Editing History of Clan Hell's Horses

[[File:Clan Hell's Horses.jpg|thumb|right|Symbol of Clan Hell's Horses]]

:''This article details the history of '''''Clan Hell's Horses'''''. For more information, see [[Clan Hell's Horses]].

==Founding==
Clan Hell's Horses was founded by [[Star League Defense Force]] [[Major General]] [[John Fletcher]], commander of the [[Thirty-fifth Infantry Division]] of the [[Nineteenth Army (Star League)|Nineteenth Army]], [[LVI Corps (Star League)|LVI Corps]]. Fletcher, a staunch loyalist of General [[Aleksandr Kerensky]], took part in the invasion to [[Operation Liberation|liberate Terra]] from [[Stefan Amaris]] during the [[Amaris Civil War]].  Fletcher's loyalty to Kerensky and the ideals of the [[Star League]] would inspire him to join the [[Operation Exodus|First Exodus]] from the Inner Sphere in the wake of that terrible conflict and settle on the [[Pentagon Worlds]] to start anew.<ref name=FMCC53>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 53</ref> The Thirty-fifth Infantry was disbanded by the new [[Star League-in-Exile]], and Fletcher was placed in charge of training the new militia force of planet [[Eden]].<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 109: "John Fletcher"</ref>

However, old divisions among the Exodus' population soon festered into a new [[Pentagon Civil War|civil war]], and despite putting down a rebellion at [[Cathay]],<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 21: "The DeChavilier Massacre"</ref> Fletcher was unable to prevent the outbreak of warfare.  When Kerensky died, Fletcher accompanied the General's son [[Nicholas Kerensky]] on the [[Second Exodus]] to the [[Kerensky Cluster]] where the [[Clans]] were formed.<ref name=FMCC53/>

For his loyalty to General Kerensky, Fletcher was made [[Khan]] of Clan Hell's Horses by [[Nicholas Kerensky]]. Fletcher chose [[Colonel]] [[Patricia Cobb]], one of his most able [[BattleMech]] [[battalion]] commanders from the Thirty-fifth, as his [[saKhan]], and together they forged their Clan into one which placed its focus first and foremost on its warriors, instead of the military hardware at their disposal.  For this reason they requested a smaller share of 'Mech forces in return for a larger share of [[Combat Vehicle|conventional armor]] and approval to train additional [[infantry]] from decommissioned [[WarShip]] crews.  In short order they were able to put together an impressive combined-arms army, bucking the current military orthodoxy that saw the 'Mech as the supreme battlefield weapon.  While their critics foresaw the Clan's demise, the Hell's Horses' performance would eventually cast aside the myth of 'Mech dominance.<ref name=FMCC53/>
[[File:John Fletcher OpKlondike.jpg|thumb|right|Major General John Fletcher, first Khan of Clan Hell's Horses]]
===Operation KLONDIKE===
During the Trials for participation in the coveted Eden invasion of [[Operation KLONDIKE]], the Hell's Horses won a surprise victory over [[Clan Ghost Bear]]<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 89: "Eden"</ref> and so were deployed to Eden alongside Clans [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]], [[Clan Smoke Jaguar|Smoke Jaguar]] and [[Clan Wolf|Wolf]]. For the most part the Horses were assigned auxiliary or rear-area duties in support of other Clans - this rarely sat well with either the Horses or the other Clans they were attached to, often causing tension between them.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 90: "Petrograd Bay: The Falcon Stoops"</ref> Khan Fletcher eventually convinced Nicholas Kerensky to assign his Clan an independent operation, the conquest of the [[Purgatory Peninsula]].<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 91</ref>  The peninsula, located in the western part of the continent of [[Irkutsk]], was home to a collection of city-states locked in conflict. Of the city-states, the most important ones were Allah, Dante and Vesta.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 91–92: 138</ref><ref name=FMCC53/>

While the city-states were no friends of each other, they did unite against the invaders and put together a combined force which outnumbered the Hell's Horses six to one. After suffering from a series of ambushes that destroyed several Clan scout 'Mechs, Fletcher began looking for flaws in the enemy's strategy and realized that they fixated on targeting 'Mechs above "inferior" tanks and infantry.  He put this knowledge to good tactical use, by using his 'Mechs as bait to draw out the rebel 'Mechs so they could be smashed by conventional forces.<ref name=HOKp92>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 92: "The Peninsula Campaign: The Horse Canters"</ref> Relying on infantry and combat vehicles was a tactical gamble that paid off, as the Horses were able to pair the flexibility of infantry and vehicle combined-arms forces with the long-range 'Mech weapons such as those refitted onto captured ''Hoplite''s.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 167: "HOP-4BB ''Hoplite''"</ref> Allah and Dante were captured quickly, while Vesta took longer to subdue but was in Clan hands after a day of fighting. By the end of the two-week campaign the Hell's Horses had completely smashed all resistance on the peninsula, proving the success of their unorthodox tactics and suffering fewer equipment losses than other Clans which preferred to slug it out 'Mech-to-'Mech.  Vesta, the largest and last city to fall, would be renamed Hades and transformed into the Hell's Horses' capital.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 91–92</ref><ref name=FMCC54>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 54</ref> Khan Fletcher held Trials in all three cities on Purgatory and would allow the winners into his infantry and vehicle auxiliaries - this practice enabled the Horses to return to full fighting strength much more quickly than the other Clans that had been operating on Eden.<ref name=HOKp92 />

During the Battle of [[Novy Moscva]], the Hell's Horses were relegated back to supporting roles for other Clans despite their impressive performance in the Peninsula Campaign. The Horses provided tank and infantry support to the other Clans, and many Horse infantry were killed in the intense urban combat.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 95–96: "The Battle of Novy Moscva"</ref> Despite this, Novy Moscva was liberated, and the Clans stood victorious over Eden.

==Golden Century==
The Hell's Horses peculiar philosophy of commitment to combined-arms warfare led most of the other Clans to dismiss them - [[Clan Ghost Bear|Ghost Bear]] Khan [[Hans Jorgensson]] called the Hell's Horses development of new tank designs "funny and sad at the same time".<ref>''BattleTech: Betrayal of Ideals'', p. 48</ref> The Horses tended to keep to themselves through the Golden Century until they learned of the [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elemental infantry armor]] by [[Clan Wolf]]. Eager to obtain the Elemental armor, the Hell's Horses entered a series of Trials with Clan Wolf where the armor was put up against the infantry breeding protocols that the Hell's Horses had discovered. These gigantic warriors would be known as [[Elemental]].<ref name=FM:CCp54>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 54: "Golden Century"</ref>

