Assorted Historical Quotes

"To define the embodiment of honor is to understand the nature of the Clans..."
-Out of Ignorance: The Return of Kerensky's People, by Jaime Wolf, News Avalon Press, August 3053.

"Face it. This charge is born of the fact that Khan Ulric and his Wolves ripped through one of the most densely populated regions of the Inner Sphere while the rest of you moved at the speed of a stunned snail."
-Phelan Ward (ex Kell) addressing the Council of Khans during the trial of Ulric Kerensky for engineering ilKhan Leo Shower's Death, Strana Mechty, 19 June 3051.

"The Precentor Martial told us that by winning this battle, we had won the war. If this madness is victory, then victory be damned!"
-Excerpt from the debriefing of Retired Major Dean Bianchi, Com Guards 6th Army, First Division.

"She smiled confidently. "Believe me ilKhan, you have the troops and experience necessary to take Tharkad."
Ulric nodded. "Oh, I believe you, but taking Tharkad would deflect us from our goal and that I cannot allow to happen."
The Primus frowned and shot a quick, reproving glance at the Precentor Martial. "Your goal?"
"You did not know?" Ulric feigned great surprise while the Precentor Martial's expression changed to pure puzzlement. "You truly do not know?"
The Primus shook her head. "I do not."
A predatory smile flashed across Ulric's face at Myndo's petulant tone. "Our goal in the conquest of Terra, my dear Primus. It was once the seat of the Star League, and it will belong to the Star League again. This is our will, our goal, and no one in the Inner Sphere can stop us from achieving it."
-Meeting with ComStar Primus and Precentor M and the ilKhan, Satalice, 7 January 3052.

"Hello. I represent the Kurita Benevolent Association. I'm calling this evening to see if you would care contribute to our organization and to the spread of peace throughout the stars. This offer is made possible for a limited time only through the continued growth of Human Enlightenment, brought to you by the always-pacifist Draconis Combine."
-From Yes, Governor-General, vidtape sitcom broadcast from the Rim Worlds Republic, 2772.

"The thought of the Star League being reborn without our divine input and guiding hand is appalling. It eats at my very soul. We must not wait, we must seize the initiative while it is still within our grasp."
-Khan Leo Showers, addressing the Grand Council, November 3048.

"In the Periphery
We came to know you
For the barbarians you are.

Is it any wonder I
Feel pride at
Ridding the Inner Sphere of you?"
-Lyrics from a challenge song to the Inner Sphere militaries written by a Jade Falcon warrior.

"My heart hoped for glorious wars against honorable warriors. My mind expected honorless battles against uncivilized barbarians. You tell me that our conquest of the Inner Sphere will be nothing more than skirmishes against cowardly children. Imagine my bitter disappointment!"
-ilKhan Leo Showers, addressing the kurultai, 23 February 3050.

"The Star League never retreats. It will fight to the last Kurita soldier."
-Hikaru Missata, Kurita Ambassador to the Star League, 2582.

"What's it like fighting the Wolf? Imagine lightning on legs, or an earthquake with arms, or a catastrophe with genius, or just pure hell on wheels."
-A soldier of the Lovinac militia to a reporter, 2 June 3050.

"Ambition is the fire of the will, the spur to the horse, and the arm wielding the flashing sword."
-A Clan saying.

"The universal scholar would be hard pressed to find a worse collection of self-involved, sadistic tyrants than those of House Amaris. Not only did they damn themselves by their collective hatred of Humanity, buy by their actions, they damned us as well."
-From Black Eagles Stained With Blood: A History of the Amaris Family, by Gorden Ballantre, Decameron ress, Lackhove, 2955.

"Precentor Martial, perhaps you could request data on one more world in your transmission?" Ulric allowed himself a grim smile that Phelan recognized from previous times when Ulric had apparently been testing him. This time to his relief, the look was directed at Focht.
"It would be my pleasure, ilKhan. Which world is it?"
"A target for the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats. It is in the Draconis Combine. According to what they say, it may be a world of some importance." Ulric frowned. "The name escapes me."
Focht's one good eye half-closed as he cycled through the names of the worlds in that theater of operations. "Irece? Teniente?" The ComStar warrior hesitated as another name came to him. "Pesht? Do they mean to take Pesht? Pesht is a Military District capital."
"No, no, none of those, Precentor, but thank you. A yes, "Ulric said, "now I remember." As his smile returned Phelan felt a sudden, horrible premonition. "The name is Luthien, "the ilKhan said, pleased with himself at remembering quickly. "The world for which they want information is known as Luthien".
-Meeting with the ilKhan and the Precentor Martial Anastatius Focht, Memmingen, 20 November 3051.

"Jaime Wolf shook his head as though not believing what he'd heard. "I think you mistake the gravity of the situation, Lady Romano. If we don't stop the Clans, who will?"
Romano smiled widely, then let her gaze sweep the assembly as though to share her enlightenment with all. "You forget, Colonel Wolf, that when the Star League collapsed, General Alexandr Kerensky led away nearly the whole Star League army beyond the Periphery. They're out there. They have been waiting all this time, waiting for the day mankind would again need their help. They will come and they will save us from the Clans."
Wolf's shoulders sagged. "Lady Romano, have you heard nothing I've said?" He stared around the room in disbelief, once more shaking his head. Though his voice dropped almost to a whisper, no one missed a word in the utter silence that had fallen over the gathering.
"Don't you see?" He leaned forward, grasping the podium so hard his knuckles went white. "Kerensky's people have returned. They are the Clans."
-Excerpt from the conference at Outreach, 15 January 3051.

