Difference between revisions of "Tactics of Duty"

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{{BCNovel|on 06 June 2010}}
 
{{BCNovel|on 06 June 2010}}
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The book is listed under two different ISBN numbers: 0451454901 (ISBN-10) = 978-0451454904 (ISBN-13), 1st edition, August 1995, and also 0451453824 (ISBN-10) = 978-0451453822 (ISBN-13).
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== From the back cover ==
 
== From the back cover ==
 
{{quote|''Tyranny. Rebellion. War. Treachery, tribulation, and a relentless slide into the bloody jaws of Armageddon! [[Federated Commonwealth Civil War|Insurrection]] sweeps through the fragmenting [[Federated Commonwealth]], pitting [[House Steiner|Steiner]] against [[House Davion|Davion]] forces, and civilians against their petty oppressors. On [[Caledonia]], it's no different—except that the mercenary [[Gray Death Legion]] is caught in the middle of it all.''
 
{{quote|''Tyranny. Rebellion. War. Treachery, tribulation, and a relentless slide into the bloody jaws of Armageddon! [[Federated Commonwealth Civil War|Insurrection]] sweeps through the fragmenting [[Federated Commonwealth]], pitting [[House Steiner|Steiner]] against [[House Davion|Davion]] forces, and civilians against their petty oppressors. On [[Caledonia]], it's no different—except that the mercenary [[Gray Death Legion]] is caught in the middle of it all.''
  
−
''[[Alexander Carlyle|Alex Carlyle]], haunted by the gruesome specter of war, and [[Davis McCall]], a veteran legionnaire and native Caledonian, unexpectedly find themselves key players in a popular revolt against a cruel and despised Davion-backed governor. When the Gray Death Legion is called upon to put down this very rebellion, they all find themselves pawns in a deadly game of manipulation and betrayal. But [[Grayson Carlyle]], tactician supreme and founder of the Legion, is bound by the highest duty—to protect civilization from self-destruction no matter what the odds or price...''}}
+
''[[Alexander Carlyle|Alex Carlyle]], haunted by the gruesome specter of war, and [[Davis McCall]], a veteran legionnaire and native Caledonian, unexpectedly find themselves key players in a popular revolt against a cruel and despised Davion-backed governor. When the Gray Death Legion is called upon to put down this very rebellion, they all find themselves pawns in a deadly game of manipulation and betrayal. But [[Grayson Carlyle]], tactician supreme and founder of the Legion, is bound by the highest duty—to protect civilization from self-destruction no matter what the odds or price....''}}
  
 
== Summary ==
 
== Summary ==
−
Defending [[Glengarry]] against Skye separatists in the [[Second Skye Rebellion]], the weak on-planet Gray Death Legion rump forces under temporary leadership of Alex Carlyle managed to repulse the initial landing and then two out of three nearly simultaneous landings by enemy troops when they set out to engage the third enemy landing zone at Halidon. In the face of strong enemy forces the battle became a rout, and Carlyle subsequently led the Legion on a seven-month guerilla campaign with sixty percent losses, until the Legion's line combat units returned to the besieged planet.
+
Defending [[Glengarry]] against Skye separatists in the [[Second Skye Rebellion]], the weak on-planet Gray Death Legion rump forces under temporary leadership of Captain Alex Carlyle managed to repulse the initial landing and then two out of three nearly simultaneous landings by enemy troops. They then set out to engage the third enemy landing zone at Halidon, but in the face of strong enemy forces that battle became a rout, and Alex Carlyle subsequently led the Legion on a seven-month guerilla campaign with sixty percent losses, until the Legion's line combat units returned to the planet and broke the siege.
 +
 
 +
By 10 March [[3057]], four months after the end of the campaign, Alexander Carlyle is still having bad dreams about it, feeling his leadership performance was inadequate and the losses too high, especially the death of his close friend Davis Clay. His overall performance is sagging, his relationship with [[Caitlin DeVries]] is suffering, and his father, Colonel Grayson Carlyle, is considering pulling him off-duty.
 +
 
