Icons of War

Icons of War cover.jpg
Icons of War
Product information
Type Novella
Author Craig A. Reed
Pages 200
Cover Artwork Marco Pennacchietti
Publication information
Publisher Catalyst Game Labs
First published 25 September 2020
ISBN-10 1947335332
ISBN-13 978-1947335332
Content
Content Drama
Special Ops
Naval Space Warfare
Era Jihad era
Timeline 8 April 3071 – 11 June 3077
(epilogue, 19 July 3147)

The novella Icons of War by Craig A. Reed is a story of the Clans during the Wars of Reaving.

From the Back Cover[edit]

“ SYMBOLS OF POWER...

After the Word of Blake exacts an incalculable toll on Clan Wolf, Elemental warrior Garmen Kerensky is tasked by Wolf Khan Vlad Ward to undertake an audacious, top-secret mission in the Clan Homeworlds. While other covert teams help the Wolves evacuate Clan Space, Garmen’s command will steal the most prized relic of Clan history: the body of the Great Father, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, Garmen’s ancestor. But the father of the Clans' founder is entombed aboard the McKenna's Pride, a Star League-era WarShip in permanent geosynchronous orbit above the Clans' capital city, a staunchly guarded vessel that will take ingenuity, a warrior's spirit, and more than a little luck to reach.

Stealing his ancestor's remains is a tall order under normal circumstances, but the Homeworld Clans are on the verge of open warfare with each other, and this mission threatens to blow Clan society apart entirely. As the elite warrior guards of the Ebon Keshik hunt Garmen, he and his hardened team must navigate the intrigue of the shadowy Dark Caste to have any hope of reaching the Pride alive. But no plan ever survives enemy contact, and Garmen must overcome the forces arrayed against him or risk forever losing the Great Father's body to the chaos and destruction of the Clans' internal warfare.

”

Plot Summary[edit]

On 8 April 3071, on a WarShip above Strana Mechty, Clan Wolf Khan Vlad Ward had a meeting with Elemental Star Commander Garmen Kerensky. He explains to him the devastation of the Scouring of Tamar and the Wolves' weakness, which forces them to abandon the Clan Homeworlds. He tells him about Operation DAMOCLES II, in which Garmen will lead a key part, Operation SPATHA: to infiltrate Strana Mechty, board the WarShip McKenna's Pride and steal the body of the Great Father, Aleksandr Kerensky.

Once infiltrated, Garmen's team began selling weapons. In a meeting with the mysterious Dark Caste leader called the "Winter Lady", he discovered that she, now called Satinka, was a very near sibkin of him, and both began making business, and soon they became lovers and partners in SPATHA.

In another part of Katyusha City, Clan Cloud Cobra Star Captain Bhu Telinov began his first day as a member of the Ebon Keshik, the intelligence division on Strana Mechty.

When SPATHA's personnel launched the operation, it failed; they were slowed when chaos erupted in the city, due to several Clans fighting, and their DropShip was destroyed. After reuniting with Satinka, the groups became partners to obtain the resources to launch SPATHA II.

Four years later, the Wars of Reaving were still raging across the Clan Homeworlds, but despite having taken control of almost all Dark Caste members in the city, the operation still wasn't within reach.

In August 3075, Satinka and Garmen recruited an old Wolf warrior named Stas to lead a suicide Trinary of MechWarriors to attack several places on Katyusha City. Stas agreed, and recruited the others, forming the Retribution Wraiths.

During that time, the Ebon Keshik uncovered Satinka's secret identity, and launched an all-out assault to capture her and Garmen, but it failed, and she and her people went to ground, continuing their plans.

A year later, when the Pride returned to Strana Mechty, SPATHA II final preparations began, and, on 5 April, they attacked.

While the Wraiths attacked the center of the city, crushing a Trinary of defending Adders, to later cripple all communication systems in three key buildings, Garmen and Satinka's people, who wanted to migrate to the Inner Sphere, attacked, sabotaging several DropShips and stealing another, the McKenna's Honor. Thanks to the element of surprise, the boarders quickly took control of the Pride, forcing all the original crewmembers to evacuate it.

Garmen was forced to change the plans, and stole not only the coffin, but also the full WarShip with it.

Meanwhile, the Wraiths made their final stand. IlKhan Hannibal Banacek led the counterattack, but the Wraiths fought to the last man, causing severe losses to the Adders before falling.

After uncovering the Pride's theft, the Home Clans throw waves of fighters, assault DropShips and other WarShips at it from all sides, but the Pride's crew managed to escape the system anyway.

The day after, Banacek meet the Ebon Keshik leaders, announcing the plan to create a fake body of Aleksandr Kerensky, using Stas' remains, before ordering them to find who was behind the attack.

A year later, after parting ways with Satinka's fleet, the Pride reunited with Wolf forces. Garmen informed Vlad Ward of the success of the mission, and the Khan congratulated him, sending him to lead a Trinary joining Stone's Coalition, before hiding the Pride elsewhere, in the greatest secrecy.

70 years later, a fleet led by Wolf saKhan Garner Kerensky, as part of OPERATION ICON, boarded the Pride, recovering it to take it to Wolf Empire territory, in preparation to lead the Wolf assault on Terra.

Featured Characters[edit]

Featured BattleTech[edit]

Battle Armor[edit]

BattleMechs[edit]

DropShips[edit]

JumpShips[edit]

WarShips[edit]

Featured Locations[edit]

Notes[edit]

The cover (which appears to show the McKenna's Pride in their escape from Strana Mechty, as that was the planet represented) depicts the visual design of the original McKenna class, as of ca. 2750. Line Developer Ray Arrastia has stated that this depiction is in error, and that it should have the refurbished shape of the McKenna class as of ca. 3057.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ In this posting on the BattleTech forum, replying to the observation "a 2750 McKenna as the shrine above Strana Mechty? I SO prefer the 3057 McKenna look" with "It was an oversight, should have been the 3057 style. To reconcile this it could be speculated that the image of the McKenna's Pride predates the novel's timeframe

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