BattleTech FanFiction Tribble Emporium

[Intermittent_Coherence]

#589

During the 2960s, Archon Giovanni Steiner had a command centre established on House Steiner's homeworld of Gallery to completely mirror all facilities and staffing of the LCAF High Command. The (comparatively minor) expense was sold to the Estates-General as a contingency in case a deep raid on Tharkad left the LCAF Command in some way incapacitated. In fact it was more a response to a small but vocal minority of officers concerned with the ossification of Lyran tactics and the gentrification of the officer corps. Posting them to Gallery for a few years where they could 'prove their theories' - more accurately to be buried in pointless bureaucracy* would hopefully convey the message to shut up and soldier

* literally pointless: they simply received duplicates of any request sent through/within the LCAF Command on Tharkad and their responses were filed and summarily ignored.

Under the reign of Giovanni's successor Alessandro, this dumping ground - Gallery Command Centre - received not only the assignment of outspoken junior officers but also a crop of whistleblowers and of any officer who drew negative attention from socially connected officers (or senior nobles) whose support the Archon desired. Morale on Gallery itself was, as might be imagined, rather poor. LIC therefore maintained a presence and caught several attempts by foreign agents to turn officers there since they would still have access to genuine military data. This then led to a byproduct where an entire office of the LAAF High Command did nothing but alter the data sent to Gallery to make sure it was of no use should it fall into the wrong hands.

Many expected that Katrina Steiner would reverse this practise after she took power. She was, after all, one of the military heretics who could have very easily wound up on Gallery if it wasn't for her family name. However, she never made any mention of the Gallery Command Centre. Some insiders assumed that she actually thought the publicly stated purpose was actually genuine and snickered at the ignorant soldier playing at politics.

They were, of course, completely wrong. Over the first twelve months of her reign, Katrina redirected the actual work of the LCAF High Command to Gallery and the doctored reports they once received are now sent to the official buildings on Tharkad. Over fifty years of inertia has thus far managed to deceive essentially everyone - even the lavishly uniformed officers in the luxurious buildings around Tharkad City sincerely believe that they're running the LCAF, as do the myriad SAFE and ISF agents who have them thoroughly penetrated.

Meanwhile, quietly and efficiently, sharp young officers lacking military connections sit at unadorned desks on Gallery and get the actual work done.

Well... They're gonna be good at the analysis and long term strategic planning stuff, but I struggle to imagine how well that would carry over to tactical battlefield performance.

Essentially she's got the maverick planners and we all know what happens when plans make contact with the enemy.

[Daryk]

As long as their recommendations for field commanders are taken, the odds are in their favor.

[Intermittent_Coherence]

As long as their recommendations for field commanders are taken, the odds are in their favor.

And therein lies the rub.
Most militaries would value the opinion of combat rated officers over that of analysts. Even with inferior rank, the combat arms officer would be given command authority over the rear echelon one.
The dumbass social general on the front could simply consider the REMF analyst's recommendations as mere suggestions and utterly inferior to his combat experience. And yes, this is hypocritical, but if the LCAF officer corps had been institutionally capable of such intellectual honesty they would not have developed this problem to begin with.

[Daryk]

Agreed... I've seen that dynamic too many times.

[drakensis]

Field commanders who don't at least consider the operational planning they're presented with are probably promoted to the Tharkad LCAF high command.

Granted, the officer on the ground should have discretion to amend plans as the situation on the ground demands.

[Daryk]

Heh... best answer yet...  ^-^

[Intermittent_Coherence]

Granted, the officer on the ground should have discretion to amend plans as the situation on the ground demands.

Whether the 'amendment' is for the better remains to be seen.

