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Rating:
Mature
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceMajor Character Death
Fandoms:
幼女戦記 | Youjo Senki | Saga of Tanya the Evil - Carlo Zen (Light Novels)Classic Battletech (Tabletop RPG)幼女戦記 | Youjo Senki | Saga of Tanya the Evil (Anime)
Characters:
Hanse DavionVictor Steiner-DavionKai Allard-LiaoKatherineTanya von Degurechaff
Additional Tags:
Federated CommonwealthMelissa Steiner - FreeformCrossoverMechwarrior - FreeformUlric Kerensky - Freeform
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English
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Published:2025-01-17Updated:2026-10-14Words:534,693Chapters:99/?Comments:686Kudos:790Bookmarks:254Hits:68,908
A Young Woman's Defense of the Inner Sphere
Failninjaninja
Chapter 15
Notes:
A big thank you to skychan for their help with this chapter! Fixed quite a few errors on this one! 😅
Also introducing metaldragon868 and their 'Guest Chapter' Aiko POV. I think this was a cool idea to do and love how they write battles, so I give Metal the scenario and desired outcome and let the rest get filled in by their visceral approach to writing 'Mech combat.
Chapter Text
Chapter 15
Kirkeøy Continent, Wotan
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 2nd 3050
Star Colonel Diane Anu was glad she had used her right as commander of the operation to cut short the bidding. Her opponent knew her way around bidding. Re-listening to the recording made her realize just how much she had been giving up. The clever freebirth had been bargaining for the use of all the DropShips in Borealtown to be used as her transport. Not all that were needed, but all. Khan Elias Crichell was on the planet, and if she lost… it would be the end of her career as a frontline warrior. Regulated to Solahma duty, despite her Bloodname and rank. She ticked off what she was providing her enemy in the unlikely event of her defeat.
Safe passage for a priority target.
Safe passage for all the 'Mechs, vehicles, artillery, and infantry on this continent.
Safe passage for every Inner Sphere DropShip on the planet.
Five OmniMechs and five Elemental suits.
Two members of the Tech Caste who know our technology.
She had played the conversation again and saw how well she had been maneuvered. Now, she saw that she would be facing two OmniMechs, though one looked like some abomination out of a Science Caste's nightmares. That one would not be able to maneuver as well. The formidable power of the Timber Wolf did not require any specific range. It was deadly at all of them.
Her confidence was undeterred. She was designed to be the perfect warrior. Her lineage had been carefully crafted and selected. She had proven her genetics worthy and earned a Bloodname. She could not lose to this freebirth.
Challenges were sent and it was she who would face Katherine Steiner-Davion.
As it should be. The Jade Falcon does not seek lesser prey.
Her Summoner was equipped for a ranged battle, and in this valley, there was no cover to be had. Armed with an ER PPC, LB 10-X Autocannon, and an LRM-15, this loadout could do significant damage at range. Her opponent was piloting one of the energy-heavy variants of the Gargoyle. It had two ER PPCs, one large pulse laser, an ER medium laser, a medium pulse laser, and an ER small laser. The battle's outcome would come down to the accuracy of the MechWarrior.
The two 'Mechs closed, and Diane waited for the icon to flash golden-green, indicating that her ER PPC was in range. The enemy pilot struck first, and both ER PPCs shot out azure streaks, torching the torsos of her 'Mech. She quickly responded with her own ER PPC and scored a hit.
Even a two-meter greater distance and her particle projectile cannons would have fallen short of doing even moderate damage.
It frustrated her that 'first blood' had gone to the Spheroid. Her LRM-15s achieved target lock and swarmed across the distance at long-range. The enemy 'Mech ate up the ground at the fastest speed the Gargoyle could go, moving with uncanny grace.
The last time I saw a MechWarrior move so gracefully was when Khan Ulric Kerensky of the Wolves defeated and killed both Khans of the Ghost Bears in the Trial of Refusal.
Her flesh prickled with goosebumps as the Gargoyle ducked its torso down as if bowing in mid-run. The unorthodox move was nearly impossible to pull off at a full run, especially with an assault 'Mech's weight. Despite her foe's grace, she half-expected to see the 'Mech fall, face down to the ground. Instead, the missiles just peppered its body and she continued. Diane saw how two missiles that should have struck, had the 'Mech been properly upright, missed.
Who would take such a risk to prevent such paltry damage to their 'Mech?
As they continued to close, they exchanged large pulse laser fire, and Diane took savage satisfaction in seeing her opponent's armor bleed down the 'Mech's leg. Her own 'Mech took damage across its center. Getting into close range quickly would not serve her, so shifted to moving her 'Mech perpendicular to Katherine's advance. The target for her autocannon flashed in range, and she sent the depleted uranium rounds into the Gargoyle's arm.
Diane briefly glanced at one of the other duels and saw the Ice Ferret stripping away her opponent's armor with ease. Only minor damage marred the OmniMech in return. She did not have time to take in the full battle, but it appeared as if the Spheroids were adhering to Zellbrigen.
As her weapons began to cycle back online, her opponent struck with only one ER PPC, tearing apart more armor at the center of her 'Mech.
The freebirth fears to let her 'Mech get too hot. A more talented warrior would know sometimes it is worth it.
Diane fired her own ER PPC, narrowly missing. Cursing, she waited for her LRMs to cycle back online and pressed the trigger upon hearing the confirmation lock. At the exact moment her missiles launched, another blaze of light seared into her 'Mech's torso, exploding several missiles as they left their launchers, setting off even more.
Stravag!
Warning indicators flashed as the Star Colonel realized that all the armor had been stripped from one of her torsos. Was it luck, or had her freebirth opponent perfectly timed the shot, calculating the moment since she had last fired her LRMs?
This cannot be happening!
At least one member of her Star was performing well, the enemy Shadow Hawk piloted had ejected and one of the Spheroid lighter 'Mechs had moved to engage the Ice Ferret. Both the Timber Wolf and the Hellbringer were still locked in combat and she had no time to learn more than that due her own struggles.
She rotated her 'Mech, presenting the less-damaged side, and fired her LB 10-X Autocannon. The rounds struck true, but the tough outer shell of the assault 'Mech remained unbreeched. The Gargoyle continued its advance, and the ER medium laser burned a line through the heart of her 'Mech.
They exchanged ER PPC shots, but her opponent again only fired one. Diane hesitated to fire her LRMs, but no secondary shot came. She pressed the firing button, and the LRMs raced out, scoring hits on the less-damaged side as the enemy Gargoyle twisted its torso, letting the less-damaged arm take the bulk of the hits. Now even closer, the large pulse laser was joined by the medium one, as well as the ER medium laser. All of them scored furrows of destruction throughout her 'Mech's internals.
Gyro hit!
Temporarily out of sync, her 'Mech began to teeter, so she fired her jump jets to keep herself from falling while the system compensated. Her jarring landing was difficult, but her superior piloting ability kept her 'Mech upright – only for the Gargoyle to continue its savage assault on her Summoner. Her 'Mech had been hollowed out, the arms and legs still almost pristine, yet an open cavity existed as a maw at the center of her 'Mech. It had taken a shockingly short amount of time. With one final weapons exchange, the freebirth finished her 'Mech by utterly destroying its center torso. As she ejected from her defeated 'Mech, she realized that her foe had not missed with a single shot.
She landed safely at a distance, the pall of mind-numbing defeat hanging over her like a physical shroud. The odds of her Command Star winning were now near zero, thought at least the enemy Shadow Hawk was down. Now, Katherine would use her only moderately damaged 80-ton 'Mech to utterly dominate. The only hope she saw was if the Hellbringer could bring down the Timber Wolf before it sustained too much damage.
This is no normal freebirth.
***
Kirkeøy Continent, Wotan
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 2nd 3050
"Remember people, under no circumstances are you to fire on anyone you aren't dueling. Hail the enemy 'Mech in descending order of tonnage." The Princess ordered. "If things get hot, remember you can eject and it doesn't mean we'll lose. I want all of you alive by the end of this!"
Aiko flipped a switch on her comms display, setting it to a private channel.
"That goes for you too, Katherine." She told her Princess.
She was, Aiko knew, being too forward for someone in her position. She also knew that her job as an FCIS agent had literally been to become the Princess's friend and confidant. More to the point, Katherine expected this level of candor from Aiko. She needed it from her, at least if anything was to get through the Princess's stubborn skull.
