Trent (Clan Smoke Jaguar)

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This article is about Clan Mechwarrior. For the planet, see Trent.
Trent, illustrated by Richard Thomas

Trent (circa 3030 – 30??) was a member of Clan Smoke Jaguar. Among ComStar-ROM he is known as a traitor to his former clan, being indirectly responsible for it's destruction. For the Clans and the rest of the Inner Sphere, he is assumed dead.

Appearance

During the Battle of Tukayyid, Trent was heavily wounded. His right arm's muscles had to be upgraded with artificial myomer-muscles and it's bones had to be strengthened with carbon-nanotubes, making this arm extremely strong. The right half of his face (including nose and lips) is covered with a pale artificial skin. A metal frame had to be installed in his right eyehole, to ensure mobility of his re-budded eye.

History

Sibko

Trent was born sometime around 3030 on Londerholm, a trueborn of the Howell bloodline and a member of the Grey Lynx sibko of Clan Smoke Jaguar. It was in his sibko that Trent first realized that something was not quite right in his world: Kitmaster Porcini demanded from Trent to explain to him what it means to be a Smoke Jaguar. Trent's answer was, that words would be flawed and he challenged Porcini to a duel, to give him the answer. Porcini agreed that this was the correct answer. Nevertheless, Trent would have no chance against Porcini, so he would fight his sibko-sister Jez. Trent defeated Jez in a circle of equals, defeating her with a swift chop to her throat. But before Trent could enjoy his victory, Porcini kicked his legs from beneath him, saying, that Trent knew what it was to be a Jaguar-cadet, but not to be a Jaguar-warrior.

Tukayyid

By 3052, Trent had risen to the rank of Star Captain. Before the Battle of Tukayyid, he talked with Star Colonel Benjamin Howell who assured him that he would nominate Trent to one of the Howell-Bloodnames that would surely be vacant after such a grand battle.

Star Captain Trent commanded Bravo-Binary of the 267th Battle Cluster in Galaxy Beta. Trent, piloting a Timberwolf, fought against the ComGuards in the swamps of the Racice Delta. His unit was taken down, 'Mech-by-'Mech by guerilla ambushes from concealed units. Trent and his lancemate Roussou were among the few who survived and who moved to assist other Jaguar elements under fire. One of those warriors, Trent's old nemesis, Jez, piloting a Warhawk, stubbornly refused their assistance. Trent disobeyed her selfish wish to die in glory and arrived to pull her proverbial backside out of the fire. In the process, Trent defeated a ComGuards Crab and claimed its pilot as isorla. When ComGuards reinforcements arrived on the scene, Jez withdrew while Trent posed as a target to gain her valuable seconds. Facing the combined firepower of artillery barrages and fresh 'Mechs, Trent finally succombed when a salvo of nfernos impacted against his cockpit. Fighting the flames, Trent's last conscious act was reaching blindly for the eject lever.

Trent awoke to learn that Jez had claimed that she had rescued his life. Lincoln Osis, a hard-line crusader, was now Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar and he had forced Benjamin Howell to nominate Jez, another staunch crusader as well and a "hero" of Tukayyid, for a Bloodname. This bitter knowledge was compounded by his physical wounds: his right arm and the right side of his face had been extensively burnt and he had lost his right eye.

Trent spent weeks in convalescence while his isorla, Judith Faber, was assigned as his Bondsman and Tech. He finally tried to enter the Trial of Bloodright via the Grand Bloodname Melee, which was held on Hyner: Dozens of Clan warriors fighting each other at the same time with the only survivor becoming the 32nd and last contestant in the trial. Trent was narrowly defeated after suffering an untimely failure of a leg actuator. A close inspection by Judith revealed that the joint had been sabotaged by Master Tech Philip, Jez's personal Tech.

