Terra, we would already be there, if not for Kerensky, and his damn deal with that so-called religious order known as ComStar. It is a good thing I had those robed idiots we captured off that jumpship back in ’48 mind wiped BEFORE we gave them back. I cannot say too many other ComStar POWs have been so lucky. Then again, it has given my elementals valuable practice.

Osis grinned at that last thought. His methods had begun to suppress the Combine backed guerillas, but at a cost, and he believed it was mostly because the Combine was not able to continue to both fund their efforts, and rebuild the DCMS. That said, they did enough to keep them busy.

Osis leaned over and pushed a button on his noteputer: “Kelmar, attend to me.”

At once, a knock came at the door. “Enter”, Osis barked.

The heavy blast door opened with a clank, and a whine as metal creaked, a slender figure entered, his blue eyes large and his sandy blond hair and his light complexion and lithe features reflected his aerospace fighter pilot phenotype. His skin was impregnated with grey linear tattoos, outward reflections of Kelmar’s fanatical devotion to Clan Smoke Jaguar, as well as his submission to DNI surgery. “Aff my Khan, what is your bidding?”, he bellowed as he came to attention and saluted.

“Kelmar, how sharp are the Jaguar’s claws, would you say, are we ready to crush the Combine?”

“As sharp as ever, ovKhan, our warriors clamber at another chance to teach the Combine who the better warriors truly are.” Kelmar answered.

Osis grinned satisfactorily. “Good, I expected as much. Summon all the Galaxy Commanders for a meeting here in three weeks’ time. I want to go over our plans to hit the Combine, especially for plan to finally take Luthien. We will take it, then burn it to ash, and then rename it DeChaviller, as the Combine helped the usurper, Kelmar. Examples must be made.”

Kelmar simply nodded.

There was another knock at the door. “ovKhan, there is news about the sphereoid offensive against the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers. Their second wave has begun.”

Osis smiled wider. “Kelmar, move up that meeting a week. We cannot wait, and I intend to act before those timid souls led by that king sheep, Kerensky blather on about Clan unity and try to get us into some idiotic plan to save the Falcons and Vipers from their own stupidity.”

Kelmar nodded again. “It shall be done, ovKhan.”


Location Unknown

Date Unknown

The man was nude, and his features were ordinary, he was of ordinary height, and weight. But his eyes, his eyes were empty of anything like a soul, or a conscience. He hadn’t started out that way. He had a name, once. But those days had been purged from his memory. His life before, according to his instructors, had no meaning, only what he was told to do.

He sat in the middle of a white featureless room, his meals and simple needs brought to him between missions, when he was sent out into the world to wreak havoc on behalf of the better world promised by the Blessed Blake, a world he was helping to make happen. Such thoughts elicited the rare smile, a smile that was terrible to behold.

A slot formed as if by magic in the door, and a small envelope, about 40cm by 30cm in size, white, with the Blakist broadsword on it in the upper right corner passed through and fluttered slowly to the floor of the room. The man waited until the envelope had reached the floor, then quietly rose and walked over to the envelope, and opened it with a minimum of effort.

Assignments were always a picture of the target. He was an assassin. He never did bombings or kidnappings. Any photo he ever got, the target was meant to be killed, and he would do the job regardless of the opposition. He had never failed, and never been caught. He would be proud of that, if he were capable of it.

He removed the photo from the envelope, and turned it over to reveal the beaming faces of Hanse Aadrian Davion, and Melissa Steiner-Davion. This should be a true test of my abilities, the man thought.
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Shadow_Wraith

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #113 on: 06 September 2017, 18:50:00 »
 :D A very nice update!!

mikecj

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #114 on: 07 September 2017, 08:49:52 »
Nicely written.
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DOC_Agren

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #115 on: 07 September 2017, 16:47:40 »
Very nice..   more to come I hope
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

panzerfaust150

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #116 on: 11 September 2017, 09:23:28 »
Offices of the First Prince Emeritus
Royal Palace
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
September 8th, 3056

  I hate what I have to do, but for the good of the realm, I have to do it. Hanse grimaced as he thought over the words that he had rehearsed mentally for weeks before this day. It was a beautiful early fall day on New Avalon, clear blue skies, bit of a clean breeze that wafted through the palace. But all Hanse could think about was the horrible things he was going to have to say to an old friend, one whom had rendered innumerable services to the Commonwealth, and one whom had given his only brother to save his then-fiancé.

