Clan Wolf
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IntroductionCOMSTAR CLASSIFIED REPORT FROM: Anastasius Focht, Precentor Martial of the Com Guards, This summary of the Clans' history and Clan Wolf's military status relies heavily on personal observations and interviews, not on what military commanders would consider hard facts. Indeed, the historical account is based almost entirely on a remarkable epic poem, The Remembrance. Like other great epics, it tends to glorify the figures and events of the past, rather than present a historically accurate record. The Remembrance is unique and well worth study in order to gain the fullest possible understanding of the Clans. I was fascinated by this saga from the first time I heard it quoted. It opens with the Periphery uprisings and relates in fascinating detail the events of the Amaris coup, the retaking of Terra, the final dissolution of the Star League, the Exodus, the creation of the Clans, and those final, fateful days of blood and tears on Tukayyid. The Remembrance is an ongoing account that is continually expanded to include contemporary events, and each Clan has a slightly different version reflecting its own opinions and experiences. All Clan warriors can quote whole verses of this marvelous epic from memory, proof of its importance to this strange and alien people. I quote from The Remembrance repeatedly throughout this document so that their society may be better understood. All quotes are from the Clan Wolf version of the poem unless otherwise noted. I met with the Oathmasters and Loremasters of several Clans, who were willing to explain The Remembrance and supply additional information about Clan society and mores. I also met and spent many hours with key leaders of Clan Wolf and other Clans, both interviewing and observing them, gaining valuable insight into their characters and society. My aides and I have also reviewed hundreds of reports filed from the Wolf Occupation Zone. The fairest and most accurate overview possible of Clan Wolf, the preeminent Clan and standard-bearer of Kerensky's legacy, is the result of this research. ComStar cadets must study well what is written here. Clan Wolf, because of its influence among the other Clans, continues to be the greatest threat and greatest opportunity our Blessed Order has ever faced. Three years ago they descended upon the Inner Sphere like Fate's hammer and threatened to shatter the world as we knew it, including our Blessed Order. Instead of destroying us, they struck away centuries of misguided beliefs and assumptions to expose the bright and shining center of Blake's true message. They returned us to a clear vision of our purpose in life, but the cost of our awakening still stains the surface of Tukayyid. The countless blackened hulks of destroyed BattleMechs lie as mute reminders of the days when the ilKhan and I played with human lives as if they were chess pieces on a game board. Another such holocaust must be avoided at all cost. So learn well, future marshals of Blake. In fifteen years the shackles we put on the Clans at Tukayyid will be broken. The Clans will be free once more to follow their dreams of a new Star League, shaped in their own image, with their ilKhan upon the throne and all who oppose them huddled at his feet. Diligently follow the true designs of Blessed Blake, for the fate of the Inner Sphere lies with future generations of his marshals. |
The Exodus
Whether General Kerensky knew where he was leading the Exodus when he left the Inner Sphere is one of the questions historians have tried to answer for the past two and a half centuries. Information gleaned from my studies of Clan Wolf make it obvious that General Kerensky had only a vague sense of his destination. Data from the computers of the Star League Astrological Mapping Corps were downloaded to the flagship McKenna's Pride in preparation for the Exodus, and the original Star League map and chart files were destroyed. The general may have had only a rough idea of his destination, but he made sure that no one from the Inner Sphere could track him and his followers. The Inner Sphere has dissected and reassembled the life of General Aleksandr Kerensky countless times. Despite all this interest, several crucial facts about his private life have remained unknown until now. At the outset of the Exodus, the general stunned everyone by announcing that he had a wife, Katyusha, and two sons, Nicholas and Andery. According to Wolf Loremasters, Aleksandr had been married for more than 17 years before the Exodus began, but kept the identity of his wife and children secret to shield them from the political intrigues that swirled around him. During the Amaris regime, their anonymity saved them from possible harm by the lunatic leader and his cutthroats. General Kerensky mounted an assault on Moscow in 2777, during the initial stages of Terra's liberation, in order to rescue his wife and her underground rebel cell. He kept their identities concealed even after Terra's liberation to protect them from the spies of the House Lords. Once the Exodus was underway, however, Katyusha and the two boys took their rightful places alongside the general. Kerensky was strong and dynamic during the Exodus, shuttling between ships as much as possible to address his followers during the layovers between jumps. He made sure that each man and woman understood the ideals of the Star League. He explained why those ideals were best served by the Exodus rather than by staying and trying to force the House Lords into submission. The fleet explored new worlds, taking consumable supplies (oxygen, water, and foodstuffs) on board when available. Kerensky changed its course many times to discourage pursuit. He also sent ships out to jettison garbage and other debris in randomly chosen star systems to confuse any pursuers. As our own ROM Explorers can attest, the general's precautions were extremely effective. Over the course of that first uncertain year, the strain and stress of the Exodus began to take its toll despite Kerensky's efforts to maintain unity. The most blatant challenge to his authority came nine months into the Exodus, when the crews and passengers of nine warships mutinied. Led by the officers of the Prinz Eugen, a Texas Class battleship, the group refused to continue on with the rest of the fleet, choosing instead to return to the Inner Sphere. The general formed a task force and went after the mutineers, ordering them to surrender unconditionally. They refused, and so the general ordered his task force into action against the rebels. Kerensky's marines captured the Prinz Eugen in a daring boarding action, and the rest of the vessels quickly surrendered. A quick trial was held at the jump point, and all officers at or above the rank of captain were summarily executed. Clan sources do not record the names of those executed. Research into our own records reveals that the leader of the revolt was probably Major General Wilbur Braso, a highly respected officer of Cameron blood, albeit a distant relation to the First Lord's line. |
Hidden Hope
The Prinz Eugen incident further lowered the morale of the fleet. The mutiny itself was shocking, but the general's swift execution of the ringleaders was not accepted without question. Kerensky's actions made it clear that he considered himself not only the fleet's commander, but also its ruler. Many began to suspect that Kerensky did not have a final destination for the fleet, openly questioning his authority and the decision to leave the Inner Sphere. In order to quell the growing dissent, Kerensky published General Order 137. This document is etched just above eye level into the Common Room walls of every Clan ship. It is Kerensky's justification for the execution of the Prinz Eugen mutineers, the need to maintain discipline, and the harsh penalties for failure to obey orders or in any other way hinder "the smooth functioning of this emergency operation." His formal yet eloquent statement of goals for himself and those who followed him made this more than just a cold warning. General Order 137 expressed what became known as the Hidden Hope Doctrine. In the general's own words: Return to the Inner Sphere is impossible for us. Our heritage and our convictions are different from those we left behind. The greed of the five Great Houses and the Council Lords is a disease that can only be burned away by the passing of decades, even centuries. And though the fighting may seem to slow, or even cease, it will erupt again as long as there are powerful men to covet one another's wealth. We shall live apart, conserving all the good of the Star League and ridding ourselves of the bad, so that when we return, and return we shall, our shining moral character will be as much our shield as our BattleMechs and fighters.His prophecy proved chillingly accurate in light of the destructive Succession Wars the Inner Sphere endured. Kerensky's order apparently served to renew his followers' resolve to continue the journey. How it quelled the swelling discontent is uncertain. Perhaps the dissenters' devotion to the general allowed them to forgive his harshness in hope that his words would prove true. The Jade Falcon Remembrance hints that the general had spies in the Inner Sphere who were already relaying information that illustrated just how pointless return would have been. |
A New BeginningThe ships of the Exodus traveled through barren star systems for another month without further incident, but the general must have realized by this time that unless he called an end to their journey soon, his followers would become truly desperate. The fleet, now more than 1,300 light years away from Terra, arrived at a cluster of five marginally habitable star systems. The systems lay less than one jump apart and only a few jumps away from a large globular cluster. A thick dust-nebula they soon christened Kerensky's Cloak hid them from the Inner Sphere. Short supplies and short tempers prompted Kerensky to announce that the fleet had reached its destination. The date, 24 August 2786, is still celebrated by the Clans as Founding Day. The five worlds they colonized, Arcadia, Babylon, Circle, Dagda, and Eden, were dubbed the Pentagon because of their nearly five-pointed arrangement. The planets were hostile: three hosted microbes that manifested in hideous forms on human hosts, while the other two had only marginally viable ecosystems. The members of the Exodus nevertheless willingly set up camps and began to colonize the five worlds. General Kerensky and his second-in-command, General Aaron DeChevilier, realized during their 21-month journey that their people lacked the cross-section of skills necessary to colonize new worlds. Overloaded with soldiers and military technicians and lacking experienced farmers and a manual-labor force, Kerensky knew that his new society required more members able to handle the non-military aspects of a community. Ironically, the Inner Sphere would face just the opposite problem in the years ahead: a lack of soldiers to fight the long Succession Wars. Five months after the colonization began, warships intercepted a Rim World merchant JumpShip that was hopelessly off course. The vessel attempted to flee, but surrendered when boarded. The merchant vessel's crew unwillingly joined Kerensky and served as the seed from which would grow the merchants and laborers of Kerensky's new society. Interviews with the crew and information extracted from the ship's computer plainly showed that the general's grim prophecies were already coming true. The Inner Sphere's slide into destructive conflict was accelerating. Many of the Exodus felt more isolated than ever, and allowed General Kerensky great latitude in reshaping their society. The general's answer to the glut