The Journal of Michael Bekker
by Ulquiorra9000
Entry 395: May 1, 3052
I am here, journal: Tukayyid. I hardly know where to start, and I am weary from the first day's battles and destruction. I am tempted to gloss all this over, but I shall not. I can say with some certainty, however, that this will not be a quick and decisive battle at all, for any Clan here. It shall be a long trudge to our objectives.
What are those objectives? The conquest of Tukayyid, of course, but in particular, the defending cities of Spanac and Luk. You see, journal, each of the seven Clans here is tasked in conquering two cities guarded by the Com Guards. My own Clan arrived on Tukayyid five hours after the battle started, with Clan Smoke Jaguar arriving first. How typical of them. They bid away a bit too much strength, I have heard, to get in that position. I have no love for those insane Jaguars, but a Com Guards victory over them would harm the whole invasion's chances of taking Terra! For the sake of Terra, and not the stravag Jaguars, I hope that the cats can hold.
Alpha, Beta, and Delta Galaxy of Clan Ghost Bear have set boots on Tukayyid today. I still feel the awe and thrill I first experienced upon stepping out of my DropShip and taking my first steps in my Stormcrow-C. For all intents and purposes, this is Terra! Once again, I must express my relief that the invasion's true objective is at hand. This is what really matters, not how many skulls we collect along the way. I understand that the Smoke Jaguars and Jade Falcons were less than thrilled to leap ahead in Operation REVIVAL to its climax, but their stravag opinion matters little here.
Enough about the Jaguars! They have been on my mind today, since they may represent how well or poorly the seven Clans here will fare against these Com Guard defenders. None of the Clans are actually aiding each other, of course, but there is come communication between us all. It seems that Khan Lincoln Osis' Alpha Galaxy did well against a Com Guards unit, but that is only the start. These Com Guards soldiers are wily; is there a trap ahead for the Jaguars? I wonder how the headstrong and reckless cats will deal with such a situation. But us Ghost Bears will not fall for such tricks or play into the Com Guards' hands in any other way!
We almost did, however, I must admit. Beta Galaxy landed without any issue and we marched for the city Luk along with Delta Galaxy, while Alpha headed for Spanac. Many times, Star Captain Tseng had to order us to cut the chatter, we were so excited. Tseng warned us "yappy surats" that we would be on latrine duty until we faced our deaths in a solahma unit if we did not shut up. After some reluctance, Candace and Thonn obeyed.
Now. That trick. A few units of the Com Guards attempted to harass the forces bound for Luk, and for the most part, we held them off. Delta Galaxy suffered minor losses, and Beta Galaxy, even fewer. That is hardly surprising; we are the Night Howlers, and no freebirth unit can destroy us. They certainly tried, however, and Star Commander Quentin quickly broke the menace that faced us. During the retreat of several Com Guards units, Star Colonel DelVillar spread out the Trinaries of the 32nd Bears Assault Cluster to hunt down the Com Guards stragglers. However, the retreat was as much an ambush as an actual retreat, and dozens of Com Guards 'Mechs converged on isolated groups of 32nd 'Mechs! That is right, journal; the Com Guards used retreat as a weapon!
Freebirth! I can hardly describe my disgust for these dezgra tactics! Star Captain Tseng roared his fury on the comm as he fired with wild abandon in his Warhawk, but we had been outmaneuvered, until Star Commander Quentin found a way out. Better than that: he reversed the situation, and once he coordinated with another Trinary, crushed a strategically-placed Com Guards unit and totally changed the face of the battle. I can imagine the smug looks on those Com Guards warriors' faces changing to shock as Quentin's maneuver tore the Com Guards apart. The spirit of the Founders was with us this afternoon, and the bear's claws crushed our opponents. I am quite proud to have been a part of that, and help set an example for Delta Galaxy.
But there were many more instances of guerilla tactics, artillery shelling, and strafing runs all day, and our heightened spirits were dampened somewhat as we slowly made our way to Luk. It would seem that Alpha Galaxy is faring better than us on their way to Spanac; the Golden Bears are not to be trifled with. But Beta Galaxy must endure without them, and I will do everything to help.
It is a long road ahead of us, journal. Right now, I am seated on a bench outside a mobile barracks, one of many such barracks, under a starry sky. Night fell early here on Tukayyid, and now, I can only hear occasional distant sounds of artillery or the scream of aerospace fighters on both sides. There, I heard one now! The shriek of Com Guards fighters, followed by the booms of their LRMs striking the ground. Delta Galaxy is taking the brunt of the aerial harassment, and Beta may be next.
At least our perimeter is secure. Our Galaxy Commander, Loremaster Laurie Tseng, quickly chased off a number of Com Guards scout units and guerilla forces, but to be even more sure, she has many patrols out and about. Later tonight, the 32nd will send Stars on patrol, including me. From here, I can see a few medium 'Mechs from the 14th Battle Cluster marching over a hill at a brisk pace, their torso-mounted lights on, cutting through the darkness. What a sight it is. I fervently hope that they find nothing on their patrol.
