The Inner Sphere: Clan Jade Falcon

[JADE FALCON LOGO]

Background

Falling into the Crusader faction of the Clans, the Jade Falcons believe the Inner Sphere to be a cowardly and dishonorable foe and believe the warriors lost at Tukayyid deserve to be avenged. After dealing with Clan Steel Viper, Clan Jade Falcon's major concern is dealing with Snord's Irregulars, waiting until they make the first move to respond by attacking with Vau Galaxy, a crack unit.

Tukayyid

IlKhan Ulric Kerensky accepted ComStar's terms to fight a proxy battle for Terra on Tukayyid, but met some resistance when he presented the plan to the other Khans. Most of the Khans, however, were enthusiastic about what they felt sure would be an easy victory, and when the kurultai convened on the Dire Wolf to bid for Tukayyid, all the Clans bid fiercely. Khan Chistu and Khan Crichell won a good position on the assault schedule, and considered themselves well revenged against Clan Wolf for the ilKhan's many decisions humiliating Clan Jade Falcon. The Falcons were scheduled to assault the cities of Olalla and Humptulips.

The following excerpt is from Jade Falcon Galaxy Commander Mar Helmer's report on the battle for Tukayyid.

"My Khan, this is my report. Gamma, Delta, and Vau Galaxy DropShips entered the atmosphere of Tukayyid without incident and landed unopposed on the Prezno Plain. Star Colonel Aidan Pryde led the Falcon Guards to cover the right flank of our advance, the Second Falcon Jaegers of Delta Galaxy covered the left flank, and the First Falcon Jaegers and Twelfth Falcon Regulars attempted to seize Robyn's Crossing and Plough Bridge, the two vital spans crossing the Prezno River..."
The First Falcon Jaegers encountered a series of heavily fortified positions two kilometers out from Robyn's Crossing. Star Colonel Rard Hoyt sent his Cluster's faster 'Mechs out to enfilade the ComGuard's 403rd Division, while his heavy OmniMechs launched a direct attack on the enemy positions. The battle was long and fierce, but the 403rd held its positions, even in the face of fighter strafing and Arrow IV bombardment. The Falcons' first break came when a Star of Elementals managed to slip behind the ComGuard lines and attack the 403rd's HQ. This "headhunter" attack killed Precentor Robert Maigatter, commander of the 403rd, and destroyed vital supplies and communication equipment. The ComGuard troops broke, allowing the Jade Falcon galaxy to penetrate their lines and annihilate more than 70 percent of the 403rd Division. In a simultaneous attack, the 305th Assault Cluster, backed by the 124th Striker Cluster, smashed through the troops of the 214th Division guarding the approaches to Plough Bridge. The 214th broke and scattered under the heavy Jade Falcon fire.

Meanwhile, Star Colonel Senza Oriega began her assault on the Robyn's Crossing bridge approaches. The ComGuards 388th Division (the White Banshees) dropped back to pick up the remnants of the 403rd Division and occupy preset artillery and heavy concrete emplacements for tanks and infantry, and the Twelfth Falcon Regulars could make no headway against this determined defense. Star Colonel Aidan Pryde of the Falcon Guards broke the stalemate by leading several stars of jump-capable OmniMechs and Elementals on an unexpected flanking attack. The ComGuards, now under fire from multiple directions, fought hard, but to no avail. The Falcon Guards' Star Captain Joanna seemed to take particular pleasure in blasting ComGuard units out of their pillboxes and then ruthlessly destroying them. Twenty minutes after the tide of the battle turned, Clan Jade Falcon controlled Robyn's Crossing. With the 124th Striker Cluster and the 305th Assault Cluster in command of Plough Bridge, Clan Jade Falcon prepared to cross the Prezno River.

