Black Knight (Individual Lola III-class WarShip)
Black Knight | |
---|---|
Vessel Profile | |
Type | WarShip |
Class | Lola III |
History[edit]
As of 3059 the Lola III-class destroyer Black Knight was a WarShip within the Clan Hell's Horses touman and was serving as the CHH Black Knight alongside two sister ships, the CHH Gold Knight and the CHH Red Knight.[1] The Black Knight would continue to be an active part of the touman until at least 3067.[2]
The Black Knight participated in the Hell's Horses invasion of the Clan Wolf Occupation Zone shortly after the start of the Jihad, initially as allies of convenience with Clan Ice Hellion, whose touman was also conducting an invasion of the Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone at the same time. However, relations between the Hell's Horses and Ice Hellions soured, with the Hell's Horses allying themselves with the Jade Falcons against their former allies. The reason for this change in allegiance was an Ice Hellion attack on Steelton, a world occupied by the Hell's Horses.[3]
In September 3071 the Fredasa-class corvette CIH Swift Bait and the other vessels of the Ice Hellion Delta Naval Star were deployed in support of Delta Galaxy in the attempt to capture Steelton. Delta Galaxy had been led to believe that Steelton was a Jade Falcon holding, but when the Ice Hellion forces arrived in-system they discovered that the planet had actually been occupied by Clan Hell's Horses.[3]
Despite knowing that attacking Steelton would break the truce between the two Clans, Galaxy Commander Damon Hawkins declared a batchall anyway; his reasoning was that capturing a world rich in resources would outweigh any loss of honor he suffered for breaking the truce. The Delta Naval Star met stiff resistance on their approach from Hell's Horses aerospace fighters and DropShips, and as the Ice Hellion WarShips were battling their way through the Hell's Horses defenses, the Black Knight surprised the Hellions by emerging from a nearby pirate point.[3]
The various Delta Galaxy DropShips managed to make landfall on Steelton before the Black Horse could reach firing range, but the Black Horse quickly engaged the Delta Naval Star, inflicting heavy damage on the Swift Bait as the Hellion WarShips tried to break orbit.[3]
This wasn't the only time during the abortive Ice Hellion invasion that the Black Knight would battle Ice Hellion WarShips; in November 3071 the Essex-class destroyer CIH Moore's Honor was acting as an escort to the supply ships assigned to Beta Galaxy when the Hell's Horses attacked Beta Galaxy at Toland. The Moore's Honor was destroyed along with three Ice Hellion JumpShips by the Black Knight and the Potemkin-class cruiser CHH Steel Shield.[4][5]
The Black Knight was sent to rendezvous with the Potemkin-class CHH Blood Horse in early June, bringing Eta Galaxy to investigate the mysterious silence from the Horses' outpost at Nouveaux Paris. Arriving in July 3072, the two Hell's Horses were surprised to find a Cameron-class battlecruiser waiting at the zenith point of the Nouveaux Paris system. The ship - later identified as the CBS Tremor - was a former Clan Cloud Cobra WarShip captured by the Society and the resurgent Clan Burrock. The Tremor was acting in support of the Society cell that had seized the waystation; as the Hell's Horses forces moved towards the planet, they were shadowed by the Burrock forces, who refused to respond to any hails. When the Hell's Horses deployed DropShips to land on the planet, the Tremor's screening forces attacked, inflicting heavy casualties on the Horses but unable to prevent at least some Hell's Horses forces from landing.[6]
The Burrock forces attacked as the Hell's Horses were trying to make planetfall, and before Eta Galaxy had a chance to establish a perimeter on the ground they were swamped by Burrock ground forces. Losing a DropShip and Star Colonel Kymma DeLaurel in quick succession, the bulk of Eta Galaxy was destroyed, with only the Thirty-Ninth Battle Cluster managing to pull back to the Black Knight. Before the Black Knight had a chance to react, two Clan Star Adder WarShips arrived in the system - the Lola III-class CSA Warlock and the Nightlord-class battleship CSA Absolute Truth and curtly ordered the Hell's Horses to either move out of the way or be run over. Left with little choice, the Black Knight retreated as the Star Adders began their battle to claim Nouveaux Paris.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 60, "Naval Assets"
- ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 45, "Naval Assets"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Wars of Reaving, p. 69-71, "The Hellion Strikes"
- ↑ The Wars of Reaving, p. 76, "Line of Death"
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 29, "Operation Ice Hellion" - November, 3072 - Moore's Honor destroyed by two Hell's Horses WarShips.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Wars of Reaving, p. 119-120, "Spreading Contagion"