Stiletto (Individual Broadsword-class DropShip)

This article is about the Clan Ghost Bear and later Draconis Combine DropShip. For other uses, see Stiletto.

Stiletto
Vessel Profile
Previous names	Ice Dart
Type	DropShip
Class	Broadsword

History

The Clan Ghost Bear-operated Broadsword-class DropShip CGB Ice Dart was one of five DropShips within a convoy of Ghost Bear vessels encountered in the Deep Periphery on 15 December 3059 by the Second Star League force designated as Task Force SERPENT. The two groups encountered each other in a system some 120 light years beyond the system the Explorer Corps had named Meribah.

The Ghost Bear convoy was transporting scores of civilian caste members to the Inner Sphere from the Clan Homeworlds and consisted of three WarShips—the Congress-class frigate CGB Shining Claw and two Whirlwind-class destroyers, the CGB Fire Fang and CGB Ursus—and the Invader-class JumpShip CGB Winter Wind. The Ice Dart was being transported by the Winter Wind along with two Union-C-class DropShips, the CGB Arctic Frost and a sister ship, the CGB Blue Kodiak.

Despite being outnumbered by the Task Force SERPENT naval flotilla a batchall was acknowledged and responded to by Star Colonel Alonso Gilmour, Captain of the Shining Claw and the officer in overall command of the convoy, and all Ghost Bear vessels were committed to the battle. The Captain of the Winter Wind, Star Captain Hector, was determined to be able to jump out of the system to avoid being captured by hostile ships; as a result, he demanded that the crew of the Winter Wind begin hot-charging the K-F Drive, rather than risking waiting the remaining five hours required for the drive to charge from the jump sail. Despite the preparations made by the crew of the Winter Wind, she was disabled early in the battle by the Lola III-class destroyer ISS Ranger, which destroyed her field initiator and drive controller with a combination of a White Shark capital missile strike and heavy naval laser fire.

Despite the damage done to the Winter Wind, Hector was insistent that she would not be captured, and ordered his crew to prepare to repel boarders. Meanwhile, the Whirlwind-class destroyer CGB Fire Fang attempted to protect the Winter Wind, as the Kyushu-class frigate DCS Haruna had been tasked with delivering several DEST boarding parties to capture the JumpShip.

The Haruna ended up taking damage from repeated volleys from the Fire Fang; the Fire Fang was damaged in turn by the Haruna, the Fox-class corvette FCS Antrim and a pair of Avenger-class DropShips, the DCS Dojo and DCS Hainan. The Winter Wind managed to launch the Arctic Frost and Blue Kodiak, but the Ice Dart was locked to her DropShip collar as result of the damage inflicted by the Ranger.

The two Union-Cs attempted to engage the lighter but more maneuverable Achilles-class DropShip DCS Bisan, launched by the Haruna and tasked with securing the Winter Wind; while one of the two inflicted some damage on the Bisan, it took heavy damage in turn, but managed to launch two Turk OmniFighters and destroy an F-700A Riever from the Haruna. The Bisan then successfully delivered at least two NL-42 combat shuttles carrying troops to the Winter Wind, despite the Winter Wind attempting to engage with her PPCs.

The battle was a victory for Task Force SERPENT; while the Winter Wind was permanently disabled and the Ursus destroyed, the Fire Fang surrendered in a repairable state and the Shining Claw surrendered after taking crippling damage. The Task Force SERPENT report indicated that two damaged Union-Cs were recovered, but didn't confirm which two of the four those were by name; it is therefore possible that one was the Blue Kodiak. Also captured intact was the Ice Dart and the embarked Striker Star of OmniMechs; the Ice Dart was renamed the DCS Stiletto and joined the DropShips embarked on the Haruna in place of the Hainan, which was lost during the battle.

Bibliography

• The Hunters (novel)
• Twilight of the Clans