The Hell's Horses won one of the three Trials and so obtained the Elemental armor, and began deploying their genetically engineered Elemental infantry in battle armor in [[2870]].<ref>''Era Digest: Golden Age'', p. 10: "Early Clan History, a Comprehensive Timeline"</ref> Other Clans challenged the Hell's Horses for the breeding rights, among them [[Clan Fire Mandrill]]. In 2870, [[Kindraa Smythe-Jewel]] of the Fire Mandrills used deceptive bidding tactics to give the impression of a much smaller force and won the Trial.  Kindraa Payne would take the brunt of the [[Trial of Possession]], while the Smythe-Jewels walked away with new Elemental breeding protocols and Battle Armor.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 39: "Striking from Solitude"</ref> The Horses' incumbent Khan [[Eric Amirault]] demanded a [[Trial of Annihilation]] but was denied by a [[Grand Council]] vote. As the Hell's Horses prepared to move against the Fire Mandrills, [[Clan Coyote]]'s Khan [[Manfred Hollifield]] stepped in. They too had been cheated by Kindraa Smythe-Jewel in that Kindraa's bid for the Coyotes' [[OmniMech]] technology a few years prior.<ref name=FM:CCp54,55>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', pp. 54–55: "Hell's Fury"</ref>

Seeing the wisdom in joining together, the Hell's Horses arranged for a contract bid to include the Coyotes in the Hell's Horses Trial against the Kindraa, the first usage of contract bidding by the Clans. The combined Hell's Horses-Coyote task force descended on the Smythe-Jewel enclave on [[Foster]] and challenged them to a Trial that saw the death of the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel. Half the genetic legacies and most of the battle salvage was taken by the Horses and the Coyotes took the enclave, the bondsmen, and the rest of the legacies, with small shares of each going to [[Kindraa Payne]], which had joined in the final stages of the battle, trapping the last Smythe-Jewels as they attempted to flee.  The Coyotes and Hell's Horses each parted with great respect for one another.  This action did much to win the Hell's Horses a good measure of respect from the rest of the Clans as well.<ref name=FM:CCp54,55/><ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 39: "Death of a Kindraa"</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', pp. 41–42: "Righteous Vengeance"</ref><ref name=ED:GCp9,10>''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 10: "Bad Blood"</ref> The Horses were able to acquire OmniMech technology themselves, and in 2870 they debuted their first OmniMech design, the ''[[Nova (Black Hawk)|Nova]]'', a notable feature of which was specialized connection ports that enabled battle-armored infantry to ride the 'Mech into combat. This original design gave rise to mechanized battle armor, and the results were so successful that the connection ports soon became standard on all OmniMechs.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade'', p. 126</ref>

To increase their OmniMech production capability, the Horses constructed [[Tokasha MechWorks Alpha|MechWorks Alpha]] on [[Tokasha]] which would become the Clan's primary 'Mech factory. In [[2921]], the factory was targeted by Clan Ghost Bear for a [[Trial of Possession]]. Horses Khan [[Aaron Cobb]] bid [[Alpha Keshik (Clan Hell's Horses)|Alpha Keshik]] and the whole of [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Beta Galaxy]] in its defense, an unusually large bid against which the Bears brought their [[Alpha Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Alpha Galaxy]]. The Trial for MechWorks Alpha was a brutal, slogging battle in Tokasha's thick jungle terrain.<ref name=TPTp8>''Turning Points: Tokasha'', p. 8: "Here Lies Our Future"</ref> The fighting seemed to favor the Hell's Horses until a stray shot slew the beloved Ghost Bear [[Khan]] [[Kilbourne Jorgensson]]. The outraged Ghost Bears tore into the Hell's Horses in a berserk fury, forcing them to withdraw.<ref name=ED:GCp9,10/> This incident put paid to any notion of the Hell's Horses moving away from their reliance on conventional vehicles towards a more traditional Clan attitude of 'Mech supremacy, and the death of Khan Jorgensson would form the basis of the long-lasting feud between the Ghost Bears and Hell's Horses, which would not begin to heal until the late [[thirty-first century]].<ref name=TPTp8 /><ref name=ED:GCp9,10 /> Aaron Cobb would step down from the Khanship after the loss of Tokasha, allowing his saKhan [[Darwin Lassenerra]] to replace him.<ref name=FMCCp57>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 57: "The Horse and the Bear"</ref>

==Clan Invasion==
The feud between the Hell's Horses and Ghost Bears would continue throughout the years leading up to the Clan Invasion.  After the Horses built a new [[St. Louis MechWorks|'Mech factory]] on [[Niles (Clan System)|Niles]], the Bears issued a Trial of Possession for it in [[3048]] and another fierce battle ensued - though the Horses emerged victorious they lost their Khan, [[Lair Seidman]].<ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 92: "Rho Galaxy: Bear Essentials"</ref> Seidman was replaced by [[Malavai Fletcher]], an Elemental who was horribly injured in that battle.<ref name=FMCCp57 /> Fletcher, wounded almost unto death, was forced to have large amounts of his body replaced with cybernetic prostheses, including almost all of his skull and one eye.<ref>''Test of Vengeance'', Prologue</ref> Fletcher gained a deep and abiding hatred for the Ghost Bears since Niles, which he would carry with him for the next twenty years.

At this time the debate around returning to the Inner Sphere had given rise to the [[Crusader Clans|Crusader]] and [[Warden Clans|Warden]] schools of thought. Malavai Fletcher was a staunch Crusader, and managed to appoint enough Crusaders in his Clan to leadership positions to push the Horses into the Crusader camp, despite the fact that many among the Horses' rank and file were Wardens.  This political shift helped to make [[Operation REVIVAL]] a reality after [[ComStar]]'s ''Outbound Light'' appeared over the [[Smoke Jaguar]] world of [[Huntress]] in 3048. The Horses would be eliminated from the bidding for participation in the Invasion early on, but this did not bother Khan Fletcher too much.  While the invading Clans assaulted the Inner Sphere, Khan Fletcher kept his Clan out of much of the infighting in the [[Clan Homeworlds]], instead keeping them focused on building their strength.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 57: "Hearing the Crusader's Call"</ref>

When [[Clan Ice Hellion]]'s Khan [[Asa Taney]] formed his [[Home Clan Coalition]] in the wake of the [[Battle of Tukayyid]] that saw the invading Clans defeated, Malavai Fletcher gave Taney his support for the effort to renew the invasion.  Though they would not immediately get the invasion they wanted, the [[Harvest Trials]] presented their own opportunity for another invasion in future.<ref name=FM:CCp57>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 57: "Current Events"</ref>

Though the Horses did not win a place in the planned second invasion, they did manage to find a way to obtain worlds in the [[Inner Sphere]]. When Khan [[Vladimir Ward]] of the Wolves started the Harvest Trials, Khan Fletcher convinced him to bid Hell's Horses units in contract bids without first winning those units for the Wolves in a formal Trial of Possession, much as the Hell's Horses had done with the Coyotes during the Golden Century. Khan Ward agreed and ceded three worlds in the Clan Wolf Occupation Zone: [[Stanzach]], [[Vorarlberg]], and [[Engadin]] to Clan Hell's Horses.<ref name=FM:CCp57>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 57: "Current Events"</ref>

