Rogue Word of Blake units that escaped the Jihad - 10 years on?

[Archangel]

Who knows maybe Paul Marik decides to continue his brother's...err sorry the Master's divine mission?

[Darth Nichos]

If the Word of Blake is smart, they will stay out of the Inner Sphere for a century or two before returning with their new army; that is if they are really still out there as I hope.

Not only can they have the pleasure of watching Stone and his Republic fumble in Governance as well as self-destruct, there is also the wide-spread carnage that is being waged in the Inner Sphere by the various states. Malvina is likely to make more than a few people forget about the Word and focus their hatred on the Jade Falcons.

[martian]

Who knows maybe Paul Marik decides to continue his brother's...err sorry the Master's divine mission?

He was arrested when his regime fell in 3077.

[Stormlion1]

Everybody always looks for the WoB to return at the head of a giant army or be behind a massive conspiracy. What if the WoB factionalised so heavily that they splintered into dozens of groups? One group that is heavily into assassination, another into raids with mechs. One that hunts down former WoB personnel that have turned coat? Do you really see the MD's working with the remnants of the WoBM? Especially after MD Divisions attacked Militia units during the Jihad? Everyone will be blaming each other for the failure of the Jihad. If nothing else I see a good possibility of a WoB Civil War in the years after the Jihad ends.

[ColonelCody]

Don't some the MD units have those degenerative implant systems?  If so, those people will be dead in 10 years, and since they are among the fanatics, the sanity of the remainder will be better.

Y'know, the first moment i read thru your post i liked it, and agreed. But then i started to think about it. There are literally thousands of worlds with millions, if not billions of people on each. Manei Domini are THE single most fanatic of the WoB forces right? Dedicatign both body and soul to the cause. KNOWING that they will be cutting their lives short by entire decades in order to be just a bit faster, stronger, more resilient than anyone else on the field, to carry the Word to the masses even if they don't want to hear it.

I think they would find themselves a new world, soemthing remote and easily  converted. Religion is a powerful recruitment tool when added to the value of Good Pr, good will born of say, feeding starving children after a planetary drought and famin. etc. And if you begin to make the locals think of you well, the locals would begin to join. To swell the ranks of the MDs. You could set up a new church, long term planning does seem to be the Comstar/Wobbie strength....Grow fro mthe one, single planet, using the squirreled away resources. Indoctrinate a planet full of locals...Subvert  their freewill into thinking they WANT this for themselves and their children...

[Nav_Alpha]

Y'know, the first moment i read thru your post i liked it, and agreed. But then i started to think about it. There are literally thousands of worlds with millions, if not billions of people on each. Manei Domini are THE single most fanatic of the WoB forces right? Dedicatign both body and soul to the cause. KNOWING that they will be cutting their lives short by entire decades in order to be just a bit faster, stronger, more resilient than anyone else on the field, to carry the Word to the masses even if they don't want to hear it.

I think they would find themselves a new world, soemthing remote and easily  converted. Religion is a powerful recruitment tool when added to the value of Good Pr, good will born of say, feeding starving children after a planetary drought and famin. etc. And if you begin to make the locals think of you well, the locals would begin to join. To swell the ranks of the MDs. You could set up a new church, long term planning does seem to be the Comstar/Wobbie strength....Grow fro mthe one, single planet, using the squirreled away resources. Indoctrinate a planet full of locals...Subvert  their freewill into thinking they WANT this for themselves and their children...

I was thinking something similar actually - not everyone is the hard cor fanatics. If you look at some of the later Divisions, they were staffed by recruits from Circinus and other perif realms. I don't see "damn the torpedoes brothers, we're going down with the ship" types, I see more "ok, HQ has stop answering the comm, we're outflanked and running out of ammo - let's slip away and go pirate" from these types

[Archangel]

He was arrested when his regime fell in 3077.

But he was never prosecuted.  Corinne Marik refused to hand him over for prosecution so his actual status is unknown.  It shouldn't be hard to engineer an escape given that Corinne can no longer rely on WoB assistance or her intelligence network (which was run by her father) to maintain planetary security.  Berith could probably come up with an escape plan in his sleep.