Khan Chistu awarded the honor of crossing first to Star Colonel Senza Oriega and the Twlfth Falcon Regulars, a decision the Falcon Guards protested, as it was their assault that allowed the Clan warriors to seize the bridge. Their protests had no effect. The Falcon Guard warriors knew that the Khan's decision added further shame to their unit's tainted history and reflected badly on their unorthodox commander, but there was no time for bidding or Trials of Refusal. Clans Wolf and Ghost Bear were already making rapid advances in their operational areas, and every Falcon warrior wanted to beat the Wolves. Star Colonel Senza Oriega, in her Executioner, led the Twelfth across the bridge. Just as she reached the center of the span, explosions ripped the bridge as hidden ComGuard demolition charges detonated. With a sickening screech of tearing metal, the bridge collapsed into the Prezno River, carrying two full Trinaries of the Twelfth Cluster with it and killing Senza Oriega, among others. Almost immediately, ComGuard fighters and artillery began to pound the Falcon positions, with 'Mechs and tanks from the 111th and 201st ComGuard Divisions taking up positions on the opposite side of the river.

The Fifth and Fourteenth Fighter Trinaries swept the ComGuard fighters from the sky and followed up with ground attacks against the 201st Division artillery positions and ground forces. Meanwhile, the Falcon Guards and Second Falcon Regulars used jump-capable OmniMechs to leap across a narrow part of the swift-moving Prezno, losing eleven 'Mechs and a Star of Elementals in the process. Once across, the units split up, the Falcon Guards moving to secure Robyn's Crossing and the Second Falcon Regulars taking Plough Bridge. The 111th and 201st Divisions fought a brave delaying action, but the damage suffered in the massed fighter attacks combined with the unexpected speed of the two-pronged Falcon attack forced them to retreat toward Olalla. When both sides of the wrecked bridges were secure, engineers brought construction equipment to build pontoon bridges and allow the bulk of the Clan forces to advance across the Prezno.

The Falcon Guards and Second Falcon Regulars, meanwhile, moved closer to Olalla. Weak resistance by the tanks and light 'Mechs of the 77th Division resulted only in ComGuard deaths. Star Colonels Aidan Pryde and Marthe Pryde led their troops into the outskirts of Olalla before realizing that the city did not match intelligence information gathered during the bidding for Tukayyid. Suspecting a trap, Star Colonel Aidan Pryde ordered his units back out of the fake city, but even as he gave the order, the survivors of the 111th and 201st Divisions, along with the main part of the 77th Division, charged from concealed positions and engaged the Falcon forces.

Alpha Trinary's Heavy Star bore the brunt of the fierce fighting, but the ComGuards lost many 'Mechs in the initial skirmish, the Crockett piloted by the commander of the Second Battalion of the ComGuard 201st Division being the first to fall when struck in the head by an ER PPC from Star Commander Jula Huddock's Executioner. The ComGuards retaliated by destroying a Mad Dog with a massed laser barrage, executing the pilot as he ejected. The remainder of Alpha Heavy, now surrounded and cut off from the rest of the Falcon guards, annihilated an entire company of ComGuard 'Mechs before being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of their opponents. Star Commander Huddock's Executioner fell last, toppling to the ground surrounded by the wreckage of ComGuard 'Mechs. Aerospace support allowed the Falcon Guards to break out of the ComGuard trap, in the process wiping out the last of the 201st and 77th Divisions in return for the ruthless executions of the brave warriors of Alpha Heavy.

The 89th and 94th Falcon Clusters and the First Falcon Velites crossed the pontoon bridges as soon as they were completed and joined the Falcon Guards and Second Falcon Regulars. The combined Clan force moved relentlessly though the city of Olalla, driving the ComGuards before them. Just as it seemed that the Falcons controlled the city, the entire uncommitted reserves of the ComGuard Third and Eleventh Armies, six divisions strong, arrived from Humptulips by DropShip. These fresh units immediately assaulted the Falcon advance forces while the ComGuard Fourth Army, reinforced by the remnants of the 388th and 214th Divisions, began an all-out attack on the Falcon bridgeheads. Khan Chistu committed Peregrine Galaxy to support Robyn's Crossing, and Gyrfalcon Galaxy to Plough Bridge, leaving no reinforcements available for Star Colonel Aidan Pryde.

