BattleTech: Blackthorne Series by Pat Zircher (#1-6)
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Overview: In the early days of the BattleTech franchise, Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. published a number of comics set in that universe: Six regular BattleTech comics plus one BattleTech Annual and one BattleTech in 3-D issue. Two more comics were published under the BattleForce moniker with the tagline "Small unit action in the 31st century"; this was intended to be a 3-part miniseries but only the first two parts were printed. None of the stories includes a date, but for most circumstantial evidence suggests that they take place around the year 3025, prior to the Fourth Succession War. In two instances, a Hatchetman is seen among Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns forces, respectively.
Genre: Comics
Issue 1 – Honor Blackthorne BattleTech comic #1
Published in October 1987. The title ("Honor") was originally omitted and the story was untitled. The title was later included when the story was reprinted in black-and-white in the BattleTech Annual issue (see below). On an unnamed desert world in the Draconis Combine, Lieutenant "Max" Maximillan is the leader of a squad of four dispossessed MechWarriors (himself, Quinton, Han and Antonio), the "Dispossessed of the Seventh Battalion". Regarded as worthless without their BattleMechs, they are summoned before Field Marshall Chiba, who sends them to an honorable death in a suicide mission—a banzai charge against advancing enemy forces of House Steiner. (Descending DropShips in the opening narrative, with the Steiner crest visible on a Leopard, establish that House Steiner is attacking a Combine world, i.e. the Combine forces are the defenders.) Max’s unit takes point in the charge and marches into the rocky desert during the night. Sneaking through a mountainous area they chance upon a forward Lyran Commonwealth operation, kill the enemy soldiers and find out that they have stumbled into the leading elements of an enemy advance. Quickly fighting their way past some sentries they arrive at a valley where a ‘Mech lance (a Locust, a Scorpion, a Thunderbolt and a fourth ‘Mech, apparently another Thunderbolt) is camping, having secretly moved behind the Draconis Combine lines through a tunnel. With the element of surprise on their side Max and his comrades hijack three of the ‘Mechs. Engaged by infantry, tanks and the fourth ‘Mech they manage to down the other ‘Mech in the ensuing running fight. At that point the rest of the banzai charge arrives and suicide troopers storm the Lyran compound just as the Lyran commander calls down an artillery strike, adding to the overall confusion. Max’s three ‘Mechs escape and destroy the enemy compound which they have identified as a supply and fuel dump. Upon returning to their base, Max and his men learn that they had been declared dead when they received orders for their banzai charge. Chiba explains that the only honorable way out for them is to commit seppuku. A funeral ceremony is held on the same evening in their presence, and Max and his men are supposed to kill themselves in the morning. Appalled, they decide to escape and become mercenaries. During the night they sneak to the ‘Mechs they have captured, but Quinton, who regards their plan as dishonorable, turns against his comrades, draws a gun on Antonio and alerts the guards.
Issue 2 – The Dragon’s Last Stand Blackthorne BattleTech comic #1
Published in February 1988. (Previous advertisements in other magazines showed the same cover, but with the title Everybody Dies instead. The appearance of a Hatchetman ‘Mech among the Lyran forces indicates that this story takes place no earlier than 3025.) When Max and his men are caught red-handed in their attempt to steal back their ‘Mechs and escape, Max (piloting the Scorpion) distracts the guards long enough for his men to embark the other two ‘Mechs. Antonio subdues Quinton and carries him along in the Thunderbolt. Infantry, tanks and Shilone aerospace fighters attack the fugitives and the Scorpion is downed. Antonio returns to save Max and the four of them escape with all three ‘Mechs. Max dies from his injuries shortly afterwards. Quinton chastises Antonio and Han for not having thought things through, but accepts that he, too, is now a mercenary. When Draconis Combine ‘Mechs later face off against Lyran ‘Mechs in the desert, Antonio, Han and Quinton join the fight on the Draconis Combine side and turn the tide against the Lyrans. They are not trusted by the Draconis Combine forces, especially because they are piloting ‘Mechs in Lyran colors, but are still invited to come along as mercenaries. The Draconis Combine commander realizes their cover story for what it is and that they have something