Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II  (Read 205677 times)

Mendrugo

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Date: December 21, 3000
 
Location: Maldives

Title: Apparent Catastrophe

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Apparent Catastrophe)

Synopsis:  Following the soccer match, the players (including Sophia) get better quarters and treatment, and Proctor Soamstone is put on trial for abusing children and sentenced to Golden Prosperity as an inmate. 

Walter and Sophia enjoy a happy reunion and continue planning their group's escape.  Their plans are very shortly interrupted, however, when Chef Jacques tells them that Proctors seized Ivan from the kitchens, saying they knew who he really was.

Walter races to High Proctor Calvin Galarza's office with a sandwich and a concealed knife.  He threatens Galarza, who admits he knew who Walter and Ivan really were, but denies he had Ivan taken.  He says that after being mistaken by the Collective as a political prisoner, he scraped the captured Ranger records clean of references to Ivan, Walter, and Sophia. 

Galarza calls up computer records and sees that Ivan has been identified as Simon Blythe-Xin, son of a Liao oligarch, scheduled to be released to Ambassador Wen Xu-Tian in four days.  He surmises that the Capellan Ambassador recognized Ivan and had his agents hack into the Collective records to set up a way to get Ivan into Capellan hands. 

Walter tells Galarza to change Sophia's records so the Capellans can't pull the same trick with her.  That accomplished, he asks Galarza to arrange for transport for a dozen people so they can get Ivan and escape Golden Prosperity before the Capellans arrive in four days. 

Notes: Interesting that the term used in the BattleTech universe for computer hacking is "code slicing."  This is the same terminology used in the Star Wars expanded universe - suggesting that Stackpole brought the term over from his X-Wing novels.

Narratively, this scene gives Walter and his crew a tight deadline to escape from the camp, and reveals Galarza's situation and motivations. 

It's surprising that a High Proctor assigned to Golden Prosperity wouldn't have more security.  Walter has no problem bringing a knife into Galarza's office. 

It becomes clear that the Collective's backers aren't the Capellans, or they'd just be able to demand custody of Ivan without having to go through the complex ruse.  That leaves the Feddies (though if they'd been behind the whole shebang, it's unlikely Walter would countenance working for the AFFS 27 years from now), the Free Worlds League (unlikely - they've not been mentioned by name, and there's nothing tying them to it other than the presence of Marik-built Stingrays in the Collective's arsenal), or the Aurigan Coalition.

Given that this is a tie-in novel to the HBS BattleTech game, which is set in and around the Aurigan Coalition, and that the Aurigans have been explicitly name-checked as a regional power that has an interest in Maldives, my guess would be that they'll be revealed as the power behind the Collective.
« Last Edit: 27 October 2017, 19:39:18 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Wrangler

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I've never read this story, but wow does this thing sound complicated.  Not that's a bad thing but it certainly has alot of intrigue going on with it.
« Last Edit: 28 October 2017, 19:15:07 by Wrangler »
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skiltao

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I can buy the Valdives/Maldives mix-up, but you're right, the positioning is only a little better.

It becomes clear that the Collective's backers aren't the Capellans, or they'd just be able to demand custody of Ivan without having to go through the complex ruse. 

Other options are a second factions of Capellans, or Aurigans posing as Capellans. Don't know if the story means to get that complex though.

Where does it say Pacifica is on a mail route?  The only reference I'm familiar with is the Crescent Hawk game, and that features a ComStar HPG station at Starpad.

It's in Warrior: En Garde, when they're talking about getting the retiring Tech outsystem.

"ComStar would have our tails in a sling. Somehow that lowlife merchanter weaseled a contract to haul bulk-messages to backwaters like Pacifica, and that's made him inviolate. He's afraid, though, that shipping a Steiner Tech aboard his ship would prompt the folks we know and love as the Combine to confiscate his ship-—or worse. ... And, in the meantime, the Intrepid jumps out of here and won't be back for another six months."

Dan receives a message from ComStar about Justin's injury, but this is while the courier is still in system, and the message is stamped as coming from the Wyatt HPG. (Incidentally, Dan also says "That message took more than a month to reach us here, even traveling through ComStar's 'A' circuit," which implies the existence of slower 'B' circuits.)
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glitterboy2098

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Notes: Interesting that the term used in the BattleTech universe for computer hacking is "code slicing."  This is the same terminology used in the Star Wars expanded universe - suggesting that Stackpole brought the term over from his X-Wing novels.
probably. but IMO it works. the other terms would be "hacking" or 'cracking", which to me would imply a fairly brute force or at least clunky approach. "slicing" sounds more covert, more refined.


