Battletech - Also known as Trannytech

[A_Callow_Youth]

So, a couple thoughts of my own. I finally got motivated to look up just what a "mandrill" was, and oh boy. Describing Clan Fire Mandrill as a bunch of angry chimps isn't exactly off the mark. I mean, yeah, they've got an angry monkey as their logo, but fuck 'em, Wikipedia is a much better source for how they act than Sarna is.

Secondly, you know what really pisses me off about the Wolf Empire shit? Nobody is supposed to win the Grand Prize in BattleTech. Terra is supposed to be perpetually off-limits to everyone who strives for it, since the entire point of the setting is that the Great Houses would rather see the Inner Sphere get burned to ashes than see someone other than themselves lay claim to it. Its also spits on the lessons of Tukayyid, that the Clans cannot maintain the grinding attritional warfare the Inner Sphere forces on everyone through its size and accepted rules of war. The Clans that wised up and realized they weren't going to be able to get there (Raven, Bear, Sea Fox, Nova Cat), not without an utterly pyrrhic victory that would see them crushed by everyone else are SoL, with the Crusaders of the Wolves, Falcons, and even the fucking Jaguars coming out on top. It completely trashes the premises well established by prior lore, and accomplishes what exactly?

The fuck are you on about? This is the 6th time Terra has been invaded and occupied in a 400-year span. At this point, the Clans have had 100 years to learn from Tukayyid, 90 years to settle into the Inner Sphere after the Wars of Reaving, and at least 70 years of being perfectly willing to play by Inner Sphere rules when the situation called for it. The Republic of the Sphere had been collapsing on all fronts for almost 20 years as everyone tried to get a piece of it. (Spoilers: Hour of the Wolf) When Delvin Stone tried to bait the Clans into coming to Terra piecemeal so he could handle them one at a time, the Wolves straight-up invited Jade Falcon to the party, and they fucking clobbered him with everything hey had until he surrendered. Only after the cessation of resistance did they settle down and have their proper Trial of Possession for who got to be the bestest Clan evar.
I'm reminded of something I was told back when I joined the Army: "there are no stupid terrorists left, we killed all the stupid ones."

 

[Snekposter]

6th time Terra has been invaded and occupied in a 400-year span.

That's literally my point. After Amaris claimed it for himself Kerensky did his thing, fucked off, then ComStar declared it neutral as the Succession Wars broke out and all the Great Houses went to total war against one another, not primarily for Terra and the title of First Lord but mostly just so nobody else could claim either of those. Then you had the Wobblies and the Jihad, which had Stone and the RotS declaring none of you assholes fucking gets Terra after the big dramatic victory.

Look, I'll admit I have very little idea what the heck was going on with the overall situation in the Dark Age, but the idea nobody would show up to stop either of them and leave the RotS and Terra on their own is utterly farcical, not when the first thing people did when the Blackout happened was start gobbling up the Sphere for their own, just like they did with the Hegemony after Kerensky fucked off. It was literally a reset to the status quo of the First Succession War, and we get... a Clan victory? No Drac/Lyran double-team on the Wolves and Falcons to keep them from snatching Terra for their own? None of the other Clans deciding that since the race was on once more to start competing?

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

That's literally my point. After Amaris claimed it for himself Kerensky did his thing, fucked off, then ComStar declared it neutral as the Succession Wars broke out and all the Great Houses went to total war against one another, not primarily for Terra and the title of First Lord but mostly just so nobody else could claim either of those. Then you had the Wobblies and the Jihad, which had Stone and the RotS declaring none of you assholes fucking gets Terra after the big dramatic victory.

Look, I'll admit I have very little idea what the heck was going on with the overall situation in the Dark Age, but the idea nobody would show up to stop either of them and leave the RotS and Terra on their own is utterly farcical, not when the first thing people did when the Blackout happened was start gobbling up the Sphere for their own, just like they did with the Hegemony after Kerensky fucked off. It was literally a reset to the status quo of the First Succession War, and we get... a Clan victory? No Drac/Lyran double-team on the Wolves and Falcons to keep them from snatching Terra for their own? None of the other Clans deciding that since the race was on once more to start competing?

