Battle of Circe (2868)

Battle of Circe (2868)
Conflict details
Part of	Clan Mongoose Absorption
Start Date	2868
End Date	2868
Location(s)	Circe
Result	Clan Smoke Jaguar victory
Territorial Changes	Clan Mongoose Absorbed
Attacking Forces
Affiliation	Clan Smoke Jaguar
Defending Forces
Affiliation	Clan Mongoose
Other Forces

Prelude

In the midst of hostilities between Clans Mongoose and Star Adder, the Mongoose Khans decided to start a second series of Trials of Possession against Clan Smoke Jaguar on Atreus. However, the Trials turned badly for the Mongooses, whose touman was stretched too thinly to protect their territory. Seeking respite again through Grand Council judgment, Khan Walter Martindale gave an impassioned speech, urging his fellow Khans to censure Clan Smoke Jaguar for targeting Clan Mongoose. However, the Khans sided with Khan Franklin Osis, and instead voted to allow Clan Smoke Jaguar to Absorb Clan Mongoose.

Overview

With only one day to prepare for Jaguar forces, Clan Mongoose assembled its naval might above Circe with most of its aerospace assets. When the Jaguar Clan was ready, they jumped into multiple systems simultaneous, their ground forces assaulting territories in the Kerensky Cluster, while the Jaguar fleet attacked Circe. The battle in the system was the largest fleet engagement in Clan history, with 30 WarShips and dozens of DropShips and aerospace fighters. When the Mongoose flagship, the Du Shi Wang-class battleship Quicksilver Mongoose, challenged the McKenna-class SJS Obsidian, the Jaguars were confident their flag ship, more than twice the size of the Quicksilver Mongoose, would carry the day. What they hadn't accounted for were the fighter screens. While both battleships had fifty aerospace fighters, the Obsidian carried light and medium craft while the Quicksilver Mongoose had a heavier complement, including 36 Chippewa IICs under the command of Star Colonel Jenna Mercedes. Suffering from target fixation, the Obsidian never moved to support its fighter complement and it was quickly eliminated. The Obsidian positioned for a broadside into the Mongoose and managed to inflict a brutal hit into her structure. This provided the necessary distraction for the Chippewas however, more than thirty of them dived on the Obsidian's stern, focusing their accurate fire on her thrusters. The Mongoose rolled to present fresh armor and crossed the Obsidian's T to the stern. With her thrusters damaged the Obsidian was unable to maneuver away and was forced to split fire between the Mongoose and the Chippewas as she was being lashed with naval fire which created breaches that the fighters then exploited. After a few volleys the Obsidian was rocked by a massive explosion to starboard, gutting the entire side of the ship and sending it drifting, disabled.

The Mongoose was still heavily damaged from the broadside it endured, and shortly after dispatching the Obsidian the Lola III-class Destroyer Storm Cat rushed in to exploit those wounds. Losing power and venting atmosphere, the vessel drifted out of the system. Their flagship disabled, half of Clan Mongoose regrouped while the other half continued the fight. However, it was clear the battle was decided. Four Mongoose WarShips surrendered, with the remaining naval assets destroyed. Clan Smoke Jaguar, on the other hand, lost half of its fleet. Star Colonel Mercedes survived the space battle with only 3% armor remaining, and landed at Kipling Base on planet to repair and rearm.

With the system in their possession, the Smoke Jaguars began an uninterrupted assault on positions on Circe. Jaguar forces met the first resistance in Concord, but the combination of Second-Line Clusters and solahma units were easily brushed aside. Calling for a general retreat to the island fortress of Fianna, Khan Martindale hoped to draw the Trial out into a stalemate. Together with some blue naval vessels and anti-aircraft batteries, Khan Martindale sought to further reinforce the island. BattleMechs, including a few Drift Shags and a Binary of Mongoose Cs under Star Captain Johan Loris were tasked with guarding the Fianna shores. After a week, Khan Osis ordered an orbital bombardment of the batteries near the western coast, this bombardment inadvertently killed Khan Martindale. With defenses sufficiently neutralized, the Jaguars deployed directly into Fianna. Star Captain Loris ordered his Binary to concentrate fire, which enraged Star Colonel Sana Furey of the Jaguar Grenadiers. Pausing her general advance to lead a Trinary in pursuit of Loris' Binary, she succeeded in bringing Loris down in the first volley. Furious, the remaining Mongoose Cs rushed Furey and killed her as well. Star Colonel Mercedes meanwhile had taken to the skies again, claiming fifteen Jaguar fighters and ’Mechs before being shot down and killed by infantry.

As the Jaguars marched into Fianna toward the Mongoose capital of Tara, resistance was fierce. However, the Mongooses were outmatched and outnumbered. The final organized attempt to expel the Jaguar Absorption came from saKhan Alanah Knox, who personally led the command Keshik, and took down twice their number in Jaguars. With the Absorption over, Clan Smoke Jaguar annexed their new Circean territory and garrisoned it with the same Warriors they had just fought, taken as bondsmen.

Bibliography

• Era Digest: Golden Century
• Technical Readout: Golden Century