 +
Also on 10 March, Major Davis McCall receives a message from his estranged family, informing him that his brother Angus was arrested and indicating all is not well on his homeworld of Caledonia. Greatly alarmed, he informs Colonel Carlyle who in turn sends McCall and Alex Carlyle to Caledonia on an intelligence gathering mission, reasoning that the Gray Death Legion may find itself tasked with putting down a rebellion on Caledonia should one occur, and that it would be good to have contacts there already.
 +
 
 +
Major McCall and Captain Carlyle leave Glengarry bound for the same [[JumpShip]] that brought Alex's mother [[Lori Kalmar-Carlyle]] and [[Jaime Wolf]]. Grayson Carlyle is to fight a simulator battle against the latter as a public event, which turns out to be a replay of the [[w:Battle of Gettysburg|Battle of Gettysburg]] with simulated [[BattleMech]] forces. During the match, a sniper attempts to assassinate Grayson Carlyle, but only manages to wound him. Lieutenant Dupré, who conspired with the assassin, gains Carlyle's trust by pretending he intervened on his behalf and killed the assassin.
 +
 
 +
News of the assassination attempt reach Alex Carlyle and Davis McCall shortly before their JumpShip leaves the system. They travel to Caledonia without BattleMechs, but secretly bring a pair of Mk. XXI [[Nighthawk]] suits with them. Arriving on Caledonia aboard the independent trader [[DropShip]] ''[[Tagalong]]'' on 31 March, they find civil unrest against Caledonia's unloved ruler Nelson Wilmarth and protesters being cowed by BattleMechs. At a meeting with McCall's family they learn that one Major Kellen Folker, an old nemesis of Davis McCall, is Wilmarth's chief military advisor.
  
−
By 10 March [[3057]], four months after the end of the campaign, Alexander Carlyle is still having bad dreams about it, feeling his leadership performance was inadequate and the losses too high, especially the death of his close friend Davis Clay.
+
McCall decides to visit Governor Wilmarth in his residence the next day to discuss his brother. They meed Folker and encounter gruesome scenes at the governor's citadel where prisoners are tortured to death to make an example of them. The talks quickly degrade to the point where McCall and Carlyle have to fight their way out of the citadel, taking Folker hostage and freeing some prisoners in the process.
  
 
== Featured characters ==
 
== Featured characters ==
Line 87: Line 98:
 
*''[[Union]]'' (''[[Endeavor (Union)|Endeavor]]'', ''[[Defiant]]'', ''[[Valiant (Union)|Valiant]]'')
 
*''[[Union]]'' (''[[Endeavor (Union)|Endeavor]]'', ''[[Defiant]]'', ''[[Valiant (Union)|Valiant]]'')
 
===JumpShips===
 
===JumpShips===
−
*''[[Invader]]''
 
 
*''[[Monolith]]'' (''[[Rubicon]]'')
 
*''[[Monolith]]'' (''[[Rubicon]]'')
 
===Other===
 
===Other===

Revision as of 11:11, 29 July 2014

Tactics of Duty.jpg
Tactics of Duty
Product information
Type Novel
Author William H. Keith, Jr.
Pages 352
Cover Artwork Romas Kukalis
Publication information
Publisher Roc Books
First published 1 August, 1995
ISBN-10 0451453824
ISBN-13 978-0451453822
MSRP 4.99
Content
Era Clan Invasion era
Timeline 17 April 3056-21 April 3057
Series Saga of the Gray Death Legion
Preceded by Blood of Heroes
Followed by Operation Excalibur

Tactics of Duty, by William H. Keith, Jr., is the fifth book of the Saga of the Gray Death Legion.

It wraps up the somewhat unfinished storyline from the fourth novel, Blood of Heroes, in flashback scenes and exposition before picking up its own story in the first chapter, beginning eleven months after the end of Blood of Heroes when the protagonists set out for the battle at Halidon. In turn, the plotline from Tactics of Duty continues in the next Gray Death Legion novel, Operation Excalibur.

The novel was made available on BattleCorps on 06 June 2010 as a PDF file (text only, without cover, pictures, or any other interior artwork except for the usual BattleCorps frame graphics). The PDF copy includes a disclaimer stating that it was created from a pre-final edition text that might differ from the printed version and that canon-wise, the print edition trumps the PDF edition.


