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Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 04:44pm
by Eternal_Freedom
The clans are at 80% but the Grand Army is down to 30% of it's forces? Jesuchristo!

EDIT: And they have only 22 WarShips remaining. Oh dear. What is to stop the Clans form bullrushing Tukayyid, blasting those WarShips and laying waste to the Grand Army in one fell swoop? Aside from their fractuous nature of course :D

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 05:16pm
by masterarminas
Eternal_Freedom wrote:The clans are at 80% but the Grand Army is down to 30% of it's forces? Jesuchristo!

EDIT: And they have only 22 WarShips remaining. Oh dear. What is to stop the Clans form bullrushing Tukayyid, blasting those WarShips and laying waste to the Grand Army in one fell swoop? Aside from their fractuous nature of course :D
Ah . . . Natasha was lying about the Grand Army having 100+ regiments. They started with 50 and now have 55; started with 6 WarShips and now have 22! All at full strength, and every single regiment there rated at Veteran or Elite (mostly elite). So far, the Grand Army hasn't seen ANY combat; they are waiting for the Clans strength to dwindle before hitting them like the Hammer of God.

Master Arminas

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 05:50pm
by Eternal_Freedom
Ah, when you gave the number of regiments lost I thought they were part of the Grand Army. Still, that's an incredible kill ratio for the Clans.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 07:20pm
by pte chib
Are the Clans realy that much better than the Inner sphere? Not knowing much about Battletech I thought I would ask? Still I am Loving this story/ Thanks for sharing it with us

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 07:39pm
by Diverball
pte chib wrote:Are the Clans realy that much better than the Inner sphere? Not knowing much about Battletech I thought I would ask? Still I am Loving this story/ Thanks for sharing it with us
The average Clan mechwarrior is certainly better than their Inner Sphere equivalent, though not better than the IS elite. The Clans' real edge is in technology, due to them being spared the technological devastation of the Succession Wars. Ton-for-ton, Clan mechs are faster, hit harder, and at longer range, and can take more punishment than their IS equivalents. Plus, Omnitech greatly simplifies their logistics chain, making it far easier to swap out parts from damaged mechs (for reference, Clan mech weapon systems, and even limbs, are modular, and can be easily swapped between mechs. IS mechs and their weapons are totally integrated systems, so even switching a single weapon is a big job). In the original universe, the IS only "won" by exploiting the peculiarities and rigidities of Zellbringen.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 08:06pm
by masterarminas
Royal Palace, The Triad, Tharkad City
Tharkad, Lyran Commonwealth, the Federated Commonwealth
November 10, 3043


“Morgan!” Melissa said with a smile as she recognized the face on the other end of the HPG connection, but then her smile faded at the somber look on the face of the Marshall of the Federated Commonwealth. “What is so urgent, you requested a real-time link?”

“Archon Steiner-Davion,” the burly man said with a bow. “We have a problem.”

Melissa felt a chill run through her, but she kept her face carefully neutral. “Perhaps we can find a solution.”

“I hope we can, Your Majesty. General of the Armies Nondi Steiner has issued a warning order to all Lyran Regiments and Regimental Combat Teams; they are to prepare to withdraw from their current defensive positions and assemble at Santana.”

“Oh, my God,” whispered the Archon. “Have you rescinded the order?”

“I have, and she contacted me directly—she is in command of the Lyran State Forces, and they have bled enough, she told me. Until Wolf moves his Grand Army into action, 'she will not allow a Davion appointee to spill another drop of Lyran blood'. And that is close to a direct quote,” Morgan looked down, and then he lifted his face again. “Melissa, I can remove her—I have the authority. But there is a difference between authority and ability. If I sack her, even for cause . . .”

“I understand, Morgan,” Melissa said quietly. “Let me talk to her.”

“Of course, Archon,” he said with a second bow. “We need those troops, manning the lines—the Clans broke through our first line of defense, and without them we have no prayer of holding on the Kandersteg-Pandora-La Grave line.”

“You will have them, Marshal Hasek-Davion. You have my word on it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Morgan paused and he nodded. “The casualty lists have been grim, of late. But we are bleeding them, and the end is in sight. We just have to have the will to keep on fighting a little while longer.”

Melissa nodded. “Is there anything else you need at Pandora, Marshal?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“I will speak with her at once, then,” Melissa nodded to the ComStar tech who ended the transmission. And she tapped her fingernails against the marble topped desk for several minutes before turning to her assistant. “Inform Aunt Nondie I need to speak with her immediately—and request Leutnant-General Malvin to join us as well.”

*****************************************************************

“You wanted to see me, Archon Melissa?” the sour-faced woman asked as she entered the Archon’s spacious office.

“Yes, Aunt Nondie. I did,” Melissa said as she slowly drummed her nails against the desktop. “Rescind this order you passed to the LCAF withdrawing them from Morgan’s defensive line.”

Nondi snorted. “Morgan and Hanse are using the LCAF, Melissa! They are gutting our most loyal formations so that they can replace them with Davion sympathizers. Perhaps you do not see this, but I do! Your mother appointed me as General of the Armies; you confirmed that appointment. I do not answer to a lap dog of Hanse Davion!”

“Are you referring to me or Marshal Hasek-Davion?” Melissa asked coolly.

The old woman jerked. “Not you, Archon. I would never say that about you—but Hanse has convinced you of the ‘wisdom’ of his strategy, hasn't he? He will destroy your troops until there is no one left loyal to you. Let his troops bleed this enemy, while Lyran soldiers prepare for a counter-offensive that will sweep them away!”

Now the tapping on the desk came to a halt, and Melissa glared at her aunt—Katrina’s sister. “Aunt Nondie, I suggest that you take a leave of absence—you are in need of rest.”

“No, girl. I am as fit as a horse, and I will protect your interests as long as I wear this uniform.”

Melissa sighed. “Don’t make me do this, Aunt Nondie.”

“Blood is thicker than water, girl—Katrina taught you that. And your husband and his stooges have spilt far too much Lyran blood.”

Melissa stood, and if her heart was breaking, none could see it in the set stone of her face. “General of the Armies Nondi Steiner—I hereby revoke your commission in the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. I strip from you all rank and privileges exceeding those of a Colonel and order that you immediately be discharged from Our service—in dishonor. You are then to stand trial by public courts-martial for your failure in your duty and your treason against the Commonwealth.”

Christopher Malvin, the commander of the Royal Guards Brigade winced and Nondi just stared at her niece in horror. “Mel-. . .”

Silence. OR, in lieu of that, you can immediately resign your commission in light of issues with your health; in which case, we will speak no more of this, and I shall not break you in public, General Steiner,” Melissa said carefully and calmly. “You will retire, and remove yourself to the estates I am awarding you on Poulsbo, never again to leave that world without my express permission—or I will have you publically tried for treason. And following that trial's conclusion, I will see you hung by the neck until dead in the Courtyard of the Triad.”

No one spoke. “Decide now, General Steiner. But either way, you are no longer my Aunt—you are no longer part of my family.”

Nondi’s knees buckled and her shoulders sagged. “I-I’ll resign,” she whispered.

Melissa slid a piece of paper across her desk. “Your letter of resignation, General Steiner. Sign.”

And Nondi did.

Melissa stood and she took the letter and read it, before handing it to a servant. “See that this is filed with the Estates-General immediately,” she ordered. “Leutnant-General Malvin, escort this woman from my presence and place her aboard the first DropShip departing Tharkad. You are dismissed.”

And without another look at her mother’s sister, Melissa sat back down at her desk and took the next piece of paper from her inbox.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-18 09:05pm
by NovaCameron
The strain is showing in the IS.... If the the Clans can bring more troops from the homeworlds quick enough, or recruit from the IS populace, they could keep the pressure up till the IS breaks itself. It Steiners are acting this way think of Liao and Kurita.... The clans should hit Turkyyid. Even if they don't destroy the Grand Army but do a quick hit and run raid and do enough damage it could be a huge moral and strategic victory...

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-19 11:56am
by Eternal_Freedom
Would I be right in thinking that a Regiment contains only one kind of unit (mechs, infantry, tanks etc) whilst an RCT is a Regiment-sized combined arms force?

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-19 12:57pm
by masterarminas
A Regiment (normally 3 battalions of 3 companies of 3 platoons or lances [as 'Mech/ASF units on this scale are called]) can be a 'pure' formation consisting only of armor or 'Mechs or infantry or aerospace fighters, but many regiments do have at least 'Mechs and ASF. The typical organization is each company consists of three lances of 'Mechs (4 BattleMechs each) and a lance of Aerospace Fighters (2 ASF), giving 36 'Mechs and 6 Fighters in a Battalion and 108 'Mechs and 18 Fighters in a Regiment.

Armor tends to be mostly pure, or supporting a force of 'Mechs, while infantry regiments are almost always pure.

An RCT (Regimental Combat Team), on the other hand, is a House Davion/Federated Commonwealth term for a group of Regiments organized under a single commander and trained to operate in conjunction. These units normally consist of one 'Mech regiment, two-to-three Armor regiments, four-to-six Infantry regiments, a battalion of Artillery, and an Aerospace Fighter Wing (typically 54 aerospace fighters). RCTs are big and have a LOT of combat firepower, but they are difficult to transport and fairly slow on the ground (if operating together).

