Foresight (ATwT) Chpt 1

Khan’s office
Crofton, Nova Cat’s Den
1st September 3114
Khan Canin Rosse was sitting in the former StarCorps office on Crofton which he’d taken as his own after the Nova Cat conquest of the world. He was reading combat reports on the Nova Cats Den’s successful defense against the recent Federated Suns invasion of three worlds as the Federated Suns tried to put his Clan on the defensive. His people had repulsed attack with the assistance of capital missile carrying Verne submarines a weapon that the Federated Suns had not known his Clan had at its availability his Clan had utilized naval vessels since their colonization of New Barcella but these craft were new and had been sent to many worlds since their first production. He sat back in the overstuffed StarCorps CEO's chair and remembered how it all started and how it had led the Nova Cats to Crofton and where it would lead them in the future.
Training Yard, Clan Watch Command
Tortuga Prime, Nova Cat’s Den
3rd March 3099
Over 15 years before he had been on Tortuga Prime and had met the warrior who had brought this new tool into the Nova Cats hands. That warrior was Star Captain Anna Devalis she was a member of the Nova Cat Watch and while she held a rank and a Bloodname she'd fallen out of favour after a defeat to Taurian forces. Her resulting Circle of Equals loss against survivors from her own unit had seen her relegated her to the Watch. As someone who had "suffered" a similar fate early in his career Canin Rosse had seen someone he could use.
Anna Devalis was thirty-two she had a lean frame with close cropped red hair when he’d first met her in person as she and the others of the Watch practiced small arms and knife combat. Each member moving intricately as they danced and sparred across the training mats. Rosse stood off to the side with Star Colonel Matias Winters a towering Elemental and the commander of the Watch. "She is not our most skilled fighter or the most honorable."
"She will not have to be either for this operation." Khan Rosse said watching as she spun away from her opponents continuing her spin, she rose her left leg and smacked the other warrior in the face knocking him away.
''
"In her unit she is the only Trueborn" he said as the freeborn warrior counter attacked against Devalis she used the warriors momentum against him pulling him towards her and flipping him onto his back with a heavy thud. To his credit the warrior rolled over and came at her again not allowing Anna Devalis to pin him.
"Again, that will not hurt this operation. And they are all Nova Cat freeborns not local born warriors, Quiaff?" He asked as the warrior this time knocked Anna Devalis to the ground.
Winters nodded he’d specifically checked that all the warriors Rosse wished to send on this mission had been born and bred in the Nova Cat system. "And should she die?" Winters asked Rosse looked at him surprised the big elemental would ask such a question.
"We are Clan warriors" Rosse said simply "it is a risk that we live our life by. I would expect one of the others to take up the mantle of leadership and continue the mission. It will be up to Anna Devalis to instill this in her people if she has not already. We need these warriors to conduct operations that will break their own personal honor and serve our Clan like the Wolves Dragoons did for so long.
"Until Wolf turned"
"Aff, but the damage was done, his people opened the door and allowed the Clans to peak into the Inner Sphere. The Clans still use information they provided us with and their responders still answer to our calls and continue to collect information after all these years, Jamie Wolf knew what he was doing when he came to the Inner Sphere and the damage that would be done, his attempt at helping the Inner Sphere stop our invasion was his attempt at personal repentance. The Dragoons that left the transceivers are dead not even WolfNet has been able to track them all down." He said watching Anna Devalis strip the weapon from her opponent then turn it on them, there was no guarantee that Devalis wouldn’t find freedom in the Inner Sphere as alluring as the Dragoons did but even if they sent the Nova Cats information over a short period it would help his Clan. "Do you doubt her?"
"Neg, she can carry out this task and she is loyal, but isolation can do terrible things."
“Aff, it can” Rosse said watching the warriors end their drill. “But so, can Clan life.”
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An hour later Rosse was in Winters’ office as Star Captain Anne Devalis entered. On seeing her Khan, she saluted him and Winters out of respect. “At ease” Winters said in his deep voice “Khan Rosse has a mission for you, you will listen to him and decide.” The Elemental said looking down at Khan Rosse nodding to him before leaving. Anne Devalis watched as he exited then turned her attention back to the old Nova Cat Khan, she’d never met him in person he was clearly of Rosse stock with the handsome look they all shared despite his age his hair was still mostly dark in colored instead of grey which other warriors had with age, she’d always found those of the Rosse line a bit full of themselves but then this man had a right to be he was her Khan.
“Star Captain, I have a mission for you.” He said stepping around Winters spartan office leaning back on Winters raised table, as he was an Elemental just about everything in Winters office was a size bigger than in most offices. “It will likely break your own personal honor but it is necessary for our Clan’s future.”
