Difference between revisions of "Task Force Serpent"
m
 
(233 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{cleanup|February 2009}}
+
{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
−
{{refimprove}}
+
| image = [[File:Task Force Serpent emblem (2).jpg|150px]]
−
'''Task Force Serpent''' was a multi-national task force tasked with executing a secret military operation commissioned by the newly formed [[SLDF]] under the aegis of Marshal [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]]. Their objective was to reach the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] homeworld of [[Huntress]] and capture it, with the goal of destroying the Smoke Jaguars as an entity. The mission ran concurrent to [[Operation Bulldog]] - an operation whose goal was to drive the Smoke Jaguars from the worlds they occupied in the [[Inner Sphere]]. Although [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]] died en route by assassination, [[Ariana Winston]] of the [[Eridani Light Horse]] succeeded him and completed the mission. 
+
| Designation = Task Force Serpent
 +
| Formed = [[3058]]
 +
| Disbanded = [[3061]]
 +
| Previous Designation =
 +
| Nickname =
 +
| Affiliation = [[Second Star League]]
 +
| Parent Command = [[Second Star League Defense Force]] (SLDF)
 +
| Sub-Command =
 +
}}
 +
'''Task Force Serpent''' was a multinational task force created by the [[Second Star League Defense Force]] to execute a secret military operation conceived and led by [[Marshal of the Armies|Marshal]] [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]]: Travel to the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] homeworld of [[Huntress]], occupy it, and completely destroy the war-making capability of the Clan. The mission complemented [[Operation BULLDOG]], whose objective was to expel the Smoke Jaguars from every world they occupied in the [[Inner Sphere]].
  
−
General Winston, however, was killed in the final battle of [[Huntress]], on 30th March, 3060 whilst piloting her ''[[Cyclops]]'' against a Smoke Jaguar ''[[Summoner]]'', just ten days before Prince Victor Steiner-Davion and Taskforce Bulldog arrived planet-side. Command of Operation Serpent fell to General Winston's second-in-command, Colonel Charles Antonescu until Taskforce Bulldog arrived planet-side and relieved the shattered survivors of Operation Serpent.
+
After a long journey through the [[Deep Periphery]] to the [[Clan Homeworlds]], Task Force Serpent ultimately completed its mission with the assistance of elements from Operation BULLDOG, which had succeeded ahead of schedule. Clan Smoke Jaguar was effectively wiped out, but at heavy cost to the task force. Marshal Hasek-Davion, the task force commander, was assassinated en route; his successor, [[General]] [[Ariana Winston]], was killed in action; and the task force suffered an eighty percent casualty rate.
  
−
[[File:Task Force Serpent emblem (2).jpg|right|thumb|Task Force Serpent emblem]]
+
==Commission and departure==
 +
On 14 November [[3058]], during a military planning session at the [[First Whitting Conference]] for the first wave of Operation BULLDOG, [[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]] [[Anastasius Focht]] presented new intelligence that had been provided by the Smoke Jaguar defector, [[Trent (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Trent]]. The information included the [[Exodus Road]] and the location of Huntress, the Smoke Jaguar homeworld. Morgan Hasek-Davion proposed and volunteered to lead a strike at Huntress designed to raze it, shocking the Clan and wiping out all traces of the warrior caste.<ref name=GR17>''Grave Covenant'', ch. 17</ref> The First Council approved the plan and appointed Hasek-Davion as the Task Force Commander.<ref name=GR18>''Grave Covenant'', ch. 18</ref>
  
−
==Participating Units==
+
In late January [[3059]], the units assigned to Task Force Serpent began to assemble at [[Defiance (system)|Defiance]], a barren planet deep in the [[Crucis March]] of the [[Federated Commonwealth]], which had mostly been used for military training maneuvers.<ref name=TH7>''The Hunters'', ch. 7</ref> Serpent's ground forces consisted of the [[Eridani Light Horse]], the [[1st Kathil Uhlans|First Kathil Uhlans]], the [[Northwind Highlanders]], the [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] [[2nd Division (ComStar)|Second Division]], the [[11th Lyran Guards|Eleventh Lyran Guards]], the [[2nd Sword of Light|Second Sword of Light]], the [[2nd St. Ives Lancers|Second St. Ives Lancers]], the [[4th Drakøns|Fourth Drakøns]], the [[1st Knights of the Inner Sphere|Knights of the Inner Sphere]], and [[Kingston's Legionnaires]], a regiment of questionable honor.<ref name=TwotCp9>''Twilight of the Clans'', pp. 8–9: "Task Force Serpent"</ref> For the next several months the ground units conducted training and integration exercises, fighting alongside one another, with ComStar's [[Invader Galaxy]] taking an [[w:Opposing force|OpFor]] role. [[DEST]] and [[MI6]] teams, assigned to the task force for special operations, trained for spacecraft boarding actions.<ref name=TH9>''The Hunters'', ch. 9</ref>
−
===Ground units===
+
 
−
* [[Eridani Light Horse]] - [[RCT]]
+
The assembled fleet had seven [[WarShip]]s. Four were [[ComStar]] vessels: the ''[[Cameron (WarShip class)|Cameron]]''-class battlecruiser ''[[Invisible Truth (Individual Cameron-class WarShip)|Invisible Truth]]''; the ''[[Lola III]]''-class destroyer ''[[Ranger (Individual Lola III-class WarShip, ComStar)|Ranger]]''; and two ''[[Essex]]''-class destroyers, ''[[Emerald (Individual Essex-class WarShip)|Emerald]]'' and ''[[Starlight (Individual Essex-class WarShip)|Starlight]]''.<ref name=TwotCp8>''Twilight of the Clans'', p. 8: "Task Force Serpent Composition"</ref> The Federated Commonwealth provided two ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class corvettes, ''[[Antrim]]'' and ''[[Rostock (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|Rostock]]'', and the Draconis Combine supplied its newest ''[[Kyushu]]''-class frigate, ''[[Haruna]]''.<ref name=TH12>''The Hunters'', ch. 12</ref>
−
** [[21st Striker Regiment]]
 
−
** [[71st Light Horse Regiment]]
 
−
** [[151st Light Horse Regiment]]
 
−
* [[Northwind Highlanders]] +  of the  
 
−
** [[MacLeod's Regiment]] 1 Regiment (3 'Mech Battalions)
 
−
** [[Royal Black Watch]] 1 'Mech Company
 
−
* [[1st Kathil Uhlans]] - 1 Regiment (4 'Mech Battalions)
 
−
* Detachment of the [[2nd St. Ives Lancers]] (1 'Mech Battalion + Infantry)
 
−
* [[Kingston's Legionnaires]] - 1 Regiment (2 'Mech Battalions + infantry)
 
−
* [[1st Knights of the Inner Sphere|Knights of the Inner Sphere]] - 1 Regiment (3 'Mech Battalions + Infantry)
 
−
* [[11th Lyran Guards]] - [[RCT]]
 
−
* [[2nd Division (ComStar)|2nd Com Guard Division]] - 3 'Mech heavy [[Level III]]/Battalions
 
−
* [[4th Drakøns]] - 1 'Mech Battalion
 
  
−
===Special Operations Forces===
+
Task Force Serpent departed on 1 May 3059, following a route through [[Weldon]], [[Vicente]], [[Tsamma]] and [[Palmyra]] on its way through the Federated Commonwealth.<ref name=TH14>''The Hunters'', ch. 14</ref> On 29 June the task force jumped from [[Pajarito]] into the [[Outworlds Alliance]].<ref name=TH16>''The Hunters'', ch. 16</ref> On 19 July, after recharging jump drives at [[Alpheratz]], Task Force Serpent entered the [[Deep Periphery]] and began its journey along the Exodus Road to Huntress.<ref name=TH17>''The Hunters'', ch. 17</ref>
−
* [[DEST]] - Teams 4, 5 and 6; ten Operatives each
 
−
* [[Ministry of Information, Intelligence, and Operations|MI6]] - two teams; ten Operatives each
 
−
* [[ROM]] - one agent
 
  
−
Additionally, [[Theodore Kurita]] deployed a team of four [[Nekekami]], which revealed themselves only to the present head of Task Force Serpent. They were [[Kasugai Hatsumi]] (head of this group), [[Honda Tan]], [[Rumiko Fox]] (specialty: venom and sniper rifle) and [[Kieji Sendai]] (specialty: explosives).
+
==Battle of Sweetwater Lake==
 +
On 16 November, Task Force Serpent stopped at a habitable planet in the [[Meribah]] system to replenish the fleet's supply of fresh water. Two specially-modified ''[[Mule]]''-class DropShips were dispatched to the surface, escorted by the [[21st Striker Regiment|Twenty-first Striker Regiment]]'s Fifth Striker Battalion. As the DropShips pumped water from a lake, which the crews dubbed "Sweetwater", the Eridani unit was attacked by a mixed force of Inner Sphere BattleMechs and Clan OmniMechs, who were swiftly defeated.<ref>''The Hunters'', chs. 18–19</ref>
  
−
An unknown political faction (purportedly [[Word of Blake]]) sent an assassin, to kill Morgan Hasek-Davion. Kasugai Hatsumi claimed, that he was a former [[Lyran Intelligence Corps|Loki]]-agent, but it is unknown if that is correct. This agent used the name [[Lucas Penrose]].
+
The enemy turned out to be a group of pirates using the planet for a base of operations. With the pirates' main force absent on a raid, Marshal Hasek-Davion ordered that the pirate base be wiped out in order to maintain the secrecy of the task force. The next day, a combined Eridani-MI6 strike team destroyed the pirate base and released the slaves found there. Four pirate leaders were court-martialed for piracy and murder and were summarily executed. The rest of the pirates were convicted of lesser crimes and sentenced to be marooned on a uninhabited planet.<ref>''The Hunters'', chs. 20–21</ref>
  
−
===Fleet===
+
==Battle of Trafalgar==
 +
{{Main|Battle of Trafalgar}}
 
[[File:Task Force Serpent - JumpShip Fleet.jpg|thumb|right|Task Force Serpent's JumpShip fleet with ''Invisible Truth'' leading it.]]
 
