Editing Manaslu

{{infoBoxIndividualVessel
| image      = 
| vesselname = Manaslu
| prevname   =
| type       = [[WarShip]]
| class      = [[Aegis]]
| prevclass  = 
| servicesince =
| serviceuntil = March [[2785]]
}}
==History==
When the [[Hegemony Armed Forces]] began to introduce the new ''[[Avatar (WarShip class)|Avatar]]''-class heavy cruiser to service the decision was made to place the bulk of the older ''[[Aegis]]''-class heavy cruisers in mothballs, orbiting the sun at a position somewhere between [[Terra]] and [[Terra|Mars]], with a small number staying in active service as training vessels.<ref name="TRO:2750p132">''Technical Readout: 2750'', pp. 132–133: "Aegis"</ref> The ship which would later be known as the '''''Manaslu''''' was one of the ''Aegis''-class ships to have survived her service to the [[Terran Hegemony]], and when [[First Lord]] [[Ian Cameron]] of the [[Star League]] chose to bring the ''Aegis'' fleet out of mothballs in [[2582]] two-thirds of the ''Aegis'' class went on to service in the newly-formed [[Star League Defense Force]]; the remaining third of the fleet<ref name="TRO:2750p132"/>—some 30<ref name="TRO:3057p144">''Technical Readout: 3057'', pp. 144–145: "Aegis (Heavy Cruiser)"</ref><ref name="TRO:3057Rp142">''Technical Readout: 3057 Revised'', pp. 142–143: "Aegis (Heavy Cruiser)"</ref> to 36<ref name="TRO:2750p132"/> vessels in all—were sold to the various Star League member states.<ref name="TRO:2750p132"/> The ''Manaslu'' was either purchased by the Free Worlds League at this point, or obtained subsequently, and was still in service with the Free Worlds League navy in [[2785]].<ref name="IOp226">''Interstellar Operations'', pp. 226–229: "Falling Into Fire"</ref>

In March 2785, the ''Manaslu'' was one of four Free Worlds League WarShips assigned to the defense of [[Bolan]], serving alongside three ''[[League (WarShip class)|League]]''-class destroyers, the [[Talwar|FWLS ''Talwar'']], [[Turk (League)|FWLS ''Turk'']] and [[Tyberium|FWLS ''Tyberium'']] under the overall command of [[Colonel]] [[Salam Tutt]] of the [[Sixth Bolan Defenders]]. It was in early March that the Lyran Commonwealth launched an invasion of Bolan, deploying at least three [[regiment]]s of [[BattleMech]]s escorted by eight ''[[Mako]]''-class corvettes and four ''[[Commonwealth (WarShip class)|Commonwealth]]''-class cruisers. The Lyrans split their forces, with one half arriving at the zenith [[jump point]] and the other half arriving three days out from Bolan via a Lagrange point.<ref name="IOp226"/>

The first WarShip engagement of the invasion came when the three ''Leagues'' engaged the first Lyran task group, damaging two ''Makos'' and forcing them to retreat, as well as nearly destroying a third ''Mako'' before the heavier ''Commonwealths'' were able to force the three destroyers to withdraw back to orbit. The first Lyran group managed to successfully land its ground forces and then engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the four Free worlds League WarShips until the second Lyran group arrived above Bolan, having burned into orbit from the zenith jump point. The Free Worlds League WarShips engaged the Lyran WarShips again, destroying two ''Makos'' and forcing a ''Commonwealth'' to retreat, but during the engagement both the ''Manaslu'' and the ''Tyberium'' were crippled.<ref name="IOp226"/>