Master Arminas

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-19 03:08pm
by masterarminas
Jump Point Pesht-4
Pesht, Draconis Combine
November 11, 3043


Nine massive vessels emerged from Jump spaced out around the proximity point between Pesht and its airless moon. The invaders included two Black Lion-class battle cruisers, a Congress-class frigate, three Lola III-class destroyers, an Essex-class destroyer, and a pair of York-class carriers, but other than unmanned sensor platforms, the jump point was undefended. The ships gathered in formation, launching fourteen Death Dancer-class assault DropShips and two hundred and ten OmniFighters that assumed station on the perimeter.

The Clan Fleet waited until their parasites fully deployed, but no further ships arrived and then they began to accelerate—not towards the planet, but instead to the moon. General Jinjiro Nishizawa, the Combine’s commander of the aerospace forces assigned to Pesht, realized quickly that the Clans knew of his hidden base, and he began launching fighters and assault DropShips of his own. Two hundred and sixteen fighters, supported by thirty-four Avenger- and Achilles-class vessels, lifted off from the surface and moved to engage their foes.

The Clan fighter and DropShip screen merged with those of the Dragon, and the blackness of space was lit by scores of explosions. Supporting the fighters, the WarShips fired salvo after salvo of nimble capital missiles into the furball, even as the Sabres, Sholagars, and Shilones tried to cut a path for the heavy assault ships and Slayers. In numbers, the fighter pilots were evenly matched, and the close knife-fighting ranges which the high-speed and acceleration possessed by the nimble little craft allowed largely negated the range advantage possessed by the Clans—it did little against their superior firepower, but in close both sides began to ravage each other with beams, shells, and missiles.

Thirty-six Slayers broke through the screen and bored down on the waiting WarShips, but now the combined missile fire of all nine Clan vessels concentrated against the strike squadron, while their main batteries turned on the larger and more easily targeted assault ships trailing behind.

The fight was short, vicious, and utterly unforgiving—despite suffering heavy damage to the destroyer Sabre Cat, the Clans emerged victorious as the final Achilles died sixty kilometers from the WarShips; only forty-two Combine fighters survived the exchange, trying to husband the last of their fuel until they could make it back to the planet. The Clans too suffered heavily, with fifty-one fighters returning to their bays—along with a mere two Death Dancers.

The Jaguars and Nova Cats continued on the moon, and from orbit, their WarShips annihilated the bases from which General Nishizawa had launched his strike; only then did they return to the jump point and summon the JumpShips bearing the Clan’s real touman began to emerge.

No sooner than the first pair of JumpShips emerged than the challenge arrived from Pesht itself. General Akira Kurita—a distant cousin of the Coordinator—was in command, and he offered the location where he would defend: Andrassy, the capital of Pesht and a city that more than six million civilians called home.

Brandon Howell, Khan of the Jaguars did not bother to reply, but consulted his maps and nodded his appreciation for Kurita’s strategy. Andrassy was built on an island some twenty-one kilometers in length and nearly four wide. Sprawling suburbs spread out from the island on both the north and south banks of the river, but Kurita had indicated that the heavily urbanized island itself was his chosen location.

The Fleet moved into orbit, and twenty full Clusters of Jaguars and Nova Cats dropped onto the surface—a safe distance away from the city, while the WarShips englobed the planet with orders to kill any Combine DropShip attempting to flee.

Many within the inner circle of Brandon Howell and Sarah Weaver (the Jaguar saKhan) argued that the Jaguars should simply destroy the city from orbit—but Howell knew well the ilKhan’s orders, and he believed that here, on Pesht, his Jaguars would show their true worth.

What Khan Howell did not realize, however, was that via a herculean effort, General Kurita had evacuated the entire civilian population of Andrassy Island—and he had transformed that densely packed urban area with its skyscrapers and soaring towers into a killing field for his eleven ‘Mech regiments, fourteen armored regiments, and sixteen regiments of fanatical infantry troopers.

And so it was, that as the Jaguars began to encircle the island and try to find a beachhead in what his troops had dubbed the Cauldron, General Akira Kurita smiled.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-19 06:57pm
by masterarminas
Andrassy Island, Andrassy
Pesht, Draconis Combine
November 11, 3043


Three full Galaxies of Jaguars landed to the south of the city; the shorter northern coastline was occupied by the lone Nova Cat Galaxy. Captured maps showed that the river section to the north was relatively deep, with a muddy bottom—but three bridges connected the island to the mainland here. The southern shore was wide, but fairly shallow and featured a bottom of rock and claw—strong enough to support the Jaguar OmniMechs . . . perhaps. Seven bridges crossed the river on this side, but Khans Howell and West were well aware that these bridges were bound to be sited in by the defenders—and possibly mined.

Still, the first actions were at those bridges, where Stars of combat engineer trained Elementals carefully crossed, searching for hidden explosives while engaging the infantry pillboxes and strongpoint’s the Combine had built. For six hours, the bulk of the Jaguars and Cats waited while a vicious close-quarters battle was being waged on—and beneath—the bridges.

Howell and West, having suspended zellbrigen each landed one of their Provisional Garrison Clusters—equipped with artillery vehicles; the smoke rounds from these third-line Warriors provided the Elementals with cover as they fought the fanatical Kurita infantry and disarmed explosive charges.

In the meantime, Khan Howell ordered another Trinary of Elementals outfitted with UMU (underwater maneuvering units) in place of their SRM launchers; a small laser replacing their AP Gauss Rifle. Assigned to search the bottom of the river for surprises, these nautical Elementals discovered that the riverbed had been liberally sewn with mines, covering nearly every possible approach . . . save one.

One section of the southern arm of the river shallowed to the point where the current was too much for the mines to remain embedded in the floor; that same current was hazardous to OmniMechs, but the risks were deemed as acceptable. Still, Khan Howell was not wholly convinced that the clear lane had not been planned by defenders of Pesht.

Low-level recon flights by fighters outfitted with Active Probes revealed the interlocked bunkers that covered that section of the river front, and Howell knew that his opponent was waiting for him to discover the ‘neglected’ sector and charge across. As night fell on the first day of the Battle of Pesht, Howell prepared to make his move.

A massive barrage of smoke rounds concealed the southern shore from the Andrassy, just as the sun dipped below the horizon—meanwhile, Trinarys of light and medium-weight OmniMechs began to storm across the bridges cleared by the engineer Elementals. Preplanned artillery barrages showed down on the bridges—but the move had been only a feint.

Alpha and Beta Galaxy moved into the open stretch of the river void of mines under the coverage of the smoke screen and gingerly made their way across; just before they emerged from the water, however, the combined aerospace fighters of the Jaguars streaked by overhead, releasing tons of bombs upon the heads of the defenders dug in on the island. Reeling from the incredible blow, the Kurita defenders were not prepared to contest the beachhead with the elite OmniMechs and Elementals of Alpha and Beta Galaxy where they emerged from the water.

Flares of explosions and the staccato bursts of tracer fire lit the night, as searing flashes of lasers and PPC bolts reached out to hit the attackers and defenders alike. The defending infantry and tanks fought to the last man, but they were unable to repel the Jaguars as Khan Howell secured a narrow strip of land and one of the city’s parks.

Simultaneously, two Clusters of Delta Galaxy loaded up in their DropShips and still under the cover of the dense smoke screen, they hovered across the river to emerge in sight of the astonished defenders—‘Mech and Elementals jumped from heights of just fifty and one hundred meters, even as the DropShips absorbed impact after impact from the defenders of the southern bridgeheads. The Cloud Rangers lived up to their name as the 4th and 214th Jaguar Dragoons landed on the island and held their salient until the remainder of Delta could rush across the bridges—against whom the defending fire had suddenly lessened—to reinforce them.

Throughout the night, intense firefights raged up and down the boulevards and avenues of Andrassy City as the Jaguars pushed deeper in to the island in an effort to link up. No quarter was given or asked for—by either side; and the rules of war quickly fell to the wayside as well. Soon enough, neither side had was able to summon air support, as the dueling fighters clashed in the night sky above, and the Jaguars rain of artillery smoke shells was replaced with laser-guided homing munitions and cluster rockets called in blindly.

By dawn, Andrassy was covered in thick cloud of smoke and ash from the burning and collapsed buildings, and the Jaguars had bulled their way through a third of the city—all three Jaguar Galaxies having linked up in the night. Both sides were utterly exhausted by thirteen hours of nearly constant conflict—but Brandon Howell had brought his DropShips across the river and rotated units back throughout the night to rearm, sometimes to exchange pod configurations before heading back into the fray. He would not make the mistakes Showers and Osis had made in the past of not having enough supplies close at hand.

General Kurita was bleeding the Jaguars for each square meter of ground that they gained, but the causalities were far from one-sided: over half of his own ‘Mechs were light-weight Panthers and Jenners; no match for the heavy and assault Ebon Jaguars, Warhawks, and Dire Wolfs that steadily advanced meter by meter. Still, the close-quarters combat was bleeding the Jaguars for every block they took; one enterprising DCMS officer flooded a portion of the city’s sewer system with natural gas—the resulting explosion shattered the 225th Battle Cluster and utterly destroyed two blocks of skyscrapers.

In response, the Congress-class frigate Snow Leopard opened fire from orbit and tore the heart out of two blocks still in the hands of the Combine. Khan Howell contacted General Kurita by radio and informed him that the bombardment was in retaliation of the actions of the Draconis officer who fired the gas mains—he vowed to reply in kind to any further such use of WMD as well.

