Clan Protectorate

[Guardian11]

In FM3145 under the FWL section it's stated that the Captain-General tasked the Protectorate with acquiring access to Mech production from the factories taken by the Wolf Empire. Their Plan A was to send Sea Fox Merchants to negotiate a trade deal with the Wolf Empire for a percentage of their production. Plan B was to send a force of Spirit Cats to Trial for a percentage of the Wolf Empire's military production. Considering the entry in TRO3145 for the R10 ICV mentions that the Wolves are exporting it throughout the IS, and that the Recognition Guide mentions Wolf Empire Goliath Cs are being sold by the Foxes to the IS it seems likely that the Sea Foxes of the Clan Protectorate were successful in making a deal with the Wolves. The novella Divided We Fall also mentions the Wolves using a command circuit established by the Sea Foxes to allow them to get the Wolf's Dragoons to Terra in time to fight the Falcons, so it seems the Wolves have the money to be able to get the Foxes to set up a command circuit, and friendly enough relations between the 2 Clans that a Sea Fox command circuit isn't exorbitantly expensive.

Also, the introduction to the Recognition Guide written by the Sea Foxes seems to indicate that the Sea Fox perspective on the IlClan conflict is to sell weapons to both sides and position themselves so that whoever wins the Sea Foxes will still benefit by selling their goods to winner. It's entirely likely that the Sea Foxes are hedging their bets and walking a fine line of providing both the Wolves and the Falcons support without favoring one over the other, but still enough support to make them indispensable to whoever becomes IlClan. It's likely the IlClan will need all the military production they can get in the aftermath of the fight for IlClan, so the Foxes will likely be in a good position with the IlClan afterwards.

[Colt Ward]

Its not how Malvina works . . .

Considering they are helping the Crusader Wolves shift troops around, letting emissaries travel on Fox JS circuits, and selling weapon systems and complete units to the Wolves I think its a clear interest.

[rebs]

No doubt about it.  The Sea Foxes have a clear interest in the Wolves.  Not just for them to become the IlClan,  but more importantly for them to stop Malvina. 

That's good business.  Because Malvina will remember the Sea Fox's help of her enemies, and will not take kindly to it.  She is bad for business in the long run, even if her clan buys our goods on occasion.

[Dragon Cat]

A cool Clan Protectorate mention in TRO Golden Century under the reproduced Lupus OmniMech some fighting on Marik in 3147 and a notable warrior

[Rncavenger]

A cool Clan Protectorate mention in TRO Golden Century under the reproduced Lupus OmniMech some fighting on Marik in 3147 and a notable warrior

Whith Nostra bloodname)

[Colt Ward]

Well, the Spirit Cats had some Nostras on the roster . . . really the question is, did they in the 10+ years on Marik start a Trial of Propagation?  Or declare all the holders of what were Spirit Cat bloodnames that were in the Republic 'vacant' when they never showed up?

[James Bedford]

What the named Nostra pilot?  Hopefully it was Liz.

By 3151 Clan Spirit Cat has been on Marik for 14 years.   They have rebuilt to 6 Clusters (1 Provisional) at least, they probably have a generation of sibkos close to graduation.  I am not sure why TPTB have kept Rikkard Nova Cat and his Clan in stasis, with regards to bloodnames and the like.

My best guess is that TPTB are waiting to have Kisho show up, so Rikkard and Marik can officially merge their two halves (Nova Cat and Spirit Cat) into a Clan, and start all the bloodname stuff with a clean slate (Declaring all holders not in Clan Protectorate space to be dead, starting bloodright trials, etc.).

Perhaps this will get resolved once the IlClan is declared and Clan Wolf and the Republic merge.  There are STILL Nova Cats alive in Fortress Republic, at the very least Paladin Tyrina Drummond is there.

[Colt Ward]

Star Captain Tokala Nostra, a Nova Cat refugee it seems . . he was given a Lupus Omni as his mech and commands a Shiva Keshik Trinary that had quite a few Lupus Primes- and probably others.  It was enough Primes to 'annihilated an entire Hussar medium lance' . . .

It was part of the battle when Rikard tried to commit suicide from his old Firestarter.

[James Bedford]

So more refugees, that is cool too.

Also, I asked Blaine Lee Pardoe if Tyrina Drummond being named-dropped in Rock of the Republic was just needing a random Paladin or if it was a sign of things to come, his response;

"Tyrina will be back"

[Scotty]

What the named Nostra pilot?  Hopefully it was Liz.

By 3151 Clan Spirit Cat has been on Marik for 14 years.   They have rebuilt to 6 Clusters (1 Provisional) at least, they probably have a generation of sibkos close to graduation.  I am not sure why TPTB have kept Rikkard Nova Cat and his Clan in stasis, with regards to bloodnames and the like.

I feel like this is more simply explained by the fairly broad brush strokes over the Clan Protectorate as a whole, and not some deliberate push on TPTB's part to keep things from moving forward.  Would it really matter, one way or another, to Inner Sphere politics or events if the Spirit Cats were holding Trials of Bloodright?  No, not really.