[[File:Task Force Serpent - JumpShip Fleet.jpg|thumb|right|Task Force Serpent's JumpShip fleet with ''Invisible Truth'' leading it.]]
  
−
* ISS ''[[Invisible Truth]]'' - [[Comstar]], ''[[Cameron (WarShip)|Cameron]]''-class<ref name=TwotCp8>''Twilight of the Clans'', p. 8, "Task Force Serpent Composition"</ref>
+
On 15 December, after jumping into an unnamed star system, Task Force Serpent unexpectedly encountered a small [[Clan Ghost Bear]] fleet, consisting of a ''[[Congress]]''-class frigate, two ''[[Whirlwind]]''-class destroyers and an ''[[Invader]]''-class JumpShip. Marshal Hasek-Davion hailed them and declared a [[Trial of Possession]] for the entire Clan fleet, and [[Star Colonel]] [[Alonso Gilmour]] accepted his challenge. Engaging the enemy with naval assets and boarding teams, the task force defeated the Ghost Bears in what became known as the [[Battle of Trafalgar]].
−
* ISS ''[[Ranger]]'' - Comstar, ''[[Lola III]]''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* ISS ''[[Emerald]]'' - Comstar, ''[[Essex]]''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* ISS ''[[Starlight]]'' - Comstar, ''Essex''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* DCS ''[[Haruna]]'' - [[Draconis Combine]], ''[[Kyushu]]''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* FCS ''[[Antrim]]'' - [[Federated Commonwealth]], ''[[Fox (WarShip)|Fox]]''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* FCS ''[[Rostock]]'' - Federated Commonwealth, ''Fox''-class<ref name=TwotCp8/>
 
−
* CGBS ''[[Whirlwind_(Destroyer)#Named_Vessels|Firefang]]'' - ''[[Whirlwind]]''-class; captured from [[Clan Ghost Bear]] during the operation
 
  
−
Additionally the fleet included several ''[[Monolith]]''-, ''[[Star Lord (JumpShip)|Star Lord]]''- and ''[[Invader]]''-class [[JumpShip]]s.
+
The task force suffered modest losses in its victory. The ''[[Hainan]]'', an ''[[Avenger]]''-class DropShip, was destroyed, the ''Starlight'' lost some of her weapons, and casualties totaled twenty-six dead, thirty-two wounded, and four missing.
  
−
==History==
+
The Ghost Bear starships were all disabled or destroyed. The ''[[Fire Fang (Individual Whirlwind-class WarShip)|Fire Fang]]'', one of the ''Whirlwind''s, was repaired and put into service as the eighth WarShip of the task force. The task force also captured an undamaged Clan ''[[Broadsword]]''-class DropShip (renamed the ''[[Stiletto_(Individual_Broadsword-class_DropShip)|Stiletto]]''), a couple of damaged ''[[Union-C]]''-class DropShips, a dozen [[OmniFighter]]s, a [[Star]] of [[OmniMech]]s, and several tons of consumable supplies.<ref name=TH27>''The Hunters'', ch. 27</ref>
−
On November 14th [[3058]], during a military planning session for the first wave of [[Operation Bulldog]], [[Precentor Martial]] [[Anastasius Focht]] presented new intelligence material about Clan Smoke Jaguar that have been delivered to him by the Smoke Jaguar defector, [[Trent]]. Among this information was the location of Huntress, the Smoke Jaguar homeworld. Morgan Hasek-Davion saw potential for the Inner Sphere forces to deal a devastating blow to the Smoke Jaguars by attacking their homeworld while also expelling them from the Inner Sphere. After convincing the others of the plan's viability, Hasek-Davion was named the Task Force Commander. His initial request for forces to make up the Task Force consisted of: the [[1st Kathil Uhlans|First Kathil Uhlans]], the [[Eridani Light Horse]], the [[Northwind Highlanders]], the [[ComStar Invader Galaxy]], the [[11th Lyran Guards]], the [[Second Sword of Light]], one yet-to-be-determined regiment of [[McCarron's Armored Cavalry]], the [[1st St. Ives Lancers]] and the [[1st Knights of the Inner Sphere|Knights of the Inner Sphere]].
 
  
−
===En Route===
+
Task Force Serpent also took possession of roughly three hundred bondsmen, mostly lower-caste members who were being relocated to the Inner Sphere. Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion directed that any Clansmen who willingly gave their bond-oath would be accepted into service, while the rest would be marooned on a habitable world.<ref name=TH27/> On 30 December, the fleet located [[Lee Shore|a suitable planet]] and deposited on it the prisoners who had not joined, leaving them with some supplies and the promise that, if the task force completed its mission, someone would come back for them.<ref name=TH29>''The Hunters'', ch. 29</ref>
−
Task Force Serpent assembled on [[Defiance (planet)|Fort Defiance]], a barren planet deep in the [[Crucis March]] of the [[Federated Commonwealth]], which was mostly used for military training maneuvers. There the various units trained fighting alongside each other and against the simulated Clan forces of the ComStar Invader Galaxy. Simultaneously, the DEST and MI6 teams trained for spacecraft boarding actions.
 
  
−
The Task Force launched on May 1st [[3059]], first jumping to [[Tsamma]], where [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]] exchanged several damaged 'Mechs from Task Force Serpent for 'Mechs from the planetary militia.
+
==Assassination of Morgan Hasek-Davion==
  
−
Task Force Serpent followed a route that brought them near the [[Outworlds Alliance]]. They then jumped into the [[Periphery]] using a route that paralleled those commonly used by the Clans.
+
{{quote|He was the last of the old order of things. We'll never see his like again.|General Ariana Winston}}
  
−
In November 3059 Task Force Serpent arrived in the [[Meribah]] system, which had a habitable planet. Morgan Hasek Davion ordered a ''[[Mule]]''-class [[DropShip]] specially outfitted to obtain fresh drinking water from that planet to deploy, to replenish the fleets supplies. The 5th Striker Battalion of the 21st Striker Regiment of the Eridani Light Horse was detailed to serve as the security element for this mission. In the course of their duties, the Eridani unit encountered and defeated several 'Mech-equipped bandits: Meribah was the base of a group of pirates. Luckily, the pirates' main force was absent on a raid. The Eridani destroyed the base and released the slaves found there. The captured pirates were court-martialed and their leaders executed. The debate over the fate of the pirates caused major disagreements among the unit commanders of Task Force Serpent on ethical grounds. Morgan Hasek-Davion exercised his right as Task Force Commander to have the final say, but the damage to his personal relationship with some of the officers, including his deputy, Colonel [[Ariana Winston]] took some time to heal.
+
During the night of 2 January [[3060]], Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion died in his quarters aboard the ''Invisible Truth''. His death was initially attributed to heart failure, but subsequent forensic investigations determined that he was deliberately poisoned with a fast-acting toxin introduced into his scotch whiskey.<ref>''The Hunters'', chs. 30–31</ref><ref>''Sword and Fire'', chs. 1–2</ref>
  
−
===The Battle of Trafalgar===
+
On 10 January, General Ariana Winston, Task Force Serpent's second-in-command, announced that Hasek-Davion's death was under investigation and formally assumed command. With the fleet less than 200 light-years from Huntress, she reviewed the orders and reports he had left for her in the event of his death. One of these revealed that in addition to units officially assigned to the task force, [[Coordinator]] [[Theodore Kurita (31st c.)|Theodore Kurita]] had "gifted" a team of four [[nekakami]].<ref>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 3</ref>
  
−
On December 15th, Task Force Serpent stumbled unexpectedly across a small [[Clan Ghost Bear]] fleet, consisting of: one ''[[Congress]]'', two ''[[Whirlwind]]''s and an ''[[Invader]]''. Morgan Hasek-Davion hailed the Clan Fleet and issued a Batchall, declaring a Trial of Possession for the entire Clan Fleet. His challenge was accepted by Star Colonel Alonso Gilmour who ordered his three warships to engage the enemy.  
+
As the investigation progressed, suspicion fell on five ComStar crew members who had no records of their existence before they joined ComStar.<ref>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 7</ref> On 23 January the two suspects who had originally been assigned to ''Invisible Truth'' were summoned for interrogation. The first suspect, [[Rumiko Fox|Julia Davis]], seemed to be hiding something, but her interrogator, ''[[Sho-sa]]'' [[Michael Ryan]], concluded that she was probably not involved in the assassination. She was relieved of duty and confined to quarters.<ref name=SF8>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 8</ref>
−
Taking command of the engagement, Beresick ordered the Fox class ''[[Rostock]]'' to remain with the transport Jumpships and all other warships to advance on the enemy.  
 