Okay, I see. The first point is that the Dark Age was heralded by the complete failure of the HPG network. It wasn't so much a return to the 1st SW as it was the Age of War, complete with the difficulty of intelligence gathering that accompanied it. The second factor is what is called--I shit you not--The Wall: a hyperspace barrier that made jumping into Terra (as far as most knew) impossible. Stone gave the Wolves and only the Wolves a way through The Wall, planning to pull a Tukayyid, and oh shit, turns out that Alaric Ward isn't a complete fucking idiot. As for intervention outside of Terra in response to the invasion, well, who fucking cares, they got Terra!
It is worth noting that Hour of the Wolf is only the start of the era, we haven't even begun to see the fallout yet. Indications from upcoming books seem to be that the Falcons are going to get caught out of position and take a beating from the Lyrans.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

The second factor is what is called--I shit you not--The Wall: a hyperspace barrier that made jumping into Terra (as far as most knew) impossible. Stone gave the Wolves and only the Wolves a way through The Wall, planning to pull a Tukayyid, and oh shit, turns out that Alaric Ward isn't a complete fucking idiot.

That is the dumbest shit I have ever read and it pains me that it is attached to my favorite Sci-Fi setting.
Did the Wolves use wizards with legitimate magical abilities or do the writers save that for the grand finale?

Also in terms of recreational mechs, it might be worthwhile to contemplate that we've had tanks for more than a century and to my knowledge there is no company that makes tank-like tracked vehicles specifically for recreational uses. Same with submarine-yachts or Zeppelin-yachts or stuff like that.
You have people owning demilitarized tanks and that one dude who owned an old demilitarized submarine (and murdered a reporter on it).

I assume Mechs would just not offer enough prestige and comfort as a rich-people toy to warrant someone actually making more than very rare one-offs (that would most likely be conversions of existing IndustrialMechs or old demilitarized mechs stripped of arms and armor).
Any person rich enough to afford a recreational mech might rather fancy a private jet (which is more comfortable and useful) and the obscenely rich would prefer DropShips or even JumpShips. There's always the aspect of a status symbol and mechs just don't fit that niche...

I like the idea of recreational mechs, but mechs themselves are barely feasible in the role the setting attributed them, recreational uses are even further off and only very, verry cooky rich guys might actually go out of their way to buy a 'mech converted to be used as an RV with living quarters strapped to the back.

All that being said, I could see a use for mechs with very tiny and basic utilities such as a bunk, a tiny stove and maybe even a toilet. It would allow mechs to go on extended, unsupported sorties, even on planets without breathable atmosphere... but it would waste a lot of space and mass, and both those things are at a premium in a mech. So maybe it's better to just cram in a vacuum-suit behind the pilot seat and have some mobile field base with basic ammenities on standby.

 

[Snekposter]

Okay, I see. The first point is that the Dark Age was heralded by the complete failure of the HPG network. It wasn't so much a return to the 1st SW as it was the Age of War, complete with the difficulty of intelligence gathering that accompanied it. The second factor is what is called--I shit you not--The Wall: a hyperspace barrier that made jumping into Terra (as far as most knew) impossible. Stone gave the Wolves and only the Wolves a way through The Wall, planning to pull a Tukayyid, and oh shit, turns out that Alaric Ward isn't a complete fucking idiot. As for intervention outside of Terra in response to the invasion, well, who fucking cares, they got Terra!
It is worth noting that Hour of the Wolf is only the start of the era, we haven't even begun to see the fallout yet. Indications from upcoming books seem to be that the Falcons are going to get caught out of position and take a beating from the Lyrans.

Yeah, but the question of "Why the hell did nobody decide to make a move while they were making a move?" still exists. Even with all of the delays inherent to communication you'd have thought someone might get the memo and begin sending forces to either intercept or start going after unprotected worlds. That and Devlin Stone is a fucking moron for trying to pull a Tukayyid when the entire point of Tukayyid was that the Inner Sphere was getting chopped to pieces faster than anyone could ever imagine and it was a last-ditch attempt to buy time to recuperate. That and the Fidelis being the Jaguars is fucking stupid since they're 100% counter to how the Jaguars operated.

The Fidelis were a warrior society where every member was extensively cross-trained in different modes of combat, from piloting BattleMechs to standard infantry duty, as well as combat engineers with technical skills to customise their equipment and bypass security devices.

