Natalie Breen

Natalie Breen (born 3014 - 30??) was a Mechwarrior of Clan Steel Viper who would eventually rise to the position of Khan. She led her Clan prior to and during Operation Revival, though the Clans' defeat at Tukayyid would see Khan Breen resign from office, stepping back to become an adviser to her successor, Perigard Zalman. Her fate is not known, disappearing after the Steel Viper ejection from the Inner Sphere at the hands of Clan Jade Falcon.

Khan Natalie Breen in 3050

Biography

Born during the late Political Century, Natalie Breen was described as a crafty warrior and sensible politician of Warden leanings who sought the best path for her Clan while pursuing the vision passed down from Sanra Mercer. Her influence would continue to be felt for a time after stepping down from the Khanship of Clan Steel Viper, mainly due to her advisory role to Khan Perigard Zalman during these latter years.

Early Career

Commanding the 4th Viper Gaurds, young Star Colonel Natalie Breen was able to defeat Clan Snow Raven on Hellgate despite a numerical disadvantage. Her use of terrain within a deliberately chosen Circle of Equals exhausted the Raven ground forces, while leading the Steel Vipers to victory over their enemies. The Viper Khan recognized her strengths and potential, selecting her to become the next saKhan. She took her place as the new Khan soon after, while still at a reportedly young age.

Outbound Light and Operation Revival

After the appearance of the ComStar Explorer Corps ship Outbound Light over Huntress in 3048, Khans Breen and Zalman would reluctantly vote with the Crusaders. In spite of this, both were elated that the return to the Inner Sphere would finally happen. The Vipers fought well during the early going of the Trials to determine invasion slots for four Clans and one reserve Clan. But a lackluster performance would stifle their efforts to an extent during the latter stages of the Trials, relegating their Clan to the reserve role. Many unhappy Steel Viper warriors expressed their displeasure through Trials of Grievance with Khan Breen and saKhan Zalman, however, both would survive these challenges with their offices intact, proving that they were still the best that their Clan had to offer leadership-wise while still accepting responsibility for their failure to place better in the Trials.

Despite the reserve role, the Steel Vipers were excited just to be near the fabled worlds of the former Star League. Khan Breen knew that the presence of two vocal Crusader Clans would complicate her task of carrying out the Mercer vision, but still kept up on all phases of Operational Revival as it progressed. Her troops would first be used to scout the lanes of the Exodus Road between the Inner Sphere and the Clan Homeworlds and patrol them. Later they were tasked with shoring up several Clan Ghost Bear worlds as populations revolted across their Occupation Zone. The Jade Falcons were ordered to give the Vipers a world to stage from in their Occupation Zone after the death of ilKhan Leo Showers and subsequent election of Ulric Kerensky to the office of ilKhan. The Falcons ceded the world of Waldorff to the Steel Vipers as a calculated insult, due to its distance from front lines with the Federated Commonwealth. Despite this, the Vipers fought the Jade Falcons on more worlds in their Occupation Zone, taking several - including Twycross - the scene of the worst Clan defeat in the Inner Sphere until that point in time. By the end of the Fifth Wave, the Steel Vipers were noted as being closest to Terra of any Clan force.

Battle of Tukayyid

Khan Breen was aware of the staggering Smoke Jaguar losses taking during their initial landings, choosing caution over brute force for her Clan's drop. She would still bid boldly for the fateful battle with the Com Guards in 3052, including a Second-Line Galaxy amongst their three chosen for the attack. The Battle of Tukayyid started inauspiciously enough for the Steel Vipers. Opting to drop far from their targets, the Steel Vipers were bombarded by artillery and Aerospace Fighter strikes, but made steady progress toward their target until the region called Devil's Bath. There in the oozing mud, hot geysers and other geothermal phenomena, the Vipers lost several entire Stars to nature, sinking deep into the morass. Fighting free of the bath while fighting off a ComGuard ambush, a severely wounded Khan Breen realized that too much had already been expended by her Clan to ever achieve victory. Instead of throwing her Galaxies into a hopeless battle against greater numbers, she ordered the full withdrawal of her mostly intact forces from the planet.

The Steel Vipers took the fewest losses of any Clan on Tukayyid, but their bid for dominance over ComStar's forces was finished regardless. Before she could be challenged for her failure, Khan Natalie Breen opted to resign from office, an unprecedented decision for a Khan to make, but one that speaks volumes about her abilities of self-assessment and her sense of accountability for the poor planning of such an important battle.

Adviser in the Shadows

SaKhan Perigard Zalman was elevated to the post of Khan in the wake of Breen's resignation. Not wishing to simply die in a solahma unit, Natalie Breen stayed on at the reduced rank of Star Colonel in order to advise Khan Zalman and attempt to retain at least some amount of influence over her Clan during the long years of the Truce of Tukayyid. Breen was known to regularly test out as a warrior in her Crossbow, but stayed reclusive during much of this time. From a small and dimly-lit office in the back of Khan Zalman's headquarters in the Hall of Khans on Strana Mechty, Breen's advice was sought after often by the Khan, especially in matters of great import. Out of a deep respect, Zalman would often call her Khan Breen despite her years since holding office. SaKhan Christopher Ahmed's opinion of this situation is not known, but his successor, the outspoken Brett Andrews, often voiced his opinion that she should be shunned or eliminated, and not sought after.

In the years just after the Great Refusal, Breen offered advice about tactics for going after their hated enemies, Clan Jade Falcon, in the Grand Council. Acting on this, Khan Zalman challenged the Jade Falcons regarding the increasing use of freeborn warriors in their Touman, though the Trial that was fought over the matter resulted in a Jade Falcon victory. Breen would go so far as to encourage the Viper Khans to launch a major offensive with the objective of seizing the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone in 3061. After initial success on thirteen worlds targeted, the Jade Falcons reversed the fortunes of war and ejected the Steel Vipers from the Inner Sphere completely. During the final battle of this conflict, Khan Breen entered battle in her Crossbow under radio silence from her comrades, seeking death in honorable combat. Without realizing who she was facing, Jade Falcon Khan Marthe Pryde fought Natalie Breen in a vicious duel that ended in Breen's defeat. Offering her loyalty to her captors, Breen was dismissed and released by Khan Pryde, who refused to accept her as a bondsman of Clan Jade Falcon.

Death and Legacy

Natalie Breen disappears from history soon after the Steel Viper ejection from the Inner Sphere, though her fate is not known. Reigning during Operation Revival, Khan Breen had the weight of Sanra Mercer's vision on her shoulders, but came up short in the effort to implement it. None of her successors would come any closer than she to achieving Mercer's vision. Having suggested the strike that eventually led to the Steel Viper's ejection from the Inner Sphere, Natalie Breen can be said to have began the unraveling of that vision of a reborn Star League. In time, what was left of that vision became little more than a bitter memory of noble purpose for Clan Steel Viper.

BattleMechs

Natalie Breen was a noted Crossbow OmniMech pilot.

Bibliography

• Era Report: 3052
• Era Report: 3062
• Falcon Rising (novel)
• Field Manual: Warden Clans
• Invading Clans