Backstory novella for GBT: 2997

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  gbt_2997_-_novella_-_kamikaze.pdf

March 23rd 3003 is known on Tamar as Victory Over the Dragon Day, "Sieg über den Drachentag", or more informally as Yellow Katana Day.

It's the date when the remnants of 8 or so Kuritan DCMS mech regiments (including the 6th Sword of Light) and their supporting elements fled Tamar rather than risk utter destruction. It marks one of the greatest retreats in Combine history... and by far the best documented... the whole Inner Sphere was watching. Despite the best efforts of the DCMS and the ISF, the recently ascended Coordinator Miyamoto Kurita could not avoid losing face, especially since it came at the heels of the honorable disaster on Waldorff, and the slaughter of Duke Ricol's expeditionary force. Indeed, such was the shame involved that the Coordinators nickname, "the Young Dragon", took on a much more negative connotation.

From 3004 on the day was celebrated with parades and fireworks. The commoners took to waving yellow banners and streamers, or wore a yellow garment or decoration.

Anastasia is a tall, blond (possibly natural) Caucasian woman in her late 30s or early 40s (although with Terran medtech it's hard to say a woman's age for certain). She is a ComStar official, with the rank of Precentor (she's not related to THE Blake). She seems to have close ties to the military, so she is possible a Precentor Martial, but she could also be a Precentor ROM.

Precentor Blake was the facilitator for the secret Combine-Lancer talks that ended with Takashi Kurtia being returned to his family (after which a grateful Coordinator gifted the Lancers with a Star Lord and 3 Overlords). She even offered the use of her own private, very modest, Swiss mountainside home (well, maybe not THAT modest - it did include a VTOL platform and rooms for nearly 50 people).

On the losing end of some form of interal ComStar power struggle. Currently living in disguise as a mechwarrior with the Katanas (her appearance has been cleaver altered by Dr. Jacobs, making her look very different from her true self). Captain Winters (Snow White) seems to be an ally/friend/whatever. The same applies to the matronly Demi-Precentor "Nani" Dell of Waldorff, and Colonel Carson Holmes Esq., commanding officer 2nd ComGuards/Sandhurst Academy.

Summary of events, assets and characters:

Arrive late Dec 3001
Find another jumpship close by, sail furled (ship has a defect fusion reactor and likes to keep sail out to generate power).
Ship boxed in and boarded.
Suspect pirate activity on planet.
5.5 day burn at 1-1.5G
Pirates gone, search of about 10 days
Pretend to leave, Katanas take enemy in ambush
Capture enemy dropships with battle suits
Heroes of Steelton
Jump out-system in late January 3002

Queen of the Rim, Merchant-class (2x2 slots)
Pirate (Oberon Confederacy)
Renamed Queen of Chesterton

Burn to Steelton

Union (armed): Mech carrier
Crusader
Hunch
Griff
Griff

SH-K
Cent
PH
PH

Assassin
FS
Stinger
Stinger

Mule: Loot carrier
Utility vehicles

Gazelle: Troop carrier/slave pen
1 coy pirate inf

Maj. Gen Gunnar Wald: Commander of the capital's regimental garrison.

Commander Tomas Wilhelm Grendel: Police/militia officer. Worked with the the Katanas during their previous visit.

Sgt Homer: Old pirate "solider".Claims to have served on the previous pirate king's guard. Caucasian. Old, balding, turning to fat - and with an eye patch. Claims to know every nook and cranny of Oberon VI - and the movers and shakers of the place (maybe he did, 20 years ago).

Cpt Walker: Eurafrican. In his 60s. Served on Periphery ships all his life. Past 20 years a pirate captain.

Benjamin: African. 14 yo mechwarrior wannabe.

Neira: Young pirate slave/prostitute.

All Black Wolf Lancers regiments and Yellow Katanas use the same rank structure. Due to early influences, ranks are sometimes referred to by their German names.

Mechwarrior/ASF Officer ranks

The Lancers are led by their mechwarriors – only mechwarrior officers have full command authority. Non-line officers (anything from supporting infantry to logistics) have command authority only over their own branch.

General-Oberst (Brigadier): Reserved for the Wolf himself. Note that the Wolf is also the commanding officer of the Wolf’s Own regiment.

Oberst (Colonel): Regimental commander/Katana commander. Natalia Chesterton has this as an honorary rank. Other current colonels are Satan and Takari.

Major: Battalion commander. Also regimental XO.

Hauptmann (Captain): Company commander. Also battalion XO. This rank is more often referred to by its English name.

Leutnant (Lieutenant): Lance commander. Also company XO.

Fähnrich (Sub-Lieutenant): Lance 2^nd in command/junior lieutenant (typically an officer-in-training). Not all lances will have an officer as 2^nd in command.

Mechwarrior/ASF NCO ranks

Not all mechwarriors have officer commissions. More than half are NCOs.

Sergeant Major (SMaj): Regimental senior NCO mechwarrior.

First Sergeant (1Sgt): Battalion senior NCO mechwarrior.

