BattleTech: Elements of Treason: Honor: BattleTech, #116

By Craig A. Reed, Jr.

A HERD DIVIDED…

For the entirety of its existence, Clan Hell's Horses has been underestimated by its fellow Clans. The inclusion of tanks and infantry alongside their BattleMech forces has often unfairly forced the Horses into lopsided alliances with other Clans. As competing Clans race headlong to conquer Terra, the birthplace of humanity, the Horses must focus on survival rather than the glory of conquest. But many Horses want more, and they refuse to be shouldered aside as Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf reap the rewards of their campaign toward Terra.

Star Captain Peter Cobb, a controversial rising star and military scholar, sees a new trail for the Hell's Horses to blaze. This path would put the Clan on a fiery trajectory to earn the victories and respect they rightfully deserve, and push the Clan toward a prosperous future. But few embrace his controversial ideas and, divided by distrust and ambition, the leadership of his Clan lacks the will to ensure that the Hell's Horses will be strong enough to survive the tumultuous conflicts ahead.

Caught between the bloody agendas of two rival Khans—a political maneuverer and a bellicose warmonger—Peter must find a way to restore the soul of the Hell's Horses without sullying his honor, or risk dooming his entire Clan to extinction in the face of a rising power unlike any the Inner Sphere has ever seen…
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
• Release date: Jun 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223712206

Book preview

CHAPTER

ONE

PLAIN OF TRIALS

CUSSET

HELL’S HORSES OCCUPATION ZONE

10 MAY 3150

The challenger’s Executioner G was unsteady, the 95-ton OmniMech displaying the disastrous results of the five-minute-long battle. Most of the armor plating on its left side had been torn open, revealing shredded myomer bundles and shattered interior structure. The waves of shimmering heat coming off the ’Mech told Star Captain Peter Cobb his opponent was severely overheating.

He tapped a button to open the comm channel between them. Star Captain Marco Amirault, he said, you have fought a good fight, but your ’Mech is crippled, and I do not wish to add to your trouble.

There was a long pause, then a voice slowly growled, I…am…not…beaten! The Executioner’s right arm and its six extended-range medium lasers slowly began to rise.

Peter did not wait to fire his Mad Cat Mk II-Enhanced’s Starlight C2 extended-range large pulse lasers. The powerful laser pulses found holes in the armor and bathed the long-range-missile ammunition in the left arm with destructive energy. The ammo detonated, shattering what was left of the limb into fragments. Some of the explosive force blasted into the Executioner’s torso, leaving little behind. Another explosion, deep inside the ’Mech, made the humanoid war machine freeze and topple over.

Peter felt a pang of sympathy as he watched 95 tons of ’Mech slam face-first into the hard-packed dirt. Cobb to Loremaster Ravenwater and Galaxy Commander DeLaurel. I have defeated my opponent.

We can see that, Star Captain, Loremaster Sachiko Ravenwater replied dryly. Medtechs are on their way. You may return to base.

Aff, growled Galaxy Commander Patricia DeLaurel, of Fire Horse Galaxy. Leave the circle at once.

Tired, sweaty, and sore, Peter slumped in his cockpit chair. He wanted to go back, but not yet. Loremaster, Galaxy Commander, I wish to remain until the medtechs arrive and ascertain Star Captain Amirault’s condition.

Very well, Star Captain, Ravenwater replied. You can stay.

Do not interfere with the medtechs’ mission, DeLaurel added.

Peter walked his Mad Cat Mk II several steps away from the downed Executioner. Understood Galaxy Commander, Loremaster. I will not interfere.

Most of the ’Mechs and combat vehicles forming the Circle of Equals for this combat trial turned and headed back to base. But two of them, a Harpagos QuadVee and a Jupiter BattleMech, stayed where they were. The QuadVee, a hybrid of a ’Mech and a tank, was currently in quadrupedal ’Mech mode.

Peter shook his head. I can find my own way home, he transmitted to both of them.

Who said we are here for you? Star Commander Keegan DeLaurel said in a light tone. I am here for the striking landscape and the bracing air.

Peter heard Star Commander Jane Rickard sigh. We thought it prudent to stay behind in case Amirault’s comrades disagree with the trial result, she said. The next one who disagrees with you might skip declaring a trial altogether.

Peter grinned. Your loyalty is appreciated.

I only follow you because I can clean up in the betting polls that crop up every time you fight one of these trials, Keegan said. I believe I cleared three hundred kerenskys worth of gems with this one.

Which you will lose when we play Star Poker tonight, Jane cut in.

