Tamar March,
16 August 3051
Four and a half hours and a long nap later, Joshua was sitting in a wrinkled uniform in the main briefing room of the Star Sword with Erik and most of those few senior officers that were awake. (It was after all, 5:30 am.)
"We have arrived at Twycross and are en route to the planet. The garrison reports that our dropship has arrived and they are ready to exchange it for the Shadow." Reported Erik.
Joshua rubbed his forehead, sleep still lingering in his eyes. "Any reports of Clan assaults?"
"None yet. But Twycross seems a likely target since it is heavily garrisoned, contains a mech factory, and was the site of a rather embarrassing defeat for the Falcons last year."
Mechlanthon glanced at Juan, who was sitting near Erik. "After all, they have their dishonor of losing it to redeem."
"What is Twycross's current garrison?"
"Two regiments. The 9th
"Suggestions? It strikes me that the Falcons will try to take Twycross back."
"Either that or these new Steel Vipers will try to steal their thunder by claiming the planet themselves." Said Kou.
Joshua looked at Mechlanthon. The Clansman nodded. "It is possible."
"There are strategic reasons to reclaim Twycross as well." said Juan. "As my military intelligence reports have indicated, the Draconis Combine had managed to defeat the Clans on their planet of Wolcott and have had it declared inviolate. As a result, the Clans there now have a rather persistent thorn in their foot as they try to advance forward."
"And you suspect that the Jade Falcons do not wish for the same fate?" said Joshua. "That is logical. However, the question still stands as to how we should respond to a possible strike on Twycross."
"Ambush?" offered Ryan.
"They do know of our existence now, Ryan. They may be prepared to face off against our force."
"But they do not know where we will be. I recommend we touch down and declare ourselves as a provisional regiment. Not let them know who we are."
"We could even tell them. Why be dishonest?" offered Mechlanthon. "They will not know who or what the Star Swords are."
Joshua nodded. "All the better to make our reputation known among them. I like Mechlanthon's plan. We will go with it. Dismissed."
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
17 August 3051
A day passed as the Star Sword roared towards Twycross. They had jumped in-system at the Nadir jump point, far from the planet itself. Now they burned in towards the desert world, hoping to reach it before the Falcon assault force arrived.
At 1400 that afternoon, Warning klaxons went off, indicating the presence of another ship. "What in blazes?" said Joshua, jumping up from his conn. He had been half dozing, trying to catch up on the sleep he'd missed over the last few days.
"There is a Clan warship materializing at a pirate point 1.3 AU to our starboard." said the navigator. "Transponder signals identify it as a Sovetski Soyuz class cruiser." The navigator turned to Mechlanthon. "It is the Iron Fang, sir."
Mechlanthon let a name whistle through his teeth in contempt. "Steel Vipers."
"Oh, I'll bet the Falcons are smarting over that one." Said Joshua with a grin. It faded and he turned to Mechlanthon. "Or will they bid for it here and the Vipers are just the first to arrive."
"I do not know."
Joshua turned his chair back to the front. "Status of enemy vessel and what is their response to our presence?"
"No visible damage. It is carrying a full load of six dropships." Reported the helmsman.
"They appear to be confused, sir. I detect no hostile response from them. No, wait, they are hailing us."
"Put them on main viewer."
"Aye, General."
A stately looking man in a silver and blue uniform appeared on the screen. "This is the Iron Fang of Clan Steel Viper. What is your purpose here, Emerald Hawk of the Jade Falcon?"
"Doesn't he know?" thought Joshua. At 1.3 AU of distance, there would be over a ten second delay between the two communicating ships.
"Did we not switch over our IFF transponder?"
"Aye, General. Perhaps he's using some other method of identifying us."
"Then we'd best tell him." Joshua turned back to the viewer as the Steel Viper commander gained a steely eyed look.
"You are not Jade Falcon. How can this be that you possess one of their warships, freebirth?"
"Would you like me to demonstrate?" said Joshua with threatening mockery. Twenty three seconds passed.
"No matter, you will soon die." said the Viper commander. "With what forces do you intend to defend yourselves?"
"General, may I?" said Mechlanthon.
"Go ahead." said Joshua.
Mechlanthon walked in front of Joshua. "I am Mechlanthon, Star Colonel of the Jade Falcons and abtakha of the Star Swords. I petition for a Trial of Possession for the world of Twycross." Another twenty second pause.
"I recognize you, Star Colonel Mechlanthon. With what forces do you defend your right to claim this world?"
"I defend it with the 9th
Twenty seconds again passed. "Very well, your bid has been cast. We will respond shortly." The viewscreen went blank.
"General quarters. All hands to battle stations. Prep the dropships for launch." said Joshua, standing up.
Mechlanthon turned. "I apologize if I overstepped my authority."
"You may have just saved us, Mechlanthon. You bid away the Star Sword itself, preventing him from using his warship against us."
"The result of which would not be pleasant."
"Exactly. Helmsman, send signal to all mechwarriors to scramble for combat drop. We deploy dropships in fifteen minutes."
"Aye, General."
"Communications, send message to Twycross. Alert the regimental commanders of our approach and the presence of the Clan invasion force."
"Aye, General. Message transmitting now."
"Erik, you have the conn."
"Where are you going?"
"I've got a mech to prepare. Galileo II got a little shot up on New Belfast. I just hope they fixed it. Mechlanthon, you're with me."
"Yes,
sir."
"Overlord dropships Stellar Glory, Stellar Victory, and Astral Warrior have declared ready." said the Helmsman.
"Launch dropships." said Erik Iolair. "What is the status of the Shadow?"
"The Shadow class is still on stand-by."
"Status of enemy vessel."
"Launching dropships. Approximate acceleration is 1.5 G."
"That puts their arrival on-planet in 2 days."
"Gives them three days to dig in." said the helmsman. "They're too far ahead of us."
"Nothing we can do. We'll arrive three days after the enemy dropships." Erik paused. "Launch all ready dropships."
"Stellar Glory, Stellar Victory, and Astral Warrior, launch when ready."