Halfway through the morning, the exhausted Combine pilots—all seventy-three of them—climbed back into their cockpits as the Nova Cats on the north shore launched their assault. One hundred carefully husbanded Cat pilots—in undamaged OmniFighters and rested—met them in the sky; thirty minutes later, the Combine had no air cover remaining. The sixty-four Cat survivors returned to base and refueled and rearmed; then they returned in company of the one hundred and six surviving Jaguars to support the Nova Cat river crossing.

Throughout the night, the Cats had slowly infiltrated Elementals across the river—losing five percent of their number in the process; beset by the massive aerial attack and the sudden appearance of the Elemental infantry, Khan West managed to take two of the three bridges by storm. The third had not been completely cleared by the Elemental engineers during the night; they had missed one demolition charge in the center span. And the bunker which controlled that demolition survived both the air attack and the battle-armored infantry assault.

The explosive collapse of the bridge took with it two-third of the 489th Assault Cluster and the Vision Keshik—Khan West assumed command of Alpha Galaxy from the Nova Cat Keshik, which safely crossed one of the other two bridges.

Caught between two fires, the Kurita perimeter slowly shrank, but the combat raged within narrow streets hemmed in by the towering buildings. The costs of fighting within the Cauldron doubled, and then doubled again, as the relentless unstopping assault was met by fanatical defenders who refused to give up even a millimeter of ground without a fight.

By nightfall, the entire city was ablaze from the northernmost spur of land to the docks on the southern end facing out to sea. Now in its second consecutive day, the battle dissolved in certain sectors to hand-to-hand combat amongst the ‘Mechs, with broken and battered Atlases and Dragons pummeling and being pummeled by the Jaguars and Cats.

Their troops utterly worn out by the constant fighting, Khans West and Howell pulled back, away from the current lines and gave their Warriors a small respite as Techs rushed to bolt on new armor plates and replace damaged weapons and empty magazines. Although Akira Kurita would have liked nothing more than to launch a counter-attack, his troops as well were drained of all energy, and he too took advantage of the lull to prepare for the following morn.

An hour before dawn, the assault resumed and it continued for the next nineteen hours before the sounds of the guns finally fell silent on the third day of the battle. Every soldier assigned to the defense of the Cauldron lay dead—fifteen thousand in all, including the pilots lost in the sky and in space. The city itself was in ruins, filled with shattered and scorched buildings, without power or water, with fires raging out of control.

The Jaguars and Nova Cats stood victorious—but the cost was staggering. Storied Clusters, such as the 7th Jaguar Dragoons, the 362nd Assault Cluster, the 225th Battle Cluster, the 1st Jaguar Cavaliers, the 4th Jaguar Dragoons, and the 19th Striker Cluster had to be disbanded; their troops divided amongst the shattered remains of Alpha and Beta Galaxy (Delta being temporarily stricken from the Jaguar rolls). Even with the these Clusters being broken up, no unit in Alpha or Beta reported in at more than sixty percent of authorized strength. The Jaguars had lost half their total strength in the Inner Sphere in this one fight, although his Techs promised the Khan that they could restore one hundred—perhaps even two hundred—of the OmniMechs lost in the fighting; once they were recovered from the battlefield that is. Manning them would be another matter completely.

The Cats did not suffer quite so much, but then they avoided the earliest and some of the bloodiest hours of the fighting. Still, of the five Clusters which they began, the 489th Assault Cluster and 7th Nova Cat Guards had to be disbanded—and if the remaining three could field one hundred OmniMechs between them, Khan West would have been surprised.

But Kendrick Wheeler and most (not all, but most) of his film crews had lived—and they caught the entire battle in living color on film.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-20 02:08pm
by masterarminas
Field Headquarters of the ilKhan; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
November 20, 3043


“Khan Djerassi, you want us to leave our conquests undefended, before we get any of our reinforcements from the homeworlds, and engage Wolf’s Grand Army in a battle that you admit we might not win? Tell me how I am to sell that to the other Khans?” Yvonne asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

“Never mind,” she continued before Nikolai could say a word, “that carrying out this attack will derail the invasion schedule completely—and force us to declare a halt for the next six months . . . at a minimum! If we win.”

Nikolai waited to be certain the ilKhan had finished her rant and he sat down the tall goblet of golden pilsner on the side table. He looked into the eyes of his fellow Khans—Marion Truscott, Jake Fletcher, Amanda Tseng, Peter McKenna, Pavel Kerensky, Olivia Sutherland, Mark Steiner, Ulric Kerensky, and their saKhans—then he nodded.

“And if we do not launch a preemptive strike against the Grand Army, while we have the chance to do so . . . what will that mean, ilKhan Hazen? Jaime Wolf has between thirty-five and one hundred regiments of BattleMechs at his disposal; depending on which source of information you trust. No offense, saKhan Kerensky,” he said the Black Widow, who sat beside Ulric. He had protested against her being present, but the ilKhan had overruled him.

“None taken, Khan Djerassi,” Natasha answered.

“If we do nothing, then Wolf will roll out those forces and hit us with a sledgehammer we are ill-prepared to stop: ten thousand BattleMechs, fifteen thousand tanks and armored combat vehicles, more than two thousand aerospace fighters, and more than a quarter of a million infantry! Not to mention between six and fifty WarShips! Those numbers are on the high side of our estimates of what he has—I believe he has somewhere around half. If he can choose when and where to use that power, my Khans, then we are fucked.”

The Khans—except for Natasha—winced at the deliberate use of such crude lower-caste profanity by the Scorpion, but Yvonne slowly nodded. Nikolai met her gaze and he too nodded. “If Wolf attacks in force, no single Clan here in the Inner Sphere can stop him. We will lose the fighting touman of three, perhaps four, or even five Clans before we can even slow him. And he is not the only threat; we have destroyed more than one hundred regiments of Inner Sphere troops—luckily for them, they only have five times as many more to throw against us!”

Marion and Jake winced, most of the others stirred in their seats, but Amanda, Natasha, and Ulric allowed no expression to reach their faces. “We can no longer lie to ourselves; the Clans of Kerensky simply do not have the manpower from our thirty-three inhabited star systems back in the Pentagon and the Tanite Worlds and the Homeworlds, to successfully take and garrison 2,000 worlds in the Inner Sphere! We literally cannot do so.”

Yvonne sat back, her face drained of all color. “And we have failed in our purpose then; Revival has failed.”

“Perhaps not, ilKhan,” Nikolai answered with a sly grin.

Every Khan and saKhan present leaned forward, wanting to hear his answer.

“Revival had to be attempted—if only because the most devoted and fanatical Crusader Clans would consider nothing else. But, if we can carry out a spoiling attack against Wolf’s Grand Army on Tukayyid—if we can eliminate that threat hanging our us, then perhaps we can present the Inner Sphere with terms of a truce. A truce that will allow us to consolidate, recover, and—most importantly—give us the time to bring men and equipment and defenses forward. We will have secured a beachhead in the Inner Sphere, and given enough time for us to fortify it properly, nothing the Inner Sphere does can dislodge us.”

Nikolai lifted his goblet and took another sip of the rich frothy golden liquid and he smacked his lips. “And once we have recovered our strength, replaced our casualties, and made certain our enclaves here are secure, we can still move on our final target—Terra.”

“With no supply lines, with our flanks open to attack from all sides?” asked Ulric. “We disregarded this idea long ago; it is too risky.”

“Khan Kerensky—we do not have the strength of arms, not in numbers at least, to drive all the way to Terra and hold every world we take in our wake. Not even if we brought every last Warrior and Sibkin in the Homeworlds forward. And every day we delay, we let our enemies grow stronger.” Nikolai paused and he turned his attention back to Natasha. “I am correct in that, saKhan Kerensky, quiaff?”

“Aff,” she said. “Star League equipment was just starting to reach units destined for your Wave IV worlds when I left,” she grinned. “The Grand Army already has it. And light powered armor for Jaime’s infantry troopers—not in any great numbers yet, but you know how many suits of Elemental armor you can produce in a short time. Do not doubt that capabilities of the Inner Sphere’s factories in a crisis.”

“Win or lose, we must throw the die, ilKhan Hazen, my Khans,” Nikolai continued. “We cannot afford to continue to take the losses that the Jaguars and Cats suffered on Pesht—or the Falcons on Deia. The Ravens on Parakoila. The Wolves and Coyotes on Tamar. We are being bled white, and while we remain combat effective, we will not for many more such Waves—and that is when Jaime Wolf will come crashing down upon us like a tsunami.”

Nikolai lifted his beer and took another sip; he didn’t say another word, but instead allowed each of the Khans present to consider what had been spoken.

One by one each Khan and saKhan nodded, until Yvonne stood. "Khan Djerassi; it is your plan. You are willing to accept the consequences that the Khans will demand if it fails?"

"I am, ilKhan Hazen."

“Very well. I will find a way to convince Timur Malthus—and then we will assemble a Strike Force such as the Clans have never before fielded. And we will obliterate this Grand Army of the Inner Sphere.”

“Seyla,” responded Nikolai and the other Khans . . . but out of the corner of his eye the Khan of the Goliath Scorpions noticed that Natasha’s eyes had never left him. And he shivered.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-21 08:38pm
by masterarminas
Goliath Scorpion Field Headquarters; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
November 22, 3043


“Tell me this is not happening,” groaned Nikolai as he read the dispatch from the ilKhan. “Can they not stop fighting among themselves for five minutes!” the Scorpion Khan snarled as he stood and hurled the datapad into the wall, where it shattered into a hundred pieces.

