One Rabid Fox changes the Succession Wars [A Battletech Isekai]

[Bofors40mm]

Well methinks the dragoons are about to go get their naval cache early and hope everyone is too happy about having a counter to the RWR pretenders ships to ask too many questions

 

[Spectral Avatar]

If the clans even for a second seriously think there is an actual invasion by a revitalized RWR faction it will be war.


Not against the Inner Sphere…..yet.

They would probably cannonball thru the periphery to try and find/kill it first before turning their sights on everyone else.

 

[Bofors40mm]

Honestly depending on the circumstances and how Jamie phrases his report and to whom....could have clan wolf once again being clan plot armor and sending off a galaxy or 2 with the honor of dealing with the RWR stuff.

Also occurs to ms a HPG going offline doesn't have to be the result of a attack on it. Those things are pretty fickle due to limited parts production and people fully qualified to fix it running the thing non stop could have broken it down if it was scheduled for a overhaul sooner rather than later

 

[SChase]

I think this would be a great opportunity to mention collaboration of Kurita and Amaris. Even if it is just "concerning rumors".

 

[Imperator Pax]

I think this would be a great opportunity to mention collaboration of Kurita and Amaris. Even if it is just "concerning rumors".

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Yeah... especially since the RAC is about to have to fend off a Kuritan raid without much support since it coincides with the 19th attacking across the border and Robinson responding against them.

Because, well Sakhara is fully prepared to assume the worst, that the HPG station on Alpheratz has been destroyed that ComStar knows there are warships in play and that that news is going out, and overlooking the time it takes to actually distribute information so when that gets out, the immediate response after fighting it, is to call New Avalon, "Hey House Kurita showed up" with all implication.
--
And now is as good of a time as any to mention the 'unified' campaign timeline where dates don't quite line up one to one here, since in Mountain its because they run off different outlines of the timeline which is closest to Ghost's Timeline of events.

 

[BlueRanger O-Doom]

That's…oh hell. If the Clans hear about this they'll send SOMETHING, if not a full invasion after this Amaris Pretender. On top of that this might only be the first wave of a full invasion, we just don't know yet.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Yeah in Rabid Fox proper the Clans contact with the Inner sphere in a public fashion starts much earlier than either Ghost or in Aurigan

like yes in both of those the Clans show up earlier than in canon but thats for obvious reasons or in Rabid FOx the clans as a whole have a much bigger drive to get involved in the Inner Sphere

 

[Omni]

It is a fanon clan mech, from the Fanon Clan Fox
https://www.clanfox.com/downloads

https://www.clanfox.com/product-page/rabid-fox-heavy-mecha

EDIT: That being said the Zorya is not only a canonical clan vehicle its already in production but only two of those were present at Halstead Station

on the other hand they were also in Hells Horses colors.

On the other other hand besides the Rabid Fox B configuration he also pilots a rifleman some times so unless the Dragoons show up or pay extra attention to the actual roms they probably wouldn't figure it out immediately

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Just thought you should know that these links are dead...

Any chance of a PDF in DM?

 

[Imperator Pax]

Yeah I'll try and get on that but it'll be a minute

 

[Spectral Avatar]

You know I just realized something amusing. Assuming the clans did invade the periphery in an attempt to find this new RWR the Great Houses likely wouldn't care.

After all, "SLDF invades the periphery" is just business as usual

 

[LamaofTrauma]

You know I just realized something amusing. Assuming the clans did invade the periphery in an attempt to find this new RWR the Great Houses likely wouldn't care.

After all, "SLDF invades the periphery" is just business as usual

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Come on man, the SLDF invading the periphery is actually pretty rare. It only happens on days ending in Y.

 

[IcarusAscending]

Isn't a naval battle really bad for the clans? They were still using star league warships right?

 

[Blasterbot]

Isn't a naval battle really bad for the clans? They were still using star league warships right?

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which is more than the great houses have. also more than what C* has stashed away.