With the bulk of the Jade Falcon forces pinned down at the bridges, a second DropShip assault, bringing the forces of the First ComGuard Army led by Precentor Katherine Luarca, began on Olalla. A lucky air strike by ComGuard fighters destroyed the Jade Falcon Galaxy's ammunition depot at Robyn's Crossing, and later analysis showed this to be the turning point of the campaign. The 89th and 94th Falcon Striker Clusters and the Second Falcon Regulars had begun to run low on ammunition, The Falcon Guards barely noticed the loss, as Star Colonel Pryde had outfitted most of the Guard 'Mechs with energy weapons. Khans Crichell and Chistu realized even if they defeated the current assault, their troops carried insufficient ammunition and supplies to take both their objectives. They reluctantly ordered a withdrawal.

Supported by the Fifth Fighter Trinary, the Falcon Guards, Second and Seventh Regulars, and First Falcon Velites began to withdraw towards the bridgeheads. Clan orbital surveillance vessels showed the ComGuard 309th Division in position to cut off the Falcon retreat, and Star Colonel Marthe Pryde moved her Second Falcon Regulars in an intercept course. This battle ranks among the bloodiest on Tukayyid, exceeded only by the ComGuard Seventh Army's annihilation of Clan Nova Cat's Alpha Galaxy. The Second Falcon Regulars suffered nearly 70 percent casualties, but obliterated the 309th Division so completely that it never re-formed. Marthe Pryde alone destroyed nine ComGuard 'Mechs, including the Atlas piloted by Precentor Rennard Thordarson, commander of the 309th.

The four withdrawing Jade Falcon Clusters crossed the bridge at Robyn's Crossing, smashing through the ComGuard 90th Division to reach their DropShips, which landed at the Falcon's original LZ. The ComGuards managed to land two Overlord Class DropShips carrying the 104th Division behind Jade Falcon lines, with orders to stop the Falcons from leaving Tukayyid. This operation was timed to coincide with an all-out rear assault on the retreating Falcons. The ComGuards' plan to crush the Jade Falcon between the two forces failed when a Trinary of Jade Falcon Elementals led by Elemental Star Commander Selima attacked the ComGuard landing zone before the Overlords deployed their 'Mechs. Star Commander Selima damaged a ComGuard Highlander in such a way that it fell back into the 'Mech bay of the DropShip and exploded, causing a chain reaction of blasts which reduced the massive ship to a blazing ruin. The Elementals withdrew before the forces in the second DropShip could recover from the shock of this loss, and the Elemental counterstrike, in addition to fighter strafing and massive Arrow-IV missile attacks, allowed most of the Jade Falcons to safely board their DropShips and leave the planet. Star Colonel Aidan Pryde almost single-handedly foiled the final, desperate attempt by ComStar to interdict the evacuation by destroying more than a company of ComGuard 'Mechs before he himself was killed.

The Remembrance

The Remembrance is an ongoing heroic saga detailing Clan history from the time of the Exodus from the Inner Sphere to the present day. The Remembrance is continually expanded to include contemporary events. Each Clan has a slightly different version reflecting their own opinions and experiences. All Clan warriors can quote whole verses of this marvelous epic from memory, and it is common to see passages from the book lovingly painted on the sides of OmniMechs, fighters, and even battle armor.

Then Warrior Hazen grew cold
Watching noble DeChevalier die.
She heard her mind whisper
Urging her to fly,
To forget her duty.
But with a defiant cry
Proud Turkina dove
From the realm of death
To seize Hazen's heart
And shake it free of fear
Leaving pure her soul
And her duty clear.

-- The Remembrance (Clan Jade Falcon), Passage 8, Verse 36, Lines 58-66

Remember those events that brought these fifteen years of shame. But remember also those who fell to restore the glorious Star League. Above all, remember the blood legacy of Aidan Pride, child of Kerensky; he made the final sacrifice so that his Clan could continue. For eternity shall we praise him; in fifteen years shall we avenge him.

-- The Remembrance (Clan Jade Falcon), Passage 417, Verse 29, Lines 74-79

Table of Organization and Equipment

The Table of Organization and Equipment provides details on the composition of the Clan Jade Falcon touman. The Unit Summaries outline the touman, including information on its three Galaxies, including each individual trinary, its given nickname, and commander.

