Editing Kensington Talasko

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| name                = Kensington Talasko
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| affiliation         = [[Clan Star Adder]]
| profession          = [[saKhan of Clan Star Adder|saKhan]]
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'''Kensington Talasko''' was the second [[saKhan of Clan Star Adder]].  Elevated to the position for his excellent performance during [[Operation Klondike]], he would step up to display great leadership ability on the field of battle at a time when his Clan would need it most.<ref name=FM:CCp111>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 111 - "Early Efforts"</ref><ref name=H:OKp51>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 51 - "Battles on the Plateau"</ref><ref name=H:OKp53,54>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 53, 54 - "End of the Great One"</ref> 


==History==
Among the 800 warriors who would go on to form the nascent [[Clan]]s after [[Nicholas Kerensky]]'s [[Second Exodus]],<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 37, "Origins of the Bloodnames: The Clans’ Founders", ''Star Adder Table''</ref> Kensington Talasko would quickly rise through the ranks during the campaign to retake the [[Pentagon Worlds]].  His grasp of battlefield tactics would help to conserve the remaining Star Adder troops and turn their fortunes around during the course of the campaign.    

===Operation KLONDIKE===
====Arcadia: Raiders of Aeschel Plateau==== 
After the retreat of [[Ilkasur Shogunate]] Forces on Aeschel Plateau, the proverbial smoke cleared enough for the Star Adders to get a true assessment of the situation on the ground.  The Adders had survived two hours of some of the most intense fighting of the entire campaign, but they learned that the battle had cost them the life of their beloved founding Khan, [[Absalom Truscott]].<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 50, 51 - "Desperate Times, by the Numbers"</ref>  

Intelligence gathered from captured enemy soldiers would help lead the Adders to the [[Nation of Hastur]] supply convoys that had been crossing the area.  Newly elevated [[Khan]] [[Devon LeFabre]] ordered [[Star Captain]] Kensington Talasko to take charge of their only functioning [[Trinary]] of [[BattleMech]]s, and seize the supply convoys for their badly damaged forces.<ref name=H:OKp51/>  He would succeed at this after skillfully engaging and destroying the enemy's escort forces, taking down a reinforced battalion of mixed troops.  After this, he would sweep back to the south and east, taking two Ilkasur Shogunate outposts that had been skipped by the [[Clan Steel Viper|Steel Vipers]] who had advanced deep into the south at a break-neck pace.  Within the time that it took to repair most of the machines lost on the first day's landing, Star Captain Talsko had destroyed two more large Hastur patrols and had taken five additional Hastur outposts.  They would soon take the outer frontier capital of the Hasturs, Nyogtha, a small city that would be renamed '''Kerensky's Dream''', becoming the capital and command center for the Star Adder operations on Arcadia.<ref name=H:OKp51/><ref name=H:OKp53,54/>

====Arcadia: Assault on the Collective====
Newly promoted [[Star Colonel]] Kensington Talasko would have the honor of first strike in the next faze of operations.  Tucked high in the mountains and wedged between the Hasturs and the Shogunate, the [[Ravisham Collective]] had managed to eke out an existence on the margins of the Pentagon World hierarchy.  Targeting the outer city of Yprili, Star Colonel Talasko - now Khan LeFabre's operational planner and deputy - opted to have his troops inserted via orbital drop from three of their remaining [[DropShips]], which would also support the assault with their guns. The layered defenses in the mountains surrounding the city fell easily from behind.<ref name=H:OKp55,56>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 55, 56 - "Conquering the Collective"</ref>  

Success at Yprilli would yield a similar drop onto the Collective's capital, Toomin. The leader of the Ravisham Collective had exhorted his people to resist to the end.  For the first 24 hours, the Star Adders would face an onslaught of suicide bombings organized by the Collective Secret Police, attacks that killed thousands of civilians but did minimal damage to the Adders, losing only two '[[Mechs]] during the ordeal. Soon the fighting left the city and entered the mountains.  The leaders of the collective attempted to wage a guerrilla campaign against the invaders, but in several weeks even this resistance would fall apart as their supply caches were located and seized.  Months later, Premier Ravisham himself would be killed.  By this point, the resistance in the region had nominally ended.<ref name=H:OKp55,56/>

===Aftermath and a New Era===
During and after Operation KLONDIKE, the Khans of Clan Star Adder would actively recruit from the population on their Arcadian enclave.  After stringent testing and training, any warrior found worthy was welcomed into the [[Clan Star Adder Touman]], replacing their losses and expanding to meet the needs of the coming age.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 98 - "Aftermath"</ref>  [[SaKhan]] Talasko would also assist Khan LeFabre in fighting the scattered revolts that sprung up in their new population in the years just after Operation Klondike.  And when the whole of Clan society was threatened by the independent actions of the [[Not-Named Clan]], Khans Lefabre and Talasko were among the first to call for their [[Trial of Annihilation|Annihilation]] as punishment.<ref name=FM:CCp111/>

==Legacy==
Assisting Khan Devon LeFabre in the massive undertaking of filling the shoes of the late Khan [[Absalom Truscott]], saKhan Kensington Talasko more than played a role, he became an invaluable leader at a critical time.  His battlefield leadership would extend his Clan's reach and help them to complete the mission in a timely manner.  Founder of the Talasko [[Bloodname]] House, his genetic heritage would go on to produce warriors for all branches of the Adder ''[[touman]]'', often holding roles of leadership within the Clan.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 9: "Clan Star Adder Exclusive Bloodnames"</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''

[[Category:SaKhans|Talasko, Kensington]]
[[Category:Clan Star Adder Characters|Talasko, Kensington]]