Poll

What is your favorite Age of War story?

Just Following Orders
1 (5.6%)
Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight
4 (22.2%)
Forms of Betrayal
2 (11.1%)
Break Away
1 (5.6%)
Prometheus Unbound
5 (27.8%)
Nothing Ventured
0 (0%)
Goliath Out of the Box
0 (0%)
A Dish Served Cold
1 (5.6%)
The Spider Dances
2 (11.1%)
Far Country
2 (11.1%)
Paladin
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 18

Author Topic: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War  (Read 67674 times)

Kojak

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War
« Reply #150 on: 18 March 2019, 17:38:53 »
Smart writing to have two characters with 'Dan' in their name to keep you guessing about which one would turn out to be the Mask agent.


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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War
« Reply #151 on: 20 March 2019, 05:43:44 »
The March 19 scene identifies Fyodor Danilov as the Maskirovka agent working with Tibbetts.  Danilov apparently did not have any contact with Ssu-Maa Kane, though Kane and Tibbetts worked together.
"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  Unpublished.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 - Age of War
« Reply #152 on: 21 May 2021, 05:27:39 »
Date: June 30, 2236

Location: Freedom

Title: Inverted

Author: Giles Gammage

Type: Short Story (Shrapnel #4)

Synopsis: A man with a head wound and amnesia regains consciousness in a toppled armored car.  He emerges into a massacre site, where hundreds of civilian vehicles are still burning, and is rescued by Flo Vannier, who decides to take him back to her settlement for medical treatment.  Since he can't recall his name, she calls him X.  At Flo's nearby jeep, they meet Hank Dupont, Flo's companion, who identifies X's clothes as the uniform of the Alliance Fourth Para-Cavalry.  Flo dismisses that fact, noting that X could either be a deserter or a rebel, since they've been taking uniforms off dead Alliance soldiers for weeks.

They drive back to the settlement, the sound of artillery bombarding Jefferson City 50 km away faintly audible.  In the settlement's police HQ, Hank reports to Sheriff Terry Kaplan that the Alliance ambushed a civilian relief convoy, leaving X as the only survivor.  Other town councilors are introduced as Kelly Saint-Yves, Julian Marchant, and Malcom Leroy.  They debate what to do with X, and whether either the rebels or the Para-Cav constitute legitimate authority, given the circumstances, and agree to postpone a decision until X recovers and decides what he wants to do.

Outside, walking to Dr. Vannier's house, Hank tells X he's planning on raising an anti-Alliance militia with guns looted from the massacre site.  Noting X's military uniform, he suggests there could be a place for him in the settlement.

As X drifts off to sleep, he hears a disturbance outside, and sees VTOLs and jump infantry entering the settlement, and hears Sheriff Terry Kaplan's voice demanding all citizens assemble in the town hall.  Flo refuses to go, and two Para-Cav troopers insist at gunpoint.  X, using a pistol Hank had given him, shoots them dead, noting that it had worked for him despite being gene-coded to the Terran officer it had been taken from.  Hank arrives and shoots a Terran soldier who had been firing blindly into the clinic.

Flo goes to the town hall to try to calm the situation down.  X takes the jump pack off the dead Terran and tells Hank to have his militia surround the hall, while he picks the Terrans off from above.  Moving to the VTOL landing zone, X destroys the Terran transports (unchallenged by sentries, since he's in Para-Cav gear).

X moves to where he expects the Terrans to rally for a sortie against the militia, and guns several down before he is confronted by Sheriff Kaplan, who is holding Flo hostage.  X complies with Kaplan's demand to surrender his pistol, but the gene-lock prevents it from firing when the Sheriff tries to kill X with it.  X then shoots Kaplan with the rifle he took from the jump trooper, then finishes him off with a shot to the head from the pistol.  Flo tells X that Malcom Leroy, the settlement's teacher, had been the one to summon the para-cav.

Noting that X was able to fire the gene-locked gun, she asks who he really is.  X responds that it doesn't matter - not identities, histories, nor political factions - only firepower.  With that, he departs into the darkness.

Notes: Chronologically the earliest BattleTech short story at the time of its publication, Inverted gives a closer look at the politics on the periphery of the Outer Reaches Rebellion.  Per the original sourcebooks, years of mercantilist misrule by appointed Terran governors led to a rebellion against Terran Alliance authority, and declaration of independence by President Tudella Dupont.  The Alliance forces sent to put down the rebellion ran into armed merchant vessels contesting the jump points.  Though outgunned by the Alliance WarShips, the merchantmen wiped out ten percent of the Alliance troop carriers with suicidal ramming attacks.  When the Alliance forces attacked the heavily fortified Jefferson City, they were repulsed by the determined defenders, who launched a sortie and seized some of their artillery, turning it against them.