Meanwhile, in the Inner Sphere, in response to the Clan Invasion the [[Successor States]] had been galvanized into uniting under the banner of the [[Second Star League]]. The new Star League sent [[Task Force SERPENT]] to the Clan Homeworlds, where [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] took the remarkable step of issuing a Trial of Refusal against the Clan Invasion itself. The incumbent [[ilKhan]], [[Lincoln Osis]] of Clan Smoke Jaguar, agreed to the Trial and thus the [[Great Refusal]] was held on [[Strana Mechty]]. The Great Refusal was structured as a series of combat Trials between elements of the Inner Sphere and the Crusader Clans, and saw the Hell's Horses pitched against the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]]'s [[Third Drakøns]]. In a stunning upset, the [[KungsArmé]] troops defeated the Hell's Horses, scoring a win for the Inner Sphere.<ref>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', pp. 24–25: "The Great Refusal"</ref>

==Civil War era==
During the numerous Trials of Possession that were launched following the Annihilation of the Smoke Jaguars, Abjuration of the [[Clan Nova Cat|Nova Cats]], and the start of the relocation of the Ghost Bears, the Hell's Horses managed to seize large portions of [[Bearclaw]], [[Hoard]], and Tokasha, pitting them against forces from the Ghost Bears, Ice Hellions, Jade Falcons, and [[Clan Snow Raven|Snow Ravens]]. It was during the fighting on Bearclaw in [[3061]] that Malavai Fletcher first encountered the Ghost Bear ''ristar'' [[Jake Kabrinski]], who bested Fletcher in combat and forced the Horses' Khan to retreat, earning his enmity.<ref>''Test of Vengeance'', Prologue''</ref> The Horses also managed to seize the last portion of [[Kirin]] making it an exclusive Hell's Horses possession. Consequently, the [[Clan Hell's Horses Touman|Horses ''touman'']] was able to grow strong and viable among those of the other Home Clans.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 15: "Balance of Power"</ref> However, at this time the Horses' [[Watch]] noticed an increase in the tension between the Clan's [[Crusader]] officer corps and its [[Warden]] rank-and-file.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 18: "Passing the Torch"</ref>

When [[Clan Cloud Cobra]] presented their first [[Babylon Diet]], a massive religious conference involving both Clan and Spheroid religious delegates, to the Clan Council, the Hell's Horses voted in support of it. Ultimately, however, the Diet was of little consequence other than a political stumbling block for [[Clan Coyote]].<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 24: "Coyote Diet"</ref>

Not long after the Hell's Horses gained full control of Kirin, Malavai Fletcher traveled to the Inner Sphere in [[3064]]. Upon learning of Fletcher's arrival, [[Vlad Ward]], Khan of Clan Wolf, invited Fletcher to a private meeting wherein he revealed to Fletcher the depleted military state of the anti-spinward border of the Ghost Bear Occupation Zone (renamed the [[Ghost Bear Dominion]]).<ref>''Test of Vengeance'', ch. 18</ref> This lack of troops was due to the Dominion having recently become embroiled in a war with the [[Draconis Combine]]. This was a political maneuver on Ward's part to tempt the Horses into attacking the Ghost Bear Dominion, weakening both of the Wolves' rival Clans.<ref>''Test of Vengeance'', ch. 3</ref> Thus manipulated by Ward, Fletcher and the Horses attacked from their Inner Sphere holdings that they had been gifted by Clan Wolf in. However, after the Ghost Bears' war with the Combine ended, the Bears retaliated against the Hell's Horses and seized all three of the Horses' worlds, sending them back to Clan Space. Khan Malavai Fletcher's leadership was challenged by [[James Cobb]], a Warden, who assumed the Khanship after killing Fletcher<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 13: "Armed Politics"</ref> in a sword duel. With his final words, Fletcher charged Cobb with taking revenge on the Wolves and Ghost Bears.<ref>''Test of Vengeance'', Epilogue''</ref>

In [[3067]], the Horses and Clan Wolf fought a Trial of Possession over [[Tiber (Clan system)|Tiber]], which degenerated into a melee when the Wolves broke ''zellbrigen''. In response, the Horses called in the remainder of their initial bid and defeated the Wolves.<ref name=TWORp32>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 32: "Absent but Present"</ref> Two weeks later, the Grand Council met to discuss the collapse of the [[Second Star League]] - the Hell's Horses did not attend either in person or remotely, as their Khan Cobb was preoccupied with covertly arranging for the Clan's relocation to the Inner Sphere by way of an invasion of the Wolves' Occupation Zone.<ref name=TWORp32 />

In December of 3067, [[Clan Star Adder|Star Adder]] [[Khan of Clan Star Adder|Khan]] [[Stanislov N'Buta]] discovered James Cobb's plan to invade the Inner Sphere after reports from a successful Trial of Possession against the Hell's Horses for some supplies on [[Nouveaux Paris]]. Confronting Cobb with this information, N'Buta and the Horse Khan bargained that N'Buta would keep the Horses' secret in exchange for access to the manufacturing facilities on Nouveaux Paris. The two Khans also bargained that Clan Star Adder would attack Clan Wolf's territory in the Clan Homeworlds, in order to distract the Wolves from the Horses' operations - in return, the Horses would cede [[Hoard]] to Clan Star Adder.<ref name=TWORp32 />
[[File:James Cobb.jpg|thumb|right|Khan James Cobb]]

==Wars of Reaving and Jihad==
In [[3068]], as part of an intelligence-gathering mission, the Hell's Horses [[Ninety-first Mechanized Assault (Clan Hell's Horses)|Ninety-first Mechanized Assault Cluster]] Trialed for and won the entire contents of the Ghost Bear Dominion Watch's database as well as three [[DropShips]]. As part of this successful operation, Horses Khan Cobb claimed the Ghost Bear ''ristar'' Jake Kabrinski (Malavai Fletcher's nemesis) as a bondsman as part of a long-term plan to win an alliance with the Ghost Bear Dominion.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 34: "The Rise of the Warrior-Ambassador"</ref> The mission complete, Cobb returned to the Homeworlds and entreated Clan Snow Raven for the construction of a large mobile shipyard.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 35: "Secret Moves, Secret Worlds"</ref>

However, Cobb became concerned that his motives were becoming obvious when the [[saKhan]] of Clan Ice Hellion, [[Connor Rood]], approached him for an alliance, suggesting that he knew what Cobb and the Horses were up to. Cobb attempted to delay any talks for an alliance, while ordering saKhan [[Tanya DeLaurel]] to attack Clan Wolf in the Homeworlds as a further misdirection. Unfortunately this attack did not end well for the Horses, and DeLaurel was forced to redeploy to counter opportunistic aggression by [[Kindraa Mick-Kreese-Kline-Sainze (Clan Fire Mandrill)|Kindraa Mick-Kreese-Kline-Sainze]] of Clan Fire Mandrill.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 37: "Politics and Problems"</ref> The Hellions would end up supporting the Horses in this, and the joint force would fully repel the Mandrills by [[3069]].<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 36: "Quiet Movements"</ref>

