Part Two, in which is found a shrubbery.

[Rokas]

"My name is Michael J. Caboose, and I, hate, Babies!"

[Calbeck]

Very well. I shall refrain from a batchall then, but know that to trifle with Clan Wolf is to invite disaster, as the Jade Falcons so recently discovered, when we reaved them like the freeborn surats they are!

Doesn't matter, you're all the descendants of mutineers who banded together under Mad Nicholas and murdered their superior officers, attempting to justify it by a deliberate misinterpretation of General Kerensky's General Orders. Which themselves are subject to Star League military law, which mandates the wearing of specific uniforms, the use of specific ranks, and the conduct of military operations in specific manners --- such as NOT using shipboard weapons against population centers, whether "in revolt" or not.

I got another whole shaker of salt to pour in that wound, Clanboy. -:D

*Raises hand* Hello, my name is Andrew, and I'm a recovering Battletech-aholic.

Hello, Andrew. *applauds politely from the first row*

[Rokas]

Hah! The Smoke Jaguars were a pitiful clan, even during Operation Revival. For too long, they relied on simple, brute force to win trials, and more often than not, found themselves loosing. Remember, please, that their brutality against civilians was second only to that of Clan Widomaker, and we know what happened to them, quiaff?

It was inevitable that they should be destroyed. The only great surprise was that their fate was sealed by a new Star League, rather than an uppity home clan.

Of course, it would have been amusing to see the Ice Hellions trying to wrest an invasion corridor from the Jaguars. It would have had all the glamour of a drunken barfight on Solaris VII, as Khan Taney had the strategic acumen of a drunken surat, and Lincoln Osis would not know subtletry if it came up and bit him where it hurts.

Which, of course, it did. Smoke Jaguars? Try smoked kitties.

As for "superior officers," Nicholas was proclaimed the leader of the SLDF-in-Exile after his father's death. Not to mention, those "superior" officers forfeited their right to lead once they began to use weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations. In the end, their deaths were a mercy to the civilians left alive in those post-apocalyptic worlds.


Ahh, 'tis good to dust off the old lexicon and revel in the arrogant clanner attitude for a wee bit, even if I did get tired of the Clans and went Outworlds.

[Madmoonie]

I think you're both weird.

[Anthony Lion]

I totally did not catch the 'sub-orbital bombers' that someone mentioned, but I do like this.

Comes from this comment:

“Good. Now, go see to that. As for myself, I need to call the Minotaur and tell captain Larson that she can stop having her fighters sweeping low orbit ‘fore one of them hits a commsat. Dismissed.”

Things we can pick up from that comment:
1. This country has a significant military space presence.
2. This country allows females high-ranking command positions (I don't think the USN allows women to command ships yet?)
3. Minotaur is capable of carrying space fighters.
4. There are a lot of commsats in low orbit, as there is a significant chance of a fighter colliding with one.

Not entirely wcorrect...

On 4. That might just be inter-service ribbing.
You know, the Marines saying an infantry-man can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, the infantry saying that the marines can't go to a bar without getting plastered and starting a fight, naval pilots calling airfoce pilots wimps, and so on...

[Calbeck]

As for "superior officers," Nicholas was proclaimed the leader of the SLDF-in-Exile after his father's death.

There has never been an "SLDF-in-Exile", as the SLDF was never exiled. It merely declared an intent to conduct "extended manuevers". At no time did it divorce itself from the Star League.

Nor are superior officers appointed by "proclamation". Neither is the rank of General in the SLDF a hereditary one. General Kerensky's rightful replacement was his second-in-command, which Nicholas was decidedly not.

Not to mention, those "superior" officers forfeited their right to lead once they began to use weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations.

While the allegations of such acts may hold truth, the SLDF maintains procedures for the arrest, incarceration, court martial, and punishment of persons so accused. What Nicholas Kerensky did was desert from the SLDF, convincing hundreds of SLDF personnel to join him in the creation of an entirely new and unauthorized military force, which proceeded to attack SLDF personnel and assets. At best, this can be considered mutiny. At worst, it is a process by which the Clans became little better than highly-advanced Bandit Kings, raiding and pillaging each other for resources and primacy.

In the end, their deaths were a mercy to the civilians left alive in those post-apocalyptic worlds.

