Star Adder Symphony (Revised)

by drakensis

In 3050 the Clans invaded the Inner Sphere, which was not prepared for them. But arguably, the Clans... despite decades knowing this would happen 'one day' were not prepared for the Inner Sphere. What if one Clan was prepared? Had thought ahead? Had realised the problems and was at least trying to address them? In the land of the blind, the one-eyed snake is king... in theory.

2. Hidden Hope - Chapter 1

Chapter One

Hall of Khans, Katayusha City

Strana Mechty, Clan Homeworlds

13 December 3048

Virgilia Truscott watched politely as Leo Showers laid out his plans for the Invasion of the Inner Sphere. She'd voted the man in as IlKhan and in favour of the Crusader agenda, so she owed him that much support.

The holodisplay showed spearhead driving across the Inner Sphere, down through the swathe of worlds that the Draconis Combine and Lyran Commonwealth had been fighting over for two and a half centuries and then finally down to the glowing orb of Terra, at the heart of the Inner Sphere.

The ilKhan sat back and visibly awaited the approval of the Grand Council.

Alright then, that was about the limit of the support she was obligated for. "IlKhan Showers, in my professional assessment, that is the worst plan I have seen since the last time the Ice Hellions tried to raid us for some of our Chameleon training 'Mechs. And that, my Khans, was a very bad plan."

Stephen Tyler, sat under the blue and orange banner of Clan Ice Hellion, reddened visibly. The Trial of Possession had, to put it mildly, been a disaster. The Star Captain who won the bid had apparently been an advocate of the Ice Hellion's particular interpretation of zellbrigen: that a Star of light 'Mechs swarming a single heavier 'mech was allowable but that heavier 'Mechs shouldn't be allowed to retaliate in kind.

Clan Star Adder took a slightly different view - specifically that an honor duel is an honor duel, while a battle is a battle - and combining fire on a target makes it the latter. Older but larger 'Mechs had concentrated their fire to tear the Ice Hellions apart one at a time, before a Star of light OmniMechs held in reserve had harried the demoralised survivors back to their dropship. To add insult to injury, Kappa Galaxy had treated the wounds of those Ice Hellions who didn't make it back to their landing zone and then shipped them back via a Diamond Shark merchant vessel, billing the warriors' Clan for the transportation costs.

The implication that Clan Star Adder - a Clan that went so far as to fight Trials of Possession not only of aged solahma, but even their genetic legacies - didn't want the Hellions as bondsmen had been spread by the Chatterweb to every corner of the Homeworlds long before the humiliated warriors had been returned to their Clan.

Tyler and his saKhan might not find the reminder welcome, but there were snickers from many of the other Khans present - only a few of the thirty seated on the Council Chamber benches seemed to recall Virgilia's original point.

Facing them on the throne, Leo Showers was evidently unamused by the comparison. "You have reservations about our ability to defeat the degenerate warriors of the Inner Sphere, Khan Truscott? I believe the reports of the Dragoons spelled out how very far they have fallen from the Star League's might, while we have only risen."

Virgilia didn't bother to rise to her feet, instead looking the ilKhan over with lidded eyes. "I am familiar with those reports, ilKhan. I am even familiar with more recent news as to the creation of the Free Rasalhague that exists between the two House Lords and that the armies of the Inner Sphere may be beginning to field at least limited quantities of the weapons used by the Star League."

"Then we must strike now," Yvonne Hazen declared. The Jade Falcon Khan was almost seventy - older than any Khan save those of Clan Nova Cat - and had held the leadership of her Clan for almost five decades, a nigh-unprecedented feat. It was whispered that only the desire to return to the Inner Sphere kept the iron-haired woman alive, much less in power.

"Indeed. And I have voted to invade, Khan Hazen." Virgilia gave the old warrior a respectful nod. "But just because your protege, Crichell, has had a hand in this plan does not make it a good plan."

"I stand ready to rebut your criticisms," the much younger Falcon saKhan declared boldly from beside his mentor.

Virgilia smiled toothily. "Rash of you, when you haven't even heard them yet." She rolled her shoulders ostentatiously and then straightened. "It is a cardinal sin of strategy, Elias, to assume that the enemy will act as you wish them to. But your plan assumes that the Inner Sphere's warriors will meekly stand still and let you carve through them in convenient bite-sized portions. Even on a cursory glance, I can see that the obvious counter-measure for them will be to let your spearheads dig deep - which they will have little choice in, given initial surprise - and then employ a counter-attack against the long flanks you will be leaving exposed."

She met Crichell's hauteur with amused contempt: "I could determine this in minutes, but your plan gives the warlords who have fought their entire lives on this scale years to recognise it, and that is just to reach Terra. After that, with not even a sixth of the Inner Sphere of under the Clan's control - if all goes as you plan, which I very much doubt (there is another maxim of war you seem to have forgotten)..."

"No plan survives contact with the enemy," Roderick Irons cut in from beside her, with some relish. "That is why they are called the enemy."

"Aff," she agreed. "What then, Elias Crichell? Do you and our IlKhan propose to maroon whatever remains of these invasion forces deep in the Inner Sphere, likely short on supplies by this stage, given that they can hardly expect even Star League quality parts and munitions to be compatible with their OmniMechs, and for the Great Lords to meekly surrender?"

The ilKhan shook his head. "As you yourself have pointed out, Khan Truscott, the situation once we have liberated Terra will be quite unpredictable. To present detailed plans at this point would be grossly overconfident."

"That hardly seems to have deterred you so far," she shot back, shifting targets. "Your plan would have each of the four Invading Clans holding at least a hundred worlds before they reach Terra. Just to defend them against counter-attacks would tie up, conservatively, a cluster for every two worlds, on average. Fifty Clusters..." She looked around. "That might be feasible for a few Clans but even for the largest touman, it would leave very little for continued operations, and keeping them supplied would be nigh-impossible."

"The Inner Sphere's warship numbers are not sufficient to support any ambitious counter-attack," pointed out Crichell quickly. "And in any case, we have specified that a fifth Clan must serve as reserve against such an eventuality."

"Warships are of very little concern to me in this." Virgila flicked her fingers dismissively. "The Dragoons' reports made it clear how quickly their numbers had fallen once the Inner Sphere began employing nuclear weapons against them. Press them too closely and they will erase your own, but since there would be no glory in utilising them against lesser ships I do not expect that foolishness of you."