"Of course," Princess Katherine Steiner-Davion replied, as if it was obvious.
You are a genius, a hero, and a darling, Katherine, Aiko thought, running through the rest of her new mech's activation sequence. Flipping switches, tapping buttons, and adjusting controls to just the way she liked them. But you're not fooling me.
You'd bleed yourself dry on this rock for us if we'd let you.
It was almost enough to bring a scoff to her lips.
"If things get hot we can eject?" Aiko repeated as she put in the last commands.
Most importantly, she disabled the auto eject system.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you, Princess." Aiko wore a grim and eager smile. "If these invaders want to claim our silver star, they'll have to pay the price in blood and steel. One way or another."
Around her, the cockpit of the salvaged Mad Cat rumbled to life in agreement.
It didn't take long to follow the Princess to the valley where she'd arranged the battle to take place. Watching the Jade Falcon dropship cruise in unmolested didn't sit right with Aiko, her finely tuned instincts yearned to act with an enemy on the horizon. Yet, iron discipline had ever been her most reliable ally. She was to be the Princess's trusted ally, her "friend".
Aiko would make a poor friend for the Princess if she allowed frayed nerves to get the better of her now.
The comms panel lit up with a request from the Kommandant, and Aiko promptly opened it. "Yes, Princess?"
There was soft breath, almost a sigh, but not quite. "...The Jade Falcon commander has dispatched their order of battle. You shall be engaging their Hellbringer first while I duel their Summoner."
"I understand, Princess," I nodded. "Although I believe I heard a report that your brother wanted to call it a 'Loki'?"
"He…" This time Aiko was sure she heard the Princess sigh, "...Of course he did. The only thing faster than the HPG network, the Rumor Mill."
"Princess?" Aiko wasn't used to hearing Katherine joke around much. Not unless it was incredibly morbid, which…
…Given the current context, I suppose that does track.
"It's nothing," The Princess immediately dismissed it. "Just focus on the task at hand. From what reports I've heard, this 'Loki' is exceptionally well armed, even by Clan standards. If it has any weakness, it is that it is not armored to the same insane degree as its fellow Clan mechs."
"So merely as well armored as any half decent heavy mech built in the Inner Sphere, then?" Aiko replied.
"So the reports say…" Katherine said, her voice thick with doubt. "Nonetheless, much rests on the shoulders of our victory here today, Aiko. I won't say anything inane as 'the entire Commonwealth hangs in the balance', but our efforts here could be vital for the war effort nonetheless. The possibility of getting not only intact clan technology, but the technicians who understand it…"
"I understand, Princess," Aiko nodded.
More than you know, She thought, with no small amount of dry humor. How quick you are to dismiss your own worth in the Federated Commonwealth, Princess. As if we would allow ourselves to lose you to the Clans so easily.
"Very well, Aiko," The Princess said, "Then I believe that's all there is to say. Good Hunting."
"Good Hunting, Princess." Aiko replied.
With that, the line went dead, and Aiko was alone once more. Only the refurbished Clan mech to keep her company. The hum of its powerplant. The booming thumps of each footstep. The whine of countless advanced pieces of machinery powering on and off in perfect synchronicity.
Well… nearly.
The legs still aren't as perfect as I'd like them to be, Aiko frowned as she forced the Mad Cat to walk its way up the lip of the Valley's incline. The patch job was impressive to do even this well, but it was still a patch job all the same.
Even now, the occasional step fought her controls. She could swear there was a faint grinding sound coming over the neurohelmet, along with an itch at the base of her spine that didn't really exist.
None of it was, on its own, an insurmountable obstacle, but they all added up.
And all when I can least afford it.
Aiko had seen how good these Clanners were. Regardless of how little respect she held for the invaders as a society, she had to respect their skill as mechwarriors, which was grudgingly impeccable.
She set her eyes on her opponent's mech in the distance. One heavy mech splitting off from the others and marching her way down the valley. Aiko zoomed in on the Hellbringer with a few taps on the joystick.
There you are… She thought, looking over her foe's loadout.
Two main cannons in the form of a pair of ER PPCs in the arms, a trio of lasers peeking out from the left torso, along with a six pack of SRMs mounted above the right shoulder completed the main weapon systems. The Hellbringer also sported a few other tools, some anti infantry gear, machine guns, an anti-missile system, and…
A full electronic warfare suite, Aiko frowned, noting how her Mad Cat's computer system tagged the Hellbringer with an ECM warning. If I was using a normal Mad Cat, that might be a problem, but this one…
Most of the "Timberwolves", as the Clanners had called them, tended to be loaded with a heavy armament of long range missiles and lasers. The one that the Princess had managed to recover was a different variant, one armed with loadout not too dissimilar from the Hellbringer itself.
Two ERPPCs, three medium pulse lasers, a Streak SRM six, and an ER small laser. Aiko tallied her mech's weapon systems, fingers tapping along the safeties of all their triggers just to remind herself of their placements. It reminded her a lot of a Warhammer, a mech she certainly wasn't unfamiliar with. It helped shape her plan of attack, but on some level she was still flying blind.
I cannot say I truly know the enemy or myself. Hardly the most stable ground to fight on. She frowned, pushing her unfamiliar mech onward, inching ever closer. But, at the very least I can rely on one thing.
Resolve.
"You!" Came the transmission from the clan Hellbringer, "I am Ivanna of Clan Jade Falcon, piloting this lone Hellbringer! I hereby invoke the ritual of zellbrigen and challenge you to a duel of warriors!"
Aiko raised her brow at the odd formality of it. It almost seemed like the more fanciful stories from Japanese and Combine tradition that Katherine was so interested in, but taken to a ludicrous extent.
Still, the Princess thinks we can make use of these, so…
"I am Aiko of the Federated Commonwealth, in the Princess's service of the NAIS training Battalion, piloting this lone Mad Cat." Aiko repeated without passion, "I hereby invoke the ritual of zellbrigen and accept this duel."
"Tch, barbaric, as expected of a spheroid freebirth, but it will do," Ivana practically spat. "In this solemn matter, let no one interfere!"
Then, without another warning, she crossed into range. The instant the crosshairs of her ERPPCs flipped red, a flash of lightning filled the valley floor.
Thunder slammed into her armor with a cacophonous Boom!
The entire frame rattled under the impact, like it'd been struck by the hand of God himself. A single glance at her armor readout reassured her that she wasn't in danger of any immediate breaches, but that one hit alone reaffirmed her assertion that these Clan particle cannons hit much harder than any found in the Inner Sphere.
Nearly two kilometers out and she's already peeling me open. Aiko scowled
"Still," She grunted as she lined up a shot of her own, "That was to be expected…"
The Falcon Hellbringer was moving quickly along the valley floor, eating up the distance between them faster than most heavy mechs in the Inner Sphere. That was part of the problem with dealing with these Clanners. By moving faster, hitting harder, and hitting further, they could choose when and how to fight, and win the fights they wanted.
"But…" Aiko thought, an idea coming to mind.
She pulled her Mad Cat to a stop, giving her the most stable firing platform to take her shot. The Hellbringer was weaving through the grassy hills with skill, doing its best not to give her an easy target.
But she had trained under the Princess, and Katherine was nothing if not exacting in her standards.
Aiko pulled the first trigger.
Boom!
A single blast of lighting lanced out.
The Hellbringer was already stutter stepping backward-
Boom!
Right into her second shot.
The PPC impacts washed over the Hellbringer's torso armor, bathing it in clouds of plasma and molten armor.
The Hellbringer's reply was immediate. Two more particle beams lit up the valley, and crashed into Aiko's arm.
She clicked her tongue, not liking the way the armor layer had already slipped into the yellow.
But in a way, it only aids my plan.
So with that impact, she pushed back on the pedals, and retreated. Her Mad Cat took one shaky step back after another, climbing back over the hill she'd just come from, even as she lined up another shot.
And if I'm lucky… Aiko thought, pulling the crosshairs over the marching form of the Hellbringer, and pulled the trigger.
Twin lances of light speared out from the arms of her mech, thunder cracks echoing down the valley as they slammed into the Hellbringer's central chassis again.
A moment later, the Hellbringer's march turned into a sprint.
They'll take the bait, Aiko grinned.
She knew that she'd never outrun the Clan mech with her mangled legs, but if she could get them to chase her by feigning a retreat, then she could get the Clan warrior to do the hard work of closing the distance for her.
