Cassius N'Buta

Cassius N'Buta
Personal
Born	3004
Affiliation	Clan Star Adder
Profile
Profession	Khan

Cassius N'Buta (b. 3004 ) was a Khan of Clan Star Adder who led his Clan from 3035 to 3067. During his tenure N'Buta masterminded his Clan's rise to power among the Home Clans during Operation REVIVAL and after, primarily through abstaining from the invasion and the Absorption of Clan Burrock in 3059.

Biography

Cassius N'Buta served as saKhan of Clan Star Adder from 3031 to 3035 before ascending to the Khanship. A short and thin man, he was a commanding figure and capable of leading his warriors both from the front and at the strategic level.

Operation REVIVAL

In 3048 the appearance of the Outbound Light in Clan Space prompted Khan Leo Showers of Clan Smoke Jaguar to propose a new motion for the Clans to return to the Inner Sphere. Despite the long-standing enmity between their two Clans, Khan N'Buta supported both the proposed invasion and Showers' election as ilKhan to oversee it.

When the Grand Council debated how many Clans should be involved, N'Buta disdainfully remained silent as he watched various Khans squabble before finally seeking the ilKhan's permission to address his peers. Showers cut the furor short and gave the Adder Khan his opportunity to speak. N'Buta calmly explained to his fellow Khans that Nicholas Kerensky had unleashed all of the Clans upon the Pentagon Worlds during Operation KLONDIKE, and thus they too should involve all Clans with their individual strengths in the forthcoming invasion. Using medieval metaphors, N'Buta listed each of the other Clans' particular talents and appropriate role in the invasion, but Khan Ian Hawker mockingly pointed out that N'Buta hadn't mentioned his own Clan in his plea for a unified effort. While N'Buta had envisioned the Star Adders aiding the ilKhan in coordinating the various Clans' efforts, he hesitated to mention this and Hawker smugly shut down N'Buta's proposal with the previous bid for only four Clans. While a fifth slot was added for a reserve Clan, N'Buta believed that this would still be insufficient. Silently observing the invasion planning, N'Buta vowed that he would see it fail.

Nonetheless, when the bidding for a place in the invasion began N'Buta bid his Clan's entire touman to reiterate his assertion that only a united effort with the full might of all Clans would suffice. His arguments again dismissed by the other Khans, N'Buta then withdrew the Star Adders from the invasion bidding. Later he won the right for Star Adder warriors to even out the odd number of competitors in the Placement Trials so that no Clan would receive a 'free win' by default.

When the invasion began, N'Buta directed his Clan's energies towards raiding other Clans to build up Adder strength. Clan Diamond Shark was a favored target, particularly following the Sharks' heavy losses at Tukayyid

The Burrock Absorption

Khan N'Buta and his Clan remained out of the spotlight during the Refusal War and Ice Hellion Khan Asa Taney's failed attempt to lead an alliance of Home Clans in a renewed invasion effort. It was an entirely unrelated matter which gave him the opportunity to catapult Clan Star Adder to the forefront of Home Clan powers.

In early 3059 N'Buta uncovered evidence that Clan Burrock's leadership had been colluding with the Dark Caste for over a century. Bringing his findings to the Grand Council, N'Buta proposed the Absorption of the Burrocks by another Clan to salvage its warriors and civilians from the treachery of their leaders, a motion supported by the Khans of Clans Blood Spirit and Cloud Cobra. Newly-elected ilKhan Lincoln Osis put the proposal to an immediate vote and in February the Grand Council awarded Clan Star Adder the right to Absorb Clan Burrock.

The short but violent conflict that ensued showcased N'Buta's skills as a politician, a warrior and a strategist. Personally taking command of the assault upon the Burrock capital of Albion, N'Buta targeted the guilty Burrock leadership for destruction while seeking to preserve the rest of that Clan's warriors. Within a week N'Buta's plan had succeeded - those Burrock leaders who had collaborated with the Dark Caste were slain and the remainder of the Burrock warriors had surrendered. The latter result was obtained through two fortuitous occurrences which N'Buta took advantage of.

First, following death of the Burrock Khan, saKhan and Galaxy Commander, the ranking Burrock officer, Star Colonel Carlos Hutchinson, offered to fight N'Buta one on one as a proxy for all Burrock forces. N'Buta quickly accepted but before the duel could take place three Galaxies of Clan Blood Spirit warriors arrived on Albion. Hoping for a three-way engagement in which they could destroy their long-time enemies, the Spirits instead faced the combined might of the equally-vengeful Burrocks and angry Star Adders. Fighting side-by-side the Burrock and Adder warriors mauled the interlopers; when the two surviving Spirit Clusters had retreated, N'Buta then proceeded to duel Hutchinson as agreed. N'Buta emerged victorious and claimed both Hutchinson and the remainder of Clan Burrock as isorla.

While Clan Star Adder did suffer heavy losses mainly due to the Blood Spirit interference, within a few months N'Buta had overseen the integration of hundreds of ex-Burrock warriors into the Adder touman, bringing his battered Galaxies and Clusters back up to fighting strength. Despite the Adders now being stretched thin across their expanded territory, N'Buta also agreed to continue Clan Burrock's garrison contract on the Cobra-held Tanite Worlds by stationing Tau Provisional Galaxy there.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Crusader Clans
• Field Manual: Updates
• Operational Turning Points: REVIVAL Trials
• The Wars of Reaving