The Journal of Michael Bekker
by Ulquiorra9000
Entry 1,308: May 12th, 3069
This, journal, is another audio transcript, an excerpt from the proceedings of the Clan Ghost Bear Council. It is with great satisfaction that I record these words here, and it will soon become clear why!
[Khan Bjorn Jorgensson]: I see. And now, there is the matter of Star Colonel Michael Bekker's proposition. Star Colonel, if you will?
[Me]: Thank you, my Khan. Fellow Warriors, surely by now you have viewed the battleROM of my victory at Mendorza in Kuritan space. I believe that this outcome is further evidence to support the cause that I advocate: to increase our Clan's military effort against the Word of Blake.
[general muttering]
[saKhan Aletha Kabrinski] Quiet, if you will. Star Colonel, this is far from the first time you brought this matter onto the table. I trust that you have more evidence and personal allies to support your viewpoint? Such materials will be necessary for this to go further.
[Me]: Aff, my Khan. I now present the charts that my officers and I have compiled. They shall paint a broad picture that will speak louder than any words I could utter.
[I explain the contents of the holoprojector]
[Me]: It is clear, then, that the time has come to fully dedicate the touman's efforts to combating the Word of Blake. It is a grave threat that must be treated as such!
[Star Colonel Grenz Hall]: I remind the council that Star Colonel Bekker's victory on Mendorza came at the aid of freeborn mercenaries, the Blazing Aces. He believes that his dezgra cooperation with these vermin justifies putting our entire touman, and all our Warriors, at grave risk fighting the Word of Blake!
[saKhan Kabrinski]: Star Colonel Hall, you go too far! Star Colonel Bekker's joint campaign with those mercenaries was a test run of sorts, and fully endorsed by Khan Jorgensson and myself.
[Galaxy Commander Laurie Tseng]: And me.
[Star Colonel Hall]: One wonders at the future of Clan Ghost Bear if treating mercenaries as equals becomes the norm! What is next? Will we hire mercenaries and integrate them into the touman? Enter them into Trials of Bloodright?
[general muttering]
[Khan Jorgensson]: Perhaps Star Colonel Bekker can explain the implications, having fought with the mercenaries himself.
[Me]: My fellow warriors, the Blazing Aces, while indeed lordless freeborns, proved useful to me. They are well-versed in Inner Sphere styles of combat, and know our enemies well. I sent dogs to do a dog's job. Even I must confess that they fought with courage and guile, which enabled my Cluster to finish the job well within the parameters of acceptable battlefield losses.
[Star Colonel Alexis Tseng]: I concur with Star Colonel Bekker. The Word of Blake force on Mendorza was too tough for a Cluster to conquer in a tradtional battle. Those mercenaries' tactics created many useful openings for the 32nd to exploit. The Blazing Aces served under the 32nd, not as equals. As it should be.
[Me]: I remind the council that we Ghost Bears, and many Warriors of the other Invader Clans, believe that the Word of Blake is a threat unlike any other. There is no glory or honor to be gained in fighting them! My cooperation with mercenaries cost me nothing; it was solely a matter of wiping our enemy off the map. Unusual circumstances call for unusual methods. I, too, hesitated to consider such ideas in the last few years. I, too, waited to determine the best course of action that would preserve our traditions and uphold our honor. And that method has arrived: make use of any allies we can to annihilate the Word of Blake and protect our very existence.
[Star Colonel Hall]: Be careful, Star Colonel Bekker, that you do not lose what it means to be a Ghost Bear along the way.
[Me]: Of course not. We face a conflict of pragmatic need. I consider my honor, and my Bloodname, untarnished. Of this, I am certain.
[Khan Jorgensson]: Star Colonel Bekker, your case has been made. Now, Warriors of the council, we shall vote on the following question: is Clan Ghost Bear to fully mobilize for large-scale operations against the Word of Blake for the sake of our Clan's survival, and that of our allies? You have five minutes to register your votes.
[quiet as the council votes]
[Khan Jorgensson]: The votes have been tallied. There are 201 "aye" votes, 88 "nay" votes, and 13 absentions. The motion passes. Kerensky watch over us all.
[end transcript]
I should note something else, journal: not long after this council session, another Bloodnamed MechWarrior, Hernov Snuka, confronted me and challenged me to a Trial of Grievance over my proposal in the council. When I asked why he did not issue a Trial of Refusal in the council session, he bitterly explained that he did not like his odds of success in such a Trial. I accepted his batchall for an unaugmented Trial of Grievance, and in a Circle of Equals, with some of my fellows and his watching us, I bested him. He sourly but honestly admitted that he shall no longer obstruct me, and that he looks forward to seeing if my risky plans bear fruit.
I shall stop there for today, journal. Such gains I have made! I very well may have changed the course of my Clan, and we shall see what the future holds!
Entry 1,310: May 23rd, 3069
Today's entry shall be a short one, for there is only matter worth discussing this week. Khans Jorgensson and Kabrinski have been involved in high-level negotiations, and they have made a stunning announcement: Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf has agreed to minimize raiding and other interference in the Ghost Bear Dominion, and my Khans have given him an equivilant promise. Whatever my Clan's differences with Clan Wolf, we are both Clan, and that common bond is certainly enough to bring us closer together, even if only temporarily, against the Word of Blake.
Khan Marthe Pryde of the Jade Falcons, meanwhile, also agreed to minimize inter-Clan warfare, but not for the same reasons as my Clan of the Wolves. The Jade Falcons, it would seem, are preparing for further ventures into the Lyran Alliance, and Clan Steel Viper, their long-time foes, are breathing down their necks. I have heard word that there is great tension between those two Clans back in the Homeworlds as well! Khan Pryde has a lot on her plate, and I do not envy her. But as long as the Ghost Bears do not feel the falcon's talons, it is all the same to me. For now, at least.
On that note, I shall conclude today's entry, journal. May the wisdom of the Founder guide us through this bloody year!