I only lose half to you. I keep the other half for myself.

Peter shook his head. Jane and Keegan were his Trinary’s junior officers. Jane commanded Khol Trinary’s Beta Star, another heavy-assault ’Mech Star, while Keegan led Gamma Star, composed of QuadVees and heavy armor. Together, the three ensured Khol Trinary, one of the new units in the First Horde Cluster, was well trained and ready for anything.

Thank you anyway, Peter said to both of them. Once the medtechs take care of Marco Amirault, you two can lead the way back. But I do not think there will be any more challengers today.

It took the medtechs less than five minutes to arrive in a wheeled medical vehicle that stopped next to Marco Amirault’s ’Mech. One of them waved to Peter, so he turned his Mad Cat Mk II around and followed his Star Commanders back to base, ten kilometers away.

Once they were clear of the Circle of Equals, Keegan switched his QuadVee from ’Mech configuration to tank mode. Peter would have preferred a normal Star of ’Mechs for Gamma Star, but the QuadVees’ ability to shift between tank and ’Mech had made someone in the Hell Horses’ hierarchy decide they would offer the tactical flexibility the First Horde Cluster needed. The Star, a mix of Harpagos QuadVees and Mars, Heimdall, and Athena tanks, was set up as a combat-vehicle Star, which meant each Point consisted of either a QuadVee and a tank or two paired tanks. Keegan had been working hard to bring his mixed Star up to speed with the rest of Khol Trinary, and so far Peter was satisfied with their progress.

The land here consisted of rocky, hard-packed dirt, grayish red and useless for mining or farming. Nothing grew here, and except for a few rock outcroppings and low hills, it was flat and open, which made it a perfect place to hold combat trials like the one Peter had just won.

Star Captain, Jane said. Of the two Star Commanders, she was the serious one, rarely showing her sense of humor. How many more of these trials must you take part in?

This was Peter’s sixth Trial of Grievance since earning command of Khol Trinary. The first two had come from other Trinaries in the First Horde Cluster, while the last four, including the one fought today, had come from the Fire Horse Galaxy’s Command Trinary, which also was posted at the base. Peter suspected Galaxy Commander Patricia DeLaurel was behind the steady stream of challengers, but he had no proof, and no way to find any.

I do not know, he admitted.

I am surprised they continue challenging you, Keegan said. With the number of opponents you have put into medical care so far, I heard the medtechs are planning to name one of the hospital wings in your honor.

That is an exaggeration, Jane Rickard said, not hiding her annoyance.

But not far from the truth. Keegan DeLaurel was the other side of the coin from Jane, always light and cheerful. Some thought he was stupid, but he hid his intelligence behind the sunny attitude.

Peter found both Star Commanders reliable, unafraid to ask the hard questions.

Jane’s comment came from the basis of all the trials Peter had been facing: his treatises. Ever since he was a child, Peter Cobb had had a deep and serious interest in military history. When he was a young colt in sibko training, he was always reading a book on military history and taking notes. The era of the conflict did not matter to him; he would read about Napoleon and his campaigns as willingly as he would dive into a tome about the Amaris Civil War.

Fortunately, the wrangler for his sibko, a grizzled veteran named Uri, had realized the boy’s interest early and fed it. In return to access to books not normally available for colts, Peter was required to write papers on what he had read. And he read everything Uri gave him, taking notes by hand. By the time he was twelve, his knowledge of historical battles was deeper than most warriors’, and this attracted the quiet interest of Sachiko Ravenwater, the long-serving Loremaster of Clan Hell’s Horses.

But while he had learned military history, he was also training to be a warrior. Not the biggest, quickest, or strongest colt in his sibko, he learned how to outthink and outperform his opponents in combat training and field exercises. His knowledge of military history often helped him come out on top in these exercises, and the times he did not, he made sure to learn from his mistakes.

In his Trial of Position, he had two kills, earning the rank of Star Commander right out of his sibko. While a member of Fire Horse Galaxy’s Thirty-Ninth Mechanized Assault Cluster, he read reports about the Golden Ordun alliance, which had concluded only two years earlier. This temporary alliance between Clans Jade Falcon and Hell’s Horses had been touted as a success of the Mongol Doctrine—the focus on light cavalry tactics, which originated in Peter’s Clan—and he wanted to learn from it.

Instead of finding glowing reports of an effective alliance, he read damning indictments against Jade Falcon Khan Malvina Hazen and her reinterpretation of the Hell’s Horses’ Mongol Doctrine as bloodthirsty, total-warfare tactics used to terrify both warriors and civilians alike. The more Peter read, the angrier he became.

