Blutige Jagd

Blutige Jagd ("Bloody Hunt") is the 33rd in the line of original German-language Classic BattleTech novels. Written by Stefan Burban and following up on the events from his earlier novel Sturm auf Arc-Royal, it was published on 12 October 2016.

Canonicity
Written in German and exclusively published in that language so far, Blutige Jagd does not meet the current criteria for Canon in the BattleTech universe. As an official product published under a valid license, it should be regarded as apocryphal.

From the back cover (translated from German)
"The civil war that polarized the citizens of the Federated Commonwealth for years concludes with the battle of Tharkad. But for some, the war is far from over.

Oberstleutnant Hans Grüner, one of the architects of the attack on Arc-Royal, manages to flee besieged Tharkad City at the last moment with a group of followers. He escapes into the Periphery to set up his own petty kingdom.

However, the Kell Hounds neither forget nor forgive. A mixed task force composed of mercenaries and their Clan Wolf-in-Exile allies is sent to bring Grüner to justice.

He's well prepared for that kind of surprise though..."

Plot Summary
Ruthless and ambitious LAAF Leutnant-Colonel Hans Grüner managed to deflect blame from himself after the debacle on Arc-Royal that he was deeply involved in, but it still effectively ended his military career in the Lyran Alliance and saw him assigned to a desk job. Undaunted, he continues to pursue his "retirement plan": Grüner had all but purchased the periphery world of Andiron in the Circinus Federation as his personal fief back in 3060, and has been ruling from afar through his brutish local right-hand man, Major Pavel Wolkov, while gathering followers in the crumbling Alliance. When the FedCom Civil War ends with the Lyran Alliance losing, Grüner escapes Tharkad with several DropShips full of military equipment and treasure. However, FedCom forces capture one of his outbound DropShips and learn the destination of his escape. Since the Federated Commonwealth doesn't seek to pursue a war with the Circinus Federation, a detachment of Kell Hounds under Daniel Sunder (two 'Mech lances augmented by vehicles and infantry) is sent to arrest Grüner in what is dubbed "Operation Shadow"; Clan Wolf-in-Exile includes a force of their own (two Stars of 'Mechs, one aerospace fighter Star and two Stars of Elementals) under Star Captain Kevlin Conners "for reasons of honor" following the events on Arc-Royal two years earlier.

Carried on the Invader-class JumpShip Davions Stolz, the task force arrives at Andiron on 12 July 3067. They expect little if any resistance from a poorly trained and ill-equipped periphery militia and approach Port Saul, Andiron's only major city and spaceport, to apprehend Grüner. However, they find that they have badly underestimated the defenders. Two of their three DropShips are downed on approach by massed aerospace fighters and several enemy DropShips. Meanwhile, one of Grüner's own Overlord DropShips makes for the Davions Stolz and captures it while it is still recharging its jump drive.

The DropShip Achilles, carrying the Clan 'Mech contingent, crashlands 67 kilometers west of Port Saul. The ten 'Mechs of Kevlin Conners's command are all damaged to some degree. Almost immediately, they are reconnoitered by enemy fighters, and a militia 'Mech force approaches. Kevlin leaves the three most heavily damaged 'Mechs behind under the command of Star Commander Alisa, his consort, for a delaying action at the stricken DropShip (which is rigged to explode so that it will not be salvaged) while their main body escapes to the nearby mountains with their surviving techs. The crash site is indeed overrun by Wolkov's forces shortly afterwards. Wolkov has all other captives (mostly techs and DropShip crew) shot after identifying Alisa as the ranking officer, and takes her alone for questioning.

Similarly, the Goliath, which carried the infantry and vehicles, crashlands in a wide heathland south-west from Port Saul. Most of the crew and unarmored infantry are killed or heavily wounded. Only the ten Elementals under Lona DeVega remain relatively unscathed. After the Elementals dispose of a J. Edgar hovertank that served as a scout for a larger tank force, they go to ground in the woodlands near the city.