[Sir Chaos]

#589

During the 2960s, Archon Giovanni Steiner had a command centre established on House Steiner's homeworld of Gallery to completely mirror all facilities and staffing of the LCAF High Command. The (comparatively minor) expense was sold to the Estates-General as a contingency in case a deep raid on Tharkad left the LCAF Command in some way incapacitated. In fact it was more a response to a small but vocal minority of officers concerned with the ossification of Lyran tactics and the gentrification of the officer corps. Posting them to Gallery for a few years where they could 'prove their theories' - more accurately to be buried in pointless bureaucracy* would hopefully convey the message to shut up and soldier

* literally pointless: they simply received duplicates of any request sent through/within the LCAF Command on Tharkad and their responses were filed and summarily ignored.

Under the reign of Giovanni's successor Alessandro, this dumping ground - Gallery Command Centre - received not only the assignment of outspoken junior officers but also a crop of whistleblowers and of any officer who drew negative attention from socially connected officers (or senior nobles) whose support the Archon desired. Morale on Gallery itself was, as might be imagined, rather poor. LIC therefore maintained a presence and caught several attempts by foreign agents to turn officers there since they would still have access to genuine military data. This then led to a byproduct where an entire office of the LAAF High Command did nothing but alter the data sent to Gallery to make sure it was of no use should it fall into the wrong hands.

Many expected that Katrina Steiner would reverse this practise after she took power. She was, after all, one of the military heretics who could have very easily wound up on Gallery if it wasn't for her family name. However, she never made any mention of the Gallery Command Centre. Some insiders assumed that she actually thought the publicly stated purpose was actually genuine and snickered at the ignorant soldier playing at politics.

They were, of course, completely wrong. Over the first twelve months of her reign, Katrina redirected the actual work of the LCAF High Command to Gallery and the doctored reports they once received are now sent to the official buildings on Tharkad. Over fifty years of inertia has thus far managed to deceive essentially everyone - even the lavishly uniformed officers in the luxurious buildings around Tharkad City sincerely believe that they're running the LCAF, as do the myriad SAFE and ISF agents who have them thoroughly penetrated.

Meanwhile, quietly and efficiently, sharp young officers lacking military connections sit at unadorned desks on Gallery and get the actual work done.

 ;D ;D ;D

[Blacknova]

#589

During the 2960s, Archon Giovanni Steiner had a command centre established on House Steiner's homeworld of Gallery to completely mirror all facilities and staffing of the LCAF High Command. The (comparatively minor) expense was sold to the Estates-General as a contingency in case a deep raid on Tharkad left the LCAF Command in some way incapacitated. In fact it was more a response to a small but vocal minority of officers concerned with the ossification of Lyran tactics and the gentrification of the officer corps. Posting them to Gallery for a few years where they could 'prove their theories' - more accurately to be buried in pointless bureaucracy* would hopefully convey the message to shut up and soldier

* literally pointless: they simply received duplicates of any request sent through/within the LCAF Command on Tharkad and their responses were filed and summarily ignored.

Under the reign of Giovanni's successor Alessandro, this dumping ground - Gallery Command Centre - received not only the assignment of outspoken junior officers but also a crop of whistleblowers and of any officer who drew negative attention from socially connected officers (or senior nobles) whose support the Archon desired. Morale on Gallery itself was, as might be imagined, rather poor. LIC therefore maintained a presence and caught several attempts by foreign agents to turn officers there since they would still have access to genuine military data. This then led to a byproduct where an entire office of the LAAF High Command did nothing but alter the data sent to Gallery to make sure it was of no use should it fall into the wrong hands.

Many expected that Katrina Steiner would reverse this practise after she took power. She was, after all, one of the military heretics who could have very easily wound up on Gallery if it wasn't for her family name. However, she never made any mention of the Gallery Command Centre. Some insiders assumed that she actually thought the publicly stated purpose was actually genuine and snickered at the ignorant soldier playing at politics.

They were, of course, completely wrong. Over the first twelve months of her reign, Katrina redirected the actual work of the LCAF High Command to Gallery and the doctored reports they once received are now sent to the official buildings on Tharkad. Over fifty years of inertia has thus far managed to deceive essentially everyone - even the lavishly uniformed officers in the luxurious buildings around Tharkad City sincerely believe that they're running the LCAF, as do the myriad SAFE and ISF agents who have them thoroughly penetrated.

