Clan Fire Mandrill

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Clan Fire Mandrill
Faction Profile
Time period:	2807 – c. 3073
Classification:	Clan
Controlled systems:	7 (1 at 100%) in 3067
Capital world:	Shadow
Ruler title:	Khan
Military:	Clan Fire Mandrill Touman
Secret Service:	Clan Fire Mandrill Watch

Clan Fire Mandrill was one of the original twenty Clans founded by Nicholas Kerensky, named for a genetically altered species of mandrill introduced by the Star League-In-Exile to the Pentagon World of Eden.

From its earliest days Clan Fire Mandrill mimicked the fractious nature of its totem, as different Bloodhouses formed Kindraa (Kindred Associations) that clashed repeatedly with one another as well as with other Clans. As a result, the Mandrills remained one of the less influential Clans throughout their history. While classed as a Crusader Clan by the time of Operation Revival, a number of Kindraa espoused Warden ideals. This ideological rift, on top of the chronic Kindraa infighting, prevented the Mandrills from gaining a place among the Invading Clans, and they remained a marginal player in Clan politics during the turbulent events of the 3050s and '60s. Attempts to promote inter-Kindraa unity during this period ultimately failed, and during the Wars of Reaving Clan Fire Mandrill was destroyed piecemeal, being declared officially non-existent by the Grand Council in February 3075.

History

Formation

When IlKhan Kerensky chose to form the twenty Clans, he selected former Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery Officer Raymond Sainze as senior Khan, and declared the much younger Laura Payne as his junior saKhan. Kerensky then imposed a forty warrior limit to the invasion forces to be used in Operation Klondike.

Due to Khan Sainze's samurai traditions, he pushed his ethics of individual performance and the desire for a personal victory on his fellow Fire Mandrills. However, his upbringings left him remarkably distant, preventing the formation of relationships with colleagues within the Clan Council. This sense of competition and lack of cohesion was the first sign of Fire Mandrill's division between the Bloodnamed warriors of the Clan's original Warrior Caste. The early splitting of Fire Mandrill warriors into cliques would lead to the Kindred Associates, later known as the Kindraa.

The Mandrills would conduct a series of pre-trials to determine the quantity of supplies and resources they would utilize in Operation Klondike. The Clan's cluster that would be used in the campaign were subsequently armed with BattleMechs.

Operation Klondike

The Fire Mandrills were assigned to assault the Pentagon world of Dagda, along with Clans Burrock, Goliath Scorpion and Widowmaker. However, ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky would initially put the invasion of the planet on hold due to a helium tank rupture on one of the Invasion Forces' JumpShips.

On July 30th 2821, the Dadga Task Force arrived on-planet. While Clan Goliath Scorpion and other forces assaulted Firebase Delta, the Fire Mandrills deployed to the other side of the planet, where they were safe from the massive SDS complex's weaponry. Despite this relative security, the planetary invasion did not go as planned for Clan Fire Mandrill. Initial landings were complicated due to navigation errors, which sent a number of binaries and critical campaign supplies spread beyond the mountains and along the coasts of the Continent of Salò.

With their logistics lost and troops scattered, the Fire Mandrill campaign quickly became mired. Only half of the supplies lost in the wilds of Mount Lucca were ever recovered, and though the resident forces of Salò were not as organized or well armed, the Fire Mandrill's lack of proper provisions and organization hampered their own success. Equipment quickly ceased to function due to a lack of proper repair components, and an ammunition deficiency became detrimental to survival. The Fire Mandrill support technicians were forced to jury-rig much of their touman's equipment. Despite setbacks and growing internal feuding, the Mandrills were eventually able to take the city state of Garda.

The majority of the resistance forces in the Fire Mandrill's operational area were left in a weakened state, making them little match for the Mandrill's high-tech firepower. However, as the campaign drew to an end in the Night Labyrinth, an area of vast canyons and rocky regions, the Clan's internal disputes grew critical. The operation to clean up the last of resistance units would have been simple if not for the growing tension between Khan Sainze and saKhan Paynes. Both rivals bid away advantages such as satellite recon and aerial surveillance in an attempt to out do one another, encumbering their own forces in the process. Under normal circumstances, this mop up process would have been completed in a matter of days. Instead, the final acts of the Mandrills operations took weeks.

During the post campaign debriefings, the Clan was later criticized by ilKhan Kerensky for its inner squabbling and wasting of critical resources.

