Betrayal of Ideals
Sarna News
| Betrayal of Ideals | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Novel (4 parts) |
| Author | Blaine Lee Pardoe |
| Pages | 231: 31 (part 1) 54 (part 2) 68 (part 3) 78 (part 4) |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | BattleCorps |
| First published | 25 October 2006 - 16 January 2007 |
| Content | |
| Era | Succession Wars era |
| Timeline | 12 June 2822 - 10 January 2840 |
Betrayal of Ideals is a serialized novel by Blaine Lee Pardoe published in four parts on BattleCorps. It provides the "true" story behind the demise of Clan Wolverine, making Clan founder Nicholas Kerensky appear in a rather bad light and revealing many aspects of Clan history as revisionistic falsifications (and incidentially explaining inconsistencies in previously published material).
Contents
Plot summary
Foundations of Fate
- published on 25 October 2006
| “ | Clan Wolverine. The Not-Named Clan. In the years after their return to the Inner Sphere, Clanners were reluctant to discuss this period of their history. The constant struggle to mix the ways of the past and the ways of Nicholas Kerensky's vision of the future... a vision that seemed to constantly evolve and change. What happened to cause the destruction, the Annihilation, of Khan Sarah McEvedy and Clan Wolverine? | ” |
The first part of the serial work, "Foundations of Fate", took place from 12 June - 17 September 2822. As its names implies, it laid the groundwork for what was to come. "Foundations" highlighted the political jockeying and burgeoning inter-Clan rivalries.
Treachery's Stage
- published on 18 November 2006
| “ | In the darkest traditions of the Clans a decision can cost far more than prestige and honor. A decision can cost lives, and sometimes those lives are very dear indeed. | ” |
Book Two, "Treachery's Stage", covered 10 June - 7 October 2823. At the center of the story was the struggle over the Brian Cache that sparked the Clan Wolverine Trial of Annihilation saga.
The Switchback Directive
- published on 22 December 2006
| “ | Khan McEvedy's Trial of Refusal ended in a loss for the Wolverine Khan. Seeing that the way of the Clans is being shattered before her very eyes, McEvedy realizes that it's only a matter of time before Nicholas Kerensky comes for her and her Clan. It's up to her to do what she can to preserve the Wolverines--even if it means crossing the Grand Council. First, though, she needs time: time to prepare, time to act, and time to flee. | ” |
"The Switchback Directive" ran from 8 - 24 October 2823. Wolverine Khan Sarah McEvedy faced down the other Khans and ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky in a series of Grand Council sessions. The story also described the first shots fired as the Wolverines seceded from the Clans and the fateful use of nuclear weapons.
Asunder
- published on 16 January 2007
| “ | Wolverine Khan Sarah McEvedy is dead. Her Clan is on the run. As saKhan Franklin Hallis works to implement her Swichback directive, Nicholas Kerensky is gathering the Clans for a new purpose, a new trial: Annihilation. The Clans have been torn asunder; what happens here will shape the Clans for centuries to come. This is the story of the Wolverines, of fate, and the Founder's hand... | ” |
The final chapter in Betrayal of Ideas was "Asunder", which described events that took place from 25 October 2823 - 10 January 2840. What was once Clan Wolverine largely fled from Clan space. The story offered tantalizing hints as to the fate of the Wolverines without confirming that they had, in fact, survived.
Featured Characters
Featured BattleTech
Notes
- The story was controversial with some BattleTech fans[1] because Pardoe wrote the story of Clan Wolverine's annihilation differently from how it had been presented in the past: The reviled "Not-Named Clan" was revealed to have actually been acting noble and honorable; they were singled out for genocide by Nicholas Kerensky for opposing him, to make an example of the Wolverines and to rally the other Clans behind him.
It should be noted, though, that then-Line Developer Randall N. Bills had previously written the first two parts of the Founding of the Clans trilogy that already portrayed Nicholas Kerensky as a manipulative sociopath who built a personality cult around himself and was readily prepared to kill or instigate civil war among his people to further his agenda of creating an all-new society; however, Fall from Glory, the first part, would not be published in english until November 2007, long after Betrayal of Ideals, and the second part was only ever published in its German translation and remains unpublished in english.
References
- ↑ See BattleCorps discussion thread about the series