Avalanche (Individual Sovetskii Soyuz-class WarShip)

This article is about the Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser. For the BattleMech, see Avalanche.

History

After agents of Clan Widowmaker stole a nuclear device from the Clan Wolverine stockpiles and detonated it in the middle of Great Hope, the largest Wolverine city on Circe, the Clan Snow Raven Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser CSR Avalanche in orbit around Circe and over the city of Dehra Dun was given authorisation by Nicholas Kerensky to use nuclear weapons against the largest concentration of Wolverine forces on the planet on the 22nd of October 2823. As a pair of nuclear-armed ships designated Angel One and Angel Two were launched from the Avalanche with an escorting AeroSpace Fighter contingent the SLS Bismark emerged from a nearby pirate point and moved to engage. Quickly identified as being under the control of the Wolverines, while the Bismark did exchange fire with the Avalanche, the primary objectives of the Bismark were the destruction of Angels One and Two; the Bismark succeeded in destroying both ships, but not before one of the nuclear weapons was launched. The nuclear weapon detonated off-target, airbursting above the Snow Raven capital city of Dehra Dun. With the Avalanche taking increasing amounts of damage from the Bismark, the Snow Raven WarShip withdrew from combat.

The Avalanche was involved in the combat in the Deep Periphery system known as Barbados that saw ilKhan Kerensky's Grand Fleet destroy the bulk of the Clan Wolverine touman and kill or capture the bulk of the Wolverine civilian castes. Initially kept out of the battle in accordance with the Clan honor system, the Avalanche became directly involved in the fight when the crippled Vincent-class corvette Badger deliberately blew her own engines up while in close proximity to the Avalanche, causing debris from the explosion to inflict heavy damage on the Avalanche.

As at 3061 the Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser Avalanche was a WarShip within the Clan Snow Raven touman, one of ten WarShips that made up the Lum Garrison Fleet. Paired with another heavy cruiser, the Aegis-class CSR Morning Violence, the Avalanche was responsible for patroling the shipping lanes stretching out from Lum to the zenith jump point and the accompanying Tivoli station located there.

In 3065 the Avalanche was involved in the extended conflict on and above Lum, as Clan Steel Viper fought to establish an enclave on the planet and then expanded it via various Trials of Possession. When the Steel Vipers began withdrawing on the 12th of October to avoid Clan Jade Falcon simply taking former Raven holdings from the Steel Vipers, the Avalanche was one of the vessels that attacked the retreating Steel Viper DropShips and their escorts. One of the DropShips destroyed by the Avalanche was transporting Khan Perigard Zalman of the Steel Vipers.

Bibliography

• Betrayal of Ideals
• Field Manual: Warden Clans
• Wars of Reaving