Scavenged Restoration 97 (Patreon)

Scavenged Restoration

Chapter 97

-VB-

Instead of heading back to Sian or even the confederation, the Loren’s Hunters company of the Jaffray’s Cavaliers took a detour around the rimward periphery just within the borders of the Taurian Concordat. 

Why? 

Because there were more pirates take out. 

As he spent more and more time fighting alongside the Loren’s Hunters, Kai began to realize a few things about himself. 

He was decent by the standards of Clan Jaffray’s most elite mech company. They put him squarely in the middle of the pack, so to speak, on most of his aptitudes. The one that he excelled at, though, was in reaction time and mech movement arts.

Kai could react faster than anyone in the company. Or even faster than anyone in Clan Jaffray and the Highspire Highlanders. He was also, according to the colonel, “wicked slick” with how he put that reaction speed to move his mech. As the colonel said, “you move less like a mechwarrior and more like a ballerina.”

… He could see where the colonel was coming from. Unlike with most mechwarriors who drove top heavy mechs, most of the mechs that Kai used had been balanced humanoid shaped ones like the Wasps, Vindicators, and Crusaders. He even got to pilot a Black Knight once (that had been quite the experience). Maybe it was because of that and the fact that most of his mechwarrior tutors had been rather elite, he had been forced to … improvise. 

That, as it turned out, was the reason behind his movements. He didn’t limit himself to walking, jogging, and running. While most mechwarriors found their limits at acting like a heavily armored knight, Kai was able to spin. 

A particularly great move he once pulled (but one that got him scolded by his mother) was what Anastasia called “Sian Spin-Slash” (she made that name up on the spot). He would do a running jump toward his target in his Vindicator and initiate a spin just as he left the ground. With the inertia of a diagonally spinning fifty-five ton mech behind him, he would swing the hatchet around to strike at the target. Only assault mechs could tank a hit like that. A heavy mech would stumble, if not outright fall, and medium mechs would hit ground and tumble. Light mechs, if they couldn’t dodge it fully, usually got torn in half. 

This was not a move he was going to pull off outside of practice grounds, not when actual lives - including his - depended on him. He did, however, pull off something close. During the last battle that ended the campaign, he lost his hatchet (it was becoming concerningly familiar how often he lost it). He also spotted someone about to kill a Taurian Toros, so instead of shooting with his lackluster laser, he ran up, jumped, and punched the pirate mech in the cockpit. And also crumpled some of the center torso doing so. He punched the light mech so hard that it rolled away and slammed into another unfortunate pirate mech’s legs, bringing it down and giving one of Jaffray’s mechwarriors to finish off the second pirate mech.

Of course, that punch stressed the Vindicator’s arm rather heavily and he got scolded for doing that. 

But Kai couldn’t help but feel that there was something to it. 

The currently clunky melee mechs could be something more. Something … profound. 

Better.

They called him a ballerina, but there was a truth in it that he wanted every mechwarrior to feel.

Because it felt something sublime when he moved a mech like a dancer.

… But he should focus on his task at hand. Anastasia, uncle, and mother all expected him to send them letters. He’ll just have to make it safe so that ComStar can’t glean anything from it. 

-VB-

On the other side of the Inner Sphere, a very different story played out as the clash between the Clans, Federated Commonwealth alliance, and the Draconis Combine reached a fever pitch … and cooled down. 

“Where are they?!” ilKhan Elias Crichell hissed out. 

In the face of the difficulties tossed their way by the Innies, he had no choice but to bring in more Clans to reach Terra. This was something the Clans agreed to. 

On top of Clan Ghost Bear, Jade Falcon, Nova Cat, Diamond Shark, Steel Viper, Clan Wolf, Hell’s Horses, and Coyote, Clans Ice Hellion, Snow Raven, and Diamond Shark were supposed to be making their own path toward Terra.

Except half of them were missing! 

Clan Ice Hellion was fucking around in the Lyran antispinward-coreward periphery doing Kerensky knows what, Diamond Shark was doing fuck all while traveling through everyone’s invasion corridors and even the Spheroid systems, and Snow Raven ignored the entire invasion to frolick with the Outworlds Alliance.