Mendrugo

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However - recall that this is the Maskirovka we're talking about - the guys who blow up skyscrapers to get one target.  Not really a reputation for "covert/refined"  ;)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Frabby

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However - recall that this is the Maskirovka we're talking about - the guys who blow up skyscrapers to get one target.  Not really a reputation for "covert/refined"  ;)
That depends on your point of view. The Maskirovka would argue that this only shows they're not shackled by ethics, and have no qualms about a brute force approach if they think it works best. At the same time the impression I got is that they can be as covert/refined as the mission requires.
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Mendrugo

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I dunno...the list of Mask failures is impressive

- trying to replace Tormano with a double, but not taking precautions to whack/disappear the real Tormano
- sending a team to assassinate Quintus Allard and getting thwarted by a guard dog
- sending a team to gene-test Joshua Marik and getting caught by a SAFE agent (undercover as a nurse) who was suspicious about their inappropriate shoes
- setting loyal agents up to die to facilitate the money laundering of payments to mercenaries through betting on fixed matches
- trying to pressure a Solaris gladiator into throwing a match, but giving too much information away in the process
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Kit deSummersville

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Don't forget:

Allowing a foreign agent to become a key cog their organization.

and

Allowing their director to take a nice buy-out from a foreign government along with a mess of intel.
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Mendrugo

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Don't forget:

Allowing a foreign agent to become a key cog their organization.

and

Allowing their director to take a nice buy-out from a foreign government along with a mess of intel.

I left out the whole Justin Xiang situation because they weren't technically in the Maskirovka - they formed a "Crisis Team" that reported directly to Max, rather than interfacing with Director Chandra Ling at all.  If anything, she seemed to report to Justin, Alexi, and Tsen.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

glitterboy2098

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i doubt the terminology is maskirovka specific though. as a general term for covertly breaching the security of a computer system and altering data, 'slicing' certainly sounds a lot more stealthy and refined than "hacking" or "cracking".

Mendrugo

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The term itself is fine.  My only beef is that it’s a Star Wars term, so having it show up in BattleTech dialogue creates the same disconnect as would having Luke direct Dack to “open fire on those Imperial quad BattleMechs”

Looking at the A Time of War entry for the Computer skill, the verb used there is “hack,” rather than “slice.” 

That doesn’t make Stackpole’s usage wrong, or inelegant, but it seemed unusual when I first read it in his X-Wing novels back in the 1990s, and its reappearance here was equally jarring - being a notable Star Wars-ism.  Akin to having Ivan call the Proctor a nerf herder.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #341 on: 01 November 2017, 14:47:16 »
Date: December 23, 3000
 
Location: Maldives

Title: Apparent Catastrophe

Author: Michael A. Stackpole
 
Type: Novel (Apparent Catastrophe)

Synopsis: Walter informs Commissar Levine he's been approached about an escape attempt scheduled for December 25th, but claims he won't have details until later. 

Walter later meets with Sophia and Ash, and provides them with civilian clothing and identification, telling them to rendezvous at tunnel 9C, in the Admin building.  Then, he and Jim Conason go to the detention center, disable the guards, take their uniforms, arm themselves, and free Ivan.  Walter also opens Soamstone's cell, and draws a knife as he tells the pedophile ex-Proctor that they have unfinished business.

With many of the on-duty Proctors mentally impaired by Chef Jacques' addition of jimsonweed to their food, Walter is easily able to catch up with the other escapees in the university's horticulture wing.  The escapees meet up with Galarza in the vehicle garage, and Walter explains that he's been on their side since they were captured.  He also reveals Ivan's true identity to the shocked group. 

Galarza says their ride should be arriving soon, but instead a voice over a loudspeaker demands they surrender, passing on a message from Commissar Levine that "Wilson" isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

Levine oversees the besieged garage from his office, and tells Proctor Hazleton to proceed as necessary.  The Collective forces begin peppering the garage with laser bolts.  With satisfaction, Levine reviews the thought processes that led him to deduct that the escape would take place tonight, and that "Wilson" had been lying to him. 

A Proctor knocks and enters, reporting that there are a dozen escapees, from the soccer teams.  Levine orders him to have them executed.  The Proctor, Soamstone, instead draws the knife Wilson gave him and tells the Commissar he isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

Inside the besieged garage, as the garage doors begin to melt, the group decides to fight, rather than surrender.  As they prepare to go down standing, explosions announce the arrival of Galarza's transportation - a hovertank in Rangers colors scattering the Collective forces with barrages from its missile launchers.  Two panel vans follow in its wake, and quickly load the prisoners aboard.

They head for the spaceport, intending to rendezvous at Landing Bay 27 Delta.  Explosions rock Rivergaard's northeast quarter as anti-Collective forces launch a diversionary attack.  Walter thinks he sees BattleMechs involved. 

