Editing Battle of Tharkad (3143)

{{Update Needed|[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 27]]|[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 28]]}}<!-- RG27 in Nightsky. RG28 in Whirlwind -->
{{InfoBoxBattle
| conflict = Battle of Tharkad (3143)<br>Third Battle of Tharkad
| partof = [[Dark Age]]
| image = BattleofTharkad3143Campaign.jpg
| startdate = 2 July [[3143]]
| enddate = 20 July [[3143]]
| planet = [[Tharkad]]
| place = Bremen (Nagelring, Tharkad City, Triad, Lockhead-CBM), Tatyana Islands (Tropicana, Sommerposten)
| result = [[Lyran Commonwealth]] victory
| territory = No change
| faction1 = [[Clan Wolf]]
| commander1 = [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Alaric Ward|Alaric]]
| command1 = [[Alpha Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Alpha Galaxy]]<br>[[Beta Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Beta Galaxy]]<br>[[Rogue (Individual Congress-class WarShip)|CWS ''Rogue'']]
| faction2 = [[Lyran Commonwealth]]
| commander2 = [[Colonel]] [[Callandre Kell]]
| command2 = [[Twentieth Arcturan Guards]]<br>[[Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards]]<br>[[Twenty-sixth Arcturan Guards]]<br>[[First Buena Guards]]<br>[[Seventh Donegal Guards]]<br>[[Seventh Lyran Guards]]<br>[[Tenth Lyran Guards]]<br>[[First Royal Guards]]<br>[[Second Royal Guards]]<br>[[Third Royal Guards]]<br>[[Queen's Gambit]]<br>[[Wolf Hunters]]<br>[[First Davion Guards]]
| faction3 = [[Clan Jade Falcon]]
| commander3 = [[Khan]] [[Malvina Hazen]]
| command3 = [[Raptor Keshik]]<br>[[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]]
}}

==Prelude==
[[Melissa Steiner (32nd c.)|Melissa Steiner]] regained the throne to the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] shortly before Clans [[Clan Wolf|Wolf]] and [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]] descended on the capital world. Anticipating an apocalyptic battle, Lyran units from throughout the sector raced to reinforce [[Tharkad]]. Among them was [[Kommandant]] [[Penrod Schollmeyer]], who helped prepare for the space defense.<ref name=FM3145p120>''Field Manual: 3145'', pp. 120–121: "Succession War"</ref><ref name=ER3145p26>''Era Report: 3145'', pp. 26–28: "Tharkad in the Crosshairs"</ref><ref name=BoW15>''A Bonfire of Worlds'', ch. 15</ref><ref name=TRO3145LCp50>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 50: "Würger"</ref>

==Overview==
On 2 July [[3143]] [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Alaric Ward|Alaric]] arrived at the zenith jump point aboard the [[Invader|''Invader''-class]] [[JumpShip]] ''[[Lope (Individual Invader-class JumpShip|Lope]]''.  After requesting and receiving ''[[safcon]]'' in order to present his ''[[batchall]]'' in person, [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Beta Galaxy]] burned towards the planet. Aware that [[Khan]]s [[Seth Ward]] with [[Alpha Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Alpha Galaxy]] and [[Malvina Hazen]] with [[Raptor Keshik]] and [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]] were a jump—roughly a week—behind, the Archon charged [[Colonel]] [[Callandre Kell]] with the defense of Tharkad.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=ER3145p26/><ref name=BoW15/>

A week later on 9 July, Alaric and his ''[[bondsman]]'' [[Anastasia Kerensky]] issued their ''batchall'' to the Archon, Colonel Kell, [[Julian Davion]], and [[Trillian Steiner]]. To their surprise he did not issue a [[Trial of Possession]] for the entirety of Tharkad, only the continent of Bremen, which contained Tharkad City and the Triad.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=ER3145p26/><ref name=BoW15/>