  
−
The closest warship to the Clan Flotila, the Lola III class ''[[Ranger]]'', first moved to target the Invader class Winter Wind as a sudden sensor spike indicated that the ship was bringing its K/F drives online. Ordered to 'stop that ship jumping', Captain Mercia Winslow obeyed quite literally; a salvo of Naval weapons fire destroying both its field initiator and drive controller and leaving the jumpship dead in space. Quickly, orders were passed to the DCS ''[[Haruna]]'' to deploy its DEST teams and capture the disabled starship.  
+
Two ComStar marines were escorting the second suspect, [[Lucas Penrose]], to his interrogation, when he killed them both with a hidden [[Hold-Out Gyrojet Pistol|holdout pistol]], stole their weapons, and barricaded himself in a recreation room on Deck Four. Penrose claimed that he had planted a bomb in the ship's number three magazine, and threatened to destroy the ship unless General Winston met his demands. As Winston conversed with Penrose, she perceived that the hand he was keeping behind his back, supposedly holding a detonator, was empty. With this knowledge she jumped Penrose, wrestling him for his gun. Penrose was hit in the back with a poisoned [[shuriken]], enabling Winston to seize his gun and shoot him in the chest.<ref name=SF8 /> The poison and the gunshot wound were both fatal.<ref name=SF10>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 10</ref>
−
The ''[[Fire Fang]]'', a Whirlwind class Destroyer, moved to intercept and protect the disabled Jumpship and a running battle was soon underway as the Kyushu class Frigate closed in. Intervention by the Fox class ''[[Antrim]]'' and a pair of Avenger class Assault Dropships forced the Clan warship to break off to defend itself, letting the Kyushu close in and deploy the Bisan 90 kilometers out, before she reversed course to re-engage the Whirlwind, eventually defeating it and accepting its surrender.  
 
  
−
The Winter Wind in response launched her last line of defense, a pair of Union-C class dropships who engaged the Achilles class assault ship. In a display of superior skill, the Combine dropship outmaneuvered the Clan dropships, making a fast pass along the Invader and launching the DESTs ''[[NL-42 "Battle Taxi"|NL-42 Battle Taxis]]'' which docked and delivered the boarding party. The Ghost Bear Elementals and some armed crew members put up a fight, but were no match for the elite Commandos who swiftly stormed the ship. However the Clan security force were able to delay them long enough for the ships command crew to corrupt the computer core and physically smash much of the bridges equipment. Redundant as such actions were given that the ship would never jump again.
+
Ordnance crews and DEST demolitions experts could find no evidence of explosives in the number three magazine or anywhere else on the ship, confirming that Penrose had been bluffing.<ref name=SF9>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 9</ref> After returning to her office, General Winston received a voice-only call from one of the nekakami agents, who asserted that Penrose had acted alone. According to him: "Lucas Penrose" was a [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]] agent who had been an assassin, first for the Lyran Commonwealth and later for the Lyran Alliance. The nekakami asked that "Julia Davis" be released from custody, and abruptly ended the call.<ref name=SF10/>
  
−
The Ranger meanwhile, after firing the first shots of the battle had moved to engage its second target, the Congress class Frigate ''[[Shining Claw]]''. Superior captaining by Star Colonel Gilmour kept her in the battle for an extended period of time, even with the Essex-class ''[[Starlight]]'' joining the Ranger to tag-team the Frigate. Both the Ranger and Starlight would take considerable armor damage and the Starlight lost one of her Naval PPC batteries, but in the end they successfully disabled the enemy flagship and the Star Colonel conceded the fight.  
+
==Voice of Kerensky==
 +
{{Main|Voice of Kerensky}}
 +
At the conclusion of Hasek-Davion's funeral on 11 January, the ships of Task Force Serpent received a broadband transmission sent by General [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]. In his brief message, he explained why he had taken the original [[Star League Defense Force]] from the Inner Sphere and expressed his hope that their descendants would one day return to serve as the Star League's protectors. Because the message was sent by microwave, it was traveling at light-speed, and wouldn't reach the Inner Sphere for hundreds of years more. The task force would have missed the message completely if it hadn't been delayed by Hasek-Davion's death.<ref>''Sword and Fire'', chs. 4–5</ref>
  
−
The final Clan Warship, the [[Ursus (Vessel)|Whirlwind class ''Ursus'']], moved to engage the ''[[Invisible Truth]]'', despite the considerable tonnage mismatch between the two ships. Using her speed and maneuverability the ship, for a time, managed to dance around the Cameron class warship and land numerous minor hits on her armor. Inevitably however, the Truth managed to finally pin the Whirlwind and with a focused volley of her full firepower, tore open her a large amount of her hull to space, leaving the ship on fire and out of control. One of the Invisible Truths dropships was launched to perform SAR operations and was able to evacuate 96 survivors from the ship.
+
==Battle of Huntress==
 +
{{Main|Battle of Huntress (3060)}}
  
−
With the Clan flotilta defeated, the Task Force was faced with several pressing issues in the aftermath of the engagement. First was the repair of their own ships. While luckily most of their ships had not taken structural damage, they had lost one Assault dropship, the Starlight had lost some of her weapons and many ships had taken armor damage that would compromise their protection in the event of another engagement. In exchange however, they had captured or destroyed all the Clan starships. Although the damage done in the process rendered most of them crippled beyond any possible field repair, the Firefang was able to be both repaired and put into service as the eighth warship of the fleet. They also captured a clan Broadsword class dropship, the Ice Dart (renamed the Stiletto), which had been docked to the Winter Wind but unable to launch due to the damage of the Rangers strike warping the docking collar. In addition to capturing a couple of damaged Union-Cs, a dozen Omnifighters and a Star of Omnimechs.
+
===Invasion===
 +
The invasion of Huntress began on 19 February with the covert insertion of an advance team. DCS ''[[Haruna (Individual Kyushu-class WarShip)|Haruna]]'', broadcasting stolen IFF codes, jumped into the Huntress system, detached the ''Stiletto'', and jumped out again. The ''Stiletto'', claiming to be on an unscheduled supply transfer mission, dropped [[DEST]] teams onto the planet's surface and feigned a crash landing into the Dhuan Swamp. On 5 March, the DEST teams struck the planetary command and operations center beneath Mount Szabo, crippling it and disabling the [[Reagan Space Defense System]], clearing the way for the invasion to follow.<ref>''Sword and Fire'', chs. 13–15</ref>
  
−
The largest problem however was the Clan Flotila had been engaged in Clan Ghost Bears relocation of its civilian population to the Inner Sphere. And as such, was carrying over a thousand civilians, plus the ships crews who were nominally bondsmen. Without having the resources to take them along and more than one of the missions senior officers either uneasy or downright hostile to the idea of accepting Clan Bondsmen as allies, Morgan quickly stepped in to lay down the law; any Clansmen who willingly gave their bond oath would be accepted by the task force - even if he had to assign every one of them as a member of his personal staff. The others would be taken with the fleet until such time as they could find an inhabited world they could be left behind on. Although distrust was great from many of the Spheroids of 'Clan Serpent', tensions were eased somewhat when a Clan technician, Lennox, at great personal risk saved the life of an Inner Sphere technician during Zero-G salvage operations. He was rewarded by Morgan Hasek Davion with his freedom and reassigned to his personal staff. The other Bondsmen considered most trustworthy helped to form a skeleton crew for the Fire Fang.
+
That same day, the Serpent fleet jumped into the Huntress zenith point and was met by a ''[[Sovetskii Soyuz]]''-class heavy cruiser, two ''[[Vincent]]''-class corvettes, and a number of DropShips and OmniFighters. The Inner Sphere WarShips engaged without issuing any challenge, intending to destroy, not capture, the Smoke Jaguar fleet. They succeeded, destroying all three Clan WarShips, at the cost of the ''Rostock'', which was lost with only five survivors.<ref name=SF16>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 16</ref>
  
−
The repair and salvage operations took several days, some unit commanders very uneasy about spending so long at a system clearly used by at least some Clans. None the less the operations were completed successfully and the task force jumped out. Just as it left the system however (later dubbed ''Gibraltar'') it encountered an abnormal jump signature possibly indicating an inbound starship, which was noted, but not investigated - as to do so would require returning to the system.
+
On 12 March, ground forces made landfall on Huntress, encountering opposition from planet-based aerospace units. They targeted military installations across Huntress: manufacturing centers at Myer and Pahn City; training facilities at Lootera, New Andery, Bagera, and Abysmal; and the planetary command center at Mount Szabo. The task force also moved to capture the Smoke Jaguar [[genetic repository]]. The elements of the task force were met with varying levels of resistance. The Eleventh Lyran Guards encountered a powerful, well-equipped force, and called in naval fire support from the ''Fire Fang'' to bombard the enemy units from orbit. The Second St. Ives Lancers and the Fourth Drakøns found that their objective was defended only by warrior training staff, while the Northwind Highlanders, the Knights of the Inner Sphere, and Kingston's Legionnaires were caught off-guard when they encountered [[ProtoMech|ProtoMechs]], a technology completely foreign to them.<ref>''Sword and Fire'', chs. 17–22</ref>
  
−
In late December, the remaining pirates being held in custody and the surviving Ghost Bears were exiled on a habitable planet. It is not known if the Inner Sphere ever passed on this fact to Clan Ghost Bear.
+
In spite of heavy losses, the assault on Huntress was a success. In less than twelve hours, the invaders accomplished their objectives and seized control of the planet.<ref name=SF22>''Sword and Fire'', ch. 22</ref> Galaxy Commander Russou Howell rallied what forces he could and withdrew to the Black Shikari Jungle.<ref name=SW3>''Shadows of War'', ch. 3</ref>
  