Only the Overlord-class Kronos manages a breakthrough followed by a hard landing, after emergency-dropping Sunders' two Kell Hounds lances into a swamp 45 kilometers south of Port Saul. Harried by hovertanks and losing two 'Mechs before they can break contact, they make for the settlement of Corrington at the edge of the swamp. MechWarrior Ahmed Kazaar, a Kell Hounds mercenary with Azami background, approaches the settlement through the swamp (sneaking his Uziel near below the water line) as a forward scout. As he watches, a group of soldiers in five vehicles, accompanied by a Firestarter, raid the village and the situation gets out of hand. When the Firestarter opens up on the protesting villagers with its flamers, Kazaar intervenes against orders and destroys the Firestarter, allowing the villagers to overcome the soldiers. He is subsequently hailed as their savior, and Corrington becomes a secret haven for the Kell Hounds to rest and repair, with their 'Mechs are hidden in the swamp. The Firestarter and tanks are cannibalized for spare parts and all traces of the soldiers are then covered up. Sunder and his people learn about the local situation and Grüner's rule from the villagers and their leader who calls herself Elena O'Reilly.

Five days later, Sunder and Kazaar travel from Corrington to Port Saul in an inconspicuous truck borrowed from Corrington. They are surprised to find a bustling, well-maintained city and decide to split up to learn more. Sunder goes to inspect the militia base and presidential palace, where he identifies the captured Alisa as she is brought into the palace.

Kazaar meanwhile goes to the spaceport to count fighters and DropShips. There, he witnesses the arrival of a group of travelers whom he identifies as (former) Lyran soldiers. Locals protest against the arrivals. Suddenly, a bomb blast collapses the terminal. Kazaar rushes in to provide first aid and is caught up in a second bomb blast. He ends up hospitalized and, being an off-worlder, is considered a suspected in the bombing. Subjected to chemical interrogation, he reveals the objective and composition of the Kell Hounds force to his questioners. Four days later, Sunder stages a rescue attempt at the hospital, but they are caught and, on Wolkov's orders, brought out of the city to be shot and their bodies disposed of. Luckily, out in the woods the execution squad is stopped cold by the Elementals and infantry survivors from the Goliath.

Sunder returns to Corrington on 24 July with them, only to learn that the Corrington villagers tried to commandeer the Kell Hounds 'Mechs in the meantime and took hostages when the attempt failed. Sunder attempts to negotiate with Elena O'Reilly, who seems uncomfortable and not in total control of her people. It was her right-hand man Brian Ingham who had planted the bombs at the starport. The villagers are unawares of the Elementals and infantry accompanying Sunder. A tracking device on Sunder's body leads a rescue team to the house where the hostages are kept (O'Reilly's). Despite attempts to limit collateral damage, the rescue attempt ends in a standoff with casualties on both sides. O'Reilly ultimately explains that she serves with the Circinus Federation's intelligence service and was Grüner's liaison officer. She realized too late how he was bringing the entire planet under his control; unable to stop him, she had to go to ground. They have been trying to form an organized resistance since, but with no success. With no HPG on Andiron and with Grüner controlling all space traffic, there was no way to get a message out to inform the Federation government of the situation. She also determined that Grüner in fact wants to seize the entire Circinus Federation through a decapitation strike against Circinus. He has brought two battalions of 'Mechs with him, a tremendous force by periphery standards, but lacks competent, academy-trained loyal MechWarriors to man them. This is why Grüner brings in fugitive soldiers from the Lyran Alliance. Ingham feels they cannot allow that to happen; his bombing killed or injured the recent arrivals. Because Grüner will inevitably gather enough pilots eventually, time is running out to stop him.

They agree on a shaky alliance as they realize they have to work together after all. O'Reilly and her team also inform Sunder that they had localized and captured the DropShip Kronos and have relocated it to a reasonably safe hiding place in the hills near Corrington. The four surviving Visigoth are sent out from the Kronos to find the Clan 'Mechs from the Achilles. They succeed, and by 31 July the survivors are reunited at the DropShip that now serves as their field base. Sharing and analyzing all the information they have gathered, they narrow down the region where Grüner has hidden his 'Mechs–Kevlin recalls how enemy 'Mechs at one point drove his forces off but didn't pursue. Sunder and O'Reilly come up with a plan to attack the 'Mech cache so that Grüner would have to send reinforcements from Port Saul, denuding the city and his palace of its defenses; then a second strike force might succeed in capturing him which is expected to end all conflict on Andiron. Kevlin is assigned to lead the attack on the depot, but upon learning that Alisa is still alive and captive in Port Saul, he requests to be included in the other strike team. Sunder talks him out of it.