of warriors was obvious but subtle. He ordered a controlled demobilization of 75 percent of armed personnel. The mustering-out was not arbitrary, however. Kerensky introduced a rigorous series of tests that everyone from the lowliest private to the highest general had to face. The tests left only the top soldiers in uniform. Those who failed were given another series of tests to determine where he or she would best fit in the new order. The use of tests was a shrewd move on the general's part, because those who tested out of the military could not blame anyone but themselves. The demobilization program resulted in a surplus of military hardware. Huge storage caches were constructed to prevent the material from falling into unauthorized hands. The Remembrance refers to these depots as "Brian Caches," an obvious reference to the Star League's Castle Brians. These caches were strongly fortified and guarded by the most loyal troops of the Regular Army. Excess naval vessels were mothballed in orbit around distant planets or moons in each inhabited star system. General Kerensky's remarkable vision not only foresaw the coming of the Succession Wars, but also the resulting loss of information and technology. In the Inner Sphere, only our Blessed Order was able to preserve this knowledge. In order to prevent this kind of loss among the new colony worlds, he ordered vast libraries of information to be created and stored in the caches. Everyone with technical or scientific skill recorded his knowledge for these libraries as quickly as possible, even when it meant neglecting important expeditions and projects. The active naval vessels explored the nearby globular cluster that The Remembrance calls "The Kerensky Cluster" or "The Stars of the Protector." Many of the demobilized troops found a place in the Explorer Corps, a quasi-military organization whose sole aim was to explore and exploit the cluster worlds. The best worlds were colonized. Katyusha Kerensky named the most promising world in the cluster Strana Mechty, Russian for "Land of Dreams". Though no maps or star charts were made available to me during my stay with the Clans, I was still able to learn the names of some of the other worlds discovered in the cluster. They include Ironhold, Shadow, Hector, Gate keeper, Brim, and Roche. Most of these worlds supported only small farming and mining communities at first. The worlds of the Pentagon remained the centers of development and continue as the heart of Clan society today. Within a few years, the people of the Exodus had conquered their environments and overcome their lack of civilian skills to become fully functioning societies with individual economies and cultures. The makeshift camps grew into small cities. Each planet's economy became self-sufficient, no longer relying on others to supply food and shelter. All the newly settled worlds boasted light industry, and heavy industry was developing quickly. General Kerensky was the guiding force behind the progress. Once again taking the title of Protector of the Star League, he led a provisional government that oversaw the five planetary governments. The few references to the general's government call it the Exodus Planetary Council. Some Loremasters refer to it as "The Star League in Exile" as a reminder of their origins and future. As head of the government, the general encouraged large families by offering generous incentives of goods and land. He sought to expand the population base beyond chance decimation by any natural force such as disease. A large population would also have both the training and size to respond to any challenge or threat. For a time, the Star League in Exile appeared to be a stunning success. The strong, united people were free and eager to pursue whatever course their beloved leader suggested. Sadly, the plague of war racing through the Inner Sphere would soon stir hatreds thought forgotten. |
Time Of Darkness
Despite the efforts of General Kerensky and his staff, it gradually became obvious that all was not right. Discontent among the civilians grew from grumbling about a lack of once-cherished luxuries to full-scale rioting on all five Pentagon worlds. The problem seemed linked to the resentment of demobilized soldiers who could not accept their new roles in society. To be treated as just another civilian was not the reward they thought they deserved for their faithful service to the general. These malcontents agitated for the creation of planetary militias in which they felt they would regain pride in their place in society. Other tensions rose from cultural differences. The population accepted the concept of a unified world view, but cultural differences began reasserting themselves when demobilization broke up the artificial military culture. All the Pentagon worlds became caught up in the unrest because the political and cultural divisions (Hegemony, Capellan, Lyran, Federated, Combine, and League) reemerged after colonies became established. People of common backgrounds gravitated together and eventually began to view those from other societies with increasing suspicion and bigotry. The globular-cluster colonies did not suffer these problems as severely because they were settled by relatively homogeneous groups. They were also too busy trying to survive to be concerned about past loyalties. Eden's advanced industry and large population centers made the planet a natural focal point for the growing tensions. The Remembrance refers to Eden as "the Garden where the seeds/Of our downfall and birth were sheltered." Most of Eden's population had been raised in the Federated Suns or the Capellan Confederation, two societies not known for mutual cooperation. Tensions between the colonists on Eden reached the boiling point 15 years after their arrival at the Pentagon. At first the violence was limited to local riots and minor clashes between villages, but it escalated steadily, even in the face of harsh punishment from the planetary government. After months of bloody, but still sporadic fighting, full-scale rebellion broke out. Several Liao settlements led the fighting, declaring independence and mounting an attack on one of the caches in order to arm themselves with BattleMechs and other weapons.General Kerensky sent General DeChevilier and a detachment of troops to put down the rebellion. During the firefight, General DeChevilier was killed in his BattleMech by a fluke rebel hit from a hand-carried missile system. The cache was intact, but the loss of his closest aide and friend was a heavy price for the aging Kerensky to pay. By any standards, the general's response to DeChevilier's death was brutal. Citing General Order 137, he ordered the execution of all rebels, ignoring any legal concerns. Whole settlements were razed and their remaining populations dispersed in what became known as the DeChevilier Massacre. However, instead of preventing further trouble, this overreaction only sowed the seeds of further resentment against General Kerensky and the standing military. On Babylon, rioting broke out between citizens of Combine and Lyran heritage. Attacks against Exodus government facilities on Arcadia, Circe, and Dagda became common. With blood on their hands from the DeChevilier Massacre, the Regular Army tried to regain moral high ground by obeying orders to quell the violence in an even-handed manner using a minimum of force. Unfortunately, BattleMechs are not effective riot-control vehicles. A 'Mech cannot control a crowd without fatalities, so the military's attempts to back off from the level of violence seen in the massacre were unsuccessful. The rioting and attacks continued and news of more massacres was widely publicized. Before long, the military and the Exodus government were universally despised.Eden erupted in all-out civil war between former Liao and Davion citizens. On other worlds, rebels successfully secured arms and weapons from military depots and caches. Soon, private armies staffed with soldiers who had been mustered out of the Regular Army controlled key towns and cities on all five worlds. General Kerensky, by now more than a hundred years old, had been kept alive only by pushing the limits of Star League medical technology. Deprived of his closest friend and his wife, who had died five years earlier from a mysterious fever, the burden of fighting another civil war proved too heavy. While preparing plans for a campaign to secure Eden, General Kerensky suffered a massive heart attack and died at his command post. Most people reacted to the news of the general's passing by igniting further civil unrest rather than mourning. With both Kerensky and DeChevilier dead, the military was crippled. The general's designated successor was his son Nicholas, then in command of the 146th Royal BattleMech Division. Though he had the support of most of the Navy and the military units garrisoning the cluster colonies (no more than one or two regiments per colony), the division commanders on the five Pentagon worlds unexpectedly rejected him as a leader, citing his lack of active command experience. In a situation that oddly parallels the start of the Succession Wars, each division commander pressed his claim to take command of the government, just as the Lords of the Inner Sphere sparked the first Succession War. Within a few months, each of the five planets was divided into enclaves of rebellious citizens and armed troops. The situation was ripe for someone to trigger all-out war. The 146th did not mobilize to enforce Nicholas' right of command. When his officers urged Nicholas to press his claim, he referred to the writings of his father, saying that "individuals stricken with greed, envy, and avarice hiding behind false patriotism and justice cannot be made to change: they must either burn the sickness out of their lives with years of futile fighting, or die a senseless death, as all fools do." The young Kerensky saw that the eventual salvation of his people and the preservation of his father's ideals were far more important than fighting a "political squabble." Thus did Nicholas call for his own "Exodus" to the cluster world of Strana Mechty. Kerensky knew that he must save the civilians and scientists so vital to the survival of his people. He issued pleas through the media of all five planets, urging them to join him. For several tense weeks, loyal Navy ships collected those willing to flee, often under the guns of what were now enemy units. The last ship leaving for the cluster marked the exodus of almost 25 percent of the civilian population, including most of the scientific community. Full-scale wars erupted on all five worlds within three weeks of Nicholas' Exodus. Passage after passage of The Remembrance describes battles that wiped out entire populations. The land was ravaged by the soldiers once considered the best humanity had to offer. Military units loyal to Nicholas resolutely stayed in the cluster, impervious to pleas for assistance, no matter how compelling or desperate. When the Navy withdrew to the cluster, communication between the Pentagon worlds quickly broke down. Yet the fighting continued. This period of unrelenting violence, called the "Exodus Civil Wars," lasted for almost two decades. The men and women on the Pentagon worlds pounded each other back into barbarism. By the time the civil wars finally ended, most technology was destroyed and the harsh environments, once controlled, were killing those few who survived the manmade holocaust. In stark contrast, Nicholas Kerensky and his followers thrived on Strana Mechty and the other cluster worlds, furthering the technology their brothers and sisters had abandoned in pursuit of pointless battles and foolish wars. Nicholas bided his time. |