"No, what concerns me far more even than a counter-attack is pacifying the worlds you intend to conquer. Out of all the Clans, only we can claim experience of this and your numbers are beyond optimistic of what is required."

"Now you are simply bragging." Robin Steele, Khan of the Coyotes, rose with her furred cloak swaying around her. "Aff, you absorbed the Cloud Cobras, and aff, you own the Tanite worlds, but all our Clans took back the Pentagon worlds, and you know how within a few years they were completely converted to Kerensky's ways."

"Those worlds were very different, Khan Steele." Virgila shook her head. "Our ancestors descended on worlds still divided and fought over. The people they liberated were willing, indeed eager, to follow any vision but the one that left destruction imminent. But the Inner Sphere is in a period of relative peace. It is almost ten years since the past wars and they were relatively localised. Worse, the region we will invade through - and I recognise that it is the only sensible route under the circumstances - is an area that won independence from the Successor Lords. Convincing them of the merits of our ways will take time and will face great reluctance. These are challenges that take more than merely warriors. It will take many years of work, but the plan we are presented assumes they will adapt to the changes as easily as enclaves long familiar with our ways."

"Do you have a better plan?" asked Crichell sourly. "Or are you only going to complain?"

Virgilia nodded. "Firstly, accept that this scale is simply inadequate and that a sensible invasion will take years to prepare for. Secondly, as with Klondike, all the Clans should be involved. One attack not entirely unlike what you propose to fight the troop formations along these borders, but on each flank another attack force should head for the capital worlds - Tharkad and Luthien. That will spread their forces out and provide a deeper reserve of forces to deal with counter-attacks."

Karianna Schmitt nodded approvingly from her seat at the Blood Spirit bench. "This sounds better already."

"You should beware, Schmitt," warned Hazen quietly. "The Star Adders have a rough way with those they call their allies."

"Only when those so-called allies have fallen from the Way of the Clans."

Showers thumped the arm of his throne with one fist. "Khan Truscott is making her presentation, my Khans. Let us do her the courtesy of hearing her out."

Virgila waited a moment and once it was clear she had their attention again, gave the ilKhan a crooked smile. "Over the next five years, our warriors should secure a world or worlds nearer the Inner Sphere to act as forward bases. These should be chosen with a view to being unnoticed as it will take those years to move supplies and personnel forward in the necessary quantity. Some of those personnel will be cadres of administrators and technicians to set up the needed governments and facilities across occupied worlds, but we will require hundreds of thousands of police-warriors to maintain order and..."

"Hundreds of thousands!?" exclaimed Steele. "Where would we find so many warriors?"

"Washouts from frontline service," Virgilia suggested. "Freeborn children eager to better themselves. There is time to train them and if there is one thing that the Brian Caches are not short of even now, it is conventional infantry gear."

"Why would we even need such a vast force?"

Roderick cleared his throat. "IlKhan, one of the worlds in the holodisplay... Tamar - it should be in the invasion route, around eight months in by your plan."

Showers gave a nod to one of the technicians and the display zoomed in on the system, automatically bringing up details on the planets that orbited the star.

"The third planet," directed Virgilia's saKhan. "One of the Commonwealth's more important political worlds, middling in terms of industrial significance. That one world alone has a population exceeding that of all of the Clans combined. Just to maintain a reasonable oversight of the planetary government, the main spaceport and HPG station will require hundreds of personnel. Add in maintaining a reaction force to deal with riots, guerilla resistance and the like... and we will need to operate in this fashion on hundreds of worlds until the population accepts our ways."

"This is ridiculous." Steele seemed to realise at last that she was still standing and settled back onto her bench. "I call no one here a coward - we are all warriors, quiaff? - but the Star Adders are taking caution to a ludicrous degree. Let us vote on the matter and be done."

Showers nodded. "Very well, Khan Steele. A vote of aye will be to approve my proposed plan, Operation Revival. A vote of nay will be to assign Khan Truscott to formulate her plan in more detail so we can properly evaluate it as an alternative."

The Khans made their votes and Virgilia felt her face tighten as for a long moment only the Blood Spirits voted against Revival. She thought that the Ghost Bears might back her but after a brief consultation, both Karl Bourjon and Theresa DelVillar cast their votes as Aye.

In rare agreement, the Fire Mandrills voted Nay before Virgilia had her chance but she already knew that the vote was against her. She and Roderick both opposed Revival and Ulric Kerensky, voting next, abstained with a wry look in her direction that she couldn't read.

The last clan to vote were the Goliath Scorpions and to her surprise they didn't support the ilKhan's plan either. Garth Radick had, so perhaps the senior Wolf Khan declining to take a stand was the issue.

Not that eight votes to twenty-one was anything but an overwhelming defeat.

Virgilia surged to her feet, almost eagerly. "My Khans, I call for a Trial of Refusal."

"Those are long odds for you, Khan Truscott."

"Invading the Inner Sphere will demand much longer odds," she shot back. "Why not start here?"

"Our warriors will stand with yours, once again," proposed Karianna.

Nikolai Djerassi rose to his feet. "The Scorpions will offer a Trinary, may I suggest that each of us sends one."

Everyone looked at the Fire Mandrills, but Khan Carrol shook her head. "We accept the outcome of the vote."
"Three trinaries then," the ilKhan declared. "Each to face... approximately four binaries. Who wishes to bid to defend our decision?"

S A S

The Triad, Tharkad

Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth

14 December 3048

Fires crackled in the hearth of the office deep within the Triad, giving the room a warm and comfortable feel even if the bulk of the actual heating was from more sophisticated systems beneath the floor. Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion laughed quietly to herself at that thought - warming a room by blowing hot air through the space beneath it went back to the Romans, but that was indeed still more sophisticated than an open fire.

"After the upswing a few years ago, the level of raids into the Periphery March is lower than it has been since the 3020s." Hauptmann-General Horatio King was attending on behalf of Melissa's distant cousin Nils, who commanded the Federated Commonwealth's forces along that long border region. "It's beginning to feel as if we're not even needed there."

"I think..." The voice cut off as it's owner glanced towards Melissa with a trace of guilt.