"It's not so much that the damn Davions keep crossing the border and destroying our homes all the time, but that their tank shells are all covered with quotations from Michael Hasek-Davion..."
-Taurian graffiti of unknown origin.

"Magestrix Crystalla Centrella, you are now my prisoner..."
"Given your reputation, my Lord, I am looking forward to it."
"Your planet is, at this very moment, occupied by four elite BattleMech regiments."
"Things have been a little dull around here lately."
"All your Magistracy government offices are hereby closed. All your government's functions will hereafter be directed from my command post here."
"Good, you can deal with the actor's guild rep in the morning."
"And I intend to establish my headquarters in these apartments."
"Seems we're going to see a lot of each other from now on."
"As the new military governor of Canopus IV, I expect you to obey my commands without question."
"Coffee, tea, or me, governor?"
-Conversation between Magestrix Crystalla Centrella and General Ian Marik, reported by Lasanna LaRue, lady-in-waiting to the Magestrix, 2596.

"When I told him that from that day forward the Dragoons were at war with his House, Takashi Kurita didn't bat an eye. I wasn't even sure he believed me-the Coordinator never was an easy man to read.
He believed me later of course."
-From A Lifetime in the Trade: Reminiscences of a Mercenary, by Jaime Wolf, New Avalon Press, 3055.

"Do you swear upon the words of the Great Kerensky that you will follow the ordained trail through the black firmament of space, the trail that will ultimately lead us back to Terra to restore all that was good and pure in the Star League?
Aff. I swear my blood future upon it."
-From the ilKhan oath-taking ceremony.

"To all fledglings, this is Peregrine Eyrie. Stars of Elementals have been sighted approaching this location. Repeat. Elementals seen approaching Peregrine Eyrie. Be advised that command will go off-air if attacked; fledglings should revert to Plan Scatter/(Sound of explosion)/(E.O.T)."
-Transmission from the 26th Lyran Guards HQ, 18 November 3051, Tamar.

"To: The Right Honourable Kalvin Mitchel Michalmas III, Admiral Extraordinaire in command of Her Majesty the Archon's Periphery Forces.

Sir:
I have received your communication of last month in which you state your intention to hunt down, pen up, eradicate, and ultimately destroy myself and my band of fellow privateers. As an aside, sir, I respectfully point out that I prefer to be called a "Corsair". Yes, I rather fancy that. The term "pirate" is such a widely misused and hackneyed term these days.
At any rate, as to your letter, I welcome the opportunity to meet you in deep space, but please do not be too slow in coming to me. You see, sir, I have a special reception already planned for you and yours. If you are not soon in coming I shall have no alternative but to come looking for you. I have long fancied a visit to Tharkad before I die. Indeed, more than once have I considered the acquisition of a large palace on one of the Archon's smaller estates for use as a memorial brothel in my honor. I much enjoy the thought of leaving behind something of lasting value.
So please come. Bring your fleet and your BattleMechs and your troopers. We are waiting for you. Ah, but do plan to stay a long time...a very long time."
-From a letter by Redjack Ryan to a member of the Lyran High Command, published in the Tharkad Universal Tribune, December 11 3022.

You will fight to the last soldier, and when you die, I will call upon your damned souls to rise and speak horrible curses at the enemy.
-Stefan Amaris to his troops defending Terra, 15 January 2779

True warriors do not follow paths, they make them. It is not just their desire, it is their nature.
-Nicholas Kerensky

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close semblance to the first.
-Attributed to General Alekandr Kerensky

Politics is of great use to men such as myself. It helps determine who should be on the dangerous end of a PPC.
-General Aaron DeChevilier, second-in-command to Alekandr Kerensky

As the insect feeds the bird,
As the bird feeds the wolf,
As the wolf feeds the smoke jaguar,
So all give life to the warrior,
Who sheds his blood for their glory.
-The Remembrance, Passage 121, Verse 43

...A magnificent beast, the smoke jaguar. It is ferocity unbound, tenacity without limit. Once it locks its powerful jaws around the throat of its prey, it never lets go. The greatest of warriors might be shamed by comparing himself to such fierce courage...

My Clans might learn much from this beast. Like us, it came from Nature, but has been improved by human hands. And now the great cat born on Terra thrives on a world so many light-years away from the planet of its birth that the human mind shudders to contemplate it...as we must. As we will... The smoke jaguar fights like a true warrior. No deceit, no subterfuge - a single, brutal assault, both open and deadly. A powerful spring from above, a slash of its huge claws across its victim's throat, and its prey lies dead before it. So should all of us fight our enemies - openly, but with overwhelming force. Thus we may win true glory by defeating the foe in honorable combat. Truly, this great cat is a finer warrior than any human being I have ever seen on the field of battle...!
- From Birth of a New Society: The Collected Writings of Nicholas Kerensky, Strana Mechty Press, 3025

The role of the warrior is to be more than the highest of castes. It is to protect the weak, defend the innocent, to be more than just a mere soldier as in ages past. No, a warrior is more than the genetics that have formed him or her. They are to be the embodiment of my vision, a new direction for our species.
-Franklin Osis, Founder of the Smoke Jaguar Clan

From the ranks of the many she rose,
Pre-eminent among all others.
Foe after foe fell before the young warrior
For destiny guided her sword.
When out Leader called, she rose
And became the head of the mighty Serpent.
She guided the Viper alongside the Wolf,
Along the path of the True Vision.
Let us forever honor the First Khan, who showed the way.
Let us remain faithful to the True Path she marked for the Viper.
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 5, Lines 6-15.

