The Remembrance, Part 8

chronicled by DL-Cobalt Pryde, Nova Colonel & Loremaster

Tuesday, October 5 3099 - A New Voice

The following was sent to the Loremaster's office by HPG transmission early this morning. Please pay heed to it.

"COULD THIS BE YOU?"

Knees quivering, a sick feeling in his stomach, the warrior walked into the smoking ruins of the clan hall. What had once been gay with color and rich with pride was now a misshapen mess on the hilltop. The halls once walked were now filled with holes, sunlight (or was it firelight) seeping in. Walking aimlessly amid the wreckage, bending frequently to check insignia on the uniforms of those fallen and recognizing far too many of them, the warrior finally dropped in a broken heap, a broken-hearted half-scream, half- sob erupting from within.

Past collided with present, and exploded into silence, and the drip of broken pipes.

"If I had only been there been, warring, given of myself every day throughout the war, been there to wreak vengeance for the killing of my brethren, things might have been different, let me die so they might live, turn back time, let me fight, let this never have been so that I can be there for my brothers and sisters, let me fight and die so that my clan might live, let me fight so that honor can be restored, LET ME FIGHT!"

The warrior sat numbly shaking his head on the blackened floor, the remnants of the once-proud clan crest peeking through the rubble, wishing he could turn back time and fight for the honor of the clan.

Dark Legion warriors: I write this not as a threat to the proud DL, but as a warning of things to come should we not take advantage of our skills and those of our wings. Remember that when you wear the Dark Legion uniform, you are not just donning a garment so as to fight and gain personal braggadocio. You are donning the garments of all honorable DL warriors, past, present and future. FIGHT for the clan. BE ACTIVE for the clan! We are not just the present Dark Legion warriors, we ARE THE FUTURE of DL.

Seyla!

DL-Natasha

Proud Warrior for the Dark Legion

The Loremaster applauds Nova Commander Natasha for her bold, heartfelt and entirely appropriate contribution to the Remembrance. Although I have contributed several wars to DL's MSL effort, still I feel shame upon reading Nat's words; perhaps I should contribute more. Imagine how those who have not warred at all must feel...

Wednesday, October 6 3099 - An Apology

I'd like to use this brief entry to apologize to DL-Kain; I have no clue how I managed to forget to add him to my emailing list, but I obviously did. My humblest apologies, brother; the error shall be rectified as soon as possible.

I might also request of anyone, no matter their rank or status, that you not let this kind of comm blackout continue; you should be receiving at LEAST one DL mass email a week, whether from the Khan or myself. If I have to turn loose my personal Elemental guards on those savashri surat Blakists, the HPG messages WILL continue!!! If DL-TheDark1 is reading this, please pass along your email address to everyone (and your ICQ number, if you have one).

In an early-morning Mplayer cruise yesterday (nursing a war-wound that flared up), I happened upon saKhan Psiwolf; he regrets his long absence from the clan halls, but the end is in sight. Once he is back from a personal vacation (and you'll have noticed by now the DL Homepage is back up and running), he expects to dive into the war effort with all lasers firing, which should certainly close the narrow gap between DL and the clan in 1st place.

Thursday, October 7 3099 - Teamwork

Even with the cacophonous riot of exploding munitions and shrieking laser bolts encompassing battlefield, the MechWarrior felt more as if he were in an undreamt-of martial ballet, rather than a life-or-death combat situation.

If it can be said that 75-ton BattleMechs dance rather than plod, gracefully swoop and hover rather than blast from jump to jump, or pirouette rather than torso-twist, the twin Dark Legion TimberWolves did so, fighting in tandem like dancers in a stately waltz. Each pilot seemed to know instinctively where the other was, and avoided each other's line of fire while remaining totally focused on the Clan Dragon Wind 'Mechs they were dueling. One might've guessed that there was some sort of psychic tether connecting the two, the hard-won result of hours of practice and battle together... but such was not the case.

The previous times they'd winged together, both agreed, had been just below utter disaster; in some subtle way, however, the chemistry between the two's disparate styles had changed into something approximating a cohesive whole, a synergy of purpose neither had achieved elsewhere in quite some time.

Now, after reducing one enemy to ferro-fibrous dust, the other began to beat a most-unclanlike hasty retreat, trying to use the mountain ridge between the DL and CDW bases as cover. But, again, both DL 'Mechs moved as one, in silent acknowledgment to not allow any survivors to leave the field. A torrent of stubby-winged death arced towards the fleeing CDW as both TimberWolves unleashed LRM fire. Just as the enemy T-Wolf came within sight of his base, the missiles impacted his already-weakened armor, first knocking off a leg, then both arms. A helpless wreck now, the CDW could do nothing but watch as the Dark Legion 'Mechs closed in and fired again. One heartbeat and explosions too numerous to count, and the CDW 'Mech was blown to less than scrap, and the battle, the martial dance, the ballet of war was over.