Golden CenturyTensions between Clans Widowmaker and Wolf escalated into a bitterly fought battle that would mark the end of an era for the Clans. Warriors from Widowmaker claimed Wolf had cheated in its victory that annihilated the Wolverines. Clan Wolf responded by accusing Clan Widowmaker of misusing the bidding system to deliberately place Wolf warriors in hopeless situations. This animosity lasted through a decade marked by vicious Trials of Possession that often skirted the limits of the Grand Council's rules of combat. |
Death and Absorption
It was during a Trial of Possession between Clans Widowmaker and Wolf that the merchants of Clan Widowmaker lodged a formal protest against their parent Clan with the Grand Council. The cause of the tensions between the freebirth merchants and their Clan is unrecorded, but the warriors' response is well documented. Mass arrests and the execution of the protest's leaders were carried out with ruthless efficiency. Emotions on both sides were running high, and they reached a flashpoint when Khan Cal Jorgensson of Clan Widowmaker publicly accused Clan Wolf of having agitated the Widowmaker merchants to rise against their Clan. Khan Jerome Winson of Clan Wolf vehemently denied any involvement. He countered by claiming that Clan Widowmaker's massacre of its own people invalidated their right to govern. Clan Wolf demanded before the Grand Council that Clan Widowmaker be absorbed. Clan Widowmaker eventually lost the debate, but immediately invoked a Trial of Refusal. Clan Wolf competed for and finally won the right to defend the Grand Council's decision. The trial took place on the Steitz Plains of Ironhold. Widowmaker was defending with a Cluster of ten Stars against eleven Stars from Clan Wolf. Off the battlefield, warriors from the other Clans watched the trial through a system of monitors and satellites. The Khans of the Grand Council, led by Nicholas Kerensky, officiated the duel to ensure that the rules of this bitter battle were strictly enforced. The initial exchange was fierce, with both sides committing large forces to frontal attacks. Well into the battle, Khan Jerome Winson and Khan Cal Jorgensson mutually declared a Trial of Grievance. As the combat around them gradually died down, the two Khans squared off. When it became clear that Khan Jerome Winson was about to disable the 'Mech of Khan Cal Jorgensson, a Star of Widowmaker BattleMechs leaped into the Circle of Equals and attacked the Khan of Clan Wolf. Whether they attacked on orders or on the spur of the moment will never be known. Nicholas Kerensky and the rest of the Grand Council immediately moved to defend Khan Jerome Winson from this cowardly action. A moment later, one of Khan Cal Jorgensson's large lasers discharged at point-blank range into ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky's cockpit. There is no way of knowing if the action was intentional. The melee came to an abrupt end as technicians and medics tried desperately to extricate the stricken leader from his 'Mech. By the time they reached him, ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky was dead. In a fit of rage, Clan Wolf attacked Clan Widowmaker full force. The battle, which lasted for three days, was marked by uncompromising brutality. The Wolf Clan warriors, with the aid of the other Clans, tracked down and captured or killed all warriors of Clan Widowmaker. Clan Wolf emerged victorious and the Grand Council unanimously granted their demand to claim all Clan Widowmaker's resources. The Widowmaker symbol, a red hourglass against the abdomen of a black widow spider, was removed from Clan records. It became synonymous with disregard for Clan rules and traditions. The bandit caste frequently uses the symbol as a sign of its independence. More recently, Khan Natasha Kerensky has adopted the symbol as her own, not because she is associated with the bandit caste, but because she believes that many Clan traditions hinder rather than help the Clans. |
Rebirth and ExpansionThe death of ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky, followed by the election of Jerome Winson of Clan Wolf as ilKhan, marked the first time that the Clans were not led by a Kerensky. Instead of marking the beginning of an age of indecision and uncertainty, the next century came to be known as "The Golden Century." All facets of Clan society experienced a period of intense development and growth during this time. The worlds of the Pentagon were reconstructed, erasing the final scars of the Civil War. Nicholas Kerensky, like his father before him, was elevated to the level of a demi-god, and both his writings and recorded speeches became objects of reverence. Exploration continued in the Kerensky Cluster, but exploitation of its worlds lagged for two reasons. One was the sheer lack of people trained to take advantage of any discoveries, and the other was the Grand Council's desire to keep Clan society on a short rein. This did not prevent the Clans from bidding for newly discovered worlds. Although most Clans established only small outposts on new worlds, Clan Wolf seems to have taken fuller advantage of what they owned. They established major industrial complexes on the cluster worlds of Paxon and Tiber, despite rumblings within the Grand Council against such extensive colonization. The scientist and technician castes reached new heights of excellence during the Golden Century. They perfected artificial womb technology, rebuilt the Clans' industrial base, and made advances in virtually every field of endeavor. Not surprisingly, it was in military technology that they made the greatest, and ultimately the most devastating, advances. In 2854, scientists from Clan Coyote carried the concept of the Mercury BattleMech to its logical extreme by developing a 'Mech with a completely modular weapons system. The result was an "OmniMech", a machine whose weaponry could be completely reconfigured or replaced by a few technicians to suit the situation in just a few hours. This was the first significant improvement of the BattleMech since its development by the Star League, and it gave the Clans tremendous flexibility, which they have used against us to great advantage. Because of the OmniMechs, Clan Coyote enjoyed a considerable advantage until the other Clans could create their own versions. This took several years. At about the same time the OmniMechs were being developed, Clan Wolf scientists were working on an armored infantry suit. It protected a soldier, allowed him to keep up with 'Mechs, and enabled him to carry weaponry that could threaten 'Mechs. The Wolf Clan used the first of these powered armor suits in 2868, when two Stars of Clan Wolf infantry defeated a light Star of Clan Nova Cat OmniMechs during a Trial of Possession. Both the battle armor and those wearing it were called "Elementals" because they could fight in any element: air, water, fire, earth, or even space. It is interesting to note that some passages of The Remembrance mention specific elements when referring to the battle armor, which suggests that early versions of the units functioned in specific environments. The scientist caste began breeding larger and physically stronger warriors who could better cope with the strain of wearing the armor. Other technological and biological advances resulted in the Clans boasting troops of genetically superior Elementals before 25 years had passed. During the Golden Century, the Clans matured into a society totally unlike anything with which we are familiar. Discussions with various Loremasters indicate that it was during this era that the Clans began to foster a hatred for the peoples of the Inner Sphere. Though The Remembrance couches the Clan's sentiments in quasi-religious tones, their view of us is made clear. We are considered unenlightened savages living in luxury, while a far more civilized people is forced to live on hostile worlds far from Terra. In particular, they developed a strong contempt for the five major Houses, whom they consider responsible for the Star League's fall. Clan warriors see the worlds of the Inner Sphere, especially those of the former Terran Hegemony, as virtual paradises, but their view is distorted by both bitterness and idealization. |
Crusader's Call
By 2980 many in the Clans were ready to return to the Inner Sphere. Citing The Remembrance, warriors noted that three generations had passed many times over, and that it was time to reestablish the Star League and end their self-imposed exile. This zealous faction called itself the "Crusaders." Other warriors embraced the Crusaders' views, not because they believed in the faction's interpretation of The Remembrance, but because they saw the Inner Sphere as an opportunity to prove themselves. Even the lower castes, particularly the merchants, who were always eager for new markets, began to agree that the Hidden Hope would be resolved by the Clans' return to the Inner Sphere. The Grand Council had strong reservations about returning, mainly because of an almost total lack of information about events in the Inner Sphere since the Exodus. They expressed the fear that the Inner Sphere had not gone up in flames as predicted, but was united, as strong as or stronger than the Clans. The council decided to form Intelser, an intelligence service whose operatives would move cautiously toward the Inner Sphere to gather information. Operatives traveling as independent traders made contact with and infiltrated the Periphery states, relaying what they learned to the Clans. By 2984, a somewhat confused picture of the Inner Sphere had begun to emerge. The Clans learned that there had, indeed, been a holocaust, called the Succession Wars, as predicted by Aleksandr Kerensky. However, they mistakenly believed that the technological level of the Periphery domains was typical of the entire Inner Sphere. The Grand Council decided that the Inner Sphere was not a military threat. Those who wanted to return claimed that the conditions laid out by General Order 137 proved that the time was ripe: "When the time is right, when the strength of our will and our honor is humanity's only hope to struggle up from the ashes, only then can our strong descendants make the long journey to the home that is rightfully ours." The Crusaders felt these conditions had been fulfilled. The Grand Council agreed to discuss the Crusaders' call to arms, and thus began what would become known as the Great Debate. The Clans eventually formed two camps, the Crusaders and the Wardens. The Crusaders were those who favored an immediate return to the Inner Sphere to reestablish the Star League according to the writings of the Kerenskys. The Wardens, on the other hand, believed that the Kerenskys had never meant their words to be read so literally. They asserted that the words were meant not as a command to future generations, but to stir courage. They believed the Clans' destiny was to develop their own culture, separate from the tainted ways of the Inner Sphere, but willing and able to come to the Inner Sphere's aid if menaced by any outside threat. Though challenged to do so, the Wardens never clearly articulated what they meant by "outside threat." Some suggested intelligent life forms from beyond human-conquered space. Others made reference to the possibility of a despotic domain in the Inner Sphere whose principles ran so contrary to human decency that the Wardens would feel compelled to intervene. At most, said the Wardens, the Clans should establish only the coolest of relations with the domains of the Inner Sphere, returning only if invited or if the Successor States collapsed through their own folly. Both sides supported their arguments with the writings of the Kerenskys, but neither side could claim a majority and force the issue. Individual Clans were divided over the issue, most being split almost evenly between the two suggested courses of action. This is the most divisive issue that the Clans have ever faced. The debate lasted months, then years, during which the Crusaders slowly mustered a majority. Though Clan Wolf remained primarily Warden, even their influence could not stem the tide of support for the Crusaders. |