Like, seriously? The Jaggies teaching their MechWarriors how to be lowly infantry? The most notoriously anti-freeborn, anti-civilian Clan, notorious Crusaders too, pledging themselves to Stone? A Clan notorious for its REEE and wholesale civilian slaughter during the Invasion whenever things went bad for them? Devlin Stone and Victor Steiner-Davion deciding to not finish the job Task Force Serpent had seemingly left undone? The two of them deciding "Yeah, the most brutal, vicious, mass-murdering, indiscriminate assholes since the Greenhaven Gestapo would make excellent special forces"?

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

View attachment 2295275
That is the dumbest shit I have ever read and it pains me that it is attached to my favorite Sci-Fi setting.
Did the Wolves use wizards with legitimate magical abilities or do the writers save that for the grand finale?

ClickyTech, man. In some vestigal form of credit, hyperspace is one of the least understood parts of the BT universe, both in and out. If they were going to do something fucking wonky, something FTL related is probably the least obtrusive place to do it.

Yeah, but the question of "Why the hell did nobody decide to make a move while they were making a move?" still exists. Even with all of the delays inherent to communication you'd have thought someone might get the memo and begin sending forces to either intercept or start going after unprotected worlds.

They may have. Information outside of the Sol system for the first half of 3151 is still scarce at best.

That and Devlin Stone is a fucking moron for trying to pull a Tukayyid when the entire point of Tukayyid was that the Inner Sphere was getting chopped to pieces faster than anyone could ever imagine and it was a last-ditch attempt to buy time to recuperate. That and the Fidelis being the Jaguars is fucking stupid since they're 100% counter to how the Jaguars operated.

Yes and Yes

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

ClickyTech, man. In some vestigal form of credit, hyperspace is one of the least understood parts of the BT universe, both in and out. If they were going to do something fucking wonky, something FTL related is probably the least obtrusive place to do it.

It's like the Hyperspace Ramming from the Star Wars sequels. A technology that is so powerful, it would immediately and irrevocably alter the face of the setting, cause there is literally no way it would not.

You can just hunker down in your little bubble of FTL-Fuck-Off-Spray and no one can ever touch you. There is no way this would not become the most sought after technology since the Kearny Fuchida Drive itself. Whoever invented it, would have the ability to steamroll anyone else at whatever speed it takes to make that technology transportable.
If it takes them a decade or even a century to shrink the technology down to put it in a ship (or fleet of ships) is entirely irrelevant, since they can do so without being disturbed and the moment they got that shit in a transportable manner, even if it only allows them to cover one lone star system, would afford them such a vast advantage over their enemey by denying him reinforcements, they could literally set up an Armada of ships and beeline to any seat of power and obliterate it.

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

It's like the Hyperspace Ramming from the Star Wars sequels. A technology that is so powerful, it would immediately and irrevocably alter the face of the setting, cause there is literally no way it would not.

You can just hunker down in your little bubble of FTL-Fuck-Off-Spray and no one can ever touch you. There is no way this would not become the most sought after technology since the Kearny Fuchida Drive itself. Whoever invented it, would have the ability to steamroll anyone else at whatever speed it takes to make that technology transportable.
If it takes them a decade or even a century to shrink the technology down to put it in a ship (or fleet of ships) is entirely irrelevant, since they can do so without being disturbed and the moment they got that shit in a transportable manner, even if it only allows them to cover one lone star system, would afford them such a vast advantage over their enemey by denying him reinforcements, they could literally set up an Armada of ships and beeline to any seat of power and obliterate it.

Okay, then, technical talk. In essence, the Wall system targets any JumpShip attempting to pass through it and causes it to suffer a critical drive failure. However, the previously mentioned way is that it is unable to targets ships attempting a jump of one-half a light year or less. In essence, it turns out that it's not so much an immunity as it is a speed bump. Actually, the perfect tech to counter the proliferation of Wall technology already exists: the Lithium-Fusion Battery.

EDIT: Yes, they are absolutely still writing themselves out of a hole and this shouldn't have been there in the first place. Fuck WizKids.

 

[Snekposter]

Yes and Yes

Honestly, in the spirit of BattleTech and the eternal cock-blocking that used to be a hallmark of the setting, having the Fidelis actually be the Wolverines and they declare Terran Hegemony 2: Interstellar Boogaloo would have been the best thing possible. Devlin Stone does his thing, they backstab him once he fucks it up, drive the Wolves and Falcons off-planet in a hilariously pyrrhic conflict for all three parties, then they tear down the hyperspace wall, tell everyone "Come at us, bros!", let the Bears, Falcons, and Wolves start declaring Trial after Trial on each other for the rights to finish the Annihilation, and welcome in anyone who wants to rebuild the traditions and legacies of the Royal Divisions, including their former "friends" in the Sea Foxes and the remnants of the Cats if they feel like discarding their Clan identity.

