TOW66

Chapter 66 - The Other War
In orbit
Shadow Star System
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
3063
Claude Goulet and company walked through the vast mostly empty corridors of the Ark Royal. Everything was very clean and white with diffuse lighting and no shadows giving it a flat blank appearance, like a canvas awaiting an artist's brush. Very different than the lived-in industrial look he was accustomed to. As an Elemental Marine he expected to live upon a spacecraft, but the utter whiteness was almost maddening. Klaus and Tomin had plenty of room to maneuver in the high rounded ceilings which they certainly appreciated.
This vessel however reminded him more of the Circe Caretaker station and the Jaguars' laboratories within it than a functional habitat with nearly five hundred crew and guests aboard. There were no decorations or technicians moving about, as if the ship were abandoned. A small robot flew pass the group into an opening in the wall.
“Where are the crew?”
“Thanks to the latest in automation we have reduced crew to a minimum. There are enough to run the ship and launch sorties if necessary.” 
They walked away from the core to one of the large grav decks and found Ravens translating through the hallways. “We are almost there.” The six of them boarded a transfer car walking out into a buzzing tube filled with Mandrills wearing their blades and colors watching each other and the Blood Spirits, while Snow Raven Marines watched everyone else.
Klaus left the new Mandrills with their own kind and walked up to a small platform, behind which a large screen came to life with an animated version of the Snow Raven emblem. His voice boomed over the assembled Warriors, he stood on a platform flanked by the ilChis. “It is my great pleasure to host this Gathering of the Troops.  I am pleased that so many of you accepted our invitation. Khan Lynn McKenna has empowered me to act as moderator for this event and we Snow Ravens are happy to assist your Clans in whatever capacity you may require. IlChis Keller and McFadden have done a great deal of work over the past three years behind the scenes. It is our hope that you leave this Gathering in better shape that you entered, with more allies and no new enemies. 
We will begin work tomorrow. Until then please enjoy our hospitality.”
The Raven Loremaster departed and the ilChi’s began circulating through the crowd facilitating conversation with the rival Kindraa while Snow Raven techs or their machines served dinner. Khan Troy Boques, a relatively young and lively Spirit approached his peer and friendly rival Khan Garett Sainze asking him about his latest battles against the Steel Vipers on Marshall. Garett opened up after a half dozen vodkas speaking of battles that would likely not be backed up by the ROMs to equally drunken sycophants.
Claude and the others found their own niches to fit into Nina was extolling her Lola IV’s performance and crazy adventure to fellow Warship commanders. Faye found other Jaguars who had found a home among the Kindraa after their Clan’s defeat. Tomin wrestled an equally powerful Spirit Elemental under the vigilant eyes of Snow Raven Marines and to the cheers of gamblers taking odds on the victor.
Joseph Kline found the Marine watching the Jaguars compare blades, of which every Mandrill had at least one, “Been a while, Joe.”
“It has Claude, I see you are spending most of your time on Atreus.”
“What can I say sometimes it’s nice to look at the same planet for a while.”
Kline pointed his drink at the Ravens that had begun arriving for the pre-party. “They know about the Hellions.”
The rest of the bottle emptied in Claude’s hands, “Are they going to do anything about it?”
“No, they are doing it themselves. I think near the same place hence why they know.”
Both of them returned to the buffet for another round, “Hardly surprising.”
“Are you sure you do not want to follow Xander, down the Exodus Road?”
“I have doubts of course. The Inner Sphere has opportunity, and Khan Drake is a trustworthy ally. Like I said before though there are benefits to working in a familiar environment.”
Joseph picked over the food which was far nicer than the normal grub (which was sometimes actual grubs) served on Shadow, “You could find another one.”
“Someone has to stay behind. Our ancestors clawed their way across the stars to bring us here. I do not want to abandon their efforts however I fell they might have been in vain.”
“It is unfortunate they failed. A big war is coming. You are smart, you have to see it too.”
“I have done everything I can to be prepared. We are Warriors, it is in our blood. I will fight for the Clan and our way against all comers if necessary.” 
“The Grand Council is falling apart, and sides are being drawn. There is only so much we could take before something broke.”
Claude looked over the Mandrills which had suffered most at their own hands, “Things broke a long time ago. I do not believe it is yet beyond saving.”
''
“I find your idealism refreshing.” He looked at a dark-haired woman walking about, Kline Kindraa was the smallest, so it had made many friends among the other Kindraa and Clans to survive serving as a diplomatic branch between rivals while not being big enough to threaten larger groups. 