The blonde gestured for her son to continue. Victor was supposed to be preparing for semester finals at the Nagelring, but Melissa didn't doubt that he was well-prepared for almost every class and had meticulous tutoring scheduled for anything he felt was lacking. Sitting in on some of her more routine briefings would be a valuable part of his education, probably more so than another cramming session.

"I think," the young man repeated himself, "that we'd regret taking that impression at face value." His eyes narrowed in thought, much as his father's might have. "What do you think's behind the downswing in attacks?"

"Three interrelated reasons, your highness." King opened up another window in the holodisplay, bringing up what was clearly part of a prepared presentation. "Firstly, there's been an upswing in trade through the near-Periphery. The Black Buck company's jumpships have been touching base at Langhorne, Main Street and Engadine and from the trade goods they've been bringing in, they're doing business with minor colonies left over from the old Rim Worlds Republic up to a hundred light years out from our borders."

"I thought most of those colonies had died out," Melissa mused. "We've not paid close attention to the region since..."

"A little over forty years. Not that it was ever a priority," King qualified the statement, "But your mother had attention refocused away from it after she took the throne - Marik and Kurita were almost all that LIC could handle with the situation Alessandro Steiner had left her in."

There were other reasons that her mother hadn't wanted too much attention on the region, Melissa thought. But the Hauptmann-General wasn't cleared for her mother's pre-throne exploits in the region, nor the source of the Black Box communications devices that the AFFC used for covert interstellar messages.

"Do you think that those colonies are bearing the brunt of pirate attacks by making themselves easier targets?"

King gave Victor a respectful look. "At least initially, yes. But those that survived that are almost certainly moving rimwards or corewards. The Black Buck are at least as ruthless in defending their sphere of influence as Tamar, Marsden and McQuiston were back in the day. We're almost certain they're behind the disappearance of Hopper Morrison and his band."

Victor considered that and then shook his head. "I don't recall the name, I'm afraid."

"One of the most dangerous pirate groups in living memory. A former member of the Black Warriors who found a cache of Star League-era machines somewhere a few years ago."

"Yes." Melissa leant forwards. "Almost two regiments of 'Mechs, and you're sure that he's been eliminated?"

"Two?" Victor exclaimed. His reaction was understandable - that put Morrison on par with the Circinian Federation or the Greater Valkyrate in terms of military forces.

King shook his head. "Pirates aren't known for their discretion. And it's been three years without any reports of him at all. I doubt Morrison could keep his unit operating this long without supplies he'd have to raid for. So either he's fled beyond the reach of our intelligence or he's out of business for one reason or another."

The Archon considered the question. "Unless he's associated with the Black Buck company. How much do we know about them?"

King shrugged. "Not a huge amount. They operate at least six Merchant-class jumpships and twice that many Union-class dropships, or civilian-built equivalents at least. First contact was around the time of the Skye Revolt, so everyone's focus was elsewhere. Mostly they deal in mid-range luxury goods and civilian type tooling."

"And yet you think they had a hand in destroying Morrison? Twelve Unions wouldn't be enough to carry an equivalent force," pointed out Victor.

"There's no one else besides us in the area with that much lift capacity," the general told him. "And we do know that the Black Buck managed to field at least a company of BattleMechs in 3043. Another band hit Caldarium while a Black Buck dropship was down, and torched a warehouse the company maintained there. The Bucks scrambled an aerospace lance from their dropship and harried the pirates back to their dropship. Eighteen months later, the same pirates resurfaced on Botany Bay and 'Mechs with the Black Buck badge on them were waiting for them."

"What did the Valkyrate have to say about that?" asked Melissa wryly. The pirate realm had less pretentions to be a real state than their neighbours, but even Redjack Ryan would be displeased at having worlds in 'his' domain fought over by outsiders.

"Mostly 'ouch'. The Black Buck had rolled over the garrison first and they only lost a single 'Mech in both engagements. Two days later they left Botany Bay and took the pirate dropship with them, along with all the salvage. None of which we've found in the usual black markets since."

Melissa shook her head. "And you think that Morrison raided one Black Buck's outposts and they retaliated in the same way, but on a grander scale?"

King spread his hands. "I can't think of anyone else who might have, your highness. Lord knows, we would have gladly done so ourselves if we'd managed to pin down his base. Whoever did it, the local bands appear to assume that there's a larger predator in the region and either headed for the usual regions or are testing the strength of the Rim Collection."

"Are they another of the factors you mentioned?" enquired Victor.

"Yes, besides Morrison dropping out of sight and Black Buck, the Collection is drawing a lot of attention. It's not an unfamiliar pattern and it's been the bane of any would-be statelets in the area before: worlds that band together are preyed upon before they get large enough to become a threat."

"Damn pirates," the prince muttered.

Melissa snorted quietly. "Victor, it's been our ancestors as much as it has been pirates. A successor state to the old Rim Worlds Republic might leave us with a third hostile border - not to mention the possibility that scores of worlds Robert Steiner occupied in the 2770s might decide to break away. Look up what happened to Finmark at some point."

Victor looked abashed.

"In this case, the difference is that the Rim Collection has managed to win the support of a fairly adequate military force - a mercenary force of at least a battalion called Able's Aces parted from AFFC employment after the War of 3039 and seem to have either been hired by or at least made common cause with the new government."
"Caldarium's one of the worlds in the Collection," mused Melissa. "Which suggests an overlap with the Black Buck's sphere of influence. If they're helping the matter along then we could see whatever colonies they do business with joining the Collection as well. That could leave us with a new state forming along a large swathe of the border."

King nodded in agreement. "We have contingencies to drop the hammer on the Rim Collection if that's your preference, Archon. Even a single regimental combat team would be enough to eliminate the Aces and without their defenders..." He shrugged. "But given we don't know how the Black Bucks would respond, the Marshal has asked me to express concerns about any plans to remove forces from the Periphery March at this time."

Melissa turned her chair slightly. "Your opinion, Victor?"

He made a face. "I'm not convinced we should destroy the Rim Collection. A hostile state could be a problem, but if they could be made an ally then it might actually cut our pirate concerns. Or if it turns out that they can't handle the pirates, stepping in ourselves might convince them to join the Commonwealth, gaining six worlds for a pittance compared to the costs of invading."