Golden Century

Like their fellows, the Fire Mandrill's also expanded and improved upon the military technology of the Star League, but their fractious nature limited their efforts to a modestly enhanced version of the Flamer.

This century saw the destruction of Kindraa Jewel-Smythe at the hands of the Hell's Horses and Coyotes in retribution for dishonorable bidding in a previous Trial.

Political Century

As the Golden Century drew to a close, the Fire Mandrills had lapsed into semi-isolation. They had little contact with other Clans and were mainly concerned with their own internal conflicts. When the Crusader and Warden movements developed among the Clans, the Fire Mandrills split along Kindraa lines. Crusader and Warden Kindraa soon came to blows as they sought to resolve their philosophical differences by defeating their rivals on the battlefield. Kindraa Sainze championed the Crusader cause and eventually rose to dominate the Clan, reducing the strength of the staunchest Warden Kindraas through a mixture of fighting and politics.

Operation Revival

A majority of Mandrills were in the Crusader camp by the time that the Grand Council took the vote to invade the Inner Sphere, and so Clan Fire Mandrill voted in the affirmative. Due to their factionalism the Mandrills fought Trials among themselves to determine who would represent the Clan, shattering their own Touman. As a result they fared poorly when it came to the placement Trials arranged by the Grand Council, defeating the Ice Hellions but losing to the Coyotes and Star Adders. Not even placing well enough to earn a slot as a reserve Clan, the Fire Mandrills sat out Operation Revival entirely.

During the 'Hellions' Fury' campaign launched by Clan Ice Hellion shortly after the invasion forces left for the Inner Sphere, the Hellions attacked Fire Mandrill enclaves on Foster, taking their targets by surprise and netting territory, resources and war materiel.

Great Refusal and Aftermath

The Fire Mandrills fought against the Capellan Red Lancers in the Great Refusal. The Binary that the Clan fielded was an ad-hoc mixture of different Kindraa representatives and proved unable to coordinate effectively on the battlefield. The Red Lancers isolated one Star and destroyed it before moving on to the other.

For the first half of the 3060s Khan Amanda Carrol attempted to unite the fractious Kindraa, but deep divides between Wardens and Crusaders meant all her efforts came to nothing in the end. After a great deal of bitter in-fighting the Clan Council held a vote of no confidence in their Khan in 3066. Amanda Carrol stepped down and was replaced by Garret Sainze within a year.

3067 saw the mergers of several Kindraa. Kindraa Mick-Kreese-Kline was formed in the aftermath of a disasterous campaign against the Star Adders. Two Mick-Kreese Clusters had joined their Blood Spirit allies' Iota Galaxy in an assault on Clan Star Adder enclaves on Tathis. In the midst of the fierce battle two additional Clusters from Kindraa Kline barged in uninvited, taking fire from all sides and reducing the Trial to a crazed melee. Both Kline Clusters were almost destroyed in the chaotic fighting, leaving their Kindraa strength at barely more than two Clusters. Too small to remain a viable combat formation and with vengeful Star Adder forces nearby on Dagda, the remnants of Kindaa Kline reluctantly merged with Kindraa Mick-Kreese.

The other major merger was the formation of Kindraa Payne-Beyl-Grant. This was the result of the violent struggles between Warden and Crusader Kindraa, with Kindraa Sainze battering Kindraas Beyl-Grant and Payne so hard that these two Wardens joined together in order to resist the attacks and maintain a strong Warden bloc in their Clan.

This period saw the Fire Mandrills strengthening their ties with Clan Blood Spirit. The Spirits maintained links with every Kindraa and often acted as mediators and go-betweens, as well as jointly developing the Crimson Langur omnimech and Delphyne protomech with the Mandrills.

Wars of Reaving and Destruction

When the next Grand Council was convened in late February, 3071, the severity of the Blakist assault upon Clan Wolf's capital Tamar spurred the Clans into electing a new ilKhan. The Star Adders and Steel Vipers suggested Garret Sainze for the post, not because they believed him fit for the role but simply to make their own candidate, Star Adder Khan Stanislov N'Buta, appear as a sane choice next to the fiery and headstrong Mandrill. Sainze won the ilKhanship anyway; his shocking victory was due to a single vote, that of Diamond Shark Khan Barbara Sennet, who wanted to prevent the 'Snake Alliance' from dominating the Grand Council.

