Editing Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision
Your text
Line 17:
Line 17: }} }} − First in a loose series, '''''Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance''''' is a short story by [[Craig A. Reed, Jr.]] that was published in the first issue of ''[[Shrapnel (magazine)|Shrapnel]]'' on 15 June 2020. + First in a loose series, '''''Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance''''' is a short story by [[Craig A. Reed, Jr.]] that was published in the first issue of ''[[Shrapnel (magazine)|Shrapnel]]'' on 15 June 2020. The story introduced the [[Tales from the Cracked Canopy]] series format that is used as a framing device for the narrative. In ''Blind Arrogance'', [[Manny Totske]] gives the Waco Rangers' perspective on the events during the [[Battle of Coventry]] from the novel ''[[Malicious Intent]]''. He tells how the [[Waco Rangers]] were effectively annihilated on [[Coventry]], a defeat that sent the once-famed unit on a downward spiral which would culminate in the infamous part the unit's remnant played in the [[Scouring of Outreach]]. The story introduced the [[Tales from the Cracked Canopy]] series format that is used as a framing device for the narrative. In ''Blind Arrogance'', [[Manny Totske]] gives the Waco Rangers' perspective on the events during the [[Battle of Coventry]] from the novel ''[[Malicious Intent]]''. He tells how the [[Waco Rangers]] were effectively annihilated on [[Coventry]], a defeat that sent the once-famed unit on a downward spiral which would culminate in the infamous part the unit's remnant played in the [[Scouring of Outreach]]. ==Plot summary== ==Plot summary== − In the ''[[Cracked Canopy]]'', a [[Solaris City]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] bar in the [[International Zone]], an old [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] orders a drink and asks Sedge, the bartender and narrator, about a wall covered by all kinds of items (unit patches, photos, armor pieces, even old weapons). Sedge tells him it's the Memory Wall, a commemorative place for remembering lost friends and destroyed units. The client then produces an old patch from a pocket – a Waco Rangers patch, and when Sedge remarks that this unit is now in somewhat ill repute, the MechWarrior—Manny Totske, formerly of the Waco Rangers—tells his story: + In the ''[[Cracked Canopy]]'', a [[Solaris City]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] bar in the [[International Zone]], an old [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] orders a drink and asks Sedge, the bartender and narrator, about a wall covered by all kinds of items (unit patches, photos, armor pieces, even old weapons). Sedge tells him it's the Memory Wall, a commemorative place for remembering lost friends and destroyed units. The client then produces an old patch from a pocket: a Waco Rangers patch, and when Sedge remarks that this unit is somewhat ill-reputed now, the MechWarrior—Manny Totske, formerly of the Waco Rangers—tells his story: Manny had joined the Rangers back in [[3050]], when they were a respectable unit, and took the [[Death Oath]] (for the Waco Rangers' infamous feud with [[Wolf's Dragoons]]) like everybody else in the Rangers had, even though he felt it was little more than an old joke. Manny had joined the Rangers back in [[3050]], when they were a respectable unit, and took the [[Death Oath]] (for the Waco Rangers' infamous feud with [[Wolf's Dragoons]]) like everybody else in the Rangers had, even though he felt it was little more than an old joke. − When [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked Coventry in [[3058]], both the Waco Rangers and Wolf's Dragoons were sent to defend, and tensions erupted even before they joined the battle. Rangers CO [[Wayne Rogers]] blamed the Dragoons for the fact that the Waco Rangers and the [[Crazy Eights]], a minor unit associated with the Rangers, were held in reserve. When they were finally sent into the battle, Manny's lance, from [[Leonard McCarthy]]'s company, was deployed on a flank. Manny piloted his ''[[Marauder]]''; his lancemate [[Ariadne Sherbow]] a ''[[Griffin]]'', [[Parker LaBelle]] a ''[[Whitworth]]'' and [[Hector