Battlefields

Battlefields
Short story by
Publication
Published	2011
Published in	Historical: Reunification War
Publisher	Catalyst Game Labs
Pages	5
Chronology
Era	Star League era
Timeline	2 April 2583 — 10 September 2586

Battlefields is a short story first that was published as introductory fiction for Historical: Reunification War.

Plot Summary

The story sets the scene for the Reunification War by diving into one battle each on the Outworlds Alliance front, the Rim Worlds Republic front, and the Magistracy of Canopus front.

In 2583, on Cerberus, Delacour and Phillips (from the Federated Suns and Terran Hegemony, respectively) are SLDF infantrymen fighting their way through Charon City under the command of a former LCAF sergeant. They get into a firefight with an Outworlds sniper (losing their sergeant in the process), then use Inferno missiles and satchel charges to take down an Alliance Thunderbolt that had been giving an SLDF Griffin some trouble.

In 2584, on Canopus IV, General Ian Marik marches his Orion down the streets of Delphi City, taking small arms fire from MAF holdouts in a supposedly secured sector. Ian would clearly like to take the gloves off and lay waste to the city, but is reminded that Captain-General Marion Marik (his mother) has mandated adherence to the Ares Conventions. Arriving at the Magestrix's palace, he enters and is met by Magestrix Crystalla Centrella. Expecting a confrontation, Ian is thoroughly befuddled as the Magestrix seductively surrenders governmental authority to him, adopting a long-term stratagem of co-opting the occupier, rather than fighting them in the streets.

In 2586, Alice Gallene, a pretty office worker on the Rim Worlds Republic world of Milvano, has to deal with the pressures of a foreign occupation by SLDF troops, officially there in a "peacekeeping" capacity. She goes with a friend to a local club, noting that drink, dance and debauchery has become routine since the occupation began, with life continuing as usual in the cities while the Rim Royal Army (RRA) regulars hide in the hills rather than fight the overwhelming firepower of the SLDF forces. She meets and seduces AFFS Major Thomas Hamilton and takes him back to her place...her place being a soundproofed room where her RRA cell can torture and interrogate her victim.

Featured Characters

• Alice Gallene
• Crystalla Centrella
• Cyrus Shaw
• Delacour
• Ian Marik
• Phillips
• Thomas Hamilton
• Aunt Shannon (mentioned)
• Marion Marik (mentioned)
• Uncle Regi (mentioned)

Featured Places

• Cerberus
• Canopus IV
• Milvano

Featured BattleTech

BattleMechs

• Griffin
• Orion
• Thunderbolt

Notes

• ^ Chris Hartford and Christoffer M. Trossen are credited as the authors of Historical: Reunification War. It remains unclear who exactly has written the short story.