to hide, and decides to find out the truth about these strange "mercenaries". At the forward base Antonio, Han and Quinton learn that it is going to be the new HQ base because the Lyrans have been pushed back, and that Commander Chiba is expected to come here shortly. The three "mercenaries" are to be commended for their actions, but they fear that Chiba will recognize them and order their deaths. Concerned about the condition of their ‘Mechs, Antonio begins repairs on the Scorpion. He finds a Lyran tracer on the ‘Mech but the Lyrans attack the compound before an alarm can be sounded. In the ensuing fight, Antonio, Han and Quinton heroically buy time for the rest of the Draconis Combine MechWarriors to respond to the attack, but their ‘Mechs are destroyed. Antonio dies in the battle, and it is implied that Quinton dies as well. Chiba arrives and comments on the bravery of the unknown, and now very dead, mercenaries. Han awakes to find out he survived the fight after all, but in the presence of Chiba his future is uncertain…
Issue 3 – The Way We Die Blackthorne BattleTech comic #3
Published in April 1988. Captain Gideon "Killer" Frost tries to convince his superiors that House Kurita "is up to something" on Mozirje, but his suspicions that the Kuritas found a new technology are dismissed because of his reputation—Frost lost his last three squads and is now something of a pariah among his own troops. A cloaked figure assaults Frost as he leaves the briefing room and warns him to forget about Mozirje, which only deepens his concerns and resolve. In the cafeteria, Frost is surprised to meet an old acquaintance of his, Andrea, but she accuses him of being responsible for the death of a man who was killed on a scouting mission and rebuffs him; at that point, Colonel Brickham intervenes and leaves with Andrea, sending Frost to meet his new command. Frost is given a cool reception by the troopers, who have heard about his reputation, but he manages to bring them into line. As they prepare for training and clean up some Wasps in the hangar, an unknown figure sneaks into one and topples the arrayed ‘Mechs; only sheer luck prevents casualties. The assassin then tries to overpower a Wasp pilot in an attempt to gain control of the ‘Mech and use its weapons inside the hangar, but fails. Frost hopes that this incident will make command believe him. (The story was to be continued at this point, but did not continue in the next issue. Instead, the second part was published in the BattleTech Annual comic where it is also revealed that the first part of the story took place on the Lyran world of Devin. The cover depicts a battle scene from the story’s second part.)
Issue 4 – Finals Blackthorne BattleTech comic #4
Published in July 1988. The narrator, Patrick Morgan, is a cadet at the Meistmorn Academy on the Federated Suns planet of Doneval II. Under the tutelage of Major Sergei "Death’s Head" Vang, famous for surviving a fight against the Black Widow Company, the narrator and his class, consisting of himself, Jason Kilgore, Chris Adams, Dar Johannson and Stacey Hooper, embark on maneuvers in Stingers for their finals. Major Vang is coming along in a Shadow Hawk. During the maneuver, they encounter the Fire Lance of the Black Widow Company. Lieutenant Takiro Ikeda of the Black Widows demands their surrender, but Johannson opens fire and is downed by the return fire. Outmatched, the cadets try to evade the Black Widows and manage to down Nikolai Koniev’s Wasp in the ensuing running fight. Morgan finds out that his laser is damaged which he believes is because of damage taken during the fighting or the flight. Meanwhile, Ikeda defeats Vang in a personal match. At Koniev’s defeat, Ikeda recognizes Vang’s skill as a teacher and offers him a place in House Kurita. Vang declines, yet since Ikeda gave his word, the Black Widows move off nevertheless, without delivering killing blows to Vang and his students. Kilgore was killed in the fight. Before dying he had confessed to Morgan that he had disconnected his laser so that Morgan would look bad to Hooper in the finals. During the debriefing, Morgan realizes that teamwork ultimately saved them, and decides not to mention what Kilgore did. The surviving cadets form a successful lance that becomes known as the "Death’s Head March", which the narrator calls "one of the finest lances anywhere, with a list of victories as long as a comm antenna". (This story recounts a scenario from Tales of the Black Widow Company which is also referred to in the Stinger entry in Technical Readout: 3025 and the write-up for notable Shadow Hawk pilot Sergei Vang from the same book. Although no date is given, conjecture and information from Tales of the Black Widow Company suggest this battle to take place in ca. mid-3024.)