The book is listed under two different ISBN numbers: 0451454901 (ISBN-10) = 978-0451454904 (ISBN-13), 1st edition, August 1995, and also 0451453824 (ISBN-10) = 978-0451453822 (ISBN-13).

From the back cover

“ Tyranny. Rebellion. War. Treachery, tribulation, and a relentless slide into the bloody jaws of Armageddon! Insurrection sweeps through the fragmenting Federated Commonwealth, pitting Steiner against Davion forces, and civilians against their petty oppressors. On Caledonia, it's no different—except that the mercenary Gray Death Legion is caught in the middle of it all.

Alex Carlyle, haunted by the gruesome specter of war, and Davis McCall, a veteran legionnaire and native Caledonian, unexpectedly find themselves key players in a popular revolt against a cruel and despised Davion-backed governor. When the Gray Death Legion is called upon to put down this very rebellion, they all find themselves pawns in a deadly game of manipulation and betrayal. But Grayson Carlyle, tactician supreme and founder of the Legion, is bound by the highest duty—to protect civilization from self-destruction no matter what the odds or price....

”

Summary

Defending Glengarry against Skye separatists in the Second Skye Rebellion, the weak on-planet Gray Death Legion rump forces under temporary leadership of Captain Alex Carlyle managed to repulse the initial landing and then two out of three nearly simultaneous landings by enemy troops. They then set out to engage the third enemy landing zone at Halidon, but in the face of strong enemy forces that battle became a rout, and Alex Carlyle subsequently led the Legion on a seven-month guerilla campaign with sixty percent losses, until the Legion's line combat units returned to the planet and broke the siege.

By 10 March 3057, four months after the end of the campaign, Alexander Carlyle is still having bad dreams about it, feeling his leadership performance was inadequate and the losses too high, especially the death of his close friend Davis Clay. His overall performance is sagging, his relationship with Caitlin DeVries is suffering, and his father, Colonel Grayson Carlyle, is considering pulling him off-duty.

Also on 10 March, Major Davis McCall receives a message from his estranged family, informing him that his brother Angus was arrested and indicating all is not well on his homeworld of Caledonia. Greatly alarmed, he informs Colonel Carlyle who in turn sends McCall and Alex Carlyle to Caledonia on an intelligence gathering mission, reasoning that the Gray Death Legion may find itself tasked with putting down a rebellion on Caledonia should one occur, and that it would be good to have contacts there already.

Major McCall and Captain Carlyle leave Glengarry bound for the same JumpShip that brought Alex's mother Lori Kalmar-Carlyle and Jaime Wolf. Grayson Carlyle is to fight a simulator battle against the latter as a public event, which turns out to be a replay of the Battle of Gettysburg with simulated BattleMech forces. During the match, a sniper attempts to assassinate Grayson Carlyle, but only manages to wound him. Lieutenant Dupré, who conspired with the assassin, gains Carlyle's trust by pretending he intervened on his behalf and killed the assassin.

News of the assassination attempt reach Alex Carlyle and Davis McCall shortly before their JumpShip leaves the system. They travel to Caledonia without BattleMechs, but secretly bring a pair of Mk. XXI Nighthawk suits with them. Arriving on Caledonia aboard the independent trader DropShip Tagalong on 31 March, they find civil unrest against Caledonia's unloved ruler Nelson Wilmarth and protesters being cowed by BattleMechs. At a meeting with McCall's family they learn that one Major Kellen Folker, an old nemesis of Davis McCall, is Wilmarth's chief military advisor.

McCall decides to visit Governor Wilmarth in his residence the next day to discuss his brother. They meed Folker and encounter gruesome scenes at the governor's citadel where prisoners are tortured to death to make an example of them. The talks quickly degrade to the point where McCall and Carlyle have to fight their way out of the citadel, taking Folker hostage and freeing some prisoners in the process.

Featured characters

Featured places

Featured BattleTech

BattleMechs

Aerospace fighters

Vehicles

DropShips

JumpShips

Other

Notes

  • The world of Caledonia is repeatedly referred to as "Caledon".

Covers

  • German book cover

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