A lynch mob never creates justice so much as it tramples it into the ground.

Ahh, 'tis good to dust off the old lexicon and revel in the arrogant clanner attitude for a wee bit, even if I did get tired of the Clans and went Outworlds.

Heh. -:D

[Madmoonie]

And I still say you are both odd.

[Tbolt]

It was a bit of a joke, playing on the fact that even though my fanboyism over BT is gone, I still remain profoundly affected by the universe.

Also, a way of seeing if any other BT fans are on this board, since half the fun of it is arguing whose hairbrained, militaristic faction is the best.

Again coming in late. I caught the Kerensky reference, but since there was no reference to "titanic metal golems" I didn't make much of it...

Puppy clan? Please don't get me started on Fasa's invincible pet unit... (Them and the Puppy Dragoons... =X.X=)

I love the Battletech game, but the politics got a little too depressing after a while. I remember reading the novels by Stackpole, they were great, but he had an alarming tendency to kill off everyine I liked...

Hmmm, that reminds me, somewhere around here I have the last MS Battletech PC game I never got around to opening... (Need to find that 72 button joystick )


In closure all I have to say is: LONG LIVE CLAN SNORD!!!

[Rokas]

As for "superior officers," Nicholas was proclaimed the leader of the SLDF-in-Exile after his father's death.

There has never been an "SLDF-in-Exile", as the SLDF was never exiled. It merely declared an intent to conduct "extended manuevers". At no time did it divorce itself from the Star League.

Ah, but the Star League divorced itself from the SLDF, since the Council Lords dissolved the League. Perhaps "Exile" is not appropriate, but only because there were no homes for them to go back to.

Nor are superior officers appointed by "proclamation". Neither is the rank of General in the SLDF a hereditary one. General Kerensky's rightful replacement was his second-in-command, which Nicholas was decidedly not.

No, but extradordinary times call for extraodrinary measures. The Pentagon Worlds were on the brink of Civil War, and people were already dying in raids and battles. Times like those require action, not sitting around, arguing who should be the executive officer for the week, and then only ratifying his decisions at a biweekly meeting. :p

Not to mention, those "superior" officers forfeited their right to lead once they began to use weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations.

While the allegations of such acts may hold truth, the SLDF maintains procedures for the arrest, incarceration, court martial, and punishment of persons so accused. What Nicholas Kerensky did was desert from the SLDF, convincing hundreds of SLDF personnel to join him in the creation of an entirely new and unauthorized military force, which proceeded to attack SLDF personnel and assets. At best, this can be considered mutiny. At worst, it is a process by which the Clans became little better than highly-advanced Bandit Kings, raiding and pillaging each other for resources and primacy.

Arrest means nothing without the force to back it up. Laws mean nothing when they cannot be enforced because the criminals are more powerful than the enforcers. What Nicholas did was create a force that WOULD be able to enforce the law, and in doing so, removed the failed procedures that led to the deaths of millions of civilians.

Just as "just following orders" isn't a defense for war crimes, neither is the allegation that it was an illegal force because "didn't follow proper procedures" isn't a valid accusation.

In the end, their deaths were a mercy to the civilians left alive in those post-apocalyptic worlds.

A lynch mob never creates justice so much as it tramples it into the ground.

A lynch mob, yes. Kerensky's Clans were hardly a lynch mob. They were a highly-trained, well-equipped and supplied force that spent twenty years preparing for Operation Klondike. A lynch mob is a collection of drunken morons who could be defelcted by the simplye application of a shotgun.



Anyway, enough witty banter. I need to write more stuff. Lovely arguement, though.

[Tom Mazanec]

Just finally read the story. WONDERFUL. I thought Kerensky sounded familiar, I used to have the sourcebooks (I sold them. I sold 99% of my books to two people I became friends with over the web for a couple hundred dollars. Took two vans. They were knee high and nearly covered the floor of the living room in my old ranch style house. Take them all to a one bedroom apartment? Nope). WRITE MORE!!!

[Albert the Absentminded]

...OR, y'all could wait 'til the next part or two, where things are discussed. :p

Also, Pegasus and Minotaur are Greek, not Roman.

Well, before that happens let me put in my prediction that this world is a colony in another star system.

-Albert