So Costly a Sacrifice
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| So Costly a Sacrifice | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Short story |
| Author | Philip A. Lee |
| Pages | 37 |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | BattleCorps |
| First published | 26 June 2012 |
| Content | |
| Era | Star League era |
| Timeline | 27 October 2578 - 9 September 2590 |
So Costly a Sacrifice is a story by Philip A. Lee that was published online on BattleCorps on 26 June 2012.
| “ | When the Star League came to subjugate the Taurian Concordat, every able-bodied Taurian was called to serve--even retirees like Vincent MacLaren, who had to leave behind his family... | ” |
Plot summary
In 2578 veteran tank commander Colonel Vincent MacLaren (retired) receives word that all three of his sons have been killed in action in the Ridgebrook system, fighting against the Star League Defense Force. Furthermore, the Taurian Defense Force recalls him to active duty, leaving his grandson Sammy with his now widowed mother on Caldwell. Arriving on Electra, Vincent assumes command of a TDF armor detachment, under his former executive officer Colonel Bastian Gray.
By 2579, the TDF's Pleiades Fleet has been forced to retreat from the cluster, leaving Electra open to invasion by General Wexworth and six SLDF combined-arms regiments. In the opening engagement, the TDF garrison is forced to retreat, and Colonel Gray is killed, leaving Vincent as the senior TDF officer onworld.
By late 2580 Vincent is struggling to hold Wexworth's troops back with unorthodox tactics, but faces total defeat within months. As a final gambit, he attaches a nuclear warhead to his Augustus MBT and detonates it by ramming an SLDF Thug, destroying large numbers of SLDF 'Mechs but failing to prevent the SLDF from conquering Electra.
In 2590 Samuel MacLaren enlists in the Ecole Militaire on Taurus to join the TDF and fight the Star League, like his grandfather. One of Vincent's comrades from Electra greets him warmly, calling Vincent a hero who inspired a new generation of Taurians to give their all for their homeworlds.
Featured characters
- Vincent MacLaren
- Samuel MacLaren
- Colonel Bastian Gray
- General Manstein Wexworth
Featured BatteTech
- Augustus MBT
- Condor Hover Tank
- LTV-4 Hover Tank
- Tiger Medium Tank
- Talos
- Wasp
- Thug
- Archer