"And if we do find out that there's a prospective state emerging that could threaten our border?" she asked, playing Devil's Advocate.

"Then Marshal Davis-Steiner is correct and we shouldn't withdraw forces. If anything, we ought to step up patrols in the area so we find out now and not with the entire thing too far ahead to avoid without the sort of mess that would have Thomas Marik and Theodore Kurita salivating."

Melissa saw King hide a smile and nodded. "I will speak to Duke Hasek-Davion, General. For now though, you may inform the Marshal that I see no reason to cut his forces and every reason to see if we can find some reinforcements for him so he can carry out some reconnaissance of the Black Buck's apparent reach. That may take a year or two though."

"I believe we have that time, your highness."

"Very well." She fixed him with a glare. "Now, there are some confused reports of civil unrest on several worlds around Inarcs. What exactly is being done to investigate these issues?"

The general made a face. "The Marshal has scheduled a tour of the area next year and there's an advance party on the way now to talk to Duke LaRue about his neighbours. Hopefully that'll let us pinpoint some of the hotspots for the Marshal to visit and we'll have an honour guard of the Seventh Crucis Lancers available for him if things get nasty."

S A S

Bearcat, Newark Swamp

Strana Mechty, Clan Homeworlds

2 January 3049

The Newark region of Strana Mechty wasn't a prosperous one. It had originally been a core enclave of the Not-Named Clan and after their Annihilation, their holdings had been broken up, leaving it difficult for any of the Clans occupying the region to rebuild it. And with the tradition that enclaves on the Clan Capital weren't open for Trials of Possession, no one could really change that patchwork of territory.
As a result, the swamplands were almost uninhabited, poorly mapped and mostly ignored... at least until another reapportionment of Burrock and Clan Cobra holdings led Khan Logan Banacek to request a rationalisation of the region. The other Clans involved had been broadly willing... so long as the Star Adders accepted that their share would be the worthless swamps.

Banacek had raged, protested... and once the agreement was made, smiled privately and designated the swamps for a training ground, which had been his goal in the first place. A reputation for being hotheaded and impulsive could carry one a long way.

Oskar could have lived without the swamps, personally, but he'd been in a sibko at the time, so no one had consulted him. This was this third time visiting the Newark swamps - first for basic training, then again for retraining after he lost his status as a pilot.

He'd thought then (and now again) that he was very glad the enhanced imaging implants did nothing to improve his sense of smell.

A barely audible ping on his earpiece alerted the Star Adder that there had been a micro-burst transmission from trinary command. A twitch of his cheek confirmed he was in a safe condition to hear it and a moment later, Hannibal Banacek's voice cut through the sound of the swamp's insects.

"All warriors. The Coyotes' aerospace assets are moving back towards their dropzones. We calculate their onboard fuel is below half. Mission Carnival is go."

Oskar dipped his head as if in acknowledgement - though of course, no one could see him - and began to slither through the swamp on his belly. Like an Adder, he thought.

The day was growing late, with the low sun casting shadows that only made it easier for him to move closer to the Coyotes' landing zone. The single dropship sat there, an Overlord-class that towered over everything around it, was surrounded by technicians working frantically to set up a field base.
They should have begun when they landed, Oskar noted. They would be done by now. Instead the dropship was lighting up with spotlights so that the labour could carry on despite the impending sunset.

Reaching the vantage point that he had chosen earlier, the short warrior scaled the tree he'd chosen and strapped himself into position. Sure he was stable, he closed one eye and used the other to scan the site with his monocle. There were no OmniMechs or BattleMechs visible, just a pair of work-mechs being used to set up a simple field hangar. The Coyotes had flown their fighters in, so the dropship didn't have suitable bays to service them.

The absence of mechwarriors didn't surprise Oskar - he'd seen the Coyotes march all twenty-five of their 'Mechs into the swamps earlier, screened by fifty Elementals.

What did surprise him was the absence of any other forces here. A star of elementals, or even a couple of points of solahma infantry would have made his task here far more challenging. And what were the latter for, in most Clans, except to stand around carrying rifles and watching civilians work.

(Oskar had heard the suicide rate among solahma infantry in other Clans was horrendous. He could only imagine that boredom was the primary cause, followed perhaps by shame that the warriors weren't doing anything useful.)

But no, just technicians. Probably there were warriors in the dropship crew and perhaps a security force remained aboard it?

Well, if it made his mission easier, so much the better. Oskar checked his ghillie suit hadn't hung up on anything and then extended the wand of his target acquisition gear. His monocle showed him where the designated mark was and he adjusted it carefully, making sure that he didn't accidentally sweep it across anything that might detect the sensor beam.

Once he was in position, all that was required was to wait. An important skill and one that didn't come easily to younger warriors. Communications were kept to a minimum, although in Oskar's opinion, the chances that the Coyotes would be monitoring for signals was looking increasingly slim.

The first sign of the impending attack were the Coyote fighters coming in to land. The Coyotes had cleared a field for their fighters - it wasn't a full landing strip but aerospace fighters could handle vertical take-offs and landings from even entirely unprepared sites. The main preparation had been ensuring that the ground was solid enough at this edge of the swamp and moving fuel and ammunition out. The work mechs had spent most of the day digging rough berms out around the latter and then using the ditches they'd taken the dirt from to store the large sacks of hydrogen fuel and the pumps to drain them into fighters.

Keeping the wand straight limited Oskar's ability to look up but from the blunt wedge shapes of the shadows cast, he guessed that most of the Coyote fighters were Jagatai omnifighters - relatively new and advanced heavies. He briefly envied the pilots - for much of his time in the cockpit he'd dearly wished that his Clan would obtain such fine machines. And then he remembered what was about to happen.

There was effectively no warning. One moment sixteen aerospace fighters were just dropping into their final approaches - eight points, the Coyotes must have bid down to secure their participation - and the next moment eight fiery daggers rocketed into view and disintegrated beneath them.

Technicians waiting for the inbound pilots stared in confusion - save for one unlucky soul whose head was taken clean off by one of the submunitions.

And then the fighters - the pilots still unaware of what had happened - touched down. Right onto a field that had just been scattered with artillery-deployed mines.