Dragoon CompromiseIn 3000, Khan Nadia Winson of Clan Ghost Bear, sensing that the Crusaders had finally gained the upper hand, attempted to force the issue with a vote. She was stymied when Khan Kerlin Ward of Clan Wolf suggested a clever compromise. Khan Kerlin Ward contended that not enough information was yet available to make such an important decision. He proposed sending a sizable Clan force, under the guise of a mercenary unit, into the Inner Sphere to judge its military, economic, and political might, providing the Grand Council with a detailed report of the strengths and weaknesses of their future opponents. The Grand Council agreed the plan had merit, and Clan Wolf was awarded the honor of mustering the force. Rather than risk their best fighters, they planned to use freebirths and other low-regarded warriors. If these warriors performed well, they would be rewarded by having their genes added to the gene pool. The unit was dubbed "Wolf's Dragoons." Commanding the multi-regiment unit were Jaime and Joshua Wolf, controversial choices because both were freebirth. Many of the Clans balked at this choice, but the Grand Council finally decided that Clan Wolf had the right to outfit and staff the Dragoons as they saw fit. The roster of the Dragoons included several Bloodnamed warriors who volunteered for the mission, among them a young and feisty Natasha Kerensky. The Dragoons left for the Inner Sphere in 3004, outfitted with pre-Exodus BattleMechs from some of the oldest Brian Caches. Other vehicles and equipment were retro-fitted with pre-Exodus parts to prevent advanced technology from accidentally falling into the hands of the Inner Sphere. Young freebirth "dependants" rounded out the appearance of a nomadic mercenary company. The Dragoons made contact with the Inner Sphere a year later, after making a long, circuitous journey to prevent the curious from discovering their point of origin. They went on to make their historic circuit of service through the Inner Sphere, gathering detailed information on each of the governments and militaries they served. In 3009, the unit returned to the Clans for refitting. They also filed their first-hand reports on the Inner Sphere. The Dragoons' reports contrasted significantly with the previous Clan perception of the Inner Sphere. The Dragoons reported that the Inner Sphere was not on the verge of collapse, but on the road to recovery. This revelation further divided the Grand Council. The Dragoons were ordered to return to the Inner Sphere and continue their mission, while the Clans considered the implications of their new information. The Dragoons returned, but near the end of the Third Succession War, their intelligence reports to the Grand Council began to slow, for no known reason. It is possible the Dragoons found the freedom of the Inner Sphere, where there were no real castes and where growing old as an active warrior was accepted, to their liking. On the other hand, the death of Joshua Wolf may have played a key role in turning Jaime and the rest of the Dragoons away from the Clans' grand scheme. The Grand Council was unprepared for the Dragoons' sudden reticence, and could not agree on how to react or how to supplement their intelligence-gathering efforts. The Wardens and Crusaders squared off for a new, more hotly contested debate in late 3029 when rumors from the Periphery suggested a possible union between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth. The Crusaders claimed that if the rumors were true, such a union would represent a major obstacle to any attempt by the Clans to restore the Star League. Khan Ulric Kerensky, successor to Khan Kerlin Ward in Clan Wolf, stalled a decisive vote in the Grand Council long enough for news of the Fourth Succession War to reach the Clans. This new war took much of the steam out of the Crusaders' argument that the Inner Sphere was on the verge of reunification. Khan Ulric took advantage of the situation by sponsoring a proposal to postpone the Great Debate until the end of the Fourth Succession War. The proposal was narrowly accepted, but Khan Ulric Kerensky had antagonized the leaders of Clan Jade Falcon, the most radical of the Crusader Clans. |
Invasion
I was stunned to discover that the incident that eventually tipped the scales in favor of invasion was triggered by our own Blessed Order. One day a ROM exploration vessel, Outbound Light, appeared at a jump point near Huntress, a world dominated by Clan Smoke Jaguar. Sensing an opportunity but fearing that the Inner Sphere might be on the verge of discovering the location of the Clan worlds, Khan Leo Showers ordered that the vessel be taken intact, with the crew unharmed. Instead of instantly informing the Grand Council of the capture, as might be expected, Khan Leo first interrogated the crew of the explorer ship for several days. When Khan Leo finally notified the other Clans of his discovery, he did so with superior knowledge of the Inner Sphere situation and of how ComStar, a force previously unknown to the Clans, fit into the picture. By manipulating what he had learned, Khan Leo Showers forced the Clans to reopen the Great Debate and consider several new issues. Most convincing was his argument that our Blessed Order might soon uncover the location of the Clans, thus exposing them to the entire Inner Sphere. The thought of Inner Sphere forces invading the worlds of the Clan, instead of the converse, was unthinkable to most Grand Council members. Khan Leo Showers laid out the facts of what was happening in the Inner Sphere. The Federated Commonwealth was now a battle-proven, undeniable fact. Also, there had been a sudden recovery of lostech, and the Inner Sphere was far from falling into shambles. The Khan extrapolated that the Federated Commonwealth might well subdue the rest of the Inner Sphere and declare itself the Star League reborn. This was a travesty every Clansman would be willing to give his life to prevent. It was an extremely persuasive argument. The result was a Grand Council vote in favor of invasion. Only Clan Wolf voted against. Khan Ulric Kerensky demanded a Trial of Refusal for Clan Wolf. The odds began at sixteen to one, but the bidding reduced the odds to four to one. The warriors of Clan Wolf fought bravely, particularly those of the Third Battle Cluster, who bore the brunt of the action. They nearly seized victory from Khan Leo Showers and his forces, but sheer numbers prevailed, leaving the Wolf force devastated. Khan Leo Showers took advantage of pro-Crusader sentiment, and was elected ilKhan of the Grand Council. Preparations to invade the Inner Sphere began immediately. Their plan was named Operation Revival. IlKhan Leo Showers, satisfied that he would soon see his life's ambition fulfilled, issued a formal recall order to Wolf's Dragoons, calling upon "our valiant warriors in the barbarian hinterlands to return home," despite his long-standing disdain for the unit. The recall was actually an effort to prove once and for all that Wolf's Dragoons had turned their back on the Clans and could no longer be trusted. He hoped to imply by this that Clan Wolf was also suspect. Natasha Kerensky, the only living Bloodnamed warrior of the Dragoons, was the only Dragoon to return to the Clans when called, which seemed to prove the ilKhan's contention. |
Battle of Tukayyid
With the Clans' renewed offensive, it became clear that our Blessed Order's policy of alliance and appeasement must be abandoned. In a personal meeting with Khan Ulric Kerensky, Primus Myndo Waterly and I learned from his own lips that the conquest of Terra was the single main goal of the Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere and that nothing would deflect them from this aim. This meeting took place in early January 3052 on Solsveda, in the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone of Satalice. Now that we knew the goal of the Clans' invasion, the question was how to stop them. On the return trip to Terra, the Primus and I had many discussions, during which we planned our strategy. We would attempt to buy time at first by continuing in our role as administrators of Clan-occupied worlds, as though their hope of conquering Terra did not concern us. Meanwhile, we would regroup our forces in preparation for the inevitable combat. It was my belief that the key to defeating the Clans lay in choosing the ground of battle and negotiating the goal of the combat. Once the Clans agreed to limitations on the number of troops to be used in the conflict and what constituted victory, the possibility of defeating them became real. We knew, for example, that on the planet Wolcott, Hohiro Kurita had negotiated with the Clan invaders that they would never again set foot on that planet if the defending Combine forces were victorious against them. When the Kuritans did win the battle, the Clans left the planet as agreed. They have never returned, even though the Combine began to use Wolcott as a staging area for other military actions against the Clans. Bargaining would be the key. We would find a world suitable for combat, then negotiate with the Clans to make that planet a proxy for Terra. If they succeeded in winning the proxy world, Terra would be theirs and ComStar would become their servant. If we won, we would ask that the Clans cease their offensive into the Inner Sphere for as many years as we could negotiate. Immediately upon return to Terra, I accelerated the study of Clan assaults, leaders, tactics, and losses that was underway at the Sandhurst Military Academy. The Clansmen were formidable opponents, but they had been beaten before and could be beaten again. While we continued this crucial military analysis, the members of the First Circuit would let the leaders of the Inner Sphere know that ComStar believed it could no longer remain neutral in the fight. We would promise to help supply them with information in return for their support. By February 3052, I had pinpointed the proxy world where our Com Guards would battle with the Clans to decide the fate of Terra and the Inner Sphere. Tukayyid, a quiet world whose main value to the rest of the Inner Sphere was agriculture, was considered the best of several candidates. It was located in the Rasalhague Free Republic. Not only did the terrain of the Boreal continent offer the best mix of potential battlefields, from the Cokoladu Mountains to the spacious Crucible Valley, but the planet's low population would keep civilian casualties to an absolute minimum. Tukayyid's mild weather would also be a boon to atmospheric craft, while its numerous agricultural storage facilities could hold the munitions and supplies our troops would need. Mobilizing our troops and sending them to Tukayyid would not be easy, however. It meant a massive reassignment of our resources that would tax the ships of our transport section to their limit. We would have to coordinate the operation to ensure that the troops arrived at Tukayyid on time and in an orderly fashion. Lastly, we would have to determine from which worlds we could safely draw our troops. Com Guards were and are vital to the protection of our facilities, and that protection is their primary duty. Though the tasks were daunting, ComStar had the resources and will to see the job done. The Primus paved the way with the government of the Free Rasalhague Republic by promising to send ComStar ships to evacuate the civilians wishing to leave Tukayyid. She would also assure the planet's agrocombines that ComStar would indemnify them for damages the battle might cause their operations |
