Starna Mechty
Deep Periphery
28 September 2823
Galaxy
Commander Rebecca Laidir brushed her long red hair back over her shoulder and
stared intently forward with her dark green eyes. Beside her stood Khan Sarah
McEvedy, Khan of Clan Wolverine. Across the room from her stood a tall
grey-haired man, regal and intensely angry.
The older man
moved slowly around his desk to approach McEvedy. He paused to glance sideways
at a full length mirror, taking time to admire his form within. Doing so only
incensed both women more.
"You
arrogant old fool!" Laidir snarled. "You think that because
you are the son of your father it makes you a god. Unlike him, you are blind to
what you have become: the very self-important despot we left behind in the Inner
Sphere."
The older man
repeated himself, moving from the mirror to loom over Sarah. "You will
allow the warriors of Clan Jade Falcon access to the Brian cache on
Circe."
"No,
ilKhan Kerensky, I will not. You have already forced me to make too many compromises.
I will not surrender the weapons contained within that cache."
"What
difference does it really make whether your Clan Wolverine has those mechs or
the Falcons? You have equipped all of your forces with the second generation
designs we developed during the Second Exodus. The older Star League mechs
within that cache are not as well designed as they."
"It is not
the potency of those designs that is the issue here, Nicholas." Snarled
Rebecca, speaking out of turn. "It is the fact that you continue to strip
the Wolverines of everything. You have ordered us to undo all that we did to
preserve the culture and beauty of the Star League and now to deign to strip us
of our military reserves. How far will you go, ilKhan?"
"You
continue to make an issue of the changes I ordered to your Clan’s internal
culture. You fought the Trial of Refusal and lost. Yet you continue to defy our
traditions.
“Our
traditions? Or yours?”
“You continue
to push, and you will soon learn to regret that."
"And what
will you do, Nicholas?" said Sarah. "Slaughter and torture our people
by the thousands as you did to the people of the Pentagon? You may slay the
body, and punish us through violence, but it changes nothing. You are killing
our spirit. You are murdering that which your father desired to preserve!"
"No!"
roared Nicholas, his voice reaching a shout.
"Yes!"
retorted Sarah. "And you know it. You have created this perfect society,
meant to preserve the Star League, yet you have remembered none of what made
the League the greatest achievement of mankind. From it came the greatest art,
music, writing, the things that make humanity beautiful. But you, in your
desire to create this great warrior society, have driven these things of beauty
from us. You have created your race of warriors, but at what cost?" Sarah
stood and let her own height match Kerensky’s. Her voice gained a haughty air.
"When the Wolverines tried to preserve those things, you ordered them
destroyed. You said they were elements of a society corrupt with power and
greed. But they are what made us who we are. If we are to truly be the
preservers of the Star League, to damn these things to destruction is to damn
our very reason to exist. When your Wolves defeated us in battle and destroyed
those works of art and literature, you became as the House Lords. You destroyed
the Star League and became the greatest of hypocrites!"
"Begone
the both of you." Snarled Nicholas. "Before my anger grows out of
control."
"Like your
short-sightedness." Snapped McEvedy. "We will bring this before the
council."
Hall of the Khans
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Deep Periphery
8 October 2823
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Deep Periphery
8 October 2823
“My
honorable friend the Khan from Clan Wolverine continues to ignore the decisions
of this body, as verified by the recent Trial. I do not care that the cache is
that of the 331st Royal Division, her father’s command. This body
has agreed that the caches are a resource belonging to the Clans as a whole. In
the old order, her paternal loyalty would be commended.”
Sarah
McEvedy bristled as Nicholas Kerensky spoke that subtle dig at her family.
Rebecca Laidir grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaping to her feet.
“He
is just trying to goad you. Do not let him.” She whispered.
Nicholas
continued. “But this is not the old order. We are the Clans. We stand on our
own merits, not those of our ancestors.”
That
was an opening Sarah could not resist. She bolted to her feet. “Except you.”
She snarled.
“I
beg your pardon?”
“I
said, except you. You seem perfectly happy to bask in your father’s
achievements. He was a visionary who sought justice and peace for all. You seek
control.”
“Khan
McEvedy, you go too far.” Retorted a voice. The Mongoose Khan, Mitchell Loris.
“Do
I?” Now was her chance. “I know many of you in this chamber found our ilKhan’s
actions to secure control of the Pentagon population offensive. The Star League
did not believe in torture and brutality. Those are the tools of power-hungry
mademen. Is that what you have become, Nicolas Kerensky? A power hungry mad
man?”
That
did it. The assembled Khans came to their feet. Sarah had provoked the reaction
she wanted. Rebecca merely shook her head. This was escalating fast and not in
a direction the Galaxy Commander would have liked.
“Silence!”
roared Kerensky, his face red with anger. “Khan of Clan Wolverine, I, Nicholas
Kerensky, ilKhan of the Clans do call for a Trial of Grievance. By our laws,
you may….”