For a while, the two traded shots in that valley.
Volleys of artificially lighting batted back and forth.
Thunder echoed through the valley walls, louder and louder.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Boom
Her Mad Cat's armor wore thinner and thinner with every step. It's salvaged legs getting weaker and weaker, the whine in the joints getting louder and louder. Yet further she pushed it. Further she pushed her feigned retreat. And further the Jade Falcon MechWarrior chased her.
Soon her ER medium lasers entered range at nearly a kilometer out, before any of Aiko's secondary weapons could engage.
Aiko grit her teeth as the damage poured in. Emerald beams matching the lances of lighting started to tear into every last ton of protection her recovered mech could grant her.
Not yet, She thought, keeping an eye on the indicator for the rest of her weapons, crosshairs still sitting in the blue, outside what the battle computer calculated for their engagement range. Soon…
She took another step back, and something snapped.
An indicator on her panel flashed red.
A barrage of missiles slammed into her leg.
There was a horrendous sound of metal shrieking, armor and steel wrenched out of shape.
A faint pain stabbed into the back of her skull through the neurohelmet as the Mad Cat seemed to drop out from under her.
Aiko forced her eyes open, forced her mech to its feet despite the pain. When she checked her status screen, she couldn't help but grimace at the results.
"As if I wasn't already hobbled enough," Aiko scowled, looking at her mech's missing leg.
But, there was good news.
She was in range of the rest of her arsenal now.
With that, Aiko pushed her feet into the pedals, urging her injured mech forward. Out of its limping retreat, out of its feigned weakness. Crippled she may be, now it was time to go on the attack.
Aiko flipped the safety on her missile and launched a salvo of SRMs at the Hellbringer's head. Six short range missiles burst out of their pod over her right shoulder. The clanner's anti-missile system shot down two in flight, but the rest still detonated across the upper torso in a chain of explosion.
The clanner replied by firing her medium lasers, searing beams lashing out across her own ERPPCs.
Aiko mashed the buttons on her own lasers, a strobing fulsade of emerald and red light searing into the Hellbringer's central chest.
The Jade Falcon fired her PPCs, thunderblasts of charged particles smashing into her wounded arms.
Aiko pushed her mech forward, ignoring the climbing heat of the cockpit, and pulled the triggers on her own particle cannons, sending blinding spears of light into the enemy's chest.
"Fall, damn you," She cursed.
With every shot, she drove her mech to limp closer. Either unaware or uncaring of the danger, the Falcon warrior seemed happy to oblige.
Closer they marched, sending volleys of death into each other with every press of the trigger. Aiko tried to cycle her shots, tried to give the heatsinks in her mech time to breathe. Clan technology was an incredible thing, and she knew that any other mech she had piloted would have long overheated and shut down at this point, but even this Mad Cat had its limits. Firing barrage after barrage of ERPPCs, medium pulse lasers, and SRMs was taking its toll, and even with her cooling vest Aiko felt the sweat dripping off her form.
Another blast slammed into her. Ripping into the thinnest part of her armor. Then-
Metal shrieked, her mech howled, another spike of pain stabbed into her head.
Thoom!
The left arm of her mech fell to the ground, severed at the elbow by a lance of lighting. Aiko forced her limping mech back under control as over a dozen tons was ripped off its form in an instant.
Her foe barely had a moment to enjoy the triumph when her return salvo finally gutted the Hellbringer's right torso. An explosion ripped out of the right half of the mech, and for a moment Aiko thought she'd finally ended it with an ammo detonation.
Instead, it just kept walking. Just kept shooting.
Aiko narrowed her gaze, and fired back.
For every shot, the clanner had a reply. Her every weapon a mirror in the clanner's own arsenal, one the Falcon warrior was more familiar with. In a mech she was more familiar with, she might have had a different secret weapon in store, but now? The Falcon Warrior likely knew more about the mech she was piloting than Aiko did herself.
So Aiko had to push on, with indomitable resolve.
For the Princess.
Until a wave of emerald light consumed her vision.
Aiko blinked.
She coughed.
Gagged on something.
Is that blood?
The first thing she felt was pain. Then there was the scent of smoke. Its stench, overwhelming her senses. The taste of copper filling her mouth. She blinked again, wiping her eyes and coughing her lungs clear.
Aiko forced her eyes open, used every scrap of her training and resolve to force awareness and alertness through the haze and pain that hung over her.
What happened?
She looked up.
Up, and out.
And out.
Out through the hole in the cockpit.
Out to where the enemy Hellbringer was standing.
Aiko stomped down on a spike of panic, forcing herself to check her situation in an instant.
She'd taken a shot to the cockpit. One that had rendered her mech in critical condition, but it hadn't technically killed it.
Her head was singing with agony, burning almost as brightly as the cockpit around her, but she ignored it. Nearly every readout on her Mad Cat was an angry red, barely anything was still functional, but she ignored it. Her body ached, she could tell something was broken, and she knew for a fact the only reason her mech hadn't ejected her out of this walking scrap heap already was because she had disabled the auto eject, but she ignored that too.
Because Aiko knew her Princess was counting on her to defeat her enemy, the enemy was still standing before her, and neither Aiko nor her mech was quite dead yet.
And… Aiko thought, eyes narrowed at the Falcon Hellbringer as it turned towards the other fights, she thinks our duel is over.
She thinks I'm dead.
For that, Aiko let out a bitter laugh and took up the joysticks of her mech once more.
"Fool."
She pulled the triggers, and let loose with everything she had left.
The valley lit up with a storm of violence once more. Thunder and lightning, missiles and lasers, shrieking steel and howling armor.
Then, in an instant, it was over.
Her Mad Cat hit its emergency shut down after her final alpha strike had overwhelmed its remaining heat sinks.
And looking out the window to the enemy Hellbringer, Aiko could see it was still standing.
But…through its torso, was a hole.
And Aiko could see the scorched grass of the valley on the other side.
With that, Aiko allowed herself a bloodied grin.
***
Kirkeøy Continent, Wotan
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 2nd 3050
I was elated by my performance against the enemy Summoner, or, as others were calling it, a Thor. I couldn't be sure my trick with the ER PPC would work, but judging by the high skill of my opponent, I thought it likely she would let loose as soon as her LRMs were ready to fire. Even if it had not worked, the result would have remained the same, but now I had more armor than I otherwise would have.
I looked at the rest of the fight in closer detail. I was the second one finished. Unfortunately, the first kill had gone to the Jade Falcons. Hauptmann Able Daniels who had been piloting the Shadow Hawk had ejected. Fortunately, it looked as if his ejection seat was well away from the 'Mechs. I have stepped in if I had been available, but since I had still been concluding the duel, it was the second Wolfhound we had brought that stepped up to fight the Ice Ferret.
Aiko was holding her own, but it was proving to be a very close battle. Gregory was putting on a strong performance despite the technological advantage of his opponent. The Centurion was looking worse for wear as the MechWarrior was having difficultly hitting the faster Clan opponent. After another nasty hit where the Centurion failed to do much, I opened the comm link and told Hope to eject. She did so and I turned my 'Mech to the enemy.
"I am Katherine Steiner-Davion, are you ready?"
The other 'Mech acknowledged but did not speak and instead fired their ER large laser and their autocannon. Both scored hits on me, but my response was emphatic. The sheer power of two ER PPCs was devastating to such a small 'Mech. Especially when considering the damage, no matter how light, that the Centurion had inflicted upon it. That was enough to put it down, and I turned to watch the other battles.
Gregory's skill impressed me quite a bit, his lasers were carving up his opponent and the way he moved with his 'Mech showcased the long hours we had spent training together. His Wolfhound had taken some hits, but he was gamely soldiering on and making sure his lasers struck with near perfect accuracy.
To my surprise it was the Ice Ferret who finished their battle again. The Wolfhound pilot, Lana Doyle, from my original Command Company, had taken a couple of shots from the Ice Ferret's ER PPC to the center torso, and the engine had suffered critical damage. I queued the comms again and repeated my challenge.
"I am Katherine Steiner-Davion, are you ready?"
Her opponent's 'Mech had taken a good amount of damage, considering she had already faced two other opponents that was expected. It looked as if she had all her weapon systems still operational, but that would not matter. The damaged Ice Ferret accelerated and began moving toward its top speed.