Outside the landing bay, Captain MacDonald welcomes them, explaining to Walter that she'd left the planet with the Vulture's Nest on a Federated Suns contract after the Angels were destroyed, but returned for this extraction.  She gives the escapees new ID, and they pass through spaceport security without incident and proceed to the Vulture's Nest, where Ambassador Allard is waiting. 

Before they can board, a Collective official and six troopers run through the checkpoint and demands they return to the terminal.  He introduces himself as Captain Theodore Percival Carnarvon, and insists that all outbound traffic be suspended until the incident in the city is resolved.  Quintus Allard informs Carnarvon that the landing bay is sovereign territory of the Federated Suns, since the Vulture's Nest is chartered to the Federated Suns Diplomatic Corps.  Carnarvon stands his ground, noting that the Collective has not ratified any treaties signed by the previous government. 

Galarza, still garbed as a Proctor, threatens Carnarvon with arrest and detention at the Golden Prosperity reeducation center, noting with malice Carnarvon's repeated use of "I" rather than the Collective-ordained "we".  He claims that he has been tasked by Commissar Levine to escort Federated Suns citizens to the ship for repatriation.  Carnarvon maintains his insistence on his authority to stop the ship from leaving, but his squad of guards is convinced by Galarza's threats, and they stand down. 

Galarza, still playing the role of a pompous Collective Proctor, wishes Walter and the Litzaus farewell, since he will be staying on Maldives to carry on the fight.  Aboard ship, Ivan swears that no matter how long it takes, he'll be coming back for Galarza.

Notes: The Rangers hovertank isn't named, but its profile description matches the J. Edgar hover craft.  With the Vulture's Nest described as "egg shaped," that marks it as likely being Overlord-class.  Somewhat oversized for a mercenary company, but perhaps the Angels were larger in the past.

Walter and company are certainly coming back to Maldives, since he has his Blackjack (currently in the Taurian-built 'Mech base) on Galatea in 3010. 

Frankly, I'm surprised that Allard was content to try to bluff Carnarvon (probably named after the Welsh castle) with claims of diplomatic immunity when he had a fully armed Overlord at his back.  I'd expected some proper gunboat diplomacy.  He may have been afraid that such a move would push the Collective into a full alliance with the Capellan Confederation.  (Indeed - the HBS 3025 map shows both Maldive and Valdives - whichever one corresponds to Maldives - as Capellan worlds.)

The bit with Soamstone and Levine was a bit odd.  Soamstone's message from Walter ('Wilson') to the Commissar was clearly intended as a rebuttal to the Commissar's own mocking message to Walter, but there's no way Walter could have known Levine would catch them or convey such a message.  My guess is that Walter didn't actually give Soamstone any message - just directed him to assassinate the Commissar in exchange for his freedom.  Soamstone probably heard the "you aren't as smart..." message when it went out over the loudspeaker, and ad-libbed the "message from Wilson" on the spot. 

This brings "Apparent Catastrophe" to a close.  I'm hoping that the next two installments contain more of the regional politics and large-scale scheming that are what I like best about the BattleTech fiction.  So far, we've had a groundhog's eye view of what's going on - a very local, personal story.  Stackpole's previous works had those as well, but they were intermixed with scenes where political leaders on far-off capitals discussed operations in progress that placed the local action in a larger context.  Here, we're largely lacking the larger context - getting a storyline told along the lines of "Decision at Thunder Rift," with only vague allusions made to the greater backdrop of the Succession Wars. 

Getting offworld seems a good step toward rectifying that situation.  It would be great if part three follows Ivan on a "exiled princeling" tour, hat in hand, to try to gain support from the Federated Suns, Taurian Concordat, Magistracy of Canopus, and Aurigan Coalition (they'll probably give Sian a pass - though it would be a fun scene to put Ivan together in a room with Victor Hargreaves, since House Hargreaves has been trying to lead an army of liberation to Chesterton since the Age of War.  "Good luck, kid.  You're gonna need it.").  It'd be a good chance to introduce people new to the universe who are just coming for the HBS game to the local factions that will be involved in the single-player storyline, and reveal who's behind the Collective's coup.  (My money's on the Aurigans.)
« Last Edit: 01 November 2017, 15:08:49 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #342 on: 03 November 2017, 07:29:44 »
Date: 2822
 
Location: Wynn's Roost

Title: We Want Your Bulldozers

Author: Michael Miller
 
Type: Adventure Hook (Touring the Stars: Wynn's Roost)

Synopsis:  In 2822, Wynn's Roost served as the administrative capital of the Outworlds Alliance's "Traders' Domain" district.  While it was able to provide for the needs of the worlds in its district, neighboring areas weren't so fortunate, and resorted to raiding to secure needed supplies.  In 2822, the mining world of Ammon launched a raid to steal earthmoving equipment to keep its germanium industry functioning. 

