Colleen Schmitt

Colleen Schmitt (b. October 13th 2756 - ???) was a Star League officer and MechWarrior who fought during the Amaris Crisis. She would later go on to become the founding Khan of Clan Blood Spirit.

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Biography

Colleen Schmitt was the daughter of Colonel Hanni Schmitt, the last Commander of the Royal Black Watch Regiment of the Star League Defense Force. Colleen and Hanni Schmitt's ancestors came from the country of Wales on Terra. The name "Colleen" translates as "girl" in Irish Gaelic.

Early Life and Star League Service

Growing up steeped in her grandmother's tales of service with the Royal Black Watch, Colleen Schmitt was deeply influenced by the stories of camaraderie and the tremendous sense of belonging to an entity greater than one's self. The ideals of integrity of service and loyalty also figured prominently in Schmitt's young psyche. She would carry these influences with her throughout her life.

After the Usurper Stefan Amaris seized control of Terra in 2766, Colonel Hanni Schmitt and the remnants of her Black Watch were destroyed in a nuclear strike. Young Colleen and her family went to ground in the Cascade Mountains of North America, joining the resistance that was already gathering. She would survive to the end of the long struggle, and eventually joined the SLDF as a MechWarrior without her parent's approval or even knowing of her decision.

After the defeat of Amaris, she was faced with a difficult decision: whether or not to accompany the bulk of the SLDF and General Aleksandr Kerensky for Operation Exodus. Torn between loyalty to her home and the rebuilding process and loyalty to her new Star League "family", Schmitt eventually decided to depart with Kerensky into the Deep Periphery, her loyalty to the general prevailing.

File:Clan Blood Spirit.jpg

Clan Blood Spirit, Colleen Schmitt's family

Founding of the Clans

Schmitt's role during the colony years on the Pentagon Worlds is not specified, though it is noted that she felt disconnected from events for many years until the Pentagon Civil War. At that time, she would rise from her depression and throw her full support behind Nicholas Kerensky and his plan for a Second Exodus to newly discovered Strana Mechty. Her loyalty and support - as well as her skill at piloting a 'Mech - earned for her a high place in Kerensky's new society: a Khanship over Clan Blood Spirit, one of twenty new Clans founded after 2807. Unlike her peers in the other Clans, Khan Schmitt stressed teamwork, and especially inter-Clan cooperation, training her warriors to work with each other to achieve their goals.

One of their first acts together as a Clan was to pledge to always remember the spirit that brought the 800 loyal warriors along on the Second Exodus. Through the early years of intense training, the warriors of her Clan were forged into a unit that could not only fight, but would also work well with other Clans. She refrained from choosing a saKhan at this time, instead choosing to wait until the conclusion of the looming operation that would see the nascent Clans return to conquer the rebellious Pentagon Worlds.

Operation Klondike

By 2821, preparations were deemed complete, and Operation Klondike began in earnest. Clan Blood Spirit was chosen to invade Arcadia, along with Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Star Adder and Clan Steel Viper. Khan Schmitt and her warriors would get their first chance to practice their doctrine of cooperation by working closely with Khan Ellie Kinnison and Clan Steel Viper throughout the campaign. At one point, she even took it upon herself to mediate problems that had risen between the Star Adders and Ghost Bears, helping both Clans to smooth over differences that were detrimental to the mission and avoiding the wrath of ilKhan Kerensky.

Arcadia: Landings

In the wake of the disastrous landings by the Star Adders and Ghost Bears, Clans Blood Spirit and Steel Viper shifted their landing zones 100 kilometers south of their originally planned positions. The Blood Spirit's first action was to mop up a retreating column of Ilkasur Shogunate forces, which was easily done, as the Star Adders had already depleted much of their ammunition and was in pursuit just behind the Shogunate forces.

Arcadia: Ilkasur Shogunate

Khan Schmitt committed herself and her Clan to work alongside the Steel Vipers from the very first. The plan to take Arcadia - drawn up by Khan Absalom Truscott of the Star Adders, who died on the first day of fighting - was thrown mostly to the wind, though the basics of the plan were kept in place. Their primary target was the Ilkasur Shogunate, located in the southern reaches of West Arcadia. Working with intelligence gathered from captured Nation of Hastur and Shogunate soldiers, the Blood Spirits, along with the Steel Vipers, set about taking the outlying Shogunate outposts and settlements. The two Clans often bid amongst themselves for the honors of taking specific targets, and the samurai-influenced culture of the Shogunate encouraged this practice, as battles were often marked by forces pairing off to fight one-on-one duels. Khan Schmitt had her forces slow their advance slightly, taking targets bypassed by the Vipers, and even intercepting several Shogunate counter-attacks against the Vipers before they could do damage to their intended target. Within another week, the final battle took place for Kito, the capital of the Shogunate. Two Stars of Blood Spirit 'Mech forces took part in the battle, which had been negotiated by Steel Viper saKhan, Steven Breen.

Arcadia: The Confederation

Khan Schmitt and her Blood Spirits would next coordinate attacks with the Steel Vipers against the Confederation of Arcadia. Located on the far eastern edge of the continent, this loose collection of city-states and smaller towns fell piecemeal. Again, both Clans bid for the rights to take each target, though the Clan that lost the bid stood ready with the difference in case reinforcements were needed. Though the Confederation had a relatively large force with which to defend itself, after several months of fighting the land was conquered and divided between the Spirits and Vipers. In time, the process used by both Khans would become the Clan's standard bidding practice.

Death and Legacy

The Schmitt Bloodname and genetic legacy are highly revered by the Blood Spirits, leaders of the Cllan have often hailed from her line. Colleen Schmitt's most famous descendant was undoubtedly Karianna Schmitt, Khan of Clan Blood Spirit in the mid-31st Century.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Crusader Clans
• Historical: Operation Klondike
• Technical Readout: 3067