Battle of Skye (3150)


Battle of Skye
Part of The Dark Age
Start Date 2 March 3150[1][2]
End Date 12 March 3150
Location New London
Sanglamore Military Academy
Planet Skye[1]
Result Clan Wolf victory[1]
Factions
(Attacker)
Clan Wolf[1]		 (Defender)
Clan Jade Falcon[1]
Commanders and leaders
Star Colonel Salvatore Sradac[3]
Star Colonel Don Cooper[3]
Star Colonel Joseph Lankenau[3]		 saKhan Ryan Pryde[1]
Galaxy Commander Noritomo Helmer[1]
Forces involved
9th Wolf Guard Striker Cluster[1]
13th Wolf Guard Battle Cluster[1]
19th Wolf Striker Cluster[1]		 Turkina Keshik[1]
124th Falcon Striker Cluster[1]


Overview[edit]

In 3134 Clan Jade Falcon wrested Skye from Republic hands, at great personal cost to Khan Malvina Hazen. Its fall would be the end of the first stage of the Falcon desant into the Republic. In 3135, the Falcon's Reach was established, which was used as a dumping ground for Falcons that either refused to follow the Mongol Doctrine or otherwise displeased their Chinggis Khan. Among them was Galaxy Commander Noritomo Helmer who was charged with securing the Reach. Skye would remain a Jade Falcon holding until March 3150 when Clan Wolf descended upon the world and secured it for their own.[1][4]

Prelude[edit]

In a surprise to many observes of Inner Sphere events, Clan Wolf entered the Skye system on 2 March 3150 and issued a batchall from Khan Alaric Ward for a Trial of Possession of Skye. Jade Falcon saKhan Ryan Pryde answered and declared his defense of Skye would utilize all the forces at his disposal, the Turkina Keshik and the 124th Falcon Striker Cluster. The 124th moved into position around the expected assault on the New London Spaceport while the Turkina Keshik readied itself for hit and run strikes.[1]

Battle[edit]

Instead of a direct assault of the Spaceport, the 13th Wolf Guard Battle Cluster conducted a combat drop into the portions of New London that the Falcons had razed in their conquest sixteen years prior and began pushing towards the New London Capital house. Falcon aerospace fighters launched from New London Spaceport to oppose them. The neigh impenetrable clouds of flak and heavy assault Gauss rifles from Glass Spider 4s forced the 124th Falcon Striker Cluster to confront the Wolves in the ruins of New London.[5] Wolf forces attempted to ambush Noritomo Helmer outside the city limits, but this was foiled by Ion Sparrows acted in a flushing and harassing role against the would-be flankers while the Fire Falcons screamed in for the killing blow. This allowed Helmer to reposition into the protection of the city.[6] Once inside the city of New London the 124th clashed with the 13th. Initially Galaxy Commander Noritomo Helmer was able to repulse the Wolves with his knowledge of the city streets. The Falcons would demolish entire city blocks just to inflict damage upon the Wolves. This tactic backfired when the 9th Wolf Guard Striker Cluster enveloped the majority of the 124th in a pincer maneuver.

At the very tip of the pincer's spear was Star Captain Splido Ward's Crucible; he gunned down five Falcon 'Mechs at close range with his Gauss rifle before emptying his magazines. Splido has said he enjoys the sound of a Gauss slug hitting the target.[7] Also leading the head the pincer was Star Captain Coriolanus Vickers in his new Dominator. Facing off against a Summoner and Hierofalcon, Coriolanus' supercharger blew early in the skirmish and damaged his engine. The Falcons tore through occupied tenement buildings to pursue him. Intent on drawing the Falcons away from civilians, Vickers disabled the Hierofalcon with PPC fire and then dueled the Summoner in an industrial park. The two exchanged fire until Coriolanus' Dominator was forced to its knees with a leg hit. The Summoner pilot jumped over and behind Coriolanus to deliver the death blow. Coriolanus was spared however as his rear-mounted Series 3K Extended-Range Small Laser manage to penetrate the Summoner's left torso armor and detonated the missile ammunition. Coriolanus Vickers took the badly injured MechWarrior as his bondsman, and reported the Dominator's success to his superiors.[8]