Ammon first sent a spy cell of inexperienced librarians and sheriff's deputies to gather intel on the bulldozer factory, leading to close calls with Rooster police.  The attack finally came when Ammon pirates landed in a Mule and attacked the factory in the city of Turner's Toe.  The Rooster militia that responded to the incursion had to contend with Ammon troops rampaging through a factory filled with both bulldozers and panicked civilians.

Notes: Wynn's Roost is one of a handful of worlds named after BattleTech authors, like Slewis (Sam Lewis), Heartfjord (Chris Hartford), or Jordan Wais (Jordan Weisman).  In this case, the world is an homage to Patrick Wynne, aka "Roosterboy" on these forums.  (Making it especially appropriate that the inhabitants are called 'Roosters.')

The dynamics of the Periphery economic system collapse still remain murky.  The early explanation - that the Star League had intentionally imposed an unsustainable economic system on the Periphery, forcing worlds to specialize and trade, thereby holding worlds hostage to the threat of a crippling trade embargo, has been tossed out as non-canon.  In lieu of that, this account notes that many worlds had been settled only in the last century along economic plantation models, producing a limited number of commodities and trading for all necessities.

Ammon's MiningMechs were apparently worn out and needed to be replaced, and they felt that Wynn's Roost's diesel bulldozers would be sufficient to continue the germanium refining operations.  If Ammon specialized in germanium mining, there must have been a plethora of JumpShips dedicated to bringing in supplies and carrying away the germanium.  If the Ammonites still want to produce germanium, they must anticipate future trade.  Not to mention - they came on a JumpShip - why couldn't they take a few extra months to mosey to Alpheratz where they could buy the equipment they needed to build their own tractor factories with fresh pallets of refined germanium?  Alpheratz maintained 'Mech building capacity throughout the Succession Wars, so the tech wasn't lost.

We do get a note that Inner Sphere trading fleets were diverted to serve the war, but there must have been Independent tramp freighters still serving the Trader's Domain and other backwaters.  Ammon is noted as a "habitable but cold" world with 55,000 inhabitants tenaciously dedicated to their planet.  The turn to banditry just seems extreme if all they needed was industrial equipment, when they had a JumpShip and germanium to trade.  All they had to do was go a bit further afield.

Strategy-wise, all the Rooster Militia really has to do is knock out the mostly unarmed Ammon Mule.  Once the Mule can no longer take off, pull your people back, let the Ammoni troops withdraw to their landing zone with a cargo of diesel tractors.   Once they are safely away from the civilians at the factory, the Mule can be besieged.  (Even better if the militia that hits the Mule plants remote detonated explosives inside - taking out the defenders even as they try to fix the engines.)  The technicians working at the factory and the equipment to make more tractors are more important than a single production run.
« Last Edit: 03 November 2017, 07:37:34 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #343 on: 03 November 2017, 08:11:33 »
Date: 2833
 
Location: Wynn's Roost

Title: Acid Test of Battle

Author: Michael Miller
 
Type: Adventure Hook (Touring the Stars: Wynn's Roost)

Synopsis: In 2833, suspected Onverwacht mercenaries attacked the fusion reactor facility Wynn's Roost had just completed on an island in a dormant volcano, hoping to carry off a fortune in portable (albeit primitive fusion reactors).  With their own mercenaries interdicted by the central government on Alpheratz, the Roosters were unable to prevent the pirates from suppressing the defending militia. 

However, when the pirates called in their DropShips for extraction, one crashed into the factory, destroying both the facility and the adjacent training school, and killing all the irreplaceable technicians.

Alpheratz's blocking of the mercenary garrison and its failure to stop Onverwacht from similarly arming itself were the final straws that led to Wynn's Roost seceding, along with the rest of the Trader's Domain, from the Outworlds Alliance in 2835.

Notes:  The Onverwacht mercenaries are described as executing a combat drop, yet their DropShip is described as being a Mule.  I'd assumed you needed dedicated 'Mech bays to do combat drops, since you need the pods and the drop chute mechanisms.  Sure, a Mule could be retrofitted for those, but it's doubtful that Onverwacht would have that sort of capability by this point. 

One alternative explanation is that the crashed Mule was empty, and had come to load up with fusion reactors.  That would imply that the mercs came aboard a dedicated 'Mech carrier - a Union or Overlord, depending on how large you want the battle to be - which remained in orbit after dropping its 'Mechs.

This debacle recalls a sidebar from the Objective Raids sourcebook, which noted that most surviving factories were either massively fortified or dug deep underground or into mountains for protection.  Any that were exposed (like this one) had long since been blasted into non-existence. 