Meanwhile, quietly and efficiently, sharp young officers lacking military connections sit at unadorned desks on Gallery and get the actual work done.

Get writing.

[Dave Talley]

Get writing.

exactly, imagine a timeline its now 3019, Katrina has been using Gallery to evolve her staff, now its time to slowly weed out the idiots, thru field exercises and wargames to figure who is competent, who is teachable, and who is  compromised

after wards there will be a huge chunk of formerly Asgard command offices now turned condo because they are too luxurious and way too heavily electronically penetrated for reuse

[DOC_Agren]

#589

Meanwhile, quietly and efficiently, sharp young officers lacking military connections sit at unadorned desks on Gallery and get the actual work done.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[DOC_Agren]

The day the books went out

Kerensky was leaving the inner sphere. The news hit last month.

Not that the average 'mech tech cared, until the pocket-comps with the repair manuals on them dumped their contents due to identity lock violations, despite no such violations occurring. Same with the scientific journals, university libraries and corporate archives across the inner sphere. Backups, their architecture carefully controlled due to the McKenna Data Piracy Act of 2560, are not spared either. There are no paper copies due to the same act and proprietary hardware and software allowing none.

Across the inner sphere, people struggle to preserve what their memories hold, and to teach it to the next generation in the middle of a war.



The Star League went a little overboard on their DRM. But hey, it's worth it if it brings an end to the Age of War, right?

Also, an explanation for how they lost so much so fast. Halstead Station was breaking all kinds of laws with their little bibliophile cache.

Okay you need to write that one

[Takiro]

#591 (I think...drakensis got me started on this one...more details to follow)

Rather than accept saKhan Radick's positive assessment of Lincoln Osis for ilKhan another strange alliance of Coyote and Star Adder objects pointing out the Jaguars invasion failures (Wolcott, Luthien, Tukayyid, and their failed sixth wave) before Nova Cat can second his nomination. Rather than an election victory Osis is handed a defeat and forced to watch as Khan Bjorn Jorgensson is nominated for this high post. Despite Crusader objections he is elected with a mandate to add all the Clans to the invasion. While some suspect blackmail and backroom dealings various challenges are issued as internal disputes especially within the Nova Cat Clan are overcome. Just as the InnerSphere begins Operation Bulldog most of the Clans' Alpha Galaxies reach the Periphery ready to trial for various holdings. Rather than just fight one Clan the new Star League finds itself facing all 17!

[Terrace]

The day the books went out

Kerensky was leaving the inner sphere. The news hit last month.

Not that the average 'mech tech cared, until the pocket-comps with the repair manuals on them dumped their contents due to identity lock violations, despite no such violations occurring. Same with the scientific journals, university libraries and corporate archives across the inner sphere. Backups, their architecture carefully controlled due to the McKenna Data Piracy Act of 2560, are not spared either. There are no paper copies due to the same act and proprietary hardware and software allowing none.

Across the inner sphere, people struggle to preserve what their memories hold, and to teach it to the next generation in the middle of a war.



The Star League went a little overboard on their DRM. But hey, it's worth it if it brings an end to the Age of War, right?

Also, an explanation for how they lost so much so fast. Halstead Station was breaking all kinds of laws with their little bibliophile cache.

This has me thinking that a lot of people in the Inner Sphere are gonna be furious at the SLDF, because even though it seems to be a coincidence that all that data was deleted just after Kerensky's people left, it'll look an awful lot like the General took a big steaming dump on the Inner Sphere on his way out.

Which means that the Clans won't find anything resembling a warm welcome once their origins come to light...

