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CLAN BURROCK |
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| Clan Language and Government | The Remembrance
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Clan Invasion |
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Rebirth and Expansion
The death of ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky, followed by
the election of Jerome Winson of Clan Wolf as ilKhan, marked the first time
that the Clans were not led by a Kerensky. Instead of marking the beginning of
an age of indecision and uncertainty, the next century came to be known as
"The Golden Century." All facets of Clan society experienced a period
of intense development and growth during this time. The worlds of the Pentagon
were reconstructed, erasing the final scars of the Civil War. Nicholas
Kerensky, like his father before him, was elevated to the level of a demi-god,
and both his writings and recorded speeches became objects of reverence.
Exploration continued in the Kerensky Cluster, but
exploitation of its worlds lagged for two reasons. One was the sheer lack of
people trained to take advantage of any discoveries, and the other was the
Grand Council's desire to keep Clan society on a short rein. This did not
prevent the Clans from bidding for newly discovered worlds. Although most Clans
established only small outposts on new worlds, Clan Wolf seems to have taken
fuller advantage of what they owned. They established major industrial
complexes on the cluster worlds of Paxon and
The scientist and technician castes reached new
heights of excellence during the Golden Century. They perfected artificial womb
technology, rebuilt the Clans' industrial base, and made advances in virtually
every field of endeavor. Not surprisingly, it was in military technology that
they made the greatest, and ultimately the most devastating, advances.
In 2854, scientists from Clan Coyote carried the
concept of the Mercury BattleMech to its logical extreme by developing a 'Mech
with a completely modular weapons system. The result was an "OmniMech,"
a machine whose weaponry could be completely reconfigured or replaced by a few
technicians to suit the situation in just a few hours. This was the first
significant improvement of the BattleMech since its development by the Star
League, and it gave the Clans tremendous flexibility, which they have used
against us to great advantage. Because of the OmniMechs, Clan Coyote enjoyed a
considerable advantage until the other Clans could create their own versions.
This took several years.
At about the same time the OmniMechs were being
developed, Clan Wolf scientists were working on an armored infantry suit. It
protected a soldier, allowed him to keep up with 'Mechs, and enabled him to
carry weaponry that could threaten 'Mechs. The Wolf Clan used the first of
these powered armor suits in 2868, when two Stars of Clan Wolf infantry
defeated a light Star of Clan Nova Cat OmniMechs during a Trial of Possession.
Both the battle armor and those wearing it were
called "Elementals" because they could fight in any element: air,
water, fire, earth, or even space. It is interesting to note that some passages
of The Remembrance mention specific elements when referring to the battle
armor, which suggests that early versions of the units functioned in specific
environments. The scientist caste began breeding larger and physically stronger
warriors who could better cope with the strain of wearing the armor. Other
technological and biological advances resulted in the Clans boasting troops of
genetically superior Elementals before 25 years had passed.
During the Golden Century, the Clans matured into
a society totally unlike anything with which we are familiar. Discussions with
various Loremasters indicate that it was during this era that the Clans began
to foster a hatred for the peoples of the Inner Sphere. Though The Remembrance
couches the Clan's sentiments in quasi-religious tones, their view of us is
made clear. We are considered unenlightened savages living in luxury, while a
far more civilized people is forced to live on hostile worlds far from Terra.
In In particular, they developed a strong contempt for the five major Houses,
whom they consider responsible for the Star League's fall. Clan warriors see
the worlds of the Inner Sphere, especially those of the former Terran Hegemony,
as virtual paradises, but their view is distorted by both bitterness and
idealization.
Crusaders' Call
By 2980 many in the Clans were ready to return to
the Inner Sphere. Citing The Remembrance, warriors noted that three generations
had passed many times over, and that it was time to reestablish the Star League
and end their self-imposed exile. This zealous faction called itself the
"Crusaders." Other warriors embraced the Crusaders' views, not
because they believed in the faction's interpretation of The Remembrance, but
because they saw the Inner Sphere as an opportunity to prove themselves. Even
the lower castes, particularly the merchants, who were always eager for new
markets, began to agree that the Hidden Hope would be resolved by the Clans'
return to the Inner Sphere.
The Grand Council had strong reservations about
returning, mainly because of an almost total lack of information about events
in the Inner Sphere since the Exodus. They expressed the fear that the Inner
Sphere had not gone up in flames as predicted, but was united, as strong as or
stronger than the Clans.
