Arms of the Destroyer
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 | Apocryphal This article's subject is only mentioned in apocryphal sources, i.e. official BattleTech products which are not clearly Non-canon but do not meet the current Canon criteria either. For more information, check the Canonicity section. |
| Arms of the Destroyer | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Travis Heermann |
| Pages | 39 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | Kill Zone |
| Content | |
| Era | Succession Wars era |
| Timeline | 22 October - ca. 8 November 2940 |
Arms of the Destroyer is a short story by Travis Heermann and his BattleTech debut story. It was published exclusively in the seventh BattleCorps print anthology, Kill Zone, in 2019. Unlike all other stories in the book, it had not previously been published online via BattleCorps but was that anthology's original story.
Contents
Canonicity[edit]
The appearance of two WarShips in this story is a glaring anachronism that cannot be reconciled with established canon: The last functional WarShip to be fielded during the Succession Wars era was the LCS Invincible, which was famously lost in a misjump in 2858, i.e. almost a century prior to the time when this story supposedly takes place.
This has been acknowledged by CGL, with the implication that the story should not be regarded as canonical unless and until the issues have been addressed. For this reason, the story was provisionally flagged as apocryphal; it may turn out to be outright noncanonical.
Line Developer Ray Arrastia suggested a possible fix might be to move the entire story roughly one century back in time, i.e. to around 2840, though he did not make an actual ruling to this effect.[1] It should be noted that simply setting the story a century earlier would make other parts of the story, particularly the prominence of the concept of LosTech, anachronistic in turn and cause problems with the introduction dates of the Soyal class and mobile HPGs. Ultimately, no ruling was made yet at the same time the story was not declared to be noncanonical either.
Plot summary[edit]
Hauptmann Arra Jackson is in command of Ghost Company, the BattleMech company that is guarding a Lyran Commonwealth salvage operation on the poisonous, inhospitable planet Cinnabar where a Soyal-class WarShip, the FSS Kali, has crashlanded a century ago following a misjump. The find is an immeasurably valuable lostech treasure.
As it so happens, the civilian salvage and science team is headed by Terrence Larkin, a native of Somerset like Jackson herself. They were close until she suddenly up and left for academy to become a MechWarrior eight years ago. Although Jackson is fearful of relationships that could get in the way of her warrior life, they gravitate towards each other and before long make out.
After their JumpShip has moved off to reach the nearest HPG and report on their findings, salvage techs restore power to parts of the wrecked Kali, which leads to its mobile HPG suddenly beginning to transmit scheduled messages of unknown content and to an unknown destination. This raises alert among the dig team as they think it may have alerted others to the find.
Sure enough, within a few days a Draconis Combine strike force of several DropShips and including a small WarShip arrives and claims the planet, ordering the Lyrans to leave. Refusing in hopes that reinforcements will arrive with their overdue JumpShip, the dig team prepare a defense and even manage to reactivate some dorsal naval weapons on the Kali; this firepower takes out two approaching DropShips but the enemy corvette in turn destroys the dig team's Excalibur-class DropShip with orbital fire, leaving them stranded. In the ensuing battle, superior aerospace and ground forces threaten to overrun the defenders.
During the fighting, a Commonwealth task force around the cruiser LCS Wagner (a WarShip far outclassing the enemy corvette) arrives in-system and makes their presence known, announcing they will arrive in orbit in just over 46 hours. At this point the corvette starts to pound the Kali from orbit. Jackson bluffs the enemy into moving off by threatening to launch two five hundred kiloton Killer Whale missiles from the Kali at them (with techs on the Kali barely able to open one of the missile port doors, by rerouting power from the gut batteries).
It is not enough. Ghost Company is crushed by the stronger enemy force, and Jackson's Cyclops is downed in the battle. Barely conscious, she witnesses how the science team destroys the Kali with explosives to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Although she survives long enough to see the arrival of the Wagner task force thanks to an oxygen mask she managed to don, the extremely poisonous Cinnabar atmosphere had entered her cockpit and radio traffic informs her that the entire salvage and science team including her old friend and newfound love Terrence Larkin are dead. Previous dialogue suggests she is facing a slow and painful death from the toxic atmosphere and especially the mercury vapor; impaired vision and strange sensations on her skin already suggest the onset of nerve damage.
Featured Characters[edit]
Featured places[edit]
Featured BattleTech[edit]
BattleMechs[edit]
Aerospace Fighters[edit]
DropShips[edit]
JumpShips[edit]
- Invader-class JumpShip Pony Express
- Star Lord-class JumpShip
WarShips[edit]
- Commonwealth-class cruiser LCS Wagner
- Soyal-class heavy cruiser FSS Kali (wreckage)
- Vigilant-class corvette DCS Kuromaru