−
===Death of Morgan Hasek-Davion===
+
===Counterinvasion===
−
During the night of the 2nd January [[3060]], [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]] was poisoned with a rare venom introduced into his whiskey. Initially considered to be a death by natural causes, Andrew Redburn at once voiced suspicious to [[Ariana Winston]], Morgans deputy and now Task Force Commander, that he had been murdered. Citing the fact that Prince Victor had insisted on Morgan undertaking a full physical before going on the mission, which he had passed with flying colors. A careful autopsy of Morgans corpse by the Invisible Truths medical officer, Dr Donati and initial investigation by [[MI6]] officer [[Roger Montjar|Captain Roger Montjar]] confirmed he had indeed been poisoned. Later, he stepped aside in favor of [[Sho-sa]] [[Michael Ryan]] from the [[DEST]], on the grounds that the DEST commandos were given much more extensive investigative training by the [[ISF]], which would be useful in this situation.
+
On 19 March, three WarShips and five JumpShips belonging to Clan Smoke Jaguar arrived at the Huntress zenith point. This group, under [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Hang Mehta]], had withdrawn from the Inner Sphere and was on its way to Huntress for refit and reorganization when [[Khan]] [[Lincoln Osis]] informed Mehta of the invasion and ordered her to retake the planet. Upon arrival, Mehta ordered all DropShips to detach and accompanied them toward the planet's surface, leaving [[Star Commodore]] [[Clarinda Stiles]] in command of the fleet. [[Commodore]] [[Alain Beresick]], the task force naval commander, divided his forces, moving one group to intercept the enemy WarShips, and the other evading them to hit the enemy JumpShips and DropShips. The Star League was again victorious, destroying all three enemy WarShips, but failed to stop the Clan forces entirely. Two JumpShips escaped, jumping back out of the system, and many DropShips penetrated the defensive screen, burning at high speed toward Huntress. The victory came with heavy losses. The ''Starlight'' was lost with all hands in a collision with one of the Smoke Jaguar corvettes, the ''Emerald'' was destroyed and abandoned, and the ''Antrim'' was damaged beyond the possibility of field repair. Most of the other SLDF ships were damaged to some degree.<ref name=SW7>''Shadows of War'', ch. 7</ref><ref name=SW8>''Shadows of War'', ch. 8</ref>
  
−
Investigations concluded that this was the work of a professional assassin, as he had used a sophisticated expensive electronic code-cracking device to gain entry to the cabin. Extensive searches through the Invisible Truth failed to find either a trace of the assassin or electronics, but record cross checks of the ships crew turned up five red flags. On board were five ComStar crew members who simply did not exist before they had ''entered'' [[Comstar]]. As it turned out, these were the four Nekekami Theodore had personally gifted Morgan, plus the assassin. One of them, [[Rumiko Fox]], was subjected to a lie detector test, but the results were unclear. Major Ryans feeling (correctly) was that she had something to hide, but was not the assassin. The next candidate was [[Lucas Penrose]]. He killed the guards that arrested him, stole their weapons and fled into a room. The Marines arrived quickly in response but Penrose warned them that he had planted a bomb in one of the Invisible Truths Naval Autocannon magazines and would detonate it if he was not given a jumpship to take him back to the Inner Sphere and if Winston didn't surrender herself to him at once.
+
The Smoke Jaguar DropShips reached Huntress on 26 March, under the direct command of [[Star Colonel]] [[Paul Moon]].<ref name=SW5>''Shadows of War'', ch. 5</ref><ref name=SW8>''Shadows of War'', ch. 8</ref> Later that day, the ''[[Streaking Mist (Individual Black Lion-class WarShip)|Streaking Mist]]'', a ''[[Black Lion]]''-class WarShip, arrived at a [[pirate point]], delivering additional reinforcements led by Khan Lincoln Osis.<ref name=SW10>''Shadows of War'', ch. 10</ref> The Smoke Jaguars hit the task force hard, seizing control of Lootera, and forcing the invaders to retreat to the swamps and mountains. Over the next four days, the two sides fought a battle of attrition—each one caused losses to the other, but suffered its own in the process, and neither one could gain a decisive advantage. Paul Moon was critically wounded by an artillery strike and captured.<ref name=SW9>''Shadows of War'', ch. 9</ref> Lincoln Osis was seriously injured by the nekakami team when it destroyed the planet's secondary C3 center, but survived the attack and was evacuated to Strana Mechty.<ref name=SW19>''Shadows of War'', ch. 19</ref> General Winston was killed when a ''[[Summoner (Thor)|Thor]]'' destroyed the cockpit of her ''[[Cyclops]]''.<ref name=SW24>''Shadows of War'', ch. 24</ref>
  
−
Ludicrous as the demands were, Winston complied to buy time to investigate the threat. Conversing with the man at gunpoint, she eventually realized that the hand he was holding behind his back, suggesting he was holding the trigger for a detonator, was in fact empty. With this knowledge, she risked jumping Penrose, a zero-G wrestling match spilling out into the corridor over his gun, but the Marines had no clear target. Just as it seemed Penrose was about to succeed in killing her, Penrose was suddenly hit (maybe by [[Kasugai Hatsumi]]) with a poisoned Shuriken, something seen only briefly by Winston before she swung the suddenly slack gun back and shot Penrose. As guards and MedTechs stormed in, Kasugai Hatsumi (disguised as a MedTech) retrieved the Shuriken leaving no clear evidence. Winstons insistence of what she had seen led to Dr Donati again investigating, finding a tiny wound where she thought she had seen it, with traces of nerotoxin. Although suspicious of the events, Winston (who had come into knowedlge of the Nekekami-team when watching the Vid Morgan had left for her in the vent of his death as his nominated deputy) was later contacted by Kasugai Hatsumi indirectly. He confirmed that Rumiko had been one of his agents and told her a story about ''Penrose'' being a rogue Loki-agent, asking for the release of his agent.
+
Victory was assured for Task Force Serpent when, on 30 March, a fleet consisting of units from Task Force Bulldog, led by [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], appeared at the Huntress zenith point. Ten days later, the Bulldog reinforcements arrived on planet and overwhelmed the remaining Smoke Jaguars, most of whom chose to fight to the death rather than surrender.<ref name=SW24/>
  
−
Shortly after the funeral of Morgan Hasek-Davion, the ships of TFS received a [[Voice of Kerensky|broadband transmission]] sent by [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] himself. It was a declaration explaining why the General had taken the [[SLDF]] from the [[Inner Sphere]]. As the message was traveling at lightspeed, it would not reach the Inner Sphere for several centuries after it had been sent. However, the Voice aided in the location of the Clan Homeworlds.
+
==Aftermath==
 +
From a force originally equal to ten regiments, Task Force Serpent had been reduced to less than two. Each unit was granted salvage rights to equipment sufficient to restore it to 110% of its original strength, with the rest pooled and sold to form a fund for survivors and families of the deceased. Colonel [[Paul Masters]] was placed in command of salvage and recovery operations on Huntress, while Victor Steiner-Davion led an expedition to [[Strana Mechty]].<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', ch. 2</ref> General [[Andrew Redburn]] and a lance of the Kathil Uhlans accompanied him and fought alongside him in the [[Great Refusal]], defeating Lincoln Osis and the last of the Smoke Jaguars.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', ch. 10</ref><ref>''Prince of Havoc'', ch. 14</ref>
  
−
===Sabotage on Huntress===
+
After its return to the Inner Sphere, Task Force Serpent was dissolved. The Eridani Light Horse were integrated into the Second Star League Defense Force.<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 89</ref> The First Kathil Uhlans were disbanded and most surviving members were assigned to the newly-formed [[1st Royal BattleMech Regiment|First Royal BattleMech Regiment]].<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 101</ref> While the Northwind Highlanders returned to their mercenary life, the [[Royal Black Watch]] joined the Star League Defense Force as well, returning to its place as bodyguards of the [[First Lord]].<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98</ref> The Fourth Drakøns were disbanded and the survivors spread among the rest of the [[KungsArmé]].<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98</ref>
−
In order to cripple the space defenses of the Smoke Jaguars' Huntress system, DEST teams were dispatched to eliminate key control facilities on the planet. To infiltrate the Clan Homeworld, the teams used a captured ''[[Broadsword]]'' class DropShip, which had been seized at the [[Battle of Gibraltar]].
 
  
−
The DEST teams parachuted from the DropShip while it simulated a crash and disappeared. The DEST teams reached the Huntress C<sup>3</sup> and [[SDS]] command center, which they destroyed with several bombs. During the fighting to extract themselves, the DEST team suffered several casualties, leaving behind proof that Inner Sphere forces were behind this attack. They hid in the wilderness to await the arrival of the rest of Task Force Serpent.
+
==Composition==
 +
Operation SERPENT was one of the largest military operations conducted by the Inner Sphere since the fall of the original [[Star League]]. In total, the task force consisted of 55,000 personnel; over a thousand [[BattleMech]]s, [[aerospace fighter]]s and [[combat vehicle]]s; ninety-eight [[DropShip]]s; and twenty-seven [[JumpShip]]s and [[WarShip]]s.<ref name=TH14>''The Hunters'', ch. 14</ref><ref name=TwotCp8/>
  