“Hang
your laws.” Snarled Sarah in rage. “Does the truth hurt so much?”
Kerensky’s
enraged face calmed, regaining an element of control. “Fellow Khans, our colleague
is clearly overwrought. I call for a vote of censure. Loremaster Ward, please…”
“Don’t
bother.” Snapped Sarah. “I’ll leave. In fact, we’ll all leave. Clan Wolverine
no longer recognizes the authority of the ilKhan or the Grand Council. From
this point forward, we are an independent power. We decide our own fate, fairly
and according to the morals and standards of the Star League.”
“You
cannot do this.” Said Kerensky.
“I
can and I have.” Said Sarah. She grabbed Rebecca by the arm.
“What
the hell are you thinking?” snapped Rebecca in alarm.
“Be
ready. This is going to get ugly.”
“Arrest
her!” snapped Kerensky.
Sarah
and Rebecca both drew their blaster pistols as several Wolverine troops stormed
into the chamber. Sarah had been prepared for this possibility.
“If
you want to face us, fine. But we will not hold back. Prepare to reap the
whirlwind.” With that, she withdrew from the chamber.
“Are
you mad? Nicholas will destroy us.” said Rebecca as they fled the city to their
waiting dropships.
“No,
I’ve never been more sane. Nicholas has the chamber in his pocket. Our only
hope now is exile, to find a world or worlds far from the Clans or the Inner
Sphere. There we will have the society we want, not this abomination Kerensky
has foisted upon us.”
“Moving
the entire population of our holdings will take a long time.”
“We don’t have that. We must move quickly. Mobilize
our armies. The other Clans will no doubt seek to take advantage.”
Circe
Pentagon Worlds, Deep Periphery
8 October 2823
"The Snow Ravens have broken the line in Sector 3." Snarled Star Colonel Justin Hakayusora. "Order Delta Star to reinforce the line in Sector 4. Hopefully, we can close the hole on them and trap them behind our lines. If we can cut them off from their reinforcements, we can crush them."
“The fools dared attack us.”
“Khan McEvedy predicted this sort of thing. Now we just need buy ourselves time to set up Star Colonel Libereux’s little surprise. Jiwe, move in. Status of the civilian evacuation?”
“The Snow Ravens were swift to move their civilian population into their bunkers. Only those closest to the repository are in danger and we are removing them as we speak.”
Star Commander Martin Jiwe moved his Wendigo Battlemech up beside the large open doors to Clan Snow Raven’s Genetic Depository. He disembarked, ignoring the sounds of battle on the outskirts of the city. He pulled out from under his arm a small device, which he placed on the ground, punched in a few numbers.
“Status on evacuation?” he asked into his headset. “Are those bunkers clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
He reached down to press the “Commit” button and hurried back to his mech.
The Wolverines withdrew from the Snow Raven capital almost as quickly as they had arrived, taking with them only a few hundred civilian prisoners. The Snow Raven forces moved to retake their city when the reason for the Wolverine retreat became apparent. A flash the brightness of ten thousand suns illuminated the center of the city, expanding outward from the depository and consuming all in its path.
In less than a second, the blast reached its apex. Everything within five blocks of the depository had been completely disintegrated: street, building, and any unfortunate persons still too close to the blast sight.
"Dear God in heaven." Said the Snow Raven Khan. “What have they done now?”
“The ilKhan must hear of this. They have blasphemed us, destroyed our holy ground. The genetic depository is gone.”
“He will. I can assure you.”
Wolverine
Clan Flagship Great Defender
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Deep Periphery
11 October 2823
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Deep Periphery
11 October 2823
Star Colonel
Michael Messer looked down at the prostrate form at his feet. "Stand, Star
Colonel Eric Libereux. I am not without mercy, and I will not eradicate your
Bloodline from our midst. Your plea has spared you and your kin, but let it be
known from this time forth that the Bloodname of Libereux is a cursed and
tainted heritage, fit only for the lowest of warriors." With that, he
raised his sword and cleaned the blood off of its blade. Behind him lay the cold
corpse of Loremaster Walter Libereux, his chest pieced with one single blow of
his blade.
Eric Libereux
crawled away from the feet of the Star Colonel, standing only when he was once
more among the ranks of the Bloodnamed warriors of Clan Wolverine. Michael ignored
him. He turned on his heel and stared at the dead body of his
second-in-command. "Traitorous fanatic!" she yelled at the lifeless
corpse. "Kerensky himself burned your precious collection of ancient
Terran art: Van Gogh, Rembrandt, all that you could salvage from the museums
that Amaris failed to destroy. Now in revenge, you bomb Dehra Din and destroy
the Snow Raven genetic repository. That act, more than any other, has brought
us our destruction. We have committed the greatest of autocracies in the eyes
of our fellow Clans. The destruction of all that genetic material is a crime
unforgivable." He raised his head and addressed the assembled warriors.