Unable to breach the walls, the 4th Para-Cavalry settled in for a siege, and killed every Freedomian they found out after dark, while dealing with insurgents slipping into their camps to steal weapons and kill their soldiers.  This story takes place two weeks into the siege, well before Alliance reinforcements arrive to raze Jefferson City to the ground on August 25. 

X is/was clearly an Alliance Para-Cavalry officer, but having lost his personal history to amnesia, his survival instincts turn him almost feral, calculating that the unsettled environment means power comes from the muzzle of a gun, especially in the hands of someone able to use it, and is constantly calculating moves that will enable him to take a position of authority in the future.  Makes one wonder how much that reflects his pre-amnesia persona.  He certainly was able to rise to command rank in the Alliance para-cavalry - and keep in mind that the para-cavalries were the same units used by the Alliance government to massacre crowds of protestors on Terra, per the Periphery sourcebook. 

Colonized in the 2100s, Freedom is at most 100 years old, and seems to primarily be centered on Jefferson City.  The Star League soucebook indicated that the Alliance tried to maintain a mercantilist relationship with the colonies - restricting what tech they could bring out (making them reliant on the Ryan Cartel for weapons and other contraband) and trying to establish a system where the colonies sent raw materials back to Terra in exchange for manufactured goods.  Despite that, Freedom apparently has a well developed heavy industry sector - manufacturing a wide variety of buses, trucks, hovercars, etc. (Unless all those vehicles were shipped in - doubtful, since this predates DropShips, and anything brought in would have to fit on a shuttle.)  The rebels were also able to construct fortifications around Jefferson City that kept 6,000+ Alliance jump troops with artillery and armor at bay for six weeks.  My takeaway is that the Alliance's mercantilist restrictions were overstated, or the Ryan Cartel was delivering a lot more than MANPADS and ice. 

(Hank's militia also doesn't seem to have been in the loop for getting Ryan Cartel guns, since he's looting them from the destroyed convoy...of course, since X's armored vehicle got nailed by something heavy enough to take it out, and since Hank found guns among the wreckage, it's a good bet that the rebels running that convoy had some serious firepower - opening up the argument that it was, in fact, a legitimate military target for the para-cav.)

I enjoyed the look into local politics, with both pro-rebel and pro-Alliance characters, and others that just want to help as many people as possible get through the carnage.
"We have made of New Avalon a towering funeral pyre and wiped the Davion scourge from the universe.  Tikonov, Chesterton and Andurien are ours once more, and the cheers of the Capellan people nearly drown out the gnashing of our foes' teeth as they throw down their weapons in despair.  Now I am made First Lord of the Star League, and all shall bow down to me and pay homa...oooooo! Shiny thing!" - Maximillian Liao, "My Triumph", audio dictation, 3030.  Unpublished.

Wrangler

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War
« Reply #153 on: 21 May 2021, 06:03:07 »
Certainly eye full resisting fighting. Not to drift too far out from the focus on X and his plight for self identity and to help people under siege.

I find it interesting the Alliance had "WarShips".  Perhaps not Dreadnought, since it was listed as the first modern warship, it does beg to wonder if it allowed for pre-dreadnought like ships to appear.  I aside from Saturn Patrol Ship (a dropshuttle/dropship), there nothing big noted in this era.  If there was time for space operations is this time period.   It would be nice see primitive combat jumpships.
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Kojak

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War
« Reply #154 on: 24 May 2021, 19:44:29 »
Oooh, are these back? Hoping this wasn't just a one-off.


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Mendrugo

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Re: Chronological BattleTech Fiction Review - Age of War
« Reply #155 on: 25 May 2021, 02:35:05 »
Date: June 12, 2443

Location: Styx

Title: Something to Prove

Author: Michael J. Ciaravella

Type: Short Story (Legends)

Synopsis: At Fort Barbados on Styx, Colonel Charles Kincaid argues with Major Elliot Pullman over whether Kincaid should take his Mackie out at the head of the 801st Heavy Armored Regiment to respond to an unidentified DropShip grounding 15 km from the city of Barbados.  While Kincaid is eager to use his new production model MCK-5S Mackie, Pullman wants him either back at the command center or in his aerospace fighter, and doesn't trust the Mackie's systems.  Kincaid reiterates his belief that the new war machine will save lives - noting that the Kuritan tanks and aerospace fighters can match Hegemony gear and inflict casualties, but the 'Mech is new, and only places one person at risk, rather than a whole crew.  Pullman raises other objections - that the prototype's test run against drone tanks had been rigged, that the targeting system is glitched.  The conversation exposes the rift in the two men's lifelong friendship, since Kincaid got a MechWarrior commission while an inner ear problem washed Pullman out of the candidate pool.