Most of them, by law of averages, were lucky. But most is not all. One Jagatai took off involuntarily as mines went off beneath it, hurled upwards and then hammering down into the ground, spine broken.
As Oskar swept his TAG wand to a second target, he saw a Bashkir, one of only two lighter fighters, disintegrate. The mine must have breached the fuel tank.

More daggers of fire reached into the airfield and this time they weren't going to detonate in such an unassuming fashion. Oskar held his wand to designate a berm that was stacked with LRM crates and only seconds later, an Arrow IV missile ploughed into at least forty one-ton missile cassettes.

The berm did its job, protecting the men and women on the ground from the immediate blast, but it was too low and too hastily created to protect something larger and a work mech was was sent staggering back. The thirty ton industrial machine collapsed onto the wing of the remaining Bashkir, conclusively wrecking the fighter's ability to fly.

He swept the beam on, this time to a fuel bin. A missile obediently tracked his targeting, sending up a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire from the pit, but now Oskar was actively scanning the area. The first three targets had been chosen as part of the mission plan, but once they were used up, it was for the spotters to use their discretion.

Half the Coyote's fighters were still more or less intact, and he considered targeting one of them, but without fuel or munitions they were of limited threat and he was sure that the other spotters would choose to eliminate them. There were sixteen primary spotters and eight back-ups, with each spotter guiding a missile from alternate salvoes...

So what to pick, the half-built field base or...

With a savage grin, Oskar brought his wand around and aimed it directly into the open door of the Overlord. One Arrow IV missile wouldn't destroy the massive craft, even detonating inside, unless he was miraculously lucky. But that door led directly into the 'Mech bays within, the primary repair facility for the Coyote's ground forces.

He watched eagerly as one of the dagger-like missiles streaked through the air, following his targeting lure. It was on a low trajectory and for a moment he thought it might make it but instead the missile clipped the side of the door and blew a divot three metres across out of the hatch.

"Stravag thing," Oskar cursed and glanced aside. Five more aerospace fighters had been wrecked - in the air they might have survived the hits but on the airfield they were being hammered against the unforgiving ground by the impacts.

He shifted his aiming point slowly and murmured a soft prayer. This was his last missile.

The guns of the dropship opened up belatedly, trying to swat the Arrow IV artillery out of the sky. But even the rapid-firing autocannon weren't fast enough and the dagger-like missile lunged past the tracer fire and through the hatch.

Fire and smoke gouted out of the dropship and Oskar had to restrain the urge to shout in victory. He did allow himself one brief fist-pump with the hand free as he stowed his TAG wand and then the former-pilot slapped the quick-release on his straps and slithered down the tree.

Hit first, then fade, he reminded himself.

It was tempting to try to run but that was almost impossible in the swamp and would be far too obvious. Instead he moved slowly and carefully, trying to move smoothly through shallow water and spend as much time as possible in thick cover.

For a few minutes, he thought he was getting away with it.

Then ripples began to mark that something large and heavy was moving. And given the terrain, that almost certainly meant one or more 'Mechs.

Oskar considered his options as he scurried through some ferns and into a pool of muddy water that might hide his thermal signature. Stay silent or transmit?

For himself, staying quiet might save his neck. But 'Mechs present could also endanger the rest of the Point. Or of the entire Trinary.

Cautiously, he raised his head and looked towards the origin of the ripples. It was hard to make out through the foliage but at last he recognised the high shoulders and boxy missile launchers of a Stormcrow OmniMech. And from the way the trees moved, it wasn't the only one.

Sliding back into cover, Oskar's brow furrowed. He had seen the twenty-five OmniMechs sent into the swamp earlier - and the only mediums had been a pair of Vipers. The rest had all been heavier, so why were Stormcrows now in the field? Had the Coyote's held back part of their bid?

Activating a tiny keyboard he typed a few quick words and then the software encoded it. Oskar tapped the transmit command and closed the keyboard up.

The sound of the 'Mech came closer and Oskar began to crawl back towards one of the wider channels. Had his brief transmission been detected? Possible, that was the risk of it. So the further he was from the previous cover he was...

Trees crashed aside and the former pilot gulped, hastening his pace. Aff, they knew his approximate location.

One layer of bushes...

A reed-filled pond...

Closer and closer behind him, waves of water chasing Oskar across the swamp as the 'Mechs splashed after him.

He'd reached the edge of the channel and took a deep breath -

A pulse of coherent light slammed into the water right ahead of him, sending up a fountain of water... if he hadn't paused...

Exhaling sharply, Oskar dived into the channel, using the water thrown up by the Coyote's shot as cover for his entry and then clawing his way along, staying below the surface. It deepened quickly and he was swimming before he was his own body length into the murk.

Almost blind, relying on the compass built into his monocle, he kept going forwards. There had been no time to check landmarks but he thought he remembered this channel from training and if it was the area that he thought...

The waters slapped at him as the Stormcrow waded after him relentlessly, one long-legged stride at a time.

It was still following him - if the mechwarrior crouched, he might get the guns under the water's surface and be able to track well enough to shoot Oskar.

And then a violent wave brought Oskar to the surface, lungs burning as he gasped briefly for what was likely his last breath - before sudden suction drew him back and under.

That saved his life, for missiles crashed into the water ahead of him and detonated, the shockwaves hammering unmercifully at his ribs and the organs behind them. His ghillie suit caught on something and Oskar thought for a moment that this was it... he'd drown and be lost down here forever.

No!

The knife strapped to his chest came out and frantic sawing cut away the section of his cover that was caught. The suction was gone and the current dragged at him again.

Clawing for the surface, the small warrior had just enough presence of mind to turn and only slip his face above the water for another life-giving gasp of air.

Back below, paddling...

The touch of mud beneath him, and he risked putting his head up. The long branches and leaves of a willow-like tree screened him from sight.

Oskar took a long breath. He was... back on the same side of the channel he'd started from. Perhaps a hundred metres downstream?

And the Stormcrow was stood on the bank where he'd entered the water, torso bent over as the mechwarrior studied the water. Hadn't followed him, had that just been his imagination or...

There was bubbling from the water and then a mechanical hand larger than Oskar reached up from it.