In that same year, the Hell's Horses would determine that they would have to leave behind all matériel that could not be brought with them on their relocation to the Inner Sphere. Over the course of the next two years, the Clan would discreetly give away many of their Homeworlds holdings to Clans Coyote, Star Adder and [[Clan Diamond Shark|Diamond Shark]].<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 53: "The Coyote Prowls"</ref>

In [[3070]] Clan Hell's Horses would finally commence their migration to the Inner Sphere. Establishing a limited alliance with Clan Ice Hellion, the Horses attacked the Clan Wolf Occupation Zone and managed to secure multiple worlds from both the Wolves, as well as founding a new [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Omega Galaxy]] from Wolf ''abtakha'' who eagerly assimilated into the Horses rather than languish in postings on Clan Wolf's Periphery border.<ref name=TWORp57>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 57: "Hellion Folly, Horse's Gains"</ref><ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 145: "The Raging Horsement"</ref> Omega Galaxy would go on to spearhead further incursions into Wolf territory, while Khan Cobb tasked [[Epsilon Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Epsilon]], [[Zeta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Zeta]], [[Eta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Eta]] and [[Iota Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Iota]] Galaxies under the command of [[Loremaster]] [[Temuchin Amirault]] to defend the Horses' remaining territory in the Clan Homeworlds. Some officers of Iota Galaxy would attempt [[Trial of Grievance|Trials of Grievance]] in protest of these orders, but none would succeed.<ref name=TWORp57 />

The following year of [[3071]] saw the next phase of expansion by the Hell's Horses - by April, the Horses had taken no less than twenty-nine worlds from Clan Wolf, including [[Steelton]] and [[Csesztreg]], the world that would eventually become the capital of the Horses' Occupation Zone.<ref name=TWORp65>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 65: "Merges and Moves"</ref> (Despite this, the Horses still voted against [[ilKhan]] [[Brett Andrews]]' motion to [[Trial of Annihilation|Annihilate]] the Wolves.)<ref name=TWORp65 /> The Horses' offensive finally halted when the Wolves drew their "line of death" from [[Ferleiten]] to [[Ridderkerk]] and [[Zoetermeer]], which the Horses would unsuccessfully poke in September of 3071.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 74: "Line of Death"</ref>

After failed attempt by Clan Jade Falcon to take Steelton in April of 3071, that world would eventually be wrested away from the Hell's Horses in September by their erstwhile allies in Clan Ice Hellion.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 71: "The Hellion Strikes"</ref> The following month, Horses Khan Cobb and [[Khan of Clan Jade Falcon|Falcon Khan]] [[Marthe Pryde]] agreed to cease hostilities between their two Clans and instead jointly attack the Ice Hellions. By February of 3072, the Horses had taken nine worlds from the Ice Hellions,<ref name=TWORp84>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 84: "Icy Fire"</ref> and the matter was settled in March when a joint Jade Falcon-Hell's Horses force (including the Horses' Iota Galaxy, which had been partially relocated from the Homeworlds by this time) assaulted the Hellion's last remaining world of [[Vantaa]] and crushed the [[Clan Ice Hellion Touman|Hellion ''touman'']], slaying the Hellion Khan [[Raina Montose]] after she refused to accept ''hegira''<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 139: "Forcible Relocation"</ref> and leaving barely a Cluster's worth of Hellions alive to flee to the [[Periphery]] with their [[SaKhan of Clan Ice Hellion|saKhan]] Connor Rood (who would eventually become Khan of [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]]<ref>''Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade'', p. 8</ref>).<ref name=TWORp84 /> With the Ice Hellions dealt with, the Hell's Horses began efforts to stabilize, sending trade envoys to the Jade Falcons, Ghost Bears and even [[Clan Wolf (in Exile)|Clan Wolf-In-Exile]], with whom the Horses would collaborate to develop the ''[[Cygnus (BattleMech)|Cygnus]]'' BattleMech.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 146: "Cygnus"</ref>

[[File:Temuchin Amirault.PNG|thumb|Loremaster Temuchin Amirault]]

However, while the Hell's Horses were going from strength to strength in the Inner Sphere, the same could not be said of the portion of their civilian castes and ''touman'' remaining in the Clan Homeworlds. The [[Wars of Reaving]] and the machinations of [[The Society]] had consumed the Clan Homeworlds, and the Hell's Horses remaining there were isolated and cut off from their leadership which now resided in the Inner Sphere. The Horses' population in the Homeworlds were easy prey for other Clans, demonstrated in such incidents as the slaying of an entire planet's worth of Horses ''sibko'' by Clan Cloud Cobra on Niles in February of 3072,<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 96: "Sandbagging the Breach"</ref> or when [[Clan Blood Spirit]] conquered [[Eden]] and absorbed the entire Hell's Horses population there in early [[3073]].<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 122: "The Defamation of Albion"</ref> Similarly, the Horses' territory in the [[Deep Periphery]] was under threat, and an attempt to liberate Nouveaux Paris from a Society coup ended in disaster when [[Eta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Eta Galaxy]] was badly mauled by a [[Clan Burrock]] ambush, retreating with little more than a Cluster.<ref name=TWORp118>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 118: "Spreading Contagion"</ref> Having suffered extreme casualties, Eta Galaxy was disbanded and its remaining troops sent to bolster other damaged formations in the Horses ''touman''.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 145: "The Raging Horsemen"</ref>

The Hell's Horses in the Inner Sphere would have their own reckoning with the Society when the [[SLOT virus]] released by the Society's leader, [[Etienne]], caused the widespread failure of [[HPG|HPG networks]] across Horses, Wolf and Jade Falcon territory in 3073.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 113: "Silence of the Falcon"</ref> In May of that year, the Horses' Watch uncovered elements of the Clan's scientist caste colluding with members of the Society, and began a thorough purge of their own scientists.<ref name=TWORp118 />

In [[3074]], the Hell's Horses agreed a ten-year truce with Clan Jade Falcon, sealed by the exchange of some remaining members of the Horses' scientist caste for the Falcon worlds of Persistence and Winfield.<ref name=TWORp175>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 175: "Clan Hell's Horses"</ref>

Eventually, the Horses would be successful in carving out their own occupation zone, becoming members of the [[Council of Six Clans]]. They would join the other Spheroid Clans in cutting off all relations with their Homeworld brethren and join with Devlin Stone's coalition, lending it a Cluster of warriors.<ref name=TWORp175 />