The three massive Clan Overlord mech carriers detached from the Star Sword. Carried forward by their inertia, they stayed parallel with the warship, rotating to bring their thrusters into position. When the dropships were pointing the right direction, their ion engines fired, pushing them ahead of the mothership.
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
23 August 3051
The four dropships of the Star Swords touched down on the Plain of Curtains. The recently patched Galileo II marched out onto the plain and scanned the horizon.
One of Joshua's monitors faded out and was replaced with the face of General Alvin Kimmel of the 9th F-C. General Kimmel was a relatively young man, late 30's in age, for his position.
"Good morning, General." said Joshua.
"So glad you could drop in, General Messer. It's been a while."
"Oh, not too long. Just a year. How have you been doing on this God forsaken rock?"
"Don't ask. For some unknown reason the Clans want to take it again. We've been fighting skirmishes with them so far, but they've managed to trap me within Camora. Right now, I expect them to be regrouping for a massive assault. I've got green troops here, Joshua. We need help."
"You've got the best merc group in the Inner Sphere on this rock with you and your reinforcements just arrived. Don't worry. We'll take care of you."
"Where are you taking up positions?"
"We're on the Plain of Curtains now. We'll make for Camora at top speed. Where are the Eridani?"
"The Eridani have the Trellshire factory under wraps. These Steel Vipers seem to have ignored the factory thus far."
"They want to take it intact if possible." Responded Joshua. "It's the mech units they're after. They'll try to maul you to draw the Eridani out. We're en route to you now. ETA six hours."
"Just hurry. We may not have much time. Kimmel out."
"I hope we're not too late." thought Joshua. "This is the first real test of the Star Swords under fire, and my first real test as a commander. I pray your predictions don't prove true, General Harrington, or this will be the shortest defense in the history of the Clan War and the noble destiny of the Wolverines will prove a costly failure."
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
23 August 3051
"Clan mechs detected. Approximate forces two clusters." said Mechlanthon. "They are going for the capital."
"Both clusters?" asked Joshua. "That's overkill."
"I find that unlikely, but it appears so."
"Lisa, take your fastest mechs and move ahead of the rest of us. Kimmel needs us and he needs us now. The bulk of our force with catch up."
"You want me to rush off into battle without you?" said Lisa teasingly. "I was not aware you were so eager to get rid of me."
"The sooner the better." said Joshua jokingly. "Love you."
Lisa spurred her mech forward without a response. Joshua's smile faded as he watched her scout mechs pull ahead of the regiment.
"Fire at will." ordered General Kimmel. Two heavy stars of Omnimechs were pushing their way into the city from the north. Kimmel's command lance and First Battalion were moving in to repel the enemy forces.
Kimmel's own Crusader turned on an approaching Vulture. Kimmel squeezed the triggers on his twin long range missile launchers. Thirty missiles whistled through the air and peppered the Vulture. The impacts staggered the Clan mech, but it quickly recovered and fired its quad pulse lasers at the Crusader. The deadly accuracy of the pulse weapons flayed armor from Kimmel's mech, giving him his first taste of the Clan's technological might.
"Sweet Jesus, I just lost 20% of my armor from that barrage." said Kimmel. "God, Joshua hurry up and get those reinforcements forces here."
Kimmel's command lance was having equal trouble with the enemy as he was. Kimmel now regretted his decision to be at the forefront of the battle.
Kimmel's wife, Kommandant Monica Kimmel, in her heavy Zeus assault mech was pounding a Clan Thor. The Viper mechwarrior had made the mistake of not watching the city's alleyways, where
Monica had set up an ambush. The battalion she commanded had joined the attack, flanking the binary that was now plastering her husband's lance.
Her heavy autocannon fired burst after burst into the tenacious Omni. "Their weapons are more powerful remember. But they're not unbeatable." she said to no one in particular. Despite the assurance she was giving her men, she watched as her ammunition counter continued to tick down towards zero and the Thor was still standing.
"Dear God, is that what I think it is....." cried out an unidentified member of the First Battalion. There was a burst of static after his outburst, indicating what it was he had seen had claimed him as its first victim.
"Jones, are you still there?" said Monica, firing her heavy laser into the Thor. There was no answer. "Damn." she swore.
The Thor shot back, ripping a hole in the weakened armor of her Zeus. Monica swore again as the autocannon shutdown, its mechanism jammed by debris.
A ripple of missiles suddenly came from over the next building, landing dead on top of the Thor's head. The battered Omni finally went down.
"Who?"
"Just me." General Kimmel's battered Crusader came around the corner, followed by a smaller Rifleman. "I got a lucky shot on that Vulture and crippled it.
"Jones bought it about two blocks over. Whatever it was that got him really spooked him too."
"Damn. He was a good kid."
"Kommandant, beside you!" cried out the Rifleman pilot.
A small office building collapsed in a cloud of dust and smoke. In its place stood a lethal Daishi Omnimech.
"Holy...Monica, look out!"
Monica's Zeus spun to face its new threat, but the Omni was right on top of her. It fired a barrage from one of its arm pods, a blast consisting of autocannon rounds and laser beams. The shot blew the entire right side of the mech out, knocking it over into the opposite building.
The Rifleman was the first to react, swinging its twin barreled arms in line with the assault Omni. Two heavy lasers and two light autocannon roared to life, giving the Daishi something new to worry about.
The Daishi pilot seemed undeterred. The mech twisted at the waist and fired its other arm into the Rifleman. The lightly armored mech was knocked back by the blast, a smoking hole where its cockpit used to be.
Kimmel fired his twin six pack missile launchers at the Daishi, knowing full well his mech was not suited for fighting at this close range. None of the missiles missed, peppering the heavy armor of the Daishi. Monica's Zeus stood back up, her heavy laser lashing out at the Omni.
"Monica, withdraw. Neither one of us has the stamina to take this monster." ordered Kimmel.
Monica's maimed mech began slowly backing away from the Daishi. Kimmel pushed his attack, hoping to catch the Clan pilot off-guard. It was a foolish maneuver. The Daishi fired its arm pod again. Kimmel winced as he watched his mech's upper leg get ripped away slowly by the barrage of heavy weapons fire. The skeleton snapped and Kimmel's mech went down.