[drakensis]

Have it as a 20 year authorisation expiring. It had been last renewed just before the Amaris coup in late 2766 (usually an annual process), so the books cut out in 2786, two years after the Exodus. For extra pathos, have this also affect the books of the exodus fleet, so this hits them right as they're trying to colonise the Pentagon worlds.

[croaker]

Have it as a 20 year authorisation expiring. It had been last renewed just before the Amaris coup in late 2766 (usually an annual process), so the books cut out in 2786, two years after the Exodus. For extra pathos, have this also affect the books of the exodus fleet, so this hits them right as they're trying to colonise the Pentagon worlds.

And with any luck it hits them so hard the colonization effort either fails utterly, or drags on for centuries as they try to survive and rebuild what civilization they can... and the Clans are never born, as the Kerensky line is long dead before they can rebuild spacegoing industry.

[Daemion]

Posited this in the main forums, but someone suggested I put it here:

Alternate Jihad outcome - What's interesting to me is the thought that the Jihad could have led directly to the blackout with the small subsections trying to gobble up their own territories all over the Inner Sphere.  We could have had a 'Kerensky's Return' from Terra outward, instead of from the core of the galaxy.  The coalition is formed and heads into the Blake Protectorate, where there's a complete media black-out, and nobody hears from them again for years.  Meanwhile, the house lords are left trying to retake their capitals, and each world is stuck in a white/blackout and has to deal with internal affairs first, before it can look star-ward again.

Each state breaks down for a decade as tin-pot despots try to force their will on their world and the worlds around them, eventually coming into direct conflict with state loyalists, or even the great house, itself, at the capital.  We could see the changing of big names during this period.  There would be Blakist/Comstar hold-outs to deal with, as well. Any one of them could become the next great ruler of a star empire.

But, no word comes from the Blake protectorate, since nobody has been able to really spend resources to follow the fate of the coalition.  Then, one day, somebody does go in, and they come back with word of the Republic, and suddenly, Invasion!  The Republic has rebuilt in the years since the coalition's success against the Blakists.  They have a new system, and it works, and now they're expanding, taking back old Hegemony worlds, and offering olive branches to other systems that may or may not like who is ruling over them at the moment.

Feel free to run with it.

[Daryk]

#593?  (Assuming Daemion's is 592...) The Fate Looming Over the Heirs

This is just a few notes that I intend to come back to at some point.

In 3026, Michael Hasek-Davion ordered the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers to conduct a raid into the Capellan Confederation.  It didn't go well.  While the problems on the ground were lightly detailed (and involved Cataphracts and EW Equipment), the heaviest blow was the loss of a Union-class DropShip on the burn in.  The loss of a company of BattleMechs before it can even get to grips with the enemy is hard for a combat unit, but the for the minor noble families back on Kestrel, it was disastrous.  Baroness Smith-Cunningham's family at least had another 'mech (if not her Thunderbolt), but the majority of the Knights could afford no such extravagance.  After the funerals, the heirs would have to determine how to meet their feudal obligations.  Duke Cunningham and Count Allard graciously granted the Smith-Cunninghams a full 18 months to rebuild, but were firm that the call would come again during Galahad 3028.

The idea here is to use the Landhold rules in the AToW Companion (pages 246-251) as a rough basis for building a (presumably) combined arms company in the run up to the 4th Succession War (on the theory 12 'mechs will be simply too expensive).  The Baroness had two subordinate Baronets (the lance commanders), and nine Knights (plus their various support staffs) under her.

[Dave Talley]

MHD could help by allowing the families access to the
salvage yards, not particularly noble but they could throw together
a dozen bug mechs or 55ers and then using the FS repair system
requisition everything in reach before having to really dig into
the wallets
so its not a heavy company, and may end up with no heavy or assault mechs
but the unit isnt stricken from the rolls, and it could be expanded by requiring
a lance of light or medium vehicles in addition to the mechs, which can be moved up
militias,

so a typical 3025 company becomes a cavalry company with
a attached battalion of light to medium vehicles

[Daryk]

Two years of personal income for one Baroness, two Baronets and nine Knights is 3.4M.  By redirecting their landholds' "defense" budgets, they could add another 13.6M.  17M is just enough for 10 bug 'mechs.  I was thinking more along the lines of a Blackjack for the Baroness' family, two higher end lights for the Baronets, and a bug for one Knight.  The other eight would be looking at vehicles, and maybe a platoon or two (or three) of infantry.

