Difference between revisions of "Battle of Tharkad (3143)"
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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 suprised 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/>
 
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 suprised 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: "Second Royal Guards RCT"</ref><ref name=TRO3145p180>''Technical Readout: 3145'', p. 180: "Tomahawk II"</ref><ref name=TRO3145Cp52>''Technical Readout: 3145 Clans'', p. 52: "Tomahawk II"</ref>
+
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/>
 
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 an 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 [[Mad Cat Mk IV|Mad Cat Mk IV A-Configuration]] across his ''Templar's'' torso. Excited to find and potentially destroy Alaric so early, Davion initiated DOORMAN.<ref name=FM3145p120/><ref name=BoW15/>  
 
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 an 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 [[Mad Cat Mk IV|Mad Cat Mk IV A-Configuration]] across his ''Templar'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 ''safecon'' 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 multi-regiment 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 though 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]]. 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. 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/><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>
+
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 ''safecon'' 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 multi-regiment 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 though 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 ''safecon'', 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 let 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.<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 defender's rear.  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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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]] 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=TRO3145Clansp16/> <!-- Star Captian Gehenna here -->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/>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 15:00, 21 November 2022

Image of Battle of Tharkad (3143)
Battle of Tharkad (3143)
Conflict details
Part of Dark Age
Start Date 2 July 3143
End Date 20 July 3143
Planet(s) Tharkad
Location(s) Bremen (Nagelring, Tharkad City, Triad, Lockhead-CBM), Tatyana Islands (Tropicana, Sommerposten)
Result Lyran Commonwealth victory
Territorial Changes No change
Attacking Forces
Affiliation Lyran Commonwealth
Commanding Officer(s) Colonel Callandre Kell
Command(s) Twentieth Arcturan Guards
Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards
Twenty-sixth Arcturan Guards
First Buena Guards
Seventh Donegal Guards
Seventh Lyran Guards
Tenth Lyran Guards
First Royal Guards
Second Royal Guards
Third Royal Guards
Queen's Gambit
Wolf Hunters
First Davion Guards
Defending Forces
Affiliation Clan Wolf
Commanding Officer(s) Galaxy Commander Alaric
Command(s) Alpha Galaxy
Beta Galaxy
CWS Rogue
Other Forces
Affiliation Clan Jade Falcon
Commanding Officer(s) Khan Malvina Hazen
Command(s) Raptor Keshik
Delta Galaxy

Prelude

Melissa Steiner regained the throne to the Lyran Commonwealth shortly before Clans Wolf and 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.[1][2][3][4]

Overview

On 2 July 3143 Galaxy Commander Alaric arrived at the zenith jump point aboard the Invader-class JumpShip Lope. After requesting and receiving safcon in order to present his batchall in person, Beta Galaxy burned towards the planet. Aware that Khans Seth Ward with Alpha Galaxy and Malvina Hazen with Raptor Keshik and Delta Galaxy were a jump-roughly a week-behind, the Archon charged Colonel Callandre Kell with the defense of Tharkad.[1][2][3]

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 suprised 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.[1][2][3]

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 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 companies of heavy and assault BattleMechs 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.[1][5][6][7][8][9]

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-class WarShip CWS Rogue, and three Pocket WarShips including the Union-C Pocket WarShip-class 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's secondary offices.[1][2][3]

DOORMAN & LOCKDOWN

On the evening of the 16th, or sometime prior, Alaric landed the main body of his DropShips 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 an 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 OmniMechs, using "Jack-in-the-Box" tactics. It wasn't long before Alaric found Davion, playing the ER Large Lasers from his Mad Cat Mk IV A-Configuration across his Templar's torso. Excited to find and potentially destroy Alaric so early, Davion initiated DOORMAN.[1][3]

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 safecon 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 multi-regiment 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 though 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's KGC-009 King Crab as it emerged from an emergency bunker. Despite crippling Kerensky's Warwolf he was immediately swarmed by Elementals.[10][11][12][13] 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.[7] 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.[1][3]

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 safecon, they had to fight their way through the Lyran fighter cover. Hauptmann Thomasina McKittrick’s Würger, the "Peeping Tom" attempted to block a Star of Falcon aerospace fighters in low orbit. After suffering severe damage and losing both weapons and drives, the Falcons let 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[4][14] 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.[7][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Khan Hazen had detached a portion of her forces under the command of saKhan Beckett Malthus to assault a Star League-era base, Sommerposten. As the defenders engaged Malthus' force, Hazen led her Raptor Keshik undetected across the ocean floor, emerging at the defender's rear. The defense collapsed, and the Falcon Khans pressed southward to the city of Tropicano. A lance of Stalking Spider IIs attempted to cover the fighting retreat towards Tropicana via bounding overwatch, and were successful until one of the left flank pair suffered an ammunition explosion and the Falcons surged through the vulnerable flanks.[22] [23][24] Star Captain Elaine's 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.[25] 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.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Field Manual: 3145, pp. 120-121: "Succession War"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Era Report: 3145, pp. 26-28: "Tharkad in the Crosshairs"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 A Bonfire of Worlds, ch. 15
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 50: "Würger"
  5. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 122: "Lyran Commonwealth Military Academies"
  6. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 123: "First Buena Guards"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 124: "Royal Guards"
  8. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145, p. 180: "Tomahawk II"
  9. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Clans, p. 52: "Tomahawk II"
  10. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Clans, p. 46: "Warwolf"
  11. ↑ Technical Readout: 3150, p. 162: "Warwolf"
  12. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 46: "KGC-009 King Crab"
  13. ↑ Technical Readout: 3150, p. 188: "KGC-009 King Crab"
  14. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145, p. 198: "Würger"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 6: "Cuchulainn"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Technical Readout: 3150, p. 16: "Cuchulainn"
  17. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Clans, p. 16: "Skadi"
  18. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 28: "Jaguar"
  19. ↑ Technical Readout: 3150, p. 130: "Jaguar"
  20. ↑ Technical Readout: Dark Age, p. 40: "Jaguar"
  21. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 3, p. 12: "Adder (Puma)"
  22. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries, p. 32: "Stalking Spider II"
  23. ↑ Technical Readout: 3150, p. 144: "Stalking Spider II"
  24. ↑ Technical Readout: Dark Age, p. 62: "Stalking Spider II"
  25. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TRO3145Clansp16

Bibliography

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