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I'd like to thank Star Colonel Sefra for the opportunity to get back in the win column, which we both did last night. Dark Legion, as of this morning, we are in our rightful place in the league standings; 1st place by at least 500 points at last glance. I hope we will maintain an activity level to keep this lead, and reach our goal of 3-4 planet attacks by month's end. Seyla!

Sunday, October 10 3099 - A Tactical Update

As he watched the magres and heat scan of his opponent's 'Mech at long range, the Nova Colonel mused to himself, "Interesting that these surats should call themselves 'Knights of Valor', when this one prefers to hide himself in his rathole base than face me on the field of battle." After a minute or two of observation to confirm that this was indeed his enemy's adopted tactic, the Nova Colonel formulated his attack plan, and shifted his machine up to full speed towards the distant base.

He approached obliquely, angling behind the intervening mountainous cover; the enemy 'Mech wasted several rounds of missile flight trying to hit his TimberWolf as it passed behind them. Once clear of the rocky cover, he hurtled directly towards the base at top speed, easily avoiding further missile fire using well-timed jump-jet bursts, only changing his angle of attack when his TimberWolf's weapons array was at point-blank range from any target the KV base might present.

There! He made visual contact with the left arm of the enemy WarHammer cowering behind one of the base's massive concrete stanchions; thought became action as he squeezed the weapons trigger, and blew the 'Mech's arm off with a combined laser, autocannon and machine-gun burst. "First blood!", his mind exulted as he pounded past the WarHammer's hiding place, then leapt into a graceful jump-jet bound, evading the foe's clumsy return fire. In mid-leap he torso-twisted the T-Wolf so that its dual missile pods could track and lock on; they did so just as the 'Mech touched down. The WarHammer began to lurch into the open in pursuit, only to run face first into 40 Long Range Missiles, a barrage that wiped out his 'Mech's other arm and severely compromised his torso armor.

The remainder of the contest was, well, no contest; the KV went down to humiliating defeat, and his tactic revealed as an utter failure.

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If you've been reading the MSL BBS, there is a minor tempest-in-a-teapot about the KV's using the "base-hugging" or "regen-camping" tactic in honor-points wars. The Loremaster offered the opinion that there are ways to combat such tactics effectively; little did I realize that I would have to deal with this tactic so soon!!! I make this entry to make my clan brothers and sisters aware that, should you face any KVs in the coming days and weeks, you may face this. All you need to remember is this; any strategy can be beaten if you use your head and take advantage of the opportunities it offers, and that THEY CAN HIDE... BUT THEY CAN'T WIN!!!

Monday, October 11 3099 - Dark Legion Update

Yesterday's meeting started out with the Khan bestowing gracious thanks and salutes to all DL warriors who've been contributing to the honor points effort and regularly attending meetings; the attendees were Natasha, Sefra, Zizka, BloodyHell Roshak, recruit MechWolf1, the Khan and myself. While we all must pay heed to the demands of Real Life (a major reason why meeting attendance has been less than optimal), props should also go to those seven active DLs I just mentioned for vaulting the clan into 1st place in the MSL honor points total. While another clan is not too far behind us, we field less than half their number, our win/loss percentage is by far the best; proof positive that, large or small we are THE clan to be reckoned with. As is the case with my beloved New York Yankees in their role as Baseball's Best, the road to galactic dominance in the MSL goes through DL!!!

With the kudos handed out, some well-deserved promotions were acknowledged. We welcome Natasha to the Keshik, taking over the Nova Captain spot. Sefra, not long removed from the uniform, once again wears Nova Commander colors. This of course means that the MIA Kastowt now retains the rank of Star Colonel; it is our fervent hope that he returns to the active ranks soon.

This morning's HPG dispatches brought news of new recruits to my office. Our young hopeful MechWolf1 has finally been made an official recruit, along with another aspirant to a DL uniform, one JadesTear. Let's give these two all the support we can, since the journey off of the recruit roster has been a rocky one for most of late. Get those obs in ASAP, gents.

To conclude, I once again offer any DL with a literary flair to submit their battle recaps, essays, mech-related fiction, etc., to me for inclusion in the Remembrance. As much as I seem to end up fictionalizing my own battle accounts, I would not have this become some 'vanity project' for the Loremaster; this Remembrance belongs to its readers, one and all, and one and all should consider being immortalized here (as much as a webpage can be considered 'immortal', anyway!)