[Stormlion1]

She probably put him in a nice little palace/prison for now. At some point she will release him so he can advise her when she needs the help. I doubt she would lock him up to tightly after all, He is her father after all.

[Nav_Alpha]

She probably put him in a nice little palace/prison for now. At some point she will release him so he can advise her when she needs the help. I doubt she would lock him up to tightly after all, He is her father after all.

He's also nobility, I see him in some sort of "house arrest" situation. Exiled to the palace's south wing or something. Under heavy guard and closely monitored so that he can't contact his supporters who's be keen to put him on the throne, but otherwise pretty much free.

Rank/noble birth hath its privileges.

[Darth Nichos]

Unless you are in the Republic in which privilege means nothing

So after consulting JFR and FM 3085, these are the Blakest Units that are MIA

Militia:

3rd Division
10th Division
12th Division
30th Division

Shadow Divisions:

40th Division
44th Division
46th Division
48th Division
49th Division
50th Division
54th Division

the 48th was probably destroyed on Circinus, but without hard evidence it is still MIA

As for naval assets- Five ships of various types plus that Yard Ship. Combined with the Last 2 Hidden Worlds, there is still enough there to rebuild

[Nav_Alpha]

Unless you are in the Republic in which privilege means nothing

So after consulting JFR and FM 3085, these are the Blakest Units that are MIA

Militia:

3rd Division
10th Division
12th Division
30th Division

Shadow Divisions:

40th Division
44th Division
46th Division
48th Division
49th Division
50th Division
54th Division

the 48th was probably destroyed on Circinus, but without hard evidence it is still MIA

As for naval assets- Five ships of various types plus that Yard Ship. Combined with the Last 2 Hidden Worlds, there is still enough there to rebuild

I'm thinking the 30th Division - which was officially counted as "destroyed" but there's evidence at least some of them are still operating as late as 3080

[Hawkeye Jim]

Y'know, the first moment i read thru your post i liked it, and agreed. But then i started to think about it. There are literally thousands of worlds with millions, if not billions of people on each. Manei Domini are THE single most fanatic of the WoB forces right? Dedicatign both body and soul to the cause. KNOWING that they will be cutting their lives short by entire decades in order to be just a bit faster, stronger, more resilient than anyone else on the field, to carry the Word to the masses even if they don't want to hear it.

I think they would find themselves a new world, soemthing remote and easily  converted. Religion is a powerful recruitment tool when added to the value of Good Pr, good will born of say, feeding starving children after a planetary drought and famin. etc. And if you begin to make the locals think of you well, the locals would begin to join. To swell the ranks of the MDs. You could set up a new church, long term planning does seem to be the Comstar/Wobbie strength....Grow fro mthe one, single planet, using the squirreled away resources. Indoctrinate a planet full of locals...Subvert  their freewill into thinking they WANT this for themselves and their children...

Wasn't that how the MD started, doing exactly that on Jardine?

[Stormlion1]

Wasn't that how the MD started, doing exactly that on Jardine?

If it works, then why change?

[Isanova]

He was arrested when his regime fell in 3077.

It was a clone!!!

[Nahuris]

Unless you are in the Republic in which privilege means nothing

So after consulting JFR and FM 3085, these are the Blakest Units that are MIA

Militia:

3rd Division
10th Division
12th Division
30th Division

Shadow Divisions:

40th Division
44th Division
46th Division
48th Division
49th Division
50th Division
54th Division

the 48th was probably destroyed on Circinus, but without hard evidence it is still MIA

As for naval assets- Five ships of various types plus that Yard Ship. Combined with the Last 2 Hidden Worlds, there is still enough there to rebuild

Also, it mentions that on one world, they took approximately 200,000 people from the population, as well ... a LOT of common people also supported them...... more than enough to pull their own exodus.... and that's just one planet.... we don't know how many they took, especially if they left agents behind to assume identities.... they did have massive access to records.... how many small towns of workers near x, y, or z factory is providing people that are just watching.