“Aff, Khan Rosse” she replied
“You will take your people beyond the borders and into the Federated Suns and collect information that will help our Clan.” He explained “There is a conflict coming in the future between the Nova Cats and their neighbors, I can see it and I’m sure that they can see it too. Your people will be the first step in the Nova Cats preparations that will help us mount a defense or take the offense to them. Your unit will act like a mercenary command as the Wolf’s Dragoons once did, sending us back information on their troop deployments and collecting information for the Nova Cats.”
“I understand” she said her expression not changing.
“You will be given complete freedom in the missions you take. Should they take you into combat against us you will conduct the mission like the Nova Cats are your enemy for appearances sake. We will use these occasions to covertly keep in contact with your unit.” He explained he knew that meant some of his own people may be killed fighting her people but it was a necessary evil. “You are to send us back any information you find on weapons Clan Nova Cat could use to attack our enemies or defend our territory.”
“Aff, Khan Rosse.” She replied “do I have any particular target worlds.”
“Production sites would be good targets but it is unlikely you will be masters of your own travels as mercenaries you will go where your employers command, quiaff?”
“Aff, so we take advantage of their choices in our deployments” she said understanding his meaning.
“We will make you appear more attractive to production sites by littering your units with Clan technology, which you will allow them to study if they ask.” He said he’d already ordered the techs on Tortuga to prepare the unit’s twelve BattleMechs and two aerospace fighters for this operation each was of Star League vintage but each was modified with a piece of Clan tech which the unit could call battlefield salvage.
“We will be giving them access to advanced technology, quineg?” She asked surprised that the Khan was suggesting the idea.
“It is only technology they’ve seen for the last fifty years.” He said he noticed her eyes widen at his use of a contraction in his speak “you’d better get used to hearing them far more often, the Inner Sphere seems to have a particular fondness of them.” He said doing it again his marriage to Yvonne had taught him long ago to be more tolerant of deviations in speech than some clansmen. “Our technology has been studied by the Inner Sphere for years since the first salvage was taken by their people, the fact your people will have perfectly integrated it into your units will be of curiosity to the Inner Sphere but any good tech will be able to do the same.”
“Aff, Khan Rosse” she replied again.
“Good luck, Star Captain, our Clan trusts its future to you and to your people’s success. We will use what you give us and take it to our enemies.”
Landing Site, Berkshire Spaceport
Warren, Warren PDZ
Capellan March, Federated Suns
8th May 3114
As the gasses vented from the battered Union-class DropShip Captain Anna Devalis stepped her Marauder C from the DropShip and walked onto the Warren Spaceport. She checked the weapons both of the Clan-tech pulse lasers and the autocannon fitted to the ancient Marauder were perfectly aligned, not that she expected to need them today. Ahead of her WorkerMechs and cargo vehicles moved things around the spaceport. A Darter-class Scout Car approached her position “this is Harbor Master Sybil Glover please identify yourself and your business on Warren.” The driver of the vehicle demanded in a strange accent Anna kept her Mech’s targeting reticule off the little vehicle.
“We’re Devalis’ Devils, I’m Captain Anna Devalis, we’ve spent the last few years helping the Taurians fend off Clan raids but now we’re here to work.” She responded she’d chosen to keep her Bloodname it would raise questions but she’d be able to cover for it there were after all still Kerensky’s in the Inner Sphere who didn’t serve the Clans. They had arrived on a JumpShip from the Taurian Concordat which had already left the system, the Nova Cat Watch had been for the last few months leaving mentions of her unit’s activities in the Taurian Concordat. The Federated Suns and Taurian Concordat were neighbors that didn’t get on well enough for them to share detailed intelligence on mercenary units that served their nations and went on to serve their neighbor.
“Understood Devalis’ Devils, we’ll put you in hanger four while you are on planet if you’ll follow me?” The driver said with the small Darter turning on its six wheels into the spaceport Anna throttled her Marauder forwards following the small vehicle “local commanders will be in touch should you wish to discuss contacts?”
“Af… Aye, we’ll be looking to speak to people who are ready to pay the right price.” She said stumbling over the response for a moment she knew the background static of the communications channel would hide her mistake this time but she’d have to remember in the future. She followed the Darter at a ponderous speed before arriving at the hanger which would be large enough to accommodate about half her twelve Mech at any one time.
“This will be home for a bit; payment is due at the front desk when you’re settled. Welcome to Warren.” The driver said cheerfully before driving off into the spaceport and just like that the Devalis’ Devils had arrived.
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