The Daishi closed in for the kill.
Monica turned around and fired all her remaining weapons at the Daishi. Surprised to be attacked by a retreating mech, the Daishi turned away from Kimmel's crippled Crusader. Monica's sensors indicated that the Daishi was running very hot. That gave her an edge, or at least, she hoped it would.
The Daishi opted for a different tactic in light of its high heat. It fired a spread of missiles from its backpack launcher. The ten missiles splattered across the Zeus, removing what little armor it had left.
Monica scanned her status monitor, one of the few that still worked. Only her heavy laser was still functional. She fired it into the Daishi, but noticed with a burst of terror the heat status of her opponent.
Four heavy Clan lasers shot out of the arm pods of the Daishi and struck the Zeus. One blew off the mech's other arm, while another took off a leg. The other two pieced the mech's open torso, hitting its engine. The Zeus fell backwards and exploded on impact, blasting debris in all directions.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" swore Kimmel in rage and pain. He slammed his foot down on the control pedal of his mech. The Crusader’s remaining leg shot out in a vicious kick, striking the gloating Daishi in the ankle. The force of impact unbalanced the massive mech. It teetered precariously for a few seconds as the pilot struggled to keep it upright. He failed and the Daishi began falling towards the right side. It landed on top of the Crusader, its massive weight pulverizing the remaining torso armor on Kimmel's mech. The Crusader's missile ammo detonated, sending a chain-reaction explosion through both mechs.
Kimmel smiled grimly. "I'll see you in hell, Clan bastard!" he thought. One second later, he was vaporized.
"Where's Lisa?" said Joshua, fear on his voice.
"I don't know. She may be among them."
Joshua pushed his mech up to top speed, moving it away from the bulk of his forces. He cleared the ridge overlooking Camora first and he could see the city. It was a horrifying sight. Battered and damaged mechs were literally running full speed out into the plains to get away, while the Clan clusters merely meandered their way out of the city, blasting the fleeing force mech after mech.
The brutality of it all enraged and horrified Joshua. His wife was down there, among the slaughter. Above all, Joshua had observed, the Clans held to their honor, but what he saw below was in no ways honorable. This atrocity made them even less than the supposed "barbarians" they had come to conquer.
"Lisa! Lisa, where are you?" screamed Joshua in his radio.
"I'm here." said Lisa. Joshua's eyes scanned the fleeing mechs of the 9th. Her Fenris was weaving among them, along with the other mechs of her scout lance. They were fending off the Vipers themselves, or at least trying to. They were badly outnumbered.
Joshua tore his mech forward as fast as he could make it. Behind him, Daisaku Hayakusora's light Uller mech moved up to catch him. "Hey, wait a minute!"
"Daisaku," said Joshua, remembering his command duties for a short moment, "dispatch your elementals to seek out surviving 9th F-C mechs and to dispatch any Viper mechs still within the city."
"Roger."
A rear-guard Clan unit was the first to spot the Star Swords. Surprised as much by the appearance of such a large group of Omnimechs as they were by being attacked from behind, the five light mechs of the star turned to face off against Joshua and Daisaku, who were a good 500 meters ahead of the rest of the force.
"Haven't run the gauntlet in a while." said Daisaku. "Let's do it!"
Joshua dropped his right arm crosshairs onto a nearby Koshi and fired. Four medium lasers bore through the light mech, detonating its engine in one clean shot. His left arm crosshairs locked onto an unknown Steel Viper mech that his computer registered as a "Battle Cobra." He triggered the gauss rifle. The shell struck the Cobra in the right torso, spinning it around from the impact.
Daisaku let loose with his heavy laser and autocannon into a Puma. That Puma returned fire with its deadly PPCs, but Daisaku darted to one side, letting the plasma bolts turn the sand to glass harmlessly.
Joshua fired the gauss rifle again at the Cobra. This time, he tore through the torso, ripping off the mech's arm and damaging portions of its engine and gyro. The lasers spoke once more, demolishing another Koshi as quickly as he had the first.
The fifth and final mech of the Star, an Uller like Daisaku's, turned to intercept Daisaku. Joshua shifted his lasers and gauss crosshairs onto it and fired all weapons. The tiny mech seemed to evaporate as it absorbed the full firepower of Joshua's Ryoken.
"Speaking of overkill ." Commented Mechlanthon, watching the battle and moving to catch up. Daisaku fired a spread of missiles at the Puma. It did not finish it, but by now, Daisaku had moved past it and was heading for the bulk of the Viper force. LRMs from Ryan Smith's Mad Cat slammed into the Puma as it turned to pursue. It crashed into the sand, flames sprouting from within the cracks of its armor.
It was then that the amused Clansman realized their games were over. Two more stars of Clan Omni's, mostly lights and mediums, turned to face the Star Swords Third Battalion. Joshua himself was at the head of the assault force, activating his targeting computer on another unfortunate Puma. All four medium lasers connected, blowing clean through the 35 ton mech's chest and coming out its back. The mech crashed onto its back, quite destroyed.
Daisaku took on a much meatier opponent, a Black Hawk. Daisaku fired his laser-autocannon combo, peppering the enemy mech from a distance. The frustrated Black Hawk pilot tried time and again to close with Daisaku, who finally led it right in front of Kou's Vulture.
"Sayonara, asshole." Said Kou, triggering his SRM racks. Missiles pounded the Black Hawk's armor to dust. Kou fired his lasers next, finishing the mech.
"Nice shooting, Kou." Complemented Daisaku.
"Alright, everyone, form up into company-sized hunter-killer units. Let's make this ambush at least look organized."
The Swords mechs began to split up with precision maneuvering, telling Joshua for the first time that their training had paid off. Their motion was fluid and smooth, despite the chaos of the battle.
"Lisa?" asked Joshua. "Where are your units?"
"I'm 450 meters off your left side. I've got a handful here." Her voice was filled with fear.