Sainze's first (and as it turned out, last) motion as ilKhan was to address the issue of the Great Refusal. Furious at the foiling of their plans, the Adder Khans led their power bloc in voting to uphold the results; combined with abstentions from Clans concerned about arousing the Adders' wrath, the Great Refusal remained in place. Disgusted at the entire political circus taking place, Scorpion Khan Ariel Suvorov declared a Trial of Refusal against Sainze's election as ilKhan, declaring him an incompetent leader with delusions of glory.

With no choice but to accept or lose what little respect he had left, Sainze met Suvorov's forces on Shadow. In a three-day campaign four Clusters from the Fire Mandrills battled a like number of Goliath Scorpions; by the end of the fighting Sainze had perished, along with most of his Kindraa's warriors.

After his demise, Clan Cloud Cobra issued a Trial of Reaving on Sainze's Bloodname, citing his failure as ilKhan and in defending his right to the post. In a narrow victory against the 149th Cobra Guards Khan Amanda Carrol and Kindraa Mick-Kline-Kreese-Sainze managed to defend Garret Sainze's legacy from Reaving.

Arriving in a much weaked state to the Grand Council in December 3071, with all Clans in attendance. Voting with the Blood Spirits, Goliath Scorpions, and Steel Vipers, Khan Carrol voted to refute the Great Refusal. With only Ice Hellions, Hell’s Horses, Ghost Bear, Coyote and Diamond Shark voting against it, the Great Refusal finally was null and void.

Two days later the Mandrill's fought with the Grand Council's call for a Trial of Annihilation against Clan Wolf. This was due to their daring raid on Strana Mechty's Kerensky Bloodchapel. However their involvement didn't have the desired effect, with their forces assaulting both McKenna and Clearwater Blood Chapels had fared badly and, desperate for some sort of victory, Star Colonel Abraxas Mick ordered the Jungle Heat to make orbital strikes. These strikes razed both Blood Chapels but also hit the Ben-Shimon Blood Chapel, Binary of nearby Star Adder troops, and caused even more fires to start. The Mandrill’s actions enraged the Adders and the Scorpions who destoryed the Jungle Heat and the Viper's to declare Mick-Kreese-Kline-Sainze Kindraa as a new target of Reaving. This Reaving was assigned the Scorpions and Coyotes to conduct.

In mid-December, the Fire Mandrill's declared Trials of Reaving against the Snuka and Vong Bloodnames on Arcadia. However the remainder of Kindraa Payne-Beyl-Grant’s touman were summarily destroyed by the 4th Bear Regulars and saKhan Aletha Kabrinski’s Silverroot Keshik. Later Kindraa Mattila-Carrol's 64th Firestrom Cluster and the 14th Scorpion Grenadiers overwhelmed the Coyotes on Glory, winning half of Coyote's holdings there.

In January 3072 Steel Viper and Goliath Scorpion arrived on Shadow to carry out with the Coyote's enclave on planet, the ilKhan assigned Reaving of Kindraa Mick-Kline-Kreese-Sainze. The resulting defeat of saKhan Dakar Mick however was to be more a surprise to all Clans. Not only did Coyote's assault only last just 36 hours, it was due to the 3-1 odds and new ProtoMech designs. In addition as the Kindraa's warriors presented themselves to the Coyotes they reacted by slaughtering all in attendance, including the attendant Viper and Scorpion warriors. The Mandrills would be the first victim of The Society.

After taking the last Ice Hellion enclaves on Barcella the Steel Vipers seized Molten, a important Kindraa Mattila-Carrol enclave. Much of the 61st Firestorm Cluster died defending the site. Retreating the Mandrills met up with the 1st Fire Assault Cluster at Mockva and attacked Reston. However they did not know that it had been recently taken by the Blood Spirits’ 79th Blood Hussars. After several storage tanks near the Trial exploded, each side claiming the other had violated the Trial, and triggered a melee that the Blood Spirits emerged the victor of.

The Fire Mandrills lost the 301st Firebrand Cluster to the Dark Caste on Marshall in early December. Starving as there had been no supplies arriving they attempted to strike both Immesha and Ommesha in force. Thinking they would only fight the beseiged Ice Hellions they ran straight into the guns of two Dark Caste Septs and were quickly disabled. With the only Mandrill forces on planet captured, the Dark Caste claimed their Enclave.