Star Captain Jason Scott shook his head and poured two fingers of whiskey into a tumbler for his Khan. “It has been confirmed, my Khan—all of it. The heavy casualties that the Mandrill Kindraas experienced in Wave III, combined with the uprisings on their Wave I and II worlds—and the absolute brutal manner in which they and the Spirits put down those uprisings—led Kindraa Leader Sainze to challenge Tanaga for the rank of Khan. Both Warriors died during the Trial.” Jason snorted as he handed the crystal tumbler to Nikolai, who took a sip of the smoky amber liquid. “saKhan Payne, on the other hand—who should have taken over in the interim—was apparently unable to accept the nearly complete loss of the 1st Battle Payne on Byesville. He received word that the Khan and Kindraa Leader Sainze were both dead, acknowledged it, passed on his orders for all the Kindraa to carry on, returned to his quarters, and blew his own brains with his sidearm.”

Nikolai took another slug, as Jason continued. “Loremaster Victoria Tanaga has refused to the assume the post of Khan; but she and three other surviving Kindraa leaders blocked Kindraa Leader Grant when he tried to claim the post—needless to say, the ilKhan is quite furious over the whole matter.”

“I bet she is,” Nikolai muttered. “Have they started actual combat amongst themselves yet?”

“So far, no—but Star Colonel Adriane Payne is withdrawing 1st Striker Payne and the eight survivors from the 1st Battle Payne back to Richmond. Kindraa Mick-Kreese reports they have thirteen Stars of Warriors that remain combat effective and has requested to be removed from Wave IV operations—Mattila-Carrol is not much better off. Beyl-Grant and Kline report at 60% and 70%, respectively, while Sainze and Faraday-Tanaga each claim to be able to field 80% of their full-strength order of battle for the Invasion.”

“And the Spirits?”

“They remain in relatively good condition, my Khan. Khan McFadden claims the Spirits eleven Clusters are able to field eighty-eight percent of his initial strength; he was able to make that claim only by using every single replacement Warrior he had in the Inner Sphere—and by abandoning his holdings on Fredotto and breaking up the 441st Crimson Guards to fill the holes in his rank and file.”

“The Mandrills already abandoned their enclave, did they not?” Nikolai shook his head again.

“They did and they integrated the 12th Support Cluster into Faraday-Tanaga’s line units; which leaves the Nova Cats alone on Fredotto with the 4th Nova Cat Regulars to defend those facilities—both the Spirits and Mandrills have also called forward their PGCs; I understand that Khan West is rather . . . perturbed by the sudden abandonment of the enclaves without any prior notice.”

“No doubt,” whispered Nikolai.

“Luckily,” Jason said with an ironic smile, “the ilKhan’s Grand Kurultai starts tomorrow—so every Khan and saKhan, except for the Mandrills, of course, will be here on Memmingen. She wants to meet with you tonight, however—1800 hours to be exact.”

“Inform her that I will be there,” Nikolai said in a sour tone, and then he frowned again. “What else has gone wrong, pray tell?”

“You have a guest, my Khan—saKhan Kerensky of Clan Wolf. She is waiting in the outer office.”

Nikolai stood and he downed the rest of the whiskey in a single swallow. “Send her in,” he commanded.

Jason bowed slightly and exited the office; Nikolai could hear his aide, “This way, saKhan.”

Natasha Kerensky walked in through the door, and Jason closed it softly behind her.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, saKhan Kerensky?” Khan Djerassi said.

“So formal and staid, Nikolai—not at all like I remember the Scorpions from my day,” she answered with a smile. And then pointed to the whiskey bottle. “For me?” she cooed.

“For me; the Mandrills are adding to my headaches.”

Natasha laughed and she took a tumbler and poured herself a glass, sipped the well-aged Scotch and she nodded appreciatively. “You keep the good stuff for yourself, I see; you do not look well at all, Nikolai—perhaps you need to find a pleasure girl and couple.”

The Scorpion walked around his desk and he poured a half-shot into his own glass and sat down, motioning towards another arm-chair for Natasha, who also sat and crossed her legs.

“Thank you for the concern, Natasha, if I may use your given name?”

“You may.”

“What brings you here on the eve of the Grand Kurultai?”

The Black Widow leaned forward. “I want to know what you problem with me is.”

Nikolai barked out a laugh. “Simple enough to rectify—I do not trust you, Natasha. I have no idea what game you are playing, but you are playing us; that much I know.”

“So why not accuse me openly?”

“I have no evidence, only my . . . instinct. Had I evidence, you would be dead.”

Natasha laughed. “Oh, I have missed the Clans so much, Nikolai. I could challenge you to a Trial of Grievance for your accusations, quiaff?”

“Aff. And if we fought in OmniMechs, you would win, quiaff?”

“Aff. Which is why you would choose unaugmented, or perhaps unaugmented with melee weapons—quite possibly with your zulkari, quiaff?”

“Aff.”

“You would still lose,” she answered with a smile and took another sip of whiskey.

“Perhaps,” answered the Scorpion, “though that is by no means certain.”

Natasha nodded. “So you will not challenge me without evidence, and I cannot challenge you without risking life and limb in a knife fight—whatever will we do now?”

“What we must, Natasha Kerensky. That is all that anyone can ever do. Is that why you came here, to discover only why I dislike you so?”

“Oh, I have more questions for you—what are you playing at, Nikolai?”

Nikolai snorted. “Twenty questions, quiaff? I will answer the truth if you do the same—quid pro quo, Natasha Kerensky.”

“I had forgotten the Scorpion passion for ferreting out secrets; it is a refreshing change. I will agree to your terms—but I ask first.”

“Ask.”

“Why did you engineer this Invasion? You were the one behind it—it was your vote which authorized Operation Revival . . . so why?”

Nikolai took a sip of scotch. “Sometimes the best way to teach children that a hot object is not meant to held in one’s bare hands is let them get burnt—the Clans were going to invade. I took the opportunity to try and shape the invasion—to teach my fellow Khans that perhaps we cannot conquer the Inner Sphere in the manner which they have dreamed of for a hundred years.”

The Black Widow’s eyes went wide and she smiled. “You did this, knowing they would fail?”

Nikolai shook his head—and he smiled. “Nice try. My turn . . . where do your loyalties lie, Natasha Kerensky?”

“With myself. For my next ques-. . .”

“You have already asked it,” interrupted Nikolai. “I expected them to fail—though not so soon. Revival, in its original form, was fatally flawed, saKhan Kerensky. With just four—perhaps seven including reserve—Clans part of the Invasion, those who stayed would inevitably blame the Invaders for the loss. It would eventually bog down into a bloody stalemate; we do not have the numbers to successfully conquer the Great Houses—it is a mathematical fact. And the discord between the 'failed' Invaders and the Clans who remained behind would tear apart our society; this way no one can claim it would have been different if I was there.”

“Such depths, Scorpion. I am impressed. I understand from Ulric that you engineered the Annihilation of the Burrocks—as a training exercise.” She smiled again and took another sip. And then she sat back up straight and her eyes glistened. “You are a Warden, still, aren’t you?”

The Scorpion grinned. “No one has ever asked that of me—but yes. I remain a Warden and I believe that the Clans should not be here as conquerors, but as allies and as an example. Does Jaime Wolf really have one hundred BattleMech Regiments in his Grand Army?”

“Nope. I . . . exaggerated a little bit. Your estimate is closer to reality; you don’t expect to win there do you?”

“That depends on your definition of winning, does it not?”

“It does,” Natasha answered with a grin of her own. “You hope that Jaime smashes this force into bloody ruin—you want the Clans to suffer a defeat don’t you?”

“I want . . .,” Nikolai paused and he lifted his glass to take a small sip, “I want my Crusader brethren to become convinced that we do not have the strength to continue on—to admit we have bitten off more than we can chew. The same question to you.”

“Fair enough,” the Black Widow mused. “I would dislike seeing the Inner Sphere transformed into the Homeworlds—they are too boring, Nikolai. And you have no idea what you are walking into.”

“What am I walking into, Natasha?”

But the Black Widow stood and she shook her head. “I found out what I need to know; I think we will end this here—unless you plan to tell me how you see this ending?”

“I would not care for that, saKhan Kerensky.”

Natasha smiled. “In that case, Khan Djerassi, I bid you a good night.”

Nikolai walked her to the door. “I hope you discovered what you came for, Natasha—give Jaime my best when you speak with him. And tell him that I would . . . request the codex of all Scorpions that accompanied him to the Inner Sphere and failed to return—they should be honored for their actions, not condemned for what has happened after their deaths.”

The Black Widow burst out laughing. “Oh, I have found all that I sought and more, Scorpion. “

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-22 01:15pm
by masterarminas
Field Headquarters of the ilKhan; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
November 22, 3043


“The hell I will, ilKhan Hazen,” Nikolai growled when he heard Yvonne’s request. “The Mandrill’s and Spirits have sowed what they are now reaping in their rear area—I am not sticking my Clan into that meat-grinder in order to make their lives easier!”

“Damn it Nikolai!” Yvonne snapped. “You have got three Galaxies in the Inner Sphere now, all at or near full strength! The Mandrills are in shambles, and the Spirits simply do not have the numbers—you will transfer your Clan to Corridor Eta as the Primary Clan for that invasion zone!”

Nikolai shook his head and he stood. “I will demand a Trial of Refusal, ilKhan—and the Grand Kurultai will agree. Those idiots have created this crisis, and it is they who must deal with it—not my Scorpions.”

Amanda Tseng nodded. “I too will call for a Trial of Refusal, ilKhan; I do not want the remnants of the Mandrills in my Corridor, brutalizing civilians on planets that are now calm!”