It would be four days until the first recorded encounter, however.  Looking to demoralize the Lyrans by crushing their legendary "Wall of Steel" with the Wolf version, he assembled an ''ad hoc'' [[Binary]] of ''[[Tomahawk II]]'' MechWarriors under the command of [[Star Captain]] [[Dana (Kerensky)|Dana]] and set them against the [[Second Royal Guards]] and [[First Buena Guards]] protecting [[The Nagelring]] academy.  Over the course of two hours, this Binary crushed two combined [[company|companies]] of heavy and assault [[BattleMech]]s before withdrawing after exhausting their ammunition.  The Royal Guards took heavy causalities, while the Buena Guards took only moderate losses.  This paled next to the students and faculty of the Nagelring, with nearly fifty percent fatalities. In exchange, the Wolves lost only a single ''Tomahawk II'', that of Star Captain Dana.  A faulty ejection system resulted in a double leg amputation when her command couch landed.  Following the destruction of the Nagelring, the Royal Guards relocated to Tharkad City.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=FM3145p122>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 122: "Lyran Commonwealth Military Academies"</ref><ref name=FM3145p123>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 123: "First Buena Guards"</ref><ref name=FM3145p124>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 124: "Royal Guards"</ref><ref name=TRO3145p180>''Technical Readout: 3145'', p. 180: "Tomahawk II"</ref><ref name=TRO3145Cp52>''Technical Readout: 3145 Clans'', p. 52: "Tomahawk II"</ref>

Despite this morale blow, Colonel Kell knew the main thrust would be at the seat of government, the Triad and she maintained her forces in their positions in order to blunt the Wolf thrust.  On the 15th Khan Hazen arrived in system and grew furious to learn Alaric had not only beat her to Tharkad, but had challenged for the most important continent on the world. When she threatened to attack Alaric for Bremen he replied that the Lyrans, so fearful of what her [[Mongol Doctrine]] would mean for their world, would join forces with the Wolves against her. Khan Ward had just arrived in system with Alpha Galaxy, the [[Congress|''Congress''-class]] [[WarShip]] [[Rogue (Individual Congress-class WarShip)|CWS Rogue]], and three [[Pocket WarShip]]s including the [[Union-C|''Union-C Pocket WarShip''-class]] [[Snarling Leap (Individual Union-C Pocket WarShip-class DropShip)|''Snarling Leap'']]. Khan Hazen quickly realized she could not prevail against such a force, but by possessing the rest of the planet she would still gain glory for conquering Tharkad while allowing time to rebuild her forces. Khan Hazen agreed, and issued her ''batchall'' for the Tatyana Island continent, home to [[House Steiner|House Steiner's]] secondary offices.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=ER3145p26/><ref name=BoW15/>

===DOORMAN & LOCKDOWN===
On the evening of the 16th, or sometime prior, Alaric landed the main body of his [[DropShip]]s in the draw northwest of Tharkad City. Beta Galaxy disembarked their ‘Mechs to prepare for a Lyran attack that never came that snowy night. On the morning of the 17th they marched south towards the Triad, along the eastern bank of the river. Facing them was a Lyran "Long Wall" stretching from a few kilometers north of the Tharkad City outskirts and extending nearly die northwest towards the river.  At the center of the line was Julian Davion in his ''[[Templar]]'' and his [[First Davion Guards]].  Behind him was the majority of the reserves, including Colonel Kell and [[Sergeant Major]] [[Brad Zimmer]] in their [[SM1 Tank Destroyer]].  Their primary goal was simple, to hold the line and prevent an advance on the Triad. As a secondary mission, codenamed DOORMAN, they were to find and fix Alaric, then the Davion Guards would punch a hole in the Wolf line at his location while the faster elements of their reserve poured into their rear. As the Wolf force closed, Davion and his comrade [[Theresa Sparks]] in her ''[[Legionnaire]]'' scored serious hits on several [[OmniMech]]s, using "Jack-in-the-Box" tactics. It wasn't long before Alaric found Davion, playing the [[ER Large Laser]]s from his [[Savage Wolf (Mad Cat Mk IV)#Configurations|''Mad Cat Mk IV'' A-Configuration]] across his ''Templar''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s torso. Excited to find and potentially destroy Alaric so early, Davion initiated DOORMAN.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=BoW15/>