"Khan
McEvedy must have known of the madness in her husband’s heart. We have been
doubly betrayed. Even saKhan Franklin Hallis did not suspect things would turn
out this way, but he made preparations. We are Clan Wolverine. We were given
this name because, like the beast, we vehemently defend our homes. We further
defined this by claiming that we of Clan Wolverine would be the defenders of
all that ties us to our heritage in the Inner Sphere. The great works of man’s
creativity would be ours to shepherd and preserve for the time when we would
once more return to the Inner Sphere. The other Clans would bring order to the
chaos. Wolverine would bring beauty among the ugliness. We would give back to
them those things which their savagery and short-sightedness will deny them:
art, culture, religion, literature."
"IlKhan
Nicholas Kerensky" Michael stated his name with contempt, "saw these
great things of culture and beauty as an affront to the Clans and our new way
of life. Our leaders have debated with him time and again over the danger his
rigid society of castes and warrior supremacy holds to these things we all hold
dear. It was said that if we forget the great works of the Star League, if we
forget that mankind united was more than a political event, we have betrayed
the vision of Nicholas’s father, the great Alexander Kerensky. The other Clans
revere him as a god, yet we see him as a man, a visionary yes, but nothing more
simple than flesh and blood as you and I. Alexander wanted to preserve the Star
League in entirety, not simple the political entity. Nicholas has forgotten
this, and with him, so have all the other Clans. They have betrayed us and all
that the Clans claim to hold dear.
"All of
you know of my desire to convince the other Clans and Nicholas himself of our
clearer vision. It was your desire too. I did not wish to force this issue by
force of arms, but by convincing the other Clans that our beliefs are those of
our founders, all those who fled the Inner Sphere to escape the brutal wars
that must no doubt be being waged there as we speak. Wars that would destroy
humanity and reduce them to the level of animals. The others did not see things
our way. Instead, they ordered us to destroy all the great works of art and
literature we have collected and kept safe over the years. When we refused by
Trial, we were defeated. Nicholas took it personally that we would defy his
orders. He has called us the defiant Clan, the unClan-like clan. His
insufferable arrogance in his belief that only he holds the one and true vision
of his father’s plan is only compounded by the unquestioning loyalty of the
other 19 clans, who stand against us as enemies. On the planet below, the Khans
of all the Clans have called for a Trial of Annihilation against Clan
Wolverine. I do not doubt what the outcome of the vote will be. We are outcasts
and condemned to destruction by the hands of our peers." She turned to the
corpse of Walter Libereux. "We are no longer of the Clans. Our name will
be stricken from all records, our Bloodnames eradicated for all time."
Khan Sarah
McEvedy stepped forward, her face stricken with horror. Michael Messer fell
silent as the leader of the Clan took up her place in the center of the circle
of warriors. "Yes, I knew of my husband's madness." She confessed.
"I never believed he would go this far. I now tender my resignation as
Khan of Clan Wolverine. Our fate has been decided. I ask that you appoint new
leaders. There will be battles ahead, and our enemies will give no quarter.
These leaders must be ones who will find a way to see that the true vision of
Clan Wolverine is not lost when our Clan goes the way of the dinosaurs. We will
be extinct before the year is out."
"You are
wrong, Khan McEvedy." Said a voice. "There is no way the Clans will
ever accept our vision. You have proven that time and again. Kerensky is blind
and will never see." It was Rebecca Laidir. "If our vision is to
survive, our Clan must survive." She stepped forward from within the ranks
to stand beside the Khan and turned to Michael. "You reminded us again of
why we are named Wolverine, that we are the great defenders, guarding our homes
and society with ferocity unmatched. Our flagship bears that name for that
reason. But I have an idea. And it will require a great sacrifice, and it may
not even work. But if it does, we will survive until the day that we can once
again take our place among the true preservers of the Star League and its
glory."
"I will
lead our forces against the other Clans." Volunteered McEvedy. "It is
only fitting that I make this sacrifice. We will buy time for you to complete
the evacuation of our holdings."
"Then it is
decided." Said Laidir. "We must flee this sector of space, as
Alexander Kerensky did and as his son did so also. But the others will pursue
us. There must be those among us who will remain to slow the pursuit of our
enemy. Let it be known that these warriors will not survive. Their names will
not be honored by their enemies, but we will remember them and their sacrifice
for all time. Those who do not remain to fight the champions of the Grand
Council must flee, but I do not propose fleeing farther from the Inner Sphere.
I suggest moving back closer. Finding worlds in the Near Periphery to inhabit.
From there we will settle, and bide our time, until both the Clans and the
barbarians of the Inner Sphere need us once again."
"Then let
it be done as you say." Said Messer. He addressed the assembled
warriors." Go now, return to your own ships. Select from among you those
who are willing to sacrifice themselves for this plan. Equipment with the best
weapons available. Gather our civilians and those treasures which we hid from
Kerensky after the Trial of Refusal. We depart for the Inner Sphere within the
week. May God and the spirit of Alexander Kerensky be with us."Part One Chapter One
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