  This is so much worse than when I found out the truth about Michael. Hanse mused. He felt a slight twinge in his chest, and though he was tempted to reach for his heart pills, he soon shut the thought out of his mind. He knew his body, and he knew he was going to get through this. I am of sterner stuff than this. Victor had offered to do this, so had Melissa, but the fact was, politically, he could not see any other alternative to himself. And he wouldn’t accept it from anyone else but me and Katrina. And Katrina’s gone, so it’s just me.

 There was a knock at the door. “Your highness, Duke Kell has arrived for his one pm audience, shall I admit him?”

  Hanse bellowed “Yes, and see we aren’t disturbed afterwards.” Hanse shook himself mentally as he said that a bit harsher than he had intended. That young man did not deserve your anger, Hanse, and you know it. The voice in his head that said it sounded suspiciously like his father, Andrew. Dad’s been gone a long time. I suppose he’d approve of what we’ve built here.

  The door opened and a man of imposing height entered, his physique told of a man who had still put himself through a brutal exercise regimen, and remained ready for battle, even though he hadn’t been in a ‘Mech in two years. His ducal clothes spoke of a simple finery, as he was not a man of ceremony, but a man who had made his reputation on the battlefield, as a mercenary, fighting the enemies of the Commonwealth for longer than there HAD been a Federated Commonwealth. His ‘Mechwarrior’s spur’s jangled, and his faded blue school rag fluttered in the breeze as he entered the room and his long mane of grey hair framed his face, currently an expressionless mask. But Hanse noted his eyes. His eyes said sorrow, and determination, and intelligence, and experience, all rolled up into something that made Morgan Kell unique, and by the reports of some, unkillable.

  Not so sure I believe that last part, but I think we’re both a bit old to be hopping into simulators to prove it, eh? Then again, with what I have to tell him, he might want to do it for real once I am done. God, he is a loyal soldier who we have counted on time and again. I inducted him into the Order of Davion. Victor and Katherine gave him those spurs.. and the right to wear them as thanks for decades of loyal service, and now, this is how we thank him.

  “Hello Morgan,” Hanse smiled thinly, “Please, sit down. Can I have the palace staff get you anything?”

  Morgan did as he was asked, shaking his head no as he sat. “I am on my way to a reunion of some of the gang from Mallory’s World. Not many of us left. But, I got your message, Hanse. I cannot imagine why it is so important for you to send for me to come incommunicado.”

  Hanse nodded. “I am sorry, Morgan for the bit of skullduggery, but it’s important, and sadly, it affects your family. Namely, your son.”

   Morgan grimaced knowingly. His brows deepened as he frowned, and the light in his eyes danced with both shame, and anger.
  “I think you know why we are here, Morgan.”

  Morgan nodded. “I do, Hanse, and I think it very astute for them to ask you to be the one to have this conversation with me.”

  Hanse nodded, and handed over a series of still pictures taken from what appeared to be a BattleROM recording. The timestamp was 11 November, 3051, Tamar, Federated Commonwealth. It was from a Quickdraw of the 26th Lyran Guards, and had a Thor in its gunsights, but to the left of the reticule, was a Wolfhound, in a very distinctive scheme. Phelan. It could not be anyone else. Subsequent stills showed the Wolfhound firing on the Quickdraw.
 
  Hanse let Morgan take the photos in for a few moments. “Morgan, these photos came to light two years ago. We’d always been willing to overlook Phelan’s activities with Clan Wolf, because he was a mercenary, rather than a sworn member of the AFFC, but these photos are going to make the lead story tomorrow on DBC. We just found out last night. We’ve asked them to delay for 48 hours for us to have this talk with you.”