"I am MechWarrior Dana of the 5th Battle Cluster. Yes, I am ready. Freebirth."
I fired both ER PPCs into her already mangled right torso, obliterating it as she raced her 'Mech across the valley at speeds over 120 kilometers per hour. With half the 'Mech falling apart, the speedy machine basically flopped backward, but such was its momentum that it essentially performed some sort of half-summersault and mid-air twist causing its head smashed into the earth with killing force.
I turned my 'Mech back toward the remaining battles and waited to see what would happen next.
Gregory had closed to short range, and his well-practiced accuracy was a sight to behold. Despite his agile opponent's quick, darting movements, Gregory was tearing it apart with his lasers. His own 'Mech had taken a beating, but once his Kit Fox opponent's left arm was torn away – along with two different types of lasers – his victory was all but certain.
I felt a momentary pang of panic as I saw Aiko take a nasty shot to the cockpit, but she was able to fire one last blistering salvo, a full-on Alpha Strike, to completely core the opposing Hellbringer. My worry remained high as her 'Mech went into emergency shutdown from heat, but she was able to answer my hail few moments later and confirm that she was alive.
I kept my buoyant emotions in check – I was operating on a lot of assumptions. I believed I had understood everything correctly, and the Falcons seemed to be playing ball, but I remained wary of treachery.
Fortunately, I worried over nothing. Not only was I able to take possession of the five 'Mechs and five Elemental suits provided, but I was also allowed to salvage the broken remains of the Command Star that had fought me. I doubted we could do much with them, but they would be an invaluable source of spare parts for the pristine OmniMechs we had just earned. The Clan armor provided more protection than even our best Inner Sphere ferro-fibrous, getting more of that armor to replace the armor Aiko and I lost in this fight was also a big deal for the longevity of our 'Mechs.
If I found myself stuck on the frontlines again, I would look to repeat this exercise, but with even more Clan technology. I was certain word would get out that we had turned their own 'Mechs against them, so we would probably face even odds or even unfavorable ones. However, Aiko and Gregory were impressive and would help lead us to victory.
If they allow such a thing again… their perspective is difficult to understand, but in the end, they are still human. It would not surprise me if this sort of material gain at such a small scale never happens again.
As promised, they allowed the DropShips to travel to my location at the 'Mech facility. Despite needing to carry an extra regiment of infantry and another battalion of armor, there was still ample room.
The two members of the Tech Caste would need to be kept close at hand. Ainsworth was naturally suspicious, but I could not have these two talking with anyone outside of very close, trusted members of my inner circle. The reason for that was simple: in Clan society, these people were essentially slaves. It was disgusting how the lower castes had next to zero rights, and only the abhorrence of waste kept them relatively safe.
I needed to make use of them, so I justified – if only to myself – that they were my prisoners and I was making them do labor as part of their incarceration, with the intention of eventually granting them their freedom. For now, this was another source of information, and I was going to let Nick Westfield learn all he could from them about the 'Mechs. A Tech Caste member may not have been a scientist, but their hands-on experience with Clan technology would be invaluable. I also wanted to see if their views and thoughts on Clan society differed from their position within it. At the very least, it would give me something to do as our DropShips voyaged to our JumpShip armada.
***
Borealtown, Wotan
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 4th 3050
Khan Elias Crichell of the Jade Falcons was displeased as he watched nearly two dozen DropShips lift off and head for the second major inhabited landmass of Wotan. Save for one battle, this world had been a resounding victory. The Wotan Tamar March Militia's defeat was more like an execution than a battle. Elias had chosen to oversee it personally, since it was likely the Spheroid commander would not honor a batchall. This meant he could parade one of the Galaxies and have a stunning victory without any foreseeable complications. This was important to wipe out the shame of Trell and Bone-Norman.
On Trell, his Falcons had failed to capture the heir of one of the Successor States. Worse still, losses had been higher than anticipated. Nearly a cluster of 'Mechs had been destroyed, and the freebirth resistance on the planet was still not contained.
The Malthus Bloodname is fast losing its status.
His own saKhan, Timur Malthus, had to call reinforcements in his assault on Bone-Norman. It was humiliating. Then, on Trell, Star Colonel Adler Malthus led the elite Falcon Guards and two additional Clusters and brought shame to the Falcons with their ineptitude.
And now this. Star Colonel Daine Anu had not only failed in her task of securing the secondary objective, she had allowed another heir to escape. Of lesser value than the primary heir, true, or at least as far as Elias understood the backward ways of the Spheroids, but a failure nonetheless. How it had occurred was the worst part. A Cluster Command Star defeated by a Star and three Points of Inner Sphere 'Mechs? The bidding had placed eight 'Mechs against Anu's Star, but for once the barbarians practiced Zellbrigen, and two of the 'Mechs had not even been needed!
In honorable combat, elite Trueborn Jade Falcon warriors had been defeated. The final blow came when he had learned that Anu had not only promised safe passage as collateral, but also every DropShip on this world, as well as giving the enemy front-line 'Mechs and members of the Tech Caste! He was already making plans to minimize the loss of honor and restrict what was shared with the other Clans about this battle. Not honoring or attempting to circumvent the agreed-upon batchall terms would risk those efforts, or worse, open himself up to challenge from within his Clan.
This will not happen again. I will not allow any of my commanders to give such generous terms in the batchall.
He knew the Wolves had taken some losses and that the Smoke Jaguar had brought shame upon their Clan on the world of Turtle Bay. Clan Ghost Bear had struggled since the beginning and their slow crawl through their assigned invasion corridor was pathetic. The race to Terra was not yet lost.
We must slow to a crawl as well. We must call up Provisional Garrison Clusters to secure the worlds we have taken. Already, these barbarians launch raids upon worlds we have won. Resistance fighters harass our fighting arm, and it must stop. I will shorten the anemic list of worlds for the Third Wave, but all will see the Jade Falcon soar in the fourth.
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Fandoms:
幼女戦記 | Youjo Senki | Saga of Tanya the Evil - Carlo Zen (Light Novels)Classic Battletech (Tabletop RPG)幼女戦記 | Youjo Senki | Saga of Tanya the Evil (Anime)
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Hanse DavionVictor Steiner-DavionKai Allard-LiaoKatherineTanya von Degurechaff
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Federated CommonwealthMelissa Steiner - FreeformCrossoverMechwarrior - FreeformUlric Kerensky - Freeform
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Published:2025-01-17Updated:2026-10-14Words:534,693Chapters:99/?Comments:686Kudos:790Bookmarks:254Hits:68,908
A Young Woman's Defense of the Inner Sphere
Failninjaninja
Chapter 16
Notes:
A big thank you to skychan for their help!
Chapter Text
Chapter 16
Avalon City, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
June 13th 3050
First Prince Hanse Davion chaired the strategy meeting. His wife was not present, as she was already on her way back to Tharkad to provide a much-needed morale lift for the Lyran people. News of the invasion had finally penetrated to the broader public, and on many worlds, there was a sense of panicked terror.
Naturally, Justin Allard, as head of FCIS, and his deputy Alex Mallory were there. So too was Field Marshal Jackson Davion, the head of Federated Suns State Command. He and Nondi Steiner were equivalent and both reported to Morgan Hasek-Davion. Now that Morgan was on Sudeten, Jackson's role was larger. His aide, Roman Steiner, was by his side.
Also in the room was Field Marshal Michelle Bjuti, the head of the Department of Strategy and Tactics. She had two staff members with her, and for the life of him, Hanse could not recall their names. Rounding the other side of the table was Field Marshal Lisa Steiner, the commander of the Department of the Quartermaster. She was responsible for making sure the AFFC had the needed supplies. A brilliant woman, he infinitely preferred her presence to that of her mother, Nondi Steiner. He had also invited Marshal Bishop Sortek, commander of the 1st Davion Guards RCT, and Marshal Ann Adelmana of the Davion Heavy Guards. Those two were included specifically due to his daughter's request.
"We are all here and can begin. Justin, pull up the latest troop movements and information we have on the enemy."
The brilliant projector showed the data along the wall, but also sent it to everyone's personal noteputer. At the touch of a finger, they could click on a world and get the latest on who was fighting there, the last report from it, and the latest from FCIS.
"We are here today to review some tactical proposals and assess our overall strategy. Some old topics will be revisited in regard to our rank structure, and we will be discussing further deployments."