As Pullman returns, angrily, to the command center, Kincaid powers up his 'Mech and prepares to lead his lance into combat with what he estimates is a company of Combine tanks with infantry support intending to raid the city of Barbados.  As they approach the city, Pullman sends updated intel that the Kuritans are running Combine-produced Merkava clones - similar to what he faced on the proving grounds in the Mackie prototype.  The initial exchange of fire leaves the Mackies relatively unharmed, while the Kuritan tanks are shattered.

More tanks arrive to intercept the Mackie lance, and their combined firepower knocks Kincaid's 'Mech to the ground.  Rising back to his feet, Kincaid eschews his weapons and smashes a determined Kuritan tank with his 'Mech's foot.  The fall and fight with the tanks has caused Kincaid to fall behind the rest of the lance which, under Lt. Colonel Amanda Cunningham, has engaged the rest of the Kurita troops.  By the time he catches up, the battle is over, with seven of the eight Kuritan tanks in ruins and the last beating a hasty retreat.

Back at Fort Barbados, Pullman welcomes him back and apologizes for his earlier caution.  Kincaid also apologies, admitting that he had wanted to prove himself on the battlefield.  He says he learned what he needed to, and tells Pullman not to mention his involvement in the action - citing Cunningham as the force leader.

Notes: The bio for Kincaid clarifies that his ability to pilot a BattleMech had been compromised by flaws in the prototype neurohelmets (last seen making apes go insane as a scientist battled a Maskirovka infiltrator).  By the time he was posted to Styx, he was experiencing growing tremors in his limbs and periods of diminished consciousness.  So, by going out on this mission, he proved to himself that he could pilot a 'Mech in real combat, but the previous week's "targeting system error" mentioned in the story was probably a result of his arm jerking randomly due to the nerve damage, and his fall due to weapon impact was also probably due to the brain damage.

Giving Amanda the credit brings the story into line with canon and explains why the much lauded test pilot for the prototype Mackie wouldn't have been involved in its first field action, at least as far as the ComStar historical reports indicated.

To the Kuritan troops' credit, they didn't flee in terror from the Mackie, but drove in guns blazing.  Not that it helped, in the end, but that's still better than the Northwind Highlanders managed in "Goliath Out of the Box."  This also confirms that the primary tank of the DCMS at this time was a Merkava clone - probably one with BAR 6 armor and other primitive components.  By this time, in addition to 'Mechs, the HAF would also have been starting to field upgraded Merkavas with BAR 10 armor and better weapons.

It's a good tale that closes a number of dangling loops left over from Break Away and Birth of the King.
"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 - Age of War
« Reply #156 on: 25 May 2021, 05:27:42 »
Certainly eye full resisting fighting. Not to drift too far out from the focus on X and his plight for self identity and to help people under siege.

I find it interesting the Alliance had "WarShips".  Perhaps not Dreadnought, since it was listed as the first modern warship, it does beg to wonder if it allowed for pre-dreadnought like ships to appear.  I aside from Saturn Patrol Ship (a dropshuttle/dropship), there nothing big noted in this era.  If there was time for space operations is this time period.   It would be nice see primitive combat jumpships.

The Periphery SB describes the Alliance expeditionary force during the Outworlds Alliance as comprised of "several squadrons of FTL strike cruisers, assault carriers, and assorted transports." 

The Sarna entry says that the arriving ships bombarded Jefferson City with heavy laser cannon, setting three quarters of it ablaze.  However, the sourcebook never says that the heavy laser cannon was ship-mounted.  It's possible they brought primitive large laser (regular lasers didn't debut until 2290) field guns into play, since the modern Naval Laser series didn't debut until 2305 - decades later.  (If the strike cruisers could have bombarded the city, then why would they have had to wait for the arrival of the 23rd Alliance Striker regiment?  The 4th Para-Cav Division had their strike cruisers in orbit already.)

"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 - Age of War
« Reply #157 on: 25 May 2021, 05:27:58 »
Oooh, are these back? Hoping this wasn't just a one-off.

Two-off so far, and more to come.  Certain other projects wrapped up, so I have some free time again.
"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.