Bargained Well and DoneTentative feelers about bidding for Terra were sent out to the ilKhan and the rest of the Clans through our representatives in mid-February. After only a short delay, the ilKhan agreed to a meeting. In early April I traveled once more into the Clan Occupation Zone to meet with Ulric, despite the initial objections of the Primus against sending her commander into the wolf's den. Eventually I persuaded her that the ilKhan would respect this as a show of bravery. My act would also represent a challenge to the other Clans, whose approval Ulric would need. IlKhan Ulric Kerensky and I met aboard the Dire Wolf, and our discussions proved to be straightforward and to the point. As I laid out the plan of a single battle to determine the fate of Terra, I was pleased to see that the ilKhan was impressed with our audacity. We agreed on the following terms. Tukayyid would serve as the proxy battlefield for Terra, and the Com Guards would act as its defender. To more easily determine the winner, the contest would be fought for the planet's twelve major cities. Twelve armies of Com Guards would defend the cities against the Galaxies of all six Clans presently within the Inner Sphere. The battle would have no time limit. The commanders of both sides would decide when their troops had suffered too much to effectively fight on. If the Clans won, then blessed Terra would be theirs alone, with ComStar as their administrative arm. Should ComStar win, I won from Ulric the promise that the Clans would cease all offensive actions for 15 years. Almost as an afterthought, we decided that the fight for Tukayyid would begin the first day of May. When the ilKhan and I clasped hands to seal the agreement, neither of us could have imagined just how much the coming battle would change the known universe. |
Final Bidding
A week after I left, the ilKhan convened a kurultai to present our agreement to the other Khans. Some were skeptical, but eventually the dissenters were won over by those Clan leaders eager to participate in what they assumed would be an easy victory. The Khans of Clan Nova Cat and Smoke Jaguar were particularly anxious for the fight because they wanted a chance to wipe away the shame of their humiliating defeat on Luthien. The six Clans bid to determine where and when each would begin the battle on Tukayyid. Twelve cities were paired by geographic proximity to create six targets. Each target was ranked according to desirability, which was determined by size and whether the surrounding terrain favored the attacker or the defender. Having concluded the bidding for the targets, the Khans next decided on the timing of each Clan's drop onto the planet. The Clans would land at regular intervals, with the first Clan to land having the best chance at glory if they could defeat their opponents and seize their targets before the next Clan dropped onto the planet. This bidding became an opportunity to repay a few grudges. Apparently, Jade Flacon, Nova Cat, and Smoke Jaguar went out of their way to ensure that Clan Wolf failed to win good targets or times. They assumed that the fight on Tukayyid would be over before Clan Wolf could join the battle, a loss of glory that would shame the Wolves for many years. When the bidding ended, Clan Wolf was left with the minor cities of Brzo and Skupo, and the final time slot for dropping onto Tukayyid. The Khans of Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar were well satisfied with the results of the bidding, but they did not realize that the ilKhan had actually counseled Khan Natasha Kerensky to curb her impatience and to purposely allow the other Clans to take the better targets and times. He knew that the fight for Tukayyid was likely to be a long, drawn-out battle. Being last to land would actually give Clan Wolf an advantage because they would have two days to observe the action and adjust their plans to match the Com Guards' style of combat. The rest of the kurultai was spent in discussions of how the results on Tukayyid would affect the determination of the ilClan. Half the Khans felt that because Terra was the prize for victory on Tukayyid, then whichever Clan outperformed the others on that battlefield should be declared the ilClan. Other, more tradition-bound Khans passionately argued that Nicholas Kerensky's words were meant to be taken literally and that the Clan to first set foot on Terra would become the ilClan. The traditionalists eventually prevailed. |
Days of Armageddon
The six separate assaults on Tukayyid were as different as the Clans that mounted them, the battles showing the strengths and weaknesses of each Clan's fighting and leadership style. The terrain was a major factor in each outcome, as expected. The results, however, could not have been predicted. Our holotape record of the 20-day battle for Tukayyid has allowed me to summarize each encounter by Clan. |
Smoke JaguarThe DropShips of Clan Smoke Jaguar were the first to land on Tukayyid. Their targets were the cities of Dinju Heights and Port Racice. In an attempt to defeat both cities swiftly, the overconfident Jaguar Khans unwisely split their forces into two groups. One group landed in the Dinju Mountains, and the second landed 30 kilometers to the south, in the Racice Delta. The Jaguar Grenadiers and the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons overtook the Fiftieth Division in the foothills of the Dinju Mountains, completely destroying the green unit before the rest of the Com Guard force in the area could be brought to bear. The Clan force sustained minimal damage. The Com Guard forces in the Racice Delta used the advantages offered by the terrain and some well-placed artillery to herd the First Jaguar Grenadiers into the marshes. Hit-and-run attacks by the 367th, 401st, and 207th Divisions of the Fifth Army drove the Jaguars further and further into the delta. By the end of the third day, the First Jaguar Grenadiers had been decimated; Clan Smoke Jaguar had lost nearly half its forces. The 323rd Division of the Fifth Army lured the Jaguar Grenadiers and the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons into Dinju Pass, where the heavier elements of the 299th were concealed, waiting to cut off their escape. The strategy was successful, and the Com Guard forces trapped the Jaguars in the pass. The noose grew tighter when several divisions of the Second Army arrived as reinforcements, replacing the elements of the Fifth lost in the initial engagements. The Jaguars expended a tremendous amount of ammunition in an attempt to break free of the trap. The battle of Dinju Pass had heavy casualties on both sides. Though the Smoke Jaguars finally broke through, both their Khans died leading the attack. The breakdown in the chain of command proved the Smoke Jaguars' undoing. At this point, ilKhan Kerensky ordered the DropShips of Clan Smoke Jaguar to evacuate the remaining forces. Most of the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons and the Jaguar Grenadiers refused to board the DropShips. Rather than face the humiliation of retreating offworld, the two elite Galaxies vowed to fight to the death. The Jaguars led the Com Guards in and out of the steep canyons of the Dinju Mountains, dragging out the battle beyond hope of victory before succumbing to attrition, and withdrawing what was left of their troops. The Jaguars probably never realized that the Second Army had been brought in to reinforce the Fifth. Thus they fought too long, believing that they faced only a handful of remaining foes. Estimates say that in the end, only 22 percent of Clan Smoke Jaguars' three Galaxies made it off Tukayyid. |
Steel ViperLearning from Clan Smoke Jaguar's strategic mistake, the Khans of Clan Steel Viper chose a more conservative drop pattern, setting down en masse on the open expanse of the Kozice Plains. Their targets were Kozice Ranch Station and Kelly Springs. Several divisions of the Sixth Army fought a delaying action, using artillery and aerospace superiority to keep the Vipers off-balance, while the rest of the Com Guard force dug in between the Vipers and their objectives, sending raiding parties out to harass the Vipers between barrages. Despite the constant harassment, the forces of Clan Steel Viper doggedly continued to push forward. The Sixth managed to slow the Vipers' advance sufficiently to allow several armored units to be concealed directly in their path. These units, coupled with an elite division of heavy 'Mechs in hardened positions, were enough to bring Clan Steel Viper to a full halt 20 kilometers west of Kozice Ranch Station. When the Viper Guards finally crossed enemy lines, they were blocked by Devil's Bath. This field of geysers, boiling mud, and wind-chiseled granite columns, which rose higher than any 'Mech, was only 15 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. Unsure of how to deal with this new terrain, the Vipers were again brought up short, forced to regroup and rethink their strategy. The next day the Vipers slowly forced the Com Guards back to Devil's Bath. They copied the Wolf Clan's Galaxy formation, sweeping the ComStar forces ahead of them with a large front. The Com Guard defenders suffered serious damage. The victory at Devil's Bath cost the Steel Viper Clan most of its ammunition, leaving them ill-prepared for the counteroffensive launched by two reserve divisions of the Second and Fifth Com Guard Armies that were waiting for them on the other side. When a section of the Viper battleline broke ranks, the Com Guard force pressed their advantage with a broad offensive. Even though these attacks failed to rout the Vipers, they were not able to advance beyond the banks of Devil's Bath. The Com Guard force renewed its war of attrition with light assaults along the front lines, eating away at Clan Steel Vipers' reserve materiel. The engagement ended when the Sixth Army sent the 386th and First Divisions after the First Viper Cavalry. The fresh Com Guard troops outmatched the beleaguered Viper forces, and the battle raged for several hours. When both Khans of the Clan were wounded in the action, they called for retreat. |