The council decided to form Intelser, an
intelligence service whose operatives would move cautiously toward the Inner
Sphere to gather information. Operatives traveling as independent traders made
contact with and infiltrated the Periphery states, relaying what they learned
to the Clans. By 2984, a somewhat confused picture of the Inner Sphere had
begun to emerge.
The Clans learned that there had, indeed, been a
holocaust, called the Succession Wars, as predicted by Aleksandr Kerensky.
However, they mistakenly believed that the technological level of the Periphery
domains was typical of the entire Inner Sphere. The Grand Council decided that
the Inner Sphere was not a military threat. Those who wanted to return claimed
that the conditions laid out by General Order 137 proved that the time was
ripe: "When the time is right, when the strength of our will and our honor
is humanity's only hope to struggle up from the ashes, only then can our strong
descendants make the long journey to the home that is rightfully ours."
The Crusaders felt these conditions had been fulfilled. The Grand Council
agreed to discuss the Crusaders' call to arms, and thus began what would become
known as the Great Debate.
The Clans eventually formed two camps, the
Crusaders and the Wardens. The Crusaders were those who favored an immediate
return to the Inner Sphere to reestablish the Star League according to the
writings of the Kerenskys. The Wardens, on the other hand, believed that the
Kerenskys had never meant their words to be read so literally. They asserted
that the words were meant not as a command to future generations, but to stir
courage. They believed the Clans' destiny was to develop their own culture,
separate from the tainted ways of the Inner Sphere, but willing and able to
come to the Inner Sphere's aid if menaced by any outside threat.
Though challenged to do so, the Wardens never
clearly articulated what they meant by "outside threat." Some
suggested intelligent life forms from beyond human-conquered space. Others made
reference to the possibility of a despotic domain in the Inner Sphere whose
principles ran so contrary to human decency that the Wardens would feel compelled
to intervene.
At most, said the Wardens, the Clans should
establish only the coolest of relations with the domains of the Inner Sphere,
returning only if invited or if the Successor States collapsed through their
own folly. Both sides supported their arguments with the writings of the
Kerenskys, but neither side could claim a majority and force the issue.
Individual Clans were divided over the issue, most being split almost evenly
between the two suggested courses of action. This is the most divisive issue that
the Clans have ever faced. The debate lasted months, then years, during which
the Crusaders slowly mustered a majority. Though Clan Wolf remained primarily
Warden, even their influence could not stem the tide of support for the
Crusaders.
Dragoon Compromise
In 3000, Khan Nadia Winson of Clan Ghost Bear,
sensing that the Crusaders had finally gained the upper hand, attempted to
force the issue with a vote. She was stymied when Khan Kerlin Ward of Clan Wolf
suggested a clever compromise. Khan Kerlin Ward contended that not enough
information was yet available to make such an important decision. He proposed
sending a sizable Clan force, under the guise of a mercenary unit, into the
Inner Sphere to judge its military, economic, and political might, providing
the Grand Council with a detailed report of the strengths and weaknesses of
their future opponents.
The Grand Council agreed the plan had merit, and
Clan Wolf was awarded the honor of mustering the force. Rather than risk their
best fighters, they planned to use freebirths and other low-regarded warriors.
If these warriors performed well, they would be rewarded by having their genes
added to the gene pool.
The unit was dubbed "Wolf's Dragoons."
Commanding the multi-regiment unit were Jaime and Joshua Wolf, controversial
choices because both were freebirth. Many of the Clans balked at this choice,
but the Grand Council finally decided that Clan Wolf had the right to outfit
and staff the Dragoons as they saw fit. The roster of the Dragoons included
several Bloodnamed warriors who volunteered for the mission, among them a young
and feisty Natasha Kerensky.
The Dragoons left for the Inner Sphere in 3004,
outfitted with pre-Exodus BattleMechs from some of the oldest Brian Caches.
Other vehicles and equipment were retro-fitted with pre-Exodus parts to prevent
advanced technology from accidentally falling into the hands of the Inner
Sphere. Young freebirth "dependents" rounded out the appearance of a
nomadic mercenary company.
The Dragoons made contact with the Inner Sphere a
year later, after making a long, circuitous journey to prevent the curious from
discovering their point of origin. They went on to make their historic circuit
of service through the Inner Sphere, gathering detailed information on each of
the governments and militaries they served. In 3009, the unit returned to the
Clans for refitting. They also filed their first-hand reports on the Inner
Sphere.
