William Smythe

William Smythe
Personal
Born2845[1]
Died2872
AffiliationClan Fire Mandrill
Profile
RankStar Colonel
ProfessionMechWarrior

William Smythe was a Star Colonel and the ranking officer of Clan Fire Mandrill's Kindraa Smythe-Jewel during its downfall at the hands of Clan Hell's Horses and Clan Coyote during the Golden Century.[2]

History[edit]

William Smythe was a ristar from an otherwise unremarkable sibko.[1]

Mandrill's Honor[edit]

In 2864, William Smythe commanded the Smythe-Jewel forces that won OmniMech technology from the Coyotes.[1][3] During the bidding for that Trial of Possession, he concealed that the Smythe-Jewels had altered the configuration of their 'Mech forces, employing double-strength Trinaries, making their bid seem smaller than it actually was.[4][3] Further, Smythe deliberately misrepresented the weight classes of his 'Mechs and the skill level of his warriors.[4][1] The Coyotes filed a formal protest with the ilKhan over what they termed Kindraa Smythe-Jewel's "dubious bidding practices"; the Mandrill victory would eventually be ruled fair by the Grand Council.[5]

Within a year of winning the Trial for OmniMech technology, William Smythe had risen to the rank of Star Colonel and command of the 84th Smythe Assault Cluster.[1][6] Years later, in 2870, Kindraa Smythe-Jewel would again involve itself in a similar incident, but this time against the Hell's Horses over their Elemental bloodlines on Eden. Star Colonel William Smythe won the right to bid for both Kindraa in their joint attempt to gain Elemental genetic material. Indications that Kindraa Payne's force was to be a large unit of elite troops were greatly exaggerated. The Horses crushed the Kindraa Payne unit, which was forced to withdraw. The Smythe-Jewel force that Horses expected to be a smaller, second-line unit handily beat the Horse defenders, winning the genetic materials and salvaging battle armor technology.[7][2] A livid Horse Khan, Eric Amirault, demanded the Annihilation of the Fire Mandrills for their treacherous bidding .[2][5][8] Smythe's enemies labeled him a chalcas.[1]

The Smythe-Jewels' success and the Paynes' failure on Eden allowed Smythe-Jewel Kindraa Leader Kalil Jewel to successfully challenge the current saKhan, a Payne, for the saKhanship. This left Star Colonel William Smythe in command of the Kindraa for day-to-day purposes.[1]

Sweet Revenge[edit]

The Smythe-Jewels would return to their normal routine soon enough, as all of the Clans again settled down after the OmniMech Trials had largely ended. Rumors of war between the Hell's Horses and Coyotes were rife, allowing the Kindraa to relax its stance. Then in 2872, a task force led by Hell's Horses Khan Amirault appeared over the world of Foster in the Kerensky Cluster, aided by Coyote saKhan Katarina Steele. As the combined Hell's Horses/Coyote force burned towards Foster for their landing, Khan Amirault broadcast a wilting batchall, calling out the Smythe-Jewels and also announcing the purpose of their invasion: to punish the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel for their past treachery by seizing their enclave and all of the genetic legacies.[2]

Star Colonel William Smythe answered back in kind,[9] sending his aerospace and naval assets to greet the invaders before they could land. The large aerospace fighter contingent that the Horses had brought along served them well, defeating all comers. Once on the ground, the Coyote 100th Assault Cluster, led by Coyote saKhan Katarina Steele, attacked the main Kindraa force. Simultaneously, the Horses' 'Mechs and armor from their 666th Mechanized Assault Cluster and Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry Cluster harried the flanks of the Smythe-Jewel line. In a moment of desperation, and in an attempt to break the invaders, Star Colonel Smythe led his remaining forces in a drive that nearly got through the attack's flank. During this flanking maneuver, Star Colonel Smythe killed Star Colonel Ursula Mitchell of the 666th Mechanized Assault in single combat, one of the rare duels during a battle where zellbrigen was largely ignored. Despite this personal victory, Star Colonel Smythe died in a hail of fire from a combined Horse/Coyote Trinary which had arrived to reinforce the 666th. Star Colonel Smythe's death left command of the shattered remnant of his Kindraa to Star Captain Tomas Jewel of the Second Jewel Striker Cluster's 8th Assault Trinary. With little left to defend with, Star Captain Jewel led the survivors in fleeing the scene of the battle. Before long, the fleeing Smythe-Jewel force was intercepted and pinned down by a force of Kindraa Payne 'Mechs that had been sent out to "secure their borders" after hearing about the invasion. The last of the resistance was crushed after 26 hours of fighting, and the treacherous Kindraa Smythe-Jewel was no more.[2][10][4][11][12][13][14]

Legacy[edit]

With his death, so went his Kindraa. Star Colonel William Smythe's legacy was likely taken away by the Hell's Horses, who claimed half of the genetic legacies contained in the Smythe-Jewel compound vaults, if they did not destroy it outright. The Horses also claimed most of the salvage from the battle. The Coyotes kept the enclave on Foster, as well as the remaining legacies, though they would share some of each with Kindraa Payne for their role in the victory. The passing of Kindraa Smythe-Jewel would be a jarring reminder to the rest of the Fire Mandrills of their greatest weakness, factionalism.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Turning Points: Foster, p. 8: Commanders
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, pp. 54–56: "Hell's Fury"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Turning Points: Foster, p. 10: Kindraa Smythe-Jewel Force Composition
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Turning Points: Foster, p. 7: The Dark Forest of Gems
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: Warden Clans, pp. 41–42: "Righteous Vengeance"
  6. ↑ Turning Points: Foster, p. 9: Combatants
  7. ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 39: "Striking from Solitude"
  8. ↑ Era Digest: Golden Century, p. 9: "Bad Blood"
  9. ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 56: "Beginning of the End"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, pp. 39–40: "Death of a Kindraa"
  11. ↑ Turning Points: Foster, p. 15: The Counterattack
  12. ↑ Turning Points: Foster, p. 16: The Surprise
  13. ↑ Turning Points: Foster, p. 17: The Breakthrough
  14. ↑ Turning Points: Foster, p. 18: The Slaughter

Bibliography[edit]

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