I am weary, journal, and my head hurts from the long day I have had. All of us are exhausted, and this is only the first day of this great battle. What lies ahead? By the Founders, I will not waver or cower in fear, whatever the Com Guards may oppose us with. The rest of my Star has already retired to their bunks, and I think I shall join them. That is all for now.
Entry 396: May 6th, 3052
Beta Galaxy's fortunes reversed themselves yesterday, as did mine. It was so sudden, so shocking... so humiliating.
At first, the Com Guards' 121st Division had stood in our way, those poor surats. They fought with spirit, but it made no difference against us at first. Star Colonel Ivan DelVillar led my Cluster onwards in his Kodiak in a rare instance of his battle fury. Normally, the Star Colonel is quiet and patient, a bear watching its target from a distance. Yesterday, the bear's coiled muscles had sprung, and not even Star Captain Tseng's strength could have matched his fury.
What a sight! DelVillar's Koadiak had seemed indestructible as it shrugged off Com Guards attacks and led the 32nd Assault Cluster over a wide bridge. Friendly aerospace forces were swooping this way and that, and the Com Guards defenders drew back at a steady pace, giving ground like it was worth nothing to them. Candace and Thonn nearly got themselves destroyed in their haste to follow the Star Colonel's example, and Ursina and I fought hard to cover their flanks. When the battle-fury gets in our minds, it is difficult to shake off.
So much pristine farmland and pasture turned into burning craters and churned earth, and I wondered for a moment what the locals would think of their land once the great battle was finally over. Such is the toll of battle! It is not my job to help the farmers plant their wheat and carrots; I am here to make sure that the Clans' banners fly over this farmland once the farmers can return. The FRR has already lost many worlds to us, and I intend for them to lose this one, too. (Tukayyid is in what little is left of FRR space.)
But I might not stick around to see it.
After that initial battle, journal, Beta and Delta Galaxies pushed hard for the city Luk, which beckoned to us like some cornucopia. So close! Star Colonel DelVillar did not slow down in the slightest, and neither did the other commanders. I could feel the excitement rising in my chest, almost feel Luk's suburbs under my fingertips! My battle-worn Stormcrow-C seemed to agree, pushing on even though some parts are about to break off. But I could not have imagined what came next.
Once again, the wily Com Guards had a surprise for us.
When we drew even nearer to Luk, enemy units emerged like ghosts from hidden positions! I now know that they are the 12th and 91st Divisions, and the 20th Polar Bear Attack Cluster of Delta Galaxy suffered the worst of it. Freebirth! I can still picture their 'Mechs being swallowed up in fire, or jerking and spasming as enemy fire tore into them. Even the Elementals were scattered and confused, and they had no chance to organize a counter-attack. Other units of Delta and Beta came under similar fire, and not even Star Colonel DelVillar's battle-fury could reverse this situation. He ordered his Star Captains to retreat along with the rest of our Galaxy.
It was chaos like nothing I had seen! It was all we could do to keep ourselves together, after the initial shock and losses of the ambush. Otherwise, we may have been victorious, but not like this. Our losses were mounting, and I myself did not leave that battlefield intact. That is correct, journal: a Com Guards Marauder had zeroed in on me, and that Star League war machine showed me no mercy. It was all I could do to relieve that Marauder of its right arm until its remaining weapons breached my engine. The warning lights came on at once, all over my cockpit, and I had known better than to ignore them.
Ejection is a... stressful thing, journal. You feel yourself flattened into your command couch as the thrusters activate, and you feel your mind go fuzzy, indistinct as the flames roar around you. I was in open air in a matter of seconds, and fortunately for me, my parachute activated properly. All the same, the impact was still a hard one, and my right arm and leg both suffered for it. The Elemental who recovered me had been most delicate, to prevent further injury on my part. I still do not know his or her name, but I will make sure to find out and thank that warrior. Without that Elemental, I would have been taken bondsman by the Com Guards (the very thought!) or trampled under a 'Mech's foot.
As you may have guessed, journal, I write this in the medical bay of a Dropship belonging to Beta Galaxy, and I am certainly not the only warrior in here. Some are in better condition, others worse. A MechWarrior from the Seventh Bear Guards took a turn for the worse and bled out before the doctors could save her. Such a loss; I always admired the Seventh. May she be replaced by an equally worthy warrior from a fine sibko.
Do not pity me, journal, or anyone who may one day read this. I am fully responsible for all fortune and disaster that comes to me on the battlefield; I know that the Founders' spirits are watching me, but it is by my hand that I live or die. Today, I lived, and I will not squander that fact. What is more, I fully intend to request an accelerated treatment so I may fit myself into a cockpit and resume the battle. Luk has still not been taken, and the longer this battle goes, the more its fortunes will favor the Com Guards. I cannot rest here forever! I was too wearly to talk at first, but soon, I shall make my case. I will update you, journal, when I have made progress. By no means will I take this lying down, so to speak. There is a battle to be won!
That is all for today.