Lisa Steiner interjected, "Highness, our JumpShip capacity is at its limit. We moved the Kathil Ulhans and the 2nd Crucis Lancers RCT on a near command circuit. The other movement from the Isle of Skye has also pulled what free units we had out of position. Unless we conscript the private merchant fleet, we are limited."
"I am aware, and as of this morning, the conscription order is signed. I don't want to fully disrupt trade, especially given the needs of our industries to continue churning out material and necessities, but we will be expanding our available JumpShip capacity for troop movements." Hanse looked to Alex, who gave a quick nod. "You'll have the estimated numbers by the end of the day."
"Thank you," Lisa replied, her blue eyes already taking on a calculating gleam.
"Regarding strategy," Hanse continued. "My daughter has proven that at least some of the Clans will honor their 'batchall' agreements. As you know, our commanders have been leery of providing detailed information to the enemy. It flies in the face of basic strategic principles, but it has worked. Katherine was able to fight a localized duel with two lances against an enemy formation called a 'Star' that had five 'Mechs. Through negotiations beforehand, she was able to secure five of their most advanced 'Mechs and five of their Elemental suits. In addition, she secured safe passage off Wotan for her unit, part of the 12th Star Guards, and both an infantry regiment and an armored battalion of the Wotan TMM." Hanse did not bother keeping the pride out of his voice.
"A grand victory, Highness," Jackson Davion acknowledged. "However, it was absurdly risky. I read her report prior to this meeting. She risked having her entire command surrender without a fight. Attrition of the enemy's material is a strategic priority. Given the superiority of their 'Mechs, I don't know how repeatable that tactic will be."
"A fair point," Justin replied. "However, the exact tactics she used may not be repeatable, but the overall use of batchall may be. Based on what FCIS has learned, once the size of the defender is known, the Clans will bid amongst themselves in a competitive process to win 'honor' by defeating the enemy with the smallest force possible. Moreover, they will honor requests for war-prizes should the defender win. We suspect most defenders will lose, but on the chance that they achieve victory, we can win something in return. Given that we believe the Clans have high-level intel on our defensive forces anyway, I see no reason not to engage in the batchall process – even if we do not participate in the rest of their lunacy."
Roman Steiner made a humming sound. "We could also fool the enemy by keeping forces hidden, making them send fewer troops than they need."
Justin nodded. "We've considered that, but Katherine suggests against it unless the world is a 'keystone world' that we must defend."
"Keystone?" Bishop Sortek asked.
"A phrase Katherine uses in her report. Words like Sudeten, Tamar, and Pandora – worlds we must hold. If we abuse the batchall process, Katherine fears the enemy will cease using it. FCIS interrogation of Clan prisoners has us believing the same."
Michelle Bjuti furrowed her brow, adding wrinkles to an already lined face. "It seems the Fox's daughter has a great many opinions after her fight with the Clans."
If only you knew…
Hanse had been both proud and miffed by the seventy-page coded diatribe and analysis she provided. Her logic was often sound, but he could feel the vehemence through his noteputer. For a normal person this would seem as if Katherin's emotions ran away from her as she was composing her analysis, only it had been manually coded since its size sent it through ComStar, meaning she had ample time to change her verbiage to be less… aggressive. It had been marked as Prince's Eyes Only, for it was quite contemptuous of the top brass of the AFFC. Katherine was working in the dark in some areas, and there were issues Hanse had to consider that she knew nothing of. But beyond that, he trusted her firsthand experience with the Clans, as well as her sharp insights on how to fight them.
"She's the only commander to have successfully used the batchall process against our enemy," Hanse replied. "There are some quibbles we can make regarding which worlds are key versus others, but her basic thought makes sense. Defend what we can, and to Jackson's point, attrite the enemy on the worlds through guerrilla action."
Bishop gave a firm nod. "That makes sense to me, Highness. If it worked once and there's limited drawback, why not? Given the reports on those 'Mechs, I'm eager to get my hands on a few myself."
Michelle added, "NAIS is frothing at the mouth to get their hands on some of those weapon systems. They tell me they received useful data from Wotan, but nothing substitutes the real thing. Field Marshal Steiner, how quickly can you get a command circuit from Beta VII to New Avalon?"
Hanse held up a hand. "Hold your horses, Bjuti. We might have Katherine send some of the equipment for testing, but it's important she has the best with her to replicate her results."
Lisa Steiner, Roman Steiner, Jackson Davion, and Ann Adelmana all tried to speak at once with objections. Hanse just grinned. "If Melissa couldn't convince me to recall her, you all don't stand a chance in hell." More somberly, he continued, "She's better than good. She's spoken at length with them. She gets results. She is one of the best damned 'Mech pilots we have. Katherine is the perfect person to make use of their batchall system against them. She's being routed to Blackjack next, where we expect the Clans to strike within the next two to three months."
There was some heated discussion for differing reasons. Jackson Davion pointed to her age and her clear propensity for overbold decision-making. Lisa and Roman Steiner thought the risk to the princess, the pride of the Lyran Commonwealth, was unconscionable. Morale would be unrecoverable if she were killed or captured.
They bring up valid points, but I trust her. My parental instincts are screaming at me to bring her home, but I get the same feeling about her that I did when I put my faith in Justin Allard and Morgan Hasek-Davion during the Fourth Succession War. She will deliver.
"Enough. The decision is made. I thank you for your thoughts, but we have other matters to discuss," Hanse finally called that topic to a close.
As the room quieted, he brought up a thorny issue. "Adjacent to this issue is our rank structure. There were a series of compromises that seemed to have made few people happy. By removing the rank of Colonel and Leftenant Colonel, we pleased some who received a promotion to Leftenant General and displeased others. To put it simply, the rank of Leftenant General has become too big and encompasses too many different roles. I know you've all seen Field Marshal Nondi Steiner's announcement about the revival of the Hauptmann Kommandant rank."
Some annoyed muttering filled the room, and Lisa Steiner looked embarrassed as her lips thinned.
"Officially, her actions were premature; however, they were in line with the revival of other ranks."
One of Bjuti's aides looked startled and blurted out, "They were?"
"No, but that is the official statement we are making about it. At the same time, we will be reinstituting the Colonel and Leftenant Colonel ranks. Regimental officers will be Colonels, with their XOs as Leftenant Colonels. They will retain their Leftenant-General paygrade, but will use the new ranks. These recommendations will come officially from Marshal of the Armies Hasek-Davion and be approved by Archon Melissa Steiner and myself. This should quiet down the chatter over Field Marshal Steiner's actions."
Pull anything like that again Nondi, and I will have you replaced, Lyran resentment or no.
"You're going to make Katherine a Colonel?" Roman Steiner asked.
Hanse nodded, and both Roman and Lisa smiled, pleased with the decision.
"For now, but if her command continues to grow, I may have to promote her to Leftenant General."
"I would normally object, Highness," Ann Adelmana replied, "but both Leftenant Allard-Liao and Leftenant Sylvester have sung her praises, and their skills are nearly unparalleled." She gave Justin Allard a mock glare. "Your cheeky son even cored my Atlas in a simulator battle with a Centurion to show me why he should be allowed to pilot one. So, I trust his judgment when he says someone is worthy."
You old battleaxe, he did that and you still stubbornly insisted on making him pilot a heavy 'Mech!
Hanse hadn't interfered; she was allowed to run her RCT as she saw fit.
Jackson Davion sighed. "I won't change your mind, but this reek of favoritism. The junior officers aren't going to like this. At least promote Victor as well."
Hanse schooled his expression. He was so damn proud of his son. His eldest's strategy on Trell had been a good one, and it was still being carried out in the bowels of Thunder Rift. Victor's battalion had also fought their hearts out and done much better than most units across the worlds that had been invaded. But he wasn't ready. He still thought very tactically, and Hanse did not have the sense that he grasped the bigger picture like Katherine did.
The differences here are stark. Katherine wanted to come back to NAIS and be part of the reverse-engineering process, train other line officers on how to conduct effective batchall, and train up a powerful anti-Clan unit. Whereas Victor petitioned me and Morgan for a new command so he could get back into the fight sooner. He's looking to prove himself; she's looking to win the war. That makes her far more ready than he is.
"My son will be working closely with Morgan developing strategy to counter the Clans. I'm not going to give him a rank without a unit just to create some sort of parity between siblings. When it is appropriate, and when Morgan thinks he is ready, he will be given a command that best uses his skills," Hanse said with finality.