The wise Nicholas spoke to them all
Through the haze of their anguish
His passion flowed through the doubt,
His conviction tore at the fear
He was become the living legend.
Phillip listened and believed;
He would follow this great man
as he had followed the father
into Exodus, and hope.
-The Remembrance, Passage 14, Verse 1, Lines 1-9.

And in her vision the wolf howled,
But the nova cat paced steadily on,
Undisturbed by the petty battles
Others fought, trying to cage it within the bars of
Thoughtless sameness. The nova cat gazed
Straight ahead, its heart and mind devoted to
The Ways of Seeing, devoted to a more perfect life.
-The Remembrance, Passage 50, Verse 5, Lines 26-32.

The General's intent was clearly stated,
To depart and never return.
He forced none but swayed many;
This compassionate, brilliant man
Had led thousands to victory,
And he would again lead the long march.
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 6, Lines 12-17.

Now is the time
To prove
What we know to be true:
That we shall conquer all.
-The Remembrance, Passage 155, Verse 2, Lines 45-48.

Then Karen Nagasawa said,
"The past holds wise men as well as fools;
Why then do we listen only to the foolish
When we have another choice?"
-The Remembrance, Passage 12, Verse 14, Lines 4-7.

As each warrior plays his role in battle,
So each caste plays its role for the Clan.
Growers of food and makers of 'Mechs,
Those who discover and those who enrich,
All look for justice to the warrior who governs.
-The Remembrance, Passage 96, Verse 12, Lines 1-5.

Bid the Sea Fox farewell;
Noble he was, but not strong enough.
The diamond shark has devoured him;
The shark is the greater warrior.
-The Remembrance, Passage 127, Verse 35, Lines 6-9.

Then Warrior Hazen grew cold
Watching noble DeChavilierdie.
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
To shake her free of fear
Leaving pure her soul
And her duty clear.
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 36, Lines 58-66.

Remember those events that brought us 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 Pryde, child of Kerensky;
he made the final sacrifice so that his Clan could continue.
For eternity shall we praise him;
in fifteen years we shall avenge him.
-The Remembrance, Passage 417, Verse 29, Lines 74-79.

There will be a time when our descendants
Return to reclaim what is our right.
With honor swelling their hearts, they will crusade
Against the dark emotions that have dimmed
The Inner Sphere for so long.
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 41.

From Kerensky's Stars came the Eight Hundred
Beneath a banner of Truth and Righteous Light
To lift up those who had suffered and to smite down
With fearful vengeance those who had ruled
In the name of Vanity or Greed.
-The Remembrance, Passage 98, Verse 28.

Remember Franklin Osis,
Father of his Clan.
Three strengths he gave us:
The jaguar's spring that brings the enemy down,
The jaguar's claws that rend the enemy's heart,
The jaguar's taste for the enemy's hot blood.
-The Remembrance, Passage 104, Verse 18, Lines 5-10.

Five are our foundation,
One above the rest.
Four are the steppingstones,
The fifth the pinnacle.
The laborer, the technician, the scientist, the merchant,
These are the steppingstones
To the warriors' place.
As the insect feeds the bird,
As the bird feeds the wolf,
As the wolf feeds the smoke jaguar,
So all give life to the warrior
Who sheds his blood for their glory.
-The Remembrance, Passage 121, Verse 43, Lines 12-24.

In our dark days of wandering,
He gave us Hidden Hope;
Our sacred duty calls us to return.
As our Father told us,
And his father before him,
Ours is the redemption of the Universe;
Ours is the paradise of Terra;
Ours is the war of liberation.
-The Remembrance, Passage 204, Verse 06, Lines 2-9.

Remember Leo Showers,
Great Khan of Khans.
He showed us the way to destiny,
And gave his life to achieve it.
-The Remembrance, Passage 215, Verse 31, Lines 22-25.

Mourn for our ilKhan, o warriors!
Cry curses to the heavens!
They have silenced the voice of the Crusaders;
Let them be ash beneath our feet.
Make your hearts as proud as his,
Make your blood as fierce,
Make your blows as deadly to our enemies
-The Remembrance, Passage 215, Verse 31, Lines 26-32.

Fifteen years, fellow warriors. Fifteen years
We are to suffer in shame and silence,
Listening to the crowing and laughter
Of our enemies, who think us defeated.
But remember, warriors, we are the Clans.
What fails to kill us only makes us stronger.
And when future sibkos learn of us,
They will know the sixteenth year
As the Stacalkas-Nomen: The year
The punishment of our enemies began.
-The Remembrance, Passage 329, Verse 53, Lines 141-150.

Where nature's law threatened the weary;
When food, water, even air itself ran low,
It took just a command, a word, a smile,
From the General to light the way.
He was comfort, stern courage, compassion
To our sires as he lead them from the fires
That grew and fed on those they left behind.
-The Remembrance, Passage 2, Verse 14, Lines 18-24.

"The just deaths of the traitors frightened some
There among the darkness and alien stars.
A few lost heart and began with quavering resolve
To question the Great Father's plan.
With stern compassion he spoke and all was revealed:
How their destiny was the Hidden Hope
Of all mankind and their sons' sons
Would one day return to the inner sphere
Bringing back the enlightenment of the Star League
To those unfortunates they had left behind
Such was their right, such is our legacy of blood."
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 22, Lines 1-11.

There will be a time when our descendants
Return to reclaim what is our right.
With honor and swelling their hearts, they will crusade
Against the dark emotions that have dimmed
The Inner Sphere for so long.
But with glory comes responsibility;
Without a pure soul we cannot give sight
To their blind lives, but will only blind ourselves.
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 41, Lines 1-8.