Service in shame

He was assigned to the 3rd Jaguar Cavaliers of Galaxy Delta. But to Star Colonel Paul Moon his mere existence was a shame: Trent was defeated on Tukayyid and didn't have the grace to die there. He even dared to have a member of the Inner Sphere as a Bondsman. Paul Moon's view was emboldened when Trent spewed "lies" (claiming that he had saved Jez, not the other way round) and "excuses" (the sabotage of his Mech). Paul Moon refused Trent's demands for a re-trial and further ashamed him, by assigning him under Jez' command: He still had the rank of Star Captain, but he had to command a Star in the Binary of Star Captain Jez.

Two years later, in 3054, guerrillas began to harass the 3rd Jaguar Cavaliers. They had only six Mechs, but they were able to hide with help from the population. Star Colonel Paul Moon ordered the destruction of the village Beaver Falls as a revenge. Trent tried to prevent that, as it contradicted the Clan ideals of keeping war contained, but he was ridiculed as soft and sentimental. Beaver Falls was eradicated.

Next, a traitor showed up, willing to tell the hideout, where the Mechs were parked: A huge cave in a canyon. Jez' unit was ordered to take these bandits out, but Trent smelled, that there was something wrong. During the battle, he realized that this was a giant trap, that would kill all of them. He gave orders, contradicting Jez, eventually saving his unit and ensuring a victory. Trent had saved the day, but Paul Moon refused to promote that, with the excuse that Trent had disobeyed a direct order.

In early 3055, Trent derived a plan to lure the guerrillas out: A convoy of ammunition-transporters en route on a lonely street in the wilderness. The bandits tried to capture the trucks, but Trent's Star was already on the scene and destroyed them with their superior combat skills. As Jez was the official commander of this operation, she was granted the honor of victory.
As a final punishment to the population, Paul Moon ordered the destruction of the village Chinn. Trent challenged Paul Moon to a Trial of Refusal, but he was beaten. Chinn was destroyed.

Judith tried to build a connection between her and Trent. She wanted to reward him for trying to save Chinn, so she told him one of her secrets: with the help of locals, she had discovered a Brian Castle. Standing within these historic walls, representing the goal of the Clans, Trent regained courage and inner strength. Judith and Trent both agreed, that no one else was worth to know of this place.

In April of 3055, a battalion of mercenaries appeared in the orbit of Hyner. Trent was the only one to realize, that they were reinforcements to the guerrillas and would land near their former base. Trent offered Jez his advice and she agreed. A trap was set up, with various elements of the 3rd Cavaliers, under the command of Jez. As Trent had expected, the mercenaries landed near an old factory, surrounded by the hidden Clan-Mechs. The mercenaries proved to be tougher opponents and managed to break free of the trap and fled into the wilderness. In the final moments of the battle, Trent again saved Jez' life. He asked her, how she would explain this defeat to Paul Moon and she answered, that this was easy: She would lay all the blame on Trent, his bad advice being responsible. Trent was furious and demanded a Trial of Refusal, but she declined: She declared that she was a Bloodnamed rising star of Clan Smoke Jaguar and that he was a shame and a walking joke. Him saving her, was the biggest mistake of his life.

Trent killed her with a shot to the cockpit and used Judith's skills as a Tech to alter the battle-ROMs. Paul Moon somehow had to match with the unexpected death of one of his most beloved warriors and declared Jez posthumously a hero: she alone forced the mercenaries into retreat.

Betrayal by his Clan

Trent hoped, that he would now get the command of the Binary, but Paul Moon pulled it off-duty, with the excuse of the heavy losses. Again, Trent's spirit was crushed. He realized, that Clan Smoke Jaguar was corrupted and rotten to the core. Judith decided to tell him who she really was and offered him a deal: She was a ROM-agent and offered him the possibility to leave Clan Smoke Jaguar and join ComStar. But he would have to pay for it with information. Judith wanted the path to the Clan Homeworlds. Trent declined: There is no unitary map of the whole route. One would have to travel to the Homeworlds and back to write the map himself. So, Trent and Judith derived a plan: He would find a way, to travel from the Homeworlds back to the Inner Sphere. Judith would record the stars, that would come across during their travel.