In response, he wrote a series of scathing essays about the Golden Ordun, using his deep knowledge of military history to savage the entire campaign and name names, backing up his charges with solid evidence. Despite every effort by several senior Hell’s Horses officers to clamp down on these writings, instead they had been widely distributed, generating debate and several Trials of Grievance against the author. So far Peter had beaten every challenger, and he continued writing papers that bluntly criticized past Hell’s Horses actions.

A buzz on his sensors alerted him to another unit in the area. He glanced at his tactical map, fixed the location in his mind, then scanned the terrain in the direction of the contact. He adjusted his 360-degree viewstrip until he spotted a lone Hellstar standing on a small ridge to his front right a couple kilometers away. The midnight blue paint scheme with yellow-orange highlights identified the assault ’Mech as another Fire Horse warrior, one all three knew, as the First Horde Cluster only had one Hellstar in its original configuration.

It looks like we are not the only ones who want to ensure you get back to base in one piece, Keegan said in an amused tone.

I think you can make it on your own from here, Star Captain, Jane said. Come on Keegan, I need to play some Star Poker with you.

Peter watched the pair move on, leaving him and the Hellstar alone. Over a private channel, a feminine voice said, "You are tired, quiaff?"

Aff, Peter replied to the rhetorical question. There was no need to wait for me. I can find my way back to base.

The Hellstar pilot laughed. Your Star Commanders did not think so. Then, in a more serious tone, she said, The Loremaster wishes to speak with you after you get back.

Peter exhaled noisily. What does she wish to discuss this time?

I do not know.

You are her aide, Andrea. Surely she would tell you.

Andrea Ravenwater snorted. You know how she is. She only tells us things on a need-to-know basis.

Peter nodded. Our Loremaster does like to be mysterious. He glanced at his chronograph. Fine. I can meet with her in two hours.

I will let her know. The Hellstar turned and disappeared off the rise.

Peter sighed and increased the Mad Cat Mk II’s throttle to maximum, a speed that was little more than the ’Mech’s normal walking speed. This model’s 25 tons of hardened armor had served him well during the trial, but its additional protection came at the cost of slowing the 90-ton ’Mech considerably.

He blew out a breath as he pondered his upcoming meeting. Sachiko Ravenwater was a warrior of many contradictions, and meetings with her were never simple or for obvious reasons.

CHAPTER

TWO

DALMOR BASE

CUSSET

HELL’S HORSES OCCUPATION ZONE

10 MAY 3150

Khol Trinary’s ’Mech bay bustled with activity when Peter entered. The technician teams were maintaining or repairing the other ’Mechs in the unit, and he could not help but feel a swell of pride upon seeing the support personnel of his command hard at work to ensure future victories.

The First Horde Cluster was the first Hell’s Horses unit designed to implement the original interpretation of the Mongol Doctrine, which emphasized speed and hard strikes. Nine active Horde Clusters served in the Hell’s Horses touman, all recently doubling in size to increase their hitting power. Each Horde Cluster now consisted of two Trinaries of heavy and assault ’Mechs and vehicles as the anvil, two Trinaries of light, fast ’Mechs and vehicles as the hammers, a pair of Supernovas—two Stars of OmniMechs and two Stars of battle-armored infantry—to supply flexibility, and two Stars of aerospace fighters. Peter’s Khol Trinary—named after the Mongol term for the part of the army that occupied the center of the battle line—and Star Captain Ashur Lassenerra’s Tulughma Trinary, were the First Horde’s anvil.

A tech with marshaling wands directed Peter into his ’Mech’s repair cubicle. After the foot locks secured the Mad Cat Mk II into place, Peter went through the shutdown procedure, climbed out of the cockpit chair, and stretched.

The hatch opened, and Chief Tech Tomas looked in. Everything okay, sir?

Aff, Peter said as he stepped out onto the grated floor of the repair gantry.

Tomas was short but wide, making him look compressed. He had a square face, short salt-and-pepper hair, a nose that had been broken more than once, and his skin was bronzed from many days outside. He kept his short beard neat, the only concession of his vanity. Insignia patches of the First Horde Cluster and Fire Horse Galaxy adorned the shoulders of his utility coveralls. Behind him stood a nervous-looking young man, maybe in his late teens.

Tomas handed Peter a bottle of electrolytes. Here, sir. Any problems?