 

[IcarusAscending]

which is more than the great houses have. also more than what C* has stashed away.

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Yeah but the problem is that the enemy might have experience in naval combat. Something no one has

 

[Bofors40mm]

Yeah but the problem is that the enemy might have experience in naval combat. Something no one has

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i mean the snow ravens for sure have the experience since they use simulated weapons fire for trials and training inside their clan's naval assets and I think everyone else does as well. Albeit proper live fire stuff between warships of opposing forces of other clans is pretty rare.

 

[IcarusAscending]

i mean the snow ravens for sure have the experience since they use simulated weapons fire for trials and training inside their clan's naval assets and I think everyone else does as well. Albeit proper live fire stuff between warships of opposing forces of other clans is pretty rare.

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I was on my phone before so I couldn't type much but these are my arguments:

- The neo-amaris are still producing ships (maybe) meaning they might have improved naval technology
- They might have actual naval experience... somehow
- they won't engage in mech on mech combat when they can do battleship on planet instead

Anyway, they might not have degenerated like the clans have. They might have active yards which can make ships. Simply put, this could be a Star League tier army with all the numbers that implies.

 

[Imperator Pax]

New Avalon

Henry had paced most of the time he had been able to... which was to say in the privacy of his own suite and the reality of the JumpShip circuit meant he hadn't had much time to do that given that transfer from JumpShip to JumpShip with each ready to make the next jump in sequence meant they had been in a hurry. It didn't matter that the news wasn't yet public... people weren't stupid, nobles and merchants alike realized that something was afoot... the problem was there wasn't enough information, they didn't know enough.

They knew enough to cause a panic, not enough to meaningfully plan what to do... and it was infuriating. They were going to be stuck waiting for more information, interstellar distances the limitations of jump drives, and the hpg network all came together to make courier travel the most reliable, but slowest method he felt he could trust. It was why he was going in person to New Avalon... or rather why he had come so quickly to the capital.

The ordinary expense of such a rush was offset by the circuit belonging to him... and the scope of the potential emergency... but that just infuriatingly fed back into they didn't know enough... and the ride over with Yvonne Davion didn't help matters. She'd been waiting at the star port... apparently it would have been unseemly for Hanse to be there waiting which had been the original plan... in so far as plans had been drawn up.

Henry still wanted to pace, but the sitting room was no place to do it... especially not in a room full of Field Marshals, and lesser generals. Most were from the Crucis March, or the Military Intelligence Commands, there was a smattering from the Draconis March, but Aaron Sandoval was noticeable in his absence which made the Duke of New Syrtis's presence, continued presence on the capital, all the more noticeable. It was the circumstances of the meeting not the company, these were or at least most of them would have been the officers who would likely have been present for BattleMech, Armor, and Air talks. In fact, most of them could have been assembled for that very reason when the news had broken... but why they had been here wasn't as important.

Ian Davion was wearing an uncharacteristically somber, bordering on gaunt, expression. The First Prince took a breath, "What is the worst case scenario?" There was a sudden commotion, and he scowled, "Henry what is the worst that we could be looking at?"

The room went silent.

Henry Clay took a breath realizing the weight of the room had shifted, "The worst case? A portion of the Rim World Army has had two hundred odd years to build up after having fled the Inner Sphere after the defeat of Amaris," Give or take some time, "Have an industrial base that never backslid may have even continued to produce Hegemony level technology, never lost the ability to construct warships," He paused, "We know they have warships, we should expect them to use..."

Silence reasserted itself.

"What are the chances of the combine collaborating?"

"Realistically?" Well he had no way to make an informed...to make anything better than a wild ass guess, "But I'd say low... but that doesn't make us friends with them."

"No it most certainly doesn't," Ian agreed sharpishly with a nod, "I'm giving you nuclear command authorization if an attack is mounted against Sakhara, its the only option we feasibly have against warships." He declared in sweeping gesture, "Find me other options if you can, but its the only one I can off you at this time. To reflect that, I am brevetting you to the rank of Colonel in the Armed Forces of the Federates Suns with special dispensation." Ian stopped, "Sorry, continue with what you were saying before I asked about the Kuritans probably not throwing in with Amaris for a second go round."