With rumors, Judith tricked Paul Moon into assigning Trent as honor-guard to Jez' Giftake. He would have the duty to personally deliver it to the genetic chamber of Clan Smoke Jaguar. And once on Huntress, Trent would surely end up as solahma.

To the Homeworlds and back

During the travel to Huntress, Trent made friends with Star Commander Allen. Judith made records, how far the ship had jumped and what type of star it had reached. On Pivot Prime, Trent and several solahmas reconquered a Smoke Jaguar HPG-station with isorla 'Mechs and aid from Star Commander Allens' Elementals.

They reached Huntress in February 3056. Trent met with his old friend Benjamin Howell, who was now Galaxy Commander and head of all forces on Huntress. However, the garrison forces on Huntress were incredibly under-equipped and Khan Lincoln Osis didn't care. All supplies and new Mechs were shipped to the units in the Inner Sphere. So Benjamin Howell used illegal means to get access to any military supplies, like isorla 'Mechs. Trent offered him help: Benjamin Howell would send him back to the Inner sphere, among the fresh troops. And Trent would use his influence and position to arrange a flow of weapons back to Huntress.

Trent, now piloting a Cauldron Born, arrived on Hyner in March of 3058 with a Trinary of green troops. Paul Moon had no choice and gave him command of the new Trinary.

'Death'

In April of 3058, Galaxy Commander Hang Mehta of Galaxy Delta ordered an attack on the Kurita world Maldonado. Paul Moon won the bidding: Trent's Trinary, a Supernova and another Trinary would attack the headquarter of the draconian forces on Maldonado. Judith smuggled a message of this off-Hyner to ComStar.

While the troops were on their way to Maldonado, Paul Moon relieved a message of Hang Metha: Benjamin Howell had been arrested and he had confessed, that Trent was one of his aides. Paul Moon received orders to do everything he can, to arrest Trent.

Paul Moon had given Trent the wrong map of Maldonado, so his forces were unable to rejoin with the rest of the deployed troops. Nevertheless, Trent received orders to commence with his mission. Judith's message had alerted ComStar and the 308th Com Guard Division had been sent to Maldonado, to arrange the extraction of Trent from the rest of his troops.

During the battle, Trent's troops were surrounded and outnumbered by draconian forces. He was just about to flee behind their lines, when Paul Moon showed up with a Star of Elementals. He ordered the arrest of Trent. Chaos erupted, when the Elementals attacked Trent and the ComGuards arrived. Trent activated the self-destruction of his Mech and ejected from it. The Smoke Jaguars fled from Maldonado, believing Trent was dead, but he was rescued by the ComGuards.

Screaming for vengeance

Trent was sent to Tharkad to meet Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht. He exchanged the information about Clan Smoke Jaguar for a position within the ComGuards. Anastasius Focht agreed and assigned Trent as his bodyguard.

Trent was among the multi-national forces that were sent to Huntress to aid Operation Serpent. Trent took no part during the final battles on Huntress and set foot on the planet after the Smoke Jaguars were defeated.

He accompanied the Inner Sphere forces that journeyed to Strana Mechty where a final Grand Trial of Refusal was arranged. When Trent overheard that he would not be given a chance to fight his former Clan, he was outraged. He angrily confronted Victor Steiner-Davion and Anastasius Focht about their sudden betrayal, demanding that he only be given what was promised to him: a chance to fight for the Inner Sphere against the Clans. When it became obvious that Victor did not intend to honor Focht's agreement with Trent, Trent attacked Victor. Before any blows could be traded, Khan Severen Leroux knocked Trent to the ground and declared him a bondsman and abtakha of Clan Nova Cat. Severen Leroux then invited Trent to join his forces to fight against the forces of Clan Ice Hellion in this trial, which he accepted.

Unknown fate

Trent was member of the Binary that fought against the Ice Hellions. It was a narrow victory for the Nova Cats. Trent's fate is unknown. He disappeared after the battle. However, Khan Leroux says that warriors will only know release when they die and that Trent will have that release. It can be assumed that Trent dies in battle against the Ice Hellions.


References