Nova CatThe warriors of Clan Nova Cat sought to end their fight quickly with a mixed drop and landing just ten kilometers from both Joje and Tost in the Losiije Lake District. The Nova Cats paid for their daring strategy when Com Guard fighters crippled one of the Clan's DropShips, which crashed with no survivors. The Cats pushed for Joje immediately upon landing, but the 417th and Ninth Divisions of the Seventh Army lured them into attacking a well-defended position just north of the city. Their advance was stymied by explosives and vibrabomb fields set by Com Guard sappers. Air and armor elements harassed the Cats, their artillery slowing and finally stopping their advance fewer than five kilometers from their target. Clan Nova Cat tried to pressure the Com Guards by sending the Forty-fourth Nova Cat Cavaliers east along the Losiije Lake Road toward Tost, while the rest of the Clan redoubled its efforts to take Joje. The Cavaliers were taken by surprise, however, by the reserve units already in position along the road. Under heavy fire, the Cavaliers were forced into the shelter of the hills just above the lake. After a failed rescue attempt by the rest of their unit, the remaining Cavaliers were able to sneak out and rejoin the main force under cover of fog. Though quickly running out of ballistic ammunition, Clan Nova Cat still managed to push through the Losiije Lake District, surrounding Joje and Tost with little more than a Cluster of experienced pilots and fully functional BattleMechs. The Com Guards successfully held their position for several days, venturing out only to force the Cats to expend more of their small supply of ammunition. When the Com Guard defenders at Tost began to weaken, the 417th and Ninth Divisions were dispatched from Joje to attack the Twenty-first Nova Cat Grenadiers at Tost, forcing the Nova Cats to divide their attention between the two divisions holding the city and the divisions attacking them from the rear. To avoid spreading their forces too thin, the Grenadiers withdrew to Joje, concentrating their efforts on a single objective. After some light skirmishing, the Thirty-fourth Nova Cat Guards withdrew, luring the 244th and 467th Divisions of the Seventh Army into the Twenty-first Nova Cat Grenadiers' waiting ambush. The two Nova Cat forces routed the green troops of the 467th, trapping the 244th between them. Both Com Guard divisions were eventually defeated, the victory buying the Cats access to several ComStar supply depots. Settling in for what they expected to be a long siege, Clan Nova Cat was stunned by a furious pre-dawn assault from the Seventh Army that ruptured the Clan's surrounding lines in several places. The Com Guards, having broken through the Cats' encirclement, resumed their hit-and-run tactics to great effect as ComStar armor poured in, literally overrunning the Clan positions. Chaos reigned for the next 36 hours. In the end, the Nova Cats had given up almost half of the Lake district. Clan Nova Cat maintained the advantage of a surprise attack for several hours in their final advance towards Joje and Tost, but the poor condition of the Nova Cats' weapons, lack of ammunition, and battle fatigue had taken its toll. The final battle for Losiije claimed the heaviest casualties of the war on both sides. The Seventh Army was reduced to 30 percent of its operational strength, and less than three Stars of Nova Cats limped back to their DropShips. |
Ghost BearClan Ghost Bear was targeting the cities of Spanac and Luk. Almost immediately after landing 50 kilometers to the east of their objective, the Ghost Bears encountered elements of the First Com Guard Army, which engaged them in a series of ambushes and hit-and-run attacks. The Ghost Bears managed to break the center of the First Army's defensive line when the 121st Com Guard Division failed to fall back as quickly as the rest of the line. As the Third Cluster of the Seventh Bear Guards and the Sixteenth Bear Dragoons tried to exploit this opening and split the ComStar force, elements of the Fourth Army Reserve, called in to reinforce Luk, swept past their front line and attacked their rear in a move that stopped their drive cold. Caught between the Ninety-first and Twelfth Divisions, the Ghost Bears were forced to withdraw. The Com Guards set up an ambush along the projected Ghost Bear line of retreat, but instead trapped the First Cluster of the Seventh Bear Guards, which had been dispatched to cover the withdrawal. In the ensuing battle, the ComStar troops trapped the Ghost Bears by setting fire to a forest, completely destroying the First Cluster. At Spanac, the remnants of the Seventh Bear Guards and the Sixteenth Bear Dragoons linked up with elements of the Third Bear Cavalry that had been attempting to lay siege to the city. Knowing that the rest of the First and Fourth Armies were on the way, the Ghost Bears launched a furious offensive. Their attack unbalanced the ComStar forces, forcing them to give ground to Clan Ghost Bear while they attempted to regroup. Pressing their advantage, the Ghost Bears drove the First Com Guards into Spanac. Using their heavy assault Clusters to pin down the Com Guards, the Third Bear Cavalry pushed through the defensive perimeter. Though they suffered heavy casualties, their advance quickly compromised the Com Guards' defenses. When the First Com Guards recognized this, they pulled out of Spanac, leaving it to the triumphant warriors of Clan Ghost Bear. When the Fourth Army arrived, they were faced by two Clan units in highly defensible locations with access to ComStar supply depots. Unwilling to risk a direct assault, the Fourth began an around-the-clock artillery barrage on the Sixteenth Bear Dragoons. Those forces of Clan Ghost Bear not pinned down by artillery fire and not necessary to hold Spanac, attempted to take Luk. As they attacked, divisions of the First Army, reinforced by elements of the Fourth Com Guards, fell on the nearest Ghost Bear supply depots. The Ghost Bears were forced to decide which was more important, the city or the ammunition. Already dangerously low on supplies, Clan Ghost Bear had little choice. They turned back toward the threatened supplies, giving up most of the ground they had gained. In their final push, the Ghost Bears advanced 49 kilometers into the defenses of the First Com Guard Army, making it to the outskirts of Luk. Too few operational OmniMechs remained to break through the city's defenses, however. Ghost Bear was one of the few Clans able to achieve even one of their objectives. They were unable to take Luk, but had won the day at Spanac. |
Jade FalconThe warriors of Clan Jade Falcon made the most cautious landing of all. The Clan's DropShips landed in the dead of night on the Prezno Plain, closely guarded by the Jade Falcon aerospace fighters. The Khans wanted to be ready for all eventualities. Their objectives were the cities of Olalla and Humptulips on the Prezno Plain. Jade Falcon made their advance cautiously, making full use of their recon capabilities. The Falcons' advance was so slow that it allowed the Third Com Guard Army and its reserve, the Eleventh Com Guards, more than enough time to arrange their defenses. The Com Guards initiated a series of hit-and-run attacks designed to force the Falcons to waste time creating multiple defenses. The Galaxies of Clan Jade Falcon continued their slow advance despite the constant harassment. When Clan Jade Falcon finally reached the banks of the Prezno River, their light Galaxy attempted to seize the two bridges spanning its deep waters, only to see the bridges demolished by Com Guard explosives just as the lead elements of the Galaxy were crossing. A follow-up artillery barrage forced the Clan to pull back to just 20 kilometers from where they had landed, almost 50 kilometers from either of their objectives. Clan Jade Falcon's advance was blocked by the Prezno River when efforts to find a suitable ford proved fruitless. Attempts to wade through the river's swift currents also failed. What little success Jade Falcon Clan achieved came through the air, as their fighters established partial air superiority and began to strafe Com Guard ground forces. Clan Jade Falcon determined that they must cross the river at any cost. The assault opened with their fighters bombarding and strafing Com Guard positions on the banks. OmniMechs and Elementals jumped across the river, followed by the heavier OmniMechs, who attempted to wade across without being swept away by the current. The fight to establish a beachhead inflicted heavy damage on both sides. One Clan Jade Falcon supply depot was destroyed by Com Guard fighters during this battle. The Falcon Guard finally broke through Com Guard defenses on the far side of the Prezno River, cutting a path for the rest of their force. Clan Jade Falcon and the Com Guard defenders fought to a stalemate. As supplies dwindled and casualties mounted, Clan Jade Falcon could do little but recall their Clusters and concede failure.The Falcon Guards skillfully covered the withdrawal to the pickup zones, minimizing Clan Jade Falcon casualties. |
Diamond SharksClan Diamond Shark set down in the Kozice Valley. They were to serve as the Clans reserve unit, with objectives chosen by the ilKhan as the battle progressed. The Diamond Sharks' assignment turned out to be with elements of the Third Army, which had been ordered to engage them. Their initial engagement was with the Eighty-fifth and 182nd Divisions, which happened to be stationed closest to the Diamond Sharks' drop zone. The Nineteenth Shark Fusiliers fared well against the Eighty-fifth Division, but their drive was blunted by the 182nd Division, near the town of Urcunat. The Eighty-fifth regrouped and harassed the rear elements of the Nineteenth Shark Fusiliers. The rest of the Third Com Guard arrived just in time to stop a concerted drive by the Seventh Shark Guards down the center of the valley. When Clan Diamond Shark faced the whole of the Third Com Guard contingent, they discovered that their forces were evenly matched. The battle became a stalemate. The Eighty-fifth Division successfully disrupted Diamond Shark supply lines for the better part of a day. The Twenty-second Shark Cavaliers retaliated by destroying the entire Eighty-fifth Division. The rest of the Third Army moved into the hills and set up their defense. The battle in Kozice Valley continued to be a stalemate for several days, ending with the arrival of the Second and Fifth Armies. Their arrival cut the Diamond Sharks off from their supplies. The combined Com Guard forces laid down a barrage of shells and missiles that blasted the Clan from their fortifications, destroying whole Stars before the Diamond Sharks could move out. When the Second Army moved in on the Nineteenth Shark Fusiliers' position, they encountered no resistance. The Twenty-second Shark Cavaliers fought off the first assault by the Eighth Army, but they surrendered when the Second Army flanked and surrounded them. The Seventh Shark Guards made a break for freedom, but were cut down by the Fifth Army. In the end, the Clan Diamond Shark forces in the Kozice Valley were completely destroyed. |
WolfThe Clan Wolf DropShips landed 40 kilometers southeast of their objectives, the cities of Skupo and Brzo. Once down and secure, the Clan Wolf Galaxies lined up as if they expected to fight from the first step instead of forming the loose traveling columns they favored. Arrayed against Clan Wolf was the Tenth Army, composed of some of the best divisions and regiments the Com Guards had to offer. Having pinpointed the exact position of the Clan landing, Precentor V Margo Koivu deployed her forces among the trees covering the foothills of the Porozistu Mountains. Contact came as Clan Wolf passed the little hamlet of Forest's End. The ComStar forces engaged the Sixth Wolf Cavalry and the 121st Wolf Lancers, holding the 283rd Division to fend off the Fourth Wolf Dragoons. The 283rd, though inexperienced, fought better than expected, and prevented Clan Wolf closing a loop that would have trapped the divisions involved in the primary engagement. While the 283rd held off the Fourth Wolf Dragoons, elements of the Clan's right flank were harried by members of the elite Sixty-sixth Division. The Wolf Khans, seeing no easy way around the attackers, hit them in the center of their offensive line. The concerted pressure weakened the Com Guards' formation and forced the 278th from their hilltop position. Hard-pressed, the Com Guards started to fall back under cover of artillery support. Aerospace elements on either side were of little help to those on the ground, as they were fighting a running battle of their own. The retreat was accomplished in good order, and the Tenth Army regrouped 20 kilometers from Brzo and Skupo, establishing a new defensive line. Precentor Koivu was concerned when her forces withdrew from Forest's End without pursuit. She had expected to be relentlessly harried, especially since Clan Wolf had blooded several divisions. Yet, as she positioned her forces outside Skupo and Brzo, the enemy was not in sight. The Precentor's concern was validated when the Clan attempted to skirt the Tenth in an attempt to take the enemy's rear or to bypass them entirely in a drive for Skupo. The Com Guards deployed scouts and fighters to find the Wolves, but