Peter downed the contents in one go. Mostly armor damage on the left side, he replied, capping the empty bottle. The left-arm large laser needs realignment. It took several hard hits from Star Captain Amirault’s weapons. And check the fire relay on the left LRM launcher. Toward the end of the trial, the missiles delayed firing by a couple of seconds.

I will get right on that, sir. I do need to inform you that we are running short on hardened-armor plates. We are expecting another shipment in three weeks, but until then—

Try to avoid any more Trials of Grievance? Peter asked with a grin.

Tomas’ eyes widened. "Neg, sir, I would never—"

Relax, Tomas. I think the list of warriors still wanting to challenge me is short, and I have no new essays due out this month. Peter slapped his chief tech on the back. But I will try to avoid any more trials for now. Fair enough?

I would not presume to—

You have informed me of a shortage of hardened armor, something my ’Mech needs, and it is up to me to decide what to do with the information. Peter put a hand on Tomas’ shoulder. I would stay and help with the repairs, but the Loremaster wants to see me. I will be back later, if I can.

Before turning to depart, Peter regarded the young man behind Tomas. He was skinny, taller than Peter, and had a pronounced Adam’s apple, uncombed brownish hair, and sharp features that brought to mind a skittish bird. Who is this?

That’s Franklin, sir, Tomas said. He’s from the laborer caste, but he shows some aptitude for technician work, so he has been assigned to me for a six-month trial period.

Peter nodded. Franklin? he said to the young laborer.

Y-yes, sir? the youth stammered, his eyes wide. Peter realized this was probably the closest the boy had ever been to a warrior.

Peter placed a hand on Franklin’s shoulder. First, calm down. Tomas can tell you I am not one to unduly punish non-warriors. Second, listen to Tomas. He will teach you everything you need to know to become a tech. Even I have learned from him.

Y-you have? Franklin squeaked.

"Aff. Welcome to the First Horde Cluster, the best Cluster in the touman. Do your best and you will go far."

Franklin nodded. Yes, sir.

Peter released the apprentice tech’s shoulder. Now, do what Tomas says. If you have a question, do not be afraid to ask. That is how knowledge is gained. He looked at Tomas. My ’Mech is yours. I will be back soon.

Of course, sir, Tomas said.

Peter headed for the gantry stairs. It was a ten-minute walk to his quarters, fifteen if he went by the mess hall and picked up a portable meal. Another ten minutes for a shower and he would still have time for an hour-long nap before his meeting with the Loremaster.

Good enough.

Almost two hours later, Peter arrived at the First Horde Cluster headquarters. Once inside, he removed his black cavalry hat, placed it under his arm, and strode down the hall.

Peter was of medium height, broad-shouldered, with brownish-black hair and an unremarkable face except for ice-blue eyes with green flecks in them. He was dressed in the Horses’ field uniform—a reddish-brown desert-camouflage jumpsuit with black pads reinforcing the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Synthetic black leather accented the upper chest and collar, also padded. A black utility belt circled his waist, though he did not wear his sidearm this far from the front line. The red daggerstar denoting his status as a MechWarrior was pinned on the left side of his collar, while the silver eight-pointed star on a silver pentagon shield—the rank device of a Star Captain—was on the right side. The Clan Hell’s Horses insignia graced his right shoulder while the fiery Pegasus patch of the First Horde Cluster was on his left. His black boots were cleaned and shined.

He walked past the offices assigned to the First’s subunit commanders, including his own, and stopped in front of the door of the First Horde’s commander, Loremaster Sachiko Ravenwater. With his shoulders back and spine straight, he opened the door and stepped inside.

A single warrior, dressed similarly to Peter, occupied the outer office, only she had the insignia of a Star Commander, an eight-pointed star on a black pentagon shield. Andrea Ravenwater, the Loremaster’s aide, had short blond hair, clear blue eyes, and a face non-warriors would call attractive. She was sitting behind a desk to the left of the Loremaster’s office and looked up when Peter entered.

She is waiting for you, Andrea said.

What is her mood today? Peter asked.

She has been staring at the map behind her desk and muttering about ‘shortsighted idiot Khans and ambitious Galaxy Commanders’ since she got back. She also has a new blend of tea she wants you to try.

So she’s not angry at me.

Not unless you secretly became Khan or a Galaxy Commander within the last hour.

Peter nodded and entered the inner office. Once inside, he snapped to attention. Star Captain Peter Cobb reporting, Loremaster.

Behind the desk, Sachiko Ravenwater looked at him disapprovingly over her reading glasses. Sit down.