Oh, and the Republic's demilitarization is completely done away with. A BattleMech behind every blade of grass for this reborn entity.

Yes, I'm aware this is a masturbatory fan-fic, but its at least less terrible than what we got and is more in line with the "Ha ha, fuck you, no nice things!" aspect BT always had for those whose reach exceeded their grasp. In the grim darkness of the 31st 32nd Century, there is only war.

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

Honestly, in the spirit of BattleTech and the eternal cock-blocking that used to be a hallmark of the setting, having the Fidelis actually be the Wolverines and they declare Terran Hegemony 2: Interstellar Boogaloo would have been the best thing possible. Devlin Stone does his thing, they backstab him once he fucks it up, drive the Wolves and Falcons off-planet in a hilariously pyrrhic conflict for all three parties, then they tear down the hyperspace wall, tell everyone "Come at us, bros!", let the Bears, Falcons, and Wolves start declaring Trial after Trial on each other for the rights to finish the Annihilation, and welcome in anyone who wants to rebuild the traditions and legacies of the Royal Divisions, including their former "friends" in the Sea Foxes and the remnants of the Cats if they feel like discarding their Clan identity.

Oh, and the Republic's demilitarization is completely done away with. A BattleMech behind every blade of grass for this reborn entity.

Yes, I'm aware this is a masturbatory fan-fic, but its at least less terrible than what we got and is more in line with the "Ha ha, fuck you, no nice things!" aspect BT always had for those whose reach exceeded their grasp.

Personally, I was hoping for the Falcons to win, demand the Kerensky bloodnames, and kick of Wars of Reaving 2.

 

[Snekposter]

Personally, I was hoping for the Falcons to win, demand the Kerensky bloodnames, and kick of Wars of Reaving 2.

Oooh, yeah, that would have been fun as well. Mostly I'm just unhappy that this big, major, galaxy-changing event is so far depressingly bloodless by the standards of BattleTech.

 

[A_Callow_Youth]

Oooh, yeah, that would have been fun as well. Mostly I'm just unhappy that this big, major, galaxy-changing event is so far depressingly bloodless by the standards of BattleTech.

New era, lots of books to be written yet. And Alaric is the kind of ruthless to start some major shit.

His neurohelmet earpiece chirped. “Khan Ward, incoming priority communication for you.”

“From whom?” he asked.

“Exarch Devlin Stone.”

Alaric grinned. So, he has finally emerged. “Put him through.”

“Khan Ward,” came a deep voice—old and defiant. “I have been waiting for you to contact us. I am surprised you have not yet offered a batchall for Terra. I presume one is forthcoming.”

“Devlin Stone. I was surprised to learn you are still alive—welcome back to the realm of the living. As it turns out…” Alaric paused, savoring it. “A batchall was not necessary for Terra. I presumed you would defend it with all you have, and I intend to come at it with all I have. If I were to bid, it would be Clan Wolf. My entire Clan.”

“Better you than the Jade Falcons, I suppose.” Stone sounded strangely relaxed, as if things were progressing as he had planned.

“Your feelings on who you face are of no consequence,” Alaric said. “The heirs to Aleksandr Kerensky have come home. We are more than enough to defeat your crumbling little Republic.”

“I was fighting decades before you were poured out of your iron womb, son,” Stone said firmly. “I have fought the worst of mankind and defeated them. I built an empire on their ashes.”

“Empires rise and fall. I will found an era. You have faced the worst of mankind, you say? Now you face the best: Clan Wolf.”

Stone paused before responding. “There is no need for us to wage war all over Terra and put innocent civilians at risk. Instead, I offer you a series of trials—much like what ilKhan Ulric Kerensky waged at Tukayyid. My best units against yours.”

Alaric laughed. “An amusing offer, Exarch, but a meaningless one. I am not Ulric Kerensky. Nor are you Anastasius Focht, I suspect. I have not battled my way here just to put the ilClanship at risk.” His smile faded quickly. “I will not play games for what I want. Nicholas Kerensky said whichever Clan conquers Terra would be the ilClan, and that is exactly what I intend to do. My people will take what they desire, and when it is all over, the entire Inner Sphere will know of your defeat. Prepare for war, old man.”