The rebels, heeding neither strength nor sense,
Cowardly ambushed noble DeChevilier.
Although he fought like a lion, he died
And with his death came the clouds, and reason fled
Like a winter sun's feeble evening light
Above hopeless Eden and wicked Babylon
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 36, Lines 51-56.

Five, Nicholas proclaimed, was the foundation
Upon which our true society was to be built.
Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:
They shall have our undying gratitude,
For they are the muscle behind us all.
Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:
They shall have our commerce and respect,
For they are the bones upon which we are built.
Technicians to build and fix the machines:
They shall have our admiration,
For they are the fingers with we grasp life.
Scientists to create and discover:
They shall have our awe and our attention,
For they are the mind of our society.
And above all, the Warriors who protect:
They shall have our cooperation and worship,
For they are the blood and soul of us all.
-The Remembrance, Passage 67, Verse 26, Lines 21-37.

"For the day will come and our kin will stand
On Terra's firm soil, ready to rebuild
The Star League with their hearts and hands.
But who shall lead? Upon the whose shoulders
Will the burden lie? The answer is the test;
The test is the journey. Whichever Clan
Carves its way through the barbarians
To reach that fabled cradle of us all
Shall be the vehicle of the League's rebirth. Upon
The Star League throne shall sit that Clan's
Wisest Khan. So should it be-So shall it be."
-The Remembrance, Passage 72, Verse 22, Lines 14-24.

From Kerensky's Stars came the Eight Hundred
Beneath a banner of Truth and Righteous Light
To lift up those who had suffered and to smite down
With fearful vengeance those who had ruled
In the name of Vanity or Greed.
The thunder of their BattleMech's feet, the lightning
From their weapons, and the blood spilled in their name
Created the Clan Spirit, the forge upon which
We have fashioned ourselves to be the weapon
Of the resurrected Star League,
Honored to a razor's edge by the Trials,
By The Remembrance and by the Words
Of the Great Kerenskys, our sires, our saviors.
-The Remembrance, Passage 98, Verse 24, Lines 8-20.

"All praise the art of batchall and bidding
For it proves our love of peace and tradition."
-The Remembrance, Passage 118, Verse 2, Lines 11-12.

Like a poisonous weed, the Not-Named fostered
Thoughts and actions against the Clans, calling them
"Independence" and "Freedom," not realizing
Their every act changed them to the corruption's
That brought down the noble Star League
And set the Inner Sphere aflame.
But the Clans survived by condemning
Them to a bitter annihilation.
Lead by Clans Wolf and Widowmaker,
The Grand Council wiped clean the records,
Obliteration with the warm blood
Of its tragically doomed warriors
Every mention of the Not-Named Clan.
-The Remembrance, Passage 149, Verse 55, Lines 21-33.

About the fallen hero they gathered,
None able to give voice to his shock.
Khan Jerome Winson knelt, tears streaming,
To cradle Nicholas Kerensky's head.
To wipe the blood from the cold brow,
To close the lightless eyes. Peach, great Hero.
Choked with sadness and anger
Khan Jerome Winson spoke. "Khan Cal Jorgensson,
I cry, not for myself, nor for others.
I weep for your Clan Widowmaker.
There is a price for such a crime
As you have committed. A price you
And your Clan will pay."
-The Remembrance Passage 154, Verse 34, Lines 16-28.

Therefore the youngest of them all stood up,
And with a voice like amber wine she spoke:
"Great sir, now all is clean and seeming well,
Yet still there is but one remaining problem;
My children, sir, they as of yet unborn,
Shall never hear your words so pure and grand."
"You see"' the great one spoke aloud, "It is
your humble kin for whom I write this book.
It is the law, our honor bound in hide."
-The Remembrance Passage 156, Verse 04, Lines 24-32.

And Minaka Widowmaker spoke,
"I claim the Bloodname Vordermark;
It was my mother's and my mother's father's.
It is mine by association and blood pride."
The Council was stunned and outraged
By her lack of respect for the Clan ways.
Then the ilKhan rose and spoke wise words.
"Such a claim is not freely granted, Minaka.
Although your blood may cry out Vordermark,
It is your muscle and mind that will make it so.
Remember that Rede of our past, Widowmaker,
And do not ask words to win what the trial decides.
If strong, you will win the Right.
But do justice to our future
By remembering our past, young one.
Those are my words, that is my judgment."
-The Remembrance, Passage 167, Verse 34, Lines 33-48.

And never forget that help may come
From the most unlikely of quarters
And success rest upon the shoulders
Of those kept shadowed until the time of need.
-The Remembrance, Passage 222, Verse 06, Lines 11-14.

Then the order came, "Furl the sails.
Ready for jump, mighty warriors.
We journey back, we journey home,
Carrying the flame of the Star League
Back to the hearth. We face the ignorant
Who believe themselves civilized and strong,
But they will soon discover otherwise.
We are the Clans, the Star League incarnate.
None can stand against us and survive."
-The Remembrance, Passage 272, Verse 08, Lines 11-19.

"No natural calamities cost you.
There was no great disease, no famines;
No interstellar catastrophe to blame.
You have no excuse to explain
How this, our rightful palace, has been fouled
With the dust of countless innocent dead.
The truth is that you are the descendants
Of traitors who scurry about like rats
In the dark, fighting over petty kingdoms
At the foot of the empty throne.
Never recognizing that you have given up
The one true prize."
-The Remembrance, Passage 285, Verse 15, Lines 21-32.