Joshua turned his mech towards her. He saw that she faced off against another unknown design, a mech named by the computer as a Crossbow. It carried two heavy SRM launchers with two light LRM launchers and some medium lasers. At 65 tons, it was 20 tons heavier than Lisa.
"Hey you! Pick on someone your own size."
The Crossbow turned in response to Joshua's taunts. To his dismay, he saw Lisa's mech limping nearby. Its armor was pocketed with missile impacts and smoke and fire were coming out of a gaping wound in the Fenris's shoulder.
Joshua fired his gauss rifle at the Crossbow, smashing through weakened armor that Lisa had already softened. Lasers followed, cutting through the mech's launcher tubes at the end of its arm. Emergency safeties shut down the launcher to prevent it from prematurely detonating its loaded ammunition, taking the weapon out of the fight.
Missiles hurled out of the other launchers as Joshua closed into point-blank range. Missile strikes battered his mech about, one even striking his canopy. The heavily armored Plexiglas absorbed the impact, but it blinded Joshua for a brief second.
That second threw off his calculations and he barreled right into the Crossbow. Knocked off its feet, the Viper mech smashed onto its back in the sand. Sensing his chance, Joshua knelt over, pressing his right arm to the face of the Crossbow. Without hesitation, he fired, blowing the head of the enemy mech to pieces.
"Four kills for the day." said Joshua. "Not bad for ten minutes of combat."
Lisa limped over to his side. "The Vipers fight like schoolyard bullies. Tough against weak victims, but no match for equal strength."
"You look like a kid who just stood up to a bully, bloody nose and all. I think you've done enough ass kicking for one day."
"It looks worse than it is. I've got a smashed knee actuator though."
"Been there recently. Looks like your shoulder's fried too."
Not far away, Matthew and the other slow moving assault mechs of the Star Swords finally joined the battle. With a yell, Matthew waded in to the fight. "Let's show them how it's done." He dropped the sight of one of his two gauss cannon onto a Viper Masakari.
"Watch out for that Masakari," warned Matthew to his nearby allies. "It's got an advanced targeting system that lets it track its opponents. Can hit a dime at 300 meters with his Class 20's."
A nearby Thor opened up on Matthew's Daishi with its PPC, somewhat to his surprise. "Combined fire?" he thought. "That's against their rules." He turned and belted it with two PPC shots and another gauss slug. He kept a close eye on his heat monitor. The PPCs caused a heat spike that seemed to take forever to descend. The Thor, however, was not in good shape. It began to limp away, seemingly chastened by its bold challenge.
"They seem to be retreating." said one of Matthew's subordinates.
"Not if I can help it. There's hell to pay for what they did to the 9th. Have at them." Twin gauss cannon fired, pounding their heavy shells into an already limping Mad Cat. Armor blasted off from its right leg, and the second slug snapped the leg in two. It came crashing down into the sand.
Matthew had neglected the Masakari that he had been so concerned about originally, however.
PPC strikes hammered his Daishi, sending sparks flying from overloaded monitors. Cursing for his oversight, Matthew forced the 100 ton monster to turn towards its original foe. Thirty LRMs arced through the air to slam across the brow of the Masakari. Fire engulfed the mech as the missiles exploded on its heavy armor. Matthew cut open with his PPCs again, watching again for the heat spike. To his dismay, he heard the computer intone: "Heat level critical. Shutdown sequence initiated."
"I don't think so!" said Matthew forcefully, slamming his hand down on the override so hard that he bruised his palm. His rescuer, Ryan and his Mad Cat, closed to short range with the Viper mech, cutting it off from Matthew.
"He's too much for you, Ryan. Get away."
"From where you're sitting, you can't see the gaping hole in your right torso armor. One more direct hit in that region and you're toast. Withdraw. I'll handle this snake."
Matthew glanced across his status boards to confirm Ryan's observation. His damage monitor was shorted out and showing only static however, overloaded by the PPC's EM charge. He backpedaled his mech away from the fight, hoping Ryan knew what he was doing.
Joshua scanned the battlefield and saw the wrecks of Viper BattleMechs, he lost count after ten. Among the ruins, he saw no mechs painted in the bright winter-white camouflage of the Star Sword mechs.
"Their numbers are working against them." said Joshua, blasting the leg off of a Mad Cat. Beside him, Mechlanthon bested a Man O'War. "Because of their rules of engagement," commented Daisaku, "only one Clanner per enemy. That leaves a large number of mechs simply out of the fight at any one time."
"Maybe we've found their critical weakness." replied Joshua
"I believe we have. No matter how many mechs they throw at us, only a certain number can be in combat at one time."
"You may wish to be cautious with such tactics." added Mechlanthon. "As you may have witnessed, the Clans do not take such breeches of honor likely. They may simply declare us dezgra and discard their honor code against us. The point would be moot."
Jiwe's Daishi limped over to them. "They don't always hold to it anyway. I had some of them combine fire on me."
"You look it." said Joshua. "Perhaps they've already declared us dezgra."
In their desperation, the Vipers had done just that. Sorely pressed by the Star Sword assault on their flanks, the Vipers were trying to organize a retreat. But the Swords were not giving up the initiative, forcing the Vipers to desperate tactics to try to regain it. They were failing, and their retreat was turning into a rout.
Mechlanthon hit his jump jets on his Grendel. The boxy mech roared into the air and landed at the flank of a massive Gladiator, easily the largest mech on the field.
"Bold bastard, isn't he?" said Daisaku, blasting a small Koshi to powder with his twin ER Medium Lasers. Normally, his Uller would have carried another missile launcher there, but Daisaku had swapped it for direct fire weapons.
"He gets results." said Joshua bluntly. Joshua engaged a Thor, firing his gauss rifle and his five lasers into it. All struck home, shredding armor from the 70 ton monster. Beyond it, Joshua could see the rest of the Viper cluster fleeing towards the horizon as fast as their mechs could move. He resisted the urge to order his men to turkey shoot them to avenge the destruction of the 9th F-C. He refused to let him stoop to their level of barbarism.