In 3080, Clan Wolf would make several attempts at regaining some of their lost territory - the Wolves attacked four worlds, but were only able to briefly capture [[Harvest]] before the Horses retook it. However, the Horses would soon see the death of two of their Khans - Khan Cobb died in his sleep in mid-October of 3080,<ref name=TWORp175 /> and his successor Tanya DeLaurel was killed in action while defending [[Bruben]] from the Wolves in the following year. Jake Kabrinski, Cobb's right-hand man who had been instrumental in brokering good faith between the Horses and the Ghost Bear Dominion, was elected to the office of Khan in 3081.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 188: "Jake Kabrinski"</ref>
[[File:Jake Kabrinski.png|thumb|right|Khan Jake Kabrinski]]
Those Hell's Horses who survived the Wars of Reaving in the Homeworlds were accused by their brethren of being tainted due to the Horses' involvement with the [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile|exiled Wolves]] and [[Kell Hounds]] mercenary unit. [[Zeta Galaxy (Clan Stone Lion)|Zeta Galaxy]] Commander [[Magnus DelVillar]], the senior remaining Horses officer, countered these claims by pointing out that none of his warriors had actually been to the Inner Sphere themselves. After a hard-fought [[Trial of Refusal]], the Grand Council motion to [[Trial of Abjuration|Abjure]] the bulk of Clan Hell's Horses was upheld, as was the [[Rite of Absorption|Absorption]] by [[Clan Star Adder]] of the "untainted" Horses in the Homeworlds. However, Adder Khan Stanislov N'Buta was impressed enough with the Horses' conduct that he offered DelVillar an alternative, and in short order [[Clan Stone Lion]] was formed from those Horses remaining in the Clan Homeworlds.<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', pp. 146–149</ref>
[[File:Magnus Delvillar.png|thumb|right|Zeta Galaxy Commander Magnus DelVillar]]

===Post-Jihad===
The Horses found themselves facing a number of problems in the wake of the Jihad. While the Clan was buoyant following their successes and enjoyed a ''touman'' larger than that of the Wolves and broadly comparable in size to that of the Falcons, their warriors were heavily committed. Internally, elements of both the intelligence organization [[Mimir]] and the [[Motstånd]] terrorist network continued to make life difficult for the Horses domestically, while the Rasalhagian population of the [[Ghost Bear Dominion]] continued to press [[Clan Ghost Bear]] to attack the Horses occupation zone and reclaim ethnically Rasalhagian worlds. Adding to the external threat from the Ghost Bears was the desire on the part of the Jade Falcons to reclaim the worlds that the Horses had opportunistically snatched during the incursion into the Falcon occupation zone by the [[Clan Ice Hellion|Ice Hellions]].<ref name="J:FRp111">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 111: "Clan Hell's Horses"</ref>

Moreover, while the Clan had established itself territorially by the end of the Jihad, its industry was lagging behind. The Clan was relying on mobile factories brought over from the Homeworlds, as well as what facilities they had been able to capture from Clan Wolf. While their preference for combat vehicles and battle armor allowed the Hell's Horses to rebuild their ''touman'' well enough, the Clan was still hampered by internal insurgency movements that their Watch was still learning to deal with.<ref>''Objectives: The Clans'', p. 7: "Clan Hell's Horses Overview"</ref>

While their industrial output was still somewhat lacking (due in no small part to their logistics chains suffering a dearth of JumpShips), the Horses had a number of facilities ready to produce combat vehicles, 'Mechs and battle armor, including [[Swedenborg Heavy Industries]].<ref>''Objectives: The Clans'', pp. 7–8: "Clan Hell's Horses Overview"</ref> Additionally, the Clan was also beginning to develop a true [[ProtoMech]] production capacity, and was producing standard models as well as developing unique variants, such as the ''[[Minotaur#variants|Minotaur-XP]]'' and [[Procyon (ProtoMech)#variants|''Procyon'' (Quad)]].<ref>''Objectives: The Clans'', p. 9: "Upcoming Projects - Csesztreg Industriplex Epsilon"</ref>

During their move rimward through Wolf territory, the Hell's Horses had abandoned much of their conquests in the coreward Periphery. In this space (which would come to be known as [[The Barrens]]), a number of proto-states and pirate kingdoms would form - two notable ones were the [[New Oberon Confederation]] and the [[Republic of the Barrens]]. While the Confederation was all but openly a pirate kingdom, the Republic was modeled on Clan society and remained on good terms with its neighbors in the Hell's Horses. Over time, a standing agreement grew between the Clan and the Republic, by which the latter defended the former's coreward border from pirate raids in exchange for hardware and training.<ref name=TRp38>''Tamar Rising'', p. 38: "Rumblings in the Barrens"</ref>

==Dark Age==
Having firmly established their Occupation Zone - carved out of former Wolf, Jade Falcon and Ice Hellion territory - the Hell's Horses found themselves trapped between powerful neighbors.<ref name=ER3145p60>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 60</ref> However, their relatively egalitarian interpretations of Clan society worked in their favor for integration of conquered worlds. In captured territory the Hell's Horses were content to adopt a hands-off approach to integration. The Clan warrior caste ruled from so-called "DropShip cities", which were effectively urban sprawls constructed around the initial landing zones used by the Horses during their conquest. Satisfied mainly to leave the native populations to themselves as long as order was maintained and production quotas met, the Hell's Horses built a flourishing model of civilian integration second only to that found in the [[Rasalhague Dominion]].<ref name=ER3145p60 /> The native populations, used to the hard regimes of the Wolves and Jade Falcons, largely welcomed the change. In some cases, however, years of repression by the natives' previous masters left them resentful of Clan administration, and some chose to exploit the greater leniency of the Hell's Horses to establish black markets for luxuries not available within the Clan way of life.<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 151</ref>

The Hell's Horses also engaged in some scientific research and development. Continuing their legacy of genetic research since their discovery of the [[Elemental]] phenotype, the Horses' research into a new [[trueborn]] phenotype optimized for combat within a [[tank]], the [[TankWarrior]], saw limited success. This granted tank crews of the Hell's Horses a certain superiority over tank crews from other Clans.<ref name=ER3145p60 /> However, it was soon concluded that, even with their optimized physiology, TankWarrior crews scored only slightly better than the crews the Horses were already producing through existing training regimens. A unit of Hell's Horses TankWarriors were able to defeat Jade Falcon tank crews in a [[Trial of Possession]] on [[Waldorff]], preventing the Falcons from claiming a Trinary belonging to the Horses, but the Horses' Khan [[Teresia Cooper]] was killed during this Trial - her death may have contributed to the lack of continuing interest in the TankWarrior program.<ref>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 125</ref>