Peter sat in one of the chairs before her desk. Sachiko Ravenwater was the only Loremaster the last three generations of Hell’s Horses had even known. Nearing ninety, she was still sharp as she was fifty years ago, and her only real physical aliment was severe arthritis, which she controlled with medicine. Her hair was white and short, her skin bronzed by decades of sun exposure, and only the deep crow’s-feet around her steel-gray eyes gave away her real age. She was dressed similarly to Peter, only with a Star Colonel’s rank device, a silver horse head on a black pentagon, pinned on her collar.

After another minute, the Loremaster closed the book she was reading and carefully placed it on the desk. The book did not look that old, but no title graced the cover. She reached over to a nearby tea set. I had some new tea come in, she said. It is Imperial Dragon, from the Draconis Combine.

She poured two steaming cups and placed one in front of Peter, then added two sweetener cubes and some milk to her own. Peter waited until she was done stirring before he did the same. They each sipped from their teacups and sat in silence.

The office was anything but austere. Pieces of sculptures, fragments of armor with insignia on them, and various photos were scattered about the room. The Loremaster’s ornate chair was large and high-backed, taller than the woman occupying it. The desk, however, was the plainest item in the space, an industrial type that looked like it had seen many years, and the desktop itself was empty, aside from the tea set and the leatherbound book.

Silence lingered for a few moments. Peter took another sip, waiting for the Loremaster to speak. He had learned early in his time with the First Horde Cluster that Sachiko Ravenwater alone decided when a conversation would start.

Finally, she said, I have heard from the medtechs. Star Captain Marco Amirault is suffering from heat exhaustion and two broken legs. He will recover.

Good, Peter replied. I am sure Galaxy Commander DeLaurel will appreciate that.

Sachiko gave him side-eye. "That is sarcasm I hear, quiaff?"

"Aff. The Star Captain overestimated his skill and underestimated mine. I hope he will take that lesson to heart."

He will have ample time to consider it. As for the Galaxy Commander, she is annoyed at you.

Peter sighed and leaned back in his chair. It is not my fault the warriors under her command keep losing trials against me. How many more of these must there be before they learn I will not be silenced?

I think you have quieted down the opposition for now.

"Why can they not see? We allowed ourselves to be hooked by that savashri Malvina, broken to her will like a domesticated steed. We were not Hell’s Horses warriors during the Golden Ordun campaign, but performing ponies, dancing to her tune!"

"Aff, those who were not there cannot understand what happened to those of us who went with Malvina’s invasion. They have never met the Chingis Khan. Those last two words were delivered with venom. No one who challenged you was with us on that ride. All they know is what you wrote in your papers."

I did not lie in those papers!

"Aff, you did not. But pride and maybe some nudging from others, including the Galaxy Commander, has blinded them to the realities of what happened."

If not for Malvina, Patricia DeLaurel would still be a Star Captain in the Ninety-Seventh Mechanized Strike Cluster. Peter sipped his tea, letting the smoky flavor circle his mouth before swallowing it. What Malvina did to pervert our Mongol Doctrine is a stain on our honor we must bear. But many of our warriors still see nothing wrong with what she did.

"Aff. You have made your position known, and defended it well in both words and actions. I think you have cowered everyone else who thinks you are wrong—for now."

Peter slouched in his seat. We should not be fighting over such petty things! How can anyone say Malvina was right in what she did? He sipped his tea again and stewed for a few moments. What do we do now?

We prepare for the Clan Council to convene in December. That will be the place to continue our campaign.

More warriors will challenge me there.

And you will defeat them. But Trials of Grievance will be limited during the Council session, so there will be few opportunities to challenge you.

That does not mean I like it. Trials fought over things we should agree on are a waste of resources and warriors.

Tell that to the Khans, Sachiko said. They are the reason our Clan is sundering instead of staying together, as the herd should.

Peter shook his head. I can only do so much to point out the mistakes we have made. I cannot force them to listen to me.

"But some are listening to you, and that is a step in the right direction. Neither Gottfried Amirault nor Fulk Lassenerra has served the Clan as they should. Gottfried is more concerned with gaining as much power as he can without effort, while Fulk is obsessed with punishing the Jade Falcons."

And you think I can do better than either of them? I am just a Star Captain.

A Star Captain who has exposed the fractures in our Clan. Your writing shows clarity neither Khan possesses, and an understanding of the problems we face. You are showing our warriors there is a third trail to follow.

I am spending more time fighting Trials of Grievance than writing papers these days, Peter grumbled.

"You