Shirotan]] a ''[[Dervish]]''. + When [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked Coventry in [[3058]], both the Waco Rangers and Wolf's Dragoons were sent to defend, and tensions erupted even before they joined the battle. Rangers CO [[Wayne Rogers]] blamed the Dragoons for the fact that the Waco Rangers and the [[Crazy Eights]], a minor unit associated with the Rangers, were held in reserve. When they were finally sent into the battle, Manny's lance, from [[Leonard McCarthy]]'s company, was deployed on a flank. Manny piloted his ''[[Marauder]]''; his lancemante [[Ariadne Sherbow]] a ''[[Griffin]]'', [[Parker LaBelle]] a ''[[Whitworth]]'' and [[Hector Shirotan]] a ''[[Dervish]]''. − Paranoid about the Dragoons and determined to one-up them, the Rangers ignored [[Caradoc Trevena]]'s warnings about a likely trap and entered the Dales region. Heavier Clan Jade Falcon units rained missiles down on them. McCarthy ordered his men to stand their ground, fearful of the Dragoons laughing at them. A cockpit hit killed Ariadne instantly, and after Mace McCarthy downed her killer, an enemy ''[[Masakari]]'' destroyed Parker's and Hector's 'Mechs, killing them both in seconds. + Paranoid about the Dragoons and determined to one-up them, the Rangers ignored [[Caradoc Trevena]]'s warnings about a likely trap and entered the Dales region. Heavier Clan Jade Falcon units rained missiles over them. McCarthy ordered his men to stand their ground, fearful of the Dragoons laughing at them. A cockpit hit killed Ariadne instantly, and after Mace McCarthy downed her killer, an enemy ''[[Masakari]]'' destroyed Parker's and Hector's 'Mechs, killing them both in seconds. − After McCarthy's 'Mech was downed, Totske took company command and ordered the company to retreat, but it was too late. Surrounded and trapped, the intervention of Trevena's forces – with assistance from Wolf's Dragoons – was the only thing that saved at least some of the Waco Rangers and Crazy Eights. During the rest of the campaign, the remaining Rangers only played a minimal role. After the Falcons retreated, Trevena knocked Colonel Rogers out cold without speaking a word. + After McCarthy's 'Mech was downed, Totske took company command and ordered the company to retreat, but it was too late. Surrounded and trapped, the intervention of Trevena's forces (with assistance from Wolf's Dragoons) was the only thing than saved at least some Waco Rangers and Crazy Eights. During the rest of the campaign, the remaining Rangers only played a minimal role. After the Falcons retreated, Trevena knocked colonel Rogers out cold without speaking a word. When McCarthy later blamed the disaster on Manny's retreat order and refused to recognize the Rangers' mistakes, Manny hit him as well, walked out, and cut his patch from his uniform. When McCarthy later blamed the disaster on Manny's retreat order and refused to recognize the Rangers' mistakes, Manny hit him as well, walked out, and cut his patch from his uniform. Line 39:
Line 39: ==Featured characters== ==Featured characters== − * [[Manny Totske]] + *[[Manny Totske]] − * [[Sedge]] + *[[Sedge]] − * [[Caradoc Trevena]] + *[[Caradoc Trevena]] − * [[Wayne Rogers]] + *[[Wayne Rogers]] * [[Leopold Sullivan|Leo]] * [[Leopold Sullivan|Leo]] − * [[Leonard McCarthy]] + *[[Leonard McCarthy]] − * Ms. Silver (mentioned) + *Ms. Silver (mentioned) − * [[Wayne Waco]] (mentioned) + *[[Wayne Waco]] (mentioned) == Featured BattleTech == == Featured BattleTech == ===BattleMechs=== ===BattleMechs=== − * ''[[BattleMaster]]'' + *''[[BattleMaster]]'' − * ''[[Nova (Black Hawk)|Black Hawk]]'' + *''[[Nova (Black Hawk)|Black Hawk]]'' − * ''[[Warhawk]]'' + *''[[Warhawk]]'' − * ''[[Griffin]]'' + *''[[Griffin]]'' − * ''[[Whitworth]]'' + *''[[Whitworth]]'' − * ''[[Dervish]]'' + *''[[Dervish]]'' − * ''[[Fenris]]'' + *''[[Fenris]]'' − * ''[[Cougar]]'' + *''[[Cougar]]'' − * ''[[Mad Cat]]'' + *''[[Mad Cat]]'' − * ''[[Ryoken]]'' + *''[[Ryoken]]'' ===Other=== ===Other=== − * [[Elemental (Battle Armor)]] + *[[Elemental (Battle Armor)]] == Featured planets == == Featured planets == − * [[Coventry]] + *[[Coventry]] − * [[Solaris]] + *[[Solaris]] − * [[Outreach]] (mentioned) + *[[Outreach]] (mentioned) − [[Category:Short Stories]] [[Category:Short Stories]] [[Category:Works by Craig A. Reed]] [[Category:Works by Craig A. Reed]]