During the [[Dark Age]], a tactical doctrine was developed by the Horses: the "[[Mongol Doctrine]]". The Doctrine, initially proposed during the 3080s by one [[Star Colonel]] [[Domnall Seidman]], emphasized the rapid use of light vehicles and 'Mechs to engage in hit-and-run tactics, drawing foes into position for heavy and assault-class 'Mechs and vehicles to strike. This was practiced by the [[First Horde Cluster (Clan Hell's Horses)|First Horde Cluster]], a command granted to Seidman to test his new Doctrine. The Doctrine, as Seidman envisioned it, became popular among the Horses - however, a radical reinterpretation of the Mongol Doctrine used by Clan Jade Falcon, led by the infamous Galaxy Commander [[Malvina Hazen]], focused less on the tactical use of light assets and instead on the psychological impact of subjecting enemies to maximum brutality in order to weaken their morale and that of their allies.<ref name=ER3145p60 /> This "perversion" of the Mongol Doctrine enraged some Horses: in 3136, a Horse Galaxy commander, ''ristar'' [[Tristan Fletcher]], traveled to the planet [[Skye]], challenging Hazen to a [[Trial of Possession]] for the Mongol Doctrine.<ref>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 100</ref> Both commanders fought in tanks, and Fletcher was defeated and slain by the Mad Falcon.<ref>''A Rending of Falcons'', p. 28</ref>

Some weeks later a Galaxy of Horses - [[Fire Horse Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Fire Horse Galaxy]], led by Galaxy Commander [[Manas Amirault]] - joined Malvina's forces, forming an alliance which would become known as the [[Golden Ordun]].<ref>''A Rending of Falcons'', p. 165</ref> The Ordun helped Malvina in the fight against Falcon Khan [[Jana Pryde]] - after defeating Pryde and taking her place, Malvina destroyed the Jade Falcon capital city of [[Hammarr]]. Horrified by the evil of his ally and lover, Manas attempted to leave her, but she killed him in a Trial of Possession, taking his Galaxy.<ref>''A Rending of Falcons'', p. 308</ref>

The same year when Clan Wolf left their occupation zone, the Horses managed to take twenty-two of their former worlds, including the old capital, [[Tamar]], greatly expanding their occupation zone.
In November [[3139]], Malvina Hazen's forces staged a Trial of Possession for the agricultural worlds of [[Romulus]] and [[Harvest]], "accidentally" starting fires at great expenses to their lands, threatening the Horses' worlds with the prospect of famine, forcing Horses Khan Gottfried Amirault to ally his Clan with the Falcons and thereby bringing the entirety of the Hell's Horses into the Golden Ordun.<ref>''A Bonfire of Worlds'', p. 65</ref> As far as possible, however, Amirault sent only parts of his ''[[touman]]'' to fight with the Falcons, keeping their losses low, but helping them conquer a large swath of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]].<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 154</ref>

In January of [[3145]], the Ordun was able to capture [[Hesperus II]] with little resistance from its Lyran defenders. However, a counteroffensive was launched by the Commonwealth's recent allies in [[Clan Wolf]] (whose new Khan, [[Alaric Ward]], had just revealed his genetic mother to be [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]).<ref name=FM3145p149>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 149</ref> The Wolf counteroffensive turned into a two-month stalemate; after an attempt on Malvina Hazen's life left her alive but in a coma,<ref name=ER3145p60 /> and a Lyran relief force arrived in-system, the Ordun was forced to retreat.<ref name=FM3145p149 /> The Hell's Horses escaped with far fewer losses than the Jade Falcons - notably, however, the Hell's Horses saKhan [[Jeronimo Cobb]] was killed in action during the fighting on Hesperus II.<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 155</ref> As a result of the failure to take the planet and Hazen's inability to prevent the Horses' departure, the Horses' Khan dissolved the Ordun and the Clan returned to their Occupation Zone, having fully abandoned their erstwhile Jade Falcon allies by the end of the year.<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 150</ref> However, in the wake of their conquering of much of the former Clan Wolf Occupation Zone, the Hell's Horses had gained a number of hardware production facilities including the [[W-8 Facilities]] on [[Tamar]]<ref>''Objectives: The Clans'', p. 28</ref> on which [[Omega Keshik (Clan Hell's Horses)|Omega Keshik]] under the command of the new saKhan [[Fulk Lassenerra]], as well as elements of [[Epsilon Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Epsilon Galaxy]], were deployed.<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 167</ref>

After successfully extracting themselves from the Golden Ordun and thereby annulling their alliance with Clan Jade Falcon, the next steps for the Hell's Horses were to reclaim the Mongol Doctrine from their former allies. In late 3146, saKhan Lassenerra devised a plan to do exactly that.<ref name=SFp44>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 44</ref> The following year, the first phase of Lassenerra's plan (which would become known as [[Operation NOYAN]]) would begin. On the 7th of April 3147, the Hell's Horses began a series of attacks against the Rasalhague Dominion, using swarm attacks with light assets as per the "untainted" Mongol Doctrine. Trials of Possession were declared and fought over [[St. John]], [[New Oslo]] and [[Unzmarkt]], with the Hell's Horses successfully conquering all three systems.<ref name=SFp44 /> Of particular distinction was the [[Twenty-second Mechanized Assault (Clan Hell's Horses)|Twenty-second Mechanized Assault Cluster]]'s artillery Star, which employed pairs of [[Hadur]] Fast Support Vehicles to achieve accurate artillery fire on the move by using target-designating [[LRM]] systems during the fighting on New Oslo.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3150'', p. 72</ref>

Lassenerra's bold actions raised concerns in the Clan Council of a retaliation from the Jade Falcons over the Horses' use of the Mongol Doctrine despite the Falcons having won the rights to its use in a Trial of Possession. Unfazed by the possibility, Lassenerra declared that Malvina Hazen was welcome to try and enforce her ownership of the Doctrine if she dared.<ref name=SFp44 /> He then outlined his plans for Phase Two of Operation NOYAN - an incursion against the Jade Falcons themselves. On the 17th of June 3147, the Horses executed their attack on the Falcon border, striking [[Biota]], [[Colmar]] and [[Leskovik]]. The former two worlds were soundly defeated through application of the traditional Mongol Doctrine, but the attack on Leskovik failed after the defending [[Eighteenth Falcon Regulars]] denied ''[[safcon]]'' to the attacking [[Seventy-First Mechanized Cavalry (Clan Hell's Horses)|Seventy-First Mechanized Cavalry]], shooting down a full quarter of the attacking forces and forcing the surviving Horses to retreat from the planet. Despite this isolated failure, the Clan Council declared Operation NOYAN a success and set about preparing themselves for Malvina Hazen's retaliation. However, the "Chinggis Khan" was otherwise engaged, and the anticipated attack never came.<ref name=SFp44 />
[[File:Gottfried Amirault TamarRising.png|thumb|right|Khan Gottfried Amirault]]