Master Sergeant (MSgt): Company’s most senior NCO mechwarrior. There is usually only one Master Sergeant per company, but veteran companies could have more.

Gunnery Sergeant (GSgt): Senior Mechwarrior. Mechwarriors with a degree of field experience and good conduct will be promoted to this rank.

Staff Sergeant (SSgt): Junior Mechwarrior. The lowest rank for active mechwarriors.

Sergeant (Sgt): Replacement mechwarrior. This rank is given to mechwarriors who have passed training/been hired, but have yet to qualify as combat pilots in a line lance.

Corporal: Mechwarrior-in-training. Rank is used for mechwarrior trainees (in the Cadre Company or elsewhere).

Lance Corporal: Not used for mechwarriors, support personnel only.

PFC: Not used for mechwarriors, support personnel only.

Private: Not used for mechwarriors, support personnel only.

Recruit: Not used for mechwarriors, support personnel only.

Tech ranks

Technical personnel are either enlisted or NCOs (the Chief mechtech grades). There are about 4 techs and astechs working on each mech/ASF when on deployment, plus additional tech in a communal pool used for heavy maintenance.

There will be technical officers leading the tech departments in the various regiments/battalions. The highest rank for a tech officer is Major, with heads regimental tech teams being Captains and battalion tech teams headed by Lieutenants.

Master Chief Mechtech: Senior NCO in charge of 1 company, master sergeant equivalent.

Senior Chief Mechtech: Senior NCO in charge of 1 lance, gunnery sergeant equivalent.

Chief Mechtech: NCO in charge of 1 mech, staff sergeant equivalent.

Mechtech 1^st Class: Senior experienced mechtech (enlisted), sergeant equivalent.

Mechtech 2^nd Class: Mechtech (enlisted), corporal equivalent.

Mechtech 3^rd Class: Junior mechtech (enlisted), lance corporal equivalent.

Astech 1^st Class: Senior astech (enlisted).

Astech 2^nd Class: Astech (enlisted).

Astech 3^rd Class: Junior astech (enlisted).

Support personnel ranks

Support personnel other than techs, such as logistics and security, use the same ranks as mechwarriors. They have command authority only within their own fields of responsibility. So the lieutenant in charge of security can’t boss around a mechwarrior sergeant – unless it’s got something to do with security. It’s not a complex as it sounds: Lancers know their areas of responsibility and there is minimal “inter service rivalry”.

Naval ranks

Dropship (and jumpship) crews follow standard naval ranks. With “Captain” being equal to both God and King, “Commander” being the captain’s henchman, and the rest of the ranks unimportant and unintelligible to ground-pounders (for example, a naval ‘Lieutenant’ supposedly is the same as a Captain of mechs… how confusing).

ASF Ranks

Like their naval counterparts, ASF pilots have weird rank titles. Their supreme leader is the Wing Commander, which supposedly is about the same as a Colonel of mechs. Below that are the Squadron Leaders attached to each regiment (Majors) and the Flight Leaders (Captains) in charge of battalion-level ASF assets. An ASF lance (2 fighters) is commanded by a Flight Lieutenant (same as a Lieutenant of mechs). His wingman could be a Flight Officer (Sub-Lieutenant) or an NCO (same ranks as mechwarriors).

Located in the Trellshire province of the Tamar Pact. Second world orbiting a Sol-like G0V world, Waldorff is very earthlike in all key parameters, such as gravity, atmospheric composition, temperature, axial tilt, and surface water. There is one moon, Nikolai, which ensures Waldorff has Earth-like tides and a stable axial tilt. Humans can live comfortably on the surface without protective gear. Planet has some native plant life, but all higher life-forms have been imported or geneered from Terran stock.

Time-to-jump is about 10.5 days at 1G burn. On paper it’s ruled by a Baron, currently one Wilhelm Truder, but in reality Commonwealth trading guilds run the place. Current population is approximately three quarters of a billion. The planet isn’t prosperous, but is sufficiently developed to support major urban centers, some local industry and interstellar trade. ComStar maintains a Class B facility on a small island just outside the capital.

Waldorff was chosen as a garrison planet for the Lancers (specifically for Princess’ battalion, but also a forward operating base for the Katanas). Later upgrade as a regimental base, with additional support from Steiner units.

The Star League developed and deployed battle armored infantry. They were used as marines aboard ships and space installations, as shock troops to clear out conventional infantry, and to some extent as an anti-mech weapon. Full SLDF Battle armor is now lostech, but all major combatants employ jump infantry. Jump infantry wear armored exoskeletons (basically the IS version of battle armor), which allows them to carry more firepower into battle than normal infantry. Jump troopers get their name from the personal jump packs the use to improve their mobility. They are invariably elite soldiers, as the equipment requires a lot of skill to use and is too expensive for general use.

In 2825, a strange but highly skilled unit using SLDF tactics, painted in non-regulation colors and bearing insignia reminiscent of the SLDF's 331st Royal BattleMech Division, a unit that had joined Aleksandr Kerensky's Operation Exodus, attacked four Draconis Combine worlds, stole resources, and left.