However, Alaric had anticipated such an action. Having coordinated with Khan Ward ahead of time, he initiated his own battle plan; LOCKDOWN while Alpha Galaxy was on orbital approach, about forty-five minutes out.  No record of space or orbital combat with Alpha or Beta exist, both forces seemingly covered under the ''safcon'' granted for the initial ''batchall''. As Davion's forces charged into the Wolf lines as part of DOORMAN, most of their reserves charged into the hole made, including Colonel Kell's SM1 despite being in overall command of a multiregiment planetary defense.  As the reserves charge through the hole in the line, Wolf ’Mechs closed into melee range with the fast-moving forces, seeking to score mobility hits.  While the pocket bogged down, Alaric ordered his western flank to hold position while his reserves encircled the salient. Then, taking three Stars with him Alaric sprinted past the Lyran line, not towards the Triad as Davion and Kell had assumed, but to Tharkad City for the most important part of LOCKDOWN. Despite stomping through a metropolis with millions of people, Alaric's forces tried to limit civilian casualties while simultaneously seeking to create traffic snarls on the main throughways.  This was accomplished in spades on Seth Marsden Avenue, a six lane artery that ran north-south.  The press of humanity effectively ended maneuver for both the Wolves and the Lyrans. [[Star Commander]] [[Markus Kerensky]] was in that press, and had been separated from his Star from a Lyran bombardment when his ''[[Warwolf]]'' ran headlong into [[Kommandant]] [[Reiner Hogarth|Reiner Hogarth's]] KGC-009 ''[[King Crab]]'' as it emerged from an emergency bunker. Despite crippling Kerensky's ''Warwolf'' he was immediately swarmed by [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elementals]].<ref name=TRO3145Cp46>''Technical Readout: 3145 Clans'', p. 46: "Warwolf"</ref><ref name=TRO3150p162>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 162: "Warwolf"</ref><ref name=TRO3145LCp46>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 46: "KGC-009 King Crab"</ref><ref name=TRO3150p188>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 188: "KGC-009 King Crab"</ref> Elsewhere in this melee [[Hauptmann]] [[Steven Blasegga]] of the Second Royal Guards scored four hits in his ''[[Fafnir]]'' on a ''[[Leopard CV]]'' being used as air support which resulted in the DropShip crashing from engine failure.<ref name=FM3145p124/> As the fighting raged, the Lyran defenders looked up in horror as the second part of LOCKDOWN become clear to them; Alpha Galaxy was making a combat drop on the Triad, and nearly all of their forces were engaged in Tharkad City and prevented from traveling south by the swarms of humanity fleeing the fighting.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=BoW15/>

===Tatyana Islands===
As Alpha was dropping on Tharkad, Khan Hazen and her ''[[Shrike]]'' had made planet fall around the Tatyana Islands.  Not able to benefit from ''safcon'', they had to fight their way through the Lyran fighter cover. Hauptmann [[Thomasina McKittrick|Thomasina McKittrick’s]] [[Würger]], the "Peeping Tom" attempted to block a Star of Falcon [[aerospace fighter]]s in low orbit.  After suffering severe damage and losing both weapons and drives, the Falcons left the Tom for dead as gravity pulled her ever closer to the surface. Able to restore drives just enough to reduce inertia, the craft impacted near the Siegfried Glacier Reserve.<ref name=TRO3145LCp50/><ref name=TRO3145p198>''Technical Readout: 3145'', p. 198: "Würger"</ref>  The Falcons were met with members of the [[Third Royal Guards]] (who had arrived on planet just moments before the Falcons), [[Twentieth Arcturan Guards]], the [[Queen's Gambit]] mercenary company (who happened to be on Tatyana for R&R) and scattered reports of Second Royal Guard elements. [[Captain]] [[Stephanie Rutherford|Stephanie "Queen Steph" Rutherford]] of the Queen's Gambit faced her company of ’Mechs, including her ''[[Jaguar]]'', off against the [[11th Falcon Velites (Clan Jade Falcon)|Eleventh Falcon Velites]].  The Velites' recon binary commander, Star Commander [[Josephus (Clan Jade Falcon)|Josephus]] became so fixated on engaging the fast moving Gambit ’Mechs that his target fixation stretched his line out enough that the Tharkad Militia could put them down.<ref name=FM3145p124/><ref name=TRO3145LCp6>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 6: "Cuchulainn"</ref><ref name=TRO3150p16>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 16: "Cuchulainn"</ref><ref name=TRO3145Cp16>''Technical Readout: 3145 Clans'', p. 16: "Skadi"</ref><ref name=TRO3145LCp28>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 28: "Jaguar"</ref><ref name=TRO3150p130>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 130: "Jaguar"</ref><ref name=TRODAp40>''Technical Readout: Dark Age'', p. 40: "Jaguar"</ref><ref name=RG3p12>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 3'', p. 12: "Adder (Puma)"</ref>  Khan Hazen had detached a portion of her forces under the command of [[saKhan]] [[Beckett Malthus]] to assault a [[Star League|Star League-era]] base, Sommerposten.  As the defenders engaged Malthus' force, Hazen led her Raptor Keshik undetected across the ocean floor, emerging at the defenders' rear.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=BoW15/>  The defense collapsed, and the Falcon Khans pressed southward to the city of Tropicano.  A lance of ''[[Stalking Spider II]]s'' attempted to cover the fighting retreat towards Tropicana via [[w:Bounding overwatch|bounding overwatch]], and were successful until one of the left flank pair suffered an ammunition explosion and the Falcons surged through the vulnerable flanks.<ref name=TRO3145Mercp32>''Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries'', p. 32: "Stalking Spider II"</ref><ref name=TRO3150p144>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 144: "Stalking Spider II"</ref><ref name=TRODAp62>''Technical Readout: Dark Age'', p. 62: "Stalking Spider II"</ref> [[Star Captain]] [[Elaine (Jade Falcon)|Elaine's]] [[Skadi (Combat Vehicle)|Skadi]] harried the retreating Lyrans, flying perilously low to the ground and surprising the enemy with point-blank shots as they popped up to engage them.  For their actions her Star earned the nickname Suicidal Skadis.<ref name=TRO3145Cp16/> As the Falcons pushed through the Tatyana jungles towards Tropicana, [[Star Captain]] [[Gehenna (Helmer)|Gehenna]] took on two Lyran ''[[Adder]]s'' in her ''[[Cougar]]''.  Coring one ''Adder'' with her [[ER PPC]], when she turned towards the second ''Adder'' it unleashed a flurry of [[SRM]]s a point-blank range, downing both the ''Cougar'' and Gehenna's aspirations for a [[Bloodname]].<ref name=RG3p12/> The Twentieth Arcturan attempted to ambush the Falcon vanguard in the metropolis' outskirts with a platoon of [[Cuchulainn]] [[battle armor]], only to be swept aside by ''[[Turkina]]s'' and other assault ’Mechs.<ref name=TRO3145LCp6/><ref name=TRO3150p16/>

