WOR – Another Preview, or Just Gibberish?

More stuff found on that pesky flash drive. Suppose I should put it somewhere before I delete the sucker. Here’s as good as any…

To walk the ground of Arc-Royal feels to be walking in the den of a mythical dragon; at least, that is what Technician Gabrielle mentioned to me this morning. Though we are here under a nominal flag of truce, it is against our very nature as a Jade Falcon warrior to simply wander among our enemies’ own tents.

However my feelings, I cannot find fault in Khan Pryde’s plan. What if this ‘jihad’ we keep seeing in our Watch reports turns out to be another Amaris? Can we, as children of Kerensky, honestly set that type of threat aside?

It may well turn out to be yet another Spheroid deception as well. The depths these barbarians go to in order to gain an edge against our superior might can sometimes be staggering; it would not be a surprise to me or any other Bloodnamed warrior that this could be a vast ruse built by the Precentor-Martial.

But our Clan faces a crucible of sorts and it is good to see where all the pieces might lay before us. It is like that game saKhan Clees seems to enjoy lately, “Go” or somesuch. Thinking ahead, weighing moves and options, seeing where the borders lie before committing to a path—that is what the Jade Falcon does.

So my warriors and I will investigate, spend the time necessary among the Abjured Wolves and their “khan,” Phelan. We will learn what we can of this latest of Inner Sphere arguments and find how the Falcon may fit.

Then we can get back to the business of war.

-Star Captain Tara Helmer; Annotations, 13043071

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Khan Suvorov:

I am pleased to tell you of our successes against Clan Coyote on Delios and Foster. As you correctly surmised, the Coyotes are stretched very thin across the large swath of territory they now hold; it seems Khan Kufahl has been mighty greedy in all of his bargaining with the retreating Clans. Though they hold much territory, they have not increased their touman to match. On Delios, we faced the slow solahma Stars of the 330th; taking the Timber Wolf factory was sibko play.

Foster was a challenge, I will admit. But again, it was surprising to find so few of the Coyote’s forces on what has been an important enclave. Indeed, we managed to capture not only the Rabid Coyote facility, but also a new Minotaur complex also within the bounds of our isorla.

I am increasing our Watch activities near other Coyote holdings to see if this is a trend we can take advantage of, or if this is indicative of something else.

-Loremaster Kyrie Ben-Shimon; 15073071:0045

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I am growing increasingly concerned regarding the health and stability of Khan Montose. Her strategic acumen seems to be leaking away; the last several orders she has made I cannot make rhyme or reason of. It is as if she is fueling her denial of the obvious, that the Horses have now deemed us weak and not worthy of our agreed-upon alliance.

I cannot blame the Horses, either. Our plan belies our weakness; instead of establishing our beachhead within the Inner Sphere, we have pushed beyond our means to take more than we can hold. I believe the Khan has decided, for whatever reason, to instead evict the Falcons wholesale from worlds they have spent nearly three decades entrenched. It is a mistake of magnitude.

Where did we go wrong? After examining our progress, I think everything began to crumble after the Khan was nearly killed on Evciler. She refused to have her leg amputated and regrown when the bones were shattered, and I wonder if mentally that weakness snaps at her mind. Or maybe it is the drugs that she uses to hold the pain at bay.

I have contacted Khan Montose repeatedly, suggesting we change our course of action. She denies our losses and I believe the next time we meet, I will challenge her in a Trial of Refusal. The Ice Hellion needs to withdraw and we need to survive; I am not sure the Khan’s persistence to hold to her plan will give us that chance.

I may die, but I would die for the Clan’s chance to live—to fail to do nothing will doom us in surety.

-saKhan Conner Rood; personal notations 17023072