Tyra of the Rasalhague led,
Forth her fiery flying Drakons,
Gallant in bronze. A warrior woman whose hands
Were unskilled in the ways of hearth and home,
In the skills of war she was hard and trained
To leave behind the airy winds and fight
Where the void is eternal and life fleeting.
Tyra and her warriors fought
Like crazed demons above Radstadt
. When her fighter was crippled by ours,
And her life leaked away into the endless night,
She chose to die
And sent her fighter like a spear
Through the Dire Wolf, claiming as isorla
Our mighty ilKhan's life. Sing of our loss, warriors!
Sing, but of Tyra also,
For though an enemy, her courage none can deny.
-The Remembrance Passage 294, Verse 08, Lines 17-23.

"And so the Khans met in kurultai
To discuss the carving of Tukayyid.
As if it was some feast dish cooked
And tender, begging for the server's knife."
-The Remembrance, Passage 327, Verse 3, Lines 5-8.

Sons and daughters of the blood legacy,
Inspire me as I sing,
Of the deaths dealt out on Tukayyid
And of what our warriors faced and bravely fought:
Help me paint a portrait of an apocalypse.
-The Remembrance, Passage 328, Verse 01, Lines 1-5.

Our way is the true divine path of the great Kerensky. Aleksandr led us from the death and destruction that was to devour the spirit of the Inner Sphere. Nicholas, our founder and vision, forged us into the Clans. The Jade Falcon has always seen the true path to our destiny. We have always known it was our people's will to return to the Inner Sphere on the most holy of Crusades, and re-forge the Star League.
-Star Captain Redaldo, Clan Jade Falcon

Only short-sighted fools see our destiny as to shackle the Inner Sphere under the guise of a new Star League as our Crusade counterparts believe. The Kerenskys of the past are no doubt weeping at what we are doing - invading that which we have been pledged to defend as a people. Before the Clans, when we were the Star League Defense Force in Exile, we always knew that we would return to the Inner Sphere. Not as conquers, but as her shield and protector.
-Star Captain Jekiah, Clan Wolf

Hear you now the tales of battles and glory, of honors won and glories gained. Behold the tales of The Remembrance, the essence of our people.
-Opening to the Jade Falcon Remembrance

We are the Jade Falcons, the heart and soul of what Nicholas Kerensky saw as his great vision for our people. Even if you took away our weapons, destroyed every BattleMech, Elemental Suit, and fighter, we still could defeat our foes. The reason is simple: we are not just a Clan driven by our technology, but a race of superior Warriors. A Warrior does not require weapons to crush his or her foe, they can do it with their bare hands.
The BattleMechs make us even more deadly. I hope that the Wolves consider this and tremble in their dens.
-Khan Vandervahn Christu

You are part of the Screaming Falcon sibko. I am you instructor-and much more than that. I am your life. My word is law. My will is divine inspiration. My orders are edicts for you to live and die by. Heed what I say, and you may yet live to honor the glory of the Jade Falcon. Ignore me, and face not just my wrath, but a Circle of Equals and your fate . . .
-Introduction Speech, Star Captain Utar, Clan Jade Falcon Sibko Instructor

There are rules to follow in combat, rules which are learned not in books, but in the stinging sweat and heat of a cockpit in the midst if battle. Lessons that are burned in your mind as you see the ungodly flash of a PPC as it wraps itself around your cockpit, boiling off your painting and popping your armor like kernels of popcorn in a fire. Guides that are forever tattooed on your brain as a volley of autocannon fire ripples across your torso, shredding armor and spilling bright green coolant from your BattleMech as if it were blood.
These rules I know, and I pass to my Warriors-one and all. May they pave the road to our future . . .
-From the writings of Nicholas Kerensky

Listen and listen well, you freebirth scum. This is a hot drop situation. The Falcons are closing in on the facility from the west and we are deploying in their path. The good news is, you are Warriors of the Wolf Clan - the true heirs to the blood legacy of the great Kerenskys. Through your veins flow generations of our people, each one stronger, faster, and more cunning-like our namesakes.
The better news is that we are outnumbered four to one. Like the weak birds they are named for, the Falcons have bid a disgraceful and wasteful amount of Warriors to attempt such a raid. Their loss of honor is great, as is their loss of pride when we crush them under our paws. All this means is that there are more of them for us to slay in the name of our clan, quiaff?
-Morale Speech. Star Commander Jillce Fetladral, Gamma Galaxy, 11th Battle Cluster, Bravo Battle Star

History has often taught us that the path to victories in the future is not to rush into battle like the Smoke Jaguars or the Jade Falcons. Where they rush into battle, charge where angels fear to tread, we know that victory is a matter of stalking one's prey. The hunt, the pursuit, the methodical wearing down of one's foe, that is often the key to victory. Let the Falcons say what they will about Ulric Kerensky. We shall show them how true Warriors achieve victory!
-Khan Natasha Kerensky to her 352nd Assault Cluster on the Eve of Battle, Colmar

I do not agree at all with what Ulric and his people are doing. As ilKhan, he has led our people down the road to ruin. Through these damnable Trials of Refusal, he is wasting resources and waste is something that a true Warrior cannot tolerate for long. He has turned his back on our very way of life, and I look forward to what our people shall do to him in the field. The fights will be quick and glorious-then we can turn our attention to where it belongs-Terra.
But heed this. The Wolves, despite what we think of them, are Clan. As Clan, we shall treat them with honor. Then we will crush their throats and put an end to this mindless truce . . .
-Khan Elias Crichell prior to the Battle for Wotan