the recon fighters were harassed by Clan Wolf fighters, and so Koivu's scouts found nothing but trees and hills. As the Com Guards started to fall back, the Thirteenth Wolf Guards slipped behind the 166th Division. The Precentor immediately ordered her reserve divisions forward, sending the veteran 282nd Division to take on the Thirteenth Wolf Guards and force them away from the 166th and Skupo. The next two hours would be crucial. The Com Guards began to pull back from their position, only to be attacked by the rest of Clan Wolf. They could not halt their withdrawal without stretching their forces dangerously thin in order to prevent Clan Wolf from slipping through their lines. The Precentor ordered her reserve divisions to stand firm in the face of the Wolf juggernaut to cover the retreat. The 282nd Division made contact with the Thirteenth Wolf Guards, and the ensuing fight, though far more costly for the 282nd, forced the Wolf Spiders to abandon their drive. By the time the Wolf Spiders pulled back, most of the Tenth Army stood on the crest of a series of steep hills overlooking the two cities and the road that connected them, less than five kilometers away. Before the Com Guard forces could dig in, Clan Wolf launched another offensive. Again they engaged the Com Guards up and down the line. When the defenders weakened, they hit the center of the line with a vengeance, straining the defensive perimeter to the breaking point. Having successfully broken through, the warriors of Clan Wolf stood on the road between the two cities. It was beginning to look as if Clan Wolf would encircle Brzo, trapping most of the Tenth Army. The Wolf Spiders were in for a shock, however. As they closed on what appeared to be an open hilltop, 'Mechs, tanks, and squads of infantry rose out of a system of trenches to fire on the stunned Wolf warriors. The fighting in the trenches was fierce and unforgiving. Only sheer stubbornness and an unwillingness to retreat saved the Wolf Spiders. After an hour of short-range firefights, the Com Guard division pulled back, with the Wolf Spiders on their heels. They reached the road, ready to continue the push northward and threatening to encircle Skupo. But elements of the Ninth Army appeared from the northwest, supported by aerospace fighters and artillery. The fresh troops barreled into the bulge that Clan Wolf had created between the two cities. Elements of the Ninth were also diverted to reinforce the reeling 138th. By midnight the battleline resembled the letter "m." Clan Wolf had suffered a major disappointment in being prevented from closing a loop around either Skupo or Brzo. The Com Guards had achieved a great, but costly, victory because the Tenth Army had held long enough for the Ninth to arrive. The Precentor and her staff made an important discovery during the fighting. Not only was Clan Wolf being conservative with their ammunition (unlike the other Clans), but they had configured their OmniMechs with a heavy bias toward energy weapons. In addition, most of the Elementals fought without the usual SRM pack, and supply trains were following closely behind the second line. This frugality made one thing certain: the Com Guards could not count on Clan Wolf running out of ammunition. The fight for Skupo and Brzo continued with only short respites. It was centered on the Wolf Spiders, who renewed their efforts against the 138th Division. Under heavy fire from the Clan, the demoralized and inexperienced warriors broke and ran. Despite the reassignment of reserves from the Ninth Army as reinforcements for the 138th, the Wolf Spiders destroyed their prey completely. As Khan Kerensky hunted, the Twenty-fourth Wolf Rangers engaged the 278th Division, and the 166th fought a hit-and-run battle with the remnants of the Thirteenth Wolf Guards. The Com Guard forces were finally overwhelmed. Skupo fell to Clan Wolf. The Com Guards could not slow the progress of the Thirteenth Wolf Guards as they continued to push north to connect with the rest of their force. The resulting encirclement would trap whole Com Guard divisions in Skupo. Rather than risk the loss of so many warriors, the Com Guards withdrew and conceded Skupo to Clan Wolf. Even retreat would prove difficult, because Clan Wolf launched a major push at virtually the same time. This caused considerable confusion among the retreating forces. Com Guard division commanders are to be praised for preventing the confusion from becoming a panic. As it was, the Wolf Guards captured almost two hundred warriors in their encirclement of Skupo. The Fourth Wolf Dragoons and the Sixth Wolf Cavalry reappeared in the bulge. Both had been conspicuous by their absence during the past two days, and their arrival was dreaded, with good reason. Their main axis of attack was aimed directly at Brzo. The force of so many Clan heavy and assault OmniMechs attempting to breach the defenses around the city was daunting, and it was understandable when the Tenth Army bent. It is to their credit that they did not immediately break. The divisions of the Ninth Army did not wait for an order to launch their own offensive in support of the Tenth, hoping to slow the Wolf offensive. The two Clan Wolf assault Clusters shifted their axis. The Ninth's assault, instead of helping to hold the Clan forces, allowed Clan Wolf to breach the defensive ring where the two armies should have met. This split the Com Guard forces into two groups, a dangerous situation. In response to these new attacks, the Eleventh Army was dispatched to reinforce the faltering defense of Brzo. Clan Wolf was expected to attack the Ninth Army, but advance scouts reported the Clan devoting considerable effort to raiding Com Guard supply depots and creating and concealing depots of their own. Though it was obvious that Clan Wolf was willing to use its mobility to work around advantageous ComStar positions, they remained in the Porozistu Mountains. The Eleventh Com Guards had been assigned to that area to take part in a direct engagement with ilKhan Ulric Kerensky's forces. Clan Wolf gradually broke off individual battles to regroup for the final engagement in the mountains. The fighting began amid a raging thunderstorm. Clan Wolf moved forward slowly, feinting and thrusting to maintain their advantage. The links to their supply bases held, and ComStar's few attempts to disrupt these lines were quickly smashed. Even with this advantage, what little ground was taken was won at a heavy price. Khan Garth Radick was slain commanding the Sixth Wolf Cavalry. Clan Wolf inflicted heavy enough damage on the ComStar forces that the Thirteenth Army was committed to the mountains. Before the new ComStar force could join the engagement, however, the battle for Tukayyid ended. |
Lessons of War
Tukayyid was a bloodbath. No other word accurately describes it. Almost 40 percent of our soldiers died in 21 days of fighting on that planet. Another 42 percent were injured. Among the Clans, the mortality rate ranged from a high of 30 percent dead, 60 percent wounded, for Clan Smoke Jaguar, to a low of 9 percent dead, 29 percent wounded, for Clan Steel Viper. Clan Wolf, for all the hellish action it saw, left Tukayyid with 20 percent dead, 15 percent wounded. Clan Wolf was the only Clan to capture both objectives. Only Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Jade Falcon achieved a draw, and the other Clans were defeated. The defeat of warriors who had seemed invincible, who had shaken the best soldiers of the Inner Sphere, was hard to explain. The best explanation was given by the ilKhan himself, who said, "Our bidding promotes brilliance and audacity, but it also minimizes losses." Their elaborate rituals for fighting serve as much to promote the survival of the Clans by limiting who can fight and for what, as to encourage warriors to be their best. An absolute minimum of warriors are allowed to risk their lives, and it discourages further fighting to satisfy vendettas and revenge. The Clans' rules of engagement have worked so well that the last time the Clans fought an extended campaign was during the Exodus Civil Wars, 250 years ago. As a result, the Clans display great tactical wizardry, but little strategic skill. The logistics of supply proved the undoing of most of the Clans on Tukayyid. All the Clans but Wolf brought only enough spare parts and ballistic ammunition for a three-day campaign, at most. Clan warriors, in their eagerness to prove their worth, burned up their supplies at twice the rate of normal combat use. Even when a Clan had adequate supplies, it failed to keep those supplies protected and close to the troops. Most of the Clans left their supplies at the DZ, transporting them as needed across increasing distances. As the supply lines lengthened, certain operations, such as reconfiguring OmniMechs, became so impractical as to be impossible. Their ability to rearm and repair dwindled with every kilometer traveled. The Clans did not see the importance of protecting their supply depots or convoys. Clans never include rear-echelon functions in their bidding, so the idea that supplies could serve as targets gradually disappeared from their concept of military strategy. In the Inner Sphere, however, the destruction of an enemy's supply base has always been as important as the destruction of his BattleMechs. When our commanders realized how little attention the Clans gave to protecting their supplies, their depots became natural targets. The Clans thought this cowardly or dishonorable, but it got the job done, and that was what mattered. When it was not possible to attack the Clans' logistical weaknesses, the Com Guards attacked their supply line with indirect tactics. A Clan warrior faced with an opponent who refuses to stand and fight will eventually expend whatever ammunition is necessary to see that enemy captured and destroyed. This philosophy encouraged Com Guard warriors to attack in as many light engagements and quick disengagements as possible before being forced to stand and slug it out. By the time the Com Guards reached the point of fighting a prolonged battle, Clan forces would have already expended valuable ammunition in frustration, and would be eager to use even more as their foes came into range. Clan Wolf was the exception. They landed with enough ammunition, spare parts, and technical support to carry out a lengthy campaign. As the battle moved, so did their supplies, via a system that kept at least half of their supplies in transit at all times. Their supplies were protected by enough second-line troops to hold back any attack long enough for reinforcements to arrive from the front. These systems were the result of ilKhan Ulric Kerensky's unClan-like interest in the behind-the-scenes mechanics of warfare. Only the stubbornness of the other Clans prevented them from adopting similar measures. Many did not live to recognize their mistake. Battles for other Inner Sphere worlds often lasted longer than three weeks; why was Tukayyid different? Even though Inner Sphere militaries defended other planets against the Clans for weeks and sometimes even months, their tactics were affected by other considerations. Some were purely military: the defenders realized that to adequately protect one world from the Clans, others had to go virtually undefended. This strategy failed because the Clans often bypassed the heavily defended world, took those that were unprotected, then returned at their leisure with enough Clusters to take the well-defended world. Political realities and the protection of a planet's population also occupied the minds of Inner Sphere commanders. These other considerations prevented them from fully recognizing that the Clans' supply lines could have become their Achilles' heel. Though there were exceptions, most Inner Sphere commanders were so blinded by the Clan warriors' battlefield superiority that they failed to realize that the key to success against the invasion was to deprive the Clans of their weapons. |
