Invisible Truth (Individual Cameron-class WarShip)

(Redirected from SLS Lady Shandra)
Invisible Truth
Invisible Truth.jpg
Vessel Profile
Previous namesLady Shandra
TypeWarShip
ClassCameron
In service since(see Ship Notes)
In service until3078[1]

History[edit]

The SLS Lady Shandra was a Cameron-class battlecruiser in service with the Star League Defense Force. The Lady Shandra survived the Amaris Civil War, and at some point after General Aleksandr Kerensky led the bulk of the surviving SLDF on the Exodus the Lady Shandra fell into the hands of ComStar.[2]

Task Force Serpent and Defense of Terra[edit]

Precentor Alain Beresick indicated in a conversation with Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion during Task Force Serpent that the ComStar Explorer Corps had discovered the Lady Shandra and a sister ship, the SLS Electa, mothballed in a Deep Periphery system in an early expedition, that ComStar believed both ships to have been abandoned by the SLDF during the Exodus, and that ComStar had restored the Lady Shandra to service and renamed her the Invisible Truth with an IFF transponder of CG-1957-INTR.[2][3]

While initially restored to operation after the creation of the Com Guards, as only one of the two rare Cameron-class vessels controlled by the Order, issues with maintenance and parts in the wake of the Battle of Tukayyid forced ComStar to sacrifice the Invisible Truths sister-ship CSV StarSword—the renamed Electa—to maintain the Invisible Truth. In 3053, Precentor Alain Beresick was transferred to the secret Luyten 68-28 fleet base, bringing his customary efficiency to the cannibalization of the StarSword, eventually receiving command of the Invisible Truth by 3058. [4]

During "Operation ODYSSEUS," the Word of Blake conquest of Terra in 3058, Beresick and his crew successfully repulsed a strike by the Essex-class WoBS Deliverance against the Luyten fleet base, taking minimal damage but preventing it from aiding the defense of Terra.

When Task Force Serpent, a bold strike against the Clan Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress was conceived, Beresick and the Invisible Truth were a natural choice to serve as flagship. During the long voyage, the fleet ran across a convoy of ships from Clan Ghost Bear. The Inner Sphere taskforce fleet successfully defeated the Ghost Bears with minimal damage. The engagement was later named the Battle of Trafalgar.

At Huntress, the Invisible Truth and its accompanying ships were successful in destroying the Jaguars' orbital defenders, and the initial invasion of the ground forces was a success. However, the ship was driven away from the planet when the Jaguars' reinforcements arrived.

Jihad[edit]

Much later, in late 3067, the Invisible Truth served not only as the flagship for the Com Guards but was also the headquarters for Precentor Martial Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, as well as his eventual wife, Isis Marik. The two were able to flee the attack on Tharkad at the close of the Fourth Whitting Conference, and it served them well during the early years of the Jihad. It also survived Case White, Comstar's failed attempt to retake Terra in 3068, due to being ambushed by Blakist forces while traveling to the Case White staging area, causing the Invisible Truth to be four days late to the Sol system.[5]

Selected as the command ship of Task Force EARTHBOUND, the Operation SCOUR assault on the orbital defenses around Terra, Invisible Truth came under heavy attack from a Naga-class Caspar II Control Ship before encountering Beresick's former friend and Blakist counterpart Gregory Zwick in command of the Blakist flagship, the Farragut-class WoBS Righteous Justice. Beresick declined his friend's offer of surrender, and the pair's longstanding personal conflict ended as the Invisible Truth went down guns blazing, torn apart by Blakist forces. A recording of the final moments of the Invisible Truth and the last conversation between Beresick and Zwick was recovered in early January 3079, having been filmed by INN journalist Myra Kellison and her cameraman Bryant Mathison from the bridge of the Invisible Truth as the ship was destroyed.[1]

Ship Notes[edit]

  • Although not explicitly stated, we may assume the Invisible Truth received the same modifications as the other Cameron class ships, correcting the various design flaws from the vessel's construction.
  • Details of the discovery of the Electa and the Lady Shandra were met with skepticism by Marshal Hasek-Davion;[2] later canon sources establishing the existence of secret former SLDF naval facilities and WarShips controlled by ComStar would seem to cast doubt on Beresick's claims. Still, no other detail on the discovery of the vessels is currently available.
  • During the Twilight of the Clans novels, the Invisible Truth is depicted loading teleoperated Kraken missiles into her AR10 launchers and launching them at the enemy. Kraken missiles cannot be fired from AR10 launchers according to the game rules. It was confirmed on the official forums that this is an error in the text.[6]
  • The Invisible Truth was ostensibly in service since 2672.[7] This date is 16 years before the known service dates of the Cameron class. The class had begun production 11 years earlier according to sources,[8] though this date is still out of that range.

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, pp. 100–101: "The Final Dance"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Hunters, p. 121
  3. Sword and Fire, ch. 16
  4. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 208: "ComStar - Other Notable Personalities of 3076 - Alain Beresick"
  5. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 45: "The Jihad In Review"
  6. Official ruling by BattleTech author "Paul" in the official Ask the Writer forum
  7. Shadows of War, p. 57
  8. Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 154: "Cameron Profile"

Bibliography[edit]