"That's the problem, the feasible worst case scenario is that its an RWA," A rim world army, "with Star League era numbers, I don't think the evidence supports that, but its the worse case scenario. If they left the Inner Sphere or at the time of the collapse of the league with several million people we could be looking at a population base of a billion without having sustained a major war in two centuries...total forces is potentially measured in divisions, something along the lines of what the Rim World brought against the SLDF... and probably with the same equipment"

Which in contemporary terms would mean a great deal since on the fringe of the periphery even a few hundred million people on a planet was a large population, and there were worlds were even a few battlemechs were enough to give the local militia hell... it was why BattleMechs were favored when you only needed one good pilot to make a difference on a small battlefield.

The Combine had been going around kicking the OWA whenever the fancy had struck them for centuries really, but sending as had become Takashi Kurita's MO sending a company of BattleMechs to run around and cause havoc... 'raid'... and having to consider the possibility of a warship getting to orbit and simply bombarding the planet like it was the age of war.... the carnage of the war against Amaris had entailed all the horrors which would be unleashed in the first succession war against the other great houses... the free use of strategic level firepower against unprotected cities.

"I understand," Ian replied, "I also understand that in addition to the business people you brought along a couple of the Dragoons with your retinue?" It was a comment, for it wasn't really a question, that caused the generals to start to stir again ,"We need the dragoons more than ever I think watch the border with the Combine, keep House Kurita on its toes I'll need you along for that Henry." More stirring, "We've got a lot to do, a lot of work to be done for everyone, this is the greatest threat in generations." Ian declared to the room of assembled officers loud though not shouting but the temporary address was the only bone to which Ian paid the other men. "You had said previously there is an Amaris pretender yes?"

"Yes, but my best guess was he had fled to the rimward periphery.... but as I mentioned before leaving Sakhara," And as he had told the Dragoons, it was very possible that there were other pretenders, "Stefan Amaris the third was a nephew not a direct descendant of the Usurper, from what I understand one of the other pretenders that popped up on the Lyran frontier a few decades later was a direct descendant or claimed to be but..." But he hadn't expected this, he thought given the distances involved the news coming in from the Rimward periphery were far far from him, and thus too far to be his primary concern.

A part of him worried about the miscalculation, but there was nothing he could have seen as doing any different... he had kept eye on news of the Rimward periphery, but there was nothing to suggest it had anything to do with this. Nothing at all, "Is there something else? "

"The dragoons,"

Ian waved slightly, "Yes, now Yvonne has told me that they've taken up with House Marik after their civil war, but I want to speak with Colonel Wolf sooner rather than later. More so now than ever, but even without this we have the proof that Kurita collaborated with Amaris."

 

[Imperator Pax]

New Avalon

Henry had given another waiting room to get comfortable in, which was relative given the high stress situation they found themselves ... and the lack of information coming in. It wasn't Ian who walked in, but Hanse, "Ah Henry, this is Brevet General Kerston, of the Eridani Light Horse."

Fuck. Not that he said that out loud, but it was hard not to let the sentiment creep into his body language. The heir to the Federated Suns introduced a man who was about the duchess of Victoria's age, and one wearing the uniform of an SLDF Regulars Officer. There had been a number of possibilities Henry had considered, and topics he had hoped to bring up with Ian... not the least of which was to argue for royal patronage directly of Blackwell, and given the situation Mountain Wolf to expand the number of companies producing equipment that would buoy the Federated Suns war fighting capability. Even with that support it would be expensive, but having Ian put money into the program would help him offset cost, even if it was in a roundabout way, of the AFFS bought aircraft at market value.