"All lance commanders report." ordered Joshua, blowing the right leg off of the Thor and watching its pilot eject.
"Light armor damage from all mechs." said Mechlanthon.
"My mech's pretty shot up, as is the rest of my lance. But we're still in fighting shape." That was Kou Fairchild, fiery and stubborn as ever. "Request permission to pursue the enemy."
"Belay that. Let's see what's left of the 9th."
The reports continued, ending with Lisa's somewhat more gloomy report on the condition of her command lance. "Two mechs down. The others badly shot up. I'm badly in need of some duct tape here."
Joshua laughed, but the momentary joy faded. The battlefield was littered with the carcasses of
Of the 144 mechs in the 9th F-C, only 10 were still functional, if you could call them that. Maybe a dozen more were repairable. Of their pilots, only 20 of the brave soldiers were still alive. Joshua noticed that Hauptmann General Kimmel was not among them, which sickened him. Joshua had embraced Kimmel as a kindred spirit in the few months the Star Swords had spent on Twycross after their creation. He'd been a good friend.
Hours after the battle, Joshua stood at the foot of his mech, still dressed in his cooling vest and shorts. Nearby, Lisa limped about, concerned for her pilots and their machines. Joshua, although he shared her concerns, stayed aloof, receiving post-battle reports as they came in. The salvage reports had been the only real good news Joshua had gotten since the end of the battle. Many of the Steel Viper machines were repairable, including some of the new Crossbow and Battle Cobra designs that seemed to be unique to the Viper Clan. Those would give the Falcons a rude surprise when the Star Swords faced off against its real enemy next.
Kimmel's wife, Monica, was standing among the other survivors, a stark reminder to Joshua that he should be thankful Lisa was merely preoccupied with duty, rather than something far worse. Monica had ejected seconds before her Zeus was destroyed and had the misfortune of watching the Daishi kill her husband.
Joshua picked up a cup of coffee and walked over to her. The blazing Twycross sun had begun to set and the somewhat biting cold of the early evening was beginning to set in. Far away in the distance, Joshua could see a dustcloud from one of the planets infamous sandstorms.
"Thank you." Monica whispered as she took the cup. Joshua didn't know what to say to her. He thought about he might feel if he ever lost Lisa in a battle like this. Then he remembered how he felt when Gwen died and a stab of pain shot through him.
"He thought I'd died, Joshua. He didn't see me eject." said Monica, guilt in her voice."He knew that Daishi would fall on him when he kicked out like that. I wished I could have told him I was still alive. He killed himself to destroy that mech. Why did he do that?"
Joshua could have given a dozen answers, all of which could have been and possibly were true. None were really what Monica wanted to hear. Joshua felt additionally awkward as his cultural differences came out in his thoughts. His time in the Inner Sphere had given him the insight to know what was Clan and what was not, but occasions still arose when his 17 years of Clan upbringing produced an idea that he knew would be taken the wrong way.
So Joshua said nothing for a long while. "I lost a loved one once to battle." he said slowly. "I suspect many of us have. It’s never easy. I wish we had arrived sooner...." Joshua, knowing he could do nothing for her, simple let his words dissipate into the wind.
"General." said a voice. It shook Joshua out of his stupor. He turned and saw Mechlanthon coming towards him.
"Yes, Star Colonel?"
"The Star Sword has entered orbit. They are reporting Clan dropships inbound from the Iron Fang."
Joshua was momentarily alarmed at that news. "Are they...."
"Empty. They are heading for the
"So Twycross leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of two Clans now." said Joshua defiantly.
"We have trained. We have prepared. Now we have been blooded. We have a victory. The Clans will soon learn to fear us."
"As they were meant to, Mechlanthon." said Joshua sternly, implying a reference to his Wolverine heritage. "Contact the command staff. We will meet aboard the Star Sword in three hours. Until then, I have a few things still to do."
Tamar March,
9 September 3051
"I must congratulate you, Colonel, on your successful defense of Twycross against the Steel Vipers. I only wish it were not the victory we have to herald before the people of the Commonwealth in this renewal of hostilities."
Marshall Nondi Steiner looked quite tired as she continued her message. "The Jade Falcons have struck 5 worlds within the last week and we suspect that these are not the last. The real bad news is that Prince Victor and Kai Allard-Liao are on one of the worlds that has been attacked: Alyina.
"As for your own actions, your unit charter states you are to have complete freedom of action concerning the Clan threat. Attacking one of their occupied worlds, as was your original intention, is probably now a futile effort. My preference would be to assist us in slowing their further advance. But the choice is yours.” There was a tone of annoyance in her voice; It was obvious the independent nature of the Star Swords was irksome to her. “Steiner out."
Joshua turned in his chair to face his command staff. "Well, here we are one week after we drove off the Steel Vipers and the invasion has begun. Options?"
The newly-wedded Ryan Smith was the first to speak. "Marshall Steiner does have a point. We should find some means of slowing their advance. We can't in good conscience invade one of their worlds while are own are being devoured."
"Not if our doing so would disrupt their supply lines." countered Erik Iolair. "So far away from the Clan homeworlds must make logistics a nightmare for them. Foul up what is undoubtedly a very complex system of resupply and you may grind their invasion machine to a halt as they backpedal to regain lost worlds."
“Intelligence from the Combine suggests that the Ghost Bears have had just that sort of problem.” Offered Daisaku.
"The best defense is a good offense is the cliché," said Isaac. "I say we take New Belfast. Give them a wound to nurse. The food they get from the planet could be the weak link in their attack strategy."
Mechlanthon shook his head. "New
"Other Clans? Why would that matter?" asked Juan puzzled. “Is this some sort of game? Whoever conquers the most wins?”
“Of sorts.” Said Joshua. He turned to Mechlanthon. “That is what it is, is it not? A race? Whoever gets there first wins?"
"Aff." said Mechlanthon. "You have the right of it."
"Get where first?" asked Kelly, a split second before Juan did.
"Earth." said Joshua bluntly. “They’re here to conquer humanity’s home planet. The Clans regard it as a paradise. The Clan that conquers it no doubt wins great honor."