−
===Assault on Huntress===
+
===Ground units===
−
On March 5th [[3060]], Task Force Serpent entered the [[Huntress]] system. They encountered three [[Clan Smoke Jaguar|Smoke Jaguar]] WarShips: one ''[[Sovetskii Soyuz]]'' and two ''[[Vincent]]''s. The ''Sovetskii-Soyuz'' and one ''Vincent'' were destroyed, and the other ''Vincent'' was crippled. TFS fleet casualties included the loss of the ''Rostock'' while the ''Smaragd'' and ''Starlight'' were heavily damaged.
+
* [[Eridani Light Horse]]
 +
** [[21st Striker Regiment|Twenty-first Striker Regiment]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
** [[71st Light Horse Regiment|Seventy-first Light Horse Regiment]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
** [[151st Light Horse Regiment]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
* [[Northwind Highlanders]]
 +
** [[MacLeod's Regiment]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
** [[1st Gurkhas|First Gurkhas]] (battalion)
 +
** [[Royal Black Watch]] (company)
 +
* [[1st Kathil Uhlans|First Kathil Uhlans]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
* [[2nd St. Ives Lancers|Second St. Ives Lancers]] (reinforced battalion)
 +
* [[Kingston's Legionnaires]] (regiment)
 +
* [[1st Knights of the Inner Sphere|Knights of the Inner Sphere]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
* [[11th Lyran Guards|Eleventh Lyran Guards]] (reinforced regiment)
 +
* [[2nd Division (ComStar)|Com Guard Second Division]] (regiment)
 +
* [[4th Drakøns|Fourth Drakøns]] (reinforced battalion)
  
−
* The [[Eridani Light Horse]] attacked the planetary capital of [[Lootera]], in two main thrusts. The [[21st Striker Regiment]] and the [[151st Light Horse]] assaulted a huge [[sibko]] training camp just outside Lootera. The [[71st Light Horse]] captured the genetic repository, but suffered heavy losses among its infantry. They had to be reinforced by the 3rd Section of the [[2nd Division (ComStar)|2nd ComGuards Division]].
+
===Special operations forces===
−
* The [[1st Kathil Uhlans|First Kathil Ulans]] attacked the city [[Myers]] with only minor problems.
+
* [[DEST]] - Teams Four, Five and Six; ten operatives each; [[Kage]] [[battle armor]]
−
* The [[Northwind Highlanders]] attacked the industrial center of [[Pahn City]]. Due to [[Trent]]'s information, they were able to jam the frequencies of the defending Smoke Jaguars, thus crippling their defensive efforts.
+
* [[Department of Military Intelligence|MI6]] - two teams of ten operatives each; [[Infiltrator Mk. I]] battle armor
−
* The [[2nd St. Ives Lancers|Second St. Ives Lancers]] and the [[4th Drakons|Fourth Rasalhague Drakons]] attacked a small sibko camp on the other side of the planet, losing five 'Mechs in the process.
+
* [[ROM]] - one agent {{Citation needed}}
−
* The Knights of the Inner Sphere and [[Kingston's Legionnaires]] attacked a large sibko camp near the city of [[New Andery]]. During the long and hard battle, they were hit hard by [[ProtoMech]]s and flank-attacked by a frontline Cluster. They had to retreat into the jungle with heavy losses. They were finally able to to achieve victory when reinforced by the 1st and 2nd Sections of the 2nd ComGuards Division, which made a [[combat drop]] to relieve them.
+
* [[Nekakami]] - four operatives
−
* The [[11th Lyran Guards|Eleventh Lyran Guard]] landed near [[Bagera]], but were attacked by a small force of 'Mechs and Elementals while their own 'Mechs were still unloading. Due to the chaos caused by the attack on their Landing Zone, it took too long to destroy the enemy force and the Lyran Guard suffered several losses. When they finally moved on Bagera, they were attacked by a frontline cluster and had to retreat. [[Marshall]] [[Sharon Byron]] was wounded during the battle and called for Orbital Fire Support from the warships in the orbit. The attacking cluster was wiped out in a single salvo. The Eleventh Lyran Guard lost about half of its 'Mechs in this battle.
 
−
* The MI6 teams, the ''Rabid Foxes'', established an observation post to keep the local [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]] base under surveillance. They were attacked by a Point of Smoke Jaguar [[Elemental]]s, whom they defeated with heavy losses to themselves.
 
  
−
After the initial series of attacks, approximately three trinaries of Smoke Jaguar forces survived and regrouped in the wilderness under the command of [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Russou Howell]]. While Task Force Serpent began systematically destroying and pillaging all military and industrial structures (including the destruction of statues honoring Smoke Jaguar heroes), the remaining Smoke Jaguars staged a successful raid on the Northwind Highlanders position, capturing ammunition and supplies.
+
===Fleet===
−
 
+
* ISS ''[[Invisible Truth (Individual Cameron-class WarShip)|Invisible Truth]]'' - [[ComStar]], ''[[Cameron (WarShip class)|Cameron]]''-class battlecruiser<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
===Smoke Jaguar Reinforcements===
+
* ISS ''[[Ranger (Individual Lola III-class WarShip, ComStar)|Ranger]]'' - ComStar, ''[[Lola III]]''-class destroyer<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
On March 19th 3060, the remnants of the Smoke Jaguar Inner Sphere garrison forces reached [[Huntress]]. They were under the command of [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Hang Mehta]] and consisted of 340 'Mech and Elemental [[Point]]s (roughly two [[Galaxy|Galaxies]] in strength). However it had less than 50 Fighters available for air support. During the initial battle for Huntress, Galaxy-commander Russou Howell had sent an emergency signal to [[Khan]] [[Lincoln Osis]]. Lincoln Osis used a series of [[HPG]] stations to give Hang Mehta new orders: wipe out all Inner Sphere forces on Huntress and reconquer the planet.
+
* ISS ''[[Emerald (Individual Essex-class WarShip)|Emerald]]'' - ComStar, ''[[Essex]]''-class destroyer<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
 
+
* ISS ''[[Starlight (Individual Essex-class WarShip)|Starlight]]'' - ComStar, ''Essex''-class destroyer<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
Hang Mehta had to realize how far the IS-forces had come: A ''Fox'' class WarShip stood arrogant and idle at the zenith [[jump point]] and opened uncoded transmissions from the forces on Huntress. Hang Mehta ordered her WarShips (one ''[[Liberator (WarShip)|Liberator]]'' and two ''[[Vincent]]s'') to attack the enemy wherever possible. The DropShips were to travel to Huntress with maximum speed. And the JumpShips should try to escape.<br> [[Commodore]] [[Alain Beresick]] from the ''ISS Invisible Truth'' ordered the IS JumpShips to save themselves as well.
+
* DCS ''[[Haruna (Individual Kyushu-class WarShip)|Haruna]]'' - [[Draconis Combine]], ''[[Kyushu]]''-class frigate<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
 
+
* FCS ''[[Antrim (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|Antrim]]'' - [[Federated Commonwealth]], ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class corvette<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
A battle ensued between the Inner Sphere and Smoke Jaguar WarShips. The ''Invisible Truth'' destroyed the ''Liberator'' (the ''[[Korat]]'') with aid from the ''Firefang''. The ''Emerald'' was crippled, but avenged by the ''Starlight'', which destroyed the ''Vincent'' class ''[[Ripper]]''. The other ''Vincent'', the ''[[Azow]]'', tried to attack the ''Starlight'', but both ships were so heavily damaged that they collided accidentally. The ''Antrim'' tried to intercept the Smoke Jaguar DropShips, but was heavily damaged.<br> After the battle, the Inner Sphere fleet consisted of four ships: ''Invisible Truth, Ranger, Haruna'' and ''Firefang''.
+
* FCS ''[[Rostock (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|Rostock]]'' - Federated Commonwealth, ''Fox''-class corvette<ref name=TwotCp8/>
−
 
+
* CGBS ''[[Fire Fang (Individual Whirlwind-class WarShip)|Fire Fang]]'' - [[Clan Ghost Bear]], ''[[Whirlwind]]''-class destroyer (captured at [[Battle of Trafalgar]])<ref name=TH28>''The Hunters'', ch. 28</ref>
−
While the Smoke Jaguar reinforcements were on the way to the planet, Ariana Winston regrouped her troops: The Eridani Light Horse, the 2nd ComGuard Division and the Second St. Ives Lancers were concentrated at Lootera, and dubbed the 'North-Group'. General [[Andrew Redburn]] was given command of the 'South-Group' stationed at [[Osis Lake]], between the Dhuan swamps and the Shikarid jungle. This group consisted of the First Kathil Uhlans, the Knights of the Inner Sphere and the Northwind Highlanders.  The damaged Lyran Guard, the Drakons and Kingston's Legionnaires were hidden in the Lunar mountains as a reserve force.
+
* Various [[JumpShip]]s and [[DropShip]]s<ref name=TH12>''The Hunters'', ch. 12</ref>
−
 
+
*: ''[[Asturias (Individual JumpShip)|Asturias]]'' - ComStar (unknown class)<ref name="THp123">''The Hunters'', p. 123: "Chapter 14"</ref>
−
On March 26th, the Smoke Jaguar Forces landed on Huntress. [[Star Colonel]] [[Paul Moon]] received orders to attack the Inner Sphere forces at Lootera with two Clusters (roughly 100 'Mechs and Elemental-points), but his troops were defeated by a solid formation and heavy artillery fire. Moon himself was crippled by an artillery grenade, taken prisoner by the Eridani and spent the rest of the [[Battle of Huntress]] in a coma.<br> The South Group was hit harder and had to fight a running battle for several hours. It suffered heavy losses and had to constantly retreat and regroup.
 
−
 
 
−
The same day, Khan Lincoln Osis' combat group arrived at Huntress. The Smoke Jaguar flagship, the ''[[Streaking Mist]]'', jumped right into planetary orbit, carrying three units: ''[[Jaguar's Den]]'', ''[[Mist Keshik]]'' and ''[[Heart of the Jaguar]]''. The firepower of the ''Mist Keshik'', the ''Heart of the Jaguar'' and the few other remaining Smoke Jaguar forces from that area, combined with an air-attack by the Keshik's fighters, drove the South Group deep into the Dhuan swamps to avoid destruction.
 