... but he hadn't considered, and in hindsight should have considered that as one of the premier 'independent contractors' for the Federated Suns and certainly one of the largest the ELH would have been involved in an all hands on deck type scenario. They had probably already been available just for concerns on the Davion-Kurita border.

If it had just been Hanse he could have dealt with that. At Bristol they had talked about the modifications to the Rifleman, and Hanse had mentioned that trade with the Lyrans was a key policy agenda in his brother's rule. The rifleman and kallon deal had the potential to be expanded on both sides of the border deepening relations with the Archon's realm.

... but it wasn't just Hanse.

Henry nodded cordially to the general, glad he had worn a dark pinstripe suit and not his academy uniform, "General."

Brevest General Kerston was an almost gaunt looking man in late middle age. He wasn't quite heavy set, but he was probably on the other side of the hump and starting to gain weight as he put on years and spent more time behind a desk than in the cockpit of his 'mech. For a minute , Henry was sure he wanted to use words along the lines of young man or the like, "House Kurita betrayed the 19th​at Talitha, didn't they?"

"Among dozens of other regiments whose movements and positions were leaked to Amaris." He replied, and really it was more than that, dozens of 'mech regiments had been shredded by the Rimworld knowing they were coming and having time to prepare... and luring them into traps that killed civilians. "Talitha was just one of those."

"But men survived?'

"Amity City was, near a castle support complex for the training facility. Stasis tubes, fall back positions, wait, wait for Kerensky that was the plan." He replied in a resigned voice, "Didn't work out that way."

The heir to the realm nodded somberly, joining the conversation. "It was a gross betrayal of the Star League, of humanity as a whole really." Hanse declared, then gave a heavy sigh, "I had hoped to make these introductions under different circumstances." There had been plans for a conference, current rumor had suggested trying to move it from New Avalon to Northwind in order to try and pull units mercenaries not serving in Federated Suns space in so that Davion authorities could publicize the recording... but then this had happened. It was state calculus of course, Hanse was adjusting his formulations for what was best for his brother's realm, and how the other states of the Inner Sphere would react, which was where the next question was aimed. "You're sure that House Kurita won't collaborate?"

"Its been two hundred years of these wars, and I'm sure the current ruling coordinator knows what his ancestor did, but the RimWorld isn't sitting on Terra doesn't have control of the HPG network, doesn't have the advantage of... doesn't have any of the advantages they enjoyed at the end of the Star League... so no I don't think Takashi will make common cause especially with the fact they have warships the Kuritans don't I don't think, if he's survived as many attempts on his life as Yvonne says that Takashi looking like he could be pushed around by a periphery strongman and one with the Amaris legacy that their wouldn't be repercussions in the combine."

"Thats a small comfort given that Amaris colors are flying from warships again."

Which was a reminder of how Ian had responded to that news, "We're going to need to produce heavier aircraft, just with the Pinto, its fast well armored." And he still didn't have an immediate answer to that. An Alamo had to be carried by a fifty ton fighter but it negatively impacted flight characteristics... and, "The stuka facilities here on New Avalon could be expanded but that will take at least eight months to a year to get an aircraft expansion meaningfully." It wasn't ideal, they would still have to ship those aircraft off world but, "The line produces aircraft as it is, just not enough for what we are going to need."

"Good," The topic shift gave him time to work out what to say to Kerston, and the General wasn't interrupting, "What else can we do?"

"I don't know, as soon as Haakon jumped in we started sending messages out," Thus New Avalon had been apprised of the mess basically the same day he had been shown the assembled proof, "We're told they," ComStar, "can't raise Alpheratz, maybe the HPG just broke down, maybe they bombarded the planet," They in this case the Rim World warship.

"DropShip expansion?"

"DropShips with heavy weapons, the Pinto is fast, the alternative option are large carrier oriented DropShips." But it felt like he was just repeating himself. That Hanse was fishing for some magic solution, that Henry wasn't sure even existed. "Its going to be expensive, but its not something that when this threat is over with doesn't have other, we could reorient to other responsibilities from a defense perspective."