"The highest honor, that of becoming ilClan, Clan of Clans."
"And the benefit of that is?" asked Matthew.
Mechlanthon shrugged. His look was puzzled. "Is not controlling Terra enough?" Matthew shook his head, dissatisfied with the answer.
"The question still remains. We know where they’re going. But how do we stop them?"
"A stand-up fight. Falcon versus Wol...uh, Star Sword. We'll stop them dead in their tracks rather than nip at their heels." said Matthew. "But where?"
"We would have to convince them into committing a large number of troops to the attack, like a full galaxy." said Kou. "Otherwise, it'll just be another battle, and not crippling to their war machine."
"I don't believe that will be a problem." said Joshua towards Matthew. "A few more casual slips like that one a minute ago, and we'll have our bait." Matthew lowered his head at the admonishment.
"That is unwise.” said Daisaku. "There's no telling what they might do if they knew."
“You really think that’s all it would take?” asked Juan. “I know you shared with me a bit of your origins, but surely the Jade Falcons aren’t fool enough to come after you en masse simply because you were born to a long exiled Clan.”
"Oh, they’ll come alright. Problem is not just the Falcons. It’ll be the whole lot of them." said Iolair. "We'd be annihilated in short order if we faced all five invading Clans."
"Six." corrected Mechlanthon. "Reports from the Draconis Combine have identified Nova Cat forces supporting the Smoke Jaguars, much as the Vipers are aiding the Falcons."
“We don’t need to tell them all. In fact, I doubt we need to ‘tell’ them anything.” Said Joshua. “Some of our enemies already know.”
Mechlanthon nodded. “Pryde was on New Vision, as was I. He’s ridden his victory there into the halls of power, calling favors and making friends of every major officer in the Clan. His Bloodname was also won from what he did there. For there to be survivors exposes the lie of his entire rise to power. He will not tolerate any Not-Named to live.”
“And Pryde first became suspicious of me on New Belfast last year. He lacks proof, but he is curious enough to enlist O’Malley to help him. O’Malley made my presence among the scouting party two weeks ago very clear to the Star Colonel, broadcasting my position rather openly to Pryde.”
“I told you going down there was a bad idea.” Said Erik. “I should hold you accountable for your recklessness.”
“Is that a challenge?” retorted Joshua. His hand went to Anduril.
“Stop this.” Said Mechanthon in defense of Joshua. “Bickering is pointless. Pryde knows what he knows. That is all that matters. Add to that, he also knows we have the Emerald Hawk and its contents. That, regardless of the peculiars of your birthright, will probably be enough for him to convince a large force to destroy us."
"So we come back to the original question." said Matthew. "Where?"
Lisa spoke up this time. "I think we need to sit back and wait a spell. With this ship, we can be anywhere in the Commonwealth in a matter of weeks." She paused. "I say we sit and watch what they do. With a little more information, we might be able to anticipate their next move."
"And then place ourselves in harms way." said Joshua.
"Exactly."
"So now what? Where to from here?"
"We'll wait until the Northwind Highlanders arrive to replace the destroyed 9th F-C then we'll set course for Antares. Its position as a district capital makes it a good base of operations. Any questions?"
There were none. Joshua called the meeting to dismissal and gathered his notes. Daisaku remained behind after the others left.
"Erik spoke the truth, regardless of what Mechlanthon says. You have put as at great risk, Joshua." The words were biting.
"Surely, you're not blaming me for what happened with Pryde on New Belfast last year."
“Your first encounter with him was a zellbrigen duel, bargained in the Clan way. What else was he supposed to think? God, you know the text of the First Edict as well as anyone. Your father was an isolationist. Yet, here you are practically telling the whole damn world who we are."
"Don't preach to me, Daisaku. People know we're different. Many have already suspected that we are Clan. If we hide the truth from them, they may grow suspicious and distrust us. We cannot allow that. Besides, the First Edict was meant to protect us from the outside only for a time. It was meant to be discarded when we would stand with the Inner Sphere against the Clans.”
“As Erik said, we cannot stand against the full might of all the Clans. That time has not yet come.”
“No, you are right, it hasn’t. But Pryde only suspects. He has no proof.”
"Proof or not, he’lll throw everything but the kitchen sink at us."
"I'm counting on it."
“You risk too much.” Said Daisaku. “I am your friend. But if this goes badly for us, I will join Erik in a challenge against you.” With that, he turned and exited the room.
Joshua flew the dropshuttle down to the planet himself. Lisa sat back and watched in silent comfort.
“So what is this surprise?”
“It wouldn’t be one if I told you, dear husband.” She replied. “I’m just enjoying the flight. You’re a man of many talents, Joshua Messer.”
“When I was training on New Vision. Erik and I would cross-train each other. I’d teach him a bit about mech operation and he taught me to fly.”
“He was a good teacher.”
“I can do the basics. Orbital and atmospheric flight, basic navigation. I’m far from qualified to fight in an aerospace fighter like him.”
“He and Daisaku were both very angry with you.”
“I know.”
“Are they right? Are you going too far with this whole Wolverine origin thing?”
“Mechlanthon spoke the truth in that there’s nothing to be done about Pryde’s suspicions. Laying blame as to how he came to know is pointless. As angry as they are, Erik and Daisaku both know that.”
“But it’s made them both question your leadership.”
“As they should from time to time. That’s the whole point behind using the command staff in an advisory role.”
“They question you, but do you ever question yourself?”
“You should know the answer to that.” Joshua looked at her sternly. “Why are you getting on my case too?”
“It’s obvious that your friends think this strategy of yours too risky. Playing to Pryde’s suspicions is going to draw him to you…” she paused for effect. “…and O’Malley to me.”
“So that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“Those stories Sebastian told us: mass murder, rape, brutal atrocities committed not only on O’Malley’s watch as planetary governor, but committed by him. Whatever human was left of him is now gone. And he’s coming for me.”
“You don’t know that. You’re letting your fear get the better of you.”
“And you would do well to listen to yours a bit more.”