−
 
 
−
The ''Jaguar's Den'' joined with the northern forces of Hang Mehta. In a daring night attack, her forces attempted to flank the North Group. At the same time, a fast 'Mech trinary entered Lutera for a surprise attack. The main force bypassed the Eridani positions and attacked the ComGuards, which held the spaceport. The ComGuards were able to hold out until the Eridani arrived. The 151st Light Horse led the counterattack and the Smoke Jaguars were beaten back. They retreated right into the St. Ives Lancers' positions on the 'Field of Heroes', which were already desperately fighting the sole 'Mech trinary that by-passed the ELH positions.
 
−
 
 
−
:''Note: It is unclear, at which point of this battle Russou Howell's cluster joined the carnage.''
 
−
 
 
−
In the ensuing chaos, the morale of the Inner Sphere troops cracked and they retreated into the wilderness. Clan Smoke Jaguar had reconquered Lootera. The North Group acted swiftly to extract as many wounded from the field hospital set up in the genetic repository as possible, but many were in no condition to be moved and became prisoners.
 
−
 
 
−
The ''Heart of the Jaguar'' was ordered by saKhan [[Brandon Howell]] to drive the South Group out of the swamps. On March 28th, the unit engaged the South Group and both units suffered heavy damage. The North Group established a new defense in the Shikarid mountains, west of Lootera and fought several small but hard skirmishes. At the same time, Hang Mehta's troops reconfigured their 'Mechs with energy weapons, due to a shortage of ammunition. At this time, Hang Mehta commanded roughly 150 'Mechs and 20 Elemental-Points.
 
−
 
 
−
Upon receiving intelligence of this refit, Ariana Winston ordered an attack on the Smoke Jaguars. The attack was scheduled to begin on March 28th, right before sunrise. At this time, the Eridani Light Horse was at 60% strength. The main force for this attack were the 21st Striker Regiment and the 2nd ComGuard Division, with the 151st Light Horse covering the right flank and the mountains covering the left flank. However, the Smoke Jaguars noticed them on the march and hastily prepared for a battle. The Inner Sphere forces were beaten back and Colonel [[Edwin Amis]] from the 21st Striker was taken prisoner.
 
−
 
 
−
As nearly all the air/space-forces of Clan Smoke Jaguar were destroyed, and those of Task Force Serpent were almost intact, Ariana Winston ordered them on March 29th to attack the Smoke Jaguars harassing the South Group. Indeed, the Smoke Jaguars pulled back to their base at the border of the swamp to figure out a new strategy. At this time, the Kathil Uhlans consisted of 56 'Mechs and the Highlanders and Knights had approximately 1 'Mech Battalion each remaining.
 
−
 
 
−
The North Group retreated deeper and deeper into the mountainous wilderness. At this time, the Eridani Light Horse consisted of 96 'Mechs, the 2nd ComGuard Division consisted of 53 'Mechs and the 2nd St. Ives Lancers of 21 'Mechs. All units had suffered heavy losses, especially among lighter scout units and conventional infantry. Additionally, supplies were running out: the North-Group was unable to repair the armor damage to some of its 'Mechs and others were slowly running out of ammunition.<br> Task Force Serpent was completely unaware that they were facing the last remains of Clan Smoke Jaguar: approximately 4 clusters of frontline- and secondline-units. They thought Lincoln Osis had brought at least a whole additional Galaxy to Huntress and that further Smoke Jaguar reinforcements could arrive anytime.
 
−
 
 
−
Ariana Winston decided to activate her last reserves. Her plan called for all remaining WarShips to come to Huntress and either bombard the planet from orbit or extract the survivors of Task Force Serpent. The Lyran Guard would reinforce the South Group, while the 4th Rasalhague Drakons and Kingston's Legionnaires would reinforce the North Group. However, their DropShips would still need some time to transport the troops. Finally, when she received intelligence that the Smoke Jaguars had managed to reactivate the secondary C<sup>3</sup> center and the [[HPG]], she ordered the Nekekami to destroy these installations.
 
−
 
 
−
By noon on March 29th, the North Group was attacked in strength, losing all their artillery, most of their supplies, and their wounded as prisoners. They also lost about 20 'Mechs (mainly from the 71st Light Horse), but the Smoke Jaguars also lost 20 'Mechs as well, which was bad for them, as they had started with fewer 'Mechs at the beginning.
 
−
 
 
−
By afternoon a heavy thunderstorm hit Lootera and the Nekekami used it as cover to sneak into the city. Ariana Winston had tried to explain that hideous murder would threaten the high morale they claimed, but [[Kasugai Hatsumi]] was not in the mood for mercy. The Nekekami infiltrated the building, killed all the guards they encountered and planted a time-bomb in the basement. During their exfiltration, they ran into Lincoln Osis and his bodyguards. The Nekekami reacted swiftly and killed the guards with poisoned shiruken. Kasugai Hatsumi then challenged Lincoln Osis to a sword duel to exact personal revenge on him for the attacks on the [[Draconis Combine]]. The rest of the Nekekami fled. Lincoln Osis narrowly won the duel, but he suffered a deep flesh-wound in his left leg and the blood-loss almost killed him. He survived only by sheer luck when an Elemental patrol found him. They rushed him to a hospital, minutes before the building exploded. Russou Howell was seen to leave the building moments before the explosion, though never again.
 
−
 
 
−
===Avoiding Annihilation===
 
−
 
 
−
The North Group retreated westwards, deeper into the mountains. Their movement was slowed because they lacked proper maps of the area. The Smoke Jaguars, however, did not have these difficulties. They not only had maps with the necessary resolution, but they also had more experience with the landscape.
 
−
 
 
−
On March 29th, Task Force Serpent tried to set an artillery-trap: The remnants of the DEST waited in a pass, armed with a portable [[Target Acquisition Gear|TAG]], hidden behind rocks. The rest of the North Group was several kilometers in the west, their [[Arrow IV]]-launchers ready. Indeed, they only had to wait half a day until a major Smoke Jaguar force showed up: at least 35 'Mechs and several Elementals. But after they had lost four 'Mechs (3 destroyed and 1 crippled), they simply stormed the ambush. Only two members of the DEST survived.
 
−
 
 
−
The North Group prepared for defense, but their chances were slim: the Eridani had roughly 60 'Mechs (medium to assault), the ComGuards had 31 'Mechs (but only 19 capable of serious combat) and the St. Ives Lancers roughly 8. Both sides engaged head-on in a narrow pass, but soon something strange was reported: the Elementals had disappeared.
 
−
 
 
−
A task-force, led by Hang Mehta herself, bypassed the TFS-positions and attacked their camp. The camp was defended by 19' Mechs<!--Black Knight, Jaegermech, Cesar, Victor...--> and some infantry, but they were outnumbered against the Smoke Jaguars' ten heavy OmniMechs and two Elemental points. The Smoke Jaguars pillaged the camp; all remaining supplies were either robbed or destroyed and all noncombatants were either taken prisoner or swiftly executed.
 
−
 
 
−
Finally the main force of the North Group was able to push back the Smoke Jaguars, but returned to a destroyed base and no choice other than retreat further. By that time, [[Major]] [[Marcus Poling]] from the 2nd St. Ives Lancers had died after being literally cut in half by an Elemental's machine gun salvo. The 2nd St. Ives Lancers had been reduced to one 'Mech (a ''[[Victor]]'') and about a handful of infantry.
 
−
 
 
−
By sunrise on March 30th, the reinforcements for the South Group and the North Group arrived. The Rasalhague Drakons and Kingston's Legionnaires reinforced the South Group. [[Andrew Redburn]] decided to force his troops to an extreme march, to reach the North Group at any cost, before it could be wiped out. The 11th Lyran Guards brought much-needed supplies to the North Group. With enough time, it could have been able to repair most of their remaining 'Mechs. But they did not get this chance: Alain Beresick reported a yet unidentified fleet of JumpShips had arrived. Contact with the WarShips at the [[jump point]]s was lost. This further demoralized the already mentally-depleted troops.
 
−
 
 
−
By noon, the Smoke Jaguars attacked (among them 'Mechs from the [[Jaguar's Den]]). They had to get through a choke-point, which was only big enough to host about half a dozen 'Mechs at one time. Both sides kept feeding troops to the meatgrinder. Enraged by all these losses, Ariana Winston ran into battle with her ''[[Cyclops]]'', pushing a ''[[Grasshopper]]'' aside and taking his place. She attacked a ''[[Summoner]]'', but had not enough firepower for a quick kill. The ''Summoner'' struck her ''Cyclops'' with a punch and she went to the ground. The ''Summoner'' shot his PPC right into the cockpit of the defenseless 'Mech. Winston's death was revenged by [[Colonel]] [[Charles Antonescu]], who kept firing on the ''Summoner'' until it was reduced to a pile of glowing scrap-metal.  
 
−
 
 
−
Minutes later, Alain Beresick reported that the incoming fleet carried the forces of [[Operation Bulldog]], which began immediate operations to relieve the parts of Task Force Serpent that were still under attack. In one of these actions, the [[Tenth Lyran Guard]] saved the Northwind Highlanders by performing a combat drop. Among the members of the Lyran Guard unit which took part in this relief was [[Major]] [[Archer Christifori]].
 
−
 
 
−
By March 9th, all battle operations were over. Intelligence indicated Khan Lincoln Osis had left for [[Strana Mechty]] five hours before Task Force Bulldog had arrived. Galaxy Commander Hang Mehta had committed suicide by a ritual duel. Most star colonels had committed suicide as well. Galaxy Commander Russou Howell was reported missing.
 