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | First in a loose series, '''''Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance''''' is a short story by [[Craig A. Reed, Jr.]] that was published in the first issue of ''[[Shrapnel (magazine)|Shrapnel]]'' on 15 June 2020. | + | First in a loose series, '''''Tales from the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance''''' is a short story by [[Craig A. Reed, Jr.]] that was published in the first issue of ''[[Shrapnel (magazine)|Shrapnel]]'' on 15 June 2020. |
The story introduced the [[Tales from the Cracked Canopy]] series format that is used as a framing device for the narrative. In ''Blind Arrogance'', [[Manny Totske]] gives the Waco Rangers' perspective on the events during the [[Battle of Coventry]] from the novel ''[[Malicious Intent]]''. He tells how the [[Waco Rangers]] were effectively annihilated on [[Coventry]], a defeat that sent the once-famed unit on a downward spiral which would culminate in the infamous part the unit's remnant played in the [[Scouring of Outreach]]. | The story introduced the [[Tales from the Cracked Canopy]] series format that is used as a framing device for the narrative. In ''Blind Arrogance'', [[Manny Totske]] gives the Waco Rangers' perspective on the events during the [[Battle of Coventry]] from the novel ''[[Malicious Intent]]''. He tells how the [[Waco Rangers]] were effectively annihilated on [[Coventry]], a defeat that sent the once-famed unit on a downward spiral which would culminate in the infamous part the unit's remnant played in the [[Scouring of Outreach]]. | ||
==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
| − | In the ''[[Cracked Canopy]]'', a [[Solaris City]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] bar in the [[International Zone]], an old [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] orders a drink and asks Sedge, the bartender and narrator, about a wall covered by all kinds of items (unit patches, photos, armor pieces, even old weapons). Sedge tells him it's the Memory Wall, a commemorative place for remembering lost friends and destroyed units. The client then produces an old patch from a pocket | + | In the ''[[Cracked Canopy]]'', a [[Solaris City]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] bar in the [[International Zone]], an old [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] orders a drink and asks Sedge, the bartender and narrator, about a wall covered by all kinds of items (unit patches, photos, armor pieces, even old weapons). Sedge tells him it's the Memory Wall, a commemorative place for remembering lost friends and destroyed units. The client then produces an old patch from a pocket: a Waco Rangers patch, and when Sedge remarks that this unit is somewhat ill-reputed now, the MechWarrior—Manny Totske, formerly of the Waco Rangers—tells his story: |
Manny had joined the Rangers back in [[3050]], when they were a respectable unit, and took the [[Death Oath]] (for the Waco Rangers' infamous feud with [[Wolf's Dragoons]]) like everybody else in the Rangers had, even though he felt it was little more than an old joke. | Manny had joined the Rangers back in [[3050]], when they were a respectable unit, and took the [[Death Oath]] (for the Waco Rangers' infamous feud with [[Wolf's Dragoons]]) like everybody else in the Rangers had, even though he felt it was little more than an old joke. | ||
| − | When [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked Coventry in [[3058]], both the Waco Rangers and Wolf's Dragoons were sent to defend, and tensions erupted even before they joined the battle. Rangers CO [[Wayne Rogers]] blamed the Dragoons for the fact that the Waco Rangers and the [[Crazy Eights]], a minor unit associated with the Rangers, were held in reserve. When they were finally sent into the battle, Manny's lance, from [[Leonard McCarthy]]'s company, was deployed on a flank. Manny piloted his ''[[Marauder]]''; his | + | When [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked Coventry in [[3058]], both the Waco Rangers and Wolf's Dragoons were sent to defend, and tensions erupted even before they joined the battle. Rangers CO [[Wayne Rogers]] blamed the Dragoons for the fact that the Waco Rangers and the [[Crazy Eights]], a minor unit associated with the Rangers, were held in reserve. When they were finally sent into the battle, Manny's lance, from [[Leonard McCarthy]]'s company, was deployed on a flank. Manny piloted his ''[[Marauder]]''; his lancemante [[Ariadne Sherbow]] a ''[[Griffin]]'', [[Parker LaBelle]] a ''[[Whitworth]]'' and [[Hector Shirotan]] a ''[[Dervish]]''. |