Joshua looked back to the controls. “I’ve made my decision.” He said with finality and a hint of annoyance. “Nothing worth having is not gained without great risk.”
Lisa opened her mouth to retort, but Joshua cut her off. “Like it or not,” he interrupted, “there will be great risk for this unit. The Clans will come gunning for us, because they now know what a threat we are. Best it be on our terms than on theirs.”
“I didn’t tag along to argue with you.” Said Lisa with a defeated tone. “I brought you down here to surprise you.”
“I’ve had plenty of those lately. I wasn’t expecting Ryan to ask me to perform the ceremony for him and Amanda.”
"Captain's privilages." said Lisa with a grin. “We're just about to touch down."
The heavy armored bunkers of the 9th F-C were mostly empty, now that the unit no longer exist. A few however, contained the handful of mechs that had survived the massacre. Technicians worked at repairing them, probably for later use as reserve forces for the soon-to-arrive.
Joshua drove their jeep away from the ComStar station towards one bunker. The massive 50 foot tall door was already open, so Joshua just drove right inside.
Only two mechs remained within the bay. Joshua smiled when he saw them. "Well, I'll be....."
"I couldn't believe it when I found them." said Lisa. "Kind of surprised me that no one commandeered them for their own use." Joshua got out of the jeep and walked over to the foot of the mech that stood there: his old Shadow Hawk, the Galileo. Beside it was Lisa's own Gil-Galad, her Phoenix Hawk.
Joshua smiled. "I know why.
Joshua thought about that for a moment. He looked back at Lisa.
"There's room aboard the Star Sword." said Lisa, reading Joshua's thoughts. "I just hope you don't plan to give up that Ryoken of yours for this."
"No, I wouldn't do that. But I do want them."
"I figured you would. We can have them shipped up with the rest of the regiment when we leave."
Joshua nodded. "What say we take a spin? Old time’s sake?"
Lisa just looked at Joshua nonchalantly. "Sure, why not? Bring back some memories."
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
21 October 3051
Mechlanthon scratched his chin in disbelief. "What are they doing?" He asked out loud.
"I was hoping you would know." said Joshua. Arrayed around him was the command staff of the Star Swords. "The Jade Falcons have apparently changed direction. Instead of moving steadily outward, they have taken a spinward detour into the Donegal March."
Mechlanthon shook his head. It was true, however. The Jade Falcon Clan had appeared to abandon whatever invasion plan they had before and were now content upon gorging themselves upon the wealthy worlds of the former District of Donegal, the core of the
"This does not make sense." said Mechlanthon. His hands became animated in confusion. "They are going in the wrong direction. They should not have deviated from their original invasion course."
"That's what we thought." said Joshua. "But they seem to have done so. There's no logic to this, given how valuable they would consider taking Terra."
Juan looked at Joshua and his advisor. "Are you certain? Wouldn't they abandon their mission in light of some other consideration? Like say, complete conquest of the
"Highly unlikely." said Joshua. “Terra is too valuable to them.”
"So they have not abandoned their original mission." said Mechlanthon, standing up and walking over to the viewscreen that he had been studying. It showed the Lyran half of the
"Computer, reveal known advancements of the other Clans." said Joshua.
The map zoomed out to show the entire coreward half of the Inner Sphere. Terra burned brightly at the bottom of the map. Overlaying the former
The Jade Falcons had been moving steady on their path towards Terra, at the very center of the Inner Sphere. Suddenly, starting in early September, Jade Falcon attacks were reported on nine different Tamar March systems, stretching from Dell at the top down to Ballynure and La Grave at the bottom. Their ambition paid off. Unwilling to sacrifice men to the Clan juggernaut, FC commanders had withdrawn their forces after a few skirmishes. The surprise attack deep into the heart of the Tamar March had caught the Steiner defenders completely off-guard, many of them had not expected Clan contact for several more months.
The trend did not stop there. Earlier this month, the Falcons had hit four more worlds. All of them resided within the Donegal March, the commercial and governmental core of the Lyran state.
"
"Tharkad, the capital." finished Lisa. "If they continue unchecked, they'll be on Tharkad by January."
"I believe that is their intention. This bold stroke has put them far ahead of the other Clans. Even the Steel Vipers cannot keep up. The licking we gave them on Twycross has kept them conservative."
"Cut off the head and the body dies?" offered Ryan as an explanation. "That strategy was obsolete a millennia ago."
"It has its merits." said Joshua. "Without a centralized command center, we will be completely unable to organize a coordinated defense through the Skye March. They'll have us, and Terra by spring." He gestured with his pointer, sweeping it along the lightly defended Donegal March into the Skye March, the region of the
"By going through here, then they may be trying to get ahead by facing weaker enemies. Affording some dishonor now to obtain greater honor later."
"The Commonwealth will shift resources to protect the Donegal March though. Protect Tharkad especially." said Matthew. His voice seemed to indicate desperation, that if the Lyrans didn't move now, all would be lost.
Mechlanthon confirmed Matthew's fears. "Given the speed of the Falcon invasion, I doubt that the High Command has even had time to react yet. At the rate they are going, they'll be on Tharkad before any help can arrive. Assuming a few months for morale and military order to deteriorate, they should be at Terra's doorstep by March." He paused. "You could not get units from the Federated Suns here even that quickly."
"What about other Lyran units?"
"Most are already concentrated here in the Tamar March. If we abandon our holdings to defend the capital, we leave those worlds helpless before the Wolves and Vipers. The Falcons know that. This was a well planned gambit."
"No hope?" said Matthew.
“No, they haven’t counted on us. We can be at any of a number of potential targets within two weeks. And we can stop them. Set up that ambush we talked about two months ago on Twycross. This is what we’ve been waiting for. A destination. "
"And that is?"
Joshua's pointer struck the map at one world. It was less than two jumps from
"The former Star League Regional Headquarters: Garrison."
Montmarault
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
27 October 3051
Dal Pryde stirred in his bed, enjoying the warmth of the Montmarault sun. It was a tropical world, known for its lush beaches. It had never been exploited for tourism however. The local populace was somewhat xenophobic. Other than its natural beauty, the world had little to offer. No natural resources save those it used to sustain itself. What it was to the Jade Falcons was merely a stepping stone.