[Takiro]

In such a scenario which should really have its own thread would Knights even have heirs? I thought knighthoods weren't hereditary titles but ones bestowed by higher lords for great action. So if you are recruiting for this blue blood company why not just knight a bunch of heroic types who already have Mechs? Your Dispossessed should form some kind of tech support or infantry security team. Hopefully salvage and fortune will requip them one day.

[Daryk]

Per Sarna, that's exactly what Hanse Davion eventually does... these are the "gap" years...

[Atlan]

#594: It's a trap!

The year is 3051. Comstar has realized that the Clans mean to conquer the entire Inner Sphere- including Terra- and might actually be able to pull it off. Comstar realizes that they can't take the Clans in a war, so they offer a Trial of Possession for Terra- a single gigantic battle on a single planet. Each side commits massive forces.

Except...
Comstar is worried. They have good tech, sure, better than the Inner Sphere- but the Clans tech is even better than theirs. The Comguard always trained with the assumption that they'd have technological superiority, and now they don't. Their enemies are far, far more skilled, and more experienced. The Comguard MIGHT be able to win... but they might not. And if they loose on Tukayyid, it's all over. Completely, utterly over.

So Myndo has an idea. And ROM, one of the finest intelligence outfits in the Inner Sphere, and FAR better than the Clan's Watch, puts in into practice.

The system chosen as the battleground is carefully prepared. In space, Comstar warships are quietly inserted and covered with Rocks and ECM to resemble asteroids. In real asteroids, Capital Missle launchers and Aerospace fighters are concealed. On the ground, the cities chosen to be the objectives are quietly filled with the most powerful nukes Comstar has- as are likely landing, spots. Bombing craft are scattered over the planet, assigned nothing but nukes.

Comstar claims that they are moving 144 regiments to the planet- they claim safecon and use civilian bulk freighters to move their forces. Only, they don't. They only move a small fraction to the planet, enough to keep the clans distracted. Occupied.

And once the last Clan forces land on Tukayyid- the trap is sprung. Nukes go off all over the planet, killing Clan and Comguard alike. Bombers take off, WMDing those who wern't caught in the first blasts.
In space, the warships open fire, saturating the Clan Jumpships and Warships. Aerospace fighters- all armed with nukes- target anything with a jumpdrive.

A few of the clans manage to pull some forces off the planet, but not many- and most of those were unable to escape the system. A few of the jumpships quickjumped out, and a few warships survived, but for the most part, the Clans lost everything they'd sent to Tukayyid.
(Comstar also lost a lot. Though they'd only committed a tiny fraction of what they'd claimed on the ground, they had committed over two dozen regiments, now lost. Their warships were damaged or destroyed. But it was worth it.)

On the one hand, the Clans are now screaming with rage at the filthy dishonorable inner sphere tactics. Yet, on the other hand, their ability to do anything about it is lower than ever. They've lost huge chunks of their forces- and mostly their best. They've all lost Khans. They've lost jumpships. Now, they want revenge, but don't have the numbers to get while still defending their worlds, or the ability to move those troops quickly.

On the other hand, those Comstar regiments not used on Tukayyid are ready to go on the offensive. And the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine recognize that now is their chance...

[drakensis]

And twenty other Khans are shaking slightly in place, like children trying to get attention so they can beg permission to go out and play, as they prepare for the 'glorious battle' to avenge their betrayed cousins.