| − | Paranoid about the Dragoons and determined to one-up them, the Rangers ignored [[Caradoc Trevena]]'s warnings about a likely trap and entered the Dales region. Heavier Clan Jade Falcon units rained missiles | + | Paranoid about the Dragoons and determined to one-up them, the Rangers ignored [[Caradoc Trevena]]'s warnings about a likely trap and entered the Dales region. Heavier Clan Jade Falcon units rained missiles over them. McCarthy ordered his men to stand their ground, fearful of the Dragoons laughing at them. A cockpit hit killed Ariadne instantly, and after Mace McCarthy downed her killer, an enemy ''[[Masakari]]'' destroyed Parker's and Hector's 'Mechs, killing them both in seconds. |
| − | After McCarthy's 'Mech was downed, Totske took company command and ordered the company to retreat, but it was too late. Surrounded and trapped, the intervention of Trevena's forces | + | After McCarthy's 'Mech was downed, Totske took company command and ordered the company to retreat, but it was too late. Surrounded and trapped, the intervention of Trevena's forces (with assistance from Wolf's Dragoons) was the only thing than saved at least some Waco Rangers and Crazy Eights. During the rest of the campaign, the remaining Rangers only played a minimal role. After the Falcons retreated, Trevena knocked colonel Rogers out cold without speaking a word. |
When McCarthy later blamed the disaster on Manny's retreat order and refused to recognize the Rangers' mistakes, Manny hit him as well, walked out, and cut his patch from his uniform. | When McCarthy later blamed the disaster on Manny's retreat order and refused to recognize the Rangers' mistakes, Manny hit him as well, walked out, and cut his patch from his uniform. | ||
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
==Featured characters== | ==Featured characters== | ||
| − | * [[Manny Totske]] | + | *[[Manny Totske]] |
| − | * [[Sedge]] | + | *[[Sedge]] |
| − | * [[Caradoc Trevena]] | + | *[[Caradoc Trevena]] |
| − | * [[Wayne Rogers]] | + | *[[Wayne Rogers]] |
* [[Leopold Sullivan|Leo]] | * [[Leopold Sullivan|Leo]] | ||
| − | * [[Leonard McCarthy]] | + | *[[Leonard McCarthy]] |
| − | * Ms. Silver (mentioned) | + | *Ms. Silver (mentioned) |
| − | * [[Wayne Waco]] (mentioned) | + | *[[Wayne Waco]] (mentioned) |
== Featured BattleTech == | == Featured BattleTech == | ||
===BattleMechs=== | ===BattleMechs=== | ||
| − | * ''[[BattleMaster]]'' | + | *''[[BattleMaster]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Nova (Black Hawk)|Black Hawk]]'' | + | *''[[Nova (Black Hawk)|Black Hawk]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Warhawk]]'' | + | *''[[Warhawk]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Griffin]]'' | + | *''[[Griffin]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Whitworth]]'' | + | *''[[Whitworth]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Dervish]]'' | + | *''[[Dervish]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Fenris]]'' | + | *''[[Fenris]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Cougar]]'' | + | *''[[Cougar]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Mad Cat]]'' | + | *''[[Mad Cat]]'' |
| − | * ''[[Ryoken]]'' | + | *''[[Ryoken]]'' |
===Other=== | ===Other=== | ||
| − | * [[Elemental (Battle Armor)]] | + | *[[Elemental (Battle Armor)]] |
== Featured planets == | == Featured planets == | ||
| − | * [[Coventry]] | + | *[[Coventry]] |
| − | * [[Solaris]] | + | *[[Solaris]] |
| − | * [[Outreach]] (mentioned) | + | *[[Outreach]] (mentioned) |
| − | |||
[[Category:Short Stories]] | [[Category:Short Stories]] | ||
[[Category:Works by Craig A. Reed]] | [[Category:Works by Craig A. Reed]] | ||