−
 
 
−
===Aftermath===
 
−
On April 9th, the last sign of Smoke Jaguar on Lootera, a gigantic fresco depicting a jumping jaguar, was destroyed after a speech by [[Victor Steiner-Davion]].
 
−
 
 
−
Less than one-third of the personnel of Task Force Serpent had survived. All units were scheduled rebuilding with salvaged Clan material. The Fourth Rasalhague Drakons were scheduled for a full overhaul to a battalion of OmniMechs. The rest of the salvaged material was to be auctioned, to create a fund for the families of those who had died.
 
−
 
 
−
One 'Mech company from the Kathil Uhlans joined Victor Steiner-Davion's forces for the battle on Strana Metchty.
 
−
 
 
−
Eventually, Task Force Serpent was dissolved. All remaining WarShips and the Eridani Light Horse were declared part of the new Star League Defense Forces. The First Kathil Uhlans were dissolved and most of its members were integrated in the newly formed [[1st Royal BattleMech Regiment]].
 
−
 
 
−
==Smoke Jaguar ''BattleForce'' Defense Forces==
 
−
 
 
−
<gallery>
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarjaguarsheart.PNG|[[The Jaguar's Heart| The Jaguar's Heart]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarprovgalaxyalphacluster.PNG|[[Alpha Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Alpha Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarprovgalaxybravocluster.PNG|[[Bravo Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Bravo Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarprovgalaxycharliecluster.PNG|[[Charlie Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Charlie Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarprovgalaxydeltacluster.PNG|[[Delta Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Delta Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguarprovgalaxyechocluster.PNG|[[Echo Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Echo Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar33rdassault.PNG|[[33rd Assault Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|33rd Assault Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar48thbattlecluster.PNG|[[48th Battle Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|48th Battle Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar12thsolahma.PNG|[[12th Solahma Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|12th Solahma Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar44thsolahma.PNG|[[44th Solahma Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|44th Solahma Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar63rdsolahma.PNG|[[63rd Solahma Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|63rd Solahma Cluster]]
 
−
File:Clansmokejaguar77thsolahma.PNG|[[77th Solahma Cluster (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|77th Solahma Cluster]]
 
−
</gallery>
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
 +
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
−
* ''[[Exodus Road (novel)|Exodus Road]]''
+
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
−
* ''[[Falcon Rising]]''
+
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Freebirth (novel)|Freebirth]]''
+
* ''[[The Hunters]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]''
+
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[The Hunters]]''
+
* ''[[Shadows of War]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]''
+
* ''[[Sword and Fire]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Shadows of War]]''
+
* ''[[Twilight of the Clans]]''
−
* ''[[Sword and Fire]]''
 
−
*''[[Twilight of the Clans]]''  
 
−
 
 
  
−
[[Category:Star League Defense Force Commands]]
+
[[Category:Clan Invasion Era Military Operations|Task Force Serpent]]
 +
[[Category:Second Star League|Task Force Serpent]]

Latest revision as of 21:10, 10 January 2024

Task Force Serpent emblem (2).jpg
Task Force Serpent
Formed 3058
Disbanded 3061
Affiliation Second Star League
Parent Command Second Star League Defense Force (SLDF)

Task Force Serpent was a multinational task force created by the Second Star League Defense Force to execute a secret military operation conceived and led by Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion: Travel to the Clan Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress, occupy it, and completely destroy the war-making capability of the Clan. The mission complemented Operation BULLDOG, whose objective was to expel the Smoke Jaguars from every world they occupied in the Inner Sphere.

After a long journey through the Deep Periphery to the Clan Homeworlds, Task Force Serpent ultimately completed its mission with the assistance of elements from Operation BULLDOG, which had succeeded ahead of schedule. Clan Smoke Jaguar was effectively wiped out, but at heavy cost to the task force. Marshal Hasek-Davion, the task force commander, was assassinated en route; his successor, General Ariana Winston, was killed in action; and the task force suffered an eighty percent casualty rate.

Commission and departure[edit]

On 14 November 3058, during a military planning session at the First Whitting Conference for the first wave of Operation BULLDOG, Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht presented new intelligence that had been provided by the Smoke Jaguar defector, Trent. The information included the Exodus Road and the location of Huntress, the Smoke Jaguar homeworld. Morgan Hasek-Davion proposed and volunteered to lead a strike at Huntress designed to raze it, shocking the Clan and wiping out all traces of the warrior caste.[1] The First Council approved the plan and appointed Hasek-Davion as the Task Force Commander.[2]

In late January 3059, the units assigned to Task Force Serpent began to assemble at Defiance, a barren planet deep in the Crucis March of the Federated Commonwealth, which had mostly been used for military training maneuvers.[3] Serpent's ground forces consisted of the Eridani Light Horse, the First Kathil Uhlans, the Northwind Highlanders, the Com Guard Second Division, the Eleventh Lyran Guards, the Second Sword of Light, the Second St. Ives Lancers, the Fourth Drakøns, the Knights of the Inner Sphere, and Kingston's Legionnaires, a regiment of questionable honor.[4] For the next several months the ground units conducted training and integration exercises, fighting alongside one another, with ComStar's Invader Galaxy taking an OpFor role. DEST and MI6 teams, assigned to the task force for special operations, trained for spacecraft boarding actions.[5]

The assembled fleet had seven WarShips. Four were ComStar vessels: the Cameron-class battlecruiser Invisible Truth; the Lola III-class destroyer Ranger; and two Essex-class destroyers, Emerald and Starlight.[6] The Federated Commonwealth provided two Fox-class corvettes, Antrim and Rostock, and the Draconis Combine supplied its newest Kyushu-class frigate, Haruna.[7]

Task Force Serpent departed on 1 May 3059, following a route through Weldon, Vicente, Tsamma and Palmyra on its way through the Federated Commonwealth.[8] On 29 June the task force jumped from Pajarito into the Outworlds Alliance.[9] On 19 July, after recharging jump drives at Alpheratz, Task Force Serpent entered the Deep Periphery and began its journey along the Exodus Road to Huntress.[10]

Battle of Sweetwater Lake[edit]

On 16 November, Task Force Serpent stopped at a habitable planet in the Meribah system to replenish the fleet's supply of fresh water. Two specially-modified Mule-class DropShips were dispatched to the surface, escorted by the Twenty-first Striker Regiment's Fifth Striker Battalion. As the DropShips pumped water from a lake, which the crews dubbed "Sweetwater", the Eridani unit was attacked by a mixed force of Inner Sphere BattleMechs and Clan OmniMechs, who were swiftly defeated.[11]

The enemy turned out to be a group of pirates using the planet for a base of operations. With the pirates' main force absent on a raid, Marshal Hasek-Davion ordered that the pirate base be wiped out in order to maintain the secrecy of the task force. The next day, a combined Eridani-MI6 strike team destroyed the pirate base and released the slaves found there. Four pirate leaders were court-martialed for piracy and murder and were summarily executed. The rest of the pirates were convicted of lesser crimes and sentenced to be marooned on a uninhabited planet.[12]

Battle of Trafalgar[edit]

Main article: Battle of Trafalgar
Task Force Serpent's JumpShip fleet with Invisible Truth leading it.

On 15 December, after jumping into an unnamed star system, Task Force Serpent unexpectedly encountered a small Clan Ghost Bear fleet, consisting of a Congress-class frigate, two Whirlwind-class destroyers and an Invader-class JumpShip. Marshal Hasek-Davion hailed them and declared a Trial of Possession for the entire Clan fleet, and Star Colonel Alonso Gilmour accepted his challenge. Engaging the enemy with naval assets and boarding teams, the task force defeated the Ghost Bears in what became known as the Battle of Trafalgar.

The task force suffered modest losses in its victory. The Hainan, an Avenger-class DropShip, was destroyed, the Starlight lost some of her weapons, and casualties totaled twenty-six dead, thirty-two wounded, and four missing.

The Ghost Bear starships were all disabled or destroyed. The Fire Fang, one of the Whirlwinds, was repaired and put into service as the eighth WarShip of the task force. The task force also captured an undamaged Clan Broadsword-class DropShip (renamed the Stiletto), a couple of damaged Union-C-class DropShips, a dozen OmniFighters, a Star of OmniMechs, and several tons of consumable supplies.[13]

Task Force Serpent also took possession of roughly three hundred bondsmen, mostly lower-caste members who were being relocated to the Inner Sphere. Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion directed that any Clansmen who willingly gave their bond-oath would be accepted into service, while the rest would be marooned on a habitable world.[13] On 30 December, the fleet located a suitable planet and deposited on it the prisoners who had not joined, leaving them with some supplies and the promise that, if the task force completed its mission, someone would come back for them.[14]

Assassination of Morgan Hasek-Davion[edit]

“ He was the last of the old order of things. We'll never see his like again. ”
  — General Ariana Winston

During the night of 2 January 3060, Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion died in his quarters aboard the Invisible Truth. His death was initially attributed to heart failure, but subsequent forensic investigations determined that he was deliberately poisoned with a fast-acting toxin introduced into his scotch whiskey.[15][16]

On 10 January, General Ariana Winston, Task Force Serpent's second-in-command, announced that Hasek-Davion's death was under investigation and formally assumed command. With the fleet less than 200 light-years from Huntress, she reviewed the orders and reports he had left for her in the event of his death. One of these revealed that in addition to units officially assigned to the task force, Coordinator Theodore Kurita had "gifted" a team of four nekakami.[17]

As the investigation progressed, suspicion fell on five ComStar crew members who had no records of their existence before they joined ComStar.[18] On 23 January the two suspects who had originally been assigned to Invisible Truth were summoned for interrogation. The first suspect, Julia Davis, seemed to be hiding something, but her interrogator, Sho-sa Michael Ryan, concluded that she was probably not involved in the assassination. She was relieved of duty and confined to quarters.[19]

