Bear's Den (Individual Black Lion-class WarShip)

Bear's Den
Bear's Den.jpg
Vessel Profile
TypeWarShip
ClassBlack Lion
In service until8 May 3067 (destroyed)

History[edit]

Golden Century[edit]

In 2926 the Black Lion-class battlecruiser CGB Bear's Den encountered the Corone-class destroyer CSR Regal Claw in the Bearclaw system. Commanded by Star Commodore Rachel Lankenau, the Regal Claw was attempting to launch a retaliatory attack following a raid on the Lum Naval Yards by the Ghost Bears; the Bear's Claw immediately challenged the lighter WarShip, and despite the superior skill of the Snow Raven personnel, the Bear's Den successfully destroyed the Regal Claw.[1]

Clan Invasion[edit]

Attached to Beta Galaxy during the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere in 3050, the Bear's Den was transporting Beta Galaxy from Holmsbu to Damian on 17 May as a part of the second wave of Operation REVIVAL, to reconquer the world following a reported uprising. The Bear's Den took the risk of using a pirate jump point to shorten the travel time.[2] It was struck by a rogue asteroid within seconds of arriving in-system.[2][3][4] The angle at which the Bear's Den was struck localized most of the damage to a single attached DropShip (the Overlord-C-class Sharp Claw[2]), but this meant that in addition to destroying the DropShip and damaging the Bear's Den, an entire Cluster of troops were killed. The Bear's Den suffered damage in this incident that could not be repaired without Clan facilities.

Beta Galaxy abandoned the WarShip and went on to conquer Damian to fight the Black Omen, the mercenary unit defending the planet. Because Damian lacked a functional HPG, Beta Galaxy was unable to inform the Clan leaders of what had happened. When what had happened subsequently came to light as a result of another Ghost Bear unit being assigned to locate Beta Galaxy, the loss of so many warriors in an accident caused great sadness amongst the warrior caste, who decided to conduct the traditional ceremonies honoring the dead in the Damian system. The deployment of so many troops to Damian for the two days of ceremonies slowed the Ghost Bear's third wave actions noticeably.[5]

By 3058 the Bear's Den had been repaired and was one of two WarShips assigned to the Clan Ghost Bear Naval Reserve, operating alongside the Cameron-class battlecruiser CGB Dieron's Run under the overall command of Star Commodore Elissa Snuka.[6] The Bear's Den was attached to Beta Galaxy again by 3061, and was often serving as the Ghost Bear flag vessel during naval engagements.[7] The Bear's Den remained an active part of the Ghost Bear touman for the next six years;[8] in May 3067 the Bear's Den was involved in the second naval battle for Alshain, a Trial of Possession initiated by forces from Clan Nova Cat for the Leviathan-class battleship CGB Rasalhague (Individual Leviathan-class WarShip) which was undergoing construction in the Alshain shipyards at the time.[9]

The Trial was devastating for both sides, with half the Ghost Bear fleet destroyed and similar losses on the part of the Nova Cats; the Trial was initiated by the Nova Cats' Transcendent Naval Star, but the local commanding officer of the Ghost Bear naval forces refused the Nova Cat batchall and ordered an immediate attack.[9]

As the battle began a second Nova Cat Star, the Vision Naval Star arrived, while a second force of heavy Ghost Bear WarShips including the Bear's Den began moving to support the Nightlord-class battleship CGB Ursa Major and her four-strong destroyer group. Star Admiral Leroux of the Transcendent Naval Star managed to convince the commander of the second Ghost Bear force that the Trial was a legitimate and honorable trial, effectively splitting the Trial into two separate naval engagements; as a result, the Trial didn't degenerate into a mass brawl, but it still devastated both the Ghost Bear and Nova Cat fleets.[9]

The Bear's Den was responsible for destroying the Nova Cat flagship, the Congress-class frigate True Vision, but not before the True Vision and her attached aerospace fighters and DropShips had destroyed both the Fredasa-class corvette Black Ghost and the York-class destroyer Ursa Minor. After destroying the True Vision the Bear's Den found itself locked in a duel with the Aegis-class heavy cruiser Blood Oath, each ship supported by various DropShips - including two new Nekohono'o-class DropShips in the case of the Blood Oath.[9]

Even as the heavier armor and weapons of the Bear's Den crippled the Blood Oath, another Nova Cat WarShip intervened, the Lola III-class destroyer Faithful, which had just survived a duel with the Cameron-class battlecruiser Dieron's Run that had claimed the Blood Oath's sister ship Bond. The crew of the Bear's Den were intent on finishing the Blood Oath and failed to spot the Faithful until it was too late; the Faithful lashed the Bear's Den with a broadside whilst launching battle taxis and a pair of DropShips (the Dragon's Heart and Enlightenment's Truth) for an attempted boarding action of the Bear's Den. Ghost Bear fighters were able to destroy the Faithful, but not before fourteen battle taxis full of Elementals had managed to board the Bear's Den, resulting in a titanic battle for control of the ship. As the boarding action raged, the Bear's Den's ammunition magazine exploded; whether the explosion was a result of the boarding action or a final volley from the dying Blood Oath, the result was the same. The blast consumed the Bear's Den and killed all boarding crew from the Dragon's Heart and the Enlightenment's Truth.[9]

During its last battle, the DropShips Bear's Roar, Crystal Warrior, Frost Giant and Frost Brand were attached to the Bear's Den.[10]

The Ghost Bears were the victors in the Trial, but the losses taken on both parts made the victory a pyrrhic one at best.[9]

References[edit]

  1. Technical Readout: Golden Century, p. 60, "Corone"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ghost Bear's Lament
  3. Invading Clans, p. 52
  4. Era Report: 3052, p. 52
  5. Invading Clans, p. 21, "Wave Two"
  6. Invading Clans, p. 38, "Clan Naval Reserve"
  7. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 86, "Naval Assets"
  8. Field Manual: Updates, p. 60, "Naval Assets"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Field Manual: Updates, p. 81, "The Second Naval Battle of Alshain"
  10. Trial of Retribution

Bibliography[edit]