And that wasn’t including the troubles in the Homeworlds. Clan Fire Mandrill, Burrock, Star Adder, and Goliath Scorpion were making a ruckus about not being able to join in on the Crusade. Cloud Cobra was being uncooperative, and no one cared about Blood Spirit. 

Worse, Clan Steel Viper was clashing with his own clan and Clan Ice Hellion over the invasion corridor and challenges against one another. Instead of advancing toward Terra.

Oh, and he can’t forget about the rebellious Spheroids refusing to accept the results of the Batchall and Clan superiority, constantly breaking out into rebellions, guerilla warfare, and assassinations. 

He took a deep breath in and let it out. 

Allowing more Clans to join in on the crusade had been a mistake, no matter how desperate he felt at the deteriorating situation. If this was allowed to continue, then the weak unity of the crusade will break apart, and it will become a free for all among the Clans. And once that happened, the Spheroids would come in like the scavengers they were and they will lose their chance to reach Terra. 

And that was unacceptable. 

So… he made the call. It will turn him into a villain among the Clans, but one he will do so regardless. 

The Clans currently not contributing to the invasion would be ordered to go back to the Homeworlds. Clan Snow Raven, Clan Ice Hellion, and Clan Diamond Shark were to pull their toumens back and leave. 

ilKhan Elias Crichell’s orders, supported by votes from Clan Wolf, Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Coyote, Clan Steel Viper, and Clan Hell’s Horses, outraged the three Clans affected. And all three Clans refused and initiated Trials of Refusal. Snow Raven challenged Clan Wolf, Ice Hellion challenged Steel Viper, and Diamond Shark challenged Jade Falcon. 

Somehow, the Federated Commonwealth learned of the upcoming Trials and launched a massive wave of attacks on Jade Falcon and Wolf holdings just as the Draconis Combine did the same on Ghost Bear-held worlds. With their attention divided on top of the rebellions tying up a significant portion of the warriors who could have reinforced the frontlines, the Clans suffered a significant setback as their advances pulled back from merely six jumps to Terra to eight jumps. 

In particular, First Prince Hanse Davion managed to score a devastating defeat against the Clans when his AFFS managed to engage Clan Wolf’s naval squadron in an three-to-two ratio engagement without a Batchall and captured a light cruiser while destroying two frigates and a heavy cruiser. Almost all of the dropships that were with those ships were destroyed as well, delivering a heavy blow against Clan Wolf that, while not as devastating as those suffered by Smoke Jaguar, was still enough to prevent them from retaliating in force. 

Archon Melissa Steiner was also able to strike out and deliver a crippling blow. Armed with the latest of Clan’s Omnitechnology and more than a few “smuggled” Capellan Confederation arms, General Fredrick Steiner engaged Clan Jade Falcon in Somerset, deep into their occupied territory, and drove out the garrison galaxy stationed there. 

That’s when a totally unexpected(?) news struck both the Clans and the Successor States. 

Clan Burrock had appeared out of nowhere and struck Marian Hegemony, and didn’t even appear to be concerned with claiming Terra and the the title of ilKhan. 

And Clan Snow Raven declared that they would settle down within the Outworlds Alliance, though they also sent a long distance naval Batchall challenge to the Capellan Confederation, much to the confusion and consternation of their new landlords(?), who were still mostly unfamiliar with Clan customs and rituals. 

It was, as later historians would note, an absolutely chaotic era. For all of the warring on the surface, the actual death tolls and casualties remained low compared to even the brief and contained Fourth Succession War. Though many of their customs were not suitable to the Inner Sphere, the Clans did bring about an … alternative approach to war that helped to reduce the overall casualties, at least in conflicts between the Clans and the Successor States. 

Though many might complain about the idea that the Clans brought about anything positive to the Inner Sphere, it was better than what would come after. 

This was truly a chaotic era, but it was merely a prelude to what was to come.

-VB-

Anastasia took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

Finally. 

Father saw fit to release her from the paperwork hell. And the committee hell. And the inspection rotations. And… everything. 

She finally got time to herself. 

And for her, that meant warships and technology that went into warships! 

Thankfully, part of her administrative work had kept her appraised on much of the space naval technologies and naval expansion. 

Including the development of a new class of battleships. 

She was very excited to see it completed soon. 

Especially with the secret “module” aboard that would change how naval battles would be fought for centuries to come.