"Both fall outside of my jurisdiction, but I've said my piece, Highness," Jackson Davion conceded.
"Moving on to another matter. New Avalon is the planet I love, but due to the nature of our compromised means of swift communication, I will be moving to Tharkad for the time being to face this crisis."
My daughter kept her message hidden, but it was clear her talk of 'pony express JumpShips' for the sole purpose of sending messages to and fro was code for the use of the black boxes. With me on Tharkad, I could react much more quickly.
"This will also soothe some of the concerns from the Lyran side of our combined nation. To that end, it has been suggested that famous Davion units should join the frontline. That is partially why I invited you two here, Marshals Sortek and Adelmana. The Davion Heavy Guards and the 1st Davion Guards are two of the most famous Davion RCTs. One of your units will be headed to the front to fight the Clans. Showing the Lyran people that Davion blood is also defending them will go a long way toward ensuring unity," Hanse declared.
My daughter also thinks along the political dimension. A staff officer needs that skill. Katherine was also right about New Avalon being more protected than any planet in the Federated Commonwealth. The New Avalon Crucis March Militia has newer tech than most RCTs, the 1st Davion Guards RCT and Davion Heavy Guards RCT are the elite of the elite, and Team Banzai may be the most advanced regiment in the Inner Sphere. Tharkad, by comparison, only has two RCTs.
Bishop Sortek pounced first. "The 1st Davion Guards stand ready. We have the latest NAIS equipment and are prepared for the challenge."
Not to be outdone, Ann Adelmana countered with a question. "Have your officers created custom simulator programs based on Clan designs to train against?"
Sortek blinked. "No…"
"My Davion Heavy Guards are already doing this. That sort of initiative from my junior officers is why we are best suited for this role. Not to lean politically, but we also have the heir to the St. Ives Compact in our ranks. That will shut down those Lyran politicians who say propping up that realm is a waste of resources." She looked at Justin apologetically. "No offense, Secretary Allard, that isn't my view; I am just repeating what they have said."
"None taken, Ann," Justin politely replied.
Hanse looked at Bishop. "She's got you there. And while I am reluctant to add further stressors to my chief advisor's shoulders, her MechWarriors have shown the kind of initiative we need."
"Don't get too excited," Lisa Steiner drawled. "I don't have the JumpShips to move an entire RCT via a Command Circuit. Commandeering the private JumpShips will help, but they are scattered all over the place. It will take time to set one up."
Hanse knew that from New Avalon to Sudeten or Tharkad would take half a year without the use of additional JumpShips that could accept the transfer of the DropShips with already charged K-F drives.
"This is a cardinal sin of our doctrine, but we'll make it work, Field Marshal Steiner. You can set up a Command Circuit with far fewer JumpShips if we deploy just the 'Mech regiment and the Aerospace wings. The armored and infantry regiments, as well as the artillery battalion, can lag behind. Sending a Davion unit like this is a symbolic gesture, and the earlier they see combat, the better. The Heavy Guards can be deployed alongside an RCT already on the front so we can still make use of our combat protocols."
Lisa Steiner pursed her lips. "That will take some juggling. I'll get a report to you in the morning on the impacts of doing it. We really don't have more JumpShip bandwidth for actions like this, so it will all be about tradeoffs."
"That's understood. We have a lot of work to do, Marshal Adelmana. Remain behind."
Everyone left the room, save for Ann, Justin, and Alex.
"Highness?"
"You are going with a dozen MI6 teams, some of which will be picked up along the way: teams three through fifteen, and they will have operational direction of your unit."
MI6 teams were the MIIO strike teams. The 'Rabid Foxes' were known for their brutal effectiveness, ruthlessness, and loyalty. As commandos, they were the Federated Suns' equivalent of the Lyran Loki teams and the Combine's DEST operatives. Each elite team was squad-sized, roughly 6-8 members, and all were highly trained in assassination, sabotage, interrogation, surveillance, close combat, and mastery of a wide array of weaponry. They also had the very best of NAIS technology to help them get the job done.
"Excuse me?" Her expression looked horrified.
"You will have operational control, but targets they identify for rapid strikes will be Fox Team 3's call to make. It might be that you'll be on garrison duty the entire time; we don't know if they'll find opportunities or not. We will be inserting these teams on a dozen different worlds, and they will be carrying K-Series fax machines like you have. We can't trust ComStar, and if you are in a nearby system, you'll get it fast and can react with the speed needed. We can't be fully passive here; we need to keep the enemy guessing and force them to commit resources on the defense," Hanse said gravely.
"I'm here to serve, Highness," she said hesitantly, and then, in a more resolute voice, added, "Thank you for your trust."
After she left, Hanse turned to Justin. "Are you sure you are at peace with me sending the Davion Heavy Guards? I know how important your son is to you."
"I'm doing no more than you are on that front. Kai is part of an elite regiment and has honed himself to a razor's edge. He will do great things out there."
Hanse stood and clapped him on the back. "I hope your wife is more forgiving than mine; I don't think I'll have that much of a warm welcome when I arrive on chilly Tharkad."
Justin shrugged. "The Archon will come around. Katherine's suggestion of moving to Tharkad is something I should have thought of. I think we all just got used to operating out of the Fox's Den with all its sophisticated technology; we never stopped to even consider an alternative."
It took fresh eyes like Katherine's to see it. We are getting old and set in our ways. I can only pray that I am right about Katherine and that I'm not throwing away one of the greatest strategic minds the Inner Sphere has seen.
***
Black Pearl Base, Sudeten
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 15th 3050
Victor and Galen finished looking over the latest report on Trell as they made their way to the reception. It seemed that there was still sporadic fighting on the planet. There was no true ability for Leftenant General Hawksworth to defeat the invading force, but the fact he, or someone in his command, was still transmitting messages via those strange black box devices gave Victor satisfaction.
Give 'em hell.
"Are you still pressuring your father to give you command of a relief force to retake the world?" Galen asked.
Victor shook his head sadly. "I don't think that is in the cards anymore. They've pushed the front further back, taking the worlds of Derf, Twycross, and Romulus. We would have to make multiple jumps from the worlds on the front, and by the time we decide anything here, they will likely have pushed even further in."
"But you are still itching for a frontline role, preferably one where you can counterattack. Your father must be considering it, at least by having you brought here."
Victor sighed. "Not necessarily. My parents will probably want me to be given a staff position with the Kathil Uhlans. Morgan might assign me to a line unit defending a likely world that will get hit, but I'll be carried off at the first sign of trouble."
"That didn't happen with your sister," Galen pointed out.
Victor smiled broadly, genuinely happy at hearing his sister's success. "Only through chance. I've seen the summary of the events. Leftenant General Cabrillo tried to get her off-world, but the Clans shot down the DropShips. God rest their souls, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She tricked those Clanners and ended up getting a ride off-world with all the DropShips on the planet after ripping one of their Star Colonels to pieces in a duel."
Galen scratched at his cheek as he silently thought.
"So, it's a lost cause for you to get the role you want?"
Victor opened his hands and crossed his fingers. "Real close, but not 100 percent yet. If I can come up with an operation that is sound and has merit, Morgan might just give it to me. Remember, he wasn't that much older than I am now when the Uhlans assaulted the Capellan capital. Morgan won't let me throw away the lives of men and women in some vanity assault, but he will listen to reason."
As they came within sight of the entrance, they saw a few FCIS security personnel along with four men waiting for them. The first was Morgan Hasek-Davion, his long red hair and black-and-gold uniform making him easily recognizable. Galen also knew who he was, as he had been the new Marshal of the Armies for almost a year now. Victor shared the names of the other three men and a brief bio as they closed the distance to greet them.
The man next to Morgan was Leftenant General Andrew Redburn, commander of the 1st Kathil Uhlans. A living legend, Victor knew from his family history that Andrew Redburn was one of the reasons his mother even survived to marry his father. And that was in addition to the accolades he won in the 4th Succession War in the more traditional fighting.
The two next to them didn't wear AFFC uniforms, though the spurs on the older man, Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Allard, made him recognizable as someone who graduated from a Federated Suns military academy. Victor gave the name and explained he was the current leader of the elite Kell Hounds mercenary unit, and the younger man was Christian Kell, a major with the Hounds and commander of their battalions.