Issue 5 – A Sense of Foreboding Blackthorne BattleTech comic #5
Published in September 1988. Rene Gerant, a sentry ostensibly in service to House Centrella and the Magistracy of Canopus, sneaks aboard the Union-class DropShip Faultless on Canopus II just before it takes off. After the DropShip has docked with a JumpShip and emerged at its destination he is discovered and shot, but not before he can send off a radio message to warn Lord Corwan Walkner on the Free Worlds League planet of Vakarel, the Canopian raiders’ target. MAF Major Akii-Bua, the commander of the approaching DropShip, suggests via an open comm line that the local forces should surrender. Count Walkner summons a meeting with the nobles and leaders on the planet to discuss the situation. ComStar Precentor Cirilo includes himself in the meeting despite not having been invited. The assembled nobility discuss how Janos Marik and the Free Worlds League seem not to care about "this blizzard-cursed ball of ice" and start bickering among each other. Mercenary Lieutenant Vaughn of the Bowman Banshees (later revealed to be a sub-unit of Langendorf’s Lancers) thinks the battle damage to his ‘Mechs will cost more than he is going to earn, and initially declares that his Banshees will take the field, but surrender under the Ares Conventions after the first shot; later he agrees to fight. He has secret dealings with Precentor Cirilo, who seems to have an agenda of his own. Similarly, Count Walkner and his wife Trista are the only ones who know of a fortune of Qaere Crystals beneath Vakarel’s surface and wonder if it was the Canopians who learned of this secret and made the geologists disappear. The ‘Star Veil’, Vakarel’s turbulent atmosphere with perpetual blizzards, does not permit the use of flying craft smaller than a DropShip, precluding the deployment of aerospace fighters. This means the battle will be decided on the ground, but it also means the defenders cannot be sure of the enemy disposition until the DropShip lands. The defenders finally rally under House Walkner’s banner and prepare for battle. They field two functional Hermes II plus a third, heavily damaged one, at least one Ostscout, an Assassin and four Hunter tanks, and a small impromptu infantry unit in light environmental suits. The mercenaries under Vaughn’s command have six ‘Mechs including his Orion, a Centurion and a Vulcan; furthermore, House Walkner’s armory contributes two Sniper Artillery Pieces and a store of vibrabombs. Sergeant Miranda, Vaughn’s second-in-command, is attacked by a native Ugmar on the way to her Vulcan. Vaughn and a Tech shoot the beast and drive it off, but Miranda suffers a cold shock from exposure and damage to her lungs, requiring her treatment in a defrost chamber. Two days later, the enemy DropShip is reported to have landed.
Issue 6 – The Nature of War Blackthorne BattleTech comic #6
Published in December 1988. This issue continues the previous issue’s story of a raid by Magistracy of Canopus troops against the FWL world of Vakarel: The defending ‘Mechs and tanks take up their positions; Sergeant Miranda reports back for duty. Sir Boddicker in his Ostscout lures the attackers into a minefield, disabling four out of five enemy Cicadas and escaping from the last enemy into rugged terrain. Lady Evraux’s tank squad, on the other hand, is surprised by Griffins in the Canyon of Chaldis and utterly destroyed, destroying one Griffin in return. While the mercenaries face off against two Canopian Warhammers, taking casualties, other attackers are lured into an artillery barrage by Captain Vandiveer who used the damaged Hermes II as a decoy. Count Walkner is determined to defend the ostensibly worthless planet; after the geologists have mysteriously vanished, only he and his wife know of the Qaere Crystals that can be found on Vakarel. When enemy forces come close to the compound, he tells his wife to prepare to destroy the survey documents showing the location of the crystals. Ultimately, the two ‘Mech forces clash in a final battle in the Vale of Boreas and the Canopian invaders are defeated. Major Akii-Bua is taken prisoner and agrees to join the forces of House Walkner as a Corporal. Lord Corwan Walkner is honestly disturbed by the casualties of the battle. In the aftermath of the fighting, Lieutenant Vaughn demands payment from Precentor Cirilo who obviously hired the mercenaries and offered him extra money to defend Vakarel. When Count Walkner orders Cirilo to send a message to Duke Halas of Oriente, requesting additional troops, Precentor Cirilo openly declines, renounces his ComStar ties and explains that he is aware of the Qaere Crystals; it was him who "disposed of" the geologists. Just as Cirilo begins a speech to take over Vakarel with the help of Lieutenant Vaughn’s mercenaries, he is shot by another ComStar member who explains that Precentor Cirilo knew too much about the order to be allowed to leave. Vaughn attempts to collect his promised payment at gunpoint, but is dissuaded by Lady Walkner who threatens him with a flamer. Vaughn surrenders and is handed over to ComStar for having conspired with the traitor Cirilo. Later, Lady Walkner informs her husband that she went ahead and destroyed all documents about the Qaere Crystals. Shaken with the recent outbreak of violence that the crystals caused, they both agree to forget about them.
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