The hesitation told him Stone had been ill-prepared for his response—but the Exarch tried. “We will beat you, Khan Ward. We will tear into you, and you will lose everything. The Republic will emerge from this fight triumphant, and take back what was stolen from us.”

Alaric nodded. “Excellent. All Wolves love a challenge in battle, and you have promised that. But know this: it is I who will do the taking now. I will take your spirit from you and crush it under my BattleMech. And I will start with Australia.”

With those words, he cut off the transmission.

 

[Balr0g]

Well the question is if Alric can HOLD Terra. Yes he might have defeated the Republic and the Falcons are as good as dead given the fact how muich of their touman is left (not very much). And from what I understood is that the Horses are also stampeding to Terra to challenge the Wolves. And we also have the Capellans gunning for the core of the Republic. Makes me wonder how long the Walls can keep running. And there is one thing: the Clanners are a minority in the IS. The Wolves will probably turn IS at one point or the other and though the core of the old Hegemony might not hate the Clans as deeply as during the Invasion days their should still be lingering resentment

 

[Snekposter]

Well the question is if Alric can HOLD Terra. Yes he might have defeated the Republic and the Falcons are as good as dead given the fact how muich of their touman is left (not very much). And from what I understood is that the Horses are also stampeding to Terra to challenge the Wolves. And we also have the Capellans gunning for the core of the Republic. Makes me wonder how long the Walls can keep running. And there is one thing: the Clanners are a minority in the IS. The Wolves will probably turn IS at one point or the other and though the core of the old Hegemony might not hate the Clans as deeply as during the Invasion days their should still be lingering resentment

I mean, yeah, that's all a possibility. I'm just ass-mad at how poorly the initial setup was done and let's face it, who the hell wanted the Jaggies back?

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

I guess I can relate a lot better to the pre-Clan Invasion BT grognards railing against the Clans and all their shenanigans now.
For the life of me, I can't get invested in post-Civil War BT lore. It's kind of weird, cause the only reason I have no issues with the Clans is that I got introduced to BT with MW3 and picked up the novels when they focused on the Civil War... but I do guess that the slapdash nature to transform cBT into Clickytech and how the Jihad was effectively used as a hatchet to cut off the old lore from the new created a gap in the setting that I can't ford.
It's not bad per se, it's just not my cup of tea...

But BT is a great setting that will alow you to very easily play in whatever era you want and I can forever stick to the Late Succession Wars to FedCom Civil War eras.

 

[Balr0g]

I mean, yeah, that's all a possibility. I'm just ass-mad at how poorly the initial setup was done and let's face it, who the hell wanted the Jaggies back?

Indeed. I would have thought the Republic would have somehow made a comeback. After all the Walls give a good protection (albeit with a time limit) And what bothers me more is how Stone ended. I had the impression that he was ruthless to the core to achieve his goals. Hence I thought that he would have kept some of the Balkie's more insane plans as trump cards. you know like Operation Meggido? That plan was insane (nuking the center spots of Terra in a last act of defiance) Or perhaps more like a new Holy Shroud operation. Like the saying "Ok you can have Terra and that is it." Think about it: Terra has several huge armaments companies (Skobel, Martinson etc) and is still the center of technological inovation. If those factories are rubble or the schematis are corrupted then good luck holding the planet. Because I can't imagine the Wolves coming out unscathed even with all the Mary Sue helpings in the world. Then again I guess they wanted a Steiner-Davion to succed and Alaric Is a Steiner-Davion (give or take Clan genetic meddling)

 

[Snekposter]

But BT is a great setting that will alow you to very easily play in whatever era you want and I can forever stick to the Late Succession Wars to FedCom Civil War eras.

My first real intro to BT/Mechwarrior (once I was old enough to understand the setting, that is) was the FedCom CW through MW4 Mercs. So it occupies a special spot in my heart for that reason, and once I started learning more about the setting, came to really appreciate it on its own merits. Its my fav since yeah, it was my first big intro, but it also has enough advancements and tricks and the like on the IS side to create if not parity with the Clans, at least enough of it in various ways to make the Invader Clans completely unable to finish their drive to Terra. HGauss and IHGauss are a couple nasty toys the Clans simply don't have, plus with LosTech no longer being lost and with decades of production for the inventories and now reverse-engineered versions of the advanced ballistics the Clans brought... No way would the Invader Clans have a chance anymore. "Fuck you, Clans. Time to face Phelan's Grindstone if you try it again." Yes, its ironic I have a bit of grognard salt about the Clans considering they were a thing long before I ever got really involved in BT, but god damn, all you need to do to see how utterly ridiculous they were when they first showed up is play MW5 with the "Yet Another Weapon Clan" mod that adds Clan weaponry to the game, and make yourself a IIC version of whatever you have.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