"Its going to be expensive, but you know that already." He remarked, "I'll introduce you to Lycomb, but I have to ask will this interfere with ground forces?"

"No. The factories are separate, we're prepared to ship out technical schematics, standardized weapons are based around being able to subcontract work to parts suppliers. In weapon terms PPCs are the bottleneck big ticket item," To the point there had been internal papers looking at whether or not they should refocus on Large Lasers, "But if we can expand supply sources and production both inside o f the Federated Suns with Blackwell, and push Lyran firms to expand production that should meet demands. There are existing bottleneck concerns for ammunition production," Something he had discussed with Lord Aaron regarding the variety of auto cannons in service with the DMM, "and the carrying capacity for keeping units supplied... but to the question of interfering with ground forces expansion with tanks and BattleMechs no."

There was another nod, "Good," He glanced over to Kerston,"We want you ready for next years Highland Faire at Northwind, full product line up, my understanding what I've argued to Ian about is that industrial build up takes time. You have just under a year, by Christmas a full line up of ... budget," Hanse seemed a little reluctant to use that word, "And the pricier options as well for sale to not just mercenaries but to demonstrate to the AFFS. We won't be waiting until next year, I don't think its possible to wait that long but we will be disclosing matters relating to House Kurita's efforts sometime this year... we want to inform the Archon," So the Lyran Commonwealth, "privately first we have the ambassador to the Commonwealth prepared for that," Which wouldturn out to be Justin's father, who had previously served as the ambassador to the Capellan Confederation. "Ian wanted to go in person, but we've talked him away from that... but there is as you said a lot that needs to be done. General Kerston, thank you for your patience."

--
notes: The plan tnetatively for next week is for Wednesday to post in the BT scraps thread I'm not positive that Rabid Fox will update nextweek right now, and Aurigan is currently on hold again. Ghost will be updated sunday that won't change, we're moving into and throughAquagea's recap and should be back in the magistracy of canopus by the new year.

 

[BlueRanger O-Doom]

Yea, there could be FAR better situations to break that news to the Eridani.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Yea, there could be FAR better situations to break that news to the Eridani.

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Crisises generally don't care what's good for you

 

[MonkeyNinja d'PirateRobot]

The thing that allowed him to rapidly boost his skills, as well as purchase equipment using currency or the points ... and in a world like BattleTech it was especially useful... especially considering that his Essence besides its gamer like functionality also had really broken exploitable values brought over seemingly directly from table top rules that emphasized combat by giant stompy robots.

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This is not a sentence. It SHOULD be about four sentences. But it's just run-on train-of-thought rambling. I want to read this story. I'm interested in what you've started. But it's written/edited so badly that I'm not going to. The above is just one example of bad writing out of several, and I'm only at the start of chapter one. It's a slog to get through. You either need a beta or to do some editing to make this readable English.

 

[CynPersonified]

•_• why does it seem like this story starts in the middle? Like…it doesn't read like the beginning of the story?

 

[Imperator Pax]

•_• why does it seem like this story starts in the middle? Like…it doesn't read like the beginning of the story?

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Probably as a result of it taking place chronologically after a series of shorts on Mallory s world and halstead station

 

[CynPersonified]

Probably as a result of it taking place chronologically after a series of shorts on Mallory s world and halstead station

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I see I see. Where can I read those shorts?

 

[Imperator Pax]

I see I see. Where can I read those shorts?

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The original versions should be in either my misc thread or my battletech scraps thread

Yeah: This thread Part 1 and 2 are combined then 3 and 4 of the original snippets are separate posts.

Pax's Battletech Junkyard

A Snippets, Scraps, and Misc thread that all are set in the BattleTech universe, a substantive...

forum.questionablequesting.com

 

[Tonyorobsky]

Essence - Overpowered CYOA …
Beyond the first 20 or so chapters, there has ben very little of that.
I speed-read most of the chapters due to an overly large amount of talking about the same issues with minimal changes to the situation.