Battle of Wayside (3058)

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Battle of Wayside V
Part of The Clan Invasion Era
Start Date From July to August 3058 Planet Wayside V Result Inner Sphere and Clan Nova Cat victory
Factions
(Attacker) Draconis Combine Clan Nova Cat	(Defender) Clan Smoke Jaguar
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Andrea Stirling	Galactic commander Devon Osis
Conditions
Normal

The Battle of Wayside V is a military operation that was undertaken by the Draconis Combine against Clan Smoke Jaguar in the Periphery in July to September 3058.

Operation Brief

The military operation took place mainly on the surface and space of Wayside V and within a large swath of the Clan Nova Cat Occupation Zone.

Operation History

Factions & Known Units Involved in the Conflict

Draconis Combine

• Northwind Highlanders
  • Stirling's Fusiliers
  • MacLeod's Regiment (a battalion)

Clan Smoke Jaguar

• Tau Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar)
• Dark Claw (warship)

Clan Nova Cat

• Sigma Galaxy (Clan Nova Cat)

Origins of Conflict

Since the Battle of Tukayyid, the Clans were forced to stop their advance... but that didn't meant that it was peaceful along the front: both Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Jade Falcon kept launching raids against enemy space, and vice versa. In fact, one of most contested fronts was the frontier along the Draconis Combine. The battle wasn't fought only in the Inner Sphere. The Clan Homeworlds were the Clans main factories and training centers were located, and they were sent to the Clan Occupation Zones through the Exodus Road. ComStar's Explorer Corps partnered with the Combine to track the Road and try to find the Homeworlds. It wasn't an easy task, but by 3058, they found a Smoke Jaguar base on the Periphery: Wayside V. Identifying what they think it was a logistic and supply base, they decided to attack it and cut off the Jaguars' supply lines. Lacking enough troops, they made the unprecedented move to hire mercenary ones: Princess Omi Kurita travelled to Northwind and after giving a present to the Highlanders, exposed them the contract: asking a full regiment to attack the base and a battalion to garrison it, the offer was accepted, and the Highlanders sent some of their best units: the regiment would be Stirling's Fusiliers and the battalion from McLeod's Regiment.

However, the Explorer Corps had made a serious mistake: Wayside V -called WildCat by the Jaguars- wasn't a simple supply base: it was the training grounds for a newly formed Galaxy, Tau Galaxy. This will have drastic consequences for the Highlanders.

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Launch of the Operation

Stirlings XO, Lieutenant Colonel Loren Jaffray had been strengthening the Fusiliers' training, and adapting them to fight the Clans, so he took all possible measures to ensure they were prepared, and some had to be done on the way: the 15 May they departed. they arrived the 3 July without incidents, detached their DropShips and approached Wayside. They only discovered Tau's presence too late. Retreat wasn't an option, as Tau's escorting WarShip, the Dark Claw was on the way, so they had to descend on planet. On the way, Colonel Stirling made a batchall to the Jaguar Commander, expecting to prevent the use of the Clanners' WarShip.

The descending DropShips, when reached atmosphere, were attacked by Jaguar's aerospace fighters. They weren't able to fully destroy any DropShip, but damaged them all: the Bull Run was damaged, the Stonewall and Claymore too, and the Combine's Retribution crashed. The Combine company onboard was severely weakened and, still worse, the survivors were immediately attacked by a Jaguar Binary led by Star Captain Kerndon. Only the timely arrival of Jaffray's command company changed the tide. However, Loren was forced to blow up the Retributions hydrogen tank to finish off the Jaguars. That saved the Combine liaison officer, Sho-sa Elden Parkensen, and gave the Fusiliers a full Binary of Clan salvage. Kerndon was captured alive, the only survivor of his unit.

Ground Battles

The Highlanders settled for a long guerrilla operation, but Jaffray, knowing than they would face annihilation, before or later, made up a daring, almost suicide, plan: to evade from Wayside with a DropShip, and, posing as Smoke Jaguars, launch several raids at nearby Nova Cats systems, leaving clues to draw them there to fight the Jaguars. Stirling, though reluctantly, agreed, leaving him take barely a company of troops, Kerdnon's salvaged 'Mechs and Kerdnon itself.

But first, Jaffray led an ambush to the first attacking unit: the 4 July, a Cluster of light OmniMechs, led a headhunting attack, but thanks to Kerndon's advice, Jaffray attracted her to an ambush. Despite being surrounded, Roberta refused to surrender, and she and his unit fought to death, being annihilated. To distract the Jaguar's WarShip Dark Claw, the Highlanders made a diversionary move: the Claymore left a unit of Highlanders, defending the Straits, and the Bull Run launched after that. The WarShip attempted to stop them, but the DropShip launched him lots of scape pods filled with explosives. The attack catch the Jaguars unprepared, and the WarShip was crippled, unable to pursue them.