Meanwhile, Grüner has obtained enough intelligence from his captives. He attempts to turn Alisa to his side, but it ends with her ramming a fork into his hand and trying to kill him. Accordingly, he is in a foul mood when he learns that a saboteur tried to place a tracking device on one of the supply trucks headed for the 'Mech cache. Realizing that O'Reilly is trying to attack his invaluable 'Mech cache, he orders the tracking device be put back on the truck so that Wolkov can set a trap for the would-be attackers; he also orders Corrington fire-bombed to demoralize O'Reilly and draw her or the Kell Hounds out. Safely hidden on the Kronos, the Kell Hounds and O'Reilly's forces survive the destruction of Corrington but many civilians die. Sunder and O'Reilly recognize the maneuver for what it is and realize that Grüner may be aware of their plan for the cache, but decide to proceed as planned as Grüner's knowledge actually plays into their plans.

The attack is launched on 11 August. While infantry forces sneak into Port Saul, expertly avoiding or silently eliminating the pickets placed by Grüner, the 'Mechs trickle towards the depot (minus Kevlin who, against orders, includes himself in the attack on Port Saul instead) and the Kronos and its aerospace fighters attack the space port. Grüner orders some of Wolkov's forces back to reinforce the defenses of Port Saul and also recalls his DropShip from the JumpShip to evacuate him. However, Wolkov has figured that the death or capture of Grüner and his men would leave Wolkov in charge, and in possession of the 'Mech cache, so he acknowledges the order but doesn't actually send any reinforcements. In the overall confusion, the JumpShip crew take control of Grüner's DropShip.

In the end, Grüner is apprehended at the presidential palace in Port Saul, but not before he shoots Alisa. The battle at the depot ends in a draw: Wolkov has the Kell Hounds and Clan warriors cornered and at his mercy, but Ahmed Kazaar managed to sneak into the depot during the battle and threatens to detonate the large ammunition stockpiles which would destroy the entire facility and the 'Mechs inside. They negotiate a deal by which Wolkov is granted free passage off-world with his 'Mech and a company from Grüner's cache, to start his own mercenary unit.

Ironically, a Circinus Federation task force arrives three weeks after the battles to check on the planet. It is the Gray's Ghosts mercenary unit who had garrisoned Andiron prior to being recalled for Grüner's takeover, and they retake possession of the world. Sunder notes that they were lucky Grüner's rule was toppled, or the hapless mercenaries would have been massacred.

Grüner's captured DropShip is renamed Kronos II, and the remains of the Kell Hounds/Wolf-in-Exile task force leave Andiron on that ship after several weeks of recuperation and repairs. Back in Lyran space (the Madiun system) by 12 December, they are shocked to learn of the events that have transpired in the Inner Sphere since they left...

'Mechs

 * Archer
 * Arctic Wolf
 * Assassin
 * Battle Cobra
 * Blackjack
 * Catapult
 * Centurion
 * Cicada
 * Clint
 * Commando IIC
 * Crusader
 * Cyclops
 * Dervish
 * Fafnir
 * Firestarter
 * Grasshopper
 * Griffin
 * Guillotine
 * Hauptmann
 * Hellbringer (Loki)
 * Hermes II
 * Hunchback
 * JagerMech
 * Javelin
 * Jenner (mentioned)
 * Kit Fox
 * Lancelot
 * Locust
 * Marauder
 * Nova Cat
 * Orion
 * Panther
 * Phoenix Hawk
 * Quickdraw
 * Rifleman
 * Shadow Cat
 * Shadow Hawk
 * Stinger
 * Summoner (Thor)
 * Thunderbolt
 * Trebuchet
 * Uziel
 * Victor
 * Warhammer
 * Wasp
 * Wolfhound
 * Wolverine
 * Wyvern IIC

Aerospace Fighters

 * Chippewa
 * Shilone
 * Slayer
 * Stuka
 * Thrush
 * Visigoth

Vehicles

 * Bulldog
 * Galleon
 * Harasser
 * Hetzer
 * J. Edgar
 * LRM Carrier
 * Savannah Master
 * Vedette

DropShips

 * Overlord (Kronos)
 * Union (Achilles, Goliath)

JumpShips

 * Invader (Davions Stolz)

Other

 * Elemental (battle armor)