People in this town have a natural gift, so the manufacturers tend to hire there..... not knowing that when these people go home, they have their own educational facilities in basements and other locations .......

I do, however, see them changing their name ......

In the end, though, they have the population, the technology, and the will and ability to create a colony .... they have access to Explorer Corp's records, and they had the ships and means..... and per some of the in canon rumors, they had started disappearing early in the Jihad .... at the end, I would wonder about those MD units that attacked militia.... were they actually attacking, or providing cover for those militia to be able to stay in place as observational cells..... we'd have to look at casualties, and strongly consider that some, if not all of that, was also staged.

Nahuris

[Hawkeye Jim]

Weren't the MD originally created to fight the Clans? I thought I read some where that they were created on just one planet, perhaps Jardine or Gibson. Is there any evidence that they still have the means to create more of their kind? If not, when they die out, much of the original purpose of the WOB will be gone.

[truetanker]

Just like today, mass production of parts is easy, easier in the future... they do have the plans and machines to make the parts. It's just like a mini-factory producing the equipment, all you need is bodies to mod.

I'm assuming ROM, thru Comstar, gathered enough Iron Wombs from the various clans during the invasion, mostly from Nova Cats via House Kurita, some scientists and the procedures to create better people. Then there's the Codex of bondsmen, IS and Clan.

Not to mention, the Belters tech...

TT

[Stormlion1]

Talk about serious thread necro! Honestly my money is on using existing sources for parts on the Inner Sphere that run through dead drops and mystery jumpships to bring parts to the WoB short term. But not parts for weapons or mechs but equipment to build factorys. To build factorys that will build the factorys that will build the mechs and weapons the WoB if they return will use.

[The Wobbly Guy]

If we want to be realistic, then it's easy for the Word to hide out even in the vicinity of the Inner Sphere.

We can think of some contrived reasons for the essentially 2D starmap of the Inner Sphere (e.g. coincidentally much more habitable systems on the plane, convention, ease of book-keeping etc), then the Word simply goes 'above' or 'below' the plane. Even two jumps (60 LY) in either direction massively expands their available options, giving them plenty of worlds to exploit and rebuild on.

[truetanker]

Let's kill some Catgirls, right?

Fiat FACT 1: WoB Manei Domini don't need any known habitable planet, ice - nasty bio - water covered planets : 

Fiat FACT 2: WoB Manei Domini don't need any supplies from the IS, will try to overtake, but don't really need it, can make their own.

Fiat FACT 3: WoB has Clan tech, captured and salvaged, IS high tech, a copy ( somewhere ) of SLDF tech, either from the Clans, or various IS thefts.

Fiat FACT 4: Why do they need any old planet populace? Answer : to hide deep undercover... ( False! ) Breeding ground for new bio-cultures, kinda like the clan eugenics, iron wombs and such.

Then there's the fun fact :

Erinyes, still missing.

TT 

[Stormlion1]

Let's kill some Catgirls, right?

Fiat FACT 1: WoB Manei Domini don't need any known habitable planet, ice - nasty bio - water covered planets : 

Fiat FACT 2: WoB Manei Domini don't need any supplies from the IS, will try to overtake, but don't really need it, can make their own.

Fiat FACT 3: WoB has Clan tech, captured and salvaged, IS high tech, a copy ( somewhere ) of SLDF tech, either from the Clans, or various IS thefts.

Fiat FACT 4: Why do they need any old planet populace? Answer : to hide deep undercover... ( False! ) Breeding ground for new bio-cultures, kinda like the clan eugenics, iron wombs and such.

Then there's the fun fact :

Erinyes, still missing.

TT 

Most of those require a base of operations and industry all ready in existence.

[Rainbow 6]

Most of those require a base of operations and industry all ready in existence.

Well they've still got at least the two hidden worlds and wasn't one of those rumored to be building a Level III of celestial's a year?