High above Dal in orbit was the White Aerie, flagship of the Falcon's Gyrfalcon galaxy. Dal's sibkin, Samantha Clees, commanded the galaxy, having earned her Bloodname at a much earlier age than Dal. The two were old friends and comrades.
Escorting her had been another associate from his past, Galaxy Commander Marthe Pryde. She had commanded the 2nd Jaegers before him, taking only a short pause to lead one of the scouting expeditions into the Periphery. That is where they'd met. Now, Marthe acted as aide-de-camp to saKhan Timur Malthus.
The trio had assembled at Dal's headquarters to discuss the galaxy's next move. The Star Swords had been reported to be moving towards Garrison. Intercepted transmissions Dal had received confirmed the rumor. Content to ignore the Commonwealth unit, Marthe Pryde had demanded the 2nd Jaegers move on to take Lyndon next. That would have put them within striking distance of Donegal, a world Dal knew would be attacked by Marthe's own Turkina Keshik.
Not wanting to use his men to give her all the glory of taking the better world, Dal and Marthe debated for hours. Clees sat back and enjoyed the show. She already knew why Dal wanted to go after the Swords, even if she was not completely convinced he was right about them being of the Not-named.
It came down to a Circle of Equals, trial by combat; Pryde versus Pryde. Dal upped the stakes when he demanded as isorla, or spoils, a night of coupling with Marthe. Intrigued by his boldness, Marthe agreed, and lost.
Dal was not a man for whom carnal passions came often. But he had always found Marthe attractive. Winning her as a prize made the night all the more sweet. Samantha, however, felt slighted. It was obvious that she had similar intentions with Dal as well. She would have to be disappointed.
Marthe stirred next to Dal. She was older than Dal, probably in her early 40's. The rigors of Clan life had kept her body trim and slender, and it showed no signs of aging. Pryde allowed himself a small smile as she awoke.
"Well bargained and done." said Marthe, standing up business-like. Sex was like that for Clansman: Sterile and largely emotionless. To them, it was no different than eating a fine meal or enjoying a favorite hobby. No connection to romance or any other emotion was ever attached to it save pleasure.
A rapid knock came at Dal's door. "Enter." he barked.
Dal smiled when the man at the door walked inside. "Well, Robert, how is it with you?"
Star Captain Robert saluted both Marthe and Dal as he entered. He paused briefly to take in Marthe's nudity, but turned to Dal with a slight smirk. He considered making a comment, but thought better of it. Dal Pryde was not known to have a sense of humor.
"It was not known he had a libido either." thought Robert to himself. “But then, David had to come from somewhere.” Robert had long ago guessed at the younger warrior’s secret.
"Please take a seat. We have something to discuss." Dal stood up and pulled on a robe. He offered one to Marthe, who took it and joined both men at a nearby coffee table. Breakfast had already been brought in by a hotel worker.
"What is it?" asked Robert, eating a danish.
"What do you know of the 1st Star Swords?"
"Very little. Historically, they were the bodyguard regiment of the commander of the SLDF. But you also know that much."
"Aff, and I also know that particular unit was a part of the Exodus." said Marthe sharply. "So do not tell me they remained behind like the Eridani Light Horse regiments."
"No, the unit we faced on New Belfast and the Vipers on Twycross is a new unit." said Robert. "As for who they are, and why they took the name they did, I cannot answer you."
“The two of you are playing a game.” Said Marthe. “You are setting me up to draw a conclusion about their origins. There was little historical connection between the Not-Named and the original Star Swords.”
“No, but we have confirmed the presence of the one I suspected to be Not-Named within the new incarnation of the Star Swords.” Dal looked at Robert to continue.
"I recognized the emblem on the Stormcrow. It matched the emblem on a Shadow Hawk piloted by the one who defeated Star Colonel Pryde during the initial invasion of New Belfast. I knew the pilot of that Shadow Hawk and have little reason to not think the Stormcrow is piloted by the same man.”
"What is his name?"
"Joshua Messer. He was a leftenant when we served together."
"Yes. His name has come up a few times now in records and communication we have uncovered from the Lyrans." Marthe opened the laptop computer and typed a few keys. "He seems to have received a promotion. Is this him?" She turned the monitor to where Robert could see.
"A general? Then he commands the Star Swords?" said Robert in disbelief. “He’s a boy, a punk.”
“Talented enough to best me on New Belfast when we first invaded. Skilled enough to best you as he fled New Belfast the second time. Both times in battlemechs outclassed by ours. He is more than a mere boy. He is the most dangerous opponent we face in this war.”
Marthe looked at Dal sternly. “You truly believe that? Or is this just to cover your failure to exterminate him at New Vision?”
“Our failure,” reminded Dal. “You commanded that expedition.” The reminder was shrewd, drawing Marthe into Dal’s scheming and forcing her to recognize that she shared the ignominy of his failure to kill this Not-Named.
Marthe nodded. "You want to go after them, and take all of Gyrfalcon Galaxy with you?"
“They are right in our path. It seems they have anticipated Khan Critchell's Project Bypass and have moved to intercept us.” said Dal. "They are dangling bait out for us."
"Where?"
"They are on Garrison,” answered Robert, “the old SLDF Regional Command."
"How many units?"
"Just the Star Swords, I believe."
"A single regiment only?"
“Intelligence has indicated that those handful of Omnimechs they had on New Belfast was not a fluke. They are the ones that are responsible for the mysterious disappearance of the Emerald Hawk and her crew. They are one regiment, but they are fully equipped with our military hardware. The battle will be even."
“So be it. I will send orders to Gyrfalcon Galaxy. Your 2nd Jaegers will be joined by the 305th Assault Cluster, the 1st Falcon Striker cluster, and the 5th Battle Cluster. With four clusters, we will assault Garrison and destroy this blasphemy known as the Star Swords. And you will have your proof that this Messer is of the Not-Named."
Next Chapter
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