===Triad===
Alpha Galaxy dropped on the Triad and was met with comparatively sparse resistance with the [[First Royal Guards]] at the core. In the tight confines of the Triad ''King Crabs'' proved to be highly effective, however they proved vulnerable to battle armor, with most of the ''King Crabs'' lost in this stage of the fight lost to swarm attacks.  Hauptmann [[Maximillian Marius]] commanded a Royal Guards company and earned notoriety in this battle, though at the cost of severe damage to his ''King Crab''.<ref name=TRO3145LCp46/><ref name=TRO3150p188/> As the Wolves drove on the Royal Palace, Lyran defenses collapsed but a lone [[Demolisher]] proved such stubborn opposition that the Wolves spent twenty minutes and five ’Mechs trying to bring down [[Senior Sergeant Major]] [[Andrew Greiling]] and his all-volunteer crew. Kept in "protective custody" by "Acting Archon" Brewer just days earlier, they vowed not to outlive the Archon and sought to sell their lives as dearly as possible.<ref name=RG25p6>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 25'', p. 6: "Demolisher Heavy Tank (Cell)"</ref> In the final approaches to the Royal Palace, Lyran holovid captured entrenched infantry in skyscraper redoubts pouring fire on the approaching ’Mechs, they also captured Star Commander [[Eamon Sradac]] in his [[Black Wolf]] battle armor burning the infantry out.  While his actions earned Sradac much distinction among the Wolves, his former ''[[sibkin]]'' in [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] swore to kill him for his treason.<ref name=TRO3145Cp10>''Technical Readout: 3145 Clans'', p. 10: "Black Wolf Battle Armor"</ref><ref name=TRO3145p22>''Technical Readout: 3145'', p. 22: "Black Wolf Battle Armor"</ref> Melissa Steiner refused to evacuate the Royal Palace, instead investing Trillian with her proxy and ordering all personnel to flee the Palace in a waiting SM1 Tank Destroyer. The first elements to reach the Palace was a mechanized [[Trinary]] of the [[4th Wolf Guards Striker (Clan Wolf)|4th Wolf Guards Striker Cluster]] whose Elementals dismounted and burst into the Throne Room.  Demanding Melissa's surrender as she sat on her throne, she refused and instead began firing a [[Laser Pistol|laser pistol]] at the lead Elemental. The act of defiance cost Melissa her life as he gunned the Archon down. Whatever glory such regicide might have gained that Elemental was short-lived, Kommandant [[Bonnie Richards]] swore to avenge the Archon's death and was able to make good his vow before the battle's end.<ref name=FM3145p124/><ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=ER3145p26/><ref name=BoW15/>