The defenders have missile-armed patrol boats, infantry, and tanks.  The attackers have 'Mechs.  Sea Skimmers (packing SRM-4s) would be the most likely template to use for the Rooster patrol boats.  For the tanks, the Field Report Periphery 2765 RAT suggests GAL-100 Galleons, Chevaliers, Prowlers (the amphibious adaptation would be highly appropriate, given the location on a lake), T-12 Tigers, Bulldogs, Gallants, Von Luckners, Demons, Manticores, Pumas, Rhinos, Furys, and Alacorns. 

Given the weaksauce militias that would have remained in the Outworlds backwater by this point, I'd avoid the heavier equipment and give the factory a company of amphibious Prowlers, backed by a lance of ancient Tigers defending the landing pad.  (The terrain is noted as being so rough that only infantry can traverse it, so APCs would be pointless, and other fast tanks wouldn't have room to maneuver.)
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #344 on: 03 November 2017, 15:55:25 »
they came on a JumpShip - why couldn't they take a few extra months to mosey to Alpheratz where they could buy the equipment they needed to build their own tractor factories with fresh pallets of refined germanium?  Alpheratz maintained 'Mech building capacity throughout the Succession Wars, so the tech wasn't lost.

Alpheratz would likely be getting their tractors from Wynn's Roost (or another world like it) too, anyways; so why not buy the tractors directly from Wynn's Roost, or convince the Rooster manufacturer to establish a second factory on Ammon? Either the Ammonians lack the wealth (perhaps their Germanium has been drying up), or there's a shortage in Outworlds tractor manufacturing capability; or perhaps both. You'd think the Outworlds Alliance would take steps to secure their domestic production of Germanium, but maybe that much planning and central control would be out of character.

I agree that the Ammonians could have tried going further afield, but the further into the Inner Sphere they go the less they can trust the Successor States to not commandeer the JumpShip. (I wonder what Ceres Metals was doing at this time, and if they would've seen Ammon as a customer or competitor.)

Quote
The early explanation - that the Star League had intentionally imposed an unsustainable economic system on the Periphery, forcing worlds to specialize and trade, thereby holding worlds hostage to the threat of a crippling trade embargo, has been tossed out as non-canon

Huh? I've heard of one specific example - that of a world producing nothing but left boots - being deemed an in-universe myth, but I don't recall the overall principle getting nixed.
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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #345 on: 03 November 2017, 16:09:56 »
What Ammon really needed were WorkMechs.  If Alpheratz retained the ability to make BattleMechs, they could make WorkMechs, compact fusion engines, and other advanced products.  They wouldn’t have needed primitive tractors or fusion engines from the Roost - those were intended for the worlds of the Traders’ Domain.

Handbook Major Periphery States p. 41 notes that spare parts for advanced tech came from the Inner Sphere - HPGs, water purifiers, agrodomes, etc.  An earlier sidebar noted that the post-Reunification War reconstruction period led to the introduction of lots of high tech infrastructure that depended on imported parts.  When factories were destroyed and shipping collapsed due to ship shortages, the infrastructure on hundreds of worlds failed and the colonies either regressed or died off.

My point is that the idea of Planet A making all the toilet paper for its Periphery region while Planet B made all the widgets has been axed.
« Last Edit: 03 November 2017, 16:17:42 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #346 on: 03 November 2017, 16:51:20 »
My point is that the idea of Planet A making all the toilet paper for its Periphery region while Planet B made all the widgets has been axed.
Only in the literal sense - Comstock producing shoes for interstellar distribution seems way over the top at face value.
However, the underlying idea - that the Star League deliberately kept the Periphery underdeveloped through overt and covert measures - still stands. The fluff for the 3200 ton Danais DropShip explicitly says that the Star League dictated what the periphery worlds could or couldn't build. At 3200 tons it was small enough to be permissible. Hyperspecialisation and a borked infrastructure tailored to keep planets from becoming self-sufficient would make sense in this context, and go a long way to explain why the periphery was so much slower in recovering from the lostech era despite individual islands of hightech (e.g. the Quatre Belle shipyards).
« Last Edit: 03 November 2017, 16:53:36 by Frabby »
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #347 on: 03 November 2017, 18:44:35 »
So just drawing a line between distressing levels and comically disastrous levels? Okay, that's less surprising then.

If Alpheratz retained the ability to make BattleMechs, they could make WorkMechs, compact fusion engines, and other advanced products. 