In my time with the Clans I have come to know them well, both as ally and foe. Their Trials of Position are most unique and alien to our governments and way of life. Rather than handle promotions the way that the militaries of the Inner Sphere do, they wage Trials of Position, In these, the combatants battle individual Warriors, in succession, one at a time. The number defeated determines the rank of the MechWarrior.
These battles are often fought in arenas. As much as the Clans disdain worlds like Solaris VII and its games, their arenas are similar in nature. Their arenas are enclosed, with rises along the edges, and building-like obstructions in the middle. Here, Warriors fight. Death is not expected, nor is it uncommon.
To us, fighting for rank is alien and almost barbaric. To the Clans, it ensures that only their most proficient Warriors rise through the ranks. This is only one of the reasons that I recognize these enemies for the threat that they are . . .
-Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, Comstar

Tests of combat solve all problems in life.
-Clan Steel Viper saying

Warriors win wars. Technicians win battles.
-Unclaimed graffiti attributed to a Jade Falcon Technician Caste Member

Ulric and his pack of Warriors think they have us where they want us. We shall teach them the pain of the talons wrapped around their furry throats.
-Khan Christu

Short-sighted and vain. Tainted by the very things we as a people disdain, yet proclaiming himself to be the leader of us all.
-Ulric Kerensky's private comments on Khan Chritsu of the Jade Falcons

"What do you mean the Galaxy command net is down? That isn't possible, unless . . . by Kerensky's Ghost-Falcons in the compound! All command staff, Jade Falcons in the camp . . ."
-Last words of Warrior Darion, Wolf Clan, Wotan

"Being tactful in audacity is knowing how far one can go too far."
- Jerome Blake, founder of ComStar, 2788

"To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life."
- Quote inscribed over gate of House Hiritsu stronghold on Randar

I'm not saying that the Steiners are perpetually on the thin line between sanity and loony tune, because that's a myth. The Steiner family has such a reputation that being icy-cool that when they do show a strong emotion like anger, love, or humor, people around them are so startled that they wonder if that Steiner has lost his wits. Of course, holding one's emotions in is another kind of madness.
- Interview with Thelos Auburn on The News Hour, Donegal Broadcasting Co., September 19, 3024

ComStar knows all.
- Anastasius Focht

You have to understand the code of duty and honor that rules those who pilot these engines of destruction. Placing such an awesome weapon in the hands of an individual implies a similar gesture of trust.
- Anastasius Focht

Good charts, strong ship, and a sextant have made it possible to weather more than one storm.
- Anastasius Focht

"The lies of Focht's ComStar have gone unanswered long enough. The time has come to drive the heretics from the cradle of humanity. Then the purifying light of Blake's True Vision will shine again on Terra, the gleaming gem set at the heart of the Inner Sphere. Then all will know that the true ComStar, the Word of Blake, has returned to guide them through the darkness of ignorance."
-From an address to the Word of Blake Militia by Precentor Demona Aziz

"You've seen the holo-vids of that summer on Hesperus II. When the Wolf's Dragon's five fully equipped regiments tore through the Elite 15th and 24th Lyran Guards and the 3rd Royal Guards, and Leftent - Colonel Thomas kept us out of the fight, only our tanks got a shot at them for the first two weeks, but then the day came, as we knew it would. The Dragoons finely brushed the Lyran units aside and rolled over the Hotheads and the DSPF forces; Oh!, I know what the reports said about the state of the Dragoons at this point. But, remember they had five Mech regiments to begin with, and we hit them with only nine battalions of Mechs and armour. Even with combat losses, the ratio was around 6 or 7 to one, and we kick them all the way back to their dropships".
-Except from the testimony of Kommandant Hermann Immig, Hansons RoughRiders, during the Competency hearings, 3040.

"War is never really won by anyone who participates in it. War simply rearranges the way things were and steals the promise of tomorrow from each side. To succeed at war you have to lose a part of your humanity. After you win enough wars, you have no humanity left because you lost a piece of it each time you killed someone."
- Excerpt from the private diary of Major Leon James of the Kell Hounds.

I am not particularly proud of what happened at Broken Hope on that cold morning. I do not think that any of our pilots, MechWarriors, or commanders are proud either. And none of us expressed any happiness at our victory - for the deaths of warriors is never a cause for celebration. Certainly, we were relieved that the threat to Clan Wolf had been eliminated. But none of the usual high spirits that usually accompany a victory were present that day. Instead, a sense of weariness, a sense of loss, seemed to hang over our victory.

The outcome of the battle was far from certain as our forces gathered among the rolling, windswept hills twenty kilometers east of the Bay of Broken Hope. Ice and snow lay undisturbed on the mammoth green hulls of the Jade Falcon DropShips, and Khan Phelan must have realized that the battered force had no intention of withdrawing. He must have realized that the Falcons were determined that the fate of the Wolf Clan would be decided in the frozen, forgotten wastelands of Morges. I believe that is why he gave the orders that he did.
- Excerpt from the diary of Pilot Vyktor, Clan Wolf.

Suddenly, you focus on movement: a white-cloaked lynx bounds across the tundra, its paws digging gaping wounds in the snow as it accelerates. As the cat passes through your field of vision, the ground directly in front of you erupts in a living cloud of snow that leaps after the running lynx. You stare, and you realize that the cloud of snow swirls around your namesake, the legendary ghost bear. Though you do not understand how this huge beast remained invisible, you cannot deny that only moment ago you saw no living thing. As the bear gives chase, snow sloughs off its back, revealing massively muscled flanks covered in pure white fur. The hapless lynx turns and twists in a vain attempt to throw its pursuer off the chase, but the hunter will not be denied. You stare, transfixed by the spectacle. The bear lunge through the heavy layers of snow as easily as a fish swimming through water. Its howl assaults your ears, terrifying and hauntingly sweet all at once. The bear's deadly claws glint in the morning light as its paw, large as your head, smashes into the frantic cat at blinding speed. Crimson stains the pristine white carpet, and the lynx goes down surrounded by a cloud of steam. The giant beast move in for the feast, and still you stand and stare. The ghost bear remains unaware of your presence, and you watch it gulp down huge mouthfuls of raw meat.

