|
|
New History, A
A new history for Battletech
by Lerxst |
|
Begin file: Clan History..........................................
This file has been compiled by the Wordmasters of the various Clans, to allow our Brood to learn the history of the Clans, and remember the quest that they will one day fight for.
#The Exodus from the Inner Sphere#
After Richard Cameron came to power, he began to consolidate his strength. He ordered the Draconis Combine to reduce its 'Mech power to a single regiment. The Combine, under Jinjiro Kurita, refused the order. Thus, the Dragon War was begun. Five years of fighting took its toll on the Star League forces, who had the aid of House Davion, but the cost was greater for the Combine. The entire nation lay in ruins, with House Kurita but a memory. The League moved into the Combine worlds as an "occupying force".
Soon after, a civil war erupted in the Free Worlds League. Cameron ordered the Star League Defense Force, commanded by our Founder, Aleksandr Kerensky, into the FWL to "protect" the citizens. It is widely believed in the Clans that Richard Cameron actually ordered Kerensky to destroy *all* warring factions, which included civilian groups fighting each other with farming implements.
Kerensky refused to kill civilians. Cameron retaliated by ordering Kerensky to resign his commission. Again, Kerensky refused, taking a large portion of the SLDF loyal to him deep into the FWL, not to fight, but to hide from the minions of Cameron, the members of the SLDF loyal to the First Lord.
Furious, the First Lord found and killed Kerensky's wife and sons, Katyusha, Nicholas, and Andery, who had gone into hiding when Aleksandr first disobeyed Cameron. The corrupt and twisted leader broadcast their execution across the Inner Sphere. Kerensky then gathered all loyal SLDF elements, including the rare JumpShips and WarShips, and launched a mass Exodus towards the spiral-ward planets, away from the Inner Sphere.
He did this to save a portion of the Star League from the ravages of corruption and war, not to mention to escape the wrath of Richard Cameron. It is believed by many that he had plans for a return to the Inner Sphere, a return that would enlighten the barbarians living under the rule of the Camerons.
#The Beginnings of the Modern Clans#
The Exodus trip went smoothly, and ended when the fleet found three habitable worlds (the Tri-Worlds) on which to settle. The first was called Eden, the second was dubbed Shangri-la, and the third, the most beautiful, was named Strana Mechty by Kerensky, Russian for "Land of Dreams."
The hatred that the Exodus army had for Richard Cameron and anything Star League overrode any nationalities that the warriors might have had before. Kerensky quickly set to work crafting a new society, one that would be cooperative and peaceful. Kerensky wished to avoid the wars and hatred that had killed his beloved wife and child. He would divide the exiles into separate "Clans". Each Clan would be ruled by several "Dynasties", which were made up of many different people. These Dynasties, whose surnames were taken from their "Patmat" (short for Patriarch/Matriarch, the person who first guided and ruled the Dynasty. The Patmat was selected by a vote from all Dynasty members.), would work together for the betterment of their Clan.
Each Clan would have one Khan, a person who governed all the Dynasties in his Clan. All the Clans would be governed by a suKhan (supreme Khan). Aleksandr Kerensky was elected the first suKhan in a unanimous vote.
The political body of the Clans was dubbed the Politburo. Each Khan would have a seat in the Politburo, and it would be presided over by the suKhan.
The Politburo would be responsible for making the decisions that impacted Clan society as a whole. Everything would be voted on, and the suKhan would act as tiebreaker.
Aleksandr remarried, choosing as his wife a woman named Elizabeth Hazen. Together they bore a son, Nicholas (named in memory of dead brother) Kerensky-Hazen. Aleksandr and Elizabeth jointly ruled the Kerensky-Hazen Dynasty, the most respected Dynasty of Clan history. Many future suKhans would originate from the Hazen/Kerensky union.
Originally there were 10 Clans. Love, Peace, Energy, Hope, Compassion, Sharing, Truth, and Justice all represented the values that each Clan member should hold to. Aleksandr and Elizabeth created their own Clan, Unity. The final Clan was made of the best 'Mechwarriors of the former SLDF, and was the Clan's only defense against Star League attacks: Clan Wolverine, named for a ferocious member of the weasel family that used to populate Northern America. Until contact with the SLDF, the Wolverines primarily policed the major cities of the Tri-Worlds. In addition to the Wolverines, the Clans had installed HPG and radio blocking satellites in a large "net" sometimes called Hazen's Haze, since it was Elizabeth herself who requested the formation of the net.