Meanwhile, matters rimward had taken a concerning turn. Beginning in 3140, the Republic of the Barrens had started to come under coordinated attacks from the New Oberon Confederation - by 3144, [[BattleROM]] footage had been recovered by the Hell's Horses Watch that showed NOC 'Mechs equipped with advanced technology rampaging across Republic planets. The Republic beseeched the Hell's Horses for aid, but Khan Amirault repeatedly refused to authorize any aid missions, wary of Ghost Bear opportunism or Jade Falcon retaliation for Operation NOYAN.<ref name=TRp38 />

The raids on the Republic continued, however, and in 3150 Amirault finally relented and authorized a reconnaissance-in-force into the Barrens. Galaxy Commanders [[Julian Vewas]] of Omega Galaxy and [[Joseph DeLaurel]] of [[Kappa Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Kappa Galaxy]] fought a Trial of Possession to determine who would lead the expedition, which DeLaurel won - the [[Twelfth Rangers (Clan Hell's Horses)|Twelfth Rangers Cluster]] was deployed and managed to capture and interrogate some bandits reiving across Republic space, who confessed to affiliation with the NOC.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 40: "The Battle of the Belt"</ref>

Kappa pushed onwards into the Republic, liberating [[Crellacor]] and [[Gustrell]] - on the latter planet, Star Colonel [[Danielle Cobb]] was nearly defeated by a mysterious red-and-black [[Marauder]], which disappeared without killing her.<ref name=TRp40>''Tamar Rising'', p. 40: "Rescue for the Republic"</ref> After Watch reports indicated that NOC pirates were operating from Butte Hold, saKhan Lassenerra ordered a detachment from Alpha Galaxy to strike the planet. They secured the capital city without encountering any NOC pirates, but did find an element of [[Snord's Irregulars]] who, while denying responsibility for terrorizing the Republic, refused to explain their presence.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 41: "Relic Hunters"</ref> Alpha Galaxy attacked them, but they were able to escape.<ref name=TRp40 />

==ilClan Era==
Following the success of Operation NOYAN, the Hell's Horses Khans resolved to use the momentum from NOYAN for a further push into Jade Falcon territory. Many of the production facilities from former Wolf territory were restored to functionality, including [[HH Industriplex Alpha]] on [[Tamar]] which by [[3150]] was being used to produce the ''[[Gargoyle]]'' [[OmniMech]].<ref>''IlClan'', p. 114</ref> On the 4th of February [[3151]] the [[Second Horde Cluster]] attacked [[Shaula]] in Jade Falcon space, expecting strong resistance, but found the planet defended by only two [[Star League]]-era 'Mechs and a handful of tanks and conventional infantry. Easily defeating this skeleton crew, Khan Amirault uncovered information that the Jade Falcons were on their way to [[Terra]] en masse. saKhan Lassenerra called for further invasion into Jade Falcon territory,<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 58: "Future Sight"</ref> but the Horses' Khan had his own plan to conquer the cradle of humanity - however, since Khan Amirault did not know how to breach the defenses of the [[Fortress Republic]], they decided to take what they could from the Jade Falcon occupation zone with the newly declared [[Operation STAMPEDE]] out of retaliation for their manipulation of the Hell's Horses and their Mongol Doctrine.<ref>''Hour of the Wolf'', p. 98</ref>

Initially devised as a plan for the Hell's Horses push on Terra, then mothballed after Malvina Hazen's claiming of the Mongol Doctrine, Operation STAMPEDE was repurposed as a plan for attacking the Jade Falcon territory now left exposed by the Falcons' rush to Terra. Alpha, Delta and Epsilon Galaxies were dispatched to push coreward, quickly taking [[Rastaban]] - the Trial of Possession for which consisted of Hell's Horses Star Colonel [[David Fletcher (32nd c.)|David Fletcher]] lopsidedly defeating, hand-to-hand, the Star Commander in charge of law enforcement for the city of Castle Hill (there being nobody of higher rank on the planet to challenge).<ref>''IlClan'', p. 115</ref> Perturbed by the empty depots and deserted military bases near Castle Hill, Fletcher surmised that the Jade Falcon warrior caste had totally abandoned the planet, leaving behind a few washouts and ''dezgra'' to keep order. Khan Amirault, sensing the opportunity to secure a large amount of near-undefended Jade Falcon territory, ordered an attack on nearby [[Domain]].

After Clan Wolf's final victory in the [[ilClan Trial]] made Alaric Ward [[ilKhan]] and Clan Wolf the [[ilClan]], a delegation from the Hell's Horses arrived on Terra led by the Horses' Khan and saKhan. Angry at the Wolves for denying his Clan the opportunity to fight on Terra, Amirault stated that he did not recognize Ward as ilKhan and claimed that the Wolves had unfairly denied the Hell's Horses a chance to become the ilClan, while at the same time "inviting" Clan Jade Falcon to Terra to participate in the planet's conquest. Amirault then demanded a Trial of Refusal against Ward - Ward responded by pointing out that the Wolves were under no obligation to invite the Hell's Horses to Terra, nor had the Horses earned the right to such a consideration.<ref>''Hour of the Wolf'', p. 360</ref> Ward then stated that there would be no [[Circle of Equals]] between himself and Amirault because, as ilKhan and [[First Lord of the Star League]], he had no equal. Amirault, in response, declared that the Hell's Horses would not stand for such an offence<ref>''Hour of the Wolf'', p. 361</ref> and the Horses' delegation publicly declared their nonrecognition of the new ilKhan's authority before the assembled Clan representatives during Ward's coronation as First Lord.<ref>''IlClan'', p. 109</ref>

Amirault decided to prepare his Clan for the inevitable hostilities with Clan Wolf, and to that end set his ambitions on conquering the rest of the former Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, which was already festering with pretender Khans and petty kingdoms. After some delay, Operation STAMPEDE was re-launched with the aim to capture as much territory as possible in order to secure more resources for the Hell's Horses.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 58: "A Fateful Summons"</ref>

Alpha Galaxy conquered [[Suk II]], [[La Grave]], and [[Orkney (LC)|Orkney]], crushing any Jade Falcon challengers and claiming the planets for the Hell's Horses. Many of the planets' Wolf-descended lower castes celebrated the Hell's Horses' arrival as a welcome reprieve from Malvina Hazen's oppression.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 58: "Vengeance upon the ''Dezgra''"</ref> Meanwhile, Fire Horse Galaxy attacked [[Montmarault]] and [[Benfled]], under orders to refuse challenges for Trials of Possession and simply conquer their target planets. Since ilKhan Ward had ignored Khan Amirault's right to a Trial of Refusal for the ilClanship, Amirault was now determined to ignore the requests for formal challenge from the former Jade Falcon worlds he was now conquering.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', pp. 59-60: "Vengeance upon the ''Dezgra''"</ref> This caused a certain amount of dissent amongst the warrior caste, with Star Captain [[Peter Cobb]] of Fire Horse Galaxy writing about the futility of the Hell's Horses accumulating backwater planets and slaughtering militia to satisfy Amirault’s ego, while an ilClan had already emerged on Terra.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 60: "Prophecy Fulfilled - Identities in Question"</ref>