Historical Demographics

3062

Affiliation: Crusader

Clan Space Worlds:
Atreus (65 percent)
Dagda (26 percent)
Foster (30 percent)
Huntress (16 percent)
Hoard (39 percent)
Marshall (13 percent)
Shadow (100 percent)

Capital: Shadow
Population (Clan Space): 81,719,000 (3060)
Population growth rate: 2.3 percent
Self-Sufficiency Index: 96 percent

Leaders:
Khan: Amanda Carrol
saKhan: Garret Sainze
Loremaster: Drew Tanaga
Scientist-General: Arkady (Crick)
Merchant Factor: Bianca
Master Technician: Lom
Senior Laborer: Todd

Military:
Clusters: 30
WarShips: 7

Military

See Clan Fire Mandrill Touman.

The Kindraas are:

• Kindraa Smythe-Jewell (destroyed in 2872)
• Kindraa Sainze
• Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga
• Kindraa Payne
• Kindraa Mattila-Carrol
• Kindraa Beyl-Grant
• Kindraa Kline
• Kindraa Mick-Kreese (Goulet)

By 3067, the Kindraas had changed slightly:

• Kindraa Mick-Kreese-Kline, when a shattered Kindraa Kline reluctantly merged with Kindraa Mick-Kreese
• Kindraa Payne-Beyl-Grant, an alliance between Kindraas weakened by Kindraa Sainze

Culture

The Kindraa was the central element to any Fire Mandrill's existence, with its leader exercising the same power as a Clan Khan and the Clan itself a distant second in allegiance. The superiority complex each Kindraa felt over the others was such that they rarely utilized genetic material from outside their ranks, at the price of bloodline stagnation. Rumors circulated that a few Kindraa used freeborn DNA in their breeding programs to counter this.

The Mandrills' xenophobia extended to other Clans, as inter-Clan contacts were kept to a minimum and Diamond Shark intermediaries were often used as a bridge between Mandrill merchants and other Clans. Bondsmen taken captive were rarely adopted into the warrior caste and instead used in civilian roles. Mandrills taken by other Clans, warrior or civilian, tended to be uncooperative, and Kindraa Sainze warriors were expected to commit their own form of bondsref (akin to seppuku) to avoid captivity.

The fractiousness of the Kindraa meant that the Clan's economy was highly compartmentalized but extremely inefficient in other ways. Duplication of various roles within each Kindraa resulted in much Clan-wide wastage and little opportunity or means for the scientist caste to innovate, forcing the merchant and warrior castes to provide new technologies and materials via external sources instead. As the result, the merchants gained some influence and inter-caste relations as a whole were generally good, with warriors (aside from those of Kindraa Sainze) willing to help civilians with any necessary tasks. Despite this, there was no doubt that the warrior caste was firmly in charge of the Clan.

Inter-Clan Relations

Throughout its existence, Clan Fire Mandrill contemptuously eschewed cooperation with others, and only with two Clans, Blood Spirit and Diamond Shark, did the Clan collectively establish anything close to a good relationship. Regarding the destruction of Kindraa Smythe-Jewel, Clan Hell's Horses was viewed as having a legitimate reason for their annihilation of a Kindraa, but the Coyotes were disparaged as opportunists. Constant raiding by Clans Burrock and Smoke Jaguar in the years before Revival resulted in long-term hostilities with these Clans, while the Mandrills' poor performance in the pre-invasion trials led to disparaging insults from Clan Steel Viper that escalated into a full-fledged feud.

Bloodnames

Founding Bloodnames:
Albiev	Andrunache	Angharobis	Beyl	Bin
Carrol	Durffey	Enríquez	Facchin	Faraday
Goulet	Grant	Grimaldi	Hirose	Huddock
Hutten	Jannik	Jewel	Kline	Komolosi
Kreese	Lloyd	Lopez	Lynn	Malone
Mattila	McDougall	Mick	Misjak	Nethercott
Newclay	Newton	Payne	Sainze	Schroeder
Smythe	Tanaga	Tarantino	Uchimura	Xing
Exclusive Bloodnames Post-Operation REVIVAL:
General	MechWarriors	Elementals	Aerospace Pilots	ProtoMech Pilots
Carrol	Jannik	Goulet	Beyl
Mattila	Kline	Lopez	Kreese
Sainze	Payne	Mick	Lynn
	Tanaga

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Crusader Clans
• Field Manual: Updates
• Historical: Operation Klondike
• Operational Turning Points: REVIVAL Trials
• Technical Readout: 3075
• The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky
• The Wars of Reaving