[RunandFindOut]

Yes but in a total war the Inner Sphere just plain wins because they can pump out more nuclear armed fighters than the Clans can stop.  It would turn into ugliness on par with the First Succession War but at the end the Inner Sphere would have utterly destroyed the Clans.

[consequences]

Yes but in a total war the Inner Sphere just plain wins because they can pump out more nuclear armed fighters than the Clans can stop.  It would turn into ugliness on par with the First Succession War but at the end the Inner Sphere would have utterly destroyed the Clans.

An actual intelligently prosecuted total war results in every Inner Sphere jumpship and shipyard dying for acceptable Clan losses, and then they take a world at a time at whatever rate they can sustain. Fortunately the Clans probably aren't going to go into an icy calculated rage after the provocation offered, so a more likely result is them burning Terra and requesting safcon to kill every member of Comstar.

Even if they go stupid, the Clans have omnifighters, working AMS that they can cram into them in nearly arbitrary numbers, and LFB on everything they are likely to use. The Inner Sphere has fixed known targets, and functionally defenseless jumpships that have to move between them to keep their economy going. Oh, and Comstar just wrote across the sky for anyone who had somehow missed it that they can not be trusted at all.

[Daryk]

"[E]very Inner Sphere jumpship and shipyard" is a pretty tall order, even for the clans, and don't think for a minute the Periphery (especially the Taurians) would support that.

[Sir Chaos]

An actual intelligently prosecuted total war results in every Inner Sphere jumpship and shipyard dying for acceptable Clan losses, and then they take a world at a time at whatever rate they can sustain. Fortunately the Clans probably aren't going to go into an icy calculated rage after the provocation offered, so a more likely result is them burning Terra and requesting safcon to kill every member of Comstar.

Even if they go stupid, the Clans have omnifighters, working AMS that they can cram into them in nearly arbitrary numbers, and LFB on everything they are likely to use. The Inner Sphere has fixed known targets, and functionally defenseless jumpships that have to move between them to keep their economy going. Oh, and Comstar just wrote across the sky for anyone who had somehow missed it that they can not be trusted at all.

Since this version of Tukayyid is probably still coinciding with Operation Scorpion, there´s a pretty good chance that the Inner Sphere - certainly the FedCom - will contact the Clans once they hear about what happened at Tukayyid, saying: "We assume that you intend to take revenge for what ComStar did. We are kind of pissed at them ourselves, so we offer you free passage to Terra. Enjoy yourselves when you get there."

[Daryk]

Heh... I can think of no better way to express the actual irrelevancy of Terra to the clans than this...  ^-^

[consequences]

"[E]very Inner Sphere jumpship and shipyard" is a pretty tall order, even for the clans, and don't think for a minute the Periphery (especially the Taurians) would support that.

You mean the Taurians that blew up at least one hapless misjumped jumpship in the 3040s without warning because they are idiot panic children, and who think the Clans are an invention of Perfidious Davion to get them to lower their guard for next week's inevitable invasion that they've been waiting for for at least a decade? The ones whose power projection abilities are miserable, who have stretched themselves beyond reason establishing colonies for hundreds of light years in multiple directions? Whose one remaining trump card* when the Clans are already expecting to get nuked as a matter of course, the SASF, are in no way prepared for boarding operations against individual enemies that can tank an entire platoon's fire in the open?

The most likely influence of the Taurians is to have no particular noticeable effect, with an outside chance of them blowing up enough desperate refugees that the Federated Suns breaks them as a power before the Clans even get that far.

*The TCS New Vandenberg in this context is target practice and a reason for the Snow Ravens to get really excited at the prospect of more warship fights after Comstar's fleet is destroyed, only to be inevitably let down when the truth comes out.


In any case, yards are a soft target in a known location. Jumpships are functionally defenseless and immobile, and announce their arrival to anyone in that side of the system along with the fact that there's about five days to kill them before they have any decent chance of escaping without breaking their own drive. The reason that the Inner Sphere stopped the downward slalom was never because they couldn't finish the job.