The battle took only a few, scant seconds, yet every detail burns with a distinct light in your mind. You pray that you are as efficient when it falls to you to be the hunter...
- From the ritual words spoken by the Clan Ghost Bear Loremaster on the eve of the Clawing ritual

Children of the Bear, hearken to my words:
Be always vigilant.
Learn for yourselves that which your forebears imparted
So easily and freely;
Demand of yourselves
The foresight of Jorgensson
And the courage of Tseng;
Through them, we are strong.
To them a debt is owed,
Repaid through loyalty undying and Character unflinching.
- From the Oath of Acceptance, Clan Ghost Bear

The kinship of spirits is vital;
Without this connection there
Can be no true understanding.
- From the Oath of Acceptance, Clan Ghost Bear

I never see the shape of the cat. It never shows itself as the sleek, black-furred, ruthless predator I judge myself against each waking moment. It comes as the specter I most fear and as the object of my greatest desire. It rushes through my blood like adrenaline before combat, sweeping me high above my enemies. From my superior position I sneer down at those others' pathetic attempts at victory. Those others will never feel the intense, glorious sensations overwhelming my body and mind - the air smells impossibly crisp and clean, blades of grass caress my bare feet in a tantalizing embrace, I see each pinion of the brilliant emerald feathers of my rivals as they fall upon their foes. I have surpassed even the great birds.

None can assail me. Like Icarus I fly, higher and higher, until, like Icarus, I fall. The wind burns my cheeks, my eyes fill with water, the ground opens like a gaping black maw to swallow me - I fall back into my weak, cluttered mind. And another shape stirs in the dark corner of my subconscious...
- From random mutterings recorded during a Clan Nova Cat MechWarrior's convalescence in a ComStar hospital while recovering from injuries received on Tukayyid.

The diamond shark prowls through the ocean in search of prey, scorning the smaller creatures of the sea in favor of the more powerful opponents. It sees the sea fox, graceful and lethal, but knows itself more lethal still. Here is a foe worth fighting...here is an enemy against which the diamond shark may test its mettle!

The gray shape glides through the water, every inch of it a weapon so silent that its victim cannot hear it coming. It bides its time, watching and waiting, plotting the best moment to strike. As the sea fox rises from the water, the diamond shark leaps out of the waves behind it and arrows down in a deadly arc. It plunges back into the surf a hair's breadth from the sea fox, so close that the diamond-hard ridges on its side draw the doomed fox's blood. Too fast for the fox to react to the danger it only now sees, the shark leaps again, this time catching its prey in its powerful jaws and snapping its neck with the slightest downward pressure...
- Clan Diamond Shark story of former and current namesakes.

A truly fearsome beast, the great viper of Arcadia possesses strength and tenacity unmatched by any other predator on that world. It coils around its prey in a crushing embrace, then finishes its kill with a deadly poison. The warriors of the Clan I name Steel Viper show remarkable tenacity in battle and in their service to our great mission. May they continue to serve with unshakable faith, and may their opponents learn to fear the fangs of the Steel Vipers.
- From Birth of a New Society: The Collected Writings of Nicholas Kerensky, Strana Mechty Press, 3025

"And Nicholas stood with
The first gathering of Khans
To draw up tenets of what made a warrior.
Wars have often killed the innocent,
Ruined entire societies.
Not within the Clans.
Wars were for the warriors to wage
And that innocents not suffer
At the hands of trueborns."
-The Remembrance, Passage 10, Verse 5

"I, the Baron of Strang, care not for your new names. Clans? Jade Falcons? I call you by your true names: Scum of the Star League, traitors of free will, persecutors of the Periphery came back to lord it over freedom-loving people. Come ahead, you steel-eyed robots! Come ahead and taste what a million like-minded people think of you and your damn Clans."
- Baron Stepan Von Strang, in reply to the Jade Falcon challenge

"Never place too much trust, power, or confidence in any one person. Too often he will end up failing you."
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 24 June 3045

"The actual events of war are secondary. It is how those events are perceived that occupies most of a ruler's time and effort."
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 5 August 3051, Outreach

"Strategy and diplomacy have their place, but do not be afraid to engage the enemy. A war has yet to be won where men do not die."
-Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao, in a speech to the graduating officers of Sian Martial Academy, Sian, 30 June 3056

"I really don't care if the Star League is ever reestablished. I'm more concerned with today. And today it is obvious that without the wisdom of Aleksandr Kerensky and the leadership of General Nicholas, we are little more than dirt-hugging, back-stabbing barbarians. The vision of the two Kerensky's is the reason we have survived until now, and as long as I can still pilot a 'Mech, pick up a pistol, or even spit in someone's eye, I will defend it."
-Excerpt from a letter written by Daniel Mattlov to Elizabeth Hazen

"The art of misdirection has its purposes; for what leader does not rely on it on a daily basis? But such deceptions, political or military, can carry a realm only so far toward victory. After that, it remains in the purview of the warriors.
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 21 February 3058, Sian

Turmoil. It is the genesis of both political and military solutions. When my opponents stand confused, out of ignorance or through my designs, then I have been given free rein.
And someone must bring order.
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 3 March 3060, Sian

For every action, any effort, there is a cost involved. Economic, political, social-it is paid somewhere. And the proper time to weigh such consequences is before a course is begun, when the cost may be evaluated within a proper frame of reference. For at some point, there is simply no looking back.
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 22 November 3058, Tharkad

What most generals seem to forger is that this works both ways.
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 28 July 3059, Sian, in reference to the Sun-Tzu "The Art of War" quote: "The reason troops slay the enemy is because they are enraged."