Two ComStar marines were escorting the second suspect, Lucas Penrose, to his interrogation, when he killed them both with a hidden holdout pistol, stole their weapons, and barricaded himself in a recreation room on Deck Four. Penrose claimed that he had planted a bomb in the ship's number three magazine, and threatened to destroy the ship unless General Winston met his demands. As Winston conversed with Penrose, she perceived that the hand he was keeping behind his back, supposedly holding a detonator, was empty. With this knowledge she jumped Penrose, wrestling him for his gun. Penrose was hit in the back with a poisoned shuriken, enabling Winston to seize his gun and shoot him in the chest.[19] The poison and the gunshot wound were both fatal.[20]

Ordnance crews and DEST demolitions experts could find no evidence of explosives in the number three magazine or anywhere else on the ship, confirming that Penrose had been bluffing.[21] After returning to her office, General Winston received a voice-only call from one of the nekakami agents, who asserted that Penrose had acted alone. According to him: "Lucas Penrose" was a Loki agent who had been an assassin, first for the Lyran Commonwealth and later for the Lyran Alliance. The nekakami asked that "Julia Davis" be released from custody, and abruptly ended the call.[20]

Voice of Kerensky[edit]

Main article: Voice of Kerensky

At the conclusion of Hasek-Davion's funeral on 11 January, the ships of Task Force Serpent received a broadband transmission sent by General Aleksandr Kerensky. In his brief message, he explained why he had taken the original Star League Defense Force from the Inner Sphere and expressed his hope that their descendants would one day return to serve as the Star League's protectors. Because the message was sent by microwave, it was traveling at light-speed, and wouldn't reach the Inner Sphere for hundreds of years more. The task force would have missed the message completely if it hadn't been delayed by Hasek-Davion's death.[22]

Battle of Huntress[edit]

Main article: Battle of Huntress (3060)

Invasion[edit]

The invasion of Huntress began on 19 February with the covert insertion of an advance team. DCS Haruna, broadcasting stolen IFF codes, jumped into the Huntress system, detached the Stiletto, and jumped out again. The Stiletto, claiming to be on an unscheduled supply transfer mission, dropped DEST teams onto the planet's surface and feigned a crash landing into the Dhuan Swamp. On 5 March, the DEST teams struck the planetary command and operations center beneath Mount Szabo, crippling it and disabling the Reagan Space Defense System, clearing the way for the invasion to follow.[23]

That same day, the Serpent fleet jumped into the Huntress zenith point and was met by a Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser, two Vincent-class corvettes, and a number of DropShips and OmniFighters. The Inner Sphere WarShips engaged without issuing any challenge, intending to destroy, not capture, the Smoke Jaguar fleet. They succeeded, destroying all three Clan WarShips, at the cost of the Rostock, which was lost with only five survivors.[24]

On 12 March, ground forces made landfall on Huntress, encountering opposition from planet-based aerospace units. They targeted military installations across Huntress: manufacturing centers at Myer and Pahn City; training facilities at Lootera, New Andery, Bagera, and Abysmal; and the planetary command center at Mount Szabo. The task force also moved to capture the Smoke Jaguar genetic repository. The elements of the task force were met with varying levels of resistance. The Eleventh Lyran Guards encountered a powerful, well-equipped force, and called in naval fire support from the Fire Fang to bombard the enemy units from orbit. The Second St. Ives Lancers and the Fourth Drakøns found that their objective was defended only by warrior training staff, while the Northwind Highlanders, the Knights of the Inner Sphere, and Kingston's Legionnaires were caught off-guard when they encountered ProtoMechs, a technology completely foreign to them.[25]

In spite of heavy losses, the assault on Huntress was a success. In less than twelve hours, the invaders accomplished their objectives and seized control of the planet.[26] Galaxy Commander Russou Howell rallied what forces he could and withdrew to the Black Shikari Jungle.[27]

Counterinvasion[edit]

On 19 March, three WarShips and five JumpShips belonging to Clan Smoke Jaguar arrived at the Huntress zenith point. This group, under Galaxy Commander Hang Mehta, had withdrawn from the Inner Sphere and was on its way to Huntress for refit and reorganization when Khan Lincoln Osis informed Mehta of the invasion and ordered her to retake the planet. Upon arrival, Mehta ordered all DropShips to detach and accompanied them toward the planet's surface, leaving Star Commodore Clarinda Stiles in command of the fleet. Commodore Alain Beresick, the task force naval commander, divided his forces, moving one group to intercept the enemy WarShips, and the other evading them to hit the enemy JumpShips and DropShips. The Star League was again victorious, destroying all three enemy WarShips, but failed to stop the Clan forces entirely. Two JumpShips escaped, jumping back out of the system, and many DropShips penetrated the defensive screen, burning at high speed toward Huntress. The victory came with heavy losses. The Starlight was lost with all hands in a collision with one of the Smoke Jaguar corvettes, the Emerald was destroyed and abandoned, and the Antrim was damaged beyond the possibility of field repair. Most of the other SLDF ships were damaged to some degree.[28][29]

The Smoke Jaguar DropShips reached Huntress on 26 March, under the direct command of Star Colonel Paul Moon.[30][29] Later that day, the Streaking Mist, a Black Lion-class WarShip, arrived at a pirate point, delivering additional reinforcements led by Khan Lincoln Osis.[31] The Smoke Jaguars hit the task force hard, seizing control of Lootera, and forcing the invaders to retreat to the swamps and mountains. Over the next four days, the two sides fought a battle of attrition—each one caused losses to the other, but suffered its own in the process, and neither one could gain a decisive advantage. Paul Moon was critically wounded by an artillery strike and captured.[32] Lincoln Osis was seriously injured by the nekakami team when it destroyed the planet's secondary C3 center, but survived the attack and was evacuated to Strana Mechty.[33] General Winston was killed when a Thor destroyed the cockpit of her Cyclops.[34]

Victory was assured for Task Force Serpent when, on 30 March, a fleet consisting of units from Task Force Bulldog, led by Victor Steiner-Davion, appeared at the Huntress zenith point. Ten days later, the Bulldog reinforcements arrived on planet and overwhelmed the remaining Smoke Jaguars, most of whom chose to fight to the death rather than surrender.[34]

Aftermath[edit]

From a force originally equal to ten regiments, Task Force Serpent had been reduced to less than two. Each unit was granted salvage rights to equipment sufficient to restore it to 110% of its original strength, with the rest pooled and sold to form a fund for survivors and families of the deceased. Colonel Paul Masters was placed in command of salvage and recovery operations on Huntress, while Victor Steiner-Davion led an expedition to Strana Mechty.[35] General Andrew Redburn and a lance of the Kathil Uhlans accompanied him and fought alongside him in the Great Refusal, defeating Lincoln Osis and the last of the Smoke Jaguars.[36][37]

After its return to the Inner Sphere, Task Force Serpent was dissolved. The Eridani Light Horse were integrated into the Second Star League Defense Force.[38] The First Kathil Uhlans were disbanded and most surviving members were assigned to the newly-formed First Royal BattleMech Regiment.[39] While the Northwind Highlanders returned to their mercenary life, the Royal Black Watch joined the Star League Defense Force as well, returning to its place as bodyguards of the First Lord.[40] The Fourth Drakøns were disbanded and the survivors spread among the rest of the KungsArmé.[41]

Composition[edit]

Operation SERPENT was one of the largest military operations conducted by the Inner Sphere since the fall of the original Star League. In total, the task force consisted of 55,000 personnel; over a thousand BattleMechs, aerospace fighters and combat vehicles; ninety-eight DropShips; and twenty-seven JumpShips and WarShips.[8][6]

Ground units[edit]

Special operations forces[edit]

Fleet[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Grave Covenant, ch. 17
  2. ↑ Grave Covenant, ch. 18
  3. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 7
  4. ↑ Twilight of the Clans, pp. 8–9: "Task Force Serpent"
  5. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 9
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Twilight of the Clans, p. 8: "Task Force Serpent Composition"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Hunters, ch. 12
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Hunters, ch. 14
  9. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 16
  10. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 17
  11. ↑ The Hunters, chs. 18–19
  12. ↑ The Hunters, chs. 20–21
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Hunters, ch. 27
  14. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 29
  15. ↑ The Hunters, chs. 30–31
  16. ↑ Sword and Fire, chs. 1–2
  17. ↑ Sword and Fire, ch. 3
  18. ↑ Sword and Fire, ch. 7
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Sword and Fire, ch. 8
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sword and Fire, ch. 10
  21. ↑ Sword and Fire, ch. 9
  22. ↑ Sword and Fire, chs. 4–5
  23. ↑ Sword and Fire, chs. 13–15
  24. ↑ Sword and Fire, ch. 16
  25. ↑ Sword and Fire, chs. 17–22
  26. ↑ Sword and Fire, ch. 22
  27. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 3
  28. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 7
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Shadows of War, ch. 8
  30. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 5
  31. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 10
  32. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 9
  33. ↑ Shadows of War, ch. 19
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Shadows of War, ch. 24
  35. ↑ Prince of Havoc, ch. 2
  36. ↑ Prince of Havoc, ch. 10
  37. ↑ Prince of Havoc, ch. 14
  38. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 89
  39. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 101
  40. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 98
  41. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 98
  42. ↑ The Hunters, ch. 28
  43. ↑ The Hunters, p. 123: "Chapter 14"

Bibliography[edit]

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Task_Force_Serpent&oldid=1033790"