DL Ranks - as of 10/11/99

The information on the table below was submitted for Remembrance entry by Khan WarKat Kerensky, and compiled (no doubt after exhaustive testing and measurement) by Star Colonel DL-Kain and Star Captain DL-BloodyHell Roshak. Thanks for your time and effort, one and all.

Mech2 Weapon Ranges

Sunday, October 17 3099 - Dark Legion Update

In my TGW/DL career, it has been my good fortune to only have faced Trials of Position twice before this week; my first was challenging an absentee TGW to secure a higher rank (he never turned up, nor did he ever show his face to the clan again), and the second was the epic battle long-ago-brother DL-Merchant and I waged when he challenged for my Star Colonel rank (a whoop-@$$-fest that ended 11-10 in my favor). Most of my promotions or rank advances came because others saw my value and commitment to the clan, and rewarded me commensurately.

This past Friday, however, the shoe was on the other foot, when then-Nova Captain Natasha issued a ToP challenge to me. Here is a warrioress with drive, determination and ideas on how to help DL flourish, and when all was said and done, I felt not like a defeated MechWarrior looking to get back at her, but the simple recognition that someone whose enthusiasm far exceeds my own has a rank that will allow her to pursue her goals more realistically now. Not that my own stature has decreased; I feel as valued and respected as I ever was, what with my Remembrance duties and the wars I manage to scrape up from week to week. So I offer a hearty congrats to new Nova Colonel Natasha; may she realize her ambitions (look out, Mystic and Psi!!!)

In other good news, our prodigal son Kastowt returned to the world of the free, and the clan's battlehalls, this week. With Smilie Hazen also contributing to the war effort now, I expect the lead KV has over us in the MSL to be short-lived indeed.

Wednesday, October 20 3099 - Strange Days

As I have set aside Mondays and Tuesdays as my 'DL days' (when I do my primary war-seeking), I dropped into Mplayer and the Mech2 lobby yesterday at around 6:15 cdt. As seems to happen more often than not, there were no other DLs around; though there were plenty of opponent clanners around, I elected to put out the ol' recruiting shingle, and cool my heels for awhile. Most of my wars have been conducted sans wingman (a condition I'd like to reverse), so I had no particular wish to fly solo last night; at the urging of the Nova Colonel, I'd hoped some potential recruits would drop in.

No such luck; I sat in my little recruiting office for 45 minutes without a bite. I was just getting ready to pack it in, when an old acquaintance dropped in. Cyclonic, formerly of TBH and numerous other clans and gaming services, is now wearing a CSE uniform. Glad to see a familiar and friendly face (not to mention someone whose honesty and trustworthiness is pretty much beyond reproach), we chatted for a while, and I let him talk me into a war (though I did manage to get it C4). Even though he's now a Star Captain, Cyc can never be underestimated, no matter what mech he's piloting; that's how I approached this matchup, and counted myself fairly fortunate to come away with a 5-2 win. Of course, the next time I face him, it'll have to be in C1 (YIKES!!!).

After Cyc and I got done, someone else I knew dropped in; Silverthunder, a potential recruit introduced to me and recommended by Natasha at this past Sunday's meeting. This gentleman has, apparently, a fine pedigree serving with Nat, and wants to join DL; unfortunately the mystifying backlog of DL application processing has stymied his efforts. As I mentioned in my subsequent email, we do ourselves a grave disservice by leaving enthusiastic would-be recruits hanging in the wind, waiting for a response that takes overlong to arrive. Henceforth, as our Galaxy Commander suggests, you are encouraged to have anyone wishing to join DL email MysticWolf directly ([email protected]). With a little luck, we'll be able to get back to filling up our vacant Stars and Binaries with honor-bound warriors, putting the hammer to our rival clans.

Thursday, October 21 3099 - The Blending of Styles, or Opposites Do Attract

The same thought echoed through Nova Commander Zizka's mind, like a song fragment that wouldn't go away, as he watched his wingman's TimberWolf break from the safety of cover and saunter out towards the approaching enemies; "Just what EXACTLY does he think he is doing?"

They had been over this numerous times, discussed it 'til there was no unclear ground left to cover; this Solaris 7 simulation of the urban sprawl of Tinaca offered more than adequate cover. Since the MechWarriors they were facing had drawn the LZ out in the open, they could be peppered with missile fire from behind any of the massively-buttressed buildings all the way in on their approach, without exposing themselves to unnecessary damage. Using this tactic, the enemy CDWs would be easy pickings once they got within laser- or autocannon range; a certain victory, to Zizka's way of thinking.