That's not necessarily true. The experienced technicians who normally operated the facility may have been recalled to (or poached by) more important sites outside the Alliance, other now-inaccessible corporations may have been responsible for some on-site processes or tools, the facility may not be equipped to build units larger than 20 tons or types of equipment not required by 20-ton bugs, and they may lack the material or personnel to expand production or the willingness to substitute WorkMechs for BattleMechs.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #348 on: 03 November 2017, 22:40:53 »
All the OA talent was home grown (per "The Top of the Scrap Heap"), so it wouldn’t be recalled by Inner Sphere corporations.  They reverse engineered BattleMech tech from a captured AFFS Stinger and were able to parlay that into multiple lines that, per the original Periphery book, made up to Heavy ‘Mechs.
« Last Edit: 04 November 2017, 01:11:59 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #349 on: 04 November 2017, 02:11:09 »
Date: January 19, 3017
 
Location: Clinton

Title: Permanent Losses

Author: Aaron Cahall
 
Type: Short Story (BattleCorps)

Synopsis: Thelos Auburn arrives at Cranston Snord's Irregulars' base on Clinton, and is warmly greeted by Cranston himself, who explains the frenzied preparations at the spaceport as being for an upcoming raid on Loric.  Thelos asks after Cranston's daughter Rhonda, then tells Cranston he feels his historical research and writing accomplishes nothing, and envies the oasis of permanence at the museum on Clinton, where Cranson's exploits have gathered innumerable historical artifacts. 

Thelos conveys Archon Katrina's appreciation for Cranston's efforts on behalf of civilization, and wishes him well on his mission to Loric.  He tells the mercenary commander that he's going to use the museum collection to research the works of Silvio Guttuso (2618-2640) for the Lyran Academy of Art.  Snord confides that he hates the man's work, but collects them for their rarity.

Notes: Cranston notes that Rhonda is now 17 (corresponding to her established 2999 birthdate) and "almost ready to join my Irregulars."  This creates a bit of a continuity issue (one I should have caught earlier, since her birthdate is known), since Rhonda is shown leading a mission in 3010 in the "To the Rescue" scenario from the first scenario book.  Of course, the mission was unauthorized, and the Irregulars had to come pull her fat out of the fire when the mission went pear shaped.  It's possible that Rhonda decided to go all "sibko ristar" and did actually take out a 'Mech without permission at age 11.  (That's still a bit young, even by Clan standards - Aidan and Marthe's sibko didn't start combat training at Crash Camp until they were 16.) 

Alternately, the 3010 date from the old scenario pack needs to be thrown out, and re-dated to, say, 3020.  Cranston's comments here about Rhonda "starting with this jaunt to Loric" would suggest that the date in the scenario pack is just plain wrong.  It's implied that Rhonda has spent most of her life since arriving in the Inner Sphere at the Irregulars' base/museum complex on Clinton, rather than accompanying the unit into the field.

This isn't the first time an official birthdate has screwed up sourcebook event chronology.  The House Liao sourcebook has members of the Liao family blamed for causing an economic recession at age two and dying in combat at the controls of a BattleMech at age four, due to disconnects between the family tree timeline at the back and events referenced in the core text.

Snord's appreciation for the work of writing the stories of warriors living and dying as "worthy of remembrance" is a sly shout-out to the Clan Remembrance, which is exactly what Snord describes - the stories of warriors.

Thelos notes that he's working with the Lyran Academy of Art.  This institution is never formally mentioned anywhere else, but the Steiner Handbook notes "Thanks to the strength of the Lyran economy, the government has maintained a long tradition of funding and supporting artists of every stripe" and "wealthier worlds support dozens of academies and schools devoted to honing these budding young artists."  The Lyran Academy of Art is probably an academy funded by the central Commonwealth government on Tharkad.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #350 on: 05 November 2017, 14:08:37 »
At age ten, wouldn't her legs be too short to work the pedals? Also, Sneede's in that scenario too, and he's only a couple years older than Rhonda.

All the OA talent was home grown (per "The Top of the Scrap Heap"), so it wouldn’t be recalled by Inner Sphere corporations.  They reverse engineered BattleMech tech from a captured AFFS Stinger and were able to parlay that into multiple lines that, per the original Periphery book, made up to Heavy ‘Mechs.

Their 'Mech force is too small for heavy 'Mech production on Alpheratz to make sense. (They'd be building scarcely one or two of each chassis per year.) I suspect that reference is a relic of an earlier draft, before they decided the Outworlds would focus on aerospace fighters.

Perhaps "on Alpheratz" survived by being mistaken for "on Alphard?" Per the first RPG, the Alphard Trading Corporation produced 30 BattleMechs a month for Amaris, "dabbled in Periphery politics," and was ruined in the fall of the Star League. From your description, "The Top of the Scrap Heap" seems to center on the lack of homegrown Outworlds talent; given the period of that story, I'd be surprised if Alliance Defenders didn't receive assistance from Amaris' suppliers.
« Last Edit: 05 November 2017, 14:10:09 by skiltao »
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #351 on: 07 November 2017, 12:33:12 »
Looking at the Sarna.net entry for the Irregulars, I see that they've noted another conflicting reference that suggests Rhonda and Cranston went with the Dragoons on the 3009-3011 supply run.  Given Rhonda and Shorty being a tad young for combat at this point, and conflicting canon dates, I'd be fine relocating Uhuru to 3020 (making 3010 a typo) and overruling the FM:FWL reference.

