Year of Peace

The Year of Peace was an unofficial truce between The Clans and the Inner Sphere powers during the Clan Invasion. It began after the death of ilKhan Leo Showers in October 3050 and ended twelve months later when the Clans resumed their assault upon the Inner Sphere.[1]

History[edit]

Over a seven month period from March to October 3050 the four primary Invading Clans swiftly and easily carved out Occupation Zones from the coreward regions of the Federated Commonwealth and Draconis Combine and conquered half of the Free Rasalhague Republic. Even two defeats sustained at Twycross and Wolcott did not stall their advance. The turning point came on 31 October during the Battle of Radstadt, when a Shilone fighter flown by a mortally wounded pilot, Tyra Miraborg, rammed the Wolf Clan WarShip Dire Wolf. Among the fatalities from Miraborg's kamikaze attack was ilKhan Leo Showers, the Clans' supreme war leader.[2][3]

Stunned by the ilKhan's death, and with the election of a new ilKhan requiring the participation of all Bloodnamed Clan warriors, the Clan Khans chose to return to the Clan capital on Strana Mechty. As the journey between the Clan Homeworlds and the Inner Sphere was approximately six months, this effectively halted the invasion for a year.[3][4]

Leaders on both sides spent the next year in council preparing for their next moves. Wolf's Dragoons Colonel Jaime Wolf hosted a conclave of Inner Sphere heads of state at his home base on Outreach. There he revealed the Clans' origins as descendants of the Star League Defense Force and the Dragoons' own original identity as a reconnaissance force for the Clans. However, the Dragoons were now committed to aiding their adopted home against the invaders, and facilitated the forging of new pacts between old enemies. Hanse Davion pledged to Theodore Kurita that the FedCom would not attack the Combine during the Clan Invasion, freeing up DCMS units to serve on the Clan front. In exchange for Joshua Marik being taken to the New Avalon Institute of Science for leukemia treatment, Thomas Marik would ensure the Free Worlds League supplied refit kits and arms to the AFFC. Only Romano Liao of all the national leaders refused to contribute to any joint effort or alliance.

The Dragoons also trained the Spheroid leaders and heirs in countering Clan tactics, and gifted two Daishi OmniMechs to the highest-scoring pilots in an ersatz Trial of Position, Hohiro Kurita and Kai Allard-Liao. Allard-Liao chose to continue piloting his father's 'Mech Yen-Lo-Wang and gifted the Daishi to his friend Victor Steiner-Davion.[5]

The Inner Sphere leaders considered but eventually rejected the idea of launching a counterattack against the Clan Occupation Zones, as these were heavily defended by second-line but still formidable Clan Provisional Garrison Cluster units.[4] Within the Occupation Zones conditions for the conquered populace varied depending on whether Clan or ComStar administrators were heedful of their needs. Where governance was harsh or indifferent, resistance and guerilla activity was widespread. Under benevolent administration, particularly in the Wolf Occupation Zone, the denizens tended to be more accepting of their new overlords.[6]

Meanwhile, the Crusader Clans initially attempted to blame Clan Wolf Khan Ulric Kerensky for Leo Showers' death. When that move failed, they chose him as the new ilKhan, expecting to force him to lead the invasion he never wanted and for the more Crusader-minded warrior Conal Ward to take his place as Khan of the Wolves. Instead Ulric nominated Natasha Kerensky as Khan and brought Clan Nova Cat and Clan Steel Viper into the invasion.[4]

Consequences[edit]

The truce was a badly-needed respite for the Inner Sphere, providing time to develop new strategies, build new and more advanced weapons, and process all that they know about the Clans. The Clans reassessed their attack and defense plans, but only Clan Ghost Bear made deep changes with the aim of avoiding the mistakes of the initial invasion.[7] After the truce the Clans' advance was much more difficult, but their progress persisted. Even the Inner Sphere's best leaders, like Victor Steiner-Davion, and the most elite units, like the Tenth Lyran Guards RCT, were crushed in combat on Alyina.[8] It was only after the Com Guards defeated the Clans in the Battle of Tukayyid that the invasion was finally stopped.[9]

It was also here that Victor first met Omi Kurita, his first love. The relationship was initially tolerated because their families did not believe the pair could ever be more than pen pals due to distance and politics marred by centuries of distrust and war. Months of training exercises brought Victor closer to Hohiro and Kai but fostered further personal enmity between him and Sun-Tzu Liao. Ultimately, it was their simultaneous defense against a possibly threatening action by Sun-Tzu against Kai that pushed Victor and Hohiro to mutual respect if not outright friendship.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ FedCom Civil War, pp. 12–13
  2. ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 29
  3. ↑ a b The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky, p. 20
  4. ↑ a b c Invading Clans, p. 59
  5. ↑ Blood Legacy, pp. 17–27, 49-50, 79–80, 98–106, 198, 221–224, 236–239, 313
  6. ↑ Wolf Clan Sourcebook, p. 41
  7. ↑ Invading Clans, p. 26
  8. ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 40
  9. ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 33
  10. ↑ Blood Legacy, pp. 141–150, 160–166, 198, 223–224, 236–239

Bibliography[edit]

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