“Between the two of you, you have eight Galaxies—eight! Plus two more on Rondane! You both put the Invasion at risk!”

“The Mandrills have put the Invasion at jeopardy, ilKhan Hazen,” said Marion Truscott quietly. “No, the Adders will not and cannot support you on this—we and our Cobra allies will stand with the Scorpions.”

Jake Fletcher snorted. “As will the Horses and Ravens—the spirits of Kerensky knows I would fight tooth and hoof if you tried to reassign those damn dirty apes to my Corridor.”

Even Ulric nodded his head. “The powers of the ilKhan are vast, Yvonne Hazen—but you cannot simply expect any Khan to agree to move his entire touman participating in this Invasion to clean up the mess that the Spirits and Mandrills have made for themselves.”

Nikolai took a deep breath and he sat back down. “To be fair, the Spirits are not the problem here; they have been far harsher on their civilians than I—or many of you—would have been, but they didn’t put down this uprising in the same callous brutal manner that the Mandrills did. And the Spirits are still mostly intact—with a third Galaxy due to arrive in just two weeks time.”

Yvonne sullenly nodded and she sat back down. “Fine,” she snapped. “I will move the Mandrills to the reserve and establish the Spirits as the Primary Clan in Invasion Corridor Eta. Since I cannot convince you of the need to move a full Clan there to take over the tasks that Mandrills seem to incompetent to accomplish,” Yvonne grinned evilly, “I am invoking my right as the ilKhan to demand one Cluster of troops from each of the remaining Clans to support combat operations which the ilKhan leads.”

Everyone in the room jerked. Nikolai blinked, and then he smiled. “You are taking command of Eta yourself, quiaff?” he asked.

“Aff. Khan Fletcher, I will have your 11th Mechanized Cavalry Cluster; Khan McKenna you will contribute your 14th Raven Battle Cluster. Khan Kerensky, since saKhan Kerensky has assumed command of your Beta Galaxy, I will require the 13th Wolf Guards; the Coyotes will add their 34th Strike Cluster. Khan Tseng, you will surrender your 20th Battle Cluster, while the Scorpions will hand me control of their 28th Cuirassier. Khan Truscott, the Adders will provide me with your 69th Dragoons, while the Cobras will give up command of the 45th Grenadiers.”

She continued, “The Vipers will supply us with the 57th Striker Cluster, the Hellions with the 40th Lancers. From the Sharks we will call forth the 8th Assault Cluster, and the Falcons will add to this their own 3rd Battle Cluster. The Spirits will release their 79th Blood Hussars to my command. In light of their casualties to date, I am not demanding troops from the Nova Cats or the Smoke Jaguars—and I will not be incorporating the Mandrills who caused this chaos in my command. Combined with the Ebon Keshik, this will give me a total strength of fourteen Clusters—which should be enough to restore order to Eta. Unless any of you would care to challenge this order to a Trial of Refusal?”

Nikolai nodded. Well played, Yvonne, he thought. You knew we would never agree on being transferred to clean up behind the Mandrills—and you used our vehemence against your proposal to come up with another solution. “I will cut orders for the 28th Cuirassier upon returning to my HQ.”

The other Khans slowly nodded their agreements as well. But then Nikolai cocked his head to one side. “So what are you going to do with the Mandrill problem? I mean, you cannot just simply shoot them all.”

“No, I cannot. I am going to do what should have done a long time ago—kick some sense into the asses that lead their feuding Kindraas. And to do that, I will need each of you to support me tomorrow.”

“You have not said what you intend to do, ilKhan,” mused Marion.

“No, I have not,” answered Yvonne, as chuckles went around the room. “But I expect your support regardless.”

“What about the Tukayyid operation?” asked Nikolai.

“That too we will discuss on the morrow, in the Grand Kurultai. I expect these Clusters to be underway no later than tomorrow evening my Khans—and I will have your votes for my solution to the Mandrills, quiaff?”

“Aff,” a chorus of voices answered.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-22 06:28pm
by masterarminas
Field Headquarters of the ilKhan; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
November 23, 3043


The whispers of conversation came to a close as ilKhan Yvonne Hazen entered the chamber—her face somber and grim, and upon seeing that face the Loremaster of the Fire Mandrills shuddered. Victoria Tanaga sat alone and none of the Khans and saKhans who surrounded here had offered her any sympathy or empathy; even her Clans closest allies the Blood Spirits had simply warned her to walk carefully in her answers.

The former Falcon stopped directly in front of Victoria and she glared down at her, but Victoria made herself face the old Warrior stoically, refusing to show the Khans any weakness. Finally, Yvonne nodded and she spread her gaze other the remainder of the ranking Clan Warriors assembled on Memmingen.

“My Khans, you all know of the actions taken by the Fire Mandrills in this past week. You all know of how their internal bickering has now cost us the single most valuable resource we possess—TIME! The Mandrills endanger the Invasion by their failure to work together as a Clan, and as ilKhan I shall no longer tolerate it!” she thundered.

“You, girl—you speak for the Clan Fire Mandrill today, quiaff?”

Victoria stood. “Neg; I am no Khan—I speak for the Warriors of Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga and Kline.”

Muttered whispers raced through the room, and the Mandrill Loremaster could see many Khans shaking their heads.

“Victoria Tanaga, you are a Warrior of your Clan, Bloodnamed and Loremaster! You have obligations to your Clan, not merely to your ‘Kindraa’; yet, you will not speak for them?”

“My Kindraa and Kindraa Kline have done nothing wrong—we have not violated the martial code of Kerensky, we have worked together to ensure success, we have not failed!”

Yvonne shook her head sadly, and she recognized Nikolai. “Khan Djerassi?”

“My Khans, to paraphrase an ancient leader of Terra from centuries before our founders first managed to acheive spaceflight . . . a Clan divided against itself cannot stand. Loremaster, do you even see what the Mandrill disunity has wrought? A Khan killed in a Trial during combat operations—his challenger dead by his hand. A saKhan who takes his own life; individual commanders violating orders and withdrawing without permission or instruction—your Clan is on the verge of total and complete collapse into anarchy. With no one willing or able to assume a position of leadership.”

“Not all of us! Faraday-Tanaga and Kline remain strong!”

“Loremaster, you are weak and your Clan is weak!”

“My Kindraa is at 100% of the our pre-Invasion strength—as is that of Kline!” Victoria snapped, and then she paled at what she had just blurted out. But the Scorpion only smiled, somehow, probably through his Watch spies, he had already known.

Nicolai nodded. “Yet this very report that you—you, Victoria Tanaga—prepared for the ilKhan states within it that Faraday-Tanaga is at 80% and Kline is at 70%. A deliberate lie, quiaff?”

“A deception against our opponents.”

Our opponents, Loremaster Tanaga? Or your Mandrill competitors?” Nikolai shook his head. “My Khans, we may keep secrets, but here in this Grand Kurultai we do not lie to ourselves and each other; we do not seek to deceive our trothkin; we do not falsify official reports presented to the ilKhan and claim them as the Truth!”

The Khans nodded their agreement and Victoria shivered as she could feel their eyes between her shoulder blades—and she wondered where the knife would come from.

The Scorpion shook his head. “Were we not engaged in the Return that Nicholas and Aleksandyr Kerensky promised to his children, I would call for the immediate Annihilation of the Mandrills for being unworthy of calling themselves one of our Clans. Were we not in the midst of the fulfillment of all generations before us back to the Founders, I would call for the Absorption of the Mandrills industry and civilian castes amongst our own. Were we not already conducting military operations against the Inner Sphere to restore the Star League in all of its Glory, Loremaster I would demand a Trial of Grievance against you and leave you dead!” he shouted as he slammed down one open palm on his desk.

“But we are engaged in Operation Revival,” Nikolai continued in a quieter voice. “We are here, under military discipline—and we cannot afford to lose your remaining Warriors, as pitiful and honorless as they might have become!”

Yvonne stood and she nodded at Nikolai who sat at her unspoken command. “I, as ilKhan, have assembled a force which shall replace Clan Fire Mandrill in Corridor Eta—all of Clan Fire Mandrill. I should not have to do this, but you, Victoria Tanaga, you and your fellow Mandrills have forced my hand. Loremaster Tanaga, I am removing Clan Fire Mandrill from this Invasion—the remnants of your touman are to proceed immediately to Memmingen and await further instructions. That is understood, quiaff?”

“We earned the right for a Corridor of our own!”

“You forfeited that right by proving yourselves weak and unable to work in concert towards a common goal and purpose!” Yvonne snapped. “Acknowledge my order!”

For several moments, Victoria didn’t move, she didn’t say a word, but at last, her shoulders slumped and she whispered, “Aff.”

“AGAIN!”

“Aff!” the furious Loremaster snapped.

Yvonne nodded. “Before your arrival, I met with the Khans—there we voted thirty-one to none opposed to create a new Clan: Clan Stone Lion. To Clan Stone Lion, I hereby consign all of the Fire Mandrill civilian castes and their enclaves. Does a Khan object to this?”

“YOU CANNOT DO THIS!” erupted Victoria Tanaga.

“Silence, Loremaster—you chose not to be Khan. Do any Khans object to this?”

Silence hung over the room.