The first target was the minor world of Svelvik. The invaders refused to communicate with the Draconis Combine militia, defeated them in battle, took what they wanted, and left the system. They next attacked Trondheim, where the 20th Rasalhague Regulars were stationed. They defeated the numerically superior garrison, again refusing communication.

Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita, upon learning of this new enemy, shifted forces to the Periphery borders of both the Pesht and Rasalhague Military Districts.

At Jarett the DCMS Navy engaged the invaders as they made planetfall, but the appearance of a large number of enemy aerospace fighters won the attackers control of space. They used their aerospace supremacy to continuously attack DCMS mech forces, allowing the invaders to plunder yet another planet.

At Richmond the 331st liberated a camp of political prisoners in addition to seizing the usual goods. All of the camp personnel were shot on the spot and every inmate marched aboard their dropships, never to be seen again. Their motives for doing this were never fully understood.

The stampede of the "Minnesota Tribe" so worried the Coordinator that he ordered a halt in the preparations for the 2nd Succession War. Instead the entire DCMS Navy was tasked with hunting down and destroying the invaders. The final encounter took place over St. John, where warships of the DCMS-N cornered and destroyed the invaders' cruiser "Talleyrand".

No enemy prisoners were taken alive during the campaign: The closest the DCMS came to was an encounter with a lone, almost pristine Lancelot on Trondheim. After a lengthy struggle the DCMS brought down the enemy, but the mechwarrior did not eject. Instead he remained in the cockpit of his fallen mech, where he committed suicide with his service pistol before he could be subdued.

Upon examination the warrior was found to be clad in an advanced version of the SLDF's full body coolant suit. The suit had two patches: One with the numbers "331" stitched on it, which appeared to be a revised version of the insignia of the 331st Royal BattleMech Division "Minnesota". The other of a white Wolverine-like creature with bloodied fangs, which did not match anything on record.

Various theories were put forward as to the origins of the "Minnesota Tribe", but the official version was that these were just another group of pirates with access to a SLDF cache - or possibly the descendants of a splinter group which has left the Exodus.

The St. John Affair

A few days later...

Princess reports mech activity against her screening and scout elements. B lance of 5th Company (Electra) lost one of its two SH-Ks and its Whitworth in an ambush. The rest of the lance suffered damage and was in danger of being overwhelmed, but Lance Commander Evelyn "Primetime" Burnett (SH-K) was able to decapitate one of the attackers (using a blade wrested from a Kuritan mech) and cripple the leg of another, causing the attacking DEST forces to pause their assault. This gave elements of 4th Company time to respond, and the remaining Kuritans quit the field, leaving their damaged comrade to cover their retreat. 4th Company pursued until fire from Kuritan reinforcements forced them to fall back.

Lancer losses: SH-K (KIA) + WW (Ejected safely)
Enemy Losses: Quickdraw + PH-K
Salvage: Quickdraw (lacking cockpit and various minor damage)

Other enemy forces: 5-6 units seen in the field, SH-K, T-bolt, PH-K, GDragon, Assassin or Marauder (conflicting reports), Crusader-K (probably, could be another PH-K). Could be more, maybe a third lance. There is a possibility of conventional forces as well, but if so in limited numbers /capabilities.

Princess is currently regrouping to pursue, while 4th Coy scouts and ASF assets maintain contact with enemy mechs. Opfor has withdrawn to a mountain(glacier area some 150 clicks NW of landing site. Her intent is to pursue the enemy with mobile forces, then pin them in place using airlift of heavier elements, but opfor current location makes this a difficult prospect.

---

Katana Chief Intel Officer (technically Fishbait, but compiled by Lt. Max Norwell, the de facto Intel Officer for the Katanas) reports that liberated prisoners confirm the existence of a "secret" max security facility separate from the main internment camps. It is located about 195 klicks from the aerospace base currently serving as a forward operating base for the Katanas.

The area has very rugged terrain, unsuitable for landing with Union-class dropships. Airdrops could be an option, but intel indicates the presence of aerospace defenses, possibly including capital class PPCs. There is only one real road leading to the facility, and its very well defended. It's estimated that a full assault battalion would be required to take it without unacceptable losses. A lighter, more mobile force could get in, but losses would be high. Alternatively a smaller group of very mobile jump mechs could be sent through the mountains (Siri could maybe also be suitable, given Takari's exceptional piloting skillz), but without local knowledge it seems a venture with a low chance of success.

Mech's destroyed at the aerodrome have makings from two different companies, leading intel to suspect that the prison facility may be guarded by as many as a full company of mechs, and an unknown number of conventional forces and fixed emplacements. Reports from freed prisoners indicate that the leader of the DEST force is Major Allison Hada, piloting a Hatamoto-Chi. Her command lance consists of a missile-armed Awesome and two Marauders. Remaining enemy mech forces unknown.

Taking the prison facility would be beneficial. Both for destroying enemy mechs, but also because many of the prisoners on the liberation manifest are thought to be located there. It is imperative that no more time be lost if the attack is to take place - and that it be executed with great speed and ferocity - lest the Kuritans start executing the prisoners rather than see them freed.