The Periphery book includes a lot of elements that clash with other canon source material.  It mentions that most of the manufacturing is light designs, except for some heavy chassis made on Alpheratz.  We later learn that the Merlin went into production out in the OA around 3010, but no info on volume was provided.  Objective Raids ignored the reference to the heavy chassis production and just replicated the bug-'Mech production centers outlined in the original Periphery book.  I can see there being some Solaris Garage-style manufacturing of a few heavy designs, but without more than a handful being produced every year.

Certainly not Alphard - that's on the opposite side of the Inner Sphere, and the reference in question was in the Outworlds Alliance section of the sourcebook.  According to Liberation of Terra, OA-based revolutionaries fielded more than 10,000 'Mechs during the Periphery Uprising.  Even if the SLDF and loyalist troops (the Traders' Domain and many other OA outer provinces remained loyal to the League) blew up most of those, there'd still be enough around to reverse engineer.

"The Top of the Scrap Heap" is officially dated to the 2780s, after the end of the Civil War, but as I noted in that review, it would make no sense at all for 'Mechs to be vanishingly scarce in the OA with 11,000+ having been rampaging around during the Periphery Uprising just a few decades earlier.  Pushing the date back to the 2750s makes the chronology work better, but also suggests that no Inner Sphere arms manufacturer built plants in the OA during the Star League era, so there wouldn't be any "call the techs home" move that would deprive Alpheratz or the other OA worlds of their workers.  United Outworlders Corporation isn't a subsidiary of any Spheroid firm.

I'd say the issue was largely that OA industry wasn't set up to manufacture key parts, and had been relying on the vast Star League shipping fleets to supply high-tech elements that weren't economical (or were prohibited from being manufactured in the Periphery).  When those shipments turned off, the weak OA central government lacked both the vision and resources (they'd still be primarily focused on picking up the pieces after the Periphery Uprising) to launch a campaign of domestic industrial development to locally produce the items in short supply. 

That said, the storyline in "Top of the Scrap Heap" suggests that the OA was capable of manufacturing all the components of a BattleMech domestically, but that the quality was second rate (their scratch-built Locust was ultimately deemed a failure) and local plants were probably phased out in favor of more efficient imports. 

I'd still say, though, that tractors should have been something Alpheratz could have built in sufficient quantities to remove the need to raid the Roost, if the miners were only willing to make a few extra jumps.  Heck, Onverwacht and the Roost both managed to remotely contract mercenaries to come in.  Why couldn't they remotely order a delivery of tractors or fusion engines?
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #352 on: 07 November 2017, 16:05:15 »
maybe the heavy mech production it mentioned was actually the OA salvaging and rebuilding some heavies from the remains of the old army.. and the rest of the inner sphere just never investigated closely enough to tell they were refurbished antiques rather than new builds. (especially since for the IS at the time, the distinction between the two types of output was fairly small anyway)

as far as the "why raid when you can rebuild".. well that would probably involve getting into politics, but it isn't hard to see the people in power in that situation preferring to go the quick and comparatively cheaper path of stealing from offworld rather than the effort needed for restructuring their society to support rebuilding. you see that sort of thing all the time in the real world. and if they were using fear/dislike of offworlders as a political prop at the time, a raid would be a political ploy to keep the people happy, somethign that would not be as notable if they just ordered a batch.
« Last Edit: 07 November 2017, 16:13:17 by glitterboy2098 »

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #353 on: 07 November 2017, 16:14:52 »
Salvage is the simplest way to reconcile their "heavy production," yeah.

The Periphery book includes a lot of elements that clash with other canon source material.

Fewer than its reputed to, though.

Quote
Certainly not Alphard

Well that depends. The Hegemony certainly shipped 'Mechs from Terra out to the frontiers, and Amaris was no less motivated. If you find direct shipping too implausible, I think it's realistic to at least expect the ATC to supply 'Mechs to the Magistracy, which get shared with the Concordat, and then - as years and decades pass - have contingents leave the Concordat for the Outworlds.

Quote
Heck, Onverwacht and the Roost both managed to remotely contract mercenaries to come in.  Why couldn't they remotely order a delivery of tractors or fusion engines?

Well for starters, there'd been 11,000+ 'MechWarriors rampaging around the Outworlds Alliance who suddenly needed work, and the same's just not true for tractors.