“Then without objection, I so order it. I have dispatched orders to the Katyusha Keshik, in conjunction with forces from Clans Blood Spirit, Cloud Cobra, Coyote, Diamond Shark, Ghost Bear, Goliath Scorpion, Hell’s Horses, Ice Hellion, Jade Falcon, Nova Cat, Smoke Jaguar, Snow Raven, Star Adder, Steel Viper, and Wolf—every single extant Clan of Kerensky—to remove from Mandrill possession your sibkos and to transport them, regardless of age, to Strana Mechty. There, they will be trained as Warriors by instructors from all of the Clans—trained as Stone Lions. Those who refuse to accept the new reality and function without regard for your prior Kindraa structure because of Mandrill indoctrination will be terminated.”

“Any Warrior of Clan Fire Mandrill who does not possess a Blood-name is free to join Clan Stone Lion—provided that their new Khan accepts them and they reject the Kindraas publicly and forever. Will the Khan of Clan Stone Lion please rise?”

Natasha Kerensky stood, and Yvonne smiled. “Khan Kerensky has agreed to serve me as the first Khan of Clan Stone Lion—she will ensure that your Warriors are fit for service amongst the Clans. Any free-birth Warrior of any Clan who wishes to request a transfer to Clan Stone Lion is hereby free to do so; provided that Khan Kerensky accepts them.”

“And you plan to Annihilate our Blood-named then?” asked Victoria Tanaga. “To destroy us and our Kindraa? Our heritage?”

The ilKhan shook her head. “You Mandrills have already destroyed your Clan—I am attempting to preserve the best parts of it. To unite you. I shall not permit your petty inconsequential internal squabbling to threaten the Clans of Kerensky any longer. Any Blood-named Mandrill Warrior who refuses to obey this command; those Warriors will be annihilated—and their legacies Reaved from future generations of Stone Lion Warriors.”

Victoria’s staggered and she nearly fell, but she managed to remain standing despite her shock.

“However,” the ilKhan continued. “Those Mandrills who possess a Blood-name, and who are willing to prove their devotion to the Way of the Clans will receive the opportunity to do so. They will be formed up here on Memmingen into a single unit—and these Warriors will spearhead our assault on Tukayyid. They will be given the opportunity to redeem their legacies and their honor by their actions, and if successful in doing so their Bloodnames and legacies will continue on as part of Clan Stone Lion.”

“This applies only to the Bloodnamed Mandrills present in the Inner Sphere—those who remain in the Homeworlds will surrender themselves and be stricken of their Bloodnames. Refusal will be met with lethal force—for those Warriors and their legacies. Those who are willing may become Stone Lions, should Khan Kerensky approve of them—those who cannot forsake the divisiveness of the Mandrill past will be consigned to Solahma units for use in future assaults. Those who refuse either option will be Annihilated and Reaved.”

Yvonne walked over to Victoria Tanaga and she slowly shook her head. “You will unite as a Clan, or you will die. Not as an association of Kindraa, but as a true Clan of Kerensky. Are you woman enough, and honorable enough, to lead your Mandrills into the Fire to cleanse your Clan of the stain of your past—and emerge as a Stone Lion? Or should I just kill you now?”

“The choice is yours, Victoria Tanaga. Make it.”

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-22 06:55pm
by Eternal_Freedom
Natasha Kerensky gets her own Clan, even if it is a hodgepodge. Oh dear, this will make things even more entertaining :D

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-22 09:43pm
by masterarminas
Field Headquarters of the ilKhan; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
November 23, 3043


“I can lead our Kindraa to victory, ilKhan! Let me prove to you our worth!” Victoria protested as the Khans were filing out of the room.

Yvonne sighed and she shook her head and turned back towards the Warrior who still had a stunned look on her face. “You really do not understand do you?”

“Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga and Kindraa Kline are loyal—let me prove that to you,” Victoria pleaded.

“Victoria,” Yvonne said softly, “the Kindraa no longer exist . . . and you had three chances to prove that you would put your Clan—not your Kindraa, girl, your Clan—first. You could not bring yourself to do that. If you want to prove yourself worthy, then you will lead all of the Mandrill Bloodnamed here in Inner Sphere against Tukayyid; but there will no longer be a Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga, nor will there be a Clan Fire Mandrill. I am ending this charade for good.”

“Sainze and Payne and Beyl-Grant will fight you . . .”

“And they will die if they do so—their genetic legacies will be Reaved. If you want to preserve any part of your heritage, Loremaster, show me that you can lead all of the Mandrill Bloodnamed on Tukayyid.”

“I demand a Trial of Refusal!”

Yvonne jumped over the desk and slammed both boots into the chest of the Mandrill Loremaster, knocking her to the floor; several Khans stopped and turned back to watch with interest—the guards of the Ebon Keshik did not move. Stunned by the sudden blow, her air forced from lungs, Victoria collapsed onto the floor, Yvonne rolling atop of her. The ilKhan drew back her fist and slammed it repeatedly into the face of the younger woman. At last, Yvonne stopped panting with the exertion, and she climbed to her feet, her gloved hand covered with blood.

“Granted,” she whispered, “and you have lost.” But Victoria Tanaga did not answer her, as she was unconscious on the floor. “Guards, remove this surat from my sight—and see to it that her injuries are treated. She needs to be healthy when she drops onto Tukayyid.”

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-23 04:44pm
by masterarminas
Interlude
November 23-December 24, 3043


There were some Mandrills, of course, refused to accept the ilKhan’s decision . . . and thus it was fighting broke out throughout their Invasion Corridor. But many more, disillusioned by the ferocity of their opponents, their leader’s callous disregard for the future of the Clan, the shame of having arrived at such a nadir of their strength and ability; these Mandrill Warriors fought against their own Kindraa leaders and the Bloodnamed who led them—for the rank and file realized that they had the opportunity to rise with the passing of the old guard.

On Richmond, the survivors of Kindraa Payne, under the command of Star Colonel Adriane Payne surrendered to the ilKhan’s forces without a fight when her own Warriors refused to accept her orders to fight.

On Courchevel, Star Admiral Jonathon Kreese stood down the Mandrill Fleet—his Elemental Marines boarding the destroyer Rancor and killing her commander when that officer refused his order.

Kindraa Beyl-Grant, their forces sorely understrength also abided by the will of the ilKhan—but on Labrea, Kindraa Sainze rallied to its leader and refused the recall. Until the ilKhan obliterated the 3rd Sainze Honor Guard (with Kindraa Leader Sainze in command) with orbital fire from the battleship Victory, that is. The remaining two Clusters of Kindraa Sainze quickly offered their surrender.

That action convinced most of the Mandrills to accept their fate, but Mick-Kreese, with less than a Cluster of Warriors between them tried to flee back to the Homeworlds in order to rally support for fight the ruling, but after their DropShips were engaged by Blood Spirit WarShips, they scattered and fled—their names stricken from the Clan rolls and they were now considered bandits.

Mattila-Carrol took a different approach—they slaughtered their Bloodnamed Leaders and presented their corpses to the ilKhan as a show of fealty before departing for Memmingen without a protest voiced.

Which left only Kindraas of Faraday-Tanaga and Kline. Sharply divided and bitter about the ilKhan’s decision—and her rejection of Loremaster Victoria Tanaga’s offer to voluntarily join the Stone Lions if her Kindraa could be kept intact—Faraday-Tanaga nonetheless recognized the futility of resisting any further, and had no desire to follow in the footsteps of Kindraa Sainze. They laid down their weapons and handed over their Bloodnamed, then reported in despair to Natasha Kerensky. Kline, on the other hand, refused to obey and they faced off against the Ebon Keshik and four Clusters on Nykvam; at the end of the day, only forty-four former Mandrills from Kindraa Kline survived the fighting. All of them were cast out of the Warrior caste and reassigned as laborers on the Periphery world of Santander V as the property of Clan Smoke Jaguar.

Still, enough Warriors remained, when combined with the free-birth combed from the other Clans for Natasha Kerensky to forge a single over-strength Galaxy of six Clusters, supported by the cruiser and two destroyers of her Clan’s new Fleet—and there were sufficient Mandrill Bloodnamed to fill out one more Cluster destined to lead the assault on Tukayyid.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-23 04:47pm
by masterarminas
Here is the OB of Clan Stone Lion (in the Inner Sphere) as of December 3043. All Clusters are technically rated at Veteran, because of the experience of the troops assigned to them and Natasha’s harsh and intense training regime on Memmingen, but they have not yet seen combat as a team.

Clan Stone Lion

Alpha Galaxy (Rock from Fire)
1st Lion Assault Cluster (The Widow’s Pride) (Veteran)
1st Lion Battle Cluster (Hell’s Own)
2nd Lion Battle Cluster (Strength of Stone)
3rd Lion Battle Cluster (The Roaring Lions)
The Lion Dragoons (First Team)
1st Lion Striker Cluster (The Stone Lion Hussars)

Clan Stone Lion Naval Star
Sovetskii Soyuz-class CA (Reaver—flagship)
Lola III-class DD (Anathema; Rancor)

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-23 05:51pm
by masterarminas
Memmingen University; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
December 24, 3043


Natasha Kerensky waited until the final non-Bloodnamed Warriors of what had once been Clan Fire Mandrill were ushered into the auditorium she had ‘requisitioned’ from Memmingen University. She stood alone on a dais, wearing the field gray uniform she had chosen for her new Clan. She smiled at that thought. Her new Clan. As Khan, even of such a small and currently not combat-ready formation, she had access to far more information on the Clan’s overall tactical and strategic planning than she had as saKhan of the Wolves—far more. That, combined with the ability to shape this Clan from its beginning was what had led her to accept the ilKhan’s offer.