Star Captain Aethelred Bouthiaux used his Firestorm's plasma weapons to collapse a building onto Noritomo Helmer's Gyrfalcon. Upon seeing Helmer's end, a Mongol Shrike pilot in Helmer's command Trinary claimed it was a fitting ending for someone that had not embraced Khan Malvina Hazen's philosophy. Another member of the Trinary, Star Commander Ryla challenged the Warrior to an immediate Circle of Equals for their insult. Still under fire from the 13th Wolves, their Starmates held the line while Ryla's Jade Phoenix A dueled the Shrike. Ryla's superior maneuverability allowed her to end the fight with her Ultra Autocannon, then deliver the coup de grâce by crushing the Shrike's cockpit underfoot. Ryla then returned to the line and continued the fight against the Wolves. Shortly thereafter, saKhan Ryan Pryde issued a fallback order to the surviving elements of the 124th. With the assistance of another Jade Phoenix in the command Trinary, Star Commander Ryla pushed through the 13th's lines. This allowed the remaining 124th forces to reposition towards Norfolk to reinforce saKhan Pryde's command post at the former Sanglamore Military Academy campus.[9][1][10]

While the 13th was advancing through New London, the 19th Wolf Striker Cluster targeted the former Sanglamore Military Academy campus. The Falcons had received scattered reports that the Silver Keshik was also on planet. While Alaric's winning record led to uncertainty among the Falcon ranks, the Turkina Keshik tore into the incoming ranks of the 19th with increased ferocity in hopes of drawing Alaric out. Star Captain Roy Kerensky achieved more kills than any other Amarok pilot on Skye before being overwhelmed when his anti-DFA feature malfunctioned.[11] In defense of saKhan Pryde's base, two Trinaries of the Turkina Keshik slammed into the 19th as the rest of the Keshik maneuvered to flank. Radio intercepts led the Falcons to believe Alaric and the Silver Keshik would be there shortly, which caused them to rush recklessly against the lines of the 19th. The Silver Keshik never arrived, but the 9th, freshly arrived from New London, slammed into the blindsided Turkina Keshik from behind. Star Captain Finn, a former member of Clan Wolf-in-Exile, savaged the Falcons in his Pack Hunter, downing three 'Mechs and executing at least three other Falcon pilots with point-blank ER PPC shots to their cockpit.[12] Star Commander Dimitri Kerensky, a Crucible pilot with the 19th, ensured the Falcons remained focused on him while the 9th brutalized their rear armor. His Trinary paid the price for that focus with mounting casualties, though the line held. Deployed alongside the Crucibles of the 19th were several venerable Dire Wolfs; while they succeeded in fixing the Falcons in place at range, they took severe losses compared to the Crucibles as the swifter Shrikes and Flamberges closed the distance.[13] Many Falcons attempted to break the Wolf lines to escape this envelopment but were unable to overcome the many small groups of Amaroks, one of them led by Star Captain Matthew Taylor, even as Shrikes, Turkinas, and Jade Hawks attempted to swirl around them.[14]

Several Falcons refused to fall back, determined to get Alaric Ward in their sights and defeat him. Alaric never appeared, and the Falcons who did not retreat with saKhan Pryde were all destroyed. Knowing reinforcements were unlikely, saKhan Pryde ordered a retreat off world on 12 March.[1]

Aftermath[edit]

It wasn't until after Clan Jade Falcon forces left the planet that closer analysis of the batchall transmission revealed it was a carefully recorded message designed to entice the Falcons into overcommitting their forces in hopes of personally challenging Khan Ward; Alaric wasn't even in the system. Following Clan Jade Falcon's departure Skye local citizens lined the streets with signs reading "Thank Kerensky for the Wolves" and "Finally an End to Unrest," though these may well have been coerced for propaganda purposes. Galaxy Commander Noritomo Helmer was discovered alive in the rubble of New London. Star Colonel Cooper exercised his rights of command and claimed Noritomo Helmer as his bondsman from his subordinate, Star Captain Aethelred Bouthiaux. Within two weeks Star Colonel Cooper cut Noritomo Helmer's bondcord. The discovered synergy between Fire Falcons and Ion Sparrows quickly spread to the Warriors of Zeta Galaxy.[6] Following the Clan Wolf victory, Republic envoys contacted Khan Ward and requested the return of Skye following its "liberation" from Clan Jade Falcon. Khan Ward replied: "if the Republic wishes to reclaim Skye from the Wolf Empire, they are welcome to challenge me."[1][15][9]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Shattered Fortress, p. 84: "The Assault of Skye"
  2. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 117: "Touchpoint: Skye"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 170: "Beta Galaxy"
  4. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 64: "Turkina Keshik"
  5. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13, p. 26
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 15, p. 12
  7. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 10, p. 10
  8. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 1, p. 8
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13, p. 8: "Firestorm"
  10. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 22, p. 10: "Jade Phoenix"
  11. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 17, p. 9
  12. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 1, p. 15
  13. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13, p. 12
  14. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 17, p. 9
  15. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 85: "The Skye Is Falling"

Bibliography[edit]

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