Battle of Lackhove (3071)
| Battle of Lackhove (3071) | |
|---|---|
| Conflict details | |
| Part of | Operation ICE STORM |
| Start Date | 5 October 3071 |
| End Date | December 3071 |
| Planet(s) | Lackhove |
| Location(s) | Batavia Plateau |
| Result | Initial Clan Ice Hellion victory, Clan Jade Falcon reconquest, Clan Hell's Horses conquest, possession returned to Clan Jade Falcon |
| Territorial Changes | No net change |
| Attacking Forces | |
| Affiliation | Clan Ice Hellion |
| Commanding Officer(s) | saKhan Conner Rood |
| Command(s) | 200th Attack Cluster "Lithe Kill Keshik" Ninetieth Striker Irregulars |
| Defending Forces | |
| Affiliation | Clan Jade Falcon |
| Commanding Officer(s) | Star Captain Pennyroyal (initial) saKhan Samantha Clees (counterattack) |
| Command(s) | Unknown Provisional Garrison Cluster Binary (initial) Gamma Galaxy (counterattack) |
| Other Forces | |
| Affiliation | Clan Hell's Horses |
| Command(s) | Theta Galaxy |
Overview
On 13 September 3071 Khan Raina Montose ordered saKhan Conner Rood to assault Lackhove as part of the ongoing Operation ICE STORM. After requesting confirmation and counseling consolidation instead of continued expansion, Khan Montose repeated her order again on 19 September. Accordingly, saKhan Rood took his 200th Attack Cluster "Lithe Kill Keshik" and the Ninetieth Striker Irregulars to Lackhove, while ordering the121st Hellion Lancers to Last Chance.[1]
Clan Ice Hellion Attack
On 5 October saKhan Rood engaged in a Trial of Possession for Lackhove with the garrison commander, Star Captain Pennyroyal. Pennyroyal bid his entire Binary for the defense (including Pennyroyal's Glass Spider and MechWarrior Stephanie's Hunchback IIC, which Rood defeated with a Star of OmniMechs (including Rood's Linebacker and Star Captain Idris' Marauder IIC. Pennyroyal was killed in a diel with Idris, but the other nine Falcons were taken as isorla (though Stephanie's Hunchback IIC was destroyed when her ammunition was exhausted) and made bondsmen with MechWarrior Darien noted as being the youngest of the group at 38 years old.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Following the Trial, Rood ordered the Lithe Kill to guard Lackhove while the Ninetieth Striker Irregulars (which had been present but did not participate in the Trial) and the 121st Hellion Lancers (which had secured Last Chance) to assault Toland.[2]
Clan Jade Falcon Counter Attack
On 21 October saKhan Samantha Clees arrived at the zenith jump point with the entirety of Gamma Galaxy and Gamma Naval Star[9] led by the Black Lion-class battlecruiser Jade Aerie. On the 29th Clees issued her batchall to Rood where she revealed her Clan had deemed Clan Ice Hellion dezgra for their razing of Wotan and cowardly behavior on Evciler. Accordingly there would be no bidding and the entirety of Gamma Galaxy would be thrown against the Ice Hellions. Clees did allow the Ninetieth Striker Irregulars, currently enroute to the nadir jump point, to return and face death on Lackhove instead of the vacuum of space. Rood ordered the Ninetieth to turn around, and the Ice Hellion JumpShips at the nadir point to jump out and then return to a pirate point fourteen days later.[10]
The Falcon Guards decimated Rood's command Trinary (commanded by Star Captain Breanne Cage, killing his Executive Officer Star Captain Lira with an Arrow IV bombardment. The First Falcon Hussars cornered Star Captain Edwin's Trinary and killed them to the last. Meanwhile the Third and Ninth Talon Clusters ground the remaining three Trinaries down. By the end of 3 November the Lithe Kill Keshik had been reduced to seventeen OmniMechs and a Star and a half of Elementals. During these battles Nova Captain Arno Hordwon continued to show great tactical thinking in his Hellion, handing the Jade Falcons repeated humiliations.[11][12]
The Ninetieth Strike Irregulars had been kept back to protect the Ice Hellion DropShips (the Overlord-C-class Rapacius and three Union-C-class of the Ninetieth) as they were grounded and concealed in a bowl valley full of heavy metal deposits which hid them from detection. Star Colonel Nikolai Wick chaffed at these orders but was able to keep the Hellion transportation assets safe for their 4 November escape attempt. Despite pursuit from the Jade Aerie the Dropships were able to meet the rendezvous with the JumpShips at the predesignated pirate point and escape to Toland.[13]
MechWarrior Stephanie was recaptured by her original Clan, then promptly reassigned to a Hunchback IIC and returned to another Provisional Garrison Cluster.[3]
Clan Hell's Horses Attack
In December 3071, Clan Hell's Horses Theta Galaxystaged their own assault on the Jade Falcon garrison, gaining control of the world. This action was notable as it was the first known appearance of the Fire Scorpion 3 in the Inner Sphere. Piloted by an unknown Horse Warrior, they gained renown for destroying both a Summoner and Turkina.[5][14][15]
Aftermath
Some time between the Hell's Horses' conquest in December 3071 and 15 May 3072, the Horses ceded control of Lackhove back to Clan Jade Falcon.[5]
Notes
- Some sources[5][16] state Lackhove was invaded during the first wave in June 3071. This is contradicted both later in those sources and in the novel Operation ICE STORM. In accordance with Sarna policy on conflicting information, this article uses the timeline established in story fiction such as the October 3071 as the commencement of hostilities on Lackhove. This also exposes some inconsistencies with Nova Captain Arno Hordwon's vignette.
- The Jade Falcon WarShip formation was referred to a "Gamma Naval Star" by saKhan Clees. This designation does not appear in any other sources, nor are the other units contained therein known.
References
- ↑ Operation Ice Strom: The Frost Advances, ch. 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Operation Ice Strom: Winds of Spring, ch. 1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Technical Readout: Clan Invasion, p. 38, "Hunchback IIC"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 50: "The Jihad in Review"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 28-30: "Operation ICESTORM"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3076", pp. 17 & 20: "Timeline of the Jihad"
- ↑ The Wars of Reaving, pp. 72-74: "Turning of the Tide"
- ↑ The Wars of Reaving, p. 190: "Conner Rood Profile" - Rood was 33 in 3071, and Darien was noted as being five years his senior
- ↑ See Notes
- ↑ Operation Ice Strom: Winds of Spring, ch. 3
- ↑ Operation Ice Strom: Winds of Spring, ch. 4
- ↑ Technical Readout: Clan Invasion, p. 18, "Hellion"
- ↑ Operation Ice Strom: Winds of Spring, ch. 5
- ↑ MilSpec Articles: "Fire Scorpion"
- ↑ The Wars of Reaving, pp. 84-85: "Icy Fire"
- ↑ The Wars of Reaving, pp. 69-71: "The Hellion Strikes"