The former Mandrills—sullen and silent—joined a mass throng of free-births which the other Clans had provided. Some truly were volunteers—others like the former Falcon Warrior Tyle (who preferred to be known as Horse)—had been ‘volunteered’ by their superior officers and Khans.

Natasha smiled. She had built more with worse at least a time or two before. The doors closed and the infantry troopers from the Scorpion PGC she had ‘borrowed’ from Khan Djerassi filed into the mezzanine that ringed the upper row of seats in the stadium-style auditorium, as well as the balcony above.

“I am Natasha Kerensky,” she said as she stepped forward. “You may address me as Khan, or God—I don’t care which. I am the woman that the ilKhan has charged with forming a combat unit from you, and that task we shall accomplish in short order. Clan Stone Lion will not be like the other Clans—we will fight and work and live together as a team, both true-born and free-birth! We will coordinate actions between ‘Mechs, aerospace forces, infantry, and combat vehicles better than than any other formation in existence! We will earn the respect of each and every other Clan of Kerensky and our opponents in the Inner Sphere! That is what we will do—that is what I will lead you to do.”

“We will born in the fire of combat, and that fire will forge a weapon such as these Clans have never before seen! For the moment, I have assigned each of you to sub-units based upon your prior experience—you will note that there are no commanding officers assigned. Those of you who prove your worth to me will be promoted—those who do not had best get better quickly! Unless you enjoy the sensation of my boot up your ass!”

“If any of you feel that you cannot operate in this environment, speak up now—I have no qualms about consigning you to the laborer caste to unload and load cargo ships at the spaceport from dawn to dusk.”

One Warrior in the audience raised his hand, and Natasha’s smile broadened. “You wish to become a laborer?”

“Neg. I am a Warrior, Khan Kerensky. But I will not serve alongside free-birth scum—I am true born and my worth is above ten of theirs!”

Natasha nodded her head. “Well, then. I shall make arrangements so that you do not serve alongside free-birth.” She nodded at one of the Scorpion infantry, who raised his rifle and fired a single round through the skull of the Warrior below.

“LISTEN UP YOU APES!” Natasha bellowed, as Warriors recoiled from the crack of the rifle and the splash of blood as the corpse of the decapitated Mandrill fell to the ground, his feet still twitching. “I have served for more than forty years alongside free-births who were better and more able than almost any true-born you would care to name! The Stone Lions will not have this artificial divide between us—if a true-born is superior based on ability, than he will be promoted; if it is a free-birth who shows himself as a leader and a Warrior, then he will lead. Your status of birth means NOTHING to me! It is your competence and your performance which means EVERYTHING!”

“Tonight, I would advise each and every one of you to get as much sleep as you can—because tomorrow, we will start training. And that training will not end until either you die in your sleep of old age, you are killed in combat, I kill your sorry ass, or you save me the trouble and slit your own throat! We will be better than any other Clan! We will be stronger than any other Clan! And we will be united as one Clan!”

“WHO ARE WE?” she shouted.

“Stone Lions!” the Scorpion infantry called out.

“Not good enough, people! WHO ARE WE?”

“Stone Lions!” a weak response echoed throughout the hall.

“AGAIN! WHO ARE WE?”

"STONE LIONS!" The warriors yelled in response.

"AGAIN! WHO ARE WE?

“STONE LIONS!” they finally roared, and Natasha nodded. “Say goodbye to what you formerly called your lives in other Clans, Warriors. For starting tonight, the Stone Lions will begin to roar. And ALL in this universe will tremble in terror at the sound!”

“Training starts at 0330 hours—it is now 1742. Chow will be served in the University cafeteria until 1900 and lights out is at 2000 hours. Get some food and get some rest, because Warriors you will need both in the days to come. Dismissed.”

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-23 07:03pm
by LadyTevar
Welcome to Boot Camp, trothkin. You only THOUGHT Sibkin training was bad

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-25 03:01pm
by masterarminas
Clan Goliath Scorpion Field Headquarters; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
December 25, 3043


“Khan Nikolai Djerassi, may I present Marshal Stephen Davion, commander of the 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry?” Jason Scott said after he ushered the prisoner into the office of Khan.

Nikolai stood and he smiled at the cousin of Hanse Davion warmly, gesturing towards a chair set beside the roaring fireplace. “I am honored, Marshal Davion; thank you for making a quick transit so that the two of us could have this meeting.”

“I had little enough choice in the matter,” replied Stephen. “I am, after all, your captive.”

Nikolai sat and he poured two glasses of whiskey, and he shook his head. “Guest is how I would term it, Marshal Davion . . . after all, I mean to release you today.”

The high-ranking officer jerked at the bald statement as Nikolai nodded his affirmation. “I am sending you to Melissa Steiner-Davion, Marshal Davion, to convey a message for me—unless you would rather stay as a Goliath Scorpion bondsman, that is?”

Stephen slowly shook his head and he sank down in the empty sofa chair and lifted the tumbler of whiskey, taking a long pull. “What sort of message are you sending? Khan Djerassi,” he quickly added seeing Jason’s frown from where the armed Scorpion stood beside the door.

“A message that she will be grateful to receive—one in which I will provide her with the means of ending this War.”

Ending this war?” Stephen repeated. “If you plan on having me present her with your terms, you might as well not send me—they will not be received . . . and soon enough we will throw you off of our worlds.”

The Scorpion smiled. “You might . . . you also might not. And even if you are able to do so, then the killing will go on and on and on. More proud Regiments such as your own Armored Cavalry will be will destroyed; more sons and daughters of the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns and Draconis Combine will give their lives in a gallant effort to stem the tide of losses you have suffered at our hands—but neither your victory, nor ours, is certain.”

Nikolai lifted his own tumbler and took a sip, then he sat the glass down once again. “Do you know why we invaded you, Marshal Davion?”

“You intend to conquer the Inner Sphere, to punish us for what you think our ancestors did to General Kerensky and the soldiers of the SLDF.”

“You are partially correct, but not entirely, Marshal Davion. Did Wolf inform you of the divide between the Crusaders and the Wardens?”

Stephen’s eyes narrowed and he slowly shook his head. “No . . . and I begin to suspect there are many things about the Clans which he did not tell us ahead of time.”

The Khan nodded his agreement. “You cannot fault Supreme Commander Wolf, Marshal Davion—after all, he views the Clans through his own prism of experience. He is a free-birth, considered even in his very liberal Clan Wolf as a second-rate warrior fit only for deeds not worth a true-born. He carries his own prejudices and bigotries within him, although he is more than capable of setting them aside in pursuit of victory—as are most of the Clan Warriors.”

“We have two factions in Clan society, Marshal Davion, the Crusaders and the Wardens. The Crusaders, who are in ascendancy at the moment, believe that Aleksandyr Kerensky promised the Clans that one day we would return to rule the Inner Sphere—to reestablish a Star League that unites all of humanity under its rule. To achieve this goal, much like Ian Cameron did when he established the First Star League, the Crusaders are willing to impose their views with military force. Only this time, Marshal Davion, it is the Great Houses who are playing the role of the Periphery States.”

Nikolai lifted his tumbler and took another sip. “The Wardens opposed this Invasion in philosophy, believing that we should instead return after humanity united and offer to the new Star League our honorable service in defense of the human race—against threats both foreign and domestic; a new Star League Defense Force, if you will whole-cut from the cloth of the ancient SLDF but with our own traditions and honorable leanings.”

“And yet you all invaded,” said Stephen flatly.

“Of course,” agreed Nikolai. “The debate was won by the Crusaders and the Invasion would take place—given the choice between sitting in the Homeworlds and doing nothing, or taking part, the Wardens chose to participate. And yet, we remain Wardens.”

He took another sip of whiskey, and Stephen raised his own glass to his lips. “The key here is the Star League. If the Inner Sphere were to formally unite and form a Second Star League—on its own, without having it imposed upon them by the Crusaders—that action, combined with a defeat of our forces by the Inner Sphere would cause many nominally Crusader Clans to change to the Warden philosophy. A Star League that opened its arms to accept the Clans and offered them a place at the table here in the Inner Sphere would end all justification for the Invasion.”

Stephen shook his head. “So you just want Archon Melissa and Prince Hanse to reform the Star League—and then invite you invaders to join? And that alone would end the fighting?” His expression showed that he believed Nikolai was utterly made.

“Our plan is not quite that simple, but at its core, yes. It must be accompanied by a defeat—not a pyrrhic victory, but an absolute unquestioned defeat of the Clans by the Inner Sphere—to show the Crusaders that we underestimated the ability and courage and honor and unity of the Inner Sphere.” Nikolai shrugged. “It may well not work, but if it does we can end this Invasion on honorable terms for all involved.”

“Why would we even consider such? So far, your Clans have only fought our forces involved in holding actions, to delay and wound you—soon enough you will be stopped and then our counter-offensive will come.”

“From Wolf’s Grand Army? From the force that Theodore and Takashi Kurita are assembling on Luthien? From the combined Regiments of the Federated Commonwealth that your cousin has stacked and ready to go once we stick in our heads just a little bit farther? Please, Marshal Davion, give me some credit. You will achieve local victories where you can manage a concentration of force—but the only way you are going to be able to transport such a massive number of troops is by gutting your own economies. Bear in mind, as well, that we have committed less than a third of the Clan’s available strength—and that the ilKhan has formed a new, seventeenth Clan in the midst of the Invasion, the Stone Lions. You might well know their Khan: Natasha Kerensky.”