Victor also explained that Daniel was Justin Allard's brother – well, half-brother – but the two siblings always referred to themselves simply as brothers. Christian Kell was Victor's cousin through his father, Patrick Kell, who was Morgan Kell's brother. Patrick had died tragically before Victor was born, fighting against the Draconis Combine.
"As if I wasn't already enough of the odd-man out," Galen muttered, good-naturedly.
As they neared to the appropriate distance Victor saluted sharply. "Kommandant Victor Steiner-Davion reporting for duty sir."
Morgan returned the salute crisply, then extended his hand to Victor. They shook hands and then embraced in a back-slapping hug.
"It's good to see you safe, Victor."
Victor introduced Galen. "This is Hauptmann Galen Cox. He's the reason I'm here. His Crusader got me out of more than one sticky situation on Trell."
More greetings were exchanged, and Victor shook the white-haired mercenary's hand. Daniel Allard pumped his arm warmly. "I'm glad to see you here."
"Likewise, after what those bastards did to Phelan, I knew no one was going to keep the Kell Hounds away."
Christan Kell bowed and then shook his hand. "They owe us a debt that we will repay in full."
Victor had never liked Phelan, but it was a childhood grudge. He would never have wished for death on the man. He did feel better knowing the Kell Hounds were full of fighting vim; they were one of the Inner Sphere's premier mercenary units.
Once the greetings were completed, Victor asked Morgan, "What's the agenda? How much time do we have?"
"I don't know exactly," Morgan said. "But we're scheduled to meet here over the next eight weeks to study all the data we have on the invaders. By the end of that time – and sooner, if necessary – we'll have gathered the troops and supplies needed to implement whatever plans we come up with."
"Will I get a command?"
Morgan showed him the barest hint of a smile. "You've already been transferred to the Tenth Lyran Guards at your present rank of Kommandant. Whether or not you'll see combat depends upon what you and the invaders do over the next two months."
Victor nodded. "Will my sister be joining us?"
Morgan had a strange, hunted look for a moment before it returned to his normal mien.
"Her input has been considered, and she's given us vital intelligence on the Clans. Her situation is unique, and she's traveling with the homeless veterans of multiple units. Katherine has demonstrated a natural talent in training and integrating disparate units. Her NAIS Research Battalion performed well despite being cobbled together from recent graduates of different academies and veterans from different units. That isn't easy to do."
Victor was saddened by the news. He had really wanted to see his sister again, but he was glad they recognized her talents.
"All right, well then, let's get started, gentlemen. We have a war to plan and win."
***
Blackjack
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
June 25th 3050
Had I been a bad child? Did my parents hate me? They listened to me and accepted quite a bit of the advice I had recently given, but they refused to let me come home. I just wanted to go back to New Avalon and be far away from the front lines! Why? As I cradled my head in my hands, I took a brief moment to review what the hell had happened.
After my partial victory on Wotan, I jumped out to Beta VII with an impressive array of DropShips and JumpShips. While in-system, I gathered my thoughts and sent them to my father. There were too many to transmit via Black Box, so I used a bit of subterfuge when discussing certain topics. I feared that ComStar might share information with the Clans if they broke the manual encryption protocol I used. My comments during the batchall about infiltrating ComStar and using that knowledge to learn the Clan ways would likely make me public enemy number one for those bastards.
My tone had been a bit harsh – was this my parents' punishment? Forcing me to continue fighting on the front lines? Talk about cruel and unusual punishment! I was still technically a minor; this was child abuse!
After jumping out from Beta VII and arriving at Blackjack, I received more news – I was being promoted from Hauptmann-Kommandant to full Colonel. I was initially quite shocked, as I had just been promoted, and while I had suggested reviving the ranks of Leftenant Colonel and Colonel, I hadn't expected them to do so immediately. I would have to work even harder to earn people's respect because this was an absurd level of nepotism.
Oh… oh… I get it now! This is a tit-for-tat battle between my great-aunt and Morgan! It's his signature on the promotion, she promoted me once, and now Morgan promotes me again a game of one-upmanship. This is no way to run a military!
My promotion was a Trojan Horse, and the Greeks lying in wait within it were the orders placing me in charge of Blackjack's defense. On my other two worlds, the buck had never stopped at my desk. The overall failure to hold both Icar and Wotan wasn't going to be placed on me. In fact, my reputation hadn't even been bruised. Thanks to my extensive working relationships with the Lyran media – and no doubt my parents' influence as well – the airwaves were filled with praise for how brave, patriotic, and heroic I was.
In hindsight, it made a great deal of sense. If people perceived me negatively, dozens of products with huge marketing campaigns would become worthless. It was in their best interests to keep my persona and reputation intact. The same went for my parents—they wouldn't want to be seen as failures. Despite being part of two losing campaigns, the people still loved me. But I knew that would all change if I, as the appointed defender and ultimately responsible party for a world's defense, were to lose it.
I can't lose. No matter what.
I had been given more resources to ensure I had some shred of hope to stop the Clan juggernaut. The Wotan Tamar March Militia units I had saved from Wotan were now assigned to me. I had a full regiment of infantry and an additional armored battalion. The remnants of the Icar Armored Brigade were also assigned to me, though all that was left was battalion strength. Reinforcements were being provided by Nondi Steiner in the form of two battalions of my beloved Spitfire Cannons. However, no crews were coming along to field them, so one of my first orders of business was to intensify the cross-training efforts.
Along with those two battalions, I was being given a squadron of Aerospace fighters. They would be led by Hauptmann Sebastian Mauer from the 2nd Royal Guards Regimental Combat Team. Even though it was only six fighters, having some airpower – elite airpower at that – was a priceless boon, and it made me feel a lot better.
I was also being given an additional company of infantry for on-site security, along with much-needed replacement equipment for what had been lost on Icar – two Partisan Heavy Tanks, more Thumpers, and various other odds and ends.
With Colonel Caitlin captured on Winfield along with the rest of our wounded, the 12th Star Guards requested to join me as well. I was honestly baffled and had to have a real heart-to-heart with them. They had been very brave – most merc units would have cut and run instead of trying to defend the spaceport. However, they were not up to my standards. If they stayed with me and became a formal part of the AFFC military, they would need to shape up. They took a vote and agreed to join.
Crazy bastards. I bet they got their first taste of real combat against someone other than Periphery bandits and wanted more. Why do I always seem to attract battle maniacs?
That added two companies to my initial company, bringing the 'Mech portion of my force up to battalion strength. Between the Icar Armored Brigade and the Wotan TMM armored battalion, I now had two battalions of armor, plus my original company of armor, which was used for anti-air duties.
There was more, though. Blackjack was a planet home to just shy of one billion people. When it was first discovered, it had easily accessible mineral wealth, which allowed heavy industry to form. However, problems began when nearly all of it was fully mined. The industrial presence lasted for a time, but heavy raiding during the Second Succession War brought ruin to those factories. Without an easy source of raw materials to work with, they were left in ruin.
In the following centuries, Blackjack would prove to be a modest world that was very self-sufficient. It still had manufacturing capacity for consumer electronic goods, suitable climates for growing a variety of food, and was home to a few interesting reptile species that served as one of its few luxury goods exports – well, legal exports. Blackjack also produced several banned drugs in the Lyran Commonwealth. It was home to three continents, one of which was far from the prying eyes of the planetary government and regularly exported highly potent and addictive recreational drugs.
This brought me to the last component of my defensive force: the Blackjack School of Conflict, the only private military academy in the Lyran Commonwealth. The MechWarriors who graduated often possessed unique talents and skills that made them highly sought after in mercenary regiments. Some of the curriculum included bypassing BattleMech security systems, electronic forgery, high-G conditioning, and prolonged survival and evasion.
Today, I would be having a chat with Kommandant Dean Bristow, commander of the Blackjack School of Conflict's Training Battalion – a battalion-strength asset that I would be keen to use if my batchall negotiations didn't pan out. He was only the first of several meetings I had planned for the day.
He was a swarthy, silver-haired man with an air of command. He snapped a crisp salute.
"Colonel Katherine Steiner-Davion, welcome to Blackjack."
I returned the salute and got down to business with barely any pleasantries. I didn't have time for chit-chat.
"I need a status report on all your 'Mechs and MechWarriors, student or otherwise. This world is on the invasion path of the Clans, and I will use every asset to defend it."