#The Seeds of Change#
The former warriors became accustomed to their new lives of farming and production. However, things were not to remain peaceful. A quarter-century after the founding of the Clans, the Star League ship Outbound Destruction happened upon the Tri-Worlds. It is believed that the ship was part of a fleet that Cameron sent out to find and kill Kerensky and the Clans, completing his revenge upon the Kerensky family. Clan Wolverine, stationed on Shangri-La, was called into action, its constant drilling about to be put to the test. DropShips separated from the League WarShip and burned their way toward Shangri-la and the continent of Paradise. The Wolverines fought valiantly, but the SLDF, with more experience in real combat, won the upper hand. The Wolverine warriors were forced to retreat into Paradise's thick tropical jungles and hills. The hidden Clan caches of 'Mechs and weapons were opened (created when Aleksandr Kerensky disbanded a large part of the SLDF military upon the formation of the Clans), and the members of Clans Sharing and Energy, who populated the continent, joined the Wolverines in the hills, using guerilla tactics and waiting for reinforcements.
The SLDF ship, McKenna's Pride, the only WarShip still in service with the Clans, made its way to face the League ship, and the first naval battle in Clan space was begun. The Pride was kept in immaculate condition, compared to the League WarShip, which showed the marks of many battles and few days in dry-dock. Eventually, the Pride destroyed the other ship, but not without taking heavy casualties.
Clan DropShips, filled with untrained warriors from other Clans, began their landing on Paradise to assist the beleaguered forces already under fire. The sudden appearance of regiments of fresh 'Mechs (untrained though those units were) startled the League warriors, allowing the Clan forces to gain control of the conflict. Elizabeth Hazen and Aleksandr Kerensky were leading the assault, and their unorthodox and brilliant tactics compensated for their troop's lack of training. Elizabeth and Aleksandr won many a battle, beating back the corrupt Cameron warriors. Eventually, all the League troops had been hunted down and destroyed.
As the victorious Clan forces approached the League DropShips, intending to capture them, the "doomsday device" located in every Star League ship following Cameron's Military Order 1123-54, issued after the Exodus, exploded. The nuclear bombs killed all the Clan warriors within their range, including Aleksandr and Elizabeth. The bombs also destroyed a large portion of the Paradise continent, rendering acres and acres of land unsuitable for farming. Those members of Clans Energy and Sharing who did not die in the blast were killed by radiation poisoning over the course of a few years. The few surviving members were assimilated into other Clans.
#A New Way#
Nicholas Kerensky-Hazen, who was commanding McKenna's Pride at the time of his father's death, was elected suKhan in his father's place and took the reins of Clan Unity. He swore revenge on the Star League and the Cameron family, and began to reform the Clans to suit his newfound obsession.
Tests were introduced to separate the warriors (and those with a natural aptitude for it) from the scientists and laborers. Genetic breeding was introduced, allowing warrior genes to become predominant. Through this engineering program, the Clans would create the deadliest warriors on the battlefield. Clan Wolverine warriors spent their time training the new Clan warriors.
Other professions were not wholly overlooked. The best of the scientists contributed their genes to another genetic engineering program. The hope of this program was to breed better scientists to make superior weapons for the superior warriors coming out of the "iron wombs" as fast as they could.
These ultra-scientists were called GenSci, originally short for "genetic scientist", since the first GenSci worked on perfecting the genetic sciences of the Clans. Over time, the GenSci focused on other aspects of science; medicine, 'Mechs, and weapons.
Clan society moved to a caste based system. The Warrior caste is the most prestigious, followed by the scientists. Some Clans, such as Clan Snow Owl, base themselves on scientists more than warriors. These Clans will have slimmer chances of surviving the wars to come, but they do provide all the other Clans with advanced technology. The other castes include Laborer, Merchant, and Technician.
Genetically bred warriors are allowed to reproduce naturally, and their children are encouraged to follow in their parents' footsteps. Should they wish to pursue other careers, they may do so, but most choose to become warriors, given the inherent prestige of the position. This free breeding among warriors is encouraged, as it boosts the warrior population. However, should a warrior have a child with a member of a lower caste, those children are forced to become a member of that lower caste, since they have "impure" genes that must not be encouraged in the Warrior caste. Marriages are still performed in the Clans, though never with a member of a lower caste.
In addition to the castes, the Clans developed a sense of cooperation during Nicholas' reforms. Often technology would be openly shared, though Nicholas preferred that the Clans fight Trials of Possession (limited fights, with the victor taking the promised "winners purse") in order to further hone their skills. When Clans hit upon inventions that they wished to keep for themselves, however, Trials would, without a doubt, be fought.
The remaining six "value" Clans were renamed: Clan Wolf, Clan Obsidian Hawk, Clan Snow Owl, Clan Satan's Snake, Clan Lion, and Clan Mist Dragon were born. Nicholas changed the name of Clan Unity to Clan Falcon, named because of his mother's falconry hobby, which she learned after arriving on the Tri-Worlds. The Politburo was kept, as was all of Clan law, originally written by Aleksandr Kerensky and his wife.
During this time of massive change, Nicholas married Caren Leroux, Khan of Clan Wolf. From that point forward, Clans Falcon and Wolf would be close companions.
Even for all his preparations, Nicholas knew that he could not pull off a successful assault of the Inner Sphere with the forces he had at his disposal. And so we waited. |
|
|
|
|
| Next page >>> |
| Page :
1 2 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