  “Why, Hanse, you’re just going to try him for treason in absentia, and then have him shot if you ever get his hands on him? And you’re asking me to publicly support this, no?”

  Hanse shook his head. “No, Morgan, we aren’t. I had a long chat with Victor, my wife, Katherine, Quintus, and Ardan on what the hell to do about this. Fact is, DBC is forcing us to do something. And right now, with us doing well against the clans, thus far…”
  “The people want blood?”

  “Precisely, I have people outside the palace every day here on both New Avalon and on Tharkad with placards of their missing children demanding we start putting the screws to Falcon and Viper bondsmen till we get the whereabouts of their kids. And for us not to do anything about Phelan? It would be political dynamite, especially in Tamar.”

  “So Hanse, you’re going to ask me to sacrifice my son for the sake of the Commonwealth?”

  Hanse nodded yes. “But I won’t have him killed or kidnapped, so long as he stays in the Wolf OZ.  I furthermore promise you that, so long as he refrains from setting foot in the Commonwealth ever again, he has nothing to fear, unless he takes up arms against us. If he is taken alive, he will be arrested for treason, and aid and comfort to an enemy in time of war. If that happens, I do at least promise he will get the best representation in the Commonwealth, and a fair trial in the Davion half. He couldn’t get one in the Steiner half.”

  “And you expect me to tell him that?”

  “Yes, Morgan, I do. I expect you to tell him because otherwise, Victor’s hand will be forced, and it could cause a crisis in the Lyran half of the Commonwealth. I don’t want that, and I don’t think you do either.”

  Morgan swore softly, Dammit Hanse, you are right. And sadly, this is the best deal Phelan can probably expect. At least he won’t be kidnapped by Loki or MI-6 and dragged back here in chains. And who knows, maybe we can go visit him? This is of course, assuming that the Wolves are allowed to stay in the Inner Sphere?

  “Damn you, Hanse. I agree. But know this, you’re asking me to participate in the exile of my own son. A son I named after the brother I lost saving the life of your wife. You must acknowledge that much.” Morgan’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, tears he was too proud to shed in front of Hanse Davion.

  Hanse nodded “I know Morgan, and if Victor and I had another choice, we would. But there isn’t any. And you know it, Morgan. We cannot protect him, especially when these BattleROM stills come out.”

  “May I have a moment, Hanse, alone? I’d like to think about what to say to my son?”

  Hanse nodded, and made to step out into the hall. He stopped for a moment, and turned to Morgan. “Morgan, for what it’s worth. I am sorry. I wish there were another way, but there isn’t.” He then opened the door and stepped out into the hall, the door closing with a quiet click that sounded like the most mournful sound imaginable to Morgan. It was like losing Patrick all over again.
 
  The tears and sobs came on suddenly, Morgan bit his hand to prevent his moans of sorrow from escaping. My son, the traitor? What did I do wrong? What the hell did Salome and I do wrong? Where did we fail you, Phelan? Morgan collapsed on the leather couch, soon he was not caring who heard his sorrow.

  Hanse overheard the cries from the hall, and stopped the senior guard who made for the door. “No, Captain Alstead. Give him whatever time he needs and please make sure the staff fulfills his every wish, he is a patriot, and he didn’t deserve this. But a man like Morgan Kell deserves his private pain. We owe it to him to let him mourn, and we shall do so, clear?”

  The entire guard force came to attention and semi-shouted “Clear, Your Highness!” as one.

  “Now, to find my wife. I could so use a ****** drink right now.”

« Last Edit: 12 September 2017, 08:22:44 by panzerfaust150 »
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Shadow_Wraith

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #117 on: 11 September 2017, 22:16:43 »
Wow  nice update

mikecj

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #118 on: 12 September 2017, 21:01:31 »
Well written!
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"First, one brief announcement. I just want to mention, for those who have asked, that absolutely nothing what so ever happened today in sector 83x9x12. I repeat, nothing happened. Please remain calm." Susan Ivanova
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Romo Lampkin could have gotten Stefan Amaris off with a warning.

Zureal

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Re: Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War
« Reply #119 on: 13 September 2017, 06:19:28 »
pure awesome!