My first real intro to BT/Mechwarrior (once I was old enough to understand the setting, that is) was the FedCom CW through MW4 Mercs. So it occupies a special spot in my heart for that reason, and once I started learning more about the setting, came to really appreciate it on its own merits. Its my fav since yeah, it was my first big intro, but it also has enough advancements and tricks and the like on the IS side to create if not parity with the Clans, at least enough of it in various ways to make the Invader Clans completely unable to finish their drive to Terra. HGauss and IHGauss are a couple nasty toys the Clans simply don't have, plus with LosTech no longer being lost and with decades of production for the inventories and now reverse-engineered versions of the advanced ballistics the Clans brought... No way would the Invader Clans have a chance anymore. "Fuck you, Clans. Time to face Phelan's Grindstone if you try it again."

MW4 was one of the games that shaped my appreciation for the setting as well. MW3 and MW4 simply have the best intros ever. HBS BT intro is a close second, tho.
It's kinda weird in a way. I don't mind the HGauss or Light Gauss, but the IHGauss, for instance, is a step too far. I have a weird hodgepodge of likes and dislikes when it comes to new technology in BT. For instance, I am not a huge fan of Stealth Armor and TSM, iC³ systems are kinda sorta on the line between "okay" and "not okay". Almost everything before the HGauss is okay, anything beyond is too much. In that regard, I mirror the attitude of the grognards in terms of Clan Space Magic I guess.

I just wish someone would make a show en par with The Expanse with the BT setting. Just imagine how glorious a hard-sci-fi show set in the 4th Succession War would be.

 

[Snekposter]

MW4 was one of the games that shaped my appreciation for the setting as well. MW3 and MW4 simply have the best intros ever. HBS BT intro is a close second, tho.
It's kinda weird in a way. I don't mind the HGauss or Light Gauss, but the IHGauss, for instance, is a step too far. I have a weird hodgepodge of likes and dislikes when it comes to new technology in BT. For instance, I am not a huge fan of Stealth Armor and TSM, iC³ systems are kinda sorta on the line between "okay" and "not okay". Almost everything before the HGauss is okay, anything beyond is too much. In that regard, I mirror the attitude of the grognards in terms of Clan Space Magic I guess.

I just wish someone would make a show en par with The Expanse with the BT setting. Just imagine how glorious a hard-sci-fi show set in the 4th Succession War would be.

Yeah, I can see why you really dislike the IHGauss. Its pretty much a pure upgrade over the AC/20... if you can find the extra six tons and the crit slot for it. Not denying its OP-ness now that I've run some numbers but... at least it ain't WoB or Society bullshit.

 

[Corn Flakes]

Well the question is if Alric can HOLD Terra. Yes he might have defeated the Republic and the Falcons are as good as dead given the fact how muich of their touman is left (not very much). And from what I understood is that the Horses are also stampeding to Terra to challenge the Wolves. And we also have the Capellans gunning for the core of the Republic. Makes me wonder how long the Walls can keep running. And there is one thing: the Clanners are a minority in the IS. The Wolves will probably turn IS at one point or the other and though the core of the old Hegemony might not hate the Clans as deeply as during the Invasion days their should still be lingering resentment

That's the entire point, yep. It's less "the Clans won! Oh, no!" and more "they captured Terra, big fucking whoop". Nothing Alaric and the Wolves do will last if they can't navigate the politics of the Inner Sphere. Terra is the Cradle of Humanity and a highly industrialized planet, sure, but it's still one world in the great scheme of things. The House Lords are by now almost a thousand years removed from their Terran ancestors. If they can capture Terra for themselves, it's a wonderful prize. If they can't, they're not going to get too hung up about it.

Conquering Terra is a bit of a monkey paw wish in BattleTech, anyway. Narratively, claiming Terra as your holding or your capital results eventually in you being extinct. The Hegemony is gone, ComStar is gone, the Blakists are gone, the Republic is going... going... gone. The Wolves must be sweating right now.