Editing The Sword and the Dagger

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During a planning session on Dragon's Field, Ardan's farming background allows him to recognize a potential trap on Stein's Folly: The Highland Peninsula holding the capital city of Steinsdown is precariously dependent on food imports and could easily be cut off and besieged. Ardan suggests a radically altered assault strategy that will turn the tables on any would-be ambushers. Commanders [[Lees Hamman]] and [[Ran Felsner]] agree that the existing battle plan would indeed make them vulnerable if the Capellans set a trap as suspected by Sortek. Last-minute changes are implemented against the resistance of Fleet Admiral Bertholi, who has to recalculate approach vectors and new drop points for his entire [[DropShip]] fleet. Duke Michael Hasek-Davion is angry when confronted with the altered plans and tries to convince them to return to the original plan calling for a direct attack on Steinsdown. To appease the Duke, Felsner pretends to give in and leaves the Duke with the (false) impression that the proposed changes would not be implemented after all.
 
During a planning session on Dragon's Field, Ardan's farming background allows him to recognize a potential trap on Stein's Folly: The Highland Peninsula holding the capital city of Steinsdown is precariously dependent on food imports and could easily be cut off and besieged. Ardan suggests a radically altered assault strategy that will turn the tables on any would-be ambushers. Commanders [[Lees Hamman]] and [[Ran Felsner]] agree that the existing battle plan would indeed make them vulnerable if the Capellans set a trap as suspected by Sortek. Last-minute changes are implemented against the resistance of Fleet Admiral Bertholi, who has to recalculate approach vectors and new drop points for his entire [[DropShip]] fleet. Duke Michael Hasek-Davion is angry when confronted with the altered plans and tries to convince them to return to the original plan calling for a direct attack on Steinsdown. To appease the Duke, Felsner pretends to give in and leaves the Duke with the (false) impression that the proposed changes would not be implemented after all.
  
The Federated Suns DropShips approach Stein's Folly almost unopposed, but as they prepare to move into orbit, a large force of Capellan [[aerospace fighter]]s scrambles on a course that would have been the intercept course against DropShips heading for Steinsdown, proving Ardan's hunch correct. In the evolving space battle, Ardan in his ''[[Victor]]'' is combat dropped from the DropShip ''[[Exeter (Individual Union-class DropShip)|Exeter]]''. He misses his drop zone by some two kilometers and drops into a swamp where his 'Mech is stuck until a friendly ''[[Crusader]]'' piloted by [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] Donald Fitzgerald pulls him out with a cable. It turns out that the Davion troops were badly scattered in the drop. Ardan and Fitzgerald move to rejoin friendly lines, fighting past a ''[[Thunderbolt]]'' and a ''[[Warhammer]]'' and wrecking the [[Autocannon/20]] on Ardan's ''Victor'' in the process. After they link up with friendly troops, Fitzgerald is killed in a bombing attack by a lone ''[[Thrush]]'' fighter (implied to be Uchita Tucker's). Later, in a battle in a heavily wooded area, Ardan is separated from his allies and his 'Mech is destroyed by an enemy ''[[Zeus]]''. Ardan ejects, but is injured in the process and ends up stranded in the Ordolo swamp with a broken arm, a sprained leg and no supplies besides a knife.
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The Federated Suns DropShips approach Stein's Folly almost unopposed, but as they prepare to move into orbit, a large force of Capellan [[aerospace fighter]]s scrambles on a course that would have been the intercept course against DropShips heading for Steinsdown, proving Ardan's hunch correct. In the evolving space battle, Ardan in his ''[[Victor]]'' is combat dropped from the DropShip ''[[Exeter (Union)|Exeter]]''. He misses his drop zone by some two kilometers and drops into a swamp where his 'Mech is stuck until a friendly ''[[Crusader]]'' piloted by [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] Donald Fitzgerald pulls him out with a cable. It turns out that the Davion troops were badly scattered in the drop. Ardan and Fitzgerald move to rejoin friendly lines, fighting past a ''[[Thunderbolt]]'' and a ''[[Warhammer]]'' and wrecking the [[Autocannon/20]] on Ardan's ''Victor'' in the process. After they link up with friendly troops, Fitzgerald is killed in a bombing attack by a lone ''[[Thrush]]'' fighter (implied to be Uchita Tucker's). Later, in a battle in a heavily wooded area, Ardan is separated from his allies and his 'Mech is destroyed by an enemy ''[[Zeus]]''. Ardan ejects, but is injured in the process and ends up stranded in the Ordolo swamp with a broken arm, a sprained leg and no supplies besides a knife.
  
 
Reporting on the failed ambush to Chancellor Liao, Pavel Ridzik acknowledges that the overmatched Liao forces will have to withdraw to Redfield. When Liao mentions that Ardan Sortek, a personal friend of Hanse Davion, was known to be among the attackers, Ridzik recalls a report about a ''Victor'' being destroyed and deducts that it was Sortek who ejected into the swamps. A search and rescue mission is ordered to find him. Ardan meanwhile tries to leave the hostile swamp, but his injuries and feverish sickness render him barely conscious. Strange alien swamp creatures kidnap him and tie him to a tree, then leave; he notes to his horror that other nearby trees have human skeletons tied to them. Calling for help, he is eventually rescued by a Capellan infantry squad even while the Capellan forces are withdrawing from the planet. Obviously unfit for space transport, the captive Ardan has to be hospitalized.
 
Reporting on the failed ambush to Chancellor Liao, Pavel Ridzik acknowledges that the overmatched Liao forces will have to withdraw to Redfield. When Liao mentions that Ardan Sortek, a personal friend of Hanse Davion, was known to be among the attackers, Ridzik recalls a report about a ''Victor'' being destroyed and deducts that it was Sortek who ejected into the swamps. A search and rescue mission is ordered to find him. Ardan meanwhile tries to leave the hostile swamp, but his injuries and feverish sickness render him barely conscious. Strange alien swamp creatures kidnap him and tie him to a tree, then leave; he notes to his horror that other nearby trees have human skeletons tied to them. Calling for help, he is eventually rescued by a Capellan infantry squad even while the Capellan forces are withdrawing from the planet. Obviously unfit for space transport, the captive Ardan has to be hospitalized.

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