[Dragon Cat]

I feel like this is more simply explained by the fairly broad brush strokes over the Clan Protectorate as a whole, and not some deliberate push on TPTB's part to keep things from moving forward.  Would it really matter, one way or another, to Inner Sphere politics or events if the Spirit Cats were holding Trials of Bloodright?  No, not really.

One of the good things about the Jihad style books IMO was their snippets of news from across the Inner Sphere

I found the style infuriating initially but looking back on it it worked great for that conflict

Given the pony express nature of communication for the current era and the novels it would work well now to i think to fill in the gaps.  Though I know they were some undertaking themselves

[James Bedford]

Just throwing this out there, but I recently compiled all the old Dark Age fiction stories that were on the now-defunct Wizkids website in one handy-dandy PDF.  I post in this thread about it because several of these short stories feature Spirit Cat characters.  When I say short however, I mean what I say, some of them are only a few pages at most.

https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=70451.msg1638415#new

[Empyrus]

Do we know Clan Protectorate paint schemes? I'd assume Spirit Cat units retain theirs but others?

[Kitsune413]

I don't think we do yet. Hopefully they will bring back some old Nova Cat ones.

[Jaim Magnus]

I don't think we do yet. Hopefully they will bring back some old Nova Cat ones.

Nova Cat Provisionals seems a good spot for some of the old Nova Cat paintjobs.

[glitterboy2098]

i would assume at the moment that each clan within the protectorate still uses its own style. and i wouldn't be surprised if the locally raised units don't use some variation on the old FWL militia schemes with clan style markings.

[Empyrus]

Marik Militia, eh? There's something attractive about the idea of painting Kickstarter Clan 'Mechs in Marik Militia colors.
But i think i'll probably lean toward camo, because that's safe and can represent just about anyone. And then there's that the Nova Cats tended to use camo for most part...
Probably not doing Spirit Cat colors, some units and plans i have call for enough white and gray already.

[Deadborder]

My headcannon is that the Nova Cat Provisionals use the MWDA Nova Cat scheme, but I've got no actual backing for it

[Istal_Devalis]

We can hope. I really like the MWDA Nova Cat color scheme. It's a bit of a shame we dont get to see it more.

(For those that havent see it: White primary color, charcoal grey secondary-usually on weapon pods,  joints and feet, Gold Cockpits, and the occasional use of red and black to pick out a detail. )

[Kitsune413]

I'm glad we are getting more Nova Cat players over here.

[Colt Ward]

SOO . . . with Rikkard Nova Cat's Firestarter being wreckage (he reverts to that but for some reason Jasek does not have his Templar III . . . ) what do you think the chances are he will be a Nova Cat Omni's notable pilot?

[Kitsune413]

It would be nice if the top cat stopped piloting a light mech...

But I'd also love to see them getting Supernova's, Nova Cats, Cave Lions and Sphinxes up and running again.

[Colt Ward]

Well, as pointed out on the RecGuide thread- every mech that got new art got some sort of production nod . . . and the Nova Cat is getting new art.

Guess that means the Falcons will be getting the Gyr back.

[Rncavenger]

SOO . . . with Rikkard Nova Cat's Firestarter being wreckage (he reverts to that but for some reason Jasek does not have his Templar III . . . ) what do you think the chances are he will be a Nova Cat Omni's notable pilot?

He piloted Shadow hawk IIc4 in Pandora gambit novel.

[Colt Ward]

Yup, and got put back in a Firestarter for Shattered Fortress . . . for some reason.

[glitterboy2098]

perhaps he just prefers firestarters? presumably after his old one was destroyed he used whatever spare mech was available, but he'd be able to put in first dibs on whatever new requisitions the clan obtained.

[Rainbow 6]

You would think that as the Protectorates leader he'd want something a bit better though.

[Dragon Cat]

You would think that as the Protectorates leader he'd want something a bit better though.

Like a... Nova Cat  ;) or Savage Wolf since they're neighbours

[Colt Ward]

His MWDA mech was a Firestarter- from when they were scrambling for equipment, so it was better than the AgroMechs others got!  Then for the invasion of Marik, he was using a Shadow Hawk IIC 4 (ATMS) . . . the whole way through the book.  AFAIK, we never heard what happened to the Firestarter but its possible the Shadow Hawk was bought off the Foxes since it seems he was already involved with them before they played taxi.  IIRC, the action on Marik was 6-8 years after he was spotted by Kuritan intel piloting that Firestarter in the aftermath of the Blackout.  We also do not know when he switched either.

But like the 'Julian & Jasek pilot Templars' when they had Templar IIIs and the Cynthi/Malvina problems springing from Shattered Fortress and associated fiction, I put it down to continuity fact checking problems.

While I hope Rikkard gets something a bit more durable than a Firestarter going forward, it could be that he prefers that 6/9/6 movement profile . . . which really means on the upper end he could end up with a Linebacker the Foxes acquired down to Griffin C, Hellhound or even a new Vapor Eagle.

[Rainbow 6]

Wasn't the Shadow Hawk IIC 4 a Nova Cat design to start with?