Hark, children of the Clans,
to the wisdom of Kerensky and your forebears.
Know what has come before;
remember it and you strive toward the future.
- Passage 1, Verse 1, Lines 1-4

Show your opponent the honor deserving;
be secure in your own nobility.
This was the Founder's charge,
this was the totem of the Sea Fox.
- Passage 2, Verse 14, Lines 1-4 (Clan Sea Fox)

In turn they tested each Clan namesake
in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle.
Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down.
All failed to match the predator's speed and grace.
Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
- Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1-5 (Clan Ice Hellion)

Go, Star Adder;
you are the stalker, the hunter, the killer.
Your prey stands before you;
show them the way
of the True Warrior.
- Passage 5, Verse 17, Lines 20-24 (Clan Star Adder)

"The darkness is behind us, the light is ahead.
Strive toward it, for it is the way."
Said our Founder, Nicholas.
"Be ever vigilant
and rely on your strengths:
Faith, which preserves us;
Knowledge, which gives us power;
Understanding, which lets us know our foes;
Courage, which lets us face the darkness without fear."
- Passage 10, Verse 9, Lines 1-10 (Clan Wolf)

From the fires of Eden came John Fletcher,
a true warrior, leader of men, not of machines.
His wisdom became that of a new Clan
that challenged even the mightiest of 'mechs.
- Passage 13, Verse 1, Lines 1-4 (Clan Hell's Horses)

Life begun with blackest darkness,
eyes thrown open with hottest fire.
Thoughts annealed with clearest vision,
Hearts confined with strongest chains.
Strength renewed with surest spirit;
absolution, the Scorpion's sting.
- Passage 24, Verse 37, Lines 11-16 (Clan Goliath Scorpion)

The Grand Council, in arrogance, gave their decree:
Blood Spirit, you must conform to the Way of the Clans.
You have strayed from the Path; we will lead you back.
The flash of the blade, the striking knife, the traitor's stab!
On the Path our step is true - while other Clans falter.
We held out our hands, in the spirit of Kerensky's Dream,
and our brethren chose to treat the gesture as folly.
In isolation's embrace, we forsake all and live for the future.
- Passage 42, Verse 7, Lines 5-12 (Clan Blood Spirit)

Master of man and machine
servitor of none,
the Coyote awaits.
Skilled and tenacious,
a predator without peer.
The Coyote strikes:
Fear in the hearts of its enemies,
Pain at their sides,
Death at their throats.
- Passage 44, Verse 2, Lines 25-31 (Clan Coyote)

Drawing strength from each other, they survived;
Tseng and Jorgensson emerged from the snow,
and forged a Clan in the Ghost Bear's mold;
unity of purpose and strength of spirit,
no task undertaken lightly or left half-done.
To these ideals we hold true until we all shall fall.
- Passage 45, Verse 6, Lines 13-18 (Clan Ghost Bear)

And Nicholas Kerensky did charge us, the Fire Mandrills;
as we have left behind the differences between nations,
so now we observe the Way of the Clans, of the family.
Carry your name, and your Names, proudly.
- Passage 49, Verse 75, Lines 12-15 (Clan Fire Mandrill)

Let all warriors bear their mark proudly,
taking what pride they can in their accomplishments;
for our lives should be full of glory, but short.
On the battlefield we are alone.
- Passage 74, Verse 26, Lines 1-4 (Clan Wolf)

With Falcon sight we choose our foes.
On Falcon wings we harry them.
With Falcon claws we smite our foes.
And with Falcon tenacity we win.
- Passage 97, Verse 1, Lines 6-9 (Clan Jade Falcon)

Grace, honor and nobility; show these beforehand.
but when the battle begins,
attack with terrifying swiftness,
be the Diamond Shark, relentless and ruthless.
- Passage 127, Verse 42, Lines 16-20 (Clan Diamond Shark)

With the truth of Kerensky's vision,
Khan Mercer brought harmony from discord,
and as the Founder had done before,
sought isolation to bring forth victory.
- Passage 171, Verse 27, Lines 16-19 (Clan Steel Viper)

On the Black Seam they dance,
moonlit steel gleaming in the twilight.
Black and gold, red and silver,
their clothes stir the still night air.
Five steps taken, five cuts drawn,
the Scars of Moreau's tribulation.
These pay heed to our debt, to our past,
reborn with the death of our Mother.
- Passage 316, Verse 12, Lines 1-8 (Clan Goliath Scorpion)

And the ilKhan gave us his final words,
charging us to protect those
with whom we found refuge in our time of need.
In this, our final duty, we shall not fail.
- Passage 411, Verse 16, Lines 1-4 (Clan Wolf in Exile)

From a 'mech grave he rose, snarling
ready to do battle for his vanquished Clan
stalking the Falcon Khans, who would remake us
his actions, the Wolf incarnate.
- Passage 412, Verse 10, Lines 9-12 (Clan Wolf)

Drawing strength from each other, they survived;
Tseng and Jorgensson emerged from the snow,
And forged a Clan in the ghost bear's mold;
Unity of purpose and strength of spirit,
No task undertaken lightly or left half done.
To these ideals we hold true until we all shall fall.
-The Remembrance (Clan Ghost Bear), Passage 45, Verse 6, Lines 13-18