"I can have a report sent to you by this evening. We stand ready to repel any attack. Some of the students may be of little use, but I will detail my thoughts on who is dependable and why."
I nodded, that would be useful.
"Excellent. We are also going to see about hardening the defenses of this school. This is not the preferred ground where I wish to fight – that will be in the abandoned industrial zone – but we need to plan for contingencies."
His brow furrowed. "Why would they attack there?"
"It's how the Clans operate. As the defender, we can choose the ground. My goal is to get them to agree to a localized fight between a small number of 'Mechs. Should they refuse, I plan to use every bit of prepared ground advantage I can. If we win, we may have to face a follow-up attack, where they may not be as willing to play by their nonsensical rules."
That was my biggest worry, because if it came to fighting off a full invasion force, I would not be following Zellbrigen and would be making full use of my artillery. That might upset them enough to call me Dezgra and refuse to follow their honor rituals.
"I will have to take your word for it, Colonel."
"Yes, and I'll need some of your instructors as well. Your school will be expanding to non-MechWarriors."
"Oh?"
"We don't have much time, but I'll be conducting a partial call-up of the reserves of the local militia and will need to borrow your people to help train them."
And by that, I truly meant the local militia, not a March Militia unit. The local militias of worlds are there in case of civil unrest. They're almost never designed to face 'Mechs in combat, but I had some ideas and not a whole lot of time to implement them.
"To be honest, Colonel, I am not sure they would be of any help. How much time do we realistically have?" Bristow asked skeptically.
"Two, maybe three months."
He shook his head. "Then it would be pointless."
"I'll be the judge of that, Kommandant. Our backs are against the wall here. Just make sure you inform them and that they are flexible enough. Work begins within the week."
I could tell he was under the impression I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have time to explain everything, because I had so many other tasks to take care of. Construction companies were going to be dragooned into doing a lot of work, with far less care toward safety, building codes, and the like. I wished I had a proper engineering battalion to help with my plans, but these would have to do.
I called a command meeting and started delegating tasks.
"Leftenant Roth, you will begin working with the 12th Star Guards who have joined us, as well as the Blackjack Training Battalion. You will have free use of the dozen simulators, and I want two things from you. First, I want them to be the absolute best you can make them in the short time we have. Second, I want a list of which ones would be best in a similar type of Trial of Possession battle, like we did on Wotan. Last time, I was able to bring it down to a single Star against two lances, but we might have to expand that to larger numbers. Also, ensure we've identified the individuals from our existing company who the new Clan 'Mechs we won will go to."
"Yes ma'am," she replied.
"Leftenant LeBeau, you will be responsible for liaising with the industry leaders and using our 'Mechs to assist in completing some construction tasks – bunkers, earthworks, and restructuring terrain based on my plans will be required."
"Can do, Colonel. I'll also make sure they understand that beyond just protecting this world, good work may lead to some manufacturing contracts with Achernar BattleMechs. It won't be true, but hopefully, we can avoid them dragging their feet."
I knew you were a great asset.
"Hauptmann Halstead, you will be borrowing some of Benjamin's people and training them into artillery specialists. We're going to have more tubes than people who can use them."
Colonel Benjamin Withers was the commander of the Wotan TMM infantry regiment. In his 50s, with thinning gray hair, he had spent the last fifteen years as a glorified paper-pusher. However, prior to that, he had served with distinction in the LCAF special forces.
"Hauptmann Wright, I'm going to have you work with the reservists on the use of field guns."
Her hazel eyes displayed confusion. "Field guns?"
Field guns were weapons normally mounted on 'Mechs and tanks, but here they were placed on turrets, within bunkers, or used by infantry squads.
"If everything works out, we'll be getting a supply of autocannons. AC/2s and AC/5s with flak rounds will be crucial to beef up our anti-air defenses. We are getting some Aerospace support, but it is only a single squadron. You are only anti-air units and we need to fix that."
If I can secure delivery, maybe some other weapons designed to be used against 'Mechs as well.
She nodded in agreement, and I moved on to the next item on the list.
"Leftenant Rogers, three of the Elemental suits will be assigned to my protective detail, and you'll have the rest. Your primary role will remain securing our headquarters, but once the fighting starts, you'll need to train with the suits and be ready for anti-'Mech and anti-Elemental assignments in the field."
The square-jawed man acknowledged the assignment without fanfare.
"Colonel Withers, you'll work with the reservists not involved in field gun training and the Blackjack School of Conflict instructors. Train them as thoroughly as possible. Conscript local SWAT teams and secure any heavy weaponry available on the planet. Coordinate with law enforcement and establish a line to the criminal syndicates here. Offer full pardons for past misdeeds in exchange for weaponry and manpower."
He frowned. "I don't approve–"
"Noted, but you'll do it anyway. This world cannot fall. I will use every means at my disposal to ensure it doesn't. No stone will be left unturned, and no resource untapped. I want civilian aircraft modified for cluster munitions. Cargo trucks converted to carry Spitfires. Part of the infantry not yet motorized or mechanized to be outfitted with civilian motorcycles. Every person, every piece of technology, and everything on this world will be used to resist the enemy. Am I clear?"
A round of "Yes, Colonels" echoed through the room, Withers included.
After orders were given out, I kept Aiko, Gregory, and Sven behind.
"We'll have proper fanfare later, but I wanted you to hear this from me first. Aiko will continue serving as my bodyguard on the field. My command lance will fall under her authority, making us a unit of five—better equipped to deal with an enemy Star formation. That means she will retain the rank of Leftenant."
I gave Gregory a nod. "You're now Hauptmann LeBeau and in charge of 1st Company. Congratulations."
"Thank you, I won't let you down."
"Hauptmann Fischer, you're being promoted two grades to Hauptmann-Kommandant. You'll be my XO, and depending on the future make-up of this command, you may end up a Leftenant Colonel. If we go more 'Mech or armor heavy, it could go to someone else. For now, your responsibility will cover just over two artillery battalions. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Colonel! I did not expect this to happen, but thank you."
I gave a nod. "Before the enemy arrives, I want you to select the next candidate for promotion to Kommandant for the new artillery battery. Halstead is good at the company command level, but she's still young, and I haven't seen the necessary skill set for her to handle a full battalion just yet."
Aiko, ever so helpful, snickered. She wouldn't have done it if we weren't alone in the room, but still, that earned her an aggrieved glare from me.
Sven understood the gravity of the task and knew he needed to select a new battery commander from his artillery officers to promote to Hauptmann.
Now, it was time to return my star charts and the ComStar messages I'd need to send out. I wasn't at all confident I had all the tools I'd need to face whatever the Clans threw at me. I needed more. I was going to call in every possible favor and spend a vast sum of C-Bills to get what was required. The real issue was time, so I had to put together a partial Command Circuit for anything I could manage within the next two months.
Fortunately, private JumpShips hadn't yet been fully conscripted for the war effort, which meant that with enough money, I could convince some to alter their course. I needed at least six JumpShips in the right place at the right time to speed up the transfer of DropShips carrying the materials I required. Additionally, I was scanning and searching for any mercenaries within 100 Light-Years of Blackjack that I could hire.
From Chahar, I was able to arrange for a DropShip full of autocannon/5s. These could be used as field guns or mounted in bunkers or turrets with either standard ammunition or flak rounds. To maximize efficiency, I also contacted Leftenant General Alicia Mason of the Chahar Periphery March Militia to see if she could detach anything from her command. It was a long shot, but she was surprisingly willing to send me a lance of assault tanks, along with the vehicles needed to transform a battalion of my infantry into mechanized troops.
From Machida, I hired a company-sized mercenary unit of jump infantry. To maximize efficiency, I had them load a DropShip full of military equipment. From Melissa, I paid the planetary government a small fortune to send over conventional aircraft and pilots. From Blumenort, I coaxed a small group of retired LCAF MechWarriors – who privately owned their 'Mechs – to help defend Blackjack. Along with the six additional 'Mechs, the extra DropShip was packed to the brim with landmines. From Dustball, I hired a few hundred legally questionable toughs, along with scores of SRM launchers for infantry use.
The logistical nightmare of coordinating JumpShips and DropShips while timing everything perfectly was a constant headache. I was relying heavily on the combined DropShip and JumpShip armada drawn from Wotan, Icar, and now Blackjack to accelerate the process. At some point, High Command would undoubtedly demand their JumpShips for other operations, but for now, they were essential to my plans.
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