Kisho Nova Cat

Kisho Nova Cat
Personal
Born	3116
Affiliation	Clan Nova Cat

Kisho Nova Cat is a member of the Mystic Caste, a subcaste of Clan Warrior society unique to Clan Nova Cat.

Early Years in Nova Cat

Kisho was bred like all Nova Cat Mystics with Minoru Nova Cat as genemother, denying him a bloodname, but this did not bother him. Rather, his greatest conflict for much of his early life was his inability to accept his actual role in Clan Nova Cat; he refused to accept the plausibility of Mystics or Visions in general, and for a long time treated his role as a game, putting on "acts" to prove his ability while believing he really had none. However, as he went on it became increasingly difficult for him to continue the "charade", and he became angry and bitter with himself and everyone around him, sparing his rage only for Hisa, a fellow Mystic with whom he felt a certain bond and openness. It was in this setting that his Clan agreed to help Tai-shu Katana Tormark in retaking the last of the Dieron District still held by the Republic of the Sphere. Kisho's Cluster and three others were sent as part of a Galaxy to take Saffel, Athenry, and Styx. Kisho's disbelief was put on trial when he was forced to act as a Mystic for his unit despite his doubts.

Return of Spirit Cats to the fold

One of the missions given to Kisho while in the Republic by his OathMaster Kanaye was to seek out the Spirit Cats, former Nova Cats living in enclaves in the Republic who fought under Kev Rosse. His mission was to welcome them back into the Clan as full members of Clan Nova Cat. News of this reached Kev Rosse, and he eventually met with Kisho on Athenry, where he listened to the Mystic's words but did not give a clear answer about rejoining the Nova Cats. This enraged Kisho and made him suspicious of Rosse.

Combat in the Republic

The Cluster to which Kisho was attached to was sent to take Athenry, at that time occupied by forces loyal to Bannson's Raiders. During this time, Kisho experienced both luck and failure, as his initial "guess" of the Raiders hiding place proved true, but it was only a small encampment, and the Raiders continued to launch daring strikes against the Nova Cats and Dragon's Fury with impunity. The Star Colonel leading his Cluster, Tivia Rosse, took affront to Kisho's inability to foresee and stop the raids and eventually called in another Mystic, Tanaka, to assist in taking the planet. However, Tanaka was murdered by an unknown foe in an incredibly brutal fashion, causing Kisho to depart on a Vision Quest, seeking assistance from the third Mystic, Hisa.

When Kisho arrived on Styx where Hisa's Cluster was deployed, he received a Vision of "Spirit Cats" and "Lesser Dragons" killing and feasting on a fully-grown Nova Cat, and when he awakened, he found that Hisa too had been slaughtered gruesomely. Before collapsing, he warned the other Nova Cats to attack any Spirit Cats on sight, and after several weeks of coma-like status, he regained consciousness on a DropShip. Kisho prepared a force to hunt down Galaxy Commander Kev Rosse and his Spirit Cats, believing them responsible for the Mystics' murders.

Kisho eventually hunted down Kev Rosse and a Trinary of Spirit Cats to Ozawa, where they battled through the deserts and dust storms of the radioactive planet. Kisho was eventually defeated by Kev Rosse in the Cave Lion. As the two men abandoned their BattleMechs and began to talk, Kisho witnessed Kev Rosse's assassination. Following that, the Spirit Cat warriors under Kev Rosse asked to be taken as bondsmen into Clan Nova Cat, believing in Kisho's abilities as a Mystic. From this devout belief, and his own slowly-breaking shields against his heritage, Kisho began to accept his Mystic status and the ability of Visions, and vowed to take vengeance on the mysterious killer of the Mystics and Kev Rosse.

Nova Cats Annihilation

The Nova Cats supported Emi Kurita in her bid to take the Combine throne during the Draconis Combine Civil War. She and her supporters were ultimately defeated, and Clan Nova Cat was effectively annihilated. Aside from the Spirit Cats and Nova Cat refugees in the Clan Protectorate, the only known survivors of the Clan's destruction on Irece was a band of warriors and civilians who escaped under the care of Kisho Nova Cat, the last Mystic of their Clan. Kisho and his band's whereabouts are currently unknown, although his BattleMech, Nebula, a Wendigo, was found by local militia scouts on the planet Almunge in late 3147. They had no news of recent military activity on the region, though a hidden yakuza depot had been stripped of anything useful, and the village where Nebula was looked to have been purposefully abandoned, with signs of several DropShips have landed in the region several years earlier. The Mech's serial number had been deliberately obscured, and it took weeks to identify as Kisho's 'Mech. Analysis of the machine and surrounding area ultimately turned up no solid information on Kisho or his group.

Resurgence Era Update - Mystic Restoration

For nearly a decade Kisho and the Nova Cats have remained in hiding. After acting on a vision, he took his people to the system of Berenson. Confiding in his second in command, Star Colonel Izan, he saw a stone with claw marks and a hound moving through the stars together toward the world. With a small fleet of three dropships, Dream Claw, Sacred Rite, and Starfall the Nova Cats could move quietly through the various systems to reach their destination.

September of 3152 the Nova Cats were observing the jump points for any signs that might verify Kisho's vision. Making sure to stay as under the radar as possible was important because at the Zenith jump point the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation were slaughtering each other. Then on the 12th of that month a ship with the callsign Stone emerged from a jump. One of the various other ships alongside it was a Kell Hounds dropship. It turned out this was a small fleet of Republic of the Sphere survivors as the Nomad Republic fleet, War Party. After greetings and an invitation to the evening's Chronicle of Battles Kisho learned that the claw in the stone from his vision was because the Fidelis, descendants of Clan Smoke Jaguar were part of the fleet.

Looking for a new home as well and with few options left, Kisho proposed that his people join with the Nomads. As if the universe designed it, the 1st Nova Cat Provisionals, formerly of the Clan Protectorate in the Free Worlds League arrived in the system. They were fleeing a treacherous, combined trial of annihilation from the allied Spirit Cats and Clan Sea Fox. Star Colonel Janus aligned her survivors with those under the command of Kisho.

BattleMech

Kisho piloted a Wendigo BattleMech which he named Nebula and was quite proficient in it. In some of his battles he was even assisted by his powerful mysticism, almost like precognition helped him predict where his enemies would appear and how they would fire, allowing him to target and dodge with great ability. This powerful force he exhibited led to his eventual acceptance of Mystic status. Nebula, after being found, remained on Almunge, where the ISF continued pulling him apart, searching for clues to Kisho's fate.

With the loss of Nebula as a tool to distract the Draconis Combine so they would lose the trail of the surviving Nova Cats Kisho decided that a Vision Quest would be his next battlemech. The name Enigma seemed to suit his new mech.

Quotes

“

And now we Nova Cats live on our reservations in the Draconis Combine, beholden to oaths of fealty sworn to House Kurita, having defected from the Clans once we saw the writing on the wall. Having followed the visions that caused our brother Clans to fall on us and kill us by the millions.

”

Gallery

• 
  Kisho Nova Cat from BT:Legends
• 
  Kisho from MW:Annihilation
• 
  Kisho's Wendigo-VP Nebula from BT:Legends

Bibliography

• Fortress Republic (novel)
• Heretic's Faith (novel)
• MechWarrior: Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards
• Sword of Sedition (novel)
• Technical Readout: Dark Age