I agree that Alpheratz would have had the industrial base to produce tractors, and I agree the story is possibly being a little silly in making tractors the object of the raid. But that said, Alpheratz has a really small population in a nation defined by small populations and low industrialization - their manufacturing capacity is bound to be tight. I don't think we can automatically assume they'd have capacity for both their military and civilian needs.

Quote
That said, the storyline in "Top of the Scrap Heap" suggests that the OA was capable of manufacturing all the components of a BattleMech domestically, but that the quality was second rate (their scratch-built Locust was ultimately deemed a failure)

Your summary said the prototyping team relied heavily on salvage and imports. That doesn't suggest they're already capable of producing all the parts domestically. ???
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #354 on: 07 November 2017, 17:38:20 »
The initial scenes show them trying and failing to get a Locust prototype functional.  The main issue was that it had been reverse engineered from a destroyed Locust seized from pirates.  (Probably had a 100-point bomb dropped on it).  So the techs at Alliance Defenders Ltd. were trying to develop the tech for combat grade fusion engines, military armor plating, myomers, actuators, etc. working from analysis of damaged originals, and not making much headway.  They advanced much faster after they got their hands on a stolen AFFS Stinger in either the 2750s or 2780s, and were certainly capable of making 'Mech parts domestically circa 2800 - but only on major worlds like Alpheratz.

(All in all, "Top of the Scrap Heap" raises more questions than it answers - technologically, it reads like it should have taken place in the 2580s, not the 2780s, because there's really no excuse for the OA to be on a "LosTech" footing in 2780 or even 2750.  The disruption in trade didn't take place until the 1st Succession War got rolling, and various accounts have indicated that controls on military sales to Periphery states were loosely regulated, so there would have been no need for Alliance Defenders to steal an AFFS Stinger - they could just have ordered one from Earthwerks and had it delivered.  In fact, Handbook Major Periphery States more or less decanonizes TotSH with a note that "Alliance Defenders Limited began its operation in the 2730s and has provided 'Mechs to the Alliance Military Corps ever since." 

Oddly, the Liberation of Terra books don't give any casualty statistics for the Hidden Periphery Armies, but one would have to assume that the SLDF's massive WarShip superiority would have resulted in massive losses from orbital bombardment - all those Royal and regular SLDF units getting shipped out to the Rim would have exacted a fearsome toll on the comparatively poorly trained and equipped rebel armies.  So there probably weren't all that many survivors of the Periphery Uprising still active in the OA.  It's not specified what happened to the remnants once the SLDF pulled out to fight the Amaris Civil War, but my guess would be they consolidated under whatever post-Star League government was running the now free Territorial States and stood guard against the SLDF's return.  Once Kerensky skedaddled, they probably were put on the border to make sure the Succession Wars didn't spill over, then eventually demobilized as supplies to maintain them in the field ran short.  (That would have put them far away from backwater provinces like Onverwacht and the Traders' Domain).
« Last Edit: 07 November 2017, 17:47:06 by Mendrugo »
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #355 on: 07 November 2017, 18:00:22 »
At the start of the Taurian-Canopean War, the two states had fewer than ten battlemech regiments available (as detailed in first succession war). Given the strength of their hidden army troops at the start of the periphery uprising, that suggests over 90% losses during the uprising. Both sides practiced total warfare and used weapons of mass destruction (The SLDF avoided population centers, and both sides stopped short of doing things that would cause long term harm to the worlds). SLDF losses were apparently over twice those of the periphery regulars (one hundred divisions lost compared to the fifty divisions of the hidden army).

It was an ugly, ugly mess.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #356 on: 08 November 2017, 09:10:41 »
Some how a company on Alpheratz had to get a production line for building Pinto Class Corvettes prior to Civil War breaking out.  Won't the assembly lines still be there or were they raided during the Succession Wars?  I don't recall a big raid into Outworld Alliance during that time.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #357 on: 08 November 2017, 09:13:23 »
Most likely, exposed infrastructure like that (can't build an orbital shipyard under a mountain for defense) got destroyed during the Periphery Uprising - either by rebels who wanted to deny it to the SLDF, or by the SLDF after rebels seized it.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #358 on: 08 November 2017, 09:14:52 »
Some how a company on Alpheratz had to get a production line for building Pinto Class Corvettes prior to Civil War breaking out.  Won't the assembly lines still be there or were they raided during the Succession Wars?  I don't recall a big raid into Outworld Alliance during that time.

I imagine that the yards got destroyed in the same way as the Quatre Belle Yards.
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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - The Succession Wars - Part II
« Reply #359 on: 08 November 2017, 09:21:32 »
I imagine that the yards got destroyed in the same way as the Quatre Belle Yards.
I thought the shipyard at Quatre Belle was mothballed, the Snow Ravens restored it.
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