Nikolai took another sip. “Your counter-offensive will meet with success in places and defeat elsewhere; it will not drive us from the Inner Sphere—in that you will fail. You might crush three, perhaps even four, Clans, or rather their forces present here at this time. But then you will run out of steam and with your economy crashing down around you, our reinforcements will arrive—including Warriors from those Clans you consider defeated. And this War will drag on for year after bloody year, with casualty counts growing ever larger.”

“And how long will it continue before agitation growing in your own nations reaches the boiling point? Duke Sandoval very nearly caused conflict between Hanse and Takashi very recently—Skye is racked by strikes and protests, many provinces of the Free Worlds League object to Thomas sending more troops, your own Capellan March is furious with Hanse for giving up their worlds to Candace Liao! And you have pirates on the edges of civilization making matters worse as your garrisons which once kept them at bay are being redeployed to fight us.”

“We cannot defeat you; we simply do not have the numbers to conquer and garrison the entire Inner Sphere. Neither can you defeat us, not without unlocking your nuclear arsenals, in which case we will release our own in response—and civilization in the Inner Sphere will die. I seek a third way in this War, a way that we—as the Clans of Kerensky—can acknowledge your valor and that your way of life can be preserved. And that, in time, both of us might learn from the other and our societies grow stronger, united under the banner of a new Star League.”

“You are insane,” whispered Stephen.

“Am I? Perhaps so. But that is a matter for another day—will you carry my message to Melissa?”

“I’ll carry your message, Khan Djerassi, but neither Thomas nor Takashi will accept Hanse Davion as First Lord.”

“Did I say that Hanse Davion would have to be First Lord, Marshal Davion?” Nikolai smiled. “You have already appointed Jaime Wolf as Supreme Commander of forces from all five of the Great Houses and ComStar—he is a child of the Clans, who now defends the Inner Sphere. And he stands apart from the feuds of your Great Houses—I would suggest that Melissa look to him, and to the victory he is soon to achieve; a victory which will cause his star to rise even more so in the eyes of your own people.”

Stephen Davion sat back in his chair, stunned by the quiet words; he lifted the glass and drained it and shook his head. “Even if she can convince Takashi and Hanse and Thomas and Candace and the Primus to agree to this, can you assure me that the Clans will stop?”

“No. I cannot promise anything, but this: if the Star League is reformed, than Clan Goliath Scorpion will serve it. Others might as well, the Nova Cats and perhaps a few others, but I will promise Melissa Steiner-Davion that if the Second Star League is formed, and if that plus the defeat which Jaime Wolf will hand to us in the very near future does not convince my trothkin of their fundamental error; then I shall lead my Scorpions into the service of the Star League Reformed—all of my Scorpions. That is to include those Scorpion Warriors, Scientists, Merchants, Technicians, and Laborers within the Homeworlds who are preparing to move to the Chainelaine Isles and Scorpion holdings in our Invasion Zone. Tell Melissa that if worse to comes, my Scorpions shall forsake the Clans in order to serve the Star League—in exchange for seven worlds which we can call our own: Asta, Atria, Dyev, Imbros III, Lambrecht, Moore, and Sabik. And in exchange, this new Star League can call upon seven Galaxies of Scorpion Warriors and twenty-three WarShips. A fair trade, would you not say, Marshal Davion, quiaff?”

Stephen sat down his empty glass and he stared at Nikolai. “They will call you a traitor.”

“And they will be correct, from their point of view. I do not think it come to that, provided that Jaime Wolf does not allow us to achieve a victory on Tukayyid, Marshal Davion. But all of this is for naught if Melissa cannot convince the other Lords of the Great Houses to reform the Star League—that is the key, Marshal Davion. Without that, my Scorpions will not follow my lead—they will shoot me down themselves. Without a new Star League, the future is bleak for both our peoples.”

Nikolai stood, and Stephen followed. “There is a JumpShip resting at a close proximity point, as well as a DropShip at the spaceport, Marshal Davion. The crew of both will follow your instructions—Melissa is scheduled to meet with Hanse and her children on Arcturus in a few weeks. You can deliver your message there.”

“And my men?”

“Those not claimed as bondsmen are already aboard the ship, Marshal Davion—I can do no more. Other than to wish you success.”

Nikolai held out his hand, and slowly Stephen Davion nodded. Then he grasped it and the two men shook.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-25 06:50pm
by Eternal_Freedom
My goodness....that is quite the most ambitious endgame strategy.

Khan Djerassi is certainly inventive.

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-25 07:38pm
by masterarminas
Clan Goliath Scorpion Field Headquarters; Bayern
Memmingen, Clan Goliath Scorpion Occupation Zone
December 26, 3043


“Olivia, Peter,” Nikolai greeted his two guests. “Thank you for joining me on such a short notice.”

Peter McKenna nodded his head and he took a seat as his host poured him a drink. “We were already on Memmingen preparing our Clan’s forces to participate in Operation Thunderbolt—as you are well aware, Nikolai. What do you want?” he finished as he accepted the cocktail from the Scorpion.

Olivia Sutherland laughed. “So business like, Peter—I think you should have been decanted as a Diamond Shark! Thank you for your hospitality, Nikolai,” she said as she took the glass that the Khan offered her.

“You are most welcome, Olivia. To business then, since one of my guests wishes it. I would like to lease some ships from each of you: the Titanic, and Tsunami from the Sharks, and the Eden Rose, Snowflake, Treachery, and Wild Swan from your Ravens.”

The Snow Raven sputtered, almost losing a sip of his drink. “Six Potemkins? Six? Who are you planning on invading now?”

Nikolai smiled. “The worlds we have taken from the Inner Sphere are now ours—I am moving as much of my Clan as possible to here. I need those ships to transport another two million of my civilians—and all of my touman left in the Homeworlds, other than a Cluster to protect my enclave on Strana Mechty. I will also need a total of fifty of your lithium-fusion battery equipped Monoliths.”

Fifty?” squealed Olivia. Both the other Khans looked at Nikolai in shock. “Does Yvonne know of this?” the Shark finally asked.

“It is better to plead forgiveness than to seek permission,” answered Nikolai. “These worlds are now Scorpion—I intend to hold my Domain. To do that, I must bring forward all of my touman and the finest of my civilian castes.”

“Nikolai, you are speaking of a large commitment of our reserve ships for a year; the cost in resources will be high,” said Peter slowly. “I have twenty-two LFB Monoliths in reserve, but manning them . . .”

“Agreed. I know Olivia has at least thirty-eight—and I will provide the crews. I intend to transfer my Tokasha enclave to the Diamond Sharks and my enclave on Roche—including the production facilities beneath the Temple of the Nine Muses, which you will share with the Adders and Wolves—to the Snow Ravens. That should be sufficient compensation for you both, quiaff? Khan Truscott will be taking over my enclave on Marshall, and Khans Kerensky and Malthus will split my enclave on Dagda. I will retain only the enclave on Strana Mechty.”

Nikolai waited as the two Khans managed to accept that he was serious and he nodded. “Our future is now here, not in the Homeworlds. I plan on the Scorpions to thrive in our new home.”

“When will you need the ships?” asked Olivia.

“Immediately, if possible. As soon as you can make them available . . . I have a real-time HPG link set up to the Homeworlds waiting if you need to pass the orders.”

The two Khans exchanged a glance and then Peter nodded. “I think we can have those ships at Roche within a week, quiaff?”

“Aff,” replied Olivia. “Anything else you need, Nikolai?”

“No, I will be providing escorts and have sufficient DropShips on hand; the civilians are already assembled on Roche. My Galaxies will meet up with them at Dagda before starting the journey to Rondane.”

Finally, Peter McKenna nodded. “I wish you well, Nikolai, but Yvonne will be furious you did not consult with her. I will accept your bargain.”

“As will I—and I am not certain Yvonne will be as mad as she claims. Tricky Nikolai here will have seven full Galaxies here in the Inner Sphere and the Isles—seven. She might just be pleased enough with that to overlook his other sins.”

The Raven snorted. “She might—she might not. Still, if we are going to do this, we should pass the orders, quiaff?”

“Aff.”

Nikolai set down his drink and stood. “My communications center is this way,” he said with a gesture.


Clan Goliath Scorpion Headquarters; Temple of the Nine Muses
Roche, Clan Homeworlds
December 26, 3043


Loremaster Daniel Arbuthnot read the orders from his Khan one last time and then he nodded. He turned to the waiting officers and civilians. “We have received the GO order from Khan Djerassi—this facility will be handed over to the Ravens in one weeks time. Go, make your final preparations; there is no time to waste. The Scorpions are returning home.”

The officers and civilians scattered, all but Star Admiral Ziva Ben-Shimon. “We will burn our bridges behind us, Loremaster,” she whispered. “I hope that the Khan knows what he is doing. For he leaves no room for any error at all in his plan, not if we are to survive.”

“Aff,” Daniel whispered in reply. “He stipulated ROE Three—we are to commandrer the Raven and Shark ships once we clear the Pentagon along with all of the JumpShips at each stage of the incomplete command circuit, and we are to destroy the HPG relay links.”

“If it were done when 'tis done, then t'were well. It were done quickly,” she quoted.

The Loremaster nodded. “Then by all means, let us do it both well and quick, Star Admiral.”

“Seyla.”

Re: Scorpio Ascendant

Posted: 2012-07-26 01:43am
by KlavoHunter
I thought the Scorpions stopped abusing Necrosia, but this plan to rip off and betray the other Clans seems like the sort of thing you come up with after a LOT of drugs...