Lessons for the FutureMany in the Inner Sphere have wondered if the Clans can be trusted to honor the Tukayyid agreement. The answer to that question is an unequivocal yes. The Clans can be trusted not to stray outside the borders of the Clan Occupation Zones: they are honor-bound by the terms of the agreement. Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Jade Falcon especially will chafe at the restrictions, dreaming of the day when they are free to avenge their humiliation at the hands of the Inner Sphere, but they will not break the agreement for fear of being cast out of the Clans. The Clans will spend the next 15 years assimilating the worlds in the Occupation Zones, exploiting their newly won resources, and rebuilding their military. This last work is what makes the Inner Sphere most uneasy. The Clans will be busy with their own concerns, but the next 15 years will not be without tension. The Clans will continue their military exercises and indulge in games of brinkmanship with the Inner Sphere forces. If ComStar and the Inner Sphere governments do nothing rash, however, peace will reign. Relations between the Clans may not be as tranquil. The war caused a loss of face for some Clans that they might feel requires cleansing by battlefield blood. Battles among the Clans will almost surely occur. One of the more likely confrontations is between Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Wolf over the lingering rumor that ilKhan Ulric Kerensky somehow orchestrated the death of ilKhan Leo Showers at Radstadt. Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Steel Viper, and Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat are also likely to do battle in Trials of Possession. Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Smoke Jaguar suffer great shame: not only were they forced to accept during the last year of the war, but they now must share the jointly conquered worlds in their zones with other Clans. The effect of the Clan invasion on the Inner Sphere can only be measured by the events of the next 15 years. In the short term, the Clan invasion has momentarily set aside generations of animosity between Inner Sphere realms, in favor of a cooperation few would have believed possible a few years ago. This is particularly true of the relations between the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine, who came close to full alliance during the war. This is not to say that the Inner Sphere realms have banded together closely enough to fight off any outside threat; far from it. Considerable hatred still motivates many actions. Tragic evidence of this is seen in the assassination of Justin Allard, Secretary of Military Intelligence for the Federated Commonwealth, and the revenge assassination of Romano Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, who commissioned Allard's death. The ramifications of these murders are still rippling through the Inner Sphere. One of these is the coming marriage of Sun-Tzu Liao, the new Chancellor, to Isis Marik. Isis Marik is, of course, the heir-apparent to the Free Worlds League if Joshua Marik does not survive his battle with leukemia. The extent of the Inner Sphere's transformation by the Clans will become clear during the next few years as the Federated Commonwealth comes to grips with the unexpected death of Prince Hanse Davion. His death from heart failure just days after the hostilities ended shocked the whole Inner Sphere. Now his wife, Melissa Steiner-Davion, Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth, must lead that vast empire. She will determine whether the fragile alliance between her realm and the Draconis Combine will continue, now that the Clans have been temporarily stopped. The invasion of the Inner Sphere must have been a bitter experience for the Clans, but not without its lessons. To have been stopped short of Terra by what they saw as barbarian realms must have been a sickening blow for Clansmen, both here and back on the homeworlds. Some of the Clans will forever be enemies of the Inner Sphere, but others will follow the lead of Clan Wolf, recognizing that the people of the Inner Sphere are capable of great strength and intelligence. Clan Steel Viper, for one, seems to have accepted Clan Wolf's assessment. Though the invasion was a sobering lesson for the Clans, the acquisition of so many worlds may soothe the sting of defeat. Already reports indicate that shiploads of raw materials are leaving the Inner Sphere for the Clan homeworlds, and the first loads of lower-caste civilians are expected to arrive soon. As the years pass, I am quite sure that trade will develop between the Clans and the rest of the Inner Sphere. This will give us a look into the everyday life of Clan society. It should be stressed, however, that even if the next 15 years prove profitable beyond the wildest expectations of the Clans, it is unlikely they will be content to leave Terra unconquered. The dream of a reunited Star League burns brightly in the heart of even the most liberal Clansman. For Clan Wolf, the invasion of the Inner Sphere has turned what looked like certain defeat for their Warden beliefs into, at the least, a stalemate with the Crusaders. At the same time, the war has reestablished Clan Wolf's preeminence. Not only did the Clan of the Kerenskys fight more efficiently and win more worlds than any other Clan, but the Wolf Clan was the only one to carry the day at Tukayyid. |
Clan RistarsAt least part of Clan Wolf's success must be attributed to two key figures within the Clan. The first ristar is Khan Natasha Kerensky. She left the Clans as a young warrior under the command of Jaime and Joshua Wolf. Her return to Clan Wolf provided them with a warrior of exceptional abilities, who quickly won a Khanship and command of Wolf Clan's strongest Galaxy. More than that, she was a blunt, but undeniably informed, spokesperson for the Warden views. She lived for decades in the Inner Sphere, and knew we are not barbarians, but strong, civilized people. Her return to Clan Wolf makes it difficult to imagine that the Crusaders could ever split that Clan the way they had before the invasion. The second ristar is now Khan Phelan Ward. He was captured and made bondsman to Clan Wolf in the first wave of the invasion. To survive in a society so contemptuous of outsiders is an accomplishment; to flourish in that society is remarkable; to achieve the highest rank of command in such a society is an achievement even the most imaginative writer would consider unbelievable. Khan Phelan Ward has done all that. After Tukayyid, he won a Trial of Bloodright for the Ward Bloodname. In a remarkable show of unity, Clan Wolf promoted him by unanimous vote to the second Khanship, left vacant by the death of Khan Garth Radick on Tukayyid. He was given command of Beta Galaxy. In just three years, he rose from bondsman to the warrior elite. He helps shape the Clans' will and has superseded Loremaster Conal Ward and many other candidates. Khan Phelan Ward performed a great service for the Inner Sphere at a Grand Kurultai convened by ilKhan Ulric Kerensky on 23 May aboard the Dire Wolf. The Khans met to determine their response to Primus Waterly's Operation Scorpion and how it would affect their commitment to 15 years without hostilities. Many of the Khans wished to abrogate the Tukayyid agreement and resume the Clan offensive. Primus Waterly's attempt to wrest control of the planets away from the Clans was dishonorable and ultimately ludicrous, and I would not have been surprised if they had immediately resumed their war against the Inner Sphere. However, Khan Phelan Ward reminded the assembled Khans of one basic fact: despite their superior skills, the Clans had just suffered a major defeat. They were heavily outnumbered by foes who, though not the better warriors, were superior in other ways and rapidly improving. The presence of a former Inner Sphere warrior addressing them as an equal helped drive this point home to the Khans. They protested, but ultimately agreed to honor the Tukayyid agreement |
Future of COMSTARThe passing days continue to reveal how the invasion affected our Blessed Order. Precentor Waterly's Operation Scorpion was the last straw in a long line of outrages that the First Circuit could no longer tolerate. Primus Waterly's retirement was handled with courtesy and dispatch, as was the voluntary retirement of Precentor Demona Aziz, who could not in good faith serve under our new Primus, Sharilar Mori. It is distressing that rumors of their deaths have followed their retirement, but be assured that I have had the pleasure of communicating recently with both. Coming hard on the heels of our victory on Tukayyid was the discovery of Jerome Blake's Technology Primer. The book was found in the cornerstone of the Hilton Head HPG station, the first that Jerome Blake built as Primus. The Primus and her experts will have to decipher the full implications of this book, but I can reveal that it is a simple, straightforward text detailing the operation of an HPG station. Even I, lacking technical training, can understand it. The words on the title page, in the hand of Blessed Blake, surpass the importance of the book itself. I quote, "Let no person, or group of people, obstruct the spread of knowledge. We stand for the enlightenment and protection of all mankind. It is our task, and will be our descendants' task, to keep the science of nature alive until such time as the science of man's soul has advanced to once again allow unification into a glorious Star League." This directive will go far toward dispelling the secretiveness and flummery that has diminished our Order's effectiveness. No longer will we be compelled to conceal our knowledge, forced to stand idle as our brothers and sisters in the Inner Sphere destroy themselves. The day has arrived when we can share our knowledge freely. Our forces will become a strong, fast force in the defense of the spread of knowledge. Blake's blessed words come at an opportune time and are proof of his continued guidance. Though I have attempted to pass on to you all my knowledge of the Clans, and Clan Wolf in particular, I must stress that this information will not allow us to make more than a rudimentary guess about their next move. The next 15 years will give ComStar time to fill in the gaps in this book, but gaining this knowledge will definitely cost time, and possibly the lives of our operatives in the COZ. As we study the Clans, the Clans will be studying us. Your students' best weapon against the Clans will be their imaginations. Do not dull their minds by teaching them that every answer can be found in a book. Warriors taught from a book can be read like a book by the enemy. Never forget the sacrifices of those who lived and died to stop the Clans' invasion. In this swift, cataclysmic war, few heroes were identified, let alone recognized for their heroics. We are unable to honor and remember them by name, but the Tukayyid Memorial on Hilton Island will honor the memory of the thousands of Com Guards who died on that fateful planet. The memorial, a huge obelisk of glittering black Kobe marble, will also be dedicated to all others who died defending their worlds from the Clans. The Clans are the greatest threat the Inner Sphere has faced since the fall of the Star League. The end of their invasion is only a temporary respite. We continue to face the threat of their aggression, and the years of enforced peace are steadily ticking away. I pray we will be ready when the alarm sounds once again. |
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