===Elsewhere===
Once the Royal Palace fell the Lyran forces pulled back from the Triad, but combat still raged across the Bremen continent for another three days. In a much-needed propaganda coup, a Beta Galaxy ''[[Locust IIC]]'' stumbled into a Second Royal Guards<!--Originally 1st Royal, errata update--> lightning company, and the BattleROM of a ''[[Gauntlet]]'' running it down played frequently in Lyran Media.<ref name=RG16p8>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16'', p. 8: "Locust IIC"</ref>  As the [[Seventh Donegal Guards]] was being mauled, a ''[[Havoc]]'' whose loping gait from a temperamental hip actuator that earned it the nickname "Dog of War" saved the life of its pilot by throwing off the aim of a [[Gauss Rifle|Gauss rifle]] round meant for its cockpit.<ref name=TRO3145FWLp24>''Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League'', p. 24: "HVC-P6 Havoc"</ref><ref name=TRODAp38>''Technical Readout: Dark Age'', p. 38: "HVC-P6 Havoc"</ref> Leutnant [[Mackie Ozora]] was a ''[[Sentinel]]'' pilot in the [[Tenth Lyran Guards]] who already had a string of bad luck even before his new unit died around despite earning several kills and assists.<ref name>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14'', p. 13: "Sentinel"</ref> During this conflict, former–[[Free Worlds League]] MechWarrior [[Krista Presteck]] was spotted fighting under Clan Wolf's banner now, a bondsman no more.<ref name=TRO3145FWLp38>''Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League'', p. 38: "STK-9A Stalker II"</ref><ref name=TRODAp168>''Technical Readout: Dark Age'', p. 168: "STK-9A Stalker II"</ref>  The fighting also ranged as far south as the Lockheed/CBM facilities, inflicting severe damage on the assembly lines.<ref name=FM3145p121>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 121: "Bolan Province"</ref>

===''Hegira''===
On 20 July, Alaric flew under a flag of truce to the Asgard citadel on Mount Wotan, headquarters for the LCAF. At the time the Lyran forces were preparing to evacuate the planet, with an estimated eight hours before they could all retreat off world. To the shock of all those on the Lyran side, Alaric didn't come to demand their surrender but to request ''[[hegira]]'', a Clan concept of honorable departure. Trillian Steiner accepted immediately and then offered the same to Khan Hazen who was reluctantly forced to accept.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=ER3145p26/><ref name=BoW15/>

==Aftermath==
The butcher's bill for Lyran forces was horrific. The [[Twentieth Arcturan Guards|Twentieth]] and [[Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards]] were destroyed.  Among the few survivors was [[Leutnant-General]] [[Francine Ross]], who was put in command of the [[Seventeenth Arcturan Guards]] while the rest were folded into the [[Twenty-sixth Arcturan Guards]].<ref name=FM3145p125>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 125: "Arcturan Guards:</ref> The [[Seventh Donegal Guards]] were so battered they were folded into the [[Eighth Donegal Guards]].<ref name=FM3145p127>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 127: "Donegal Guards"</ref> But by far the worst casualties were among the [[Lyran Regulars]], with six regiments taken off the rolls. The [[Seventh Lyran Regulars|Seventh]] and [[Tenth Lyran Regulars]] were both destroyed outright with the very few survivors folded into the [[Sixteenth Lyran Regulars|Sixteenth]] and [[Ninth Lyran Regulars]], respectively. Because of their high casualties, the [[Second Lyran Regulars|Second]] was rolled into the [[Third Lyran Regulars|Third]], the [[Sixth Lyran Regulars|Sixth]] into the [[Eighth Lyran Regulars|Eighth]], the [[Twelfth Lyran Regulars|Twelfth]] into the [[Ninth Lyran Regulars|Ninth]], and the [[Fourth Lyran Regulars|Fourth]] into the [[Sixteenth Lyran Regulars]].<ref name=FM3145p128>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 128: "Lyran Guards"</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[A Bonfire of Worlds]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Clans]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3150]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: Dark Age]]''
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 3]]''
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14]]''
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16]]''
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 25]]''
{{div col end}}

[[Category:Late Dark Age Era Military Operations|Tharkad (3143)]]