The Dragoons' reports contrasted significantly
with the previous Clan perception of the Inner Sphere. The Dragoons reported
that the Inner Sphere was not on the verge of collapse, but on the road to
recovery. This revelation further divided the Grand Council. The Dragoons were
ordered to return to the Inner Sphere and continue their mission, while the
Clans considered the implications of their new information.
The Dragoons returned, but near the end of the
Third Succession War, their intelligence reports to the Grand Council began to
slow, for no known reason. It is possible the Dragoons found the freedom of the
Inner Sphere, where there were no real castes and where growing old as an
active warrior was accepted, to their liking. On the other hand, the death of
Joshua Wolf may have played a key role in turning Jaime and the rest of the
Dragoons away from the Clans' grand scheme. The Grand Council was unprepared
for the Dragoons' sudden reticence, and could not agree on how to react or how
to supplement their intelligence-gathering efforts.
The Wardens and Crusaders squared off for a new,
more hotly contested debate in late 3029 when rumors from the Periphery
suggested a possible union between the Federated Suns and the
Khan Ulric Kerensky, successor to Khan Kerlin Ward
in Clan Wolf, stalled a decisive vote in the Grand Council long enough for news
of the Fourth Succession War to reach the Clans. This new war took much of the
steam out of the Crusaders' argument that the Inner Sphere was on the verge of
reunification. Khan Ulric took advantage of the situation by sponsoring a
proposal to postpone the Great Debate until the end of the Fourth Succession
War. The proposal was narrowly accepted, but Khan Ulric Kerensky had
antagonized the leaders of Clan Jade Falcon, the most radical of the Crusader
Clans.
Invasion
I was stunned to discover that the incident that
eventually tipped the scales in favor of invasion was triggered by our own Blessed
Order. One day a ROM exploration vessel, "Outbound Light," appeared
at a jump point near Huntress, a world dominated by Clan Smoke Jaguar. Sensing
an opportunity but fearing that the Inner Sphere might be on the verge of
discovering the location of the Clan worlds, Khan Leo Showers ordered that the
vessel be taken intact, with the crew unharmed. Instead of instantly informing
the Grand Council of the capture, as might be expected, Khan Leo first
interrogated the crew of the explorer ship for several days.
When Khan Leo finally notified the other Clans of
his discovery, he did so with superior knowledge of the Inner Sphere situation
and of how ComStar, a force previously unknown to the Clans, fit into the
picture. By manipulating what he had learned, Khan Leo Showers forced the Clans
to reopen the Great Debate and consider several new issues. Most convincing was
his argument that our Blessed Order might soon uncover the location of the
Clans, thus exposing them to the entire Inner Sphere. The thought of Inner
Sphere forces invading the worlds of the Clan, instead of the converse, was
unthinkable to most Grand Council members. Khan Leo Showers laid out the facts
of what was happening in the Inner Sphere. The
The result was a Grand Council vote in favor of
invasion. Only Clan Wolf voted against. Khan Ulric Kerensky demanded a Trial of
Refusal for Clan Wolf. The odds began at sixteen to one, but the bidding
reduced the odds to four to one. The warriors of Clan Wolf fought bravely,
particularly those of the Third Battle Cluster, who bore the brunt of the
action. They nearly seized victory from Khan Leo Showers and his forces, but
sheer numbers prevailed, leaving the Wolf force devastated. Khan Leo Showers
took advantage of pro-Crusader sentiment, and was elected ilKhan of the Grand
Council. Preparations to invade the Inner Sphere began immediately. Their plan
was named Operation Revival.
IlKhan Leo Showers, satisfied that he would soon
see his life's ambition fulfilled, issued a formal recall order to Wolf's
Dragoons, calling upon "our valiant warriors in the barbarian hinterlands
to return home," despite his long-standing disdain for the unit. The
recall was actually an effort to prove once and for all that Wolf's Dragoons
had turned their back on the Clans and could no longer be trusted. He hoped to
imply by this that Clan Wolf was also suspect. Natasha Kerensky, the only
living Bloodnamed warrior of the Dragoons, was the only Dragoon to return to
the Clans when called, which seemed to prove the ilKhan's contention.
The invasion was halted when ComStar negotiated
the use of Tukayyid as a proxy battlefield for Terra. If the Clans won, Terra
would be theirs, while if they lost, the Clans would cease hostilities for a
period of fifteen years, ending in 3067.