Aha! There had been two and one must have blundered into a deep pit in the channel. It was what Oskar had hoped for - Mech-traps dug out during the training here long ago. Not impossible to extract a 'Mech from, but difficult and time-consuming without heavy equipment.

Of course, the second Stormcrow might be enough.

Oskar's eyes narrowed and he unslung the wand of his target acquisition gear. Transmitting his intent would give too much warning, but if the crews of the Vili vehicles carrying the Arrow IV launchers were still ready for targets...

He aimed the wand at the ground right below the Stormcrow on the bank. Directly aiming it would definitely alert the mechwarrior, but if he wasn't the direct target then Oskar transmitting might not get his attention - particularly if he was already working.

The Stormcrow took one step forward, braced and then extended one hand to grasp the outstretched hand of its comrade, the two metal titans looming up over the swampy forest.

Oskar triggered the TAG wand and clenched his jaw. He wouldn't know until it was almost the last second. All it would take would be for the Stormcrow to turn...

There was the ping of an inbound message. He triggered it.

"Three."
Another ping almost at the same instant, separated by a second. Oskar guessed that it was 'two'. A countdown from someone with quick wits.

On the third ping he shifted his aim to the Stormcrow, which was now trying to turn, hampered by the fact that the other OmniMech wasn't releasing it's grip. Oskar aimed for the side of the cockpit.

A second later, the sky was torn by not one but four Arrow IV missiles dropping down from above the treeline.

One went awry, caught on a tree branch perhaps. The other three vectored in on the upper body of the Stormcrow and their warheads weren't mines or high explosive - they were armour piercing homing missiles.

The upper half of the Stormcrow seemed to disintegrate and Oskar dropped his wand, curling into a ball as the missiles in the dorsal launchers went up, causing a cascade of secondary explosions inside the frame.
What was left of the Stormcrow slumped forwards, cockpit shattered, into the channel. The wreck continued to slide until it suddenly dropped away - fifty-five tons of wreckage settling on top of the 'Mech already at the bottom of the pit.

"No one is getting that out without a crane," Oskar murmured to himself.

It was tempting to stay and see if the mechwarrior at the bottom of the pit got out... but he or she probably still had a comm to call for help and it wasn't as if killing the 'mechwarrior would serve any particular need right now.

Oskar slipped back into the water and began to swim slowly downstream, letting the current do most of the work. Get clear first, then call for pick-up once he was far enough away that short-range detectors might not pick up his signal.

His ribs hurt or he might have laughed at the triumph. Even if they lost the trial, he'd taken out two 'Mechs on foot. That should get one of the bloodhouses interested in his giftake.

S A S

Absalom Hall, Sheridan

Kerensky Cluster, Clan Homeworlds

2 January 3049

"I must express my Khan's deepest apologies." John Yanez dropped to one knee before Roderick Irons. As an Elemental this only brought his face to slightly below the mechwarrior's but the gesture was sincere. Roderick found the Blood Spirit sometimes stiff, but always sincere. He was liked by most of the Clan Council, if gently mocked in private as exemplar of the Spirit's lack of flexibility.

"Your warriors fought well against greater numbers, surrendering nothing." It cost nothing to tell the truth. Clan Nova Cat had won the right to face the Blood Spirits in the trial and it had been a straight slugging match between BattleMechs. Twenty-seven of the Nova Cat's most aggressive Crusaders had fallen in the battle... but the price had been all fifteen of the Blood Spirits involved.

Yanez rose to his feet. "Nonetheless, our defeat and that of the Scorpions forces us to -"

There was a ping from Roderick's comm console and he made an apologetic gesture. "Excuse me, that must be important."

"Of course, Khan Irons. Shall I withdraw?"

Roderick gestured dismissively. "You have been our trusted allies for years." And if it was anything truly sensitive, he'd kill Yanez, then the idiot to message him anything secret when he was meeting the ilChi, and find some excuse later.

Fortunately that dire step wasn't necessary. "Good news, John. Khan Truscott's Trial of Grievance has ended favourably."

The Blood Spirit nodded. "And Khan Steele?"

"Will survive." Which was a shame, but one could not have everything.

Yanez looked solemn. "No doubt the Coyotes will seek some further opportunity if they can find one. While I found your Clan's tactics... extraordinary, I cannot argue with the reasoning."

"Quite. It is unreasonable to expect that the Inner Sphere will recognise zellbrigen when they will have never heard of our customs in battle. All the tactics we employed are simply taken from those that the Wolf Dragoons faced in the Inner Sphere. By utilising them, we have demonstrated to the Grand Council the nature of the war that they are beginning."

"The ilKhan also understands, which speaks well for calming relations between he and Khan Truscott." Yanez looked more hopeful than Roderick felt, but there was nothing to be gained by an open breach with Showers at this time.

Still, unity amongst the Clans was the Blood Spirit's guiding principle, no matter how badly it had burned them historically. "He has no reason to be less than magnanimous. And we have at least persuaded him to modify his plans slightly."

"Indeed." Yanez turned towards the window, but it was probably the Inner Sphere he was looking at, not the streets of the Star Adder's largest city. "Seven clans to return is not the same as all of us, but it is at least better than five."

Roderick nodded. "Have you heard anything about how the participating Clans will be chosen? I have been engaged in administration while Virgilia remained on Strana Mechty."

"I believe the specifics of the Trials we will compete in are in the hands of Khan Kerensky."

"An odd choice?"

"The ilKhan is reaching out to those he has previously had differences with." The large man turned from the window. "In any case, there have been suggestions that as Kerensky's chosen Clan, the Wolves will be granted one place in the Invasion without contest. They are certainly among the stronger Clans and it would be shameful for them to be excluded."

Roderick rose from his desk. "I suppose it is of little concern to us. I wish Ulric well with adjudicating such an issue."

"You...?" The elemental seemed taken aback. "You will not be bidding?"

"No, my friend." Roderick looked out over the city. "We would be lacking in integrity, to take a place in a plan we do not have faith in."

That seemed to take the wind out of Yanez's sails and he looked from Roderick to the streets outside and back again before continuing. "I know Clan Snow Raven has indicated their recent losses mean they would be unable to commit to credible bidding for a place, but I had hoped that our Clans might see battle alongside each other once more. Your touman is mighty."