Loren Campaign

Loren's task force began their campaign on system EC-EY-4170. There it was a Nova Cat's Recharge Station, and the 8 July, Jaffray-now posing as the Jaguar Star Colonel Jaffray- asked a batchall to obtain four recharges to his JumpShip, to allow it to go and return quickly. In the trial, he and another MechWarrior faced another 'Mech and several Elementals. They managed to defeat them without casualties. In the next planet, Boltin, Loren's task force fought a Trial of Refusal into a former Jaguars' base. The 17 July, the Nova Cats attacked them with a force of 'Mechs, and infiltrated a group of Elementals into the buildings, but Jaffray simply downed the building over the Elementals. Once again, the highlanders won the day, with some Cats' salvage, though they lost one of their own. The 25 July, Jaffray's blooded task force attacked their last target: Tarnby, to send a HPG message to Wayside V, where they suffered heavy losses. They were on the brink of defeat when the Nova Cat Colonel, Santin West, impressed by the Jaguars bravery, leaved them to depart... but assembled a force to pursue them.

On Wayside

On Wayside, the 10 July, the Fusiliers faced the Jaguars attack at the Straits, a narrow pass. In front of them was the 101st Bloodied Claws Cluster. The Jaguars attempted to pass a hidden force to attack the Highlanders' backs while the bulk of the Cluster attacked frontally, but the use of a satellite by the Fusiliers allowed them to uncover the plan. Star Colonel Roberta, the Jaguar leader, despite being discovered, attacked anyway. The Highlanders contained the attack while a force led by major Kurt Blakadar attacked the Jaguars' flanks. The Fusiliers finished off the Jaguars, but at a high cost. After the battle of the Isthmus, the Highlanders sent a small force to destroy the Jaguars airfield and fighters. Though it was discovered and suffered an air attack, part of the unit survived and accomplished their mission, depriving the Jaguars of their air support. To win more time, the bulk of the Highlanders retreated towards the southwest. After mounting a trap into the Claymore, which blew, killing some Jaguar Elementals on board, they travelled through the airless continent, but had to leave behind the vehicles unable to cross it. An rearguard, led by Major Cullen Craig, attempted to hold off the attacking Jaguars, but they were crushed. Most survivors surrendered, but Devon Osis ordered their execution. Craig was one of the few survivors.

The Highlanders situation was desperate, but then finally received good news: the expected battalion of McLeod's Fusiliers arrived on system, and soon after, the remains of Loren's task force... and they weren't alone.

Final Battle

The Jaguars' commander, Devon Osis, led the final assault, the 8 August, with all what remained of his Galaxy, but the sudden arrival of Chastity Mulvaney's battalion and his attack on the Jaguars' flanks forced them to break off their attack and regroup. And before they could attack again, Devon received a call from Santin West, which was there to destroy the Jaguars. A brutal fight ensued between both Clans. Loren's task force infiltrated into the battlefield, and killed Devon Osis when he was to kill Santin West. As Jaffray was wounded, his people had to evacuate him. The battle, in which the Highlanders didn't took part more, ended with the Nova Cats killing every Jaguar.

Conflict Conclusion

After the battle ended, the surviving Nova Cats, barely a Trinary, faced the Highlanders. Santin West parleyed with Stirling. However, a new conflict was still possible... until she tell him than she was called the Cat. Unknown to her, West had had a vision about a Nova Cat, a Smoke Jaguar and another cat fighting each other. So he agreed to leave the Highlanders alone, and after recovering their dead ones, they departed, leaving Wayside V in Combine hands.

Aftermath

For the Combine, Wayside V was a costly victory, but a victory anyway. They intended to keep the planet to launch raids, but soon after, they abandoned it. The Highlanders elders promoted Jaffray to Colonel rank and, with salvage of the battle, a new unit was created for him, specifically top fight the Clans: the Northwind Hussars. The Nova Cats celebrated the victory, and as Wayside V wasn't one of his planets, didn't make plans to recover it. West's actions won him great fame in his clan, and eventually he will become Khan of the Nova Cats. And for the Smoke Jaguars, the defeat put an end to their attempt to recover their forces weakened since Tukayyid. The name of Wilcat was permanently erased, and the hostility between his Clan and the Nova Cats only grew, which will cost them greatly soon. Wayside V became the preamble of Operation Bulldog.

Gallery

• Highlanders1.jpg

  Loren Jaffray with Parkensen

Bibliography

• Impetus of War (novel)
• Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)