And the Nova Captain had agreed, Zizka thought ruefully... right up until the "GO" signal had been called. As soon as both had ranged the incoming mechs and fired their initial volleys, the Nova Captain had cycled his TimberWolf up to 3/4 speed and sped off south, playing a dangerous game of peek-a-boo, sighting the CDWs, firing as he cleared, then ducking behind cover again, moving further and further from Zizka's ability to cover him.

With a grace belying its ponderous 80-ton bulk, he pivoted his WarHammer from behind the building, sighitng and firing with split-second precision, then spinning back to cover and safety again. Watching both his wingman and the enemy mechs, it dawned upon him suddenly what the Nova Captain had in mind; both CDWs had swung about, and were pursuing him... giving Zizka a clear firing lane directly at their rear armor. As he swung clear and fired all weapons yet again at the 2 T-Wolves' weaker rear armor plating, he thought, "A bold move indeed, if he can evade their weaponry long enough to allow me the glory of the kill." A not-entirely certain prospect...

Later, with both foes beaten and retreating (Zizka had graciously offered them hegira when they realized they were in danger of becoming Dispossessed), he watched bemusedly as the Nova Captain's mech lurched and dragged its battered way back towards the repair bay. He couldn't help but smile when the comm crackled to life, and the Captain's weary voice croaked, "See, Zizka? Contrasting styles CAN be compatible, even complementary... with the right pilots!!!"

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Another floridly-fictionalized battle recap, brothers and sisters, but Nova Commander Zizka and I did come out on top in our C4 war with CDWs Westman and Lithium yesterday, 7-6, despite the fact that both of us used severely-contrasting styles (Zizka's conservative approach, and my somewhat more flamboyant and foolhardy style). Also, the fact that both CDWs had improved markedly since my last encounter with them made it a VERY close match. Thanks for the chance to wing with you, Ziz; I'll try to be, ahem, a bit more effective next time!!!

Monday, October 25 3099 - The End Of An Era, The Beginning Of An Era

Even before a word was spoken, the undercurrent was there, much like that strange anticipatory vibe people and animals get before a thunderstorm. As Khan WarKat popped in on the casual remnants of a meeting he himself cancelled, the writing on the wall became apparent. The reins of authority for the clan would be passed... and to the most obvious candidate.

The mantle of Khanship of Clan Dark Legion will now be worn by Natasha, the first female Khan in KK/TGW/DL's storied history. Where this will lead us I cannot yet say; loyalty does not always shift easily (although it did from naM taP to WarKat, when DL was formed from TGW), and the repercussions of who will stay and who will go are not yet known. I, for one, have no intention of leaving my uniform or office in the short term; time will answer whether Dark Legion remains a viable clan, strong of membership and purpose... or we are once again consigned to the pages of lore, and the memories of those we fought and bested, by defections and retirements too numerous to ignore...

Monday, December 27 3099 - "...Tell Our Ma's We Done Our Best."

As in that storied final episode of "Space: Above & Beyond", the Dark Legion's second chapter ends here, for me.

It began, did our second coming, in sound and fury, rallying around the misuse of our clan's name by some pretentious upstarts; the resultant storm of email soon put these sociopathic reprobates in their place. This incident did, however, serve to re-open the lines of communication between most of the former DLs who'd drifted apart, and with the upcoming release of "MechWarrior 3", plans of clan reactivation and new Mech3 leagues began to surface. Momentum built up fairly quickly, and before long we were meeting once again on Mplayer, raising eyebrows and setting tongues wagging.

Unfortunately, we should have realized the handwriting was on the wall from the beginning. The lifeblood of any online clan is participation and activity by its membership, an area in which we were sorely lacking. Of our initial Keshik makeup, only 2 appeared on anything resembling a regular basis, not to mention making it tough to recruit new members in order for the clan to grow. If 20 warriors get in 2 wars a week, those 40 wars are a more-than-respectable total; obviously, with 5-7 active members, it's much harder to put up competitive league numbers, without burning people out. In the end, we couldn't recapture whatever magic or fire sparked Dark Legion in the first place.

And so it goes. Once again, DL's BattleMechs and equipment are dismantled, and sent off to hidden caches on distant worlds throughout Clan galactic territory. The DL standard has been folded up, and the JumpShips are charging up to depart for ports unknown. Is there another re-activation in our future? Highly doubtful; too many other online games have come along; life, business, school and kids have come along for too many of us.

As the next thousand years (as we humans view things) looms near, the Loremaster bids another fond farewell to this, our legacy, our record, our history... our Remembrance. Thus shall it stand, until we all shall fall...