Nonetheless, Operation STAMPEDE continued. Omega Galaxy took [[Erewhon]], [[Anywhere]] and [[Wotan]] while [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Beta Galaxy]] took Golabdrinas and Kappa Galaxy set up a logistics base in the Dark Nebula before joining Omega to attack Somerset, once more finding a deserted planet. Omega also attacked [[Bone Norman]], sweeping aside some paramilitaries who fled after putting up token resistance.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 60: "The Ground Trembles at the Horde's Approach"</ref>

In early [[3152]], Operation STAMPEDE netted [[Black Earth]], [[Beta VII]] and [[Barcelona]]. The taking of Barcelona involved uniquely fierce fighting, much worse than anything encountered so far, as it had been made the capital of the [[Turkina Ascendancy]], one of the many Jade Falcon remnants that had sprung up since Malvina Hazen and the majority of the [[Clan Jade Falcon Touman|Falcon ''touman'']] met their fate on Terra. After months of bitter combat in the frozen woods, Omega Galaxy’s [[Fifth Rangers (Clan Hell's Horses)|Fifth Rangers Cluster]] finally claimed victory by March.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', pp. 60–61: "The Turkina Ascendancy: Stillborn in the Nest"</ref> Also in March, the STAMPEDE took [[Hot Springs]] and [[Malibu]] before crashing upon the borders of the [[Vesper Marches]], a Lyran splinter state ruled by Duke [[Vedet Brewer]], when they attacked [[Mogyorod]]. Fighting themselves to a stalemate, both sides withdrew from the planet.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 62: "The Vesper Marches: The Horde Hits the Long Wall"</ref>

Meanwhile, Star Captain [[Jiyi Chistu]] of the Jade Falcons was reuniting elements of the Falcon ''touman'' and lower castes who remained in the occupation zone into a new and independent Clan Jade Falcon. His budding Clan captured several former Jade Falcon worlds that had degenerated into bandit kingdoms, as well as winning some resources from the Rasalhague Dominion, to build his new Clan.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', pp. 50–55</ref> Eventually this resurgent Clan Jade Falcon would find itself in conflict with Clan Hell's Horses, as Chistu's remnant had occupied the world of [[Sudeten]], which the Hell's Horses had already set its eye on.<ref name=TRp55>''Tamar Rising'', p. 55: "Calm Before the War"</ref>
[[File:Fulk Lassenerra TamarRising.png|thumb|Khan Fulk Lassenerra]]
A flotilla of Hell's Horses JumpShips arrived at Sudeten in March 3152.<ref name=TRp55 /> Chistu asked the invading forces for their ''batchall'', but saKhan Lassenerra responded that there would not be one, and instead the Horses were coming to conquer Sudeten and kill any who opposed them.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 63: "Unwanted Guests"</ref> The Hell's Horses destroyed Chistu's meager aerospace resistance and captured the planet's orbital stations without difficulty, and landed in early March. Running battles led to the first major engagement at an airport, where Jiyi’s Falcons lured the [[Fifth Horde (Clan Hell's Horses)|Fifth Horde Cluster]] into an ambush and almost completely destroyed them with artillery and fire from a grounded DropShip. Lassenerra and Amirault disagreed with how to proceed, with the saKhan favoring brutal aggression while Amirault urged caution. Subsequent actions went better for the Horses, with only timely intervention from some allied mercenaries saving four Jade Falcon Trinaries from total destruction.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', pp. 63–64: "Sudeten Alight"</ref>

As fighting wore on it became clear that the terrain favored the Jade Falcons - the close-quarters fighting in the cities where the Falcons stubbornly hid allowed Chistu’s forces to exploit their defender’s advantage to the fullest. Fighting intensified around the city of Hammarr, and while saKhan Lassenerra kept calling for the Horses to simply destroy the city and the Falcons within, Khan Amirault refused to allow it, wishing to capture Sudeten’s factories intact.<ref name=TRpp6465>''Tamar Rising'', pp. 64–65: "Claws and Shadows"</ref>

Eventually it became clear that the reasons for Chistu’s success was that his forces had deployed huge numbers of holoprojectors around Hammarr, and were using them to project 'Mechs or even buildings to fool the Horses' sensors. These holoprojectors were also manned by infantry with field guns, adding credibility to the projections. Having taken too many casualties, the Hell's Horses retreated, contenting themselves with whatever plunder they could take - although it far from compensated for the warriors and hardware they had lost.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 65: "Day of Judgment"</ref>

Even as the Hell's Horses retreated from Sudeten, another threat emerged - a swarm of pirates and raiders led by the Red Hunter, [[Abdoun Ricol]], struck Clan worlds near the border with the Rasalhague Dominion and threatened to push towards Csesztreg.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 67: "Enemies on All Sides"</ref> Worse still, an attack on the [[Alyina Mercantile League]] (yet another Jade Falcon remnant, this one led by its merchant caste) failed spectacularly when an aerospace Trinary was destroyed by an ambush after refusing to serve a ''batchall'' on the AML defenders, resulting in the AML capturing the JumpShip that the Horses had used to get there.<ref name=TRpp6465 />

This series of embarrassing defeats proved too much for saKhan Lassenerra to tolerate, and he eventually turned against Khan Amirault. Lassenerra accused the Khan before the Clan Council of robbing the Hell’s Horses of their own destiny through his own trepidation and incompetence, firstly by allying the Clan with Malvina Hazen, then in failing to mobilize the ''touman'' to attack Terra in time for the [[ilClan Trial]], and finally by bungling the invasion of Sudeten and the overall execution of Operation STAMPEDE through his constant hesitation. He issued a formal Trial of Position for the Khanship, and killed Amirault by destroying the cockpit of the Khan's ''Cygnus'' 'Mech with a devastating strike from his ''[[Jengiz]]'' fighter.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 68: "The Consequences of Caution"</ref> Now Khan, Lassenerra sought to return the Hell’s Horses to a Clan led by a proper warrior, as it always should have been.<ref>''Tamar Rising'', p. 93: "Fulk Lassenerra"</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
<div class="desktop-3-col">
* ''[[Betrayal of Ideals]]''
* ''[[A Bonfire of Worlds]]''
* ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]''
* ''[[Era Digest: Golden Century]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
* ''[[Hour of the Wolf]]''
* ''[[IlClan (sourcebook)|IlClan]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Objectives: The Clans]]''
* ''[[Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade]]''
* ''[[A Rending of Falcons]]''
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
* ''[[Tamar Rising]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3075]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3150]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: Golden Century]]''
* ''[[Test of Vengeance]]''
* ''[[Turning Points: Tokasha]]''
* ''[[The Wars of Reaving]]''
</div>


[[Category:History|Clan Hell's Horses, History of]]