The first WarShip engagement of the invasion came when the ''Talwar'' and her two sister ships engaged the first Lyran task group.<ref name="IOp226"/> Approaching along the solar plane, the first Lyran task group consisted primarily of the ''[[Caledonia (Individual Commonwealth-class WarShip)|Caledonia]]'' and ''[[Donegal (Individual Commonwealth-class WarShip)|Donegal]]'' - both ''Commonwealths'' - and the ''Mako''-class corvettes ''[[Aurelius]]'', ''[[Nerva]]'', ''[[Vespasian (Individual Mako-class WarShip)|Vespasian]]'' and ''[[Vitellius]]''. In addition to the WarShips, the Lyran task force also included two [[squadron]]s of assault Dropships and [[aerospace fighter]]s, and should have been enough to destroy all three League WarShips; however, the Lyrans were undone by the eagerness of the four ''Makos'' to engage the League WarShips. The four ''Makos'' ranged ahead of the heavier ''Commonwealths'', accompanied by only light Dropship support, and as a result the Lyran task group was divided across too broad a front.<ref name="FSWp19">''First Succession War'', p. 19: "The Bolan Offensive"</ref> The ''Talwar'' and her sister ships were able to use a combination of feints and sudden retreats to further disrupt the Lyran formation,<ref name="FSWp19"/> damaging two ''Makos''<ref name="IOp226"/> - the ''Nerva'' and the ''Vespasian''<ref name="FSWp19"/> and forcing them to retreat, as well as nearly destroying a third ''Mako'' before the heavier ''Commonwealths'' were able to force the three destroyers to withdraw back to orbit. The first Lyran group managed to successfully land its ground forces and then engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the four Free worlds League WarShips until the second Lyran group arrived above Bolan, having burned into orbit from the zenith jump point. All four Free Worlds League WarShips engaged the Lyran WarShips at this point<ref name="IOp226"/> with the ''Manaslu'' leading the charge, supported by a handful of assault DropShips and two squadrons of heavy aerospace fighters. The ''Tyberium'' had been heavily damaged by the ''Nerva'' and ''Vitellius'' during the initial engagement, but attempted to support the ''Manaslu'' as best she could; while the ''Manaslu'' inflicted heavy damage on the ''Caledonia'', damaging the Lyran cruisers' port side fire control and her maneuvering drive, the ''Tyberium'' launched a suicidal attack on the ''Donegal''. The ''Talwar'' and ''Turk'' were unable to assist either the ''Manaslu'' or the ''Tyberium'', as they were locked in battle with the ''Aurelius'' and ''Vitellus''; as the ''Talwar'' and ''Turk'' continued to battle the ''Makos'', the ''Manaslu'' was savaged by return fire from the ''Caledonia'', taking heavy damage to her prow, including strikes from at least two nuclear-tipped [[Barracuda]] missiles; the ''Caledonia'' was forced to retreat, but the ''Manaslu'' had lost her command centers, her sensor arrays and half her maneuvering thrusters, leaving her tumbling out of control. The crew of the ''Manaslu'' desperately launched escape pods even as the ''Donegal'' evaded the ''Tyberium's'' suicidal rush and crippled her engines. The crew of the ''Tyberium'' had no choice but to abandon ship, as she fell into Bolan's upper atmosphere and broke up, shedding escape pods right up until the last moment.<ref name="FSWp19"/>

Although the ''Manaslu'' and ''Tyberium'' were lost, the ''Talwar'' and the ''Turk'' were able to destroy the ''Aurelius'' and ''Vitellius'', and were ordered to retreat by Colonel Tutt when they detected the [[Furillo (Individual Commonwealth-class WarShip)|LCS ''Furillo'']], a third ''Commonwealth'', burning towards the battle from the zenith jump point.<ref name="FSWp19"/> After capturing the Bolan system the Lyran Commonwealth recovered the wreck of the ''Manaslu'', but she was then scrapped after the Commonwealth declared her to be irreparable.<ref name="FSWp20">''First Succession War'', p. 21: "The Bolan Offensive"</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
* ''[[Interstellar Operations]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 2750]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3057]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3057 Revised]]''

[[Category: Individual WarShips]]
[[Category: Individual Heavy Cruisers]]
[[Category: Individual Aegis-class WarShips]]