“Samantha says similarly. I am not so sure; Strads (Star Adder) have been putting a lot of pressure on anyone opposing them since the Vipers were ejected from the Falcon OZ and cut off their stream of raw materials. We resist of course, it is our nature, but our Spirit allies have been savaged and their Enclaves and ability to absorb loss are limited.”
“N’Buta talks big but moves slow, the old man has been in charge long enough that he thinks he deserves to control the Homeworlds, just like Martindale. We can seize the initiative and make them reconsider this present course of eating away at smaller clans; particularly if Nina is right and the Ravens wish to help.”
“The Ravens are here to help themselves buy time for their own retreat.”
“The two are not mutually exclusive. They are guarding many Enclaves with fewer available ships and have already contracted the Goliath Scorpions on Circe. I expect they will help the other Kindraa do what I have already started within my own. 
If what you say is true, then they have little need for new Enclaves and will downsize just as the Wolves have been doing over time. The Fire Mandrills could become the next Hell’s Horses, there are far worse things to be.”
“That would make the Blood Spirits the new Coyotes then?”
Both of them watched Khan Boques and Sainze laugh it up with one another and their companions. “Depends on which path they choose?”
“Coyotes or the Spirits?”
“Both.”
The following six days were eventful but business-like affairs although there was much arguing and some minor violence. As expected, the Snow Ravens offered Enclaves on Bearclaw and Arcadia piecemeal. Within the Clan Kindraa Leaders competed internally in unaugmented challenges for the privilege of defending that territory and an increasing share of its production over five years. Troy Boques inked a deal that would see the Snow Ravens repair the Newgrange-Class Yardship, the CBS Fara Church given to them by the Coyotes and transfer the former CSV Pride of New Kent, a Carrack that had been disabled during a raid on Lum to the Spirits along with skilled technicians to train its crew on the simple transport. The Mandrills would benefit from the Yardship as well which would provide a less expensive alternative to the Lum Yards for their vessels. The CFM Reaver would be upgraded to a Block II, while this was occurring the Ravens leased them the equivalent CSR White Cloud giving them half the crew slots and principal (but not total) command of the vessel.
Additionally, the Spirits would be granted the Arcadian Enclave with assurances of protection from naval attack by the Circe Battle Star. Putting such a powerful rival right next to the heart of the Steel Viper and Star Adder’s pentagon war machine would be immensely damaging and reduce the Snake Alliance’s Kerensky Cluster force density opening up new opportunities.
An unexpected side effect of the Trials was the voluntary Absorption of Kindraa into four Super-Kindraa that would enhance the others ability and further reduce inefficiencies. Lacking a viable partner, the Faraday-Tanagas were granted the ability to harvest Jaguar Abtakha from other Kindraa adding another three Clusters (Swords, Heart, and Claws) keeping the power balance roughly even between the four Super-Kindraa and satisfying its new leader Enzo Karavaeva, an older Jaguar Abtakha taken in the mid-3050s.
Super-Kindraa
Mick-Kreese-Kline | Sainze-Matilla-Carrol | Payne-Beyl-Grant | Faraday-Tanaga + Jaguars
Clan Blood Spirit and Fire Mandrill brokered a compact that outlined shared resources both human and material between the two Clans and the Mandrill Kindraa eliminating wasteful redundancies. Joint research and development agreements were drawn up between all three Clans. Merchant trade was formalized as the Diamond Sharks continued to suffer slowdowns while increasing fees. Free Guilds could pick up the slack but did not run routes to either Clan’s Enclaves due to low volume and threat of Cloud Cobra intercepts. Snow Raven Merchant craft would transport the initial shipments tapering off as the links matured (and they moved on to the Outworlds).
Loremaster Klaus Harper watched the delegates depart his ship for their own upon the Observation Deck. Plans had been drawn up for a massive surprise campaign to announce the arrival of the Blood-Fire Compact onto the scene. “Run little Mandrills and burn yourselves up for the Ravens. If you succeed, spectacular, if not, well then there is less of a Grand Council to worry about on our way out.”
A chime triggered on the phone, “How is the Exodus Road treating you Lynn” He paused for a moment listening to the live HPG from hundreds of light years distant, “Yes, everything is going to plan OvKhan. Sending it to you now.”
Enzo’s Jaguars would reclaim their legacies from the Eridani Light Horse on Huntress
SMC will kick the Vipers off Marshall
PBG will raid the Falcons on Gatekeeper
MKK spearheads an assault on Foster against the Hell’s Horses.
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Category:The Other War Chapters
Category:Works by AlphaMirage