BATTLETECH LORE: A Brief History of the Inner Sphere: Part 2
4 Minute Read
May 28 2011
Advertisement
by cerberus
In 3048, the Inner Sphere would meet a foe it could never imagine.
After several decades of relative peace bolstered by the rediscovery of new, Star League Era, technology, the future was looking brighter for the Inner Sphere. There were still minor conflicts along the borders of the great Houses, as well as the occasional pirate to deal with, but the nations of the Inner Sphere were experiencing a time of prosperity unheard of since the fall of the Star League. All that would change with the encounter of a new threat from beyond the galactic Northern periphery. It began simply enough with minor encounters reported on the outlying systems. These new forces seemed to be pirates at first. However, their true nature as conquerors would soon be evident.
Calling themselves The Clans, these new invaders wasted no time with their offensive. With a level of technology and skill never before seen by the Great Houses, The Clans cut a bloody swath through the Draconis Combine, the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, and the recently independent Free Rasalhague Republic. Experiencing very few defeats at the hands of their defenders, the Clan’s march core-ward seemed unstoppable. Although they were human, their weaponry and tactics, as well as their customs and mannerisms were completely foreign to the worlds of the Inner Sphere.
 |
| A Clan Mad Dog faces off against a Hatomoto-Chi from House Kurita. |
During a brief respite in the invasion caused by the death of the Clans’ leader, ilKhan Leo Showers, the nations of the inner Sphere were called together to the planet of Outreach, home of the famed mercenary unit, Wolf’s Dragoons. There they learned the truth behind the Can invasion; the Clans are the descendants of Aleksandr Kerensky and his followers. They have returned to restore peace to the Inner Sphere and bring back the rule of the old Star League. Wolf’s Dragoons themselves were sent to the Inner Sphere as Clan spies nearly fifty years before, their very name coming from their patron Clan, Wolf. On Outreach, the dragoons’ leader, Jamie Wolf, began training and outfitting the noble houses in an effort to repel the Clans. There, old rivalries and hatreds were shelved by the Great Houses, particularly Houses Kurita and Davion, as the youngest generation of each family trained together and, for the first time in their lives, began to look at each other as something other than enemies. The uneasy friendship between Victor Ian Steiner Davion and Hohiro Kurita would have long lasting political and military ramifications.
 |
| Prince Victor’s Daishi, Prometheus. |
As the conference on Outreach closed in 3050, the Clans renewed their assault. Unlike before, they faced much tougher resistance who was prepared for them. Thanks to the training and support of Wolf’s dragoons and the secretive, quasi-religious, intergalactic communication “corporation”, Com Star, the Inner Sphere began to blunt the tide of the Clans. However, it could not be halted completely. Under the new ilKhan, Ulric Kerensky, the ultimate goal of the invasion was revealed; the Clans aimed to take Terra from the hands of Com Star.
According to the way of the Clans, ilKhan Kerensky “bargained” with the Precentor Martial of Com Star, Anastasius Focht, for the rights to take Terra. It was revealed at that time that Com Star had been secretly hiding a massive buildup of military might; enough to rival some of the Great Houses. The battle for Terra would be decided on the planet Tukayyid, rather than Terra itself, in 3052. If the Clans won, Com Star would hand over Terra. If Com Star prevailed, the Clans would withdraw to their occupied territories and make no further advances for fifteen years. After days of brutal fighting, Com Star emerged victorious.
The Clan invasion would end. However, that would not be the end of their involvement in Inner Sphere politics. In fact, it was only the beginning. Stay tuned for the final installment of “A Brief History of the Inner Sphere”.
 |
| The state of the Inner Sphere post Clan Invasion. |
We’ll have more of these coming soon…
Author: Larry Vela
Advertisement