More than we have ever let you know. The saKhan simply reached up and patted the ilChi on the shoulder. "We may well do so again. The future will undoubtedly see many battles for both of our Clans. If Clan Blood Spirit seizes the opportunity to invade, then surely you will have the chance to build bonds of brotherhood with the other Clans to join you."

"That would be pleasing," Yanez admitted. "It is a shame though. I know your Clan are among the most committed Crusaders. For this to have divided your warriors from such a dear dream..."

"We bid as best we could, we fought as best we could... and now we must accept the outcome." Roderick lowered his head so as not to have to meet the other man's gaze. "We are not the Coyotes to whine and howl about the outcome of a fair trial."

"Neg. You speak wisely. And perhaps if things go as poorly as Khan Truscott clearly expects, the ilKhan will have to amend his plans." Yanez stepped back from the window. "As this is a matter you have given thought to, may I ask your counsel on how we should bid?"

Roderick returned to his desk. "I believe bidding will probably descend well below what we consider wise," he warned. "I would not be surprised if some Clans commit fewer than twenty clusters to the invasion. It would be wiser to look at substituting secondline or even garrison forces rather than reducing your numbers."

"Fortunately, something we have plenty of, given how troublesome the former-Burrocks can be," Yanez said with a rueful smile. "It has been almost two generations even for civilians, but some still cling to that identity. It is maddening."

"Yes." And the fact you still call them that probably doesn't help. "The Wolf Dragoons provided much useful data in how the Federated Suns transitioned the civilians of a Capellan world - New Aragon - to their new government. Given the many differences between the two administrations, you may find it wise to have your rear area forces study them."

"New Aragon..." Yanez said the name carefully and then took out a datapad and made note of it. "It will not be one of the worlds we are likely to see early in the invasion, quineg?"

Roderick refrained from saying anything provocative. "Neg."

"I thought not. The Capellans and Suns worlds are both on the far side of Terra." Yanez laughed deprecatingly. "You Adders are not the only ones to read the reports, even if you sometimes think that you are."

No, but I think we are the only ones who try to understand them, Roderick thought. Except maybe some of the Wolves. And even we are looking at them through a filter of two centuries of isolation. All that I can be sure of now is that we do not think the same way as spheroids...

And that if we do not bridge the gap, somehow, then this Invasion will be a disaster no matter how many battles we win.

S A S

Absalom Hall, Sheridan

Kerensky Cluster, Clan Homeworlds

13 January 3049

What Virgilia thought of as the 'working council' was assembled in a briefing room adjacent to the Clan Council's chamber. So far in her tenure she still found the group inconveniently large, but at least it was more manageable than the Clan Council itself, which numbered only a handful of seats less than the maximum number of one thousand Bloodnamed allowed to any single Clan under Clan Law.

Of course, since the membership of this group had responsibilities all across the Star Adder's holdings, bringing them all together in one room was utterly unfeasible. It was only in the last few years that sufficient HPG relay buoys had been laid to allow realtime communications with their latest acquisitions. And since not everyone had had a need to know about today's topic of conversation, some of them didn't even know each other.

Which should make this entertaining at times.

The biggest block of faces were the Galaxy commanders, who were seated together with the Star Admirals. The thought of an outsider walking in and seeing thirty-four men and women with the four gold bars of that senior rank would probably be briefly entertaining. Fortunately, John Yanez had been recalled to participate in the Blood Spirit's planning, so that was one possible leak that wouldn't have to be cleaned up in a permanent fashion.

Across the aisle from the military commanders, Virgilia was facing the elected Chiefs of each caste, the Senior Administrators of their major enclaves, various senior staff members... the list went on. Some of them flickering slightly as the holo projectors provided the illusion of their physical presence - almost a third of those present.

"Convening the Clan Council like this is going to be impractical," Roderick muttered from beside her. "One of the HPG technicians broke down in tears at the idea."

"Really?"

"Of laughter, at least until he realised I was serious. They are already having trouble preparing the buoys we will need to retain strategic communication ties in the Inner Sphere. Doubling that for realtime will take much longer."

Virgilia shook her head, setting her hair rustling against her shoulders. She should cut it, she reminded herself. They were going to war and she might have more interesting opponents than Robin Steele to face. That had been over too quickly, the Coyote surrendering after the knees of her Timber Wolf were both broken.

In any case, the last arrivals were taking their seats. Virgilia gave the guards a nod and they closed and sealed the door. Lights on the podium flickered from amber to green, informing her that the various anti-surveillance measures built into the briefing room were now active.

"Order!" Bjorn Steiner raised his voice, although the man didn't stand. "We are gathered here under martial code and shall conduct ourselves accordingly." He waited to be sure there was silence and then bowed his head reverently. "We are in a state of war. My Khans?"

Virgilia returned the salutation. "Seyla." There was a ripple of murmurs as others echoed her. "For those who may not have been keeping up with recent events, the Inner Sphere has found the Homeworlds. A survey ship was captured over Huntress late last year and it has persuaded Khan Showers of the Smoke Jaguars to propose that we should invade the Inner Sphere and restore the Star League now."

She very much doubted that this was a secret from anyone here, but some might have missed a detail and it never hurt to ensure that everyone was on the same page.

"Our Clan Council and every Caste Council has put the matter to vote, and we voted to back Showers' motion." Not strictly necessary, but it was generally wise for a Khan to ensure momentous decisions had the backing of their Clan. "The majority of the Grand Council is of a like mind and also elected Leo Showers as our ilKhan, to lead the invasion."

Seeing discontent on the faces of some of the warriors, she shook her head. "Perhaps I should have put myself forward. However, there were already many putting Yvonne Hazen forward as a candidate and to divide the matter further would only have invited disunity. When she chose to refuse the nomination, the matter was settled. Hazen has since stepped down as senior Khan and her replacement, Elias Crichell is the... mastermind behind the invasion plan."

Carlos Hutchinson leant forwards. "A Jade Falcon, planning?"

Beside Virgilia, Roderick leant forwards. "You have faced him, Duke. What do you think of Crichell?"

Duke Topi's response was measured, emotionless and terse. "Little."

Carlos shook his head in amusement at his fellow Galaxy Commander's laconic nature. "Can you elaborate on that?"