The naming system used to identify Jade Falcon units appears fairly regimented compared to the more liberal unit designations allowed by Clan Wolf. The code for each Jade Falcon unit identifies the unit, the unit type, and the parent units.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Jade Falcon Khans chose to use these potentially revealing unit designations for the Tukayyid bidding. The unit names revealed at that time agree with the data our intelligence services subsequently discovered; an explanation of the Jade Falcon designation system and examples of how to read it appear below.

The Falcons often combine Stars and Trinaries to form Novas and Supernovas as needed, and so their forces may not appear on the field in the precise arrangement stated here.

Types of Stars:

Com
Command Star
Talon
Assault Star (heavy- to assault-weight 'Mechs)
Beak
Battle Star (medium- to heavy-weight 'Mechs. Stars containing 'Mechs of a wide range of weights, such as the Eyrie Stars, are classified as Beak Stars.)
Eye
Striker Star (light- to medium-weight 'Mechs)
Nova
Combined Star of five 'Mechs and five Elemental Points
Strider
Elemental Star
Wing
Aerospace fighter Star
Mix
Star that combines services in an unorthodox way. (Used most often by Dark Wings, but also appear as new units formed for a particular battle.)

Some Trinaries and Stars are referred to by the type of mission they are trained to perform:

Shield
Defensive unit
Probe
Reconnaissance unit
Sweep
Unit trained to drive off a fleeing enemy
Hold
Unit trained to pin an enemy down

Unit Summaries

Turkina Keshik (The Chosen of Turkina)
CO: Khan Vandervahn Chistu
Aide: Star Colonel Kael Pershaw
Cluster Designation: K

Jade Falcon Naval Reserve
CO: Star Commodore Vishnu Folkner
Unit Designation: CR Perch

Jade Falcon Galaxy (Gamma Galaxy)
CO: Star Colonel Mar Helmer
Aide: Star Captain Kithan Kyle
Galaxy Designation Prefix: G

Jade Falcon Guards
CO: Star Colonel Aidan Pryde - KIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: GG

3rd Falcon Talon Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Gran Newclay - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: G3T

7th Falcon Regulars Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Devlin Hazen - KIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: G7R

9th Talon Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Dev Iler - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: G9T

12th Falcon Regulars Cluster (Formerly 1st Falcon Assault Cluster)
CO: Star Colonel Senza Oriega - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: G12R

Jade Eyrie Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Collin Buhallin - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: GE

Jade Solahma Cluster (Formerly the Jade Vets)
CO: Star Captain Minaka - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: JS

Gyrfalcon Galaxy (Delta Galaxy)
CO: Galaxy Commander Samantha Clees - WIA
Aide: Star Captain Kelly Buhallin
Galaxy Designation Prefix: D

1st Falcon Striker Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Rard Hoyt - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: D1J

2nd Falcon Jaegers Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Marthe Pryde
Cluster Designation Prefix: D2J

5th Battle Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Diane Anu
Cluster Designation Prefix: D5B

305th Assault Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Evelyn Buhallin - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: D305A

Gyrfalcon Eyrie Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Devin Buhallin
Cluster Designation Prefix: DE

Gyrfalcon Solahma Cluster
CO: Star Captain Cyn - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: DS

Peregrine Galaxy (Vau Galaxy)
CO: Galaxy Commander Angeline Mattlov
Aide: Star Captain Owanna Buhallin
Galaxy Designation Prefix: V

4th Falcon Talon Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Yesukai Shambag - KIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: V4T

4th Falcon Velites
CO: Star Colonel Evak Mattlov - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: V4V

8th Falcon Regulars Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Brikai Buhallin - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: V8R

89th Falcon Striker Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Devinnia Guili - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: V89S

94th Striker Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Kristen Redmond - WIA
Cluster Designation Prefix: V94S

124th Striker Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Abraham ChiLi
Cluster Designation Prefix: V124S

Peregrine Eyrie Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Bosha
Cluster Designation Prefix: VE

Peregrine Solahma Cluster
CO: Star Colonel Cewers
Cluster Designation Prefix: VS

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Will Day < wd@firstcircuit.net >
John Dutka < jdutka@pcnet.com >
Sep 23, 1996