[Stormlion1]

From Sarna:
Taussen (thought to lie in Federated Suns space) was a BattleMech manufacturing center and staging point.

Obeedah (thought to lie in Capellan Confederation space) was a "nice planet" with tropical islands, heavily populated and apparently a fleet base of some sort. A big space station was mentioned.

Taussen was believed to produce early WoB designs but not the Celestials and was self sufficient enough for independent production. But only of mechs. Not dropship or jumpship production. That would be Obeedah's function. Even then your looking at only two worlds to supply the WoB remnant while also trying to stay off the radar of the Successor States that will be on the look out.

[truetanker]

Don't forget the RWR had tons of pre-built planets full of SLDF cities to practice on in their quarter of space, Easy to move in and renovate, since most of the RWR was destroyed by the old Star League on their way back to Terra.

Meaning, we don't have anything from that area as everything was scrambled during the 1SW and 2SW, by the 3SW, everyone was scrounging for PARTS, not sites of training. Any records are " lost : in the 300 odd years till Operation: REVIVAL. By " lost ", I mean Comstar and ROM, aka early WoB, the Toyamas.

And what was lost to others, could be found again, but we have literally other things banging on the proverbial front and back doors... hell even the side door(s) are in jeopardy! If they want a war, they'll have plenty of time.... a Hundred years is nothing, Devlin Stone slept for what? About 70 years or so... And his Stasis Tube was not mint condition... As you may not know, the " Leader " of the NuWoB may or mayn't ( yes that is a word. not a typo ) be a 'Borg. ( Cryo flesh, rebuilt Manei Domini ) < age 1 day = 1 year outside, so how many days can you sleep? >

TT

[Nahuris]

Weren't the MD originally created to fight the Clans? I thought I read some where that they were created on just one planet, perhaps Jardine or Gibson. Is there any evidence that they still have the means to create more of their kind? If not, when they die out, much of the original purpose of the WOB will be gone.

The MD were developed to match the clan eugenics, especially elementals... but the MD's were not the purpose of WOB .... they were a tool
As a faction, the WOB's purpose was to maintain and hide technology until it was needed.... Comstar is WOB, and WOB calls itself the True Comstar.....
Comstar survived up until Buhl, which is after Grey Monday, and had been taking in surviving WOB and hiding them.....

And we KNOW a lot of them escaped from the Republic, after the incident with Tucker Harwell....

Nahuris

[truetanker]

 

Nahuris is NOT stupid, but... he does present a point.

IF they have been relocated, how long till something finds them?

And NuWoB decides to retaliate?

TT

[Lone-Wolf]

I would go for the "biding their time" theory or at the very least, pull a Kerensky and return a century or two later. Evidence does state that the last 2 Hidden Worlds do have the resources to rearm the Word, not to mention the possible secret bases in the Periphery. If I were the most senior leader left in the WoB, I would pull everything I had left (and I mean everything) to the Hidden 2 and go Dark; also have ROM make sure that the WoB stay hidden. As for Rogue Units, I'd leave them for the Coalition and others so that they would distract my enemies while I hid.

I would also consider building a new Base in a lost system; The Coalition and other States knew there were Five Hidden Worlds out there and located two of them thanks to intelligence. The likelihood of the last two being discovered is a strong possibility so if the WoB were smart, they would transfer everything they had to the new Hidden World.

It would be a sane and solid strategy for the MD, but when was this shown inside Battletech?

House X: Oh, we build a modern state of the art Battlemech production center one jump away from the border to our most hated enemy.
Next Succession War: Oh no, our most hated enemy conquered the system with our modern state of the art Battlemech production center. Who could have foreseen it?

or:

House X: Oh no, why did we loose Planet X with 200 million population? We had 1 Battalion of tanks and 1 regiment of infantry on planet. That should have been enough to discourage assaulting the Planet.
(For those who need an explanation: Just look at the army size during the Cold War. For instance: West-Germany: Population 60 Million, Army size: 500.000 , about 2.200 main battle tanks etc. )