"He is a politician first and a warrior second. He grasps strategy, but delegates tactics and logistics. Nor did he take the field personally." The commander of Gamma Prime Galaxy might as well have been discussing what he had eaten for breakfast.

"That is accurate to my own impressions," Virgilia agreed before Carlos could ask further. "He proposed to invade with four Clans in the lead, a fifth as reserve - and that only after Niamh Sukhanov suggested three Clans would be rash."

"If the right Clans were selected," Carlos asserted, "That could be two hundred Clusters. Not enough to occupy all of the Inner Sphere, but potentially to seize the major political and industrial worlds..." He trailed off. "I take it that that was not the plan in detail, quineg?"

"Neg. Crichell proposes a world-hopping campaign from the vicinity of Rasalhague and then broadly following the traditional Lyran-Draconian border until reaching Terra. Planning after that point he considers premature." Virgilia made a face. "Given the bidding that has taken place only Clan Wolf will be fielding more than three galaxies, and then only four. Neither reasoned argument nor a Trial of Refusal has persuaded the IlKhan or Grand Council to do more than accept an increased reserve of three Clans."

There was a pregnant pause and then Chief Technician Shen rose to his feet, removing his antiquated spectacles and polishing them briefly on his tunic. "My Khan, as I am no warrior, I ask for an informed assessment of the likely outcome."

She nodded and then made a beckoning gesture to one of the younger civilians in the room. Scientist Kimball rose as Shen sat down, stepping out in front of the rest of the Clan. He was as trim as one of the warriors and Virgilia knew from personal experience in the practise salles that Kimball maintained a high level of proficiency in unarmed combat. If he had managed the same in a cockpit then he might well have been a Star Colonel by now, perhaps achieving a bloodname. The warrior caste's loss, the scientists' gain - he was a ristar of the military-scientist subcaste.

"It is possible for the proposed Operation Revival to reach Terra," Kimball declared. "The chances are about even according to our estimation, depending on which Clans participate and their logistical preparations. However, if they do reach Terra, they will be worn down, both in equipment, in warriors fit for service and in supplies. The region occupied will have borders five hundred light years long - sparsely garrisoned, if at all. And the supply lines will stretch fifteen hundred light years... further than the SLDF ever attempted."

"The Inner Sphere would be mad not to take advantage. Unless they misread the situation so severely that they throw everything they have directly into the path of the invasion, they will have ample reserves to retake worlds and most likely Terra, using their far shorter training cycles and supply lines to overwhelm the Invasion force. It will be painfully expensive for them in lives and equipment, but it is a price they can afford and in victory they will gain access to our equipment and captured personnel. The advantage of surprise would have been lost, which will be followed by the loss of our technical advantage. It is impossible to judge whether the exact location of our Homeworlds would be discovered, but they would almost certainly have an approximation. The long term consequences of which..." Kimball spread his hands helplessly. "Depend heavily on the politics of the Inner Sphere. The most I can say is that they would drastically reduce the chances of a later invasion."

Virgilia nodded in agreement and the young scientist retreated gratefully.

"So," she announced. "The invasion plan is a disaster waiting to happen and more pertinently will effectively eliminate any likely success in a second attempt. Further, the Clan has voted overwhelmingly to invade and while the overall Trial to Refuse the plan failed, our Clan was successful in our own part of the Trial, so a case could be made that we are not bound by the outcome."

Roderick cracked a slight smile. "So since we have only a brief interval of opportunity, we have decided that we shall obey the dictates of our Clan Council and invade ourselves. With no reference to Crichell's Operation Revival."

There was a shout of approval from Carlos, who seemed to care little that few others in the room were so quick to judge.

"It is possible that the invasion will still fail," the saKhan admitted unflinchingly. "But if we do nothing then it will fail. And a competently executed invasion should at least force the Inner Sphere's forces to divert some of their forces away from Operation Revival and secure a foothold that they cannot easily retake. Ideally, we can present a facade of strength such that they are inclined to come to terms, granting the Clans time to secure enclaves in the Inner Sphere that do something to counter the massive imbalance in resources between our homeworlds and the Successor States."

"Is there no possibility that we could succeed in re-establishing the Star League?" asked the administrator of the Brim enclaves. "If this is our only opportunity..."

Virgilia could see generations of aspirations in the eyes directed to her. She returned a crooked smile. "Define re-establish the Star League?" she responded.

"Well, remove the Successor lords and bring the worlds under our government?" the woman asked, sounding uncertain.

Duke Topi shook his head sharply. "Neg. Impossible."

Virgilia nodded in agreement. "Perhaps if we had ten more years to prepare, or if all the Clans participated. Even the former is in doubt as the Inner Sphere's technological recovery is accelerating. They have at least limited recovery of Star League technology, similar to that of the cached SLDF hardware still in use within our Sentinel Clusters."

She let that sink in. "It is possible that if we wound them badly enough that the Successor Lords will reform the Star League Council and that we could demand a place at the table, but that is optimistic and depends on political factors we cannot count on in any way."

"Then is there any point in our invading at all?" asked the administrator, her face despondent. "If we cannot win..."

"We cannot win now. But we can build the foundations for a later success. The least bad option. It is... sub-optimal," Roderick admitted. "But the alternative is to do nothing and let the consequences of the ilKhan's arrogance fall upon us anyway, which is far worse."

"Remember, the Councils have voted." Virgilia tapped her knuckles against the desk. "It is binding upon us that we will invade. The only question is how."

She activated a control on the desk and the lights dimmed, a hologram appearing between the Khans and those in the briefing room. "Before the Absorption War, Khan Gerrick N'Buta began a search for a planet we could use as a base closer to the Inner Sphere. We ultimately located a suitable world for colonisation here, not far from the Chainelane worlds."

If the Smoke Jaguars hadn't captured that Inner Sphere jumpship, invading the fractious states of that star cluster was something Virgilia had planned to press the Clan Council for. It would have been excellent practise for the later invasion and greatly expanded the population and resources of the Star Adders.

"The bulk of our touman and personnel from all the castes to support them will be shipped to Sheridan as quickly as possible. There is little more than a year before Operation Revival begins so the timetable will be challenging, but doable if we are to then move our forces forward to the forward bases we have secured closer to the Inner Sphere..."